The sheer joy of taking the lead twice, followed by the agony of Liverpool’s last-minute equaliser, then defeat at the hands of a penalty shoot-out. 2006’s FA Cup Final was a wonder to watch, and no doubt a great advertisement for English football, but the emptiness of finishing the game with nothing is no war badge. West Ham’s form this season has been a delight, and it’s great to see them collect some of the credit they deserve after their rise from 6th in the Championship to 9th in the Premiership.

I’ve often pondered football – people’s lives, money, emotions ride on the efforts and successes of eleven players. It is a funny old game, for it is ‘only a game’, something we can’t control, affect, input, and yet it controls us, affects us, whipping us up into frenzy’s and carrying us down into aching pits… bring on the World Cup!