England kicks a ball about a bit!

I didn't watch the match last night, so I'm in no position to comment. Football has gripped many in such a way they've got a mental vice on their brains. A chap said to me last night, "What, not watching the football!?!" as he saw me out and about with the kids. "I got off early from work!" he explained, engaging me momentarily in the culture. And with a few more seconds of pleasantries he was gone, making his way to a big screen somewhere. A complete stranger, but he was a charming advocate for the game.

England will never really shine at this World Cup lark. They've spent a whole season supposedly flogging their guts out in the Premiership, where failure really does mean something. Loss of cash! No sponsorship deals and the rest. By the time this kind of contest comes around, they are all looking a bit jaded. The fans did have a point. I heard this morning that most thought the players "lacked passion". Probably that's due in some good part to the fact that this is no longer a game to win but an industry to win in!

David Beckham got the rough edge of a fan's tongue apparently. The fan was as ruffled as those congressmen trying to penetrate Tony Hayward's mind. All steamed up but with no proper attention to the real problem. Beckham has his fans, though. The new show in town is the Becks and Tutu Show. Or maybe the Bish and Becks Show. Anyway, Archbishop Desmond Tutu has a high regard for Beckham. Tutu said "I could hug you." Pity he didn't. Perhaps he feared Er Indoors!

Will England get through? Who knows? It's anyone's guess and certainly a bookmaker's conundrum!