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England is in my thoughts and prayers. England is one of the teams [as well as Brazil, USA, Poland and Portugal] that I am supporting.

I couldn't say whether the nation is as gripped as you are, but i certainly am. I woke up the other noght after a dream about somebodies broken foot. Cant think whose. My wife sometimes interupts my moments of deepest thought asking, 'what are you thining about love?' I pause, try to think of something meaningful to say, then finally admit: "Wayne Rooney's fourth metatarsal"

Unfortunately, even the most hardened intellectual, if he or she is a football fan, the doledrums that come at the end of the season create an appetite for football news.
The World Cup fill that gaping void even before it has begun.

Yes, there are the playoffs coming up, but they pale in the face of the glare of the world cup.

I personally want to know everything about the England players, management, staff and their respective partners and pets.

Horribly sad, terribly true.

To be honest, yes, I am totally gripped. I'm surprised there isn't live coverage of England training, I think even that would get fairly good ratings!
I keep hoping that maybe Wayne isn't quite as injured as Sven's making him out to be, and that it's a clever tactic - not likely it is though, Sven being clever that is?!

Well, um, after those comments someone has to show some sense and admit that I'm not actually bothered until the football starts. Matches don't get the coverage they ought to, relative to all the off-the-field irrelevant stuff. Fine, get a picture of Walcott since no-one knows about him (I am by the way a big football fan who knows so many stupid stats etc so I'm generalising here to the open public who will take an interest in England's fortunes). Injuries and the like are worth knowing about, but quite frankly Id rather leave Rooney & co's recovery to the doctors since if it interested me... I'd be a doctor. What I am is a football fan - so give me football :)
Like how are they doing on the training pitch - that snippet about Crouch in the 'crossbar challenge' - now that caught my attention, as it is actually about FOOTBALL not what theyre wearing/who theyre dating blah blah blah...!

Umm, you might want to check that first paragraph - I ran out of breath reading that!

Lightweight!
Of course the football is the important thing — and the point about being interested in the training is a valid one. But in the absence of anyting else, girls, pets, spurious links, it all grabs my attention in the vacuum that is left post-season/pre-world cup.

Yes, I need help, but... er....

More! More! And More!

A few days ago I dreamt that I had scored the winning goal in the world cup final after a sublime pass from Mr. Roo. The dream was soo real I booted my girlfriend who woke up, turned round and slapped me asking why I had kicked her?!

My reply - I've just scored the winning goal for England in the world cup final!!

I cannot repeat her exacts words on this public forum.... ;)

Yes I'm gripped by the world cup right now - I'm sooo excited, I can't imagine what I'm going to be like when kick-off comes along!

I'm leaving the UK 12/06 to support the boys!! C'mon on England!! :D

Living in Australia, who have qualified for only the second time, the media frenzy is building steadily, slowly, and erm not like a frenzy at all.

I hope it picks up in the next few weeks. Our national Soccer Broadcasting Station will of course be once again fully devoted, but a part of me wants to see the mainstream mass media outlets really get on board. It's THE chance for soccer to break out in this country, and even though the newspapers and TV are owner by people with vested interests in Rugby League and cricket, surely the biggest sporting event in the world, which we are finally a part of, can not be ignored.

On a personal note, I find my self answering questions like, "Have you filled out a cover sheet for your TPS report?" with "Yes, I do think Group C is the group of death"...

Although my home country will never make it to the World Cup, I do have a "home team" to support.

Watching the Premier league since I was a youth inevitably made England my team.

Can't wait for the world Cup to start and dreaming of cup glory for England with Stevie G scoring the winning goal against Brazil.

Guten Tag, I've recently moved from England to live in Berlin. It took a while, but my wife did eventually believe that it is pure coincidence I find a job in Germany just as the World Cup is about to begin. In fact, she admires my optimism in moving to Berlin in anticipation of watching England in the final.

Over the past couple of weeks, WC fever has really started to show itself here in Berlin. Temporary arenas nearly finished, all shop marketing, newpapers, billboards, etc have footy themes and more importantly, I have had my new England shirt (red of course) delivered (German postie must not have realised what was in the package he delivered so efficiently).

I just can't wait for the talking to stop and the football to start, come on, schnell schnell!

Ahh, so that's where Theo Walcott was, why wasn't he on the bench for the Champions League Final, I think Arsenal could have done no worse than throw him on for the last 15 minutes of that game. Shame.

Something has to fill the end of season void as far as football news is concerned, and the World Cup is a better 'filler' than which player was seen talking to the Chef at Highbury so is definitely signing for Arsenal! The real, hardened fans just want the thing to start and the action to get underway, but all of you in the enclosed world of the football press do have a slightly skewed notion of what is really exciting and important!

for sure .. i love the stories coming out of the England camp, keep 'em coming .. the more trivial the better ! it's can't be long until SSN dedicates it's entire day to the proceedings ?!

No I'm not gripped. I really am at work giving my all to my employer, honest............

i'm not gripped with england as i'm a scot and dont want to see them win the world cup due to the coverage we get!! even in scotland where we dont care about england and i dislike them!! rock on the brazilians!!! jst catch ur keeper of your line and it'll be an easy goal!!! put seaman bak in!! and u'll hav no chance!! i also want trinidad and tobago to do well because a lot of there players e.g. dwight yorke and jason scotland play for teams in britain!!

Hmmm. I cannot put out flags on my car (much more colourful than the simple red/white), I cannot wear the shirt of my country (arguably less fashionable than yours - and then, my children prefer the English shirts anyway), I cannot openly declare that we are going to be in the final (we probably will play terrible football and still appear there), I cannot declare my allegiance on a team-level openly. Even worse though, I cannot complain too much as the ladies to the players of our team are actually admitted to the training camp, I cannot moan as all 4th metatarsals seem to be in place. I can only complain about a red card, whine about Russian money luring away decent players, moan about the manager's training with American football physios (and wearing an eternal smile). So what am I? A German Arsenal supporter living in Cheshire. Do I want to hear everything about oxygen-inflated bones, prodigies drawing dough, and the latest make-up tips of the England winger? You bet!!!!!

I have watched as the English saga of the World Cup team make up is dissected day in and day out in all media.

It is really wonderful to see the talent you now have particularly in the midfield: Gerrard, Lampard, Beckham (why do you malign him so?). Young Lennon is also your find of the year. Ferdinand is sublime in the backfield and I will take the pundits' word for how good John Terry is.

What gives me the shivers though is that with all this talent you will throw it all away with indecision on the forward line.

The lone forward in Owen is sheer nonsense. Has anyone won the World Cup with this team shape? A team must have two forwards feeding off each other as it splits the concentration of the opposing defence and the support gives both strikers confidence. It is a psychologically lonely and debilitating job to have one person up front leading the whole attack -and in the World Cup??!!!.
England is best with Rooney AND Owen. With Rooney out you must have Couch(great attributes but stop the robo dance or I will watch another team!)filling the space. Actually I don't quite understany why Andy Johnson has been left out. Only use Couch in the last 30 minutes as a substitute if necessary.

Someone please get sense into Sven's head. Bring on Andy Johnson to support Owen and have Couch in a back up role. This one man striker is nonsense and depending on a midfielder (Gerrard) to be a maybe striker, maybe midfield is more indecision.
The issues now with the English team are all about psychology.

Rooney in or out? More indecision -bad for the team. He is the walking wounded - keep him out -period.

One lonely forward. Psychologically debilitating - bring in Andy Johnson.

Gerard - midfielder or part time support for Owen- more indecision. He is an attacking midfielder whose primary role is to support the attack and protect the back line. Stop playing with his role and stop playing with the fundamentals. You all have the wealth of talent do not throw it away depending on set pieces. Brazil, Argentina, Holland, Ivory Coast, etc are just waiting for England to arrive in Germany with a half team and the usual English reserve waiting to blame everything and everyone for the inevitable defeat with the present line up.

I am really depressed, I am trying to win a sales incentive for tickets for the world cup, but did not sell enough today.The hardest thing is the guy that runs the Welsh branch won today!!

I am going to drown my sorrows.

Geoff Stemmer

Me too Geoff, can't believe it butty!

I know I am Welsh too, but if I won a ticket I was going to convert!!

Only missed by 1 sale.

Going home now to kick the cat

Gavin Morgans

Hi Geoff,Hi Gav,

Thoroughly depressed, I missed by a country mile.I suppose I will have too watch on TV with my 2 mates Eric and Cecil.Right pair of boring gits they are.

Derek 'Depressed' Boaler

I am a winner,I am a winner!!

What competition, did not know anything about it, must have been launched by text, I never read em you know....it's usually Andy wanting the figures, I pretend I didn't get em!!

That fools him

Howard Ryder

Carl, you win again and I am gonna come down there and punch yer welsh lights out.

Better still I will give Deano a thump and ask i'm to pass it on twice as hard.

That'll teach yer

Pete Dignan

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