Virginia Tech

It appears that guns do kill people. I am not ignorant of US gun laws, the rationale behind it and public opinion. It is not my country. However as fellow human beings events like those at Virginia Tech sadden me. Is it not time that firearm legislation in the US be reconsidered?

My heart felt sympathy to the family and freinds of all that died in this catastrophic event.

Cricketers falling foul of citizen journalism

News is just reaching my ears that the South African cricket team have been caught out in late night drinking antics at the World Cup. It turns out that some South African fans have phoned up a radio station back in the southern hemisphere to dob in their heroes.

For fans of England it brings back memories of pedalogate and the shenanigans of Flintoff, Lewis, Anderson and co after the defeat by New Zealand in the group stages. Flintoff was punished by losing his place (for the game against Canada) and more significantly his vice-captaincy. Vaughan and Fletcher were livid. But what will be the fate of the South African players involved on the eve of their crucial Super 8 match against ... you guessed it, the English.

Apparantly Graeme Smith is choosing to defend his players and to play the situation down. Granted no pedalos were involved (to our knowledged ...) and the game following this incident, with all respect to Canada, is slightly more important. Indeed the complexities of the Super 8 system has meant that this game is effectively a shoot out between these two bitter rivals. There are also those who will say that over a long tournament (2 months), in the intensity of battle, players need to unwind.

Smith himself said: "We have a rule that the players may relax until two days before a match."

But until 5pm? The cricketers seem to have been slightly naive on this count. Some newspaper commentators, along with Andrew Grant-Adamson have pointed out that a 'cartel' of journalists in the Caribbean (and indeed wherever the England team go), tend to give the team an easy ride when it comes to their drinking exploits. But it seems that the public at large have now taken the attitute ... 'if they are not going to say something then we are'.

And they have a point. The crickers have got to remember that people have paid in excess of £1000 to watch the team play and if Flintoff or anyone else for that matter is not playing up scatch, then they have the right to be annoyed. Touring is hard of course but no one stopping them from have a few beers after a hard day in the middle. We would expect and want them to do so. But such nocturnal activities that have been documented are beyond the mark, It is not why you represent your country.

The cry of hypocracy does not stick either. Yes we all thought it was great when Andrew Flintoff looked worse for wear at Trafalger Square that beuatiful september day. But the job had been done by then, pedalogate occured during a major tournament.

England fans will be forgiven for smurking at this latest episode. The South Africans have had a fairly poor tournament to date, given their number one status, and morale in the camp is not at its best. It will take a huge effort for England to win but perhaps if there is a right time to play them, it is now.

There is then, more riding on this game that meets the eye. The place in the semi-finals is one. Perhaps more importantly for both sets of players it is the chance for redemption, because whoever loses will have a lot of questions asked of them on their return home.

Work Experience - The Verdict

Well after 3 weeks and several hundred miles my work placement has come to an end. And what a three weeks it has been ...

I must admit that when I entered this period of the course I was slightly dubious of what I may get out it, in one sense because I thought that I may be more a nuisnace than a help to my employers and also due to severe doubts about my present ability as a journalist.

However the three weeks has seen an evolution; I now feel like an actual journalist. From that crazy moment on the first day where I asked one of the country's best sports writers the most stupid of stupid questions (What you actually want me to phone the club up?) my confidence has grown and the skills I have been using over the past few months coming to the fore.

And what have I learnt? Well first of all how much easier it is to get people to talk to you when you actually work for a recognized organisation. I also saw a rapid change in the way that I churned out copy, going from 1 piece in a morning to the 5 I have just written today which should all fetch by-lines. I got the opportunity to observe people at the top of this game whether this was Gerry Cox at Hayters or Paul Baker, new editor of the Guernsey Press. Although I have enjoyed my placements at both organizations I think from the moment Arsene Wenger strode into the press room at London Colony and sat next to me at the table, I knew what I wanted to aim for as a career.

The negatives are few and far between. I suppose I have developed a fear of vox pop's from my one ill-fated experience at the GP. I am sure that as other will tell you, these can be a lot easier and can be quite good fun. The problem that I could see was that in writing an article on something where the people you speak to are related to the topic, they are normally very easy to talk to. With the VP you have to disturb people in their everyday life, talk to them on a subject that may not interest or concern them and get them to give a name and photograph. On a small island community like Guernsey people are not willing to do this and often treat the paper with suspicion.

But all in all a good experiencea and with 20 odd by-lines under my belt for people like the fa.com and the Football Paper, some things to be quite proud of. I know what the vital difference in me is now; when people ask me what I do I will stop saying that i am training to be a journalist, I will say 'I am a journalist'.

Mutton Dressed As Lamb: Ashton's sqaud are no spring chickens

As seen on Sportingo.com

Jonny Wilkinson might well make a difference to the England rugby team's hopes of turning round their most dismal spell for years. But new coach Brian Ashton's selection for Saturday's Six-Nation opener against Scotland seems to lack imagination.


What a difference one man makes. When the England rugby team lost to Argentina at Twickenham back in November the sport in this country had reached its lowest ebb. The backs cut through teams like a cold knife through rock and the forwards, once the rock that England could rely on, were being smashed out of the games.

So head started rolling. Andy Robinson jumped before he was pushed and Martin Corry stood down after seeing England through the worse run of fixtures in her long history. You could not help but feel slightly sorry for both; Robinson had to step into the shoes of Clive Woodward but with hardly a member of the 2003 team available. Corry was billed as a Martin Johnson style leader and tried manfully to change the fortunes of his side, but his own form and leadership skills set him down.

But in two months England have gone from sinners to winners. New coach Brian Ashton has coincided his appointment with the return of several key players that some say will change the fortune of this side.


Here's Jonny! But can Wilkinson get back to terrorising a backline near you?



Mike Tindall, Phil Vickery and Joe Worsley are all available again. Ashton has managed to coax Jason Robinson out of retirement and Mike Catt has been recalled once again at the spritly age of 35. Apparantly some bloke called Wilkinson is back.

So that’s it sorted then, England to get the Triple Crown, the Grandslam and defend their world title next year. Maybe not. Although I have much respect for Ashton I cannot believe that he can save this sinking ship so soon, the England managers job is more like being captain of the Titanic. His first XV has some of the same names as Robinson himself picked, are the likes of Corry, Chuter and Balshaw suddenly going to come good? We must hope that some fresh ideas will help inspire some good performance.

One thing that Andy Robinson can never be accused of during his tenure was not trying out new players. We saw everyone from Andy Goode to Mark Van Gisbergen try the number ten jersey, while we all lost count of the number of front row members used. Ashton on the other hand has tried something else by bringing some of the old guard back. The likes of Vickery and Robinson will enhance the team but you wonder what Catt at 35 can contribute. He selection is a very backwards step.


Mike Catt: A bit long in the tooth?


Tindall has shown indifferent form, as has Steve Thompson whom Ashton would have picked if fit. Andy Farrell is perhaps the biggest question mark in the side but most would concede that given injuries and poor form Ashton has little choice.

We are all glad to see Jonny Wilkinson back; in these dark days the only comfort that England fans have had is that Jonny may return to rescue them. But I do worry for him, a poor game or a new injury and he will be finished. Perhaps, with no disrespect to Scotland, against one of the tournaments weaker teams Ashton could have given the likes of Toby Flood another chance to impress.

Installing Vickery as captain was a good decision. He knows what it takes to be a champions and is still the right side of 30 to be for a long term stint. Unfortunately for Corry he was associated with Robinson's tenure and his own poor form left Ashton with little option. His situation is not unlike David Beckham fall from grace in the England football side and with Moody, Rees and a resurgent Dallaglio waiting in the flanks (literally) his time in a white jersey could be over

To me this team seems a little like mutton dressed as lamb. It remains to be seen whether Ashton has sorted out the pack (not his area of expertise) or given the backs some new ideas. Scotland have steadily improved in the last 12 months so England will have their work cut out at a venue that is no longer a fortress. If this new course taken doesn’t work then it could be a long year for the Twickenham faithful.

Why Arsenal and Chelsea are giving the Carling Cup respect

As seen on Sportingo.com

Class B sponsors and an image problem make the League Cup English football's poor relation. But the way the top four have been going in the competition, maybe we are in for a resurgence of interest.


It was not so long ago that the league cup seemed to be dying a slow and painful death. Things became so bad that it seemed that some of the Premiership’s bigger teams seemed to show a reckless lack of respect for a once most cherished trophy. Arsene Wenger and his colleagues would field weakened reserve sides to protect their players for more ‘important matters’.

Yet watching the two semi-finals over the past few weeks has brought up a interesting revelation. Chelsea players looked genuinely pleased to have secured their final birth after a scare in the first leg against plucky Wycombe. The Wycombe players themselves played their hearts out and left the pitch much credit. The league cup seemed to have discovered that all-important English knockout competition ingredient; magic.

If this encounter was interesting then the other semi between North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur was pulsating. In the first leg Tottenham were outstanding for the first 45 minutes, while Arsenal came back even stronger in the second half. The second leg saw the teams toe to toe with each other for over an hour until Adebayour lit the blue touch paper sending the Emirates berserk. Then Mido came to the party moments later to send the game into extra time before Alliadiere and Rosicky sent The Gunners through to their first league cup final in 14 years.

But where did this newfound enthusiasm for the league cup come from and where did it all go wrong in the first place?

The league cup has suffered from a lack of history; its rival tournament the FA Cup has more of the stuff than an antique collectors attic. The lack of prize money through television rights has hindered its allure also. Premiership places mean big bucks with the added bonus of the Champions League pot of gold for the top four. While many clubs remained deeply committed to the trophy, the ‘big four’ focused their resources elsewhere. This is not necessarily a bad thing; it allowed many teams the chance of silverware and a place in European but the cup lacked in credibility as larger teams lost interest.




Manchester United celebrate their 2005 victory in the Carling Cup and seem pretty pleased about it



The league cup also suffers from an image problem. There was much stigma attached the various names over the years with Rumbelows, Coca Cola and Worthington all sponsoring the trophy. The sponsorship cheapened the league cups brand. Then there was Liverpool’s mystical ‘treble’ in 2001 which led many fans to be ridiculed by their Manchester United counterparts, ‘the league cup isn’t a big trophy’ was the common response.

There was also the experimentation with different formats, with teams having to play two legs in each round. With mounting fixture lists from European football and pointless international friendlies, these were games that some clubs could do without.

Finally with the final being played in February when the players still wear gloves, is at the business end of the season and played at Cardiff not Wembley, may have lessened the appeal of the competition.

But in recent years we have seen the names of Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea on the trophy. One of the ‘big four’ will win it again this year as Jose Mourinho takes ever game seriously and Wenger has decided to mix his youngsters with a blend of experience. Perhaps Chelsea’s domination of the league in the past two years has meant that the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool are fed up of ending seasons empty handed. Narcissistic owners like silver of any description, so the pretty league cup may save the managers bacon for another season.



Leicester City fans celebrating victory at the league cup final at Wembley. But will they ever get there again?



However there is a chance that we are all kidding ourselves here. One might suggest that Arsenal and Chelsea have reached the final as a result of the massive polarisation of resources we now see in English football. Chelsea’s reserve team, which contains Shaun Wright-Phillips, Andrei Shevchenko and Michael Ballack, would probably beat most Premiership teams, while Arsenal’s ‘youngsters’ contain already established players like Cesc Fabregas and Philip Senderos. The squads of bigger teams are expanding and resources can be spread around quite easily.

The Arsenal versus Spurs semi final may also have been blown out of proportion in its importance. The Arsenal players and fans may well have been celebrating merely because they had beaten their arch-enemies; a ‘we’re no bothered but we are sure as hell not letting that lot win it’ kind of mentality.

It is important for the league cup that teams like Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea continue to treat the competition with a degree of respect. A competitive league cup will lead to increased credibility and hopefully some more classic encounters like those we have seen this season. But this may just be a false dawn for league cup as the rich get rich and the poor get poorer.

Work Experience Part 2

Well with Hayters coming to an end it is now time for the other side of the coin, the local newspaper ...

The last week at Hayters went well, with a few more by-lines on the fa.com and in the 'Football Paper'. On my last day I went to Arsenal's training ground to do a press conference with Arsene Wenger, no big deal obviously. To end the placement on a high like that was great, I have now seen the highest end of the spectrum, watching the masters from the Sun and the Mail at work was a pleasure. I even got to ask a question and the other guys thought it was quite a good one. What I learnt more importantly was the amount of hard work and dedication that will be required to suceed.

And on to the Guernsey Press. I have just finished my first day and it has been pretty good. Once again they have let me off the leash early and got me doing stories. Not quite Wenger ... I have had a school sponsored silence, a latin american ball and a pet sitting business. But it was good fun writing the stories and the by-lines are coming ...

I now have a new hate however ... the vox-pop. Maybe it was just the wong time and the wrong place but it was so difficult to get people to talk never mind have their photo taken for the paper. I think this is to do with Guernsey being a small place, nobody wants to have their picture in the paper anyway, especially if it is with some contraversial statements. It is a small island and people talk. Old people refuse point blank to have a picture done so I came back pretty much empty handed which was very demoralising.

Anyway it is only the first day and I am on the sports desk tomorrow so should be fun and games.

Jol needs to review his tactics to restore North London pride

Spurs fans have had many things to be pleased about in the last few years. Last season saw the team finish in their highest ever league position, while this season has seen good runs in the UEFA and Carling Cup competitions. In Martin Jol they have a fabulously talented manager and the squad is packed with world class players like Ledley King, Aaron Lennon and Dimitar Berbatov.

And yet there is still one thing that grates their fans more than anything else – the team’s inability to beat rivals Arsenal. While Spurs have only won the League Cup since their triumph in the FA Cup in 1991, Arsenal have won three league titles, five FA cups, one League Cup, one European Cup Winners Cup and have been runners up in the Champions League and UEFA Cup.

Spurs occupied the 4th and final Champions League spot for most of last season only to let it slip on the last game of the season. To Arsenal. To make things worse Spurs have not beaten their old enemy since 1999.

Most fans will tell you that although ending a season without silverware is disappointing, consolation of sorts can be found in beating your local rivals. But for the last 8 years Spurs fans have had to deal with constant abuse at work, text messages and images of Arsenal players on open-top buses.




Spurs took the lead at the final match at Highbury but once again allowed an Arsenal comeback



It is not as if Arsenal have been superior to Tottenham in every game since 1999; most fans can accept being beaten by a better side, even if it is Arsenal. More often then not Spurs have dominated matches, particularly encounters at White Hart Lane, but Arsenal have come away with at least a point.

The pattern is familiar. Tottenham dominate Arsenal in the first half with energetic and rapid football, going in 1-0 to the good at half-time. The second half sees Spurs slowly taking their foot off the accelerator and Arsenal begin to get hold of the game. The Gunners manage to equalise, traditionally through Pires, and another wasted opportunity is consigned to the record books. Even at Highbury last season, with Spurs 1-0 up and cruising, they allowed men to equalize in the most crucial of games.

For 45 minutes of the recent Carling Cup semi final on Wednesday it seemed that Spurs had finally got it right. After a typically frenetic first half Spurs managed an unprecedented second goal but allowed Arsenal’s youngster to run rings round them in the second half.

So what is it that they have to learn to avoid another 8 years of hurt? Despite the terrific football that Spurs usually produce in the first half, a more measured approach to games is required. They have the players of supreme skill but they tend to burn out after an hour, allowing Arsenal’s intricate play to produce results. They need to calm down and play their natural game.




Gilberto makes it 3-0 to Arsenal at The Emirates earlier this season to extend their unbeaten run against their North London rivals



It also seems that Arsenal have a psychological advantage over Spurs, they do not believe that they can get a result. The longer the run goes the more desperate the players and the fans look. Jol looks to have the respect of all the players and it is up to him to convince his players that they can beat Arsenal.

Linked with this is their apparent inability to finish off Arsenal when they are dominating the game. Too often they have gone in 1-0 when it could have been two or three. Arsenal are one of the most ruthless teams in the league and regularly punish sides that open the door for them.

Spurs will beat Arsenal in the near future; their squad is simply too good to let such an unprecedented run continue. There is no doubt however that they need to change their philosophy in these matches as the blueprint that has been used in the past few seasons clearly is not working. Perhaps it will happen next Wednesday and with a place in a major cup final up for grabs, it would be the sweetest of moments for Spurs’ long suffering fans.

Retired hurt or not out?

As seen on Sportingo.com

Holland's goal king has quit international football after differences with Holland boss Marco van Basten. But don't bank on never seeing him in Dutch kit again.

The announcement that Ruud van Nistelrooy has retired from international football should not come as a shock to anyone. And yet Dutch coach Mark van Basten, favouring youth over experience as he attempts to rebuild the national side, has decided the exile one of Europe’s most prolific strikers. Van Nistelrooy seeming has had enough of waiting around and like many of his contemporaries has decided to call time on his career.

There are a number of reasons why a player may retire from international football. One is simply old age; the physical inability of players to reproduce past glory days.

But what of the premature quitters? One reason is that after winning a major trophy with their country some feel they have little left to achieve.



Why the long face?: Van Nistelrooy may never play for Holland again



Players based far away from their home country may become tired of the constant travelling international football involves. Some cite wanting to focus on their club football. Others, like van Nistelrooy, have simply fallen out with the coach over tactics or lack of game time.

But to say that Ruud van Nistelrooy’s international career is slightly premature. International football is littered with comebacks; the spectatular return of Zidane, Thuram and co in the 2006 World Cup is testiment to this. Van Nistelrooy is still playing at the top of his game at Real Madrid and one suspects that if another man takes over in Holland then he could be convinced to come back.

After all playing for your national team is supposedly one the greatest honours a footballer can receive. Much is made of the lure of Champions League football and the increasing standard of the Premiership, Serie A and La Liga but the World Cup is still the ultimate prize. Players may complain of fatigue in seasons after big summer tournaments but many would be frustrated if they had to watch all their team mates on the TV.



Red rag to a bull: Zidane made an international comeback that had mixed results ...



The numbers of retired international footballers that still play at a high level is growing all the time. In fact quite a useful team could be made out of these players. Below is my International Exiles X (age in brackets);

GK - Brad Friedel (35)
RB – Lauren (30)
LB – Roberto Carlos (33)
CB – Jaap Stam (34)
CB – Hatem Trabelsi (30)
RM – Paul Scholes (32)
LM – Pavel Nedved (34)
CM – Mark van Bommel (29)
CM – Juan Roman Riquelme (26)
CF – Ronaldo (33)
CF – Ruud van Nistelrooy (29)

SB – Oliver Kahn (38)
SB – Dado Prso (32)
SB – David Beckham (virtually retired … 31)
SB – Robbie Savage (32)
SB – Jay Jay Okocha (33)
SB – Claude Makalele (33)
SB – Luis Figo (34)

This team may have seen their better days and stamina could be a problem but you would fancy them to get past the group stages of a World Cup. And if the opportunity comes along to play at the highest level comes along again, some players may find the temptation too much to resist.