Footie Flags

Have you noticed the complete absence of St George's cross flags on cars? You know, the ones you jam into your car's rear windows, like the one in the image below, although that one is jammed into the driver's window.

Curious. Are people seeing them as a curse on England's World Cup chances, perhaps? I did see one set of flags, although they looked as if they'd been rescued from a long stay in a loft or garage.

One thing that's certain about this year's World Cup is the fact that the playing field has been levelled (if you'll forgive the unintentional pun), which I find very interesting. 

The World Cup is a showcase event where international footballers exhibit their skills, resulting in being signed up by the top clubs, where their skills are further honed before they return home to their native countries and spread those skills. The downside is that native talent in the countries that used to be in the upper echelons of international football suffers as a consequence. Those that were poor countries in terms of football improve, while previously excellent countries don't fare as well, due to the replacement of native talent by international talent, if you get my meaning. It does, however, make for more interesting and close-fought World Cup games where the result isn't a foregone conclusion.

Additionally, it's not uncommon to see a national team manager who isn't a native of the country whose team he manages, which must also spread the skills. Should, perhaps, the manager of a team also be a native of the country whose team he manages?