Interview feedback

Look, son, it wasn't the interview that went wrong.  Things are decided on your CV these days - and, by the way, you never really thought the company was straight, did you ?    I'm afraid other candidates just worked harder, and they did a different kind of schmoozing....

So on the England United bid for the 2018 World Cup, the UK media lost their collective commonsense during the past four days, simpering over William and the two  Daves.  On Monday, Russia were still 4/6 favourites, and England 3/1.  The only element that shortened England's odds as Thursday approached was the naivety of the main news desks, as sports hacks stood aside bewildered, and daft money chased an England win that was already doomed. 

The expensive suits of FIFA that travel the world's five-star hotels had made their mind up some time ago - why did bookmakers make Russia favourites in the first place ?   England have irritated the grandees over the years - even before the bid was made "official" in 2007. Anyone remember how we did in the 2006 World Cup bid  when we arrogantly declared football was coming home ? Since then we've have had Lord Triesman, Mulberry handbags, Sir Dave Richards, The Sunday Times, Andrew Jennings, Birmingham v Villa, plus a culture that still put beer and football as an inevitable pair.

As we've seen, FIFA delegates are ineffably pompous people, who believe they shape the world through football.  England, with it's existing resources, can never give them the "legacy" they want - only cash, and that's all a bit iffy these days.  If only we'd thought of the portable stadiums first ....