More swearing please

The England team have restored the faith of their supporters. Well, they haven't gone that far perhaps (let's be realistic, this is a good Swiss team, but it is their first competitive game under new management), but this was certainly the best performance in a long time, with aggression and commitment not seen since before the world cup. Perhaps most promisingly, England have come across a style of play which is naturally suited to the English players. Learning from France's demolition of Switzerland during the world cup, Roy Hodgson and his team had prepared with a view to hitting the Swiss on the counter attack - and it worked, with England's two goals coming from swift attacks on the break. While this is clearly a weakness of the Swiss team, it is a style of play well suited to this team, with pace in abundance (imagine when Walcott is back in the team) and the players brought up on the fast action and end to end football of the premier league.

While in the past, the press has lamented the absence of 'technical' players capable of controlling the game from an advanced position up the pitch, a focus on passing out of defence , rather than relying on the long ball is much more critical. In Spain, youngsters are forced to pass out of defence, this kind of training for England's young players wouldn't mean that they have to practice tiki taki football - but it could be combined with the English preference for fast direct football with powerful effect.

The only problem with adopting such a counterattacking style, is what to do when the opposition don't play fair, and also sit back and defend, such as during the Norway game. Then the players need to be able to adapt and adopt different ways to get the ball in the back of the net, which can only come from leadership on the pitch to communicate a required change.

Finally, a big well done is due to the Arsenal players who appeared in Stonewall's rainbow laces advert (in partnership with a major bookmaker). It was funny, self-deprecating and for a very good cause. And, given footballs perceived hostility to the gay community, a brave decision for them to be involved. While its painful to promote a bookmaker, posting this link is more than worth it.