Sports News Round-Up

This week has seen the return of the Old Firm League...sorry I mean the Scottish League. You'll forgive me for not focusing too much on this, aside from Celtic taking their already insurmountable two-point league at the top. I'll switch my analysis elsewhere, lest any nearby sarcasm detector overloads.

Man City have completed the signing of Sergio Aguero, completing what must be the most Argen-tiny (Aguero being 5 ft 7 and Tevez being 5 ft 8) strikeforce in the Premier League. This may seem like an obvious point, but the two will surely seldom play together. Aguero was quite clearly seen as a replacement for the seemingly Corinthians-bound Tevez, and Mancini will have a temporary headache on his hands. While Tevez will surely leave the club in January (and possibly still in August), his presence on the bench will not be good for team spirit. One cannot help but wonder what he will be whispering in his fellow countryman's ear.

The English contingent is underway in the Europa League, with Fulham and Stoke both putting themselves in good positions to reach the final qualifying round. Jonathan Walters headed home to give Stoke a 1-0 advantage to take to their away leg against Hadjuk Split. Fulham were held to a 0-0 draw against RNK Split, but with a home leg to come will be confident of progressing. Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson were given a chance to re-ignite some sort of partnership by Martin Jol, which has seldom been allowed to happen, due to a combination of injuries to both.

While QPR manager Neil Warnock has never been long out of the headlines, his bosses are now making some headlines of their own, with talk of a fresh takeover bid. Bernie Ecclestone has already revealed he would be willing to sell his 69% stake in the club, and the club released a statement on their website referring to 'preliminary discussions.' Whatever the outcome, Warnock seems to be continuing his squad-building plans. Having already secured Kieron Dyer and Jay Bothroyd, QPR are now also in talks with DJ Campbell, who proved his top-flight pedigree last year with 13 goals for relegated Blackpool.

Any American readers will already be well aware of Bob Bradley's sacking as USA coach. While his results have always been good, it would appear his bosses simply wanted a fresh face after 4 and a half years. A 4-2 defeat to Mexico in the Gold Cup Final was his final bow, but he also reached the last 16 of last year's World Cup, and led his side to a runners up finish in the 2009 Confederations Cup. Aston Villa were sniffing around his services earlier this year, and he will surely not be out of work for too long.

Sports News Round-Up

Unlike previous entries I've plagued the interwebs with, I'm casting my net a bit further. Less rambling and more to the point is my aim, so I'll try and discuss a couple of interesting stories as they happen. Couple of times a week hopefully.

FOOTBALL

First of all, Leicester City. Sven-Goran Eriksson continues to set himself up for a mighty fall with his pursuit of Owen Hagreaves. (who incidently could do without any mighty falls on his glass knees). While I admire his commitment to getting the best possible players into the Championship, if the Foxes are not in the top 3 come November he will come under immense pressure, rightly or wrongly, having already spent around £10m. It naturally takes time to knit a squad together, no matter how superior they may seem to their competition. However, does Thai chairman Vichai Raksriaksorn have the patience to match his obvious wealth? Having said all this however, I would be very surprised if Leicester do not at least go up through the play-offs. I'd like to see Sven in the Premier League again, purely because of his willingness to take on Football Manager-esque challenges. I myself got sacked from my dream job as Newcastle coach, before taking the plunge at League Two Bury!

One club who made their clear superiority in the Championship count last season was QPR, who also have a similarly impressive amount of wealth. You need money to burn when taking on the likes of the injury-prone Kieron Dyer after all, who is second only to Hargeaves in the competition of glassiest limbs. To be fair to the club, it is only a one-year deal, but imagine the medical bills Mr Dyer will run up. A great player when fit, I hope he resurrects some sort of career as he is an infinitely better on-the-field option than the discarded Wayne Routledge when fit. Another astute investment is Jay Bothroyd on a free transfer. A lethal marksman in the Championship last season, he will be hungry to prove his England cap was not a fluke. Which it probably was in all honesty, as good a player as he is..

Another player who is probably pointlessly dreaming of an England call-up is Joey Barton. While the player is undoubtedly talented enough, another stark reminder of his tainted reputation has arrived, as he is barred entry to Newcastle's pre-season tour of America. The US Embassy refused him a visa for the trip, and that cannot help his prospects of an England call-up any time soon. While the decision was based on misdemeanours from 3 years ago, it is nonetheless further ammunition to the anti-Barton camp at the FA.

In other Newcastle news, the Toon board are in negotiations with a lowly French club over the transfer of an unheard of starlet. Probably.

On the Wesley Sneijder front, Inter deny that any bid has been made by Man United for the £35m-rated playmaker. Expect him to be in Manchester by the start of the season. These transfer sagas hardly ever end with no movement.


GOLF

Rory Mclroy is entering new territory as we approach the Open. There is no nervous hope. No fear of collapse. This time there is expectation. And undoubtedly a sea of criticism when he inevitably doesn't win this time, even though he has already achieved what two thirty-something Englishmen (Westwood and Donald) have fallen short of so many times. They may have been trading places at Number 1 for some time now, but with Mclroy on a Woods-esque (had to be said) rise, the race for the top slot is about to be blown wide open again.

Shearer Destined To Fade Into Obscurity?

It has been two years since Alan Shearer's brief and unsuccessful sojourn as Newcastle United manager. His lack of managerial activity since then would make Mark Hughes' blood boil. Content to sit on Match of the Day's sofa, in what is admittedly a very attractive and stress-free job, it seems as though Shearer's urge to manage has waned somewhat in recent times.

His recent flirtation with Cardiff City was nothing more than that - a flirtation. In the evening we had news of his talks, but by the morning he had ruled himself out. We may never know which side pulled out of discussions first - it could indeed have been the Cardiff board who decided they needed more of an experienced man to steer their promotion ship into promised waters- but the feeling remains that Shearer was never a serious candidate.

Since his Tyneside spell, he has been linked with Blackburn. Sheffield Wednesday. And Cardiff. For the amount of time he has been out of the game, that isn't exactly the picture painted of a man desperate to get into management. Having said that, it is quite possible that his couple of months working under Mike Ashley, and the treatment he undoubtedly suffered, have left him with a needlessly cautious mentality when it comes to his prospective chairmen. One would imagine him interviewing them, rather than the other way around.

In order to really earn a bit of respect, Shearer should start as low down as League 2. Let us not forget that he only has eight games of managerial experience. And while he can hardly be blamed for Newcastle's relegation, the fact remains that he only won one of those eight games. Can it therefore really be that much of a surprise that clubs aren't beating down his door to sign what would undoubtedly still be a huge personality. However, should he apply for a job further down the pyramid, at a club such as Barnet (no offence to any fans) he could do what Paul Ince did and cobble together some sort of CV. I get the impression however that Shearer is happy to sit back on the sofa and hope that one of the growing number of mad-cap Premier League owners is happy to risk their club's future on a still relatively untried manager.

As for Cardiff City, their own managerial search is fast taking a rather desperate turn of its own. Gone are the days when a club could go about their appointments without mass press intrusion. Malkay Mckay has already been denied the chance to speak to Cardiff, and no doubt we will hear of countless more candidates before the job is filled. The joys of an international-free summer.

Also, to carry on the tenuous Newcastle link of this blog, I am now hearing that Kevin Nolan's exit is closer to fruition. West Ham have made a bid for his services that has been accepted. As a Newcastle fan, this move fills me with dread. Our two top scorers from the previous season are now gone. New strikers are yet to be purchased. Come on Mike Ashley, show us you mean business! And not the money-saving sort of business....

Can Murray's Grass Court Season Get Even Better?

Earlier today, Andy Murray captured his second Queen's Club championship, with an impressive battling display against the fiery Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. This week has seen the completion of his road to recovery, with a first title of 2011. Having reached a first French Open semi-final only a week ago, this is in many ways one of the best periods of his career.

However, we have seen this before. Two years ago Murray also lifted the Aegon trophy, and carried on this form throughout Wimbledon, until Roddick blew him away in the semis. There is so much to admire at the moment about Murray's game. His first serve is much more reliable and potent. He is much more aggressive, while still remaining solid defensively, yet the feeling lingers that over 5 sets against any one of Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic, he will retreat into his shell at key moments. Until he proves me and everyone else wrong, there is no point in getting overly carried away.

He must approach Wimbledon in a confident manner, and as number 4 seed anything less than a semi-final place will be must be viewed as a failure. Should he get to this point, which in his current form should be trouble-free enough, he would do well to remember what has got him to the latter stages of big tournaments in the first place. As one BBC commentator rightly stated, if he could bottle the form shown at Queens and take it to Wimbledon with him, that would be ideal. Andy Roddick was surely below par in the semis, but Murray's display will surely fill him with confidence heading into Wimbledon. As for the final, well Tsonga played a fantastic match. Murray was unable to break his serve until the decisive point of the final set, and on many individual points the Scot was blown off the court.

What won Murray this tournament was the ability to win key points. Towards the end of the second set, he looked shattered, and it looked as though a French victory was a formality. Yet when it really mattered, in the tiebreak situation, Murray won some important points, and this pattern continued into the final set, where he finally converted a break point at the 11th attempt. Even on the previous 10 occasions, he failed to break purely because his opponent was serving so well.

In previous tournaments, particularly Grand Slams, Murray would crumble when faced with a power player in red hot form. Perhaps this victory is a sign that he is now able to hang in there when the pressure is on, and play some breaktaking shots of his own. That is certainly what he did today, with an outrageous through-the-legs shot to make it 5-3 showing his supreme self-confidence.

There is not much more that Tsonga could have done to win the match, and in his post-match interview he seemed in awe slightly that his efforts were not enough. Murray has been in that position enough times to know what that feeling is like, and maybe he is finally ready to make a leap worthy of Tsonga's on-court acrobatics, and take that first Grand Slam crown.

Liverpool Roll the Dice

Back in January, few would have predicted Liverpool would be the Premier League's biggest spending team at the year's halfway point. Then again, few would have predicted Kenny Dalglish being the one to spend the money. Andy Carroll, Luis Suarez, and Jordan Henderson have all arrived for a combined total of more than £70m in the past six months, and there are murmurings of discontent from those who fear the money is being wasted on players who are simply not world-class.

I can understand this view, and as a Newcastle fan I would particularly like to mention that I don't think Andy Carroll is worth any more than £20m. But then, a big part of what Kenny Dalgish and co are gambling on is potential. Should these signings go on to be masterstrokes, they will either have helped Liverpool to the higher echelons of European football once again, or be poached for similar fees to which they initally cost. Should they all flop, which is already looking extremely unlikely in the case of Suarez in particular, they are at least young enough to rebild their careers elsewhere, and young enough to still attract large sums of money.

I think what Liverpool are doing is much more admirable than the lazy cherry-picking that Chelsea have resorted to do in recent times, with Fernando Torres at £50m looking increasingly like the move of a desperate man in Abramovich. While Chelsea-esque amounts of money are being spent, each signing has still to prove themselves as top-class footballers to an extent, and they do not turn up at Anfield with trophies already in the bag. Success is there for the taking, and faith is there to be repaid. Many footbll fans have reacted with derision to Kenny Dalglish's extraordinary faith in British (and Urugayan) youth. Imagine the motivation that gives him and his players. All he has to say to them is - "Go out there and prove them all wrong. Prove we were right to break the bank to get you."

As for Liverpool's actual chances next year, I think they stand an excellent chance of returning to the top 4. Their failure to reach the Europa League could well be a massive blessing in disguise, and I think this alone will see them leapfrog Spurs back into 5th. There are still question marks over the whole current top 4 to an extent, and should Carroll and Suarez continue their blossoming partnership I think the Anfield boys will be well-placed to take advantage of any slip-ups.

Barca Expose United's Limitations.

In typical English football fan fashion, most critics mistakenly thought last night's Wembley final would be a titanic battle, with the cream of English football slugging it out with the cream of Spanish football. In reality, this was the cream of English football versus the cream of European football. In otherwards, United were not on an even playing field, they were trying to reach a higher plain. One that not even a Mourinho-helmed Real Madrid side containing the most expensive player in the world could reach. That Madrid side is probably better than Man United, and it is arguably only down to Barcelona that they themselves are not celebrating the La Liga/Champions League double.

Last night's match was eerily similar (if you can compare the two sports), to one of those Andy Murray v Federer match-ups from a year or two ago. You just knew that if Federer turned up, he would prevail. Murray played badly in none of those meetings, and Man United didn't play badly last night. Of course, they didn't play well enough to come close to Barca's majesty. Rooney provided glimpses of his ability, with that equaliser in particular proving he is not far behind Messi in terms of big-game nous. Yet there is currently no team in the world, or at least Europe, who doesn't become affected by a kind of shellshock when faced with Barcelona's intricate passing ability.

Sir Alex Ferguson probably did everything he could. In hindsight, perhaps Berbatov would've been a better option up front, as at his best he provides a target man of sorts. While Hernandez and Rooney both gave their all, and both had their moments, neither were able to hold onto the ball long enough to give the likes of Giggs and Valencia something to feed off. The midfield were often reduced to relying on the rather mixed deliverty of Michael Carrick, and while Hernandez often is a key outlight playing off the shoulder of the last man, his exuberance worked against him, as many promising positions were wasted by his inability to stay onside. This is the sort of thing that comes with experience, and while a lot of Barca's key players remain in their early 20s, they have all achieved so much, with much more surely still to come.

In terms of where to go from here, I don't think there is the need for any ripping apart of Fergie's current squad. Giggs and Scholes are nearing the end, and Van Der Sar has just reached the end. We all knew this before last night's match, and we now know that surely reinforcements are needed if Man United are to stand a chance of bridging the gap. A destroyer in the midfield is needed. If Hargreaves wasn't cursed by injury, he would have been the ideal solution, so it is impossible to blame Ferguson too much for this. However, the need for a true creative force in the centre is proving impossible to ignore. Paul Scholes has remained at an astonishingly high level for his age, but his goals and assists are beginning to dry up, and someone of the calibre of Modric is surely a must when Fergie gets the chequebook out in the summer.

Having said all this, there is no-one out there of the calibre of Messi, Pedro, Xavi, Iniesta, or Villa. This quintet will keep Barcelona at the top for the forseeable future, should they remain injury-free. But that doesn't mean Sir Alex will stop trying, and this writer suspects he probably sees ending Barca's dominance as his greatest challenge. I for one hope he succeeds, and while United are hardly paupers, it is refreshing to see them reach a Champions League final AND win the league by nine points, while spending a fraction of their City rivals, and their Chelsea rivals. Give me a strong team ethic over a billion-pound dream team anyday.

Unfortunately for all us Premier League supporting folk, Barca have got the dream team, without spending millions. Are you reading this, English board members? Youth investment is what got Barca where they are today, and while it is too late to stop the dominance of their current squad, a good academy may stand the best chance of emulating them. One would like to believe so anyway.

Can Judd Trump Higgins?

Snooker, like golf, is one of those sports where careers can seemingly last forever. The actual physical strain on your body is limited. Which makes it all the more exciting when a new kid on the block emerges. To continue the golf comparison, when Tiger Woods won his first major tournament, he was only 21. Fourteen years later, he still has a long career ahead of him. Rory Mcllroy is in a similar world-at-his-feet position as Tiger Woods, albeit without a major at this point. His time will come.


But with that early digression aside, today is all about Judd Trump. Only two weeks older than myself, for him to be battling it out with the legend that is John Higgins on such a stage is already an impressive feat. Currently ranked number 9, he has by no means fluked his way to such an occasion. Let's take a look at his path to the World Snooker Championship final.


Even in round 1, Trump proved his mettle, taking down the defending champion Neil Robertson 10-8. That no doubt sent a warning shot to the rest of the field, and his form has carried on since. Graeme Dott was another notable victim in the quarter-finals, as the 2006 champion was thrashed 13-5. It looked like Ding Junhui was a step too far for Trump at many stages during their epic semi-final, yet he prevailed 17-15.

Now, as the second youngest ever World Championship finalist (the youngest being Steven Hendry in 1990) he faces the Scotch might of John Higgins. A three-time winner, and currently in ominous form, he represents the stiffest test yet for the Bristol sensation. Then again, Judd Trump's run of form cannot be seen as a complete surprise. At the start of April he won his first title, beating Mark Selby 10-8 in the China Open final. In many ways this was a statement of intent, and he has carried on this fiery run of form to the final frontier.


Often sporting a cheeky grin, and what can only be described as an 'interesting' haircut, Trump represents the new generation of snooker up against the old. I grew up watching Higgins, O'Sullivan, Hendry, Dott, and so forth; is Trump about to add his name to the glittering list of World Champions? Should he do so, at such a young age, he has the potential to be fighting for titles over the next 15 years.