Joey Cole, always believe in your soul..

You've got the power to know, you're indestructible, always believe in, that you are Gold...

Ok, enough Spandau Ballet.

Joe Cole has left West Ham again, but seeing as it's World Cup season, why not watch his goal v Sweden in the 2006 tournament.

Who is the biggest absentee from the World Cup this summer?

No Robinho, Kaka or Ronaldinho in the Brazil squad for this summer's showpiece - not a huge surprise, but all 3 will be missed, although they are no longer at the peak of their powers.

Who else will be missed this summer?

The easy answer is Zlatan, but we'll exclude him as Sweden didn't qualify.

Any thoughts? The early answer is Francesco Totti, although I'm still holding out hope that he makes the Italian squad.

I think I may be a bit obsessed!

Pelotas' Ponderings: MLS sked favorable for more super signings?

Can the league's spring-to-fall campaign attract more players in a WC year? 

There's no doubt the reasonings behind Julio Cesar's reported interest of a loan to the ever-increasingly glamorous Toronto FC (never thought anyone would write that!) is playing time--especially in a World Cup year. In his native Brazil.

The veteran keeper has fallen out of favor on ol' 'arry Redknapp's Queens Park Rangers side but, at the same time, his hefty wages have been weighing on the club's books. Surprisingly, no other team has come in to swoop the 34-year-old Brazilian.

There's been talk of teams in South America looking to engage his services, specifically participating camps in South America' prestigious Copa Libertadores tournament. Recent reports had him in advanced negotiations with Gremio but that was shot down pretty fast by club officials. Money, again, was an issue.

If the Toronto interest is true, Major League Soccer may have just realized that it could be chipping at a gold mine in its strategy to bring over blockbuster signings in their prime. Their spring-to-fall schedule may benefit the league short- and long-term. It's been analyzed and written that MLS will eventually be able to compete with the world's leagues for some of the game's best players. But did anyone think that the league could attract some now? Can MLS scramble and grab a few top names before the competition? Would it be possible for Euro 2016 and Russia 2018?

The U.S. national team's domestic players will have a nice advantage of being in-season form ahead of the World Cup this year while most of the globe's seasons conclude about two months before the tournament. With Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley all in MLS until Jurgen Klinsmann comes calling them to camp, will these players provide momentum for their difficult group matches?

Julio Cesar may have just found the spark he needs to add to his 77 caps with the national team, which  is under immense pressure to lift its sixth trophy on its home soil. Continuous play and aerial challenges against physical MLS sides could just be what 'Big Phil' Scolari is counting on to complete his puzzle come June.

-TioPelotas

@TioPelotas74

Try it, you might like it (or keep trying until you do!)

The Guardian's World Cup draw simulator is fantastic.

It's worth finding out who your country can play, and how they can avoid Spain and Brazil !

Here's the link.

I'm not bored. Really, I have midweek previews to write.

Then there were 32 - but not many surprises

All 32 places for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil are now taken after the play-off games were completed this week, and the field has a familiar look to it. Twenty-four of the 32 teams are same as in 2010, with the qualification process seemingly paving the way for the bigger teams to make the tournament. 

Mexico won just two of their 10 games in the final round of qualifying, yet still got another chance to make it by playing a home and home series with New Zealand, a team ranked 79 in the world (Mexico are 24). Bosnia-Herzegovina are the only debutants, with 14 of the 32 teams having reached double digits in appearances (Brazil 2014 is the 20^th World Cup). 

Although 76 different national teams have made the finals, there have only been 17 new teams since the format expanded to 32 teams in 1998, and only seven of those have made a repeat appearance. 

Only South American teams have won the tournament when it's been held in the Americas, and no team from outside of Europe or South America have ever made the final in any World Cup - so although it's great to see representation from Algeria to Australia, it's unlikely they will reach the later stages - with South Korea and the US (in 1930) the only teams from outside the traditional powerbases to even make a semi-final.

The African teams tend to vary a little, but teams from Asia, South America, North and Central America and Europe are largely the same every four years. Some bigger European nations always miss out as the region gets 13 spots for 53 nations, but it’s the World Cup and the beauty of it is seeing teams from all over the world – because there’s no other stage to potentially watch Iran against Costa Rica.

Also worth viewing on the WSJ sports section:

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304607104579210260819460176

Benzema and Ronaldo celebrate qualification

This made me laugh this morning - because big cartoon heads have a way of doing that!

Even Mr. Mourinho got in on the act!

Can France do it? Will Zlatan miss out?

A World Cup with no Zlatan? Or one without Ronaldo? Add that to no Ribery, Benzema, or the crazy French.

It wouldn't be worth watching would it?

People (I'm not calling them fans) want to see the best players, but part of the drama is who is not there, and how they failed. England won their group, but still got a hard time from the media; Switzerland may be the weakest top seed, but they won their group and qualified easily; Mexico are set to be there even though they have had more chances than any other team.

But those teams will be there next summer, and no one will care how they did it. If France or Portugal are not there, you can bet people will remind them every day until the tournament ends.

I think the home teams in European qualifying will all win tonight, and while that will mean the end for Iceland, the margin of victory in the other games will determine who goes through.

France need to score early, or there will be a new generation of Ginolas and Cantonas, who are still blamed for them not making it to USA '94.

Romania got the away goal, so have a good chance to score 2 and qualify at home to Greece.

Sweden have to score 3 in my opinion as Cristiano always has a goal in him. If Portugal score, they should qualify on away goals, but Zlatan has something up his sleeve, I just know it.

I've been wrong on everything else though, so stay tuned for another 4 teams to be going to Brazil by the close of business - which 4 is anyone's guess!

Will Ireland fans care if France fail to make it to Brazil?

Remember this?

I'm sure Ireland fans will be learning the national anthem of Ukraine ahead of today's game - or just drinking a few of those famous Ukrainian beers...

Got to go for Iceland, unless you're Croatian

Iceland are bidding to become the smallest nation to reach the World Cup finals when they hosts the first leg of their play-off against Croatia in Reykjavik tomorrow.

And now that there's another Icelander among the Geezer family (welcome Max, Iceland is fine, Arsenal won't be tolerated), it's hard not to back them.

Swedish coach Lars Lagerback has taken the island nation, with a population just over 300,000, to the the brink of Brazil 2014, and the chance to reach a major tournament for the first time in their history.

Iceland had won 5 of their group games, including successes over Norway and Slovenia, and are unbeaten in their past four, including a 4-4 draw at group winners Switzerland.

Despite Iceland's vast improvement, Croatia remain favorites to progress, but have a few coaching issues after Igor Stimac stood down following a 2-0 defeat in their final World Cup qualifier against Scotland last month.

Plus, Iceland have Eidur 'Goody' Gudjohnson. How could you nowt like this guy? He played for Chelsea (so that's one reason), but always seemed to enjoy the game and got to play for the national team with his Dad - that's good enough for me!

A little late, but so was Roy Keane

(The language is a little colorful, so cover your ears, oh wait...)


So Roy Keane is back in the game. Good luck to Martin O'Neill as he'll have a few run-ins with his assistant boss at some stage as they try and get the Republic of Ireland back on track.

Hopefully Roy will be in charge of arranging the facilities and preparations for the Irish, as we all know what happens when he doesn't - and for those of you who don't, here's his rant at Mick McCarthy before the 2002 World Cup...

 "Mick, you're a liar … you're a fucking wanker. I didn't rate you as a player, I don't rate you as a manager, and I don't rate you as a person. You're a fucking wanker and you can stick your World Cup up your arse. The only reason I have any dealings with you is that somehow you are the manager of my country! You can stick it up your bollocks.

And then there's the incident with Alf-Inge Haaland...

After which he stood over the Norweigan and said...

I'd waited long enough. I fucking hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that you c**t. And don't ever stand over me sneering about fake injuries.

So welcome back Roy. We've missed you. Great player, not sure he's a great manager, or assistant, but I'm not telling him that to his face!

There can only be one....or 4 of 8

FIFA posted the 4 games that will decide the final European qualifiers for next summer in Brazil.

With 9 places taken, the winners over two legs will take Europe's contingent up to 13.

According to the FIFA website...

Portugal - Sweden
Ukraine - France
Greece - Romania
Iceland - Croatia

Portugal (ranked 14), Greece (15), Croatia (18) and Ukraine (20) were the seeded teams while France(21), Sweden (25), Romania (29) and Iceland (46) were unseeded, based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking of 17 October 2013.

The home-and-away play-off matches are due to be played on 15 November and 19 November respectively.

So, who do you fancy?

I'm taking Zlatan over Cristiano. Why? I don't know, I just think Zlatan knows it's probably his last World Cup, loves it when someone has an ego to match his, and would really enjoy sticking it to Sepp Blatter and FIFA. He knows they want/need Ronaldo at the World Cup. He's such an icon of the modern game and attracts so much interest. I'd like to see both teams go, but that's the beauty of it - it's like Highlander - there can only be 1....or 4 of 8, just doesn't sound as good!

France have the quality to beat Ukraine, but I worry about them. They are so inconsistent, but Didier Deschamps has got his team together a little and playing well. Ukraine are ok, but I don't see them winning away if they need to.

Greece against Romania is probably the lease exciting tie, but I fancy Greece, even with Gerogios Samaras in the team. 

And then there's Iceland. I don't think there's a neutral out there who doesn't want them to make their first big tournament - and it has nothing to do with Croatia. I'd like to see Eidur Gudjohnsen get there - mainly because he used to play for the national team with his Dad, and has great goal celebrations.   

The stuff we dream about

Ok, so not everyone dreams about scoring for Mexico against Panama in a World Cup qualifier.

But this is special. Raul Jimenez had just come off the bench with his team tied 1-1 and needing a win to have any realistic chance of making it to Brazil.

The ball comes into him on the edge of the box, and what do you do after having a bad touch? Bike it of course! What else is there?!

Mexico now look like they will have to play New Zealand in a two-leg playoff.

Here's the YouTube version - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6dOcQEI7c0

Remember France '98, Cholo?

Did Simeone pay homage to ex-Argie manager with set piece?

Atletico Madrid steals three points from Porto in Champions League play

Turkey's Arda Turan gave Diego Simeone's side the win yesterday on a late set piece that mirrored former Argentina manager Daniel Passarella's own design in its knockout-round win over England 15 years ago.

Would Brazil be the same without England fans?

England boss Roy Hodgson can't win, even if he wins. If England beat Ukraine later, they would be pretty close to being able to book tickets to Brazil - and start the paperwork for all the convicted criminals in the team to get visas! But they are expected to make the major tournaments, even tho they haven't won one since 1966 - just so that the fans can turn on the team, get depressed, smash up the bar and boycott the favorite beer of the host nation or team that knocked them out.

So here's to the optimism of England fans, and the hope that a win is on the cards, just so I can get easy access to Bohemia beers on the Copacabana next summer!

Qualifiers are here; let the whining begin

The soccer gods aren't all against you, they just don't care 

The Geezer supports England and West Ham United; yours truly follows Peru, Alianza Lima and the New York Red Bulls; Nick the American obviously roots for the U.S. but, by all accounts, is making a serious attempt to sew his loyalties to the Philadelphia Union.

What's missing here are the glamour teams. So, yes, we're used to losing. A lot. Suffice to say, the mediocrity of our sides builds our football character. Or so we'd like to think. But at least we're realists.

Come Friday, realists will be outnumbered by the delusional.

As World Cup qualifying winds down to the final matches by year's end, nationalistic pride will take over the lot of us. The conspiracy theorists will no doubt keep us abreast of their thinkings with pure muppetries disguised as analysis:

*the sub-human match officials were bought out, obviously by the opposing team's mafia connections;
*the pitch is in dire condition because of the rain, snow, hail, locusts plague, purposely produced by the host side and its relationship with Mother Nature;
*your beloved team was cursed by witch doctors (happens all the time in South America!);
*the manager is a clueless sap; how dare federation administrators hire him without your input;
*all of the above merits conspiracy thoughts because your side is just too good for the rest of us minnows.

Hyperbole aside, there indeed have been examples of match-fixing, incompetence and unfair play throughout this game's history, we'll give you that. But, then again, what sport hasn't? And it's doubtful that it happens every time your side is down. However, this doesn't matter to the deluded fan because logic and practicability have no part in its quest to be champions of the universe.

The ineptitude in tactics used by your nation's gaffer can be questioned; the lack of dignified work  by your nation's players on the field can be criticized; hell, even the two same, boring songs that your supporters belt out throughout the match deserve some scrutiny.

But any external factors that affect your role as a fan should not be outweighed by the silliness and hypothetical reasonings you find that justifies your team's ineffectiveness. Because at the end of the day, your team is crap, my team is crap, our teams are crap.

And unless your bloodlines consists of the Spanish, Brazilian, Italian or French regions, then reality should set in as quickly as possible. Or at least before that first drink on Friday!

"I'm asking you all to string three passes, three!! Not 28 like Barcelona!" --the furious geezer in the video says in Spanish, aside from some other choice words. At least he blames his own players.

Geezer of the Day

I forgot yesterday, but the Geezer of the Day is back. Today is a man who scored a hat-trick for Barcelona against Real Madrid, won the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup, has never been given a red or yellow card in any game, and once thought that this was a good look.

Brazil 2014 World Cup Posters

FIFA has released some posters of the host cities for next summer's World Cup. I think the Sao Paulo one is my favorite, but can make you own mind up if you follow this link.

It's better than the mascot - it's armadillo that looks like a pokemon (someone had to explain to me what that was!)

Brazil 2014 ticket prices revealed

Available to work/blog/be the tea boy

Fifa reveals the cost of tickets for next summer's World Cup

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23377890 or click here

90 dollars, 60 quid or 70 euros for the cheapest ones.