IN a comeback to rival those of Napoleon, Muhammad Ali and ‘Dirty
Den’, Jose Mourinho has returned to the Bridge and, if nothing else, the impending clash of quotes with Ian Holloway is enough to wet the appetite.
Whatever you think about the ‘Special One’ his record speaks
for itself, and with City gunning for revenge, United entering a new era,
Arsenal with cash to spend, and Liverpool and Spurs keeping hold of their star
strikers (OK...the last three won’t happen) next season is already shaping up to
be a classic.
For now though we will have to satisfy ourselves with
international action, yet with cricket, rugby and football all on the agenda, we shouldn't really complain.
In Football we have yet to shake off the same old problem.
While the modern player could dribble into a police station carrying cocaine and come out with possession, England would lose out holding a bag of
flour. That said credit where credit is due for a battling performance in Rio, with two good goals and an
improvement in the heat which bodes well for the World Cup – if of course, they
manage to get that far...
The heat at the Maracana was nothing compared with that in Hong Kong
but that was of little concern as the Lions enjoyed a rampant victory. Many
British fans find it hard to abandon their partisan bias, but us
Englishmen can only revel in having the likes of Phillips, Tipuric and Faletau on
our side. In an era where territory has strangled running rugby, and pint
glasses have been swapped for protein shakes, you do have to wonder for how
long the Barbarians can survive...
In their current form you wouldn’t give England’s one-day
cricket team much chance either, as they were bamboozled for the second time
running by the resurgent Kiwis. It’s not nice to pick on individuals (cough
Dernbach cough) but 50-over bowling is about rhythm and pressure rather than Hollywood balls, while batting is about steady accumulation rather than four
dot balls followed by a mad, come-what-may swipe. (cough whole team except
Trott).
Over in Paris the prospect of a Nadal-Djokovic showdown is
edging ever closer, and is becoming ever more impossible to call. What an
effort by Tommy Robredo in winning three matches on the trot from two sets
down, and if he continues his pattern against the metronome that is David Ferrer
that really will be a story.
In Olympics sports Mo Farah’s winning run finally came to an
end, but to place second against top opposition and with a virus is still not
bad, and compared to fellow London winners Wiggins and Murray, he can’t be too
disappointed. London champion of the week however must be Ben Ainslie, who
after carrying the coffin at former teammate Andrew Simpson’s funeral, broke the
record for sailing round the Isle of Wight. A true champion.
Post Games year is the time when new names emerge in Olympic
sports, and with a ‘Brownlee-esque' domination in Madrid, Triathlete Non
Stanford did exactly that. After Cyclist Becky James, she is another new Welsh star in a year that has already been a great one for the valleys. And as the Lions tour warms up this week, we’ll be hoping
for more of the same from all their other stars down under...
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