Ten months to South Africa

In less than a year the eyes of the footballing world will be on South Africa as they host the World Cup. My friends in the south, particularly those who would normally follow England to the finals are apathetic about South Africa in much they same way they were about Japan. The view I am hearing is that it's "too far" and that it's "too dangerous" despite the formality of qualification. Maybe this is an honest appraisal, although neither of those things struck me when I visited a dozen years ago.

In contrast, my friends in the north are excited about the remote prospects of Scotland qualifying and going via the play-offs. It may just be bravado and bluster when our chances of getting there hang by a thread but it's all positive nonetheless.

Times change of course but I am optimistic that the Republic of South Africa will pull out all the stops and throw itself into ensuring we get a people's game finals to remember. Having said that, I wouldn't be too keen on being based in or around Johannesburg. Cape Town is the dream ticket.

Before that there are two important matches tomorrow. England get the chance of sweet revenge over recent thorn-in-the-side Croatia and it's about time Slaven Billic left Wembley without a huge smile on that face adorned by those ridiculous diamond earrings. I fully expect England to power their way to victory and secure qualification - Jermaine Defoe and Wayne Rooney look too good at the moment. I will be at Hampden Park with 50,000 others desperately trying to urge Scotland to an improbably victory over runaway group leaders Holland. Even if we were to win, we will still need another unlikely play-off win against superior opposition. Inernational football and rugby are cruel worlds for the Scot at the moment but we live in hope.

I am working on the impossible theory that Scotland's fortunes may be influenced in some super-natural way by the fortunes of none other than the Addicks. The last whiff of success that us Jocks enjoyed was France in 1998, a tournament held just weeks after the Play-Off final. Fingers crossed everyone.