the Wednesday after

[THE BEAST]

morning all

Never did I feel more like England should have lost despite the fact they played better and deserved to win… What a stadium full of complete fecking penises…

What a couple of days in football, really good stuff most of it (the actual football)

Comedy gold as well

[jickster]

It's strange for me, I support England as strongly as I do Saints, yet I have only been to a handful of England games in my life and as you say I feel absolutely no affinity with many of the supporters who were in the stadium yesterday.

But they are my team, and childhood memories of the England players toiling in Mexico and Italy, along with Euro 96 embedded some weird romanticism into me that I cannot shake. The football post-2004 probably wouldn't often have excited me so much, and it was more of an instinctive support for me during late Sven, McClaren, Capello, Hodgson reigns, but I'm back to at least liking the England players and manager now. So I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday's result, even if I was too tense to actually enjoy the match until we went 2-0 up.

As for the game itself, will write a bit more about it later, but Southgate set himself up to be judged on results and on that basis he's delivered.

[OneBeat]

I feel no affinity with England at all, I didn't really enjoy either game last night, I guess I was spoilt by Monday's games.

[Willshakes.]

Everyone's opinions are great too read.
I feel that I'm losing affinity with Saints, and indeed football, as a whole.
My MOM was Pickford followed by Sterling.
Great to beat the Germans of course.
Society changes in every generation, so I believe.
As a teenager I was fortunate to go in '76. We lived next door to the Clunies. I used to walk to school with their son Gordon.
Many games & finals attended as the years went by.
We all support Saints but with the money, corruption and media the passion dwindles.
Perhaps, at 58, I'm becoming more cynical. I'm certainly leaning towards a non league team that is honest, with no revenue and play for the sport they love.
Maybe we just wilt with age