NFL in London, why?

The NFL is back in London, and tomorrow sees the New England Patriots take on the St Louis Rams at Wembley, quick question why?

I fail to see why every year since 2007 a regular season NFL game is played in England, I don’t see whose best interests this is in, because to me it seems to benefit no-one.  

The home team in these matches lose out on playing in front of their home fans and the away side have to travel thousands of miles.

It’s like when Premier League chief Richard Scudamore suggested playing a 39th round of games with teams jetting off to all four corners of the globe to do so, the whole idea is just wrong.

If I was a fan of either of these teams I’d feel cheated by the fact that they are disappearing across the pond for a game, I’m an Arsenal fan and if I was to find out that they were off to New York to play a league game against Newcastle, I’d think WTF.

I see what the NFL are trying to do by having a game outside of America, but its shows a lack of pride and respect for the sport as they are essentially pimping out their national game, and it sounds like it’s only going to get worse.

Next year two games are going to be played here and there’s talk of having a team here, and if that proves successful a new location will be looked at for inclusion, fortunately there is a solution to this proposed madness, makes tomorrow's game the last one outsdie of the US.

EDF raise prices by 10.8%

EDF have become the latest energy firm to declare a price hike which will see a 10.8% increase in customer fuel bills.  

The move described as a “hammer blow” will affect 3.1 million people in the UK, in response EDF admitted the rise would be “unwelcome” (understatement of the year) and blamed the rise on the cost of wholesale energy prices.

While other energy firms SSE, Scottish Power, British Gas and npower, have all announced price rises recently, EDF are the first to do so after PM David Cameron promised to ensure that customers would get the lowest available tariffs.

So either this decision by EDF is a clear sign that energy firms are snubbing the government and are simply refusing to listen to them, or they are raising their prices now to squeeze as much money as they can from their customers before they are forced to offer them the lowest tariff.

Champions League qualification isn’t as good as a trophy

I'll get the formalities out of the way up top, I’m an Arsenal fan have been all my life and I along with many other long suffering gooners I've had to endure seven frustrating years of watching our side win jack.

So I was very surprised to hear that at Arsenal’s AGM our manager, Arsene Wenger, revealed that he felt qualification for the Champions League is better than winning a trophy.

Either he genuinely believes that or he’s just saying that to cover up the pain of the baron run we’re on when it comes to silverware, because that’s a ridiculous thing to say.

I love the fact that we’ve qualified for the Champions League on such a consistent basis under Wenger but it’s not the same as pointing to the trophy cabinet and saying look what we’ve won.

In my opinion Wenger has been the best manager we’ve ever had, but as we are currently the most expensive club to watch each week and the fact that we’ve spent the last few summers selling our best players, I think every Arsenal fan has the right to feel aggrieved at the situation we find ourselves in.

If Wenger wants to win the fans back he can start by doing one simple thing, spend some real money on players, it’s estimated that Arsenal around £150m sitting in the bank, if Wenger spent some of this money in January or the summer it would show a real desire to compete with the other teams at the top, because the way we’re doing at the moment means we’re fighting with one hand tied behind our backs.

Yes it’s important to qualify for the Champions League for many reasons, but it will never replace the feeling a fan gets from watching his team lift a trophy.

UK economy grows 1%

After falling back into recession and three consecutive quarters of contraction, the UK economy grew by 1% in the three months from July to September.

While this marks some much welcomed positive news concerning our economy, business groups are still cautious, with the Institute of Directors group saying the expansion was good news “but not enough to pop the champagne corks”.

1% of growth was larger than most analysts expected and was boosted by one off factors such as the Olympics, however this does leave many wary that this period of growth itself could be a one-off and that figures for the final quarter of 2012 will reveal the true nature of how the UK economy is doing.

But at least for now we can all feel a little better that we’re no longer in a recession.

It doesn’t matter if the rest of the world wants Obama

The BBC World Service has kindly taken the time to conduct an opinion poll which shows that Barack Obama has a higher overseas approval rating than his challenger Mitt Romney.

Quick question, why?

What difference does it make if 72% of the people surveyed in France prefer Obama to Romney, I doubt he’ll be using that piece of information on the election trail in the next fortnight.

Equally what does it matter if all those surveyed in Pakistan preferred Romney.

Then only people’s opinions who matter in the US election are US citizens that are eligible to vote, that’s it.

Maybe the BBC World Service could produce more stories focused on the US election from a US perspective rather than wasting our time with this sort of crap.

EU to debate women board quotas

EU commissioners are due to debate proposals that would force quotas for women on corporate boards.

The plan is to make it mandatory for companies to reserve 40% of seats on the board for women.

Of all the proposals and policies discussed and created by the EU, this one has to be right up there in the stupidity stakes.

All having a gender quota will do is create a huge mess, people, male or female, should be hired for a job based on one thing and one thing alone, are they the best candidate for it.

If this idea is introduced what will be the incentive for men to apply themselves and excel in the workplace if there is a policy in place that means they can’t progress any further up the career ladder, because those positions have been reserved for women.

Hopefully this proposal doesn’t make it past the debate stage.

BBC Newsnight editor resigns

The BBC have said that the editor of Newsnight is “stepping aside” following his decision drop a report into claims about Sir Jimmy Saville's  sexual abuse.

The BBC said that the move involving Peter Rippon was happening with immediate effect after it issued a correction to a blog entry by Mr Rippon in which he explained his reasons for dropping the report, due to editorial reasons, to be “inaccurate or incomplete in some aspects.”   

While the police inquiry into the claims made against Saville will continue for some time, incidents like this will only further damage and sully the reputation of the BBC, who many see as covering things up and failing to intervene and prevent wrongdoing.

More details about what the BBC did and didn’t know will be laid bare in a panorama special tonight and that programme will no doubt spark a frenzy of new questions and accusations, which will seemingly leave several BBC figures past and present with a lot to answer for.

At the moment the whole scale of this investigation means we are getting more questions than answers, hopefully tonight we will see a move towards the truth and the answers, and not be left with even more questions.

Mitchell resigns on one month anniversary of plebgate

Four weeks to the day since it was reported Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell ranted at police officers outside the gates to no.10, the Tory MP has fallen on his sword and resigned after losing the confidence of his colleagues.

On leaving Mitchell did acknowledge swearing at a the two police officers who refused to let him cycle through Downing Street’s gates, maybe if he had come out and made this public sooner he could have saved his job.

After a month in which this whole saga has dragged on to farcical and ridiculous proportions, I have to ask the question was it all worth it?

I mean what has really been achieved here, the answer is very little, Mitchell has been forced into resigning, despite apologising to the two officers involved and meeting members of the Police Federation to try and draw a line under the issue.

While I admit he should have revealed what he really said, what more could he have done, I think far too much attention was given to a frankly minor issue, he lost his temper he swore big deal, he’s not the first and he certainly won’t be the last.

What makes this whole thing worse is that John Terry has been given a four game ban and £220,000 fine for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, but will be remain Chelsea captain, continue to play for the club, and earn millions of pounds in the process.

Why isn’t there an extensive media campaign for him to quit football and what about the police officer who tasered a blind man after mistaking his walking stick for a samurai sword, I think there needs to be a greater sense of perspective on what the real issues are and we need to stop obsessing over the trivial.    

Rabobank ends sponsorship of pro cycling team

Rabobank is ending its sponsorship of its professional cycling team, citing the revelations surrounding the Lance Armstrong doping case as the reason behind their decision.

The Dutch bank will ends its 17 years association with the sport when its current deal worth £12.2m a year, expires on December 31^st.

Bert Bruggnik of Rabobank said: “We are no longer convinced that the international professional world of cycling can make this a clean and fair sport.”

This news follows the decisions made by other sponsors, Nike, Trek and Anheuser Bush who have recently severed all ties with Armstrong in the wake of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) report that concluded Armstrong engaged in “serial cheating.”

Cycling is now in perhaps the darkest place its ever been where surely now the only way is up, it’s one thing to have individual cyclists banned for cheating or be accused of cheating, but it’s just as, if not more, damaging when major long-time sponsors start pulling out.

In the modern sporting world sponsors are an essential part of a sports success and if more sponsors follow Rabobank and wash their hands of cycling, then the future of the sport is greatly under threat.

Cycling isn’t like football or tennis or golf where sponsors are falling over each other to get their brand associated with a star player or the sport itself, cycling has relied on a group of loyal long-time partners and if like Rabobank more choose to leave, there really won’t be much left.   

Energy companies forced to inform of cheapest tariffs

Energy regulator Ofgem has unveiled plans to force suppliers to inform its customers about the cheapest gas and electricity tariffs they have on offer.

Ofgem chief executive Alistair Buchanan said: “Our plans will put an end to consumers being confused by complex tariffs and will usher in a simpler, clearer, fairer and more competitive energy market for all consumers.”

This announcement finally brings to an end days of uncertainty after PM David Cameron brought up the issue during Prime Ministers Questions, when he said he planned to force firms to put customers on their lowest tariffs.

While these changes are still at the consultation stage, if they are given the green light they could make the energy market much more regulated and allow customers to take more control, basically stopping them getting ripped off.

Those within the energy industry were said to have been greatly surprised by Cameron’s initiative, I’m sure not half as shocked as a lot of their customers who are facing a hike in their bills, maybe this will be the beginning of the end for the energy industries gluttony.

Scots get independence vote

Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond and PM David Cameron have signed a deal that sets out the terms for a referendum on Scottish independence.

The agreement struck between the two men, has paved the way for a vote in the autumn of 2014, with a single Yes/No question.

Part of the agreement will also see 16 and 17-year olds take part in the ballot.

Both Cameron and Salmond wore big smiles as they posed for the cameras, but only one will be smiling come 2014 and I think it will be Cameron, whatever the result.

If the Scots choose yes and leave the UK then Cameron can focus more of his time on the issues in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and as the Conservative presence in Scotland is virtually non-existent, if he manages to get his desired boundary changes pushed through in time the Tories will be shoo-ins to remain in power after the next general election, regardless of what Labour do.

Even if the Scots say no Cameron can still say well that’s what I wanted all along as he has been saying that he feels the UK is better off with Scotland in it.

Salmond is the one who has all the pressure heaped on him, if the Scots choose yes then he has to answer huge constitutional questions like will Scotland join the EU, what will happen to the currency, who will get the oil and gas in the North Sea etc.

If the Scots vote no then Salmond will be left with egg on his face because he has pushed and pushed for this and if it comes back no he’ll look stupid and look like he’s out of touch with the voters in Scotland.

Whatever the Scots decide in the vote, I think they’ll vote yes, Cameron will win either way, and it’s Salmond who’s got it all on the line.

Lottery funders get tough

UK Athletics (UKA) have cut lottery funding for several of our well known sports stars, including marathon runner Paula Radcliffe.

Radcliffe has raced just once since 2009 and will drop out of the World Class Performance Programme, other senior names to be stripped of funding are: marathon runner Mara Yamauchi, sprinters Marlon Devonish and Mark Lewis-Francis, hurdler Rhys Williams, middle distance runners Michael Rimmer, Steph Twell and Marilyn Okoro, plus 400m runner Nicola Sanders.

UKA performance director Neil Black said: “Being part of the World Class Performance Plan is a privilege and not a right and athletes selected will be expected to fulfil tough performance criteria.”

Conversely several younger athletes, who are seen as future medal winners, have been promoted to the top tiered funding group.

They include: Olympic high jump bronze medallist Robbie Grabarz, Paralympic 100m champion Jonnie Peacock, sprinter Adam Gemili and Paralympic discuss gold medallist Josie Pearson.

Finally it seems that after the success of the Olympics the UKA have realised that for far too long now they have been funding mediocrity and by ensuring several longstanding athletes have had their funding withdrawn for substandard performances, it sends a clear message to all athletes that if you don’t hit your target you’re out.

Also by rewarding those who did perform by upgrading their funding to the top tier it shows that the UKA have the perfect balance of carrot and stick, hopefully this method will mean improved performances from UK athletes at international competitions and meets, and that this new approach to funding will go some way to maintaining the standards we saw during the Olympics.

Energy prices rise

Energy giants British Gas and German owned npower have announced they are raising their gas and electricity prices by 6% and 9% respectively. (or should that be disrespectfully)   

The changes will come into effect in November and will affect 11 million people in the UK, with both British Gas and npower blaming the rising cost of bringing gas into the UK and higher government green charges for the increase, and even added that prices could go even higher next year.

Given the current economic climate I think most people understand that it’s harder for companies to make money and prices may rise as a means of counterbalancing this fact, but 6% and 9% shows that both companies are completely out of touch and are just being greedy and raising their prices this much simply because they can.   

England beat Sunday league Marino

As expected England thrashed San Marino at Wembley last night, running out 5-0 winners in a game that played out more like a pantomime performance than a serious World Cup qualifier.

There were sarcastic cheers every time keeper Joe Hart touched the ball and whenever an England player misplaced a pass they were treated like the pantomime villain, in fact I was half expecting the crowd to shout you need to get in behind them.

Despite San Marino’s infamous record of 1 win in their entire history, rather alarmingly England still took a full 35 minutes to take the lead and even then it was from the penalty spot, you’d think even a Vatican XI captained by the Pope would have gone in front sooner.

On a more serious note I think FIFA should be taking a much closer look at the qualification process and evaluating whether teams like San Marino should be involved, because last night really was a farce, the only interesting thing about it was guessing what the score would be.

San Marino from the very first second made it clear the only reason they were all there was so they could go back to the office on Monday morning and say guess what I did this weekend, they made no effort to be competitive and spent the whole game poorly executing a badly conceived damage limitation exercise.

While I think they have every right to play the game, I think before they become involved in serious competitive international matches like World Cup qualifiers, they need to be able to prove they can give teams a game first.

Move on from Mitchell row

After nearly a month the row over Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell’s position is still going on.

Yesterday Mitchell met with members of the Police Federation in his constituency, but after a 45 minute meeting Federation members stated that they felt Mitchell’s position was untenable, and even called on PM David Cameron to sack him if he doesn’t resign.

This row has dragged on long enough and frankly it should be put to bed, Mr Mitchell shouldn’t have to resign and David Cameron shouldn’t have to sack him, Mitchell has apologised to the officers involved and they alone should be the ones to decide whether to take this matter any further and they haven’t, so I think it’s time for everybody to move on and get on with their jobs and their lives.

I don’t for a moment condone Mr Mitchell swearing at police officers and I think he really should tell us what he did say, but as I’ve said before are we really going to start sacking people for losing their temper, what he said was wrong, he’s apologised, he shouldn’t be sacked, can we please move on.

C4 Plane Crash proves quality TV still exists

Last night Channel 4 screened an incredibly insightful, interesting and thoroughly entertaining documentary about a group of engineers, pilots, designers and air crash investigators, who took it upon themselves to crash a Boeing 727 airliner into the Mexican desert to look at a crash up close and in detail for the first time.

While I initially had reservations that after the show finished I’d be left rocking in the corner muttering the words made famous by B.A. Baracus, but I’m pleased to report that actually the design of modern airliners mean they are really quite safe, and after analysing the data from the crash in great detail, the crash investigators only had a few small recommendations to make in the way of design improvements.

What made this show so engaging was the sheer amount of effort and the precision of planning required to pull this task off, the fact that the team involved had to fly the 727 via a remote control for the final three minutes of the flight and some of the slow-motion footage from inside the aircraft at the moment of the crash was spectacular.  

With the current standard of modern television declining rapidly it was so refreshing to watch something interesting, entertaining and thought provoking for a change rather being served up the usual re-hashed generic drivel.

Use of force against burglars to be allowed

Householders who react with force when confronted by burglars are set to be given more protection, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has said.

Under the proposed new law the bar for the amount of force able to be used by the householder will be raised above the present proportionate limit, with grossly disproportionate force remaining against the law.

Mr Grayling is keen to see these changes implemented ASAP, and his aides say that it could even be included in a crime bill passing through Parliament this autumn.

When he was first appointed Justice Secretary replacing the frankly useless Ken Clarke, Grayling was seen as having a much tougher stance on crime and today’s announcement proves not only that, but that he is determined to push measures through if he thinks they’ll make a difference and not let them stagnate or be watered down.

These new measures are a much needed and I suspect much welcomed changed to the current system of uncertainty that leaves householders confused and scared about tackling a burglar in case they end up being the ones who are prosecuted, and the burglar is the one who gets off with an apology and in a few cases compensation, thankfully situations like that will be a thing of the past in the near future.  

Osborne plans to cut £10bn from benefit budget

The government is determined to cut a further £10bn from the benefits budget to help fight the deficit, Chancellor George Osborne is expected to announce this and details of further measures when he addresses the Tory conference.

He is also expected to rule out a levy on high value properties, which has been sought by the Lib Dems, but like pretty much everything else the Lib Dems have wanted recently it looks like their set to miss out once again.

But as I’ve said previously, were the Lib Dems seriously expecting the Conservatives to introduce a wealth tax/mansion tax (whatever you want to call it), or are they now so fed-up with being ignored that they’ll just say absolutely anything, even if it’s complete nonsense.

Seizing on this the Conservatives have acted fast to rub a rather large amount of salt into the wounds by not only ruling out a wealth tax but announcing another round of cuts, which will see welfare spending cut by a further £10bn by 2016-17, on top of the £18bn worth of cuts announced in 2010.

Whether further cuts to an already healthily trimmed bill will help with the reduction of the deficit remains to be seen but in light of recent events it seems that the Lib Dems are losing credibility and influence by the minute.        

F1 title race back on

After building a seemingly insurmountable lead Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso now finds himself in the middle of an F1 title scrap with double reigning champion Sebastian Vettel.

Vettel’s win in today’s Japanese grand prix has seen him cut Alonso’s lead from 29 points to just four, after Alonso was forced to retire from the race following a collision with Kimi Raikkonen.

That incident on the first lap spelt the end of Alonso’s dominance of the 2012 season, and now with only five races left both he and Vettel are going for title no.3 and the honour of being known as the greatest active driver. (As Schumacher is retiring at the end of the season)

While Alonso was simply unlucky, Vettel’s win throws the title race wide open again and it’s now almost impossible to predict which of these two will win.

With only five races to go the one thing I can say for certain is that the excitement which has been nominal throughout most of the 2012 season is most definitely back.       

Cameron rules out mansion tax

Prime Minister David Cameron has ruled out a mansion tax on expensive properties, but has vowed to “take further action to ensure rich people pay their fair share”.

This announcement ahead of the Conservatives annual conference will no doubt irk the Lib Dems and their leader Nick Clegg who is keen to introduce a tax of this kind.

When he called for one before the Lib Dem conference he said he wouldn’t agree to anymore government cuts in the welfare budget unless he got a mansion tax or some form of wealth tax.

But as with many other policies, most notably tuition fees, Clegg looks destined to miss out once again, it seems every time he calls for a new measure to be introduced within a week Cameron comes out and says err no we’re not going to be doing that.

I think the best policy for Clegg would be to not say anything, that way he can’t be made to look a fool when he says we want this and then days later Cameron says sorry Nick you’re not getting it.

If you’re a Lib Dem supporter (which I’m not) this has been an all too regular occurrence since 2010 and each time it happens Clegg looks less and less relevant and increasingly stupid, but Nick there is a solution don’t say anything.

Defence Secretary aims to raise armed forces morale

Defence secretary Philip Hammond has admitted that the governments rather unpopular cuts have badly damaged the morale of our armed forces.

Mr Hammond said that our forces feel like they’ve been getting it from all sides, the risk of redundancy, the restructuring of the army, as pay freeze and their pensions and when you read that back he’s got it spot on.

So his solution to the problem will be to introduce a new package aimed at winning back forces confidence, measures include: a rise in the annual service premium paid to forces schoolchildren from £250 to £300, and this measure will also be extended to kids whose parents have died in the line of duty or have left the forces for up to six years, making it eligible to 6,000 extra children.

 A system of Forces Privilege Cards that will allow service personnel, their families and all veterans in some cases receive as much as 33% off at major high street stores, and a scheme designed to get forces leavers on the housing ladder for the first time by letting them borrow against their pensions.

While I agree with what Mr Hammond is doing, I don’t think these proposals go far enough to counter balance the hammering our armed forces have taken since the coalition came to power.

The axing of 30,000 troops, the scraping of key equipment like aircraft carriers and an army shake-up that saw several historical regiment names discarded, and on top of all this a report by the Army Families Federation showed that the number of forces households with debt problems has almost doubled in the last year to 80 per cent.

Everybody understood that when this government came to power that cuts needed to be made and things would be tough, but it seems the armed forces have copped it more than most, instead of offering this olive branch to them why not reward them properly for the job that they do and give them a pay rise, I mean you would have to be a real cold-hearted bastard to disagree with that.  

Orlando Cruz becomes first active boxer to reveal he’s gay

Puerto Rican boxer Orlando Cruz has become the first active fighter to reveal that he is gay, describing himself as “a proud gay man”.

He has become one of a very small group of athletes in the competitive sports world to come out, the only problem this throws up for me is that he, even in today’s world, had initial reservations and as he put it had to develop “physically” and “mentally” to get to this stage.

While Cruz coming out, openly revealing, and being proud of the fact that he is gay is a huge step forward in terms of progress in the world of the sport, it also highlights the magnitude of the problems that still exist.

It may be a little different for Cruz in that he is a boxer, which is an individual and at times quite solitary sport, but in other sports particularly team sports, there still seems to be this atmosphere of fear and pressure, especially when referring to the dressing room environment, where in those sports athletes maybe terrified to reveal their gay for fear of reprisal.

But for now I think we should pay tribute to Cruz for setting an example and having the courage to come out while still active in his sport.

Kevin Pietersen close to England return

Kevin Pietersen could be in line for a recall to the England side for the tour of India following formal and ongoing talks with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).   

According to coach Andy Flower an announcement is likely to be made within the next 36 hours, and on top of that Pietersen is likely to be offered an ECB central contract.

Two words popped into my head when I heard this news: “At last”

Pietersen has been absent from the national side after it was revealed he sent ‘provocative’ text messages during the series against South Africa back in August.

Since then this whole saga has dragged on for far too long, it should really have been solved within days or within the month, so the fact that it has carried on and on until now is ridiculous.

All it would have taken was for Pietersen and a few members of the ECB to meet up and spend a few hours talking about the issues that got them there in the first place and then talk about the ways to resolve them, simple as.

But anyway, when this announcement comes hopefully it will mean that Pietersen is back in the side doing what he does best playing cricket for England, because looking at how we’ve done during his absence we desperately need him back, simple as.

UK economy growing again

The UK economy grew in the third quarter of 2012 according to figures released by the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC).

Based on a survey they conducted with 7,593 UK firms the BCC said the economy grew by 0.5% between July and September.

Meanwhile the Office for National Statistics (ONS) won’t release its first estimate until October 25, but it is likely that due to an Olympic boost its figures will also indicate a return to growth.

Amidst a wave of negative outlooks and gloomy predictions at last we finally have some positive reports about the UK finally clambering back out of recession, this adds to the recent news that the economy only shrank 0.4% in the second quarter between April and June compared to initial estimates of 0.7%.

So who knows maybe this is that start of a more stable and hopefully sustained period of growth that will enable the UK economy to start to pull away from the problems facing several economies across Europe.  

It’s very early days I know but this is the first sign that the little shoots of growth are just beginning to spout.  

Europe win Ryder Cup after Medinah miracle

Team Europe staged arguably the greatest comeback ever seen in the history of the Ryder Cup to overturn a 10-6 deficit, and win the cup back prevailing 14.5-13.5 in Chicago.

Despite being outplayed for most of the first two days European captain, Jose Maria Olazabal, took the decision to stack his best players in the top half of the singles draw in order to get some early points on the board and pressurise the Americans, and it couldn’t have worked better as Europe won the first five matches.

While there was a fight back from the American middle order, Martin Kaymer secured the vital 14^th point Europe needed to keep the cup by holding a crucial six-footer at the last to defeat Steve Stricker and give Europe an eighth win from the 12 singles matches.

Going into the final day many (including me) thought the comeback wasn’t possible, I thought Europe were too far behind and that the Americans were in such good form that they would win at a canter, but driven by the fighting spirit of Ian Poulter and the emotional spirit of Seve Ballesteros Europe got off to the perfect start.

Luke Donald outplayed Bubba Watson, the inspirational Ian Poulter outfought Webb Simpson, Rory McIlroy beat the seemingly invincible Keegan Bradley despite forgetting when his match started and the unflappable Paul Lawrie thrashed FedEx champion Brandt Snedeker.

But the key game in influencing the outcome was Justin Rose vs. Phil Mickelson after being one down through 16 Rose held a ridiculous 50 foot downhill putt on the 17^th to level the match and then produced another unlikely birdie at 18 to steal a crucial point, which was the moment when the impossible seemed on.

Another match that followed in this vein was Sergio Garcia vs. Jim Furyk, Furyk missed key putts in the final few holes to allow Garcia to steal another crucial point, and the chances of a European victory were growing by the minute.

In the Ryder Cup if you’re selected to go out 11^th or 12^th then it’s usually an indicator that a player is not in the best of form or that the captain hopes the cup is decided before their matches finish, but with the possibility of the miracle growing it seemed the cup was going to be decided by the players struggling for form.

The last two matches between Stricker and Kaymer and Woods and Molinari were now going to decide the outcome of the match instead of just making up the numbers, and so it proved.

Stricker’s putting is the bedrock around which the rest of his game is built, yet throughout the three days of competition it continually let him down and a missed putt on the 17^th gave Kaymer the opportunity to retain the cup with a half at 18 and despite bravely holing a 10ft par putt it was too little too late as Kaymer made his four and the miracle at Medinah was completed.

Moments later Woods conceded the 18^th to Molinari to ensure Europe won the cup rather than retaining it.

While a comeback of this nature has been achieved before in 1999 at Brookline, this comeback is far more impressive, because in 1999 the Americans overturned a 10-6 deficit on home soil with the support of the crowd, whereas at Medinah Europe had to overturn a 10-6 deficit against an American team in great form on a home course set-up specifically for them and with home support, which has to make it the greatest comeback in Ryder Cup history.

Questions have inevitably been asked about American captain Davis Love’s decision making, but for me he did nothing wrong and it seemed his players struggled without a teammate there to support them or bail them out.

Before the event started I thought it would be close but I don’t think anybody could have predicted anything quite like this, and huge credit needs to go to Olazabal for keeping his team believing and to Ian Poulter for, at times, singlehandedly keeping Europe alive going into Sunday.  

This victory will I’m sure in future be held up as an example of one of, if not the, greatest Ryder Cup ever played, and it extends the incredible summer of sport we’ve been treated to in Britain, the only downside is we have to wait a full two years for the next Ryder Cup to start.