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

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 !

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

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.

2001: A Year To Forget

While 2000 had been a year recovering from the hangover of the end of the old Millennium, 2001 had some of the most sobering events in World history to date. There was little to celebrate on either side of the Atlantic, as two stories dominated the headlines.

News

The 11th September 2001 is the darkest and sadly, the most prominent memory of the entire decade; when Al Qaeda suicide bombers hijacked four passenger jets over the U.S.A. and caused carnage, killing just short of 3000 innocent people after destroying the “Twin Towers”, when two of the planes were deliberately flown into the building. The third jet hit the Pentagon, causing further damage and loss of life. The fourth plane went down in a rural part of Pennsylvania, all those on board were killed. The war on terrorism has raged ever since, and looks no closer to ending.

Closer to home, the farming industry suffered devastating problems with the outbreak of “Foot And Mouth” disease, the first since 1967. Around seven million animals were slaughtered, and many farms and small holdings were forced to close for good. Many sporting and social events fell victim to restrictions put in place to prevent the spreading of the virus, and much of the countryside was closed to the public. The first outbreak was discovered in an abattoir in Essex in February, and the country was not declared free of the disease until January the next year.

Despite the relative flop of Windows Millenium Edition, Microsoft bounced back to their brilliant best, and in 2001, Windows XP was launched. Microsoft also launched the first Xbox in this year, prior to the Xbox 360 which came four years later. Nintendo also launched the Game Cube, but for the time being the PS2 still ruled the roost as the comfortable market leader in the console world. In the online world, vital resource “Wikipedia” was launched on the 15th January, and continues to grow daily in terms of entries and users.

Music

“Shaggy” first bothered the U.K. singles charts with his amusing “Mr Boombastic” back in 1995, and in 2001 made another tongue in cheek hit “It Wasn’t Me” which became the biggest selling single of the year, and the fourth best seller of the noughties. The disco influenced “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” from Australian favourite Kylie Minogue was a massive number one across the world. Also in this year, “Hear ‘Say” a manufactured band from the ITV show “Popstars” made their debut in the charts with “Pure and Simple” in March, although their existence as a band was thankfully short lived. The runners up, “Liberty X” were far more credible, and also enjoyed a slightly longer run in the limelight.

Girl band “Atomic Kitten", having dispensed with Kerry Katona, hit number one with “Whole Again” just days later; which sold almost a million copies. Not to be outdone by the girls, boyband “Westlife” had yet another number one with a cover of Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” which was the official “Comic Relief” single. "S-Club 7" were also hugely popular in 2001, with two massive number one chartings – “Never Had A Dream Come True” and “Don’t Stop Moving” both hitting the top.

The unusual and downright poor also did well this year. U.S. band “Wheatus” had a surreal hit entitled “Teenage Dirtbag” which featured some peculiar falsetto vocals and countless references to heavy rockers “Iron Maiden”. Damon Albarn provided the vocals for animated band “Gorillaz” who had a massive hit with the catchy “Clint Eastwood”. As in 2000, 2001 also had its fair share of gimmicky rubbish in the charts. “D.J. Pied Piper’s” “Do You Really Like It ?” and “Afroman’s” “Because I Got High” delighted chavs in the making from all corners of the British Isles.

Sport

2001 saw the qualifying stages for the 2002 World Cup step up a gear, and David Beckham finally won round the most ardent of his critics following the debacle at the 1998 World Cup where he won few friends. His injury time equaliser against Greece at Old Trafford to guarantee qualification will forever be remembered by England fans. Almost perhaps so, as the 5-1 demolition of Germany in Munich, with a Michael Owen hat-trick making it a memorable night. The draw was made for the 2002 World Cup as 2001 came to an end, with England to face a so called “Group of Death” alongside Argentina, Sweden and Nigeria. Beckham saw out his excellent year by landing the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

It was not just for England where Owen proved he had put his injury demons behind him, for the time being at least. He helped Liverpool to three cups. Firstly, they overhauled First Division club Birmingham on penalties in the Worthington Cup, then came from a goal down to beat Arsenal 2-1 in the F.A. Cup final at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, both goals coming from Owen in the dying minute, after Arsenal led for much of the match after Freddie Ljungberg put them ahead. A great game for the neutral saw Liverpool take the UEFA Cup in a 5-4 thriller against Alaves; the win being in extra time under the “Golden Goal” rule. It was a challenging year for the Merseyside club, after boss Gerard Houllier was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment in the early stages of the season.

Once again, Manchester United took the Premiership title, but lost out in the Champions League to eventual winners Bayern Munich. Sir Alex Ferguson spent big once more with one excellent signing in Ruud van Nistelrooy, and one ill advised one in Juan Veron. Their combined cost to the club being a princely £47million !

As ever the Old Firm dominated the Scottish football scene, but Martin O’Neill was making Celtic the team to beat, who eclipsed Rangers in all competitions, landing a memorable treble, their first since 1969. This was an all conquering Celtic team, featuring the likes of Henrik Larsson, Alan Thompson and Lubo Moravcik, a team which O’Neill nurtured to further success in the coming years.

Australia were the dominant force in World Cricket, winning almost everything they played in, taking the Ashes series 4-1. The season was overshadowed by the death of Sir Donald Bradman in February. In a sport so dominated by statistics, one which is almost certain never to be beaten is his batting average of 99.94.

A combination of bad weather and the aforementioned “Foot and Mouth” crisis decimated the jump season. The Cheltenham Festival was cancelled altogether, and although the Grand National at Aintree went ahead, many critics felt it should not have done so after a period of prolonged rain. Richard Guest aboard Red Marauder avoided the worst of the Liverpool track’s mud, and a melee at Canal Turn, to win a memorable race. The flat season fared slightly better, with Galileo running well in the early season, taking victory at the Derby.

Michael Schumacher made it back to back Formula One titles for Ferrari, equalling his record of nine wins in a season. Williams BMW and McLaren Mercedes were the best of the rest in what was a fairly stale season. Italian Valentino Rossi won his first MotoGP title, in what was to be a period of dominance for him. However, for the first time since World War Two, the Isle of Man TT races were cancelled, owing to the “Foot and Mouth” epidemic.

Tim Henman had his best showing at Wimbledon, eventually going out in the Semi Finals, to the winner Goran Ivanisevic, who took a five set victory over Pat Rafter in the final.

The aftermath of 9/11 saw the postponement of the Ryder Cup, which was the main headline in the golfing world in 2001. First time major winner David Duval took the Open title at Royal Lytham by three shots.

Once again, one result denied England the Grand Slam in the Six Nations Rugby Union tournament, this time Ireland beat them in Dublin. Earlier in the year, the British and Irish Lions toured in Australia, but were edged out in the deciding test following a Jonny Wilkinson error, leading to the deciding try.

Ronnie O’Sullivan beat John Higgins in the Snooker World Championship, to become the first Englishman to hold the title since John Parrott in 1991.

It’s fair to say there was jubilance and disappointment in equal measure in the sporting world in 2001. The anticipation of the 2002 sporting year was almost certainly going to be a more positive and action packed one than 2001, for sure, even if the World Cup matches were to be held at anti social hours for us Brits !


Looking back at 2001 from my research, it was without a doubt the most depressing year of the decade. I am glad I was a heavy-drinking student at this time, it seems the world was a pretty depressing place to be … roll on 2002. Coming soon !

Thanks for reading,
Mountain Man

A New Millenium Was Born ... Who Noticed ?

By the time the end of 1999 neared, the media had totally exasperated most sane people by their constant use of the buzz words “Millennium Bug”, where some sensationalist propaganda whipped up a frenzy which had worried Governments and massive global corporations sufficiently to blow millions of pounds in order to put safeguards in place to prevent total meltdown of computer infrastructure when the clocks turned 00:00 on the morning of January 1st 2000. Some people say that the fireworks which became a mainstay of New Years Eve celebrations that year were a waste of money, however, that was a drop in the Ocean compared to what had been wasted in preventing this predicted catastrophe. Bringing in the new millennium with a bang ? More like an anticlimactic whimper !

So what else did the Year 2000 bring ?

News

The big news story in the early part of the year saw “Doctor Death” himself, Harold Shipman brought to justice in January. He was jailed for life after being found guilty of murdering fifteen patients, but the number in reality was far greater. The disgraced lowlife committed suicide in his rotten prison cell four years later.

The infamous farmer Tony Martin was jailed for shooting dead a burglar who had targeted the land owner who had been the victim of several previous thefts. This still provokes mass debate to this day, with many sympathisers believing Martin’s actions were defendable.

“National Treasure” the Queen Mother, remembered for her fine set of rotten teeth, and choking on fish bones, celebrated her hundredth birthday in style, necking several bottles of Gin. Whether or not she received the traditional telegram from the Queen, as fellow coffin dodgers do is widely unknown !

The U.K., and many countries on the continent suffered mass fuel shortages in September, as tanker drivers blockaded refineries and ports as a protest against escalating oil costs. Panic buying on the forecourts resulted in garages running dry, and mass hysteria amongst the public.

In October, the first leader of the re-established Scottish Parliament, Donald Dewer, died in office, aged 63.

Music

Following on from the “manufactured” boy and girl bands of the late 1990’s after the Britpop bubble burst, the music of 2000 was on the whole, quite forgettable. The novelty record was also big in this year, with “Bob The Builder” taking the Christmas Number One slot. Disturbingly, this was not only the biggest selling hit of the year, but also the tenth biggest seller of the decade ! Earlier in the year, Eminem stamped his authority on the top spot with “Stan” (sampling Dido’s track “Thank You”) following his successful 1999. The title track from summer blockbuster “The Beach”, was “Pure Shores” which gave girl band “All Saints” the first of their two number ones that year. Unfortunately, one of the most irritating and catchy anthems of the summer was “Who Let The Dogs Out ?” by the “Baha Men”, who released the track after it was used in a “Rugrats” movie and on a television advertisement. It became the fourth biggest selling single of 2000 in the U.K., certainly not the British record buying publics greatest moment ! Dance act "Sonique" hit the top spot in the Summer with “Feels So Good”, and Robbie Williams continued his ascent to pop superstardom with the catchy “Rock D.J.” taking the top spot, largely thanks to a rather tawdry video, in which he sported some dubious underpants and shed his skin. Lantern jawed songstress Sophie-Ellis Bextor became more famous than her Blue Peter fronting mother in this year, after having a big hit with “Spiller” entitled “Groovejet”.

Sport

It was a busy year in sport. 2000 of course saw Holland and Belgium as joint hosts of the Euro 2000 championship, where France proved they were no one hit wonders to win the tournament, making them reigning World Cup and European Champions. The people of England bade a fond farewell to the old Wembley in October, but perhaps not in the fairytale manner which would have been preferred, after a 1-0 loss to Germany in the final England game to be played there. This prompted manager Kevin Keegan to quit his post, and his successor was a certain Swede, enter Sven-Goran Eriksson.

It was not just the International football scene which took column space in 2000, there was also plenty going on in the domestic game, across Britain. Manchester United took the Premiership title once again, following up their treble winning season of 1999. However, their decision to play in the World Club Championship, and in the process, boycotting the F.A. Cup was not a popular choice, and was frowned upon from all quarters, even their own fanbase. Real Madrid took the Champions League, while Chelsea won the F.A. Cup and Leicester the Worthington (Worthless !) Cup. Christmas 2000 saw Leeds United progress from the group stages of the Champions League – ho hum, how times have changed !

North of the border, Rangers took advantage of a sporadic season by city rivals, Celtic, who sacked their dubiously appointed manager John Barnes, who was replaced by soon to be golden boy, Martin O’Neill. Barnes was responsible for Celtic crashing out of the Scottish Cup in February 2000 at the hands of Inverness Caledonian Thistle, prompting one of the most enduring tabloid headlines of the decade: “Super Cally Go Ballistic As Celtic Are Atrocious !” Also finding his way into the media spotlight for all the wrong reasons was former Dundee United chairman Jim McLean, who quit the club after a comedic attempted assault on a BBC reporter during an interview.

Massive spending in the U.K. domestic football scene set a precedent which was to escalate as time went on. Leeds began their downward spiral into debt by spending money they didn’t have, making Rio Ferdinand the most expensive defender in the world, in an £18million deal with West Ham. Meanwhile, Liverpool splashed out £11million on Leicester City’s forward Emile Heskey. Big money was splashed in Scotland too (certainly compared to today), with £12million squandered by Rangers for Chelsea hitman Tore-Andre Flo. A more modest £6million was paid for Chris Sutton, who also exited Chelsea, but this time destined for Celtic. British transfers were small fry however, compared with the shock £37million move from Barcelona to Real Madrid for Luis Figo.

Despite winning five trophies in a little under three years, Gianluca Vialli was the first Premiership manager of the 2000-01 season to be axed, with the season just five games old, with the little known Claudio Ranieri taking the Chelsea hot seat immediately after. Chris Hutching’s, of Bradford City closely followed, after making a bizarre series of managerial gaffes, the final straw being signing Stan Collymore ! Earlier in the year, Bradford had stayed up in the Premiership at the expense of Watford, Sheffield Wednesday (oink ! oink !) and Wimbledon, with an unlikely 1-0 victory over Liverpool on the last day of the 99-00 season.

Golfer Tiger Woods made history when he won the Open at St. Andrews in July, when at the age of 24 he became the youngest golfer to win all four majors.

2000 was of course an Olympic year, and the summer television schedule was all over the place to accommodate the games, which were held down under, in Sydney. The highlight was Sir Steve Redgrave taking a gold medal in his fifth consecutive games.

In Rugby Union, the Five Nations tournament became the Six Nations, who welcomed Italy to the fray, the first new addition to the tournament since France joined in 1910. Italy were viewed as a bit of a joke and were widely regarded as being the whipping boys prior to the start of the tournament. However, they immediately silenced their critics by beating Scotland in their debut match 34-20. However, it was not until 2003 when they next won a Six Nations game (against Wales), although they continue to grow in stature today. Despite the fact England won the tournament, they were denied a grand slam to the delight of the Murrayfield crowd, as Scotland took the Calcutta Cup, and avoided the Wooden Spoon at the same time.

Elsewhere in sport, Hansie Cronje was sacked as South Africa’s cricket captain in a betting scandal which saw the reputation of world cricket in tatters at the time. Pete Sampras won a record eleventh tennis masters title, while British underachievers Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski failed to disappoint, serving up yet another year of mediocrity ! Michael Schumacher won his third Formula One title, and his first for Ferrari, with whom he was to dominate for the first part of the decade. Meanwhile, fellow driver David Coulthard had a lucky escape from a plane crash in May, in which two pilots were killed. Lennox Lewis successfully defended his World Heavyweight Championship title three times. Welshman Mark Williams took the World Snooker Crown, while there was success in the Grand National for Papillon, ridden by Rudy Walsh. Obviously a busy year for sport !


So it's clear to say, 2000 set the standards for a decade of drama, tension, success and disappointment. However, 2001 was to be the most memorable year of the decade, but unfortunately for the wrong reasons. The next chapter follows soon.

Thanks for reading,

Mountain Man

Twenty Ten ? Or Two Thousand And Ten ? You Decide ...

Firstly, I hope all readers and contributors to this blog enjoyed a peaceful and profitable Christmas and New Year period. I guess I had a decent one really, and am now looking forward to the year ahead, and will be glad to be restoring a schedule and routine again in the coming weeks. Man cannot live by turkey alone !

Also, it has to be said that Dom and Scott have more or less single handedly been keeping this blog going for at least the last six months, with little else from the remaining contributors. On my behalf, I apologise for my lack of commitment. Buying a PS3 and getting addicted to FIFA 10 from mid October certainly hasn’t helped the cause. However, you can’t live in the world of console gaming forever, so I thought I’d put a piece together, just out of interest really looking back at the noughties in the world of sport and entertainment, with one or two other bits thrown in for good measure. (O.K., it’s not going to earn you any money, but at least you won’t lose any like anyone following most of my tips will last year !)

“Let’s all meet up in the Year 2000. Won’t it be strange when we’re all fully grown ?” Sang Jarvis Cocker on Pulp’s hit single in 1995. I was 15 then, it seemed an eternity away to 2000, now we're ten years the other side of it. It doesn’t take a mathematician to work out that at the coming of the new Millennium I was at the end of my teenage years. What excitement lay ahead ? Well, we had the musical delights of the “Baha Men”, televisual treats such as “Big Brother” and sporting moments such as Paula Radcliffe relieving herself in a gutter. But for every “Afroman” there was an “Arctic Monkeys”, each “Naked Jungle with Keith Chegwin” there was a “Shameless”, for every “Winston Bogarde” there was a “Christiano Ronaldo”. I hope to prove that the “noughties” were not quite as bad as everyone I have spoken to recently is making out, but that’s not to say the likes of “Daphne and Celeste” will be escaping lightly !

The “noughties” put “Chavs” and “WAGS” centre stage. We heard of “Carbon Footprints” and a “Credit Crunch”. Bin-Laden, Bush and Blair stole the political headlines, while Tennant, Cowell and Goody took the lion’s share of the limelight in the entertainment industry. In sport, the likes of Beckham, Flintoft and Wilkinson hogged the back pages. Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 took a new generation of console gaming to heights which would have been unthinkable twenty years earlier. And while the kids were gyrating round the lounge on their “Wii”, the grown ups too were immersed in the world of gadgetry, with Sat Navs, Hair Straighteners and Blackberrys to keep them amused ! It was a decade of celebrity and indulgence, much like the eighties, but actually in a good way.

I’ll take this opportunity to take a brief look back over the decade which is affectionately referred to as the “Noughties” over the next couple of weeks in a series of posts. Firstly, let’s go back to the eve of December 31st 1999, where it all began. Or was it about to end ?





Thanks For Reading,
Mountain Man

Boxing Day Bets

Couple of quick Boxing Day Bets.

Boylesports are doing their bit to help us pay for Christmas, by offering 13/8 about Billy Sharp scoring anytime for Doncaster at Coventry. Ridiculous.

Coventry aren’t the best side defensively anyway, but they have a few injury problems at the back, including ex-pig centre half Richard Wood. On loan Blade Billy Sharp has scored nine goals in his last ten matches, including one in each of the last six games. The way Doncaster play suits him down to the ground and the probable return of midfielder (and probably Donny’s best player) Brian Stock will be a boost on the creativity front.

Odds against him scoring, despite his form? I’ll have some of that.

The other standout bet for me, is Newcastle. I’m not normally a fan of away sides at odds on, but this really will be buying money. Wednesday are in turmoil. There’s local rumours that they’re on the verge of going bust. Their joke of a chairman is still arguing with fans on internet forums, the caretaker manager played exactly the same side in his first game, as recently sacked Boss Hog Brian Laws played in his last game and they have failed to score, let alone get a point, in their last SIX matches, against such footballing giants as Doncaster and Reading.

Newcastle have only conceded twelve times this season and have kept five clean sheets in their last six matches. They score goals for fun and let’s face it, Wednesday are shit.

Newcastle could put the reserves out and win this by a couple. 8/11 widely available, 1.77 on the exchanges. Fill your boots, dip your bread, put the wife on it.

Have a good day tomorrow, ladies and gents.

Oh, Kauto Star will make history by winning his fourth consecutive King George, but is horrendous value at the price. Watch the race and enjoy a piece of history. I'm still in the Denman camp for the Gold Cup, mind.

Oaks Final on Sky Sports

It's the Oaks Final at Wimbledon live on Sky tonight. Two of the dogs that I selected before the first round have made it to the final - Cabra Exclusive and Slick Sioux are both still big prices and looks like the bookies have discounted them but I'm hopeful of getting the EW money.

Cabra Exclusive will likely lead the Final which will at least give me a little bit of excitement. However, Tyrur Liz has proved to be much better than I anticipated and looks the most likely winner from trap 6 - with the prices reflecting that at 4/6. I'll not back anything in this race and just hope one of mine can pull off the upset win. It does happen.

Sometimes I wish the greyhounds weren't on Sky as it makes me bet on every race for the sake of it and it's likely I'll do the same tomorrow unfortunately.

There isn't much I like at first glance with only T4 Yahoo Jamie in the 8:50 really making much appeal. It's 5/2 at first show and I expected it to be shorter after it ran 27:52 round the 460m in a trial last week. To put that into perspective, Eye onthe Storm (Derby favourite) ran 27:54 last week. However, trials and races are different and there is quite a bit of early in the race so I'll be keeping stakes small.

Also likely to back:

7:40 - T6 Rio Ventura 7/1
8:00 - T1 Blonde Dee 9/2
8:35 - T4 Kinda Easy 7/2

For those with monies, Platinumlancelot and Eye onthe Storm should piss their respective races but both odds on and double pays even money.

GL.

UFC 107: Penn v. Sanchez

Sick night of action ahead from UFC 107 in Tennessee as my favourite fighter Diego Sanchez fights BJ Penn for the lightweight title. I think he has the tools to pull off the upset and will more than likely be acting accordingly and taking some of the 23/10 available. Might have a nibble on Sanchez to win in a certain round, they are all 16s or 18s.

Think I've picked out a stonking bit of value in Lucio Linhares who is 11/4 with bet365. This is simply a crazy price imo. This is a big step up in class for him but he is a dangerous fighter and his opponent Palhares is no world beater in my eyes. Linhares should use his substantial height and reach advantage on his way to victory.

Other prices of interest are below and I will probably end up throwing them all in some crazy combo:

Kongo in R1 @ 5/1
Guida @ 7/4
Johnson @ 21/10

Bored

Just reading some old blog posts to pass the time. Some amusing stories, great tips and spectacularly poor ones.

Stumbled across this in a Scott post:

I've had a ridiculous league winners combo bet: on Man Utd @ 11/4; WBA @ 6/1; Dundee @ 5/4; Rangers (Scottish Cup) @ 15/8; and Hibs (without big 2) @ 7/1. I'll be ridiculously rich if they all pull it off!

That looks a nice bet, just now. Placing the same accumulator now, you'd be looking at best prices of 2/1 Man Utd, 5/2 for WBA, 4/11 Dundee, 6/4 Hibs and Rangers is still 15/8.

Scott's bet returns £1,358.44 to a £1 stake. The current odds return just £102.91 to the same stake.

GO GO GO CAMBO! I expect a drink if that comes in.

Win It Back

Small loss last night on the Sky Dogs so I'm going to win it back on T3 Ron The Rat in the 9:25 @ Romford tonight.

And double it with T2 Bills Teddy in the 9:57.

But anyone reading this should 100% not touch these cos I seem to be on poor form.

EDIT: had a nosey at Harlow too.

Really like the look of T5 Negotiate in the 9:45. And also T6 Dainty County in the 8:45 race.

William Hill Oaks @ Wimbledon

This competition starts tonight at Wimbledon and I don't really have much time to write up a preview but just back these and you'll have the winner. Remember and check the post below for tonight's Sky dogs.

William Hill Oaks

Ardbeg Kate @ 14/1
Slick Sioux @ 25/1
Cabra Fly @ 33/1
Cabra Exclusive @ 40/1

Ardbeg Kate absolutely crushes over the 380m at Crayford but this is over 480m and only time will tell if it'll be as effective. A recent trial over 460m at Wimbledon suggests it will. I probably like Cabra Fly the most out of the other 3 and it has some fast times over the 460m and 480m at Wimbledon as well as faster recent times than Kate over Crayford recently - 33/1 is very big, get on.

Romford Dogs on Sky Tonight

So I'm chasing a little bit. A couple of bad weeks with my dog betting, coupled with a terrible Saturday on the football have left me licking my wounds a bit so hopefully I can turn things around tonight. Also, yesterday at the uni poker I managed to dust off £33 at a £1 rebuy - not a large sum, but fairly comedic.

7:40 - The opening race is at 7:40 and I've went for T5 Foyle Mayor at a bit of a price. This dog does a fair bit of sprinting and when over 4 bends tends to show very good early as witnessed earlier this month at Romford when he clocked 24:07 when beating Deanridge Flash. I think it'll make all here at 5/1. Tempted to also back T1 at 12/1 as if Foyle Mayor gets hit with trouble then it could be value.

8:00 - I'm going to be backing another 5/1 shot in the 2nd race in the shape of T3 Droopys Kirbee. Greedy Bridie was very impressive on Sky last week coming a close 2nd to the classy Midway Skipper and is a shortish favourite here but I think Kirbee can be too fast for him. Kirbee usually displays decent early pace but has been slow away on his last two starts - if he gets out tonight then he'll be a great bet. Last month Droopys Kirbee actually beat Greedy Bridie over this same trip. gogogogo

8:15 - Freedom Man is an even price favourite for the hurdle race and I obviously can't back anything at that price so I've plumped for T5 Cats My Boy @ 12/1. Cats can show early and has some decent times over a number of tracks.

8:35 - I did my studying on Sunday I think and picked out T5 King Lee as my NAP and was praying we'd get some sort of price on it but no joy as it's 1/2 but has about 4 lengths on the best of the rest and will piss up.

8:50 - T5 Brickfield Dream won me a minor fortune last year when winning the Coral Essex Vase at a massive price but failed to make the final this year when losing out in the semi-finals. He's my favourite type of a dog, a dog with super early. This thing can fly out and has a recent time which is almost 3 lengths better than anything else in the race. Raving Black, as always, will be a danger but 10/3 for Dream will fill our pockets.

9:10 - I'm hoping T1 Me Buddy can be our friend in the 9:10 with a dominant display where I think he can make all at 5/2. His last two races have been fast and a similar display tonight will see us collecting. T6 Fire For Effect can go very fast but is far too unconvincing at the traps for me to be backing.

9:25 - T1 Melodys Comet has raced over the Romford 750m track on 5 occasions and has won 4 of those. Tonight he should make it 5 from 6 at a shortish 9/4. Lorrys Options looks like the nearest challenger but has only won one of it's last 11 races - not for me.

9:45 - The showcase race, the Coral Essex Vase Final. I've a really good feeling for T2 Bournes Masons and was hoping for around 4/1 but it's in as the 5/2 favourite. It's got a good draw on Go Big Hitter's left and it's excellent early coupled with fast recent times make it a big bet for me. gogogogogogogogogogogo

Tits to beat Tits

Bristol City: get on and get on fast.

I got to work today and saw that the Titties are 23/20 with William Hill to beat Sheffield United tomorrow, which surprised me. I’d have had them even money at best, so I was even more surprised to see in the RP that most high street bookies are going odds against, the biggest of which was Coral’s 11/8 and that our price was basically the worst on the high street! The 11/8 has now been clipped, but you can still get a best price of 13/10 from Coral and you should do so.

Here’s why. United are playing like tits, that’s there for all to see. Last season we had the best away record in the league and the second best defence, but this year Blackwell’s lost the plot with a string of poor signings, coupled with terrible tactics and genuine bad luck in suspensions and injuries. Our form this year is shocking; we were bottom of the form table until we scraped a 1-0 win on Saturday to bottom of the league Peterborough. We weren’t great and if it weren’t for a crap penalty which Bunn saved, they’d have got a point. We are awful and you ought to be looking to lay us every single week until Blackwell (left) goes (more on this later).

Bristol City were also a bit ropey at the weekend, in losing 4-1 away at WBA. Overlooking that defeat to a decent side playing well, we have to go back to September 26th to get a defeat. They’ve held Newcastle to a goalless draw at St James’ Park in that time and in Nicky Maynard, they have a genuine goal threat. They’ve notched in eight of their last nine games (the one game being the 0-0 with Toon) and as we’re utterly awful, one goal is all they will need to score to see us off.

Historically we do okay against them, but only at home. We thumped them 3-0 not long back (but we had Beattie back then) but again, that was at the Lane. We haven’t beaten them at Ashton gate in the last eight attempts and you have to go back to 1971 to get a Blades win there and that was the year we won promotion to the old top flight (when we were actually pretty good).

We’ll likely be handing a debut to a new Goalkeeper (not good for an already shaky defence) and we’ve got some massive centre half in on loan from Fulham. If he plays, read as above. Our other central defensive options are the embarrassingly slow Jonathon Fortune and the embarrassingly awful Andrew Davies on loan from Stoke. I’m not sure if either of those will even be fit. Naysmith is still a couple of weeks away, Geary’s coming back from two years out injured and Kilgallon hasn’t been the same since the transfer rumours (and to be fair, he’s also carrying a knock).

If you pushed me for a correct score bet, I’d go 2-0 (9/1 widely available on the high street, better online) but that’s a little bit guessy and is more a gut feeling than anything else. The 13/10 about the win though, that’s just ridiculous. I can’t see how anyone can offer odds against, I really can’t. It just screams value. GET ON.

The other thing I’d like to draw your attention to is Victor Chandler’s “Next Manager To Leave Their Post” market. The atmosphere at the Lane is frosty and it’s getting to how it was under Robson, before the protests began. There have been a few minor protests already, though nothing serious. Blackwell is under huge pressure and rightly so, as he’s turned a side around from just missing out on automatic (and just missing out in a play-off final) to a side that look like they’ve never met each other but who now want to play hoofball. It is not sufficient to blame injuries, as he is the one who has sold all our fringe players (and some of our first team too) leaving us with a squad unable to cope with one or two absentees. It’s also him to blame for the ache in my neck, caused by watching horrendous hoofball. He has an excuse every week, which is not going down well with the fans, we'd rather see him man up and admit we're shit, before trying to set it right.

Still, there are other under-pressure managers out there, what’s so attractive about 7/4? Sturrock at 4/1 could be a better option? What swings it for me, is the takeover talk. There have been rumours now for months, that Red Bull were looking at taking us over. That could be dismissed easily enough, but Kevin McCabe has openly admitted that he is looking for outside investment and if you think about it, the goings on at the club over the last year really do point to a takeover. Why would a club with serious promotion aspirations, sell their best player to Spurs for four to six million pounds AND his ready made replacement for another two million? Why have we continued to sell the likes of Cotterill, bringing in loan players to replace them? The word “reprofiling” has been used from the day we lost in the play-off final. Why are spending money expanding the ground, when we won’t invest in the playing staff? We’re trying to make the club an attractive prospect for a buyer, by reducing the wage bill, getting the bank balance into the black, improving the ground and showing what a generally wonderful investment we are, with things like our World Cup 2018 stadium bid.

The clincher for this, is the appointment earlier this week of Trevor Birch (right). In case you don’t know who this chap is, he’s our new Chief Executive. What has he done in football? After a modest playing career, he got involved in accountancy and oversaw the Chelsea takeover (Abramovich), helped Leeds wipe their debt and prevented administration, before overseeing their takeover and was also lined up to appear on Southampton’s board, had their takeover gone through, which it didn’t. Can anyone see a theme here?

I guarantee our new Chairman, whoever it may be, will not want to watch ugly, losing football. That means the end of our favourite Keith Chegwin look-a-like. 7/4? Get on.

Also...

I'm massively addicted to MMATycoon, a MMA Management Simulation game and this generally has taken up my entire life recently. Very addictive.

www.mmatycoon.com

And I'm off work with a fucked back. Sigh.

Saturday Blog

It's fair to say this blog is dying. It could be a time for a re-think about contributors to give it a fresh injection, I don't know. Opinions?

The highlight of my year occurred last weekend when I attended UFC 105 in Manchester - it was simply incredible and I will be going to every UK-based event in the future. The atmosphere was tremendous and we got there just in time for the opening bout and all 11 fights were great. There was some great KOs and the most impressive fighter for me was Ross "The Real Deal" Pearson who won the most recent Ultimate Fighter. He destroyed an experienced Aaron Riley and the fight had to be stopped when he kneed a hole in Riley's face - Pearson could actually be the real deal. He was also 7/4 which was ridiculous. I had some multiples on which included Bisping (11/10); Hardy (7/4); Ozipczak (11/4!!!); and Taylor (2/1) - I only really put Taylor in there as he is amongst my favourite fighters but unfortunately he was the only guy to lose.

I have an accumulator running on from UFC 105 to 106 which is this weekend and Tito Ortiz looks a good bet in the main event against Forrest Griffin at 5/4. Ortiz will come back strong from his lay-off whilst Griffin looked an embarrassing mess against Anderson Silva. Ortiz by decision for me, which is 5/2 with Paddy Power.

Dom asked me the other day when the Betfred Eclipse was. I had no idea but decided to have a look to see if I can get a bet on. Turns out the first round is tonight at Nottingham and the final on Thursday I believe. The field is real class with many of the 18 dogs going to be amongst the favourites for the 2010 Derby.

The first heat (9:37) is a cracker with the favourite for the Derby, Eye onthe Storm, running from trap 1, as well as the delightful Bandicoot Tipoki in 3 and Wise Thought in 6. Storm is short at 6/4 for the heat and Tipoki is a ridiculous 5/1 at the moment - I've invested accordingly, as although Storm is a rightful favourite Tipoki is a great dog and has great pace between bends 1 and 2 so I hope he can make the best of an unfavourable draw.

Heat 2 (9:52) features my selection for the competition, Windy Millar. Windy Millar is a great dog and if not for a bit of bad luck would surely have made the final of the Derby. He's a little unpredictable from the traps but when he gets out in front you don't often see anything go past him. He is a middle seed which is massively in his favour in this competition as most of the favourites are railers - this means it is likely, as it is in this race, that traps 1-3 will be full of railers giving Millar a nice run up the middle. He has to contend with the great Fear Zafonic and Jordansolutions in this heat but should progress and is the value in the competition at 16/1 with Paddy Power. He's value at 11/2 for this heat too.

I fancy Romeo Maldini in heat 3 (10:07) - he's the best wide seed in the competition and I may have a nibble at 12s. He's 9/4 tonight and should only have Lenson Bolt to contend with but can pick him off late.

T3 Blonde Playboy (9/4) in the 9:07 is also worth a bet.

Betfred Eclipse

Windy Millar 16/1 Paddy Power

Romeo Maldini 12/1 Various

St Leger Final @ Wimbledon

Tonight's greyhounds on Sky come from Wimbledon where the St Leger Final is the main focus of the evening. Again, I should have had this up a few days in advance so that someone might read it before the card begins, but never mind.

My selections contain a large amount of speculation but the reward could be huge and in the Final I've went with T5 Fraziers Clone @ a tasty 10/1. IMO this should be about 5/1 at worst so a bit of value in backing it. It has ran 41:18 and 41:13 in it's last 2 races and the only dogs to have run faster are the ones in T4 and T6. Fraziers Clone should get first run on these out wide as it has better early. I certainly don't like the fav in T3 at a stupid price.

Keeping this brief, but I really like T1 Jolly Poacher in the 9:10 @ 4/1. Has incredible early and has form over most of these at Oxford. Last time out at Wimbledon it looked like it didn't break well but that can be excused due to it being the dog's first look.

I like T3 Forest May in the Sky opener as I think it can deny the jolly a run to the corner and win at a price. And Eye onthe Storm should be a banker in the 9:25.

7:40 - T3 Forest May 7/1
8:00 - T4 Pine Isle 5/2
8:15 - T6 Barnfield Chubby 5/2
8:35 - T3 Grayslands Tiger 10/1 - should lead, shouldn't hold on but 10/1
8:50 - T1 Gas Hawk 6/1
9:10 - T1 Jolly Poacher 4/1
9:25 - T1 Eye onthe Storm 13/8
9:45 - T5 Fraziers Clone 10/1

I've got some other stuff to blether about but I'll do that later in the week.

GL,
Scott

Sunderland Dogs

I'll keep this relatively short as no one is likely to read it before the races. It's the Northern Puppy Derby Final night at Sunderland with the spectacle race running at 9:45. It's all live on Sky Sports Xtra from 7:30.

Most opinions narrow the final down to the two inside traps and they are priced 7/4 and 15/8, but I'm taking a chance on the 5 dog, Killieford Fire, at 6/1 with Skybet. It should have the best of the early on the outer and looks set for a solo. In the first round of the competition it ran 26:85 with a clear run and neither of the favourites have ran quite that fast. I think T5 is the value in this final.

I wouldn't even be betting this week if I didn't get a winning double on last week's Sky dogs. Bower Surfer was part of that double and looked a beast of a dog. I'm happy to back it again in the 9:25 and I think it has the beating of the favourite, Raving Black. The only negative is that it is it's first look at the track but that is the case for most in this race. It's currently available at 7/2.

Borderknockabout is an A1 dog at Sunderland but I think it has a great shout against these open racers in the 8:50. It has the excellent early to lead these out wide and in it's last outing it broke 27secs round here. It's 5/1 in most places, get on.

My last bet is Sniper Petra (T3) in the 8:35. It's the fastest dog in the race and as long as it can avoid T2 early on it should be oioioi @ 9/4.

GL,

Scott

November 9th - Scoop Troop meet up?

Alright folks?

As you may or may not know, November 5th is my birthday and I've got a week off just after it, so that I can come up to Dundee and enjoy my missus and some old mates. As you lot are more elusive than Jack The Ripper, I decided the only way I'd get to enjoy some of you was if there was some sort of event on, where I can catch you all at the same time. DUPS is a no-go for me that week, as I'm nipping over to Glasgow on the Tuesday to see Eddie Izzard with Laura, so I had a look at what race meetings are on in Scotland that week. Sadly, there are none.

Carlisle however, is ony a couple of hours on the train and there is a seven race National Hunt meeting, kicking off at 12.50 on Monday November 9th. With it being considerably further south than the likes of Kelso or Perth, it offers the opportunity for Tim to join the fun, should he so desire. The journey from York to Carlisle is comparable in terms of time, to that of Dundee to Carlisle. I realise this is all unlikely to happen anyway, because you poofters have no sense of adventure, but I'm throwing it out there for you to consider.

If you booked it now, you could arrange transport there and back for a shade over £30, with a combination of train and Megabus. That's Dundee to Carlisle and back, for Tim and Will I'm not sure what transport costs would be like. For parties of six or more you can get a few quid off your entry tickets to the course, but even without that, they're only £12 for the Grandstand anyway, meaning your costs would be around £40 - £45. A winning bet of £5 at 9/1 in the opener and you've only food and drink to worry about anyway...

Consider it please, chaps. Let me know soon-ish so we can crack on sorting it out. If this is a total no go, it'd be grand if someone could come up with something similar. Perhaps dogs or something Scott? I'm in Dundee from Saturday night (7th) until Tuesday afternoon (17th). The only night I'm busy so far is Tuesday 10th.

In other news, Sea The Stars is a machine.

Take it easy fellas.

Yo

I haven't played poker online in a while, maybe 2 months.

Boo. I wish I was good!