The shackles of fear and despair, the concern over the form of the opposition have all been dispelled, leaving us free to enjoy the beautiful game, in what, to my mind, has been a refreshingly honest, open and entertaining tournament. Even the negativity of the Italians has been defeated this time around.
Some things have been predictable though; like the progress of Germany to yet another semi-final.
Our attitude towards the German football team reminds me of our attitude towards our greatest native retailer, Tesco. Everyone wants to beat them; everyone wants everyone else to beat them, but we all have a grudging admiration for their steely grit and determination and their ability to bounce back from the odd moment of adversity.
For defeat against Croatia, read the initial trading figures at Fresh & Easy; for victory against Portugal read Tesco’s 2008 first quarter like-for-like international sales growth of 13.9%.
But they don’t help themselves do they? Much as Michael Ballack’s shove on Paulo Ferrara enabled him to score the winner against Portugal, Tesco are being accused of Trojan horse tactics to win planning permission for a supermarket in Devon, by using the name of a local retailer they recently acquired, rather than their own, on the planning application.
Unlike Mr Ballack, no laws have been broken, Tesco are far too clever for that; but just the same, you get the feeling that they didn’t need to do it. It simply adds fuel to the anti-Tesco rhetoric at a time when their overall performance should be applauded.
If Tesco represents one face of the retail coin then Woolworths is surely on the reverse; no points for guessing which is heads and which has their tail firmly between their legs!
We all have a soft spot for Woolies, or it would have gone bust long ago, but collectively the question being asked today is, ‘what is its relevance’? Or more precisely, when you shop there, ‘what am I doing here’?
The decision to remove their highly regarded chief executive this week appears to be another nail in its coffin.
If Woolworths owned its key assets it would have been snapped up by now, and my fear is that the costs associated with running the business may mean that before long the doors simply close, never to re-open, and another heritage High Street retail name is laid to rest. Some people just can’t help themselves.
Mind you, the High Street is a tough place to be at the moment, just ask Starbucks, whose ground-breaking coffee-house model appears to be losing more and more of its cocoa-dusted froth with every week that passes, particularly in its home market.
Concentrating on international expansion may be one way to deliver growth for hungry shareholders, but it is dangerous to lose touch with consumers in your own back-yard. Tesco beware.
