World Cup

A MUCH-REVERED former colleague on The Sun used to boom out his favourite mantra at every World Cup: “When’s the parade?”It was a mocking reference to the eternal optimism many of the press pack had — me included — that England were going to win it and our gallant heroes would return in triumph, touring the streets of London on an open-top bus as hundreds of thousands of ecstatic fans lined the pavements.
England’s 1966 World Cup win feels increasingly distantCredit: Getty
The Three Lions lost to France in devastating fashion on SaturdayCredit: Getty
Any time England put in a sub-standard performance during a tournament, he would be at it: “When’s the parade?”
And, of course, once England went out he repeated it again, followed by a shake of the head and a knowing look which said, ‘You lot will never learn’.
Nothing would have given me greater pleasure in life than to have sent him a text this coming Sunday which read: “See you at the parade.”
That song from the 1982 World Cup squad had been ringing in my ears.
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You know the one: “This time, more than any other time, this time, we’ll get it right.”
More than ever before it really felt like it would happen.
This England had all the ingredients — better strength in depth than any other squad, an array of attacking talent rival countries could only dream of, players worth £100million-plus who were admired worldwide and a manager with the experience of coming so close to glory, who was ready to take the Three Lions that one final step.
The longer the World Cup progressed, the prize was within our grasp.
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Germany were out, Belgium were out, Brazil were out and, when Portugal lost to Morocco and the Africans became our potential semi-final opponents, our name was all but on the golden trophy.
And yes, one of our number did make calls to the relevant authorities to ask whether arrangements had been made for the parade.
But, of course, it never works out does it.
England lack that magic ingredient, the killer instinct which gets us over the finish line, the X-factor of knowing how to win the biggest prize.
Reigning world champions France had that, despite the fact England probably had the better team.
Getting the first one for more than half a century is the hardest one of all.
France’s extra experience told on SaturdayCredit: Getty
We did it in 1966 and the names of that famous team have been burned into my brain all my life.
To meet some of them and, at times, work with them was always special. They had done it, they’d beaten the world yet they were always so humble about it.
That was partly because they were cast aside by the FA and the country generally. There were no big-money punditry jobs in those days.
They had to scrap for a living like everyone else.
On a previous paper I gave hat-trick hero Geoff Hurst a column during Euro 96.
He was surprised to get the offer as it was 30 years since his famous feat and he had carved out a new career as an insurance salesman.
I travelled with Sir Bobby Charlton a few times as he traipsed his way round the globe trying to win our bid to stage the 2006 World Cup.
It wasn’t a case of turning up at a few glamour events, he worked himself into the ground, on a hamster wheel which got ever faster as we forlornly tried to earn votes from corrupt Fifa executives.
Geoff Hurst has been a great ambassador for English footballCredit: Getty
He didn’t complain, he felt it was his duty. But no sooner had we lost the bid, the FA forgot about him again.
I met our World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore at Wembley and he introduced himself to me!
He never presumed people would knew who he was.
His job then was as a summariser for London radio station, Capital.
He was grateful for the work after some failed business ventures and there is a famous picture of him huddled up against the cold in the press box just days before he died of cancer.
Moore was sitting only a few yards from where he stopped to wipe his hands before receiving the World Cup from the Queen.
He passed long before the FA woke up and realised it was time we treated the 1966 squad with the deference they were due and Hurst has been a marvellous ambassador for that team.
But even he realises the time is long overdue to pass the baton on to a fresh generation of winners.
We desperately need new images to replace those fading black and white photos of a team which for many of us exists not in our memories but in those of our parents and grandparents.
And had England succeeded you can bet none of this squad would have become insurance salesmen, local radio commentators or been flogged into the ground taking round the begging bowl to bloated nobodies.
Only Charlton and Hurst from that ’66 team were knighted but not until 1994 and 1998 respectively.
Had England won this one, it would have been knighthoods all round and a lifetime of permanent adoration.
Arise, Sir Jude Bellingham, would have had a lovely ring to it.

IVANA GET DRESSED
THANKS to Croatian ‘super-fan’ Ivana Knoll for clarifying that, despite reports, she will not be stripping naked if her country wins the World Cup.
Ivana confessed that, before arriving in Qatar, she was not aware of the rules about dressing modestly and that she didn’t actually have the clothes with her to cover everything.
Fair play to her, she’s now doing her bit to fall in line… and has covered her shoulders !
Ivana Knoll has caused a stir at the World CupCredit: Splash
FIGHTING THE LLOR
EVEN the French laughed at The Sun posting pictures of our players all over Paris ahead of the quarter-final.
Good to see that they had a sense of humour — and, anyway, they got the last laugh following their 2-1 win.
One man without a sense of humour before the big match was Tottenham and France skipper Hugo Lloris, who was steaming mad about suggestions in the English press that he was one of the weakest links in the French team.
He joined in with the last laugh, too.
Hugo Lloris had the last laugh on SaturdayCredit: Getty
QAT OUT THE BAG
GOT chatting to a waiter in Doha who explained how he had come to the World Cup on a two-month contract for the princely sum of 5,000 riyals.
That’s £560 a month to you and me, or £125 a week for a nine-week contract. Or, if you like, £18 a day.
He told me he lived in a compound, four men to a small room, and all he did was work and sleep. “Now,” he said, “I want to get a job here!”
Sorry, what was that?
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“Yes, I come from Lebanon and my country is destroyed. Here there are opportunities.”
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I’M fed up with us being plucky losers.After we lost to France all the talk was: “Well done England, jolly good defeat, keep your heads high.”
England manager Gareth Southgate consoled Harry Kane after their World Cup defeatCredit: PA
I can’t stand that.
If I’d been one of those England players I’d be in “don’t talk to me” mode for about two years. I wouldn’t want anyone telling me that I’d done well.
We’ve missed another fantastic opportunity and it’s not a question of effort. We gave absolutely everything.
But our “good effort lads, better luck next time” attitude bloody annoys me. I’m such a bad loser, I can’t take it.
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This is the mentality we have to change.
They’re all nice people in the England camp. Gareth Southgate’s lovely, Stevie Holland is wonderful, Chris Powell is a beautiful man.
But they need an experienced, serial winner around the place.
Gareth doesn’t lack courage, he has tremendous courage. But he’s a good loser. It’s hard to say that but it’s the truth.
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Tony Adams believes Southgate needs to bring in a proven winnerCredit: Louis Wood
They need another voice, an experienced head who’s won stuff at the highest level for their clubs who can have a word in some ears about what you need to do to get over that line which we don’t seem able to cross.
We could have done it in Qatar. We fight, we don’t run away. But losing becomes a habit and it’s hard to shake that, even with all the will and all the skill in the world.
You go on the field fearing what might happen and the more you lose the worse that gets.
I don’t want Southgate and his coaching staff to quit. They are great guys and they’re doing great work.
Gareth’s probably thinking: “Have I taken it as far as I can go. I’ve had three shots at it.”
But is there someone else to replace him?
I don’t think Eddie Howe is ready yet, for instance.
He’s early in his development and probably wouldn’t leave Newcastle anyway. We have the best man at the moment but we have to find a way of getting to the next level.
Gareth doesn’t lack courage, he has tremendous courage. But he’s a good loser. It’s hard to say that but it’s the truth.
Which is why we need that Bryan Robson type of character, a winner who has a word for the manager or players at the crucial times. Someone the coaching team can call on for advice. Sol Campbell, too, might be someone who fits the bill.
France have that in their manager Didier Deschamps who has done it all and we are missing that ingredient among the backroom team.
When we were kids in the Arsenal youth team we were winning everything, so when we progressed to stepping out at Anfield for the first team it didn’t bother us, we expected to win. It was the same for the Class of 92 at Manchester United.
With experience, you get to know what you need to do, when to drop off, when to go forward. You learn what it takes.
Emotionally and mentally we need a significant shift here. We’re doing the same things. We get what we think we’ll get.
Someone needs to get in among these boys and say there’s going to be a moment where you need to step up.
I remember when we went to Rome needing a draw to qualify for the 1998 World Cup and there was a split second when Christian Vieri got in at the near post and he looked like he might score but I just did enough to stop him.
Bukayo Saka was superb before being replaced by Raheem Sterling in the 79th minuteCredit: Getty
Similarly, Harry Maguire had to get across and snuff out Olivier Giroud’s threat. There are moments in a game where it’s your turn, where an individual has to do their bit to make sure the team succeeds.
Players need to know when their moment is.
I was saying to my boy:  “Giroud’s not done anything.” And he said: “Dad, you’re putting a curse on him” — and he pops up with the winner.
He was there when it was his moment, Maguire wasn’t.
And Southgate also needed someone saying to him: “You can’t take Bukayo Saka off, he’s our best player.”
Saka was my man of the match, he was brilliant. And, like I said ahead of the game, their full-backs were not as good as ours.
Theo Hernandez was shocking and Saka took him to the cleaners. Whereas for us Kyle Walker had a good game against Kylian Mbappe.
We are working in the right direction. We’ve got good players but I stand by changing the captain. Harry Kane is the No 9 and did not shirk responsibility for missing that penalty.
But we’ve got to think about what we do now with the captaincy.
That’s more of an issue than the coach and, as I said before, I believe Declan Rice should have the job.
Is Kane going to be the shining star at the next two tournaments?
When are we going to get to the point where we take him off and change it?
It’s hard to do when he’s captain.
Southgate and Kane come as a pair, though, and there’s such a strong bond there.
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It’s another one for the experienced man to advise on and persuade the manager to make that change.
Find the right man for that job and we just might crack it.
England were left devastated following the narrow loss to FranceCredit: Getty More