Why is this? My guess is a combination of a few factors. These people have already written off England's chances of winning the World Cup without Wayne Rooney in the side for at least the group games therefore low optimism = low anticipation. Another factor is that some of the big names missed out on this years tournament and instead of watching players like Eto'o of Cameroon and ex-Pompey striker Yakubu of Nigeria we get Akwa of Angola and many other unknown players from the likes of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Togo. Add to that the fact that there are no Pompey players featuring in the tournament at all (unless we sign someone quickly, namely Nikola Zigic who plays for Serbia and Montenegro) and also that we've seen enough drama already this season and just want the start of next season to hurry along, such is the impatience of football fans in general.
I'm a bit different though, I'm quite looking forward to the World Cup myself. I believe it's such an open tournament this year and I, for one don't think Brazil will win it despite being clear favourites.
I enjoy everything that surrounds the World Cup. The mass betting, the fantasy football, the chance to see some excellent football being played by the worlds best sides and the inevitable shocks that come with the tournament (how every English person laughed when France lost to Senegal and then finished bottom of their group failing to score a single goal). Add to that the chance to see a player have a storming World Cup and then getting snapped up by Pompey too. I suppose that is one big plus for us having no players featuring in the tournament, they can't put themselves in the shop window can they? It's also a good time to laugh at the cheesy anthems being released this time of year too as well as the adverts. I'm personally not keen on Embrace's effort but "Three Lions" never gets old in my view.
If you're looking for my guidance as to who I believe will win the World Cup then I'll give a shout to Holland because being the unpatriotic sod that I am I predicted that we would lose in the quarter-finals to them after we knock out Germany on their own patch in the previous round. At odds of around 12/1 they aren't a bad bet either. If you're looking for value bets however then look no further than the Czech Republic. Odds of 33/1 for a team ranked second in the world by FIFA boasting players like Cech, Rosicky, Nedved with a very strong strike partnership of Baros and Koller are just borderline ridiculous.
If you're looking for shock winners then Mexico aren't a bad shout at 50/1 considering the quality they have in their side however for a shock of epic proportions then just have a look at Serbia and Montenegro. Having qualified winning all their games bar a 1-1 draw with Spain having only conceded that goal during their whole qualifying campaign they look impressive and I said a similar thing about Greece two years ago and look what they did. 100/1 if you fancy a risky punt.
As Editor of this site I have also set up a Fantasy Football League for Pompey fans to join at: http://fantasyfootball.metro.co.uk/ It's free to sign up and pick your team and then once you have picked your team then use the code below to join the Fratton Faithful league. It's only for fun mind you, the only prize you can get is bragging rights over me if your team does better than mine, but I fancy my chances.
Code: 35775-12983
Finally, I have added a couple of links to the site specifically for the World Cup so go and check them out!
The real football will begin again come August, for the time being let's enjoy the World Cup!
Odds by William Hill