To be fair, whereas this article basically proves how poor England are at present, I don’t think we could seriously be expected to go any further in the competition. We did pretty well, generally. Performance wise, we were OK, but the more encouraging things are the intangibles: I like the attitude of the team, I liked the way we defended in formation, and the manager’s more of a realist than the last two were. I don’t like Lampard, generally, but I thought we missed his drive, and if we ever dare to put Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott, Wellbeck and Carroll on at the same time, we are an attacking force of sorts.
I have to say I think Wayne Rooney, as an international footballer, is over. Too slow by half, he looked well off the pace throughout, and didn’t create anything of note – one tap-in aside. It’s difficult to reconcile the reputation with what England get from him on matchdays. I can’t imagine him winning a match for us against a last-eight side. Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain both have real pace, however, and might just do that.
In other news, we went to see this yesterday at the ENO: http://www.eno.org/see-whats-on/productions/production-page.php?itemid=1885
Amazing. Hard work, being an opera – albeit one in English – but the staging, lights, performances and general otherworldliness of it were brilliant. Plus, Damon Albarn is basically incapable of doing wrong in my book, and seems to be turning into his generation’s answer to David Bowie. He really does have a fearsomely creative mind, that man. He has a sort of ‘chorus’ role, and spends the whole performance perched on a step at the side of the stage in a leather jacket and jeans, singing 10 or so songs throughout. The music is provided by Albarn on acoustic guitar, and a band of medieval instruments, African stringed things and a jazz drummer.
The Better Half and I are considering going on different holidays this year. Don’t fret – she wants to go rock-climbing, canyoning and various other active things that trigger my fear of heights, and I might just go to the lake district and do a residential guitar course, or something. Could be a laugh, either way. I have also been asked to join a Stone Roses tribute band on bass here in London, which is a noisy and entertaining way to spend Thursday nights in my book.
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