I've never arrived at a game four hours before kick-off. Two hours, maybe, but that was when terraces lived and breathed and I couldn't stretch beyond my father's belt-buckle, even on tiptoes.
But when my packed tram disembarked at Frankfurt's Waldstation stadium, I felt like a latecomer. There were already thousands of fans milling around: eating, drinking, joking. It felt like stepping back in time.
England supporters, mostly red of shirt and often redder of face, made up the majority. But shirts from most United Nations countries were evident, including a healthy number of Paraguay tops. On one of the bridges leading up to the stadium, England and Paraguay fans shook hands, tried in vain to communicate and guest-starred in each other photographs.
The mood was relaxed. You only wished every England game was like this.
According to some estimates, there are 40,000 England fans in Frankfurt, most without tickets. The touts' asking price has been reduced since yesterday, but 500-1000 euros is still the going rate. Not surprisingly, many supporters I spoke to had already given up, and were off to the city centre to watch on the big screens.
Meanwhile the lucky few with tickets drifted eagerly, if slowly, towards the airport security devices which guard the stadium entrances. Every bag and body is X-rayed. No exceptions.
One last thing. For the last two weeks in Germany, the weather has been mid-spring not mid-summer. Today, however, it's sweltering. 30 degrees is predicted come kick-off; at least 10 degrees higher than it's been at England's training camp in the Black Forest. In this heat, playing at a fast tempo looks impossible. When they go slow, England are often vulnerable; and Paraguay, 7-1 outsiders, shouldn't be underestimated.
