Happy Christmas Les

So we have lost be an innings in 3 days. Rumours abound that the dressing room is divided. Sigh 5-0 beckons.

As Ian Chapell says England have the nucleus of a good team. If everyone is fit we have a good attack and a promising battign line up. Do they care enough? The Aussies wanted this very badly.

Anyway enough of that. Happy Christmas Les Read. Yep not only was he one the shortest reigning premiership manager ever but he was sacked Christmas Eve! Of course many people wonder why Charlton appointed him in the first place but it does strike as madness.

Since Alan Curbishley quit after 15 years in charge they've had 3 managers this SEASON!!

Still its good news for Alan Pardew sacked by West Ham with a large pay off he now has another big contract!

So Alan Curbishley is at West Ham to keep them up and Pardew at Charlton to keep them up. What odds West Ham for relegation.

What price a contract.

"That was for the gaffer"

thus spoke the West Ham Captain Nigel Reo-Coker.

Now given that Alan Pardew was under a pressure isn't it nice to see the players rallying round? Oh uh Pardew was sacked you say?

As an ex-collleague of mine said "Reo-Coker says his goal was an answer to his critics... others would say it confirmed the criticism was correct, he should have been putting the effort in for the last 17 games. "

Of course Reo-Coker's nose was put out of joint by suggestions that Arsenal wanted him and that West Ham didn't sell. Apparently he was put out that he wasn't told. Uh why should he? He has a contract and therefore West Ham are under NO obligation to sell him. Someone can offer a £100 million and they have the right to turn it down. Sorry Nigel you signed a contract.

Of course professional footballers believe contracts are a one way thing these days. Mr A Cole are you there?

If I was a cynical old soul I'd wonder if Reo-Cokers sudden effort had something to do with the January transfer deadline.

Surely not.

Cricket again

Well since I last mentioned it disaster has struck, we had a small first innings lead (having scored over 500) and with a day to go? Cert draw ? Nope we collapsed abjectly and the Aussie won.

We recalled Monty and he promptly took 5 wickets as we bowled them out for 244. Oh and Harmisson bowled well. We promptly collapsed. Will Kevin Pieterson please note chucking your wicket away is stupid. Panesar, the chap who can't bat, got 16 not out and earned compliments from the Aussie commentators.

As I type we have to bat all day tomorrow with 5 wickets left to draw. Not a hope, Jones is horribly out of form. We had a chance until McGrath got Cook out for a deiant 100 and then removed the nightwatchman for a duck.

Sigh at least Spurs won away!

BBC Sports Personality

I refuse to discuss the cricket today.

The BBC have announced the 10 people shortlisted for the Sports Personality of the year award. I fine it hard to get excited since there have been so few great British performances but here are the nominees and my comments.

Jenson Button - he won a grand prix. He didn't win the drivers championship he won a grand prix. Not a hope in my book!!

Joe Calzaghe - had a defining fight with Jeff Lacy and won it handily. Of course we really didn't know how good Lacy was. Calzaghe probably needs to beat WBC Champion Markus Beyer or a name fighter like Jermaine Taylor. Still a worthy contender.

Darren Clarke - this is difficult. Did he really achieve enough? Yes its all very emotional and (given my mum has breast cancer) I can relate to him I'm not certain his winning would be more than a sympathy vote. Something Clarke has said he doesn't want.

Nicola Cooke - The cyclist has doen everything this year, but cycling is a minority sport and she needs an olympic medal. another worthy contender.

Ricky Hatton - successfully moved up a division but has since moved down again. His time was last year. Needs to beat some names in 2007.

Andy Murray - well he has a personality, pity its Kevin the Teenager. Still if he continues his development he has a chance. But rising to world no 19 is not a sports personality winning performance.

Monty Panesar - great fun had superb summer. Been inexplicably left out of the ashes team. Tempted to say vote ofr him to embarass Fletcher.

Zara Phillips - won the European championship last year and the Worlds this. Only the third rider to do so. Probably needs an Olympic Gold but a strong contender.

Phil Taylor - is darts a sport? Still Taylor is the greatest Darts play ever, a true competitor and he has dominated his event. If Hendry and Davis can win for Snooker....

Beth Tweddle - won Britain's first world gold in the uneven bars. She needs an Olympic Gold.

So who will win? I think the human story may win it for Clarke. who should win? probably Zara Phillips with the likes of Calzaghe or Cooke also worthy winners.

2nd Test

Oh sorry C missed your comment!! We need 11 wickets - nuff said!!

I woke up yesterday to find out that England were doing well. I fully expected to wake up and find a collapse but no Collingwood proved us all wrong with a marvellous 206, Pieterson hit a fine 158 and then Freddie gets a late wicket!

Optimistic? No I s till think it'll be a draw but at least we're competitive.

Oh well

Seems my worst fears were realised.

Our bowling attack, Freddie an honourable exception, had absolutely no penetration. We are going to have to ask is Harmisson really that good. Yes I KNOW he was world number 1 but for a few years now he has show no consistency and has put in few performances of note. Was he an ordinary player who hit a purple vein of form or is a good player now out of form.

I left for work this morning with England 28-0 by the time I got the car out it was 28-2.

This will be a real test of the team if they can save this then it will be a real fillip. As it is they look like they are going to get crushed.

For those who comment we lost the first test two years ago I'd comment that we were at least competitive then. At the moment we aren't.

Mood depressed.

And so the Ashes

well 3 hours something until the Ashes start......

One of the two big decisions has been made. They've gone with Jones, this does make me wonder why they took Read. it should have been Prior, it just goes to show that the selectors at home wanted Read whereas the Coach wants a batsman keeper so they compromised.

Jon Agnew reckons it'll be Giles over Panesar. I think this is negative, I understand the concerns over the batting but I'd have gone for 6 batsman, play Flintoff at 7 and play Panesar. Hey ho let battle commence.

I expect to wake up and have my hopes squashed.

Square Pegs - Round Holes

Whether you think he is good enough for England Andy Johnson has been in outstanding form for Everton, he deserved his chance.

Johnson has played the lone man in a 4-5-1 or as part of a 4-4-2. So what does our manager do? Play him wide right. I ask you!! If he wanted 4-3-3 then play Wright Phillips!!

Surely he should have played 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 with Rooney playing in the hole? As it is we continue with the Erikson policy of picking players out of position.

Win Euro 2008? Not a hope.

Jonny Wilkinson

Like many people I can remember where I was when Jonny Wilkinson scored the drop goal that won the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

At that moment Wilkinson had the world at his feet. He was good looking, articulate and a genuine sporting hero.

Sadly for Wilkinson he had an injury but that would heal...... well it did but everytime he has tried to come back he has picked up an injury. He has never played for his country again and he in 3 years he can't have played more than a dozen times for his club.

He is still ony 27 but it is beginning to look like he'll never make it at the really highest level.

To me it seems a tradgedy for someone who had the world in his hands but whatever happens he still has that seminal moment that most of us dream of.

One Day Fiasco

And so we are out of the Champions Trophy. All we can hope for is a consolation win against the West Indies.

To my mind the problem is a) Freddie wasn't bowling, lets face it he is an all rounder. Freddie himself said he'd rather bowl than bat against himself so WHY was he playing and so high up the order.

but b) is perhaps more important, we really don't know our best side! New players appear from nowhere, e.g. Yardy. The test side is tweaked the one day side revamped.

I still have no expectations for the ashes. Harmisson looks totally out of sorts, is a genuine test bowler or a bowler who had 2 hot seasons? Freddie we haven't got a clue as to how he'll bowl.

We live in hope.

British Tennis

We've always accepted British Tennis is a bit of a joke.

Ok Messers Henman and Rusedski have performed ok without winning a grandslam but at least they have been moderately succesful. But the women? Oh come on if one woman wins a single round at Wimbledon its a shock!!

As it is injury is taking its toll on Rusedski and Henman is a veteran who is a dangerous floater.

BUT we have the boy Murray and I want him to lose!! Why? well I suppose it his miserable disposition "Oh I'm earning lots of money I'm SSSOOO depressed". I just find him darned irritating.

Then again if I was a young kid would I be inspired by Tim "Mummy and Daddy have a tennis court in their garden and are Wimbledon members" Henman or by Andrew "Mum is a tennis coach" Murray? Well if I was a kid? no!! Most of us don't have coaches for parents or parents who have a court in their garden.

I don't see why I should support someone because they are british. I support them because they excite me, becuase they are great to watch, because they have personality.

I'd like to see a British woman who I could have an opinion on!

A brave new era

Sven has gone and under Steve Mc we've won 3 out of 3 scored 10 and conceded 0.

Well I've just snoozed through England v Macedonia and NOTHING has changed.

I was worried before the last game when Mclaren said "I've told the lads they have the shirts". So where was Defoe? Oh the Roonster was back. Now don't get me wrong the Roonster is a good player but he is out of form and is he really fully fit? And why did Mclaren make the comment when the Roonster was going to play regardless?

I was more worried when he brought Wright Phillips on, but you say Wright Phillips looked good! Yes but correct me if I'm wrong but he normally plays wide right not left!!

As it was we had no width and created little. It wasn't until Wright Phillips came on that the Macedonians looked a little stretched.

Ian Wright asked why our world class players couldn't impose our structure on their 4-3-3. No pace mate, no width and do we really have world class players?

I have no probem with our defence. We have lots of good central defenders. And Gary Neville and Ashley Cole are decent players. its the midfield that worries me. Stevie Mc wants Scholes back! Why!! Where is he playing? We need pace on the left and right.

I've said for ages that Lamps and Gerrard can not play together in a 4-4-2. In a 4-3-3 if we play two wingers maybe but that won't happen. Maybe in a 3-5-2.

Yes both are good players but they can't play together.

I appreciate Cole and Lennon are injured but a midfield of say. Scholes, Lamps, Gerrard and Carrick would be ridiculous. Akin to playing Ferdinand, King, Carragher and Terry as a back 4.

I'm a trifle depressed at the moment. Mc needs to pick the best team not the best players.

Contracts

I am puzzled about modern football.

I don't expect club loyalty, I fully understand that players are professionals and play for money. The days of Matt Le Tissier are long behind us.

What puzzles me is when a player, like Ashley Cole, signs a contract and then thinks they can go and get a deal elsewhere and that they should be free to do it.

Players need to learn that when they sign a contract they have to honour it unless BOTH sides agree to rip it up. Maybe one day one of these mega rich chairman coming into the came will turn around and say "look son you have a contract and you are staying. You can sit your bum on the bench for two years and stuff your England career."

It'll never happen but I can dream.

Two Divisions

A number of people have said they are not convinced by the concept of two division in championship cricket.

I have to disagree. Mid table clashes used to be meaningless but now Durham and Yorkshire are fighting to avoid relegation whilst Essex (YAY!!!) are hoping to pip Worcestershire for promotion back to where they belong!

It means more games mean something. Surely that must be a good thing.

Team Ethic

Tiger Wood was quoted as saying he didn't understand the hype about the Ryder Cup.

Perhaps that, more than anything else, explains why the Europeans do so well. I appreciate that Americans do have team sports, US Football, Baseball etc but there is nothing at the national level. The US has no real sporting rivalries because the sports it plays tend to be ones that are, or until recently have been, US dominated.

This has started to change, major league Hockey and basketball players are now eligible for the Olympics. When the dream team first played they demolished everything in sight but with more Europeans playing in the NBA the standards are narrowing and the US are not dominant.

We all remember the upset of 1980 when a team of college students beat the USSR Ice Hockey team. The superstars of the NHL would beat all comers it was thought. But in recent years this hasn't happened, with Eastern European and Scandanavian teams beating the US and Canada.

I understand that in Europe the ice hockey rink is a different size. A canadian friend said that when the games were held in North America the US and Canada would do better and vice versa. Still the NHL, for so long believed to be of a standard beyond the rest of the world, has proven to be mortal.

In the rest of the world international rivalries are rife. Brazil v Argentina, Holland v Germany, Australia v New Zealand, Pakistan v India, England v Scotland, England v Australia, England v lots of people I guess.

In Europe and the rest of the world it matters to us. I wonder if the American public "care" if they win the Ryder cup? If they do will the players really "care".

The Australian players may have been gutted after losing the Ashes but on returning home they found out that the country wanted revenge. The English footballers knew that the public were "devastated". I'm not talking about the people who go everyweek but the casual fan as well.

Upon returning home to the millionaire Golfers, Basketball and Hockey players feel the same pressure and sense of hurt? If they don't, losing at the games they used to dominate, is something they may have to get used to.

A British League?

Every time a Anglo-Scottish match takes place in Europe the old debate surfaces about whether the old firm should be allowed to play in the English Leagues.

I can see the appeal. For the likes of Celtic and Rangers it would give them access to premiership TV money. For the premiership clubs the big Glasgow teams have massive fan bases and matches would be box office.

At first sight it's a win win situation but is it? It would mean two less premiership places for English team. It would make it much harder for smaller clubs to make it in the premiership. Its hard enough for the likes of Wigan now ...... What would be the impact on Scottish teams? Ok they would have more chances of making Europe but there would be much less TV interest and money without the old firm.

However exciting it may be for TV the true football fan who goes every week, as opposed to those of us who watch the telly, wants to believe they have a chance of making it and becoming the new Bolton.

Football is run by money, forcing fans to trvel to watch matches at all sorts of odd times. Lets not allow the money men and big clubs to further diminish the dreams of the smaller clubs.

The Noble Art

I must admit to enjoying boxing. It may seem odd to regard to grown men thumping the hell out of each other as sport but there you go.

Firstly boxers show each other respect. Whatever is said before the fight afterwards they show each other respect.

Perhaps the finest two fights I saw were the two involving Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran.

Before the first Duran made remarks about Leonard's wife. Leonard was incensed and stood his ground and lost, but lost heroically. He proved he was a fighter. In the rematch he boxed and humiliated Duran

Tradgedies happen. When Johnny Owen died after a fight with the great Lupe Pintor Owen's family certainly held no blame to Pintor and invited him to a memorial service.

Sadly one of the best fights ever to involve a Briitsh boxer was Benn vs McClellan. It was savage and Benn, a fighter who I had never really admired, showed immense guts. Sadly McClellan suffered brain damage was left in a wheel chair.

Should it be banned? I think not, nor does a fighter like Michael Watson who also was brain damaged. Watson also saw it as an occupational hazard. Like a grand prix driver in a crash.

.

Hoggard Injured

Well the Hoggster is going to miss the rest of the season.

So of the bowlers selected for Australia the ones currently fit are Mahmood and Panesar.

Are you optimistic? I'm not!!

We are all Europeans now

The British are noted for being sceptical of mainland Europe but every two years this changes. Yes folks the Ryder Cup is coming.

For some reason the sight of American's in funny trousers and dodgy knitwear changes us and we become all European. People who previously would like to cast us a dritft across the Atlantic will start saying come on Sergio!

One of the things that puzzles me is why we do so well? The Americans have higher ranked players seem to win all the majors and yet this seems to count for nothing. Apparently we are favourites this time around, I find this hard to believe.

Perhaps its that strange thing called team spirit. In 2002 it was noticeabley lacking in the US team. David Duval (whatever happened to him?) seemed happier talking to the European team and it was also noticeable that a whilst 11 US players were in the team uniform a Mr T Woods was not. Not good for morale.

So there is a little over a week to go. I am not a big golf fan but of course I'll be cheering our boys along.

COME ON SERGIO!!

US Open

The US Open Tennis were significant for a number of reasons.

Firstly Martina Navratilova retired. I do hope that this is it. She went out in style winning the mixed doubles. She was undoubtedly an all time great but I really didn't see what the point of her latest comeback was.

There was also talk that if Rafa Nadal won the event he could legitimately claim to be world number one. As it Nadal went out early and Roger Federer wona at a canter. He lost two sets all tournament and always seemed to have something in reserve. He has now one 5 of the last 6 Grand Slams and was in the final of the other one! To watch Federer play is a thing of beauty. His game is not based solely on raw power, which he has, but also on touch and finesse.

Talking of beauty Maria Sharapova finally proved she is not a one trick pony. She always seems to go out in the semi-final but here she eased past Amelie Mauresmo before over powering Henin-Ardenne in straight sets.

Sharapova already earned more money than any other tennis player. Can you imagine what she'll earn on the back of this? Still she is has proved that she is a genuine player (unlike a certain Ms Anna Kournikova) so good luck to her. I wish she would stop squealing though.

Spare of a thought for Justine Henin-Ardenne. She reached all 4 finals this year winning only one.

The Ashes

And so the team to tour Australia and attempt to retain the ashes has been announed.

Trescothick, Strauss, Cook, Bell, Pieterson, Collingwood, Jones, Read, Flintoff, Hoggard, Harmisson, Plunkett, Mahmood, Anderson, Giles and Panesar.

There are few shocks but there are echoes of Nasser Hussain's squad with the number of players recovering from injury.

I remain unconviced.

To my mind England have played with a plan. That is to bat deep and to be hard to beat. I suspect that, all things being equal, Duncan Fletcher would want the 11 players who played last season (with a choice between Bell and Collingwood). All things are not equal. Vaughan and Simon Jones are injured, Gerreint Jones horribly out of form with the bat and Ashley Giles has not played for a year and Monty Panesar has been in superb form. There is also the Trescothick issue, will he turn up?

England want to play 5 bowlers. This has been possible because we have a genuine all-rounder in Flintoff, a wicket keeper who used to score runs at 7 and a spinner who was capable of contributing in Giles. Jones has been dropped, apparently because his form with the bat has been so abysmal. So what do they do? They bring in Read, a fine keeper but a no 8 at test level, he did well against a weakened Pakistan attack but he will not score 100's against the Aussies. They took Prior to the sub-continent as he was a like for like swap with Jones. If he was the right deputy for India then he should have replaced Jones. But that is history. It still though has an impact on the team that walks out for the first test.

The choice between Panesar and Giles is difficult. Giles will add depth to the batting whereas Panesar will offer more penetration with the ball. A tail of Read, Giles, Mahmood, Hoggard and Harmisson looks better than Read, Mahmood, Hoggard, Harmisson and Panesar. Can anyone see that tail against the Aussies? Without a genuine no 7 we either drop a very talented bowler or go for 6 batsman and Flintoff.

The later has some merit. The risk is that it puts a heck of a workload on Flintoff but if he's picked he must be fit.

Given the options I'd go for Trescothick, Strauss, Cook, Bell, Pieterson, Collingwood, Flintoff, Read, Hoggard, Harmisson and Panesar.

That said it won't happen, there are no cover batsman in the party and 3 additional quicks so the decision seems to have been made to go with 5 bowlers from the start.

A likely 11 is Trescothick, Strauss, Cook, Bell/Collingwood, Pieterson, Flintoff, Read, Giles, Mahmood/Plunkett, Hoggard, and Harmisson.

Will Fletcher do his West Indies trick and ignore the other selectors and bring back Jones? Unless he suddenly scores a heap of runs I don't see how.

We've started on the back foot folks.

Ah you say what would your 16 have been. Trescothick, Strauss, Cook, Bell, Pieterson, Collingwood, Shah (he did well on his emergency call up last winter), Jones, Prior, Flintoff, Hoggard, Harmisson, Mahmood, Anderson, Giles and Panesar.

I might have then gone for an 11 of Trescothick, Strauss, Cook, Bell, Pieterson, Flintoff, Prior, Mahmood, Hoggard, Harmisson and Panesar