World Cup fever always hits this country with disrupted TV schedules plus, this year many programmes about South Africa, drunken revellry in/outside the pubs, flags and banners of St George waving from windows and cars and painted on kid's faces. England play the US tomorrow, so maybe it will soon be over for us and the cry "We wuz robbed!" will be heard throughout the land.

Thank you for that, astrokath. It seems like just a couple of months ago that we were talking about the last World Cup...tempus fugit. At that time I read a really good book about the nations involved. I wonder if I could find a similar one this time around? I will have to hunt up that one, a bit difficult as most of my books are packed in boxes, waiting for their new home. Although I am not normally a football fan, I am always fascinated by the World Cup. Alas, I have no television so I won't be watching any matches.

That is a beautiful piece of software - what the web should be used for. Even if I were not a footy fan, I'd be impressed by that.

Bookmarked - thanks.

BTW, do look at the outer ring too - more stuff there!

I went from Wales on a visit to England last week and was so overwhelmed by the English flag (the cross of St George) flying everywhere, with bunting in all the pubs and streets, flying from windows and that feeling of barely contained hysteria everywhere - that I was utterly relieved to get back to my own corner. Here, you can say you support England if you like, but there's always the possibliity you might get shouted down - or even thumped.

I was once a soccer-widow and before that a soccer-daughter and sister. I have always hated the game with all its hype and dogginess - woof woof - and glamorous, stupid wives. Oh, if only I could 'sleep away this vast expanse of time' and wake up to blissful peace once more. But then, of course, the re-opening of the soccer season will be upon us again.

I'm with Martin -- that's an amazing website. Thanks astrokath.

I'm not a soccer fan, but I may watch some of today's U.S./England match just to see what all the fuss is about.

Kath, we have saved the footie website for youngest son, a great sports fan.
And the headline in today's leading 'Red Top'? "We Was Robbed" (translated it means "We let the ball roll into the net.")

Naah - we wuzzent robbed - we was rubbish.

Though that error by the England goalkeeper was in a class of its own.

I thought the film of the soldiers in Afghanistan watching the match was very funny - the keeper drops the ball, the US soldiers shout in glee and the UK soldiers just shake their heads or raise their eyes to heaven with a "Typical!" expression...

Well, I am generally quite uncompetitive - to be honest competition kind of scares me. But geez, who wants to win because someone made a mistake? I can only hope the next game the U.S. team wins is error-free and great sport.

Of course it was a draw and not a win, but it could work out to be that way. And make no mistake, I am rooting for the home team, U.S. for me!

Didn't our keeper fumble his miss as well? I think there was enough mindlapsing to go around.

Had to keep checking the Italy-Paraguay game for DS, who was at work-those never-ending horns make my teeth hurt. Shut up and watch the game all ready!

Well if England were rubbish, what does that make Australia?

And the fact that one mistake in 90 minutes can mean winning or losing is one of the reasons I find soccer frustrating.

Like most Americans, I don't follow soccer--not a big sport here like baseball, basketball or US football. But by an odd coincidence, I was in England in both 2002 and 2006 during the World Cup. I literally could not find out what was going on in the world thru TV news--the only kind I had access to. It was non-stop World Cup on the TV news stations the various hotels carried, admittedly a small selection. It drove me mad. The world could have ended and you would never have known it via those news stations.

Never thought I'd say it but I'm glad I'm not in England--or anywhere in Europe--this summer (tho I'm glad they are having fun).

Ginny-it is crazy World Cup here in PA where I live, but it is also a huge youth sport here. There are leagues for 4 and 5 year olds on up! The day the US played England there was a soccer extravaganza day at our minor league baseball park-all sorts of soccer skill stations and contests, then the game on the big screens. It was mobbed. DS (who is 21 and in college) meets friends to "watch the games" at a pub near here......they follow European and English football all through the season and chatter about Man United and Chelsea as if they are season ticket holders. They don't care much about the MLS professional league in the US, though...thought bringing Beckham to play here was a joke.

Thank you for the link!

World Cup fever is alive and well here in Toronto! I love seeing all the different countries' flags flying from car windows and many businesses fly the flags of each country. The pubs love the extra business too and various sections of the City shut down/go crazy depending on who's playing (Little Italy, Little Portugal, etc.) Unfortunately due to the time difference, the games take place here during the work day. Go England ("Hand of Clod" play notwithstanding)!

My Dad who lives with us, has been watching it and the sound of hornets-vuvuzelas- is amazingly annoying. I don't see how anyone can watch it for more than 2 seconds.
Dad has bad hearing so he can!

I don't know who or what underlined in my posting the word 'game' and made it active for a click, but I didn't! Who or what is around here, trying to advertise wherever possible in underhand ways? It's not ethical!

Dido

Interesting.... the underlining and purple colour has gone now - within seconds of my last posting......

Dido: This kind of 'looking over one's shoulder' is so creepy, isn't it? After I had some email correspondance about a Canadian student, I received an enormous number of Spams about Canadian pharmacies! With three within walking distance to service the many retirement villages in my area, it is not likely I would send an order overseas for anything!

Siobhan - you've got one now on your first posting - an underlining on 'new home' which, if you click, sends you to a site advertising Thing for the Home.

- And it's gone within seconds......

dido. I don't get any of these 'highlights' . . . we have Firefox 'no script' blocking. Without it one has to be very careful when clicking onto them or similar 'links' and especially the ones purporting to come from banks etc. If in doubt it is safer to 'hover' the arrow over the blue link and its email address will appear at the bottom left of the screen. If it seems to be a load of garbage . . . it is.
A chap phoned in to a BBC radio prog dealing with these scams and said he kept emailing these various 'companies' telling them not to contact him. A BIG mistake as he was giving them his email address.
Ann, the companies who get your email addy often sell it on to other low-life organisations. Trust no-one.

No dancing in the streets after the England match last night. I expect Dido is glad no-one is watching the W Cup in Wales. ;-)

If you scroll all the way down, below the comment box, there is a link that takes you to an explanation of the in-text advertising links.

Martin.....We was robbed.

cece - yes, you was! No two ways about it.

Ah well.

Still, all you have to do is beat Algeria and you've qualified. (I know we couldn't do it, but that's a reflection on how bad England were, not how good Algeria were).

Similarly, all we have to do is beat Slovenia...based on our current form, that's a bit optimistic. (Blimey, the humilation if the USA go through and England go out...!)

Martin I read a quote in our paper where an English journalist was happy with the group England got, saying 'it's the best English group since The Beatles' LOL.

Australia's Harry Kewell has been quoted 'I want to play for Australia in 2014' - well, he should have plenty of energy after his performance in this year's World Cup.

Between our World Cup game and the tennis on court 18 at Wimbledon, I didn't get much done today!

But we are through!

And the tennis carries on after a record 10 hours. Bring out more bananas.

Go England and the USA!

And well done Australia for a good result against Serbia - if only Ghana could only have beaten or drawn against Germany...

The tennis - 59-59 in the final set is just silly....

Well, bummer.

I think that's all of us on here officially no longer interested in the World Cup.

Oh, well, there's still Wimbledon.

Come on Andy!

And we're a pretty international bunch - hard to believe - but four years will pass in an eyeblink -

Wasn't that tennis match amazing!