Given Chris Turner's fondness for a pre-match excuse maybe he should move upstairs and create space for Raymond Domanech. He came out with this motivational classic as part of a pre-World Cup interview-

"We have done everything to be ready for D-day. All the coaches try to do their best but this is not an exact science. We will try to be ready but we can't always guarantee we will be ready. Some teams are ready early, some later. If it were an exact science, we would not be involved in football."

No danger of the French team being too pumped up tonight then.

This is from a manager who also admits to astrology charts influencing his team selection

Domenech has already said he is quitting after the tournament.

France have an ageing squad, and are in woeful form, losing to China in their last game. I reckon the fact that Domenech is looking to start with Djibril fooking Cisse instead of TFC's Dede Gignac tells you all you need to know about France's chances in the competition.

He makes Chris Turner look like a tactical genius.

Nonetheless, Allez les Bleus!

Like the rest of TFC Gignac has been poor this season compared to last but it is insanity if Domanech goes for Cissé. That is what Raymond does though- Thierry Handball on the bench at best? Lose to Uruguay tonight and the old guard will seize power like they did last time round.

Vive la revolution!

This coupled with the fact he left both Nasri and Benzema, back in France!!!

I'm personally glad as I've got them meeting England in the quarters on my prediction chart. All that said the team that won the world cup in 1998 was nothing special (Zidane the obvious exception), and the French had written their team off before the start of the tournament too. Not many teams win a world cup with somebody the quality Guivarc'h as a lone striker. Hence you never know???

They look to have the players to be as good as most of the bunch after Spain but they are in disarray. I haven't seen any flags, only about two shirts and the level of interest is incredibly low. Carrefour supermarket are backing Les Bleus with player effigies and some fridge magnets but nobody else gives a toss, they do like their rugby round here mind.

Nothing new there at all really.
Football doesn't inspire a fraction of the interest it does in the UK.

Back to APG, he was never going to have a season like last year, but he also had a series of injuries this term which I'm not convinced he's over.

I don't think the persistent links with Lyon and Marseille did the lad any favours either.
I'd still have him leading the line, but then, thank fook, I'm not Raymond Domenech...

And the egg-chasers always stir up more interest in La Ville Rose as it's the cradle of French rugby, and Stade Toulousain have been in handy form the last few years.

France always have an ageing squad. It's decreed in Loi du 21.01.1936, amended by l'ordre du 14 Juillet 1989.

Still, you can't expect Toulousains to know much about the round ball stuff, uh?

Allez la Butte.

Fair play to Domenech.
He gave Gignac a full 5 minutes to make an impact last night

France could easily have lost aswell.