To start off this chunk of sporting news, I am pleased to announce that I am a Football Manager 2012 Europa League champion.
My mighty Newcastle United side, currently at the end of the 2013/14 season, battled through a tough knockout draw of Valencia, Borussia Dortmund, Udinese, Leverkusen, leading to a clash with Bayern Munich at the Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid. Not for me the dour 0-0 that Chelsea ground their way to - 1-1 after normal time gave way to 2-2 after extra-time. Penalties was again the decider, 3-1 to the Toon was enough. I think that makes me the first Northern Irish manager to conquer Europe..
In real news - Man United's Tom Cleverley thinks Man United's Wayne Rooney should be England captain. Talk about sucking up. Young Mr Tom should concentrate on cementing his own place before letting his own opinions loose - although he was probably gently nudged in the direction by a desperate journalist searching for a quote in the barren wasteland of stories that is the international break.
In tennis, 20 year-old Heather Watson has become the first British women to win a WTA singles title since four years before she was born. I must admit, after the Olympics I thought Laura Robson would get there first, but the two seem to be pushing each other to greater heights, which is exactly the way it should be in professional sport.
The same seems to be happening in the men's game - Djokovic got a measure of revenge over Murray in winning an epic Shanghai Masters final. While it would be foolish to write off Federer and Nadal, it is undeniable that the Scot and the Serb are in their own little private duel at the moment - I get the feeling they will trade the number one spot for a couple of years before another new generation sweeps the rug from under their feet.
Formula One's musical chairs is well underway. Well sort of. With Lewis Hamilton's move to Mercedes a cert, Vettel and Massa are also currently in the headlines, with rumours of Vettel moving to Ferrari in 2014 and Massa's place perhaps being under threat if he does not deliver the goods next year. After the injuries the Brazilian has had to recover from, I hope he fends off the double world champion's play for his seat.
Some bias-free and considered sporting opinion, courtesy of me, Gerry Walton!
Showing posts with label Andy Murray. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andy Murray. Show all posts
Monday, 15 October 2012
Saturday, 6 October 2012
Made of 90% football and 10% tennis
Oh Ashley Cole. Just to add to the growing list of Twitter-related storms in football, he felt it appropriate to call the FA a "bunch of t***s." He may have a point, but he has surely sealed himself some sort of exile from the national side. Or at least a seat as far away as possible from any FA directors on the next England away trip. For someone who wasn't directly involved in the Terry/Ferdinand fiasco, aside from providing a character testimony in court, he is showing up in headlines a worrying amount.
On a similar note, for any agoraphobics looking for bedtime reading, here's the published FA ruling
Sunderland's trip to Man City has drawn a quote worthy of being pinned up on the away dressing room wall. Roberto Mancini has rightly spoken of the threat posed by Adam Johnson, knowing full well he shouldn't be scared of someone who he deemed not good enough for his own Man City side. This is a key quote though from a BBC story:
"I am sure he will do well for Sunderland and go to another top team because he deserves this."
A sneaky attempt to stir discontent in his opponent's dressing room? Who knows what goes through the Italian's head - one thing is for sure, he's taken tips from Sir Alex on mind games.
Another manager who could probably stand to spend a week under Fergie's wing is Chris Coleman. As if the morale of his Wales squad wasn't low enough after the 6-1 thrashing in Serbia, this delightful nugget has come out of the woodwork, pleading for Craig Bellamy to commit to the national side.
""I hope he's in. He is a terrific player. It is not as if we have two or three Craig Bellamys coming through. Players like Craig don't come along all the time."
Read as - I don't think my young players, which were good enough for Gary Speed (RIP) are good enough for me. No one is trying to claim that Wales have youngsters to match the Spanish or the Germans, but a bit of public support might get them playing for their manager, as they've shown they are better than recent results. Is Coleman better than recent results? He's had decent, if unspectacular success on the pitch in his previous two jobs, but his record with British players (Coventry and Fulham) is unimpressive.
In tennis, Andy Murray's unstoppable run has come to an end, losing in the Japan Open semi-finals to Milos Raonic 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-4). I guess he's just a sham. Strip him of his Grand Slam title and Olympic Gold. We all knew he wasn't really good enough. Etc.
On a similar note, for any agoraphobics looking for bedtime reading, here's the published FA ruling
Sunderland's trip to Man City has drawn a quote worthy of being pinned up on the away dressing room wall. Roberto Mancini has rightly spoken of the threat posed by Adam Johnson, knowing full well he shouldn't be scared of someone who he deemed not good enough for his own Man City side. This is a key quote though from a BBC story:
"I am sure he will do well for Sunderland and go to another top team because he deserves this."
A sneaky attempt to stir discontent in his opponent's dressing room? Who knows what goes through the Italian's head - one thing is for sure, he's taken tips from Sir Alex on mind games.
Another manager who could probably stand to spend a week under Fergie's wing is Chris Coleman. As if the morale of his Wales squad wasn't low enough after the 6-1 thrashing in Serbia, this delightful nugget has come out of the woodwork, pleading for Craig Bellamy to commit to the national side.
""I hope he's in. He is a terrific player. It is not as if we have two or three Craig Bellamys coming through. Players like Craig don't come along all the time."
Read as - I don't think my young players, which were good enough for Gary Speed (RIP) are good enough for me. No one is trying to claim that Wales have youngsters to match the Spanish or the Germans, but a bit of public support might get them playing for their manager, as they've shown they are better than recent results. Is Coleman better than recent results? He's had decent, if unspectacular success on the pitch in his previous two jobs, but his record with British players (Coventry and Fulham) is unimpressive.
In tennis, Andy Murray's unstoppable run has come to an end, losing in the Japan Open semi-finals to Milos Raonic 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-4). I guess he's just a sham. Strip him of his Grand Slam title and Olympic Gold. We all knew he wasn't really good enough. Etc.
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
New York, New York
At the fifth attempt, Andy Murray has finally cast aside the shadow of British male failure in Grand Slams. It only took 76 years. My own grandmother had only been alive for two years at the time of Fred Perry's Wimbledon success.
What was most impressive of all was the plucky Scot's mental fortitude throughout his epic five-set win over Novak Djokovic in the US Open final. When the Serb broke serve at the start of the fourth set, many would surely have predicted more British heartbreak, as the momentum had undoubtedly shifted. Where once Djokvoic had been ailing, he was now prospering and sensing blood with each powerful groundstroke.
Yet somehow Murray prevailed. You got the sense that with the match back in the balance the Brit lost his nerves. Those nerves had undoubtedly been present at 4-0 up in the second set, where he somehow contrived to allow Djokovic a double break-back. But also present in that second set was the guts and drive to drag himself over the line and take it 7-5. That pattern was to be repeated as a two-set lead became the most gut-wrenching of victories. If the win over Federer at the Olympics was a walk in the park, this was a swim against the mightiest of tides, as the Serb world number two is a fearsome competitor who never gave up.
A key part of Murray's undoubtedly personal triumph was the recognition that he couldn't do it alone. That he lacked the ruthlessness and self-confidence to go that one step further. Step forward Mr Ivan Lendl. Widely thought of as a shrewd move at the time of his appointment, the Czech legend added the extra 1% that was missing to Murray's already world-class game, and you wouldn't argue if his name was etched in very small print onto this year's US Open trophy.
So where to go from here? Well, repeated Grand Slam glory will have to wait until 2013, and the Australian Open in Adelaide. But before that Murray will want to put down a real marker at the season ending ATP Championships in London. He is yet to win one of these - should he do so it would undoubtedly be classed as Murray's 2012. With the following Grand Slam record - one win, one final, one semi-final and one quarter-final - coupled with Olympic Gold, we may yet see a dominance to rival that of Djokovic in 2011.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to catch up on my sleep. Well done Andy, you've finally silenced your critics.
What was most impressive of all was the plucky Scot's mental fortitude throughout his epic five-set win over Novak Djokovic in the US Open final. When the Serb broke serve at the start of the fourth set, many would surely have predicted more British heartbreak, as the momentum had undoubtedly shifted. Where once Djokvoic had been ailing, he was now prospering and sensing blood with each powerful groundstroke.
Yet somehow Murray prevailed. You got the sense that with the match back in the balance the Brit lost his nerves. Those nerves had undoubtedly been present at 4-0 up in the second set, where he somehow contrived to allow Djokovic a double break-back. But also present in that second set was the guts and drive to drag himself over the line and take it 7-5. That pattern was to be repeated as a two-set lead became the most gut-wrenching of victories. If the win over Federer at the Olympics was a walk in the park, this was a swim against the mightiest of tides, as the Serb world number two is a fearsome competitor who never gave up.
A key part of Murray's undoubtedly personal triumph was the recognition that he couldn't do it alone. That he lacked the ruthlessness and self-confidence to go that one step further. Step forward Mr Ivan Lendl. Widely thought of as a shrewd move at the time of his appointment, the Czech legend added the extra 1% that was missing to Murray's already world-class game, and you wouldn't argue if his name was etched in very small print onto this year's US Open trophy.
So where to go from here? Well, repeated Grand Slam glory will have to wait until 2013, and the Australian Open in Adelaide. But before that Murray will want to put down a real marker at the season ending ATP Championships in London. He is yet to win one of these - should he do so it would undoubtedly be classed as Murray's 2012. With the following Grand Slam record - one win, one final, one semi-final and one quarter-final - coupled with Olympic Gold, we may yet see a dominance to rival that of Djokovic in 2011.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to catch up on my sleep. Well done Andy, you've finally silenced your critics.
Monday, 6 August 2012
Play ALL the sports...
It's been a heady week for British sport to say the least. Early August is normally reserved for the transfer rumour silly season, as sports dailys search in vain for stories in a barren wasteland. Now the only pressing issue is which medal winner to plaster over front and back pages.
One story that probably transcended the Olympics was Andy Murray's gold medal victory over Roger Federer. Undoubtedly, he has arrived at the top table. Yesterday he even brought his own cutlery - tearing the Swiss maestro to shreds. There have been suggestions that Federer was maybe not giving his all, and that the Olympics didn't matter as much to him as a Grand Slam. On the contary. He has been giving interviews for years now saying how much he would love to win a gold medal at Wimbledon. His record-breaking victory over Del Potro in the semis displayed dedication and desire. Perhaps he had simply run out of gas.
As for Murray, to win five unreturned sets against the top 2 players in the world, playing the relentless attacking tennis many have longed for him to show in the big matches, really underlines his Grand Slam and world number one potential. It's possible that best-of-five victory will lift the mental barrier of his.
Mixed doubles gold eluded the Murray/Robson duo however, although Robson in particular can be proud of her efforts. She went toe to toe with the best singles player in the women's game, and the best men's doubles player. Occasionally her serve let her down in an understandable fit of nerves - Murray will know all about that, having fallen short in sight of glory so many times before. Overall though, she can expect a swift rise in the rankings very soon. Whisper it quietly, but we may have a top ten player on our hands within the next few years.
One story that probably transcended the Olympics was Andy Murray's gold medal victory over Roger Federer. Undoubtedly, he has arrived at the top table. Yesterday he even brought his own cutlery - tearing the Swiss maestro to shreds. There have been suggestions that Federer was maybe not giving his all, and that the Olympics didn't matter as much to him as a Grand Slam. On the contary. He has been giving interviews for years now saying how much he would love to win a gold medal at Wimbledon. His record-breaking victory over Del Potro in the semis displayed dedication and desire. Perhaps he had simply run out of gas.
As for Murray, to win five unreturned sets against the top 2 players in the world, playing the relentless attacking tennis many have longed for him to show in the big matches, really underlines his Grand Slam and world number one potential. It's possible that best-of-five victory will lift the mental barrier of his.
Mixed doubles gold eluded the Murray/Robson duo however, although Robson in particular can be proud of her efforts. She went toe to toe with the best singles player in the women's game, and the best men's doubles player. Occasionally her serve let her down in an understandable fit of nerves - Murray will know all about that, having fallen short in sight of glory so many times before. Overall though, she can expect a swift rise in the rankings very soon. Whisper it quietly, but we may have a top ten player on our hands within the next few years.
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