It’s been a stuttering, unconvincing start for the English football team at Euro 2024.

Of course, I’ll always be in England’s corner.

But the England manager Gareth Southgate is rightly getting some stick for his overly cautious approach.

Hence the memes which have been popping up all over social media:

*** Gareth Southgate wears a helmet on his peloton

*** Gareth Southgate wears a high-vis jacket to get in the loft

*** Gareth Southgate would take the minus offer on The Chase

*** Gareth Southgate puts on sunscreen before he opens the fridge

Anyway, all we need is the England team to play more footloose & fancy-free and good things should happen.

Pigs might fly, but we’ll see.

Speaking of footloose & fancy-free:

Issue 16 of Robert Wringham’s print-journal New Escapologist is hot off the press.

The subtitle of the issue?

Footloose and Fancy-Free

(isn’t that a coincidence!)

This means the issue is jam-packed with articles on travel, movement & being fleet of foot, mingled with New Escapologist’s usual gentle humour, workplace woes, curious interviews and the overall theme of escape & getting out of things.

Plus you’ll also find the latest column from Yours Truly tucked snugly inside Issue 16’s crisp & colourful pages.

If you’d like to pick up a copy, hotfoot it over here:

https://newescapologist.co.uk/product/issue-16/

- Tom

p.s. I have the feeling the England game this evening is going to be another turkey and I don’t really want to sit through a 90 minute anti-climax.

So I’ve decided to spice things up a bit.

I’m offering a free copy of Issue 16 of New Escapologist to anyone who correctly predicts the score of the England game tonight.

If you want to take part, all you need to do is reply to this email before the game begins (8pm UK Time) with your prediction.

Your prediction must be in the form England X, Slovenia Y.

If you email after 8pm, if you reply with more than one prediction or if your prediction is not in this form, you get a straight red card.

But if you follow the rules, stay onside and get your prediction right, I’ll send you Issue 16 of New Escapologist for free.

And if you’ve already picked up a copy of Issue 16, you can still take part.  Just screenshot your receipt when you reply.  If you win, I’ll re-imburse you.

Didn’t see this email in time?

Nothing I can do about that I’m afraid.

Let’s go England!