It was all going so well. Argentina looked rattled, England seemed imperious. Joe Hart, Wayne Rooney and the BBC lot had finally been released from the shackles of Salford and were thriving in that air-conditioned Atlanta palatial stadium. Anthony Barry and Tommy T looked the business, Anderson was containing Messi. Djed Spence was Djed Spencing, then for the love of Princess Di, Ezri Konsa on for Anthony Gordon at 1-0 up? Seriously?
Curtains. Cue what happened. England once again fell at the second-to-last hurdle at a World Cup. Inevitable? It wasn’t supposed to be, not this time. Gareth had got England so far, now Thomas was meant to take us to the next step.
It was this kind of belief that made England favourites ahead of the game; favourites against Argentina in a World Cup semi final, yep. And it wasn’t blind faith; this was legit. We had the team and players and minerals to do what was necessary to make the final.
I had believed it all week, and seeing Hart in the BBC makeshift studio, my hopes were raised further still – not just by his energy though. His choice of watch for the occasion had me thinking positive thoughts. Of course it did, I’m a watch guy after all.
Before I lose you, strapped to his wrist was the discontinued Rolex Oyster Perpetual “Celebration” version. Colourful balloons all over the dial. Yep, this was a very pointed selection from the ex-England goalie who has 75 caps for England to his name so is no stranger to the pain of going out of a major tournament with England. For me, wearing such a watch was a statement based on more than just blind faith and hope. People are funny (read: sentimental) about when they wear their watches, so this was a conscious decision.
