Advantages: Sven has improved the confidence of the players
Disadvantages: Not enough of the squad play abroad

...ORIGINALLY WRITTEN October 2000 A LIFE AS AN ENGLAND SUPPORTER Although I cannot remember the match my parents told me that I watched the 1966 World Cup final at the age of 4. I began watching England matches in 1970. I particularly remember a match at Wembley where England thrashed Belgium 3-1. It was a wonderful performance. Alan Ball and Geoff Hurst got the goals. In those days the Home International Championships were played at the end of the season. England would easily see off Wales and Northern Ireland. The big game was the final match, which was against Scotland. I think the score in 1970 was 0-0. 1970 WORLD CUP Afterwards the World Cup in Mexico began. England was drawn in a group with Rumania, Brazil and Czechoslovakia. The match with Rumania was a dour affair. I can remember Geoff Hurst scoring... Read review

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Advantages: Already qualified for Euro 2004
Disadvantages: Club v Country clashes

...CONTINUATION This is not a new op but a continuation of my England football op. That op had reached its maximum limit of 5500 words. Ciao gave me permission to continue my England cricket op so I am assuming Ciao will do likewise for the football version. I try to update this op after every England match. UPDATED June 2002 ENGLAND 1 SWEDEN 1 Well the World Cup has finally got under way for England. England started very well and the passing and movement was good. I did notice a lack of players in the midfield though. David Beckham led by example. Darius Vassell really looked lively. The Swedes started off very sluggishly. Sol Campbell put England ahead from a great header from a Beckham corner. Afterwards England seemed to relax. After half-time Sweden simply took over. They got a deserved equaliser and were... Read review

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Advantages: Side hard to beat
Disadvantages: Often wrong team selected

...ORIGINALLY WRITTEN AUGUST 2000 LIFE AS AN ENGLAND SUPPORTER I first started watching England on TV in 1970 at the age of 8. In those days the BBC1 commentators were Jim Laker and Richie Benaud. Peter West introduced each test session. 1970 England was due to play South Africa but this tour was cancelled due to the sports wide ban due to South Africa’s apartheid policies. Instead England played a test series against the Rest of the World. This team was a fantastic side and comprised of players such as Eddie Barlow, Clive Lloyd, Graeme Pollock, Gary Sobers etc. England lost the series 4-1 but it was no disgrace to lose to such a great side. My main memory is of Geoff Boycott scoring a magnificent 157 against a brilliant bowling attack. Later in the year England toured Australia and regained the Ashes... Read review

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Advantages: England won! Afzaal looked good, for bringing in young players, and Butcher in the second innings was amazing. Vast improvement on England's last few tests.
Disadvantages: Australia are still a big threat, and will not be content with 3 wins, they want it all.

...England have already lost the Ashes to Australia, and now looking to desperately avoid a 5-0 whitewash in the series. Having lost the first three tests easily, England could only get better, while Australia seem unstoppable, outclassing their opponents in every department. Will this fourth test at Headingly, Leeds be any different? Read on for my match report and comments on the teams. The Teams England: England make a few forced and unforced changes, a factor that could have been a costly factor in their downfall, that no-one is sure of their place, and having to get used to new batting and fielding partnerships. Captain Nasser Hussain returns from injury to lead his side, but Graham Thorpe is forced to miss out. Croft is dropped, in favour of an extra batsman, and Craig White is removed with Alan Mullally taking his place... Read review

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Advantages: England now have a new manager in the form of Fabio Capello
Disadvantages: My Summer 2008 football viewing schedule will not feature England

...Every other year the highlight of my summer is the footballing event which takes place. In 2006 it was the World Cup in Germany, and in 2008 it will be the European Championship in Austria. One notable thing about the 2008 event however will be that England will not feature in it. Having failed to qualify for the European Championship, this will be the first ever European Championship I witness my beloved England not competing in as the last time they failed to qualify was for the 1984 event held in France. There are many contributing factors to England's failing to qualify for the event - most notably the shortcomings of the team as a whole, and the poor leadership of Steve McClaren throughout his 16 month reign in charge of the national team. - The Management - Steve McClaren had never been the number one choice to take... Read review

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Advantages: Showed England can beat the best
Disadvantages: We didn’t go further

...Before England could become part of the Japan/South Korea world cup finals of 2002, like most other teams they had to qualify. They finished top of their group, along the way picking up a memorable 5-1 away victory over Germany. When the groups for the competitions were drawn - England’s own group was described as the 'Group of Death'. We were drawn against Argentina, Nigeria and Sweden in Group F. ~England 1-1 Sweden~ On June 2 England began their World Cup campaign proper. They played Sweden in Saitama. England got off to a bright start and with a Sol Campbell goal midway through the 1st half it seemed, as England would go on to win the game comfortably. But as the England team emerged to play the 2nd half they fell apart. Sweden equalised fairly soon after the half-time break and they got the better opportunities after that... Read review

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Advantages: Young and potentially very exciting
Disadvantages: Too inexperienced and weak in defence

...Following what can only be described as a shocking performance against Sweden, England will have to improve leaps and bounds to live up to excessive pre world cup hype. A disorientated, disorganised and non-fluent England performance was the reward for all the fans who travelled to Japan for their opening match. England’s team looked like a quality team for the future, but not one for the present. Sven must now look to rally the troupes if progression is going to be a considered possibility. The front line looks quick but lacks any service, the midfield were sluggish and lost possession far too readily and the defence was far too inconsistent. Critics of the England team claim that they are far too reliant on Owen’s goals and Beckham’s crossing and general play making abilities. The Sweden match for me confirmed... Read review

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Advantages: Competent, hard-working, unlucky
Disadvantages: But even luck would probably not have been enough

...Okay, let’s put it in perspective, if we can. The England football team went out of the Euro 2004 competition as a result of a bad refereeing decision, disallowing a legitimate goal. So we were unlucky, right? Well, yes and no. Unlucky in that particular incident, yes. Unlucky in not progressing further in the competition, maybe not. Had we won the game against Portugal, it would have been in defiance of the home side having shown more skill, more tactical acumen and for long periods more determination than our team seemed able to muster. Moreover, despite managing a couple of spirited victories, England at no time during the competition looked like champions. Ironically, our best football was probably played in the opening game against France, a game that we incompetently threw away in the final minutes. In my view... Read review

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Advantages: Starting to Win Again
Disadvantages: Another possible false dawn

...In England's current test series against the West Indies in the caribbean, England are doing to the West Indies what the great West Indian sides of the past used to do to England ..... totally anhilate them. Through a strong team ethic, ruthless professionalism and up and coming fast bowlers, England have so far completely outplayed the West Indies in the first two tests of the four match series, does this mean that England are becoming a force in Test cricket capable of competing and perhaps beating the very best in the world or is this present series just easy pickings against a poor West Indies side? Whle we could argue that the West Indies are a poor side with no heart, England are currently, in my opinion beating them in such a manner which even the present Australian side would be proud of. Another factor to consider... Read review

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Advantages: Great Entertainemnt
Disadvantages: NONE

...Wow! What a game of cricket for England fans, it signified everything that England have improved on recently after the wonderful tour of the Caribbean. I'll run through all of the key incidents from match. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST TEST - LORDS ----------------------------------------------------------------- THE TEAMS: ENGLAND: ME Trescothick, AJ Strauss, MA Butcher, MJ Hoggard, N Hussain, GP Thorpe, A Flintoff, GO Jones, AF Giles, SP Jones, SJ Harmison. ----------------------------------------------------------------- NEW ZEALAND: MH Richardson, SP Fleming, NJ Astle, SB Styris, CD McMillan, JDP Oram, DR Tuffey, CL Cairns, BB McCullum, DL Vettori, CS Martin. TEAM NEWS: Marcus Trescothick was stand in captain for Michael Vaughan who injured himself while... Read review

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