I hate watching England. I still do it, of course. But I hate it. And I hate myself for doing it. Some of the most unremarkable moments of my life involve watching England. Forget the heartbreaking losses on penalties, flubbed back passes or lobs from 40 yards. By and large, the England team has been an experience in mediocrity and tedium for as long as I’ve been following it.

These are nervous times at Villa Park. Saturday’s loss at home to Wolves has left the club teetering on the edge of the relegation cliff, and that banner strung from the Holte End prior to kickoff – reading “HAD ENOUGH; HOULLIER OUT” – represents the anxieties of a good number of the club’s fans.

Last season, Aston Villa’s 39 goals against marked their fourth-best defensive campaign of the Premier League era. (They conceded 35 goals in both 1995-96 and 1999-2000 and 34 in 1996-97). They’ve already conceded 50 in 29 games this term, and have done so with a group of players almost identical to last season’s contingent.