World Cup Diary 22. England Poised.

The team of English footballers now in Germany are attempting to win the most sought after sporting trophy in the world.

Under the management of the cool Swede Eriksson they have progressed to the quarter finals playing powerful and composed football. On Saturday they face the winners of the notorious battle of Nuremburg, the Portuguese team, who demonstrated their street fighting nature with Vigo's repugnant head-butt.

England Captain David Beckham spoke today about relishing a physical game but its not that sort of honest challenge the English players are likely to face.

Far more likely is the faking and falling and the manipulation of the refereeing that the white shirts will have to encounter. The players can only respond by maintaining their dignity but should they fall behind they can expect the Portuguese to be prepared to engage in a dirty war to kill off the game and run down the clock.

The players know they have the support of the English football loving public and they know the country is draped in the colours of the team. The journalists who have spent this world cup campaign attacking and undermining the England team and manager do so because they are cowards and choose to back the probabilities.

The World Cup is the greatest sporting tournament competed for by the finest footballers in the world and chance and fate play their full part. There are now eight teams left who can win it, the cold statistics say we have one chance in eight. The negative writers of knocking copy are backing the other seven - then they can be right. Cowards.

Eriksson did his duty at the press conference with his usual restraint and Rooney showed a professional maturity for a young man of twenty operating in the biggest pressure cooker of all. Beckham and the team have got this far with fair play and resolve and on Saturday they will have the complete support of a nation of football lovers.