Becks and Michael start our own 'Beatlemania'

13 April 2012

A fortnight after leaving Luton airport it finally feels like we are part of the World Cup. Leaving, Jeju Island, South Korea on Saturday brought us to Japan, our home for the tournament.

Jeju was an idyllic place to stay. It is a honeymoon spot for Koreans and we were made very welcome but we felt that we could have been on any island in the world such was the relaxed nature there.

Arriving at Osaka airport soon propelled us into reality. A reception resembling 'Beatlemania' was waiting at the airport as hundreds of fans screamed and tried to force their way past the security cordons. I have to say that much of that hysteria was for Becks and Michael, but it was our first taste of how popular English football is in Japan.

That scene was repeated when we arrived at our Kobe hotel for our overnight stay before playing Cameroon. But it was when we arrived at the ground for that match that the true level of our support here became apparent. We expected a low key friendly with maybe a couple of thousand curious onlookers.

Imagine our surprise, when on the approach to the stadium an hour and a half before kick-off, we could see that the ground was already half full and thousands more were waiting for our coach.

It was bizarre to see so many Japanese wearing England shirts and roaring their approval for the team. A huge cheer greeted us when we went on to the pitch to warm up and I feel sure that we will be the host nation's second team for the next few weeks.

The nature of that support was quite strange during the game itself though. It was a bit like being at an outdoor cinema. The crowd clapped, oohed, and gasped as events unfolded but fell silent immediately after.

Having watched Japan play Sweden on television last night I know they can create a good atmosphere, so maybe our fans will have to lead the locals and teach them our songs.

The game proved to be another excellent workout for us. The tempo was dictated by the hot weather but Cameroon showed that they could be a force to be reckoned with.

They are a team with great pace and physical strength, assets we knew about, but they also played some good football and were better organised than I remember. I think the fact they played in the African Nations Cup earlier this year means they have had quite a settled side and the same will go for Nigeria, who will pose us similar problems.

The biggest lesson we can take from the game is the importance of keeping the ball. The conditions weren't as hot as we were expecting. Nevertheless, it was hotter than we would encounter at home and chasing the opposition will not be fun. The more you chase the more fluid you lose and the greater the level of fatigue. These effects will lead to more mistakes so we have to pass the ball better.

Once again we showed the spirit in the squad by coming from behind twice. I was pleased for Robbie Fowler. He's had a frustrating couple of weeks not being able to train with the rest of us but showed what an outstanding finisher he is.

Trevor Sinclair must also have been chuffed to get out and play again. He arrived back only on Saturday night and the lads gave him a good welcome. We can't understand the slating he took in some quarters for going home last week.

After four hotels in two weeks we've now moved on to our base camp at Awaji Island and can unpack all our belongings in the knowledge that we are here for most of the tournament. We would have to move for the semi-final and Final but that's one relocation we definitely won't mind.

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Becks and Michael start our own 'Beatlemania'

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