Were you really THAT suprised?

USA 1 England 1

So here we go again.

England get off to the typical sluggish start despite the hype. I nearly choked on my popcorn after 4 mins when Gerard scored his opener. But our previous of bottling it despite a good start stuck in my mind. And of course my fears came to pass. The ball bounced torturously in front of Robert Green, slipping off his gloves like they'd been greased. Queue bemused delight from the American players and looks of horror from Our Boys.

We've seen it all before of course. The jingoist idiots of the press were predicting 3-1, 2-0 and that sort of thing. How wrong they were. Just because we have a stern, Italian technician who knows what he's talking about, doesnt mean we've got the team to match.

I've always had a grudging respect for the Germans and they didnt disappoint. A clinical demolition of the Australians means they are now amongst the favourites to win the World Cup. Now there's a new generation of German players to despise too, my favourite player is Mesut Ozil, a midfielder of great talent who looks so shifty that he'd make a fine cameo in a 50s Cold War thriller:

You could just imagine Orson Wells shooting him in the opening scene...

I might have a punt on them to win a few more games if there is still cash in the PaddyPower kitty...have a feeling they wont be letting me down anytime soon.


Alex