We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!
Well, it all came good for the Three Lions on Friday evening; however, the Swiss are a different proposition, as World Champions Spain will attest. I'll be biting my fingernails down the quick this afternoon. Care to join me?
posted by The Blue Devil @ 12:56 PM
We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!
87 Comments:
News in from Football 365:
"Joleon Lescott has been handed a shock starting berth for England in their Euro 2012 qualifier with Switzerland in Basle. Lescott replaces Michael Dwason, injured in the victory over Bulgaria on Friday and links up in central defence with his former Everton team-mate Phil Jagielka. Wayne Rooney also plays despite a weekend of headlines about his private life."
Wow!
I've got a nice stream up through Iraq Goals for Sentanta:
http://www.iraqgoals.tv/ch4.html
They're showing the Bulgaria match from Friday and I'm looking forward to a bit of a preview in a moment or two.
Some other earlier results today:
Russia 0 Slovakia 1
Turkey are at 0-0 with Belgium
Macedonia are at 0-0 with Armenia
Sweden have a 3-0 lead over San Marino
Latvia are 0-1 up in Malta
Montenegro are 0-1 up in Bulgaria.
The teams for tonight's match:
England: Hart, Glen Johnson, Jagielka, Lescott, Ashley Cole, Walcott, Gerrard, Barry, Milner, Defoe, Rooney Subs: Foster, Gibbs, Cahill, Carrick, Adam Johnson, Wright-Phillips, Bent
Switzerland: Benaglio, Lichtsteiner, Grichting, Von Bergen, Ziegler, Margairaz, Inler, Schwegler, Degen, Derdiyok, Frei Subs: Wolfli, Affolter, Streller, Padalino, Fernandes, Costanzo, Shaqiri
So, just that one change from Friday's team that turned Bulgaria over 4-0 at Wembley - Lescott in for Dawson.
Brilliant - the replay of Friday's match has ended and the Setanta coverage has gone straight into Basel with the teams coming out of the tunnel.
England coming out with some unfamiliar blue track tops on over presumably the white kit. We'll see in a moment when they start warming up. Looks cold and wet in Suisse tonight.
Still time San Marino! Dare to dream.
Anthems over and now Stevie G. and Alex Frei are giving the perfunctory anti-racist FIFA pitches. The commentator is pointing out that the two captains have previous after Frei spat at him in EURO 2004. Could get feisty again tonight. Frei was booed by his own fans after missing a penalty against the Aussies in a friendly on Friday.
Dawson, not to be unkind, is not international class and will not likely ever be. He's got a good chance at a perfectly ordinary Premiership career and he should be left to concentrate on his club football. Lescott, he hasn't been right since his moneybags move to Abu Dhabi on the Tame.
What's Don Fabio playing at????
Afternoon, Gooner - just here for kick-off time. The Swiss get us underway in Basel.
Scrappy start to the match with a lot of ping pongy balls up and down the pitch.
First chance for Theo to stretch his legs and he's hauled back for an early free kick here for England. Played short. Dave would not be pleased.
After that hat-trick on Friday, Jermain Defoe has now scored 16 goals for England in 45 caps, just slightly better than 1 in 3 but a lot of those were as a sub coming off the bench.
Johnson does well getting forward but his ball in is just over Rooney.
Not to tempt fate but Switzerland have not won at home in over a year. It has been over 1000 minutes since one of their strikers scored an international goal. Crikey!
All England so far, the Swiss finding it difficult to get out of their own half. Defoe is seeing a lot of the ball early on.
You're absolutely right, Gooner. The real problem for Ottmar Hitzfeld is finding someone to stick the ball in the net regularly. Hope he doesn't figure it out tonight.
The Setanta hack keeps on talking about how hard the Swiss backline is to break down but Theo and Milner are already making dangerous forays behind the defense.
The England top looks like an undershirt.
The assumption in the press is that this the most difficult fixture in this round of qualifying for England. I disagree - I see the Montenegrans are the dark horse side in the group.
Welcome, WHR! Great to have you on board. I agree - I'm not keen on this new England shirts.
England's makeshift back four looking comfy so far knocking it about. The most striking thing on Friday was how much confidence they had in Joe Hart.
I'd love to show that to my Maggie, who is playing outside back for her high school team.
GOAL!!!!!!!!!!
Another fantastic start for the English! Rooney may have been playing away from home in his personal life recently but his away form here is magical. Great ball in from Johnson and an easy finish from Roon.
0-1 England!
Oh dear - the only bad news from that goal was that Theo was crocked as he went for the ball at the near post. He's being stretchered off and this doesn't look good for Arsenal fans.
Adam Johnson getting warmed up.
It's that silly collar that makes the new kit rubbish. Otherwise, it's a nice clean design. The collar is awful.
That's Rooney's 26th goal in 67 matches for England. Not the best strike rate really but given how young he started, you could imagine his getting close to Lineker and Charlton if he stays away from the late night kebabs.
The shirt looks particularly like tennis whites when they wear white shorts with it rather than the blue ones they're sporting tonight.
Still no threat at all posed by the Swiss attack. They're looking even more toothless than the Bulgarians did on Friday.
Huntelaar has kept up his scoring form of late with an early brace that has Holland 2-1 up against the Finns.
The French have kicked off in Bosnia. I'd be highly amused if they came a cropper in that match after losing their opener against Belarus.
Oh - Gerrard found Defoe well but he wasn't able to control the bouncing ball. Shame.
@#$%^&*(@#^^@!!!!!!!!
Sorry, mate. That is bad news. Hopefully it will prove not to be as serious, sort of like the Dawson injury the other day.
Oh - Johnson did really well but Defoe rocketed his shot well over.
Christian Ziegler is having a 'mare over on the left side; he can't handle the pace of England's wide men.
It's amazing how liberated Gerrard is when he's not playing alongside Lampard. I really hope this proves a point with Don Fabio.
"God Save the Queen" ringing out around the stadium now.
It's bloody hard to watch the match, blog and do my work!
Did England not qualify for the World Cup Finals? I don't recall seeing this team this summer.
I guess it's too early to tell what the extent of Theo's injury is? What happened to him though?
I agree about Gerrard. I'd bench Lamps until Gerrard needs replacing.
Theo on the way to Casualty to have his ankle scoped. Just f*****g great. That's Ramsey, Nasri, RVP, and now Theo. I'm really starting to hate International competitions.
Peep peep! Half-time whistle goes.
England in a relatively comfortable position at 1-0 after that early goal from Roon.
England kick off the second half.
Oh - Rooney found Johnson well on the right but he volleyed wide.
A lot of English pressure again from the off in the second half. Corner now.
The Swiss fans are getting a bit restless as their side lose possession once again.
The injury to Theo looked fairly innocuous at first, just the defender seems to clip his heels as he went for the ball but he landed awkwardly and the other players signaled for a stretcher straight away.
The Republic are 2-1 up over Andorra at home. Goals from Kilbane and Doyle.
Italy are 3-0 up over the Faroes.
First strike at goal for the Swiss. Inler with a looping effort that never worried Hart.
I'd feel happier with a second England goal.
I agree with Sir Trev - this England side is unrecognizable from the no-hopers who turned out against Algeria this summer.
Montenegro beat Bulgaria. That's a win over Wales and now Bulgaria. They're worth keeping track of.
Lichtsteiner is losing his mind over some issue with the linesman and he's picked up a yellow card for his trouble - the first of the match.
Skippy and his divey pals are trailing Norway. That's some bad bacalao.
Yeah - that's what I think too. Everyone was plumping for the Swiss in second spot, but I think the whole Yugoslav break-up has created four or five sides who are tightly disciplined, play together all the time and have to be treated with caution.
After Friday, I don't fear Bulgaria and the Swiss are looking really poor here. Away to Wales could be tricky but I don't really fear them either.
Didn't the Portugeezers lose their first one - that's a really poor start to their campaign too.
Milner tackles back clumsily and picks up a cheap yellow. Unfortunately, that's his second of the campaign after he picked up a needless one in the dying moments on Friday. That could come back to haunt us down the road.
Germany now 4-1 up over the Azers.
The Bosnians are still holding mighty France to a 0-0 draw. Hilarious!
The Swiss with their most dangerous move of the match, a swinging ball in that Hart patted away unconvincingly. That's his first error in a few matches now for England.
A bit of momentum now for Switzerland now. Knock it off!
Inside the last half hour then. England still hanging on to a slim lead. I'd love to see a second goal fly in before I have to leave for my class.
Great news! Lichtsteiner who just moments ago picked up a yellow has now picked up his second and he's off for some early strudel.
Swiss down to ten men!
Whistles all round for the referee but he had little option really. It was a clear hack on Milner and now England have a free kick through Gerrard...
Cleared out.
Gerrard's getting close to a yellow card now. He takes a nibble and the Swiss are howling at the ref for a card for the England skipper.
A bit of play acting from Defoe now. We don't need that. England have to wrench the momentum back from the men in red.
Fabio is freshening things up now. Darren Bent coming on as Defoe limps off. I don't think Defoe's injury is that serious.
GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2-0 England as Johnson races on to a great ball through from Gerrard, rounds the keeper and slots home!
A really calm head there as Johnson finishes off his second goal in as many matches.
Defoe is leaving on a stretcher now and I'm sure Harry Redknapp is busting a blood vessel after losing both Dawson and Defoe in this international break.
Bugger! The Swiss pull one back through a wonder strike from the teenage supersub Shaqiri.
1-2!
Now that Adam Johnson goal is looking more vital than ever. I'm nervous again.
To be fair Joe Hart had no chance with that wonder strike from Shaquiri, but I'm sure he's pissed about missing out on a chance for another clean sheet.
Just over fifteen minutes now in a match that has suddenly sprung to life. England trying to slow things down.
Sweden have settled for six goals over San Marino today.
Argentina with an early 2-0 lead over World Champions Spain. Messi and Higauain with the goals.
Cashley picks up a yellow card for a sliding challenge on Shaquiri.
Great punch out from Hart from that free kick.
SWP getting prepared to come on, probably for the yellow carded Milner.
Bent does his best impression of a statue there as Rooney tries to play him through.
Nope - it's Rooney off for SWP. He'll be happy to have got on the scoresheet today.
I'm off for my class with about ten minutes to play.
Come on, you England boys!
3-1. The statue awakes. Surely that's enough on an otherwise pretty s****y day for Arsenal and the Spuds.
As it turns out to be. England 3, the Swiss 1.
Now I'm praying that we get a pre-qualifiers Theo back before Christmas. He was really on fire for us.
Well, well, well. That's very nice. I'm just back at my break and we've thumped them 1-3 away with even Darren Bent on the scoresheet. Six points from two matches and a +6 GD. Top of the group. Lovely jubbly!
I was pleasantly surprised to see England win so comfortably away to the Swiss. Roon finally scored for England.England did like an improved team from the one we saw during the World Cup. I believe the Swiss are highly overrated as well. England should cruise through this group. England were one of six European teams to make it to the round of sixteen in the previous World Cup? Does this make them one of the top six teams in Europe despite their poor World Cup? Scotland were mighty lucky as well. They were awarded two extra minutes of stoppage time and scored the winner against Liechtenstein with virtually the last kick of the match.How about Russia losing home to Slovakia and Portugal losing to Norway as Eduardo gifted the winner. France finally won as Benzema scored an impressive goal. Any thoughts?
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