Can Button show some Brawn?

WELL the new Formula One season is finally upon us once again.

This weekend the cream of the motorsport world will be descending on Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix – and this time it is bringing with it more storylines than an episode of Eastenders.

At first there was the points debacle where bosses announced radical plans to overhaul the scoring system in F1 – which would lead to the number of race victories determining the champion, not the number of points.

That plan has since been scrapped for this season after teams revolted, although it could still be resurrected in time for the start of next year.

With that on the back burner, there is now a controversy brewing over a rear diffuser design being run on three team’s cars in the run up to Melbourne – with Red Bull threatening to lodge a protest if they are not deemed illegal.

However, for most supporters, the sport is about the drivers and not the nitty gritty technological aspects of the cars.

This will result in many eyes being on Britain’s own Lewis Hamilton to see how the young racing prodigy copes with the pressure of being reigning World Champion.

But it is actually another Briton who could step into the limelight and set his stall out for a possible title push if early season testing is to be believed.

Jenson Button will be hoping to win Brawn GP's first race this weekend.

Despite having only secured one race victory in 153 races, Jenson Button – who will be lining up alongside veteran Brazilian teammate Rubens Barichello – is being widely-tipped to battle it out for the victory in Adelaide.

In an incredible turn of events, the newly-formed Brawn GP team – which has risen from the ashes of the Honda team under the guidance of legendary engineer Ross Brawn – has been setting the pace so far and Button and Barichello are set to reap the rewards of their incredible speed.

Honda pulled out of F1 in December last year as a result of the economic crisis hitting the motor industry hard.

The team was then reportedly just days from folding as they sought to find a buyer but Brawn, who was Team Principle at Honda, brokered a rescue package to get them on the grid in time for the first race of the season.

At the end of last season there had been rumblings that Honda and Brawn, who had previously won titles while technical director at Benetton and Ferrari, had developed a potentially championship-winning car.

And the new teams early form under the guise of Brawn GP has certainly shaken things up in the pitlane, with more than a few raised eyebrows at the stunning times the team has set so far.

Williams’ boss Sir Frank Williams even admitted Brawn had made the other teams look like ‘amateurs’. “They will disappear on the basis of what we have seen in testing,” he said. “I just hope we can be up there, too.”

Now, with Hamilton’s McLaren struggling in the middle of the time sheets, it looks like there could be a shift in power at the start of the F1 season. The question now is, can Brawn and Button still be leading the pack at the end of the season?

Becky feels the pressure . . . but maintains impressive form

MANSFIELD’S golden girl Rebecca Adlington has admitted she has struggled with the pressure of being double Olympic champion since returning from Beijing as one of the stars of British sport.

She was back in the pool for the British Championships this week but was pipped to first place in one of her golden events – the 400m freestyle- by Olympic bronze medallist Joanne Jackson.

And speaking after the event, Becky herself said she had found it hard to cope with the weight of expectation.

“My motivation is never a question, it’s how to deal with the pressure,” she said. “I don’t think I have ever questioned my motivation.

“I have had a lot to deal with in a short space of time. I’ve just turned 20. Not even my mum and dad can teach me how to cope with the pressure.”

But before people start to question if she is going to struggle to recreate those amazing achievements of last year, lets actually look at the facts.

As she points out herself, she is only 20-years-old and is already double Olympic Champion. I, for one, can’t even imagine the pressure she must be feeling from the outside world, let alone what she will be piling on herself.

Rebecca Adlington returned from Beijing with two Olympic gold medals, but says she is now feeling the weight of expectation.

And despite finishing second, there was no shame at all in her performance.

She actually finished over half a second inside the previous World Record time set by Italian Federica Pellegrini and only lost to Jackson by 0.23 of a second.

And the 400m freestyle isn’t even her best event!

The ludicrous thing though is that despite now owning the second fastest 400m freestyle time in history, she has still not qualified for the World Championships.

Only Jackson, as the race winner, automatically qualifies and Becky now has to head to the Scottish National Championships in June to try and win the event there and take another qualifying spot.

There is no time to change the rules now, but surely it is something swimming bosses need to look at. After all, what kind of World Championships would it be if Becky was not competing in an event in which she is Olympic Champion despite having set a faster personal best than any other swimmer apart from her teammate?

But all is not lost. She qualified for the 200m freestyle final, but has now pulled out of that race to concentrate on her other golden event, the 800m freestyle.

Already holding the World Record in that event, she will just be hoping to prove her dominance by taking the title and having her World Championship place assured for at least one race.

Six Nations mid-term report

WE are now over halfway through this seasons’ RBS Six Nations championship so I thought it was time to take a look at how the team’s are faring.
With Ireland topping the table after they edged out England by one point and favourites Wales lost to the French, the tournament looks like it could well boil down to the last game when the two Celtish teams face each other.
But if France can beat England on 15th March then they will go into the final game against Italy still in with hopes of taking the title.
Below I look at each team’s strengths and weaknesses and make my predictions for the rest of the championship:

IRELAND

Only one of the top three sides to have played tournament whipping-boys Ireland leading to their excellent points difference. Struggled against England but did just enough to win thanks to talismanic captain Brian O’Driscoll. Ronan O’Gara needs a return to kicking form if they stand a chance to come out on top as they can’t afford to turn down as many free points as they did against England.
PREDICTION: 2nd

WALES

The chance of a Grand Slam has now gone but they will be eager to bounce back from disappointing defeat against France and show they are still the best side in the northern hemisphere. Didn’t take advantage of their opportunities in Paris but should re-find their form with an easy win over Italy. If their back three of Lee Byrne, Shane Williams and Leigh Halfpenny are firing on all cylinders then I think they will have enough to take the title against Ireland on the final day.
PREDICATION: 1st

FRANCE
The most frustratingly inconsistent side in world rugby. Can play beautifully flowing rugby to cut sides to shreds one day and then fall apart the next when their Gallic temperament gets the better of them. Will be a closer-fought battle than many expect against England but the opportunity to beat their old rivals in their own back yard should be enough incentive to see them through. However, I don’t think two wins in their last two games will be enough to take the title.
PREDICATION: 3rd

Wales captain Ryan Jones (centre) holds the RBS Six Nations Trophy as he and fellow captains Mike Blair of Scotland (front left), Sergio Parisse of Italy (top left) Steve Borthwick of England(behind), Lionel Nallet of France (top right) and Brian O'Driscoll of Ireland pose for a photograph. Photo credit should read: David Davies/PA Wire.

ENGLAND

Points difference isn’t actually too far away from the top teams but the side hasn’t performed well under pressure. Constant indiscipline has been punished with six players sin-binned in the first three games of the tournament. Calm heads need to be brought in to take advantage of attacking opportunities and defend resolutely without giving away penalties. Still have good individual players, they just need to start clicking like a team. A lack of flair in midfield is still a problem.
PREDICTION: 4th

SCOTLAND

Solid win against Italy but I think they will come up short against Ireland leaving the Calcutta Cup as their only remaining chance of glory. They are definitely improving with some good youngsters coming through, but I think Twickenham will tip the game in England’s favour. However, it will not be comfortable for the home side and the Scots will give them a run for their money. Players still have a lot to play for as they try and book a place in Ian McGeechan’s Lions squad.
PREDICATION: 5th

ITALY

Loss to Scotland sums up their Six Nations. No chance of beating either Wales or France so are destined for the wooden spoon. Since coach Nick Mallett’s awful decision to pick flanker Mauro Bergamasco at scrum-half on the opening day against England they have looked like a deflated team desperately short of confidence.
PREDICTION: 6th

The Strauss reign starts today

ENGLAND’S cricketers start their first Test against the West Indies under the leadership of new captain Andrew Strauss today.

In the aftermath of Kevin Pietersen’s short-lived term in charge of the national team, Strauss has got a lot on his plate to heal the rumoured rifts in the dressing room.

Calm, friendly and well-liked – he seems the perfect choice to bring the players together and will no doubt have the support and respect of the dressing room.

But the way the whole debacle surrounding the acrimonious departure of Pietersen and coach Peter Moores has got to be questioned and I can’t believe it hasn’t left a sour taste in the mouths of all the people involved.

As well as pulling all the players together, one of the main tests facing Strauss is to get Pietersen playing for the team and not let his superb talent be overshadowed by the events.

Some people claim that the cocky Pietersen is just a mercenary cricketer who is only interested in playing for himself and not for the England badge but I can’t believe that is the case.

England captain Andrew Strauss (left) and Kevin Pietersen enjoy a lighter moment during the tour match at Warren Park Cricket Ground, St Kitts. Photo credit: Gareth Copley/PA.

After being brought to this country by then-Nottinghamshire coach Clive Rice, Pietersen set about establishing himself as one of the best batsmen in the world.

Of course, a lot of this drive comes from his desire for personal success but you just have to see his delight when he was named captain to know who proud he was to be chosen to lead England’s quest to be the best team in the world.

If anything his problems come from expecting too much from the rest of his team. The swaggering Pietersen is a fitness fanatic and would expect nothing else from his teammates.

And being so naturally talented he can’t seem to comprehend it when the less illustrious members of the squad play badly, leading him to get frustrated with their lack of quality.

A lot of his bad press in this country stems from this arrogance of knowing he is the best player in the team.

Being English, we’re not used to this kind of approach and our press will often throw it back in his face if he fails with the bat. But more often than not he can back up his words with action and his bold, undaunted approach to the game strikes fear into the hearts of opposition teams and adds another aspect to the English team which has long been missing.

Ever the consumate professional, I’m sure Pietersen will be back to his dominating best and rumours from the West Indies suggest camaradarie in the camp is definitely on the mend.

Let’s just hope the team does put all this uncertainty behind them and keeps the eyes on the prize. After all, the race to the Ashes starts here….

Pick your All-Star XI

WELL the curse of the blogger has struck again!

Just a few days after suggesting I was backing Andy Murray to break his Grand Slam duck at the Australian Open, he fell to 14th seed Fernando Verdasco in a brutal five-set fourth round match-up.

Oh well, I’m going to give the predictions a rest this week and talk about an American sporting tradition which I think would prove a roaring success on this side of the pond – the All-Star weekend.

On Sunday night the greatest ice hockey players in the world converged on Montreal, Canada, for the showpiece of the NHL’s annual All-Star weekend.

The All-Star game pitches the best players from the Eastern and Western Conferences against each other, with the starting six players selected by a fan vote and the rest of the squad picked by the coaches who endeavour to choose at least one player from each team.

This year’s game was edged out on a shootout by the Eastern Conference (boooo hiss!) when the game finished tied at 11-11 after overtime.

Sharks' Patrick Marleau takes on LA Kings Mike Cammalleri

Three members of my team, the San Jose Sharks who currently sit proudly atop the Western Conference, played in the game and did themselves proud. But as I’m sure Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle would say themselves, it is just an honour to be involved in such a high-profile game.

Critics would say there are already too many games in an already congested fixture list to justify this extra match in football.

But those same critics are the one’s who have been calling for a winter break so why not tie the two together?

That’s what the NHL does – I mean this is a sport where each team plays 82 regular season games. And that is before the playoffs begin where the eventual Stanley Cup winners could play as many as an extra 28 games of ice hockey to be crowned champions. Yet they still find time for the All-Star break which has become a perennial fans’ favourite.

At one stage last season the guardian’s of our beautiful game were even considering bringing an extra fixture in to take around different parts of the world.

Why not scrap that plan and bring in an All-Star fixture which would really be an event for the fans and not just about lining the pockets of the people at the top of football?

Joe Thornton in action against the Detroit Red Wings

I will admit American sports do have some slight advantages over us such as the fact they are already split into regional areas such as the Western and Eastern Conferences for logistical reasons because of the sheer size of the country.

But that could be solved. I mean who wouldn’t pay to watch the superstars of the Premier League do battle for one weekend of the year?

As a hypothetical, and partially time-wasting, exercise I have drawn a line diagonally across the country from South West to North East to split the Premier League Teams in two.

In one half we have: Chelsea; Arsenal; West Ham; Fulham; Tottenham Hotspur; Portsmouth; Hull; Sunderland; Newcastle; Middlesborough.
In the other are: Man Utd; Liverpool; Aston Villa; Everton; Wigan; Man City; Bolton; Blackburn; Stoke; West Brom.

Here are my teams (I’ve tried to get at least one player from each team amongst my squad of 18):

LONDON TEESIDE UNITED
Cech (CHELSEA)
Boswinga (CHELSEA)
Terry (CHELSEA)
Upson (WEST HAM)
Hangeland (FULHAM)
Downing (MIDDLESBOROUGH)
Bullard (HULL)
Lampard (CHELSEA)
Nasri (ARSENAL)
Defoe (TOTTENHAM)
Carlton Cole (WEST HAM)
SUBS:
Given (NEWCASTLE)
Glen Johnson (PORTSMOUTH)
Turner (HULL)
Murphy (FULHAM)
Kenwyne Jones (SUNDERLAND)
Van Persie (ARSENAL)
Owen (NEWCASTLE)
MANAGER: Phil Brown (HULL)

BRUMMIE LANCASHIRE XI
Van der Sar (MAN UTD)
Evra (MAN UTD)
Lescott (EVERTON)
Ferdinand (MAN UTD)
Warnock (BLACKBURN)
Ashley Young (ASTON VILLA)
Gerrard (LIVERPOOL)
Arteta (EVERTON)
Ronaldo (MAN UTD)
Torres (LIVERPOOL)
Agbonlahor (ASTON VILLA)
SUBS:
Jaaskelainen (BOLTON)
Delap (STOKE)
Greening (WEST BROM)
Cahill (EVERTON)
Valencia (WIGAN)
Robinho (MAN CITY)
Rooney (MAN UTD)
MANAGER: Martin O’Neill (ASTON VILLA)

So the question is, if my London Teeside United vs Brummie Lancashire XI (OK the names need some work!) game were to get the thumbs up what would your line-ups be? Just comment below to add your suggestions.

PH

Ice Hockey pictures courtesy of Pointnshoot. Click here to see more of his work.

Murray is ready to make his mark

THE Australian Open tennis tournament got underway this week and for the first time in living memory, some bookmakers actually had British tennis superstar Andy Murray down as the favourite for the title.

It’s easy to see why too after he started in good style with an easy walkover victory against Romanian Andre Pavel who retired injured after going a set and a break down.

The ease of victory even led to one of my colleagues to question why it was being shown live on TV – but I loved every second of it. After all, when was the last time we had a British tennis player we could rely on to walk through these early rounds without breaking sweat?

When the Dunblane smasher first broke onto the scene as a precocious 17-year-old, everyone knew he had the talent to make his mark at the upper echelons of the game but there were question marks over his attitude.

Having won the junior US Open title, he soon began to make an impact on the senior ATP Tour but, despite a number of impressive wins and a steady rise up the rankings, there were occasions where his frustration and anger seem to boil over.

These outbursts were quite often his worst enemy and could cost him dearly as he lost focus when he felt a decision had gone against him.

However, a new mature approach over the past 12 months has led to two Masters titles in Cincinatti and Madrid and a first appearance in a Grand Slam final at the US Open.

Despite being spanked by all-time great Roger Federer in the final, Murray bounced back in fine style and maintained his good form to finish the year ranked fourth in the world.

The start of this more professional attitude can be traced back to a change in his coaching team in November 2007 when he sacked American coach Brad Gilbert, who is widely-regarded as one of the best coaches in men’s tennis after leading Andy Roddick to the world number one spot before Federer and new top man Rafael Nadal took over.

Many critics disapproved of the decision, but his new ‘team of coaches’ – made up of several fitness experts and former British Davis Cup player Miles Maclagan – obviously made Murray feel more comfortable compared to his often fractious relationship with Gilbert.

Not only did his approach to the game improve but his overall fitness, which had often been a weakness when compared to compatriots like Nadal, took a massive leap forward.

All this contributed to his fantastic year and already in 2009 he has continued where he left off – with victories over Federer (twice), Nadal, James Blake and Andy Roddick leading him to winning an exhibition championship in Abu Dhabi and defending his Qatar Open title.

Now Murray has proved he can consistently mix it with all of the best players in the world what is to say he won’t become the first British Grand Slam champion since Fred Perry in 1936?

In fact, I’m down the bookies.

PH

Losing your job is the reality of life as a football manager

THE current economic downturn has left many people fearing for their jobs.

 

And with Christmas just around the corner, now is certainly not the time you want to find yourself out of a job.

 

But one profession which is notoriously unsecure around this time of the year is the position of football manager.

 

You just have to look over at Field Mill where Billy McEwan was unceremoniously sacked by the ‘Three Musketeers’ last week.

  

Click here to read all the latest stories on the vacancies at Mansfield Town

 

Having led them to the top of the table early on this season, the tides soon turned as the Stags started their seemingly inexorable descent down the league.

 

Desperate to find a way to stop the rot, and with attendances falling as fast as the club’s league position, the new owners stepped in and got rid of McEwan.

 

 

Harsh? Maybe. But Messrs Perry, Saunders and Middleton clearly thought it was the only possible decision to stave off the threat of relegation.

 

Then there is the situation at Blackburn. Paul Ince did what so many former players of his stature fail to do and started his career at the lowest rung of the league ladder when he took the reigns at Macclesfield, who were rock bottom of League Two at the time.

 

That is something he should definitely be applauded for and, after staving off relegation with the Silkmen, he got a chance to take over at MK Dons. He subsequently won the Football League Trophy and the League Two title in his only season in charge before joining Blackburn Rovers.

 

However, five months later and he’s out of a job as Blackburn find themselves in the bottom three of the Premier League and face a major relegation battle for the rest of the season.

 

Now every manager in the sport should know how precarious their positions are. I mean, after all, 20 Football League managers have left their jobs already this season – they really do have a short shelf life. 

 

 

 

But should the men at the top be more patient and give managers more time to fulfil their ‘vision’? I mean look at the impact Sir Alex Ferguson has had at Manchester United despite a lean few years when he first joined.

 

Both Ince and McEwan had only been in charge of their respective teams for five months and had both taken over club’s in a state of fluctuation. Billy only had two senior players when he took over and has had to build his side through the loan market and free transfers.

 

Ince meanwhile took over a club which had just lost two key players in Brad Friedel and David Bentley to Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur. He was also left without one of his major goal threats in Roque Santa Cruz who has been injured for a large chunk of the season so far.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I can see why both these men have had to bite the bullet. At the end of the day, football is a results game and because of the money involved the cost of relegation nowadays is massive. Failure is not an option.

 

However, I can’t help but feel some sympathy for them because it is the players themselves who are going out on the pitch and letting them down.

 

As Billy McEwan himself said, just days before being given the boot, “You can’t legislate for individual errors. At the end of the day you can be the best coach, the best manager in the world, but you can’t plan for anything like that.”

Will Becky be Sport Personality of the Year?

SO who is Britain’s sporting superstar of the past year?
That is the question that will be answered on Sunday night when the BBC Sport Personality of the Year will be revealed.
Mansfield’s golden girl Rebecca Adlington is being widely-tipped to take home the prize after her stunning exploits in Beijing.

To read all the Chad’s Rebecca Adlington coverage, click here

The teenage swimmer brought home two gold medals from the Olympics – breaking the 800m freestyle World Record in the process – and is the bookies’ favourite to take the crown.
But who are her rivals? Below I look at Becky’s claim to the crown and see who she is up against (in alphabetical order). I also rate their chances of pipping Becky to the post.

BECKY ADLINGTON
BOOKIES’ ODDS: 8/11 FAV (odds supplied by Victor Chandler – correct at time of publishing)
CHANCES OF WIN: 5/5

What more can I say about Becky? Her incredible performances in the Water Cube in Beijing made her one of the undoubted stars of the Olympics.
As I’ve already mentioned, she returned home to Mansfield with two gold medals and a World Record in her pocket.
That acheivement put her alongside Dame Kelly Holmes as one of just
two British women to win two golds at one Games.
But much more than that, at just 19-years-old she brough a real girl-next-door quality to the reality of being an Olympic champion.
The look on her face when she edged out American Katie Hoff in the 400m freestyle said more than 1,000 words possible could.
Then to watch her follow that up in the 800m with such a dominant swim which broke swimming’s longest-standing World Record was an absolute joy to behold.
Mansfield really does have a sporting star they can truly be proud of.

BEN AINSLIE
BOOKIES’ ODDS: 150/1
CHANCES OF WIN: 2/5

Ben Ainslie has been one of Britain’s most consistent Olympians over the past 12 years.
He started his Olympic career with a silver medal in 1996 but in the last three Games he has brought home the top prize.
This year, the 31-year-old won the gold medal in the Finn Class in Beijing, making him Britain’s most successful Olympic sailor of all time and amongst the top three from any country.
He also won the World and European titles this year – leading to him being named World Sailor of the Year for the third time.
Winning medals in four consecutive Olympics is an amazing achievement and no doubt he will be looking to improve his already remarkable record at London 2012.

JOE CALZAGHE
BOOKIES’ ODDS: 50/1
CHANCES OF WIN: 4/5

Joe Calzaghe is the defending Sports Personality of the Year and knowing the Welsh boxing star he will not give up the title without a fight.
Ironically he has probably had a better year in 2008 than he did last year, but there is much tougher competition this time around.
This year has seen the former super middleweight king extend his unbeaten record to 46-0 despite a step up to light heavyweight.
Looking to cement his place amongst boxing’s legends, Calzaghe has stepped into the ring against two of the greatest boxers of their generation – Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr in Las Vegas and New York respectively.
In doing so, the 36-year-old, who has hinted at retirement from the sport, silenced the critics who said he would never leave the comfort of his backyard and fight outside of Wales. And he has done so in style.

NICOLE COOKE
BOOKIES’ ODDS: 150/1
CHANCES OF WIN: 2/5

Nicole Cooke was the lady who started off Britain’s gold rush in Beijing by taking the road race after a thrilling sprint finish.
Her critics have previously said she doesn’t deliver when it matters after a disappointing fifth place in Athens four years ago.
She had gone into the race as the number one women’s road cyclist in the world, but a crash meant she missed out on the medals.
However, this year the 25-year-old she proved her naysayers wrong and put that disappointment behind her with her well-deserved gold medal – which she followed up just a month later when she took the World title.
Learning how to perform in the ‘big one’ is what sets aside good and great sport stars and Nicole finally seems to have finally crossed that final hurdle.

LEWIS HAMILTON
BOOKIES’ ODDS: 2/1
CHANCES OF WIN: 4.5/5

If this was 2007 and Lewis Hamilton had won the Formula One championship, then he would have been a shoe-in for the Sports Personality title.
Motorsport has a strong history of creating winners for the BBC award – but last year Hamilton was pipped to both titles by Kimi Raikonnen and Joe Calzaghe respectively.
This season, however, he bounced back in style and put that disppointment behind him by becoming the youngest F1 champion in history after passing Toyota’s Timo Glock on the final corner to get the point which clinched the title.
Despite his achievements, the success of the British Olympic team means the 23-year-old has some very stiff competition for the Sports Personality title this time around.
But despite some critics saying Hamilton has arguably the best car on the grid – no-one can doubt his natural talent and his potential to be one of the greatest drivers in history.

CHRIS HOY
BOOKIES’ ODDS: 7/2
CHANCES OF WIN: 4.5/5

Alongside Rebecca Adlington, Chris Hoy has become the face of the British Olympic team.
The 32-year-old Scotsman has thighs like tree trunks – and he put them to good use by storming around the Olympic velodrome to take three victories.
He was widely-expected to come away from Beijing with medals, but the way he destoyed all his opposition was totally unprecedented. I mean, it wasn’t even close.
His wins in the individual sprint, team sprint and keirin made him the first Briton to win three gold medals in one Olympics since 1908.
He now has five medals in three Olympics and there have been calls for a knighthood for the cycling superstar.
But as far as Hoy is concerned there is still more to achieve and he will be training hard to make the 2012 team – even though he will be 36 when the Games come to London.

ANDY MURRAY
BOOKIES’ ODDS: 150/1
CHANCES OF WIN: 3/5

It has been an incredible year for Andy Murray who has firmly cemented himself in the upper echelons of men’s tennis.
He finished the year ranked fourth in the world and also claimed two Masters titles in Cincinatti and Madrid – which are amongst the biggest titles in world tennis outside of the four Grand Slams.
Speaking of Grand Slams, Murray’s greatest achievement in an incredible year has to be making the first Major final appearance of his career at the US Open.
In the final he was outclassed by Roger Federer – but throughout the season he has shown he can compete with the best and has now beaten every one of the top three players ranked above him – Federer himself, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
All his opponents on the ATP Tour know what a talent he is and, at just 21 years old, he has time to get even better and will go into 2009 as one of the hot favourites to scoop one of the big four slams.

CHRISTINE OHURUOGU
BOOKIES’ ODDS: 300/1
CHANCES OF WIN: 2/5

Christine Ohuruogu has proved time and time again that she is an athlete for the big occaisions.
She may not be the fastest 400m runner in the world, but she is the one with all the medals.
Despite being reigning Commonwealth and World champion, she was not the favourite for the Olympic title this year.
But she proved all her doubters wrong with another superb performance in Beijing just when it mattered.
Some of her achievements have been overshadowed by a sporting ban earlier in her career when she missed three out-of-competition drug tests.
But there was never been any suggestion that she has cheated and most of her compatriats and rivals seem to have accepted that there was not any malicious wrongdoing.
And by winning a gold medal in a track and field event – which to most people are the blue riband sports of the Olympics – the 24-year-old has given the struggling British athletics team a much needed boost and rightly claims her place amonst the ten nominees.

REBECCA ROMERO
BOOKIES’ ODDS: 250/1
CHANCES OF WIN: 2/5

Rebecca Romero was another British cyclist who shone in the velodrome – winning the invidual puruit in Beijing.
But her story doesn’t just end there. You see, what makes 28-year-old Romero’s victory so extraordinary was she had only been cycling competitively for two years.
Four years previously she had actually been an Olympic rower – taking silver for Great Britain in the women’s quad sculls at Athens 2004.
Injury forced her to quit that sport, but she was approached by British Cycling to jump on two wheels and she proved their decision correct when she brough home a gold medal.
Her drive to be a success has led her to even hint that she may try and take up a third sport for the London 2012 Olympics which would really turn her into one the greatest sport stars in Olympic history.

BRADLEY WIGGINS
BOOKIES’ ODDS: 500/1
CHANCES OF WIN: 2/5

Bradley Wiggins is the final one of the four British Olympic cyclists shortlisted for the Sports Personality awards.
The 28-year-old won two gold medals at Beijing – bringing his total number of Olympic medals to six after also picking up one gold, one silver and two bronzes in the previous two Games.
But the one Olympic disappointment for Wiggins came when he and teammate Mark Cavendish missed out on the Madison title they had previously won at this year’s World Championships.
On such a dominant cycling team, anything but a medal was deemed a failure – meaning the pair’s ninth place felt like a catastrophic failure for the pair.
However, Wiggins has said he will race on and now has his sights set on beating Sir Steve Redgrave’s British record of Olympic medals with at least one more in London 2012.

Coverage of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards starts at 7pm on Sunday on BBC1.
With so many deserving champions I will leave the choice entirely up to you.
But I know who I will be voting for….COME ON BECKY!

Eastwood prove the magic is still in the FA Cup

Unfortunately this Saturday, Alfreton Town crashed out of the FA Cup despite a brave performance against League One side Scunthorpe United.

However, one local side made the headlines for all the right reasons.

Eastwood Town, who play in the Unibond League Premier Division, completed the cup shock of the round by knocking out League Two leaders Wycombe Wanderers, who had previously been unbeaten all season.

A massive 72 league positions separated the two sides at kick off but nobody at the ground would have known that was the case at the final whistle.

Eastwood, whose nickname is the Badgers, once had a certain Chad sub editor called Mark Hall on their books, but they have obviously moved on leaps and bounds since those dark days by claiming a deserved 2-0 victory.

Lindon Meikle hit the opening goal for Eastwood Town on Saturday.

Playing at home, the Nottinghamshire side took the lead in the 34th minute when Lindon Meikle hit the back of the net from 20 yards. Then in the closing stages Peter Knox sealed the victory by tapping in from close range.

The win caused a pitch invasion from the crowd, including many fans in Badger suits who could only dream about what would be next for the small Nottinghamshire side.

The victory saw them reach the holy grail of the third round where they were drawn against the winner of Notts County and Kettering Town.

It may not have been the money-spinning ties they would have been hoping for against one of the Premier League ‘Big Four’, but it is a possible local derby which would definitely give them the sort of incentive they need to pull off another shock win.

And who knows what would happen in the fourth round draw. Eastwood Town v Manchester United at Old Trafford? Now that really would be something to remember.

The politics of sport and the sport of politics

Politics and sport. Two very different animals which seem to be drawing closer and closer together.
But there is one English sport which is deeper entrenched in world politics than all the others.
I am, of course, talking about cricket which has once again found itself firmly entangled in political wrangling as England’s players head home after the horrific events in Mumbai this week.
For once the team is not caught in a situation of its own making. The terrorist attacks could not have been foreseen when England’s current series with India was conceived.
But the problem English cricket has is the small number of Test playing nations, all of which are former colonies, and some of which are seriously volatile
I mean, would you see our national football or rugby teams touring countries such as India and Pakistan on a regular basis? The obvious answer is no.
And the thing that makes this dangerous situation even worse is the ineptitude of the game’s leaders the International Cricket Council (ICC).
You just have to look at the situation which kept on rearing its head year after year when Zimbabwe were still playing Test cricket. Should England tour? Should they stay at home?
 

To be fair, the British Government could have shown stronger leadership and banned the team from touring, but as the game’s highest authority, the ICC should have done more to prevent the moral arguments in the first place.
However, both parties were too scared to do anything about it leaving the team with a very awkward decision to make.
And right now the England board and squad find themselves in an uncomfortable position yet again.
Quite rightly they have flown back to England to be with their loved one’s, but already people are asking questions. Will they return to complete the series? Should they return to complete the series? Whose decision is it to make?
Whether the sport of politics or the politics of sport have the final say – you can damn well bet the moneymen in charge of the sport and the politicians trying to pacify important allies will be expecting them to return to India in the New Year to carry on where they left off.
So maybe the question we should really be asking is, is this fair?
Our cricketers could make a personal decision to stay in England, but at the end of the day cricketers are sportsmen, not statesmen, and don’t want to get embroiled in the politics of foreign countries.
However, as long as the leaders of the game keep on putting the ball firmly back in the players’ court then that is what they will be expected to do.

The emotional rollercoaster of being a sports fan

Hello….and welcome to my first ever Sports Blog for the Chad website.
First things first, and I guess I better introduce myself as I will hopefully be keeping you nice people company once a week for the foreseeable future with this fine piece of insightful journalism.
My name is Peter Hemmett and I am a sub-editor at the Chad. I have been at the paper for five-and-a-half years working my way through the ranks since I started as a trainee reporter in our Ashfield office, eventually landing a place up on the newsdesk.

Let’s get one thing out of the way rather quickly though – and hopefully this won’t put any of you off too much! – I am not a Mansfield Town supporter.
I know, I know. I can hear the murmurs of discontent already but I’m going to leave the Stags to one side in my blogs. You guys are already well-serviced through the superb MTFC blog written by our sports editor John Lomas and our ever-popular podcast Stags Talk.
Instead, each week I will be discussing the major talking points of the last week in the sporting world.

I actually support Nottingham Forest, having grown up on the south side of the River Trent, but my love for sport transcends all sorts of geographical boundaries.
Football, rugby, cricket, motorsport, tennis, ice hockey, golf, boxing, snooker – I love them all. I can’t help but be sucked in by the drama and emotion that sport brings out in everybody involved – whether it is players or fans.
Just take Sunday for example. Having been to a fancy-dress Hallowe’en party the night before, I managed to drag myself (and my girlfriend) out of bed in time to get down the pub to watch my beloved Forest take on Derby County.
Now anybody who knows anything about sport will know how important that game is to supporters of either side. The Stags fans amongst you will be getting prepared to experience similar emotions when you take on Chesterfield on Saturday!

The first half was nothing to write home about, but after taking the lead early in the second half I was confident we could go on and seal our first back-to-back wins of the season.
However, after having young midfielder Lewis McGugan sent off, Forest retreated into their shells allowing Derby to start dictating the pace and leading to them claiming an equaliser, which predictably came as a result of a free-kick from Skegby lad and ex-Forest player Kris Commons causing havoc in our penalty area.

With five minutes to go I was already biting my nails and praying we could hold on to a point, but little did I know of the drama to come.
Deep in injury time another cross into the area caused our defence problems with the ball eventually being headed home. However, referee Stuart Attwell – the official caught up in the ‘goal-that-never-was’ controversy earlier this season in the match between Reading and Watford – had already blown up after thinking he had seen Forest defender Luke Chambers handle the ball and instead gave Derby a penalty kick.

Lee Camp

In goal for us was diehard Derby County fan Lee Camp, pictured above, who used to play for the Rams. Surely he wouldn’t deny his childhood heroes a win…would he?
Up stepped substitute Nacer Barazite but sure enough Camp threw himself full-length to his right to push the penalty around the post.
Phew, a point saved surely?
But no, it wasn’t over yet.
From the resulting corner Camp again pulled off a wonder-save, this time flinging himself to the left to push a bullet header around the post.

By this point I wasn’t sure how much more I could take. The tension in the pub was palpable with loud shouts of ‘No! Yes! No! Yes!’ greeting every incident. And sure enough there was one final twist in the tail.
From the resulting corner Derby’s Miles Addison rose highest to power a majestic header home and send the Pride Park faithful into raptures.
However, Mr Attwell again thrust himself into the spotlight as he chalked off the goal because of a mysterious ‘push’ by Addison that nobody else in the ground seemed to have spotted.

So the game ended 1-1. Over the 90 minutes, it was probably a fair result but I have rarely known such an eventful 45 seconds in all my days following the Reds – especially against our closest rivals.
And all this just goes to prove my point about the emotion and passion involved in sport and why this makes it so popular to the general public.
I wasn’t even in the ground but I was physically shaking after the final whistle and needed to sit down for five minutes to calm down – I thought I was going to have a heart attack!
And you just had to see the unbridled joy of Lee Camp after his two amazing saves or the despair of Miles Addison when he realised his chance to go down in folklore as a Derby hero had been stolen away from him. I almost felt sorry for him…..almost.
PH

 
That’s all for now folks but join me next week when I will be looking at the outcome of the Joe Calzaghe vs Roy Jones Jr superfight.
I will also be discussing the impact that Lewis Hamilton’s last-gasp F1 Championship win (which nearly gave me my second heart attack of the day on Sunday afternoon!) will have on the chances of Mansfield’s golden girl Rebecca Adlington being named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
If you have any comments to make about the blog, any questions for me, or any subjects you would like to see me cover then please sign in below and have your say.

Sport: As important as life and death?

Hi there again. I know last week I promised I would talk about the Joe Calzaghe superfight and Lewis Hamilton’s F1 victory, but I am afraid there has been a change of plans.

As we all know, life has its way of throwing all sorts of pitfalls and obstacles in our paths just as we least expect it.

Unfortunately this week was no different and I had the sad news that my grandmother passed away in her sleep on Friday night.

As a result I am writing this blog in her memory and am hoping it can be quite a cathartic experience.

Don’t worry, I won’t make it too depressing for you all, but my family’s loss got me thinking, does sport actually matter at all. I mean, when it comes down to it, who cares if our sport teams win or lose on a Saturday afternoon?

Legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly once said: “Football is not a matter of life and death – it is far more important than that.”

Surely though, he got it wrong, didn’t he? I know nothing that happens in the sporting world can recreate the pain I felt when I received the news on Saturday morning from my mum.
However, is it really as simple as all that?

I mean, when you find out something like that, it really puts things into perspective. But when I was talking to my girlfriend, Amy about my memories of my Nan and the things we used to do together I realised how important a role sport played in our relationship.

From playing football in my back garden when I was growing up, to hearing her stories about when she was school netball captain. From playing Boulez on the beach during family holidays to sitting by her bedside to watch the epic Liverpool vs. West Ham FA Cup final two years ago. Sport was always there.

One of the first things she would always ask me when I saw her was: “How are Nottingham Forest doing?” The answer was inevitably always something negative, but her response was generally something about Tottenham Hotspur (her team) not doing too well at the moment either.

My point is, while sport clearly is not as important as life and death, it does play a vital role in bringing people from all walks of life and of all ages together.

The way it offers a huge mix of people from disparate backgrounds a common interest gives it an almost unique position in our society…something that we, the fans, should applaud it for.
PH

Next week normal service will be resumed and I promise I will look at Joe Calzaghe’s victory over Roy Jones Jr and where the Welsh wizard ranks amongst the greatest-ever boxers in history.

As always I would like to hear from you, so feel free to leave you comments below. Just sign in and get typing!

British boxing is still a force to be reckoned with

RIGHT, let’s box!! After weeks of broken promises I am finally going to stand by my vows and discuss Joe Calzaghe’s superb victory over all-time great Roy Jones Jr.
In all seriousness, the question has to be asked,  is Calzaghe the best boxer in the world right now?
Ok, I’ve heard all the arguments about how Jones is ‘over-the-hill’ and is a ‘spent force’, but when you put this victory alongside Calzaghe’s win against Bernard Hopkins in April then you have to give him his dues.
I mean, when was the last time you saw a British fighter win fights against such ring legends – let alone back-to-back victories.
I for one, despite this performance, would like to see Calzaghe hang up his gloves now while his undefeated 46-0 record in tact. For me, he’s fought everyone out there and won everything going. The only thing left for him to do is tarnish his perfect record if, as so many boxers do, he boxes on to long. The only way that will end will see him losing to someone who in his heyday, wouldn’t have been fit to tie his shoelaces.
He doesn’t need the money, but despite talking about his retirement, I still think there could be one risky fight left in Joe Calzaghe. He seems to have a burning desire to secure his legacy in the annuls of boxing history.
Calzaghe has a lot of fans in the boxing fraternity but there have always been naysayers who are full of disparaging comments about him at every turn despite his record.

Joe Calzaghe, right, eyes up Roy Jones Jr during their fight earlier this month.

There were criticisms surrounding him refusing to fight outside his native Wales but he has answered these complaints in style in his last two fights with victories in Las Vegas and New York.
There was also a lot of trash talk about Kelly Pavlik, but he was demolished by Hopkins last month, so he seems to be off-the-radar. However there are a big queue of other world class opponents hoping to delay Calzaghe’s retirement and try and take that record away from him.
They include Hopkins himself and another previous victim Mikkel Kessler. However, Calzaghe has always refused re-matches – especially as those two fighters would probably the two hardest options on offer.
Other possible match-ups could be Glen Johnson (who has seen previous planned fights against Calzaghe cancelled because of the Welshman’s injury problems) or undefeated WBC and IBF light-heavyweight champion Chad Dawson (who has beaten Johnson in the past but it not such an international star).
Will all this to mull over, it’s no surprise Calzaghe is keeping his cards close to his chest. I guess only time will tell.

ANOTHER British boxer making waves is former undisputed cruiserweight king David Haye, who announced his arrival at heavyweight with a convincing stoppage of Monte Barrett at London’s O2 Arena at the weekend.
While not being a household name, Barrett has fought world champions like the ‘Beast from the East’ Nikolay Valuev and Hasim Rahman, the man who famously beat Britain’s previous heavyweight king Lennox Lewis.
He is clearly no mug and, despite being knocked down once himself, Haye demonstrated why he thinks he can take a notoriously poor heavyweight division by the scruff of the neck by knocking Barrett onto the seat of his pants five times before the referee stepped in in the fifth round.

David Haye, left, celebrates his stunning knockdown of Monte Barrett.

Next step, Haye wants to fight one of the Klitschko brothers in a bid to become a two-weight world champion. Vitali is clearly the better of the two and is recognised as probably the best heavyweight in the world, but if Haye can use his younger brother Wladimir as a stepping stone then who knows what could be around the corner.
Since Lewis’ retirement, the blue-ribband division has been desperately searching for a star. And Haye has the cockiness, style and good looks to potentially become the poster boy for the boxing world.