England managed to defend better than the Italians in their recent encounter, but Cris Freddi doesn't think this approach is new

Judging from some of the press reaction, here and in Italy, to England’s tactics in Rome, you’d think some kind of genuine sea change had taken place. The Italians seemed almost dumbstruck that an England team could play that way, so defensively, like an Italian team. But it’s been happening, on and off, for over thirty years. Does the name Ramsey mean anything to them?

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Not all the action was on the pitch. Richard Mason reflects on the reputation of the England supporters after they left Rome

The week that began on Sunday, 5th October and ended on Saturday, 11th October saw the re-emergence in all its complexity of the problem of football violence in Italy. First it was the home-grown variety, in connection with the Serie A fixture between Atalanta and Brescia, and then, of course, the much-reported – but perhaps less-understood – incidents which surrounded the Italy v England World Cup Qualifier at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

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Despite the perfectly good behaviour of the majority of England supporters in Italy, Paul Kelso feels that the occasion was ruined by a select few

There are, we now know, two types of travelling England fan, and they are so distinct that it’s a wonder we didn’t spot it earlier. On the one hand there is the harmless, decent, patriot who likes nothing better than to paint his (or her) face, sing his (or her) heart out for the lads, and wear a replica shirt for four days straight.

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After England's recent goalless draw in Italy, Mike Ticher claims that we still haven't shaken off our reputation as football hooligans

“Multiculturalism is a divisive force… One cannot be loyal to two nations any more than a man can have two masters.” So said Norman Tebbit in the week before England qualified for the World Cup with an accomplished performance on the field and a hideous mess off it.

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Despite what the media may have you believe, Spain still has a real problem with racism, as Phil Ball explains

On Sunday October 11th, in the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, 85,000 people turned up for an anti-racism festival of football – perhaps the biggest sporting event yet in the European Year Against Racism. Cantona, Hugo Sanchez, Hagi, Karembeu, Higuita… you name them, they were out there, doing their bit. On the Monday, the headline in Spain’s football tabloid Marca was, predictably “El futbol gana por amplia goleada al racismo” (Football scores a huge victory against racism). Unfortunately, this is complete crap.

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