MY, OH MY! How quickly a year flies!
It seems just like yesterday since Stevie Wonder brought down the curtain on Glastonbury's 40th birthday celebrations.
But the time has come to make the journey to Michael Eavis' Worthy Farm in Pilton once again.
Even by Glastonbury standards, last year's festival was particularly spectacular. Not only was there the anniversary aspect but we also had a full week in which not a single raindrop fell.
It was, in fact, the first totally-dry Glastonbury since 2002 and so wishing for a repeat performance from the weather gods is rather optimistic.
Nevertheless, my hiatus from this blog for this year's festival looks like being pretty extraordinary again.
For, I will not only be attending Glastonbury - but also three further days of music on the following week at Hyde Park in London.
The reasons for this, in my head at least, are three-fold. Firstly, by paying for Hyde Park tickets, the number of clashes at Glastonbury is vastly reduced. More on this below.
Secondly, attending more gigs is the perfect way to banish the inevitable Sunday night Glastonbury blues which I have not avoided yet in three previous visits.
And, finally, there is no Glastonbury Festival next year so splashing out on extra music now seems especially worth it.
The fallow year was actually meant to be this year but with resources such as portaloos and security being taken up by the 2012 London Olympics, it made more sense to delay the recess.
So what exactly will I be looking forward to see at Glastonbury 2011?
Well, for a start, the Pyramid Stage headliners are U2 on Friday, Coldplay on Saturday and Beyonce Knowles on Sunday.
U2 will make a belated return to the festival, having intended to play last year until pulling out due to a back injury to their front-man Bono.
Coldplay are also making a long-awaited return to Glastonbury, having last played there in 2005, while this is Beyonce's first appearance, coming three years after her husband Jay-Z headlined.
To be honest, it is far more likely that I will spend the last hours of Sunday at the West Holts Stage celebrating good times with Kool & the Gang over a few last pints of Brothers cider.
I will have already spent a fair bit of Sunday in front of Pyramid anyway, waking up to the sea-shanties of the Fisherman's Friends before watching Don McLean and Paul Simon on the afternoon.
On Friday, I intend to make visits to the Park Stage for Jenny & Johnny and Big Audio Dynamite before a long evening stint at the Pyramid for Morrissey and U2.
And, on Saturday, I will probably be back at the Pyramid again for the likes of Stornoway and the Gaslight Anthem.
However, I would like to get myself around the site a bit and, on Saturday afternoon, I will combine some real ale and folk as Thea Gilmore's version of Bob Dylan's John Wesley Harding is followed in the Acoustic Tent by Pentangle.
And, of course, I would hope to indulge in some Glastonbury traditions by attending Tony Benn's talk at the Poetry & Words tent - if there is room - and by seeing to a bit of Billy Bragg on Leftfield.
Then, there are the visits to the Green Fields, the Stone Circle and the plethora of late night areas, now operating under a new one-way system. I am a little skeptical about those new plans but it is intended to improve access.
By way of a disclaimer, this itinerary is not for definite - nothing ever is at Glastonbury where there are constantly plenty of distractions. But the schedule is perhaps more definite than in other years.
The reason for this is that the number of possible clashes between the various acts has been vastly reduced by my choice to extend my trip by attending Hyde Park on 30 June.
There, I will see a one-off gig by Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons, Chase & Status and the Vaccines - before returning there for the Wireless Festival on 2-3 July.
At Wireless, I expect to see the likes of Pulp, the Chemical Brothers, Devotchka, Yuck, Fight Like Apes and Katy B among many others.
And so it is no surprise that, right now, I feel like a kid at Christmas and simply cannot wait to get going. I think Millie the Micra and myself are in for the most fun we have ever had.
Monday 20 June 2011
Tuesday 14 June 2011
F1 2011 Special: Senna-sational
Senna (12A)
Dir: Asif Kapadia
Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Frank Williams, Ron Dennis
Running time: 106 minutes
AYRTON SENNA gets the documentary which his legendary status deserves in this epic biopic about the three-time Formula One world champion.
Senna was released in the UK on 3 June and has received rave reviews ever since. As of June 2011, it has a 100% fresh critical consensus on the film review website Rotten Tomatoes.
And it has already received notable recognition at the prestigious 2011 Sundance Film Festival where it won the World Cinema Audience Award for a documentary.
So, is Senna actually as good as virtually everyone is saying? I had feared that it would not be.
Modern life, by its very nature, teaches you to be cynical, especially when something is quite as hyped as this film had been.
Thankfully, for just short of two hours, modern life was put on hold and replaced by childhood memories and an awe of Senna which wiped away the fears... and brought in the tears.
My interest in Formula One originated in the early 1990s but it was really only a patriotic pursuit on the back of Nigel Mansell's world championship for Williams in 1992.
Back then, in my uneducated eyes, Senna and his great rival Frenchman Alain Prost were just two of Mansell's opponents. Clearly, my tender years meant I did not appreciate the sport like I should have.
Of course, I had read about the rivalry since but had, strangely, declined to seek out footage of Senna and Prost at the peak of their conflict.
And so, the early parts of Senna, which looks back at 1988 and 1989 when the pair were both at McLaren, made for truly fascinating viewing.
Even non-F1 fans will be gripped by the dynamics of the established champion Prost and his upstart of a new team-mate in Senna, and their complete contrast in styles.
Senna sought glory every time he took to the race-track whereas Prost was more pragmatic, willing even to turn into a corner too early if it meant he could take out his rival and win the championship.
By 1990, the relationship between the pair was so fractious that Prost had moved to Ferrari. The move meant that Senna was established as the clear number one driver at McLaren and the Brazilian responded with successive championships.
His 1991 success included a first-ever Grand Prix win at his home circuit in Sao Paulo. This was my favourite part of the film, a high-point which brought a lump to the throat and made the tear ducts well.
On-board footage, which is used extensively throughout, serves its purpose particularly well when capturing this special moment.
The cameras show how Senna battled extreme physical pain to ensure he would see the chequered flag first despite his car being stuck in sixth gear, making low-speed corners almost impossible.
The pictures then show how Senna celebrated his Sao Paulo win with his parents, McLaren team principal Ron Dennis and the adoring public from his home city.
Indeed, Senna does a wonderful job to convey just what its subject's success meant to a country which was run by an oppressive government and beset by poverty.
Of course, as the years roll on towards 1994, everyone knows how the film will end up.
Nevertheless, the archive footage remains just as haunting as you would expect and, once again, it is difficult to keep your eyes dry while watching the spools of Senna being interviewed.
Some interviews show Senna discussing his relationship with God and his awareness of his own mortality. Others show him becoming increasingly preoccupied with the dangers of his profession.
On the weekend that Senna died at Imola in San Marino, both of those subjects had already been brought to the forefront by two high-speed crashes.
First, there was an accident featuring his protege Rubens Barrichello - and, then worse, Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger was killed in qualifying.
Senna still took the track, though, considering that by failing to do so he would cease being a racer.
It was this demand of perfection - not just victory - which separates him from the rest.
And so it is apt, then, that Senna's life and legend is celebrated by a film which is just about as close to perfect as you can actually get.
Thursday 9 June 2011
Gannin' alang the Scotswood Road...
GEORDIE pride has taken a bit of a blow in recent weeks with the screening of six-part reputation-shredding Geordie Shore on MTV.
A Facebook group proclaiming the death of Geordie pride on 24th May, the date of the first episode, now has nearly 30,000 members.
But, last night, the 31st Blaydon Race did its best to claim back our regional identity from the strangely perma-tanned pissheads on national television.
Never mind that the lads' winner was Kenyan Edwin Kipkorir in 28 minutes 25 seconds or that the fastest lass was Justina Helsop (31:45) from Clapham Chasers in London.
There were plenty of local club harriers and unattached runners who did themselves proud - not to mention the bands, the pubs and folk dancers providing associated entertainment.
As usual, the lads and lasses gathered for the 5.9-mile run at Balmbras on the Groat Market.
Tension built in the legs during a quick rendition of Geordie Ridley's famous music hall anthem before the race began at 7.15pm, winding its way through town past the Centre for Life and the Metro Radio Arena.
The first-mile post appeared just as we started to gan alang the Scotswood Road which is effectively a long, gentle slope towards the three-mile point before Scotswood Bridge.
After climbing the bridge and crossing the Tyne into the Borough of Gateshead, another friendly downhill slope took us into a contra-flow through Derwenthaugh.
Then, an unwelcome climb onto a footbridge led us onto the flat Chainbridge Road before a climb over the fly-over and a run through Blaydon town among the crowd throng in the last mile.
Having somewhat foolishly only made a half-hearted attempt at training, I was happy basically to survive the race by running 11-minute miles.
In respect of that aim, I was pretty successful, finishing in 69 minutes and 40 seconds (1:09.40) with a strained groin at two miles but a surprise attempt at a sprint finish to the line.
Of course, that was among the slower times in the night. In 2003, I completed a slightly shorter 5.7-mile race inside 56 minutes, and I was well beaten last night by my sister who completed her run in 62 minutes.
However, I was not disheartened by my relative tardiness. For a start, my time gives me plenty to work with and, after a bit more training, I would be hoping to be back towards 10-minute miles.
Also, my fast finish - though undoubtedly fuelled by adrenaline - suggested there was probably more in my legs for earlier in the race.
I had been concerned, though, that going any faster near the start would have led to a severe burnout. This actually happened back in my 2003 when I could barely put one foot in front of another for the final couple of miles.
And so, in an odd way, I am happier with my slower time as it appeared to be the result of a properly evenly-paced run rather than a screaming start and a burnout.
If nothing else, those extra 13 minutes allowed me to soak up a bit more of the excellent atmosphere created by the crowds - whether I wanted to or not!
Overall, my impressions of the event were positive.
And, with the Great North Run still to come on 18th September, I might make it as an amateur distance runner yet - even if my left groin and right knee do not seem to agree with that, this morning.
Note: Next year's Blaydon Race is the 150th anniversary of the 1862 horse race to which Geordie Ridley's song refers. As this website shows, there are already moves afoot to celebrate the occasion.
A Facebook group proclaiming the death of Geordie pride on 24th May, the date of the first episode, now has nearly 30,000 members.
But, last night, the 31st Blaydon Race did its best to claim back our regional identity from the strangely perma-tanned pissheads on national television.
Never mind that the lads' winner was Kenyan Edwin Kipkorir in 28 minutes 25 seconds or that the fastest lass was Justina Helsop (31:45) from Clapham Chasers in London.
There were plenty of local club harriers and unattached runners who did themselves proud - not to mention the bands, the pubs and folk dancers providing associated entertainment.
As usual, the lads and lasses gathered for the 5.9-mile run at Balmbras on the Groat Market.
Tension built in the legs during a quick rendition of Geordie Ridley's famous music hall anthem before the race began at 7.15pm, winding its way through town past the Centre for Life and the Metro Radio Arena.
The first-mile post appeared just as we started to gan alang the Scotswood Road which is effectively a long, gentle slope towards the three-mile point before Scotswood Bridge.
After climbing the bridge and crossing the Tyne into the Borough of Gateshead, another friendly downhill slope took us into a contra-flow through Derwenthaugh.
Then, an unwelcome climb onto a footbridge led us onto the flat Chainbridge Road before a climb over the fly-over and a run through Blaydon town among the crowd throng in the last mile.
Having somewhat foolishly only made a half-hearted attempt at training, I was happy basically to survive the race by running 11-minute miles.
In respect of that aim, I was pretty successful, finishing in 69 minutes and 40 seconds (1:09.40) with a strained groin at two miles but a surprise attempt at a sprint finish to the line.
Of course, that was among the slower times in the night. In 2003, I completed a slightly shorter 5.7-mile race inside 56 minutes, and I was well beaten last night by my sister who completed her run in 62 minutes.
However, I was not disheartened by my relative tardiness. For a start, my time gives me plenty to work with and, after a bit more training, I would be hoping to be back towards 10-minute miles.
Also, my fast finish - though undoubtedly fuelled by adrenaline - suggested there was probably more in my legs for earlier in the race.
I had been concerned, though, that going any faster near the start would have led to a severe burnout. This actually happened back in my 2003 when I could barely put one foot in front of another for the final couple of miles.
And so, in an odd way, I am happier with my slower time as it appeared to be the result of a properly evenly-paced run rather than a screaming start and a burnout.
If nothing else, those extra 13 minutes allowed me to soak up a bit more of the excellent atmosphere created by the crowds - whether I wanted to or not!
Overall, my impressions of the event were positive.
And, with the Great North Run still to come on 18th September, I might make it as an amateur distance runner yet - even if my left groin and right knee do not seem to agree with that, this morning.
Note: Next year's Blaydon Race is the 150th anniversary of the 1862 horse race to which Geordie Ridley's song refers. As this website shows, there are already moves afoot to celebrate the occasion.
The full BLAYDON RACE lyrics
by Geordie Ridley (1862)
by Geordie Ridley (1862)
Aw went to Blaydon Races, 'twas on the ninth of Joon,
Eiteen hundred an' sixty-two, on a summer's efternoon;
Aw tyuk the 'bus frae Balmbra's, an' she wis heavy laden,
Away we went alang Collingwood Street, that's on the road to Blaydon.
Eiteen hundred an' sixty-two, on a summer's efternoon;
Aw tyuk the 'bus frae Balmbra's, an' she wis heavy laden,
Away we went alang Collingwood Street, that's on the road to Blaydon.
Ah me lads, ye shud only seen us gannin',
We pass'd the foaks upon the road just as they wor stannin';
Thor wes lots o' lads an' lasses there, all wi' smiling faces,
Gawn alang the Scotswood Road, to see the Blaydon Races.
We pass'd the foaks upon the road just as they wor stannin';
Thor wes lots o' lads an' lasses there, all wi' smiling faces,
Gawn alang the Scotswood Road, to see the Blaydon Races.
We flew past Airmstrang's factory, and up to the "Robin Adair",
Just gannin' doon te the railway bridge, the 'bus wheel flew off there.
The lasses lost their crinolines off, an' the veils that hide their faces,
An' aw got two black eyes an' a broken nose in gan te Blaydon Races.
Just gannin' doon te the railway bridge, the 'bus wheel flew off there.
The lasses lost their crinolines off, an' the veils that hide their faces,
An' aw got two black eyes an' a broken nose in gan te Blaydon Races.
When we gat the wheel put on away we went agyen,
But them that had their noses broke they cam back ower hyem;
Sum went to the Dispensary an' uthers to Doctor Gibbs,
An' sum sought out the Infirmary to mend their broken ribs.
But them that had their noses broke they cam back ower hyem;
Sum went to the Dispensary an' uthers to Doctor Gibbs,
An' sum sought out the Infirmary to mend their broken ribs.
Noo when we gat to Paradise thor wes bonny gam begun;
Thor was fower-an-twenty on the 'bus, man, hoo they danced an' sung;
They called on me to sing a sang, aw sung them "Paddy Fagan",
Aw danced a jig an' swung my twig that day aw went to Blaydon.
Thor was fower-an-twenty on the 'bus, man, hoo they danced an' sung;
They called on me to sing a sang, aw sung them "Paddy Fagan",
Aw danced a jig an' swung my twig that day aw went to Blaydon.
We flew across the Chain Bridge reet into Blaydon toon,
The bellman he was callin' there, they call him Jackie Broon;
Aw saw him talkin' to sum cheps, an' them he was pursuadin'
To gan an' see Geordy Ridley's concert in the Mechanics' Hall at Blaydon.
The bellman he was callin' there, they call him Jackie Broon;
Aw saw him talkin' to sum cheps, an' them he was pursuadin'
To gan an' see Geordy Ridley's concert in the Mechanics' Hall at Blaydon.
The rain it poor'd aw the day an' myed the groons quite muddy,
Coffy Johnny had a white hat on - they war shootin' "Whe stole the cuddy."
There wes spice stalls an' munkey shows an' aud wives selling ciders,
An' a chep wiv a hapenny roond aboot, shootin' "Noo, me lads, for riders."
Coffy Johnny had a white hat on - they war shootin' "Whe stole the cuddy."
There wes spice stalls an' munkey shows an' aud wives selling ciders,
An' a chep wiv a hapenny roond aboot, shootin' "Noo, me lads, for riders."
Friday 3 June 2011
Euro 2012 qualifiers: England escape with draw against Swiss
ENGLAND stayed top of Group G on goal difference after coming from two goals behind to rescue a draw against Switzerland in an entertaining end-of-season qualifier at Wembley.
Frank Lampard's penalty and a well-taken volley by second-half substitute Ashley Young ensured a point after poor defending to two Tranquillo Barnetta free-kicks had given the Swiss a surprise lead.
Even before Switzerland took the lead, though, there had been warning signs.
As ever, England were struggling to keep possession and the Swiss seemed happy to shoot from range with Joe Hart making good saves from Gokhan Inler and Xherdan Shaqiri.
Meanwhile, England's best chance early on came after two minutes when Theo Walcott was just beaten to the ball by keeper Diego Benaglio.
But the match really exploded into life shortly after the half-hour mark with three goals in five minutes.
Barnetta was first to strike as he floated in a free-kick from about 30 yards out on the left. The ball evaded everyone and made its way past the scrambling Hart into the far corner of the net.
England did not learn their lesson and, within two minutes, Barnetta had another dead-ball in about the same place on the pitch.
This time, the Bayer Leverkusen forward favoured drilling the ball low to the near post and, assisted heavily by the breaking of an atrocious two-man wall of Walcott and James Milner, he scored.
Again, Hart was left scrambling in vain towards the post as the ball sneaked into the net and England looked in a mess.
Thankfully, the home side responded immediately and credit must go to Jack Wilshere for his positive, direct run straight from the kick-off.
Wilshere's burst into the box brought a penalty after he was upended by his club mate Johan Djourou. Lampard fired the ball under the arm of the unlucky Benaglio and England were back in it.
Nevertheless, the Wembley crowd jeered Fabio Capello's men off the pitch with some in attendance unhappy that it had taken them until 20 minutes after kick-off to get into the stands.
Capello introduced Young for Lampard and England were better in the second half as a result. There was less defensive uncertainty and England were able to control the game a lot better.
The equaliser, when it came, was a simple but effective move. A throw-in down the left was chipped in by Milner to Leighton Baines who chested it down for Young to volley an early shot across the goalkeeper into the far corner.
From then on, England looked the likelier side to win. Young was particularly industrious, perhaps proving a point to Capello who had unfathomably left him on the bench despite a fine performance against Wales in March.
Indeed, Young was involved when England came closest to their winner, his shot having been parried by Benaglio straight into the path of the in-form Aston Villa striker Darren Bent.
But with the goal gaping, Bent astonishingly sent his effort blazing over the bar and, as England tired, it proved a costly failure to hit the target.
Not that costly, though. England may have extended their winless run at Wembley to four matches - their worst sequence for 30 years - but after Montenegro's 1-1 draw with Bulgaria, Capello's men are in no worse position in their group.
And so, it is looking increasingly likely that the match against the Montenegrins in Podgorica on 7 October will ultimately decide the direction of Group G.
The outcome of Group B for the Republic of Ireland is even less certain after the three bigger teams each won in the latest round of qualifiers.
Robbie Keane became the first British or Irish footballer to score 50 international goals as his brace proved the difference between Ireland and the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia.
There was a bit of fortune about both of Keane's goals - his first was deflected and his second was a gift after a horrendous mis-kick by defender Boban Grncharov.
Nevertheless, Keane is not going to start complaining about the nature of his 50th and 51st goals in a green shirt, given their importance to the Irish in this group.
The victory in the Balkans moves Ireland onto 13 points, level with Slovakia - who sneaked a 1-0 against Andorra - and Russia, who beat Armenia 3-1 thanks to a Roman Pavlyuchenko hat-trick.
GROUP A
Germany moved to the brink of qualification - mathematically, they are now just two points away - after a 3-1 win in Azerbaijan thanks to goals from Mehut Oezil, Mario Gomez and Andre Schuerlle. On Friday, the Germans had moved seven points clear after Mario Gomez's strikes at the end of both halves had given them a narrow 2-1 victory over neighbours Austria.
The lead increased because the Germans' nearest rivals, Belgium and Turkey, cancelled each other out in a 1-1 in Brussels which left them on 11 and 10 points respectively. Turkey have a game in hand on the Belgians but look like losing the services of coach Guus Hiddink to Chelsea.
Kazakhstan 2-1 Azerbaijan
Austria 1-2 Germany
Belgium 1-1 Turkey
Azerbaijan 1-3 Germany
GROUP B
As mentioned above in the main report, Robbie Keane has now scored 51 international goals after his brace helped Republic of Ireland beat FYR Macedonia 2-0. Slovakia sneaked past Andorra 1-0 and Russia beat Armenia 3-1 thanks to a Roman Pavlyuchenko hat-trick.
The results leave Slovakia, Russia and Ireland tied at the top of the group on 13 points from six games. The Slovakians are ahead courtesy of the best head-to-head record between the teams but the Irish and the Russians have a better goal difference.
Russia 3-1 Armenia
Slovakia 1-0 Andorra
FYR Macedonia 0-2 Republic of Ireland
GROUP C
Italy kept their stranglehold on Group C with a routine 3-0 win over Estonia in Modena. Goals from Giuseppe Rossi, Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini ensured the Azzurri remain five points clear of second-placed Slovenia who beat minnows Faroe Islands 2-0 in Toftir.
Italy now need only two wins from their last four qualifiers for a place in the finals meaning Slovenia look likely to have to settle for the playoffs. In the midweek game, the Faroes astonished Estonia by winning 2-0, completing a poor week for the Baltic side. In the race for second, Slovenia have 11 points from seven games, Serbia are on eight points from six, Estonia look out of the running on seven points from seven while Northern Ireland are on six points but from just five games.
Faroe Islands 0-2 Slovenia
Italy 3-0 Estonia
Faroe Islands 2-0 Estonia
GROUP D
Belarus beat Luxembourg 2-0 to close within a point of France at the top of Group D. It completes a good week for the Belarussians as, four days earlier, the French settled for a point in Minsk when a fine Florent Malouda volley provided the antidote to Eric Abidal's own goal in a 1-1 draw.
As it stands, France are on 13 points from six games and Belarus are on 12 but having played a game more. Indeed, Bosnia-Herzegovina are probably favourites for second-place as they are on 10 points from six games after recovering from their 3-0 bashing by Romania to beat Albania 2-0. As just mentioned, Romania - who are on eight points from six games - helped their chances of qualifying by beating the Bosnians 3-0 in Bucharest thanks to two goals from Ciprian Marica and one from Adrian Mutu.
Romania 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Belarus 1-1 France
Belarus 2-0 Luxembourg
Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 Albania
GROUP E
Sweden gave themselves a chance of closing down leaders Netherlands with nine goals in the last week. First, they enjoyed a 4-1 win over Moldova in Chisinau in which Ola Toivonen, Johan Elmander, Sebastian Larsson and Alexander Gerndt were all on the scoresheet.
Then, the Swedes thrashed neighbours Finland 5-0 with a great attacking display including a hat-trick for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. That sort of result was to be expected after the Finns had laboured to a 1-0 win over San Marino with former Chelsea forward Mikael Forssell sparing Finnish blushes in Serravelle.
With the Dutch out of action, the results mean Sweden are back to within three points of the Oranje. Hungary, a further three points back having played a game more, are probably out the running despite their routine 3-0 win over San Marino.
Moldova 1-4 Sweden
San Marino 0-1 Finland
Sweden 5-0 Finland
San Marino 0-3 Hungary
GROUP F
Euro 2004 winners Greece lead a three-horse race in Group F after a straight-forward 3-1 win over Malta in Piraeus. The unbeaten Greeks are on 14 points from six matches, one ahead of Croatia who came from behind to beat Temuri Ketsbaia's Georgia 2-1 thanks to Nikola Kalinic's late winner.
The Croatians are joined on 13 points by Israel after Yossi Benayoun and Tal Ben Haim scored in their 2-1 win over Latvia in Riga but the Israelis have played a game more than their two rivals.
Croatia 2-1 Georgia
Latvia 1-2 Israel
Greece 3-1 Malta
GROUP G
England and Montenegro remained locked at the top of Group G on 11 points after both teams drew their latest qualifier. England had to come from 2-0 down to force a draw at Wembley before Montenegro drew 1-1 with Bulgaria. The qualifier in Podgorica on 7 October between Montenegro and England is looking more and more vital.
The Montenegrins looked like heading top of the group when Radomir Djalovic gave them the lead early in the second half but Ivelin Popov soon equalised for Bulgaria. The draws left Switzerland and Bulgaria adrift on five points apiece with Gary Speed's Wales rock-bottom having yet to score.
England 2-2 Switzerland
Montenegro 1-1 Bulgaria
GROUP H
There is another three-way tie at the top of Group H with Portugal, Denmark and Norway all on 10 points. Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Helder Postiga scored the only goal as the Portuguese moved top of the group by beating Norway 1-0 in Lisbon.
Denmark kept up their challenge after second-half goals from Lasse Schone and Christian Eriksen were enough to beat Iceland 2-0. The Danes face Norway and Portugal at home on 6 September and 7 October in the only matches left between the three top sides.
Iceland 0-2 Denmark
Portugal 1-0 Norway
GROUP I
Minnow Liechtenstein won their first competitive match for four years after first-half goals from Philippe Erne and Michele Polverino. The result meant Liechtenstein scored their first points of this campaign and moved within one point of Lithuania... and Scotland.
The Scots, on just four points from as many matches, have a game in hand on the bottom two but their chances of catching Spain, on a perfect 15 points, and even Czech Republic, on nine, are very slim indeed.
Liechtenstein 2-0 Lithuania
Frank Lampard's penalty and a well-taken volley by second-half substitute Ashley Young ensured a point after poor defending to two Tranquillo Barnetta free-kicks had given the Swiss a surprise lead.
Even before Switzerland took the lead, though, there had been warning signs.
As ever, England were struggling to keep possession and the Swiss seemed happy to shoot from range with Joe Hart making good saves from Gokhan Inler and Xherdan Shaqiri.
Meanwhile, England's best chance early on came after two minutes when Theo Walcott was just beaten to the ball by keeper Diego Benaglio.
But the match really exploded into life shortly after the half-hour mark with three goals in five minutes.
Barnetta was first to strike as he floated in a free-kick from about 30 yards out on the left. The ball evaded everyone and made its way past the scrambling Hart into the far corner of the net.
England did not learn their lesson and, within two minutes, Barnetta had another dead-ball in about the same place on the pitch.
This time, the Bayer Leverkusen forward favoured drilling the ball low to the near post and, assisted heavily by the breaking of an atrocious two-man wall of Walcott and James Milner, he scored.
Again, Hart was left scrambling in vain towards the post as the ball sneaked into the net and England looked in a mess.
Thankfully, the home side responded immediately and credit must go to Jack Wilshere for his positive, direct run straight from the kick-off.
Wilshere's burst into the box brought a penalty after he was upended by his club mate Johan Djourou. Lampard fired the ball under the arm of the unlucky Benaglio and England were back in it.
Nevertheless, the Wembley crowd jeered Fabio Capello's men off the pitch with some in attendance unhappy that it had taken them until 20 minutes after kick-off to get into the stands.
Capello introduced Young for Lampard and England were better in the second half as a result. There was less defensive uncertainty and England were able to control the game a lot better.
The equaliser, when it came, was a simple but effective move. A throw-in down the left was chipped in by Milner to Leighton Baines who chested it down for Young to volley an early shot across the goalkeeper into the far corner.
From then on, England looked the likelier side to win. Young was particularly industrious, perhaps proving a point to Capello who had unfathomably left him on the bench despite a fine performance against Wales in March.
Indeed, Young was involved when England came closest to their winner, his shot having been parried by Benaglio straight into the path of the in-form Aston Villa striker Darren Bent.
But with the goal gaping, Bent astonishingly sent his effort blazing over the bar and, as England tired, it proved a costly failure to hit the target.
Not that costly, though. England may have extended their winless run at Wembley to four matches - their worst sequence for 30 years - but after Montenegro's 1-1 draw with Bulgaria, Capello's men are in no worse position in their group.
And so, it is looking increasingly likely that the match against the Montenegrins in Podgorica on 7 October will ultimately decide the direction of Group G.
The outcome of Group B for the Republic of Ireland is even less certain after the three bigger teams each won in the latest round of qualifiers.
Robbie Keane became the first British or Irish footballer to score 50 international goals as his brace proved the difference between Ireland and the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia.
There was a bit of fortune about both of Keane's goals - his first was deflected and his second was a gift after a horrendous mis-kick by defender Boban Grncharov.
Nevertheless, Keane is not going to start complaining about the nature of his 50th and 51st goals in a green shirt, given their importance to the Irish in this group.
The victory in the Balkans moves Ireland onto 13 points, level with Slovakia - who sneaked a 1-0 against Andorra - and Russia, who beat Armenia 3-1 thanks to a Roman Pavlyuchenko hat-trick.
GROUP A
Germany moved to the brink of qualification - mathematically, they are now just two points away - after a 3-1 win in Azerbaijan thanks to goals from Mehut Oezil, Mario Gomez and Andre Schuerlle. On Friday, the Germans had moved seven points clear after Mario Gomez's strikes at the end of both halves had given them a narrow 2-1 victory over neighbours Austria.
The lead increased because the Germans' nearest rivals, Belgium and Turkey, cancelled each other out in a 1-1 in Brussels which left them on 11 and 10 points respectively. Turkey have a game in hand on the Belgians but look like losing the services of coach Guus Hiddink to Chelsea.
Kazakhstan 2-1 Azerbaijan
Austria 1-2 Germany
Belgium 1-1 Turkey
Azerbaijan 1-3 Germany
GROUP B
As mentioned above in the main report, Robbie Keane has now scored 51 international goals after his brace helped Republic of Ireland beat FYR Macedonia 2-0. Slovakia sneaked past Andorra 1-0 and Russia beat Armenia 3-1 thanks to a Roman Pavlyuchenko hat-trick.
The results leave Slovakia, Russia and Ireland tied at the top of the group on 13 points from six games. The Slovakians are ahead courtesy of the best head-to-head record between the teams but the Irish and the Russians have a better goal difference.
Russia 3-1 Armenia
Slovakia 1-0 Andorra
FYR Macedonia 0-2 Republic of Ireland
GROUP C
Italy kept their stranglehold on Group C with a routine 3-0 win over Estonia in Modena. Goals from Giuseppe Rossi, Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini ensured the Azzurri remain five points clear of second-placed Slovenia who beat minnows Faroe Islands 2-0 in Toftir.
Italy now need only two wins from their last four qualifiers for a place in the finals meaning Slovenia look likely to have to settle for the playoffs. In the midweek game, the Faroes astonished Estonia by winning 2-0, completing a poor week for the Baltic side. In the race for second, Slovenia have 11 points from seven games, Serbia are on eight points from six, Estonia look out of the running on seven points from seven while Northern Ireland are on six points but from just five games.
Faroe Islands 0-2 Slovenia
Italy 3-0 Estonia
Faroe Islands 2-0 Estonia
GROUP D
Belarus beat Luxembourg 2-0 to close within a point of France at the top of Group D. It completes a good week for the Belarussians as, four days earlier, the French settled for a point in Minsk when a fine Florent Malouda volley provided the antidote to Eric Abidal's own goal in a 1-1 draw.
As it stands, France are on 13 points from six games and Belarus are on 12 but having played a game more. Indeed, Bosnia-Herzegovina are probably favourites for second-place as they are on 10 points from six games after recovering from their 3-0 bashing by Romania to beat Albania 2-0. As just mentioned, Romania - who are on eight points from six games - helped their chances of qualifying by beating the Bosnians 3-0 in Bucharest thanks to two goals from Ciprian Marica and one from Adrian Mutu.
Romania 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Belarus 1-1 France
Belarus 2-0 Luxembourg
Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 Albania
GROUP E
Sweden gave themselves a chance of closing down leaders Netherlands with nine goals in the last week. First, they enjoyed a 4-1 win over Moldova in Chisinau in which Ola Toivonen, Johan Elmander, Sebastian Larsson and Alexander Gerndt were all on the scoresheet.
Then, the Swedes thrashed neighbours Finland 5-0 with a great attacking display including a hat-trick for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. That sort of result was to be expected after the Finns had laboured to a 1-0 win over San Marino with former Chelsea forward Mikael Forssell sparing Finnish blushes in Serravelle.
With the Dutch out of action, the results mean Sweden are back to within three points of the Oranje. Hungary, a further three points back having played a game more, are probably out the running despite their routine 3-0 win over San Marino.
Moldova 1-4 Sweden
San Marino 0-1 Finland
Sweden 5-0 Finland
San Marino 0-3 Hungary
GROUP F
Euro 2004 winners Greece lead a three-horse race in Group F after a straight-forward 3-1 win over Malta in Piraeus. The unbeaten Greeks are on 14 points from six matches, one ahead of Croatia who came from behind to beat Temuri Ketsbaia's Georgia 2-1 thanks to Nikola Kalinic's late winner.
The Croatians are joined on 13 points by Israel after Yossi Benayoun and Tal Ben Haim scored in their 2-1 win over Latvia in Riga but the Israelis have played a game more than their two rivals.
Croatia 2-1 Georgia
Latvia 1-2 Israel
Greece 3-1 Malta
GROUP G
England and Montenegro remained locked at the top of Group G on 11 points after both teams drew their latest qualifier. England had to come from 2-0 down to force a draw at Wembley before Montenegro drew 1-1 with Bulgaria. The qualifier in Podgorica on 7 October between Montenegro and England is looking more and more vital.
The Montenegrins looked like heading top of the group when Radomir Djalovic gave them the lead early in the second half but Ivelin Popov soon equalised for Bulgaria. The draws left Switzerland and Bulgaria adrift on five points apiece with Gary Speed's Wales rock-bottom having yet to score.
England 2-2 Switzerland
Montenegro 1-1 Bulgaria
GROUP H
There is another three-way tie at the top of Group H with Portugal, Denmark and Norway all on 10 points. Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Helder Postiga scored the only goal as the Portuguese moved top of the group by beating Norway 1-0 in Lisbon.
Denmark kept up their challenge after second-half goals from Lasse Schone and Christian Eriksen were enough to beat Iceland 2-0. The Danes face Norway and Portugal at home on 6 September and 7 October in the only matches left between the three top sides.
Iceland 0-2 Denmark
Portugal 1-0 Norway
GROUP I
Minnow Liechtenstein won their first competitive match for four years after first-half goals from Philippe Erne and Michele Polverino. The result meant Liechtenstein scored their first points of this campaign and moved within one point of Lithuania... and Scotland.
The Scots, on just four points from as many matches, have a game in hand on the bottom two but their chances of catching Spain, on a perfect 15 points, and even Czech Republic, on nine, are very slim indeed.
Liechtenstein 2-0 Lithuania
Wednesday 1 June 2011
Blatter gets four more years
SEPP BLATTER will remain president of football governing body FIFA after he was re-elected unopposed today amid widespread allegations of corruption in the organisation.
Blatter received 186 of the 203 votes (91.6%) at the 61st FIFA Congress in Zurich after the failure of a late joint attempt by the Football Association and Scottish Football Association to have the election postponed.
As promised, the FA abstained and the English were joined by the Scots but, disappointingly, support from elsewhere was largely not forthcoming. Disappointing but hardly unexpected.
It seems that turkeys will vote for Christmas before the majority of the FIFA Congress members will vote to change an organisation which seems rotten to the core.
Make no question about it, though - the boat has been rocked.
A delusional Blatter had denied there was nothing to investigate nor any sort of crisis at FIFA when speaking to journalists at a press conference yesterday.
But, later, in his opening speech to the Congress, he admitted: "Our ship is in troubled waters and I am the captain weathering the storm. This is a difficult period for FIFA and I admit that readily.
"Not only is the pyramid shaking but our ship has drawn some water,"
However, the problem is that based upon overnight events, FIFA is going completely the wrong way about sorting out their mess.
For, just last night, interim Concacaf president Lisle Austin made a botched attempt to sack Concacaf general secretary Chuck Blazer, the man who accused Jack Warner and former presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam of bribery.
The executive committee of Concacaf, the North American federation, ruled that the move by Austin, who is in his position at the federation in place of Warner, was "unauthorised".
And so, as it stands, Mr Blazer has retained his job... but then so has Blatter, for a fourth term, as well.
Over the past 13 years, the 75-year-old Swiss has overseen numerous crises from his offices in Zurich.
They include the collapse of FIFA's marketing partner International Sport and Leisure (ISL) in 2001 amid accusations that the company paid £66m of bribes to football's governing body.
Then there were the unwelcome comments about women's football in 2004 and the refusal to consider the introduction of goal-line technology in the run-up to World Cup 2010.
Now there is the latest round of accusations about the bribing of FIFA officials in the lead up to the votes on the World Cups in 2018 and 2022 - first by former FA chairman Lord Triesman and now by Mr Blazer.
Blatter has survived before against the odds and his latest trick was to pour whitewash over the allegations made by Lord Triesman.
On Sunday, the accused quartet - Warner, Nicolas Leoz, Ricardo Teixeira and Worawi Makudi - were all exonerated of any wrongdoing.
However, FIFA's investigation of itself was hardly the independent inquiry of these men that remains much needed.
Indeed, the fact that Blatter's only previous opponent for this election, Bin Hammam, is one of the suspended members - and that Blatter ended up being re-elected unopposed for a second time in a row - demonstrates clearly how deep FIFA is in the mire.
At least one positive thing to emerge from this whole mess is the discovery by the FA of a backbone.
It was not always thus. When there was still a chance of their 2018 bid succeeding, bid chief executive Andy Anson attacked the BBC for being "unpatriotic" after Panorama analysed FIFA bribes.
Sadly, Mr Anson did not seem to appreciate that, while the BBC is indeed this country's main public service broadcaster, it is not there to turn a blind eye to stories of legitimate journalistic value simply because they do not fit an accepted narrative.
Even now, the FA faces criticism of having acted too late and making only a token gesture to delay the presidential vote.
In fairness to current FA chairman David Bernstein, though, I would guess even he did not expect this extraordinary situation to unravel so quickly.
But, despite losing the battle to keep Blatter out of power in the auditorium today, the FA cannot resign itself to sitting back idly as it has done before.
Surely the time has come to attempt a break-away from the clutches of an organisation which has for a long time clearly been a busted flush.
It will not be easy as Blatter retains the support of the vast majority of smaller countries in FIFA including Northern Ireland and Wales.
They are pleased with him for the redistribution of funds, regardless of whether or not this is dirty money.
However, if the oldest associations in football in England and Scotland can attract some other big hitters - and, perhaps most importantly for sponsor reasons, the United States - then it could work.
Isolationism is rarely the answer to problems such as this but it is fair to say that FIFA seems blind to its issues and nothing more can be done internally.
The big associations should not be scared of taking on FIFA by resigning their positions. At the moment, their votes hold no more weight than those of San Marino or Tonga.
But, by stepping away from FIFA, they would fast gain the support of the already-worried sponsors such as Adidas, Coca-Cola and Emirates.
Ultimately, given Blatter's dictatorial power at FIFA, it is a faint hope - but it is the only one which is worth holding on to, for now.
Blatter received 186 of the 203 votes (91.6%) at the 61st FIFA Congress in Zurich after the failure of a late joint attempt by the Football Association and Scottish Football Association to have the election postponed.
As promised, the FA abstained and the English were joined by the Scots but, disappointingly, support from elsewhere was largely not forthcoming. Disappointing but hardly unexpected.
It seems that turkeys will vote for Christmas before the majority of the FIFA Congress members will vote to change an organisation which seems rotten to the core.
Make no question about it, though - the boat has been rocked.
A delusional Blatter had denied there was nothing to investigate nor any sort of crisis at FIFA when speaking to journalists at a press conference yesterday.
But, later, in his opening speech to the Congress, he admitted: "Our ship is in troubled waters and I am the captain weathering the storm. This is a difficult period for FIFA and I admit that readily.
"Not only is the pyramid shaking but our ship has drawn some water,"
However, the problem is that based upon overnight events, FIFA is going completely the wrong way about sorting out their mess.
For, just last night, interim Concacaf president Lisle Austin made a botched attempt to sack Concacaf general secretary Chuck Blazer, the man who accused Jack Warner and former presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam of bribery.
The executive committee of Concacaf, the North American federation, ruled that the move by Austin, who is in his position at the federation in place of Warner, was "unauthorised".
And so, as it stands, Mr Blazer has retained his job... but then so has Blatter, for a fourth term, as well.
Over the past 13 years, the 75-year-old Swiss has overseen numerous crises from his offices in Zurich.
They include the collapse of FIFA's marketing partner International Sport and Leisure (ISL) in 2001 amid accusations that the company paid £66m of bribes to football's governing body.
Then there were the unwelcome comments about women's football in 2004 and the refusal to consider the introduction of goal-line technology in the run-up to World Cup 2010.
Now there is the latest round of accusations about the bribing of FIFA officials in the lead up to the votes on the World Cups in 2018 and 2022 - first by former FA chairman Lord Triesman and now by Mr Blazer.
Blatter has survived before against the odds and his latest trick was to pour whitewash over the allegations made by Lord Triesman.
On Sunday, the accused quartet - Warner, Nicolas Leoz, Ricardo Teixeira and Worawi Makudi - were all exonerated of any wrongdoing.
However, FIFA's investigation of itself was hardly the independent inquiry of these men that remains much needed.
Indeed, the fact that Blatter's only previous opponent for this election, Bin Hammam, is one of the suspended members - and that Blatter ended up being re-elected unopposed for a second time in a row - demonstrates clearly how deep FIFA is in the mire.
At least one positive thing to emerge from this whole mess is the discovery by the FA of a backbone.
It was not always thus. When there was still a chance of their 2018 bid succeeding, bid chief executive Andy Anson attacked the BBC for being "unpatriotic" after Panorama analysed FIFA bribes.
Sadly, Mr Anson did not seem to appreciate that, while the BBC is indeed this country's main public service broadcaster, it is not there to turn a blind eye to stories of legitimate journalistic value simply because they do not fit an accepted narrative.
Even now, the FA faces criticism of having acted too late and making only a token gesture to delay the presidential vote.
In fairness to current FA chairman David Bernstein, though, I would guess even he did not expect this extraordinary situation to unravel so quickly.
But, despite losing the battle to keep Blatter out of power in the auditorium today, the FA cannot resign itself to sitting back idly as it has done before.
Surely the time has come to attempt a break-away from the clutches of an organisation which has for a long time clearly been a busted flush.
It will not be easy as Blatter retains the support of the vast majority of smaller countries in FIFA including Northern Ireland and Wales.
They are pleased with him for the redistribution of funds, regardless of whether or not this is dirty money.
However, if the oldest associations in football in England and Scotland can attract some other big hitters - and, perhaps most importantly for sponsor reasons, the United States - then it could work.
Isolationism is rarely the answer to problems such as this but it is fair to say that FIFA seems blind to its issues and nothing more can be done internally.
The big associations should not be scared of taking on FIFA by resigning their positions. At the moment, their votes hold no more weight than those of San Marino or Tonga.
But, by stepping away from FIFA, they would fast gain the support of the already-worried sponsors such as Adidas, Coca-Cola and Emirates.
Ultimately, given Blatter's dictatorial power at FIFA, it is a faint hope - but it is the only one which is worth holding on to, for now.
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