Sky Sports Price Cut - But They Are Not Happy!

Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 have been deemed too expensive and have been asked to cut their prices by the media regulator, OFCOM.  However, Sky isn’t very happy with this forceful move by the regulator.

The chief executive of BSkyB, finds OFCOM’s findings as ‘extraordinary,’ and insisted that they want to ‘appeal against the decision via the courts.’  On the other hand, OFCOM has previously warned Sky about its prices, largely because Sky holds the majority of rights to key sporting events, such as The Ashes, the US Open Tennis and FA Premier League football.  They insist that today’s ruling will make Sky Sports more available now to nearly ten million new customers.

However, the regulator stopped short of price cuts in Sky’s varied selection of movie channels, which has angered some of BSkyB’s closest competitors, like BT and Virgin Media.  If a move is agreed to cut the price of Sky Sports to the normal customer, Sky will be allowed to bring some of their pay-TV channels like Sky1 to Freeview, which had been agreed over two years ago, until Virgin Media’s buyout of ntl: telewest.  The broadcaster now has six weeks to outline a template contract to other pay TV providers, with OFCOM set to make a final announcement before the World Cup finals this summer.

Sky is the largest operator in the pay-TV market at the moment, with nearly ten million subscribers.  Under the new proposal, OFCOM has suggested the Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 shall be made available for a price of £10.63 per subscriber, whereas the current subscriber would be paying £17.14, a reduction of over 10%.  This news comes after a three-year investigation, in which OFCOM has denied claims of foul play tactics and everywhere was done on a ‘fair and square basis.’ 

Virgin Media, BT and the normal or new subscriber are the main winners and Sky the losers, as they have already insisted of their intentions to appeal against the decision.  The bidding war involving pay-TV prices has certainly well and truly begun.

Dancing on Ice 2010 Final - The Right Winner

After twelve weeks of gripping competition, ITV’s skating hit show, Dancing on Ice came to an end on Sunday night, won deservedly by ex-soap actress Hayley Tamaddon.  Tamaddon, partnered by UK gold medallist and professional Daniel Whiston, starred throughout the entire series, only being toppled off the leaderboard on one of the eleven weeks she skated on.

The final routines saw the three finalists, Tamaddon, Hollyoaks actor Kieran Richardson and The Bill’s Gary Lucy took to the skies, flying in the ice rink studio.  This was followed by all three finalists performing their favourite routine of the series.  Hayley repeated her ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ routine from Movie Week and once again, got perfect scores of 6.0 from the ice panel judges, Karen Barber, Nikki Slater, Jason Gardiner, Emma Bunton and Robin Cousins.  Afterwards, the phone lines were frozen and host Phillip Schofield announced the two couples who would go on to skate their own version of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean’s famous dance, ‘Bolero.’  ‘Bolero’ won a gold medal for Torvill & Dean at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo and has become an iconic moment in UK sporting history.

Richardson was knocked out of the competition, having received the fewest votes from the public, leaving Tamaddon and Lucy free to skate ‘Bolero.’  Hayley’s version was full of buzz, electrifying to watch, whereas Gary Lucy’s was more like the ‘giving up,’ bolero.  Lucy has been labelled as ‘boring’ by Mr. Frosty himself, Jason Gardiner throughout the competition and to be honest; I felt the same way about the majority of his performances.  For him to even get into the final two was a major surprise.  Perhaps people felt sorry for him, as he won’t have an acting job anymore, following ITV’s decision to axe The Bill on Friday afternoon.

The final outcome was expected and relieving.  As the competition progressed, Hayley Tamaddon turned this year’s show into a one-horse race.  Her talents were amazing on the ice, her partnership and friendship with Whiston blossomed and there was little doubt that she was going to end up on top.  ITV’s viewing figures for Series 5 dropped quite significantly and maybe it is time to review the celebrity selection process or make some gambles in the set-up of the show to keep it afloat and the public’s interest at heart.  Series five had its moments throughout such as Sharron Davies’s controversy to change the music and choreography of one of her routines, Dr. Hillary Jones inability to skate and Heather Mills’s bravery which won her some new supporters and earned her a load creditability and respect back from a previously tarnished reputation.  However, more competition is probably needed to make the long- term success of this show a sustainable one.  There can be no doubt though that the right individual won the 2010 contest.    

2010 Australian Grand Prix - The Conclusions

In this piece, I will be assessing ten key features from each Grand Prix weekend from the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.  Seconds out, round two then, as the 2010 Australian Grand Prix is examined more in-depth.  After all the caution and lack of action in Bahrain, Melbourne reminded of how much we love F1, as it produced another belter of a Grand Prix.  So, this is the round-up of the second weekend as Formula 1 went Down Under.

Proof that F1 Can Still Be Entertaining At Times

Formula One’s reputation took a significant battering, with its lack of action and creativity in Bahrain.  Many, including myself called for instant changes, otherwise all the promise that 2010 had, would be washed away by a lack of racing.  However, for anyone who set the alarm clocks for 7am to tune into the Australian Grand Prix, they got nearly 100 minutes of captivating drama and proof that F1 can still be entertaining at times.  Let’s not get too carried away, as the early Safety Car and the inclement weather certainly did its bit to shake up the order.  We probably need another bone-dry race to realise where we stand on the show and how good it really is, but creditability has been well and truly restored.  So, hats off to all the competitors and the weather gods for giving us such a brilliant spectacle.

Jenson’s Gamble Pays off, with Maximum Results

Having started an encouraging 4^th, Jenson Button’s start was bad, and then he clobbered Fernando Alonso, and following the Safety Car, was relegated to 7^th by Lewis Hamilton.  Jenson was in trouble, really struggling with the balance of his car, as the intermediate tyres clearly did not suit the McLaren, or his driving style.  Consequently, the world champion made a brave and decisive gamble, by being the first to try the slick tyres.  At the time, it looked like a mad, even a decision on borderline stupid, especially when he visited the gravel at Turn three on his outlap.  However, he soon triggered everyone else to pit, with purple sector times and a gigantic leap up to 2^nd spot.  True, he earned some luck from Vettel’s DNF, but he deserved that luck.  It was his call and it paid off, with maximum results.  Button has silenced his critics and in stunning style, can he keep it up as the momentum in McLaren has totally swayed, heading for Kuala Lumpur. 

McLaren: It Is Not A One-Man Team!

For years, Lewis Hamilton has had it his way at McLaren, as Fernando Alonso found out to his expensive cost in their stormy 2007 partnership.  Heikki Kovalainen was no match for Hamilton, but Jenson Button has come into the team, been given equal status and shown that McLaren is not a one-man team.  Hamilton may have edged him easily in Bahrain, but for the second successive year in Australia, he had a weekend to forget.  A retirement quirky comment, aimed at Mark Webber backfired and then, followed the infamous incident with the Australian police on Friday night, skidding his wheels on a public road!  Saturday’s qualifying turned into a nightmare, with Lewis failing to make Q3 and although his endeavour and aggression shone through yesterday, the strategy went against him.  To such an extent, he questioned it and started losing his cool over the radio, broadcast to millions of TV viewers across the world.  Hamilton is a rattled person, Button has the measure and Lewis doesn’t like it.  Now, he needs to rise above this threat, in what could well be the biggest challenge of his dramatic F1 career so far.  Have cracks already appeared in this burdening relationship….

Red Bull Racing – A Story of Frustration and Failure

On Saturday afternoon, Red Bull Racing showed they have the quickest car in F1 and by some margin.  Adrian Newey has built a monster of a car, and everything seems to be place for the Milton Keynes based team to hit the jackpot in 2010…or will they?  Having destroyed the competition in qualifying, to get a front row, a solitary 9^th placed finish for Mark Webber highlights a day full of frustration and failure.  Webber has a very scrappy day, possibly the occasion of his home Grand Prix got to him.  He wasn’t helped by a late switch to dry tyres, which put him on the back foot, and despite some bold passing, he looked like he was an accident just waiting to happen.  True enough, with three laps to go, he misjudged his braking point, smashed into the back of Hamilton, and needed repairs.  A reprimand from stewards was a fair call; Mark will need to curb his aggression if he wants to be successful.  For Sebastian Vettel, what does he have to do to change his fortunes?  A stunning pole position and though Button kept him honest, he had him comfortably covered, until a front brake disc failure sent him spinning into the kitty litter at half distance.  He hid his frustration fairly well, but he only has 12 points, when he should have 50 from the opening outings.  Once again, dire reliability could well shoot down Red Bull’s championship challenge.

Kobayashi, Buemi & Hulkenberg Have a Lucky Escape – Safety Rules!

On the F1 paddock cards for all VIP’s and members, there is a message on them saying ‘F1 is dangerous.’  This was highlighted again yesterday, with an accident that had chilling reminders of Nick Heidfeld and Takuma Sato’s shocking 2002 Austrian Grand Prix smash.  Kamur Kobayashi, Sebastian Buemi and Nico Hulkenberg all had a real lucky escape, as the safety of modern-day cars and technologies prevented themselves from worse injuries.  Approaching turn six on the opening cricuit, Kobayashi’s front wing failed, and this was the 3^rd time this incident struck him this weekend, and with no control, the Japanese driver hurled across the grass, launched off a kerb and t-boned into Buemi and Hulkenberg.  Kobayashi’s chassis was ruined, his Sauber almost completely squashed between the Toro Rosso and the Williams.  Formula 1 had a lucky escape, and questions must be asked at Sauber to why they have three front wing failures on the same weekend!

Michael Schumacher – Still Struggling With the New Formula

Initially, Michael Schumacher looked in far better shape at Albert Park, more than matching Nico Rosberg, after being soundly beaten by Rosberg in Bahrain.  However, he was outqualified again and despite a positive start, became a victim of the Button/Alonso incident at Turn One, meaning he required a new front wing.  After that, we barely saw Schumacher, as he struggled to get the better of Virgin’s Lucas di Grassi, and then spent most of the rest of the race bottled up behind the Toro Rosso of Jaime Alguesuari.  His race pace wasn’t great, nowhere near Rosberg and only a couple of late moves on Alguesuari and Pedro de la Rosa earned him a solitary championship point.  Nevertheless, he still enjoyed the fight, but it is clear that the seven-time world champion is still struggling with the new formula, and he probably needs a strong result in either Malaysia or China, otherwise some may get onto his back for regular poor performances. 

Virgin Racing – How to Design A Fuel Tank, The Shortcut Route!

Alarming news came out of the paddock on Friday night, when Virgin Racing admitted they didn’t have a chassis that held a big enough fuel tank to get to the end of races.  Technical director Nick Wirth indicated the blame came on the constant FIA regulation changes, when development had already begun, but why have Lotus and Hispania got it right then?  A new chassis is being designed, ready for Barcelona in May, following permission from the other teams, but shortcuts have been made, lessons needed on how to design a big enough fuel tanks required.  In the end, neither Timo Glock, nor Lucas di Grassi made the chequered flag, but it will be interesting to see if they get into a tricky situation with a finish in the next couple of races.  This is an embarrassing own goal from the new team, the FIA should give them a slapping for this.

Robert Kubica – Proof of His World-Class Talent

Robert Kubica had to put up with a stinker of a car in 2009, and I felt really sorry with him, considering that BMW Sauber abandoned his 2008 championship ambitions to concentrate on building such a pathetic and haplessly slow car.  At times, he didn’t seem too interested last year, but the move to Renault has done him wonders.  The Pole has rekindled his 2008 form and at Albert Park, lifted the spirits of the Renault team by producing a stunning drive to 2^nd spot.  It was his first finish in Melbourne, at the fourth attempt, deserved payback for last year’s cruel late shunt with Vettel, which cost him a possible victory.  Renault has said they have been very impressed with Kubica’s commitment to the cause, and with his world-class talent at the wheel, Robert has the ability to put the cat amongst the pigeons on many occasions this season.

Overtaking Ideas – We Don’t Need Any, There’s An Obvious Solution!

There have been numerous calls in recent weeks for how F1 can improve the show.  A reintroduction of refuelling and KERS look unlikely, the most popular suggestion is a switch to a mandatory two-stop rule in races.  Williams’s technical director Sam Michael has suggested the driver having a rear wing adjustable flap, in effort to cut down on the aerodynamic effect.  However, there is an obvious solution to this argument, even though it is so not practical.  Every track to have random sprinklers to be set off during the Grand Prix which would even turn the European Grand Prix at the Valencia Street Circuit into a worthwhile sporting occasion, rather than a Tesco car park event!

Vitantonio Liuzzi & Rubens Barrichello – Going About Their Efforts with Minimum Fuss

Lastly, congratulations to Force India’s Vitantonio Liuzzi and Rubens Barrichello from Williams.  They have been barely mentioned so far in 2010, but both are putting in consistent and strong efforts with minimum fuss.  Liuzzi, under pressure to deliver on a career that hasn’t been very successful, is giving Adrian Sutil more headaches than he would have liked, and by staying out of trouble, unlike his crash-hobbled team-mate, is picking up the points for Force India.  As for Barrichello, the Williams are underperforming badly at the moment, but he is getting no sleepless nights from Hulkenberg and his Saturday qualifying effort was class.  An unspectacular race drive followed, but the Brazilian still bought his car home in 8^th spot, for more points, showing the guile and experience the veteran brings to the Grove outfit.  If both keep their performances up, they may get more of a deserved mention very soon. 

The Times Goes Subscription Based - Is This The Future For Online Journalism?

As news broke on Friday of News International’s latest monkey-making scheme, there are many questions that have been raised by Rupert Murdoch’s decisions, which is risky to say the least.  From June 2010, The Times and The Sunday Times Websites will go subscription-based.  Online viewers will have to pay £1 a day or £2 a week to access the news stories from their sites.

Both newspapers feel that the decision they’ve made was inevitable, largely thanks to the consistent fallings in newspaper reading circulation and the rapidly growing competition from the Internet.  What it does give is a possible outlook to how online journalism may operate in the future.  Competitors such as the Daily Mirror and the Daily Mail have already voiced their concerns over this latest development, both thinking that there is a major danger that the Times may price itself out of the online market. 

To date only specialised papers like the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal charge consumers to view their online content.  Therefore, this is a risky strategy, as The Times is such a popular source for hard-hitting news stories.  James Harding, the current editor of The Times has admitted that this move might not work out, but is confident that the behaviour of people on the Internet will change, so consequently, the switch will be made for the better.   It will leave people with food for thought, whether they want to pay the pound to access The Times’ website, or look at similar articles for free on competitor’s websites, such as The Guardian, The Independent or the Daily Mail. 

Murdoch has taken some major gambles in the past, but by being a successful media mogul, most have paid off, such as the launch of BSkyB in February 1989.  He insists that for quality journalism, free doesn’t work anymore, especially with the falling newspaper sales.  There is an also strong possibility that Murdoch’s other newspapers underneath his News Corp empire, The Sun and The News of the World may end up going to a subscription based website.  The next few months for the entire journalism field will watch with waited breath to see whether this gamble will pay off, with either winning results or an experiment that won’t go up successful avenues. 

2010 Australian Grand Prix - Brave Button Claims Victory In Oz

A brave and calculated gamble from world champion Jenson Button saw the Brit claim an unexpected victory for McLaren at Albert Park.  In an incident-packed Australian Grand Prix, just what the sport needed following the bore in Bahrain a fortnight ago, Button pitted from seventh place on Lap 7 of the 58-lap encounter, becoming the first driver to try out slick tyres on a damp track.

The move paid off and Jenson was catapulted up to 2^nd, and then inherited the lead when race leader and pole sitter, Sebastian Vettel spun off on Lap 26, with a front-right brake disc failure.  From there on, Button was unchallenged and cruised home to the 8^th victory of his career, his first since the Turkish Grand Prix last June.  In a race that saw plenty of thrills and spills, Renault’s Robert Kubica kept his cool and produced a stunning drive to 2^nd.  Ferrari’s Felipe Massa survived several scary moments to record his best finish in Melbourne, and register back-to-back podium finishes.  Team-mate and Bahrain winner Fernando Alonso recovered from a first corner clash with Button to rescue 4^th place and the championship lead, on a day when Ferrari suffered from the cooler track conditions.

It has been a trying weekend for the other Brit, Lewis Hamilton.  Following his bad qualifying, plus the embarrassing police encounter he endured on Thursday night, Hamilton put in an aggressive drive as ever, with some stunning overtaking moves, most notably on Nico Rosberg on the outside of Turn 10.  However, a questionable strategy left Hamilton up against it, and then when trying to snatch 4^th place from Alonso, Lewis was clouted into a spin by local favourite Mark Webber with two laps to go.  The result saw Hamilton finish a frustrated 6^th and an over-aggressive Webber drop down to a dismal 9^th, needing a new front-wing in the closing stages.  

Rosberg produced an error-free run to 5^th, once again having the measure of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher in the Mercedes GP.  Schumacher was caught up in the Alonso/Button tangle at Turn 1, required a new nosecone and then laboured around to 10^th place and the final point, having spent most of his race fighting the Toro Rosso of Jaime Alguesuari.  Alguesuari’s team-mate, Sebastian Buemi was wiped out at Turn 5 in a horrific accident, which saw Kamur Kobayashi’s Sauber t-bone both Buemi and Nico Hulkenberg following a front-wing failure.  Fortunately, all drivers escaped unharmed.  Like in Bahrain, Force India’s Vitantonio Liuzzi and Rubens Barrichello for Williams, escaped all the chaos to register solid 7^th and 8^th place results.  Finally, well done to Indian Karun Chandok, who despite finishing five laps down, recorded Hispania Racing’s first finish in Formula 1, albeit, 14^th and last.

Red Bull Racing may have the fastest car, but their problems in converting that into results are already evident.  Mercedes GP still have a load of work to do, in efforts to get up to race-winning potential, whilst Ferrari showed they aren’t invincible.  Today though, the overcast skies belonged to McLaren Mercedes and their world champion, as Jenson Button reminded us all just why he is a world champion.   

Rail Strike Looms - More Easter Misery On The Way

Yesterday, it was announced that a national rail strike would take place after the Easter weekend, which would cause more travel chaos for families planning to get away for a break, and for commuters who will be working through the mess.  The first national rail stoppage since 1994 will begin on Tuesday 6^th April, and run for four days, unless talks are successful between Union leaders and the government in preventing more headaches for many…

This stems from the members of the RMT union, all maintenance workers and signallers, with 54% voting in favour of a strike.  Although yesterday’s news was slightly better, as initial signs had been that a strike would begin on April 1^st, which is scant consolation for the mayhem is set for cause.  The leader of the RMT, Bob Crow announced the strike yesterday and has urged the government to start talking to and to take this threat seriously. 

For Gordon Brown, this threatens to be a complete disaster, compounded by the recent British Airways cabin crew strikes, with more planned this week.  The April 6^th strike date is exactly the same day it is expected that Brown will see the Queen to call a General Election for May 6^th.  Consequently, this is the last thing he needs and if I was a major player in Mr. Brown’s affairs, I would try to get him to delay the date, especially with this latest crisis set to emerge.

Like the BA situation, it’s a cutting issue that has led to the trouble.  The company’s regulator wants efficiency savings of 21%.  Network Rail’s cost-cutting measures could have significant impact, as 1,500 maintenance jobs are set to be lost and signallers could be asked to do some of the jobs that maintenance workers do now, which could be seen as inadequate to say the least.  The dangers of slipping back to the bad times of the 1990’s, with the demise of InterCity, the nationalisation of British Rail and the doomed Railtrack era loom very large indeed.   

The Highways Agency is prepared for the upcoming strike and has announced plans to lift as many roadwork’s as possible, in an attempt to ease congestion.  Network Rail is confident of running a solid timetable during the strike, though I think this more of an optimistic and positive prediction, than a realistic one.  It is now up to the Unions and the Transport secretary Lord Adonis to bang their heads together and prevent this strike from happening; otherwise the losers once again will be the tens of thousands of travellers, whose Easter business and leisure time look set to be disrupted even further.

Six Nations Review - A Championship That Failed To Live Up To Potential

The conclusion last week of the 2010 RBS Six Nations was nothing short of a damp squib.  A championship that had been billed by many to be among the best for the generation, turned into six weeks of scrappy, and disappointing rugby action and badly highlighted the Northern Hemisphere’s weaknesses.  With a 2011 Rugby World Cup a mere eighteen months away in New Zealand, it looks very unrealistic on any of our sides challenging the world superpowers from the All Blacks, South Africa, the out-of-form Australians and even Argentina.

Top of the class were undoubtedly the French.  For once, Les Bleus played as a team unit throughout, got the results they needed and as a result, another Six Nations Grand Slam, their first since 2006.  However, it was more professional and cagey, than the flamboyant, bullish style that we all know that France can play.  In Paris last Saturday, the nerves got the better of them and had England shown more discipline, they may well have lost their chance of the Grand Slam.  However, I don’t see this French side having the capability to challenge for the top honours in the world game.  There is definitely a puzzle missing in this jigsaw.

Defending champions Ireland struggled to live up to their potential and it showed.  Apart from an excellent win against Wales, the Irish laboured to wins at Twickenham and against Italy, but they were outfought and outplayed against France in Paris, and Scotland ended their Croke Park fairytale on a very sour note.  For the Irish, their big-game players did not turn up and perform, similar to their shocking 2007 Rugby World Cup performance.  It was a tournament to forget for them, despite finishing as distant runners-up.

Once again, England underachieved and failed when it came to the crunch.  Finishing third in this championship is now a norm and if we start celebrating it, something is wrong.  Turgid against Ireland at home, followed by a shocker at Murrayfield, Martin Johnson is still relying too heavily on the players that bought back the Webb Ellis Trophy seven years ago.  True, young talent is coming through to replace the old guard, but they need more experience and time to shine and that is running out.  Johnson’s naivety with some of his tactical decisions highlighted that he still has a way to go to become a top international coach.  We need to stick by him and not make any rash decisions, but England is running out of excuses for failing to deliver.  Winning something big in 2011 is imperative for this side.

Wales look a pale shadow from the side that stormed to Grand Slam victory two years ago.  Gifting England victory in the Twickenham opener summed up their campaign from start to finish.  It lacked quality and very error-prone.  However, they did produce one of the greatest fightbacks in the code’s history to record a famous win over Scotland at the Millennium Stadium on matchday two.  Also, their spirit to not accept defeat against France should be highlighted as a success.  The never-give-up attitude and determination means Wales are still a force to be reckoned with.  Costly errors are denying this side from getting anywhere successful.

Scotland was the surprise of the championship and deserved more than they got.  They lost control of a winnable match in Cardiff and really should have taken advantage to beat a limp England at Murrayfield.  However, Andy Robinson is injecting belief and pride into the players that hasn’t been there for a long time.  For them to win last week at Croke Park was well-deserved, because not only did it lift them off the bottom of the table, but it would have been unjustified as well.  Despite a 5^th placed finish, the Scots can hold their heads up high on a decent, solid campaign.

Lastly, the Italians propped up the table again, but they are steady improvers.  They pushed England all the way in Rome, beat Scotland fair and square and outscored France in the second half in Paris.  If there was a prize for belief and competitive instinct, Italy would win the Grand Slam.  Their passion and commitment makes up fully for the distinct lack of quality.

Most games turned into tedious, tense affairs, rather than the free-flowing, attacking rugby we’ve seen in recent championships.  Let’s hope 2011 is slightly better.  Congratulations to France on achieving the Grand Slam, but for all six teams competing, there is significant room for improvement and with the World Cup approaching fast, the clock is ticking away….  

UEFA Champions League 2nd Leg Review - The Special One Haunts The Blues

As the round of sixteen concluded, Friday’s quarter-final draw took place without some key names in European football.  Liverpool and Juventus exited the competition before Christmas, but as the leaves begin to grow on the trees and the days get longer, it turned into a dark couple of games for two giants of the game.  Neither Real Madrid, nor Chelsea have made the last eight in 2010 and for the Blues, they came up short against the ‘Special One’ that is Jose Mourinho.

Holding a 2-1 lead from the first leg in the San Siro, Jose’s Inter side came to Stamford Bridge, possibly still considered as underdogs, despite the initial advantage.  However, he got his tactics absolutely spot on against his former employees and he would have enjoyed getting one over Carlo Ancelotti and Roman Abramovich.  Inter Milan made Chelsea very ordinary, and fully highlighted the severe weaknesses still in the West London side on the big stage.  Samuel Eto’o’s goal settled the tie last Tuesday; don’t count Inter Milan out as European champions this time around, after years of constant underachievement.  This is now Mourinho’s side, and his authority over the Italians is now firmly blossoming, after a rocky inaugural season at the helm.  For Chelsea, where do they go from here?  Well, Abramovich will need to spend again if he wants Ancelotti to deliver the greatest prize in the continental game.  The deadwood like Ricardo Carvalho, John Obi Mikel, Paulo Ferreira and Deco need to be offload immediately and whilst injuries to key personnel Ashley Cole and Jose Boswinga, it’s the loss of Michael Essien that once again has shown Chelsea’s vulnerabilities well and truly.  Essien is the heartbeat; sometimes the forgotten figure of the Chelsea midfield diamond and without him, the side doesn’t look as secure and convincing.  Last month’s Premiership capitulation at home to Manchester City underlines this point.  Winning the Premiership and the FA Cup is the only way for this now to be a successful season for the Londoners.  Let’s not forget Didier Drogba’s act of frustration and stupidity.  Already on a suspended sentence, he faces a possible long European ban, if UEFA decide to take action on his stamp on Thiago Motta in the closing stages.  He will be lucky if he only ends up with the red card from the game, and no further punishment.

Underachieving is something Real Madrid is very consistent at.  Not since 2004 have the Galactios made it to the quarter-finals, and even the likes of Ronaldo, Kaka, Alonso etc could not overcome a Lyon side, which may be full of young talent, but is a very unimpressive all-round unit.  However, both Liverpool and Madrid have fallen foul of Lyon, so they shouldn’t be discounted in the final reckoning.  Expect Madrid to spend heavily again this summer, with the likes of Franck Ribery and possibly Fernando Torres expected to join the bandwagon.  However, the proven fact is that money does not buy you success.  On the other hand, Barcelona romped home against VFB Stuttgart, with another mesmerising performance from Lionel Messi.  Two more wonder goals from the Argentine, Barca must be made favourites to retain the trophy. 

Their closest challenge could come from England, in the form of Manchester United and Arsenal.  In Wayne Rooney, United have the form player in the world at the moment.  He ripped AC Milan apart to shreds, and their defence is one of the best in the world.  United are always around in the final reckoning, don’t be surprised if they go all the way to the final again.  After a sketchy first-leg performance in Portugal, Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal shot FC Porto down 5-0 in the return, with ease.  Niklas Bendtner scored an unlikely hat-trick, they just don’t do dull football.  With Robin Van Persie due back soon, the Gunners could gun their way through to the pinnacle on May 22^nd.  However, with a Messi-inspired Barcelona in the way, they will have to go about it the hard way.

Finally, well done to Bordeaux, an excellent and efficient team unit, Bayern Munich, always there as a pest in the quarter-finals and the Russians from CSKA Moscow, who are the first Russian side to reach the last eight of the UEFA Champions League since 1996.  They overcame highly-fancied Sevilla, with a shock win in Spain.  Considering the lack of football they have, with the Russian season having finished way back in November, this is some achievement.

The quarter-final draw was made at UEFA headquarters in Nyon on Friday and it has pitted the following ties together:

Lyon v Bordeaux

Bayern Munich v Manchester United

Arsenal v Barcelona

Inter Milan v CSKA Moscow

It’s anyone’s game…who has the class, quality and panache to win this year’s UEFA Champions League.  Whoever it will be is a deserved champion….

Cheltenham Festival 2010 Review - Never Underestimate The Underdog

It was billed as the decider, the build-up as intense as a grudge match between two gladiators, quite possibly the biggest rivalry ever in Horse Racing history.  However, who said it was a two-horse race, yesterday saw proof that the underdog shall never be underestimated.

Stablemates Denman and Kauto Star were up against one another again, but they were outgunned, outshone and beaten fair and square by the 7-1 outsider, Imperial Commander, who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in clinical fashion.  Imperial Commander won by six lengths from Denman, giving jockey Paddy Brennan his finest hour in the sport.  4-1 shot Denman, with jockey legend Tony McCoy onboard, was always on top until the closing stages, when he seemed to run out of steam.  However, he held on for 2^nd, with last year’s shock Grand National winner Mon Mome, an unexpected 3^rd as a 50-1 shot.

Kauto Star was the overwhelming favourite at the bookmakers, in the betting ring and with many expert pundits.  With Ruby Walsh guiding him and Paul Nicholls training him, he was expecting to deliver a third Gold Cup in four years.  However, the increasing rain and the consequenting soft ground went against him.  After a bad mistake on the 8^th fence, Kauto Star never seemed like he was able to recover, even with Walsh steering him.  Four fences from home, the inevitable happened and he fell for good.  It looked a nasty fall, one of those that could easily twist a horse’s neck, but fortunately, both horse and jockey were unhurt and Ruby was able to remount, steer him back to base and urge to come back and do battle next year.

For Imperial Commander’s trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies, it was an amazing day, capped off by his son, Sam, who won the Christie’s Foxhunter’s chase a mere thirty minutes later on Baby Run, the 9-2jf.  Everyone loves an upset, and this was a local win, with Imperial Commander based just twelve miles down the road from Cheltenham, in Gloucestershire.  Twiston-Davies has trained two Grand National winners before, but this is his first Cheltenham success.  Imperial Commander had shown brief glimpses of form, having only been marginally beaten by Kauto Star in November at Kempton, but he was a disappointing 5^th in Boxing Day’s King George VI.  So, this was a major surprise. 

For the punters, Cheltenham 2010 turned into a sorry show.  Kauto Star’s fall cost the punters a reported £25million pounds.  Only four favourites won this week, with Big Buck’s the only expected winner of the major races, in Thursday’s Ladbrokes World Hurdle.  The bookmakers will be laughing to the bank, and though they must earn a living, some will get the feeling of giving them a decent slap!  The bookies are anticipated to have made £60million this week.  This was a case of the punters never winning.

Despite being bought down in the Gold Cup and seeing Masterminded soundly beaten in the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Wednesday, Ruby Walsh broke the jockey record at Cheltenham, with three wins at the meeting, though not as prolific as the dominance he showed last year.  Barry Geraghty, the only other jockey to win three races at the festival, but lost the jockeys trophy, as Walsh claimed more 2^nd places.  It is the fifth time that Ruby has come out on top at the festival, as top jockey.

I claimed it was a two-horse race in my preview earlier in the week and got that horrifically wrong, this is great prove of never underestimating the underdog, as it will come back to bite you.  Congratulations to the Twiston-Davies team and Imperial Commander for a stunning triumph, the remaining question is, has Cheltenham seen the last of the legend that is Kauto Star.  I don’t think so…

BA Strike - Two Tribes At War Means Misery For Millions

At midnight last night, cabin crew staff from the ‘world’s favourite airline,’ walked out to start a three-day strike that will have severe ramifications for many’s travel plans this weekend.  British Airways is at the moment in a real mess, it doesn’t really matter who is to blame as the outcome is the same.  Millions will be made miserable and frustrated by the current and upcoming planned strikes. 

Ongoing talks between the airline and the Unite Union collapsed yesterday afternoon, after 48 hours of fruitless negotiation.  The blame game has already begun, following the failure to agree, and both parties are blaming the others for the failure in negotiations.  Prime Minister Gordon Brown has demanded the failure of talks as ‘unacceptable’ and has called for the strike to be called off immediately.  He is unlikely to get his wish though, it is quite possibly the worst nightmare he faces, especially with a General Election d-day looming ever closer.

The three-day strike this weekend is set to be followed by another four-day walkout from the 27^th March.  British Airways claim that 65% of passengers will still reach their destinations this weekend, but I think that is more of a hopeful, rather than a positive statement.  A total of 1,100 BA flights are expected to be cancelled during these strikes, with Heathrow and Gatwick airports obviously being the most affected airports.

The strikes are over the wages that cabin crew staff earn when employed by BA.  With the economic downturn still having its effects, British Airways had planned to cut their budget by 62.5million, which included reduction in their staffing wages.  Obviously, cabin crew have a right to feel annoyed, but I think they are forgetting the job they are doing, and though raising the issue or thinking of a more conventional plan with the management would have been a decent solution, striking was certainly the wrong answer.

Also, with news coming through last night that the railways possibly going on strike on a national basis, for the first time in 16 years over the Easter weekend after signal workers voted in favour of industrial action, also following employment issues, this time with cuts, the torment for people wanting to getaway could be able to get doubly worse. 

It looks like it could well be a miserable Easter for travellers, unless solutions in crisis meetings are found immediately, my advice would be to stay at home and avoid the chaos.