I'm excited so far...

My pc isn't working properly, so I'm actually writing this 1 minute and 45 seconds into the second half, but up until that Ashley Cole slip at the very end of the half England looked in more or less complete control of the game. The most marked improvement for me compared to previous Sven lead England campaigns is the MUCH more sensible use of the longer ball - they've kept the ball well, which is hugely important, and has bee nthe thing that really let us down. Croucho's been blinding, holding the ball up really well, making some nice runs, playing a couple of nice passes and generally looking comfortable at this level. My post-Hungary and Jamaica feeling has been the Beckham is going to be one of the players of the tournament, and the first half's done nothing to change my view on that - Becks looks bang up for it, and bang in form, and that's going to make things difficult for every team we play against.

Michael Owen looks maybe a litte short of form and cutting edge so far, but early doors etc...The referee's been having a bit of a shocker, not surpising given his shockingly bad hair syle...

Motty's excitement levels are unsurprising - his pre kick off announcement that we should all be careful with our cups and glasses was reminiscent of his 2002 breakfast obsession. Post modern self referentialism or genuine concern for the crockery of the nation? You decide...