Back of the net, not - again...

Playlist
Various - Last 12 Month's Acquisitions on Shuffleplay

Drinks this evening early on with Anne, Stacey, Tracey and Caroline before heading home in time for the next England game in the World Cup...

You might not know this but, in 1966, when England actually won the World Cup (what do you mean you didn't know England won the World Cup in 1966?), they "only" drew their first game...



Of course they got to play all their games at Wembley and their decisive third "goal" in the final never actually crossed the line - but that's another story...



Anyway, from this "drawing the first game" fact, the English media seemed to be finding parallels with 1966 (i.e. clutching at straws - different players everyone?) and taking solace, pre tonight's match, following the less than convincing display last week against the USA...

With the Americans drawing 2-2 this afternoon against Slovenia (after being 2-0 down and having a perfectly good third goal chopped off) the way was open for England to virtually secure qualification if they could just beat Algeria...

The current world rankings in England's group are:-
England 1068 (8th)
USA 957 (14th)
Slovenia 860 (25th)
Algeria 821 (30th)
(Scotland by the way - my home team - who failed to qualify for the finals - lie 43rd with 699 points)

On this basis, and helped by the "built for TV" seeding system (which will also preclude Scotland from ever qualifying for the final stages of any future tournaments), England ought to walk the group...

However, tonight they were, frankly, embarrassingly woeful...

A nil-nil draw ensued...



Algeria were clearly the better side...



For a nano-second, I actually felt sorry for the players...

Here's Steven Gerrard...



Here's Frank Lampard...



...then that passed as I remembered just how much they are paid for playing football and - after all - it's only a game and means nothing in the big scheme of things...

Later on we enjoyed "Mock the Week" and "Big Bang Theory"...

As we retired for the evening, I remembered the real reason England didn't win tonight...

As we'd waited for the bus home, I'd nipped into the Coral betting shop and, at odds of 2/9 - yes I stood to win £1.11, had put £5 on England to win...



...thereby ensuring they could only draw at best and might possibly lose...

Sorry chaps...

Highlight of the day : No bulge in the back of the Algerian net...

P.S. Germany lost 1-0 to Serbia - dammit...