Sporting Life Gossip And Claptrap
Roy Hodgson is beginning to show his horns. He is forgetting that he is one of the few gentlemen left in sport. But who can blame him. Some of his Liverpool football players would be enough to make a saint swear. Our ”Woy” is getting very very angry and it shows. What is good about this is that he has support. The greedy players need sorting out. The agents? Off with their heads I say.
Talking about needing sorting out – let us rage at the big business of the UK football. After a few years of excellent reporting, with a ”minute-by-minute” interactive event, the newspapers have been banned from this popular internet activity. So far the powers that be have been e-mailed by thousands of angry fans. No replies yet. Even the smaller clubs have been forced into ”Twitter” mode to keep some kind of interactive event going on. Yes, even the small clubs.
What is happening now is that more and more ”informal” groups are set to provide this service. You see not every football fan can attend the game. Of course they are getting angry. But big business does not like this internet.
Jose Mourinho has many people asking questions. First he hits out at some of the UK football giants. Then he says that his new team is not yet ready for the big boys. Let us be careful here because ”the special one” is also very special at the psychological intrique. Oh yes – Manchester City boss, Roberto Mancini, has had a haircut. Rumour has it that he did his hair cutting thing because he wants his hair to dry quickly so he does not need a ”hairdryer”. Sir Fergie of the Manchester United fame refused to laugh at this rumour when the BBC tried to ask such questions.
Also at Manchester City the big Sheikh money is still a'coming in. Another 500 million pumped in quickly to try and ease the nasty balance sheets. If the new haircut of Mancini does not work this year I guess there will be a few waves and cuts and perms happening.
Peter Crouch now has two claims to fame. He has scored a hat trick of goals last night against the Swiss as the Spurs team won through to the Champions league. This now adds on to once playing for Norwich City FC. No, I am not going to talk about his sexy habits or his missus. Let the tabloids do that.
Norwich City has a new member of the board. The actor Stephen Fry. He has said that he still wants to play for the first eleven but is happy, for now, to sit in the directors benches. Fry gives hope to the over-50s.
Golf is still hard up for decent stories so Tiger Woods remains in the lime-street-lights. His missus, most cannot even remember her name, is still shocked and feeling silly about the way her Tiger was playing his putting stick all over the green. No worries they are divorced now and she is stinking rich. He is just stinking. Such is the big news from golf.
In car racing the biggest news is about ”The Stig”. We all know, now, who he is. Mr Clarkson, of Top Gear, is not amused but few actually care all that much anymore. The Stig is dead long live the Stig.
Here in the north of Finland the football gossip is about Finnish teams playing with no Finnish players. Jesus wept and you think Stewart Baxter had problems!
As for the Olympics, in London for 2012, the International Olympic Committee have followed (again) the FIFA way. It is the rich that gets the pleasures and the poor that gets the blame. The rules being laid down by the IOC are just about as ”Draconian” as can be. As one UK journalist wrotes: forget civil liberties.
Ah how wonderful this sporting life can be.
Steve Bowles
