Sherwood: Disliked, disloyal and the blood will be on Levy's hands

"The Club can announce that Tim Sherwood has been appointed Head Coach with a contract to the end of the 2014/15 season." 

I never like to put gut reactions into articles. However, for the purposes of this article, I will describe to you my gut reaction to the news of Tim Sherwood's appointment as Tottenham manager. 

Picture Anakin Skywalker burning, writhing in pain, screaming, completing his transition into evil. It seemed like the world around me, already built on unstable molten rock and pain, was falling apart. In just one week, we had gone from Andre Villas-Boas, an image of class, of method, of intelligence, Tim Sherwood, a man who has discredited himself in his time at Tottenham. In my eyes, the only man who had any favour for this appointment was Daniel Levy (conveniently the only man necessary for the appointment to happen). I was distraught.

Meltdown: My reaction to Sherwood's appointment on Monday

Since Monday, I've taken time to mull over this move, assess whatever pros and cons I can muster up. Bear with me.

Under AVB, Tottenham's style of play became stagnant. It lacked rhythm, had very little cutting-edge in the final third and primarily, it lacked goals. With 15 goals in 16 matches in the league, Liverpool fans were quick to point out that Luis Suarez alone had scored 17 goals in 11 league games this season. Due to this lack of attack, the team could not respond when our defence capitulated (cite West Ham, Man City and Liverpool games as proof). Critics would label Villas-Boas as 'stubborn', 'arrogant' and 'tactically-rigid' in his final months. Can the same be said of his replacement?

Sherwood seems willing to play two upfront, introducing Emmanuel Adebayor back to the first team with immediate results. He has also abandoned the holding midfielder role, a short term measure to deal with injuries to Sandro and Paulinho, hoping to create an attacking intent. The team is looking more free and open, guaranteeing goals and more movement in the final third.

It is clear that Tottenham must possess a bigger attacking threat and something more in the final third to challenge for the top four this season. A big change was needed. From two games under Sherwood, it is evident that we will see more attacking intent. Change is guaranteed, at least in the short term. In the long term, this will not work. With an 18-month contract, Sherwood would be wise to factor in the long term.

Across AVB's tenure, the man was given the task of modelling a new squad after losing key players of Redknapp's regime, notably Rafael van der Vaart, Luka Modric and Gareth Bale. In 18 months, 15 players came in and 17 players went out. AVB modelled his transfers to a 4-3-3 formation, focussing on a three-man midfield and one upfront. In this sense, there is no way that Sherwood can accommodate for the entire squad by playing 4-4-2. Sherwood's real aim should be making 4-3-3 work to Tottenham's gain.

Off the pitch, Tottenham are in a state of crisis. Fans are being overpriced and priced-out under the categorisation system, criminalised by over-zealous stewards and the police, dealing with legitimised ticket touting under StubHub, preparing for the effects of the new stadium in a few years time. The club have dealt with nine managerial changes across twelve years under Daniel Levy. Constant change. No stability. 

I tell you this in an attempt to explain why any manager will struggle with this job, why a completely inexperienced coach in Sherwood, already disliked by a large section of the support for ratting out the Tottenham staff to the media and tensions with Glenn Hoddle in his managerial tenure, will struggle to succeed at this club. 

Don't get me wrong, Sherwood has things going for him off the pitch as well. After being heavily involved with the youth setup since being appointed to Redknapp's coaching staff in 2008, Sherwood has spoken about his desire to promote more youth team players into the first team, something always pleasant to see. Sections of the media have praised Levy's willingness to give an English coach a chance at the top level, giving him the media backing that AVB never seemed to have.

Despite these things, despite weighing up both sides, despite the chairman's support for this appointment, I can only see Sherwood ending one way. The competition for the Champions League places this season is the most competitive ever. Many of the teams competing are in some sort of change, but none more so that Tottenham, on and off the pitch. The likelihood of a sustained challenge this year is unlikely. It'll all end in tears. It always does. 

The appointment of Tim Sherwood was a massive gamble; the man even admitted it himself. To give a coach with no professional managerial experience whatsoever, a tainted history at the club and all the problems and instability of Levy's regime and expect him to deliver is madness. I never saw Villas-Boas' sacking as a positive; I don't see Sherwood's appointment as a positive.

Come June, the blood will be on Daniel Levy's hands.

On AVB

Andre Villas-Boas has been sacked by Daniel Levy. No 'mutual consent' nonsense. He was ruthlessly sacked. The cold stare of Levy's bespectacled face was telling. His fate was decided on a cold, wet day at the Lane. With it comes the end of yet another era for Tottenham Hotspur.

I find myself experiencing a plethora of emotions - negative emotions - mostly anger. It's anger because this decision changes everything; our cracked season is now in ruins; any plans in place before has been swept away. It's anger because our club will have to go through further transitional phases to seek an end we may never even reach. It's anger because I don't know where we're going. 

However, some of the stress and anxiety that we have had to endure as Spurs fans this season has been unbearable. People isolate the West Ham shock defeat, the City drumming and the more recent Liverpool rape as big reasons for the stress and anxiety. These results were humiliating and traumatic; no fan wants to be humiliated by their own club. I'd rather consider AVB on a wider scale though. It's important we do as isolated results can be very misleading. 

AVB brought us our first win at Old Trafford
since 1989

AVB won 44 out of his 80 games at Spurs in all competitions. I needn't remind you that this is the highest win percentage of any of our managers since 1899. We gained a record points total of 72 points last season in the league, missing out on Champions League by the skin of our teeth. AVB's influence in molding Gareth Bale cannot be understated. He shaped the Welshman into the most expensive footballer in history. A difficult feat, but a feat very few people want to recall.

To me, this does not look like a tragic case of a doomed manager, an image the media have tried to promote throughout the past 18 months. I feel the problems AVB have had at Spurs are much more deep-rooted than that.

Some people were never supportive of AVB. They saw a failure at Chelsea come to the club, lambasted by every area of the press. They saw a young manager, a sign of inexperience, vulnerability. They refused to believe AVB could have a developed knowledge of the game, despite his successes at Porto. They saw the antithesis of his predecessor, Redknapp. Nothing AVB could have done as manager within reality would have changed their opinion. 

To the 'AVB out' moderates, who only really started to appear after the West Ham defeat, their opposition was rooted in Tottenham's playing style (argument that we were playing exactly the same way last year, but only started mentioning it when we were losing). It could have worked. It didn't. But there was signs of change, United, Fulham and Sunderland matches. Europa League matches. If we didn't lose yesterday, I doubt we'd be even having this discussion. Fickle football.

When people cite our transfer policy (£100m spent in summer, Erik Lamela, Soldado blah blah blah, football clichés), I think in my mind that this is no reason, that there was no other way. When you lose £85m worth of talent in Gareth Bale, perhaps the best player we've had in the Premier League era, you cannot not sign replacements. Failure after that would spring questions of 'reinvestment' and a clearly weak squad. We would be a threat to nobody if AVB didn't sign the players we did. I repeat, there was no other way. 

Elation: The height of AVB's era

AVB's comments about the fans were correct. Those who do not see the ailing atmosphere inside White Hart Lane are probably the ones content with sitting down, refusing to sing and giving out abuse at the players (you know who you are). Villas-Boas said this out of good intentions, a sense of encouragement to the fans. This shows a bit of inexperience as fans are fickle like fate and fortune and cannot be scrutinised for some reason that alludes me. 

This analysis is looking at the bigger picture, the wider scope to way 'AVB out' grew and grew during this season. It cannot be a case of simple black-and-white results; we are only 6 points off 4th. Hardly dire, is it?In the culture that is modern football though, the idea of 'the bigger picture' is rarely a factor in these decisions. Football is rife with knee-jerk decisions. Just this week, we've seen Steve Clarke sacked at West Brom, a club who would do well to finish in the top half this season, because of a recent bad run of form. Madness, utter madness.

 

I will repeat this word because it is the word I'd label our fans, the media, the directors and football in 2013: fickle. It is a word I detest. It is a word that will stunt the development of our club.

AVB came to Spurs as a successful and respected manager in Europe but damaged from his time at a detestable club. Hopes of a new Spurs, of progress and a future tinted lilywhite entered my horizon. He leaves 18 months later with fans dreaming of the past,  nostalgic of rose-tinted times, times rife with as many problems as times present, and demanding and expecting more and more and more. The man that represented the future to many fans has left Tottenham; our future is clouded.

Despair: AVB after the Liverpool defeat. The end was nigh.

1882: An account of Thursday night

I waited outside the turnstiles last night and I was scared. I wasn't scared of the fans, the police, the stewards - no, none of that. I was scared that I'd be alone. If I were alone, I could never have enjoyed the night, and if I didn't enjoy the night, my journey would have been wasted.

Thankfully, I was not alone. I had 1882.

We entered the ground after some odd delay. My out-of-place black tie and crombie combination received some funny looks and comments, however I managed to convince myself that that's how they all used to look 'back in the day'. I entered Block 35 some 10 minutes before the start, and, staring at the pristine green of the White Hart Lane pitch, the troubles of my daily life filtered away.

Perhaps it had something to do with my age, but occupying White Hart Lane is still a cause for many feelings of joy. I'm a proud cynic in real life, yet when I pass through the turnstiles, joy and positivity enriches my blood and tones my voice. This is why I feel the urge to align myself with 1882 ideology; there is no other way I can support my team.

It wasn't long before Block 35 began to fill. I couldn't tell you how many people came under the banner of 1882. We were just fans standing in a block, holding scarves and waving banners and flags; singing for the shirt. And, oh boy did we sing.

From the first song, I could tell this would be as fulfilling as I hoped it would be. Long, never-ending versions of 'Oh When The Spurs' till the point of laughter. Infectious renditions of 'AVB's Blue and White Army' (of course, followed by the fierce bellows of 'Yids'). Toing-and-throwing with the Shelf and 'Stand up' songs to engage with other parts of the ground. All the old songs like 'Glory Glory Hallelujah' and 'Hark Now Hear' as a reminder of our past. Judas songs. I could go on and on and on but you know the deal. This is 1882.

I saw at a few points throughout the evening fans being forcibly removed from the block for chanting our Yid songs. This made my blood boil. It could have easily tainted the event. However, the fans responded by chanting the word twice as loud. We got behind those victimised fans. They are us and we are all the same. 'Being a Yid' was the song of the night as a result.

I screamed at the stewards, "I'm a Yid! Arrest me!" This was part of a lot of talk between me, the stewards and the police last night. They were cooperative, but they seemed confused. When asked who told them to victimise the fans, I got told they were ordered from the club, the police, lawyers and the FA - all separately. When asked about over-zealous stewarding, they referred to safety certificates and guidelines. When asked if they knew who their boss was, they had no idea. Sadly, there's nobody to make accountable for the crime of criminalisation.

This is why groups like 1882 are vital to the fans. Who is going to back the fans given 'verbal warnings' when the club turned their back on them like they did on Thursday? This may sound cliché, but sometimes, we only have each other to turn to. We had that at the Anzhi game and I was proud of us for that. I implore fans to keep a dialogue with our Supporters' Trust, THST, for these reasons.

More about the game. It was very entertaining and the positive performance certainly helped get some of the fans off their feet. When we sang the name of particular players, you could tell they were loving it. The big smile in Holtby's face. The appreciation from Eriksen when he warmed up. Even Friedel's response to our questions about the score. At those very moments we sang their names, the fans loved them, and they loved the fans. Backing the players in this way help establishes this connection, I feel. Don't you agree?

The final whistle came and we headed out of the Lane, albeit slow, reluctantly and anxious to do more. I wanted to do this all over again. And soon. An explosion was heard at one point late on. None of us cared. I never felt a better sense of escapism than in that block on Thursday. I've had a lot of trouble and stress in my life recently, but it didn't matter when I was singing, when I was loving my club.

My lungs were aching. My throat was scratched. My head was addled. My voice was gone. But it didn't matter. None of it mattered any more. All that mattered was that I belonged. All that mattered was Tottenham Hotspur.

If you think I'm exaggerating, join us in Block 35. I dare you. 

Defoe must go: Tottenham should sell Jermain Defoe in January, for the good of the club

This is a sensitive subject. He's a man that a lot of people regard highly, very highly, chant about, even deify, a 'legend'. Even for those who do not regard him so much, most still have an utmost respect for the man. However, the time has come to face facts: Jermain Defoe faces the prospect of leaving in January.

Defoe has become a problem. His frequent outbursts to the media whenever the spotlight turns to him has become commonplace. Defoe's demands to be placed above Roberto Soldado in the striker pecking order at Spurs seems to come out every week, most recently after England's game to Chile. The debate over his place in the squad rages in the pubs and on the social networks. We all have an opinion on it.

What is Defoe as a player? Constantly throughout his career, he has been branded as a 'natural finisher' by the British media, even in 2013. Spurs fans know this branding is false. We know that in his years at Spurs, he has gone through spells of either intense form or complete disappearances from the side. Under Jol and Ramos, the combination of Berbatov and Keane was preferred. Under Redknapp, the likes of Crouch and Adebayor were preferred to him upfront. Last season under Villas-Boas, Defoe failed to overcome competition from Adebayor, despite the ex-Arsenal striker's massive lack of goals.

Amongst Defoe's on-field problems include his lack of wider contribution to the team; he refuses to bring other players into the attacking third, instead choosing an individual pursuit. True, his best games make him appear tenacious, a true finisher. His average game, however, is nothing of this sort. Defoe becomes a ghost, frequently found offside, failing that, squandering clear-cut chances. I highlight Defoe's only league appearance this year as proof of that. Just after half time, Defoe managed to get one-on-one with Jaaskeleinen, only to tamely squander the chance. Moments later, we went a goal down.

Knowing these facts, Daniel Levy invested money on another striker, a reputed striker, one of Europe's most prolific strikers: this was in the form of Roberto Soldado. The Spaniard has failed to hit the ground running, but his overall contribution to the team, awareness and movements surpasses Defoe. We did not spend £26million, beg for it to happen in the summer (#SignSoldado), condemn our current strikers, just to have Soldado undermined due to reactionary critics.

Don't get me wrong, I do have massive respect for Defoe. His goal in our 3-1 win to City last April was one of the highlights of the season. He is our highest scorer in European competitions. He is our 5th highest goalscorer of all time. Outside White Hart Lane, he has overcome personal tragedies, losing his father, brother and cousin unexpectedly. To overcome tragedy to that degree takes a lot of courage, and I applaud Defoe for that.

But his demands to play for the sake of his last chance to shine in an England shirt in Brazil massively undermines our manager. It undermines his ability to make decisions, something that destroyed his tenure at Chelsea, giving risk to alienating the fans, the media and even the other players against him. If AVB's tenure in undermined at Spurs, we will see a massive disruption in the club in this crucial season, where we have a chance to break the league mould, just as we did in 09/10.

With interest from West Ham growing due to the long term absence of Andy Carroll, there will definitely be bids for Defoe in January, with or without a transfer request. Therefore, the club would be wise to accept the right offer, stick with the strikers we have, and reinvest it on a young striker in the summer. This is for the good of the club.

AVB cannot bow to pressure. He saw Defoe's incapabilities this season and last, as have every Spurs fans. No matter how many pundits big Defoe up, how many goals he scores against teams like Tromso and Sheriff Tiraspol, or how many more of his personal claims of ability appear in the papers, his inabilities will remain and only more problems will be caused.

For the good of the squad, the tenure of the manager, even our league ambitions, it is time we face the prospect of parting company with Jermain Defoe. As the song goes, time to say goodbye...

Inverted wingers IS the answer

After intense note-taking and debating on twitter, I have found the right team. It’s a long time coming, and my goodness, AVB needs to find the right team before our lack of goals becomes harmful to our league position. However, I believe this team for today’s match against Newcastle will work.



The main debate regarding the formation has been over inverted wingers. Many people believe inverted wingers makes the midfield congested and harms free-flowing creativity. However, that does not explain how teams such as Bayern Munich have reached dizzy heights operating a similar system.

I have kept Sigurdsson and Lamela as the inverted wingers. Lamela has shown in midweek what he possesses, taking the full back with distinct forward attacking play, either posing as a goal threat or a creative threat. Sigurdsson has scored 4 goals in this spot and, although not the most involved player, his qualities will pose useful in sorting out our goal problem. They will still cut in and take shots, but with an added twist.

The No.10 spot has been much debated, and frequently talked about as the reason for our goal drought. Central in creating chances, the No.10 is vital in winning games. However, for Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City (No.10′s being Oscar, Ozil and Silva respectively), their most creative threat is not fixed in the middle. He interchanges with the wingers, providing crosses as well as through balls, offering different angles for the striker(s).

Eriksen gets the pick for today’s match, much becuase he better suits the system as a two footed player. Holtby shows glimpses of creativity, alongside work-rate and aggressive play, but it is not his main focus, unlike Eriksen. At home, often in front of a back 9, the focus of the No.10 must solely be breaking down the opposition. Eriksen, therefore, has the most ability to complete this should Sigurdsson or Lamela be central.

The demands for width have been loud and clear, and natural wingers seems the most obvious answer to this. However, looking at our summer activity (Lamela and Chadli, Townsend in the squad), inverted wingers appears to be the system AVB will keep with as a primary option. Therefore, the width, I believe, intends to be provided by the full backs (wing backs in this purpose).

Walker is naturally a wing back and revels in hugging the touchline. Under AVB, he has refined his play to become more defensively sound, and has been one of our best players this season. Before injured, AVB stuck Rose at left back, and did a fantastic job after playing regular first-team football for Sunderland last season. His wing play suits the formation, but owing to his absence, Vertonghen has to fill-in. Although less effective, the professional class the Belgian possesses will more than make up for Rose’s play.

There is no question who starts upfront. It is the £26million striker. It is the man with one of the best goal scoring records in all Europe last season. It’s the No.9 that we begged for in the summer. Roberto Soldado. If we create chances for him, the kind of chances he thrived on last season, he will flourish.

Ultimately, we have to play football against Newcastle. Attack them. Pepper the goal from all angles. Create chances for the front man. We have commanded possession, but not commanded the final third. We have solidified the castle walls, but our artillery is inaccurate and wasteful. Over time, these problems will reduce, the ‘gelling process’ will give a greater abundance of goals.

Till that moment, I ask for patience, as has AVB. There’s a reason why glory football and tactics of our has never actually brought much glory since the Premier League’s inception. There’s a reason AVB’s football has.

Atmospheric Pressure

It was a horrid display of football. Tottenham, trying to split the 10-man defence of Hull, exhausted every possible means to get that first goal. Nothing worked. The possession-orientated play that Andre Villas-Boas has drummed into the squad wasn't enough to break the deadlock, just as it wasn't versus Swansea, just as it wasn't versus Crystal Palace. When Soldado converted his third penalty of the season, a gust of relief swept around White Hart Lane, and the match was won.

After the game, the main complaints about the football was a wide judgement across the season.

• "Our football is too cautious. It shouldn't be based on possession, but on unrestricted swashbuckle."
• "Soldado doesn't get enough chances. He's only good for penalties."
• "This is not the attitude of a top four team."

The football could have been less cautious this season. We certainly have the players to be more attacking and have more bite to it. It's just a case of gathering the right eleven players for it, and that will come with time (that benefiting to a large squad). If we play unrestricted attacking football a la Redknapp, we abandon a fantastic defence (6 clean sheets in 9 games) and I doubt Spurs could last till May. A conundrum, but 'patience' is word of the day. 

The 1882 Movement may be the answer to the dying atmosphere

AVB was surely thinking about tactics on how to improve the football. When faced with problems, he has clearly demonstrated an admirable pragmatic nature, a readiness to solve problems on the pitch through off-the-pitch tactics. AVB did tell the media the cause of the problem, quite explicitly:

"We looked like the away team. We played in a difficult atmosphere with almost no support,"
"Away from home their support has been amazing; we play with no fear and we need that atmosphere at White Hart Lane."
"We spoke about it at half-time. I told the players that we would have to do it on our own. They had to dig deep and look for the strength within themselves. They also believed that it's not easy to play in this stadium when the atmosphere is like this."

"We have a wonderful set of fans but they can do better."

To many Spurs fans (probably the ones inside the ground that day), this was a shocking statement. Their argument was that the team did nothing to get them going, that it was up to them to do their job and we cheer when they complete it, that forking out hundreds gives them the right to complain about it. If they have been quiet, it's because of AVB and the players.

The other camp to this argument supported AVB's verdict, not only supported, but knew it for many years. Their argument was that the Spurs fans have become too expectant, that the high ticket prices has brought in the wrong type of fan (I pay x-amount to watch this shit), that young, energetic fans have been skimmed out White Hart Lane due to the ticket prices. The argument was that White Hart Lane is just another product of modern football.

There's is no doubting that there is a massive atmosphere problem within the Lane. I remember Basel at home last season, where the silence of the Spurs fans was chilling, and the only voices that could be heard were Basel fans. It was no advert for White Hart Lane; it was not the way it should be. 

If the atmosphere has become so negative that the players had to talk to the manager about it, then it seems clear  that something has to change. The supporters don't do enough supporting. The fans are not fanatic enough. If you love your club, you have to do more than pay x-amount to show that. Paying £9 to watch Captain Phillips in the cinema doesn't make me a die-hard Tom Hanks fan. Paying £20 to watch Othello doesn't make you a Shakespeare ultra. You owe Tottenham Hotspur more than what you are giving them.

A 'fan', inside White Hart Lane, playing Candy Crush. Wow.

The majority of fans have become spectators, theatre-goers who would rather criticise the performance than get behind the team. The energy these people have exercising criticism could easily be put into singing 'Oh When The Spurs' or any other song. Why has the players turned you cynical? I idolise them.

I have heard some horrific stories. Fans starting songs, only to get glaring looks from the people around. I've heard of people standing up together, only to be told to sit down and shut up by the overpowered stewards. I've even heard of people reporting other fans for swearing, resulting in a three-game ban for the 'guilty' fan. Does this sound like support to you? 

Why have 90% of Tottenham fans become nihilistic? Why can't they go to the Lane, absorb in the moment and forget about negativity? Why can't they sing their hearts, show their colours, enjoy the moment? What good can criticism possibly achieve?

There are things the club need to do to help change the atmosphere, definitely. Reducing ticket prices, reducing steward and police presence, stop criminalising the fans and supporting safe-standing trials would all contribute towards an improved atmosphere. Outside of England, fans laugh at how stale we have become. Perhaps the 'product' is better, but what's the point if you can't enjoy it? 

Football is not a product, and fans are not customers. You have a duty to your football club. Stop fearing the fans around you, join arms and sing for the shirt you claim to love. AVB has given you a message, and it's time to listen, time to learn: 

Stand. Sing. Support. 

England Expects: Part 2

England are off to Brazil this summer, and I am as happy as anyone else at this moment in time. The prospect of the World Cup finals in one of the great homes of football is mouth-watering, and for England to be a part of it is honourable. There won't be more anticipation for a world cup till it returns to its first home, Great Britain herself. Although this is an inappropriate time for querying and inquisition, it is my moral duty to stem the tide of optimism.

How England decided to approach qualification this time pestered much of the public (I went into some detail in England Expects). We finished top and we finished unbeaten, and those achievements cannot be cast away and taken for granted. However, what irritated the fans above anything else was the cautious, reserved approach Roy Hodgson took in qualification, despite the distinct lack of quality in the rest of the group.

The best reflection of Hodgson's approach was in his selection policy. He persisted on selecting players that were completely out of form or out of contention at club level at the expense of untried players or players of bottom half teams. Of Roy Hodgson's selections, the stand-out examples are as follows:

• Danny Welbeck, despite only scoring 2 goals in all competitions for Manchester United last season.
• James Milner, a player who fails to impress or make an impact at club or international level.
• Tom Cleverley, heavily preferred to Anderson and Fellaini at (again) United.
• Ashley Young.

Of course, this was somewhat masked by Hodgson's 'big gamble' in the last 2 qualifiers: Andros Townsend. Townsend played out of skin in both games, taking on his opposition with the fearless inspiration and limitless passion which us fans appreciate more than any record or statistic. However, anyone who has watched Tottenham play this year would not have been surprised by Townsend's performance; he is in such a purple patch that he is keeping the internationally-acclaimed Argentine Erik Lamela out of the first team.

When England came into a group with the teams we had (Poland, Ukraine, Montenegro, Moldova and San Marino), coming first place is expected. Anything less would have been a failure. For much of qualification, the risk of failure became too high. Even though it brought the best out of all of our players, the pressure of the last two games should never have existed. Despite this, the most important thing is that we did come first and we were not beaten.

There is an argument that England has lost a lot of reputation since South Africa. Our national team can no longer align ourselves with the best of the best. Spain, Germany, Italy and Holland are in a different class to us. Rising above them would only be a complete accident. Their squads are filled with world class talent in every position, a prospect we can only dream about. We are not in the top 10 of the world. We are not even close. 

Therefore, the best way to approach this world cup is to go into it with no goals. No 'this is our year' speeches. No 'we have as much chance as any' logic. The players should go out there and enjoy the occasion. Fight for their pride, nor for a quarter final spot. 

The shroud still surrounding this much anticipated tournament will clear in the coming months. The media, being the bloodthirsty cannibals that they are, will ask the impossible over and over again, but it is up to the FA and the national team not to buy into it, not to succumb to the pressure of idiots.

It is obvious that the Greg Dyke and the FA are building towards a bigger future, but their intentions for the here and now should be clear: make the country proud.