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Sports Category
Sports news, commentary and scores with wit and added value. We compare and contrast the best and worst sports reporting in the mainstream press, blogs, TV and online. We love the English Premier League (Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Manchester United and Manchester City) and all things football but we cover cricket, rugby, the Olympics, tennis, golf, F1 and highlights of the sporting year.
Chelsea’s John Terry Is Being Tried By A Vengeful Media That Excuses Racism
JOHN Terry, the Chelsea captain, must be presumed innocent of racially abusing QPR’s Anton Ferdinand. Terry says it was a misunderstanding that he came to mouth the words “fu***ng black c**t” on camera. The football pundits make their feelings known, presenting Terry’s latest problem in the context of past misunderstandings. Only, none of the items on Terry’s list of alleged inappropriate behaviour features racism.
Terry is looking like a victim of his reputation, rather then the facts.
Terry says he is proud to be captain of a racially mixed team. He has worn an armband demanding that racism be kicked out of football. But neither point is relevant. Terry would no more refuse to play with a black man then he would openly join the BNP. Terry just upholds the current culture of football that means overt racism is universally unaccepted.
This is not to say that racism does not exist in football. It is just that racism does not exist in polite society. Britain is a country where difference is embraced and tolerated. Thank god. But around the dinner party table, racism is there. In private, racism is there. Any minority knows that they are held to standards to which white, Christian Britons could never aspire. When Tam Dalyell MP said that Tony Blair was “unduly influenced by a cabal of Jewish advisers“, British Jews winced. Here was an old canard about those clever Jews – and to Jews, being called clever can be taken as a slight, a conniving glance to when Jews were presented as demonic and wily. When a wanted criminal is revealed as black, all blacks take a sharp intake of breath.
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Posted: 27th, October 2011 | In: Key Posts, Sports | Comments (2)
BBC Says Aldershot Are Aldershit
HOW bad were Aldershot in their Carling Cup match against Manchester United. Well, they lot 3-0. But the BBC’s Phil Dawkes surely went overboard by calling them Aldershit?
Tesco Offers Post-Thrashing Discount On Manchester United Cake: Man City’s Still Expensive
CHRIS Wright over at Pies spots that Tesco’s are offering a post-thrashing discount on Manchester United cakes. United’s doughnut-munching goalkeeper De Gea might be interested…
Daily Mail Says Racism Is No Big Deal: Black Footballers Should Complain About More Important Things
THE Daily Mail’s Steve Doughty will now offer his views on John Terry, Anton Ferdinand and all that alleged racism:
“Things may not be perfect but, at the end of the day, Gary, there are worse things to complain about. So, Mr Evra and Mr Ferdinand, I know you feel insulted. But perhaps in this case you could just put up with it and get on with the game.”
Now, had Terry said “Oi! Did you say Gaddafi deserved to die, you knobhead” or “Oi! Did you say I was a f*****g c*** like Steve Doughty” then those black footballers would have real grounds to complain…
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Posted: 26th, October 2011 | In: Sports | Comments (4)
Arsenal’s Thomas Vermaelen Is Both Injured And Uninjured In The Times And Daily Mail
ARSENAL look to have turned the corner. But the Daily Mail sees only bad news, as is its wont. Sami Mokbel writes:
Thomas Vermaelen’s long-awaited return to action turned sour on Tuesday night after he was involved in another injury scare. The Belgium defender limped off in the 84th minute of the Carling Cup fourth-round win over Bolton with calf trouble.
Or as The Times’ Gary Jacob puts it:
“Vermaelen put himself firmly in to contention against Chelsea on Saturday when he came through unscathed on his return.”
The Times then reads the Mail’s report and changes the story online to read:
Arsenal 2 Bolton 1: Thomas Vermaelen blow mars Arsène Wenger’s night
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Posted: 26th, October 2011 | In: Sports | Comments (3)
Is Chelsea’s John Terry A Teflon-Coated Odious Chancer Or The Misunderstood Hero?
IS John Terry, the hard-to-like Chelsea and England captain, a racist?
Footage shows Terry mouthing the words “black c**t” and “fu*king knobhead“ during his side’s defeat to QPR.
The allegation is that he directed the words towards Anton Ferdinand, the QPR defender who is of mixed-race.
The video does not show all of Terry’s sentence. The opening part is obscured by Ashley Cole’s head. Terry says his sentence began with the words: “Oi! I never said…”
Terry says he uttered the words without racist intent. Says Terry:
“I thought Anton was accusing me of using a racist slur against him. I responded aggressively, saying that I never used that term.
The story makes the front page of the Sun.
“COPS IN TERRY RACIST PROBE”
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Posted: 26th, October 2011 | In: Key Posts, Sports | Comments (4)
Manchester City Fan Teaches Budgie To Praise Team: Video
TO Manchester, where Cheeksey the budgies can say “‘Come on City” and “Roberto Mancini”.
Says his pal Jeremy Sutcliffe:
“He’s quite a character. I’m now going to teach him how to say Sergio Aguero.”
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Occupy Sven Goran Eriksson: Swede Earns Big For Failure at Leicester City
SVEN Goran Eriksson is back on the market. The man whose legacy is a former lover on Strictly Come Dancing has bene sacked by Leicester City. Failure secures him a £1million golden handshake.
Previously, Sven has profited from:
England: S en gets a £3m payoff for leaving his post two years early
Manchester City: Svens gets £2.1 after Thaksin Shinawatra sacks him
Mexico: Sven banks £2million after being dismissed
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Chelsea’s John Terry Says He Is The Real Victim Of QPR Abuse: Anton Ferdinand Might Wonder
DID England and Chelsea captain John Terry racially abuse QPR defender Anton Ferdinand? Coming after the allegation that Liverpool’s Suarez called Manchester United’s Evra a nigger, this looks like more bad news for football (Suarez denies the charge.).
The allegation is that Terry called Ferdinand a black c**t.
Terry’s explanation is that the conversation went like this:
Ferdinand: “Did you just call me a f***ing black c***?”
Terry: “Oi! I never said f***ing black c*** you f***ing knobhead.”
Terry issues a statement:
“I’ve seen that there’s a lot of comments on the internet with regards to some video footage of me in today’s game. I’m disappointed that people have leapt to the wrong conclusions about the context of what I was seen to be saying to Anton Ferdinand. I thought Anton was accusing me of using a racist slur against him. I responded aggressively, saying that I never used that term. I would never say such a thing, and I’m saddened that people would think so. I have known Anton for a long time and spoke to him about it after the game, and there was no problem between us. I congratulated him on their win. He has not accused me of any wrongful remark. It was clear it was all a misunderstanding at the time. After the result, I am saddened to be dealing with these wrongful allegations. I am the proud captain of one of the most internationally diverse teams in the Premier League and I absolutely believe that there is no place for racism in sport and indeed in any walk of life.”
Context is important. In this age of the internet, where words can be taken out of context and played with – where political discourse is reduced as the players dare not use irony – words can take on new meanings.
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Posted: 25th, October 2011 | In: Key Posts, Sports | Comments (5)
Noel Gallagher ‘On Knees’ For Manchester Derby
MANCHESTER derbies have definitely favoured the red half of the city (please make your own jokes about the red half of Manchester being in Essex) over the years, with Manchester City’s last big derby coming in the late ’80s with a 5-1 pasting of the Red Devils at Maine Road.
But of course, this weekend, City trounced United 6-1 at Old Trafford. The last time Man United lost to a five goal margin, Jesus Christ our Lord was on the books for Galilee Argyle.
And of course, one of Manchester City’s most famous fans, Noel Gallagher, was thrilled at the win. Everyone who isn’t a Man Utd fan was in fairness. With a fresh number one album under his belt, Noel was understandably chuffed to bits.
But what helped the victory? Noel told the BBC:
“The fact that Alex Ferguson rested Howard Webb”
Posted: 24th, October 2011 | In: Sports | Comment (1)
Carlos Tevez Is Heading To Spurs – If Harry Redknapp Will Pick Him
IS Carlos Tevez heading to Spurs? Will Tevez be the latest player with a proven quality track record to be nurtured by Harry Redknapp?
Says Redknapp:
“I would take him if he were available for sure, warts and all. Who wouldn’t? If Manchester City want to let me have him on loan and massively subsidise it, I’ll take him tomorrow. Say what you like, but he’s a world-class player and you can’t say he doesn’t work his socks off when he plays. When he gets on the field he’s a right handful. It’s all right people refusing to condone his behaviour but, to be honest, I’m only interested in what he does when he plays.“
Or as Harry said way, way back in September:
“It’s just unbelievable. I felt sorry for Roberto Mancini to be put in that situation, it wasn’t right. It wasn’t right for Man City, it wasn’t right for football. I can’t believe it, it shouldn’t happen, it can’t happen. I just wonder what City legends like Malcolm Allison and Mike Summerbee would have thought of seeing a player refuse to play in a Champions League game. It is beyond belief.”
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Posted: 24th, October 2011 | In: Sports | Comments (7)
Mark Hughes Should Be Manchester United’s BBC Reporter: Roberto Mancini Might Laugh
CAN we chortle that not long after the Sir Alex Ferguson has ended his spat with the BBC he is forced to tell TV viewers how Manchester United came to be thrashed 1-6 at home to Manchester City?
Ferguson has finally agreed to be bound by the rule demanding that all Premier League managers must be asked how they feel by a BBC reporter. The job of fielding the asinine questions used to be Mike Phelan’s, a decent talker who never once had a journalist banned, swore on camera nor refused to appear on MUTV, United’s in-house broadcaster.
Of course, the BBCs default position with Sir Alex is supine. Rather then revelling in his side’s heavy defeat, the BBC went for fremdscamen, the act of feeling embarrassed on behalf of others.
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Manchester City’s Mario Balotelli’s Home Catches Fire: The Fireberk Is A Flare Player
MARIO Balotelli, the Manchester City striker, has, reportedly, “torched”: his £1.3m Macclesfield home after fireworks were let off in his bathroom. He is the Star’s FIREBERK”.
Dominik Lemanski reports:
BARMY Manchester City star Mario Balotelli’s £1.3million mansion was ravaged by a blaze yesterday after fireworks were set off in the bathroom.
According to reports the madcap Italian and a group of friends were playing with powerful pyrotechnics inside his rented £7,500-a-month country pad. The fire, which destroyed the first floor of the Cheshire mansion, began when a towel was set alight by an industrial firework let off from a bathroom window.
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Streaker Sparks Brawl At Arizona V UCLA
Cue mayhem as the players argue about… Well, what? Taylor Embree and Shaquille Richardson trade punches. The rest of the lads pile in. Embree and Richardson are sent off.
And the streaker? Well, he was taken down and straddled by officers of the law in full view of fans. And all the while his under crackers remained clean…
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Wayne Rooney Enters Aon Hall Of Fame: What Manchester United V Manchester City Means To Americans
HOW the Premier League works: David Prosperi recalls being there when Wayne Rooney scored for Manchester United against Manchester City. He tells the Telegraph:
“Not only was the Aon logo extremely visible throughout the multiple global TV replays and photo images when it happened, but years from now, when the goal against Manchester City is shown time and again as perhaps one of the greatest of all time, you will still see the Aon name. That one image epitomised the value of Aon’s relationship with Manchester United.”
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Rugby World Cup: Justice Done As ‘Cheating’ Wales Lose To Australia
WALES finished fourth in the third-placed play off at the Rugby World Cup. They were beaten by Australia in the contest for bronze medals. These games are ridiculous. Both sides should get bronze for tying in third place. But if yet another game can be squeezed out of the already too long World Cup then the organisers will squeeze.
The game was broadcast on ITV. One highlight was when “shimmering” Shane Williams followed a blatant forward pass with a try. ITV commentator Nick Mullins told us to “disregard the forward pass on this occasion“.
Yes, this is the very same ITV that when Wales captain Sam Warburton was sent off for a spear tackle told us that the referee had got it terribly wrong. The assembled studio experts all agreed – wrongly – that Wales had been robbed. On such decisions games are won and lost. Yet, when Wales profit from a glaring error, the ITV experts are less bothered by the rules.
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Posted: 21st, October 2011 | In: Sports | Comments (3)
Stoke City Fans Help Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Yoav Ziv’s Lose His Boot And His Head: Photos And Video
CAN we all agree to quite like Stoke City now. A 3-0 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the much-derided Europa League at the throbbing Britannia Stadium was great stuff, highlights of which were: the vibrant crowd, chippy Tony Pulis’ customary sense of aggrievement which is turning into a sense of entitlement; and Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Yoav Ziv getting sent off for kicking his boot at the linesman. It was satisfying stuff for Stoke fans: Ziv’s every touch was being booed for what they saw as his overreaction to Cameron Jerome’s challenge that earned the Stoke attacker a second yellow card. Did the crowd unsettle Ziv?
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Zionist FIFA Hates Me Because I’m Black: Trinidad’s Side-lined Jack Warner Plays Race Card
FORMER FIFA Vice-President Jack Warner says football’s world governing body is racist, zionist and discriminates against non-whites .
Warner, still Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Works, says so in a letter to the Trinidad Guardian newspaper. It gives no detail to support the allegations, claiming he will reveal all after sacked FIFA Vice-President Mohamed Bin Hammam’s case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Warner was due to appear in the same FIFA Ethics Committee inquiry which booted out Bin Hammam but quit before the hearing and did not appear.
“I will talk about the racism that is within FIFA,” Warner said, “I will talk about the zionism, which probably is the most important reason why this acrid attack on Bin Hammam and me was mounted. There is much to talk about that will make sponsors cringe with painful surprise.”
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Posted: 20th, October 2011 | In: Key Posts, Sports | Comment (1)
Hillsborough: When The Police And Media Colluded To Damn Liverpool’s 96 Innocent Victims
THE Hillsborough Disaster continues to make news.Theresa May, the Home Secretary, says she will do her utmost to make it so that official documents relating to the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans in 1989 are published.
Sir Oliver Popplewell says the Hillborough families should move on. But how can you move on when justice has not been done? Popplewell chaired a public inquiry into deaths of 56 people in a fire at Bradford City’s Valley Parade stadium in May 1985. He writes a letter to the Times:
In the aftermath of other large tragedies, those affected have behaved with quiet dignity and great courage
Sir, Many years ago I had the responsibility of conducting a public inquiry into the fire at Bradford City FC. I was also concerned with the riot at Heysel Stadium, Belgium, caused by Liverpool football fans. Both these events were no less tragic than the events at Hillsborough (“Hillsborough families say papers must be released”, Oct 18).
The citizens of Bradford behaved with quiet dignity and great courage. They did not harbour conspiracy theories. They did not seek endless further inquiries. They buried their dead, comforted the bereaved and succoured the injured. They organised a sensible compensation scheme and moved on.
Is there, perhaps, a lesson there for the Hillsborough campaigners?
Sir Oliver Popplewell
London WC2
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Posted: 19th, October 2011 | In: Key Posts, Sports | Comment
On Niggers: Manchester United’s Evra Versus Liverpool’s Suarez – Video Evidence
DID Liverpool’s Luis Suarez call Manchester United’s Patrice Evra a nigger ten times in one match? Suarez says Evra is mistaken. Evra is not backing down.
So bad is the word that the Sun can’t bring itself to say it, saying instead says “n*****”.
Others are less shy:
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Is Arsenal’s Thomas Vermaelen Arsene Wenger’s Son?
IS Thomas Vermaelen Arsene Wenger’s love child? The Belgian stopper has signed a new contract that will keep him at Arsenal until 2015 (or Manchester City offer him a massive raise). He wants to tell us why he’s staying at the club:
“Arsenal is a fantastic Club. We have great supporters, we’re doing well financially… You can feel that… You hear from the board that the club is doing well financially.
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Should Joey Barton Shut Up? Of Course Not You Dithering Borebag
FOOTBALLERS, regrettably, are simultaneously the most exciting and dull people on Earth. They can go from scoring the most sublime bicycle kick from 25 yards out, to delivering the most insultingly tedious post-match interview in the space of 10 minutes.
It doesn’t matter what sporting genius a player delivers during a game because you know damn well what’s coming: ‘Yeah, um, it was great to score but the three points is the main thing. The lads played brilliantly out there today’.
This is why we cherish the likes of Gordon Strachan and Ian Holloway because, sadly, football breeds a type of human who is both required to show ‘passion’ on the field, but an appalling absence of it when away from it.
And so, we come to Joey Barton who, by default, is just about the only footballer of interest in England currently. His twitter feed is often an accidentally hilarious read as he furrows his little sporting brow over lyrics of The Smiths and tries to pass off his visits to museums and art-galleries like it’s second nature to him.
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Sunday Times Stephen Jones Give Sam Warburton 8 Out 10 For Only Nearly Killing A Frenchman
THE Sunday Times’ Stephen Jones awarded Wales’ captain Sam Warburton 8 out of 10 for his Rugby World Cup semi-final performance which pretty much consisted of losing his head under pressure and spear tackling a Frenchman.
Might he have earned the full 10 had Vincent Clerc landed on his head?
Jones should leaves the marking to someone who understands it better, like Len Goodman or this littlr chap…
Posted: 17th, October 2011 | In: Sports | Comment (1)
British Indy Car Driver, Dan Wheldon, RIP
BRITISH racing driver, Dan Wheldon, has been killed an IndyCar crash in Las Vegas, aged 33.
Wheldon was one of the few foreign drivers to make it big in American IndyCar racing, being one of the two British competitors to win the Indianapolis 500 on more than one occasion.
Wheldon was killed after suffering horrendous injuries in the 225mph smash.
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