By David Crossland in London
The English have been expressing their collective yearning for World Cup glory by flying their national flag on an unprecedented scale in the hope that this time around, the team will defy what has become its fate in the last 40 years: glorious defeat.
The flag of St. George -- the red cross that has been associated with England for over 800 years -- is fluttering everywhere, from countless cars and vans, pub entrances, house windows and balconies.
The flags are so prevalent that the Royal Automobile Club has warned they could fly off and hurt motor cyclists. Heathrow airport has banned its staff from flying them on their cars in case they blow off and get stuck in aircraft engines. Police in the rural county of Hampshire have warned motorists that the flags are frightening horses.
And there's a simmering debate about whether all the patriotism is anti-immigrant. Some Muslim leaders have been taking offence at the red cross -- it was flown by Crusaders as they stormed their way through the Middle East.
The show of national pride has stunned England midfielder David Beckham who told Britain's News of the World newspaper: "There are always a huge amount of flags and shirts around on the streets before competitions like this, but there's been nothing like this before." He wisely added a note of caution, saying: "I don't think the games are going to be as easy as people think."
Expectations are surging despite the possible absence of England's best striker Wayne Rooney and cautious assessments by the more level-headed footballing analysts. "We'll Nut Brazil" Britain's best-selling tabloid The Sun predicted confidently, ignoring that England struggled even to "nut" Hungary last week in an unimpressive test match performance that ended 3-1.
England's Football Association has even made plans for a victory parade through London.
As the mother country of football, England naturally always feels that the World Cup, and the European Cup for that matter, belongs on its shores. But after decades of hurt caused by narrow defeats in spine-chilling penalty shootouts, bad luck and bad defending, there is a sense now that England finally has players skilled enough to win the trophy again for the first time since 1966.
Years of tears and sorrow
The image of Bobby Moore holding up the trophy 40 years ago has faded from the national memory. Painful pictures have taken its place. Striker Paul Gascoigne crying during the 1990 World Cup semi-final against Germany, players holding their heads after missing crucial penalties, or Argentina's Diego Maradona using his left hand to flick in a quarter-final goal against England in 1986 -- he later said the goal was scored "a little bit by the Hand of God."
Not to mention the frustration at the perceived luck of the Germans who have won the tournament three times and progressed to the World Cup final in 2002 without encountering a single top team.
Every time the World Cup comes round, the country fires itself up into believing it has the best chance since 1966 of winning. It actually got closest in 1990 when it lost its semi-final against Germany on penalties. Had it beaten Germany, it could well have gone on to win against the other finalists Argentina who had four players suspended and a top striker, Maradona, in poor condition.
The anticipation is even greater than usual and the The Sun isn't going to let anyone spoil the fun. It has weighed into the flag-flying debate by launching a campaign against "small-minded killjoys" who say displaying the cross of St. George is racist. "In the spirit of our patron saint, The Sun calls for the slaying of the dragon of political correctness -- and urges readers to fly the flag with pride."
Food retailer Tesco tried to ban the flags from its trucks but gave in when drivers rebelled. And it's not just the average Sun readers who are flying the flag. In London's upmarket Chelsea district, the George cross is appearing on the "Chelsea tractors" of the well-heeled -- gleaming sports utility vehicles which have never seen a speck of mud.
Doing the Crouch
The general euphoria has even produced a new dance called "The Crouch" -- a robotic 1980s-style shuffle by 6 foot 7 inch England striker Peter Crouch first seen on television after he scored against Hungary last week. He repeated it after scoring in England's 6 - 0 victory over Jamaica on Saturday and it is apparently rapidly turning into a dance craze in nightclubs.
The football craze is proving too much for some. Mike Bevans, owner of the Linthwaite Country House Hotel, a smart retreat on England's Lake Windermere in the Lake District, has had a surge in bookings since declaring his establishment a "football free zone" for the duration of the tournament.
"The phone has been ringing off the hook," said Bevans. "If any member of staff mentions the World Cup the guests will get a glass of champagne," said Bevans. "In fact staff are instructed to remain stony-faced when asked what the latest score was. We'll be encouraging guests to challenge them to talk about football. It won't work. They'll just say 'Excuse me, I don't know what you're talking about.'"
Hotels across Germany are bracing for a different type of English visitor this summer with Frankfurt facing the first invasion of tens of thousands of England fans on June 10 for England's first match against Paraguay.
Newspapers have reported that fans will be taking thousands of inflatable toy Spitfires with them. If past visits to Germany are anything to go by, expect them to chant "Two World Wars and one World Cup" and extend their arms to symbolize World War Two bombers, humming the theme tune to "The Dambusters."
For British comedian Rory McGrath, fears that they may cause problems are overblown. "People are worried about a lot of English fans getting drunk and causing trouble but it's really only that tiny 85 percent of them."
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