Carnival in Cologne

Monday morning and on the road again. The route is alarmingly familiar despite only having driven it once before. En route we get a text message to say that the 5-a-side tournament organised by fans has been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. We couldn't understand this when we were driving in scorching sunshine but soon enough the heavens opened and thunderstorms and driving rain ushered us into Cologne.

We found our hotel more by luck than judgment and proceeded to try to talk to the owners who had only limited comedy English while I have only rudimentary German but we got there in the end. We headed straight into town and wandered through the streets by the fan park on the river - it was a sea of colour with English and Swedish fans drinking together and filling the streets meaning you had to be adept at crowd navigation to get through the town.

We wandered up to the magnificent cathedral, enjoying the carnival atmosphere as we walked. With both teams having qualified the fans were in celebratory mood and the splash of colour and noise around the foot of the dark, imposing cathedral made for a dramatic contrast and fabulous spectacle.

We met up with a BBC Website journalist who was doing a piece on female fans - I'd helped them out by being a member of their "expert" panel to answer reader's questions (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5041916.stm if you are interested in yet more of my ramblings, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5123380.stm for the article on female fans) - and then headed further into town to find something to eat. Our stroll through town after dinner was punctuated with conversations with other fans, the main talking point being the tout prices of 2,000 euros for 2 tickets to the Sweden game. Madness! We also spotted a replica original Jules Rimet trophy in the window of a jewellers - a snip at 13,500 euros - or a few of our tickets!

As if evidence was needed of the changing fortunes in football, Tunisia were beating Spain as we walked back to the tube, but were losing 2-1 by the time we got back! A monster night's sleep later and we were back in town for a lazy lunch outside. All plans for sightseeing evaporated after a bottle of wine, more banter with fans and the lure of watching Germany v Ecuador with the locals. Delayed digital signals at all the restaurants down the street meant a ripple effect of cheers and groans from the fans kept us entertained.

English fans at the next table helped with mine and James' competition to see whether Villa or Saints had the most past or present players at the tournament (admittedly mainly past!) James had been winning 7-6 but I took a 9-8 lead with their help. Talk then switched to score predictions for the game. I was convinced England would keep clean sheets throughout the tournament (excluding penalties of course) so I plumped for us nicking it one nil yet again while James went for 2-1.

A miscalculation of the time it would take to get back to the hotel and change and then to the ground meant it was an anxious late tube ride to the ground. The carriage was full of celebrating German fans drinking from champagne bottles and wishing us well for the game. As we crossed the river the two huge fan parks on each bank loomed into view and provided an amazing sea of colour and noise as they were full to the brim of English and Swedish fans. We were still trying to get through the turnstiles as the anthems started and everyone stopped to sing the anthem on their way into the ground.

A scramble to our seats and we just caught sight of Michael Owen as he collapsed to the ground with his horrific injury. We were right behind the goal England were attacking and the stands were very close to the pitch - so much so it felt like we could be playing at times! The atmosphere was electric with both sets of fans in party mood and England's bright start fuelling the anticipation from the English fans. And so to the game ...

We looked to have a much better balance in the side and, as a result, our play was more fluid and we were more of an attacking force than in the earlier games, even without Michael Owen. More unlikely praise for Hargreaves who played really well in the holding role and gave Lampard the freedom to get forward, further cementing the view that Gerrard & Lampard together in the middle is not the right way to get the best out of them. As ever though, we weren't taking our chances but the style of play meant that the belief that we would score didn't waver as it had done during previous games when we had not been playing so well. Joe Cole's magnificent goal had us all foxed. As it left his boot the crowd were groaning at the mis-hit and as it hit the net there was a moment's stunned silence before the cheer went up! At half time my score prediction was looking good and we were pleased with the England performance.

However, to use an old cliche, it was a game of two halves and the Swedes came out stronger in the second half. It always surprises me that even when teams play well they seem to make no allowance for the fact that the opposition will change things and/or come out stronger in the second half and, yet again, we seemed startled by the improved Swedish performance. As for the substitutions, Gerrard gave us attacking options but Campbell didn't look as solid as Ferdinand. Allback's goal brought condemnation to me - he's an ex-Villa player - and it looked like an inevitable draw until Gerrard's fine header gave us hope but then our inability to defend a lead came back to haunt us at the death and yet again we couldn't buy a win against Sweden. I was grateful the game wasn't "important" in terms of the result.

As is often the case, changes being forced on a squad can often bring out better results. Witness Trevor Sinclair playing the game of his life against Argentina in 2002 as a result of an early injury to Hargreaves. Sven picks the best 11 players rather than the best team. A lot of people have said Gerrard plays poorly for England and I have pointed out that a contender for world player of the year who single handedly drags his side to Champions League and FA Cup victories doesn't become a bad player when he pulls on an England shirt, it is more to do with how and where he is played. Holding midfield is not the best use of Lampard or Gerrard. When Gerrard played just off Owen in the friendly against Hungary it was possibly his best performance in an England shirt since the 5-1 in Munich as he was given the freedom to rove and create attacking options for the side.

With Owen out and Sven seemingly unwilling to play Walcott that leaves Rooney who is yet to prove himself match fit over 90 minutes and Crouch who needs someone to play up with him or just behind him to make best use of his skills. However, it does mean that he might be forced into playing Carrick or Hargreaves in the holding role, freeing up Lampard into his usual midfield role and Gerrard to play a freer role behind Crouch or Rooney. Who knows, being down to 1 fit, 1 unfit and 1 untried striker might turn out to be the making of us!

With Wednesday morning spent in an internet cafe cancelling one set of plans and confirming another, we are now on to Stuttgart for the game against Ecuador in what is forecast to be 33 degree heat with thundery showers - should be cracking! And hopefully Gelsenkirchen, then Munich, then Berlin!

PS Thanks to all of those who pointed out that the final will be my 106th rather than 107th match - rudimentary counting rendered useless by football fever!

COLOGNE FOR TWO PEOPLE
Match tickets: £62
Travel: £170
Accommodation: £181
Spending Money: £157
Cologne Total: £570
Tournament Total to date: £2040
Watching England top their group to get a tie against Ecuador: priceless!

PHOTOS AT: http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/3497213