What D'Ya Think Of It So Far?

Legendary British comedians Morecambe and Wise used to have a running gag that went something like this:

Ernie Wise (talking about the show): 'So, what do you think of it so far?'
Eric Morecambe: 'Rubbish!'.

And, frankly, that's how I feel about the 2010 World Cup Finals so far. I'm writing this before Italy play Paraguay, but so far only the opener between South Africa and Mexico and last night's demolition of Australia by Germany have really entertained.

Most of the football so far has been dour, lacking in either technical skill or entertainment value. The non-contest between South Korea and Greece has been the ultimate example of this, but France v Uruguay wasn't far behind.

Surely, when international teams reach the pinnacle of their aspirations, they could at least contrive to play like it.

Anyway, that's my opinion. I'd be interested in hearing yours.

Concerns For Nigeria Ahead Of World Cup 2010

Most pundits, certainly in this country, seem to think that Argentina and Nigeria are the two teams most likely to qualify from Group B . And on the surface, this appears to be a strong possibility. Nigeria have more 'star' names than either Greece or South Korea and have a number of established Premier League players, such as Kanu and Joseph Yobo.

However, Nigeria coach Lars Lagerback (owner of one of the world's finest names) is concerned that his main players are not starting enough matches for their club sides and therefore won't be up to speed at the 2010 World Cup Finals.

Strikers Kanu, Yakubu and Obafemi Martins are not getting regular starts with their clubs, and the problem isn't just limited to their star names.

This concern is compounded by a feeling that, because the Nigeria domestic league isn't producing sufficient talent for the national squad, they will fall foul of Greece - half of whose squad comes from the Greek League. Indeed, six of Greece's squad come from Panathinaikos.

That argument is put far more persuasively than I can right here and if you are a Nigeria fan (or a gambler looking to bet on them to qualify), then I suggest you read it and think again.

All These Coaches Deserve To Reach The World Cup Finals

The bigger the business we call football has become, the less we see the type of characters that made the game so enjoyable in the past.

Luckily, there are still a few eccentric and charismatic characters around - mostly, it seems, coaching teams in Africa.

It is for this reason that this World Cup blog would very much like to see both Egypt and Ghana qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Egypt's manager Hassan Shehata once called Mido (who admittedly was playing like a slightly overweight sloth) "a donkey" and is not a man who is afraid to state his opinions on the media, fans, players...anything that takes his fancy, really.

Ghana's current coach, Claude le Roy, looks like a middle aged post-operative female-to-male transsexual (look, it's true, I just call it as I see it).

The joy of le Roy is that he spends all his time creating strange metaphors (mostly related to sex) and once described football as "a permanent orgasm".

He is another charismatic character (he once said " eloquence is the ideal G-string for people who want to hide embarrassing things about themselves.") in a game that is far from brimming over with them. For that reason, let's hope he and Ghana make it to South Africa 2010.

Of course, honourable mention must go to another coach (this time not managing an African nation) : the legendary Otto Rehhagel, manager of Greece.

Any coach who simultaneously holds the Bundesliga record for the most victories (387), most draws (205), most losses (228), the most goals scored (1473) and the most goals conceded (1142) truly deserves a place at the World Cup finals.

World Cup 2010 Qualifiers

It's good to be back and posting on this 'ere World Cup football blog. It's been a long time.

But the draw for the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup Finals has been announced - the complete list is here on the official FIFA site

The most notable fixtures thrown up by this draw are the pairing of England with Croatia in Group 6 - Croatia, of course, put England out of Euro 2008.

Also in Europe, Greece seem to have been given a free pass to the Finals as their Group 2 opponents include Latvia, Luxembourg and Moldova. Still, the Greeks have been impressive of late and did, of course, win Euro 2004, so good luck to 'em.

In North America, I can barely understand the system. But the end result will be that the USA and Mexico qualify, so I really wouldn't worry about the details.

Elsewhere, there should be typical chaos in the African groups, but expect Nigeria not to mess it all up this time.

Down in South America, the qualification process is already underway with the usual suspects plus Paraguay looking strong.