June 22, 2026 · 3:36 pm

U.S.A, U.S.A…

As always, when travelling at a football tournament, for us, the art is to try and get the best atmosphere for each game we are not actually at in person. So that means finding like minded football fans. Simple as that.

Billy has found a suitable place to watch the USA vs Australia game. The Tailgate Brewery Music Row which is where the American Outlaws Nashville (AO Nashville), the local chapter of the largest official supporters group for the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Soccer Teams meet up. The chapter coordinates watch parties, travel, and community events for U.S. soccer fans across the Music City.

We needed to be there early so walked the 30 minutes from our hotel in the hot Tennessee sun.

We were first in from our group and got a table . Billy and Supes joined us as the whole place started to fill up with USA soccer fans. And let’s put this one to bed, yes the Americans call it soccer, but remember my grandad’s generation did too. As we would grow to appreciate, plenty of Americans know their soccer. So enough of the snobbery.

Billy, me, Kirsty and Supes getting ready

Before kick off, the American Outlaws representatives took to the stage and did their piece for their supporters group. Unlike most English football fan groups, the Outlaws seem to have a very sharp way of monetising themselves with all sorts of sponsorship deals and activations. But hey, this is America, and everyone and everything is for sale. Plus tax, service and tips!

COD sponsor the American Outlaws

I had high hopes that Australia fresh from a 2-0 victory over Turkey would put up a proper fight against Team USA. That was not to be.

We offered a lone Aussie, Kevin, a seat at our table and the few Aussies that were there were all pretty underwhelmed by their performance. The locals were loud and supportive with their frequent chants of ‘USA, USA…’ and the Fox TV pundits included Thierry Henry and Alexi Lalas. Think Albert Einstein and the bloke from Weatherspoons in terms of insight and class.

Boony Army Kevin

The Aussies looked slow and ponderous in Seattle, and the USA walked the game 2-0.

Team USA definitely have two things going for them outside of some pretty decent players. Togetherness and team spirit and home advantage. Neither of these should be underestimated as key factors and I would expect that to carry them through to the last 16 as an absolute minimum. Time will tell.

We spoke to so many fans and I have to say aside from the usual positive enthusiasm that you expect in the US, plenty knew plenty about the game.

The beer was truly excellent and well priced at $7 a pint, plus tip of course, and all local craft beer. I started on what I thought would be a one off, a peanut butter stout and seven pints later found myself changing lanes to a Pilsner in time for the Scotland vs Morocco game.

The bar was way less packed for the Scotland game but still very respectable. Reg 1, Reg 2, Mark and Supes joined us. I met Gary, originally from Wales, who was as USA fan. He knew everyone and introduced me to everyone. My ‘football’ shirt was causing a lot of confusion, you can see it in the picture below and work it out for yourselves, but it is always an ice breaker, not that you ever need that in America. Gary and his mate Logan introduced me to an ex MLS player who played to Nashville SC, I can’t remember his name, but he was a really nice bloke and asked me how I knew so much about soccer. Gary then changed his pitch when introducing me to everyone ‘this is Andy, he’s the only Englishman I have ever met who is a really nice bloke, positive and non judgmental’. That felt like a real compliment and something to be proud of. We met Molly and Kylie too who were young soccer fans, Kirsty immediately took them under her wing and needless to say, they were really lovely and watched the Scotland game with us.

L-R Supes, me, Mark, Reg 1, Reg2, Gary, Billy Kirsty and Logan

When the Moroccans scored in two minutes I really felt the worse for Scotland fearing a proper hiding. But they fought back and dominated the second half. If Scotland had a goal scorer, then they would be a really decent team. It was a shame they couldn’t get that equaliser in the second half. Let’s hope they can get a draw against the Brazilians.

So overall, a great day, with great people, great beer and a great atmosphere. Anyone who believes that Americans just don’t get football/soccer should think again. There’s plenty that do.

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June 21, 2026 · 6:59 pm

Hey Honky Tonk, Welcome to Music City

Goodbye San Marcos, Austin Texas hello Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve really been looking forward to this trip to Music City. Like really looking forward to it!

And hey boy, hey girl, has not disappointed, it’s actually exceeded my expectations on every single measure.

Our hotel is on Lower Broadway directly opposite the Johnny Cash Museum, we are smack bang in the middle of the Honky Tonk Highway. You want live music? You want loud live music? You want multiple bands all playing live loud music all at once? You’ve got it. These Honky Tonk bars are everywhere. It’s like peak Woolworth’s Pick ‘n’ Mix but instead of sweets, it’s live music.

Our hotel
Our hotel directly opposite The Johnny Cash Museum

Our friends were also arriving in Nashville so we headed to The Fleet Street Pub. This is a pub run by an Englishman who is also clearly a Gooner. We met up with Obi, also a Gooner, who we last saw on the last night in Qatar and Reg (2), who is Billy the Bee’s brother who lives in the U.K. Both great people. Billy has asked me on to his and Laney’s Brentford FC podcast Beesotted a fair few times when West Ham play Brentford and is always the life and soul of any party!

We were on Gooner territory

We watched the Canada vs Qatar game on the big screen. Qatar got a 6-0 drubbing, and Canada don’t look like mugs at all. We very confused about table vs bar service, because there are ‘obviously’ two separate regimes running each and the tips ‘real estate’ seems to be where the real value is. Getting caught up in this tipping turf war ain’t for us. Welcome to America!

Kirsty drinking from The Modelo Boot presented to her by The Fleet Street Pub

At the end of the match we decided to change scene to one with bigger screens and actual commentary that we could hear. So we duly headed to Draft Kings where we were meeting up with the wonderful Reg 1, Mark, Supes and main orchestrator and all round good person, Billy, all of whom were coming in from Mexico.

Full team shot L-R: Mark, Supes, Kirsty, Me, Obi, Reg 2, Billy and Reg 1

Draft Kings is actually a betting company, so think a Paddy Power or Bet365 pub and ridiculously expensive. There were walls and walls of enormous screens and noise to watch the Mexico vs South Korea game on. Both teams looked unimpressive to be honest, and at the end of it, inevitable talk turned to a possible England vs Mexico in Mexico City down the line. Personally, I would love to go back to Mexico City and the Azteca Stadium. The last time I was there we lost 2-1 to Argentina to that goal and that other goal. It would be lovely to return and this time win.

And then back to Broadway, which is quite simply like nothing else I have witnessed. Literally thousands of people, thousands of pairs of Cowboy boots, Cowboy hats and Rhinestone everywhere. It’s like one big hen party sponsored by Ariat or Tony Lama (two of the big names in Cowboy boots). Humour is good and people are clearly out for a good time.

Broadway complete with the cacophony of Honky Tonk bars
Kirsty eyeing up a pair of Ariat Cowboy boots

We hit Chief’s Honky Tonk Bar which like most of the bars has about 5 floors of music. Two things stood out. The extremely high quality of the bands playing and the overall friendliness of the Americans.

And the band played on

For those of us who have travelled many times to the US, the friendliness and openness shouldn’t be a surprise.

Relentlessly optimistic, Americans are always interested in what you think of their country and why you are visiting. When you tell them that we are here for The World Cup, and yes, we were travelling round watching England play their World Cup games, they are all completely enchanted and confused in seemingly equal measure.

Two young lads, Owen and Ryan, were on the other side of the bar and were smiling and pointing over at us. Kirsty thought there was something up. I disagreed. 20 minutes later and my confidence was repaid. The boys were just happy to see ‘an old timer like me having fun’. I did say ‘less of the old’, but they were genuine if a little drunk. That was better than the comment some English fan said when he asked where I was from, always tough question. Is that where I was born, where I have lived, or where I live now? Anyway when I told him I lived in the Cotswolds, he quipped ‘you’ve made some money as you have clearly got a trophy wife’. I corrected him on both counts, but Kirsty found it hilarious. Mind you, when he told me where he was from, note I didn’t actually ask him, he said ‘South London, just outside Gatwick’ to which I replied ‘West Sussex then’. Fortunately him and his very drunk mate decided their night’s entertainment laid elsewhere.

Next up the USA vs Australia match. And we had an early start to make sure we got into the American Outlaws venue to see it.

Always keep things in perspective Kirsty

Y’all come back now…..

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June 20, 2026 · 5:16 pm

Remember The Alamo

Getting into the USA has never been the easiest process, so it was no surprise that under the current USA regime, everything is just that little slower. Everytime you arrive at US Customs (CBP) you have to expect a very long and slowly moving queue. But as we arrived into Austin, Texas, any talk of CBP checking social media accounts were, for us, vastly over exaggerated. So there is some freedom after all.

In the taxi from the airport I asked the driver, Kono, if we were anywhere The Alamo. ‘Yeah man, San Antonio is only a 45 minute drive from San Marcos, the place we are staying. I said to Kirsty, we have to go there whilst we are out here, I’ve always wanted to visit ever since I first saw the Hollywood film as a young boy watching with my Mum and Dad. As I was talking to Kono about it all, as if by magic, Kirsty got a message from our friend Mark who was hiring a car, and he was suggesting a visit to San Antonio and The Alamo the next day! Perfect timing!

Next morning before we set off I had a call from my good friend Paul, founder of Hammers United, and a fellow military history nut. As I signed off, I said ‘we are off to The Alamo today Paul’, Paul just said ‘blimey, I have always wanted to go there, have a great day’. So typical of Paul to always wish me the best and always look at life through a positive lens.

So Kirsty, Mark, Sam and I headed north west up the Interstate 35 from San Marcos to San Antonio and excitement levels, at least from my perspective were running very, very high. I was navigating, and as we pulled off the Freeway I started to think about the open green space from the film. But there wasn’t any. It was literally high rise buildings everywhere. Fear and loathing, right there. Where’s The Alamo? Have they knocked it down and put a memorial in its place?

We found a car park and parked up. We walked around the corner past a huge building site and then I caught a glance of a memorial which looked fresh as well as impressive. Getting a picture was a challenge given the building site all around the memorial.

Slightly deflated, I started to manage my own expectations and said to the others, ‘maybe commercial modern development needs had trumped some old church that saw a bunch of independent non- Mexicans standing against the Mexicans, but ultimately getting wiped out?’.

But no, around the corner in a quiet haven of space, there it stood, The Alamo. I got very emotional. I have seen that film so many times. The original church still stands as well as the Long Barrack too, the oldest building in San Antonio.

Mark, Kirsty and myself – sorry about the crossed hammers bit

In a nustshell the Battle of The Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal 13-day siege during the Texas Revolution against the Mexicans. Around 200 Texian and Tejano defenders, led by William B. Travis, James Bowie, and Davy Crockett, were annihilated by General Antonio López de Santa Anna’s vastly superior Mexican army. Think thd Battle of Rorke’s Drift, as portrayed in the film Zulu, but this time the vastly outnumbered defenders all die.

Travis’s letter from The Alamo calling for help

I always get a little emotional when I visit historic sites, especially where battles were raged and lives lost. That feeling of poignancy and what it must have been like to face death. Rather self indulgently I recalled that one of the joint commanders, Jim Bowie, he of the famous Bowie Knife, had been taken very ill during the siege and was laid up in sickbed when he met his death. I remember that from the film. Self indulgently because I had been suffering from what I had thought was food poisoning, but may well be a gastro virus of some sort. It had knocked me for six, literally, on the Friday before we flew to Austin on Monday and was still playing havoc with a relentless headache, awful stomach cramps and then sudden rigour attacks. The Texas sun was not helping (as I write this eight days on, I still feel crook but thanks to my friend Dr Mark I have antibiotics.

Just to add to the logistical challenges, because of my illness I had let my good friend Andy down and not sent him a video for an event he was attending. So how better than to do the video from The Alamo? I think he we pleased with the result, all be it delayed!

Us and Davy C
Outside the entrance to The Alamo itself

To add to our agenda, we were asked to do a BBC5Live Drive interview about our expectations for the Croatia game at about midday local time, we are six hours behind the U.K. here and you can listen to it here.

BBC5LiveDrive interview

I signed off that interview with a call for England to invoke the spirit of The Alamo, just don’t do the ultimate failure piece. I was trying to tap into the spirit of those brave defenders who just would not yield an inch and not give up. Inside the The Alamo itself are a number of flags each representing the nation or state where those who fell hailed from. There was an English flag there, not British as there were also flags from Scotland and Wales too. Each had a number on it.

England’s number on our flag? 11. Let that number sink in for a minute. Is it a sign? Who knows, but if England can channel that spirit of defiance, togetherness and a flat refusal to surrender for their cause, against all the odds, then that will do for me.

The English flag tribute to the 11 Englishmen who died defending The Alamo

Remember what George Orwell said about sport that it was ‘War Without The Guns’.

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June 19, 2026 · 3:47 pm

Kane & Able

Finally, England are actually going to play a game of football.

In Dallas. In Texas. At the newly built Dallas Cowboy’s Stadium which can apparently take anywhere between 80,000 fully seated spectators to 100,000 when standing is allowed.

All my pre match anxiety about a 3pm local time kick off and the 90+ degrees heat was to evaporate as soon as we realised that the stadium had a roof and was air conditioned! But more of that later.

For us it’s a 6.30am start from our haven in San Marcos for the minimum four hour drive to Dallas. We travelled with our friends Mark and Sam, fellow West Ham supporters and truly good and funny people who were also staying in San Marcos.

06.30 Oh My God It’s Early!

But first, let’s talk Buc-ee’s. Apparently this really  is a Texas phenomenon which is now spreading throughout the US. All along the Freeway, you see Buc-ee’s advertised. There’s a consistency in the use of the logo and a very welcoming feel via a number of seemingly unique messages. Think motorway filling stations but instead of say 24 pumps, think 120 -150 pumps and a car park the size of a small housing estate.

That’s what comes when land is so plentiful I guess. Forget your average services with food and drink, think a mini Costco. It’s all sweet, sugary, salty, kitch, naff and totally unnecessary. Absolutely everything is Buc-ee’s branded. Yet it sells. And boy does sell. If you ever wanted the perfect embodiment of class A UPFs, Buc-ee’s delivers it to you eyes and nose, with bells on, and brightly coloured sugar coated ones at that. 

We need that second star on our shirt! (credit Mark for his marketing genius )

Locals extoll the virtues of crystal clear toilets. Rightly so. The Buc-ee’s staff are everywhere and working hard. And that is one of the many reasons why Buc-ees clearly works. Outside there’s a sandwich board with Big-ee’s jobs, starting with hourly dollar rates leading all the way up to annual salaries of $200k for store managers.  You cannot but admire how these places are run and how much loyalty to the brand there is from their millions of customers who actively seek out Buc-ee’s to get their essential gas for their journey. Oh and the company is privately held and is estimated to have revenues of between $3-5bn annually.  

Buc-ee’s clearly a company that rewards effort and commitment- just check those salaries out!

On the road we had to do a video for BBC Six O’Clock news. You can see it below, look out for my match score prediction.

We hit Arlington, Texas for 11.30am ahead of the 3pm kick off. It was incredibly hot and the location was home not only to the AT&T stadium where England were playing, but also the Global Life Field home to the MLB’s Texas Rangers and the historic Choctaw Stadium which was the former home of The Texas Rangers and is now home to North Texas SC and Dallas Jackals Rugby. It’s all really impressive and accessible. 

Three stadiums in one place!

Fans were everywhere, plenty of Croatian and England shirts everywhere, many of whom had travelled from their homelands for this and many who had heritage. We decided to get to the stadium early and it was a very easy process. I must admit my experienced eye got me thinking that it wouldn’t be too much of a problem to jib in. Only later did I read reports that some England fans had done exactly that. Hey ho.

We bumped into our friends Ashley and Thomas (Pompey and The Toon’s finest) and their colleagues from the FSA just inside the concourse. The FSA do a brilliant job for England fans and have been such a key force for good allowing the voice of fans to be heard at the highest levels of football. Long may that continue!

Beer inside the stadium was $19 for one can of beer. And of course they want a tip on absolutely everything. As Kirsty says, ‘you’ve not even moved, I’ve come to you!’ As all of you will know you don’t buy anything in the US without giving a tip, usually 20%. It’s utterly ridiculous to non Americans, but don’t tip and you will be on the end of a tirade of passive aggressive abuse! 

Chapeaux to England!

The stadium was truly magnificent, but my nerves were kicking in. I get pretty stressed by the whole thing and am guilty of questioning exactly who fellow fans are, why they are here and what credentials they have. I have to check myself otherwise I can get a little noughty. This World Cup is the most expensive ever and loads of my friends can’t come because ticket prices alone are off the scale. We got ours through the FA via their loyalty scheme, so they are amongst the cheapest and our travel and accommodation is super budget, it has to be. The thing is, out here, Americans are used to paying top price for sports and music events and appear to be completely accepting of the ticket prices. 

Two quick observations about booing.

First, it was good that the vast majority of England fans stopped a small minority booing the Croatian National Anthem. Second, that same vast majority of England fans did a grand job of leading the booing of the ‘hydration breaks’ or advertising breaks as most of us know them to be. Booing for good is the way ahead. Well done England fans!

What A Stadium

You all watched the game so you don’t need me to tell you what happened, suffice to say at half time I was more than nervous and thought we may have given the advantage to Croatia. England’s  second half performance was to prove just how much I know about football! It felt like a one off knock out game, Croatia game us a proper fight but the spirit of the England players, every single one of them, was something else. The leadership shown by Harry Kane who is now for me my modern day Bobby Moore, was at an even higher level than I have seen before and he carried the day. Whatever the (soon to be) great Thomas Tuchel said to the boys at half time worked. 

Harry Kane Nails The Retake

By the end of the game I felt completely and utterly rinsed out. Emotionally spent. All I wanted  was to get home. Thank god that stadium was fully air conditioned with a roof, it would have been a completely different game for both teams and all the fans under that intense Texas sun.

Happy Days

We met up with Mark and Sam, went back to the car and started on our four hour plus journey. We needed petrol on the way, so guess where we called in? Yep Buc-ee’s again.

Love Y’All
Wise Words

We needed to be back in time to do a live piece on BBC5Live Breakfast with Rick Edwards and Rachel Burden at 12.50am local time. It’s always a laugh with those two you can hear it below. 

BBC5Live Breakfast 6 Hours Ahead Of Us

What a day. England won a crucial game of football and won it well. We had a ball. But you know the best thing that happened? I got a message from the woman looking after my Mum  which said ‘Your Mum has just gone to bed, she’s exhausted after watching the football but she really enjoyed it and knew you and Kirsty were there’.

That brought a tear to my eye. Just like Harry and the boys did a few hours earlier. Nashville next. Fun times ahead.

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June 16, 2026 · 12:44 pm

We’re on our way, we are Tom’s 26

Monday June 15th 2026

It’s that time again. The World Cup is upon us. The biggest and most sprawling of all time. 16 more teams than last time round. 40 more games than last time. One more knock out round than last time. If you are going to win it, or come runners up, you need to play eight games and not seven.

Instead of sticking to one country, we have three, Canada, Mexico and the USA. There’s a little bit of precedent for this as the 2002 World Cup was jointly held between Japan and South Korea. For me that’s the best World Cup I have ever been to and I just don’t ever see it being beaten.

But the FIFA World Cup 2026 is on a geographical scale that trumps all of its predecessors. And it’s the third, yes third time Mexico have played hosts in my lifetime. 

So as we fly to Austin, Texas, this World Cup is very, very different for me on a personal level. This time, the two greatest inspirations in my life, my Mum and my Dad, are far from in good health and that makes me incredibly sad and incredibly guilty at the same time. 

When I visited my Dad in hospital before I departed, I am not sure he knew where I was headed and why. He did say to me, ‘take care of yourself’ which has always been his standard message. When I phoned Mum last night, she sort of knew where I was going, but also said to me ‘please be careful’. When I said, ‘Mum, I always do, please don’t worry about me’ something which has not always been true down the years following England) she replied simply, ‘I just can’t help it Andrew’.

Both of these reactions  have really hit me on so many levels. But it does take me back to two phrases my parents always told me.

Dad always said, ‘we’re not here for long so do what you think is right every single time’.

Mum always said, ‘don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do what you want to do. No one’. 

Indeed, my Mum got tripped up by her advice when I was very young. Actually I am not sure she’d even bestowed her fiercely determined wisdom on me at that age. But I can remember it as clear as day. I was watching the 1970 World Cup, from Mexico on the telly with my Grandad, the man who told me that I was West Ham. When England got knocked out by Germany 3-2 having led 2-0, I literally cried my eyes out. But I told my Mum, when I was old enough, I would go to every single World Cup where England qualify. She chided me and said ‘you will not’ to which I replied, ‘yes I will, watch me’.

We never qualified in 1974 and 1978, but I would have been too young to travel. But when we qualified for the 1982 World Cup in Spain, me and three friends went. On a thing called The Magic Bus. It was complete and utter madness from the start until the end. I have relieved our school of their Union flag and painted West Ham on it. Before the trip was done, I had a stay in hospital to treat a whacking great slash down my face and a stabbing in my chest. Worse still it was all over the U.K. news, something I was completely unaware of until I got home to a very ‘warm’ welcome at home. 

The whole trip cost about £100 – tickets were so cheap and so easy and we stayed where we could afford, even a couple of nights on the beach outside of Bilbao.

Not many England went back in those days, but the vast majority of us were young and our dads and uncles were nowhere near us.

Such a contrast to today’s World Cup. Everything is capitalism at its worst. Tickets are hideously expensive as are flights and places to stay. Football has gone from the sport of the working class to another ‘experience’, or ‘moment’ captured and bragged about on social media. So many of my mates who have travelled down the years just won’t or can’t go. FIFA are happy with the whole ‘fan experience’ as it paints a very ‘aspirational’ picture which suits their commercial goals just fine. It’s not about who can go, it’s about who can afford to go. 

Of the four of us who went to Spain together and then Mexico together four years later, only two of us are still alive, I won’t say how they died, but suffice to say times were very different and less empathetic back then.

This thought occurred to me as I watched the whole of ‘Dear England’ on the plane. What a great piece of work that was. Hugely inspirational and emotional. Gareth Southgate changed everything and it showed. A World Cup semi final and quarter final, and two European Championship finals. No England manager has achieved that consistency ever. 

So this time, more than any other time, this World Cup takes on a real poignance for me and for Kirsty, who has been with me at England tournaments since 2004. 

Mum and Dad, I love you. More than you will ever know. Que sera sera.

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September 6, 2024 · 12:29 pm

It is time to try to help not just West Ham fans…

Rather than write some words, I went on this podcast – the most excellent ‘Price of Football’ and discussed the work we are doing at Hammers United and the West Ham Independent Supporters Committee soon to be West Ham Fan Advisory Board. I intend to start blogging again so watch this space.

https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/69bdfrNcXr7LITwHSMJqFS?utm_source=generator

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December 11, 2022 · 6:38 am

Next time, more than any other time, next time…

Saturday 10th December 2022

Well you all know what happened. England got knocked out of the World Cup. Again. When the time came to play a really big team, England just didn’t have enough to get through. Oh and we missed a crucial penalty at the death. We had the chance, the World Cup was within touching distance and we could have won it. But we threw it all away. Same old England.

Except this time, England did not conform to ‘the script’. We weren’t the ‘same old England’, nothing like it. This England were different, are different. We were playing the reigning World Cup winners, France. The French are, for me, the stand out team here in Qatar. If they play to their potential they will win back to back World Cups, the first team to do that since Brazil in 1958 and 1962. If they do that, this team will be the greatest national team of my life time, and that includes the 1970 Brazil team.

Yesterday was very tense for Kirsty and I. That’s normal on a big match day like this. And be under no illusion, if England had won, it would be our greatest victory outside of 1966. I thought a few times, if I am feeling anxious, tense and nervous, just imagine what those players must have been feeling.

We decided to have a quick FaceTime call with Our Joyce, Sarah and Coco back home. They all looked well and were looking forward to the game too. They said how cold it has been, so cold that poor Ben and Chris who are building our barn for us had a day they couldn’t work as the roof and scaffolding were like an ice rink! It was lovely to see them all and it gave us a little pep up too!

FaceTime with Our Joyce, Sarah and Coco was lovely

We took things easy. We got our match gear on, including our rainbows and had a late lunch at our usual spot in the Souq. The Souq is a proper hubbub of humanity and it’s been our spiritual home whilst we’ve been out here. Morocco were due to play Portugal in their quarter final and the atmosphere was building and the anticipation rising. Everyone seemed to be a Moroccan fan. There were a few Portuguese fans knocking about and just like the Spanish fans from earlier in the week, I felt for them. They seemed to know that tonight was going to be their nadir.

England had the late kick off again, 10pm local time at Al Bayt Stadium which is the furthest stadium away from the centre of Doha. We played Senegal there a week ago. It’s a Metro ride and a 30-45 minute ride on a bus and a 15 minute walk to the game all up. We wanted to watch the Morocco vs Portugal game so we decided to go to the end of the Metro line at Lusail and then find a screen to watch the game. Lusail is where the World Cup final in eight days time. Could we be back here? Could we?

Outside the Lusail Stadium which is where the World Cup Final will be played in 8 days time

We walked from the Metro station along the Lusail Boulevard. Clearly the Boulevard was brand new and highly impressive from an architectural perspective. As I have said before, when money is no object, anything can be build, anywhere at anytime.

After a twenty five minute walk we eventually got to the end of the Boulevard and found the big screen. At the end of this walk of wonder, the screen was actually quite disappointing. We got there just in time for kick off and there was already a big crowd gathered. Kirsty couldn’t really see much as a lot of people had decided to stand so she went to the back and sat on some steps. I took my chances but the view was not great. At the stroke of 6.16 the commentary was muted as the the last prayers of the day, known as Isha, were heard. In Qatar there are six times in the day when prayers are said starting at sunrise and going past sunset.

It was like we were in Blade Runner
Incredible 3D screens on every shop front
Just love La’eeb, the World Cup mascot
Evening prayers

Given the fact that Kirsty couldn’t really see much we decided to head back up the Boulevard and get a coffee. We heard a huge cheer and realised that Morocco must have scored. I managed to get the game up on a stream on my mobile so we could catch the rest of the game. Morocco held on and put out Portugal out of the World Cup. It would Ronaldo’s last kick for Portugal at a championship. He’s been a great player, it was a pity he didn’t seem to want to congratulate the Moroccan players as he left the field.

As we were walking to the bus station area, we met a fellow England fan, Brendan. He had flown in from Muscat in Oman and was flying back in the early hours of the morning and like us would be going all the way if England progressed any further. Brendan had done his fair share of England away games. In a World Cup of coincidences, it turned out that Brendan was a Cheltenham Town fan which is the closest team to where we live. A lovely bloke too.

We duly got through the many security checks all without issue. I needed to be with Kirsty all the way as I had her tickets on my phone and not hers.

Another great game of football

This time the game was not a blur. Far from it, I will remember every single detail in this this game as clear as you like. You will have all seen the game. You don’t need to read my commentary.

At halftime I sent this message out on my many WhatsApp groups. ‘France have worked us out. They won’t press Maguire and Stones because they know they can’t pass. As soon as Bellingham and Rice show, they press. Griezman has got away with murder. When we give the ball away they attack with zeal and purpose. Saka hasn’t beaten anyone and Foden gets the ball on the touch line. Unless we can work out how to get our creative midfielders on the ball and actually work out how to get in behind them, we will not win this game. France can manage the game and score another couple if they want. Massive 45 mins ahead. Let’s see what England are capable of ….’

Some may think that my summary was harsh, but I stand by those comments. The second half was a totally different story though. England played out of their skins to a man. Yes the referee made some very unusual decisions, but we really did play so, so well. Unlike at the World Cup semi final in Moscow and the final of the European Championship, we played brilliantly. It was so, so close.

What a feeling!

At the end of the game, I sent this message to the same WhatsApp groups. ‘England did us proud tonight. It was my 10th World Cup and easily the best team we have had. We went out narrowly to a very good side. What I liked was how we wised up 2nd half and didn’t fall for the trick of letting Stones and Maguire be our creative players so to speak. We had them properly worried. If the 2nd pen went it, I really feel we would have won it. This squad and manger have their best days ahead of them . So much young, technical talent now. The best shape England football has ever been in.’

So, so close to getting into extra time

We met up with Brendan and walked for what seemed miles to get the bus. We bumped into Billy, Dave, Mark, Reggie, Soups who we had spent time with for the other quarter finals the day before, all of whom were down in the dumps too. We all knew what could have been, but I actually think we all knew our best times could be yet to come. We shall see.

Its the morning after the night before and I feel incredibly positive about supporting England now and in the future. I am looking forward to the Euros in Germany, and then hopefully a World Cup in Canada, USA and Mexico. Every single player who was on the pitch played really, really well. No one could have played better in my view.

It wasn’t our night. Except it was. We have a great squad of players, a great manager and a truly great team spirit. One I have never seen before with England. Last night we were told it was all about Mbappe. It wasn’t. It was about Pickford, Shaw, Stones, Maguire, Walker, Henderson, Rice, Bellingham, Foden, Kane, Saka, Rashford, Mount, Sterling and Grealish plus all the other lads in the squad.

Whilst we are coming home, again, without a trophy, but our best days are ahead of us.

What a time to be an England fan.

Happy days ahead

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December 9, 2022 · 2:30 pm

Tickets will never find you, you have to find them….

Tuesday 6th December 2022

I woke Kirsty up with, ‘right then, I need to go to work’. My wonderful wife looked slightly confused and retorted, ‘What? Where? When?’

As I have always said, tickets for World Cup and European Championships don’t find you. You have to go and find them. Time had slipped away yesterday, and I had got a little distracted by the incredible Test Match taking place in Rawalpindi between Pakistan and England. I was checking in on the score and talking to loads of India and Pakistan cricket fans out here. It was clear that this was one of the greatest Test Matches ever.

The final ball in the Test Match. What a picture!

By the time we had eaten we needed to crack on and get to the early kick off Japan vs Croatia game. So Monday was a complete write off ticket wise.

We had been checking the FIFA website pretty much continuously to see if we could get tickets for England’s quarter final game vs France, but there was nothing doing.

So I headed up to The West Bay Area to the DECC which is a big exhibition centre where FIFA have set up their ticketing centre. As I left, I said to Kirsty, ‘I am off to graft for these tickets. I wonder if Ten Stretch is in town?’ Kirsty said to me, ‘please don’t take a chance with that lot.’ I quipped, ‘leave it to me’, smiled and went on my way.

At the DECC I soon found plenty of touts with tickets. A few Russians tried to tap me up but not only did they look dodgy, they were also total blaggers. Eventually I found a local who had two tickets which were not absurdly priced. As I was negotiating with him, this geezer breezed past. I thought ‘that looks like Alfie, but he looks a bit more sun tanned than I remember. Was it just a local doppelgänger?

I caught him up, came alongside and shouted, ‘Alfie is that you?’. It was. It turned out he thought I was under cover Old Bill. He said to me, ‘take your hat and glasses off!’ As soon as I did, he recognised me. The local lad who was hoping to sell me some tickets was following me. Alfie, ever the consumate professional asked me if I was sorted. When I said no, not yet, he politely but firmly told the lad we did not need his services. Three minutes later I’ve got two tickets at face value and a drink for Alfie.

Here’s where the World Cup of coincidences rolled on, again. Alfie used to be Ten Stretch’s partner. Alfie told me that Ten had sadly died a few years ago, which was really sad to hear. Alfie’s been working the F1 stuff in the Gulf as well as still running tickets at Arsenal, Spurs, West Ham and Chelsea. He is one of the original ‘tickets, I’ll buy or sell’ boys from the 80’s and we’ve done loads of business down the years.

Kirsty was back at base, our hotel being converted to our latest ‘World Cup war room’. I had said that I would definitely get tickets for the game, but I am not sure she believed me. We needed to see if we could ask Sarah if she would extend her care cover for Our Joyce. If that was possible, we would need to change our flights and extend our hotel stay. But we needed to do it all as cheap as possible.

The War Room

I WhatsApp’d Kirsty with the good news that I ‘was holding’ and she could barely contain her excitement. Typical of Kirsty she kicked straight into top gear and got on the with flights and hotels. It was a very frenzied morning and eventually we met up for a very late lunch. We felt emotionally and physically drained but obviously elated!

We couldn’t hang about though. We needed to get off to the early kick off at the Education City Stadium which was happened to be the closest to our Old Town Doha base.

That game between Spain and Morocco promised to be another cracker. What we didn’t know was how much of a treat we would be in for. This game was going to be off the scale!

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December 8, 2022 · 9:16 am

“Fall down seven times, get up eight times”

Monday 5th December later in the day….

The Japanese have many famous sayings. And for some reason, four of them *could* be pretty relevant to this World Cup. For me, Japan’s football team seem to live by the last one. Fall down seven times, get up eight times.

  • “People judge things by their own experience, not knowing of the wide world outside.”
  • “Wherever you live, you come to love it.”
  • “Ten people, ten colours.”
  • “Fall down seven times, get up eight times.”

I have been lucky to have travelled to Japan many times, mainly on business but twice to see World Cups. One was the football World Cup in 2002 and one was the Rugby World Cup in 2019. Both times I and many others had been enthralled by the Japanese national teams. They always attacked, always played positively and their players always leave everything on the field, whilst their fans ensure that nothing is left in the stadium, picking up every blade of litter around them.

I can’t tell you how excited I was to don my Japan 2002 World Cup shirt, which some how still fitted me and head off to their last 16 game against a very tough Croatia team. This Croatia team were very impressive in their qualification group and latterly in their Nations League campaign. So I felt they would be favourites to win the tie.

We headed to the Al Janoub Stadium which lies to the south of Doha on the super efficient, box fresh Metro. Much like the England vs Senegal match the night before, the atmosphere was pretty subdued. This is no real surprise given that Japanese fans are amongst the most respectful around and will generally only sing and chant when in the ground itself.

Far less fans on the Metro tonight

Kirsty and I decided to sport our rainbow gear again and take our chances with the security guards at the stadium. The stadium is another architectural work of art, and highly impressive, we’ve come to expect nothing else out here. Money is no object out here, remember.

The Al Janoub Stadium was impressive
My Japan 02 shirt just about fitted me

As we went through the main security check point, I saw Kirsty get pulled over by one of the security guards who had objected to her rainbow head dress and wanted her to take it off her and hand it over, essentially confiscating it. Kirsty was led off to a separate room because she refused to take her rainbow gear off. I had got through security easily enough and just happened to bump into a Scouse copper. He was one of the English liaison team in Qatar who was there to work with the Qatari security forces. I decided to ask him what the score was He told me to not take any pictures, but to go over to Kirsty and tell her to insist that she did not give her head dress up. He also told me that FIFA had not banned the wearing of any rainbow gear and it was not against the law. So, he said be insistent and be firm.

By the time I got over to Kirsty, she had already been firm and made her intentions clear to the security guards and was actually on her way through, complete with rainbow head dress. Brilliant and typical.

Mission accomplished

The singing of the national anthems was incredibly moving with both sets of players and fans highly charged and incredibly emotional. I must admit I was pretty emotional too.

The game was another cracker. Japan typically played on the front foot and pressed Croatia all the way. I had had a chat with a senior figure at the Japan Football Association and he had told me that Japan had a 30 year plan to ensure that they built a comprehensive and sustainable pyramid from schools through grass roots all the way to the professionals. They wanted their key professionals to play in top global club sides in Europe and South America to gain insight and experience. He felt that Japan were on course to deliver that plan.

Japan took the lead with a proper team goal and for a time, looked like they could win the game. As we know, though, this Croatian team were a mix of six battle hardened pros who were in the squad who played in Russia knocking England out in Moscow in the semi finals of the 2018 World Cup and a lot of new, exciting talent. So it was no surprise when Croatia got their equaliser.

A great team Japan goal
Modric at 37 years old is still one of the best players out here

We had an American Chinese fan sitting in front of us. Bless him, he was pretty new to football. When Japan were banging their drums and chanting ‘Nippon’, he asked me what they were chanting. When I told him ‘Nippon’ he asked me what that meant, so I told him, which seemed to take him by surprise. It took me by surprise too.

All this chap wanted, from pretty early on in the game was to see a penalty shoot out. It was almost blood lust. If this game was being played back in time to say, the Reign of Terror in France in 1789, he would have been one of the gawkers on the front row, in the box seats, at a public execution really enjoying the efficiency of the Guillotine.

The sheer number of cameras at the ground is incredible

Needless to say, our American friend’s wish was granted. I said to the lads next to me who were from London and San Francisco, that surely the Japanese would have prepared every which way for the penalty shoot out. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Japan’s penalties were all hopeless and Croatia bar one penalty kick were exemplary. Japan lost 1-3 on penalties.

Poor Japan. They did not deserve to lose. But someone has to. You have to wonder if they will ever make the same mistakes again at the crucial stage of a knock out game. For their sake, I hope their 30 year plan delivers and ensures more success next time around.

Getting out of the match was easy. As usual, organisation was pretty smooth. We had to take a shuttle bus back to the station and then the Metro back into town. But I spotted a bus service direct to the Souq Waqif and said to Kirsty let’s take that. We were desperate to get back to watch the Brazil vs Switzerland game.

Sadly for us, our bus driver wasn’t an expert. We got back into Doha only to do three, three point turns having got stuck down dead end streets and managed to circumnavigate the Souq at least once. I felt sorry for the driver. He was clearly not from Doha and had literally no idea where he was going. When we eventually arrived back at our stop,all of us on the bus gave him a very loud and somewhat ironic round of applause. The whole thing reminded me of an episode of the BBC TV spoof based on the 2012 Olympics called W1A. That episode when the Olympic delegation from Rio fact finding mission in and around the Olympic Park. The delegation’s coach driver insisted on taking short cuts and going his own way, resulting in everyone being terribly late and somewhat frustrated. That was us.

By the time we got to a bar to watch the game, Brazil were already three nil up against Switzerland. The bar was a surreal experience for sure. Everyone seemed to be smoking and random slogans adorned the wall, which seems to be de rigeur out here. Little did we know that we would be back in this bar again, and next time we would have a very, very good time.

Random slogans are everywhere

I for one will hope to see the Japanese pick themselves up at the next World Cup and go again. Their players and fans are a credit to the world and their fans always set out to pick up more litter than is dropped in the ground after the game. That is something we can all learn from, can’t we?

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December 8, 2022 · 8:38 am

For Africans, for Arabs this is Morocco!

Tuesday 6th December 2022.. later in the day

There is no doubt at all that Argentina and Morocco have the most fans and the most noisiest fans out here in Qatar. We had managed to see Argentina play and we had to admit, we really enjoyed the atmosphere their fans created. Now we had the chance to see Morocco play Spain and we sort of expected that the atmosphere was going to an even better.

This time we had to travel to the Education City Stadium which was a short Metro ride to the west of our base at Doha Old Town. Unlike the two previous games we travelled to, the Metro was packed solid and the atmosphere electric. Just like the Argentina vs Australia game. You could sense the anticipation amongst the Moroccan fans. I felt sorry for the Spanish. They were outnumbered and outgunned.

Our view from the front of the train

Education City was another piece of design brilliance and provided the centrepiece of Qatar’s centre of educational excellence. On the way to the stadium we felt a sense of disorganisation for the very first time out here. There were so many Moroccan fans and all in the sort of mood you would normally associate with passionate fans who know they needed to win, otherwise they would be headed home. Headed to the ground, we had to cross a railway line and then pass through lines and lines of police who resembled Robocops. That’s the first time a game had felt like a World Cup game of old.

There would be a clash of cultures ahead
Another amazing stadium
Kirsty and La’eeb the World Cup mascot

Because we had been working hard all day to extend our trip and get tickets for the France game we had to rush to eat and get to the game in good time. It was the early kick off game, 6pm local time. Consequently we had not had a chance to change into our rainbow gear. Hey ho. Getting through security would be far easier tonight.

We were lucky to be in the Moroccan end and witness a real clash of cultures. All the Moroccan fans would stand for the whole game, whilst Qataris tried to sit quietly and observe. In the end the Qataris had no choice but to stand up and go with the flow. In the World Cup of coincidences, we happened to be sitting to the exact same lad as we had done the night before at the Japan vs Croatia game. And the American Chinese guy who was obsessed with the game ending in a penalty shoot out.

These guys would not remain seated for the whole game
Happy to have my Tofu Eating Wokerati T shirt

As an aside, there has been a lot of talk about empty seats. We haven’t seen many, if any. One slightly amusing thing is that when Qataris sit at the match, it can look like the seats are white and empty. Look closely…

A few empty seats, but not many

The game was intense and noisy the whole way through. I am not sure I’ve been to a game like it, ever. Every time the Spanish got the ball, which was most of the time, the Moroccan fans produced a cacophony of whistles and boos. That was incredibly intimidating. If ever England were to play Morocco, we would have to steel ourselves to face this, and that could get very interesting.

Father Christmas and the Three Wise Men

Morocco did not deserve to lose the game. They ran, tackled, headed, threw themselves everywhere and just outcompeted Spain. The game remained 0-0 for two hours and so we had another penalty shoot out to endure. The penalties were to be taken at what was supposed to the Spanish end, yet even that end was stuffed full of Moroccan fans. You just knew it was going to be tough for Spain tonight.

Spain’s penalties were like Japan’s from the night before. Woeful. Morocco’s were exemplary. As the Arabs would say, ‘Inshallah’, it is written. And it was. Morocco won a famous victory, one for Africa and one for Arabs.

The winning Moroccan penalty
Me and my Qatari mate
Kirsty and her Moroccan mate

There are many things to be aware of out here in Qatar. Whilst everyone is exceptionally polite, Qatari men are culturally more cautious speaking to women than they are speaking to men. I have had plenty of conversations with Qatari men, less so Kirsty. Men will shake hands with men, but it’s a fist bump at best for women. That’s how it is.

Our journey back to base was a lot of fun. Moroccans everywhere were in fine voice and full of joy. I did say to Kirsty, ‘I wonder what this lot would be like if they lost!’ We wanted to see the Portugal vs Switzerland game on the TV. So we tried the ‘Irish Bar’ in the hotel next to us. That was a typical football bar, full of all sorts of fans but it seemed that literally everyone was smoking. We bumped into Aussie Glen who we’d met earlier and he introduced me to his Brazilian mate, Carlos. When I named the 11 players who played in the World Cup winning Brazilian team in 1970, Carlos embraced me and said ‘you are now my brother, will I see you in 2026?’ I said ‘Inshallah’.

Carlos, me and Glen

At half time I said to Kirsty ‘let’s go to the sports bar in our hotel’, as I was getting a tad bored in the one we were in. We were in two minds about that bar, given that it felt a bit weird. Tonight it was a different kettle of fish. There were loads more people in the bar for a kick off and there was some atmosphere too. At the end of the game, we were treated to an Indian DJ who played some proper floor bangers. Fast forward 15 minuets and were singing, dancing, embracing and hugging with a load of Moroccans. They bought us drinks and refused to take any back. That is the sort of thing that can happen at World Cups. Long may it continue!

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