Welcome to this week’s bleary-eyed Sideline Eye.
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For a change my tiredness hasn’t stemmed from my little boy Jenson having a rough night of sleep.
No, this time it is all my own doing after getting up to watch the World Cup final in Brazil.
I hope Australia is successful with a World Cup bid soon just so I don’t have to rise from bed at 4am to watch.
It has been an excellent tournament that has had everything - spectacular goals, great saves, underdogs overachieving and controversy.
After Germany’s 7-1 mauling of the host nation in the semi-finals, I thought they would roll through Argentina in the final as well.
This was not the case as it took 114 minutes for Mario Gotze to score the only goal of the match.
Germany are deserved champions.
They have displayed the most consistent form over the month and will likely go on to dominate major competitions for the next four or five years.
The Netherlands finished third after they defeated Brazil 3-0 in the play-off for the semi-final losers.
This match has very little importance and even borders on cruel.
The majority of players have just finished 10 months of playing for their professional teams and then headed straight into World Cup camps to prepare.
The last thing the Dutch or Brazilians needed was to play a meaningless match when club competition starts again in a month.
Their bodies could do with as much rest as possible.
Most clubs have started their pre-season training already and the World Cup players are likely to get maybe two weeks off before they are required back at work.
I know where the Brazilian players won’t be holidaying - in Brazil.
They were booed off at the conclusion of the play-off game after they had conceded 10 goals in two games.
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I think it is great that Ian Thorpe has finally come out and said that he is homosexual.
Most people probably had an inkling of Thorpie’s sexual orientation years ago.
At least now all the questioning can end.
It doesn’t change the fact that Ian is our best ever Olympian and has always conducted himself in a professional manner.
If anything, it makes his success all the greater as he achieved so much while struggling to come to terms with his sexuality.
It is sad that he felt he had to try and hide who he really was but it is understandable.
He was under the spotlight at such a young age and asked to reveal all to the public.
Good on him for finding the strength to come out now - he is and will always be an inspiration to Australians.
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Arsenal has started the transfer “silly season” with a surprising amount of vigor.
We have already signed Chilean star Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona for a fee believed to be around 35 million pounds.
It doesn’t stop there either.
It looks very likely that the Gunners will sign four more players with spending to be in excess of 75 million pounds.
After ending our trophy drought with this year’s FA Cup, signs are positive for a big season ahead.
Fingers, toes and knees crossed.