Lacklustre, Pointless, Overshadowed - Welcome To The World Cup In Brazil

So last night it all kicked off. After 4 years of what seemed like endless qualifying matches (not to mention a European Championship in between) the first match of the 20th World Cup Finals kicked off. It's finally here and, for the first time ever, I couldn't give less of a shit.

Forced to sit through 96 minutes of dull, uninspiring football between two highly technical teams is painful for any football fan. It just doesn't seem right. If you don't want to know the score, you're reading the wrong article. Brazil won their opening fixture 3-1. Croatia, for their part, didn't actually get any of their own players on the scoresheet. Their contribution to the scoreline came courtesy of an extremely dangerous low cross into the Brazilian box, a tiny deflection once in and a rather clumsy attempt at a clearance by Marcelo which ended up in the back of the net. Marcelo, to his credit, would have easily cleared the ball had it not taken that tiniest deflection en route to him. As it stood, he had a shocking game.

It's tricky when Brazil are playing in a World Cup on home soil to accuse any of their players of a lack of motivation. However, if there was ever a blueprint on how not to contribute to the opening match of a World Cup, look no further than Marcelo. A highly successful left back in his own right with La Liga trophies, a Copa del Rey and now a Champion's League winner's medal to add to that, he looked every bit an amateur last night. The attitude he had on the pitch was nothing more than pitiful. It was a sorry sight. After conceding the own goal just 11 minutes into the match, he should have stood up and been counted for the rest of the game. As it was, he left it to his less experienced, but vastly more talented, teammates to cover for him. His contribution was minimal throughout and for someone who has license to roam up and down his flank as part of a now-guaranteed back five, he wasn't nearly as far up the pitch as his mirror, Dani Alves.

Talking of contributions to the match, I feel it is incredibly disappointing to see yet another important game decided by the whistle of the referee. I've always said that football referees do an incredibly difficult job, but that means they need to be the best at what they do. The World Cup refs need to be even better than that. I'm not saying that Croatia were going to win last night, I just have this belief that when a penalty is given, it should be checked and re-checked by a video referee. That shows that the proper checks have been done before giving one team a decisive decision. At the Maracana, that decision was wrong, and Fifa should stand up, say it was a wrong decision to make, apologise and show some backbone in ensuring it doesn't happen again.

That brings me nicely onto Fifa. Oh, the almighty Fifa with its very own dictator, Sepp Blatter presiding over this shambles of a World Cup. There are many times when writing these articles that I think of how much better world football would be without him. The conclusion is always the same, Sepp Blatter should no longer continue as president of Fifa. We shouldn't wait until next year, he ought to have gone years ago. His decisions on football at the highest level are some of the most ridiculous statements it is possible to hear from any statesman. I haven't looked, but I'm sure there's a video of him and all the u-turns he's made while Fifa president. He's been there so long, he drew England's name out of the envelope for the 1966 World Cup!

Blatter has to go. His comments about the allegations of corruption within Fifa being racist were just a smokescreen designed to keep anybody away from an investigation in fear of them being labelled a racist. A very good trick as anyone who goes near it now will be accused of being racist. This plays nicely into Blatter's hands because then they don't start looking into him and his personal life. He had something to do with it, I just can't prove it.

All in all, this just means that I don't give a monkeys about this year's World Cup. I'll support England of course but the whole tournament has been sullied by pointless bureaucracy and overshadowed by a lack of faith in those at the very highest echelons of world football.

And that's without even mentioning the rioting that takes place every day and night in a part of the world where the government gives nothing to their most at-risk citizens. Pathetic.

Football League Final Day Blues

So that's nearly it. The end of the SkyBet Championship season. Leicester securing promotion to the Premiership, followed swiftly by confirming their status as champions. That's all really boring though, isn't it? Similar to Manchester United last season and Lewis Hamilton in the Formula One. No one wants to watch that. Where does the interesting stuff happen? Fighting for the play-offs, and right at the bottom.

Let's start with the Play-offs. Derby, QPR and Wigan were all confirmed to be heading for the Play-offs before kick off today. Only Reading, occupying 6th place as the day began, could drop out. All they needed to do was win and they'd be in with a chance of going to Wembley for the final. The complicated maths involved in possible permutations of scorelines meant that if they lost or drew and Brighton won, Brighton would end up sixth. If they both lost and Blackburn won, with a seven goal swing in their favour, Blackburn would go through.

As it was, there were seven goals in the Blackburn game, but it was all but one-sided. Blackburn beating Wigan by one goal in an epic 4-3 thriller. So Blackburn were out of contention. However, Brighton were still in it. With 32 minutes, plus stoppage time, left on the clock, Reading were locked at 2-2 against Burnley, who had already won promotion. This scoreline wasn't going to change, so it was up to Brighton to seize the initiative. Which they did on the stroke of ninety minutes, Leonardo Ulloa climbing above the defense to head home the goal to ferry Brighton into the Play-offs. Could there have been a more dramatic end to the season?

Turns out, there could. At the other end of the table, Birmingham City were struggling. They went into the day a point behind Doncaster Rovers but with a far superior goal difference. The minimum that needed to happen for them to stay up was a draw and hope that Doncaster lose to champions Leicester. With 15 minutes left, they were 1-0 down to Bolton but a glimmer of hope had been sent their way - Leicester had been awarded a penalty and David Nugent had stepped up and scored it. Then there was the clearly audible moment when thousands of Birmingham City fans' hearts broke. Bolton scored. 2-0. As most commentators would put it 'they now have a mountain to climb.'

At this point, I'd had enough. I left the office and walked to my car. By the time I started the ignition, Birmingham had scored. No way, was the thought that ran through my head. This would be a Harry Houdini moment. I was able to listen to the match all the way up to the 92nd minute, at which point my appointment arrived so I had to turn it off. Had he been late, or even not bothered to turn up, I would have heard Paul Caddis scoring Birmingham City's unlikely equaliser.

Admittedly, Birmingham had outplayed Bolton all game. However, this had been a pattern formed over the previous five games, which they had lost. A lack of cutting edge and incision in the final third coupled with a likelihood of shipping stupid goals.

This is the beauty of the Championship. Eight weeks ago, you would never had suspected that Birmingham would stay up on Goal Difference. You would also not have fancied Brighton to be in the Play-offs. Stranger things have happened, but this season's edition of Championship Review would be worth buying so you can enjoy the drama right from the off.

Special mention at the end for Paul Dickov whose Doncaster Rovers side was relegated to League One today. He's loved by fans up and down the country for his exploits in the sky blue of Manchester City. I'm convince he will make a great manager one day.

Ron Dennis Returns - What Next For McLaren?

This 'hostile takeover' by McLaren's former Team Principle came out of the blue. Insiders will say that it was inevitable but if you look at it from a Formula One neutral's perspective, it's an unwanted surprise.

I have no doubt that McLaren will get back to winning ways, but this coup by Ron Dennis won't assist that happening. He was dominant throughout the previous three decades in F1 and, after a few years running the consumer side of McLaren, he's back.

I really like Martin Whitmarsh, he's very straight when he answers questions. You never get the impression he's hiding something and he always talks about his drivers and the other teams with the utmost respect. Ron Dennis, on the other hand, is a nasty piece of work who was at the very centre of the Spygate scandal that cost McLaren their first Constructor's Championship in nearly a decade.

Dennis doesn't agree with Whitmarsh's way of running the team but I feel he's brought in a few changes that have certainly benefited the team. The central 'island' in between the two drivers' garages for example, this brought the teammates and their respective engineers closer together in the way they shared technical information.

This all having been said, McLaren haven't won a Constructor's Championship in over a decade and a Driver's title since 2008. They've just had their worst season in F1 and they've brought in a rookie driver to replace Perez. Can Ron Dennis bring the team back to its former glory? 

Whatever he does this year, whatever happens, will have been built from Martin Whitmarsh's foundations. The recruitment of Eric Bouillier shows Whitmarsh is on the way out. This season will be very interesting indeed. 

Tactically Sound, Resilient and Top Of The Table - Why Are Pundits Still Writing Arsenal Off?

With an injury list that, for most of the season, included players that would walk into most Premier League sides, you could have forgiven Arsene Wenger if Arsenal were doing their usual and fighting for the fourth Champions League spot. However, they are top of the table and have been up there for a few months now, chased by the hungry pack of Manchester City and Chelsea. They have an unenviable record of clean sheets and a startling attack bolstered by the late arrival of Mesut Ozil to the party.

So why is it that the majority of pundits are as quick to praise Arsenal as they are to write off the club's chance of winning the Premier League? Well, I believe that there are a few arguments that can hold sway but I'm sure that I can provide good enough retorts.

1. Goals. This seems like the number one argument all pundits, writers and bloggers go to in their argument against Arsenal winning the Premier League. They don't score enough goals. However, it's not just about the number of goals scored but also about the number of goals conceded. Arsenal have kept 9 clean sheets so far this season, the most in the PL, and only let in 19 goals, the fewest. Also, with 41 goals so far this campaign, Arsenal place in third for the number of goals scored behind Manchester City and Liverpool. So of the pack nipping at the heels of Arsenal, City have scored more goals and Chelsea have conceded the same number as Arsenal. However, neither have done both. Of the 19 goals Arsenal have conceded, 10 of them come from just two teams, City and Aston Villa. Incredible.

2. Character. When Manchester City play a home game they have a tendency to brush aside their opponents. They dominate their home pitch. There are a lot of people saying that City are showing the character to win the title. Except that what is, undoubtedly, a fierce tiger at the Etihad somehow transforms into the most adorable kitten at any other stadium. Once City leave their fortress, they are a completely different team. One incapable of getting a serious result. True, they are known to kill the game off if the opposition aren't performing but that is only at home. Arsenal may not kill off the game, but they sure have the character to see it out and grab the three points, either home or away. Look at Aston Villa. For many an Arsenal fan, the bogey team for this season after the opening day defeat at home. They scored with 25 minutes left on the clock and the familiar groan of 'Here we go again.' went through the fanbase. Except that this time, Arsenal showed the character and the determination to take the three points back to the Emirates.

3. History. Remember, in February a few seasons ago, when Arsenal topped the table, into the final of the League Cup, next round of the FA cup and were riding high after their 2-1 home win against Barcelona in the Champions League? I do. Then Birmingham went and won in the League Cup final and Arsenal's season imploded. Down the pecking order in the Premier League, run ragged by Fabio and Rafael da Silva against Manchester United in the FA cup and dumped out of the Champions League by a combination of Barca and the referee. This happened and there's no getting away from it. People are saying that whenever Arsenal are in a good position, they are their own worst enemies. However, I also remember the exact opposite happening in both of the last few seasons. What was it that Tottenham supporters were saying? Mind the gap? I bet they regret that now. History doesn't mean anything for this current Arsenal team, they are focused on this season, not on what has happened previously and rightly so.

This Arsenal team can go the distance and they are genuine title contenders. I'm not saying that they are definitely going to with either the PL title or any other trophy, all I'm saying is that you would have to be incredibly foolish to write them off and say that they won't win. Robbie Savage, I'm looking at you.

It's 2013 - Why Are We Talking About The Rugby World Cup?

It's an interesting question to pose. There are 14-16 test rugby matches between now and the WC so why are we talking as if this is the team that will be playing the opening match at Twickenham in just under two years' time?

To compare, the England football team will have played a similar number of internationals between summer 2012 and next summer and yet we're only talking about the WC now, only seven months beforehand. I feel it's a combination of two factors:

1. English football is shit. We haven't won anything in two generations and yet people still clamour over it and believe that, since we have now qualified, the slimmest of possible chances is still a chance to win the WC again and end years of hurt. I have a few choice words for those believers. Give up. Our best players, in my opinion, are being catastrophically overlooked not only at international level but at club level as well. I've always said that Tottenham will only ever be a force to be reckoned with if they start trusting Jermaine Defoe to get them the goals! He scores nearly every time he's given a chance to start and he could do the same with England but, again, he's neglected by what I can only assume is blind stupidity. Leighton Baines had a shocker against Chile, but I do think that Ashley Cole has had his day at this level and it's time to move for Keiran Gibbs and let him show the world why he's part of a league-topping defence.

Conversely, English rugby is good. We showed last autumn that we can still battle with the best in the record defeat of the Kiwis and there were a lot of positives to take out of the internationals this month. That, and the fact I can remember the Grand Slam and WC combo in 2003, mean that the public in general believe that England actually have a chance in the next WC and they do. England lost their opening match at the 2007 RWC and yet still made the final. That's how crazy rugby can be sometimes, and I don't even think the 2007 bunch were particularly good! Yet they showed the determination, as incumbents, to reach the final and challenge for the WC. Did Cueto score a try? Well, it was an Aussie ref...

2. English football had to qualify. Nearly every country recognised by the UN (and a few that aren't) play international football. This means that there is a rigorous process to be one of the 32 teams that ultimately makes it to the finals. It also means that talking about England and their chances at the WC is somewhat premature before they've qualified. Seeing as how 'down to the wire' it was this time, it might be a while before we can safely be assured of qualification. I mean, who are Montenegro? Seriously?

Thanks to the slightly different way the RWC works, England don't have to qualify, and probably never will. This is largely due to there being fewer rugby nations (and even fewer 'test' nations). The southern hemisphere powers and the teams that compete in the Six Nations would take umbrage at having to qualify. Although they would have to if they did not place in the top three in their pool at the previous WC. This, however, would be a rare occurrence as they're the top nine teams in the world and there are twelve spots up for grabs.

The combination of these two facts mean that we are able to start talking about the current England rugby team with reference to the WC in 2015 (which is being held here) and not feel too ridiculous doing so. The flip side is that there are a few players who are part of this current team who may not make the cut in two years' time. Young players are constantly being blooded into the England team, look at the successful tour to Argentina this summer. Various players need a bit more time. Tom Youngs needs to practice his lineouts and Billy Twelvetrees should show more of his club form for his country as he was not at his best against Argentina this autumn.

It is premature, but the knowledge that both teams will be competing in their respective World Cups means that we can start to gossip and speculate and, as Englishmen, we do that really well.

An Excellent All-Round Display At Twickenham

I really enjoyed watching England beat Australia. Not just because it was Australia, but because we played an excellent game of rugby. I prevented myself from learning the score as I was at work followed by a Halloween party. I shall forever be indebted to the hosts for recording the match and preventing those that knew of the score from talking until after we'd all watched the match the following morning.

Let's start with the Man of the Match shall we? Fully deserved of the honour, Mike Brown had a game to remember. His incredible up-and-under followed up by picking the ball off the head of Will Genia was a joy to watch. A real contrast to the usual kick-and-forget rugby that we've become accustomed to recently. It was like watching Clement Poitrenaud, who I consider to be one of the best international fullbacks to have played, in the ingenuity of his game on Saturday. Special mention goes to the touch judge who didn't see how clearly Brown was in touch in the build up to one of England's tries. Although Cooper could have done better with that kick.

Talking of Quade Cooper, he is a mentalist isn't he? Great rugby player though. He plays with strength and flair. It's very rare to have a rugby player that can combine those two traits. His kicking left a lot to be desired and he seemed to attack Marlon Yarde without any reason to. He needs to control his temperament otherwise he could lose his spot. As my host for the weekend said, "If it weren't for rugby, he'd be in prison." If he carries on the way he's going, he might just end up there anyway.

By contrast to Brown, Billy Twelvetrees had a game to forget at 12. None of the excellence that he displayed during the Six Nations was on display against Australia. He has more to give and the England fans know it. He was given a very warm cheer from them when he was replaced by Toby Flood towards the end of the match. He just needs a bit more confidence.

I actually called that replacement, and my host will back me up. Owen Farrell had been struggling through most of the match but his try, and subsequent conversion, gave him confidence in himself. As a match average, a regular coach would have substituted him and brought on the more experienced Toby Flood to close out the game. I remember at the 2003 World Cup, Wilkinson was struggling during one of the knockout games. To bring him off would have knocked his confidence going forward, as it would have done on Saturday to Farrell. So, instead, in 2003 Mike Catt came on at Inside Centre instead to relieve some of the in-hand kicking duties and line-marshalling from Wilkinson. I suggested that they do the same as Twelvetrees was playing poorly and Farrell's confidence was beginning to build. I believe that decision showed a lot of maturity on the part of Stuart Lancaster and I was proud of myself for calling it.

Moving onto the forwards and the brothers Vunipola staked their respective claims for next year with outstanding displays at 1 and 8. Tom Wood showed maturity and understanding as he bounced back from all the media speculation over the England captaincy to put in a solid performance at 6. Then there's Chris Robshaw.

Since he was named as England captain, I have always championed his appointment. The only game I feel he hasn't contributed his utmost was last March against Wales. Since then, he has shown the reasons why he is England captain in the way he dealt with not going on tour with either the Lions or England in Argentina.

Then he goes and grabs a very bizarre try at the weekend. A try that was unusual in that it did not involve any forwards doing what they would normally be doing. From Billy Vunipola's charge down to Robshaw's positioning, they looked more like backs. Very pleased with that try. As I was with Farrell's try. A moment of brilliance (and luck thanks to Dylan Hartley) to spot the gap. He was surprised by the gap though.

The debutants Marlon Yarde and Joel Tomkins were certainly interesting and provide a good balance between experience and youth within the starting lineup.

Throughout all this there were a few negatives. Tom Youngs again could not sort out his lineouts and the ball rarely made its way towards either Yarde or Chris Ashton.

I'm looking forward to the next couple of tests, especially New Zealand. It will be a tough test as they will be out to avenge the record defeat 12 months ago but this England team is beginning to excite in the build up to the 2015 World Cup on home soil.

F1 Is Boring Now

I haven't watched an F1 race in full since Silverstone. It's a damning indictment for me, because I love the sport. It's not because McLaren are doing badly, it's not because the racing itself isn't incident-packed enough. It's because if Sebastian Vettel races, he wins.

I don't blame him or Red Bull, he's a great driver and Adrian Newey has designed yet another great car. I don't even blame the other teams for not being competitive enough or the tyres for being poor (even though they are). I can't even blame Sky, who have ruined Formula One for every UK-based viewer.

It's just the way of the sport. I still found the years when Michael Schumacher dominated interesting. It might be because there were still a few title challengers during those years, even though no serious contender materialised.

I actually blame Timo Glock. An odd choice of person to put the blame on but hear me out. If he hadn't equipped his Toyota with slick (or non-wet in those days) tyres towards the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2008, Felipe Massa would have won the World Championship and it would have been just as exciting as every other F1 Championship. Except he started the last lap on those tyres. The rain had fallen for the previous three laps and created a river running downhill at the final corner.

As Glock made his way around the lap, the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton, on intermediate tyres, closed in but was unable to pounce due to the Toyota's superior grip on the dry straights. Hamilton needed to come fifth or higher to secure the World Championship. He was running in sixth. Massa crossed the line in first place and the Ferrari garage went mental in celebration. Then all eyes watched the screen in total disbelief as, on the last corner of the last race of the season, Timo Glock's Toyota loses grip on the wet surface and Lewis Hamilton's McLaren passes it to move into fifth position and take the Championship away from the Prancing Horse.

I can think of only two moments that can even compare on a sporting scale - Liverpool's Champions League triumph of 2005 and England's Rugby World Cup win in 2003. Both extremely nail-biting and exciting for both fans and neutrals. Many can point fingers at last year's Ryder Cup triumph but Golf is inherently boring so it has been removed. Special mention though.

As a result, everything pales in comparison. Many a football match has come and gone since 2005 and even more rugby games since 2003 but there haven't been enough F1 races. The 2004 Six Nations was disappointing to watch and I struggled to really get into the 2005-06 Champions League, despite the fact that Arsenal didn't concede a goal for over 1,000 minutes of football and contributed to one of the most highly anticipated finals in years.

I really hope next season is exciting, it should be. Raikonnen moving back to Ferrari gives them one of the most interesting lineups on the grid. The volatile Alonso racing alongside the man they call 'The Iceman.' Can't wait.