The Weekend’s Sport
Well done to the England football team for thrashing the mighty Andorra 5-0 - McClaren and Terry must be wondering what all the fuss is about when people talk about the pressure of managing and captaining your country, with 9 goals in 2 games. Seriously though it was talked about on Saturday by Motson and Lawrenson, but there must be a case for having a pre-qualifier for the minnows of football e.g. San Marino, Faro Islands (well done Scotland by the way for avoiding that banana skin!), and Andorra obviously. It can’t be any fun for these guys to turn out knowing they are going to get thrashed - I guess there is an arguement for saying that like the FA Cup there is a chance of giant killing but I think at International level the gap is too great and it would be better for everybody involved to make them qualify.
Talking about pressure, how stressed did Ian Woosnam look at his Press Conference yesterday, when announcing his wild card picks? Now there is a guy who looks like he wont be sleeping much in the next 3 weeks. I personally don’t think he waited until a “few minutes before” to make his decision - my understanding is that he asked Westwood to play this weekend despite him having some kind of virus. That suggests to me that he wanted to pick him but though it might be difficult if he didn’t play - then bearing in mind the relationshiop he has with Clark it was a full gone conclusion that he would pick him as well. Morally given the circumstances as well as professionally this seems to me to be the right decision - what are the odds on Clark sinking the winning putt do you think?
After the excitement of the Ryder Cup announcement and the play off for the International Open (refreshing to see a competition for once!), I tuned in later that night to watch Murray qualify for the quarter final of the US Open. As much as I support and love to see British athletes in any sport succeed, am I the only one who finds it difficult to get behind Andy Murray? As I watched last night, I found myself torn although ultimately admiring his peformance. I tried to put my finger on the reason for this - I finally put it down to his anti-English comments during the World Cup. I can’t fault his patriotism one iota but I bet if asked he would call himself Scottish rather than British, and that is what I find hard to take. I personally have always got behind Scottish sports men and women, and even the Scottish football team, but find it difficult with Murray.
Fraser