It is no great surprise to see Jose Maria Olazabel being named as Europe's captain for the Ryder Cup team in 2012 in Chicago but it remains a good choice nonetheless.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/9364427.stm

Apparently he is popular amongst the players, which is key, but he is also popular amongst fans aware of his Ryder Cup exploits as a player where he formed to all intents and purposes a Spanish double act alongside Seve Ballesteros. He also knows about winning major tournaments in the USA as a two time winner of the Masters the last of which in 1999 was the last European win in the States for nine years until Padraig Harrington won the PGA in 2008. Most of the European major winners from the 80s and 90s will have had a turn captaining in the Ryder Cup now except for the Scots Sandy Lyle and Paul Lawrie, the former of whom is possibly unlucky that he may now have missed his chance and the latter has yet to be seriously considered, perhaps many still believing that he did not so much win the Open in 1999 as Jean van der Velde lost it.


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   Darren Bent's transfer from Sunderland to Aston Villa for a reported £18 million rising to a possible £24 million has raised a few eyebrows as he leaves a team pushing for a European place for one in danger of being sucked into a relegation battle. Most commentators admit that money is the major factor in this move and that is undoubtedly the case but apparently he had a transfer request turned down in the summer. According to the unreliable source of a couple of season ticket holders at the Stadium of Light, Bent was upset when his mother was racially abused by some "supporters". If there is any truth to this rumour then it is strange that he would rather be thought of as another greedy footballer rather than bring to light an important issue that for all the campaigns has not yet been eradicated as some ignorant fools try to demonstrate.