Deadline Day – What You Won’t See

One of my favourite days of the year today – Deadline Day! Where Jim White struggles to maintain any sanity or dignity on Sky Sports News and where various sports reporters stand outside desolate training grounds to illustrate the point that said football clubs exist. All this while Gary from Salford texts in to say that his mate’s wife’s sister’s hairdresser has just spotted Lionel Messi walking down the street in Manchester, not far from the Etihad. Of course it’s all a circus that is stirred up by the media but it’s one that the managers play along with as many big deals go through at the last minute. It seems as though they, like us, read the live text and think because so and so has heard a rumour that they have to go and sign the player in question. Madness. Anyway, to poke fun at this charade I thought I’d have a look at some deals that won’t go through today and the said consequences of such deals. Who knows, a few of them might end up on Sky Sports News later!

Jim White - the face and sound of Deadline Day... Unfortunately

Emile Heskey to Manchester City

Man City's best signing?

Mancini is scouring the world looking for a replacement for Carlos Tevez only to be told by the tea lady that the signing he needs is right under his nose. Heskey can’t believe his luck and Mancini reckons that he’s done a good piece of business – at least this player doesn’t mind sitting on the bench! Heskey becomes a star signing after Balotelli headbutts Aguero in a league game against Blackburn for no apparent reason, getting himself sent off and leaving Sergio in A&E. Up steps Heskey and the wingers – grateful that they have some height to aim for – set him up for a hat-trick. City fans everywhere are seen sporting the “Why Never Me?” Heskey t-shirt range.

Carlos Tevez to anywhere

The new darts sensation?

Tevez spends deadline day at home with his wife and kids, watching Argentinian soap operas, chatting on the phone with El Diego and practicing throwing darts at Mancini’s head. He can’t be bothered to leave his house yet alone Argentina and despite Harry Redknapp offering a “tidy sum”, he chooses to retire from football to concentrate on his darts career – he wins the BDO world title a record breaking 19 times.

Neymar to Barcelona

Neymar - Ronaldo's new best friend?

Perennial cock-tease Neymar finally can’t escape the clutches of Barcelona after they promise that all the TV cameras will be focused on him and him alone while Barcelona are playing. He joins for £40 million and instantly demands to be paid more than Messi. Spends his first paycheck on hair products before showboating too much for the Catalan fan’s liking and being benched for the rest of the season. Sold to Real a year later where he becomes a club legend, forming a double act with Ronaldo that results in a number 1 song being released.

Roy Keane to Manchester United

Roy Keane - Don't mess with his women!

Fergie, struggling to cope with his new crop of kids and after a few glasses of scotch, reminisces about the mid 90s success he enjoyed with United. Having already recruited Scholes, he sets his sights on the other linchpin of the midfield: Roy Keane. Keane cannot stand management anymore and having seen the success that Scholes is enjoying he decides to make a comeback. His first game is marred by a filthy challenge on Frank Lampard that sees the Irishman getting a straight red. He blames the incident on Frank’s relationship with Christine Bleakley saying that “she’s mine! I’ve fancied her for years”. Fergie sees the error of his ways and promptly terminates Keane’s contract.

Anton Ferdinand to Chelsea

Anton Ferdinand - An unlikely defensive partner to John Terry?

In a peacekeeping attempt, Abramovich orders the transfer of Anton Ferdinand believing that if they spent time in the defence together, Ferdinand and Terry would soon forget their differences. The move is a disaster though as Ferdinand and Terry spend the entire 90 minutes of every game trash talking and trying to land punches on each other. No-one is brave enough to take either of them out of the team for fear of upsetting Abramovich and Chelsea ship 80 goals in the second half of the season and end up relegated to the disgrace of their fans.

So there we go then. A bit of light entertainment on what has become a bit of a second Christmas to every football fan – Deadline Day! Have a good one and I’ll see you when the metaphorical dust has settled.

Djokovic vs Nadal: The Greatest Tennis Match of All Time?

If you missed Djokovic vs Nadal yesterday morning then I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you missed an absolute classic tennis match. Pundits have labelled it as “extraordinary”, “super-human” and the Sunday Times went so far as to call it “the greatest tennis victory of all time”. We have been spoiled by mens tennis in the last decade. Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray would all dominate in any other decade than this and that’s without forgetting the fastest server of all time, Andy Roddick and players like Lleyton Hewitt and David Nalbandian. Was this final then the pinnacle of the mens game or is there a candidate more worthy of such praise? We’ll have a look back at yesterday’s match and then at some other matches that can be described as epics.

Nadal vs Djokovic had a little bit of everything: incredible winners, silly mistakes, tension, rivalry and a whole heap of drama. It really was reminiscent of a Hollywood movie at times. Before the match, Nadal said that he was going to attack Djokovic, play aggressively and look for winners but he also thought that ultimately it would not be enough. He would prove to be ominously accurate in his prediction but interestingly his tactic appeared to work nicely in the first set. Djokovic struggled to cope with the intensity and Nadal duly wrapped it up 7-5. The second set was nearly all Djokovic as Nadal struggled to maintain that aggression that had served him so well in the first; double faulting to hand the set to Djokovic. Into the 3rd and it was all one way traffic for Djokovic as he outhit, outperformed and out thought Nadal. At that stage, it looked as though he’d race through the fourth set and claim another Grand Slam title in another final against Nadal.

Can Djokovic now be counted among the games all time great players?

The fourth set changed everything. It was the first time since the opening set that this match looked like being a classic. The momentum switched between both players virtually every game and the hitting was ruthless although neither player could find the all important break of serve. A little rain break halfway through the set didn’t exactly ease the tension either. The inevitable tie-break didn’t disappoint. Fabulous hitting brought Djokovic a 5-3 lead before Nadal somehow battled back to get set point at 6-5, which he converted off an unforced error.  He celebrated like he’d won the match while Novak was left to ponder how he let that lead slip. It all pointed towards a sensational final set.

Nadal feels the strain as he is outmuscled and outlasted for the first time

Fifth sets are always intriguing affairs. There’s a mix of adrenaline and exhaustion running through their bodies and an excruciating pain from hours of mental fatigue. The best players usually produce their best tennis during the final set. This set though was something else. It was relentless and pulsating tennis with neither man wanting to give an inch and lest we forget in all this praise of Djokovic that Nadal actually was a break up during that fifth set. In fact, he was so close to going 5-2 up but sport can be very cruel at the best of times. Nadal will be ruing how he missed a simple backhand that would have virtually sealed the match for him. 

From then on, Djokovic always looked to have the superior game, despite Nadal’s dogged resistance. Djokovic fought back, broke Nadal and held serve to secure the final set 7-5. What was so impressive about Djokovic in this match was the fact that he was able to go toe-to-toe with Nadal over 6 hours whilst playing some unbelievable tennis but the fact that he had played out an exhausting five setter with Murray just two days beforehand. Also, he not only matched Nadal’s stamina but beat it, with the Spaniard needing to rest on the net before the trophy presentation. I said that Djokovic wasn’t my tip for the tournament but he proved me wrong. Last year was definitely not a fluke season and has earned the right to be mentioned among the greats of the game.

5 Other Epic Matches:

Federer vs Nadal – Wimbledon 2008

In my opinion this is still the greatest match of all time. The two greatest players of all time, in prime form, going head to head for nearly five hours with two rain breaks and darkness setting in by the time Nadal finally won the match. The standard of tennis was higher than in yesterday’s final and Federer’s comeback was extraordinary.

Federer vs Roddick – Wimbledon 2009

With the absence of Nadal due to injury, the 2009 tournament was always going to be missing something but Roddick did his best to rectify that. The quality wasn’t as high as the previous year but it was a fascinating battle nonetheless. Roddick somehow managed to hold serve despite what Federer threw at him and the fifth set felt like it was never going to end.

Isner vs Mahut – Wimbledon 2010

The longest match in history, finishing 70-68 to Isner in the final set. Obviously in a match that long, the standard of play is not going to be very high by the end of it. Even non-tennis fans were hooked on this match and there was a real metronomical rhythm throughout the fifth set. More importantly, this is a match that we will never see the like of again.

Borg vs McEnroe – Wimbledon 1980

Federer vs Nadal before Federer and Nadal were even born. A passionate rivalry, controversy and THAT tie-break. It had it all.

Ivanisevic vs Rafter – Wimbledon 2001

Has there been a more popular Wimbledon champion than Goran Ivanisevic? To Brits, this is the year that Tim Henman blew his best chance of winning Wimbledon but Goran took advantage of his fortuitous semi-final win to beat Pat Rafter in an epic five setter.

Sorry all of those matches are from Wimbledon but history says that’s where the best matches have all taken place. As for 2012 in tennis, it looks set to be a brilliant year. Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray all look strong so we’ll see where they take us across the next 11 months!

Australian Open Catch-Up

It’s the semi-final stage of the year’s first Grand Slam and I thought now would be a good time to review the predictions I made almost a fortnight ago.

On the men’s side, it’s not gone well if you’ve staked money on my predictions (why would you?!) I can only apologise. I predicted Tsonga to challenge the top 4 but he was embarrassed by Japanese star Kei Nishikori. Let’s not even discuss Raonic,my outside bet, who was dismantled by a Lleyton Hewitt who was only in the main draw by virtue of a wildcard. Yes Hewitt is a home favourite and an ex Grand Slam winner and former World Number One but his time has been and I was extremely disappointed that Raonic did not cement his place as a major force to be reckoned with by convincingly beating Hewitt – as he should have done with ease. Still, at least that gave Hewitt the confidence to roll back the years and challenge Djokovic for one set. I’m also disappointed that Tomic did not challenge Federer a bit harder because he had been impressive from the start of the tournament.

What about those that are left? Well, surprisingly the player in the best form is our very own Andy Murray. He’s been playing with a confidence we rarely see from him. There’s been no slump in the body language and no tired looking shots, just great shot placement  and a little bit of flair. That being said, he’s not really faced the creme de la creme of world tennis so far. Tsonga would’ve proved a worthy challenge to him but he’s certainly not faced anyone capable of hitting the ball as hard or as accurate as Djokovic. That could be his downfall but for now he should be concentrating on building on that confidence that he’s gathered throughout the tournament. He can only beat what is put in front of him and he’s done that with ease, which is very encouraging. Djokovic has also gained confidence as the tournament has worn on and seems to be on the same sort of level that he was at during the US Open. It’s a shame that one of Murray and Djokovic will not make the final as they really both deserve to be there.

I also said that Roger Federer could have a great tournament and so far his progress has been serene. No real scares along the way and sublime performances against Del Potro and Tomic really have helped his cause. Lest we forget he has also had the benefit of a walkover against Andreas Beck in the second round. That extra day off could give Federer the extra energy he needs to get through to the final although in recent years he has had a habit of choking in the last few rounds at the Grand Slams. He is also facing the constant thorn in his side that is Rafael Nadal who will surely be out for revenge after the humiliation he suffered at the O2 Arena in November. I said that Nadal would struggle here and he’s proved me wrong. He always manages to battle through and he’s faced some harder opponents than his closest rivals. He looked a little vulnerable against Berdych and Federer might just have too much for him this time around but you never know with Rafa. Worryingly, it says a lot for the state of mens tennis at the moment that the top four players occupy all of the semi-final slots.

On the women’s side, I’m pleased to say that my predictions were pretty close. Wozniacki struggled and has finally had to yield her Number 1 ranking. Clijsters had a massive scare against Li Na before finding a second wind and should be knocked out tomorrow by an ever improving Azarenka, who has conducted her business in this tournament with almost stealth-like fashion. Sharapova finally got her game together against a tough (and quite attractive!) opponent in Sabine Lisicki but as I predicted, Kvitova is the one to beat. She really deserves to be World Number 1 at the moment and I would like to see her go on and win this. Big names like Serena Williams and Jelena Jankovic were never really in any position to win this week but the big disappointment for me was Sam Stosur. I felt this could have been her year – home support, winning the last Grand Slam of the season in 2011 and decent form all should have propelled her into the latter stages of the tournament but instead she fluffed her lines and fell at the first hurdle.

Men’s Semi-Finals Preview

Friends and rivals but which one will come out on top on Thursday night?

Nadal vs Federer

So, here we go again. This will be the 27th competitive meeting between the 2 players widely regarded as being the greatest to ever play the game. Nadal leads the head-to-head 17 to 9 and you can expect the TV stations to whack that stat out a fair few times in the build up to the match. A rivalry shouldn’t be compelling if there’s been that many meetings between the two players but this one gets even more fascinating with age. Part of that is down to the fact that no two matches are anything close to similar with Federer and Nadal; they are always trying to outfox each other and to try something new because they both know each other’s games inside and out. Then you have the clash of styles – Federer with his artistry and pure textbook strokeplay against the power, resilience and fiendish spin of Nadal – that makes these two players an absolute privilege to watch. This time though, the fire has been stoked even further. We had Federer’s destruction of Nadal at the O2 which I mentioned earlier but in the build up to the Open we saw the first signs of a personal conflict between the two greats when Nadal accused Federer of basically not manning up and using his influence to make the ATP World Tour calendar a bit more manageable. All this points to another incredible contest out on Rod Laver Arena, one that will go the distance. It really could go either way but I really do fancy Federer to just scrape by.

Prediction: Federer in 5 sets

Murray vs Djokovic

He's no Tim Henman but could this be his year?

The World’s best tennis player against the perennial choker – no contest right? Well maybe not this time. Murray has been playing sublime stuff throughout these two weeks and has been really unlucky that he has to face the only other player who has matched him so far. The pressure will be on Djokovic though; he’s the World Number 1, he’s the guy who had possibly the greatest season in living memory in 2011, he is going for the Grand Slam (winning all four Grand Slams in a row) and has to defend his ranking points. I think it’ll be a lot tighter than last year’s final but I’m going to play conservative and go with the form books and opt for a Djokovic win. Murray has a very strong chance here though.

Prediction: Djokovic in 4 sets

Women’s Semi-Finals Preview

Kvitova vs Sharapova

Petra Kvitova - A new force in women's tennis?

Petra Kvitova could be the new World Number 1 by the time that this tournament is over… but then again so could Sharapova, which gives this match an added significance as major ranking points are on the line. These two are big hitters and although Sharapova can give as good as she gets, she found it tough going against Kvitova in the Wimbledon final last year. Kvitova looked impressive then although I’m sure many people thought it would just be a flash in the pan, but thankfully Petra didn’t see it like that and looks set for a second Grand Slam final as I can’t see Sharapova troubling her too much.

Prediction: Kvitova in straight sets

Azarenka vs Clijsters

Victoria Azarenka, the stealthy assassin at this year's Australian Open

As I mentioned earlier, Victoria Azarenka has very much been the forgotten woman of this tournament. She has taken care of all of her opponents with cold-hearted ease and should do the same against a weakened Clijsters. Kim looked shaky against Li Na but somehow came through and beat Wozniacki fairly comfortably yesterday but Azarenka does not have any real injury concerns and is in much better form than either Li Na or Wozniacki. It’s hard to see Kim winning this one.

Prediction: Azarenka in straight sets

So there we go, a little round up for you all and some predictions that will probably be miles wide of the mark but I hope you’ve all had fun. I’ll see you at the weekend for a Sharapova vs Clijsters and Nadal vs Murray double bill 😉

I’m also on twitter @tom_davidson

The African Cup of Nations, a Lack of Transfer Activity and a Little Comedy Gem from Pele

It’s that time of year again: the time that every Premier League manager dreads as the most talented players in Africa gather for the African Cup of Nations. So, what have we seen so far?

Well we’ve had a rather drawn out opening ceremony with more speeches than an awards do and featured a thoroughly bored looking set of players. We’ve seen opening wins for co-hosts Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, Zambia who shocked Senegal,  favourites Ivory Coast, Angola and Tunisia. We’ve also seen the first bow of the Libyan football team since the events of last winter; something that Western news outlets have been strangely reluctant to draw attention to.

What makes the African Cup of Nations so entertaining is that anyone can beat anyone. There’s almost no sense of inevitability amongst any of the group stage games – something that the Champions League can benefit from – and there is an infectious passion from the fans that radiates through the TV set. For a European audience, it’s always best to support one of the underdogs. My personal favourites have always been Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Mali and my support is divided between the two co-hosts this time round. Failing that, you might want to support the nation that contains the Premier League players you particularly like.

When it gets down to the big time though, it’s hard to look past Ivory Coast or Ghana. Ghana in particular look to have a slightly more rounded unit than the Ivorians and the absence of big hitters such as Nigeria, Cameroon and Egypt will only give them more confidence. Players such as Andre Ayew (expect him to get brought over to the Premier League in the summer) and World Cup hero Asamoah Gyan will feature but they also have captain John Mensah and Leicester City defender John Paintsil will sure up the defence. Their major weakness is in goal but the rest of the major teams don’t exactly have world class cover in that position. Ivory Coast may have more recognisable stars such as Drogba, Kalou and the Toure brothers but they were far from impressive against Sudan and they are renowned bottlers in this competition. Whatever the outcome, I’m looking forward to the rest of the tournament and hopefully Equatorial Guinea and Gabon can storm through the group stages!

Equatorial Guinea celebrate Javier Balboa's late winner against Libya; the first of many hopefully!

Away from Africa, the January transfer window is turning into a bit of a farce. With Manchester City performing so well in the league, there’s no need for them to spend big this winter while their neighbours United have already said that they have no reason to spend either. Arsenal are also holding that view despite their lower than normal league position. So it probably falls to Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea to make the big money signings. Liverpool spent big last year so probably can’t afford to. Chelsea have a pragmatic manager in Villas-Boas but he’s under big pressure from the fans and the board to spend big although he should concentrate on shipping off the older players first. Spurs are flying at the moment and ‘Arry’s trial is proving a hindrance to any potential deals as no-one wants to come to a club where the manager might be behind bars during the season. This has all led to a stagnant window where the major attention has been focused on PSG and Tevez, a transfer that I would love to see happen (PSG are a personal favourite of mine) but probably won’t happen. At least we won’t have to put up with Bryan Swanson struggling to use Sky Sports News’ ridiculous touchscreen TV, all while stood with an iPad in his hand for no apparent reason other than to encourage aspirationalism.

Pele, the greatest footballer that will ever live in Pele's opinion, hugging a football.

Finally, Pele is never one to shy away from a chance to stick two fingers up at Argentinians and he’s been at it again this week, as you can see here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/16661825.stm. Apparently Lionel Messi is not fit to be mentioned in the same breath as Pele. I accept the claim that Messi has to start performing for Argentina but Pele has to accept that he played it safe by plying his trade in Brazil and never daring to compete at the elite level in Europe. Pele might have won 3 World Cups but he never won the Champions League of which Messi has won 3. This is where the crux of the problem lies when it comes to determining the greatest player of all time as football generations are relative. Zidane and Ronaldo were probably more skilled than Pele but the defenders were harder to beat and they were never truly able to dominate in the way Pele did despite new rules favouring attackers being introduced. Maradona is the best in my eyes despite the flaws in his personality but don’t tell Pele… Incidentally, Maradona said that Pele is a “remote-controlled puppet”. Messi probably will be the greatest if he carries on doing what he’s doing and was a deserving winner of the Balon d’Or – anyone see the hilarity/horror of that ceremony? Basically a kiss up to Sepp Blatter with James Blunt and Shakira who kept awkwardly looking at Pique – and on top of that he is a genuinely nice guy. I’ll finish on an insight into the private lives of Mr and Mrs Pele when Pele came out with: “People always ask me: ‘When is the new Pele going to be born?’ Never. My father and mother have closed the factory.” Maybe they should try some of what Pele used to advertise on late night television!

Ride-Height, What’s the Big Idea?

 

Would it have been these two cars at the front of the field if the ride-height system had been given the go-ahead by the FIA?

Anyone who follows Formula 1 will know that the big story in the last few weeks has been the ride-height innovation that Lotus and Ferrari had been developing over the last couple of seasons.

The story goes that Lotus (that’s the old Renault team, not the Team Lotus that entered the sport in 201o) have been developing a system that controls the height of the car under braking since the middle of the 2010 season and had initially been given the green-light from the FIA that such a device would be legal. Ferrari have also been in development of their own similar device but from a much later date, it is understood. The issue is that as of yesterday, the FIA has officially declared any such device illegal, which re-ignites political troubles within the sport.

The proposed device was attached to the push-rod on the front suspension and then reacted to braking forces that were placed on that part of the car. This means that the car remains at a constant level throughout braking and into acceleration out of the corner and it is through that rising and falling of the front of the car that causes aerodynamic imbalance. When I first heard of such a system being built, I spent about an hour trying to work out how such a device could be legal. For one, ride-height systems had been banned for as long as I could remember in F1 although I figured that because this was more of a suspension device, whose secondary (if not more effective aim) was to adjust ride-height. The other issue was that the device could not be driver operated which would leave this particular innovation in a grey area. On the one hand, it is not being directly operated by the driver’s hand but is activated by the pressing of the brake pedal which could be construed as driver activated. It was a huge gamble from Lotus and Ferrari to recoup some of the lost downforce that the banning of the blown diffuser would produce. It is perhaps the fact that it was a device attached to the suspension that made the FIA initially approve it but it also proved to be the reason why we won’t see it on the grid in 2012…

Red Bull run a pull-rod system on their rear suspension, it’s part of the fabric of their successful car and part of the reason why other teams didn’t get as much success from the blown diffuser. If the device had become legal then it would have surely been placed on all four corners of the car and it would be Red Bull that would suffer as the device had been designed for push-rod cars. When a team wins four World Championships in two years in such a dominant fashion as Red Bull then they begin to become a big earner for Formula 1 through increased popularity and competition between sponsors to be the name on the side of that car. This gives them a lot of leverage with the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone as we saw with Ferrari throughout the late 90s and early noughties and it also helps that Sebastian Vettel and Mr Ecclestone are great friends. The ban certainly helps Red Bull and although Lotus and Ferrari knew the device probably would face  stringent criticism, the ‘green light’ must have given them a false hope.

McLaren also could have benefited from a proposed lifting of the ban on ride-height systems. Does anyone remember 2010 when Martin Whitmarsh was banging on for the first few races of the season about how the secret of the Red Bull was a ride-height control system only for him to then bang on about a flexing front wing and over-exuberant blowing of the diffuser as other reasons for Red Bull’s pace when it became apparent that there was no mythical ride-height system in place on the RB6. Whitmarsh did admit at the time that McLaren had developed a ride-height system to be put on the car at the 2010 Chinese Grand Prix but that the FIA had declared it illegal. If the ban was lifted, McLaren already have a device ready made and set for the first race which may have been another factor in the FIA’s decision.

A rather complicated diagram showing how the device would work

The banning of the ride-height device is not necessarily a bad thing. It means that the field remains even – for now – although Adrian Newey surely has something lined up his sleeve. The FIA and Bernie are both trying to ensure that the field is not as distantly spread as in 2011; another dominant Red Bull season would not be good for business or for interest in the sport as Bernie tries to expand it into unchartered territories. With the smaller teams clearly unable to compete with the the big boys when it comes to spending money researching and developing complicated aerodynamic devices and so both authoritative parties would rather see a more simpler, driver dependent version of F1 of which the closest resemblance is the 2009 season which without the double diffuser issue could have been anyone’s to win. More importantly, any lifting of the ride-height ban would have seen a return to the early 90s and the days of active suspension and traction control where the only skill the driver really needed to possess in such a car was the ability to put his right foot on the throttle and brake occassionally. F1 2012 could be the year of simplicity but as with anything in the world of Formula 1, don’t bet on it.

The Mad, Mad World of Mario Balotelli

 

Mario Balotelli - The strangest man in football?

 

A bit of a more light-hearted post today on The Eternal Sunshine of the Sporting Mind. Who sums up light-heartedness more than Mario Balotelli. Love him, loathe him or simply want a Why Always Me? t-shirt the man is BIG right now.

What fascinates me about Balotelli is his philanthropy. His monetary policy rivals that of Robin Hood with local churches, a homeless man and students among the benefactors from his immense wealth. Obviously he’s earning more money now than any of us probably ever will in our lifetime which means that his disposable income is enough for any normal person to live off for the year. Still, he has been able to find a place in the British public’s imagination because he is still the only major Premier League to exhibit anything representing charity with their extortionate wages.

That being said he is certainly no angel but strangely this endears him to people almost as much as his charitable conquests. It’s the same appeal Boris Johnson has, that sort of bumbling, lovable and somewhat forceful personality that enables Balotelli to do pretty much whatever he wishes. There’s almost a cult of personality around Balotelli, maybe because he is still only young, maybe because he has such raw talent but also because he offers an alternative to the slick, robotic 21st century footballer who only speaks to endorse his sponsors. Balotelli cannot be tamed by his club, country (he once brought out an iPad while on the bench for Italy) or any company. He reminds me of a modern day Socrates. Someone who’s job it is to enjoy life and football is part of that – not the be all and end all. He knows that he’s in the prime of his life and is very privileged to be earning the amount of money that he does and wants to enjoy every second of it – a philosophy that I applaud.

The problem with Balotelli is that all this attention and the lavish lifestyle detracts from his game and his development. He is at a delicate stage in his career where his talent could turn him into a great of the game but at the same time, the distractions of the footballer’s lifestyle may throw him completely off course (George Best anyone?). Fortunately, when placed under scrutiny so far this season he has answered any criticism in the right manner. Against Man United, he was instrumental and has provided a strong alternative to Aguero and a worthy replacement for Tevez.

So, how can we define Balotelli? Genius? Mad? A bit of a plonker? I wouldn’t even bother trying to pinpoint the true nature of the feisty little Italian. Just sit back and enjoy the shenanigans of someone who actually spices up the off-pitch news and not in an annoying Joey Barton or John Terry way. I’ll finish with one of my favourite Balotelli quotes, in response to Mancini saying that he is constantly having to fight against Mario:

“He couldn’t [fight me]. I do Thai-boxing.” A response to everything.

I’m also on twitter @tom_davidson

Australian Open Preview

It’s almost time for the first major sporting event of 2012: The Australian Open. Tennis in 2011 was all about one man, Novak Djokovic, who finally raised his game to the level he always hinted at being able to reach. The question now is can he stay there? Nadal and Federer have been able to do so for years but I don’t really class Djokovic in those upper echelons of the sport – not yet anyway.  I’m not taking anything away from what was an incredible season but I feel that 2012 could be a lot tougher for him; he’s the one being studied for weaknesses.

On the women’s side, it looks like being a battle to stay fit for many of the world’s top players. Caroline Wozniacki and Kim Clijsters have already had injury scares while former World Number 1 Venus Williams has withdrawn from the tournament altogether. That leaves a very open field with many potential winners such as Petra Kvitova, Li Na or home favourite Samantha Stosur. Other big names are likely to struggle as Sharapova is carrying a knock and Serena Williams has a severe lack of match practice having only made a comeback 2 weeks ago.

So then, let’s preview the likely contenders for the men’s and women’s titles.

What the top male tennis players in the world are competing for

Novak Djokovic

As I mentioned earlier, he is the man to beat. He had the finest tennis season since Roger Federer in 2005 although he did wane towards the end of the season with a disappointing World Tour Finals in London. He is the favourite although the odds flatter him slightly as his form was a worry at the end of 2011. If he starts to find his feet in Melbourne then he is a seriously dangerous prospect.

Rafael Nadal

Nadal has been inconsistent of late. He had a decent run in Abu Dhabi before being beaten, quite soundly by David Ferrer. He looked as though he was relying on sheer determination to get him through the Davis Cup and the fact that he’s taking a break from tennis after the Australian Open says all you need to know about his energy levels. He’ll give 100% and push his body to the limit but he will probably find this a difficult tournament.

Roger Federer

The Swiss maestro seems to be reaching the form he once held. His dismantling of Nadal at the World Tour Finals was his best performance since he destroyed Andy Roddick in the semis of the Australian Open in 2007. If he gets anywhere near that level of performance then he will be almost unstoppable. This could be a great tournament for Federer if the draw is kind enough to him.

Andy Murray

The British number one looked impressive in Brisbane where he won his first title of 2012 albeit against a weak field. He will hope to use that as a springboard into Melbourne but sadly I don’t think he’s quite there yet. I wouldn’t rule out another final appearance but his game isn’t quite at the level of Federer and Djokovic.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

The most improved player from 2011 has a decent shot at a good run in Melbourne. On his day he came embarrass any player on the Tour and won the final in Qatar against Monfils very convincingly and should be one to watch out for. Already reached the final here of course and I wouldn’t put it past him to do so again.

Milos Raonic

The ATP World Tour Newcomer of the year for 2011 has already started 2012 in winning style having beaten Tipsarevic in India and not dropping serve once throughout the tournament. He’s currently 25th in the world rankings, having been 156th in the world at this time last year. He’s destined for a bright future and cannot be underestimated in Australia.

 

Which lucky lady will get her hands on this?

Caroline Wozniacki

The World Number 1 has been more of the bridesmaid than the bride when it comes to Grand Slams. She’s very consistent all year round but has never overcome the final hurdle at the big ones. With an injury to her wrist, she’ll find it difficult this year but perhaps take encouragement in the fact that all her rivals are struggling for fitness as well. With a hugely competitive women’s section, she can’t simply rely on the fact that she’s the best player in the world to take her through.

Petra Kvitova 

Before Wimbledon, very few had heard of this Czech star but she won over the crowds at SW19 and has since risen to the lofty heights of World Number 2, with the very distinct possibility that she will dethrone Wozniacki before the start of the Open. Very dangerous, especially it seems that she could be the only injury free threat in the draw.

Kim Clijsters

The defending champion is another who has been hampered by injury. She tweaked her hip last Friday but has played down fears of it hampering her progress through the tournament. It’s hard to see how it won’t affect her though as the advised recovery time leaves her very little time for practice.

Maria Sharapova

Sharapova has history at this event having won it in 2008 and that could be crucial when it comes to beating lesser experienced players. She too is lacking in fitness but she always seems to go well in the Grand Slams and she is overdue a big tournament win.

Serena Williams

It seems as though as soon as something starts to improve for Serena Williams, she suffers a setback. Just as she was getting back into life on the Tour following an awful end to 2010 and start to 2011, she suffers an ankle injury at the Brisbane tournament, leaving her with a major problem going into the Australian Open. Her sister has already pulled out so it seems likely that we won’t see a Williams name on the trophy this year.

 

The tournament starts on January 16th and runs until January 29th.

Tackling Race in Football: Not just a Foreign Problem

Another week, another story of racism rearing its ugly head in English football. After the Suarez and Terry scandals we now have the re-emergence of racist chanting from the stands. Tom Adeyemi was seen to be visibly upset from something that the someone or a group of people had shouted at him from the Kop during Oldham’s FA Cup tie against Liverpool. What makes this so worrying is not just the racist element of the chanting but the fact that a small minority of fans are mistaking supporting their heroes in a time of trouble with replicating their behaviour. This happened earlier in the season of course with some Chelsea fans directing offensive chants towards Anton Ferdinand. It seems to me that English football is at a crucial crossroads in the fight against racism. Racism was thought of as being almost eradicated from English football stadia for the last decade or so now but these recent weeks prove that the problem was merely pushed beneath the surface.

Tom Adeyami is comforted by a team-mate after the incident against Liverpool

There has been an attitude of superiority from English football towards European leagues and the issues that the eastern European leagues have had with racism in recent years. People have pointed to the Suarez incident as proof that it is the foreign players who have caused the latest racist incidents but the Terry case undermines this theory and is worthy of further analysis. John Terry is more than just an English player, he is the English national team captain as well as Chelsea captain and is a role model as a result of this added responsibility – despite the FA and Chelsea believing otherwise. Terry is a good captain; a born leader but as man he has clear weaknesses in his make-up. He lacks the ability to control his temper, is not the strongest technically skilled defender in the Premier League and in his advancing years has lost the edge of his pace meaning that he can no longer attack a corner in confidence – knowing that he might not be able to defend against the break any more. The Anton Ferdinand incident could be put down to a loss of temper but I believe in karma and unfortunately for John the repercussions of this episode may be intensified because of past misdemeanours.

Ultimately, the FA and the police need to take a firm stance on any proven racist incident in English football. A lot of good work has been done to eliminate the problem of racism from the game but there needs to be a redoubling of their efforts to stop the fire being stoked again. When we lost the 2018 World Cup bid, we were quick to condemn the Russian fans for their treatment of black players but now that stance seems hypocritical with a possible prison sentence for the England captain, an eight game ban for one of the Premier League’s most exciting players and the arrest of a Liverpool fan for a racially aggravated public order offence. Let’s stamp this out, once and for all.

Welcome to my blog!

Hello and a Happy New Year to you! Firstly, welcome to my brand spanking new blog – I hope it is to your satisfaction. 2012 promises to be a bumper year for sport with Euro 2012, the Ryder Cup and that minor event of the Olympic and Paralympic Games all gracing our presence within the next 12 months. That’s on top the annual sporting events that we all know and love from the Grand Slams to the Premier League to the Formula One World Championship (now of course on Sky…)

So join me for what could be the best year of sport for a very long time or what could turn out to be one of the biggest disappointments in recent memory. Either way we’ll have a lot of fun along the way and maybe I can introduce you to a couple of new sports too!

I’m looking forward to it already,

Tom

 

I’m also on twitter @tom_davidson