Welcome to Alvin Martin's exclusive World Cup diary, as
the former Hammers and England defender gives us the lowdown on all
that is going on in Germany this summer. In the first instalment of
our regular feature running until July 9, we hear from Alvin as he
arrives in Germany, builds up to the opening game between the host
nation and Costa Rica, and gets ready to see England take on
Paraguay on Saturday…
So here we are, after all the waiting, the World Cup is finally about to begin and, from my point of view, the excitement of actually being out here as part of the Talksport team is fantastic.
We had a good flight over from Heathrow to Munich on Wednesday afternoon, and it was then a half-hour drive from the airport to the centre of town. Everywhere you go, there is something to do with the World Cup, promoting sponsors and generally advertising the tournament. On the way from the airport, we noticed a giant billboard poster of Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn stretching above the Autobahn - they must have put that up before he was dropped for Jens Lehmann!
After checking into the hotel with my colleague Jim Proudfoot, we took a walk into the city centre for some dinner and, although it couldn't be described as a party atmosphere, the fans were certainly beginning to get into the swing of things and enjoy themselves. The Costa Ricans are a colourful bunch, and a massive stage was being erected in the main square, which I'm sure will be where the majority of those without tickets in Munich watch the matches from.
On Thursday we headed down to the media centre to sort out our accreditation and it was just typical Germany efficiency. I remember covering Euro 2004 in Portugal and arranging the accreditation was a real long, drawn-out process. Here, we just walked in, handed over our passport, had our photo taken, picked up the instructions and it was all ready in a matter of minutes.
That is the main point I have noticed since arriving in Germany - the organisation and set-up is absolutely first class - as you would probably expect over here. The atmosphere is fairly low-key at the moment, but you sense that everything is just ready and will erupt when the tournament kicks off.
On Friday night we're covering the opening match between Germany and Costa Rica here in Munich and I'm really looking forward to the opening ceremony - it's always a big event and the host nations place a lot of emphasis on making an impression.
It will be a big game - and whatever happens I'm sure it will get the tournament off to an exciting start. If Germany win, the home nation will be lifted and, as we've seen in recent years, that can play a big part in the atmosphere surrounding the whole thing. But if Costa Rica get a result, it will put a few of the big boys on edge and offer greater hope to the smaller countries that they can cause an upset.
Immediately after the Germany game, we will drive from Munich to Frankfurt, in time for the England v Paraguay game on Saturday afternoon.
When you speak to the German people over here, they all say that England have a great chance and are capable of going all the way in the tournament. What I have heard most is that they consider our midfield to be one of the best in the world and believe that is where we are strongest.
Not surprisingly, people also want to talk about Wayne Rooney - the Germans are fascinated by him. Beckham still has the megastar status in general but, when you are talking purely about football, it's Ronaldinho and Rooney who people are talking about.
In my opinion, England do have a good chance of going all the way. When you listen to the players talk, everybody is so positive and they are sure that this is our best ever chance of winning the trophy since 1966.
When Rooney injured his foot at Chelsea, everybody was so low for the few days, but it's always the same at the World Cup - once it starts the optimism just soars. It was the same when I went to Mexico in 1986 - as players, and fans, you believe that you are there to win the whole thing.
The excitement and hype that surrounds it all is unbelievable. It seems to get bigger every four years and the early indications are that the pattern won't change in Germany this summer. It's going to be a festival of football, with some of the greatest talent the world has ever seen on show, and I can't wait for it to get started.
Finally, I haven't bumped into any Hammers fans yet, although one of our reporters Ian Abrahams, better known to listeners as The Moose, is a big West Ham fan. He's been wearing his West Ham shirt out here, although he nearly missed the trip altogether on Wednesday.
He got into the office in the morning and asked what time he was flying out the next day, only to be told that the plane was leaving that afternoon! He had to rush home, grab his passport and then make a mad dash to the airport. Thankfully, he made it in the end, but I told him that he wasn't giving West Ham a very good name!
Look out for more from Alvin Martin soon on whufc.com, or listen live on Talksport 1089/1053 AM
So here we are, after all the waiting, the World Cup is finally about to begin and, from my point of view, the excitement of actually being out here as part of the Talksport team is fantastic.
We had a good flight over from Heathrow to Munich on Wednesday afternoon, and it was then a half-hour drive from the airport to the centre of town. Everywhere you go, there is something to do with the World Cup, promoting sponsors and generally advertising the tournament. On the way from the airport, we noticed a giant billboard poster of Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn stretching above the Autobahn - they must have put that up before he was dropped for Jens Lehmann!
After checking into the hotel with my colleague Jim Proudfoot, we took a walk into the city centre for some dinner and, although it couldn't be described as a party atmosphere, the fans were certainly beginning to get into the swing of things and enjoy themselves. The Costa Ricans are a colourful bunch, and a massive stage was being erected in the main square, which I'm sure will be where the majority of those without tickets in Munich watch the matches from.
On Thursday we headed down to the media centre to sort out our accreditation and it was just typical Germany efficiency. I remember covering Euro 2004 in Portugal and arranging the accreditation was a real long, drawn-out process. Here, we just walked in, handed over our passport, had our photo taken, picked up the instructions and it was all ready in a matter of minutes.
That is the main point I have noticed since arriving in Germany - the organisation and set-up is absolutely first class - as you would probably expect over here. The atmosphere is fairly low-key at the moment, but you sense that everything is just ready and will erupt when the tournament kicks off.
On Friday night we're covering the opening match between Germany and Costa Rica here in Munich and I'm really looking forward to the opening ceremony - it's always a big event and the host nations place a lot of emphasis on making an impression.
It will be a big game - and whatever happens I'm sure it will get the tournament off to an exciting start. If Germany win, the home nation will be lifted and, as we've seen in recent years, that can play a big part in the atmosphere surrounding the whole thing. But if Costa Rica get a result, it will put a few of the big boys on edge and offer greater hope to the smaller countries that they can cause an upset.
Immediately after the Germany game, we will drive from Munich to Frankfurt, in time for the England v Paraguay game on Saturday afternoon.
When you speak to the German people over here, they all say that England have a great chance and are capable of going all the way in the tournament. What I have heard most is that they consider our midfield to be one of the best in the world and believe that is where we are strongest.
Not surprisingly, people also want to talk about Wayne Rooney - the Germans are fascinated by him. Beckham still has the megastar status in general but, when you are talking purely about football, it's Ronaldinho and Rooney who people are talking about.
In my opinion, England do have a good chance of going all the way. When you listen to the players talk, everybody is so positive and they are sure that this is our best ever chance of winning the trophy since 1966.
When Rooney injured his foot at Chelsea, everybody was so low for the few days, but it's always the same at the World Cup - once it starts the optimism just soars. It was the same when I went to Mexico in 1986 - as players, and fans, you believe that you are there to win the whole thing.
The excitement and hype that surrounds it all is unbelievable. It seems to get bigger every four years and the early indications are that the pattern won't change in Germany this summer. It's going to be a festival of football, with some of the greatest talent the world has ever seen on show, and I can't wait for it to get started.
Finally, I haven't bumped into any Hammers fans yet, although one of our reporters Ian Abrahams, better known to listeners as The Moose, is a big West Ham fan. He's been wearing his West Ham shirt out here, although he nearly missed the trip altogether on Wednesday.
He got into the office in the morning and asked what time he was flying out the next day, only to be told that the plane was leaving that afternoon! He had to rush home, grab his passport and then make a mad dash to the airport. Thankfully, he made it in the end, but I told him that he wasn't giving West Ham a very good name!
Look out for more from Alvin Martin soon on whufc.com, or listen live on Talksport 1089/1053 AM