The sun is out and the sky is blue so it must be Cup Final day bringing the curtain down on the club football season in England and Scotland. It is finals day at both Wembley and Hampden Park but two very different games are in prospect. In England the final will be contested between the teams that finished third and fifth respectively in the Premier League. Both their results this season have been non-scoring draws but I am going to plump for Chelsea over Everton on the basis the players feel they owe their departing manager Guus Hiddink a good send-off but I would be just as happy to see Everton win as their manager David Moyes also deserves more than just the LMA plaudits and the FA Cup will be well deserved.
In Scotland it looks much more clear cut with Rangers having just won their league and Falkirk only avoiding relegation on the last day. In addition Rangers have beaten Falkirk on all four occasions they have played this season. Therefore, I am plumping for Rangers on the basis of form but being a Cup Final we all know anything can happen.
The club rugby season may have finished in the British Isles but there is still plenty of rugby about this weekend and my highlight will be the first match of the Lions tour in South Africa. It should be a relatively straightforward Lions win so I am going to plump for a win by between 21 and 30 points. In France it is the second semi-final of their club play-offs between Perpignan and Stade Francais with the right to play Clermont Auvergne in the final. For this match I am plumping for Perpignan and in the final of the Super 14s my choice is the Chiefs over the Bulls.
My final predictions this weekend relate to the Italian MotoGP which Valentino Rossi has won for the last 7 years and so that has made my mind up to predict him to win and be joined on the podium by Casey Stoner.
Not sport related (and I have no clue of the odds) but as much of the nation has been transfixed by Britain's Got Talent over the last week thought it made sense to offer my prediction which is for the dance group Diversity!
FA Cup Final
Chelsea to beat Everton at 3/4
Scottish Cup Final
Rangers to beat Falkirk at 1/3
Super 14 Final
Chiefs to beat the Bulls at 11/4
French Championship Rugby Semi-Final
Perpignan to beat Stade Francais at 3/5
Lions Tour Match
Lions to beat the Royals by between 21 and 30 points at 11/4
Italian MotoGP
Rossi to win at 18/19
Stoner to podium at 1/2
Saturday, 30 May 2009
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
Premiership sorted and Failed Predictions
I'm back from my trip away and though I caught the highlights of the Monaco Grand Prix and Match of the Day didn't manage to catch any of the weekend's sporting action as it happened. How does the average bloke survive without Sky Sports!
Probably just as well, as yet again my predictions were fairly wayward and only three correct results from the ten predictions mean I am down another £4 this week and £8.50 down in total. Thank goodness there is always next week but without a large choice of football and rugby matches I may struggle to find 10 predictions every weekend without getting into the realms of pure guess work.
As for the results from the weekend the ones I got right were that both Chelsea and Manchester United who may not have been completely focused on their games as both have cup finals this week (United are losing 1 - 0 to Barcelona as I write), but they did no dis-service to the premiership and relegation battle by winning their respective games. In fact it was quite a surprise that all of the top six won when they all had very little to play for and the four relegation candidates all lost even though they had plenty at stake.
The only other correct prediction was the defeat of West Indies by the England Cricket team and that was then followed up yesterday by another England win meaning they easily won the series. Maybe, just maybe, we can look forward to the 20/20 World Cup as well as the Ashes.
Leinster won a hard fought Heineken Cup Final, and as suspected for them to win it, it was their high profile big game players who stepped up to the mark - Elsom, O'Driscoll and Heaslip by all accounts.
The remainder of my predictions were Motor Racing related where once again Button proved me wrong and no doubt millions of other doubters by taking pole and winning easily at a circuit not necessarily best suited to his driving style. Last year's world champion again did himself no favours by crashing out in qualifying and thereby wrecking any hopes he had in the race where it is notoriously difficult to overtake. I missed the Indy 500 but understand that the winner Castroneves deserved his third win which has put him into the realms of the greats and Franchitti though he finished seventh was not even the best placed Brit. Particular congratulation is reserved for Danica Patrick who finished third which is the best placed any woman has finished at the Brickyard and the rumours of her getting an F1 seat next year - especially if a US based team enters - will get ever stronger.
Probably just as well, as yet again my predictions were fairly wayward and only three correct results from the ten predictions mean I am down another £4 this week and £8.50 down in total. Thank goodness there is always next week but without a large choice of football and rugby matches I may struggle to find 10 predictions every weekend without getting into the realms of pure guess work.
As for the results from the weekend the ones I got right were that both Chelsea and Manchester United who may not have been completely focused on their games as both have cup finals this week (United are losing 1 - 0 to Barcelona as I write), but they did no dis-service to the premiership and relegation battle by winning their respective games. In fact it was quite a surprise that all of the top six won when they all had very little to play for and the four relegation candidates all lost even though they had plenty at stake.
The only other correct prediction was the defeat of West Indies by the England Cricket team and that was then followed up yesterday by another England win meaning they easily won the series. Maybe, just maybe, we can look forward to the 20/20 World Cup as well as the Ashes.
Leinster won a hard fought Heineken Cup Final, and as suspected for them to win it, it was their high profile big game players who stepped up to the mark - Elsom, O'Driscoll and Heaslip by all accounts.
The remainder of my predictions were Motor Racing related where once again Button proved me wrong and no doubt millions of other doubters by taking pole and winning easily at a circuit not necessarily best suited to his driving style. Last year's world champion again did himself no favours by crashing out in qualifying and thereby wrecking any hopes he had in the race where it is notoriously difficult to overtake. I missed the Indy 500 but understand that the winner Castroneves deserved his third win which has put him into the realms of the greats and Franchitti though he finished seventh was not even the best placed Brit. Particular congratulation is reserved for Danica Patrick who finished third which is the best placed any woman has finished at the Brickyard and the rumours of her getting an F1 seat next year - especially if a US based team enters - will get ever stronger.
Friday, 22 May 2009
Better Get this Right!
I'd better start getting some of these predictions correct because as of last night this blog has become my main working activity - though I would hope not for too long!
Well it's Friday again which means that we are in for a feast of sport with Motor Racing, Football and Rugby coming to the fore. This is probably the most exciting weekend of the year for Motor Sport enthusiasts as we have the feast of both the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500, events which both make my top 10 sporting events to see before I die. However, the reason it is so exciting is because both events are notoriously difficult to predict as finishing is often an art in itself as the barriers at both circuits have a habit of making many friends during the races. As for my predictions, I am going for Barichello to win in Monaco, Hamilton on the podium with Kovalainen to make the top 6 mainly because many of the aerodynamic benefits of the cars are negated at this circuit. In the Indy 500 I am going for the Scotsman Dario Franchitti.
Piece of trivia for you now. Do you know there is only one man who has won the triple crown of the Formula 1 World Championship, the Indy 500 and Le Mans 24 hour race. Answer at the bottom.
For us rugby fans it is the culmination of the European club rugby season at Murrayfield with the Heineken Cup Final between Leicester and Leinster. This is a very difficult one to predict with Leicester most certainly carrying the heavier legs with the games they have had in the last month but they also have the experience of having been there four times before. This will be Leinster's first appearance in the showpiece, and even though they have a number of big match players with plenty of international experience, I am going for Leicester to sneak it but if Leinster do win don't be surprised if O'Driscoll is the inspiration.
We also have the second (or first depending on how you look at it) limited overs game between England and the West Indies in Bristol following yesterday's washout at Headingley. Even though England's one day team is not as good as the test team and will be further weakened by the absence of Pietersen I am still going to tip them to win this match as they have the momentum of a strong performance in the test series.
Finally, it is the last weekend of the English premiership football season and though the champions have been crowned and one team has been relegated there are still two more relegation spots to be filled, the final European place and the honour of being best of the rest behind the top four to be settled. My gut feel is that Newcastle will survive and that Middlesborugh and Hull will join West Brom in the Championship next season. On that basis I have gone for Newcastle to win at Aston Villa, Hull to lose to Manchester United, Sunderland to lose to Chelsea and Middlesbrough to draw at West Ham.
Before I summarise below I will make some long term predictions for the Tennis French Open which also begins this weekend. I am going for Nadal in the mens and Jankovic in the Womens but watch this space in a couple of weeks when it gets toward the sharp end of the tournament these predictions may be revised!
Monaco Grand Prix
Barichello to win at 6/1
Hamilton to podium at 2/1
Kovalainen for top 6 at 7/2
Indy 500
Franchitti to win at 7/1
Heineken Cup Final
Leicester to beat Leinster at Evens
Cricket ODI
England to beat West Indies at 8/11
Premiership Football
Aston Villa to lose to Newcastle at 11/5
Hull to lose to Manchester United at 7/5
Sunderland to lost to Chelsea at Evens
West Ham to draw with Middlesbrough at 5/2
I may not update this blog for a few days as going away for the weekend and not sure what sort of access will have to the internet but look out for updates again soon.
Trivia answer is Graham Hill.
Well it's Friday again which means that we are in for a feast of sport with Motor Racing, Football and Rugby coming to the fore. This is probably the most exciting weekend of the year for Motor Sport enthusiasts as we have the feast of both the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500, events which both make my top 10 sporting events to see before I die. However, the reason it is so exciting is because both events are notoriously difficult to predict as finishing is often an art in itself as the barriers at both circuits have a habit of making many friends during the races. As for my predictions, I am going for Barichello to win in Monaco, Hamilton on the podium with Kovalainen to make the top 6 mainly because many of the aerodynamic benefits of the cars are negated at this circuit. In the Indy 500 I am going for the Scotsman Dario Franchitti.
Piece of trivia for you now. Do you know there is only one man who has won the triple crown of the Formula 1 World Championship, the Indy 500 and Le Mans 24 hour race. Answer at the bottom.
For us rugby fans it is the culmination of the European club rugby season at Murrayfield with the Heineken Cup Final between Leicester and Leinster. This is a very difficult one to predict with Leicester most certainly carrying the heavier legs with the games they have had in the last month but they also have the experience of having been there four times before. This will be Leinster's first appearance in the showpiece, and even though they have a number of big match players with plenty of international experience, I am going for Leicester to sneak it but if Leinster do win don't be surprised if O'Driscoll is the inspiration.
We also have the second (or first depending on how you look at it) limited overs game between England and the West Indies in Bristol following yesterday's washout at Headingley. Even though England's one day team is not as good as the test team and will be further weakened by the absence of Pietersen I am still going to tip them to win this match as they have the momentum of a strong performance in the test series.
Finally, it is the last weekend of the English premiership football season and though the champions have been crowned and one team has been relegated there are still two more relegation spots to be filled, the final European place and the honour of being best of the rest behind the top four to be settled. My gut feel is that Newcastle will survive and that Middlesborugh and Hull will join West Brom in the Championship next season. On that basis I have gone for Newcastle to win at Aston Villa, Hull to lose to Manchester United, Sunderland to lose to Chelsea and Middlesbrough to draw at West Ham.
Before I summarise below I will make some long term predictions for the Tennis French Open which also begins this weekend. I am going for Nadal in the mens and Jankovic in the Womens but watch this space in a couple of weeks when it gets toward the sharp end of the tournament these predictions may be revised!
Monaco Grand Prix
Barichello to win at 6/1
Hamilton to podium at 2/1
Kovalainen for top 6 at 7/2
Indy 500
Franchitti to win at 7/1
Heineken Cup Final
Leicester to beat Leinster at Evens
Cricket ODI
England to beat West Indies at 8/11
Premiership Football
Aston Villa to lose to Newcastle at 11/5
Hull to lose to Manchester United at 7/5
Sunderland to lost to Chelsea at Evens
West Ham to draw with Middlesbrough at 5/2
I may not update this blog for a few days as going away for the weekend and not sure what sort of access will have to the internet but look out for updates again soon.
Trivia answer is Graham Hill.
Wednesday, 20 May 2009
A Great Opportunity and a Better Legacy?
In the last week campaigns have been launched by the RFU to host the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the FA to host the 2018 Football World Cup. Both of these bids are on top of London hosting the Olympics in 2012 and could lead to England hosting the three biggest spectacles sport has to offer in the space of six years. Of course there is still a long way to go with the bidding cycles for both the rugby and football events, so we could just be left with the Olympics but if the bookmakers are to be believed we are favourites to win the right to host both competitions and as regular readers will know they tend to know more than I do when it comes to sport!
If England (though the benefits will filter down throughout the UK) are to win then this will be the first time that one nation will have hosted all three events in such a short space of time, though it should be remembered that only a limited number of countries would be interested in hosting the Rugby World Cup. The closest precedents I can recall are Mexico hosting the Olympics in 1968 and the Football World Cup in 1970, and the US who had the 1994 World Cup in addition to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
Of course there is an argument that it is "our turn" to host these events having not hosted the Rugby World Cup since 1991 (its second appearance on the calendar) and by 2018 it will have been more than fifty years since we hosted the football equivalent. However, the sporting reasons are if anything more persuasive. In football whilst we may have flattered to deceive in the final stages of major tournaments at a natonal level, neither UEFA or FIFA would disagree that at the moment the Premier League is the best in the world and we boast the current European and World Club champions (Manchester United) and have supplied finalists to the last five editions of the Champions League. This success breeds success as we now boast some of the finest stadia in the world.
In Rugby it is a similar story at European level with the national team having won and been runner-up in the last two editions of the World Cup and English teams regularly reaching the semi-finals and finals of the Heineken Cup. Though Twickenham is the only major stadium for rugby in England, many of the bigger games utilise the excellent football stadia and these will be utilised again in the event of England winning the right to host the event as France did in 2007. However, it is not just our ability to host these events but it should be remembered on an annual basis we already host one each of Golfs and Tennis' four majors, a Grand Prix (though after sixty years that could soon change) as well as numerous other international sporting spectacles in every sport from cycling to equestrianism to motorcycling to squash.
With this backdrop it is almost impossible to believe that any other nation should even be in the running but of course they all have very persuasive cases as well. What we should do though is back our administrators, and dare I say it, politicians, in bidding for these events because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be at the forefront of sport for an unprecedented length of time. The benefits that hosting these events will bring to the country are immeasurable, both in economic terms (perhaps that's why the politicians are so keen) but most especially for our youth who hopefully in anticipation of these events will want to be involved and if they can't compete when they are in their backyard will be inspired to take up, or continue in sport and strive to reach these events in the future.
So good luck England, I am backing you and if many more of us do then we have a chance to welcome the worlds best sport and sportsmen to our green and pleasant land and in so doing inspire our next generation of sportsmen and women.
If England (though the benefits will filter down throughout the UK) are to win then this will be the first time that one nation will have hosted all three events in such a short space of time, though it should be remembered that only a limited number of countries would be interested in hosting the Rugby World Cup. The closest precedents I can recall are Mexico hosting the Olympics in 1968 and the Football World Cup in 1970, and the US who had the 1994 World Cup in addition to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
Of course there is an argument that it is "our turn" to host these events having not hosted the Rugby World Cup since 1991 (its second appearance on the calendar) and by 2018 it will have been more than fifty years since we hosted the football equivalent. However, the sporting reasons are if anything more persuasive. In football whilst we may have flattered to deceive in the final stages of major tournaments at a natonal level, neither UEFA or FIFA would disagree that at the moment the Premier League is the best in the world and we boast the current European and World Club champions (Manchester United) and have supplied finalists to the last five editions of the Champions League. This success breeds success as we now boast some of the finest stadia in the world.
In Rugby it is a similar story at European level with the national team having won and been runner-up in the last two editions of the World Cup and English teams regularly reaching the semi-finals and finals of the Heineken Cup. Though Twickenham is the only major stadium for rugby in England, many of the bigger games utilise the excellent football stadia and these will be utilised again in the event of England winning the right to host the event as France did in 2007. However, it is not just our ability to host these events but it should be remembered on an annual basis we already host one each of Golfs and Tennis' four majors, a Grand Prix (though after sixty years that could soon change) as well as numerous other international sporting spectacles in every sport from cycling to equestrianism to motorcycling to squash.
With this backdrop it is almost impossible to believe that any other nation should even be in the running but of course they all have very persuasive cases as well. What we should do though is back our administrators, and dare I say it, politicians, in bidding for these events because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be at the forefront of sport for an unprecedented length of time. The benefits that hosting these events will bring to the country are immeasurable, both in economic terms (perhaps that's why the politicians are so keen) but most especially for our youth who hopefully in anticipation of these events will want to be involved and if they can't compete when they are in their backyard will be inspired to take up, or continue in sport and strive to reach these events in the future.
So good luck England, I am backing you and if many more of us do then we have a chance to welcome the worlds best sport and sportsmen to our green and pleasant land and in so doing inspire our next generation of sportsmen and women.
Monday, 18 May 2009
Winners and Losers!
Sport is great not just because there will always be winners and losers but in the manner in which a team or individual achieves the result. Whilst I didn't think this weekend just gone would produce much drama, controversy or let's face it excitement I was proved completely wrong.
The big losers at the weekend included Liverpool FC (even though they won) because of the lack of grace shown by their manager Benitez in not being big enough to recognise Manchester United's achievement in not just winning the premier league for the 11th time since its inception, but in equalling Liverpool's record of 18 wins in England's top flight in football. Another big loser was the Tour of Italy which should have had it's showpiece stage in Milan yesterday but because of safety concerns from a majority of the riders led to the stage turning into nothing more than a training ride until the last few metres. In its 100th year you would have thought that the organisers and the teams would have done their utmost to ensure no controversy took centre stage and in this they comprehensively failed. The final big loser was the West Indies cricket team who for most of the last couple of weeks have looked like they would rather be doing anything than playing test cricket in the early English summer - admittedly their loss.
However, there were also a number of winners and the first I will highlight is the English cricket team. Whilst the opposition may have on the whole been weak the English players all made significant contributions to the team cause with the batsmen getting in the runs and the bowlers taking wickets and doing a professional job. At this time it is quite possible that all of the eleven players who took part in this series will be confident of being on the teamsheet in a couple of months when the Ashes gets under way, but of course that is some time off and form and injuries could get in the way in the meantime. I am sure that the Australians will have taken note and in a sense it's a shame there is going to be such a long gap between the starter and the main course!
Another winner who came to the fore was Roger Federer who not only won a tournament for the first time in more than six months but to do so, beat this year's Mr Invincible, Rafael Nadal on his favourite surface and in his own backyard! The French Open is only days away and suddenly the result no longer looks like a nailed on certainty. Finally, the real winner this weekend was Usain Bolt in the 150 metres race in Manchester. Admittedly, it wasn't a world championship or significant race but it is normally in these sort of circumstances where a great champion can come unstuck. Not Bolt! The performance he put in was literally out of this world on a wet track, in a city centre where he didn't just destroy the opposition but ran the fastest, man has ever run over that particular distance. As a lover of statistics the one that amazed me was that he ran the last 100 metres (essentially the length of a football or rugby pitch) in 8.72 seconds - that is phenomenal and I doubt any human being has ever come close to such speed.
In addition Jorge Lorenzo won a great Moto GP race in testing conditions at Le Mans, Manchester United won the premier league, Leicester just about did enough to win the Guinness Premiership rugby at Twickenham, Safina won the woman's tennis in Madrid and Torquay returned to the football league amongst all the other sport that was taking place around the world.
As for me and my predictions - not good. Down another £1.50 v the Bookies as only three correct predictions - typical of the favourites not to live up to their billing when I back them, with only Leicester, and the draws in the football between United & Arsenal and Bolton & Hull being accurately predicted - though Cavendish did win the farce in Milan.
The big losers at the weekend included Liverpool FC (even though they won) because of the lack of grace shown by their manager Benitez in not being big enough to recognise Manchester United's achievement in not just winning the premier league for the 11th time since its inception, but in equalling Liverpool's record of 18 wins in England's top flight in football. Another big loser was the Tour of Italy which should have had it's showpiece stage in Milan yesterday but because of safety concerns from a majority of the riders led to the stage turning into nothing more than a training ride until the last few metres. In its 100th year you would have thought that the organisers and the teams would have done their utmost to ensure no controversy took centre stage and in this they comprehensively failed. The final big loser was the West Indies cricket team who for most of the last couple of weeks have looked like they would rather be doing anything than playing test cricket in the early English summer - admittedly their loss.
However, there were also a number of winners and the first I will highlight is the English cricket team. Whilst the opposition may have on the whole been weak the English players all made significant contributions to the team cause with the batsmen getting in the runs and the bowlers taking wickets and doing a professional job. At this time it is quite possible that all of the eleven players who took part in this series will be confident of being on the teamsheet in a couple of months when the Ashes gets under way, but of course that is some time off and form and injuries could get in the way in the meantime. I am sure that the Australians will have taken note and in a sense it's a shame there is going to be such a long gap between the starter and the main course!
Another winner who came to the fore was Roger Federer who not only won a tournament for the first time in more than six months but to do so, beat this year's Mr Invincible, Rafael Nadal on his favourite surface and in his own backyard! The French Open is only days away and suddenly the result no longer looks like a nailed on certainty. Finally, the real winner this weekend was Usain Bolt in the 150 metres race in Manchester. Admittedly, it wasn't a world championship or significant race but it is normally in these sort of circumstances where a great champion can come unstuck. Not Bolt! The performance he put in was literally out of this world on a wet track, in a city centre where he didn't just destroy the opposition but ran the fastest, man has ever run over that particular distance. As a lover of statistics the one that amazed me was that he ran the last 100 metres (essentially the length of a football or rugby pitch) in 8.72 seconds - that is phenomenal and I doubt any human being has ever come close to such speed.
In addition Jorge Lorenzo won a great Moto GP race in testing conditions at Le Mans, Manchester United won the premier league, Leicester just about did enough to win the Guinness Premiership rugby at Twickenham, Safina won the woman's tennis in Madrid and Torquay returned to the football league amongst all the other sport that was taking place around the world.
As for me and my predictions - not good. Down another £1.50 v the Bookies as only three correct predictions - typical of the favourites not to live up to their billing when I back them, with only Leicester, and the draws in the football between United & Arsenal and Bolton & Hull being accurately predicted - though Cavendish did win the farce in Milan.
Friday, 15 May 2009
Another Weekend and Some More Predictions
It is a little like the calm before the storm this weekend, because there is as usual plenty of sporting action but nothing overly eye-catching, perhaps with the exception of English rugby's premiership final at Twickenham.
That said, I have still managed to find 10 events to make predictions for, though I have not really stuck my neck out too much this week. In addition to the rugby where I can't see past Leicester winning, I have gone for Rossi in the MotoGP at Le Mans with Stoner on the podium. Sticking to the favourites theme it would be unrealistic to pick anyone other than Nadal in the Madrid Tennis Masters but have plumped for Jankovic in the women's tournament.
The final predictions are all based on the penultimate weekend of premiership football where it is very likely Manchester United will wrap up their third consecutive title, though I have gone for them to draw in this match which will be enough. The other four games I have gone for include all of the contenders for relegation who are admirably drawing out the tension to the bitter end!
I did want to make a predicition for Sunday's stage in the Giro d'Italia cycling as it is a flat stage around Milan but can't find any odds at this time but my prediction is for Mark Cavendish as the route appears ideal for him.
Guinness Premiership Final
Leicester to win at 1/2
MotoGP
Rossi to win at 11/10
Stoner to podium at 1/2
Madrid Masters Tennis
Nadal to win Mens at 1/3
Jankovic to win womens at 7/4
Barclays Premiership Football
Manchested United to draw with Arsenal at 11/4
West Brom to draw with Liverpool at 4/1
Bolton to draw with Hull at 12/5
Middlesbrough to beat Aston Villa at 13/8
Newcastle to beat Fulham at 10/11
That said, I have still managed to find 10 events to make predictions for, though I have not really stuck my neck out too much this week. In addition to the rugby where I can't see past Leicester winning, I have gone for Rossi in the MotoGP at Le Mans with Stoner on the podium. Sticking to the favourites theme it would be unrealistic to pick anyone other than Nadal in the Madrid Tennis Masters but have plumped for Jankovic in the women's tournament.
The final predictions are all based on the penultimate weekend of premiership football where it is very likely Manchester United will wrap up their third consecutive title, though I have gone for them to draw in this match which will be enough. The other four games I have gone for include all of the contenders for relegation who are admirably drawing out the tension to the bitter end!
I did want to make a predicition for Sunday's stage in the Giro d'Italia cycling as it is a flat stage around Milan but can't find any odds at this time but my prediction is for Mark Cavendish as the route appears ideal for him.
Guinness Premiership Final
Leicester to win at 1/2
MotoGP
Rossi to win at 11/10
Stoner to podium at 1/2
Madrid Masters Tennis
Nadal to win Mens at 1/3
Jankovic to win womens at 7/4
Barclays Premiership Football
Manchested United to draw with Arsenal at 11/4
West Brom to draw with Liverpool at 4/1
Bolton to draw with Hull at 12/5
Middlesbrough to beat Aston Villa at 13/8
Newcastle to beat Fulham at 10/11
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
F1 Still Getting Publicity but is it to the Detriment of the Sport?
Eighteen Months ago Bernie Ecclestone was saying that Formula 1 didn't have any characters any more and that the odd sex scandal or two probably wouldn't go amiss! What he hadn't bargained for was his main henchman being embroiled in a very public scandal only a few weeks later - a scandal that nearly saw the demise Max Mosley as head of the FIA.
That saga dragged on for most of last season and for many is probably remembered as much the racing on the track was which is a pity because last season was one of the closest and most exciting for years and no-one could have foreseen the final drama as two drivers crossed the finishing line at the last race in Brazil believing they were world champion - which in a sense they were.
This season the controversies and therefore publicity has continued almost unabated from before the time the teams arrived for the first race in Australia. It started with the issue of changing the way in which the world champion would be crowned, as the supremo Ecclestone wanted a new system whereby the winner of most races would become champion regardless of consistency throughout the season and sixty years of history. Of course the teams rebelled and the existing points system remains in force but plenty of column inches and therefore publicity was garnered until the whole affair was settled days before the first race.
However, no sooner than the cars and teams arrived in Australia the issue of the double diffusers adopted by three teams was immediately protested about, as the competition felt at worst they were illegal and at best went against the spirit of the new rules. This meant that the results of the first couple of races could only ever be regarded as provisional until the FIA made a definitive ruling. This it did, and in favour of the teams who had "pushed the envelope" but yet again no lack of publicity as the issue was debated. So the score was now one each between the legislators and the major (manufacturer) teams.
Even as the race in Melbourne came to an end the next issue was blowing up - the McLaren and Lewis Hamilton liargate scandal. Yet again plenty of debate and one that would not be resolved finally until the fourth race of the season had been completed. In this one a perfectly legal manoeuvre in a race led to a lie being told and then compounded when further evidence came to light. The whole storm only blew up because the rulemakers were too busy to make a snap decision at the time. In the end McLaren lost their team principal and sporting director - men with over 70 years of F1 experience between them. In addition last year's world champion lost not just the points he had won on the track but reputation, enough that he even questioned his continued involvement in the sport. Another point to the F1 administrators.
There was only a week but the next race in Malaysia had it's own farcial ending with nobody quite knowing whether the race would restart after an abandonment following a tropical storm, and then when it didn't restart, no-one was sure who had finished in which position. Again completely avoidable if the race had stuck to its usual start time but because the legislators thought us Europeans need a lay in on a Sunday they decided to start the race in the late afternoon (the same time as the storms normally drift in) rather than in the mid-afternoon which may have meant an hour or two less in bed from some of us fans. Before the race weekend the drivers and teams had informed us of their concerns but they were ignored by the administrators so the fans were deprived of the racing that the late start was supposed to bring more to. I make that two points each!
But now the biggest story of the lot. Will F1 be recognisable next season as one team after another is threatening to quit because of the spending cap that the FIA want to impose next season. Of course teams will not be obliged to abide by the cap and this is what is irking the teams as it will lead to a potential two tier championship, those that abide by the cap will have far fewer restrictions in terms of what they can design into the car and those that can spend the money not having the opportunity to be so innovative. To me a championship without the likes of Ferrari involved will not be true F1 and so this story still has plenty more twists and turns and meanwhile plenty of publicity that actually has little to do with the action on the track.
From a business perspective most marketing or advertising executives will claim that all publicity is good publicity and maybe this is the true objective of all involved in F1 this season - to keep the sport in the headlines every day, and for a closet conspiracy theorist such as myself it is interesting that Richard Branson the ultimate self-publicist has got involved this season. Also, with most of the motor manufacturing industry worldwide in crisis at least a number of the manufacturers are getting into the news for reasons other than not selling cars and asking for state handouts.
I'm sure there will be more stories as the season progresses which I can comment on, not least the resolution of next season's potential rules. And lest we forget Button and Brawn are dominating the drivers' and constructors' championships. For many of the spectators the next race will be incidental to a nice weekend on the Mediterranean coast - they are all off to Monaco and I for one am slightly envious, so yet again the publicity machine rolls on and the sport continues in the backseat.
That saga dragged on for most of last season and for many is probably remembered as much the racing on the track was which is a pity because last season was one of the closest and most exciting for years and no-one could have foreseen the final drama as two drivers crossed the finishing line at the last race in Brazil believing they were world champion - which in a sense they were.
This season the controversies and therefore publicity has continued almost unabated from before the time the teams arrived for the first race in Australia. It started with the issue of changing the way in which the world champion would be crowned, as the supremo Ecclestone wanted a new system whereby the winner of most races would become champion regardless of consistency throughout the season and sixty years of history. Of course the teams rebelled and the existing points system remains in force but plenty of column inches and therefore publicity was garnered until the whole affair was settled days before the first race.
However, no sooner than the cars and teams arrived in Australia the issue of the double diffusers adopted by three teams was immediately protested about, as the competition felt at worst they were illegal and at best went against the spirit of the new rules. This meant that the results of the first couple of races could only ever be regarded as provisional until the FIA made a definitive ruling. This it did, and in favour of the teams who had "pushed the envelope" but yet again no lack of publicity as the issue was debated. So the score was now one each between the legislators and the major (manufacturer) teams.
Even as the race in Melbourne came to an end the next issue was blowing up - the McLaren and Lewis Hamilton liargate scandal. Yet again plenty of debate and one that would not be resolved finally until the fourth race of the season had been completed. In this one a perfectly legal manoeuvre in a race led to a lie being told and then compounded when further evidence came to light. The whole storm only blew up because the rulemakers were too busy to make a snap decision at the time. In the end McLaren lost their team principal and sporting director - men with over 70 years of F1 experience between them. In addition last year's world champion lost not just the points he had won on the track but reputation, enough that he even questioned his continued involvement in the sport. Another point to the F1 administrators.
There was only a week but the next race in Malaysia had it's own farcial ending with nobody quite knowing whether the race would restart after an abandonment following a tropical storm, and then when it didn't restart, no-one was sure who had finished in which position. Again completely avoidable if the race had stuck to its usual start time but because the legislators thought us Europeans need a lay in on a Sunday they decided to start the race in the late afternoon (the same time as the storms normally drift in) rather than in the mid-afternoon which may have meant an hour or two less in bed from some of us fans. Before the race weekend the drivers and teams had informed us of their concerns but they were ignored by the administrators so the fans were deprived of the racing that the late start was supposed to bring more to. I make that two points each!
But now the biggest story of the lot. Will F1 be recognisable next season as one team after another is threatening to quit because of the spending cap that the FIA want to impose next season. Of course teams will not be obliged to abide by the cap and this is what is irking the teams as it will lead to a potential two tier championship, those that abide by the cap will have far fewer restrictions in terms of what they can design into the car and those that can spend the money not having the opportunity to be so innovative. To me a championship without the likes of Ferrari involved will not be true F1 and so this story still has plenty more twists and turns and meanwhile plenty of publicity that actually has little to do with the action on the track.
From a business perspective most marketing or advertising executives will claim that all publicity is good publicity and maybe this is the true objective of all involved in F1 this season - to keep the sport in the headlines every day, and for a closet conspiracy theorist such as myself it is interesting that Richard Branson the ultimate self-publicist has got involved this season. Also, with most of the motor manufacturing industry worldwide in crisis at least a number of the manufacturers are getting into the news for reasons other than not selling cars and asking for state handouts.
I'm sure there will be more stories as the season progresses which I can comment on, not least the resolution of next season's potential rules. And lest we forget Button and Brawn are dominating the drivers' and constructors' championships. For many of the spectators the next race will be incidental to a nice weekend on the Mediterranean coast - they are all off to Monaco and I for one am slightly envious, so yet again the publicity machine rolls on and the sport continues in the backseat.
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
Bookmakers Back in Profit
Great rugby tour, though far too much alcohol and so only some hazy memories and it has taken me the best part of two days to start feeling human again!
Unfortunately my predictions weren't all that great last week with only three correct, Button to win the Grand Prix, Leicester to win their premiership play-off semi-final in the rugby and Newcastle to beat Middlesbrough in the premiership football relegation battle. This has led to me being £3 down on the bookmakers since the predictions began a few weeks ago.
Whilst I may have only predicted three correct results they are all very significant in their own way as Button now has a big lead in the Formula 1 standings and we are nearly a third of the way through the season - it is just conceivable that if Bernie Ecclestone had had his way with the World Champion being the winner of the most races in the season, then Button would be fairly close to the title already with 4 wins from 5 races.
Leicester's win means that they now have finals in consecutive weeks to win both the English Premiership and the European Cup meaning that both they and Manchester United could achieve equal feats of dominating both their home country league and being the best in Europe.
Finally, Newcastle's win could have been most significant of all as it has moved them out of the relegation places for the first time in months and though they are still far from guaranteeing their position at football's top table in England next year, they are probably only one win away from that achievement and have almost certainly consigned their near neighbours in Middlesbrough the trips to the likes of Blackpool, Plymouth and Peterborough!
The sporting action is coming thick and fast now with the English cricket season in full flow, the first of the Grand Cycling tours already in the mountains, with ominously a certain Lance Armstrong so far on the pace, plus we have the Madrid tennis masters underway which will be closely followed by the French Open and Britain's own Andy Murray up to third in the world. All I can recommend is watch this space.
Unfortunately my predictions weren't all that great last week with only three correct, Button to win the Grand Prix, Leicester to win their premiership play-off semi-final in the rugby and Newcastle to beat Middlesbrough in the premiership football relegation battle. This has led to me being £3 down on the bookmakers since the predictions began a few weeks ago.
Whilst I may have only predicted three correct results they are all very significant in their own way as Button now has a big lead in the Formula 1 standings and we are nearly a third of the way through the season - it is just conceivable that if Bernie Ecclestone had had his way with the World Champion being the winner of the most races in the season, then Button would be fairly close to the title already with 4 wins from 5 races.
Leicester's win means that they now have finals in consecutive weeks to win both the English Premiership and the European Cup meaning that both they and Manchester United could achieve equal feats of dominating both their home country league and being the best in Europe.
Finally, Newcastle's win could have been most significant of all as it has moved them out of the relegation places for the first time in months and though they are still far from guaranteeing their position at football's top table in England next year, they are probably only one win away from that achievement and have almost certainly consigned their near neighbours in Middlesbrough the trips to the likes of Blackpool, Plymouth and Peterborough!
The sporting action is coming thick and fast now with the English cricket season in full flow, the first of the Grand Cycling tours already in the mountains, with ominously a certain Lance Armstrong so far on the pace, plus we have the Madrid tennis masters underway which will be closely followed by the French Open and Britain's own Andy Murray up to third in the world. All I can recommend is watch this space.
Thursday, 7 May 2009
Some weekend predictions
Predictions are a day earlier this week as I am off on rugby tour tomorrow and may not get the chance to make any posts in the next couple of days. However, this also ties in well as it allows me to make a couple of predictions on the Golf Players Championship at Sawgrass before the action gets underway and as this is often regarded as the fifth major it is a very important tournament in the season for all those involved.
In addition to the golf there is the first of the European Grand Prix in Spain which could almost be a fresh start to the season with the amount of car modifications rumoured to have been made in the last couple of weeks, the Rugby Guinness Premiership semi-finals and of course we have reached the sharp end of the football premiership where both the destination of the title and the relegation matters may be sorted out in the next few days!
Golf
Woods to win at 4/1
Casey to be top European at 7/1
Rugby Union
Leicester to beat Bath at 4/11
Harlequins to beat London Irish at 11/18
Spanish Grand Prix
Button to win at 12/5
Alonso to podium at 11/4
Football Premiership
Hull v Stoke to draw at 12/5
West Brom v Wigan to draw at 12/5
Newcastle to beat Middlesbrough at 11/10
West Ham to draw with Liverpool at 3/1
In addition to the golf there is the first of the European Grand Prix in Spain which could almost be a fresh start to the season with the amount of car modifications rumoured to have been made in the last couple of weeks, the Rugby Guinness Premiership semi-finals and of course we have reached the sharp end of the football premiership where both the destination of the title and the relegation matters may be sorted out in the next few days!
Golf
Woods to win at 4/1
Casey to be top European at 7/1
Rugby Union
Leicester to beat Bath at 4/11
Harlequins to beat London Irish at 11/18
Spanish Grand Prix
Button to win at 12/5
Alonso to podium at 11/4
Football Premiership
Hull v Stoke to draw at 12/5
West Brom v Wigan to draw at 12/5
Newcastle to beat Middlesbrough at 11/10
West Ham to draw with Liverpool at 3/1
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Is Sport the Best Drama?
I ask the question because yet again the weekend produced a sporting spectacle that couldn't have been scripted. This is not the first time it has happened in the world of rugby, yet alone the broader world of sport and it certainly won't be the last. Just in the last twelve months there has been enough occasions to keep us on the edge of our seats to an unimaginable conclusion and who'd bet there aren't a few more to come in the coming weeks and months.
Of course this weekend's drama was played out over two hours at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and resulted in the first ever (at least that I can recall) penalty shoot-out in the game of rugby. But this was a mere Act in the overall drama. With ninety percent of the game gone it looked all over for Cardiff, the one team not to have lost in the tournament all season but then in the space of two minutes the game turned on its head through the skill and talent of just a couple of individuals. Roberts from Cardiff laid down a serious intent to be O'Driscolls partner in the centres for the Lions in South Africa next month, (surely O'Driscoll is a nailed on certainty after yet another man of the match performance in the other semi-final 24 hours earlier), but at the stage of this game tries were not going to be enough.
The key was the conversions and Blair the Kiwi did not disappoint with his two conversions close to the touchline. If Leicester's defence had to be breached they weren't going to make the kicks easy! But in a sense this was just the opening of the play. What was destined to follow was some of the most exciting rugby imaginable. Twenty minutes of extra time followed when the discipline shown by all thirty players reached new heights, but this new-found discipline was not at the expense of some of the best defence produced in a game of rugby. During that period of extra time not only was the kickable penalty account kept blank but at no time could either Leicester or Cardiff get into a position to enable one of their hotshots a drop goal opportunity let alone get within 10 metres of scoring a try - though Tom Croft had a real go as the game drew to its conclusion.
So with points all square, tries scored equal, rugby union entered unknown territory, though something we have all become familiar with in the sister sport of football - lest we forget that Rugby Union is actually rugby football - the penalty shoot-out. We know that this is when a team sport comes down to the individual and so there will always be a "hero" and a "villain". There are two key differences between football and rugby that immediately become apparent though. Firstly, the top professional footballers earn in a week what their equivalent earns in a year at rugby, and secondly in rugby other than two or three players in the team kicking is not a required skill, especially after running themselves in to the ground for the previous 100 minutes!
Of course the result to the neutral was no longer important it was the drama that was going to unfold and of course it had been written many times before! The kickers kicked, a couple of wingers missed and then it was sudden death and into the forwards. Nearly every successful team over the years has been led by a forward because they are at the sharp end of every rugby encounter, but they do not expect to have to lead from the front when it comes down to a kicking competition.
We weren't to be disappointed and in the footsteps of Pearce, Beckham and Terry followed Williams a talisman for the game of rugby, Wales and the Cardiff Blues in the last 10 years. Perfect drama of course unless you were a player or Cardiff Blues supporter and in Williams' failure Jordan Crane had his 15 minutes!
The great thing is that we are only at the beginning of May and the sporting year still has 8 months to run, months that will include an Ashes series, a Lions tour, 3 Golf and Tennis Majors, the Tour de France, Football and Rugby European Cups, the climax to another F1 season and so much more. Shakespeare watch out, because we might be flooded with sport in this digital age but we can also share in so much extra tension, drama and excitement any of your plays!
Of course this weekend's drama was played out over two hours at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and resulted in the first ever (at least that I can recall) penalty shoot-out in the game of rugby. But this was a mere Act in the overall drama. With ninety percent of the game gone it looked all over for Cardiff, the one team not to have lost in the tournament all season but then in the space of two minutes the game turned on its head through the skill and talent of just a couple of individuals. Roberts from Cardiff laid down a serious intent to be O'Driscolls partner in the centres for the Lions in South Africa next month, (surely O'Driscoll is a nailed on certainty after yet another man of the match performance in the other semi-final 24 hours earlier), but at the stage of this game tries were not going to be enough.
The key was the conversions and Blair the Kiwi did not disappoint with his two conversions close to the touchline. If Leicester's defence had to be breached they weren't going to make the kicks easy! But in a sense this was just the opening of the play. What was destined to follow was some of the most exciting rugby imaginable. Twenty minutes of extra time followed when the discipline shown by all thirty players reached new heights, but this new-found discipline was not at the expense of some of the best defence produced in a game of rugby. During that period of extra time not only was the kickable penalty account kept blank but at no time could either Leicester or Cardiff get into a position to enable one of their hotshots a drop goal opportunity let alone get within 10 metres of scoring a try - though Tom Croft had a real go as the game drew to its conclusion.
So with points all square, tries scored equal, rugby union entered unknown territory, though something we have all become familiar with in the sister sport of football - lest we forget that Rugby Union is actually rugby football - the penalty shoot-out. We know that this is when a team sport comes down to the individual and so there will always be a "hero" and a "villain". There are two key differences between football and rugby that immediately become apparent though. Firstly, the top professional footballers earn in a week what their equivalent earns in a year at rugby, and secondly in rugby other than two or three players in the team kicking is not a required skill, especially after running themselves in to the ground for the previous 100 minutes!
Of course the result to the neutral was no longer important it was the drama that was going to unfold and of course it had been written many times before! The kickers kicked, a couple of wingers missed and then it was sudden death and into the forwards. Nearly every successful team over the years has been led by a forward because they are at the sharp end of every rugby encounter, but they do not expect to have to lead from the front when it comes down to a kicking competition.
We weren't to be disappointed and in the footsteps of Pearce, Beckham and Terry followed Williams a talisman for the game of rugby, Wales and the Cardiff Blues in the last 10 years. Perfect drama of course unless you were a player or Cardiff Blues supporter and in Williams' failure Jordan Crane had his 15 minutes!
The great thing is that we are only at the beginning of May and the sporting year still has 8 months to run, months that will include an Ashes series, a Lions tour, 3 Golf and Tennis Majors, the Tour de France, Football and Rugby European Cups, the climax to another F1 season and so much more. Shakespeare watch out, because we might be flooded with sport in this digital age but we can also share in so much extra tension, drama and excitement any of your plays!
Honours Even with the Bookies
I thought the Heineken Cup rugby would be the highlight of the weekend and wasn't proved wrong. Out of my ten predictions I managed to predict 5 correct results and this ended up meaning I was all square with the bookies this weekend. However, I am still showing a profit of £2 since the start of the weekly predictions.
My successes were the prediction of Leicester for the rugby, Rossi and Pedrosa in the MotoGP and the wins for Tottenham and Manchester United in the Premiership football. The two big errors were in the snooker where I had predicted Robertson to win and he didn't even make the final and was similarly out of luck with Federer in the tennis.
My successes were the prediction of Leicester for the rugby, Rossi and Pedrosa in the MotoGP and the wins for Tottenham and Manchester United in the Premiership football. The two big errors were in the snooker where I had predicted Robertson to win and he didn't even make the final and was similarly out of luck with Federer in the tennis.
Friday, 1 May 2009
Bank Holiday Weekend Predictions
The sun is shining and hopefully the sporting action will be just as bright over the long weekend that we are about to embark upon. As usual I have a range of predictions for the various sporting events that will be taking place. For me the highlight will be the semi-finals of the Heineken Cup but for others there is the climax to the world snooker championships, further premiership football action, the last round of matches in the Championship and Leagues One and Two, the tennis Rome Masters as well as the MotoGP in Spain.
Hopefully, there is something for everyone but if not and horses are your thing then the weekend also has the first two classics of the season at Newmarket (the 1000 and 2000 Guineas) and the Kentucky Derby. Not knowing one end of a horse from another I won't be making any predictions on these events but am sure there are plenty of people out there who will be laying a wager.
Heineken Cup
Munster to beat Leinster at 1/3
Leicester to beat the Cardiff Blues at 5/4
MotoGP
Rossi to win at 13/10
Predrosa to place at 11/8
Rome Tennis Masters
Federer to win at 7/1
Snooker World Championships
Robertson to win at 4/1
Premiership Football
Spurs to beat West Brom at 1/2
Liverpool to draw with Newcastle at 9/2
Manchester United to beat Middlesbrough at 4/7
Championship Football
Reading to draw with Birmingham at 13/5
Hopefully, there is something for everyone but if not and horses are your thing then the weekend also has the first two classics of the season at Newmarket (the 1000 and 2000 Guineas) and the Kentucky Derby. Not knowing one end of a horse from another I won't be making any predictions on these events but am sure there are plenty of people out there who will be laying a wager.
Heineken Cup
Munster to beat Leinster at 1/3
Leicester to beat the Cardiff Blues at 5/4
MotoGP
Rossi to win at 13/10
Predrosa to place at 11/8
Rome Tennis Masters
Federer to win at 7/1
Snooker World Championships
Robertson to win at 4/1
Premiership Football
Spurs to beat West Brom at 1/2
Liverpool to draw with Newcastle at 9/2
Manchester United to beat Middlesbrough at 4/7
Championship Football
Reading to draw with Birmingham at 13/5
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