World Cup Update 1 - The first 4 days.

I’m beginning to realise that providing witty incisive tweets on the world cup of football is not as easy as it seems. Especially when the first 3 days of the tournament are spent in various states of inebriation/recovery on a stag weekend and you have a full-time job. Unless of course that full time job is being a journalist who covers football, in which case it doesn’t really get in the way of anything. And anyone who says a lack of wit is the real reason is a damn liar.

Fortunately there has not been much to get het up about. There’s not much to say about (what will almost certainly become known as) Robert Green Fucking Up-Gate that hasn’t already been said by the informed and the uninformed alike. I don’t think it was down to a lack of ability, lack of concentration or nerves. He just did a massive fuck-up. On the other side of the argument, I do think he is the 3rd best keeper in the England squad – behind Joe Hart and Wayne Rooney – but I would start David James. No goalkeeper has ever benefitted from knowing he is constantly one mistake away from being dropped.

There’s been far too much bullshit written about the ball and the vuvuzelas. Everyone always complains about the repetitive buzzing noises at World Cups and this new thing of a new ball being inconsistent is just an element of South African sporting culture the world needs to get used to and stop griping about. Lets put it in perspective, if every game had been full of goals and England had won all the jackasses complaining about the vuvuzelas would have about 4 around their necks. [Any defence I may put forward is off course based on them being used over in WCSA2010 and as soon as Blackburn or Wigan fans start blowing them in August is a different kettle of fish].

On to the coverage: I don’t like Adrian Chiles – I don’t care how relaxed he is on camera. I am also missing the O’Neills, the Venablessess and other major tournament regulars. It’s great to have some European and African big names on the hallowed chairs of the BBC and ITV sets but sometimes it’s just ever so slightly annoying. I do wonder if Dutch or French World Cup coverage has Carlton Palmer or Gary Mabbutt chipping in with some banal points. Gary Links is my boy for if we get to the stage where both channels are covering a game (and lets be honest this is just likely to be the final innit?).

The next update can be expected 6 days after the final