World Cup Winners And Losers

Congratulations to Germany on winning the World Cup. Can't say I'm happy about it but there can be no doubt about their quality. They are one of only a few teams who would have been deserving winners. A great winning goal for Germany and a superb tournament. Fantastically this World Cup showed us that teams who are hard-working, organised and perhaps lacking in overall quality can mix it with the best countries in the world. Some of those collections of individuals who are better players just don't have the same discipline, desire and focus. The USA and Costa Rica demonstrated this more than any other. Very few, if any of their team would have made it into the England squad. As I prepare for a season watching Burnley in the Premier League this gives me great heart. Also a decent bet on Burnley to finish in the top ten at 16-1 should help pull me out of my World Cup betting hole! During the final I questioned my son Jake, now seven about England's potential in the next World Cup in 2018. Could we win it? "Don't be an idiot Dad, quarter-finals at best." Slowly but surely my unjustified optimism is starting to rub off on him! I still believe and one day he will too. 

Poker wise the World Cup has been something of a negative losing period for me as I tried to fit poker games around football games, played different games to my normal schedule and dealt with reduced leisure time combined with increased tiredness levels. My initial aim to scale down my activity and take a break never really happened. I am a creature of habit and need my daily poker fix. With the tournament over though I am ready to re-focus and get back on track with the good 2014 I am having. As long as I don't get too distracted by The Tour De France and the upcoming British Open Golf!