Wednesday, 31 October 2007
Tuesday, 30 October 2007
Olympic Team Dreams
Much debate is going on at the moment whether or not Great Britain will field an Olympic football team in 2012.
Some of the home nations are keen and some aren’t.
It would be bizarre to see a 'Lions' football team and if it did happen what would the team look like?
Even though England are struggling at the moment, it's hard to see many none English players forcing their way in, maybe in 5 years time though.
The notion of Team GB is intriguing mainly because football does not mix it up enough.
In rugby union and league there are the Lions, the Barbarians and occasionally Hemisphere teams, all of which add an extra dimension to the game.
You also have rugby sevens, which is constantly growing in popularity and narrowly missed out on inclusion in the Olympics.
Fair enough, there are plenty of football games in the calendar already, a league of 20 teams, European club football, two domestic cups and the demands of international football, but maybe there should be space for some fun.
How about 7-a-side football!
I would love to see Fabregas roaring round a pitch showing off his skills, I doubt Wenger would share my enthusiasm though.
Maybe that's a non starter but why not organise a couple of friendly invitational matches or even a short Lions tour.
I can guarantee that no Premiership managers would support these games, but I feel there is too much emphasis placed on club football.
In rugby, playing for your country or the Lions is the highlight of a career, in football playing in the Champions League would be the pinnacle.
This is evident in the passion and determination shown in international players of both sports.
I welcome the idea of Team GB and other one off teams, and I think the relevant governing bodies should also show their support.
Some of the home nations are keen and some aren’t.
It would be bizarre to see a 'Lions' football team and if it did happen what would the team look like?
Even though England are struggling at the moment, it's hard to see many none English players forcing their way in, maybe in 5 years time though.
The notion of Team GB is intriguing mainly because football does not mix it up enough.
In rugby union and league there are the Lions, the Barbarians and occasionally Hemisphere teams, all of which add an extra dimension to the game.
You also have rugby sevens, which is constantly growing in popularity and narrowly missed out on inclusion in the Olympics.
Fair enough, there are plenty of football games in the calendar already, a league of 20 teams, European club football, two domestic cups and the demands of international football, but maybe there should be space for some fun.
How about 7-a-side football!
I would love to see Fabregas roaring round a pitch showing off his skills, I doubt Wenger would share my enthusiasm though.
Maybe that's a non starter but why not organise a couple of friendly invitational matches or even a short Lions tour.
I can guarantee that no Premiership managers would support these games, but I feel there is too much emphasis placed on club football.
In rugby, playing for your country or the Lions is the highlight of a career, in football playing in the Champions League would be the pinnacle.
This is evident in the passion and determination shown in international players of both sports.
I welcome the idea of Team GB and other one off teams, and I think the relevant governing bodies should also show their support.
Monday, 29 October 2007
Globalisation of Sport
What's wrong with a bit of individuality and personality these days?
It seems there is an insatiable need for every corner of the world to look the same. Now this is not a political blog so I'm not going to get involved in any anti-capitalist, globalisation rant. I do however feel that there should be space for each country to maintain its unique identity.
American sports are great and they form a massive part of American culture. Likewise rugby, cricket and football provide the backbone to English culture.
We don't need 'Global Sport', soccer or cricket are never going to rival the big four sports in the US and vice versa in the UK. Why try? Some things just aren't meant to be.
I used to really look forward to catching the US sports run down on Trans World Sports on a Sunday morning, but that's where it should stay.
Stick to what you do best, I say.
Saturday, 27 October 2007
What's On The Box?
This will be quite a busy weekend of sport, and there is some good coverage on the BBC.
The Anglo-Welsh Cup kicks off this weekend, and going on last night's opener between Sale and Cardiff it should be another great tournament. Worcester vs Ospreys and Bristol vs Scarlets are the games featured on the BBC.
There is also the usual mix of horse racing (boring!) and football coverage.
For me one of the most interesting watches will be the highlights from the NFL match at Wembley, come on the Phins!
And the final treat on the Beeb is highlights of the bound to be bruising rugby league international between Great Britain and New Zealand.
Also on terrestrial, Five have their dubious Football Italiano show on Sunday which will have Roma vs Milan. Having stolen all the big shows in recent weeks, ITV seem to be all out of excitement this weekend.
Sky
Sky Sport have some rather uninteresting Championship football games this weekend, although they make up for it with some belting live rugby games scheduled.
It is Currie Cup Final weekend, South African rugby's domestic competition in which the Cheetahs and Lions fight it out this year. The rugby League (GB vs NZ) is also live on Sky Sports.
The new boys on the TV, Setanta have also bagged some action, they have the Hammers vs Pompey game live and a host of other shows including some tennis, Magners league highlights and various other random sports.
Thursday, 25 October 2007
Springboks Sidestep Soweto
Sadly I have already written about the demise of Spurs this week and I don't want to keep kicking them while they are down... well maybe I do... but I won't.
Instead I want to look at race and rugby in South Africa.
The history of the Springboks is fairly eventful to say the least.
It wasn't until 1992 that the current Rugby Union was established with the unification of the former whites-only South African Rugby Board and the non-racial South African Rugby Union.
This led to readmission into international rugby after eight years of isolation due to apartheid.
Episode One
During the 1995 RWC, hosted and won by SA, the Springboks were the toast and hope of the 'Rainbow Nation'. An emotional closing ceremony with Mandela passing over the Webb Ellis Trophy to Pienaar was meant to be symbolic. Chester Williams was the first post-apartheid black player to where the green and gold and it was expected that the sport would now reach out into the townships.
However for various reasons this never happened.
Ten years of scandal, misery and embarrassment meant that it wasn't until Jake White stepped up from U21 coach that there was any hope.
A New Hope
Having comfortably won this year's World Cup it was once again hoped that rugby in South Africa could reach out to the clearly fervent support in the black regions, and discover more players.
I strongly believe that the strongest XV players should line up at kick off, no matter their colour, I also feel that rugby is a sport that should support all corners of all countries. Coaching and money should be invested in the game where there are people who want to play, and South Africa as World Champions should set a standard.
The Empire Strikes Bok
Unfortunately it looks like Sarfu have not learned any lessons from 1995. Yesterday the planned visit of the returning champions to the Township of Soweto was canceled and the disappointment was clear to see.
"We're devastated about it. We were expecting to see our heroes within the backyard of Soweto," said Johannes Mhlongo, captain of the Soweto Rugby Club.
Lets hope I'm wrong and they have learned some lessons.
Wednesday, 24 October 2007
Try of the World Cup
Now I watched most of the games in the RWC but I did miss USA Vs South Africa, so it wasn't until yesterday that I saw Takudzwa Ngwenya's try. Simply because he skinned Habana is why it gets my vote as try of the tournament, although there was some tough opposition, and Corleto's try in the 3rd place game was a tight second. What do you think, which was the try of the tournament for you? I have posted a video of Takudzwa Ngwenya's try, enjoy...
Easy for Arsenal
It doesn't get much more comprehensive than 7-0 in the Champions League, in fact Arsenal's hammering of Slavia Prague last night equaled the biggest ever win in the tournament's history.
A fresh faced Gunners squad seem to back at their free flowing best, and they have a good chance of winning some serious silver ware this season. Even Walcott scored and maybe 12 months after he was a 'guest' in the England World Cup Squad, he might start proving that Sven was actually on to something.
A fresh faced Gunners squad seem to back at their free flowing best, and they have a good chance of winning some serious silver ware this season. Even Walcott scored and maybe 12 months after he was a 'guest' in the England World Cup Squad, he might start proving that Sven was actually on to something.
Tuesday, 23 October 2007
Spurs can't defend manager
Tottenham continued their dreadful start to the season last night with a 3-1 defeat up at Newcastle.
It's been the same story for a while now, Spurs can't defend, one clean sheet all season is not going to get you into Europe. Last night was no different, Michael Dawson being the main offender as he was responsible for Newcastle's first two goals.
There's no doubt that they have the talent up front, any team in the league would take their attack. But the fact is they have conceded on average over two goals a game, meaning they need to score two just to get a point.
Only Derby have conceded more goals, and only by one goal, and don't forget they lost 5-0 to Arsenal and 6-0 to Liverpool.
I'm a West Ham fan, so seeing the demise of Spurs isn't exactly upsetting me, in fact it's put a bounce in my step. Martin Jol is surely about to be thrown into the Exhange and Mart of football managers, and whoever comes in needs to spend wisely in January.
NO MORE STRIKERS! It's simple, spending £16m on Bent (more than Henry don't forget)when you already have Defoe, Berbatov and Keane is confused to say the least.
Sadly I don't think Spurs will be in this position come May, the Hammers of 2003 were the best team to get relegated and that's not going to change this season. They could easily still finish in the top ten and I fancy they will.
It's been the same story for a while now, Spurs can't defend, one clean sheet all season is not going to get you into Europe. Last night was no different, Michael Dawson being the main offender as he was responsible for Newcastle's first two goals.
There's no doubt that they have the talent up front, any team in the league would take their attack. But the fact is they have conceded on average over two goals a game, meaning they need to score two just to get a point.
Only Derby have conceded more goals, and only by one goal, and don't forget they lost 5-0 to Arsenal and 6-0 to Liverpool.
I'm a West Ham fan, so seeing the demise of Spurs isn't exactly upsetting me, in fact it's put a bounce in my step. Martin Jol is surely about to be thrown into the Exhange and Mart of football managers, and whoever comes in needs to spend wisely in January.
NO MORE STRIKERS! It's simple, spending £16m on Bent (more than Henry don't forget)when you already have Defoe, Berbatov and Keane is confused to say the least.
Sadly I don't think Spurs will be in this position come May, the Hammers of 2003 were the best team to get relegated and that's not going to change this season. They could easily still finish in the top ten and I fancy they will.
Monday, 22 October 2007
Sunday, 21 October 2007
Memorable Week For English Sport
Hamilton threw it all away, Macca lost the plot, and an Australian and Irishman successfully conspired against us in Paris.
All this shows the brilliance and unpredictability of sport, if it always went your way it wouldn't be the same when you win.
Four years ago it went our way, this time it didn't. That's sport.
Although Hamilton could still steal the title following an alleged breach of regulations by Williams and BMW, his immaturity showed at the first corner at Interlagos.
Raikkonen, although possibly the most boring guy in sport, still deserves the title, and it would be a shame if the stewards decided the championship. One thing we can be sure of, F1 is on the up, and next season will attract big crowds.
Definite Try?
I think we all know it was a try, even the Saffas in the pub agreed, but did any of us really expect an Aussie to do us a favour. "We all hate England" was the quote from John O'Neill, well you know what, we're not all that keen on most of you either.
Anyway enough moaning, it was a great World cup, and of the five I can just about remember it tops the bunch, even the third place game was a classic, and as far as the poll at the bottom goes, the Pumas get my vote.
All this shows the brilliance and unpredictability of sport, if it always went your way it wouldn't be the same when you win.
Four years ago it went our way, this time it didn't. That's sport.
Although Hamilton could still steal the title following an alleged breach of regulations by Williams and BMW, his immaturity showed at the first corner at Interlagos.
Raikkonen, although possibly the most boring guy in sport, still deserves the title, and it would be a shame if the stewards decided the championship. One thing we can be sure of, F1 is on the up, and next season will attract big crowds.
Definite Try?
I think we all know it was a try, even the Saffas in the pub agreed, but did any of us really expect an Aussie to do us a favour. "We all hate England" was the quote from John O'Neill, well you know what, we're not all that keen on most of you either.
Anyway enough moaning, it was a great World cup, and of the five I can just about remember it tops the bunch, even the third place game was a classic, and as far as the poll at the bottom goes, the Pumas get my vote.
Saturday, 20 October 2007
Cherry Whites Keen On Guinness
While all eyes have been firmly fixed on the Rugby World Cup over the past couple of months, the Guinness Premiership has been racing through the gears.
Gloucester set the early tone with a five try haul from ex Bradford Bulls star Lesley "the volcano" Vainikolo, closely followed with a win away at Leicester.
Still unbeaten the young squad with the likes of Ryan Lamb and Anthony Allen at the fore will surely be top of the tree come May.
Oh and don't forget they have Chris Patterson, the leading International goal kicker and Jeremy Paul, former Wallabies hooker, still to make their debut against London Irish on Sunday.
Elsewhere, the end of a World Cup always signals an exodus of Southern Hemisphere talent around the country, and this year is no different.
Luke McAlister, was arguably the one man to eclipse Dan Carter in the All Blacks team in France (and Wales), and his game is sure to bring more smiles to the Edgeley Park faithful up at Sale. Rory Lamont, another promising signing by Saint-Andre, continued his impressive World Cup form for Scotland with a try scoring debut for the Sharks in a win over Saracens last night.
Boks and All Blacks
Chris Jack, although nearing the end of an illustrious career, will still attract crowds at Saracens, even if just to rib him over getting knocked out by France again.
Carl Hayman regarded as the best tight-head prop in world rugby, will add some much needed steel and nouse to the Newcastle front row, while Springboks Butch James(World Cup runner up 2007) and Michael Claasens will offer that extra bit of class down at Bath.
Aaron Mauger is another silver fern on his way over, and could form an exciting centre partnership with England hopeful Dan Hipkiss in the Tigers midfield.
Also All Blacks star Rico Gear, along with fellow Kiwis Greg Rawlinson and Sam Tuitupou have been lured to Worcester by Mike Ruddock to form a squad which should now avoid the dreaded drop to League One.
These are just the pick of the signings, and there will no doubt be a number of new names popping up who could feature in a new look England squad come the Six Nations. All in all the Guinness Premiership is set for an exciting year, and once teams have full squads again, it will really hit top gear.
Gloucester set the early tone with a five try haul from ex Bradford Bulls star Lesley "the volcano" Vainikolo, closely followed with a win away at Leicester.
Still unbeaten the young squad with the likes of Ryan Lamb and Anthony Allen at the fore will surely be top of the tree come May.
Oh and don't forget they have Chris Patterson, the leading International goal kicker and Jeremy Paul, former Wallabies hooker, still to make their debut against London Irish on Sunday.
Elsewhere, the end of a World Cup always signals an exodus of Southern Hemisphere talent around the country, and this year is no different.
Luke McAlister, was arguably the one man to eclipse Dan Carter in the All Blacks team in France (and Wales), and his game is sure to bring more smiles to the Edgeley Park faithful up at Sale. Rory Lamont, another promising signing by Saint-Andre, continued his impressive World Cup form for Scotland with a try scoring debut for the Sharks in a win over Saracens last night.
Boks and All Blacks
Chris Jack, although nearing the end of an illustrious career, will still attract crowds at Saracens, even if just to rib him over getting knocked out by France again.
Carl Hayman regarded as the best tight-head prop in world rugby, will add some much needed steel and nouse to the Newcastle front row, while Springboks Butch James(World Cup runner up 2007) and Michael Claasens will offer that extra bit of class down at Bath.
Aaron Mauger is another silver fern on his way over, and could form an exciting centre partnership with England hopeful Dan Hipkiss in the Tigers midfield.
Also All Blacks star Rico Gear, along with fellow Kiwis Greg Rawlinson and Sam Tuitupou have been lured to Worcester by Mike Ruddock to form a squad which should now avoid the dreaded drop to League One.
These are just the pick of the signings, and there will no doubt be a number of new names popping up who could feature in a new look England squad come the Six Nations. All in all the Guinness Premiership is set for an exciting year, and once teams have full squads again, it will really hit top gear.
Friday, 19 October 2007
Van Persie out as Internationals take their toll
Robin van Persie will be out for at least a month after injuring his knee playing for Holland.
Now although hating Arsenal with a passion is a past time of mine I am actually upset by this news, he was the key striker in my fantasy team.
Van Persie is going to miss a number of crucial games for the Gunners. Both Champions League matches and fixtures against Liverpool and Manchester United back to back after this weekend's Bolton match.
Arsenal have shown some impressive form this season, and have scored freely and defended strongly.
Fabregas has been the key player for them without a doubt, but missing Van Persie could seriously damage their run. He has scored some absolute humdingers this year, and although Adebayor has shown glimpses of class, he is not yet a complete premiership player.
So anyway, I'm going to have to find a replacement for Van Persie which does upset me, but the thought of Arsenal dropping down the table puts a wry smile on my face.
Now although hating Arsenal with a passion is a past time of mine I am actually upset by this news, he was the key striker in my fantasy team.
Van Persie is going to miss a number of crucial games for the Gunners. Both Champions League matches and fixtures against Liverpool and Manchester United back to back after this weekend's Bolton match.
Arsenal have shown some impressive form this season, and have scored freely and defended strongly.
Fabregas has been the key player for them without a doubt, but missing Van Persie could seriously damage their run. He has scored some absolute humdingers this year, and although Adebayor has shown glimpses of class, he is not yet a complete premiership player.
So anyway, I'm going to have to find a replacement for Van Persie which does upset me, but the thought of Arsenal dropping down the table puts a wry smile on my face.
Thursday, 18 October 2007
British teams humbled in Europe
What a night, in contrast to some awe inspiring weekends of rugby, last night was an abysmal evening of sport.
Only Wales could manage a win, while England and Scotland lost out to Russia and Georgia, and Northern Ireland drew with Sweden, the best result of the night.
After a brief purple patch England returned to old ways yesterday afternoon, and are now relying on Israel nicking some points off the Russians to have a chance of reaching the finals.
I can just about remember when England failed to qualify for the '94 World Cup when we conceded an early yet crucial goal to San Marino. I remember being dumbfounded then, and now it's happening again.
To be honest watching England play football has never been something I enjoy or look forward to, and secretly I would be quite relieved if England don't reach the finals.
It is a shame though, I honestly thought the team had turned a corner after recent results, but I guess that was fairly naive of me, England football will always be the same, disappointing.
Only Wales could manage a win, while England and Scotland lost out to Russia and Georgia, and Northern Ireland drew with Sweden, the best result of the night.
After a brief purple patch England returned to old ways yesterday afternoon, and are now relying on Israel nicking some points off the Russians to have a chance of reaching the finals.
I can just about remember when England failed to qualify for the '94 World Cup when we conceded an early yet crucial goal to San Marino. I remember being dumbfounded then, and now it's happening again.
To be honest watching England play football has never been something I enjoy or look forward to, and secretly I would be quite relieved if England don't reach the finals.
It is a shame though, I honestly thought the team had turned a corner after recent results, but I guess that was fairly naive of me, England football will always be the same, disappointing.
Wednesday, 17 October 2007
Murray marches on in Madrid
Two comfortable wins now for Murray, as he progressed into the third round of the Madrid Masters last night.
Now he will face either Marcos Baghdatis or second seed Rafael Nadal and it will be interesting to see if can maintain his impressive form.
It is the one thing lacking in his game, consistency. He can have two or three cracking matches in the early rounds, but too often he then loses form and comes unstuck.
He needs to keep reaching finals if he wants to get himself set in the top ten and start challenging for Grand Slams.
What better way to start than by seeing of Nadal in the next round.
Now he will face either Marcos Baghdatis or second seed Rafael Nadal and it will be interesting to see if can maintain his impressive form.
It is the one thing lacking in his game, consistency. He can have two or three cracking matches in the early rounds, but too often he then loses form and comes unstuck.
He needs to keep reaching finals if he wants to get himself set in the top ten and start challenging for Grand Slams.
What better way to start than by seeing of Nadal in the next round.
Tuesday, 16 October 2007
Can Tait keep pace with the cheetah?
Having taken the World Sevens stage by storm, Matthew Tait was quickly thrown into the lions den of international rugby and promptly chewed up and spat out by Gavin Henson.
Now he faces a new challenge, Bryan Habana.
The fastest player in international rugby, and the deadliest finisher. If he scores in the final he will have scored the most tries in a World Cup, eclipsing the mighty Jonah Lomu.
Matthew Tait is likely to be the guy given the task of keeping Habana in check and it will not be easy, but if anyone can keep up with him then it's Tait.
Now he faces a new challenge, Bryan Habana.
The fastest player in international rugby, and the deadliest finisher. If he scores in the final he will have scored the most tries in a World Cup, eclipsing the mighty Jonah Lomu.
Matthew Tait is likely to be the guy given the task of keeping Habana in check and it will not be easy, but if anyone can keep up with him then it's Tait.
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