I was raised on a steady diet of Aussie rules football (alas, the Manuka Bullants died, and now live on folded into our former dire enemies), and played the game for 15 years while eagerly awaiting soccer replays on wet afternoons, all the way from England. While living in Switzerland for a couple of years, I played soccer and rugby. My greatest accomplishments? In rugby, selection for the Swiss national squad (alas, again: that was the squad's first year, and we never played an international), and in soccer, keeping the opponents' tally at 5, to our 6, in my sole appearance in goal - that, or getting my face knocked in while running down a goalie, and scoring, and it was allowed! During those years, the Swiss team was indifferent, but the Dutch were stunning, under Cruyff, and the Germans were awesome, with Beckenbauer in the lead. The Brazilians were superb, but arrived each World Cup as mysteries, because news from their league was scant. In my Australian hometown, soccer was a bloodcurdling affair, with many finals played behind closed gates, with no fans, due to tensions (and occasional knife fights) between fans of rival teams that tended to form along lines of nationality and ethnicity. There'll be none of that on this World Cup site. It's all Love and Light among the World Brotherhood of the Pitch, and I'm inviting you to take part in the spirit of good sportsmanship, fair competition, and unbridled but respectful fandom. Remember, whoever wins, the refs are doing the best they can, and they, like the players, are only human. Let's go out there assuming, at least, that everyone is doing the best they can, and that your opponents' fans could one day be your friends or in-laws.


Welcome, all y'all, to this site. We hope it will make your World Cup experience all the more enjoyable, and provide an outlet for your hollerin', howlin', venting, and voicing your every football opinion, major or minor.