Normally the English version of the Energiser Bunny, Rooney’s batteries seemed drained in South Africa.

Given the utter completeness of England’s disappointing performance in South Africa this year, after so much was expected, it’s little surprise that there’s been no end of opinion as to who or what was to blame. One of the more interesting theories is that the grueling schedule in England, with two domestic cups, the Champions and Europa Leagues, international duty and an extremely competitive and physically demanding Premier League table, wore down the British players before the World Cup even began.

Fabio Capello, the embattled but retained England manager, has publicly called for a winter break in the English schedule. Is there weight to Capello’s lament that his side was simply too tired to show their best? The other major European leagues all take time off over the Christmas season. Should England?

Our intrepid writers, Geoff Edwards and Eliot Rothwell have gotten together to kick off a new WFC series, Over a Pint. Every so often, a pair of our columnists will meet in a virtual pub, to pinch the barmaid and debate a polarising football issue. In the first segment, Geoff will try to convince a skeptical Eliot that a little time off would be good for English football.

Geoff: As a follower of the Bundesliga, I’ve become familiar with the winter break. In Germany it tends to run for about 4 weeks, from late December, well into January.

The Germans call their national team a ‘Tournament Team’, as the Mannschaft always seems to progress further than many expect. The main reason for this, so they say, is their preparation, which starts with this winter break. The break serves to divide the season up into 2 parts, giving players a chance to recharge both physically and mentally, and making the latter session less of a slog.

I don’t see why this couldn’t be introduced in England. The England team invariably arrives at tournaments looking unfit and jaded.

Are footy and Xmas inseparable?

Eliot: Being a teenager brought up in the English culture and, more importantly, the English football culture, I’ve experienced the magical time that is Christmas for football fans. The holiday serves as a feast of football for us, from the early anticipation when the Christmas and Boxing Day fixtures are announced in July, to the feeling upon awakening Boxing Day morning and readying yourself for the short drive to watch Bury in an away fixture at Accrington.

The experience is less about the football and more about the banter, being able to share the experiences of the past few chaotic days with your mates and fellow fans. It would be a shame for such a vital social ingredient in the English footballing recipe to be taken off the menu by the big-wig bureaucrats at the FA.

Fergie says, "Bah, Humbug!"

Geoff: I was brought up in the English culture, too (although, unfortunately I’m no longer a teenager) and love the Christmas fixtures as much as the next fan. I’d hate to see the end of them in the English football calendar.  On the other hand, I’d like to see the Three Lions challenge for another World Cup in my lifetime.

That’s why I would propose the last fixture before the break actually be the FA Cup 3rd round at the beginning of January. The action would then kick off again with the the FA Cup 4th round on the last weekend of January.

In this way, we could keep the Christmas calendar intact and still give the players a few weeks to recover from what is a very busy period; the “worst period of the year” according to Sir Alex Ferguson, as poor weather conditions and pitches take their toll on players’ fitness, leading to the inevitable burnout at the business end of the season.

Eliot: The problem I see with that, is the fact it would mean a prolonged break over the January transfer window, when managers may want to see the current form and fitness of prospective new signings in a competitive match-day environment.

On the subject of national team stars being “tired” when it comes to major tournaments, surely a more sensible and less controversial move would be to rid ourselves of the Carling Cup. We already have the FA Cup and the league season, so the extra cup competition is just seen as a distraction to the top clubs.  Hence Arsenal and Manchester United fielding weakened/youth teams.

One less competition would limit traveling and the amount of competitive games played far better than a winter break.

Or this?

Wouldn't you trade this?

Geoff: I think, in this day and age, clubs have players well scouted before the January window. They should already know a player’s capabilities when they move in to sign them. A winter break would give clubs more time to take care of the administrative side of signing players and give the players themselves time to bed in before making their debuts.

I do agree with your point on the League Cup, though. If anything was possible, I would also advocate abolishing it. However, I don’t see it as a viable option. The Football League would never agree to dropping its most prestigious competition, especially as its flagship league is England’s second tier, the Championship.

Maybe a reform of the League Cup could be workable then? A whole host of things could be changed, such as abolishing two-legged ties, or getting the majority of League Cup matchdays in before Christmas.

To relive this?

Eliot: Maybe a winter break is not the issue here. Maybe it’s the whole concept of the extremely long English season. Training for the league season starts at the beginning of July, while Spanish and Italian leagues start much later, giving the players extra time to recover from the previous season before they have to push their bodies to the limit again.

Another remedy to this is to reduce the number of teams in the Premier League to 18. This would lessen the season by four games, giving four extra weeks to national team managers for working with players and four added weeks for the players to regain fitness.

Geoff: I agree in principal but, again, I can’t ever see any of the clubs, or the Premier League, agreeing to reduce the league down to 18 teams, as they would miss the revenue that comes with those 4 lost games. Also, the domestic leagues of the previous two world champions (Italy and Spain) are contested by 20 teams.

With that in mind, I’ll reiterate my belief that the winter break is the best alternative available to help England’s players recharge their batteries both mentally and physically, to help get them in better shape to contest major tournaments.

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At least, no one blamed the WAGs this time!

Now that you’ve heard what Geoff and Eliot think, whose side are you on?  Do you believe they’ve covered all the relevant points?  Give us your opinion.  Vote on whether English football should take a holiday break, wait a few weeks, eliminate or lighten part of the domestic cup schedule or leave well enough alone.  Voice your opinion in the comment section below.

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As an emerging nation, South Africa faced a big ask in putting on a smooth, safe and entertaining show.  After the tragedy at the African Cup of Nations, skeptics abounded  as to their ability to do just that.

Will the sun set on the incessant buzz of the vuvuzela?

There were some small bumps in the road, like the dissatisfied fan who found his way into the England clubhouse after their first match and the pair of protestors who made it onto the pitch in the late rounds, one trying to lay his hands on the still undedicated World Cup Trophy.  As much as was seen, not too much was heard, thanks to the efforts of, and we hesitate to call it this, the symphony of vuvuzelas at every match in the competition.

Each nation and its fans have their own way of supporting and celebrating their side during matches and South Africa is certainly welcome to theirs.  Hopefully, though, this deafening cacophony of sound, which is unique to them, will not spread to the rest of the world, ala the Mexican Wave.

On the other hand, the spirit and unity of the South African people was a wonderful thing to behold in a country and on a continent not noted for it.  We hope that reports of the goodwill being temporary are not proven true.  The hosts put on a colourful and entertaining show from Match Day One right through to the Final and, happily, the games themselves soon followed suit.  The world owes the people of South Africa a heartfelt thank you for a job well done.

Now, that we have had a couple of days to let the finality of the Spanish victory sink in, WFC is here to reflect on the tournament as a whole.  Six of our writers will bring you their impressions of the competition, with each focusing on a different country or region.

First up is,

Geoff Edwards on Germany

Just as in ’06 and ’08, 2010 saw Germany still heavily involved at the business end of the tournament. For the 3rd consecutive major competition, the Nationalmannschaft took its fans on a magical summer adventure, going down valiantly on each occasion to the eventual champions.

Whilst there was an air of disappointment amongst Germany’s fans after their semi-final exit to Spain, there was also an acceptance that they were beaten by the better side; the overriding feeling has been one of pride. The DFB-Elf’s‘ destruction of England and then Argentina are memories that will live long and go down in German World Cup folklore.

The future is now

There is also a huge feeling of optimism surrounding the German team at the moment. The most striking aspect of Germany’s success was the amount of gifted young players in and around the squad. Mesut Özil cemented his reputation as one of Europe’s hottest young prospects and Sami Khedira has put himself in the shop window of Europe’s biggest clubs with some mature displays in midfield. The biggest success however, was Thomas Müller. The young Bayern forward was far from a guaranteed starter before the World Cup. In fact, it looked as if Piotr Trochowski would be given the nod. After picking up the Golden Boot and the award for Best Young Player, Müller has made himself a starter for the forseeable future.

Perhaps the most credit of all has to go to Löw, the manager. Many were sceptical about the chances of such a young squad.  Juergen Klinsmann’s successor had a clear vision of how he wanted his team to play, however, and picked the squad he thought would best execute his plans. The result was a skilful, direct, tactically astute and pacy team, led superbly by young captain Philipp Lahm and vice-captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, neither of whom ceased to step up and take responsibility, be it on or off the field.

There is a nucleus here, a superb young team that could potentially be together for 4-6 years. Surely, some silverware is on the horizon.

David Holden on the French Debacle

It’s been a hell of a World Cup. Maybe not in terms of spectacle, but as far as entertainment goes, I have loved it. Spain are the new world champions, an honour which they thoroughly deserve. Sadly though, Fernando Torres, one of their brightest stars, failed to shine, a serious concern to Spaniards and Liverpudlians alike.

However, despite fantastic performances from the champions and a few other notables, like Holland and Germany, there were also some teams that failed to live up to expectations. Brazil lost their cool against Holland and Italy’s aging team failed to impress.  But the chief culprits were probably the French.

The newest dartboard material in French pubs

With their campaign marred by player infighting and strikes, some would argue that it was karmic justice for the way they qualified. Yet, the real problem wasn’t the squad but rather the coach, Raymond Domenech, who reportedly chose his team based upon the signs of the Zodiac. His lack of man management and insensitivity to the spirit of his camp made him the figure-head for France’s disastrous campaign.

Still, he can’t be held solely to blame. The players themselves seemed uninterested. Yes, perhaps the way they qualified played a hand (pun intended) in their fall from grace but let’s not forget their history. In 1998, they won the World Cup, after failing to qualify in the previous two competitions. In 2002 they finished bottom of their group, losing to Senegal, but  finished runners-up in 2006, after a penalty shoot-out.  Overall, a very comme ci, comme ça series of results.

So, what does the future hold? That will be in the hands of the new coach, Laurent Blanc.

Eliot Rothwell on the Eastern Euro Nations

That’s it for another four years then. Now it’s time for the post World Cup blues, the discount memorabilia and the inevitable transfer inflation of the players that had an impressive tournament. The Emperor of the Inflation Realm seems to be Diego Forlan – the newly crowned “Golden Ball” holder. The Uruguayan was instrumental in his team’s unexpected, yet deeply enjoyed rise to 4th place and collected a greatly deserved award.

Top of the bill was the “Tikki-Takka” of the underwhelming Spanish. The smooth passing of the Spaniards was enough to overcome the destructive Dutch in an all European final.

Speaking of Europe, the task of reviewing the progress of the outer reaches of Europe at this World Cup has fallen into my hands.

Milan Jovanovic had a moment in the sun against Germany

First, the plucky but, ultimately, inadequate Slovenians. For a country with a population less than the total number of Germans working in football, the Slovenians would be right to feel a sense of achievement in merely making it to South Africa. But it could have been so much better. Surrendering a two goal lead to the USA in a match that finished in a frantic 2-2 draw and a lack of ambition in the final group game with England cost the team a place in the knockout stages. Manager Matjaž Kek set his teams out well but his lack of attacking verve when it came to substitutions made the efforts of Valter Birsa and Mille Novakovic all the more difficult.

The Serbians, everyone’s favourite dark horse, proved to be everyone’s least favourite disappointment. The mercurial talents of Milos Krasic, Dejan Stevanovic and Nemanja Vidic did little to secure that much vaunted place in the knockout stages. Raddy Antic’s men fell feebly to the Ghanaians and the Australians but did manage a rousing victory over the youthful Germans. Although their performance was largely frustrating this summer, the Serbians have enough to pose a real threat in the European Championships of 2012. With the championships located in the Ukraine and Poland, the Serbs won’t have to travel very far. Watch this space.

Robert Vittek put Italy down for the count

An extremely successful but understated tournament saw Vladimir Weiss’ Slovakians overcome in the second round by eventual finalists Holland. The Slovakians, whilst being my favourite team of the tournament, were largely overlooked due to the fact that they had the audacity to block New Zealand’s route to the knockout stage. In a polar opposite of neighbours Slovenia, the Slovaks were quite happy to “go for it.”  Their 3-2 victory over Italy raised the spirits of commentators who had bemoaned the defensive nature of the World Cup. Aside from a quite stupendous goal by Italy substitute Fabio Quagliarella, the match highlighted the uncharacteristic ruthlessness of Robert Vittek and his, ahem, comrades. Weiss’ men may also be back in two years time, slightly closer to home soil.  Successive qualifications will prove difficult, however, for the Slovaks, as the 2010 World Cup was their first as an independent nation.

So, a mixed World Cup for the Eastern Europeans but a tournament that offers much in the way of perspective and promise. The ever dividing circles of the former Yugoslav Republic offer a sense of regret to football fans. The fact that many of these independent nations are a shadow of what an enduring Yugoslavia might have become, in footballing terms, has always left me with that wonderful feeling of what if… Still, the footballing landscape looks promising for those over in Eastern Europe with Bosnia, Russia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Romania, all wanting to right some wrongs and Serbia, Slovenia and Slovakia hoping to build on this summer’s tournament.  The 2012 European Championships may well see the rise of an Eastern European force.

Fabricio Presilli on South America

A World Cup held in the winter is always a little different and presents challenges for the organizing committee.   Yet South Africa proved its many doubters wrong and we shall remember this month forever.

Diego Forlan led the last qualifiers from South America far deeper into the tournament than powers Brazil and Argentina

After a grueling CONMEBOL classification period, Brazil and Argentina were favorites to win it all, but the other three teams’, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, were accorded much lower expectations than that.

Chile soared with two victories and impressed with its uncompromisingly high flying offense.  Brazil and Spain brought them down to earth, however, with effective counter attacks.

Paraguay had their best result in a World Cup so far, reaching the quarter-finals. Unlike Chile,  the Paraguayans have historically had a strong defense, with a deficiency in the front. Even the debut of Lucas Barrios couldn’t change that.

Brazil reached the quarters without much sweat, but facing the Dutch proved a bigger test than Dunga’s boys could handle. The Seleção’s elimination paves the way for a rebuilding in the team, starting at the bench as the new coach should be named before Brazil’s first test, in New York, next August.

Argentina’s problems were forgotten after four good matches. The offense was working well, even though Lionel Messi’s goal didn’t arrive. Then, the German’ amazingly  fast counter attacks tore apart Maradona’s squad. The Argentinian might be remembered, in his managerial capacity, for having great players that couldn’t get it together as a team.

Among the biggest surprises of the World Cup was the Uruguayan rebirth, giving hope to such a small and football-loving nation. In a smart move, coach Oscar Tabaréz put Diego Forlan in the middle, feeding Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani with great balls and creating some good chances for himself, along the way. Forlan deserves his Golden Ball, the lack of options in the Uruguayan squad obligated him to do everything for them, and he found a way.

My World Cup First XI: GK, Eduardo of Portugal;  D, Philip Lahm of Germany,  Carlos Puyol of Spain, Diego Lugano of Uuruguay and Fabio Coentrão of Portugal; M, Andres Iniesta of Spain, Bastian Schweinsteiger of Germany and Wesley Sneijder of the Netherlands; F, Arjen Robben of the Netherlands, David Villa of Spain and Diego Forlan of Uruguay; Coach, Oscar Tabárez of Uruguay.

Martin Palazzotto on Most of the Rest of the World and FIFA, too

First, I have to say congratulations to Spain, the Netherlands and also the English referee for giving us a much more engaging final than the France/Italy snore-fest in the last go ’round.  There is a lot of criticism in the media for the way the Dutch conducted themselves in this contest.  Johan Cruyff especially dug into his compatriots for abandoning ‘total football’ for what Fisted Away, hilariously called “Total Bastard Football.”   However, artistic football is not the only path to victory and Bert van Marwijk and his charges believed their hope lay in getting in the faces (and chests) of the Spanish players.

Spare your sympathies for where they’re needed, though.  Vicente del Bosque’s side were not above some physicality of their own.  Five of the thirteen bookings in the match went against la Furia, as Iniesta and Puyol most notably got some of their own back.  Howard Webb, in a no-win situation handled the match just as he need to insure that the players decided the match and the audience were entertained.

Japan pulled off a memorable bait and switch on the Danes

The game was deserving of its place as a final and lived up to the challenge presented by the rest of the matches in the competition.  The performances of so many teams showed that, despite his provincial politics and boorish sentiments, Sepp Blatter is to be congratulated for bringing the furthest reaches of the planet truly into the world’s game.

Who can forget the bravado of a thoroughly outclassed North Korean side going toe to toe with mighty Brazil and getting one good shot in at the end?  What about the set piece magic of Keisuke Honda and Yasuhito Endo against the Danes?  After Honda was the first to master the Jabulani, striking from close to the byline on the quarter hour, he stood over another, more central opportunity on twenty-nine minutes.  His pose was the quintessential Cristiano Ronaldo, legs spread, hands on hips and the determinedly measuring look towards goal.  The Danes were completely sucked in by the charade and were far too late to react when Endo stepped up and struck the ball.  It was a moment I’ll remember fondly for a long time.

The Pacific Rim was well represented at this World Cup.  New Zealand, the ultimate minnows, refused to lose and, despite not getting through themselves, contributed to seeing off a sub-par Italian side.  Mexico opened the tournament with just a draw against a buoyant home side but followed that up by defeating a crumbling French team.   The youthfulness of the side was unable to cope with Uruguay and Argentina but Javier Hernandez and Giovani Dos Santos showed much promise.  The aging Cuahtemoc Blanco took his bow in international competition with flair, coming on late to cut open defences with his surgical passing.  The Americans were true to their stereo type, getting up time and again when knocked down, to persevere their way to result after result.  Tim Howard, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, whose ages raise doubt about their return in four years time, showed that America is growing into their potential as a soccer nation, whether or not the citizenry is appreciative of the fact.

Ghana were the better team but rules are rules

Most of the African sides were overmatched and unable to take advantage of familiar surroundings.  Cameroon’s backroom infighting highlights the troubles of sides from the Dark Continent.  Politics and corruption are preventing some very talented athletes from coming together as a unit.  The Ivory Coast were the fatality in the Group of Death, wounded as they were from the start, by the injury to their talisman, Didier Drogba and the unfamiliarity with caretaker manager Sven-Goran Ericksson.  Ghana overcame those issues, however, to progress to the quarter-finals where they were cruelly treated by the ‘hand’ of fate.  Luis Suarez’ deliberate handball to prevent a goal and defeat at the death of their quarterfinal match gave an unintended meaning to ESPN’s World Cup slogan, “One Goal Changes Everything.”

That incident highlighted the one shortcoming in this tournament:  FIFA’s refusal to grow with the times and patch up the shabby officiating and the holes in the rule book.  None of the officiating errors were the ultimate cause in any nation’s exit but who is to say what might have happened had correct calls been made, replacing anger and despair with joy and hope in the hearts of certain players?  The one call that did eliminate a side, the Luis Suarez handball, was a loophole in the rules, for which the referee could do nothing. Sepp Blatter has promised to reverse his former position and re-open the debate on replay technology.  Whether, the loophole in the rulebook will be closed as well is uncertain.

The remorselessness of the Uruguayans was a sad thing to see, crushing as it did the hopes of an entire continent.  Some consolation can be taken from the bitter taste of irony they suffered in the consolation match, when Suarez was hauled down at the death and Forlan sent the possible game tying ball, like Asamoah Gyan’s potential match winning  penalty, off the bar.  Uruguay, to be fair, showed a lot of quality in their deep run but their demise was just desserts, indeed.

Lastly, Matt Dalton on England

When I was a child, I was completely and utterly in love with the World Cup. The magic that was Italia 90 for all England fans held such power over me that I was hardly bothered when we didn’t even qualify for the next tournament, in America. These days, the World Cup is a little different for me.

For 14 years now I have been hearing Three Lions by the Lightning Seeds. For almost as many years we have had a “Golden Generation”. For 14 years all I have heard is, “This time, we’ll win it!”  The only problem is that England have gotten worse with each tournament; worse with every renewed promise of victory.

International tournaments are difficult for me to watch,as I pessimistically wait for the inevitable poor performance from England. This year was no different. In fact, it was possibly the worst England performance I have ever watched. When you consider the money that flows into the English game, it is difficult to understand exactly why we are so poor. Still, I was born with the curse of an Englishman and I will die with the curse of an Englishman. If there’s one thing we are good at, it’s cocking up at international tournaments!

And so…

The 2010 World Cup provided memories enough for the whole world and it’s been our pleasure to share some of them with you.  Now, though, WFC goes back to business as usual.  We will be here to bring you our take on the goings on in leagues and competitions the world over.  Plus, we’re planning a few new features to keep you entertained.  Stick with us and enjoy!

One last look

And so it was today in Germany’s quarter final clash with Diego Maradona’s Argentina. With just 3 minutes gone, the 20 year-old from the small town of Pähl in Bavaria rose to glance Bastian Schweinsteiger’s free-kick beyond the haplessly stranded Sergio Romero to send his country into raptures.

Mueller heads past Romero

Before the match, many (German fans included) believed Germany’s big moment in this World Cup had come with their thrashing of England. Maradona’s Albiceleste wouldn’t be so easy. Messi, Tevez and co would bring Joachim Löw’s young team down to earth they thought. Mueller set Germany on the way to proving that theory wrong with Germany’s fastest ever World Cup goal.

Throughout the remaining 42 minutes of the 1^st half Argentina rarely looked like getting back into the match. Whilst they controlled the majority of possession, Germany worked tirelessly off the ball to deny space to their attacking players. Schweinsteiger and Khedira did an especially good job picking up Messi and denying him the chance to operate between Germany’s midfield and defence. That, coupled with Argentina’s lack of natural width, meant there was no way through. A tame shot at Neuer by Higuaín and a rightly disallowed offside goal (again from Higuain), were the best the Albiceleste could muster.

Messi - frustrated

As well as being well-organised defensively, Germany were also a threat going forward. Mid-way through the 1^st half it was Müller again who pounced on an error by Gabriel Heinze to burst into the box and lay it off to Miroslav Klose, who should have sent the Germans in 2-0 at the break, but he wastefully fired it over.

With the score still at 1-0 at the start of the 2^nd half, Argentina fancied their chances and dominated the opening 20 minutes. A powerful Carlos Tevez shot was blocked on 54 minutes by the face of Per Mertesacker. From the resulting corner, Manuel Neuer had to parry a Di Maria cross to safety. Argentina had further chances through Messi and Higuaín in the 63^rd minute but, as they began to throw more men forward, Germany looked more and more dangerous on the counter.

Just as in their previous match, Germany grabbed the killer goal just when their opponents looked most like scoring. Again, Müller was involved. Having been brought down by Otamendi 25 yards away from the Argentina goal, Müller admirably stayed alert to swivel on the ground and stab the ball into the path of the onrushing Lukas Podolski. The Pole was left with little to do but roll the ball across to his ‘countryman’ Klose to tap into the back of the net. Cue delirium on the streets of Germany, a country today bathed in 37 degree heat. It would be interesting to know how many cases of heatstroke this goal, alone, caused among the many outdoor fan parks across the land. It was the strike that gave the Germans the genuine belief that victory was theirs.

The party didn’t end there however. With Argentina desperately throwing men forward in their increasingly hopeless attempts to salvage the match, Germany broke forward twice more to pick at the gaping holes in the South Americans’ defence. Both goals were similar to Germany’s 2nd, as they took advantage of slack defending on Argentina’s right side. First, man of the match Schweinsteiger slalomed brilliantly toward the byline to cut the ball back for Arne Friedrich to tap home. Then, as if not to be outdone, Mesut Özil rounded off proceedings with a touch of genius, expertly standing the ball up at the far post for Klose to volley home his 2nd goal of the match. A more sublime, perfectly weighted pass you couldn’t wish to see, Klose didn’t have to break stride, he barely even had to move, before stroking it past Romero.

Klose - World Cup legend

The final goal capped a stunning team performance by Germany. Once more, Joachim Löw came up with the perfect tactical plan to foil his opposition. Once again they were strong in defence and devastating on the counter attack. Schweinsteiger, in particular, marshalled his team expertly, keeping the shackles on Messi for much of the game but also getting forward to support in attack. The goal also brought Klose’s World Cup goal tally to 14, level with Gerd Müller and 1 short of Ronaldo’s all time record. All eyes will be on him in Germany’s semi-final against Vicente del Bosque’s (so far) unimpressive and beatable-looking Spain outfit. Unfortunately, they won’t be on Thomas Müller, who was harshly yellow-carded for an accidental handball in the 1st half and will be suspended.

Whether they win or lose against the Spaniards, one thing is certain: just like in 2006, Germany’s young team has made their countrymen, from the Chancellor to the salt of the earth fan, immensely proud, and given them at least one more big party to look forward to.

England fans should feel a bit better also – at least Capello’s men mustered one goal!

Looking at the fixture list prior to the games, I wasn’t sure I would be in luck. Thankfully I was wrong, although the day’s play took some time to warm up.

The first day’s game, between the Netherlands and Japan in Group E, was the least entertaining of the day. It did contain certain points of interest however, outside of the play itself. The first was the stunning Moses Mabhida Stadium, made even more brilliant by the sunshine and the hordes of Dutch fans decked in Orange, a brilliant sight in any stadium.

Brilliant orange

Secondly, I noticed that there seems to be an unofficial fashion contest taking place between the Dutch and the German backroom team. Bert van Maarwijk  and Frank de Boer entered the action in cool matching grey suits, possibly in an attempt to outdo Jogi Loew and Hansi Flick, who have made matching knitwear their trademark at this tournament.

Moving onto the football, the 1^st half resembled a ‘keep ball’ training exercise. The Dutch had 71% of the ball in the 1^st half but didn’t do a great deal with it. With van der Vaart, Sneijder and Kuyt playing off van Persie upfront there was a distinct lack of natural width in the Dutch side. This played into the hands of the well-organised, defensive Japanese outfit and they grew more and more anonymous as the half wore on.

Holland rarely threatened, and when they did it was perhaps unsurprising that the two full-backs, Gio van Bronckhorst and Gregory van der Wiel, were involved. In the 2^nd half, it was a van Bronckhorst cross that led to the 1^st and only goal of the game in the 53^rd minute, with van Persie laying it off for Sneijder to unleash a powerful shot, which Japanese goalkeeper Kawashima got a hand to but could only parry disappointingly into the corner. Has the quality of goalkeeping ever been so low at a World Cup?

Holland celebrate their triumph

For the next 20 minutes or so Japan got a foothold in the game in search of an equaliser and began to take the game more to the Dutch. The Japanese are technically very strong and Yoshito Okubo in particular looked the biggest threat with his powerful runs through midfield, but they were unable to create any clear cut chances. The match swung back in the Dutch favour in the last 20 minutes with the introductions of Elljero Elia and Ibrahim Afellay who injected some much needed pace and width into Holland’s attack. Afellay missed 2 good chances to put the Dutch 2-0 up in the last 5 minutes, unable to beat Kawashima in two one on ones.

In the end it didn’t matter, despite one last chance for Japan, blasted over by Okazaki, the Dutch held firm and will be celebrating the victory and passage into the knockout round. Bert van Maarwijk will have plenty to ponder however, and may look to make changes to the attacking midfield trio in future.

The 2^nd game of the day took us to the Royal Bafokeng stadium in Rustenberg, all decked out in Green and Gold. Yes, the Aussies were in town to take on Ghana, and lay memories of their German nightmare to rest. For the first 10 minutes they seemed to have a good chance of doing so, as they dominated the early proceedings and deservedly took the lead thanks to yet another goalkeeping error. Before the game I worried for Richard Kingson, as he appeared to fall asleep during Ghana’s national anthem. My worries appeared to be well founded as he spilled Mark Bresciano’s 30 yard free-kick directly into the path of Brett Holman who stabbed it home easily.

From then on Ghana began to work their way back into the game with some neat possession football and it wasn’t long before they were back on level terms. Asamoah Gyan picked up a loose ball and turned Craig Moore on his way into the area before unleashing a shot that was deflected behind. From the resulting corner the impressive Andre Ayew easily beat Luke Wilkshire and Brett Emerton and cut it back for Johnathan Mensah whose shot smashed the arm of Harry Kewell on the goal line. The result? Penalty to Ghana and red card for Kewell. It was harsh on Kewell, it wasn’t intentional but he had to go. Gyan stepped up to ram home his 2^nd penalty of the tournament.

Ghana equalise against the Socceroos

There didn’t seem to be much hope for the Socceroos in the 2^nd half, with a man down against a Ghana side with the bit between their teeth. The Black Stars came out as they had finished the 1^st half, dominating possession with some delightful one touch passing, the powerful Boateng again at the heart of it. Again however, they were just unable to create any real chances, resorting to long range shots against the organised Aussies, who had adapted well to Kewell’s red card.

Perhaps sensing Ghana’s inability to finish them off, Australia came out of their defensive shell and went on the lookout for a winner of their own. Their best chance came in the 72^nd minute. Sub Scott Chipperfield played a fine through ball that found Luke Wilkshire in the box but Kingson did well to parry his shot. Josh Kennedy couldn’t create enough space for himself to bury the rebound.

In the end neither side could tip the balance in their favour, and it will be Australia more satisfied with a point that still keeps them in with a slim chance of qualifying for the knockout round.  They may be lacking ability, but they showed today that they give everything for the cause and shouldn’t be dismissed.

The most thrilling match of the day was saved until last. It was evident that both Cameroon and Denmark needed to get their first points on the board. Both sides pushed forward from the off in the search of goals. Organised defending was definitely not a priority in this end to end affair. Most chances stemmed from defensive errors, and so it was with the first goal. Christian Poulsen played a dreadful backpass on the edge of his own area to Webo, who fed Eto’o inside the box to gratefully smash the ball past Soerensen.

Before the match there were reports that Cameroon’s senior players, along with the Cameroon Football Federation and Sports Minister, confronted coach Paul le Guen and persuaded him to change his tactics, reinstating Achille Emana, Alex Song and Geremi and moving Eto’o back to his favoured central position. They seemed to be vindicated. Emana in particular was a constant threat to Denmark with his surging runs through the centre of midfield. The team looked motivated and full of intent, a far cry from their opening game against Japan.

Cameroon didn’t have it all their own way however.  In throwing so many midfielders forward to support Eto’o and Webo, they left their defence short on cover, especially on the right hand side where Dennis Rommedahl posed a constant threat to left-back Assou-Ekotto. Unsurprisingly it was Rommedahl who created the Danes’ equaliser on 33 minutes. Simon Kjaer found him with a magnificent long, diagonal pass. He raced clear and sent in a precise cross, leaving Niklas Bendtner with the formality of prodding it home.

Rommedahl - matchwinner

The 2^nd half followed a similar pattern, with Emana again proving a handful for the Danes. The Indomitable Lions created the majority of the chances. Unfortunately none of them fell to Eto’o. Webo, Makoun and substitutes Idrissou and Aboubakar all wasted good opportunities. In the 63^rd minute Webo scuffed a shot in the area from short range which was picked up by Soerensen. The ball found its way to Bendtner, who sent a delightful pass into the path of that man Rommedahl. The ex-Charlton Athletic winger turned Makoun far too easily and sent a beautiful curling effort into the bottom corner. Game over. Cameroon threw everything at the Danes but they couldn’t get that elusive goal that would keep them in the competition.

It was a shame that the first team to be eliminated would book their flights home after such a stirring performance, and that one of the world’s greatest strikers will be denied the chance to exhibit his talents in the latter stages. In the end the Indomitable Lions paid for their limp performance against Japan. Will Le Guen pay for it with his job?

Previous World Cup Diary Entries

Match Day 1:  South Africa v Mexico, France v Uruguay

Match Day 2: South Korea v Greece, Argentina v Nigeria, England v USA

Match day 3: Slovenia v Algeria, Ghana v Serbia, Germany v Australia

Match Day 4:  Netherlands v Denmark, Japan v Cameroon, Italy v Paraguay

Match Day 5:  Slovakia v New Zealand, Portugal v Ivory Coast, Brazil v North Korea

Match Day 6:  Chile v Honduras, Spain v Switzerland, South Africa v Uruguay

Match Day 7:  Argentina v South Korea, Greece v Nigeria, France v Mexico

Match Day 8:  Germany v Serbia, USA v Slovenia, England v Algeria  written by Martin Palazzotto

Match Day 8: Germany v Serbia, USA v Slovenia, England v Algeria written by Matt Dalton

I wasn’t sure which Algeria would turn up today, the team which defeated Egypt in the qualifying play-off, or the team that lost to the same opposition in the African Cup of Nations, finishing with just 8 men left on the field? In the end, it was probably a bit of both. For the first half, they played with more purpose and energy than the Slovenians, and were especially a threat down the left-hand side where Nadir Belhadj and Karim Ziani linked up well. Ziani in particular threatened with his accurate delivery from the left wing and it was no surprise that the first real chance of the game came from one of his corners, headed wide by Halliche from 6 yards.

All in all it was a dull game. In the first half Algeria looked to be the most likely winner. They wanted it more against a pedestrian Slovenian team. It was not until the 43^rd minute that Slovenia had their first shot on target, a stinging effort from Valter Birsa that Faouzi Chaouchi did well to tip over for a corner.

Slovenia clearly had a stern talking to at the break as they came out for the second half with a bit more intent, although they still didn’t create many openings. The game began to turn in the 73^rd minute. Substitute Ghezzal deliberately handled a ball running away from him and picked up his second yellow card, stupidly and needlessly reducing Algeria to 10 men.

Chaouchi error

The 79^th minute brought the second decisive moment. Robert Koren shot tamely from the edge of the area and Chaouchi took a leaf out of Green’s book, failing to get his body behind the shot and letting it squirm into the bottom corner, thus consigning his team to the bottom of group C. It was difficult not to think that Slovenia didn’t beat Algeria, but Algeria managed to beat themselves, and the match did little to alter my belief that England and USA would both qualify for the second phase.

Next up it was the 1^st game in Group D: Serbia v Ghana. I was looking forward to seeing the Serbs for the first time, one of the tipped dark horses. After having seen Ghana’s friendly defeat to the Netherlands I didn’t expect a great deal from the Black Stars however. It turns out I was pleasantly surprised.

There was a nice crisp tempo to the game and Ghana were the main contributors in the first half. There wasn’t a great deal of goalmouth action but the 3 attacking midfielders in their 4-2-3-1 (Ayew, Tagoe, Asamoah) offered a pacy and tricky threat to the Serbs. Serbia on the other hand were rather leaden footed. There seemed to be a lack of ideas going forward and the wingers didn’t get involved, not helped by Ghana’s defensive tenacity. Whenever the Black Stars lost possession, they were quick to get men behind the ball, providing a strong defensive bulwark against potential Serbian attacks.

The second half saw more goalmouth action. Nikola Zigic wasted a glorious chance to put Serbia ahead on the hour but he couldn’t get a good enough contact on Pantelic’s superb centre.  A minute later it was Ghana’s turn to curse as a header from Asamoah Gyan came back off the post from 6 yards. On 74 minutes, Lukovic made it 2 red cards in 2 games for the day, receiving his 2^nd yellow for holding back Asamoah Gyan on the halfway line.

It looked as though the team down to 10 men might take the lead, as Milos Krasic had a powerful effort tipped over by Richard Kingson following excellent work down the left from substitute Danko Lazovic. Branislav Ivanovic went close shortly after, lashing a 20 yard shot just over following a powerful run.

Gyan rifles home Ghana's penalty

In the end, however, it was the team with the numerical advantage who went ahead, just as in the day’s earlier game.  Zdravko Kuzmanovic inexplicably handled a cross coming into the area and Asamoah Gyan stroked home the penalty. On the balance of play Ghana deserved their win, as did their colourful fans (one of whom seemed to be wearing a steaming cauldron on his head).

The last game of the day completed the fixtures in Group D. Germany’s 2010 World Cup campaign couldn’t have got off to a better start against Australia. After all the bullish talk coming out of the German camp in the last week or so, the ‘Nationalmannschaft’ showed that they could back it up. All the talk before the game was of a tough, defensive Australian side which would be physical and difficult to break down. Germany would have to be patient, they said.

As it turned out they only had to wait 8 minutes. Mesut Özil fed Thomas Mueller with a beautiful through ball. The young Bayern man pulled it back across goal for Lukas Podolski to blast it home, maintaining his excellent international goal scoring record despite a poor domestic season. Nineteen minutes later it was Klose’s turn to do likewise, heading a Philipp Lahm cross into an empty net after Schwarzer had gone walkabout (excuse the pun).

Australia were desperately poor, lacking fight, invention and organisation. They offered little going forward and looked all at sea defensively, especially when Mesut Özil carried the ball into their final third. The Bremen man was in inspired form, carving the Socceroos defence open at will with his trademark through balls.

It got worse for the Australians 10 minutes into the 2^nd half as Tim Cahill received a straight red card for a clumsy challenge on Bastian Schweinsteiger. It was harsh on Australia for 2 reasons. Firstly, Australia seemed to be getting a small foothold in the game, and secondly because it was plainly a poor decision. The challenge deserved a yellow card at the very most.

From then on it was a cakewalk for Germany who, as in the first half, played their way through the Australian defence at will with some superb combination play between Özil, Muller, Klose and Podolski. Germany added two more wonderfully worked goals from Müller and substitute Cacau and would have had more were it not for some superb goalkeeping from Mark Schwarzer.

Germany were a pleasure to watch and on this evidence will take some beating, but there are surely tougher tests for them to come in the form of Ghana and Serbia.

Previous entries in WFC’s World Cup Diary

Match Day 1:  South Africa v Mexico, France v Uruguay

Match Day 2: South Korea v Greece, Argentina v Nigeria, England v USA

With the provisional squad now down to 24, Loew only had to drop one player (Hoffenheim right-back Andreas Beck) before naming his final squad. Privately, Loew may have been a little thankful that so many important decisions were taken out of his hands. But, for a national team that places so much emphasis on pre-tournament preparation, it was hardly ideal, especially taking into account that the number one goalkeeper Rene Adler,  and yet another defensive midfielder Simon Rolfes, were ruled out through injury during the course of the Bundesliga season.

These injury problems left a number of unanswered questions. Who would be the new no.1 goalkeeper? Who would take the captain’s armband? Who would replace Ballack in midfield? Loew’s answer was to turn to youth. Manuel Neuer (24) has been anointed as 1^st choice keeper. Sami Khedira (23) will take up residence in central midfield and Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger (26, 25) will be captain and vice-captain respectively.

The new leaders

In keeping with this theme of youth, Lahm is Germany’s youngest ever captain, and he’ll be captaining Germany’s youngest World Cup squad since 1934. The quality coming out of Germany’s youth ranks has been mentioned before on this site,  and is surely not in question. However, a turn towards youth is a turn away from experience, and there certainly does seem relatively little in this squad. 13 members of the squad will be playing their first ever tournament and 12 of the 23-man party have less than 10 caps to their names.

Questions also remain over Germany’s starting line-up, with left-back, right-wing and centre-forward spots still uncertain. In the last friendly (a convincing 3-1 win at home to Bosnia) they were occupied by Holger Badstuber, Piotr Trochowski and Miro Klose. With the latter two out of form, there has been a strong clamour for them to be replaced by Thomas Mueller and ‘Helmut’ Cacau. The likes of Klose and Podolski will have a lot of work to do to justify their places after poor domestic campaigns this season. At the other end of the pitch, senior centre-back Per Mertesacker has been suffering from frequent concentration lapses.

Doubts also persist over the balance of Loew’s final squad. If Khedira or Schweinsteiger get injured, the next apparent candidate for the ‘No. 6’ is Hamburg’s Dennis Aogo, a left-back by trade. And is there really any need to bring 6 forwards (Cacau, Klose, Podolski, Gomez, Kiessling, Mueller) to a 4-week tournament.

Generation X in goal for Germany

Of course, World Cup history has taught us that nobody proves doubters wrong quite like the Germans. They have got it down to a form of fine art. Their World Cup final victories in 1954 and 1974 came against highly fancied and world renowned sides: ‘The Magnificent Magyars’ of Puskas and Hidegkuti in 1954 and Michels’ and Cruyff’s masters of Total Football in 1974. In 2002 a relatively poor German team made it all the way to the final. Germany’s progress to the final in 1986 famously had coach Franz Beckenbauer in fits of laughter: ‘can you believe we got to the final with these players??’

Perhaps it is this sense of history that has given the ‘Nationalmannschaft’ belief this time around.

Both manager and captain are bullish despite the apparent problems. The increasingly influential Lahm claims this is the best ever national squad he has worked with. Whilst Loew, who needs a good tournament to strengthen his future position, has been talking of ‘not just beating teams with traditional German virtues like running and battling. We want to dominate and outplay our opponents.’ This attitude was certainly reflected in Germany’s victorious performance against Bosnia.

Whether such confidence is misplaced or not remains to be seen but, if history has taught us anything, it is not to bet against the Germans.

Right Back: Philipp Lahm (FC Bayern) – At only 26, Lahm has become a key, influential figure in the Bayern dressing room. Traditionally a right-footed left back with a tendency to cut in from the left onto his stronger foot, he was converted to right back this season by coach Louis van Gaal. This has enabled him to make use of his attacking instincts and at the same time provide more width down the right hand side than he usually would down the left, thus improving the shape of the team.

Left Back: Holger Badstuber (FC Bayern) – League winners, cup winners, Champions League runners-up. Not a bad debut season for the 20 year-old defender. A product of Bayern’s youth system, Badstuber debuted at centre-half and looked a little bit uncertain. His talent was never in question however. His wand of a left foot ensured highly accurate set-piece delivery and one stunning goal. He was shifted mid-season to left-back, which allowed him to make best use of those talents without being so exposed defensively. A late-call up to the provisional German World Cup squad was a confirmation of what a great season he’s had with Bayern. A promising prospect for the future.

Centre Back: Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund) – I first noticed Hummels in the U21 Euro final where he completely nullified the threat of Theo Walcott. The timing of his tackles was impeccable. In the subsequent season at Dortmund he’s proved that was no one off. He has also shown an excellent ability to read the game for one so young (still only 21) and he has proved a useful weapon at attacking set-pieces, with 5 goals to his name. Another product of Bayern’s youth system, the Bavarians will be kicking themselves for letting him go.

Centre Back: Sami Hyypia (Bayer Leverkusen) – Despite trailing off to finish 4^th in the 2^nd half of the season, Leverkusen were nothing short of excellent for a large part of the campaign, leading the league  until February with a young side and an attacking brand of football. Along with coach Jupp Heynckes, Hyypia was acknowledged by many of Leverkusen’s promising young players as being crucial in their success. Their ‘On-field coach’, as described by their goalkeeper, Rene Adler.

Right Midfield: Toni Kroos (Bayer Leverkusen) – Another product of FC Bayern’s youth system, Kroos was loaned out to Leverkusen to gain 1^st team experience. Many youth players who leave Bayern on loan never make it back. Kroos’ excellent performances in Leverkusen’s midfield however have left Bayern’s hierarchy in no doubt that he’ll return to the Allianz Arena when he gets back from South Africa (he is in the provisional squad). This boy is going to be a star. Whilst he lacks a yard of pace, he has everything else in his locker to become a world class attacking midfielder: he can beat a man, pick a pass, get his fair share of goals and he is a dead ball wizard.

Left Midfield: Arjen Robben (FC Bayern) – Took over from Franck Ribery as Bayern’s talisman this year, he was always there to pop up with a goal or a moment of supreme inspiration just when Bayern needed him. Highly doubtful Bayern’s season would’ve been so successful if they hadn’t signed this flying Dutchman for €25 million in August. He was without doubt the best player in German football this season.

Defensive Central Midfield: Joel Matip (FC Schalke) – Whilst Mark van Bommel was probably the most impressive performer in this position. It’s up to me to pick this team and here I’m taking the ‘Give Youth a Chance’ philosophy. Matip is destined for the top. Made his debut, and scored his 1^st goal, away at the mighty Bayern, at the ripe old age of 18. Since then the German-born Cameroon international hasn’t been a regular in the Schalke line-up, but, when called upon, has always impressed with his composure on the ball and his knack for grabbing goals at set-pieces.

Attacking Central Midfield: Mesut Özil (Werder Bremen) – Another star in the making. Quite simply, if 90 minutes went by without Özil either creating or scoring a goal for Werder Bremen, it was a genuine surprise. Possessing similar attributes to Kroos, in addition to being a more powerful runner, he is slightly ahead of the Munich man in the national team pecking order and is a rumoured target of Arsenal and Manchester City. He could make himself a household name this summer in South Africa.

Centre Forward: Thomas Müller (FC Bayern) – Takes the number of Bayern youth products in this team to 5. Like Badstuber, the 20 year-old has excelled in his 1^st full season and booked a (provisional) ticket to South Africa. His knack for popping up with goals (he netted 13 this season) has led fans and media to compare him to his namesake, ‘Der Bomber’, Gerd Muller. As well as an excellent goalscoring instinct, ‘Der Neue Bomber’ is versatile. He can operate wide on the left or right, at centre-forward, or in the hole just behind a front man (probably his best position). Another future star.

Centre Forward: Lucas Barrios (Borussia Dortmund) – Most German football fans would probably have picked Kevin Kuranyi or Stefan Kiessling to partner Mueller. However, to come from the Chilean league and handle the cultural and linguistic differences, not to mention differences in style and quality of football, and still post 19 goals, is a remarkable achievement. ‘La Pantera’ probably  doesn’t have any particularly outstanding attributes, other than the unerring ability to find the net. In a Dortmund team that is developing very nicely under Juergen Klopp, Barrios has formed a good understanding with Mohamed Zidan. He won’t be travelling to South Africa with Argentina, but don’t bet against him rocking up in a Paraguay shirt.

Geoff Edwards

Geoff Edwards is a football-mad Englishman who fell in love with a German girl, moved to Germany, and then fell in love with German football (much to the chagrin of said German girl). He can be found most Saturdays in German pubs watching ‘Bundesliga Konferenz’ or at home, looking for creative ways to follow Everton FC on the internet.

Question: What do Eintracht Frankfurt, Real Zaragoza and Fiorentina have in common? Answer: They’re all teams I have ‘adopted’ as clubs to follow in foreign leagues after having developed some kind of connection or affinity with the cities in which they’re based.

Now you can add NY Red Bulls to that list too.

I have been to 2 MLS games and both have featured the team from the Big Apple, and they were 2 matches full of contrasts. In July 2008 I saw the Red Bulls take on David Beckham and LA Galaxy, in front of 46,754 fans in Giants Stadium. This time the teams took to the field at Red Bull Arena in front of 17,900 fans. Where the match in 2008 felt like a bit of a circus, this match felt more like a ‘proper’ football match and not only because of Red Bulls’ new soccer specific stadium. The crowd was made up of genuine football fans, rather than the bandwagon jumpers who turned up in 2008, cheering goals scored by both sides and expecting Goldenballs to dominate matches like Maradona.

Considering the low attendance, there was a good atmosphere at the stadium. The ESC (Empire Supporters Club) behind one of the goals was the most vocal group and they kept going for the full ninety minutes. The literature they hand out before the game states that they combine the passion of South American fans with the commitment of European fans and the wit and spontaneity of their British counterparts. I was impressed with the noise they generated, especially the drum based sounds (although it woulld be fair to say they have a distance to go before developing the British terrace wit).

Also impressive was the fact that 100 or so Seattle fans had made the arduous trip across the entire breadth of this huge country to support their team.

And luckily for them their trip was worth it. In a match low on goal-mouth action, it was the Sounders who provided what little quality was on show.

After the match I listened to the 5-live world football phone-in, in which Sean Wheelock said that Red Bulls coach Hans Backe is a former protégé of Sven-Goran Eriksson. With hindsight I thought it made a lot of sense, Red Bulls’ performance bore remarkable resemblances to Sven’s England 2006 World Cup Vintage. Defensively they were fairly solid. Probably their best 2 performers were the 2 centre backs, Todd Ream and local hero Mike Petke (coming up to 300 appearances for the club).  Offensively, however, they were very one dimensional. Too often they were let down by a lack of ideas or poor technique in the final 3^rd.

Seattle were marginally the better side and deserved their narrow 1-0 win. They were able to move the ball about with a lot more fluency, thanks to a more flexible 4-2-3-1 formation. The movement of the front 3 (Sanna Nyassi and Steve Zakuani on the wings, Brad Evans at centre-forward) enabled Freddie Ljungberg (playing in the hole behind Evans) to pick out passes and slip them in behind the defence. Ljungberg was my man of the match. He was a dominant force in the playmaker role and could have come away with a goal to his name were he not violently chopped down on the edge of the area by Danleigh Borman in the 1^st half. Remarkably no foul was given and Borman didn’t receive his marching orders.

For me, the most poignant moment of the match came in the 14^th minute as fans held aloft cards showing the number 14. It was a gesture of solidarity to Joe Vide, an ex-Red Bull who was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Despite 3 years of pro top flight football, Vide hasn’t got enough in the bank to fund his own health treatment (those Brits who like to knock the NHS should thank their lucky stars they never got sick in the States).

Those connected (whether it be fans, players or club officials) with Red Bulls, along with DC United and San Jose Earthquakes (his other former clubs) are trying to raise funds to ease Vide’s financial burden and help him get the treatment he needs.

Having been brought up on a diet of Premier League football, it is almost inconceivable for me that somebody who played professional football for 3 years is unable to pay for urgent medical treatment. It seems like a whole different world. A premier league player could pay Joe’s full treatment and barely notice the funds leaving their account. Of course it is highly unlikely that will happen. But if you’re reading this and feel compelled to make your own small contribution, you can do so at the website of the friends of Joe Vide.

Geoff Edwards

Geoff Edwards is a football-mad Englishman who fell in love with a German girl, moved to Germany, and then fell in love with German football (much to the chagrin of said German girl). He can be found most Saturdays in German pubs watching ‘Bundesliga Konferenz’ or at home, looking for creative ways to follow Everton FC on the internet.

No chance of winning the Bundesliga. Champions League qualification? That’s out too. Even the Europa League has passed them by. With no threat of relegation, Eintracht Frankfurt (9th place) and Hoffenheim (11th place) were left with ‘Die goldene Ananas’ (‘the golden pineapple’) as their only realistic chance of silver(or should that be gold?)ware this season. It had all the makings of a momentous encounter.

Okay, okay, as much as I would have loved to see one of the captains proudly holding aloft a gold replica of a pineapple at the end of the match, I have to admit that the opening paragraph is slightly misleading. There is no real golden pineapple, the term is used by Germans to indicate that a match is a dead rubber. Yes, neither team had anything to play for other than pride. And it showed (highlights here).

Frankfurt were the slightly more forceful in the 1st half but didn’t create a great deal before Pirmin Schwegler put them ahead with a 30 yard screamer just before half-time. Hoffenheim were very disappointing in the 1st half. They have a lot of good young players in their squad, but this season they’ve flattered to deceive. Luiz Gustavo, their Brazilian defensive midfielder, was the pick of their players and my man of the match. He was very composed on the ball and made good use of possession. He did a good job defensively too.

The 2nd half was similar to the 1st, not much goal mouth action and both teams giving the ball away like it was going out of fashion. In the end Hoffenheim managed to overhaul Frankfurt’s lead, thanks to 2 goals from Ghanaian substitute Prince Tagoe. The 1st of which was brilliantly set up by two more promising young Brazilians. Carlos Eduardo’s driving run and through ball fed Maicosuel who laid on the perfect cross for Tagoe to tap home.

I would love to be able to provide a deep tactical analysis of the game but, to be honest, I lost interest. My ‘goldfishesque’ attention span needs constant entertainment in order to keep me focused. Luckily, from my seat at the back of the Haupttribune (main stand), I was able to observe a cracking atmosphere in the beautiful and sunny Commerzbank Arena, packed with 50,000 spectators in that end of season carnival mood.

As an Evertonian, I appreciate a bit of tradition and history when I go to a match, so I always look forward to hearing Eintracht’s pre-match song,‘Im Herzen von Europa’ by the Frankfurt Police Choir, which always gets the faithful home following nicely loved up on all things Eintracht just before kick-off.

Once the match kicks off it’s over to the Ultras in the ‘Westtribune’ ( you guessed it, West Stand) behind the goal, buoyed by their ring leader with a megaphone, hooked up to other megaphones in the stand. His job (how he got it above others I’ve no idea) is to screech chants into the megaphone with as shrill a voice as possible, which the rest of the mob then follow. My German friend ironically calls this ‘organised happiness’, meaning that the Germans are so rigid and lacking in creativity that they need someone to tell them what to sing.  Most of the chants had similar melodies to those you’d hear in English grounds, even sometimes with the same words.  One I hadn’t heard before watching German football is called ‘Pippi Langstrumpf’ (Pippi Longstocking). It’s a source of huge pride amongst fans of all German clubs and each set of fans thinks their version is the best. Personally, I don’t think anyone does it better than the ‘Frankfurter Jungs’.

Whilst my friend’s quip about ‘organised happiness’ was a bit tongue in cheek, there is definitely less wit, creativity and humorous banter than you would normally hear in an English ground. Where 2 sets of English fans will play off against each other depending on the state of play, as well as coming up with witty little numbers about individual players, German fans seem to have a set of songs that they stick to every game.

What I do like however, is that the players at all clubs always make a point of coming to acknowledge their fans at the end of the game. When I say acknowledge, I mean approaching and genuinely applauding the fans, donating the odd shirt or pair of boots, even climbing up the barriers and having a sing-song with the megaphone. To me, it’s one of many examples of German clubs making an effort to maintain bonds with its fans.

English clubs, take note.

Geoff Edwards

Geoff Edwards is a football-mad Englishman who fell in love with a German girl, moved to Germany, and then fell in love with German football (much to the chagrin of said German girl). He can be found most Saturdays in German pubs watching ‘Bundesliga Konferenz’ or at home, looking for creative ways to follow Everton FC on the internet.

Using this quote as a yardstick, David Bentley has a long, long way to go before he can be considered in any way superior. For the former Arsenal trainee, the above quote would apply in reverse – he is modest in his actions, but exceeds in his speech. Bentley has seemingly set off on a mission to become one of the least likeable characters in English football.

He has become one of the biggest symbols of the coincidentally named “Baby Bentley Brigade”, a player who took  in the fame and the wages and let it all go to his head. He believed his own hype. After a couple of good years at Blackburn Rovers, Bentley earned his dream, big-money move to Tottenham Hotspur, and when he got there he thought he had made it. Literally speaking he may have. Figuratively, it was the only the beginning.

The Spurs man has had it far from easy at White Hart Lane since his £17 million transfer in the summer of 2008. Unable to displace Aaron Lennon on the right wing he spent most of his time marooned out on the left, if he was even selected. His performances were, on the whole, unconvincing and flaky, full of style over substance.

Off the pitch, Bentley has made headlines for all the wrong reasons. He was often spotted out and about sampling London’s bountiful nightlife in the early morning, infamously wrapping his car around a lamp post in August whilst under the influence.

The reason for his late night partying? He was on scouting missions, looking to sign up new musical acts for his night club in Marbella. The actions, some might say, of a man who believed he’d arrived. A man too caught up in his own status to care about what it was that earned him that status in the 1^st place.

But, whisper it very quietly, there’s a  slight chance that the Peterborough-born playmaker is returning to form.  Dare I ask, is there a chance he could force his way into the England set-up?

Bentley would tell you there is, he has always possessed monumental self-belief. He famously dropped out of England’s Under 21 squad before the European Championships in 2007, because he wanted to save himself for the seniors in Euro 2008. He wasn’t even in the senior squad at the time. After a wonder goal at Arsenal in the League Cup in 2008, Bentley compared himself to Superman.

At Blackburn Rovers, manager Mark Hughes helped him channel that self-belief and keep it in check before it crossed that line to become arrogance. His last three performances for Tottenham, against Fulham, Birmingham and Leeds, were reminiscent of Blackburn’s confident and effervescent David Bentley. It was all there, the excellent close control, the pin-point crosses and set-pieces, and passing as slick as his Brylcreemed haircut.

Of course, Fulham, Birmingham and Leeds are no great shakes, but the most important element of Bentley’s performances was his attitude. In all three games he was working hard for his team mates. With the ball he was a menace, looking to commit the full-backs and whip in teasing crosses, or to cut in and look to split open defences with an intricate pass. Without the ball, he was quick to get back into position to do his defensive duties. In short, he looks to be enjoying his football again.

Bentley’s detractors would laugh at the thought of him getting an England call-up. It is definitely a long shot, but maybe not as outlandish as they would have you believe.  Of his rivals for the position on the right of England’s midfield, Aaron Lennon could be sidelined through injury until April and Theo Walcott is out of form. Shaun Wright-Philips has consistently failed to impress on the international stage and David Beckham has still to prove to Fabio Capello that his legs will carry him to South Africa.

Also, the fact that Joe Cole has yet to cement his place in the Chelsea starting line-up means there could be a lack of players capable of relieving the creative burden that rests upon Wayne Rooney’s shoulders. Bentley is one of those players. At his best he is calm and assured in possession, capable of putting his foot on the ball and probing opponents, picking away at any loose threads that might unravel tight defences. There are few English players of his ilk.

In the final reckoning it will come down to the form and fitness of the players mentioned above. But if Bentley keeps his head down and continues working hard like he has in his last 3 games, he could make a very strong case for a call-up.