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Sports’n’All – Martin O’Neill and Sam Allardyce have declared they’re not interested in the England job, but Capello apparently is tempted. Stay away from it guys, it doesn’t look good on the CV!
23 November 2007
So, England crumbled in the end. I foolishly watched the game and it was a stressful experience. The pub was only buzzing for two moments in the game…both England goals. The rest of the game was greeted with a sense of anticipation mixed with dread. It has got to the stage now where English people are just waiting for the next calamity, whether it is the blundering Carson, nervy Bridge or anonymous Lampard. I suppose it now falls on me to select a team to support instead of England for the tournament proper. I always favour Spain in these tournaments as they play the sort of football I like to watch, even if they usually get knocked out early doors. Who will you support?
Harmison’s back! I’ve been waiting to say that, but he finally is. Admittedly he’s going to be mighty rusty, but its good see him fighting for his position in the England team again. He hardly returned with a bang against the Board President’s XI the other day but I’m still confident he will find his form again and we can celebrate having a seriously fast bowler who causes batsmen genuine problems. I can’t quite remember when he was last in that sort of mood though, and there’s no point bringing him back at half pace. Let’s hope the selectors are sensible and save him for when he’s in the right frame of mind to play his best for England.
Just as I was heralding the return of Formula 1 as an interesting and worthwhile spectator sport it has once again let me down. Another twist in the spying row has left Renault in the hot-seat after McLaren accused them of irregularities. I really can’t bring myself to comment on the intricacies of all this as I see it as a farce that is continuing to cast a shadow over an enjoyable season. I just hope that it doesn’t carry on too long and the teams can start to focus on improving their cars, rather than improving the relationship with their lawyers.
I’m no expert on athletics. Despite this I’m not exactly surprised to see that Sir Clive Woodward’s role in the British Olympic Association is being questioned. To be perfectly honest I couldn’t work out what an ‘elite performance director’ is, and after doing a bit of research I’m no nearer to understanding. Elite performance isn’t something that I thought could be directed, I thought it just was. Either way, he has been called a ‘political hot potato’, and it is for that reason alone that I was surprised he got a job with the BOA. It wouldn’t surprise me if the pressure increases on him in the coming months, particularly if he doesn’t show meaningful progress.
On that note I will finish, with just enough time to say let’s get behind Ricky Hatton! The fight’s not until December 8, but this my hype for the big day. ‘Til next week.
Sports’n’All – Has suspicions that Paula Radcliffe might actually be superhuman. Some get back to work ten months after giving birth…she wins a marathon. Legendary status is surely hers for the taking.
06 November 2007
It’s not that I find any tenuous opportunity to include a boxing reference in this blog, but it’s always good to get the opportunity to speak about British glory. Joe Calzaghe has well and truly stood up to be counted and his performance against Mikkel Kessler has surely put him the pantheon of boxing greats. Although I unfortunately missed most of the fight, every report tells me that he deserved to win. Boxing always gets a bad rap, frequently being labelled as ‘barbaric’ and ‘outdated’ but I don’t see the problem with it. The men know the dangers before they go into the ring, so let’s hope that we will see many more years of British success.
Another golfing reference. I need to be careful otherwise I’ll become a fully blown fan of the sport. Justin Rose has made his intentions clear for next year by winning the European Order of Merit. There is now every chance that he may take home one of the Majors in 2008, now that he’s proven his mental strength by beating Simon Dyson and Soren Kjeldson in the Volvo Masters at the weekend. Now I don’t pretend to know enough about golf to make an accurate prediction, but form is all-important in any sport. If he has enough momentum then there’s no reason why he can’t do well. Oh, and of course there’s the small matter of Tiger Woods to overcome along the way. Either way I expect him to be at the top of leader boards throughout 2008.
Manchester United seem to be a little rattled by the draw with Arsenal. Fergie has reportedly come out with an outburst aimed at the referee and Owen Hargreaves has been quoted as saying that Arsenal’s football is no more impressive than Man U’s. Now I’m not here to say which team plays better football, I don’t want to start an all out riot. Man U are the defending champions and a victory would have gone a long way to proving their supremacy over Arsenal. A draw, particularly a last minute equaliser, serves more to emphasise how small the gap is these days. Add to this Arsenal’s game in hand and Chelsea’s improving form and you have a serious challenge to United’s crown. Personally I could watch Arsenal’s brand of flowing passing football all day and not get bored. The only question that hangs over them is whether this flair can maintain success throughout the season. Previous years have seen them look a little fragile at times. As always I wait on each game with interest, and not just because I want to know how my fantasy league team has done. In the end a championship isn’t won in one game, but there’s no doubt that Gallas’ last-gasp strike has done more psychologically than simply rescue a point.
I’ll leave it there for this week. One more thing is that Alonso has left McLaren. Not the biggest surprise of the sporting week. I was more shocked when I woke up and saw that today was Monday and I was heading back to work. No doubt he’ll turn up at another team, Williams perhaps and he’ll do a decent job for them. This season’s been an odd one, but still one of the best in F1 that I can remember. Anyway, ‘til next week.
Sports’n’All – Simon Jones going to Worcestershire….could signal the beginning of a comeback. Let’s hope.
19 October 2007
After a short break, Sports’n’All makes its comeback. Not quite as eagerly awaited as Simon Jones, but it’s back nonetheless. And what’s been catching my attention recently? Certainly Lewis-Hamilton’s Henman-esque efforts to take his title challenge down to the wire haven’t slipped by me. It seems to be a British trait to take a commanding lead and gradually reduce it down until you end up scrapping manically at the last second. I still have confidence in him though, as long as he keeps his focus.
The sporting event of the week, perhaps the month and potentially the year is undoubtedly……the Merseyside Derby. No not really, it’s the Rugby world Cup final, which sees England’s valiant effort to maintain their crown come to and end. Whether it’s in a blaze of glory or a whimper, nothing can take away from the sheer scale of the achievement by this team in getting to the final. I certainly never expected them to get even remotely close, particularly after their woeful performance against the USA, which was depressing in its ineptitude. But here we are, within spitting distance of glory and with a team that had been universally written off before the tournament even started. Granted it will take a performance of epic proportions to pull it off, but this team have proven itself to be at its best when its back is against the wall. So come on England, let’s have one last charge!
Martin O’Neill has been given the green flag by his club to become England manager should he be asked according to reports. Now this seems odd to me. Surely this should only happen once (if?) he’s been asked. As far as I know McClaren has the full backing of the FA at the moment and there hasn’t been an announcement that England will be getting a new manager. Don’t get me wrong I think he would do a good job for England but I don’t see what good it does to make announcements like that when there are still games left in the qualifying group.
I am well aware that this could simply be some journalist out there getting a bit overenthusiastic and reporting a rumour, so I don’t presume that Aston Villa are undermining Steve McClaren. Either way it looks ominous for England’s chances of qualifying for Europe 2008. It’s not even a question of playing well because we are relying on other teams to slip up. I can’t really be too positive about a campaign that has seen us fall at the first and second hurdles against teams we should’ve beaten easily. As much as it pains me to say it, but I think we deserve to go out.
I don’t often touch on golf. It’s not that I hate it, indeed I have been known to watch the Ryder Cup quite avidly. It’s just that it doesn’t hold as much interest for me as other sports. One achievement this week did catch my eye however. Ernie Els won the World Match Play title for the seventh time last weekend. Not only did he win, but he comfortably eased past Angel Cabrera 6&4 in the final, which not only pocketed him £1 million but also put him at the top of the European Order of Merit. I was fortunate to watch most of the final round during some down-time and I have to confess I enjoyed it. Els’ short game was absolutely flawless and even his often slip-shod putting was on fire. It serves as a reminder of just how good he could be if he could get some consistency together.
All this serves to announce the end of this Sports’n’All. It just leaves me to say that I’m disappointed that Andrew Strauss has been dropped from the test squad. I can’t pretend that I’m surprised or that I disagree with the decision. He’s been horribly out of form for a while now, so some time out of the spotlight will hopefully unleash the demons and get him back in the swing of things (no pun intended). But that’s it, I’m done here and I’ll touch base with you all next week.
Sports’n’All – wondering if I’ve ever seen a more uncomfortable looking person than Avram Grant. His body-language even unsettles me.
28 September 2007
Do you remember the PE teacher at school? They always used to stand in their 30 yr old tracksuit looking unsure of what they were doing and filled you with precisely no confidence whatsoever. Well that’s how Avram Grant came across in the photographs of Chelsea’s first training session under his leadership. I’m sure he’s an astute tactician, but he is the complete opposite of Mourinho in his demeanour, which hasn’t gone unnoticed in the papers.
For me the biggest news of the week is Allan Donald stepping down as England bowling coach to spend more time with his family. England’s loss is Warwickshire’s gain as Donald has signed up to work with them. Who can blame him though for making this decision. Touring is a hugely demanding process, particularly for people with young families. Just look at the effect it had on Marcus Trescothick. The team will miss Donald and I wonder just how the management plan to fill his shoes. It’s been a couple of years now at least since the national team’s bowling attack has been anything like stable. Donald had been looking good to right that situation, particularly with the positive effect he’d had on Harmison’s bowling action before the injury. Broad, Sidebottom, Anderson and Plunkett are quality players, but it will take a very capable coach to unleash their very best form.
Potential is a word that gets used so often with English sport without much notice taken. It is a word that means nothing after a certain amount of time. Saj Mahmood keeps having the word attached to him and I feel sorry for him. He’s played for England a number of times and was touted as being full of ‘potential’. He’s now been dropped and I watched a county game with him in the other week and the commentator said it word for word ‘he has the potential to be very good player for England’. Why not just let these guys get on with their games and then judge them on their performance, rather than labelling them with meaningless words.
So which sport is better? I did this a few Sports’n’Alls ago with rugby and American football. Now I turn my eye on hockey and ice hockey. For me this one is an easy decision. Whereas I felt that the Americans had taken rugby and translated it into a less convincing game, ice hockey is a different beast completely.
Full of, well, violence and with a constant flow that never lets up for the whole game, it is a formidable force indeed. Traditional hockey, on the other hand, is a more sedate affair. Not that it is dull, don’t get me wrong, but in my opinion it lacks a certain something. Once you have two ice hockey players take their helmets off and have a fist fight in the middle of the ice you realise this is a unique sport. Imagine if they brought in a similar rule in rugby. People would be up in arms about it in seconds.
There is little subtlety in ice hockey, which is where traditional hockey claws back a little ground. Ice hockey can become a blur of action, never slowing down and at times becoming almost impossible to follow. Hockey has none of this problem and has constant flow of its own that is entertaining to watch and is often easier on the eye. I just put it to myself, which one would I want to travel to watch on a Saturday? On this basis I just can’t choose traditional hockey. Ice hockey just has that razzmatazz, which may let down American football but in this case, for me, enhances the viewing experience. But of course this is just my opinion. Feel free to make your feeling known on SAB. But for now I will sign off. ‘Til next week.
Sports’n’All – keeping its head while all around are losing theirs
21 September 2007
It’s been a weird week really, I hadn’t thought that much has gone on and then suddenly its Friday, I’m forced to review the week, and I realise it’s been manic. Not only that but the head of British tennis has announced that he wants five players in the world’s top 100 by the time London hosts the Olympics in 2012. I don’t think of myself as a negative person, but this seems a little optimistic in such a short time frame. I remain hopeful that there is a bunch of top quality players queuing up in the wings waiting to take their place on the top table. Tim Henman spent 12 years in the top 100. Maybe it’s about time people started giving him the respect he deserves.
The biggest news of the week was probably Jose Mourinho’s departure from Chelsea under the black cloud of boardroom tension and rumours of unsettled players. I’m not a Chelsea fan but I see this as a huge blow not only to the club, but also to the Premiership as a whole. Unless Tottenham snare him, which seems unlikely but I wouldn’t discount it completely, he will most likely head to Spain or Italy. Although he was outspoken and at times it was really annoying for all but Chelsea fans, there was no doubt that he made the game more interesting.
There have been rumours that a mass exodus is on the cards. Half of the Chelsea squad is likely to leave if you believe the news. Malouda, Lampard, Carvalho, Drogba, Essien, Ferreira and Makelele are supposedly rethinking their position and could ask for transfers. This seems unlikely and is more likely the result of similar journalism to that which brought us the Northern Rock panic. Still there is no doubt that this is a huge blow and Chelsea will struggle to keep their composure. Let’s just hope that they don’t just fade as the season goes on, and that they don’t just appoint an interim manager to tide them over.
England are out of the 20-20 World Cup. I was really hoping that there might just be one last slim ray of hope for our team and that we might just leave with some pride. No such luck. Stuart Broad’s mauling at the hands of Yuvraj Singh speaks volumes for the naivety of the team and shows just how much we need to improve if we are to challenge anyone higher than Zimbabwe in the world rankings. There is a lot of promise in our team, but it says a lot about the best countries that they don’t have to bring in many ‘specialists’ in order to win consistently.
When one day cricket first started it was thought that it would take a whole different sort of cricketer to make the most of the limited overs. As time went on it turned out that international cricketers are there for a reason, because they are the best in their respective countries. It’s possible that 20-20 might just turn out that way. All I know is that Australia keep churning out the best players and I wouldn’t put it past them taking away yet another trophy. Much like the Chelsea team that Mourinho crafted there is a sense of invincibility surrounding Australia. In my mind there is no doubt that this gives them a 20 or 30 run or 1 or 2 wicket advantage every time they play. Let’s just hope that England can use the Sri Lanka series to locate their cricketing mojo.
Ricky Hatton’s ‘show-down’ with Floyd Mayweather is turning into the razzmatazz, glitzy façade that I hoped it wouldn’t. They have traded insults and Hatton turned up wearing a crown that was snatched off by his fellow unbeaten fighter. Not only that but it is being held in Las Vegas, the home of the showman. It has come to my mind that Elvis only turned to performing in Vegas when his career had been on the slide and needed an injection to resurrect it. Hatton’s career certainly doesn’t need such an injection so I’m disappointed to see the fight held there, even though he really does deserve to get the high profile fight. Now he just needs to win convincingly and show the world he’s above all the hype.