F1 classic races - Korea

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.  As Korea only made its bow onto the world championship stage last season, here is a varied selection of events that are no longer on the current F1 calendar, plus last year’s inaugural event in Korea.  The races are between 1991 and 2010, so enjoy the archive!

1991 – Portugal

WINNER: Riccardo Patrese (Williams Renault), 2^nd: Ayrton Senna (McLaren Honda), 3^rd: Jean Alesi (Ferrari)

WILLIAMS may have won the 1991 Portuguese Grand Prix, but it was the wrong driver as far as the championship battle was concerned.  Despite starting fourth, Nigel Mansell took the lead early on and looked set for a crucial victory.  Disaster then struck at his first pitstop, when chief mechanic Peter Windsor didn’t tighten up his right rear wheel.  The wheel rolled off down the pitlane, leaving a frustrated Mansell, beating his hands on the steering wheel in sheer despair.  The team then worked on the car in an illegal area and Nigel was black-flagged in Estoril for the second time in three years, having charged back to fifth.  Riccardo Patrese drove well to win, but second place took Ayrton Senna a massive step forward towards a third world championship.

1998 – Argentina

CONTROVERSY: Coulthard was furious with this contact in 1998

WINNER: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2^nd: Mika Hakkinen (McLaren Mercedes), 3^rd: Eddie Irvine (Ferrari)

MCLAREN had dominated the first two races of 1998, but Ferrari and Michael Schumacher responded in superb fashion on F1’s last visit to Buenos Aires.  A new, wider tyre from Goodyear helped them close the gap.  The talking point of the race came on lap six, when Schumacher collided with David Coulthard, spinning the McLaren around and out of the lead.  Schumacher survived and despite a late trip into the gravel during a rain shower, beat Mika Hakkinen by over 20 seconds.  Eddie Irvine won out in a fierce scrap with youngster Alexander Wurz to secure a double podium finish for Ferrari.  Further run-ins with Jacques Villeneuve and Giancarlo Fisichella left Coulthard’s car looking like a battering ram by the finish.  However, he still earnt a point for his troubles.

1999 – France

WINNER: Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Jordan Mugen Honda), 2^nd: Mika Hakkinen (McLaren Mercedes), 3^rd: Rubens Barrichello (Stewart Ford)

THIS was a great Grand Prix, which Stewart, McLaren and Ferrari took turns in taking command, yet Jordan won the race.  An inspired decision on the pitwall saw the Irish team fuel Heinz-Harald Frentzen’s car to the brim during a heavy downpour on lap 22.  Frentzen didn’t have to pit again and claimed the lead when both Mika Hakkinen and Rubens Barrichello had to call in late on for a splash and dash.  Jordan’s second Grand Prix victory was memorable, but Damon Hill’s future in the sport came into serious question.  In a wet qualifying, he failed to make the 107% cut-off.  Given special dispensation to start, he tangled with Pedro de la Rosa and collected a puncture, before giving up at half-distance.  Afterwards, he cast doubts over whether he would get back into an F1 cockpit.  David Coulthard’s rotten season continued, when an alternator problem forced him out of a commanding lead on the ninth lap, whilst Michael Schumacher was restricted to fifth by gear selection issues.  Jean Alesi was on for a great result, but spun off in the downpour, as did Jacques Villeneuve and Alexander Wurz.  It was a crazy event, full of overtaking, but a magnificent day for Jordan’s new star in Magny-Cours.

2003 – Austria

WINNER: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2^nd: Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren Mercedes), 3^rd: Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari)

AUSTRIA 2003 was one of Michael Schumacher’s greatest victories.  He had a big advantage infront, when he pitted for a routine pitstop on lap 20.  Seconds later, droplets of fuel from a faulty refuelling rig made contact with the engine cover and his Ferrari was on fire.  The mechanics quickly put out the barbeque, whilst Schumacher sat there, looking as cool as a cucumber.  Nine laps later, he hunted down Kimi Raikkonen’s ailing McLaren successfully and seconds later, was back infront when a water leak terminated Juan Pablo Montoya’s chance of victory for BMW Williams.  Raikkonen showed his championship might by protecting a sick engine and resolutely holding off Rubens Barrichello to prevent a Ferrari 1-2.  Jenson Button did well to finish fourth, his best result of the season whilst an engine failure ended a great comeback drive from Fernando Alonso, having risen from 19^th on the grid to fifth.  However, this was the day when great escapes really do come true and a stunning way for Austria to end its Formula One relationship.

2004 – USA

WINNER: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2^nd: Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari), 3^rd: Takuma Sato (BAR Honda)

MICHAEL Schumacher had to deal with mixed emotions at Indianapolis in 2004.  He managed to beat his team-mate Rubens Barrichello to record his eighth win from nine attempts in a runaway Ferrari season.  However, he had to drive past the scene of a nasty accident for his brother, Ralf.  11 laps into the event and a puncture on his Williams sent Schumacher Jnr careering backwards into the turn 13 concrete wall.  He suffered a cracked vertebra and would miss the majority of the season.  He wasn’t the only Michelin driver to collect a puncture, as debris on the track from a startline crash ended Fernando Alonso’s challenge two laps earlier.  Juan Pablo Montoya was black-flagged, after his engine died on the dummy grid.  He failed to switch to the spare car 15 seconds before the start of the formation lap, sealing his fate.  The biggest cheers in the paddock were for Takuma Sato, who recorded his one and only podium finish in F1 for BAR and for Zsvolt Baumgartner, who survived the mayhem to be the eighth and final finisher, hence scoring Minardi’s first championship point in over two years.

2010 – Korea

BLOW: Vettel extinguishes the charred remains of his engine in 2010

WINNER: Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), 2^nd: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes), 3^rd: Felipe Massa (Ferrari)

F1’s maiden visit to Korea began with an 80-minute delay, due to heavy rain.  Four laps behind the Safety Car was criticised by the drivers, so the event was temporarily suspended.  Once they got going, Red Bull imploded.  Two laps after the Safety Car pitted, championship leader Mark Webber got onto the Astroturf and spun into the wall.  His car came back across the track, taking out the unfortunate Nico Rosberg in the process.  Having been the fastest driver all weekend, Sebastian Vettel looked set to win and take the championship lead.  However, he suffered a cruel engine failure with just ten laps to go, handing Fernando Alonso the victory and the drivers lead in the process.  Second place for Lewis Hamilton kept him in the championship challenge, but team-mate Jenson Button had a nightmare afternoon.  He struggled with grip all day, was one of the slowest cars on the track and finished a distant 12^th; all but ending his hopes of retaining the world championship he had won in 2009.  Fourth place for Michael Schumacher equalled his best result of a tricky first season back in the sport after a three year lay-off.

Rugby World Cup 2011 - The opening weekend

COLOURFUL: New Zealand welcomed the rugby world spectacularly

THE seventh IRB Rugby World Cup began in New Zealand last Friday with a colourful and electric opening ceremony.  After the opening ten matches of the tournament, no clear-cut favourite has been established, with many of the elite rugby teams really struggling to perform and win matches against the rugby union minnows of the world.  Despite this, there has been no massive upset so far and the rugby is only bound to get better as the tournament progresses.

     As hosts, New Zealand are under great pressure to deliver for a nation, that has suffered this year from the tragic mining disaster and the earthquake that battered Christchurch back in February.  They made a professional start, in defeating Tonga 41-10 in Auckland, but it was far from glorified rugby we’d expect to see from the All-Blacks.  Tonga matched them in the opening ‘Haka’ arrangements, but that was as good as it got for the Pacific Islanders.  They seemed to be overwhelmed by the experience of playing in the opening match and it showed in the first half.  Richard Kahui and Ishrael Dagg both scored two tries as the hosts raced into a 29-0 lead.  After the break, Tonga improved and scored a deserved try from Alisona Taumalolo.  The All-Blacks only managed one further score in the second half and despite the lack of competition from the opposition; there is plenty of room for improvement.  Coach Graeme Henry, who regained his job in 2008, after no-one else wanted it following the quarter-final elimination at the hands of France in October 2007 must be concerned about the amount of handling errors made by the hosts.

BRAVE: Faletau's try wasn't quite enough for Wales on Sunday

     The home nations all made their tournament bow at the weekend, but only Wales put in any kind of performance that they can be proud of.  Typically then, they lost!  The brave Welsh were beaten by world champions South Africa in their Pool D opener on Sunday.  However, the 17-16 scoreline in Wellington reflected how close they came to a mighty upset.  Once the Springboks took an early lead in the third minute, courtesy of a Frans Steyn try, the writing looked on the wall for Warren Gatland’s side.  However, they showed a lot of class and determination in rattling the champions, who looked distinctively average.  Brian Habana, the fastest man in world rugby, was a pale shadow of his domination in 2007 and went off with a knee injury.  It wasn’t long after his departure when Wales crossed the try line to lead the contest, through energetic no.8 Toby Faletau.  Critically, when they needed a score, South Africa managed to turnaround the deficit as Francois Hougaard scored with 15 minutes to go.  A late penalty miss from James Hook cost the Welsh, who must see this as a missed opportunity.  As for the Springboks, they must play better if they want to stand any hope of retaining the Webb Ellis Trophy.

     However, don’t expect Ireland to make a formidable challenge either.  They laboured to a 22-10 success over the USA in New Plymouth on Sunday morning.  Declan Kidney; the Irish coach will be disappointed that his team didn’t get a bonus point for scoring four or more tries.  Ireland winger Tommy Byrne went over for a try on the stroke of half-time in a game littered with handling errors from the favourites.  A ten-minute spell which saw Byrne again and hooker Rory Best go over the line was enough after the interval.  Like Habana, Brian O’Driscoll is struggling for form and his terrible pass in injury time, allowed American centre Paul Emerick to score a poignant try for the US, on the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

      As for Scotland, it is two wins from two, but nowhere near in convincing fashion as Andy Robinson would have been hoping.  On Saturday, only two late tries from Simon Danielli got them out of jail against Romania, one of the weaker teams in the competition.  Despite a bonus point, the 34-24 final score was a real close shave for the Scots.  This morning, they stayed in Invercargill to see off Georgia 15-6.  Terrible weather conditions meant this match was not one that will be fondly remembered.  The boot of Dan Parks got Scotland over the line and they head for harder challenges, at least with points on the board, even though they looked well short of quality. 

      Which bring us onto England?  Although they got the valuable win on Saturday against Argentina by 13-9 in Dunedin, it was a shambolic performance, which had echoes of the Grand Slam collapse in Dublin earlier this year.  Johnny Wilkinson had a day to forget; missing five kicks and hopefully, Saturday’s performance was just a blip from our reliable fly-half.  For long periods, Martin Johnson must have been staring at the barrel of defeat against a team that has plenty of experience, but is beginning to age from the third place finish the Pumas achieved four years ago.  Fortunately, there was light at the end of the tunnel for England, courtesy of a try from replacement scrum-half, Ben Youngs.  Even watching the highlights, it was awful to watch, so imagine what it felt like watching the game live.  A win is a win, but it lacked style, class and panache and will give worried looks to many English followers.

      Final word in this first round-up goes to Canada, who caused a minor upset this morning.  The Maple Leaf that has appeared at every RWC tournament beat Tonga 25-20, despite being ranked lower in the IRB rankings.  Two late tries in the final 12 minutes were enough for the North Americans, who can now look forward to an exciting duel with the unpredictable French on Sunday.

THIS WEEKEND’S RESULTS: New Zealand 41-10 Tonga, Scotland 34-24 Romania, Fiji 49-25 Namibia, France 47-21 Japan, England 13-9 Argentina, Australia 32-6 Italy, Ireland 22-10 USA, South Africa 17-16 Wales, Samoa 49-12 Namibia, Tonga 20-25 Canada, Scotland 15-6 Georgia

The X-Factor USA - The puzzle begins to take shape

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

WHEN Fox announced it was to bring The X Factor to USA for 2011, it sparked several theories as to how it would take shape.  Now with less than four months before its planned launch, everything is now starting to take shape.

     Simon Cowell, the brainchild of the format, will obviously have a feature role, having quit American Idol and scaled down his involvement on Britain’s Got Talent and Britain’s X-Factor to take part.  On Thursday, the worst kept secret in showbiz was finally let out; Cheryl Cole is to join the show.  This has obviously got America talking as they have never heard of her and her strong Newcastle accent will perhaps be difficult to understand with some.

     However, getting Cheryl a place on the show has always been Simon’s ambition.  Since Cheryl began working on the UK show in 2008, it’s clear that Cowell has taken a shine to her.  It is now likely that Cole will not return to the UK series for this year.  Many will certainly miss her for the massive emphasis she has placed in the competition though some will be glad to see the back of her, blaming her for causing most of the farce that affected last year’s series.

     Simon and Cheryl are expected to be joined on the panel by former American Idol judge Paula Abdul and music producer Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid, who is well known in America.  Despite the rumours, there is no place on the panel for Pussycat Doll singer Nicole Scherzinger, but she has landed an even better role.

FRESH: Steve Jones is a surprise, but popular choice as presenter

     Yesterday, it was formally announced that Scherzinger will co-host the show alongside former T4 host Steve Jones, landing his first US job.  They managed to beat off stiff competition from obvious candidates of UK presenter Dermot O’Leary and the American Idol host Ryan Seacreast.  This is certainly a bold and surprising choice made by Cowell but given that Jones has become a well-liked presenter and Scherzinger is a great US role model, this pairing might just work.

     So what will this mean for the UK edition of The X Factor?  ITV have already stated it will return with a bold and fresh look in the summer.  Cowell is expected to either only judge the live shows or just be in a backstage role whilst Cole will leave permanently.  Fortunately, amidst reports they might be axed too, both Louis Walsh and Dannii Minogue are set to return and after missing out on the US job, O’Leary will recommit his future to the UK show.  The faces expected to fill the empty judges spaces is a very long list.  Take That’s Gary Barlow is said to have agreed a deal to judge whilst the second seat is reported to be a straight fight between Girls Aloud’s Kimberley Walsh and Lily Allen.  It is crucial that the right people are appointed so that very little people as possible become alienated with the sweeping changes.

     With everything nearly set, will the US succeed in their version of The X Factor?  It all begins in the autumn on Fox and for British viewers; it is expected to be broadcast on ITV’s main digital channel, ITV2.

World Cup Report - Day 13-15

The group stages have now concluded and it is time to focus on knockout football, where no mistakes are now allowed.  It was a dramatic three days of football, which saw giants embarrassed, one Asian side finally get the grip of the dead ball and others play out dire football to qualify.  Here is a round-up of the final three days of the group stages. (See England v Slovenia match report in another post)

Wednesday 23^rd June: USA 1-0 Algeria

Landon Donovan, the pin-up boy of American football scored a dramatic stoppage time winner against plucky Algeria, to send the USA off to Rustenberg in round two as Group C winners.  Whilst the Algerians focused on defending and attempting to catch the opposition on the break, the Americans threw the kitchen sink at their rivals, and it finally broke for them in the 92^nd minute, when Donovan reacted quickest from a sharp save to fire in the rebound.  Algerian captain Anther Yabdia was sent off in the dying stages for two yellow cards.

Wednesday 23^rd June: Ghana 0-1 Germany

Mesut Ozil’s stunning second-half strike set up and intriguing second round match-up between Germany and England in Bloemfortein.  His wonderful volley on the hour mark, on the edge of the penalty area was the difference in this entertaining affair at Soccer City, which sees Germany come out on top in Group D.  Ghana remain as Africa’s only participant to progress past the knockout phase.

Wednesday 23^rd June: Australia 2-1 Serbia

Australia signed off their World Cup campaign in style, with a solid 2-1 success over Serbia in Nelspruit.  Tim Cahill’s diving header on his return from suspension set the Socceroos on their way and Brett Holman quickly doubled their advantage, giving them a faint hope of overtaking Ghana for the runners-up spot in Group D.  Those hopes ended when Marko Pantellic capitalised on a spill by Mark Schwarzer to pull one back on 84 minutes.  Both teams leave the tournament at this stage.

Thursday 24^th June: Slovakia 3-2 Italy

In the game of the tournament so far, Marcelo Lippi’s holders were undone by Slovakia at Ellis Park, which saw the defending champions dethroned in the group stages.  The star of the show was Robert Vittek, who scored twice, one in either half.  In between glaring Italian defensive errors, Howard Webb ruled out a debatable Italian effort for Fabio Quagilarella doe to the offside flag, and he saw another effort brilliantly cleared off the line by Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel.  Antonio di Natale gave the Azzuri hope, quickly vanishing by a shambolic piece of slack defending from the experienced Fabio Cannavaro, which allowed Kamil Kopunek in for a goal with his first World Cup touch.  Despite arguably the goal of the tournament from Quagilarella in stoppage time, the Slovak gods held on to record a last sixteen berth on their finals debut, and Lippi’s men bottom of Group F.

Thursday 24^th June: Paraguay 0-0 New Zealand

An uneventful match in Polokwane saw Paraguay secure the point they needed for qualification, though not in convincing fashion.  Roque Santa Cruz came closest, with a stunning free-kick which was well saved by All Whites goalkeeper Mark Paston.  Rikki Herbert’s side exit the competition with their heads held high, unbeaten in the tournament.

Thursday 24^th June: Denmark 1-3 Japan

A stunning man-of-the match performance from Keisuke Honda inspired Japan into a last 16 showdown with Paraguay.  In a match at Rustenberg, which would decide the outcome of the runners-up in Group E, the Asians physical prowess and silky skill proved too much for a determined Denmark side that lacked overall firepower.  Japan led 2-0 at the break, following two stunning free-kicks from Honda and Yashuito Endo.  A dubious penalty for Denmark was converted just, by veteran Jon Dahl Tomasson in the second half, before Honda’s brilliance set-up a third goal for Shinji Okazaki, as Japan played out of their skin to get past the group stages for the first time on foreign soil.

Thursday 24^th June: Cameroon 1-2 Holland

Arjen Robben returned to the world stage after hamstring worries, and made an instant impact as Cameroon became the only side to bow out of the competition without a single point to their name.  In a game that meant nothing to the outcome of Group E, with the Indomitable Lions out and the Dutch already through, Holland led before the interval, courtesy of a lovely link-up between Rafael van der Vaart and Robin Van Persie, finished off by the Arsenal ace.  Van der Vaart blotted his copybook with a dubious handball from a free-kick, which was converted by Samuel Eto’o.  It was Robben who set-up the winner, when his shot bounced off the post and into the grasp of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who couldn’t miss from six yards.  Despite the Dutch not playing at their best, they must be a force to be reckoned with.

Friday 25^th June: Portugal 0-0 Brazil

In what was billed as one of the best games of the group stages, Portugal and Brazil played out a dire 0-0 stalemate in Durban, which saw both teams advance into the last sixteen, with the South Americans as group winners.  Brazilian striker Nilmar went the closest, with his shot tipped onto the post by Portuguese goalkeeper Eduardo in the dying stages of the first half.

Friday 25^th June: North Korea 0-3 Ivory Coast

The Ivory Coast comfortably overcame a ragged North Korea, to sign off their disappointing tournament with a winning result in Nelspruit.  Yaya Toure and Cristian Romaric scored two early goals in the first half, with the win confirmed by Salomon Kalou’s late tap-in.  However, the 9-0 scoreline they required was never on the cards, and Sven Goran-Eriksson may look on his negative tactics as the downfall for his side failing to advance out of the group stages.

Friday 25^th June: Chile 1-2 Spain

In Pretoria, Spain’s clinical finishing was just enough to see off a talented, but ill-disciplined Chile side and advance into the last sixteen, as Group H winners.  An opportunist strike from David Villa opened the scoring, following an over-committed run by Chilean captain Claudio Bravo that allowed Villa to smash into an empty net.  Andreas Iniesta doubled the lead and in the build-up, a clumsy trip on the ineffective Fernando Torres led to the soft dismissal of Marco Estrada.  Although the South Americans pulled a goal back in the second half, courtesy of Rodrigo Millar, Marcelo Bielsa’s side seemed happy to play out the match, to secure their deserved passage through into the knockout stages.

Friday 25^th June: Switzerland 0-0 Honduras

A desperately disappointing Switzerland producing an error-strewn performance against Honduras in Bloemfontein, which led to both side’s elimination from the World Cup.  Needing two goals to advance, Otmar Hitzfeld’s side never looked likely to break down a strong Central American defence, and will be disappointed not to get out of the group stages, despite their shock opening success against European champions Spain.

England 1-1 USA - Green Gaffe Hands Americans Unlikely Point

It’s never easy supporting England at major tournaments, isn’t it?  Once again, 20million of us found this out, following a frustrating opener to the 2010 World Cup campaign in the altitude of Rustenberg.

A horrendous error by West Ham’s Robert Green, somehow fumbling a Clint Dempsey shot that looked easier to save with his eyes closed earned Bob Bradley’s USA a hard-fought and deserved point on Saturday night.  Once again, the Three Lions opening performance will have not set the alarm bells ringing in the camps of fellow favourites Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Holland and Germany.

And it had all started really well for Fabio Capello’s men.  Just four minutes had been played, when Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Emile Heskey all linked up beautifully in the build-up to England’s first goal of the 2010 finals, scored by the new skipper, Steven Gerrard.  If you were watching ITV HD, 1.5million missed the goal, but the other 18.5million would have been roaring around the country to the delightful start.  Sadly, this brilliant advantage was squandered six minutes before half-time, by a blunder of the first magnitude.  

Green, only selected ahead of David James and Joe Hart a mere two hours before kick-off had been given very little to do, and the evidence of the error he made suggested he must have been half asleep.  Fulham winger Dempsey did well to evade the pressing Gerrard three times.  His shot was ambitious and looked absolutely no threat.  However, Green produced the clangers of all clangers by allowing the ball to slip through his grasp and trickling into the net.  It was a horrendous moment which only guarantees Green’s participation in the traditional Christmas Blunder DVD’s, rather than a place in England’s next team.

By then, Capello was already looking animated on the touchline.  James Milner, still suffering from a virus that had plagued him all week, looked out-of-sorts and once booked, was replaced by Shaun Wright-Phillips.  This was a surprising move, with many believing Joe Cole might have been a better bet.  At the interval, Ledley King’s groin couldn’t keep up with the pace, and with indications that he might be out for three weeks, his selection looks like to be a gamble too many, especially after the injury that Rio Ferdinand picked up in training ten days ago.  Jamie Carragher replaced him at half-time, and when he was easily skinned by the threatening Jozy Altidore, questions were asked about the pace of the England defensive unit.  In this exchange, Green did at least bounce back, by producing a good save at his near post, which rebounded onto the post and away from danger.

Only in the last twenty minutes did England threaten to score again, with Emile Heskey missing a one-on-one, smashing a shot down Tim Howard’s throat, which had he placed it either side, would have beaten the Everton goalkeeper.  Wayne Rooney was well marked out of the entire game, but he produced a few moments of quality, which included a long-range effort which had Howard scrambling.  Wright-Phillips also had a chance which he squandered and eleven minutes was nowhere near enough time for Peter Crouch to make any impact.

By far, this wasn’t the start that Operation Capello had in mind.  However, England drew their opener in 1966 against Uruguay, and still won the Jules Rimet trophy.  We lost the 1986 opener to Portugal and drew the first game of the 2002 tournament in Korea against a far better looking Sweden side.  The Three Lions are notorious slow starters, so surely we can only get better.  Whether we have World Cup winning potential will only be realised more when our second game takes place, on Friday night in Cape Town against African outsiders Algeria. 

Let’s not give up and keep the belief….   

2010 World Cup Preview - Part 1

In this first segment, my best friend and fellow football fanatic (Chelsea fan unfortunately) Robert Jones, has taken time out of his busy schedule to preview four of the eight groups in the 2010 World Cup.  Here, Robert will give his predictions for these teams, and their strengths and weaknesses.  With the big kick-off tomorrow, the anticipation is nearly over.

GROUP A

SOUTH AFRICA

FIFA ranking: 85

Coach: Carlos Alberto Parreira 

Best: Group Stages (1998, 2002)

Key player: Steven Pienaar (Everton)

A poor side, but their home advantage will lift them, and the loud Vuvuzela trumpets could unnerve  their opponents. Benni McCarthy though has been left out of the squad, which is surprising.  Consequently, I can't see them sticking around along.


PREDICTION: Group Stages


MEXICO

FIFA ranking: 18

Coach: Javier Aguirre 

Best: Quarter-Finals (1970, 1986)

Key player: Rafael Marquez (Barcelona)

Javier Aguirre rescued a team heading for disaster under Sven Goran Eriksson by showing them how to win away from the Azteca. The Mexicans are talented on the ball and could surprise a few people, maybe even themselves.


PREDICTION: Quarter-Finalists


URUGUAY

FIFA ranking: 25

Coach: Oscar Tabarez 

Best: Winners (1930, 1950)

Key player: Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid).

They are previous two-time winners, but the last was 80 years ago. They have some quality like Diego Forlan, but not enough to escape the group.


PREDICTION: Group Stages

FRANCE

FIFA ranking: 9

Coach: Raymond Domenech

Best: Winners (1998)

Key player: Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich)

People have their opinions on whether they should be at the finals or not, but they are in South Africa, so we have to just get on with it.  Under Domenech, the squad has its major divisions, but France reached the 2006 final in similar circumstances. They don't lack talent and look to have solved the goalkeeping issue, with Hugo Lloris very reliable beyond the sticks.  Apart from Ribery though, there are no other world class players, and the unrest in the camp, could well be Les Bleus downfall.


PREDICTION: Second Round

GROUP C

ENGLAND

FIFA ranking: 7

Coach: Fabio Capello

Best: Winners (1966)

Key player: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

Shrewdly managed with a coterie of quality players led by Rooney, but lacking in-depth and not a settled No,1 goalkeeper between the sticks.  The climatic conditions will suit, and should have plenty of support.  Just short of a final tilt however.

PREDICTION: Semi-Finalists (3rd-placed playoff winners)

USA

FIFA ranking: 11

Coach: Bob Bradley

Best: 3rd (1930)

Key player: Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy)

The US are now expected to make the quarter-finals in World Cups and will be lifted by last year's Confederations Cup showing, when they beat Spain and worried Brazil. Always athletic, with good 'keepers, although there are doubts about creativity.

PREDICTION: 2nd Round


ALGERIA

FIFA ranking: 29

Coach: Rabah Saadane

Best: Group Stages (1982, 1986)

Key player: Mourad Meghni (Lazio)

Algeria showed enough quality in dispatching their fierce rivals, the African Nations Cup holders Egypt, in the play-off to suggest they could be one of the outsiders to avoid, but they are unlikely to reach heights of defeating West Germany in 1982.

PREDICTION: Group Stages

SLOVENIA

FIFA ranking: 49

Coach: Matjaž Kek

Best: Group Stage (2002)

Key player: Milivoje Novakovic (Cologne)

Slovenia are rank outsiders, but they were good enough to surprise Guus Hiddink's Russia over a two-legged play-off and knocked out Poland and the Czech Republic in qualifying.  If the US lack confidence, Slovenia could be a wise outside bet for the last sixteen.

PREDICTION: Group Stages

GROUP F

ITALY

FIFA ranking: 4

Coach: Marcello Lippi

Best: Winners (1934, 1938, 1982)

Key player: Andrea Pirlo (Milan)

The last successful defence was by Brazil, in 1962, and the Azzurri look weaker than in they were four years ago in Berlin. But Lippi knows how to win, and he has not been afraid to introduce fresh blood in search of a repeat.

PREDICTION: Quarter-Finalists

NEW ZEALAND

FIFA ranking: 83

Coach: Ricki Herbert

Best: Group Stages (1982)

Key player: Ryan Nelsen (Blackburn)

Australia's move to the Asian region opened qualifying door for New Zealand, but the All Whites could be embarrassed.  It is just an achievement for them to be in South Africa, but they are here to make up the numbers.

PREDICTION: Group Stage

PARAGUAY

FIFA ranking: 21

Coach: Gerardo Martino (Argentinian)

Best: Round 2 (1986, 1998, 2002)

Key player: Cristian Riveros (Cruz Azul)

Paraguay eased through the arduous South American qualifying programme with a team built on defence and counter-attacking instinct to reach their fourth successive finals.  They could well be a surprise package to look out for.

PREDICTION: Second Round

SLOVAKIA

FIFA ranking: 33

Coach: Vladimír Weiss

Best: Debutants

Key player: Marek Hamsik (Napoli)

Whatever they do in Africa, it will not eclipse beating the Czechs in Prague to qualify for their inaugural tournament.

PREDICTION: Group Stages

GROUP G

BRAZIL

FIFA ranking: 1

Coach: Dunga

Best: Winners (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002).

Key player: Kaka (Real Madrid)

Always favoured, but justifiably so this time.  Dunga's philosophy may not please the purists but he has built an effective counter-attacking team with plenty of experience - and a sprinkling of magic.

PREDICTION: Runners-Up

NORTH KOREA

FIFA ranking: 91

Coach: Kim Jong-Hun

Best: Quarter-Finals (1966)

Key player: Ahn Young-Hak (Suwon Bluewings)

Political pariah for whom qualifying is a coup. They will not repeat the heroics or popularity of beating Italy in 1966.

PREDICTION: Group Stages

IVORY COAST

FIFA ranking: 19

Coach: Vahid Halihodzic 

Best: Group Stages (2006)

Key player: Didier Drogba (Chelsea)

Africa's best team, which will count for something at the continent's first finals.  Plenty of European experience and though the focus will be on Drogba, who can worry any defence, they are by no means a one-man team.

PREDICTION: Group Stages


PORTUGAL

FIFA ranking: 10                                                    

Coach: Carlos Quieroz

Best: 3rd (1966)

Key player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

Another poorly coached team but scraped though when it mattered.  Experienced, quality in most areas, and the adopted Brazilian, Liedson, may solve the perennial goalscoring problem.  However their lack of depth will hurt them, come the knockout stages.                                           

PREDICTION: Second Round

Volvo Taken Over By The Chinese - Has China Got The Car Industry Back On Track?

   

Last weekend, manufacturer giant Ford took the decision to sell the Swedish carmaker, Volvo to the Chinese car manufacturer Zhejiang Geely Holding.  The deal, signed in Gothenburg, Sweden is worth an estimated £1.2billion making Zhejiang Geely Holding the largest private carmaker in China. 

It is the biggest signature of a Chinese company from a foreign carmaker and it only comes weeks after China overtook the USA as the top dog in the car market.  The deal was originally arranged in December, in light of the uncertainty over the growing recession and it should save 19,000 jobs worldwide at Volvo.  Largely, Volvo’s car sales have slumped massively, like many rivals since the credit crunch.  Fortunately, their situation isn’t as dire as that of Saab, which has needed rescuing to stay afloat and the well-documented problems with the Japanese figurehead, Toyota.

Ford paid £4.3billion for Volvo in 1999, and that figure shows how much the car industry has suffered in recent years, really feeling the bite of the economic issues in the world.  Zhejiang Geely Holding started looking into buying out Volvo over three years ago.  Last weekend, it was announced that Volvo would retain its Swedish backbone and it would still be run from its main headquarters base in Sweden.  Unlike Kraft’s broken promises when it bought out Cadbury’s in January, it will not move all production over to its main base in China.  The Volvo plant in Belgium will not be affected either, after fears had recently increased about job losses.  However, there are already plans for a new Volvo plant to be built in China, which will be capable of building 300,000 vehicles a year.  Geely are confident that Volvo could sell 200,000 extra cars a year in China, should they get the go-ahead to build the new plant.

Ford said it wanted to go through with the deal very quickly, so it could ‘sharpen the Ford brand across the world.’  Having disposed of the likes of Aston Martin and Jaguar since 2007, it might concern some though about Ford’s desperation to sell for a financial benefit.  During a traditional handover period, Ford will continue to supply Volvo with automotive parts and supplies.  Volvo sold 324,000 cars in 2009, which was 10% down on its 2008 figures.  However, Volvo sales have soared at the start of 2010, going up 40% in the USA in the first two months of this year.

The takeover is expected to be formerly completed in the summer.  The Chinese have recently agreed to take over parts of the failing Saab business and recently pulled out of a takeover deal of General Motors, following the failing to gain government approval in China.  This confirms the belief that China is now the country where the car-making machine is.  After months of trauma, the car industry is starting to recover, at least in some areas of Asia.  Can it recover soon enough elsewhere around the world….only time will tell.

F1 2010 - Are The New Teams Ready?

In seven days time, the roaring sound of V8 engines will exit the garages; the adrenaline buzz for millions of fans will begin again as the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship kicks into life in the Middle East.

The desert area of Bahrain will stage the first race of 19, equalling the 2005 season as the longest in the World Championship’s history.  The winter break has seen as many stories as a traditional Grand Prix season would, with Toyota pulling out of the sport, Renault electing to stay in F1 under new ownership and the sensational return of Michael Schumacher to Grand Prix racing.  However, quite a fair bit of attention in Sakhir, will be on the three new teams and whether they will be up to speed in time for the green light.

Last summer, F1 suffered bitter fallouts, which nearly led to a disastrous breakaway by the major manufacturers.  Former FIA president Max Mosley and the head of FOTA (Formula One Teams Association) Luca di Montzemolo clashed verbally on several occasions over budget caps, as the sport took desperate attempts to reduce costs in a global recession.  Eventually, peace was made, with Mosley departing the scene, but it was too late for BMW & Toyota, both electing to walkaway, due to the economic crisis.  Consequently, we have three new teams on the grid, boosting the number of cars up to 24.

Unfortunately, as widely anticipated, one team has failed to make it.  USF1, led by Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor, both very experienced, failed to stump up the materialised costs for their team to run.  This was largely down to a lack of sponsorship and staff.  Though, they claim they will be ready for 2011, the team’s base in Charlotte, USA is up for sale and its only driver, Jose Maria Lopez has been released from his contract.  The team looks like on the verge of collapse.  The FIA then rejected Serbian team Stefan GP’s entry, because it was too late.  Stefan GP had flown equipment out to Bahrain, bought Toyota’s cars which had been designed for 2010 before their pull-out and signed ex-Williams reject Kazuki Nakajima to drive.  It is disappointing that this entry has been rejected, but understandably so, with Bahrain just a week away and hopefully, they will be on the grid sooner rather than later.

This leaves Lotus, Virgin F1 and Hispania F1 to make their births into the sport next weekend.  Virgin F1 looks the quicker, from the winter testing, but have been plagued by reliability problems.  In promising Brazilian Lucas di Grassi and former Toyota pilot, Timo Glock, the team has got the strongest potential to surprise some of the established pack this season.  Especially Glock, who for many, is probably the most under-rated driver on the grid.  The team is strongly backed by Richard Branson, who after minimal support with last year’s Brawn GP car makes the big step into backing Formula 1 success.

Lotus will return to the Formula One circle in Bahrain, after an exile of sixteen years.  Past glories of Colin Chapman and champions in the form of Clark, Hill, Andretti and Fittipaldi may have been a long time ago, but everyone is urging the team to do a respectable and capable job.  In former Tyrrell, Jordan and Toyota chief designer Mike Gascoigne, they’ve got plenty of experience in backroom staff and a strong driver-line up consisting of Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen, both who have failed to deliver in their careers, but can steer the team out of trouble.  They may struggle initially, but an updated package for May’s Spanish Grand Prix will probably see the first sign of true competitiveness.

The final team making their bow is Hispania F1.  Taking over the initial Campos entry, the team are bringing in valuable money, through Indian Karun Chandok, the second driver only in India’s history to enter Formula One and Bruno Senna, nephew of the late great Brazilian, Ayrton.  Senna has been successful in most of the junior formulae and could be one of the surprise packages of the season.  However, considering the team’s perilous situation over the winter, plus no winter testing, they are more likely to be the whipping boys of 2010.

The record for new teams entering F1 is not great.  Simtek, Pacific, Forti, and Super Aguri all went bust within four years of existence, even Jaguar failed in their five year stint in Grand Prix racing.  The new teams are definitely ready for the challenge, but I’m predicting tough times ahead on the long road to F1 glory.