Synopsis

A unique insight into how a football fan spent a year reporting on the World Cup. The story of how a blog went from a hobby to an all-consuming passion by the time the World Cup arrived.

Spanning twelve months, the book explains how and why Mike set up the World Cup Bafana Bafana 2010 blog before moving on to a month-by-month breakdown of the build up to the 2010 World Cup and the tournament itself.

The original idea was to provide a news service for football fans in the run up to what is still the most exciting sporting event on the planet. But, things didn’t quite go to plan!

The reason why is very simple. Although he’s a self-proclaimed footy anorak, “wherever I looked there were more interesting things to comment on than who scored what goal and when.”

So while the blog’s first six months (July – December 2009) included lots of analysis on the qualifiers and the draw for the finals, Mike also found time to announce the Rik Mayall World Cup song to the world and invent quotes from Diego Maradona.

He also poured scorn on the idea that watching football in 3D is somehow cool, and established The Liam Brady School of Interminable Moaning.

From January 2010 the pace quickened; the terrible attack on the Togo team was followed by the John Terry affair, the launch of a chocolate bar which upset the Scots, Mike’s Best World Cup Player of the Decade series, and far too many ill-judged promotional campaigns linking brands with the World Cup.

May saw Mike’s plans for the blog fall into place as interest in the site grew and teams took part in final warm up games prior to the tournament.

He still found time to write a history of English football under Conservative Governments, presented a vision of the World Cup as imagined by deranged lunatics, and renewed his rivalry with a sports writer on California’s Long Beach Post.

Then came the crushing disappointment of England’s campaign, which Mike was none too pleased about.

“Apart from the shock of such a poor performance against Germany, most of my audience just melted away once England went out. I went from 500 visitors a day to below 100. And I had to rethink the provisional title of “England 2010: we stuck it to the Germans!”, because, as we now know, they battered us.”

Undaunted, Mike ploughed on until the bitter end to see Spain scoop the big prize, picking up a bronze medal from an American sports website along the way for his satirical sideswipes at Paul the Octopus.

And that’s pretty much how the book goes: serious and humorous blog posts accompanied by a commentary supplied as Mike wrote each post, analysis and stats about the blog’s evolution (Mike didn’t know anything about blogging before he started), and lots of social media stuff, including his Twitter feed. 

So while “How I Wasted A Year Writing A World Cup Blog” didn’t have a happy ending for England fans, Mike is determined to keep the memory of the last twelve months alive.

Foreword

June 2009
How it all began on the road to Soccer City

July 2009
Lessons from the Confederations Cup, a quick look at the early qualifiers, the best World Cup goals, the doom-mongering starts, and the phone competition

August 2009
The end for Robson, more analysis of the early qualifiers, looking ahead to qualifiers this month and in September, the phone competition continues, the Weasel War Dance, the view from South Africa

September 2009
Stacks of World Cup qualifier info, inventing quotes from Maradona, Rik Mayall World Cup song announced, England qualify, beer awaits England fans, Costa Rican coach merry-go-round, England - South Africa blog link, Martin Peters, cybertouts chased by cyberpolice

October 2009
New report on SA raises concerns, news round up e-mails begin, England - Ukraine game internet horror, final European qualifiers, Maradona is MAD, capitalist pig dogs, pitching bagels, 3D, the BNP and Lenny Bruce

November 2009
Beckham to Milan shock, England v Brazil, death of Germany's keeper, the play offs and final World Cup qualifiers, Henry's handball, seemingly endless World Cup draw speculation fuelled by obscure blogs, a guide to staying invisible in South Africa

December 2009
The Liam Brady School of Interminable Moaning, the draw for the World Cup finals, US media reaction to draw, Owen poll, official World Cup trash talk challenge begins, Best World Cup Players Of The Decade Part 1, football culture around the world

January 2010
Capello injures knee, Best World Cup Player Of The Decade Part 2, 3D footy, Special World Cup 2010 marketing edition, Togo team attacked, World Cup ticket debate, Jesus saves, Best World Cup Player Of The Decade Part 3, Psychic predicts England World Cup misery, Terrorist threat, Best World Cup Player Of The Decade Part 4, Hooligan threat stories

February 2010
John Terry affair erupts and goes on and on and on, UK woman cycles to World Cup, Best World Cup Player Of The Decade Part 5: the 1980s, Gerrard as second striker for England, Capello and the English media, Scots upset at chocolate bar, Ferdinand World Cup doubts grow, Ten Top Liverpool World Cup players, Bridge says no to England

March 2010
England - Egypt friendly, why US Soccer fans need to start hating England, Crouch stakes his claim, England bugging story, Best World Cup Player Of The Decade Part 6, Blatter on goal-line technology, Beckham out of World Cup, the Best World Cup semis, cheap digs at Eriksson, Rooney injury scare, crisp manufacturer launches ill-judged promotional campaign

April 2010
World Cup promotional campaigns slagged off, murder of right wing supremacist in South Africa, debate over Rooney's fitness continues, Twitter, Ten Top Manchester United World Cup players, "Noble England" release, Tevez "close to Messi" controversy, obscure football tournaments from the past, England goalie urged to wear red, BBC coverage, A Handy Guide to World Cup 2010 Trouble Spots in London, World Cup predictions, guest article from Neal Collins

May 2010
Cabanga!, "World Cup Street" announced, Election Special, Rooney injured again, the Capello Index, England and Conservative Governments, provisional squad lists, The Daily Mail and Bill Hicks, World Cup survey, FIFA bans the Paradinha, the World Cup as imagined by deranged lunatics, Ryan Thies of the Long Beach Post, Gloucestershire man's epic journey to the World Cup, Mexico and Japan friendlies

June 2010
The final squads are announced, Walcott on holiday in Hull, Rooney in New York Times, Ferdinand injury, friendly against Platinum All Stars, the final word from my friend in South Africa, World Cup Bafana Bafana 2010 in top 10 World Cup blogs, in search of a hero with no 21 on his shirt, the group stage: France and Italy leave early, no-one seems all that interested, and England scrape through, the Round of 16 matches, a preview of England v Germany, reflections on Germany 4 England 1, gallows humour after Germany defeat

July 2010
The quarter finals, the South American dream dies, England fans look for solace on dating websites, Paul the Octopus, the third place play-off, World Cup 2010 final: Spain v Holland

Appendix

The Best World Cup Players of the Decade series

World Cup Finals on film

Top World Cup players for Liverpool and Manchester United

Twitter feed: 2010bafbaf

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