Will Bankers Ever Change?

Following the announcement earlier this week that Barclays had been charged for fixing interest rates, many are understandably up in arms and are demanding a public inquiry into the banking system.

Leading the charge on this is leader of the opposition Ed Miliband, and even the governor of the Bank of England Sir Mervyn King admitting the banking culture needs changing, adding that customers had received shocking treatment.

While a public inquiry would hold bankers to account and could potentially see new regulation introduced to effectively stop bankers doing what they want and most galling of all getting away with it.

I have just one question why now, surely the time to hold an inquiry into the banking system and codes of practice was in 2008 when they nearly bankrupted the entire world, I mean if you were a banker and you got away with causing a global recession by gambling with billions and billions of other people’s money and you still didn’t lose your job, you must walk around feeling untouchable.

There have been those who have said that bankers are easy target, but I don’t agree and I’ve yet to hear an explanation that justifies the reasons for chief executives in the banking sector receiving millions in bonuses when they are running their businesses at a loss, a major loss in some cases.   

If bankers want to shake their tags then maybe they should act more responsibly and treat their customers with a little respect, it may sound alien to them but it might just start the process of getting the public back on their side.

This process would be aided by an inquiry that investigated and hopefully removed those most culpable of malpractice, and left those who aren’t breaking the rules (there must be a few) to get on with the job and do the right thing.     

Shocks all Round, Germany and Nadal Lose

Last night Italy left me with a large dollop of egg on my face after upsetting favourites Germany to win their Euro semi-final.

Despite me writing them off the Italians played like a team without expectation and just went for it, and surprisingly Germany struggled for most of the game to try and stop them.

Many column inches have been dedicated to the mercurial Mario Balotelli, but last night he produced a performance few saw coming, he closed down, linked up with teammates, didn’t throw a tantrum and most importantly scored two well taken goals.

Maybe he will kick on and we’ll see less madness and more of last night. (it’s possible)

Added to the Germans exit, I turned over moments later in pure amazement to see that Rafael Nadal had been knocked out of Wimbledon, the first time he’s exited a grand slam this early for seven years.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, but that does mean should he get there Murray won’t have to play Nadal in the semis, I’m sure he’ll be relieved as he’s lost to Nadal at that stage the past two years.

Back to the football and having kept up their hoodoo over the Germans the Italians now face Spain in the final.

Italy have surprised me in getting this far but I think Spain will be too much for them, Pirlo who again ran the show against Germany will definitely have a more difficult time of it as Spain are the best side in possession.

It will be tight but I think Spain will win and make it 3 major tournaments in a row and rightly go down as one of, if not the best international side ever. (But I’ve been wrong before)

Can Italy Upset Germany? (Not for me)

Not many sides can claim to have the Indian sign over the Germans but the boys in the blue of Italy do, and they go into tonight’s semi-final with history on their side.

These two teams have produced some classic matches at major finals over the years from the 4-3 Italy victory in the 1970 World Cup semi-final, to the unforgettable 2-0 Italy victory in the 2006 World Cup semi-final.

However tonight I’m pretty sure that record will be of little comfort to the Azzurri as they trudge of the pitch in defeat. (I’m not saying they don’t have a chance, but I expect them to lose)

Germany have been a consistent presence at this stage of proceedings time and time again, in particular the current generation have made it to at least the semi-finals at the last 4 times of asking, surely its only a matter of time before they walk away with the top prize.

At this tournament they have been the team to watch, and many now place them ahead of Spain as favourites.

If they want a chance of making it third time lucky against Spain they will have to see off a resolute Italian side that will be feeling the effects of their excursions against England.

But as long as Germany do the complete opposite of England i.e. mark Pirlo and make an effort to attack then I can’t see them slipping up, they just don’t do that (I wonder what it must be like watching your national team knowing they won’t choke)

I also hope both teams serve up a better game than last night, but penalties are always exciting whoever’s involved.

It was also interesting that Ronaldo stayed back and sent a defensive midfielder and two centre backs up to take a spot-kick before him, very strange.

Despite what was said of Spain’s performance I still expect them to make it trophy no.3 come Sunday night, they’ve shown they are capable of producing when it matters most and I still can’t see past them.  

Euro El-Classico

Tonight Spain take on Portugal in the first Euro 2012 semi-final, and it is being billed as an international el-classico.

Spain play with the Barcelona style, and the pace of their games is often dictated by their Barcelona stars.

Portugal  play the Real Madrid way and like Madrid rely on Ronaldo to be their talisman.

This is without mentioning Lionel Messi who could have played for Spain (he was eligible) instead of Argentina, the fact that Mourinho manages Madrid and that Guardiola until recently was in charge of Barca and was the one who transformed their style, it may feel for those involved that they haven’t left Spanish shores.

Much has been made of Spain’s tactic not to play a recognised striker and instead play Fabregas in a false 9 position, some have called this negative.

I don’t agree that it’s negative since 2008 Spain have been undisputed best side in the world, I don’t care what the rankings say, they also play the best football in the world and almost every team that faces them know this and set-up as defensive as possible.

So by not playing a striker isn’t being negative it’s trying to counter the negativity of others, and trying something a bit different.

Calling Spain negative to me shows a misunderstanding, we are after all talking about a team that are reigning European and World champions and are favourites to become the first nation to win 3 major tournaments in a row, you don’t get into that position by being negative.

That is why I expect Spain to progress, it may be close but I think Portugal won’t have enough of the ball to pressurise Spain or cause them enough problems.

If you want to stop Portugal playing you only have to stop one man, if you want to stop Spain you have to stop at least five, and it’s that teamwork and ethic that will see Spain home.

Government U-Turn’s Show They are Out of Touch

At the 2010 general election I voted Conservative, as the only other realistic choice was Gordon Brown and Labour, I felt my hands were a bit tied.

David Cameron came to power having been dealt a bad hand, added to the fact that he had to make concessions to his Lib Dem coalition partners, in the infancy of his premiership he looked like a man trying to rule with an arm tied behind his back.

However a little more than two years into the job there has been little progress, the economy is what this government came promising to fix, is floundering and estimates of its growth are continually being revised down.  

Government borrowing was higher than expected again, another round of quantitive easing is on the way, added to the pandemonium in the Eurozone, the outlook is bleak at best.       

Many say that the PM and senior ministers within the cabinet and the Tory party are out of touch and can’t understand the problems faced by families on a daily basis, this statement is getting more and more accurate with each passing day.

Recently a number of government u-turns are showing that the PM and the cabinet are losing credibility.

The u-turns on several budget measures like the pasty tax, the u-turn over the fuel duty rise (I agree with this but there shouldn’t have been a rise in the first place) and even Michael Gove is backpedalling on his proposals saying he now will not bring back the lower CSE’s and allow everyone to take the higher O-Level.

When government want to make changes to laws or bring in new measures there are stringent procedures that must be met.

Any new proposal must go through the Commons, the House of Lords and pass the public opinion test. (despite how it must feel we do matter)

However in the last 6 months an alarming amount of new proposals have been met with a  wave of public fury and have forced the government to backtrack.

This can mean one of only two things either the government are rushing through policy and not fully thinking the implications through or they are out of touch and don’t understand the problems facing a large chunk of the electorate.

Whichever one it is, two years into a government it’s a poor position to be in.

Murray Make Wimbledon Yours

With England out of the Euro’s the nation’s sports enthusiasts have seamlessly transferred their interest to SW19.

While numerous Brits will be on show on the courts of Wimbledon we all know only one has a realistic chance of walking away with the trophy, or at least making the second week.

Of course I’m talking about Andy Murray who begins his quest for a first grand slam today against former world no.3 Nikolay Davydenko.  

There has been much debate as to whether Murray will ever win a grand slam or whether he will never be anything more than a bridesmaid.

Many say Murray has been unlucky to be playing in what has so often been called the most difficult era of them all, with Federer, Nadal and Djokovic holding 32 majors between them.

However I think that is line of thinking is illogical, after Pete Sampras retired a new era started and the title of the game’s best was up for grabs.

Hewitt and Roddick won grand slams and lead the rankings, but Roger Federer stepped up and dominated winning slam after slam.

Federer seemed unbeatable until Nadal stepped up and won that epic 2008 final at Wimbledon and he then kicked on and dominated winning 3 slams in a row in 2010.

Then Djokovic (who although won Australia in 2008) like Murray seemed destined to miss out on winning majors because of the rivalry between Federer and Nadal, but Djokovic went away and changed his approach and last year made it his, he won 3 out of the 4 slams and produced one of the greatest seasons of tennis ever seen.

This year he has kept his run going winning in Australia and making the final of the French.

Murray now finds himself in the same position as Djokovic did in 2010, as Djokovic was struggling due to being behind Federer and Nadal, Murray is now behind Nadal and Djokovic. (I know Federer is world no.3 but I personally think his grand slam winning days are over)

Murray has in patches shown he can compete and in some cases can beat Nadal and Djokovic, but when in matters most in the slams they step up and at the moment keep leaving him behind.

If Murray can improve his serve which against the best continually holds him back, he can do it he has all the shots and imagination to win a slam, he just needs to like Federer, like Nadal, like Djokovic and like many others from previous era’s make it his.  

England Exit Euro’s on Penalties (Surprise, Surprise)

Another quarter final, another penalty shoot-out, another early exit for England, and while Roy Hodgson and Steven Gerrard were quick to stress how hard England worked and how proud they were, they were just as quick to glaze over how badly England played for most of the game.

Going into the game there was a mild wave of optimism that if England kept the ball a bit better, and played a little more positively then we could cause the Italians problems.

For the first 15-20 minutes that’s exactly what happened, England actually made an effort to get forward, had some positive link-up play and could even have been in front.

Alas it proved to be a false dawn, as from then on England dropped further and futher back, gave the ball away more and more and looked like they were holding out for penalties.

There was always a confident response from an England player when asked about penalties in the run-up to the game, but for the sixth time in a shoot-out since Italia 90 England were on the losing side, and have the worst penalty record there is.

Italy had looked shaky for spells in the group stages, but grew in confidence throughout the game and should have been out of sight by the end of extra-time.    

Andrea Pirlo gave a midfield master class spraying the ball to all corners of the ground, although his performance was aided by the fact that from the 21^st minute he was afforded the freedom of Kiev.

England can take a lot from this tournament, there was a unity in the squad, they were organised, they defended valiantly, but they were too negative, lacking in ideas, and simply weren’t good enough.

With the semi-final line-up now complete, a replay of the 2008 final between Spain and Germany is looking the most likely outcome.

But whatever happens from now on in I can enjoy watching the games without burying my head in my hands every 3 seconds because an England miss placed a simple pass.

On a side note can everyone stop serving up the same bulls**t line that you can’t replicate taking a penalty in a shoot-out in training.

It may be true, but by that logic why bother practicing anything, passing, shooting, marking, because you can’t replicate match conditions on the training ground, its nonsense.

Penalties are an aspect of the game and like any other aspect of the game should be practised over and over again, to build confidence and familiarise yourself with them.   

Unfortunately when it comes to taking a penalty in a major shoot-out you need your players to hold their nerve and once again England’s players didn’t.    

    

England, Italy Make it Interesting Please

So far the quarter finals of Euro 2012 have been a bit of a disappointment.

There have been no real shocks everyone who was expected to go through, has gone through and with relative ease.

Portugal were made to work hard against the Czechs but there was an inevitability about the result, and so it proved as the imperious and improving Ronaldo scored the winner.

Germany had the freedom of the pitch afforded to them by Greece, who set up with the well known flat back 9 formation.

 To be fair they miraculously managed to equalise and momentarily make everyone sit-up.

But in reality it was only ever going to be short-lived, as Germany fed-up with the fact that they were still level, upped the tempo and battered Greece into submission.

Spain won at a canter despite being nowhere near their best, aided by France’s bizarre tactic to not bother for large periods of the game.

When the quarter final line-up was completed the England-Italy game was the hardest one to predict, and as the other 3 haven’t thrown up any surprises, we can only hope that tonight will bring a welcome change.

As an England fan part of me is hoping for a great performance and a routine win, but we all know that isn’t going to happen, it will be tight but as there’s a semi-final place at stake I would like to think both will go for it and try to make things happen, rather than sitting back and letting them happen.

England are capable of reaching the last 4 for the first time in 16 years but I think they need to be more positive, and as the Czech Republic, Greece and France have showed you won’t get very far sitting back.   

Dwain’s Olympic Irony

In April sprinter Dwain Chambers managed to successfully overturn his lifetime Olympic ban from the BOA (British Olympic Association), allowing him to compete at this summer’s games.

Since then Chambers has failed to achieve the necessary qualifying time of 10.18 seconds for his event, the 100M.

The British trials in Birmingham tonight represent Chambers last chance to do, if he fails his chances of running in the Olympics are over.

I for one hope he fails in his attempts to qualify, he has been frankly nothing but an embarrassment to British athletics since it was discovered he was a drugs cheat back in 2003.

After serving his initial ban Chambers returned to sprinting, he also tried to break into the NFL, but ended up in NFL Europe.

Then came his laughable attempt to become a Rugby League star, he played about 20 minutes of one game and with his tail between his legs went back to sprinting.

The Olympics is the oldest and most sacred of all the global sporting events, so the idea that its integrity should be sullied by allowing someone like Chambers the chance to compete is saddening to say the least.

If he doesn’t clock the required time tonight, the irony of it all would be sweet, considering how long he spent fighting to get his ban lifted.

Perhaps the most ironic thing of all is the prior to his cheating Chambers was actually Britain’s top sprinter, he was the only one who could run under 10 seconds and represented our best chance of an individual sprint medal at the 2004 games in Athens.

Hopefully justice will be done and Chambers won’t get the chance to compete at London 2012, and then hopefully he will retire and we will never have to hear from him again.   

O-levels Making a Comeback?

Education secretary Michael Gove has announced plans to abolish GSCEs and re-introduce O-levels.

Gove has seemingly gone rogue with this declaration as he has failed to consult the Lib Dems, (who are understandably furious) plus the fact No.10 has so far refused to comment on his proposal. (assuming they were informed)

If O-levels are brought back it would mark the largest shake up of the education system in 30 years and has left many concerned that it would create a two-tier system, in which the smartest are encouraged to push on and take the higher exams and those who are less academic will be left lagging behind and have to settle for taking the simpler CSEs.

Gove is taking a big risk with not only the idea and announcement, but particularly the way in which he has gone about it, failing to notify his coalition partners (who will reject the idea) and by the sounds of it failing to notify the PM.

There is still a long, long way to go before these proposals are anywhere near ready to be put into place, there are consultations, debates, votes etc and judging by the initial reaction I can’t see Gove getting the opportunity to do so.

But if the government does decide to follow Gove’s plans, then no matter how they dress it up it will mean that the smarter will get smarter and the dumber . . . . .   

Change the Law on Tax Avoidance

Comedian Jimmy Carr has made the headlines again, but this time it’s not for a contentious joke, instead it’s for his involvement in a tax avoidance scheme. (which he has now left)

Carr was one of 1,100 people who were part of the K2 tax scheme.

The tax-scheme works by customers transferring their salaries into a Jersey-based trust.

The money is then loaned back and because rules say it can technically be recalled, it is not subject to tax.

It means many members pay as little as one per cent income tax on their earnings.

It’s believed the K2 scheme keeps £168million a year away from the Treasury.

Carr has since pulled out of the scheme saying he made a “terrible error of judgement”, after pressure from the media as well as PM David Cameron who called the arrangement “morally wrong”.

Personally I think the reaction to this is justified but the attention shouldn’t be focused solely on Carr, it should be focused on the scheme itself as well as the other 1,000 plus members and the numerous other schemes of this kind.

Tax evasion is a crime but tax avoidance isn’t, so instead of David Cameron saying this arrangement is morally wrong, shouldn’t he change the law so evasion and avoidance are both illegal.

I don’t condone Carr’s actions but I understand why, what would you say if someone came to you and said if you sign up to this scheme that’s completely legal you could pay as little as 1% tax, it would be hard to turn down.

Schemes like this have been up and running for years and it’s almost exclusively those who are better off involved, so the only way stop it is government intervention. (a law change)

 This way there would be no arguments or misunderstandings, everybody pays the taxes they should as set by the law and anyone who goes outside that would be prosecuted.

That should also encompass accountants and lawyers who spend their time trying to find loopholes and ways round new laws.

Luck of the English

England are through to the quarter finals of Euro 2012 after a rather fortunate 1-0 victory over co-hosts Ukraine.

The returning Wayne Rooney scored the only goal aided by the use of fellow striker Andy Carroll’s ‘product’.

But as is commonplace in sport the stats don’t tell the full story, England were second best for much of the game conceding too much of the ball and initiative too cheaply.

Ukraine buoyed by home support raised their performance knowing only a win would suffice, but on too many occasions they were aided by England players who played the wrong pass time and time again.

On several occasions an England player would try and find a team mate in a tight congested area, when if they would have looked there was always another option in more space, but they didn’t so they just kept giving it away.

Then came the big slice of luck John Terry seemed to have made a miraculous goal line clearance, however replays showed the ball had clearly crossed the line, and unsurprisingly the much maligned do nothing extra official failed to notice this despite being 5 yards away.

Sepp Blatter tweeted of the incident that goal line technology is now a necessity, which is frustrating because he’s been advocating goal line technology for almost 2 years now, if he was serious about introducing it into the game he should have done it by now.

Almost every other sport has embraced the technology with consummate ease, which has enhanced the spectacle no end, football is badly lagging behind, and frankly its becoming a bit embarrassing.

England’s other slice of luck was a surprise defeat for France, meaning England qualified as group winners and avoid playing reigning World and European champions Spain.

Instead England face a quarter final against Italy, which out of the four is the closest to call.

Despite a lack of expectations at the start of the tournament you can hear the shackles of the headline writers being removed, allowing them to restore order. (i.e. printing line after line about how England now have a divine right to win the thing)       

England can win the game but they have to keep the ball and get their heads up and stop trying to play tight little balls into congested areas, only Spain and Barcelona have the players and ability to do that.

They need to look and think before they pass and keep the defensive organisation they have shown so far, and hopefully a now match hardened Rooney will provide better link up play in the opposition third.

If (and it’s a big if) England beat Italy they would in all probability face Germany in the semis. (good luck with that one)  

Why Shouldn’t we Have the Right to Die

Legal history is potentially about to be made, as the High Court is today beginning to hear the case of a paralysed man who wants a doctor to be able to lawfully end his life.

Tony Nicklinson suffers from locked in syndrome following a stroke and is physically unable to take his own life, so he is seeking legal protection for any doctor who helps him end it for him.

However many have argued that if his case proves successful it could authorise murder and change the law that governs it.

This is an incredibly delicate subject and has split opinion.

However I think that there is only one right answer here, and that is that people should have, if they so wish, the right to die.

Let me make clear that I’m not for a moment suggesting that anyone who’s had a bad day can just walk into a clinic somewhere and end their own life when they are perfectly healthy.

But when people are suffering like Mr Nicklinson in intolerable pain and feel that they have no quality of life, why shouldn’t they decide when they want it to all end.

No one else can understand their suffering or feel their pain, so why should a doctor who wants to end the suffering and end the pain fall foul of the law if they choose to help someone die.

Mr Nicklinson is unable to end his own life, yet if he were to there would be no legal ramifications.

In the western world our life is a series of free choices that we get to make, so why isn’t choosing to die on our own terms one of them.

I’ve also noticed following this case that human rights groups, who fight tooth and nail for the rights of criminals and the dregs of society, have said nothing.

Why aren’t they at the High Court supporting Mr Nicklinson?

I hope Mr Nicklinson wins his case and ends his life the way he wants to rather than being forced to suffer in agony.

Hope for the Eurozone After all

In recent months Greece has been the metaphorical gangrenous limb dangling wildly out control while the leaders of the G8 and other eurozone members, met to best discuss how to remove it.

Following a G8 summit in Chicago our Prime Minister, David Cameron, said that the Greek elections amounted to a referendum on their membership of the EU.

If the Greek people decided to choose an anti-austerity government, then it could have faced a eurozone exit and the world another potential financial crisis.

But by a wafer thin margin the broadly pro-bailout New Democracy has triumphed.

It previously seemed unlikely as Greece looked certain to leave the eurozone, markets have reacted positively to the news that Greece has now taken a step away from the precipice and taken one on the elongated road to recovery.    

It’s up in the air as to whether Greece can survive and continue to remain a member of the eurozone or whether 6 months down the line there is another election, another extensive bailout, or they end up leaving altogether.

But what can be said is that they have taken a vital first step in the right direction, it’s just a case of whether they can take the next one.

Lord Leveson don’t Leave

Lord Justice Leveson has threatened to quit his role as head of the inquiry into press ethics and media standards.

This follows comments from Education Secretary and former Times journalist Michael Gove. (I’m sure there’s no bias there)

In February Gove said that he saw “dangers” in the inquiry into press cultures, practices and ethics.

This was then followed, in May, by his evidence at the inquiry where he took his original comments and step further by saying “the cure might be worse than the disease.” (Meaning he doesn’t want any further press regulation)

These remarks have prompted Lord Leveson to re-evaluate his position as head of the inquiry.

I for one hope he stays on, admittedly I haven’t been following the inquiry on a daily basis, I’ve tended to drift in and out and I was particularly disappointed with Prime Ministers week.

So far there has been very little in the way of shock revelations, and all the things we really want to know will probably never surface. (Unless someone brings a book out in a few years)  

This is down to the fact that many of those called to give evidence are the richest and most powerful members of society, who by the time they face questioning will have been so well briefed by their legal teams, the chances of them slipping up is minimal.

Yes it has been tedious and the end doesn’t seem in sight but at the end of it all the press will hopefully be regulated more carefully, with sanctions in place for editors and proprietors who try to take the law into their own hands.

We could be on the verge of some real ethical and social change, and for once it could greatly benefit the public.

So support Lord Leveson and show those in the upper echelons of politics and the media that despite what they may think they aren’t untouchable. 

England Need to Relax and Bring Rooney Back

Having just about fully recovered from the emotional rollercoaster of watching Sweden 2-3 England, it’s clear, despite the win, that there are some flaws with England’s approach and mentality.

After taking 4 points from their opening two games England are odds on to reach the quarter finals, but a more positive outlook is desperately needed.

Against France we looked fairly assured, however once we took the lead then we immediately retreated to the edge of our own box and camped there for the rest the game.  

Fortunately we held on for a draw but the signs were there, we were too deep and too wasteful with possession.

Same story against Sweden took the lead looked comfortable, panicked sat back conceded the initiative, before showing some pleasantly surprising character and spirit to come back and win.

I can see a pattern emerging here after we take the lead we almost seem confused as to what to do next, and while we’re working out what to do the other team have already got back into the game.

England need to relax more they have cheaply conceded possession on far too many occasions and are sitting too deep.

This means when we regain the ball no England player is more than 30-35 yards away from our goal, meaning there is no out ball and we either give it away trying to thread impossible balls through an overly congested area or are forced to hoof it long.

When teams like Spain and Germany take the lead there is a faint air of arrogance about it as if the players and fans are thinking ‘it’s about time’.

From their they always look to push on and most importantly keep the ball.

When England take the lead I get the impression that all the players are thinking is s**t now what do we do.

For our final game against Ukraine changes need to be made both in terms of the starting XI and our game plan.

As Ukraine are still totally reliant on Shevchenko for goals and will be under the extra pressures that come with being hosts, I think we should be positive and attack from the outset.

France easily beat them 2-0 without having to play that well and it can only give this England team added confidence.

In terms of starting XI I would go with:

GK – Hart (Obviously)

RB – Jones (For me Johnson is a great athlete, but is too cavalier and has been caught out of position too many times, Jones is more solid and better at his defensive duties)

CB – Jagielka (Although Lescott scored against France, he lacks pace and I think has a mistake or two in him, Jagielka adds pace to the defence and is better on the ball)

CB – Terry (I would move Terry over to the left side because that’s where he plays for Chelsea and he can continue his understanding with Cole)

LB – Cole (Solid so far)

DM – Parker (Needs to relax on the ball has given it away too easily so far)

DM – Milner (I think his workman like style would suit this role better than playing out wide where he lacks the pace and inventiveness to cause the top teams problems)

RW – Walcott (Changed the game against Sweden, his pace and willingness to run at defenders will cause problems for anyone)

CAM – Gerrard (C) (While he has shown he is more than capable of playing a deeper role his ability to play the killer ball and score goals means he must be more involved offensively)

LW- Oxlade-Chamberlain (Seems totally unfazed by his surroundings and will always take the game to the opposition, plus Young has been a passenger so far)

ST – Rooney (Having scored 35 goals this term, more than Welbeck, Defoe and Carroll combined, must be given a starting berth. His link play with Gerrard I think will be the key to England’s progress)   

By playing this team and being a bit more patient in possession I think we can beat Ukraine and progress (hopefully as group winners).

I don’t think we have a chance of winning the tournament but we would at least be able to come home saying we attacked and tried to make things happen.  

USGA Enough

The US Open (golf) is generally accepted by players, fans and commentators alike to be the hardest tournament to win.

However I think the USGA (United States Golf Association) has become fixated with this notion and has gone too far in their set up of the Olympic Club this year.

While it may be some 400 yards shorter than last year’s venue at Congressional, the narrow fast greens, windy conditions, deep thick rough, lengthy run-off areas and lengthening of some holes has made the course virtually impossible.

Everyone in and around the tournament is predicting that an over par score is looking likely to be enough to win come Sunday evening, I would argue is that really what fans want to see, it’s certainly not what I want to see.

Yes I want to see the players abilities tested to the limit, but I want to see some excitement, I don’t want to see fans cheering pars and bogeys like they were birdies.

Of course this is not the first time the set-up of a US Open course has irritated me, in 2005 at the Pinehurst no.2 course the set-up was so harsh, former champion Johnny Miller described the greens as “like trying to hit a ball on top of a VW Beetle.”

In 2006 and 2007 the set-ups were again just mad and the winning score was +5.

Last year thankfully there was some respite, the set-up at Congressional was tough but fair and provided a much more exciting and enjoyable US Open where players were able to consistently shoot under par.

While Rory McIlroy may have ran away with it still made for better viewing than say 2006 at Winged Foot where we got to watch Monty and Mickelson capitulate at the final hole, even the winner Geoff Ogilvy couldn’t believe what he saw “I was the beneficiary of a little bit of charity.”     

The USGA slogan is: For the good of the game, I hope next year they relent in their seemingly narcissistic attempts to make the players and in turn the fans suffer as much as possible over the four days.

Hopefully then we can see players winning the tournament with an under par score and making birdies and the occasional eagle (or in Nick Watney’s case an albatross what a shot that was), rather than players shooting a winning score over par and struggling to break 70, I know which one I’d rather see.

Who Cooked this Up

The BOA (British Olympic Association) has re-affirmed its decision to not select Aaron Cook to compete in the men’s Taekwondo -80kg weight category during the Olympics.

Despite being reigning European champion and world number one, Cook was overlooked and the less experienced, lesser ranked Lutalo Muhammad was selected instead.

Rightly Cook is challenging the decision to leave him out of the British Olympic team, which he hopes will be referred to either the Swiss based Court of Arbitration for Sport or the High Court in London.

This case could still be going on right up until the games start, which would smear even more egg on the faces of the BOA.  

The whole point of the Olympics and sport in general is that spectators want to see the best competing against the best, could you imagine any other nation snubbing an athlete who is ranked world number one in their chosen discipline.

I hope Cook wins his right to compete at the Olympics, I mean what more can he do, he’s world number one, reigning European champion, winner of the test event and reached the semi-finals in Beijing despite being 17 at the time.

He also represents our best chance of a medal in Taekwondo, how can selectors deny him the chance to win gold on home soil.

I would also point out is would be wrong to (as some have) criticise Lutalo Muhammad, it has nothing to do with him and any vented frustration should be directly squarely at the BOA.  

Should anyone wish to join me in expressing their disgust at the way Aaron Cook has been treated, here are the contact details of the BOA:

Tel: +44(0) 207 842 5700

Address:

60 Charlotte Street, London

W1T 2NUE

Mail: boa@boa.org.uk 

Bold Choices Mr Boyle

Danny Boyle (the artistic director of the London 2012 opening ceremony) has unveiled his vision for the opening night which has left many people, including me a little perplexed.

He plans to bring the countryside to the Olympic stadium, an interesting choice given that the stadium is situated in London, one of the most densely populated built up cities in the world.

His creation will feature meadows, rivers, landmarks, real livestock (including sheep, horses, cows and chickens) and clouds that will produce rain (these won’t be needed it will most likely be raining anyway).

£27 million has been spent on this 3hr ceremony, which is expected to be watched by a worldwide TV audience of one billion people, we can only cross our fingers and hope that Danny Boyle’s bold plans prove a success.

He is taking a huge risk particular by having live animals involved, lets hope one of them doesn’t break free and injure Usain Bolt as he parades around the track.

I will give his vision a chance, but have to admit when I heard the news my initial reaction wasn’t one of excitement or enthusiasm, let’s hope the opening ceremony isn’t a big budget flop.    

Ofcom See Sense

Gary Lineker has thankfully been put in the clear after he was said to have ‘racially abused’ Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger during an episode of Match of the Day (MOTD).

Just before he signed off Lineker waved his arms around in the air before saying ’Au revoir’ in a mock French accent.

Following the broadcast Lineker was criticised on twitter, but today Ofcom announced no action will be taken.

As an Arsenal fan and having witnessed the incident first hand I can’t see what the problem is, I found it quite funny and to call it racial abuse (as some have) is grossly misguided.

For those who found the incident offensive, what was so bad about it that you felt Ofcom needed to intervene?

What were those who wrote to Ofcom saying? 

How dare he exaggerate the traits of someone’s personality for comic effect, who does he think he is.    

If they had such a problem with that then I can only imagine what they must think of Rory Bremner, Alistair McGowan, Ronni Ancona, Jon Culshaw, Debra Stephenson etc

The only person who had the right to be offended by this was Arsene Wenger and he hasn’t complained about it.

Unfortunately incidents like this seem to springing up more and more, where people feel compelled to become offended on someone else’s behalf.

Often if complaints are received about a TV or radio programme, it usually accounts for less than 1% of the total audience.

Why should those people in the 1% take precedent over the 99% who didn’t complain?

It needs to stop, broadcasting companies and regulators should think before panicking about complaints and making knee-jerk decisions based on a handful of opinions.  

I think we should congratulate Ofcom and celebrate this decision as a victory for common sense.

England's Euro Bid

A peculiar atmosphere has surrounded the England team throughout their build up and preparation for the Euro 2012, from the inclusion of Stewart Downing to the exclusion of Rio Ferdinand, John Terry (no explanation needed), who to start upfront and the placid melancholy attitude of the fans regarding England’s chances.

This unusual state has seemingly put many fans off as only a minimal contingent has made the trip out to Poland/Ukraine.

Normally anytime England have arrived at a major tournament, particularly in the last 10 years, expectations have been sky high, there has been a clear and often misplaced belief that despite previous evidence England could go all the way.

Whereas before the England fans roared like the lions on the teams crest, they now whisper like mice retreating to their hole in the skirting board.

This lack of expectation and pressure could allow the players to relax and play without fear, a constant presence among many England performances at past tournaments.

It seems this time round surviving the group stages will be seen as an achievement rather than the bare minimum.

Whatever happens against a very talented and justifiably confident French side, let’s hope that some light and life is resorted to the supporters and that maybe we can exceed, regardless of how low, expectations for a change.