As we are gloriously aware, the actual sport at the World Cup is merely a sideshow to the myriad sensationalist, gymnastic, comedic, tear-jerking, creative and thought-provoking circuses that surround and envelope it. One of my favourite elements is the musical montage, a technique that will be sadly lacking in any post-live-reminiscipackages here in Japan, clearly […]

Football magazine World Soccer makes a rather bold claim in its editorial this month:
“The neutral in everybody wants Brazil to do well in Germany because they have the potential to provide the fantasy element that is lacking in so much modern football. After Greece’s ‘fairytale’ triumph in Portugal in Euro 2004 – the triumph of […]

To the tune of ‘Earth Song’ by Exeter City’s own Michael Jackson.
What about Dennis Wise? What about pain?
What about all the teams, that you said we were to play?
What about Chesterfield, is it a crime?
What about all the goals that you said we’d score in time?
Did you ever stop to notice, penalties we’ve missed before?
Did […]

There’s an old Chinese saying that, when translated, means: “If food is your meteor, then eat your cosmos”. Another wise Chinese saying says, “A half fit footballer is not a fully fit footballer.”
You can see why these proverbs are used as words of wisdom centuries after they were first uttered. And the second one we […]

WCH can exclusively reveal a new motivational ploy that is being applied to the England squad this year. The FA has recruited a Knowledge Management (KM) specialist, Dr Stephen J. McElroy III, to review the England team’s approach. Herr Hippo contacted Dr McElroy III and he had the following to say:
“The England soccer set-up certainly […]

Now that WCH has been going strong for several months, we thought it was about time we introduced the team! Below are introductions to a selection of our contributors with reference to their footballing prowess. Click here to read profiles on our other team members.
Herr Danny is almost identical to Siena and Croatia centre-back Igor […]

One of the largest populations of hippopotamuses in Africa is under threat because of the British appetite for year-round strawberries and cut flowers.
Click here to read all about it.

Oh! Ginger rain,
of slow dreams and shishty mintons.
Under gibbous moon, his
eyes shone – the maladies of
Munchen, bright Gildenskirchen bracken
opened his feet and beckoned his turf mind.
Tick followed tock, followed tick.
And then tack and teck and tuck.
Time looped, displaced his meat and nogged
in saturated prism burst.
Tonight, tomorrow. Tomorrow night.
Oh! Ginger rain.
Not never.