In the grand scheme of things, Rory McIlroy is hardly going to lose much sleep over losing out to Lewis Hamilton in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award last night. He will be aiming to win far bigger things in his career, like The Masters in April next year where he will aim to complete golf's Grand Slam of Majors by the age of just 25.
And Hamilton too has a world title to defend in 2015. Last night's award was a welcome bonus to him in a year when he has responded in the best possible fashion to critics.
However, Hamilton winning was the wrong result in the celebration of 2014 in sport. Let me put a few things straight first of all. I don't hate Formula One. I'm not an avid fan but I have always been a keen follower of something I wouldn't hesitate to call a sport. And Lewis Hamilton's achievements in winning a second World Title are something to be celebrated by British sports fans. And I accept that last night that it was a public vote and the public made their voice heard.
But for him to beat McIlroy by a considerable distance last night (Hamilton earned 209,920 votes to McIlroy's 123,745) was a baffling endorsement by those who voted. Hamilton may have shown critics this season that he could win in a Mercedes Car, but McIlroy also kept his critics quiet this year after a 2013 in which he struggled for form (he only won one tournament all year) and also got himself involved in legal battles and even walked off course during a tournament.
If that was McIlroy's worst year as a professional, then he returned in 2014 with a bang and became completely unplayable no matter how good his challengers were playing. In the same week he split from fiance Caroline Wozniacki, he won the European Tour's flagship event, the BMW PGA Cha at Wentworth, coming from seven shots behind on the final day to win.
And then came his unbelievable performances over the summer, starting at The Open Championship at Hoylake. He led the field from start to finish, holding off challenges from two world class golfers in Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia on the final day which showed for all his brilliant play on the first three days, he had the capabilities mentally to win golf's oldest prize as well.
Many people would have rested on their laurels after winning an Open Championship, but not the man from Northern Ireland. After a week off, he again overhauled Garcia, this time at the World Golf Championship event at the Firestone Club in Ohio. Trailing by three shots going into the final round, McIlroy was at his imperious best on the final day shooting a 66 to win his maiden World Golf Championship event.
And the week after that, McIlroy completed one of the most remarkable spells in golfing history by winning the US PGA Championship for a second time in three years. Again, he faced the stiffest competition on the final day from Fowler, five time major champion Phil Mickelson and the player of 2013 Henrik Stenson who all passed him on the Sunday as McIlroy faltered on the front nine. However, an eagle on the tenth hole sparked him into life and seemed to put the jitters on the other contenders playing ahead of him.
Two more birdies at 13 and 17 followed by a par on the last sealed a second Major of 2014 for McIlroy which led Jack Nicklaus, the winner of 18 Majors to say that he has the opportunity to win 15 or 20 Majors in his career.
He capped an incredible year by playing a vital talisman role as Europe defended their Ryder Cup trophy at Gleneagles in September. He delivered three points for his team, including an incredible 5+4 singles win over Fowler, a match in which he was six under par through the first six holes.
Add in that he returned well and truly to the top of the World Rankings, won the money lists on both the PGA and the European Tour and won the PGA Tour Player of the Year, then you have to wonder what more McIlroy had to do to win the public over last night.
Hamilton is clearly a supremely talented driver, but his only true competition was his teammate Nico Rosberg, whereas McIlroy has to contend with challenges throughout the year from numerous brilliant golfers.
McIlroy's clubs help him to a certain degree, but certainly not to the extent Hamilton has in having the best car on the grid every time he lines up for a race.
Clearly Hamilton's achievements were more fresh in the voting public's mind than McIlroy's but it is hard to argue with those who say that if he has another stellar year in 2015, McIlroy should consider appearing via video link like 2013 winner Andy Murray did.
So for those who feel Hamilton was the worthy winner last night, I ask what more did McIlroy did need to do in 2014 to get you voting for him? Did he have to win all four Majors?
Or is it a case this year, that the misleading word "personality" in the award's title really did come into it for once?
Monday 15 December 2014
Friday 5 December 2014
Why Ally McCoist must do walking away
I take no pleasure in writing this article. Ally McCoist was one of my early footballing heroes and I loved his cheeky chappy persona on programmes like A Question of Sport.
However, like many other Rangers fans I have now reached complete breaking point with Ally McCoist, the football manager. Wednesday's 3-2 defeat against Alloa was the latest in a long, long line of results that have embarrassed a club which still has the second highest wage bill in Scotland since McCoist took over as manager in 2011.
The manner of defeat at Alloa was nothing short of a disgrace. To lose a match against a team of part-timers, who had been working during the day with a comfortable lead with 15 minutes to go, shows the lack of confidence and standards that have been built into this McCoist Rangers team. To start the ball rolling on why he must go, consider the fact that Rangers have had three years of opportunities to win the Challenge Cup in various guises, and have failed every time.
The main problem right now is that due to the clubs perilous financial state, Rangers cannot afford to sack McCoist and coaches Kenny McDowell, Ian Durrant and Jim Stewart. So that's why one of the all time greatest Rangers players and a man who held the club together during the dark days of administration and liquidation in 2012, must walk away for the good of the club.
To put it simply, Ally McCoist is just not cut out to be a football manager. He played a vital role with Walter Smith, firstly with Scotland and then when the pair returned to Rangers as a coach. He was the one players could turn to when they needed a boost in their spirits. But not all assistant managers have what it takes to take the step up to be the main man and McCoist falls into that category.
The demotion to division three offered Rangers and McCoist a wonderful opportunity to rebuild the club and implement a new footballing strategy at the club. Instead he signed many SPL players on high wages, rather than giving youngsters the chance of a lifetime to give their all in a Rangers jersey and compliment them with players that knew what the likes of Division Three was about. Signing a Brazilian defender (Emilson Cribari) to play in the lowest tier of Scottish football sounded like the start to a bad joke.
Whilst McCoist can argue that he won the first two stages of the journey back to the top with ease, it is with respect to these teams that anyone could have led Rangers to the Division Three and League One titles. What was remarkable was the amount of slip-ups Rangers had on the way to the titles and the amount of games where the team scraped over the line against part-time opposition. In Division Three, Rangers didn't win an away match until the end of October and went through a spell of only two wins in six matches at one stage.
Home losses to Annan and Peterhead occurred and there was only one win in four matches against Stirling Albion (McCoist lost to a Stirling Albion side in October 2012 who didn't have their manager on the touchline as he was getting married). The home defeat to Annan showed how poor Rangers fitness was even against part-time players and the lack of effort to try and avoid a humiliating home defeat was hardly there. That result occurred in March 2013. Watching the game on Wednesday night, that attitude hasn't changed the club and that stems from McCoist.
Whilst many blame the board for staying away from Ibrox, I can't help but think that McCoist's style of play is also ensuring that fans are not turning up to the stadium in their droves. To put it mildly, Rangers have been consistently tough to watch under McCoist during his time in charge. A couple of wins over Celtic, fine cup performances against Motherwell and Kilmarnock and a couple of thumpings in the lower leagues aside there haven't been many enjoyable performances to view under McCoist. He has no concept of implementing a style and just thinks his players will go out and win a game.
His tactics are outdated and clueless in the modern age. Long balls were bread and butter for lower league defenders and the fact that fans are continuing to see those 'tactics' in the Championship against better sides, shows McCoist's inability to change a game. And as for his gold-medal attempts at arm folding on the touchline when a game is going wrong, I find that truly remarkable for someone who loves the club as much as someone sitting in the stands.
Where is the reaction to get the players going again? Where is the rage at conceding a soft goal? Sometimes there is barely any show of emotion when the opposition concede which is unacceptable.
McCoist may have managed to beat three top flight sides in cup competitions this season but overall his big game record is awful. As mentioned earlier, he's had three opportunities to win the Challenge Cup and he's failed every time with the worst moment coming in the final against Raith Rovers this year when he started players who were clearly unfit and he paid the price as Raith won 1-0.
Cup games against Dundee United (twice), Inverness and Hearts (twice) and Hibs also show his inability to pit himself against the best and truly get the best out of his players when it matters. That was prevalent when many senior players lost their discipline at Tynecastle when Hearts won 2-0 a couple of weeks ago. The ill discipline of many players at the club shows that they feel they can get away with a lot of things under McCoist. Look at Ian Black even betting against Rangers. Would that have happened under Jock Wallace, Graeme Souness, or even Ally's mentor Walter Smith? I very much doubt it.
Right now, Rangers are a shambles on and off the park. McCoist is largely responsible for the mess that has been created on the park this season which leaves the side nine points behind Hearts before Christmas. For me, McCoist is now in a similar position as to which David Moyes was at Manchester United last season.
Rangers may well go on an eight game winning streak again like they did after the loss to Hibs in September, but McCoist is always one bad result away from a crisis now. A draw and defeat to Alloa and a defeat to Hearts in the last three weeks has now multiplied the anger ten fold. When a manager knows he is in that position with the fans, then it is going to be uber hard to turnaround those feelings and a deficit in the league.
I met McCoist once and I have no problem in admitting I was slightly starstruck even at the age of 20. I found him to be nothing but a gentleman and countless others have told me similar tales.
But it takes more than being a nice gentleman to be a successful football manager. I'm afraid McCoist is becoming more and more like a modern day John Greig. A legendary player but not cut out to command respect in a dressing room.
That soundbite in the days after administration; "We don't do walking away" has become a noose around McCoist's neck. It's time he loosened its grip and shows a bit honesty towards the fans and say "I'm just not up to the job."
If he did that, then he will protect his legacy which is in some danger of being ruined currently.
However, like many other Rangers fans I have now reached complete breaking point with Ally McCoist, the football manager. Wednesday's 3-2 defeat against Alloa was the latest in a long, long line of results that have embarrassed a club which still has the second highest wage bill in Scotland since McCoist took over as manager in 2011.
The manner of defeat at Alloa was nothing short of a disgrace. To lose a match against a team of part-timers, who had been working during the day with a comfortable lead with 15 minutes to go, shows the lack of confidence and standards that have been built into this McCoist Rangers team. To start the ball rolling on why he must go, consider the fact that Rangers have had three years of opportunities to win the Challenge Cup in various guises, and have failed every time.
The main problem right now is that due to the clubs perilous financial state, Rangers cannot afford to sack McCoist and coaches Kenny McDowell, Ian Durrant and Jim Stewart. So that's why one of the all time greatest Rangers players and a man who held the club together during the dark days of administration and liquidation in 2012, must walk away for the good of the club.
To put it simply, Ally McCoist is just not cut out to be a football manager. He played a vital role with Walter Smith, firstly with Scotland and then when the pair returned to Rangers as a coach. He was the one players could turn to when they needed a boost in their spirits. But not all assistant managers have what it takes to take the step up to be the main man and McCoist falls into that category.
The demotion to division three offered Rangers and McCoist a wonderful opportunity to rebuild the club and implement a new footballing strategy at the club. Instead he signed many SPL players on high wages, rather than giving youngsters the chance of a lifetime to give their all in a Rangers jersey and compliment them with players that knew what the likes of Division Three was about. Signing a Brazilian defender (Emilson Cribari) to play in the lowest tier of Scottish football sounded like the start to a bad joke.
Whilst McCoist can argue that he won the first two stages of the journey back to the top with ease, it is with respect to these teams that anyone could have led Rangers to the Division Three and League One titles. What was remarkable was the amount of slip-ups Rangers had on the way to the titles and the amount of games where the team scraped over the line against part-time opposition. In Division Three, Rangers didn't win an away match until the end of October and went through a spell of only two wins in six matches at one stage.
Home losses to Annan and Peterhead occurred and there was only one win in four matches against Stirling Albion (McCoist lost to a Stirling Albion side in October 2012 who didn't have their manager on the touchline as he was getting married). The home defeat to Annan showed how poor Rangers fitness was even against part-time players and the lack of effort to try and avoid a humiliating home defeat was hardly there. That result occurred in March 2013. Watching the game on Wednesday night, that attitude hasn't changed the club and that stems from McCoist.
Whilst many blame the board for staying away from Ibrox, I can't help but think that McCoist's style of play is also ensuring that fans are not turning up to the stadium in their droves. To put it mildly, Rangers have been consistently tough to watch under McCoist during his time in charge. A couple of wins over Celtic, fine cup performances against Motherwell and Kilmarnock and a couple of thumpings in the lower leagues aside there haven't been many enjoyable performances to view under McCoist. He has no concept of implementing a style and just thinks his players will go out and win a game.
His tactics are outdated and clueless in the modern age. Long balls were bread and butter for lower league defenders and the fact that fans are continuing to see those 'tactics' in the Championship against better sides, shows McCoist's inability to change a game. And as for his gold-medal attempts at arm folding on the touchline when a game is going wrong, I find that truly remarkable for someone who loves the club as much as someone sitting in the stands.
Where is the reaction to get the players going again? Where is the rage at conceding a soft goal? Sometimes there is barely any show of emotion when the opposition concede which is unacceptable.
McCoist may have managed to beat three top flight sides in cup competitions this season but overall his big game record is awful. As mentioned earlier, he's had three opportunities to win the Challenge Cup and he's failed every time with the worst moment coming in the final against Raith Rovers this year when he started players who were clearly unfit and he paid the price as Raith won 1-0.
Cup games against Dundee United (twice), Inverness and Hearts (twice) and Hibs also show his inability to pit himself against the best and truly get the best out of his players when it matters. That was prevalent when many senior players lost their discipline at Tynecastle when Hearts won 2-0 a couple of weeks ago. The ill discipline of many players at the club shows that they feel they can get away with a lot of things under McCoist. Look at Ian Black even betting against Rangers. Would that have happened under Jock Wallace, Graeme Souness, or even Ally's mentor Walter Smith? I very much doubt it.
Right now, Rangers are a shambles on and off the park. McCoist is largely responsible for the mess that has been created on the park this season which leaves the side nine points behind Hearts before Christmas. For me, McCoist is now in a similar position as to which David Moyes was at Manchester United last season.
Rangers may well go on an eight game winning streak again like they did after the loss to Hibs in September, but McCoist is always one bad result away from a crisis now. A draw and defeat to Alloa and a defeat to Hearts in the last three weeks has now multiplied the anger ten fold. When a manager knows he is in that position with the fans, then it is going to be uber hard to turnaround those feelings and a deficit in the league.
I met McCoist once and I have no problem in admitting I was slightly starstruck even at the age of 20. I found him to be nothing but a gentleman and countless others have told me similar tales.
But it takes more than being a nice gentleman to be a successful football manager. I'm afraid McCoist is becoming more and more like a modern day John Greig. A legendary player but not cut out to command respect in a dressing room.
That soundbite in the days after administration; "We don't do walking away" has become a noose around McCoist's neck. It's time he loosened its grip and shows a bit honesty towards the fans and say "I'm just not up to the job."
If he did that, then he will protect his legacy which is in some danger of being ruined currently.
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