The Scoop Troop

I'm Not Dead ... Yet !!

2011-02-08T23:04:00.001Z

Seemingly this blog is still alive (and almost) kicking. I should get off my arse and write something useful (or just fill a bit of space).

Happy 2011 to y'all. I'll see if I can sort something relevant.

www.horse-play.co.uk

2011-01-09T01:51:00.002Z

Oh look, Dom's involved in another project!

http://www.horse-play.co.uk/

The beginner's guide to horse racing, for all you racing n00bs.

Plus news, reviews and of course, the odd tip.

Coupon Busters

2010-10-19T16:11:00.004+01:00

Quick plug for a new project I'm involved with.

Coupon Busters - your one stop shop for all of your weekly football coupon needs.

Can't be arsed to do any research before you stick your Saturday accumulator on? Let us do it for you. We've got a range of suggested accumulators, from shorter priced "Sure Thing" bets, to massive "Longshot" accas, plus all kinds of football and betting related news and features.

You can also follow us on Twitter, for all the latest updates.

Who ya gonna call?

Death

2010-07-04T21:56:00.000+01:00

Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

I feel we might need to lay the blog to rest. It has been mumbled about before, but only when there has been a lull in sporting and betting activity, before bursting into life after a decent post by someone.

This summer has been different though. Wimbledon has just finished, the World Cup is all but over and the Derby has been and gone for creatures both canine and equine. We’ve got both the Open and the British Grand Prix in less than a fortnight, pre-season tours and training for the new football season has started (at least at Championship level) and the Ashes looming large on the horizon.

Yet the tumbleweed blows. What gives, dudes?

I was planning to do more on the World Cup, but as I’m sure you’re all aware by now, I’ve been job hunting. Working 45 hours a week of make-it-up-as-you-go shifts is pissing me off immensely and what little time I’ve had off has been spent writing CVs, applying for work and trekking to London for interviews.

It has finally paid off, as I’m moving to the Big Smoke in under a fortnight to begin my new life as an odds compiler. This is a dream job for me anyway, but is definitely a first step to greater things and I’m looking forward to it immensely. I have no idea how much time I’m going to find for the blog now though and it seems that the other mainstay, Mr Campbell, has disappeared from the face of the Earth, which doesn’t bode well.

Hopefully I’m wrong. Hopefully I’ll get the to churn out another epic Championship preview, maybe more. Hopefully Campbell will return, though if the Greyhound Derby can’t motivate him, we’re in trouble. Same goes for Tim about the GP and Walsh about the Derby, Eclipse or Wimbledon.

Is that bell I hear tolling?

Take it easy, chaps.

FIFA World Cup 2010 - Group Stage Preview

2010-05-27T22:09:00.006+01:00

Well, it’s almost here. 64 football matches, featuring some of the best players in the world, as well as some of the worst. I know half of the Scoop Troop have probably forgotten about this year’s World Cup in South Africa, owing to the fact that Scotland are shit and have once again failed to qualify, but hey, they’ll be used to it by now.

So anyway, here’s my preview of the 2010 FIFA World Cup group stages. Prices quoted are to win the World Cup outright unless specified otherwise and are best price at time of writing. Enjoy.

Group A:
France (20/1 - BetFred & StanJames; 21.00 - Betfair)
Mexico (100/1 - Ladbrokes; 110.00 - Betfair)
Uruguay (125/1 - Bwin; 170.00 - Betfair)
South Africa (150/1 - Bet365 & StanJames; 190.00 - Betfair)

Verdict: France are favourites for the group even though they shouldn’t be in South Africa. Still, they’re not exactly a force these days and will struggle to hold off Uruguay, who I fancy to surprise a few this year. With South Africa having the home advantage and Mexico looking a useful outfit in defeat to England, this is a tricky group. I’ll plump for Uruguay to top the group, with France in second.

Group B:
Argentina (15/2 - ExtraBet; 8.60 - Betfair)
Nigeria (150/1 - Bet365; 180.00 - Betfair)
South Korea (250/1 - Victor Chandler & BetFred; 310.00 - Betfair)
Greece (250/1 - Blue Square; 320.00 - Betfair)

Verdict: Argentina are far too good for this group and despite trying their best to fail qualify for South Africa 2010, I can’t see them losing a game at this stage. I quite fancy South Korea to upset the odds and fill second place at Nigeria’s expense.

Group C:
England (13/2 - Victor Chandler; 7.60 - Betfair)
USA (80/1 - SportingBet & ToteSport; 90.00 - Betfair)
Slovenia (400/1 - Bwin; 630.00 - Betfair)
Algeria (600/1 - PaddyPower; 770.00 - Betfair)

Verdict: England are clearly going to win this group, by virtue of being far less poor than the other three sides. I’ll be amazed if it’s not the USA filling the runner-up slot. No shocks here, should finish in market order.

Group D:
Germany (16/1 - Ladbrokes; 16.00 - Betfair)
Serbia (66/1 - ExtraBet & Ladbrokes; 75.00 - Betfair)
Ghana (80/1 - ToteSport & Victor Chandler; 110.00 - Betfair)
Australia (150/1 - Bet365; 200.00 - Betfair)

Verdict: I’ve seen a few folk waxing lyrical about Serbia after their qualifying campaign, but they did still manage to lose to France and Lithuania in a weak looking group. I personally fancy Germany for the group, with Australia, who are very unfairly priced for me, scraping through at Serbia’s expense, probably on goal difference.

Group E:
Holland (12/1 - Ladbrokes; 13.00 - Betfair)
Cameroon (125/1 - Bwin; 140.00 - Betfair)
Denmark (150/1 - Bet365; 190.00 - Betfair)
Japan (400/1 - Bwin; 740.00 - Betfair)

Verdict: World Cup underachievers Holland should stroll this group and my predictions have the group finishing in market order. Japan may have been the first side to qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals, but I can see them being one of the first out.

Group F:
Italy (14/1 - Ladbrokes & Victor Chandler; 16.00 - Betfair)
Paraguay (80/1 SportingBet & Bet365; 110.00 - Betfair)
Slovakia (400/1 - Bwin; 550.00 - Betfair)
New Zealand (2,500/1 - SportingBet; 1,000.00 - Betfair)

Verdict: Italy have got the easiest 2010 World Cup group by far and they will qualify in first place, with Paraguay in second. The season in New Zealand finishes in March and though they may be fresh, they won’t be sharp enough to cope. If Slovakia beat Paraguay, they will have a really good chance to qualify, but I can’t see it.

Group G:
Brazil (5/1 - Bet365 & BetFred; 6.20 - Betfair)
Portugal (28/1 - ToteSport & SportingBet; 32.00 - Betfair)
Ivory Coast (33/1 - Ladbrokes & Bet365; 44.00 - Betfair)
North Korea (2,000/1 - ToteSport & SportingBet; 1,000.00 - Betfair)

Verdict: North Korea, lol. Anyway, Brazil will widdle all over this group, while Portugal and the Ivory Coast do battle for second. It will be really close and go to the last game for sure, with Portugal needing a point against Brazil, or relying on Ivory Coast failing to beat North Korea by enough goals. Portugal it nick it, for me.

Group H:
Spain (4/1 - BoyleSports & StanJames; 5.30 - Betfair)
Chile (66/1 - Bet365 & SportingBet; 80.00 - Betfair)
Switzerland (200/1 - Bet365 & StanJames; 320.00 - Betfair)
Honduras (1,000/1 - Bet365 & StanJames; 1,000.00 - Betfair)

Verdict: World Cup favourites Spain will have no bother getting out of this group. I can’t see either Honduras or Switzerland having enough for a dangerous Chile outfit and I think they will have the second spot locked up after two games.

So is there anything worth having a bet on during the World Cup group stages?

I think the 11/10 about Uruguay (BoyleSports) to qualify from Group A is a great shout and although my own predictions have them topping the group, I don’t think I’m brave enough to take the best price 7/2 for them to win it.

I also like the 9/4 being offered by Bodog that England get exactly 7 points in their group. England have never finished a World Cup group on nine points and have only taken maximum points once, way back in 1982, when it was still two points for a win. They always find a way to draw and I reckon America are the likely candidates this time round.

Spain, Brazil, Italy and Holland are certainties to win their groups and I’ll be investing in the following group winner trebles on Betfair:

Brazil, Spain, Italy - 2.88
Brazil, Spain, Holland - 3.00
Brazil, Holland, Italy - 3.60
Spain, Italy, Holland - 2.92

For now at least, I’m totally undecided on who the FIFA World Cup 2010 winners are going to be. I can see a Brazil vs Holland Quarter-Final tie and the winner may well come from that, probably beating Spain in the final. The Spanish have finally proven they can do it on the big stage, but they’ve still never been beyond the Quarters in a World Cup and they may well bottle it.

I just can’t bring myself to back the Dutch, as they always fail to deliver too. It may be dull, but at this stage I’d probably go with Brazil, though I will wait until I’ve properly got my teeth into the Knockout-Stages before nailing my colours to the mast.

Watch this space and don't forget to check out the offers in the post below, if you're opening new accounts for World Cup betting.

World Cup 2010 Offers and Free Bets

2010-05-26T21:36:00.004+01:00

I’m currently working on a preview for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which is going to be epic. As that might not be here for another day or two, why not cast your eye over this little Aladdin’s Cave of free bets and bonuses? That way, when you read my awesome World Cup predictions and want to bet on such fantastic football forecasts, you’ll know who has the best offers.

Bet365 – The usual £200 free bet offer is still in place, which is a 100% deposit bonus on any amount between £10 and £200. Simply sign up and follow the instructions.

Betfair – If the exchanges are more to your tastes for your World Cup bets, then the world’s biggest betting exchange are offering a £25 no risk bet to all new customers.

Betfred – Fred Done and the BaldyBet team are offering a £50 free bet to new customers during the World Cup. Simply bet between £5 and £50 and within 48 hours of the bet being settled, the Bonus King will award you your free bet. Full Ts & Cs here.

BoyleSports – Boyles are not only offering their usual £20 free bet during the 2010 World Cup, but they also have a free to enter prediction competition, with a guaranteed prize of €50,000 to be won, plus the chance to win up to €1,000,000. Check the website for full details.

ExtraBet – These guys have increased their fixed odd betting sign up promotion for the World Cup, giving away up to £100 in free bets. Stake between £10 and £25 between now and July 11^th, and they will match it with a free bet. They will then match your 5^th bet up to £25 and 15^th bet up to £50. Full Ts & Cs on the website.

Ladbrokes – The Magic Sign are currently offering new customers are £10 free bet. Not a great introductory offer, but they are a reputable firm that you know you can trust.

SportingBet – Sign up at SportingBet and get a £25 free bet, as well as daily promotions and offers during the World Cup. Also, any £10 bet placed between now and July 11^th will earn you an entry into their million pound World Cup predictor game!

StanJames – In addition to a £25 free bet for new customers, StanJames are offering money back on all World Cup outright bets up to £250, if Spain win the competition! See the website for full details.

Titan Bet – This lot are offering their usual £250 sign up bonus to new accounts, which is impressive enough on its own, but for the World Cup, Titan are offering $100,000,000 to anyone who can correctly predict all 64 matches during the tournament. Okay, it probably isn’t going to happen, but they are still awarding $1,000,000 to whoever is closest! Get along to the website to take part.

ToteSport – Open an account with the Tote in time for the 2010 World Cup and you’ll instantly earn a £10 free bet.

Victor Chandler – VC are keeping their usual sign up offer for the World Cup: up to £100 in free bets plus £25 to use in their online casino. Bet an initial £50 and get a free £50 bet, then after five more consecutive bets of £10 or greater, you’ll get another £25 free bet. Five more £10 bets in a row will land you a further £25 free bet, plus the £25 casino bonus. Nice!

Food for thought

2010-05-18T22:14:00.002+01:00

Things have been a bit queit recently, partly my own fault for not getting round to writing up my Ayr and Perth visits. One thing that really got me angry and I left the need to share was the massive gambles landed by Barney Curley and a former forum favourite Chris Grant last week. I need to be careful what I say here for legal reasons but the fact that 3 horses tumbled in odds (one from 25/1 into 6/4) and showed improvement from nowhere to win really leaves a sour taste. I have not had a bet since and am not sure when the next one will be.

Anyone who has followed the form of the Aidan O'Brien runners will also note that a number of these have barely been put into the race/given a chance to win the race. One thing we like as punters is to know if our horse doesn't win then at least it was given every chance to land the odds. With the O'Brien runners at the moment this is questionable. I think in terms of flat racing I may await the normally fruitful July and August period to continue punting.

Doncaster, Saturday 17th April 2010

2010-04-16T21:25:00.011+01:00

I’ve only been to Doncaster once and that was for the 2008 Ladbrokes St Leger, when Conduit (left) famously ended Michael Stoute’s barren run in the race, as well as making resident Trooper Will look like a right mug. How did it go again Walsh? "Conduit cannot possibly win the St Leger" or something, wasn’t it? Anyway, I had a cracking day out (got the first two winners as well) and it really is a lovely place.

That same day, I backed Mia’s Boy in the State Club Handicap, over a mile. I felt it travelled really well and was badly hampered at a crucial time. I remember being pretty pissed off at the time as I thought it could have won and I’ve always looked out for it ever since, so I’m delighted to see him take his chance in tomorrow’s feature, the Doncaster Mile (18:15).

The six year old bay loves it at Doncaster, with two wins and a second from six appearances at the South Yorkshire course, which also includes creditable 4th (2009) and 6th (2010) placed finishes in the Lincoln Handicap. If the ground stops drying out, conditions should suit him fine (and any overnight rain to soften it up a touch would be perfect) and I reckon he’s the likely winner.

The selection’s seasonal reappearance saw him go down by a neck on the all weather, to tomorrow’s top weight, Dunelight. That day they both raced off 9st 3lbs, but Mia’s Boy re-opposes 3lbs better off and comes into it off the back of that respectable top-weight 6th placed finish in the William Hill Lincoln. Dunelight will make the running and keep the pace honest, which will set it up for Mia’s Boy (right) who likes to come with a late run and Doncaster is a tough place to win from pillar to post.

As for the others, Light From Mars looks well held after finishing eight lengths behind the selection here in October, while Cloudy Start will need the run, as he did first time out last year. Fanunalter is going to have to really improve to even get close. This has all the makings of a full roll bet in my opinion, though I’d leave the 2/1 available on Betfair for now and see how it looks later tonight.

Having dealt with the finest fayre of the Doncaster Mile, let’s get stuck into the supplementary sundries. The last race is an absolute stick-on for Stoute’s Saptapadi, who wasn’t beaten by much over five lengths in the Chester vase, so a Class 4 Maiden clearly isn’t going to be any bother (and nor is the price going to be worth bothering with).

The opener is an eighteen runner, amateur lady riders affair, so I’ll likely swerve that one. The second race isn’t much better from a punting point of view, as only two of the thirteen entries have even seen a racecourse, so this one gets a wide berth too.

Jarrow looks a pretty good thing in the third (17:40), with the form working out quite well from its last race. The current 4/1 on Betfair looks fairly nice, I bet it doesn’t go off at that price. I’d also be tempted to have an each way nibble on Bossy Kitty at a huge price too, if only because it’s Kirsty Milczarek (left) in the saddle, but it does seem a harsh price considering the filly’s form in October, even if it is a big ask.

Red Jade looks a decent bet in the 18:50. Fahey has started the season with a bang and his nags are running very well. Although the chestnut gelding is hiked 6lbs in the weights, I can’t see that being a problem. The form is working out well after his reappearance over course and distance at the end of March and the only concern would be the ground. Although I don’t know for certain that he’d prefer softer, both of his victories have come on soft, so I guess that will be the excuse should it come last!

I like Hollow Green in the penultimate race, the 19:25, which is currently 6/1 on Betfair. Winning on seasonal appearance last year, the four year old filly won a few races over the summer and was campaigned at a higher level towards the end of the season. Recently second over course and distance, losing out to the aforementioned Red Jade in that race where the form’s working out nicely, she is now 1lb lower than her highest winning mark and is a genuine, consistent type. In such a tricky little race, I think that’s a good quality to have on my side and I also rate Cathy Gannon, who will be steering tomorrow.

My likely bets then:

Universal Recycling Doncaster Mile Stakes (18:15)
Mia’s Boy
4pts win
Advanced Medical Rejuvenation Handicap (17:40)
Jarrow
1pt win
Society Lifestyle And Leisure Magazine Handicap (18:50)
Red Jade
1pt win
Moss Properties Fillies' Handicap (19:25)
Hollow Green
0.5pts e/w

Tote Placepot:
L1: 2 + 5 +14
L2: 5 + 13
L3: 1
L4: 5
L5: 6 + 11
L6: 6 + 9
(24 bets)

World Snooker Championship - Ding To Be King

2010-04-16T15:40:00.005+01:00

Just back in from work. Was surprised to see Ding Junhui available to back for the forthcoming Betfred World Snooker Championship at a large looking 8/1, but even more surprised when I just fired up oddschecker.com, to see that some firms go 9/1!

The reigning UK Champion, Ding Junhui has been in decent form and is clearly a future winner of the World Snooker Championship. 9/1 with Ladbrokes looks like a good bet to me.

Each way terms are half the odds, first two. Definitely worth a nibble.

I’m going to Doncaster races tomorrow so I’ll have a look at some nags tonight and might try and come up with a few tips and maybe a placepot. It’s the final of Miss South Yorkshire after, which should be a laugh. Fill in your own gags about fillies and that.

John Smith's Grand National 2010

2010-04-07T01:02:00.019+01:00

The Grand National. Four miles and four furlongs of spine tingling, adrenaline pumping joy. The race needs no introduction really, so let’s set about finding the winner.

I don’t have a bad record in the race really, having backed Amberleigh House (right) each way the year it placed and the following year when it won, as well as Comply Or Die two years ago, but I didn’t do so well last year and will be looking to put that right. I’ll adopt my usual strategy of picking a shorter priced fancy, as well as one from the middle of the market and a bigger priced outsider.

Let’s tuck into the trends then. Age to start off with, as no horse aged seven has won it since 1940. There are always some seven year olds in the Grand National and some mugs must chuck money at them. Tricky Trickster (left) is as short as 12/1 (Betfred) and the last time a horse of the same age won, we’d just gone to war. Ridiculous. More senior horses are to be avoided too, as horses twelve or older have won just twelve wins in the race’s history. Eight to eleven is my range.

Plenty of stamina is required to triumph and all winners of the Grand National since 1971 had won over three miles, prior to taking part. This simply cannot be overlooked.

All of the last twelve National winners had at least three career wins in chases before the race, eleven of those having won four or more times. Only one of the last twelve (Bindaree, right) had failed to win a chase with thirteen or more runners; experience in bigger fields is clearly an advantage in a race containing forty runners. On top of that, all of the last twelve Grand National winners competed in ten or more chases prior to the race. I’ll apply all of these statistics to further thin the field, as collectively they should help to pick a horse with the right type of experience required to win the Grand National.

A stat I’ve come to like is recent form. As Will pointed out last year, all twenty of the last twenty winners had come at least third or better in at least one of the three races prior to the Grand National; we’ll overlook the fact that not all third place finishes weigh up the same, but as Will rightly said, it allows you to ditch the nags that (misleadingly) look well handicapped on older pieces of form, but that are actually out of form.

I thought about sidestepping the well-known trend regarding weights for the first time ever, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. If I’m honest, it’s probably because I wanted to include Black Apalachi (best price 14/1, Victor Chandler, William Hill, Coral) as I backed it as my outside bet two years ago and it travelled like a dream last year, stepping over the fences as though they weren’t there. But that would defeat the point of any trends based approach, so I must stick to my guns, no sentiment allowed.

The facts are that in the last half a century or so, only Red Rum (left) has lugged home more than 11st 5lb and in the last quarter of a century (give or take) only one horse has carried home more than 11st, which was Hedgehunter with just 11st 1lb. An obvious cut off point is 11st and I will cross anything greater than that off my list.

All things considered then, I am left with four: Beat The Boys, Arbor Supreme, Chief Dan George and Merigo. The latter pair are highly unlikely to take their chance in the Grand National at this late stage, with Merigo needing sixteen to come out and the former needing seven. I really like Merigo too, I had it down as a potential Scottish National winner on this blog, but they pulled it out due to the ground. I was sure it would have won anyway. Anyway, somewhat frustratingly, this leaves me with just two horses and I like to pick three as mentioned at the start of this post.

As Beat The Boys (right) slots neatly into my “outsider” category (best price 100/1, Victor Chandler, William Hill, Coral) and Arbor Supreme into my “shorter priced” category (best price 16/1, William Hill, Ladbrokes, SportingBet) I had better pick a selection from the middle of the field, despite the lack of trend horses. Chief Dan George would have done the job, but as it looks unlikely to run, I’m going to plump for Comply Or Die.

2008's winner falls down on several trends, but I backed him two years ago when he won the race and when all my nags were out of contention by halfway last year, I find myself rooting for him again. I would love him to go in again this year. At a best price 28/1 (Totesport, William Hill) he looks very easy to back and rest assured, if Timmy Murphy chooses him over The Package, that price will be clipped, if only a small amount.

Beat The Boys would become the first grey to win the race since Nicolaus Silver in 1961 and only the third ever, but this is a trend that doesn't bother me, due to the sheer percentage of runners in the Grand National that aren't grey. It's a little bit like the myth regarding French-bred runners that I advised people to take no notice of last year - a moral victory I thought, when Mon Mome went in. Any horse from the Nigel Twiston-Davies (left) yard must be respected, due to his record in the Grand National, coupled with recent big race form.

Arbor Supreme has been targeted at the race (always a positive) and his versatility with regard to the going is a useful tool. Seemingly on an upward curve, he's trained by Willie Mullins and the record of the Irish trainers in the Grand National speaks for itself.

So to recap, my selections for the 2010 John Smith's Grand National (all 0.5 points each way):

Arbor Supreme - 16/1 William Hill, Ladbrokes, SportingBet)

Comply Or Die - 28/1 (Totesport, William Hill)

Beat The Boys - 100/1, Victor Chandler, William Hill, Coral

5/1 Fancy Tonight & Scottish Derby

2010-04-06T16:13:00.003+01:00

The Greyhound Blue Riband at Hall Green is at the semi-final stage which go ahead tonight from 8:20. I missed the start of the competition unfortunately but I hope to make up for that by giving us a 5/1 winner for one of the heats tonight.

The three market leaders are split between the three heats and in the first Eye Eye Pickle, a dog I actually really like, can be taken on by the dog in trap one Moneygall Obama. Uncharacteristically, Obama was slow away in the first round but still showed good pace to win the heat. We can forgive him that one as he is usually fast to the bend and his trials were super fast with only Fear Zafonic and Eye onthe Storm having gone faster. 5/1 is super good so get involved.

The Scottish Greyhound Derby is at the second round stage tonight and the competition has been delayed a week after the postponement of the first round. The final will be live on SS a week on Saturday and to give us something to cheer on I've picked out the winner. Blood Of Kings is predominantly a sprinter but has the occasional 4 bend race - he's taken to Shawfield well and ran 29:31 in a trial as well as 29:51 when making all in the first heat from an unenjoyable trap six berth. He's chucked in trap 5 tonight and although he's a railer will still have the early to blast clear of these and win. If he gets an inside berth for semis and final then I think we have ourselves a bit of value at 16/1!

8:20 Hall Green
T1 Moneygall Obama @ 5/1 Various

Scottish Greyhound Derby
Blood Of Kings 16/1 Boylesports

Wooooooooooooooooddddsssssss!

2010-04-06T11:57:00.003+01:00

Family man Tiger Woods generally goes off at between 6/4 and 2/1 for most majors, and I'm sure I've previously seen him even money. For the Masters this week he is 5/1! Of course there are huge reasons for this, with it being his first tournament in months and having no time to practise due to his constant shagging. However, I can't not back him at this price and then see him piss all over the field. So, gooooo Tiger!

I'm no golf expert and probably haven't ever had a tournament winner but I've a few other fancies for the Masters...

Anthony Kim 43/1
Geoff Ogilvy 47/1
Sean O'Hair 74/1
Matt Kuchar 94/1

All prices on Betfair. Please leave a comment with your thoughts on the 2010 Masters.

Scott

Get On It Large!

2010-03-18T16:48:00.000Z

Thursday Footie Fancies & Token Festival Fun !

2010-03-18T14:57:00.004Z

Well folks, I've had a pretty grim week so far, I won't bore you with all the details, except to say it started badly with the F.1 - so near yet so far with my selections, all of whom did their best to avoid the podium, but were all about the other major points placings, just to make things more agonising. I really hope the forthcoming races prove to be more competitive and enjoyable, as the fayre served up in Bahrain can only be described as turgid.

Chelsea crashing out of Europe at the hands of Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan did little to raise my spirits on Tuesday, after a trying day working on my race bike in the workshop, during which there were several verbal exchanges with some local residents, who clearly have too much time on their hands as they criticised me endlessly for starting the engine, which was necessary and done sympathetically in the early afternoon so as not to cause a nuisance.

Sorry, I promised not to bore you, but somehow have done so. If you've got this far, then well done. Today, I am aiming to get out for a few beers via the bookies, I need some light relief from home ! As you can imagine, I have had little time to digest all of Dom's excellent Festival previews, let alone put any money down, but I cannot let Cheltenham go by without at least a small tickler, so I am aiming to be out in time to catch the last race of the day, the "Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase" at 16.40. I for one, am no racing expert, so for me, this is almost mindless gambling, opposed to the well thought out reasoned selections of the Troop's resident racing experts, but for anyone who is interested, I will be having a small stakes each way punt on both "Galant Nuit" and "Nostringsattached".

I haven't a whole heap of time (the race is off in just about an hours time or thereabouts) to check out and compare prices, but with William Hill's, whom I will be investing my hard earned, the following prices are available (currently, subject to change):

Cheltenham 16.40

Galant Nuit - 8/1
Nostringsattached - 12/1

As I said, these are purely my own fancies, and thus no one should take them too seriously. Looking at the line up, form and prices, this race could, quite simply, be the proverbial "pin in the map" job, and anyone could win it !

And now onto this evening, I will happen (for my sins) to be in the company of some Liverpool fans, and as much as I dislike the Scouse club, I guess we will have to watch the game in some seedy local hostelry. So to keep things interesting, I will be placing the following football bets today:

Juventus are generously priced at 19/10 to beat Fulham this evening in the Europa League. Although the West London club have been impressive in European competition at home, being unbeaten in 13 such games at Craven Cottage, I feel the Italian giants will be the ones to burst this bubble, despite going into this second leg tie with a 3-1 lead. Juve cannot afford to sit back and defend, as Fulham have that all-important away goal, and I fully expect both sides to go at it hammer and tongs. The main issue faced by Juventus is something of a crisis between the sticks, with both Buffon and Manninger out of this tie. Fulham themselves will also be missing key men Danny Murphy and Jonathan Greening. I'm not convinced that the Juve win will be a huge one, but an away victory none-the-less.

Liverpool simply have to win this evening to salvage any realistic chance of a trophy from what has been a torrid season by their high standards, and despite having to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg, I shall expect them to comfortably dispatch Lille within 90 minutes and qualify without too much drama. The 4/9 odds offered on the home win offer little value or interest for the small stakes gambler, but I feel confident that they can grab goals either side of half time, and am going for a Liverpool H/T & F/T result, which is available at 23/20. If Fernando Torres has his shooting boots on tonight, he could well run riot, and at 5/1 to score two or more goals, I'll be risking the price of a pint in this market too.

Summary

Juventus Win - 19/10
Liverpool Half Time/Full Time - 23/20
Torres To Score 2 or more goals - 5/1

(All prices quoted are with William Hill)

Right, I'd better get on. Good Luck all !

Thanks for reading,
Mountain Man

Trip to Ayr Races 13th March 2010

2010-03-16T22:41:00.002Z

On Saturday past I may my first visit to the races in over 6 months. I have been to Ayr on four occasions before but each meeting was either the Ayr Gold Cup or Scottish National so the quality of racing was high. This time though despite it being a Saturday afternoon card where often you can expect a card of a high standard, this was not the case. I had a good look at the seven race card on the Friday evening and quickly realised that winners would be extremely hard to come by. I managed to highlight one or two fancies but nothing that I was particularly confident about.

As I may have mentioned in previous posts my friend Alan lives not too far away from Ayr so I drove down to his and then we caught a train into Ayr, the racecourse being just a ten minute walk or so from the centre of town. We invested in club enclosure tickets as they were only £2 more expensive than the Grandstand for this meeting and once again I have to say the facilities are extremely impressive. I would have to say facilities wise Ayr is head and shoulders above the other Scottish racecourses I have visited. Take the toilets for example which are immaculately kept and also offer Racing UK and Sky Sports news on various TV’s throughout the area. Unfortunately the price of club enclosure tickets is around £18 more when it comes to the big meetings but people do pay for that so who am I to argue about the wrongs of this.
Anyway onto the racing where the card kicked off with a 2 mile novice hurdle. Having looked at the form extensively I found it hard to have confidence in either of the favourites Drussel or Si Bien but was unable to find any potential dangers further down the field either. Therefore I decided that while Drussel was the likeliest winner, the Irish raider was too short at the offered odds of around 7/4. He did go on to take the opener in fine style but I had no regrets about sitting out this race.

The second race was a small field handicap chase where I expected Cast Iron Casey to bounce back to form. I expected odds of 8/1 but due to a combination of a key non runner and strong market support only 7/2 was available which I reluctantly took. My selection ran a decent race, finishing 3rd but was never really placed to challenge behind the winner Quito de Tresor who built a commanding lead and managed to hang on grimly in the end to land the odds for favourite backers.

The third race I did manage to identify Knockavilla as a good bet at 7/2, despite him have a trio of second place finishes to his name. I suspected a flat two miles would bring out the best in him. I would have to say having seen him travel well and then find nothing, eventually finishing third, that I would place as much trust in him as I would in Tiger Woods at a Victoria’s Secret party.
The fifth race was the most interesting for me when I looked at it at the start of the day. I liked the look of the Pauline Robson trainer novice Humbie and also was interested in Solway Ally who had shown improved form when second 2 days earlier at Carlisle. Unfortunately there were a swarm of non runners in this field including Humbie and this meant Solway Ally was sent of 5/2 fav. I was tempted to back the Liz Harrison trained seven year old but the odds coupled with the uncertainty of how much its run 2 days prior had taken out of it made it hard to play. My decision was made tougher by the fact the stable girl for the horse, who was leading her around the paddock was my pick of the paddock! Of course I don’t need to tell you that Solway Ally won and didn’t carry a penny of my hard earned cash.

Other races on the day included a competitive 2m4furlong handicap hurdle won by the Irish Raider Ramsden Boy at big odds, a 4 runner staying chase won by the 5/4 favourite Seize and the closing bumper won by the 25/1 Jim Goldie trainer outsider Wyse Hill Teabags. I wisely avoided the handicap hurdle and chase races and took a small interest in a Chris Grant trained newcomer in the bumper who ran a decent race but never looked likely to find me the elusive winner.

Overall I only played in three of the seven races, which was unusual for me but probably the right move in end despite a couple of potential selections going in. I did have a fair sized bet on Knockavilla but again a valuable lesson was learned and I really hope the new discipline I have shown recently separate blog to follow on that) will lead to a profitable time over the next few months.

After the racing it was off out in Ayr for a few drinks and a bit of nightclubbing, although given this is a betting blog I don’t suppose many readers will be too keen to read stories of my near miss in trying to pull a stunning nineteen year old. Back down to Ayr in just over 3 weeks for the Scottish National where I will be hoping for more luck on both the punting front and in bagging myself that nineteen year old. Happy punting.

Cheltenham 2010: Supreme Noves' Hurdle

2010-03-15T19:50:00.010Z

Well, it’s finally here. At half past one tomorrow, we’ll hear the famous roar of the crowd as the tape is lifted on the first race of the 2010 Cheltenham Festival, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. The race is open to novice hurdlers aged four years or older and is run on Cheltenham’s Old Course, over two miles and 110 yards and featuring eight hurdles.

Last year I went with Kempes, who never got near to eventual winner Go Native (right) and I’ll be looking to improve on that. As ever, I’ll be looking for some trends to try and thin the eighteen strong field out a little, in an attempt to find the likely winner.

The strongest trend for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is last time out form, with twelve of the last thirteen winners of the race having won on their previous start.

Another noticeable trend is age, as 30 of the last 35 winners were aged five or six, but I don’t place too much emphasis on that in this race, as the vast majority of participants are aged five and six. Interestingly though, it would rule out hot favourite Dunguib (left), who is seven.

There are other factors that point to a potential upset in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle too, notably that only six favourites have won in the last thirty renewals. Another fairly strong trend is that eight of the last 18 winners had run in no more than two hurdle races, a statistic strengthened by the fact that so few horses with that sort of profile actually take part in the race.

With the winner of the last five renewals returned at odds varying between 6-1 and 40-1, the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle really is a race where you can pick almost anything, though it is probably worth noting that only one horse has placed at odds of greater than 50-1 in the last thirteen years. All these factors lead me to believe that the festival hotpot (best price even money, William Hill and Ladbrokes) is worth taking on, even more so when you look at how ropey his jumping was in Leopardstown. Now then, let’s get it beaten.

Flat Out and Blackstairmountain (right) are horses that fit every trend I’ve mentioned so far, but have the added bonus of being trained by Willie Mullins, who is one of just four people still training to have won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle more than once, most recently with Ebaziyan in 2007. Irish trainers generally have a good record in the race and seven of the last nine winners were all Irish trained.

Of the two, you would be tempted to side with Blackstairmountain (best price 12/1, SportingBet) as Ruby Walsh has chosen the five year old bay as his mount, but I have something of a reputation on the blog for picking the wrong one whenever I narrow it down to two, so I guess I’d better go with Flat Out (best price 20/1, Stan James, Victor Chandler and SportingBet) as well!

It’s worth noting tomorrow’s special offer from BetFred. In addition to the usual free £50 bet for signing up, if you back a horse in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and it loses, you’ll be refunded the stake as a free bet (up to a maximum of £100). That offer makes the race even more appealing as if Dunguib does oblige, you’ll get your stake back to bet on something else (like Punjabi, who is going to win the Champion Hurdle at 15:20, as tipped by The Scoop Troop!)

If the exchanges are more your scene, Blackstairmountain is priced at 15.0 (14/1) on Betfair and Flat Out is 26 (25/1) - both prices bigger than anything found with traditional bookmakers. Betfair are also offering a £25 free bet to new accounts.

Spinal Research Supreme Novices' Hurdle

Tuesday 16th March, 13.30

Blackstairmountain 0.5 pts e/w

Flat Out 0.5 pts e/w

Cheltenham 2010: Ladbrokes World Hurdle

2010-03-13T12:50:00.001Z

The Ladbrokes World Hurdle is run on Cheltenham’s New Course, over a distance of three miles, featuring twelve hurdles. Horses aged four or older can take part and this year’s hot favourite (best price on offer 8/13, from William Hill and SportingBet) is the defending champion, the Paul Nicholls trained Big Buck’s (see right).

There are sixteen hopefuls lined up for this year’s World Hurdle, but that number can be halved if we look at the last time out form of the last ten winners of the race. By last ten winners, I am going back to 1996 – Inglis Drever and Baracouda won the race five years out of the last ten, so I’m just looking at their stats for the first time they won the World Hurdle. But yeah, looking at LTO form for the last ten winners, eight had finished in the first two and four from the last five were LTO winners.

No five year old has won the World Hurdle and only one horse older than nine has achieved the feat. Nine year olds don’t have a great record, with only four winners in the last 35 years and two of those were repeat winners. Eight year olds don’t fare much better, with five winners in thirty years; two of those were repeat winners too. It looks like six and seven year olds are best placed to make a challenge to Big Buck’s then.

Time For Rupert (left) and Karabak are the only two that adhere to the above profile (though Big Buck’s himself also fits the bill).

Of the two, Karabak would tempt me the most, in terms of a potential winner. My pick for last year’s Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, the bay gelding finished second in that race. Although none of the last ten World Hurdle winners had any winning Cheltenham Festival form (again, not including the repeat winners, who obviously did) six of them had placed at a previous Festival, five of those finishing in second place.

Karabak (left) is yet to score over three miles, unlike Time For Rupert, but half of the last ten winners had also never won over three miles prior to their first World Hurdle win, so I don’t see that as a massive problem. He dug in well and stuck on gamely after messing up the final hurdle in the rescheduled Long Walk, suggesting that he gets the trip and is up for the challenge. In truth, he’s probably still progressing. Whether he can progress enough to beat Big Buck’s, I’m not sure, but at a best price 15/2 (Coral, e/w terms first three, a quarter the odds) it really does look like an each way bet to nothing.

In terms of value, Time For Rupert (right) looks a nice bet too. The best price 20/1 (widely available) looks insulting for a horse than has winning course and distance form, appears to act on all types of ground, is being targeted solely at this race and that ran second in the Cleeve Hurdle, giving the winner 4lbs in the process. This is surely overpriced and Coral’s 14/1 seems a lot nearer the mark.

I have to say, Big Buck’s does look the most likely winner of the race. The World Hurdle has thrown up five repeat winners in the last ten years and this year’s hot favourite has all the form in the book and rightly heads the market. For the casual punter though, 8/13 is no fun, so I’d fancy taking it on with both Time For Rupert and Karabak. As previously mentioned, the latter seems a genuine bet to nothing and the former seems insultingly overpriced.

Hell, why not thrown in a cheeky combination tricast, just for fun?

The World Hurdle sponsors are offering a £25 free bet to all new accounts - why not sign up and take advantage of the offer to back Karabak?

Ladbrokes World Hurdle
Thursday 18th March, 15.20
Karabak 2.5pts e/w

Time For Rupert 0.5 pts e/w

Cheltenham Festival - only four sleeps away!

2010-03-12T21:41:00.003Z

The countdown to the Cheltenham Festival is well and truly underway and I for one am quite excited. I’m particularly pleased with my selections so far, here’s a quick recap to save you filtering though the recent flurry of blog posts:

Champion Hurdle: Punjabi (16/1 last month, best price 8/1 now, but only with only with Totesport and Sportingbet)

RSA Chase: Citizen Vic (33/1 ten days ago, BP 25/1 now with most firms)
Weird Al (11/1 ten days ago, BP 15/2 with Sportingbet)

Pertemps Final: Dorset Square (20/1 two days ago, as short as 10/1 now but can still get 20/1 from Sportingbet)

Ryanair Chase: Tranquil Sea (9/2 on Monday, BP 4/1 with basically everyone now)
Our Vic (66/1 on Monday, since declared a non-runner)

JCB Triumph Hurdle: Alaivan (9/2 eight days ago, 4/1 now with almost everyone)

Will be looking at the World Hurdle next, to see if I can get Big Buck’s beaten. Hopefully that preview will be up on Saturday. I will also write something for what promises to be an intriguing Cheltenham Gold Cup, though I heartily recommend that everyone enjoys the spectacle without financial investment.

Anyone looking for good free bets for the Cheltenham Festival would do well to check out Bet365, who are offering up to £200 in free bets for new customers, a host of novelty bets and they go Non Runner Money Back on all the big races. On top of that, if you back a winner in any of the televised Channel 4 races, whose price is 4/1 or better, they'll give you a free bet in the next televised C4 race to the same stake!

Pre-Season F.1 Fancies & Bahrain G.P. Tips

2010-03-12T16:28:00.009Z

A few selections for the outright F.1 2010 Drivers Championship:

Jenson Button is priced as high as 13/1 (Extrabet). Well worth backing e/w. Team mate Lewis Hamilton is available at a best price of 10/3 with Stan James.

If you're looking at backing Ferrari, there is little value chasing Fernando Alonso, with odds as short as 9/4 at many of the high street bookies (Ladbrokes are best price, 11/4). Team mate Felipe Massa is a far more attractive preposition, with a best price of 9/1 with bwin, and is available at more or less all of their rivals priced between 7/1 and 8/1.

I'm definately going with an e/w (top 3 pay) bet on Nico Rosberg, who I feel offers outstanding value - read the previous post for more insight. I'll most definately be taking advantage of the very generous 22/1 with BetFred. Prices are as low as 12/1 elsewhere, so shop about for your best bet locally, if you don't use an online account.

There is little value in the Constructors Championship market outright, the odds are too low and it's too tight to call right now as there are several teams who are very close in terms of ability, with scope for so much change over the course of the season. McLaren are available widely at 2/1 (best price 14/5, SportingBet) with Ferrari even narrower at a widely available 7/4 (best price 2/1, Ladbrokes). Neither represent particularly good value right now, so I'll be avoiding this market right now.

Bahrain G.P.

Fernando Alonso is the bookies favourite, but I won't be plumping for a Ferrari win. Instead, I believe there will be a close scrap between McLaren and Mercedes for the podium placings. Several firms are offering 10/1 on Jenson Button to take the win, though Extrabet go a whopping 12/1 and I think this offers outstanding value - he was dominant here in 2009 in taking his third win of the season. If you'd rather spread the risk by going each way, try Stan James, whose e/w terms are first three, 1/4 the odds. Red Bull's Mark Webber is a best priced 17/1 (SportingBet) and certainly represents a value e/w bet. I will be taking a look at both of these drivers, along with the aforementioned Nico Rosberg, who is priced at 12/1 with Stan James, William Hill, Boylesports and Betfred.

For anyone who fancies a random flutter on something a bit different, there are plenty of "specials" available (William Hill in particular have a host of interesting features in which to put your money on, and enhance your enjoyment of the event). I like the look of the "Safety Car" market, where you can back whether or not it will need to be deployed during the course of the race. I would be inclined to back the appearance of the Safety Car, it is available at a best price of 11/10 with both Bet365 and SkyBet. Although in the years previous, the Safety Car has not always been an integral part of this event, all it will take is a bit of over enthusiasm (perhaps from one of the numerous novices) and the fact that there will now be more vehicles on the track than in recent years, which could well see someone getting intimate with the scenery at some point !

Best of luck to all those having a flutter this weekend.

Thanks for reading,
Mountain Man

Meet The 2010 F1 Teams & Drivers

2010-03-11T14:56:00.025Z

To follow up yesterday's post which detailed some of the new rules and regulations ahead of the 2010 Formula One season, today I will take a look at the driver and team line ups, and offer my predictions for their success or otherwise in the year ahead.

McLaren-Mercedes

2009 Constructors Championship - 3rd (71 Points)

2010 Prediction - 1st (Best Price to win Constructors Title, 14/5, SportingBet)

1. Jenson Button

British

2009 - Drivers Championship: 1st - 95 Points (Brawn G.P.)

Best Career Result - 1st (7 Wins)

W.C. Points (Career) - 324

Debut - Australia 2000 (Williams)

Button enjoyed his best season to date in 2009 with surprise package Brawn G.P. with a particularly strong start to the season, winning six of the first seven races, although he made heavy work of the latter part of the season, meaning a title he should have secured by the time the European events had past by went all the way to the wire in Brazil. Now into his eleventh season in the top tier, Button is now with his fifth team, and providing McLaren can deliver with a competitive package, his smooth style should see consistent top three finishes, although whether his raw pace is enough to match Hamilton remains to be seen.

2. Lewis Hamilton

British

2009 Drivers Championship - 5th - 49 Points (McLaren)

Best Career Result - 1st (11 Wins)

W.C. Points (Career) - 256

Debut - Australia 2007 (McLaren)

In the worst McLaren in his three year Formula One career, Hamilton struggled in the early part of the season with a torrid car, however his perseverance paid off, with victories at Hungary and Singapore, which saw him lead his team to third in the standings ahead of bitter rivals, Ferrari. Hamilton totally outshone his team mate of the last two years, Heikki Kovalainen. Expect Button to be more of a threat, but if Hamilton can look after his tyres in the races, Hamilton is more likely to prosper in what is set to be an intriguing inter-team battle.

Mercedes G.P. (Formerly Brawn G.P.)

2009 Constructors Championship - 1st (172 Points) - as Brawn G.P.

2010 Prediction - 4th (BP 11/2, ToteSport)

3. Michael Schumacher

Germany

2009 Drivers Championship - N/A (Did Not Compete)

Best Career Result - 1st (91 Wins)

W.C. Points (Career) - 1291 (Excl. 1997 Disqualification)

Debut - Belgium 1991 (Jordan)

So, a legend, at the ripe old age of 41 returns to try to lead the team which nurtured his career through the junior formulae to victory. Schumacher hit the headlines last year, when it was rumoured he was to return for Ferrari to take the place of the injured Felipe Massa, but perhaps he realised that the car was a dog ! Schumacher won't be here to make up the numbers, and alongside his old friend Ross Brawn and with Mercedes power, this car will be amongst the front runners. I'm sure there will be lots of people expecting too much of "Schumi", not least his fans. I wouldn't back him for the championship, although I'd be delighted if he could do it. I expect the odd podium, if the car works a win isn't beyond him. Consistent points should see him take up residence somewhere between fifth and eighth in the Drivers Championship come the seasons end.

4. Nico Rosberg

Germany

2009 Drivers Championship - 7th - 34.5 Points (Williams)

Best Career Result - 2nd (Singapore 2008)

W.C. Points (Career) - 75.5

Debut - Bahrain 2006 (Williams)

Rosberg has shown signs of great potential in his drives in an uncompetitive Williams over the last few seasons - indeed in his first ever race, at Bahrain in 2006 he was the youngest driver ever to set the fastest lap in a Grand Prix. In a consistent season in 2009, he only failed to finish once, and was in the points regularly, fulfilling and exceeding the potential of the Williams. I believe, that this season he will be working closely with Schumacher and the team, as clearly, if he can continue his development, Rosberg is a champion in the making. A definate dark horse for the podium anywhere he races, should the Mercedes be a competitive package, keep an eye on his prices with the bookies - an underrated driver who I believe will fluourish under the stewardship of Ross Brawn.

Red Bull - Renault

2009 Constructors Championship - 2nd (153.5 Points)

2010 Prediction - 3rd (BP 7/2, Bwin)

5. Sebastian Vettel

Germany

2009 Drivers Championship - 2nd - 84 Points (Red Bull)

Best Career Result - 1st (5 Wins)

W.C. Points (Career) - 125

Debut - Hungary 2007

Sebastian Vettel, a product of Red Bull's feeder outfit Toro Rosso was very much a revelation of the 2009 season, in an indecently quick car designed by former Williams guru Adrian Newey. Had the team been on the pace in the early rounds, then Vettel could quite easily have been World Champion. Handles pressure well, and clearly a precocious talent, if Red Bull can consolidate their performance of last year, then they could quite well go one better. However, I put them on a par with the likes of Mercedes, but ahead of the likes of Renault and Williams. I believe Vettel will take on the role of team leader, but do not see him finishing top three in the title come the seasons end. May well be worth a punt on a "best of the rest" coupon, which takes into account the title "winners" minus the drivers of Ferrari and McLaren.

6. Mark Webber

Australia

2009 Drivers Championship - 4th - 69.5 Points (Red Bull)

Best Career Result - 1st (Germany 2009 & Brazil 2009)

W.C. Points (Career) - 169.5

Debut - Australia 2002 (Minardi)

It's perhaps a shame, but I think Webber missed the boat in Formula One. He has been about now for the best part of a decade, and shown lots of promise but has never had a big break with one of the powerhouses of the sport, in particular, I remember watching him score points in his debut in 2002 for Minardi and believing he would be World Champion in the not too distant future; unfortunately it never came, and now it's surely too late. With Red Bull, he clearly has the equipment, but rarely the luck, and last season was overshadowed by his young team mate, Vettel. I can only see this continuing this season, Webber is a match for anyone on his day, but now time is starting to count against him. If Webber can qualify strongly then he can challenge for podiums, but I believe a challenge for the title is beyond him. Sixth at best in the drivers title. What will count in his favour however, is stability, as he is competing with the same team, designer and team mate, and this could well see him and the team impress in the early part of the season whilst others are still finding their feet.

Ferrari

2009 Constructors Championship - 4th (70 Points)

2010 Prediction - 2nd (BP 2/1, Ladbrokes)

7. Felipe Massa

Brazil

2009 Drivers Championship - 11th - 22 Points (Ferrari) *Missed 8 Rounds Due To Injury

Best Career Result - 1st (10 Wins)

W.C. Points (Career) - 320

Debut - Australia 2002 (Sauber)

Massa makes a return to the sport following the horrific incident which occurred during the qualifying session for the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2009 where he was hit on the head at over 160mph by a spring which had become detached from one of Rubens Barrichello's damping units. He has undergone intensive therapy, and is reportedly raring to go and has impressed in testing, and also in a number of competitive motor sport events in his native Brazil over the close season. His relationship with Alonso will be under constant scrutiny, following one or two disagreements in the past, along with recent condemnation of the alleged "race fixing" tactics of Singapore 2008 which involved Alonso whilst competing for Renault. I see no reason why Massa cannot challenge for regular race wins this year, and he is sure to be in the hunt should his health remain good, and the car be reliable.

8. Fernando Alonso

Spain

2009 Drivers Championship - 9th - 26 Points (Renault)

Best Career Result - 1st (21 Wins)

W.C. Points (Career) - 577

Debut - Australia 2001 (Minardi)

2005 and 2006 Champion Alonso joins Ferrari to take the seat vacated by Kimi Raikkonen, who is now competing in the World Rally Championship. He is widely tipped as being the favourite for the drivers crown this season, although it has been rare for a Ferrari driver to win the title in their first season for the team in recent years. If he can strike up an amiable working partnership with Massa, and the Ferrari is drivable this year (it was by all accounts a dog last term) then he has to be regarded as a serious contender. I still feel they could wind up as second best to McLaren, however.

Williams - Cosworth

2009 Constructors Championship - 7th (34.5 Points)

2010 Prediction - 5th (BP 50/1, Bet365)

9. Rubens Barrichello

Brazil

2009 Drivers Championship - 3rd - 77 Points (Brawn G.P.)

Best Career Result - 1st (11 Wins)

W.C. Points (Career) - 607

Debut - South Africa 1993 (Jordan)

The driver on the grid with the most starts, Barrichello showed in 2009 with Brawn, that he still had the determination and grit to run up front, and was still in the hunt for the title at the close of the season, despite his protestations at having to play second fiddle to Jenson Button for much of the year. A new team, along with a rookie team mate could well hamper Barrichello's chances of regular top points finishes this season, and I fear a year of mid table mediocrity could well be on the cards for the ever popular Brazilian, who by now has to be regarded as being in the twilight of his career.

10. Nico Hulkenberg

Germany

2009 Drivers Championship - N/A

Best Career Result - N/A

W.C. Points (Career) - N/A

Debut - Bahrain 2010 (Williams)

Hulkenberg joins Williams in his first season in Formula One following a successful few seasons in open wheeled racing. He is only the second driver (Lewis Hamilton being the first) to join F.1 as a G.P.2 Champion, having won the series in 2009. Past honours include winning the A1 GP series for Germany in 2006/07 and winning the Formula 3 Euroseries in 2008. Clearly a driver of talent and raw speed, the ultimate test comes in Formula One, where he has impressed as a test driver for Williams. Coming from the same managing company as Michael Schumacher, headed by Willi Weber, Hulkenberg is already rumoured to be in the running for a Ferrari seat as a long term replacement for Felipe Massa within the next three years. Hulkenberg will, no doubt, be fast; but will he exercise enough caution to avoid visiting the scenery more often than not ? With veteran stablemate Barrichello alongside him, he has a natural mentor and is certainly one for the future. Expect the honour of best rookie to be between him, Lucas di Grassi of Virgin and Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi.

Renault

2009 Constructors Championship - 8th (26 Points)

2010 Prediction - 6th (BP 150/1, Bwin)

11. Robert Kubica

Poland

2009 Drivers Championship - 14th - 17 Points (BMW)

Best Career Result - 1st (Canada 2008)

W.C. Points (Career) - 137

Debut - Hungary 2006 (BMW Sauber)

Renault look shaky - they have an all new driver line up, and come off the back of a tempestuous season, following the shocking revelations of the race fixing incident in Singapore 2008, which culminated in the expulsion of former principal, Flavio Briatore. In Kubica, they have a talented driver, who shows displays of brilliance in terms of his racecraft, but at times appears lazy; particularly in qualifying which can hamper his race weekends. He is capable of scoring solid points, and consistency will be the key. Even so, I see him being in the lower reaches of the top ten, and this season could be an uphill struggle for the likable Pole.

12. Vitaly Petrov

Russia

2009 Drivers Championship - N/A

Best Career Result - N/A

W.C. Points (Career) - N/A

Debut - Bahrain 2010 (Renault)

Petrov becomes Russia's first Formula One driver, and he joins a Renault team living off past glories. Renault tend to struggle to develop out and out novices to the sport (look at the troubled Nelson Piquet Jr, who had the backing of a successful father and still failed). His signing could well be due to being reasonably priced in the drivers market, despite similar interest from Sauber. He does have some racing pedigree to his credit however, being runner up in the 2009 GP2 series, as well as a string of victories in the "Lada Cup, Russia" (I kid you not !!) His goals are to score points "mid season onwards". Perhaps one to avoid in the betting markets.

Force India - Mercedes

2009 Constructors Championship - 9th (13 Points)

2010 Prediction - 8th (BP 80/1, ExtraBet, ToteSport)

14. Adrian Sutil
Germany
2009 Drivers Championship - 17th - 5 Points (Force India)
Best Career Result - 4th (Italy 2009)
W.C. Points (Career) - 6
Debut - Australia 2007 (Spyker)

Sutil's stats belie his capabilities as a driver. He has had some rotten luck (remember Monaco 2008 when Raikkonen's Ferrari shovelled him off the track whilst running fourth ?) in some inferior machinery. Force India showed signs of massive strides forward in 2009 (Giancarlo Fisichella chased Raikkonen home for a fine second place in Belgium). Over the last couple of years, Sutil has matured as a driver and last year had a very good finishing record. Although I do not believe they will be regular podium visitors, I do think Sutil can lead his team to plenty of lower points finishes. Mid table, but solid and consistent - and I think Sutil could well come into his own in a wet race scenario. His one downfall maybe that the pressure of being number one driver could see him return to the days of his silly - but costly mistakes.

15. Vitantonio Liuzzi
Italy
2009 Drivers Championship - 22nd - 0 Points (Force India)
Best Career Result - 6th (China 2007)
W.C. Points (Career) - 5
Debut - San Marino 2007 (Red Bull)

Liuzzi has had something of a stop-start Formula One career, and despite being around the paddock since 2005, he only has two full seasons under his belt, having been something of a "supersub". Last year, he was promoted as Force India's test driver to second driver, following the departure of Fisichella who took over Massa's Ferrari drive following the Brazilian's accident. Liuzzi is unspectacular in all he does, and is likely to plod round staying out of trouble, and quite likely pick up a few points here and there. Stability will be the key in the Force India camp, and with him and Sutil picking up where they left off last year will possibly see them start the season more strongly than they finish it. I wouldn't risk any money whatsoever on Liuzzi - I think it will take a huge slice of luck for him to even smell the steps of the podium, let alone walk up them.

Toro Rosso

2009 Constructors Championship - 10th (8 Points)

2010 Prediction - 10th (BP 250/1, BoyleSports)

16. Sebastian Buemi
Switzerland
2009 Drivers Championship - 16th - 6 Points (Toro Rosso)
Best Career Result - 7th (Australia 2009 & Brazil 2009)
W.C. Points (Career) - 6 Points
Debut - Australia 2009 (Toro Rosso)

Buemi comes into his second season of Formula One with the same team, and will be looking to build upon a solid, if unspectacular debut. In a sporadic year for the team (which started and finished the season strongly, with a mid season dip in form), Buemi made few mistakes, but was dogged with reliability issues. If Buemi qualifies well, then he tends to race well, but struggles in traffic and rarely makes headway. Bear this in mind if you fancy backing him at any point this year. Again, I see this team being in the midfield abyss, maybe slightly off the pace of the likes of Williams, Renault and Force India, and could well be embroiled in situations with the newcomer teams.

17. Jaime Alguersuari
Spain
2009 Drivers Championship - 24th - 0 Points (Toro Rosso)
Best Career Result - 14th (Brazil 2009)
W.C. Points (Career) - 0
Debut - Hungary 2009

Alguersuari was hastily brought into the Toro Rosso line up in time for the Hungarian G.P. of 2009 following the dismissal of the disappointing Sebastian Bourdais. He is the youngest driver in F.1 history, therefore he is still very much on a steep learning curb, and thus expectations for the 2010 season are less than high. Out of eight starts, he only nursed the car to the finish three times. Certainly not one to back, unless you fancy a small tickler in the "first to be replaced" market, although he is likely (in my opinion) to be given at least half a season to settle and prove himself.

Lotus

2009 Constructors Championship - N/A (New Team)

2010 Prediction - 7th (BP 250/1, Bet365, SportingBet, Ladbrokes)

18. Jarno Trulli
Italy
2009 Drivers Championship - 8th - 32.5 Points (Toyota)
Best Career Result - 1st (Canada 2005)
W.C. Points (Career) - 246.5
Debut - Australia 1997 (Minardi)

Trulli, very much a "journeyman" of the Formula One scene brings his vast array of experience to a familiar name, but an all new team in the form of Lotus, who bear little resemblance to the former World beaters, now under the ownership of a Malaysian corporation. Along with Kovalainen, they form an unusually strong line up for a fledgling team, showing the rest of the paddock they mean business. Lotus look set to certainly be top dog, certainly in terms of the newcomers, and if they find some reliability and consistency, a few points is not beyond them. Trulli is renowned for his qualifying supremacy and blistering speed over a single lap, and if he can qualify the car in the top half of the grid, then Lotus could quite easily spring the odd surprise.

19. Heikki Kovalainen
Finland
2009 Drivers Championship - 12th - 22 Points (McLaren)
Best Career Result - 1st (Hungary 2008)
W.C. Points (Career) - 110
Debut - Australia 2007 (Renault)

Perennial underachiever Kovalainen has certainly had some fantastic chances with top teams Renault and McLaren during his time in Formula One, and has often disappointed and played second fiddle to stronger team mates. Having said that, he has driven alongside two World Champions (Alonso and Hamilton) and should bring some useful information to the team. He needs to impress this year, otherwise I can see him making an exit to Indy Car or Touring Cars at the close of the season. Despite this, I still foresee him failing to match Trulli on raw pace, and it could well be a challenging year racing for a team who will be lacking the big money resources he is clearly used to.

H.R.T. (Hispania Racing Team)

2009 Constructors Championship - N/A (New Team)

2010 Prediction - 12th (BP 500/1, widely available)

20. Karun Chandhok
India
2009 Drivers Championship - N/A
Best Career Result - N/A
W.C. Points (Career) - N/A
Debut - Bahrain 2010 (H.R.T.)

Chandhok was a late announcement in the line up for H.R.T. (who had previously registered as Campos) and has briefly been considered for a drive in F.1 in the past with Force India. I have little doubt that Chandhok will be something of a mobile chicane this year, having a less than glowing C.V. in feeder series, and will be something of a tail end charlie in terms of qualifying and racing. If he scrapes any points, I feel it will be due to luck and others failing to finish. Last season, he finished a disappointing 18th in the GP2 series, which begs the question why he has landed an F.1 drive.

21. Bruno Senna
Brazil
2009 Drivers Championship - N/A
Best Career Result - N/A
W.C. Points (Career) - N/A
Debut - Bahrain 2010 (H.R.T.)

Being the nephew of arguably the greatest Formula One driver of all times surely must be a heavy burden on young shoulders, and it will be interesting to see how young Senna copes with the limelight which is sure to surround him in his rookie season. A driver who has repeatedly been linked with drives in the past, it is perhaps something of a surprise he hasn't landed a more lucrative drive (even if only for the marketing opportunities he brings along). Senna has a far more distinguished racing career behind him than his team mate, the highlight being the runner up in the GP2 series of 2008. For this reason, he is sure to be the dominant force at H.R.T.; but even so, the lack of experience is bound to show, and once again I'd be surprised if the points haul (if any) is only in single figures come the season's end.

US F.1

Although the US F.1 team were granted an entry for the 2010 season, sadly they will not be making it to the grid this year, citing financial problems. They are still confident that they will be able to defer entry and race in 2011. Thus, there will now be only 12 teams competing this season.

Virgin (Formerly Manor F1)

2009 Constructors Championship - N/A (New Team)

2010 Prediction - 11th (BP 300/1 SkyBet, Bwin)

24. Timo Glock
Germany
2009 Drivers Championship - 10th - 24 Points (Toyota)
Best Career Result - 2nd (Hungary 2008 & Singapore 2009)
W.C. Points (Career) - 51
Debut - Canada 2004 (Jordan)

Despite making his debut in 2004, Glock enters only his third full season of F.1, following two reasonable seasons at Toyota. He takes on the role of first driver at Virgin Racing, where the expectations on his shoulders, in particular, will be high. Glock will be keen to impress, having missed the last three races of 2009 following injuries sustained in qualifying in a horrific incident at the Japanese Grand Prix. Although Virgin were major sponsors of last years double title winning outfit, Brawn, do not expect them to repeat the feat with their own car. I expect them to contend with the likes of Lotus and Toro Rosso, but cannot see them having the strength to be regular points scorers. The onus will be on Glock to lead, and with a weaker team mate than Trulli has at Lotus, I cannot even back Virgin to even be the best newcomers to the series.

25. Lucas di Grassi
Brazil
2009 Drivers Championship - N/A
Best Career Result - N/A
W.C. Points (Career) - N/A
Debut - Bahrain 2010 (Virgin)

Newcomer, di Grassi knows his team mate Glock well - he finished second to him in the 2007 GP2 series. In 2008 and 2009, he has finished runner up in the GP2 series, and now his consistency has paid off and won him a Formula One drive. Although I expect him to perhaps be over-enthusiastic at times, there is every chance di Grassi could prove to be a revelation, and could well be ranked as the best newcomer this year. He also has some F.1 experience, having been test driver for Renault in the past. On out and out speed, he tested a Honda at Catalunya, and was 0.2 seconds a lap off the pace of Bruno Senna in the same car, but I feel as an overall package, di Grassi will have the measure of his countryman in the H.R.T. this season, particularly with the advantage of having an experienced team mate alongside him.

Sauber - BMW (Formerly BMW)

2009 Constructors Championship - 6th (36 Points) - As BMW

2010 Prediciton - 9th (BP 40/1 BoyleSports, SportingBet, ExtraBet)

26. Pedro de la Rosa
Spain
2009 Drivers Championship - N/A
Best Career Result -2nd (Hungary 2006)
W.C. Points (Career) - 29
Debut - Australia 1999 (Arrows)

39 year old de la Rosa last competed in Formula One competitively in 2006 for McLaren, since then he has been amongst their ranks as test driver. A hasty signing for the now re-badged Sauber team, following the withdrawal of factory support from BMW. Under the stewardship of Peter Sauber, the team has potential, but after so many years away from the competitive side of racing, I fully expect de la Rosa to lack edge and bite (akin to the efforts of Luca Badoer at Ferrari in 2009 who found himself in a similar situation). I wouldn't fancy de la Rosa to make much of an impact, and he could quite well find himself seeking alternative employment at the season's end, if not before.

27. Kamui Kobayashi
Japan
2009 Drivers Championship -
Best Career Result -
W.C. Points (Career) -
Debut - Brazil 2009 (Toyota)

Kobayashi made an instant impact when called up to the ranks of Toyota for the last two races of 2009 following Timo Glock's accident in Japan. He came under criticism for his swash-buckling style in Brazil where he was wheel to wheel with many seasoned pro's, and put some sweet maneouvres on a number of veterans of the sport. His raw pace and natural talent is evident, I believe he will be the most successful Japanese top tier driver to date. However, I also feel he is likely to be in the "win it or bin it" camp and may have a few big "offs" this year. If he can conserve his tyres, he is bound to get the best out of his machinery. I fully expect him to outscore his team mate at least 2:1 come the end of the year.

So, apologies for the length of this post. As you can tell from my predictions, I have made it clear which teams I feel will be the ones at the sharp end of the grid, and those to forget.

To tie all this together, tomorrow I will be posting my tips for this weekends Bahrain G.P.; and also my top selections for the Drivers and Constructors titles.

Thanks for reading,
Mountain Man

Cheltenham 2010: Pertemps Final

2010-03-11T01:16:00.011Z

I’ve only got one day off over Cheltenham and it’s the Thursday. I will be getting up early, getting my ridiculously unkempt hair tidied up before trotting off to the shop for a Racing Post and a few cans. I shall then proceed to enjoy the day’s racing on the box, before heading out for more food and drink as it’s my old lady’s birthday. Should be fun times.

With my televisual entertainment in mind, any more races I look at in depth between now and the commencement of the Cheltenham Festival will be from Thursday’s card. Let’s get stuck into the day’s second race, the Pertemps Final. Last year's winner, Kayf Aramis, is in the picture in the corner.

The race is a handicap, open to horses aged five or older and run over a distance of three miles. Horses have to qualify for the race through a series of heats over the course of the National Hunt season and this can allow trainers to sneak well handicapped horses in.

Knowing this, it seems worth focusing on horses at the lower end of the weights. Horses rated 119 to 132 have won five of the last seven Pertemps Final renewals. In fact, this bracket has the best all round record in recent renewals too - over the last decade, six winners and eighteen placed horses fell into that group, with four winners and twelve places coming from the much wider 133 to 160 band. This means that I'll be excluding the 9/2 favourite Alfie Sherrin and the gambled on Ainama (left).

A revealing statistic relating to the Pertemps Final (thanks to At The Races for this) is that just 19% of runners in the race, stretching back to 1995, were last time out winners, but despite that, horses that tasted victory in their last race have won 64% of Pertemps Finals over the same time period. Considering that fact, I’ll be discarding anything without a 1 at the end of the form.

Proven stamina is important in the Pertemps Final – of the last ten winners, seven had winning form at the distance and of the three that didn’t, two had come second at the 3m and the other hand never attempted it before, but had winning form at 2m 6f.

Horses aged between six and nine have won all ten of the last ten renewals, with 33 out of 40 placed horses coming from the same age bracket.

With all of the above information in mind, my Pertemps Final shortlist can be cut from 85 runners to just four: Cross Kennon, Ringaroses, Quentin Collonges & Dorset Square.

Of the four, I’d have to side with Dorset Square.

Despite Jonjo O’Neill’s good record in the race, I don’t see Ringaroses (best price 25/1, widely available) as a Pertemps Final winner. In six attempts at distances of further than 2m 5f, the horse only has one victory, in a weak looking novices’ handicap last time out. In last year’s renewal, the horse was a well beaten eleventh off a mark of 131; this year he goes off 130. Line through this one.

I have a big question mark over Cross Kennon (best price 20/1, widely available) in that it hasn’t yet been seen on a course in 2010 and has only run twice this season. As I can’t find any information about it, I don’t know how fit it is. In any case, nine of the last ten winners had their last run in February, suggesting that a fit, but still relatively fresh horse is required – that’s enough for me to rule this one out.

Quentin Collonges (best price 25/1, Victor Chandler) ran just this weekend at Doncaster which doesn’t seem ideal and on his two previous trips to Cheltenham, he’s disappointed. He also lacks experience in the bigger fields, something that will definitely be a feature of the Pertemps Final, having only ever run in three races with more than eleven rivals, winning none of them.

So that leaves me with Dorset Square (right) though I can’t say I’m overly keen. With three wins from twenty starts over hurdles, he doesn’t do a lot of winning, but his official rating has slowly crept up over the last four races, suggesting a horse on the up and he will carry a featherweight 9 st 3 oz. Willie Mullins is yet to train the winner of the Pertemps Final, but no trainer has a particularly outstanding record in the race and Irish trainers do okay, with five of the last seventeen winners.

In short then, I’m not overly confident about this one. With Dorset Square holding entries in three different races at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, I would only use a bookmaker that’s offering No Runner Money Back and even then, it’d not be for large stakes. ToteSport is probably your best bet – they are a best price 20/1 about the horse and they also go NRMB. You can get £60 worth of free bets with them too, if you back before the start of the Festival.

Should the selection not run, I’d side with Quentin Collonges.

Pertemps Final
Thursday 18th March, 14.05
Dorset Square – 0.5 pts e/w

17th March update: Dorset Square doesn't go. In fact, only one of the four I whittled it down to does, so it looks like I'll have to invest a small amount in Cross Kennon!

F1 2010 Is Go !

2010-03-10T11:32:00.006Z

Once again, as the nights get longer, and the temperature rises, up and down the country; enthusiasts, fans and those who have simply eaten too much roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding will be spending every second Sunday for the next eight months in front of the television, watching the twists, turns and tribunals of a new Formula One season unfold. As always, the series will no doubt, fail to live up to the pre-season hype, but surely, this year, there is more reason than ever to anticipate it with a little more excitement than one would normally reserve for such an occasion. For one, McLaren has two British World Champions spear-heading their campaign; with reigning drivers champion Jenson Button joining 2008 victor Lewis Hamilton. There are several new teams - more cars on the grid surely equals a little more excitement, if not incidents ! And of course, love him or loathe him, the undoubted king of Formula One in modern times, with a record seven drivers titles to his name, and after a three year "retirement" Michael Schumacher drives for "Mercedes G.P." (formerly known as "Brawn G.P."; who are the reigning Constructors Champions).

As with last seasons preview, I will be writing this item in two distinct parts. The first (which you are reading now) will deal with the technical changes and new rulings which have been implemented in time for the forthcoming season. Part two will deal with the team and driver line ups and my predictions for the year ahead, which should be online here tomorrow (Thursday). Watch out prior to Grand Prix weekends, where I will endeavour to share my tips for the top (of the podium !).

As ever, there are a plethora of new rules and regulations in place in the hope of glossing over "grey areas" in the rulebook, which were exposed numerous times last season, and also being implemented, as ever, in the hope that they will make the racing closer and more entertaining. The most obvious change to the casual observer will be that there will no longer be refuelling stops now (which were reintroduced at the beginning of the 1994 season), so there will be less of an emphasis on pit stop strategy, with drivers merely using the pit lane on race day to change tyres and repair minor damage such as broken wings. Expect to see the lightning-fast pitstops akin to those of the late 1980's - the heyday of F.1 in my opinion. The onus this year, as a result, will be for drivers to conserve their tyres rather than abuse them, as there will be far fewer opportunities to change them; this is bound to be a big deciding factor in many races where tyre wear is heavy. Clearly, this will favour sympathetic drivers with experience, rather than the devil may care, hell for leather attitude of the over-enthusiastic rookie. The "out-laps" (first lap on circuit following a pitstop) will also prove interesting, as restrictions over the use and design of tyre warmers come into play, meaning the overall outside area of the tyres will not be up to temperature (particularly the walls), in theory this should lead to some enthusiastic overtaking manouevres should two cars be in close proximity on track during the pitstop windows.

Testing, both in-season and in the winter pre-season, has been cut back even further this year, following huge restrictions which were imposed last year. Teams are now only allowed six days of aerodynamic testing (reduced from eight days in 2009) - and in turn, one day of testing may be substituted for a 24 hour slot in a wind tunnel. This marks a vast downturn of time alloted for wind tunnel and circuit testing in previous campaigns - a move made in an attempt to close the gap between teams at either end of the spectrum in terms of ability, potential and above all - finance. However, as was seen last year, particularly with Toro Rosso and Renault, in the interests of driver safety, should a substitute driver be required mid season, with no prior F.1 experience; they will be permitted to have one day of testing at a "non-calendar" circuit in order to familiarise themselves with the car. This is a sensible move, which can only prove to be beneficial to everyone involved in the sport.

There are also several other regulation changes, which the more involved fans will be more interested in (and no doubt can be enjoyed elsewhere in more detail), but to touch on these, they include: cars getting away slowly on the formation (parade) lap having to start from the pit lane rather than their designated grid slot; laps run behind the safety car having to be slower than a designated "base time"; further and harsher grid penalties for drivers who use more than their allocation of engines (two) in a race weekend; and equal allocation of pit and paddock space for ALL teams, rather than showing bias towards the more prestigious marques, which has been encountered in previous years. There is also set to be more consistency and fairness in how time penalties will be awarded and implemented during and after races, should they be required.

Both for the casual observer, and for those who like to put a few quid on the outcome of the championships, it is worth noting that there will be a new points structure in place for the forthcoming season. A statement in Winter 2009 from the FIA read:

"Due to the expanded grid of 13 teams, and further to the recommendation of the F.1 Commission, a new points system will be in place for the 2010 season."

Points will now be paid out down to tenth place in the following denominations:

25 - 18 - 15 - 12 - 10 - 8 - 6 -4 - 2 - 1

F.1 bosses believe that with such a sizable gap between first and second (in 2009, first place was awarded ten points and second gained 8), there will be more of a "race to win" incentive. It is my opinion, that should we have a dominant team in the early part of the season (in a similar mould to Brawn G.P. in 2009), then a succession of one-two finishes for their cars could see them extremely difficult, verging on impossible, to catch in the latter part of the year.

By no means is this an exhaustive feature - in a sport of constant evolution and ever changing innovation, I have barely scratched the surface in terms of technical changes. What I have (hopefully) covered here is the most important elements for the casual observer of F.1, and if this proves useful to anyone thinking of jumping in and having a punt on the championship, or indeed the opening race on Sunday 14th March in Bahrain, then I wish you good luck. The next installment, coming tomorrow, will detail how the teams line up, and my thoughts of what is to be a long (and with a stroke of luck) enjoyable rather than arduous, season.

Thanks for reading,

Mountain Man

Harry Potter and the Attack of the Ned

2010-03-08T19:30:00.002Z

First of all, sorry for the abundance of horrible selections this weekend. Really terrible.

At the request of Dom I'll post up the picture of what my head looks like currently. On Saturday I was caught in the middle of a scuffle in a notorious Dundee club and some ned ended up giving me a running bulldog into the corner of a wall. A tad unfortunate perhaps.

Kind of knew it was fairly bad when bouncers from the club were looking at the cut and having to turn away and look like they were about to be sick. At the hospital a student doctor and nurse were in on the stitching job and I overheard the proper doctor pointing out my skull and nerves. It was super deep, it's 7cm long and was an inch or so wide.

Bizarrely this wouldn't have even happened had I not suffered a bad beat at the final table of the 20f at the Gala. I crushed my opening table (as per) and got up to 50k at the break from 12k. After the break I lost a fairly big pot that set me back when my QQ was no good versus KJ and AT aipf. However played well to get to the final in ok-ish shape. Second hand my KK was no match for TT aipf against some smelly woman meaning me and Chico headed to mine for some Pro Evo and drinks before going out. Major sigh. Anyway the photo......

Cheltenham 2010: Ryanair Chase

2010-03-08T17:21:00.011Z

With Cheltenham fast approaching and the excitement building, I couldn’t resist getting stuck into another Festival preview on my day off. So far I’ve only had chance to look at three races, all on different days, so I’d better pick one from the Thursday – let’s have a look at the Ryanair Chase.

Correctly titled “The Festival Trophy Steeple Chase”, the Ryanair Chase is open to horses aged five or older and is contested over two miles and five furlongs, with seventeen fences in total. Last year's winners was Imperial Commander (right). As the race is relatively new to the Cheltenham Festival, my usual trends based approach will be somewhat stretched. Let’s see how we get on.

As Prestbury Park, famous for its testing undulations, finds a lot of horses out, it seems common sense to start the search for a winner by removing those with no Cheltenham winning form. All five previous winners of this race had won at Cheltenham prior to their Festival Trophy victories, four of which had won over the same distance. Focussing on horses that have already won at Cheltenham leaves us with ten of the 33 to concentrate on.

A race to look at for potential pointers is the Paddy Power Gold Cup. Of the five Ryanair Chase winners, Thisthatandtother and Imperial Commander both won the race en route to Cheltenham and Fondmort and Our Vic were both past winners of the race, albeit not in the same season. Taranis didn’t win the Paddy Power, but did run a big race, leading for a time and he wasn’t that far off in second place, when falling two from home. With this in mind, I can focus on just Tranquil Sea, Poquelin and Our Vic.

This is presumably the same line of thought followed by the odds compilers, as Tranquil Sea (below) and Poquelin, first and second in the Paddy Power back in November, both head the Ryanair Chase market at a best priced 9/2 (Coral).

Of the pair I’d have to side with Tranquil Sea, not just because he beat Poquelin in the Paddy Power with something in hand, form which was franked as Poquelin won the Boylesports Gold Cup from eventual Racing Post Chase winner Razor Royale, but his jumping is flawless and he goes on any ground.

That said, I wouldn’t totally discount Our Vic (right). At twelve years old, he’s no spring chicken, but the best price 66/1 (William Hill and Ladbrokes) is quite insulting for a hardened campaigner who won this race two years ago and was second the year before. By contrast, Victor Chandler and ToteSport are a more respectable 25/1, which is probably more like it. For value reasons, I’ll be nibbling at Our Vic each way.

Ryanair Chase
Thursday 18th March, 14.40
Tranquil Sea 3 pts win
Our Vic 0.25 pts e/w

Dilemma

2010-03-06T16:23:00.003Z

I write this as the scores are flowing through and I could do with Plymouth grabbing an equaliser soon to fill my pockets. Barnsley were doing well first half until a dubious sending off of their keeper and now they are getting whalloped. Sigh. Anyway, I mentioned Shaw's Dilemma at the end of the last post and he runs tonight at Wimbledon over 460m as he continues his Derby preparation. However, it's stupidly short at 1/3 so we'll leave that alone.

I think I'm hitting up the Dundee Gala £20f tonight so may as well have a few bets on the dogs to keep track of whilst I'm there. Shameless brag, chopped it last time.

7:45 - T6 Harry's Mentor (Predicted price: 5/1)
Isn't slow to the first corner and in a poor race has some decent recent times to claim this A7.

8:00 - T3 Small Crane (2/1) NAP
Reading the form here I thought Crane would be odds on so to see it as 2/1 makes it a near max bet for me.

EDIT: Full-time in the football and a late winner from Motherwell robbed me of £400, bastards.

Ful Yer Boots

2010-03-05T20:55:00.003Z

It's been a while since I've blogged but I thought best I pop something up since we've slimmed our membership down to 4. Since I last posted I've been on a free trip to Vegas for 8 days at the start of February which was simply incredible and deserves a post of its own so will look to do that maybe over the weekend.

Anyway, my main bet for this weekend looks to be on Fulham in the live evening FA Cup game against Spurs. According to my Dundee Evening Telegraph they are best price 2/1 with bet365. Their solid home form coupled with the fact Spurs are missing a load of players (including their key man Aaron Lennon) makes them the bet of the day for me.

I may double them with West Ham to beat Bolton at Upton Park if I can squeak evens out somewhere. Elsewhere Barnsley are an insulting 7/1 away at Newcastle and I feel obliged to back Barnsley at that price, that's with Laddies.

There was some excellent greyhounds on Sky this Tuesday past and I got matched at 42 on a early paced hound that I thought might hold. It got caught on the line to leave me devastated but I managed to break even on the night with a couple of winners. I had an early nibble for the Greyhound Derby on Shaw's Dilemma at 80/1 and told Dom to get involved too - it has since been cut to 50s after a strong late rally on Tuesday over 460m (Derby over 480m). I like this dog alot and struggle to think of a race where it'll not finish top 3.

Anyway, good luck for this weekend whatever you're doing and please comment if you have any views on my bets or simply leave bets of your own in there.

Cheltenham 2010: JCB Triumph Hurdle

2010-03-03T13:55:00.001Z

The JCB Triumph Hurdle is the opening race on the final day of the Cheltenham Festival and is run over two miles and a furlong. It is exclusively for four year old novices and there are eight hurdles to be negotiated. Last year’s winner was Zaynar, under Barry Geraghty (right).

The first trend of note is last time out form. Of the last sixteen Triumph Hurdle winners, fourteen had won their previous start and the two that failed, Celestial Halo and Paddy’s Return, both finished second. Eliminating those whose last time out result is worse than second place allows us to significantly reduce the field.

Next comes experience. Of the last twenty Triumph Hurdle winners, just three had run fewer than three times over hurdles and 15 of the last 16 had won at least two races.

One of the leading fancies for the race, Mille Chief (pictured left), will not take his chance. Trainer Alan King ruled out Cheltenham after revealing a training setback, stating that “90% [fit] is not good enough”. This leaves me with thirteen to pick from.

These days it’s very difficult to win the Triumph Hurdle without a decent recruit from the flat or a French bred horse, which tend to be schooled in jumping much earlier. Just one of the last twelve winners had a flat rating of lower than 80 (Spectroscope, whose OR was 73) and nine of the last ten winners were by a Group 1 winning flat sire. We can use all of this information to thin the field to just six: Alaivan, Anak, Barizan, Bothy, Notus de la Tour and Son Amix.

It is worth nothing that all of the last ten Triumph winners had been off the track no longer than 45 days, by the time the race came around. Going with that, we can further eliminate Barizan (not seen since November) and Notus de la Tour (last seen at Plumpton in January).

All of the last ten winners had won at Class 3 or better, a feat yet to be achieved by Son Amix or Barizan, leaving me with just Bothy and the market leader, Alaivan. It seems likely that Bothy will be running in the Fred Winter Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle instead, which probably explains the 50/1 best price for the Triumph Hurdle, but I’ll be keeping an eye out for any news with regard to this. In the meantime, it looks like I’ll be backing Alaivan (right).

I’m not really a big fan of supporting favourites at Cheltenham, but eleven of the last sixteen Triumph Hurdle winners were in the front four in the market, which is a boost. Due to the big fields that are so common with the Triumph, it’s not really worth lumping on. The minimum bet at a best price of 9/2 (Paddy Power, Betfred) seems about right.

JCB Triumph Hurdle
Friday 19th March, 13.30
Alaivan – 1 point win

Cheltenham 2010: RSA Chase

2010-03-02T19:10:00.018Z

The RSA Chase will take place on 17th March 2010 and as ever, will feature nineteen fences spread over 3 miles 110 yards. The race is for novices aged five or older and was last year won by Scoop Troop tip Cooldine (pictured right) in impressive fashion. Winning connections will pick up £85,515 for victory - Scoop!

With 34 runners left after last week’s scratchings, there’s still a little thinning to be done in this field. Seven is the number in terms of age, as eight of the last ten winners have been seven years old, including all of the last three. That’s probably a bit too narrow, so we’ll expand a little. Star de Mohaison is the only party pooper in the last ten years, winning the race aged five, but to find another five year old winner, you have to go back to 1950 and the last winner who was older than eight was Minnehoma in 1992, aged nine. Six year olds don’t fare too much better, with no wins in the last ten and just two wins in the last thirty renewals. Seven and eight year olds it is then.

Another important trend is chasing experience – all of the last ten winners of the RSA Chase had run at least three times over fences. This allows me to confidently rule out a few more, including the highly fancied Punchestowns (left) and Diamond Harry, as well as the Pricewise pick Uimhiraceathair.

Preparation for the race is extremely important and horses must be coming into the RSA Chase in some kind of form – 32 of the last 35 winners had finished first or second last time out. With this in mind, plus the news that Pandorama has been declared by connections as “highly unlikely” to run after pulling a muscle, the field can be further reduced to twelve.

Interestingly, the last ten winners of the race had a total of 43 runs in chases between them, with just four falls/unseats and the last five winners all had a 100% record in completing the course. Using this knowledge I feel comfortable eliminating Jandali and Little Josh, as they both have two falls to their name.

Apt Approach doesn’t impress me at all. The horse looks held by stablemate Citizen Vic (right) on form and has failed to win a race over further than 17 furlongs, which raises stamina questions. I’m not a fan of The Package either and the fact that the horse hasn’t run since the start of December will definitely count against it. Lines through these two.

Knockara Beau hasn’t had a proper race in ages, running in tiny fields and he’s been twice beaten by Weird Al. Last time out he was two and a half lengths behind off level weights. I’m also not keen on Ogee, whose routine win last time out didn’t do anything to impress me and who was soundly beaten by Long Run and Tazbar at Kempton, who I’ve already ruled out.

This leaves me with the following five, who I’m really struggling to separate: Weapon’s Amnesty, Hey Big Spender, Clan Tara, Citizen Vic and Weird Al. It’s time to go with the gut.

I really liked Cooldine last year. The horse, trained by Willie Mullins, won the PJ Moriarty Chase en route to winning the RSA Chase. Although not much of a trial for the RSA, it was also won by 1998’s RSA winner Florida Pearl, a horse also trained by Mullins. Due to the strong record of Mullins runners in this race (eight runners in the last eleven years; three winners, two seconds and three unplaced, all of which fell whilst still in contention) I’m inclined to favour Citizen Vic (best price 33/1, widely available). I do quite like Weird Al (seen above, best price 11/1, Paddy Power and William Hill) though I think the horse’s inexperience means a small bet is the way forward.

RSA Chase
Wednesday 17th March, 14.40
Citizen Vic – 0.5 pts e/w
Weird Al – 0.5 pts e/w

From The Mouths of T.V. Presenters and Commentators

2010-02-19T15:26:00.010Z

Everyone knows I enjoy a bit of innuendo, so imagine my delight when I came across (pfnar pfnar) these gems the other day ! 12 of the finest slip ups aired on U.K. television.

1. Pat Glenn, weightlifting commentator - "And this is Gregoriava from Bulgaria. I saw her snatch this morning and it was amazing!"

2. New Zealand Rugby Commentator - "Andrew Mehrtens loves it when Daryl Gibson comes inside of him."

3. Ted Walsh - Horse Racing Commentator - "This is really a lovely horse. I once rode her mother."

4. Harry Carpenter at the Oxford-Cambridge boat race 1977 - "Ah, isn't that nice. The wife of the Cambridge President is kissing the Cox of the Oxford crew."

5. US PGA Commentator - "One of the reasons Arnie (Arnold Palmer) is playing so well is that, before each tee shot, his wife takes out his balls and kisses them ..... Oh my god!! What have I just said ?"

6. Carenza Lewis about finding food in the Middle Ages on 'Time Team Live'said: "You'd eat beaver if you could get it."

7. A female news anchor who, the day after it was supposed to have snowed and didn't, turned to the weatherman and asked, "So Bob, where's that eight inches you promised me last night?" Not only did HE have to leave the set,but half the crew did too, because they were laughing so hard!

8. Steve Ryder covering the US Masters: "Ballesteros felt much better today after a 69 yesterday."

9. Clair Frisby talking about a jumbo hot dog on Look North said: "There's nothing like a big hot sausage inside you on a cold night like this."

10 Mike Hallett discussing missed snooker shots on Sky Sports:"Stephen Hendry jumps on Steve Davis's misses every chance he gets."

11. Michael Buerk on watching Phillipa Forrester cuddle up to a male astronomer for warmth during BBC1's UK eclipse coverage remarked:"They seem cold out there, they're rubbing each other and he's only come in his shorts."

12. Ken Brown commentating on golfer Nick Faldo and his caddie Fanny Sunneson lining-up shots at the Scottish Open: "Some weeks Nick likes to use Fanny, other weeks he prefers to do it by himself."

Cheltenham 2010: Champion Hurdle

2010-02-07T22:52:00.023Z

Right then, thanks to Tim for dragging the blog into the new decade with a nice little review of the last ten years, but now it’s time to get back to the serious business of scooping. Over the next couple of weeks, I’m hoping to get stuck into quite a few Cheltenham Festival races and I’m going to start off with what looks to be one of the most competitive renewals of the Smurfit Kappa sponsored Champion Hurdle, that we’ve had in a long time. Last year, my main pick was Celestial Halo (at 10/1) who was beaten a neck by Punjabi (pictured above, Celestial Halo in red and white) and I would like to go one better this time around.

The showpiece event of the Festival’s opening day, the Champion Hurdle is for those horses aged four or older and is contested over eight hurdles, spread over two miles and half a furlong. The much fancied Solwhit and Go Native are two of the many Irish raiders looking to take on last year’s front three of Punjabi, Celestial Halo and Binocular, who all line up again for this year’s renewal; a tasty prospect. As ever, I will begin by looking at some key trends to try and thin the field.

The first thing to note is that there have been just two horses aged five win this race in the last thirty or so years and for a four year old Champion Hurdle winner, you must go back to Forestation in 1942. Similarly, we’ve not seen a horse aged older than nine win the race since the great Sea Pigeon in 1980 and 1981 and only two nine year olds have triumphed in that time. We ought then, to be looking at those in the six to eight years old bracket, allowing us to whittle the field from 34 entries to 24 and ruling out a couple of market fancies, in the shape of Zaynar and Solwhit.

The major trend in the race, as with a lot of the Cheltenham Festival events, is previous form at the track. The old adage of “horses for courses” really holds true here as many fail to get to grips with the undulations at Prestbury Park and some simply come alive there. Past course form may be important, but results at the Festival meeting itself are even better, as eight of the last ten Champion Hurdle winners had previously scored at the Festival, the other two having placed top four in a Festival race. Armed with this knowledge, I can reduce the field to just eight: American Trilogy, Celestial Halo, Punjabi, Dunguib, Go Native, Katchit and Quevega (all past winners at the Festival) plus Khyber Kim (twice winner at Cheltenham recently).

You could arguably include Binocular (left) on account of his two places at the Festival and Medermit, who battled on gamely to lose by a neck in Go Native’s Supreme Novices win, but I don’t like either of these. The latter has twice been comfortably beaten by Khyber Kim in the last few months, both times at Cheltenham, whilst Binocular is a horribly overrated and underperforming horse, who has been all but written off by his own jockey (AP McCoy, no less) in the last few days. Readers of this blog will know of my willingness to take him on.

I will also rule out Dunguib, as connections have stated a preference for the Supreme Novices and have effectively decided against a run in this one, leaving us with just seven.

As much as I’d love to go with Celestial Halo again, I really don’t know what to make of his preparation so far. A comfortable win on reappearance taught us nothing and was followed by defeat in the Boylesports International (2 ¼ lengths) to Khyber Kim (right), but he was giving away 4lbs and only lost after a blunder at the last. This was followed by a disappointing Irish Champion Hurdle, but the race was run in a bit of a bog so there are possible excuses. Unfortunately there are too many question marks for me and I’d rather invest in something a little more concrete, so I’ll be discounting last year’s tip, which is probably the cue for you all to run down to Hills and lump on at a best price 16/1.

Khyber Kim has twice failed at the Cheltenham Festival and has never looked much cop until recently, when landing a Grade 3, before following up in the Boylesports International (Grade 2), both at Cheltenham. Following the latter form line, I don’t think Khyber Kim can beat Celestial Halo at level weights and as I’ve already ruled that one out, I have to put a line through Khyber Kim too.

Quevega looks a live outsider, but could be more likely to go and defend her David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle title, which looks an easier option. Trainer Willie Mullins also has a poor record in this race, with nothing so much as a place from six tries. Let’s put a line through the 50/1 shot.

I really don’t know what to make of American Trilogy. The Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle winner hasn’t been seen since April and has been declared as unlikely to run in next week’s Totesport Trophy. They’ll surely struggle to get a run into the grey gelding before Cheltenham if it doesn’t line up, so I’m thinking they’ve changed their mind about the Champion Hurdle. Besides, it’s form since winning at last year’s festival isn’t inspiring, a beaten favourite twice in two, a Grade 2 and a Listed Race. Next please.

Go Native (left) is currently second favourite in the market (best price 6/1, widely available) and there is a lot to like about the seven year old. His only trip to Cheltenham saw him return with the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle trophy and he recently took the Fighting Fifth, which Timmy Murphy claimed would produce this year’s Champion Hurdle winner and was last year won by Punjabi (who did go on to win the Champion Hurdle). Noel Meade’s record in the race isn’t great though, with just a single place from eight runners, so I’d be wanting a good bit bigger than 6/1.

So I’m left with Punjabi and Katchit, both past winners of the Champion Hurdle. This race is well known for repeat winners, with five horses winning the race three times in a row (including Istabraq and the Nicky Henderson trained See You Then) and six horses winning it twice. This would seem to underline the pair’s already impressive credentials. Katchit was my saver last year and finished not far back in sixth, but this time round seems more likely to be contesting the World Hurdle, so I’ll leave him out for now.

Punjabi is quite overpriced as far as I can tell (16s widely available, as short as 10/1 with Totesport). His trainer has four wins in the race, the horse won the race last year and was placed third the year prior to that, aged five. You can argue all day long about the strength of the last two renewals, but for me, it’s very difficult to argue against that form. As disappointing as he was during the Boylesports International, Nicky Henderson did point out to all and sundry that the horse was in need of the run and last time out, he was beaten four lengths by Medermit (though giving away 4lbs) and he did make a mistake at the last that day. I’m sure we can expect better come the Festival. If Geraghty stays on Punjabi, that’s a further positive as he’s probably the best jockey around when it comes to riding Cheltenham.

At this early stage I’d be happy to stick a half point e/w on Punjabi at 16s. Closer to the time, I’d be looking at increasing that a little, with Go Native and Zaynar of possible interest as savers.

Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle
Tuesday 16th March, 15:20
Punjabi - 0.5 points e/w

12 March update: Punjabi is now a best priced 8/1, only with Totesport and Sportingbet. As short as 6/1 with some firms. Totesport are offering new members £60 in free bets, so you don't even need to stake real money - nothing to lose. Get on!

2010 ... Same Old Story So Far !

2010-02-05T15:01:00.006Z

So, in this brief post, I’ll quickly address my thoughts, hopes and fears for what the forthcoming year has to offer. Already, we are over a month into the New Year, and some familiar patterns and stories have emerged in news, sport and music with which we can cross reference to similar events from the last decade.

The people of Haiti have experienced a devastating earthquake; loss of life, livelihoods and all of the associated problems with disasters of this nature have been rife. U.N. aid workers attending the scenes described it as the “worst natural disaster” in living memory. We’ve also had warnings from government security agencies that the U.K. is on the highest level of terror alert – no respite from the threat of “Al-Qaeda” et al still, as Allied Troops overseas continue to clash in Afghanistan; the death toll rises almost daily. We’ve also witnessed our inability to deal with winter weather once again, as snowfall has brought transport links, schools and services to a standstill. And of course, the British obsession with the celebrity lives on – the repulsive Katy Price (a.k.a. “Jordan”) has married once again, only eight months after her divorce to Peter Andre. This time she has tied the knot with the newly crowned “Celebrity Big Brother” winner, cage fighter Alex Reid.

In music, will the “X-Factor” continue to dominate ? It’s safe to say it will certainly have a major bearing on the charts for years to come not only from the up and coming newcomers, but also established acts. Although “Rage Against The Machine” took the Christmas top spot in 2009, they quickly disappeared out of the charts only two weeks later, while “X-Factor” winner Joe McElderry remains in the top forty to date. The “comedy” act of last years competition “Jedward” also look likely to have success on the back of the show, in this weeks midweek download chart they are sitting second on sales. The reality pop bubble certainly has not burst yet. So for this year, expect more of the same, plus charity singles (the all star collaboration involved in the cover of “R.E.M.’s” hit “Everybody Hurts” is a nailed-on certainty for several weeks at number one), and no doubt there will be another boy or girl band reunion this year too – “East 17” ? “A1” ? “Vanilla” ? No Way, No Way … MaNamaNa ! Don’t get fresh with me ! Hopefully not, is all I can say.

The world of football has already seen triumph, tragedy and scandal. Egypt won the African Cup of Nations, which was overshadowed by the ambush of the Togo team bus just days before the start of the tournament, in which two senior members of backroom staff were murdered. Domestically, on the pitch we’ve seen dominant Premier League performances from Manchester United, who have found top gear, while Arsenal and Chelsea have stuttered in recent weeks; and Liverpool have endured a torrid season to date, although no doubt they will be poised to regain a top four place should Aston Villa find the dizzy heights of fourth place too much for them. In the F.A. Cup, there have been the usual giant killing stories to report – Leeds United putting out Manchester United the pick of the bunch. The World Cup is around the corner, but will England have a new face leading the team out ? Tabloid revelations regarding captain John Terry and his intimate relationship with the former partner of his ex-team mate Wayne Bridge have seen various high profile names urge the centre half to quit his role. Whatever happens, the World Cup is sure to be as enthralling as ever, and let’s hope that in the forthcoming major international tournaments that some more of the home nations will be able to qualify and join in the fun !

Andy Murray narrowly missed out in a gripping final to Roger Federer in the Australian Open, looks like another winning year for him, but certainly Britain looks closer than ever to having a major tennis winner. Formula One testing has begun in earnest, in a season with three new teams hitting the grid, plus the comeback of 41 year old Michael Schumacher. This weekend also will see the start of a new Six Nations rugby tournament, will Ireland be the team to beat once again ? Whatever happens, 2010 looks set to be another enthralling year in sport.

Thanks for reading,

Mountain Man

2009 - The Journey Is At An End

2010-01-31T12:08:00.024Z

So, here we are at the last year of the decade we’ve come to know (and accept, rather than love), as the noughties. A year in which several big news stories from across the Atlantic dominated the headlines, reality pop continued its stranglehold in the charts; despite a short apathetic respite; and the usual mixture of surprise success and miserable failure in sport.

News

155 passengers and crew were rescued from New York’s “Hudson River” after the quick thinking actions of the pilot saved their lives, and possibly hundreds of others on the ground. The engines on board the airliner were disabled after a swarm of birds were sucked into the air intakes, and some quick thinking and cool-headed skill saw the plane glide onto the surface of the water, avoiding possible catastrophe. The following month, tragedy did strike in the commercial aviation industry, with nine passengers killed and a further 84 injured when a “Turkish Airlines” plane crashed on landing at Amsterdam Airport. The summer saw yet another catastrophic plane crash, this time involving an “Air France” craft which went off the radar over the Atlantic Ocean whilst en-route from Brazil to France. 228 people were on board, and the grim task of recovering bodies occurred the following week.

The first of the two major snowfalls of the year came in February – at the time it was the heaviest and most disruptive winter weather for almost twenty years, obviously ensuring chaos wherever you went. This was fairly insignificant, however, compared to the winter weather which returned on the 17th December. The snow fell heavily across the country, and continued to fall until well into 2010, with the first truly white Christmas for many years. The cold snap saw travel chaos (with many Christmas getaways postponed or cancelled as roads and airports closed); power supplies were cut (in one West Yorkshire conurbation, the supply of gas was cut for six days between Boxing Day and New Year) and thousands of school children enjoyed longer than anticipated Christmas holidays as their schools were unable to open. There was once again another summer washout, although not in the scale of the 2007 floods, areas such as Cumbria, in particular the market town of Cockermouth, were especially badly hit. This was particularly insulting, as from the early spring, all met-office predictions were for a glorious “barbecue summer”.

There were tragic times once again for those in the public eye. Newly wed reality tv star Jade Goody, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2008, died in February. Conservative leader, David Cameron, suffered the loss of his six year old son, Ivan, who had cerebral palsy and epilepsy. He passed away in a London hospital in March. There was no respite from the bad news, as actress, Natasha Richardson, was killed in a skiing accident in April, while fellow thespian, veteran actor Edward Woodward passed away at the age of 79 from pneumonia. September saw the passing of celebrity chef Keith Floyd, who suffered a heart attack; and the same day, “Dirty Dancing” star Patrick Swayze lost his two year battle with Pancreatic Cancer. There was disbelief in October as we learned of the passing of “Boyzone” singer Stephen Gately, who died of natural causes while on holiday in Majorca.

The summer months were dogged by the appalling greed of M.P.’s and their expenses claims. Representatives from all of the major parties were embarrassed by their behaviour, and Health Minister, Phil Hope, pledged to repay over £41,000 in second home allowances. Fellow M.P. Shahid Malik stood down as Justice Minister after his financial activities came to light. Tory leader, David Cameron, enforced those from within his party who had made excessive claims to repay items, such as the infamous claim for “cleaning out a moat” ! Commons Speaker Michael Martin also quit in the light of the expenses scandal, making him the first person in over 300 years to effectively be forced out of the role.

The death of Michael Jackson in June sparked worldwide mourning, and conspiracy theories and much media hysteria. Jackson, 50, died seemingly in peace at his home in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. Many of his albums, and the single “Man In The Mirror” sold in their thousands, and dominated the music charts worldwide for much of the summer. Jackson was laid to rest, and a memorial service held, the following month.

Political debate show “Question Time” drew its largest viewing audience for many years, as B.N.P. leader Nick Griffin appeared, to a hostile crowd both outside the studio, and on the programme itself. He later submitted an official complaint to the B.B.C. for what he described as being faced by a “lynch mob”.

Music

As ever, the Christmas number one “X-Factor” hangover continued as ever, with Alexandra Burke sitting obstinately at number one at the start of the year. It was a female soloist from the other side of the Atlantic that knocked her from the summit, the somewhat singular “Lady Gaga” taking the mantle with her debut “Just Dance”, which stayed there for the whole of January, and propelling her to instant fame and success. It was a productive month for female artists – “Girls Aloud” scored their twentieth consecutive top ten hit with “The Loving Kind”, while “The Saturdays”, comprising mainly of the female members of “S-Club Juniors” and support act to the previous years tour by the aforementioned “Girls Aloud” scored their biggest hit to date with “Issues”, which made it to number four. “Beyonce” also made her return to the top ten of the U.K. singles chart with “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”. “Lady Gaga” was finally dislodged in early February by another lady – chirpy cockney Lily Allen, with her first release from her new album “It’s Not Me, It’s You” which was the electronic influenced “The Fear”.

The winner of the first series of reality series “American Idol”, Kelly Clarkson scored her first U.K. number one in March with the squawking “My Life Would Suck Without You”, taken from her fourth studio album. The same month, for the first time in fourteen years, the official “Comic Relief” single failed to get to number one; the dubious honour belonging to “The Saturdays” with a cover of “Depeche Mode’s” “Just Can’t Get Enough”, although, like in a number of other occasions, the unofficial release did make the top spot, this year being “Barry Islands In The Stream”. In a month of movers and shakers, “Lady Gaga” proved she was no one hit wonder, with her second number one, the aptly named “Poker Face”. While there was also a high energy number two debut from “The Noissettes” with “Don’t Upset The Rhythm”. They also had a brace of top forty hits later in the year with “Never Forget You” and “Wild Young Hearts”; coming from their album with the same name as the latter. Another great debut album came from “La Roux” whose self titled album spawned several hit singles – “In For The Kill”; “Bulletproof” (number one a week in June) and “I’m Not Your Toy”.

“Dizzee Rascal” had one of the most memorable stomping anthems of the summer with the massive number one smash hit “Bonkers”, which displaced comeback band “Black Eyed Peas” with “Boom Boom Pow”, although the latter did return to the top in June; largely thanks to being used by “Britain’s Got Talent” winners, “Diversity” in their dance routine.

The death of Michael Jackson in June saw both the album and singles charts dominated by his back catalogue in July. On 5th July, 37 of the top 100 singles were Michael Jackson hits, the highest of which was “Man In The Mirror” which peaked at number two, fended off at the top by “Evacuate The Dancefloor” from European dance outfit “Cascada”. Newcomers, "JLS" also enjoyed a stint at number one in July with “Beat Again”, but by the start of August, it was again the turn of “Black Eyed Peas” to take centre stage. Despite “I Gotta Feeling” hanging about in the top ten for seven weeks previous, it finally reached the top spot on the first weekend of August.

September saw more debut artists, and established acts vying for the ultimate accolade in the singles chart. “Pixie Lott” scored her second number one of the year (her first being debut “Mama Do” in June) with “Boys And Girls”. This saw a record climb of 72 places in one week to land the top slot. This was a week of fierce competition and big sales figures, as “Mika” made his chart return after an eighteen month absence with “We Are Golden”, and dance act “Mini Viva” landed huge download sales with their maiden track “Left My Heart In Tokyo”.

The big talking point in music came in the battle for the Christmas number one. The dominance and slightly stale lack of surprise brought about by the last few years of reality pop acts (especially the “X-Factor” winner) monopolising the top of the charts at the festive period saw a campaign to break with tradition. A “Facebook” group, made up of approximately 1,000,000 members lobbied for the public to download 1992 “Rage Against The Machine” track “Killing In The Name Of”. Although sales were neck and neck in the race for the top spot, it was a victory against Simon Cowell’s license to print money, as “X-Factor” winner Joe McElderry was forced to play second fiddle with a cover of Miley Cirus’ “The Climb” which charted at number two. The victory was bittersweet, though, as McElderry did indeed climb to number one to be at the top in time for the new decade; perhaps fitting though in a year of big hitting debuts that a new act should be at number one.

Sport

The England national team were in dominant form, in their march towards World Cup 2010 qualification, beating all who stood in their way, averaging over 3.5 goals a game in their competitive matches played during the 2008/09 season. While the likes of Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerard were banging them in, some of the “fringe” squad members also came to the fore; with standout performances from Jermaine Defoe, Joe Cole and a fine hat-trick in the match against Croatia from Theo Walcott saw him finally live up to the hype which had surrounded him since his shock inclusion in the World Cup 2006 finals squad.

In the Premier League, Manchester United successfully defended the title, their winning margin four points over runners up, Liverpool, who had a run of impressive results at the business end of the season, but it was a case of too little too late. Chelsea were a further three points behind Liverpool, with Arsenal a distant eleven points off the West London club in fourth. The dominance of the “Big Four” had looked set to be broken at last, after Aston Villa had occupied a “Champions League” qualifying slot for much of the season, until they stumbled at the end of the year, winning only twice in their last thirteen league games, and slid down the table to sixth, a point behind Everton.

Newly promoted Stoke City, who had been tipped widely as favourites for the drop, had a memorable season, finishing comfortably mid table, largely thanks to their stout defending, and the long throw heroics of Rory Delap. The same could not be said for fellow newly promoted club, West Brom, who propped up the table for most of the season. Joining them in “The Championship” the following season were to be two north east clubs – Newcastle United and Middlesbrough. Despite taking just one win from their last 22 league games, a brilliant start to the season (largely thanks to star player, Geovanni), saw top flight virgins Hull City survive by a single point. After an absence of five years from the Premiership, “Championship” winners, Wolverhampton Wanderers were able to prepare for their return in 2009/10, as could Birmingham City. The play off final was taken 1-0 by Burnley, beating third placed Sheffield United in the one off farce. At the bottom, three former top flight clubs – Charlton, Southampton and Norwich continued their descent, going down to “League One”.

Chelsea won the F.A. Cup, beating Everton 2-1 in the final, but it wasn’t all plain sailing. In their two league encounters, both matches had ended goalless, but in the Cup final, Everton took less than a minute to break the deadlock, with Louis Saha scoring after only 25 seconds, which went down as the fastest goal in F.A. Cup Final history. Chelsea showed their class though, with Didier Drogba equalising after 21 minutes, and with eighteen minutes remaining, midfielder Frank Lampard scored the winner. Chelsea felt they should have been awarded a third after Florent Malouda’s shot cannoned off the underside of the bar and allegedly over the line, but their shouts fell on the deaf ears of the officials. The “Carling Cup” was a rather dull affair, with 120 minutes with neither side scoring, Manchester United finally seeing off the challenge of a determined Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 on penalty kicks.

Football stars and fans were also in the news columns for a number of reasons other than for the game itself. Christiano Ronaldo crashed his Ferrari close to Manchester Airport, but walked away unscathed; whilst the car was a right off. Former Celtic and Arsenal striker, John Hartson endured a tough year, battling cancer and undergoing brain surgery. Steven Gerard appeared in court charged with affray after a row with a d.j. over the music being played in a Stockport bar. A man was stabbed in the chest as ugly scenes occurred at Millwall-West Ham cup tie, a dreadful reminder of scenes we thought had been left back in the early 80’s, along with “Doc Martens”; the “Rubiks Cube” and “Nik Kershaw” !

All of the English teams involved in the “Champions League” got through the group stages without too many issues, and indeed, the first knockout round (although Arsenal had to overcome the lottery of a penalty shootout to see off Roma). At the quarter final stage, Chelsea were once again drawn against their old European adversaries, Liverpool; and in two high scoring legs, the Londoners triumphed 7-5 on aggregate. In their quarter final matches, Arsenal and Manchester United beat Villareal and Porto respectively, to set up a mouth watering semi final tie, which United won 4-1 overall, sending them to their second final in as many years. However, it was not to be a repeat of the previous year’s line up, as Spanish giants Barcelona saw off Chelsea on the away goals ruling, after a goalless encounter at the “Nou Camp”, then followed up with a 1-1 draw at “Stamford Bridge”. In the final, Barcelona became the first Spanish team to win a treble, in a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi. Manchester United’s appearance in the final meant that at least one English team had appeared in the Champions League final for five successive years – a strong case for describing the Premiership as being the best (or at least, strongest), league in the world.

Once again, the Scottish Premier League was decided on the last day of the season; regardless of other results, all Rangers needed was a win against Dundee United at Tannadice. There was no drama, and this was comfortably achieved in a 3-0 victory with goals from Pedro Mendes, Kris Boyd and Kyle Lafferty. Celtic finished four points off the top, with their season ending with a stuttering goalless draw to Hearts on the final day. Hearts were third, almost thirty points off the pace, while Inverness Caledonian Thistle went down to the First Division, despite being level on points with Falkirk, their insuperior goal difference sealed their fate, having spent five seasons in the top flight. Their replacements the following season were to be Perth-based club St. Johnstone, who won the First Division with ease. Rangers narrowly won the Scottish Cup, 1-0 against Falkirk, the latter qualifying for the 2009/10 U.E.F.A. Cup, as Rangers were already assured a European place from league qualification. Celtic beat their “Old Firm” rivals 2-0 in the League Cup final, both goals coming in extra time. It was not a particularly good season in Europe for Scottish clubs – Rangers failed to get through the qualifying rounds for the group stages of the Champions League, losing out to the little known FBK Kaunas. Celtic did make it to the group stages, but had a torrid time, finishing bottom of their group, with one win and one draw (a creditable 1-1 scoreline against Manchester United) to their name. Motherwell, Queen of the South and Hibernian all crashed out of the U.E.F.A. Cup after just one round each, failing to make any significant inroads into the tournament.

It was not just in football where the media were able to report on incidents other than the sport itself, as one of the biggest names in world sport made a series of gaffes with which journalists were able to have a field day. Golfer Tiger Woods’ private life attracted much speculation. A week after he apologised to his family for letting them down (after a string of adulterous encounters, discovered after he crashed his car in the grounds of his home, leading to an inquisition from the media). Shortly after, his mother-in-law was suddenly admitted to hospital while staying at his Florida home, in a mysterious string of events. On the fairway, Woods failed to win a major, those titles finding their way into the hands of: Angel Cabrera (The U.S. Masters); Lucas Glover (U.S. Open); Stewart Cink (The Open, held at Turnberry Resort, Ayrshire); and Y.E. Yang (P.G.A. Championship).

In cricket, England won the “Ashes” series against Australia 2-1, with the series coming down to a showdown in the fifth test at Lords, with the tie level with a victory apiece and two draws. Although rain delayed play by nearly four hours on the second day, and the likelihood of a draw; thus tying the series, the English batsmen outclassed their opponents and went on to win the test by 197 runs. The 2009 English County Championship was won by Durham, for the second year in succession; “Hampshire Hawks” beat “Sussex Sharks” by five wickets in the final of the “Friends Provident Trophy” and the increasingly popular “Twenty20” Cup was won by “Sussex Sharks” who triumphed over the “Somerset Sabres”.

Although Lewis Hamilton had to drive a sloth-like McLaren in the early part of the Formula One season; Britain did celebrate the driver’s world championship with an unlikely first title for Brawn G.P.’s journeyman driver Jenson Button. The win was especially poignant as Button looked set to be out of the championship before the season even started as Honda folded their Formula One team, and Brawn only took over three weeks before the season began. Button and team mate Rubens Barrichello dominated the first half of the season, accumulating an unbeatable total in the drivers and constructors championships. Their closest rivals were Red Bull, in a season where McLaren, Renault, BMW and Ferrari all struggled with poor cars, driver problems and off track political bickering. Ferrari driver, Felipe Massa, was lucky to escape with his life after being hit by a stray suspension component, which hit him whilst travelling at 190mph, although he was ruled out by injury for the last quarter of the season while he recuperated. Yamaha once again dominated the MotoGP scene, with Valentino Rossi cruising to the title, although his team mate Jorge Lorenzo pushed him close on a number of occasions, before making all too frequent excursions into the scenery !

In other sports headlines, Ireland romped to a Grand Slam and won the Six Nations rugby tournament; while domestically, “Leicester Tigers” won the “Guinness Premiership”. The British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa ended in a 2-1 series defeat, with the last test being their sole victory; although this was a marked improvement upon the 2005 tour to New Zealand. In tennis, it was a mainly Federer – Nadal dominated year once more. Federer won the men’s singles at Wimbledon, defeating Andy Roddick; while the women’s final saw a repeat line up of the previous year, an all Williams affair; although this time Serena avenged defeat upon her sibling, Venus.

So, we could leave it there; and in terms of the noughties we will do. But to tie this series of posts together, I am going to write a quick conclusion in my next post summing up the events of this year so far; and the parallels between present, past and future. I am also going to knock up a short list of some of my favourite bands / hits of the noughties which weren’t perhaps so popular, but I thought were far more awesome than the endless karaoke snore-fest which the charts became as the decade wore on.

Thanks for joining (or putting up with) me during this last month. It’s been an epic journey. The noughties, now we won’t pretend they were some revolutionary period in time like the sixties; but I’ve known worse times ! Right, I think it might be time to move back to the present in this blog, maybe discuss some tips and gambling. I’ll have a look at writing an F1 season preview in the next week or two. It’s got to be an improvement on last year’s effort at least !

Thanks for reading,

Mountain Man

When It Came To The "Crunch" ... 2008 Was Rotten To The Stinking Core !

2010-01-26T16:25:00.030Z

So, onto the penultimate year in this marathon look at the last decade. For the home nations, the European football championships were a bit of a non-event, after none of their teams qualified. Probably just as well, because no one could have even afforded to travel to support their team, or even gone to the pub to watch them; as the worst financial period since the 1930’s was experienced. People would do anything to get their hands on money, including taking their own children hostage or faking their own death to cash in their life insurance. Just two of the headline stories from 2008 !

News

The start of the year was one of doom and gloom in the news. Not only was the threat of recession on the tips of economists tongues, but more freak weather akin to the summer previous wreaked havoc, once again flooding properties; along with gale force winds to make matters worse.

There was little to cheer in the world of the celebrity (of which the public had become obsessed by as the noughties wore on). Children’s television presenter Mark Speight was arrested in January after his fiancé was found dead at their home, although he was not charged. Speight took his own life just three months later, and was found hanging close to Paddington Station. Britney Spears was once again drawing the wrong kind of publicity, as she was stretchered from her U.S. mansion, and was later remanded in police custody over a dispute involving her children. Australian actor, Heath Ledger’s sudden death from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs saw worldwide mourning from his legions of fans, while in March, newsreader Carol Barnes was taken seriously ill with a stroke, and passed away in hospital a few days later, the latest in a series of high profile names who found themselves in the obituaries columns in 2008. Even more unpleasant news followed in the summer as the self proclaimed “Paedophile of Pop”, Gary Glitter returned to England, but at the airport it wasn’t autograph hunters looking for his signature, but the Home Office, as he was forced to sign on the sex offenders register.

A somewhat impoverished family from the West Yorkshire town of Dewsbury took centre stage, after reports that eleven year old Shannon Matthews had disappeared. Following heartfelt television appeals, fund raising events and hundreds of thousands of pounds and hours of police time, it was discovered that it had been staged by her mother, Karen. The family were widely condemned, and won few friends, particularly when it later emerged that Shannon’s step father, a somewhat tawdry looking youth, was found in possession of sordid images (some of juveniles). He was convicted with charges relating to pornography, while later, in December, Karen Matthews was found guilty of kidnap and was jailed, showing little remorse for her disgraceful behaviour.

We learned of the shocking revelations of a dysfunctional Austrian family in 2008, with 73 year old father Josef Fritzl confessing to imprisoning his daughter in a cellar for 24 years, and fathering her seven children. His despicable deeds also extended to burning the body of a baby who died at the house in Amstetten.

In a foolish, and ill thought out act of fraud, “back from the dead canoeist” John Darwin, who had faked his own death almost a decade before, was jailed, along with his wife Anne. They were sentenced to more than six years imprisonment each, after they had wrongly claimed £250,000 in life insurance policies.

The worst fears were confirmed regarding financial meltdown when, in August, “Lehman Brothers” bank filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. while at home, “H.B.O.S.” entered into merger talks with “Lloyds” to prevent its collapse. The banks were bailed out with government (ultimately tax payers) intervention, but still their shares fell, and interest rates were slashed to all time lows. The property market was in a turbulent state; “Stamp Duty” was axed on homes costing less than £175,000 in an attempt to bolster sales. The uncertainty also saw a volatile month surrounding activity in the stock market.

In a puerile prank, B.B.C. big money stars Jonathon Ross and Russell Brand were suspended after making obscene phone calls to veteran actor Andrew Sachs. The corporation ended up apologising to the former “Fawlty Towers” star. Brand resigned from his duties, while Ross was suspended until well into the following year. It could be argued though that the media attention kick started Sachs’ career, after he landed a regular role in long running I.T.V. soap “Coronation Street”.

After what seemed like years of debating, voters in the U.S.A. finally voted to elect their first black President, Barrack Obama, with victory over Republican candidate, John McCain. There was more than enough media coverage surrounding the event to last a lifetime and I feel that it requires no more column space here !

Music

New Year – same old story, as the “X-Factor” winner remained at the top into January. Downloads helped some rather offbeat hits into the singles chart, such as “Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em’s” “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” and “Nickelback’s” seemingly endless spell in the Top 40 with “Rockstar”. Debut acts had dominant stretches at number one in the singles chart in January and February. Firstly, Swedish D.J. and Producer, “Basshunter” had five weeks at the summit with “Now You’re Gone”. Then it was the turn of soul singer “Duffy” who also had five weeks at the top with “Mercy”. Meanwhile, “Snow Patrol” made history as their single “Chasing Cars” became the second most charted single in the history of the charts, with 68 consecutive weeks inside the Top 75.

Just as January and February had been dominated by two acts taking the number one slot, so too were March and April. The refreshing urban sounds of U.S. songstress “Estelle” landed her the top spot for five weeks; while “Madonna” knocked her off the top to claim number one for four weeks with a little help from Justin Timberlake and Timbaland; with “4 Minutes”, which continued with the disco influence of her 2005 album “Confessions On A Dancefloor”. Although it did not reach the top, “House Singer” Sam Sparro’s “Black And Gold” made it to number two in April, and it lingered around the charts and received huge air play throughout the year.

May 2008 saw a remarkable debut album titled “We Started Nothing” from “Ting Tings” who landed at the top of the album chart, and their second single, “That’s Not My Name” also made it to the top of its chart in the same week. Dance act “Mint Royale” scored their first singles chart number one, and indeed their first top twenty chart entry since “Don’t Falter” back in 2000 with a remix of “Singing In The Rain”. This came after their remix version sold strongly via downloads, thanks to being used by the “Britain’s Got Talent” winner George Sampson in his high-octane dance routine.

The integrity of the “Eurovision Song Contest” once again came into question, after allegations of tactical voting from some nations. The U.K., represented by former “X-Factor” runner up Andy Abraham received a mere fourteen points, placing a clear last. B.B.C. host and mainstay of the competition for more years than anyone would care to remember, Terry Wogan, threatened to wash his hands of the event; and there were questions from the wider audience regarding whether the U.K. would indeed bother to enter in future contests.

Despite being one of the most popular mainstream groups of the nineties, with millions of album sales behind them, it was not until June 2008 that “Coldplay” enjoyed their first U.K. singles chart number one. “Viva La Vida” was top for just one week, although the album of the same name was number one for six weeks, and sold over 300,000 copies in the first week of release alone.

The big hits of the summer were from one hit wonder “Kid Rock” with “All Summer Long”, which used heavy sampling of “Lynard Skynard” classic “Sweet Home Alabama”. Calvin Harris assisted “Dizzee Rascal” with “Dance Wiv Me” to land the top spot in July. However, American singer-songwriter Katy Perry had probably the most memorable – and controversial chart topper of the year with “I Kissed A Girl” which was cemented on top for five weeks in August. American rockers “Kings Of Leon” waited almost a decade for their first chart topper, but had a monster hit with “Sex on Fire”, which is still in the top 60 of the singles chart to this day (January 25th 2010). It is also the second most downloaded single of all time.

As the nights drew in, the “X-Factor” began to take centre stage once more, and following a guest performance on the show, “Girls Aloud” had a number one with “The Promise”, following up their top five hit “Can’t Speak French” from earlier in the year. The “X-Factor Finalists” also joined forces to cover the Mariah Carey hit “Hero” which was number one for three weeks, benefitting the “Help For Heroes” and “Royal British Legion” charities. December was also an “X-Factor” benefit, with the previous years winner, Leona Lewis, enjoying a fortnight at the pinnacle of the charts with a cover of “Snow Patrols” former chart smash “Run”. While the incoming winner of the contest, Alexandra Burke took the now traditional Christmas number one slot with “Hallelujah”, which was yet another cover version of a tired old hit. Although there were grumblings, the once a year c.d. buyers were more than happy to line the pockets of Simon Cowell, with what have been described as little more than “trumped up karaoke stars” singing “music for braindeads” – and – “songs which were crap first time around !”

In all, the music of 2008 was perhaps a more balanced selection of Indy, Pop, Dance and manufactured acts. Thanks to the growth of downloads, and in a trend against practically every other market, sales of both albums and singles grew significantly against the previous few years, to the tune, on average of over 20,000 copies of number one singles on average a week compared with 2007. However, apathy against “X-Factor” domination, particularly of the festive number one slot was certainly on the rise, as we shall find out next time !

Sport

It was not a happy year to be an England fan. For the first time since the 1994 World Cup, they failed to qualify for the forthcoming major tournament (Euro 2008). Their fate lay in the hands of other results after losing the qualifier against Russia 2-1 (the first England International game to be played on a synthetic pitch). The following month, their misery was further compounded in the last qualifying game, losing 3-2 to Croatia at Wembley, despite goals from Frank Lampard and Peter Crouch pulling the score back to two all, having gone two goals down in the first fifteen minutes. Justifiably, manager Steve McClaren was sacked the following day, and Fabio Capello was appointed as the new boss on the 7th January 2008. To touch on the Euro 2008 tournament, Spain finally shook off their tag as “nearly men” in major international tournaments, beating Germany in the final 1-0.

Manchester United retained the Premiership, a record tenth win, and their seventeenth top flight title. For the first time in many years, final day results decided the outcome of the league, although a 2-0 win for United against Wigan was good enough to take the title, regardless of other results. Chelsea were runners up, and in an all too familiar top four, Liverpool and Arsenal took third and fourth respectively, while Everton, who arguably were the over-achievers of the season, managed a fine fifth place. Despite the obvious disappointment for Chelsea at being so close to taking the title, it was perhaps a miracle that they were even within touching distance of United, as the little known Avram Grant had been hastily installed as their manager in mid-September 2007, following the resignation of Jose Mourinho, who had fallen out of favour with “Blues” supremo Roman Abramovich.

The three teams going down had only enjoyed a brief flirtation with the Premier League this time around. Reading and Birmingham City both went down after dogged campaigns, but Derby went down with an appalling record. They were not only the first team in Premier League history to be assured of relegation before the end of March, but also accumulated only a miserable eleven points, which was also another unwanted historic record to their name. Following their disappointing defeat in the play offs the season before, this time West Brom made no mistake and secured automatic promotion from “The Championship” winning the division. Joining them were Stoke, who had endured a 23 year absence from the top flight, and top tier “virgins” Hull City, who beat Bristol City in the play off final, the only goal in a 1-0 win coming from 39 year old veteran, Dean Windass. This also ended their “claim to fame” of being from the biggest city in Europe never to have had a top flight football team. Going down to “League One” were Colchester United and Scunthorpe United, both of whom had only been promoted to the “Championship” the year before. Joining them, in a surprise relegation though, were Leicester City, who had been a solid Premiership team only seven seasons earlier.

The F.A. Cup saw a less than familiar line up, with Portsmouth taking on Cardiff City. Unfortunately, the encounter was somewhat stale with negative tactics and few chances, the solitary goal coming from Nwankwo Kanu in the 1-0 win for “Pompy”. The usual “giant killings” were in evidence, with Chelsea crashing out to Barnsley in the quarter finals, who had also defeated Liverpool 2-1 in the previous round, with a Brian Howard stoppage time winner putting out the Anfield club. Liverpool themselves had already been given an almighty shock by lowly “Blue Square Conference South” outfit Havant & Waterlooville, who had twice taken the lead in their fourth round tie at Anfield, although the Merseysiders did come back to win 5-2 in a less than convincing display ! In the first “Carling Cup” final to be held at the new Wembley, Tottenham Hotspur got their hands on their first piece of silverware since they won the same trophy in 1999. An extra time goal from defender Jonathon Woodgate winning the game, which had been deadlocked at 1-1 after ninety minutes, as “Spurs” Dimitar Berbatov had cancelled out Didier Drogba’s early strike.

In other stories relating to English football, Newcastle’s controversial midfield star Joey Barton was jailed following being found guilty of assault following an altercation in a fast food restaurant. Paul “Gazza” Gascoigne also endured further tribulations in his personal life, which had dogged him since his retirement, as he ended up being sectioned for the second time, for his own safety. A story more memorable for the right reasons was the 150th anniversary celebrations of Sheffield F.C.; the world’s oldest football club. They were rewarded with an all star friendly encounter with Inter Milan as a special birthday present for the tiny amateur side.

The Champions League was an enthralling competition, and any doubters of the strength of the English Premier League would be well advised to look at the performances of the teams involved in the competition in 2006/07. Arsenal thrashed Slavia Prague 7-0, while Liverpool crushed Besiktas 8-0 in a record win in the competition. All four English sides reached the quarter final stages – Liverpool eliminated Arsenal at this stage, but went on to lose to Chelsea in the semi final (to avenge defeat at the same stage the year before). This set up the “Blues” in an all English final with Manchester United, which was the first time this had occurred in the Champions League (or its predecessors). In a repeat of the Community Shield earlier in the season, the game was deadlocked at 1-1 after extra time, and United took the tie 3-0 on penalties. The U.E.F.A. cup was less fruitful for English club sides, with all of them eliminated at the quarter final stages or earlier.

Like their English counterparts, the race for the Scottish Premier League was decided on the final day of the season. The last day of the season was actually changed from 18th May to 22nd May, for a number of reasons: postponements in the winter due to bad weather; Rangers’ progression to the U.E.F.A. Cup final; and the tragic death of Motherwell’s Phil O’Donnell who passed away after collapsing in the match against Dundee United. Celtic were crowned champions again, for the third season in a row, beating Dundee United 1-0 at Tannadice, with Jan Venegoor of Hesselink the sole scorer. Meanwhile, Rangers who had needed a win at Aberdeen on the final day, or a draw, should Celtic falter, somehow managed to lose 2-0, so they ended up second in the final standings, three points shy of Celtic. Motherwell had a good season, and were the best of the none “Old Firm” teams in third, albeit 29 points shy of the leaders.

Gretna, following their meteoric rise to the Premier League with three promotions in as many years had a woeful season. They had been unable to play their home games at Raydale Park as the ground did not meet the minimum criteria stipulated by the league rulings, so they had been ground sharing Fir Park with Motherwell, a good fifty miles away. (With the exception of one game which was played at Almondvale, the home of Livingston F.C.) Gretna ended the season on an unlucky thirteen points, 27 off the total of eleventh placed team Kilmarnock, largely due to the deduction of ten points as they entered administration. Not only were they relegated, but they firstly dropped to the Third Division, but shortly after a winding up order was put on the club, their fall from grace was complete with a total resignation from the Scottish Football League. Taking their place in the Scottish Premier League in 2008/09 would be First Division champions, Hamilton Academical.

First Division side Queen of the South could be proud of their efforts, reaching the final of the Scottish Cup, and giving Rangers a scare, but succumbing 3-2 on the day. They were however rewarded with entrance into the following seasons U.E.F.A. Cup, as Rangers had already qualified for European competition. In a riveting League Cup final, Rangers again took the honours, beating Dundee United 3-2, although they did need the extra 30 minutes to beat off the determined Tayside club. Rangers also made it to a third cup final, with the unfancied Glaswegians playing in the U.E.F.A. Cup against Russian outfit Zenit St. Petersburg in Manchester. They were beaten 2-0 on the night, but it was an evening remembered unfortunately for the behaviour of a number of mindless morons who were set on causing lager-fuelled hooliganism and subversive thuggery in the city. This minority spoiled what should have been celebrated as a great achievement for the club, much as the scenes in Seville had been in 2003 for city rivals Celtic. Other Scottish clubs in Europe didn’t fare particularly badly, Celtic did come through their Champions League group, but were eliminated in the first knock out round by Barcelona, after a strong display in what was a tough encounter. Aberdeen exceeded all hopes by getting through the group stages in the U.E.F.A. Cup, and were, as anticipated convincingly beaten in the first knock out round by German giants Bayern Munich. Dunfermline Athletic’s European adventure was a short one, going out 2-1 over two legs to Swedish minnows BK Hacken.

Wales came to the forefront in Rugby Union, beating allcomers in the “Six Nations” championships on their way to a grand slam victory. The transformation of the W.R.U. had seen a surprising turn of fortunes for a proud rugby nation who had seen their team in the doldrums for many seasons, as they made it a brace of championships in only four seasons. Wales also set a new record for the least tries conceded in the tournament, leaking only two, which smashed England’s record of four against them in a single year. England were runners up, an improvement from their failings in the recent years leading up to 2008, but Ireland disappointed, slipping to fourth in the standings, with their only wins a less than convincing 16-11 victory over bottom side Italy, and fifth placed Scotland.

In his first fight in the U.S.A., Joe Calzaghe defeated Bernard Hopkins for the World Light Heavyweight title, in a twelve round split decision. The Welshman’s run of unbeaten title fights continued in November, when he beat Roy Jones Jnr at Madison Square Gardens in a twelve round unanimous decision, taking his run to 46 bouts without loss.

The names of the major steeple chase winners are familiar ones, “Denman” took the “Cheltenham Gold Cup” and the “Grand National” was won by “Comply or Die”. On the flat circuit, “Henrythenavigator” was the “2000 Guineas” champion; “New Approach”, the “Derby” winner and the “St. Leger” was taken by “Conduit”.

In the first of 2008’s golf majors, the “U.S. Masters”, South African Trevor Immelman landed his first title, by a three stroke margin. Tiger Woods won his fourteenth major title with victory in the “U.S. Open”, after coming through an eighteen hole play off, and then sudden death in a hard fought win over determined runner up Rocco Mediate. The second half of the calendar was a memorable and prosperous one for Irishman Padraig Harrington, who landed back to back majors, taking the “Open” at Royal Birkdale and also the “P.G.A. Championship”. It was not such a happy event for European golfers and their fans in the “Ryder Cup” though, as the U.S.A. regained the trophy, with their sixteen and a half points eclipsing the eleven and a half from the Europe team.

In Formula One, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton made amends for the last gasp disappointment of 2008 and landed the championship in only his second year of participation. The final race of the season, Brazil, was a thrilling one, as a downpour on the final lap saw Hamilton overtake Toyota’s Timo Glock at the last corner to land the championship by a single point from Ferrari’s Felipe Massa; whose team were already celebrating the title, somewhat prematurely ! Ferrari did, however, enjoy the consolation of the Manufacturers championship, their first honours since the retirement of Michael Schumacher. Although we did not learn the facts until 2009, Renault allegedly ordered their second driver, Nelson Piquet Jr. to deliberately crash at the new Valencia street circuit. This action, the most controversial incident of the year, allowed his team mate, Fernando Alonso to take a much needed victory. In the top level of motorcycle racing, after an unusual two years without a title, it was a return to form for Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi, who cruised to the championship without too much drama; unlike his crash-happy kamikaze team mate Jorge Lorenzo, who tasted the tarmac (and hospital food) on too many occasions throughout the season to mention here !

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer made the major tennis finals an almost exclusive club, winning all but the “Australian Open” (taken down by Novak Djokovic) between them. In the “French Open” Nadal beat Federer, a feat he followed up shortly after at “Wimbledon”. In the “U.S. Open”, Scotsman Andy Murray came close to taking the competition, but was outgunned at the last hurdle by Federer, for whom it was third time lucky in a 2008 final ! Once again, the ladies final at “Wimbledon” was an all Williams affair, with Venus putting one over on Serena; who made amends in the final of the “U.S. Open”, defeating Jelena Jankovic to finish the year on a winning note.

So, not much to write home about really, was it ? On the news front there was little optimism as a new year dawned, which we shall examine next time.

Thanks for reading,
Mountain Man

2007 - A Washout Of A Year

2010-01-23T22:06:00.035Z

A year of slurs from celebrities on the box, a summer marred by torrential downpours, and for sports fans: so near yet so far in some déjà vu circumstances. 2007 was probably one of those years best forgotten ! That doesn’t mean we’re going to let it lie though – here are the highs and lows of the year that was.

News

The year kicked off with reality television dominating the tabloid headlines throughout January, with controversy reigning in the “Celebrity Big Brother” series, which saw racism cause reverberations across the globe. A heated dispute between Jade Goody (celebrity ? Since when did coming fourth in a tv game show warrant such a title ?) and Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty. Over 3,500 complaints were logged to Ofcom, and Channel 4 were severely reprimanded while the show took a year off to cool down, at least in the celebrity format. Ofcom were also at the centre of the news later in the year after several popular television programmes were found guilty of faking competition results, including children’s favourite “Blue Peter”, while a number of shows also ran draws which viewers had no chance of winning, but were charged a premium rate for calling a telephone number. Further television scandal followed, with another contestant on Big Brother, Emily Parr was heard to make a racist slur, seeing her immediate expulsion from the compound. While on ITV show “Hell’s Kitchen” former “Big Break” host and funnyman, Jim Davidson, was removed after describing fellow contestant, homosexual Brian Dowling as a “shirt lifter”.

Robbie Williams battled addiction to prescription drugs in this year, entering rehab in the U.S. on his 33rd birthday, while Britney Spears also underwent therapy after breaking down after a bizarre series of events including shaving her head in public.

Madeleine McCann, a British toddler went missing from her family’s apartment in Portugal, while her parents dined at a nearby eatery. To this day she has never been found, despite numerous false leads; and unproven allegations.

The summer months were far from sunny for many parts of Britain. June and July saw some of the most heavy and prolonged periods of rainfall ever. Northern Ireland was the first to be hit, with County Antrim, County Down, County Tyrone and County Londonderry bore the brunt of the precipitation. Houses were evacuated, and Belfast Airport had to close after conditions became too severe for planes to land. East Yorkshire suffered horrendous conditions just days later, and the seriousness of the situation was hammered home to all after a man was drowned after becoming trapped in a storm drain. A month after the worst of the peak floods in June, the rain returned once more towards the end of July. Conditions in Berkshire were so severe that a landslide caused the M4 motorway to close, while Tewkesbury and Gloucester experienced some of their worst floods ever. Over this two month period, barely any rivers escaped without bursting their banks, thousands of homes and businesses were flooded, some even demolished by the torrents of water, and there was the tragic loss of ten lives as a direct result of the flooding.

The year ended with grim reports from both sides of the Atlantic that a few too many years of the good life, spent with credit neither the banks nor consumers could realistically account for pointed to a global crisis which would eclipse all collapses that had gone before. One newspaper even described the forthcoming events making the great crash of 1929 look like a “walk in the park”. These predictions did of course come to light, but we’ll come to the “crunch” in the review of 2008.

Music

It was a record breaking year for the 2006 “X-Factor” winner, Leona Lewis. She started the year in dominant fashion, sitting atop the charts for her third and fourth weeks with “A Moment Like This”. Her album “Spirit” released later in the year became the fastest selling debut album in Britain of all time, while her second single, “Bleeding Love” was number one for seven weeks in November and December, and was the biggest selling single of the year. Although Lewis had the biggest selling single, U.S. R&B singer “Rihanna” had the longest stay at number one in the singles chart for thirteen years, with “Umbrella” staying at the top for ten weeks in the early summer. While her personal life was spiralling downwards, Amy Winehouse had the biggest selling album of the year with “Back To Black”, and it spawned several successful singles too.

After a fair bit of media hype, “Mika” became only the second artist (after Gnarls Barkley the year before) to top the chart on downloads alone, with “Grace Kelly”. The top three in the charts in the week of 21st January were all sold solely via download, with “Just Jack” at number two with “Starz In Their Eyes”, and “The View” with “Same Jeans” charting in third. “Mika”, with his quirky and uplifting style retained the top spot for five weeks, and he also enjoyed three other top ten hits and a number one album “Life In Cartoon Motion” to mark a successful maiden year at the forefront of the music industry. The “Kaiser Chiefs” returned in 2007, scoring a number one single “Ruby”, then followed it up a month later with a top placed album entitled “Yours Truly, Angry Mob”. Gaining their tenth number one were "Take That" with “Shine”, which ended up being one of the most played tracks on commercial radio of the noughties; despite featuring Mark Owen on lead vocals, opposed to usual frontman, Gary Barlow.

Collaborative acts made up several of the biggest hits of the year. Scottish twins “The Proclaimers” teamed up with comedians Peter Kay and Matt Lucas a.k.a. “Brian Potter” and “Andy Pipkin” to rehash their hit “I’m gonna be (500 miles)” which was the unofficial “Comic Relief” single, and was at number one for a fortnight. Earlier, the official single which too was a joint effort from “Girls Aloud” and “Sugababes” also enjoyed some time at the top. American producer “Timbaland” with some help from Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake also had a huge hit with “Give It To Me”. Another all star collaboration directed by "Timbaland" was from Beyonce Knowles and “Shakira” with “Beautiful Liar”. Welsh rockers “Manic Street Preachers” joined up with Nina Persson of “The Cardigans” for a number two hit “Your Love Alone”.

After a nine year absence from the U.K. chart, Swedish singer “Robyn” scored her first number one with the dance track “With Every Heartbeat”. This held off Kate Nash’s debut single “Foundations” from the top spot, after coming to the forefront of the music business with some resounding performances at the summer festivals.

After going in at number two the week previous on downloads alone, seventeen year old Sean Kingston celebrated his debut number one “Beautiful Girls”. The same week, “Hard-Fi” made a triumphant return with their number one album “Once Upon A Time In The West” which spawned the hit single “Suburban Knights”.

Although they only charted at number five with “Sexy ! No. No. No…” the return of “Girls Aloud” saw them make history by having the most consecutive U.K. top ten hits by an all girl group. This was extended further in the Autumn, with “The Promise”. Another all girl group made their return in 2007, after several years absence “The Spice Girls” made a return to the charts, but not in the epic proportions that boyband “Take That” had done a year previous.

A controversial story from the music world in 2007 came as “Radiohead” allowed fans to officially download their new album “In Rainbows” for any price of between £0.00 and £100.00. This caused heated debate throughout the music world, but still did not deter the band from going ahead. The physical (CD) release of the album did not come until the end of the year, but it still made number one in the album chart, despite being available online free.

The year ended much as it had begun, with the new “X-Factor” winner on top, this time it was the turn of Leon Jackson with “When You Believe”. For the first time in many years, owing to the download market becoming much greater, and the fact that all legal downloads were recognised in the singles chart from 2007, there were a number of timely Christmas classics in the chart, including “The Pogues”; “Slade”; “Wham”; Mariah Carey and “Wizzard”.

Sport

The long wait for Wembley Stadium was finally ended in 2007, with most of the home Internationals having been played all over the country in the years immediately previous. The start of the 2006/07 season also saw a new man leading the England team, former Middlesbrough beak Steve McClaren, who took charge in September 2006. Opening his account with a 4-0 friendly win over Greece, and then a 5-0 mauling of Andorra in the opening qualifying round for Euro 2008, saw the usual bilge from the England fanatical that they would not only qualify, but win the tournament. However, a series of very unconvincing performances followed this, including a goalless draw at home to Macedonia, and a 2-0 loss to Croatia, which left the managers jacket on a very shaky peg indeed as the football season closed in June 2007.

Manchester United ended, by their terms at least, a barren four seasons, in landing the Premiership title, after Chelsea faltered somewhat, finishing six points astray. Liverpool and Arsenal tied on 68 points apiece, but the Scousers took third place on goal difference. At the foot of the table, Charlton Athletic went down in nineteenth after eight seasons in the top flight, while Watford endured a miserable season, winning only five times, and sitting bottom for more or less the whole year, going straight back down following promotion the previous year, as did, in somewhat dubious terms, Sheffield United who were level on 39 points with Wigan, but lost out by a solitary goal in the goal difference standings. West Ham played Wigan on the last day of the season at the J.J.B. Stadium, and won 3-0, which saw them as unlikely survivors, following a season languishing in the bottom three. There were repercussions and court appearances for months after, as well as unsuccessful appeals by the “Blades” to see West Ham reprimanded for the illegal fielding of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. Three days after United were relegated, their manager, Neil Warnock resigned to be replaced by Bryan Robson.

Sunderland, under the stewardship of new manager Roy Keane, bounced straight back to the Premiership after relegation the previous year. They won the league by two points from Birmingham City (also returning after just a single season). Derby County had waited a little longer, their last season in the top flight had been 2001/02, but after finishing third in the league, and conquering West Brom in the play off final, they could look forward to life in the top tier once more. At the other end, Leeds continued their miserable form of the last few years, finishing bottom, and moving down to the third level of English football, following a ten point deduction for entering voluntary administration (although by the time this was announced their fate of going down had already been sealed). The Elland Road outfit also had the prospect of starting life in League One on -15 points, which was actually a relief to their following, as the club were close to expulsion from the football league due to their interpretation of the administration rulings.

Two notable goals stood out in the Premier Division, firstly, the 15,000th goal since the top flight was rebranded as “The Premiership” was scored by Moritz Volz of Fulham (against derby rivals Chelsea), gaining him the nickname “15,000 Volz" ! Also, a bizarre goal was scored by Tottenham Hotspurs goalkeeper, Paul Robinson, who beat his opposite number and England understudy Ben Foster, from an 83 yard free kick in the 3-1 win over Watford. This was the third time a goalkeeper had scored in the Premier League, can you name the other two and whom they were playing for ? If so, post your responses in the comments section below, please.

It was a decent season for Premiership newcomers, Reading. Having been promoted as winners of the “Championship” the year before, they made their debut in the top flight (their first time in the top tier in their 135 year history), they finished in a very credible eighth place, thanks to gritty determination, which was in evidence throughout their campaign, for example winning their opening tie against Middlesbrough 3-2, after going two goals down. Reading also recorded the biggest scoreline of the season, thumping West Ham 6-0.

Chelsea took the F.A. Cup in a 1-0 win over Manchester United, to avenge the suffering for conceding their title in the Premier League. The return to Wembley for the final, the first since 2000, was a very dull affair, with 116 minutes without a goal until Chelsea striker Didier Drogba hit the back of the net to ensure the tie did not go to spot kicks. Despite their torrid Premiership form, Watford surprised many by getting to the semi final, but were outclassed 4-1 by United at this stage. It was a cup double for Chelsea, as they beat Arsenal 2-1 in the Carling Cup final back in February. In a repeat line up of the 2005 Champions League final, AC Milan and Liverpool once again squared up. However, despite a late rallying comeback from Liverpool seeing Dirk Kuyt score in the 89th minute, they did not have the same answer to the Italians as two years previously, and thanks to a brace from Felipe Inzaghi either side of half time, AC lifted the trophy. The semi finals had seen three English teams take part, with an all English tie between Liverpool and Chelsea, which ended in a shootout loss for Chelsea after a 1-1 aggregate result (with a goal which never was from Liverpool). Manchester United were comprehensively beaten 5-3 by Milan over two legs in the other tie. Arsenal, who had been runners up the year previous, were dumped out by PSV Eindhoven in the first knockout round.

It was yet another fruitful year in Scotland for Celtic, but not so for the blue side of Glasgow, with the Ibrox club finishing twelve points off the leaders in the league, and failing to take down a trophy in their other competitions. A surprise third place in the league were perennial underachievers, Aberdeen. Going down to the First Division were bottom side Dunfermline, but at the same time earned themselves a place in the UEFA Cup the following season after being beaten in the final of the Scottish Cup by Celtic. Gretna continued to capture the imagination of fans in Scotland, and indeed beyond, with their third promotion in as many years, once again winning their league, and making it into the top level of Scottish football, but was their bubble about to burst ? In the League Cup, Hibernian thrashed Kilmarnock 5-1 in the final, in a one sided encounter.

It was all change in Formula One, following the retirement of German legend Michael Schumacher. Ferrari welcomed former McLaren golden boy Kimi Raikkonen, while McLaren signed the reigning champion Fernando Alonso to pair with their protégé Lewis Hamilton, who had been nurtured through the junior formulae. The season was an intriguing one, with a close battle, which often turned sour and cold between the McLaren team mates. In his rookie year, the title was so nearly Hamilton’s, but in the heat of the moment, he lost his cool, while “ice-man” Raikkonen made up a 22 point shortfall in the last three Grands Prix to snatch the title from the jaws of defeat. Alonso lasted only twelve months in a tempestuous relationship with the British team. Meanwhile, BMW looked good, with Polish driver Robert Kubica particularly impressive, despite one of the most horrendous crashes of the decade, in Canada, thankfully without serious injury. Worth a mention is Scotsman Dario Franchitti, who won the world famous “Indianapolis 500” race in the Indycar scene.

While Ducati had been regular winners in the World Superbike Championships, Australian rider Casey Stoner finally landed them their first top flight MotoGP title in 2007 in a dominant season. Valentino Rossi could only finish third in the standings for Yamaha, a point adrift of second placed Spaniard Dani Pedrosa, in his worst season for over a decade. Over at World Superbikes, 2004 champion, James Toseland of Sheffield took the championship once again, but this time for Honda, which earned him a 2008 ride in MotoGP. Over on the Isle of Man, the T.T. Races celebrated their centenary year, with victories for John McGuinness in the superbikes and Dave Molyneaux & Rick Long in the ever popular sidecar class.

Once again, it was a good year for Welsh boxing hero Joe Calzaghe, in November he defeated Mikkel Kessler by unanimous decision in a unification bout for the W.B.A.; W.B.C. and W.B.O. Super Middleweight titles. In doing so, he became the first undisputed Super Middleweight holder, and also surpassed the twenty defences made by Bernard Hopkins and Larry Holmes at Middleweight and Heavyweight, respectively.

In a year which England cricket fans will want to forget, England bowed to a 5-0 series whitewash to Australia in the Ashes series. The lifeless display was the first time since 1920-21 that one side dominated a series in such a fashion. Australia also took the Cricket World Cup, beating Sri Lanka by a 53 run margin in the final. England were knocked out at the “Super 8” stage, on the bubble for the semi final placings. In the inaugural International “Twenty20” tournament, India beat Pakistan by five runs in a closely contested final. Domestically, Sussex again won the County Championship, Kent the “Twenty20” Cup and Durham, the “Friends Provident Trophy”.

At the P.G.A. Championship, it was a lucky thirteenth major title win for Tiger Woods at “Southern Hills”, and it was also his fourth P.G.A. Championship win. The other major titles went to Zach Johnson (U.S. Masters); Angel Cabrera (U.S. Open) and Irishman Padraig Harrington, in a play off win over fellow European Sergio Garcia (The Open held at Carnoustie).

“Silver Birch” took the Grand National at Aintree, and the legacy that is “Kauto Star” took down the “Gold Cup” feature race at Cheltenham. On the flat circuit, “Cockney Rebel” romped to victory in the “2000 Guineas Stakes”; The “Epsom Derby” was taken down by “Authorized” and “Lucarno” won the “St. Leger” at Doncaster.

The annual Rugby Union Six Nations championship saw a return to form for France, who won the tournament, beating “Triple Crown” winners Ireland on points difference, which was a fair result, given the French beat the Irish in a close run 20-17 encounter. A 21-9 kick and clap victory over Wales, with seven penalties from Chris Patterson was not enough to prevent Scotland ending up once again with the “Wooden Spoon”. Italy had their best tournament and final placing to date, with fourth in the table scoring their first away win, a victory over Scotland at Murrayfield, and also beating Wales in Rome. Later in the year, the Rugby World Cup was held, and the title returned to the Southern Hemisphere, after holders England succumbed to South Africa 15-6 in a turgid final which featured little running rugby, and no tries. It was, a relatively disappointing tournament for the home nations, especially Ireland and Wales who failed to clear the group stages, and Scotland, who were knocked out in the quarter finals by Argentina, who were clearly the revelations of the tournament, having beaten both Ireland and France to top their group in the early stages.

Well, we are rapidly approaching the end of the decade, yet looking back at 2007, it seems many of these events only feel like they happened yesterday. The element of mystery of unsolved cases in the news, the current hot property in the music charts and the events in the world of sport can all be closely related to, even today. Very much a year of deflation, Liverpool and England R.U. getting so near yet so far to the biggest prizes in their sports; much of Britain underwater in one of the most miserable summers on record and the charts full of menial rubbish. Surely 2008 was better than this ?

Thanks for reading,

Mountain Man

2006 - Headbutts, Shootouts and Controversy. And That's Just The World Cup !

2010-01-20T21:52:00.037Z

French temperament, feathered foes and the demise of the C.D. Just three hot topics from a busy year in the world of sport, current affairs and music. Join me once again for a nostalgic trawl down memory lane. 2006 … we salute you !

News

Every decade or so, there is the outbreak of some animal-human related disease. Whether it be Edwina Currie and her "eggstraordinary" salmonella epidemic of the eighties or the mad cow disease hysteria of the nineties, the noughties also had a virus which killed 79 people worldwide in 2006. The strain was avian flu; the origins were in the Far East, with the virus spreading from beaked creatures to human beings. The first death came in Indonesia in June.

Saddam Hussein was finally brought to task following years of atrocities in the Gulf conflicts. The former Iraqi leader was found in hiding, sporting a bushy beard, and following trial, was executed in Baghdad, along with several of his deadly cohorts.

The poisoning of former K.G.B. officer Alexander Litvinenko hit the headlines in 2006. After visiting a Sushi Bar in London with two former officers, he died three days later, claiming on his deathbed that Andrei Lugovoi was to blame for the deed. The Kremlin refused to let Lugovoi stand trial in Britain, and to this day remains immune from prosecution in his native Russia !

Google further strengthened its position in the online world, purchasing video hosting site “YouTube” in October. After share prices rocketed to over $500 each, Google reached for the stars and teamed up with N.A.S.A., bringing us “Google Earth” which is still going strong to this day.

Queensland’s most famous ambassador, and much loved tv personality “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin was killed by a Stingray whilst filming in September.

Music

The “X-Factor” was very much at its peak popularity in 2006, and this was reflected at both the start and end of the year. The year started as it had ended in 2005, with series two winner Shane Ward at the top, where he stayed for the first three weeks in January. Fellow contestant “Chico”, who had been something of a novelty act, also proved his popularity with the public, scoring a number one with “It’s Chico Time” in March, for not one, but two weeks. At the close of the year, the biggest star of any series of “X-Factor” the series three winner, Leona Lewis hit the top with “A Moment Like This” to once again make the Christmas and New Year’s chart a total reality pop dominated event.

The “Arctic Monkeys” proved they were no one hit wonders, following up their number one hit of 2005 “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor” with a second number one in January 2006 entitled “When The Sun Goes Down”. Both singles were taken from the hugely popular “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” album, which topped the L.P. chart for five weeks early in the year. Indie/Guitar bands tended to fare well in the album charts in 2006, with the likes of “Hard Fi”, “Razorlight”, “The Strokes”, “Red Hot Chilli Peppers”, “Keane”, “Muse”, “Kasabian” and “The Killers” all enjoying time at the top.

2006 was a year for big returns in the music scene. Girl band “All Saints” reformed five years after their split in 2001, while following a 29 year absence, bubble permed seventies singer Leo Sayer returned to the top with a remix of his former chart topper “Thunder In My Heart”, in a collaboration with dance act “Meck”. While after several silent years, Nelly Furtado with “Maneater” and “Shakira” with “Hips Don’t Lie” both made a serious impression on the singles chart. However, the biggest return, following their split as a four piece in 1996, was from “Take That” (minus Robbie Williams), with “Patience” which was at the top for four weeks prior to Leona Lewis taking the mantle of Christmas number one.

A new chart ruling was implemented in 2006, which allowed downloaded tracks to be considered for chart entry a week before they were released on physical formats. This had an almost instantaneous impact - “Ne*Yo” climbed from number 18 straight to number one the following week with the forgettable “So Sick” after initially charting on downloads alone. The following week however, the anthem of the year, “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley became the first act to top the singles chart on downloads alone. This went on to top the UK Top 100 for nine weeks, the longest a single had stayed on the top since 1994, when “Wet Wet Wet’s” “Love Is All Around” lingered around the number one slot for a heady fifteen weeks in one of the longest summers in my living memory !

The summer months saw a series of rather flat chart toppers, in a year when Glastonbury Festival did not take place due to taking a “fallow year” following the mudbaths of the year before. Some of the bilge which was inflicted on us in June included “I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker With Flowers In My Hair” from Sandi Thom, which lyrically was possibly the most absurd since “Des’ree’s” loathsome 1998 “Life”. There was a memorable debut for chirpy Cockney Lily Allen, with “Smile” topping the singles charts for a fortnight in July, while she had a further hit with “LDN” shortly after.

The “Scissor Sisters” had one of the biggest sellers of the year in Autumn, with the radio-friendly “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing” which made the top spot its own in September, while “Emo” anthem “Welcome To The Black Parade” from “My Chemical Romance” had a fortnight at the sharp end too. There were also memorable debut singles and albums from Scottish three piece “The Fratellis” and Sheffield band “The Long Blondes”, while Dundee youths “The View” made their mark on the Indy circuit.

Sport

World Cup

The World Cup of 2006 was from a personal point of view, more memorable for me than that of 2002, largely due to the television scheduling being more Europe-friendly, being held in Germany. In a tournament held in Europe, it was appropriate that the European teams took a position of dominance, and locked out the semi finals, with Italy the eventual victors. Despite early success in the group stages by the likes of Ghana, Australia and Ecuador, there was to be a return to dominance for traditional footballing powers, four years after a World Cup where Asian, African and North American teams had gone deep into the knock out stages. A competition of fewer surprises saw all eight seeded teams progress to the knockout stages, and none of the quarter finalists were from outwith Europe or South America.

The hosts took a clean sweep of three wins in as many games in Group A, setting the tone by defeating Costa Rica 4-2 in the curtain raising tie, the highest scoring opening match in the tournament’s history. Ecuador took the runners up spot in this pool, edging out third placed team Poland, in a 2-0 win. England as ever, made heavy work of getting the results they needed, but still won Group B with seven points, dropping two in the 2-2 draw with Sweden, the Swedes making their unbeaten record 38 years without defeat to their opponents. The auld enemies from north of the border chose to back minnows Trinidad and Tobago, largely because St. Johnstone (and former Dundee United) patriotically named striker Jason Scotland was playing for them, who gained some respect with a credible goalless draw with Sweden, and then also held England for 83 minutes, until late goals from Peter Crouch and Steven Gerard sealed a 2-0 win.

The two favourites in Group C, Argentina and Holland qualified comfortably, both with seven points after drawing 0-0 in their match. Argentina were declared group winners with a superior goal difference, due to a crushing 6-0 victory over Serbia and Montenegro, who finished without a point, but did put up a good showing in their final match, not only in their 2006 World Cup campaign, but as an international outfit, following the break up of the country, in a 3-2 defeat to the Ivory Coast, who finished a distant third in the pool. A perfect record in Group D saw Portugal progress to the knockout stages in arguably the least tricky section, finishing five points clear of second placed Mexico. World Cup virgins, Angola, had a respectable first tournament, claiming draws with Mexico, and basement side Iran.

The main shocks of the group phase came in pools E and F. Although Italy cakewalked Group E (dropping points only in a one all draw with the U.S.A., the only goal which they conceded in this phase), the runners up were Ghana, who impressed with wins over the Czech Republic and U.S.A. Whilst over in Group F, reigning World Champions Brazil met expectations with three wins from three, but joining them in the next round, following a 32 year absence at the World Cup finals, were Australia. “The Socceroos” impressed with a 3-1 victory over Japan. Their 2-2 draw in the match with Croatia was enough to send them through. However, English referee, Graham Poll, stole their thunder and the back page headlines with a series of controversial decisions. Two players were dismissed for second yellow cards, whilst a third booking for Josip Simunic saw him receive his marching orders … better late than never. Blundering beak Poll subsequently retired from refereeing international fixtures following this debacle. (I’m sure Dom might have some personal memories of Mr Poll he might like to share from his experiences of watching club football !) Japan and Croatia both had tournaments to forget, exiting without a single win between them.

There was no repeat of the nightmare of Japan 2002 for France in Group G, although they were forced into the runners up spot by Switzerland, following draws with the Swiss, and also South Korea, who themselves were unable to replicate their form of the previous tournament, joining pointless Togo on the sidelines at the close of the round robin section. In Group H, Spain looked good, with a perfect win record, scoring eight goals and conceding only one while cruising into the next round. Joining them was Ukraine, leaving Saudi Arabia and Tunisia floundering at the bottom of the group on a point apiece.

So, onto the knockout phase. Two early goals saw Germany cruise into the quarters at the expense of Sweden. A Maxi Rodriguez extra time goal was needed for Argentina to see off a stubborn Mexican outfit after the scores finished level at one-all after ninety minutes, with both goals having come in the opening ten minutes. It looked like Australia were going to force Italy into extra time too, continuing their impressive run, until a controversial penalty for the European outfit saw “The Socceroos” cruelly dumped out, although some might argue that the Italians were unlucky to have been forced to play much of the game with ten men following the early dismissal of centre back Marco Materazzi, in a match continuing the theme of suspect refereeing which had marred a number of matches in the competition. A rather turgid goalless draw in the Switzerland-Ukraine fixture ended up with a penalty shootout, which went in favour of the Ukrainians, as the Swiss failed to convert a single penalty, at the same time earning a dubious place in history as the first team to achieve this feat – however, they also became the first team to be eliminated from a World Cup without conceding any goals. England looked poor in their scraped 1-0 win over Ecuador, once again relying on a David Beckham free kick to progress. A record fifteenth World Cup goal in the 3-0 win over Ghana for Ronaldo saw the Brazilians join the quarter final line up without drama. France came from a goal down to beat the fancied Spain outfit 3-1, with late goals from Patrick Vieira and Zinedine Zidane sealing the win. A memorable match, for perhaps the wrong reasons was the 1-0 victory for Portugal over Holland, with Maniche the scorer. An acrimonious match, that saw a record sixteen bookings and four red cards for bookable offences once again saw referees making the headlines and a lack of discipline souring the face of international football.

I’m getting used to relating the stories of England exiting major tournaments in the knockout stages. (At least there won’t be any of that when it comes to discussing the events of Euro 2008 !) Once again, Luis Felipe Scolari’s Portugal beat the English on penalties in a match dominated by ugly scenes. Wayne Rooney was dismissed, and there was confrontation between him and club team mate Christiano Ronaldo, amongst others on the pitch. The game ended goalless, with Portugal triumphing 3-1 in the shootout, taking them to their first semi final since the days of Eusebio, 40 years previous. It was also the third consecutive international tournament at which the Portuguese had triumphed over the English at the quarter final stage.

In the other quarters, hosts Germany also won on penalties, 4-2 over Argentina in a cagey encounter which had finished at 1-1, with Miroslav Klose’s late equaliser tying the match. Italy swept first time quarter finalists Ukraine aside in a 3-0 hammering with two goals from Luca Toni coming as the Italians stepped up a gear. In a repeat line up of the 1998 final, France once again triumphed over a Brazil side which lacked edge, indeed they only managed one shot on target, while the brilliance of Zinedine Zidane shone through, his dribbling resulting in winning a free kick, duly converted by Thierry Henry, the only goal in a 1-0 win.

After a slow start, and waiting 118 minutes for the opening goal, which came from Fabio Grosso, Italy defeated the hosts Germany 2-0. The second goal coming from veteran Alessandro Del Piero as the Germans pushed forward in a vain endeavour to get to penalty kicks. Portugal succumbed 1-0 to France in the second semi final, and were met by a hostile welcome from the French and English fans, following the unsporting behaviour by Christiano Ronaldo. A penalty in the 33rd minute from Zinedine Zidane was enough to take the French into their second final in the last three World Cup competitions.

Hosts Germany made up for their disappointment a little, with a resounding 3-1 win over Portugal in the third place play off. The final will be remembered for many years to come however. As the theme of both sides scoring early then being deadlocked after ninety minutes continued, the brilliance, and temperament of one man will be remembered for years to come. A slightly contentious penalty was awarded to France after just seven minutes which was converted by Zinedine Zidane. Just twelve minutes later, the Italians equalised, with Marco Materazzi thrashing home from a corner. In a match of spurned chances, the scores were level at 1-1 at the end of ninety minutes. After yet another match at what had been a fantastic swansong World Cup, Zinedine Zidane blotted his copybook after provocation from Materazzi, during the dying minutes of extra time, which saw the fiery Frenchman headbutt the Italian in the chest, which of course led to a straight red card. Even with an extra man, Italy could find no answer to the French, and the game ended in yet another penalty shootout. This ended in a 5-3 penalty victory to Italy, after David Trezeguet failed to convert his spot kick, ironically, he had been the man to put Italy out of the Euro 2000 championships with a golden goal. So Italy were World Cup winners, but almost as much was reported and written regarding the Zidane incident than about the victors themselves, in what, to be fair had been an engrossing and sometimes controversial month of football.

General Sport

Chelsea had waited decades before landing their first Premiership title, and only their second top flight title in the 2004/05 season, but immediately retained it in 2005/06. The 3-0 win over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in April confirmed their win, the eventual margin at the seasons close being an eight point gap over second placed United, with Liverpool in third a further point adrift, and Arsenal a country mile behind on 67 points, to Chelsea’s 91.

It had not all been plain sailing for Chelsea. Despite cruising off into the distance by Christmas, having taken fifteen wins from sixteen games, Mourinho’s men had left the other members of the “Big Four” stuttering somewhat, and it seemed to be all over bar the shouting. However, their eighteen point lead was cut to just seven in little over a fortnight in March, following some mediocre results, at a time when Manchester United went on a ten match winning streak, scoring thirty goals in the process. This run came to a halt with a shock defeat to a lacklustre Sunderland at Old Trafford, which eventually shifted the momentum back in the West London side’s favour.

Arsenal played their last home games at “Highbury” in this season, prior to their move to the “Emirates Stadium”, the last game there being the 4-2 win over Wigan, with a Thierry Henry hat trick providing a memorable farewell for the “Gunners” faithful. In other news, Henry scored 27 goals in the league – more than the entire Sunderland team combined ! Arsenal, despite being off the pace in the title race also recorded the biggest win of this year, with a 7-0 mauling of Middlesbrough in January. Arsenal were the best of the British sides in Europe in 2006, in fact, they reached the final of the Champions League, finally succumbing to Barcelona at the final furlong in a 2-1 defeat. The game was slightly tainted by the early dismissal of keeper Jens Lehmann, and despite this Arsenal took a 1-0 half time lead after a header from Sol Campbell. The dream was ended late on with goals from Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti. The domestic cups were taken by Manchester United (Carling Cup, 4-0 win over Wigan) and Liverpool (F.A. Cup) in a thrilling 3-3 encounter with West Ham, eventually taking the tie down on penalties.

Joining the aforementioned Sunderland in the relegation spots were West Brom and Birmingham, a black year for teams from the “Black Country” ! While Sunderland, who had taken the “Championship” the year previous went down, West Ham and Wigan both survived without too many difficulties, in ninth and tenth respectively, having both been promoted at the start of the year. Coming up to join the big boys in the Premiership, were Championship victors, Reading, who scored 99 goals over the season and scored a record 106 points as runaway leaders. Joining them as runners up were Sheffield United, and appropriately (for once) third placed team Watford, who overcame Leeds United in the play off final.

In Scotland, for the first time in eleven years, the Old Firm were split at the top of the league. Gordon Strachan had taken over as the gaffer at Celtic at the eve of the 2005/06 season, and made an instant impact in taking the title by a gulf of seventeen points over second placed Hearts. Rangers were a further point back in third, despite the best efforts of S.P.L. top scorer Kris Boyd. Livingston had a torrid season, and went down to the First Division with a mere eighteen points and four wins to their name. Replacing them the following season would be Paisley based outfit St. Mirren. The big story in Scottish football in this year though was the meteoric rise of Gretna F.C., who not only had now achieved back to back promotion (having won the Third Division in 2004/05, and then took the Second Division in 2005/06), but also took Hearts all the way to a penalty shootout in the Scottish Cup Final, despite losing out in the lottery of spot kicks, they could console themselves with becoming the first team from the third tier of Scottish football to reach the final. In winning the cup, Hearts were the first non-Old Firm team to lift the cup since their previous win in 1998. There was a more familiar feel to the C.I.S. Cup, where Celtic comfortably saw off Dunfermline 3-0.

There was scandal and controversy in Serie A, after a string of top flight matches were found to be the victims of a match fixing ring. Inter Milan were awarded the league title after initial winners Juventus were thrown out for their involvement in the unsavoury goings on. Juventus were subsequently punished by instant relegation to Serie B (after appeal), other clubs including AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio were initially relegated also, but this was quashed following appeal.

The seventh annual Rugby Union Six Nations Championship saw France take the title in its current guise for the third time, in a close fought series, which was decided on points difference, beating Ireland into second place. Ireland could, however, console themselves with a “Triple Crown” having beaten all of the other home nations. Italy once more took the unwanted booby prize “The Wooden Spoon”, but continued their quiet, yet noticeable improvement, gaining their sole point (and first ever away point) in a draw with Wales. Also, England continued their poor form, finishing fourth, and losing in the Calcutta Cup match, which was Scotland’s first win over their arch rivals since 2000. Scotland were undoubtedly the most improved team of the year, winding up third in the table, with resounding wins over France and England, but let themselves down losing to fifth placed Wales. Domestically, Manchester based club “Sale Sharks” won the Guinness Premiership, “London Wasps” took the Powergen Cup, and Ireland’s Munster romped to the European (Heineken) Cup.

After the euphoria surrounding the 2005 Ashes success, high hopes were held in anticipation of the spring tour to India. Although not a classic series, England won the third test by 212 runs, to level the three match contest. Although by far nothing to shout about, it was in fact their best result on Indian turf for 21 years. In the One Day International world, Ireland became the twenty fourth team to play, and opened their account with a 38 run defeat to England in Belfast. However, there was little for England to cheer in this format, going down to a 5-0 washout by a rampant Sri Lanka. On the domestic front, Sussex won the County Championship, Lancashire the “Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy” and “Leicestershire Foxes” once again got their hands on the “Twenty20” trophy.

Roger Federer was a force to be reckoned with, as he had been in 2005, in the tennis world. As well as taking another Wimbledon title over Spanish rival Rafael Nadal, he also took the Australian Open and U.S. Open. However, at the French Open, Nadal did take victory over Federer. In a sparse season in terms of major finals for the Williams’ sisters, Amelie Mauresmo of France and Belgium’s Justine Henin-Hardenne appeared in the most major finals, with a sole victory in the U.S. final from Maria Sharapova stopping the aforementioned pairings dominance.

British boxing once again proved it could produce world champion fighters, as Welshman Joe Calzaghe defeated American Jeff Lacy by a landslide unanimous decision to land the W.B.O.-I.B.F. Super Middleweight title in March. Tiger Woods once again won two majors – The Open at Royal Liverpool, and the P.G.A. Championship, with Phil Mickelson taking the U.S. Masters and Geoff Ogilvy the U.S. Open. “War of Attrition” took the Cheltenham Gold Cup, while the Grand National was won by “Numbersixvalverde”. Once again, Fernando Alonso and Renault did the double in the Formula One World Drivers and Constructors championships, while finally Valentino Rossi’s stranglehold and domination on the MotoGP title was stalled, at least for a while, as the U.S.A.’s Nicky Hayden won the title for Honda.

So, another year and another post comes to an end. 2006 was, as you can probably tell, a year dominated by politics, pop and penalty shootouts ! 2007, as far as I can recall was an altogether quieter affair, but no doubt when I start digging up the trivia it’ll prove to be a totally different matter. We’ll find out next time !

Thanks for reading,

Mountain Man

Rush Poker

2010-01-19T18:58:00.002Z

Has anyone tried this yet?

Full Tilt's latest innovation is a "high speed" poker format called "Rush Poker", which is an action junkie's wet dream. You stick around in a hand until your own action is complete, then you "rush" over to a different table for a brand spanking new hand.

When playing Rush Poker, you don't even have to act in turn. Let's say you're on the button and it's UTG to speak, you can hit "Quick Fold" and that's you. Rushed off to a brand new table, brand new players, brand new hand. No waiting around for the hand to finish, just action, action, action.

I'd be keen to hear opinions on it. Doesn't the lack of studying opponents take away a winning player's advantage? Doesn't it make it boring? You could just play roulette if you wanted a gamble, surely?

At least the poker big boys are thinking outside the box though. A bit of creativity won't do the industry any harm and it'll be very interesting to see what Stars come up with by way of a response.

Keep on trooping boys. When Tim's finished with his series of reviews, I'm getting stuck into the festival to see if I can get some ante-post winners. Probably going to have a challenge with the Deputy Manager at work too as she's meant to know her stuff, see who can pick the most winners. That'll be closer to the time, but I'll do it for the Troop.

l4t0rz

2005 - Drama & Drunkeness

2010-01-16T15:41:00.024Z

There were once again sombre scenes, as terror attacks dominated the headlines in the summer of this year. However, this time they were uncomfortably close to home, with the London transport system the victim of tragedy. Music saw a year with numerous movers and shakers at the top and a mimed charity single the biggest seller. While in sport, we witnessed a thrilling Champions League final, and an inebriated Director, so 2005, “Lesbie Avenue !” (I’ll explain later if you didn’t get it).

News

The aftermath of the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami was the big topic in much of the early part of the year. The other big talking point in January was a gaffe made by Prince Harry, who made something of a faux-pas by attending a fancy dress party in full Nazi regalia ! He later accepted it was a “poor choice”. Father, Prince Charles was in the news shortly after, when it was confirmed that he was to marry Camilla Parker-Bowles.

Do-gooder television chef Jamie Oliver brought the ugly world of school dinners to the forefront of the news, with his campaign against “turkey twizzlers” in a bid to get the obese youth of today eating green vegetables, and crunching lentils.

In April, tens of thousands of people travelled to The Vatican, to pay their respects to the late Pope John Paul II, who passed away. Much ado was made about the appointment of his predecessor, Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI).

In the early part of the summer, the stars of showbiz dominated the headlines, attracting more interest even than Tony Blair securing a historic third term in office after May’s General Election. Firstly, we learned that Australian soap star turned singer, Kylie Minogue was suffering from breast cancer. Furthermore, Yorkshire Television stalwart, “Countdown” presenter, and general all round good guy, Richard Whiteley died suddenly in June. Also in June, scenes reminiscent of the mudbaths of the mid 90’s at Glastonbury were commonplace as the festival season got underway. Later in the year, we also lost comedy legend Ronnie Barker, while Daniel Craig was announced as the new 007 in the forthcoming James Bond movie. November also saw the passing of flawed genius seventies footballing icon George Best, following several turbulent decades.

Much as 9/11 is remembered for all the wrong reasons, so too is 7/7/2005. A series of suicide attacks by extremist groups upon the London transport network at rush hour brought tragedy and devastation to the city. At 8.50am, three bombs exploded within 30seconds of one another on the Tube, and an hour later a double decker bus too was a victim. In all, 56 people were killed, and over 700 injured. Two weeks later, a further attack failed, but the reverberations of this dreadful day, were of course, far reaching.

New Orleans was hit by devastating storms, as Hurricane Katrina ravaged parts of the U.S.A. This was made all the more tragic by the mass panic, as inhabitants fled the area, leading to chaos and criticism of poor emergency contingency plans.

In the U.K., the big story in December centred around a massive inferno at the “Buncefield Refinery” in which some fuel storage tanks exploded. The fire burned for several days, damaging other industrial units around it, including alcoholic drinks distribution company headquarters “Waverley T.B.S.” sparking a rumour that some pubs (including a well known Dundee snooker hall !) would be short of spirits over the festive period … which thankfully proved to be incorrect !

Music

The first twelve weeks of 2005 saw twelve different number one singles, in a chart of major fluctuation. This was largely thanks to the re-release of many of Elvis Presley’s former hits, three of which made it to number one. However, if the first three months were of rapid change at the top, the next two months were dominated by the Tony Christie song “(Is This The Way To) Amarillo”, which was at the top from 20th March to the 8th May. Interestingly, although this was a charity single for “Comic Relief”, it knocked the official double A-Side from "McFly", “All About You” / “You’ve Got A Friend” off the top after just one week This was largely due to the involvement of Britain’s favourite funnyman, Peter Kay miming the hit alongside a number of big name guest stars in the video.

"Eminem" became the most successful rap artist in the history of the U.K. singles chart with his hit “Toy Soldiers” giving him his sixth number one, sampling the eighties Martika hit of the same name. Also scoring a number one in March, was Welsh indie rock outfit “Stereophonics” with “Dakota”. Although perhaps more recognisable from the later days of nineties “Britpop”, this was actually the trio’s first (and only) U.K. chart topper.

Despite their best days of chart releases and live gigging being over a decade earlier, "Oasis" made a return to the number one spot for a solitary week in May with “Lyla”, hitting the top later in August also, with “The Importance Of Being Idle”. They were a welcome respite from the helium voiced chav-anthem “Lonely” from "Akon", which had two weeks at the top before them, and then the following four weeks were dominated by the loathsome “Crazy Frog” with a toe-curling remix of eighties instrumental anthem “Axel-F”. There is a pattern emerging here – every May and June the record buying public seem to lose their mind and get the most gimmicky, tacky, manure-stenching tracks into the charts. Enough !

If the months of May and June 2005 were remembered for purchases by “Kappa” clad tosspieces, then I’m afraid that the summer months were not much better either. James Blunt made the number one slot his own from early July to mid August with the sickly “You’re Beautiful” finally making it to the top, and stayed there for six weeks, despite lingering about in the top fifteen for six weeks before getting to the top spot.

Autumn saw a few notable debuts, and the return of the biggest selling female artist of all time. “Pussycat Dolls” made an instant impact with their r&b anthem “Don’t Cha”, along with a raunchy video, to become the first American girl band to top the charts since “Destiny’s Child” in 2001. On 23rd October, “The Arctic Monkeys” from Sheffield, surged into the mainstream with their debut single “I Bet That You Look Good On The Dance Floor” storming in at the top, beating off competition from the likes of Robbie Williams. November saw the return of “Madonna” whose single “Hung Up”, with heavy sampling of “Abba” hit “Voulez Vous” sat proudly at the top for three weeks, although the video, featuring the fifty-something gyrating about the streets in a figure hugging pink lycra leotard was not a sight to see on an empty stomach !

The Christmas number one slot was taken by the “X-Factor” winner, Shayne Ward, who displaced the previous weeks number one surprise package “Nizlopi” with “The J.C.B. Song”. Ward’s single “That’s My Goal” became one of the fastest selling singles of all time, shifting 742,180 copies in just four days. The critics were out in force by this time, with reality pop show winners having dominated the Christmas number one slot for the last few years. Still, when you look back, they have to be better than the likes of “Mr Blobby” in 1993. Don’t they !?

Sport

2005 was the year when everyone faced up to the fact that money speaks loudest in football, as Chelsea, funded by the Abramovich millions, and guided tactically by gaffer Jose Mourinho surged to the Premier League title, their first since 1954/55. Chelsea lost just one Premiership game all season, and set a new top flight record of 29 wins and 95 points, taking the victory by twelve points over second placed Arsenal, who were in turn a further six points clear of third placed Manchester United. In fourth were surprise package, Everton, who having only just avoided relegation in the season previous excelled in the league in this year.

In a tense dogfight at the bottom of the table, all three relegation places were not decided until the last day of the season. Eventually, it was Crystal Palace, Norwich and Southampton (following 27 consecutive years in the top flight) who prepared for life in the Championship. Meanwhile, West Brom dodged several bullets to stay up, despite having the worst points record for a surviving team in Premiership history (six wins and 34 points). They were also the first Premiership team to avoid relegation after being bottom of the table at Christmas, and the first top flight side to achieve this feat since Sheffield United in 1991. Winners of the Championship, Sunderland along with Wigan Athletic and play off winners, West Ham (who only finished sixth in the league) were promoted for the following season. Meanwhile, Leeds continued their fall from grace, labouring to fourteenth place in the Championship, following their relegation from the Premiership in the previous season.

Arsenal won the F.A. Cup, beating bitter rivals Manchester United on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes. Patrick Viera scored the decisive spot kick, in what was to be his final game for the “Gunners”, in the first final to be decided in such a way. Earlier in the year, Chelsea had also taken the League Cup, beating Liverpool 3-2 after extra time. Jose Mourinho generated as many headlines as the match itself for taunting the Liverpool fans each time Chelsea scored.

The 2004/05 season also saw some rebranding of the lower leagues. The First Division became the championship, and the second and third divisions becoming League One and League Two respectively. Coca Cola became the major sponsor, replacing the Nationwide Building Society.

Dramatic scenes in the Champions League final saw Liverpool crowned the kings of Europe for a fifth time, beating AC Milan 3-2 on penalty kicks in one of the greatest footballing comebacks of all time, having been 3-0 down at half time. Three quick fire goals in the first fifteen minutes of the second half drew the scores level, and took the game into extra time, and then spot kicks. As Liverpool finished outside of the qualifying slots in the English Premier League, they were allowed to play in the following seasons tournament following much heated debate, meaning five English representatives would be taking part, the only time to date this has happened.

As ever, there were controversial moments in the world of football. Chelsea found themselves in hot water over the “tapping up” saga surrounding eventual new signing Ashley Cole. Harry Redknapp stirred up ill feeling with his former club after leaving as manager of Portsmouth, then joining bitter rivals Southampton only a fortnight later. However, the biggest talking point of the year was the conduct of Norwich City director Delia Smith, after making a preposterous tannoy announcement at half time in the match with Manchester City. I am delighted to say, that I was actually in attendance at this match, and the media reports were in no way exaggerated. Smith had clearly been enjoying the corporate cooking sherry and slurred at the crowd “We need our twelfth man ! Where Are You ? Lesbie Avenue !” ("Let’s Be ‘Aving You”) It has to be said the half time entertainment was far more enjoyable than the match itself.

In Scotland, Celtic faced life without Henrik Larsson, and they missed out on the S.P.L. title by one point to fellow Glasgow outfit Rangers in a dramatic closing day, with Rangers beating Hibernian, while Celtic were beaten by Motherwell, thanks to a late brace from Scott McDonald. Dundee ended a difficult year after drawing with Livingston on the last day, finishing a point shy of eleventh placed Dunfermline, to send them down to the First Division. Falkirk, having finally improved their ground, were able to be promoted to the Premier League at last, having won the First Division. A 1-0 win over Dundee United was enough to see Celtic win the major cup, while Rangers hammered Motherwell 5-1 in the C.I.S. Cup final. It was not a good year in Europe for Scottish club teams, with Rangers failing to make it through the qualifying stages for the Champions League, then going out in the group stage of the UEFA Cup. Celtic crashed out of the Champions League in the group stages after being drawn in a torrid pool, with AC Milan, Barcelona and Shakhtar Donetsk. Hearts made it into the group stages of the UEFA Cup, playing home games at Murrayfield, but made no further progress beyond this, while Dunfermline exited the same competition at the second qualifying round stage.

The Ashes series in 2005 was the biggest sports story of the summer, and England’s heroics made even the biggest detractors of the game show some interest and patriotism as England beat Australia in one of the most enthralling test series ever. Andrew “Freddie” Flintoft became a household name, and like sporting heroes in the previous years was made “BBC Sports Personality of the Year”. Following the opener at Lord’s, it looked like Glenn McGrath’s grim prediction of a 5-0 victory for the Ozzies could well be on the cards, as England crashed to a 239 run defeat, despite skittling the Australian batsmen for 190 in the first innings. England’s reply was only 155, in an action packed first day when an incredible seventeen wickets fell ! However, in one of the most thrilling climaxes to a match ever, England took the second test at Edgbaston by a mere two runs, following a big fightback from Shane Warne and Brett Lee, after Australia found themselves in dire straits in the early stages. The third test ended in stalemate, despite England being in a position of dominance, a third day of prolonged rainfall at Old Trafford putting paid to England’s hopes of taking a lead in the series. It was however the first time in a decade that Australia’s batsmen had been forced to play out a draw against their Ashes rivals. Despite looking the form team, England were still 3/1 outsiders with the bookies to take the series down. Trent Bridge was the setting for the all important fourth test, with a fine three wicket victory for the home team. England should really have sown this one up earlier, after a dominant 477 run first innings, however, they stuttered in the second, and laboured to 129-7, which was enough to dominate the scores racked up by the Australians, who now found themselves in a position, at best, where they could only tie the series with victory in the fifth test. However, this was not to be, as 4/7 favourites England won the Ashes to the jubilation of the “Barmy Army” in the draw at The Oval, the first time they had got their hands on the “Urn” since 1987.

In Rugby Union, the Lions Tour to New Zealand was an unmemorable washout. For the first time in 22 years, the selects lost every test match, as well as the game against New Zealand Maori. In the Six Nations championships, Wales came out of the closet after years in the doldrums, and claimed a huge Grand Slam victory. Italy were back to their habitual hangout at the foot of the table, however, England continued their descent from the summit of the 2003 World Cup, by finishing fourth in the Six Nations, losing to Wales, France and Ireland. The Calcutta Cup triumph over Scotland was scant consolation for a side obviously missing the star performers who had left a rapidly sinking ship.

Just as former dominant Formula One legend Michael Schumacher had done so, promising youngster Fernando Alonso won his first Drivers World Championship for Renault (Schumacher winning with the same team in its Benetton days). His team, Renault also took the Constructors World Championship, at last loosening the Ferrari stranglehold which had dominated both championships in the first half of the decade. At the time, Alonso was the youngest World Champion in the history of the sport. 2005 also saw the final season for several manufacturers, with Sauber, Jordan, BAR and everyone’s favourite minnows, Minardi, bought out at the end of the year. Ferrari struggled for pace, citing their “Bridgestone” tyres to lack the grip of rivals “Michelin”. Schumacher laboured to third in the final points table, with a solitary victory to his name, while Rubens Barrichello, his team mate, looked all at sea in eighth. Once again in motorcycling, Valentino Rossi took the elite MotoGP class, once again with Yamaha power.

Tiger Woods saw a return to form in 2005, winning two majors – the Open at St. Andrews, and The U.S. Masters after a playoff against fellow American Chris DiMarco. In racing, “Hedgehunter” won the Grand National, while “Kicking King” took the feature race at the Cheltenham Festival. On the flat, “Motivator” ridden by Johnny Murtagh romped to victory in “The Derby”. Meanwhile the “Royal Ascot” meeting was held at York’s “Knavesmire” while Ascot was undergoing course improvements. In Snooker’s World Championship, a close fought final went in favour of Shaun Murphy, eventually beating Matthew Stephens 18-16. It was another successful Wimbledon for Roger Federer, beating Andy Roddick in the men’s finals, Federer also adding a victory over Andre Agassi in the U.S. Open final to his c.v. in 2005. Venus Williams took the women’s singles at Wimbledon, while sister Serena won the ladies final at the Australian Open.

Well, 2005 had it all. Triumph and tragedy. Laughter and tears. 2006 follows, which as far as I remember was a year which I faced some big lows but also some really enjoyable moments in my own life, during what was to be my swansong year of a decade of living the student life in Dundee. More importantly, what did the wider picture bring ? Keep an eye on this page, I’ll bring you all the retro news you could ever wish for !

Thanks for reading,
Mountain Man

Animated Reptiles & The Good Memories Too - 2004

2010-01-12T15:46:00.039Z

At the conclusion of my last post, I stated that researching the events of 2004 would be interesting, because I couldn’t remember much about it. Well, to my horror, 2004 (and also 2005) yields some of the most disturbing personal memories for me.

The fellow “Scoop Troop” members know only too well that I used to manage a snooker hall in Dundee during 2004 - 2006. To pass the time during quiet day shifts, I used to tune the t.v.’s into Music Channels. 2004 was the year of the most irritating advertisements ever, in my opinion ! “Crazy Frog” and “Sweetie the Chick” and other mindless creations of that ilk used to drive me to distraction, and looking back at this year has brought all those bad memories back ! But surprisingly, 2004 was actually a memorable year for some decent reasons too. Let’s step back six years, and check it out …

News

Terror reigned in Spain in 2004. On March 11th, bomb blasts tore through a number of trains at rush hour, the death toll totalled almost 200. Spain’s government was accused of suppressing evidence that Islamic extremists were responsible. In the aftermath of these events, just days later the Socialists took a surprise election victory.

Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan passed away. There was a national funeral in June, held in Washington. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat also died in this year, on the 11th November in Paris. His body was returned to the West Bank town of Ramallah, where thousands of Palestinians paid their last respects.

The Cornish village of Boscastle was struck by torrential rainfall in the late summer. Six inches of precipitation fell in a two hour period, leaving a trail of devastation as waterways burst their banks, and sewers flooded. Many homes and businesses were ruined by the flood waters, which took days to subside.

“Fathers 4 Justice” mounted their campaigns around the country. An outburst in York Minster where two vagabonds dressed as “Superman” left worshippers stunned as they took to the lectern. Elsewhere, another member of the group, Jason Hatch donned a “Batman” suit and scaled the walls of Buckingham Palace, one of a series of events in this year highlighting the lax security surrounding the Royal Family.

The year ended on a sad note, with catastrophic loss of life when a tsunami struck numerous countries around the Indian Ocean. Homes and livelihoods were shattered, and tens of thousands were killed.

Although it was not until 2005 / 06 when it really dominated the share of “Social Networking” sites, “Facebook” was launched in February of 2004. Despite having tens of millions of users worldwide, it was not until September 2009 that the site first turned over a profit.

And finally … in Dundee, Scotland, a new student poker society was formed in September of this year. “D.U.P.S.” (Dundee University Poker Society) was fashioned in the summer vacation of 2004, and had a successful opening season, fronted by the “Scoop Troop’s” very own Dom Field. Founder members included shady characters such as Will Walsh, Neil Stephenson and Iain Boxer. Good times.

Music

I opened this posting voicing my disgust at the musical equivalent of syrup of figs, namely the “Crazy Frog”. Unfortunately, the vast majority of U.K. number one singles during this year were of a similar quality. It was ironic, that in such a poor year for music, we lost one of the true promoters of new music, former Radio 1 D.J. John Peel, who passed away in October.

The first new number one of the year came from portly Glaswegian, Michelle McManus, with “All This Time” which succeeded Gary Jules, the Christmas 2003 number one, and hung in at the top until the 1st February. McManus, the winner of the second series of reality show “Pop Idol” stayed at the top for three weeks, but soon faded into obscurity. The runners up, Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes joined forces for a cover of “The Beatles’” classic “With A Little Help From My Friends”, which went in for a short spell at the top in mid February.

In March, the hugely successful five piece boyband “Westlife” became a four piece, after Brian McFadden left to pursue a solo career, having a number one later in the year with “Real To Me”. "Westlife" continued to have success for some time after, including the first ever “U.K. Download Chart Number One” in September with “Flying Without Wings”. However, downloads were not recognised in the official music charts until 2005.

In April and May, the top of the singles charts was dominated by what could only be described as dross, and it seems as if the record buying public had certainly taken leave of their senses, for a while at least ! Firstly “Eamon” hit the top spot for a long four week stint, in a profanity-ridden tirade entitled “F**k It (I Don’t Want You Back)”. In fact, it even beat the Smokie and Roy “Chubby” Brown single of 1995 “Living Next Door To Alice” for the most expletives used in a number one single. Following this tawdry dirge, an equally lewd “answer” song from “Frankee” took over from “Eamon” at the head of the hit parade with “F**k You Right Back” ! It remained at the top for three weeks, but sold less than half the number of copies as the predecessor. Both artists released further singles, which flopped, relegating them to one hit wonder status, alongside the likes of Mathew Wilder, “Rednex” and Joe Dolce !

Several popular bands and artists from years gone by made notable comebacks in 2004. Eighties “New Romantic” icons “Duran Duran” were very well received, as were “The Cure”, “Depeche Mode” and former “Smiths” frontman “Morrissey”, who all released top ten singles. Also, after getting back into the limelight, Peter Andre re-released his 1996 cheese-fest “Mysterious Girl”, this time getting it all the way to the top of the charts.

Dance remixes of previous “classic” chart hits were big in 2004. In February, "L.M.C." rehashed former U2 hit “With Or Without You” to produce “Take Me To The Clouds Above” which hit the top for a fortnight in February. One of the biggest hits of the year came from Swedish producer, Eric Prydz, who reworked the 1982 Steve Winwood track “Valerie” to become “Call On Me”. This song, with a very suggestive video took a total of six weeks at number one in September and October, although they were broken up by Robbie Williams “Radio” after three weeks, before returning to the top for their second three week stint a week later. Other notable number ones were cover tracks (although not dance versions), such as the “Girls Aloud” take on “The Pretenders” 1994 track “I’ll Stand By You”, which was then followed by the biggest seller of the year with “Band Aid 20’s” updated release of “Do They Know It’s Christmas ?” which stayed at the top for the whole of December.

Sport

It was a European Championships year in the world of international football, but no one could have predicted the eventual outcome of this tournament. We had the usual armchair experts telling us that it would finally be Spain’s year, and the Germans would walk it. And of course, the usual England tabloid trash, of how the “38 years of hurt” (as it was then) would be coming to an end. Certainly no one tipped the 150/1 outsiders Greece to get all the way to the final, let alone beat the superstar laced Portugal outfit in their own back yard. The Greeks arrived at Euro 2004 having never won a match whatsoever in a major tournament, yet this was almost forgotten by the time Angelos Charisteas scored the only goal in a 1-0 win in the final. Their tournament started and finished with wins over Scolari’s Portugal, in an action packed month of football.

The “big names” tended not to fare so well in Euro 2004. Spain and Russia both exited the tournament as third and fourth placed teams in Group A, while Portugal and Greece went through. While there were fewer surprises in Group B, England managed to throw away a 1-0 lead in the match against France, to concede a free kick followed by a penalty, both of which were converted by Zinedine Zidane, the French seizing victory from the jaws of defeat. However, both teams qualified from the group (the French erasing some of the pain of World Cup 2002). Wayne Rooney was instrumental in helping the English to a 3-0 win over Switzerland and a 4-2 defeat of Croatia. Group C saw a three way tie at the top, with Sweden, Italy and Denmark all level on points, having drawn with one another, and beating their other opponent, Bulgaria. Italy went out in slightly contentious circumstances after Denmark and Sweden drew 2-2, with the Italians citing it as match fixing, although this was not proven. The final pool, Group D saw the Czech Republic and Holland go through, with the biggest fallers being Germany. The Czech’s were the only team in the group stages to win all their matches, the pick of the bunch being a 3-2 win over Holland. In fact, I remember myself and old adversary Ross MacMahon enjoying a good return in the bookies after putting a “Holland Half Time, Czech Republic Full Time” bet on, which duly came in !

At the quarter final round, England looked good for their money in the early stages, with Michael Owen notching after only two minutes in the match against Portugal. However, negative tactics from Goran-Eriksson and pressure from Portugal saw Helder Postiga equalise in the 83rd minute. A perfectly good headed effort from Sol Campbell was ruled out in the dying moments, then the match went to extra time. Both sides scored, but with the score level at 2-2 after 120 minutes, it went to the lottery of penalty kicks. These of course, ended 6-5 in Portugal’s favour, the decisive miss coming from Darius Vassell, while goalkeeper Ricardo was the star of the show, scoring the winning penalty. Greece put France out at this stage with a 1-0 win, making a little bit more history, in becoming the first team to defeat both the hosts and the holders in a single tournament. Holland and Sweden played out a goalless 120 minutes, with the Dutch progressing after a 5-4 win in the shootout. Milan Baros scored a fine brace as the Czech Republic swept Denmark aside in a 3-0 hammering.

In the first semi final, Holland and Portugal squared up in an entertaining fixture. Portugal went 2-0 up, with Christiano Ronaldo, who had impressed throughout, scoring from a corner, while Maniche doubled the lead with a spectacular effort. An own goal from Jorge Andrade gave the Netherlands a glimmer of hope, but it was not to be, the match ending 2-1. In the other tie, the Czech Republic’s unbeaten run came to a stuttering halt by the seemingly unstoppable Greeks when Traianos Dellas headed the winning goal in the dying moments of the first half of extra time. This went down as a “Silver Goal”, the first and only one to date in a European Championships game. Days later the dream was completed, while the Portuguese faced a “Greek Tragedy” in the final.

General Sport

Arsenal romped to another Premiership title, with eleven points their winning margin over Chelsea. The Gunners created history in this year by going the whole season unbeaten in the league. The last time a team had gone unbeaten in a top flight league was in 1888/89, when Preston achieved this feat. The closest Arsenal came to losing being in a goalless draw at Old Trafford, where Ruud van Nistelrooy missed a last minute penalty, in a match soured by ugly scenes, resulting in a huge fracas on the pitch. Arsenal’s Lauren was banned for four matches, Martin Keown for three games and Ray Parlour for one. Manchester United’s Christiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs were also fined for their behaviour in the aftermath of the game. The match is also well remembered for the rumoured bust up after the game, when United gaffer Sir Alex Ferguson was hit in the face by a pizza and some soup, launched at him by angered Arsenal players !

Manchester United won the F.A. Cup, comprehensively beating Millwall 3-0 in the final. Other than that, it was a bad year for the “Red Devils”. Finishing third in the league was below par by their standards, as was going out in the knockout stages of the Champion's League to eventual winners Porto (the reigning U.E.F.A. Cup holders), which elevated the worldwide status of their manager, Jose Mourinho. Arsenal lost out in the quarter finals of the competition to city rivals Chelsea, who themselves were on the end of a beating in the semi finals to French outfit Monaco. After the megabucks spent at the West London club, a runners up spot in the Premiership was not quite what owner Roman Abramovich had in mind, and coach Claudio Ranieri was given his marching orders at the end of the season, and the aforementioned Jose Mourinho was duly employed to spearhead the 2004/05 campaign. Another high profile manager to be given his cards in this year was the Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier, who cleared his desk after six memorable years at the helm of the Merseyside club, and was replaced swiftly by Valencia boss Rafael Benitez, whose C.V. boasted U.E.F.A. Cup wins and the La Liga title. The Carling Cup was taken by Middlesbrough with a 2-1 win over Bolton, their first major trophy for 128 years !

The summer of 2004 warrants a mention for transfer activity of mammoth proportions, Wayne Rooney, the 18 year old revelation of Euro 2004 left boyhood heroes Everton for Manchester United in a £27million deal in the final hours of the August transfer window, while Chelsea shelled out £24million for Marseille striker Didier Drogba, and £20million on Porto defender Ricardo Carvalho in a big hitting double whammy !

In Scotland, Henrik Larsson bid an emotional and successful farewell to Celtic after seven glorious seasons. “The Hoops” took the Scottish Premier League, and also the Scottish Cup, beating Dunfermline 3-1 in the final, with the super Swede hitting the back of the net twice, to take his tally for the season to 41. This made his exemplary record of 242 goals in 315 appearances for Celtic, truly an inspirational and outstanding player. The C.I.S. Cup was taken by underdogs Livingston, with a 2-0 win over Hibernian, in a season where Rangers did not feature strongly in any competition.

Going down from the top flight were Wolverhampton Wanderers (one season wonders); Leicester City, and the troubled Leeds United. It is particularly hard to believe that just three seasons after their Champions League semi final appearance, they were relegated to the second tier of English football, with even worse times still to come in the near future. Norwich and West Brom won automatic promotion from the First Division, while Crystal Palace joined them after beating West Ham in the play offs.

It was a year in which many football clubs came unstuck with their finances, as large transfer spending and huge player wage bills, coupled with lower attendances finally got the better of several clubs in the 2003/04 season. One such club was Dundee F.C., after several seasons of living outwith their means, they went into administration in November 2003, with the axe wielding over former stars Georgi Nemsadze, Craig Burley, Julian Speroni, Juan Sara, Beto Carranza and Fabrizio Ravanelli, to name just a few, leaving a skeletal squad of youngsters to fight for survival in the S.P.L. Although they finished a creditable seventh in the league, the same could not be said the following season when they went down with just 33 points, and remain in the First Division to this day. A harsh lesson which many other clubs failed to learn from.

Aside from Euro 2004, the largest sporting event of the year was the Olympic Games, staged in Athens. It was a successful fortnight for “Team G.B.”, bringing home a haul of thirty medals, including nine gold. Britain based their successes in the disciplines of rowing, equestrian, cycling and sailing. However, the highlight of the success came in the 800m and 1500m, with star of the team, Kelly Holmes taking gold medals in both events. In cycling, Bradley Wiggins won three medals, the first Briton to achieve such a haul since 1964, while fellow countryman Chris Hoy took gold in cycling also. Matthew Pinsent took his fourth Olympic rowing title in a dramatic photo finish with the Canadian team. Overall, an Olympic fortnight to remember for all the right reasons.

Just as in 2003, Jonny Wilkinson occupied more column inches than any other Rugby Union star. However, he played in only seven competitive matches during the season, none of which were for England. The legacy of England’s triumph down under left the superstar nursing a career-threatening injury, which culminated in requiring surgery. With the loss of Wilkinson, and the retirement of inspirational captain, Martin Johnson amongst others, England were only third best in Europe following the Six Nations, following losses to both Ireland and France. Ireland enjoyed a good tournament, landing their first “Triple Crown” in 19 years, the win over England at Twickenham being the highlight of their campaign, while Wales too, showed signs of resurgence. It was Scotland left propping up the group, their “Wooden Spoon” fate compelled by a defeat to Italy in Rome, in a less than predictable tournament.

Horse Racing lived up to its titles in this year. The Jump season was all action, while the Flat season, was, well, er, flat ! At Cheltenham, it was a third Gold Cup for “Best Mate”, in perhaps his least convincing victory, but none the less an emotional one, 2004 was the last staging of a three day festival, 2005 was to see the event balloon to a fourth day. Two weeks later, at the Grand National, “Amberleigh House” took the honours in the big race.

It was a successful year for Ronnie O’Sullivan in snooker, landing his second World Championship, and also the Welsh Open. However, rivalling O’Sullivan for media attention was hot property, newcomer Stephen Maguire, he came into the sport as a virtual unknown at the start of 2004, and by the end of the year ended as world number three, the highlight of his year being a win in the British Open in December at York’s Barbican Centre. Yorkshireman, Paul Hunter won his third U.K. Masters tournament in four years, with a close fought 10-9 victory over O’Sullivan in the final, while Peter Ebdon won his first ranking title since the 2002 World Championship, with victory in the Irish Masters.

Formula One, a sport never far away from politics endured another challenging year. While Michael Schumacher coasted round to an unprecedented seventh World Championship, off track bickering over the escalating costs of the sport were reaching a head. However, this did little to deter Ferrari, winning 15 races, 13 of which were taken by Schumacher, the other two from team mate Rubens Barrichello. Williams and McLaren both produced poor cars, and their expected challenge faltered, while BAR-Honda and Renault were the best of the rest. In MotoGP, once again Valentino Rossi swept the board in motorcycle racings premier class, despite having transferred to the struggling Yamaha team at the start of the year. He took the first title for the manufacturer since 1992. In World Superbikes, Britain saluted their new World Champion, Sheffield’s James Toseland, who won the title for Ducati.

In a rare feat of brilliance, the England cricket team won eight consecutive test matches, with Andrew “Freddie” Flintoft and Ashley Giles both taking starring roles, beating New Zealand, the West Indies and a brilliant seven wicket victory over South Africa, all on their own grounds. On the county scene, Warwickshire’s batsmen dominated to land their first title since 1995, while Glamorgan took the Totesport One Day League. Leicestershire Foxes won the Twenty20 Cup, now into its second year, beating Surrey in the final, the format attracting legions of new fans, and disgusting some of the older enthusiasts of the game.

17 year old Amir Khan, the big British boxing success of the Athens Olympics dominated the news scene from the noble art, battering his way to a silver medal, following defeat in the final to Cuban Mario Kindelan. In Golf, the shift of power moved away from the U.S.A. in the world rankings, with a thumping win for the European’s on American soil, and Fiji’s Vijay Singh had a fantastic year, winning nine tournaments to top the world rankings table. That is not to say it was a good year for European golfers in the individual disciplines. It was now over five years since a European had won one of the majors (the last being Paul Lawrie at the Open, Carnoustie, in 1999), and only Spain’s Sergio Garcia and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington were ranked in the top ten World Golfers in this year. In tennis, Roger Federer was the star of the season, becoming the first man since Mats Wilander in 1988 to land three Grand Slams in one season. Despite his usual mediocrity at Wimbledon (going out in a poor display in the quarter finals to Mario Ancic), Tim Henman enjoyed his best season to date, while Greg Rusedski fought back following a difficult winter after clearing his name in alleged doping charges, to claw his way back up the ranking tables. After starting the season at 168, he moved back into the top 50 by the close of the season.

So, after stating that I couldn’t remember much about 2004, and beginning to wonder if I would find enough material, I’m actually thinking I may have found too much ! From a personal view, I enjoyed this year, it was one of good sporting memories, and I saw a lot of sport, albeit from the bar at Hustler’s ! I still can’t forgive that damned “Crazy Frog” though. Next, it’s 2005 … “Let’s Be ‘Aving You !”

Thanks for reading,

Mountain Man

BDO darts

2010-01-09T13:36:00.002Z

Hello all. Been a stranger recently in terms of posts but have been enjoying the contributions and will be posting more this year. Must say I'm enjoying Tim's run downs of the last decade. Can't believe how long ago some of these things happened now!

Anyway a quick tip for you in the BDO darts today.

John O'Shea at 2.02 (Betfair) to beat Dave Chisnell

While O'Shea is a journeyman of sorts he is solid and consistent. Chisnell or "Chiz" as the morons call him is the new kid on the block and has a lot of hype around him. Chisnell has played some exceptional darts in parts but equally has played some shocking stuff and has bottled a number of doubles. O'Shea will punish these misses and although I expect a tight match I reckon O'Shea should be a shorter price and am backing him accordingly.

2003: Politics Fail To Overshadow England's Sporting Jubilation !

2010-01-08T16:40:00.022Z

Viewers tuning into the news were greeted with shocking scenes in March 2003 this year, as pictures of bombs exploding over Iraq were seen day after day. A year in which the news was governed by politics, at least there was a little more to cheer in the sports world, although that too was overshadowed at times by off pitch wrangling. Another year in the chapter of the noughties … here goes !

News

At the start of the year, it was clear that the threat of war in Iraq was around the corner. In London, on the 15th February, more than two million people marched the streets to demonstrate against the conflict, by far the largest protest ever in Britain.

Although the “Gulf War” officially ended in the mid nineties, trouble was never far away, and in March 2003, allied forces invaded Iraq, to rid the country of “weapons of mass destruction”. The invasion went on for the best part of three months, and although notorious leader Saddam Hussein was executed in 2006 after being found in hiding, the country still remains dangerous to this day.

The 3rd May saw the “Scottish Parliamentary Election 2003” and the “Welsh Assembly Election”. The Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition, led by Jack McConnell won the majority of seats north of the border, retaining their position as leaders. The Scottish Green Party and Scottish Socialist Party, however, both significantly increased their representation, while the Tory Party’s popularity continued to wane. In Wales, the Labour Party remained in power, with few surprises there.

Ian Huntley, the brutal Soham killer, was at the centre of the news. In a turbulent week in June, he took an overdose, from which he recovered without lasting damage. The following Sunday, the “News of the World” reported a crisis in prison security, after one of their undercover reporters was able to gain employment as Huntley’s guard, and took photographs from within his cell.

The High Court in Glasgow imposed a minimum sentence of 27 years imprisonment on Al Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, the Libyan convicted of bombing “Pan-Am Flight 103” over Lockerbie in 1988. He served just six years, being released in Autumn 2009, apparently suffering from terminal illness.

The U.K.’s first toll motorway, the “M6 Toll”, through part of the West Midlands Conurbation opened on 9th December. It is still the only toll motorway to date in the U.K.

Music

Single sales in the U.K. took a huge 34% plummet in 2003 from the previous year, in fact it was the first year since 1993 where there was not a million seller. This saw less movement and more stagnation in the charts, whereas in previous years it had not been uncommon for singles to sell hundreds of thousands, be at number one for a week and exit the charts less than four weeks later.

Controversy and outrage prevailed amongst the militant groups after Russian teen “lesbians” “t.A.T.u” with their hit “All The Things She Said” went straight in at number one in February, and stayed there for a month. The video was said to be too raunchy, with scenes of the two girls kissing passionately, although it was later revealed that this was no more than a publicity stunt, which clearly worked.

Manufactured pop did well again in 2003, with the likes of “Girls Aloud” seeing in the New Year with their debut “Sound of The Underground”, Gareth Gates, in a collaboration with unfunny television “family” the “Kumars” had a number one with the official “Comic Relief” single, a cover of Norman Greenbaum’s “Sprit In The Sky”. Boyband (who actually also played some token instruments), “Busted” had two number ones this year, both for a week each, firstly “You Said No” in April, and then “Crashed the Wedding” in November. Will Young also enjoyed another successful year with “Leave Right Now” hitting the top spot at the end of November.

Alternative metal band “Evanescence” had a debut number one in June, which stayed at the number one for four weeks, entitled “Bring Me To Life”, they also had three other top ten hits during the year. The biggest anthem of the summer however, was the uplifting hit “Crazy In Love” from Beyonce. Later in the year, after being used in a rather amusing Sky Sports commercial, Elton John scored only his third U.K. number one single with an updated version of “Are You Ready For Love ?” His reign at the top was ended after just one week, though, by the biggest selling track of the year, “Where Is The Love ?” by “The Black Eyed Peas”. It stayed there for six weeks, the longest time a single had been at the top since Cher’s “Believe” in 1998.

The race for Christmas number one was a dour affair, with some rather second rate “festive” hits vying for the title, including Bill Nighy with “Christmas Is All Around”, “Proper Chrimbo” from Avid Merrion, Sir Cliff Richard with “Santa’s List” and “The Darkness” with the slightly sordid sounding “Christmas Time – Don’t Let The Bells End”. However, the battle for the top spot ended up being between a collaboration between father and daughter Ozzy and Kelly Osbourne with “Changes” and a remake of the 1982 “Tears For Fears” hit “Mad World” from Gary Jules, the latter eventually taking the honour.

Sport

After the excitement of the World Cup in 2002, the world of football was of course slightly less chaotic in 2003, but none-the-less still spawned some contentious stories, as well as the usual tales of glory and woe for those at either end of the tables.

One of the biggest talking points in the football world was the saga which surrounded Manchester United’s superstar defender Rio Ferdinand, after he failed to show up to a random drug’s test. His “forgetfulness” resulted in an eight month ban from taking part in all fixtures, which stretched into the start of 2004.

October 2003 saw England qualify for the 2004 European Championships, the goalless draw against Turkey in Istanbul cementing their place. The match is well remembered for a melee in the tunnel at half time, where Alpay taunted David Beckham, which effectively drove the Turk out of Aston Villa and the Premiership. Controversy on the International scene once more prevailed in the match against Denmark at Elland Road, when Alan Smith launched a bottle into the crowd which had landed on the pitch. However, on the field, Goran-Eriksson guided the team to a period of stability and consistency. Mark Hughes guided Wales to the play offs for Euro 2004, but went out to Russia, while Berti Vogts Scotland took a memorable 1-0 win over Holland at Hampden Park in the first leg of their play off match, but were crushed 6-0 in the return leg.

Chelsea F.C. were the beneficiaries of pennies from heaven, with the takeover of their club by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, whose chequebook shaped the face of football as we know it today, and earned the West Londoners the nickname “Chelski”. Ken Bates sold the Blues for £140million, which totally changed the face of a club who up until then, had been knocking on the door of the administrators. £100million was spent in the summer of 2003, to mount a serious title challenge in the 2003/04 season.

Manchester United bounced back from their third placed Premiership finish of 2001/02, to regain the crown in 2003, in a dogged battle with the previous year’s winners, Arsenal. However, the Gunners did take the F.A. Cup, with a 1-0 victory over Southampton. United’s Premiership title was assured following a Leeds United victory over Arsenal at Highbury. However, this was a season to forget for Leeds – Terry Venables was sacked after eight months at the helm, along with a mass cull of playing staff. His successor, Peter Reid was given even less time. The season ended in disaster for the Elland Road outfit, with debts of £80million and talk of administration, and finishing fifteenth, a less than comfortable five points from the drop zone.

Elsewhere, Liverpool took a deserved 2-0 win in the Worthington Cup over Manchester United. A fairly bland Champions League final between Juventus and AC Milan was played out at Old Trafford, with AC eventually triumphing on penalties. The Premiership said farewell, for the time being at least, to West Ham, West Brom and Sunderland, and welcomed Portsmouth, Leicester City and fifth placed First Division Club, Wolverhampton Wanderers, who took victory over third placed Sheffield United in the play offs. The biggest transfer news of the season was David Beckham’s £25million move from Manchester United to Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Celtic had a fantastic season in Europe, but not so memorable on the domestic front. They got all the way to the U.E.F.A. Cup final in Seville, casting aside the likes of Liverpool and Blackburn along the way. Approximately 70,000 Bhoys made the trip to Spain, only to see Martin O’Neill’s team go 3-2 down after extra time, to Jose Mourinho’s Porto. Perhaps it was the distraction of Europe, but Celtic had no answer to Alex McLeish’s Rangers, who claimed a rampant treble to dominate the Scottish football scene, although the teams did finish level on 97 points apiece in a thrilling climax to the season. Basement club Motherwell could also breathe a sigh of relief, avoiding relegation as First Division winners, Falkirk, could not be promoted as their stadium did not meet the criteria for entry to the S.P.L.

The biggest sporting story, certainly in the British Isles, of 2003 was the Rugby Union World Cup, and a memorable victory in the final for England, the first Northern Hemisphere team to lift the trophy. Jonny Wilkinson, the hero of the competition became very much a household name, his drop goal in the dying minutes of Extra Time against Australia, helping to secure the Webb-Ellis trophy. The England fans, at least, could forgive him for his error in the 2001 deciding Lions test ! The victory brought England its first major sporting trophy since the Football World Cup in 1966.

However, it was not all sugar coated fairytale stuff in this event. The tournament had critics from all corners. Some of the pool matches were seen as farcical and a waste of time, with the likes of minnows Namibia and Uruguay shipping over 100 points in single matches. While there were no major surprises in the group stages, at times all of the home nations looked shaky. Wales were pushed all the way by Tonga, Scotland were mediocre in their victory over Fiji, and England looked nothing more than ordinary while scraping a win over Samoa. As it happened, the predicted quarter-final line-ups were spot on as Australia took on Scotland, France lined up against Ireland, New Zealand faced South Africa and England were pitted against Wales. France, with the inspirational Fly Half, Frederic Michalak, looked impressive, and looked like the team to beat, however, they met their match in an all-singing, all-dancing England in the semi finals, and Michalak froze under the pressure. The stage was set for a grudge match between old adversaries England, and Australia, who had defeated New Zealand 22 points to 10 in the other semi. England took a lead of 14-5 into half time, but an Australia fight back saw the scores level in the final after eighty minutes. Deep into extra time, and only 26 seconds from sudden death, England surged forward and Wilkinson made his move. The ball left his boot … and the rest is history ! Except to add that for his outstanding contribution, Wilkinson was subsequently made BBC Sports Personality of 2003.

Earlier in the season, England had dominated the Six Nations tournament with a Grand Slam showdown in a match against Ireland which they duly won. At the other end of the table, Wales looked very sorry for themselves, taking the wooden spoon, losing to Italy (who had not won in the Six Nations since their debut match against Scotland in 2000) in their opener, then never took off after that in a lacklustre display.

There was another World Cup in 2003, though, in which Australia were triumphant. They beat India by 125 runs in the final of the Cricket World Cup, held in South Africa. Unlike the Rugby Union equivalent, there were some surprises to be had, with the likes of England, Pakistan, West Indies and hosts South Africa failing to make it to the “Super 6” stage, while Zimbabwe and Kenya did so, indeed the latter making it all the way to the semi finals. England made life hard for themselves, deciding against playing Zimbabwe in Harare for political reason, with fears over safety and terror being paramount, thus forfeiting points. Similarly, the Kiwi’s felt that their match in Nairobi could be treacherous against Kenya, and too conceded the game, while contentious rules over games hit by rain ruined chances for South Africa and the West Indies to capitalise and marred their tournaments. Although there were celebrations in Australia following their homecoming parade, the biggest cheers were definitely reserved for the heroes welcome in Nairobi for the non-test side, Kenya.

Elsewhere in cricket, opinions were divided by the coming of the “Twenty20” game, with a focus on all-action, entertainment packed cricket, with Surrey taking the inaugural County Cup.

It may have looked like motorsport faced the same year of turgid dominance in Formula One and MotoGP, as Michael Schumacher of Ferrari, and Honda’s Valentino Rossi dominated their respective sporting arenas. However, in taking his record clinching sixth world title, Schumacher had to demonstrate all his brilliance after a resurgent season from McLaren and Williams. Three young drivers shone in this year, namely Kimi Raikkonen, Juan-Pablo Montoya, and rookie Renault pilot Fernando Alonso, one to watch in the future, perhaps ? While Rossi shook off the challenge of Honda team mate Sete Gibernau, his decision to leave the all conquering outfit in favour of Japanese rivals Yamaha for the following season generated as much debate as the racing itself.

In other sports news, the Athletics world was dogged with controversy surrounding the usage of performance enhancing drugs, namely steroids. The biggest name to be banned in the aftermath was British sprint star Dwain Chambers. Lennox Lewis was still king of the ring, successfully defending his W.B.C. Heavyweight Championship title against Vitali Klitschko in June, but he laboured to victory, and many were left debating whether or not he would be retiring from the sport in the near future. In golf, the major story was of Tiger Woods failing to secure a single Major victory for the first time since 1998. The Open, held at Royal St. George’s was won by little known American Ben Curtis, after Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn threw away a three shot lead with just four holes left. In snooker, Welshman Mark Williams dominated, winning all four major competitions, the first man to take the unofficial “grand slam” since Stephen Hendry in 1990. A rather rain hampered fortnight at Wimbledon saw Roger Federer emerge as the men’s singles champion, and an all Williams final in the ladies singles saw Serena triumph over sister Venus. Tim Henman crashed out in the quarters to the usual disappointment of the crowds on “Henman Hill”, while fellow countryman Greg Rusedski went out to Federer, after which he stunned the media and crowds with a four letter tirade ! In racing “Best Mate” retained the Cheltenham Gold Cup, while “Persian Punch” rolled back the years in dominating the flat season.

Had it not been for the conflict in Iraq, then 2003 could be looked back in most instances as being a year to remember, at least for bringing some of the less desirable criminals to justice. Certainly, it is a year English Rugby fans will always look back upon with fond memories. Next up is 2004, I have no idea what to expect, and the research will be interesting for this one ! Did nothing happen that year, or was it that I was too immersed in beer and poker to be bothered with the outside world ? I guess we’ll find out next time !

Thanks for reading,

Mountain Man

Turning Japanese & Manufactured Pop ... Must Be 2002 !

2010-01-05T21:47:00.014Z

As a new year dawned, so too did a hope that there would be a renewed optimism and a fresh start. 2001 had been a dreadful year both home and abroad; the threat of terror still loomed, however, more encouragingly it looked like the “Foot and Mouth” epidemic was finally under control.

News

The big news story of the summer in the U.K. was the tragic Soham murders where two innocent schoolgirls were cruelly killed by their school caretaker. 16 months later, he was jailed for their murders.

Britain could breathe more easily, and restrictions were lifted as the country was declared free of “Foot and Mouth” disease in January. However, the lasting damage had already been done to the Farming and Tourist industry alike, and many businesses had already gone under the previous year.

A common sight in the dark Autumn evenings was that of picketing firefighters, huddled around braziers in towns and cities across the U.K. This was the biggest industrial clash for over a decade, as Unions battled during the year for a substantial increase in basic salary for its members. Talks between the government and union beaks were not fruitful, and there were infamous scenes of ageing “Green Goddess” fire appliances, which were manned by members of the armed forces. The dispute and 48 hour strikes continued beyond the end of the year, and were finally resolved early in 2003.

Although 2002 is widely remembered for the death of the Queen Mother on the Saturday of Easter weekend, not so many remember that her daughter, Princess Margaret also died just seven weeks earlier, in February. As a nation “mourned” its loss, and began to sympathise with the Royal family, in ways not previously seen since before the tragic death of Princess Diana in 1997, a scandal was to hit the House of Windsor. Paul Burrell, the former butler to Diana was cleared of theft, following a bitter legal dispute, and once again, stormy waters surrounded the Royals, in a trying year.

Music

2002 was undoubtedly the year when the face of the U.K. music scene changed massively. Previously, back in 1993, "Mr Blobby" bridged a pretty murky gulf between the pop charts and Saturday evening television, his visit (to the music scene at least) was brief. However, the flirtation between tv and music was to set deep foundations in 2002, which have continued to flourish to this day. Gone were the days of dodgy Michael Bolton wannabes (who were Greengrocers and the like by day) who donned a wig for three minutes of fame on “Stars In Their Eyes”, because the ITV reality show “Pop Idol” hit the screen in 2002, and was an instant hit. When you get the media onside, and with the British public hungry for the reality format, the show (and its spin offs in various guises) was onto a sure fire winner. Although “Popstars” ran in 2001, and generated two successful bands (“Hear ‘Say” and “Liberty X”), “Pop Idol” was the big money spinner, pitching G.G.G.Gareth Gates and eventual winner Will Young in the final. Their debut single releases, “Evergreen” / “Anything Is Possible” (a double “A-Side”) for Young, and a cover of “Unchained Melody” a month later for Gates, were not only the biggest selling hits of the year, but also the decade. Third placed man Darius Danesh also enjoyed a couple of years in the limelight thanks to the show. Not long after the dust had settled on “Pop Idol” then a new series, “Popstars: The Rivals” began and culminated in a new Boyband – “One True Voice” and a new Girl Band “Girls Aloud” who went head to head in the race for the Christmas number one, a resounding victory for the girls with “Sound of the Underground”, and they still continue to have top five hits and number one albums by the bucket load, unlike their male counterparts, who now work in a string of menial jobs after the public realised they weren’t actually very good !

There was plenty of sentimental slush in the charts, with a big seller from Enrique Iglesias entitled “Hero” which sat at number one for the entire month of February in the U.K. Former "Boyzone" main man Ronan Keating assaulted our ear drums with “If Tomorrow Never Comes”, while a collaboration between former “Destiny’s Child” singer Kelly Rowland and U.S. rapper “Nelly” entitled “Dilemma” was also a big hitter in the charts.

Daniel Bedingfield enjoyed a string of hit singles, which he claimed he had produced by himself in his bedroom ! His debut “Gotta Get Through This” was the first number one of 2002, and he ended 2002 as he began the year, with a number one in December, the slower “If You’re Not The One”. Another memorable debut came from Colombian singer-songwriter “Shakira” with the unmistakable “Whenever, Wherever”, if only for the line “Lucky that my breasts are small and humble – so you don’t confuse them, with mountains !”

Eminem followed up a successful 2001 with two number ones in 2002, “Without Me” and “Lose Yourself”. There was also a massive posthumous U.K. number one in Autumn for Elvis, with a “Little Less Conversation” in a stomping remix by “JXL”. Once again, the charts didn’t escape the dodgy holiday hits, with “Aserje” by the irritating “Las Ketchup” living long in the memory, even after the last Deutsche beach towel had been removed from the sun loungers at the end of the summer season !

Sport

World Cup

2002 was the year when pubs in the U.K. were granted permission to throw open their doors at 6.00am on certain days, so that footie fans could support their teams in the World Cup, held in Japan and Korea. England and the Republic of Ireland held the most interest for the home nations, and of course Argentina, Cameroon and Sweden for the Scots, their team having failed to qualify.

I remember vividly writing a preview for the tournament for the Dundee University student newspaper “The Student Times”, prior to the start of the competition, and just hope that no one put money on my tips. Having confidently suggested that France would trounce their group, they promptly lost 1-0 to Senegal in the opening fixture, and went on to finish bottom in Group A, with only one point from a goal-less draw with Uruguay to show for their efforts. And they didn’t even hit the back of the net once ! A huge fall from grace for the reigning champions.

I also stated that Argentina would thrive on the competition in the “Group of Death” and would go on to win the tournament, however, they too fell at the group stages, after going down 1-0 to England courtesy of a David Beckham penalty, an 88th minute goal from Hernan Crespo to draw one all with Sweden wasn’t enough to prevent them from finishing third in the group, which saw the Swedes, and the team led by a Swede, go through to the knockout stage.

Other notable acts to go out at the group stages included Portugal, Cameroon and Russia. Group H was a surprise, with Japan taking top spot, with Belgium second, while Mexico topped their group ahead of the Italians. No one expected South Korea to win their group, even on home soil, as they headed the U.S.A. in Group D, leaving the Poles and Portugal to return home to Europe. Brazil and Spain, as expected, topped their groups, while Denmark and surprise package, Senegal triumphed in Group A.

The knockout stages saw Ireland go out 3-2 on penalties after a credible one-all draw with Spain. England set up a quarter final tie with Brazil after comprehensively beating Denmark 3-0. They eventually went out 2-1 to Brazil, after going a goal up from Michael Owen. The match will be remembered for David Seaman’s goalkeeping error, when Ronaldinho beat him from 42 yards with a lobbed free kick. The big shock in the quarters was Spain going out on penalties to South Korea, who pushed Germany all the way, until eventually going 1-0 down. Brazil made it to the final after overcoming surprise package, Turkey, in the other semi, 1-0.

Two goals from eventual tournament top scorer, Ronaldo, sealed a 2-0 victory over Germany in the final, a record breaking fifth victory for the entertaining South Americans.

General Sport

In domestic football, it was a rare trophy-less season for Manchester United, as Arsenal won the two major English trophies. They took the Premiership title with a 1-0 win at Old Trafford, courtesy of Sylvain Wiltord’s strike. This victory came four days after their F.A. Cup win, a 2-0 victory over Chelsea at the Millennium Stadium, a rare goal from Ray Parlour breaking the deadlock, and a late sealer from Freddie Ljungberg.

Bayer Leverkusen were surprise finalists in the Champions League, after putting Liverpool out in the quarter finals, with a 4-3 aggregate win. They went on to deny Manchester United a place in the final. Leverkusen’s dream ended with a 2-1 loss in the final, at Hampden Park, Glasgow. Real Madrid took the trophy, thanks largely to a wonder goal from Zinedine Zidane.

Liverpool took the runners up spot in the Premiership, edging Manchester United to their worst placing for several seasons. Newcastle took the final Champions League qualifying slot in fourth, with Leeds fifth. Derby County, Leicester City and Ipswich Town were relegated, although interestingly, Ipswich qualified for the following seasons U.E.F.A. Cup through the fair play draw. Taking up residence in the Premiership the following season would be Kevin Keegan’s Manchester City, who had been yo-yoing the divisions for some years, along with West Brom and Birmingham. The other domestic trophy, the Worthington Cup, was won by Blackburn Rovers, their first major honours since winning the Premiership in 1994/95.

In Scotland, Celtic again took the S.P.L. title, but couldn’t replicate their form of the previous year in the cup competitions, but to their fans, they had won the one that mattered, by a massive 18 points, losing only one league match all season. Livingstone were the best of the non Old Firm clubs, finishing a surprise third, a distant 45 points behind the winners. Perth based club St. Johnstone went down, to be replaced the following season by Partick Thistle. Rangers took the C.I.S. Cup with a 4-1 win over Ayr United, and McLeish’s men took a dramatic 3-2 win in the Scottish Cup at Hampden in an all Old Firm final.

Cricket suffered the deaths of two high profile personalities. Firstly, 32 year old Hansie Cronje, the disgraced former captain of South Africa, who had been banned two years earlier, was killed in a plane crash. Ben Hollioake, a rising England international, perished at the age of 24 in a car crash. It was a fitting tribute that his club side, Surrey, went on to win the county championship later that season. Once again, Australia largely dominated the international scene, once again crushing England in the Ashes series.

Although France claimed a Six Nations Grand Slam, at the same time denying England the title, the England Rugby Union team climbed to top the world rankings table. They became the first European team to beat New Zealand, Australia and South Africa on consecutive weekends, meanwhile France and Ireland also defeated South Africa and Australia. It certainly appeared the tide was turning in favour of the Northern Hemisphere teams, a sign which bode well for the 2003 World Cup, perhaps ?

Tim Henman made it to the semi-finals for the second consecutive year at Wimbledon, although he was well beaten by the eventual champion, Australian, Lleyton Hewitt. Serena Williams took the women’s title.

The postponed Ryder Cup saw Europe’s elite take the title, in a match where Colin Montgomery was in the form of his life, while U.S.A. main man Tiger Woods had a torrid time. While toothless Tiger looked like he would rather be doing anything (even crashing a Cadillac !), Monty took 4.5 points, and an unrivalled 24 birdies. However, in individual events, Woods was again at his best, taking the Masters and US Open, although Ernie Els took his first major since 1997, taking victory at the Open at Muirfield.

Formula One was seen as becoming a bit of a processional traffic jam, as Ferrari took 15 of the 17 race wins. Michael Schumacher taking his third title in a row, and fifth overall. So much was Ferrari’s dominance (much of which was down to team orders which left a sour taste in the mouths of fans), that third placed man in the championship, Juan-Pablo Montoya, scored only 50 points, while Schumacher took 144. Meanwhile, on two wheels, a similar trend occurred with Valentino Rossi dominating for Honda, in another lacklustre season for the neutral observer.

In the world of Boxing, the fight the world had waited to see was announced – Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson. However, it was the events which went on in the run up to it that ended up being of the greatest interest, more so than the fight itself. On 22nd January, the pair were brought together in New York to announce a fight in April in Las Vegas. Then it all went pear shaped, after they started brawling at this launch, then a week later, Tyson was refused a license to fight in Vegas. Eventually, the bout was staged in Memphis in June, with Lewis toying with Tyson for eight rounds, before staging a conclusive knockout.

Over the jumps, “Best Mate” claimed a memorable double, taking the Gold Cup at Cheltenham, and the King George VI Chase at Kempton, while Jim Culloty aboard “Bindaree” took the Grand National in a thrilling dash to the finishing post with “What’s Up Boys”. The star of the flat season was without a doubt “Rock of Gibraltar” who broke all the records with seven straight Group One wins, including memorable victories at “Royal Ascot” and “Glorious Goodwood”.

Snooker celebrated yet another world champion, this time in Peter Ebdon, while Paul Hunter took the “Benson and Hedges Masters” and British Open titles, in a sport dominated by worries over the future, owing to the banning of tobacco sponsorship in U.K. sport.

So 2002 had been a year where the world had again become reunited by four weeks in the summer where little else than 22 men and a leather ball matters for ninety minutes. However, it was clear that there were still major issues in the world of politics; the threat of terror still loomed large, and 2003 was to see the re-ignition of trouble in the Gulf. But that will be described in more detail next time …

Thanks for reading,
Mountain Man

Tuesday Tip

2010-01-05T02:22:00.002Z

Enjoying the memories Tim, keep up the good work.

Not much racing around of late due to the weather, but Southwell’s all weather surface provides us with a chance to make a few bob tomorrow.

Moonshine Creek in the Hospitality At Southwell Racecourse Handicap (3.10) makes a lot of appeal. In the capable hands of champion AW jockey Chris Catlin (right), the selection is dropping down in class after running second over course and distance last time out. The eight year old bay gelding has run five times on the AW and now appears to be getting the hang of it, with a win and a second on Lingfield’s Polytrack surface, followed by a second on the Southwell Fibresand (last three outings).

He pulled hard under an amateur for his win at Lingfield and was hanging on at the end, but he’s settled much better in the last two races under Catlin and was not disgraced in either of those second place finishes.

Always keen to oppose favourites on the AW anyway, Silken Promise doesn’t really do that much for me as he has yet to register a win (nine attempts, five on AW) and has never even run on the Fibresand. He is getting a fair bit of weight from the selection, but Moonshine Creek is a big enough type to cope easily with a bit of poundage and his all out win at Lingfield was under a cumbersome 10st 7lbs, over a stone more than today’s weights. The favourite’s OR has risen by 2lbs after his LTO 2nd place, whilst the selection’s OR remains the same.

Finally, the stable have had a couple of near misses over the last week and notched an 8/1 winner today (beating the even money favourite by a neck), which should hopefully signal a bit of form. Moonshine Creek is the trainer’s only runner today. Following Mr Hiatt’s AW horses over the last few years has been profitable anyway (£40 level stakes 2008, £9 level stakes 2009) and the horse itself had a respectable 27% strike rate from eleven runs last year and was also profitable to follow. Catlin won one in five races for Hiatt in 2009 (45 runs) and the backing the partnership showed level stakes profit of £19.33.

Currently 5.9 on Betfair, fill your boots.