Brace yourselves folks, the seemingly unthinkable may be about to happen. England could win the World Cup.
I’ve had a chance to watch off the nations competing in the World Cup now and from what I’ve seen so far no country has shown me anything to convince me they are stronger or better than Gareth Southgate’s team.
I am on holiday in Cornwall at the moment and I spent Sunday on the beach surrounded by passionate England supporters. It was hard not to get swept away in the euphoria following their 6-1 rout of Panama.
I know it is a scenario many Scots will be dreading but we have to face the fact it is possible.
England are slow starters and it was evident against Tunisia but they found a way to win their opener thanks to Harry Kane’s two goals.
The captain was at it again on Sunday as he added another three to his tally.
I feared the Spurs forward’s natural game would be affected by Southgate’s decision to make him captain but he seems to be relishing in the added responsibility and no-one can argue against the contribution he is making on the pitch.
His club manager Mauricio Pochettino rates his player as the best striker in the world and from what we have seen so far it’s hard to argue against his bold statement.
Kane is the leading goalscorer in the tournament and he has given England a genuine chance of winning this.
They have a better chance than Argentina, who could be out after today while Germany were seconds away from a horrendous result again on Saturday until Tony Kroos hauled them out the mire.
Tell me, which team has looked better?
I know Panama are not one of the elite nations taking part and if I was the manager of that team I would have been pulling my hair out at the naivety they showed in the first half on Sunday.
The fouls they conceded were ridiculous and it seemed players were more interested in grappling with their opponents at every turn rather than actually trying to play the game or win the ball.
VAR has become a major part of the tournament and to all those bemoaning the number of penalties being given for tugging of shirts of manhandling of players I say the more the merrier.
Maybe it’s the old striker in me, but it has been a horrible part of our game for decades.
I first experienced just how cynical it can be when I was at Aberdeen and we played Torino in the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1993. I was caught in a bear-hug every time the ball came near the box.
If VAR eradicates it from our game then I’ll be delighted.
