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Hardly news to most readers that England are out of Euro 2008, and already the repercussions are flying, and the coach has been sacked.

Have to say I’m not altogether fussed. I’m a cursory follower of football. Can’t get too excited by anything other than the big internationals, and even then the media frenzy that surrounds England at every step is usually enough to put me off. The short term memory of the football pundit. Last night was a case in point: Everybody expected at least draw. Defeat was unimaginable. And England got beaten fair and square.

I didn’t see much of the match: Frances wanted to watch Heroes (and I did too to be honest), and after I got back from an absolutely wonderful run in the cold and pouring rain, had showers, warmth and food (Frances made a marvellous Chilli Con Carni) on my mind, rather than watching what I understand was a shambolic performance.

Sacking the coach seems appropriate - there were some strange decisions in this match and during his tenure - but is it entirely his fault? The coach is always the most visible target, and has to take plenty of responsibility, but surely the players also have to take some of the blame. I gather they were almost all a bit crap last night. After all, there’s only so much the coach can do during a match. And I’m puzzled they don’t tie payments in to achieving results. As it is Steve McLaren walks away with a few million quid, when his contract should (in my view) be tied to ensuring the team qualifies for these major tournaments. But I suppose it’s a competitive market for such coaches, and who’d ever want to be England coach? Seems they have to pay a lot to get the good coaches… And even then…

Up here in Scotland of course, it’s a different story. McLeish and the Scotland players are viewed as having done a stunning job, despite the team not qualifying, so McLeish is being courted by big clubs, and Scotland would love to keep him as coach. It’s been a positive experience, despite the disappointment. It was, you could say, pragmatic patriotism: Great if we get through, but hey, we’ve had a good run and seen some great football. England pundits and fans could learn something from Scotland’s example.

If there’s anybody who should take the blame for the feelings of depression across England right now, it really has to be the media. Continuing the mass delusion that we actually have a world-class football team, when everything I’ve seen in the last couple of years, particularly when the pressure is on and the performances really matter seems to show the contrary. The media need to get a grip, and stop getting carried away by their own hyperbole, and England fans need to stop listening to them. Presuming there are any left.

So Italy win the 2006 world cup. But it was a startling moment to behold when Zidane went AWOL. In what had been a reasonably open match, with each side having moments of fortune, and moments of worry - the player with the most experience, most to gain, and by far the most to lose, went and lost it. Italy went on to win on penalties, but has already become the second story.

All in all, I enjoyed the match. I was supporting France, having earlier this week hoped for a Germany v France final, but that wasn’t to be thanks to the Italians performance in the semis. But the Italians never really grabbed me tonight. No star players to latch on to, only a few moments to savour. It just felt like an opportunity missed. A team that has done so badly in penalties in world cup tournaments was supposed to fight hard and aggressively in extra-time. This Italian team felt hamstrung.

Until Zidane stooped so low. France, especially with Henry finding some delightful fluency and Ribery taking on the role carved by Lampard of taking opportunities to strike, but never quite hooking up in the way we all hoped. There’s nothing quite as delightful as a ball struck into the corner by a midfielder outside the box, but few such moments materialised in this tournament.

But what possessed Zidane? It wasn’t so much that he got sent off, but the build up to it. The huge high of scoring from an excellent penalty early in the first half. Then, not that long before That Moment, he’d narrowly missed what could have been the highlight of his career, and almost headed in the winning goal. But the woodwork got in the way, and it wasn’t to be. Headbutting Materazzi swiftly followed, and the entirely deserved red card, that ended his career. The change from not-quite-there to a shameful red card. I’m sure the newspaper that scores the first interview will get trite and considered responses, but it must have been pure indifference and frustration on his part that led him to lose his rag for one brief moment, in front of billions of people worldwide. And he’s supposed to be a seasoned professional?

Italy’s win still felt ultimately disappointing: Penalty shoot-out wins always are, and as a final doubly so: After all the promise shown in the first half and at moments in the remainder of the match. But it’s Zidane crashing and burning in a moment of pure madness that I suspect will define this world cup, and make the footballing world the poorer for it. Goodness knows how he’s going to live with himself in the years to come.

So, who to support in the world cup, now that England are out.

Some people say the logic goes “support whomever beat you”, because that way you can at least console yourself in that if they go on to win, you got beaten by the best. But that’s just a tiny bit rubbish, and doesn’t sit well to me in that Portugal didn’t impress me much during open play, and only got through by a few lucky saves by their goalkeeper during penalties.

I’m ultimately hopeful for a final between Germany and France, as both sides seem to put on the best show by far during the tournament. And forced to decide, I’d probably say Germany, as they seem to have been viewed as underdogs before the tournament, and certainly during it’s early stages. They’ve also (so far) put on a great tournament, and the home nation always deserves to do well. So, for the quality of the football, and the underdog nature of it all, Go Germany!

Well, I should have kept my mouth shut. England our out of the world cup, and not in particularly elegant style. Plus, it was penalties again.

I’m not a sobbing wreck up here; It’s not been a pretty campaign, and the team didn’t ever really click in a way that they needed to to genuinely deserve to get into the final stages. Much like Brazil distinctly under-whelmed in the group stages, it shows that a few good players do not a winning team make.

I think England showed real spark and flare after Rooney was deservedly sent off. His Beckham moment indeed, and he’s demonstrated to many people that he’s got a long way to go before he’ll be a complete player. Which showed to me, I think, that there was too much reliance on one man. Without him, England were forced to push harder and dig deeper. Success in adversity and all that.

Now the news that Beckham has quit as captain. Well, his substitute Lennon demonstrated that there are plenty of people ready to take on his position, but - as with Cricket - a good captain deserves a good chance, and Beckham has done his country proud on more than one occasion to have merited a bit more tolerance regarding his place in the squad.

I’ve frequently thought that Ericsson was on the receiving end of a lot of bad press over the last year or two, but his strange decision regarding strikers, and formation in the last couple of matches, demonstrated to me that it really is good that England are getting a new manager; One that seems to be prepared to get up from the bench and get passionate on occasion too. Coolness sometimes seems more like dispassion.

Ah well, I think we’re still in for a football treat in the last week of the world cup. With it down to European sides it’ll miss out on the variety from other parts of the world, south america in particular. But a likely final between France and host-nation Germany should be a treat to watch, with an atmosphere and edge to be savoured.

I’ve not had a chance to post anything about the 2006 World Cup so far: Pressures of work and home have meant my weblog appearances have been reduced of late. But I have been watching, and suffering, along with all the other England fans out there.

So this afternoon’s match against Portugal will of course mean I’ll be glued to the build-up and match itself. Not many pubs in Glasgow are showing a large English following, and to be honest I’m happier with a beer and a critical chat with Frances’ father Bernard, than a bunch of raving Scots cheering on the whomever-England-are-currently-playing opposition (and finding goodness knows how many ways to justify it, when it’s all a bit of a silly, somewhat juvenile, joke that’s getting a bit out of hand on both sides).

I’m enjoying it so far, and am confident England will do well today. England have a habit of playing to the level expected or needed, and today’s match has it all. A long history of losing against Portugal, managers with vastly different approaches, one manager having turned down the others job, the temperature thing, the prize at stake, and the ongoing England strategy dilemma, brought about by Owen’s early exit and Ericsson’s moment-of-madness taking an untried teenager in place of more seasoned and experienced strikers.

So, before anybody even touches a football, the game has all the makings of a classic. So long as it’s fluid and fair, and not ugly (like the match against Holland), I’m sure we’ll be in for a treat with no end of worries for the England fan. Hopefully a treat for even the non-football fan too.

So Rooney is now a doubt for the world cup squad. Oh joy. Like the English football fan needs anything more to stress and worry about.

Now I’m not normally an active football fan. I do enjoy the sport, and the big games, I just don’t actively follow a particular team, in either the Scottish or English leagues. I simply can’t get passionate about one arbitrary group of professional players over another. But I do keep an eye on the scores, controversies, league positions and so on, so that I can at least hold my own in a conversation with friends. But when it comes to the world cup, or any other international tournament, I’m enthusiastic about England.

Living in Scotland, of course, makes going down the pub to watch the big matches a bit less of a easy thing to do (especially as I do get quite vocal!). The Scots, with the historical (and current) disagreements with England, generally side on “anybody who isn’t England”, which is in my view all rather disingenuous, and perhaps even a little spiteful or vindictive. I’m all for good-natured joshing and piss-taking, but when your own team doesn’t qualify, it’s all a bit sour-grapes to cheer on the opposition, given we are at a national level, the same country with more to unite us than divide us. Actually, I’m sure plenty of Scots would actively support England if there wasn’t quite the group-think and bruhaha around it in friendly company, and us English a bit less forgetful about our national setup!

But as for Rooney’s injury, these damned metatarsals have a lot to answer for, especially those in the feet of our talisman players, whether Beckham, Owen or Rooney. But it’s something I think the England fan is painfully used to. We need to remember that winning major tournaments is not supposed to be easy, and we need - and have - more than just the one world-class player in the squad.

Hopefully Rooney, and Owen, will still make it in time for the final rounds, and I’m sure we all wish them all the very best for a speedy recovery. Perhaps the same goes for a few Scots too!