I look over my papers again and at the morning of June 20, the day after Luis Suarez sent us spinning back to reality. The headline in the Sun on that morning were:

                                                  IT HAD TO BE CHEW – Suarez ends our world*

JAGIELKA LEFT ‘GUTTED’ AS SKIPPER GERRARD’S SLIP LETS IN SUAREZ

And Steven Howard’s Big Match Verdict:

 SAME OLD ENGLAND…DEFENSIVE BLUNDERS, POOR FINAL BALLS, EVEN WORSE FINISHING AND KNACK OF GIVING AWAY POSSESSION

So, it’s all down to a Scotsman to give us something to shout about once again as Andy Murray begins his defence of his title at Wimbledon. Ouch!  He is by now, as I write, through to the fourth round, which although there is only just over a week gone and no fuss, he is still in there and impressive so far. How could he get so far? Most probably because he works hard at what he does and unlike English footballers, keeps his mouth shut and his hopes as always very much open.

I could not bring myself to sit down and write after this most magnificent of encounters, although it fizzled out into a penalty shoot-out, and after the bar stopped shaking from that incredible last gasp effort (miss) it was inevitable that that magnificent trophy hanging in the background somewhere in the hills would see its team through.

The match started in scintilating fashion with both teams having exactly the same idea and that was both going for the jugular although it was tougher for Chile for obvious reasons with the home nation not having been beaten on home soil forever, or so it seems and the away team having not won there in a history that sees them as a ‘real team’ under the wonderful management of ******

What made their performance so special is that they are a small team, very much like Barceliona, but play with more energy, eagerness and the most important ability, to play deep inside the Brazilian box, whereas Barcelona play pretty football around the outskirts of danger. Sanchez’s goal, although not a great build-up was a great example as to players get in where it hurts.  My heart goes out to the manmager, their players and super supporters, and on top their sportsmanship when finally giving way was a sight for sore eyes. Take note Luis and all of you Uruguayans who showed a little later nothing of the sort as they tried to bully a very good Columbian team and the wonderful Rodriguez, who after his incredible 28th minute volley and a second-half finish, now leads the World Cup goal charts.

If it gets any better than this I don’t know just where from but all I do know is that after watching this and going through my notes again I came across this from the England captain from 14 June 2014:

WE’VE ABILITY AND TALENT, NOW WE’VE GOT TO BE CUTE AND CLEVER

Which was inside The Sun newspaper with its front page”

THE SUN IS SHINING. FRIDAY 13th IS OVER. BBQs LIT. PUBS OPEN TILL 1am. TOMORROW’S SUNDAY (LIE IN). ENGLAND PLAY RUGBY AND CRICKET. AND STEVIE Gs LADS ARE RARING TO GO IN WORLD CUP…

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?

This was the day after World Champions were crushed in the opening match 5=1 by Holland and a photograph showed Robin van Persie and his new Manchester United boss, Luis van Gaal slapping hands on the sideline after the striker’s stunning equalizer. And underneath that was a message which the newspaper called a rallying cry from Roy Hodgson:

REACH FOR THE STARS

I knew that is a little was a little out of our reach before the tournaent but after watching the Chileans performance, I suggest to such newspapers with such misleading black print to try to keep this all in perspective, because if you are printing this about football, how can we trust you with the likes of Politics?

The reason it caught my eye is because in December it will be seventeen years since my near fatal  car ordeal in the Mile End Road after spending a lovely afternoon with my brilliant Sporting Life boss Tom Clarke, the Editor, who I sat besides, whilst on my right hand side was Jamie, who was then one of my favourite jump jockers under the shrewd stewardship of trainer Oliver Sherwood, a self confessed Chelsea supporter, who one day showed me a photograph of me he carried in his wallet at Uttoxeter races. We were in the Owners and Trainers Bar and got chatting on a day that the heaven’s opened so much he tipped me off, telling me that, “I have three runners today Alan, but please don’t touch them, they hate heavy ground” of which of course, they all obliged at big prices. Thanks Oliver!    

However, although I have since caught up with Oliver a couple of times I have never done so with the man who so nearly said that he was the last man to sit next me?

Now wouldn’t that have been something? Well no, not really!

If the Mile End Road was ‘Long and Winding’ then those two roads taking Jamie one way and me the other, his  like the one I always thought that I’d end up on, the ‘Yellow Brick’ one. However it’s back to the Kings Road where I was when missing my only ever opportunity of reaching a World Cup. And that all came flooding back last night as I could possibly have played some part in one of England’s greatest ever performances, against Brazil in Mexico ’70.

That was undoubtedly Bobby Moore’s greatest ever 90 minutes in an England shirt (including any ’66 match) as he kept Brazil at bay almost single-handedly (apart from Gordon Banks’s save from Pele), until the inevitable, much like last night, only the yellow shirted Brazilians never needed a penalty shoot-out.