F1 engines better than I thought – Ecclestone

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has admitted he was too critical of the sound produced by the new engines introduced this year.

The 83-year-old said after the season-opener in Australia two weeks ago that he was “horrified” by the quieter sound of the new turbo hybrid engines. 

But after hearing them at a track for the first time in Malaysia, he admitted they were "better than I thought".

Right so Ecclestone was moaning about the sound the new engines made without actually hearing them live and also, more importantly, complained about the engines when he was one of the people who agreed on a complete overhaul of the rules which included new engines.

If only Ecclestone would be as horrified at his stupid decision to for some reason award double points for the last race of the season, and in fact why isn’t he horrified at the way he runs the sport in general?

David Moyes takes responsibility after loss to Man City

Manager David Moyes took responsibility for Manchester United's dramatic decline this season after a dismal home defeat to Manchester City.

The reigning champions are seventh, 18 points adrift of leaders Chelsea after City inflicted United’s sixth home league loss of the season. 

"I am the one who picks the team," Moyes said. "I take responsibility and always will do. It is disappointing.

I must say for the first time I genuinely felt some sympathy for David Moyes last night because reading his post match comments he doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing wrong when it’s so freaking obvious to everybody else.

He picked the wrong XI, played the wrong system and waited far too long until he made a change, and even that was wrong, and as he sat there bemused looking totally lost and helpless while City were running riot it became clear that he couldn’t see what was wrong and certainly didn’t know what to do to turn the situation around.

Moyes did an ok job at Everton but Martinez is showing this season Everton are capable of more than Moyes ever got out of them, so it’s clear that he’s just not as good as everyone was telling you he was in the summer when he replaced Sir Alex.

He’s proved to everyone he’s out of his depth, is tactically naive and just doesn’t have the personality to manage a club with the history and stature of Man United.

There’s been plenty of talk about United having a summer clear-out and having a war chest for a host of new signings, but while that’s clearly needed leaving Moyes in charge of the whole thing is a recipe for even more failure next year.

I admit I have taken quite a lot of satisfaction and a great deal of enjoyment at United’s predicament this season, but now it’s not funny anymore it’s actually now become quite sad and embarrassing.

If United are to turn things round and halt the slide Moyes is taking them on then in the summer they need to get rid of him and go all out and try and convince Jurgen Klopp to be their manager for next season.

Yes he may be under contract until 2018, but as Bayern Munich have already won the title in Germany and will be adding Lewandowski to their squad for next season where is the motivation for Klopp to stay with Dortmund.

If they don’t and stick with Moyes this could be one occasion where loyalty isn’t the right way to go. 

Candy Crush games developer King valued at over $7bn

The games developer behind Candy Crush Saga, King, has been valued at over $7bn (£4.2bn) after it raised $500m listing on the New York Stock Exchange.

It sold 22.2 million shares priced at $22.50 per share - the mid-point of the range the firm had initially set.

King said it plans to use the money raised for "working capital" and "other general corporate purposes, which may include acquisitions".

Right, I’m not particularly interested in playing silly little games on my mobile phone when there are consoles available, but what I’m interested in and frankly amazed at is how King can be valued at $7bn.

Where does that number come from, this is just as bad as that WhatsApp thing that Facebook bought for $11bn, who decides that these companies that produce a cheap little app are worth so much, how can that figure be justified?

What happens in six months time when Candy Crush is replaced by the next game that apparently everybody is obsessed with and features in an Amazon advert with a crazy ginger lady telling a bemused customer how her obsession is becoming a ‘real problem’.

I’ll tell you what’s becoming a real problem a company that makes a game for your phone and is valued at $7bn, that’s a real problem.        

Man United draw Bayern Munich in Champions League

Manchester United have been drawn against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals, while Chelsea face Paris St-Germain.

Spanish champions Barcelona play La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid, while Real Madrid meet Borussia Dortmund.

The first legs will be played on 1-2 April, with the return matches on 8-9 April.

After all the delusional optimism emanating from Old Trafford after beating a very average Olympiacos team I can’t wait to see Moyes try and pit his wits against Guardiola, if you think Moyes is out of his depth now wait until the first leg comes round.

United are the by some distance the worst team left in the competition and the draw means Munich are pretty much guaranteed a place in the last four.

As for the other ties the one that really caught my attention was Barca-Atletico that should be the closest of the lot as they’ve already played each other three times this season and they’ve all been close games and ended in draws.

Although as Simeone doesn’t rotate and uses the same XI every single game, added to the fact that they play with a very high intensity I think over the two legs Barca will be a bit fresher and for that reason I think they’ll go through just.

The re-match between Madrid and Dortmund I think will see Madrid exact revenge for last season and go through, as the season has gone on Madrid have got stronger and stronger and Dortmund aren’t the same team they were last year and have had too many injuries. 

Final tie PSG-Chelsea, I think is quite tight and both teams have vastly contrasting styles, but I think Chelsea will go through as Mourinho will no doubt set-up his team to be very tight and nullify PSG and knick it on the counter.

So for me looking at it now the last four will be Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Chelsea. 

Cloak ‘anti-social’ app helps you avoid your friends

While most social networks aim to connect people, one new service seeks to join the growing trend of doing the opposite and help you avoid them.

Cloak uses public location data from other social networks, Foursquare and Instagram, to determine the locations of others you know.

Users can choose to receive an alert when certain people are believed to be nearby.

Apparently this app and others are part of a current trend of 'anti-social apps' where people can use their social media accounts without other people knowing their doing it or knowing who they are, which begs the question if people are now downloading all these apps to cloak themselves and stop others seeing what they’re doing and where they are why not just delete their social media accounts, it’d be much easier and you’re friends wouldn’t have a clue where you were.   

Hopefully now people will start to realise that they don’t have to document every waking hour of their lives on social media and go back to communicating the way humans have done for thousands of years by talking to each other in the flesh rather than do what I’ve seen many people out do, which is while out with their friends spend the whole time on their phones messaging virtual strangers.

I have never understood the appeal of social media and this myth about connecting everyone and brining them together is frankly a load of pr bullshit, as social media does the opposite it keeps everyone apart and the sooner people delete their Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts the better. 

FIFA step up investigation into Russia and Qatar World Cup bids

FIFA’s chief investigator is to interview the 12 remaining members of the world governing body's executive committee who were involved in the decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.

Michael Garcia is examining claims of wrongdoing in the process.

FIFA's executive committee is in Zurich for a two-day meeting.

This is such a waste of time, how can one of the most corrupt organisations in the world investigate its own corruption?

Some of the people who voted in 2010 and chose Russia and Qatar as hosts for 2018 and 2022 have since been banned or resigned over allegations of corruption, so the whole process clearly had absolutely no legitimacy about it.

Blatter and co aren’t interested in picking a host who can best host the competition, they’re more interested in giving it to someone who hasn’t had it before, which is fine in principal but then you’re basically instantly excluding everyone who’s held the tournament before, which again makes the bidding process unfair.

And as Qatar is demonstrating awarding the tournament to a new country isn’t always the best idea.

I know I say this every time I read an article about wrongdoing or incompetence at FIFA, but really how much lower can Blatter and co sink?

What’s really worrying me is that I’m not surprised by all these revelations anymore it’s become the norm, in fact I’d be more surprised if I read an article about FIFA doing something properly and competently.

Paddy Power Pistorius ad broke rules

An ad campaign by bookmaker Paddy Power featuring Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius broke rules and brought advertising into disrepute, the UK's ad regulator has found.

The ad, which referred to Pistorius' murder trial, drew a record 5,525 complaints, the regulator said.

The advert offered a refund on all losing bets if the South African Paralympian was found not guilty.

I’ve tried to resist commenting on the Pistorius tri, actually I’m not going to call it a trial because let’s face it it’s more of a media/reality TV event.

I remember on the first day I was watching the news as they covered it and when the camera panned round the courtroom I was half expecting to see Judge Judy presiding over the proceedings but alas I didn’t, shame really because it would be more appropriate if she was.

The whole thing is one big farce, and the fact that you can bet on whether he’s guilty or not is just abhorrent.

Never mind the fact that this is a show trial and Pistorius has no chance of a fair and impartial hearing, there will be people out there celebrating they’ve won a hundred quid because they bet £10 at 10-1 he’d be found guilty, and even if he is acquitted they can get their tenner back, good for them.  

Noel Edmonds wants to buy BBC

The BBC is "sleepwalking to destruction", veteran presented Noel Edmonds said as he explained his hope to buy the corporation along with a consortium of wealthy investors.

He said only an injection of outside influence could make the broadcaster "relevant to the internet age" and admitted that he did not presently pay for it via the licence fee.

The ex-BBC star - who now presents Channel 4's Deal Or No Deal quiz - said he did not have a licence because he only watched programmes via the online "catch up" service.

I have to say I do agree with Edmonds the BBC would certainly benefit from an injection of outside influence and it’s obvious that Auntie needs some big changes and improvements; however, I also think Noel Edmonds is definitely not the one to be spearheading such a campaign.

I don’t think the best way to change an organisation to make it more relevant to the internet age is to hand control over to a 65 year old who has spent most of his professional career presenting some pretty crappy TV shows.

But I would be interested to hear more about these investors he mentions and what they would do, I mean they can’t do any worse than what we’ve seen from the Beeb these last few years. 

Bus Pass Elvis party beat Lib Dems in election

A pensioner dressed as Elvis has beaten the Liberal Democrats in a local council by-election.

David Laurence Bishop, who goes by the name of Lord Biro, stood as a candidate for the Bus Pass Elvis Party.

He received 67 votes in the by-election in Clifton North, Nottingham, with Lib Dem candidate Tony Marshall coming last with 56. Labour won with 1,174 votes.

Just when you think the Lib Dems stock can’t get any lower this happens and they get fewer votes than a crazy man representing the Bus Pass Elvis party.

Nick Clegg had the audacity to day he wasn’t embarrassed by the result, well he bloody well should be given that in the manifesto of the guy who stood for the BPEP, was a plan to legalise brothels with a 30% discount for OAP’s.

If you’re serious about being a mainstream political party and you’re losing to joke candidates then there really isn’t much hope left.   

TV licence fee non-payment ‘could be decriminalised’

Not paying the TV licence fee could become a civil offence, rather than a criminal one, under plans being considered by ministers.

Culture Secretary Maria Miller said "decriminalisation of the licence fee should be on the table" during the BBC's charter review before 2017.

The BBC said changing the law could lead to more people failing to pay.

Instead of decriminalising the non-payment of the licence fee I think the sensible thing to do would be to get rid of it altogether.

It makes no sense to charge to force people to pay £145 a year to watch BBC channels on top of any other subscriptions, Sky, Virgin etc. when you can go online and watch all their programmes free on BBC iPlayer.

To compensate for the lack of income through the licence fee the BBC could do what everyone else is doing and tighten their belts, cut out the people who are paid inflated wages and are not offering value for money, that would more than make up for the shortfall a scrapped licence fee would leave.  

BBC to host Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage TV debate

Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage are to go head-to-head on BBC television in a debate on Britain's future in Europe.

The hour-long debate will be shown on BBC2 from 7pm on Wednesday, 2 April, and will be hosted by David Dimbleby.

One of the many gripes that people have with politics is that it’s dull and grey, but you can expect this debate to be full of fireworks.

I do hope that as you have two politicians with polar opposite views the whole thing won’t descend into a slightly more educated version of The Jeremy Kyle Show with the two of them just yelling at and interrupting each other with no real progress being made.

But even if that is the case I can think of worse ways to spend an hour. 

Hodgson criticises Cleverley petition

England boss Roy Hodgson has defended Tom Cleverley after an online petition was set up calling for the Manchester United midfielder to be banned from selection for his World Cup squad.

The petition, which accuses Cleverley of "inept" displays, has gained over 10,000 signatures since it was posted.

Hodgson, who has included the 24-year-old in Wednesday's squad to face Denmark, said: "It doesn't impress me.

Well I must say this petition does impress and greatly amuse me, and just highlights how bad Cleverley has been this season that 10,000 people have felt the urge to sign a petition to get him removed from the squad.

I can’t remember that ever happening before, even when Heskey was in the team nobody went to this length to show how much they disagreed with a player’s selection.

Hodgson is clearly angry with this petition and even said Cleverley deserves to be in the squad and has done a lot of good for England, after reading that I stopped laughing and became majorly concerned.

Surely Hodgson can’t be serious about those statements can he, if he is then he obviously hasn’t actually watched any Man United games this season otherwise he’d be all too aware that Cleverley simply isn’t good enough and the only reasons he’s fluked his way into the squad is because he plays for Manchester United, if he played for a mid-table team and he was performing for them at the same level he is for United he wouldn’t be anywhere near the squad.

Every time England have a disappointing result or fail at a tournament, which let’s be honest is far too often, there’s always an inquisition as to why this has happened and what can be done to avoid repeating it in future, well perhaps a start would be to pick players based on the form they're showing for their club not which club they play for.

Just because an English player plays for United, City, Chelsea, etc. that shouldn’t mean they have a guaranteed place in the squad.   

Many people disagree with Sol Campbell race claim

Since Sol Campbell made the claim that he would have been England captain for 10 years had he been white, ex-players, managers and FA executives have come out and respectfully disagreed with Campbell and I would very much like to join them because his comments were baffling and baseless.

Paul Ince rightly pointed out nobody in recent times has come close to captaining England for 10 years, and the point Campbell makes that he wasn’t chosen because he was black is equally stupid, as Ian Wright pointed out he had too quiet a personality to be captain he wasn’t vocal enough to be considered. 

It’s pretty obvious the real reason for this announcement and as Campbell was a high profile player he knew full well that making this claim would force the press into reporting it, and thus it would publicise his soon to be released book.

In future if an ex-player of Campbell’s stature makes a claim of a similar nature when there’s absolutely no evidence to support it whatsoever I would hope the media frankly ignore it, because in this case it’s all to try and sell a few books and that’s frankly quite sad. 

Footballers T-shirt messages could be punished

Players who display messages on T-shirts worn underneath their strips could face punishment under new proposals.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body which oversees the rules of the game, meets this weekend in Zurich, when the new regulation will be voted upon.

The new law has been proposed by the Football Association.

I hope this new proposal isn’t introduced, I don’t see what the hoo-ha is about players having a message on an undershirt, in fact slightly veering off topic I don’t know why it was deemed a yellow card offense for a player taking their shirt off as a goal celebration, it hasn’t stopped them doing it. 

Anyway back to the point, obviously if the message is offensive then the player in question should be punished, but otherwise what’s the reason for stopping them? 

I can just picture a bunch of very dull men in suits sitting round a big table saying we should ban messages on t-shirts god forbid a player attempts to show a bit of personality.  

Surely there are more important things the powers that be should be working on than this. 

UEFA investigates 76 clubs over Financial Fair Play

UEFA says 76 clubs are being investigated for possible breaches of its Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

Clubs that failed UEFA's break-even calculations for 2012 have been asked to provide financial information for 2013.

Their finances will be assessed by an independent UEFA-appointed panel to see if the breaches have continued.

If they have, clubs could face sanctions that include fines or even bans from competing in Europe.

I don’t believe it! UEFA have indicated that they’re actually prepared to do something about clubs continuing to spend hundreds of millions of pounds despite posting huge losses.

Hopefully this will also put a stop to clubs signing bogus inflated sponsorship deals with companies associated with their owners in a bid to beef up their revenues.

Maybe now FFP won’t be looked at as a silly set of rules that clubs can just ignore and circumvent, and instead viewed as a real set of laws that will have to be followed which in doing so will make football much fairer and more competitive.

This should also encourage more teams to look at giving their young home grown players a chance, of course all of the above could be meaningless and UEFA may not actually charge a single one of these 76 clubs, but I’m going to remain optimistic and hope that the likes of Man City and PSG will be punished for their excesses.