Wednesday 29 September 2010

Will Rory McIlroy's comments come back to haunt Europe?

Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods has warned Rory McIlroy: be careful what you wish for.
It takes a brave, confident young man to goad the greatest golf player that has ever lived but it could turn out to be pure stupidity on the part of Rory McIlroy.

Tiger Woods is not the man he was. He has had a turbulent year, suffering a loss of form and the end of his marriage.

While his game has gone off the boil it is testament to the character of the man that he keeps battling on. He is not the Tiger who has one 14 major titles to date and the fact his game is not quite up to scratch at the moment can only benefit Europe. But McIlroy's comments could not have been worse.

In cricket, sledging is a huge part of the game but even the Australians will leave certain batsmen well alone. They will never sledge Sachin Tendulkar or a Brian Lara because the great players do not need extra motivation.

“After what's happened in the last 18 months, I suppose a little bit of that aura is probably gone,” said McIlroy.

Woods finished an astonishing 18 over par at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, prompting 21-year-old European team rookie McIlroy to say anyone of his team mates at the Ryder Cup would fancy their chances against the world number one.

McIlroy is a fantastic golfer, a fantastic prospect and someone who could win a huge number of major title. First he needs to learn how to deal with the media. These comments may sound good but they will only come back to haunt you.

It is also not the first time McIlroy has caused controversy. His comments saying about the Ryder Cup not being important and nothing more than an “exhibition” maybe true but to the golfing public it is a showpiece. A trophy full of history and importance.

There may come a time – after the weekend – when the youngster might regret all of his comments

Tiger needs no firing up but if he has not got extra incentive after McIlroy's jibes then he will not add to his 14 majors and any hope he has of passing Jack Nicklaus's 18 should be forgotten.

However, Woods is the ultimate competitor and come Friday morning McIlroy may get his wish and find himself up against a invigorated Tiger.

Throughout this week the American has looked in menacing mood and when asked about McIlroy's comments about wanting to play him Woods replied: “Me too”

Woods, 34, has a well documented poorer record in Ryder Cup format - won 10, lost 13, halved two – but if you are comparing it to his individual record of course it looks bad.

But if you compare it to other American's like Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk – who have played in more Ryder Cups than Woods – it reads favourably.

Woods needs the Ryder Cup this time and he sees it as a way of settling a few scores. With the media, McIlroy and even Montgomerie.

Europe's captain asked if had a choice of any Americans for his team who would it be. It was not Woods.

If there is one American who does not need any extra motivation from Corey Pavin it is Woods.

This could be his Ryder Cup time and the European team maybe queueing up to have a crack at golf's stellar name but this could be the time he comes good in this format. In the grand scheme of things the Ryder cup is not important in Tiger's long-term plan but it would be just the tonic to help Woods regain form, fans and his love of the game.

If it happens do not bet against tiger going onto win back a few if not all of his major titles. McIlroy and Europe you have been warned.

Tuesday 28 September 2010

Arsenal need to act quick to save season

Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski - Arsenal's goalkeeping crisis: a season to forget for Arsene Wenger
Almunia and Fablianski have come in for huge criticism for their recent performances for Arsenal.

 First the good news, Manuel Almunia will not be in goal for Arsenal in the Champions League match against Partizan Belgrade but with all good news there has to be bad news.

Lukasz Fabianski will start in Serbia and the news will send shivers down every Gooner's spine. The Polish keeper and the Champions League do not mix.

Remember Porto?

The 25-year-old, who Arsene Wenger believes to have world class qualities (you are the only only one Arsene), spilled a regulation cross into his own net under no pressure. Arsenal fought back and grabbed a foothold into the game only for it to be undone by the error prone keeper again.

A long ball over the top of the defence was not dealt with by Sol Campbell and the ball ricochet off the central defender's leg. Fabianski picked the ball up and the referee awarded a indirect free kick for a pass back. The keeper then inexplicably gave the ball to the referee while his players were still way up the pitch and Porto's quick thinking gave them an unopposed tap in.

The goalkeepers Wenger has at his disposal are a time bomb which keeps going off. How many more mistakes is it going to take for Wenger to wise up. The Arsenal fans can see it and it is hard to understand how this situation is allowed to continue.

Wenger is a manager who pays attention to detail. He designed Arsenal's London Colney training complex, he designed the Emirates stadium from how wide his seat was to how wide the toilets are in the stadium but how can this brilliant manager have such a blind spot when it comes to goalkeepers.

It is not just a recent issue. Arsene Wenger inherited his only world class goalkeeper. David Seaman, arguably England's greatest goalkeeper, was a rock behind Arsenal's defence for years and he must lose sleep over the current Arsenal crop and Wenger's other goalkeeping flops.

First we had Richard Wright who froze on the big stage Jens Lehman was probably Wenger best goalkeeping buy but he was eccentric and prone to the odd error. Remember Rami Shaaban? And now Almunia and Fabianski. Say no more.

The startling thing about this whole issue is the Arsenal boss seemed to realise the men between the sticks were a problem. Wenger courted Mark Schwarzer openly. There are also very strong rumours he tested Liverpool's metal with a huge bid for Pepe Reina. There was the option of bidding for one of Joe Hart and Shay Given when it was not known who would start as number one at Eastlands.

But nothing materialised to the disbelief of the Arsenal faithful. Rumours of Wenger not coughing up an extra £500,000 for Schwarzer was an extraordinary development seeing as Arsenal announced a record profits of £56 million last week.

It seems Wenger is just stubborn and cannot admit he is wrong. He needs a goalkeeper and everyone can see it. There are still sceptics about the goalkeepers he pursued in the summer as Given can be vulnerable to crosses, a major problem with Arsenal's defence, and Schwarzer has not had the best start to the season. But there are keepers out there.

Hugo Lloris from Lyon has been mentioned, Igor Akinfeev of CSKA Moscow has been watched by several Premier League clubs and Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg was linked after impressing at the World Cup. There is not a lack of options out there but Wenger thought he knew best. This decision is already coming back to haunt him.

So how do you deal with the situation now? Do what you do best Arsene and take a punt on youth. The situation CANNOT get any worse.

There are great hopes for 20-year-old Wojciech Szczesny. He got rave reviews for a loan spell with Brentford last year where he kept 10 clean sheets in 28 appearances. He has only made one Arsenal appearance to date in a 2-0 win over West Brom in the Carling Cup last season.

It is time for him to be given a chance because the keepers in front of him cannot stop making mistakes. Almunia against West Brom, Fabianski at White Hart lane. One after another the list goes on and the issue cannot be dealt with until January when the transfer window re-opens. Szczesny is the only option who we have not seen make a mistake yet.

In January the Arsenal boss needs to act quickly but before then he must back the young polish goalkeeper because he cannot be any worse than Manuel or 'Flapianski'. For a manager who gives youth a chance he cannot hold back the young keeper any longer. He is not the Messiah but it might just be the difference between Arsenal still being in the title race in January or there season being over.

Who knows Szczesny might even solve the problem before Wenger has to dip into his transfer kitty. That would certainly put a smile on the Frenchman's face.

Tuesday 21 September 2010

Time issues solved at the touch of a button

Injury time boards could be a thing of the past with stop the clock.
On successive weekends in the Barclays Premier League the issue of stoppage time has divided opinion up and down the country.

First of all we had an incensed David Moyes and Everton.

The Toffees clawed their way back from a two-goal deficit against Manchester United scoring both two goals deep into injury time.  With the score locked at 3-3. 30 seconds remained and United created one last chance to score the winner.

The corner came in from Nani and was cleared. With time basically up the ball dropped to Arteta who released Steven Pienaar. With all eyes on the referee play was allowed to continue as Everton stormed towards United's goal.

Pienaar Squared to Arteta, who released Jagielka on the edge of the penalty area. The crowd wait in anticipation of a shock winner for the home side but Martin Atkinson had other ideas. The final whistle goes with Everton in full flow. Cue the Moyes rage.

The Scotsman is furious and he has every right to be.

Atkinson has a history with stoppage time mishaps. He was in charge of last seasons Manchester derby at Old Trafford when Michael Owen scored the winner for United in the sixth minute of a suggested five minutes of added time.

At Goodison Park, Atkinson allowed United a chance to score the winner but then denied Everton the same goal-scoring opportunity.

Any right minded person could feel Moyes’ frustration but not the FA who fined him and his assistant Steve Round £8,000 for their outbursts at the official.

Everton boss David Moyes vents his frustration at referee Martin Atkinson.

The same happened to Arsene Wenger, who has been fined £8,000 and serves a one match touchline-ban at White Hart Lane tonight, after watching his Arsenal side squander a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute of added time against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

The Arsenal boss was furious Phil Dowd failed to blow the full-time whistle after the proposed four added minutes were up.

Sunderland won a corner in the final minute of added time. It was their final attack, or so it should have been. Arsenal cleared their lines and Bolo Zenden picked up possession 40 yards out and with his back to the Arsenal goal.

By this point the clock had ticked past the minimum of four minutes added time (watch added time again, there is no reason for any extra time). Dowd decided to play on and the rest is history.

Once again there is no consistency when refereeing the game. Both incidents are fairly similar. The passages of play both come from corners which were both cleared.

The referees of both games could have both blown up at this point and no-one would have complained.
Everton would have been overjoyed at their remarkable comeback instead of being given hope of a winner.

Sunderland would have no complaints as they had 94 minutes to score but they blew their chance.
What followed were two different outcomes to similar passages of play, showing the lack of consistency amongst referees.

Take nothing away from Sunderland. They fought hard until the final whistle and got what they deserved. But you can understand the Arsenal manager’s frustration.
Sunderland cannot be blamed. Neither can Arsenal, nor Everton or Manchester United for the way their players and manager’s reacted.

The referee’s are also blameless to a certain extent because the men in charge at football’s governing body need to take a long hard look at themselves.

The issue of stoppage time is not a two week old problem. Injury time goals and time discrepancies are an age old problem but there is a solution staring the game in the face.

Both codes of rugby have used the time-keeping method which they have used to great success for many years.
In rugby the referee indicates to a master time keeper when to stop the clock.
When there is a stoppage the referee indicates to the master time keeper to stop the clock and when play re-starts so does the clock. Then when the clock reaches 80 minutes (the length of a rugby match) the next time the ball goes dead or a try is scored the match is over.

Simple.

Obviously there are differences between the two sports and critics have suggested football is a faster game than rugby so stop the clock would slow the same down.

But when has the stop the clock system ever stopped a player taking a quick tap penalty just like it would not stop a quick free kick.

The clock only needs to be stopped for significant pauses in the game like substitutions and injuries, not quick occurrences such as throw-ins.

This would allow everyone at home watching on television, the crowd, the players, managers and referees exactly how long is left in the game. There would be no added time and no fluctuations on the length of matches.

The system would solve the problems of the last two weeks. It may even stop players from wasting time and feigning injury because they would soon realise the clock has stopped and their antics are not making a difference to the match.

Whether you like it or not, stop the clock makes complete sense in football but getting FIFA to recognise this is a battle in itself. Just look at the issue of goal line technology and how stubborn the governing body have been in putting cameras on the goal line. Instead we have six officials in all European games, which is a total waste of time.

The governing body need to embrace ideas from other sports because they have ideas and concepts which could improve football.

The touch of a button could wipe away all the confusion surrounding injury time. Everyone who loves the beautiful game would know exactly when a match starts and when it ends. There would be no arguments about a second here or a second there.

Stop the clock is the answer and it would rid football of “Fergie time” forever.

Monday 20 September 2010

Bell offers new captaincy alternative

Bell has been in fine form for Warwickshire and his captaincy has been a bonus.

Ian Bell gave the England selectors a timely boost on Saturday with a magnificent ton in Warwickshire Bear’s Clydesdale Bank 40 triumph over Somerset at Lords.

It was not just his batting that caught the eye but his captaincy stood out as a huge bonus point for everyone involved in the England set-up.

Andrew Strauss is England’s current skipper and he is doing a fine job. The opener picked up the reigns after a torrid time for England where they lost their captain and coach.

Since then England, under Strauss and Andy Flower, have won an Ashes series, the World Twenty20 and have climbed to number two in the World in the ODI rankings.

At 33, Strauss is the best placed man to lead England into a tough 6 months of cricket but he will not be able to lead the side forever.

For many, England only has one alternative for the skipper’s role which is Strauss’s opening partner Alastair Cook. He is the current vice-captain and stood in for Strauss when he was rested for England’s trip to Bangladesh in February.

England left the sub-continent with two series victories where they won every game under their stand-in captain.

The problem for Cook and England is his lack of captaincy experience. The Bangladesh tour was his first taste of captaincy in the senior game.

The Essex star has captained junior sides he has never taken charge of his county and while he is still a front runner to take over from Strauss, Bell’s emergence is only a positive thing for England.

The Warwickshire stand-in captain led his side to victory in the Lord’s showpiece final with great assurance. His knock with the bat ultimately won the game but he out-captained ex-England star Marcus Trescothick to give his side the advantage.

Since returning from a broken foot Bell has captained his county leaving quite an impression. He has managed his bowlers well and with authority. His field placing has been imaginative and has put pressure on opposition batsmen.

The 28-year-old has also handled Warwickshire’s star bowler Imran Tahir impressively. The leg spinner has been the Bear’s stand out performer in one-day cricket and he took five wickets in the final.

Bell brought the bowler on to kill Somerset off and it is just what Tahir did. He bowled form the right end at Lords and the fields set by his captain asserted extra pressure on the opposition.

The captaincy had a positive effect on his batting. The Bears were in a bit of trouble at 39-3 until Bell took full control of the match. He played with power and precision playing shots all around the wicket. It was in stark contrast to the Bell who made his Test debut as a raw 22-year-old.

He made 70 on his debut against the West Indies back in 2004 but struggled to build on the innings against an Australian attack boasting Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Shane Warne. He failed to dominate at the crease and was seen as easy pickings by his opponents. But Bell now seems to be the complete player and following his innings at Lords was reinstated to the England team for the final two matches of the summer.

Bell is now an integral part of the England set-up and will play a massive role in England’s bid to retain the Ashes down under.

This could prove the key issue in the race to succeed Strauss. Cook has had technical problems with the bat of late and there have been calls from some quarters for him to be dropped from the national set up and sent back to hone his technique in the county game.
Whereas Bell is now a mainstay of the England side and at 28, with 57 Test matches to his name, it could be the Coventry born batsmen’s time to lead from the front.

Whatever happens from now until Strauss steps down from the captaincy, England now have two serious options for the top job in English cricket.

Friday 17 September 2010

Ashes hero Freddie bows out one last time

Andrew Flintoff celebrating his second Ashes triumph at the Oval in 2009.
The sight of Andrew Flintoff using his crocked body to swoop on the ball and in one swift movement run out the Australian captain Ricky Ponton at the Oval in 2009 will live long in the memory.

Arms outstretched in celebration, shaded by his sun hat and casually chewing gum the all-rounder knew he had played another key part in an England Ashes winning side, what we did not know then was it would be the last part Flintoff would ever play in an England side.

What a final memory of Freddie.

Flintoff, 32, bowed out of all forms of cricket this week after consultation with his medical advisors. He was told he would need yet another operation on his problematic knees.

This news probably came as no real suprise to many as Flintoff retired from the longer form of the game after last summers Ashes series. He played most of last summer with an injury and has been out of action since.

Freddie, as he was affectionately known by friends, players and fans, had planned to return to cricket as a one-day specialist. He wanted to become one of the first freelance cricketers from his base in Dubai and earn huge sums of money from Twenty20 cricket.

The proud Lancastrian even believed he would represent his country again but like evry good team England have moved on from their inspirational all-rounder.

Since the last time Flintoff pulled on an England shirt, the side have become World Champions in the shortest form of the game and moved to number two in the ODI rankings.

This could have been another reason why Flintoff chose to call time on his colourful career. He lived to play for England and the all the rehabilitation his body has gone through over the years was because of his desire to play for England but the harsh reality is England do not need Flintoff as much as Flintoff needs England.

Take nothing a away from Flintoff though, he was a superstar of the game.

In his pomp he was one of the most feared players in the game. His destructive hitting and prowess with the ball in hand destroyed opposition all over the world and although his statistics do not tell the full story his reputation as a player went before him.

The former England captain was not a great of the game. He was a fine all-round cricketer but not a great.

His record of 3845 runs at an average of 31.77 and 226 wickets at an average of 226 wickets from 79 Test matches makes decent reading but when comparing them to the stats other all-rounders Flintoff falls short.

Ian Botham (5,200 and 383), Kapil Dev (5,248 and 434),  Imran Khan (3,807 and 362) and Gary Sobers (8,032 and 235) could all boast superior figures to Freddie.

It could be argued he was not even the best all-rounder of his generations as Jaques Kallis' brilliant record of 11,126 runs at 55 and 266 wickets 31 make more impressive reading. But what Freddie lacked in stats he made up for in entertainment.

To coin a phrase made famous in recent years, Flintoff had the X-factor.
When the announcer at Test venues around the world introduced Flintoff into the game the bars would empty and people would return to their seats.

His blistering hitting ability and his thundering yorkers were what the crowd wanted to see.
They came in their numbers to see Fred, with his chest puffed out, taking on all comers whatever the occassion and that is exactly what they got.

He put his body on the line and gave 100 per cent every time he crossed the white line. The public recognised effort and they love Fred because he gave his captain everything.

The right handed batsmen, who scored five test centuries, was also adored by cricketing fans everywhere for his character as much as his cricketing ability.

Everyone could relate to him. He enjoyed a beer and a laugh while he took his sport deadly seriously. Freddie was the last of a generation of cricketers who played hard on and of the field but he was also the first celebrity cricketer.

The epic summer of 2005 sums this up perfectly.

We saw all sides of Flintoff from taking on the Aussies almost single handedly to regain the Ashes to celbrating the win in style with an all night bender.
One of his greates achievements was not falling off the open top bus which paraded through the streets of London.
A bleary-eyed Freddie celebrates the Ashes win in 2005.
The summer of 2005 showed us the best of Andrew Flintoff. He was everywhere, on posters, in newspapers, on television and most importantly on the field.

The fast bowler tormented the Aussies with bat and ball scoring 402 runs and taking 24 wickets.

The other lasting memory of that glorious summer was the picture of Flintoff consoling and congratulating Brett Lee for his efforts with the bat in the Edgbaston test which England won by 2 runs. Lee played a huge part in an unbelievable game and Freddie recognised it.

Freddie consols Brett Lee after the famous Egdbaston Test.
The act was instinctive, genuine and it showed the goodness which flowed through Flintoff's body.

But Freddie's career was not all goodness and light.

Misdemeaners with alcohol shaded his career and the pedalo incident which cost him the vice captaincy along with turning up for training in Australia still under the influence spring to mind.

But this adds to the legend of the man.

A man who knows how to have a good time but also knows when to stop and when he hs been wrong. His apologies after both incidents only added to people's affection for him.

Freddie was a talisman, an inspiration on the pitch and the ultimate impact cricketer. He is a good husband, father and a role model to all young cricketers who want to play the game.

To my generation of cricket fans he is a hero comparible to the likes of Botham. His antics on and off the field will live in the memories of all cricket fans but to those of a certain age he was our first hero. Our memories will take us back to the Oval in 2005 and 2009 time and time again to see him sitting with the little urn, a beer and a cigar.

Whatever comes in the next chapter of the Freddie Flintoff show, he will have success but Fred enjoy your retirement. Being away from cricket will be difficult for a man who loved being out on the field but he will be relieved to wake up in the morning and not have to worry about rehabilitation or whether he will take to the field again.

Whatever happens Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff has been brilliant for the game of cricket and he will be sorely missed all over the world for his on and off field antics.

Thanks for the memories Freddie.

Images courtesy of guardian.co.uk, skynews.com and the dailymail.co.uk.

Thursday 16 September 2010

Cesc key to Gunners silverware ambitions


Fabregas opens the scoring for Arsenal from the penalty spot.
 After the biggest non-transfer saga of the summer Cesc Fabregas is finally doing his talking on the pitch, to the delight of everyone associated at the Emirates.

Will he or wont he go to the Nou Camp was the question of the summer but to Arsenal's credit the club held firm. Fabregas is back to his best now after the World Cup, weaving his magic and orchestrating a side showing signs of being the real deal this year.

Retaining the Spanish World Cup winner could prove to be Arsene Wenger's shrewdest piece of business since he joined the club back in 1997.

Arsenal opened their Champions League campaign on Wednesday night with a comfortable 6-0 win over Braga of Portugal and the Gunners skipper put in an impressive 2-goal performance.  Along with his brace he was at the heart of all Arsenal's attacking brilliance.

The ball moved around the Emirates turf like a ball in a pinball machine and the Gunners moved around the pitch with consummate ease, and that was largely down to the hugely influential Fabregas.

It is no secret the 23-year-old wanted to leave London this summer and head for the sunny shores of Catalonia but on this form Arsenal fans will soon forgive and forget his urges towards his spiritual home.

Barcelona tried their hardest to prise away the Gunner's star asset but Wenger and the Arsenal board were not going to be held to ransom. Fabregas still has five years to run on his contract and with his best years ahead of him £33.5 million pounds was nowhere near the club's valuation.

Wenger's decision could prove vital as his side look to break a five year duck without a trophy.
The midfield maestro has been in superb form since missing the first few games of the season after returning late from Spain's successful World Cup campaign.

Since he last graced the Emirates turf back in March in the 2-2 draw with Barcelona he looks to have added an extra dimension to his game. The way Fabregas is gliding past players and beating players one on one is a new component to complete a game which is fast becoming one of the most all round in Europe.

It is something that not  lost on Arsene Wenger.

"Cesc has taken on another dimension this season. I have never doubted his heart is with Arsenal. Other people might have done but I know he loves this club."

If this is the case Arsenal will have a good season.

Fabregas is Arsenal's talisman. The Arsenal players look to the midfielder for inspiration in the same way Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry were the stars before him. His distribution is second to none, he has added a goal scoring dimension to his game and add the ability to glide past opposition defenders and you have a complete player.

Granted, the Gunner's skipper had the time and space against Braga to do what he liked (he might not be afforded the same luxury against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light this weekend) but it his ability to use the space and pick out the killer ball which sets him apart from his rivals.
A glowing example of this came in Arsenal's sixth goal.

Jack Wilshere played a delightful ball over the top of the hapless Portuguese side's defence for Fabregas. With the goal and a hat-trick at his mercy Fabregas picked out the better placed Carlos Vela, who finished well to give Arsenal a 6-0 victory.

This was topped of by Fabregas's post match interview where he looked very disgruntled. The midfielder, who has been at Arsenal since he was 16, was disappointed he did not secure his first senior hat-trick.

This shows a man not resting on his laurels and striving for perfection which bodes well for Arsene Wenger's side.

Meanwhile, Arsenal's decision to keep hold of their prized asset is also good news for Fabio Capello and one of England's stars of the future, Jack Wilshere played alongside Fabregas last night and their is no better place for the Englishmen to learn his trade.

The 18-year-old produced another mature performance showing us a glimpse of the futures of England and Arsenal. He controlled the game alongside Fabregas and rarely misplaced a pass. The highlight was a deft back heel into the path of Marouane Chamakh for Arsenal's third goal of the night.

So the signs look good for Arsenal, They seem to be coping better with the physical demands of the Premier League after wins away at Blackburn and at home to Bolton, but sterner tests lie ahead starting on Saturday evening.

Many critics still doubt whether Arsenal have the bite and strength to mount a serious trophy challenge but with Cesc Fabregas pulling the string anything is possible.

The time will come one day when Fabregas does pack his bags and take his rightful place in the Barcelona midfield but at the moment we should all be thankful of Arsenal's decision to stand firm. Arsenal held all the cards in the summer and they played them in the right way and it is the football fans in England who will benefit.

When the time comes Cesc will have the blessing of everyone involved with Arsenal football club to return home but on this form it will cost a huge amount of money. Fabregas is as important to Arsenal as Cristiano Ronaldo was to Manchester United. Barca, if you want him come and get him next summer but it is going to cost you.

On the other hand Arsenal may suprise everyone becoming a dominant force in European football and he might not want to go.

Hopefully he will be able to leave in a few seasons with a European cup and a Premier League title in his back pocket and Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey ready to fill the void left by the Spaniard.
In the meantime sit back, relax and watch the genius of  Francesc Fabregas.

Image from arsenal.com