This afternoon I will be attending my first Twenty20 cricket match when I watch Durham Dynamos take on Notts Outlaws at the Riverside in Chester-le-Street.
I must admit that I have barely watched any Twenty20 on television, never mind live in the ground.
And while this hardly qualifies me to comment on the new format, I have some reservations from what I have seen.
The whole Twenty20 v Test cricket debate was recently sparked once more by the West Indies captain Chris Gayle who said he would not miss Test cricket if it died out.
Unsurprisingly, the unmotivated Windies team went on to lose the Test series 2-0 with two crushing defeats (by 10 wickets and by an innings).
But, in my view, there is a certain beauty to Test cricket. Patience is the watch-word - for the batsmen, the bowlers and the spectators/viewers.
You just never know when the ball of the century might be bowled.
Will society's desire for instant gratification lead to Gayle's wish? I sincerely hope not and, with the Ashes to come this summer, it is unlikely.
With Twenty20, there is also an ungainly imbalance as it seems much more favourable to batsmen than bowlers.
In 29 matches played so far this week in the Twenty20 Cup, only five teams have been bowled out. (Unfortunately Durham was one of them in their loss to Derbyshire).
Some of the stats make even the best bowlers look silly and I have yet to see, and doubt I ever will see, the achievement of a maiden.
Finally, Test cricket teaches technique, how not to get out, whereas many Twenty20 shots are wild slogs which would be seen as suicidal in a Test.
But, don't get me wrong - I do see some of the benefits of Twenty20 having been introduced and can hopefully see both formats co-exist.
Twenty20 is brash and exciting with some extraordinary shots. And many of the shots still display good technique.
Matches are often close, there are few dull overs and you are guaranteed a result unless it pelts it down with rain all day.
This is in stark to the insipid Tests which were played in the Caribbean over the winter, especially the Third Test when England (600-6 and 279-2) drew with the Windies (749-9).
Twenty20 is also much easier for television to provide coverage.
Whereas Tests can have whole sessions washed out and extra half hours added on, the telly execs know a Twenty20 match will last about 4 hours, no more.
This also means they can fit in two or three a day in the height of summer as they have done for the Twenty20 World Cup which begins in England on Friday.
The scheduling will allow viewers to watch all of the games one after another, much like in the football World Cup.
And, with the action condensed, spectators are kept on the edges of their seats.
Finally, two words on the ticket prices for Twenty20 - very reasonable. At £12 for 40 overs and nigh on four hours of entertainment, you can't complain.
It even looks as if I'll get a tan thrown in for free!
Sunday 31 May 2009
Saturday 30 May 2009
FA Cup Final preview: Chelsea v Everton
If Chelsea fail to win the FA Cup this afternoon, it will mean a second successive season without trophy success.
True, they have finished runners-up in the Premier League and the Champions League two seasons ago and then reached the semi finals in Europe this time around.
But Roman demands trophies.
That so much was obvious when he ditched Avram Grant, a move which pleased many Chelsea supporters, despite their appearance in the Moscow final.
In came Luis Felipe Scolari, the former World Cup-winning coach.
But, unsurprisingly, Abramovich disposed of the him as Chelsea were cut adrift in the league and struggled to beat Southend United in the FA Cup.
Since the arrival of his replacement, Guus Hiddink, things have improved significantly. Chelsea have played 21, won 15, drawn 5 and lost just the once.
Hiddink clearly commands the respect of the players and the fans are demanding he stays.
But Hiddink himself has said he is committed to his contract with the Russian national team, where his boss is, of course, Abramovich.
Perhaps something might be sorted out after all. But it would help if the Hiddink could win the Cup and prevent that second trophy-less season.
***
Everton fans have to go back to 1995 for their last trophy when Paul Rideout's goal helped the Toffees beat Manchester United 1-0 in the Cup Final.
But, while they have failed (so far) to pick up a pot, Everton have undoubtedly achieved under the astute management of David Moyes and are deserving of their position as the 'best of the rest'.
In the last five seasons, Everton have finished 4th (above Liverpool), 11th, 6th, 5th and 5th again.
This season's fifth place was particularly impressive as a sluggish start and poor home form left them needing to catch up.
The Toffees also had to play for parts of the campaign without a recognised striker after injuries to Yakubu, Louis Saha (not a surprise casualty), James Vaughan and - most recently - Victor Anichebe.
While Chelsea can name a full-strength team after Frank Lampard's declaration of fitness, Moyes will be forced into playing a weakened team in the Cup final.
The midfield talent of Phil Jagielka and Mikel Arteta is out for the season.
But Everton are unlikely to capitulate - they rarely do. Both matches against Chelsea in the league this season finished 0-0.
They also drew 0-0 with Manchester United before a penalty shoot-out success. It is all lined-up to be a tight match.
What a way to celebrate the signing of Moyes' five-year contract this season if he could deliver a trophy under the Wembley arch.
***
Teams
CHELSEA
Cech - Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, Ashley Cole - Essien, Mikel, Lampard - Anelka, Drogba, Malouda
EVERTON
Howard - Hibbert, Yobo, Lescott, Baines - Osman, Neville, Pienaar, Cahill, Fellaini - Saha.
Route to the Final
CHELSEA
Third round- Southend United (h) 1-1, (a) 4-1 in replay
Fourth round- Ipswich Town (h) 3-1
Fifth round- Watford (a) 3-1
Sixth round- Coventry City (a) 2-0
Semi finals- Arsenal (n) 2-1
EVERTON
Third round- Macclesfield Town (a) 1-0
Fourth round- Liverpool (a) 1-1, (h) 1-0 aet
Fifth round- Aston Villa (h) 3-1
Sixth round- Middlesbrough (h) 2-1
Semi finals- Manchester United (n) 0-0, won 4-2 on penalties
Previous FA Cup Final appearances
CHELSEA
8 appearances, 4 wins (1970, 1997, 2000, 2007)
EVERTON
12 appearances, 5 wins (1906, 1933, 1966, 1984, 1995)
Prediction
1-0 to Chelsea. Goal by Anelka in the second half when the injuries to Phil Jagielka and Mikel Arteta finally take their toll.
Anelka finished Premier League top-scorer this season. He also scored in the FA Cup Final for Arsenal in 1998.
True, they have finished runners-up in the Premier League and the Champions League two seasons ago and then reached the semi finals in Europe this time around.
But Roman demands trophies.
That so much was obvious when he ditched Avram Grant, a move which pleased many Chelsea supporters, despite their appearance in the Moscow final.
In came Luis Felipe Scolari, the former World Cup-winning coach.
But, unsurprisingly, Abramovich disposed of the him as Chelsea were cut adrift in the league and struggled to beat Southend United in the FA Cup.
Since the arrival of his replacement, Guus Hiddink, things have improved significantly. Chelsea have played 21, won 15, drawn 5 and lost just the once.
Hiddink clearly commands the respect of the players and the fans are demanding he stays.
But Hiddink himself has said he is committed to his contract with the Russian national team, where his boss is, of course, Abramovich.
Perhaps something might be sorted out after all. But it would help if the Hiddink could win the Cup and prevent that second trophy-less season.
***
Everton fans have to go back to 1995 for their last trophy when Paul Rideout's goal helped the Toffees beat Manchester United 1-0 in the Cup Final.
But, while they have failed (so far) to pick up a pot, Everton have undoubtedly achieved under the astute management of David Moyes and are deserving of their position as the 'best of the rest'.
In the last five seasons, Everton have finished 4th (above Liverpool), 11th, 6th, 5th and 5th again.
This season's fifth place was particularly impressive as a sluggish start and poor home form left them needing to catch up.
The Toffees also had to play for parts of the campaign without a recognised striker after injuries to Yakubu, Louis Saha (not a surprise casualty), James Vaughan and - most recently - Victor Anichebe.
While Chelsea can name a full-strength team after Frank Lampard's declaration of fitness, Moyes will be forced into playing a weakened team in the Cup final.
The midfield talent of Phil Jagielka and Mikel Arteta is out for the season.
But Everton are unlikely to capitulate - they rarely do. Both matches against Chelsea in the league this season finished 0-0.
They also drew 0-0 with Manchester United before a penalty shoot-out success. It is all lined-up to be a tight match.
What a way to celebrate the signing of Moyes' five-year contract this season if he could deliver a trophy under the Wembley arch.
***
Teams
CHELSEA
Cech - Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, Ashley Cole - Essien, Mikel, Lampard - Anelka, Drogba, Malouda
EVERTON
Howard - Hibbert, Yobo, Lescott, Baines - Osman, Neville, Pienaar, Cahill, Fellaini - Saha.
Route to the Final
CHELSEA
Third round- Southend United (h) 1-1, (a) 4-1 in replay
Fourth round- Ipswich Town (h) 3-1
Fifth round- Watford (a) 3-1
Sixth round- Coventry City (a) 2-0
Semi finals- Arsenal (n) 2-1
EVERTON
Third round- Macclesfield Town (a) 1-0
Fourth round- Liverpool (a) 1-1, (h) 1-0 aet
Fifth round- Aston Villa (h) 3-1
Sixth round- Middlesbrough (h) 2-1
Semi finals- Manchester United (n) 0-0, won 4-2 on penalties
Previous FA Cup Final appearances
CHELSEA
8 appearances, 4 wins (1970, 1997, 2000, 2007)
EVERTON
12 appearances, 5 wins (1906, 1933, 1966, 1984, 1995)
Prediction
1-0 to Chelsea. Goal by Anelka in the second half when the injuries to Phil Jagielka and Mikel Arteta finally take their toll.
Anelka finished Premier League top-scorer this season. He also scored in the FA Cup Final for Arsenal in 1998.
Thursday 28 May 2009
The Apprentice - series 5, ep 10: Howard's end
Howard fell agonisingly short of the interview week after Sir Alan fired him for his failure on the TV shopping task.
Ignite suffered a surprising loss having failed to sell their high-value products for as much money as Empire sold their cheaper stock.
As project manager for Ignite, Howard made an inauspicious selection of a pet craft kit (£16.99) and an infrared toy air guitar (£14.99) along with Lorraine.
But their companion Kate went for the high-end products, a chip fryer (£139.99) and some real leather metallic jackets (£149.99).
By contrast, Empire's highest-priced product, chosen by team leader Yasmina - working with James - was a leaf-collector called the Grabosaurus (£29.99).
Yasmina and James also chose a remote control car (£13.99). Debra, working alone, plumped for some hideous-looking polo-neck ponchos (£9.99) and hair clips (£17.99).
In the practice for the live television presentations, Lorraine for Ignite was not convincing at all while Kate also seemed to lose her nerve somewhat.
Nevertheless, and despite criticism by Lorraine, Kate was named as the solo presenter with Howard and Lorraine working together once again.
On Empire, Debra was named as the soloist based on Yasmina's belief that she works better alone, leaving Yasmina to work with James.
Yasmina and James were first to present, showcasing the products chosen by Debra who was in the director's chair.
Ignoring Debra's directions to announce the price of the remote control car, Yasmina and James then went completely off-topic in between presenting their two products.
Perhaps still distracted, Yasmina then gave the wrong price for their second item - the hair-clips - pricing them at £9.99 when they were £17.99.
This was corrected by James and the pair noticeably relaxed, particularly James who provided some quality comedy sales patter.
Team-mate Debra presented without any hitches.
But her items chosen by Yasmina/James - the polo-neck ponchos and the Grabosaurus leaf-collector - left Sir Alan wondering if the cautious approach of aiming for low-price products would work.
Sir Alan expected Ignite would do so much better with their high-value items - some hideous metallic-style leather jackets and the fryer, selected by Kate.
But, due to the rules, they were presented by Howard and Lorraine.
The pair did a fine job of showing off the items but failed to mention the product number, telephone number and website anywhere near enough.
Kate struggled unsurprisingly to present the pet craft kit, and admitted later it was "not the most exciting thing to demonstrate".
But she did better and loosened up to show off the infra-red air guitar in brilliantly entertaining fashion.
It was still not enough, however. Empire, with sales of £1541.88, beat Ignite who recorded £1376.73 despite their higher-priced items.
Empire's Debra, so often at odds with the other side of the boardroom desk, received high praise for her ability to present the shabby ponchos - selling over £900 personally.
Nick Hewer said: "She took to it like a duck to water. She was exceptional."
Her reward along with James and team leader Yasmina was a thrilling private jet aerobatics session - the loop-da-loop and kamikaze dives ensuring this was easily the best prize of the series.
But Ignite were back in the boardroom to face Sir Alan.
On the one hand, they had suffered from poor product selection (the pet craft kit and air guitar) by Howard and Lorraine.
And, on the other hand, they suffered from the poor presentation - again by Lorraine and Howard - of Kate's high-value products (the jackets and the fryer) which should have ensured victory.
Sir Alan informed the team of some damning stats. They sold less than 10% of what was expected in the period for the air guitar.
Worse again, they sold less than 5% of what was expected on the leather jackets.
Lorraine was criticised by Sir Alan for not following through her instincts after she favoured a lizard toy which was not selected.
Lorraine defended herself by stating this selection, although once again ignored, showed her "natural flair" for the vacancy.
Sir Alan also slammed Kate for her wooden presentation, accusing her of being "like a programmed robot" and he compared her solo figures to Debra's.
But it was team leader Howard who took the most stick in the boardroom.
He was then blamed by Sir Alan for not being willing to take the risk with Lorraine's novelty toy lizard and it was suggested he was risk-averse - no more than a "steady-eddie".
Even Nick Hewer bashed Howard, stating his actions suggested he was "not a brave warrior".
And so, in a decision which Sir Alan described as being "very tough but a sign of the times", he sacked nice-guy Howard and kept Kate and Lorraine.
He said: "All three of you have come a long way in this process but, as you all know, it has to come to an end for one of you today. Howard, you're fired."
In the cab, Howard was clearly disappointed but remained in his calm, philosophical self.
He said: "I'm gutted, really gutted. There is no denying that. I really wanted to go all the way through the process.
"But if Sir Alan thinks that I'm risk-averse then I will take on the feedback and maybe I need to be a bit more maverick.
Howard's departure leaves James as the only male candidate to make the interview stage, a point his female rivals were not slow to notice back at the penthouse.
He will be up against four women - Debra, Kate, Lorraine and Yasmina, the first time so many females have made the penultimate week.
Ignite suffered a surprising loss having failed to sell their high-value products for as much money as Empire sold their cheaper stock.
As project manager for Ignite, Howard made an inauspicious selection of a pet craft kit (£16.99) and an infrared toy air guitar (£14.99) along with Lorraine.
But their companion Kate went for the high-end products, a chip fryer (£139.99) and some real leather metallic jackets (£149.99).
By contrast, Empire's highest-priced product, chosen by team leader Yasmina - working with James - was a leaf-collector called the Grabosaurus (£29.99).
Yasmina and James also chose a remote control car (£13.99). Debra, working alone, plumped for some hideous-looking polo-neck ponchos (£9.99) and hair clips (£17.99).
In the practice for the live television presentations, Lorraine for Ignite was not convincing at all while Kate also seemed to lose her nerve somewhat.
Nevertheless, and despite criticism by Lorraine, Kate was named as the solo presenter with Howard and Lorraine working together once again.
On Empire, Debra was named as the soloist based on Yasmina's belief that she works better alone, leaving Yasmina to work with James.
Yasmina and James were first to present, showcasing the products chosen by Debra who was in the director's chair.
Ignoring Debra's directions to announce the price of the remote control car, Yasmina and James then went completely off-topic in between presenting their two products.
Perhaps still distracted, Yasmina then gave the wrong price for their second item - the hair-clips - pricing them at £9.99 when they were £17.99.
This was corrected by James and the pair noticeably relaxed, particularly James who provided some quality comedy sales patter.
Team-mate Debra presented without any hitches.
But her items chosen by Yasmina/James - the polo-neck ponchos and the Grabosaurus leaf-collector - left Sir Alan wondering if the cautious approach of aiming for low-price products would work.
Sir Alan expected Ignite would do so much better with their high-value items - some hideous metallic-style leather jackets and the fryer, selected by Kate.
But, due to the rules, they were presented by Howard and Lorraine.
The pair did a fine job of showing off the items but failed to mention the product number, telephone number and website anywhere near enough.
Kate struggled unsurprisingly to present the pet craft kit, and admitted later it was "not the most exciting thing to demonstrate".
But she did better and loosened up to show off the infra-red air guitar in brilliantly entertaining fashion.
It was still not enough, however. Empire, with sales of £1541.88, beat Ignite who recorded £1376.73 despite their higher-priced items.
Empire's Debra, so often at odds with the other side of the boardroom desk, received high praise for her ability to present the shabby ponchos - selling over £900 personally.
Nick Hewer said: "She took to it like a duck to water. She was exceptional."
Her reward along with James and team leader Yasmina was a thrilling private jet aerobatics session - the loop-da-loop and kamikaze dives ensuring this was easily the best prize of the series.
But Ignite were back in the boardroom to face Sir Alan.
On the one hand, they had suffered from poor product selection (the pet craft kit and air guitar) by Howard and Lorraine.
And, on the other hand, they suffered from the poor presentation - again by Lorraine and Howard - of Kate's high-value products (the jackets and the fryer) which should have ensured victory.
Sir Alan informed the team of some damning stats. They sold less than 10% of what was expected in the period for the air guitar.
Worse again, they sold less than 5% of what was expected on the leather jackets.
Lorraine was criticised by Sir Alan for not following through her instincts after she favoured a lizard toy which was not selected.
Lorraine defended herself by stating this selection, although once again ignored, showed her "natural flair" for the vacancy.
Sir Alan also slammed Kate for her wooden presentation, accusing her of being "like a programmed robot" and he compared her solo figures to Debra's.
But it was team leader Howard who took the most stick in the boardroom.
He was then blamed by Sir Alan for not being willing to take the risk with Lorraine's novelty toy lizard and it was suggested he was risk-averse - no more than a "steady-eddie".
Even Nick Hewer bashed Howard, stating his actions suggested he was "not a brave warrior".
And so, in a decision which Sir Alan described as being "very tough but a sign of the times", he sacked nice-guy Howard and kept Kate and Lorraine.
He said: "All three of you have come a long way in this process but, as you all know, it has to come to an end for one of you today. Howard, you're fired."
In the cab, Howard was clearly disappointed but remained in his calm, philosophical self.
He said: "I'm gutted, really gutted. There is no denying that. I really wanted to go all the way through the process.
"But if Sir Alan thinks that I'm risk-averse then I will take on the feedback and maybe I need to be a bit more maverick.
Howard's departure leaves James as the only male candidate to make the interview stage, a point his female rivals were not slow to notice back at the penthouse.
He will be up against four women - Debra, Kate, Lorraine and Yasmina, the first time so many females have made the penultimate week.
Wednesday 27 May 2009
The Apprentice - series 5, ep 9: Brash Ben fired after failing at the Baby Show
Brash Ben became the latest candidate to be fired from this year's competition after failing to impress in the Baby Show task.
Errors over product selection cost Empire dear as they struggled to sell birthing pools and rocking horses to niche markets.
Sir Alan had laid on prime sites for the teams at the Baby Show at Earls' Court in west London.
And he named the two parents from the remaining candidates as project managers.
James was tasked with leading Ben, Debra and Yasmina for Empire against Lorraine in charge of Kate and Howard for Ignite in re-arranged teams.
But their first task was the choose the two products which they would need to sell the following day.
On Ignite, Lorraine, who had been to the Baby Show before, suggested they need to focus on a high-end product and an impulse purchase.
Meanwhile, on Empire, James and Ben clashed over the logistics of seeing each of the presentations.
To be fair to the teams, not many of the choices were particularly appealing.
Two of the pitches which they received were for babies' high-heel shoes and a cardboard cot.
The teams stayed clear of those but it was undoubtedly Ignite who did better with the rest.
Lorraine was highly impressed with the collapsable pushchair which looked ideal for parents who travel or have a busy lifestyle.
On her sub-team, Kate and Howard went for baby head-guards with Kate explaining they could play "on the guilt factor" of the parents.
Empire had rejected both of these products. James thought the pushchair was nothing special while Ben and Debra derided the head-guard as being xxxx.
Instead, Ben and Debra - in particular - was completely taken in by the prospect of selling rocking horses.
This was despite the obvious high-risk strategy in that they were priced between £1700 and £4000, and the owner admitted that his custom was often royalty.
Meanwhile, James and Yasmina chose the birthing pool even though the statistics showed only 2.2% of women have home-births, something which Lorraine had noticed.
But the exhibition centre, Igntie suffered some bad news even before the set-up.
A rival stall was selling the same the pushchair. Worse than that, it would later emerge that they were selling for £35 cheaper.
Lorraine was also having a right battle royale, still struggling comically to put up and collapse the pushchair despite a night of practice.
They even resorted to asking a punter how to do it.
Nick Hewer said: "This pushchair looks to me like the most complicated thing when, in fact, if done properly it is the simplest thing with a great selling point.
"She's making a complete horlicks of it."
Empire realised their main chance of victory was to sell a single rocking horse but the price tags on display deterred potential buyers.
Once the tags were removed, the horses received much more attention but punters continued to be put off once the prices were revealed.
As the day came to a close, Empire nearly stole victory when Debra almost sold a rocking horse to a collector.
But, unable to reduce their price below £1700, the collector walked away leaving Empire staring defeat in the face.
The results were not a surprise - Ignite had made £1600 on their pushchair and head-guards while Empire managed only £722 on the discounted birthing pool.
No rocking horses had been sold and so it was no surprise when James hauled Ben and Debra back in the boardroom with him.
Errors over product selection cost Empire dear as they struggled to sell birthing pools and rocking horses to niche markets.
Sir Alan had laid on prime sites for the teams at the Baby Show at Earls' Court in west London.
And he named the two parents from the remaining candidates as project managers.
James was tasked with leading Ben, Debra and Yasmina for Empire against Lorraine in charge of Kate and Howard for Ignite in re-arranged teams.
But their first task was the choose the two products which they would need to sell the following day.
On Ignite, Lorraine, who had been to the Baby Show before, suggested they need to focus on a high-end product and an impulse purchase.
Meanwhile, on Empire, James and Ben clashed over the logistics of seeing each of the presentations.
To be fair to the teams, not many of the choices were particularly appealing.
Two of the pitches which they received were for babies' high-heel shoes and a cardboard cot.
The teams stayed clear of those but it was undoubtedly Ignite who did better with the rest.
Lorraine was highly impressed with the collapsable pushchair which looked ideal for parents who travel or have a busy lifestyle.
On her sub-team, Kate and Howard went for baby head-guards with Kate explaining they could play "on the guilt factor" of the parents.
Empire had rejected both of these products. James thought the pushchair was nothing special while Ben and Debra derided the head-guard as being xxxx.
Instead, Ben and Debra - in particular - was completely taken in by the prospect of selling rocking horses.
This was despite the obvious high-risk strategy in that they were priced between £1700 and £4000, and the owner admitted that his custom was often royalty.
Meanwhile, James and Yasmina chose the birthing pool even though the statistics showed only 2.2% of women have home-births, something which Lorraine had noticed.
But the exhibition centre, Igntie suffered some bad news even before the set-up.
A rival stall was selling the same the pushchair. Worse than that, it would later emerge that they were selling for £35 cheaper.
Lorraine was also having a right battle royale, still struggling comically to put up and collapse the pushchair despite a night of practice.
They even resorted to asking a punter how to do it.
Nick Hewer said: "This pushchair looks to me like the most complicated thing when, in fact, if done properly it is the simplest thing with a great selling point.
"She's making a complete horlicks of it."
Empire realised their main chance of victory was to sell a single rocking horse but the price tags on display deterred potential buyers.
Once the tags were removed, the horses received much more attention but punters continued to be put off once the prices were revealed.
As the day came to a close, Empire nearly stole victory when Debra almost sold a rocking horse to a collector.
But, unable to reduce their price below £1700, the collector walked away leaving Empire staring defeat in the face.
The results were not a surprise - Ignite had made £1600 on their pushchair and head-guards while Empire managed only £722 on the discounted birthing pool.
No rocking horses had been sold and so it was no surprise when James hauled Ben and Debra back in the boardroom with him.
Tuesday 26 May 2009
Newcastle United relegation review 2008-09
There's a phrase which tells you that you should never meet your heroes because they will only disappoint you.
Well, I didn't have to meet the bunch of overpaid, over-hyped wasters in which I have invested all my hope to be let down by them.
I just watched them from Level 7 at St James Park all season with an increasingly desperate realisation that they weren't good enough.
After just seven wins (five at home) and 34 points, they were undoubtledly not good enough.
And to think the season started so optimistically after the late-season recovery under Kevin Keegan in 2007-08.
A point at Old Trafford was followed up by a tight home win against Bolton Wanderers and a fine attacking display in beating Coventry City 3-2 in the League Cup.
Little did we think that the 3-0 reverse at the Emirates against Arsenal, the third such defeat in 2008, would be the last match of Keegan's second spell as manager.
Rumours began circulating as early as Tuesday that Keegan had resigned, citing Mike Ashley's ridiculous management structure which placed the odious Dennis Wise and a casino boss Derek Llambias above him in the St James Park pecking order.
It also became apparent that James Milner had been allowed to leave for Aston Villa without his agreement and that many of the signings had been sanctioned by Wise, not Keegan.
On the Thursday of that week, the rumours became fact and Keegan, sticking by his principles, decided he had no choice but to abandon the club again.
A tumultuous day at St James Park included fan protests against the board while on the pitch United lost 2-1 at home to Hull, a result which would end up having far more significance than originally realised.
Further defeats against West Ham United (1-3 away), Spurs (1-2 home in the League Cup) and Blackburn (1-2 home) further eroded confidence before Ashley pulled the next rabbit out his hat by dragging Joe Kinnear in from the wilderness.
Kinnear had last managed four years previously when he was relieved of his position as Nottingham Forest headed down to League One.
But he started with two 2-2 draws, including a fighting display against Manchester City after Habib Beye suffered one of the worst red cards of the season thanks to the incompetence of referee Rob Styles.
This was followed, however, by a 2-1 loss away in Sunderland, the first away defeat in the derby since 1980 and the first in the top flight since 1967.
Kinnear recovered his position as United won two league matches in a row for the first time all season by beating West Brom and Aston Villa at home within a week.
But this was followed by five matches without a win, four of which were draws.
Two of the draws were credible stalemates away at Chelsea and Boro. But both the home draws against Wigan and Stoke involved surrendering leads in the last minute.
United enjoyed some good pre-Christmas form by beating Portsmouth 3-0 away in their longest trip of the season and then scoring in the last minute to beat Spurs 2-1.
It left the Toon in 12th place on Christmas morning but the league remained extremely tight.
And so, the annual Boxing Day loss to Wigan - followed up by the 5-1 home mauling against Liverpool - dragged United back into trouble.
It also signalled the end of Shay Given's Newcastle United career as he handed in a transfer request and moved to Manchester City.
Charles N'Zogbia also moved - to Wigan after a public falling-out with Kinnear with Ryan Taylor coming in the opposite direction.
Kevin Nolan and Peter Lovenkrands were also brought in the club.
The FA Cup brought little joy with defeat in a home replay against Hull City after a 0-0 draw at the KC Stadium.
This was followed by further league defeats at Blackburn Rovers, now managed by Fat Sam Allardyce, and Manchester City.
Then a second embarrassing derby defeat of the season was avoided only when Shola Ameobi converted a controversial penalty to equalise.
A win eventually arrived in the disposing of rock-bottom West Brom 3-2 away on a day when their defence turned out to be even worse than ours.
But the three points came at the cost of Kinnear's health as his well-known heart problem once again reared its ugly head.
Ashley, who had clearly not prepared for such an eventuality, placed Chris Hughton and another former failed Forest boss Colin Calderwood in charge.
But, after taking charge of the win at the Hawthorns, they oversaw just two further points from the next five matches.
Encouraging losses against Manchester United and Arsenal (when United should have been 2-0 ahead before collapsing after 60 minutes) were offset by a meek loss at Bolton (0-1) and more dropped points against Hull City (1-1).
Then, on the eve of April Fools Day, Newcastle United shocked the country once again by appointing Alan Shearer as their fourth manager of the season until the end of the campaign.
Shearer faced a tough first match against Chelsea and the same failings were evident.
Having got in level against top-four opposition for the third match, United went on to lose the second half.
A potentially crushing loss at Stoke City was avoided when Andy Carroll headed home with less than ten minutes to go to give Shearer his first point.
But a 1-0 loss at Spurs was followed by two further matches without a goal - a 0-0 stalemate against Portsmouth and a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool which could have been much worse.
An eight-day break allowed United to build up to their biggest match since 1992 - against Middlesbrough.
For once, the players performed with Mark Viduka in particularly inspired form to help United come from behind to beat Boro 3-1.
But still Newcastle went down. A tame 1-0 home loss against Fulham was followed up by a final-day whimper against Aston Villa by the same score.
Thanks to the constant favours of the other incompetent teams, an equaliser in either match would have kept Newcastle up.
But with a clueless board, an inexperienced manager and a bunch of gutless players, it was never going to happen.
The following players made more than nine appearances for the club during the 2008/09 relegation season:
(1) SHAY GIVEN 4.5/10 -
26 appearances
Unsurprisingly disgruntled with the 5-1 home defeat to Liverpool despite the latest of so many man-of-the-match performances over the years. But could also be seen as abandoning ship prematurely.
(2) FABRICIO COLOCCINI 1/10 -
37 appearances
An absolutely dreadful signing for £10m. Started reasonably in the opening matches but could not cope with the pressure of a relegation battle after his confidence was destroyed by that Liverpool defeat.
(3) JOSE ENRIQUE 4/10 -
27 appearances (including one as sub)
A much improved player this season with more attacking flair and defensive solidity. Still has the irritating tendency to waste some good positions with poor distribution, however.
(4) KEVIN NOLAN 2.5/10 -
10 appearances (including one as sub)
The highly-regarded signing of the ex-Bolton captain failed to improve United's woeful midfield running, except for the match against Boro. Overall, he replicated his performance at St James for Bolton early in the season (when he missed a penalty) over and over again. Ridiculous tackle in getting sent off against Everton.
(7) JOEY BARTON 1/10 -
9 appearances (including three as sub), 1 goal
In hindsight (which is a wonderful thing), should have been ditched after his brutal assault in Liverpool last Christmas. A thug who has been able to show little of his apparent talent since arriving at the club due to injury/suspension/jail terms. Stupidly sent off against Liverpool, denying him a chance to redeem himself in the run-in.
(8) DANNY GUTHRIE 3/10 -
26 appearances (including three as sub), 2 goals
possibly the best crosser of a ball at the club as demonstrated on the opening day for Martins' goal at Old Trafford and again at Boro. He is horribly inconsistent, though, and suffered the same malaise in being unable to pass the ball properly, especially against Portsmouth.
(9) OBAFEMI MARTINS 2/10 -
24 appearances (including three as sub), 8 goals
A terrible finisher as shown with his penalty against Arsenal, and his ballooned shots against Spurs, Portsmouth and Villa on the final day. Unforgivably, he went AWOL against Stoke away.
(10) MICHAEL OWEN 2.5/10 -
31 appearances (including seven as sub), 10 goals
Unlucky with injuries early in his Toon career and the saviour of last season with seven goals in the last nine matches. Also started this season well and ends the campaign as top scorer but he finished with one goal in 17 and, arguably, looked less and less interested as each game passed.
(11) DAMIEN DUFF 2.5/10 -
32 appearances (including two as sub), 3 goals.
Even discounting the own goal which sent us down, Duff has disappointed with his strange inability as a winger to cross and his weak shots. Scored what seemed like useful goals against Everton, Spurs and West Brom. Better than some midfielders on the books but that's not saying much.
(12) SEBASTIEN BASSONG 4.5/10 -
34 appearances (including four as sub)
A second successive relegation for the young Frenchman after going down with Metz last season. But this was barely merited for one of the more consistent performers this season. But he was sent off twice (harshly against Wigan) and seemed to get turned by his marker at times.
(13) STEVE HARPER 3/10 -
15 appearances
Unexpectedly became No1 after the depature of Given in January and did OK. But he has major weaknesses in that he struggles even more than Given to control his box on crosses and his distribution is too slow and frequently inaccurate.
(14) CHARLES N'ZOGBIA 2/10 -
22 appearances (including four as sub), 2 goals
Fell out with Joe Kinnear in dramatic style after being called 'Insomnia' in an interview. His languid style and lack of goals made this an easy accusation but he had regularly been played out of position at left back.
(16) RYAN TAYLOR 1.5/10 -
10 appearances (including two as sub)
Arrived with great expectations on set plays after four goals for Wigan against United. Another player who struggled to feel the pressure/live up to the hype, failing to deliver anything of Premier League standard, except possibly for the West Brom away win.
(18) JONAS GUTTIEREZ 2.5/10 -
33 appearances (including eight as sub)
A major problem when a winger who cannot cross or shoot ends up being a main hope. Provided three assists and no goals all season yet remained a talent simply for the face he was one of the few midfielders willing to run at the opposition.
(20) GEREMI 1/10 -
17 appearances (including four as sub)
An indictment of Sam Allardyce's reign. Big Fat Sam signed him last season and made him captain despite the fact that he can barely run. Incredibly, this season, he became slower. A disgrace to his profession.
(21) HABIB BEYE 4.5/10 -
24 appearances (including one as sub)
A cruel season for Beye - unfairly sent off against Manchester City (later rescinded), horribly injured against Wigan, terribly unlucky to score an own goal against Boro then unfortunate to miss the last day. Still highly regarded widely considered as the best defender at the club since Woodgate.
(22) NICKY BUTT 1/10 -
36 appearances
Quite simply, yesterday's man. He provided some of the worst attempts at long balls the club will have seen in its history. Also, let's not forget, costly at the back - conceded pens against Hull (h) and Everton (a), and that free-kick against the mackems, as well as being sent off against Blackburn.
(23) SHOLA AMEOBI 1.5/10 -
20 appearances (including six as sub), 4 goals
Looked to have recovered his standing yet again having been on loan in the Championship during 07/08 when he played with decent heart in the home wins against West Brom and Villa. Amazingly rewarded with a contract after which he reverted to type, producing a series of lazy performances summed up by his terrible shot against Villa (United's last of the season) and the basic mistake in failing to mark Faye at a corner v Stoke away.
(24) PETER LOVENKRANDS 2.5/10 -
11 appearances (including four as sub), 3 goals
Became somewhat of a cult hero after giving United the lead at home to Man Utd. Also scored some useful goals against West Brom and Middlesbrough. But he was anonymous when he started at Anfield and on the last day against Villa. Also the first to demand a move away from the club (via his agent's statement) after relegation.
(27) STEVEN TAYLOR 4/10 -
28 appearances (including two as sub), 4 goals
Improved his game in the second half of the season, cutting out many of his silly mistakes. Scored four goals (third-top scorer) from the back against Everton, West Brom, Hull and Boro. Produced a fantastic defensive performance against Arsenal before being forced off by injury when it all went wrong.
(36) MARK VIDUKA 2.5/10 -
11 appearances (including six as sub)
Failed to score all season and somehow made 11 appearances despite spending most of his time injured. Proved useful in the home wins against Spurs and Boro but will always be considered as a HUGE waste of space.
(39) ANDY CARROLL 2/10 -
16 appearances (including ten as sub), 3 goals
Often did well when he was called upon, saving draws against West Ham and at Stoke City. But still hard to tell in his overall performance whether he has the quality of a top-level striker.
Note:
Marks are capped at 5/10 as I cannot bear to give any player over half marks after this dreadful campaign.
Well, I didn't have to meet the bunch of overpaid, over-hyped wasters in which I have invested all my hope to be let down by them.
I just watched them from Level 7 at St James Park all season with an increasingly desperate realisation that they weren't good enough.
After just seven wins (five at home) and 34 points, they were undoubtledly not good enough.
And to think the season started so optimistically after the late-season recovery under Kevin Keegan in 2007-08.
A point at Old Trafford was followed up by a tight home win against Bolton Wanderers and a fine attacking display in beating Coventry City 3-2 in the League Cup.
Little did we think that the 3-0 reverse at the Emirates against Arsenal, the third such defeat in 2008, would be the last match of Keegan's second spell as manager.
Rumours began circulating as early as Tuesday that Keegan had resigned, citing Mike Ashley's ridiculous management structure which placed the odious Dennis Wise and a casino boss Derek Llambias above him in the St James Park pecking order.
It also became apparent that James Milner had been allowed to leave for Aston Villa without his agreement and that many of the signings had been sanctioned by Wise, not Keegan.
On the Thursday of that week, the rumours became fact and Keegan, sticking by his principles, decided he had no choice but to abandon the club again.
A tumultuous day at St James Park included fan protests against the board while on the pitch United lost 2-1 at home to Hull, a result which would end up having far more significance than originally realised.
Further defeats against West Ham United (1-3 away), Spurs (1-2 home in the League Cup) and Blackburn (1-2 home) further eroded confidence before Ashley pulled the next rabbit out his hat by dragging Joe Kinnear in from the wilderness.
Kinnear had last managed four years previously when he was relieved of his position as Nottingham Forest headed down to League One.
But he started with two 2-2 draws, including a fighting display against Manchester City after Habib Beye suffered one of the worst red cards of the season thanks to the incompetence of referee Rob Styles.
This was followed, however, by a 2-1 loss away in Sunderland, the first away defeat in the derby since 1980 and the first in the top flight since 1967.
Kinnear recovered his position as United won two league matches in a row for the first time all season by beating West Brom and Aston Villa at home within a week.
But this was followed by five matches without a win, four of which were draws.
Two of the draws were credible stalemates away at Chelsea and Boro. But both the home draws against Wigan and Stoke involved surrendering leads in the last minute.
United enjoyed some good pre-Christmas form by beating Portsmouth 3-0 away in their longest trip of the season and then scoring in the last minute to beat Spurs 2-1.
It left the Toon in 12th place on Christmas morning but the league remained extremely tight.
And so, the annual Boxing Day loss to Wigan - followed up by the 5-1 home mauling against Liverpool - dragged United back into trouble.
It also signalled the end of Shay Given's Newcastle United career as he handed in a transfer request and moved to Manchester City.
Charles N'Zogbia also moved - to Wigan after a public falling-out with Kinnear with Ryan Taylor coming in the opposite direction.
Kevin Nolan and Peter Lovenkrands were also brought in the club.
The FA Cup brought little joy with defeat in a home replay against Hull City after a 0-0 draw at the KC Stadium.
This was followed by further league defeats at Blackburn Rovers, now managed by Fat Sam Allardyce, and Manchester City.
Then a second embarrassing derby defeat of the season was avoided only when Shola Ameobi converted a controversial penalty to equalise.
A win eventually arrived in the disposing of rock-bottom West Brom 3-2 away on a day when their defence turned out to be even worse than ours.
But the three points came at the cost of Kinnear's health as his well-known heart problem once again reared its ugly head.
Ashley, who had clearly not prepared for such an eventuality, placed Chris Hughton and another former failed Forest boss Colin Calderwood in charge.
But, after taking charge of the win at the Hawthorns, they oversaw just two further points from the next five matches.
Encouraging losses against Manchester United and Arsenal (when United should have been 2-0 ahead before collapsing after 60 minutes) were offset by a meek loss at Bolton (0-1) and more dropped points against Hull City (1-1).
Then, on the eve of April Fools Day, Newcastle United shocked the country once again by appointing Alan Shearer as their fourth manager of the season until the end of the campaign.
Shearer faced a tough first match against Chelsea and the same failings were evident.
Having got in level against top-four opposition for the third match, United went on to lose the second half.
A potentially crushing loss at Stoke City was avoided when Andy Carroll headed home with less than ten minutes to go to give Shearer his first point.
But a 1-0 loss at Spurs was followed by two further matches without a goal - a 0-0 stalemate against Portsmouth and a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool which could have been much worse.
An eight-day break allowed United to build up to their biggest match since 1992 - against Middlesbrough.
For once, the players performed with Mark Viduka in particularly inspired form to help United come from behind to beat Boro 3-1.
But still Newcastle went down. A tame 1-0 home loss against Fulham was followed up by a final-day whimper against Aston Villa by the same score.
Thanks to the constant favours of the other incompetent teams, an equaliser in either match would have kept Newcastle up.
But with a clueless board, an inexperienced manager and a bunch of gutless players, it was never going to happen.
The following players made more than nine appearances for the club during the 2008/09 relegation season:
(1) SHAY GIVEN 4.5/10 -
26 appearances
Unsurprisingly disgruntled with the 5-1 home defeat to Liverpool despite the latest of so many man-of-the-match performances over the years. But could also be seen as abandoning ship prematurely.
(2) FABRICIO COLOCCINI 1/10 -
37 appearances
An absolutely dreadful signing for £10m. Started reasonably in the opening matches but could not cope with the pressure of a relegation battle after his confidence was destroyed by that Liverpool defeat.
(3) JOSE ENRIQUE 4/10 -
27 appearances (including one as sub)
A much improved player this season with more attacking flair and defensive solidity. Still has the irritating tendency to waste some good positions with poor distribution, however.
(4) KEVIN NOLAN 2.5/10 -
10 appearances (including one as sub)
The highly-regarded signing of the ex-Bolton captain failed to improve United's woeful midfield running, except for the match against Boro. Overall, he replicated his performance at St James for Bolton early in the season (when he missed a penalty) over and over again. Ridiculous tackle in getting sent off against Everton.
(7) JOEY BARTON 1/10 -
9 appearances (including three as sub), 1 goal
In hindsight (which is a wonderful thing), should have been ditched after his brutal assault in Liverpool last Christmas. A thug who has been able to show little of his apparent talent since arriving at the club due to injury/suspension/jail terms. Stupidly sent off against Liverpool, denying him a chance to redeem himself in the run-in.
(8) DANNY GUTHRIE 3/10 -
26 appearances (including three as sub), 2 goals
possibly the best crosser of a ball at the club as demonstrated on the opening day for Martins' goal at Old Trafford and again at Boro. He is horribly inconsistent, though, and suffered the same malaise in being unable to pass the ball properly, especially against Portsmouth.
(9) OBAFEMI MARTINS 2/10 -
24 appearances (including three as sub), 8 goals
A terrible finisher as shown with his penalty against Arsenal, and his ballooned shots against Spurs, Portsmouth and Villa on the final day. Unforgivably, he went AWOL against Stoke away.
(10) MICHAEL OWEN 2.5/10 -
31 appearances (including seven as sub), 10 goals
Unlucky with injuries early in his Toon career and the saviour of last season with seven goals in the last nine matches. Also started this season well and ends the campaign as top scorer but he finished with one goal in 17 and, arguably, looked less and less interested as each game passed.
(11) DAMIEN DUFF 2.5/10 -
32 appearances (including two as sub), 3 goals.
Even discounting the own goal which sent us down, Duff has disappointed with his strange inability as a winger to cross and his weak shots. Scored what seemed like useful goals against Everton, Spurs and West Brom. Better than some midfielders on the books but that's not saying much.
(12) SEBASTIEN BASSONG 4.5/10 -
34 appearances (including four as sub)
A second successive relegation for the young Frenchman after going down with Metz last season. But this was barely merited for one of the more consistent performers this season. But he was sent off twice (harshly against Wigan) and seemed to get turned by his marker at times.
(13) STEVE HARPER 3/10 -
15 appearances
Unexpectedly became No1 after the depature of Given in January and did OK. But he has major weaknesses in that he struggles even more than Given to control his box on crosses and his distribution is too slow and frequently inaccurate.
(14) CHARLES N'ZOGBIA 2/10 -
22 appearances (including four as sub), 2 goals
Fell out with Joe Kinnear in dramatic style after being called 'Insomnia' in an interview. His languid style and lack of goals made this an easy accusation but he had regularly been played out of position at left back.
(16) RYAN TAYLOR 1.5/10 -
10 appearances (including two as sub)
Arrived with great expectations on set plays after four goals for Wigan against United. Another player who struggled to feel the pressure/live up to the hype, failing to deliver anything of Premier League standard, except possibly for the West Brom away win.
(18) JONAS GUTTIEREZ 2.5/10 -
33 appearances (including eight as sub)
A major problem when a winger who cannot cross or shoot ends up being a main hope. Provided three assists and no goals all season yet remained a talent simply for the face he was one of the few midfielders willing to run at the opposition.
(20) GEREMI 1/10 -
17 appearances (including four as sub)
An indictment of Sam Allardyce's reign. Big Fat Sam signed him last season and made him captain despite the fact that he can barely run. Incredibly, this season, he became slower. A disgrace to his profession.
(21) HABIB BEYE 4.5/10 -
24 appearances (including one as sub)
A cruel season for Beye - unfairly sent off against Manchester City (later rescinded), horribly injured against Wigan, terribly unlucky to score an own goal against Boro then unfortunate to miss the last day. Still highly regarded widely considered as the best defender at the club since Woodgate.
(22) NICKY BUTT 1/10 -
36 appearances
Quite simply, yesterday's man. He provided some of the worst attempts at long balls the club will have seen in its history. Also, let's not forget, costly at the back - conceded pens against Hull (h) and Everton (a), and that free-kick against the mackems, as well as being sent off against Blackburn.
(23) SHOLA AMEOBI 1.5/10 -
20 appearances (including six as sub), 4 goals
Looked to have recovered his standing yet again having been on loan in the Championship during 07/08 when he played with decent heart in the home wins against West Brom and Villa. Amazingly rewarded with a contract after which he reverted to type, producing a series of lazy performances summed up by his terrible shot against Villa (United's last of the season) and the basic mistake in failing to mark Faye at a corner v Stoke away.
(24) PETER LOVENKRANDS 2.5/10 -
11 appearances (including four as sub), 3 goals
Became somewhat of a cult hero after giving United the lead at home to Man Utd. Also scored some useful goals against West Brom and Middlesbrough. But he was anonymous when he started at Anfield and on the last day against Villa. Also the first to demand a move away from the club (via his agent's statement) after relegation.
(27) STEVEN TAYLOR 4/10 -
28 appearances (including two as sub), 4 goals
Improved his game in the second half of the season, cutting out many of his silly mistakes. Scored four goals (third-top scorer) from the back against Everton, West Brom, Hull and Boro. Produced a fantastic defensive performance against Arsenal before being forced off by injury when it all went wrong.
(36) MARK VIDUKA 2.5/10 -
11 appearances (including six as sub)
Failed to score all season and somehow made 11 appearances despite spending most of his time injured. Proved useful in the home wins against Spurs and Boro but will always be considered as a HUGE waste of space.
(39) ANDY CARROLL 2/10 -
16 appearances (including ten as sub), 3 goals
Often did well when he was called upon, saving draws against West Ham and at Stoke City. But still hard to tell in his overall performance whether he has the quality of a top-level striker.
Note:
Marks are capped at 5/10 as I cannot bear to give any player over half marks after this dreadful campaign.
Saturday 16 May 2009
Norway storm Eurovision
Norway set an all-time competition record as they stormed home in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, hosted in Moscow.
Alexander Rybak scored as massive 387 points with his song 'Fairytale' and won in convincing style.
Jade Ewen, representing the United Kingdom, performed well with 'It's my time' and finished fifth, the UK's first top five placing since 2002 when Jessica Garlick finished third with 'Come Back'.
But the night belonged to favourites Norway and the 23-year-old Rybak who ended up with little competition.
So often mocked as being perennially useless, Norway stormed ahead of Icelandic soloist Yohanna who finished second, 169 points behind, while Azerbaijan managed a surprise third place.
Turkey's bellydancer Hadise earned fourth with Jade fifth.
Greece's highly-fancied Sakis Rouvas could only manage seventh while multi-award-winning singer Patrice Kaas could not finish higher than eighth for France.
The previous points record had been held by Finland in 2006 when heavy metal band Lordi won with 'Hard Rock Hallelujah' scoring 292 points.
But this was the first song contest for years in which tactical or geographical voting was kept at a minimum, undoubtedly helped by the new rules in place.
The change to the rules meant that half of the votes for the contestants came from the public of each country participating and the other half was influenced by music experts within those countries.
It helped the UK record their best finish for years but it soon became clear there was no chance of Jade beating Rybak's brilliant vocal and violin performance.
Full Results
1 NORWAY 387 points* (Alexander Rybak, 'Fairytale')
2 Iceland 218 points (Yohanna, 'Is It True?')
3 Azerbaijan 207 points (Aysel and Arash, 'Always')
4 Turkey 177 points (Hadise, 'Dum Tek Tek')
5 UNITED KINGDOM 173 points (Jade Ewen, 'It's My Time')
6 Estonia 129 points (Urban Symphony, 'Randajad')
7 Greece 120 points (Sakis Rouvas, 'This Is Our Night')
8 France 107 points (Patricia Kass, 'Et S'il Fallait Le Faire')
9 Bosnia and Herzegovina 106 points (Regina, 'Bistra Voda')
10 Armenia 92 points (Inga and Anush, 'Jan Jan')
11 Russia 91 points (Anastasiya Prikhodko, 'Mamo')
12 Ukraine 76 points (Svetlana Loboda, 'Be My Valentine (Anti-Crisis Girl)')
13 Denmark 74 points (Niels Brinck, 'Believe Again')
14 Moldova 68 points (Nelly Ciobanu, 'Hora din Moldova')
15 Portugal 57 points (Flor-de-Lis, 'Todas As Ruas Do Amor')
16 Israel 53 points (Noa and Mira Awad, 'There Must Be Another Way')
17 Albania 48 points (Kejsi Tola, 'Carry Me In Your Dreams')
18 Croatia 45 points (Igor Cukrov feat Andrea, 'Lijepa Tena')
19 Romania 40 points (Elena, 'The Balkan Girls')
20 Germany 35 points (Alex Sings Oscar Swings!, 'Miss Kiss Kiss Bang')
21 Sweden 33 points (Malena Ernman, 'La voix')
22 Malta 31 points (Chiara, 'What If We')
23 Lithuania 23 points (Sasha Son, 'Love')
24 Spain 23 points (Soraya Arnelas, 'La Noche Es Para Mi')
25 Finland 22 points (Waldo's People, 'Lose Control')
*Eurovision Song Contest record
Alexander Rybak scored as massive 387 points with his song 'Fairytale' and won in convincing style.
Jade Ewen, representing the United Kingdom, performed well with 'It's my time' and finished fifth, the UK's first top five placing since 2002 when Jessica Garlick finished third with 'Come Back'.
But the night belonged to favourites Norway and the 23-year-old Rybak who ended up with little competition.
So often mocked as being perennially useless, Norway stormed ahead of Icelandic soloist Yohanna who finished second, 169 points behind, while Azerbaijan managed a surprise third place.
Turkey's bellydancer Hadise earned fourth with Jade fifth.
Greece's highly-fancied Sakis Rouvas could only manage seventh while multi-award-winning singer Patrice Kaas could not finish higher than eighth for France.
The previous points record had been held by Finland in 2006 when heavy metal band Lordi won with 'Hard Rock Hallelujah' scoring 292 points.
But this was the first song contest for years in which tactical or geographical voting was kept at a minimum, undoubtedly helped by the new rules in place.
The change to the rules meant that half of the votes for the contestants came from the public of each country participating and the other half was influenced by music experts within those countries.
It helped the UK record their best finish for years but it soon became clear there was no chance of Jade beating Rybak's brilliant vocal and violin performance.
Full Results
1 NORWAY 387 points* (Alexander Rybak, 'Fairytale')
2 Iceland 218 points (Yohanna, 'Is It True?')
3 Azerbaijan 207 points (Aysel and Arash, 'Always')
4 Turkey 177 points (Hadise, 'Dum Tek Tek')
5 UNITED KINGDOM 173 points (Jade Ewen, 'It's My Time')
6 Estonia 129 points (Urban Symphony, 'Randajad')
7 Greece 120 points (Sakis Rouvas, 'This Is Our Night')
8 France 107 points (Patricia Kass, 'Et S'il Fallait Le Faire')
9 Bosnia and Herzegovina 106 points (Regina, 'Bistra Voda')
10 Armenia 92 points (Inga and Anush, 'Jan Jan')
11 Russia 91 points (Anastasiya Prikhodko, 'Mamo')
12 Ukraine 76 points (Svetlana Loboda, 'Be My Valentine (Anti-Crisis Girl)')
13 Denmark 74 points (Niels Brinck, 'Believe Again')
14 Moldova 68 points (Nelly Ciobanu, 'Hora din Moldova')
15 Portugal 57 points (Flor-de-Lis, 'Todas As Ruas Do Amor')
16 Israel 53 points (Noa and Mira Awad, 'There Must Be Another Way')
17 Albania 48 points (Kejsi Tola, 'Carry Me In Your Dreams')
18 Croatia 45 points (Igor Cukrov feat Andrea, 'Lijepa Tena')
19 Romania 40 points (Elena, 'The Balkan Girls')
20 Germany 35 points (Alex Sings Oscar Swings!, 'Miss Kiss Kiss Bang')
21 Sweden 33 points (Malena Ernman, 'La voix')
22 Malta 31 points (Chiara, 'What If We')
23 Lithuania 23 points (Sasha Son, 'Love')
24 Spain 23 points (Soraya Arnelas, 'La Noche Es Para Mi')
25 Finland 22 points (Waldo's People, 'Lose Control')
*Eurovision Song Contest record
Wednesday 13 May 2009
The Apprentice - series 5, ep 8: Mona sinks at the seaside
Mona became the latest candidate to get fired as Empire failed in their bid to rebrand Margate for the gay community.
Mona never really warmed to the idea and, in particular, found it difficult to work under project manager Debra in unchanged teams.
Debra had somewhat forced her way into the position in the first place, denying Howard the chance to lead for the first time since week one.
But Howard retained an important role and rejected Mona's original suggestion of aiming for children and families in the brainstorming session.
Instead, he strongly encouraged James's idea of targeting the gay market.
Ignite, led by Yasmina in her first project manager role since week two, came up with the more standard concept of attracting families to the faded seaside town in Kent.
The task set by Sir Alan required the teams to pitch their ideas to a set of brand experts and then to the people of Margate themselves.
They also needed to produce a poster campaign with a slogan and a leaflet for their pitches.
For Empire, Mona and James headed to the coast and spoke to residents over the likelihood of success in rebranding Margate as a gay hotspot.
But asking the public about their campaign was something with which Mona was clearly ill at ease, especially when she talked with a pre-op transsexual.
Meanwhile Howard and Debra held auditions to find two male models for their posters.
Over at Ignite, Yasmina and Kate were also casting for two people to appear as 'mum' and 'dad' in their posters as Lorraine and Ben developed photo ideas by walking around the town.
Ben came up with a cringeworthy catchphrase - 'shellebrate family fun' - before Lorraine restored some sense with her 'See Margate through children's eyes' tagline.
But Empire struggled to come up with a memorable catchphrase and it would be a lack of clarity which would cause their ultimate downfall.
Howard warned Debra that they had too much text on their poster but she ignored him, and their whole campaign proved far too subtle.
Meanwhile, Mona and James took photographs intending to show the gay scene which for the main were rather vague, except for a decent shot of two men holding hands on the beach.
Ignite's plan of a large beach shot was originally scuppered by thick fog.
But once the fret cleared, Ben made sure they got the shots he wanted by framing everything between his fingers.
Not that team leader Yasmina was pleased.
When the photographs came through, she worried that Ben's framing had left minimal blank space for their text to be put over the photograph.
And once Lorraine returned with Ben, she argued petulantly with Yasmina over the quality of their final posters and leaflet.
But at least Ignite only suffered from some minor tiffs.
Empire had left the leaflet until the last minute and, short of time, their rudimentary effort ended up being a mish-mash of blank space and random photographs.
So it was not a surprise when neither the branding experts nor the Margate residents were impressed and they both marked Empire just four out of 10.
Ignite's campaign was far less revolutionary and their poster and leaflet front cover were devoid of any pictures of children to fit with their slogan.
But, on the whole, it was executed better and received seven out of 10 from both pitches.
And so, Yasmina and her Ignite team were duly rewarded with a day out driving round the Lotus racetrack.
But for Debra, Mona, Howard and James, only the boardroom awaited.
Sir Alan accepted Empire had been brave in targeting the gay scene but accused them of "whispering the message".
He blasted Debra and Howard for producing confusing and wordy posters and leaflets, which he thought looked like something from "a bunch of loonies".
Sir Alan said: "I looked at those posters and they tell me nothing!"
Then he turned his attention Mona, who lives in Kent, accusing her of a lack of creativity.
And James, not for the first time, was labelled as being on the periphery.
It also became apparent that Debra had lied during the pitches about the embarrassing blank space on their leaflets by suggesting it would be used by local advertisers.
Sir Alan advised her that it would have been better if she had told the truth and, after her clash with Nick Hewer last week, it looked as if she might get fired.
But at least Debra recognised Howard's efforts during the task and brought back her Margate-based sub-team of James and Mona instead.
It turned out to be a wise choice.
Mona's lack of creativity and support in the task were highlighted once again by Sir Alan and this overshadowed James' lack of input and Debra's tendency not to listen.
Sir Alan said: "Mona, I do not see any creativity and I have to start thinking about where you would slot into my organisation.
"You spoke about the pier in Margate and it looks to me that you might be right at the end of the pier in this process.
"Mona - with regret, you're fired."
In the cab, Mona disagreed with Sir Alan's decision and said she believes she is a better candidate than both Debra and James.
She added: "I have always been a fighter so this is not the end of me. I'm not going to cry over it.
"I did my best and I'm proud of what I have done."
Mona became the first candidate in the series to be fired "with regret" and certainly had her highlights.
Most notably, she demonstrated textbook negotiation skills as recently as the previous week when selling expensive sleeping bags in Manchester.
But, unfortunately for her, Sir Alan later revealed he believed she was too much of a one-trick pony, leaving just seven candidates remaining.
Mona never really warmed to the idea and, in particular, found it difficult to work under project manager Debra in unchanged teams.
Debra had somewhat forced her way into the position in the first place, denying Howard the chance to lead for the first time since week one.
But Howard retained an important role and rejected Mona's original suggestion of aiming for children and families in the brainstorming session.
Instead, he strongly encouraged James's idea of targeting the gay market.
Ignite, led by Yasmina in her first project manager role since week two, came up with the more standard concept of attracting families to the faded seaside town in Kent.
The task set by Sir Alan required the teams to pitch their ideas to a set of brand experts and then to the people of Margate themselves.
They also needed to produce a poster campaign with a slogan and a leaflet for their pitches.
For Empire, Mona and James headed to the coast and spoke to residents over the likelihood of success in rebranding Margate as a gay hotspot.
But asking the public about their campaign was something with which Mona was clearly ill at ease, especially when she talked with a pre-op transsexual.
Meanwhile Howard and Debra held auditions to find two male models for their posters.
Over at Ignite, Yasmina and Kate were also casting for two people to appear as 'mum' and 'dad' in their posters as Lorraine and Ben developed photo ideas by walking around the town.
Ben came up with a cringeworthy catchphrase - 'shellebrate family fun' - before Lorraine restored some sense with her 'See Margate through children's eyes' tagline.
But Empire struggled to come up with a memorable catchphrase and it would be a lack of clarity which would cause their ultimate downfall.
Howard warned Debra that they had too much text on their poster but she ignored him, and their whole campaign proved far too subtle.
Meanwhile, Mona and James took photographs intending to show the gay scene which for the main were rather vague, except for a decent shot of two men holding hands on the beach.
Ignite's plan of a large beach shot was originally scuppered by thick fog.
But once the fret cleared, Ben made sure they got the shots he wanted by framing everything between his fingers.
Not that team leader Yasmina was pleased.
When the photographs came through, she worried that Ben's framing had left minimal blank space for their text to be put over the photograph.
And once Lorraine returned with Ben, she argued petulantly with Yasmina over the quality of their final posters and leaflet.
But at least Ignite only suffered from some minor tiffs.
Empire had left the leaflet until the last minute and, short of time, their rudimentary effort ended up being a mish-mash of blank space and random photographs.
So it was not a surprise when neither the branding experts nor the Margate residents were impressed and they both marked Empire just four out of 10.
Ignite's campaign was far less revolutionary and their poster and leaflet front cover were devoid of any pictures of children to fit with their slogan.
But, on the whole, it was executed better and received seven out of 10 from both pitches.
And so, Yasmina and her Ignite team were duly rewarded with a day out driving round the Lotus racetrack.
But for Debra, Mona, Howard and James, only the boardroom awaited.
Sir Alan accepted Empire had been brave in targeting the gay scene but accused them of "whispering the message".
He blasted Debra and Howard for producing confusing and wordy posters and leaflets, which he thought looked like something from "a bunch of loonies".
Sir Alan said: "I looked at those posters and they tell me nothing!"
Then he turned his attention Mona, who lives in Kent, accusing her of a lack of creativity.
And James, not for the first time, was labelled as being on the periphery.
It also became apparent that Debra had lied during the pitches about the embarrassing blank space on their leaflets by suggesting it would be used by local advertisers.
Sir Alan advised her that it would have been better if she had told the truth and, after her clash with Nick Hewer last week, it looked as if she might get fired.
But at least Debra recognised Howard's efforts during the task and brought back her Margate-based sub-team of James and Mona instead.
It turned out to be a wise choice.
Mona's lack of creativity and support in the task were highlighted once again by Sir Alan and this overshadowed James' lack of input and Debra's tendency not to listen.
Sir Alan said: "Mona, I do not see any creativity and I have to start thinking about where you would slot into my organisation.
"You spoke about the pier in Margate and it looks to me that you might be right at the end of the pier in this process.
"Mona - with regret, you're fired."
In the cab, Mona disagreed with Sir Alan's decision and said she believes she is a better candidate than both Debra and James.
She added: "I have always been a fighter so this is not the end of me. I'm not going to cry over it.
"I did my best and I'm proud of what I have done."
Mona became the first candidate in the series to be fired "with regret" and certainly had her highlights.
Most notably, she demonstrated textbook negotiation skills as recently as the previous week when selling expensive sleeping bags in Manchester.
But, unfortunately for her, Sir Alan later revealed he believed she was too much of a one-trick pony, leaving just seven candidates remaining.
Snouts in the trough
The Daily Telegraph has gained the biggest scoop of 2009 so far with their ongoing series of articles pillorying MPs' from all parties for their ludicrous expenses claims.
It is not usually my newspaper of choice but I must commend Britain's most popular 'quality' newspaper for bringing traditional expose journalism to the forefront.
It has also avoided making this a party political issue and slaughtered each of the main parties for their spurious claims for dog food, swimming pool maintenance and light bulbs.
Of course, some MPs have acted with disgust that the newspaper has broken the story now, rather than waiting until July when Parliament was due to publish the details.
Arguably the most notable critic has been House of Commons Speaker Michael Martin.
He has come under fire and now potentially faces a vote of no confidence for trying to block any publication of expenses and criticising MPs who have backed The Telegraph's revelations.
After all, how dare the pesky free press uncover details tantamount to fraud from our elected representatives before the coming elections on June 4!
***
While many MPs are correct to say they have acted within the existing rules, they should have realised the problem was that these rules were generous at best.
And so, after their cross-party competition to see who could make themselves most unpopular, the humbled MPs are now falling over each other to apologise and make repayments.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has requested all claims since the last election should be independently reviewed.
And Conservative leader David Cameron has even threatened to withdraw the whip from any Tory MP who refuses to pay back the money gained from "excessive" claims.
This would seem to leave the former agriculture minister Douglas Hogg in an awkward position as he says he has acted "within the letter and the spirit" of the law.
Despite this, he has admitted to claiming over £14,000 for a housekeeper in his country residence.
And he included with his expenses claims the cost of having the moat cleared, piano tuned and stable lights fixed according to The Telegraph.
In the Labour ranks, immigration minister Phil Woolas has threatened to sue the newspaper after it was suggested he was reimbursed for panty liners, tampons, nappies and a ladies' blouse.
And Labour peer Lord Foulkes, who was an MP until 2005, also took a swipe at the media when he appeared on BBC News.
During the interview, he demanded to know the salary of BBC presenter Carrie Gracie.
When she revealed that it was £92,000, he said she was being paid "nearly twice as much as an MP to talk nonsense" and undermine democracy.
I cannot agree with Lord Foulkes that The Telegraph's work (and media coverage of it) has undermined democracy as the MPs seem to have done a good enough job of ruining the institution of Parliament themselves.
But it was fascinating to hear the presenter reveal her salary.
As another journalism blogger, FleetStreetBlues has pointed out, BBC presenters and national newspaper writers tend to enjoy handsome pay packets.
But this is in sharp contrast to local newspaper reporters who struggle on an annual salary £14,000 for long and sometimes unsociable hours.
And the low pay of the regional hack makes a complete mockery of the parliamentary motion, signed by no fewer than 22 MPs, which urges journalists to disclose their income.
It is not usually my newspaper of choice but I must commend Britain's most popular 'quality' newspaper for bringing traditional expose journalism to the forefront.
It has also avoided making this a party political issue and slaughtered each of the main parties for their spurious claims for dog food, swimming pool maintenance and light bulbs.
Of course, some MPs have acted with disgust that the newspaper has broken the story now, rather than waiting until July when Parliament was due to publish the details.
Arguably the most notable critic has been House of Commons Speaker Michael Martin.
He has come under fire and now potentially faces a vote of no confidence for trying to block any publication of expenses and criticising MPs who have backed The Telegraph's revelations.
After all, how dare the pesky free press uncover details tantamount to fraud from our elected representatives before the coming elections on June 4!
***
While many MPs are correct to say they have acted within the existing rules, they should have realised the problem was that these rules were generous at best.
And so, after their cross-party competition to see who could make themselves most unpopular, the humbled MPs are now falling over each other to apologise and make repayments.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has requested all claims since the last election should be independently reviewed.
And Conservative leader David Cameron has even threatened to withdraw the whip from any Tory MP who refuses to pay back the money gained from "excessive" claims.
This would seem to leave the former agriculture minister Douglas Hogg in an awkward position as he says he has acted "within the letter and the spirit" of the law.
Despite this, he has admitted to claiming over £14,000 for a housekeeper in his country residence.
And he included with his expenses claims the cost of having the moat cleared, piano tuned and stable lights fixed according to The Telegraph.
In the Labour ranks, immigration minister Phil Woolas has threatened to sue the newspaper after it was suggested he was reimbursed for panty liners, tampons, nappies and a ladies' blouse.
And Labour peer Lord Foulkes, who was an MP until 2005, also took a swipe at the media when he appeared on BBC News.
During the interview, he demanded to know the salary of BBC presenter Carrie Gracie.
When she revealed that it was £92,000, he said she was being paid "nearly twice as much as an MP to talk nonsense" and undermine democracy.
I cannot agree with Lord Foulkes that The Telegraph's work (and media coverage of it) has undermined democracy as the MPs seem to have done a good enough job of ruining the institution of Parliament themselves.
But it was fascinating to hear the presenter reveal her salary.
As another journalism blogger, FleetStreetBlues has pointed out, BBC presenters and national newspaper writers tend to enjoy handsome pay packets.
But this is in sharp contrast to local newspaper reporters who struggle on an annual salary £14,000 for long and sometimes unsociable hours.
And the low pay of the regional hack makes a complete mockery of the parliamentary motion, signed by no fewer than 22 MPs, which urges journalists to disclose their income.
Monday 11 May 2009
Ho'way the Heed! Well done Whitley Bay!
It has been an excellent weekend for the North East in non league football as Gateshead won promotion to the Blue Square Premier in their playoff final on Friday night while Whitley Bay won the FA Vase at Wembley on Sunday.
Wayne Phillips' long-range free-kick in the 82nd minute proved to be difference as Gateshead beat AFC Telford 1-0 in front of an impressive crowd of 4,121 at the International Stadium in the Blue Square North playoff final.
Kick-off was delayed by 15 minutes because of the crowd congestion but, once the match started, it was Telford who had the better of the opening 45 minutes.
And the Bucks really should have been ahead at the interval but Danny Carey-Bertram fired wide after being given a second chance following a good save by Heed goalkeeper Paul Musselwhite on his final appearance.
But Gateshead came back strongly in the second half and Phillips, in particular, was a constant thorn in the side for his opposing full-back Lee Vaughan.
Vaughan struggled to cope all night and received his marching orders after 76 minutes for a second booking when he handled another Phillips' cross.
That gave Gateshead the impetus to win the game in the normal time, although the goal itself was a little streaky as Phillips' speculative dead-ball effort bounced past everyone and nestled into the corner of the net.
Perhaps the only thing missing was a goal from Lee Novak on his final appearance for the Tynesiders.
Having scored 28 times in just 38 appearances since his early season move from Newcastle Blue Star, Novak now joins Lee Clark at League One team Huddersfield Town in a £150,000 move.
And the Heed will have to reinvest that money sensibly to survive the big step up to the Blue Square Premier.
It is a much-changed top division of non league football since they last played at that level in 1997-98.
Luton Town, Chester City, York City, Wrexham, Oxford United, AFC Wimbledon and one of Cambridge United or Torquay United will be among the clubs with whom Gateshead will have to compete next season.
But confidence in chairman Graham Wood and manager Ian Bogie is high after a hugely successful last two campaigns.
And it should be appreciated just how far back Gateshead have come since the days of the Unibond First Division in 2003-04 and the depths of 2004-05 and 2005-06, when the Tynesiders recorded consecutive finishes of 17th in the Unibond Premier Division amid financial strife.
In 2007-08, a sprightly and more youthful team won promotion to the Blue Square North, beating Buxton 2-0 in the final.
A season of consolidation was expected and this looked to be the case as Gateshead settled into a midtable spot in the early part of the season.
But from September onwards, fired on by Novak's goals, the Tynesiders remained unbeaten at home and only some late-season away defeats at Stafford Rangers and Kings Lynn prevented a title success.
It meant that the playoffs were required again but Gateshead knew they would have home advantage in any final after finishing as runners-up.
A 1-0 win away at Southport in the semi final first leg was followed by a 1-1 draw at home to set up Friday's thrilling finale in front of the biggest Gateshead crowd at a competitive game for four decades.
On Sunday, Whitley Bay became the first Tyneside club to win at Wembley since Whickham in 1981 after beating Glossop North End 2-0 in the FA Vase Final.
Goals from Lee Kerr and Paul Chow in the ten minutes before half time settled the tie in front of 12,212 fans at the newly-constructed stadium.
The margin of victory could have been even greater but Adam Johnson's outstanding effort from inside his own half was pushed onto the bar by the Glossop keeper Matt Cooper.
And the Seahorses missed a whole host of chances early in the second half to put the match beyond any doubt.
Bay had reached the final on the back of a thrilling cup run which included a tense semi final win over Lowestoft Town after the Suffolk club had knocked out at the same stage last season.
The final started just as tentatively and Johnson's shot off the woodwork was matched by Glossop's Nick Bailey.
But the two goals put Bay in complete control. Kerr opened the scoring, beating the Cooper on near-post after cleverly making space for himself.
And Chow doubled the advantage just before half time, applying a cool finish on the break for his 40th goal of the season.
Bay left themselves vulnerable to a dramatic comeback as Chow headed against the bar and Glossop then enjoyed their best spell of the game in the last 15 minutes.
But the Bay rearguard held firm to become only the fifth club to win the trophy twice. They had previously enjoyed success in the competition when they beat Tiptree United 1-0 at Villa Park in 2002.
Not only that, but victory against Middlesbrough in the Premier League at St James Park tonight will move the Toon outside of the relegation zone for the first time in six matches.
That's because Hull City lost 2-1 at home against Stoke City, a result which mathematically ensures the Potters' survival.
Elsewhere at the bottom, West Bromwich Albion beat Wigan Athletic 3-1 to join the Toon and Boro on 31 points but with a much worse goal difference.
But the Toon play twice at home - Middlesbrough tonight and Fulham on Saturday - before the Mackems next match away at Portsmouth.
Ho'way the Lads!
Wayne Phillips' long-range free-kick in the 82nd minute proved to be difference as Gateshead beat AFC Telford 1-0 in front of an impressive crowd of 4,121 at the International Stadium in the Blue Square North playoff final.
Kick-off was delayed by 15 minutes because of the crowd congestion but, once the match started, it was Telford who had the better of the opening 45 minutes.
And the Bucks really should have been ahead at the interval but Danny Carey-Bertram fired wide after being given a second chance following a good save by Heed goalkeeper Paul Musselwhite on his final appearance.
But Gateshead came back strongly in the second half and Phillips, in particular, was a constant thorn in the side for his opposing full-back Lee Vaughan.
Vaughan struggled to cope all night and received his marching orders after 76 minutes for a second booking when he handled another Phillips' cross.
That gave Gateshead the impetus to win the game in the normal time, although the goal itself was a little streaky as Phillips' speculative dead-ball effort bounced past everyone and nestled into the corner of the net.
Perhaps the only thing missing was a goal from Lee Novak on his final appearance for the Tynesiders.
Having scored 28 times in just 38 appearances since his early season move from Newcastle Blue Star, Novak now joins Lee Clark at League One team Huddersfield Town in a £150,000 move.
And the Heed will have to reinvest that money sensibly to survive the big step up to the Blue Square Premier.
It is a much-changed top division of non league football since they last played at that level in 1997-98.
Luton Town, Chester City, York City, Wrexham, Oxford United, AFC Wimbledon and one of Cambridge United or Torquay United will be among the clubs with whom Gateshead will have to compete next season.
But confidence in chairman Graham Wood and manager Ian Bogie is high after a hugely successful last two campaigns.
And it should be appreciated just how far back Gateshead have come since the days of the Unibond First Division in 2003-04 and the depths of 2004-05 and 2005-06, when the Tynesiders recorded consecutive finishes of 17th in the Unibond Premier Division amid financial strife.
In 2007-08, a sprightly and more youthful team won promotion to the Blue Square North, beating Buxton 2-0 in the final.
A season of consolidation was expected and this looked to be the case as Gateshead settled into a midtable spot in the early part of the season.
But from September onwards, fired on by Novak's goals, the Tynesiders remained unbeaten at home and only some late-season away defeats at Stafford Rangers and Kings Lynn prevented a title success.
It meant that the playoffs were required again but Gateshead knew they would have home advantage in any final after finishing as runners-up.
A 1-0 win away at Southport in the semi final first leg was followed by a 1-1 draw at home to set up Friday's thrilling finale in front of the biggest Gateshead crowd at a competitive game for four decades.
***
On Sunday, Whitley Bay became the first Tyneside club to win at Wembley since Whickham in 1981 after beating Glossop North End 2-0 in the FA Vase Final.
Goals from Lee Kerr and Paul Chow in the ten minutes before half time settled the tie in front of 12,212 fans at the newly-constructed stadium.
The margin of victory could have been even greater but Adam Johnson's outstanding effort from inside his own half was pushed onto the bar by the Glossop keeper Matt Cooper.
And the Seahorses missed a whole host of chances early in the second half to put the match beyond any doubt.
Bay had reached the final on the back of a thrilling cup run which included a tense semi final win over Lowestoft Town after the Suffolk club had knocked out at the same stage last season.
The final started just as tentatively and Johnson's shot off the woodwork was matched by Glossop's Nick Bailey.
But the two goals put Bay in complete control. Kerr opened the scoring, beating the Cooper on near-post after cleverly making space for himself.
And Chow doubled the advantage just before half time, applying a cool finish on the break for his 40th goal of the season.
Bay left themselves vulnerable to a dramatic comeback as Chow headed against the bar and Glossop then enjoyed their best spell of the game in the last 15 minutes.
But the Bay rearguard held firm to become only the fifth club to win the trophy twice. They had previously enjoyed success in the competition when they beat Tiptree United 1-0 at Villa Park in 2002.
***
And if Newcastle United show a fraction of the spirit on display by Gateshead and Whitley Bay, they should have no problems making it a Geordie hat-trick, giving Alan Shearer his first win as manager.
Not only that, but victory against Middlesbrough in the Premier League at St James Park tonight will move the Toon outside of the relegation zone for the first time in six matches.
That's because Hull City lost 2-1 at home against Stoke City, a result which mathematically ensures the Potters' survival.
Elsewhere at the bottom, West Bromwich Albion beat Wigan Athletic 3-1 to join the Toon and Boro on 31 points but with a much worse goal difference.
And Sunderland extended their lead over United to five points with a 0-0 draw at Bolton Wanderers.
But the Toon play twice at home - Middlesbrough tonight and Fulham on Saturday - before the Mackems next match away at Portsmouth.
Ho'way the Lads!
Thursday 7 May 2009
The Playoff Preview
With the drama (or should that be 'drama queen' in the case of Didier Drogba) of the Champions League semi finals finished, the next raw excitement in football comes in the form of the league playoffs.
League Two
The playoffs kick off in League Two tonight (Thursday) with Rochdale (6th) v Gillingham (5th) and Shrewsbury Town (7th) v Bury (4th). The second legs are on Sunday.
Rochdale and Gillingham faced each other at Spotland as recently as the final weekend of the season in a match which the Gills won.
But it is hard to tell how much can be read into that result as both managers are expected to select significantly different teams tonight.
What the result did manage to do is extend Gillingham's unbeaten run to four matches which contrasts sharply with Rochdale who staggered over the line with five points from their last six games.
And, only two years ago, Gillingham were playing in The Championship while Rochdale have not been promoted in over 30 years.
Prediction: Gillingham win
Earlier this season: 25/11/08 Gillingham 1-1 Rochdale, 02/05/09 Rochdale 0-1 Gillingham
Rochdale form (last six games): LDLDWL
Gillingham form (last six games): WDWWLL
Rochdale finished 5th with 70 points and 70 goals for, 59 goals conceded
Gillingham finished 4th with 75 points and 58 goals for, 55 goals conceded
Bury may struggle recover from the heartbreak of finishing outside the automatic promotion spots by a single goal as they prepare to face Shrewsbury Town.
Their final day woe was in contrast to the Shrews who made the playoffs by overhauling Dagenham & Redbridge in a winner-takes-all match.
At least Bury can console themselves that they will go into the playoffs on the back of a final day win and a 12-match unbeaten run which featured a 2-1 home win over the Shrews.
But that was Shrewsbury's only loss in their last 12 matches and they enjoyed a home win over Bury back in December.
Indeed, the Shrews enjoyed the best home record in the whole of League Two.
Prediction: Shrewsbury Town win
Earlier this season: 28/12/08 Shrewsbury Town 1-0 Bury, 10/04/09 Bury 2-1 Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town form (last six games): WDWDLD
Bury form (last six games): WDWDWD
Shrewsbury Town finished 7th with 69 points and 61 goals for, 44 conceded
Bury finished 4th with 78 points and 63 goals for, 43 goals conceded
League One
The fight for the final promotion spot the Championship begins on Friday night with Scunthorpe United (6th) v MK Dons (3rd) and continue on Saturday with Millwall (5th) v Leeds United (4th).
At one stage, MK Dons looked as if they would get second place behind runaway leaders Leicester City.
But a series of draws in February and March proved costly and meant they were overhauled by Peterborough United.
Scunthorpe United are just glad they made it into the playoffs, securing a 1-1 draw on the last day against nearest rivals Tranmere Rovers to make sure of their place.
The Dons finished the season with six wins from their last seven and beat Scunthorpe 1-0 at Glanford Park in April.
But the Iron had beaten the Dons on their home patch 2-0 in December and lost just one of their last six matches.
Prediction: MK Dons win
Earlier this season: 06/12/08 MK Dons 0-2 Scunthorpe United, 18/04/09 Scunthorpe United 0-1 MK Dons
Scunthorpe United form (last six games): DWDDLW
MK Dons form (last six games): WWLWWW
Scunthorpe United finished 6th with 76 points and 86 goals for, 67 goals conceded
MK Dons finished 3rd with 87 points and 83 goals for, 47 goals conceded
Leeds United are favourites to beat Millwall in what is possibly the most highly anticipated League One playoff match in history.
United finished the season strongly with four wins in their last five matches to secure a playoff place which had looked doubtful under previous manager Gary McAllister.
Former Blackpool boss Simon Grayson came in at Christmas and turned United's fortunes around, including a 2-0 home win over Millwall in February.
That was revenge for a 3-1 loss to the Lions at the New Den in October and the London club will be hoping Leeds crack under pressure again.
But, with four wins and four losses in their last eight matches, Millwall are inconsistent.
Prediction: Leeds United win
Earlier this season: 18/10/08 Millwall 3-1 Leeds United, 09/02/09 Leeds United 2-0 Millwall
Millwall form (last six games): LWLWLW
Leeds United form (last six games): WWWLWD
Millwall finished 5th with 82 points and 63 goals for, 53 goals conceded
Leeds United finished 4th with 84 points and 77 goals for, 49 goals conceded
The Championship
Aiming to reach the promised land of the Premier League, the two playoff semi finals in the Championship are Preston North End (6th) v Sheffield United (3rd) on Friday and Burnley (5th) v Reading (4th) on Saturday. Return legs on Monday and Tuesday.
Sheffield United made a valiant effort in trying to steal the final playoff spot from Birmingham City and enjoyed some impressive form in the second half of the season.
But the goals dried up towards the end and a 0-0 draw on the last day to Crystal Palace was never likely to be enough to stop the Blues.
And so the Blades require a playoff victory to regain the place which many of their fans still feel was robbed of them when they were relegated two seasons ago.
United will take on Preston from whom they have taken four points without conceding a goal in the regular season.
Preston's qualification is surprising and relied on an uncharacteristic late surge of form and a collapse by Cardiff City.
The Lilywhites, who have never played in the Premier League, finished above the Welsh club courtesy of having scored one more goal after both had the same points and same goal difference.
But it was never going to be a possibility until Preston beat Cardiff 6-0 with three matches left.
And so, Preston, who normally find themselves in the Cardiff position of having just missed out, will be dangerous opponents for the Blades having finished on four successive wins - especially with the Blades problems in front of goal.
Prediction: Sheffield United win
Earlier this season: 25/10/08 Sheffield United 1-0 Preston North End, 31/01/09 Preston North End 0-0 Sheffield United
Preston North End form (last six games): WWWWLD
Sheffield United form (last six games): DWLDWW
Preston North End finished 6th with 74 points and 66 goals for, 54 goals conceded
Sheffield United finished 3rd with 80 points and 64 goals for, 39 goals conceded
Reading's failure to secure automatic promotion can be laid firmly at their own front door as they recorded a miserable three points from their last eight home games.
The Royals were considered to play the best football in the division at times and their goals record backs this up but they should be wary of a dangerous Burnley side.
The two clubs met in the space of a month back in October, each enjoying a home win.
But the Clarets will now have to hope that their players can draw on their energy reserves as they head into the 59th and 60th matches of the season.
Burnley enjoyed cup runs in both domestic competitions, reaching the semi finals of the League Cup and the fifth round of the FA Cup.
And with the playoff semi finals akin to two-legged cup ties, the Lancastrians will trust themselves to have the nerve to get to the Premier League for the first time.
Burnley head into the tie on the back of a fine 4-0 home win against Bristol City while Reading suffered another home loss against Birmingham which finally killed off any automatic promotion hopes.
Prediction: Burnley win
Earlier this season: 04/10/08 Reading 3-1 Burnley, 28/10/08 Burnley 1-0 Reading
Burnley form (last six games): WDWLWD
Reading form (last six games): LWWDLL
Burnley finished 5th with 74 points and 72 goals for, 60 goals conceded
Reading finished 4th with 77 points and 72 goals for, 40 goals conceded
League Two
The playoffs kick off in League Two tonight (Thursday) with Rochdale (6th) v Gillingham (5th) and Shrewsbury Town (7th) v Bury (4th). The second legs are on Sunday.
Rochdale and Gillingham faced each other at Spotland as recently as the final weekend of the season in a match which the Gills won.
But it is hard to tell how much can be read into that result as both managers are expected to select significantly different teams tonight.
What the result did manage to do is extend Gillingham's unbeaten run to four matches which contrasts sharply with Rochdale who staggered over the line with five points from their last six games.
And, only two years ago, Gillingham were playing in The Championship while Rochdale have not been promoted in over 30 years.
Prediction: Gillingham win
Earlier this season: 25/11/08 Gillingham 1-1 Rochdale, 02/05/09 Rochdale 0-1 Gillingham
Rochdale form (last six games): LDLDWL
Gillingham form (last six games): WDWWLL
Rochdale finished 5th with 70 points and 70 goals for, 59 goals conceded
Gillingham finished 4th with 75 points and 58 goals for, 55 goals conceded
Bury may struggle recover from the heartbreak of finishing outside the automatic promotion spots by a single goal as they prepare to face Shrewsbury Town.
Their final day woe was in contrast to the Shrews who made the playoffs by overhauling Dagenham & Redbridge in a winner-takes-all match.
At least Bury can console themselves that they will go into the playoffs on the back of a final day win and a 12-match unbeaten run which featured a 2-1 home win over the Shrews.
But that was Shrewsbury's only loss in their last 12 matches and they enjoyed a home win over Bury back in December.
Indeed, the Shrews enjoyed the best home record in the whole of League Two.
Prediction: Shrewsbury Town win
Earlier this season: 28/12/08 Shrewsbury Town 1-0 Bury, 10/04/09 Bury 2-1 Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town form (last six games): WDWDLD
Bury form (last six games): WDWDWD
Shrewsbury Town finished 7th with 69 points and 61 goals for, 44 conceded
Bury finished 4th with 78 points and 63 goals for, 43 goals conceded
League One
The fight for the final promotion spot the Championship begins on Friday night with Scunthorpe United (6th) v MK Dons (3rd) and continue on Saturday with Millwall (5th) v Leeds United (4th).
At one stage, MK Dons looked as if they would get second place behind runaway leaders Leicester City.
But a series of draws in February and March proved costly and meant they were overhauled by Peterborough United.
Scunthorpe United are just glad they made it into the playoffs, securing a 1-1 draw on the last day against nearest rivals Tranmere Rovers to make sure of their place.
The Dons finished the season with six wins from their last seven and beat Scunthorpe 1-0 at Glanford Park in April.
But the Iron had beaten the Dons on their home patch 2-0 in December and lost just one of their last six matches.
Prediction: MK Dons win
Earlier this season: 06/12/08 MK Dons 0-2 Scunthorpe United, 18/04/09 Scunthorpe United 0-1 MK Dons
Scunthorpe United form (last six games): DWDDLW
MK Dons form (last six games): WWLWWW
Scunthorpe United finished 6th with 76 points and 86 goals for, 67 goals conceded
MK Dons finished 3rd with 87 points and 83 goals for, 47 goals conceded
Leeds United are favourites to beat Millwall in what is possibly the most highly anticipated League One playoff match in history.
United finished the season strongly with four wins in their last five matches to secure a playoff place which had looked doubtful under previous manager Gary McAllister.
Former Blackpool boss Simon Grayson came in at Christmas and turned United's fortunes around, including a 2-0 home win over Millwall in February.
That was revenge for a 3-1 loss to the Lions at the New Den in October and the London club will be hoping Leeds crack under pressure again.
But, with four wins and four losses in their last eight matches, Millwall are inconsistent.
Prediction: Leeds United win
Earlier this season: 18/10/08 Millwall 3-1 Leeds United, 09/02/09 Leeds United 2-0 Millwall
Millwall form (last six games): LWLWLW
Leeds United form (last six games): WWWLWD
Millwall finished 5th with 82 points and 63 goals for, 53 goals conceded
Leeds United finished 4th with 84 points and 77 goals for, 49 goals conceded
The Championship
Aiming to reach the promised land of the Premier League, the two playoff semi finals in the Championship are Preston North End (6th) v Sheffield United (3rd) on Friday and Burnley (5th) v Reading (4th) on Saturday. Return legs on Monday and Tuesday.
Sheffield United made a valiant effort in trying to steal the final playoff spot from Birmingham City and enjoyed some impressive form in the second half of the season.
But the goals dried up towards the end and a 0-0 draw on the last day to Crystal Palace was never likely to be enough to stop the Blues.
And so the Blades require a playoff victory to regain the place which many of their fans still feel was robbed of them when they were relegated two seasons ago.
United will take on Preston from whom they have taken four points without conceding a goal in the regular season.
Preston's qualification is surprising and relied on an uncharacteristic late surge of form and a collapse by Cardiff City.
The Lilywhites, who have never played in the Premier League, finished above the Welsh club courtesy of having scored one more goal after both had the same points and same goal difference.
But it was never going to be a possibility until Preston beat Cardiff 6-0 with three matches left.
And so, Preston, who normally find themselves in the Cardiff position of having just missed out, will be dangerous opponents for the Blades having finished on four successive wins - especially with the Blades problems in front of goal.
Prediction: Sheffield United win
Earlier this season: 25/10/08 Sheffield United 1-0 Preston North End, 31/01/09 Preston North End 0-0 Sheffield United
Preston North End form (last six games): WWWWLD
Sheffield United form (last six games): DWLDWW
Preston North End finished 6th with 74 points and 66 goals for, 54 goals conceded
Sheffield United finished 3rd with 80 points and 64 goals for, 39 goals conceded
Reading's failure to secure automatic promotion can be laid firmly at their own front door as they recorded a miserable three points from their last eight home games.
The Royals were considered to play the best football in the division at times and their goals record backs this up but they should be wary of a dangerous Burnley side.
The two clubs met in the space of a month back in October, each enjoying a home win.
But the Clarets will now have to hope that their players can draw on their energy reserves as they head into the 59th and 60th matches of the season.
Burnley enjoyed cup runs in both domestic competitions, reaching the semi finals of the League Cup and the fifth round of the FA Cup.
And with the playoff semi finals akin to two-legged cup ties, the Lancastrians will trust themselves to have the nerve to get to the Premier League for the first time.
Burnley head into the tie on the back of a fine 4-0 home win against Bristol City while Reading suffered another home loss against Birmingham which finally killed off any automatic promotion hopes.
Prediction: Burnley win
Earlier this season: 04/10/08 Reading 3-1 Burnley, 28/10/08 Burnley 1-0 Reading
Burnley form (last six games): WDWLWD
Reading form (last six games): LWWDLL
Burnley finished 5th with 74 points and 72 goals for, 60 goals conceded
Reading finished 4th with 77 points and 72 goals for, 40 goals conceded
The Apprentice - series 5, ep 7: Cocky Philip finds it grim back up north
Cocky Philip's attitude proved to be his undoing as he was fired by Sir Alan having failed to sell anything in the latest task.
The candidate from County Durham once again clashed with Lorraine but she held the upper hand having made more sales in a woeful overall performance by Ignite.
Sir Alan had tricked the teams into thinking that they were going abroad by asking them to pack an overnight bag and meet him at the London Gateway.
Ben packed his swimming shorts, flip flops and sunglasses in anticipation of soaking up the sun while Philip drooled over the prospect of seeing some "bikini babes".
But London Gateway turned out to be a service station on the M1 motorway and instead the teams were heading north to Manchester and Liverpool.
Once there, they had to select two products from a range of 12 and then sell them to stores in the North West with two pitches already set up by Sir Alan on day one.
Sir Alan moved Mona and Howard to Empire with Ben and Yasmina going in the other direction.
Mona, who lost as project manager in week one, gained the approval of her new Empire team mates to lead this task.
And Lorraine stepped up for Ignite, having not been a project manager previously.
For once, Lorraine's instincts, which had previously served her so well, let her down.
She turned down the 'Lovers' Lead' - a two-handled dog lead - in favour of the 'Cat Playhouse', which were effectively cardboard boxes decorated as an airplane, tank and fire engine.
Ignite also put their faith in the 'POD', a bag to carry shopping on the back of a bicycle.
Empire decided to go with the aforementioned 'Lovers' Lead' and a 'Silk Bag', a full-body sleeping bag with separate sections for arms and legs.
As the teams arrived at the first of the pitches arranged by Sir Alan - a hardware store in Liverpool - both of them started to realise the limitations of their products.
Ignite's 'POD' was criticised by the store manager for unbalancing the bicycle - to which Yasmina oddly suggested two bags would need to be bought to even the weight distribution.
Lorraine and Yasmina were even more wide of the mark when they tried to get the hardware store to buy 5-6,000 'Cat Playhouses'.
At Empire, Debra and Howard struggled to convince the hardware store of the use of their 'Lovers' Lead'.
And the store manager was stunned by their attempt to suggest selling the sleeping bag for £89.
At the second pitch arranged by Sir Alan - a designer home store in Manchester - Empire continued to make little headway.
Their sleeping bag, in particular, failed to fit in with the store's values.
But, over at Ignite, matters improved a little with the designer home store considering an order for both the 'POD' and the 'Cat Playhouse'.
Not the other half of Ignite were doing so well with Philip, Kate and Ben managing to secure just one pitch for day two.
That pitch was at a cycle superstore in Chester but it met a dead end even though Philip went so far as to demonstrate how the 'POD' would work on a bike.
Ben looked as if he might have improved Ignite's chances by fixing up a meeting with the UK's biggest pet retailer.
But, having squabbled over who should lead the pitch, Lorraine and Yasmina still went in with totally unrealistic expectations and thought they could sell up to 20,000 'Cat Playhouses'.
The retailer ended up agreeing to 50 and no more.
But that was still more than the sub team of Philip, Kate and Ben - all three went all day without selling anything.
Sir Alan's aide Nick Hewer said: "Frankly, returning to London with no sales is a bit like the three of them popping into that cat plane and taking off to join the Battle of Britain.
"They haven't got a chance."
Empire did rather better at the same pet retailer, with Debra and Howard securing 200 orders for the 'Lovers' Lead'.
And the 'Silk Bag' sleeping bag was at least shown to be able to sell to camping stores.
It all added up to a clear victory for Empire who made £4501 from their orders while Ignite made just £1302, none of which had come from Philip, Kate or Ben.
And so, while Empire enjoyed a VIP ride in a Rolls Royce helicopter over London at sunset, Ignite were summoned back to see Sir Alan.
In the boardroom, Philip made the audacious claim that he, Kate and Ben were the three best salespeople on their team despite none of them managing to make a single sale.
By contrast, Lorraine, who made £807 in sales, and Yasmina, who made £495, sold at four of their five pitches.
Ben defended his record on the task, having managed to fix up the appointment with the pet retailer.
And Sir Alan criticised Lorraine and Yasmina for their wildly ambitious pitches.
It was Philip, though, who continued to act like a drama queen, criticising Lorraine for her over-reliance on instinct and revelling in the fact she had got it wrong this time.
Sir Alan made it clear he was not impressed and warned that up to three candidates could be fired as Lorraine brought Philip and Kate back into the boardroom.
He started by attacking Philip for putting on his resume that he is "arrogant, cocky, stubborn and a control-freak", and questioned if he needed people like that in his business.
But he also questioned if he needed Lorraine who had admitted herself that she was a "slow burner in the thought process".
Sir Alan also suggested that she had alienated the other team members from herself.
Lorraine defended herself based on her sales but struck a low blow when suggesting the growing relationship between Philip and Kate had affected their work.
This was a surprising, almost Machiavellian move, which appalled Kate in particular.
But it was Philip who turned the attention on himself even more when he attempted to defend his recent record.
Of course, he soon piped down when Nick Hewer reminded him of 'Pantsman'.
And Sir Alan played down Philip's victory in last week's task, saying he won by default after making a smaller loss than the opponents.
Sir Alan accused Kate of going from "hero to zero" but accepted that her previous performance had meant this was her first boardroom appearance.
But he had little such sympathy for destructive Philip.
Sir Alan said: "I'm clear in my mind that your bravado and attitude ain't going to fit in my organisation. You're fired."
Philip remained defiant in his own ability to the end and, audibly, called the decision "a joke" as he left the boardroom.
In the cab, he said: "I'm disappointed. I thought I had the potential to go a lot further than this but, unfortunately, I crossed paths with Lorraine and it was the end of me."
Philip repeated that he thought he was a better candidate than Lorraine although at least he accepted that he would be forever remembered for his Pantsman idea.
The candidate from County Durham once again clashed with Lorraine but she held the upper hand having made more sales in a woeful overall performance by Ignite.
Sir Alan had tricked the teams into thinking that they were going abroad by asking them to pack an overnight bag and meet him at the London Gateway.
Ben packed his swimming shorts, flip flops and sunglasses in anticipation of soaking up the sun while Philip drooled over the prospect of seeing some "bikini babes".
But London Gateway turned out to be a service station on the M1 motorway and instead the teams were heading north to Manchester and Liverpool.
Once there, they had to select two products from a range of 12 and then sell them to stores in the North West with two pitches already set up by Sir Alan on day one.
Sir Alan moved Mona and Howard to Empire with Ben and Yasmina going in the other direction.
Mona, who lost as project manager in week one, gained the approval of her new Empire team mates to lead this task.
And Lorraine stepped up for Ignite, having not been a project manager previously.
For once, Lorraine's instincts, which had previously served her so well, let her down.
She turned down the 'Lovers' Lead' - a two-handled dog lead - in favour of the 'Cat Playhouse', which were effectively cardboard boxes decorated as an airplane, tank and fire engine.
Ignite also put their faith in the 'POD', a bag to carry shopping on the back of a bicycle.
Empire decided to go with the aforementioned 'Lovers' Lead' and a 'Silk Bag', a full-body sleeping bag with separate sections for arms and legs.
As the teams arrived at the first of the pitches arranged by Sir Alan - a hardware store in Liverpool - both of them started to realise the limitations of their products.
Ignite's 'POD' was criticised by the store manager for unbalancing the bicycle - to which Yasmina oddly suggested two bags would need to be bought to even the weight distribution.
Lorraine and Yasmina were even more wide of the mark when they tried to get the hardware store to buy 5-6,000 'Cat Playhouses'.
At Empire, Debra and Howard struggled to convince the hardware store of the use of their 'Lovers' Lead'.
And the store manager was stunned by their attempt to suggest selling the sleeping bag for £89.
At the second pitch arranged by Sir Alan - a designer home store in Manchester - Empire continued to make little headway.
Their sleeping bag, in particular, failed to fit in with the store's values.
But, over at Ignite, matters improved a little with the designer home store considering an order for both the 'POD' and the 'Cat Playhouse'.
Not the other half of Ignite were doing so well with Philip, Kate and Ben managing to secure just one pitch for day two.
That pitch was at a cycle superstore in Chester but it met a dead end even though Philip went so far as to demonstrate how the 'POD' would work on a bike.
Ben looked as if he might have improved Ignite's chances by fixing up a meeting with the UK's biggest pet retailer.
But, having squabbled over who should lead the pitch, Lorraine and Yasmina still went in with totally unrealistic expectations and thought they could sell up to 20,000 'Cat Playhouses'.
The retailer ended up agreeing to 50 and no more.
But that was still more than the sub team of Philip, Kate and Ben - all three went all day without selling anything.
Sir Alan's aide Nick Hewer said: "Frankly, returning to London with no sales is a bit like the three of them popping into that cat plane and taking off to join the Battle of Britain.
"They haven't got a chance."
Empire did rather better at the same pet retailer, with Debra and Howard securing 200 orders for the 'Lovers' Lead'.
And the 'Silk Bag' sleeping bag was at least shown to be able to sell to camping stores.
It all added up to a clear victory for Empire who made £4501 from their orders while Ignite made just £1302, none of which had come from Philip, Kate or Ben.
And so, while Empire enjoyed a VIP ride in a Rolls Royce helicopter over London at sunset, Ignite were summoned back to see Sir Alan.
In the boardroom, Philip made the audacious claim that he, Kate and Ben were the three best salespeople on their team despite none of them managing to make a single sale.
By contrast, Lorraine, who made £807 in sales, and Yasmina, who made £495, sold at four of their five pitches.
Ben defended his record on the task, having managed to fix up the appointment with the pet retailer.
And Sir Alan criticised Lorraine and Yasmina for their wildly ambitious pitches.
It was Philip, though, who continued to act like a drama queen, criticising Lorraine for her over-reliance on instinct and revelling in the fact she had got it wrong this time.
Sir Alan made it clear he was not impressed and warned that up to three candidates could be fired as Lorraine brought Philip and Kate back into the boardroom.
He started by attacking Philip for putting on his resume that he is "arrogant, cocky, stubborn and a control-freak", and questioned if he needed people like that in his business.
But he also questioned if he needed Lorraine who had admitted herself that she was a "slow burner in the thought process".
Sir Alan also suggested that she had alienated the other team members from herself.
Lorraine defended herself based on her sales but struck a low blow when suggesting the growing relationship between Philip and Kate had affected their work.
This was a surprising, almost Machiavellian move, which appalled Kate in particular.
But it was Philip who turned the attention on himself even more when he attempted to defend his recent record.
Of course, he soon piped down when Nick Hewer reminded him of 'Pantsman'.
And Sir Alan played down Philip's victory in last week's task, saying he won by default after making a smaller loss than the opponents.
Sir Alan accused Kate of going from "hero to zero" but accepted that her previous performance had meant this was her first boardroom appearance.
But he had little such sympathy for destructive Philip.
Sir Alan said: "I'm clear in my mind that your bravado and attitude ain't going to fit in my organisation. You're fired."
Philip remained defiant in his own ability to the end and, audibly, called the decision "a joke" as he left the boardroom.
In the cab, he said: "I'm disappointed. I thought I had the potential to go a lot further than this but, unfortunately, I crossed paths with Lorraine and it was the end of me."
Philip repeated that he thought he was a better candidate than Lorraine although at least he accepted that he would be forever remembered for his Pantsman idea.
Saturday 2 May 2009
Sport Preview, 1-3 May (Part II)
World Snooker Championship final
John Higgins made his fourth world snooker final after a 17-13 win over Mark Allen who had threatened one of the greatest Crucible comebacks.
And he will face Shaun Murphy after the 2005 champion held his nerve to see off a comeback by Neil Robertson.
Two-time winner Higgins knew he would have to be on his guard against the 23-year-old Allen and led 3-2 after a largely cautious first five frames.
But from then, Higgins took full control of the semi final, winning eight consecutive frames and 11 of the next 13.
It was a run which included three centuries, as he returned to the form which saw him win the world title in 1998 and 2007.
At this point, Allen was 13-3 down and the match threatened to be over with a session to spare.
But Allen showed his fighting qualities and went on a run himself.
He won nine of the next eleven frames, including a break of 106, to haul himself back in the contest at 15-12.
Higgins responded with a break of 116 to extend his lead again to four frames.
And after Allen gave a final act of defiance by winning frame 29, Higgins got over the line in frame 30 with a cool 60 break.
World number five Higgins goes into the final as favourite and his eight centuries in the last two weeks are a testament to that tag.
But the Wizard of Wishaw's supporters may be a little concerned at the errors which crept into his game when perhaps he thought he had already made it.
Higgins has also featured in the only two final-frame deciders, beating Jamie Cope and Mark Selby 13-12 in the 2nd round and the quarter finals.
Not that Allen was ever likely to make it easy.
The Antrim youngster has been a delight to watch, bringing great entertainment to this tournament.
His fast play around the table, amply demonstrated when he went toe-to-toe and beat defending champ Ronnie O'Sullivan, has won him many admirers.
I will certainly look forward to seeing him in the latter stages of another tournament in future seasons.
In the other semi final, Shaun Murphy dominated in his match against Neil Robertson.
Murphy was never behind during the tie and started each of the first three sessions as much the better of the two players.
But tenacious Aussie Robertson fought back strongly each time to give himself a fighting chance in the evening session.
The opening session was shared at 4-4, although Murphy will have thought he should have enjoyed an early lead after being 2-0 and 4-2 ahead, and recording the session's high break of 88.
Murphy started to take control of the match by winning five of the next six frames to lead 9-5, including a steal in frame 10 when he came from 25 points down to win on a re-spotted black.
But Robertson took the final two frames of the session to remain only two behind going into Saturday morning.
Murphy exerted further pressure at this point, though.
He took the next five frames to lead 14-7, though he recorded only two breaks over 50 in a match which, remarkably, up to this point was without a century.
But Robertson changed that with a break of 101 in frame 24 to win his third frame in a row to close the gap back to four behind.
When the players resumed on Saturday evening, Robertson extended his run to seven consecutive frames to level a remarkable match at 14-14.
But a break of 106 by Murphy turned the match in his favour again and he won the last three frames for a 17-14 victory.
Murphy's appearance in the Crucible final will certainly be a satisfying end to a helter-skelter last two weeks on and off the table.
He started the tournament in poor form and only just managed to scrape past Andrew Higginson 10-8 in the opening round.
Murphy complained about having cold and the cloud of his wife presenting him with divorce papers at the tournament seemed to hang over him.
But he returned to form with a convincing 13-3 victory over Marco Fu before falling behind to Stephen Hendry as he hit the ninth Crucible 147 break.
Murphy kept his cool, though, and won eight of the next ten frames - including his own break of 137 - to set up victory over the seven-time winner.
Route to the final
John Higgins:
1st round bt Michael Holt 10-5
2nd round bt Jamie Cope 13-12
Quarter finals bt Mark Selby 13-12
Semi finals bt Mark Allen 17-13
Shaun Murphy:
1st round bt Andrew Higginson 10-8
2nd round bt Marco Fu 13-3
Quarter finals bt Stephen Hendry 13-11
Semi finals bt Neil Robertson 17-14
John Higgins made his fourth world snooker final after a 17-13 win over Mark Allen who had threatened one of the greatest Crucible comebacks.
And he will face Shaun Murphy after the 2005 champion held his nerve to see off a comeback by Neil Robertson.
Two-time winner Higgins knew he would have to be on his guard against the 23-year-old Allen and led 3-2 after a largely cautious first five frames.
But from then, Higgins took full control of the semi final, winning eight consecutive frames and 11 of the next 13.
It was a run which included three centuries, as he returned to the form which saw him win the world title in 1998 and 2007.
At this point, Allen was 13-3 down and the match threatened to be over with a session to spare.
But Allen showed his fighting qualities and went on a run himself.
He won nine of the next eleven frames, including a break of 106, to haul himself back in the contest at 15-12.
Higgins responded with a break of 116 to extend his lead again to four frames.
And after Allen gave a final act of defiance by winning frame 29, Higgins got over the line in frame 30 with a cool 60 break.
World number five Higgins goes into the final as favourite and his eight centuries in the last two weeks are a testament to that tag.
But the Wizard of Wishaw's supporters may be a little concerned at the errors which crept into his game when perhaps he thought he had already made it.
Higgins has also featured in the only two final-frame deciders, beating Jamie Cope and Mark Selby 13-12 in the 2nd round and the quarter finals.
Not that Allen was ever likely to make it easy.
The Antrim youngster has been a delight to watch, bringing great entertainment to this tournament.
His fast play around the table, amply demonstrated when he went toe-to-toe and beat defending champ Ronnie O'Sullivan, has won him many admirers.
I will certainly look forward to seeing him in the latter stages of another tournament in future seasons.
In the other semi final, Shaun Murphy dominated in his match against Neil Robertson.
Murphy was never behind during the tie and started each of the first three sessions as much the better of the two players.
But tenacious Aussie Robertson fought back strongly each time to give himself a fighting chance in the evening session.
The opening session was shared at 4-4, although Murphy will have thought he should have enjoyed an early lead after being 2-0 and 4-2 ahead, and recording the session's high break of 88.
Murphy started to take control of the match by winning five of the next six frames to lead 9-5, including a steal in frame 10 when he came from 25 points down to win on a re-spotted black.
But Robertson took the final two frames of the session to remain only two behind going into Saturday morning.
Murphy exerted further pressure at this point, though.
He took the next five frames to lead 14-7, though he recorded only two breaks over 50 in a match which, remarkably, up to this point was without a century.
But Robertson changed that with a break of 101 in frame 24 to win his third frame in a row to close the gap back to four behind.
When the players resumed on Saturday evening, Robertson extended his run to seven consecutive frames to level a remarkable match at 14-14.
But a break of 106 by Murphy turned the match in his favour again and he won the last three frames for a 17-14 victory.
Murphy's appearance in the Crucible final will certainly be a satisfying end to a helter-skelter last two weeks on and off the table.
He started the tournament in poor form and only just managed to scrape past Andrew Higginson 10-8 in the opening round.
Murphy complained about having cold and the cloud of his wife presenting him with divorce papers at the tournament seemed to hang over him.
But he returned to form with a convincing 13-3 victory over Marco Fu before falling behind to Stephen Hendry as he hit the ninth Crucible 147 break.
Murphy kept his cool, though, and won eight of the next ten frames - including his own break of 137 - to set up victory over the seven-time winner.
Route to the final
John Higgins:
1st round bt Michael Holt 10-5
2nd round bt Jamie Cope 13-12
Quarter finals bt Mark Selby 13-12
Semi finals bt Mark Allen 17-13
Shaun Murphy:
1st round bt Andrew Higginson 10-8
2nd round bt Marco Fu 13-3
Quarter finals bt Stephen Hendry 13-11
Semi finals bt Neil Robertson 17-14
Friday 1 May 2009
Sport Preview, 1-3 May (Part I)
Football
Premier League
Manchester United can stretch their Premier League lead to six points by beating struggling Middlesbrough (19th, 31 points) at the Riverside in the early Saturday kick-off.
Sir Alex Ferguson is unhappy at being asked to play so soon after their European tie against Arsenal in midweek.
But United should still have enough for Boro who are actually unbeaten in their last nine home league and cup matches - although five were draws and two were cup wins.
Liverpool will be expected to haul United back to within three points as Alan Shearer takes his beleaguered Newcastle United (18th, 31 points) team to Anfield on Sunday.
Newcastle come into the match without a win since the start of February after the highly-anticipated home match against Portsmouth petered out to a 0-0 draw.
Indeed, Shearer may see this match as a damage-limitation exercise of preserving their superior goal difference over their fellow-strugglers.
Hull City (17th, 34 points) are most vulnerable to being caught, just three points above the drop zone with goal difference six worse than Newcastle and a record of one win in 18.
On Monday, they travel to Aston Villa who themselves are on a terrible run - without a win in nine games - which has seen them drop ten points behind Arsenal in fourth.
Villa could yet be caught by Everton for fifth - the gap is just two points - although the cup finalists may avoid throwing themselves into as many challenges as usual for the final four league games.
And, on Sunday, Everton will also have to contend with Sunderland (16th, 35 points), still playing to secure Premier League survival after their dreadful 3-0 loss against West Bromwich Albion last weekend.
That win lifted West Brom (20th, 28 points) to within six points of safety but they will do well to follow it up with another away at Tottenham Hotspur, this Saturday.
Spurs may have shipped five goals at Old Trafford last weekend but they looked worthy of being the league's form team in the first half before the controversial penalty award in United's favour.
Fulham lead the chase for the final Europa Cup place, three points clear of Spurs and Manchester City, and two clear of West Ham United.
And Saturday's visit at Stamford Bridge has fallen at a kind time, with Chelsea distracted by their Champions League tie with Barcelona.
The Hammers will also have to win at Stoke City - only three clubs have done so all season - if they wish to take advantage of a slip-up by the Cottagers.
Perhaps Manchester City are a better bet on the back of an excellent win at Goodison Park last weekend.
Back at Eastlands, they entertain Blackburn Rovers (15th, 37 points) who still require one win to remain out of the mire.
In the weekend's other matches, Portsmouth might celebrate the survival which they effectively earned on Monday at Newcastle by notching a surprise victory against Arsenal.
The Gunners must overturn a 1-0 deficit in their Champions League tie against Manchester United next week, although they haven't lost in the league since November.
And - at the JJB - Wigan, sitting comfortably in 11th, play Lancashire rivals Bolton Wanderers, sitting almost as comfortably in 13th but without an away win this year.
***
The Championship
The final weekend of the Championship season promises to be as exciting as usual with promotion, playoff and relegation issues all undecided.
Birmingham City suffered an untimely loss to Preston North End last weekend as they aimed to join Wolves who were confirmed as champions.
This, along with Reading's defeat of Norwich City and Sheffield United's win against Swansea City, means the Blues, the Royals and the Blades all have a chance of avoiding the playoff lottery.
Birmingham still have their fate in their own hands and know that a win will do.
But, intriguingly, they travel to Reading, aware that a loss will lift the Royals above them.
Yet, even if Reading win, it may not be enough for them if Sheffield United beat Crystal Palace, managed by Blades fan Neil Warnock.
United would also go up if they win and Birmingham-Reading finishes as a draw.
Cardiff City still need a point at midtable Sheffield Wednesday to secure a playoff place.
The Bluebirds looked comfortably set for a top six place before a 6-0 loss to Preston and a 3-0 loss to Ipswich Town in recent weeks wiped out their goal difference advantage and left them looking over their shoulder.
Preston are the only team outside the playoffs who can displace a current top six member.
To do so, they will need to beat QPR at home and hope Cardiff lose and Burnley lose or draw at home against Bristol City.
At the bottom end of the table, Norwich's loss to Reading on Monday leaves only themselves and Barnsley in trouble. All teams from Nottingham Forest upwards are safe.
The Canaries, with one win in six, visit Charlton Athletic while Barnsley, with six draws in their last eight, make the long trip to Home Park to face Plymouth Argyle.
The Tykes know another draw would be enough to secure survival with Norwich starting the final day three points adrift.
Charlton and Southampton are already down.
***
League One
With promotion and the playoffs all-but sorted, the focus in League One is avoiding the drop to the basement division.
Leicester City and Peterborough United will be playing Championship football next season and can relax on the last weekend.
MK Dons, Millwall and Leeds United all know their season does not end on Saturday as none of them can either win promotion or get knocked out of a top six spot.
The final playoff spot will be secured by either Tranmere Rovers or Scunthorpe United who play each other at Scunthorpe on the last day.
Not only do the Irons enjoy home advantage, they also enjoy a two point lead over Rovers.
At the bottom, Hereford United and Cheltenham Town are already relegated but the last two places can be filled by any of five teams.
Crewe Alexandra are easily in the worst position - three points adrift of Brighton and four goals worse off - with champions Leicester City to play at home.
Brighton are in the final safe position going into the final games. A win against Stockport County at home would secure their survival but a draw would leave them vulnerable to being caught by Carlisle United.
The Cumbrians, who face Millwall at home, start the day two points adrift of both Brighton and Northampton Town who enjoy a vastly superior goal difference.
And so even a draw for the Cobblers at Elland Road against Leeds will be enough.
If Brighton and Northampton survive, Hartlepool United may yet fill the last relegation place but only if they lose at Bristol Rovers and by a sufficient amount for Carlisle to enjoy a five-goal swing in their favour.
***
League Two
With Brentford promoted as champions, the final day battle in League Two revolves around who will join them in the two other automatic places.
Wycombe Wanderers are in the strongest position and know even a point at home against Notts County will be enough for a runners-up spot and promotion.
That would leave the final automatic place to be contested by Exeter City - who travel to Rotherham United - and Bury, who face Accrington Stanley at home.
Going into the matches, Exeter enjoy a one-point advantage over the Shakers but are five goals down on goal difference.
The loser of that promotion battle will join Gillingham and Rochdale who are fixed in a top-seven position for the playoffs.
The final place in the playoffs will be filled by either Dagenham & Redbridge or Shrewsbury Town.
They face each other in a winner-takes-all match at Dagenham on the final weekend with the home side beginning the day two points ahead.
Luton Town and, effectively, Chester City are already out of the league.
Other sports
In boxing, Ricky Hatton defends his unbeaten light-welterweight record against Manny Pacquiao in a highly-anticipated bout in Las Vegas in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Hatton is looking to follow-up his November victory over Paulie Malignaggi as his career continues to recover from defeat to Floyd Mayweather Jr at welterweight in December 2007.
The Mancunian is now trained by Floyd Mayweather Sr and has weighed in at 140lb for the fight which will be attended by 25,000 British supporters.
And British boxing fans will hope to celebrate for a second weekend running after Carl Froch made a fantastic comeback against Jermain Taylor to retain his WBC super-middleweight crown last Saturday.
Nottingham's Froch was well behind on points going into the last round when he pummelled the exhausted Taylor, causing the referee to stop the fight with seconds remaining.
But in the way of further British success will be the Fillipino Pacquiao, who weighs in 2lbs lighter and has a record of 48 wins, three draws and two losses.
***
In rugby union, the Heineken Cup is at the semi-final stage with recently-crowned Magners League champions Munster facing Leinster in an all-Irish match in Dublin on Saturday.
A day later, in the other tie, Cardiff Blues will play Leicester Tigers in front of a fervent Millennium Stadium crowd.
F1
RIP Ayrton Senna (born 21/3/1960, died 1/5/1994).
Three World Championships, 65 pole positions, 41 race wins.
Premier League
Manchester United can stretch their Premier League lead to six points by beating struggling Middlesbrough (19th, 31 points) at the Riverside in the early Saturday kick-off.
Sir Alex Ferguson is unhappy at being asked to play so soon after their European tie against Arsenal in midweek.
But United should still have enough for Boro who are actually unbeaten in their last nine home league and cup matches - although five were draws and two were cup wins.
Liverpool will be expected to haul United back to within three points as Alan Shearer takes his beleaguered Newcastle United (18th, 31 points) team to Anfield on Sunday.
Newcastle come into the match without a win since the start of February after the highly-anticipated home match against Portsmouth petered out to a 0-0 draw.
Indeed, Shearer may see this match as a damage-limitation exercise of preserving their superior goal difference over their fellow-strugglers.
Hull City (17th, 34 points) are most vulnerable to being caught, just three points above the drop zone with goal difference six worse than Newcastle and a record of one win in 18.
On Monday, they travel to Aston Villa who themselves are on a terrible run - without a win in nine games - which has seen them drop ten points behind Arsenal in fourth.
Villa could yet be caught by Everton for fifth - the gap is just two points - although the cup finalists may avoid throwing themselves into as many challenges as usual for the final four league games.
And, on Sunday, Everton will also have to contend with Sunderland (16th, 35 points), still playing to secure Premier League survival after their dreadful 3-0 loss against West Bromwich Albion last weekend.
That win lifted West Brom (20th, 28 points) to within six points of safety but they will do well to follow it up with another away at Tottenham Hotspur, this Saturday.
Spurs may have shipped five goals at Old Trafford last weekend but they looked worthy of being the league's form team in the first half before the controversial penalty award in United's favour.
Fulham lead the chase for the final Europa Cup place, three points clear of Spurs and Manchester City, and two clear of West Ham United.
And Saturday's visit at Stamford Bridge has fallen at a kind time, with Chelsea distracted by their Champions League tie with Barcelona.
The Hammers will also have to win at Stoke City - only three clubs have done so all season - if they wish to take advantage of a slip-up by the Cottagers.
Perhaps Manchester City are a better bet on the back of an excellent win at Goodison Park last weekend.
Back at Eastlands, they entertain Blackburn Rovers (15th, 37 points) who still require one win to remain out of the mire.
In the weekend's other matches, Portsmouth might celebrate the survival which they effectively earned on Monday at Newcastle by notching a surprise victory against Arsenal.
The Gunners must overturn a 1-0 deficit in their Champions League tie against Manchester United next week, although they haven't lost in the league since November.
And - at the JJB - Wigan, sitting comfortably in 11th, play Lancashire rivals Bolton Wanderers, sitting almost as comfortably in 13th but without an away win this year.
***
The Championship
The final weekend of the Championship season promises to be as exciting as usual with promotion, playoff and relegation issues all undecided.
Birmingham City suffered an untimely loss to Preston North End last weekend as they aimed to join Wolves who were confirmed as champions.
This, along with Reading's defeat of Norwich City and Sheffield United's win against Swansea City, means the Blues, the Royals and the Blades all have a chance of avoiding the playoff lottery.
Birmingham still have their fate in their own hands and know that a win will do.
But, intriguingly, they travel to Reading, aware that a loss will lift the Royals above them.
Yet, even if Reading win, it may not be enough for them if Sheffield United beat Crystal Palace, managed by Blades fan Neil Warnock.
United would also go up if they win and Birmingham-Reading finishes as a draw.
Cardiff City still need a point at midtable Sheffield Wednesday to secure a playoff place.
The Bluebirds looked comfortably set for a top six place before a 6-0 loss to Preston and a 3-0 loss to Ipswich Town in recent weeks wiped out their goal difference advantage and left them looking over their shoulder.
Preston are the only team outside the playoffs who can displace a current top six member.
To do so, they will need to beat QPR at home and hope Cardiff lose and Burnley lose or draw at home against Bristol City.
At the bottom end of the table, Norwich's loss to Reading on Monday leaves only themselves and Barnsley in trouble. All teams from Nottingham Forest upwards are safe.
The Canaries, with one win in six, visit Charlton Athletic while Barnsley, with six draws in their last eight, make the long trip to Home Park to face Plymouth Argyle.
The Tykes know another draw would be enough to secure survival with Norwich starting the final day three points adrift.
Charlton and Southampton are already down.
***
League One
With promotion and the playoffs all-but sorted, the focus in League One is avoiding the drop to the basement division.
Leicester City and Peterborough United will be playing Championship football next season and can relax on the last weekend.
MK Dons, Millwall and Leeds United all know their season does not end on Saturday as none of them can either win promotion or get knocked out of a top six spot.
The final playoff spot will be secured by either Tranmere Rovers or Scunthorpe United who play each other at Scunthorpe on the last day.
Not only do the Irons enjoy home advantage, they also enjoy a two point lead over Rovers.
At the bottom, Hereford United and Cheltenham Town are already relegated but the last two places can be filled by any of five teams.
Crewe Alexandra are easily in the worst position - three points adrift of Brighton and four goals worse off - with champions Leicester City to play at home.
Brighton are in the final safe position going into the final games. A win against Stockport County at home would secure their survival but a draw would leave them vulnerable to being caught by Carlisle United.
The Cumbrians, who face Millwall at home, start the day two points adrift of both Brighton and Northampton Town who enjoy a vastly superior goal difference.
And so even a draw for the Cobblers at Elland Road against Leeds will be enough.
If Brighton and Northampton survive, Hartlepool United may yet fill the last relegation place but only if they lose at Bristol Rovers and by a sufficient amount for Carlisle to enjoy a five-goal swing in their favour.
***
League Two
With Brentford promoted as champions, the final day battle in League Two revolves around who will join them in the two other automatic places.
Wycombe Wanderers are in the strongest position and know even a point at home against Notts County will be enough for a runners-up spot and promotion.
That would leave the final automatic place to be contested by Exeter City - who travel to Rotherham United - and Bury, who face Accrington Stanley at home.
Going into the matches, Exeter enjoy a one-point advantage over the Shakers but are five goals down on goal difference.
The loser of that promotion battle will join Gillingham and Rochdale who are fixed in a top-seven position for the playoffs.
The final place in the playoffs will be filled by either Dagenham & Redbridge or Shrewsbury Town.
They face each other in a winner-takes-all match at Dagenham on the final weekend with the home side beginning the day two points ahead.
Luton Town and, effectively, Chester City are already out of the league.
Other sports
In boxing, Ricky Hatton defends his unbeaten light-welterweight record against Manny Pacquiao in a highly-anticipated bout in Las Vegas in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Hatton is looking to follow-up his November victory over Paulie Malignaggi as his career continues to recover from defeat to Floyd Mayweather Jr at welterweight in December 2007.
The Mancunian is now trained by Floyd Mayweather Sr and has weighed in at 140lb for the fight which will be attended by 25,000 British supporters.
And British boxing fans will hope to celebrate for a second weekend running after Carl Froch made a fantastic comeback against Jermain Taylor to retain his WBC super-middleweight crown last Saturday.
Nottingham's Froch was well behind on points going into the last round when he pummelled the exhausted Taylor, causing the referee to stop the fight with seconds remaining.
But in the way of further British success will be the Fillipino Pacquiao, who weighs in 2lbs lighter and has a record of 48 wins, three draws and two losses.
***
In rugby union, the Heineken Cup is at the semi-final stage with recently-crowned Magners League champions Munster facing Leinster in an all-Irish match in Dublin on Saturday.
A day later, in the other tie, Cardiff Blues will play Leicester Tigers in front of a fervent Millennium Stadium crowd.
F1
RIP Ayrton Senna (born 21/3/1960, died 1/5/1994).
Three World Championships, 65 pole positions, 41 race wins.
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