Q. How did the amenities in and around the ground compare to that of the Japan 2002 world cup?
A. The Germans and as equally equipped and organized as the Japanese were....all trains and trams left exactly on time and every modern convenience that you can think of was on hand. Very well ran from what I could see. Stadium facilities were absolutely top notch. Leipzig for example: The stadium (43,000 capacity) was build inside the old communist stadium - very impressive use of existing space and a small, but top-notch facility.

Q. Did you encounter any of the Free Camp sites? or hear any good/bad stories about them?
A. I heard that the camps were well run and close to the venue. My 5 star hotel in Leipzig was also very nice!

Q. What about security and the fear of terrorism? Was there much visibility?
A. Lots and lots of Poleizi (please). But they were discreet. There was a little skirmish on the streets in Cologne (a dozen or so drunken English) which was dealt with quickly and efficiently.

Q. How was the weather? Looked great on TV!
A. It rained all day when I was traveling from Leipzig to Cologne on the autobahn, but the rest of the time it was in the 80's.

Q. Who was your surprise qualifier from the group stages?
A. Hmmm....Ghana for sure - they got out of a very tough Group, with some excellent football

Q. Who has been your surprise player of the tournament so far?
A. Owen Hargreaves – it was a major disappointment amongst England fans in Cologne when he was named in the starting 11, but he performed admirably and looks like he's getting the nod in the next game against Ecuador

Q. What expectations of England do you have at the moment?
A. my head says it'll probably be the usual quarter final exit to either Holland or Portugal, but my heart says we may hang on until the Semi's (good call Mark!).

Q. What was the post match reaction to Michael Owen’s injury?
A. The England fans were upset - but not as upset as this Newcastle fan. What a blow for our pre-season preparation that was!

Q. Did you encounter any kind of taunting or animosity towards the England fans while in Germany?
A. None actually which was very surprising - I expected to see a lot of xenophobia and bad press but it's been a very friendly World Cup (for the short 4 day trip that I was there) much like Japan - the locals were very friendly

Q. Rumors of Alan Shearer taking up a role in the new England management set-up. Your thoughts?
A. Shearer in McLarens England set up. Smart move by McLaren - some Toon supporters would probably be happy with that - because he can go on and get some managerial experience at the top level and then maybe come back to us in a few years

Q. Do you think referees are spoiling the game by showing too many yellow cards?
A. I just finished watching the Germany -v- Sweden Round of 16 - and they are definitely going over the top with the yellows and red cards

Q. Who do you think will win the World Cup?
A. before the tournament I though Brazil, for sure - and they'll be there or there abouts...however, like everyone else - I've been really impressed with Argentina and now Germany are coming on strong Germany I'd say as they have home advantage.

Q. How many steins can you down in one session?
A. I lost count when we hit a dozen or so beers the day of the Swedish match in Cologne (which was a 12 hour session).

Thanks to Mark for his time and Keith and Mike for the questions. Please check out some of Mark's pictures, taken during the France/Korea and England/Sweden games.

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