FA Barclays Premiership Report (23rd - 25th April)

EASTER weekend in the Barclays Premiership saw the final nail in the coffin for Arsenal’s title hopes, a goal drought end for Fernando Torres and an unlikely hat-trick hero at Anfield.  However, it was Manchester United’s weekend – as Sir Alex Ferguson’s side took a giant step towards a record 19^th league championship.

     United edged ever closer to title 19 as they bravely ended Everton’s unbeaten run of seven matches at Old Trafford.  Javier Hernandez headed the vital winner in the 1-0 success, his 19^th goal of an incredible debut season.  The winner came with seven minutes to go; the Mexican powering home from close range after Antonio Valencia crossed in from Sylvain Distin’s error in failing to clear when he had the chance to do so.  Once again, the ability to grind out a result has seen Manchester United through, but the same can’t be said for Arsenal.

TRIBUTE: Tamir Cohen was full of emotion, after his late winner

      The silverware drought at the Emirates will stretch to six years after Arsenal lost 2-1 at Bolton on Sunday afternoon, to slip nine points behind with only four games to play.  Bolton had a deserved HT lead, as Daniel Sturridge was quickest to react to Samir Nasri clearing Gary Cahill’s header off the Gunners goal line.  Within moments of the restart, awful defending by Johan Djourou gave Bolton a penalty, but Szcenzy’s legs kept out Kevin Davies woeful kick.  90 seconds later, and Robin Van Persie equalised.  However, the sting in the tail came with two minutes remaining.  Tamir Cohen headed home unmarked in an emotional moment for the Israeli.  He ripped his shirt off to reveal a picture of his late father Avi on his t-shirt (Avi was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident just after Christmas.)  It is these moments when football is more than just a game.

     The same can be said at Villa Park at the moment, as Gerard Houillier remains comfortable in hospital after being admitted last week, complaining of chest pains.  Gary McAllister took charge of Aston Villa’s insignificant 1-1 draw with Stoke City.  The points shared, thanks to two fantastic headers by Kenwyne Jones and Darren Bent.  Both these sides are as good as safe now.

OVER: The drought has concluded; Torres finally scores for Chelsea

     However, West Ham United doesn’t have such luxuries and Avram Grant’s team dropped back into 20^th place, following a 3-0 defeat at Chelsea.  A downpour hit the Bridge and the game was lucky to go ahead, especially with the puddles all over the pitch.  The result did flatter the home team, but they are now Manchester United’s only championship challengers.  Frank Lampard buried Chelsea ahead before half-time, but Robbie Keane missed two golden chances for the Hammers.  Five minutes from time, Fernando Torres finally broke his duck for Chelsea, at the 14^th attempt of asking.  The drought, which lasted 732 minutes, was a sigh of relief and the reaction the Chelsea players showed towards Torres showed that they are with him all the way.  Florent Malouda made it three, ironically from a Torres assist in the dying moments.

     At the Stadium of Light, it felt more like an episode of Casualty rather than a football match.  Sunderland lost Phil Bardsley to concussion, Danny Wellbeck due to a knee problem and a torn hamstring for Asamoah Gyan in their match against Wigan Athletic.  Remarkably, Sunderland overcame these cruel injuries and a wonderful opener from Wigan’s Mohammed Diame to win 4-2 and virtually guarantee Premiership football again next season.  The much criticised Jordan Henderson scored twice and Stephane Sessegnon added another from the penalty spot in 11 crazy second half minutes.

     Wigan dropped back into the relegation zone, as Blackpool climbed back out of the bottom three.  Ian Holloway’s side had lots of chances and also had three penalty appeals turned down, but could only draw 1-1 at home to Newcastle United.  Peter Lovenkrands had Newcastle infront against the run of play, before DJ Campbell levelled for the Tangerines.  Blackpool edged closer to Blackburn Rovers, who are now worryingly only a point above the line of trouble.  Blackburn lost 1-0 at home to Manchester City last night; City’s first away win in the Premiership since Boxing Day.  Edin Dzeko scored the only goal, his first in the league since his major move from VFL Wolfsburg in the January transfer window.

     City now have complete control of the final Champions League qualification spot, opening up a four point advantage over Tottenham.  Harry Redknapp’s 550^th Premiership match in charge started badly against West Brom, as Peter Odemwingie scored in the first ten minutes.  Nine minutes from time, a stunning curling effort from Simon Cox earnt the Baggies a deserved 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane, leaving Spurs cursing another two points dropped.  In the North London drama, Jermain Defoe scored his 100^th goal in the Premiership and also, Spurs 1,000^th in Premier League football.

     In the other two matches, Andy Johnson came off the bench and within 20seconds of his appearance, scored to peg back Wolves at Molineux.  Steven Fletcher had put Wolves infront with their first attack of the game, but the 1-1 draw doesn’t do Mick McCarthy’s team many favours.  At Anfield, Maxi Rodriguez hit an unlikely treble as Liverpool’s faint Europa League qualification dreams were kept alive.  Birmingham City got battered 5-0 at Anfield – their first league defeat against Liverpool since May 2004.  Dirk Kuyt continued his hot scoring streak and there was also a rare goal for substitute Joe Cole.

     So, there were two in the title race and now, its three from five in the relegation scrap as the 2010/11 Premiership season enters its final month this coming weekend.

Does the X-Factor give you chart success?

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

IT IS Britain’s most watched and biggest talent competition.  However a burning issue throughout its time is that will appearing on the show really guarantee you chart success and fame and fortune?

TERMINATION: Joe's music career never really took off

     Last week, two more X-Factor graduates were consigned to the scrapheap.  Firstly last Friday, 2009 winner Joe McElderry’s contract was terminated.  He had struggled to connect a fanbase with his distinct style of music and final straw came when it was revealed that his last single reached just number 69 in the charts, selling a paltry 7,000 copies.  Then on Tuesday, Shayne Ward, who was victorious in 2005 was let go by Simon Cowell.  Despite enjoying initial success in the early stages of his career, he had been out of the public eye for quite some time and inevitably, his comeback bid last year, failed with his new album failing to crack the top 10.

     It now means that four of the six winners of the show (not counting 2010 winner Matt Cardle) have now flopped after enjoying success on the show, ironically, all of them, the four male winners of the competition.  It should be said that now that Matt Cardle must get good luck for his album later in the year, because he’s going to need it!

     Only two winners have been able to crack the formula at being successful, Leona Lewis (2006) and Alexandra Burke (2008).  Both have since also been able to make a fortune internationally as well, proving that if you’ve got the talent, you can make it.  Unlike series 4 champion Leon Jackson who never stood a chance from day one and as for the first-ever winner Steve Brookstein.  WHO IS HE?  Never heard of him, would perhaps be the reaction if you asked somebody on the street nowadays.

SUCCESS: JLS have been the big winners of X-Factor

     As seen in the past, acts don’t need to win the show to make a path of glorified success.  JLS, runners-up to Alexandra in 2008 and truth be told, are in fact the most successful act in the show’s history with four number one singles and two number one albums to their name.  Fellow 2008 contestant Diana Vickers and 2009 runner-up Olly Murs have also enjoyed moderate success.  Other acts come and go quickly like G4 (2004), Chico (2005), Andy Abraham (2005), Rhydian Roberts (2007) and Same Difference (2007) but at least can be proud of achieving a tagline of “15 Minutes of Fame.”  Others will just be in it for the money, such as 2009 twins Jedward, who will be representing Ireland in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.  They don’t care how bad they are, they just want to make loads of profit.

     These acts can though count themselves lucky that they got their opportunity whilst others haven’t been able to.  Aiden Grimshaw suffered a shock departure in week six last year but still earned a private music deal whilst it’s a different case for popular figures Laura White and Lucie Jones.  Their early exits at the hands of Louis Walsh in 2008 and Simon Cowell in 2009 respectively ruined any chances of almost-certainly successful careers in music for these girls.  2010 nutter Wagner even stands a better chance of getting material out than them sadly.

     In truth, winning or being successful in The X-Factor and being a great music artist are definitely different kettles of fish.  It’s all a question of trying to maintain a style of music and hope that it’s something your supporters will be happy with.  It’s something that both McElderry and Ward didn’t deliver and has unfortunately led to their ultimate demises.

3D - How useful is it currently?

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

IN RECENT years, 3D has been more widespread than before.  It is a clear case that this is the future of television and film but the question is how useful is it really and is it the right time now to have it in place.

     The 3D transition began in early 2009 when cinemas began to screen movies, mostly animation or with CGI technology, in the digital picture.  As with the original form of the dimension, audiences need to wear a pair of glasses to watch the presentation or risk being fazed by a blurry screen.  Although this technology has driven more people into cinemas than before, the 3D effect has yet to be seen properly with only the mega 2009 adventure Avatar being successful in digital 3D.  Despite this, cinema advertisers are still putting in their faith by beginning to pay more for transferring their advertisements into the 3D picture.

     As for 3D television, this began by the launches of 3DTV sets last summer.  At first, this could only be used for Blu-ray discs with a 3D disc copy but in October, BSkyB jumped on the 3D bandwagon by launching Sky 3D.  The service is commonly used to simulcast sports events and movies in the format.  However, this effect only works in dark light, making the service seem pointless and confusing most times.

DODGY: It hasn't been a great start for the Nintendo 3DS

     Gaming has recently begun moving into 3D.  Nintendo launched the first console in 3D, the 3DS, based on their popular DS handheld.  It claims to portray 3D images without the need for glasses but this just doesn’t seem to work half the time.  Several people have called for refunds as it makes them feel unwell.  It won’t be too long however, until the next generation of consoles are released utilizing 3D technology.

     The answer to whether 3D is useful today in technology can’t be a straightforward answer.  However, it depends whether it is capable with the technology in hand.  Maybe we have to give 3D a year or two more at least before we can see whether this is the future of technology.

The Finishing Straight - China (by HappyDude88)

SHANGHAI 2011 will go down among the all-time F1 classics.  Alongside Monza 1969 and 1971, Monte Carlo 1982, Silverstone 1987, Spa 1998 and Suzuka 2005 – this race will utterly breathless from start to finish.  This was the day when the 2011 Formula 1 One World Championship totally came alive.

     This was the day when Red Bull Racing realised that if they don’t get their KERS issues sorted soon, they will lose both championships.  The only flaw in the Adrian Newey design is the tightly-packaged chassis, which means that KERS doesn’t have the room required to operate properly.  At least, they now have three weeks to sort it out.  My views on KERS are crystal clear – an expensive waste of time!  However, when it doesn’t work, it is costing nearly 0.5seconds a lap, so it is an essential tool to have.  Once again, both devices failed on Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber during the race and it was a KERS issue in morning practice on Saturday that started Webber’s qualifying mess too.  Red Bull can’t let the matter head into the European season undeveloped, especially with McLaren hot on their tails.

     Shanghai’s long backstraight is the second longest on the F1 calendar, and this meant that the DRS system came into its own.  The FIA’s decision to not allow the wing to be activated until halfway down the straight on Saturday morning seemed like a rather questionable move.  However, they got it spot on.  Unfortunately, the amount of overtaking seemed quite DRS based, unlike in Malaysia.  It is tough to criticise one of the greatest innovations of recent years in the sport.  However, the FIA still need to work on how to make the racing even better.  Either two opportunities a lap or for the defending driver to be given the chance to use the device have to be thought about between now and Istanbul. 

     Thank you Pirelli was David Coulthard’s final few words in his BBC commentary and he was spot on with those.  Bridgestone did give an impeccable service to F1 for fifteen years.  However, they never came up with a dynamic tyre and Canada aside last year, it made race strategy fairly non-existent.  Now, Pirelli have produced the perfect balance of a tyre that when it loses grip, that’s it – it’s game over, rather than the tyre coming back to life.  They also have produced a tyre which does have the ability to do more than ten laps at least, or even more – as in Sergio Perez’s case in Melbourne.  I predict a very sweet relationship between Pirelli and the teams for some time to come.

WRONG PIT: An embarrassing error from Jenson Button!

     Jenson Button’s elementary mistake of stopping in the wrong pit box was a blunder of the highest magnitude.  It is bad enough to see a rookie driver doing that, but this was a former world champion, completely caught out in a moment of crisis!  Button got what he deserved, as Vettel jumped him at the first round of pitstops.  The Red Bull mechanics should have been crafty and quickly removed a wheel from Button’s car, whilst they had the chance!  Unfortunately for Jenson, he struggled to hide his embarrassment afterwards.  It is one of those moments that will appear on blooper DVD’s at Christmas and the ‘What Happened Next’ round on A Question of Sport forever!  Having cut a chicane blatantly in Melbourne whilst trying to pass Felipe Massa there, this suggests that Button is feeling the heat more than ever this season.  Desperate and clumsy moves however will not will you championships, and Jenson should know that by now.

     Reliability continues to shock everyone and it is getting to the stage where there is general shock when a mechanical failure occurs.  If it wasn’t for a Toro Rosso mechanic failing to tighten up Jaime Alguesuari’s left-rear wheel at his first pitstop, every single car would have finished the 2011 Chinese Grand Prix.  It is a pretty mighty statistic.  The day of 8/9 cars finishing races seem to be a thing of the past.

SCRAP: Alonso chases old rival, Schumacher

     Felipe Massa is starting to rekindle some of the form that has been missing from his driving ever since that horrific qualifying crash in Hungary 2009.  Sixth place at the finish was a poor reward for the Brazilian, who drove exceptionally well and was right in contention for the victory until the last 12 laps.  For the third successive race, he beat Fernando Alonso off the startline and beat the Ferrari No.1 by 15 seconds, despite his tyres being completely finished for the final stint of the race.  It was a drive that Felipe can be proud of and if Ferrari’s designers get their act together and sort out their aerodynamic flaws, Massa will win races at least this season.  Alonso’s seventh place could be vital come the end of the season.  It may not sound like it now, but if he wins the title by six points – he will think back to this day.  Fernando drove as hard as he ever could and had a memorable dice with old adversary Michael Schumacher for most of the race.  However, he was lacklustre by his high standards and the way the likes of Webber, Button and Nico Rosberg cruised past his defensiveness Ferrari, must have surely made the Spaniard’s heart sink.  Ferrari needs to improve fast, if Fernando is going to stay in the title hunt.

     After their Malaysian nightmare, Mercedes GP pushed themselves right back into contention in China.  Nico Rosberg was a star all weekend; hauling his car upto fourth on the grid for the race and then leading a fair chunk of it.  Ross Brawn’s decision to put both cars on a three stop strategy almost paid off, had it not been for a fuel consumption problem on Rosberg’s car.  Fifth place at the end left Nico absolutely devastated.  He told BBC’s Lee McKenzie afterwards that it was a ‘horrible’ fifth place and looked incredibly disappointed.  No wonder, because this was Rosberg’s best chance to win a race for the first time and although his defence against Lewis Hamilton and Button was fairly feeble in the end, he drove impeccably throughout.  Nevertheless, despite Rosberg’s disappointment, the team can leave Shanghai with heads held high, with their season not completely destroyed yet.

BACKWARDS: Williams have dropped down the order alarmingly

     Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Williams.  Their car did at least bring two finishes for its drivers and Pastor Maldonado got some critical race mileage underneath his belt.  However, 13^th and 18^th place results are absolutely shocking, for a team that has fallen from grace spectacularly.  It could be a slim picking season and with Team Lotus beating Maldonado fair and square, in the shape of Heikki Kovalainen, Williams are in big danger of becoming the first team to become victim to Mike Gascoyne and Tony Fernandes ambitious and ever-improving team.  Even Gascoyne himself admitted that it was ‘unfortunately Williams’ that his team is targeting to overhaul.  It is a sad and sorry decline for a world championship winning team and I can’t imagine how Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head must be feeling; seeing their great team tumble into also-rans at the back of the field.  Also, a special mention for Jerome D’Ambrosio – who beat Timo Glock at Virgin Racing convincingly in both qualifying and race trim.  Whether it was Glock’s twin brother that showed up in Shanghai, it was a notable achievement for the rookie Belgian, considering the lack of equipment available to the Virgin Racing cars.

BOUNCING: Lewis Hamilton recovered in China, in stunning fashion

     The final part of this latest edition of the ‘Finishing Straight’ will focus on two drivers, who were the stars of the weekend.  Lewis Hamilton bounced back from his Malaysian disappointment in breathtaking fashion.  His shrewd gamble to sacrifice a front row position in qualifying and save a fresh set of option tyres for Sunday was a masterstroke.  As was the way he stayed composed in the cockpit, as the McLaren mechanics ran amok in the moments leading up to the start, desperately making emergency repairs to a flooded engine, thanks to an overfill of fuel in his car.  Hamilton channelled any frustration he may have had into driving fast and pulling off some bold manoeuvres on track.  His pass on Button in turn one won him the race and Jenson does deserve credit for spotting Hamilton at the last minute, otherwise an aeroplane crash would have occurred between the two McLaren drivers.  In the end, his race-winning move on Vettel was fairly straightforward, thanks to Sebastian’s lack of grip from his Pirelli tyres.  However, the tactics that Lewis used, to use KERS in a place where Vettel would be surprised of a possible attack, was genius.  This is the Lewis Hamilton we love and I hope we see more of it, not the moody figure we saw after the race in Kuala Lumpur.  Finally, there has to be a special mention for Mark Webber – who is my ‘driver of the day,’ only just edging out Hamilton.  15 laps in and his race was going absolutely nowhere, having been passed easily by Perez and Rubens Barrichello.  Webber was struggling in 17^th but after Ciaran Pilbeam’s blunder on Saturday by not switching the Aussie on the softer, faster tyre in qualifying, he turned it around himself on Sunday.  True, Webber had three sets of the option tyres available to him after his Q1 shock exit, but he used them to perfection and the team’s decision to start Mark on the prime, less faster tyre at the start reaped rewards.  Webber’s charge through the field was akin to Michael Schumacher’s at Imola in 2005.  That day, Schumacher was only beaten by a stoutly defensive drive from Alonso.  Here, I’m convinced Webber would have won if the race went on four laps longer.  His pace was amazing and it surely will give him the lift in confidence he badly needed after a troubled start to the season.

     What a race and what a start to the season.  For once, I’m glad we have a three week break before Istanbul, because Sunday’s events in Shanghai have taken a long time to digest.  It was a special Grand Prix and one that will never be forgotten by the avid F1 fanatics.  

FA Cup semi-final review - Potters v Rich Blues in Wembley showpiece

STOKE City and Manchester City will contest this season’s FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium next month.  This is after the pair overcame Bolton Wanderers and Manchester United in two interesting semi-finals at the home of English football at the weekend.

MOBBED: City players pile on Yaya Toure, after his winner

     Manchester City’s pain of not winning coveted silverware for so long could well be over and they managed to overcome bitter rivals Manchester United 1-0 in the first semi on Saturday evening.  Roberto Mancini’s side fully deserved to advance to the final, ending United’s treble dreams in the process.  The only goal of the game came ten minutes into the second half.  Michael Carrick made a crucial error and was intercepted by the bullish Yaya Toure.  Toure went on to brush off Nemanja Vidic and beat the advancing Edwin van der Sar to ink his name in City folklore forever.  It was another high-profile mistake from error-strewn Carrick, who despite having a better season this campaign, has the tendency to slip up at the critical moment.  As the game wore on, United’s desperation increased, clearly missing the suspended Wayne Rooney.  His replacement, Dimitar Berbatov had an off-day – missing two early chances for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.  They came within 20 seconds of one another.  The first forced a good save from Joe Hart, whilst the second was a chance his grandmother could have scored with her eyes shut!  How the Premier League’s top goalscorer missed with a gaping goal at his mercy, two yards out is enough to destroy anyone’s self-belief.  After the break, only a Nani free-kick forced Hart into some serious action as United toiled.  Paul Scholes was rightfully dismissed on 72 minutes.  His crude challenge on Pablo Zabaleta punished with a straight red card from referee Mike Dean.  Although an ugly confrontation between Rio Ferdinand and Mario Balotelli slightly marred the post-match celebrations of City, few can begrudge their supporters of an FA Cup final, despite the club’s enhanced wealth of recent seasons.

CLINCHER: Kenwyne Jones beats Jaaseklainen to end the contest

     Their opponents on the big day will be Stoke City, who thrashed Bolton Wanderers on Sunday afternoon 5-0.  The impressive Jonathan Walters scored twice to seal the Potters first ever FA Cup final appearance.  Owen Coyle was close to tears; struggling to take in just how poor his side had been.  Bolton choked on the big stage and this made it a trouble-free and delightful afternoon for Tony Pulis’s team, who recorded one of the biggest ever Wembley thrashings.  Matthew Etherington punished careless possession from Johan Elmander to hit an unstoppable drive past Juusi Jaaskelainen in the 11^th minute.  Moments later, Robert Huth doubled the lead, although Jaaskelainen might feel he could have done better with his shot.  As a contest, the game was well and truly over on the half hour mark, once Kenwyne Jones made it 3-0.  Bolton’s fans started deserting in their drones, unable to witness such a spanking.  Walters added the gloss with his two strikes in a man of the match performance after the interval.  Congratulations to both Stoke and Manchester City, hope you give us a wonderful final.

FA Barclays Premiership Report (16th - 17th April)

THE FA Cup semi-final action meant that Premiership fixtures were limited.  However, plenty of action took place that affected both ends of the table.  Three from six look likely to drop out of the league now, whilst a helping hand from Dirk might well have handed Manchester United another championship.

LAST: Kuyt's kick might well have finished Arsenal's challenge

    Arsenal’s latest slip up at home was against a well-drilled Liverpool outfit.  The amazing drama at the end of the game at the Emirates overshadowed the general lacklustre quality in this 1-1 draw.  During the match, Jamie Carragher was accidentally knocked out by young defender John Flanagan, which led to eight minutes of injury time.  In the seventh minute of these, Cesc Fabregas went down far too easily under Jay Spearing’s clumsy, but clean challenge.  Robin Van Persie coolly dispatched the penalty and it seemed to have kept the title race alive.  However, moments later, Emmanuel Eboue stupidly pushed Lucas in the back when Luis Suarez’s free-kick rebounded off the wall into the Gunners penalty area.  Eboue was distraught and Arsene Wenger left in complete disbelief.  Dirk Kuyt tucked away the spot kick with the last kick of the match to earn Liverpool a deserved point.  The contentious penalty decision led to some ill-feeling between Wenger and Kenny Dalglish, with the Sky Sports cameras picking up Dalglish telling Wenger to ‘P### off.’  Following Manchester United’s tame 0-0 stalemate at Newcastle last night, Arsenal now lie seven points adrift and almost out of the battle.  No more slip-ups can now be required from Wenger’s men.

     Blackpool slipped into the bottom three for the first time this season, after they were convincingly beaten 3-1 at home by relegation rivals Wigan Athletic.  The result means Wigan move out of the drop zone.  From the moment Craig Cathcart gave away possession sloppily from a free-kick, then slipped in the build-up to Hugo Rodallega’s second minute opener, the writing was on the wall for the Tangerines.  Yet again, Blackpool’s defending was absolutely atrocious as Wigan ran riot.  Charles N’Zogbia made it 2-0 on the stroke of half-time and a deflected effort from Mohammed Diame sealed the dominating result, despite DJ Campbell’s late consolation.

     Wigan moved out of the bottom three, at West Ham’s expense.  In a full-blooded scrap at Upton Park, Aston Villa stole all three points in the dying stages.  Their 2-1 win all but seals their Premiership safety, but leaves Avram Grant’s side staring at the abyss.  Robbie Keane produced a splendid start for the Hammers, driving them infront inside of two minutes.  Having pushed Carlton Cole in the back when the striker was clean through, Richard Dunne could have counted himself lucky to stay on the pitch.  As the game wore on, Villa got stronger and stronger and ultimately, deserved the win.  Darren Bent headed in Luke Young’s cross before half-time, after Mark Noble had been caught in possession.  Noble’s doziness was akin to an amateur painting a garden fence for the first time!  At the death, with the match set to finish honours even, Ashley Young’s teasing cross was headed in by Gabby Agbonlahor.  Amazingly, that it Agbonlahor’s first Premiership goal of what has been a frustrating season for the front man.    

CASH: Sebastian Larsson pounced on horrific defending for Birmingham

     Meantime, the Wearside worry for Sunderland continues.  Steve Bruce had a unhappy return to St. Andrews on Saturday, witnessing his old side Birmingham City beat his Black Cats 2-0.  Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was at fault for both goals.  The first came following a calamitous mix-up in communication between the Belgian and Phil Bardsley.  Sebastian Larsson sneaked it to open the scoring.  Mignolet then failed to keep out Craig Gardner’s wicked shot, which frankly – a Sunday League goalkeeper could have kept out.  Having lost eight of their last nine games, Sunderland could now well go down and the agony on chairman Niall Quinn’s face in the stands really told its own story.

     If Sunderland have problems, Blackburn’s are just as bad.  Steve Kean has only managed to oversee three wins in fifteen games as manager and the last time he tasted success was a 2-0 win over West Brom on January 23.  Even Richard Keys and Andy Gray were just about with Sky Sports at the time!  The latest dire result for Rovers was a 2-0 loss at Everton, which leaves them just two points above the drop zone.  What will worry Kean more was the horrific performance at Goodison Park.  Everton could have fielded a team of under 10’s and still beaten the senior Blackburn side at the weekend.  Leon Osman produced the breakthrough ten minutes into the second half and Leighton Baines dispatched a penalty after Phil Jones made a rash challenge on Seamus Coleman.

     Chelsea may have nothing to fight for now this season, but their league form since February has been mightily impressive.  They ended Roy Hodgson’s unbeaten run as West Brom boss, overcoming the Albion 3-1 at the Hawthorns.  However, Fernando Torres had a goal disallowed after coming off the subs bench and it means, the wait continues for his first Chelsea goal.  Peter Odemwingie did put the home side ahead, but Didier Drogba cancelled the advantage out almost immediately, when goalkeeper Scott Carson made a basic mistake.  Another fumble from Carson just five minutes later allowed Salomon Kalou to drill Chelsea ahead and Frank Lampard completed the scoring just before the interval, as he moved into double figures for his injury-ravaged season.  The win is Chelsea seventh in their last eight Premiership games.

     The race for the title might be all but over now, but the fight to stay up continues to take twists and turns and attention will switch to this end of the table now over the last month of the 2010/11 Premiership campaign.

2011 Chinese Grand Prix - Hamilton wins Shanghai stunner

BOWED: Hamilton accepts the plaudits after a great drive

A BETTER strategy and dynamic passing saw Lewis Hamilton triumph yesterday in the Chinese Grand Prix.  The McLaren driver pounced with fresher tyres to pass Sebastian Vettel with four laps to go, to earn his first win since last August’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa.  Vettel maintained his championship lead with a strong second, whilst Mark Webber put in the drive of his life to earn a podium finish from 18^th on the grid.  With stunning drives from the likes of Nico Rosberg and Felipe Massa too, Shanghai 2011 will go down as one of the all-time classics in F1 history.

     On Saturday afternoon, Vettel was 0.7seconds quicker than his closest opposition and it looked like he would probably walk it on raceday too.  Those hopes were quickly dashed by a sluggish start, which saw the champion outfoxed by the McLaren’s of Jenson Button and Hamilton.  Hamilton was even lucky to start the race, after an overflow of fuel flooded the engine and left some frenzied attention from the mechanics in the moments to the start.  Whilst the first stint was fairly uneventful, except for a wheel parting company from Jaime Alguesuari’s Toro Rosso, the race strategy and degradation of the Pirelli tyres turned this race into an absolute belter.

     The chaos began on lap 15 when Button and Vettel pitted together for their first pitstops.  Unbelievably, Jenson lost total concentration of his bearings and attempted to stop in the Red Bull pits!  It was a comical moment and Vettel was gifted the lead by this faux-pas.  That didn’t last long, as Mercedes had pitted earlier than anyone else, and bought both Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher right into contention.  Rosberg led and it soon became clear that managing tyres and a mixture of strategies would leave the outcome totally unpredictable.  Rosberg, Button and Hamilton would be three stopping, whilst Vettel and the flying Massa decided on a two stop race.

      In the end, the three stop route was by far the best choice.  Hamilton made a brave pass on his team-mate, which required a lot of corporation from Button into the first corner.  He then easily passed Rosberg, who was struggling to keep his fuel consumption under control.  Massa put in a brave attempt to hold off Hamilton, but the Ferrari’s lack of aerodynamic force meant the Brazilian was a sitting duck for Lewis.  He quickly caught Vettel and despite Vettel’s best efforts, the Brit used his KERS hybrid energy storage to pull alongside and pass the German into the fast-sweeping turn five and six on lap 52. 

CHARGE: Mark Webber attacks Michael Schumacher

     As Massa faded and Rosberg couldn’t keep up with his car issues, Webber suddenly came into the equation.  A nightmare engineering call by Ciaran Pilbeam had left the Aussie high and dry in Q1 on Saturday and his race looked over early on, when he struggled to overhaul the likes of Sergio Perez and Rubens Barrichello.  However, Webber did have three new sets of the softer, preferred tyre and after getting the initial prime tyre out of the way in his first stint, absolutely flew through the field.  With two laps to go, he overhauled Button to complete a sensational comeback and get a richly deserved podium.  Had the race been a few laps longer, Webber might even have won it.

     Button wasn’t quick enough when it counted and alongside his pitlane blunder, fourth place was the best he deserved.  Rosberg was very disappointed to finish fifth, considering he led a great chunk of the race.  It was also the last race for his engineer Jock Clear.  Clear, who was world championship engineer for Jacques Villeneuve in 1997 is moving into a backseat factory role after this event.  Massa performed well to come home sixth and probably deserved more, if he was on the right strategy.  Fernando Alonso was slow all afternoon and came home a very distant seventh, with a mysterious moment when his DRS was activated outside the overtaking zone his main highlight.  Alonso just about held off Schumacher, whilst the final points went to Renault’s Vitaly Petrov and Kamur Kobayashi in his Sauber.  Scotland’s Paul di Resta qualified a stunning eighth, but dropped back to 11^th, having struggled with tyres too.  Finally, a worthy mention for Team Lotus, who look set to break into the midfield scrap.  Jarno Trulli set a faster race lap than Alonso and Heikki Kovalainen finished a very creditable 16^th, outracing both Perez and Williams rookie Pastor Maldonado.

     File the 2011 Chinese Grand Prix into the archive of classic all-time Grand Prix events.  For Lewis Hamilton, it was the drive of his life and I think we all need three weeks before the Turkish Grand Prix at Istanbul to breathe again after this epic.  Thank you Pirelli for giving us such a new dynamic to this sport we love.  

ADELE's record-breaking run ends

ADELE’s incredible 11-week record run at the top of the album charts is finally over.  She was displaced last night by the Foo Fighters.

     Foo Fighters, who have sold over 4million albums in the UK since 1995 collected their third album number one with their seventh studio album, courtesy of ‘Wasting Light.’  It sold 114,000 copies in its first week, to see off ADELE’s record-breaking album ’21.’ 

RECORDS: '21' has changed the face of music in 2011

     Nevertheless, London born artist ADELE has taken the music world by storm in 2011 so far, and few would be surprised if she cleaned up at next year’s BRIT Awards.  ‘21’ has collected almost as many records as HMV!  A fortnight ago, ADELE’s album was named as the most downloaded ever on Amazon.  During her reign at the top, she also overtook Madonna’s run in staying at the top for so long.  She now holds the record for the most consecutive weeks at the top of the album chart ever for a solo artist.  ‘21’ was released on January 21 this year, so this highlights the domination that ADELE has had on the failing music album industry.

     Personally, I’ve not listened to the whole album, but I am a fan of ADELE’s music and her breathtaking performance of ‘Make You Feel My Love’ at this year’s BRITS was one of the best ever live performances I’ve ever seen from any musical act.  ‘Rolling in the Deep,’ which is the main multi-platinum hit on the album, is also a very catchy and addictive song.  She isn’t any stranger to success, having had a lot of critical acclaim for her first album, ’19,’ back in 2008.  This particular album was the breakthrough in ADELE’s career, with cracking songs such as ‘Hometown Glory’ and ‘Chasing Pavements.’  Now, she has followed it up with another masterpiece, and I’m confident that ADELE is going to have a very successful and lengthy career in music.  The album sounds stunning and I will be looking forward to listening to the whole of it, and seeing how good it really is. 

     Some don’t like ADELE, in fact; she’s almost the musical version of Marmite!  She is one of those artists who you are either going to love or hate.  However, her music speaks to me and I’m a massive fan.  Her record-breaking run may be over, but she has shattered the music record books and I’m delighted she has.  If you love ADELE, ‘21’ sounds like an absolute must-buy!    

UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals, 2nd leg review - No Miracles

IF A miracle worker is present in the world today, it didn’t turn up last week, as the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals turned out into nothing more than dull formalities.

CATCH ME: Rooney chases after Hernandez, as he breaks the deadlock

     The only quarter-final of interest that had something to play for was the all-English clash between Manchester United and Chelsea.  Ultimately, it was the Red Devils who comfortably prevailed in the tie; winning 2-1 on the night at Old Trafford and 3-1 on aggregate.  Carlo Ancelotti’s appaling tactical gamble in playing a totally new formation confused many Chelsea fans, and the West London club can have no complaints about their elimination this season.  Ancelotti might as well prepare to pick up his P45 at the end of the season, because surely Roman Abramovich will not accept a trophy less season at Stamford Bridge.  Javier Hernandez put the home side infront and only when Ramires was sent off for two clumsy challenges did Chelsea ever look like scoring.  Fernando Torres’s selection ahead of Didier Drogba was startling, and Drogba made his point by equalising in the 73^rd minute and giving the visitors some faint hope.  That disappeared less than a minute later, as United went up the other end and replied in kind through Ji-Sung Park.  The treble dream may be over now, after the weekend events in the FA Cup, but a rich double still awaits Sir Alex Ferguson this season.  Schalke 04 stand in the way of Ferguson and Wembley, after winning 2-1 against Inter Milan in Gelsenkirchen, to complete a highly impressive 7-3 win on aggregate against the defending champions.  There was another goal for the evergreen Raul, who now has 71 goals in UEFA Champions League history.  Thiago Motta was dismissed for two yellow cards, completing a miserable fortnight for Inter, who have also seen their chances of retaining their Serie A title going up in smoke.  Leonardo is an adequate replacement for the unpopular Rafa Benitez, but he’s no Jose Mourinho!

OH DEAR: Another clanger from unreliable Gomes finished off Spurs

     Meanwhile, Mourinho seemed delighted to be back in England and returned to Spain, having guided Real Madrid to their first semi-final in the competition since 2002.  Madrid beat Tottenham 1-0 at White Hart Lane last Wednesday to seal an ‘El Classico’ semi-final with Barcelona.  The previous evening, Barcelona had won by the same scoreline against a hard-working Shakhtar Donetsk side, with Lionel Messi on target.  In North London, Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal was the difference.  However, his shot was horribly dropped into his own net by bumbling Hereulho Gomes.  Gomes has cost his side three goals in this quarter-final showdown and I’m afraid to say, doesn’t cut it at this level for me.  If he can’t catch a football, then he has no hope!  Despite the damp exit, Tottenham have captivated everyone in Europe this season and I hope we will see them again next season, because the Champions League needs sides like Harry Redknapp’s.

     Next week sees the first leg of the semi-finals and now just four teams remain.  Can Schalke 04 cause a shock against Manchester United and will the Mourinho magic shine again against Barcelona?  Posing questions, but the final four all deserve to be here and have shown a lot of quality and mental strength in getting to this stage.  Bring on the semis! 

Plato walks away from high-speed crash

British Touring Car champion and presenter of Channel Five motoring show Fifth Gear, Jason Plato walked away unscathed from a dramatic and scary-looking crash this afternoon at Donington Park.

     Plato, driving a Chevrolet Cruize was clipped by the Airwaves Ford of Liam Griffin just moments into the start of the second of the day's three race meetings.  The most successful driver in BTCC history was powerless to prevent his car careering into the gravel trap, before submerging a grass bank at the high-speed Craner Curves.  Although he hit the bank at an acute angle, his car flipped into a serious of dramatic barrel-rolls, before coming to rest in the pit.

     The defending champion, who was trying to salvage something from a disappointing meeting, having had his first race ruined by a puncture, unbuckled himself from the wreckage of his Chevrolet and walked away uninjured, to the relief of his wife, family and team.  The car was completely destroyed however.

     However, less than four hours later, the mechanics did an amazing repair job to get their man out for the final event of the day and Plato charged through to a stunning sixth place finish.

     Who said motor racing drivers had no brains?  After this, there is one thing that Jason Plato has and that's plenty of courage after walking away from one of the most dramatic crashes in the history of the British Touring Car Championship.

F1 classic races - China

     

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 China between 2004 and 2010.  Enjoy the archive!

2004

WINNER: Rubens Barrichello (Ferrari), 2^nd: Jenson Button (BAR Honda), 3^rd: Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren Mercedes)

F1’s first visit to China came in September 2004.  The Chinese put on an impressive show for Bernie Ecclestone and a worldwide television audience and Rubens Barrichello stepped out of the shadows of Michael Schumacher to record back-to-back wins.  Schumacher had a nightmare weekend in Shanghai.  He threw away the chance of an all-Ferrari front row by chucking his car into the scenery during qualifying.  On raceday, the German slammed straight into the side of Christian Klien, eliminating the Austrian, endured a wild spin, and then collected a puncture.  Despite setting fastest lap, 12^th was the best he could manage.  His brother Ralf annoyed his Williams team by refusing to return to the event in protest of having to make way for his team-mate’s second pitstop.  Schuey Jnr was eliminated in a clash with David Coulthard.  McLaren attempted to win the race, by employing an aggressive strategy for Kimi Raikkonen, but it cost them second place to Jenson Button’s two-stopping BAR Honda.

2005

WINNER: Fernando Alonso (Renault), 2^nd: Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren Mercedes), 3^rd: Ralf Schumacher (Toyota)

Fernando Alonso clinched the constructor’s championship with Renault, ending the V10 era on a high in the 2005 season finale.  He dominated from start-to-finish, despite two Safety Cars.  The first was for a drain gully coming up on Turn 10, which was hit by Juan Pablo Montoya’s McLaren.  Suspension damage and engine trouble finished Montoya’s day.  The second pace car was to recover the Jordan of Narain Karthikeyan, who had a spectacular accident on the last appearance for the Jordan team name.  Michael Schumacher had a day to forget, dwindling into the path of Christjian Albers Minardi on the way to the grid, causing one of the strangest crashes of the entire season.  He then spun off warming his tyres up during a Safety Car period.  Kimi Raikkonen was second and Ralf Schumacher claimed a surprising podium for the Toyota team.

2006

WINNER: Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), 2^nd: Fernando Alonso (Renault), 3^rd: Giancarlo Fisichella (Renault)

OVERJOYED: Schumacher overcame all the odds to win in 2006

As it stands, this was Michael Schumacher’s 91^st and last F1 win.  On a wet day in China, Schumacher overcame an inferior car/tyre package to take the lead in the 2006 title race.  Having started on pole position, Fernando Alonso cruised into a 15 second lead in the early stages.  However, Renault decided to keep his old tyres on at his first pitstop, which cost them dearly.  Alonso’s lead was gobbled up by team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella and Schumacher.  He was powerless to resist the pair and a sticky wheel nut at his second stop finished his victory chances.  Schumacher jumped Fisichella at the second stops to record a famous win, one of his greatest in his distinguished career.  Kimi Raikkonen would have been in the shake-up at the end, but for a throttle actuator problem.  A chaotic final lap saw Rubens Barrichello shunt into Nick Heidfeld’s BMW Sauber on the penultimate corner.  This handed Jenson Button and Pedro de la Rosa fourth and fifth, whilst a wingless Barrichello crossed the line sixth and Heidfeld was classified seventh.

2007

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

AGONY: Hamilton walks away, after his 07 DNF

This was meant to be the day that Lewis Hamilton completed the fairytale and wrapped up the championship in this, his rookie season.  However, it ended to be the day that his championship bid came off the rails.  Despite starting on pole, Hamilton’s tyres completely disintegrated down to the canvas.  Agony followed, as he came in for fresh tyres, the McLaren slid into the gravel and got beached in the pitlane entry.  Kimi Raikkonen went onto win the race, ahead of Fernando Alonso to ensure a three-way championship battle heading to the final duel in Brazil.  Sebastian Vettel and Vitantonio Liuzzi scored the best ever finish for the Scuderia Toro Rosso team; earning fourth and sixth place finishes for the Italian team from Farenza.  Jenson Button’s fifth place result was the best of the season for the beleaguered Honda squad.

2009

WINNER: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing Renault), 2^nd: Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing Renault), 3^rd: Jenson Button (Brawn Mercedes)

A very wet day and Shanghai 2009 was the start of the Red Bull revolution.  Sebastian Vettel clinched pole position on Saturday, despite driveshaft issues.  On Sunday, he drove impeccably in conditions that got worse with each passing lap.  He led Mark Webber home to a 1-2 finish, the first victory for Red Bull Racing.  Jenson Button earnt himself third place to keep his command on the early stages of the 2009 championship, with Rubens Barrichello holding off Heikki Kovalainen’s McLaren to finish fourth.  Force India lost their chance to secure championship points for the first time when Adrian Sutil aquaplaned into the barriers with only five laps to go, throwing away three points with it.  Ferrari remained without a point, after Felipe Massa retired due to a fuel pressure problem, and Kimi Raikkonen could only muster a very poor tenth. 

2010

WINNER: Jenson Button (McLaren Mercedes), 2^nd: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes), 3^rd: Nico Rosberg (Mercedes GP)

Last season saw the first British 1-2 since Silverstone 1999 in another wet Chinese Grand Prix.  Jenson Button made a couple of brilliant tactical decisions to stay out on the track when an early rain shower arrived.  This meant the world champion won his second race for McLaren in only four events for his new team.  Lewis Hamilton produced an aggressive drive to seal McLaren’s first maximum score since Monza 2007.  Nico Rosberg recorded a second successive rostrum for Mercedes GP, having led the early stages.  Having started on the front row of the grid together, it was a bad day for Red Bull Racing.  Some shocking pitstops left Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber hobbled down the order in sixth and eighth come the chequered flag.  Despite a blatant jumpstart, Fernando Alonso came home in a strong fourth for Ferrari, whilst another former champion, Michael Schumacher struggled with his car all day and could only gain a point for his hard-working efforts.