Football cliches are doing my head in. Ever since this World Cup business got underway, these vernacular monstrosities have been shooting out of the TV.

From "it's a game of two halves" (well spotted), to "goals change games", including everything in between such as "he has a cultured left foot" and "there are no easy games in international football". For any self respecting cliche-buster, it's been a nightmare.

If we must discuss the goings-on in Germany which are occupying the minds of six billion of the planet's inhabitants, let's do so in the vernacular of the street, or at least that end of it that has been colonised by Celtic cubs.

First off, there can be no doubt that Sven Goran Eriksson is having great difficulty thinking outside the box. With Wayne Rooney unable to add value to the English team going forward, Sven needs to acquire new strategic objectives if he is ever to attain the position of market leader, as currently occupied by Brazil. (We pause here on the word "market". If you wish to attain full-blooded cub status, you must pronounce the word as 'morket').

The only option the Swede has is to look for key performance indicators elsewhere.

Despite his own failure to think outside the box, he needs somebody who can get into the box, or else he's boxed himself in and might as well get out of his box. In any event, Sven looks more and more like a man who couldn't give a toss, now that his time as chief executive officer is reaching termination stage.

Overall, the morket in Germany is soft. There has been little demand-led growth as the games have been rolled out. Some, like Argentina, have played in line with morket expectations. If they can maintain this level in the short-tomedium term, it can only result in a win-win situation.

Then there is the likes of Trinidad and Tobago, which delivered exceptional growth in its first outing, and is therefore exceeding market expectations.

As a brand, Trinidad and Tobago could be in line for a stellar performance, particularly since the team is getting a good return on investment by deploying Dwight Yorke at midfield. It could, however, do with a striker of entrepreneurial flair who might be able to capitalise on opportunities.

Elsewhere, the hosts appear to be suffering negative growth. Performance may well be the core business of the German team, but there is no way they will be able to unlock value and effect synergies unless they start thinking outside the box. (I just love this thinking outside the box business. ) Why is there so much of this gunk talk in the country today? One reason is the prevalence of business models wherever you turn.

Whether it is the local garda station . . . where they display a 'Garda Customer Charter' . . . or politicians talking about "greenfield sites" (new constituencies), it is everywhere.

There are also some people who now have a lot of money and feel obliged to talk as if they know something about business, not unlike our old friend, Tony Soprano. In this regard, adding value is the new going forward.

Politicians have also been infected. In an environment where the economy takes precedence over society, some ministers feel it necessary to communicate that they are clued-in to this gunk. The worst offenders of this carryon are Brian Cowen and Micheal Martin.

Anyway, back to business.

The real issue arising for Brazil is whether or not the opportunity cost inherent in playing two slow-coaches at full back will allow the team to benchmark progress against former Brazil corporations.

Cafu and Roberto Carlos might not be capable of the heavy lifting that's required under current market conditions.

If they are to win the tournament, Brazil require more bang for their buck from Adriano and tubby-tubs Ronaldo up front. This would be a solutions-based approach, creating shareholder value by driving the performance of the core business.

See? Try it sometime. It's easy these days to get away with giving the impression that you know what you're talking about. Jargon is your only man.

Touch base with you next week.