The Current English Test Cricket

The Current English Test Cricket
The A-League
Back in the Saddle
The Sporting Media
The best time of year in Football

Please see below an article in response to some questions from regular contributor LRLB;

How about a write-up about how good the England XI (15 or more, really, if you consider Tremlett, Finn, Trott, Onions all provide excellent service when they get a chance. Would Panesar make the Australian team? Discuss) are at the moment?

Monty Panesar’s form has plateaued of late. He bowls a LOT of overs in English County Cricket, for some reward. I would suggest that when the Poms play on the Sub-Continent, Monty MAY get a look in on Bunsen-burners (instead of Bresnan), but his Test Career will only be revived if someone force feeds Graeme Swann a massive garden sprinkler and he suddenly needs an emergency appendectomy!!

Yes, Panesar would be the first choice Australian spinner. He has a reasonable Test record (126 wickets at 34.37), and he shades Nathan Hauritz (63 wickets at 34.98) for mine. He would take wickets on our decks, particularly in Adelaide, Sydney and Perth (helped by the Doctor and the bounce).

And how depressing it is to admit that they are very good to watch.

Yes, they are very good to watch. They score freely, particularly from 4-7 (Pietersen, Bell, Morgan and Prior are EASILY the best middle-order in world cricket right now), they bowl as one hungry pack, they have a top-notch non-chucking finger-spinner, Cook and Trott are just relentless & ruthless and Broad is becoming an accomplished bowling all-rounder.

I cannot believe how badly India bowled to Cook and Trott in England recently, apart from the excellent Praveen Kumar. For goodness sake, pitch the ball up, just outside off-stump, and NEVER bowl short to these two.

And a warning to poms not to waste the next few years complaining that this era of cricket is soft – like Australians did in the last decade.

Well, to be fair, Test Cricket is only so-so at this time. There is a massive shortage of world-class bowlers right now. Being blunt, A-List bowlers would include Jimmy Anderson, Dale Steyn, Graeme Swann (153 wickets at 28.82), then, mmmm, who? Harbhajan is near the end, Vettori is good but not great, we have no A-Listers, Mohammed Amer is brilliant but a proven cheat, Ishant Sharma needs 12 months rest, Zaheer’s body is stuffed and he eats as much as TBRSM, the Windies have no A-Listers, Saeed Ajmal bowls a doosra that is WORSE than bloody Murali, Mendis can’t get a run for the Lankans, and Shakib Al-Hasan has a MASSIVE load on his shoulders in Dhaka. It is NO coincidence that the Poms are top of the heap right now, given their attack and their deep batting.

The featherbeds being prepared by curators are money for jam for half-decent top orders, which is why our Series win in Sri Lanka is a pleasing result, given that they have Dilshan, Mahaela, Kumar, Samaraweera and Matthews. Honestly, some of my mates in NSW’s Western Zone could survive for a while against some Test attacks right now, on the autobahns that regularly get served up on the Sub-Continent and in the UAE.

I can’t see the Poms being complacent. They are not old yet, and are seriously hungry for blood. I would suggest that the Australian Test attack the next time we play there would include Copeland, Siddle, Hazlewood, Pattinson, Lyon & Beer. I HOPE that Mark Cameron’s move to the WACA pays dividends, and it would be great to see Luke Butterworth’s consistent excellence in the Sheffield Shield be rewarded soon. I have great respect for Andrew McDonald as well. BUT, put this lot up against Anderson, Swann, Broad, Bresnan, Tremlett and “Spanish” Onions; jeez, we have a lot to catch up.
Our quick demise surely indicates that the rest of the world is never that far away from even the most dominant team.

Correct, LRLB. We were dominant for 15 years, a time in which we had Glenn McGrath, S K Warne, Jason Gillespie and S C G MacGill. Our top order ranged from good to brilliant, and then there was A C Gilchrist.

They are gone, we got lazy, England (aka Sud Effrika Second XI) got serious, and there you have it.
What, too, are your reactions to the Argus report?

Good stuff. The type of brutal review that is typical of the Australia I grew up with. We have been extremely negligent, and we are paying the price. The Argus Report provides a blueprint for the future. Now if we can get the new Selection Panel to realise that Australia actually has 6 cricket States instead of one Sky Blue one, we might get around to choosing a well-balanced, experienced and tough Australian Test side.

Is this a significant watershed moment in the administration of Aus cricket?

Simple, YES.

Posted in Cricket | Leave a comment
The A-League
Posted on August 17, 2011
There have been many articles written lately that question the A-League and its direction. A common statement is “The A-League is at the crossroads”.

As an A-League fan and devotee, it would be churlish and plain ignorant of me to say that there is NOTHING wrong with the A-League. The sad demise of the North Queensland Fury, financial problems at other clubs (the Phoenix in particular) and the management of the A-League by the FFA are but three issues that come to mind.

Instead of being negative, here are some random ideas for the development of the A-League:

1. I must acknowledge that Craig Foster of the SMH suggested this idea; have the A-League run by an Independent Commission, totally separate of the FFA, very similar to the AFL and the now the NRL. An A-League Commission (ALC), specifically dedicated to the A-League and the A-League only, is essential to GROW the League. It is not sufficient to just keep paddling along, we need people of vision, brilliance, dedication and desire to make our League special. Let the FFA run Football across the country, and let the ALC run the A-League. Names that come to mind are John Singleton, David Hill, Craig Foster himself, Craig Johnston, Paul Wade, Simon Hill, Adrian Anderson and perhaps a young, up and coming English FA Executive with vision, drive, and the ruthlessness we need to succeed.
2. Whilst expansion has been only moderately successful, the League needs teams in Western Sydney, the Illawarra and, gulp, Canberra. Wollongong has a FOOTBALL culture, and with the renovated Wollongong Stadium in play, we should be there ASAP.

In retrospect, an Illawarra team would have been a more deserving choice than my Central Coast Mariners if the parameters were purely Football-based.

Western Sydney is a no-brainer, ESPECIALLY with the advent of the LOADED GWS Giants in 2012. A team playing out of Parramatta Stadium is essential.

Canberra, the time to strike is now. The Raiders and Brumbies are ordinary, the money is there, Canberra Stadium has a superb playing surface, all indicators are positive towards a team playing Canberra.

I would SERIOUSLY look at combining Gold Coast United and Wellington. Gold Coast United have almost no fan base, are competing in a very tight market against the Titans and Suns, and are really only a play-thing for a mining magnate.

The Phoenix, whilst playing at the excellent Caketin and having rabid fans, are in dire straits financially. They are also in New Zealand and are not eligible to play in the ACL. So, move them to Robina and have a competition with:

Brisbane, Gold Coast, Newcastle United, Central Coast, Western Sydney, Sydney FC, Wollongong, Canberra, Melbourne Victory, Melbourne Heart, Adelaide United, Perth.

This gives us a 12 team comp, with teams playing 33 games in the Home and Away season.

3. Introduce the FFA Cup. Simply, it’s time. We are ready for this. There are many options, but basically, get the best State League sides, maybe start with 64 teams, make the A-League teams play away first, yada yada yada.

4. Use the FFA Cup as a trailblazer for WORLD Football. Two Challenges per half for Gaffers, via a red flag. 12 interchanges per match, NOT including Goalkeepers. The 4th official is in charge of Video Replays. Play 4 quarters of 22 and a half minutes each. Silver Goal system during extra time. Simulation is an automatic 15 minute Sin Bin AND no interchanges during that 15 minutes. Equal broadcast rights for Foxtel & FTA. Grand Final on Australia Day, with venue to be tendered out to best bidder (a la Superbowl). FFA Cup Winner gets automatic qualification to ACL.

5. Get one A-League game a week onto FTA during Prime Time, either 7.30pm on Friday or Sunday Night.

6. Get rid of the Finals Series. First past the post wins. Second and third playoff, Home and Away, for final ACL berth.

7. Make the A-League teams, officials and Commission open, accountable and transparent. Engage the Press, ALL of them, create a level of professionalism akin to the NFL. Broadcast Judiciary hearings.

8. Create a Rookie Draft & Mature Age Draft. Run an under 18 competition similar to the TAC Cup in the AFL, and draft Rookies from there. To stop tanking, bottom 6 sides go into Draft Lottery.

It’s open season on these ideas, everyone.

Whatever else happens, make sure you get a membership this season, get to as many games as possible, and remember; never, EVER support the Newcastle United Football Club.



Posted in A-League, Football, Sport | Tagged A-League, Football | 1 Comment
Back in the Saddle
Posted on August 9, 2011
Hello Sports fans,

After a long hiatus, The Big Red Sports Machine is back, just in time for the start of the EPL, footy finals in Australia, the NFL and more.

AUSTRALIAN RULES

The AFL moves remorselessly toward a super Grand Final between Collingwood and Geelong. These two sides are clearly superior than the other sides in the Top 8. Hawthorn have too many injuries to Key Position players, despite the fact that they have Rioli, Mitchell, Hodge and Franklin. Carlton are close, really close, but lack a genuine full-forward and one more big man in defence. Geelong will be slightly concerned about having to face the Blues in a Prelim Final, as the Blues expose the Cats for sheer speed.

However, it is the West Coast Eagles who could be the surprise packet in September. The Eagles are playing excellent footy right now, very aggressive and desperate, and no-one will want to play them at Subiaco in the finals series. Big men Cox, Naitanui, Lynch and rookie Darling are proving a real handful, whilst the re-emergence of the brilliant Daniel Kerr and veteran Andrew Embley has created an excellent midfield, as good as any in the competition.

The recent run of lopsided results is no guide to September action, unfortunately. Collingwood and Geelong are in Cruise Control at this time, although Collingwood will have a decent test this Friday Night against St Kilda at Docklands. The last round of the Home & Away season pits Collingwood against Geelong; it will be fascinating to see if Malthouse and Scott play ducks & drakes and rest an abundance of players to have them cherry-ripe for the finals.

At this stage, it would somewhat risky to tip anything other than a mega Grand Final between Collingwood and Geelong. If this occurs, I think Collingwood would be 3-4 goal favourites, assuming no major injuries (to Cloke, O’Brien, Jolly or Pendlebury). A Magpies-Cats GF would be an AFL dream, and would rate its head off.

My, my, the GWS Giants have been in the Press a LOT of late. A generally negative vibe from the voracious Melbourne AFL press is driving the focus onto the Giants, stirred along by the legend in his own lunchbox, Collingwood President Eddie McGuire.

I have been to many Giants games in the NEAFL this season, and there are certainly some promising players in the squad. It is realistic to expect that the Giants will follow the Gold Coast Suns form and cop some hidings in 2012. What will be fascinating will be to observe how the Giants brains trust of Sheedy, Williams, Allen & Silvagni set about recruiting off-contract players from other teams. Sheedy has been quoted publicly as saying to Allen “get me a Spine”, and the apparent recruitment of Adelaide’s Phillip Davis is a step in that direction (Davis is a centre-half back). Potential No.1 Draft pick Jonathon Patton from Victoria is a centre-half forward or full-forward, and potential No.2 Steven Coniglio from WA is a left-footed midfielder. Coniglio is a very fine cricketer and the whisper from across the Nullabor is that Coniglio does NOT wish to move to Western Sydney.

One wonders if GWS could use this situation and pull off a blockbuster trade with either Fremantle or West Coast for Coniglio. Names that immediately come to mind are Freo ruckman Zac Clarke, Jack Darling from the Eagles, Fremantle’s Hayden Ballantyne or, dare I say it, Nic Naitinui.

FOOTBALL

After having the appetite for Football whetted by last night’s EPL season review for 2010-11, Football fans will be salivating at the prospect of the EPL commencing this weekend, with Daylight Savings looking favourably upon us for now, with early games on at a very reasonable 9.30pm AEST.

Will Manchester City finally make the big leap into the Top Two? Are they good enough to be phenomenally consistent over 38 rounds, as Chelsea and England’s most successful club, Manchester United, have been over the past decade? Will Arsenal, after so many years of being not quite good enough, part ways with Arsene Wenger when they are 7th at the Christmas Break? Will Tottenham Hotspur become clearly the best team in North London? Will QPR and Swansea City hang on and avoid relegation? And in the Championship, will the two Millwall-West Ham derbies provide us with riveting, brutal, desperate and brilliant football? No surprises, TBRSM tips United to win title XX, harassed all the way by the blue tenth of Manchester, Chelsea and a resurgent Spurs.

NFL

With the Labour dispute FINALLY resolved, we can look forward to a full NFL season of 16 games plus playoffs. This may the year that Philadelphia finishes off all challengers in the NFC (Green Bay, The Big Easy, Hotlanta, Chicago) and make the Big Dance. Michael Vick is ready to explode, and if he really gets going, God help all of the other 31 teams.

The AFC will come down to the usual suspects, they being New England, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and the improving Kansas City Chiefs.

The evil one, Bill Belichick, has gambled BIG TIME by recruiting Albert Haynesworth and Chad Ochocinco to Foxboro. Tom Brady has a full arsenal of attacking weapons, and Haynesworth, if he pulls his head in, will be a menace on the defensive side of the pigskin. With Big Ben hopefully not harassing drunken females anymore, the Steel Curtain will be hard to stop, especially at the cauldron that is Heinz Field.

Cam Newton’s progress in Charlotte will be closely monitored, with experts evenly divided on whether he will make the grade as an NFL QB. Tim Tebow up there at Mile High will also have a thousand cameras watching his every move, as he continues his efforts to prove he has the technical ability to be an effective QB (no-one, and I mean no-one, questions his ticker or commitment. He also would never be found at 4am in the morning at a seedy Denver Strip Club).

No early tips, we’ll leave that for closer to the season. The most interesting Division will probably be the Black & Blue Division, where the Cheeseheads will have their hands full with an improving Detroit, Chicago and my Minnesota Vikings, who have a new head Coach and a new QB, be it Donovan McNabb or first round draft pick Christian Ponder. The Vikings have 2-3 good years left of the dynamic Adrian Peterson, look for him to top the Rushing Yards this year.

That’s all for now, great to be writing once again.

Posted in AFL, Football, NFL, Sport | Leave a comment
The Sporting Media
Posted on April 21, 2011
Anyone objectively watching the sporting media this week will have seen the massively overblown reaction to injured Gold Coast Suns captain Gary Ablett Jr staying a couple of extra days in Melbourne after a recent Suns game at Docklands.

Talk about a complete waste of print space!! And to have to esteemed football people like Brownlow Medallist Shane Crawford and Swans Premiership coach Paul Roos jump on the bandwagon and rip into Ablett was just icing on the cake. Overall, the Melbourne AFL media is voracious, overwhelmingly conservative and full of Andrew Demetriou sycophants.

I have often wondered what it would like to grow up in the Riverina, say, and play very good footy, possibly play for the NSW/ACT Rams and then get drafted between numbers 1-5 to a Melbourne club. Talk about jumping from the frying pan into the fire!!

Living in Melbourne and having an AFL contract would be like living in a super-crowded goldfish bowl full of feral, stinking European Carp. EVERYTHING you do, on and off the park, is scrutinised to the nth degree. Headlines like “Carlton recruit Giovanni Andolini (he is a Carlton recruit, remember!!) spotted having a Long Black in Lygon St at 3.00pm” abound in a city totally obsessed with footy.

For Victorians, they are used to it AND/OR expect it. But if you are NOT a Vic, you can see what some players would rather be drafted by the Lions, Swans & Suns, perhaps to a somewhat lesser extent to Perth or Adelaide.

When Ablett’s calm and rational Manager Liam Pickering pointed out that Ablett agreed to stay over to fulfil a media commitment on Channel 10 that was originally slated for Karmichael Hunt, it showed up the wowsers and muppets in the Victorian media who took Ablett to task over a perceived “lack of leadership”. What a load of bollocks!!

Ablett has broken no rules, did not do a Moloney and get blotto, and yet he still cops it. Ablett 1, media zero.

In comparison, the Sydney media’s handling of the alleged Anthony Watts domestic abuse case and Todd Carney’s ongoing alcohol issues was unbiased, thorough, careful and truthful.

With Watts’ matter being Sub Judice, the papers have wisely left this one alone, knowing that public sentiment against alleged wife-bashers is enormously powerful.

Carney, who actually did not commit any illegal act (he did break Eastern Suburbs club rules, to be fair), has been stood down indefinitely. The bloke is sick, he has an illness, does not manage that illness well, and continues to booze on, so standing him down seems the only option.

Many of my friends on F/B have quite rightly asked “how many chances does this bloke get”. Easts have handled a dreadfully difficult situation very well, working with the Press rather than against them and trying to help Carney in particular. Carney has now exhausted his trust at the club, and it would be not at all surprising to see him jettisoned by Easts at season’s end.

There is a very strong anti-Michael Clarke bias in the Australian Sporting Press, and has been for years. The Press suddenly decided that they want to the Australian captain to be a copy of Stephen Waugh; tough, grizzled, mean, anything BUT a metrosexual, inclined to a cold beer whilst listening to Cold Chisel or John Williamson.

Clarke, a very fine cricketer, has somehow fallen foul of the Press because he appears to be very much his own man. The fact he picked up and became engaged to a model is his business, surely? Ms Bingle certainly has her own issues (probably NOT a smart move to go after a married man at the Brownlow Medal Night), but Clarke seems to be worn a huge amount of flak for falling in love with an extremely attractive Australian woman.

Michael Clarke is a good man. He has grown up a lot (having earthy people like Simon Katich take him on would have helped him as a man), and is clearly the best candidate for the Australian captaincy. He relates well to the young blokes whilst becoming more comfortable with the veterans.

Clarke is well-spoken, thoughtful, has an excellent cricket brain (helps coming from the best first-class province in World Cricket), and LOVES that Baggy Green cap more than most people would understand. In time, he will judged purely on results.

We are an ordinary side in World Cricket standings right now, and Clarke has been given the huge task of getting us back to No.1. Perhaps the Press can be objective for a change, and report on our captain with typical Australian toughness, honesty and above all else, balance.

Posted in AFL, Cricket, NRL, Sport | Leave a comment
The best time of year in Football
Posted on April 20, 2011
This is the best time of year to be a Football fan. Premierships going down to the wire, Cup Semi-finals and finals, it just does not get better than this.

In the European Cup, Manchester United and Schalke 04 will play their two-legged semi-final in Gelsenkirchen THEN in Manchester. United have had an ordinary 4 days, losing an FA Cup Semi-final to Manchester City then drawing 0-0 with the Geordies at St James’ Park this morning.

Schalke 04 will be chock full of confidence after their extraordinary 7-3 aggregate demolition of Internazionale in the quarter-finals. United’s brains trust will have solemnly noted Schalke’s confidence, ruthlessness and utter destruction of a club that is quite simply a worldwide super-power of the game.

No-one in football will have even considered such a scoreline, and the hardheads at Old Trafford may well have a developed a blueprint to shut down Schalke’s wing-backs and what NOT to do against the Gelsenkirchen outfit.

It was interesting to see City’s Toure dominate United in midfield over the weekend. Schalke’s brains trust would surely have sitting in front of their Gelsenkirchen Plasma TV’s, watching Toure’s performance and plotting United’s downfall.

It would not take Einstein to figure out that if Schalke can get over United’s middle 4, this would pave the path to victory and a Wembley Final against one of two Spanish teams that can play a bit.

Alex Ferguson will have to choose the best, most practical squad he can for the German leg of the semi-final. Whether Dimitar Berbatov makes the starting XI is highly questionable, and us United devotees can only hope that the great Wayne Rooney turns up, not the one who behaves like an arrogant infant.

United will NOT give up goals to Schalke easily, which was the astonishing factor in Inter’s diabolical performance at the Guiseppe Meazza (Zonal Marking’s review of this match was honest, brutal and highlighted Inter’s ineptitude and complacency).

You would think that if Man Utd can come away with a 1-1 or 1-0 result from their visit to Gelsenkirchen, Fergie would be both pleased and relieved. Overall Tip; Man Utd 3-2 on aggregate and a wonderful European Cup Final on home soil.

An El Clasico semi-final; are you kidding me? I mean, how would the Axis of Ev…, er, sorry, UEFA be feeling right about now? Manchester United in one Semi, and Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in the other?? Ker-ching!!!

With Madrid and Barca playing each other 4 times in 18 days (La Liga, Copa del Rey, European Cup in Madrid THEN in Catalonia), there will be few secrets. Gaffer Jose’s tactics in a 1-1 draw with Barca at the Santiago Bernabeu were very interesting, clogging Barca’s run through midfield, shutting down their prime movers to some extent, and then, with ten men, actually making tactical adjustments to attack, resulting in a late penalty and a meritorious draw against the Catalan juggernaut.

The tactical battle between gaffers Jose & Pepe will be fascinating, especially in Leg 1. Will Madrid resort to defence-first tactics, or will they attack and play football for 90 minutes? Jose, who has a history of defence-first teams, may decide to limit Barca’s attacking options and head to the Camp Nou in a stalemate or at the very worst, a 1-1 scoreline. Then, score early in Leg 2 and then resort to a 10-0-0 formation.

Barcelona will go after the kill in Madrid, make no mistake. They will view an opportunity to silence the crowd early with relish, particularly given their exquisite attacking talent and outstanding back 4. The Catalans will not want to head home with Madrid having any sniff of victory.

As a football fan, I reckon it would be great to see these two giants of Football pin the ears back and have a real crack at each other. All of us would love to see Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi let off the leash, just going flat out for the chance to head across the Channel to NW London.

Hopefully, thousands of people in this country set the alarm clock to joining billions across the world to watch a once-in-a-generation classic, Real Madrid and Barcelona in a European Cup Semi-Final. Tip; Barcelona 3-1 on aggregate.

The EPL is Manchester United’s to lose. It must be noted that United still have to play Arsenal and Chelsea, in a space of 7 days. Both United and the Gunners will be frustrated in dropping point to the Georgies and Scouse Gits (of the red variety) in the past few days.

Arsenal has a massive match against north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur tonight, with Spurs knowing full well that Arsenal MUST play to win from the get-go.

United should prevail, but only just. I agree with the SMH today, Alex Ferguson has to get the chequebook out in the summer, needing at least 2 top-class midfielders and 1 striker.

Here comes a crazy three weeks, people, how will it all end? Hopefully, in absolute glory for Manchester United!!!

Posted in Football, Sport | Tagged EPL, European Cup | Leave a comment
Issues at the Sydney Roosters RLFC
Posted on April 19, 2011
When you have a problem with the booze, there a few things you can do:

1. Get clean, stick on the water, get to AA as part of your normal routine, and (if you are lucky) get involved with an assertive, no-bullshit female who is in-your-face, caring and there for you.
2. Back right off, drink in the off-season with family and NEVER go out
3. Do nothing
4. Get worse

The next two blokes are clearly in the Point 4 Category. Todd Carney and Anthony Watts have both had significant documented issues with the grog. Can anyone explain to me why these two were out super-late, in the Cross and at the infamous Palace?? Anyone? Is it because they are both idiots??

As an avowed Rooster fan, none of this makes much sense to me. Carney, fresh off a DUI case, is out on the syrup instead of trying to not get wet watching his mates get belted at Bluetongue.

Watts, a proven aggressive bugger on the drink, ends up in a fracas at a Coogee apartment and is alleged to have belted his ex-missus. Whilst the legal matter is sub judice and cannot be commented on, why is Knuckles at the Trademark and the Palace into the wee hours?? Puhleease.

Reports this morning indicate that Watts will be sacked by the Club. No complaints there, and one hopes that the girl involved in the fracas, Ms Shannon Kiss, recovers alright physically (emotionally and mentally is another matter).

I would have thought that the Roosters would have completed better due diligence on Watts and left him in Townsville. Why recruit a bloke with his chequered history, to live and play 5 minutes from the Cross, for goodness sake?

Which leaves Carney. There are indications that he will be stood down by the club, but let’s wait and see what Steve Noyce and Brian Smith come up with. If his contract is not ripped up, fine him the maximum, make him play in the Magoos and breath-test him every day for the REST OF HIS CAREER. Only a complete Booze Ban and automatic AA meetings will suffice here. He cannot be trusted, I am sorry to say.

Whilst there is no evidence he did anything remotely illegal on Saturday Night, his choice to go out was careless, stupid and lets his team-mates, the Club and us, the fans, down in a massive way.

Let’s see; Cherrington, Friend, Carney and Watts. Pretty ordinary shame file, wouldn’t you say? One wonders what good blokes like Braith Anasta, Jason Ryles & Sean Kenny-Dowall think of all this. I am left just shaking my head, sorry to say.

What’s next? Does it take the alleged bashing of a female to get the message through some thick skulls? Enough, already.

Posted in NRL, Sport | 1 Comment
Great Footballers, Volume 1
Posted on March 25, 2011
After prompting once again from the Chief of the Liverpool Plains (why didn’t they call them the Manchester United Plains?), here are some great Footballers that I have seen:

Trevor Brooking

Growing up in the Riverina, with only two channels (Aunty and the dreadful RMV/AMV), we were spoon-fed a diet of English Division 1 and the FA Cup.

Whilst my grandparents ensured I would be a Manchester United fan for life, the weekly dose of “Match of the Day”, hosted by Jimmy Hill and usually featuring commentator Brian Moore, served up a regular dose of West Ham United games.

This was always a treat, as you got to watch Mervyn Day, Billy Bonds, Frank Lampard the Elder and the sublime Trevor Brooking (Sacko would have watched these games at Upton Park as a child, I suspect; what a privilege that would have been). I actually liked watching Hammers games as much as those world-class 1970′s Liverpool games when they were just about the best team in Europe.

All of these men were terrific footballers, but Brooking just oozed class. He remains, to my mind, the most talented & skilful ENGLISH player I have seen (in my lifetime, his competitors would be Le Tissier, Gascoigne, Shearer and Barnes). I think Le Tissier classifies as a Pom, although does the Channel Islands classify as its own country?

Brooking never seemed in a hurry, had excellent balance and vision, glided rather than ran, and CONTROLLED a game beautifully.

Speaking to some of my well-informed Mariners mates after our Grand Final loss to the Choppers in V1, they were all in raptures at how much control that Dwight Yorke had of that particular game. This is what Brooking was like. It all looked so effortless for him.

It was always a real privilege to watch Trevor Brooking. The boys at the Boleyn Ground could certainly use players of his ilk right now.
Kenny Dalglish

This bloke was just great. Despite playing for the heathens on the red side of Stanley Park, the Scotsman was downright brilliant. Strong, particularly around the torso and thighs, tough, ruthless and clinical, Dalglish was so good that he would run rings around most European teams of the current era.

Dalglish is regarded by the Kop as being equal with the Pope, a big statement for a Catholic club. He always seemed to make Manchester United a special target (how dare he), but Man Utd were one of many victims of his awesome finishing, anticipation, courage, bravery and will to win.

It is a great pity that Scotland were only a minor player internationally when Dalglish was at his peak; if he had played with a decent World Cup Squad, they would have won, simple as that. When he crossed the border, it is a great pity that he ended up on Merseyside instead of Old Trafford.
Dennis Bergkamp

Arsenal’s recruitment of this astonishing Dutchman must go down as one of the great signings in the history of the EPL. It is no coincidence that the Gunners won EPL’s when he was there, and that the lads at the Emirates/Highbury have struggled thereafter.

Australia has invested a lot of money and resources in having a big Dutch influence on our football. When you see Bergkamp as his peak, you can clearly see why. He did things on the field that make you shake your head in wonder. Blind turns (one against the Geordies on Tyneside comes immediately to mind), brilliantly creative, super strikes, this bloke really did have it all. When he was on, it was compulsive, magnetic viewing. Bergkamp had a great relationship with his countryman Marc Overmars, and they combined for many great strikes.

The EPL has seen some great strikers in its 20 year history. Bergkamp is at the very top of the heap, with Alan Shearer. Again, I truly wish he had been a Red Devil instead of a Gunner. Like many others, it is very hard to explain how the Oranje did NOT win major tournaments when Bergkamp was at his peak.
Zinedine Zidane

Superstar. Absolute, ridgey-didge, unqualified superstar. The equal best Frenchman of all time (Michel Platini shares that billing). Played brilliantly for Juventus of Turin and Real Madrid. Scored two goals in a World Cup Final, at Stade de France, against Brazil no less. Scored the best European Cup goal you could wish to see, a breathtaking left-footed volley that defied description.

Does his headbutt against Italia in his last game damage his reputation? In time, no way. A truly complete footballer, by far the best and most dominant player in the world for a long time, Zidane made other mere mortals look pedestrian.

The advent of the expanded European Cup and Cable Television in this country meant that we were able to witness this man’s career on an almost weekly basis. To be a star at clubs with the football pedigree of Juve and Madrid is testament to how great Zidane was. That French team of 1998 was special, but Zidane; he was THE man.
More to come later.

Posted in Football, Sport | Leave a comment
Great Sportspeople
Posted on March 24, 2011
Muhammad Ali

Simply magnetic. Many people look and judge Ali by his trash talking, hype, sledging, larger than life persona, refusal to fight in Vietnam and conversion to Islam, but they forget how good a boxer this man was.

The man was a superb fighter, a cerebral assassin, possessing of lightning feet and hands pre-exile, and enormous bravery, bravado and courage post-exile, when his speed had gone.

The magnificent documentary “When We Were Kings”, dealing with the legendary Rumble in the Jungle in Kinshasa, Zaire in 1974, is a testament to Ali. To go into a fight with the seemingly invincible, ruthless brute George Foreman and throw right leads at him from the get-go shows that Ali still possessed a brilliant boxing mind. Then to “rope-a-dope”, intermingled with subtly sledging George, and waiting for an enraged George to “punch himself out”. It is a great film, sadly the start of the interesting career of Don King.

The film “Ali”, starring Will Smith, tells the story of Ali, from his banter and relationship with Howard Cosell to his refusal to be drafted, through to the assassination of his friend Malcolm X. This film is also worth watching.

With Ali starting his professional career before I was born, I had no idea of the polarising effect he had on Americans, particularly those elements of White America that were intolerant of African-Americans. Given the USA’s views on persons who are in the Armed Forces, one can only speculate how Ali’s refusal to fight in Vietnam was viewed by middle America, particularly his statement “No Viet Cong never called me N—er”.

The man is a hero, and even as Parkinson’s takes its evil grip, Ali is still feted wherever he goes (perhaps with exception of Joe Frazier and George Foreman).

A great boxer, a magnetic personality, brave, flawed, brilliant and, the most significant sportsperson of the 20th Century.
Donald George Bradman

My late grandfather H G Redden told me tales of living in the Depression of the 1930′s, and how D G Bradman gave many Australians hope with his actions on the cricket field, for New South Wales, South Australia & Australia.

Harry Redden told me how huge numbers of Australians would listen to the cricket on the radio, or get down in their thousands to the SCG when Bradman was batting (even in the Sheffield Shield), such was the brilliance of the man.

Bradman’s story is well-known, as it should be. Looking at records alone, he stands with Heather Mackay (Squash) and Walter Lindrum (Billiards) as Australian athletes that were the BEST EVER in their chosen fields.

Bradman averaged 99.94 in Tests, made two Test Triple Centuries at Headingley, made a top first-class score of 452*, captained Australia on the Invincibles tour of 1948 (Lindwall, Miller, Morris and Bradman starred) and was the catalyst of the birth of Bodyline.

It has been interesting in recent years to hear stories of Bradman the man as opposed to Bradman the cricketer. He had very few fans amongst Catholic cricketers, in particular cricketers and cricket writers Jack Fingleton and William Joseph O’Reilly. I think these stories only add to his legend, not detract from it, as they allow us to see that Bradman was human, had flaws and perceived prejudices, and made him seem mortal.

There is precious little video of Bradman in action. What little I have seen shows a small man with great footwork, superb reflexes, lightning hands and an eye like a dead fish.

Modern day player Sachin Tendulkar is often compared to Bradman. Tendulkar averages just under 60 on the covered freeways they serve up as pitches these days. The great South African R G Pollock averaged 67 before the cursed and reviled Apartheid halted his march to immortality (my father reckons Pollock was outstanding, and Dad is NOT given to superlatives easily). Bradman has these blokes covered by 30-40 runs per innings, on uncovered pitches, and he faced Maurice Tate and the truly frightening Harold Larwood (to anyone who wants to see how to bowl fast and mean, source some of the footage of Larwood; he was breathtaking).

It would have been a lifetime privilege to watch Bradman bat live. He was one of a kind, a unique talent, and a marvel.
Gary Ablett Sr

Here is one bloke that my generation DID get to watch every week. What a star he was!! Explosive, brutal, possessing of magnificent balance, able to kick off either foot, unstoppable in the air, fast, and built like a brick outhouse, Ablett had it all. He is GOD at Kardinia Park, even allowing for his spectacular fall from grace post-football and his involvement in the drug-related death of a young woman.

YouTube has great coverage of the dazzling highlights of Ablett’s career, including footage of what sets Australian Rules apart from other codes, great aerial marking. Ablett seemed to hang in the air for ages, and when he was on, no-one could stop him. And he was so hard and unforgiving!! Seeing Ablett line you up from the corner of your eye would have been downright scary, not unlike his contemporary, Tony Lockett.

Geelong made a fistful of Grand Finals when Ablett was at the club; sadly for them, they won NONE of them. His performance in the 1989 Grand Final, where he kicked 9 goals and won a Norm Smith medal in a losing team, has to be seen to be believed.

He is the best Australian Rules player I have seen, better than Wayne Carey, Simon Madden, Greg Williams and Gary Ablett Jr. Gary Jr is a completely different player than his Dad, and a champion in his own right.

In fact, Ablett Sr would join Mark Ella, Wally Lewis and Darren Lockyer as the best Australian footballers I have witnessed.

If you have 20 minutes, YouTube Gary Ablett, put headphones on, and watch and listen to an absolute genius. You will not be disappointed.

Posted in AFL, Boxing, Cricket, Sport | Tagged Ablett, Ali, Bradman | 1 Comment
Don’t You Just Love Late March!!
Posted on March 22, 2011
This is just about my favourite time of year. Excluding the HAL, all the football codes are cranking this week; the Clipsal 500 was just run and won; the European Cup Quarter-final draw is out and it has sensational possibilities; the World Cup Quarter-finals are imminent on the Sub-Continent, but the NFL draws closer to a strike. To quote William Morris Lawry, it’s all happening!

European Cup

Gary Lineker’s draw of the European Cup Quarter-final matches was a massive win for Inter Milan, a huge win for UEFA (a potential El Clasico Semi-final, are you kidding me) and tough draws for the three English teams.

With Madrid having a home game against Tottenham Hotspur at the Santiago Bernabeu first up, one can see them heading to White Hart Lane in front. I don’t expect Harry to “Park the Bus”, he has some real talent at the Lane and it is unlikely that Spurs will want to give the ball back consistently to a player they know all too well, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Jose (in a long apprenticeship before he takes up residence at Old Trafford) will badly want to manage a third European Cup-winning team, so expect Real to attack Spurs in waves in front of a fanatical Real crowd.

The incentive of a El Clasico semi, to be blunt, has us all salivating (I think, for the first time in my life, I would seriously consider taking a day off to watch the Nou Camp leg, at the very least).

Inter will account comfortably for Schalke 04, and Manchester United v Chelsea? On recent form, even money bet, but if Torres plays, the Red Devils will win, full stop (this bloke is a multi-million dollar talent with a POOR record of late – World Cup, anyone?).

Barca will hammer Shakhtar, even accounting for the game in Ukraine being played in zero degrees Kelvin.

Which leaves us with: Real Madrid v FC Barcelona (biggest ratings for a Club game, EVER; I kid you not, even the Yanks will watch. A football purists delight over 180 minutes, between 2 teams and areas that genuinely dislike one another).

Internazionale Milan v Manchester United (tell me UEFA is NOT licking their lips; 4 of the biggest 6 teams in Europe, WOW).

If this Final Four happens, recent form would lead me to suggest an Inter-Barcelona Final, but the heart says that United will sacrifice almost everything to play in a European Cup Final at Headquarters in NW London.

Zonal Marking

My mate the Chief up there on the Liverpool Plains has pointed me toward this excellent Football technical website, http://www.zonalmarking.net/, which I have spent many hours on lately, to gain a better understanding of the tactics behind top-level football. I recently read an article on Ajax on this Site that was like a Master’s Degree in how to play Total Football (I wish I had seen them play every week).

It saddens me to read the latest review of the recent A-League Grand Final, which had a good first 90 minutes, an unbelievable Extra Time and a deflating Penalty Shootout (Theoklitos OWNED that Goal, his Body Language reminded me of Mark Schwarzer on that fateful day in November 2005). Give this site a go, I find it fascinating and informative. Thanks James.

The AFL

Vladimir Demetriou and his sycophants at AFL House will be very relieved that their off-season from hell is over and the season proper can commence.

Fox Sports’ excellent “On The Couch” (no, not the off-season exploits of St Kilda), the best Cable TV sports show in Australian history, asked some serious questions last night of which teams will genuinely challenge Collingwood in 2011.

The consensus seemed to be: the Western Bulldogs, Hawthorn (if Lance Franklin has a real crack) and possibly the last year of the current St Kilda cycle.

I would add Fremantle to that list, but they have a massive injury list right now and will need to come home with a wet sail to secure a Preliminary Final at Subiaco. Michael Barlow could be the barometer for the Purple Haze when he returns from a dreadful broken leg.

I am not sure any of them can topple a full-strength Collingwood (it hurts to say this, I must add). The Magpies will not want to see serious injuries to Darren Jolly, Harry O’Brien and Dane Swan.

Geelong has jumped the shark, and my Carlton do not have anything like enough firepower to stop the top 4. As Paul Roos said last night on Fox, Bryce Gibbs or Mark Murphy need to win Carlton’s B&F over Chris Judd, or else Judd will have carried his team for four years in a row. It would be great to see Robert Warnock blossom into a top-shelf Ruckman, perhaps able to at least compete with the magnificent Aaron Sandilands.

The rest can’t win, forget ‘em. It will be interesting to watch if Melbourne can progress into the 8, behind the sublime Liam Jurrah and a stack of really good young blokes (Frawley, Scully, Watts). I still think Fremantle can make the Final 4. The Bulldogs have real quality all over the park, and they could make the GF.

Adam Cooney and Robert Murphy have to play every week and at their very best for the Doggies to be serious contenders. As for Hawthorn, here is a team that really scare the hell out of the opposition teams. If Franklin and Roughhead step up, with Rioli feeding off their scraps, look out, anything is possible.

Collingwood to win the GF, by 6 goals over Fremantle. Brownlow Medal; Aaron Sandilands over Dane Swan and Kieren Jack.

The NFL

How NFL owners could be holding out for more money when they are all BILLIONAIRES is beyond me. The NFL is the biggest League in the world, great entertainment, brutal, vicious, tough, skilful and fast.

Leave the season at 16 games, follow the AFL’s lead and protect the head, keep the Salary Cap tough but fair, and get on with the game. The idea that the NFL could be on strike and give ground to the NBA and MLB would be a horrifying prospect to Roger Goodell.

Goodell, I should add, could be THE major casualty of all this, as the NFLPA are VERY unhappy with him, across the board. Surely, a CBA is the ultimate aim here. To the owners, Roger and the NFLPA, time to smoke the Peace Pipe and get ready for Game 1 in September.

Postscript: I do not think that we can win the World Cup. If you look at the teams, a South Africa-India final is a chance. India’s batting could get them home, especially on those pitches. Can someone please bounce Virender Sehwag, PLEASE? Aim a few at his throat and actually make him move his feet. If you feed this bloke, he could score 200 in a World Cup Final, I kid you not.

Come on lads, pick David Hussey, keep being aggressive and MAKE SOME DECENT RUNS!!

Posted in A-League, AFL, Cricket, Football, NFL, Sport | Leave a comment
Sports commentary
Posted on March 10, 2011
Hello all, sorry, I have been busy with a new job and I have not had any time to write.

The Continuing 17 year-old girl St Kilda dramas

Just some random comments on this, this, farce which has sidelined the exciting entry into the AFL of the Gold Coast Suns and the low-key arrival of the GWS Giants;

The girl needs serious help. No-one is sure when she speaks if she is being truthful or full of shyte. Her parents have brushed her. She has slept with a couple of players and, ALLEGEDLY, a prominent Player Manager. But a 16 year old schoolgirl should not have 24 year footballers seducing her. St Kilda has serious issues with its culture, and good blokes like Ross Lyon and Nick Riewoldt (perhaps the only innocent victim of all of this) need to put down the hammer on their lads and get them ALL on the right track. There have been problems for years, back to (unproved) allegations of rape against two players and now, to the current fiasco. Come on St Kilda, get a decent Code of Conduct, stop letting your players have sexual relations with young girls and be prepared to PUNT ANYONE who transgressed (a la Andrew Lovett).

Ricky Nixon, fair dinkum, you need your head read!!! What is going on, being in the same room as the 17 year old girl, cavorting in your undies. I do not know if this 42 year old man had relations with this girl, but the perception of the video footage is totally damning and will cost him his career and business. So he has admitted a substance abuse problem, yeah, OK, but he should NEVER have been near this girl, alone, without a Child Services officer. Silly, stupid, almost inexplicable behaviour from someone old enough to be the girl’s Dad.

The AFL Commission must be just spewing over this. An expanded competition, some potential superstars at Carrara (David Swallow in particular), the emergence of Liam Jurrah and the Demons, the dawning of the Purple Haze as a serious force, and the ONLY focus has been the bull—t that has arisen over this young, misguided, mixed up kid. Do I feel sorry for her? Somewhat, but she is a self-confessed liar, was NEVER pregnant to love Sam Gilbert and continues spiralling downwards at a rapid rate. Long-term counselling, re-enrolment at school, maybe some religious guidance and trustworthy mentors could resurrect this child’s life. One can only hope. I truly hope she ends up being a happy adult.

A-League Grand Final

The Brisbane Roar host my Central Coast Mariners on Sunday at Lang Park in the 6th Hyundai A-League Grand Final, the first GF held outside Victoria and NSW.

The Roar will be odds-on favourites, deservedly. They have been spectacular this year, rightfully winning an ACL place and a Premiership. Ange Postecoglou has them playing great football, and players such as Broich, Barbarouses and McKay will be a huge handful for the Mariners.

The Mariners are in good form, and have improved out of sight this season, with new players (Perez, Amini, Ryan), gaffer Graham Arnold, conditioning guru Andrew Clark and total belief making a massive difference to the entire club.

A 4-2 aggregate loss to the Roar in the Qualifying Final was a fair result over the 180 minutes. The Mariners will take confidence from their 2 goal first half in Leg 2 in Brisbane, however, having the Roar on the back foot and making two strikes in short succession. The Roar were too good in Leg 1, and steadied in Leg 2 to score twice in the second half.

There have been some excellent reviews of this Sunday’s game, from people with far more technical knowledge of the game than me. Basically, the two teams play very differently, Brisbane using width and the Mariners playing down the central corridor via Argentinian Patricio Perez. Who will prevail?


The Cricket World Cup

About to get going, big-time. Ireland’s amazing win over England was real theatre and proof that the Paddys are not far away from Test Cricket. Australia are flying under the radar, seemingly intent on blasting teams away via Shaun Tait and Brett Lee and a super aggressive approach. India are in cruise mode, Kamran Akmal is a worse keeper than the Big Red Sports Machine, Kumar Sangakkara is all class and Ross Taylor is the most talented NZ batsman since Martin Crowe.

When the semis arrive, I expect to see India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Australia in the mix. The Indians will be hard to beat on their own patch, but do not discount the other three teams, despite Australia’s batting and spin-bowling weaknesses, South Africa’s frailty and the Lankans’ occasional tendency to self-destruct.