Red:Sammy Hagar autobiography (2012)Book review – Hagar has many faces!

Before starting this book I had heard of Sammy Hagar and Van Halen but I would have struggled to name a song for you.

This book is interesting but it feels very one-sided most of the times, there are very few regrets made or mistakes admitted.

The book is actually more enjoyable from a business point of view than it is from the rock star element, I am sure if you were a die-hard Van Halen fan you would feel different but for me I found it interesting that Sammy decided to start a HUGE business empire on the back of a rock career,half way through the book I started viewing some songs on Youtube, I have to say a lot of his and Van Halens songs dont age that well, if you put them on in your house the people next door would presume you were having a 80’s party.

Entrepreneurs will struggle to gain any inside tips as Sammy Hagar arrived at most of his ventures with millions already in the bank, it’s not like he went from a paper round to owning very successful businesses, I have respect for what he has done and is obviously no mug but when it comes to running and planning ahead but I found it very hard to relate to the man.

On one hand he preachers that he is an OK good guy who treats everyone with respect, in the next breath he is bragging about sleeping with thousands of groupies in a tent under the stage…

When you read about his exploits you imagine a pure crazy and destructive life style, when you look at Youtube, some of the band interviews are amazingly cringeworthy, the band look like teenagers that never grew up, their only impulse is to show off the booze and drugs that they have available hidden all over the stage, the most interesting thing about the footage is Sammy, who almost comes off as sad Dad trying to be cool with his teenage kids, It made me think that Mr Hagar is very good at putting on a face, one for his music, and one for his business,I suspect the real person lies behind his business and  his music exploits are more of a front.

7/10

KO

 

Has Ebay lost it’s shine?, thousands of sellers looking for alternative…

Let me start by saying that I fell in love with Ebay several years ago, I accidentally started a side business for myself after coming across a few items that I knew I could get a decent profit for if I was to sell them online, as a result I sold thousands of items, and made a healthy profit margin of around 30% when you take out all of their fee’s, in money terms I was making an extra £800 a month for doing very little, I would buy from one online outlet and get them to send it to the buyer on Ebay.

I had a 100% feedback, then in one week I had a customer claim that the item I sent was broke on arrival, even though I offered him a full refund and a replacement I was given a negative report, these things can happen but then Ebay told me that they would be keeping any future money I received for up to 21 days, this obviously ends my business as I needed the initial payment to pay for the goods to be sent, added to this I was clearing £2/300  a week, if you multiply this by the millions of people using Ebay and they have a nice little interest building up in their account that previously wasn’t there, this angered me greatly, they have the power to collect any money paid out to you, or as Paypal call it reverse the payment at a later date so why would Ebay now insist on keeping hold of hundreds of thousands of people’s money if it wasn’t for making money out of the very people who create all the revenue in the first place, if there is nothing to sell there is nothing to buy!

I had several robotic email conversations with Ebay, who always responded with a scripted response that made very little sense to anyone living on this planet which I am sure was it’s purpose.

I very rarely use Ebay now, I haven’t sold anything on there for years after my experience with them, I did buy a pair of jeans from a company on Ebay for my two-year old child, after a month my son came running into the room with blood all over his face, we were clueless about how this had happened until we found the jeans purchased from Ebay and noticed one of the buttons had fallen off and underneath there was a harsh sharp piece of metal that looked a lot like a mini knife, I am guessing these jeans were made in China and had limited safety checks for things like this, I contacted Ebay, they were not concerned for my sons nice new scar but did say they could probably refund my money that I had paid for the brand new jeans, I told them they were missing the point with regards to the danger that lay ahead for future customers of this company that were selling these cheap knock offs, I said I wish to contact the company direct, they refused to give a postal address, they told me that I would have to contact their head office in Luxemburg via post if I wanted to complain about the transaction or this company, they said sending an email was not possible and that it had to be done via post and sent to another country altogether, this for me is Ebay just trying to fob the buyer off , we live in 2014 and you can pretty much send anything on email nowadays apart from a serious complaint to Ebay.

So I have been screwed not only as a buyer but also as a seller, here are several other accounts of people’s experiences on Ebay….

 

discount-petmart-usa

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Registered: ‎07-08-2008

Here’s one for you… I had a PREMIUM store, which is $59.95 on a yearly subscription. Because I have a below standard rating in GLOBAL (not U.S.) I have a listing limitation on my account. SO, I can’t use the Premium store anymore, it’s pointless. After 2 hours on the phone explaining why the guy who sent a BROKEN, CHEWED up system back to me should NOT count against me (and that would take me out of lower status)… I was told NO, and that I would be charged $82 to cancel my Premium store since my year wasn’t up. So, let me get this straight… I was not backed up by eBay on a defective return. Had I been, I would NOT be in lower standing. I am FORCED to closed my Premium store due to the limitations, but will be CHARGED an early termination fee. Wow… no really. After 14+ years as a seller on eBay, I am just floored. Millions of dollars of transactions and I get a big FYOU from eBay. So, yeah. I’m out as soon as I can get free.

 

stellarbowler

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Registered: ‎10-27-2007

in reply to mca19

‎09-24-2014 11:28 PM

One “defective” transaction in more than 1200 last week (USPS failed to deliver a single baseball card, a $25 item). Seller never contacted me. Tracking showed it stalled in delivery at his post office. I should have acted sooner than I did, but nonetheless I feel I was unfairly blamed by eBay for circumstances beyond my control. I refunded the seller his money; he had opened a claim without contacting me. He still never responded to my query as to why. Goodbye, eBay. I sincerely hope your company fails because you have just punished one great seller.

 

audioguise

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Registered: ‎11-11-2005

in reply to kansas_gal06

‎09-19-2014 07:02 AM

I have sold on ebay for over a decade and have seen ebay from the “glory days” through it’s current situation. I also have invested thousands in inventory that I’m just sitting on now becasue I don’t want to give it away to some buyer on ebay that has figured out PayPal’s “FREE ITEMS—buyer protection program.” I have had a good run on ebay and ebay put my daughter through college, but that’s all changed now. Ebay is a very bizzare experience for the seller compared to what it once was.

 

cometshredder

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Registered: ‎09-11-2014

in reply to mca19

‎09-11-2014 08:48 PM – last edited on ‎09-12-2014 06:45 PM by hawk_s

eBay lost its ways. I hope the founder is seeing this and fire all the execs that is ruining brand. Also, paypal’s days are numbered with apple pay!

 

broadny

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Registered: ‎01-14-2009

in reply to mca19

‎08-22-2014 04:46 PM

The issue is that eBay is not run by principled men. It’s run by people who have no concern or desire beyond making money for themselves.  The fact is, there are tons of places to buy things.  There are very few places to sell.  Therefore, it makes sense (from a purely financial standpoint) for eBay to tilt the scales in favor of the buyers. Why wouldn’t they? Buyers can go elsewhere. Sellers can’t.

 

I have just checked into WordPress and I have 36 Spam messages that are not picked up by their system

I have noticed a lot of spam getting through of late, I do not approve the spam so you guys never see it but I enjoy responding to comments and now I am drowning in spam, I have to keep clicking spam on the comments then deleting them, the WordPress system would normally stop them getting through but it’s getting worse, all of these messages are generally linked to a company that are selling or offering a service.

I would be interested to know if this is a result of not paying for WordPress, are WordPress letting these spammers through to encourage people to pay for their upgraded version ?

Anyone else having this problem ?

KO

Atkins diet and drinking alcohol……

So I am back on the Atkins diet, I lost around 10lbs in the first 2 weeks, this is why I love the Atkins, you get the quick and impressive results right from the off, I then went to a fancy dress party and thought in my Karate Kid outfit, that I deserved a few shots of Barcardi & Coke, this went down nice but within the following week my weight loss stalled completely, I thought I may just get away with it but it seems not, I guess I will have to get close to my ideal weight before enjoying the naughtiness of Alcohol.

I have lost a lot of weight on the Atkins in the past, I generally put it back on within 12 months, I always do the same thing, I tap myself on the back and tell myself that I will give myself the week off, this week off normally goes well past a week and before you know it I am at the front of the queue at Carb City!, So my plan this time round is to work through all the phrases and start to build in the healthy carbs gradually, at present I am eating lettice, peppers and onions with my steak, chicken or Fish everyday so it’s not like I am purely living off meat.

As long as I stay off the bread, pasta and rice, I hope that it stays off this time round, that first Jack Daniels is gonna taste good when I get to my goal weight!

KO

P.S I do not recommend the Chocolate bars marketed by the Atkins franchise, they stalled my weight loss and I have read several posts on different forums that other people have witnessed the same results.

Get on it(2014) Movie Review: The James Brown movie!

There are lots of good and bad in this film, if we start with the good, the actor (Chadwick Boseman) delivers a sterling performance as James, it’s creepy at times how a like he is, the stories that come out about Mr Brown are interesting and revealing if they are true to life.

The bad, well it has to be the decision by the screen writer to let James talk to the camera / audience in an unfunny Ferris Bueller type of way, the intention was not for comedic purposes, but I am not sure what the screen writers intention was, nevertheless, I found it took me out of the story and in effect the film each time he did it, which was a lot, you have a man whose life is long,interesting, horrific and successful all gift wrapped for the screen writer (Jez Butterworth)  to deliver something special, instead he creates an OK film, but this had the ingredients to be amazing, I hope someone else attempts a remake in the future and avoids Jez’s mistakes.

7/10

KO

Boyhood(2014) Movie review; amazing idea, but …

When I read that this film was shot every year for the past twelve years, following the same cast I could not wait to watch it, for the first quarter of the film I was mesmerised by the cleverness of the idea and development on the screen, to follow a boy of 5 up until he is 18 is quite amazing, the film is life within a life, it’s the closest I think we will ever get to the Trueman show, but let’s not forget, this cast agreed to act, not be monitored.

So did it work, I would have to say no, the idea was fresh and original but I found myself watching out of intrigue in the physical changes and not the story that was being told, you know sometimes when a movie ends and you are left to wonder if the characters go on to lead a sweet and happy life, well this film proves that it is better to live with the fantasy than the reality of life, that is why we watch films in most cases, this film is a little too close to life in the fact that it is quite boring and dreary(compared to the movies) not a lot happens which is a crime when you think that the director had 12 years to re-edit the script.

Worthy of a watch by all, more for the experience than the viewing pleasure.

7/10

KO

Tearing your calf muscle – great link and advice

I was in the gym today trying to keep up my new healthy life style, I did 15 minutes on the Bike, 15 minutes on the Crosstrainer and then I thought I would end the session with a good run on the Treadmill, I set my run to 20 minutes, was in the 19th minute and my run felt strong and I felt like I could do more than the minute that was left, I looked at the clock and saw 40 seconds remaining, I then felt a pain shoot directly into my calf, shoot! being the optimal word as it felt like a bullet had ripped into that part of my leg! I pushed the emergency stop button and limped off the belt of the treadmill, I tried putting weight down on the affected leg but could not without the shooting pain, in the end I hobbled out of the gym and as long as I didn’t bend that part of the leg I could get away with just looking like I had shit myself as I walked.

I’m really annoyed that this happened, I was just getting the taste for exercise again and now I can’t walk properly, I did the same thing a year ago but this was more painful, the back of my calf, 6 hours later looks like Popeyes arm.

I am thinking to give the running a miss, the Bike and Crosstrainer are less enjoyable but I have never experienced any injuries from them.

I found this great link explaining what happens when you tear your calf and how to treat it –

Managing acute calf tears

Written by Tom Goom, senior Physio at The Physio Rooms Brighton. Follow Tom on Twitter.

Calf pain in runners is quite common and can become a persistent nuisance. Fortunately it usually responds well to treatment and there are a lot of simple exercises you can do to help it recover. This is the first of a series of pieces on calf injury and will guide you through early management of a calf tear. Later pieces will examine non-traumatic calf pain and rehab of strength and flexibility.

The calf is made up of 2 large muscles – gastrocnemius and soleus and a smaller muscle called plantaris. Gastrocnemius is the more superficial of the muscles with soleus sitting beneath it. Gastroc. has two heads to it and crosses both the ankle and knee joints – this makes it somewhat vulnerable to injury. Injuries to soleus are far more rare. In one study of 141 cases referred for ultrasound after calf strain just 1 had a soleus tear while 94 had gastroc injuries.

Traumatic calf injury

The calf is usually injured with sudden movements that dorsiflex the ankle (bend it up) while weightbearing. With the gastroc this often happens with the knee straight as the muscle is then stretched over 2 joints. Activities like rapid lunges (common during racquet sports) or acceleration to sprint when running are common causes of calf injury. It may also occur when the muscle is fatigued after distance running.

During a calf injury many people describe a sudden sensation of being struck on the back of the leg. Swelling is common and it can be difficult to walk initially. In more minor calf injuries people can sometimes continue with their sport at the time of the injury but the pain becomes more severe after. Of the two heads of the muscle the medial head (on the inside of the calf) is more commonly injured than the lateral head (on the outside).

Management of acute calf injury involves POLICE (formerly RICE). With muscle injuries anti-inflammatory medications are not currently recommended, especially in the first 48 hours as they are thought to delay healing. As with all injuries RunningPhysio recommends seeing an appropriate health professional. In the case of calf injuries this is especially important as there is a risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT).

Symptoms of DVT include pain, swelling and tenderness in the calf often accompanied by warmth and redness of the skin. Unfortunately these are often common symptoms after a calf injury even without DVT. In many cases people sent for investigation of suspected DVT are found not to have one, however if in doubt get it checked out as a DVT is a serious condition and can lead to pulmonary embolism which is potentially life threatening.

Treatment of a calf injury depends largely on severity (timescales detailed below are approximate and may vary considerably between individuals) but I follow these principles of treatment for calf injuries;

1. Respect the healing process
2. Allow a period of relative rest
3. Maintain calf flexibility and strength where possible but exercise within pain limits
4. Gradually re-introduce activity that involves stretching or loading the calf muscle
5. Rehab any deficits that exist after the healing process (this might include calf strength, power, endurance or bulk, reduced calf flexibility, altered movement control etc etc.)

With a minor calf injury symptoms will be mild with minimal swelling, you will be able to walk unaided with slight discomfort but sudden movements that stretch or work the calf may cause an increase in pain. Initial treatment involves rest for 2-3 days after which you can often resume gentle cross training, providing it’s pain free. This might include swimming, or cycling (with low resistance) but should avoid impact, heavy resistance or sudden movements. Once symptoms settle you can start some light jogging on a treadmill and see how it feels before gradually returning to training. The timeframe for this varies from around 1-4 weeks depending on the injury and the individual. When you do return to running avoid hill training and speed work initially as this places a greater stress on the calf muscle.

Moderately severe calf injuries need to be treated with a little more caution. In the early stages there will be noticeable swelling and discomfort. You will be able to walk unaided but with some difficulty and pain. Any movements that place even a small stress or load on the calf are likely to be painful. This might include going up or down stairs, moving the ankle or pressure on the calf area.

The first 2-3 days are likely to involve bleeding within the muscle and significant swelling. In these acute stages you’ll need to be more attentive to rest, elevation and ice and I wouldn’t recommend cross training. You may benefit from offloading the calf a little. This can be done by putting a heel wedge in your shoe, strapping the calf or even wearing shoes with a heel (although probably something stable rather than stilettos!). This should be a short term strategy and you should aim to walk in normal shoes or barefoot as soon as comfortable to do so.

By days 4-7 you may find you’re comfortable enough to start very gentle exercises for the calf. Simply move the foot up and down, first with the knee bent, then with it straight. Move only as far as comfortable – don’t push through pain. Little and often is usually best – around 10-15 reps 3 times per day. The aim is to encourage the muscle to contract and relax, this should help clear swelling and maintain flexibility.

After day 7 you’re usually in the sub-acute phase of injury. The muscle is still healing and that new tissue will be vulnerable so you want to avoid excessive stress on it. The body is amazing when it comes to healing and it’s worth respecting that. We often aim to accelerate things but perhaps, in truth, our aim is more to promote the best environment to allow things to heal at their normal rate. It’s important to maintain flexibility and strength in the calf muscle as things heal, but this shouldn’t come at the expense of the healing process.

From approximately day 7 to 21 post injury scar tissue is still developing but isn’t usually strength enough to handle large loads. As a result I would avoid static stretches during this period, instead use the 2 traditional calf stretches (pictured below) but do them dynamically. Rather than moving until you feel a stretch and holding it, just focus on controlled, gentle movement in pain free range. Alternatively a minisquat is a simple way to maintain ankle mobility. You can also start some supported calf raises if able – do on both feet (rather than just 1) – push up onto your toes and slowly lower. You can usually resume cross training from 2-3 weeks post injury but keep it pain free and avoid impact and resistance work.

From 3-4 weeks after calf injury the scar tissue will usually have developed enough to handle a little more load, at this stage you may benefit from starting static calf stretches if comfortable. In which case stretch both the gastroc and soleus muscles, using the techniques above and holding for around 30 seconds for 3-5 reps. You can often progress strength work at this point, if comfortable try single leg calf raises on your weaker side. Do as many as comfortable and gradually increase until you can do the same on both legs. Stop if painful!

Severe calf injuries can result in a complete tear of the gastrocnemius muscle. There will be significant swelling and pain and a haematoma may develop. You may be unable to walk without help from crutches, even then it will be difficult to weight bear and many people choose to hop instead! Management of these injuries varies considerably and will be guided by your consultant or physiotherapist.

Final thoughts: calf injuries can be painful and potentially debilitating and should be assessed by a health care professional to rule out serious complications such as DVT. As ever on RunningPhysio if in doubt, get it checked out. Most calf tears respond well to treatment but the healing process must be respected and it’s important not to do too much too soon.

 

 

Re-joining a gym and the Bullshi* that goes along with it!

I remember when I felt young, I could play football for 90 minutes and then think nothing of a game of squash an hour later, I am now 33 but my body feels like it is closer to 50.

I decided to re-join my local gym, with all the budget gyms in my town I managed to pay £13 a month, there is no extras like a sauna or steam room but as I paid but never used these luxuries in the past I knew I was on to a winner!

I phoned the gym, I got passed around a couple of times before someone with a high-pitched tone accepts my call, Hi MY NAME IS AMY AND I UNDERSTAND YOU WANT TO JOIN OUR GYM !

Yes I do, I am a previous customer, I would just like to sign up without all the bumf if that is possible.

YES SURE, WELL YOU WILL HAVE TO DO AN INDUCTION AND HAVE A CHAT WITH A MEMBER OF STAFF!

I have used all the machines before, I am only interested in the cardio machines, can I not just sign a waiver so if I break my leg I can’t sue you ?

NO, I AM AFRAID NOT, YOU NEED TO HAVE A CHAT AND HAVE AN INDUCTION WHICH LASTS A MIN’ OF 30 MINUTES, ITS VERY IMPORTANT FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY & LEGAL REASONS!

(I book in a time slot)

When I arrive at reception, the lady looks at me like a lost dog without a home, CAN I HAVE YOUR MEMBERSHIP CARD PLEASE!

No, I am joining today, I was told to ask for Amy ?

MMMmm, SO HAVE YOU GOT A MEMBERSHIP CARD?

Nope! ….. 1st day today.

( Minutes go by before a girl named Sarah arrives at reception, her demenor is that of girl who has just broken up with her boyfriend)

HELLO, YOU’RE HERE FOR YOUR INDUCTION ?

(We arrive at her desk shortly afterwards and in a high pitch she says…)

SO WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS ?

I have done all this before… I just want to focus on running and using the treadmill…

RIGHT, RIGHT,RIGHT…..

WELL WE HAVE A  SPECIAL OFFER AT THE MOMENT, PAY FOR 5 PERSONAL FITNESS LESSONS AND GET 1 FOR FREE.

No thanks, I just want to do my own thing.

(She is now looking at me like I am have just informed her that she is in fact adopted)

OK, WELL I WILL TAKE YOU ROUND TO SEE MATT WHO WILL BE RUNNING THE INDUCTION FOR YOU TODAY.

( I am introduced to Matt who looks like he has just woken up, hair covering his eyes when he is not flicking it back with his own head movements)

 

ALRRIGHT MATE, HAVE YOU USED A GYM BEFORE ?

Yes I have used this one, and several others.

ALRRRIGHT MATE, COOL, LETS START ON THIS MACHINE AND CAN YOU SHOW ME HOW YOU SHOULD START IT.

(I show him how to start three machines, 2 minutes have past and he says…

THAT’S FIIIINE MATE, YOU CAN DO YOUR OWN THING NOW! YOU HAVE PASSED !

( I get stuck straight into to the crosstrainer, I am feeling good as I motion pumping my fists forward while treading mud, there are a few fat ladies working out around me, I don’t really think anything, my mind is vacant, about twenty minutes into my standing workout an attractive blond-haired woman gets onto the machine next to me, as a married man I don’t play away from home but I cannot deny that I attracted to this woman, in over thinking the situation I find that I am pounding the crosstrainer harder than I was before she arrived in the gym, while doing this I am looking everywhere except in her direction, I don’t know why I feel the urge to do this, I guess the opposite reaction of me looking at her once in a while might me confused with me perving on her, so out of paranoia I decide to play it safe and play the role of Stevie Wonder on a crosstrainer.

I am married but I don’t wear a ring, not for the reasons you may think, I hate jewellery of any kind on my skin, always have, but as I am sat there in the gym I notice some girls checking out a guy and making it so obvious that all the guy would have to say to pull her would be to smile and say hello,(The guy in question does not notice any of his admires, or pretends not to notice them )  at this point I have an urge to be wearing a wedding ring, I want to wear it as a beacon of comfort to all the single ladies in there who now don’t see me as a threat , I hate it when you are just being friendly but this is confused for making a play….

45 minutes in and I head to the water area, while guzzling a few cone-shaped cups, I gaze at the fitness classes on the wall, a plane woman in her 40’s is a yard away from me, I casually ask about one of the groups, ( what type of exercise do they do in that class ?)  the woman looks at me like I have just asked if she fancied a quickie in the toilet, she looks uncomfortable and replies with, Errr.. I don’t know, but as she walks away she smiles to herself as if to say, ( Yeah, nice try fella!)  I can’t tell you how annoyed this makes me, Oh well I will have to take it out on the treadmill.

1st day of Gym

30 MINUTES  ON CROSSTRAINER

15 MINUTES ON TREADMILL

15 MINUTES ON THE BIKE

TARGET FOR NEXT WEEK – 30 MINUTES ON TREADMILL

KO

Harry Redknapp and his Spurs players who did not want to play for England !

This surely cannot be hard to work out, from my memory alone you have David Bentley ( Strong possibility)  Arron Lennon ( Very strong seeing he has not been picked or mentioned for England for over a year)  I doubt Jermaine Defoe would be on Harry’s list, Ledley King ( I can see him trying to get out of friendly games because of his knee)  Jermaine Jenus had a few showings for England, can’t imagine he would be looking for excuses not to join up again.

So I would guess and say Harry is talking about David Bentley who threw his football career away, and Arron Lennon who never pushed on from his early promise, England are better off without them.

KO

OK, I am ready to carry on World Cup 2014 without England!

I have accepted the fact that England are rubbish, it may not be constructive but it’s not far from the truth.

When you look at our other World cups and Euro failures there is a pattern that exists over the past twenty years, at the 2010 WC in South Africa we were horrible to watch but managed to get out of the group much like a slug begging to be put out of its misery, we played small nations struggled then played Germany and got smashed 4 -2, It could have been much worse.

If you look at the Euros in 2012 we also played bad football, I think we were voted the worse team in the tournament and went out to Italy who controlled the game completely and we defended for 80 minutes like a nation new to big competitions, we went out on penalties as the Italians could not thread a ball past the two buses we had in goal.

So back to the present and I have to say I felt like a part of me had died when England got dumped out of this years World Cup, there was something missing, or should I say two things missing from the England team, I think you either have to have one or the other, if you have both you win the World Cup, if you have one you make it to the Quarter final stage at least, these two things ?  1, To have World class players in your team, ideally at least three players, at present, England have zero, that 2nd thing would be to play as a team, and have a real team ethic, England from my time have not shown a team good ethic since Glenn Hoddles 1998 side, some would argue that the spirit was built by Terry Venables and taken on by Glenn Hoddle, either way, the teams of 1996 and 1998 had some great players but more than anything it was the team that managed to take on the world with confidence, each player played with a sense of trust in his team mates.

The present team of 2014 showed a glimmer of entertaining play against the Italians, but when the answers were being asked at the crunch time in the game, a lot of our players were looking around to see who was willing to take the game by the scruff of the neck, I would argue that Rooney, Gerrard & Cahill tried to do this but they were simply not good enough or did not have that level of class to do so, matched with a team lacking in experience the resulting pitiful World Cup exit was not that hard to predict, the three players mentioned are good team players, not World class players, if you added Pirlo, Suarez and Van Persie to the England team you would fancy our chances, in a perfect world, I guess we would all be very bored, so instead we are stuck in reality.

Alonso was quoted yesterday as saying the Spanish World champions reign ended because the players were no longer hungry, I think there are elements of this with the England team, even though based on their half a century of losing you would think they would be starving, instead I look at Costa Rica who have players who move as one, and battle and fight for each other, all of England’s players are earning a fortune, they all drive top of the range sports cars, live in mansions, and never have to solve or deal with banal issues that most of us do.

I think there is an element of our players being cuddled in the most entertaining league in the world, it may be the most entertaining but it is probably third or fourth in the quality stakes, so while Gerrard and co look like superstars in the Premier league, when they meet real quality teams they soon realise they are not as good as they thought they were.

All of the top four in a our league have foreign players as their key men, our English players simply play supporting roles in the show that is the Premier league, this World Cup has made our guys look like TV extras, I can enjoy the World Cup now, but it will take me a good while to believe in a England team again.

KO