World of Sport

One of the great things about sport is you don’t know what is going to happen. Expect the unexpected and all that.

United coming back from a goal down to snatch the Champions League in ‘99, City coming from two goals down to beat Gillingham in the year’s Div Two play-offs. Great stuff.

But just as sport serves up the highs, it also delivers the lows. The weekend just past was a sporting low.

Let’s start with the 6 Nations rugby. England and Scotland bored their way to a 15-15 draw with a try nowhere to be seen. I half watched the game but there wasn’t much there to keep me interested. England seem like they’re going backwards.

Then the Grand Prix came and went. Again, I tried to watch a bit of it but couldn’t hold on for long. Whose bright idea was it to get rid of fuel stops? Surely that is taking away a load of strategy and propensity for screw ups out of the race. And let’s face it, F1 is only really interesting when there’s a bit of mayhem going on.

The football on Sunday went utterly to type – United easy win City underwhelming draw – and then there was the supposed Tiger Woods return teleconference that turned into a plug for some tournament sponsors.

To finish off the anti-sport weekend we had the five-day grind that was England’s first Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong.

All in all, a forgettable spell. Let’s hope we’ve got some decent action in store this week to make up for it.

:: The Cheltenham festival might provide a highlight or two. I was looking down the guide for today’s Champion Hurdle and it referred to one of the horses having experience. I’m not sure if that’s an attribute I would give a horse. I’m not sure if Punjabi would arrive at the course thinking ‘Ah, I remember this place, always a good crowd in and I must remember not overstretch myself at the second last, I nearly did my cruciates last year.’ For the record, I’ve gone with Solwhit, for absolutely no reason. Go on my son.

* post race update: Binocular clearly had the experience.

United 7 Milan 2 – I didn’t see that coming.

The Rossoneri, a supposed powerhouse of European football, were way below Utd’s level. The obvious difference was the work rates. Darren Fletcher and Ji-sung Park were all over the place.

And although Ronaldinho probably has more ability than those two put together, that’s no good if you have no time and space on the ball.

Will United win it? They could do for sure, but I’m not convinced. I think the threat is coming from Arsenal and Chelsea – I’d be surprised to see Barca win it again even though they probably have the best side.

:: We’ve an interview with Colin Bell today and the Blues legend is urging City to play to win. Sounds obvious doesn’t it, but if you’ve seen some of City’s recent performance it’s a point worth making. Sunderland are in form after thrashing Bolton in midweek and will be up for a game on Sunday. City should give it to them. The last thing City want is to get bogged down in a midfield scrap. City should back their quality, play and win.

:: The build up to the F1 season continues apace. I keep seeing steely photos of Michael Schumacher on our wire service (can’t show them here because of licencing) – I swear he hasn’t aged a day since he last, quite liderally, hung up his steering wheel. The question is will the wily old driver still have his killer instinct? In his pomp ‘Schumi’ would have rammed anyone threatening his racing line (ie the track). Allegedly. No doubt we’ll find out on the first corner of the Sakhir circuit.

:: Quick update on my latest golf round as I know you’re all desperate to know – an 83 around Didsbury. The big furniture was firing, and, but for a disobedient lob wedge (how do you hit those things?), I may have cracked 80. There, you can carry on with your lives now.

I watched a fair bit of football one way or the other this weekend and found myself really wound up by the commentating.

And it’s not the oft-criticised summarisers that I’m complaining about, it’s the main commentators. It was just a constant stream of partly scripted mangled cliches and clunking word play.

Lines like, ‘Bury may have lost their cut, but they’ve certainly kept their thrust’, or ‘Bury have unleashed their fair share of slings and arrows this season, but that was outrageous fortune.’*

It was driving me mad. The problem is that these commentators are clearly very articulate people, but they can’t help themselves pushing it down people’s throats.

There is a famous tip for aspiring writers that instructs them to ‘murder their darlings’. It means that if you’ve written something that you’re particularly proud of, or if you read it back and a certain phrase smacks of ‘good writing’ then you should strike it out.

I would give commentators similar advice. If you’ve thought of something you think sounds particularly clever, don’t say it, it just sounds smug. Just call the  game.

*I’ve just made those up but no doubt they have been/will be used at some point

:: Has there ever been an F1 season where there hasn’t been controversy over car design? The latest one I’ve seen is the complaint over McLaren’s rear wing. The technical niggles are half of wha’t interesting in F1 though – all grist to the rumour mill.

:: GB tennis hit new lows with Davis Cup defeat against Lithuania. According to the Press Association the LTA receive more than £25million from Wimbledon each year. The Lithuanian tennis budget is less than £100,000.

I watched England v Egypt last night. Well, most of it. Rubbish.

They had the same problem that Liverpool had the other week when they were playing City: Gerrard was too far forward.

A midfield of Barry and Lampard is just too one-paced. Neat and tidy but no drive. They obviously looked better after the substitutes came on.

I never thought I’d say this, but Peter Crouch is probably our best bet to start up front. I’m not convinced by him as a footballer – he’s decent of course – but what you can say is that he’s different to what most international defences will be used to. He’s a bit of a curve ball.

That’s the glory of the World Cup of course, seeing what other nations have up their sleeves. Remember Blanco for Mexico doing that daft jumping trick to go through two defenders? Great stuff.

:: Haile Gebreselassie is going for a world record when he runs the Manchester 10k in May. The man is incredible. I thought you were meant to get slower with age, but at 36 the Ethiopian great is still going strong.

:: As promised, a report on my golf course debut for 2010. And as predicted, despite my ropey range form, I nailed my opening tee-shot a good 220 down the middle. Not Daly distances, admittedly, but it was a three-wood and it was freezing. I played solidly until the 15th when, trailing one of playing partners by a stableford point, I crumbled to a triple bogey, bogey, double bogey triple bogey finish. Cometh the hour, cometh the bottler.

What a weekend for Manchester football – that was a veritable storming of the capital by United and City.

If anything, City’s win was more noteworthy. This whole Bridge-Terry saga seems to be playing into the Blues hands (apart from Bridge obviously). I sensed a bit of siege mentality in the Stamford Bridge win. Carlos Tevez squared up to Terry, Bellamy gave him an earful (surprise) during and after the game – there was real intent.

Anyone who watched City against Stoke and Liverpool would probably agree that the performances have been a little flat. On Saturday, certainly in the second half, the spark was back.

City now have a bit of time off before facing Sunderland. You’d think with a good rest and the momentum gained from a win at Chelsea that match would be a gimme. Therefore, they are nailed on to lose.

Meanwhile the Carling Cup final was a good, open game and United deserved the win. It was a pity for Michael Owen but I’d still take him to the World Cup. What better player could you have to bring off the bench? He’s a big game player and if we get a chance, he’s our best bet to finish it.

Owen is what I would term a side net finisher (cf Robbie Fowler’s autobiography). A lot of his goals – his last two for example – sneak just inside the post and hit the sidenetting, always the sign of a precise finish.

:: Arsene Wenger was having a moan after Aaron Ramsey’s nasty leg break at the weekend. Fair enough, emotions will have been running high. Wenger said he didn’t believe it was a coincidence that three of his players of suffered nasty injuries like this. I agree, it isn’t. Arsenal are the most technically proficient side in the league. They move the ball quickly and often on the first touch. Ergo, less talented players will often be outwitted and mistime challenges.

:: Talking of technically proficient, I watched a bit of Barcelona on Saturday. Fantastic. You’ve just got to love watching Lionel Messi and Xavi ping the ball around in midfield.

:: I hit my first golf balls of 2010 at the range at the weekend and the early indications point to another year of frustration on the links. It didn’t help that every time I topped one it sent a horrible vibration through my hands, and when I did manage to get the club face on the ball it must have hooked more yards left than it went forward. Still, I’ve never been a great believer in range form. I fully expect my first tee-shot on Wednesday to go screaming 300 yards down the middle of the fairway. I shall report back in due course.

I was at the City v Liverpool game on Sunday and, much like our Blues reporter Stuart Brennan, felt the game got a bad rap in the national papers.

‘Bore draw’ is the buzz phrase being used but I didn’t see it like that. It was two solid, if unspectacular teams, cancelling each other out.

Liverpool were playing Steven Gerrard off the striker, a move that was probably cheered by City boss Roberto Mancini. The England man didn’t see enough of the ball from the visitors’ point of view and when he did, the Blues had the numbers to deal with him.

Both sides missed the drive from midfield that a player like Gerrard gives. It was all too pedestrian in the so called engine room and gave both defences ample time to see any impending danger.

Poor old Stephen Ireland, playing just behind the impressive Emmanuel Adebayor, had a shocker for City. But the Irishman should not be downhearted. His game is all about high-tariff passes and moves. When they come off there’s usually a chance on the end of it, but when they don’t he looks daft.

Still, it was a better performance from City and keeps their top four hopes alive. I still don’t think they’ll manage it though.

:: Good to see Ian Poulter win the World Match Play in Arizona – he’s a cracking match play player. A while a go Poulter caused a stir when he said he could be world number two behind Tiger Woods. If Tiger stays in the golfing wilderness for a while, Poulter could find himself going one better than his bold prediction. Poulter turned pro off a handicap of 4 – which says a lot about his self confidence. To put it in perspective, Sergio Garcia was off something like plus 6 when he went pro – that’s a difference of 10 shots. Yet when the two met in the semis, Poulter won 7&6. Just goes to show, natural talent is far from the full story when it comes to golf.

From what I’ve seen and read over the last couple of days, the Winter Olympics has been roundly criticised so far.

The main black mark hanging over the even has been the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili.

But on top of that there has been a lack of snow and reports of poorly organised events.

It’s a shame because I think the Winter Olympics is a cracking competition and in many ways more interesting than its summer counterpart.

Let’s face it, a lot of the events in the summer Olympics are pretty uninspiring. There are all those sports like wrestling, fencing, handball and sailing, which, although hugely skilled, just aren’t great spectator events. Then you have all the big sports (football, tennis and now golf) that are so watered down no-one is bothered about them anyway. The track and field is compelling stuff, mind, I’ll give you that.

But the Winter Olympics is cracking. I love the skiing, be it downhill, super g or possibly the best of the lot, slalom. The snowboard cross is fantastic to watch as are the ski jump, bobsleigh, luge and skeleton events.

On top of the admiration for the athletic prowess in all these disciplines, you have to hold your hands up to the sheer nerve required to even compete.

I was watching the women’s downhill yesterday, won by Lindsey Vonn, and there were some almighty wipe-outs. There were also some less high speed ones – poor old Marion Rolland.

I find myself watching most of the Winter Olympics through my hands – the competitors are so often literally on the edge.

But that’s what top level sport should be about, and despite all the setbacks the games have suffered, I’m still enjoying watching when I can.

:: Any City fans who thought their club was making strides on United  were given a reality check on Tuesday night. United were wiping the floor with Milan at San Siro (well they were until Seedorf scored) while City were struggling to nick a draw at 10-man Stoke. City really seem to have lost their rhythm at the moment, it all just seems like hard work. It was great to see Ronaldinho back in full flow for Milan though. What a talent he is.

:: No prizes for guessing what the big golf story is going to be on Friday – Tiger Woods speaks. Will we see him at the Masters in April? Find out tomorrow back on the main site from just after 4pm GMT.

A Premier League proposal to introduce a play-off for fourth place has been around in the newspapers this morning.

I’m not in favour.

It’s aimed at increasing interest for the teams outside the big four of United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Under this new format (which wouldn’t come in for another three years even it was approved), a team that finishes seventh would be able to sneak into the Champions League. (Fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh would play a mini knockout play-off.)

I’m just not buying that.

There are enough ways into Europe any way. If you finish fifth you’re in the Europa League, and there’s also a route in by winning the FA Cup.

Instead of a top four, people would just be going on about a top three and more than ever the Premier League would be divided.

Take a look at the current league table as an example of why this new system is unnecessary. Chelsea, United and Arsenal are away at the top. But Liverpool, Tottenham, City and Villa are all fighting for fourth place.

What would be the point of that quartet scrapping tooth and nail until the end of the season if they knew they were going to go into a play-off anyway? The dynamic of the league would be totally upset.

The battle for fourth place is usually one of the most keenly contested parts of the Premier League and the spot is earned on merit. There’s no need to change it.

I hereby declare this matter closed.*

:: Quick word about AC Milan v United on Tuesday. I’m really struggling to make a prediction on this one. My head says Milan are the stronger side, especially if Ronaldinho plays well, but the Reds have run into form of late. I think Milan will win at San Siro, but I feel United will win at Old Trafford. The question is what will be the respective scores? On reflection, I think I’m 50.01 per cent favouring Milan to go through.

The David Beckham line is obviously an interesting one. I did an interview with Teddy Sheringham about Beckham and he made the pertinent point that Beckham has a habit of bouncing back and proving people wrong. He did it after being sent off against Argentina in 98, he did it after leaving United and excelling for Real Madrid, and he’s surprised everyone by how well he’s played for Milan after seemingly cashing in his chips and signing for LA Galaxy. 10 minutes to go at Old Trafford, scores level, free-kick given to Milan 25-yards out. What do you reckon?

:: Finally, a short list: shopping for work trousers, untangling cables, one and a half hour car journeys and circuit classes. All these things are about as enjoyable as watching City trying to get into the FA Cup quarter-finals.

*In my own mind.

City are only behind Liverpool on goal difference after Tuesday night’s win over Bolton. But if they carry on playing like they did against the Trotters, they will be very lucky to finish in fourth place.

The Blues still look flaky in defence, especially at fullback. A team that shifts the ball quickly and precisely will be able to find gaps in there, as United did in the Carling Cup.

Contrary to the popular opinion on our message boards I thought Patrick Vieira had an encouraging game. Yes, his fitness levels aren’t great and his touch was a little clumsy, but he will regain match sharpness if he stays fit. What was promising for City fans was how much he saw of the ball.

The instinct to drop into the right areas will not leave him and he will be influential given a few games.

The big success story of the night for Blues was of course Adam Johnson. His performance had Premier League written all over it, and for a cool £8mill he could turn into a bargain.

Talking of bargains, Shay Given has been coming in for a bit of stick for his performances of late, mainly on the basis that he doesn’t command his area enough. I don’t really hold with this either.

Given might not come charging out as much as other keepers, but he is at least consistent. He guards his line ferociously, and even if he does allow a header to come in, more often than not he has the reflexes to deal with it.

Despite those positives, at the moment City are lacking the steel and fluency to crack the top four. Liverpool are picking their game up and have greater experience to call upon.

The clash at Eastlands between City and Liverpool on Feb 21 is the proverbial 6 pointer.

:: West Ham’s owners have caused a bit of a stir with their plea for their players and staff to take a wage cut this summer, claiming it will be ‘Armageddon’ if the Hammers are relegated. I totally agree with the wage cut plea. The Premier League is, understandably, obsessed with being the best league in the world, meaning paying massive salaries to the world’s best players. But my view on this is that you don’t necessarily need the best players to have a great league. Look at the Bundesliga as a prime example. Cheap tickets, high attendances and great atmospheres. The players might not be the best of the best, but they are good enough to support a thriving league. If players want to leave England for riches elsewhere let them go. Whatever.

Crumbs, as Penfold used to say, now we know why they call it transfer dead-line day.

This time last year clubs spent £170m in  January, compared to a measly £32m in 2010.

We did a live blog on the last four hours of the window – you can see how it unfolded here – and the most excitement probably came when one of the contributors offered to make a virtual cup of tea! (if that doesn’t make any sense, check the live blog at 4.37pm)

The biggest deal of the day from our perspective was of course Adam Johnson’s move to City for around £8mill. I’ve watched him play and he looked good. Strong on the ball, wiry and determined.

United as per usual did nothing. The Reds have to be the most boring deadline day team of all time (apart from the Dimitar Berbatov one).

But I suppose you can’t really blame Fergie given his side had just demolished Arsenal at the Emirates. I still think Chelsea will nick the title.

:: Talking of Chelsea, a quick word on John Terry. Leaving aside all moral judgements on him, I don’t think he should be England captain because I don’t rate him at international level. I like Matt Dickinson’s idea in the times asking if England need a permanent captain at all. For my money, just pick the best XI and make one of them captain, that way the selection is not biased. I think there needs to be a link man who can convey player issues to management and vice versa, but there’s no reason why that needs to be a first team starter.

:: I went to Bury v Rochdale at Gigg Lane last night – a good old fashioned derby game. There were some ferocious tackles flying in, mainly from Shakers midfield tyro Stephen Dawson, but referee Penn let the game flow really well and only brandished three yellows. If that was a Premier League match, I guarantee* that it would have been stop/start all the way and at least seven yellows shown. Bury won of course, but for me Rochdale looked stronger overall. They have some big units in that side and that counts for a lot in League Two. I still fancy Keith Hill’s men to go up, and let’s hope Bury make it a north west double.

*I do, I guarantee 

:: Finally, it’s RBS 6 Nations rugby this weekend. England have selected Sale Sharks star Matthew Tait at outside centre – a good move. I’d take electric pace over crash ball brawn every time.