Anthony's off!

Excellent. I've read through Anthony's last WC journal from start to finish - it's exactly what writing of this nature should be: witty, well-observed and readable. He seems like a really nice guy, too. Having read those I was a little afraid the new stuff might not live up to it. I was wrong. The Ecuador vs Poland piece is great. I love the idea of them being treated like lucky charms, pictures and speeches and all! Very much looking forward to reading more, and I now really hope a S.A. team reaches the final... Ben

fantastic. I remember waiting greedily for each installment last time he did this, and I shall be doing the same again.

I am LOVING these.

despite my lack of interest in football, i am enjoying these because they are not really about the football but the people that Anthony and Sal meet along the way - the paraquay one is fascinating, and the the welcome and friendship they recieve is a wonderful testament to human spirit. I will be reading the next. Juliet

i enjoyed the latest two and in a really selfish way i am glad that Anthony has got a cold (sorry) and that sometimes the crowds don't live up to their expectation, because i was getting so jelaous of what must be a fantastic trip - one party after another - it has reminded me that travelling isn't always wonderful and with the good stuff comes the not so good, like waiting around and feeling vulnerable. This is a great blog, really honest and insigthful - worth the read whether you like footie or not. Juliet

for me, this was the best one so far http://www.abctales.com/story/anthonyjucha/paraguay-v-trinidad-tobago-fr... but then it was more about people than football. Juliet

rpt post :(

Nice idea but, like last time, poorly executed. Dribble.

i completely disagree with the previous post from someone who clearly does not have respect for others and delights in spite. Clearly these pieces are written as they happen and it is there relevance and immediacy that is the hook. I personally find them insightful and honest. Juliet

er, wasn't that what i said? Sure they have an immediacy, sure they have a hook, but they're not well written. And that's what anthony needs to concentrate on. It's all very well you two or three people lavishing praise upon him but what he needs (in order to get published) is a kick up the arse. Dave Gorman and his erstwhile sidekick, Danny Wallace, are far more accomplished travel writers; despite being pretty shite themselves. Dribble, btw, was a footie pun. Sorry you missed it, but then, heh, you like Anthony's writing.

Guess Joe's mother never taught him the phrase "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." I don't care much for Soccor/Football. But these are fantastic, every last one of them.

Joe your second comment is more constructive, but how would you suggest he improves the writing? What particular aspects? yes i agree that the writing could be better in places, but i would imagine they will be edited further on his return. Your first comment without the benefit of seeing you seemed rude and hurtful, if that wasn't your intention then maybe you need to be more careful about what you say when others can't tell the tone of your voice etc. You are right 'dribble' passed me by. Juliet

I quite enjoyed the first one or two but now am struggling to read through them, I keep losing interest halfway and having to go back and re-read bits as my brain wanders off to other things like shopping lists and song lyrics. I suppose what I am saying is that they are a bit 'samey', I also find the writing rather clumsy especially when almost every line starts 'I' or 'we', oh and just to make my mind wandering worse everytime Anthony starts a line 'sally and I' my daft head tries to recite the whole of 'The Cat In The Hat'!

I agree with camus - I also struggle at times, but the trade-off is that I get to read something so immediate. I imagine most travel writing has been edited and tweaked, and Anothy's not had the chance to do that. I think it's a fair trade.

Hi guys Now that its over - thank you to those of you who read the series and thanks also for the support and from ABCtales.com and especially Tony Cook for sharing and nurturing the vision. Thank you Juliet OC for your positive comments and for understanding (and defence!) of the series. I appreciated your support a great deal. You can rest assured that there was very little partying and a great deal of hard work and lethargy for us along the way. Thanks also to everyone else who posted positive comments - they helped encourage us. Camus, thanks for your constructive comment. It came at a time when I was really struggling with the wrtitng - especially with the issue of sentence structure you highlighed. I could understand what you were saying and your comment helped motivate me to try to remedy the issue. South Amercia is much more difficult to travel at pace than Europe and I found it really tough to produce the quality and immediacy I would have liked. It was good to have the ABCtales.com community along for the ride. I had other readers from my own site, but it felt less lonely (if not a little intimidating) to have other writers watching my moves as well. Sal and I will be passing through London on the way home in about early August and would love to meet with ABCtalers for a beer. I´ll post and invite when we settle on a venue and date... thanks again for the support, encouragement & constructive comments - we are now off for a break on a beach - anthony PS - you can check out some of my other stuff here - http://www.anthonyjucha.com

just finished your last report from Brazil, the sense i get from your visit is how much more in the places you visited watching football is very much a family affair, everyone going home. So unlike the UK, where the pubs are jammed. What are you going to do with all your reports and Sal's footage? Juliet