We have less than two weeks to go now before the World Cup kicks off and the fire is starting to burn in the belly of your unspectacular correspondent. I have written in previous posts how this World Cup means a lot to me on a personal level and I think it means a lot to many Greeks around the world.

I have read and heard a lot lately about our style of play and how it is not exactly embraced. That is fine and I can’t blame some people for not really admiring the way Otto sets out his team. However, I’ll be honest with you in that I don’t really care.

Hello all, finally a match to analyze and talk about as the World Cup draws even closer. So, Greece played North Korea on Tuesday and drew 2-2. I usually like to look at the positives, but this performance can’t be sugar-coated too much, a bad start indeed to World Cup preparations if you are a Greek fan. After a bright spell to start to the match, Greece began to fade and it would be probably correct in calling North Korea the better side.

I have read a lot lately of fans unhappy with Otto Rehhagel. Just as with any coach, the criticism varies in its scope and intensity. Some are upset with the German’s team selection, others with tactics, others yet that he is still at the helm of the national team.

Of course, there are many people who would love to see Rehhagel on the bench of our national team forever. Still, there is a growing sentiment that this World Cup should be Rehhagel’s last time in charge of the national team. If you talk to Greeks in person, read articles, or peruse through some forums then you will find that Rehhagel has lost some of the “street” so to speak.

Hello everyone! I don't know about you, but I am absolutely giddy with excitement. There are only a few weeks left and even as a balding thirtysomething with a beautiful wife and daughter of my own I feel transformed into something akin to a kid waiting for Christmas. Every morning I wake up and know that we are one day closer to the 2010 World Cup, this historic first ever World Cup to be held in Africa. And every morning I dream of exorcising my own World Cup demons that date back 16 years now.

Hello everyone, hope you are all well. Can't you just feel the World Cup fever starting to take hold? We are less than a month out now and I just can't wait, I am literally counting the minutes.

One of the things that make you really feel the Cup is drawing closer is when all the 32 participants announce their preliminary squad for the tournament. And we saw some pretty big surpises from some teams this week including the likes of Benzema, Vieira, Zanetti, Cambiasso, Ronaldinho, Adriano being some of the names not making the list for their national team squads. Maybe those are not all shockers, however at one point or another all those players were in the running or rumored to be in the mix.

So, what about us? What about the 30 players selected by Otto Rehhagel for the Greek side? Well, Otto always has to be a little different and unlike most national teams, Rehhagel selected 25 players to the pre-World Cup camp to take place in Switzerland and 5 other players who will sit back at home in the Greek sun waiting for a phone call just in case.

Tragic Times

Before we get to what we all really want to discuss, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the happenings in Greece over the past week. It was with great sorrow that we watched what transpired on Wednesday when three bank workers were killed after protests in Athens spiralled out of control.

There is certainly great anger amongst Greeks at the moment at what is happening to the country's economy and that they are being made to suffer through severe austerity measures. Many people feel that they are being made to foot the bill for decisions that they had nothing to do with and the sheer numbers of Wednesday's general strike and protest in Athens (more than 150,000) and other cities indicate that passions are running high.