The Three Dads World Cup Wonderland

What a cracking start the tournament has had. Following Russia's goal binge on Thursday, we've continued ticking along at >3 per game on average. Very nice thank-you very much. On Friday, after a blazingly troublesome week at work, I'd taken the wise decision to work from home in the afternoon. It's not something I can do very often in my job, so I lapped up the opportunity; pulling together stats and clearning down emails to the backdrop of Egypt vs Uruguay and Morocco vs Iran. I'd be saving my full attention of course for the big one in the evening (Spain vs Portugal). Egypt vs Uruguay was a bit of a disappointment. A below-par Suarez missed a couple of good chances before falling into his usual routine of feigning actual slaughter on the pitch. Cavani, his strike partner looked very dangerous through. The game petered towards a bore draw when Uruguay finally got a breakthrough at the death. I think they will improve. Then, one of my favourite types of fix...

It has begun. This morning I systematically disabled all means of accidentally finding out football scores. Every notification on my phone has been disabled (including messaging - sorry friends/family/child-minder). Likewise on the iPad. The Alexa device has a virtual sock stuffed in her mouth, and my workmates have been sternly warned.  The groundwork is done.  I even walked immediately out of a pub this afternoon, having spotted the existence of a screen showing football that I fully intended to watch, as live, from the very start. Discipline is what this tournament is all about. And so I've just finished watching Russia vs Saudi Arabia, on a delay which is to be my recipe for the tournament, essentially living about 7 hrs separated from reality. I am in my own World Cup time-zone and I love it.  Russia won their opening match at a canter, outperfoming KSA as comprehensively as Aida Garifullina outsang Robbie Williams in the opening ceremony. The...

Ok, hours before kick off here. It's probably time to lay down some predictions that will fail miserably: World Champs:  Brazil  - Not a left-field pick by any means, but they possess the depth in squad, variety of attacking talent, great form in qualifying under Tite, and also - sometimes unusual for Brazil - a talented goalkeeper and tight at the back. Layer on the fact that Neymar is rested and fit again... there's a lot to like about the Samba Kings.  Top Scorer: Neymar - for pretty much the same reasons. The icing on the cake Emerging Star: Mbappe - ok, he's already somewhat established, but he's still only 19. I think this could be the stage for the next Messi & Ronaldo to show themselves Implosion of the tournament: Spain - so, this isn't a prediction, as much as a fact. Toys out of the pram time & the coach is gone. Replaced in short order by a bloke who was signed by Sam Allardyce. Ronaldo & co await tomorrow. Coaching fail of the tour...

Another day, and another fantastic World Cup factoid. But this one has me dusting off the Puma Kings and thinking there’s still a chance that I can make the big time.... Group A kicks off in earnest on Thursday, followed by Egypt vs Uruguay on Friday. Now I haven’t seen much (read none) of Egypt’s warm up games, but learnt today that their first choice goalie - Essam El Hadary is 45 years old! (Forty five) (as in, five less than fifty). Fantastic stuff. The last goalie of this vintage was eating pies on the bench in the FA Cup.... It’s been a good few years since Egypt were last in the World Cup, and now I have trepidation that their campaign will collapse not at the twinge of a Mo Salah shoulder, but from a wiley Russian coach telling his strikers to “just kick it low, there’s no way he’s getting down to those”. I’m fairly sure this will be a World Cup record, eclipsing the youthful shimmy of Roger Milla by some distance. Poor Mo ..having what can only be described as a ridicu...

And so it is.... four years on from Brazil, and it's that time again. Hope, false hope, failure, Brazilian over-indulgence, German efficiency and downright hilarious haircuts. So much of the World Cup experience is a rinse, wash, repeat experience... albeit extremely enjoyable. This one feels a little different though, for another fantastic reason. Sure, 2014 was a year in which I was responsible for a small human, but at age 3, Andrew was a mere passenger in the experience. Fast forward four years, I now have 3 brilliant boys in the Crossling stable, and have just finished a 45 minute stint on the pavement of a car park at the local pharmacy watching my two older boys feverishly trading their Panini world cup stickers.... yes, delirium at the sight of that hard to find stadium, and downright Del Boy-tastic horse-trading the value of a shiny for a collection of random Saudi Arabia and Iranian players. (the going rate appears to be 5 players btw). Yes, it's official. I wil...

We're just days away from the start of the tournament now, and before my pre-tourney preparations turn to important issues such as managing necessary work-day radio silences, who to put a few quid on  and optimal wall-chart placement, I first need to share my thoughts about the squad. What a blessed relief it is to see a squad with no names on it that make me want to puke. Lazy, injured, smoking Wilshire? No, left out. Hapless Joe Hart? No, left out. Lallana flicking his hair on Nivea ads at half time? No, left out. Southgate has achieved something I thought impossible in modern football, he seems to have picked a likable squad! And at a time when I am somewhat hating the sport (see all Villa-related headlines in the past 3 weeks, and our general form since 2010 for reason why) So, let's hit this player by player: 1. Jordan Pickford - no real surprises here, he seems to have played his way into the first XI recently. I've not seen that much of him, but seems reliab...