His biggest task is to lift players and fans out of depression

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2006/08/01/sfnsmit01.xml

No it's not. His biggest task is to win the European Championships, and then the World Cup. The players and fans will get over it once the season begins.

New England succeeded from the union and now has its own national team? How'd I miss that?

I guess you mean that New England has succeeded from its union with MLS. However, I don't think it has any plans to secede from the United States - Unless one reads the National Inquirer.

England's new coach vows to 'do it my way'

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/europe/2006-08-01-mcclaren-england_x.htm

If New England were to have a national team, then one must infer that they are a nation.

Although NE wanted to leave during the war of 1812, they felt their trade links with the UK were too important to lose.

Yeah . . . like Puerto Rico which has its own national team and is a nation . . . errr a territory . . . . ummm a territory that eventually wants to become a state . . . ehhh . . .

By the way, its amazing how quickly this World Cup forum has reached 2000+ posts in the course of only about 9 months whereas many other forums have been around for years and don't even have half of the posts.

It goes to show what the power of the WC will do!

"Deluded Frank joins football's book worms"

http://football.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,1835780,00.html