Greatest Events in Sporting History

An England Defeat In Which We Can All Rejoice

2012-02-07T23:41:00.000Z

By Shane Thomas

The England cricket team; the sport's dominant force. The playground bullies. Best in the world. Don't believe me, look at the rankings.

So on this England team went to the sub-continent to play Pakistan. They came, they saw, and they got a pasting. It was a rude awakening, as Pakistan taught England a lesson that they shouldn't really have needed teaching. England were whitewashed in the series, 3-0, and have been humbled as a result.

But it's not England's defeat that should bring joy to cricket fans, but Pakistan's victory.

The story of Pakistani cricket is a headlong miasma of quixotic brilliance, emetic avarice, wanton self-interest, and even criminal violence, with the loathsome presence of terrorism making its presence felt. Over the years, Pakistan has been a chimeric cricketing nation.

Things reached a nadir between 2009 and 2010. While many countries opted against touring Pakistan due to a potential threat of attacks from terrorist groups, Sri Lanka decided that sport and politics could be kept separate. While a laudable decision, it turned out that the caution evinced by the majority of the Test cricket countries was not misplaced. In March of 2009, gunmen opened fire on buses carrying the Sri Lankan team and match officials. It resulted in the deaths of 7 people and injuries to 8 others.

It was clear that in the short-term, cricket in Pakistan was untenable, which left the region's cricketers as the sport's nomads, having to play "home" matches in other countries.

The following year, while touring England, three Pakistani cricketers - including then captain, Salman Butt - were found guilty of "spot-fixing" (organising for bowlers to bowl "no-balls" at specific moments in the match). This blatant flouting of the game's laws and fraudulent conduct, led to all three players being charged and imprisoned.

At this point, Pakistan were cricket's pariahs, with some calling for them to be ostracised from the sport. However, since this time, while the Pakistani cricketing authorities still leave a lot to be desired, the playing personnel have quietly gone about rebuilding the team.

Now relocated to Abu Dhabi and Dubai for the time being, Pakistan are now a force to be reckoned with again. Under Misbah-Ul-Haq's understated leadership, their team is built around a mix of new talents such Azhar Ali and Adnan Akmal, supplemented by experienced heads like Younis Khan and Umar Gul. And of course, not forgetting the magical off-breaks of Saeed Ajmal - who has officially usurped Graeme Swann as the world's premier spinner.

England underestimated the togetherness of this new Pakistan oufit - which given their shambolic past is understandable - and got a thumping as a result.

The country that gave us Imran Khan, arguably the greatest ever new ball partnership of Waqar Younis & Wasin Akram, the improbable World Cup win in 1992, and popularising reverse-swing, cricket is a richer place with a strong Pakistan side, and it's something that we should all be thankful for.

Along with a resurgent Australia, Test cricket is looking a brighter place again. Now, if only we could do something about the West Indies.

AND IN OTHER NEWS...

- After some impressive recent performances, there has been talk of Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain being called up to the England squad for Euro 2012. Now Oxlade-Chamberlain is still only 18, and has so far started only three matches in the Premier League. Talk of going to Poland and the Ukraine seems a bit premature. Is this summer a tournament too soon?

Well, what many have overlooked is that the European Championships isn't the only international football competition happening in the summer. While many in this country look at the Olympics football competition with disdain, it will feature most of the country's best under-23 footballers. If Oxlade-Chamberlain doesn't go to Euro 2012, he'll be a certainty - fitness permitting - for London 2012.

So football fans (especially Arsenal ones) thinking that it's best for Oxlade-Chamberlain to stay at home, rest up in the summer, and return fresh for the 2012/13 season, forget it. One way or another, he'll be wearing national colours in the next few months. And playing in the Olympics will ensure he misses the start of the next Premier League season. For once, it may behove Fabio Capello to heed the clamour from the tabloids and find a space for the young Arsenal flyer in his final squad of 23.

"The Greatest Events in Sporting History" is available to download from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Too Many Clasicos? How Can You Have Too Much Of This?

2012-01-31T01:17:00.005Z

By Shane Thomas

When Real Madrid and Barcelona were set to play in the quarter-finals of the Copa Del Rey, the howls of lament could be heard from fans and pundits; "Too many clasicos!", "I'm sick of seeing Real & Barca all the time!", "What's next, are they going to play each other every week!?"

What left me nonplussed is that the complaints implied that these Real/Barcelona contest has been arranged in advance, like a WWE storyline. I don't see how either club is able to prevent themselves being drawn together in a cup competition, it's pure happenstance. What were the organisers meant to do? Redraw the whole competition to deliberately keep them apart?

The reason Barcelona and Real Madrid tend to play each other often is quite simple; they are the best two sides in Spain, and probably the world. Of course they would be scrapping amongst each other to win the sport's major competitions. It's the same reason we saw so many encounters between Martina Navratilova & Chris Evert, Muhammad Ali & Joe Frazier or Ayrton Senna & Alain Prost.

But that's not even the point. Who cares why there are so many recent clasicos? Surely we should simply rejoice that there are. Last week's 2nd leg in the Camp Nou was an enthralling contest, Real looking down and out at half-time, before coming back to draw 2-2, falling narrowly short of knocking the Spanish champions out. Sometimes you can never have too much of a good thing. Contests between Barcelona and Real Madrid are currently one of sport's great rivalries.

If you're unable to find pleasure in this, then I suggest you stop watching football.

AND IN OTHER NEWS...

- You've triumphed in one of the greatest matches of all time, where do you go after that? If you're Novak Djokovic, you do it all again.

There's no superlative to ascribe to what Djokovic achieved on Sunday, beating Rafael Nadal in the longest match in Grand Slam history, but what is now apparent is that tennis has an undisputed king. Roger Federer is regarded by many as the greatest player to ever swing a racket. And yet, he was usurped from the game's summit by Nadal, with the Spaniard having an 18-9 win-loss record in tournament finals.

But now Djokovic is proving himself as the better of both the aforementioned legends. Since last year's Australian Open, the Serb has won four out of the last five Grand Slams, beating Nadal in three of them. In their last seven encounters, Nadal has been unable to register a victory.

This is no longer a golden age in tennis, it's the golden age. Rod Laver, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe; their achievements are all being left in the shade by Federer, Nadal and Djokovic (with Andy Murray also looking set to join them).

Sport can fluctuate wildly, but what is happening in men's tennis is accelerated evolution. As Federer was annexed by Nadal, he is suffering the same fate at the hands of Djokovic. And all in the space of only five years. The king is dead. Long live the king.

- Despite what you may think, we love a good news story on this blog. So we doff our proverbial caps to the Leeds Rhinos, who announced that their cheerleaders will be supplemented by two male dancers for the new Super League season.

Personally I've never been the biggest fan of this kind of thing in sport (dancers in general). I think it's one of the increasingly prevalent sideshows that take away from the athletic prowess on the field of play. However, there's no denying that they are very talented at what they do.

But the way cheerleaders are used is an exemplar of a wider societal problem. Even in the ostensibly meritocratic world of sport, men are there to be looked at for their sporting skill. Women are just there to be looked at. But the addition of male dancers can help offset accusation of sexism. Anything that helps bridge the gender divide - proving there is no domain that is just "for women" - has to be applauded.

It's only a little thing that the Rhinos have done, but sometimes that's how equality suffuses itself throughout society. An act of moral decency eventually doesn't become noteworthy, but everyday. Let's hope that this is the starting point for an era where a story like this will no longer be a story, as it'll be too ordinary to warrant a mention.

- However, as far as social progress goes, it seems football remains miles behind rugby league. I'm never a big fan of footballers on Twitter, the worst example of which being Joey Barton. But he deserves nothing but praise for being the only Premier League player to speak publicly on a recent BBC documentary about homosexuality in football.

It's clear that Barton is one of the more insightful players in England, and while that may not be saying much, his sentiments on the programme is one that should be echoed by all. It was in sharp contrast to many of the other revelations in the documentary, the standing of gay men in the sport is comparable to their place in society as far back as the 1950's

"The Greatest Events in Sporting History" is available to download from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Djokovic & Murray Serve Up Drama Worthy Of The Gods

2012-01-28T20:36:00.001Z

By Shane Thomas

Novak Djokovic beats Andy Murray 6-3, 3-6, 6-7, 6-1, 7-5 to reach the 2012 Australian Open Final.

It's been about 24 hours since the epic confrontation between Novak Djokovic & Andy Murray. I trust you've got your breath back. I sure hope the players have. No-one would begrudge either man a lie-in after yesterday's exertions.

With Rafael Nadal waiting in tomorrow's final, Djokovic went into the match looking to maintain his position at the top of the tennis mountain, Murray arrived looking to prove to his doubters that he belongs near the summit of said mountain. In the end, they were both successful.

Nole took the first set 6-3, taking advantage of a lacklustre Murray display. He then broke serve early in the second. Murray was in a position where he was a set down, a service-break down, and serving 0-30 down. This was painfully reminiscent of their contest in last year's Australian Open, where Murray was proverbially pimp-slapped in an ignominious defeat. However, 2012 has brought us a Murray with a stronger temperament. He reeled off four games in a row, and won the set 6-3 to level the match.

But then everything changed in the third set. It was a ferocious microcosm of the match. To say that Murray won it on a tie-break after 88 torturous minutes, is to simplify things and disrespect the players. Each point was a mini-battle, every shot was played with a tenacity that left the audience as exhausted as the players.

A gripping sporting contest soon became something else, something more. I actually hesitate to even call this a tennis match. It was sporting opus of Odyssean proportions, a gruelling quasi-war that rivalled the labours of Hercules for its attritional narrative.

Both men played as if they were in Olympus, desperate for the favour of the Gods. They emptied their souls for our entertainment. For nearly five hours, the Rod Laver Arena turned into The Colosseum.

It reached a transcendental stage where confrontation turned to collaboration. It felt as if both men were no longer trying to beat the other, but instead, trying to create a mesmeric work of drama. The shared iron will of Murray and Djokovic imparted a chimeric osmosis on each television viewer, a magnetic pull preventing us from tearing our eyes away from the screen, forcing us to watch the action in a state of feverish empathetic wonder. We became bound to both players; their desire became our desire, their pain, our pain. By a form of athletic osmosis, we became part of the drama.

Many have expressed sympathy for Murray in defeat. They shouldn't. It's not that he hasn't deserved it. But this occasion went beyond partisanship, beyond a winner and a loser. We shouldn't feel sorry for Murray, we should be thanking him.

And we should also thank Djokovic. The only memory that should remain is of an absolute classic match which enriched and enshrined all involved, participant and spectator. This was palpable proof of the power of sport at its best.

It's only January, but in a year which the major sporting stories are expected to be reserved for the Olympics and Euro 2012, not to mention the more perennial delights of The Superbowl, The Masters and the Formula 1 season, will all have to go some to top what happened in Melbourne for the best sporting moment of 2012.

If you can't appreciate Murray & Djokovic after what they gave us, then tennis isn't the sport for you. Told you this tournament was going to heat up.

"The Greatest Events in Sporting History" is available to download from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

A Lukewarm Australian Open Is Ready To Turn Up The Heat

2012-01-26T04:50:00.000Z

By Shane Thomas

The men's tournament at the Australian Open has been a touch lukewarm thus far, not fitting of what is a golden age for men's tennis. But that should soon change as we've now reached the semi-final stage.

Despite the portents of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Juan Martin Del Potro, not to mention the coming names of Milos Raonic, Bernard Tomic and Alex Dolgopolov, the sport remains the domain of the big four, and it's those men who will slug it out amongst themselves in the first Grand Slam of the year.

Andy Murray - the only member of this group yet to win one of the sport's major titles - will go up against reigning champion, Novak Djokovic. Over the past 12 months, Djokovic went from a man with tons of potential to, "the man". He's the benchmark in the sport, and will go into Friday's contest as favourite.

Murray has a good record at Melbourne Park, reaching the last two finals Down Under, and has looked in good form throughout the tournament. Many pundits think that Murray is drawing closer to breaking Britain's prolonged wait for a Grand Slam champion. Also in his favour is that while Djokovic has breezed to the semis, he has been suffering with injury & illness, so if Murray can make the match last as long as possible, he may be able to outlast the Serb.

Murray knows what it takes the beat the world's best, and the key to these victories in his serve. His major weakness is his chiffon-like second serve, which gets devoured by any returner worth their salt. But when Murray gets a high percentage of his first serves in, he lays the platform to dominate rallies, and many overlook just how good he is in this situation. No player has the range of shots in the game than Murray.

However, his serving has been alarmingly inconsistent. In his quarter-final against Kei Nishikori, it was less than 50%. Repeat that, and Nole will win in straight sets. Either way, the winner will face the victor of the Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer semi-final. And I've said plenty on what happens when they do combat.

AND IN OTHER NEWS...

This week brought the news that former American football coach of Pennsylvania State University, Joe Paterno, passed away from lung cancer.

Now, Paterno became notorious for his association with the child abuse scandal that took place in November at Penn State. I recently rained verbal fire & brimstone upon all involved, including Paterno. Given that he's passed away, do I now feel regret for my comments?

Not a bit of it, but personal conduct doesn't have to directly correlate with professional achievements. His career as an American football coach is outstanding and speaks for itself. The same goes for his failure to take requisite action when made aware of the behaviour of his former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky.

Whatever your opinions on the man, it should never cause us to absolve ourselves from common decency. Unconscionable actions doesn't give one an excuse to follow suit. To the people who made petty and infantile jokes in the light of Paterno's death, you should be ashamed.

To those who continue to defend Paterno with such maddening fealty, you should also be ashamed. But the fact is that a human being - who did both good and bad things - has died, and that should give no pleasure to anyone.

"The Greatest Events in Sporting History" is available to download from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

The Fall Of Tebow Gives America Its Very Own Black Mirror

2012-01-16T20:52:00.000Z

By Shane Thomas

This week's sporting metaphor concerns Charlie Brooker's brilliant television mini-series, Black Mirror. In the first episode, "The National Anthem", the plot centres around the British Prime Minister (Michael Callow) being forced into a situation where he has to have sex with a pig on live television (this blog post will contain spoilers for the aforementioned episode).

Being a man of immense power and privilege, he's relatively disliked by the British public, so the prospect of witnessing this man debase himself to such an extreme level in front of the entire nation is thrilling and hilarious; the TV becomes Britain's fireplace, streets are emptied as people pile into pubs or anywhere there is a television set to watch the most powerful person in the country commit a forced act of bestiality.

However, the anticipative glee felt by the public soon dissipates when the horrifying act takes place. Epicaricacy turns to discomfort. No longer is anyone glad to see Callow humiliated in such a manner. Instead, they feel intense sympathy for him - and it ends up helping the PM's approval ratings.

For Michael Callow, read Tim Tebow. Over this NFL season, he's become an iconoclast for just how polarised America has become. A large portion of the country have been waiting for him to fail for a while now. And the more he defied the odds - as the Denver Broncos repeatedly won games that they should have lost - the zeal to see him fall reached... well, they reached a fervour often seen in fundamentalists.

And what a fall it was. Denver weren't just beaten by the New England Patriots, they were humiliated. Tom Brady was at his most supreme, while the Patriots defence took Tebow to the figurative woodshed. But as it rained touchdowns for the Patriots, the instant reaction - provided by the age of Twitter - was mainly solicitous towards the Denver quarterback, even from those who had heaped scorn on him for months. This was a case of the scenario not correlating with the reality. The natural human instinct for empathy took hold, and we weren't seeing a Christian icon or an overpaid celebrity who'd gotten lucky. The hype was stripped away and we only saw a human being who was having a terrible day at the office.

But when such a thing happens to you or me, it's witnessed by only a handful of people, not a worldwide television audience of millions. Denver's defeat on Saturday caused us all to look in the mirror, and many of us didn't seem to like what we saw.

AND IN OTHER NEWS...

- In the rancourous haze of the Luis Suarez/Patrice Evra racism storm, one minor thing seems to have been overlooked. While Suarez's eight match ban is no good thing for Liverpool - at least in the short term - it could have beneficial long term effects for the Merseysiders.

Many agreed that while Suarez would be key to Liverpool's chances of success this campaign, he would also need an extended break at some point. The Uruguayan has been one of the hardest working players in world football over the past two years. Since the 2009/10 season, he's been in action for either his club side (Ajax and Liverpool) or for Uruguay at the World Cup and Copa America. And while getting to the latter stages of those international competitions has been great for his career, they must have taken a significant toll on his body.

For a player whose game depends so much on high energy, it is clear that Suarez was getting ever closer to the point of burnout. And while the circumstances were far from ideal, it saved Kenny Dalglish making a tough decision of when to pull his key man out of the firing line. Expect Suarez to return fully refreshed and make a huge impact at the business end of the season.

- The controversies this season surrounding Suarez and John Terry have put the issue of racism back on the football agenda. Over the past few weeks, ex-players have received racial abuse on their Twitter accounts, Oldham's Tom Adeyemi was racially abused by a fan during an FA Cup game, and only this weekend, two Rangers players (Maurice Edu & Kyle Bartley) were on the receiving end of bigoted tweets.

The consensus to this has been one of horror and disgust, and is seeming to be treated with requisite seriousness by the authorities. This shows how much progress has been made in our society, but also shows how much influence the game's leading players have over its fans.

The issue here isn't whether Suarez and Terry are guilty of racist abuse, as only the implication is needed to take such noxious actions out of mainstream behaviour and make it a more common occurrence. Racism is a form of bigotry that has been gradually driven underground over the past 3 decades, but it's a societal decency that isn't as secure as some like to think. While it's not football's responsibility to be society's Jiminy Cricket, it only takes the slightest slip of the tongue from a high profile player to precipitate people who normally keep their prejudice to themselves, to spread their poisonous opinions in the public sphere.

"The Greatest Events in Sporting History" is available to download from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Episode 48 - 2011 in Review (Part 4) w/Emma Hyam

2012-01-14T16:30:00.000Z

Emma Hyam helps us bring our 2011 retrospective to a close as we dissect the last 12 months in Motorsport, Gymnastics, Snooker, Boxing & Athletics. Added to this we close with a brief look at the inherent sexism in the world of sport, and conclude with our sporting heroes & villains for the year.

Sporting Hero (Domestic):

Jonathan - Mark Cavendish
Shane - Mark Cavendish
Emma - Sarah Stevenson

Sporting Hero (Foreign):

Jonathan - Aaron Rodgers
Shane - Lionel Messi

Sporting Villian:

Jonathan - Carlos Tevez
Shane - Pennsylvania State University
Emma - Sepp Blatter

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - The Return Of The King

2012-01-10T12:52:00.001Z

By Shane Thomas

12 minutes away from yet another frustrating FA Cup draw with Leeds United, Thierry Henry scored a timely winning goal to send the Emirates Stadium into raptures. The Arsenal legend's storybook return was the headline of an otherwise sterile encounter in which Simon Grayson's side almost earned themselves a creditable replay.

As expected, Arsenal had the lion's share of possession. But they have been struggling to break sides down with increasing regularity this season, and this affliction persisted last night. Mikel Arteta continued his impressive form by dominating the middle of the pitch, but when the ball was worked towards the penalty area, moves often broke down - with a lacklustre Marouane Chamakh, an erratic Andrey Arshavin, and an enervated Aaron Ramsey all at fault.

There's no doubt that the absences of a rested Robin Van Persie, and an Africa-bound Gervinho exacerbated this, but Arsenal will have to find a viable alternative to break sides down who are content to play for a draw.

As well as Arteta played, his position in front of the back four means that he can construct a platform for attacks, but he needs someone with sufficient devil to make the most of these opportunities. It is a similar dynamic to Andrea Pirlo at Juventus or Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid. The difference is that Pirlo has Claudio Marchisio to get the ball to, while Xabi Alonso can pass to Angel Di Maria. Not only is the need for Jack Wilshere's return ever more urgent, but it's clear that Arsenal will immediately need to him to be firing on all cylinders when he recovers from his injured ankle.

While Leeds passed the ball tidily on occasion, they often resorted to long balls to Luciano Becchio, while hoping for devil from their wide-men, Andros Townsend and Ramon Nunez. In fairness to the Yorkshire team, they were missing Robert Snodgrass due to injury - a player whose talents are worthy of the Premier League. Had the Scottish international been playing, Leeds would surely have carried a greater attacking threat.

The pre-match headlines focused on one man, and it transpired that the post-match headlines would be no different. At times The Emirates resembled a sightseeing tour, with fans hoping to catch a glimpse of Henry - sitting on the bench, warming up, desperate for his involvement. When he lined up on the touchline with Theo Walcott to make his entrance, a fan behind me implored for the Arsenal players to kick the ball out of play, expediting the substitution. You could empathise with the fan as Arsenal looked devoid of ideas, and the match looked to be heading towards a stalemate.

Henry said in the lead-up to the match that he would not be the same record-breaking forward who thrilled Gooners and terrified opposition defences for nearly 10 years. The Frenchman is older, but also smarter; he was only on the ball 5 times in the match, but as critics of the Arsenal style love to state, it doesn't matter how much of the ball you have, but what you do with it that counts. Henry's stylish goal was a perfect illustration of this.

There haven't been many iconic nights in The Emirates's short history; only the 2-1 wins over Manchester United and Barcelona spring to mind, but this was one of them. A night that will go down in the stadium's folklore as an "I was there" night. And it may not be the only time in Henry's short loan spell that he'll be required to have such a positive effect.

ARSENAL (4-3-3)

Szczesny - 7, Coquelin - 7 (Yennaris - 6), Squllaci - 7, Koscielny - 8, Miquel - 6, Song - 7, Arteta - 8, Ramsey - 6, Oxlade-Chamberlain - 6 (Walcott - 6), Chamakh - 5 (Henry - 7), Arshavin - 6

"The Greatest Events in Sporting History" is available to download from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Episode 47 - 2011 in Review (Part 3)

2012-01-06T09:11:00.000Z

No guest host, but still tons of sport to review on this episode. Our penultimate year in review show takes on Cycling, Cricket, Swimming, Darts and Golf.

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

Episode 46 - 2011 in Review (Part 2) w/Greg Blanchard

2012-01-05T07:09:00.000Z

We take a trip over the Atlantic Ocean for our second part of the retrospective on 2011. As we bring an American onto the show, it only made sense to review the sports that keep many North Americans in thrall. However, in the interests of balance we also look at the last 12 months in "sarker", better known as football to most of us.

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

Episode 45 - 2011 In Review (Part 1) w/Emma Hyam

2011-12-29T05:30:00.000Z

As 2011 draws to a close, we begin our retrospective of the year in sport. With the help of former guest host, Emma Hyam, we review the past 12 months in Rugby Union, Rugby League and Tennis.

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

Episode 44 - Basil D'Oliveira's Ashes Century in 1968

2011-12-26T20:00:00.000Z

A big innings for the England cricket team, but an even more important one for the rest of the world. There was a time when South Africa's policy of apartheid was freely tolerated by many other countries. We talk about how one man swinging a cricket bat helped to change all that.

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

British Boxing Knocked Off The Pedestal Of Greatness

2011-12-22T02:23:00.001Z

By Shane Thomas

These past two weekends have been damaging for British boxing. Starting the year with four World Champions, Britain is now down to one (although Ricky Burns should be officially confirmed as World lightweight champion in due course). Both Carl Froch and Amir Khan were dethroned in their encounters against Andre Ward and Lamont Peterson respectively. So where did Britain's two - now former - world champions go wrong?

Let's look at Khan first. The Bolton man went to Washington with many expecting him to have a comfortable defence against hometown challenger, Lamont Peterson. Khan had proven his mettle at the top level with victories over established names such as Paulie Malignaggi, Zab Judah, and the explosive Marcos Maidana (which some say was the best fight of 2010). This was set to be his last fight at light-welterweight, before moving up to welterweight, and a possible clash with Floyd Mayweather.

And it seems that he was so focused on future big money matches, he failed to see the trees for the wood. Khan started fast, repeatedly tagging Peterson in the first two rounds. But this was never going to be a quick fight, and Khan should have known this.

Lamont Peterson has a backstory that deserves his own blog post. From a young age, he was raised without any parental influence. He and his brother Anthony (also a boxer) lived on the streets of Washington as young children. From such an impecunious start to life, Lamont and Anthony's rise to such auspiciousness is an incredibly heartwarming tale. And when you've grown up on the streets (literally), taking a few punches doesn't seem that bad.

Peterson showed in previous bouts against Vcitor Ortiz and Timothy Bradley that he may not be the most skilled pugilist, but he's one of the most durable. In both fights, he was put down on the canvas, only to get straight back up again. Something of a metaphor for his life.

He upped the tempo of the contest, constantly pressuring Khan, forcing him back onto the ropes before unleashing a barrage of fierce body punches. Rather than use his speed to keep out of Peterson's reach, Khan inexplicably tried to take the American on in a slugfest. This was a treat for the watching public, as the two men traded shots in the centre of the ring. But this strategy was conducive to Peterson's strengths, rather than Khan's.

It turned out that the crucial aspect of the fight was Peterson's methods to apply pressure on Khan. He often led with his head, pushing the very boundaries of the sport's legalities. Khan responded in kind, by pushing Peterson off him as he was being forced backwards, also pushing the boundaries of what is permitted. The referee correctly adjudged Khan's action illegal and after repeated warnings, deducted him two points from the overall scorecard.

The bout ended on a split decision, with two judges giving the decision to Peterson by a single point, proving how important the deducted points were. While Khan has a case for feeling aggrieved by what he called "a hometown decision", the fact remains that he should never have let the contest become as close as it was. A fully focused Khan would probably have won comfortably, and a rematch is expected in the next few months. Despite his defeat, there's a reason why Khan will go into that as favourite.

However, there's no doubt that from Peterson's perspective, the match goes down as one of the more rousing sporting stories of the year. It put one in mind of a British boxing triumph of recent times; a high-pressure body puncher, in front of a raucous home crowd, as well as being the underdog against an established champion - anyone who watched Ricky Hatton beat Kostya Tszyu in 2005 can't fail to see the resemblance.

But if Khan was guilty of complacency, then Carl Froch's shortcomings were down to a more simple gulf in class.

Froch came up against Andre Ward in the final of the "Super Six World Boxing Classic". This was a tournament that began back in 2009, with the purpose of ascertaining the best fighter in the super-middleweight division. The competition was marred by withdrawals (mainly due to injuries) and convoluted planning, but the ends justified the means as the recognised best two men in the weight class, Froch and Ward, fought to win the tournament, as well as take the title of undisputed super-middleweight world champion.

Ward went into the fight as favourite. He was undefeated, and had won an Olympic gold medal in 2004. His path to the top was as gilded as they come. His slick, smooth style in the ring embodies the qualities that lead some to call boxing a "sweet science".

Froch on the other hand, is more of an old fashioned street-fighter. He relishes standing his ground in the centre of the ring and throwing bombs. The concept of defence is bordering on alien to the Nottingham pugilist. His guard is extremely low and he often gets hit throughout bouts. It's only his granite chin that has prevented him being knocked down more often in his career - so far only Jermain Taylor has successfully managed to put Froch on the canvas.

Many viewed the fight in Atlantic City as a boxer against a slugger. The build-up was relatively respectful, but Froch insisted on stating that Ward is a fighter who lacks power, and would be unable to knock him out. While there is truth to this statement, Froch seemed to forget that Ward never had to knock him out, just beat him.

And in one of the greatest displays of recent years, that's exactly what Ward did. The American's moniker is "S.O.G (Soldier of God)", but he wouldn't be out of place referring to himself as the "Surgeon General" from now on as he dissected Froch in 12 of the most one-sided rounds I can remember witnessing. Ward won by unanimous decision, and that two judges only awarded the fight to him by two points ranks along the best jokes I've heard in 2011. Even the third judge who gave it to Ward by eight points was probably being generous.

Those lucky enough to be in Boardwalk Hall last Saturday night bore witness to a boxing clinic. Ward did what Amir Khan failed to do the previous week, relying on his superior athleticism and hand speed to use his opponent as target practice, before retreating to a safe distance, clear from the danger of being caught with a counter-punch. Indeed, Ward was so quick and elusive that you could have been mistaken for thinking that you were watching an old Road Runner cartoon. And like Wile.E.Coyote, Froch looked lumpen, ill equipped, and ultimately hapless.

But we shouldn't wallow in Froch's failure, we should bask in Ward's triumph. There is no a fighter in the super-middleweight division that could have lived with Ward on the night. His display was near flawless, he's proven himself to be far and away the best in his weight class. And he can be named on the list of boxing's current pound-for-pound kings; Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Sergio Martinez, Julio Cesar Chavez, and now Andre Ward.

The last fortnight - and arguably the calendar year - has given British boxing a firm reality check. Along with David Haye, Darren Barker, and maybe even Matthew Macklin & Martin Murray, Froch and Khan have been proven to be good boxers rather than great ones. And that's often more frustrating that not being any good at all.

"The Greatest Events in Sporting History" is available to download from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Barcelona's Weeping Angels Show Their Nasty Side

2011-12-17T21:13:00.000Z

By Shane Thomas

The worlds of Doctor Who and el Clasico are ones that seldom collide. But the twain seemed to meet after last weekend's encounter between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

As Real suffered their ninth defeat in the last ten clasicos, I was put in mind of the brilliant episode of Doctor Who, "Blink". The monsters in the aforementioned piece were "The Weeping Angels", benign statues whenever they are looked at, but rapid, ferocious monsters when they could escape the affliction of being gazed upon.

The Doctor gives an impassioned warning to combat these creatures. "Don't turn your back. Don't look away. And don't blink!" After 23 seconds it seemed to work, as Real hunted the ball down from the kick-off, pressuring Victor Valdes into a horrendous error. Before a minute of the match had elapsed, Los Merengues were 1-0 up.

It turned out to be the worst thing that could have happened to Real. They got a little too comfortable, forgetting the monumental focus it takes to beat this Barcelona outfit. Head coach, Pep Guardiola changed tack. Pushing Dani Alves into midfield, and switching captain, Carles Puyol to right-back, his team slowly grabbed control of the game. Just when Madrid looked to have finally found an answer to Barcelona, Guardiola changed the question. The fluid and entertaining football of the Catalans have had many branding them as football's angels. But these angels have a nasty side.

Real Madrid should need no reminding of this, as they were massacred by Barca only a year ago. But Lionel Messi took it upon himself to give the Madridistas a re-education. Picking the ball up on the half-way line, he zipped through three challenges at breakneck speed. Madrid's right-back, Fabio Coentrao allowed himself to be diverted by Messi's spell. It wasn't for long, barely a second, about as long as it takes to blink.

But that's long enough for the Spanish champions. Messi's perceptive pass gave Alexis Sanchez a yard of space past Coentrao, and the scores were level.

While Xavi's fortuitous goal to make the score 2-1 in Barcelona's favour should not be forgotten, Cristiano Ronaldo's inexplicable miss to equalise for Real was just as relevant to the end result. He may be second best to Messi in the pantheon of the game's best players, but one area where he's always been the superior is his aerial threat. So his failure to score with a free header in the second half defies logical reasoning. Te only explanation is a simple failure of temperament. His desire to seize the occasion proved too much for him. He blinked.

And within minutes, the Weeping Angels struck again. Counter-attacking with menace, Dani Alves (who was arguably man of the match) burst down the right hand side, and his threatening cross was headed in by Cesc Fabregas at the far post. 3-1 Barcelona. Game over.

But it was the build-up to the goal that revealed all. Coentrao (who had a miserable evening) tried, and failed to win the ball back in midfield. In sheer frustration, he briefly swung his arm in an air punch motion, turning his back on the action.

As The Doctor stated, "Don't turn your back!" While Coentrao was solipsistically stewing, Fabregas stayed focused on the game, raced past the Portugese, and beat him to the ball to seal the match.

This was not a vintage Barcelona performance, full of verve of grace. In a way, this was even more terrifying. They were professional, focused, disciplined, and ultimately ruthless. They preyed on their opponents frailties, and delighted in exposing them to the watching world. Not only is this Catalan team beautiful, but they are also mean. And that's why there's no better side on the planet right now.

'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' is available to download from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

El Clasico - Here We Go Again

2011-12-08T00:08:00.002Z

By Shane Thomas

In football parlance, the phrase "clasico" refers to a match between two marquee sides. You know the type, the Manchester United's, AC Milan's and Bayern Munich's of this world. Well, contests between Real Madrid and Barcelona have become so big that they have been dubbed, "el gran clasico". This is an occasion where the febrile hype is justified. Real and Barca is not a "clasico", it's the "clasico".

The title of this post is not to indicate that I'm weary of these encounters. Quite the opposite. Towards the end of last season, "el clasico" seemed to be a weekly occurrence in the football calendar. Matches in La Liga, the final of the Copa Del Rey, and the semi-finals of the Champions League led to four contests in a very condensed space of time.

And familiarity spread contempt. Moments of champagne football were sporadic, and the abiding memories were red cards, stifling football, and an inexplicable post-match interview from Jose Mourinho, where he used the word "porque" so many times, it ceased to lose meaning.

But there have been positive signs coming from Los Blancos this season. Despite them losing an epic two-leg Spanish Supercoppa to Barcelona in the traditional Spanish curtain rasier, the consensus was that Real had closed the gap in quality between the two teams, with only a searing finish from Lionel Messi winning the game for the Catalans.

As the domestic season has progressed, the Madridistas have borne witness to some sumptuous play from Real. They've won their last 14 games in a row, and have done so in style - again proving that a Jose Mourinho team does not necessarily equate to an attritional style of football. Sergio Ramos, who is often a defender in name only, has proved an able deputy for the injured Ricardo Carvalho. Angel Di Maria - his maddening play-acting aside - is probably the form player in Spain. They haven't missed Emmanuel Adebayor in the slightest, as both Karim Benzema and the always underrated Gonzalo Higuain have been scoring for fun, so much so that Mourinho is left with the selection headache of which one to select in the centre-forward position on Saturday night.

And talking of underrated players, it's Xabi Alonso who's been the key man, knitting it all together. Xabi is often forgotten when people talk of the stellar names in the Spain national side. But his range of passing and in-game intelligence make him one of the game's great technicians. Currently, one could make a case for him being as good as his contemporary, Barcelona's Xavi Hernandez, as right now Xabi Alonso has been regulating games with all the nous and skill of Green Bay Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.

And then there is "CR7", Cristiano Ronaldo. Seeming to understand that treating football as a personal one-man show is no good to him or his team, this season has seen a more selfless Ronaldo, one that looks to create chances for his teammates, and always looking to give them credit in post-match interviews. But don't think this has slowed down his rapid scoring rate. At the time of writing, he has 21 goals in only 20 games.

So what of Barcelona? Despite their successes in both La Liga and the Champions League, Pep Guardiola felt that his squad was too threadbare to compete on all fronts this season. With the World Club Challenge on the horizon at the turn of the year, Guardiola brought in both Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez into his already gilded squad.

And while there has been some glorious play from Barcelona, it has led to the squad looking a touch uneven at times. It's all well and good having so many high-class options, but it's just as important to know how and when to use them. To accommodate Fabregas, Guardiola has changed the formation, operating with three at the back. This has led to them looking exposed on occasion, particularly when they went to the Mestalla Stadium to play Valencia - a game that they were fortunate not to lose.

Players like David Villa, Gerard Pique, and even the wondrous glowworm that is Andres Iniesta have struggled to find their best form. Fabregas has been free-scoring, due to him being afforded free licence in what has been described as an "anarchic" position. It has allowed him to hurt the opposition, but has also affected the intense pressing game which is as much a key facet of Barcelona's play as their ornate passing. Also, some believe that maybe winning everything in the game has dulled the motivation of some of Barca's players.

This is not to say that the Spanish and European Champions have been playing badly, far from it (they dished out a beating to 4th placed Levante last weekend). But they are yet to hit the ethereal standards of the last campaign, and definitely a way from the heavenly 5-0 decimation in last season's "el clasico" in the Camp Nou.

Unlike last time around, the first league encounter between these two teams will take place in Madrid rather than Catalunya. And Barca's away form has been alarming. Only two wins, and they lost their last away match to Getafe. While an on-form Barcelona will still be favourites, questions remain about what is Guardiola's best XI. Does he play three or four in defence? Can he find a place for Cesc? Will Villa be left on the bench again? There have even been murmurings of Isaac Cuenca - a product of the Barcelona youth academy - being given a start, after some impressive recent performances.

Madrid on the other hand, has been a ship that has progressed serenely to the top of the table. Even Mourinho has (so far) opted not to indulge in mind games in the build-up to the match. But then why would you when you sit three points clear with a game in hand.

And the points gap is a crucial factor. Win on Saturday, and secure victory in that aforementioned game in hand will put Real nine points clear. In the context of the Spanish league, that is a mammoth total for Barcelona to recover. Indeed, many in the Madrid press are imploring Mourinho to go for the victory as a Los Blancos win could result in the Spanish title race becoming a procession.

It's these fine margins which make the match even more intriguing than normal. A Barcelona win, and the title race is back on, lose and it's as good as over.

Which makes a draw the likely result. Madrid are in control of La Liga and a point would preserve the status quo. But it wouldn't completely rule Barcelona out either, especially as Madrid still have to come to the Camp Nou. Now I thought the game would end 1-1 last season. Instead, I watched arguably the greatest display of football of all time as Barca savaged Madrid 5-0. So no score prediction from me this time around, but one thing's for sure - there's no bigger game of football on the planet, and deserves the undivided attention of anyone who considers themselves a fan of the sport.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Shane Williams: Rugby's Little Engine That Could

2011-12-06T04:11:00.000Z

By Shane Thomas

Last Saturday, Wales played Australia in a post-World Cup encounter. However the near 62,000 people inside the Millennium Stadium were not there to watch a rugby union match. They were there to honour for the final time, winger Shane Williams.

Since making his international debut 12 years ago, Williams has been a legend of Welsh rugby. He is his country's record try scorer, the third highest try scorer of all time, and was awarded the IRB's award for World's Best Player in 2008.

But the esteem that Williams is held in worldwide goes deeper than mere statistics. While many sporting competitors are unfairly castigated for lacking intelligence, it's axiomatic that it is a sphere of life where athleticism and physicality tends to rule. This is magnified in sport like rugby union, where bodies collide as a matter of course. Having played the sport briefly as a teenager, I can attest that if you have a low pain threshold then it's not the sport for you.

Williams was a man who did not fit the profile of a rugby player. Only 5'7" tall, and barely weighing over 11st on his debut, this was not someone who could thrive in rugby union's "land of the giants". You only have to look at the photo accompanying this post to see what I mean.

As a child, he was told, "You have talent, but you're a bit too small." As a teenager, "You have talent, but you're a bit too small." When he played for his club, Neath, many thought, "He's good, but he's a bit small." Even after making it to the Welsh national side and scoring on his debut, pundits and coaches alike said to him, "You won't make it at the top level being the size you are."

Williams, an unassuming and relatively sensitive type, took many of these criticisms to heart. Despite possessing whippet-like speed, sizzling mobility, and one of the most devastating sidesteps that would leave opponents grasping at thin air, it seemed that these gifts were not enough for seasoned rugby union observers, and it very nearly led to the sport being robbed of one of its leading lights for a generation.

Rather than work on his aforementioned skills, Williams turned into what journalist Stephen Jones has described as a "gym monkey". Believing that bulk and muscle were necessary for him to survive in rugby union's jungle, Williams's talent was blunted. His scything incisiveness began to lack a cutting edge. Not only this, but it caused him to repeatedly pick up injuries. No longer able to penetrate opposing defences at will, Williams was only used by Wales sporadically and was eventually dropped from the team in 2002.

This setback combined with constant hamstring trouble left Williams downcast and he considered quitting the sport, aged only 25. But something clicked. Williams realised that the critics were right. He was not a natural rugby player. But it was only him that realised he could work this to his advantage. He was more than natural. He was preternatural.

Williams ditched the obsession with lifting weights, and got back to doing what he was good at. He was a key element in the Wales team that won two Six Nations Grand Slams in 2005 and 2008. After 85 games and 58 tries, he retired after last weekend's international against Australia, at the age of 34. Despite losing the game 24-18, the ending was fairytale stuff, Williams scoring a try with the final touch of the game.

He was not just respected as a player, but beloved as a man. Many think it is because he was a microcosm of Welsh rugby union. The sport is followed with a religious fervour in the small country, and has a reputation for playing the sport with dazzling flair. The link between Williams and his nation is inextricable.

But more than that. Williams represented every person who wanted to make it in the world of sport and was treated with derision for being smaller than the norm.

It brings to mind one of the best children's stories to come from America, "The Little Engine That Could". A story of a tiny train performing a task expected of a train twice its size. Being told he can't achieve it, the engine triumphs over adversity, assisted by repeating a simple mantra, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!"

Sports stars like Barry Sanders and Michael Jordan can relate to this, and so can Williams. A true legend of rugby union, Shane Williams was the sport's, "little engine that could". He thought he could, he thought he could, and he thought he could, and eventually, yes Shane, you did.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Episode 43 - Ben Ainslie w/Laura Eydmann

2011-12-03T20:51:00.000Z

Sailing isn't a sport that gets a lot of coverage on our show, but it was only right to make an exception for arguably Britain's greatest sailor, Ben Ainslie.

With the help of sailing expert, Laura Eydmann, we traverse the career of the great man and his brilliant achievements. There's also an interesting story that may shed some light on Ainslie as an individual, which raises an interesting question. Do we want our sports starts to be nice or successful?

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

When Sporting Fandom Becomes Fanaticism

2011-11-28T22:31:00.004Z

By Shane Thomas

In recent weeks, an alarming aspect of sport has come to the fore. The partisanship of supporters - normally a crucial component in the heft and resonance that makes it such an appealing aspect of life for some of us - has descended into a ugly sump of rabid, one-eyed protectionism. It seems that there's no heinous act that won't be defended - as long as the accused represents the team that you like.

Last month, both Liverpool's Luis Suarez and Chelsea's John Terry were accused of racially abusing opposition players. I think anyone with a core of decency in them would state that these are two racial incidents too many. Suarez has been charged by the FA, while the Terry case is ongoing, as the Metropolitan Police are now leading the investigation.

The issue is here is not to attach any alleged guilt to Terry or Suarez. Our justice system is founded on the principle of "innocent until proven guilty", and as such, they should be treated as innocent citizens until the requisite authority decrees otherwise.

However, this has not stopped football fans taking to the radio airwaves and the Internet to either condemn Terry and Suarez or defend them with a zeal redolent of religious fundamentalists. Terry has been more in the spotlight as he's a divisive figure and is also the England captain. Many have used the controversy to decry him with fierce abandon, while the same fierce abandon has come from his defenders - primarily Chelsea fans.

This has bought the issue of racism - a poison thought to have been eradicated from our shores - back into the public consciousness. Former black professionals who have used their Twitter feeds to declare that this is a necessary wake-up call to any who would bury their heads in the sand have received a ton of the most vile abuse. They have been told to shut up, and to stop bleating over a problem that doesn't exist - and these were the relatively polite responses. Some have gone so far to send these ex-players reams of vile bigoted tweets - the type of repugnant rhetoric that seems to be the preserve of many a Twitter page. Terry and Suarez may not be guilty of racism, but these troglodytes posing as football fans certainly are.

But why stop at racism, let's throw child abuse into the mix as well.

It's fair to say that college American football isn't a sport that gets a lot of coverage outside North America. However, when a sex abuse scandal broke out at Pennsylvania State University, then Penn State became worldwide news.

Longtime member of the coaching staff, Jerry Sandusky has been arrested after being charged with sexually abusing underage boys between 1994 and 2009. As Sandusky was arrested by the local police force, it was revealed that knowledge of these actions went up the Penn State chain of command. Head coach of the football team, Joe Paterno was accused of being made aware of Sandusky's conduct 9 years ago, and did what police have described as the "bare minimum", alerting the college's athletic director, Tim Curley, before washing his hands of the situation.

It seems that Curley did the same, as well as the senior Vice President, Gary Schultz. Police have charged both men with failing to report the suspected abuse. The parallels with the peadophilia prevalent in the Catholic Church is chilling, and Paterno has paid for it with his job.

Feel sick yet? Well if not, students of the university took to the streets in angry protest. Which would be perfectly understandable if it weren't for the fact that the protests were in aid of Paterno being fired.

Yes, a man who was possibly complicit in a lengthy period of underage boys being raped, is the good guy in the eyes of the students. They point to his long years of service, his stellar coaching record, and all the players who have gone to have successful careers after playing for Penn State. The gist of the argument was essentially, "what about all the people who haven't been raped?"

Not only that, but the first victim who sparked the scandal has received such vitriolic bullying from his classmates, he has been forced to leave the college. Yes, in Penn State, after you've been (allegedly) sexually abused, your torment doesn't stop there.

What is that makes people behave in such a way? To take the most unconscionable actions, and try to spin them as if they were a mix of Karl Rove and Peter Mandleson, all because a person happens to have a sporting talent. You can be sure that they would be little support for Paterno had he been an average coach.

Like religious zealots, sport is fast becoming a church where you don't just follow a team and its players, you worship it with immutable devotion.

But this isn't being a fan, it's being a fanatic. Having a demented belief that all that comes from your side is good and right. To borrow from The Bible, people like this believe that their club is "the way, the truth and the light", and any who question or oppose it are heretics who must be silenced at all costs.

Is this the start of a disconcerting trend? The conduct of some of these fanatics is frightening. But what's even more frightening is the thought of this behaviour becoming the norm for the next generation of sports fans. Be it Suarez, Terry or Paterno, in the eyes of some people, these men can do no wrong. It makes one wonder what the reaction to O.J Simpson would have been if his infamous court case occurred while he was a star player in the NFL?

AND IN OTHER NEWS...

- After the saddening and shocking news of Gary Speed's death, a word of acclaim must go to the Swansea City and Aston Villa supporters who showed sporting fandom in its best light on Sunday afternoon.

Only two hours after the news came through of Speed being found hanged at his home in Cheshire, there was an understandable mix of horror, confusion and sadness throughout the Liberty Stadium. As the players lined up around the centre circle, there was an announcement on the tannoy that there would be a short period of silence in memory of the man.

As the whistle blew, the thick smog of reverential silence permeated around the ground. But it wasn't enough...

Ripples of applause began to emanate. It was clear that fans felt this was a more apposite way to commemorate him. The ripples grew into a full-blown ovation from all 20,000 supporters. But it still wasn't enough...

Chants of "There's only one Gary Speed" began. First from tens of fans, then hundreds, then thousands, then tens of thousands. This wasn't pre-arranged. It was people taking it upon themselves in a spontaneous moment of decency to honour a man that many feel was a paragon of Welsh football.

And yet it still won't be enough. Nothing will replace the sense of loss felt by all who care about the game, least of all his friends and family. But it was still a wonderful moment of grace on a desperately sad day for football.

- Last week, the surprisingly entertaining Test series between India and the West Indies ended with the Indians continuing their recovery after a moribund tour of England with a 2-0 series win. However, the main story was Sachin Tendulkar still failing to get that elusive 100th international century. The great man has been stuck on 99 tons since March, and people are beginning to wonder whether he can find a way to get over this last major hurdle of his career.

Everything was in place for him in last week's 3rd Test; playing in front of his home fans in Mumbai, on a featherbed pitch - surely drained of any life to play into Tendulkar's hands. He made it to 94 before cutting Ravi Rampaul to second slip. There was a gasp of horror from the crowd, followed by many placing their hands on their heads in dismay.

Like the greatest batsman of them all, Sir Don Bradman, Tendulkar many yet end his career with one statistical box unticked. Bradman was out for a duck in his last ever innings, failing to retire with an average of 100.00 (he ended on 99.96). Is Tendulkar to suffer a similar fate of bowing out with a statistical blemish on his record? It'd be a nice imperfect symmetry for the two greatest batsman the sport has ever seen

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

The Sugar Bowl Fiasco (Guest Post From Greg Blanchard)

2011-11-26T20:19:00.001Z

By Greg Blanchard

American college football is my favorite sport, followed closely by English soccer. The edge has much to do with feeling a direct connection to the college football game through my university years in Oklahoma. Games still to come at the end of November and early December could put my alma mater, Oklahoma State, in the national championship game. The ominous doubt comes from a single loss, last week in double overtime.

Unlike the NFL, American college football is and always will be a mess. Part of that is the nature of the game. Even the most skilled players are young and not yet professional. Plus, players graduating or jumping early to the NFL forces coaches to deal with constant turnover of personnel. Good teams develop players to replace those who leave, but the best schools don’t have four full years with amateurs. The most talented players are often barely “students” and leave early for the NFL either by choice or due to academic ineligibility.

The biggest source of college chaos though, is the method of crowning a champion. My third favorite sport, American college basketball, has the best method in the world for determining who is the champion. More than 60 teams are invited to a single-elimination tournament and the last winner gets the trophy. It is both an elegant and exciting sporting event every year, affectionately dubbed “March Madness.”

Alas, the same organisation cannot be said for American college football. An elaborate combination of computer rankings and votes by coaches and sportswriters pick two teams out of a potentially long list of worthy candidates. That’s it. One game is largely set up in what is essentially a popularity contest. This year, it looks like the first finalists will be the Louisiana State Tigers. Determining their opponent will be nothing short of bizarre … again.

LSU has won three national championships, and all were played in their home state at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. One was before I was born, the other two are quite recent. In fact, the other two are the last times that the Sugar Bowl has hosted the national title match. And it's these Louisiana championships that are worth a retrospective. It’s not because of any hometown advantage, but the way the 2003 and 2007 seasons wound up in selecting the team to oppose LSU.

In 2003, LSU lost an early game 19-7 to a key rival but ended the year ranked #2. The Oklahoma Sooners were ranked #1 or #3, depending on the poll. They lost their last game of the season 35-7 on a neutral field, and the game was more lopsided than the result. The Southern California Trojans were the other team ranked either #1 or #3, and their only loss of the year was in triple overtime on the road. The team that beat them was quarterbacked by Aaron Rogers, who currently holds the Super Bowl MVP trophy.

Somehow, the voting process and computer calculations selected the just-drubbed Oklahoma team. LSU won the national championship comfortably, by a 21-14 margin. The game was close throughout, but LSU never trailed.

Southern California fans were outraged at being snubbed. One year later the team would take revenge. With several returning players to both the California and Oklahoma teams, the Trojans beat the Sooners in Florida, 55-19. The game was more lopsided than the result (38-10 at halftime).

Jumping ahead to the 2007 season, the Sugar Bowl in Louisiana would host the title game again, but it didn’t seem likely that the home-state Tigers would qualify. But in the strangest season of the modern college football era, they took their spot in that game with two losses. It is still the worst won-loss record since the change in 1998 to put the “two best teams” in a title game against each other.

What made 2007 such an unusual year? More than ten times from October 13 to December 1, the #1 or #2 team lost with no head-to-head matches between top-ranked opponents. All of those games were upsets. To set the stage, it might be helpful to document a few dates and scores. Note how many different teams are holders of these top spots. That is unusual for college football.

I’ll start in near the end of the season, skipping a few examples from October.

November 3: #2 Boston College Eagles 17-27 Florida State Seminoles

November 10: #1 Ohio State Buckeyes 21-28 Illinois Fighting Illini

November 15: #2 Oregon Ducks 24-34 Arizona Wildcats

November 23: #1 LSU Tigers 48-50 Arkansas Razorbacks (in triple overtime)

November 24: #2 Kansas Jayhawks 28-36 Missouri Tigers

December 1: #2 West Virginia Mountaineers 9-13 Pittsburgh Panthers

December 1: #1 Missouri Tigers 17-38 Oklahoma Sooners

After losses in November by both LSU and Ohio State, it seemed impossible that either team could qualify for the national championship game. I remember telling Buckeye fans in my home state that they shouldn’t lose hope. “We’ll get back into the mix … if Arizona beats Oregon, Arkansas beats LSU, West Virginia flames out, and all of the Midwestern teams knock each other out in the last three weeks of the season.” I was completely serious, but I was also completely shocked when it happened.

In their last game of the regular season, LSU lost an overtime thriller that knocked them from #1 to #7 with only one game left to play. They needed to finish #2 in order to qualify for the national championship game and another short trip to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Clearing the path for LSU was even more improbable than Ohio State’s situation. All of those upsets I listed above, and more, were crucial.

Unlike the doubts in 2003 about the quality of LSU’s opponent, there were few questions that all of the upsets eliminated other potential teams from the title game. LSU may have been the only two-loss champion in the modern era, but both of those losses came in triple overtime against gung-ho conference rivals.

The 2007 Sugar Bowl ended with a decisive LSU victory over Ohio State, 38-24.

And now, here we are again. Four years on, the venue rotation has the Sugar Bowl hosting the national championship. LSU is undefeated and ranked #1. That’s not the only thing that feels familiar, though. Just in November, here is a list of potential challengers who have lost games that might have put them in contention: Alabama Crimson Tide, Stanford Cardinal, Boise State Broncos, Oregon Ducks, Clemson Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, and Oklahoma State Cowboys. Decisive games will be played this weekend.

This is no way to pick a champion. The English Premier League has the perfect answer. Every team plays every opponent twice, once at home and once away, then add it up. Americans love our championship games, though. Everything that is elegant about college basketball’s tournament is missing from college football. It is my favorite game’s biggest blight.

On the other hand, like the subtle imperfections that make a diamond sparkle, college football consistently captures my attention in years like this. Anything can happen because an unpredictable set of “anythings” already has. We may not know who will really finish first and second until December 4th.

There is one thing I’ll say with confidence. Four years from now, the title game will be back in the Sugar Bowl. Expect Louisiana State to have a strong year in 2015, and don’t be too quick to call your university a front-runner. Likely as not, college football fans could be enduring this fantastic fiasco for a fourth time.

You can hear from Greg on the “Inappropriate Conversations” podcast, which can be found at http://inappropriateconversations.podbean.com/ or on iTunes

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

England Musn't Park The Bus Against Sweden

2011-11-14T23:10:00.000Z

By Shane Thomas

In the midst of England's victory over Spain on Saturday, it should be remembered that Fabio Capello's men have another game to play before this international week draws to a close. Sweden come to Wembley, and England would do well to ensure that they don't undo the goodwill they've built with the fans by underperforming against the Scandinavians.

While Saturday's result was a welcome morale boost, England strategy was as if they'd had a man sent-off. Defending in a compact block of nine players, they constructed a solid wall of white shirts in front of their goal, and took advantage of a lethargic Spain to secure a smash-and-grab victory.

This strategy will not be accepted against an outfit like Sweden. Competent, but not world-beaters, England will be expected to seize the initiative of the match, rather than passively "parking the bus", and trying to nick a goal from a set-piece. Yes, England defended stoutly, with Joleon Lescott particularly impressive. However, they struggled with the other aspect of the game. Part of the reason why England needed to stay so resilient is that their inability to keep the ball verged on embarrassing.

Scott Parker was many observers man-of-the-match against Spain. However, as often as he won the ball, he would then give it straight to a red shirt. In today's game, the holding midfield player is not only required to stop the opposition's attacks, but also be the starting point for when his own side look to score. The best exponents of this position can do both; Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Andrea Pirlo, Nigel De Jong, Arturo Vidal would all be preferable alternatives to Parker if they were English. And if Owen Hargreaves could be relied upon to stay fit, then it would solve a huge selection headache for Capello.

A rearguard action will not be enough against Sweden, and will not be enough at Euro 2012. Spain are in the top rank of nations that make an ultra-defensive style expedient. But Sweden are in that second rank that England are good enough to beat. We've had the obduracy, now we need to see the verve.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Episode 42 - Top 5 Scapegoats

2011-11-11T01:03:00.000Z

Our latest episode looks at those who bore the brunt of painful sporting defeat. Those who were the unfortunate lightning rod for the ire of the public, and were singled out for opprobrium.

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

The Excitement Of Test Cricket - So Where Is Everyone?

2011-11-10T18:28:00.002Z

By Shane Thomas

Today provided us with arguably the most madcap day of Test cricket in 2011. Day 2 of the 1st Test between Australia and South Africa in Cape Town gave us a section of all four innings of play. The day started with Australia on 214/8, with them eventually being all out for 284, inspired by a superb knock of 151 from Michael Clarke.

At this point in the match, sanity went on holiday. South Africa came to the crease to begin their riposte and were promptly bowled out for a paltry 96, with Shane Watson going through the Proteas bating line-up like the proverbial dose of salts, taking 5 for 17 off only 20 deliveries. But whatever the Aussie bowlers can do...

As Australia began their 2nd innings, with a comfortable lead of 188, their batting imploded. Making his Test-Match debut, Vernon Philander - who South Africa think highly enough off to give him the new ball ahead of Morne Morkel - also got in amongst the wickets, taking a "five-fer" of his own. Australia went from a dire 18/6 to a desperate 21/9. Only a last wicket stand from Peter Siddle & Nathan Lyon prevented them posting the lowest ever total in this format of the game.

They scrambled to 47 before Dale Steyn brought the innings to a close in under 18 overs - their fourth lowest score in the lengthy history of Test cricket. South Africa wrenched back the momentum, needing 236 to win an extraordinary match, reaching the close of play at 81/1.

What a day, four innings over the six hours, with 23 wickets falling. These are the kind of figures that the watching fans will never forget.

Which brings me to the most saddening thing about Day 2. Look behind the celebrating South African players, what do you see? Empty seats, lots of empty seats. The Newlands Stadium was sparsely populated, with gaps all around the ground where fans should have been sitting. With the exception of England (and maybe Australia), Test cricket is becoming an endangered sporting format. And like the infamous George Berkeley question about a tree falling in the forest, do these quixotic sporting days count for much if people aren't there to view them?

- London go head-to-head with Doha tomorrow at the IAAF Council, to decide which city gets to host the 2017 World Athletics Championships. The domestic press say that this will determine whether Qatar are now a nation that can host any major sporting event on a whim. Many are still angered by the Arab state winning the rights to host the 2022 World Cup, and worry that the country's financial muscle can make major sporting organisations fall over themselves to have the "honour" to stage their events there.

While these are all valid concerns, I wonder if the media would be so outraged if we didn't have such a vested interest. A large portion of the disgust at Qatar hosting the World Cup in 11 years time was borne from the frustration at England being made to look foolish in the bid to host the 2018 tournament. And if Doha win tomorrow, there's no doubt it will result in similar media opprobrium. But would that still be the case if Doha were competing against a city like Copenhagen rather than London?

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Episode 41 - British Olympic Glory

2011-11-05T15:15:00.000Z

This episode focuses on two events that briefly turned the television into Britain's fireplace. Few people tend to watch curling & rowing, but nothing gets people together such as British Olympic golds.

Our subjects are the women Curlers from the 2002 Winter Olympics, which made Rhona Martin an unlikely star, while we also talk about the day when Matthew Pinsent graduated from rowing's best supporting player to fully-fledged leading man, as Britain took gold in the coxless fours at Athens in 2004 - one of the closest races in Olympic rowing history.

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

Paging Nurse Ratched To The Asylum

2011-11-02T22:53:00.000Z

By Shane Thomas

Want to see goals? Then the Premier League's been the place to be. At the time of writing England's top division has produced 294 goals, 42 more than Spain's La Liga, and 68 more than Italy's Serie A. Matches - particularly those between the established elite - have been thrill-fests; Chelsea's 3-5 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday being the latest in an ever increasing line of high-scoring games.

And while it's no doubt been entertaining, my pleasure at watching Arsenal win at Stamford Bridge for the first time in nearly four years was tainted by a simple thought: What in the name of holy hell is going on with the defences in the Premier League this season?

To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, "Once is misfortune, twice is carelessness". So what noun can one attach when we see amateurish defending for a third time? And then a fourth? And then a fifth? The attacking intent of the majority of top-flight sides is a major factor is the deluge of goal action so far this season, but equally as relevant has been defensive error after defensive error. So much so, that picking a title picture for this post almost took as long as writing the post itself.

As well as obviously requiring differing skill sets, the mindset between attacking players and defensive ones also demands a different type of mental focus. Despite what those who hate football will have you believe, the sport is mentally - as well as physically - taxing. It's not as simplistic as, "Kick it in the goal."

The reason why a goal remains the most precious currency in sport is because it's so damned difficult. Not only is the target relatively small, but you have 10 players obstructing your path, and an 11th who stands right in the way of the net, and can use his/her hands to keep the ball out. It's why we see so many matches where the dominant side fails to attain victory.

Often attacking players need to have more than just technique and athleticism. All logic dictates that to score should be an impossibility, due to the aforementioned hurdles. But good attackers possess a confidence that makes them believe scoring a goal is not only a possibility, but a likelihood. It needs wit, and swiftness of thought and deed, a mindset that borders on lateral thinking. These factors coalesce to create that intangible, but essential quality that the world's best attacking players have - devil.

Defenders, on the other hand are the antithetical artisans. They are not required to think outside the box, but protect their own. They need to follow the direction of the ball, the movement of opposition players, and form a roadblock. Creativity is superfluous. Good defenders need concentration, focus, the ability to take instruction, and carry it out to the letter. Attackers are given a degree of latitude to figure it out as they go along. Defenders have no such luxury.

And it is this that has become an increasingly pervasive and damaging trend in the Premier League this season. While sides have attacked with purpose, they have been assisted by defenders who seem unable to execute the most rudimentary of defensive skills.

And while some have exalted in these high scoring matches, I have a real problem with it all. Like fast-food, it seems to bring an ephemeral joy, rather than a sustainable one. Long-term, this standard of defending will not be good for the game. While we should rejoice in the likes of Sergio Aguero and Robin Van Persie, where are the high-class defenders to provide the necessary counterpoint? Where is the next Peter Schmeichel, Tony Adams or Claude Makelele going to come from?

It's easy to understand why defenders are amongst the least celebrated segments of a team. If attackers are the charismatic version of Jack Nicholson in the film, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, then defenders are Nurse Ratched; gatekeeper, spoilsport and miserabilist all in one. And it's only since the league season has become so free scoring that I've realised just how much we need them. Because right now, the inmates are causing havoc in the asylum. This is one scenario in which I hope the bad guys win.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

The Noisy Neighbours & The Emperor's New Clothes

2011-10-24T01:10:00.000+01:00

By Shane Thomas

Manchester United 1; Manchester City 6. Such an astonishing scoreline that there's no other way to begin this post. It was the long awaited clash of the top two in the Premier League; the established empire, in champions Manchester United against the nouveau riche upstarts, Manchester City - given the moniker of "noisy neighbours" by United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. They have been the sides that have looked the class in English football's top division, and have caused some to dub Manchester as England's new "capital of football".

United started the match as narrow favourites, and played as such in the early stages, dominating possession. Ashley Young looked especially threatening, and City needed all their defensive nous to keep the score at 0-0. Then came the first of three key moments, which determined the final outcome.

David Silva - in tandem with James Milner - worked himself into space down the left, before cutting the ball back for Mario Balotelli. The Italian opened his body and finished with aplomb into the far corner, before revealing a T-Shirt alluding to his recent troubles off the pitch.

Despite being labelled as football's "enfant-terrible", it remains a truism that nothing silences negative headlines more than playing well. And after producing lacklustre performances last season, Balotelli has shone for City in recent weeks. His goal was a continuation of his good recent form, and he wasn't done there. Exchanging passes with Sergio Aguero, he broke clear on goal, and was hauled down by Jonny Evans. Referee Mark Clattenburg (who had a superb match) was left with no option than to send the Northern Irishman off. United were now down to 10 men.

This was key moment #2. With Evans now gone, United were increasingly open in defence, making it easier for City to threaten when attacking. However, the home side had a good 15 minute spell, making me wonder if they were actually more likely to equalise rather than City score a second.

But the combination of Silva and Milner opened United up again. Micah Richards also deserves credit for his part in the move that ended with Balotelli tapping in Milner's cross to make it it 2-0. That was key moment #3. City now had complete control; a two goal lead and a man advantage. That was the contest over, now for the humiliation.

In his post-match comments, Ferguson bemoaned his team's naivete in defence. They continued to attack with wanton abandon, leaving gaping holes at the back. It was like watching a guileless baby deer bounding aimlessly into a pack of ravenous wolves.

With Silva, Milner and Richards causing havoc when City attacked - especially down the right-hand side - Aguero, Silva, and Edin Dzeko (twice) turned 2-0 into 6-1 (United's only respite being a super goal from Darren Fletcher).

This was a brilliant performance from City. David Silva has been the best player the Premier League thus far, and was a constant menace - his pass for Dzeko's second goal being the champagne moment of the season. James Milner was also superb, allying his work-rate and industry with real intelligence and technical skill. For me, he's been the most productive player in English football over the past seven days. Micah Richards had a great second-half, playing more like a buccaneering wing-back as Patrice Evra was overwhelmed.

We should also give a special mention to the shop floor men; Vincent Kompany, Joleon Lescott, Yaya Toure and Gareth Barry, who all did a fine job of constructing a sky-blue shield to protect their goal from United's early attacks in the first-half. Who knows what would have happened if the Red Devils had turned their early pressure into goals.

But Ferguson was right about how his side defending. It bore remarkable comparisons to the Arsenal defensive display when they took an 8-2 hammering against United earlier in the season. They seemed to forget that it's all well and good to have an attacking strategy, but it counts for naught if you don't have the ball. Not only was United's passing woeful, but when they lost possession, they seemed to pay lip service to the most basic tenets of how to defend. The full-backs pushed forward, playing like wingers. There was no midfield screen in front of the back four. It left United with only two players defending for a lot of the second half. And with City counter-attacking with three players, sometimes more, it stands to reason that the final score was so lopsided.

I wrote at the start of the month that United were playing like laughing cavaliers, and that this strategy had a limited shelf-life. We saw the extent of those limits today. They have now conceded 91 shots on their goal in only five league games at Old Trafford. It doesn't matter how fearsome you are in attack. Success is not sustainable if you're allowing your opponents to have so many scoring opportunites. They've had rotten luck with injuries and the return of skipper Nemanja Vidic should help plug the holes in defence, but a result like this has been in the post for a few weeks now.

This brand-new, free-flowing, exuberant young United team looked like the titular emperor in the fairytale, The Emperor's New Clothes, hubristically believing that victory will be theirs by divine right.

And they've had good reason to think this. Until Sunday, they'd played sides who lacked the belief that they could defeat the all-conquering Champions. Teams like Norwich and West Brom are accomplished outfits, but clearly suffered from the belief that they're no more than mid-table fodder when they came up against United. City have no such inferiority complex, and went about their task with professionalism, skill and ruthlessness.

If Norwich and West Brom were the peasants who kowtowed to the Emperor, not saying a word as he paraded naked through the streets of his kingdom, City were the fearless child, who shouted, "The Emperor has no clothes on!"

In the fairytale, the Emperor's folly led to him running back to this castle in abject humiliation, with the mocking laughter of his subjects ringing in his ears. I think you can connect the footballing analogy from here.

AND IN OTHER NEWS...

- The incredible result of the Manchester derby has raised an curious issue in the Premier League this season. Are the defences in England's top flight worse than ever before?

It's not even November and look at some of the crushing scorelines we've seen; Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal, Chelsea 5-1 Bolton, Bolton 0-5 Manchester United, Manchester City 4-0 Swansea, Manchester City 5-1 Tottenham, Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool.

Teams like Tottenham and Manchester United have both dished out beatings, and also been on the receiving end of thumpings, so it's clear that it's not just the clubs fighting relegation that are bringing down the overall standard of defending.

I've alluded to United being inspired to play more like Barcelona. With the Catalans as the world's finest club side, and the Spain national team the current World and European champions, it makes sense to try and take aspects from their footballing culture to improve our own. Unfortunately it's also seemed to have affected the general quality of defending. At the moment, there only seems to be two genuinely good defensive sides in the Premier League; Manchester City, and the team who have the best defensive record in the top flight; Newcastle United.

- In the midsts of the incredible Sunday of football, we shouldn't forget that Rugby Union has crowned new World Champions in New Zealand. The All Blacks came through a bruising encounter against France to win a nail-biting match, 8-7.

The significance of this should not be underestimated. Even though it's only sport, it's not far off being an important moment in the history of New Zealand. Like ice-hockey in Canada, football in Brazil, or cricket in India, the success of the country in their national sport links to the very psyche to a large portion of the country's population.

Other nation's rugby players represent England, Scotland or Australia, If you play for New Zealand, then you don't just represent New Zealand. You are an All Black. The very name conjures up different connotations. Like being called up to an elite fighting force, being an All Black holds a profound resonance.

And this has only caused the pain of perennial failure to be a psychological wound that has festered with every World Cup since 1987. After winning the inaugural competition, New Zealand have since failed to take the coveted title of world champions. It's a drought that have led many to proclaim the All Blacks as sport's greatest chokers. The joke about them "peaking between World Cups" has been told so often as to become a tired cliche.

This time, with the tournament in their own country, and New Zealand as hot favourites yet again, there was no excuse. The home support demanded nothing less than success this time around.

And yet we all know what can happen to the best laid plans. Midway through the tournament, disaster befell the squad as Dan Carter was forced to withdraw after an innocuous training injury. Carter has been rugby's marquee name for over four years. A fly-half who ticks every box, and the key component in the team. A New Zealand team sans Carter was an unthinkable prospect. Many pundits said that head coach Graham Henry would now pay the price for not having a contingency plan in Carter's absence.

Colin Slade was brought into the spotlight to replace Carter. But not for very long. Slade soon picked up an injury of his own, and Henry was forced to rely on third choice fly-half, Aaron Cruden in yesterday's final. Surely New Zealand's injury curse was over and they could focus on ending a yearning that has lasted for 24 years.

Well, in the 33rd minute, Cruden was left on the floor after hyper-extending his knee in a tackle. After trying to stand, it was clear he couldn't continue and had to be helped off the pitch. It was left to fourth choice, Stephen Donald to make his World Cup debut in the competition's most important game.

Lest we forget, captain Richie McCaw was also playing injured, his ankle being held together by little more than glue. With Carter gone, McCaw was New Zealand's last remaining talisman, and he led his side admirably as their 8-0 lead was cut to 8-7 by a game French side. In the end, rather than be overawed by the occasion, it was Donald who kicked the decisive penalty that gave the All Blacks the William Webb Ellis trophy.

Donald should be lauded as he easily could have left the kicking duties to Piri Weepu, despite the scrum-half missing with three attempts in the first half. But Donald didn't shirk the spotlight, and took the opportunity to make himself a national hero.

And after a tragic last 12 months for New Zealand as a nation; the earthquakes in Christchurch and Canterbury, as well as the accident the Pike River mine, this was an apposite time for the country to have something to cheer. Winning the World Cup will never compensate for the physical and emotional damage caused by those tragedies, but we shouldn't underestimate the power of sport to raise morale and bring hope to people in arduous times. And after such a long wait to take their place at the top of rugby union's mountain, I think no impartial observer could object to the All Blacks finally having their day in the sun.

- Finally, despite the myriad of sporting entertainment on show this weekend, we should not forget that it was laden with tragedy as yet another death befell the arena of motorsport. In the Moto GP race in Malaysia, rider Marco Simoncelli crashed out of the race and sadly passed away. I'm not going to go in the details of the accident, and I'm certainly not going to post any links to the crash - unlike some more ostensibly reputable publications.

But we should remember that while motorsport is something that carries a high element of risk, it makes it no less tragic when it comes at the expense of a life. It'd be remiss of me to ignore the fact that these men and women compete not only against each other, but against the looming spectre of mortality, which rather than be a turn-off for people, adds an extra scintilla of interest to the viewing experience. But that should always be offset by the fact is that sport should never be anything more than harmless fun, a silly diversion from the things in life that really are important.

And when the adult gravity of life and death encroaches on the childish playtime that is the world of sport, it is the most poignant and unwelcome of intrusions.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

The Impossible Dream Achieved

2011-10-16T19:36:00.001+01:00

By Jonathan Wilkinson

Last week Leeds Rhinos cemented their place in history, not only as the first team to win the Grand Final from outside of the top two, but they also recorded their fifth title in only eight years. Let's look at the win on Saturday, a win that seemed impossible at the mid-point of the season when Leeds were struggling to keep a place in the top eight.

At that point in the season - exemplified by the ignominious 38-18 loss to Catalan Dragons - Leeds looked like a team without direction. They were making silly mistakes,and some of the team selections were confusing. They somehow managed to drag themselves to the Challenge Cup Final, after a favourable draw and a shade of luck against Castleford in the semi-final - Chase will be thinking about that drop goal attempt for years to come.

But it was at Wembley where the belief started to come back - well after the first 20 minutes at least. Although they lost, something had changed. They would go on to win all their remaining games. Us fans saw a glimmer of hope, although nobody would have dared dream that it would end up with a championship.

When the playoffs rolled around, the Rhinos were written off. While they were always expected to make it past Hull, and maybe get a result against an off-form Huddersfield team, they would surely come unstuck against Warrington - the winners of the League Leaders Shield.

However, the Leeds players had a renewed self-belief, fuelled by their performance - and perhaps the injustice - in the cup final, as well as with the words of the experts who had written them off. Warrington were undone, beaten in the last minute by a Kevin Sinfield penalty. In a game where most of the 50/50 calls went against Leeds, they battled through, defended brilliantly and attacked with a purpose, basically doing everything they had not done in the first half of the season.

The following Saturday they headed to Old Trafford to face St Helens in the Grand Final, for the fourth time in five years. Nobody had expected this, everyone had eexpected Wigan against Warrington. For the first time in Super League history two teams from outside of the top two had made Super League's biggest match.

In what has to be one of the best goalline stands in rugby history, Leeds held off the Saints for 4 straight drop-outs at the start of the second half. They also showed incredible spirit to come back from 16-8 down to win the game 32-16.

Sometimes a little self-belief goes along way; here was a team that was down and out, written off by the press, not to mention their own fans (coach Brian McDermott was booed by a section of the Leeds support in their last home game of the regular season). Yet they had always had the ability - you do not win 5 Championships in 8 years without talent - and clearly wanted to win for their coach, and each other. In doing so they proved everybody wrong and carved their names into history. I tip my hat to these guys for not giving up, for giving us another championship and for proving the cliché that form is temporary, while class is permanent.

Episode 40 - Usain Bolt at the 2008 Olympics

2011-10-12T22:51:00.000+01:00

Beijing's Bird's Nest Stadium was left dumbstruck by Usain Bolt's feats during the Olympics of 2008. Which makes it a pretty easy topic for our latest episode. I'm joined by Will Tristram (I won't list the podcasts he's on as there are far too many to mention) as we talk about how Bolt came out of China as arguably sport's biggest superstar of the current era.

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

The Scottish Premier League - The Season So Far (Guest Post From Andrew Neill)

2011-10-08T17:19:00.000+01:00

By Andrew Neill

So far, all of the teams in the Scottish Premier League have now played 10 matches (with the exception of Celtic and Dunfermline). Also, with the first stages of European football completed and the League Cup at the quarter-final stage, it is a good time to see if teams are matching their pre-season expectations:

GLASGOW RANGERS:

With Ally McCoist in his first managerial post, this was always going to be an interesting season for Rangers. After falling at the first hurdle in both European competitions there were early calls for the manager's head after a shock defeat in the last minute to lowly Falkirk in the League Cup. Without their SPL form, McCoist could have enjoyed a very short tenure as Rangers manager, but after drawing their opening game of the season, Rangers have won 9 straight matches - keeping 8 clean sheets (and winning the first Auld Firm game of the campaign hasn't done him much harm). McCoist is enjoying the best league start of any new manager since 1920, when Bill Struth started his reign by going undefeated in his first 23 league games in charge. And despite some worrying off-field issues with the Inland Revenue, the Gers remain favourites to win their 4th title in a row.

MOTHERWELL:

The surprise package of the year thus far. They got off to an impressive start, winning three of their first four games and they have only lost 3 games in the league Celtic, Rangers and St Johnstone. They did go out of the League Cup on a penalty shoot-out to Hibernian, but if they can maintain the results then they will be in the challenge for the unofficial title of best team outside of the Auld Firm. They will have to maintain their consistency as their defeats this season have been few, but heavy; 3-0 to Rangers, 4-0 to Celtic and 3-0 St Johnstone. But with six wins they are showing the rest of the teams that they are there to compete.

GLASGOW CELTIC:

With three losses already in the league this year already, they are currently sitting 10 points off of top spot - albeit with a game in hand. But it's a worrying statistic, given that they only lost 4 games for the whole of the 2010/11 season. They remain the last Scottish team in Europe, and are in the quarter-finals of the League Cup, but face a tricky away tie to an improving Hibs team. While there has been little talk of manager Neil Lennon's job being under threat, unless he can start to extract some better finishing from his team, he could become increasingly vulnerable at Parkhead.

HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN:

The enigma that is Hearts; After losing their first home game of the season to Dundee United, they have won the last 4 home games in a row, and yet away from home they have not won since February. Continuing the theme of inconsistency, they lost to lower league Ayr United on penalties in the League Cup, and were demolished by Tottenham in the preliminary round of the Europa League. If they can continue the home form and figure out how to remain effective when the home support is not there to cheer them on, they will be challenging for the Europa League spot again. This will be a good achievement for manager Paulo Sergio, who was brought in after Jim Jeffries and Billy Brown were surprising sacked after only 2 games of the league season. There's still a long way to go for Hearts, whose owner believes they should be challenging for the title and European glory, rather than scrapping around in mid-table.

ST JOHNSTONE:

The Perth based team are currently the antithesis of Hearts, struggling to find consistent form at home, while performing impressively on the road, including surprise wins over Celtic at Parkhead and Motherwell at Fir Park. Consistency has been an issue, but if they can maintain their impressive away form they will surely make the top six and will be in a position to challenge for 3rd place. There could be a silver lining to their elimination from the League Cup, as it affords them more time to concentrate on the league.

ST MIRREN:

Sitting in the 6th spot that will see them in the top half of the table when the mid-season split happens would please all associated with the Paisley club. They have a good record against their main rivals for this position, beating against Hibs, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock. However, they lost to bottom side Inverness last Saturday, missing a great opportunity to create a gap between the top and bottom halves of the table. Their defeat to Caley-Thistle keeps things real tight across the bottom of the league, with there only being four points between 6th and 12th. They remain in the League Cup so there is still some chance of glory for them as they have a home tie against Ayr.

KILMARNOCK:

Kilmarnock started the season quite strongly. But while they were unbeaten in their first 4 games, they contained only one win. And now Killie' have lost three from their last four. They are still in the cup and will at least be expected to make it to the semi-final, if not the final. They must stop the rot at Rugby Park, as a couple of wins could propel them up the table and put them in the hunt for the top six, but they will need to find the consistency that all of the clubs in Scotland seem to lack at present.

DUNDEE UNITED:

As beaten finalists in the Scottish Cup last year, they were granted entry to the Europa League at the earliest qualifying round, While they failed to make it past the first stage, they were unlucky to lose on away goals. They've made the quarter-finals of the League Cup, but their league form is poor. It currently comes down to the fact that they concede too many goals, already shipping 19. They have always had the ability to score goals and if they can stop conceding at such an alarming rate, they remain close enough to the top-half that a few results like at the end of last season will see them move swiftly up the table.

ABERDEEN:

Things are dire for this once great club. They sit in 9th place, are only one point off last place, and are yet to record an away win. After losing to first division East Fife in the League Cup, it looks like it is going to be another long season for Aberdeen who have struggled in recent years to achieve the expectations of fans who saw their club climb the heights of Europe in the 1980's. There is hope as they are only three points behind 6th place, so like most of the SPL clubs, they know a couple of good results will put them back in the hunt for a coveted top six place, so a challenge for European qualification is not out of the question.

HIBERNIAN:

Another team on the rise after a poor start to the season that saw them bottom a couple of weeks ago - losing to Hearts in a lacklustre game. The troubled Gary O'Connor getting back in the goals is their main crumb of comfort. They could have pulled off a shock result against Rangers last weekend, and were unlucky to lose 1-0. So, if the performances continue under Colin Calderwood and some more players can start to find the back of the net Hibs could yet still make top six.

DUNFERMLINE:

This season's newcomers to the SPL, Dunfermline are having some difficulties adapting to the top flight. There was a confident start to the campaign when they started with two draws and two wins. But they are yet to get a home win and have conceded 20 goals in only 9 matches, with a daunting trip to Parkhead awaiting them next week. Their elimination from the League Cup is an annoyance, but could also be a convenience, as with all newly promoted clubs their main aim this year is simply to stay in the division.

INVERNESS CALEDONIAN THISTLE:

Stuck in last place bottom of the table, Caley's main problem has been the closing stages of games, losing in the 92nd minute to Hibs and conceding a 90th minute equaliser to Dundee United. Had these results gone the way of the Fife side, they would currently be 7th in the league.

Overall while Rangers have a comfortable points cushion at the top, the bottom nine clubs are only separated by 7 points, which means with 28 matches of the season to go, there is still plenty to play for.

Andrew Neill also has a film blog, which can be found at http://www.toxicmovies.blogspot.com/

English Football's Laughing Cavaliers, But For How Long

2011-10-04T00:12:00.001+01:00

By Shane Thomas

Manchester United: Premier League champions, more league titles than any other English side, kings of all their survey, arguably the greatest manager of all time in Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm, unbeaten so far this season. They are the division's top scorers, playing some of the most exhilarating stuff in the land. The sheer joy of their play has turned them into the game's laughing cavaliers.

However, United's grip on the title is not as secure as the opening paragraph suggests. Before last weekend's games, they had conceded more shots on their goal than any other Premier League team. While their attacking play has often been dazzling, they have looked vulnerable in defence, and many objective judges acknowledge that there was a degree of good fortune in their victories over West Brom, Chelsea and Norwich - not to mention their 3-3 Champions League draw against Basel last Wednesday night.

There are mitigating reasons for United's defensive problems this season. New goalkeeper David De Gea has had a thorny introduction to the English game, with his stat of regularly conceding goals from long range shots whilst playing for Atletico Madrid last season encouraging many opposition players to chance their arm. Also, what often goes unmentioned is the maelstrom of injuries in the squad. The Da Silva twins have barely featured, Rio Ferdinand is an a perpetual state of fragility, and most importantly, captain Nemanja Vidic has been on the treatment table since the season's opening day. The Serb was one of United's best players last season, and is the lynchpin of the back four. And when Jonny Evans has had to deputise, he's often been the man at fault when United do let goals in.

A lot of the strain has been placed on the young shoulders of the England pair, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones. Both are nominally centre-halves, but have been needed to slot in at right-back on occasion. They have generally impressed, but Jones is relatively inexperienced at this level, and can be prone to losses of concentration. And while Smalling's adaptability has been impressive to play at right-back for club and country, he has also fallen prey to the team's injury problems.

But good defending isn't only down to the back four, and those who espouse Wayne Rooney's selfless industry must be stuck in a time warp. Rooney's position is often as the second-striker these days, which gives him plenty of latitude to roam with little defensive responsibility. This is not to criticise Rooney, as Ferguson knows that he is his most destructive force. It'd be folly to have him wasting energy defending when it would be put to better use in the opposition's final third. Cristiano Ronaldo is no longer at Old Trafford, so Rooney no longer has to play the role of carthorse. If anything, he's like on old-fashioned trequartista.

The freedom afforded to Rooney puts extra responsibilty on the midfield to keep a solid team shape. For the past year, tabloid headlines were rife with rumours that Inter Milan playmaker, Wesley Sniejder would be on his way to the champions. More astute observers stated that while Sniejder has bags of talent, he is the last thing United needed as they had more than enough firepower in the squad as it was. Where they did need to strengthen however, was in central midfield.

United have lacked a dominating presence in the engine room for a while now. Darren Fletcher is a willing workhorse, but has struggled with illness, and there's no telling if he will regain his best form. Even if he does, he's hardly the second coming of Roy Keane. He's not even Owen Hargreaves - many forget how crucial Hargreaves was in the closing stages 2007/08 season. The two sound beatings Barcelona gave to United in the Champions League finals of 2009 and 2011 showed how pressing the need was for the Red Devils to add a spoiler to their bristling attacking talents.

And it is the mighty Catalans that we should look to for the primary reason for an explanation as to United's new free-flowing strategy.

As Barcelona caroused in celebration on the Wembley turf in May, Ferguson cut a haunted figure as his team were cut to ribbons by the Spaniards yet again. To lose one Champions League final in this manner was painful, but to lose two smacked of stupidity. Something had to be done, and it's the playbook of Pep Guardiola where Ferguson has turned to for the remedy.

It makes common sense to state that the best way to defend against a good attacking team is to cut off their attacks at the source. Well Barcelona's source isn't Lionel Messi. Nor is it Xavi or Andres Iniesta. It's not even Gerard Pique. Next time you watch Barca in action, watch what happens when their keeper, Victor Valdes has the ball; his two centre-halves immediately spilt into the left-back and right-back positions. They can do this because their full-backs push high up the pitch, playing as if they were wingers. This results in Barcelona having seven players in the opposition half, and because they pass and move with such rapier incisiveness, defending against them is like holding back a tidal wave.

Now watch United this season. For Valdes, read De Gea (which may explain why Ferguson plumped for the Spaniard over the likes of Manuel Neuer or Maarten Stekelenburg). For the marauding Dani Alves, read Smalling and Jones. If you can't beat them, join them. And in fairness, United haven't been doing a bad job of imitating the world's premier club side.

But it's still a work in progress, and their offensive leanings have left them caught short at the other end of the pitch. It's a problem that Ferguson has recognised, and must correct before we reach the business end of the season. As fun as it is watching a team play with the handbreak off, do that for too long and it'll result in a very nasty crash.

ELSEWHERE IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE...

After a 5-1 defeat to Chelsea, Bolton are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League. They have already conceded 21 goals in their 7 matches, and gave arguably the worst defensive performance of the season on Sunday - and yes, I include Arsenal's wretched display when they lost 8-2 to Manchester United.

However, Bolton fans should not begin to despair just yet. The bulk of these heavy defeats have come against the league's stronger sides. The fixture list was beyond cruel to Bolton as their first seven matches have led them to encounter both Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.

But, before the month is out, they will have played Wigan, Sunderland and Swansea, and with their current poor form, it gives these games an increased importance. You'd think Bolton would need a bare minimum of 5 points from these three matches to ease the pressure on manager Owen Coyle.

Coyle is one of the most respected managers in the division, but nothing kills a reputation quicker than bad results. While his teams have a laudable propensity to play expansively, the defending from his side in recent weeks has been amateurish. I think it's no coincidence that Gary Cahill has allowed the speculation around him leaving the club to badly affect his level of performance - you can only hope that he's not subconsciously lost his focus to lower his transfer value in the likely event of him moving on in January.

Bolton and Coyle have plenty of time to correct their woeful start to the season. But the recovery must begin now, as the Trotters are not a club that can financially survive dropping down to the Championship. If they were to be relegated, we probably wouldn't see them back in the top flight for a generation.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Episode 39 - Eric Cantona w/Mary Freer

2011-09-30T18:20:00.001+01:00

We've been a bit lax updating the blog with our latest episodes. So, to recap; Jonathan is in exile until further notice, I'm holding down the fort, and we've been bringing a few special guests on board. Our latest of whom, Mary Freer helps me dissect the career of Eric Cantona. Loved by some, loathed by many more, he was certainly one of the most magnetic players of his generation.

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

Why Carlos Tevez Is The Least Of Roberto Mancini's Problems

2011-09-29T00:54:00.000+01:00

By Shane Thomas

While the football world is currently ablaze with disgust and outrage over the conduct of Carlos Tevez on Tuesday evening, the Manchester City players and manager, Roberto Mancini would do well to put the furore to the back of their minds.

Tevez's behaviour may have infuriated many, but it's nothing more than a sideshow to what was a lacklustre performance in a 2-0 defeat against Bayern Munich. The former captain may not have helped things by allegedly refusing to come off the bench, but it was not the reason why City lost.

After a solid early start, in which they should have been awarded a penalty when erstwhile City defender Jerome Boateng brought down David Silva, they gave the initiative over to the Bavarians, and Bayern Munich are not a team who need an invitation to grab control of a game. City's defending for both goals showed an alarming passivity, and Joe Hart's apoplectic reaction to his defenders probably mirrored that of the fans. When under pressure, there was an absence of drive from City to try and get themselves back into the match. They continued with their Plan A of getting the ball up to one of Sergio Aguero, Samir Nasri or Silva, expecting their diminutive trio to spin some magic to score or create a goal.

But Silva's passing went uncharacteristically askew, Nasri was marked out of the game, and Aguero was a magnet for Bayern shirts the second he was in possession. With every misplaced pass, with every error, the chances of City getting something from the match slipped further and further away. Had it not been for Hart, the defeat would have been even more severe.

While there is a potent attacking threat in this City side, there will be occasions when it will fail to function. That's when they have to find other ways to get results, and not just against the likes of Everton, but against Europe's top teams. The loss in the Allianz Arena has made qualification for the knockout stages of the Champions League very difficult, and they may need to beat both Bayern at the Etihad, and Napoli at the San Paolo Stadium to avoid spending the second-half of the season in the Europa League.

So yes, the Tevez situation is a headache that all involved with City could do without, but they have to put Tuesday night behind them, or even greater problems await the club. And it'd be a pity after such a strong start, for their season to fizzle out.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Chin Up Chelsea: Villas-Boas May Have Finally Cracked It

2011-09-19T18:45:00.000+01:00

By Shane Thomas

Yesterday concluded the most coruscating weekend of football I've seen in a while; Spurs beating Liverpool 4-0, Blackburn's comeback 4-3 win over Arsenal, Napoli's storming 3-1 defeat of AC Milan, a scintillating Auld Firm derby with Rangers on the right end of a 4-2 result, PSV and Ajax playing out a 2-2 draw, and a combination of Real Madrid's loss to Levante, and a 8-0 win over Osasuna sending Barcelona back to the top of La Liga.

And that's before I get to the breathtaking and quixotic game that took place at Old Trafford. Manchester United continued their 100% start to the campaign overcoming Chelsea 3-1. It was an astonishing encounter, and we'll have to go some to see a better game this season. The match was shown free-to-air on the American television network Fox Sports, and journalist Grant Wahl joked that a network executive must have had a word with both teams, asking them to play an expanisve, fast-paced attacking style in order to gain some traction with viewers over the pond. Regardless, it resembled a basketball match on occasion, as attacks were numerous, chances frequent, and the final result could have easily ended up as 5-5 rather than 3-1

New manager Andre Villas-Boas has had a tricky start taking charge of the West Londonders, and yesterday was the first time he has tasted defeat in England. But there are many reasons why the club and its fans should be in greater spirits now then at any other time this season.

It's been revealed that Villas-Boas always planned to set Chelsea up in an uncharacteristically attacking manner, as they believed that trying to play cautiously would only result in a narrow loss at best, a heavy one at worst. Last Wednesday night, Benfica showed in the Champions League that without their defensive totems of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, United are vulnerable when put under pressure.

Villas-Boas set the team up to move the ball swiftly, looking to create opportunities for Fernando Torres in at any opportunity, and for most of the first half, Chelsea looked dangerous in possession. Ramires was twice denied by David De Gea; the second time when the Brazilian had the goal at his mercy. The otherwise lacklustre Daniel Sturridge also forced De Gea into action; the only reason why they were 0-3 in arrears at half-time was due to maddening wastefulness. United on the other hand, put on a finishing clinic, taking any chance that came their way, but the lead was not an accurate reflection of the balance of play. They ended the match with twenty-one shots at goal to United's thirteen.

Villas-Boas was left with little recourse but to increase his attacking options in the second-half, bringing Nicolas Anelka on for Frank Lampard. The decision raised a few eyebrows as Lampard is part of the furniture at Chelsea, but they shouldn't have done. Anelka's first contribution was to play a sumptuous pass to play Torres clear on goal, with the quality of the ball matched by a gorgeous finish from the Spaniard, clipping the ball over De Gea to give Chelsea hope. More chances were created, especially for Torres, and I'm sure by now we've all seen his inexplicable open goal miss after rounding the keeper.

Many people - me included - felt that Villas-Boas could endure a tough season, trying to evolve this Chelsea team from the all-conquering side that won back to back Premier League titles under Jose Mourinho in 2005 and 2006, and did the double under Carlo Ancelotti two seasons ago. The demands of the game move on quicker than ever these days, and a once dominant Chelsea now look like an increasingly stolid outfit in comparison to the fluid incisiveness that is a pre-requisite of any high achieving side.

After a stodgy beginning to the season, Villas-Boas may be alighting on the answer to wean Chelsea's off their robust, muscular style embodied by the likes of Lampard, John Obi Mikel and Didier Drogba. While they are accomplished players who will have a part to play over a lengthy nine month season, they may no longer be part of Villas-Boas's Plan A. And despite the juvenile taunts that Torres had to endure after missing an empty net, his all-round performance was encouraging; his movement and application could not be faulted, he took his goal with the aplomb of a Marco Van Basten, and looks to be steadily improving after a moribund start to his Chelsea career.

In the game now, speed and fluidity is the key to breaking teams down. Hence the prominence of Juan Mata, Sturridge and Torres. Anelka may also get plenty of game time as he made an impressive contribution from the bench, showing an intelligence and guile that is seldom associated with the Frenchman. Against United they passed the ball with purpose, attacked with menace, and had that intangible that every good side needs; devil. If this is a precursor to the new Chelsea, then their fans should be looking forward to seeing football that is not only entertaining, but also successful. And with Manchester City showing that their strong early-season performances have slightly gone to their head, there could be a second team for Manchester United to worry about other than their local rivals.

AND IN OTHER NEWS...

While Blackburn have been given deserved credit for their first win of the season, they still remain one of the Premier League's most disliked sides. This has been the case since Venkys, the club's owners, fired Sam Allardyce as manager and replaced him with Steve Kean. Even in victory, you can still hear pejorative remarks made towards the owners, and how they made their money, often referring to them as "those chicken farmers" - as if such a thing means they have no place in the sport. Now there are plenty of things that you can criticise the Venkys regime for, yet every catcall comes with the reductive slur of "chicken farmers".

It has a worrying underpinning of xenophobia; do people resent that a group of Indian businesspeople have gained a place in English football's top league? Also, some suspect that Kean got his position as a result of underhanded politicking.

Now allow me to be clear. I predicted that Blackburn would be relegated. I still believe this. Nothing in their win over Arsenal convinced me that they'll end the season out of the division's bottom three. I don't think Venkys are particularly good owners, and I don't think Kean is the right man for Blackburn. But he and the owners should be given every chance to prove people wrong without being subjected to such infantile derision. So how about we treat them with a little respect in future?

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

The Diary Of A Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - Arsenal Under Threat From New Kids On The Block

2011-09-13T08:50:00.000+01:00

By Shane Thomas

Arsenal are currently a club in choppy waters. A dreadful start to the league campaign, injuries to key players, and an addition of older players to a callow squad that some have dubbed as "panic buys". There couldn't have been a less opportune time for them to face a side that exemplify many of the qualities that the Gunners were once admired for.

Arsenal play Borussia Dortmund tonight to open their Champions League campaign. Like the start of the domestic season, the fixtures haven't been kind to the North Londoners. Marseille will prove awkward opposition, while Olympiakos have an impressive home record. Their biggest test however, comes from the boys from Dortmund.

And "boys" is almost a literal term. Borussia both shocked and pleased many neutrals in Germany by comfortably winning the Bundesliga last season, playing an expansive and entertaining brand of football that triumphed over the more traditional domestic powers. They are a relatively young team, with a relatively young coach. While I think Arsene Wenger should be allowed to try and return Arsenal to their former glories, if he were to leave, then the ideal replacement would probably be the Dortmund head coach, Jurgen Klopp.

He has assembled a team built around the attacking talents of Mario Gotze, Lucas Barrios, and Shinji Kagawa. The impressive Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels anchor the defence, while experienced captain Sebastian Kehl knits the whole outfit together in midfield.

Gotze is the key. He is the next to come off the increasingly impressive production line of dangerous German attackers. Like Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller, Gotze has bundles of flair and mobility, moves like a whippet over the pitch, with the necessary amount of devil to unlock any defence. In short, he's the kind of player that children pretend to be when they play in the park.

And with Jack Wilshere & Aaron Ramsey on the treatment table, and Cesc Fabregas & Samir Nasri now plying their trade elsewhere, Arsenal look alarmingly short on the kind of devil that wins matches. Once everybody's favourite side to watch, they have been short of a cutting edge, and remain suspect defensively. Against a passionate home support, and Wenger serving a two match touchline ban, Arsenal could be set for a painful reminder of the side that they once were in Germany.

AND AT THE RUGBY WORLD CUP...

Earlier this morning, England lock Courtney Lawes received a two match ban after being cited for kneeing Mario Ledesma in the head during Saturday's Pool match against Argentina. When asked about the impact of Lawes's absence, head coach Martin Johnson seemed somewhat indifferent.

While this is a wise move from Johnson, the chances are that his nonchalant stance was genuine. In what is a tricky Pool, England's next two games are also their easiest - against Georgia & Romania. Why this stands out as a story is that if the IRB (International Rugby Board) believed that Lawes was guilty, then a two game ban is relatively benign. This seems to be a case of the IRB having their cake and eating it; they look tough for punishing a player, particularly one from a major Rugby Union nation such as England. But the subjective weight of the punishment is negligible. Lawes is a key figure in this England side, and he may have been rested for their next two matches anyway. If anything, the IRB have done Johnson and England a favour.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Iron Man Rafa Flattened By The Wall

2011-09-13T07:31:00.000+01:00

By Shane Thomas

Flushing Meadows was the scene of 2011's sporting moment of the year as Novak Djokovic won his third Grand Slam of the season, defeating the defending champion Rafael Nadal in four gruelling sets (6-2,6-4,6-7,6-1).

This has been Nole's year. He marmalised Andy Murray to win the Australian Open in January and hasn't looked back. His remarkable win/loss record continues, only two defeats in 2011 bringing him 10 titles, despite being pushed to the brink of physical exhaustion. While Nadal came into the final on the back of a straight sets win against Murray, Djokovic had to overcome a marathon five-set encounter to despatch Roger Federer in the other semi-final. The Serb was two sets to love behind, and like 12 months ago, had to save match-points before triumphing in dramatic style.

While the final was only four sets, they bordered on tennis's apotheosis. The standard of shot-making, defence, recovery and athleticism left the fans and commentators searching for the superlatives. In both the first and second sets, Rafa took first blood to race into a 2-0 lead. Both times, Djokovic wrestled the momentum back. He was managing to muscle the Spaniard around the court and bend him to his will. It looked to be a repeat of the superiority he showed in this year's Wimbledon final.

At 4-4 in the third, Djokovic broke Nadal again. Serving for the title, it looked all over bar the shouting. But there is no spirit more willing than Rafa's. He broke straight back, took the set to a tie-break, and won it convincingly. The crowd - now fully on his side - roared their approval; not because of a dislike for Djokovic, but because they wanted to see more of this extraordinary contest. However, at times, it manifested itself in them cheering when Novak failed to get a first serve in. While I've always liked the fevered atmosphere that one gets at the US Open, sometimes the crowd allow their emotions to descend from fervour into disrespect. This was sadly one of those occasions.

Thankfully the quality of the tennis overshadowed the actions of a few thoughtless dingwads. And it's just as well that tennis balls aren't sentient as both players would have been charged with assault; they hit their shots with such savage ferocity that you worried for the safety of the ballboys & ballgirls. It mattered little as any time one man looked to have won the point, the opponent would find a way to lay their racket on the ball to continue the rally. 10 shot rallies became 15. 15 became 20. 20 became 30. It looked as if it would be a late night for every spectator, especially those in the UK.

This was compounded by Djokovic calling the trainer onto court after losing the third set. Clearly suffering with his back, he periodically received treatment to nurse him through the match. With Rafa winning the third set, and Nole looking to be out of gas, many wise pundits expected Nadal to win in five.

And a year ago, that might have been true. But "The Wall" is now a different animal. He has reached a level of dominance where he simply doesn't know how to lose at present. Two sets down to Federer, he'll find a way to win. An injured back and the sport's "Iron Man" in the ascendency, he'll find a way to win. It's what all great champions do. And Djokovic is truly a great champion now. He broke Nadal's serve at the first attempt, and with the Majorcan's resistance finally yielding, he went on to win the set 6-1, winning the match and securing his fourth Grand Slam title.

Nadal admitted that he has struggled with his mental focus against Djokovic in the clutch moments this year. He hasn't been the only one, but it has been a chastening time for the Spaniard. It was not that long ago that some felt that he may be the greatest player to ever swing a racket, and despite winning the French Open, it's been a disappointing 2011.

Djokovic meanwhile, has reigned supreme. He may not go on to equal the achievements of Federer and Nadal, but last night proved that he's no flash in the pan. You can hit a good run of form for a few weeks. But you don't fluke a whole year of competition. We've been in a golden age of men's tennis for a while now and Nole's achievements are making this era glisten ever more brightly.

ALSO AT THE US OPEN...

My focus is on the men's final is simply because it was one of the greatest tennis matches I have ever seen. But that doesn't make the women's final any less significant. And it's a pity that Serena Williams' conduct has been the main story of the women's section of the draw. If you really want to know what happened, read elsewhere or do some Googling as I'd rather focus on the victor, Sam Stosur.

Once a leading force in the tennis world, there has been a relative paucity of quality to come from Australia in recent years, which is unbecoming for a nation that gave us Rod Laver, Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, John Newcombe and Pat Cash. With Lleyton Hewitt gone from the business end of Grand Slam tournaments and Bernard Tomic still green, the focus of Australian tennis attention has been placed firmly on the shoulders of Stosur. And it's attention that she has struggled to deal with.

After reaching the French Open final in 2010 as the favourite, she choked against the Italian, Francesca Schivaone. The press correctly focused on Schiavone grabbing her one shot of glory, but it left Stotur's confidence in tatters, as she took months to cope with defeat; her game deteriorating into an inconsistent mess since that summer's day in Paris.

So we should all delight in her regaining her form to not only win the US Open, but to win with a dominant display of superb hitting. Even Williams, who is not often the most gracious of losers, admitted that any questionable umpiring decisions were a minor factor in the match, and that Stosur was the better woman on the day.

Williams is a great champion and is a safer bet to win Grand Slams in the future than the Australian. But Stosur's win was one to relish. It should resonate with anyone who's fallen short in achieving their dreams, but refused to allow it to define them. Failure isn't always the endgame, sometimes it's a pit-stop to a much more fulfilling destination.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Sour Taste Of World Championship Could Become Sweet Revenge

2011-09-07T18:35:00.000+01:00

By Shane Thomas

While a great deal of sport is devoted to its winners, sport is actually more about failure than success. The same way that every fairy-tale needs a dragon to be slain, sport's tales need a loser to be vanquished and leave the victor exalted.

And like fairy-tales, there is a demarcation as to who plays the role of winner and loser. Two weeks ago, we approached the World Athletics Championships in Daegu with a clear expectation of the men and women who would leave South Korea triumphant. But it turned out to be a championships where many of the sport's understudies decided that this was their time to grab the spotlight and leave track & field's more established names in the shade. The meet became a less duplicitous version of the wonderful Joseph Mankiewicz film, All About Eve.

The list of established favourites that failed to top the medal rostrum became the story of the championships; Usain Bolt, Jessica Ennis, Yelena Isinbayeva, Phillips Idowu, Allyson Felix, LaShawn Merritt all missed out on expected gold medals. The only marquee names who seemed to be unaffected were David Rudisha and Sally Pearson - whose performance in the 100 metres hurdles was arguably the star-turn of the championships.

The reasons for these relative surprises were varied. Idowu, Felix, Ennis & Merritt all performed well - normally well enough to win gold - but came up against a new generation of athletes who seized their moment. Isinbayeva looked ring rusty after taking time away from the sport, with Daegu coming too soon for the Russian. And Bolt... well, enough has already been written about his false start in the 100 metres.

But this needs not be a portent of the established powers being swept away by a new breed of runners, jumpers and throwers, as these World Championships will matter little in a year's time. The countdown to the 2012 Olympics has truly begun, and for the competing athletes, every moment of the next 12 months will go towards ensuring that they arrive in London at the very peak of physical conditioning. While winning a World Championship can make one a national hero, winning an Olympic title makes one a legend.

Coming up short in Daegu only brings London into sharper focus. And the pain of failure could end up as a crucial part of a redemptive summer next year. All these aforementioned athletes are champion performers, and it's not in their nature to settle for second best. We've seen the likes of Bolt and Ennis be dominant on the track. It'll be fascinating to see what happens when their mood changes from supreme to angry.

Daegu 2011 will have left a sour taste in the mouth for some. Which could make London 2012 the place to witness their sweetest revenge.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

The Future Arrives As Bolt Faces Reality Check

2011-08-30T05:15:00.001+01:00

By Shane Thomas

The men's 100 metres final has come and gone at the World Athletics Championships, and as you can see in the photo above, Usain Bolt isn't the one who's celebrating.

So what happened? Ever since his remarkable showing at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Bolt has been the sprint king. Whether the 100 metres or 200 metres, the Jamaican has wiped the floor with his competition and raised the bar of what people thought was possible in sprinting. Now Bolt hasn't had a particularly good build-up to these championships; he's missed Diamond League events with injury problems, and was beaten early in the season by the American, Tyson Gay - who seemed to be destined for a career as the perennial nearly man.

But Gay was absent from these championships, and Bolt's countryman, Asafa Powell also missed out on running in Daegu, due to a groin problem. Powell has run the fastest 100 metre time of 2011 so far, but with him and Gay gone, it seemed that all potential roadblocks had been removed. The path was clear for Bolt to retain his world title, and thrill the South Korean crowd with another potentially supersonic and effervescent display.

Watching Usain Bolt is an occasion in itself, and I made sure that I was awake on Sunday morning to watch him in action. Listening to the television commentary, they had already ordained Bolt as the winner. As far as they - and most of the press corps were concerned - the script has been written in advance. This was another chapter in the stellar career of Bolt. We had our king, let him go and claim his crown.

One shouldn't be too harsh on the media for this prognostication. Bolt has redefined the boundaries of what is possible in track sprinting, and while some has questioned his state of readiness in the lead-up to the championships, those doubts seemed to be allayed in the qualification rounds as Bolt stormed through to the final with absolute ease. Not only was the man with the reputation, but - once again - he was the man in form.

As the runners lined up in their respective lanes, Bolt was at his most ostentatious. As his name was announced to the crowd, the camera pulled up alongside him. Never one to miss out on an opportunity to grab the spotlight, he pointed to the runner on his left, and then to the one on his right, before dismissively shaking his head. It should be stated that Bolt never means any disrespect with such behaviour. It irritates some, but it has become all a part of the package with Bolt, and it entertains a lot more people than it annoys. The preamble was over, the runners set themselves in their blocks, and then...

Off went Bolt. The only problem was that the gun hadn't. The Jamaican false-started. The rules on this are clear. One false-start and you are automatically disqualified. No-one knew this better than Bolt as he roared & tore off his vest in pure frustration, the defence of his world title over. The disbelief on Bolt's face was matched by the reaction of the crowd. Athletics' marquee name left the track in ignominy.

Now many have said that this has shown the folly of the "one false-start and you're out rule". A year ago Tyson Gay said, "If Usain Bolt false started it would be a wake-up call. If it happened at the World Championships or Olympics, the result is going to need an asterisk by its side. Without him, it wouldn’t make sense."

That may be so, but misses the point altogether. Rightly or wrongly, these are the rules that are in place. And it is a proviso that has existed in swimming for decades with negligible criticism from the punditocracy. The reason that this has now become a story is because it happened to Bolt, who had been hitherto untouchable. I once wrote on this blog that every now & then, sport produces a person who bestrides their event like a god, making it all the more implausible when they are shown to be a mere mortal.

With Bolt gone, the race was down to seven mere mortals. The god was no more, leaving the field clear for an opportunist. And it was Bolt's fellow Jamaican, Yohan Blake who seized his opportunity.

Blake is Bolt's friend and training partner, and has been dubbed by the Olympic Champion as, "the future". He is only 21, and is the youngest man to run the 100 metres in under 10 seconds. Blake showed on Sunday that not only has he the talent, but the strength of character to not be distracted by his friend's disqualification. Rather than live up to his moniker, Blake has arrived on the big stage. In the end, it was a comfortable win, as he ran the only sub-10 second time in the race.

Bolt will be back to defend his title in the 200 metres, and in the post-race interviews Blake predicted that Bolt will be "angry", when he returns to the track in South Korea. We've seen Bolt beatific, but what will he be like enraged?

Either way, it'll be must-see television. Part of me thinks that this makes the story of Bolt all the more compelling. Many find serial winners boring, but this adds a delicious layer of drama to the 100 meters at the Olympics next summer. We thought that London 2012 would be Bolt's coronation. Now it could be his redemption.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Wigan Get Benefit Of The Doubt

2011-08-28T19:00:00.000+01:00

By Jonathan Wilkinson

I must have re-written this blog post in my head about 4 times yesterday during Leeds Rhinos defeat to Wigan in the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley.

After about 25 minutes this post was shaping up to be all about how Leeds had failed to turn up for the second year in a row, and were brushed aside in another embarrassing display as Wigan raced to a 16-0 lead. Leeds were making unforced errors, missing tackles, and failing to stop Wigan's offloads. We were lucky to be only 16-0 down, as a tide of Cherry & White shirts stormed forward, including a length of the field try involving the Tomkins' brothers.

Leeds then began to play and grabbed 2 tries before the end of the half; all of a sudden I was starting to write something about restoring pride, going down fighting, and showing that we were not the whipping boys the press so desperately wanted us to be so they could write pieces about their "darling" Sam Tomkins.

The first try of the second half was going to be all important and we got it. All of a sudden, something that seemed impossible just 20 minutes ago was looking possible; we could win this game, as we were just 2 points behind and clearly in charge of the game. Wigan were in shock, they were on the ropes. Fortunately for them the ref decided to give them a hand by making a string of errors that would ultimately decide the game.

Now this brings us to the 3rd post I wrote, the one I wrote about 10 seconds after Ganson decided that Wigan had won the game by giving them the benefit of the doubt. That post would have been entitled, "Refs screw the Rhinos, the cheating BASTARDS!" Now let me briefly explain that the benefit of the doubt in any video ref decision in rugby league goes for the attacking team, which means if the video ref cannot decide if a player grounded the ball or not, he will award the try, which in itself is a highly flawed rule; that a game can be taken away from a team because a ref is unsure. So when this flashed up on the screen to give Wigan the game, it angered me, basically we had lost the game because a coward was unsure, and didn't want to make a call, despite the fact that the ball was in full view on the camera. I would have much more respect if he had just put try up on the screen, I would have felt robbed still, as it was clear to me - as a unbiased Leeds fan of course - that it wasn't a try.

However, I agree it was a tough call. But Phil Bentham can not use the same excuse for the string of errors he made that swung the game towards Wigan. Here is a list:

1. At the end of the first half, he failed to sin-bin a Wigan player for a cheap high shot on Bishop, after he had chipped ahead.

2. More crucially, he missed a forward pass that led to Wigan's first try in the second half. This is a recurring nightmare for Leeds, as it was a try from a forward pass that had handed victory to Wigan at the DW stadium earlier in the season.

3. He somehow gave Wigan head and feed at the scrum that lead to Wigan's last try. The ball had clearly hit the Wigan player before going into touch. Bentham could have even gone to the screen to learn how to restart the game. Instead he happily handed Wigan the ball.

This leads me to the last post, the one I'm writing now. The truth lies somewhere in between all of the above. Before the game we would have taken the final score, we had been told by everybody in the press that Wigan would win by at least 20 points. And after going 16-0 down, they were getting ready to write that story. Instead we got a great game of rugby, where the result was in doubt right till the last 3 minutes. We also got the rough end of all the key decisions by the ref but at the end of the day you cannot gift any team a 16-0 lead and expect to win. Sure we were robbed but ultimately not by the refs, but by ourselves. If we had played the full 80 minutes we would have won the game. If the ref had made the right calls, we might have won. That's the difference.

Honouring Pat Summit - Guest Post From Ro Karen

2011-08-26T16:56:00.000+01:00

This is the kind of guest post that I never would have expected to have on this blog. My Simply Syndicated podcasting stable-mate, Karen, is more likely to be wax poetic on genre fiction than sport, but the following story shows that the human endeavour inherent in sport can positively affect all of us, not just those with subscriptions to Sky Sports or ESPN. So without further ado, here are Karen's thoughts on Coach Pat Summit...

"You Don't Know What I'm Capable Of"

- Pat Summit

I know a little bit about what she’s capable of. She’s been the head coach of the University of Tennessee’s Lady Vols since 1974. During this time, her coaching skills have brought UT 1,037 victories; her teams have only been defeated 196 times. She’s led the Lady Vols to the Final Four 18 times - more times than any other men’s or women’s college basketball coach — winning the championship 8 eight times. She coached the U.S. women’s basketball team to a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics, which was one notch better than the silver medal she won as a member of the team during the 1976 Olympics. Many of her girls have gone on to walk in her footsteps as coaches in their own right. Some have carried her lessons inside them through their own trips to Olympic victories. Some continue to wield the skills she helped them hone, onto WNBA courts across the country. More important than any of this, every one of the eligible athletes who played for her went on to graduate with a degree. She’s made certain of that.

And these are just the “big” stats. There’s lots more to her beyond what I carry around in my weird noggin.

I’m not much for sports or stats. But Pat Summitt has always amazed, inspired, and humbled me. She is a remarkable role model and, pardon my feminist streak for a moment, if she was a man in charge of a men’s college or NBA team, with the same set of stats that I just quoted, her name would be synonymous with the game itself, on the lips of every basketball fan from the Bay of Fundy to the Gulf of California.

Regardless of this lack of deserved ubiquity, the facts cannot be disputed. Summitt holds the record for the most wins of any college basketball coach, man or woman. She’s brought home more NCAA championships than any other women’s basketball coach. She was part of the inaugural inductees to the women’s basketball hall of fame, she’s also in the basketball hall of fame, she’s received the ESPY award for coach of the year, she’s got roads, gyms, and courts named after her…

…and now she’s announced that she has the early stages of Alzheimer’s. She’s 59 years old.

My heart hasn’t stopped breaking ever since I first heard this news.

I know what this disease is capable of. I know how cruel, how unrelenting, how unmerciful it is. How it can rob the grace and intelligence of even the strongest wills. I’ve also already had my heart broken once before, with North Carolina State’s Coach Jimmy Valvano. I hate to link Valvano and Summitt, since I think that Summitt has many, many more years ahead of her…perhaps even enough time that doctors will finally find the key to stopping or slowing this disease. I only mention Valvano here because of one of his most memorable quotes: “Don’t give up…don’t ever give up!”

I hope Coach Summitt fights this with every ounce of the resolve that she carries in ample supply. I hope she never gives up. And I hope that every girl who has donned the orange of the Lady Vols, who has been pushed to their limits and beyond, who has been brought to tears and finally to triumph, and who has left the University of Tennessee that much more remarkable as an athlete and as a woman never forgets that it was Summitt’s fire that helped to forge them.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

This post can also be read on Karen's blog at - http://lobablanca.com/blog09/2011/08/25/you-don’t-know-what-im-capable-of/

Karen can also be heard regularly on the genre fiction podcast, Starbase 66, available at - http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/starbase66/

World Championships Look Short Of Stardust

2011-08-26T05:10:00.000+01:00

By Shane Thomas

The World Athletics Championships begin in South Korea tomorrow, but you'd be forgiven for having no idea about it. The London Olympics is drawing ever closer, and the hype has become a millstone around the neck of the World Championships. While the pinnacle of track & field is undoubtedly the Olympics, I look on with sadness at the decreased relevance of an event that at one stage was one of the biggest occasions in the sporting calendar. It's a meet where Mike Powell broke Bob Beamon's world record in the long jump, where Sergei Bubka won 6 gold medals in a row, and a place that bore witness to the incredible consistency of Merlene Ottey. The standard of competition was generally equivalent to the Olympics. Had it not been a biannual event, you could make a case for the World Championships being just as significant as its more celebrated sister.

I have fond memories of being glued to the television as a 9 year old, watching the World Championships in Stuttgart, as Linford Christie, Sally Gunnell & Colin Jackson all won gold medals for Great Britain - Jackson setting a world record in the 110 metres hurdles that would last for 13 years.

And it'd be remiss of me not to mention Jonathan Edwards taking the triple-jump to unfathomable heights in 1995, as well as Michael Johnson cementing his legacy as the greatest sprinter of his generation throughout the nineties and noughties (is "noughties" the correct term?).

But the relationship between the championships and the Olympics is no longer symbiotic. As the Olympics bubble inflates, the world championships looks to be punctured. Yesterday, Asafa Powell pulled out of the 100 metres with injury, joining Tyson Gay on the sidelines. With Usain Bolt below-par and looking distinctly beatable this season, the blue riband event of the meet has lost much of its sheen. Teddy Tamgho is also absent with injury, depriving us of a potentially enthralling battle between him and Phillips Idowu in the triple-jump.

While injuries are an unfortunate occurrence of the sport, you wonder how many absentees there would be if the Olympics weren't in a year's time. No-one wants to take the slightest risk of disrupting their preparations for London 2012, which has resulted in a distinct lack of star power in Daegu. It's understandable but also disheartening.

The one potential silver lining - for British fans at least - is Mo Farah. The long distance runner has been a revelation this season. His showed his ever improving quality when he won both the 5,000 and 10,000 metres at last year's European Championships. He then took the bold career decision to leave London, and relocate his family to Oregen to train under Alberto Salazar. This change has only made Farah an exponentially better runner; he has stormed past all-comers this year. Farah is no longer just a European force in the long-distance events, but now a world one. In an event that has been a fiefdom for African runners for generations, he goes to the South Korea with a genuine chance of beating the great Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele.

It's not that there won't be some world class track & field on display, but the must-see factor that athletics had after the Beijing Olympics seems to be conspicuous by its absence. Hopefully, I'm mistaken, but the sport desperately needs a memorable meet to keep the World Championships relevant. Otherwise, they'll end up like the Pan-American Games or the European Championships, and those occasions have the increasingly enervating feel of a school sports-day.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Murray Knocks A Brick Out Of The Wall

2011-08-25T21:39:00.000+01:00

By Shane Thomas

With the final tennis major of the year taking place in four days time, Andy Murray had an ideal lead-in for the US Open by winning the Cincinnati Masters last weekend. The last time he won in Cincinnati, he reached the final at Flushing Meadows. But what is more encouraging is that he defeated World No. 1, Novak Djokovic to walk off with what is one of the most unusual trophies I've ever seen in sport (look at the picture at the top of this post to see what I mean).

In an era that contains both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, many have overlooked the fact that in 2011, Djokovic has been the man. This has been his year, and then some.

After last year's US Open, I wrote about how Djokovic had shown discernible signs of maturity after losing in the final to Nadal. Leading Serbia to win their first ever Davis Cup at the tail-end of the season was a springboard to usurp the Spaniard at the top of the men's game. He won the first Grand Slam of the year at the Australian Open, battering & bullying Murray into submission, and hasn't looked back.

He went on one of the most astonishing unbeaten streaks in the history of the sport. He won his next 43 matches in succession, a record that was only one match short of Ivan Lendl's 44 match streak in 1981/82 and three short of Guillermo Vilas's 46 matches in 1977. From November 2010 to June 2011, Djokovic did not lose a single match.

As children, many future tennis players practice by repeatedly hitting a tennis ball against a wall. The repetition of this exercise aids concentration and technique. However, you never want to hit the ball too hard when doing this, as the harder you hit a ball off a wall, the faster it will come back to you.

Well playing Djokovic is like playing against a wall. No matter how well you're playing, no matter what type of shot you hit, be it power, slice or spin, when you're up against Nole, that ball keeps on coming back. While Federer and Nadal have been at the top of the tree in men's tennis for the better part of a decade, if you were constructing a tennis player, he'd be like Djokovic. The Serb ticks every box; speed, endurance, athleticism, shot power & accuracy, and in the past year, he's added the intangible but pivotal qualities of belief & a winning mentality to his armoury. The way he defeated Nadal in this year's Wimbledon final showed how the balance of power in the game has shifted towards Djokovic. At the time of writing his win/loss record is 57/2.

However, his achievements this year have been something of a double-edged sword. While the high standard of Nole's physical conditioning is without question, he has already played more matches than most players have in a season. He has repeatedly played less than 100% fit, but kept playing because he kept winning. He joked that he wouldn't mind losing a few matches to give him a chance to rest his ailing limbs.

Well last Sunday, the decision was made for him. He walked into the final against Murray with an injured shoulder, and Britain's No. 1 took full advantage, taking the first set 6-4, and taking Djokovic's game apart in the process. By the time Murray was 3-0 up in the second set, Djokovic made the pragmatic call to retire hurt. While it would have affronted his professional pride, it would have been folly to exacerbate an injury in a match that was as good as lost, especially with the US Open fast approaching. There are bigger, and more important battles to be fought.

Murray knows this as much as anyone. Winning Masters series events are nice, but tennis is all about the four Grand Slams. Any pundit worth their salt knows that Murray has the game to win in New York - indeed John McEnroe predicted at the start of 2010 that this year's US Open would be when Murray breaks his Grand Slam duck. There's no doubt that he likes the environs of Flushing Meadows, winning the boys' title as a 17 year old, and reaching the men's final back in 2008. Murray's game is best suited to hard courts, and while he will not be favourite to triumph next week, everyone knows that he is a genuine contender to lift the title in a little over two weeks time.

As for Djokovic, he remains to man to beat, but the first cracks have shown in a wall that had looked hitherto indestructible. There's no doubt that the exertions of this year are taking their toll, and how he fares will be dependent on him holding the foundations together for just a little longer.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Episode 36 - 2008 Wimbledon Final (Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal)

2011-08-25T02:14:00.000+01:00

Simply the greatest tennis match of all time. It may have only been three years ago, but Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal put on an exhibition of tennis that will last as long as sport is documented.

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

White-Hot Spurs Take Hearts To School - Guest Post By Andrew Neill

2011-08-19T18:44:00.000+01:00

By Andrew Neill

I was at Tynecastle to watch Heart of Midlothian take on the might of Tottenham Hotspur, it was laughably billed as the "Battle of Britain", but what it brought into stark contrast was the difference in quality between the English Premier League and the Scottish Premier League. By their relative ambitions, these sides are of equal standing. They're not the best teams in their league but have aspirations to go further, and for the last few years have been best of the rest after the two or three clubs that always win their respective leagues.

As a Hearts fan I have no doubts that we are not brilliant, we are barely better than the rest of the clubs outside the Auld Firm in Scotland. We'll have a fight on our hands just to secure 3rd place, but the winner of that position will be the team that makes the fewest mistakes and Hearts have a good enough squad to achieve that. We came into the match as underdogs, but the eternal optimist in me thought if Spurs were have a bad night, we might be able to nick a draw, get them worried, and sneak a freak result in London (I must be allowed these wild fantasies at times). However, what happened was that a national television audience witnessed the gulf in class between English and Scottish Football.

Hearts actually played quite well over the whole night. But the fitness (or lack of it) of the players cost Hearts dear in the first half. However, for the first 15 minutes of the second half, we dominated Spurs, creating chances. By this point, Tottenham were already 3-0 up and cruising, but we showed we were capable of causing them problems. There's no denying that Spurs were sublime on the night, they controlled the game, winning 5-0. To be honest, it could have been 10-0 and we would have had no complaints. They sliced our defence open at will, and gave goalkeeper Marion Kello no chance with all five goals that were expertly taken from a group of players that would get bored by the lacklustre standard of the SPL. Their collective first touch, passing, and finishing was of a level that I have never seen at Tynecastle, even from the George Burley team that topped the SPL table in the early stages of the 2005/06 season.

Even Barcelona coming to Scotland to play a pre-season friendly at Murrayfield was not comparable to the level of skill on show yesterday evening. I don't think Spurs showed a level of skill that will win the Premier League title, but they showed enough to suggest they can go far in the Europa League, as well as challenging for the Champions League places again this year. Hearts were shown how to play the game, and if they play against the rest of the SPL as they did for those fifteen second-half minutes, they'll cruise to 3rd, and may be in a position to challenge Rangers and Celtic.

All in all, it was a privilege to watch Spurs demolish the team I love and I was proud of the support at the end, standing defiant knowing that the better team won. In spite of the result, we were still singing and asking what they would do when we win 6-0 in London. Realistically I know that the tie is dead, but I hope that the players enjoy the experience of playing in London next week. When Spurs bring out their under 19 team in the second-leg next Thursday, I just hope we can match them.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Andrew Neill also has a film blog, which can be found at http://www.toxicmovies.blogspot.com/

All Hail The Playground Bullies

2011-08-17T18:13:00.001+01:00

By Shane Thomas

This is a weird time to be a supporter of the England cricket team. For as long as I've watched the support, English cricket has been little more than a punchline. Summer after summer brought mediocrity, annoyance and often defeat. While things began to improve at the turn of the millennium - never more so than the epic 2005 Ashes series - English cricket had a place; which tended to be looking up at the Australians, as they conquered all & sundry to underline their position as the world's best.

But now, Australia are no better than an average side in transition. They took a pasting from England this past winter. And now India have just suffered at the hands of the new best side on the planet. Tomorrow's 4th Test match takes place at The Oval, but the series has already been decided, with England 3-0 up with one match remaining. Not only that, but they have comprehensively taken India's spot at the top of the world Test rankings.

The rise in England's fortunes over the past two years has been rapid. Ever since regaining The Ashes in 2009, they have become a fearsome unit, not just from numbers 1 to 11, but showing a depth in talent, negating any detriment in performance when players suffer injury. And it's not just the victories over India and Australia that have been so heartening, but the margin of them; three innings victories in Australia, while the victories over India have come by the ever increasing margins of 196 runs, 319 runs & an innings and 242 runs. This aren't mere triumphs, these are annihilations.

India arrived on these shores as the best Test side in the world, as well as the 50 over World Champions. They are where the governing power lies in the game, as well as the most lucrative cricketing market.

But they also arrived here underprepared, and seemed to have allowed recent successes to go to their head. While they have been unlucky with injuries to some key personnel, such as Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh & Virender Sehwag, no ostensible "best team in the world" should be so heavily reliant on a handful of players. Could they have underestimated the ability of this England side?

It certainly appeared so, as the players often took to the field intermittently, some looking a tad overweight, absent of the requisite mentality to compete. The phrase "Test cricket" is no accident, it's called a test for a reason. Not only have India fallen short of the quality required at this level, but (Rahul Dravid & Praveen Kumar aside) they seemed to have no inclination to even try and stand up to England's dominance.

But let's take nothing away from England. Part of the reason that the Indians have looked so shoddy is because England have made them look that way. They have taken to the field with a steely and focused glint in their eye, executing the three disciplines of the sport with proficiency & ruthlessness. To be honest, their performance has been distinctly "Australian". For the past 15 years, it was the men from Down Under that would pulverise bowling attacks, scoring mammoth totals, giving their bowlers plenty of leeway to pressure the opposition batsman before skittling them out for paltry scores (thus far, India have failed to score over 300 in six separate innings).

The great Australian sides of the past were often accused of being bullies, walking onto the field with a swagger & a sense of entitlement. They relished not only beating sides, but marmalising them, leaving them helpless on the floor before laughing in their faces.

It'll take some getting used to, but these characteristics could easily be applied to this current England setup. We're used to our sporting heroes being packaged in the boxes marked, "plucky" or "unassuming". Well not our cricketers. They swagger onto the field of play, they bully & pressurise their opponents before crushing them without mercy. They do this because that's what winners do.

There'll be some that will instinctively hate them for this. There's a reason that people hated the high achievers at school. But there's also a reason why they achieved; they were too busy thinking about success to worry about the grousing of others. And after years of being mediocre, I hail this England side. It's nice to have a team that is objectively the world's best for a change. They may be a bunch of playground bullies, but they're our playground bullies.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Electric Kun Lights Up The Opening Weekend

2011-08-15T23:04:00.000+01:00

MANCHESTER CITY 4-0 SWANSEA

By Shane Thomas

On the Sunday evening of the first Premier League weekend, the verdict from fans & the media was pretty unanimous; meh.

No home wins, only 14 goals in 8 matches, with one game cancelled due to the UK riots earlier in the week, it was hardly an affirmation of the Premier League being the so-called, "best league in the world". All we had left to complete the first round of fixtures was Manchester City vs Swansea; relegation fodder against one of the division's most prosaic sides (albeit title contenders). It looked set to round off a thoroughly lukewarm start to the season. Obviously no-one told Sergio "Kun" Aguero.

The first-half of the match ended goalless, with Swansea impressing with their enterprising possession play. Only a lack of cutting edge & ruthlessness in the final third prevented them from threatening Joe Hart's goal.

As the half progressed, City - with David Silva & Edin Dzeko to the fore - closed down Swansea's space, and were unlucky not to take a lead into the break. Dutchman Michel Vorm denied both Dzeko & Silva, while the Spaniard and Gareth Barry also hit the crossbar before half-time.

Dzeko finally broke the deadlock, and City began to play more expansively. Silva's probing & mobility was a constant threat, and then Roberto Mancini made a surprisingly aggressive substitution by bringing on Aguero for Nigel De Jong with 30 minutes remaining.

The Argentine has arrived with a grand reputation and a even grander transfer fee. However, Mancini warned that Aguero was well off 100% fitness, as he had only finished a lengthy season 3 weeks ago, after playing for Argentina in the Copa America. Many would have excused him a slow start on his City debut.

However, he forced Vorm into a save with his first touch, and nearly set up a goal with his third. Eight minutes into his first taste of English football, Aguero scored, tapping in after good work from Silva & Micah Richards. He wasn't done there; latching onto a through-ball from Dzeko, he flicked the ball over Vorm, before a laudable burst of effort & poise kept the ball in play, leaving Silva to fire into the gaping net.

The score was now 3-0, and Aguero was the name on everybody's lips. His mobility and interplay - particularly with Silva - had City fans drooling in appreciation. The contest was over, and they were playing some delightfully fluid football. The staccato "marathon runners" of last season were gone, and in the final minute, the fans were treated to a champagne moment to crown the victory.

Aguero picked the ball up on the right of the penalty area. Richards' overlapping run created space for Kun to shoot from long range. The ball whistled into the corner with vicious pace and dip. The crowd were in raptures, the smiles of the players could have lit up the stadium without the use of floodlights. And the Premier League might just have seen its next superstar.

Kun's ebullient display will be the story of the opening weekend, and any true football fan should be mercifully thankful. After the emetic scenes at St James Park, and more wearying headlines about players diving, it was good to see exciting football on show, rather than unpleasantness & bickering.

Aguero may still yet find life tough. His introduction to English football was a relatively comfortable one. He and his club will have many tougher tests to come. But for one night at least, Kun Aguero will have people talking about football for the right reasons.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

The 2011/12 Premier League Preview

2011-08-12T02:54:00.006+01:00

By Shane Thomas

Prognostication is always a thankless task where sport is concerned. More often that not you're setting yourself up for a fall. Check my prediction for last season's Premier League table if you don't believe me.

So first, a disclaimer. My prediction for the upcoming season are based mainly on the current personnel at the 20 Premier League clubs. However, there are still three weeks of the transfer window remaining, and certain players arriving at clubs, or leaving them, could completely change the potential picture of English football's top division.

So, tentatively... here's how I expect the league table to look come May 13th 2012.

ARSENAL:

After a gargantuan disintegration - even by their standards - at the end of last season, Arsenal have problems. By the time you read this Cesc Fabregas should be a Barcelona player, and Samir Nasri is also expected to leave Arsenal before September.

There is still plenty of talent at The Emirates, and reinforcements are expected to arrive. But at the time of writing, this squad looks fragile, and has been unable to cope when key players are absent with injury. Robin Van Persie proved his goalscoring potency last season, but can he play more than 30 games? And there is a gloomy atmosphere around the club which looks to be self-defeating. Liverpool were in a similar position this time last season, and it killed their chances of success. Arsenal look set to repeat this. They haven't been helped by some difficult games to start their campaign, exacerbated by a tough Champions League qualifier against Udinese. Lose that match, and make a bad start domestically, will be disastrous. Another hurdle is the African Cup of Nations that takes place in January, meaning that they will be without Alex Song & Gervinho for about a month. This could be a season of ignominy & frustration in the red half of North London.

Key Player: Robin Van Persie - With Fabregas & Nasri set to leave, Van Persie is one of the few men of character left at the club. If he stays fit, he'll score 20+ goals, and could get Arsenal in the top 4. The problem is that he's been at the club for seven seasons and has failed to stay fit for the duration of any of them.

Prediction - 5th

ASTON VILLA:

Last season was a real mixed bag for Villa. Towards the end of the campaign, they looked to have the makings of a dangerous side, with Darren Bent, Ashley Young & Stewart Downing looking like one of English football's best front threes. However, Young & Downing have moved on, and you get the feeling that Villa are starting from scratch again. Alex McLiesh is a solid appointment as manager, but he has a job winning over the fans & tends to produce teams that play quite prosaic football. If key names come to the fore, then Villa should be safe, and will also be a potential threat in the cups. But if not, it could be a nervy season for the Second City's biggest club.

Key Player: Darren Bent - With Downing & Young gone, he'll find goals harder to come by. But he seems to able to score wherever he is. And he'll need to find the net often enough to keep Villa away from the threat of relegation.

Prediction - 10th

BLACKBURN ROVERS:

A tough season awaits Blackburn. Once Premier League champions, Blackburn look a rudderless ship. The sacking of Sam Allardyce - which still seems nonsensical - sent the club from a mid-table team into one spiralling down the table, only staying up on the season's final day. Ignore pundits who make juvenile & reductive jibes about how the club's owners have made their fortune, especially as there are so many genuine criticisms to make about them. Manager Steve Kean still looks like a novice, and the spirit at the club - once one of their greatest strengths - seems to be emaciated. Worst of all, there seems to be no kind of footballing philosophy, no specific plan of how the team should play. Blackburn look like a ship that's hit an iceberg.

Key Player: Paul Robinson - With Christopher Samba likely to leave, Robinson will be one of the Premier League's busiest goalkeepers. He had one of his best seasons for years last time around, and we'll need to do so again. Blackburn's top flight survival will probably depend on it.

Prediction - 19th

BOLTON WANDERERS:

What looked to be a good season came off the rails after getting a beating from Stoke in the FA Cup semi-final. Also, the financial state of the club is fragile. Johan Elmander has gone, and Gary Cahill could soon join him in departing the Reebok Stadium. Added to this, Bolton's pre-season preparations were badly disrupted by not only Tyrone Mears, but star wide-man Choung-Yung Lee both suffering broken legs.

But it's not all doom & gloom. Owen Coyle may have walked under some ladders over the past few weeks, but he remains one of the best managerial talents in Britain. His ability to maximise his resources should be able to keep the Trotters heads above water.

Key Player: Kevin Davies - The captain is the heart of his team. He showed that he has class & well as brawn, and will be needed as a talisman, on & off the pitch. He won't be a massive source of goals, but Davies gives Bolton an intangible spirit that could be the difference between being relegation fodder & ending in mid-table.

Prediction - 14th

CHELSEA:

A tough one to call. They had a spell during last season when their level of performance was embarrassing. Roman Abramovich's stewardship of the club has been beneficial in some respects, but he has a capricious nature which often makes the manager's job more difficult than it has to be. New man Andre Villas-Boas has a stellar reputation, but has been thrown into the deep end. He has an increasingly aging squad, and they look short of devil in their midfield. Anything but instant success will not be accepted by Abramovich. Journalist Martin Lipton has said that the only reason to manage Chelsea is for the lucrative pay-off upon being sacked. For Villas-Boas's sake, let's hope he can find a way to avoid the sharp axe of the Russian oligarch.

Key Player: Fernando Torres - It saddens me that we have probably seen the best days of the Spaniard, as in full flight he is a wondrous player. But orders from high have decreed that Torres is to be the key attacker in this team. And as such, any potential success for Chelsea depends on Torres regaining his form circa 2008.

Prediction - 3rd

EVERTON:

Many Everton fans are as restless as their counterparts at Arsenal, railing against the lack of investment in the squad. However, unlike the North Londoners, Everton simply don't have the funds to improve a hardworking, but limited group of players. David Moyes has no choice to work with what he has, which is good enough to finish in the top half, but has too many deficiencies to make the top six. With lack of goals a constant problem, Everton's only real chance of glory this season is in the cup competitions.

Key Player: Tim Cahill - Maybe the league's most underrated player. Similar to Kevin Davies at Bolton, Cahill is not a regular goalscorer, but his ability to score at crucial times has proven invaluable. Like his manager, you wonder how long he can continue to pull up trees. Once again, Everton will rely heavily on the Australian.

Prediction - 8th

FULHAM:

It seemed that Mark Hughes thought Fulham was beneath him after resigning in the summer. Well, he remains unemployed while Martin Jol has taken over the reins. Fulham had an early start to the season in the Europa League qualifiers, and while they're unlikely to repeat their exploits of two seasons ago, no side would look forward to facing them. Similar to West London neighbours Chelsea, Fulham have a reliable but aging spine. Jol will have to juggle his resources wisely to keep the club away from relegation trouble. If he can do that, and improve the side's appalling away form, it'll be another season of prosperity at Craven Cottage.

Key Player: Bobby Zamora - Was badly missed last season after breaking his leg. Had he been fit, Fulham could easily have finished in the top seven. Now he's back, Fulham have a potent goal threat again. With Emile Heskey having seen better days, he's arguably the division's best target man.

Prediction - 12th

LIVERPOOL:

With Kenny Dalglish in charge, and a raft of new - if overpriced - players arriving, optimism is rife at Anfield. Some of this optimism is misplaced, as the odd fan thinks that Liverpool can win the title. That will not happen, but I'd expect them to improve on last season's finish of 6th. They have the personnel to do some real damage in the FA or Carling Cup, especially if Luis Suarez can strike up a good understanding with Andy Carroll.

The main worry is the defence. Jamie Carragher has been on the slide for two years, while Daniel Agger is a class act, but injury prone. Whoever defends better between Liverpool or Arsenal over the course of the season should get the coveted fourth spot in the table. If Liverpool fail to make the Champions League, Dalglish's position could be under threat. He's deified by the fans, but given that the owners firmly have backed him in the transfer market, they expect to see a tangible return on their investment.

Key Player: Luis Suarez - The little Uruguayan surprised many by settling into English football with ease. The only sticking point is his participation in helping Uruguay win this summer's Copa America (his performance in the final was magnificent). However, if he can ward off potential fatigue, he is a star in the making. It could be worth putting £10 on him to be Footballer of The Year.

Prediction - 4th

MANCHESTER CITY:

The potential inherent in City's financial muscle has begun to be unlocked. The trophy drought is over, they're in the Champions League, and have the strongest squad of players in the division. It's simply a matter of Roberto Mancini making the whole equal to the sum of their parts. All the pieces are in place to make City the country's top side, but money can't buy a winning mentality. And it's mentality that will probably decide which club in Manchester end the season as champions.

Key Player: Vincent Kompany - For me, he was the league's best player last season. While City are brimming with attacking options, they look a good centre-half short. This means that Kompany will have a massive workload, both domestically & in Europe. If he can replicate last season's performance, winning the title isn't out of the question.

Prediction - 2nd

MANCHESTER UNITED:

In years to come it'll be forgotten, but Sir Alex Ferguson produced one of his finest seasons last time out. Winning the league with a game to spare, as well as reaching the Champions League final was an excellent achievement. Ferguson has a much stronger squad to work with now, but it still looks short on the midfield solidity & craft needed to reach Europe's summit. But that doesn't mean that they can't remain the kings of England. They have an unremitting hunger for silverware, and have a refreshed Wayne Rooney to lead the attack. You can expect this title race to be a close run thing, but you can also expect United to be favourites.

Key Player: Wayne Rooney - His game was in tatters 12 months ago. But he played himself back into form by March, and looks like a greyhound, itching to get out of the traps for this season. Seems settled on the pitch again, which is good news for both England & United, as he remains the lynchpin for both sides. He may not hit the goalscoring heights of two seasons ago, but the safe money for Footballer of The Year would have to go with Rooney.

Prediction - 1st

NEWCASTLE UNITED:

Another club with a potentially mutinous atmosphere. The fans revile the owners, barely tolerate the manager, and the club's better players have been sold. There have been some good signings in Yohan Cabaye & Demba Ba, but the squad looks threadbare, and it's heart seems to have dissipated, with the club making headlines for all the wrong reasons again. If swift improvements are not added, then Newcastle could be heading back to the Championship.

Key Player: Yohan Cabaye - Newcastle's recruitment of players is open to much criticism, but could be offset by the arrival of the Frenchman. He was a pivotal part of the Lille side that won the French Championship last season, and in interviews, looks to be more than a highly paid foreign mercenary. If - and it's only if - but if he settles quickly, he could take the Premier League by storm.

Prediction - 15th

NORWICH CITY:

Manager Paul Lambert has worked wonders in East Anglia, garnering two promotions in as many seasons and getting Norwich back in the top flight for the first time in six seasons. He has shown great organisational skills, as well as getting players to perform above themselves. While some fans may expect Norwich to be embroiled in a relegation fight, as long as they continue to play the enterprising football that has served them so well, I can see Norwich being one of the league's pleasant surprises.

Key Player: Grant Holt - Has been the scoring machine that's taken Norwich from League 1 to the promised land. Will need to continue in this vein, as it's tough to see where goals will come from if he fails to adapt to the top division.

Prediction - 16th

QUEENS PARK RANGERS:

The flouting of Football League regulations aside, QPR stormed the Championship last season to gain promotion. Inspired by the mercurial Adel Tarrabt, they are back in the Premier League after an absence of 15 years. However, Tarrabt's importance to the team may be a problem, as the tactics are built to get the best out of him. Which means that all opposition teams have to do is to stop the Moroccan, and QPR's attacking threat is nullified. Unless manager Neil Warnock figures out an alternative, QPR may not last long at this level.

Key Player: DJ Campbell - His goals came close to keeping Blackpool up last season. He should have no problems settling in, and if he gets enough service, should make some more hay at QPR. He will need quality service however, or he'll be a liability on the pitch.

Prediction - 18th

STOKE CITY:

There are many ways in which Stoke are a throwback to a previous era of the game. The most positive one being how they spend within their means, make the best of what they have, working on steady improvement rather than reckless spending. It's not that Stoke aren't reaching for the stars, but they know it can take a while to get there. European football will be a new test, and they look a striker light, but they remain a team that no side looks forward to playing.

Key Player: Ryan Shawcross - His enthusiasm is energising to his teammates, and sometimes dangerous for opponents. But Stoke's defence is the key aspect of their side, and Shawcross is the leader of said defence. With an increasing amount of fixtures, it'll be tested like never before.

Prediction - 9th

SUNDERLAND:

A talented but flaky group of players were maddeningly inconsistent last season. But the signs indicate that Steve Bruce has learnt from his previous mistakes, going all the way to how he monitors the physical conditioning of the players. And they've worked the transfer market well; Craig Garder, Seb Larsson, and the ex-Man Utd pair of Wes Brown & John O'Shea are strong additions which should add a thicker resilience to the side. Sunderland should be a much tougher nut to crack this season.

Key Player: Craig Gardner - Last season was a breakthrough one for the Brummie. He shone in a dismal Birmingham side, and should be allowed to drive forward from midfield in Wearside now. His goal threat will take a lot off of the pressure of Asamoah Gyan.

Prediction - 7th

SWANSEA CITY:

Wales's first contribution to the Premier League is a welcome one. Particularly for a side as aesthetically pleasing as Swansea. But they are without last season's top scorer, Fabio Borini, and their defence looks well short of the resilience needed at this level. Unless Brendan Rogers works the transfer market cleverly, Swansea may find the rarefied air of the Premier League too thin for them.

Key Player: Scott Sinclair - Has the talent to be a star at this level. But has he the temperament? Rodgers will give Sinclair full licence to unlock defences, and given that Swansea are unlikely to play defensively, they will have to make the most of their attacking threat. Which means that Sinclair must realise his potential this season.

Prediction - 20th

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR:

With the fun & frolics of last season over, reality has hit for Spurs. They have no Champions League to look forward to, Luka Modric wants to leave, and many expect this to be Harry Redknapp's last campaign in charge. Tottenham still have a good squad of players, but the character of some of them is questionable, particularly their strikers. If one of Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch or Roman Pavlyuchenko can find the net regularly, then a top four place is achievable. You just wonder how badly some of these players want to succeed for Spurs, or do they just see the club as a stepping stone to bigger things?

Key Player: Jermain Defoe - Picked up an injury playing for England, and was dreadful upon his return. But he is the most natural goalscorer at the club, and if he can shake off the flakiness that has stunted his career, Spurs will have the end product that cost them dear last season.

Prediction - 6th

WEST BROMWICH ALBION:

What did I say about nice guys finishing last this time last year? Sometimes it feels really good to be wrong. A responsibly run club, coached by a likable & competent manager, playing expansive football with a warm & unassuming fanbase. How lovely English football would be if more clubs were like West Brom. Similar to Stoke, expect incremental improvement rather than rapid progression.

Key Player: Peter Odemwingie - The best value signing of the last campaign. As long as he doesn't allow his exploits of last season to go to his head, then expect his cult status at The Hawthorns to grow.

Prediction - 11th

WIGAN ATHLETIC:

I don't know how they're still in the Premier League, but they are. And yet again, Wigan are having to fight a losing battle to stay afloat. Key player Charles N'Zogbia has departed for Aston Villa. Their defence remains porous, and they look blunt in attack. A lot of pressure will be on the skill of their midfield. Sooner or later, Wigan will be relegated, I just don't think it'll be this season. But I wouldn't put any money on that.

Key Player: Hugo Rodallega - James McCarthy aside, the last class player still remaining at the club. Scored the goal that kept them up last season. If Wigan are to beat the drop zone again, expect Rodallega to play a significant part.

Prediction - 17th

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS:

They're lucky to still be in this division, but I'm glad that they are. I have a fondness for the club, and their sardonic manager, Mick McCarthy. It looks as if they are making a concerted effort to move away from the roughhouse football that blighted the team at times. And Roger Johnson & Jamie O'Hara are two fine additions to the squad. Wolves should be good enough to avoid the drop zone this time.

Key Player: Jamie O'Hara - Has impressed me ever since he made his debut in the North London derby as a teenager. It looks as if he'll get a long overdue shot at being the midfield general at this level. Has technical competence allied with strong tenacity, and should be a proficient link between Wolves's midfield and attack.

Prediction - 13th

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Episode 35 - Nadia Comaneci

2011-08-07T17:35:00.003+01:00

In what has been a long overdue episode, we induct Nadia Comaneci in our Legends Hall Of Fame. The Romanian left an indelible mark on sport in the 1976 Olympics, becoming the first person to achieve seven perfect 10's in the history of the gymnastics competition. There are many great sports stars, but only one was perfect.

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

Vettel's Red Bull Wings Him To The Verge Of Championship Glory

2011-08-05T02:49:00.012+01:00

By Shane Thomas

Last year, Formula 1 started their season with what looked to be the most open championship race in history. With as many as six men being tipped for the title, anticipation for the sport was at its height. And it proved to be a thrilling title chase, with three men in with a chance to be World Champion in the season's final race. In the end it was Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel who grasped his opportunity to become Formula 1's youngest ever World Champion.

The 2011 season however, has been more of a closed shop. With Vettel being the shop's sole proprietor. For most of the first half of this season, Vettel has made the most of a car that is even better than last year's model to open up an almost unassailable lead at the top of the drivers championship. The inconsistent displays of his teammate, Mark Webber have mattered little as Vettel's dominance means that Red Bull already have one hand on the constructors championship for another season. Team principal Christian Horner runs a tight ship, and has his mechanics motivated to get the very best out of Vettel's car. And in Adrian Newey, Horner probably has the most accomplished technician in the pit lane right now.

However, Vettel has shown signs of vulnerability in recent races. The plan for this season has been to get the German on pole position, and then ensure he gets off the starting line quickly, giving Red Bull total leverage to control the outcome of the race. But there has been a steady improvement from the McLarens of Jenson Button & Lewis Hamilton. And the closing stages of the British Grand Prix showed that Webber refuses to play lackey to Vettel, regardless of what Horner says. If he can get his act together after the mid-season break, he could make things awkward for his teammate.

Sadly, for neutrals, making things awkward for the current World Champion is the best that can be hoped for. Hamilton & Button have pulled up tress over the past month, doing their best to disrupt the Red Bull procession to the title. They have shown great opportunism in unfavourable weather conditions to give Vettel a bloody nose in the past couple of Grand Prix's.

This season Vettel has proved that there is no better front-runner in Formula 1 right now. But when he has to scrap & scramble his way to victory he can be found wanting, and his inability to dominate when the rain falls is worrying for a guy who's ostensibly the best in the business. All the sport's great names tend to shine when the track gets damp, but the opposite seems to be the case with Vettel.

However, his points lead is so gargantuan that it would take one of sport's greatest acts of choking for him to fail to retain his world title. However, just as Formula 1 was looking to have as much unpredictability as a Kate Hudson comedy (the term "Kate Hudson comedy" may be an oxymoron), the likes of Button, Hamilton, Webber & Fernando Alonso have shown that they intend to make the German's path to the championship as arduous as possible. It looks as if Formula 1 may be worth watching again when it returns from its break in 3 weeks.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Britain's Swimmers Fail To Rise Above The Ordinary

2011-08-02T03:25:00.015+01:00

By Shane Thomas

With the London Olympics now less than a year away, Britain's swimmers returned from Shanghai after a largely chastening time at the World Championships. British swimming is used to being bracketed along with the country's tennis - receiving sporadic attention and ending up as a punch-line for comedians who don't have any decent material.

But things changed at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Rebecca Adlington's stunning & unexpected gold medal in the 400 metres freestyle led to what was regarded as a triumph for Britain. The seeds were sown by authoritarian coach Bill Sweetenham, who arrived from Australia with a very clear mantra, "Who wants to be ordinary!"

It took a few years for Sweetenham's demanding training methods to take effect, but it would be blinkered to ignore his pervasive influence as Britain's swimmers got used to the medal rostrum, even though he left his post the year before.

No longer are Britain's swimmers expected to qualify for major finals; They're expected to feature at the business end of them, matching & even surpassing the more established powers of America, China and Australia.

However, most of our medal hopes failed to live up to their billing at the world championships, albeit with extenuating circumstances. While Adlington finished second in the 400 metres final on the meet's opening day, Gemma Spofforth failed to defend her 100 metre backstroke title. She failed to even make the semi-final. In her defence, she fell prey to illness while also still hampered by grief after the death of her mother two years ago.

Another one of British swimming marquee names, Fran Halsall also fell short of the high standards expected of her. She fought through a bout of food poisoning to win five medals at last year's Commonwealth Games, but after looking certain to medal in this year's 100 metre freestyle final, she was reeled in and ended in fourth place by little more than a fingertip.

Again, a little context. Halsall had ankle surgery earlier in the year, and went into the world championships with only four months of training. It seemed that her inability to finish in the top 3 was a simple result of her being undercooked.

But it wasn't all bad news. Adlington showed that she remains the queen of the 800 metre freestyle, punishing her rival, Lotte Friis on the last leg to add the world title to her Olympic crown. The Adlington vs Friis contest will be one of the most fascinating of London 2012.

Added to this, Liam Tancock showed that it's not only Britain's women who get to have all the fun. He retained his 50 metre backstroke title with a storming display, and has to be the favourite to repeat this in front of his home crowd next summer. Hannah Miley & Ellen Gandy also overachieved by bringing home silver medals.

As with most things in life, perception is key. Britain's medal haul in Shanghai actually surpassed the medals won in Beijing. The difference is that Britain aren't considered a second-rate swimming nation any more, they have to be able to look the giants of the sport in the eye and not blink.

It was disconcerting to hear a lot of, “It was OK”, “I’m a bit disappointed”, “I’ll see what tomorrow brings”, “I’m quite pleased with that” platitudes. For those fans who will be in the magnificent Aquatic Centre to watch Britain's swimmers in 11 months time, excuses will not be enough. Personal problems, illness & injury don't get noted in the record books. They're just another obstacle that must be overcome to achieve greatness.

Britain's disappointing showing over the past couple of weeks could be beneficial in the long run. They need to use the pain of defeat as a motivator to improve. The last Olympics were no fluke, Britain are a genuinely accomplished swimming nation these days. They have the talent, but do they have the mettle?

The Olympics are the biggest stage for these athletes, especially as it's in their home country. To quote Sweetenham, next summer we'll truly see who wants to be ordinary.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Tour De France 2011 Review

2011-07-26T16:24:00.001+01:00

By Jonathan Wilkinson

Evans wins Yellow

Cadel Evans became Australia's first ever Tour De France winner after executing the perfect game plan to take the yellow jersey down under. He knew that he had a massive advantage over the Schleck brothers in the time trial and if he could stay in touch over the mountains, then the Tour would be his and this is how it played out.

Evans was a truly worthy winner, it was Evans that went with Contador when the defending champion attacked on the last climb in the stage to Gap and then he managed to gain time on the down hill. It was Evans that pulled back over 2 minutes on Andy Schleck on the climb up the Galibier when the Luxembourger had attacked with 60 km to go and stretched out a 4 minute lead over the favourites. Then he wiped the floor with Andy Scheck in the last time trail to take the Tour by 1 min 34 secs.

Crashes

There are always crashes in the Tour but what was different about this one is the amount of leading riders that found their race ended. Wiggins, Vinokourov, Zabriske, Horner and Klöden all had to withdrawal. Then there were two crashes caused by vehicles, the worst of which saw a car side swipe two cyclists, Juan-Antonio Flecha and Johnny Hoogerland into a ditch. Hoogerland landing on a barbed wire fence. It was a crash in the first few days that saw Contador lose over a minute on the main contenders as he was caught behind it.

In particular the loss of Wiggins is a massive case of what might have been, he was in the form of his life, having won the Critérium du Dauphiné and finishing 3rd in Paris-Nice. Although we don't know for sure, it is fair to assume that his game plan would have been the same as Evans meaning we were possibly denied one of the best time trailing duels of modern times. The Tour is now unfinished business for Wiggins and do not be surprised if he sacrifices the 2012 Olympics to have another crack at the biggest prize in cycling.

The hero of the Tour

In 2004 Thomas Voeckler managed to hold off Lance Armstrong for 10 days, holding on in the Pyreness before succumbing in the Alps. Fast forward to 2011 and again Voeckler holds on to the yellow jersey in the Pyreness and only loses it on the last mountain stage of the tour. On the stage up Galibier, Voeckler showed the true spirit to drag himself up the mountain and hold the lead by just 15 seconds from Schleck. This is why people watch the Tour, to see acts of defiance and bravely that you just do not get in other sports.

Super Cav marches on

Mark Cavendish continued to prove he is Britain's best sportsman. Winning 5 stages, to take his total to 20, 6th of all time and he finally won the green jersey. The way that points were awarded was changed and one of the organisers admitted they did because they felt it would be a injustice if the best sprinter in the world never won it.

The HTC team is brilliant and if the rumours about Cavendish going to Team Sky is true, then surely they have to also sign at least Renshaw and possibly Eisel as well.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Episode 34 - Top 5 Things We Love To Hate w/Masters Of None

2011-07-19T18:50:00.003+01:00

Respect & decency be damned. We brought two of the three members of the "Masters Of None" podcast onto the show, and as such, it means that we turned into self-indulgent firebrands.

Normal service will be renewed on our next show, but here we talk - or should I say rant - about the things in sport that has us wanting to smash our televisions in frustration.

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

Clarke Holds Firm To Win His First Major

2011-07-17T18:20:00.005+01:00

By Shane Thomas

A wave of emotion swept across Royal St George's, as Darren Clarke won his first major title at the age of 42. The popular & likeable Northern Irishman shot a final round of 70 to finish The Open Championship on five under par and keep up his country's incredible recent record in majors.

Unlike the other three major tournaments that take place in the United States, The Open stands alone in its degree of difficulty to negotiate, as it is always played on links courses. One cannot take liberties and blast his way around the 18 holes.

A links golf course is a different monster entirely. And it truly is a monster. By the coast, players have to contend with strong winds, thick & uneven rough, and bunkers positioned by the green just waiting to ensnare players who dare to take it on. You don't dominate a links golf course, you survive it.

And it was Clarke who was the last man standing. This was not like his fellow countryman, Rory McIlroy's display in the US Open last month. Where McIlroy performed like a sports car whizzing over the smoothest of tarmac, Clarke was like an off-road vehicle, bulldozing a path around the rocky terrain of Sandwich. He didn't shoot a single round over par throughout the tournament, and his consistency was rewarded with the oldest major title in the sport.

The story of Clarke is one that will elicit the warmest of sentiments if all who have an interest in golf. In an era in where European golf's young guns seem to have seized the top level of the game for their own ends, Clarke is something of a throwback to a time where Tiger Woods stood alone at the top of the mountain, and everyone else - Clarke included - got a sore neck from looking up at the summit.

Always a popular member of the sporting fraternity - there's something about the Irish that we can't help but love, isn't there - Clarke suffered personal tragedy when his wife, Heather was diagnosed with breast cancer. Taking the best part of two years off to care for her, she passed away in 2006. Only six weeks later, Clarke was selected to play in that year's Ryder Cup, and with the players & fans all behind him, he rode a whirlwind of catharsis to play a key role in retaining the trophy for Europe. That seemed as if it would be Clarke's moment in the spotlight. But the golfing gods had something even better planned.

McIlroy was unable to follow up his US Open triumph with success in Kent as his challenge never really got going. Fellow young gun, Rickie Fowler played some lovely stuff but couldn't hole a putt (his time will come), Dustin Johnson was well in contention until he fell apart at the 14th (he may need to sacrifice 72 virgins before he finally breaks his major duck) and Phil Mickleson hit the hottest of hot streaks on the front nine to get a share of the lead, before his putter cooled just as quickly.

While they all fell away, Clarke remained steadfast in conditions that were ardous at times. Not only did the players have to deal with the everyday hurdles of links golf, but the pouring rain only made things more difficult. He never took the course apart, but didn't allow the course to take him apart either. BBC presenter Hazel Irvine ended the channel's coverage by saying, "This was a win for one of the good guys."

And that's why the reaction from the crowd, the commentators, and his fellow players was genuine. Clarke has fallen away from the upper echelons of the game in recent years, but the affection for him has never dimmed. And this was a day in which golf's avuncular and kindly uncle proved that he can still show the upstarts a thing or two.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Episode 33 - The 2004 Olympic 4/100 Metres Final & The 1995 NBA Eastern Conference Semi-Finals (Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks)

2011-07-17T16:20:00.005+01:00

This episode looks at two of the most audacious bits of opportunism in recent sporting history, as Britain shock the fancied American quartet in the sprint relay at the Athens Olympics, while Reggie Miller shows just why he was called "The Knick Killer" as he single-handedly leaves Madison Square Garden dumbstruck in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

Why Britain Is So Bad At Tennis

2011-07-09T14:04:00.005+01:00

By Shane Thomas

Another Wimbledon fortnight has passed. The wait for a British singles champion at SW19 goes on. Not since 1977 has a British man or woman triumphed at Wimbledon, and our best current hope, Andy Murray has been unable to get past the semi-final stage. The same was true for his predecessor as Britain's No 1 tennis player, Tim Henman.

Throughout the Wimbledon tournament, a combination of the press and public make it one of the major stories of the summer - sporting or otherwise. The desire to celebrate a home success is fierce, only matched by the backlash once these expectations are not met.

But such expectations make little sense. Like a YouTube video of a dog embracing a cat, the behaviour of British people around Wimbledon is an odd phenomenon. The reason why British players fall short so often is quite simple; Britain is a nation that doesn't care about tennis.

I'm not talking about the players or coaches, or the parents that take their children to practice after school. There's even a few people who are genuine fans of the sport. But generally speaking, the UK couldn't care less. Yes, I'm sure plenty of you who are reading this now had your televisions tuned in to the BBC coverage, particularly when Mr Murray was playing. But now that Wimbledon's over, the key question is as follows; there's still six months left of the year, are you going to spend any of that time watching tennis?

Being an avid viewer of the sport for two of the fifty-two weeks of the year does not make one an expert. The fervour that Britain displays during Wimbledon is one of sport's great illusions. I'm sure foreign visitors to these shores when the tournament is on must think that we are a nation that were swinging tennis racquets before we could even walk.

The fact is that tennis is a minority sport in this country. Courts for people to play on are at a premium. And forget playing at an organised level, unless you're financially comfortable. As well as being talented, Henman was lucky enough to have parents who built a court in his back garden to practice his skills. And while Andy Murray was hardly born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Britain can hardly claim him as evidence of our coaching system. Murray learnt his trade on the clay courts of the Sanchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona. But unlike Murray, not every potential tennis starlet has a mother with the foresight to know that her child needs to go abroad to bring his talent to fruition.

The issue of class is inextricably linked to British tennis. In this country it remains a sport for the middle & upper classes. Equipment doesn't come cheap, neither does the cost to be a member of a club where you can play. And while it hurts the domestic development of the sport, this class perception only seems to be a boon during Wimbledon. A large portion of the coverage and attention gets drawn to things that have nothing to do with what happens on the court; the long but civilised queues for tickets, the attention on well-dressed celebrities in the crowd (this only intensifies when the Royal Family show up), the way the crowd laugh at a pigeon alighting on the court as if it was an hour long tour-de-force by George Carlin, and yes, the strawberries & cream. Great swathes of the public seem to lap it up, and I'm not just talking about the strawberries.

These accoutrements are all well & good, but would someone mind explaining to me how they help Britain become a better tennis nation? As I write this, they are currently stuck in the hinterland regions of the Davis Cup, playing Luxembourg. This is a country whose second best player has never been ranked higher than 996. It stands to reason that we'd have a greater chance of sustained success if we have a larger pool of players to choose from. But it seems that in the inner cities, the only round ball that gets played with is white, rather than yellow & fuzzy - I'll give you a few seconds to get all juvenile innuendos out of your head.

So while there's nothing wrong with enjoying Wimbledon every year - it's rightly & deservedly one of the jewels in the sporting calendar, can we stop with the reactionary bile every time Andy Murray loses a match. He's not a tennis player because of the opportunities afforded to him, but in spite of them. And he's kept pace with the best in the world, so maybe we should cut him a little slack. In a country like Britain, Murray's not a failure, he's a miracle.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Haye Runs Out Of Time Playing The Waiting Game

2011-07-05T16:49:00.004+01:00

By Shane Thomas

There's no doubt that the broken toe suffered by David Haye during his defeat to Wladimir Klitschko over the weekend goes some towards explaining the pretty feeble display we saw from the former WBA heavyweight champion, but history won't excuse it.

While Haye's trainer Adam Booth has revealed that the reason for his fighter's delay in entering the ring was so he could have a last-minute painkilling injection, it also looked as if Haye was trying everything he could think of to unsettle the meticulous preparation of the Ukrainian.

Yes, an injury is always going to put a boxer at a disadvantage, but what was so deflating was that Haye seemed clueless, beyond wild swings of his right hand, in finding another way to win. He wasn't just beaten by a better fighter, but by a smarter fighter. Any champion worth remembering has to face adversity, and refuse to blink under its intense glare. And in Haye's bullish demeanour in the build-up, it seemed as if he was that man. But all he did was entice us into a very frustrating & unfulfilling game of patience.

As his entrance music rang out around the Imtech Stadium; we waited. He was being repeatedly tagged by Klitschko's stiff left jab, so we expected a fiery riposte; we waited. Boxing fans & the partisan British support were geared up for a show that would propel the heavyweight boxing division back to the blue riband position that was once its birthright; and we waited.

We waited, and waited, and waited. We waited, full of expectation, ready to proclaim our new boxing hero (and probable winner of 2011's Sports Personality Of The Year). But in the end, we were like Estragon & Vladimir (no connection to Klitschko), waiting and waiting for something that would never arrive.

MEANWHILE AT WIMBLEDON...

While Andy Murray shouldn't be too downcast after falling short to Rafael Nadal yet again in the Wimbledon semi-finals, there was a clear lesson for him to learn if he is to attain the Grand Slam titles that he so craves.

After a set and three games of some of the finest tennis he has ever played, he missed a routine forehand while leading 2-1 & 30-15 in the 2nd set. That was the moment in the match when Murray became fully aware of the situation he was in. It was when he remembered that he has no business in vanquishing the mightiest the sport has to offer, particularly in front of his home crowd.

For Murray to succeed at SW19 - or any Grand Slam for that matter - he has to believe with absolute certainty that he not only belongs on the best courts with the best players, but that he has a divine right to be there. Murray did this all too briefly last Friday, and then allowed that belief to wane.

While Nadal, Roger Federer & the new top dog, Novak Djokovic are markedly different in style, what links them all is that they believe they are the king of all they survey. Tennis is nothing more than a subservient lackey, indulging their every whim.

Until Murray adds this mindset to his cornucopia of shot-making ability, he'll never be any more than just the best of the second rank of players in the men's game. Indeed, a little more of David Haye's brashness would not go amiss. After all, it's not as if he has to worry about being branded as arrogant, plenty of the British public dislike him enough as it is.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Haye Rolls The Dice For All The Marbles

2011-06-29T18:35:00.006+01:00

By Shane Thomas

On Saturday evening, Britain's David Haye will take on Ukraine's Wladimir Klitschko in Hamburg for the right to be recognised as the undisputed Heavyweight champion of the world.*

Haye is looking to walk ground previously tread by Evander Holyfield, who unified the cruiserweight division before being regarded as the finest global heavyweight. It was a feat that Haye publicly aspired to as far back as 2002. He has one final obstacle to overcome, and that is defeating Klitschko at the Imtech Stadium.

For the first time since Lennox Lewis smashed Mike Tyson nine years ago has a heavyweight boxing contest been anticipated so eagerly. This has been partly due to Haye's penchant for provocation in the build-up. There is no love lost between the two fighters, ever since Haye - a relative unknown at the time - confronted Klitschko on a London escalator. Often bouts need to contrive animosity to create fervour. This time, the enmity is genuine (if more on Haye's part than Klitschko's).

While not a man that you would want to get on the wrong side of, Haye is a comparatively small guy in the heavyweight division. His size is not conducive to battling in the land of the giants, so he uses whatever (legal) means at his disposal to offset this natural genetic disadvantage; speed, accurate punches, one of the most astute trainers in Adam Booth, not to mention antagonising his opponent to get under their skin.

The main criticism that Haye has levelled at Klitschko is that the Ukrainian is nothing more than a "grab & jab" fighter. A predictable, ponderous robot who has never been truly tested since unifying the heavyweight class in 2008.

There's no doubt that some of Haye's catcalls have merit. Klitschko does rely heavily on his left jab, and has a propensity to grab his opponent at the nearest threat of danger. But to say that Klitschko's jab is the only weapon at his disposal is to ignore his powerful right hand, which is quicker than it's given credit for.

Klitschko's trainer Emanuel Steward has predicted that Haye will come out all guns blazing in the early rounds. Speaking last week, Steward said, "David is not a true heavyweight and he’s aware of it. Against heavyweights, he punches and moves away. He cannot stand up to them physically. Although he has fast hands and a heavy punch, he’s a brawling type who swings himself off balance.”

This may be quite a prescient prognostication. The above sentence is almost an deconstruction of how Haye won his WBA title from Nikolai Valuev. The fact is the Brit doesn't have the brute force to bully Klitschko on Saturday, so he will have to find his way around that left jab, as he won't be able to force his way through it - his chin simply isn't durable enough.

If Haye and Booth's plan gets him on the inside, then we could see fireworks. Klitschko has repeatedly stated that unlike his brother Vitali, he doesn't have the natural mindset of a fighter. He has had to learn to excel in a sport in which savagery is a requisite for success. However, it's a lot easier to do this when you have a jab that can keep rivals at a safe distance. Haye is right when he says that Klitschko is yet to be truly tested. He may have the body of a champion but if Haye connects with his ferocious punches then we'll see if he has the heart & courage to match.

And the same goes for Haye. The discrepancy between height, and more importantly reach, means that it is inevitable that Haye will have to take some hard shots in Hamburg. If his punch resistance isn't up to scratch then Klitschko could make short work of him.

Despite the hype that has been whipped up around Saturday night's contest, it's not the quality of the fighters that has peaked the interest of fight fans. In eras previous, Klitschko would be nothing more than a middling heavyweight, while Haye would never have dreamed of making the step up from cruiserweight. Both men have taken advantage of a paucity of quality in a weight class that used to be the standard bearer for "the toughest man on the planet."

And it's this paucity that makes this bout so intriguing. Saturday night's contest is for all the marbles. To the victor, the title of the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, the king of the ring, the man. To the loser, a short paragraph on Wikipedia.

It's what boxing fans love more than anything. Add to that, Haye plans to retire from the sport in October, so he can't exactly hang around in his quest to add the IBF, IBO & WBO belts to his own WBA version of the heavyweight title.

Throw in a partisan crowd in support of Klitschko (who is much beloved by the German public), which could also have an impact on the judges scorecards - which many feel cost Matthew Macklin the WBA super-middleweight crown last weekend - and you can see why many have Klitschko as favourite to prevail.

While the two fighters may not be amongst the best that boxing has to offer, the stakes could not be higher. Saturday night in Germany is the fight that both men have to win, and that neither man can afford to lose.

* - Haye & his team are unhappy with the choice of referee assigned to the contest. At the time of writing, debate was continuing to whether Haye's WBA title will also be on the line on Saturday

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Episode 32 - The Black Ball Final

2011-06-26T21:29:00.002+01:00

It's the 28th April 1985, and 18.5 million people stayed up until past midnight to see the climax of the most tense & dramatic snooker match in history. Steve Davis vs Dennis Taylor came down to the final black ball of the final frame with the World Snooker Championship at stake.

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

The 11 Different Types Of Sport Stars

2011-06-24T22:42:00.012+01:00

By Shane Thomas

In sport, it's easy to position its practitioners in the narrowest of pigeon-holes. Especially in this current era, in which top level sport is big business, many look upon sports stars the way they look at celebrities. Dim-witted, vacuous, self centred and avaricous, no better than the faces of those who adorn the covers of Heat or Us Weekly.

Now of course controversy and scandal sells publications quicker than tales of hard work and subsequent success (those kind of stories take years to ferment), but that doesn't mean that the likes of Michael Vick, Danny Cipriani or Ron Artest are representative of sports stars any more than Lindsay Lohan is symptomatic of actors or all pop stars are replicants of Selena Gomez.

So for the uninitiated, or those who simply haven't pondered such a topic for whatever unknown reasons (I imagine those people have those weird things called "lives"), here's the list of the many different type of sports star:

THE GOD:

This is the high-roller, the over-achiever. The one who wins. The one victorious. The person who succeeds as a matter of course. But it's not just in their triumphs that makes gods of these people. It's the manner in which they attain these successes. They shape events by their very presence, wielding their cricket bat, golf club or football boots as if they were Zeus himself. The sporting God is acknowledged by pundits and peers alike as the very best in their field, they elicit devotion and fealty from their fans, simply because their way is the one that all should follow and attempt to emulate. Their omnipotence has their opponents beaten before they even take to the field of play. The sporting God wins because they can. The sporting God wins because they must.

Which makes it all the more difficult to reconcile when they lose. Here's the rub. Not everyone's a member of the church of the sporting God. After a while, an atheist comes along and shows that there is no God, just a supremely talented and hard working individual for whom the bell has tolled. Sometimes the atheist in question is a rival who leaves their deference at the door and proves that the sporting God can be cut. More often that not it's the nemesis that can never be vanquished; time. It gets them all in the end.

Examples - Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Zinedine Zidane, Lance Armstrong, Sir Donald Bradman

THE OPPORTUNIST:

Unlike the sporting God, the opportunist is someone who wasn't born with the talent coveted by all competitive animals. They're the type to had to fight and scratch just to be able to compete. They understand the meaning of hard graft. Getting out of bed before the sun comes up to get that little bit of extra practice in to perfect their skills. Eschewing late nights out with friends during their adolescence because they know how important the fine margins are that determine success or failure in sport. That's not to say they have no ability, but not enough to see them into the land of milk & honey. The opportunist can't coast on natural intuition, they're one of the bottle, looking for an edge in sport's version of the rat race.

But every now & then, fortune smiles on them, if only for the briefest of moments. All that hard work, those repetitions upon repetitions that bring about nothing better than 3rd & 4th place finishes coalesce to offer up more tangible reward. But this window is not infinite. Anything but. And it stays open once, and once only. Ask Tim Henman. Ask Eddie Irvine. That drawbridge gets pulled up and you're left on the outside of the castle, staring up longingly at what might have been.

But the opportunist doesn't have to worry about what might have been. They took their chance when it came along. They saw the window of opportunity and vaulted straight through it. And on the other side of that window is everything that the opportunist desires. At worst they will be remembered fondly for their Carpe Diem moment. But at best, seizing their chance is a launchpad to even bigger things.

Examples - Rebecca Adlington, Eli Manning, Graeme McDowell, Ricky Burns, Dame Kelly Holmes, Lennox Lewis

THE MERCURIAL WONDER:

While the opportunist knows the sweet because they've tasted the sour, the mercurial wonder has known nothing but sweet. For them, their respective sport is never a chore. That's what happens when things come to you easily. The wonder has such a natural aptitude for what they do, they can make bystanders jaws drop with the sheer ease at which they display their talent. This can be a hindrance at the top level of sporting success, as never needing to practice means that the wonder can always be toppled from their perch by someone who understands the benefits of hard work. Sometimes perspiration can supersede inspiration.

However, the mercurial wonder doesn't always seem to care. They perform with a carefree joy. While sport is a lucrative job in the professional era, the wonder is forever stuck in the amateur mindset. They are sport's Peter Pan, never growing up, playing for the senseless joy of playing. And people love them for it. The mercurial wonder has the beautiful naivete discernible in children. They have an optimism that's infectious, and to some, the joyful memories they leave behind matter more than any trophy or award.

Examples - Ronnie O'Sullivan, Shane Warne, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, George Best, Severiano Ballesteros, Jimmy White, Sir Vivian Richards

THE MACHINE:

While the aforementioned mercurial wonder is oft beloved by sports fans, the machine is less so. If the wonder is reminiscent of the amateur days of sport gone by, the machine is forged from the professional era that we now live in.

These days, the objective in sport is simple. Win. So what does the machine do? They win. Every bit of their preparation is geared to them ending every contest out on top. Entertainment, showboating, flair? These are extraneous things that get in the way of winning. But despite these successes, they'll always be respected rather than loved.

I can only imagine that the lack of warmth comes from an inability to relate to this type of sports star. While most are guzzling turkey and wine on Christmas Day, the machine is outdoors training in the snow. They operate with a robotic coldness and are the object of criticism as a result, often derided as boring.

It's a pejorative I can never understand. Excellence is boring, is it? Then sport truly isn't for you. The only crime the sporting machine is guilty of is being a success. Maybe it's a constant reminder to ordinary people of their own personal failures in life? Well the machine doesn't have time to worry about that, they're too busy winning.

Examples - Pete Sampras, Sir Steve Redgrave, Edwin Moses, Nick Faldo, Daley Thompson

THE ICON:

As I've already stated in this post, the world of sport has changed. We're in the age of professionalism. Sport is more than a hobby, it's a career choice. Sponsorship and advertising deals are as much a part of the world in which these people inhabit. And as the money they earn has increased, so has the press scrutiny they're under. This environment is one that is perfect for the sporting icon.

The icon isn't always the most successful in their sport. In fact, it's not even a necessity. The icon's sporting prowess is only a conduit to their earning potential. This isn't to say that they're lacking in sporting proficiency. After all, mediocrity isn't going to generate much cash.

But what makes the icon so...well, iconic, is that they often transcend their sport, due to more ephemeral qualities such as good looks or media spin. Indeed, they often transcend sport itself. Even if you hate what they do, chances are you've still heard of these people.

Examples - David Beckham, Muhammad Ali, Anna Kournikova, Mike Tyson

THE NATIONAL EMBLEM:

The emblem is alike to the icon, with one clear difference. While the icon is famous worldwide, the emblem is only a part of the consciousness of their own nation. They reap a lot of the same spoils as the icon, but this is dependent on them sustaining their sporting success. The emblem is regarded as a paragon of all that is great in their respective country. This is, of course, complete twaddle. But it's a veil of ignorance that suits all concerned.

Examples - Joe DiMaggio, Sachin Tendulkar, Usain Bolt, Wayne Gretzky, Liu Xiang, Chris Evert

THE NATIONAL DISAPPOINTMENT:

Closely tied in with the national emblem is the national disappointment. Think comic-book geeks are enthusiastic? Sports fans are as ravenous and febrile as any of them. They expect and demand a level of conduct from the sportspeople they love that no sane person can expect to live up to.

But the fans don't care. If a sportsperson doesn't embody what they believe one should be, they'll turn on them in a second. They want their sporting heroes to have ambition, but not ruthless ambition. They must win, but always sportingly. They must show a fidelity to their respective nation that borders on the demented. And of course the children, won't someone please think of the children! Fail to be a strong role model for kids and your name is tarnished. It seems in the eyes of some, winning is never enough.

Examples - Lewis Hamilton, Ben Johnson, LeBron James, Barry Bonds, Andy Murray

THE REVOLUTIONARY:

All areas of life need their Nikola Tesla, their Alexander Graham Bell or their Wright brothers. Sport is no different. It also needs people who re-invent the wheel, the person who does something that makes everyone think, "why don't we do things like that?" The revolutionary is seldom given their due, at least not until decades later. But the revolutionaries are probably the most important set of people in this list. They push sport's very evolution. And if something doesn't evolve, it becomes extinct. Without the revolutionary, the same fate would befall sport.

Examples - Dick Fosbury, Adam Gilchrist, Rinus Michels, Jackie Robinson, Vince Lombardi

THE ENDURANT:

This person is often disliked earlier in their career for their continued success. Many in this list could have earlier slotted into the category of the machine in the past.

But after a while they transcend into an endurant. This is to say, they perform in their sport for so long that eventually the public end up liking them. It's probably a case of not knowing what you have until it's gone. It's only when these people come to the end of their career that all of a sudden the public begin to recognise how great they were.

Examples - Jack Nicklaus, Carl Lewis, Tom Watson, Martina Navratilova, Steve Davis

THE UNDERAPPRECIATED ONE:

Some of these people may end up graduating to the category of endurant or opportunist. But for now, these people remain underappreciated. They win, they do so with class, dignity and understatement. But they often have the misfortune to be brilliant in a sport that doesn't garner many column inches. Most sections of the press and sport-watching public tend to forget that not everyone can kick a football, throw a baseball or bounce a basketball.

Examples - Ben Ainslie, Rebecca Romero, Javier Zanetti, Beth Tweddle, Graeme Pollock

THE AUXILARY:

I thought it best to end this on a high note. The NBA have an annual award that they give out to the league's best "6th man". This is a player who doesn't start games, but still makes an invaluable contribution to the team.

This is something that can also exist across all team sports, not just basketball. The auxilary will never be the marquee name, or the person who has the most followers on their Twitter page. But their teammates know how important they are to the overall balance of the side. They never complain about having to start on the bench, they never display any prima-donna like behaviour. They show up on time, work hard, give 100%, and are worth their weight in gold to their team. You may not have heard of many of them, but trust me, no team succeeds with a good auxilary.

Examples - Toni Kukoc, David Fairclough, Rubens Barrichello, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

The Problem With Being Good At Sport

2011-06-22T00:41:00.003+01:00

By Shane Thomas

It's rare that the lead sports story is the same on both sides of The Atlantic Ocean, but at the moment the storming performance of Rory McIlroy at last week's US Open is at the forefront of the sporting consciousness (sure to be closely followed by events at Wimbledon over the next fortnight).

But the very vocabulary of sport means that joy for one will mean sadness for another. And as McIlroy was garlanded with the spoils of victory in Maryland last weekend, Lee Westwood was left empty handed yet again after a major golf championship. Westwood has been either the World Number 1 or 2 in the rankings for almost a year, a huge source of pride to himself and British golf in general.

But his rewards for consistency has failed to land him one of the game's four major prizes that he so desires, which would confirm his place as one of the best of his generation. Indeed, many American golf pundits - partly stung by the recent dominance of Europeans in a sport that was once their personal fiefdom - have derided Westwood as a choker, a failure, a guy who can't get it done when it matters. And while the large proportion of these sentiments are borne out of pettiness & jealousy, there's no doubt that the only way to be remembered is to be a major winner. When one talks about the legends of the game, like Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player or Arnold Palmer, they will often make reference to their major victories, rather than the amount of time they spent as World Number 1.

However, to call Westwood a choker is simplistic and misses the point. To choke is to fail to secure victory after being in a winning position. This has never been the case for Westwood. He has an admirable record in recent major tournaments, regularly finishing in the top ten - indeed, he came 5th at the US Open. But ending Sunday at the top of the tree has become a glass ceiling that so far he's been unable to shatter.

Westwood, along with some of the game's most astute minds say that if he continues to put himself in contention, he'll finally get over the line. But there's no reason to think that'll definitely be the case. He deserves immense credit for the way he returned as one of golf's major powers after falling out of the world's top 50 back in 2007. He refocused his mindset, lost an awful lot of weight, took a serious approach to his conditioning and has become a force to be reckoned with as a result. The problem is that it looks as if Westwood's commitment to self-improvement is already extracting the maximum from his game. And so far, it hasn't got him to where he wants to be.

I think Westwood's problem is simple. He is a good golfer, a very good one. But not a great one. Unlike Rory McIlroy, whose potential for greatness was spotted from an early age - and is beginning to be realised after Sunday's triumph - Westwood is an honest trier who's made the most of himself through diligence and application.

In some ways, it's even worse than not being good at all. At least then, you know your place in the pecking order. But to be good at what you do means that the baubles you most covet will always be in touching distance, but always just out of reach when genuine greatness barges its way to the front of the queue.

Being good but failing to reach greatness is not a schism specific to just Westwood. David Beckham, Ricky Hatton and the England football team have all been victim to this. This doesn't make them failures, chokers or national disgraces. Their only crime was to not be good enough.

However, let's not completely write off Westwood's chances of finding a way of securing the major title he so covets. Dame Kelly Holmes is an example of an athlete who was no better than good, but found a brief window of greatness and leapt through it to reach national hero status. Westwood still has time to do the same.

But that time is fast running out, and as every major championship passes with him failing to win, Westwood's career is falling prey to the law of diminishing returns. Sport brings happiness to many, especially those who succeed at its highest level. But it also mirrors the quote of Gore Vidal, "It's not enough that I succeed, my enemies must also fail." For most, the desperate pursuit of victory is ultimately a futile one. And that pursuit becomes all the more painful when you were born to be good rather than great.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Rory Bounces Around Maryland In US Open Procession

2011-06-20T00:06:00.006+01:00

By Shane Thomas

Rory McIlroy's meltdown at this year's Masters was well and truly forgotten as he put on a golfing clinic in the US Open to win his first major title by a record score, and become the competition's youngest winner since World War II. His final total of 16 under par was the lowest total ever to win the US Open, obliterating Tiger Woods's record of 12 under to win this tournament at Pebble Beach, back in 2000.

McIlroy was magnificent over the past four days, but after falling apart at Augusta, questions were always going to be asked about his ability to close out a winning position, especially as his collapse in Georgia occurred only two months ago. I said myself that he began that tournament like Tigger and ended it like Piglet.

Despite Charl Schwartzel eventually triumphing at the Masters, all the British press were concerned about was how McIlroy would deal with choking in front of the world's cameras. Reams of newspaper print & internet blogs were devoted to the Ulsterman's state of mind, and the future state of his game. Indeed, "Poor Rory" became a trending topic on Twitter for a couple of days.

However, all McIlroy did was carry on as normal. He didn't hide from the press or become a recluse. He continued with his tournament schedule, remained obliging as regards media requests, and even used his own Twitter page to comment on his failure to get over the line.

There's no doubt that he would have been severely hurt by the events at Augusta National back in April, but his reaction was to accept that golf is one of sport's most capricious mistresses, and go back to doing what he's always done. His performance at Congressional showed that no level of failure could shake McIlroy's belief that he would win the game's most coveted prizes.

I've often compared the Northern Irishman to the A.A Milne character, Tigger, for his self-confidence and organic exuberance around the golf course. Tigger was fond of saying, "bouncing is what Tiggers do best." And with a cavernous lead going into the final day, that's exactly what McIlroy did. He didn't set out to play within himself, or operate at a more negative mindset. He breezed around the eighteen holes, playing with the same aggression and surety that had characterised his game during the previous three days. A near hole-in-one on the 10th hole elicited raucous cheers from the crowd - who seemed to take the 22 year old to their hearts. McIlroy said in his victory interview that it was the moment that he knew the contest was over.

There have been constant comparisons between McIlroy and the absent Tiger Woods, for the way that they burst onto the sport and became a huge draw for crowds & television. And while such comparisons are often the height of inanity, McIlroy's performance was extremely reminiscent of Woods. The way he dominated the course and his opponents from the first day to the last was a facsimile of Tiger in his prime. There were many other impressive scores from the likes of Y.E.Yang, Jason Day, Lee Westwood, Robert Rock and a pleasingly resurgent Sergio Garcia. But none came close to threatening McIlroy's procession to victory.

And this was a procession. If your name wasn't Rory McIlroy in Maryland last night, then all you were playing for was second place. It was McIlroy and the rest. He turned the Congressional County Club into the Hundred Acre Wood, bouncing through the course to his heart's content. He drove with faultless accuracy, his iron shots found the greens with laser-guided precision, and his putting was nerveless. It was a complete performance, truly one of the great displays in a major golf championship. And that's not a hyperbolic statement. It may be a long time, if ever, that we see such dominance in a major tournament again.

While many have delighted in Tiger Woods's fall from grace, I personally have a second reason to hope he can return to his best. If McIlroy's game was a joy to behold over the last four days, then just imagine how compelling a contest would be between the sport's biggest star and its heir apparent.

But for now, let us laud McIlroy's brilliance. And on Father's Day, it was fitting that he got to celebrate with his father as the crowd cheered golf's new superstar. Potential is exciting to witness, but it's ultimately ephemeral unless it's fully realised. Success lasts forever. And so will the memories of Rory McIlroy at the 2011 US Open.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Episode 31 - Seve Ballasteros

2011-06-10T16:36:00.003+01:00

A timely induction into our Legends series, after the recent untimely death of Severiano Ballasteros, a man who transcended his sport and changed the European Tour. We look at his revolutionary approach to the sport of golf, how he thrilled crowds like no player before or since, and how he played a major part in closing the gap between Europe and America in the Ryder Cup.

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

England Stumble After Colliding With A Swiss Roadblock

2011-06-04T19:44:00.006+01:00

By Shane Thomas

ENGLAND 2-2 SWITZERLAND

Only a huge favour from Bulgaria (which I'll get to at the end) kept England at the top of their qualifying group for Euro 2012, after Fabio Capello's men stumbled to a 2-2 draw against Switzerland at Wembley. While the primary emotion would have been frustration, it was probably tinged with relief as England were staring down the barrel of an embarrassing defeat as they were 2-0 down after 35 minutes. There were some interesting contradictions in the post-match comments as Capello bemoaned the fatigue of his players, while captain John Terry refused to use it as an excuse - personally I think they're both right. After a grueling domestic season, England were flat - and looked on their last legs in the final minutes. But this is opposition that they should be defeating comfortably, and despite a lacklustre display that left England fans going home annoyed, they still created more than enough chances to win the game. It was their profligacy - particularly Darren Bent's - that we should criticise rather than the all-round showing.

Switzerland - as one would expect from any team managed by Ottmar Hitzfeld - were well organised with the underrated Gokhan Inler and the ex-West Ham man, Valon Behrami providing their defence with a shield that England found worrisome to breach. Which was just as well as Johan Djourou's amateurish display shows that he hasn't fully recovered from the effect of dislocating his shoulder for Arsenal back in March.

Not only were Switzerland tough to break down, but they passed the ball intelligently. They have a new crop of talented attacking midfielders, led by Tranquillo Barnetta, Granit Xhaka & Xherdan Shaqiri - showing that multi-culturalism is alive & well in the national game. While they had less of the ball, they always looked more threatening than the home side, with striker Eren Derdiyok missing a couple of early half-chances.

In the 32nd minute, Barnetta curled in a dangerous inswinging free-kick from the left-hand side. It was a teasingly dangerous delivery, but Rio Ferdinand should have cleared the danger. As the ball went over the Manchester United defender's head, the ball crept in at the far post to silence the hitherto enthusiastic Wembley crowd. Some will hold keeper Joe Hart accountable for letting the ball in, and these kind of goals always look bad from the goalkeeper's perspective, but there's little that Hart actually could have done.

But two minutes later, Hart was to blame for England going two goals behind. Barnetta fired in another free-kick from the left towards the near post. Slow to spot the danger, the ball squirmed in off Hart's foot. And at the risk of being accused of picking on Manchester City, James Milner deserves as much opprobrium heaped on him as he inexplicably broke from the defensive wall, allowing Barnetta's shot to threaten the England goal.

England were on the floor, and Jack Wilshere took it upon himself to pick the team up. He'd been anonymous up to then. But from the resultant kick-off, he drove at the Swiss defence, and after his shot was blocked, he showed great presence of mind to dribble clear of club teammate Djourou in the penalty area. Djourou brought Wilshere down and the referee (who had a pretty poor game) gave England the penalty. Frank Lampard squeezed his spot-kick under the body of Diego Benaglio to give England hope.

It was the Chelsea midfielder's last contribution of the match as he was substituted for Ashley Young at half-time. Young's exclusion from the starting line-up surprised many, and this was only reconfirmed by a delightful goal from Young to equalise. A clever ball from Milner was cushioned down by Leighton Baines into the Aston Villa man's path, but he still had plenty to do. Young's first time volley was one of a man full of confidence and it found the far corner to even the contest.

It was the best football of the game, and with 40 minutes still to play, England looked in a good position to win the match. They had a much better attitude, pressed the ball with increased intensity, and moved the ball at a quicker tempo. It was like watching a fighter get off the ropes to make a thrilling comeback.

But England still needed that third goal. And they used every last drop of energy to get it. Wilshere still wasn't influencing the game as he can, but a glorious dribble and through-ball played Darren Bent clear. To the surprise of everyone in the stadium he failed to beat Benaglio, but it was nothing compared to the state of shock they were in six minutes later.

An incisive dribble from Young took him to the edge of the penalty area. His shot was saved, but fell into Bent's path. With Benaglio stranded on the floor, all the striker had to do was tap the ball into the gaping net. But it hit a slight bobble in the pitch, struck Bent on the left ankle and ballooned over the top. While it seems that the Wembley surface still has a few problems to be ironed out, that doesn't excuse Bent's miss.

And it looked to have knocked the stuffing out of England. As the players grew ever more fatigued, their threat dissipated. Switzerland looked increasingly dangerous on the counter, and almost got a winning goal of their own. However, in the last minute of stoppage time, a hopeful high ball was won by Rio Ferdinand. It dropped perfectly in the path of substitute Stewart Downing. But the winger hit the side netting when he should have scored easily. It was the final kick of the match and the game ended 2-2.

In a group that England should be making easy work of, this was a poor result. Dropping two points meant that they surrendered control of the group to Montenegro, who played Bulgaria a few hours later. However, Bulgaria did England a massive favour by drawing 1-1. This means England remain top of Group G, and seven points from their final three games will take them to the Euro 2012 Finals in the Ukraine & Poland. While England should manage to accomplish this, they are making hard work of what should have been a routine qualification process.

And with that, the 2010/11 football season is done. Can't believe I'm quoting ITV Sport, but as Matt Smith said "England are now off for the summer. If they're not careful, they'll be off next summer too"

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

England vs Switzerland - Match Ratings

2011-06-04T19:38:00.004+01:00

By Shane Thomas

JOE HART (5)

Has the cocksure nature of youth, but pride can sometimes come before a fall. Cannot be blamed for the first goal, but was far too slow to react for the second. And his nonchalance when dealing with backpasses could hurt England in a more important game than this.

GLEN JOHNSON (6)

Almost scored with a header in the second minute, and constantly tried to get forward when possible. But with Walcott off-form, he ended up patrolling the whole right flank on his own. And it's asking far too much of him to do the work of two men.

RIO FERDINAND (6)

Made an uncharacteristic error when he should have cleared Barnetta's free-kick for Switzerland's first goal. But defended well thereafter. Doesn't have the pace of his younger days, but swept up any danger when the Swiss counter-attacked in the second half.

JOHN TERRY (6)

The best and worst from England's captain. Defended stoutly, but the problem with Terry in an England shirt is that he seems to think he's the second coming of Frank Beckenbauer, when he's not even Gerard Pique. His attempts to being the ball out from the back & hit long raking passes is getting infuriating. He's a good defender but would be much more effective if he played to this strengths.

ASHLEY COLE (7)

Was the only England player to impress in the first half, making an excellent tackle to deny Valon Behrami a shot at goal. However, he was injured making the challenge and had to depart injured. While he'll never be loved, it seems that he's finally earned the respect of the England fans - which he fully deserves - as he received a warm round of applause when limping off.

LEIGHTON BAINES (7)

Has had his breakthrough season at Everton and clearly feels at home in an England shirt now. He had an excellent game, marauding forwarding & being a constant threat to the Swiss defence, no more so than his delightful touch to set up England's equaliser.

SCOTT PARKER (6)

England often look vulnerable without a shield to protect their defence, and Parker made many important interceptions when England were under pressure. The problem is that a holding midfield player has to be as proficient with the ball as much as when he doesn't have it. And Parker's distribution was constantly sub-standard. Funny enough if Fabio Capello could gene-splice him with Gareth Barry, then England would be a increasingly more balanced side.

FRANK LAMPARD (5)

Was probably a bit lucky with the penalty he scored, but a goal's a goal. And while he was ineffectual in the first 45 minutes, he was no worse than many of his teammates. It seemed that substituting him off at half-time was more of a symbolic decision than an objective one. Lampard is looking increasingly like yesterday's man, and his place in the England team is looking increasingly precarious.

JACK WILSHERE (6)

It seems that Wilshere continues to have critical immunity from the punditocracy. Yes, his drive in winning the penalty showed the mentality of the man, while his superb run & pass to set up Bent showed his technical skill. But he was dire in the first half, and still has plenty to learn before England can build a side around him.

ASHLEY YOUNG (7)

No-one could understand why the Aston Villa man (for how much longer?) didn't make the starting XI. And his arrival in second half only showed up the folly of that decision. The quality of his final ball was uneven, but he was a constant menace and gave England a cutting edge that had been sorely lacking in the first half. The way he took his goal showed exactly why he's expected to be turning out for either Liverpool or Manchester United in two months.

THEO WALCOTT (4)

A more competent referee would have sent Johan Djourou off when he brought down his Arsenal's teammate on the edge of the box. But that apart, this was like watching Walcott back in the days when he looked like a boy in a man's world. He should have been hauled off long before the 70th minute. Walcott can no longer use his youth at an excuse, he's no longer green at this level. Any more of this and he'll probably be dropped.

JAMES MILNER (6)

Probably shouldn't have started the match, and couldn't rise above the mediocre nature of England's performance, summed up by his inexplicable decision to break from the wall on Switzerland's second goal. But he was much improved after the break. Started the move that led to the equaliser, and dovetailed nicely with Baines. But is never likely to be anything more than a valued squad player.

STEWART DOWNING (5)

Has had a strong season for Villa, and should have been given more time to show what he could do. But all he did when coming on was to give the ball away, and miss a sitter with the last kick of the match that would have won the game. In a nutshell it showed the difference between shining in the Premier League & rising to the occasion in an England shirt.

DARREN BENT (4)

Looked isolated and didn't link play with his midfield anywhere near enough as what was required. But as we all know, Bent's not a workhorse, he's a goalscorer, a finisher. Create opportunities for him & he'll take them. In ITV's coverage, Peter Reid even compared Bent to Gary Lineker. Well Lineker would have gobbled up both clear-cut chances that Bent spurned. The Aston Villa man only needed to take one of them to secure the three points. Bent looked to have finally made his breakthrough at international level, so I can only put his finishing in this game down to a total loss of nerve when the pressure was on.

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

The 2010/11 Premier League Club Review

2011-06-01T18:29:00.010+01:00

By Shane Thomas

The Champions League final hopefully ended - for the time being, at least - the tiresome debate on whether England's Premier League or Spain's La Liga is the superior division. As well as being an asinine argument, it tends to come down to a matter of personal taste. Do you want high achievement or competitive meritocracy? As that will probably determine which league you'd rather watch. And right now, it's also an irrelevant point, as the topic at hand here is running the rule over England's top division. Unlike last season, I'll go through the clubs in the order of their respective league positions rather than alphabetically. And I'll also compare how accurate - or not - my predictions were at the start of the season with where they actually finished:

(1st) - MANCHESTER UNITED:

Ok, mea culpa time. I did say that I thought they'd finish third. But I also said I could be setting myself up for a fall. And I fell pretty hard. I thought Edwin Van Der Sar was too long in the tooth, and that Chris Smalling was a wasted signing. Well, Van Der Sar was the best goalkeeper in the league & Smalling proved an excellent back-up to the injury prone Rio Ferdinand. Ferguson proved me wrong on both counts, but the fact remains that this is no more than a solid United outfit. This was one of the Scot's greatest seasons as a manager by guiding them to their 19th league championship, as well as getting them to the Champions League final (and I did predict them to do that back in August). But the way that they were outclassed in that final shows the improvements that need to be made to the squad. Ferguson may have pulled up trees this season, but he cannot be expected to do so again, as United won't win the league with these same players next season.

STAR MAN - Nemanja Vidic: My Prediction - 3rd

(2nd) - CHELSEA:

Chelsea's season is a difficult one to appraise. They set off like a train, were abysmal during the winter before the return of Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba from injury & illness dragged them back up the table, and were not helped by yet another moment of madness from owner Roman Abramovich by spending £50 million on an out-of-sorts Fernando Torres. It only hindered the club and in part contributed to their elimination from the Champions League. Carlo Ancelotti can consider himself unlucky to be sacked but the fact that the decision surprised no-one shows the paradigm of managing Chelsea. Win either the title or the Champions League or you get sacked. Concepts of fairness are absent from Stamford Bridge these days. There's no doubt that Chelsea will re-enter the transfer market again in the summer, and Torres should be a resurgent force but Abramovich's capriciousness is beginning to outweigh his largesse. The main plus point of managing Chelsea is the huge payoff rather than trying to build success. Add that to a squad that is ever aging and Chelsea may begin to look a spent force this time next season.

STAR MAN - Petr Cech :My Prediction - 1st

(3rd) - MANCHESTER CITY:

It's been revealed that their FA Cup semi-final encounter against Manchester United was the pivotal moment in City's season. Belief in the methods of manager Roberto Mancini was fragile, and had they lost that match, it would have dissolved altogether. But they won the game, and the domino effect was averted. From that moment on, tales of dressing room unrest at intense training sessions & fights between players seemed to dissipate, and there's even a chance that the talismanic but nomadic skipper Carlos Tevez may remain at Eastlands next season. The trophy drought of 34 years is finally over and Mancini has won the minds of the players & the hearts of the fans. Now the hard work begins. The powers that be at City are as ruthless as the ones at Chelsea. City must either win another trophy next time or/and make a strong challenge for one of the Premier or Champions League trophies. Otherwise, the Italian may soon become another UK unemployment statistic.

STAR MAN - Vincent Kompany: Prediction - 4th

(4th) - ARSENAL:

While Manchester City avoided the domino effect of their season collapsing, Arsenal failed to follow suit. Earlier in the season I wrote that how their fortunes hinged on the result of the Carling Cup Final. The resultant defeat sent the dominos tumbling, and Arsenal's hopes of success for the season went with it. Even a man as stubborn as Arsene Wenger seems to have finally accepted that his belief in certain members of his squad was misplaced. For the first time in 15 years at the helm, Wenger's position is under threat and there's never been a more important off-season for the Frenchman. If Arsenal are not primed and ready from the first kick of a ball in August, they are in serious danger of being cast adrift from their domestic rivals. And the greatest manager in the history of the club is in danger of exiting The Emirates in ignominy.

STAR MAN - Samir Nasri: Prediction - 2nd

(5th) - TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR:

I felt from the start that Tottenham would struggle to combine a domestic league season with the demands of the Champions League. Yes, they had some fun, and did well to get to the quarter-finals. But they were found out when they took a beating against Real Madrid. Eventually Spurs's season was like a guy who burns the candle at both ends for far too long. They were so intoxicated by the thrill of Europe's top table that they took their eye of the ball in the league. And when they came back to earth with a heavy thud, they realised their chances of finishing in the top four had gone. The season ended on a whimper, and with many speculating that this will be Harry Redknapp's last season in charge, the future is uncertain for the Lilywhites. Don't be surprised to see Redknapp leave midway through next season.

STAR MAN - Luka Modric: Prediction - 6th

(6th) - LIVERPOOL

Talk about a season of two halves. Dire under Roy Hodgson (right man, wrong club). Much improved under Kenny Dalglish (maybe the right man. definitely the right club). Liverpool are a unique sporting entity and Dalglish is attuned to the naunces & rhythms of the place in a way that few can match. But positivity and belief can only take a team so far. Dalglish is no fool and knows that how he works the transfer market will determine how Liverpool fare next season. For them, the hard work is just beginning. But Liverpool will have to be taken seriously again.

STAR MAN - Luis Suarez: Prediction - 5th

(7th) - EVERTON:

This was the season that many Evertonians had feared. A woeful start, lack of goals and injuries to key personnel. While the recovery to reach seventh place was impressive, Everton weren't helped by mediocre seasons for the likes of Phil Jagielka and Mikel Arteta. The fans are now restless as they've heard this song before, and are now turning their guns on owner Bill Kenwright and even manager David Moyes. While I empathise with their frustrations (as I like Everton as a club), the supporters should be careful what they wish for. Few would be able to do as well at Everton as Moyes has, and Kenwright can't give Moyes money to spend that he doesn't have. The fact remains that their geographical location isn't good and that other Scouse team in red cast a looming shadow over Goodison Park.

STAR MAN - Seamus Coleman: Prediction - 7th

(8th) - FULHAM:

Maybe it's just as well that I waited a while before doing this review as Mark Hughes has just quit as manager of Fulham. Which I think is a real pity as he'd looked to have built upon the good foundations left to him by Roy Hodgson. And they even ended up back in the Europa League for next season. Fulham are something of a throwback, from their ground, to their squad. They play the game simply, but effectively. However, they rely heavily on a select few players, and I worry that - similar to West London rivals, Chelsea - they're beginning to get long in the tooth. And with the increasing load of European fixtures, and having to find yet another new manager, this may be as good as things get for Fulham for a good few years.

STAR MAN - Clint Dempsey: Prediction - 11th

(9th) - ASTON VILLA:

A real mixed bag. Initially it seemed that the club would only spend within their means, and look to bring some of their talented youngsters into the first team. But the appointment of Gerard Houllier was a puzzling one. And the second that relegation seemed a possibility, financial prudence went out the window as Darren Bent was prised away from Sunderland at great expense. The ends justified the means as Bent's goals were key in getting Villa to mid-table safety. And in conjunction with the improving Ashley Young & Stewart Downing, it looked as if Villa had a potent attacking triumvirate. Notice I used the past tense. There is little chance of Young & Downing remaining at Villa Park next season, and while it looks that Mark Hughes will replace the now departed Houllier, Villa look as if they will be nothing more than an ordinary & banal presence in the Premier League for the forseeable future.

STAR MAN - Stewart Downing: Prediction - 9th

(10th) - SUNDERLAND:

They were - Lee Cattermole's tackling apart - a real delight in the early stages of the season, with their 3-0 win over Chelsea being the result of the last ten months. But injuries, fatigue and a frankly dreadful attitude from members of the squad caused them to peter out after Christmas. At one point Steve Bruce looked like a potential candidate for the next England manager, but he seems to have an inability to correct the deficiencies in his side when they lose focus. Bruce has spent heavily at Sunderland and must find a way to get the best out of his players consistently if they are to be a regular occurence in the top half of the table.

STAR MAN - Asamoah Gyan: Prediction - 14th

(11th) - WEST BROMWICH ALBION:

I was extremely glad to see West Brom defy the doom-laden prediction I gave them at the start of the season. They were a joy to behold, playing expansively and not backing down from even the best sides in the top flight. But they began to look like the old West Brom, the nice guys who get brushed aside with ease. While Roberto Di Matteo looks a fine manager and was probably unlucky to be sacked, you can't argue with the end result. West Brom looked vulnerable defensively under the Italian and were sliding down the league fast. Chairman Jeremy Peace felt Di Matteo was unable to rectify this and promptly installed Roy Hodgson as head coach. And it worked, as Hodgson applied defensive solidity to their progressive nature when attacking. They look very much like Hodgson's outfit at Fulham, which is something that's been long needed at The Hawthorns. It's taken a while, but they finally look like an established Premier League club. And I for one, couldn't be happier for them.

STAR MAN - Peter Odemwingie: Prediction - 19th

(12th) - NEWCASTLE UNITED:

Stability at Newcastle at last? I'm not so sure. Yet another inexplicable decision from Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias to fire Chris Hughton - who had been doing a fine job - could have caused the squad to crumble, so Alan Pardew deserves kudos for stopping things unravelling at St James Park, especially with such a threadbare squad. But the cost-cutting shows no signs of abating, and unless Pardew is allowed to bolster this side, particularly finding a replacement for the now departed Andy Carroll, then Newcastle may find things tough going next season.

STAR MAN - Cheik Tiote: Prediction - 17th

(13th) - STOKE CITY:

Despite their lacklustre display in the FA Cup Final, this was a good year of consolidation for Stoke. They are reminiscent of the Bolton team of a few years ago when they were managed by Sam Allardyce; tough, uncompromising and awkward opposition. And like that Bolton side, Stoke will venture into Europe next season. Stoke may find it tough competing on both fronts, but mid-table is not be sniffed at. And it's a pity that the press won't let facts get in the way of a good cliche as they play nicer football than given credit for.

STAR MAN - Jermaine Pennant: Prediction - 10th

(14th) - BOLTON WANDERERS:

For much of the last campaign, it looked as if Bolton were going to be one of the stories of the season. The Reebok Stadium had become an increasingly nicer place to watch football, and the team looked to be knocking on the door of European qualification. But the hammering they took from Stoke in the FA Cup semi-final seemed to knock them out of their stride. Bolton may end up becoming a victim of Owen Coyle's proficiency at the helm. The wolves are looming to snatch Gary Cahill away, and if Coyle continues in this vein, he may also depart the club sooner rather than later. Bolton are a credit to the Premier League, but their position in it grows ever more precarious.

STAR MAN - Gary Cahill: Prediction - 15th

(15th) - BLACKBURN ROVERS:

We shouldn't really judge the new owners & manager Steve Kean until next season. But their first impression was anything but impressive. Blackburn are a team that always relied heavily on their team ethic, but the behaviour of those off the pitch has hardly fostered healthy development on it. Even if they did used the Premier League's ugly sisters, you knew where you were with Blackburn and what they stood for as a club. Now, I'm not sure Blackburn are about anything. If Steve Kean can't foster a footballing philosophy at that club, and fast, I'd find your nearest bookie and put a tenner on them to go down next season.

STAR MAN - Paul Robinson: Prediction - 8th

(16th) - WIGAN ATHLETIC:

I don't know how they did it, but Wigan clung on to their Premier League status on the final day. They were stronger in the second-half of the season than the first, but they still have such glaring deficiencies that they rely far too much on their best players to continue to stay in this division. And their nine lives may finally be up. Charles N'Zogbia is certain to leave, and James McCarthy & Maynor Figueroa may also join him. Roberto Martinez must find enough players to make his idea of football work effectively. If not, then Wigan's plucky Premier League adventure may finally come to an end.

STAR MAN - Charles N'Zogbia: Prediction - 18th

(17th) - WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS:

Manager Mick McCarthy tends to be a divisive figure, but I'm a fan. And his achievement in keeping Wolves in the top flight for the second successive season shows that he's good for more than just a media soundbite. But he failed to integrate Stephen Hunt & Steven Fletcher into the side quick enough for them to come close to fulfilling my pre-season prediction. And had those two players not finally got going in the closing stages, Wolves would have gone down. Also, some of their tackling in the early weeks was nothing short of reprehensible. Their attempts to kick Joey Barton out of the game when they played Newcastle was the low moment of the season.

STAR MAN - Kevin Foley: Prediction - 12th

(18th) - BIRMINGHAM CITY:

Seems the "Carling Cup" effect is something of a myth. As rather than give Birmingham a boost in their league season, they dined out on their extraordinary success at Wembley and seemed to forget that there were still three months of the season to go. While injuries to Nikola Zigic, Scott Dann & Obafemi Martins didn't help, the fact is that Birmingham didn't get relegated due to a lack of quality, but simple carelessness.

STAR MAN - Craig Gardner: Prediction - 16th

(19th) - BLACKPOOL:

I predicted they'd go down. I was right. I predicted they'd be an embarrassment to the league. I was wrong. So wrong. When I watched them take a pasting at The Emirates, the warmth and attitude of the club won me over. And forget the tabloid media's collective hard-on for Ian Holloway's press conferences. This isn't Live At The Apollo. Credit Holloway for taking a ragtag bunch of players, playing some wonderfully entertaining football and coming very close to keeping them up. But he put all his eggs in the Charlie Adam basket, and while he's good, he's also a touch overrated. And it was amateur hour whenever they had to defend. I'd like to see Holloway back in the Premier League soon, as he's a conscientious manager, and I think he'll learn from his mistakes.

STAR MAN - Charlie Adam: Prediction - 20th

(20th) - WEST HAM UNITED:

I clearly overestimated Avram Grant's managerial capabilities. And even though I said West Ham had the look of a "circus club" about them, I underestimated just how much of a circus they've become. The ineptness of the coaching was only surpassed by the machinations of the boardroom, especially with three different people all behaving as if they were the one in charge. The administrative side of the club seems to have more hangers-on than 50 Cent. My thoughts on West Ham right now are the same as my thoughts on Newcastle two years ago and Portsmouth last year. Proud club, with a great fanbase. But they're a mess and do no credit to the Premier League. Good riddance and don't come back until you've got your house in order.

STAR MAN - Scott Parker: Prediction - 13th

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH

Episode 30 - Top 5 Upsets

2011-05-30T21:19:00.004+01:00

In this episode, we go over some of those moments that make you rub your eyes and exclaim, "what the what!"

And in a surprising digression, we also touch on the colloquial nature of the word "lass" - this is what happens when you have hosts from different parts of the country.

The Greatest Events In Sporting History' is available from http://www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/

The 2010/11 Premier League Team Of The Season

2011-05-30T19:31:00.004+01:00

By Shane Thomas

As already stated in my end of season review, the bar may have been lowered in the Premier League but there were some players who shone in England's top flight over the past ten months. In the following 4-2-3-1 formation, here are the Premier League's finest:

* - denotes my player of the season

GOALKEEPER:

Edwin Van Der Sar (Manchester United)

In my preview of this season, I said Manchester United would pay the price for letting the Dutchman go on for a season too long. I could not have been more wrong. Bar a howler in a game against West Brom and a less than impressive display in the Champions League final, Van Der Sar has been an indomitable presence in goal all season. And as he leaves the game behind, he also leaves a gaping hole as United's last line of defence.

Special Mentions: Joe Hart (Manchester City), Tim Krul (Newcastle), Paul Robinson (Blackburn), Robert Green (West Ham)

RIGHT BACK:

Bacary Sagna (Arsenal)

Suffered like the rest of his team after losing the Carling Cup Final, and failed to reach the high standards he displayed for most of 2010. But his immaculate consistency up to then combined with a lack of viable alternatives for this position make Sagna the best of an average to good bunch. Still the most reliable right-back in the division.

Special Mentions: Micah Richards (Manchester City), Martin Kelly (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Aston Villa)

LEFT BACK:

Leighton Baines (Everton)

After being left out of England's World Cup squad for being perceived to lack the right mentality, this has been a season of maturation for Baines. More solid defensively, without losing his ability to supplement the attack with threatening crosses from the left. And whether it's a corner kick, free kick or penalty, Baines showed himself to be the finest exponent of a dead ball in the Premier League, borne out by his 11 assists - an incredible tally for a defender. After regaining his place in the England squad, fans of the national team no longer have reason to fear in the event of Ashley Cole being injured.

Special Mentions: Jose Enrique (Newcastle)

CENTRE BACKS:

Vincent Kompany (Manchester City)*

Mark Hughes deserves great credit for acquiring the Belgian back in January of 2009. Since being moved into his more natural position of central defence by Roberto Mancini, Kompany has shown he's worth every penny of the £6 million spent on him. Anchoring the City defence, he's been consistent, unflappable, dependable, all the while leading with a quiet authority; Kompany has been his club's player of the season. And for all those reasons, he's my footballer of the season as well.

Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)

The captain of the champions. Vidic's constant bending of the rules can be wearying, and his supposed immunity from the referee's red card can be maddening. But in numerous important matches this season, Vidic has been his team's star man. And with United's attack misfiring until February, he had to be. A absolute rock against Arsenal & Manchester City in the first-half of the season, he's fast become indispensable to Sir Alex Ferguson.

Special Mentions: Johan Djourou (Arsenal), Brede Hangelaand (Fulham), Gary Cahill (Bolton)

CENTRE-MIDFIELDERS:

Scott Parker (West Ham)

There were a few eyebrows raised - and justifiably so - when he was awarded Footballer Of The Year. But we shouldn't underestimate how well Parker performed, especially when so few of his teammates followed suit. At times Parker kept West Ham from being cut adrift from the relegation fight single-handed, with an injury to his achilles no less. For the uninitiated, an achilles injury isn't the kind of thing you can just "run off". So Parker's endurance to play with such an affliction shows the remarkable character of the man. It's no coincidence that when Parker finally succumbed to the injury, West Ham looked lost without him and were relegated ignominiously.

Luka Modric (Tottenham)

Many journalists agreed with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, when he felt that Modric would not be suited to playing in England. His technical ability was never in question, but Wenger said the little Croatian would be unable to cope with the Premier League's physicality. And initially it looked as if the Frenchman would be proved right. Until this season. Modric has teemed his impish incisiveness with a tough competitive streak. Forget Gareth Bale or Rafa Van Der Vaart, Modric was far & away Spurs's star man this campaign. He is the cog that gets his team going, and gave arguably the best individual performance of the season in the thrilling 3-3 in the North London derby back in April. The only thing that prevents him being my player of the season is his lack of goals. But there's few players in this league who I'd rather watch.

Special Mentions: Ryan Giggs (Manchester United), Nigel De Jong (Manchester City), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal), Lucas Leiva (Liverpool), Cheik Tiote (Newcastle), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Craig Gardner (Birmingham), Charlie Adam & David Vaughan (both Blackpool)

INSIDE-RIGHT FORWARD:

Nani (Manchester United)

While Sir Alex chose to use Nani only as an impact sub the closing games of the season, Nani was fantastically consistent up to that point. No player set up more goals in the league than the Portugese. He hasn't fully filled the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo, and his propensity for simulation can frustrate. But he's been an ever improving force in English football, and I'd expect him to continue to be one of the division's best game-breakers next time around as well.

Special Mentions: Raul Meireles (Liverpool), Seamus Coleman (Everton), Stewart Downing (Aston Villa), Joey Barton (Newcastle), Jermaine Pennant (Stoke), Charles N'Zogbia (Wigan)

SECOND STRIKER:

Yaya Toure (Manchester City)

First off, a message to all those people who complained about Manchester City breaking the bank on a defensive midfielder. I'll say this for the last time. City don't play with three defensive midfielders. Yaya Toure plays in the second striker position, and on occasion occupies a place even further up the pitch. Roberto Mancini astutely spotted that Toure is capable of playing in any outfield position down the centre of the pitch. And once he got used to the style of English football, it was like firing a weapon from a catapult. Toure is the equivalent of Jonah Lomu on a football pitch, barreling his way past opponents like a force of nature. He may not be the most pleasing aesthetically, but after his winning goals in both the semi-final & final of the FA Cup, he's become a cult hero at Eastlands.

Special Mentions: Rafael Van Der Vaart (Tottenham), Luis Suarez (Liverpool), Clint Demspey (Fulham), Ashley Young (Aston Villa), Chris Brunt (West Brom), Daniel Sturridge (Bolton), James McCarthy (Wigan)

INSIDE-LEFT FORWARD:

Samir Nasri (Arsenal)

Was unable to recapture his best form after picking up a hamstring injury in an FA Cup game against Huddersfield (which he never even should have played in). But up to that point, he was probably on to be the Premier League's star man. Dangerous when passing, shooting or dribbling, Nasri looked unplayable at times. It will be a busy summer for Arsene Wenger, but his first port of call should be ensuring Nasri signs a new contract. He will be harder to replace than Cesc Fabregas.

Special Mentions: David Silva (Manchester City), Gareth Bale (Tottenham), Jerome Thomas (West Brom), Matthew Etherington (Stoke)

CENTRE FORWARD:

Carlos Tevez (Manchester City)

For all his off-pitch problems, capricious agent, and his confrontational relationship with Mancini, Tevez remains the most talismanic figure at Eastlands. There is a streak of competitiveness that runs through the man's very core, which means that Tevez can never be accused of not pulling his weight on the pitch. He was the joint top scorer in the division and gave us one of the moments of the season with his astonishing free kick against Stoke mere days after the cup final - one in which he played while unfit.

Special Mentions: Javier Hernandez (Manchester United), Robin Van Persie (Arsenal), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Darren Bent (Aston Villa), Peter Odemwingie (West Brom), DJ Campbell (Blackpool)

Don't forget to download 'The Greatest Events in Sporting History' from www.simplysyndicated.com/shows/sportinghistory/, e-mail us at sportshistoryshow@googlemail.com and you can follow us on Twitter @TGEISH