2011 UEFA Champions League final - Brilliant Barca down United dream

CONVINCING: Barcelona's players celebrate with the European Cup

BARCELONA turned on the style last Saturday, overcoming Manchester United 3-1 at Wembley Stadium to regain the UEFA Champions League.  It is a third title in six years for the La Liga champions, who now are equal holders for the most Champions League’s (three, with bitter arch rivals Real Madrid).  After the match, Pepe Guardiola confirmed he would be staying with the Catalans for another season, and on the evidence of this performance, he would have been crazy to think about leaving the Nou Camp.  Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, who have made everyone look ordinary in the Premiership this season, were made to look distinctively average by Barcelona’s fearsome attack, which would have anyone quaking in their boots. 

      Like the 2009 final encounter between the sides in Rome, it was the English champions who started the stronger.  Javier Mascherano, playing as an emergency centre-back, seemed uncertain against Wayne Rooney in the opening exchanges.  Ferguson had shocked Dimitar Berbatov by leaving his top scorer this season out of the squad, which will raise serious questions over the Bulgarian’s long-term future at Old Trafford.  From the 15^th minute onwards, Barcelona started launching raid after raid on Edwin van der Sar’s goal.  Only some desperate defending from Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand kept the scoreline at 0-0 until the 27^th minute.  Xavi was given the freedom of the Wembley pitch, and played in Pedro, who stayed cool under a late attempted block from Vidic to beat Van der Sar, in his farewell football appearance.

HOPE: Given to United by Rooney, but it was a false dawn

     If anyone questioned the resolve of Manchester United, then the response was fantastic.  Barcelona carelessly gave possession away from a cheap throw-in and Rooney combined superbly with the off-colour Ryan Giggs to produce a stunning strike from the edge of the area, which left Victor Valdes with no chance.  Finally, Rooney had been able to produce on the biggest stage of all, after his peripheral roles in the 2008 and 2009 Champions League finals.  With the scoreline at 1-1 at half-time, the game was firmly in the balance.  What happened after the break highlighted the gulfing class between the two teams.

      Ten minutes into the second half, and with the United defence rocking, and Van der Sar having to be at his best to deny Daniel Alves, Messi seized his moment.  He stepped away from Ferdinand, and fizzled a shot which an unsighted Van der Sar couldn’t keep out.  The Dutchman will be disappointed to have not done better, but Messi wasn’t complaining.  That was the Argentine’s 53^rd goal of a staggering season.  With Darren Fletcher sill nursing a stomach bug, and Michael Owen not quite having the ultimate killer instinct he used to have at Liverpool, Ferguson’s substitute options were limited.  His only main weapon was Nani.  The dynamic Portuguese winger came on in the 68^th minute for the injured Fabio, and made an immediate telling impact.  Sadly, it was the wrong kind of impact.

      Nani gave away the ball on the edge of his own area, and a deadly Barcelona attack was never going to not punish this careless act of possession.  David Villa producing another beautiful goal, curling a shot in that gave Van der Sar no hope of keeping his attempt out.  That was that, Barcelona had completed the ultimate football performance.  There was time for Paul Scholes to make a brief cameo before he announced his retirement from the game today, and for Nani to create a late moment of panic for the untroubled Valdes.  However, this was undoubtedly Barcelona’s night, Barcelona’s season and Barcelona’s best performance ever.

     There was a nice touch at the end of the game.  Club captain Carlos Puyol allowed left-back Eric Abidal the chance to lift the European Cup.  Abidal had undergone life-saving liver surgery just 70 days ago!  His comeback to lift football’s greatest club competition prize is a story full of emotion and miracles.  For United, it isn’t the end of the world, but Ferguson knows he must come back next season, with a stronger and better squad, otherwise Barcelona will dominate European club football again.  There could be no complaints in the greatest final performance since AC Milan’s 4-0 demolition of Barcelona themselves in the 1994 final.  The class of Barcelona 2011 is quite possibly the greatest team to have graced the game.  They thoroughly deserve to be champions for such a special occasion and on this evidence, Guardiola has the ability to produce a side that can dominate European football for the next decade.

2011 Monaco Grand Prix - Vettel lucks in at the Principality

A MISTAKEN tyre strategy and a red flag helped Sebastian Vettel to be the new king of Monaco.  The German held off stiff challenges from Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button yesterday to win the Monaco Grand Prix.  It is his fifth win from six races in 2011, cementing his place as the runaway leader of the drivers’ championship.  His main challenger, Lewis Hamilton had a dog’s dinner of an afternoon, incurring two penalties and then sensationally blasting the race stewards in a post-race interview.

KISS: This will be the sweetest of wins for Sebastian Vettel

      The Monaco Grand Prix was building into a dramatic and nail-biting finish.  Vettel was on worn soft Pirelli tyres, which he’d had on his car from lap 16 onwards.  He only got those tyres after Red Bull had two awful pitstops in less than a minute, and put the wrong type of tyre on.  Despite this, Sebastian managed to master the quicker Alonso and Button behind him.  He then got a huge slice of luck, which could have ended in a cataclysmic disaster.

       With six laps to go, Adrian Sutil struck the barriers at Tabac, and was limping with a right-rear puncture.  Lewis Hamilton hit the brakes to avoid the Force India, but was clobbered by the Toro Rosso of lapped Spanish driver Jaime Alguesuari.  The Toro Rosso rebounded into the Swimming Pool guardrail, leaving the Renault of Vitaly Petrov with absolutely nowhere to go.  The Russian hit the same wall, and was briefly knocked unconscious in the crash.  The three race leaders were right behind the drama and only just avoided the stricken cars.  The safety car was deployed, shortly followed by a red flag.  Petrov complained of pain in his left ankle, and remained in the car as the paramedics attended to him.  He was admitted to the Princess Grace Hospital, with concussion and light bruising, and thankfully, was released last night.  Following Sergio Perez’s horrifying crash in qualifying on Saturday, which knocked the Mexican driver out of the event – Formula One can count itself lucky to have had two major escapes in the jewel in the crown of the racing calendar. 

      Surprisingly, the race wasn’t stopped and a result given and the drivers lined up on the grid for a restart behind the Safety Car.  Sadly for the neutrals, new tyres were allowed for all the drivers, which meant that Vettel’s tyre disadvantage had been wiped out.  It meant that he could have a fairly processional run to the chequered flag.  The McLaren team did a sterling job to fix Hamilton’s rear wing, which had been badly mangled up in the multiple crash with Alguesuari and Petrov.  However, Lewis wasn’t out of the wars just yet.

SMASH: Hamilton's hopeless attempt ended Maldonado's race

     As the green flags waved again, the Brit attempted a hopeless overtaking lunge on the Williams of Pastor Maldonado into the Ste. Devote corner.  Maldonado was knocked into the barriers, losing his chance of world championship points for the first time in his short career.  Remarkably, Hamilton escaped undamaged and went onto finish sixth.  After the race, he was given a 25-second time penalty for causing the crash with the Venezuelan.  Earlier in the race, Hamilton tried an ambitious lunge at Felipe Massa into the tight 30mph Loews hairpin corner.  The two interlocked wheels, and continued their fight into the tunnel.  Lewis charged through and pushed the Ferrari onto the marbles, which left Massa in the wall and out of the event.  The Brazilian’s crash bought the Safety Car out for the first time this season, and it’s fair to say, he looked unimpressed as he strode away from his damaged chassis.  Hamilton got a drive-through penalty for causing this collision.  After the race, he called a stewards a ‘freckin joke’ for the incidents, called Massa and Maldonado ‘stupid,’ blamed the team for a kamikaze pitstop, then made a jokey reference of being victimised to BBC’s Lee McKenzie by responding; ‘I don’t know, maybe because I’m black, that’s what Ali G would say.”  The comments were disgraceful and an hour later, Hamilton went back to the circuit to make his peace with the race stewards, who accepted his apology.  Whether the FIA will want to bring him into disrepute remains to be seen.

      McLaren had a terrible weekend with race strategy.  They covered a possible Safety Car for Timo Glock’s Virgin with Button, which turned into the wrong move.  A horrendous miscommunication led to no-one being in the pits with Hamilton when he arrived for tyres on lap 25.  The possibility of another race victory slipped through their fingers.  Behind the first three, Mark Webber recovered from a horrible pitstop in the early Red Bull chaos to finish fourth.  The Aussie pulled off a stunning pass on Kamur Kobayashi to clinch fourth spot with two laps remaining.  Kobayashi still finished an outstanding fifth, having made a one-stop strategy work to perfection.  It is the Japanese’s driver best finish of his career, and a much-needed boost for the Sauber team after Perez being hospitalised by Saturday’s smash.  Sutil recovered from his puncture to end up 7^th behind Hamilton, with the final points going to Nick Heidfeld, Rubens Barrichello (Williams first of the season), and Sebastian Buemi’s Toro Rosso.  Scotland’s Paul di Resta clashed with Alguesuari and Jerome D’Ambrosio during the race and also earnt a drive-through penalty for his risky overtaking attempts.  He finished 12^th.

      In the celebrations, BBC pundits Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard were thrown into the Red Bull party pool by an ecstatic Vettel, who now looks uncatchable in the championship.  Vettel’s achievement will however be overshadowed by F1’s worst weekend of serious crashes in a decade.  Luckily, there were no serious injuries.  As for Lewis Hamilton, he has a lot of soul-searching to do before the circus meets up in Montreal in a fortnight’s time.  

Britain's Got Talent - The semi-finalists

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

IT HAS been a very controversial and slated series so far.  However, regardless of the criticism, the semi-finals week of Britain’s Got Talent 2011 are still expected to draw high viewing figures and publicity as the battle to win a place at this year’s Royal Variety Performance heats up.  Last night, on the eve of the semi-finals, the new look judging panel of Amanda Holden, David Hasslehoff and Michael McIntyre announced which 40 acts would participate in these five live shows which in turn will decide who competes in next Saturday’s grand final.

     Out of those lucky to compete, this year’s line-up seems to be completely mismatched with several great acts axed for those who are just wrong and don’t have any kind of talent at all.  Despite this, the judges are somewhat convinced that this is the best field yet, that they decided to have a few acts perform again before finalising who should continue in the competition and who shouldn’t. Eventually, this is the final 40 they settled on;

The Semi-Finalists

ABYSS (Streetdance Troupe)

ANGELA & TEDDY (Dog Act)

ANTONIO POPEYE (Eye Popper)

BRUCE SISTAZ (Martial Arts Act)

CIRCUS OF HORRORS (Daredevil Act)

DANCE ANGELS ELITE (Dance Troupe)

DAVID & KAREN (Illusionist Duo)

DONELDA GUY (Dog Act)

EDWARD REID (Nursery Rhyme Singer)

ENCHANTMENT (Acrobatic Troupe)

FOLLOW THE RIGHT PATH (Rap Duo)

GAY & ALAN (Bell Players)

GIRLS ROC (Burlesque Dance Troupe)

HERBIE ARMSTRONG (Singer)

JAI McDOWALL (Singer)

JAMES HOBLEY (Ballet Dancer)

JAY WORLEY (Singer)

JEAN MARTYN (Pianist)

JESSICA HOBSON (Singer)

JOE OAKLEY (BMX Stunt Rider)

LES GIBSON (Impressionist)

LORNA BLISS

MARAWA (Hula Hoopist)

MEXICAN MAYHEM (Comedy Dog Act)

MICHAEL COLLINGS (Singer/Guitarist)

MR & MRS (Singing Duo)

NATHAN WYBURN (Artist)

NEW BOUNCE (Vocal-Dance Troupe)

OUT OF THE BLUE (Vocal-Dance Troupe)

PAUL GBEGBAJE (Pianist)

PIPPA & BUDDY (Dog Singing Act)

RAZY GOGONEA (Breakdancer)

RONAN PARKE (Singer)

STEVEN HALL (Dancer)

STUART ARNOLD (Terminator Impersonator)

TED & GRACE (Singing Duo)

THE CELTIC COLLEENS (Blacklight Dance Troupe)

TWO AND A HALF MEN (Dance Trio)

UP & OVER IT (Hand Dancers)

WACHIRAPORN TIRPAK (Entertainer)

      Overall, the list can certainly be a lot better than it has been but it doesn’t mean that competition won’t be a complete bore, it still promises to be a fierce as ever.

      The semi-finals get underway tonight at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITV1 HD.  The acts will of course now not only have to impress the judges, the audience but now also the voting public and, the return of….Simon Cowell!

Cheryl Cole - Is her career over?

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

THREE weeks ago, Cheryl Cole seemed to be on top of the world.  Now, not just her dream job in the US has been taken away, so now could her career.

DROPPED: Cheryl Cole's dream is conquer America is over

     Reports last Wednesday suggested that there was some unrest on The X-Factor USA judging panel and Fox hinted if things couldn’t be solved, action would be taken.  Then on Thursday morning, news filtered through in Britain that Cheryl had been fired, despite Simon Cowell’s willingness to keep her onboard.  The overall consent from the American media is simple; they just can’t understand her strong Newcastle accent, a reason that had been clearly dismissed furiously by the British public.

     A reshuffle will now take place within the programme.  Nicole Scherzinger is now expected to move from her presenting role onto the judging panel leaving Steve Jones to host as sole anchor.  This is certainly the best solution as Scherzinger did make a great impression when guest judging on last year’s UK series of the show.

     As for Cole she has returned home to Britain after just a 20-day stint in the Atlantic.  Her career is now in complete jeopardy, despite receiving the backing from JLS and Dannii Minogue.  Of course, there is the simple method of rejoining the UK version of the show.  That is unlikely, with auditions due to begin in Birmingham this week and it is almost certain now that Kelly Rowland and Tulisa from N-Dubz will join Gary Barlow and Louis Walsh on the judging table.  It wouldn’t be feasible for Cheryl to rejoin the programme because ITV would have to put filming of the programme on delay again.  They already had to do that when Minogue left a fortnight ago, which led to Simon Cowell calling a crisis meeting.  Her solo music career seems to have stalled and with a lack of communication with Girls Aloud, is this is the end of Cheryl Cole?

     It seems hard to accept indeed but sadly it seems to be that way for “The Nation’s Sweetheart.”  Having shot to fame in 2002 when selected to be in the line-up of Girls Aloud through the ITV talent show ‘Popstars: The Rivals,’ everything Cole touched from then seemed to turn to gold.  A turbulent four year marriage to Chelsea footballer Ashley Cole saw the public see her in a new light and a role on X-Factor soon beckoned.  There was a swing in popularity last year through a dismal series of X-Factor, which included refusing to send one of her acts home in a final sing-off in November, plus her near-fatal battle with malaria.

     Either way, it’s hard to argue that Cheryl has had a glittering level of success.  However, the ultimate question now is, is her career over?  Unless ITV hand her a remarkable and impossible lifeline, then unfortunately, the answer is yes.

The Finishing Straight - Spain (by HappyDude88)

THE teams are gathering in Monte Carlo for the most spectacular and exciting weekend of the calendar.  This gives me the time to reflect on the events of last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya.

PUSHED: Vettel was made to work incredibly hard for his win

     Red Bull Racing seems to have all the covers based, against main rivals, McLaren and Ferrari, particularly on a Saturday afternoon.  However, Barcelona showed signs that they can be beaten totally fair and square.  On Sunday, Lewis Hamilton seemed to have the faster, more stable package than Sebastian Vettel.  If only his McLaren could stay close through the last corner, it would be a similar result to China last month.  True, Vettel was hobbled again by the lack of use of KERS during the Grand Prix, but his car did look far more unstable compared to Hamilton.  He was far from comfortable and really had to work hard for his victory on Sunday, unlike previous successes in Australia, Malaysia and Turkey this season.  Some will say that Vettel’s regular successes are now getting boring for the sport.  Thankfully, there is plenty of entertainment further down the field to keep the purists interested. 

     Although Vettel won again on Sunday, Lewis Hamilton must be encouraged by the form and speed that McLaren had last weekend.  Traditionally, Barcelona is seen as a circuit which rewards those teams who have the best technical package around.  Consequently, it will suit Adrian Newey’s team, and it is no secret to look at the previous history of results at the Spanish Grand Prix and see the domination of Williams and McLaren in the 90s here, when Newey was the spearhead of those teams.  So, for McLaren to be so close to race-winning pace was very encouraging.  Hamilton is the best hope for many to challenge for the championship, as long as he stays consistent and continues the discipline he has shown so far in 2011, Malaysia aside.  It is disappointing to see him accuse the likes of Sebastian Buemi, Jamie Alguesuari and Michael Schumacher of deliberately blocking him last weekend, in his pursuit of Vettel.  From watching the race again, I saw no evidence of this, and if Hamilton has anyone to be aggrieved with for blocking, it has to be the Hispania of dopey Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan.  Karthikeyan never seems to check his mirrors at any stage, and is more of a stationary roadblock on the M1 than a racing driver!  Looks like Andrea de Cesaris influence on Grand Prix racing has continued into the 21^st century then!

     Mark Webber will be mystified by his lack of race performance on a circuit, where he has outshone Vettel significantly in the past.  Webber produced a perfect lap in qualifying on Saturday afternoon to end Sebastian’s pole streak, which had stretched back to Brazil last season.  However, 40 seconds behind at flag fall does tell its own story, and the Aussie is likely to be mentally shattered to have been outperformed so dramatically by his younger team-mate, on a Webber-style circuit.  Like Vettel, Webber had limited use of his KERS power boost button during the race, but I was disappointed to see him just sit behind Fernando Alonso’s much slower Ferrari and not do anything about it.  On harder tyres, Alonso was a sitting duck and I expected Mark to breeze past him.  He didn’t, and with the force that Jenson Button showed in passing both Webber and Alonso aggressively in just one lap, it highlights the fact that Mark Webber has never won the world championship, whereas Button has.  That’s the difference; you need to have that killer instinct as a racing driver at all times.  As sad as it is, Mark just doesn’t have that.  It is okay to produce stunning drives like the one he produced in Shanghai, but it has to be done on a consistent basis.  Vettel, Hamilton, Alonso and Button are all capable of it, and are all world champions.  Sadly, Mark Webber can’t.  I can only see him being an occasional race winner now this season, and riding shotgun to Vettel for the rest of the campaign.  It will have to take a staggering amount of bad luck on Vettel’s side of the garage to allow Mark a shot of the drivers’ championship in 2011.

REWARDED: Alonso got his desserts for a special start

     Ferrari’s Stefano Domenicalli has admitted that their hopes of winning either championship are looking increasingly slim, especially if Vettel continues on his victory charge.  Well, if that’s the case; Stefano will need to pick up his P45 from Luca di Montzemolo with immediate effect.  The highlight of the Grand Prix was Fernando Alonso’s incredible start.  From fourth on the grid, Alonso repeated Jarno Trulli’s trick in 2004 at the same circuit and vaulted into the lead by turn one.  There was a load of bravery, aggression and commitment from Alonso in those first few hundred metres and he deserved the rewards.  The onboard camera from his car off the grid was just a joy to behold.  For twenty laps, the home hero used all of his driving skill to keep the much faster cars from Red Bull and McLaren behind.  Ultimately, as Ferrari had a useless set-up on the harder Pirelli tyres, he was powerless to resist them through the pitstops.  By the end of the race, Fernando had been lapped.  Not his fault, his car is severely limited and Barcelona just highlighted how far Ferrari really is behind.  When a Ferrari is lapped, they will claim it to be a national embarrassment in Italy, and it is.  My advice would be to write this season off and concentrate on next year’s car.  Like Webber, they might win races, but have more chance of winning the EuroMillions jackpot than either world championship!  Felipe Massa had a very poor weekend and was struggling to even rescue a point from it when he stopped with gearbox problems five laps from home.  There is a lot of soul searching to be done at Maranello.

     Youth continues to shine in Formula One and Sergio Perez showed signs that he could be a natural successor to Felipe Massa at Ferrari.  After a breathtaking debut in Australia, which ended in an unfortunate technical disqualification, Perez has gone off the boil, but it has to be expected for the Mexican to have peaks and troughs in his rookie season.  He looked strong all weekend in Catalunya, outqualifying and outracing Kamur Kobayashi.  Plus, he passed Massa on-track, although the Brazilian was already struggling with a gearbox problem.  This time, his points stood and they won’t be the last this season.  Credit has to be given to Kobayashi too, as he had contact with Jaime Alguesuari on the first lap and had to pit to replace a punctured tyre.  To come back to tenth and the final championship point is then some effort.  Sauber have a very good motor car this season, and they could well be challenging Renault to be best of the rest behind the four main teams; Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull by the end of the season.

     A driver who is under a great deal of pressure, both on and off the track is Force India’s Adrian Sutil.  Sutil’s dalliance at not signing a contract extension last season with the Silverstone based team angered some members inside the team.  His 2011 season did start with points in Australia, but he is struggling to recapture the form he showed in the closing stages of 2009 and early exchanges of 2010.  After the Chinese race on April 17, Sutil is reported to have been involved in a nightclub incident with the chief executive of Genii Capital, Eric Lux.  Genii Capital owns the Renault Formula One team.  Lux has filed a criminal complaint against Sutil, who could go the same way as Bertrand Gachot did in 1991, when the Belgian was unfairly jailed for spraying CS gas at a London taxi driver.  With Paul di Resta continuing to outperform him on the circuit, this is a tough time in Sutil’s career, both personally and at his occupation.  It is clear that the German’s performances have suffered; due to the lack of technical development from his Force India team, plus the penalties that hang over his head should he be found guilty of this nightclub incident.  I’m pleased to see Vijay Mallya has come out in support of Sutil and will honour his contract.  The ‘innocent till proven guilty’ aspect is the right way to go, and I just hope that Adrian Sutil, who is one of my favourite F1 drivers can pick his form up, fight these charges off and turn his career around from this stalling point.

BLAZING: The charred remains of Nick Heidfeld's Renault

     Finally, Hamilton is my driver of the day, for his relentless pursuit of Vettel, but Nick Heidfeld deserves a special mention.  On Saturday morning, a spectacular exhaust fire saw Heidfeld forced to abandon his burning Renault chassis.  Despite the best attempts from his mechanics, Nick had no chance of qualifying, so he had to start last.  Granted, he had six sets of fresh tyres available, but on a track where overtaking is normally impossible – it looked set to be a fruitless weekend.  Come the end, Nick had been able to climb from 24^th to finish eighth, which was a great performance and had the race ran two more laps, it would have been sixth.  However, with team-mate Vitaly Petrov starting sixth, running fifth early on and ending up out of the points, it does reveal a qualifying flaw.  Saturday is starting to become a non-event, and I’d like to see the FIA make some tweaks to flatten out the Saturday failings with Sunday’s action.  Let’s see what will happen this weekend in Monaco.  It could be interesting to watch, especially with DRS available.  Don’t miss it!

Fear - A personal experience

By Simon Wright (Personal piece) - Initially done in February 2011 - for my print portfolio at the University of Northampton

WE SHOULDN’T be living in the past.  Yes, everyone is going to have a degree of doubt, no matter what the event/moment is.  However, if we don’t beat the fear and nerves, where will we end up?  I believe, not in a promising position.

I THINK I can safely say that we all think about life in many different forms.  We all take life for granted until the unexpected happens which changes everything.  For some, that might be the breakdown of a rowdy relationship, or a conflict with a personal religious belief.  Having an element of fear in my life is common, like many others.  In fact, I’m sure we all have a fear of some degree.  Staying secure is important and we don’t want to be too insecure.  On one night in July 2009, I found this out to be of great cost.

     As I walked home alone on my way back from a night out in Milton Keynes, I was attacked, just yards away from my family home.  It still feels very painful for me to describe or write about the experience, even eighteen months on.  I suffered a broken nose, general shock and a stolen mobile phone.

     I was extremely lucky, as I could easily have been another fatal victim of street attacks in the UK.  However, it made me look at life in a different way.  I could have locked myself away, not wanting to go out again, be bitter about my injuries and wonder, why me?

     No, I had to make changes for the better.  If I lived in fear of it happening again, then I wouldn’t be where I am today.  Before this incident, I had always taken things for granted.  Yes, I had always looked out for people, but I had always put myself first.  I was far too selfish, greedy, over-confident for my own liking.

     Now, eighteen months on, I understand the importance of life far more than I ever did before.  Every second in life is precious to me now, I know that and I am embracing and enjoying the challenges thrown at me.  By acting tough, showing defiance and determination and getting out of my comfort zone, it makes me a better person, no matter what the final outcome may be.

I feel a stronger person for tougher previous experiences

     Sometimes, I hold back and I know it’s due to fear.  I have a tendency not to throw myself into new situations straightaway, especially on my course at University.  It’s that case of playing the ‘waiting game.’  I think that it’s fairly understandable to still feel some insecurity.  I certainly think so and if people don’t like that, I couldn’t care less.  However, I like a challenge, and after the initial reluctance/concern, I will do it, say it, whatever the final result.  Nine times out of ten, I’m likely to enjoy it too.

     Some of us live in fear and with fear regularly.  We all have it to some form of existence.  However, if we always live with it on our conscience, then success is going to be limited.  We all have elements of fear, but if they are overcome, then you will be able to appreciate life far more.  From my own terrible experience, I know how to bounce back and be a stronger individual.

F1 classic races - Monaco

IN A new series, I will be looking back at six classic races every weekend from the country about to stage an event in the 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship.  This is my selection, of races in Monaco between 1991 and 2010.  Enjoy the archive!

1992

DRAMATIC: Senna's slower McLaren holds off Mansell in 1992

WINNER: Ayrton Senna (McLaren Honda), 2^nd: Nigel Mansell (Williams Renault), 3^rd: Riccardo Patrese (Williams Renault)

NIGEL Mansell was aiming to become the first driver since the days of Alberto Ascari in the 1950s to win six races in a row.  He dominated this race from pole position, until he collected an unfortunate puncture with seven laps to go.  Ayrton Senna inherited the lead, but Mansell quickly caught up to the McLaren Honda and drove all over the road, in a desperate attempt to overhaul the Brazilian.  Senna made his car the widest possible around, and despite doing all he could, Mansell couldn’t find a way past.  Ayrton securing his fifth win in six Monaco Grand Prix’s.  It was a belting finish.

1996

CHAMPAGNE: Panis, Coulthard and Herbert spray the bubbly

WINNER: Olivier Panis (Ligier Mugen Honda), 2^nd: David Coulthard (McLaren Mercedes), 3^rd: Johnny Herbert (Sauber Ford)

THIS was the race which should have the title ‘Last Man Standing.’  21 started, only four finished!  The drama on a greasy track surface started when Jos Verstappen, the only man stupid enough to start on slick tyres, slid straight into the St. Devote barriers.  Moments later, world champion Michael Schumacher made a rare error and hit the wall at Portier.  Damon Hill led from the start and was miles ahead of anyone else when his Williams Renault blew up in the tunnel on lap 40, leaving Damon devastated.  This promoted Jean Alesi into the lead, but a wheel bearing stopped his Benetton in the pits.  The second Williams of Jacques Villeneuve was never a factor in the victory chase, but was taken out by the hopeless Forti of Luca Badoer.  All of this drama saw Olivier Panis come through from 14^th on the grid to secure a gigantic triumph for the fading Ligier Mugen Honda team.  Brits David Coulthard and Johnny Herbert, plus the other Sauber of Heinz-Harald Frentzen were the only other finishers.

1997

WINNER: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2^nd: Rubens Barrichello (Stewart Ford), 3^rd: Eddie Irvine (Ferrari)

WILLIAMS took a mad pill before this race, chucking away their qualifying advantage.  On a wet circuit, the team elected to start pole man Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jacques Villeneuve on slick tyres.  Michael Schumacher drove past the pair at the start, and went on to produce a Monaco masterclass.  Schumacher was a phenomenal 21 seconds clear of Giancarlo Fisichella’s Jordan by the end of lap five.  Villeneuve gave up the chase by smacking the rear corner of his car against the wall at St. Devote, whilst behind lapped by Schumacher on lap 16.  Frentzen struck the wall in the chicane, whilst running a lonely 9^th.  Despite a quick trip down the escape road in the worsening conditions, Schumacher won the race by country miles.  Rubens Barrichello produced a stunning drive from tenth on the grid to score a brilliant second place for the new Stewart Ford outfit, leaving Jackie Stewart full of emotion.  Eddie Irvine made it a great day for Ferrari, with the final podium position, ahead of 1996 winner Olivier Panis and Mika Salo, who claimed Tyrrell’s final ever world championship points by not coming into the pits at all during the timed out 62 laps.

2002

WINNER: David Coulthard (McLaren Mercedes), 2^nd: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 3^rd: Ralf Schumacher (Williams BMW)

FERRARI and Michael Schumacher were reeling from the team orders scandal that hit F1 after the Austrian race two weeks earlier.  In Monaco, the unbeatable F2002 was beaten for the only time in the 2002 season.  Schumacher qualified third, and couldn’t find a way past David Coulthard.  Coulthard blasted past Juan Pablo Montoya off the start, survived a technical gremlin at half-distance and benefited from a upgraded package by McLaren to hold off a feisty challenge from Schumacher.  Montoya couldn’t respond, as his Williams BMW suffered a total engine failure.  Ralf Schumacher salvaged third place for the team, despite a late pitstop to replace a delaminated tyre.  The other Ferrari of Rubens Barrichello had a clumsy afternoon, which included a collision with Kimi Raikkonen and a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pits.  Barrichello ended out of the points in seventh position, behind Heinz-Harald Frentzen, who scored the final ever world championship point for the Arrows team, before they folded later in the season.

2005

WINNER: Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren Mercedes), 2^nd: Nick Heidfeld (Williams BMW), 3^rd: Mark Webber (Williams BMW)

A STUNNING stint after a Safety Car saw Kimi Raikkonen clinch his first and ultimately, only triumph around the streets of Monte Carlo.  Raikkonen took pole position, benefiting massively from one of his main rivals on the weekend, Juan Pablo Montoya, being sent to the back of the grid for causing a Saturday morning accident between David Coulthard, Ralf Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve.  It looked like McLaren had thrown away Raikkonen’s clear advantage, by not pitting him during a Safety Car period.  It was caused after Christjian Albers spun his Minardi, causing a blockage at the Mirabeau hairpin, which ended with Coulthard being, ran into the back of Michael Schumacher, terminating the Scot’s challenge.  However, Raikkonen produced a series of searing laps when racing resumed, pulling away from Fernando Alonso, who was struggling with heavy rear tyre wear.  Despite his best efforts, Alonso couldn’t resist the faster Williams of Nick Heidfeld and Mark Webber, but still finished fourth, to keep a significant championship lead.  Michael Schumacher didn’t make many friends in Monaco 2005.  Coulthard was furious with his retirement, and then he passed Rubens Barrichello, who was unhappy with the strong move on the last lap by his team-mate.  To compound matters, a strong attempt at passing brother Ralf on the start-finish straight, nearly put the Toyota in the barrier.

2008

RECOVERY: Hamilton won in 2008, dream result after an early scrape

WINNER: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes), 2^nd: Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber), 3^rd: Felipe Massa (Ferrari)

LEWIS Hamilton followed in the footsteps of his hero, Ayrton Senna, by recovering from a careless slap with the barriers in the early exchanges to win in 2008.  The Hamilton family felt they had been robbed of victory in 2007 by McLaren team orders.  Lewis rewrote the wrongs of 07, but he got lucky, after striking the wall at Tabac on lap six, left him with a puncture.  McLaren switched his strategy at that point, and combined with stunning driving and a drying track, it changed the race.  Robert Kubica and Felipe Massa put in gritty performances to complete the podium, but Adrian Sutil was cruelly robbed of a deserved fourth place, when his Force India was rammed at the chicane by a out-of-control Kimi Raikkonen.  For his part, Raikkonen ended up out of the points, which started the disintegration of his world championship defence.

The BAFTA's 2011 - Huge surprises all round

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

THE world famous Grosvenor House once again played host to the most coveted night in British television, the BAFTA’s.  Considered as British television’s equivalent to the Oscars, Sunday night’s ceremony, again broadcasted on BBC1, was anticipated to have another batch of expectant results.  But many people were wrong!

     The first key shock was in ‘Best Actor’ when ‘Eric and Ernie’s’ Daniel Rigby beat hot rivals Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) and Matt Smith (Doctor Who) to the honour, the latter of two continuing a losing trend in awards.  Popular drama Sherlock did make up for winning the ‘Supporting Actor’ for Martin Freeman and then beating critically-acclaimed Downton Abbey to ‘Drama Series’.

     Despite its 50th anniversary storyline, Coronation Street just can’t buy a major award if its life depended on it as EastEnders again beat them to the ‘Continuing Drama’ award.  The BBC Four drama though ‘The Road to Coronation Street’ did win ‘Single Drama.’  The next surprise came when both popular US shows Glee and Mad Men were beaten by The Killing to the ‘International’ award.

     BBC News coverage of the historical transfer from Labour to coalition government was second best to ITV News feature on the infamous Cumbria shootings of Derrick Bird last summer for the ‘News Coverage’ honour.  BBC Sport however won the ‘Sport’ award for its excellent coverage of last year’s F1 title decider in Abu Dhabi.  Next to fall shockingly into losing was The X-Factor.  It lost the ‘Entertainment Programme’ award to ever-increasingly popular ITV1 gameshow The Cube, which fittingly concluded its third series on the same night, and its top prize of £250,000 is still yet to be won.

DESERVED: Sir Trevor won the BAFTA Fellowship

     Former ITN newsreader Sir Trevor McDonald was deservedly honoured with this year’s ‘BAFTA Fellowship’ award, to honour his work in news and current affairs for over 30 years.  Ceremony host Graham Norton also got an award for ‘Entertainment Performance’ for his work.  His chatshow has turned out to be a huge successful replacement for Jonathan Ross in BBC1’s late Friday night slot.

     To conclude the night of surprises, the ‘Audience Award,’ voted for by YouTube viewers, was expected to go to Downton Abbey but instead was awarded to ITV2’s real-life soap The Only Way Is Essex.  It may still have its critics but it has proven to become ITV2’s most popular programme on its launch last October.  It has made household names in its entire cast including Mark Wright and Amy Childs as well as being famed for its constant use of the phrase, ‘shut up!’  A move or a broadcast slot on ITV1 will soon surely beckon now.

     In conclusion, this year’s awards have certainly proven one testimony, never underestimate the underdog.

BAFTA 2011 WINNERS

Actor – Daniel Rigby

Actress – Vicky McClure

Supporting Actor – Martin Freeman

Supporting Actress – Lauren Socha

Entertainment Performance – Graham Norton

Female Performance in a Comedy Role – Jo Brand

Male Performance in a Comedy Role – Steve Coogan

Single Drama – The Road to Coronation Street

Drama Series – Sherlock

Drama Serial – Any Human Heart

Continuing Drama – EastEnders

International – The Killing

Factual Series – Welcome to Lagos

Specialist Factual – Flying Monsters in 3D

Single Documentary – Between Life and Death

Features – Hugh’s Fish Fight

Current Affairs – Zimbabwe’s Forgotten Children

News Coverage – ITV News at Ten: The Cumbria Murders

Sport – Formula 1: The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

New Media – Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention

Entertainment Programme – The Cube

Comedy Programme – Harry & Paul

Situation Comedy – Rev

YouTube Audience Award – The Only Way Is Essex

Special Recognition Award – Peter Bennett-Jones

BAFTA Fellowship – Sir Trevor McDonald

Volcanic ash cloud returns

LONG: Could be a frustrating night for many passengers

MISERY faces thousands of airline travellers yet again, as the volcanic ash cloud over Iceland returns to haunt people again.  The latest eruption, which occurred on Sunday, caused misery for millions of passengers last year.  Although it is believed to not have the same impact as it did in 2010, there is still plenty of disruption and delays particularly today for many passengers.  Tonight, a number of these will face the severe possibility of sleeping on the floors of airport terminals across the country yet again.

     The ash cloud is across all of England, but it is Central Scotland that has been the worst affected part of the UK today.  Most flights in and out from Edinburgh and Glasgow airports were cancelled, as those delayed were forced to either wait around, or to be diverted onto coaches to airports in the North of England that weren’t as badly hit.  Newcastle airport was one of those not so fortunate.  Easy Jet and Ryanair have cancelled approximately 75 per cent of all Scottish bound flights, but Ryanair are furious with the cancellations they’ve had to make.  They attempted to defy the ash cloud today; the Irish airliner claiming that a test flight made earlier this morning showed ‘no evidence of volcanic ash on the wings or engines’ of its test aircraft.  It’s chairman has accused the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) of incompetence.  In the end, it was the Irish Aviation Authority who forced Ryanair to back down on safety grounds.

     The transport secretary Phillip Hammond has responded to those claims made by Ryanair;

“The CAA can confirm that at no time did a Ryanair flight enter the notified area of high contamination ash over Scotland this morning.  My information is that the Ryanair jet did not in fact fly into any of the ‘red zones’ designated by the CAA.”  He told Sky News.

     It isn’t just the general public affected.  Barcelona have decided to travel earlier than initially planned to London.  They will touch down at Heathrow airport this evening, to avoid being caught up in the ash cloud chaos before Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final against Manchester United.  Barack Obama was forced to arrive in the UK 24 hours earlier than initially anticipated, cutting short his state visit to Ireland in the process.  The Met Office predicts most of the ash cloud will have left the UK by tomorrow lunchtime, although this depends on the latest ferocity of the eruptions on the Icelandic volcano.

    It might not be about to create the mayhem it did last year, but the Icelandic volcano is back as a factor in travel plans and many stranded passengers face a long and frustrating evening.

Survival Sunday - How it happened

YESTERDAY, the tightest relegation battle in the history of the FA Premier League took place and the nerves were intense.  It was a day full of joy, agony, ecstasy and of course, tears.  Here is how it all happened in the four affected games, as Wolves, Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic fought for survival in the top flight.

22 minutes:        Manchester United 1-0 Blackpool

The first breakthrough of a critical afternoon comes at Old Trafford.  Korean Ji-Sung Park pounces on some sloppy defending by Ian Evatt to have the champions infront.  Blackpool face a huge battle now. 

24 minutes:        Wolves 0-1 Blackburn Rovers

Wolves are looking very nervous and deservedly fall behind at home.  Jason Roberts turns in Michel Salgado’s shot from seven yards out.  It’s a big goal for Blackburn, in their quest to beat the drop.

40 minutes:        Wolves 0-2 Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn’s supporters can breathe a sigh of relief, as Brett Emerton fires the visitors into a deserved 2-0 lead.  It’s a beautiful volley from outside the penalty area, but Wolves defending is simply comical.

41 minutes:        Manchester United 1-1 Blackpool

Blackpool will not go down without a fight and their talisman is at it again.  Charlie Adam’s well-placed free-kick leaves Edwin van der Sar, in his farewell Old Trafford appearance stranded.  The Tangerines supporters begin to believe.

FIRST HALF STOPPAGE TIME:      Wolves 0-3 Blackburn Rovers

Wolves will be relying on other results now, as their defence is showing more accidents that what a traditional episode of Holby City does!  Junior Hoillett makes it 3-0 to complete Mick McCarthy’s nightmare scenario.

49 minutes:        Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Birmingham City

Disaster for Birmingham City, as Spurs substitute Roman Pavyluchenko curls home a strike past the despairing Ben Foster.  As things stand, Birmingham will be heading for the Npower Championship.

57 minutes:        Manchester United 1-2 Blackpool

Gary Taylor-Fletcher beats the offside trap to flick in David Vaughan’s cross and have Blackpool ahead at the Theatre of Dreams.  The ‘Impossible Dream’ of survival for Ian Holloway is now looking like the ‘Probable Dream.’

63 minutes:        Manchester United 2-2 Blackpool

Blackpool return to the brink, as Anderson pulls Manchester United level with a left-footed drive.

72 minutes:        Wolves 1-3 Blackburn Rovers

Jamie O’Hara gives Wolves some hope at Molineux, not so much in the game, but more on the goal difference count.  However, the home side still remain in the bottom three at this stage.

75 minutes:        Manchester United 3-2 Blackpool

Ian Evatt will want the ground to swallow him up.  He slices a clearance into the back of his own net, and with it, Blackpool drop back into the relegation zone.  Is the fairytale dying?

77 minutes:        Stoke City 0-1 Wigan Athletic

Roberto Martinez’s tactics have been spot-on, and now Wigan can have the security of a priceless lead at the Britannia.  Maynor Figueroa’s beautiful cross is met perfectly by the head of Hugo Rodallega.  The reaction from the Wigan players says it all.

78 minutes:        Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Birmingham City

Birmingham’s supporters are going wild at White Hart Lane, as Craig Gardner produces a stunning blot from the blue.  Carlo Cudicini had no chance, and Wolves join Blackpool in the dreaded drop zone.

81 minutes:        Manchester United 4-2 Blackpool

Blackpool’s high offside trap is exposed by the champions.  Michael Owen’s cool finish, in his final game for the club seals the Seasiders fate.  Despite winning over many neutrals, Blackpool will NOT be in the top flight next season.

87 minutes:        Wolves 2-3 Blackburn Rovers

This is a goal worthy to keep any side up.  Stephen Hunt produces curls one past Paul Robinson to send the Wolves supporters into delirium.  On goals scored, Birmingham drop below Wolves again in this staggering drama.

STOPPAGE TIME:             Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Birmingham City

Roman Pavyluchenko produces the killer blow.  Birmingham City, Carling Cup winners, will be playing in the UEFA Europa League, representing the Championship.

FT: Manchester United 4-2 Blackpool:                        BLACKPOOL ARE RELEGATED

FT: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Birmingham City:              BIRMINGHAM ARE RELEGATED

FT: Wolves 2-3 Blackburn Rovers                              BOTH BLACKBURN AND WOLVES SURVIVE

FT: Stoke City 0-1 Wigan Athletic                              WIGAN SURVIVE

It was an incredible final day, and one of the most breathtaking seasons in Premiership history is completed.  Commiserations to the fans of Birmingham City and Blackpool, who have to deal with the heartache of being relegated from the top flight, whilst congratulations to Wigan Athletic and Blackburn Rovers, for producing the results they required to keep themselves in the Premier League.  Although they were lucky yesterday, Wolves’s victories over Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United over the course of the campaign means that ultimately, they deserve another crack next season.  We only have to wait ten weeks for the drama to happen again!  HURRY UP SUMMER!