Naturally I hide my cynicism from my kids and the kids I've coached, but you're not getting spared...
Ok, firstly Capello, he kept the FA dangling until finally exasperated and broken down he relented. He put down the v.expensive renaissance art, he was carefully hanging on the wall of his lake Como 12 bed villa, and announced his terms; will spend less than 4 months a year in the UK, wanted a six mill a year (tax free) salary, his son to be paid 750K as part of the communications team, meaning his total bill and that of his 'entourage' (including first class travel and accomodation) is a net loss to the game of circa £10 mil a year. As a bloke who tried to get 350K off the FA to build a set up for 200 kids in the n-west I can tell you that kind of waste really gets my fookin goat..Oh and by the way, Capello is still under investigation for tax fraud by the Italian authorities...you don't see that in The Sun though eh? as it may upset the sheople..and let's be honest you've got to be some 'player' to get quizzed by Italians on tax evasion..
And how does Capello reward this hubris by the FA? He get's as close to the 'greatest event on earth' (to be held in appalling poverty stricken surroundings ) and begins to sulk like a child re. his new contract, now bearing in mind he's hardly set the world alight that is some front considering he's about as good as Graham Taylor...
Now to England; they have 2 genuine world class players in their correct positions, and by that I mean could walk into any team and make a difference; Rooney and Ashley Cole. Lampard and Terry need a lot of quality around them in order to thrive and Gerrard is now past his (international) best. The best starting line up may have in it the might of; Crouch, Milner, Glen Johnson, Ferdinand, Robert Green, Aaron Lennon, it may even have Carragher in it if Terry and or Rio can't shake off knocks, those seven/eight are very good premiership players but not international quality, to me it's as good a squad as any other tourny, not good enough, in fact it's probably worse than in previous, but at least in previous eras they didn't get the insane levels of wages these pricks now enjoy.
Old pros I know (England internationals) tell me when the average UK wage was 10K per year they were getting 100K per year - ten times average. Now average UK wage is circa 23K the average prem player gets 23K a week...a fookin week!!...and you think they give a fook about wearing those 3 lions with pride or the folks back home?
And for the next 2-3 weeks, or until England are knocked out we'll be subjected to utter bull5hit from pundits, papers and everyone's a 'footy expert' all of a sudden. Any form of mania or mass hysteria sickens me quite frankly, linked to sport and deliberately whipped up by the media in order to engender a feel good factor makes it even more troubling.
I watched the Eng v Jap game yesterday, why the fook would anyone go and see that game is beyond me, but anyhow one moment summed it up for me...at the end of the game the camera showed a right beaut; late 30's, highlights in his fringe, carrying a green Shrek teddy bear with a number ten shirt on.. What a typical fookin newbie fanboy whopper, "heh look, it's my joke, Shrek - Rooney - Number ten... geddit?" Er no, jog on you muppet..
