Fifty years of hurt, Never stopped me dreaming

So that’s it, the waiting’s over, the friendlies played, winning the last three albeit not so convincingly and now its time. On Friday at 8pm BST (British Summer Time) the hosts France take on Rumania and at 8pm on Saturday night it’s Russia first up for the 3 Lions tournament rollercoaster.

You never want to lose any game, and definitely not the first. Let’s face it, we should win this group with Russia, Wales and Slovakia as the opposition. However, it’s the rollercoaster that has come to be England’s tournament trademark.

After watching ‘When football came home’ with Shearer interviewing all the old boys from ’96, you have to believe it can still happen. Remember this goal? And the subsequent famed celebration.

Instead of Scotland, we’ve got Wales this time, or Gareth Bale plus 10, at least that’s what it was on Sunday when Sweden beat them 3-0. You can be sure they’ll put up more of a fight against us though.

We’ll see if Kane and Vardy can continue their goal-scoring form from the Premier League into the Euros, and if Rashford will turn heads and up his market value.

Back then, 20 years ago frighteningly, we started off in typical England fashion drawing to Switzerland. Then it hotted up, beating Scotland 2-0 at Wembley and then the 4-1 demolition of Holland. We even won a penalty shootout, against Spain.

Then, just as we were all starting to believe we could win, we come up against the Germans, and as Lineker said ‘Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win’, and they did, in a penalty shootout.

4 years ago, it was yet another penalty shootout that sent us home, with Italy being the more decisive from the spot. I hope Roy’s been training them hard at spot kicks and that we know who is and who isn’t going to be taking one.

When Saturday comes Hodgson must be finished with his deliberations about formation and put out a team to attack Russia, score goals and concede less. Is the picture of Ray Lewington’s team formation in today’s press a gaffe or a deliberate ploy…

Get ready for the rollercoaster…

‘Cause I remember,
Three Lions on a shirt,
Jules Rimet still gleaming,
50 years of hurt, 
Never stopped me dreaming’

England to open their account with a 2-1 victory against Russia

Don’t mention the …

With just over two months to go before the Euro 2016 Championships get under way England are to play another two friendlies in their preparation for the tournament.

After a qualifying campaign that delivered up Switzerland as the trickiest opponents, the 3 Lions require matches against more competent opposition before the games in June and hopefully July. In November we lost to Spain and beat France, albeit just after the terrorist atrocities in Paris. Now another two European stalwarts in Germany and Holland provide the opposition, barring Holland’s failure to qualify. First up are the Germans in Berlin on Saturday night and then Holland at Wembley on Tuesday.

The current (journalistic) theme appears to be be how challenging it must be to select the 11 players that will start for England with the focal point being who will start up front. Breeding grounds as unusual as White Hart Lane and the King Power Stadium (previously Filbert Street) may provide the answers. With Rooney injured and many pundits even questioning his starting ‘right’ when fit, the Premier League current top scorers in Kane and Vardy must be vying for contention. Rumour has it that 4 Spurs players may start against the Germans, with Danny Rose, Dele Alli and Eric Dier likely to join Harry Kane.

 

The 3 Lions will be without first choice Number 1 Joe Hart giving Roy the chance to see how Butland and maybe even Forster perform in Joe’s jersey.

The last time England were beaten in Germany was in 1987, by West Germany, surprising but true especially given the number of times we’ve been agonisingly beaten by them in tournaments and everyone can remember the 5-1 drubbing in 2001.

England to carry on their unbeaten run on German soil, either sharing the spoils or England’s attacking force leaving a mark on the German defence.