After the calamity that was England's second World Cup match against Algeria, I thought it would be wise for me to fore go predicting an England win for Wednesday's crucial encounter with Slovenia. This illogical superstition was richly rewarded as England finally started living up to their somewhat bloated reputation.
The World Cup has now seen all of its 32 teams compete at least once, and with it comes the opportunity to review the front-runners. Just like any good tournament results have not been entirely predictable.
The pre-tournament favourites were Spain, swiftly followed by Brazil, Argentina and then (ahem!) England. On the basis of those nations first games the bookmakers could be more susceptible to a costly payout on July 11th than they initially planned. Still, the World Cup is not lost or won through an opening game.
So with just six days to go until the World Cup explodes into life in South Africa, England finds itself in the midst of a déjà vu curse. Rio Ferdinand's knee ligaments ruling him out of what would have been his fourth World Cup, and most likely his last. Meanwhile England must march on with their third captain of 2010, Steven Gerrard.
The heat is on, as Glenn Frey sang so well back in the eighties! The days are counting down to the World Cup kick-off in South Africa on June 11th, and aside from the small matter of a quite intriguing Champions League final, the excitement is well and truly brewing. So, have you got tickets or do you want to know of a chance to get some..?!
The 2009/10 season has been a remarkable one for managerial 'come-backs'. It may not be the most favourable term, football after all is full of ebbs and flows and ups and downs. However it is difficult to ignore how this past season several of Western Europe's major leagues have witnessed a revival in fortunes for some recently maligned managers.