World Cup diary 2018 – Sunday 24 June

Okay, okay…I should be reflecting on how Germany got themselves out of a hole by beating Sweden with ten-men with a last gasp fabulous free-kick, in only a way that Die Mannschaft seem to be able to do. And yes I probably should be talking about how Belgium looked frighteningly good in their demolition of Tunisia 5-2 or how Mexico took a giant stride towards progression to the last 16 with a 2-1 victory over South Korea.

However, the truth is that I simply can’t…I’m just too nervous. It’s that horrible gut wrenching feeling that comes with watching England when it comes around to tournament time. It’s strange but having watched Fulham secure a return to the Premier League at Wembley against Aston Villa, there was a strange calm about the game, despite having only a slender 1-0 advantage and having to play out the final twenty minutes with ten-men. It is just never the same with England.

The curious think is that it seems to have got worse as I’ve got older. Watching the 1982 tournament in Spain was enjoyable yet ultimately disappointing, but by 1986 and Mexico the dread had kicked in and so all subsequent competitions whether the European Championship or the World Cup have become increasingly tortuous. It possibly has a great deal to do with the way the Three Lions get themselves knocked out whether it be a contentious decision, penalties or just being plain awful.

Oh that today the team strolls to a 3-0 half-time lead over Panama and comfortably sees out the second-half. However, the reality is that it just transfers the feeling to the next game and the inevitability of an exit in the way only England can manage to do.

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World Cup diary 2018 – Tuesday 19 June

Long live King Harry! No, I’m not prompting some massacre of all those in line to the throne of England, but merely praising the performance of Tottenham’s Harry Kane. His two-goal salvo, the first after eleven minutes gave The Three Lions the perfect start in a first-half in which they created enough chances to have put the game beyond Tunisia by half-time. However, as every England fan knows, the national team never does anything easily and after a soft penalty for the African side was converted before the break by Sassi after thirty-five minutes, the game became one of attrition as Tunisia tried to hang on to a point by fair means or foul. Tunisia’s cause was helped by VAR not being used when King Harry was wrestled to the ground rugby-style twice in the penalty box from corners, but England continued to knock at the door and a minute into stoppage time, Kane slipped his marker and headed home to ensure a 2-1 victory as the nation signed in a huge collective relief. A vital win and confidence boost for Gareth Southgate’s young charges.

In the other game in England’s group, Belgium were eventually comfortable 3-0 winners over Panama, but it took until the forty-seventh minute for Mertens to break the deadlock, before a Lukaku brace (69’ and 75’) saw The Red Devils secure the win and top spot in Group G. In the other game of the day in Group F, a rather scrappy game saw Sweden win 1-0 thanks to an Andreas Granqvist just past the hour. It showed that VAR works in that the correction decision was given, but also illustrated how it is messy within football rather than the rugby codes which have natural stop and starts. In this case play had continued with South Korea on the break after Kim Min-woo’s foul on Viktor Claesson, only for the game to be stopped for the review. And after the failings of the use of VAR in the England game, I’m not totally convinced that there is a consistent application of the technology.

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Book Review: 1966 And All That! The 50th Anniversary

There will be all sorts of publications that will be produced to mark the Fiftieth Anniversary of England winning the World Cup, but none will likely match 1966 And All That! The 50th Anniversary in terms of its visual impact.

This book is in an A4 format favoured by the comic annuals of yesteryear, appropriate given that the focus of this publication is the work of illustrator Bob Bond. He worked on comics such as Valiant and Tiger and numerous football books including Scorcher, Charles Buchan’s Football Monthly and Roy of the Rovers.

At the heart of the book is a game-by-game overview of all the games from the 1966 World Cup tournament with Bond’s drawings bringing the brief match reports to life. There is in addition articles from some of the most respected Fleet Street writers who witnessed events fifty years ago including, Patrick Collins, Steve Curry, Bob Harris, John Keith and James Lawton.

Supplementing the story of England’s finest footballing hour, are some other stories from the sporting world fifty years ago, depicted through Bond’s wonderful drawings, including Henry Cooper’s loss to Muhammad Ali at Highbury and the Final Test between England and West Indies at the Oval. Some may question why these are included, but they add a useful context to a sporting year that was dominated by England’s finest footballing hour.

If you are looking for an in-depth, game-by-game analysis of the 1966 Finals, then this is not the book for you. However, if you are looking for something a bit different and a book that will bring a smile to your face, then this hits the mark.

 

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Book Review: 66: The World Cup in Real Time by Ian Passingham

30 July 2016 will mark fifty years since England captain Bobby Moore raised aloft the World Cup at Wembley after a 4-2 victory over West Germany in the Final.

On the one hand it should be a time for celebration and acknowledgment of the achievement of Sir Alf Ramsey and his squad, but on the other it will be a harsh reminder of England’s lack of success in international football since that time.

There will no doubt be various books, magazines, television and radio programmes given over to the tournament during 2016; indeed Sky gave the 1966 Final the Monday Night Football treatment at the start of the year.

In 66: The World Cup in Real Time, Ian Passingham offers a different take on the eighth World Cup Finals and in the Introduction sets out how he believes his book will be different:

“Of the many accounts written about 1966, most have centred almost exclusively on England and have drawn to some degree on recollections of the tournament which, inevitably are coloured and sometimes distorted by hindsight.

This book sets out to bring back to life the whole tournament, as if it were being played and reported on today with all the action, reaction, news and gossip from all 16 competing nations.”

In terms of content, the book covers a range of supportive material to the tournament. A Prelude is presented in two parts, of which the first looks at the history of the England team from 1872 to 1962 and the second from the time Sir Alf Ramsey became England manager in 1963 up to the eve of the 1966 competition.

There then follows the major part of the book which focuses on a real time look at the tournament (both matchdays and rest days) as well as The Aftermath in two parts. The first of these focuses on Sir Alf Ramsey, whilst the second details what happened to some of the key personnel, players and teams who took part in the Finals.

The book closes with a very useful Appendix which shows how the squad for the Finals evolved from Ramsey’s first game in charge against France on 27 February 1963 and a few photographs from the tournament.

There are some great images produced in this final section of the book, however, the placing of them at the very end seems a slightly curious choice and might have had a better impact placed alongside the real time events they related to.

Of the main part of the book and the concept of real time coverage, Passingham has to be praised for the research carried out in collating and piecing together interviews and articles of the day to give the reader an, at times, amusing but overall informative insight of events on and off the pitch.

Indeed there are numerous gems to be found within the book which show how different times were and especially in how the World Cup Finals were organised. Amongst them is the fact that match officials stayed in local B&B’s during the tournament, reflecting that the facilities for the competing teams were at best ordinary and a lifetime away from the amenities that players enjoyed and expected in the 2014 Brazil World Cup.

If some things have changed in the fifty years since the Finals, then some haven’t. Passingham shows that the cliché-ridden soundbites of players and managers were the same then as they are now, as they talked up their chances and criticised refereeing standards.

However, these real time snippets by their very nature mean that any real flow to the book is difficult to achieve and is therefore best read on a ‘pick-up, put-down’ basis.

Nonetheless, this is an interesting addition to the story the 1966 World Cup Finals that will offer a wider look at the teams who took part and the events that led to England’s finest footballing hour.

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Book Review: David Beckham – Fifty Defining Fixtures by Steve Tongue

Another offering from Amberley books in their expanding football series, Fifty Defining Fixtures. This edition by Steve Tongue focuses on David Beckham.

Beckham has come to transcend the game of football where he initially made his name, but in the Introduction, Tongue is clear on the direction of this book; “the focus here is on Beckham the footballer and the most memorable of his 800-plus matches”, adding, “selecting fifty games is not easy and cannot be definitive.”

Where Tongue has succeeded with his selection of the games is that it does reflect Beckham’s England career and marks the incredible achievement of winning league titles in four different countries – England, Spain, USA and France.

So there are details of the games you expect to see – the iconic lob over Neil Sullivan against Wimbledon in 1996, the sending-off against Argentina in the World Cup in 1998, the 2001 performance against Greece and THAT free-kick at Old Trafford and redemption against Argentina in the 2002 World Cup – but also others less familiar, including a couple of games from Beckham’s youth career, a loan-spell at Preston and his time with LA Galaxy in the MLS.

Tongue does an excellent job in ensuring that both the highs and lows of Beckham’s career are captured and the author is not afraid to detail the opinions of journalists who believe the former England captain was a player of limited ability, and in so doing enables the book to present a balanced perspective.

In addition the author successfully ensures that despite the timespan covered in just fifty games, there is a flow and connection so that the reader can easily follow Beckham’s career. What helps is that Tongue puts each game in context, so that there is a wider appreciation of the significance of the fixtures detailed.

This is a useful addition to books on Beckham in the on-going debate as to the players place in football history.

 

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FIFA World Cup 2014 – Saturday 28 June 2014

100 years ago today shots in Sarajevo killed Archduke Ferdinand which proved to be the catalyst that led to the carnage that was to become the First World War. 100 years later we still haven’t learned and conflict and killing still exists in certain countries across the globe today.

It says much about the modern world though that the most significant shots for many on the planet today will take place in Brazil as the knock-out phase of the World Cup begins. Sixteen teams have departed and sixteen remain. Gone is the safety of the group games and second chances, this is winner takes all, whether in ninety minutes, extra-time or penalties.

The group stages have for the most part seen very open games, with plenty of goals and drama to match. England’s inability to escape the group stages was hardly a surprise, but the demise of Italy and Spain is something not many predicted. Whilst Spanish domination of World football had to end at some point, the like of Casillas, David Villa ad Xavi couldn’t have foreseen demolition at the hands of Netherlands and Chile being amongst their last memories of World Cup tournaments.

Others to have disappointed include 2018 hosts Russia (but then Capello is in charge of them) and Portugal who showed that without a fit Ronaldo, they badly struggle. Given both Japan and South Korea went well in the 2012 Olympic football tournament, it was a surprise that neither made much impression in Brazil. It’s been a mixed bag for the African teams, with Algeria and Nigeria making it through, but Cameroon, Ghana and Ivory Coast deeply disappointing.

Today’s games are all about Latin America as Brazil take on Chile and Colombia face Uruguay. How would the tournament be affected if Brazil lost to Chile? This game you would hope could be a bit special as Chile have proved to be a more than capable outfit and Brazil will be under immense pressure. In the other game, well we all know what the sub-text to this fixture is whatever the result.

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FIFA World Cup 2014 – Saturday 21 June 2014

So (thankfully) that’s it. England are definitely out and we won’t have to suffer the media carrying on about the miracle required to make it through to the last 16.

Our fate was sealed by Byran Ruiz who as a Fulham player looked like a delicate flower in the ‘hot-house’ of the Premier League. Yet here on the World’s biggest stage, the Costa Rican captain led his team to victory as he headed home in the first-half in a game where the Italians looked strangely out of sorts. Yet again the standard of officiating was variable and how Chilean referee Enrique Osses didn’t award a penalty to Costa Rica just before half-time I’ll never know. Costa Rica incredibly through and Italy faced with the prospect of an early plane home if they lose to Uruguay.

The second game yesterday saw France play Switzerland. The French have gone about their business in a quietly efficient manner, seeing off the physical Honduras and now an accomplished win over the Swiss. France’s cause was helped though in the opening ten minutes by a nasty injury to the face of Steve Von Bergen which saw him replaced by the lumbering frame of Philippe Senderos. The substitute showed all his usual flair in defence, so familiar to those at the Emirates and Craven Cottage, as the Swiss conceded five goals. Keeper Benaglio also had a poor game, although he did save a penalty. France were 5-0 up at one stage, but conceded two late goals to give the scoreline a touch of respectability for the Swiss.

Completing the day was the other game in Group E which saw Honduras take on Ecuador. This was never going to a classic display of flowing football, but their there is something satisfying every now and again about a physical encounter. As Gordon Strachan observed, with challenges flying about, he felt like he’d got into a time-machine and travelled back to the 70s. Indeed it was a good old-fashioned punt down the field that saw Honduras take the lead, as Carlo Costly collected and blasted home from just outside the area. Ecuador levelled quickly though as Enner Valencia poked in a cross at the far-post after creeping behind a slumbering Honduras defence. Valencia got the winner on sixty five minutes to put Honduras all but out of the Finals, whilst giving Ecuador a shot at progress to the last sixteen.

England? Who?

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FIFA World Cup 2014 – Friday 20 June 2014

Not sure where to start really…

Another defeat that wasn’t altogether a surprise. I just curse myself for not doing the obvious and sticking a bet on Suarez to get the first goal. I don’t even feel that disappointed just rather weary, more deflated than devastated. I just hope we are put out of misery tonight and Italy and Costa Rica draw, so that England’s exit is confirmed.

Steven Gerrard has had a wretched end to the season. In the Chelsea game at the back end of last season his mistake planted the seed of doubt about Liverpool’s title credentials, which grew into a massive banana skin at Crystal Palace. Last night, Gerrard was implicated in the two Uruguay goals. His lazy/tired/half-hearted effort at a tackle on the half-way line allowed the ball to be spread wide for the cross that led to the first goal. For the second his lazy/tired/half-hearted effort at a header let in Suarez for the second. That might seem harsh, but at the beginning of the tournament I questioned Gerrard’s place in the side. However, he wasn’t the only one to blame for the goals. Neither Jagielka nor Cahill covered themselves in glory as their positional play was questionable for both the Suarez efforts was poor. And if I’m really being picky, I thought Joe Hart didn’t stay up making himself big enough for the second trike.

Despite the same starting eleven as for the Italy game, the same spark and thrust seemed missing. Sterling too often ran into trouble and the passing in the final third was poor all evening. Rooney was given his wish to be ‘the main man’ and despite his goal did nothing to cement his reputation as England’s leading player. Apart from the European Championships in 1996, Rooney has never lived up to his billing. Top players perform on the big stage and clearly he has failed once again to do that. I hope he’ll do the decent thing and retire from International Football, rather than see him in the European Qualifiers collecting goals against the minnows of San Marino and Lithuania. It’s a disturbing thought that he could become England’s leading scorer when for me he’s not fit to lace the boots of Bobby Charlton.

“We’re going home, we’re going home, England’s going home” (apologies to Baddiel and Skinner).

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FIFA World Cup 2014 – Sunday 15 June 2014

Group C

Columbia (1) 3 -0 (0) Greece

A comfortable looking win for Columbia, but it doesn’t tell the whole story of this game. The South American team went ahead on 5 minutes, from a Amero shot which Greek defender Kostas Manolas should have cleared, but instead scuffed it and it crept agonizingly away from keeper Karnezis’s despairing dive. Greece had two good chances in the first-half both falling to Kone. The second of which, just before the break, brought a decent save from Columbian keeper Ospina. 1-0 at half-time.

Columbia made Greece pay on 58 minutes, when poor defending from a corner left Gutierrez unchallenged to knock over from close range. The Greeks though could have got back into the game, but with the goal at his mercy Gekas managed to direct his header against the bar when it seemed easier to score. The points were secured in time added-on when Karnezis in the Greek goal offered only a weak hand allowing Rodriguez’s shot into the corner.

Post-match question. Why wasn’t Samaras booked for a blatant dive in the second-half?

 

Group D

Uruguay (1) 1 – 3 (0) Costa Rica

A shock result in Group D as the side expected to finish bottom turned a 1-0 half-time deficit around with second-half goals from Campbell (54 minutes), Duarte (57) and Urena (84).

Post-match question. Are Uruguay a demoralised outfit after this defeat or will they be now a very dangerous animal come next Thursday?

 

England (1) 1 – 2 (1) Italy

So we didn’t get the mauling I feared, but the reality is that England have lost their opening game and so the pressure is cranked up for the Uruguay and Costa Rica fixtures.

On reflection from the game last night, I feel like a parent receiving their child’s end of term report. It’s not what you had hoped for, but can’t be too hard on the kid as you know they have tried hard.

‘Sir’ Roy will always have a special place in my heart for what he did at Fulham and feel that he is one of the last football ‘gents’ (witness him shaking hands with all the Italians substitutes prior to kick-off). He gave us last night a glimpse of a younger England team which whilst raw and sometimes naïve did provide some cause for optimism.

Italy are a decent side and their possession and ability to slow the tempo will mean for me they are Europe’s main threat in these Finals.

* * * * * * * * *

 

Well by the time I’d got up, one game had already finished as the Group C fixture between Japan and Ivory Coast was at 02:00 this morning. Japan took the lead through Honda with a sweet left foot shot but were beaten by two second-half headed goals. They both came within the space of two minutes, first a flicked header from Bony and then one from Gervinho, which the Japanese keeper should have dealt better with,

The rest of today follows with the familiar pattern of games at 17:00, 20:00 and 23:00

 

Group E

Switzerland v Ecuador

The Swiss qualified for the Finals after finishing top of their group and going undefeated. However, the achievement is tempered when you look at who they played – Albania, Cyprus, Iceland, Norway and Slovenia. Ecuador took the last of the automatic spots in the CONMEBOL group finishing fourth.

Within the Swiss ranks, Reto Ziegler had spells in England with Spurs and Wigan Athletic, and a player I can’t believe is an international centre-back, Philippe Senderos. He (incredibly) lists Arsenal, AC Milan and Valencia amongst his clubs, but can only say he was for me a liability every time he pulled on a Fulham shirt. Villa fans you have been warned. Also boasting Arsenal as a previous club is Johan Djourou, with a brief loan spell at Birmingham City as well. Midfielder Valon Behrami was at West Ham between 2008 and 2011, whilst fellow midfield partner Gelson Fernandes was signed by Sven-Goran Eriksson for Manchester City and later Leicester City.

Watford fan’s will be anxious to see the new summer signing from Ecuador, Juan Carlos Paredes, in action, having moved from Barcelona (the Ecuadorian version, not the Spanish). Antonio Valencia Ecuador’s captain is the biggest name in their squad, the striker having joined Manchester United from Wigan in 2009. Another player with experience of Manchester (this time at City) is Felipe Caicedo, although he was unable to claim a regular starting spot.

This is a difficult one to call and may end up as an attritional draw.

 

France v Honduras

France had the dubious pleasure of being in the same qualifying group as Spain, so had to settle for a runners-up berth and only got to the Finals after a dramatic play-off victory against Ukraine. The French lost 2-0 in Kiev and seemed to have a difficult task in the return leg. However, France had wiped out the deficit by half-time with goals from Sakho and Benzema. Sakho emerged as the hero of the hour getting his second and the goal that sealed qualification for Brazil. Honduras took the last automatic qualification spot in the CONCACAF Group, finishing third behind USA and Costa Rica.

France could nearly field an entire team from England, with 10 players currently plying their trade in this country. They are, Lloris (Spurs), Debuchy (Newcastle United), Evra (Manchester United), Sakho (Liverpool), Sagna (Manchester City), Sissoko (Newcastle United), Schneiderlin (Southampton), Giroud (Arsenal) and Remy (QPR). In addition, Yohan Cabaye was recently at Newcastle United and Paul Pogba had a very brief spell at Old Trafford.

Honduras too can boast some British connections with Maynor Figueroa (Hull City), Juan Carlos García (Wigan Athletic), Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic), Wilson Palacios (Stoke City) and Roger Espinoza (Wigan Athletic).

As England can testify from their friendly in Miami, Honduras won’t be afraid to put their foot in. It could be an uncomfortable test for France, but I think Les Bleus will have too much talent and come through to win.

 

Group F

Argentina v Bosnia-Hercegovina

The ‘panto-villians’ that are Argentina, who count amongst their squad the Manchester City trio of Pablo Zabaleta, Martín Demichelis and Sergio Agüero and of course the World’s Best Player Lionel Messi. However, despite all the talent in their ranks, they just aren’t cuddly are they? How I’d love an upset Italia ’90 style in this game.

Bosnia-Hercegovina qualified by winning their group, but it was on goal-difference after they finished level on points with Greece. This game will be a bit of an Etihad reunion as Edin Dzeko is likely to lead the front-line for Bosnia. The Premier League connection is added to by Stoke City keeper Asmir Begovic, who will need to be at his very best to keep Argentina at bay.

An imperious 3-0 win for La Albiceleste could well be on the cards. Oh no it isn’t…oh yes it is…

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FIFA World Cup 2014 – Saturday 14 June 2014

Today for me (and I presume most of the country) is all about the last game of the day. However, as I write there’s a tension in my guts and its hard to concentrate. Anyway, first to yesterdays fixtures:

Group A

Mexico (0) 1 – 0 (0) Cameroon

As with the opening game yesterday, the major talking point concerned the inadequacies of the match-officials. Mexico should have been 2-0 ahead at half-time, as Giovani dos Santos had two efforts disallowed. Both were given offside, but on each occasion, the officials made the wrong call. However, it wasn’t just these decisions that were poor. Cameroon midfielder Mbia deliberately put his forearm into his Mexican opponents face, but wasn’t even booked. The African team offered little in the opening forty five minutes, although Eto’o did have one chance which hit the post. 0-0 at half-time.

Into the second-half and the torrential rain that had been a feature of the opening half continued. On 61 minutes, Mexico deservedly went ahead. A good move ended with a ball into the box where Giovani dos Santos had his shot saved by Itandje, however, Peralta was on hand to sweep the rebound home. This forced Cameroon to come out of their shell and they did improve in the last 15 minutes. They nearly snatched an undeserved draw in the final minute when Benjamin Moukandjo was free in the box, but Guillermo Ocho in goal saved the header well. Mexico nearly got a second when in the last of the four added minutes, Javier Hernandez was unmarked in the box, but he blazed wildly over.

Thankfully despite the poor officiating, Mexico were deserved 1-0 winners.

Note to Clarke Carlisle, every sentence doesn’t have to end with the word ‘Sam’.

Group B

Spain (1) 1 – 5 (1) Netherlands

Well who saw that coming? With a minute to go in the first-half the World Champions were ahead 1-0 through a Xabi Alonso penalty (which had come on 27 minutes) and Spain were looking on course for a winning start to the defence of their title. However, a stunning diving header from Robin van Persie just before the break changed the momentum of this fixture.

Incredibly Spain conceded four goals without reply in the second-half to suffer a mauling at the hands of the marauding Dutch 5-1. The once imperious Spanish keeper Casillas looked as vulnerable as his back four as the Netherlands were able to play through the middle, almost at will. Casillas was helpless on 53 minutes as Robben brilliantly controlled Van Persie’s long ball, cut inside and lashed home for a 2-1 lead. However, the Spanish keeper must take the blame for the next two goals. First he flapped at a cross allowing de Vrij to head home on 64 minutes and worse was to follow 8 minutes later, when Casillas miscontrolled a back-pass gifting Van Persie his second of the game. The rout was complete 10 minutes from time when Robben outpaced the cover, taking the ball past Casillas and firing home with two Spanish players helpless on the goal-line.

One game doesn’t mean that Spain are suddenly a bad side, but their coach Vicente Del Bosque had a haunted look about him at the final whistle.

Note to Louis Van Gaal – work needed on the ‘high-five’ celebration.

Chile (2) 3 – 1 (1) Australia

What more can you ask for? A spine-less defensive display from Australia that was as yellow as their shirts. Two goals down within the opening 15 minutes after goals from Sanchez and Valdívia, the Aussies looked like they were in for a heavy defeat. However, 10 minutes before the break Tim Cahill outjumped his marker to reduce the deficit to 2-1.

The second-half was a more even affair and Chilean keeper Bravo made a smart save to stop an effort from Bresciano. Chile though had their chances and the goal-line technology was called into play after a Vargas effort was cleared by Alex Wilkinson, and showed it was not a goal. The South Americans weren’t to be denied though as in the closing minutes Beausejour scored a third to secure the points.

Taxi for the Socceros!

* * * * * * * * *

So that was yesterday, but before England take to he field there are two other fixtures being played.

Group C

Columbia v Greece (17:00)

Columbia qualified having finished as runners-up in the CONMEBOL Group to Argentina, whilst Greece came through the UEFA runners-up play-offs after a 4-2 aggregate win over Romania.

This is a game I’ll be avoiding as any appearance by Greek skipper Giorgos Karagounis and Kostas Mitroglou, will only serve to remind me of their part in Fulham’s relegation. Although in the case of Mitroglou, Fulham fans might not recognise him, given that although he was signed in January 2014, he started just one game.

For their part in Fulham’s downfall, I’m hoping the Greeks suffer defeat.

Group D

Uruguay v Costa Rica (20:00)

The hosts of the first World Cup (1930) Uruguay qualified after a 5-0 aggregate win over Jordan in the AFC/CONMEBOL play-off game. Costa Rica came through after finishing runner-up to USA in the final round of qualifying from CONCACAF.

Another game to be avoided for me, as Costa Rica feature the prolific Bryan Ruiz. Well, prolific at every club he has played for apart from Fulham.

Uruguay to pinch all three points with a 1-0 win.

England v Italy (23:00)

Just dreading watching the game. The dark cloud that hung over me as Fulham were relegated from the Premier League, has followed me into the World Cup. I just can’t see anything other than an Italy win, and I fear it could even be as bad as a 4-0 drubbing.

Perhaps I’m just better off not watching today…somebody tell me when it’s Sunday.

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