Expectation surrounded Switzerland’s visit to Wembley stadium for an international friendly last Saturday that resulted in a 2-1 win for England, there was a hope that England would out a performance to silence the critics after England’s Euros defeat. The atmosphere at the ground seemed to be saying ‘entertain us.’ However, surprisingly sunny spring evening at the home of football saw an England performance that left something to be desired, despite the victory.

Is this unfair? Does there need to be a reality check for some England fans that under this management England aren’t going to play exiting and expansive football. This discontent was evidenced with the constant flying of paper aeroplanes, with fans cheering on how close they got to the pitch rather than paying attention to the game going on. England Manager Gareth Southgate too noted the slightly deflated attitude, noting that ‘England have hit a certain level but it’s not a level we’re satisfied with.’ There seems to be a general miasma surrounding people’s attitude toward England following a disappointing end to last summer’s euro campaign. This attitude is not just seen on the pitch but around the stadium itself, a tension that stems from the frenzy that occurred when ticketless fans stormed the stadium last summer which the FA has since been punished for. This mass invasion of fans once again highlights the stereotype of football hooliganism that pervades English fans. The presence of small children with their parents offered a comforting alternative to the traditional stereotype. One could argue that the purpose of this kid of match isn’t to please the normal fans but to provide an opportunity for people who wouldn’t already go to football matches to go free of the fear of engaging with football hooligans. Despite the negative public attitude towards the game there were a lot of positives I took from my experience. Firstly, there were moments of exiting football from a lot of the England debutants. Secondly, I was really impressed with the way the security team were able to manage the 80,000 people leaving the stadium, I will always find it impressive how such a large group of people are able to be funnelled out of a compact stadium with no incidents of the kind that were seen earlier this year at the Yaounde Olembe stadium in Cameroon where 8 people died and 35 were injured in a packed crowd. Finally, as I mentioned before, it was nice to see so many young children being introduced to football by their parents in this safe and calm environment.

Overall, despite a slightly drab performance on the football pitch, it was an overall pleasant and social experience in which I could appreciate even the simple joy of once again being able to visit crowded areas post-covid.