I mean, talk about jinxing something. Everywhere you go in England, you see or hear "It's Coming Home" - a very foolhardy reference to World Cup victory, in my opinion. We haven't won it since 1966. It might be coming home but it's been all the way round the world and back since it was last in England.
I know we Brits are a bit glass-half-empty in general; we're usually the first to recognise and openly admit when we haven't got a snowflake's chance of winning something (2018 Wimbledon anyone), but there has to be some balance between national gloom and doom and this cart-before-the-horse malarkey. At the time of writing, England has still to win the semi-final against Croatia; we're not even in the Final yet. All this unnatural buoyancy and confidence is making me very nervous; it's just not very English.
Actually, the lyrics of the (bloody) Song that everyone's singing are slightly more measured, and the composer is rather sweet when he talks about the song.
I know we Brits are a bit glass-half-empty in general; we're usually the first to recognise and openly admit when we haven't got a snowflake's chance of winning something (2018 Wimbledon anyone), but there has to be some balance between national gloom and doom and this cart-before-the-horse malarkey. At the time of writing, England has still to win the semi-final against Croatia; we're not even in the Final yet. All this unnatural buoyancy and confidence is making me very nervous; it's just not very English.
Actually, the lyrics of the (bloody) Song that everyone's singing are slightly more measured, and the composer is rather sweet when he talks about the song.
"We know rationally that we tend to disappoint but somehow we keep on hoping that things might be different this time. And that element of the song, of defiance, of hope in the face of history, picks up energy if history suddenly looks like it might turn round. Even though the song comes from a place of vulnerability, its central refrain can be chanted at the right moment – now, for example – when fans want to throw caution to the wind." Bless.
And throwing caution to the wind they are, as well as IKEA furniture in the case of some appalling so-called fans who invaded a London store and basically caused mayhem. Elsewhere they were displaying even more idiotic behaviour. In Dorset a small band of drunken fans scaled traffic lights, jumped on cars and - wait for it - shouted at a police dog for being German. (Bearing in mind England last beat Sweden and now faces Croatia. No Germany in sight.) Sigh.
So anyway, I'll be watching the semi-final with what seems like the rest of the nation, and hoping that the team can go all the way. But please everyone, enough with the jinx talk!
