The morning after the night before. I write this as the nation nurses its collective hangovers, both of the booze and tournament football variety. Our first final in 55 years and the first international tournament final of mine and a great many others’ lifetimes. The closest football has been to coming home since Baddiel, Brodie and Skinner penned that perennial tournament hit (and my parents’ wedding song by the by). Perhaps as a Newcastle as well as an England fan I should have known better. Failure, whether glorious or ignominious, is simply part of our DNA. Trophies are things that other teams win after all. Yet all the credit in the world has to go to Gareth Southgate and the lads because for the second time in three years, they’ve allowed us to dream.
After the previous hellish 18 months where we’ve been stuck inside, this vibrant, exciting, progressive England side have given us something to come together around. We’ve seen the joyous scenes over the past 4 weeks, seeing people coming together to celebrate and party. Unfortunately last night after the game, the repulsive neanderthal element of English football supporters came out again, with reports of truly abhorrent racial abuse on social media and some video footage showcasing violence. After a tournament which gave a sapping nation such a timely morale boost, it is at one both heart breaking and infuriating to see these creatures absolutely defile it all.
Each and every one of those players should hold their head up high, including Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho. These have been a vital part of the most successful England side of certainly my lifetime. They will be the side that brings football home, whether that be next year in Qatar, in 2024 or in 2026. But even if they can’t do it, at the very least they’ve given us back our hope. Gareth’s gang have given us back our pride at international tournaments, after so many years of stinking the place out and sinking without a trace.
It’s the hope that kills you in football, but hope is what keeps you coming back for more.
Anthformation 