Soccer: Screws in place, Brown's ready for action

Tim Brown's quick recovery from a broken shoulder means he could start in the All Whites' opening match. Photo / Getty Images

All Whites vice-captain Tim Brown's World Cup dream lives on.

The midfielder has made a remarkable recovery from a broken shoulder and flew to South Africa this morning to join the rest of the New Zealand squad. He will be available for the opener against Slovakia in Rustenberg on Tuesday, though the final decision on Brown's inclusion will be made by coach Ricki Herbert.

Yesterday, Brown met his surgeon, Stu Walsh, who was happy with how the shoulder, broken against Australia on May 24, had recovered from the operation to insert three screws.

Dr Walsh put the 29-year-old through a rigorous fitness assessment and, after consulting All Whites team doctor Celeste Geertsema, gave him the OK to join the team.

Brown said last night that he was "over the moon to get the green light".

The All Whites coach was expected to tell reporters in South Africa overnight that Brown will take his place in the 23, meaning Cole Peverley, who was drafted in as cover, misses out.

Herbert said: "We're thankful for the surgeon and the medical staff who looked after him for doing a tremendous job. He has apparently come through everything so well."

If the odds on Brown making the squad following his shoulder fracture were long, they're nothing on what the bookmakers are offering for an All Whites World Cup win.

The TAB has them listed at $1000 for the win, while Gambling South Africa and British firm Ladbrokes have them at 2000-1. Australia's Centrebet fancies New Zealand's chances more, paying just $751.

All four agencies have made Spain favourites. The team, who include Fernando Torres and Cesc Fabregas, are paying between $4 and $5 to win their first World Cup.

Meanwhile, a human resources firm says employers should expect a wave of sick days and water-cooler post-mortems.

Randstad's chief executive, Deb Loveridge, said workers would likely pull sickies after staying up through the night for late matches.

For those who make it in, work could take a back seat to online replays or post-match "pow-wows".

New Zealand's midweek matches against Italy and Paraguay are not scheduled to finish until about 4am.

Employers and Manufacturers Association head Alasdair Thompson said employers needed to get on the front foot and deal with it before it happened.

"They should tell staff in advance that it won't be tolerated," Mr Thompson said.

However, Ms Loveridge said employers should take advantage of Cup fever rather than trying to punish staff.

"It's actually an ideal time to embrace the spirit of the sport, and have fun and build employee morale through celebration and a culture of teamwork."

- additional reporting: Hamish Fletcher