Reviews of England’s performance from the world’s sporting pundits have been grim, though the French seem keen on Wayne Rooney.

Owen Hargreaves, for one, isn’t afraid of what might happen if England go to penalties in their potential remaining matches.
Or so he says….

The papers are teeming with items today about the psychological warfare prior to Saturday’s quarter-final match. Here are some highlights:
1) Sven has shown his squad video of Portugal’s blizzard of yellow and red vs. Holland.
2) Russian ref Valentin Ivanov — he of the itchy trigger finger — warns England against Portuguese chicanery.
3) Sven says [...]

It’s Big, Brassy Phil vs. Inscrutible Sven, and Big Phil reckons he knows who’s better.

Among those jaded onlookers who don’t rate England’s World Cup form very high is…Michael Owen! “”Players aren’t stupid. Everyone realises if we play like we have been playing then you would not think we would win the trophy,” he says, and it would be cruel to correct any part of that statement, wouldn’t it?

1) Everyone’s defending David Beckham, whose I-told-you-so goal was the margin of victory against Ecuador.
2) Ashley Cole, whose deflection of an Ecuadoran shot was the early turning point of the match, has an interesting battle shaping up against Cristiano Ronaldo.
3) Frank Lampard admits what the rest of us know: he’s been awful.
4) Sven [...]

Portugal’s bid to have one of Deco’s yellow cards from Sunday rescinded has been denied.
Now what shall we argue about?

The BBC condenses comments posted on its World Cup message board evaluating the English performance thus far.
It’s pretty much divided the way the chat here has gone: On the one hand, ‘we are rubbish and lucky to advance’; on the other, ‘who cares how we look so long as we’re advancing?’

Portugal are appealing one of the yellow cards which Deco received yesterday (details)
The way I see it, if you think the ref was shit — and he was — then you have to accept the inevitability that some of his decisions might be reversed.
So we shall wait and see…

Gary Neville likely will be back.
As, it is hoped, will be Cristiano Ronaldo.