Prem Title Race
Just when Man U were looking ominous for the title, they lost at Upton Park. Could Ronaldo's missed pen at 1-0 up prove to be a turning point ? Arsenal were flattered by a 4-1 away win at Everton, who were let down by defensive blunders. Surprisingly for a team known for their passing football, three of the Gunners' goals came from long punts into the penalty box.
Although Chelsea & Liverpool still have faint hopes, the title looks now to be a two-way fight between Wenger & Ferguson, whose teams who've dominated the Premier League, winning 12 of the 15 titles since the Prem was formed. United are still the bookies favourites for the title, and Arsenal will have to cope with losing three first team players to the African Nations Cup (Toure, Eboue & Adebayor). Man U don't have any African players so will be unaffected. Chelsea looked like they badly mised Lampard against Newcastle, and will lose Essien, Mikel, Kalou & of course the Drog to the African Cup.
Capello
Fabio Capello's appointment to the England job looks like a good move by the FA for once. He was the best qualified available candidate for the job. A serial winner of league titles, it is to be hoped he can bring success to the national team. Capello is known for being a pragmatist who favours results over playing attractive football, in this respect he is similar to Eriksson. Perhaps he differs from Sven in not picking players on their reputations, which was something the Swede was accused of during his time as England coach. Capello famously castigated Ronaldo at Real Madrid for being overweight. He also dropped Beckham, although in a recent interview in The Observer, Roberto Carlos expressed his belief that this decision had been made by the chairman rather than Capello. In any case, if Capello cannot choose the players & formation to make England successful, then no-one can.
The Rocket
Ronnie O'Sullivan won the UK Championhip two weeks ago. Surprisingly, it was his first ranking tournament win for 32 months, although he had won the Masters in the intervening time. The Masters, being an invitational, doesnt count as a ranking tournament. Many fans, including me, empathise with The Rocket for his sublime talent, which is sometimes undermined by his temperament. Last year he walked out of the same tournament when trailing Hendry 4-1. The highlight of his tournament win has to be the 147 maximum he produced in the final frame decider (!) of the semi with Mark Selby.
Monday, 31 December 2007
Saturday, 15 December 2007
Pretty Boy Walks the Walk
Hatton v Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather proved he's not rated the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world for nothing. The Pretty boy dominated the fight before knocking out Hatton in the tenth. I had thought Mayweather would win on points by boxing at long range & on the retreat. But he put on a masterclass. He is now unquestionably one of the best boxers of the last ten years or so, along with other greats such as Roy Jones, De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins & Calzaghe. I think Hatton should take one more big money fight against the 'Golden Boy', Oscar De La Hoya, and then retire.
Premiership & Champions League
If sport was easily predictable, bookies would have a hard time. As it is, a fair share of shock results keeps them in profit, & the punters miserable. In the past two weeks, Arsenal could only draw with Newcastle & lost to Boro, & Liverpool lost at Reading. All 3 victors were on long odds to win.
Liverpool needed a win in Marseilles to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League. The Reds added to their glorious history of overcoming adversity in Europe - St Etienne 1977, Olympiakos & Istanbul in 2005, with a thumping 4-0 win which put them through on Wednesday. However, as group runners-up they are guaranteed strong opposition from one of the Italian or Spanish group winners in the next round.
Euro 2008 draw
Talk about the ultimate 'group of death'. Every major tournament normally has one, but Euro 2008 Group C takes the biscuit: Italy, France, Holland & Romania. The two finalists from the last World Cup; Holland are currently FIFA world-ranked 9 & Romania 13. The Euro 2008 draw was skewed by the co-hosts, Austria & Switzerland, being placed in the top 'pot'.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year
Joe Calzaghe was the deserved winner of the BBC award, having beaten the previously undefeated Dane, Mikkel Kessler (now 39-1) to become the undisputed no. 1 at Super-Middle. Currently 3 Brits are rated no. 1 in their weight divisions by boxing experts (including the Ring magazine, 'The Bible of boxing' ),which is surely unprecedented. Calzaghe at Super-Middle, Haye at Cruiser, & Hatton at Light-Welter (he moved up a division to fight Mayweather).
British boxing has perhaps never been stronger, with such strength in depth at one time. In the amateur ranks, British boxing also looks in rude health, several boxers having already qualified for Beijing 2008, and Frankie Gavin (Lightweight) became the first Brit to win gold at the Worlds in November. Amir Khan looks an excellent prospect for a world title. khan defended his Commonwealth Lightweight title last Saturday, knocking out Graham Earl in 72 seconds. Earl was overwhelmed by the speed & ferocity of Khan, it was the most impressive quick title win i can remember since Tyson destroyed Spinks in 1988.
Floyd Mayweather proved he's not rated the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world for nothing. The Pretty boy dominated the fight before knocking out Hatton in the tenth. I had thought Mayweather would win on points by boxing at long range & on the retreat. But he put on a masterclass. He is now unquestionably one of the best boxers of the last ten years or so, along with other greats such as Roy Jones, De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins & Calzaghe. I think Hatton should take one more big money fight against the 'Golden Boy', Oscar De La Hoya, and then retire.
Premiership & Champions League
If sport was easily predictable, bookies would have a hard time. As it is, a fair share of shock results keeps them in profit, & the punters miserable. In the past two weeks, Arsenal could only draw with Newcastle & lost to Boro, & Liverpool lost at Reading. All 3 victors were on long odds to win.
Liverpool needed a win in Marseilles to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League. The Reds added to their glorious history of overcoming adversity in Europe - St Etienne 1977, Olympiakos & Istanbul in 2005, with a thumping 4-0 win which put them through on Wednesday. However, as group runners-up they are guaranteed strong opposition from one of the Italian or Spanish group winners in the next round.
Euro 2008 draw
Talk about the ultimate 'group of death'. Every major tournament normally has one, but Euro 2008 Group C takes the biscuit: Italy, France, Holland & Romania. The two finalists from the last World Cup; Holland are currently FIFA world-ranked 9 & Romania 13. The Euro 2008 draw was skewed by the co-hosts, Austria & Switzerland, being placed in the top 'pot'.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year
Joe Calzaghe was the deserved winner of the BBC award, having beaten the previously undefeated Dane, Mikkel Kessler (now 39-1) to become the undisputed no. 1 at Super-Middle. Currently 3 Brits are rated no. 1 in their weight divisions by boxing experts (including the Ring magazine, 'The Bible of boxing' ),which is surely unprecedented. Calzaghe at Super-Middle, Haye at Cruiser, & Hatton at Light-Welter (he moved up a division to fight Mayweather).
British boxing has perhaps never been stronger, with such strength in depth at one time. In the amateur ranks, British boxing also looks in rude health, several boxers having already qualified for Beijing 2008, and Frankie Gavin (Lightweight) became the first Brit to win gold at the Worlds in November. Amir Khan looks an excellent prospect for a world title. khan defended his Commonwealth Lightweight title last Saturday, knocking out Graham Earl in 72 seconds. Earl was overwhelmed by the speed & ferocity of Khan, it was the most impressive quick title win i can remember since Tyson destroyed Spinks in 1988.
Sunday, 25 November 2007
Football Failures
End of season WTA & ATP Championships
Henin defeated Sharapova in the WTA Championship final in a match lasting three & a half hours. Henin hasn't lost since losing from a set up to Bartoli at Wimbledon, a 25-match win streak. As well as being arguably the most talented female player, the stats prove Henin is the best too.
The end of the ATP season saw a return to form for David Nalbandian. He showed his potential by reaching the Wimbledon final in 2002, and has made the semis of the other 3 Slams- French (04, 06) Aus (2006) & US (03). He had struggled for form this season, but incredibly he won back-to back Masters titles in Paris & Madrid, beating both Federer & Nadal twice. Andy Murray did very well to be in contention to qualify for the Masters Cup, considering the period he lost to injury (Wimbledon & US Open) & consequent loss of opportunity to pick up ranking points.
The ATP Masters Cup was business as usual for the Fed Express, although Fernando Gonzalez beat Federer in the round-robin stage. When his forehand is in the groove, Gonzo is unstoppable, but he is erratic. End of season tiredness can lead to unexpected defeats in this tournament. Novak Djokovic has had an excellent year, but lost all three matches to be eliminated at the group stage. Federer comfortably defeated Roddick & Ferrer in the semi & final respectively, and the question remains whether Nadal can challenge him for the no. 1 ranking in 2008. I expect Roger to be top of the pile again this time next year.
Euro 2008 qualifying
Scotland coming third in their group was a glorious failure. Not so for England. In a previous post I had predicted Scotland would qualify. Unfortunately their loss 2-0 way to Georgia has proved to be a killer blow. Their qualifying group was an incredibly tough draw, with both France & Italy in the top 5 of FIFA's rankings. Still, they did the double over the French, have improved their seeding for future tournaments, & restored Scotland's reputation in world football.
England got what they deserved against Croatia. The only tactic was the long punt up to Crouch. It was the same old story for England- without Rooney, they struggle for creativity. Wright-Philips did well in the first-half, but then made way for Becks. Joe Cole can beat opponents one-on-one, but he had an off-day. The failure to qualify could be a blessing in disguise though. The FA now have the opportunity to recruit a world-class coach like Fabio Capello, Marcello Lippi, or Mourinho. All are proven winners at the top level. Only Lippi has managed a national side, but the other two have extensive Champions League experience.
So, none of the Home Nations or the Irish will be represented at Euro 2008. Northern Ireland had some excellent results, beating Spain, Sweden & Denmark; & David Healy finished as the top scorer in the entire quaifying competition with 13 goals. Wales & ROI were disappointing, although the Welsh finished with an encouraging away draw against the Germans.
Henin defeated Sharapova in the WTA Championship final in a match lasting three & a half hours. Henin hasn't lost since losing from a set up to Bartoli at Wimbledon, a 25-match win streak. As well as being arguably the most talented female player, the stats prove Henin is the best too.
The end of the ATP season saw a return to form for David Nalbandian. He showed his potential by reaching the Wimbledon final in 2002, and has made the semis of the other 3 Slams- French (04, 06) Aus (2006) & US (03). He had struggled for form this season, but incredibly he won back-to back Masters titles in Paris & Madrid, beating both Federer & Nadal twice. Andy Murray did very well to be in contention to qualify for the Masters Cup, considering the period he lost to injury (Wimbledon & US Open) & consequent loss of opportunity to pick up ranking points.
The ATP Masters Cup was business as usual for the Fed Express, although Fernando Gonzalez beat Federer in the round-robin stage. When his forehand is in the groove, Gonzo is unstoppable, but he is erratic. End of season tiredness can lead to unexpected defeats in this tournament. Novak Djokovic has had an excellent year, but lost all three matches to be eliminated at the group stage. Federer comfortably defeated Roddick & Ferrer in the semi & final respectively, and the question remains whether Nadal can challenge him for the no. 1 ranking in 2008. I expect Roger to be top of the pile again this time next year.
Euro 2008 qualifying
Scotland coming third in their group was a glorious failure. Not so for England. In a previous post I had predicted Scotland would qualify. Unfortunately their loss 2-0 way to Georgia has proved to be a killer blow. Their qualifying group was an incredibly tough draw, with both France & Italy in the top 5 of FIFA's rankings. Still, they did the double over the French, have improved their seeding for future tournaments, & restored Scotland's reputation in world football.
England got what they deserved against Croatia. The only tactic was the long punt up to Crouch. It was the same old story for England- without Rooney, they struggle for creativity. Wright-Philips did well in the first-half, but then made way for Becks. Joe Cole can beat opponents one-on-one, but he had an off-day. The failure to qualify could be a blessing in disguise though. The FA now have the opportunity to recruit a world-class coach like Fabio Capello, Marcello Lippi, or Mourinho. All are proven winners at the top level. Only Lippi has managed a national side, but the other two have extensive Champions League experience.
So, none of the Home Nations or the Irish will be represented at Euro 2008. Northern Ireland had some excellent results, beating Spain, Sweden & Denmark; & David Healy finished as the top scorer in the entire quaifying competition with 13 goals. Wales & ROI were disappointing, although the Welsh finished with an encouraging away draw against the Germans.
Sunday, 4 November 2007
Premiership Deadlock & Calzaghe is The Man
Arsenal v Man Utd
This match had been eagerly anticipated. The two biggest rivals in the Premiership for the last ten years, the top two in the Prem table, who have both been in superb form in the Champions League as well, and who play attacking football. While not an outstanding game, there were enough flashes of skill, and goalmouth incidents, to satisfy the spectator. The game also, refreshingly, lacked the spitefulness that had disfigured a lot of the clashes between the sides in recent seasons, and was largely played in good spirit. Arsenal will obviously be relieved to have snatched the late equaliser. In hindsight though, it may be that their failure to convert their dominance of possession into victory will be seen as a missed opportunity.
The title at this stage still looks like a four-horse race. Avram Grant has steadied the ship at Chelsea in recent weeks & yesterday's win at Wigan puts them third. Liverpool, despite being unbeaten, lie only seventh in the table, albeit with a game in hand, having drawn more than half their games. Man City, my pre-season tip as dark horses, could possibly sneak a top four spot, but at the moment they appear to lack the quality for the title. Portsmouth, Blackburn & Everton look like the contenders for the Uefa places- Spurs surely are too far back.
Joe Calzaghe has now proved himself to be indisputably the best fighter in the world at super-middle, with his unanimous points win over the previously undefeated Mikkel Kessler last night. Kessler himself had suggested his relative youth (28) could be a factor, but it was the 35 year-old Welshman who finished the stronger, particularly over the last three rounds. Calzaghe had said earlier last week that he wants one last big payday after this. A superfight against Bernard Hopkins at light-heavy, would be a fitting end to his career. Hopkins, of course, also enjoyed a long reign as an undisputed champ, making 20 defences of the middleweight title.
This match had been eagerly anticipated. The two biggest rivals in the Premiership for the last ten years, the top two in the Prem table, who have both been in superb form in the Champions League as well, and who play attacking football. While not an outstanding game, there were enough flashes of skill, and goalmouth incidents, to satisfy the spectator. The game also, refreshingly, lacked the spitefulness that had disfigured a lot of the clashes between the sides in recent seasons, and was largely played in good spirit. Arsenal will obviously be relieved to have snatched the late equaliser. In hindsight though, it may be that their failure to convert their dominance of possession into victory will be seen as a missed opportunity.
The title at this stage still looks like a four-horse race. Avram Grant has steadied the ship at Chelsea in recent weeks & yesterday's win at Wigan puts them third. Liverpool, despite being unbeaten, lie only seventh in the table, albeit with a game in hand, having drawn more than half their games. Man City, my pre-season tip as dark horses, could possibly sneak a top four spot, but at the moment they appear to lack the quality for the title. Portsmouth, Blackburn & Everton look like the contenders for the Uefa places- Spurs surely are too far back.
Calzaghe
Joe Calzaghe has now proved himself to be indisputably the best fighter in the world at super-middle, with his unanimous points win over the previously undefeated Mikkel Kessler last night. Kessler himself had suggested his relative youth (28) could be a factor, but it was the 35 year-old Welshman who finished the stronger, particularly over the last three rounds. Calzaghe had said earlier last week that he wants one last big payday after this. A superfight against Bernard Hopkins at light-heavy, would be a fitting end to his career. Hopkins, of course, also enjoyed a long reign as an undisputed champ, making 20 defences of the middleweight title.
Wednesday, 24 October 2007
Triple Whammy
Last week was a triple whammy for British sport. It started with the football Euro 2008 quallies. Scotland lost in Georgia, & England were mugged in Moscow. The qualification hopes for both are now in jeopardy. Then South Africa were just too good in the RWC final. The miserable week was completed with the F1 Brazilian GP.
RWC Final
England couldn't upset the odds for the third match in a row, South Africa were just too strong. For once, England's grinding style using the forward pack was blunted. South Africa were able to force a couple of turnovers with fierce counter-rucking & were dominant in the line-out. It was a shame Cueto's 'try' was ruled out-Tait's fantastic jinking run deserved better. England were more than holding their own in the first half but gave away needless penalties. It was only towards the end of the half that the Springboks threatened the try-line. However, SA were always in front, & kept control for much of the second half, and thoroughly deserved their victory. TV cameras captured a disconsolate Jonny Wilkinson at the final whistle. I hope he gets the chance to play in one more final.
Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton has done fantastically to finish runner-up in his rookie season. The feeling remains though, that a fantastic chance to win the title was squandered over the last two races. In China the team decided to allow him one more lap on badly wearing tyres which resulted in the DNF. In Interlagos, he had the rush of blood to the head- when he tried to pass Alonso and ran wide-which dropped him down a few places, but most damaging was the gearbox problem which left him back in 18th, & with too much ground to make up. A lot of the pundits seem to think he is definitely bound to win the title. I certainly hope so. Alonso & Raikkonen know what a threat he is & will be psyched up to beat him next year. Plus Massa, & the other young bucks, Kubica & Rosberg will be strong rivals for Hamilton to contend with next season. Still, he looks nailed-on to win BBC Sports Personality this year.
RWC Final
England couldn't upset the odds for the third match in a row, South Africa were just too strong. For once, England's grinding style using the forward pack was blunted. South Africa were able to force a couple of turnovers with fierce counter-rucking & were dominant in the line-out. It was a shame Cueto's 'try' was ruled out-Tait's fantastic jinking run deserved better. England were more than holding their own in the first half but gave away needless penalties. It was only towards the end of the half that the Springboks threatened the try-line. However, SA were always in front, & kept control for much of the second half, and thoroughly deserved their victory. TV cameras captured a disconsolate Jonny Wilkinson at the final whistle. I hope he gets the chance to play in one more final.
Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton has done fantastically to finish runner-up in his rookie season. The feeling remains though, that a fantastic chance to win the title was squandered over the last two races. In China the team decided to allow him one more lap on badly wearing tyres which resulted in the DNF. In Interlagos, he had the rush of blood to the head- when he tried to pass Alonso and ran wide-which dropped him down a few places, but most damaging was the gearbox problem which left him back in 18th, & with too much ground to make up. A lot of the pundits seem to think he is definitely bound to win the title. I certainly hope so. Alonso & Raikkonen know what a threat he is & will be psyched up to beat him next year. Plus Massa, & the other young bucks, Kubica & Rosberg will be strong rivals for Hamilton to contend with next season. Still, he looks nailed-on to win BBC Sports Personality this year.
Sunday, 14 October 2007
Dad's Army reach the Final
What was I saying last week about upsets in the RWC ? Never mind.
Most pundits, including me in one of my posts here, had written England off, if not before the tournament, certainly after the 36-0 drubbing by the Springboks. Now not only have they beaten the Aussies, but the hosts too. Wilko has once more proved himself to be the 'go-to guy' (as the Yanks would say) when you need a vital penalty slotted between the posts. It really is incredible how England have pulled themselves off the floor after the SA game & turned it around. All this has been achieved with a liberal sprinkling of 30-somethings who might have been deemed past it a few weeks ago. One of those is 33-year old Jason Robinson of course, who seemed to have played his last game when he pulled up with a hamstring problem in the SA game, but who has recovered incredibly. Now Robbo has the perfect occasion for his final game, the World Cup Final.
If South Africa beat the Pumas tonight, the final could be difficult for them psychologically. Having beaten an opponent comprehensively in a previous match, it can be difficult to adjust when the opposition is much stiffer in the rematch. Argentina would also make for a great final with the fierce sporting rivalry between the two nations. I expect the Springboks to edge a tight match tonight.
Most pundits, including me in one of my posts here, had written England off, if not before the tournament, certainly after the 36-0 drubbing by the Springboks. Now not only have they beaten the Aussies, but the hosts too. Wilko has once more proved himself to be the 'go-to guy' (as the Yanks would say) when you need a vital penalty slotted between the posts. It really is incredible how England have pulled themselves off the floor after the SA game & turned it around. All this has been achieved with a liberal sprinkling of 30-somethings who might have been deemed past it a few weeks ago. One of those is 33-year old Jason Robinson of course, who seemed to have played his last game when he pulled up with a hamstring problem in the SA game, but who has recovered incredibly. Now Robbo has the perfect occasion for his final game, the World Cup Final.
If South Africa beat the Pumas tonight, the final could be difficult for them psychologically. Having beaten an opponent comprehensively in a previous match, it can be difficult to adjust when the opposition is much stiffer in the rematch. Argentina would also make for a great final with the fierce sporting rivalry between the two nations. I expect the Springboks to edge a tight match tonight.
Sunday, 30 September 2007
Underdogs
Carling Cup Round 3
It seems that only Arsenal can play the kids & still win. They proved it last season when they reached the League Cup final. This week they did it again, beating a nearly full-strength Newcastle side. Meanwhile, on Wednesday night a largely youth United side lost to Coventry despite bringing starting with first-teamers O'Shea, Nani & Anderson; Carrick & Brown came on as subs.
In recent years some Premiership sides, especially the 'Big Four' clubs, have treated the Carling Cup as almost an unwelcome distraction, & used it as an opportunity to play some of their fringe players. No doubt the teams still involved in the Champions League will continue this policy.
RWC Upsets
In the Rugby World Cup there seems to be far less chance of a big upset than in the equivalent football tournament. South Korea reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2002. (Also Greece won Euro 2004 as hugely unfancied underdogs) Japan's draw against Canada was hailed as a fantastic result for them. Fiji did beat Wales, but generally, Rugby Union has so many set plays that the stronger side can keep up constant pressure, and it’s much harder to prevent a score. The weaker side has to compete at every scrum, line-out, ruck & maul. In football, the defending goalie can play a blinder &/or the strikers have an off day, & the minnows can get a draw or even sneak a win. So it seems unlikely that Fiji, for example, can make the semis of the current RWC.
It seems that only Arsenal can play the kids & still win. They proved it last season when they reached the League Cup final. This week they did it again, beating a nearly full-strength Newcastle side. Meanwhile, on Wednesday night a largely youth United side lost to Coventry despite bringing starting with first-teamers O'Shea, Nani & Anderson; Carrick & Brown came on as subs.
In recent years some Premiership sides, especially the 'Big Four' clubs, have treated the Carling Cup as almost an unwelcome distraction, & used it as an opportunity to play some of their fringe players. No doubt the teams still involved in the Champions League will continue this policy.
RWC Upsets
In the Rugby World Cup there seems to be far less chance of a big upset than in the equivalent football tournament. South Korea reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2002. (Also Greece won Euro 2004 as hugely unfancied underdogs) Japan's draw against Canada was hailed as a fantastic result for them. Fiji did beat Wales, but generally, Rugby Union has so many set plays that the stronger side can keep up constant pressure, and it’s much harder to prevent a score. The weaker side has to compete at every scrum, line-out, ruck & maul. In football, the defending goalie can play a blinder &/or the strikers have an off day, & the minnows can get a draw or even sneak a win. So it seems unlikely that Fiji, for example, can make the semis of the current RWC.
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