Individual Greatness Always Needs Teamwork

By Shane Thomas

In the past few months, we've seen two sporting stories that will be forever engraved onto the memory of all those who witnessed it. LeBron James for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal. Victories that have enshrined both men as all-time of all-time; encased in glory forever.

Arjen Robben's Final Failure

By Shane Thomas

It's morbidly self-indulgent for one to look back over what they have written in the past, but it turned out quite useful in this instance. After the 2010 World Cup final, I wrote of Arjen Robben's performance, "A good performance from the Bayern Munich man, but the bottom line is he missed two great chances that would have given the Netherlands the World Cup. When his chance came to seize the occasion, he choked."

The Politics of Sport - Brazil 2014. Was It Worth It?

By Shane Thomas

Now that the trophy has been awarded, the media has gone home, and FIFA has packed away their succubus of a circus, a key question remains for the host nation. It's one that often arises when a major international sporting event concludes. Was it worth it?

International Football's Changing Face

By Shane Thomas

One of the major narrative threads to come from this World Cup (given that much of the media refuse to acknowledge how the tournament is hurting part of Brazil's population) is how many of the more heralded nations have been below their best. As the business end of the competition begins, the four nations in the semi-finals have been inconsistent in terms of dominance.

The Politics of Sport - Ghosts of Brazil

By Shane Thomas

Let's play a game of word association (a la this scene in Skyfall[1]). I say to you, "Brazil". Your response?

It might not be your first, nor your second, but I'm sure in your top 5 replies would be the word "football"[2]. It's been part of the cultural make-up of Brazil for generations. One could argue that football is the country's greatest export.

World Cup 2014 - And The Winner Is...

By Shane Thomas

When asked to compare the World Cup and the Champions League, commentator Jon Champion opined that the Champions League may be football's gold standard, but the World Cup remains the pinnacle.

So with that in mind, here's a brief rundown (accompanied with ill-advised prognostications) of the teams likely to ascend to the aforementioned pinnacle. So before you ask, no, there will be no look at England in this post.

The Diary of a Pessimistic Arsenal Fan - The Trophy

By Shane Thomas

Arsene Wenger said it began to feel like a curse. Sporting curses are normally a preserve of North America, but given Benfica's failure in the Europa League final, stretching the Bela Guttman curse into its 52nd year, and Liverpool - in part due to Steven Gerrard becoming acquainted with the Anfield turf - falling agonisingly short of ending their 24 year wait for a league championship, it seemed as if football is now getting into the curse business.

The Politics of Sport - The Unwanted (but much needed) Interloper

By Shane Thomas

CONTENT NOTE: This piece will include examples of racism, rape culture, domestic violence and transphobia.

With the recent incidents concerning the footballer, Dani Alves - and the subsequent #weareallmonkeys hashtag, as well as LA Clippers owner, Donald Sterling being banned from the NBA, it may give a false impression that the arenas of sport and politics mix in relative comfort. However, the collision of the two is often a problematic one.

Hillsborough: The True Failings

By Shane Thomas

The Hillsborough independent panel's verdict was said to send shockwaves throughout the English game. People were reputedly stunned by the revelations that the accountability for the tragic deaths of 96 Liverpool fans should no longer be aimed towards the supporters, but towards the ostensibly esteemed organisations of the South Yorkshire Police, The FA, sections of the English newspapers and the British government.

The History Men

By Shane Thomas

In the build-up to last night's Euro 2012 final, one pundit sounded a word of warning to Italy. He stated that while Spain had reached the crescendo of the competition, they had done so without performing to their best. Rather than use this as a positive omen, he thought it was more of a portent, as Spain were due a top-class performance.

England Without The Bounce

By Shane Thomas


Going into an international tournament as an England fan, we all knew the drill; get the beers in, get the flags out, and get down to your local bookies to put £10 on England to win the competition. In conjunction with the television, radio & print media, the nation would be whipped into a chimeric fugue-state, our boundless optimism not in keeping with past experience or rational footballing analysis. The hysteria England would inspire at a World Cup or European Championship was so potent that even those who normally avoided the sport would venture opinions on players, formations and strategy (all ill-informed of course).

Previewing the Olympics Stars

By Shane Thomas


With the greatest show in the sporting world drawing ever closer, this blog will have a recurring series of posts focusing on those who may be a few months away from attaining the ultimate in sporting achievement; an Olympic gold medal.

While one must acknowledge that predicting success is a fool's errand at the best of times (especially in the event of injury), it also wouldn't do to ignore the fact that London will be the centre of the sporting universe for a fortnight. During this time, athletes you would already have heard of will enshrine their fame for time immemorial, while others you would not have heard of will enter the stratosphere of stardom and legend.

The Excitement Of Test Cricket - So Where Is Everyone?

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...

India & Pakistan - Cricket's Powderkeg

By Shane Thomas

Now that the farce of the group stages of the Cricket World Cup are now done, the tournament is now worth bothering with. And in Mohali next Wednesday morning, we may see the most compelling game of cricket of 2011.

Sachin Tendulkar: The Little Master Of Excellence

By Shane Thomas

It's a pity that many have turned their eyes away from the world of cricket since the Pakistan spot-fixing scandal earlier in the summer. While it's understandable how the overlong & controversial series between England and Pakistan would lead some to want to switch off from the game - especially with the Ashes imminent - it meant that people turned their backs on some of the best sport of 2010 so far.

World Cup 2010 - The Round Up

By Shane Thomas

I think a suitable amount of time has passed for me to take stock of the football festival we had in South Africa this summer. Apologies for taking so long with it, but truth be told, I'd gotten pretty sick of the sight of the game afer 11 months of non-stop football. But here it is - the World Cup round-up, where you will find my ratings of the England team, the tournament's best XI, and directly below, the competition's highlights and lowlights:

World Cup 2010 - Team Of The Tournament

By Shane Thomas

GOALKEEPER:

Iker Casillas - (Spain)

Was unfairly castigated for the goal that led to Spain's defeat in their opening game to Switzerland. But made a crucial penalty save in the quarter-final that was as important as David Villa's winning goal and was one of the players of the final. Had Casillas not rescued Spain twice when Arjen Robben burst through the match would have been out of sight long before their extra-time winner.

Special Mentions: Vincent Enyeama (Nigeria)

England's World Cup - The G.E.I.S.H Index

By Shane Thomas

So now that the hype has come & gone and the flags have been taken down, England's footballers have gone from 'world class' to 'overhyped disgraces to society who should be put in the stocks for letting their country down'. Well at least that's the case if you read 'The Sun'. Away from such hysteria, how did the England team perform in South Africa? Well going through the squad memebers (obviously only those who featured) here's my marks. We've seen Fabio Capello's Index. Here's mine:

Pass Masters Show Their Courage To Beat Down The Dutch Playground Bullies

By Shane Thomas

SPAIN 1 - 0 HOLLAND (a.e.t)

In what was one of the worst World Cup finals of modern times, Spain wrote themselves into football history by adding the game's richest prize to their European title won two years previously.

Spain vs Holland - Match Ratings

By Shane Thomas

SPAIN


IKER CASILLAS (8)

It's been a mixed bag from the Spain captain in this World Cup but he was at his best here. Made two key saves to deny Arjen Robben, the first one being an absolutely belting stop. A good case can be made for Casillas being man of the match.