They're home, early...

So England are out of the World Cup after losing to Germany, again. I’ve got to say, despite a slow start to our world cup, I was optimistic and excited about England’s prospects in this match. I thought we had found our stride again and were well suited to Germany’s efficiency and technical ability. Oh how I was wrong!

What annoyed me the most was both the players’ and the manager’s excuse for their sorry 4-1 defeat. During post-match interviews: Capello, Terry and James simultaneously declared their disallowed goal as valid justification for their failure to advance in to the next round. Now I’m not going to pretend I know a lot about football, because I don’t, but to blame their disallowed goal as the ‘turning point’ in what should have been ‘their match’ is a disgrace. In my opinion, it shows a lack of professionalism and maturity. It’s humiliating.

Why have they not been trained to deal with these kind of situations in training? Surely they should have used it to spur them on further towards victory? Yes, I know that these situations are extremely rare in football, and even more so in arguably the biggest sporting event in the World (after the Olympics, of course!). But it happened, and players get unfairly booked all the time. They should have been ready for any given situation.

That said, the fact that the disallowed goal even happened is equally disgraceful. I cannot fathom FIFA’s stubborn refusal to introduce goal line technology. It makes football appear like an amateur sport. I mean even fencing has video replay!
I could go on, but I won’t. You’ve heard it all before, and I’m sure you’re all tired of it! At least we’ve got Wimbledon to focus on - and a Scot who’s got a bit of fire in his belly.

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Mental Game

Before I go any further I would like to apologise for my recent lack of blogging. I am however back, and will try my best to be more faithful to my writing! Since my last update, I had actually been training really hard in the lead up to a World Cup that I fenced in just over a week ago in New York. Unfortunately it did not go well; I didn’t make it out of the pools.

I still feel like I was the most prepared and physically fit I have ever been and I was looking forward to putting in a good performance. However, my head and my nerves let me down as they have often done in individual competition throughout the season. It is something that I must crack and overcome with urgency. I know that once I do, something will shift, and I will get my fighting confidence back. Indeed, I feel I have committed too much time and effort to fencing over the past 15 years to allow myself to fall short so near to 2012.

Sport can be cruel and frustrating at times, particularly when you put in so much and don’t see the progress you expect from yourself. But that is the nature of sport – there are plunging lows and soaring highs. At this level, I don’t think you can survive mental weakness. You can have all the physical attributes but if you don’t have the confidence and your own self-belief, then it is difficult to realise your potential.

On a positive note, I will be off to Australia to compete in the Commonwealth Games from 29th September-5th October. I will be representing England and also captaining my team for the duration of the tournament. I have always been proud to fence for England and it is an honour to captain the team.