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Friday, November 13, 2009

Button goes in reverse to realise a dream



June 7, 2009: Barcelona had just been crowned Champions of Europe, Michael Jackson was rehearsing for his 'This is it tour' and Swine Flu was on the verge of being announced as a global pandemic.

It is also the date that Jenson Button was last victorious in a Formula One race, ten races ago, at the Turkish grand prix.

This statistic would not be so astonishing were it not for the fact that the boy from Frome, Somerset, went on to become world champion.

The season went from one low points finish to another but it mattered little as his rivals put up little fight and he was crowned champion with a race to spare.

In fact, Jenson only finished higher than fifth on one occasion between that victory in Istanbul and clinching the title in Sao Paulo, Brazil five months later.

A worthy champion ?

Before this season there was nothing to suggest Button would ever become an F1 world champion; and since that fifth place finish at Interlagos two weeks ago many have asked the whether Button is a worthy champion. In a word: "no".

Don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy and a talented Formula One driver but it takes so much more to be deemed a rightful F1 world champion.

In living memory it is difficult to think of a less deserving champion than the former Williams and Honda driver.

Here is a list of recent Formula One champions: Hamilton, Raikkonen, Alonso, Schumacher, Hakkinen.

Button is not even fit to tie their shoelaces; even the much-maligned Damon Hill was a serial title threat and had to withstand immense pressure to eventually wrap up his title in 1996 at the season finale at Suzuka, Japan.

Impressive debut

He made his debut amid much fanfare in the year 2000 and made an impressive start to his career with the Williams team, managing to out-perform his more experienced team-mate Ralf Schumacher.

However, the Englishman went on to spend eight largely unsuccessful seasons meandering around some of the worlds most famous race tracks, barely unsettling the established order.

Nevertheless, he did win his maiden grand prix in 2006, in Hungary, but it took him 113 races to reach this milestone and he seemed certain to be consigned to the history books as a mere race winner and not a champion.

That was until a remarkable change of luck at the beginning of this season.

Changing the rules

A dramatic change of the rules, which at the time were described as some of the biggest the sport had ever seen, within Formula One, saw the newly formed Brawn team come up with an ingenious technical advantage.

The chassis of their car gave them an immediate and substantial advantage over their rivals, at least for the first few races of the season, whilst the other teams adapted much more slowly to these new regulations.

Ferrari and McLaren had dropped the ball and were left languishing down the field, which aided the team Brawn effort.

All this fortune meant that a driver whose career was going nowhere was now in a car so far ahead of the rest that it was almost impossible not to win races.

No competition

Button's other stroke of luck was that his team-mate was another Formula One also-ran, Rubens Barrichello, who, like the Briton, took more than 100 races to win a grand prix.

To the 29-year-old's credit he took full advantage and won six of the first seven races whilst his car was so much better than the competition.

But that sixth victory proved to be his last of the season and he ended up winning the title more through the fact that his competitors were left tripping over themselves or that the best drivers on the grid; Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel were all in inferior machinery.

So the man from Somerset effectively reversed into winning this year's title, but what about the style in which he achieved his success.

Lacklustre champion

I spoke to Gemma Briggs, The Guardian's weekly Formula One columnist, about Button's recent title win. who said: “He's not a worthy champion. Not at all.''

She continued: “Not just because of his lack of victories in the latter stages of the season but for me he lacks the aggression of a true champion.

“When you compare him to other champions there was a distinct lack of fireworks as he won his world championship in a somewhat lacklustre manner, particularly in comparison to last year's champion Lewis Hamilton who was always making things happen. Button, though, would, in his own serene way, just lead from the front or cruise and collect points in his efforts to win the title, lacking flamboyancy.”

And what of the future? Next year it is inevitable that McLaren and Ferrari will be much more on the pace and Brawn will have a fight on their hands to retain both the drivers and constructors titles they earned this year.

Tough enough?

A renaissance from the top teams is certain, but what is equally sure will be the motivation of the other drivers to topple Button from his lofty perch.

If he thought it was tough to cross the finish line first this year, things are just about to get even tougher.

When the going gets tough, it is difficult to know whether Button is tough enough to get tougher and any talk of a move to McLaren is likely to be much like the wind flying out of the rear of his engine- hot air.

So this season will almost certainly have been just a flash in the pan for Button and if he wins another world title, I will eat my exhaust pipe.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Is Federer the greatest?



So the dust has settled and Switzerland's Roger Federer has achieved an unprecedented 15 Grand Slam titles, overtaking Pete Sampras' previous best of 14. Federer can also lay claim to the fact that he has won all four of the Grand Slams, something only five others have done in the history of the game. Finally, he also holds the record for most consecutive weeks as the world's number one, 237. With all this in mind, surely he is the greatest of all time...

While there are several reasons to suggest he is the greatest, there is one over-riding argument against it- Rafael Nadal is better. So, despite reclaiming top spot from his Spanish nemesis with that victory at Wimbledon, until he overcomes Nadal, doubts will persist as to his true claim to be the best ever.

The rankings are currently giving a false reading, depending on injuries and various other quirks of the points scoring system, take note of the Williams' sisters bizarrely being ranked below Safina in the women's list.

It is highly unlikely we would even be talking about Federer's feats had Nadal stayed fit for the last two Grand Slams. The Mallorca born Nadal would undoubtedly have won the French, something he had done for the previous four years beating Federer en route to victory on each occasion, but for a knee injury curtailing his progress early on in the tournament. Admittedly Federer was there to pick up the pieces but he has never even come close to defeating Nadal on clay, with the exception of a fortuitous win in Hamburg two years ago.

When we look at the previous three Wimbledon's too, we notice a pattern. Remember, this is Federer's strongest surface- in 2007 he came through to win the title against Nadal in somewhat fortunate circumstances, Rafa was on top until a knee injury prevented him from performing at his best for the final dozen or so games and Roger managed to take full advantage. In 2008, Nadal outplayed his opponent and probably played the best match of not only his life, but displayed arguably the greatest tennis performance in the history of the game to beat Federer in that memorable final. And then to 2009, Federer has been on the wane for the previous 12 months and his record against Nadal getting ever worse. Their current head to head in Grand Slams stands at 9-6 in the Spaniard's favour, winning five of the last six meetings. But those statistics are put into greater perspective when we look at their head to head in Grand Slams where Nadal leads 5-2, winning the last three in a row. So it is difficult to imagine Federer winning this year's Wimbledon with a fully fit Nadal in opposition.

The 2009 competition contained some exciting matches that enthralled the crowd as much any other Wimbledon in previous years but the overall quality was probably at its lowest since 2003. Can you really imagine Andy Roddick pushing Nadal to five sets and to 14 all in the final set? Can you really imagine a fully fit Nadal only breaking the American's serve once in nearly 40 games as Federer managed in that final?

This is not to say that Federer cannot do something about it. Should he dispel the myth that Nadal has the Indian sign over him and actually beat him in a fair contest in the future and perhaps improve his record against him then he could defintitely be the unequivocally claimed as the greatest. It is just that I highly doubt that he will do that. Nadal's career, when his knees are strong enough, has been on a permanent upward curve whilst Federer's has actually been in decline for about two years now, and unless he can rediscover that forehand that used to be so deadly I do not even know of he will win any more slams at all.

Much, of course, depends on Nadal's long term fitness. Basically, there are two realistic possibilities, either Nadal never fully recovers and Federer collects a few more Slams but in the shadow of Nadal's absence or Nadal will continue to overpower his Swiss opponent. Either way, Federer's claim to be the greatest will always be overshadowed by Nadal.

Can the world's greatest ever player be the second best player in the world?

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Nadal halts the Fed express

After Andy Murray's dramatic victory last night he is still on course for this year's Wimbledon final. However, he still has some way to go to reach the standard of play set in last year's final by the sport's current Galacticos in what was probably the greatest tennis match of all time.

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The greatest tennis match ever? Nadal halts the Fed express


As darkness was descending upon Centre Court the reign of Roger Federer as Wimbledon Champion for the last 5 years was coming to an end but what had occurred over the previous five playing hours of tennis will live long in the memory. This game ebbed and flowed and will go down in history as one of the greatest Wimbledon finals ever. The statistics will read 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7 in Rafael Nadal's favour but that barely tells the story of this sensational match.
They said before that Federer's crown was beginning to waiver before this final, despite an imperious journey to the showpiece event. They said that illness aligned with the parting of ways with his coach over the last twelve months had had a destabilising effect on the boy from Basel. He had lost at both the Australian Open Semi-final and then in last month's French Open Final in demoralising fashion. They said that if he failed to win at Wimbledon it would back up their belief that he was no longer the player he once was. Well the obituary writers on Federer's career can stop scribing, despite his ultimate failure to retain his title.
It was looking as though the doubters would be proved right as Nadal opened up an early 2 set advantage. This was the Spaniard at his absolute best. Time after time he emerged victorious from long rallies with his Swiss opponent either through his own brilliance or an unforced error from Federer, especially from the Champion's forehand which is exactly how Federer lost his serve for the first time in the 4th game of the opening set. Nadal did not look back and seemed to be in a hurry. No doubt hoping to inflict a similar straight sets humiliation on the World number one to the one he inflicted at Roland Garos a few weeks ago. First set Nadal.
Federer showed some initial fightback at the beginning of the 2nd set by taking a 4-1 lead only for Nadal to to come out the stronger, winning 5 games in a row to win the set 6-4, despite a code violation for taking too much time between points. Federer had surprisingly complained prior to the match about Nadal's slowness between points and it seemed as though his words had been read by today's umpire but it ultimately seemed superfluous as Nadal's rhythm continued uninterrupted.
By now Federer's doubters were in full swing. The forehand weakening, the demeanour cowering, the scoreboard depressing for his SW19 following.
Nadal, on the other hand, was feeling more and more at home. Even the shoes scraped Wimbledon's dry surface in a manner more associated with the clay courts he was brought up on back home in Mallorca.
It was beginning to look as though Spain would be able to celebrate their second International sporting success in 7 days.
Roger Federer, though, did not become World Number 1 and have an unbeaten record at Wimbledon stretching back 6 years and 41 games without having character and character is what he showed as the match took a new twist. He won the 3rd set via a tie break with a trademark ace. Game on.
Nadal was bidding to become the first player since the watching Bjorn Borg to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year, as well as the first Spaniard to win Wimbledon since Manuel Santana in 1966 but it was starting to appear as though that quest may yet have to wait another year.
If the game had been of an extremely high quality before, it now reached a new plane altogether. So many points were being contested by either player it was difficult at times for the watching public to keep up but they knew they were witnessing something special provided by the planet's 2 best players.
Having won the 3rd set, Federer seemed to have an extra spring in his step but Nadal was giving as good as he was getting. To the purist the 4th set was serving control at its absolute best sending the set towards an inevitable tie break- and what a tie break.
The first 3 points went against serve before Nadal seized initial control, taking a 5-2 lead. Federer fought back to lead 6-5 and have a set point only for Nadal to win the next 2 points to have Championship point. He could not convert. No matter. Another one arrived seconds later as he now led the tie break 8-7 after an amazing passing shot down the line. However, Federer then executed one of the best backhands of his illustrious career to not only save another Championship point but to assist him on his way to taking the tie break 10-8.
The All England Club gasped for breath as we entered a 5th and deciding set. At 2-2 and deuce on the Federer serve the rain entered the fray again, having briefly interrupted the 4th set as well.
The master-class continued from both players. Federer resumed with two aces. Incredible. 3-2.
Surely there has never been a match with so many close line calls. Even Hawk Eye's eyes were beginning to strain.
In this ultimate set Nadal was always serving 2nd giving him an obvious disadvantage as he was constantly serving to save the match, as well as the psychological disappointment of seeing a 2 set lead evaporate before his very eyes.
The next 2 games went with serve. In the 8th game of the set Federer managed to acquire his 13th break point (he had only managed to convert 1 of his previous 12) and it proved to be unlucky. It also proved to be his last.
Time and again Nadal served almost faultlessly under the most immense pressure. His play reaped its reward when he finally managed to break his opponent's serve to take an 8-7 lead. He attained 2 more Championship points as he served knowing he just had to close out the match. Federer saved 1 incredibly but not the 2nd.
This was the 3rd Wimbledon final in a row contested by the 2 giants of today's game. Do not bet against them making it a 4th in 2009.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Money for old rope?

So the expenses row looks like it just will not go away. No sooner has one high profile figure moved out of office, than another joins the bandwagon of departures.

Of course, the biggest of them all came last week. The one that really shuddered even the most shuddered.

When Manchester United finally confirmed that Christiano Ronaldo would be leaving the 'Theatre of Dreams' to pursue his own life-long dream in an entirely different theatre it seems to have triggered all sorts of crazy talk with highly inflated figures for above average footballers.

There has been all sorts of conjecture regarding the justification of such fees. To be fair, the debate regarding the justification of spending 80 million pounds on arguably the best footballer on the planet seems to be a fairly even one. Sure, it is a lot of money but how do you replace 67 goals, two Premier League titles and two Champions' League finals in two years with the promise of more to follow? With great difficulty, even if you have 80 million in your pocket.

However, the debate on whether Zlatan Imbrahimovic is worth the same amount has to be an emphatic 'no'. Even Real Madrid were scared off by the fee quoted them by Inter. Even if Ronaldo is worth 80 million then that would make the Swedish international striker who has never scored a goal in a Champions' League knock-out game worth about 20 million (25, tops).

So who would you like at your club? Ribery for 60 million? Villa for 40? Eto'o for 15-20? Or, if you're a little further down the league and looking for a cheaper option you might need to be looking at academies and rejects. Anyone want Michael Owen for nothing?

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Shattered dreams

The pre-match feeling had Manchester United as slight favourites owing to a far superior defence and an abilty to strike in seconds, see their semi-final against Arsenal.

Suspension and injury to key defenders put paid to any defensive stability Barcelona may have had, aligned with moving Toure from a holding midfield role to central defence.

So the ball arrives at Evra's feet on the edge of the area, the next moment a wonderful cross is met with a remarkable header at full stretch from the world's best player, albeit assited by some ''shoddy'' defending, and the ball is nestled in the net.

Only, the shoddy defending belonged to Manchester United. The lack of tracking back also belonged to the champions. And when the ball arrived at Evra's feet, he panicked and his unnecessarily rushed clearance went straight to Xavi. He in turn was left way too much time and space to deliver a chipped cross which Messi expertly headed home.

Oh how Ferguson must have wished for injury-prone Hargreaves or the suspended Fletcher to have been available for this game. Their absence was sorely felt but, to be fair, United were outclassed all over the pitch and in a season of facts we are left with an undeniable one- Barcelona stand alone at the pinnacle of Europe's tree- and that's a fact!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Ronaldo's top five hissy fits of 2008/09

After Ronaldo vented his displeasure at being substituted in yesterday’s Manchester derby it added to the list of tantrums from the Manchester United star this season. Here are just a few more:

1. v Arsenal, April 2009

With United looking comfortable and Ronaldo on top form, the Portuguese winger falls to the ground after a challenge from Arsenal left back Keiran Gibbs. Ronaldo illustrated his displeasure at the lack of a free kick with a ‘hissy fit’ that would’ve been more appropriate in a playground- arms flailing and feet stamping.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKVD7s3HiE4

2. v Fulham, March 2009

This time it was referee Phil Dowd who saw more than he had bargained for. Ronaldo, after repeatedly being denied free kicks, decided to bare the top of his thigh to show Dowd exactly where he had been hurt. Dowd responded by showing his own leg.

3. v Newcastle United, March 2009

Newcastle defender Steven Taylor annoyed Ronaldo so much during this season’s Premier League clash at St. James’ Park that the Manchester United star reportedly accused his opponent of being a rubbish footballer. Taylor retorted by allegedly saying that at least he wasn’t ugly.

4. v Sunderland, December 2008

After taking a blow to the chest, Ronaldo proceeded to wince and complain for a few minutes before jogging off the pitch and down the tunnel, with no indication to a startled home bench. Ronaldo had substituted himself!

5. v Manchester City, November 2008

With United winning 1-0 and set for three points in the Manchester derby, Christiano concludes he’s not happy with a corner. Instead of heading the ball, he decides to catch it. Unfortunately for Ronaldo, the referee decreed it as a deliberate hand ball and a second bookable offence. Fergie suggested Ronaldo may have heard a whistle, others thought he may have been concerned with messing up his hair.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Miss-firing squad

It's a squad game these days someone once said. And Sir Alex Ferguson recently proclaimed this current squad to be his best ever. Better than the double winning squad of '94. Better even than the treble winners of '99. So, that being the case, where is it all going wrong?

The answer has been presumed that Sir Alex's confidence was miss-placed. However, perhaps the real answer lies in the fact that it is not necessarily a squad game. First elevens do actually win the trophies and not the reserves.

A lot is about timing it to perfection and in terms of having your first eleven available at the crucial time of the season when the wheat and the chaff are separated.

Just take last season, for example, both Manchester United and Chelsea had their first teams available and their benches were without absentees either. Memorably Park Ji Sung couldn't make the bench as even Louis Saha managed to put on a tracksuit without pulling a hamstring. The same could be said for Manchester United's final league game when their whole squad was available.


Then imagine that final last May without Ronaldo or Ferdinand or even Wes Brown. Would they have emerged triumphant?


Many talk about a lack of depth in Liverpool's squad this season, citing the fact that they can't cope in Gerrard or Torres' absence but there is no way Manchester United would win a significant trophy were there to be a prolonged absence for Rooney or Ronaldo.


The sooner the Red Devils can get their big guns back fit - Ferdinand, Brown (yes, he's a big gun), Berbatov - and their big guns who have been miss-firing - Ronaldo, Carrick, Vidic, Evra - back on form the better and perhaps Man Utd's season can be rescued.


I have a hunch that Wednesday night's return in Porto may see one of those special European performances to rival that of Roma at home in 2007 or Barcelona away in 1998 but I also had a hunch that Roy Evans would deliver Liverpool's first league for many years back in 1997... and they are still waiting.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

A score to settle


Another momentous occasion in the sporting calender is upon us this weekend. With speed high on the agenda, not to mention verve, tenacity and ballsy manoeuvres. Yes, that's right. It's the boat race.

Although, in a global sense, perhaps our eyes should be averted to the goings on down under where the Formula One season commences.

Well maybe they would have been were it not for a sequence of events that makes Formula One even less credulous that it already was.

I personally used to love the sport. Every other Sunday was filled with great anticipation and excitement. OK so overtaking became a little thin on the ground as the 90s progressed and as the 21st century began a certain Teutonic feel to those weekends tended to dominate but still I was enthralled. That enthralment only began to diminish as the rule-makers began to... well... make more rules. Or, more specifically, meddle with the previous ones.

With recent events in mind, whereby the FIA have decided to change the rules giving the World drivers title to the individual with the most race wins as opposed to the person who has accrued the most points, seemed to make a modicum of sense. Rewarding ambitious drivers- those who actually won grands prix instead of just sitting in second or third position and picking up points each race. This rule change might have been accepted by most had it not been for the bizarre set of circumstances surrounding it.

Firstly, to announce this on the eve of the season is not just wrong, it's downright scandalous. Ludicrous. Ridiculous. Stupid. No adjective alone can really do this any justice.

Secondly, what was wrong with the old scoring system that kept many of us, the viewing public, happy for many years. 10-6-4-3-2-1 worked very well.

It was only when a Ferrari/Schumacher combination began to dominate that the governing body decided do mix things up a little. Making the sport a bit more random so the viewer could see a greater spectacle. What it really did, however, was cheat their audience. For example, you had a situation going into the final race of the 2003 season where Kimi Raikkonen had won just one grand prix all season compared to Schumacher's six victories and yet the Finn still had a shot at the world title.

To add to the randomness the FIA also changed the format of qualifying into something very confusing indeed. To juggle up the grid a little which it occasionally did but it's not really fair is it? It's not really sport, either, for that matter.

This kind of rule change was akin to the Golfing fraternity saying, "OK Tiger. We recognise you're a bit good but we want to have a greater variant of winners so what we're going to do is shorten the fairways on all the world's golf courses and maybe make you use cricket bats instead of golf clubs. Just to 'juggle it up' a bit, you understand."

On top of all these shenanigans have been the protestations of 'that's not fair' from various teams. What is and is not fair should have been made clearer sooner and stamped out. The word on Team Brawn's rear diffuser should have been qualified at the immediate point of confusion several weeks ago and it is only an unsettling tactic from rival teams to leave it until the week leading up to the season's start. Now that's not fair.

Nevertheless, I will be tuning in with bleary eyes in the early hours of Sunday morning in the hope that this season it will return to the sport I once loved. Though the chances of that happening are about as likely as Max Mosely getting caught with his trousers down and surrounded by fiver hookers dressed as Nazis.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

When sports stars cry

Following Roger Federer’s tears in this year’s Australian Open we delve into the sporting archives to discover 10 sportsmen and women who’ve also been unable to control the waterworks.

10. Diego Maradona 1990

After winning the 1986 world cup single handed (pun intended) for a team that without him had less talent than Barnet’s reserves, Maradona was hell bent on doing the same trick at the following world cup in Italy. Sadly, the little cheat, sorry, I meant diminutive genius fell short of his dream after losing to West Germany in a final that will be remembered for instigating the back pass rule after Argentina tried to reverse their way into becoming world champions. Yes, a total of 3,457 back passes were recorded by the South Americans but these figures vary due to the fact that no man has yet been found who didn't fall asleep at some stage during the final. Anyway, I digress, having lost to an Andreas Brehme penalty Senor Maradona wept uncontrollably as the trophy was presented to West Germany.

9. Carsten Jancker 1999

Mario Basler salutes the travelling Bayern Munich fans, Lothar Matthaus is grinning from ear to ear and the Champions' League trophy has the Bayern Munich colours attached to it (conveniently they are similar to their opponents') but someone has forgot to tell the soon to be knighted Alex Ferguson's men. Two goals in stoppage time and Munich hearts are broken. Not only that, comically named Carsten 'rhymes with' Jancker cannot keep his emotions in any longer as Manchester United complete an incredible treble. Meanwhile, Jancker's only treble that night was of miss-hit shots.

8. William Gallas 2008

Ok so he didn't cry but his antics were more befitting of a child screaming and throwing their toys out of a pram than of a grown man who plays professional football for a Premiership side. This drama queen performance was more appropriate for a school playground but instead he chose Saturday the 23rd of February, aged 31 and Birmingham's centre circle to perform his theatrics. I know the French are known for there acting abilities but St Andrew's is not the place to perform in Moulin Rouge.

7. Mika Hakkinen 1999

Michael Schumacher had broken a leg and the only person left to contest Mika Hakkinen was the likable, but talentless, Irishman Eddie Irvine. However, a string of errors by Hakkinen and his McLaren team let Irvine in time and again. These mistakes included one by the flying Finn at the Italian Grand Prix whereby he spun out whilst leading. Hakkinen responded like any true man- he ran into the nearby woods and cried like a baby.

6. John Terry 2008

John Terry, or JT as he is more affectionately known, performed two memorable acts in last year's Champions' League final. Firstly, he missed a crucial penalty. Secondly, he wept onto Avram Grant's shoulder. Apparently, Grant demanded a new suit afterwards and, as a result of his cheek, was duly sacked. Nothing to do with the trophy-less season after all.

5. Oliver McCall 1995

When Oliver McCall became World Champion he was then deemed fit enough to fight Frank Bruno. What made McCall break down in tears that night is still not known to this day. However, it is believed that it was the thought of having to appear alongside our Frank in a pantomime performance that triggered the tears. "Oh no it wasn’t."

4. Michael Schumacher 2000

As Michael Schumacher approached his holy grail of delivering Ferrari's first world driver's championship since before the dinosaurs it all got too much for him and water began seeping from his eyes quicker than the oil from a competitor's engine after he won the Italian grand prix. Schumacher went on to win 7 world titles and become the most successful formula one driver of all time but he will always be remembered for his emotional breakdown in front of millions of viewers. Still, if you're going to cry, best to do it in Italy.

3. Jana Novotna 1993

From being in a certain to win position, Jana Novotna collapsed in a manner that would have made Kevin Keegan proud. After her defeat to Steffi Graf in the Wimbledon final she cried for longer than anyone can remember and the consoling arm of the Duchess of Kent could not do anything to halt her crying. Her tears were in such abundance that the famous Wimbledon covers had to be brought across the grass to keep it dry for the following day's men's final.

2. Alex Higgins 1982

Alex "hurricane" Higgins became Alex "torrential rain" Higgins as his tears ran down his cheeks at the Crucible theatre, Sheffield. These were tears of joy, though, from the Belfast born snooker legend. These tears worsened as he began to realised that closing time of the local bars had elapsed in the midst of the trophy ceremony.

1. Gazza 1990

Undoubtedly the everlasting image of Italia '90 was of Gazza crying after England's semi-final defeat to West Germany on penalties. It is a well known fact that the Germans are masters of two things, female under-arm hair and penalties. The latter has aided the Germans to many footballing victories, the former has not.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Taking the biscuit

You’re having a laugh - as professional footballers go, Carlo Cudicini has pushed the boundaries more than most as a cruise and collector.

When people talk of greed, laziness and a lack of ambition, many names and ideas are suggested but here is one for you. Would you please give a warm welcome to... Carlo Cudicini.

Let’s take a look shall we.

After initially being brought in on loan, by the then Chelsea coach Gianluca Vialli, in 1999 the deal was made permanent in the year 2000 for a mere £160,000 and
he soon made the No.1 goalkeeping jersey his own with a string of imperious displays.

Cudicini gained a reputation for being one of the Premier League’s finest shot stoppers and was much admired throughout Europe. Several of Europe’s top clubs were linked with him but Chelsea stood firm and Cudicini appreciated the feeling of being wanted.

Son of a former AC Milan goalkeeper he finally appeared to be stepping out of his father’s shadow after a stop start career seemed to be heading nowhere back in his homeland.

However, in the summer of 2004, after the appointment of Jose Mourinho, Petr Cech was bought for £7 million and soon assumed first-choice goalkeeper status. Cudicini’s Chelsea career appeared doomed. It was especially disappointing after performing so well for the club he had never let down.

He was at a crossroads- either become the Premierships best reserve and pick up the occasional medal for which he had contributed little or seek pastures new and a new challenge, perhaps a few international caps too. Unfortunately, he chose the former.

The Italian has to be the epitome of lacking ambition. Possibly you could excuse the first year as an under study and to try to challenge Cech, after all he appeared to have the ability. However, it soon became clear that Cech was in an impregnable position.

Ultimately, Cudicini decided he would rather warm a bench than play football.

His decision to play second fiddle is a massive sign of insecurity. He clearly never believed in his talents enough to prosper elsewhere and that would explain his more inconsistent performances on the odd occasion he was called upon by Chelsea.

Who knows, maybe Mourinho sensed this lack of confidence. One of the special one’s first big decisions he had to make was to drop Cudicini. He seemed in little doubt and never looked back as Cech became arguably the world’s best goalkeeper (although that belief has deteriorated since Mourinho’s departure).

After five years of being little more than a Carling Cup player Cudicini has finally moved on but at 36 he has just a few years left in the game and what was a burgeoning career has petered out into something that Winston Bogarde would have been proud of.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Tears for fears


It was the summer of 1999 and after narrowly missing out on the world titles of 1997 and 98 all seemed set for Michael Schumacher to finally achieve his goal of delivering Ferrari its first Driver's World Championship in two decades. However, fate intervened and the German broke his leg at the British Grand Prix. After a remarkable set of circumstances, including a host of errors from chief rivals McLaren, Schumacher's Ferrari team-mate Eddie Irvine was suddenly propelled into the position of favourite for that year's title as the formula one circus arrived at the final race. After huge amounts of effort and tens of millions of dollars directed towards Schumacher, suddenly the bridesmaid appeared the more likely to be the one to deliver, much to Schuey's embarrassment.
Now fast forward ten years and think tennis. Think Rafael Nadal lifting last week's Australian Open title followed by Roger Federer's tears. After years of hard work and toil, narrowly missing out on the grand slam by winning all four majors, Federer can now see someone else on the horizon set to eclipse him.

In recent years, talk of Federer achieving his aim would gather momentum as the season progressed, particularly as he frequently got off to the perfect start by safely securing the opening slam in Melbourne. Then as spring would turn into summer, the French Open would arrive and so would the dark clouds, if only temporarily, over the man from Basel's season. A routine path to the final would ensue but the combination of clay and Nadal would prove to be too much. Thus, a blight on Federer's season and another year would pass by, despite continued dominance at Wimbledon and the US Open. The season finishing with three out of the four slams in the trophy cabinet. Winning three grand slams in one year occurred to Federer on three occasions (2004, 06 and 07). Last year, however, he won just one- the US Open last September. Nevertheless, this year began with some predicting a return to form and a possible clean sweep.

Nadal's victory last Sunday put paid to that notion and, as a result, it is the Spaniard who now appears most likely to achieve that clean sweep. Having been successful at the previous four French Opens he will be odds on to claim a fifth at Roland Garros this year. Wimbledon follows on quite quickly from Paris and he is the reigning champion at SW19 so will see no reason why he cannot secure a second title. That would be three out of three and the final piece of the jigsaw would arrive in the autumn in New York. This will be the hardest of the slams to win. He has never even reached the final before but after some convincing displays on the hard courts of Melbourne he will feel more confident than ever at Flushing Meadow. There will be many variables to negotiate en route for the Spaniard but perhaps it was the realisation of a dream slipping away and into someone else's hands that was the cause of Federer's tears.

Irvine blew it back in 1999 through a combination of incompetence and an inability to deal with the pressure suddenly thrust upon him, two accusations that could never be thrown the way of Nadal.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Recipe for disaster

So the board of Norwich City approached Nigel Worthington to see if he wanted his job back.

Worthington is extremely fond of Norfolk and still spends a large amount of his time there when he is not on Northern Ireland duty.

He has done a steady, if not spectacular, job as coach of Northern Ireland but his work as the Canaries' boss was under appreciated at the time and it is probably only now that the board and fans are beginning to understand just how good he was. He was the guy who steadily improved the team whilst in the Championship, culminating in promotion as champions of the division in 2004.

Worthington's eye for a player was pretty accurate too. His astute work in the transfer market, either for loans or permanent deals, brought Peter Crouch, David Bentley, Dean Ashton, Robert Earnshaw and fans' favourite Darren Huckerby to the club. Oh how Norwich would love to be able to call on the services of just one of those players now.

It started to go wrong on the final day of the 2004/05 season. He had taken City to within a whisker of staying up after a remarkable run of victories, including a memorable 2-0 win at home to Manchester United, but on that final day they crumbled. Embarrassingly defeated 6-0 at Fulham and with it relegation.

The following 18 months saw them spend most of the time between mid table and the play offs but rarely threatening automatic promotion. After a defeat away at Plymouth, when the performance could be best described as 'limp', a letter to the fans was issued in the most appalling fashion, through the local press. Delia Smith and her husband Michael Wynn Jones issued a strongly worded statement that effectively gave Worthington two games to save his job.

Forget that memorable play off final where they missed out on promotion by the narrowest of margins. Forget the dominant season that led to promotion. Forget that memorable season in the top flight. Forget the quality of players he had brought to the club. Forget the fact that, despite a disappointing start to the 2006/07, season they still lied just a few points from the play offs.

These moments had been erased from the short-term memories of the fans and illustrated the short sightedness of the board.

Instead they proceeded with their threat with this statement. They may as well have sacked him there and then as with that statement Worthington's bolt had been well and truly shot. If you were a player after reading that statement you knew you had nothing to play for. No one to play for. You had the excuse already lined up for you. It was all the manager's fault, after all.

What followed was a 4-1 defeat at home to Barnsley and Worthington was out just hours afterwards. The board had even gone back on their promise of two games, he was gone after just one.

In every sense Delia et al let the club down.

They then appointed Peter Grant who later quit after admitting that he could turn things around but did not know if he wanted to. Shocking.

Despite his deficiencies, Glenn Roeder could not be criticised for his lack of trying but this club have been on a downward slope since 27 September 2006 when 'that' statement was released. And so we fast forward to January 2009 and after Glenn Roeder's dismissal the board finally realise the error of their ways, enquiring about the possibility of Nigel Worthington coming back to the club. It must have been tempting for him as he cares for the club dearly and loves the area.

However, he held firm to his commitment to the Northern Irish cause and you would expect nothing less of an honest football man. Well done Nigel.