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A disappointing football match for England this afternoon, but the hilarious thing is the stultifying level of expectation from England's fans. Yes, England didn't gel today, but does everyone just forget that this is pretty much always what happens. Sometimes doom-mongering turns out to be justified, but sometimes England go on to get to the last four or last two (and then only lose because a penalty goes a few inches further to the left than it needed to be).
For a team that hasn't won anything whilst I have been alive it's an insane level of expectation. The conclusion has to be that we're shit, rather than the opposition were pretty good. I'd just say wait a bit before getting too angry - It's not often that two matches in England are top of the group and have four points. Or maybe have a realistic expectation. It's interesting that after Scotland's second match draw (after a first match whooping) that the result was positive, whilst England are doing the job (and are basically through and likely to top their group) and the manager has to go.
I write this not really to be suddenly a football pundit (thankfully) or even someone who cares too much (I'd like England to win though - or Scotland), but as an observer of the self-destructive madness, petulance and lack of self-awareness of the English. The pressure this attitude puts on the players is insane and counter-productive. Why are we not more realistic after so much disappointment and why do we still act like England are by so far the greatest team that if they're not winning 3-0 then they have failed? Why don't we notice that football is a game of very thin margins (especially at international level) and not see that other big teams sometimes draw or lose against surprising opposition (and that that shouldn't be such a bit surprise).
There's a chance we might do OK, there's a chance we won't, because there's a lot of chance involved. If it were not for one or two wayward penalty kicks (and that first miss when the keeper went the wrong way and the ball just had to go in the goal) then we'd already have a lot of knighted people playing on our team. Why don't football fans understand what football is?
Let's see where we are on July 14th. I reckon I might have wasted my time moving the time of my gig that day to the afternoon though.
