England vs Bulgaria

Since I was a young lad, infused by Italia 90 qualifiers – I have generally made it a sacrosanct tradition in my life to watch every single England qualifier that is possible. And most friendlies.

After the abject display in the World Cup, even my usual levels of misplaced optimism are not enough to persuade me that I really should be watching the game tonight.

For without a television, it means having to go to a pub to watch it. Which means spending money. And I don’t know if I want to spend my limited funds towards something which will probably disappoint.

I think that my bizarre optimistic streak is coming out again, and due to the public upset about the World Cup performances, the England players will actually try to prove themselves, so therefore my prediction is a 6-1 victory (with the first goal going to Bulgaria).

There is another theory though that Fabio Capello is doing everything he can to get sacked, so he can get paid off his new contract that he cleverly managed to con the FA out of (though I suspect the FA are pretty easily conned – after all, Steve Maclaren managed to persuade them to give him a chance).

Personally, I am disappointed to see Steven Gerrard playing, let alone being captain. I cannot help but think that his lack of positional discipline costs England goals, and I don’t see how he has contributed positively for many a year now.

But the question still remains – will I get the motivation from somewhere to watch it? Or will I just finish my ironing, and check the score on my telephone from time to time? It isn’t just me feeling this lack of interest is it?