Professional Documents
Culture Documents
@theterrace
December 2012
Terrace
Chelsea left red-faceD
Clattenburg told he has no case to answer after racist allegations
CONTENTS
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EDITOR
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we look into who could replace terry at the heart of Englands defence page 4 king of the dons Sporting heroics
the dons continue their win streak after defeating afc
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Dont be blue
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bedford blues rugby club are is kevin still welcome in the looking to return strong england changing rooms?
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all sporting years, there has been an immeasurable leap forward. The countrys biggest talking point this year has been welcoming the world to London and watching the games with them. Theres no other stage like it. Even for people like me, who gave up on tickets when the sites failed, it was engrossing viewing. At the very least it was certainly a hollow feeling when the TV channels reverted to stuff like Doctors and Eastenders, as if the Olympics had never happened. Thank you for reading and enjoy the magazine.
Charles crook
e 24
Rocket man
Felix shows the world how to sky dive properly
content editor
football
Charles crook investigates why football is having its name dragged through the mud
Meetings between Chelsea and Manchester United have also provided a pair of poisonous instances. While the Chelsea fan caught making obscene gestures at Danny Welbeck was caught making a terrible error in judgement that is asking for punishment, its the allegations against John Obi Mikel that are causing major trouble. Referee Mark Clattenburg was accused of racism against the Nigerian midfielder during a bad tempered game where the official controversially dismissed a pair of Chelsea players and allowed an offside United winner. bast that detracts from the sporting action. It all makes an uncomfortable time for the sport at a time its position as the countrys biggest sport is under pressure more than ever. The Olympics have provided a great feel good factor and football seems to be finding the challenge of keeping it going on too much. There are still games that get people excited the faintly preposterous victory for Arsenal at Reading in the League Cup was one of many exciting games in that competition this year. What could help the sport though is focusing on the action rather than willingly losing itself in baggage beyond the sport every weekend.
This scandal has led into a hugely unhelpful saga and has big recrimination. If the referee had been found guilty it would have ended his career. But now he has been found innocent it raises severe questions about the behaviour of the European champions, not least given the trigger-happy tendencies of their owner. Also unwelcome was the return of the hooliganism that plagued the game in the 80s. The incident at Sheffield Wednesday when a Leeds fan pushed down the Wednesday keeper was bad enough, but the end of the Manchester Derby saw Rio Ferdinand struck by a coin and a fan arrested after trying to fight him. Fan behaviour has been questionable, as aggressive chanting is as much a part of the experience. But crossing over back into hooliganism helps nobody. The action itself has been offset by more irritation, with referee standards, diving and player behaviour an almost-weekly recurrence in talking points columns. We all like a debate on this sort of thing but after a while it reaches an almost hysterical level of bom-
football
Liam andrews explains what it is thats making our men in the middle so immensely unpopular
ThIS season more than ever it feels like referees are getting too many big decisions wrong and influencing games in the wrong way. Many Premier League managers including Liverpools Brendan Rodgers and Roberto Martinez of Wigan have criticised referees already this season. Martinez was fined 10,000 by the Football Association for bemoaning Danny Welbecks dive that earned Manchester United a penalty against his club September, having previously got in trouble for comments. And Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers contacted referees chief Mike Riley to complain about how many decisions have gone against his side this season. ger teams like Chelsea and Arsenal get the favourable refereeing decisions more often. Why is it that managers will be sacked if they make mistakes, and players are dropped, but referees get away without any punishment? If there is a controversial decision in a game surely the referee should be made to come out and explain why he made the decision, like managers are forced to have Press Conferences. however, let us not forget that the most famous controversial refereeing decision of all time happened 26 years ago in the 1986 FIFA World Cup; Diego Maradonas hand of God. So has the standard of refereeing actually worsened, or has it just always been poor? AFC Rushden and Diamonds midfielder Louis Smith agrees that referees are just not good enough, he also suggests that they havent got worse, but they havent got any better. he said: I wouldnt say the standards of refereeing in England have dropped, but they have never progressed and improved. The standards of refereeing in England have always been the same for me. They (the standards) havent progressed as there arent enough young people coming forward and wanting to become referees. Kids and teenagers want to play football not referee so its hard for the FA to entice
the press, fans, players and managers so it makes the job of a referee even tougher. A stats website, DebatableDecisions. com, claims that Arsenal have already been given 4 favourable incorrect deci-
It could be suggested that referees are influenced by the huge reputation of managers such as Sir Alex Ferguson which has led to fan terms such as Fergie Time, which is the belief that the United manager is in control of how much added time is given at the end of a game. But smaller clubs normally complain big-
they arent fit enough to keep up with the game, on occasions this has been down to the age of the referee
the next generation of referees. With the introduction of 5th and 6th officials in European games and also goal-line technology set to come into place, it looks like FIFA are trying to help referees and take the pressure off of them. Despite their continuing stance that they want the referee to control all of the game and not take the power away from them, it is clear that something needs improving. Louis Smith told me that he has experienced lots of bad refereeing during his young career and believes that many things can be done to improve it.
he said, A lot can be done to improve the refereeing in my eyes. Big names in football need to promote refereeing to get more people involved, the more people involved the better. Fitness and age are huge factors for me, When Ive had bad experiences with refs its usually as they arent fit enough to keep up with the game, on occasions this has been down to the age of the referee. Smith also argues referees need to have experience playing the game to help them establish control. he explained, The refs also need to know how to use their authority on the pitch, because they hold the cards doesnt mean they need to constantly remind the players of this, they need to help the players, let the game flow. For me the best referees are the referees that have played football from a young age, so they understand the game and they can see it from the players perspective. It could be argued that it was difficult to prove if a referee had made a bad mistake
30 years ago because they did not have the technology to prove it. Where as in modern times, every decision the referee makes is scrutinised by
If decisions are clearly wrong, even if the referee has seen it, then retrospective action should be taken against clubs and players
sions for them by referees this season, as of when we went to press. The same site also suggests that Everton are the most hard done by team, with a massive 7 refereeing mistakes against them this season costing them vital points. It is clear that referees are having a huge impact on football matches, and often its the wrong decision. Despite this it could also be argued that cheating players are not helping their cause. More players look to be trying to cheat the refs into giving decisions and a lot of refs seem to be buying it. The conclusion here is that referees should have to explain debatable decisions to the press when they occur. If decisions are clearly wrong, even if the referee has seen it, then retrospective action should be taken against clubs and players. And finally, referees should be punished for making the wrong decisions because it is their job to get decisions right and they should only give something if they are 100% sure.
football
IT seems that every weekend that passes there is yet again another controversial goal line decision. Why is it that in the year 2012 the introduction of goal line technology has still not been brought into the game? Sports such as tennis and cricket have both been successfully using similar technology for years, being able to review decisions within seconds. Football however seems to be stuck in its old ways when it comes to technology. Finally this looks to be changing however thanks to the International Football Association Boards approval of goal line technology. The technology will be introduced at the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup. It may be a while before we see a large scale introduction into the English game however. The Premier League has stated that it wants the introduction of this technology as soon as it is possible. This means that it could be introduced at some point during the 2012-2013 season. it is currently unclear when exactly it will be implemented but it seems like progress at last. Some systems have already been trialled in the game, the international friendly between England and Belgium earlier this year. It has also been suggested that trials take place during this seasons FA Cup semifinals. Systems such as hawk-Eye and GoalRef are the most likely goal line systems to be introduced. The two systems have been approved for use by FIFA by matching their criteria. hawk-Eye is a computer system that uses technology to track the trajectory of the ball and display its likely path as a moving image. Cameras are set up a various points around the stadium in order to read the path of the ball. hawk-Eye has proven success in tennis and cricket. Once a decision has been made by hawk-Eye information is sent straight to the match officials within seconds, meaning that no time is wasted standing around looking at monitors. Trouble may be caused when there are bodies blocking the cameras view of the ball. GoalRef is a slightly different system that relies on magnetic fields rather than cameras. A chip is inserted into the middle of the ball with electronic probes between the chip and the outer edge of the ball. Sensors are placed inside the posts and the crossbar these produce electronic waves. When the ball crosses the line a signal is sent to the referee almost instantly. Unlike hawk-Eye the decision isnt affected by anything covering the ball and a verdict can be made regardless. There have been several major examples where goal line technology would have changed matches, one instance being in 2005 when Tottenham played Manchester United in a Premier League match. Tottenham player Pedro Mendes shot from 50 yards and Manchester United goalkeeper Roy Carroll fumbled the ball over a meter over the line. This would have led to Tottenham winning the game, but because the referee did not see it cross the line the goal was not awarded, costing Tottenham a vital three points. One of the most notable incidents of where goal line technology was needed was the FIFA World Cup match between England and Germany in 2010 involving Frank Lampard. Lampards shot deflected off the crossbar and over the line but bounced back out. This would have tied the game up at 2-2 and perhaps the game would have been different. The introduction of technology into the game would stop many of these decisions over-shadowing a teams performance and unfairly affecting the outcome of games. Not only will it take the weight off of referees many of them feel that goal line technology will make officiating a game a lot easier and will ease pressure from the other officials. They are normally the first to take the brunt of abuse, even if it wasnt clear a goal should have been awarded.
football
Phil jagielka
This versatile Everton centre half is a strong candidate to fill the void, but time might be against him as he has just turned 30 years old and is relatively injury prone. he can however provide good cover for the new centre half when he is injured. What could help him get a chance to be the number one centre back is the fact that he has a good understanding with the his former Toffees team mate Joleon Lescott who is virtually assured of a place in the England First XI . The pair shut out Spain in a friendly in November 2011 and England have won all but one of the four games in which they have started alongside each other.
Joleon lescott
johns gone
So who have england got to replace the boss of the back four?
Vastly experienced centre back who has played in top flight for many years. he has a great understanding with his former team mate Jagielka so this could be start of a great new partnership. Lescott has the experience of playing in very high profile matches in the Champions League and Euro 2012 so his incredible talent wont be lost on the side. he has to hope that he starts week in week out for Manchester City and then his starting place in the England XI is virtually assured.
Phil jones
A great young centre half who has represented England at various levels. he is currently plying his trade at Manchester United after signing from Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2011. he is a vastly talented player, but need to stay injury free if he is going to be the long term successor. At the tender age of 20, he has plenty of years ahead of him. he could be one of the players to watch out for in the next World Cup in Brazil in the summer of 2016.
gary cahill
This is probably the mostly likely option for Roy hodgson to go for as he is yet to reach his prime and is only 26. Therefore he has many years ahead of him. One thing that could go in his favour is the fact that he plays in central defence for Chelsea and produced some great performances in the Champions League which helped make them Champions of Europe. he is definitely going to be one of the main competitors to fill the void.
Chris smalling
Vastly inexperienced centre half who needs to play more for his club if he wants to get back into the England First Team. he has been injured since July 2012 after series of metatarsal and groin injuries. If he is going to get back into the team, then he is going to have to work very hard, because he has lost time and other players have moved ahead of him in the list. Nevertheless, his great potential means he is another one to watch for the future.
football
ThE England managerial job is always the pinnacle of an English mangers career. Roy hodgson has had a long career that has got him the role. But there are many managers who with the right results at football clubs could have potential to be a future England manager. Nigel Adkins, 47: Currently manager of Southampton in the Premier League, Adkins has won back to back promotions from League One and the Championship. With Southampton back in the top flight of English football, now is Adkins time to prove at a higher level of English football he is capable of stabilising a football club. To do so he must secure early avoidance from relegation this season. Once this is achieved his next move should be to lay foundations at the football club so they can sustain their tenancy in the Premier League, replicating the job done by Tony Pulis at Stoke. Doing this would mean looking at his youth intake of players and making sure his transfer and wage budgets get them where they want to finishing in the table. If this is achieved by Adkins, then almost certainly his credibility as a top flight manager will blossom into something that could get him noticed by the FA in years to come. An advantage he has being at this club is their youth prospects, as Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale are two examples of the gifted players to have progressed through the Saints academy. (Chances of managing the English national team: 2/3 Lions rating) Simon Grayson, 42: Grayson is something of a lower league genius. Blackpool, Leeds and huddersfield were all promoted from League One with him at the helm. Similar to Adkins he has never won a league title but used the playoffs as his teams route to promotions. This isnt as off putting as it first seems as playoffs put managers in much higher pressure games than any seasonal fixture. The playoffs become a knockout tournament over two legs and a final where teams have to be fired up ready to play in an instant, similar to international tournament football. Great man management skills and the ability to say the right things to players in circumstances such as finals that makes them play the way he wants to achieve a result are needed to succeed in them. Currently with huddersfield in the Championship it is vital Grayson stamps his authority on that league. With this club he can create a name for himself at a higher level of football than he has done previously.
replacing roy
football
This will give him the platform to become a successful manager at a higher level and put his name in the hat as a potential future England manager. (1/3 lions) Chris Powell, 39: Powell is definitely finding his feet early on in his managerial career. After mid table mediocrity in his first spell at Charlton, Powell knew things had to change before the next season came about. he made no less than 19 signings at the beginning of his first full season. Although this amount of signings in one season might seem like a risk at unbalancing squad harmony it duly paid off as Powells Charlton were promoted to the Championship as champions of League One. Powell played for England under SvenGoran Eriksson, collecting 5 caps. he is also on the FAs radar as someone with a wealth of knowledge playing the game. They showed this through their decision to make him a 2018 England World Cup bid ambassador. With over 250 top flight appearances for Charlton Derby and Watford Powells knowledge of the game at its highest level can only help the old fans favourite become a regular top flight manager. The possibility of Charlton playing regular football in the top flight again under Powell isnt as far off as some may think and he is definitely one to look out for. (2/3 lions) Karl Robinson, 32: Robinson currently holds the accolade of the youngest person to acquire a UEFA Pro License (29). he is currently manager of MK Dons, but has previously coached Liverpools youth team and Blackburns first team. At 32, Robinson has a long way to go to be considered for England. But with a club like MK Dons he has a great chance of making a name for himself. The club itself has only recently come about with its foundation from Wimbledon FC in 2004. Young club and manager looks like a good match. A good start at the Dons saw Robinson guide his side to two consecutive play-off finishes only to lose in the semi-finals to both Peterborough and huddersfield. his third season at MK Dons sees them tipped for promotion and with big name signing Alan Smith in his side Robinson has the foundations to make a big impact on the Football League and fast become one of the youngest most successful managers in the English Domestic leagues. (2/3 lions) Lee Clark, 39: A manager only just beginning his career and already holding a football league record for his time at huddersfield when his team sustained a 43 game unbeaten run. It was a fantastic achievement in any division, but Clark was sacked in February 2012 following what can only be described as a loss of faith after reaching the play-off semi-finals in 09/10 and the final in 10/11 only to lose both. Picked up by Birmingham in June, it seems as if Clark has been given his chance at a bigger club to show what he can do in a very competitive league. As far as becoming the future England manager goes he has a fair bit of work to do. however with a playing career under Newcastle, Fulham and Sunderland in which he won promotion to the Premier League at all three, you have to say his knowledge of this league will stand him in good stead in getting Birmingham back on track to being a top division club. having escaped the drop with Fulham and nearly winning the league with Newcastle he has the expertise for Premier League level. (1/3 lions) Eddie howe, 34: With only one promotion to his name howe is the underdog of the 6 man shortlist. After finishing his career early due to consistent knee injuries, he took the managerial position up at Bournemouth - the team he played for most of his career. Short spells at Portsmouth and Swindon were disasters as his reoccurring knee injury sidelined him season after season. After getting Bournemouth promoted to League One there was speculation as to whether howe would move to a bigger club or stay with Bournemouth. he did leave in 2011, joining Burnley only 5 days after saying he had no interest in leaving the Cherries. But he didnt stay with the Championship side for long as, after a year, he agreed terms with the board to go back and manage his former side Bournemouth again in October 2012. When returning to his old club, he was greeted by harry Redknapp who took up an advisory role with the club he started his career at. The challenge for howe now is to take the club he is so well known at to greater heights than it has seen. If he achieves this there no doubt he will get another shot at a bigger club where unlike his stint at Burnley he will be ready to improve his ability as a top league football manager. (1/3 Lions)
the MK dons hunt for championship spot kicks off once again
Rugby
tennis
BEFORE the last twelve months none of the British tennis players looked in the running for glory in the major tennis tournaments such as Wimbledon or the US Open. But times have changed this summer. Andy Murray was the runner up at Wimbledon in July and then won a gold and silver medal each for Team GB at the Olympics. After beating Roger Federer and coming second in the doubles tournament, he then went onto win the US Open by beating Novak Djokovic. There was further success in October when heather Watson ended 24 years of British Tennis womens heartbreak by beating Chang Kai-Chen of Chinese Tapai in the Japanese Open. Through winning the Japanese Open she has risen to 50th in the latest rankings, up 21 places and displacing Murrays doubles partner Laura Robson as the British Number One. They will only go on the rise in the next few years and will surely be competing at the top level in years to come. Some of the current tennis players are on the wane and new tennis players are continuously cropping up. Annabel Croft, a former British number one expects Watson and Robson to continue climbing up the womens tennis rankings. She said, heather has a fantastic chance to go up further as does Laura. We will see them
go much higher than 50. So why have the British Tennis players risen to stardom over the last fifteen months? There are many factors that could have helped British tennis players rise from contenders to champions. The editor of SW19 Members Club Magazine, Melina harris said, I think its the belief from Team GB during the Olympics and the positive mental attitude Before this summer Andy Murray had been in several Grand Slam finals but ended as the runner up on all occasions. he decided to bring a new coach, and in came Ivan Lendl to try and help him break his grand slam duck. his new coach suggested that he should work with a sports psychologist because it would improve his game in the long run and he will be able to balance his emotions and wouldnt get too worked up by the occasion. Ivan Lendl put Murray in touch with Alexis Castorri. She was the same psychologist that Lendl himself used during his own playing days. She helped him control his emotions in career that ended in Lendl winning eight Grand Slam titles, and successive ATP World Tour Finals. his coach now wants Murray to follow the same route.
Murray said, I feel like when my mind isnt free of anything that might be frustrating me away from the court, I cant focus as well as I need to. When my minds clear, I can go on the court and play, not worry about anything else, I can play much better and think a lot better on the court. Murray fully believes that Castorris advice played a big part in him winning at the Flushing Meadows. he didnt play his best tennis throughout the tournament. But played smart tennis when the times were tough. he found ways to win when he wasnt necessarily playing well. That is the sign of a very competent tennis player they certainly need to have the attribute of playing ugly to win when things arent necessarily going well for them. The next fifteen months will be key for Andy Murray as he seeks to build on what has undeniably been a great year for the Scot. It will be interesting to see where Murray is this time next year. he ends 2012 as No 3 in the world behind the record breaking Swiss legend Roger Federer and the rising star Novak Djorkovic. If he plays some of the tennis that he produced this summer then there is no doubt that he will be in with a shouting chance for further victories and perhaps catching up with the first two.
tennis
badminton
extreme
LIAM ANDREWS Looks BACK AT one of THE MOST incredible EXAMPLEs OF EXTREME SPORTS in history
The second of the records was the highest skydive ever, as he took the step off of the small skateboard shaped platform into a 24-mile drop. Finally, the record he desired the most which was to break the sound barrier; and he smashed it reaching a total speed of 833.9mph. however, one record that he failed to beat was Joe Kittingers length of time in free-fall of 5 minutes 35 seconds, which he fell over a minute short of. After this dare devil sport, Baumgartner has decided that he will now retire to Switzerland and become a pilot. There has been much debate over whether skydiving should be counted as a sport or not, but Trevor haines is adamant that it is. he told us: Skydiving (indoors and outdoors) is most definitely a skill based sport in my opinion. The definition of sport is widely regarded as an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others. Skydiving ticks all of these boxes in both team and solo disciplines. Skill is essential in skydiving, and during competitions your skill level is judged. I should also add that Skydiving is widely considered an extreme sport due to the inherent danger of leaping from an aircraft at 10 - 12,000ft, but with Airkix Wind Tunnels, the sensation of freefall is now accessible to all. This sport is seen as dangerous, but also gives a huge thrill to the participant and is becoming increasing popular.
Due to the recent popularity and raise in awareness of this sport, Airkix set up their own limited time Space Jump to give the public their own chance to experience a similar feeling to Baumgartner. Trevor haines, of Airkix, explained how the new attraction had received great interest and they offered the most realistic likeness to the dive as possible. he said: At Airkix we love to offer our customer base an exciting range of flight experiences and when we knew that Felix was attempting the record, we prepared an equivalent flight experience. Felix was in freefall for 4 minutes and 20 seconds, so we decided to allow our customers to experience the same nonstop freefall sensation. We marketed it as a test of stamina and offered flyers the chance to do a Felix. Sure, we couldnt promise a balloon ride high into the Stratosphere, nor could we offer a hi tech space suit to wear, but we could offer a 4 minute and 20 second non stop freefall sensation - and the uptake was very encouraging indeed. As well as the Space Jump, we also offer Physics is Fun educational programmes, as endorsed by the National Space Centre in Leicester. If you are interested in visiting Airkix and want to have a go yourself, you can contact them through www.airkix.com or 0845 331 6549.
Cycling
Lances lies
Charles crook finds out how armstrongs actions have damaged his sports reputation
Andrew Sutcliffe said, I had been taken aside by a number of riders and race organisers in the UK and abroad and had it explained to me in the clichd words of one syllable why it was not in my interests to report certain things. he added, In the sharing of that information you were told how it worked, how dope tests could be got around, who was complicit in this sort of cover-up. And I think that cover-up went on and perhaps to some extent is still going on. Cycling is still in the dock Armstrongs former teammate David George is suspended after failing doping tests earlier this year, and the head of Team Sky has resigned following his scandal. It is leading to an uncomfortable time for cyclings perception amongst non-cyclers as peoples previous suspicions of the athletes are reinforced by scandal. Although it is unlikely any of the current crop of cycling stars are dopers Bradley Wiggins said If I doped I would potentially lose everything in his autobiography the sporting bodies of cycling has been given huge scars. It faces a pivotal time to get people back on side and trusting the sport again following the trail of deceit that its biggest star left behind. LANCE Armstrong was once an inspiration to many people worldwide, but now finds his reputation has totally collapsed. The 41 year old Texan cyclist bounced back from extremely severe cancer to win seven consecutive Tour de France titles. But this almost unparalleled success has been destroyed with revelations from the International Cycling Union that he was a notorious drug cheat at the heart of a major doping ring, leading to a lifetime ban, desertion by his sponsors and charity, and orders to repay his winnings. In a damning statement, the head of the ICU said, The UCI will strip him of his seven Tour de France wins. Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling. he deserves to be forgotten. This news has come at the worst possible moment for cycling. It seemed that it had finally shed its reputation as a sport dominated by doping allegations and become a credible major sport. In Britain, cycling had been on an upward curve. Buoyed by Olympic success for athletes such as Chris hoy, Victoria Pendleton, Laura Trott and Bradley Wiggins, who also won the Tour de France, the sport has become a huge sporting success, with public attention and adulation for its athletes and participation by the public increasing. It is a long way from the sports dark days. During the late 1990s and early 2000s cycling was beset by a multitude of doping allegations and consequently banned riders. This was the period where Armstrong rose to cycling prominence with a hot streak we now know to have been illegally fuelled. Cycling journalists of the time have said it was an open secret a lot of athletes were on drugs, and that they were pressured into maintaining the sports secrecy. Former cycling journalist
racing
frankel says
relax
Tony Hornsby looks at why this champion horse has earned his retirement
ALL gamblers would agree, there is no such thing as a sure bet. This means there is no bet where all you have to do place your money and wait patiently for your returns. This was the case until Frankel arrived in the sport of horseracing. Frankel made his debut in August 2010, at the European Breeders Final Maiden stakes at Newmarket. Up against a strong field including horses such as Colour Vision and Nathaniel, Frankel justified his status as favourite and came home to win by just half a length. The commentator cried Frankel on the far side, now what has he got left? There isnt a lot left, or is there as the horse came
to win. If only he knew how much this horse would have left to give over the next 2 years. The odds of 7/4 in this race were the only chance of making a considerable profit from this horse in its whole career as The Freak hit odds on for every other race in his illustrious career going as short as 1/20 on. After his win in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in October 2011, Frankel was given a rating of 143 by Timeform, the highest mark awarded in over forty years and their fourth highest of all time behind Sea Bird, Brigadier Gerard and Tudor Minstrel. The quality of horses each superstar came up against has to go in favour of Frankel purely because the speed and turn of foot over the decades has increased considerably. Each of these four horses have lost at least one race, apart from Frankel.
The champions stakes at Ascot on October 20th saw Frankel win his 14th race in a row. The field included some of the best horses in the world, including the French hose Cirrus des Aigles, who won this race last year. You dont see Formula One cars winning on anything other than tarmac, said jockey Tom Queally after the incredible performance on the day when Frankel overcome the soft to heavy conditions Frankel most certainly does not enjoy to be the first over the line. Frankels trainer and the man behind the worlds greatest horse, Sir henry Cecil, was deservedly emotional on the day after witnessing the best horse he has and will ever see take victory despite the horse not enjoying the conditions. he said, he (Frankel) laboured on the ground and wasnt happy, but he was very relaxed. I have probably got him too relaxed it used to be the other way. I have enjoyed every moment of training him although it has been stressful at times. hes the best Ive ever had and the best Ive ever seen. Corine Barande-Barbe, who is the trainer of Cirrus des Aigles said It is not a dishonor to be beaten by such a horse. There are no excuses. Frankel is simply the best. Frankels stats are unrivalled. With 14 wins from 14 runs, career earnings of almost 3million and ten group one race wins, it will be a challenge to find a more prolific horse because Frankel is truly one of a kind. In the sport of kings that is horseracing, Frankel has been given a place in history as a god.
Cricket
Formula 1
Liam andrews says the incumbent champs arent taking their foot off the gas
win this years title. The Red Bull team was also winners, as they won the Constructors Championship title for the third consecutive year with a huge lead over Ferrari and McLaren. The partnership of Webber and Vettel has had a couple of tense moments over the years, but this year it looks stronger than ever. Webber has already agreed a new contract for the 2013 season despite rumours over his future at Red Bull, and with the Formula One veteran now 36 years old. After signing his new deal with the Constructors Championship champions, Mark Webber reflected on what he believed was important about Red Bull. he said: We went from the days when Red Bull had not long owned the team to what it is now. The team really changed when we started to get successful, in terms of getting the balance right between being extremely professional on all fronts to still keeping that laid back and approachable attitude that the team still has within reason. It is just one nice big family now in many ways and we have grown so much. Weve come a long way and I think its clear that I fit well here and thats what I really like about it.
Formula 1
Charles crook illustrates why mclaren might be glad to see the back of their distracted driver, lewis hamilton
LEWIS hamiltons move from McLaren to Mercedes has ended speculation on his future, but not on his state of mind. The 2012 season has seen the continuation of a difficult time for the driver since he won the 2008 Drivers World Championship. his antics have also drawn criticism and questioning, with the view that the driver has let the lure of money and celebrity cloud his commitment to driving. But as he reflects on a tricky year, the 27 year old might reflect a move could kick start his career. A lot of the speculation seems to have concerned his happiness, or lack of it, with his car and its crew. With the start of the season seeing McLaren pit crews take excessive times at pit stops, hamilton begun to be visibly frustrated as he failed to build up an early head of steam. More recently, its the car and the drivers mental state that have been the main talking point. While hamilton has registered some good victories, he has had as many off days. The most unusual was the Korean Grand Prix, which saw him spend the last three laps with a long strip of artificial grass hanging off the underside of the car as he crawled over the line in 10th, but it is not the only exception of his season. There has been the distinct impression that hamilton is unimpressed with both car and pit-crew, with views that a variety of mistakes from each was a key contributor for his inability to challenge the top two. As easy as it is to point at his car and pit-crew for his problems, the celebrity lifestyle is also a likely distraction. According to the Sunday Times Rich List, he is worth 55million and has signed an increased contract at his teams rivals. This is before advertising revenue and the obvious benefits living in a tax haven provide. Obviously earning vast amounts of cash from a childhood passion is a perk wed all like to be in that position. But it can also be very easy to let the world money brings to consume this idealism. Its a stick commonly used to beat footballers with and consequently it can also be seen here. Footballers are also criticised for their attitude, especially those on Twitter. And that particular social media site has landed hamilton in the thick of it a few times, with the driver having tweeted confidential technical information and ranted against Button unfollowing him before realising he never did. hamilton has been quoted as saying maybe Twitter and me dont go together after this more recent spat. We all post stupid stuff online, but as a professional sportsman, these antics are almost certainly magnified. It certainly does not help ones image, with a lot of his antics seen as petty spats that raise questions over his attitude. McLaren have certainly bent over backwards for hamilton, who has seen off Fernando Alonso and heikki Kovalenien to be top dog of a racing team he has been with since he moved into F1 in 2007. The team themselves are looking to move on nevertheless, with Sergio Perez swapping Sauber for McLaren and continuing development of their car. It certainly will be an interesting first campaign following the split for both sides next year. hamilton has already been quoted as saying he expects to win no races next year, while McLaren will be wondering where they go from here with their best driver gone and a car that needs improvements for a challenge next year. At the same time a move could benefit both teams. hamilton seems more enthusiastic about the idea of helping Mercedes become a force in Formula 1, and he did seem much happier driving after he confirmed his departure. McLaren also have a chance to move on, with promising young talent Perez. This promises to be one of the biggest and most intriguing subplots to what promises to be an exciting 2013 season.
There has been the distinct impression that hamilton is unimpressed with both car and pit-crew
a lot of his antics are seen as petty spats that raise questions over his attitude
an impossible task
As sports personality of the year looms, Joe appleby looks at the incredible list of nominees
IN what has been described as the greatest sporting year 2012 has seen great sporting achievements across the board. There have been many great individual and team performances across many sports. It is almost that time of the year to decide the Sports Personality of the Year, it will no doubt be one of the toughest years to call a winner with so many outstanding performances in one year, with many other stars missing out. here is the shortlist and what they have achieved this year. Bradley Wiggins Cycling Wiggins is one of the favourites to win the competition this year after an impeccable year. he became the first Brit to win the Tour De France title before becoming one of Britains most decorated athletes at the 2012 Olympics. he has now won 7 Olympic medals including four Golds. he became one of the first British Olympians to bring home gold after winning the Mens Road Time Trial in 50 minutes and 39 seconds - a convincing 42 seconds quicker than the silver medallist. Ben Ainslie Sailing Described as the greatest sailor of all time, Ainslie won his fourth consecutive Olympic Gold to become to most decorated British sailor. After moving up to the Finn Class after the 2000 Olympics he has won gold in the last three summer Olympics in this class. This year he overtook the Dane Paul Elvstrom who had also won four Olympic golds in the all time honours list. Ellie Simmonds Paralympic Swimming Simmonds was one of the poster stars for Team GB Paralympics before the games themselves started. She came into the games with big expectations after being the youngest British athlete at Beijing, winning two golds, but she rose to the challenge. Two incredible swims broke the 200m individual medley and 400m freestyle records amongst 5 medals gathered with performances that could give Olympic swimmers runs for their money. Jessica Ennis Athletics Ennis lived up to the hype as Team GBs poster girl with a sensational victory in the heptathlon where she won by more than 300 points. After leading the field almost the whole event, she cruised to the Gold medal in the final 800m. She only needed to finish 7th in this final event to ensure the prize, but a fantastic 2 minutes 10 seconds sprint saw her take victory in style. Along with Mo Farah and Greg
Rutherford she was one of the big athletics winners on Golden Saturday. Sir Chris hoy Cycling The knight of cycling continued his status as one of Britains all time great Olympians. The Scotsman won his sixth Olympic gold medal, helping him surpass the record set by Sir Steve Redgrave and to tie with Wiggins at the top of the all time medallist leaderboard. The 2008 winner was also flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony and he stands a good chance of becoming the first double winner since Damon hill in the mid-1990s. Rory McIlroy Golf The Northern Irishman is the only nonOlympian in the running but nevertheless enjoyed a great year out on the course. Not content with holding top spot of the world golf rankings, he went on to dominate the US PGA Championship with a record eight strokes under after topping the round off with a birdie on the last hole. he has had great success in America this year after winning the PGA Championship and was also part of the European Ryder Cup team who achieved a superb comeback on American soil to help retain their title. Nicola Adams Boxing The first ever winner of womans flyweight boxing at the Olympics has become a true success story over the summer. After winning the 2011 EU Amateur Championships, Adams was heralded as a promising Olympic athlete ahead of the game. She delivered emphatically on this promise with an outstanding victory over world number one Ren Cancan. Adams success has helped the sport of women boxing gain interest and was another one of the big stories from the Games. David Weir Paralympic Athletics In what has been the most supported Paralympics games ever it the athletes responded to this support with a medal haul of their own. Fronting the medal charge was David Weir. Weir won a total of four Gold medals at the 2012 games, coming in the 800m, 1500m, 5000m and the marathon. This took his total Paralympic Gold medal haul to six and his overall total to 10. he paid an emotional tribute to the home support after the marathon thanking the fans for support across the events. Mo Farah Athletics Farah won 3rd place at the event last year and a storming victory in not one but two Olympic events has done his chances of
going two better no harm. he won Olympic gold in both the 5,000m and 10,000m long distance races. In what has been an African dominated discipline over the past years he broke the trend with two clear wins and went on to become a national hero. he also introduced his famed and much loved MoBot Celebration to the world. Andy Murray Tennis It has been a fine year of progress of Britains tennis Number One. After finishing runner-up at Wimbledon he gained revenge on Roger Federer by beating him to Mens Singles Olympic Gold. he also reached the Mixed Doubles Final with Laura Robson but they came unstuck against their opponents from Belarus. But Murray had the best recovery of all as he won his first Grand Slam. he did so at the US Open in five sets against Novak Djokovic to cap off a fine year. Sarah Storey Paralympic Cycling The incredible success of Storey continued at the Paralympic Games. She has previously won gold in both swimming and cycling and her cycling success continued with some very impressive performances. She won half of Team GBs Paralympic cycling golds with a very impressive four from four. This bought her total up to a very impressive nine gold medals. Katherine Grainger Rowing After a long time hovering on the edge of the gold medal slots, Grainer burst into the gold slots at the Olympics. World Championship gold and silver Olympic medals have been won by the veteran rower, and an excellent performance with teammate Anna Watkins saw her finally achieve the biggest prize of all at the summers games.
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