Dinamo Zagreb take a dive in the second - French gambling authorities taking a close look at Lyon’s 7-1 win last night.

An extraordinary night of Champions League football last night, and no, we don’t mean both Manchester super-powers being dumped unceremoniously out of the tournament. We are referring to the extremely dodgy circumstances surrounding the Zagreb v Lyon game.

Before last night’s Champions League action kicked off, French side Lyon looked, for all intents and purposes, dead and buried. Lagging three points behind second-placed Ajax, Remi Garde’s side needed to win their final game against Dinamo Zagreb and make up a goal difference of seven to make it to the last sixteen.

Well, unlikely as it may have seemed, the impossible happened. Lyon won 7-1 and perhaps less surprisingly Ajax lost 0-3 to Spanish giants Real Madrid. Needless to say, all hell has broken lose today. Ajax are absolutely furious, claiming they are victims of a conspiracy. Lyon are furious that anyone would suggest any wrong doing. Zagreb have sacked their coach and are frantically performing the Chief Wiggum ‘Nothing to see here!’ act. The fact that the French gambling authorities have become involved suggests they have spotted ‘unusual betting patterns’. For example, a large number of bets coming in from a region, say for example the Balkans, on Zagreb to lose, or to lose heavily or any other unusual circumstance.

Let’s break it all down Mulder and Scully style. Ajax are probably barking up the wrong tree, despite having had two seemingly good goals ruled out for offsides. The fact of the matter is Real Madrid’s B side is good enough to win most leagues. That 0-3 result is probably legitimate. Lyon? It is highly doubtful they are involved in any kind of match fixing, more than anything they probably just gleefully took advantage of what has appeared to been handed them.

That leaves Dinamo Zagreb.

Let’s have a look at the evidence, which is beginning to stack pretty high against them.

The case for the prosecution

• The damning video evidence
• The timing of the goals
• Lyon’s goal scoring record to date
• Domagoj Vida - ‘The wink’
• The sending off
• Dinamo’s history of corruption
• Dinamo sacking their coach

The damning video evidence
This is a real video nasty. The defending is horrendous, suspiciously nonexistent at times. The goalkeeper doesn’t even try to stretch his hand out for a couple of the later goals. It is so bad that Dinamo don’t even appear to be trying to stop Lyon from scoring. Don’t take anyone else’s words for it, judge for yourself. Take careful note in particular at the ‘defensive’ play of Domagoj Vida. More on him later. By our count, Vida is to blame for at least three of the goals.



Another odd element of this is, Lyon’s bland reaction to the goals, as they fly in. If your team scores three goals in under seven minutes, a Champions League record, wouldn’t you at least break into a half smile? The Lyon players react as if they are about to be forced to watch the Twilight movies back to back to back.

The timing of the goals
This could mean nothing, or it could mean everything. Check out the timing of Lyon’s goals. Extremely suspicious. Three goals in under seven minutes? What the what?! Then another clutter of goals in an eleven minute spell between the 65th and 76th minute.

• 45 - B.Gomis
• 48 - M.Gonalons
• 49 - B.Gomis
• 52 - B.Gomis
• 65 - Lopez
• 70 - B.Gomis
• 76 - J.Briand

It just looks wrong, no? Particularly when you consider..

Lyon’s goal scoring record to date
You may say, ‘Well, Dinamo are absolutely rubbish, so it is no shock they were beaten so badly’. Not so fast! Consider also Lyon’s goal scoring record in the tournament to date. Lyon are a decent side (all Champions League teams are decent sides) but they are known as hard to break down and well organised, they are not known as a free scoring machine. Did you know Lyon had scored just two goals in their first five Champions League matches? Two goals. And now, in one half of football, six goals. Remember, Lyon hadn’t scored in their last three Champions League matches . Nudge nudge, wink wink, cough cough.

Domagoj Vida - ‘The wink’
Back to our mate Domagoj Vida, he who was to blame for possibly half the goals scored last night. If it does turn out that Vida was involved in some kind of half witted match fixing attempt, then someone should probably give the lad an IQ test before he is carted off to jail. He may be exempt from prison on the basis of low intelligence. Strong comments, however we have two pictures to back them up.

First, Mr. Vida winking at a Lyon player after one of the goals. No, seriously. Look for yourself. Winking.




Secondly, Mr. Vida leaving a bookies office earlier this season. No, seriously. A professional soccer player leaving a bookies office, in broad daylight. For real. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you Domagoj Vida. Potentially the dumbest criminal of all times.



The sending off
This one is just odd. Zagreb, already out of the tournament mathematically speaking, had absolutely nothing to play for, so what on earth was light tackling midfielder Jerko Leko doing getting sent off for two bookable offences within the first 28 minutes?! Complete head scratcher, or something way more sinister?

Dinamo’s history of corruption
In short, this is not the first time Dinamo have been heavily involved in match fixing allegations. It has happened several times before. Here is an example. What can you say, did it before, more likely to do it again, right?

Dinamo sacking their coach
One last thread to connect, Dinamo Zagreb sacked their manager Krunoslav Jurcic a few hours after this debacle. At first glance, understandable given the severity of the result, however how about the fact that Jurcic’s side lead their domestic league by a healthy six point margin. How do you sack a manager when that’s the situation? Could this be Dinamo trying to divert attention from other potential issues?

The ruling...
Our hypothesis? This is not a grand conspiracy. We suggest one or two Dinamo players, working with a betting syndicate, combined to ensure Lyon got the goals they needed. At the end of the day, the whole thing is pretty easy to solve. Simply find the suspicious betting patterns, and follow them until you get to the root. That, and let an authority figure know if you see Domagoj Vida driving around in a new Bugatti Veyron.


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Valentine’s Day - Red Sox set to unleash Bobby Valentine 2.0 on MLB

Bobby Valentine

Bobby Valentine is set to become the 45th manager in Red Sox history sometime around midday local time in Boston today. Valentine is on his way back from Japan where sources are saying he was offered the job. All that remains now is the goofy opening press conference with Valentine sporting that classy old Boston cap.

This column is going to come right out and say it, we like the move. Valentine is a long term, old school baseball guy. He gets the game and sees things other don’t. He has experienced almost everything in the game. He got to the big leagues briefly at age 19 in 1969 and then returned two years later. He played in the big leagues for 10 years total, spread out across five teams. He was the No. 1 pick of the Dodgers in 1968, taken ahead of none other than Bill Buckner (nice symmetry there!).

Two things stand out really, above and beyond the clichéd ‘he will bring discipline’ angle being regurgitated incessantly around the major sporting online outlets today.

First off, he brings a tremendous amount of colour and character to the Manager’s office. You can envision Valentine garnering more than his share of headlines, and one thing that will do is deflect attention away from his players. This will be a welcome distraction after a carpet bombing of paparazzi treatment this batch of Red Sox players may never forget (things figure to be pretty icy between certain reports and the players they covered with gleeful Schadenfreude during the great September swoon).

Secondly, we think we all need to ensure everyone knows about this, what is really undoubtedly one of the funniest moments in MLB history

In June 9, 1999 during the 12th inning of a 14 inning marathon with the Toronto Blue Jays, Mike Piazza was called for catcher's interference on Craig Grebeck. Valentine was ejected by home plate umpire Randy Marsh for arguing the call, and, well, then this happened.



Assuming MLB eventually take that video above down, Valentine unbelievably returned to the dugout an inning later in a disguise Ron Burgundy would be proud of. One of the funniest baseball moments ever. Sadly MLB didn’t get the joke and fined Valentine $5,000 and suspended him for three games.

Hey, how is this guy not going to fit in to the Cirque De Red Sox?!


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The NFL cares, FIFA doesn’t: Rex Ryan facing hefty fine while FIFA basically ignores rampant racism in its sport

Interesting incidents across two diverse sports this week. In the NFL, noted fat-mouth Rex Ryan verbally abused a fan at a game with a torrent of expletives that would have made Chuck Norris blush. Meanwhile, FIFA basically slapped the Bulgarian football federations hands after their fans were found guilty of racially abusing several English players during September's Euro 2012 qualifier in Sofia.

Really fascinating to see how the two sports have handled their issues. One, professionally and sternly, the other, well, basically they haven’t handled it at all. No prizes for guessing which is which.

The NFL is going to announce the actual fine today however Sexy Rexy is expected to be going to be $100,000 lighter in his wallet region after they are done with him. This is after he used ‘profane language’ in a split second reaction to a fan at last Sunday night's game against the New England Patriots. This comes hot on the heels after the Jets fined Ryan when he made an obscene gesture to fans at a mixed martial arts event in Miami during Super Bowl week in 2010 ($50,000 that time).

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So, let’s get this totally straight in our heads before we move on to the wonderful world of FIFA. The New York Jets head coach is going to be $150,000 worse off by the end of this week for two relatively minor incidents. The message? The NFL and its franchises will not tolerate any kind of tarnish to their glossy coats.

Now, on to FIFA.

During the afore mentioned match, Bulgarian ‘fans’ showered English players with racist chants, targeting England’s black players with bananas, monkey chants and also, somewhat bizarrely, the Nazi salute (is Hitler big in Bulgaria?!).

You stay classy, Bulgaria!

Imagine for a second that happening during the Chiefs v Patriots encounter tonight in New England. Just imagine for one second a section of Kansas fans showering a player or players on the Patriots sidelines with racist chants, bananas and the Nazi salute. I mean, can you imagine the reaction? There is no doubt in my mind the ramifications would be enormous. They are pepper spraying and ‘tazing’ peaceful protesters in the streets, so one would imagine the riot police would have a field day in this imaginary incidence.

Back to FIFA. With the above in mind, FIFA’s reaction to the disgusting behaviour of those Bulgarian fans? They fined the Bulgarian Football Union £34,250.

I suppose you have to pick your jaw up off the floor and remember, this is the same organization that basically ignored the incredible riot performed by Serbian fans earlier this year. This is the organization whose head (The second most corrupt man in the world, Sepp Blatter, losing out narrowly to Vladimir ‘The money was just resting in my account’ Putin) thinks racism on the pitch is not an issue and can be settled with a handshake.

FIFA is absolutely littered with situations where issues stinking of racism have been basically kicked under the carpet. In 2004 the former Spanish international team manager, the despicable Luis Aragonés, called Thierry Henry a ‘’black shit’’. FIFA fined him £2,060. In 2004 FIFA fined Spain (Yes, Spain, again) £44,750 after Spanish fans racially abused English players during a game in Madrid. In 2007 the Serbian Football Federation was fined £16,500 by Uefa (FIFA’s European arm) for "the racist chanting of supporters and the improper conduct of their players" during an under-21 match against England. In 2008 Croatia were fined £10,000 for "displaying a racist banner and showing racist conduct" during their country's Euro 2008 quarter-final against Turkey. In 2008 FIFA again docked Croatia some cash, this time £15,000 after England's Emile Heskey was subjected to racial abuse by home fans during the 4-1 victory in a qualifier for the 2010 World Cup against Croatia in Zagreb.

Add those fines up, all leveled against serious instances of racial abuse (far worse in this columns book than an expletive or two) and you get £88,310. That equates to $136,000.

You can probably see where we are going with this.

Seven long years of horrific racially charged incidents have led FIFA to fine the protagonists $136,000. Two quick outbursts of profanity from Rex Ryan and the NFL has fined him $150,000.

I guess we can see which sport is professional, stern, and determined to do things the right way. And which sport is presided over by FIFA.

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About last night: Thoughts on Patriots 37 Jets 16

Has Rex Ryan released any bombastic announcements as yet today? His Jets still going to win the Superbowl? (Is there a greater boy-who-cried-wolf in NFL history, ‘’We’re going to win the Superbowl!’’ – sure Rex, sure)

Some aspects of last night’s encounter between the Patriots and the Jets in the Meadowlands stood out.

Act like you have been here before
Commentator Chris Collinsworth made a very revealing comment about his view from the training grounds of both squads. Having visited both mid week, Chris noted that the Jets were running very up-tempo practices. There was a lot of high energy chest-thumping and a lot of focus on the Patriots. He noted on the flip side that at the Patriots training sessions, you couldn’t tell if they had won or lost the week before. It was just business as usual.

Communication is the name of the game
Did you see how active and communicative the Patriots ‘D’ was? Vince Wilfork was extremely vocal and led by example, as always. It seemed like everyone knew exactly where they had to be. A backfield of relatively no-name players played fantastic coverage all night, a direct result of super communication between team-mates.



Bully me? I’ll bully you!
The Jets love to ‘throw shapes’, they love their swagger, trash talking and posturing. More often than not, when push comes to shove, they melt into air. In the third quarter Brady misfired on a short ‘out’ to Aaron Hernandez. The Jets DB on the play (Wilson?) took a cheap shot at the big New England TE, right in front of the side judge. The reason no flag was thrown was that the Jets DB bounced right back off Hernandez, the latter turning to him, and shouting niceties at him, as the Jets DB quickly cowered back to his mates. The Patriots were bigger, meaner and stronger on the night, they just didn’t shout about it as much.

Brady the party planner
Brady was at his organizational best last night, constantly tweaking his troops into position to make the right plays. His fourth quarter no-huddle work was nothing short of sensational, however all night long he was constantly managing the game, motioning WRs into position, shouting out coverages to his offensive line. Brady must have been absolutely exhausted both mentally and physically after this one.

Lay off Sanchez
Say what you want about Jets QB Mark Sanchez, and no doubt plenty of people will, he did not come up with that decrepit game plan. The Jets are not a passing team. They know it, we know it, everybody knows it. However, they almost completely gave up on the run last night, slinging the ball around like a college spread offence. They did not look themselves. Blame Mark Sanchez if you like, however I point the finger at the Jets coaching staff, once more over-thinking themselves out of a big game.

Game changers
The game hinged on two key fumbles. One that didn’t happen and one that did. How often do you see a QB go up against several defensive linemen and come out with the ball (and, physically intact)? The mis-snap between center and Brady early in the game at the Patriots line could have been devastating. Brady dove down and amazingly came out of the pile with the rock. Absolutely unbelievable play. Then, with the game completely balanced and at a point where it could have gone either way, the Patriots special teams came up with that massive fumble recovery off a Patriots punt. From that point on it was all Patriots.




Act like you have been here before II
Patriots defensive lineman Andre Carter was nothing short of sensational last night, with four thunderous solo sacks. Fascinatingly, on the last two, with the Jets driving and desperately trying to claw back into the game, Carter sacked Sanchez, stood up, and jogged back into position. Ray Lewis would still be celebrating those final two sacks. Carter led by example and put his team ahead of personal celebration. I wonder did the Jets learn anything from that?




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Penn State affair: Massive failure all round, while ESPN still throws bouquets at Paterno

I am sorry, but let's just come out and ask it, why are the biggest sporting websites still talking about Joe Paterno in terms of adoration? Weeks after the allegations have sprung that Paterno and others turned a blind eye to a Penn State coach abusing young boys, hours after calls for Peterno's head started, ESPN amongst others are publishing soft-focus, slush pieces on the Penn State head-coach. Check out this rubbish from ESPN. You can almost hear the PGA Tour soft-core porn music humming in the background as you read the below.

''The love was evident as several hundred students crowded around Paterno's house - The 84-year-old coach looked happier than any senior citizen ever to have kids trample his lawn. He exited the passenger side of a white university van to thank the students in his driveway. A few minutes after that, he opened his front window to say a few more words as the crowd surged forward to hear him. And just when everybody was about to disperse some 30 minutes later, a grinning Paterno walked out the front door to address the students one more time.''

What? Seriously? Are we talking about the same guy here? Is this grinning, lovable old man the same guy who was Jerry Sandusky's boss in 1998 when that year, the Penn State police department conducted investigations of allegations that Sandusky had hugged, rubbed against and inappropriately touched two 11-year-old boys while they were naked with him in the Penn State locker room? During same investigations, and with police listening in, the mother of one of the boys called Sandusky to confront him. According to the grand jury report, Sandusky told her:

“I understand. I was wrong. I wish I could get forgiveness. I know I won’t get it from you. I wish I were dead.”

For whatever bizarre reason he got away with it, but that moment was Paterno's chance to get a clearly deranged man out of dealing with his kids. His kids. How does Paterno let this evil creature stay employed after that?

Back to the ESPN sludge from above, is that fuzzy piece of nostalgic vomit talking about the same Paterno that in 2002 completely ignored strong evidence that a young boy was raped by this evil scum-bag Sandusky in the locker room?

Just checking, you know, if we are all talking about the same Paterno that ESPN is still jamming a halo over.

These people at the high ranks of College and High School Football have a simple remit. Take care of young adults and children. Look after their safety, educate them and take care of their well being. Nothing else matters. Money doesn't matter, BCS ranking do not matter, Boosters do not matter, recruiting profile does not matter, absolutely nothing else matters. Or nothing else should matter.

Everyone involved in the NCAA Football program at Penn State should step down immediately, including the lovable' Joe Paterno, for they have failed at the most simple of tasks. Look after the kids.

The moment they decided they had 'done enough' back in 1998, they failed at their simple job. This was then exacerbated in 2002, when they yet again turned a blind eye and failed epically at their essential yet simple remit. It is worrying that Paterno hasn't already stepped aside. There is little doubt that evidence shows he is a decent, philanthropic and intelligent man. However, his later years will no doubt be wracked with the guilt of realising his gut wrenching mistake in not blowing this disgusting scandal up the moment he got wind of it.

The fact of the matter is, he will only have himself to blame. The split second he got a whiff of this, he should have blown the whole thing up.

Tough material to take to the grave, and plenty of questions remain.


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Sporting superstar fragrances - David Beckham, LeBron and Ronaldo scents shoved down our throats

David Beckham

There is just something beautifully idiotic about the David Beckham ‘fragrance’ being rammed down our throats and up our nostrils on this gaudy home stretch to the Christmas spending season.

There is a marvelous Zoolanderesque quality to the advertising material delivered to us via different mediums. You could imagine Beckham gazing into the camera with that clumsy handsomeness of his, whispering ‘Beckham, it smells good. Like myself. Because I use it’.


Of course, Beckham isn’t the only sporting superstar to bring out his own fragrance. Let us not forget the following stars and their essence! All perfect stocking fillers.

‘$’ by LeBron

An unexpected delight! ‘$’ smells like a rolled up bundle of dollar bills, ya’ll. Subtle and carefully crafted to balance the scent of craving for cash and the sweat dripping off greedy palms. The opening notes include layers of the faint whiff of 10, 50 and 100 dollar bills. Wow, what a treat!

''mMmmm my hands, and my enormous wealth, smell good''

‘Premature’ by Tebow

New on the market, this stylishly presented fragrance comes in a mini statue of Jesus, with the scent emanating from the mouth of the statue when depressed. The smell reminds the user of that damp, stale odor of church seats, sore knees, remorse and guilt. Best worn too soon.

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Did they leave out the ''...in 2013'' bit?

‘Wookie’ by Hope Solo

A dry Sandalwood Spice blend. This sultry and rich complex fragrance opens with a heady and exotic profusion of the Forest Moons of Endor. Unique packaging with several refill bottles in a bandolier style worn over the shoulder across the body. For women who wear size 12 shoes worldwide.

‘Greasy’ by Ronaldo

‘Greasy’ is a very unique fragrance. Provocative, sensual, and very pleasing to both men and women. Often more so to men. ‘Greasy’ has a musk, sandalwood, and amber type fragrance that is very well balanced ,it somewhat reminds you of the classic men's type cologne from Royal Copenhagen. Or the men’s toilet in the back of The George after a long Friday night’s ‘partying’. ‘Greasy’ is confused, sexual and spunky!

‘Sexy!’ by Kobe

Oh, yes, this is it! A custom blend, it’s one of the sexiest fragrances on the market. Bottom notes of White Carnation and blood orange are the perfect foil for the heart notes, comprised of a sneering, aggressive and angry scents, with just a touch of pay-off. Doubles as a powerful mace alternative.

‘Swing and a miss’ by A-Rod
A unique fragrance in that it is actually inserted into the body, secreting its odor out after insertion. The beginners pack comes with its own needle and directions how to find the meaty part of your ass. A musty scent, guaranteed to go completely stale when your heart beat increases. Wearing ‘Swing and a miss’ describes you as a man who does very little when it matters most.


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Beer me - MLB announce they are going to look into Red Sox club-house drinking

Well thank God for that. MLB has finally announced an official investigation into the dramatic revelations that certain Boston Red Sox players were drinking actual alcohol in the clubhouse during the 2011 season. Thank goodness, we can all sleep just that tiny bit better at night. Put down the hot-line to the president, call off the dogs, MLB has this all under control.

Joe Torre, beefy, dreamy head of the little known, semi secret MLB office of International Intrigue, Espionage and Dramatic Story-Lines had this to say on the subject:

“It’s something we’re concerned about, just to make sure that we get all the facts and that’s my area, I know I have plans just to talk to some people.’’

So Joe Torre’s ‘area’ is to get all the facts on grown men drinking alcoholic beverages in a closed clubhouse in the late innings of games they aren’t playing in? One can only hope that Torre is amply supplied with assistants, business jets, iPads, Blackberries and other gadgets, as he fights the good fight, keeping us safe from drinking adults. We can only assume it is a tough task, you can picture Torre sitting in his war-room/bat-cave, hunkered down over multiple screens reviewing thousands upon thousands of hours of footage of Red Sox games, trying to catch a glimpse of a Red Sox pitcher, sitting on the bench with their hood up vagrant style, sipping from a bottle of Peach Schnapps wrapped in a paper bag.



Imagine the moment of pure professional joy, nay, release, as Torre finds that one glimpse, that one frame where Beckett or whoever gets caught sitting there in the dugout, huddled behind the hulking frame of John lackey, drinking from a bottle of whatever alcohol took his fancy that day. Torre would no doubt reach for the red phone to his left, a hot-line, if you will, and while never taking his eyes from the dramatic evidence on screen, whisper Batman like into the phone, ‘We’ve got them!’ or some other glib, momentary, asinine George Bush like catch phrase.

Torre goes on to enlighten us that:

“If we do happen to bar alcohol from the clubhouses, you have to understand the intent of this thing and what it looks like,’’

Naturally Torre is spot on. We all have to understand this thing, this, phenomenon. The fat guy in the sleeveless Metallica t-shirt sitting at a Marlins game, drunk off his head on fifteen cups of Coors Lite really, really cares, from a special place deep down inside his heart, whether Clay Bucholz or Jon Lester had a quiet beer in the Red Sox clubhouse way back whenever.



The overlord man at the helm that Torre reports into, Bud Selig, is also following this as close as white on rice.

“You never like to hear that. I’m very image-conscious about the sport and that’s a great, proud franchise. I’m sorry for those stories because they’re not helpful. But I also have great confidence that the Red Sox will get this cleaned up quickly.’’

No word so from Das Fuhrer as to whether the other eleven teams that allow alcohol in the clubhouse will be cleaning up their act too. Perhaps that will come in a future communiqué

The Boston Globe ran a fancy little picture a few weeks ago of the clubs that allow drinking in the clubhouse and those that, you know, don't. Let's re-post it as an aid to Bud Selig in his crusade to eliminate alcohol from ballparks, well, not from ballparks, but from non paying customers in ballparks.

Everyone else can continue to get sloshed to their hearts content





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The black sporting weekend - Ireland knocked out of the Rugby World Cup and fail to impress against Andorra

And so it came to pass. A weekend infused with such sporting promise from the perspective of Irish eyes, crashes to the ground in ruins like the proverbial house of cards. Irish Sporting fans with a broader range of disciplines in their fandom portfolio were left clutching at straws, celebrating the Patriots beating the Jets as they clung to the wreckage of Saturdays Irish failure in New Zealand.

Leading up to those fateful events on Saturday morning Ireland had not been as energized and hopeful about a tournament since we were on the brink of the Soccer World Cup and Thierry Henry handled away our aspirations there. Perhaps the weight of the desperate hopes of a nation dragged our boys in green down, as a very brave Irish team looked admittedly tired and spent in the second half against Wales.

With the match on so early (6 am Irish time), it was still early morning as Irish rugby fans rubbed their eyes, looked out into the grey, cold, dispassionate morning light and felt that empty longing grow a bit longer. Will Ireland ever proceed to the final of a meaningful World tournament?


Meanwhile, on Friday night, a much more depressing event was taking place.

Wait, back that up a second. A more depressing event than Ireland getting knocked out of the Rugby World Cup, just two games from the finals? Well, did you watch Andorra v Ireland? For those who luckily stayed away, Ireland were playing the joint worst ranked football team in the World on Friday night, as they hope to advance to the 2012 European Championships.

It was a drab, depressing affair that Ireland ‘won’ 2-0, with two first half goals. Ireland chose to field two holding (defending) midfielders, including Glenn Whelan, who believes the best way forward is, well, backwards. Whelan’s first thought when he receives the ball is ‘safety first’ and statistically the over whelming majority of his passes travel either side to side or backwards.

On a night where they played the joint worst team in the World, Ireland employed two holding, defensive midfielders. Exactly what were they defending against? Were they defending the Irish viewing public from the possibility of being entertained?

Watching Ireland under Gio Trapattoni is a depressing, unrewarding and unenlightening affair.

Beware of chastising me to soon for the following statement, a more loyal Irish fan you will never meet. However, if Armenia, a team playing open, attacking football, beat us in Dublin tomorrow and nip us to the post of qualification, so what? Honestly, can you really say you enjoy watching this current incarnation of the Irish soccer team?

I can’t.

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Corkman Darragh O’Neill punts his way onto Colorado University football team

Could it be possibly just 3-4 years before we see a Cork boy punting in the NFL? This may not be as crazy a thought as it seems. Colorado University turned a few heads when they announced their starting punter for the 2011 season would be Darragh O’Neill. Born in Cork, Ireland, he is the son of Colm O’Neill, owner of Boulder’s popular Irish bar-restaurant, Conor O’Neill’s. Darragh moved to the States aged three when his Father moved over for work.

He started kicking just six months before the start of the season. He took the sport up after going to watch a few Colorado games, instantly falling for what he described as ‘the buzz’ coming from the 50,000 plus crowd and the general game day atmosphere. Darragh’s strong leg comes from a background playing soccer, and he is also an accomplished basketball player too, excelling at high school level.

In the below excellent audio interview Darragh describes his path to NCAA Football. His accent is a fantastic mix of Irish American, as he appears to be just about clinging to the last remains of his Cork lilt!

• Audio interview with Daragh
• You can view Darragh’s Colorado biography here

Best of luck on the season to the young man



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MLB Monday catchup. The AL MVP race and the AL Wild card race.

As we cruise to the end of the MLB season, there is an awful lot of copy being written in particular about the AL MVP. Should a pitcher be considered? Should it go to a player who is playing for a team that is seventeen games out in its division?

This column's suggestion is leading the AL with a sparkling .341 batting average. He is tied for first with a sensational .447 OBP (On base percentage). He is tied for second place with 47 doubles and is right up there in home runs (tied 7th) and RBIs (tied 7th). Our candidate is tied for 2nd in the AL with 108 walks and is second in slugging and OPS.

It isn't just the numbers.

Our candidate is the scariest bat, the leading Superstar, the main man on a team that has absolutely run away with their division, and are cruising on auto pilot into the postseason. The Detroit Lions would be nothing without Miguel Cabrera. He makes that entire lineup tick. People say the Tigers would be in trouble without big Justin Verlander, well, they would be completely screwed without 'Miggy'.

There are other worthy candidates. Bear in mind, you are hearing this from an avid Red Sox fan. This column would love to see Gonzo or Jacoby take the MVP award. However, you can't deny Miggy is the glaringly obvious logical candidate. Powerful statistics on a winning team, and you can not imagine that same team without him. With all due respect to the incredible tear Jose Bautista is on, he is doing it for a team that is going to be breaking up and going on holidays very, very soon. In three games time, to be exact.

One man ticks all the AL MVP boxes. Statistically and in terms of intangibles too. Miguel Cabrera, your AL MVP. Just remember you heard it here first.

With just three games left in the chase for the final spot in the playoffs, otherwise known as the Wild Card, the last three contenders for the American League are breaking out their heavy artillery. The three teams, Boston, Tampa and Anaheim, are unleashing nine of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball in a last ditch attempt to break into the playoffs on the tails of the division winners.

Check out this murderers row of serious pitching talent


Imagine you were a GM and you were able to cherry pick a five man rotation from that group. Personally I would go with;

• Price
• Beckett
• Weaver
• Lester
• Santana

Can you imagine throwing that five out every week?

As the great Homer Simpson would say, ‘I digest’. The main topic the next few nights is clearly, who’s going forward, and which two teams can go ahead and make their holiday plans. The Angels are basically out of it, as they would have to win all three and have Boston and Tampa lose all three. That’s highly unlikely. The Red Sox have a one game lead on the Rays, so they need to win two and hope Tampa lose one, basically.

I don’t see it being that complicated. Boston happens to have the right guys at the right time, and you will probably have noticed their bullpen has come right lately. Beckett\Bedard\Lester is more than enough to win three straight against the Orioles.

Boston started the game with a damp squid 2-10 record, and there was plenty of Schadenfreude doing the rounds. However they then righted the ship in spectacular fashion. This Column thinks they will right the ship again, starting tonight.

There is just too much talent there for the alternative.

Panic about the Red Sox? Not just yet.

Alright so, let’s kick things off by stating the obvious. As Sox fans, you are disappointed, I am disappointed, we are all disappointed. This has been a singularly painful couple of weeks baseball, as the Red Sox have frittered away a big lead in the Wild Card faster than Michael Vick wasted away his first hundred million dollar contract. The Internet is bulging wider than Val Kilmer’s waist line today with doom and gloom stories revolving around the Sox damp, drab couple of weeks shenanigans.

Well, much as we all love definitive statements and stories with a neat, tidy bow wrapped around them, there is much more to this Sox ‘collapse’ story than meets the eye. A little perspective is required amongst the slumping, screaming, slashing, headlines.

First things first, the Sox are getting healthier every day. They welcomed back Josh Beckett on the weekend, and when Erik Bedard takes the hill tomorrow Tuesday, their starting rotation will almost be back to full strength. With a two game lead on Tampa, if Boston manages a handful of wins in the run in, they can start resting their pitchers for the playoffs. They are not chasing. They are being chased.


Secondly, much as most old school baseball fans hate them, statistics are a part of the game. An integral part, you could argue. Well, the ‘surging’ Tampa Bay Devil Rays have an 11.4 percent chance of making the playoffs, and Boston are still in possession of a meaty 88.2 percent chance going into tonight’s double header with the woeful Orioles.

Speaking of which, thirdly, in their last ten games of the 2011 season, Boston faces the Baltimore Orioles seven times. That’s right, 70% of Boston’s remaining games are against the Orioles. The 62-89 Baltimore Orioles. If the Red Sox fail to reach the playoffs, nobody is going to be able to blame the run-in schedule. Boston has its destiny firmly in its own hands. If Boston goes 6-4 over the last ten games, Tampa has to go 8-2 just to tie. Who does Tampa have in seven of its remaining ten games? The New York Yankees. As those two sluggers bash chunks out of each other, Boston will be playing against the Quadruple-A Orioles.

If anything, you could actually argue that because New York and Tampa will be taking games off each other in the run in, with Boston facing the Orioles, they might actually still have a shot at the AL East.

However, that’s not what people are writing. We are being subjected to endless drivel about how Tampa are playing the best baseball in the Majors right now (Gosh, imagine playing decent baseball with one of the best rotations in the game! Shocker!) and the Sox are going to be swept aside by some sort of Devil Ray revolution. Please, spare us the endless pap about the Rays ‘playing fearless baseball’. They caught Boston at the exact right time, wounded, injured and playing with more AAA players than we shall see in the run in. No doubt screaming about disastrous end of season flops makes for good copy, however when you calmly consider all the facts, the Red Sox will most likely get healthy, beat up on the Orioles and cruise into the playoffs.

What happens then, however, is a whole new ball game.




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Comments welcome! Free and open debate and communication are some of the most enjoyable aspects of life. Please leave a comment, disagreements welcome! If you disagree, debate your case by all means. However, anything rude, spiteful or any cowardly anonymous personal attacks will be not be tolerated and will be deleted.

NFL Picks: Week two: The sophmore slump

The curse of having a 'good week' at the coalface that is NFL picks is, the only way is down. Way down. This columns went 11-4 against the spread last week, and that should have been an enjoyable achievement, instead it is weighing this column down, an albatross around its neck. How can we go 11-4 again? So much expectation! The only answer is, success is depressing. Mediocrity is the obvious way forward. Here's to a nice, Toronto Blue Jays, Ryan Reynolds, Stoke City, 'average' kind of week, a nice 8-8 week.

Last weeks totals against the spread - 11-4
Running total - 11-4

On to the picks.

Oakland @ Buffalo -3.5
The theme of week two from a gambling perspective is undoubtedly ‘over-reaction’. When was the last time Buffalo were -3.5 against anyone? Was Jim Kelly at the helm? Buffalo have a whiff of friskiness about them, but you would have to argue, did they turn into World beaters over night? Should we suddenly be considering the 1000/1 Superbowl odds on the back of one win against a very erratic Kansas side? Backing Buffalo does not pass the million dollar test. That is, if someone handed you a million dollars and told you to place a single bet on this game, you would only have one ‘safe’ option, right?
The Pick: Oakland +3.5

Chicago @ New Orleans -7.5
So I guess we are continuing to ignore the fact that Chicago actually won the NFC North last season? It is incredible how the sporting media can affect the general consensus on a given team. There is no way the Bears are more than a touchdown underdogs to New Orleans. Not right now. Everyone is aware the Saints top two wide outs are probably out of this game, right? Maybe at their peak the Saints would be ‘that’ scary, but not right now. A more realistic handicap would have been -3 or maybe even -4.5, but over a touchdown? Really? Take the points and watch the Bears keep it close.
The Pick: Chicago +7.5

Cleveland @ Indianapolis +2.5
More market over-reaction. The Colts will be more prepared, Kerry Collins will have had another week to get his house in order, the Colts will be pumping crowd noise in like nobody’s business, and Cleveland are still reeling from losing badly to the Bengals last week. Just a feeling, but take the few points on offer in what should be a close one, and side with the slightly more desperate of the two. Not often you get a home dog with as many quality players (Freeney, Garcon, Collie, Clarke) as the Colts have.
The Pick: Indianapolis +2.5



Kansas @ Detroit -8.5
You know at first This Column balked at the sight of that gaudy looking handicap. However, then we considered the game more closely. Detroit are on a serious upswing. Kansas are in complete disarray. Detroit won a tough road game against another up and coming team with a potentially great QB (Tampa/Josh Freeman) while Kansas were completely humiliated by one of last season’s worst sides (Buffalo). Detroit have a veritable tone of momentum going into this one, and frankly nothing bar the reverse lock theory can save Kansas. The Lions score early and often and questions start getting asked in Kansas.
The Pick: Detroit -8.5

Green Bay @ Carolina +10.5
What on earth is going on here? Is this the run in to the playoffs, are Carolina already out of it and are Green Bay playing for their lives? How on earth are we already dishing out double figure handicaps?! Everyone saw Cam Newton play last week, right? Once again, Carolina go into a game with two dynamic running backs and a sense that they have nothing to lose. Their explosive rookie QB was the toast of the NFL last weekend, yet the bookies don't appear to be anywhere near impressed by his strong opening showing. Admittedly the Packers are a fine unit, and torched the Saints, but they had their own home crowd and that particular opening night momentum behind them. Carolina get that on Sunday, and can ride that and the youthful exuberance of Cam Newton to, well, to within 10 points anyway!

The Pick: Carolina +10.5

Baltimore @ Tennessee +5.5

Oh those saucy Ravens! Such a tease. That was an overwhelming showing against the bemused looking Steelers last week. Everything on both ends of the ball went right for Baltimore. More often than not, unless you are the 2007 Patriots, perfection is not the norm within the confines of the NFL. Meanwhile, Tennessee continue to search for an identity. Chris Johnson continues to attempt to get going. A home opener and a sense of urgency point to Tennessee keeping this close.

The Pick: Tennessee +5.5

Tampa @ Minnesota -3.5

Tampa ran into the exploding star of momentum that is the Lions. Let's just say the Vikings do not quite represent that much potential energy. Josh Freeman gets his 2011 season going by leading the Buccs to a show road win against a Vikings team looking for an identity amongst so much change.

The Pick: Tampa +3.5

Jacksonville @ New York Jets -10.5

Oh right, I thought it was the completely and utterly ringless New York Jets, but according to those 10.5 points in the handicap this is the '85 freakin Bears. C'mon man! Hey, there's no doubt the Jets are a decent ball club and etc and etc, however Jacksonville know what they have to do, which is namely ram the bowling ball that is Maurice Jones Drew into the line 35-40 times and pray he comes out the other end for 120-130 yards. This clown thinks he does.

The Pick: Jacksonville +10.5

Arizona @ Washington -4.5

That was a fantastic opening from the 'Skins, who look younger, hungrier and more, well, more 'into' the whole thing. Washington won all the little battles against a wildly over matched Giants team. Arizona meanwhile had a nice little opener to themselves. Beanie Wells stayed on the field for an entire game, a miracle in itself, and Kevin Kolb looked like the real deal. A major red flag however is 'Zona's horrific road results the last few seasons. Add to the the fact that Wells could hobble off the gridiron at any time, and you find yourself grunting, and saying ''Well, maybe Washington are the pick!''

The Pick: Washington -4.5

Seattle @ Pittsburgh -14.5

Okay now this one wide margin handicap I actually understand. Seattle are a complete mess. In almost every element of the game. The Steelers are licking their wounds, and have to come out flying to bring their home crowd back in on the deal. Seattle could be in for a royal hiding here.

The Pick: Pittsburgh -14.5

Dallas @ San Francisco -2.5

Good for Alex Smith. Now he's only the eleven games under .500 for his NFL career. The Cowboys looked pretty feisty last week in New York, and have the tools and skills to beat the Niners, even on the road.

The Pick: Dallas +2.5

Cincinnati @ Denver -5.5

When This Column first saw this line, jaw dropping did follow. While Denver are busy losing at home to Oakland and spending the rest of the week ripping themselves apart from the inside with one of the more head scratching QB controversies of all time, The Bungles were busy proving themselves to be in possession of, you know, heart. If they keep this up, The Bungles will be a term of endearment, rather than one of derision.

The Pick: The Bengals +5.5

Houston @ Miami +2.5

What's the over for this one? Anything below ninety is still tasty. Miami have jettisoned their running game in favour of slinging the ball round the park like one of those 50-60 pass attempt Bledsoe led Patriot teams of the nineties. Meanwhile Houston kicked the dog that is the Colts while it was down last week, piling on the points like a big bully. We could easily see eighty points combined here.

The Pick: Houston -2.5

San Diego @ New England -6.5

Gosh imagine that! San Diego struggling to cover an early season whopper of a handicap last week? We all know the script when it comes to the Chargers. Start slow, come on strong, evaporate when the playoffs start. They do it every single season, they are as predictable as the seasons. Or at least, as predictable as the seasons were, you know, a decade ago. Meanwhile, The Brady Bunch look like they have decided to dust off the old 2007 playbook and let loose the old passing game. How on earth are teams going to cover not one but two incredible Tight Ends? And by the way, remember, you heard it hear first, Hernandegronk is a beast. With Welker and Branch catching everything thrown within ten feet of them, and Ochocinco, eh, providing a distraction, it is a nightmare for any defensive coordinator to rein in the Patriots. The obvious answer would appear to be, get after Brady, but the Patriots offensive line is good enough to give him enough time to pick apart any Blitzing defence. It is early, but the Patriots look really, really good.

The Pick: The Patriots and Hernandegronk -6.5

Hernandegronk

Philadelphia @ Atlanta +2.5

Interesting smoke and mirrors for these two last week. While the Eagles had their way with a injury riddled Rams, the Falcons had to endure a bit of a bashing at the hands of the Bears. The same Bears who won the NFC North last season. And the same Bears who were enjoying the momentum of their home opener. This week, the market correction will apply itself, and the Falcons and their bevy of brilliant receivers, will cause the Eagles more headaches than expected.

The Pick: Atlanta +2.5

St Louis @ New York Giants -6.5

No Steven Jackson? You want to say 'No problem', however, the fact of the matter is the Rams relied heavily on Jackson last season, he often single handedly kept them in games. Without him there's no need to stack the line. The Giants can pin their ears back and go after Bradford. The Giants do not look like world beaters, however the home opener factor, combined with a tinge of desperation after losing last week, should provide enough impetus to whitewash a badly bruised Rams team that's going to have to get healthy to realise its promise.

The Pick: The Giants -6.5

Good luck all ya'll.



Feel free to copy and paste the below into the comments section to do your own picks!
Week 2
Oakland @ Buffalo -3.5
Chicago @ New Orleans -7.5
Cleveland @ Indianapolis +2.5
Kansas @ Detroit -8.5
Green Bay @ Carolina +10.5
Baltimore @ Tennessee +5.5
Tampa @ Minnesota -3.5
Jacksonville @ New York Jets -10.5
Arizona @ Washington -4.5
Seattle @ Pittsburgh -14.5
Dallas @ San Francisco -2.5
Cincinnati @ Denver -5.5
Houston @ Miami +2.5
San Diego @ New England -6.5
Philadelphia @ Atlanta +2.5
St Louis @ New York Giants -6.5

Linkage

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Comments
Comments welcome! Free and open debate and communication are some of the most enjoyable aspects of life. Please leave a comment, disagreements welcome! If you disagree, debate your case by all means. However, anything rude, spiteful or any cowardly anonymous personal attacks will be not be tolerated and will be deleted.

Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan moves to a club with an average attendance of 2,513

It is obviously not ground breaking news to report that many athletes are greedy, however sometimes the sheer audacity of their actions are breath taking. How stupid do these clowns think we, the fans, are? Why do they insist on the same clichéd, asinine statements about moving for trophies or whatever, when the only reason they are moving is so they can afford to wipe their backsides with surplus cash?

Consider former Sunderland strikers, the Ghanaian Asamoah Gyan

Gyan was plying his trade relatively successfully for English Premiership side Sunderland. He was scoring goals, and basically progressing his career in a positive manner. However, despite the fact that he has three years remaining on his contract, Gyan came back to Sunderland for training after the summer a completely hollow ghost of a player. In short, he was making no effort at all in training, or indeed in matches. He was, effectively, on strike. His agent and possibly other people in his inner circle were motivating him to look for a big money move elsewhere. Again, despite the fact that he had signed his name to a legal, binding contract promising his services to Sunderland at least until 2014.

Cue Gyan’s move to Al-Ain.



Unbelievably, Gyan has tried to paint this move as one motivated by his craft. He has laughably called the United Arab Emirates club Al-Ain ‘Important’. In doing that he is basically calling all Sunderland and sports fans, completely stupid. Gyan said

'I'm really happy to be here. Al-Ain is an important club and this is a big challenge for me. ‘’

So Al-Ain are an ‘important’ club, eh? Ever hear of their manager, Cosmin Olăroiu? Me neither. Al-Ain play in the Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium which holds a whopping 15,000 fans at capacity. Gyan will be undoubtedly the talk of those throbbing terraces! I imagine many thousands will pour in to watch his first training session! Interesting to note that Al-Ain have not won their own league since 2004. Perhaps there are even more important clubs in the UAE that Gyan can move to, if this current stint doesn’t prove, you know, important enough for him.

Gyan is going from playing in front of approximately 40,000 a week to a league where the average attendance is currently 3,240. (Average crowd at Etisalat Pro-League games in the 2010/11). The ‘important’ team Gyan is joining can’t even match that average, their pitiful average attendance is 2,513 per match. I suppose we should mention that is actually in increase on last season’s completely pathetic 1,503 a game.

Let’s call this whole thing what it is, a very bad joke.

It is clear for all to see that the only reason Gyan is committing career suicide by moving to a club that has a lower average attendance than most English Sunday league teams, is money. Word on the street is Gyan has managed to triple his salary to pursue tax-free wages of £200,000 a week. Wonderful. Let us hope that his bed of money keeps him warm on those chilly Arabian nights.

Back to Gyan again;

‘’There will be a lot of expectations on me, but not pressure.’’

On that note, you are absolutely right, Asamoah. No pressure at all. How could there be? There won’t be anyone watching you! Have fun at the packed Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium. You will have plenty of personal space and time to roll around in your bed of extra cash, because, despite your artificially inflated salary, no one gives a damn about you anymore.




Linkage

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Comments
Comments welcome! Free and open debate and communication are some of the most enjoyable aspects of life. Please leave a comment, disagreements welcome! If you disagree, debate your case by all means. However, anything rude, spiteful or any cowardly anonymous personal attacks will be not be tolerated and will be deleted.