Any reader who has more than a passing acquaintance with the game of golf will quite easily tell that the writer of this article knows very little about the sport. Calling golf a sport is likely to cause many of the non-golfers reading this to laugh at such a label. To those who do not play or follow golf, it may seem no more sporty than darts or tiddlywinks (although the writer would like to say that the former of these is definitely a sport of kings while the latter, well, he is unsure if he has even spelled it correctly.)
And with that somewhat bizarre introduction, I would like to put forward the following argument; golf can be one of the most exciting sports on the planet.
The only golf tournament in the calendar which I watch in its entirety, or at least as much as I possibly can, is the Ryder Cup. The Europe vs USA rivalry, with its tactics, choice of pairings and captain's press conferences has me hooked. But when it comes to the other tournaments, even the Majors, as they are called, I only watch a few hours if any. But these few hours are often gripping.
And so, as I sat down in front of the TV on Sunday night, I switched on BBC Two, relatively uninformed as to what had gone on in the first 3 1/2 days of the 4 day Masters from Augusta in the US. The first scene was Tiger Woods, paired with his arch-rival Phil Mickelson, both of whom were making a strong push up the leaderboard. It looked like Chad Campbell, leader for a good portion of the tournament, Angel Cabrera and 48 year old Kenny Perry might be pipped at the post by Tiger or the left-handed Mickelson.
But a couple of dropped shots by both Woods and Mickelson on the final few holes, meant that the race was down to three; Perry, Cabrera and Campbell. And as for me, I was hooked. The demise of Woods may well have had the lukewarm golf fans switching off, but I was in for the long haul. I knew it would be midnight before this contest was sorted out.
Cabrera and Perry were the final pair, meaning they would be the last to finish, so Chad Campbell would be back in the hut by the time the other two were finishing. When Kenny Perry holed his putt for a birdie at the 16th hole, I was ready to go to bed. It was over. Perry had a two shot lead with two holes to play.
But it is not as easy as that as I have discovered on a number of occasions. Golf has the habit of creating Zeros out of Heroes at the swish of a club. Almost unlike any other sport, the man at the top of the leaderboard in a big golf tournament, can, with one bad shot, undo all of his hard work in the previous 15 hours spent on the course (or more like 20 hours the rate some of the golfers saunter around the course these days).
And so, Kenny Perry, with an inevitability that still does not detract from the tension created, proceeded to drop shots at the final two holes, handing his playing partner, Angel Cabrera, who had held his nerve superbly on the last couple of holes, as well as Chad Campbell the chance in a three way play-off. For those unfamiliar with golf, this is a sudden-death penalty shoot-out style finish, where extra holes are played until someone comes out victorious. Cabrera held his nerve, and the Argentinian denied what had been a leaderboard full of Americans on the final day.
Great finishes are possible in all sports, whether it is a team sport or an individual one. But the latter stages of golf tournaments are truly gripping. One can watch the back nine of the final round of the Masters without having seen the previous 63 holes, and it still makes for exciting, edge-of-your-seat stuff. Sometimes in other sports, missing over three-quarters of the action is a serious hindrance. But not here. If you have never watched the final couple of hours of a major golf tournament, then look out for one in the future; you will not regret it.
Monday 13 April 2009
Thursday 9 April 2009
FOOTBALL: Barcelona are brilliant but not unbeatable
As Thierry Henry slotted in Barcelona's fourth goal at Camp Nou on Wednesday night, their opponents, the German champions Bayern Munich, must have thought it could not get any worse. 4-0 down after 43 minutes. But it could have been worse.
As Henry peeled away to celebrate the 51st Champions League goal of his career, his teamate Lionel Messi was lying on the floor just outside the 'D' of the penalty area, face in his hands. In the build-up to the goal, Bayern captain Mark van Bommel had thrust his shoulder at the oncoming Messi, who seemed to connect face-first. It was a red card offence, but English referee Howard Webb, who had called play-on to allow the advantge and the subsequent Henry strike, chose not to take any action.
Had the Dutch international van Bommel seen red, or had Barcelona been given a penalty kick earlier in the half when Christain Lell felled Lionel Messi, it could have been much worse for Bayern. As it was, Bayern goalkeeper Hans-Jorg Butt, who had taken a boot in the face from Henry in the first half, pulled of a couple of good stops in the second and Bayern's heaviest Champions League defeat is only 4-0.
Barcelona's front three- Samuel Eto'o, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi- were sublime. They carved open Bayern's defence, even if it was a makeshift one lacking Lucio, Phillip Lahm and Daniel van Buyten and consisting of a Brazilian named Breno who has played only a few games all season. The Barcelona trio are capable of slicing open any defence; should Terry, Ferdinand or Carragher, to name a few, face Messi and co. later in the competition, it is likely to be how few goals they concede rather than keeping a clean sheet.
However, Barcelona are not unbeatable. Their midfield (Xavi, Iniesta etc.) and their forwards are among the best, but their defence is not in the same league as those of the English sides (although William Gallas' injury, that puts him out for the rest of the season, seriously weakens an Arsenal defence that is certainly the weaker of the four). Carlos Puyol, Barca's experienced centre-half, was forced to play at full-back and the Mexican Rafael Marquez played in the centre. Marquez is not a naturally defensive player and his forward wanderings leave holes in Barcelona's backline.
Barcelona are surely favourites to win the competition. When they are on form, it is difficult to see how they can be beaten. Nevertheless, if one of the English sides is organised in defence, particularly not allowing Henry or Messi to cut inside as they flow forward, keeps close tabs on the string-pullers Xavi and Iniesta as well as poking holes in Barcelona's less-than-secure defence, then Josep Guardiola's men will be denied.
As Henry peeled away to celebrate the 51st Champions League goal of his career, his teamate Lionel Messi was lying on the floor just outside the 'D' of the penalty area, face in his hands. In the build-up to the goal, Bayern captain Mark van Bommel had thrust his shoulder at the oncoming Messi, who seemed to connect face-first. It was a red card offence, but English referee Howard Webb, who had called play-on to allow the advantge and the subsequent Henry strike, chose not to take any action.
Had the Dutch international van Bommel seen red, or had Barcelona been given a penalty kick earlier in the half when Christain Lell felled Lionel Messi, it could have been much worse for Bayern. As it was, Bayern goalkeeper Hans-Jorg Butt, who had taken a boot in the face from Henry in the first half, pulled of a couple of good stops in the second and Bayern's heaviest Champions League defeat is only 4-0.
Barcelona's front three- Samuel Eto'o, Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi- were sublime. They carved open Bayern's defence, even if it was a makeshift one lacking Lucio, Phillip Lahm and Daniel van Buyten and consisting of a Brazilian named Breno who has played only a few games all season. The Barcelona trio are capable of slicing open any defence; should Terry, Ferdinand or Carragher, to name a few, face Messi and co. later in the competition, it is likely to be how few goals they concede rather than keeping a clean sheet.
However, Barcelona are not unbeatable. Their midfield (Xavi, Iniesta etc.) and their forwards are among the best, but their defence is not in the same league as those of the English sides (although William Gallas' injury, that puts him out for the rest of the season, seriously weakens an Arsenal defence that is certainly the weaker of the four). Carlos Puyol, Barca's experienced centre-half, was forced to play at full-back and the Mexican Rafael Marquez played in the centre. Marquez is not a naturally defensive player and his forward wanderings leave holes in Barcelona's backline.
Barcelona are surely favourites to win the competition. When they are on form, it is difficult to see how they can be beaten. Nevertheless, if one of the English sides is organised in defence, particularly not allowing Henry or Messi to cut inside as they flow forward, keeps close tabs on the string-pullers Xavi and Iniesta as well as poking holes in Barcelona's less-than-secure defence, then Josep Guardiola's men will be denied.
Monday 6 April 2009
CRICKET: Strauss' Twenty20 exclusion may hinder England's overall progress
The omission of captain Andrew Strauss from England's provisional 30-man squad for the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in June was not a surprise. National selector Geoff Miller has said that Strauss accepts he is "not comfortable" in the super-short format of the game.
Like it or not though, Twenty20 cricket now makes up a substantial part of the cricket calendar, both in the form of internationals and in domestic competitions like the Indian Premier League. Is there any place in the game these days for an England captain who is "not comfortable" with the twenty-over game?
Twenty20 cricket is taking over. All the big money is in the IPL, and the ICC seems intent on fitting as many Twenty20 matches and tournaments into the calendar. The argument that having a different captain in the 50-over game to the Test arena causes problems, as neither can truly stamp his authority on the team, may well become increasingly relevant to the 20-over format as well.
The foundation of success, not just in cricket but in any sport, is continuity in selection. Since 1985, the very successful Australia have had four permanent captains- Border, Taylor, Waugh and Ponting- and although they have had some periods where the captain of the ODI team has been different to the Test captain, there has always been a sense that the next captain is being groomed.
England's history of captains in the same period is very different and it is commendable that England have now decided to choose Andrew Strauss as captain in both Tests and ODIs, rather than attempting to juggle two captains. It is true that the Twenty20 window in the cricket calendar offers Strauss some respite from the stressful job, and England are not alone in making huge changes to their sides for Twenty20 competitions.
However, Ricky Ponting, captain of Australia, skippers the side in all three forms of the game. There is absolutely no confusion as to who is the leader and when Michael Clarke is forced to deputise, Australia are something of a different team. Conversely, Graeme Smith, captain of South Africa and who captained in his country's first few Twenty20 games, has not skippered the side in the super-short format for the last 15 months and in that period South Africa have nearly knocked Australia off their perch as the number one Test nation.
So is it just a case of Ricky Ponting and MS Dhoni being suited to the Twenty20 game, while other Test and ODI captains are simply "not comfortable"? It is hard to believe that Mike Atherton or even Nasser Hussein would have been good Twenty20 players, so perhaps one should not make a big deal of who is Twenty20 captain.
It has been shown in cricket history that it is not essential for an international side to have the same captain for all forms of the game, but there is a strong case that the same figurehead and leader across the board can improve the chances of success. The question is, should Andrew Strauss, who is "better suited" to longer forms of the game, captain the England Twenty20 side, not necessarily on merit but for the greater good?
Like it or not though, Twenty20 cricket now makes up a substantial part of the cricket calendar, both in the form of internationals and in domestic competitions like the Indian Premier League. Is there any place in the game these days for an England captain who is "not comfortable" with the twenty-over game?
Twenty20 cricket is taking over. All the big money is in the IPL, and the ICC seems intent on fitting as many Twenty20 matches and tournaments into the calendar. The argument that having a different captain in the 50-over game to the Test arena causes problems, as neither can truly stamp his authority on the team, may well become increasingly relevant to the 20-over format as well.
The foundation of success, not just in cricket but in any sport, is continuity in selection. Since 1985, the very successful Australia have had four permanent captains- Border, Taylor, Waugh and Ponting- and although they have had some periods where the captain of the ODI team has been different to the Test captain, there has always been a sense that the next captain is being groomed.
England's history of captains in the same period is very different and it is commendable that England have now decided to choose Andrew Strauss as captain in both Tests and ODIs, rather than attempting to juggle two captains. It is true that the Twenty20 window in the cricket calendar offers Strauss some respite from the stressful job, and England are not alone in making huge changes to their sides for Twenty20 competitions.
However, Ricky Ponting, captain of Australia, skippers the side in all three forms of the game. There is absolutely no confusion as to who is the leader and when Michael Clarke is forced to deputise, Australia are something of a different team. Conversely, Graeme Smith, captain of South Africa and who captained in his country's first few Twenty20 games, has not skippered the side in the super-short format for the last 15 months and in that period South Africa have nearly knocked Australia off their perch as the number one Test nation.
So is it just a case of Ricky Ponting and MS Dhoni being suited to the Twenty20 game, while other Test and ODI captains are simply "not comfortable"? It is hard to believe that Mike Atherton or even Nasser Hussein would have been good Twenty20 players, so perhaps one should not make a big deal of who is Twenty20 captain.
It has been shown in cricket history that it is not essential for an international side to have the same captain for all forms of the game, but there is a strong case that the same figurehead and leader across the board can improve the chances of success. The question is, should Andrew Strauss, who is "better suited" to longer forms of the game, captain the England Twenty20 side, not necessarily on merit but for the greater good?
Friday 13 February 2009
BUNDESLIGA FOOTBALL: Matchday 19
Vfb Stuttgart pulled off the result of Matchday 19 in the Bundesliga with a 4-2 away at Bayer Leverkusen. The game was played at the LTU Arena in Dusseldorf because the Bayer Arena is being extended and Leverkusen were not allowed to settle into their new temporary home as Mario Gomez scored in the second minute. The lead was doubled by former Aston Villa midfielder, Tomas Hitzlsperger, whose free-kick was clocked at 125 km/h. Gomez added his second after halftime, his 37th goal in 43 Budesliga games, and despite a Leverkusen fightback, Stuttgart took all three points back to Baden-Wuerttemberg.
Last season's second and third placed teams, Werder Bremen and Schalke respectively, met in Gelsenkirchen, with both managers under pressure because of their current mid-table predicaments. There were many chances for both sides; Bremen's centre-half Naldo had three good chances but it was Schalke came out on top, winning a tight game 1-0.
At the Borrussia Park in Mönchengladbach, top met bottom as Hoffenheim were the visitors. Mönchengladbach took a first-half lead through Alexander Baumjohann, who will move to Bayern Munich at the end of the season, and looked like they had won the game until Wellington nodded in a free-kick in the dying minutes.
Bayern Munich's first home game since the winter break was against Borussia Dortmund, who took an early lead through Valdez after a defensive slip from Demechelis. Brazillian Ze Roberto equalised but the game looked to be heading for a draw before German international Miroslav Klose found the net twice in the last few minutes to secure a 3-1 win for Bayern.
Elsewhere, second place Hertha Berlin could only manage a 1-1 draw at struggling Arminia Bielefeld with Liverpool's on loan striker Andrej Voronin scoring their goal. The shock of the round was at the Wildparkstadion, where former German international goalkeeper Oliver Kahn watched struggling Karlsruhe secure a 3-2 home win against Martin Jol's Hamburg. Frankfurt and Cologne drew 2-2 at the Commerzbank Arena while Wolfsburg secured a solid 2-0 home win over Vfl Bochum. Finally, Energie Cottbus secured a priceless home win over Hannover which drags them out of the relegation zone. Hannover, who have the worst away record in the Bundesliga lost 3-1 at the Stadion der Freundschaft.
Last season's second and third placed teams, Werder Bremen and Schalke respectively, met in Gelsenkirchen, with both managers under pressure because of their current mid-table predicaments. There were many chances for both sides; Bremen's centre-half Naldo had three good chances but it was Schalke came out on top, winning a tight game 1-0.
At the Borrussia Park in Mönchengladbach, top met bottom as Hoffenheim were the visitors. Mönchengladbach took a first-half lead through Alexander Baumjohann, who will move to Bayern Munich at the end of the season, and looked like they had won the game until Wellington nodded in a free-kick in the dying minutes.
Bayern Munich's first home game since the winter break was against Borussia Dortmund, who took an early lead through Valdez after a defensive slip from Demechelis. Brazillian Ze Roberto equalised but the game looked to be heading for a draw before German international Miroslav Klose found the net twice in the last few minutes to secure a 3-1 win for Bayern.
Elsewhere, second place Hertha Berlin could only manage a 1-1 draw at struggling Arminia Bielefeld with Liverpool's on loan striker Andrej Voronin scoring their goal. The shock of the round was at the Wildparkstadion, where former German international goalkeeper Oliver Kahn watched struggling Karlsruhe secure a 3-2 home win against Martin Jol's Hamburg. Frankfurt and Cologne drew 2-2 at the Commerzbank Arena while Wolfsburg secured a solid 2-0 home win over Vfl Bochum. Finally, Energie Cottbus secured a priceless home win over Hannover which drags them out of the relegation zone. Hannover, who have the worst away record in the Bundesliga lost 3-1 at the Stadion der Freundschaft.
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | TSG Hoffenheim | 19 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 22 | 18 | 21 | 39 |
| 2 | Bayern Munich | 19 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 17 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 9 | 16 | 38 |
| 3 | Hertha Berlin | 19 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 8 | 37 |
| 4 | Hamburg | 19 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 21 | 2 | 36 |
| 5 | Bayer Leverkusen | 19 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 12 | 13 | 33 |
| 6 | VfB Stuttgart | 19 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 16 | 7 | 31 |
| 7 | Wolfsburg | 19 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 12 | 30 |
| 8 | Schalke 04 | 19 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 30 |
| 9 | Borussia Dortmund | 19 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 14 | 6 | 30 |
| 10 | Werder Bremen | 19 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 28 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 16 | 9 | 26 |
| 11 | Cologne | 19 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 16 | -6 | 24 |
| 12 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 19 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 21 | -7 | 20 |
| 13 | Hannover 96 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 18 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 24 | -13 | 20 |
| 14 | Arminia Bielefeld | 19 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 16 | -11 | 18 |
| 15 | Cottbus | 19 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 16 | -17 | 16 |
| 16 | Karlsruhe | 19 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 23 | -18 | 16 |
| 17 | VfL Bochum | 19 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 16 | -11 | 14 |
| 18 | Borussia M'gladbach | 19 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 19 | -19 | 12 |
Friday 6 February 2009
CRICKET: What todays multi-milion auction means...
Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff hit the headlines again this morning, but unfortunately not for their performances in the First Test against the West Indies in Jamaica. Both have fetched approximately £1.1 million each in the second Indian Premier League auction in Goa. But what exactly does this mean?
The India Premier League will run for six weeks in April/May. It is a Twenty20 tournament of 8 franchised teams, which are based in cities like Delhi and Mumbai. Therefore all players remain on contracts at the home clubs, in England or South Africa or Australia for instance, but their services are bought for the duration of the tournament, for a certain number of years. The players are auctioned to the highest bidder, but each franchise has a budget. Most players were auctioned last year, on contracts of more than one year. With a limit of ten foreign (non-Indian) players per squad, most franchises already had seven or eight such players.
Therefore, all the attention was on Freddie and KP, because no franchise was likely to take on a foreign player unless he was a world class player. However, the pair can only play for three weeks of the six-week tournament, so they only earn half of the auction fee: about £550,000. That is still over £180,000 a week; eat your heart out Robinho. However, because the players are released from their central contract with the England Cricket Board for those three weeks, they are technically contracted to their respective counties- Lancashire and Hampshire respectively- for that time. And the counties want compensation.
The compensation was set at 10% of their fee, which for Flintoff and Pietersen is £55,000 each. Not bad for missing one County Championship match. Paul Collingwood, the other centrally contracted England player, was bought for $275,000, so Durham can expect about £15,000. Collingwood was not the third most expensive England player though. All-rounder Ravi Bopara fetched $450,000. These are massive sums, so one can understand the English players scrambling to be part of it.
The IPL was exciting last year, and will undoubtedly be enhanced by Flintoff and Pietersen, as well as South African JP Duminy who has had a superb recent series against Australia and was auctioned for just shy of $1,000,000. What is more in doubt, is the preparedness of England's two best players for the First Test against the West Indies at Lords in May, after bashing the ball around in a Twenty20 tournament for three weeks. Is five days is long enough to get back into Test mode or does it not matter when you bat like Kevin Pietersen or Andrew Flintoff? Only time will tell.
The India Premier League will run for six weeks in April/May. It is a Twenty20 tournament of 8 franchised teams, which are based in cities like Delhi and Mumbai. Therefore all players remain on contracts at the home clubs, in England or South Africa or Australia for instance, but their services are bought for the duration of the tournament, for a certain number of years. The players are auctioned to the highest bidder, but each franchise has a budget. Most players were auctioned last year, on contracts of more than one year. With a limit of ten foreign (non-Indian) players per squad, most franchises already had seven or eight such players.
Therefore, all the attention was on Freddie and KP, because no franchise was likely to take on a foreign player unless he was a world class player. However, the pair can only play for three weeks of the six-week tournament, so they only earn half of the auction fee: about £550,000. That is still over £180,000 a week; eat your heart out Robinho. However, because the players are released from their central contract with the England Cricket Board for those three weeks, they are technically contracted to their respective counties- Lancashire and Hampshire respectively- for that time. And the counties want compensation.
The compensation was set at 10% of their fee, which for Flintoff and Pietersen is £55,000 each. Not bad for missing one County Championship match. Paul Collingwood, the other centrally contracted England player, was bought for $275,000, so Durham can expect about £15,000. Collingwood was not the third most expensive England player though. All-rounder Ravi Bopara fetched $450,000. These are massive sums, so one can understand the English players scrambling to be part of it.
The IPL was exciting last year, and will undoubtedly be enhanced by Flintoff and Pietersen, as well as South African JP Duminy who has had a superb recent series against Australia and was auctioned for just shy of $1,000,000. What is more in doubt, is the preparedness of England's two best players for the First Test against the West Indies at Lords in May, after bashing the ball around in a Twenty20 tournament for three weeks. Is five days is long enough to get back into Test mode or does it not matter when you bat like Kevin Pietersen or Andrew Flintoff? Only time will tell.
Thursday 5 February 2009
BUNDESLIGA FOOTBALL: Matchday 18
The Bundesliga re-started on Friday after a 7 week winter break with champions Bayern Munich travelling to fourth placed Hamburg, coached by former Tottenham Hotspur boss, Martin Jol. Hamburg, who were unbeaten at home going into the game, more than matched the mighty Bayern.
The game was a truly end-to-end affair, with numerous chances for both sides; one of which, a Luca Toni effort in the 28th minute, seemed perfectly legitimate but was ruled out. Hamburg did get on the scoresheet just before halftime when Mladen Petric headed in after a save from Bayern goalkeeper Michael Rensing. Bayern pushed on in the second-half, despite Franck Ribery struggling to get in the game, and created chances but Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni were particularly culpable of squandering chances, and Hamburg held on for a 1-0 win.
League leaders TSG Hoffenheim welcomed Energie Cottbus to the new Rhein-Neckar Arena for the first Bundesliga game at the stadium. Despite the long-term injury of Vedad Ibisevic, who has 18 goals for the season, Hoffenheim won comfortably through goals from Demba Ba and Boubacar Sanogo. New signing Timo Hildebrand, the former Vfb Stuttgart goalkeeper, who was signed from Valencia in Spain, went off injured but it is expected to play next week.
In the capital, Hertha Berlin, after a superb year in 2008, began where they left off with a 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt at the Olympiastadion. Two goals from Marko Pantelic, who continues not to see eye-to-eye with coach Lucien Favre, were enough for Berlin despite sustained second-half pressure from Frankfurt which included Benjamin Köhler's strike.
Hannover 96 welcomed back German international goalkeeper Robert Enke after a four month lay-off, for the game against Schalke. Germany's number one was instrumental in rebuffing a number of efforts from Schalke as Hannover won a very open game by one goal to nil. Sergio Pinto scored the goal and Schalke forward Gerald Asamoah was particularly guilty of missing oppurtunites for the away side.
Elsewhere, Vfb Stuttgart beat bottom side Borussia Mönchengladbach at the Mercedes-Benz Arena with goals through Romanian international Ciprian Marica and German international Mario Gomez. Wolfsburg secured a draw on an absolutley awful pitch in Cologne, while Borrussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen managed the same result at the Signal Iduna Park, the biggest club stadium in Germany. Vfl Bochum had an important win at home to fellow strugglers Karlsruhe with goals through Fuchs and Klimowicz and Arminia Bielefeld cause the shock of the weekend, winning 2-1 against Champions League regulars Werder Bremen. Bremen badly missed the suspended Diego and Claudio Pizarro and find themselves in the bottom half of the league going into matchday 19.
The game was a truly end-to-end affair, with numerous chances for both sides; one of which, a Luca Toni effort in the 28th minute, seemed perfectly legitimate but was ruled out. Hamburg did get on the scoresheet just before halftime when Mladen Petric headed in after a save from Bayern goalkeeper Michael Rensing. Bayern pushed on in the second-half, despite Franck Ribery struggling to get in the game, and created chances but Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni were particularly culpable of squandering chances, and Hamburg held on for a 1-0 win.
League leaders TSG Hoffenheim welcomed Energie Cottbus to the new Rhein-Neckar Arena for the first Bundesliga game at the stadium. Despite the long-term injury of Vedad Ibisevic, who has 18 goals for the season, Hoffenheim won comfortably through goals from Demba Ba and Boubacar Sanogo. New signing Timo Hildebrand, the former Vfb Stuttgart goalkeeper, who was signed from Valencia in Spain, went off injured but it is expected to play next week.
In the capital, Hertha Berlin, after a superb year in 2008, began where they left off with a 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt at the Olympiastadion. Two goals from Marko Pantelic, who continues not to see eye-to-eye with coach Lucien Favre, were enough for Berlin despite sustained second-half pressure from Frankfurt which included Benjamin Köhler's strike.
Hannover 96 welcomed back German international goalkeeper Robert Enke after a four month lay-off, for the game against Schalke. Germany's number one was instrumental in rebuffing a number of efforts from Schalke as Hannover won a very open game by one goal to nil. Sergio Pinto scored the goal and Schalke forward Gerald Asamoah was particularly guilty of missing oppurtunites for the away side.
Elsewhere, Vfb Stuttgart beat bottom side Borussia Mönchengladbach at the Mercedes-Benz Arena with goals through Romanian international Ciprian Marica and German international Mario Gomez. Wolfsburg secured a draw on an absolutley awful pitch in Cologne, while Borrussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen managed the same result at the Signal Iduna Park, the biggest club stadium in Germany. Vfl Bochum had an important win at home to fellow strugglers Karlsruhe with goals through Fuchs and Klimowicz and Arminia Bielefeld cause the shock of the weekend, winning 2-1 against Champions League regulars Werder Bremen. Bremen badly missed the suspended Diego and Claudio Pizarro and find themselves in the bottom half of the league going into matchday 19.
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | TSG Hoffenheim | 18 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 21 | 17 | 21 | 38 |
| 2 | Hertha Berlin | 18 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 36 |
| 3 | Hamburg | 18 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 18 | 3 | 36 |
| 4 | Bayern Munich | 18 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 35 |
| 5 | Bayer Leverkusen | 18 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 33 |
| 6 | Borussia Dortmund | 18 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 30 |
| 7 | VfB Stuttgart | 18 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 5 | 28 |
| 8 | Wolfsburg | 18 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 10 | 27 |
| 9 | Schalke 04 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 7 | 27 |
| 10 | Werder Bremen | 18 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 28 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 15 | 10 | 26 |
| 11 | Cologne | 18 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 14 | -6 | 23 |
| 12 | Hannover 96 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 18 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 21 | -11 | 20 |
| 13 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 18 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 21 | -7 | 19 |
| 14 | Arminia Bielefeld | 18 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 16 | -11 | 17 |
| 15 | VfL Bochum | 18 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 14 | -9 | 14 |
| 16 | Karlsruhe | 18 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 23 | -19 | 13 |
| 17 | Cottbus | 18 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 16 | -19 | 13 |
| 18 | Borussia M'gladbach | 18 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 19 | -19 | 11 |
Tuesday 3 February 2009
FOOTBALL: Newcastle 1-1 Sunderland (01.02.09): Black Cats feel agrieved after 'terrible' penalty decision
This was a game of two halves if ever there was one. Sunderland dominated the first-half, going ahead through a Djibril Cisse goal just after half an hour. Newcastle equalised in the second half, through a debatable penalty, but neither side showed the class to win the game.
Sunderland started brightly but had to wait until the 20th minute until they really threatened Steve Harper's goal. Kieron Richardson's 25 yard free-kick crashed against the left-hand post and rebounded eventually to Kenwyne Jones, whose shot was cleared off the line by debutant Kevin Nolan. Both players were in the news this week: Jones signing a lucrative new contract at the Stadium of Light, while Nolan was signed from Bolton Wanderers for £4 million.
The Magpies replied moments later, when Andy Carroll's looping header struck the top of the crossbar. Otherwise, the Sunderland midfield was linking up well and they made the pressure count in the 33rd minute, when Kenwyne Jones ducked under a Dean Whithead lob into the box and Djibril Cisse, who was just onside, saw his first shot saved by Steve Harper but steered the rebound into an empty net. Andy Carroll fired a shot just wide 5 minutes before half-time but Sunderland looked comfortable.
However, the Black Cats completely lost their way in the second-half as Newcastle dominated possession . Their poor play was typified by Steed Malbranque and Kieron Richardson's inability to keep the ball in midfield, after looking good before the break. Sunderland were not helped by the injury to goalscorer Djibril Cisse, who hobbled off after mistiming a tackle. Kenwyne Jones looked like he may be following his strike-partner down the tunnel, after a crunching tackle from Sebastien Bassong, who was superb in the Newcastle defence. But Jones stayed on.
Jonas Gutierrez ran his socks off for the Magpies, tormenting Sunderland full-back Phil Bardsley, who had picked up an early booking. Named man-of-the-match at the end, the Argentinian winger's purposeful runs and pressure culminated eventually in a Newcastle goal. Midway through the second-half, local boy Steven Taylor burst into the box shadowed by Steed Malbranque. Taylor appeared to stick out his left leg and cause the Frenchman to stumble, but in the referee Howard Webb's opinion, Malbranque's somewhat clumsy fall which knocked over the Newcastle number 27 was a foul, and the Premier League's top referee pointed to the spot. Shola Ameobi smashed in the penalty.
Despite the perceived injustice, Sunderland did not improve after the goal, continuing to give the ball away cheaply to Joe Kinnear's team. That said, Sunderland did almost snatch the game. In the 84th minute, substitute and former Newcastle man, Michael Chopra, stole the ball from Fabricio Coliccini and ran into the left-hand side of the box; Steve Harper and the goal beckoning. However, the man who scored for Newcastle against Sunderland in a Tyne-Wear derby a few seasons ago, attempted an unlikely cross to Kenwyne Jones and missed his target. The conspiracy theories started.
Sunderland could also have snatched it in the final minute of added time, when a poor Newcastle clearance fell to the feet of Andy Reid, another substitute, who took it down and volleyed just wide. It would have been the first time Sunderland have beaten Newcastle home and away in one season since 1967.
Ricky Sbragia is probably a little happier than Joe Kinnear with this result, especially as the Balck Cats began the game three points ahead of their local rivals in the league. But judging by Danny Collins comments after the game, labelling the penalty decision as "terrible," Sunderland feel that they should have made the short trip home with all three points.
Sunderland started brightly but had to wait until the 20th minute until they really threatened Steve Harper's goal. Kieron Richardson's 25 yard free-kick crashed against the left-hand post and rebounded eventually to Kenwyne Jones, whose shot was cleared off the line by debutant Kevin Nolan. Both players were in the news this week: Jones signing a lucrative new contract at the Stadium of Light, while Nolan was signed from Bolton Wanderers for £4 million.
The Magpies replied moments later, when Andy Carroll's looping header struck the top of the crossbar. Otherwise, the Sunderland midfield was linking up well and they made the pressure count in the 33rd minute, when Kenwyne Jones ducked under a Dean Whithead lob into the box and Djibril Cisse, who was just onside, saw his first shot saved by Steve Harper but steered the rebound into an empty net. Andy Carroll fired a shot just wide 5 minutes before half-time but Sunderland looked comfortable.
However, the Black Cats completely lost their way in the second-half as Newcastle dominated possession . Their poor play was typified by Steed Malbranque and Kieron Richardson's inability to keep the ball in midfield, after looking good before the break. Sunderland were not helped by the injury to goalscorer Djibril Cisse, who hobbled off after mistiming a tackle. Kenwyne Jones looked like he may be following his strike-partner down the tunnel, after a crunching tackle from Sebastien Bassong, who was superb in the Newcastle defence. But Jones stayed on.
Jonas Gutierrez ran his socks off for the Magpies, tormenting Sunderland full-back Phil Bardsley, who had picked up an early booking. Named man-of-the-match at the end, the Argentinian winger's purposeful runs and pressure culminated eventually in a Newcastle goal. Midway through the second-half, local boy Steven Taylor burst into the box shadowed by Steed Malbranque. Taylor appeared to stick out his left leg and cause the Frenchman to stumble, but in the referee Howard Webb's opinion, Malbranque's somewhat clumsy fall which knocked over the Newcastle number 27 was a foul, and the Premier League's top referee pointed to the spot. Shola Ameobi smashed in the penalty.
Despite the perceived injustice, Sunderland did not improve after the goal, continuing to give the ball away cheaply to Joe Kinnear's team. That said, Sunderland did almost snatch the game. In the 84th minute, substitute and former Newcastle man, Michael Chopra, stole the ball from Fabricio Coliccini and ran into the left-hand side of the box; Steve Harper and the goal beckoning. However, the man who scored for Newcastle against Sunderland in a Tyne-Wear derby a few seasons ago, attempted an unlikely cross to Kenwyne Jones and missed his target. The conspiracy theories started.
Sunderland could also have snatched it in the final minute of added time, when a poor Newcastle clearance fell to the feet of Andy Reid, another substitute, who took it down and volleyed just wide. It would have been the first time Sunderland have beaten Newcastle home and away in one season since 1967.
Ricky Sbragia is probably a little happier than Joe Kinnear with this result, especially as the Balck Cats began the game three points ahead of their local rivals in the league. But judging by Danny Collins comments after the game, labelling the penalty decision as "terrible," Sunderland feel that they should have made the short trip home with all three points.
Tuesday 27 January 2009
CRICKET: IPL prepares to auction the soul of English cricket
It has been widely reported in the last couple of days that Kevin Pietersen is likely to 'bought' in the IPL auction for a record fee, eclipsing the $1.5 million paid for the services of Indian wicketkeeper MS Dhoni in last year's inaugural auction. The Indian Premier League, a competition of Twenty20 cricket between 8 franchised teams in India, runs for a six-week period in April/May every year. Players are auctioned off before the tournament to the highest bidding franchise.
The IPL is backed by a variety of multi-millionaire Indians and has seen unprecedented amounts of money pumped into it. For six weeks work, some of the players can earn more money than they would have previously earned in six years.
It is not difficult to understand, then, why every top cricketer in the world wants to play in this competition. Even those commentators of a purist view concede that the players cannot be blamed for wanting to play in the IPL. Twenty20 cricket is undoubtedly exciting and attracts bigger crowds and television audiences than Test cricket. It is also more attractive to advertisers, who will pay more money for adverts during the games.
Indeed, there are many winners in this new era of Twenty20 cricket. Obviously, all of the players involved are earning the kind of money never before seen in cricket. The organisers are very happy with their attractive product; the advertisers are delighted to be associated with it. And with high viewing figures, everyone seems to be a winner.
There is at least one high profile loser: English cricket. English cricket's soul will be sold off next week in the IPL auction.
And while it is being sold, the England cricket team will be half way through the First Test against the West Indies in Jamaica. Are the players minds going to be 100% on the game as the tough arena of Test cricket requires? Or are the top England players going to be desperate to get off the field to ring their agent and find out who they will be playing for in India, and more importantly, for how much?
The ECB gave in to the demands of both the IPL top brass and England players by releasing them to play for three weeks of the six-week IPL tournament, instead of the originally proposed two-week release. The result of this, is that the players who do play, certainly Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, and possibly a few others, will arrive back from three weeks of Twenty20 crash-bang-wallop with only 5 days until the first Test match of the summer, again against the West Indies. It is not exactly good preparation for a summer which includes the highly-anticipated Ashes.
The IPL is changing the face of cricket and hence affecting every country in the Test arena. But the effects are far more acute in England because the IPL runs at the start of our cricket season. No other nation has this problem, indeed many others, including Australia and South Africa, are just winding down their seasons in April, so the IPL is in a perfect window. Not for us though.
Twenty20 cricket will march on in the coming years, especially in the form of the rival Premier League in England, which is to be bankrolled by Texan billionaire Sir Allen Stanford. But cricket tours of 4 or 5 Tests with ample preparation time for both teams is likely to be a thing of the past. In England's case, the future is likely to be a few Twenty20 slogs in preparation for five-day game. RIP English cricket.
The IPL is backed by a variety of multi-millionaire Indians and has seen unprecedented amounts of money pumped into it. For six weeks work, some of the players can earn more money than they would have previously earned in six years.
It is not difficult to understand, then, why every top cricketer in the world wants to play in this competition. Even those commentators of a purist view concede that the players cannot be blamed for wanting to play in the IPL. Twenty20 cricket is undoubtedly exciting and attracts bigger crowds and television audiences than Test cricket. It is also more attractive to advertisers, who will pay more money for adverts during the games.
Indeed, there are many winners in this new era of Twenty20 cricket. Obviously, all of the players involved are earning the kind of money never before seen in cricket. The organisers are very happy with their attractive product; the advertisers are delighted to be associated with it. And with high viewing figures, everyone seems to be a winner.
There is at least one high profile loser: English cricket. English cricket's soul will be sold off next week in the IPL auction.
And while it is being sold, the England cricket team will be half way through the First Test against the West Indies in Jamaica. Are the players minds going to be 100% on the game as the tough arena of Test cricket requires? Or are the top England players going to be desperate to get off the field to ring their agent and find out who they will be playing for in India, and more importantly, for how much?
The ECB gave in to the demands of both the IPL top brass and England players by releasing them to play for three weeks of the six-week IPL tournament, instead of the originally proposed two-week release. The result of this, is that the players who do play, certainly Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, and possibly a few others, will arrive back from three weeks of Twenty20 crash-bang-wallop with only 5 days until the first Test match of the summer, again against the West Indies. It is not exactly good preparation for a summer which includes the highly-anticipated Ashes.
The IPL is changing the face of cricket and hence affecting every country in the Test arena. But the effects are far more acute in England because the IPL runs at the start of our cricket season. No other nation has this problem, indeed many others, including Australia and South Africa, are just winding down their seasons in April, so the IPL is in a perfect window. Not for us though.
Twenty20 cricket will march on in the coming years, especially in the form of the rival Premier League in England, which is to be bankrolled by Texan billionaire Sir Allen Stanford. But cricket tours of 4 or 5 Tests with ample preparation time for both teams is likely to be a thing of the past. In England's case, the future is likely to be a few Twenty20 slogs in preparation for five-day game. RIP English cricket.
Friday 23 January 2009
FOOTBALL: The behaviour of Premier League players has to improve
Manchester United's 3-0 win over Chelsea on 11th January was, in the main, an excellent advert for the Premier League. There were lots of classy, expensive, world-renowned players competing in England's largest club stadium and they produced a good, competitive game with 3 goals.
Both teams passed the ball crisply and accurately. Chelsea dominated the first half hour's possession, but with Drogba relatively isolated, looked lacking going forward. With the introduction of Anelka for Deco at half-time, Chelsea began to lose the midfield battle and were ultimately outclassed. Luiz Felipe Scolari has been criticised for having no Plan B and this game was yet another piece to add to the mounting evidence that Anelka and Drogba struggle to play together, whether in Plan A, B or Z.
For United's part, everything went to plan. Ryan Giggs, a surprise choice in the starting XI, was superb and Darren Fletcher more than matched the muscle of Michael Ballack and John Mikel Obi. Both Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov got on the scoresheet and young Jonny Evans looks increasingly like a future United centre-back.
Overall, Richard Scudamore and friends can be happy with what was broadcast to hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide. Even referee Howard Webb had a good afternoon, even if he did have to dish out quite a number of yellow cards.
But with all the increases that there have been in the Premier Lague in the last few seasons- player's wages, number of foreign players, quality of football, ticket prices, pitch standards- it has seen no such increase in disciplinary standards. I am going to single out Wayne Rooney, but he is far from the only overpaid ego to conduct himself well below the level of acceptability, nevermind sportsmanship.
With 20 minutes on the clock in the United-Chelsea encounter, Rooney was ajudged by referee Howard Webb of committing a foul in Manchester United's right back area. Seeing that the decision had gone against him, Rooney gave Webb an aggressive torrent of bad language, including "f*&k off!" Webb strode over to the spot where the free-kick was to be taken and called Rooney over. The referee called Wayne by his first name, just as everyone could hear on the pitchside television microphone, but Rooney walked away, raising his arm in the air a couple of times to signal that he had heard the referee but did not care. When Rooney eventually turned around, he listened to a couple of words before turning around again and sulking like a 5 year old.
No more than 10 minutes later, Rooney was at it again. Whilst I can understand the England International's frustration at Ronaldo's headed 'goal' being disallowed, despite Rooney and Giggs' clever corner routine being within the rules, his response was a disgrace. He sprinted over to the assistant referee and shouted abuse at the official from half a metre away, using the widest range of his foul language. How referee Webb had the patience during these two incidents to put up with Rooney, without even cautioning him, is a testament to England's best referee.
I despair at how normal such behaviour has become. I don't want to see games reduced to nine-on-nine by half-time because the referees have punished every piece of dissent, but Webb's tolerance of Rooney does nothing to stop him from doing it next time and makes a mockery of the FA's already ridiculed 'Respect' campaign. The FA need to bring retrospective fines or even bans for persistent dissenters (as well as divers and other offenders) or simply start cautioning dissenters during games. I accept the short term effect would be numerous sendings-off, but something has to be done, otherwise the game is likely to continue in this rut of very poor discipline.
Both teams passed the ball crisply and accurately. Chelsea dominated the first half hour's possession, but with Drogba relatively isolated, looked lacking going forward. With the introduction of Anelka for Deco at half-time, Chelsea began to lose the midfield battle and were ultimately outclassed. Luiz Felipe Scolari has been criticised for having no Plan B and this game was yet another piece to add to the mounting evidence that Anelka and Drogba struggle to play together, whether in Plan A, B or Z.
For United's part, everything went to plan. Ryan Giggs, a surprise choice in the starting XI, was superb and Darren Fletcher more than matched the muscle of Michael Ballack and John Mikel Obi. Both Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov got on the scoresheet and young Jonny Evans looks increasingly like a future United centre-back.
Overall, Richard Scudamore and friends can be happy with what was broadcast to hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide. Even referee Howard Webb had a good afternoon, even if he did have to dish out quite a number of yellow cards.
But with all the increases that there have been in the Premier Lague in the last few seasons- player's wages, number of foreign players, quality of football, ticket prices, pitch standards- it has seen no such increase in disciplinary standards. I am going to single out Wayne Rooney, but he is far from the only overpaid ego to conduct himself well below the level of acceptability, nevermind sportsmanship.
With 20 minutes on the clock in the United-Chelsea encounter, Rooney was ajudged by referee Howard Webb of committing a foul in Manchester United's right back area. Seeing that the decision had gone against him, Rooney gave Webb an aggressive torrent of bad language, including "f*&k off!" Webb strode over to the spot where the free-kick was to be taken and called Rooney over. The referee called Wayne by his first name, just as everyone could hear on the pitchside television microphone, but Rooney walked away, raising his arm in the air a couple of times to signal that he had heard the referee but did not care. When Rooney eventually turned around, he listened to a couple of words before turning around again and sulking like a 5 year old.
No more than 10 minutes later, Rooney was at it again. Whilst I can understand the England International's frustration at Ronaldo's headed 'goal' being disallowed, despite Rooney and Giggs' clever corner routine being within the rules, his response was a disgrace. He sprinted over to the assistant referee and shouted abuse at the official from half a metre away, using the widest range of his foul language. How referee Webb had the patience during these two incidents to put up with Rooney, without even cautioning him, is a testament to England's best referee.
I despair at how normal such behaviour has become. I don't want to see games reduced to nine-on-nine by half-time because the referees have punished every piece of dissent, but Webb's tolerance of Rooney does nothing to stop him from doing it next time and makes a mockery of the FA's already ridiculed 'Respect' campaign. The FA need to bring retrospective fines or even bans for persistent dissenters (as well as divers and other offenders) or simply start cautioning dissenters during games. I accept the short term effect would be numerous sendings-off, but something has to be done, otherwise the game is likely to continue in this rut of very poor discipline.
Wednesday 14 January 2009
CRICKET: Another retirement as Australia continue to go through transition
The retirement from international cricket of Matthew Hayden was not a complete surprise. His exclusion from the squad for the upcoming one-day series against South Africa, despite being the ICC one-day player of the year in 2007 and Australian one-day player of the year in 2008, indicated that the selectors were going pick by form and Hayden would not be allowed to play through to this summer's Ashes on reputation.
With this summer's big series in mind, the retirement of Australia's most succesful opening batsmen; a man who set a world record individual score of 380 against Zimbabwe during his career, can be placed in the context of a far greater sea change in Australian international cricket.
Since Australia's 5-0 whitewash of England 2 years ago, Hayden, who averaged 50.73 in test matches, is the second batsmen to retire after an illustrious record-breaking career. Wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, who retired this time last year, reinvented what it meant to be a wicketkeeper-batsmen, scoring 100 sixes in his career, as well as the second fastest test hundred, off only 57 balls, and averaging 47.60.
Australia have also lost the attractive batting of Damien Martyn along with Justin Langer, who as opening partner with the retiring Hayden, struck up with the latter, the second best opening partnership of all time, scoring 5,655 runs together at an average of 51.88 for the first wicket.
In the batting department, however, Australia have coped quite well in the wake of these retirements, especially in the form of Michael Hussey. Hussey has been a revelation in world cricket, currently averaging just below 60 in 34 tests and a quite amazing 57.13 in ODIs (one-day internationals), the latter being an astonishing record, as many of the greatest batsmen have failed to break the 50 barrier for an average in one-day cricket.
Michael Clarke has moulded himself into a vice-captain and Andrew Symonds has proved that, when not causing on- and off-the-field headaches for the administrators, he is not just a one-day player, but a very useful Test all-rounder.
The Aussies recent 2-1 series defeat to South Africa was their first on home turf since they lost by the same margin to a Mike Gatting-led England in 1986-1987. 22 years unbeaten was a very impressive record. The series against the Proteas that led to the demise of the unbeaten record, was characterised not necessarily by lacklustre batting, although the batter's failed to show their usual dominance at home, but infact by the bowling.
Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, both of whom have very strong cases for being included in a Greatest Ever Australian XI, retired from Test cricket in the last Ashes series with their farwell test at the SCG in January 2007. They left an impossible void to fill and Australia's inability to even come close to replacing the pair was ruthlessly exposed by the South Africans.
Sure, Australia have some good bowlers. Left-armer Mitchell Johnson has really shown his worth in the last two series; against India in the sub-continent before Christmas and against Graeme Smith's South Africa over Christmas time. He has bowled with accuracy, swing and sometimes genuine pace.
However, Australia have really missed the injured Stuart Clark, another man who has come to the fore since the 2005 Ashes series. Brett Lee, who was left as the experienced leader of the attack with the retirement of McGrath and Warne, looked very ineffective in the last two series, taking 8 wickets at 61.62 runs each in India and only a solitary wicket for 249 runs in two tests against South Africa.
Stuart MacGill, the leg-spinner who spent his career in the permanent shadow of Warne, failed to perform after the latter's retirement, and has now retired himself despite an impressive record of 208 Test wickets in only 44 matches. Given the number of wickets taken by Warne during the Ashes in England in 2005, this must count as a massive void that South Africa have expolited, and England must look to target during the summer.
And so, the upheavals in Australian cricket should point to England having a good chance at taking back the Ashes on home turf, especially as Marcus Trescothick and Ahley Giles are the only two players from the 2005 side to have retired for England.
But the last two weeks have shown that when it comes to the England cricket team, if it is not one thing it is another, and the diverse range of characters within the dressing room seem to have fought a power struggle, the result being the sacking of Peter Moores as coach at Kevin Pietersen as captain. England seem determined to give the transitional Australia as good a chance as possible, by shooting themselves in the foot during the run-up to the Big One this summer.
With this summer's big series in mind, the retirement of Australia's most succesful opening batsmen; a man who set a world record individual score of 380 against Zimbabwe during his career, can be placed in the context of a far greater sea change in Australian international cricket.
Since Australia's 5-0 whitewash of England 2 years ago, Hayden, who averaged 50.73 in test matches, is the second batsmen to retire after an illustrious record-breaking career. Wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, who retired this time last year, reinvented what it meant to be a wicketkeeper-batsmen, scoring 100 sixes in his career, as well as the second fastest test hundred, off only 57 balls, and averaging 47.60.
Australia have also lost the attractive batting of Damien Martyn along with Justin Langer, who as opening partner with the retiring Hayden, struck up with the latter, the second best opening partnership of all time, scoring 5,655 runs together at an average of 51.88 for the first wicket.
In the batting department, however, Australia have coped quite well in the wake of these retirements, especially in the form of Michael Hussey. Hussey has been a revelation in world cricket, currently averaging just below 60 in 34 tests and a quite amazing 57.13 in ODIs (one-day internationals), the latter being an astonishing record, as many of the greatest batsmen have failed to break the 50 barrier for an average in one-day cricket.
Michael Clarke has moulded himself into a vice-captain and Andrew Symonds has proved that, when not causing on- and off-the-field headaches for the administrators, he is not just a one-day player, but a very useful Test all-rounder.
The Aussies recent 2-1 series defeat to South Africa was their first on home turf since they lost by the same margin to a Mike Gatting-led England in 1986-1987. 22 years unbeaten was a very impressive record. The series against the Proteas that led to the demise of the unbeaten record, was characterised not necessarily by lacklustre batting, although the batter's failed to show their usual dominance at home, but infact by the bowling.
Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, both of whom have very strong cases for being included in a Greatest Ever Australian XI, retired from Test cricket in the last Ashes series with their farwell test at the SCG in January 2007. They left an impossible void to fill and Australia's inability to even come close to replacing the pair was ruthlessly exposed by the South Africans.
Sure, Australia have some good bowlers. Left-armer Mitchell Johnson has really shown his worth in the last two series; against India in the sub-continent before Christmas and against Graeme Smith's South Africa over Christmas time. He has bowled with accuracy, swing and sometimes genuine pace.
However, Australia have really missed the injured Stuart Clark, another man who has come to the fore since the 2005 Ashes series. Brett Lee, who was left as the experienced leader of the attack with the retirement of McGrath and Warne, looked very ineffective in the last two series, taking 8 wickets at 61.62 runs each in India and only a solitary wicket for 249 runs in two tests against South Africa.
Stuart MacGill, the leg-spinner who spent his career in the permanent shadow of Warne, failed to perform after the latter's retirement, and has now retired himself despite an impressive record of 208 Test wickets in only 44 matches. Given the number of wickets taken by Warne during the Ashes in England in 2005, this must count as a massive void that South Africa have expolited, and England must look to target during the summer.
And so, the upheavals in Australian cricket should point to England having a good chance at taking back the Ashes on home turf, especially as Marcus Trescothick and Ahley Giles are the only two players from the 2005 side to have retired for England.
But the last two weeks have shown that when it comes to the England cricket team, if it is not one thing it is another, and the diverse range of characters within the dressing room seem to have fought a power struggle, the result being the sacking of Peter Moores as coach at Kevin Pietersen as captain. England seem determined to give the transitional Australia as good a chance as possible, by shooting themselves in the foot during the run-up to the Big One this summer.
Sunday 11 January 2009
FOOTBALL: Arsenal 1-0 Bolton Wanderers (10.01.09): Late Bendtner strike saves toothless Arsenal
When the idea of a 39th game in the Premier LEague was floated by Richard Scudamore and co., one of the numerous questions was: Which world city would want a game that doesn't involve the 'Big Four'?" This game at the Emirates involved one of the Big Four and may well have had the residents of Hong Kong or Cape Town trying to find out how to get their money back.
Bolton manager Gary Megson named only four of a possible seven substitutes and awarded Chris Basham only his second appearance of the season; the first of which was two minutes against Sunderland in November.
Megson's lack of options showed in Bolton's approach, which often involved at least ten men behind the ball, the kind of which his opposite number, Arsene Wenger, has complained about many times in the past.
By the half hour mark, Arsenal had a 70-30 possession advantage, but they struggled to convert their dominance into chances. Robin Van Persie twice volleyed over from similar positions on the edge of the area, but otherwise the Gunners offered little threat to Jussi Jaaskelainen's goal.
Bolton's lack of players was not helped just before half-time, when striker Johan Elmander limped off to be replaced by Riga Mustafa. When the substitute was then substituted in the second-half, his disgust was obvious. Not that it made a lot of difference; Bolton's attacking threat was negligible.
That is not to say Gary Megson's men were completely chanceless. Five minutes after the break, an excellent crossfield ball by Jason Gardner was noded goalward from 15 yards by Matthew Taylor, but the effort was comfortably saved by Manuel Almunia.
The game was beyond the hour mark before Arsenal created their first clear chance; Samir Nasri, who has fitted very well into Arsene Wenger's quick-passing midfield, played a diagonal ball into the unmarked Emmanuel Adebayor in the penalty area. The Togo international had plenty of time, but rather inexplicably took a fraction too long and allowed Andy O'Brien to block his shot.
An excellent Arsenal move a few minutes later saw Adebayor back-flick the ball into the path of the oncoming Van Persie who, in the presence of a couple of Bolton defenders, controlled well, continued into the box and stabbed the ball goalwards, only to see the ball rebound off the post.
Arsenal's continuing advances eventually paid-off five minutes from time, when Gael Clichy played Van Persie in down the left-hand side of the box and his dinked cross was met at the backpost by substitute Nicklas Bendtner, who poked the ball home.
Arsenal did face a scare late on, when Kevin Davies found space in the area, but his effort from 8 yards out went straight into the arms of Almunia. A draw, however, would have flattered Bolton.
As for Arsenal, this result was crucial, particularly after Aston Villa's lunchtime win over West Brom. However, Arsenal's inability to consistently take teams apart, as frequently say as Manchester United or Chelsea, is the reason that their grip on a Champions League place is under continued threat from Aston Villa.
Bolton manager Gary Megson named only four of a possible seven substitutes and awarded Chris Basham only his second appearance of the season; the first of which was two minutes against Sunderland in November.
Megson's lack of options showed in Bolton's approach, which often involved at least ten men behind the ball, the kind of which his opposite number, Arsene Wenger, has complained about many times in the past.
By the half hour mark, Arsenal had a 70-30 possession advantage, but they struggled to convert their dominance into chances. Robin Van Persie twice volleyed over from similar positions on the edge of the area, but otherwise the Gunners offered little threat to Jussi Jaaskelainen's goal.
Bolton's lack of players was not helped just before half-time, when striker Johan Elmander limped off to be replaced by Riga Mustafa. When the substitute was then substituted in the second-half, his disgust was obvious. Not that it made a lot of difference; Bolton's attacking threat was negligible.
That is not to say Gary Megson's men were completely chanceless. Five minutes after the break, an excellent crossfield ball by Jason Gardner was noded goalward from 15 yards by Matthew Taylor, but the effort was comfortably saved by Manuel Almunia.
The game was beyond the hour mark before Arsenal created their first clear chance; Samir Nasri, who has fitted very well into Arsene Wenger's quick-passing midfield, played a diagonal ball into the unmarked Emmanuel Adebayor in the penalty area. The Togo international had plenty of time, but rather inexplicably took a fraction too long and allowed Andy O'Brien to block his shot.
An excellent Arsenal move a few minutes later saw Adebayor back-flick the ball into the path of the oncoming Van Persie who, in the presence of a couple of Bolton defenders, controlled well, continued into the box and stabbed the ball goalwards, only to see the ball rebound off the post.
Arsenal's continuing advances eventually paid-off five minutes from time, when Gael Clichy played Van Persie in down the left-hand side of the box and his dinked cross was met at the backpost by substitute Nicklas Bendtner, who poked the ball home.
Arsenal did face a scare late on, when Kevin Davies found space in the area, but his effort from 8 yards out went straight into the arms of Almunia. A draw, however, would have flattered Bolton.
As for Arsenal, this result was crucial, particularly after Aston Villa's lunchtime win over West Brom. However, Arsenal's inability to consistently take teams apart, as frequently say as Manchester United or Chelsea, is the reason that their grip on a Champions League place is under continued threat from Aston Villa.
Friday 9 January 2009
DARTS: Back to normality as Taylor makes it fourteen World Titles
In a very one-sided PDC World Darts Final at Alexandra Palace in London on Sunday, Phil Taylor won his fourteenth World Title, further cementing his place as the most succesful man in the sport.
This was one of the most eagerly awaited final in years, especially as the last time Raymond 'Barney' Van Barneveld met Phil 'The Power' Taylor in the final, in 2007, the match went to a sudden death leg at 6-6 in sets and is regarded by some as the greatest darts match ever.
Taylor started well in this match-up, breaking Van Barneveld's throw in the first set and then holding his own to take a 2-0 lead in the First to 7 match. It looked ominous for Barney; Taylor was scoring heavily and taking the doubles with ease.
But after the break, one of many awarded to the players between sets by the numerous advert breaks on Sky Sports, Van Barneveld came out and took the third set comfortably. At 2-2 in legs the fourth, and on Taylor's throw, Barney had the chance to break with two shots at double. He missed and The Power went 3-1 up.
Taylor offered mere scraps to van Barneveld thereafter, as he threw a new three-dart average record for a major final of 110.94, and closed out the match without van Barneveld taking another set.
What a difference a year makes. Taylor was knocked out in this very tournament 12 months ago by Wayne 'Hawaii 501' Mardle in the quarter finals and went on a few weeks later to lose his first Premier League darts match in three years. Since then, The Power won all but one of the televised tournaments in 2008 and must already be very strong favourite to make it 15 World Titles at the Ally Pally next year.
This was one of the most eagerly awaited final in years, especially as the last time Raymond 'Barney' Van Barneveld met Phil 'The Power' Taylor in the final, in 2007, the match went to a sudden death leg at 6-6 in sets and is regarded by some as the greatest darts match ever.
Taylor started well in this match-up, breaking Van Barneveld's throw in the first set and then holding his own to take a 2-0 lead in the First to 7 match. It looked ominous for Barney; Taylor was scoring heavily and taking the doubles with ease.
But after the break, one of many awarded to the players between sets by the numerous advert breaks on Sky Sports, Van Barneveld came out and took the third set comfortably. At 2-2 in legs the fourth, and on Taylor's throw, Barney had the chance to break with two shots at double. He missed and The Power went 3-1 up.
Taylor offered mere scraps to van Barneveld thereafter, as he threw a new three-dart average record for a major final of 110.94, and closed out the match without van Barneveld taking another set.
What a difference a year makes. Taylor was knocked out in this very tournament 12 months ago by Wayne 'Hawaii 501' Mardle in the quarter finals and went on a few weeks later to lose his first Premier League darts match in three years. Since then, The Power won all but one of the televised tournaments in 2008 and must already be very strong favourite to make it 15 World Titles at the Ally Pally next year.
Sunday 4 January 2009
FOOTBALL: Gillingham 1-2 Aston Villa (04.01.09): Milner brace masks poor Villa performance
Two goals from James Milner, the second a contentious penalty, saved Aston Villa's blushes in an exciting third round FA Cup tie at the Priestfield Stadium.
Gillingham started the game brightly, but a poor clearance from Adam Miller allowed Milner in for a 14th minute opener. Villa's £12 million summer signing from Newcastle played a one-two with Stiliyan Petrov before side-footing coolly past the Gills' Simon Royce.
After the goal, Gillingham had much of the ball and pressed into the Villa half, but created few clear chances. Striker Simeon Jackson should have done better with a header at the back-post from a free-kick.
Nevertheless, it was Villa that should have gone in 2-0 up at half-time. Just before the break, an excellent James Milner cross was volleyed over by Nathan Delfouneso, to the visible disgust of manager Martin O'Neill. The 17 year old Delfouneso, who started due to Gabriel Agbonlahor's illness, was preferred to Marlon Harewood, suggesting that the latter may be surplus to requirements at Villa Park and on his way out in the January transfer window.
The second half began much as the first ended, and Gillingham scored a deserved goal just before the hour mark. Zat Knight, who was lucky to get away with a big mistake in the first half, was turned far too easily by Simeon Jackson who drilled his shot into the top-right corner. It was nothing more than the League Two side deserved.
Knight's mistake was symptomatic of Villa's defensive frailty. Both Curtis Davies and makeshift right-back Nigel Reo-Coker were booked in the first half and Nicky Shorey did nothing to suggest he would regain his place in the first eleven, which he has lost in recent weeks.
With only 13 minutes left on the clock, Ashley Young burst into the area and tumbled over Gillingham defender Adam Miller. Referee Stroud pointed to the spot, despite Young appearing to go down very easily, and James Milner, on his 23rd birthday, slotted home the penalty.
Villa go through to the fouth round to play Cheltenham or Doncaster, but speculation over certain players' futures will only be stoked by this performance.
Gillingham started the game brightly, but a poor clearance from Adam Miller allowed Milner in for a 14th minute opener. Villa's £12 million summer signing from Newcastle played a one-two with Stiliyan Petrov before side-footing coolly past the Gills' Simon Royce.
After the goal, Gillingham had much of the ball and pressed into the Villa half, but created few clear chances. Striker Simeon Jackson should have done better with a header at the back-post from a free-kick.
Nevertheless, it was Villa that should have gone in 2-0 up at half-time. Just before the break, an excellent James Milner cross was volleyed over by Nathan Delfouneso, to the visible disgust of manager Martin O'Neill. The 17 year old Delfouneso, who started due to Gabriel Agbonlahor's illness, was preferred to Marlon Harewood, suggesting that the latter may be surplus to requirements at Villa Park and on his way out in the January transfer window.
The second half began much as the first ended, and Gillingham scored a deserved goal just before the hour mark. Zat Knight, who was lucky to get away with a big mistake in the first half, was turned far too easily by Simeon Jackson who drilled his shot into the top-right corner. It was nothing more than the League Two side deserved.
Knight's mistake was symptomatic of Villa's defensive frailty. Both Curtis Davies and makeshift right-back Nigel Reo-Coker were booked in the first half and Nicky Shorey did nothing to suggest he would regain his place in the first eleven, which he has lost in recent weeks.
With only 13 minutes left on the clock, Ashley Young burst into the area and tumbled over Gillingham defender Adam Miller. Referee Stroud pointed to the spot, despite Young appearing to go down very easily, and James Milner, on his 23rd birthday, slotted home the penalty.
Villa go through to the fouth round to play Cheltenham or Doncaster, but speculation over certain players' futures will only be stoked by this performance.
Saturday 3 January 2009
DARTS: Taylor safely through while van Barneveld creates history
Raymond van Barneveld made darts history on Friday by becoming the first man to throw a nine-dart finish in a PDC World Championship. The extraordniary feat was part of a 5-1 demolition of fellow Dutchman Jelle Klaasen in the quarter final at the Alexandra Palace, London.
Van Barneveld, who has won the BDO World Title four times, and the PDC version once, came into the match with a couple of shaky performances in the earlier rounds, particularly against Ronnie Baxter in the third round, where the match required a sudden death leg, reminiscent of van Barneveld's famous win over Phil Taylor in the 2007 final.
But van Barnevld was back to his best, throwing a perfect nine-dart leg in the sixth set, which drew little more than a smile from the determined 'Barney,' but sent the crowd into raptures. Like a 147 break in a snooker final, the audience were aware quite how special a moment this was. History had been made.
Earlier on Friday, the other quarter final that night, between James Wade and Paul Nicholson, had no such quality. Wade, world no. 3, struggled against the world no. 126, eventually outclassing his opponent 5-3, but averaging only 81.75 with three darts. It was not much of a support act for what was to come.
In Thursday's quarter finals, 13 times World Champion, Phil 'The Power' Taylor, ended Co Stompe's good run in the tournament. Dutchman Stompe, switched from the BDO to the PDC, the two rival Darts organisations, in July 2007. In his first PDC finals, Stompe caused a couple of upsets, beating both Alan Tabern in the second round, and last year's semi-finalist Wayne 'Hawaii 501' Mardle in the third. But he was thoroughly outclassed here by 'The Power,' 5-0.
Taylor will play Mervyn King, another who switched from the BDO to the PDC in the last couple of years. He was not thoroughly convincing against Welshman Barry Bates, but King, who has already qualified for the lucrative 2009 Premier League of Darts, will be a stern test for Taylor in the second semi final.
Semi finals are to be played on Saturday 3rd January.
Van Barneveld, who has won the BDO World Title four times, and the PDC version once, came into the match with a couple of shaky performances in the earlier rounds, particularly against Ronnie Baxter in the third round, where the match required a sudden death leg, reminiscent of van Barneveld's famous win over Phil Taylor in the 2007 final.
But van Barnevld was back to his best, throwing a perfect nine-dart leg in the sixth set, which drew little more than a smile from the determined 'Barney,' but sent the crowd into raptures. Like a 147 break in a snooker final, the audience were aware quite how special a moment this was. History had been made.
Earlier on Friday, the other quarter final that night, between James Wade and Paul Nicholson, had no such quality. Wade, world no. 3, struggled against the world no. 126, eventually outclassing his opponent 5-3, but averaging only 81.75 with three darts. It was not much of a support act for what was to come.
In Thursday's quarter finals, 13 times World Champion, Phil 'The Power' Taylor, ended Co Stompe's good run in the tournament. Dutchman Stompe, switched from the BDO to the PDC, the two rival Darts organisations, in July 2007. In his first PDC finals, Stompe caused a couple of upsets, beating both Alan Tabern in the second round, and last year's semi-finalist Wayne 'Hawaii 501' Mardle in the third. But he was thoroughly outclassed here by 'The Power,' 5-0.
Taylor will play Mervyn King, another who switched from the BDO to the PDC in the last couple of years. He was not thoroughly convincing against Welshman Barry Bates, but King, who has already qualified for the lucrative 2009 Premier League of Darts, will be a stern test for Taylor in the second semi final.
Semi finals are to be played on Saturday 3rd January.
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