Time constraints and a realization that most of this is just waffle have led me to suspend this blog for the time being and just post on Before I Forget. Sport and news posts will be added here if I feel the urge.

A busy couple of days, sporting wise, with the biggest story being Rory McIlroy putting aside his demons from Augusta and running away with the US Open at Congressional. Many have already offered their superlatives for this performance but the statistics speak for themselves - youngest winner of this tournament for nearly 90 years, record score of -16, only dropped shots on  4 holes etc and these simply highlight how far ahead of the rest of the field he was. Criticism that this course may have played easier than other major courses does McIlroy an injustice in claiming -16 was easier than it may have been elsewhere as he still won by 8 shots. The Americans warmed to him and the consensus that this could be the first of many major wins will be welcomed by his fans on both sides of the Atlantic.
   After Graeme McDowell's victory last year the curious statistic of back to back victories for Northern Ireland giving plenty of reasons to be proud and this added to the Republic of Ireland's Padraig Harrington 3 recent majors. This win puts McIlroy 4th in the world rankings to demonstrate the current strength of European golf with Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer at 1, 2 and 3.
  

                                                 .*************************

   As if to prove that a heralded team that can mount a serious challenge in a major tournament only to fall disappointingly short is not just confined to the senior team, the Under 21s were eliminated from the European Championship after conceding two late goals to lose 2-1 to the Czech Republic. Mirroring and typifying the senior team the Under 21s defended well but showed little flair going forward and struggled to break opposition defences down. Stuart Pearce, with one eye on his own position and in justifying the set up of his team, complained that by the time he gets the players in this age group it is too late to improve on their skills saying that, with some truth, that ball control and passing ability should be taught before they reach 17. The one flair player who could have made an impact was Jack Wilshere and he was not taken to Denmark with fatigue used as an excuse. This excuse was used to explain England's poor performance in the recent Euro qualifier against Switzerland but as was demonstrated players from other European nations who had played as many, if not more, domestic games managed to display the energy levels one would expect of fit men in their twenties.
   The question of burn out was also cited for his exclusion with his elevation into the senior squad seen as expecting too much from him but Spain took Juan Mata who was also in their World Cup squad last year and who is regarded as one of the hottest transfer targets this window. Similarly, Switzerland are fielding another hot prospect in Xherdan Shaqiri who impressed in the that recent qualifier against England. In reality the clubs are calling the shots, fearful that their charges may get injured as is demonstrated by their disdain for friendly internationals and their insistence that their players do not participate for the full 90 minutes.
   On top of all this excitement we have had the first Test Match to be played at the Rose Bowl where only the rain, quite figuratively managed to piss on Hampshire's chips in what was otherwise a well staged event with the weather being the only winner with the draw being the inevitable conclusion to see England take the series 1-0. And now all that is over Wimbledon started today so we can expect the usual hyperbole about Murray's chances for the next fortnight or until he gets beat.

With Jordan Henderson joining Liverpool from Sunderland for £20 million and the proposed move of Phil Jones from Blackburn to Manchester United for around £17 million it would appear once again that the prices being paid have moved to another ridiculous level. However, the effects of the 25 man squad with the limits on foreign players are starting to kick in as clubs scout around for the best English players to add to their teams. Since the start of last season Manchester United have lost Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves already with transfer rumours surrounding Wes Brown and Danny Welbeck amongst others making it imperative to either promote more youth players or sign players like Phil Jones who may not make the difference in being able to stop Messi next season but is someone tipped for the future. This regulation may also explain why Michael Owen got a one year extension on his contract.


                                                   ****************************

   As well as England's attack bowled in the first test against Sri Lanka the second test showed the limitations of only picking four bowlers. What was highlighted even more, however, was how much England missed Paul Collingwood who not only took pressure of the bowlers on flat pitches allowing them to rest but whose catching in the slips was an asset. Without him in the team the pressure is on Graeme Swann to hold an end up even more with very little in reserve from back up bowlers. Pietersen, Trott and Bell can all turn their arm over but not regularly enough to bowl spells of several overs which is despite how well Eoin Morgan has done the inclusion of Ravi Bopara may have added more balance to the team. Our batting line up with Broad and Swann at 8 and 9 should be strong enough to add an extra bowler and move them up the order one but having included Morgan already and see him score runs I doubt if they would drop him now.

I'm not sure if England themselves will believe what happened as they beat Sri Lanka in the first test in Cardiff. With no play until 3pm England still came out to bat to allow Ian Bell to complete his century and then declared with a lead of 96 runs and 55 overs left to bowl. Presumably they thought it a matter of going through the motions for the afternoon with Jimmy Anderson unfit to bowl to see if the rest of the attack could get a bit of practice in ahead of the next test and perhaps ruffle some Si Lankan feathers. What followed was more of a plucking with, as would be expected with the resultant collapse, a combination of good bowling and poor batting.
    Dramatic as England bowling the Sri Lankans out for 82 in under 25 overs was the reassuring thing was the killer instinct England showed when they got a good start and continued to press the opposition. This ruthless streak is something England teams have not always demonstrated in most sports and has stopped them from being a good team into an excellentt team. With India due in the summer this spirit needs to develop ready for that challenge.


                                                    ***************************

   It is hard to believe that nobody in FIFA can see the harm that they are doing to themselves and regardless of the guilt or innocence of the accused officials the whiff of whitewash will continue to haunt them. That Blatters only challenger Mohammed Bin Hammam has stepped down from the presidential race and since been suspended along with Jack Warner whilst Blatter was effectively exonerated despite the accusations against him will only add to finger pointing. There is still the farce of that election which now resembles something found in a banana republic rather than asking for other candidates or delaying the election as well as the fact that Blatter has not been suspended whilst his rival was.
   Talk that companies may start withdrawing sponsorship in light of the revelations unless change happens seem fanciful. Whilst such action has been seen with individual sportsmen as Tiger Woods can testify and no doubt why Ryan Giggs sought his superinjunction as they would rather keep sponsors sweet than their partners. FIFA, however, is different as there is always another sportsman to sell your wares but there is only one governing body and it would be a brave company who withdrew their name from a World Cup and the coverage that would generate just because they disapprove of FIFAs antics.

The fan belief that Manchester United could win the Champions League soon dissipated and in a perverse way I'm glad that they didn't as, aside from the obvious that they did not deserve to, a victory would have papered over the cracks of what is a weaker team than in recent seasons. Ideally Ferguson can now approach the board with the claim that whilst being the best in the country they still lag behind in Europe but a bit of judicious spending in the summer transfer window may help close the gap.
   The whole Premiership was rather poor this season and the Champions League final just emphasises the gulf in class although whilst all the other commentators drool over the way Barcelona pass the ball and dominate possession I get rather bored by it all. It may look pretty and intricate but like the Spanish national side it can often not go anywhere as they may stop the opposition from having the ball but just bide their time whilst they have. It is all very clinical and precise and where they do still have flashes of genius this is diluted by being constantly informed that Lionel Messi is the greatest player ever. This hyperbole grates and whilst he is undoubtedly a very good player it is still early in his career to be compared to Pele, Best, Maradona, Puskas et al.
   Perhaps its the gothic romantic side in me that insists that every true genius must be wrestling with his demons as he takes his area of expertise to the next level that refuses to allow Messi a place in this pantheon yet although as far as I am aware Pele's only problem may be erectile dysfunction. Of course happy and pleasant footballers can be greats but my prejudice will usually find them on the subs bench in my All Star best ever XI (not strictly true) as people find it easier to warm to those exuberant players with a back story whatever the sport. Alex Higgins and Jimmy White got bigger cheers than Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry and George Best received tributes from fans of other clubs (including Man City) that were genuine and heartfelt on his death.
   Yes they have world class players and play pretty football and yes the way the club is run as a sort of fans co-operative is pleasing as is their current form thereby sticking it to former dictator Franco's former team Real Madrid. Also resisting shirt sponsorship for so long before having UNICEF emblazoned across their chests is such a refreshing change in the current shady money centred business that is football (not that they do too badly on the financial front). Everything about Barcelona says I should love them but I just can't get that excited by them.

I know as a nation we Brits are not especially renowned for our tennis ability (I played once after watching Wimbledon 20 years ago and am now ranked No. 22) but to boast about getting 3 players into the 2nd round of the French Open really is clutching at straws. That equates to less than 2.5% and is half as much as Germany managed or as good as Belgium. France and Spain both have 11 representatives in the 2nd round so it's probably fair to say that there is still room for improvement.

                                                      ************************

    That thrill of excitement at the start of another international cricket season turned into a bit of a damp squib thanks to the weather which delayed the start of England's Test match against Sri Lanka. Rushing from the changing room at work to listen to the score in my car proved a waste of time as the match had not started and the only action to take place on the drive back was the coin toss. Unfortunately this is always likely at this time of year which does not leave much room for manoeuvre in a three test series.

As the dust starts to settle after the final set of Premier League games the last two relegation places have now been settled and Blackpool and Birmingham join West Ham in the Championship next year. Not for the first time a club have been relegated after winning a trophy and it may be scant consolation for Birmingham that they will be playing in Europe next season in the Europa League. Ironically the fair play league to determine the last European place could go to Blackpool giving England two representatives in the second tier playing in Europe joining Spurs and Stoke.
   The way Blackpool have conducted themselves, primarily the attacking football they strive for as well as the entertainment factor of manager Ian Holloway, has won them plenty of plaudits and many supporters of other teams are sad to see them go down. However, football is not sentimental and goodwill is no replacement for points and to Blackpool's further credit they are well aware of that and did not make the mistake of others and try to spend their way out of trouble. By keeping their means modest they return to the Championship in a good financial position but as Holloway himself intimated returning will not be straight forward as they struggle to keep hold of key players.