Inside Track: Dream of ‘66 turns to a reminder of ’50 nightmare

It was a Saturday morning, about 12 hours after England discovered that maybe winning this World Cup is not going to be quite as easy as we had thought it would be a few days ago. If it happens at all.

Blighty, given all the encouragement the Red Tops could muster, was abuzz after Gareth’s team had routed the opposition in their opening match. The strikers and others, except Harry K, scored for fun, and it didn’t seem to matter that the team spelt IRA with an ‘N’ at the end had nicked a couple to make it 6-2.

Some urged caution, but there were more who didn’t want to know. We’re on our way – it’s going to be ’66 all over again. Okay, so the defence, with the other Harry as a central figure, held firm; but 0-0 against USA in the second match? One of the Red Tops: “Stars and Tripe.”

This is a reminder of 1950, when a team which included some of the greatest names in the country’s history, the likes of Billy Wright, Tom Finney, Alf Ramsey, Wilf Mannion and Stan Morteson weren’t beaten but humiliated by what was described as a makeshift United States side.

England had beaten Chile in their first match, but after this shocker against US, a win over Spain was needed to keep hopes alive.

But though Stanley Matthews, better known than any of the others mentioned earlier, was given a start after being left out of the first two matches, it didn’t happen. The Three Lions were silenced, left to make the long journey home from Brazil. Their first World Cup experience wasn’t a pleasant one.

This column has nothing to crow about at this early stage. Firm fancies Belgium had a struggle on their hands trying to get the better of Canada. One goal was enough to collect the points, but much more will be required to make it worth holding on to the docket IT has pugged away.

Kevin De Bruyne was named man-of-the-match, much to the surprise of everyone, himself included. The enquiry to establish who made the selection is ongoing. Maybe a Belgium hack.

What’s a competition if it hasn’t got surprises, or better still, shocks. There’s been a couple of the latter so far, Germany losing to Japan and Argentina, Messi and all, unable to find a way past Saudi Arabia.

IT is not changing horses at midstream, nor are we looking for another to fill either Belgium’s place as firm fancy, or Croatia’s as lively outsiders.