The World Cup is nearly upon us - and it's about time!

After the domestic season finished early to allow Sven's men the chance to rest before the finals - including the necessary relaxation at the Beckhams' party, of course - there has been precious little football to keep fans going, unless Grimsby v Cheltenham is your idea of a top-notch match.

This has meant the World Cup build-up has already reached saturation point.

I'm fed-up with hearing minute-by-minute updates about Wayne Rooney's metatarsal.

And I'm fed-up with trying to think of a single good reason why Owen Hargreaves is in the squad ahead of another striker such as Jermain Defoe, Darren Bent or Andrew Johnson which doesn't involve some embarrassing photographs of Sven which could be used for blackmail.

The sooner the World Cup gets started, the better!

Has anyone else noticed the World Cup seems to have a strange hold over most of the population?

People who couldn't care less about the domestic game start taking an interest.

You see more England flags out on display.

And there's a national sense of pride and togetherness which we only tend to save for other major sporting occasions and world wars.

If Poland were playing Ecuador on a Tuesday night on Sky Sports 3, hardly anyone in this country would care. But when they meet in the World Cup, millions of us will be glued to the television.

And I am sure I was not the only person to wake up early in order to watch a vital group clash between footballing heavyweights such as Tunisia and Belgium at the last World Cup in 2002.

I can't think of any other sport which has such a hold over so many people.

You'd never get this many people interested in a general election!

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