It used to be good being Swiss, apparently. Now the country that gave us the cuckoo clock and Toblerone finds itself without an airline and, worse still, without World Cup soccer on the telly next year.
Still, you could be French. Although at least then you would have half a clue what the likes of Philippe Troussier, Gerard Houllier and Arsene Wenger are on about.
Take Troussier, for instance. Don't get me wrong. He has done a wonderful job since taking charge of Japan, but he does come out with some extraordinary twaddle from time to time, like when he tried to convince us that Masashi Motoyama was the "Japanese Ryan Giggs." After seeing his experimental side lose 2-0 to Senegal in Lens on Oct. 4, Troussier said, "The only thing positive about the game was the halftime sandwiches and cup of tea." This was not twaddle.