European woes...but still the most entertaining?

In a week of drama, shocks and excitement the Premier League has proved yet again that it is the most exciting in world football.

At the top, Sir Alex got the title-challenger mind games going have by lambasting Patrick Viera’s criticism of Paul Scholes before simultaneously attacking the return of Carlos Tevez.

Ferguson and his team thrive in this situation, and despite Tevez and Samir Nasri’s midweek heroics against Chelsea, the title-race is now United’s to lose.

Considering their much publicised injuries and insufficiencies it is amazing that they contending at all, and the genius of Ferguson and his generals Scholes and Giggs must be applauded once again.

Arsenal’s recent recovery has also been astounding, and after another fine week they are moving clear of their London rivals. RVP remains the star, but the return of the first-choice back five has also been key.

With Peter Crouch’s wonder-strike and QPR’s wonder-comeback, it was a week of thrills.

But Bolton’s ‘fab’ win over Blackburn was the most heart-warming, as they showed Muamba-like fight to triumph and cut Wolves adrift at the bottom of the table.

It was a pity that the Old Firm match was not played with the same derby spirit, and despite the brilliance of Barcelona’s record scorer Messi, even La Liga does not have the same unpredictability and excitement as the Prem.   

Speaking of excitement, with the Six Nations over Rugby focus turned to Hong Kong, as perennial Seven’s stars Fiji beat England on way to victory, while on these shores Wales boss Warren Gatland was approached for the Lions job.

With England’s latest Test series approaching, spot fixing was back dominating the cricket agenda after a series of interviews with Pakistan’s Mohammed Amir. On the field Afghanistan continued their rise by reaching their second successive Twenty20 World Cup.

Underdogs also succeeded in Formula One, where Ferrari and Fernando Alonso prospered in wet Malaysia ahead of rising star Sergio Perez.

But in Golf it was a week for the veteran as Tiger Woods showed ominous pre-Masters form by winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

In the UK it was a week of charity, and in Rugby League Leeds marked Sport Relief by dyeing their hair pink before being comprehensively beaten by St Helens.

The issue of whether appearance affects performance has been a prominent one this week with the revealing of Britain’s Olympic kit.

But it is not what you wear, but what you do in it which matters, and our performances continue to encourage. After much criticism in 2012, Tom Daley has won three World Cup medals this week, as he chases China’s brilliant world-leader Qui Bo.

And the hierarchical battle between our top female cyclists continued as Lizzie Armistead won in Belgium to put more pressure on Beijing champion Nicole Cooke for the sole team-leader spot.

The Olympics, like the Premier League, is a physical and mental struggle towards perfection.

 After his sad death this week, Darts’ Jocky Wilson belonged to a vastly different culture. Yet he remained a great entertainer, and it is important to remember that thrills and excitement are also key aspects of modern sport.  

Records, comebacks and slams...but ultimately tragedy

There were doses of triumph, failure and controversy this week, but the halcyon world of sporting drama was put firmly into the shade by events at White Hart Lane.

Fabrice Muamba’s is one of the fittest players in the most physically demanding of disciplines, but was not immune from a condition which is all the more worrying in modern sport.

Once dubbed the ‘black Robbie Savage’, his fitness, intelligence and humility is deserving of far greater accolades than that, and the determination he has shown in hospital displays that perfectly.

He is a modern, cultured footballer and this, together with the unity and respect shown by the nation’s fans, are both positive aspects of the game so often overlooked by the media.

Football is a community and although it takes catastrophe to unite it, the spontaneous reactions of players and fans must be applauded.

Rugby had its own tragedy this week with the death of Merv ‘the Swerve’ Davies, and it was a fitting testimony that his Welsh team reacted by securing their third Grand Slam in 8 years.

With a series of typically thumping tackles, Dan Lydiate has been the player of the tournament, and in a side blessed with leaders all over the pitch, even an injury to skipper Sam Warburton made no difference.

The standard of the tournament as a whole was not that high. Ireland’s deficiencies in the pack were brutally exposed, France were typically erratic, while Scotland were lacklustre and  deserving of the wooden spoon.

But for England it was a season of real progress. They have new stars in Robshaw, Morgan and Farrell, and old ones reborn in Tom Croft.

And in a way, they were just a Scott Williams wonder-try away from a Grand-Slam.

We should not get carried away, but Stuart Lancaster has surely done enough to merit the full time job, and replacing him would only upset the unity he has created.

It Welsh Rugby now represents efficiency and physicality more than ingenuity, Wales’ foremost football team’s attacking prowess has drawn comparisons with Barcelona after Swansea’s demolition of Fulham.

But England’s European woes continued as both Manchester clubs exited the Europa League, with Joe Hart’s last minute attempt failing to disguise a dismal campaign from both.

On the bureaucratic side, Premier League Chairman Dave Richards has fermented further diplomatic embarrassment, with a series of remarks defending our heritage and drinking culture before falling unceremoniously into a duck pond.

His criticism of FIFA may have foundation, but considering he is no more elected and accountable than Sepp Blatter, he is in no position to talk.

With all the furore surrounding the exit of A V-B, it is ironic that Chelsea are our sole representatives left in Europe. But with old campaigners Lampard, Terry and Drogba to the fore, it was a spirited and deserved win over Napoli, and even Fernando Torres has since found the net.  

In other sports however our success is more widespread.

Jenson Button got his 2012 campaign off to a perfect start by holding off a Red Bull fightback to triumph in Melbourne.

And after becoming the third Brit to win across the pond in in successive weeks, Luke Donald reclaimed Golf’s world number one ranking.

There were contrasting fortunes for some of sports greats. Roger Federer won in Indian Wells after earlier exits for Murray and Djokovic, but Ian Thorpe comprehensively failed in his Olympic quest at the Aussie trials.

At Cheltenham there was agonising failure for Kauto Star, but glory for AP McCoy, who brilliantly rode Synchronised to victory to claim his first Gold Cup win.

But the final word must go to the ‘little master’ as Sachin Tendulkar finally netted his hundredth international hundred, against Bangladesh.

Success and Failure is what we think about most in sport, and while the case of Fabrice Muamba shows there is much more to it than that, where would we be without the brilliance of McCoy, Federer and Tendulkar?

The good, the bad and the ugly: a week of sporting contrast...

After a week that had done much to show the positives of our nation, it was shameful to see two boxers disgrace themselves so appallingly in Berlin.

With tripod swinging and bottle smashing to add to his gang-rape, severed heads and toe breaking related misdemeanors, David Haye is an idiot who should no longer be taken seriously.

Derek Chisora is even worse. Planned or not, the weigh in slap was shocking and more akin to a street fighting gangster than a patriot.  

The water-spitting incident was repulsive, and in the press conference whatever Haye’s role, it was Chisora who instigated the ‘brawl’ and repeatedly threatened to shoot and burn his rival.

And was he even joking?

The sad thing was that in the ring he had performed well, drawing boxing if not manly respect from the Klitschko’s as he displayed the durability of a future champion.

But with arrest and jail now a possibility, he may never get the chance, and would he deserve it?

His behaviour, that of an out of control lunatic, contrasted so sharply with the courteous, gentlemanly and intelligent conduct of the two Klitschko’s - true champions throughout.

A disgrace to his sport and country, Chisora would be more at home in the fake, soap-orientated world of WWE Wrestling.

Yet the weekend also illustrated what is good about British sport, as 32.754 seconds of Friday night team sprinting prowess, began 2012 Olympic fever five months early.

 Pendleton and Varnish's world record started the ‘cycle’, but Sir Chris Hoy followed suit, as the real McCoy found his best form since Beijing in taking two individual titles.

Up in Birmingham our much criticised track and field team were performing almost as well. British Records for Mo Farah and Shara Proctor, a world leading hurdles exhibition from Jess Ennis, and a host of other fine efforts from the likes of jumpers Bleasdale and Grabarz.

Both squads must and can find further improvement. But both are very much on track for 2012 and 4^th place on the medals table is an impressively realistic aim.

Cricket has also mounted a notable recovery. Nothing should detract from the disappointment of the test series but the comeback has been strong.

The bowling and field restrictions limiting Pakistan’s spinners have been influential, but Cook and now Pietersen have shown that true class is permanent, while the form of speedster Steve Finn certainly merits test inclusion.

Football has endured a seemingly quieter week, but the return of Carlos “I was treated like a dog but on 250k a week’ Tevez has created further tension.

Financial woes affecting Rangers and Portsmouth are disturbing, while the ever-rising player versus coach row at Chelsea is threatening to erupt.

Chelsea have problems but the plight of London rivals Arsenal is even worse.

After their San Siro obliteration midweek, their tame 2-0 defeat at Sunderland was arguably even worse.

No trophies for another year, and while the fiscally prudent board must be blamed, the coach and players, some of whom are just not good enough, are also guilty.

Robin Van Persie is a man who carries 10 mugs but no cups, but will he or Arsene Wenger remain for next season?

In a Six-Nations rest week, Harlequins, Gloucester and Leicester enjoyed narrow Premiership wins, as Jim Mallinder and Wayne Smith were the latest names to rule themselves out in the battle for England coach.

A comeback win for Roger Federer in Rotterdam, and a 51 ball 117 for South African debutant Richard Levi were other highlights.

And ‘Linsanity’ is sweeping America after Taiwanese-born rookie Jeremy Lin appeared from nowhere to lead the New York Knicks towards the NBA title.

Lin is Basketball’s new star, but let’s hope the golden approach of Hoy is his destiny rather than the thuggish stupidity of Chisora...

An Italian abandoning a sinking ship? Another contentious week of football...

Despite the ‘Kick it out’ campaign, racism has dominated the 2012 football agenda, with an Old Trafford showdown and the England manager its latest victims.

Capello may be our statistically most successful boss ever, but it is tournaments which count, and after the shambles of South Africa, he has left the team in dire straits ahead of this summer’s Euro’s.

He may blame the FA for their lack of consultation, but while some sympathy can be felt, John Terry is certainly not a justifiable cause to defend.

And with Capello out the country and speaking such little English, how were the FA meant to get in contact in the first place?

Since his tax-evasion clearance, Harry Redknapp has risen to saint-like proportions in the media, but doubts remain over his validity for the role.

Is wheeler-dealer, cockney geezer ‘Arry really appropriate, and is his club record really good enough?

Yet as Capello illustrates managerial statistics can lie and there seems no one better, let alone available, for the role.

And the role of manager’s must further be questioned after that farcical Liverpool v United showdown.

Yes, Suarez was stupid to not shake Evra’s hand, and his approach underlines the egotistical arrogance of the modern footballer.

But Evra has no right to take the moral high-ground. He reacted to Suarez’s gesture after withdrawing his own hand and his post-match celebration was disgraceful.

And speaking of hypocrisy, while Dalgleish’s reaction was bizarre, what right does Ferguson have to claim Suarez must be sold? Did he do the same when the ‘shit kicked the fan’ in 1995, or when Rio Ferdinand missed a drugs test?

It needed something special to prove football can still be a force for good, but Zambia’s thrilling African Nations Cup win, and Barcelona’s shock 2-3 reverse at Osasuna went some way to doing that.

And after more sterling displays, Paul Scholes and Thierry Henry show that for some player’s utter class is permanent on and off the pitch.

With dwarf-gate a distant memory, the RFU can view the FA debacle with a glimmer of satisfaction after the Lancaster revolution trundled rather than rumbled on in snowy Rome.

The team remains error-prone and over-reliant on Charlie Hodgson’s intercepting, but with young stars Farrell and Barritt among the highlights, things are looking up.

England’s cause should be helped further by the rearrangement of the France v Ireland showdown, but it is clear Wales are the team to beat after their second half dismantling of hapless Scotland.  

The week’s undisputed sporting hero however is tennis’ Dan Evans, who produced two unexpected and sensational victories in Britain’s nail-biting triumph over Slovakia.

With Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins becoming a world-class doubles pair and Andy Murray to return, a strong team is in the making, and with Fed Cup success and strong juniors British Tennis could be entering a golden period. You heard it here first...

Some of 2012’s biggest prospects also started this career-defining year in fine fettle, with double gold for Jess Ennis at the UK Indoor Champs in Sheffield, a world-leading pool showing from Becky Adlington, and two stage wins for Mark Cavendish in Qatar.

What our cricketers would do for such success. But they did finally win this week against, well, England, as they prepare for a typically drawn out ODI Series.

The long overdue suspension of Alberto Contador is another symbolic move against the cycling drugs war, but suspicions do remain over other stars, including Lance Armstrong, who came 2^nd on his Ironman triathlon debut in Panama.

Cycling, like British Tennis and Rugby is battling well to re-emerge from the doldrums, and after this week’s shameful shenanigans it could be football which slips far below.

What new twists lie in wait next week?

Drama in cricket, rugby, football...and BUCS Cross Country... in another eventful sporting week.

Sport has that wonderful ability to inspire a multitude of emotions, but it was ultimately football’s political histrionics which stole the limelight this week.

After John Terry’s FA imposed removal as England Captain Fabio Capello’s decision to criticise it on Italian TV was reckless, brazen and unprofessional.

While he might have seen it as a brave attempt to defend a player yet to be convicted, it is a matter which transcends legal grounds, and Terry’s removal was the correct decision. .

 With assault, adultery, and parking in a disabled space among his proven misdemeanours, he is unfitting of a role which is largely ambassadorial in nature.

The Capello-FA divide must either be repaired or ruptured immediately and no more members of that failed generation, such as Gerrard or Rooney, should be made Captain.

As Rugby has shown, tough times require fresh starts and the battle should be between inspirational scandal-free figures such as Joe Hart or Scott Parker.  

That Rugby Lancaster/Robshaw regime got off to a solid if unspectacular start as England intercepted their way to Six Nations victory over Scotland.

A win at Murrayfield can never be taken lightly, but the fact remains that a better team would have opened-up shaky English defence, and much improvement is needed.

France showed glimpses of their best form, but it was George North inspired Wales who impressed most, as they edged out Ireland despite the absence of much of their first-choice pack.

Wales continued their autumnal form, but 2011 seems a different age for England’s cricketers as they sunk to a miserable 3-0 defeat in Dubai.

Credit must go to the Pakistanis, who led by spin-sensation Saeed Ajmal, have a well balanced and vastly improved team.

Yet the tourist’s batsman lost the series as much as Pakistan won it. Serious questions must be asked of our top order, and new faces including Nottinghamshire’s James Taylor must be considered.

England must recover from adversity as all great sports teams do, but with tours to Sri Lanka and India on the way, 2012 could prove a nightmarish year.

The team lacks the ability to succeed when times are hard, that great strength shown by old Australian sides and also currently by Manchester United.

Goalkeeping and midfield woes remain, but after a stunning Stamford Bridge comeback, United could well defend their title come April. 

Screening the match before the Super Bowl was a great marketing coup for the Premier League and with over 111 million US viewers the popularity of the annual NFL extravaganza is astounding.  

Manning’s Giants ultimately edged Brady’s Patriots, but it was a thrilling, rollercoaster of a match putting Ireland v Wales, and Chelsea v Man U in the shade.

And once you get beyond the sheer American-ness of ad-breaks, patriotism and obscure stats, the game’s aura, professionalism and skill is something all of our sports could learn.

Much could also be gleaned from our sporting women as our Hockey and Judy Murray-led tennis teams thrived in the Champions Trophy and Fed Cup.

And despite a fall for Mo Farah in Boston, teenage endurance running is in fine fettle.

Birmingham Uni’s Jonny Hay sprinted to BUCS XC glory in snowy Cardiff before Stroud’s Tom Curr ran an indoor 4-minute mile in the US.

But it is tragedy with which we must end, as the death of Muhammad Ali’s old coach Angelo Dundee was followed by the news that Yuvraj Singh has been diagnosed with lung cancer.

Yuvraj has been a great player in the international and county game and we must all hope that he will recover like United, Wales and the Giants, and not like Indian or English cricket teams.  

11 hours in 3 days...Is Djokovic the greatest sportsman of all?

After collapses comebacks and great wins 2012 is already proving a defining year of sport, with a pulsating Aussie Open Final the obvious highlight.

The Wimbledon final of ’08 was the benchmark, but after six-hours of physical, technical and mental majesty this one was even better.  

Nadal is an enigma, a rampaging Majorcan matador whose recovery from 0-40 in the fourth set was world defining,

But unfortunately for him Djokovic belongs to a different world and it took super-human willpower for Nadal to even get close. After seven consecutive final defeats will he ever get a better chance?

The Serb matched the Spaniard mentally while out-serving and out-muscling him physically - a phenomenal competitor, athlete and man.

For those reasons Andy Murray should be mightily proud of his semi-final showing. The Lendl affect is already apparent and in many ways Murray’s tennis was closer to Djokovic’s than Nadal’s was.

The mental gap remains but it is closing, and that elusive Grand Slam will eventually come.

These matches were great adverts for the five set game and despite the greater variety of contenders after Azarenka’s triumph the Women’s game is struggling to compete.

After Djokovic’s heroics, Piers Morgan chose the occasion to lambast Footballers for struggling to play two matches in a week. Cheap shot it may have been but he does have a point...

England’s cricketers could also learn from these champions after a series ending defeat in Abu Dhabi.

Geoffrey Boycott called it “a load of rubbish”, yet while the Yorkshire-man speaks a lot of tosh this summery was bang on. Let’s hope he fulfils his promise to sell all three of his houses after England’s loss...

We all feigned anxiety before England’s sub-continent test but deep down thought that the boys would pull through. How wrong we were.

Strauss, Bell, Pietersen and Morgan (who must surely be dropped?) play spin with the deftness of Gordon Brown and are simply unsuited to these conditions, while even Graham Swann is struggling to back up his world-leading credentials.

And with grizzled warriors Ponting and Clarke back in form the Ashes next year suddenly look far less enticing...

Liverpool will also be approaching the future more positively after Cup wins over both halves of Manchester. League glory might be a long way off but a great knock-out team they remain.

It as a sad incitement on the current game that racism allegations at Anfield appeared inevitable, but with posted bullets and hand-shake refusals galore, events at Loftus Road lowered the bar further.

After his admission that he he cannot spell and writes like a two year old, Harry Redknapp restored some much needed 'pride' to the national game.

What does it matter when he has the brains to win a football match, I hear you cry. But is this man really capable of the demands of the nation’s second highest profile job?

England and Arsenal’s woes continued with Jack Wiltshire’s latest setback, while Alan Smith’s big loan move to MK Dons did little to excite the transfer damp squid.

It was also domestic-cup weekend end in Rugby, and League convert Joel Tomkins debuted with a brace of tries in Saracens 41-14 romp over Worcester.

And track star Mo Farah also thrived in unfamiliar territory as he won a thrilling race at the Kelvin Hall in a rare outing over 1,500m.

Farah is everywhere in the press in recent weeks, and his tale of dedication, maturity and attention to detail is of a sporting champion in the Djokoviccian mould.

Olympic sport success came also in Sailing and Hockey where Britain fought back to draw 2-2 with Olympic Champions Netherlands.

And in Golf Britain are as strong as ever as unheralded Robert Rock held off both Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods to win in Abu Dhabi, on the same day as 14 year old Lydia Ko won on the women’s tour.

It was another week of great sporting drama but, ahead of what could be a great career; Ko must look at Djokovic, Nadal and Farah for inspiration and not those feckless flops in Cricket and Football...

A wake up call for England...and for London football

After the Dubai debacle it has been an eye-opening week for English cricket.

Time will tell if it was a one-off setback or a more serious reality check, and while the former category seems more likely, the tourists were resoundingly outplayed by a resurgent Pakistan.

Despite the poor crowds it was another good advert for test cricket. The top sides are continuing to knock each other over for fun, and the game needs a strong Pakistani side.

The success of Saeed Akmal begs the question of Monty Panesar’s inclusion but it was England’s batting display which caused their defeat. Kevin Pietersen has received most of this criticism but all the top six were guilty.

 A reaction similar to those great recent Ashes recoveries at the Oval and the MCG is now required.

But in football the title recovery of London’s finest now seems beyond hope after a super-Sunday of Mancunian majesty.

Sky’s ‘day of payback’ came to nothing, and while Spurs and Arsenal can each count themselves unlucky they ultimately fell shot against sides with superior ability to win a big match.

As ever it was Ballotelli who made the headlines and, accidental or not, his stamp on Scott Parker fully deserved a ban.

And In a week where Marcos Baghdatis broke 6 racquets in 25 seconds and Thomas Berdych refused to shake hands with a beaten opponent, Ballotelli-itis appears to have engulfed tennis as well.

In beating another entertainer in Frenchman Michael Llodra, Murray underlined the futility of serve-volleying in the modern game, but his rivals woes have been exaggerated after Nadal, Federer and Djokovic all romped through the early rounds.

How much must English club Rugby envy such serene progress? Saracens join Cardiff and Edinburgh  in the Heineken Cup quarters, but Harlequins missed out after an awful 9-8 reverse to Connacht.

And it seemed worrying that while Chris Robshaw has been all but confirmed as England captain, he should be guilty of picking a scrum over a penalty in the game’s final moments.

British struggles have continued in other traditional sports, as after a Dutchman won the BDO World darts, Aussie Neil Robertson won the Masters Snooker.

Muhammad Ali has turned 70, but he has not been the only newsworthy sporting legend after a clash between past and present icons of the oval-balled game.

Pele’s dismissal of the credentials of the young whippersnapper Messi seem harsh, but he does have a point about the Argentinean’s international record, with the Olympics remaining Messi’s only accolade. Like with the state of England’s cricketers, time will provide the best answer.

Considering Olympic football, it is great to see that out of 191 players asked, only seven have turned down the chance to don the GB kit, and Beckham, Giggs, Bale and Ramsey are all likely inclusions.

Olympic action continues to hot up as heartbreak for Britons Rhythmic Gymnasts has been balanced by success elsewhere.

The athletics season has really got going this week as first Holly Bleasdale went second in the all-time indoor Pole Vault rankings with a stunning 4.87 clearance, 16cm above her old British Record.

Robbie Grabarz also got in on the jump success, clearing a world leading 2.34m. After five high jumpers lost their funding last year 2012 success always appeared inevitable.

And there has been more drama for distance legend Kenenisa Bekele after he was one of 35 Ethiopians banned from the national team after failing to attend a training camp.

His threats to change nationality are unlikely as athlete power, along with common sense, will surely prevail, but 2012 has been a frustrating year so far for Bekele, and for his nation who are struggling to keep up with imperious Kenyans.

LOCOG will not want Bekele to miss their London shindig. But a bomb scare would be an even more nightmarish occurrence. And while danger was thankfully avoided, a bomb scare was exactly what happened at the Winter Youth Olympics in Innsbruck, where an unexploded World War Two mine was discovered close to the action.

Just another bizarre occurrence in the world of sport...