An England superfan who put his second home on the market to fund his World Cup trip has said he has no regrets and 'wouldn’t miss it for the world'.
Andy Milne, 63, from Northwich, Cheshire, said he has paid 'a huge amount' for Ubers every day since arriving in Dallas, Texas.
Speaking from the Londoner Pub in Dallas, Mr Milne was asked whether he regretted putting his second home on the market. He replied: 'No, not at all.'
'With some of the reporting I’ve been very flippant, but I’ve been careful with my money. I’ve written a book, it’s called That World Cup Guy, and the book’s selling really well, so that’s raising money to help pay for my trip as well. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.'
Biggest surprise of the trip
Mr Milne frequently appears on TV screens during England games. He said the sheer size of Texas had been the biggest surprise of the trip.
'I had no idea that Texas is just so big. You can walk for a long way and get nowhere. It’s not like a city as we know it. It’s just an expanse of road all over, so we’re spending a huge amount on Ubers every day and just jumping in to go to a bar that is an hour away has become something that is part of daily life, really.'
Pre-match atmosphere
Speaking at a gathering of hundreds of England supporters at the Londoner pub, Mr Milne said the traditional pre-match atmosphere had finally arrived.
'This is the first time that I’ve seen a proper collection of England fans. We have been to a few gatherings and get-togethers, but it’s always the same – the night before a game there’s always a great get-together. People gravitate towards the same place. Yeah, it’s great.'
'It has been a brilliant get-together. It’s great that so many people come to the same place. There’s a lot of English fans now and tomorrow we’re going to take over that stadium.'
Expectations for England
While hopeful England can go on to win the World Cup, Mr Milne said experience had taught him to rein in his expectations.
'As long as we do ourselves proud, that’s good enough for me. I would love England to win it but I’ve had my hopes dashed over the last 60 years, so I’m just going to go and enjoy it, and enjoy it for what it is.'
'There’s always pressure on England. We’ve been waiting for 60 years now, we’ve got a great team. I think because most people rate the players in our squad and we’re ranked fourth best, and we’re seeded, people are thinking it’ll come home, but there’s a lot of good teams out there.'
