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Well almost ready for Christmas - just have time to give some thoughts over the last weeks activities within our national game. 

First up Wenger.  The guys has clearly shown his true colours this season. It’s easy to appear calm and serene when things are going well, but as soon as Arsenal start to lose a few games, then he loses his rag, blaming everybody from the opposition to the officials.  Everybody that is except for his own players!  It’s amazing how when somebody kicks or fouls one of his players and he thinks a free kick or penalty is due, he can see it no matter where it happens on the pitch.  But if one of his own players should take a dive or commit a foul in front of the dug out he is always “unsighted”.  I would love to see him challenged on that in a post match interview - that would be a great Christmas present.

The “Chose One” has also shown both of his faces this week.  With Drogba and Roben in his team, not to mention Joe Cole getting falling over a little  too easily this season, he has the nerve and audacity to explode with rage at the site of Andy Johnson taking a tumble in the box. This only 7 days after the Drogba/Lehman pantomime.  Let him without sin cast the first stone and all that good stuff.  Get your own house in order first Jose.  He did at least after reviewing the footage issue a full apology.  I understand though that this was due in the main to the threat of legal action.  He did try want to issue the apology in private but was forced to eat some humble pie in front of the cameras.  Here’s an idea.  why don’t the premiership managers get together and give us all a present for Christmas and issue a statement saying they will drop any player that dives and if it happens twice they will look to transfer them.  A nice thought but there is probably more chance of England winning the Ashes series then that happening…

Finally, the probe into the bung culture within the premiership.  9 months of inquiry only to have it whitewashed at the end so as not to discredit the game.  Everybody knows it goes on and so the game is already in disrepute.  It would therefore be better to cut this cancer from the game once and for all no matter how deep it goes - look at the way the Italians dealt with the match fixing problem.  Unfortunately I’m not sure the Premiership would have taken the same solution to the problem, especially if the “Big 4″ were involved.  There is already too much money in the game, but unfortunately there will never be enough for some managers, agents and players.

So i woke up on Sunday morning reasonably hung over following the hockey club Christmas party and considered leaping out of bed to watch England’s demise. Instead I lay there for an hour or so drifting in an out of sleep before being tempted downstairs by a cup of tea.  Flicking the TV on and squinting at the screen I thought I was still drunk whenI realised that Cook was still at the crease.  Another few seconds and I realised that KP was at the other end and we were only 3 down.  Wow - could we still do it?  I sat back to watch the final 8 overs of the day, chanting what all England fans will have been chanting “please get to the close of play without losing a wicket”.  Sadly it wasn’t to be, and when Cook went, and Hoggard trudged out like a lamb to the slaughter you just knew we would be at least 5 down before close.  The subsequent dismissal of Hoggard raises the age old question, which nobody has been able to answer for me.  “Why bother with a night watchman?”  By virtue of being a lower order batsman, surely he has less chance of surviving then somebody with more batting talent?  All we did as far as I can see is give another wicket away.  But that’s an arguement that will rage on - we are not the only side to do it afterall.

Monday morning saw me up at 6:45 and turn the TV on with the expectation that it would all be over.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that England were still batting and not only that but KP and Flintoff were still in.  I was a bit puzzled by the fact that they were only 8 overs in, and that  they kept referring to the first few balls of the day and the morning session.  Maybe against all the odds the rain dance I attempted whilst drunk on Saturday night had actually worked.  And then I noticed it.  Top right hand corner just under the Sky Sports logo.  Where it normally says “Live” was the word “Replay”.  England had failed to bat the day, and must have failed to bat until tea even.  That took the edge off of watching Flintoff’s little cameo, knowing that despite the Ozzies looking a little worried, that we had failed.  I did watch a couple more wickets tumble and Jones finish his test career in seasonably pantomime style, before turning it off.  No doubt there will be excuses from all quarters, and yes, despite what Healy said in the commentary box, England have had a poor run of umpires decisions.  However, the team and selectors only have themselves to blame.  Let the inevitable inquest begin….

What on earth is going on with Rocket Ronnie.  Known to be a a little volatile he walked out of his quarter final match yesterday conceding after missing a red, while already trailing 4-1.  As the match was best of 17, there was still a lot of snooker left to play.  All he did was confound Stephen Hendry his opponent and upset his army of fans who had paid good money to see him.

Ronnie is undoubtedly a genius but as with many he has a flaw in his make up somewhere - put him in the category as George Best, Paul Gascoigne et al unfortunately.  If he really is not enjoying the game he should take some time out as John Parrot suggests.  Although contrite over the incidence he can’t let the game, his fans or himself down like that again.

Well we were still batting when I woke up - but only just.  I got to see the last 4 balls and Engalnd fail to post a lead.  When Hoggard took Langer with a pearler first ball up I thought it might get interesting with Hayden looking a bit nervous.  Then too many loose balls from Harmison and both batsmen play themselves in and even me who is the most optimistic of Engalnd supporters is starting to get that sick feeling again.  I reckon the Ozzies will post a lead of somewhere around 400 and we will fall over for about 150.  Look how much spin Pieterson was getting - Warne will be licking his lips.  Highlight for me other than the first ball?  KP asking Hayden to try and hit him..

Well it warmed the cockles to turn the TV on this morning and see the Ozzies on the back foot for once, and a replay of Harmison with arms raised having trapped Tricky Ricky.  This was especially heart warming as a I had a dream/nightmare that the alarm went off and the radio came on with the news that Australia were 264/2.  Fortunately that was just a dream.

Monty has bowled well and got his five wickets, but let’s not get carried away.  He hasn’t bowled THAT well, and has probably got at least 2 maybe 3 wickets with batsmen trying to attack him - still miles better than Gilo!
Even chasing a relatively modest total of 244 (what would they do without the immovable force which is Hussey?), as every Englishman knows, we can’t afford to get complacent or cocky.  And so it proved in a case of anything you can do we can do at least as well and more often than not better, with England losing 2 quick wickets.  The game finely balanced, and if England are still batting when I get up tomorrow, I’ll be amazed!

Well after the Ryder Cup there was talk that there would only be one winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.  With all the drama and emotion following the death of his wife it appeared that Darren Clarke was a dead cert.  However, he was out gunned by Zara Phillips who scooped a massive third of the votes and in my opinion derservedly so.  I have the utmost sympathy with Clarke and his situation but think that the award should really be for sporting achievement and Zara has by far and away eclipsed Darren within her own sport.  I did notice however, that the front page of the News of the World yesterday was a story that Clarke has already found himself a new partner - interesting timing I would suggest given the most of the votes would have been cast yesterday evening…

Ok.  So we seem incapable of beating the Australians at Cricket, but who says we can’t beat the Amercians at their own game of 9 ball pool.  Obviously when I say “we” I mean “Europe”.  The Mosconi Cup is the Ryder Cup of 9 Ball Pool and is a quick fire and exciting version of Englsih 8 ball pool.  For those of you that haven’t seen it before it’s well worth tuning in for with the tournament starting today.  The UK are represented by Imran Majid currently ranked 3 in Europe and making his Mosconi Cup debut.  In the 12 year history of this event, Europe have only won it twice, but we could do with some good news this side of the Atlantic!

Words fail me.  I stayed up to watch the first 10 overs last night (or shoud I say this morning), in the optimistic belief that England would try and score a quick 200 or so and put themselves in an unassailable lead, and give themselves a small chance of knocking the Ozzies over in 30-40 overs.  I realised I had been over optimistic when watching KP being interviewed before the start.  It appears England had decided a draw was a good result and they would be trying to bat for 90 overs.  Still I didn’t believe it and watched with anticipation waiting for them to start scoring at 4 maybe even 5 an over.  But no.  After 10 overs we had scored a massive 10 runs and it was time to go to bed in the knowledge that a draw was all we were going to get.

Then I got up and turned the radio on to hear there had been a “thrilling result” in Adelaide and I had that sick feeling in my stomach.  I rushed to turn on Sky in time to see the score card and realise the Old England had returned.

Having got themselves into a position where they seemingly couldn’t lose, they bizarrely changed tactics against Warne who was struggling to get much out of the pitch.  Despite talking about attacking him before the series began and having done so effectively in the first innings they elected to try and defend him.  History has show there is only one result when that happens.  We don’t score any runs and he takes wickets eventually.  But having said that, to collapse for 129 is totally inforgivable.  This was made even worse when the Ozzies showed that scoring at 4 and more an over was possible even on a 5 day old pitch and batting last, rattling off enough runs with 3 overs and 6 wickets to spare.  Now if England had lost attacking and trying to force a  result it would be forgiveable to some degree, but to lose trying to force a draw is so embarrassing that I can’t think of the right word.

I would have preferred them to shove KP and/or Freddy up the order and go attack the Ozzies for 10 overs and see what happened.  If they went cheaply they could have then sent  Colly and Bell in to play out some time.  If they had scored the runs then they could have given Giles, Harmison and Anserson some time with the ball, when there was no pressure to find some rhythm, whilst resting Hoggard and Flintoff. 

As it happened it appears they had no real plan of what to do, unless they really did think they could block and sit tight for 90 overs and bore the Ozzies into submission.  Let’s hope they can pick themselves up for Perth, otherwise we could be staring down the barrel of 5-0.  If they do manage to win the next test, then we may actually have an excitng end to the series.  That’s a big “IF”

Stayed up late on Saturday night to watch the first couple of hours of day 3 and then got up early this morning in the vain hope that England might be pushing for some kind of result at the end of day 4.  The game might still produce a result if either Warne takes some quick wickets or England up the run rate and leave themselves enough  time to put Australia under pressure.  Neither seem likely and it looks like heading for a draw, but stranger things have happened and I might be in for a late night/early morning just in case.

The most important thing that Freddy could have done was win the toss at Adelaide and that’s exactly whathe did, although Strauss and Cooke still managed to get England off to a somewhat shaky start.  Then enter the boys Collingwood and Pieterson and a record partnership of 301 for the 4th wicket with Colly making a double hundred.  Bring it on.  I stayed up with the intention of watching the first 10 overs but when they brought the Old Man McGrath on (after not giving him the new ball), and he started disappearing to all parts of the ground I felt it worth an extra 20 mins or so.

I wonder if McGrath is injured and has blagged his way into the side?  Time will tell and no doubt there will be some fall out should England go on to win and it turns out he is not 100% fit as he promised.  Having declared Freddy then took Langers wicket with a wicked delivery just before the close to leave the Ozzies reeling on 28/1 and England well on top.  Lets hope they push home the advantage and level the series.