Until this year, Germany have been experts at playing poorly in the early rounds but always scraping through and then getting better as the tournament progresses. It's one reason why they've been widely admired (and reviled) for so long and been so successful. I'd be quite happy if England scabbed it (so to speak) all the way to the final. Brazil have always done well too despite having some mediocre teams by their standards. Knowing how to play tournament football is as important as having a talented squad of players, and if Southgate has found the way when many others have failed all kudos to him.

I'd still play Sterling because at his best he's one of the few with the ability beat a man and create chances. Ali for me is contributing little - he's clearly not fit and wasn't in great form for Spuds at the end of last season. With those 2 not firing and not much better on the bench (Delph, why?) it's little surprise England have looked so bereft of creativity. It was a serious mistake to leave Shelvey behind.

Have you looked at our record against Sweden - it's very poor.

Answer: very good. We have a poor record against Sweden. I'm expecting an even tougher match than tonight's

Bullshit. They were nasty and tried every dirty trick in the book. Got what they deserved - out.

Leave off Simon. Southgate's doing a decent job with a very average set of players. He's actually had them practising penalties - unlike many other much vaunted managers. Guess what? We got through for the first time.

England 1-0. Stupid by Henderson. Come on England. Colombia need reining in by the referee

Was asking the same question. Always looks so composed playing for City but nervous and rushed playing for England. Colombia are a nasty side. England need to keep cool or they'll get yellow cards or worse

Typical of the Japanese, clean and tidy and polite just like their country. Imagine our lot cleaning up the mess they leave behind ?

It's because they play in the over-hyped Premler League, which we are constantly told is the best league in the world.

That's Kane cursed tonight then. Colombia journalists outraged at today's press conferences that questions from English reporters were more about our next opponents than Colombia. There is also anger in Colombia at today's Sun lead story headline, which references drugs. English arrogance and exceptionalism is all building up to another disappointment tonight.

Probably not as bad as McClaren and Keegan, but still complacent and lazy as his comments after the penalty debacle showed. He was also another ex-player with an inflated sense of his self-worth and not intelligent enough to realise his remarks about the disabled were unacceptable. .

Disagree. We've had managers with good club records (Revie, Hodgson, Eriksson), thrown money at the problem (Capello), and hired poor managers just because they were English (Keegan, Hoddle). In short, apart from unlucky misses with Robson and Venables, nothing has worked, suggesting the system is at fault rather than the man in charge. Southgate is intelligent and is trying a different approach by building success from the junior teams upwards. He deserves the job as much as anyone and a fair crack at the job. I'd keep him for another 4 years even if England go out tonight.

Hoddle was a typical English manager. He admitted after yet another penalty shootout failure that England had not bothered to practise penalties or even think about who was going to take them. It's a classic English management strategy (in business and in football) and how we do things in this country - no planning, no forethought, just turn up and hope for the best. Paisley was a product of the Liverpool boot room. Could barely put 2 words together, was very awkward with the media and would never have passed the interview with the blazers at the FA. Clough should have had the job and would have been hugely popular with the players and public - but again the FA would never consider him.

Always a puzzle for me why Venables did not stay on after Euro 96. He had a very good England team with a great team spirit. Was it something to do with his dodgy business dealings ?

Seen it all before....young talent, planning ahead, new generation, it'll be better next time, jam tomorrow etc etc. Apart from 1990 (when a good England team was very unlucky) and the 1996 Euros (which we should have won), it's been one catastrophic failure after another. Some of us have been waiting since 1966 for the ship to come in. Time for England to deliver

Belgium had hard work of that, and all credit to Japan, but class showed in the end. Fancy them to beat Brazil.

Reverse ferret

Belgium should win this at a canter. Japan's defence looks very stretched

Agree. It looks that way. Players he'd had his eyes on would have been snapped up by now. Having said that, the Oxford signing was announced out of the blue so they might have something in the pipeline. It's not difficult to foresee last-minute loan deals for players on the fringes of "bigger" clubs.

Editorial note chaps: it's Colombia, not Columbia

Even if England get past Colombia - which is 50-50 at best - we would then likely face Sweden, and we always struggle against them for some reason. We've only ever lost to Belgium once before - in 1936. Last night was shocking in many ways. I've never seen such a disinterested, lackadaisical display from a professional footballer as that from Eric Dier. In a World Cup it was unforgivable.

Reports of flag flying at half mast over Buckingham Palace.........

Don't mention the var if you have any German friends. I might try it once to see if I get away with it.

Steady on.