McIlroy and Murray must conquer demons

Watching Rory McIlroy’s game disintegrate on Sunday under the strain of the chance to win his first Major Championship, I couldn’t help but be reminded of another talented British sportsman, tennis player Andy Murray.
Both of these players are among the best in the world in their chosen sport. Murray has now played in three Grand Slam finals in his relatively short career, but each time he has reached the final, he has frozen like a rabbit in the headlights, and not won a set as all three opportunities have passed him by.
McIlroy must ensure that the same fate doesn’t befall him. He is an outrageously talented player, who has the potential to be the best player of his generation. He must stay patient and trust that if he keeps working hard, and managed to keep his head, that the rewards that his talent so richly deserves will come. The problem that Murray has is that he wants it too much. The burden of having a nation that hasn’t experienced a Grand Slam success for over 75 years has proven too much for him. Next time he finds himself in a Grand Slam final (and there will be plenty of opportunities, he is that good) he must relax and play it like any other match, and forget his previous defeats.
McIlroy must do the same the next time he finds himself leading a Major with one day to go.

Time to ban drug cheats once and for all

I have been absolutely amazed to see over recent months that Tour De France winner Alberto Contandor has been allowed to continue competing after testing positive for banned substance, Clenbuterol, a muscle building drug. The positive test was provided after one of the stages in the Tour De France last year, which Contandor won.
He blamed ingesting contaminated beef for failing the test. It seems amazing to me that somebody like Contador can get away with it, whilst athletes like Lance Armstrong are constantly plagued by allegations of doping, despite never having failed a drugs test.
As far as I am concerned you are responsible for any substance that is found in your body, and believe that people like Contador and also Manchester City footballer Kolo Toure should be banned for failing tests, despite any pathetic excuses they might have.

Keys and Gray forced out for pub talk

Whilst it appears increasingly obvious that Andy Gray and Richard Keys have been forced out of Sky for nothing more than indulging in a conversation that millions of men have up and down the country every week, I must admit to finding it extremely satisfying not to have to see their smug, self indulgent faces on the Sky Football programming that they have dominated for the last twenty years.
I, for one, have stopped watching the Monday Night Football programme, as I have felt that that this show has no longer been about the match being shown that night, but has been the ‘Andy Gray’ show with his trusty sidekick ‘Dickie’ in some sort of bizarre Batman and Robin combination.
It is about time things were freshened up at the very top of Sky’s football coverage with young presenters such as Ben Shepherd and Ed Chamberlain looking likely to step up and fill the shoes of Keys, with Jamie Redknapp set to step in for Gray having shown promise over the last few years with some insightful and intelligent analysis of the matches that he covers.
If I was in charge of Sky, though, there would be one man for the job and that is Robbie Savage. I am sure anybody reading this (hello Mum!) might think this a strange appointment given his controversial playing career, and I think for that reason it is unlikely that they will go for someone as colourful as Savage.
However anybody who has ever heard his work as a co-commentator on Five Live will know that he takes his media work extremely seriously, whilst showing his more brash and amusing side on the phone in on a Saturday evening.
And nobody could say that Robbie Savage wasn’t in touch with his feminine side. More than once I have actually noticed a more than passing resemblance to BBC Sport presenter Hazel Irvine with his long flowing blonde locks.
It will be interesting to see where Sky now goes with this. It can only be hoped that they aren’t going to go with the soon to retire Gary Neville, who Daily Telegraph writer Jim White, this week called ‘the most charmless man in football’.
One thing is for certain though, we won’t be seeing Keys or Gray on our TV screens for a long time to come.

Ashes Preview: KP and Swann hold keys to success

Tonight, there will be millions of people across England who will break their sleeping pattern and risk the wrath of their time efficient bosses in the morning by staying up late and watching the first ball of The Ashes being bowled as England and Australia get ready for what is predicted to be one of the most closely fought series in years.
And it will be closely matched, don’t let anybody fool you. There are many fans and journalists who have been talking up the chances of England, saying that they will never have a better chance to claim a series win in Australia. And they may be right but Australia are no pushovers, especially in their own backyard.
However I do think England will do it. But to do so their hopes rest largely on the shoulders of two players. Kevin Pietersen and Graeme Swann. Pietersen hasn’t looked the same player ever since he was relieved of the captaincy at the beginning of 2009 after infamously trying to remove Peter Moores as coach. He has only scored one test century since. For England to win this series the egotistical South African needs to regain his mojo and get back to doing what he does best and that is dominating the best bowlers in world cricket as only he can do.
However Swann is the man that can decide the fate of this year’s contest. With England relying on a four man bowling attack it is crucial that Swann bowls with discipline and skill while the other three pace bowlers rotate at the other end. However he has to find the fine line between bowling with discipline and curbing his natural wicket tacking abilities. If Swann can find the right balance and James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn all chip in with wickets then England should have more than enough to take 20 Australian wickets.
Less than an hour to go until the first ball is bowled. England to win 2-1. Come on!!!

Wounded Tiger looks to come back fighting

So after much reported indecision it has finally been confirmed by America’s Ryder Cup Captain that Tiger Woods will be one of his picks for this year’s event due to be held at Celtic Manor.
After much speculation that Pavin was seriously considering leaving Woods out the team the decision was taken to include him after all.
I can’t say that I am overly surprised. Although Woods has a relatively poor record in the Ryder Cup (he has only been on the winning side once in his otherwise fine career) it would have been a huge call to leave out the player, who despite all his troubles is still ranked the best player in the world.
Imagine the uproar Pavin would have faced back in his home country if he had left out Woods and they had been resoundingly beaten by the European team. In many ways Pavin can’t win.
If you had asked me a month ago whether or not Woods deserved to be picked I would have said no. His form was terrible and his head was clearly all over the place. However there has undoubtedly been an upturn in his fortunes over the last couple of tournaments in which he has played solid golf if not spectacular. His divorce has been finalised and that will unquestionably have provided him with a clearer head in which to get his game back on track.
My main worry for the European is that they seem dangerously close to underestimating him. Rory McIllroy and other Europeans have expressed their belief that on Woods’ current form they believe themselves to be more than capable of beating him. You can bet that Woods is listening to every comment made about the so called malaise in his recent form.
A tiger is never more dangerous than when it is wounded. At Celtic Manor you will see Woods roar.

I decided to tune in to Jonathan Ross last week due to the presence on the show of Amy Williams, the solitary gold medal winner from this country in the Winter Olympics recently held in Vancouver. I, like many millions around the country, had never heard of Williams until her astonishing success in the skeleton event that led to her achieving her lifelong Olympic dream.
I wanted to know more about Amy Williams and what she was like as a person and she seemed like an athlete completely unaffected by her extraordinary success. She seemed humble and somewhat overwhelmed by the fame and adulation that has quickly become part of her life.
It is so refreshing in this age of overpaid, arrogant sportsmen to see a genuinely world class talent appear so normal, and in the case of Williams I think that this is unlikely to change. People like John Terry and Ashley Cole should take a long hard look at somebody like Amy Williams and adjust their behaviour to match accordingly.

New F1 season starts with a whimper

So after all the hype surrounding the first Formula One race of the season it turned out to be a bit of a damp squib. Over taking seemed virtually impossible, apart from on the first lap of the race when Fernando Alonso took advantage of a sluggish start by team-mate Felipe Massa to get into second place behind Sebastien Vettel.
The only way teams seemed to be able to gain an advantage over each other was when they brought their drivers in to change their tyres, and the lack of excitement doesn’t bode well for the rest of the season.
For the two British drivers on the grid it was a weekend of contrasting fortunes as Lewis Hamilton dominated his team-mate to gain an unlikely place on the podium while Jenson Button trailed home in seventh place.
It was also a difficult weekend for Michael Schumacher who found himself out performed by his team mate Nico Rosberg, in qualifying and then in the race itself. He also made his feelings clear that he was unhappy with the new regulations regarding fuels and tyres that make the car more difficult to manage and therefore make overtaking all but impossible.
And despite claims that this year could see one of the most closely fought competition for many years I think it is clear that the two best drivers on the grid this year are Fernando Alonso at Ferrari and Sebastien Vettel in the Red Bull, and the winner of the World Championship will be the one who has the most reliability from their car.
As a fan of the sport we can only hope that the next 18 races of the season are going to be more exciting than the first.

A loss to the game

It is a tragedy that Dean Ashton has had to call time on his career at such a tender age.
The 26 year old former West Ham and England striker decided to retire after a persistent three year battle with injury after sustaining a broken ankle in a tackle with Shaun Wright Phillips on England duty in August 2006.
Ashton had started his career at Dario Gradi’s Crewe Alexandra, the latest in a long line of talented youngsters to make their name at the club.
After catching the eye in a prolific partnership with fellow frontman Rob Hulse, Ashton secured a transfer to Premier League strugglers Norwich City.
He was an instant hit with the fans there, with his bustling aggressive style and penchant for scoring important goals encouraging comparisons with Alan Shearer.
After Norwich’s relegation on the final day of the season it was inevitable that somebody of his skill and ability would attract interest from top flight clubs and it was West Ham who eventually came calling.
His form there continued to be strong leading to that fateful England call up for Steve Maclaren’s first game in charge against Greece.
It was in training that Ashton found himself on the receiving end of a tackle from Wright-Phillips that was, eventually, to cut short his career.
He later made a brief recovery for West Ham that led to an England call up by Fabio Capello that saw him pick up his one and only cap in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago.
Rumours abounded last month that he was set to retire but no official confirmation came until the end of last month.
It was a sad end to what could have been a brilliant career.

Pushed to the limit

Burn out is one of those phrases in sport that divides opinion. Many people believe that sportsmen and women are very well paid for what they do and that tiredness shouldn’t be an issue. However there is a growing minority of people who are becoming more sympathetic to the stresses and strains placed on an athlete’s body in modern day sport.
Andrew Flintoff is one such example of a sportsman who has seen his career cut short and curtailed by injury. Though he still plans to make a comeback in the one day form of the game there are many who feel that he may never play at the top level of sport again.
However one interesting example that I came across while looking more into this was that of Australian Moto GP rider Casey Stoner. In the middle of the 2009 season whilst chasing Valentino Rossi for another title Stoner announced that he was set to take a mid season break in order to recover from a mystery illness.
There was much speculation about what was afflicting Stoner but the general consensus was that he was suffering from burnout. He is renowned in the Moto GP world for being one of the fittest competitors on the track and it was believed that he had simply overdone it in his quest to be as physically fit as possible.
He had complained of feeling nauseous and exhausted during races and was eventually diagnosed with mild anaemia and gastritis.
Despite finally finding out what had been making him so unwell the question still remained as to what could cause a 24 year old to endure such problems and the answer comes again back to overtraining. The reason for this was pressure to succeed. In a sport that has been dominated by the quite brilliant Valentino Rossi for years, it is crying out for someone to come and mount a serious long term challenge at the top of the sport and for many that man is Casey Stoner. But it seemed that he has overdone it in his quest for success, and he won’t be the last sportsman to do so.

Battling back

“Keeping the faith. That’s what counts. Holding true to what matters is the key to a decent and meaningful life. And we can all keep the faith- as long as things go our way. It’s when things go against us that trouble is doubled. That’s because we not only suffer from bad times, we also question the faith that sustains us. And no matter what form it takes, faith matters.”
These were the words of Simon Barnes writing in The Times on Friday as Jonny Wilkinson was on the verge of making his long awaited comeback in an England shirt. The words undoubtedly apply to Wilkinson who has shown amazing courage and resilience as he has fought back from injury after injury. However if there is one sportsman who has to show strength in the face of continued adversity it is surely England cricketer Simon Jones.
Jones, who last played a Test match for England during the glorious Ashes summer in 2005 missed the whole of the 2009 season with an injury but is finally on the verge of making a comeback after signing a three year deal with Hampshire.
In an interview with Sky Sports Jones said that he just wants to get back playing but that he also still harbours hopes of a return to the England set up.
“I’d be lying if I said I don’t want to play for England again but the main thing for me is to play. First and foremost I’ve got to concentrate on my stuff with Hampshire and get back playing. This year was a bit of a nightmare.”
Jones is one of those players who you can’t help but think what might have been. He was, at his peak, a frightening bowler. He bowled with fearsome pace and aggression and had the uncanny ability to make the ball swing both ways. In 2005 Australia couldn’t handle him and had he stayed fit he would have been approaching 300 Test match wickets rather than being stuck on 59. But despite injury after injury he continues to fight back. He continues to keep the faith, both in himself and his own ability.
Barnes continues: “In our own lives, we have all known times that test us, that tempt us to give up, to blame others, to abandon the things that matter. Some people go through extreme and terrible experiences, others have better luck. But we all know about hard times.”
Simon Jones certainly does. But he keeps on bouncing back and one day I fervently hope that he will be back in an England shirt terrorising the best batsmen in the world.

Mission Accomplished

Just a short article to congratulate Jenson Button on his magnificent achievement in becoming Formula One World Champion.
Button is a role model to anybody taking part in any form of sport. An example that persistence and belief in your own ability will pay off if you never give up.
He hasn’t had it easy in his career. Bursting on to the scene as a raw, prodigiously talented 20 year old, his early promise quickly nose dived and he was written off as a playboy. More interested in partying than scoring points was the general consensus.
However he has turned his career around in magnificent fashion with the help of technical genius Ross Brawn.
Button drove a terrible car for years as he showed the patience of a saint knowing that sooner or later his chance would come and in 2009 it did.
He might have struggled in the latter half of the season after being so dominant in the first but the history books will not show that.
All they will show, is that in 2009 Jenson Button was the best racing driver on the planet. A childhood dream achieved and one that is thoroughly deserved.

Cracknell on thin ice

I am not a big fan of rowing. I, like many others, get swept away in the excitement of it all during the Olympics but that’s about it. The sport enters my consciousness once every four years then disappears for another four. I am a self confessed football and cricket fan and those are the sports that I most immerse myself in.
However if somebody was to ask me who I admire and respect most from the world of sport, then the answer for me is an easy one. Ex Olympic rower James Cracknell.
However despite his extraordinary achievements as a rower (2 Olympic Golds and 6 World titles) it is what he has accomplished after his retirement that leads me to admire and respect him.
Now when a sportsman retires it is for one of two reasons. They are no longer physically capable of doing what they used to or they have lost their hunger for success. Neither was true of Cracknell. He has readily admitted that he might have retired too early.
So after announcing his retirement Cracknell found himself without a long term goal for the first time in his adult life. What could fill this void?
The answer came in the form of Ben Fogle.
Having already entered the Atlantic Rowing race and ordered the boat Fogle approached Cracknell with a proposition.
“I’m rowing the Atlantic. Would you like to do it with me?”
“Can you row?” replied Cracknell.
“Errrr no.”
Cracknell duly declined his offer.
However a month later he had a change of heart. He needed an outlet for his passion and drive and what better way than testing himself against one of the toughest environments Mother Nature has to offer. The trip was a great success. They finished first in their class and a great friendship had blossomed along the way.
It was their next challenge that really caught my imagination. Cracknell, along with Fogle and new team member Ed Coats set off on a race to the South Pole, which was documented by the BBC for a TV Series called ‘On Thin Ice.’ I tuned in every week without fail as I witnessed the incredible efforts of these three polar novices as they battled to win the Race to the South Pole. What made it such compelling viewing for me was seeing Cracknell try and survive in such a tough and unforgiving environment. For a man who has seemed invincible in many of the challenges he has taken on this was one that broke him down. Despite all his months of preparation, Cracknell realised that the kind of environment he was now in could throw him tests that he was unable to prepare for.
It showed the side of a sportsman that we rarely see. Cracknell was vulnerable and for the first time in his life admitted that this was a task that he may not be able to finish. However with great mental strength, and with the help and support of his team mates he pushed on to achieve his goal of reaching the South Pole.
It might not have made pleasant viewing for Cracknell, but for the first time the viewing public were able to see a sportsman with the layers stripped back, as somebody who is normal, and struggles like the rest of us. Not everybody likes him, he can often come across harshly on television, but you can’t help but respect him.

Alonso back at the top

Fernando Alonso’s move to Ferrari was one of the worst kept secrets in the history of Formula One. Everyone in the paddock knew that the move was going to happen, it was just a matter of when. The move , though, is undoubtedly a good one for Alonso, but it also extremely beneficial for the sport. In my eyes, and the eyes of many others Alonso is the best driver on the grid. No other driver could have got the results that he has managed over the last two years in what has often been a terrible car.
Many have questioned whether the complex Spaniard will be able to handle driving for Ferrari alongside a competitive team-mate in the form of Felipe Massa after his experience with McLaren and Lewis Hamilton in 2007. However, Alonso is an intelligent man and will have learned from his past mistakes and also has the added benefit of having a great friendship with the currently absent Brazilian.
Next season now promises to be an intriguing one. Alonso in the Ferrari against Hamilton in the McLaren. Both will be battling at the front of the grid but they won’t be the only ones there. Kimi Raikonnen, the man moved aside to make way for Alonso looks increasingly likely to return to McLaren in place of his under achieving countryman Heikki Kovalinen. Massa, should be a formidable force when back in full health, and there will also be the Brawn’s, most likely consisting of Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg and the Red Bull’s of Mark Webber and Sebastien Vettel, both of whom have enjoyed successful but somewhat inconsistent times in 2009.
If there is a sport that needs a shot in the arm it is Formula One. This season has seen its reputation dragged through the mud, with the controversy early in the season about whether the top teams would be re-joining the competition or forming a breakaway competition to the recent race fixing scandal that saw Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds jettisoned from a sport they once graced. The fight for the title has also lost all momentum after the thrilling finishes of the previous two seasons. Jenson Button has done his very best to throw away the Championship but still finds himself 15 points clear of his nearest rivals as he crawls to his first World Championship.
It is about time that the best drivers were back at the front of the grid. Fernando Alonso should be fighting for wins and World Championships, not battling it out in the midfield. Next season he will be back at the very top, where his immense talent truly belongs.

The British Media have become notorious throughout the passing of time for their ability to build up sports stars only to knock them back down. Notable examples include such stars as Paul Gascgoigne and David Beckham as both have lived out their lives under the watchful eye of the media.
However it is becoming increasingly evident that this attitude is filtering down from the media and into society in general.
This is no more evident than in the case of Tom Daley.
On the face of it Daley appears to have it all. A competitor in the Beijing Olympics at 14, he recently became Britain's youngest World Champion in any sport after winning the recent World Diving Championships held in Rome.
As it turns out, though, his success has brought with it great difficulty, culminating in him being removed from his school after suffering persistent bullying at the hands of his classmates.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph Daley said: "It began with 'Speedo Boy', then 'Diver Boy', and that was ok, but then the younger kids started doing it too. I wasn't upset, just annoyed that I couldn't go anywhere without being hassled. It then graduated to things like 'How much are your legs worth?Shall I break them for you?' and I was getting pencil cases, rolls of masking tape and other stuff lobbed at me. By the end they were deliberately tripping me up."
It is a sad state of affairs that such a talented young man has become such a victim of his own astonishing success.
We are just lucky that he is able to rise above the lousy behaviour of his peers, surely motivated by jealousy at what Daley has already achieved in such a short time.
Fortunately, though, his passion for divind remains undimmed as he focuses on more success in the future.
"I may have just won gold, but thinking about what you've done doesn't get you anywhere. As far as diving goes, I'm back to square one, and three years of hard work for 2012."

Schumacher back in town

Comebacks in sport have been a hot topic of conversation in 2009 ever since Lance Armstrong returned to the cycling peloton after an absence of three years.
However anybody who knows anything about Armstrong wouldn't have been too surprised when he announced his comeback. He has a competitive instinct, so deeply ingrained in his character, that couldn't be fulfilled running marathons and working for his fantastic charity, Livestrong.
However the comeback of Michael Schumacher to the Formula One grid is one that has shocked the world of sport.
Schumacher and Armstrong are undoubtedly cut from the same competitive cloth with both having an amazing desire to be the very best at what they do.
Despite this, though, it always seemed highly unlikely that we would ever see Schumacher behind the wheel of a Ferrari again.
Many people said when he left the sport in 2006 it was so his good friend Felipe Massa wouldn't lose his seat with Kimi Raikonnen set to join the team for the 2007 season.
It therefore seemed unlikely that Schumacher would ever be needed by Ferrari again with Raikonnen winning the world title in 2007 and Felipe Massa missing his world title dream by a breath to Lewis Hamilton in 2008.
With Fernando Alonso widely expected to join the team in either 2009 or 2010 it seemed Schumacher could look forward to a comfortable retirement and a job for life as an adviser to the team.
All that changed, though, when part of Rubens Barrichello's car flew into the face of Massa during qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix which resulted in a fracture of Massa's skull.
Who else could step in but the man widely regarded as the greatest man ever to get behind the wheel of an F1 car.
But just what is he capable of after a three year sabbatical from the sport?
There is no doubt that in recent races the standard of the Ferrari's car has been improving, most evident in the last race with Raikonnen coming home in second place, and the team will surely make further improvements to satisfy the high standards that will surely be demanded by Schumacher.
Can he win a race this year? Probably not. The Red Bulls are dominant and Brawn GP are more than capable of a resurgence as the season draws to a close.
However with seven races to go he could have a massive part to play in the destination of the 2009 World Title.
Schumacher was a truly great driver. I look forward to the old magic dazzling Formula One fans for the rest of the season.

Beckham content in the shadows

The recent England games were notable for the praising of the performance of players such as Wayne Rooney and Glen Johnson who are undoubtedly starting to come of age under Fabio Capello’s new look England regime.
However one player who went very much under the radar was the man who has dominated the headlines on both the front and back pages for the last ten years: David Beckham. Picked to play against Andorra in the place of the suspended Gareth Barry, the AC Milan man turned in a tidy performance.
For all the criticism that Beckham has received over the years he has undoubtedly become a fantastic ambassador for his country. He is quite happy to bide his time, uncomplaining when he finds himself reduced to five minute cameos for his country.
Beckham loves playing for England. He gives it everything he has and will continue to do so until Fabio Capello tells him enough is enough.
Unlike players such as Jamie Carragher, David Beckham will never turn his back on his country. If every England player showed as much effort, skill and commitment as he has over the years there would be more trophies and less dust in the England trophy cabinet.

Something to prove

For the first time in his managerial career Jose Mourinho goes into a pre season campaign finding himself very much under pressure in his role as manager of Inter Milan. No longer is he renowned around the world as the next great young manager, but has found himself usurped by the inspirational leadership skills of Pep Guardiola at Barcelona.
Instead he is quickly gaining a reputation for building, dull methodical teams, who whilst winning trophies, don’t win any friends.
In fact since Mourinho went to Italy he has done his very best to make himself as unpopular as possible, clashing with fans, managers, players and the media. He won the league but came short in the Champions League. That is another blot on his copybook. Inter signed him to win the European Cup and the fact was they didn’t even come close. The only reason they continue to win Serie A year after year is due more to the failings of the other teams around them than anything done by Inter Milan.
Next year Inter need to continue to dominate Serie A and need to show some form of improvement in the Champions League, but what’s more they need to do it in a style that Mourinho has previously shown himself to be unaccustomed to.
If not Mourinho will find himself shipped out of Milan with his tail between his legs and looking for another job.
It is time the so called ‘Special One’ started to justify his own hype.

Power to inspire

It is beyond reasonable doubt that the vast majority of sport’s films present in today’s society get an extremely bad press and rightly so. When I think of bad sports films I immediately think of the mediocre ‘Goal!’ films that have been in circulation in recent years. There have been many others aswell. Rocky III and Rocky V will forever remain etched in my memory as two of the worst sport’s films I have ever seen.
However, for every bad sports film there are undoubtedly some very fine ones. I was a big fan of the original Mighty Ducks film, aswell as enjoying films such as Raging Bull and the more recently made Friday Night Lights. A film about sport has a way to inspire perhaps like no other genre of film. There is one particular film that stands out for me above all others and that is Any Given Sunday. Despite it’s stellar cast including Al Pacino, Dennis Quaid, Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz it is a film that has gone very much under the radar.
The scene that makes this film great for me is just before the team go out and try and win the Superbowl. Al Pacino, who takes on the role of the downtrodden coach in the film, makes I think one of the finest and most inspiring movie speeches of all time in an attempt to motivate his players. Enjoy.


I don't know what to say really.
Three minutes
to the biggest battle of our professional lives
all comes down to today.
Either
we heal
as a team
or we are going to crumble.
Inch by inch
play by play
till we're finished.
We are in hell right now, gentlemen
believe me
and
we can stay here
and get the shit kicked out of us
or
we can fight our way
back into the light.
We can climb out of hell.
One inch, at a time.

Now I can't do it for you.
I'm too old.
I look around and I see these young faces
and I think
I mean
I made every wrong choice a middle age man could make.
I uh....
I pissed away all my money
believe it or not.
I chased off
anyone who has ever loved me.
And lately,
I can't even stand the face I see in the mirror.

You know when you get old in life
things get taken from you.
That's, that's part of life.
But,
you only learn that when you start losing stuff.
You find out that life is just a game of inches.
So is football.
Because in either game
life or football
the margin for error is so small.
I mean
one half step too late or to early
you don't quite make it.
One half second too slow or too fast
and you don't quite catch it.
The inches we need are everywhere around us.
They are in ever break of the game
every minute, every second.

On this team, we fight for that inch
On this team, we tear ourselves, and everyone around us
to pieces for that inch.
We CLAW with our finger nails for that inch.
Cause we know
when we add up all those inches
that's going to make the fucking difference
between WINNING and LOSING
between LIVING and DYING.

I'll tell you this
in any fight
it is the guy who is willing to die
who is going to win that inch.
And I know
if I am going to have any life anymore
it is because, I am still willing to fight, and die for that inch
because that is what LIVING is.
The six inches in front of your face.

Now I can't make you do it.
You gotta look at the guy next to you.
Look into his eyes.
Now I think you are going to see a guy who will go that inch with you.
You are going to see a guy
who will sacrifice himself for this team
because he knows when it comes down to it,
you are gonna do the same thing for him.

That's a team, gentlemen
and either we heal now, as a team,
or we will die as individuals.
That's football guys.
That's all it is.
Now, whattaya gonna do?

Ronaldo release to rejuvenate Rooney

Amidst all the headlines this morning about Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Manchester United for Real Madrid it comes as no coincidence to me that United have accepted the offer on the back of two outstanding performances from England's very own boy wonder Wayne Rooney.
For the past two or three seasons now Rooney has been forced to sit back and watch as Ronaldo has accumulated glory, headlines and personal accolades as Manchester United completed global domination of the game. Rooney, being the selfless character that he is, has willingly sacrificed himself for the good of the team, to allow the Portugese genius,to take centre stage. And no matter what anybody says about Ronaldo there can be no denying that he is the greatest foreign footballer to ever grace the Premier League stage. He has dazzled with his skills and goals, which were even more impressive coming on the back of the controversial incident with Rooney at the last World Cup.
However it has now become evidently clear that it is time for Ronaldo to move on. He has achieved everything he possibly can in the English game and the lure of Madrid is too much for a young man who grew up supporting the team. What is also clear is that despite concerns that Madrid are reverting to their former 'Galactico' era is that they could be on the verge of something very, very special and Ronaldo does not want to miss out on this.
What worried Manchester United fans must remember though, is that they have the greatest manager in the history of the game and that nobody leaves Old Trafford without the say so of the manager. With the £80 million they will receieve for Ronaldo the club will be able to secure the services of Carlos Teves and possibly lure Karim Benzema and Frank Ribery to the Theatre of Dreams and also buy the high quality holding midfielder they desperately crave in the continued absence of Owen Hargreaves.
The most important thing about the whole move is that Rooney can finally be let off his leash. For too long he has been forced out to the left, with defensive duties a key aspect of his role, preventing him from doing the damage higher up the pitch.
With Rooney playing back in his central role, it might not be too long before the working class lad from Liverpool usurps the Portugese superstar as the greatest footballer in the world.

Today saw history made in the world of professional sport as Roger Federer became the first man since Andre Agassi in 1999 to complete the full set of Grand Slam tournaments, and equal Pete Sampras’ record of Grand Slam titles.
In my mind, and that of other sports fans this undoubtedly places him above the shoulders of all the others and elevates him to the pantheon of the greatest male tennis player in the history of the game.
It seems that everytime Federer plays now he etches his name further into the history of the game.
However it is not the records and the amount of trophies racked up that makes him the most revered player to ever swing a racket. I, for one, think that Rafael Nadal will break every record Federer has ever set as long as he manages to stay fit and healthy, though his latest knee injury shows that this may not be possible. It is the way that the Swiss maestro plays that sets him apart from the rest. He plays with such a grace and elegance that is no longer seen in the modern game today. Players such as Nadal, Murray and Djokovic are counter punchers, who play from the baseline and wait for their opponent to make a mistake. Federer takes the game to his opponents and does so with such style that he has become a joy to watch.
After today’s victory it makes a mockery of those who said that he was finished as a player. He has played in the last five Grand Slam finals, winning two of them. Not bad for someone who is over the hill.
So now onto Wimbledon and the one that Federer really wants. Losing his title last year hurt him more than anything else in his career. He wants his title back. Only a fool would bet against him.