A game too far

Third and forth place playoff

If asked, at the quarter final stage, if they'd rather go out then or have the slightest chance of winning their semi-final, without a shadow of a doubt, all players would want to take the chance and get through to the semi.

Asked whether they want to play again after losing their semi, I'd guess most would be happy to clear off home and call it a day. Traditionally, the losing semi-finalists have played their second-stringers in the 3rd / 4th place playoff game. Assuming, probably rightly so, that there's going to be a distinct lack of enthusiasm among the first team regulars for playing a game with 'jaded' written all over it, large.

It's going to be particularly difficult for Brazil. Massive disappointment followed by a lose / lose scenario: third isn't good enough after the high expectations. Another loss, at home, to Holland, and there's just more ammunition for their detractors.


The World Cup Ages of Man

Naturally, first of all, you don't really know what's going on. That said, MM's first word was 'goal', born 1990, Italia year. Until you can walk and talk, even a little bit, the finer details of the inevitable changing room meltdown (Netherlands), starting slowly and peaking at the right moments (Italy, Germany), Ronaldo crying (Portugal), dazzling attacking flair (Brazil, pre-2000), and England's exit (semi-final, penalties; quarter final, poor performance; group or qualification stages: tabloid outrage, photo montages of managers' heads and root vegetables), somewhat passes you by.

Then there's the early years. During these there's a wallchart on your bedroom wall, diligently completed, and committed to memory. Every result, goalscorer, red and yellow card right there in the memory banks, easily retrieved, and needed for the endless conversations about the tournament.

Later, little changes, apart from the wallchart moving from the bedroom to the messroom or office wall, usually completed by the company nerd. The knowledge, in depth and breadth, if anything, increases. For those weeks, little else matters. You pretend to want to pull Brazil from the hat for the sweepstakes, heart ruling head, but secretly your wallet is screaming “Germany”.

Then, suddenly and sadly, while still very, very interested, other stuff starts getting in the way. Time zones. Work commitments. [Work commitments: I had this telephone conversation, after ringing a contractor's mobile:

ME: Will you have the costs back in time? There's still a week to go, just checking everything's progressing okay.

CONTRACTOR: Were in South Africa at the moment.

ME: At the world cup?

CONTRACTOR: Yes.

ME: Got tickets?

CONTRACTOR: To the next England game.

ME: Fantastic.

CONTRACTOR: If you see St George and the dragon in fancy dress in the crowd shots...

ME: Yeah...

CONTRACTOR: I'm the dragon.] Those sort of things.

That's my stage right now.

I hope the next stage is a reversion to the wallchart, and following every minute in obsessive detail.