World Cup 2010 - Boring?

I am getting increasingly despondent by the reports that this is the most boring World Cup in living memory and how is isn't living up to expectations.  


Firstly we are 5 days into the tournament how can we possibly judge that.  And secondly I am thoroughly enjoying it, I think it has had it's share of excitement so far.  That is, as much excitement as you can expect from the first game of the first round.


Everyone is cagey in their first game.  There is so much talk about 'not losing your first game' that everyone plays a bit safe, a bit defensively.  This happens every single tournament.  It happens in the Champions League it happens in the European Championships, I'm sure it happens in Copa Libertadores.  Things don't entirely heat up until the final game of the group and then the knock out games when we know that there is a finale,  that there can be only one winner.   The blood really gets pumping then.  At the moment, nothing is at stake so we haven't experienced the racing pulse, the fear, the dreaded penalties,  that heartbreaking moment, that unbridled joy.


Once we get to the knockout phase any tournament steps up a gear and I truly believe, no-one will be calling it boring then.


But for those who do still think this tournament is dull so far here are my first 5 day highlights:

1. Winston Reid equalised for New Zealand against Slovakia in the final minute - Reid is Danish and even previously played for Denmark Under 21s.  He was contacted through Facebook by a New Zealand TV station asking him whether he wanted to play in the World Cup for New Zealand because he was half Kiwi.  He didn't even know he was!
2. North Korea who trained in a public gym in South Africa scored a goal in the 80th minute against Brazil making the last 10 minutes of that game very interesting
3. Germany's clinical destruction of Australia which already, everyone has forgotten about
4. And let's not forget goalkeeping errors (sorry Rob Green, but it makes me laugh)

At the end of the 2006 World Cup the BBC wrote this report about how disappointing that tournament was, so lets not forget how the media tend to be disappointed with every tournament, not just the current one.

Now stop complaining and and just enjoy what has to come.