AS I have oft said before, I lived and worked in England for a number of years: well, not exactly England, for most of the time I was based in the People's Republic of West Yorkshire, which is, in many ways, like Scotland without the accent. But, I digress, I like the English on a personal level; they are, by and large, a lovely people, held back somewhat by the fact we Scots are a samll, far-away nation, of which they know nothing.
But their media, particularly those members from within the London media bubble - oh dear! And it is the English media which continues to drive this Scottish animosity towards English teams. They are a wee bit like Rangers fans wi bools in their mooths - We Are The Chaps, rather than Weaarpeepul; the same superiority, the right to rule.
Thus, survives and thrives the Scottish cult of ABE (Anyone But England), whenever a major international tournament comes around. But, not this time, not (as yet) in Euro 2012. The English, even the truly awful Clive Tyldesley, went into events in Poland and Ukraine for once unsure of themselves. They went in, in fact, in almost Scottish mode - delighted to be there, but, forward tho' they couldna see - they guessed and feared.
And, so far, they have done better than their worst fears had them expecting. Sure, they got lucky against France, with the lesser end of a draw, but, the way they came back from 1-2 down to beat Sweden must surely have lifted them and brought back something like the old English self-belief. A lot of the credit for this has to go down to the comparatively unloved Roy Hodgson; maybe not a "great" manager in the mould of Ramsey, Busby, Shankly, Stein, Ferguson or Robson: more a Grade Two boss such as Clough, Revie, Mercer or Venables. He has been in the game a while, knows his stuff and while there isn't a truly great side in Group D, he got a win when he needed it, albeit against what isn't, in truth, a great Swedish side.
Now comes his big test. The looser cannons in the English media pack will now go into full England Expects mode, the clamour for the England squad to become Wayne's World will now reach earache level - how Hodgson handles this will go a long way towards deciding what happens next.
I am thinking back to Spain 1982. England went into that World Cup, not having qualified for the tournament since they went, as Champions, to the 1970 tournament. In 1974 and 1978 they had to sit and watch Scotland - (song moment) - "We're representing Britain, and here's the reason why, England canny dae it, fur they couldnae qualify" - thank you Andy Cameron.
So, England in 1982 were as desperate for victory as they are today, and, like today, they had injury problesm, with top players Kevin Keegan and Trevor Brooking both injured. But, they got through the group and were playing well, when the big two recovered from injury. Too soon, they were introduced into the team and England went out. Might history repeat itself with Rooney?
Shevchenko and Voronin might be past their best, but, they are, I feel, still capable of exposing England's week link, their central defence: where frankly, Lescott has never been international class, while Terry, who even at his best, has barely been international class, is now, I fear, over the hill and perhaps fearing a possible spell as a guest of Her Majesty.
England may yet qualify, but, I feel the quarter-finals will be the limit of their ambitions in 2012.
At least, they are at the party and I hope they enjoy what time they have left.
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