Bend it like Beckham

Well, England, with the help of Beckham, didn’t deliver again, however, as with a lot of my frustration with the Toronto Maple Leafs who year after year make it through to the playoffs, but choke when It’s getting to the tough games, my long term expectations for England are about the same. I’ve sat too many times in the pub when I was in my twenties and cried into my warm English beer, one of my favorite chants being “we woz robbed” as England once again slipped out of the running in the quarter finals of a major tournament.

I can still recall my total feelings of hatred towards Charlie George when he scored the winning goal against Liverpool in the 1971 FA cup Final. He just laid down on the pitch and that was that. I don’t think I was ever the same after that, approaching games with detachment and almost disinterest, however, by the time England were in the World Cup quarter final against Argentina in 1986 I was back into the emotion of it all, and when Diego Maradona beat Shilton with an obvious handball we were all gobsmacked when the referee allowed the goal.

And that time, We really woz robbed.