So who is going to miss England?

English supporter, originally uploaded by CharlesFred.

So, twenty years after I move from England to Holland, they both lose their football matches, England 2-3 (to Croatia), Holland 2-1 (to Belarus). Both teams play very badly, as they have often done during the qualification rounds for next year's European Championships. However, for Holland, it makes no difference, they have qualified in any case. For England, it means they miss out altogther on the European Championships and, to be honest, I don't think too many people really cared. They played rubbish, they had a bad manager who put the wrong side on the pitch and they were outplayed by a much better team.

There would have been many times in the last twenty years when England have faced Holland at football, notably twice on my birthday, once when it was a 0-0 draw in Italy in 1990 and another time in England in 1996 when it was 4-1 to England, the only low point of the night , being the one goal which Holland scored which knocked Scotland out of the competition.

I missed England a lot when I first came here and I really loved my trips back. I still do, mostly, but maybe not quite as intensively as before. It was great working for Metron, where we had an office in Basingstoke, as I could often come over and see my Mum, or my sister, or cousins or friends, but now going to The City of London, it is not quite the same. Still, we have a trip planned in a couple of weeks (to coincide with yet another Marc Almond concert!), from which we will make a long weekend.

Anyway, Good Luck to Croatia or any of those teams competing in Switzerland and Austria, at least it will be a nice quiet tournament without the colourful English.