In my humble opinion this is more than a football match (I should add that I’m not much of a football fan, although I usually watch the big occasions).
Watching news reports today and livestreams, way before this evening’s kick-off at 8pm UK time, there seems to be something else going on here. This of course is after almost 18 months of lockdowns, social distancing, and all the rest of the madness we’ve had to endure, and people are getting a bit more than kranky.
Many things are pointing to a culmination of it all, in the days and weeks ahead, and this football match seems to be one of them.
Life in a vacuum…the other week, the day after BJ announced the delayed ‘freedom day’, most people in my small work team of a dozen were unfazed - in the ‘team chatroom’ somebody asked, ‘does this effect anybody’!! Those that responded replied in the negative. As far as they were concerned it was all ‘I’m alright Jack’. It horrified me that the likelihood that that delay would see who knows how many folk finally tipping-over the edge just didn’t seem to enter into my team’s reckoning. There’s a similar phenomenon in this footie thing - I’ve lost count of the many times I’ve heard a punter opine about how ‘WE deserve it’ after the shitty events of the last 16 months - - you see, there’s nobody else out there - it’s just us…it’s just we…it’s just me, me, me!
Looking at the hordes of flag draped drunkards swarming around London leaving in their wake an ocean of tins, bottles, ‘plastic glasses’ and whatnot depresses me. I’m worried about the potential for catastrophe if the English team doesn’t win. I agree with you Rob - final or not - this is more than just another sporting event.
I’ve just been to a small gig in the heart of London with my daughter. The lead singer peppered his set with jokes about the football, patriotism etc.
My daughter and I then parted; I to go home and she to go to a small Pride event.
On the way home, on the tube, beflagged fans loudly informed me and everyone else (to the tune of she’ll be coming round the mountain) that the Italians can shove their carbonara up their arse. Also their linguini and their Lamborghini. It’s going to crowded up there…
Oh and I was also repeatedly informed at an increasingly ridiculous volume that Southgate has a huge appendage. Who knew?
Back in the day I used to go to a lot of footie matches. This was at the height of football violence in the 70s and 80s. When West Ham played Millwall at home the Old Kent Road used to turn into a war zone on a Saturday afternoon.
The worst, by far, were the England - Scotland home internationals, played alternatively at Wembley and Hampdon Park. Such was the violence at the Wembley matches - which made West Ham and Millwall fans look like pacifists - that they stopped these home internationals.
I’m not sure what I’m getting at here, except that Bojo is going to make an announcement this Monday about whether ‘freedom day’ will actually arrive the following week.
Typical traitor that I am, I have not got behind our boys and was quietly chuffed that Italy won. This is mainly because the sort of people who take this seriously are predominantly the same people who regard ‘Boris’ as a laugh and/or Coroni’s Witnesses desperate not to relinquish their face coverings and permission to ‘work’ from home.
The latter, who only pretend to care about sport in any case, will just have to go back to chatting about their usual topics:
So what do you do? (So I can quickly work out if you’re wealthy, or if I can be as rude as I like)
Planned your holiday yet? (So I can casually tell you about the delightful cottage in the Algarve where I spend all my hollibobs)
Did you see [insert crashingly boring BBC show here, usually involves baking]?