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.
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
F1 2011: Vettel streaks clear as Hamilton snaps
SEBASTIAN VETTEL extended his lead in the Drivers' Championship to a massive 58 points after he completed a hat-trick of wins in Monte Carlo.
With victories in Barcelona and Istanbul earlier in the month of May, the 23-year-old German has now won five of the first six races. As such, the championship already looks like a procession.
Indeed, the margin of error for the defending champion is so great that he could retire or finish out of the points in two more races than his nearest rivals - and yet still be ahead of them.
But, while we are unlikely to have a thrilling finish to the championship, F1 fans can take great pleasure from the amazing quality of the racing among those trailing in Vettel's wake.
Thanks to the introduction of the DRS wing, KERS and the tyre-wear on the new Pirellis, the increase in overtaking manoeuvres on previous years, as shown here on James Allen's excellent blog, is simply outstanding.
There was even excitement at the Circuit de Catalunya, traditionally the worst permanent F1 venue for overtaking, as Lewis Hamilton closed in on Vettel in the closing laps.
However, Hamilton failed in his objective of passing the German and it is fair to say that, as Vettel disappears over the horizon in championship terms, this has been a frustrating few weeks for the 2008 champion.
Hamilton's bad weekend in Monaco began in qualifying when, having set the fastest time in Q1 and Q2, his Q3 time was deleted by stewards after he missed a chicane.
In the race itself, he lost a lot of time early on behind Michael Schumacher before being penalised for making contact with Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Williams' rookie Pastor Maldonado.
The penalties resulted in an angry outburst from Hamilton who said: "It's an absolute frickin' joke. I've been to see the stewards five times out of six this season.
The Stevenage-born racer added in jest: "Maybe it's because I'm black. That's what Ali G says."
Hamilton escaped further censure for his comments and today he apologised to Massa and Maldonado through the social-networking site Twitter.
But, while Hamilton attempts to rebuild bridges in the paddock, his eventual sixth place finish now leaves him well adrift of Vettel.
The Red Bull driver has 143 points with Hamilton on just 85. Vettel's team mate Mark Webber is in third place on 79 points, three ahead of Hamilton's team mate Jenson Button.
Ferrari's double champion Fernando Alonso may have finished second in Monaco but his relatively poor early start to the season is still costing him as he trails in fifth on 69 points.
Germans Nick Heidfeld (29 points) and Nico Rosberg (26) continue to impress for Renault and Mercedes, as does Japanese racer Kamui Kobayashi after his fifth place finish in Monte Carlo for Sauber.
Doubts over the value of seven-time champion Schumacher's return to F1 remain after the German retired on lap 34, leaving him down in 11th place in the standings on 14 points.
Schumacher's long-time team mate at Ferrari, Rubens Barrichello, scored Williams' first points of the season with a ninth-placed finish in Monaco.
The calendar now takes the F1 drivers to Canada in two weeks before they return to Europe for the European Grand Prix in Valencia on 26 June and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on 10 July.
With victories in Barcelona and Istanbul earlier in the month of May, the 23-year-old German has now won five of the first six races. As such, the championship already looks like a procession.
Indeed, the margin of error for the defending champion is so great that he could retire or finish out of the points in two more races than his nearest rivals - and yet still be ahead of them.
But, while we are unlikely to have a thrilling finish to the championship, F1 fans can take great pleasure from the amazing quality of the racing among those trailing in Vettel's wake.
Thanks to the introduction of the DRS wing, KERS and the tyre-wear on the new Pirellis, the increase in overtaking manoeuvres on previous years, as shown here on James Allen's excellent blog, is simply outstanding.
There was even excitement at the Circuit de Catalunya, traditionally the worst permanent F1 venue for overtaking, as Lewis Hamilton closed in on Vettel in the closing laps.
However, Hamilton failed in his objective of passing the German and it is fair to say that, as Vettel disappears over the horizon in championship terms, this has been a frustrating few weeks for the 2008 champion.
Hamilton's bad weekend in Monaco began in qualifying when, having set the fastest time in Q1 and Q2, his Q3 time was deleted by stewards after he missed a chicane.
In the race itself, he lost a lot of time early on behind Michael Schumacher before being penalised for making contact with Ferrari's Felipe Massa and Williams' rookie Pastor Maldonado.
The penalties resulted in an angry outburst from Hamilton who said: "It's an absolute frickin' joke. I've been to see the stewards five times out of six this season.
The Stevenage-born racer added in jest: "Maybe it's because I'm black. That's what Ali G says."
Hamilton escaped further censure for his comments and today he apologised to Massa and Maldonado through the social-networking site Twitter.
But, while Hamilton attempts to rebuild bridges in the paddock, his eventual sixth place finish now leaves him well adrift of Vettel.
The Red Bull driver has 143 points with Hamilton on just 85. Vettel's team mate Mark Webber is in third place on 79 points, three ahead of Hamilton's team mate Jenson Button.
Ferrari's double champion Fernando Alonso may have finished second in Monaco but his relatively poor early start to the season is still costing him as he trails in fifth on 69 points.
Germans Nick Heidfeld (29 points) and Nico Rosberg (26) continue to impress for Renault and Mercedes, as does Japanese racer Kamui Kobayashi after his fifth place finish in Monte Carlo for Sauber.
Doubts over the value of seven-time champion Schumacher's return to F1 remain after the German retired on lap 34, leaving him down in 11th place in the standings on 14 points.
Schumacher's long-time team mate at Ferrari, Rubens Barrichello, scored Williams' first points of the season with a ninth-placed finish in Monaco.
The calendar now takes the F1 drivers to Canada in two weeks before they return to Europe for the European Grand Prix in Valencia on 26 June and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on 10 July.
F1 2011 SEASON RESULTS
PODIUMS
Australian GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault
Malaysian GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) Renault
Chinese GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
3 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
Turkish GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
3 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
Spanish GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
Monaco GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
3 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
REMAINING CALENDAR
12 June Canadian GP (Montreal)
26 June European GP (Valencia)
10 July British GP (Silverstone)
24 July German GP (Nuerburg)
31 July Hungarian GP (Budapest)
28 August Belgian GP (Spa)
11 September Italian GP (Monza)
25 September Singapore GP (Singapore)
9 October Japanese GP (Suzuka)
16 October Korean GP (Yeongam)
30 October Indian GP (Greater Noida)
13 November Abu Dhabi GP (Yas Island)
27 November Brazilian GP (Sao Paulo)
F1 2011 STANDINGS
World Drivers' Championship
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault 143
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes 85
3 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 79
4 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes 76
5 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari 69
6 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) Renault 29
7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes 26
8 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 24
9 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault 21
10 Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) Sauber-Ferrari 19
11 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes 14
12 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Mercedes 8
13 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 7
14 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Williams-Cosworth 2
15 Sergio Perez (Mex) Sauber-Ferrari 2
16 Paul di Resta (Gbr) Force India-Mercedes 2
Eight drivers have yet to score: (17 Jaime Alguersuari (Spa) Toro Rosso-Ferrari, 18 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Lotus-Renault, 19 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Lotus-Renault, 20 Jerome d'Ambrosio (Bel) Virgin-Cosworth, 21 Pastor Maldonado (Ven) Williams-Cosworth, 22 Timo Glock (Ger) Virgin-Cosworth, 23 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) HRT-Cosworth, 24 Narain Karthikeyan (Ind) HRT-Cosworth)
Constructors' Championship
1 Red Bull-Renault (Aut) 222
2 McLaren-Mercedes (Gbr) 161
3 Ferrari (Ita) 93
4 Renault (Gbr) 50
5 Mercedes (Ger) 40
6 Sauber-Ferrari (Swi) 21
7 Force India-Mercedes (Ind) 10
8 Toro Rosso-Ferrari (Ita) 7
9 Williams-Cosworth (Gbr) 2
There are three teams (Lotus-Renault (Mal), Virgin-Cosworth (Rus) and HRT-Cosworth (Spa)) which have yet to score.
The Season 2010/11 - For the record: Swans soar after Sinclair hat-trick
SCOTT SINCLAIR scored a hat-trick as Swansea City became the first Welsh club to be promoted to the Premier League after they beat Reading in a pulsating playoff final at Wembley.
The Swans raced into a 3-0 half-time lead thanks to two goals from Sinclair and a fine strike from Stephen Dobbie.
But two set-pieces early in the second half brought Reading right back into the game. Joe Allen could only divert the ball into his own net before Matt Mills reduced the deficit to 3-2 with more than 30 minutes to play.
Swansea were on the ropes and, as the Royals poured forward in search of an equaliser, Jem Karacan struck the base of the post and Gary Monk blocked Stephen Hunt's shot on the rebound.
But, with that chance gone, Brendan Rogers' men could breathe a little easier as the Reading comeback began to run out of steam.
Swansea gradually regained composure and Fabio Borini won a penalty after he was unceremoniously bundled over in the box by Andy Griffin.
Former Chelsea youngster Sinclair kept his composure and hit the ball right in the corner out of Adam Federici's reach to fire the Swans into the top-flight for the first time since 1983.
On Sunday, Peterborough United beat Huddersfield Town 3-0 to regain their place in the Championship which they lost 12 months ago.
Tommy Rowe, Craig Mackail-Smith and Grant McCann scored the three goals in the last 12 minutes of the game as Posh broke Huddersfield hearts.
The score was harsh on Lee Clark's men who had gone 27 matches unbeaten in the league since December, only to see their good work undone in a matter of minutes at Old Trafford.
But Peterborough deserve a lot of credit for their ultra-attacking approach which saw them score 106 goals in the regular season with Mackail-Smith hitting 35 of them.
The goals continued to flow in the playoffs for Posh and Darren Ferguson's men are worthy of their place back in the second flight.
While Peterborough are making a return to the Championship, Stevenage will play at their highest level ever next season after gaining back-to-back promotions.
The Boro, who only went up from the Blue Square Premier last season, beat Torquay United 1-0 in a tight League Two playoff final at Old Trafford.
John Mousinho scored the only goal towards the end of the first half which Stevenage had dominated.
The Gulls went close of an equaliser through Jake Robinson but Graham Westley's side held on to cap a meteoric recent rise through the divisions.
The curtain now comes down on Season 2010/11 though football-starved fans will be encouraged to hear there are numerous tournaments throughout the summer.
After Euro 2012 qualifiers for the senior team next weekend, England Under-21s will be play in Euro 2011 which takes place in Denmark between 11-25 June.
Stuart Pearce's men face Spain, Czech Republic and Ukraine in Group B with the top two qualifying for the semi finals. Denmark, Belarus, Iceland and Switzerland are in the other pool.
England have a good recent record in the Championships having reached the Final in 2009 and the semi finals in 2007 when they lost 13-12 to Netherlands in an epic penalty shootout.
Then, in July, there is the Copa America, hosted in Argentina, and the FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany.
At this point, though, this seems a fitting time to provide a list of ups and downs, for the record:
ENGLAND
PREMIER LEAGUE
Champions: Manchester United
Runners-up: Chelsea
Champions League: Manchester City, Arsenal
Europa League: Tottenham Hotspur, Birmingham City, Stoke City, Fulham (fair-play award)
Relegated: Birmingham City, Blackpool, West Ham United
CHAMPIONSHIP
Champions: Queens Park Rangers
Runners-up: Norwich City
Playoff winners: Swansea City (beat Reading 4-2 in the Final)
Relegated: Preston North End, Sheffield United, Scunthorpe United
LEAGUE ONE
Champions: Brighton & Hove Albion
Runners-up: Southampton
Playoff winners: Peterborough United (beat Huddersfield Town 3-0 in the Final)
Relegated: Dagenham & Redbridge, Bristol Rovers, Plymouth Argyle, Swindon Town
LEAGUE TWO
Champions: Chesterfield
Runners-up: Bury. Also promoted automatically: Wycombe Wanderers
Playoff winners: Stevenage (beat Torquay United 1-0 in the Final)
Relegated: Lincoln City, Stockport County
BLUE SQUARE PREMIER
Champions: Crawley Town
Playoff winners: AFC Wimbledon (beat Luton Town 4-3 on penalties in the Final after 0-0 draw)
Relegated: Southport, Altrincham, Eastbourne Borough, Histon
BLUE SQUARE NORTH
Champions: Alfreton Town
Playoff winners: Telford United (beat Guiseley 3-2 in the Final)
Relegated: Hyde United, Stafford Rangers, Redditch United
BLUE SQUARE SOUTH
Champions: Braintree Town
Playoff winners: Ebbsfleet United (beat Farnborough 4-2 in the Final)
Relegated: Thurrock, Lewes, St Albans City
DOMESTIC TROPHY FINALS
All matches played at Wembley
FA Cup Final: Manchester City 1-0 Stoke City
League Cup Final: Birmingham City 2-1 Arsenal
FA Community Shield: Manchester United 3-1 Chelsea
Johnstone's Paint Trophy: Carlisle United 1-0 Brentford
FA Trophy: Darlington 1-0 Mansfield Town (after extra time)
FA Vase: Whitley Bay 3-2 Coalville Town
SCOTLAND
SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Champions: Rangers
Europa League: Celtic (runners-up), Hearts, Dundee United
Relegated: Hamilton Academicals
SCOTTISH DIVISION ONE
Champions: Dunfermline
Runners-up (not promoted): Raith Rovers
Relegated: Cowdenbeath, Stirling Albion
SCOTTISH DIVISION TWO
Champions: Livingston
Playoff winners: Ayr United (beat Brechin City 3-2 on aggregate in the Final)
Relegated: Alloa Athletic, Peterhead
SCOTTISH DIVISION THREE
Champions: Arbroath
Playoff winners: Albion Rovers (beat Annan Athletic 4-3 on aggregate in the Final)
DOMESTIC TROPHY FINALS
FA Cup: Celtic 3-0 Motherwell
League Cup: Rangers 2-1 Celtic (after extra time)
Challenge Cup: Ross County 2-0 Queen of the South
WALES/NORTHERN IRELAND
WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE
Champions: Bangor City
Europa League: Llanelli AFC (cup winners), The New Saints (runners-up), Neath
Relegated: Haverfordwest County
IFA PREMIERSHIP
Champions: Linfield
Europa League: Crusaders (runners-up), Glentoran (third), Cliftonville (fourth)
Relegated: Newry City
DOMESTIC TROPHY FINALS
Welsh FA Cup: Llanelli 4-1 Bangor City
Welsh League Cup: The New Saints 4-3 Llanelli (after extra time)
IFA Cup: Linfield 2-1 Crusaders
Irish League Cup: Lisburn Distillery 2-1 Portadown
EUROPE
UEFA FINALS
Champions League: Barcelona (Spa) 3-1 Manchester United (Eng)
Europa League: FC Porto (Por) 1-0 Sporting Braga (Por)
Super Cup: Atletico Madrid (Spa) 2-0 Inter Milan (Ita)
MAJOR EUROPEAN LEAGUE WINNERS
Spain: Barcelona
Italy: AC Milan
Germany: Borussia Dortmund
France: Lille
Portugal: FC Porto
Holland: Ajax Amsterdam
The Swans raced into a 3-0 half-time lead thanks to two goals from Sinclair and a fine strike from Stephen Dobbie.
But two set-pieces early in the second half brought Reading right back into the game. Joe Allen could only divert the ball into his own net before Matt Mills reduced the deficit to 3-2 with more than 30 minutes to play.
Swansea were on the ropes and, as the Royals poured forward in search of an equaliser, Jem Karacan struck the base of the post and Gary Monk blocked Stephen Hunt's shot on the rebound.
But, with that chance gone, Brendan Rogers' men could breathe a little easier as the Reading comeback began to run out of steam.
Swansea gradually regained composure and Fabio Borini won a penalty after he was unceremoniously bundled over in the box by Andy Griffin.
Former Chelsea youngster Sinclair kept his composure and hit the ball right in the corner out of Adam Federici's reach to fire the Swans into the top-flight for the first time since 1983.
On Sunday, Peterborough United beat Huddersfield Town 3-0 to regain their place in the Championship which they lost 12 months ago.
Tommy Rowe, Craig Mackail-Smith and Grant McCann scored the three goals in the last 12 minutes of the game as Posh broke Huddersfield hearts.
The score was harsh on Lee Clark's men who had gone 27 matches unbeaten in the league since December, only to see their good work undone in a matter of minutes at Old Trafford.
But Peterborough deserve a lot of credit for their ultra-attacking approach which saw them score 106 goals in the regular season with Mackail-Smith hitting 35 of them.
The goals continued to flow in the playoffs for Posh and Darren Ferguson's men are worthy of their place back in the second flight.
While Peterborough are making a return to the Championship, Stevenage will play at their highest level ever next season after gaining back-to-back promotions.
The Boro, who only went up from the Blue Square Premier last season, beat Torquay United 1-0 in a tight League Two playoff final at Old Trafford.
John Mousinho scored the only goal towards the end of the first half which Stevenage had dominated.
The Gulls went close of an equaliser through Jake Robinson but Graham Westley's side held on to cap a meteoric recent rise through the divisions.
The curtain now comes down on Season 2010/11 though football-starved fans will be encouraged to hear there are numerous tournaments throughout the summer.
After Euro 2012 qualifiers for the senior team next weekend, England Under-21s will be play in Euro 2011 which takes place in Denmark between 11-25 June.
Stuart Pearce's men face Spain, Czech Republic and Ukraine in Group B with the top two qualifying for the semi finals. Denmark, Belarus, Iceland and Switzerland are in the other pool.
England have a good recent record in the Championships having reached the Final in 2009 and the semi finals in 2007 when they lost 13-12 to Netherlands in an epic penalty shootout.
Then, in July, there is the Copa America, hosted in Argentina, and the FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany.
At this point, though, this seems a fitting time to provide a list of ups and downs, for the record:
ENGLAND
PREMIER LEAGUE
Champions: Manchester United
Runners-up: Chelsea
Champions League: Manchester City, Arsenal
Europa League: Tottenham Hotspur, Birmingham City, Stoke City, Fulham (fair-play award)
Relegated: Birmingham City, Blackpool, West Ham United
CHAMPIONSHIP
Champions: Queens Park Rangers
Runners-up: Norwich City
Playoff winners: Swansea City (beat Reading 4-2 in the Final)
Relegated: Preston North End, Sheffield United, Scunthorpe United
LEAGUE ONE
Champions: Brighton & Hove Albion
Runners-up: Southampton
Playoff winners: Peterborough United (beat Huddersfield Town 3-0 in the Final)
Relegated: Dagenham & Redbridge, Bristol Rovers, Plymouth Argyle, Swindon Town
LEAGUE TWO
Champions: Chesterfield
Runners-up: Bury. Also promoted automatically: Wycombe Wanderers
Playoff winners: Stevenage (beat Torquay United 1-0 in the Final)
Relegated: Lincoln City, Stockport County
BLUE SQUARE PREMIER
Champions: Crawley Town
Playoff winners: AFC Wimbledon (beat Luton Town 4-3 on penalties in the Final after 0-0 draw)
Relegated: Southport, Altrincham, Eastbourne Borough, Histon
BLUE SQUARE NORTH
Champions: Alfreton Town
Playoff winners: Telford United (beat Guiseley 3-2 in the Final)
Relegated: Hyde United, Stafford Rangers, Redditch United
BLUE SQUARE SOUTH
Champions: Braintree Town
Playoff winners: Ebbsfleet United (beat Farnborough 4-2 in the Final)
Relegated: Thurrock, Lewes, St Albans City
DOMESTIC TROPHY FINALS
All matches played at Wembley
FA Cup Final: Manchester City 1-0 Stoke City
League Cup Final: Birmingham City 2-1 Arsenal
FA Community Shield: Manchester United 3-1 Chelsea
Johnstone's Paint Trophy: Carlisle United 1-0 Brentford
FA Trophy: Darlington 1-0 Mansfield Town (after extra time)
FA Vase: Whitley Bay 3-2 Coalville Town
SCOTLAND
SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Champions: Rangers
Europa League: Celtic (runners-up), Hearts, Dundee United
Relegated: Hamilton Academicals
SCOTTISH DIVISION ONE
Champions: Dunfermline
Runners-up (not promoted): Raith Rovers
Relegated: Cowdenbeath, Stirling Albion
SCOTTISH DIVISION TWO
Champions: Livingston
Playoff winners: Ayr United (beat Brechin City 3-2 on aggregate in the Final)
Relegated: Alloa Athletic, Peterhead
SCOTTISH DIVISION THREE
Champions: Arbroath
Playoff winners: Albion Rovers (beat Annan Athletic 4-3 on aggregate in the Final)
DOMESTIC TROPHY FINALS
FA Cup: Celtic 3-0 Motherwell
League Cup: Rangers 2-1 Celtic (after extra time)
Challenge Cup: Ross County 2-0 Queen of the South
WALES/NORTHERN IRELAND
WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE
Champions: Bangor City
Europa League: Llanelli AFC (cup winners), The New Saints (runners-up), Neath
Relegated: Haverfordwest County
IFA PREMIERSHIP
Champions: Linfield
Europa League: Crusaders (runners-up), Glentoran (third), Cliftonville (fourth)
Relegated: Newry City
DOMESTIC TROPHY FINALS
Welsh FA Cup: Llanelli 4-1 Bangor City
Welsh League Cup: The New Saints 4-3 Llanelli (after extra time)
IFA Cup: Linfield 2-1 Crusaders
Irish League Cup: Lisburn Distillery 2-1 Portadown
EUROPE
UEFA FINALS
Champions League: Barcelona (Spa) 3-1 Manchester United (Eng)
Europa League: FC Porto (Por) 1-0 Sporting Braga (Por)
Super Cup: Atletico Madrid (Spa) 2-0 Inter Milan (Ita)
MAJOR EUROPEAN LEAGUE WINNERS
Spain: Barcelona
Italy: AC Milan
Germany: Borussia Dortmund
France: Lille
Portugal: FC Porto
Holland: Ajax Amsterdam
Thursday, 26 May 2011
England face finalists in tough summer schedule
ENGLAND take on both World Cup finalists in all forms of the game in a tough summer ahead for the Ashes winners.
Sri Lanka provide the first opposition of the season in three Test matches, a Twenty20 international and five One-Day games.
And, from July to September, England take on ODI world champions India in four Test matches, a Twenty20 international and a six-match One-Day series.
For the record, the current ICC Test rankings put India top, Sri Lanka fourth with England in third after their 3-1 Ashes win over the winter.
The ODI rankings have India and Sri Lanka in second and third, and England down in fifth after a disappointing World Cup in which they were beaten by Bangladesh and Ireland.
England eventually bowed out of the tournament at the quarter finals stage - having got there with dramatic wins over Netherlands, South Africa and West Indies, and an incredible tie against India.
But, in the last eight, they were outclassed as the Sri Lanka openers pulverised the English bowlers for a crushing 10-wicket win.
Before England fans despair too much, though, they should consider that the heavy defeat in Colombo came in unhelpful conditions for seamers at the end of a long, hard Ashes winter.
Those extra obstacles are now not in England's way and, back on home soil, you can expect the team to play better.
Of course, there is actually little wrong with England's recent Test performances. Plenty of runs were made and wickets taken in three huge innings wins Down Under.
And Test captain Andrew Strauss proved he was not cowed by the Sri Lankans in scoring 151 in the first innings of a warm-up match for Middlesex in Uxbridge.
Nevertheless, Sri Lanka still won that match by four wickets, and also achieved an unlikely victory in their other warm-up match against England Lions at Derby.
Following on 233 runs behind, openers Tharanga Paranvitana and Tillakaratne Dilshan both scored centuries as Sri Lanka scored 448 in their second innings.
The Lions were then bowled out 183 giving the tourists a confidence-boosting 38-run win after an uneasy period since their World Cup Final defeat in Mumbai.
Since the loss in early April, Sri Lankan cricket has been rocked by the resignations of captain Mahela Jayawardene and the country's four selectors.
At about the same time, there have also been unrelated match-fixing allegations made by former captain Hashan Tillakaratne and his ex-team mate Arjuna Ranatunga.
And the preparation for this tour has been curtailed by the desire of some of the players to continue playing in the Indian Premier League.
Meanwhile, Lasith Malinga has retired from Tests to concentrate on the shorter formats while paceman Dilhara Fernando is struggling with a knee problem.
Already deprived of the retired genius Muttiah Muralitharan of course, the remaining attack looks like it could be a fertile source of runs for England's in-form batsmen.
Indeed, if the conditions allow it, the Test series should be a high-scoring affair with as Sri Lanka's batting is also clearly now their stronger hand.
The retirement of Paul Collingwood from Test cricket caused selectors a slight headache with Ravi Bopara in line to succeed him due to his ability to contribute to the bowling.
But Bopara was outplayed by Middlesex man Eoin Morgan in the Lions match against Sri Lanka with the Irishman making 195 in the first innings to get the nod.
As a result, England will line-up with just four bowlers. Three seamers from four - James Anderson, the fit-again Stuart Broad, Steven Finn and Chris Tremlett - will be complemented by spin from Graeme Swann.
It is a bit of gamble but the move should allow England to bat well down the order before taking advantage of helpful seam conditions.
Actually, a more fascinating facet of the current England squad is that there are now three captains: one for each form of the game.
While Strauss retains control of the Test team, Alastair Cook is now captain of the One-Day team in place of Strauss despite having failed even to make the World Cup squad. Stuart Broad is the new Twenty20 skipper in place of Collingwood.
A split captaincy is often a controversial move as there is the immediate possibility than one man will undermine another.
The dynamics of it certainly did not work in the early 2000s when Nasser Hussain was Test captain and Michael Vaughan was ODI skipper.
History suggests that the responsibility must ultimately lie with one man as it did when Vaughan soon took over both roles from Hussain.
And it would come as no surprise if that was the eventual outcome on this occasion, too.
Prediction: England 2-0 Sri Lanka in Tests. Sri Lanka to win 4-1 in the ODI matches.
ENGLAND'S SUMMER FIXTURES
England v Sri Lanka
Test matches
26-30 May First Test at Cardiff
3-7 June Second Test at Lord's
16-20 June Third Test at the Rose Bowl
Twenty20 international
25 June at Bristol
One-Day Internationals
28 June First ODI at the Oval
1 July Second ODI at Headingley
3 July Third ODI at Lord's
6 July Fourth ODI at Trent Bridge
9 July Fifth ODI at Old Trafford
England v India
Test matches
21-25 July First Test at Lord's
29 July-2 August Second Test at Trent Bridge
10-14 August Third Test at Edgbaston
18-22 August Fourth Test at the Oval
Twenty20 international
31 August at Old Trafford
One-Day Internationals
3 September First ODI at Durham
6 September Second ODI at the Rose Bowl
9 September Third ODI at the Oval
11 September Fourth ODI at Lord's
16 September Fifth ODI at Cardiff
Ireland v England
One-Day International
25 August in Dublin
Sri Lanka provide the first opposition of the season in three Test matches, a Twenty20 international and five One-Day games.
And, from July to September, England take on ODI world champions India in four Test matches, a Twenty20 international and a six-match One-Day series.
For the record, the current ICC Test rankings put India top, Sri Lanka fourth with England in third after their 3-1 Ashes win over the winter.
The ODI rankings have India and Sri Lanka in second and third, and England down in fifth after a disappointing World Cup in which they were beaten by Bangladesh and Ireland.
England eventually bowed out of the tournament at the quarter finals stage - having got there with dramatic wins over Netherlands, South Africa and West Indies, and an incredible tie against India.
But, in the last eight, they were outclassed as the Sri Lanka openers pulverised the English bowlers for a crushing 10-wicket win.
Before England fans despair too much, though, they should consider that the heavy defeat in Colombo came in unhelpful conditions for seamers at the end of a long, hard Ashes winter.
Those extra obstacles are now not in England's way and, back on home soil, you can expect the team to play better.
Of course, there is actually little wrong with England's recent Test performances. Plenty of runs were made and wickets taken in three huge innings wins Down Under.
And Test captain Andrew Strauss proved he was not cowed by the Sri Lankans in scoring 151 in the first innings of a warm-up match for Middlesex in Uxbridge.
Nevertheless, Sri Lanka still won that match by four wickets, and also achieved an unlikely victory in their other warm-up match against England Lions at Derby.
Following on 233 runs behind, openers Tharanga Paranvitana and Tillakaratne Dilshan both scored centuries as Sri Lanka scored 448 in their second innings.
The Lions were then bowled out 183 giving the tourists a confidence-boosting 38-run win after an uneasy period since their World Cup Final defeat in Mumbai.
Since the loss in early April, Sri Lankan cricket has been rocked by the resignations of captain Mahela Jayawardene and the country's four selectors.
At about the same time, there have also been unrelated match-fixing allegations made by former captain Hashan Tillakaratne and his ex-team mate Arjuna Ranatunga.
And the preparation for this tour has been curtailed by the desire of some of the players to continue playing in the Indian Premier League.
Meanwhile, Lasith Malinga has retired from Tests to concentrate on the shorter formats while paceman Dilhara Fernando is struggling with a knee problem.
Already deprived of the retired genius Muttiah Muralitharan of course, the remaining attack looks like it could be a fertile source of runs for England's in-form batsmen.
Indeed, if the conditions allow it, the Test series should be a high-scoring affair with as Sri Lanka's batting is also clearly now their stronger hand.
The retirement of Paul Collingwood from Test cricket caused selectors a slight headache with Ravi Bopara in line to succeed him due to his ability to contribute to the bowling.
But Bopara was outplayed by Middlesex man Eoin Morgan in the Lions match against Sri Lanka with the Irishman making 195 in the first innings to get the nod.
As a result, England will line-up with just four bowlers. Three seamers from four - James Anderson, the fit-again Stuart Broad, Steven Finn and Chris Tremlett - will be complemented by spin from Graeme Swann.
It is a bit of gamble but the move should allow England to bat well down the order before taking advantage of helpful seam conditions.
Actually, a more fascinating facet of the current England squad is that there are now three captains: one for each form of the game.
While Strauss retains control of the Test team, Alastair Cook is now captain of the One-Day team in place of Strauss despite having failed even to make the World Cup squad. Stuart Broad is the new Twenty20 skipper in place of Collingwood.
A split captaincy is often a controversial move as there is the immediate possibility than one man will undermine another.
The dynamics of it certainly did not work in the early 2000s when Nasser Hussain was Test captain and Michael Vaughan was ODI skipper.
History suggests that the responsibility must ultimately lie with one man as it did when Vaughan soon took over both roles from Hussain.
And it would come as no surprise if that was the eventual outcome on this occasion, too.
Prediction: England 2-0 Sri Lanka in Tests. Sri Lanka to win 4-1 in the ODI matches.
ENGLAND'S SUMMER FIXTURES
England v Sri Lanka
Test matches
26-30 May First Test at Cardiff
3-7 June Second Test at Lord's
16-20 June Third Test at the Rose Bowl
Twenty20 international
25 June at Bristol
One-Day Internationals
28 June First ODI at the Oval
1 July Second ODI at Headingley
3 July Third ODI at Lord's
6 July Fourth ODI at Trent Bridge
9 July Fifth ODI at Old Trafford
England v India
Test matches
21-25 July First Test at Lord's
29 July-2 August Second Test at Trent Bridge
10-14 August Third Test at Edgbaston
18-22 August Fourth Test at the Oval
Twenty20 international
31 August at Old Trafford
One-Day Internationals
3 September First ODI at Durham
6 September Second ODI at the Rose Bowl
9 September Third ODI at the Oval
11 September Fourth ODI at Lord's
16 September Fifth ODI at Cardiff
Ireland v England
One-Day International
25 August in Dublin
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Superinjunction farce leaves Giggs exposed
THE WORST-kept secret in Britain was blown out the water yesterday when a Liberal Democrat MP used parliamentary privilege to expose Ryan Giggs as the married Premier League footballer hiding his affair behind a superinjunction.
John Hemming, MP for Birmingham Yardley, revealed that Giggs was the man at the centre of the gagging order during an urgent questions session at the House of Commons.
But, while Mr Hemming's revelation was an unexpected part of the debate, it came as no great surprise to the many people who were already aware of Giggs' name being used in relation to this on Twitter.
Mr Hemming was able to make his statement without fear of prosecution for contempt of court as he is afforded the protection of absolute privilege in the Commons.
However, that protection does not extend to the media in areas of strict liability such as contempt.
And so that meant the BBC was originally in the frankly farcical position of being able to tell us an MP had blown Giggs' cover but without using the Welsh footballer's name.
Meanwhile, the superinjunction officially remained in place, much to the frustration of the Sun newspaper who had appealed twice to the High Court to have it removed - but failed both times.
The second of these failures came just minutes before Mr Hemming stood to speak in the Commons.
And so, this morning, in a rare show of unity in strength by the national press - albeit perhaps an unintentional one - every newspaper had Giggs on its front page.
But, despite the Sun's attempts in the courts, top marks must actually go to the sub editors at the Mirror for their brilliant pun, 'Naming Private Ryan'.
Of course, Giggs is not the only philanderer failing to keep his name out of the public eye with the use of a superinjunction.
Last week, the former boss of collapsed bank RBS, Fred Goodwin, was similarly 'outed' in Parliament when Lib Dem peer Lord Stoneham used absolute privilege to reveal his name during a debate in the Lords.
And, earlier this month, BBC presenter Andrew Marr was technically in contempt of his own gagging order after he performed a spectacular U-turn by revealing the details of his affair himself.
"I did not come into journalism to go around gagging journalists," Marr told the Daily Mail, rendering his superinjunction invalid.
But, as the latest issue of Private Eye magazine succinctly pointed out, he had in fact spent the last three years of his career doing exactly that.
Now, the real issue here - as is often the case with media furores - is one of the public interest - i.e. is it in the public interest that people know about these affairs or is the right to a private life a more important consideration?
Well, the answer usually lies somewhere in between but, in the Marr case, the superinjunction should surely never have been imposed as the sheer hypocrisy of it absolutely wreaked.
As Private Eye notes, Marr is "a hack of three decades-standing, a respected writer on the history of journalism and a former political editor responsible for countless ministerial grillings".
And the satirical fortnightly magazine also reveals a Marr quote in which he opposes exactly the sort of gagging order which he himself had used.
"There is an argument about whether to allow a judge-made law to accumulate or to have a clean, honest, open debate in Parliament," Marr has said.
"I'm on enough of a traditionalist to believe that is what should happen rather than allow it to be settled by judges."
As for the other cases detailed in this blog, there is a compelling argument for Goodwin's injunction being overturned in that his affair took place in the months leading up to the collapse of his ailing bank.
The Giggs case is less clear cut than those of 'jug ears' Marr and Fred 'the Bed' Goodwin - but it is still wrong that some rich people use the law as a playtoy while other less fortunate have their private lives exposed.
Of course, the three cases mentioned here are just a drop in an ocean of gagging orders.
For a start, Private Eye states it is aware of no fewer than 53 superinjunctions and the nature of these instruments often means that the media cannot even mention that there is a court order in place.
Perhaps most importantly, it should be pointed out that not all of these injunctions will simply be a Who's Who gallery of shaggers.
Some of the orders will be protecting companies like Trafigura who used a superinjunction to hide the fact that they had been charged with dumping toxic waste off the coast of west Africa.
In line with events this week, this gag was also unmasked by a combination of 'mischievous' Twitter users and Paul Farrelly MP in Parliament.
It is becoming pretty clear that even superinjunctions are no guarantor of keeping your name out of the public spotlight.
That news will not sadden any journalists out there - especially considering the fact that these gagging orders are often evidently being used when the details are in the public interest.
Perhaps those who feel they have been mistreated by the media should use the law already in place to make their point, rather than hiding behind the gagging orders.
For the avoidance of doubt, the existing law is article eight of the European Convention on Human Rights - the right to privacy...
This is balanced, of course, by article 10 - the right to freedom of expression.
John Hemming, MP for Birmingham Yardley, revealed that Giggs was the man at the centre of the gagging order during an urgent questions session at the House of Commons.
But, while Mr Hemming's revelation was an unexpected part of the debate, it came as no great surprise to the many people who were already aware of Giggs' name being used in relation to this on Twitter.
Mr Hemming was able to make his statement without fear of prosecution for contempt of court as he is afforded the protection of absolute privilege in the Commons.
However, that protection does not extend to the media in areas of strict liability such as contempt.
And so that meant the BBC was originally in the frankly farcical position of being able to tell us an MP had blown Giggs' cover but without using the Welsh footballer's name.
Meanwhile, the superinjunction officially remained in place, much to the frustration of the Sun newspaper who had appealed twice to the High Court to have it removed - but failed both times.
The second of these failures came just minutes before Mr Hemming stood to speak in the Commons.
And so, this morning, in a rare show of unity in strength by the national press - albeit perhaps an unintentional one - every newspaper had Giggs on its front page.
But, despite the Sun's attempts in the courts, top marks must actually go to the sub editors at the Mirror for their brilliant pun, 'Naming Private Ryan'.
Of course, Giggs is not the only philanderer failing to keep his name out of the public eye with the use of a superinjunction.
Last week, the former boss of collapsed bank RBS, Fred Goodwin, was similarly 'outed' in Parliament when Lib Dem peer Lord Stoneham used absolute privilege to reveal his name during a debate in the Lords.
And, earlier this month, BBC presenter Andrew Marr was technically in contempt of his own gagging order after he performed a spectacular U-turn by revealing the details of his affair himself.
"I did not come into journalism to go around gagging journalists," Marr told the Daily Mail, rendering his superinjunction invalid.
But, as the latest issue of Private Eye magazine succinctly pointed out, he had in fact spent the last three years of his career doing exactly that.
Now, the real issue here - as is often the case with media furores - is one of the public interest - i.e. is it in the public interest that people know about these affairs or is the right to a private life a more important consideration?
Well, the answer usually lies somewhere in between but, in the Marr case, the superinjunction should surely never have been imposed as the sheer hypocrisy of it absolutely wreaked.
As Private Eye notes, Marr is "a hack of three decades-standing, a respected writer on the history of journalism and a former political editor responsible for countless ministerial grillings".
And the satirical fortnightly magazine also reveals a Marr quote in which he opposes exactly the sort of gagging order which he himself had used.
"There is an argument about whether to allow a judge-made law to accumulate or to have a clean, honest, open debate in Parliament," Marr has said.
"I'm on enough of a traditionalist to believe that is what should happen rather than allow it to be settled by judges."
As for the other cases detailed in this blog, there is a compelling argument for Goodwin's injunction being overturned in that his affair took place in the months leading up to the collapse of his ailing bank.
The Giggs case is less clear cut than those of 'jug ears' Marr and Fred 'the Bed' Goodwin - but it is still wrong that some rich people use the law as a playtoy while other less fortunate have their private lives exposed.
Of course, the three cases mentioned here are just a drop in an ocean of gagging orders.
For a start, Private Eye states it is aware of no fewer than 53 superinjunctions and the nature of these instruments often means that the media cannot even mention that there is a court order in place.
Perhaps most importantly, it should be pointed out that not all of these injunctions will simply be a Who's Who gallery of shaggers.
Some of the orders will be protecting companies like Trafigura who used a superinjunction to hide the fact that they had been charged with dumping toxic waste off the coast of west Africa.
In line with events this week, this gag was also unmasked by a combination of 'mischievous' Twitter users and Paul Farrelly MP in Parliament.
It is becoming pretty clear that even superinjunctions are no guarantor of keeping your name out of the public spotlight.
That news will not sadden any journalists out there - especially considering the fact that these gagging orders are often evidently being used when the details are in the public interest.
Perhaps those who feel they have been mistreated by the media should use the law already in place to make their point, rather than hiding behind the gagging orders.
For the avoidance of doubt, the existing law is article eight of the European Convention on Human Rights - the right to privacy...
This is balanced, of course, by article 10 - the right to freedom of expression.
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
The Season 2010/11: Birmingham and Blackpool drop in dramatic finale
Premier League
Final table
SURVIVAL Sunday lived up to its SkySports-hyped billing for once as the Premier League relegation battle went right to the wire.
In the end, Carling Cup winners Birmingham City and, perhaps inevitably, Blackpool were the teams to drop but only after a dramatic and constantly-changing couple of hours.
After a quiet opening in all of the games, Blackburn Rovers struck first against fellow relegation candidates Wolverhampton Wanderers with Jason Roberts getting the goal.
But, at about the same time, Blackpool fell behind to champions Manchester United at Old Trafford, meaning Wolves were still safe.
That had changed by half-time, though, as Charlie Adam curled in a wonderful free-kick to bring the Seasiders level and Wolves conceded another two goals to trail 3-0 at Molineux.
It meant that, as the sides went into break, Wolves were going down with Wigan Athletic who were drawing 0-0 with Stoke City while Blackburn, Blackpool and Birmingham were safe.
There was early drama in the second half, though, as goal-shy Birmingham went 1-0 down against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane thanks to Roman Pavlyuchenko's strike.
The Russian's goal meant that the Blues were heading down with Wigan and that Wolves were off the hook despite their embarrassing first half performance.
Indeed, Blackpool's situation briefly got even better when Gary Taylor-Fletcher gave Ian Holloway's men a 2-1 lead but the leaky Tangerines defence soon gave Anderson too much space to make it 2-2.
A 74th-minute Ian Evatt own goal sent Blackpool tumbling back into the bottom three and spoilsport substitute Michael Owen then made sure of the demotion by scoring a fourth Man United goal.
Brave Blackpool's attempts of staying up were over but, even going into the last 10 minutes of the season, the other place remained undecided.
Wolves had improved their chances of staying up by closing the gap to 3-1 behind against Blackburn after a clever free-kick which allowed Jamie O'Hara to stroke the ball home.
However, their dreadful first half performance still looked like it was going to cost them when Birmingham grabbed an equaliser through Craig Gardner and Hugo Rodallega headed Wigan into the lead at Stoke.
Wigan withstood some late pressure from the Potters and held on to ensure there will be a seventh consecutive season of Premier League football at the DW Stadium next season.
And, then, it all changed between the Midlands clubs. First, Wolves pulled another goal back through a fine Stephen Hunt curler meaning the Molineux club, despite losing, were staying up all of a sudden - above the Blues on goals scored.
Birmingham knew that they had to score themselves but, as their game went into stoppage time and the centre-backs were sent forward on a desperate mission, Spurs applied a sucker punch.
Pavlyuchenko scored his second goal of the game and Birmingham were condemned to the Championship alongside Blackpool and West Ham United.
Wigan had worked some final-day magic once again while Wolves had stayed up despite defeat against Blackburn, who were never in serious trouble.
Rather oddly, of course, Birmingham will be in the Europa League with their conquerors Tottenham after their Carling Cup win in February as they became the first club since Norwich City in 1985 to win a Cup and go down.
The last-day results confirmed that Spurs finished above Liverpool in fifth, having suffered just one defeat in the league at home all season, as the Reds lost 1-0 to Aston Villa.
Above that battle, Manchester City continued their strong finish to the season with a 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers to claim third place ahead of Arsenal.
Indeed, Roberto Mancini's FA Cup winners ended the season level on points with runners-up Chelsea after the Blues lost their ninth league game 1-0 at Everton who finished seventh.
That result proved terminal for Carlo Ancelotti who was sacked by owner Roman Abramovich barely an hour after the game had ended.
Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, with just two wins in their last 11 league games, only just rescued a point against Fulham thanks to Theo Walcott's late goal in a 2-2 draw.
And the fourth-placed finish for the Gunners means the London club will face a potentially tricky Champions League qualifier early next season.
The Championship
Final table
SWANSEA CITY will take on Reading in the Championship playoff final at Wembley after both clubs won the second leg of their semi finals to progress.
Both first-leg matches - Nottingham Forest v Swansea City and Reading v Cardiff City - had finished 0-0, leaving the two Welsh clubs with a clear advantage.
But, while Swansea coped with the pressure well, Cardiff could not and Dave Jones' men failed in the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
Swansea had survived playing the first leg with 10 men for virtually the whole game after Neil Taylor was sent off after 52 seconds.
Brendan Rogers' men seemed to cope quite well with their deficit in numbers in the first half but Billy Davies' Forest applied plenty of pressure after the break.
Their failure to make the breakthrough left Swansea confident that they would be able to win the tie at home in the second leg.
And it was no surprise to see the Swans make a cracking start in front of a lively atmosphere at the Liberty Stadium.
Leon Britton curled a brilliant opener before Stephen Dobbie sprinted past Guy Moussie to fire in a second.
However, the match was a much more even contest than the score suggested. Forest had two penalty appeals turned down and hit the woodwork three times through David McGoldrick, Lewis McGugan and Robbie Earnshaw.
Former Cardiff striker Earnshaw gave Forest the chance of forcing extra time with a goal 10 minutes before the end.
But it was confirmed that the Forest play-off hoodoo - four semi final defeats in four attempts - would continue when Darren Pratley scored from the half-way line with Lee Camp out of his goal.
Pratley's strike brought to an end a pulsating, quite breathtaking game which the other semi final could not match for drama.
After Cardiff had held Reading at home 0-0, the Bluebirds should have been favourites for the tie.
However, a poor late run of form in the season meant confidence was fragile and it took another hit when club captain Craig Bellamy was ruled out of the second leg altogether with a hamstring injury.
The Royals seized on Cardiff uncertainty as Shane Long put the Berkshire club ahead after a mix-up between Kevin McNaughton and his goalkeeper Stephen Bywater.
Long scored a second on the stroke of half-time from the penalty spot after Dekel Keinan had brought down Matt Mills with a shirt-tug.
And, with Cardiff struggling to make any impact, the tie was sealed in the closing minutes when Jobi McAnuff kept his balance to fire past Bywater after a 30-yard run.
Earlier, in the regular season, Queens Park Rangers had their promotion and league championship confirmed just minutes before their final league match.
Rangers had feared a points deduction after breaching regulations in the 2009 signing of Alejandro Faurlin.
But, after one-day delay in the verdict from the hearing, the FA decided not to take any points away from Neil Warnock's men but to fine them £875,000 instead.
Norwich City will join QPR and either Reading or Swansea in the Premier League next year while Sheffield United, Scunthorpe United and Preston North End were relegated to League One.
League One
Final Table
FREE-SCORING Peterborough United face Huddersfield Town in the League One playoff final at Old Trafford after both clubs scrambled through exciting semi finals.
Posh beat Milton Keynes Dons 2-0 at London Road to overturn a 3-2 deficit from the first leg.
Craig Mackail-Smith scored his 34th goal of the season to add to Grant McCann's early free-kick as Darren Ferguson's men gave themselves a chance of an immediate promotion back to the Championship.
It was a far cry from the first leg at Stadium:mk where the home-side scored three goals in nine minutes at the start of the second-half to take control of the tie.
However, Posh remained in touch in that game thanks to Mackail-Smith's early goal and McCann's late penalty, leaving them only one goal down going into the decisive second-leg.
The second-leg was barely decisive in the other semi final as Lee Clark's Huddersfield and Lee Bradbury's Bournemouth went toe-to-toe until the very end.
After the first leg had finished 1-1, this dramatic tie remained on a knife-edge as two Steve Lovell goals helped the Cherries twice come from behind to force the match into extra time.
Lee Peltier and a Danny Ward penalty had given the Terriers the lead but the west Yorkshire club fell behind for the first time in the tie early in extra time when Danny Ings headed Marc Pugh's inch-perfect cross.
However, Bournemouth's joy was short-lived when Antony Kay replied with another header to make it 3-3 on the night and 4-4 on aggregate.
Bournemouth were reduced to 10 men before the extra period was finished, Jason Pearce having been shown a straight red for a studs-up challenge, but Huddersfield could not take advantage.
And so, onto penalties which manager Clark had said his Huddersfield team had been practising.
The practice made perfect, so it seems, as the four Terriers players all scored while Bournemouth's Liam Feeney and Anton Robinson missed for the cruelest of exits. Huddersfield, meanwhile, extended their unbeaten league run to 27 games.
Another club who made a cruel exit in the regular season were Dagenham and Redbridge who, despite a tiny budget, still had hopes of survival going into the final day.
However, a 5-0 defeat at Peterborough on the final day ended the Daggers' dream as their hosts racked up their 106th league goal of the season.
Dagenham thus join Bristol Rovers, Plymouth Argyle and Swindon Town in League Two with Walsall and Notts County just surviving.
Gus Poyet's Brighton and Hove Albion had of course won the division ahead of second-placed Southampton who also gained automatic promotion.
League Two
Final Table
STEVENAGE have given themselves the chance of winning a second successive promotion in the League Two playoff final against Torquay United at Old Trafford.
The Boro, who won promotion as Blue Square Premier champions last season, have had a brilliant first year as a league club, knocking Newcastle United out of the FA Cup before finishing sixth.
That gave Graham Westley's men a playoff semi final place against Accrington Stanley who are also a fairly recent addition to the Football League.
But Stevenage proved stronger, taking advantage of two Stanley red cards to win the second-leg 1-0 for a 3-0 aggregate victory.
First half goals from Stacy Long and Joel Byrom had given Stevenage their comfortable first leg advantage but Stanley threatened a comeback at the Crown Ground.
That threat was ended once Joe Jacobson was sent off for a challenge on Lawrie Wilson and Sean McConville followed straightaway for an alleged punch.
Accrington's chances in the tie were effectively over and Chris Beardsley's late goal simply confirmed the Boro's progress.
Torquay, who were promoted from the Blue Square Premier themselves as recently as 2009, also enjoyed a relatively comfortable path to the final after a first-leg win against Shrewsbury.
The Gulls won 2-0 at Plainmoor thanks to first-half goals from Chris Zebroski and Eunan O'Kane, and a dominant display deserved even more goals.
The Shrews were well aware of their uphill task in the second leg and could not force an early breakthrough as the tie petered out as a contest.
It was a second disappointment for Shrewsbury in as many weeks after the Salop club only missed out on automatic promotion on the final day despite a 3-0 win over Oxford United.
That was because Wycombe Wanderers had held onto third spot with their own home win - a 3-1 success over Southend United - to join Chesterfield and Bury in League One next season.
But, while that came as no surprise, there was a shock at the other end of the table as Barnet pulled off a great escape.
The Bees won 1-0 at home to Port Vale thanks to Izale McLeod's penalty early in the second half while Lincoln City lost 3-0 against Aldershot at Sincil Bank to be relegated alongside Stockport County.
Blue Square Premier
Final Table
AFC WIMBLEDON reached the Football League just nine years after their formation following a dramatic penalty shootout win over Luton Town.
The Dons and the Hatters had finished in second and third in the final table so it was no surprise that they had beaten Fleetwood Town and Wrexham in the semi finals, respectively.
And, in the final itself at Eastlands, the two teams could not be separated after 120 minutes of action.
Dons' top scorer Danny Kedwell struck the decisive penalty, condemning Luton to a third successive season outside of the Football League.
For Wimbledon, though, this represents perhaps to end of the beginning of their task to regain their place at football's top table.
Their next aim: to get above Milton Keynes Dons - a task made all the more realistic by their rival's failure to progress through the League One playoffs. The two clubs are now just a single division apart.
Final table
SURVIVAL Sunday lived up to its SkySports-hyped billing for once as the Premier League relegation battle went right to the wire.
In the end, Carling Cup winners Birmingham City and, perhaps inevitably, Blackpool were the teams to drop but only after a dramatic and constantly-changing couple of hours.
After a quiet opening in all of the games, Blackburn Rovers struck first against fellow relegation candidates Wolverhampton Wanderers with Jason Roberts getting the goal.
But, at about the same time, Blackpool fell behind to champions Manchester United at Old Trafford, meaning Wolves were still safe.
That had changed by half-time, though, as Charlie Adam curled in a wonderful free-kick to bring the Seasiders level and Wolves conceded another two goals to trail 3-0 at Molineux.
It meant that, as the sides went into break, Wolves were going down with Wigan Athletic who were drawing 0-0 with Stoke City while Blackburn, Blackpool and Birmingham were safe.
There was early drama in the second half, though, as goal-shy Birmingham went 1-0 down against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane thanks to Roman Pavlyuchenko's strike.
The Russian's goal meant that the Blues were heading down with Wigan and that Wolves were off the hook despite their embarrassing first half performance.
Indeed, Blackpool's situation briefly got even better when Gary Taylor-Fletcher gave Ian Holloway's men a 2-1 lead but the leaky Tangerines defence soon gave Anderson too much space to make it 2-2.
A 74th-minute Ian Evatt own goal sent Blackpool tumbling back into the bottom three and spoilsport substitute Michael Owen then made sure of the demotion by scoring a fourth Man United goal.
Brave Blackpool's attempts of staying up were over but, even going into the last 10 minutes of the season, the other place remained undecided.
Wolves had improved their chances of staying up by closing the gap to 3-1 behind against Blackburn after a clever free-kick which allowed Jamie O'Hara to stroke the ball home.
However, their dreadful first half performance still looked like it was going to cost them when Birmingham grabbed an equaliser through Craig Gardner and Hugo Rodallega headed Wigan into the lead at Stoke.
Wigan withstood some late pressure from the Potters and held on to ensure there will be a seventh consecutive season of Premier League football at the DW Stadium next season.
And, then, it all changed between the Midlands clubs. First, Wolves pulled another goal back through a fine Stephen Hunt curler meaning the Molineux club, despite losing, were staying up all of a sudden - above the Blues on goals scored.
Birmingham knew that they had to score themselves but, as their game went into stoppage time and the centre-backs were sent forward on a desperate mission, Spurs applied a sucker punch.
Pavlyuchenko scored his second goal of the game and Birmingham were condemned to the Championship alongside Blackpool and West Ham United.
Wigan had worked some final-day magic once again while Wolves had stayed up despite defeat against Blackburn, who were never in serious trouble.
Rather oddly, of course, Birmingham will be in the Europa League with their conquerors Tottenham after their Carling Cup win in February as they became the first club since Norwich City in 1985 to win a Cup and go down.
The last-day results confirmed that Spurs finished above Liverpool in fifth, having suffered just one defeat in the league at home all season, as the Reds lost 1-0 to Aston Villa.
Above that battle, Manchester City continued their strong finish to the season with a 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers to claim third place ahead of Arsenal.
Indeed, Roberto Mancini's FA Cup winners ended the season level on points with runners-up Chelsea after the Blues lost their ninth league game 1-0 at Everton who finished seventh.
That result proved terminal for Carlo Ancelotti who was sacked by owner Roman Abramovich barely an hour after the game had ended.
Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, with just two wins in their last 11 league games, only just rescued a point against Fulham thanks to Theo Walcott's late goal in a 2-2 draw.
And the fourth-placed finish for the Gunners means the London club will face a potentially tricky Champions League qualifier early next season.
The Championship
Final table
SWANSEA CITY will take on Reading in the Championship playoff final at Wembley after both clubs won the second leg of their semi finals to progress.
Both first-leg matches - Nottingham Forest v Swansea City and Reading v Cardiff City - had finished 0-0, leaving the two Welsh clubs with a clear advantage.
But, while Swansea coped with the pressure well, Cardiff could not and Dave Jones' men failed in the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
Swansea had survived playing the first leg with 10 men for virtually the whole game after Neil Taylor was sent off after 52 seconds.
Brendan Rogers' men seemed to cope quite well with their deficit in numbers in the first half but Billy Davies' Forest applied plenty of pressure after the break.
Their failure to make the breakthrough left Swansea confident that they would be able to win the tie at home in the second leg.
And it was no surprise to see the Swans make a cracking start in front of a lively atmosphere at the Liberty Stadium.
Leon Britton curled a brilliant opener before Stephen Dobbie sprinted past Guy Moussie to fire in a second.
However, the match was a much more even contest than the score suggested. Forest had two penalty appeals turned down and hit the woodwork three times through David McGoldrick, Lewis McGugan and Robbie Earnshaw.
Former Cardiff striker Earnshaw gave Forest the chance of forcing extra time with a goal 10 minutes before the end.
But it was confirmed that the Forest play-off hoodoo - four semi final defeats in four attempts - would continue when Darren Pratley scored from the half-way line with Lee Camp out of his goal.
Pratley's strike brought to an end a pulsating, quite breathtaking game which the other semi final could not match for drama.
After Cardiff had held Reading at home 0-0, the Bluebirds should have been favourites for the tie.
However, a poor late run of form in the season meant confidence was fragile and it took another hit when club captain Craig Bellamy was ruled out of the second leg altogether with a hamstring injury.
The Royals seized on Cardiff uncertainty as Shane Long put the Berkshire club ahead after a mix-up between Kevin McNaughton and his goalkeeper Stephen Bywater.
Long scored a second on the stroke of half-time from the penalty spot after Dekel Keinan had brought down Matt Mills with a shirt-tug.
And, with Cardiff struggling to make any impact, the tie was sealed in the closing minutes when Jobi McAnuff kept his balance to fire past Bywater after a 30-yard run.
Earlier, in the regular season, Queens Park Rangers had their promotion and league championship confirmed just minutes before their final league match.
Rangers had feared a points deduction after breaching regulations in the 2009 signing of Alejandro Faurlin.
But, after one-day delay in the verdict from the hearing, the FA decided not to take any points away from Neil Warnock's men but to fine them £875,000 instead.
Norwich City will join QPR and either Reading or Swansea in the Premier League next year while Sheffield United, Scunthorpe United and Preston North End were relegated to League One.
League One
Final Table
FREE-SCORING Peterborough United face Huddersfield Town in the League One playoff final at Old Trafford after both clubs scrambled through exciting semi finals.
Posh beat Milton Keynes Dons 2-0 at London Road to overturn a 3-2 deficit from the first leg.
Craig Mackail-Smith scored his 34th goal of the season to add to Grant McCann's early free-kick as Darren Ferguson's men gave themselves a chance of an immediate promotion back to the Championship.
It was a far cry from the first leg at Stadium:mk where the home-side scored three goals in nine minutes at the start of the second-half to take control of the tie.
However, Posh remained in touch in that game thanks to Mackail-Smith's early goal and McCann's late penalty, leaving them only one goal down going into the decisive second-leg.
The second-leg was barely decisive in the other semi final as Lee Clark's Huddersfield and Lee Bradbury's Bournemouth went toe-to-toe until the very end.
After the first leg had finished 1-1, this dramatic tie remained on a knife-edge as two Steve Lovell goals helped the Cherries twice come from behind to force the match into extra time.
Lee Peltier and a Danny Ward penalty had given the Terriers the lead but the west Yorkshire club fell behind for the first time in the tie early in extra time when Danny Ings headed Marc Pugh's inch-perfect cross.
However, Bournemouth's joy was short-lived when Antony Kay replied with another header to make it 3-3 on the night and 4-4 on aggregate.
Bournemouth were reduced to 10 men before the extra period was finished, Jason Pearce having been shown a straight red for a studs-up challenge, but Huddersfield could not take advantage.
And so, onto penalties which manager Clark had said his Huddersfield team had been practising.
The practice made perfect, so it seems, as the four Terriers players all scored while Bournemouth's Liam Feeney and Anton Robinson missed for the cruelest of exits. Huddersfield, meanwhile, extended their unbeaten league run to 27 games.
Another club who made a cruel exit in the regular season were Dagenham and Redbridge who, despite a tiny budget, still had hopes of survival going into the final day.
However, a 5-0 defeat at Peterborough on the final day ended the Daggers' dream as their hosts racked up their 106th league goal of the season.
Dagenham thus join Bristol Rovers, Plymouth Argyle and Swindon Town in League Two with Walsall and Notts County just surviving.
Gus Poyet's Brighton and Hove Albion had of course won the division ahead of second-placed Southampton who also gained automatic promotion.
League Two
Final Table
STEVENAGE have given themselves the chance of winning a second successive promotion in the League Two playoff final against Torquay United at Old Trafford.
The Boro, who won promotion as Blue Square Premier champions last season, have had a brilliant first year as a league club, knocking Newcastle United out of the FA Cup before finishing sixth.
That gave Graham Westley's men a playoff semi final place against Accrington Stanley who are also a fairly recent addition to the Football League.
But Stevenage proved stronger, taking advantage of two Stanley red cards to win the second-leg 1-0 for a 3-0 aggregate victory.
First half goals from Stacy Long and Joel Byrom had given Stevenage their comfortable first leg advantage but Stanley threatened a comeback at the Crown Ground.
That threat was ended once Joe Jacobson was sent off for a challenge on Lawrie Wilson and Sean McConville followed straightaway for an alleged punch.
Accrington's chances in the tie were effectively over and Chris Beardsley's late goal simply confirmed the Boro's progress.
Torquay, who were promoted from the Blue Square Premier themselves as recently as 2009, also enjoyed a relatively comfortable path to the final after a first-leg win against Shrewsbury.
The Gulls won 2-0 at Plainmoor thanks to first-half goals from Chris Zebroski and Eunan O'Kane, and a dominant display deserved even more goals.
The Shrews were well aware of their uphill task in the second leg and could not force an early breakthrough as the tie petered out as a contest.
It was a second disappointment for Shrewsbury in as many weeks after the Salop club only missed out on automatic promotion on the final day despite a 3-0 win over Oxford United.
That was because Wycombe Wanderers had held onto third spot with their own home win - a 3-1 success over Southend United - to join Chesterfield and Bury in League One next season.
But, while that came as no surprise, there was a shock at the other end of the table as Barnet pulled off a great escape.
The Bees won 1-0 at home to Port Vale thanks to Izale McLeod's penalty early in the second half while Lincoln City lost 3-0 against Aldershot at Sincil Bank to be relegated alongside Stockport County.
Blue Square Premier
Final Table
AFC WIMBLEDON reached the Football League just nine years after their formation following a dramatic penalty shootout win over Luton Town.
The Dons and the Hatters had finished in second and third in the final table so it was no surprise that they had beaten Fleetwood Town and Wrexham in the semi finals, respectively.
And, in the final itself at Eastlands, the two teams could not be separated after 120 minutes of action.
Dons' top scorer Danny Kedwell struck the decisive penalty, condemning Luton to a third successive season outside of the Football League.
For Wimbledon, though, this represents perhaps to end of the beginning of their task to regain their place at football's top table.
Their next aim: to get above Milton Keynes Dons - a task made all the more realistic by their rival's failure to progress through the League One playoffs. The two clubs are now just a single division apart.
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