Time for English Football State of Origin

Origin is huge success in Australia. 

Every year I watch the State of Origin in Australian Rugby League witnesses passion, drama and great entertainment. This is where the states of Queensland and New South Wales faces each other in a three match series.

The series has been a huge success since its creation in the early 1980's and is now one of the most anticipated matches of the year in Australia with sell out crowds and a worldwide audience.

I have always wondered why this idea is not used in English football. You could easily have North v South. Having sat through numerous boring friendlies for the England team, this would be something new and different. I think it would be a great concept as it could be seen as almost a trial match for the England team.

Also I believe the British public will get behind it, and I am sure they would be sell outs if sold/marketed properly. You could have three matches held over the country.

Game 1: North - Old Trafford

Game 2: South - The Emirates

Game 3: Midlands - Villa Park

Also to prevent the chance of draws, if level after 90 minutes it should go straight to penalties. The pressure of this would be the closest the pressure of a World Cup or European Championships. 

Now the teams would be an issue whether they are decided by birth place, first professional appearance, club and also which side to players from the Midlands go on. Personally I would say birth-place and players from the midlands can be selected by either side, so if chosen by both the player decides. Decisions by these players stick, you could not play for South one year and North the next.  

Also you would have to decide whether Scottish and Welsh players would be allowed to play. Personally I would say no but it is open to debate. 

For Example :

TEAM SOUTH:

                                          HART

G.JOHNSON          TERRY           FERDINAND            COLE

                  LAMPARD    PARKER      WILSHERE

WALCOTT                       DEFOE                           STURRDIGE



Manager : Harry Redknapp




TEAM NORTH :

                                             FOSTER

   JONES                LESCOTT        CAHILL              BAINES

                    GERRARD    CARRICK        MILNER

  A. JOHNSON                ROONEY                         WELBECK
                                   



Manager : David Moyes

This is just hypothetical. But I would want to see this.

Obviously there are many obstacles, such as the clubs and scheduling but I think the FA should work with the Premier League to make it happen. It is a guaranteed sell out with rights sold around the world. 

It would benefit the England team and Roy Hodgson as he would see these players without the foreigners around them to judge them. It would also highlight the growing issue of lack of English players in the Premier League and it could also be a stepping stone between club and county. 

I will be sending this idea to the FA. 

Cronk sends Queensland into Seventh Heaven

Queensland celebrate historic win

A late Cooper Cronk drop-goal gave Queensland a dramatic 21-20 win over New South Wales in game three of the Origin series. The victory gives the Maroons their seventh consecutive Origin series win.

NSW found themselves 16-8 down at the break however rallied magnificently in drawing level at 20-20 with less then 10 minutes to go. Although with 5 minutes remaining Cooper Cronk hit a 40 metre drop goal to break NSW hearts and seal a thrilling series win for the Maroons.

It was also Petro Civoniceva's last ever origin game 12 month after Darren Lockyer retired and he left just like Lockyer on the high of a Queensland victory. 

The stage was set. 52,000 people in Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane for game three, Origin decider. Both sides desperate for victory as the Blues looked to end a six year losing streak. Changes were made by both sides notably Maroons coach Mal Meninga moved Greg Inglis to full back to replace injured Billy Slater while Ricky Stuart replaced Uate with Brett Morris.

The pressure and intensity was clear to see early on. In the second minute,  Paul Gallen was punished for a punch on Brent Tate. Replays showed Tate slamming  his fist into the side of Greg Bird's head as he lay on the ground after Bird had given Tate some treatment in the previous tackle. This resulted in a brawl including all the players. This was one of several clashes in the game.

It started well for the Blues, they defended well from early Queensland pressure and after Brett Morris crashed over and Todd Carney converted , adding to an earlier penalty, gave the Blues an 8-0 lead. This lead was cut short soon after as Darius Boyd went over in the corner for his third try of the series and sealing a terrific Queensland move. In the 32nd minute the Maroons hit the front for the first time as  Jonathan Thurston scored after he made the break from inside his own half before off loading. With NSW still struggling to get back into position a quick play the ball continued the move and despite a covering defence Thurston was able to finish off a move he had started. This gave Queensland a 10-8 lead however they were not done yet. Before the break Justin Hodges crossed as he sliced through the NSW defence and despite appealing of obstruction the video referee gave the try. The poor defending of NSW would have angered Coach Ricky Stuart.

After the break a clever grubber by Robbie Farah was grounded by Brett Stewart to cut the deficit to just 2 points, keeping the NSW dream alive. Then despite another two penalties from Thurston, NSW scored the try of the series. Possibly one of the great origin tries. Again it was Robbie Farah who provided it, the West Tigers man wonderfully weighted cross field kick to the corner was caught at full stretch by Josh Morris who beat Boyd to score a great origin try. Ricky Stuart punched the air as NSW fans 'dared to dream'. Carney added the conversion from the touchline to level the scores at 20-20. However it was not to be as Cronk broke the hearts of NSW with a superb drop goal.

Some magnificent performances on both sides. For NSW Paul Gallen once again lead from the front with a terrific display, Brett Morris justified his selection with a wonderful try and a great tackle to deny Greg Inglis a certain try. Todd Carney finish with 100% kicking conversion and despite criticism he can not be faulted. Personally I did not think NSW could replicate their performance in the second game however they gave it everything and were unlucky to lose in the end. For Queensland Greg Inglis filled in for Billy Slater well and was a constant threat on the attack. Backrower Nate Mykes won the Wally Lewis award for man of the series and deservedly so. Thurston won the man of the match which without doubt his best display of the series. Cameron Smith lead his troops well but obviously the headlines will go to one man. Cooper Cronk. Cometh the hour, Cometh the man and with time ticking away Cronk stepped up to win his team the game.

Meninga writing history as coach

Mal Meninga (left) is already a Legendary player of the game, however now that will read player and coach. His record as coach of Queensland is second to none. Seven Origin wins on the spin. True, the Queensland team has been remarkable in its wealth of talent with the likes of Darren Lockyer in these seven years however that does not make them win. He must take enormous credit. Meninga said afterwards:

"You have to understand the enormity of the challenge, going in every time as favourites, trying to keep that winning streak going. It takes a lot of effort. Because of that effort we're in there celebrating." 

Ricky Stuart's furture is in doubt however I hope he stays as I rate him as a coach and they came so so close.  He is the man for me to eventually end the Queensland wining streak. 

The State of Origin Concept is a great one and is a wonderful spectacle for the game of Rugby League. Its success is growing and this will not be changing anytime soon. Match winner Cronk described it as the "pinnacle of a players career, and I am honoured to wear the shirt". In my view Origin is one of the  greatest event of Rugby League and Sport.

**Top picture courtesy of www.Sportinglife.aol.co.uk; Mal Meninga picture courtesy of www.smh.com.au

England let down by star men..again

Ireland crash out of Euro 2012

Taxi for Ireland

Is there a worst team in Euro 2012 then Ireland? I had heard much of this team before the tournament begun. People spoke of their work rate and described them as an organised defensive unit. This team never appeared at Euro 2012. I know that they had a very tough group, containing three teams from inside the top ten of the FIFA ranking. It is also true that they were not thought to have a real chance of qualifying and were expected to lose all three games, which they did. What angered me the most about the Irish was the way they lost.

There seemed to be no method, no plan and quite frankly no idea. The goals they were conceding proved that. They were not from wonderful attacking moves, or Ireland being outplayed. They were from Irish mistakes and poor ones at that. They gifted goals against all three sides. Against Spain 3 of the four spanish goals were gifts that many International sides would have taken. The marking was League 1 poor. I just could not believe how much space and time the Spanish were allowed. David Silva's goal was incredible. He was almost standing totally still about 8 yards out as 3 Irish defenders just let him pick his spot. 

Trap must take some of the rap

Some of the blame will land and rightly so at the door of manager Giovanni Trappatoni (left). A 'great' manager he may be but he got this horribly wrong. They were without doubt the worst team at the tournament in terms of their performances. 

I understand that the pool of talent Trappatoni has be pick from is not that extensive and the players he picked were the ones that were expected and the obvious choices. They are playing with a Championship player at centre-back to prove that point. I had no qualms with the squad but the lack of a plan and method was poor. As a viewer you could never see what the Irish were attempting to do. They offered nothing. One thing I think that some did give was effort, however it just appears as run-everywhere and kick anything that moves idea. This was optimised by Keith Andrews. He gave it his all as you would expect however they were lacking any real class. People will argue that it was the quality of opposition that made it look like this however that is a very easy cop-out.

The fitness levels were appalling. With Spain, everyone talks of their ability to retain the ball and their technical ability however for me their success is about what they do off the ball. The fitness levels of their team is terrific. Now when you look at the Ireland team and watch them play it was obviously that some of them were simply not fit. That is unacceptable. People may feel that is harsh, however how can you honestly look at the physique of Richard Dunne and tell me that that is the body of a sportsman and professional footballer representing his country at a major tournament in peek condition. He is overweight. Aston Villa fans and Paul Lambert must look at that in horror thinking that is our centre-half. Make no mistake, I feel Villa will be signing a centre half in this upcoming transfer window.

Shay Given was a wonderful player however now he is looking past it. He is making so many mistakes, and simple mistakes at that. I was a huge fan of Given, as during his time at Newcastle he contributed at least 10 points a season with his heroics. However I do not know if it is the number of injury to his back and elbow but it just seems something has changed. I honestly feel his place as the Aston Villa number one is in doubt. Damien Duff is another player who should not be in the International set-up. His performances were awful and he is nowhere near International level. He looked totally disinterested.

For me the likes of Given, Dunne and Duff should retire from the International scene with immediate effect. They have been great servants to Ireland over the years but it is time. Obviously these are no the only Irish players who were poor however they are the most high profile. Steven Ward at left-back had a shocker as did Aiden McGeady. He was another one of whom so much was expected but little was shown.  

Not much to cheer.

I was disappointed that James McClean did not get more time as after the season he has had he deserved it. It is the likes of McClean who are the future for Ireland. Robbie Keane is too old now for this level. He will stay on I expect and will be useful during qualifying however his ability to play at the major tournaments is over.

I feel sorry for all the Irish fans who travelled to support their team. They were singing from minute 1 to 90 without having any real encouragement to sing and shout about. 

Comments Welcome.

Nadal seals Magnificent Seven

Nadal Dominence at Roland Garros continues

The undoubted 'King of Clay'. Rafael Nadal produced another masterful performance to win an incredible 7th French Open title at Roland Garros yesterday. The Spanish World Number 2 defeated Novak Djokovic in a rain-affected final in 4 sets with a 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 win. World Number One Djokovic was simply outgunned and outplayed by the powerful groundstrokes as well as being worn down by the sheer fitness and mental strength of Nadal. 

The victory gave Nadal his 11th Grand Slam and meant that he now surpassed the great Bjorn Borg record of six French open titles and asks the question is Nadal the greatest Clay court player of all time? Djokovic was aiming to become only the fourth man in history to hold all four of the Grand Slam at the same time. 

Djokovic shows his frustration

Serbian Djokovic (left) fought bravely however constantly found himself on the defensive unable to really attack Nadal. The weather affected the final just as it had done throughout the tournament.  The wet conditions on Sunday night seemed to frustrate Nadal who amazingly lost 8 consecutive games before play was suspended and ended for the day. After convincingly losing the first two sets Djokovic had suddenly won the third and was a break up in the fourth at 2-1. However when play resumed on Monday the dry but testing conditions put Djokovic serve immediately under pressure. When his  forehand flicked the tape and went out to make it 2-2 the body language of both players was a complete contrast to what had been seen the previous night. Nadal looked re-energised whereas Djokovic knew the chance he had missed and let his frustration show as he smashed his head with his racket strings. The momentum was back with Nadal who from that moment never looked in danger serving to love twice as he dominated his serve. Compare this to Djokovic who looked very vulnerable and despite the immense mental strength he has shown against the likes of Federer, Tsonga and Nadal in the past saving match-points he looked a beaten man. The match ended on a bit of a anti-climax as Djokovic double-faulted to end a run of three straight Grand Slam titles and gave Nadal his seventh French Open win in the last eight years. 

At the beginning of the year I outlined my predictions and hopes for the coming year in the world of tennis. Djokovic had just won a thrilling Australian Open final and predictions of a Djokovic domination were constant. In my prediction I thought that Nadal would again win the French Open due to his ultimate domination of the clay surface. This prediction was correct, and on this years showing at only 26 should Nadal stay injury free I can see him winning at least the next four French Opens titles. Never in my lifetime have I witnessed such a domination. The closest is the great Federer at both Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows. Roland Garros remains the only Grand Slam tournament in which Djokovic has not beat Nadal. 

For Djokovic his attentions will now turn to retaining his Wimbledon title. This is very realistic ambition. For me he has to be the favourite and if he were to meet Nadal in the final my money would be on Djokovic. I do expect Djokovic to have a good Wimbledon, however I would like to see him meet the great, King of Grass, Roger Federer. Unfortunately Federer has not had a good Wimbledon in the last two years. They have never met on grass and for me this would be a great contest. Also  it saddens me to see people seeing Federer as a semi-finalist and not a winner anymore. For any great on the way down it is his best surface which will always be last to leave him. As a result this would be a great test. If Djokovic were to beat Federer it would for me signal the end. However from a personal view point I do believe that Federer can beat him. As I said at the beginning of the year, it is my hope that Roger Federer can win Wimbledon and equal Pete Sampras' record. My heart says Federer however my head would say Djokovic. 

Nadal will also be targeting a return to winning ways at Wimbledon and with British hope Andy Murray playing in Jubilee year it does promise to be a fascinating Wimbledon, all to hope for now is that the rain stays away. 

Comment Welcome. 

Weekend Tips

On last weeks bets, the accumulator success was the highlight @14/1. I hope you had that as I did. My longshot 'hollywood' bet came oh so close before Sergio Aguero scored in the 94th minute and my bet of the day was ruined by a certain Martin Fulop. A performance of amateur standard in which he gifted Arsenal 2 goals and despite getting a strong hand on Andros Santos' shot failed to stop the ball from going in. If only Ben Foster had been in goal it could have been different. Anyway moving on...

A massive saturday is now here. Two matches of huge significance. Firstly at 3pm the Championship Play-off final between Blackpool and West Ham United. The £90million game as it has been previously billed. A place in the Premier League is up for grabs as both look to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.  This is followed by the biggest game in club football, the Champions League final. At 7.45pm Chelsea take on Bayern Munich for the ultimate club prize. Both games promise to be enthralling.

Football:

Holloway dreaming of the big-time

I have long been tipping Blackpool to win the play-offs. They are the perfect play-off team. They have won the play-offs before and in Ian Holloway (left)  they have a real character who can really motivate the players. They go into this one as the underdogs. West Ham were the favourites to gain automatic promotion from the beginning of the season. With Sam Alladyce as manager, a man of Premier League experience as well as having players such as Robert Green, Mark Noble, Carlton Cole, Kevin Nolan and Matthew Taylor. All of these players have experience of playing in the Premier League. Their sqaud on paper is by far the best in the Championship and they will have been disappointed only to make the play-offs although this will all be forgotten if they win today. The key player for me is Jack Collison, he has been fantastic of late and is a crucial player for West Ham. If he continues his form Blackpool may struggle to contain him. West Ham have so many options especially on the attacking sense. In Ricardo Vaz Te, Nicky Maynard, Carlton Cole, John Carew and Sam Baldock they have plenty of goal-scorers.

The bookies go 10/11 (SkyBet) for a West Ham while Blackpool are @11/4 (SkyBet) to win it in 90 minutes.

Is it fate?
Phillips to fire Blackpool back to the premier League 

My tip is to back the outsiders in this one. No doubt that they are up against it but I just feel they will do it. I have backed them from a long-time out and will continue to do so. I think it will be a cracking match. The pressure in on West Ham and I think this will help Blackpool. I think Blackpool will be looking forward to this one more than West Ham. Big Sam will be so relieved if West Ham win this one. West Ham looked very very good in their play-off semi against Cardiff as they dominated both games although that will not happen today. Blackpool are a tricky team with fantastic team spirit and do have some quality players. In Matt Phillips and of course the legendary Kevin Phillips (above) they have two match-winners. Kevin Phillips is a goal-sorer and I am sure he will score today. He is clinical in front of goal and that is why he scores so many.  My fear for Blackpool is that of set-pieces. West ham are incredibly powerful in the air and Blackpool must cope with this.

I predict a classic high scoring game of which I a going to have a couple of quid on Blackpool to win 4-2 @80/1 (SkyBet).

My bet of the day is 11/4 Blackpool win.

Robben against his former club
is in the hunt for glory

Then tonight, a clash that many were not expecting after seeing the semi-final draw. It was all set-up for an El Classico final in which the two best teams in the world would battle it out for the title. However it was not to be as both Real Madrid and Barcelona were left stunned by Bayern Munich and Chelsea. This one promises to be a very interesting clash. Both sides are missing players due to yellow cards although for me it is Chelsea who will suffer more. The loss of Ramires, Branislav Ivanovic and Raul Mierles is huge. However despite this I still expect a terrific match in which anything could happen. Bayern Munich have a very dangerous front three. In Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben (left) they have two of the best wide players in Europe. However for me despite the stats and the media hype I personally do not rate Mario Gomez. For me is is massively overrated. He is far to wasteful in front of goal and in a game such as this he will only get maximum 2 good chances, but will he take them? I think not. They do have a magnificent team with players such as German Internationals Phillip Lahm Bastian Schweinsteiger , Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos and Manuel Neuer. Another advantage for them is the venue. The match is taking place at their home stadium the Allianz Area. This is a major advantage for Bayern and one which Chelsea will have to deal with.

On paper and in theory Chelsea are up against it and should not really win, that is why many have predicted that they will not. Although with this Chelsea team you just get the feeling they can. For many it is their last chance. Many of them were in the team that lost to Manchester United in 2008 and not many get a second chance. These players have got that second chance and in truth for many a final chance. Players such as Dider Drogba will cause Bayern a lot of problems due to his power and strength. He is the one Chelsea fans will look too. Players such as Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard I expect to also have terrific games. Can Interim manager Roberto Di Matteo win the trophy that Roman Abramovich wants so much? It really does promise to be a classic watch.

Bayern last won the tournament back in 2001 however were beaten finalist in 2010 to Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan. As a result many of their players will also feel that they have a second chance.

It will be interesting to see how the 5-2 defeat they suffered to Dortmund at the weekend affects Bayern ,if at all. Many will say just as with Chelsea's defeat to Liverpool that their minds were on this one.

For me I do think that it will be tight although am seeing a Chelsea win by 2-1. To win in 90 minutes Chelsea are a great price @ 100/30 (SkyBet) whereas Bayern are @7/10(SkyBet).

Fun bet for me is Dider Drogba to score first and Chelsea to win 2-1 @66/1(SkyBet). Either sides to win on penalties is @ 12/1 (SkyBet).

Bet for this one : Chelsea to win in 90 minutes at 100/30(SkyBet)

Horse-Racing:

Newbury 3.40: Win:  Frankel @1/4 (SkyBet) can see no other outcome

Newmarket 3.55: Eachway : Bernie the Bolt @7/1 (SkyBet)

King Kenny's reign comes to an end

Down and out- Dalglish sacked after poor season

It has been announced this afternoon that Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has been sacked. The news comes after days of speculation in which a trip to Boston for a meeting with the Liverpool owners was reported to have not gone well.

Fenway Sports Group released this statement:

"Fenway Sports Group (FSG) and Liverpool Football Club announced that Kenny Dalglish is to leave his post today as manager after having his contract terminated.After a careful and deliberative review of the season, the club came to the decision that a change was appropriate. It is not a decision that was reached lightly or hastily. The search for a new manager will begin immediately."

T-Shirt debactle

For me this decision has been coming. The sacking of Damien Comolli proved that the writing was on the wall. Liverpool spent an awful lot of money on players this season and in truth the returns have been poor. Signing such as Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam, Jose Enrique, Stewart Downing and Sebastian Coates have all not been impressive. None have had good seasons. An eighth place league finish is simply not good enough. The performances themselves have also been very poor as they have struggled all year. Dalglish's handling of the Luis Suarez racism issue was also appalling. That episode brought the whole of Liverpool football club into disrepute. The way they conducted themselves was awful. The T-Shirts (above) were a disaster as Luis Suarez was found to be guilty. Even after this Dalglish seemed to never regret his actions. He was forced to make an apology by the club. His attitude towards the press was terrible. The arrogance of the man was unbelievable as he would just walk out on interviews. I doubt any journalist will shed a tear over this decision.

For me Dalglish has got exactly what he deserved. I did personally think that the Carling Cup win and a FA Cup Final would have brought him some time however it would appear not. Their season can be categorised as nothing but failure for a team of Liverpool's stature. The fans will still mourn his departure as he will always be regarded as a 'god-like' figure. Although Liverpool are now better off. They can now move forward with a new manager. It will not be easy, the team needs serious investment in the right type of players. If Liverpool do not get this appointment right they could continue to slip and remain outside of those Champions League places for years to come. The two Manchester clubs will continue to improve as will Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea. If Newcastle can perform again next season, or a team such as Everton continue their great form Liverpool will again be struggling to be in the top six. The Premier League is a very very tough league and it will not be getting easier for Liverpool anytime soon.

Is Martinez the answer 

The next appointment will be interesting SkyBet has Wigan manager Roberto Martinez (right) as the 7/4 favourite. Martinez has been linked with the Aston Villa and West Brom jobs in recents days however this is by far a much bigger job. If Liverpool will actually go with him I am not sure. Is he the man to take Liverpool forward? Only managed a team at the lower end of the Premier League will low expectations and no european experience. He does not seem the sort of man they will go for to me. He has done wonders at Wigan by keeping them in the Premier League year after year and likes to play a good brand of football. I do think he can manage at the bigger club however this jump may just be too far too soon. I am sure Martinez will be extremely keen to get this job. Liverpool desperately want to end their wait for a league title is Martinez the man to supply that? For me Liverpool are so far away from the title that it will take years to even get close.  It is a massive job as serious rebuilding needs to take place.

Other candidates include that of former manager Rafa Benitez (4/1 SkyBet), former England Fabio Capello (10/1 SkyBet), former Chelsea Andre Villas Boas (10/1 SkyBet) and current Swansea manager Brendan Rogers (6/1 Skybet). I am sure that over the coming days the number of names linked with this job will rise and rise. I am sure Sven Goran Eriksson will suddenly express an interest soon as he does in all available jobs. I have heard numerous fans saying how they would not mind Benitez back however I feel that this would be a disaster.

For me I have no idea who they will go with. However @25/1 (Skybet) Guus Hiddink would be a wonderful appointment and maybe worth a few quid.