Thursday, October 28, 2010
Sports World |
- Paddock Watching - Part One
- Time to break down the wall of silence
- Champions League classics - Bayern v Man United
- Strauss backed to score runs
- Owen misses out again
| Posted: 28 Oct 2010 06:47 AM PDT Few places can rival the British racecourse as a venue for an enjoyable afternoon of people-watching. With a number of distinct "tribes" evident at tracks across the country it is possible to spend hours marvelling at the sight of public-school types of every age braying their way between the bar and bookies, gaggles of highly-spirited young women shamelessly ignoring the sporting endeavour on offer, or the pride and excitement of the new racehorse owners before the endless disappointments and increasing costs take their savage toll. But regardless of these colourful characters, the most fascinating individuals can be found separated from the masses at the lesser visited paddock area. Generally the paddock is encircled by occasional racecourse visitors enthralled by the sight of horses at close quarters or by those fascinated by the huddled gathering of owners and trainers in pre-race discussions. But amongst these happy crowds you will also find the serious punter. Armed with a copy of the Racing Post and a head full of notes from an evening spent studying the form in advance preparation for the day's racing, this is their a final stop before placing a bet. The professionals take the paddock experience very seriously and this largely misunderstood part of the betting ritual is one that all we should all incorporate into our raceday routine. But what should those looking to place free bets be looking for? Many are distracted by the mean-looking creatures with short legs and an eye for the fillies but we should ignore the jockeys and instead concentrate on the horses on display. The first thing that we look for in a racehorse is the confirmation: the physical composition of the horse and how the different body parts combine together for the job in hand. Tote betting pundits are aware that this aspect of the racing can be notoriously difficult to master and it is well worth asking an expert for some general pointers. Victoria Lister, a well-respected independent bloodstock consultant, provides us with a professional insight. "The confirmation of any horse is comparable to that of a human athlete. The first thing to consider is the overall balance of body parts and the work that the animal will be expected to do. So whilst show-jumpers, eventers and racehorses will be asked excel in very different environments, the basis of sound confirmation will have the same foundations. When looking at a thoroughbred racehorse we first focus on the balance between the neck, back and hip and consider if they are of the same length and proportions. The head is important in its own right. We are looking for big, intelligent eyes and large nostrils able to deliver the vast amounts of air needed to help fuel the body. An alert horse with ears pricked and keenly aware of their surroundings is a pre-requisite, together with an air of confidence and determination" The muscle definition is also important. "We look to the see if the horse has the correct amount of muscle for its frame" Victoria continues, "too much muscle mass on a small frame can cause as many problems as too little on larger animals, although in younger bloodstock we often consider that the horse may well 'grow into itself'. With sprinters we can allow for bigger bulk with perhaps a concentration toward the hind quarters whilst long-distance performers can be leaner, hardier animals in the same sense as their human counterparts." "More technically, we look for the muscles to work together gracefully and produce an extended 'arc of flight' seen during propulsion at gallop, where the neck and foreleg work in a synchronised movement. The old saying 'no foot, no horse' is a truism, although this is difficult to asses in a paddock setting and a smooth, long, rhythmical stride is a much better indicator in this setting." So taking the very basics of confirmation it is obvious that by comparing Tony McCoy to John McCririck we see that one has considerable physical advantages over the other for potential riding ability and the same is true in the equine world. The difference between a great racehorse and an also-ran is much more subtle but we now have the building blocks that the expert trained eye will compute in an instant. Look out for part two of this article in the coming weeks.  |
| Time to break down the wall of silence Posted: 28 Oct 2010 05:32 AM PDT Tottenham's winning goal against Fulham on Saturday was steeped in controversy from the moment it left Tom Huddlestone's right foot, but the problem was exacerbated by Mike Dean's somewhat cowardly low-key exit from Craven Cottage. Dean's refusal to clarify the thinking behind his decision seems to have riled Fulham manager Mark Hughes more than the decision itself, and it's hard to disagree when you think about the level of media intrusion now suffered by the game's managers. New rules have come into force this season supposedly compelling Premier League managers to provide post-match interviews to the media. If they refuse, their club will be fined. If they refuse again, the fine will increase with every non-appearance. The thinking behind this is that since the broadcaster has exclusive rights to the sporting event, this should also include a certain level of post match analysis, but why should that stop with the manager? Often a wrong decision made by the man in black can have more influence on the eventual outcome of a fixture than any substitution or tactical instruction, so why shouldn't they be held to account? It's always awful to see a side that's about to cause a massive footballbetting upset lose out because of a mistake, just look at Blackpool this weekend. No one is suggesting that teams should be able to lodge an appeal, or even that referees should never make any mistakes, but the game of football belongs to the fans, and they deserve an explanation, especially when an error makes the difference between celebrating a valuable away point, and a long, depressing trek back up the M1 on a Saturday evening, sometimes with their football bets ruined. The bottom line is that referees are only answerable to the Premier League and of course they won't step into a shooting gallery of their own volition. But until those in charge allow us to see referees as fallible humans like the rest of us, we will continue to be outraged whenever they make mistakes, even those not picked up by pundits until they have had access to several slow-motion replays from fourteen different angles. All it takes is that human touch - and never is a man more human than when he puts his hands up to apologise.  |
| Champions League classics - Bayern v Man United Posted: 28 Oct 2010 04:24 AM PDT It was the dramatic culmination to what had already been a fantastic season for Manchester United. A goal down in the dying seconds of a Champions League final, they somehow managed to pull away from the jaws of defeat and secure a scarcely believable victory. United went into the game at Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium without influential midfielders Paul Scholes and Roy Keane who had both picked up yellow cards in the semi-final. Peter Schmeichel, making his last appearance for the club, was made captain in Keane's absence. One of the first things he had to do however was pick the ball out of the net as their opponents Bayern Munich took the lead after just six minutes. Carsten Jancker was fouled just outside the penalty area and Mario Basler produced one of his Champions League specials, curling the ball around the wall and past a stranded Schmeichel. United rallied after that early setback but struggled to break down a resolute and typically organised German defence, meaning Bayern held onto their lead into the break. Bayern started the second half the brighter side with Basler they key influential force, United were huffing and puffing but couldn't find a goal. In response Alex Ferguson threw on Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to try and grab an equaliser but it was Bayern who came closest when Jancker hit the bar with an overhead kick. That was, however, until injury time. With Bayern fans counting down the clock a David Beckham corner wasn't properly cleared and Ryan Giggs forced the ball back into the penalty area where Sheringham swept home to seemingly force extra time. But United weren't done there, 30 seconds after the re-start they won another corner, again taken by Beckham, that was flicked on by Sheringham for Solskjaer to divert it into the net and send United into dreamland. The Bayern players could barely carry on such was their devastation so the remaining second were quickly played out, handing United their second European Cup in truly breathtaking fashion. They had defied all Champions League predictions. The result completed a glorious treble for the Red Devils after winning the Premier League and FA Cup earlier in the season. Today the class of 99 is considered one of the finest in the club's history.  |
| Posted: 28 Oct 2010 02:06 AM PDT England's captain Andrew Strauss has come out on top of a survey to find out who the public feel will be England's top scorer in the upcoming Ashes series Down Under. The opener was England's best batsman during his side's successful Ashes campaign last summer, finishing with an average of 50 and finished top of the poll with 25 percent of the votes. His record against the Aussies is up there with the best, three centuries and four 50's in his 15 matches have helped him achieve an average of around 40 when playing against Australia. Behind Strauss in the poll is batsman Jonathan Trott who scored a century on his Test debut last summer to help England clinch the Ashes in the decisive fifth match. Trott has had a storming summer, including a double century against Bangladesh and another impressive innings of 184 against Pakistan. Trott has gained a reputation as one of the best number three batsmen in world cricket. Despite not scoring a century for 19 months and a very public loss of form this season Kevin Pietersen is still thought to have a good chance of finding his form during this series after finishing third in the poll. The batsman has returned from a brief spell in South Africa with a renewed sense of confidence despite not finding the form he would have wanted. The intense pressure KP will come under from betfair cricket pundits could very likely bring out the best in him. Ian Bell is expected to pip Eoin Morgan to the number six spot in England's first 11 and the poll suggests the Warwickshire batsman will be amongst the runs this series, after looking impressive since returning to the England Test side during last summer's Ashes series. Despite never hitting a century against the Aussies, Bell has a good record with eight half centuries to his name. Paul Collingwood and Matt Prior will also be hoping to find runs Down Under but the main batsmen will have the most pressure on their shoulders from those placing a cricket bet on them retaining the urn if England are to have a chance of winning their first series Down Under in 24 years.  |
| Posted: 28 Oct 2010 01:28 AM PDT Perma-crocked striker Michael Owen has been sidelined again with another hamstring injury. The Manchester United man has struggled over the years with a succession of hamstring injuries and had only just returned to training following a recent groin complaint. The new injury looks set to keep the former Liverpool front-man on the sidelines for another couple of weeks. Owen looked set to start his team's Carling Cup tie against Wolves after recovering from his groin injury, only to miss out at the last minute with the new complaint. Sir Alex Ferguson's side came through the tie thanks to a late winner from Javier Hernandez. The two sides meet in the league soon, and the Wolves betting tips suggest United should score another win. Owen has only made two starts this season for United and hasn't featured for the first team since he was replaced at half-time during the 0-0 draw at Sunderland last month. That was his first league start of the season, with the other start coming in the third round of the Carling Cup, in which the striker's two goals helped his team to a 5-2 win over Scunthorpe. Owen was determined to make more of an impression than last season, when injury and the form of others restricted the striker to just five league starts in his first season at Old Trafford. His season was cut short by another hamstring injury suffered during the Carling Cup final and this term was supposed to be Owen's chance to prove he still has enough quality to warrant a place in Ferguson's side. The emergence of Javier Hernandez won't have helped Owen chances of returning to the first team anytime soon. The Mexican striker scored his third goal in a week with the winner in the Wolves match and has taken to English football supremely well since his summer move to Old Trafford. With Hernandez's form, Dimitar Berbatov looking every bit a world class striker and Wayne Rooney close to a return to the first team, Owen's chances are looking limited. If Owen has any hopes of getting back into Fabio Capello's England side, then he is going to need to start playing regularly. If not at Old Trafford then maybe the striker might have to consider a move at some point in the future. At 30 and with question marks constantly surrounding his fitness it could be now or never for England's former wonder-boy. Meanwhile, the Champions League betting suggests United can essentially secure their progression to the knock out stages of the tournament next week. They currently have seven points and a win against Bursaspor would all but guarantee a top two finish in the group.  |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Sports World To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 Comments:
Post a Comment