Soccer Limey in America

The Christmas Truce of 1914. It’s difficult to equate the importance of football and Christmas to the many millions of fans around the world, but there was a time when the two came together, and for a few hours, turned a horrific battlefield into a football pitch.

It’s just over two years since a totally uninspired England team managed by a frustrated Fabio Capello, sputtered to a shambolic draw against tournament minnows Algeria in a Group match in South Africa at the 2010 World Cup. The result left England with a do or die match against a weak Slovenia side, which ironically, [...]

England’s Under21 football team clinched a spot in next years Under 21 European Championships with a 1-0 win tonight over Serbia but the match ended in ugly scenes sparked off by racist abuse of the black England players by Serbian fans. UEFA has now a serious decision to make regarding disciplinary action against the Serbian [...]

This week sees another international date in world football for FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and a few other meaningless friendlies. In particular, England face European minnows San Marino at Wembley on Friday, and then have a difficult away match in Poland next Tuesday. One of the topics of conversation this past weekend has been complaints [...]

Quite predictably following an over-hyped victory over football minnows Moldova last week, England’s 3rd ranked senior side struggled to salvage a 1-1 draw against a stubborn Ukraine side at Wembley stadium last night. A late Frank Lampard penalty salvaged a lame point for a team that labored to contain the East Europeans who were content [...]

I have to admit that watching England make easy work of the Moldovan national team on Friday in their opening World Cup Qualifier for Brazil 2014 was a pleasant experience in direct contrast to their previous competitive match in the Euro2012 Quarter Final loss against Italy in the early summer. Gone were the stifling defensive [...]

I haven’t written much over the past 2-3 weeks or so as being an English ex-pat living in the USA, my emotions have been completely caught up in that wonderful spectacle back home called the London Olympics. Day after day of supreme effort from British athletes has energized a nation and apparently cauterized the acid [...]

Whenever these two countries lock horns on the football field, it is always has an extra level of importance no matter what the circumstances are, and tomorrow, in Olympic Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine, they meet in the Quarter Final of Euro 2012. I can hardly believe that it is eleven years since they last played [...]

Yesterday was a good day despite the blast furnace heat here in Chicago as England proved me totally wrong by advancing to the Euro2012 Quarter Finals with a shaky 1-0 win over co-hosts Ukraine. This win sets up a mouth watering confrontation against Italy on Sunday in Kiev but frankly, this was a win that [...]

Over the past couple of seasons, I doubt that there has been a harsher critic of the England football team than myself. I have gone from a flag-waving, forget the scoreline, fanatical supporter to one who has grown tired of the mediocrity and feeble apologies and explanations from players and coaches. So for the first [...]