World Cup Report

I didn't expect to be doing a World Cup Report here but I got involved, almost by accident.

The biography of Lord George Brown isn't sumptuous reading and so, given that I'd happened to see Brazil playing like 1970's Brazil in the second half v. Serbia, I was lured in to take the odds-on to beat Switzerland this afternoon.

For the most part these days I find football quite a dreary business. I know these top players are brilliant at what they do because I used to do it, until 1977. Vinicius Jr. especially caught my notice playing outside left today. It's more those that follow the game that put me off than the players themselves, the TV camera picking out a child of maybe 5 shaking his fist and snarling when his team scored was obviously behaviour he's picked up from seeing others do it and he thought he should, too, but it wasn't pretty.

I had a reminder of what 'involvement' was like when Fulham had a run to the Europa Cup Final in 2010, the impetus gathering as they kept winning through, including a rocking night vs. Juventus when they came back from nowhere on a wing and a prayer. But since then I see scores, think yes, no or maybe and that's about it.

However, encouraged to invest in Brazil today, I too was to be found waving my arms about when they went in front, came to have a look at the Cash Out value of the bet and didn't understand why it was so miserly until realizing the goal had been chalked off. But I was rewarded with more thrills when Casemiro scored a goal that was allowed to stand. Corals would do well to tempt us to cash out with better offers because I would have but for their derisory bid to call it quits by paying me nowhere near enough.

On the other hand, their small bet 'bundles' are value for having a small interest. I could cash in Mbappe to be top goalscorer and Argentina to win it, have my money back and leave a Brazil-France final and Brazil to win outright as shots to nothing but we'll see. It's hardly money one would worry about.

But we have a free hit, effectively, at Mr. Henderson's Ile de Jersey in the first at Southwell tomorrow and Ronaldo to score first in Portugal 2 Uruguay 0, which sounds like it's started, and still be in front on the deal.

Come on, the football.