Did you catch the match last night? England stuffing it to the Croatians 4-1 in a thrilling, air punching match that saw our boys in the three lions shirts finally overcoming self doubt and winning a decent game of footie? No? Neither did I – cos the football was only on the bloody Setanta box.

Anyway – we have a new hero to worship. His name is Theo Walcott and he scored a blinding hat-trick – with Rooney slotting a brilliant goal to top up the humiliation of the Croats.

We like a hero in our sports in England. We need a heroic figure to root for when the tide turns against us, or to bull up when we are on top. We put them on a pedestal – but often only for a few months – and that makes him a better target when they let us down and we can throw stones at him.

But hey – a hero in a match is good for the team too. It’ll divert attention from other great players and let them shine with a bit of footwork brilliance without the constant scrutiny and fear of failure that being put on a pedestal can do to a ‘normal’ lad.

It’s what we do with our sporting heros. We build them up to drag them back down again. But perhaps, this time, it’ll be different!