England Supporters Club

I’ve played on some shocking pitches in my time – I remember playing for Chelsea in ‘the battle of Stamford Beach’ against Charlton back in 2003 and the condition of the surface can often play into your favour if you’re the home side. There may be a slight advantage for the South and Central American sides, but for England against Italy it is a level playing field – pardon the pun...

A few days ago I was on the Rio underground when someone came up to me to give me his World Cup predictions. He recognised me from my appearances on Brazilian TV, and he wanted to tell me that there were two teams that were going to spring a surprise in the World Cup: France, and England. Many in Brazil lost patience with England after South Africa 2010. The feeling over here before that tournament was that England...

I've been back in England for a few days now and had the chance to reflect on what was yet another cracking away trip with the Three Lions. The Honduras game, as many predicted, was a very tough affair with the referee offering England limited protection against some rather nasty tackles. The result, while disappointing, did not particularly matter to be honest. It was far more important that England had a good...

Last Sunday I commentated on the match between Italy and Brazilian club side Fluminense, staged in Volta Redonda, a hundred miles or so outside Rio. The match kicked off at 5.30pm in the afternoon. I arrived at the ground six hours earlier - and already there were plenty of supporters gathering. Many of them were Fluminense fans. Others had Italian affiliations. But lots had come (and at the equivalent of nearly £30...

Robert Lawson had “always dreamed of going to a World Cup to watch England” and now for the 19-year-old, thanks to winning an England Supporters Club competition, that dream is a reality. Robert won flights to Sao Paulo, accommodation i...