World Cup 2018: news and reaction as England set up Croatia semi-final – as it happened

And one final thing: here’s Marcel Desailly’s latest column on how important Kylian Mbappé will be in France’s titanic tussle with Belgium.

Right, I’m going to wrap this blog up now but before I go I’ll leave you with this report on how much fun England fans are having out in Russia. It’s got an R.E.M reference in the headline too, which I fully endorse.

Even if we go out on Wednesday, we’re happy. We’re playing good football, we’ve got a great manager and there’s a link between the squad and the fans, and we haven’t had that for years. At the end, when they all came out to applaud the fans and clap and dance, it was great to see that.

Thanks for all your emails and tweets on this sunniest of Sundays. Bye.

England have released some recovery session pictures and they’re good.

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Stuart James is feeling the love in Russia.

Philip Silver responds to Charles Antaki: “The term ‘los pross’ has long been used in the Spanish media as a way of referring to the England national team, effectively as Charles suspected it’s a mangled term relating to the fact that England were considered the ‘creators’ of the game and one of the first to have a professional setup/league.”

Croatia will have Domagoj Vida available to face England after Fifa decided that a slap on the wrists was ample punishment for the defender’s “Glory to Ukraine” video.

We can confirm that Fifa’s disciplinary committee has sent a warning to the player Domagoj Vida due to his video statement following the 2018 Fifa World Cup match between Russia and Croatia.

“While it’s a little infra dig for Marca to refer to Roberto Martínez as ‘Bob’, what’s more incomprehensible is their rivals Mundo Deportivo’s references to the English team as ‘the pross’” writes Charles Antaki. “I’ve never seen this before in the Spanish press – or anywhere else, not surprisingly – but it may be a mangling of ‘the pros’ as in the professionals. But who knows - ‘the prods’? ‘the progs’? ‘the props’?” I quite like “the progs” Charles. It makes them sound like the football team equivalent of Pink Floyd.

I’ll tell you what’s coming home, a hefty royalties cheque on Ian Broudie’s door mat.

The Lightning Seeds even went so far as to play Three Lions (Footbal’s Coming Home) live at a gig in Berkshire on Friday, and having seen Broudie joyously refuse to play it at a gig in the late 90s, the love for England must be strong indeed if he gave in this time.

Not everyone is obsessed with watching England in the World Cup. The attendance for Chester’s 7-0 walloping at the hands of Liverpool in a pre-season friendly in Chester yesterday was 4,396. That’s only 1,000 shy of capacity. It kicked off at 3pm and clashed directly with England v Sweden. Mind you, Tranmere have moved their friendly with Liverpool on Wednesday to avoid clashing with the semi-final against Croatia.

One of the striking things about England at this World Cup has been how the team has managed to get the tone right when engaging with supporters and journalists, both written and broadcast. Gareth Southgate has spoken openly about how he wanted the players to immerse themselves in the World Cup experience as well as engage with supporters, but considering there are so many pitfalls involved in social and mainstream media, their tweets, interviews and general demeanour appears to have been spot-on. We published a video via Copa 90 less than a month ago on the toxic relationship between England players and the media that seems rather old now. And I know winning smoothes over a lot of cracks but it does seem like England players, perhaps encouraged by the manager, have learned how to judge the mood better than in previous tournaments and have opened themselves up more than ever before in terms of personality, humour and honesty. Danny Rose’s willingness to discuss depression before the tournament was a case in point and we’re now at the point where Harry Maguire is joining in with jokes about himself. Maybe Peter Crouch is England’s press advisor.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Jorge Valdano’s philosophical World Cup columns – and today’s is another cracker. Here’s an extract:

In 2018, Uruguay are still Uruguay. At this World Cup, they were the same collective they always were, a lesson in life and in defeat too. They appeared at the team hotel in shorts and flip flops, drinks of mate in hand. I feel admiration every time I see the first team to encounter footballing glory living with such extraordinary normality. Extraordinary and normality might seem mutually contradictory terms, but in this case and in these times they go together because remaining so normal having reached a footballing level this high is an almost heroic feat. And this is a subject worth pursuing. Given that more than one team departed the World Cup because of the sin of frivolity, afflicted by something approaching vanity, Uruguay pose a question: could it be that humility is more important than we think?”

A bit of breaking news now that may lead to Croatia defender Domagoj Vida being banned from playing against England – and a potential World Cup final, if they win on Wednesday.

Fifa is investigating a video of Croatia defender Domagoj Vida and former player Ognjen Vukojevic dedicating their penalty shootout win over Russia on Saturday to Ukraine. In the video, Vida shouts “Glory to Ukraine” in Ukrainian and Vukojevic says “this victory is for Dynamo and for Ukraine” in Croatian. Vida, who scored a header in extra-time to give Croatia a 2-1 lead and a penalty in the shootout, and Vukojevic both played for Dynamo Kiev and the latter still works for the Ukrainian club as a scout.

“Glory to Ukraine” is the war cry of the Ukrainian army but has also become more widely associated with the simmering conflict on the country’s eastern border with Russia and in Crimea, which Russia has claimed since 2014, despite international condemnation. Fifa said it “is processing the different reports of the said match as well as potential evidence concerning the matter” but said it could not comment any further until it has “evaluated all information available”.

Section 54 of Fifa’s disciplinary code categorically bans political slogans and anyone “who provokes the general public during a match will be suspended for two matches.” This would rule the 29-year-old Vida out of Wednesday’s semi-final against England and end his tournament.

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The Spanish sports newspaper Marca has suggested Roberto Martínez as a possible successor to Hierro as Spain manager. He’s already been asked about the job in Russia and understandably, he’s waved away questions, but win or lose against France, his stock has risen again. Here’s what Marca has to say. I’m a big fan of the use of ‘Bob’ in a Spanish sports daily.

It isn’t surprising that his name is now being discussed to succeed Fernando Hierro as Spain coach. Belgium perfectly executed the master plan that ‘Bob’ designed on the tactics board to get his side into a World Cup semi-final for the second time in their history.”

Here’s something that Cristiano Ronaldo still might win at this World Cup? The accolade of having been the fastest player.

Despite being 33 years old, he’s still clocked the joint-fastest speed in the tournament so far, reaching 34km per hour when he turned on the afterburners against Spain. He also scored a hat-trick and was just brilliant in that game. Unless someone runs faster in the remaining games, he’ll have to share the record with Ante Rebic of Croatia, though. He also reached 34km per hour, against Denmark.

Some other speed merchants here:

• Luis Advincula (Peru v Denmark) 33.8km per hour.
  
• Santiago Arias (Colombia v England) 33.6km per hour.
• Kyle Walker (England v Colombia) 33.5km per hour.
• Jesse Lingard (England v Colombia) 33.5km per hour
• Tite (Brazil v Mexico) because it’s just an excuse to post this again:
  

Richard Morris believes we’ve missed another favourite goal at the World Cup:

Ah, come on now Richard, we’re talking about England here. Surely it’s the mishit Marouane Fellaini shot in injury-time that trickles through Pickford’s legs after rebounding off Sterling’s buttocks.

So who might Spain go for next after Fernando Hierro stepped down from his role as caretaker manager? It goes without saying that no longer is it easy to attract well-paid club managers to take on national team jobs and many international teams are led by coaches who have knowledge of the development set-up, Southgate and Lopetegui for example, or elder statesmen who command respect and who are not easily ruffled such as Portugal’s Fernando Santos. Might they call on Vicente Del Bosque again? Or will they promote the Spain Under-21s manager Albert Celades López. Rafael Benítez would be an interesting appointment. He’s still a few years off 60 but he’s so very adept at preparing for the one-off big games and he must surely be ready to throw his toys out of the pram at Newcastle having been given sod-all to spend since he’s been there. In any case, here’s our story on the news that Hierro has left Spain and will not be returning as director of football.

Now for a change of pace. Roger Kirkby has flagged this lovely video below the line in which the Diego Maradona of woodwork, Frank Howarth, constructs an Adidas Telstar ball entirely from wood. “This is truly a work of art,” enthuses Roger. “He not only makes beautiful things, all the video/graphic work is his own doing too! Please watch this, you will not be disappointed.” OK Roger. My only criticism would be that I’d have preferred it to be the Adidas Tango, as I have an unhealthy obsession with that ball. But I understand the Telstar is more topical.

And if World Cup balls are an obsession of yours too, you really should have a go at this quiz by John Ashdown.

Thanks Rob. More on that news that Hierro has left Spain. The Spanish Football Federation has released this statement:

After walking many kilometres side by side, the Spanish Football Federation and Fernando Hierro have brought their relationship to an end following the conclusion of Spain’s campaign at the World Cup in Russia.

The most recent coach of the Spain national team has declined [the opportunity] to return to his previous position as RFEF sporting director and wishes to seek new horizons and undertake new professional challenges.

The Federation would like to place on record its thanks to Fernando Hierro for his commitment and sense of responsibility, both in taking over the national team in extraordinary circumstances, and in the manner in which he has carried out all his functions at an organisation whose doors will always be open to him.

The Federation would also like to highlight the professional and human values shown by an extraordinary sportsman to whom it wishes the best of luck for the future.”

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So Spain need a new manager then. Maybe they should appoint Julen Lopetegui on the eve of Real Madrid’s first game of the season.

And that’s it from me. Short and sweet but Gregg devoured his horse-free salad in record time so I’ll hand you back into his capable hands. Goodbye.

Some breaking news now and Fernando Hierro’s time with Spain is over. Hierro took charge of Spain after Julen Lopetegui’s sacking on the eve of the tournament and had been due to revert to his role as sporting director after the World Cup. But he has now decided to step down altogether. Sid Lowe’s take on the nuclear events that may or may not have derailed Spain’s World Cup campaign makes for interesting reading …

Fans of the four remaining teams are being urged to abandon their work and families for a last-minute trip to Russia. Fifa are urging supporters still at home to check the official website for returned tickets from fans of other countries. Large numbers of tickets, hotel rooms, flights and seats on trains have become available as the huge numbers of German, Mexican and South American challenges have fallen away. According to Fifa’s most recent numbers, England have only the 10th largest number of fans in Russia, but that is still the biggest of the four countries still in the tournament.

Thanks Gregg, and hello one and all. I bring with me the World Cup power rankings. Fresh from a pasting for ranking England in lowly seventh place last time out, Nick Ames has donned his hard hat and thrown himself back in the line of fire. Sweden fans, look away now …

I’m a bit peckish, so I’m going to grab some food and leave you in the more than capable hands of Rob Bleaney while I’m away. I won’t be eating horse, mind, just a cheese toastie. Back soon.

Seeing as it was posted at around 5.40am, you may have missed news that Jordan Pickford injured a hand punching himself yesterday. He’s confirmed that he’s all right – he’s also confirmed that he is perhaps the most matter-of-fact England player there has been well, ever.

It was a daft injury by myself. I went to punch the floor and ended up punching my knee and hurt my thumb. It was a bit of anger. But I’m a man, not a mouse. I’m fine and I’ll live another day, won’t I?

I’m sure you will Jordan.

Barney Ronay’s World Cup adventure continues:

Mick, a Lincoln City fan, appears to be suggesting that the Cowley brothers are responsible for football (possibly but probably not) coming home this summer.

“Imps fan here. The ‘love train’ was absolutely nabbed from us,” writes Mick. “Think a break-off shot in pool, players hurling every which way, opposition all at sea. Then there’s that deep free-kick routine England have used a couple of times, where Kieran Trippier feigns to float it into the box then at the last moment slides it down the channel for Sterling to run on to. That’s another Cowley brothers’ thing. We scored two or three goals from that last season. Let’s hope it gets England one on Wednesday evening too …”

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Nikola Popara points out that we overlooked Aleksandar Kolarov’s free-kick against Costa Rica earlier. Yes, it’s good one all right. A curled free-kick seems so old-school these days.

Russia’s run to the last eight might not have been possible without Sergei Ignashevich’s decision to come out of retirement before the World Cup. Russia’s defence had been a sorry shambles in the buildup to the tournament and this had not gone unnoticed by the defender, who turns 39 next week. He helped bring authority and a cool head to their defence and hammered home a couple of penalties in emphatic style too. He’s now decided to hang his boots up once more. And he retires a hero. “There’s an endless stream of messages on WhatsApp and Instagram and no way to tell everyone, ‘Thank you for the kind words’,” he wrote. “I couldn’t imagine that I would finish my football career on such a high note! I’m happy I was part of this team, with this coach, and of our country’s football for nearly 20 years.”

One thing I’ve noticed in this World Cup is the lack of penalties being banged straight down the middle. I’m sure there’s more of a reluctance to do this now that goalkeepers have started to leave a leg – or even a hand – dangling behind them. Given that Russia’s Fedor Smolov must have seen his own keeper, Igor Akinfeev, practising this in training, it’s odd that he attempted to dink the ball down the centre against Danijel Subašić yesterday. It didn’t help that he failed to get it central either. There have also been some brilliant penalty saves. Mateo Kovacic’s was right in the corner but saved brilliantly by Akinfeev, and Jordan Henderson’s was not a bad penalty but a fine stop by David Ospina too.

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Krish has tweeted this morning to suggest his favourite goals from this World Cup and I’ve risked turning this blog into a chart show by including them.

The big omission for me in this list is Edinson Cavani’s first goal against Portugal. The long-range one-two that preceded it was just brilliant and there was something about the speed with which the ball thumped in off his head that elevated it beyond the usual cross-header goals you see. Wonderful.

England fans brought a bit of 2017 humour with them to Samara yesterday.

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Andrew Roth has done a fine job of capturing the mood in Russia after the valiant hosts were sent tumbling out of the tournament on penalties.

After Croatia prevailed on penalties, there was a shocked silence, and people began to file home, quietened and depressed. Outside the stadium in Sochi, there was something like a dialogue. ‘Smolov is a jackass!’ yelled one teenager. ‘Hey, don’t curse our guys, they gave it their all tonight,’ a middle-aged man with a ponytail said and continues on his way. ‘Igor Igor Akinfeev! Oh!’ another man yells. ‘Igor, come here I’d like to have a word with you,’ howled a woman, playing the disappointed wife, tottering down the street in heels. Her friends laughed tipsily. People have different ways of dealing with grief.

“Not much mention of Jordan Henderson this morning but he has definitely been the driving force of the team during this World Cup,” cheers Bob Wilcox. “He’s very much the ‘quarterback’, from his distribution to his organisation of the set play routines.”

Jürgen Klopp’s in agreement with you Bob:

He’s been very mature, a proper leader in the team. You can see it. Everybody can see that this England team is offensively very skilled. And you need a few serious persons in the team to keep it all together. I like how he’s doing that. He’s still involved in all the offensive things, set-pieces and all that stuff. He’s also made a few wonderful passes. He controls the game and I really like that.

His reading of the game has improved immeasurably at Liverpool in the past season. He can second-guess opponents much better than he was capable of a couple of seasons ago. If you have that ability to you can keep a little bit in reserve for when you really do have to press, which is why he is finishing games so strongly in my opinion. Also, I wonder what James Milner was thinking yesterday when he was playing in Liverpool’s 7-0 friendly win at Chester? Surely his form would have earned him a place in the England squad if he’d been available? Then again, his fine form last season was probably in part down to the fact he had his feet up when others were on international duty.

This theory for why Henry is on the Belgian bench and not the French one on Tuesday is pretty interesting:

Another interesting sub-plot in the Belgium-France semi is the presence of Thierry Henry as assistant manager on Belgium’s bench.

Indeed. As a French fan, I think his input would have been beneficial for Les Bleus. But then, despite his heroics in 1998 and 2000 when we won two successive tournaments, maybe he has too much baggage with our national team. 2010 in particular (dubious qualification in the playoffs vs Ireland), the strike and the bus, etc.

I also think he might be more enthused by Martinez's style of football than Deschamps'. And I don't blame him for this.

Anyway, this article in French is pretty interesting:
http://www.leparisien.fr/sports/football/coupe-du-monde/france-belgique-comment-thierry-henry-s-est-eloigne-des-bleus-08-07-2018-7811883.php

tomilous08 July 2018 10:21am

I agree that Henry must be so much more enthused by Martínez’s style than Deschamps’s and bringing in his star quality into the dressing-room to help embolden Martínez was a shrewd move by Belgium. They can’t shout “show us your medals” at Thierry.

David Hills has been busy penning week four of his World Cup diary. It’s brilliant, of course. Here’s a taster:

Quote of the week

Neymar – shutting down fake news about “arrogance” and simulation before he went home. “I don’t care much for criticism … In the last two matches I didn’t talk to the press. Maybe they’re just showing off. I think it’s more an attempt to undermine me than anything else.”

• Also upset by it: Brazil coach Tite – attacking “unfair” diving slurs, including remarks from Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio that Neymar sets “a very negative example to all children”. (Tite’s view in 2012 when he was Corinthians coach, recirculated online last week: “Neymar sets a bad example for children, for all those growing up. He just drops and rolls.”)

“Harry Maguire and Jordan Pickford were magnificent, but can we all agree that John Stones is looking the player he has always threatened to be?” gushes Matthew Loten. “Calm and assured in the middle of the three, and a brick wall when he has needed to be.” I wonder if Pep will have taken any notice or if he couldn’t give a flying one how his players have performed under managers he probably regards as being beneath him? I read somewhere the other day that scouts are not swayed by tournament performances as much as they used to be (see Rodriguez, J, Colombia at Brazil 2014). I wonder if the same goes for managers watching squad players impress in the first team? Mind you, Pep has definitely influenced Southgate when it comes to taking risks at the back in possession for the greater good.

“On the subject of the Kane Train,” begins Ken Aylmer, “the World Cup is a place to display our National characteristics so my daughter Ella thinks the English players are forming an orderly queue for the ball at corners.”

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Having heard him wax lyrical about repeats of 80s films on daytime TV before coming in for a late shift at the Guardian, I think it’s fair to say that Sachin Nakrani likes watching TV. So, who better placed to give an opinion on the BBC’s coverage of Sweden v England yesterday?

And to answer a question in his piece, I think Frank Lampard was replaced in the BBC’s team because he’s started his job as Derby manager now.

“It’s fun listening to and reading the thoughts of those who cover England,” writes David Seare. “After years of analysing failure they’re trying to explain this sudden arrival in a semi-final. It seems to me that a bit of luck combined with finding a way to score goals (the more grapple-free approach to set pieces) and a more solid-looking shape than we expected are to blame.

“That combined with the happy accident of a coach who learned his business in junior international football and players selected to serve the team rather than some players picked for who they are and then thrown on the pitch to see what happens have made a refreshing change. We shouldn’t try to explain it but just ride the wave until it crashes on the shore. Logic suggests the semi-final might be the end but who knows what lies round the corner?”

I’d give England the exact same chance I gave them against Colombia, 50%, and we know how that ended up. Only this time Croatia have had more “pressure” penalty practice than England. Yikes! I think Henderson v Modric will be absolutely key. Both Denmark and Russia have managed to keep him relatively quiet and took the game to penalties but England will be expected to play, so expect him to have a little more influence in Wednesday’s game.

Here’s a suggestion: “To call England’s brilliant set-piece routine ‘the love train’ doesn’t sit well with me. Has anybody suggested ‘the Kane train’ yet?” Well, you just have Torbjorn Karlsen.

But seeing as this World Cup is rapidly turning into the third summer of love, how about the Groovy Train? It’s a good excuse to post this anyway:

He took his time, but Dele Alli finally came to the England party yesterday. Here’s Dominic Fifield’s take on the attacking midfielder’s display.

Southgate had needed to coax more from the 22-year-old here and, where Alli had occasionally been sloppy up to the interval, his passing hit and miss, he thrived once pushed slightly further upfield after the break. For the first time since the opening quarter against Tunisia, England benefited from Alli at his most effective. Suddenly there was space in which to revel, sightings of goal and the opportunity for inter-play with teammates … He will be bolstered by this display. This, at last, feels like his stage.

An now for an important question from Hubert O’Hearn: “Who should England send to sit at the right hand of Gianni Infantino and opposite Kolinda Grabar Kitarović? Theresa May in Ginger Spice’s patriotic dress? Deep down inside I’m hoping for Danny Dyer.” England’s new-found political powerhouse might be too busy preparing a thesis on Brexit, so how about Ross Kemp, with his top off, the absolute mad man? He was at it again yesterday. Obviously.

“How much love do you think Big Sam would be getting if he was still in charge and England were set-piecing their way to World Cup glory?” asks Niall Mullen. “Instead of waistcoats would people be downing pints of wine in tribute?” I think plenty of England fans are doing that regardless. Maybe considering a career change to that of a firefighter would be the ultimate tribute.

On the subject of kits, James Walton writes: “I thought the Fifa guidance was that the home team always wears their preferred shirt (light or dark) and thus the away team wears the opposite. If that is the case, Croatia are deemed to be the home team so should wear white/red. But I am not sure Fifa would allow that against England in either colour. So surely then Croatia must wear black/blue and England will wear the light colour (white).” I think that will be the case, though I’m sure Croatia would prefer their red and white check, which I’m a huge fan of. And for me, they play better in that kit too.

Another interesting sub-plot in the Belgium-France semi is the presence of Thierry Henry as assistant manager on Belgium’s bench. It’s not often – if ever – you get a World Cup winner from your own nation plotting against you. It feels as if he should be sat around with Les Bleus telling them tales of his footballing battles of yore won rather than Belgium’s talented squad. If Toby Alderweireld’s pre-World Cup comments are anything to go by, Henry will play the role of chief raconteur over the next couple of days while Roberto Martínez wrestles with what tactics to employ.

Thierry Henry is really important for us. He tells us stories from his playing days and they inspire us. If he says something, it is always turns out to be something helpful. His presence, his World Cup experience, it is all a very positive influence.

What a brilliantly odd pair Martínez and Henry are. Hats off to the Belgian FA for bringing them together. I imagine there are some seriously positive vibes in the Belgian dressing room – and lots of Jason Derulo!

Belgium v France is one hell of a tasty semi-final isn’t it? You could argue they’re the two strongest squads in the tournament. And while France have shown in flashes what they’re capable of it still feels as though they have more to give. As for Belgium, well, perhaps beating Brazil was their footballing rite of passage. Their counter-attacking ability is frightening and Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku are all bang in form in a way that France’s key players are perhaps not. I feel that N’Golo Kanté may have a big say in which way this tie goes. If he can stop De Bruyne, then he may limit Belgium’s ability to hurt France. Mind you, they have so many other possible tormentors, Kanté may take his “km-ran” statistics into world-record territory.

The World Cup always sets trends. In 2010 possession football emerged as the model many club sides would follow for the coming seasons. In 2014 the counter-attack and the counter counter-attack became fashionable and so far, if this World Cup is anything to by, the set piece will be big in club football next season. Just under half of all goals scored have been from set pieces, which is way up on the 28% scored at Brazil 2014. VAR is one possible explanation for this, with more instances of holding on corners and free-kicks being seen and punished as they should be. But it also seems that coaches have seen the value in practising better routines, with the stuttered run-up at free-kicks proving successful and England’s “love-train” corner routine – nabbed from Lincoln City, according to local media there – causing panic among opposition defenders too. It might even make the much-maligned corner exciting again. Tony Pulis will be delighted!

“I am not sure if someone has picked this up yet. In the last two games England have conceded just three corners in total,” writes Gokul Kannan. “Colombia had Yerry Mina who had scored twice coming into the game and did score with the first opportunity he got in that game. Sweden had Granqvist who is a giant too. I haven’t looked into this in detail, and I am not sure if this has been a conscious effort by Southgate. Hell, I am not even sure if this is even possible. Planning/training to not concede corners. But, if it is and Southgate has done this, then I am very very impressed.” You could argue that the way England look to play out from the back means they’re probably less likely to concede possession and enable opponents to run at them quite so often, which could lead to a corner being conceded. Not having a back four is possibly a factor too. The wing-back might intercept the opposition winger earlier – perhaps conceding a throw-in instead of a corner. The way Gareth Southgate has continued to encourage building from the back is the thing that has impressed me most about his coaching. So often England teams clipped the line from the full-back position and gave away possession. He’s somehow coached fear out of the team. And that’s some feat.

I think Croatia’s president, Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, might be more Up For The Cup than Theresa May on Wednesday evening. This is some seriously passionate dressing-room bouncing.

Morning, and thanks Jonathan. So we know who the four semi-finalists are – and they’re all European! Which is great for football in Europe but seems a shame for the World Cup, given what phenomenal support the South American nations have had in Russia. Peru, Colombia, Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil’s supporters have brought colour and noise to Russia in abundance. Maybe they’ll be in attendance at the semi-finals as neutrals, or maybe France, Belgium, England and Croatia fans will be busy online procuring tickets from those South Americans who are now homeward bound. Either way, they deserve a tip of the hat.

8 Jul 201803.02 EDT

Jonathan Howcroft

Righto, it’s time for me to hand this page over to Gregg Bakowski. Your company has been as splendid as always. I’ll catch you again somewhere like this later in the week.

When Des read If at the end of France 98 it gave me goose bumps then and has stuck with me.

So much of this tournament, from an English perspective, whether fan, player, media or whatever is wrapped up in this.

PizzaRe08 July 2018 7:52am

Could anyone get away with anything like this any more? Is the modern world just too snarky?

That’s it, fun’s over.