England continued their perfect run in Euro 2012 qualification on Tuesday night with an impressive 3-1 win away to Switzerland. Before the match, a clash of world class club managers was touted as the main story line as Fabio Capello faced off against Ottmar Hitzfeld. Between the two, three Champions League trophies are shared, while a myriad of various domestic trophies, too many to count, are split between the two veteran managers. While England dominated the majority of the match with a few decent spells thrown in by Switzerland for good measure, here are a few observations that stuck out to me.

England are simply better than Switzerland. Not breaking much ground, but remember, it was Switzerland who were the only team to defeat eventual champions Spain during the World Cup this past summer. One couldn’t have blamed a weary England fan for being a tad bit nervous heading to Basel for what could have been a potential banana peel for the Three Lions.

When the match got down to brass tacks, it was Capello who simply boasted the better starting eleven and squad for that matter. Both teams set up in a similar formation, 4-4-2, with one forward dropping off in a more central advanced midfield role. England didn’t take long to exploit a weakness in the Swiss defense which was David Degen on the left side of midfield and Reto Zeigler at left back. Before Theo Walcott left the game on a stretcher, he was able to get at left back Zeigler on more than one occasion while it was Glenn Johnson from right back who also aided in England’s early attacks down the flank. In the 10th minute, Johnson found Rooney with a well timed cross for England’s opener.

England’s central defensive pairing of Phil Jagielka and Joleon Lescott were rarely bothered in the first half and held together tight when the Swiss were at their best. Maybe not tested to any extremes, but the former Everton partnership reunited on the international stage passed with flying colors.

Joe Hart is human after all. The wonder goal from Switzerland’s Xherdan Shaqiri was never going to be saved by any keeper in the world. It was a well timed brilliant strike from the 18 year old who was able to show his quality when England’s back line fell asleep for just a second. Excused for Shaqiri’s strike which he saw very late, Hart wasn’t quite his normal brilliant self yet didn’t commit anything close to a Robert Green type blunder England fans won’t soon forget from the World Cup.

On just a few occasions, Hart’s normally assured self seemed to lack confidence and was at times almost caught out because of his decision making. At only 23, no one can blame Hart thus far in his young international career. He’s only appeared a handful of times for the senior team and he’s yet to cost England a goal or points. Although Hart is easily the #1 in everyone’s book, he’s sure to make a mistake sooner or later. The real quality of Hart will be on display when England fans are able to see how he performs after a forgettable performance for England.

Wayne Rooney is best playing just behind a central striker, but can still score goals. Of course we knew this didn’t we? 34 goals in all competitions for Manchester United last season playing further up the pitch than ever before may have clouded thoughts on where Rooney is best played. Depends on what you want out of him really, goals or creating them? Is Rooney as complete an England player as there currently is? On Tuesday night, all of his footballing abilities were on display. He scored England’s first when Glen Johnson found him after a well timed run into the box, a natural striker’s ability. Yet he continually dropped back into midfield to pick up the ball in order to spread play further forward to Jermaine Defoe or to the wings through James Milner or Adam Johnson.

Maybe Rooney had something to prove with all the off-the-field hype concerning his private life, or maybe his recent dip in form has sparked him to prove his critics wrong on the pitch. Whatever the reason, or whether he’s creating goals or scoring them, Rooney is most effective when he’s involved in build up play. Whether he picks out a killer ball or scores from a movement he’s had a large hand in, Rooney is best just behind a central striker but always a dangerous goal scoring threat.

Adam Johnson and not Theo Walcott is the answer to England’s right side of midfield. He doesn’t quite have the explosive pace that Walcott does, but he’s more effective than the Arsenal winger and a better decision maker. Still young in his England career, Johnson is the type of player who embodies someone who’s about to make something happen. Upon his entry into the match after Walcott’s injury, Johnson showed his class by touching the ball out to himself and spinning around the aforementioned Ziegler who surely must now be happy he’s done facing England’s right side. Johnson crossed into Defoe who should have done better, but it took just a few seconds for Johnson to leave his stamp on a game he just entered into. Johnson’s also a quality finisher as he showed with his second half 69th minute goal. He narrowly avoided being caught offside and was found by Steven Gerrard when he cut into the middle from the right and side stepped the keeper to slot home.

England can pass the ball after all. Was it just me, or did England seem to almost ping the ball around the pitch with a bit of swagger? After all the hoopla concerning their tired performance in South Africa, this new look England seems to have rediscovered their mojo as the squad settle into a new season of club football. England played with confidence, little to no fear and dominated possession against the Swiss while they fairly easily broke down a Swiss defense once said to be difficult to penetrate.

Frank Lampard’s services were definitely not missed as a quiet and confident Steven Gerrard and Gareth Barry had their way in the center of the pitch while midfield foes Pirmin Schwegler and Gokhan Inler chased aimlessly.

The unconvinced will point to England’s ability to usually coast through qualification while they fail on the big stage at major tournaments. Yet this is an England squad only a few years removed from the dreadful qualification of Euro 2008, a tournament they failed to participate in. England fans must take the wins on Friday and Tuesday in stride and place them into the overall grand scheme of the England team within the past year. It’s been a great start to a new chapter in the England book, yet still a flawed script that hopefully ends rewarding.

Wayne Rooney will represent England against Switzerland in the midst of a media storm that is threatening to overshadow England’s 4-0 demolition of Bulgaria. While most would expect Rooney to struggle under the pressure, it would be just like him to return to form with a bang and do all his talking on the pitch.

By all accounts Rooney looked a lot better against Bulgaria; he played with the sort of freedom that hampered him so dearly in South Africa and had it not been for an excellent bit of goalkeeping Rooney would have had his first international goal in nearly a year.

Fabio Capello is often criticised for using Rooney in a deeper role, but in my opinion this is what brought about Rooney’s performance on Friday. Rooney felt the pressure of having to lead the line in South Africa. He was the man expected to get the goals to fire England to success but he just couldn’t do this and without a doubt suffered from the pressure.

On Friday it was almost as if Rooney had been told to let Jermain Defoe get in to the box, you do your work outside. Those of you with strong memories will recall Rooney’s early days for England where he had so much success playing the linking role behind Michael Owen.

While it might not see Rooney look at his clinical, free best it certainly produced a more effective and productive display from the Manchester United man that, which after heavy criticism following the World Cup, may have gone someway to rebuilding his confidence when he pulls on an England shirt.

But if Rooney had gained any confidence from Friday’s game it may have been shattered by the stinging allegations in to his private life that have filled British newspapers today. Now it is up to Capello to build that confidence back before England’s potentially vital game in Basel.

Personally I don’t think this will be that difficult to do. Rooney will be welcoming any distraction from his private life at the moment and a chance to escape for 90 minutes.  He may just be looking to take all his frustrations out on Switzerland on Tuesday, and if he does he may find himself firmly in the good books of the fickle English media once more.

With the pressure on Fabio Capello,  England finally delivered a performance to make the country proud. But was this result and the performance the start of a change in fortunes for Capello or another result that get’s our hopes up only to be disappointed down the line?

England may have gone some way to igniting some confidence amongst fans last night. While it wasn’t a faultless performance it was a lot better. They played with the pace and confidence that was so desperately lacking in South Africa.

Jermain Defoe showed the sort of clinical finishing that nobody was able to show at the World Cup, and in midfield Steven Gerrard and Gareth Barry were easily dominating the midfield battle. At the other end of the pitch Joe Hart looked assured between the sticks. Wayne Rooney was also looking somewhat like his usual self.

The negatives for Capello’s side were that 4-0 probably flattered England a little. Bulgaria had plenty of chances themselves. While Michael Dawson and Phil Jagielka didn’t look out of their depth Capello will have been concerned at the amount of chances the visitors had.

But we should probably take in to consideration the missing experience at international level of both defenders, and I highly doubt whether Bulgaria would of had so many chances if John Terry was representing the Three Lions last night.

So the signs are good looking forward ahead to England’s potentially crucial qualifier in Basel on Tuesday night. This will be the result that will really indicate just how far, or how little Capello’s side have progressed since the disastrous defeat to Germany in South Africa.

England are going to have to improve on last night’s performance if they are going to get anything from Switzerland.  But the pleasing thing is for Capello that some confidence will have been restored in his management.

Had England dropped points last night or even stuttered to a win last night the knifes would of been out for Capello, but a convincing win may just have bought Capello more time to please the ever doubting English faithful. But after a desperate World Cup, Capello’s tenure is very much one game at a time, and a disappointing result in Switzerland will see the knifes out for the Italian once again.

After a hectic start to the Premier League season attentions now turn to England who face two crucial games in five days that will set a trend for Fabio Capello’s next two years in charge of England.

Before the World Cup Fabio Capello could do no wrong. He was seen as the saviour of English football for turning around our fortunes after the disaster that was Steve McClaren’s tenure.  Capello guided England to a near faultless qualification for South Africa that included a stunning 4-1 victory in Zagreb.

All was set for England to mount a challenge for the biggest prize in football. But since the turn of the year things have slowly started to go wrong for England. First there was the John Terry saga; there were then injuries to the likes of David Beckham and Rio Ferdinand before a woefully disappointing World Cup in South Africa.

The pressure was mounting on Capello and only a Steven Gerrard brace rescued the Three Lions from an embarrassing defeat against Hungary. But still England fans are unsure whether Capello is the man to take the side forward.

This makes the games against Bulgaria and Switzerland absolutely vital to Capello. Football fans are fickle and two positive results may just be the catalyst for the positive feeling to return amongst England fans. But anything less than six points and all confidence will be lost in Capello.

But if England fans are demanding six points Capello has got two very tricky games in which to deliver them. Bulgaria will be like most teams that come to Wembley and up their game accordingly, so England shouldn’t take this game lightly. Switzerland on the other hand will pose a very stern test for Capello’s side and their win over Spain at the World Cup shows just how dangerous they can be.

With England missing the likes of Terry and Frank Lampard, and Wayne Rooney desperately short of form the task of six points becomes a whole lot harder. However Capello has managed to pick England up once before and if he could do it again this week it may just be the end of a rocky few months.

So the World Cup is now a week old, every team has played at least once. It is now becoming clear whether your team was a sound bet or as dodgy as a Northern Rock balance sheet.

There have already been a few surprises, and those following a minnow may have had a nice surprise. Also those struggling can cling to a few strands of hope as no team has been eliminated thus far.

If like me you have a team you know little about in the office sweepstake, or you have just not bothered with the World Cup so far, I have created a quick summary to get you up to speed.

How is your team doing?

Algeria – A poor start against Slovenia and elimination beckons, unless they pull of a surprise against England. Should Algeria qualify and you live in England you may be forced to change your name, address and seek alternative employment.

Argentina – In Messi you should trust, Argentina recorded one of the most crushing one nil victories you will ever see, in the first game and eventually ran out comfortable winners agains South Korea.  Blue and white fireworks will surely illuminate this tournament sooner rather than later.

Australia – Hammered by Germany and unlikely to progress, the players should start booking their plane tickets home.

Brazil – Although they made heavy work of the North Koreans, I would still be happy to have backed Brazil in this tournament. The quality is there for all to see.

Cameroon - Having lost their opening game, there is a lot left to do if Cameroon are to qualify, hope is not yet lost but I would not back my sweepstake team.

Chile – An opening game victory, playing attacking football, what more can you ask for?

Denmark – Lost to Holland but not out of it yet, Nicklas Bentdner and others will need to be at the top of their game for the next two games though.

England – If you don’t know how they are doing, just google ‘Robert Green’ and all will become clear.

France – Started with a draw and this side looks weary, improvement needed from a side that looks devoid of ideas.

Germany – Emphatic win against Australia, people are already taking notice of the Germans in this tournament.

Ghana – Flying the flag for Africa with an opening game win, this side will receive a lot of coverage in a tournament desperate for African success.

Greece – Poor and uninspired, if they cannot improve they will soon be back to the economic turmoil of their homeland.

Holland – Won their first game, should progress from their group with ease.

Honduras – Lost to Chile, things are already looking bleak for one of the teams no one really knows/expects anything from in this tournament.

Italy – Had a poor first game which was the ultimate defence vs. defence battle that somehow produced two goals.  After 2006 you should resist the urge to rule out these ageing slow starters.

Ivory Coast – After a battling draw against Portugal, Sven’s men need a big win against North Korea, or a miracle against Brazil to progress.

Japan – Secured victory in their opening game, they will be hoping to build on this as expectations back home grow.

Mexico – Only a draw to start the tournament off, massive improvements will be needed in order to prove they can make a mark on this tournament.

New Zealand – The point they got in their opening game was hailed as a miracle for New Zealand, read into that what you like given the opposition was Slovakia.

Nigeria – Massacred in a 1-0 defeat to Argentina, they will be ok if their goalkeeper keeps up the form he showed in that game.

North Korea – Fantastic start, strong favourites to win the tournament, well back home at least. In all seriousness the Koreans showed real passion against Brazil and even got a consolation goal. Unlikely to progress but their compact style may harm the chances of one of the other ‘top’ sides in the group.

Paraguay – Secured a great result against the holders, but may need to play with more attacking intent to progress.

Portugal – Things just don’t seem right in the Portugal camp, a draw in the opening game is ok, however much more is needed.  Only so much can be done as a one man team.

Serbia – Having lost their opening game, the Serbians look to be limping out of the tournament; however there is talent in this side. This will need to shine through if they are to reach the second round.

Slovakia – Having failed to beat the worst team in the competition in their first game, I think the Slovakians are finished in the tournament before it has really begun.

Slovenia – Top of England’s group with a win, Slovenia have a real chance to upset the apple cart and qualify ahead of the USA or England in group C.

South Africa – Full of heart and with their nation behind them, it looks like this will not be enough to help Bafana Bafana progress. Two gutsy displays have not made up for a lack of discernable talent, only a win against France and a miracle will see them through to the next stage.

South Korea – After winning their first game in an impressive fashion, the Koreans will dream of a repeat of 2002 or even better. Combining a strong work ethic with touches of flair. Despite  losing to Argentina, this team has the potential to have a stellar World Cup.

Spain – The favourites lost their opening match to Switzerland, potentially setting up a second round tie with Brazil. Still not out of the running, their Rolls Royce midfield engine needs to start ticking over, and fast.

Switzerland – After beating Spain this team must feel on top of the world, the second round may be their target, but they have certainly already made their mark on the competition.

United States – Brilliant result if not performance against England, confidence must be at an all time high. Slovenia must not be underestimated though and Friday’s game will be key to their campaign.

Uruguay – Almost through to the next round, they looked good against France and South Africa. Manchester United fans may not recognise the Diego Forlan of this World Cup compared to his days in England as he fires Uruguay forwards in the competition.

So this is where we stand after one week, in the next few days the group pictures will become a lot clearer and we may start to lose teams.

If you have backed Brazil or Germany you should be very happy with your investment, those following Slovenia, Switzerland, Chile or Uruguay may have been pleasantly surprised by last weeks games.

As we move forwards every team still technically in with a shout, each team is now  just 6 games from immortality.

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Roy Hodgson is one of the great unsung English managers of the last 30 years and I’m a big fan of England’s most underrated manager.

A polite, erudite professor of the game and an intelligent, well spoken man, he’s simply never received the recognition his career and achievements deserve in England due to the majority of his success being on foreign shores. When he was installed as Lawrie Sanchez’s successor at Fulham, it would be fair to say that more than a few eyebrows were raised toward Craven Cottage and the consensus was that Fulham were doomed for the drop. It’s now one of the great defining moments of the 2007-2008 season when Fulham were away at Manchester City and went 2-0, the results were such at the time they were actually relegated until they scored 3 goals in the last 20 minutes and went on to survive on goal difference as their form picked up dramatically.

The European perception of Hodgson though is poles apart from his homelands opinion of him. A legend in Sweden, Finland and Switzerland, highly rated in Italy and Germany, he is every inch the renaissance man. With 7 titles under his belt in Sweden between 1976 and 1990, his move to Neuchatel Xamax in Switzerland was the defining period in his career, his success at domestic level convincing the Swiss FA to make him the national teams manager, taking them to USA 94 and getting through the qualification to Euro 1996, held in England. Since that period, Hodgson has been in demand by clubs and countries the world over with the exception of England due to his last period of employment in the Premiership.

All too much is made of his brief stint at Blackburn Rovers, more so his final 6 months at Blackburn, his critics point to the signing of Kevin Davies for £7.5 million as his main offence of a man out of touch with the game and abilities of players. The fact that often gets over looked about the Davies transfer is that Davies became seriously ill just weeks after joining Rovers and never recovered at Ewood Park. The self same critics also manage to forget that Davies was runner up in the Premiership Young Player of the Year award behind Michael Owen in 1997-1998 season. Suffice to say, 10 years later, Davies is still playing in the Premiership and has been one of the most consistent performers in the top league for the last few seasons. Yet people forget that Hodgson had guided Rovers back into European football in the 1997-1998 season and the Rovers board panicked when the team seemed to struggle until November when he was released from his position as manager. If they’d kept faith with him, I’ve no doubt they would have stayed up, rather than the terrible run they endured under Brian Kidd(£4.5 million for Ashley Ward anyone).

It’s this spell that has always gone against him in England, his critics never look to his success with Switzerland, the fact he almost got Finland to Euro 2008 only to fall at the final fence, his consideration to become the German manager in 1999, Massimo Moratti at Inters utmost respect for him and his reputation in Scandinavian football. When the FA failed to lure Big Phil to take over the England managers job in 2006, they should have gone to Hodgson. Instead they appointed a man that makes me angry just thinking about those wasted two years under the tactical buffoon, Perma-smile Mclaren.

There is no doubting that Hodgson is a fine manager, tactically astute and a lover of the beautiful game. He knows he’ll be under pressure this season, but I have full faith in his ability to get Fulham well away from the drop zone. He’s been the busiest manager in the transfer market so far over the summer, bringing in 10 players, including Bobby Zamora, John Pantsil, Mark Schwarzer, Andy Teymourian, Zoltan Gera and smashing Fulhams transfer record with the purchase of Andy Johnson from Everton for £10.5 million.

Fulhams biggest problem last season was creating goals and finishing teams off and he has gone about trying to rectify that fact with some shrewd signings. Adding to the bones of the team that he inherited and getting them back to playing football rather than the outdated kick and rush mess that Lawrie Sanchez had woefully tried to install will reap dividends for him and the Fulham faithful. With Johnson and Zamora up front, Bullard, Murphy and Gera pulling the strings in midfield and a steady defence, a comfortable mid-table season is on the cards at Craven Cottage. Good luck to Roy Hodgson, one of only two English managers in the modern era who should have been the England manager but never will. I’m sure Mr Clough doesn’t mind the company, they’ll both agree that Cloughie was the best.

Tonight sees the first dual clash with Czech Republic playing Turkey whilst Switzerland host Portugal. With Portugal through as Group Winners, all eyes will be on Geneva. We could potentially have a first in Group qualification with the fact that should tonight’s game end in a draw, we will go straight into a penalty shoot out to decide who finishes runners up in the group. I hope we don’t come to that and the game is completely decided before the final whistle is blown.

It’s looking more and more likely that the Czechs will revert to playing Koller and Baros together up front. This tournament has really shown just how much quality they’ve lost from midfield with the retirements of Nedved, Berger, Smicer, Poborsky and the injury to Rosicky. They’ve played a game that is based on midfielders bursting forward to link up with the front man, but the quality simply hasn’t been there.

Turkey also may look to starting the game with the team that finished the 2-1 victory that eliminated the Swiss as coach Fatih Terim looks to guide the Turks through. He made a tactically brilliant change at half time to swing the game in their favour and Terim has often been underrated as a coach, the disappointing spell as coach of AC Milan perhaps diluting his achievements at Fiorentina and Galatasaray and his first stint as national coach. 

Turkey certainly looked back to their best in the second half against the Swiss and this game is make or break for both coaches. I’m going to go for a 1-0 win for the Czech Republic tonight, which will then lead them to a potential clash with Germany in the Quarter Finals.

Tonight’s other game will probably gives us a chance to see the players on the fringes of the Portuguese squad, with Queresma, Almeida and Nani expected to start. Switzerland will be playing for pride tonight but know that their opponents will have several players trying to prove to Phil Scolari that they deserve a chance of being in his first choice XI. Whilst it would be nice for the Swiss to get anything out of this, I can’t see them beating Portugal and think it could be a 3-0 defeat for the Swiss.   

Here’s a brief video I shot of the Dutch friends we made in Bern. It’s one of those delightful football songs that’s almost impossible to get out of your head after you’ve heard it.

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I’ve finally had a chance to catch up on watching some of the Euro 2008 matches I missed. The jet lag hit me later in the week, so I found myself watching many of the games this week at weird hours on DVR.The one thing about football is that it can be so subjective. Earlier in the week, I found myself watching the 1-0 Croatia win against Austria game on the giant screen TV at the FanZone in Zurich. To me, Croatia looked like a very hard working team in the first half who were playing some wonderful football. Especially impressive was Ivica Olic, the Croat striker who plays for Hamburg, who was a workhouse throughout the game putting in an incredible performance. If ever there was a player who would do well in the Premier League, Olic is it.In their game against Austria, Croatia changed their tactics in the second half, which allowed Austria to press forward more. And it was the Austrians who impressed me, putting to bed all the fears about them being the worst team in the tournament.So I was surprised when I returned to the States and was hearing and reading the comments about Croatia looking weak in their first match. Against Germany, the Croats showed their true strength in their 2-1 win and it’s now Germany — many people’s favorites to win Euro 2008 — who risk getting knocked out of the tournament depending what happens in their final match against Austria.The other thing I found surprising when I returned to the States was the perception among many that this has been a boring tournament thus far. Sure, it’s easier to enjoy the atmosphere and games when you’re experiencing them in Switzerland, but still, the tournament to me has been one of the most exciting football events in quite some time, even more so than World Cup 2006. The France against Romania nil-nil match was horrible, but aside from that, I’ve enjoyed all of the other matches.Speaking of Romania, their 1-1 draw against Italy on Friday was a brilliant match to watch. So much goalmouth action with balls hitting the post or goalkeepers pulling off incredible saves. Buffon’s penalty save, too, was amazing to watch. Romania could have easily won the match in the first half, while Italy showed in this game their masterful technical touches — beautiful flicks, excellent ball control, deft passes and wonderful creativity — something which is desperately lacking in the Premier League and on the England national team.Italy, though, has to feel cheated by the goal that was ruled offside. On replay, it’s clear that the goal should have counted. But when I watched it in real-time, it looked to me to be offside, so I empathize why the referee and assistant referee thought the whistle should have been blown for offside.I’ve been writing about how impressed I’ve been about Holland since Monday and they completely blew me away again on Friday with their 4-1 win against France. In fairness, the French are to blame for this scoreline as they had plenty of chances to score. Just as in the match against Italy, the Dutch took full advantage of the chances they had with their clinical finishing.While Holland and Croatia continue to impress, Portugal can be added to that list. In their first game against Turkey, I thought the Portugese looked very entertaining with Pepe, especially, being a revelation. Portugal also looked breathtaking in the 3-1 win over Czech Republic. So far this tournament, the Czechs have done very little to impress me.For all of the bad press Austria got from the pundits and their own fans before the tournament started, I’ve been more impressed by the Austrians than Switzerland. Austria deserved to get the 1-1 draw against Poland earlier this week, and the penalty decision by Howard Webb, I believe, was a correct one.Speaking of Switzerland, the national team was dealt a cruel blow when Alex Frei was injured in their 0-1 loss to Czech Republic. But in the Swiss 2-1 loss to Turkey, it was Turkey’s Arda Turan who was the relevation. The Galatasaray winger scored two beautiful goals. The first, a beautifully taken header, and the second was an amazing shot in the last minute of the game, which will be one of the goals of the tournament.The one group I haven’t had a chance to watch so far this tournament is Group D because I was traveling throughout the day on Tuesday and missed Spain‘s demolition of Russia and the entertaining game between Sweden and Greece. I’m looking forward to seeing those matches on Saturday.

Before the Holland vs Italy match at Euro 2008, the last professional football match I attended was in November 2006 when I saw Manchester United draw Chelsea 1-1 at Old Trafford. The reason why I haven’t seen any games in person since 2006 is because the nearest professional team to me is exactly 1,000 miles away from my home in Florida.

You could say I’ve watched a lot of football on TV in between that match and this past Monday’s Euro 2008 battle between the Dutch and Italians. As a rough estimate, I’ve probably watched more than 400 matches on TV during that time period.

So being at a professional match was a chance to view the occasion from a different perspective: TV versus reality.

The two different experiences are completely different. While sitting at my seat in the stadium, I was able to experience both TV and reality at the same time. If I wanted to see how the match looked live on TV, all I had to do was to look up at the giant TV screen above the goal. It was a little of a surreal experience being able to choose between both TV and reality.

When the match first kicked off, I spent the first 20 minutes or so watching the game unfold and ignored the giant TV screen. The game started with Holland having a lot of ball possession knocking the ball around their defense, to midfield and back around to their defenders again as they looked for a gap that was opened up by their wingers or Ruud van Nistelrooy up front.

After the excitement of being at the match subsided, I noticed that there were some major differences of watching a game in person:

1. The game seemed to be played at a slower pace.
2. The crowd seemed quieter.
3. It was difficult to see how much space there was between players who were in the opposite half of the field from where I was sitting, and
4. It was almost impossible to see what was happening in front of the other goal because of the defenders and other players blocking my view, especially in goalmouth scrambles.

In contrast, watching the game on TV (or in my case, the giant TV screen), the match seemed to be played at a faster pace, more like a video game, especially with the perspective of where the TV cameras were perched in the stadium as well as the overhead shots that are reminiscent of video games.

In person, the crowd sounded quieter than on TV and there were quiet spells during the game where both sets of fans didn’t sing and all you could hear was the buzz of the crowd chatting or making sounds. With the latest technology in speakers and sound equipment, the sound of football fans can be made to sound louder than what they actually are. The in person experience was disappointing and definitely not loud enough.

We’ve all been used to sitting or standing at a game and having a difficult time seeing what’s happening at the opposite end of the field. Up close, we can see the spaces between players and can better judge whether a pass can make it to a player on the same side. But when those type of passes and runs happen far away from our seats, our perspective is gone. It becomes very difficult to see really what is going on because it’s very difficult to judge how much space is really between players and the ball. Sitting higher up in the stadium will help with those sight lines, but then you’ll feel further away from the action on the field.

In the second half when Holland continued to attack the Italy half and tried to get a third goal to seal the victory, there were a few times where the ball was in the penalty area but I couldn’t see what was happening due to several players converging around that area blocking my view.

While there are many advantages of being at a football match in person, such as the being part of the experience, sharing it with thousands of other fans, taking part in the carnival atmosphere and being able to express yourself more completely, there are still many serious disadvantages.

I found myself watching more of the second half on the giant TV screen. When Holland attacked Italy, I was more easily able to see the distance between players and could better comprehend whether an attack had any chance of turning into a goal opportunity. The TV screens also had the advantage of showing close-ups of players as well as action replays.

In this particular match, with the controversial first goal by van Nistelrooy, it was more important than ever to see a TV replay to determine whether the goal should have been allowed or not. In the stadium, we were handicapped by only being able to see the replay once or twice and even then, it was difficult to see what really happened without the aid of a TV commentator pointing out what was happening. Imagine how the experience must have been for the referee and assistant referee who don’t see any TV replays at all during games!

While the experience of being at a professional match is definitely something one-of-a-kind, I find that its overrated especially when you realize the technological advances that the networks have made in producing live matches for television. Part of the appeal of being at a live match is one of bragging rights by fans. “I was there mate.” But seeing a match in person also appeals to our celebrity culture, where we can say that we saw players like Del Piero, Buffon, Matterazi and others in person. It’s almost like the Hollywood culture where people get more of a kick from seeing Paris Hilton in person than on screen. However, the movie watching experience is far greater than seeing the movie shot in person. Just as movies are able to add special effects and make the actors appear much larger in size, TV is able to heighten and capture the excitement of a football match and make it an even better experience than being at a match.

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