World Cup Nonsense

[El Gordo]

Indeed, some of us are of a vintage that remembers the great '74 side. Coming so soon after the mesmeric Brazilians of 1970, I must have thought that this is what World Cups were all about.

In an era when I was being repeatedly sent home from school for allowing my hair to touch my collar, what impressed me about the 'Total Football' Dutch of 74 was their astonishing scruffiness. They were old hippies. We loved their casual appearance and their nonchalant attitude towards their football and towards their opponents. It wasn't disrespect. Far from it. But it was a refusal to be intimidated. And those fluorescent orange shirts...

74 and 78 were also England-less World Cups of course, which surely helped their image here. We had no one else to cheer; they became our surrogate heroes.

Should England exit this tournament without the cup , I'm sure most of us of a certain age would be delighted to see the Dutch take care of the trophy for us until it's passed back to us again in July, 2010..... Yep, I'm absolutely convinced that with all the youngsters coming through, England can definitely win the World Cup in 2010.

Remember, you heard it here first.