Hasta La Ideas

Ahead of England’s first game in Brazil this Saturday, Asbury & Asbury has released a new version of its  Nation’s Prayer. And in a move that could actually see it making a difference to the team’s performance, this year the invocation is available in a handy pocket-sized format…

Nick and Sue Asbury came up with the original Prayer in 2010, prior to England’s knockout stage game with Germany in the World Cup in South Africa.

Clearly ineffective in preventing the 4-1 drubbing, Asbury & Asbury’s faith remained undiminished (and their writing skills unshaken) and they made another for the Euro 2012 competition. The prayer itself is written in the tradition of the Bus Driver’s Prayer, popularised by the late Ian Dury.

For the 2014 World Cup, A&A have again been able to make use of poetic names such as Lallana and Oxlade-Chamberlain, though the latter’s injury scare may yet scupper the make-up of the squad, let alone some serious scansion.

“Keen sports fans will notice there is no place in the poetic starting line-up for reserve keepers Ben Foster and Fraser Forster, nor for Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka, Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw,” A&A write on their blog. “This will be embarrassing if Gary Cahill goes on to score a hat-trick in the final, but we will take that risk.”

Prayer cards are 127mm x 76mm and come in a protective plastic sleeve. They cost 66p and are available here. More of Asbury & Asbury’s work at asburyandasbury.typepad.com