Opinion – Page 3 – Given to Score

Part 3

Why in all God do they put Harry Kane on the set pieces and why isn’t Jamie Vardy on yet? They are going to lose this I swear and it will be because Woy doesn’t have the balls to make the changes when they are necessary. United just sacked a manager for reasons like that.
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England go a goal up thanks to a free kick dripping in quality and it sparks up England fans there and here. Eric Dier, 22 years old, take a bloody long bow. Wayne Rooney playing in the withdrawn position bothers me but in the run up to the free kick he was faultless. England deserved to have the edge and they eventually do.

Rooney departs for Arsenal sicknote Jack Wilshire. That’s a fucking ballsy move, taking your captain off in the first game of a tournament when you are only a goal up with minutes to go.

I’m ready for everyone to tell me that this England Victory has been built in North London. Harry Kane falls, draws the free kick and heads the ball on the ground all in one moment. There’s a moment Brazil would have been happy with, a sexy pass and move which sadly went nowhere but goes to confirm that England are more than worthy winners here. A second goal would put the cherry on the icing on the cake.

Stirling tries to make it happen, just as I get another tap on my shoulder… one of our lot is wobbling and for some reason he’s apologising. The sound comes back on on the second big television just in time to hear the national anthem belted out by the fans in the stadium. Even I am impressed.

They leave out the verse about scattering our enemies though, naturally.

Minutes to go and the England I know and for the most part ignore, come out to play. They concede, Russia get a point and England have given a load of people hope only to see it snatched away. Again, I can identify with those emotions.

The DJ starts with the England song Vindaloo and Glenn rewrites the lyrics for us:

“AND WE ALL LIKE VINDALOO!

WE’RE GONNA SCORE THE SAME AS YOU!”

Wales top the group. That’s funny.

I’m happy for this blog to chart the journey from Lapsed England fan to once again believer. I want to be the same England fan that cried his heart out when we bottled it in Italia 90, the same lad that idolised Gazza despite the Spurs and later Lazio shirt on his back.

At the end of Day one though, the feeling is mostly laughter: at the disappointment of the England fans who had us winning the competition when Dier scored that free kick. So the journey to rekindle love for the England national side starts from a rather bleh place.

Part 2

I have to get behind this lot, it’s important for national unity and all that. The staff of my local all have England shirts on and I get the message. There are players I would love at United, most of them have decent hair cuts already so it would make the move to Manchester easier for them.

England expects – some how the public expect them to win the thing. Drinkwater, a premier league winner is not in the squad… Wilshire, this generations sick note is in the squad. Chris Smalling is too. It’s not too long before I start hoping our lads avoid injury and drama. We know what happens when England crash out and it’s down to a United player don’t we? That player gets vilified. Rooney will be ok if England make him the scapegoat – United fans have been ripping into him for a while now. Taken some a while to give him credit, it has.

Woy seems to find him undroppable too. A fun tournament awaits then.

The landlord of my local thinks he has to find a white charger because his phone is white. As that example of phone racism sinks in Harry Kane puts the ball in the net but the whistle had already gone. I’m tapped on the shoulder and told by someone that he and I could beat Russia on our own. I’ve had fewer injuries than Jamie Redknapp and less operations than Jack Wilshire and he’s in France! By that reckoning I should win the balon d’Orr.

Bring on the fireball shots

See you in part 3

Part 1

Ok so the European championships are in France this year and yet again I have to get used to seeing my boys, United boys, in another shirt playing alongside players I could swear they detest during the league season. It might be easier to get my head around this year given that there is no John Terry and no Steven Gerrard. Those England fans who detest Wayne Rooney even when he plays for England? Well done, I applaud the consistency. I hope the United boys do well, Marcus Rashford is a little genius and if I accept that Woy will play players all over the place in order to accommodate Wayne Rooney then this might not descend into a hail of sarcasm and bitterness.

They’ve got Joe Hart. I have to cheer a City player ?

Sarcasm and bitterness it is then.

First to the Wales game though. I dont think there is anyone left in Wales and the BBC have snapped up all the celebrity ones for their coverage. I see Hartson, Saunders, Savage… that’s the lot isn’t it ? And Gareth Bale. You know all the scoring pressure lies on him. The first major tournament game in ages for Wales, you knew he would score it.

The Wales fans sing ARE YOU WATCHING, ENGLAND?

England are in the same group, and this is game 1. It’s not the final of a competition Wales knocked England out of, both teams are still in it: there’s nothing to gloat at yet, Wales.

Wales win, well done… and Bale only scored one of them! Throw a national party.

I’ll write part two as England play and there may be drink consumed. Fair warning.