As the late great Sid Waddell would have said in the commentary box- There's only one word for that- magic darts!.
The Geordie voice of darts would have been almost lost for words this year if he had still been around to commentate on the major PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) tournaments this year. That's because one man like so many other years, Phil Taylor, has simply been too good almost of all of the time for his darting rivals.
Whilst Andy Murray will surely walk away with the award for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2013 after his memorable Wimbledon triumph, Phil Taylor is more than deserving of a nomination for a third time. He was nominated in 2006 and 2010 and in the latter year he secured a memorable and richly deserved second place.
However, the thing is that remarkably after over 20 years at the top, 'The Power' as he's affectionately known looks to be in the form of his life at 53 years old having won all but two of the Major titles in the darting circuit this year. Over the last few months in particular, nobody has been able to get near him even when they are playing their best.
Before anyone shudders at the thought of darts being recognised at the Sports personality of the year award, darts has been officially categorised as a sport since 2005 by all the Sporting Councils in the UK and as pointed out, Taylor has already been nominated twice before by the esteemed panel who decide the Sports Personality shortlist.
The criteria for this years BBC award sets out three clear categories to decide their 12 person shortlist. It will reflect UK Sporting achievements on the national/international stage, it will represent the breadth and depth of UK sports and it would take into account the impact over and beyond the sport/sporting achievement in question.
Now in my eyes, Taylor clearly ticks all the boxes for this year for the judges. He started off the year by winning the pinnacle title in his sport, the World Championships for a remarkable 16th time by beating young Dutchman Michael Van Gerwen in the final, 7-4. That comeback from 4-2 down in the final on New Years Day seemed to give 'The Power' the surge to go and dominate the 2013 world of darts.
Since then he has won the World Cup of Darts, with Adrian Lewis, the UK Open, the World Matchplay, the Sydney Masters, the World Grand Prix, the Championship League, The Masters and yesterday, the Grand Slam of Darts.
Only Michael Van Gerwen by beating him in the Premier League Final and Ronny Huybrechts by inflicting a shock 10-5 defeat on him in the second round of the European Championships in July (Taylor's last televised defeat) have stopped him claiming a clean sweep of the 2013 PDC titles.
It's not just his sheer desire to win or the sheer consistency, it is Taylor's utter domination of top, top quality darts players in all these tournaments. If this was Lionel Messi, Roger Federer, Usain Bolt or Tiger Woods, Taylor would be the talk of offices, pubs and text messages across the land. But darts still struggles to transcend stereotypes unfortunately despite Taylor and others incredible efforts.
Just look at those final wins. He won the UK Open beating former World Finalist and world number five Andy Hamilton 11-4. He beat Adrian Lewis 18-13 in the Matchplay final averaging a record 111.23 for each three darts thrown. He thrashed Lewis, the two time world champion 10-1 in The Masters in Edinburgh. Van Gerwen was demolished 10-3 in the Sydney Masters and 10-3 in the Championship League Final.
Former World Finalist and a man who knocked him out of the world Championships in 2012, Dave Chisnall only managed to get one leg off him in a 6-0 sets thrashing at the World Grand Prix. And last night he thumped Scotland's Robert Thornton 16-6 at the Grand Slam, having managed to defeat Lewis in the semi-finals earlier in the day, despite Lewis averaging 111 and hitting 18 180's.
You have to wonder where this run will end. At 53 years old, Taylor is a multi-millionaire who has won over 200 tournaments, including 80 majors. Yet everytime he steps up to the oche he wants to win. Somewhat bizarrely names like Eric Bristow (perhaps helped by an appearance in the I'm a Celebrity jungle last year), Jocky Wilson and John Lowe are still more revered than Taylor, but they wouldn't have got near Taylor in this form.
Taylor is a true master of his sport. As soon as the latest young 'upstart' arrives on the scene whether it be Van Gerwen, Lewis or even more experienced rivals like Raymond Van Barneveld or John Part, the man from Stoke-on-Trent makes it his mission to take them down and he has being doing so for the best part of almost 25 years now.
For his longevity, dominance and putting darts on the map as a global game which is played to pack arenas, Phil Taylor is more than worthy of getting a nomination for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2013 when the shortlist is revealed next Tuesday night on The One Show.
Monday 18 November 2013
Wednesday 13 November 2013
Why Kenny Shiels would be a perfect fit for Inverness
With Terry Butcher finally being unveiled as Hibs manager yesterday, the Highland club are now on the search for a new manager.
It won't be an easy task replacing the Englishman who leaves Inverness Caledonian Thistle sitting second in the Scottish Premiership and with a second successive League Cup Semi Final against Hearts to look forward to in February.
However, the answer for Inverness could lie with a manager that was tipped at first to take over from Pat Fenlon at Hibs- Kenny Shiels. The Northern Irishman has been out of work since being controversially sacked by Kilmarnock in June but he has been keen to get back into a job and is surely more than capable of keeping Inverness flying high.
Butcher was a man who got the best out of his players by instilling a great team spirit within the dressing room and Shiels did likewise at Kilmarnock. He led the club to a memorable League Cup triumph in 2012, which was the clubs first trophy in 15 years and somewhat impressively, it was done without conceding a goal. And since 1997, only Livingston and Hibs had won the trophy outside the Old Firm duo, showing how hard it is for a smaller club like Kilmarnock to come through the pack.
Shiels also loved to play good passing football at Kilmarnock, something Butcher's players got well used under him. At home in particular Caley Thistle were strong under Butcher, winning five out of their six home games this season. Whilst Shiels only led Kilmarnock to five home wins last season, that shouldn't put Inverness off. This group of players have shown they have a will to win and will believe in Shiels's philosophy and tactics of quick passing and pressing high up the pitch.
And last season did include a memorable win over Celtic, Kilmarnock's first since 1955 at Parkhead. And Shiels also led Kilmarnock to two wins over Rangers during his tenure, showing that he doesn't have any fears of leading smaller teams out against the Glasgow giants, just like Butcher did during his reign in the Highlands. I'm not sure I can imagine the defensively minded Craig Levein doing that or former Caley boss John Robertson either who are also contenders for the hotseat.
Terry Butcher was a manager who somewhat surprisingly came to absolutely adore life in the Highlands and showed this when he turned down a move to Barnsley earlier this year. If Shiels's reign in Kilmarnock is anything to go by then he would do the exact same. There are reasons outwith football as to why a significant section of Kilmarnock fans want Shiels back- it's mainly because in his own words 'he fell in love with the club'.
Sometimes, this admittedly went over the score but on the whole I didn't think Shiels did anything wrong in his passionate backing for the club, the town and the community. Infact, more managers should be like Shiels and Butcher and make sure their clubs are represented positively in the press. Shiels even went as far as saying his clubs League Cup triumph in 2012 made his side the club of the year, despite Celtic reaching the last 16 of the Champions League.
Agree or disagree with his comments, Shiels once again was showing his love for the club and you can well imagine him saying things about Inverness's budget and how they are miles away from the hub of the Central belt of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Again, would a Levein, Robertson or even Paul Hartley be as outspoken as Shiels?
For me Shiels ticks most, if not all the boxes if Inverness want to continue their remarkable rise up the top league in the future. Inverness Chairman Kenny Cameron should be ringing Shiels's number without any hesitation.
It won't be an easy task replacing the Englishman who leaves Inverness Caledonian Thistle sitting second in the Scottish Premiership and with a second successive League Cup Semi Final against Hearts to look forward to in February.
However, the answer for Inverness could lie with a manager that was tipped at first to take over from Pat Fenlon at Hibs- Kenny Shiels. The Northern Irishman has been out of work since being controversially sacked by Kilmarnock in June but he has been keen to get back into a job and is surely more than capable of keeping Inverness flying high.
Butcher was a man who got the best out of his players by instilling a great team spirit within the dressing room and Shiels did likewise at Kilmarnock. He led the club to a memorable League Cup triumph in 2012, which was the clubs first trophy in 15 years and somewhat impressively, it was done without conceding a goal. And since 1997, only Livingston and Hibs had won the trophy outside the Old Firm duo, showing how hard it is for a smaller club like Kilmarnock to come through the pack.
Shiels also loved to play good passing football at Kilmarnock, something Butcher's players got well used under him. At home in particular Caley Thistle were strong under Butcher, winning five out of their six home games this season. Whilst Shiels only led Kilmarnock to five home wins last season, that shouldn't put Inverness off. This group of players have shown they have a will to win and will believe in Shiels's philosophy and tactics of quick passing and pressing high up the pitch.
And last season did include a memorable win over Celtic, Kilmarnock's first since 1955 at Parkhead. And Shiels also led Kilmarnock to two wins over Rangers during his tenure, showing that he doesn't have any fears of leading smaller teams out against the Glasgow giants, just like Butcher did during his reign in the Highlands. I'm not sure I can imagine the defensively minded Craig Levein doing that or former Caley boss John Robertson either who are also contenders for the hotseat.
Terry Butcher was a manager who somewhat surprisingly came to absolutely adore life in the Highlands and showed this when he turned down a move to Barnsley earlier this year. If Shiels's reign in Kilmarnock is anything to go by then he would do the exact same. There are reasons outwith football as to why a significant section of Kilmarnock fans want Shiels back- it's mainly because in his own words 'he fell in love with the club'.
Sometimes, this admittedly went over the score but on the whole I didn't think Shiels did anything wrong in his passionate backing for the club, the town and the community. Infact, more managers should be like Shiels and Butcher and make sure their clubs are represented positively in the press. Shiels even went as far as saying his clubs League Cup triumph in 2012 made his side the club of the year, despite Celtic reaching the last 16 of the Champions League.
Agree or disagree with his comments, Shiels once again was showing his love for the club and you can well imagine him saying things about Inverness's budget and how they are miles away from the hub of the Central belt of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Again, would a Levein, Robertson or even Paul Hartley be as outspoken as Shiels?
For me Shiels ticks most, if not all the boxes if Inverness want to continue their remarkable rise up the top league in the future. Inverness Chairman Kenny Cameron should be ringing Shiels's number without any hesitation.
Sunday 3 November 2013
The final fling: A preview of the ATP World Tour Finals
The world's eight best male tennis players (minus Andy Murray) will be at the 02 Arena in London this week as they compete in the end of season world tour finals.
Murray's absence shouldn't put British tennis fans off as this will be a week full of high quality tennis with lots of interesting sub-plots along the way.
Novak Djokovic will be looking to prove that he is still the best in the world, whilst Rafael Nadal will be looking to win the event for the first time. Can Roger Federer have one final swansong or will Juan Martin Del Potro continue his recent superb form?
With that in mind, let's look at the two groups of four who'll be lining up in the UK capital.
Group A:
Rafael Nadal ( Seed 1). Who could have predicted this time last year that Nadal would be lining up in London as World Number One and the man to beat? You'd have been a brave individual to bet on that. But here we are with Nadal having won two more grand slams this year (the French Open and the US Open) as well as Masters titles in Indian Wells, Rome, Madrid, Toronto and Cincinnati.
He might have lost to David Ferrer in the semi-finals in Paris yesterday, but Nadal will be very happy with his draw. He lines up against three players he has had the beating of on a regular basis over the years.
He has 20 wins out of 25 matches against David Ferrer, 16 wins out of 19 against Tomas Berdych and a perfect 11 wins out of 11 against Stanislas Wawrinka and will be big favourite to top this group.
David Ferrer (Seed 3): Nadal's fellow Spaniard has had something of a breakthrough year in 2013, particularly when he reached his first Grand Slam final at the French Open in June, before losing to that man Nadal.
He also reached a career high ranking of world number three and every player knows they are going to be in a battle with Ferrer when they take him on, no matter the surface. Slightly worrying for Ferrer is that despite reaching nine finals this year, he has only won two and they were both at the start of the year.
More positively, he has a winning record against both Berdych (7-3) and Wawrinka (7-4) so he'll fancy his chances of getting through the group.
Tomas Berdych (Seed 5) The Czech big-hitter is another consistent performer, but the question is- can he challenge the likes of Nadal and Djokovic at the very top here? He has hardly been handed a kind draw with losing records against all players (his 5-7 record against Wawrinka rounding out a poor sequence), but this is his fourth consecutive world tour finals appearance.
Berdych proved at Wimbledon in 2010 that he can beat the best as he enjoyed wins over Federer in the quarters and Djokovic in the semis before losing to Nadal in the final. However, that was over three years ago and you can't say he's kicked on since then. And even Wawrinka could pose a big threat to his chances since the Swiss star beat him at the US Open in August.
Stan Wawrinka (Seed 7) Wawrinka's performances since the summer have been sensational, enabling him to compete in his first World Tour Finals. He showed signs in January that he might finally be stepping out of countryman's Roger Federer's shadow, when he forced Novak Djokovic into a five hour, five set epic at the Australian Open, but he really delivered at the US Open when he beat Berdych, before thrashing Murray in the quarter finals.
And he arguably should have defeated Djokovic in his first ever grand slam semi-final when he had a two sets to one lead. The belief is there now with Wawrinka and whilst he might have prefered a group without Nadal, he can nick in to take the second spot away from the fancied Ferrer.
Prediction
1. Nadal
2. Wawrinka
3. Ferrer
4. Berdych
Group B
Novak Djokovic (Seed 2) Last years winner Djokovic has been drawn in a tough group, but the Serb has never been a player to shirk a challenge. He might have lost his number one ranking to Nadal, but there can be no denying he's still had a good year.
He became the first man in the 'Open Era' to win three consecutive Australian Opens when he defeated Murray in January and he also made the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open.
Add in Masters titles in Monte Carlo and Shanghai as well as a French Open semi-final, the Serb has hardly hit a crisis by falling to number two in the world. He might have a losing record against Federer, but would always be big favourite to beat him nowadays whilst against Del Potro he has a record of 10 wins in 13 matches and against Richard Gasquet, it's nine wins from 10 meetings. Like Nadal, I expect the top seed to top the group.
Juan Martin Del Potro (Seed 4) The Argentinian is slowly reproducing his best form and says himself he is playing his best tennis since 2009, when he won the US Open and reached the final of this event.
He has again been hampered somewhat with injuries again this year, causing him to miss the French Open whilst he suffered early exits at both the Australian and US Opens. However, he was brilliant at Wimbledon, pushing Djokovic all the way in a five set thriller in the semis and in recent weeks he has been in great form. He has won titles in Switzerland and Japan as well as reaching a final in China.
His huge forehand and sheer presence of being 6 foot 6 make him my darkhorse to go all the way in London.
Roger Federer (Seed 6) The 17 times record slam winner may have qualified for a 12th consecutive end of season final event, but there can be no doubting he is not as good as he used to be. If you exclude his Wimbledon triumph of last year, he is without a slam since 2010 and has fallen to number six in the world.
Players simply don't fear him anymore and that can be typified by his defeats to Murray, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Tommy Robredo and the unheralded Sergiy Stakhovsky in the Grand Slams of 2013. Indeed, this is the first year Federer failed to reach a slam final since 2002 and his body is definitely slowing down.
He is still capable of moments of magic as he proved last week when he came from a set down to beat Del Potro in Paris, but those days are becoming rarer and rarer and he has only won one title this season.
Djokovic and Del Potro will prove too strong for Federer, so it will be a group stage exit for the fans favourite.
Richard Gasquet (Seed 8) Gasquet will be going out to prove to critics that he isn't simply there to make up the numbers this week. The Frenchman is in London on merit having won three titles this year and he reached the US Open semi finals.
His single-handed backhand is one to behold (like Federer's and Wawrinka's too) and in a shorter format, he can be a danger to anyone. However, with a combined four wins against his three group stage opponents, it's hard to see how Gasquet can get out of the group.
His mental ability can also be called into question, so he'll need to be at his very best to beat three superb players.
Prediction
1. Djokovic
2. Del Potro
3. Federer
4. Gasquet
It all starts tomorrow at 2pm with Berdych and Wawrinka getting things underway before Del Potro and Gasquet take to the court at 8pm. Then on Tuesday it's the ties of Nadal V Ferrer and Djokovic V Federer.
Murray's absence shouldn't put British tennis fans off as this will be a week full of high quality tennis with lots of interesting sub-plots along the way.
Novak Djokovic will be looking to prove that he is still the best in the world, whilst Rafael Nadal will be looking to win the event for the first time. Can Roger Federer have one final swansong or will Juan Martin Del Potro continue his recent superb form?
With that in mind, let's look at the two groups of four who'll be lining up in the UK capital.
Group A:
Rafael Nadal ( Seed 1). Who could have predicted this time last year that Nadal would be lining up in London as World Number One and the man to beat? You'd have been a brave individual to bet on that. But here we are with Nadal having won two more grand slams this year (the French Open and the US Open) as well as Masters titles in Indian Wells, Rome, Madrid, Toronto and Cincinnati.
He might have lost to David Ferrer in the semi-finals in Paris yesterday, but Nadal will be very happy with his draw. He lines up against three players he has had the beating of on a regular basis over the years.
He has 20 wins out of 25 matches against David Ferrer, 16 wins out of 19 against Tomas Berdych and a perfect 11 wins out of 11 against Stanislas Wawrinka and will be big favourite to top this group.
David Ferrer (Seed 3): Nadal's fellow Spaniard has had something of a breakthrough year in 2013, particularly when he reached his first Grand Slam final at the French Open in June, before losing to that man Nadal.
He also reached a career high ranking of world number three and every player knows they are going to be in a battle with Ferrer when they take him on, no matter the surface. Slightly worrying for Ferrer is that despite reaching nine finals this year, he has only won two and they were both at the start of the year.
More positively, he has a winning record against both Berdych (7-3) and Wawrinka (7-4) so he'll fancy his chances of getting through the group.
Tomas Berdych (Seed 5) The Czech big-hitter is another consistent performer, but the question is- can he challenge the likes of Nadal and Djokovic at the very top here? He has hardly been handed a kind draw with losing records against all players (his 5-7 record against Wawrinka rounding out a poor sequence), but this is his fourth consecutive world tour finals appearance.
Berdych proved at Wimbledon in 2010 that he can beat the best as he enjoyed wins over Federer in the quarters and Djokovic in the semis before losing to Nadal in the final. However, that was over three years ago and you can't say he's kicked on since then. And even Wawrinka could pose a big threat to his chances since the Swiss star beat him at the US Open in August.
Stan Wawrinka (Seed 7) Wawrinka's performances since the summer have been sensational, enabling him to compete in his first World Tour Finals. He showed signs in January that he might finally be stepping out of countryman's Roger Federer's shadow, when he forced Novak Djokovic into a five hour, five set epic at the Australian Open, but he really delivered at the US Open when he beat Berdych, before thrashing Murray in the quarter finals.
And he arguably should have defeated Djokovic in his first ever grand slam semi-final when he had a two sets to one lead. The belief is there now with Wawrinka and whilst he might have prefered a group without Nadal, he can nick in to take the second spot away from the fancied Ferrer.
Prediction
1. Nadal
2. Wawrinka
3. Ferrer
4. Berdych
Group B
Novak Djokovic (Seed 2) Last years winner Djokovic has been drawn in a tough group, but the Serb has never been a player to shirk a challenge. He might have lost his number one ranking to Nadal, but there can be no denying he's still had a good year.
He became the first man in the 'Open Era' to win three consecutive Australian Opens when he defeated Murray in January and he also made the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open.
Add in Masters titles in Monte Carlo and Shanghai as well as a French Open semi-final, the Serb has hardly hit a crisis by falling to number two in the world. He might have a losing record against Federer, but would always be big favourite to beat him nowadays whilst against Del Potro he has a record of 10 wins in 13 matches and against Richard Gasquet, it's nine wins from 10 meetings. Like Nadal, I expect the top seed to top the group.
Juan Martin Del Potro (Seed 4) The Argentinian is slowly reproducing his best form and says himself he is playing his best tennis since 2009, when he won the US Open and reached the final of this event.
He has again been hampered somewhat with injuries again this year, causing him to miss the French Open whilst he suffered early exits at both the Australian and US Opens. However, he was brilliant at Wimbledon, pushing Djokovic all the way in a five set thriller in the semis and in recent weeks he has been in great form. He has won titles in Switzerland and Japan as well as reaching a final in China.
His huge forehand and sheer presence of being 6 foot 6 make him my darkhorse to go all the way in London.
Roger Federer (Seed 6) The 17 times record slam winner may have qualified for a 12th consecutive end of season final event, but there can be no doubting he is not as good as he used to be. If you exclude his Wimbledon triumph of last year, he is without a slam since 2010 and has fallen to number six in the world.
Players simply don't fear him anymore and that can be typified by his defeats to Murray, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Tommy Robredo and the unheralded Sergiy Stakhovsky in the Grand Slams of 2013. Indeed, this is the first year Federer failed to reach a slam final since 2002 and his body is definitely slowing down.
He is still capable of moments of magic as he proved last week when he came from a set down to beat Del Potro in Paris, but those days are becoming rarer and rarer and he has only won one title this season.
Djokovic and Del Potro will prove too strong for Federer, so it will be a group stage exit for the fans favourite.
Richard Gasquet (Seed 8) Gasquet will be going out to prove to critics that he isn't simply there to make up the numbers this week. The Frenchman is in London on merit having won three titles this year and he reached the US Open semi finals.
His single-handed backhand is one to behold (like Federer's and Wawrinka's too) and in a shorter format, he can be a danger to anyone. However, with a combined four wins against his three group stage opponents, it's hard to see how Gasquet can get out of the group.
His mental ability can also be called into question, so he'll need to be at his very best to beat three superb players.
Prediction
1. Djokovic
2. Del Potro
3. Federer
4. Gasquet
It all starts tomorrow at 2pm with Berdych and Wawrinka getting things underway before Del Potro and Gasquet take to the court at 8pm. Then on Tuesday it's the ties of Nadal V Ferrer and Djokovic V Federer.
Thursday 17 October 2013
Who's Going to Make the 2014 European Ryder Cup Team?
The race for the twelve available spots on the European Ryder Cup team has begun in earnest and the event at Gleneagles, starting on 26th September next year will be here before we know it.
With that in mind, as it stands this would be my twelve men to make up the team and give Europe the strongest chance of retaining the trophy once again.
Ian Poulter (England)
The first name on any European Ryder Cup team sheet from now until his bones give up. His performances at Medinah in last years edition were simply out of this world. Poulter lives for this event and his passion lifts his teammates ten-fold. Even if Poulter doesn't make it in automatically, then captain Paul McGinley simply must pick him. He would be on the backfoot right from the start if he chose not to.
Henrik Stenson (Sweden)
The big Swede has been in sensational form in the latter half of 2013 and if he keeps those sort of performances up he'll be a shoo-in for the team. Winner of the Tour Championship and the Fed Ex Cup last month, Stenson has rocketed to number four in the world and also managed top three finishes at The Open and the PGA Championship in the summer. Blessed with a superbly long driving game, Stenson would be eager to impress in his first Ryder Cup since 2008.
Lee Westwood (Eng)
With McGinley being a relatively young Ryder Cup captain at the age of 47 (when the event starts), Westwood will provide a hugely experienced voice in the players room. 2014 would be the Englishman's ninth successive Ryder Cup appearance and whilst his putting can be erratic to put it mildly, he is a superb leadout man- much in the way Colin Montgomerie became in his later appearances in the competition.
Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland)
Whilst McIlroy has suffered a remarkably bad 2013, I cannot imagine the team next year lining up without him. On his day, he is the greatest player in the world and the great thing for captain McGinley is that he doesn't fear any of the Americans. He will surely bounce back next year (he's too good not to) and make sure of his place at Gleneagles.
Justin Rose (England)
This years US Open champion has matured into a tremendous golfer. Long gone are the days of missed cut after missed cut. The Englishman is now a threat in every tournament he plays in and with his fantastic all-round game, particularly from tee to green, he will be a superb asset for the European side. Infact, bar Poulter I'd say he's the one player the Americans wish was on their side.
Sergio Garcia (Spain)
Much like that man Poulter, Garcia lives for this competition. He might still yearn to win an overdue Major title, but nothing quite gets the Spaniard's fires burning as loudly as the Ryder Cup. A great man to have in the players room to lift spirits, he comes into his own, particularly in the foursomes.
Matteo Manassero (Italy)
I'm becoming more and more convinced that the young Italian will be lining up for his debut Ryder Cup appearance next year. He was superb in winning the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in May and was equally impressive in the recent Seve Trophy event, which would have done his Ryder Cup chances no harm. And for the matchplay format, he also happens to have a brilliant short game which is a bonus.
Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium)
Whilst Ian Poulter was the main hero of Medinah, the Belgian's remarkable effort in the last Friday afternoon fourball match to gain Europe a point shouldn't be forgotten. He played round in ten under par leading partner Lee Westwood to effectively say he had carried him through the match. His driving length makes him a superb weapon to have on your side and the fact that he is a former winner of the Volvo World Matchplay ticks another box in my eyes.
Paul Casey (England)
Isn't it wonderful to see Casey back in some sort of form? Once he was the world number three, before personal and physical problems saw him take a tumbling down the rankings. But a win at the Irish Open in the summer boosted his confidence, and slowly but surely he is showing the form that enabled him to tee up in this event three times before. The fact that he has won at Gleneagles and has a good record in Matchplay events gives him more than a fighting chance of making the team.
Stephen Gallacher (Scotland)
I must admit to a vested interest in this selection- I'm good friends with Gallacher's nephew and as a result I would be delighted to see him tee it up at Gleneagles. That being said, Gallacher is more than capable of being a key player for Europe. A winner already this season in Dubai, he was also 2nd in the Johnnie Walker Championships (at a certain Gleneagles) and tied 3rd on Sunday in Portugal. With his extremely natural ball striking and consistent record around Gleneagles, he could be a secret weapon for Team Europe next year.
Martin Kaymer (Germany)
The man who holed the winning putt in Medinah last year is not the golfer he once was but he remains supremely talented. He is an intelligent golfer who when on form can blow away the opposition. The German also seems to like Scottish courses, winning the Scottish Open in 2009 as well as picking up fine results at St Andrews in the past few years.
Luke Donald (England)
Let me state on record, Donald is in this team by the skin of his teeth. He has had a pretty miserable 2013 by anyone's standards and will really need to buck up his ideas if he wants to ensure he makes a fifth Ryder Cup appearance. So why is he in right now? Two reasons- he's still a phenomenal putter and when looking at this team, he could partner up with just about any of them.
There is great strength in depth in European golf right now, so it was tough narrowing it down to a dozen. A certain Northern Irishman who holed the winning putt in 2010 has some work to do though for me...
Thursday 12 September 2013
I've Caught The Scotland National Team Bug Again
As I watched Scotland defeat Macedonia 2-1 on Tuesday night, a strange feeling came over me. I was suddenly nervous about winning the game and getting three points, despite Scotland's World Cup qualification chances having long since ended. I cared about the Scotland national team again.
Since Scotland agonisingly lost 2-1 to Italy in an attempt to qualify for Euro 2008, in November 2007 I have really struggled to conjure up much interest in caring about how Scotland did as a footballing nation. That's how much enthusiasm was drained from me during the reigns of both George Burley and Craig Levein.
Sure there were moments over those years where I celebrated with every Scotland fan like beating Iceland twice under Burley or drawing level with Spain under Levein at Hampden. However, by the end of each of the aforementioned bosses I had given up and very much become a club focused man.
And this was tinged with sadness. Growing up I had always struck a balance between my club (Rangers) and my country. I remember as a young lad getting kitted out ready to watch Scotland kick off the 1998 World Cup against Brazil. I cheered beating England at Wembley, was delighted when we beat Holland and celebrated wildly those two brilliant wins over France.
But it wasn't just the fact that the reigns of Burley and Levein were bad. They were catastrophically demoralising for national morale and I can vividly remember when it came to breaking point in both their reigns. For Burley, it was the 4-0 hammering in Norway. I didn't even care that we beat Macedonia three weeks later after that result. For Levein, there were endless moments but the final, final straw was the 0-0 draw against Serbia at the start of this doomed World Cup 2014 qualifying group. It proved I was wrong to expect different from a new campaign with the same manager in charge.
However, let's stop that negativity right now because Scotland are slowly but surely progressing under Gordon Strachan. Three wins in seven games is hardly tremendous for Gordon Strachan's CV but the signs are there that Strachan has got Scotland doing the basics right again and that's what pleases me most. Managing Scotland isn't rocket science which is something Burley and Levein failed to realise which was so frustrating as a fan.
Strachan is slowly finding a system which suits the eleven players he puts on the park. We don't have top,top players. We have some good, perhaps some very good players in the shape of Steven Fletcher, James Morrison and Shaun Maloney but we're not going to do major damage to a lot of teams. However, Strachan knows that with a bit of spirit and easy instructions Scotland are a nation that can rise again on the international arena.
Hampden should be a fortress yet we've scored two goals there in this qualifying campaign. On Tuesday night, admittedly away from home, I saw a system in which the Scottish players understood each other and players from midfield were much more willing to help out the lone striker. On a dodgy pitch Scotland passed the ball well, looked organised and scored two cracking goals. That's the way it should be home and away although with winners coming preferably earlier than two minutes from time!
Now I'm not going to get carried away but away wins over Croatia and Macedonia as well as the performance against England at Wembley should be celebrated. I've said for years Scotland have decent players, particularly in midfield.
All we needed was a manager that was a winner that could inspire them to go above their usual standards. Strachan has shown that we can compete with big nations again and the win over Macedonia was a genuine sign of progress.
Hopefully there is more to come and dare I say it, I'm looking forward to the Croatia game at Hampden next month.
Since Scotland agonisingly lost 2-1 to Italy in an attempt to qualify for Euro 2008, in November 2007 I have really struggled to conjure up much interest in caring about how Scotland did as a footballing nation. That's how much enthusiasm was drained from me during the reigns of both George Burley and Craig Levein.
Sure there were moments over those years where I celebrated with every Scotland fan like beating Iceland twice under Burley or drawing level with Spain under Levein at Hampden. However, by the end of each of the aforementioned bosses I had given up and very much become a club focused man.
And this was tinged with sadness. Growing up I had always struck a balance between my club (Rangers) and my country. I remember as a young lad getting kitted out ready to watch Scotland kick off the 1998 World Cup against Brazil. I cheered beating England at Wembley, was delighted when we beat Holland and celebrated wildly those two brilliant wins over France.
But it wasn't just the fact that the reigns of Burley and Levein were bad. They were catastrophically demoralising for national morale and I can vividly remember when it came to breaking point in both their reigns. For Burley, it was the 4-0 hammering in Norway. I didn't even care that we beat Macedonia three weeks later after that result. For Levein, there were endless moments but the final, final straw was the 0-0 draw against Serbia at the start of this doomed World Cup 2014 qualifying group. It proved I was wrong to expect different from a new campaign with the same manager in charge.
However, let's stop that negativity right now because Scotland are slowly but surely progressing under Gordon Strachan. Three wins in seven games is hardly tremendous for Gordon Strachan's CV but the signs are there that Strachan has got Scotland doing the basics right again and that's what pleases me most. Managing Scotland isn't rocket science which is something Burley and Levein failed to realise which was so frustrating as a fan.
Strachan is slowly finding a system which suits the eleven players he puts on the park. We don't have top,top players. We have some good, perhaps some very good players in the shape of Steven Fletcher, James Morrison and Shaun Maloney but we're not going to do major damage to a lot of teams. However, Strachan knows that with a bit of spirit and easy instructions Scotland are a nation that can rise again on the international arena.
Hampden should be a fortress yet we've scored two goals there in this qualifying campaign. On Tuesday night, admittedly away from home, I saw a system in which the Scottish players understood each other and players from midfield were much more willing to help out the lone striker. On a dodgy pitch Scotland passed the ball well, looked organised and scored two cracking goals. That's the way it should be home and away although with winners coming preferably earlier than two minutes from time!
Now I'm not going to get carried away but away wins over Croatia and Macedonia as well as the performance against England at Wembley should be celebrated. I've said for years Scotland have decent players, particularly in midfield.
All we needed was a manager that was a winner that could inspire them to go above their usual standards. Strachan has shown that we can compete with big nations again and the win over Macedonia was a genuine sign of progress.
Hopefully there is more to come and dare I say it, I'm looking forward to the Croatia game at Hampden next month.
Sunday 8 September 2013
Djokovic V Nadal: Who Will Emerge Triumphant in New York?
Tomorrow night will see the world's two best male tennis players go head to head in the final of the US Open for the third time in four years.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic will take on Spain's Rafael Nadal in New York just like I predicted two weeks ago here: (http://www.ewansworldofsport.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/can-andy-murray-retain-his-us-open-crown.html) and it promises to be a sensational encounter once again. As you will see from the above blog, I tipped Djokovic to win the title two weeks ago and despite some doubts I'm going to stand by that statement.
There can be no doubting Rafael Nadal is in the better form and has had the easier route to the final. He is unbeaten on hard courts this season winning three Masters Titles in Indian Wells in March and Montreal and Cincinnati last month.
Those latter two victories were all the more remarkable considering how many people had written him off (including to some extent me) after his defeat in the first round of Wimbledon to unheralded Belgian Steve Darcis.
Nadal has looked firmly back to his best on the courts of Flushing Meadows and has only dropped one set on his way to his third US Open final. In the quarter finals he thumped countryman Tommy Robredo (who had beaten Roger Federer in the previous round) for the loss of only four games before defeating Richard Gasquet with ease in last night's semi-final.
By contrast, Novak Djokovic was pushed to the limit yesterday by Andy Murray's conqueror Stanislas Wawrinka in his semi-final. After over four hours of play, Djokovic finally emerged the winner, 6-4 in the fifth set. You have to wonder how much that has taken out of the world number one, even if he has proved time and again he is a machine.
However, I think being tested like that is an advantage for Djokovic. Andy Murray can bare testament to this when he won Wimbledon in the summer. He may have put himself and millions of fans through the ringer in his quarter final against Fernando Verdasco when he had to come from two sets down to win, but this served him enormously in the long run.
And that's what Djokovic will be telling himself. He was far from his best yesterday and probably deserved to lose against Wawrinka, but he dug deep and is now in the final. He'll be brimming with confidence and keen to cement his position as World Number One over a rampant Nadal.
Another advantage Djokovic has in my eyes is his incredible level of consistency in Grand Slams. This is his third slam final of this year alone and fourth consecutive US Open final. Contrast that to Nadal, who thanks to injuries hasn't been to a slam final outwith his beloved French Open since that epic 2012 Australian Open final against Djokovic. That gives the Serbian the mental edge in my view, despite Nadal's 13 slam titles.
Furthermore, Djokovic will be spurred on by a couple of revenge factors. First of all, he'll want to regain the US Open crown he lost last year to Andy Murray in such dramatic fashion. He's loved the US Open since he arrived on the tennis world and this tournament was the first slam in which Djokovic reached the final of in 2007.
He'll also want to avenge another dramatic defeat from the last 12 months and this time it occurred against Nadal in the semi-finals of this years French Open. In five gruelling sets, it was the Spaniard who won 9-7 in the decider after Djokovic had been a break-up. That was a sore one for Djokovic who was keen to complete a career Grand Slam at Roland Garros in June.
And what about Nadal's knees? He might look fitter and sharper than ever, but as pointed out earlier, they haven't been giving a true test yet this fortnight in the Big Apple. Tests don't come much tougher than a best of five-set match against Djokovic and he'll be looking to put the Majorican under serious pressure from the word go. If it goes to another five hour match between the pair, then I've got to fancy Djokovic's chances.
I could easily have stated a case for Nadal winning tomorrow evening, but I fancy the World Number one from Serbia to win his seventh Grand Slam title and edge out Nadal in a five-set thriller.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic will take on Spain's Rafael Nadal in New York just like I predicted two weeks ago here: (http://www.ewansworldofsport.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/can-andy-murray-retain-his-us-open-crown.html) and it promises to be a sensational encounter once again. As you will see from the above blog, I tipped Djokovic to win the title two weeks ago and despite some doubts I'm going to stand by that statement.
There can be no doubting Rafael Nadal is in the better form and has had the easier route to the final. He is unbeaten on hard courts this season winning three Masters Titles in Indian Wells in March and Montreal and Cincinnati last month.
Those latter two victories were all the more remarkable considering how many people had written him off (including to some extent me) after his defeat in the first round of Wimbledon to unheralded Belgian Steve Darcis.
Nadal has looked firmly back to his best on the courts of Flushing Meadows and has only dropped one set on his way to his third US Open final. In the quarter finals he thumped countryman Tommy Robredo (who had beaten Roger Federer in the previous round) for the loss of only four games before defeating Richard Gasquet with ease in last night's semi-final.
By contrast, Novak Djokovic was pushed to the limit yesterday by Andy Murray's conqueror Stanislas Wawrinka in his semi-final. After over four hours of play, Djokovic finally emerged the winner, 6-4 in the fifth set. You have to wonder how much that has taken out of the world number one, even if he has proved time and again he is a machine.
However, I think being tested like that is an advantage for Djokovic. Andy Murray can bare testament to this when he won Wimbledon in the summer. He may have put himself and millions of fans through the ringer in his quarter final against Fernando Verdasco when he had to come from two sets down to win, but this served him enormously in the long run.
And that's what Djokovic will be telling himself. He was far from his best yesterday and probably deserved to lose against Wawrinka, but he dug deep and is now in the final. He'll be brimming with confidence and keen to cement his position as World Number One over a rampant Nadal.
Another advantage Djokovic has in my eyes is his incredible level of consistency in Grand Slams. This is his third slam final of this year alone and fourth consecutive US Open final. Contrast that to Nadal, who thanks to injuries hasn't been to a slam final outwith his beloved French Open since that epic 2012 Australian Open final against Djokovic. That gives the Serbian the mental edge in my view, despite Nadal's 13 slam titles.
Furthermore, Djokovic will be spurred on by a couple of revenge factors. First of all, he'll want to regain the US Open crown he lost last year to Andy Murray in such dramatic fashion. He's loved the US Open since he arrived on the tennis world and this tournament was the first slam in which Djokovic reached the final of in 2007.
He'll also want to avenge another dramatic defeat from the last 12 months and this time it occurred against Nadal in the semi-finals of this years French Open. In five gruelling sets, it was the Spaniard who won 9-7 in the decider after Djokovic had been a break-up. That was a sore one for Djokovic who was keen to complete a career Grand Slam at Roland Garros in June.
And what about Nadal's knees? He might look fitter and sharper than ever, but as pointed out earlier, they haven't been giving a true test yet this fortnight in the Big Apple. Tests don't come much tougher than a best of five-set match against Djokovic and he'll be looking to put the Majorican under serious pressure from the word go. If it goes to another five hour match between the pair, then I've got to fancy Djokovic's chances.
I could easily have stated a case for Nadal winning tomorrow evening, but I fancy the World Number one from Serbia to win his seventh Grand Slam title and edge out Nadal in a five-set thriller.
Sunday 25 August 2013
Can Andy Murray retain his US Open crown?
After the euphoria of his incredible Wimbledon triumph last month, you could be forgiven for forgetting Andy Murray actually won his first grand slam title almost 12 months ago on the courts of Flushing Meadows as he won the US Open.
That Monday night, September 10th 2012 will live long in the memory for anyone who watched Murray's historic five-set win over Novak Djokovic. It represented the culmination of years of struggle for Murray coming to an end as he won his first major title at the fifth time of asking.
Now, after winning Wimbledon to collect a second slam title, Murray can really stamp his authority on the tennis world by defending his US Open crown. However, that will be easier said than done.
The draw hasn't been the kindest to the man from Dunblane, but as we know now you write off Murray at your peril these days in Grand Slams.
Here is Murray's potential route to glory in New York:
Round 1- Michael Llodra (World Ranking-49)
The 33 year-old Frenchman shouldn't pose too many problems for Murray as he kicks off his campaign. Llodra is more of a doubles specialist these days and has had a decidedly mixed 2013 so far winning 12 out of 22 matches.
However, he did reach the semi finals of the Paris Masters last year defeating Juan Martin Del Potro and John Isner along the way. But with Murray thumping him last year in straight sets in the Australian Open, he should do so again.
Round 2- Victor Hanescu (World Ranking- 54)
The Romanian should again be taken care of with relative ease by Murray. Like Llodra, he is now in his 30s and never poses any real threat to the top players.
Furthermore he has never been beyond the second round at the US Open, so if Murray is on-song he should get through to the last 32 without too much fuss.
Round 3- Juan Monaco (World Ranking- 32)
The Daily Mail's guide on Friday dismissed Monaco as a journeyman but I think this won't be the easiest tie for Murray. He's is still an obvious clear favourite to beat the Argentinian, but Monaco was ranked as high as 10th in the world just over a year ago and has twice reached the 4th round of this tournament in 2007 and 2011. Murray should win in straight sets, but I wouldn't be surprises if this goes to 4 sets.
Round 4- Nicolas Almagro (World Ranking- 15)
The World Number 15 from Spain should await Murray in Round 4. It won't be all plain sailing for Murray against a consistent performer, but there can be no doubting Almagro is more of a clay-court specialist having reached the French Open quarter finals three times, including in 2008 when he beat Murray.
However, over the last few years Murray has become accustomed to starting the second week of grand slams in top fashion and I'd expect him to have few issues against Almagro.
Quarter Final- Tomas Berdych (World Ranking- 5)
This is where things start to get a whole lot trickier for Murray. I'm rather worried about this potential match-up as Berdych is a real bogeyman for the Wimbledon hero. He beat him comfortably in Cincinnati just over two weeks ago and has won six out of their ten meetings.
His forehand and big serve seem to really trouble Murray, but the Scot can take comfort in the fact that one of his wins came in last years US Open semi-final.
Berdych can be described as erratic, and Murray has much more big game experience than him. I'd tip Murray to win in five sets if this match-up occurs.
Semi-Final- Novak Djokovic (World Ranking- 1)
What a mouthwatering prospect this is but Murray would have preferred this to come in the final I would suspect. Murray will clearly have to be at his best to beat Djokovic but comes into this knowing that he beat him here last year and the Wimbledon final this year. The two of them have developed a fantastic rivalry and it really is a match that could be decided on the toss of a coin.
If Murray gets his strategy bang on like he did at Wimbledon he will secure a place in the final. But Djokovic is such a machine, that you fancy him to be raring to atone for that Wimbledon loss.
Final- Rafael Nadal- (World Ranking- 2)
If Murray makes his second consecutive US Open final, it is likely he will have to beat the Spaniard who you can never write off. I will happily admit that I thought he was going to struggle again after his shock first-round loss at Wimbledon but he has been in brilliant form in the hard-court summer season so far winning the Montreal and Cincinnati Masters titles.
He would have to get by Roger Federer in a potentially brilliant quarter-final, but I'd fancy the in-form Spaniard to get past the ageing Swiss man.
Murray has a poor record against Nadal, only winning five of their 18 matches, but the better news for Murray is that those wins have all come on hard courts. And he did beat Nadal on his way to the 2008 US Open final and if this final did occur, you have to wonder about Nadal's knees after two brutal weeks on this surface.
Prediction: Murray to fall just short after a five-set epic semi-final with Djokovic, who will go onto beat Nadal in the final in two weeks.
Obviously I hope I'm wrong in that prediction.
That Monday night, September 10th 2012 will live long in the memory for anyone who watched Murray's historic five-set win over Novak Djokovic. It represented the culmination of years of struggle for Murray coming to an end as he won his first major title at the fifth time of asking.
Now, after winning Wimbledon to collect a second slam title, Murray can really stamp his authority on the tennis world by defending his US Open crown. However, that will be easier said than done.
The draw hasn't been the kindest to the man from Dunblane, but as we know now you write off Murray at your peril these days in Grand Slams.
Here is Murray's potential route to glory in New York:
Round 1- Michael Llodra (World Ranking-49)
The 33 year-old Frenchman shouldn't pose too many problems for Murray as he kicks off his campaign. Llodra is more of a doubles specialist these days and has had a decidedly mixed 2013 so far winning 12 out of 22 matches.
However, he did reach the semi finals of the Paris Masters last year defeating Juan Martin Del Potro and John Isner along the way. But with Murray thumping him last year in straight sets in the Australian Open, he should do so again.
Round 2- Victor Hanescu (World Ranking- 54)
The Romanian should again be taken care of with relative ease by Murray. Like Llodra, he is now in his 30s and never poses any real threat to the top players.
Furthermore he has never been beyond the second round at the US Open, so if Murray is on-song he should get through to the last 32 without too much fuss.
Round 3- Juan Monaco (World Ranking- 32)
The Daily Mail's guide on Friday dismissed Monaco as a journeyman but I think this won't be the easiest tie for Murray. He's is still an obvious clear favourite to beat the Argentinian, but Monaco was ranked as high as 10th in the world just over a year ago and has twice reached the 4th round of this tournament in 2007 and 2011. Murray should win in straight sets, but I wouldn't be surprises if this goes to 4 sets.
Round 4- Nicolas Almagro (World Ranking- 15)
The World Number 15 from Spain should await Murray in Round 4. It won't be all plain sailing for Murray against a consistent performer, but there can be no doubting Almagro is more of a clay-court specialist having reached the French Open quarter finals three times, including in 2008 when he beat Murray.
However, over the last few years Murray has become accustomed to starting the second week of grand slams in top fashion and I'd expect him to have few issues against Almagro.
Quarter Final- Tomas Berdych (World Ranking- 5)
This is where things start to get a whole lot trickier for Murray. I'm rather worried about this potential match-up as Berdych is a real bogeyman for the Wimbledon hero. He beat him comfortably in Cincinnati just over two weeks ago and has won six out of their ten meetings.
His forehand and big serve seem to really trouble Murray, but the Scot can take comfort in the fact that one of his wins came in last years US Open semi-final.
Berdych can be described as erratic, and Murray has much more big game experience than him. I'd tip Murray to win in five sets if this match-up occurs.
Semi-Final- Novak Djokovic (World Ranking- 1)
What a mouthwatering prospect this is but Murray would have preferred this to come in the final I would suspect. Murray will clearly have to be at his best to beat Djokovic but comes into this knowing that he beat him here last year and the Wimbledon final this year. The two of them have developed a fantastic rivalry and it really is a match that could be decided on the toss of a coin.
If Murray gets his strategy bang on like he did at Wimbledon he will secure a place in the final. But Djokovic is such a machine, that you fancy him to be raring to atone for that Wimbledon loss.
Final- Rafael Nadal- (World Ranking- 2)
If Murray makes his second consecutive US Open final, it is likely he will have to beat the Spaniard who you can never write off. I will happily admit that I thought he was going to struggle again after his shock first-round loss at Wimbledon but he has been in brilliant form in the hard-court summer season so far winning the Montreal and Cincinnati Masters titles.
He would have to get by Roger Federer in a potentially brilliant quarter-final, but I'd fancy the in-form Spaniard to get past the ageing Swiss man.
Murray has a poor record against Nadal, only winning five of their 18 matches, but the better news for Murray is that those wins have all come on hard courts. And he did beat Nadal on his way to the 2008 US Open final and if this final did occur, you have to wonder about Nadal's knees after two brutal weeks on this surface.
Prediction: Murray to fall just short after a five-set epic semi-final with Djokovic, who will go onto beat Nadal in the final in two weeks.
Obviously I hope I'm wrong in that prediction.
Saturday 3 August 2013
English Championship Preview: Runners and Riders
The English Championship kicks off in earnest at 12.15 today when Burnley take on Bolton in a northwest derby before a whole host of other teams kick off at the traditional time of 3pm, with Derby and Blackburn playing on Sunday.
For my money, the English second tier always delivers season after season in terms of excitement, drama and unpredictability. If I am being honest, it is one of my favourite leagues to watch in the world. With that in mind, here I take a look at some of the teams I reckon will do well this season and those that will be at the wrong end of the table.
The Promotion Candidates
QPR: The Londoners were one of the three sides relegated from the Premier League last season and whilst they have lost some of their squad including Christopher Samba, Djibril Cisse and Jamie Mackie, manager Harry Redknapp has bought pretty shrewdly so far bringing in free-scoring Charlie Austin from Burnley and midfielder Karl Henry from Wolves amongst others. With their spending power and squad, they should win the division. However, I have to question Redknapp's ability to be tactically astute enough to win one of the toughest leagues in the world.
Reading: Reading are my own personal favourites for the league. Nigel Adkins is a man that knows this league inside out, having won promotion with Southampton in the league two years ago. The bonus for the Royals is that they have managed to keep their squad from last season, which has some very good talent in it in all areas of the park. They've also brought in Royston Drenthe, which is something of a coup for Adkins.
Watford: Gianfranco Zola's side will be looking to put last seasons play-off final and final day heartache by mounting a promotion charge this season. There seems to be controversial questions constantly surrounding the Hornets over their agreement with Udinese, but I have never really seen the fuss to be honest. Football is all about marketing these days and I think Zola should be applauded for bringing new talent into the Championship. With that in mind and backed with a good style of football, they can go very close this season.
Wigan Athletic: I'm still tipping Wigan to do well despite losing manager Roberto Martinez to Everton in the summer. New boss Owen Coyle has had his problems in recent times, but he did an excellent job with Burnley in this division and has a squad capable of beating most teams in the Championship. Led by new striker Grant Holt, they should make the play-offs at least.
The Dark Horses
Bolton: I think Dougie Freedman's side could surprise a lot of people this season. The Wanderers finished last season very strongly and will be going into the new season full of confidence. I rate Freedman hugely as a man-manager and in attacking terms, he has a lot to choose from including new striker Jermaine Beckford.
Nottingham Forest: Another side who finished the previous campaign strongly and in Billy Davies, they have a manager who is something of a Championship specialist. Jamie Mackie is a great signing for this level and you have to fancy them to reach the play-offs at least.
Ipswich Town: Mick McCarthy's men are my real outside bet, but are worth keeping an eye on. It's pushing it to say they can win the league after finishing 14th last season, but they've shown good form in pre-season and McCarthy is certainly confident- saying they are aiming for the top six.
Relegation Strugglers:
Yeovil Town: It will be nothing short of a miracle if Gary Johnson's men stay up. They did remarkably well to get promoted last season but surely this is a bridge too far. However, they love fighting against the odds, so you never know they might just surprise everyone.
Doncaster: The League One champions will be at the wrong end of the table despite signing One Directions Louis Tomlinson in a bizarre stunt on Thursday. New manager Paul Dickov did well at Oldham, but faces a big test of his credentials especially if they get off to a slow start.
Barnsley: The Yorkshiremen have hovered around the relegation zone for a number of years and only avoided dropping down to League One on the final day last season. Expect a season of struggle for David Flitcroft's side.
My 2013-2014 Championship Table
1. Reading
2. Bolton
3. Watford
4. QPR
5. Notts Forest
6. Wigan
7. Ipswich
8. Leicester
9. Brighton
10. Leeds
11. Derby
12. Middlesbrough
13. Blackburn
14. Birmingham
15. Blackpool
16. Charlton
17. Burnley
18. Millwall
19. Bournemouth
20. Sheffield Wednesday
21. Huddersfield
22. Doncaster
23. Barnsley
24. Yeovil
For my money, the English second tier always delivers season after season in terms of excitement, drama and unpredictability. If I am being honest, it is one of my favourite leagues to watch in the world. With that in mind, here I take a look at some of the teams I reckon will do well this season and those that will be at the wrong end of the table.
The Promotion Candidates
QPR: The Londoners were one of the three sides relegated from the Premier League last season and whilst they have lost some of their squad including Christopher Samba, Djibril Cisse and Jamie Mackie, manager Harry Redknapp has bought pretty shrewdly so far bringing in free-scoring Charlie Austin from Burnley and midfielder Karl Henry from Wolves amongst others. With their spending power and squad, they should win the division. However, I have to question Redknapp's ability to be tactically astute enough to win one of the toughest leagues in the world.
Reading: Reading are my own personal favourites for the league. Nigel Adkins is a man that knows this league inside out, having won promotion with Southampton in the league two years ago. The bonus for the Royals is that they have managed to keep their squad from last season, which has some very good talent in it in all areas of the park. They've also brought in Royston Drenthe, which is something of a coup for Adkins.
Watford: Gianfranco Zola's side will be looking to put last seasons play-off final and final day heartache by mounting a promotion charge this season. There seems to be controversial questions constantly surrounding the Hornets over their agreement with Udinese, but I have never really seen the fuss to be honest. Football is all about marketing these days and I think Zola should be applauded for bringing new talent into the Championship. With that in mind and backed with a good style of football, they can go very close this season.
Wigan Athletic: I'm still tipping Wigan to do well despite losing manager Roberto Martinez to Everton in the summer. New boss Owen Coyle has had his problems in recent times, but he did an excellent job with Burnley in this division and has a squad capable of beating most teams in the Championship. Led by new striker Grant Holt, they should make the play-offs at least.
The Dark Horses
Bolton: I think Dougie Freedman's side could surprise a lot of people this season. The Wanderers finished last season very strongly and will be going into the new season full of confidence. I rate Freedman hugely as a man-manager and in attacking terms, he has a lot to choose from including new striker Jermaine Beckford.
Nottingham Forest: Another side who finished the previous campaign strongly and in Billy Davies, they have a manager who is something of a Championship specialist. Jamie Mackie is a great signing for this level and you have to fancy them to reach the play-offs at least.
Ipswich Town: Mick McCarthy's men are my real outside bet, but are worth keeping an eye on. It's pushing it to say they can win the league after finishing 14th last season, but they've shown good form in pre-season and McCarthy is certainly confident- saying they are aiming for the top six.
Relegation Strugglers:
Yeovil Town: It will be nothing short of a miracle if Gary Johnson's men stay up. They did remarkably well to get promoted last season but surely this is a bridge too far. However, they love fighting against the odds, so you never know they might just surprise everyone.
Doncaster: The League One champions will be at the wrong end of the table despite signing One Directions Louis Tomlinson in a bizarre stunt on Thursday. New manager Paul Dickov did well at Oldham, but faces a big test of his credentials especially if they get off to a slow start.
Barnsley: The Yorkshiremen have hovered around the relegation zone for a number of years and only avoided dropping down to League One on the final day last season. Expect a season of struggle for David Flitcroft's side.
My 2013-2014 Championship Table
1. Reading
2. Bolton
3. Watford
4. QPR
5. Notts Forest
6. Wigan
7. Ipswich
8. Leicester
9. Brighton
10. Leeds
11. Derby
12. Middlesbrough
13. Blackburn
14. Birmingham
15. Blackpool
16. Charlton
17. Burnley
18. Millwall
19. Bournemouth
20. Sheffield Wednesday
21. Huddersfield
22. Doncaster
23. Barnsley
24. Yeovil
Sunday 28 July 2013
Lance Armstrong Has a Point about Cycling's Doping History
For those people that know me well, it might surprise you that football was not the first sport I was interested in; instead at a very young age I became enraptured by the 1994 Tour De France.
This was at the time when Spaniard Miguel 'Big Mig' Indurain was dominating the event winning it five times in a row from 1991-1995. However, it wasn't really until the late 1990s that I got properly into cycling's premier event.
And the reason I started viewing again was down to one man- Lance Armstrong. Even though I was only eight when he won his first Tour I was still mesmerised by the story of Armstrong coming back from near death to win the world's greatest bike race. Hindsight proves that my young self was ridiculously naive but so was my father who had watched the race since the 70s. Armstrong's confession last year that he had doped was truly shocking and I felt let down along with millions of other cycling fans.
However, some of my initial anger at Armstrong's doping has now subsided. And I actually feel he is taking too much heat from the media, cycling fans and fellow riders. This isn't to say I don't condemn Armstrong's cheating. It was abhorrent and has ultimately left cycling in a position from which it will take a long time to recover from.
This week more revelations emerged from the 1998 Tour, which was the most shameful edition of the Tour De France in its 100 year history, so much so that it is referred to as the Tour De Doping. It has now been revealed that the winner of the yellow jersey that year Marco Pantani, the runner up Jan Ullrich and green jersey winner Erik Zabel all tested positive for the banned substance EPO.
Armstrong who didn't compete in the Tour that year because he was fighting cancer, but says he isn't surprised at this weeks revelations. And neither am I. But there has been barely a whimper in the media and that's where my defence of Armstrong comes in.
Due to Armstrong winning in 1999 few questions were asked about his performance apart from the wonderful David Walsh of The Sunday Times and the French media. Instead, the focus was on the miraculous recovery from cancer and him winning the world's toughest bike race. He became the face of cycling and with a celebrity girlfriend in the form of Sheryl Crow on his arm, Armstrong was a worldwide superstar. That's why his confession was such a big story and remains so.
But how many people in the general public could pick out Ullrich in a police-line up or Zabel for that matter? I'm willing to bet not many. However, why shouldn't their crimes be plastered over the back pages of the sports pages? Cycling can't recover from it's shameful past unless every rider who cheated is tackled over their past crimes (admittedly Pantani's crimes have now gone to the grave after he died in 2004).
And what of Eddy Merckx, widely regarded as the greatest cyclist of all time? He still gets an invite to the presentation ceremony every year at the Tour De France, yet he tested positive three times between 1969-1977 and he actually supported Armstrong when he was accused of drug use. Armstrong will be barred from the tour for life and rightly so, but the organisers are being super hyper-critical here.
I am a firm believer in banning drug cheats for life. It might sound harsh to some, but if athletes know they can come back in a few years after taking banned substances, then there is a high chance they can do so again. I cannot fathom how lightly Alberto Contador's comeback to the Tour De France this year has been taken after he is a known former drug user. Contador was heralded as one of the favourites and a top climber. Instead, questions should have been asked if Contador was clean again, especially in this post Armstrong era. Once again, I feel this is because outwith the cycling world, Contador isn't particularly well known unlike Armstrong who I'd argue is one of the five biggest sportsmen of the last twenty years.
As I mentioned, I got properly into cycling in the late 90s and I had numerous heroes at the time including Zabel, Ullrich, Mario Cippolini and Pantani. They have all proven to be drug users yet you would hardly know about them. It is the same in athletics and other sports (how many of you know this week Viktor Troicki, a Serbian tennis player has been banned for 18 months for failing to provide a blood sample). If this was Nadal or Murray, then it would be the talk of workplaces, homes and pubs across the world.
Armstrong did wrong and it is sad that Chris Froome's victory in the Tour De France last week cannot be celebrated without suspicion. Armstrong created a bullying culture that was disgraceful and put the highest pressure on teammates and the peloton to take drugs, which is hopefully a thing of the past.
But Merckx and Jacques Anquetil another five time Tour De France winner who died in 1987 continue to be celebrated despite them openly admitting to doping during their careers. Indeed, Anquetil like Armstrong said you couldn't win the Tour without taking drugs.
This might sound like I'm saying because everyone did it, Armstrong should have been allowed to get away with it. That couldn't be further from the truth. Instead I am asking for a bit of fairnness in the reporting of doping in cycling.
Right now, there is a blank list from 1999-2005 where Armstrong's wins used to be. I reckon they should be making some updates to other years very soon. It would be a welcome step in the right direction.
This was at the time when Spaniard Miguel 'Big Mig' Indurain was dominating the event winning it five times in a row from 1991-1995. However, it wasn't really until the late 1990s that I got properly into cycling's premier event.
And the reason I started viewing again was down to one man- Lance Armstrong. Even though I was only eight when he won his first Tour I was still mesmerised by the story of Armstrong coming back from near death to win the world's greatest bike race. Hindsight proves that my young self was ridiculously naive but so was my father who had watched the race since the 70s. Armstrong's confession last year that he had doped was truly shocking and I felt let down along with millions of other cycling fans.
However, some of my initial anger at Armstrong's doping has now subsided. And I actually feel he is taking too much heat from the media, cycling fans and fellow riders. This isn't to say I don't condemn Armstrong's cheating. It was abhorrent and has ultimately left cycling in a position from which it will take a long time to recover from.
This week more revelations emerged from the 1998 Tour, which was the most shameful edition of the Tour De France in its 100 year history, so much so that it is referred to as the Tour De Doping. It has now been revealed that the winner of the yellow jersey that year Marco Pantani, the runner up Jan Ullrich and green jersey winner Erik Zabel all tested positive for the banned substance EPO.
Armstrong who didn't compete in the Tour that year because he was fighting cancer, but says he isn't surprised at this weeks revelations. And neither am I. But there has been barely a whimper in the media and that's where my defence of Armstrong comes in.
Due to Armstrong winning in 1999 few questions were asked about his performance apart from the wonderful David Walsh of The Sunday Times and the French media. Instead, the focus was on the miraculous recovery from cancer and him winning the world's toughest bike race. He became the face of cycling and with a celebrity girlfriend in the form of Sheryl Crow on his arm, Armstrong was a worldwide superstar. That's why his confession was such a big story and remains so.
But how many people in the general public could pick out Ullrich in a police-line up or Zabel for that matter? I'm willing to bet not many. However, why shouldn't their crimes be plastered over the back pages of the sports pages? Cycling can't recover from it's shameful past unless every rider who cheated is tackled over their past crimes (admittedly Pantani's crimes have now gone to the grave after he died in 2004).
And what of Eddy Merckx, widely regarded as the greatest cyclist of all time? He still gets an invite to the presentation ceremony every year at the Tour De France, yet he tested positive three times between 1969-1977 and he actually supported Armstrong when he was accused of drug use. Armstrong will be barred from the tour for life and rightly so, but the organisers are being super hyper-critical here.
I am a firm believer in banning drug cheats for life. It might sound harsh to some, but if athletes know they can come back in a few years after taking banned substances, then there is a high chance they can do so again. I cannot fathom how lightly Alberto Contador's comeback to the Tour De France this year has been taken after he is a known former drug user. Contador was heralded as one of the favourites and a top climber. Instead, questions should have been asked if Contador was clean again, especially in this post Armstrong era. Once again, I feel this is because outwith the cycling world, Contador isn't particularly well known unlike Armstrong who I'd argue is one of the five biggest sportsmen of the last twenty years.
As I mentioned, I got properly into cycling in the late 90s and I had numerous heroes at the time including Zabel, Ullrich, Mario Cippolini and Pantani. They have all proven to be drug users yet you would hardly know about them. It is the same in athletics and other sports (how many of you know this week Viktor Troicki, a Serbian tennis player has been banned for 18 months for failing to provide a blood sample). If this was Nadal or Murray, then it would be the talk of workplaces, homes and pubs across the world.
Armstrong did wrong and it is sad that Chris Froome's victory in the Tour De France last week cannot be celebrated without suspicion. Armstrong created a bullying culture that was disgraceful and put the highest pressure on teammates and the peloton to take drugs, which is hopefully a thing of the past.
But Merckx and Jacques Anquetil another five time Tour De France winner who died in 1987 continue to be celebrated despite them openly admitting to doping during their careers. Indeed, Anquetil like Armstrong said you couldn't win the Tour without taking drugs.
This might sound like I'm saying because everyone did it, Armstrong should have been allowed to get away with it. That couldn't be further from the truth. Instead I am asking for a bit of fairnness in the reporting of doping in cycling.
Right now, there is a blank list from 1999-2005 where Armstrong's wins used to be. I reckon they should be making some updates to other years very soon. It would be a welcome step in the right direction.
Sunday 23 June 2013
Andy Murray's Route to (potential) Wimbledon Glory
Tomorrow marks that annual time of the year when I will go into a state of angst about Britain's number one tennis player, Andy Murray for (hopefully) the next fortnight. Yes, Wimbledon begins in earnest in less than 24 hours and once again there is a huge air of expectation surrounding Murray's chances of winning the tournament for the first time.
The weight of pressure on his shoulders has undoubtedly become even heavier since he reached the final last year, which he lost to Roger Federer. He then recovered to beat the Swiss great in the Olympic final at the same venue less than a month later, before beating World No 1 Novak Djokovic to win a thrilling US Open in September to finally secure his first Grand Slam.
There is a very acceptable train of thought from many people who believe that winning Wimbledon for the first time is a natural next step in Murray's career.
Here's a look at the route Murray will have to overcome if he is to lift the title on Sunday July 7th at SW19.
Round One: Benjamin Becker (Germany)- World Ranking: 95
Murray begins his quest for glory tomorrow on Centre Court against a much more unheralded German named Becker. Benjamin isn't any relation to 3-time Wimbledon champ of the 80's Boris and whilst he has a big serve, this match should be fairly comfortable for Murray.
He recently beat him in straight sets at Queens before going on to win the tournament and whilst Becker will be keen for revenge he has never progressed beyond the second round of a slam.
Round Two: James Ward (GBR- 216)/ Lu Yen Hsun (Taiwan- 74)
There is a potential for an all British tie for Murray to negotiate in round two if his Davis Cup colleague Ward can come through his first round match. Lu is no mug though and famously upset three time Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick in the fourth round in 2010. An all British match-up would make for nice viewing, but ultimately Murray would have too much class for Ward, and indeed that matter the World Number 74 from Taiwan.
Round Three: Tommy Robredo (Spain - 29)/ Nicolas Mahut (France -240)
Most previews I have read so far about Murray's chances seem to have it nailed on that he will play Robredo in Round 3. However, I can see Mahut beating him in Round 2 due to his good current form and for the fact the Spaniard is much more comfortable on clay. Mahut defeated Swiss star Stan Wawrinka yesterday in Holland to win his first ATP title at the age of 31 and he has a decent record on Grass having reached the final of Queens in 2007 whilst also beating Murray there last year.
Robredo has a respectable record against the Scot winning two out of their four matches, but the last of those was six years ago. Whoever makes it to this stage should be comfortably seen off by Murray to ensure his passage into the second week.
Round Four: Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia- 14)
This wouldn't be the easiest start to the second week for Murray, but it is far from the toughest either. The Serbian has been as high as number eight in the world and did beat Murray in Dubai last year, but I see this taking a similar path to how Murray beat Marin Cilic at the same stage in 2012. On that occasion, Murray sensed it could be his year and took care of the Croatian in three sets and I think he will do the same to Tipsarevic.
Quarter Final: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France - 7)
The first 'real' danger man for Murray who happens to be my outside tip to win the tournament. With his big serve and huge forehand, Tsonga is capable of beating anyone on his day as he has proven on numerous occasions against Federer in recent years. However, Tsonga has only once tasted victory against Murray and that was over five years ago. He is also inconsistent and struggles to deal with Murray's superb returns. I'd fancy Murray in four sets if this match takes place.
Semi- Final: Rafael Nadal (Spain - 5)/Roger Federer (Switzerland -3)
The fact that Nadal and Federer could meet in the quarter finals at Wimbledon shows the farce of the seedings to me, but it could also greatly benefit Murray's chances of winning the tournament. Despite losing to Federer in last years final, I think Murray would prefer to play him. Federer is approaching 32 now and whilst Wimbledon gives him the best chance of an 18th slam, he now struggles to keep pace with the more athletic pace of the game played by Murray, Djokovic, Nadal and even Tsonga.
Murray has also got an 11-9 winning record against the seven time champion whilst he has lost 13 times out of 18 against Nadal. The Spaniard will be hugely keen to reclaim his Wimbledon crown, especially after the shock of losing in the second round last year. However, a more aggressive Murray with a home crowd backing him certainly can take out Nadal these days but I'd be more confident of him beating Federer.
Final: Novak Djokovic (Serbia - 1)
The final would be rather easy for Murray. All he would have to do is beat the World Number One having beat either Nadal or Federer two days before. Despite his triumph in 2011 at Wimbledon, I still have doubts about Djokovic on grass and I'd go along with 1987 champion Pat Cash's assessment that he's the weakest of the top four on grass. Murray showed at the US Open that he can go five hours against Djokovic and if there is an Olympic style atmosphere at Centre Court, then Murray could finally end 77 years of British hurt at Wimbledon.
I don't want to be bold and admit Murray will win Wimbledon but he has prepared himself superbly and his win at Queens Club last week has buoyed him in terms of fitness and how his grass court play is currently doing.
A second Grand Slam and a first Wimbledon for Murray is very possible, but he'll have to climb some very big mountains to get there. Bring on the nail-biting and hiding behind the sofa over the next two weeks.
The weight of pressure on his shoulders has undoubtedly become even heavier since he reached the final last year, which he lost to Roger Federer. He then recovered to beat the Swiss great in the Olympic final at the same venue less than a month later, before beating World No 1 Novak Djokovic to win a thrilling US Open in September to finally secure his first Grand Slam.
There is a very acceptable train of thought from many people who believe that winning Wimbledon for the first time is a natural next step in Murray's career.
Here's a look at the route Murray will have to overcome if he is to lift the title on Sunday July 7th at SW19.
Round One: Benjamin Becker (Germany)- World Ranking: 95
Murray begins his quest for glory tomorrow on Centre Court against a much more unheralded German named Becker. Benjamin isn't any relation to 3-time Wimbledon champ of the 80's Boris and whilst he has a big serve, this match should be fairly comfortable for Murray.
He recently beat him in straight sets at Queens before going on to win the tournament and whilst Becker will be keen for revenge he has never progressed beyond the second round of a slam.
Round Two: James Ward (GBR- 216)/ Lu Yen Hsun (Taiwan- 74)
There is a potential for an all British tie for Murray to negotiate in round two if his Davis Cup colleague Ward can come through his first round match. Lu is no mug though and famously upset three time Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick in the fourth round in 2010. An all British match-up would make for nice viewing, but ultimately Murray would have too much class for Ward, and indeed that matter the World Number 74 from Taiwan.
Round Three: Tommy Robredo (Spain - 29)/ Nicolas Mahut (France -240)
Most previews I have read so far about Murray's chances seem to have it nailed on that he will play Robredo in Round 3. However, I can see Mahut beating him in Round 2 due to his good current form and for the fact the Spaniard is much more comfortable on clay. Mahut defeated Swiss star Stan Wawrinka yesterday in Holland to win his first ATP title at the age of 31 and he has a decent record on Grass having reached the final of Queens in 2007 whilst also beating Murray there last year.
Robredo has a respectable record against the Scot winning two out of their four matches, but the last of those was six years ago. Whoever makes it to this stage should be comfortably seen off by Murray to ensure his passage into the second week.
Round Four: Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia- 14)
This wouldn't be the easiest start to the second week for Murray, but it is far from the toughest either. The Serbian has been as high as number eight in the world and did beat Murray in Dubai last year, but I see this taking a similar path to how Murray beat Marin Cilic at the same stage in 2012. On that occasion, Murray sensed it could be his year and took care of the Croatian in three sets and I think he will do the same to Tipsarevic.
Quarter Final: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France - 7)
The first 'real' danger man for Murray who happens to be my outside tip to win the tournament. With his big serve and huge forehand, Tsonga is capable of beating anyone on his day as he has proven on numerous occasions against Federer in recent years. However, Tsonga has only once tasted victory against Murray and that was over five years ago. He is also inconsistent and struggles to deal with Murray's superb returns. I'd fancy Murray in four sets if this match takes place.
Semi- Final: Rafael Nadal (Spain - 5)/Roger Federer (Switzerland -3)
The fact that Nadal and Federer could meet in the quarter finals at Wimbledon shows the farce of the seedings to me, but it could also greatly benefit Murray's chances of winning the tournament. Despite losing to Federer in last years final, I think Murray would prefer to play him. Federer is approaching 32 now and whilst Wimbledon gives him the best chance of an 18th slam, he now struggles to keep pace with the more athletic pace of the game played by Murray, Djokovic, Nadal and even Tsonga.
Murray has also got an 11-9 winning record against the seven time champion whilst he has lost 13 times out of 18 against Nadal. The Spaniard will be hugely keen to reclaim his Wimbledon crown, especially after the shock of losing in the second round last year. However, a more aggressive Murray with a home crowd backing him certainly can take out Nadal these days but I'd be more confident of him beating Federer.
Final: Novak Djokovic (Serbia - 1)
The final would be rather easy for Murray. All he would have to do is beat the World Number One having beat either Nadal or Federer two days before. Despite his triumph in 2011 at Wimbledon, I still have doubts about Djokovic on grass and I'd go along with 1987 champion Pat Cash's assessment that he's the weakest of the top four on grass. Murray showed at the US Open that he can go five hours against Djokovic and if there is an Olympic style atmosphere at Centre Court, then Murray could finally end 77 years of British hurt at Wimbledon.
I don't want to be bold and admit Murray will win Wimbledon but he has prepared himself superbly and his win at Queens Club last week has buoyed him in terms of fitness and how his grass court play is currently doing.
A second Grand Slam and a first Wimbledon for Murray is very possible, but he'll have to climb some very big mountains to get there. Bring on the nail-biting and hiding behind the sofa over the next two weeks.
Saturday 25 May 2013
A Procession for Rafa?: The French Open Men's Singles 2013 Preview
For the next two weeks, tennis lovers will have their eyes firmly fixed on Paris and in particular the clay courts of Roland Garros. Many believe that the men's tournament already has Rafael Nadal's name written on the trophy and you would be easily forgiven for sharing that opinion.
The Spaniard has a remarkable record at the French Open, having only lost one match since making his debut in 2005. That came in 2009 against Robin Soderling, but on that day he was suffering badly with his troublesome knees whilst his parents were also going through a divorce. He won four consecutive titles before then and is currently on a run of three successive wins at Roland Garros, having secured a hard-fought win over Novak Djokovic last year.
Nadal quickly earned the title 'King of Clay' after his exploits as a 18 year old in 2005 and there is very little doubt that he is the greatest clay court player of all time. He has won 41 of his 56 career singles titles on his favoured surface and these include a record eight consecutive wins at the Monte Carlo Masters and seven victories in the Rome Masters both of which are always played in the run-up to the French Open.
Worryingly for his opponents wanting to challenge him, Nadal has been in blistering form since returning from a knee injury in February which kept him out of the second half of last years tennis season as well as this years Australian Open. He has already won six titles since February and last week he destroyed Roger Federer 6-1, 6-3 in the final of the Rome Masters.
However, Nadal can be beaten but it will take some effort. World Number One Djokovic achieved that when he beat Nadal in Monte Carlo in April this year to stop Nadal's run of never losing there since 2005. Djokovic is certainly the most likely man to beat the Spaniard at Roland Garros, but with the way the draw has worked out, it looks as though he will have to do it at the semi-final stage. The Serb did give Nadal a real scare in last years final and he has also beat him on clay in the past at the Madrid and the Rome Masters. He also has the added incentive of knowing that if he wins he will complete the set of winning all the Grand Slams at least once.
And what of Nadal's fellow Spaniard David Ferrer? With Andy Murray ruled out through a back injury, he is the number four seed and is on line to meet Roger Federer in the semi-finals. He will never get a better chance to finally reach a first grand-slam final at the age of 31. Federer may have won the French Open before and reached four other finals (losing to Nadal on all of those occasions), but Ferrer shares many of his fellow Spaniard's qualities on the clay-courts and nowadays I would predict Ferrer to have the edge over Federer. He has won ten career titles on the surface over the years and it can be argued that he is currently the best player without a slam to his name. However, his record at the French Open is rather patchy despite reaching the semi-finals last year. On his day, he is a match for everyone in the draw and he will relish the route to the semi-finals he has over the first ten days.
The real outside bet for this tournament is Stanislas Wawrinka. He has lived in the shadow of his countryman Federer for most of his career, but his clay-court form this season has been superb. He beat Ferrer in Portugal to win his first title in two years whilst he also beat Jo Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych in Madrid before succumbing to Nadal in the final. Wawrinka possesses an incredible one-handed backhand and is a real danger to all of the top players if his mind is fully focused.
Come the 9th of June, Rafael Nadal should be lifting an eighth French Open title and with the form he is in, it is very hard to see who can stop him over the next fortnight. Tennis is a curious game though and major upsets have happened before. You only need to mention Lukas Rosol to Nadal to confirm that.
The Spaniard has a remarkable record at the French Open, having only lost one match since making his debut in 2005. That came in 2009 against Robin Soderling, but on that day he was suffering badly with his troublesome knees whilst his parents were also going through a divorce. He won four consecutive titles before then and is currently on a run of three successive wins at Roland Garros, having secured a hard-fought win over Novak Djokovic last year.
Nadal quickly earned the title 'King of Clay' after his exploits as a 18 year old in 2005 and there is very little doubt that he is the greatest clay court player of all time. He has won 41 of his 56 career singles titles on his favoured surface and these include a record eight consecutive wins at the Monte Carlo Masters and seven victories in the Rome Masters both of which are always played in the run-up to the French Open.
Worryingly for his opponents wanting to challenge him, Nadal has been in blistering form since returning from a knee injury in February which kept him out of the second half of last years tennis season as well as this years Australian Open. He has already won six titles since February and last week he destroyed Roger Federer 6-1, 6-3 in the final of the Rome Masters.
However, Nadal can be beaten but it will take some effort. World Number One Djokovic achieved that when he beat Nadal in Monte Carlo in April this year to stop Nadal's run of never losing there since 2005. Djokovic is certainly the most likely man to beat the Spaniard at Roland Garros, but with the way the draw has worked out, it looks as though he will have to do it at the semi-final stage. The Serb did give Nadal a real scare in last years final and he has also beat him on clay in the past at the Madrid and the Rome Masters. He also has the added incentive of knowing that if he wins he will complete the set of winning all the Grand Slams at least once.
And what of Nadal's fellow Spaniard David Ferrer? With Andy Murray ruled out through a back injury, he is the number four seed and is on line to meet Roger Federer in the semi-finals. He will never get a better chance to finally reach a first grand-slam final at the age of 31. Federer may have won the French Open before and reached four other finals (losing to Nadal on all of those occasions), but Ferrer shares many of his fellow Spaniard's qualities on the clay-courts and nowadays I would predict Ferrer to have the edge over Federer. He has won ten career titles on the surface over the years and it can be argued that he is currently the best player without a slam to his name. However, his record at the French Open is rather patchy despite reaching the semi-finals last year. On his day, he is a match for everyone in the draw and he will relish the route to the semi-finals he has over the first ten days.
The real outside bet for this tournament is Stanislas Wawrinka. He has lived in the shadow of his countryman Federer for most of his career, but his clay-court form this season has been superb. He beat Ferrer in Portugal to win his first title in two years whilst he also beat Jo Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych in Madrid before succumbing to Nadal in the final. Wawrinka possesses an incredible one-handed backhand and is a real danger to all of the top players if his mind is fully focused.
Come the 9th of June, Rafael Nadal should be lifting an eighth French Open title and with the form he is in, it is very hard to see who can stop him over the next fortnight. Tennis is a curious game though and major upsets have happened before. You only need to mention Lukas Rosol to Nadal to confirm that.
Wednesday 15 May 2013
Volvo World Matchplay Championship Preview
This week sees the European Tour's golfers head to Bulgaria for the first time ever to compete in the prestigious Volvo World Matchplay Championship.
If the name sounds familiar to you, that's because it was the tournament that was played every year from 1972 until 2007 at Wentworth and saw dominant winners such as Ernie Els, Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman. In 2009 and over the last two years, it was played in Spain, but now the tournament will be taken around Europe each year.
According to the legendary Gary Player, the course he designed; Thracian Cliffs, "Is unlike any other golf course on the planet." With that in mind, the 24 players who will tee-it up from tomorrow onwards at "The Cliffs" will face a trip largely into the unknown. The format sees eight groups of three, with the top two in each group progressing to the last 16. From then on, it will be a straight knock-out competition, before a champion is crowned on Sunday.
Here are four men I fancy to do well this week:
Graeme McDowell (8/1): The Northern Irishman only just lost out last year when he was beaten by Nicolas Colsaerts in the final, but he could well go one better this year. He is in good form, having just won the RBC Heritage in America last month and his short game is a huge asset in this matchplay format. Memories of his winning putt at the 2010 Ryder Cup for Europe always come flooding back on weeks like this and if he can channel some of that spirit, McDowell could take some beating.
Nicolas Colsaerts (9/1): The Belgian may have suffered a hiccup in his preparation when his clubs didn't arrive in Bulgaria when they were supposed to, but that hasn't deterred me from looking at generous odds for this weeks defending champion. He is a huge hitter and seems to relish the matchplay format, having proven himself superbly as a debutant in last years Ryder Cup. He does have a tough opening game against South African Branden Grace, but Colsaerts is more than capable of seeing him off to kick-start a run in his quest to keep hold of the trophy.
Brett Rumford (25/1): No-one in the field is currently in better form than the Australian who has won the last two tournaments he has played in South Korea and China. His putting has been superb in both of those tournaments and these odds are simply too high to discard for a player who is full of confidence right now. If he can get through a tough group, where he has been drawn alongside Gonzalo Fernandez Castano and Jamie Donaldson, then Rumford could be picking up his third successive winners cheque on Sunday.
Stephen Gallacher (33/1): A surprising choice perhaps, but don't rule out the Scot picking up a second victory of the season this week. He was superb in winning the Dubai Desert Classic at the start of the season and was recently tied 6th in the Ballantine's Championship in South Korea. He seems to have been dismissed because he is in a group with McDowell and Chris Wood but he is more than capable of holding his own. His putting has improved greatly and he is one of the purest ball-strikers in this weeks field. Ignore Gallacher if you wish, but it might come back to haunt you.
Matchplay is my favourite format of golf and this weeks tournament promises to be four days of thrilling golf, with a number of the European Tour's hottest players teeing up in Bulgaria. And it will be fascinating to see who handles a brand new course to emerge as the latest winner of one of the best events on the European Tour.
*All odds supplied by William Hill.
If the name sounds familiar to you, that's because it was the tournament that was played every year from 1972 until 2007 at Wentworth and saw dominant winners such as Ernie Els, Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman. In 2009 and over the last two years, it was played in Spain, but now the tournament will be taken around Europe each year.
According to the legendary Gary Player, the course he designed; Thracian Cliffs, "Is unlike any other golf course on the planet." With that in mind, the 24 players who will tee-it up from tomorrow onwards at "The Cliffs" will face a trip largely into the unknown. The format sees eight groups of three, with the top two in each group progressing to the last 16. From then on, it will be a straight knock-out competition, before a champion is crowned on Sunday.
Here are four men I fancy to do well this week:
Graeme McDowell (8/1): The Northern Irishman only just lost out last year when he was beaten by Nicolas Colsaerts in the final, but he could well go one better this year. He is in good form, having just won the RBC Heritage in America last month and his short game is a huge asset in this matchplay format. Memories of his winning putt at the 2010 Ryder Cup for Europe always come flooding back on weeks like this and if he can channel some of that spirit, McDowell could take some beating.
Nicolas Colsaerts (9/1): The Belgian may have suffered a hiccup in his preparation when his clubs didn't arrive in Bulgaria when they were supposed to, but that hasn't deterred me from looking at generous odds for this weeks defending champion. He is a huge hitter and seems to relish the matchplay format, having proven himself superbly as a debutant in last years Ryder Cup. He does have a tough opening game against South African Branden Grace, but Colsaerts is more than capable of seeing him off to kick-start a run in his quest to keep hold of the trophy.
Brett Rumford (25/1): No-one in the field is currently in better form than the Australian who has won the last two tournaments he has played in South Korea and China. His putting has been superb in both of those tournaments and these odds are simply too high to discard for a player who is full of confidence right now. If he can get through a tough group, where he has been drawn alongside Gonzalo Fernandez Castano and Jamie Donaldson, then Rumford could be picking up his third successive winners cheque on Sunday.
Stephen Gallacher (33/1): A surprising choice perhaps, but don't rule out the Scot picking up a second victory of the season this week. He was superb in winning the Dubai Desert Classic at the start of the season and was recently tied 6th in the Ballantine's Championship in South Korea. He seems to have been dismissed because he is in a group with McDowell and Chris Wood but he is more than capable of holding his own. His putting has improved greatly and he is one of the purest ball-strikers in this weeks field. Ignore Gallacher if you wish, but it might come back to haunt you.
Matchplay is my favourite format of golf and this weeks tournament promises to be four days of thrilling golf, with a number of the European Tour's hottest players teeing up in Bulgaria. And it will be fascinating to see who handles a brand new course to emerge as the latest winner of one of the best events on the European Tour.
*All odds supplied by William Hill.
Tuesday 7 May 2013
Why I want Wigan to remain in the Premier League
At 7.45pm tonight Wigan will take on Swansea in a massive game at the DW stadium. Then again, Wigan fans have become accustomed to watching these sort of games at this stage of the season over the last few years.
Every year, Wigan Athletic almost deliberately seem to put their fans through the mire as they slip into an inevitable relegation battle, before somehow performing great escape after great escape under the management of Roberto Martinez. Should they lose to Swansea tonight though, the Championship bells would be ringing in their ears a lot louder. Currently they sit on 35 points with a game in hand on the sides above them on 38 points; Newcastle, Norwich and Sunderland. A win for Wigan tonight and suddenly Newcastle are in the bottom three on goal difference. But if Swansea manage to beat their old manager's side, then surely Wigan will be joining Reading and QPR in the Championship next season.
However, I really hope that Wigan remain in the Premier League and not just for this season. I should point out that I am not a Wigan fan and never have been. Instead, I have merely developed a liking for a club that I believe are one of the most attractive in England's top division.
One of the main reasons for this is the aforementioned Martinez. Still only 39, the Spaniard is an extremely affable man who is nothing but charming and honest in his interviews before and after matches. He has even shown himself to be a very knowledgeable pundit whilst working for the BBC and ITV among others over the last few years. Of course, there is more than one way to set up football teams and managers such as Sam Allardyce and Tony Pulis have proven that filling your team with 'big men' can work, but Martinez has always wanted to play football the 'right way'. And this has been the case since he started managing at Swansea in 2007, whom he would lead to the League One title. In many ways, he laid the foundations for the Welsh club's success that they've had since he left under Brendan Rodgers and now Michael Laudrup.
Another reason to admire Martinez and Wigan is his (and therefore the club's) ability to scout new markets for players to bring in on the cheap. And they also tend to take a chance on players others wouldn't. Just look at Martinez's record of looking at players in the SPL. Whilst Scottish fans recognised the young talents of James McCarthy and James McArthur at Hamilton whilst they were in the top division, there were more than a few eyebrows raised when they were brought to the club in consecutive seasons. However, they are now mainstays in the team and McArthur scored a goal against West Brom on Saturday that may yet prove vital to their survival.
And what about Shaun Maloney? He may be frustrating to watch as a Scotland fan, but right now he is genuinely one of the most in-form players in the Premier League. He has been the catalyst for Wigan's latest battle to survive after scoring a tremendous free-kick against QPR a few weeks ago and played out of his skin against West Brom on Saturday. Martinez took a gamble on the former Celtic man because he had failed in England before with Aston Villa but he has certainly got the best out of the little Scotsman.
Martinez has also used his contacts in Spain to brilliant effect for Wigan. Whilst it is hardly an unknown league, not many would have heard of strikers Arouna Kone and Jordi Gomez as well as defender Ivan Ramis who have all played their part this season before they came with Kone scoring an impressive 13 goals in his debut season in England.
I also love Wigan for the way they continually punch above their weight. If we were going on attendances alone,Wigan would always be in the bottom three. This season, their average attendance is currently 19,192, which is only good enough to beat fellow strugglers QPR. Last season on average, they only filled 74% of their ground for their 19 home matches. This is a team which regularly sees its attendances beaten by teams in the Championship and even League One. Many feel this shows they don't deserve to be in the Premier League. What nonsense. Wigan are a great story of a team rising through the leagues and they have rightfully earned their place to fight against the 'big boys', just as they will do when they take on Manchester City on Saturday in the FA Cup final.
And their continual survival is made all the more remarkable when you consider Wigan is historically and in many respects to this day, a rugby town. The people of Wigan love the rivalries against St Helens in Rugby League and a lot of them wouldn't dream of going to the DW Stadium for a football game. Every other club in the top league (with perhaps the exception of Swansea) plays in a place where football is king.
My final reason for my growing love affair with Wigan is the fact that everybody writes them off season after season. On Saturday night, Alan Hansen claimed on Match of the Day that "everyone had written them off". I have news for you Alan; I hadn't consigned them to relegation and I bet those words will have fired Martinez's men to avoid that fate even more now.
Every underdog has its day goes the saying but perhaps Wigan have had theirs already considering their past escapes. But I hope that they are going to play up to another animal cliche and use up another one of their nine lives and take their place in the Premier League next season.
Every year, Wigan Athletic almost deliberately seem to put their fans through the mire as they slip into an inevitable relegation battle, before somehow performing great escape after great escape under the management of Roberto Martinez. Should they lose to Swansea tonight though, the Championship bells would be ringing in their ears a lot louder. Currently they sit on 35 points with a game in hand on the sides above them on 38 points; Newcastle, Norwich and Sunderland. A win for Wigan tonight and suddenly Newcastle are in the bottom three on goal difference. But if Swansea manage to beat their old manager's side, then surely Wigan will be joining Reading and QPR in the Championship next season.
However, I really hope that Wigan remain in the Premier League and not just for this season. I should point out that I am not a Wigan fan and never have been. Instead, I have merely developed a liking for a club that I believe are one of the most attractive in England's top division.
One of the main reasons for this is the aforementioned Martinez. Still only 39, the Spaniard is an extremely affable man who is nothing but charming and honest in his interviews before and after matches. He has even shown himself to be a very knowledgeable pundit whilst working for the BBC and ITV among others over the last few years. Of course, there is more than one way to set up football teams and managers such as Sam Allardyce and Tony Pulis have proven that filling your team with 'big men' can work, but Martinez has always wanted to play football the 'right way'. And this has been the case since he started managing at Swansea in 2007, whom he would lead to the League One title. In many ways, he laid the foundations for the Welsh club's success that they've had since he left under Brendan Rodgers and now Michael Laudrup.
Another reason to admire Martinez and Wigan is his (and therefore the club's) ability to scout new markets for players to bring in on the cheap. And they also tend to take a chance on players others wouldn't. Just look at Martinez's record of looking at players in the SPL. Whilst Scottish fans recognised the young talents of James McCarthy and James McArthur at Hamilton whilst they were in the top division, there were more than a few eyebrows raised when they were brought to the club in consecutive seasons. However, they are now mainstays in the team and McArthur scored a goal against West Brom on Saturday that may yet prove vital to their survival.
And what about Shaun Maloney? He may be frustrating to watch as a Scotland fan, but right now he is genuinely one of the most in-form players in the Premier League. He has been the catalyst for Wigan's latest battle to survive after scoring a tremendous free-kick against QPR a few weeks ago and played out of his skin against West Brom on Saturday. Martinez took a gamble on the former Celtic man because he had failed in England before with Aston Villa but he has certainly got the best out of the little Scotsman.
Martinez has also used his contacts in Spain to brilliant effect for Wigan. Whilst it is hardly an unknown league, not many would have heard of strikers Arouna Kone and Jordi Gomez as well as defender Ivan Ramis who have all played their part this season before they came with Kone scoring an impressive 13 goals in his debut season in England.
I also love Wigan for the way they continually punch above their weight. If we were going on attendances alone,Wigan would always be in the bottom three. This season, their average attendance is currently 19,192, which is only good enough to beat fellow strugglers QPR. Last season on average, they only filled 74% of their ground for their 19 home matches. This is a team which regularly sees its attendances beaten by teams in the Championship and even League One. Many feel this shows they don't deserve to be in the Premier League. What nonsense. Wigan are a great story of a team rising through the leagues and they have rightfully earned their place to fight against the 'big boys', just as they will do when they take on Manchester City on Saturday in the FA Cup final.
And their continual survival is made all the more remarkable when you consider Wigan is historically and in many respects to this day, a rugby town. The people of Wigan love the rivalries against St Helens in Rugby League and a lot of them wouldn't dream of going to the DW Stadium for a football game. Every other club in the top league (with perhaps the exception of Swansea) plays in a place where football is king.
My final reason for my growing love affair with Wigan is the fact that everybody writes them off season after season. On Saturday night, Alan Hansen claimed on Match of the Day that "everyone had written them off". I have news for you Alan; I hadn't consigned them to relegation and I bet those words will have fired Martinez's men to avoid that fate even more now.
Every underdog has its day goes the saying but perhaps Wigan have had theirs already considering their past escapes. But I hope that they are going to play up to another animal cliche and use up another one of their nine lives and take their place in the Premier League next season.
Monday 29 April 2013
The Rise and Rise of Ayrshire Sport
I may not have been born in Ayrshire but I have lived in this part of Scotland almost all of my life. And since a young age, sport has been one of my biggest passions.
This last year has seen an incredible rise for Ayrshire sports teams and individuals and their success deserves every bit of respect from the wider public. When people mention Ayrshire in relation to the world of sport, usually people think of golf and rightly so considering the world-class courses in the area including Open venues Royal Troon and Turnberry. And whilst Ayrshire are still producing talented golfers such as Jack McDonald and Michael Stewart, it is in other sports where Ayrshire has been even more successful in the last 12 months.
Rugby has always been played in the area to a very high standard and in recent years Ayr Rugby Club have taken that to a whole new level. After winning the Premier 1 Championship in 2008/2009 after 104 years of winning nothing, they have gone from strength to strength. This season they have captured the Premiership title again holding off a strong challenge from Gala by winning 16 out of 18 games in the league.
And on the 20th April, they became only the third Scottish side ever to do a league and cup double when they beat Melrose 28-25 in an unbelievable final at Murrayfield. They needed extra-time to secure the trophy and then some. They fell 25-23 behind in added time and time was actually up when the score remained that way. But they won with the final play of the game with replacement winger Cammy Taylor diving over in the corner. This summed up the incredible spirit that Kenny Murray has brought to the club and with three RBS Scottish Cup wins in the last five seasons, it is hard to argue against the fact that Ayr are one of the best club rugby sides in Scotland right now.
Another rugby club definitely on the up are that of my old school Marr College, in Troon. Whilst I never played rugby myself, I was always aware of the fantastic rugby programme the school had as well as the senior side who also play in the town. Two days ago the senior side completed a remarkable campaign by beating Helensburgh 24-22 to ensure a 100% winning record in RBS West Division One and to show their dominance, they finished the season with an incredible points difference of +687. A week earlier they had joined in celebrations with Ayr at Murrayfield when they won the RBS Shield in front of 1,000 of their loyal fans by beating Livingston 30-15. And if that wasn't enough, the schools side won the U18 plate final last Tuesday with a 21-13 victory over Galashiels. The future is all set to be wonderful for my old school.
But it isn't just with an oval shaped ball that Ayrshire is celebrating success in. The teams playing the round version have done very well this season too. Auchinleck Talbot have recently reached their third Scottish Junior Cup Final in succession and will be looking to atone for last season's defeat when they take on Linlithgow Rose on the 2nd June. They are also on the brink of winning the Super Premier League Division and haven't lost a game in the league yet.
Drop down a division and the Ayrshire sides are outdoing their Glasgow counterparts there also with Hurlford, Kilbirnie and Largs occupying the top three spaces in the First Division with the first two well set to be promoted to the top league in the next couple of weeks.
And my hometown Troon have also shared in this success by gaining promotion from the Ayrshire League with 51 points from 22 games, playing some nice football along the way and forging close links with local senior side Ayr United. The club are certainly not short of ambition and won't be ruling out another promotion next season. The senior sides in the area Ayr and Kilmarnock have struggled this season, but the juniors have promoted the area to a superb degree.
And in the so-called minor sports Ayrshire are excelling as well. The bowls scene in the area is continuing to flourish and Troon man Paul Foster is a stick-on to feature in the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games after winning a pairs gold in the 2006 event. He is also the proud holder of four World Indoor Singles Championship. And he achieves all this whilst still running a taxi firm!
And what about North Ayrshireman Robert Thornton from Ardrossan who is fast becoming one of the best players in the world at darts. After winning the prestigious UK Open last year beating Phil 'The Power' Taylor in the final, he has really kicked his performances up a gear. With that win, he received an invite to the 2013 version of the 'Premier League' and with two weeks of regular fixtures left he has every chance of making finals night where the top four will battle for the trophy and prize money. If Thornton keeps this form up, he has to be considered a real contender for the World Championship later in the year.
Finally, not many of you will be aware I suspect of an American Football team being based in Troon, but not only is there a team, they are a very good one. Last season they gained promotion after winning nine out of ten games in the British American National Football League Division 1 North and they were extremely unlucky not to win the Brit Bowl at the end of the season. They got off to a poor start on Saturday when they lost their first game in the Premiership against the Birmingham Bulls, but I saw enough to fully believe that they will have no problems holding their own in the league.
So let's raise a glass to the teams and individuals doing Ayrshire proud right now and punching above their weight. Long may it continue.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)