Just one thing after another in this game we love

I was hoping my next blog would be something a little lighter, something a bit more happy or positive. But yet again it's been another week of football life where it's left me feeling like I could easily rip all my hair out.

Actually, there was something that made me smile. It's great to see how well the England u21's are doing, at a time when we often despair at the state of our national team. Gareth Southgate has gone about his business quietly and got a lot of talented youngsters playing some good football. A fact we all hope will benefit the seniors over the next few years.

Quick to cuss, yet not so quick to compliment...

I have to admit, I have a lot of time for what is going on at St. Mary's Stadium; and not just because they play in red and white!

The football fan in me will always root for the underdog - unless they're Anderlecht - and as cheesy as it sounds, one of the smaller boys going up against the so called top tier of the Premier League will always make me smile.

Do you ever feel like the clowns are running the circus?

I don't know about you lot but I love a good comedy, me. Sometimes I'm partial to an old classic; a bit of Only Fools and Horses or Desmond's. Other days it's all about the noughties; Nighty Night, Gavin and Stacey and the soon-to-be no more, Peep Show.

But right now, most of my laughs (and eye-rolling) seem to be because of football's various governing bodies. The League Managers Association (LMA), the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). The latter being a group that seems to be so far up its own posterior, that it's just in a continual cycle of regurgitating itself.

Third Time Lucky for The Elephants?

The Ivory Coast is probably the African team littered with the most well known stars in England; most notably Premier League champion, Yaya Toure and former Chelsea striker, Didier Drogba. With no less than eight of the 23 man squad having played in the – self proclaimed – Greatest League in the World.

But you have to wonder if the 23 individuals will make a good enough team to compete at the World Cup; especially with a group consisting of Colombia, Japan and Greece.

While it may not be the most attractive group in terms of popular countries – hipsters excluded, all three have enough about them to get out of the group and none will be easy for any team to overcome in the heat and humidity of Brazil.