Dom Kureen returns. Guest opinion articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the publication. Ed
In 2014 Brazil hosts the football World Cup, where 32 international sides will battle it out for the most prestigious piece of silverware in the game, if not all of sport – The Jules Rimet Trophy.
England qualified from a fairly tricky group without too much difficulty, but were subsequently shown up by Chile and a second string Germany selection in consecutive Wembley friendly encounters, the first time since 1977 that the three lions has suffered the ignominy of two straight reverses on their own patch.
Subdued build up this time
The build up to the recent finals draw was more subdued than for past campaigns, with few England fans or staff seemingly suffering from the hitherto routine delusions of grandeur.
This is an average setup, with a safe pair of hands at the helm in Roy Hodgson and one or two more than decent players. For the current crop to escape a group containing Italy and Uruguay would be an achievement in itself.
Low expectations a blessing in disguise
The general sense of pessimism even spread to the usually hyperbolic Match of The Day studio in the build up to the fixtures, with Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker tempering any undue optimism viewers may have possessed when tuning in, as they attempted to explain the method behind the uber-complex ball picking we were about to witness.
In the wake of such flat aspirations, I wonder if it’s better to embrace the philosophy of ‘aim low, avoid disappointment’ or attempt to reach the top of the mountain with bloody knuckles, risking falling shy of personal goals, although getting further than most others would ever dare.
Positive delusion?
The football example is an interesting one, I support Newcastle United, who used to have a cultured diminutive winger called Nolberto Solano. Every pre-season he was asked who would win the league, the two domestic cups and European trophies, to which the answer was inevitably “Newcastle United, Newcastle United and (if applicable) Newcastle United”, this despite the fact that the club was in a bit of a state for much of his time on Tyneside.
Is targeting the lower bar an English trait? Many of my American relatives seem to face life with an almost naive sense of expectation. For example, my uncle challenged me to a tennis match when I was 18 years old, fully expecting to wipe the floor with me. This would have been plausible had I not been playing three times a week for years and if he had swung a racket in anger within a decade!
We played a couple of sets, which as an impetuous youngster I won without conceding a single game, even in sympathy. As we left the court he turned to me and with gasping breath made me promise him a rematch the following day, as he felt like it was a close match. I sort of admired his chutzpah, albeit that it was somewhat based on instinct and blind faith.
Changing the dance moves
Another aspect of all of this is managing unrealistic expectations. My father was very much from the ‘can do better’ school of thought, the best way I heard anyone put it was that it was as if he’d spend weeks teaching you a sequence of dance steps, only to ultimately explain that they were the wrong ones anyway.
I recall as an eight-year-old, returning home having achieved 95% in a maths test, it was the best mark in the class. Far from being satisfied, pops just told me: “Get 100% next time!”
Stop and appreciate
That was the way he viewed things, not wanting to stand still for too long. It’s a method that obviously worked for a lot of high achievers, but does it really allow any room for celebration or satisfaction in your own achievements if you never take a step back to appreciate the results?
Perhaps for a World Cup it’s no bad thing to dampen expectations, the last thing we need is mass depression if England, as expected, exit the tourney early doors.
Although I always tend to go into things head first, with almost unrealistic desires, I do respect the reasons why many, including Messrs Lineker and Shearer, choose to – in the words of Ali.G – Keep it real.
