I checked BBC Sport earlier, like I usually do in the morning. Usually on a Monday morning there are match reports from the weekend Premiership matches and not much else.
But today was different. What I saw was the England cricket team hit a mammoth record-braking score against Australia in the Ashes. The Three Lions finally declared on 517 for 1, with our top three batsmen Andrew Strauss, Alistair Cook and Jonathan Trott all hitting centuries. I couldn't believe my eyes.
After the third day's play, Australia were in a commanding position, leading by 221 runs after both teams finished their first innings. From this position, England teams of old would have simply rolled over and lose the match by an innings. But this England team is different. Under Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss, England have gelled into a tough, resilient unit. Instead of letting Australia win with ease, Strauss, Cook and Trott put the Aussies to the sword, breaking many records along the way.
I was shocked at the score England produced simply because I was expecting a batting collapse. Usually when the opponents make batting easy, we struggle in the most typical English way. But thankfully I was proved wrong and this surely sends a signal to the Aussies that this England team will fight to the death, unlike previous sides.
What particularly pleased me was the double century by opening batsmen Alistair Cook. Cook came into the Ashes series with pundits saying he should be dropped from the side. But what a response he made. His wonderful 235 not out was even sweeter because this was his first ever first-class double century. What a time to get it!
The way England fought back from certain defeat has confirmed my prediction that England will win the Ashes. This England side are a match for anyone nowadays and I'm looking forward to writing some blogs about some England victories.
Monday, 29 November 2010
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
What a waste of time, Fraudley
I was looking forward to the David Haye vs Audley Harrison fight on Saturday.
And then I watched it.
It was an absolute waste of time and money and I feel sorry for the viewers who paid £15 to watch it on Sky Box Office. I'm not blaming David Haye for this, he demolished Harrison in the third round and deserved to retain his belt. But I blame Harrison for the rubbish we all saw the weekend.
In the build-up to the fight, A-Force was saying how winning the fight against Haye was his "destiny." He trained very hard in the mountains in California and was bigger and had a better reach than Haye. It was all gearing up to a great fight, especially with the taunts both fighters gave each other in the press conferences on Sky Sports News. I, like other fans, was really looking forward to it.
But the first two rounds of the fight were just awful, there's no other word for it. It was so negative, there was hardly any punches thrown and I was not surprised about the loud boos after each round.
Then David Haye came alive and knocked out Harrison in one of the worst mis-matches ever. I don't understand how David Haye, who holds one of the world title belts, can fight someone who is not even in the top three heavyweights in Great Britain, let alone the world. It doesn't exactly make the heavyweight division prestigious knowing that a journeyman who underachieved so badly throughout his career can fight for a world title. Harrison only got a shot because Haye couldn't negotiate with any of the Klitschko brothers and the fact that Harrison just about knocked out Michael Sprott to win the useless European title.
The fight with David Haye sums up Harrison's career. Talk the talk before the fight. But when it comes to boxing, he doesn't walk the walk and never has done.
A-Force. Don't make me laugh.
And then I watched it.
It was an absolute waste of time and money and I feel sorry for the viewers who paid £15 to watch it on Sky Box Office. I'm not blaming David Haye for this, he demolished Harrison in the third round and deserved to retain his belt. But I blame Harrison for the rubbish we all saw the weekend.
In the build-up to the fight, A-Force was saying how winning the fight against Haye was his "destiny." He trained very hard in the mountains in California and was bigger and had a better reach than Haye. It was all gearing up to a great fight, especially with the taunts both fighters gave each other in the press conferences on Sky Sports News. I, like other fans, was really looking forward to it.
But the first two rounds of the fight were just awful, there's no other word for it. It was so negative, there was hardly any punches thrown and I was not surprised about the loud boos after each round.
Then David Haye came alive and knocked out Harrison in one of the worst mis-matches ever. I don't understand how David Haye, who holds one of the world title belts, can fight someone who is not even in the top three heavyweights in Great Britain, let alone the world. It doesn't exactly make the heavyweight division prestigious knowing that a journeyman who underachieved so badly throughout his career can fight for a world title. Harrison only got a shot because Haye couldn't negotiate with any of the Klitschko brothers and the fact that Harrison just about knocked out Michael Sprott to win the useless European title.
The fight with David Haye sums up Harrison's career. Talk the talk before the fight. But when it comes to boxing, he doesn't walk the walk and never has done.
A-Force. Don't make me laugh.
Saturday, 13 November 2010
A very sad state of affairs
Wednesday. 8pm. Pub. Manchester City v Manchester United. A great match in prospect.
End result?
A boring, lethargic 0-0 draw. One of the worst football matches I have ever seen.
In the days leading up to the match,there was the most unbelievable hype shown by the press and the two respective teams. It was all building up to a mega game with lots of goals,controversy, drama and unbelievable skill. At the end of the match, I saw none of these. Not even close.
This match was meant to be the pinnacle of the Barclays Premier League, full of pace, power and ultimately goals. Fans and neutrals were instead subject to absolute rubbish. There were many reasons for this. Firstly, both teams didn't have the ability to pass the ball to their team mates. These are international footballers who struggled to pass throughout the entire match. Also, Sir Alex Ferguson and Roberto Mancini set up their sides in a 4-5-1 formation, meaning they only played one striker showing both Manchester clubs were very defensive-minded. None of the teams wanted to win the match, they were happy not to lose and happy to settle for a point, a very sad state of affairs.
The match was so drab that the first offside of the match was in the 60th minute. This isn't due to forwards timing their runs well, it's because it was the first time a team got round the back the defence. How can that be right? How can that be right that two very good teams with star players take 60 minutes to get round the back of a defence? It's just not right.
Fans and pundits have been trying to make excuses for why the match was so bad. Some have argued that both sides were not at full strength. This is true but despite this City played Carlos Tevez and David Silva, while United played in-form Dimitar Berbatov and Nani. As a West Ham fan, I would love to have any of those players in my side and it is rubbish to suggest that these players couldn't have produced a match-winning performance and won their side the match.
Premiership, you're having a laugh.
End result?
A boring, lethargic 0-0 draw. One of the worst football matches I have ever seen.
In the days leading up to the match,there was the most unbelievable hype shown by the press and the two respective teams. It was all building up to a mega game with lots of goals,controversy, drama and unbelievable skill. At the end of the match, I saw none of these. Not even close.
This match was meant to be the pinnacle of the Barclays Premier League, full of pace, power and ultimately goals. Fans and neutrals were instead subject to absolute rubbish. There were many reasons for this. Firstly, both teams didn't have the ability to pass the ball to their team mates. These are international footballers who struggled to pass throughout the entire match. Also, Sir Alex Ferguson and Roberto Mancini set up their sides in a 4-5-1 formation, meaning they only played one striker showing both Manchester clubs were very defensive-minded. None of the teams wanted to win the match, they were happy not to lose and happy to settle for a point, a very sad state of affairs.
The match was so drab that the first offside of the match was in the 60th minute. This isn't due to forwards timing their runs well, it's because it was the first time a team got round the back the defence. How can that be right? How can that be right that two very good teams with star players take 60 minutes to get round the back of a defence? It's just not right.
Fans and pundits have been trying to make excuses for why the match was so bad. Some have argued that both sides were not at full strength. This is true but despite this City played Carlos Tevez and David Silva, while United played in-form Dimitar Berbatov and Nani. As a West Ham fan, I would love to have any of those players in my side and it is rubbish to suggest that these players couldn't have produced a match-winning performance and won their side the match.
Premiership, you're having a laugh.
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Monday, 8 November 2010
Start doing it the the Premiership, Bale
Tottenham's Gareth Bale is once again the main subject of conversation with football fans and pundits. Spurs beat the defending champions Inter Milan 3-1 at White Hart Lane. Bale was the star of the show, as he was in the reverse fixture when he scored a brilliant hat-trick at the San Siro. That night, he left Inter right-back Maicon for dead and set up two goals.
Suddenly everyone from journalists to everyday fans were praising Bale as the best left midfielder in the world and wishing he was eligible for England.
I don't agree.
I'm not denying Bale has been brilliant in the Champions League this season; he has been one of the best players of the competition so far. But in the Premier League, the Welshman has not been as successful. He has only scored two goals and set up none. This is compared to the Champions League where he has scored four goals and assisted six, with four of those in the qualifying stages.
Now Bale played very well against Inter full back Maicon, lauded as one of the best players in the world. However, Maicon, like Dani Alves of Barcelona and Glen Johnson of Liverpool, is a very good attacking full back but is suspect defensively. That is why Bale has had great success in Europe against Inter because Maicon is not very good at defending, leaving Bale room to sprint down the line and whip crosses in. But Bale has a lot of joy playing against defenders who don't attack so much, like Phil Neville of Everton. From what I hear, Neville marked Bale out of the Tottenham vs Everton game played in October. Well, Neville must have been good because he was trending on Twitter!
I think Bale still as a lot to prove before he is even considered a world-class player. Like fellow Welshman Ryan Giggs, Bale needs to be more consistent in the Premier League and win more honours before he is even mentioned in a World XI.
Suddenly everyone from journalists to everyday fans were praising Bale as the best left midfielder in the world and wishing he was eligible for England.
I don't agree.
I'm not denying Bale has been brilliant in the Champions League this season; he has been one of the best players of the competition so far. But in the Premier League, the Welshman has not been as successful. He has only scored two goals and set up none. This is compared to the Champions League where he has scored four goals and assisted six, with four of those in the qualifying stages.
Now Bale played very well against Inter full back Maicon, lauded as one of the best players in the world. However, Maicon, like Dani Alves of Barcelona and Glen Johnson of Liverpool, is a very good attacking full back but is suspect defensively. That is why Bale has had great success in Europe against Inter because Maicon is not very good at defending, leaving Bale room to sprint down the line and whip crosses in. But Bale has a lot of joy playing against defenders who don't attack so much, like Phil Neville of Everton. From what I hear, Neville marked Bale out of the Tottenham vs Everton game played in October. Well, Neville must have been good because he was trending on Twitter!
I think Bale still as a lot to prove before he is even considered a world-class player. Like fellow Welshman Ryan Giggs, Bale needs to be more consistent in the Premier League and win more honours before he is even mentioned in a World XI.
Friday, 5 November 2010
I found my way to Court, without needing to ask directions
Yesterday, I went to a Magistrates Court in Woking. Before then, I never went to a court of any kind so I was intrigued to find out what goes on. It was a great experience sitting in the public gallery and writing notes about the case. But what happened in the court wasn't surprising. You listen to evidence from the prosecution then the defence argues against this and then a verdict. What was surprising though was the journey.
One of my mates drove us to a car park vaguely near the court. However, there was still a fair distance walk to the Magistrates. Now in England there are simply no sign posts directing you to places people actually want to go to, like the cinema. So it was a great surprise that there were signposts directing us to the court. It was amazing. The signs literally directed you where to walk, meaning I didn't get lost, for once.
This brings me on to my next point about signposts in general. If you are driving around the country you are very unlikely to find signs that direct you to other towns. You know you are lost in Great Britain where there is a sign saying, "Town Centre" and you ask, "What town?"
There are also many traffic signs which are a complete waste of money and time. During the summer I genuinely drove past a sign reading, "Sign not in use." Rubbish. What a waste of a sign. Another of my personal favourites is the sign, "Falling rocks." Comedian Jimmy Carr explains this sign perfectly, "Random accidents ahead, life's a lottery. Be lucky." Seriously, what are meant to do with that information? A better idea is simply don't build a road near a collapsing cliff. Simple.
One of my mates drove us to a car park vaguely near the court. However, there was still a fair distance walk to the Magistrates. Now in England there are simply no sign posts directing you to places people actually want to go to, like the cinema. So it was a great surprise that there were signposts directing us to the court. It was amazing. The signs literally directed you where to walk, meaning I didn't get lost, for once.
This brings me on to my next point about signposts in general. If you are driving around the country you are very unlikely to find signs that direct you to other towns. You know you are lost in Great Britain where there is a sign saying, "Town Centre" and you ask, "What town?"
There are also many traffic signs which are a complete waste of money and time. During the summer I genuinely drove past a sign reading, "Sign not in use." Rubbish. What a waste of a sign. Another of my personal favourites is the sign, "Falling rocks." Comedian Jimmy Carr explains this sign perfectly, "Random accidents ahead, life's a lottery. Be lucky." Seriously, what are meant to do with that information? A better idea is simply don't build a road near a collapsing cliff. Simple.
Monday, 1 November 2010
Who will win the Ashes?
All the momentum is with England ahead of the momentous Ashes series Down Under. Australia are in a barren spell, having been defeated seven matches in a row in all formats of the game. This is in contrast to England, who beat Pakistan and Bangladesh in both Test matches and ODI's in the summer, plus England won the ICC World Twenty20 in May, ironically beating the Aussies in the final. So as things stand, England are in a great position to win the Ashes Down Under for the first time since their 2-1 victory in 1986/87.
Despite Australia being on a barren run, they are nevertheless a formidable side to play in their own backyard. The atmosphere and the stadiums are vastly different to what England players are used to when they play for their counties. If the England players get intimidated and let the Aussie crowd get to their heads, I don't see the Three Lions winning. Also, England shouldn't get complacent, because Australia still have some world-class players who could hurt England's chances like Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke, so I wouldn't get the champagne out just yet.
But, overall England are simply a better side than Australia. We have more match winners in our ranks and a bowling attack that has the ability to take the necessary 20 wickets, something I feel that the Aussies will struggle with. This means that if England play to their very highest levels then they will win easily. This Australian team has lost its aura since legends like Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne retired. They have struggled so badly since 2007 that Australia are now fifth in the ICC Test rankings, their lowest position ever.
For once, I genuinely believe that England will retain the Ashes and win comfortably. This is without doubt the best chance England have had in winning the Ashes in Australia since 1986/87.
My prediction. 3-1 to the Three Lions.
Despite Australia being on a barren run, they are nevertheless a formidable side to play in their own backyard. The atmosphere and the stadiums are vastly different to what England players are used to when they play for their counties. If the England players get intimidated and let the Aussie crowd get to their heads, I don't see the Three Lions winning. Also, England shouldn't get complacent, because Australia still have some world-class players who could hurt England's chances like Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke, so I wouldn't get the champagne out just yet.
But, overall England are simply a better side than Australia. We have more match winners in our ranks and a bowling attack that has the ability to take the necessary 20 wickets, something I feel that the Aussies will struggle with. This means that if England play to their very highest levels then they will win easily. This Australian team has lost its aura since legends like Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne retired. They have struggled so badly since 2007 that Australia are now fifth in the ICC Test rankings, their lowest position ever.
For once, I genuinely believe that England will retain the Ashes and win comfortably. This is without doubt the best chance England have had in winning the Ashes in Australia since 1986/87.
My prediction. 3-1 to the Three Lions.
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