You may be wondering where the latest update is, with a bumper weekend of sport still ongoing. Fear not, it's here. Before I start, a thank you to everyone who has offered up invaluable advice. I will endeavour to take it all on board, but please keep the feedback and comments coming. Cheers.
Overloaded FA Cup draw awaits.
Saturday gave the term 'FA Cup Draw' a whole new meaning - eight teams have to do it all over again. With the slight possibility of another draw today at Pride Park and the fact that Arsenal and Cardiff have yet to complete their fourth round tie (Burnley await the winners), we already have a guaranteed 14 teams in tonight's quarter-final draw. We may even be faced with the prospect of having 15 teams gunning for 8 places, something which can't happen too often.
Meanwhile, in the Premier League, Portsmouth got back to winning ways for the first time since the end of November. Caretaker boss Paul Hart says he is only concentrating on the next game. My reading of the situation is that Hart might remain until the end of the season. Otherwise, the shrewd appointment of Brian Kidd will simply have been needless. Portsmouth's next seven games include matches with Stoke (a), Middlesbrough (a), Hull (a), West Brom (h) and Bolton (h). I expect them to have enough quality to climb away from the dogfight below, and Portsmouth to stick with Hart and Kidd until the summer, at least.
Anguish in Antigua.
Friday the 13th probably passed by quietly for most of us. Not for those in Antigua awaiting the Second Test between the Windies and England. After 10 deliveries, it was abundantly clear that the bowler's run-up was unsafe, to say the least. It was a pity. In a part of the world where cricket is paramount, and in a stadium celebrating a legend of the game, Friday's events were farcical. A hastily arranged Third Test has now started, with England making a bright start.
I can't understand, however, the decision to twice put England in to bat after winning the toss. After England's embarrassing First Test collapse, it would have made sense to me for the West Indies to get out and post a decent score, all the while giving England plenty of time to reflect on their batting. Instead, Chris Gayle has given the English a chance to get out quickly and banish the memory, and England have duly obliged (this time around). It's good to see that the selectors, however, have not found any reason to bring Ian Bell back, and Owais Shah will get his chance. With the pitch offering little for the bowlers, and rain forecast over the next few days, the 5/6 being offered by Boylesports makes that my first Banker of the Week.
Murray's mint performance.
Tennis now, and Andy Murray has beaten an obviously distressed Rafael Nadal in the final of the creatively named World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. Nadal was clearly injured and stuggling in the final set, Murray winning 6-3 4-6 6-0. It's a pity to see Nadal hurt, but testament to his character that he stayed out and fought all the way. Murray, meanwhile, is impressing time after time this season. Nadal will be strong favourite at Roland Garros, but he and Roger Federer will rightly be worrying about Murray's form should it continue towards Wimbledon and the US Open.
Two Nations continues.
England may have been heavily criticised for their performance against Italy, but they showed a lot of spirit in yesterday's RBS Six Nations clash with Wales at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Wales' class told in the end, but it offers some much needed encouragement for Martin Johnson and his men. Scotland lost in Paris, another fighting display, and they will offer plenty of resistance for the rest of the tournament. And Ireland saw off a distinctly average Italian side in Rome, bringing to conclusion another weekend that suggests the clash between Wales and Ireland in Cardiff may well decide who this year's champions will be.
So, another substantial if unspectacular sporting weekend continues with the Milan derby tonight, after the FA Cup quarter-final draw is made. Last year, I correctly pointed Portsmouth out as potential winners (albeit to a couple of friends), so this year I offer you another outsider - Everton. They've been really impressive of late, and with a bit of luck they could lift the cup for the first time since Paul Rideout's winner in 1995.
Showing posts with label shah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shah. Show all posts
Sunday, 15 February 2009
Thursday, 12 February 2009
Good week, bad week.
The luck of the Irish.
It may not have been plain sailing, but the Republic of Ireland last night secured another vital 3 points in their World Cup 2010 qualifying group, thanks to a debateable (at best) penalty. The Irish are now joint top of the group with Italy, and the World Champions will, most certainly, be looking over their shoulders.
Next up for Ireland is Bulgaria at Croke Park at the end of March. When this group was drawn, many Irish fans looked at this fixture as a must-win if they were to finish second in the group and secure a play-off place. Now, however, beat Bulgaria and Ireland can travel to the south-eastern city of Bari knowing that a point would almost make them favourites to win the group outright and book their (economy class) seats on the plane to South Africa.
It's still a big ask of Trappatoni's men, but after their best ever start to a World Cup qualifying campaign, expectations are beginning to soar. One thing is sure, though - Ireland need to stop conceding silly early or needless late goals, particularly the latter. With a world-class goalkeeper, a potentially solid back four, and ten points out of twelve in the bank, Irish fans can at least begin to dream.
Bad week for England.
Whilst the Irish have enjoyed a great sporting week, the same can not be applied to England. The win over Italy in the Six Nations has been heavily criticised by many, although that performance was as good as a World Cup win in relation to the cricketers' embarassing collapse against the West Indies. The footballers didn't fare much better, with a comprehensive defeat at the hands of European Champions, Spain. On the bright side, the cricket and rugby teams have the opportunity to begin rectifying things this weekend.
First up are the cricketers, who begin their second Test Match tomorrow in Antigua. With the possible exceptions of Andrew Flintoff and the somewhat imperious Kevin Pietersen, England seem to be lacking any sort of inspiration. It will be interesting to see whether Ian Bell keeps his place at number three, with Owais Shah (rightly) breathing down his neck. Since falling one short of a maiden double-century against South Africa at Lord's last summer, Bell has failed spectacularly on a number of occasions. I won't be overly surprised if Bell is named in the team tomorrow, but at least one change will be needed, and it could (perhaps should) be Ian Bell.
On Saturday, England's rugby team travel to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium to take on an impressive Wales team. England won't be heavily fancied for this one, and Martin Johnson said earlier in the week that not much will be expected of them. Try telling that to the tens of thousands who got sucked into World Cup fever in 2003, and again in 2007, Martin. In case Mr. Johnson hasn't realised yet (I'm sure he has, really), England fans are always expectant. After Saturday, England travel to Croke Park two weeks later. With Ireland expected to beat Italy on Sunday, lose against Wales and England's Six Nations campaign for 2009 may well be over.
Not much can really be said about England's footballers' performance last night. They played well in patches, and David Beckham's second-half showing may give England fans belief that he is still capable of performing at the very top level. Quite simply, England were taught a lesson by an admittedly brilliant Spanish team. While England struggle to find a permanent goalkeeper, for example, the Spanish boast Jose Reina, as backup to Iker Casillas. Fabio Capello won't be too worried about last night's defeat, but for the English sporting all-rounder, it brought to an end a frustrating week.
Nadal slams doping rules.
Finally, a word on Rafael Nadal's rant about the stringent anti-doping rules in tennis. For those of you unaware of the process, each player must state where they will be for one hour of every day, so they can be selected for random tests. If a player misses three of these tests in 18 months, they may face a suspension. You may agree with Nadal that these rules are over the top, but with career earnings already surpassing $22 million, and approaching $1.5 million for the year, surely he should be privileged to be in the position that he is. You are a professional Rafa, start acting like it.
It may not have been plain sailing, but the Republic of Ireland last night secured another vital 3 points in their World Cup 2010 qualifying group, thanks to a debateable (at best) penalty. The Irish are now joint top of the group with Italy, and the World Champions will, most certainly, be looking over their shoulders.
Next up for Ireland is Bulgaria at Croke Park at the end of March. When this group was drawn, many Irish fans looked at this fixture as a must-win if they were to finish second in the group and secure a play-off place. Now, however, beat Bulgaria and Ireland can travel to the south-eastern city of Bari knowing that a point would almost make them favourites to win the group outright and book their (economy class) seats on the plane to South Africa.
It's still a big ask of Trappatoni's men, but after their best ever start to a World Cup qualifying campaign, expectations are beginning to soar. One thing is sure, though - Ireland need to stop conceding silly early or needless late goals, particularly the latter. With a world-class goalkeeper, a potentially solid back four, and ten points out of twelve in the bank, Irish fans can at least begin to dream.
Bad week for England.
Whilst the Irish have enjoyed a great sporting week, the same can not be applied to England. The win over Italy in the Six Nations has been heavily criticised by many, although that performance was as good as a World Cup win in relation to the cricketers' embarassing collapse against the West Indies. The footballers didn't fare much better, with a comprehensive defeat at the hands of European Champions, Spain. On the bright side, the cricket and rugby teams have the opportunity to begin rectifying things this weekend.
First up are the cricketers, who begin their second Test Match tomorrow in Antigua. With the possible exceptions of Andrew Flintoff and the somewhat imperious Kevin Pietersen, England seem to be lacking any sort of inspiration. It will be interesting to see whether Ian Bell keeps his place at number three, with Owais Shah (rightly) breathing down his neck. Since falling one short of a maiden double-century against South Africa at Lord's last summer, Bell has failed spectacularly on a number of occasions. I won't be overly surprised if Bell is named in the team tomorrow, but at least one change will be needed, and it could (perhaps should) be Ian Bell.
On Saturday, England's rugby team travel to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium to take on an impressive Wales team. England won't be heavily fancied for this one, and Martin Johnson said earlier in the week that not much will be expected of them. Try telling that to the tens of thousands who got sucked into World Cup fever in 2003, and again in 2007, Martin. In case Mr. Johnson hasn't realised yet (I'm sure he has, really), England fans are always expectant. After Saturday, England travel to Croke Park two weeks later. With Ireland expected to beat Italy on Sunday, lose against Wales and England's Six Nations campaign for 2009 may well be over.
Not much can really be said about England's footballers' performance last night. They played well in patches, and David Beckham's second-half showing may give England fans belief that he is still capable of performing at the very top level. Quite simply, England were taught a lesson by an admittedly brilliant Spanish team. While England struggle to find a permanent goalkeeper, for example, the Spanish boast Jose Reina, as backup to Iker Casillas. Fabio Capello won't be too worried about last night's defeat, but for the English sporting all-rounder, it brought to an end a frustrating week.
Nadal slams doping rules.
Finally, a word on Rafael Nadal's rant about the stringent anti-doping rules in tennis. For those of you unaware of the process, each player must state where they will be for one hour of every day, so they can be selected for random tests. If a player misses three of these tests in 18 months, they may face a suspension. You may agree with Nadal that these rules are over the top, but with career earnings already surpassing $22 million, and approaching $1.5 million for the year, surely he should be privileged to be in the position that he is. You are a professional Rafa, start acting like it.
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