England start as they mean to go on

England are going to win their group, I reckon.

England set the stage for an exhilarating World Cup defeat next year by losing 4-1 to Denmark in a 'friendly' last night. Their stunning performance genuinely pushed the limit of failure by an England side, and sets up the genuine possibility of being beaten by Wales or even me on my own.

Perhaps this was the best possible result. Every two years, people start saying that in the next major competition, England really do stand a chance of doing well. Hopefully, there will be a little less of that this time around, and we'll be able to ignore the World Cup right from the beginning, rather than having to suddenly start ignoring it mid-way through the contest.