Monday, April 11, 2011

Sports World

Try telling Birmingham that the Europa League doesn't matter
Godolphin team arrive back in Newmarket
Can Lewis produce his best to win in Malaysia?

Try telling Birmingham that the Europa League doesn't matter

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 05:43 AM PDT

Although they are not yet a part of it, and could end up being a part of it as a Championship club, the joy that Birmingham fans possess over winning a domestic Cup and in the process earning themselves the chance to compete against some of Europe's best clubs is surely proof enough that the Europa League provides enough happiness and excitement to enough fans to ensure that its future is secure and the chance of respect levels towards the competition in the wider footballing world increasing in time is still there.

With some critics desperate to stick a dagger into the Europa League whenever possible, the competition needs as many clubs as possible to be interested in competing to the best of their ability. However, even though Birmingham may be a decent example of a side appearing to be a bit plucky and really keen to compete in the competition next year, there are still far too many sides that are not bothered enough about the competition to feel it's worthwhile fielding their strongest starting line-ups and the Europa League odds reflect this.

With this scenario likely to leave clubs like Birmingham and their loyal fans feeling short-changed as they look forward to meeting a European giant only to discover that just a few decent first team players have even been picked to compete, it's clear that there are real problems that need to be addressed.

As a result, it seems vital that Uefa start punishing teams that don't take the competition seriously by introducing bans for sides that field weakened starting line-ups, and this applies not just in the Europa League, but also in the Champions League. If UEFA start to do this properly, then it won't just be the likes of Birmingham who are looking forward to the Europa League, but also the whole of Europe.

Godolphin team arrive back in Newmarket

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 01:46 AM PDT

The logistics involved in flying the sizeable Godolphin string out from Dubai back to Newmarket are barely comprehensible, but it is understood that all the horses have arrived safely after a hectic weekend and are now settling in to their summer surroundings, writes Elliot Slater.

Amongst many racing experts the jury is still out as to whether or not spending the winter in Dubai is quite as beneficial as Sheik Mohammed and his team would have us believe, as the acclimatisation from the Middle East to Western Europe takes time, and vice versa. It's also fair to say that Godolphin have reaped a fairly poor crop of results since this shuttling policy was first undertaken and those looking at the Epsom Derby odds should remember this.

Godolphin's two big Epsom Derby hopes were trained in Ireland last year by Mick Halford and Dermot Weld respectively, where both Casamento and Dubai Prince proved themselves to be high-class juveniles. Now in the care of Mahmood al Zarooni (who appears to be favoured more and more in the internal battle of the handlers with long-standing Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor), the pair wintered in the Gulf before arriving back at HQ at the weekend.

Weld sent out Dubai Prince to making a winning debut at Gowran Park in September where he beat the subsequently smart performer Seville by a length. He went on a month later to very impressively land the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes at Leopardstown before joining Godolphin with Weld suggesting that the Shamardal colt could be a serious Derby contender. He is currently a best priced 12/1 chance.

Casamento (trained last year by Mick Halford), failed by only a head to beat the high-class Pathfork in the Group 1 Vincent O'Brien National Stakes at the Curragh in September, before winning the Group 2 Beresford Stakes over the Curragh mile and then gamely accounted for Seville by three-quarters-of-a-length in the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster in October. He is also quoted at 12/1 to land the Epsom Derby on June 4.

Can Lewis produce his best to win in Malaysia?

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 06:18 AM PDT

Lewis Hamilton is a driver who does not always appeal to everyone, but he is certainly a skilled driver and one who has shown that he is more than capable of driving fantastically in all conditions, a talent that he will need to make use of in Malaysia, where in recent years Grand Prix events have been dominated by changing weather conditions and drivers and teams being forced to make decisions that can make or break their chance to win the race.

With F1 receiving a fair amount of criticism for being too predictable and not providing enough entertainment, this weekend could provide Hamilton with a perfect opportunity to pick up a victory and F1 with the chance to rebuild this season's reputation before it is tarnished thoroughly with the brush of boredom and predictability.

If Lewis and his team can get his car in order and the strategy correct, then this weekend presents a great opportunity to show the other teams that they are not prepared to sit back and rest on their laurels and are instead desperate to make up for the disappointment of last season and really get themselves together to challenge Red Bull in both the drivers' championship and for the constructors' championship, something the F1 odds 2011 suggest isn't likely to happen right now.

Despite this, fans know that the forecasted dry weather could create a boring and predictable race. Let's just hope that Lewis can go out there and show his best stuff so that maybe we can start to see this year's F1 season truly take off. If F1 can work its way back into the press for the right reasons, and new fans of the sport start getting onboard, then that will only be good news for all involved.

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Monday, April 11, 2011

Sports World

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