“Oh good grief, they’ve even lost their briefs” was the headline on the front of the Metro this morning, which added: “The final indignity for a team so weak at the back they even struggle to keep their pants safe.”
Other papers have been similarly damning, but how would the incident have been covered if this particular set of players had been showered in glory against Germany rather than shame?
You suspect it would have been a different story altogether, heralding the clamour of the now convicted hotel cleaners to get their hands on something belonging to our fabled heroes: “Untouchables – hotel workers will do anything for souvenirs from our boys.”
The whole situation might have even been turned on its head, praising the team for their remarkable generosity: “Pantstastic: English lions donate underwear to poorly paid cleaners.”
As it is, the theft has just been used to highlight another hole in the English defence. A little unfair on the players? Maybe. But that’s the difference between winning and losing.
