England are out of the World Cup.
Thomas Tuchel and his players exiting at the semi-final stage.
I have been loving these 2026 World Cup finals.
I have loved so much about the tournament overall and England progressing so far has been such a massive bonus.
I am not a fair weather England fan either, or a fan of convenience, I have paid to go and watch them play a fair few times and even went to one of the previous World Cups to follow and support them.
I was gutted when they lost last night, watching in my local which was absolutely heaving and a class moment when Anthony Gordon scored that goal.
I really wanted England to get to New Jersey on Sunday and play in the World Cup final.
At the same time though, this isn’t Newcastle United.
It isn’t Newcastle United losing a semi-final.
England winning the 2026 World Cup wouldn’t have come close to Newcastle United winning the 2025 Carabao Cup.
That is just the way it is.
Levels.
That doesn’t mean I didn’t really really want England to win last night, far from it.
However, a good friend of mine once summed it up perfectly.
He said that the difference with Newcastle United is that when they lose a match, you wake up the next morning in a bad mood, even before you remember that they did get beat the day/night before.
When I woke up and the brain cells that had survived the alcohol recalled that England were now out of the 2026 World Cup, I felt disappointed, but no more than that.
Watching the England football team play in the two big tournaments is something that I look forward to BUT it is not the all consuming obsession that is Newcastle United.
A bit like that RSPCA advert that says a dog is for life and not just for Christmas. Newcastle United is for life and England are for watching and supporting when the World Cup and Euros come around. Indeed, Newcastle United is for ever single minute of my waking life and also of course in my dreams, or should I say, nightmares.
Keep calm and carry on.
Full focus on how Newcastle United will get on with our much reduced squad in the behind closed doors friendly against Darlington. That is THE big match this weekend.