... apart from the fact that there is no easy way to be an English football fan, no matter which team you're watching
1. I am officially [my badge and pencil case arrived this morning] rubbish at gambling. £5 on Norway to beat Italy 2-0 flushed approximately eight minutes into the match. £2 on the final score in that match to be 5-2 [at 10/1] placed at half-time, and flushed approximately 10 minutes later, when the score reached 5-3. A patriotic £5 on England to beat Sweden, flushed approximately two minutes into the game. £5 on Denmark v Finland to be drawn at half-time, with Denmark winning: flushed and already bobbing in the sea off Blackpool after 15 minutes, when Finland were 2-0 up. Must I go on? OK...
£5 on Germany to beat France 2-1, not looking likely with 25 minutes to go. So a crafty few quid on them to win 1-0 at that point. The beggars go and score three in 12 minutes.
My account is down to £2.12. My self-respect disappeared long ago. Will I be betting on the rest of the games? N- oh, all right.
2. I am only very slightly better at Fantasy Euro 2005. Having totally ballsed up my campaign for world domination in the first round, I clawed my way back to 17th spot in the second, and am now proud to say I am 11th. Thank goodness for the Germans, who cost me £8, but bagged me lots of lovely fantasy points. We have a new leader at the top, Simon Williams, with 172 points, and he's just ahead of Rebecca Wingfield (165), former leader Paul Stevenson (162), Lea FT (158) and Fabio Kadow (154). A mere 13 points behind that lot, I'm confident I can yet steal the crown.
3. This week, I will mostly be getting lost trying to find the obscure places in which the four teams left are rumoured to train.
