2012 Sporting year in review

As a sports nut, I feel obliged to give you my highs and lows of the 2012 year in sport. There were some exceptional instances and celebrations that sent chills down my spine, yet there were those moments that were embarrassing and shocking (sometimes personally). In no particular order, here they are - my top 10 best and top 5 worst moments in sport for 2012.

The Best

1. Balotelli double for Italy vs. Germany at Euro 2012 - I know I said I would not rank these, but this stands out for me more than any other because of my Italian blood. Italy were given no chance against the juggernaut Germans in this semifinal, who had already chalked up 9 goals in 4 matches. Italy had played some promising football in their first match against Spain but had struggled since, and after the penalty shootout win against England in the quarterfinals, you could excuse the team for being lethargic. The only confidence I brought into this match was the surprising fact that Germany had never beaten Italy in a competitive match (seven in total).

Who is the man? Mario is

Balotelli had been average at best in Euro 2012 so far, with only a last minute goal against Ireland in Italy's last group game to show for his efforts. In the semi final Balotelli, then 21 years old, had been presented with the perfect opportunity to set his first major mark on international football. He did it in sublime fashion. The first goal was not as memorable as the second but was just as well constructed. Antonio Cassano delivered a superb cross from the left flank, and Balotelli met the cross with a well-timed header to put the Azzurri 1-0 up after 20 minutes. On 36 minutes, and after a German attack, Riccardo Montolivo sent a high pass up to Balotelli, who found himself in open space. He thundered in a long-range shot to the top-right hand corner of the German goal. "Super Mario" was on top of the world after the 2nd goal and didn't he show it (see picture).


2. Double scullers' comeback - Joseph Sullivan and Nathan Cohen had a reputation of being slow starters and strong finishers in their races and this was fully illustrated in their double sculls final at Dorney Lake in the London Olympics. In the 2000 metre race, the Kiwi pair were last (out of 6) after 500 metres, 5th after 1000 metres, and 4th after 1500 metres. But then they slowly stared their charge towards the three crews currently ahead of them. The last 500 metres of this race showed the true grit and determination needed to succeed in such a tough, competitive sport like rowing. Sullivan and Cohen rapidly hurled in the Italian and Slovenian crews to win New Zealand's first gold medal of the London Olympics. It kick started a great night (Saturday NZ time) of rowing success for New Zealand, with men's pair Eric Murray and Hamish Bond also winning gold, and single sculler Mahe Drysdale triumphant in his event.

3. Lisa Carrington - More Olympic glory for New Zealand, this time it was in the water with 23 year old Lisa Carrington winning gold in kayaking's K-1 200 metres final. Lisa had previously set a new Olympic record time of 40.528 seconds in her semifinal.

4. Heartland Championship Meads Cup Final: East Coast 29-27 Wanganui - With 20 minutes to go in this match, East Coast were down 27-3 to a rampant Wanganui side who were looking to secure back-to-back titles. After being 20-3 up at halftime, Wanganui continued their dominance early on the second half but East Coast stormed home with four tries, including a last-minute try to Verdon Bartlet. The crowd at Ruatoria raced on to the field to embrace their team, before being ordered off as there was still time remaining. East Coast hung on for the win and the crowd, once again, went wild.

Hear me roar: Tiger Woods celebrates in style

5. Tiger Woods' chip-in on the 16th hole at Memorial - Tiger picked up his second win of the year at the Memorial Tournament in June, hosted by Jack Nicklaus. It will be remembered for Tiger's 3rd shot on the 16th hole. With his ball sitting down in the rough, and facing a green that sloped downhill towards the water, Tiger played an immaculate flop shot. With hardly any margin of error, the ball pitched on the green, and rolled into the bottom of the cup, sending Tiger on one of his trademark fist-pumping sprees. Nicklaus later made one of his boldest ever statements: "I don't think I've ever seen a better one. That was the most unbelievable, gutsy shot that I've ever seen."




6. Ian Poulter at the Ryder Cup - There were many moments that defined the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah, such as Martin Kaymer's winning putt, Justin Rose's come from behind victory against Phil Mickelson, or Bubba Watson's successful attempt to get the crowd cheering "USA USA" during his swing. But if I had to pick one moment that I thought won Ryder Cup for Europe, it would be Ian Poulter's remarkable performance late on Saturday evening (2nd to last day) where, partnered with Rory McIlroy, he finished with five straight birdies, including a 15 footer for birdie on the last, to beat the American duo of Zach Johnson and Jason Dufner 1up. If it was not for the Poluter-McIlroy win, Europe would of been 11-5 down before the final day singles, a daunting prospect. Europe went on to stage a remarkable comeback in the final day singles to win 14.5-13.5.

7. West Indies win Twenty/20 World Cup in Sri Lanka - I'm still not a fan of circus cricket and probably never will be, but the West Indies won their first international title since the ICC Champions Trophy in 2004 and second since the 1979 World Cup. After a bizarre group stage that saw the West Indies qualify for the next round without winning a game (a loss affected by rain and another no result due to rain), the Windies then beat England and New Zealand, the later opponent after a "super over." They smashed Australia in the semi-final, helped by 75 off 41 balls from Chris Gayle, and defeated hosts Sri Lanka in the final where Sunil Narine produced figures of 3 wickets for 9 runs off 3.4 overs. The Windies batting duo of Gayle and Marlon Samuels both featured in the top-5 run scorers of the tournament with a combined six half centuries between them.

The West Indies go "Gangnam style" after their victory

8. Usain Bolt - Another major athletics meet, more accolades for for Jamaican Usain Bolt. At the London Olympics Bolt won in his signature event, the 100 metres, setting a new Olympic record of 9.63 and defeated fellow Jamaican Johan Blake, who got silver, in the process. Bolt then defended his 200 metres gold medal from Beijing four years ago and in doing so became the first man ever to defend both the 100 and 200 metre Olympic sprint titles. To add more icing on his cake, Bolt then helped Jamaica win the men's 4x100 metre relay on the final day in record-breaking time.

9. All Blacks go undefeated in the inaugural Rugby Championship - The All Blacks were shaky at times, somewhat evident in their final match against Australia that finished in an 18-all draw, but still went through the campaign undefeated. The world champions completed an impressive double against South Africa, including winning 32-16 away in Johannesburg; held Australia scoreless at Eden Park and put 50 points on Argentina away in La Plata. Julian Savea and Aaron Smith unveiled themselves as young stars for the future.

Del Piero celebrates his goal in trademark fashion

10. Alessandro Del Piero for Juventus vs. Lazio - Del Piero (now 38) was 37 years old at the time, but still played a crucial role in Juventus' unbeaten campaign in winning the Serie A last season. "Ale" made 28 appearances and scored 5 goals. His goal from a vintage free kick against Lazio in April 2012, during his 700th appearance for Juventus, was crucial to say the least. Late in the season, it gave the Bianconeri a 2-1 victory and came in the 82nd minute against their fellow title challengers when the game was evenly poised at 1-1. Juventus were then able to consolidate their position at the top of the Serie A table and finish the season unbeaten.


Notable mentions: Hurricanes Super Rugby team and coach Mark Hammett defy the odds and don't end up with the wooden spoon; Any Murray finally wins his first tennis major; Rory McIlory becomes golf world number 1; Chiefs win their first Super Rugby title; and the Italian women's fencing team dominate at the London Olympics.

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The Worst - Does not contain all explicit moments on the sporting field, but more so shows how gloomy sports can play out off the field/pitch/track etc with regards to drugs and internal politics. I will only mention five bad moments, since it is important to remember the good things more than the bad. The New Zealand Warriors in the NRL do not make the list, since that would be too painful to write about, and long.

7 fingers = 7 Tour de France titles, or not.

1. Lance Armstrong. To be honest, as I think about what to write under this heading, I cannot be bothered. If you are reading this blog then you obviously like sports and would be aware of Armstrong fall from grace over the past several months. A 1000-plus page report from USADA contained excruciating evidence that resulted in Armstrong being stripped of all his Tour de France yellow jerseys and banned from competitive cycling for life. International Cycling Union (UCI) President Pat McQuaid concurred with this report, and later stated that Armstrong has "no place in cycling" and "deserves to be forgotten." His doctor Michele Ferrari still denies having ever seen Armstrong take drugs, yet several of his former teammates have sworn under oath that they witnessed him do so, including Tyler Hamilton.

2. Ostapchuk Ostracized  -  Belarusian Nadzeya Ostapchuk, long time rival of New Zealand's Valerie Adams, won the gold in women's shotput at the London Olympics. Valerie was completely off on the day and had to settle for silver, with Ostapchuk continuing her amazing run of form dating back to four months before the Olympics that involved remarkably long throws while training at her home in Belarus. Valerie's coach Jean-Pierre Edgar had long suspected that something was not quite right with Ostapchuk's legitimacy, and he was soon proven right. A day after the closing ceremony, Valerie got confirmation that Ostapchuk had been stripped of her gold medal for taking metenolone, a banned anabolic steroid. Valerie now had the gold, but was still robbed of her moment on top of the podium. Who do I feel sorry for more than Valerie? China's Lijao Gong who finished fourth on the night and did not even get to taker her deserved place on the poduim and watch her country's flag being raised.

3. Ross Taylor sacked as captain of the New Zealand cricket team - It is not the decision itself that upsets me, but the manner in which it was done is reminiscent of a British soap opera television show: Conflicting evidence and reports; lies, accusations, divided loyalties, and secret meetings at unusual times and locations. The unwillingness of the New Zealand Cricket board to accept their mistakes straight away, accompanied with a coach and CEO who were in hiding when the public wanted answers, made it a pretty grim end to the year in sport for me. I just hope that the public will support new captain Brendon McCullum and not paint his as some kind of evil instigator of the whole fiasco.

Who said what? Black Caps coach Mike  Hesson will have a tough time getting back into everyone's good books

4. Italy humiliated 4-0. Spain remain the best team in international football. A tired and injury-stricken Italian side were no match for the classy Spaniards in the Euro 2012 final, who continue to dazzle all their opponents with their quick, short, and accurate passing, or "tika-taka" style football as it is known by close football followers.


5. All Blacks humiliated 38-21 at Twickenham. England moved away from their traditional defensive style and attacked the All Blacks at every opportunity, handing them their first and only loss of the year, first loss to England since 2003, and second worst loss in their proud history. The men in black looked slow, lethargic, and even Conrad Smith and Dan Carter made mistakes.The mid-week stomach virus cannot of helped, but full credit to England for proving that not only are the All Blacks beatable, but Steve Hansen and his troops still have plenty to work on.



In my last blog post of the year, which I will chalk up very soon, I will make some predictions for 2013. Not sure if they will be based on what I want to see happen (heart) or what will happen (head). Stay tuned.


Merry Christmas everybody,

Jonathan.

Gareth Morgan wants a change.

Phoenix owner Gareth Morgan has dished out a challenge to Ricki Herbert, coach of the Wellington Phoenix football team in the Hyundai A-League: play a more exciting and attacking style of football because this will result in larger crowd numbers. Gareth Morgan is a businessman and Phoenix fan. He is obviously concerned about how the Phoenix perform on the field but also concerned about the money making potentials of this franchise. In order to "break even," the Phoenix must attract crowds in excess of 10,000 for each home game. The Phoenix have fallen short of that mark for the majority of the A-League season so far. Members of the public put that down to the cost of tickets and food, and Phoenix striker Paul Ifill put it down to the weather. Both those arguments have some merit. However, Morgan seems to think that it is the style of football that is pushing fans away from the gates and the last two matches at Westpac Stadium help to reinforce his viewpoint.

December the 2nd produced a 1-0 win for the Phoenix over newcomers Western Sydney Wanderers, courtesy of a bizarre goal from Jeremy Brockie where the wind made a mockery of the Wanderers goalkeeper. I guess you could blame the weather for this one. Crowd was approximately 5,500.

The next game/week against Sydney FC presented a beautiful Wellington day (can't blame the weather); a team that currently sits at the bottom of the table without their marquee players of Alessandro Del Piero and Brett Emmerton; and a Phoenix team looking to consolidate a top four position - this should be a pretty easy one shouldn't it? No. Sydney, under the guidance of new coach Frank Farina, dominated the Phoenix for most of the game and the Phoenix had to resort to overhead long balls and crosses from the wings into the goal box. Passing was largely inaccurate, and they succumbed to a 2-1 loss to a struggling Sydney FC side. Only  7,500 attended this game and, quite frankly, it should have been more considering the weather.

Gareth Morgan has expressed his desire for the Phoenix to play  "Total Football," which will then lead to a more attractive, fast-paced brand of football. This is not entirely the case. Total Football refers to the versatility and adaptability of the players on the field, in other words, players can assume the role of a defender, midfielder or attacker if required. This style was used effectively by the Dutch national team and Dutch clubs throughout the 1970s.

Morgan stated that "You're not going to win the A-League by being the best defensive team." I'm sorry, but that is simply not true. Let us look at some recent international competitions in order to prove that defense does indeed win titles.

Italy won the 2006 FIFA World Cup and were the best defensive team, conceding only an own goal and a penalty in seven matches. Spain's defense has gone a step further since then. At Euro 2008 they did not concede a goal in the knockout stages; at the 2010 FIFA  World Cup they only conceded 2 goals in their 7 matches; and at Euro 2012 conceded only one goal in six matches. In total, Spain have not conceded a goal in their last 10 knockout matches at World Cups and Euros. You cannot compare these tournaments to the A-League, but it goes to show that defense works at the pinnacle of international football so there is every reason why it can work in this case.

On a side note, the Spaniards (national team and club teams like Barcelona) currently use a style of football known as "tiki-taka," which essentially involves short passing and maintaining ball possession. This is a far cry from the style the Phoenix use, which involves frequent high-balls and crosses into the box from the wings.


This is where my preexisting bias gets the better of me and I cannot resist mentioning it, as one-eyed as it may sound: Italian football. Not the greatest spectacle or advertisement for football, is it? Historically, Italian teams have used "Catenaccio," which places a heavy focus on defensive organization and tactics. These defensive tactics are accompanied with clever counter-attacking. Its popularity has declined over the last decade, especially since the 2006 World Cup, but was very effective throughout many time periods: Inter Milan in the 1960s, AC Milan in the 1990s and early 2000s with the likes of Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta, and as already mentioned the Italian national team.

My cultural background has taught me that winning is the most important thing in sport. It is not about how you play the game. Forget an exciting and attacking style of football, unfortunately for the average sports fan sometimes the dull and boring style will give the team the results they need to succeed. I would rather watch the teams I support play a defense-orientated 1-0 win than lose 3-2 in a fast-paced, drama-filled match.

But perhaps Gareth Morgan is looking to attract the average sporting fan and not exactly the passionate Phoenix supporter. In other words, Morgan wants the Phoenix to play a style of football that will boost crowd numbers. It might not win games, but the neutral supporter will be keen to attend and will leave the match more excited, and wanting more, if a match finished 3-2 as opposed to 1-0.

Ricki Herbert's defensive/conservative tactics have worked well. They have done enough to satisfy me as a Phoenix and All Whites fan (for those who don't know, Herbert coaches both teams). The All Whites refusal to expose their goal to Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia at the 2010 World Cup is a testament to how important defense is. However, the campaign produced three draws and no wins. The Phoenix have been coached by Herbert since their inception in 2007 and in five seasons their highest finish on the table was fourth. I, probably like Gareth Morgan, am not satisfied with a mid-table finish anymore.

Perhaps what Gareth Morgan was implying when he said the "best" defense will not win the A-League, was that you need to score goals to win games. In 10 games this season, the Phoenix have scored 13 goals, which is about average over all 10 teams. But remember, average will not win the A-League.

The Phoenix are pretty sound defensively, but what they need are some creative midfielders. An attacking central midfielder who can feed the strikers with crisp passing. This will lead to more opportunities for the strikers. The return of Dani Sanchez from injury for the next game against Adelaide United will help to solve this and Louis Fenton could also play this role. Additionally, a deep-lying playmaker with excellent vision who is not only able to complete short passes but accurately deliver those long overhead passes that the team currently uses. The current trio of Manny Muscat (excellent defensively), Vince Lia, and Alex Smith are doing well, but not enough to transform this team into title contenders.

Herbert has been very loyal over the years to wingers Leo Bertos and Tony Lochead. They have served him well in the past but perhaps some more pace and accuracy with the crossing is needed in this department. Since Brockie will likely miss the Adelaide match due to injury,  I would like to see Benjamin Totori be given a start. He has proven to be a live-wire off the bench so far this season and has installed some energy into the team whenever he comes on. Tyler Boyd is only 17 years old and has come off the bench in every game so far as a striker/left-winger. It wouldn't hurt to give him a start and see how he goes, but I'm not sure a tough trip to Adelaide is the right time just yet. Paul Ifill has not been at his best this season, which could be due to his groin injury before the season, but I expect him to find some form very soon.

To finish, here is the team I would like to see start against Adelaide this Sunday. Formation: 4-2-3-1.

Paston (GK);
Bertos, Durante, Sigmund, Lochead;
Muscat, Lia;
Totori, Sancez, Ifill;
Huysegems  

If Sanchez is fit, he should start. If he is ruled unfit or starts off the bench, then Fenton or Boyd should be given the nod. Fenton and Boyd might be given more gametime than expected if Sanchez and/or Ifill cannot play the 90 minutes.

Let's not get too carried away just yet

Almost a year since Doug Bracewell's 6/40 against Australia in Hobart, the New Zealand cricket team (Black Caps) have picked up a test win on foreign soil - a 167 run win against Sri Lanka in Colombo. It ends a five test-match losing streak and gives the Black Caps their first test win in Sri Lanka in 14 years. If it was not for the heroics of Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath, the Black Caps would have won this match more convincingly, and a 1-1 drawn series is a fair reflection of how both these teams performed. Sri Lanka were sublime in the first match, and the same goes for New Zealand in the second match. I just wish that there was a third, final, and deciding match, even if it was only not to see the awkward sharing of the trophy between the two captains - Ross Taylor and Mahela Jayawardene - during the aftermatch duties.

A drawn series for Jayawardene (left) and Taylor (right)

I cannot help but use an annoying, over used sporting cliche: Have this team turned a corner? It is too early to tell. One win does not mean much in terms of the upcoming cricket season. The Black Caps will now enter the away tour to South Africa with some much needed confidence. It does not get anymore daunting than playing the current number one ranked test side in their own backyard. Out of the two test matches that will be played, another 1-0 series loss would not be that bad; a 1-1 drawn series would be a magnificent achievement and, who knows, perhaps a series win could be around the corner if the batsmen continue to match the quality of New Zealand's bowling attack.

Which is exactly why New Zealand won this test match: The bowlers had a score to bowl at. The Sri Lankan batsmen had a 300-plus score they needed to reach to gain a first innnings lead, which is something that has been all to easy for opposition batsmen over the past few years. The exploits of Kane Williamson and captain Ross Taylor in the first innings came at the back of another mini batting collapse where New Zealand found themselves 14/2 early on the first day. Both Williamson and Taylor made well-deserved, patient centuries in a 262 third-wicket partnership, and Daniel Flynn chipped in with 53 after another mini collapse. 

A promising duo: Boult and Southee

The bowling attack is a huge cause for optimism because in both Sri Lankan innings they ripped through the top order. Sri Lanka found themselves 12/3 early on in their first innings and 46/4 in their second innings at the end of day four - still needing a further 320-odd runs to win the match. The most pleasing aspect is that New Zealand's bowlers are still young and can swing the ball consistently. Both Trent Boult and Tim Southee are just 23 years old, and between them they took 15 of Sri Lanka's 20 wickets; Southee with 8 and Boult with 7. Doug Bracewell, 22, has also seemed to have cement himself in this team, in the short term at least, and his two early wickets of Jayawardene and Sangakara in the second innings, two of Sri Lanka's veteran batsmen, were crucial.

Then comes the old, but true, saying in cricket: Catches win matches. This was fully exemplified by the New Zealand team in both innings. Williamson pulled of an incredible one during the first innings and another almost equally as good in the second. Martin Guptil also took a great catch in the second innings to dismiss Suraj Randiv. The Black Caps have always been a quality side in the field and these recent instances reflect that and help to complement the bowlers very well.

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The statistics show that Ross Taylor has a better batting average as captain of the test team when compared to his average while he was not captain. I am not sure if this is because Taylor feels as though he needs to bat more responsibly as captain, or because he has matured as a batsman over the past few years, regardless of the captaincy. Anyway, I do not think that the team's string of bad performances this year has been due to his captaincy, but I do think that Taylor should not have to carry the burden of being captain of all three national teams (Tests, One Day Internationals, and Twenty20). Australia seem to have the right mix. Their Twenty20 team is made up of almost completely different players than their other two national teams.

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Ryder on his way to another century for Wellington

Veteran spinner Daniel Vettori should be fit for the upcoming tour to South Africa and his experience will be vital for the young bowling attack. I am also hopeful that polarising batsman Jesse Ryder is ready physically, but more importantly mentally, for next year's home series against England. Ryder's early form for the Wellington Firebirds has been outstanding, in both Twenty20 and the four-day matches. In the later form of the game he made back to back centuries against Central Districts in late October - 117 in the first innings and a match winning 174 off 136 balls in the second. However, I am under the impression that New Zealand Cricket will only give Jesse one more chance with regards to his behaviour. Therefore, it is important that his return to international cricket is not rushed and that Jesse is 100 percent ready.

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So back to the original discussion, a great all round performance, something that has been missing for too long. Again, I am satisfied with our bowling attack. All that is needed is some consistency and application from New Zealand's batsmen - in particular Taylor, Williamson, and Brendon McCullum - which will be paramount against the likes of Dayle Steyn, Vernon Philander and Jaques Kallis in the upcoming tour to South Africa.

 After this most recent win against Sri Lanka, my love for cricket has been restored momentarily and I am now looking forward to the upcoming tours. Let us hope that the Black Caps can deliver regularly and make it an enjoyable summer season of cricket.

Di Matteo is better off out of it.

Football/Soccer

Here we go again. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has sacked yet another manager. This time it was Roberto Di Matteo - the Italian who took over the team as a caretaker manager in early 2012. Di Matteo, against all the odds, guided Chelsea to Champions League success in May this year, and was given a full time position by Abramovich, then told to pack his bags after just several months and a string of recent bad results. Abramovich, the Russian billionaire, seems to have no patience in wanting to generate a team with immediate success, a team that exists without any sort of failure whatsoever. That is almost impossible in the competitive environment of European club football, including the English Premier League.

Carlo Ancelotti, another Italian, was appointed Chelsea manager in 2009, and for the 2009/2010 won both the Premier league titles and the FA Cup. Pretty decent. However, after finishing second for the 2010/2011 season, he was soon sacked. Abramovich has made it no secret that he wants Champions League success. Well, Abramovich got it with Di Matteo, yet has shown him little respect in giving him his marching orders. Also, Di Matteo has history and pride with Chelsea. He played over 100 times for them over a six year period. Abramovich has money, greed, and a disillusioned ambition. The fact is you cannot win everything. The most recent result for Chelsea, a 3-0 loss away to Juventus, comes as no surprise. Juventus are the best team in Serie A by a long way at the moment and have been for almost two years now. Chelsea played without their stalwarts of Frank Lampard and John Terry, and are essentially the fourth best team in Britain at the moment in my opinion. Abramovich needs to open his eyes to the real world.

A statement on Chelsea's official website is somewhat confusing: "The team’s recent performances and results have not been good enough and the owner and board felt a change was necessary now to keep the club moving in the right direction as we head into a vitally important part of the season." So heading into a vitally important part of the season, the players must adjust themselves to a new manager with new ideas. Is it a right direction when this is happeneing every several months? Yes, the same thing happened last time with Di Matteo taking over Andre Villas Boas during the 2011/2012 season, but the difference was that Di Matteo was already assistant manager and had shared the same environment with the players before becoming head manager.

Former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has now been called in to Chelsea in an interim role to try and fix the team, if that is possible. Perhaps he will be able to get the best out of Fernando Torres, rekindling their partnership at Liverpool from a few years ago. Benitez has not coached since he was sacked by Inter Milan in late 2010 after a poor first half of that season. Unless Benitez manages to guide Chelsea to success in the Premier League, and the FA Cup, and the Champions League, then Abramovich, assuming he stands by his values, will sack Benitez by June 2013.

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Golf

It is great to see Michael Campbell continue his recent run of form. He has now recorded 4 top-15s in his last 9 tournaments, which is not exactly spectacular, but has allowed him to improve his world ranking from 750th at the start of 2012, to 288th as of Novemeber 18, 2012. Last week "Cambo" finished tied for 8th at the Hong Kong Open, and took the lead in the fourth round with a birdie on the first hole. He eventually stumbled to a 2-over 72 and finished 7 shots behind the eventual winner Miguel Angel Jimenez. With this win, the 48 year old Spaniard became the oldest ever winner of a European Tour event. Campbell, who is 43, has stated that the current crop of succesful golers in their 40s have insipred him and given him the confidence that he still has several good years left in him to make some noise on the golfing world. I wish him well.

Is it Del Piero's fault? What happened to the Phoenix?

On Sunday, Ian Crook stepped down as coach of Sydney FC. The Sky Blues have had a dismal start to their season - two wins and four losses from six games - and currently sit third to last on the A-League table. Crook cited health issues as the reasons why he could no longer continue his role as head coach, and also noted that, from the outset, he was never really fully convinced he could cope with all the media attention and responsibility of coaching Sydney FC.

"I felt it started to affect me and my health ... I haven't enjoyed it (coaching) for a few weeks, if the truth be known" - Former Sydney FC coach Ian Crook (theaustralian.com.au)

So what makes Crook's case any different from all the other coaches in the A-League? The answer to that is Alessandro Del Piero - the Juventus legend who signed a million-dollar deal to join Sydney FC for two years. Del Piero is undoubtedly the biggest signing in the A-League's history, in terms of money and player quality. It opened the A-League to the world, with Del Piero's most passionate supporters back in Italy turning on their television sets in the early hours of the morning to watch one of their favourite sons.

And Del Piero, after 5 games on the pitch, has done everything but flop. Sydney shirts with his name on the back have sold by the thousands. Three goals, numerous assists, and thousands of autographs signed. He has also maintained his leadership qualities on the field, although not officially the captain of Sydney FC (he captained Juventus numerous times), cameras have constantly picked up Del Piero telling, sometimes screaming, his team mates what they should be doing.

Del Piero celebrates after scoring his first A-League goal against Newcastle last month

But so far, it has all been for nothing when it comes to results. Sydney have conceded 16 goals in 6 games, and just last week suffered a record-equalling 7-2 loss to the Central Coast Mariners. Not surprisingly, Del Piero did not play due to a hamstring injury. In their last game against the Melbourne Victory, Sydney led 2-0 and Del Piero was taken off after 60 minutes because it seemed his hamstring was playing up again. Melbourne scored 3 goals in the last 15 minutes to win 3-2, and Crook was seen kicking sideline chairs and explaining himself to fans in the stands. Crook's resignation is an accumulation of these instances, not to mention the opening 2-0 loss to the Wellington Phoenix, and a 2-1 win over a ten-man Perth Glory where Syndey FC really should of used their one man advantage to put Perth to the sword but failed to do so.

So is Sydney's appalling start to the season Del Piero's fault? Simple answer, no. The underlying pressure has obviously taken its toll on Crook, and perhaps the players themselves are feeling more pressure to perform as well. But I argue that having someone like Del Piero around you can only inspire you to perform better, to impress one of football's great players. As mentioned above, his leadership on the field has made a positive impact.

 "What I love is coaching on the pitch, all this (press conferences) becomes a burden and with Alessandro coming all of this has become bigger than Ben Hur" - Former Sydney FC coach Ian Crook (news.com.au)

The expectations of success that came with Del Piero do not pull a blanket over the problems with Sydney's team as a whole. I do not know enough to make accurate observations on this matter, but from what I have seen Sydney's defending has been poor, the midfield not that much better, and communication and accurate passing have been non-existent at times. This has not been helped by injuries resulting in the inability to put together a consistent team, and the cancellation of pre-season games that would of given Crook more time to witness Del Piero and develop some combinations. Essentially, Del Piero's influence has been positive in an individual sense, he is not a has-been and still has much to offer football in Australia. But if the other players are not performing their duties, and are unable to live up to the exaggerated expectations that have arisen because of Del Piero's arrival, then trouble is not far away.

The public, players and media - need to realize that Del Piero can not single handedly guide Sydney FC to A-League glory. I only jumped on the Sydney FC bandwagon because of Del Piero, but now I genuinely do care about what happens to this team. Their pride and confidence has taken a massive blow. A caretaker coach recently guided Chelsea to the pinnacle of European club football and I'm not suggesting that something similar will happen with Sydney FC.  Maybe some fresh ideas from a coach who, unlike Crook himself said, will put their heart fully into the job with one hundred percent passion, will be fed on to the players. The most important thing now is for Sydney to lower their expectations a little and aim for a top six finish.

******

I boldly predicted, after the first game, that the Wellington Phoenix would win the A-League. I never blogged that statement and it seems rather ridiculous of me to say it now. It is just that they started so well. Louis Fenton and Stein Huysegems scored some great goals, and that was followed by a 1-1 draw with defending champions Brisbane Roar. Ironically, Wellington and Brisbane now occupy the bottom two spots on the A-League table. I would like to see less long, overhead passes and - it pains me to say this - more tiki-taka style football that the Spaniards play. Close, short passing can only be achieved with wide vision across the field, which every footballer is capable of. 

I want to see the Phoenix working their way around the field through a lot more ground passing. Long balls are effective when used to desperately clear the defensive goal box; as crosses into the goal box (headers) or to assist a fast and/or tall  player running towards goal who breaks the defensive line(ala Mario Balotelli's second goal vs Germany at Euro this year). But this sort of play in midfield does not appeal to me. There is no need. Be patient and take the time to pass around and not make hopeful passes over your opponents' heads.

Perseverance in Portugal - Michael Campbell

Michael Campbell has turned the corner, sparking a glimmer of hope in what previously looked like the back-ends of a diminishing golf career. The 43 year old has just notched up his best finish on the European Tour, not to mention his best finish worldwide, since 2008, with a tied for third finish at the Portugal Masters. I cannot remember the last time he shot four sub-par rounds in a golf tournament, like he did this week.

Campbell acknowledges the crowd during his final round

From September 2011 to March 2012, "Cambo" entered 12 events on the European Tour. He missed the cut in every single one. His performance over the duration of those two years just adds to the unfortunate picture. 27 tournaments in 2011 - 19 missed cuts and only 1 top 20. 18 tournaments so far in 2012 -12 missed cuts, and only 2 top 10s and 1 top 20. Michael is currently ranked outside the world's top 600 golfers.

It would of come as no surprise if Cambo decided to wave the white flag, surrender, and give up. I cannot imagine the emotional turmoil he must of gone through. The constant self-doubt that must have come across his mind. Wondering if he would ever rediscover the form that made him the talk of the golfing world in 2005, where he withstood a Sunday challenge from Tiger Woods to win the US Open and rise to a career high 14th in the world.

Better days: Cambo wins the 2005 US Open

However, with his recent string of results, could we be witnessing a Cambo comeback? He has recorded three top 15 finishes in his last 6 events. Hardly anything to worry the world's top golfers, but still, we need to remember that this is something he has not done for a very long time.



Over the last three months, Campbell has been working with swing coach Jonathan Yarwood, who incidently was his former swing coach. They decided to split ties a few years ago, but the recent success of this reunion is a cause for optimism. Michael has recently moved to Spain, from his former home in Switzerland, and now sits 86th on the Race to Dubai. The top 60 on that list will make their way to the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai for the season ending DP World Tour Championship. Cambo has a handful of tournaments left before the tournament begins on November the 22nd. A pair of top 10s will likely catapult him over the top 60 barrier.

In a post-tournament interview after the Portugal Masters on Radio Sport, Cambo stated that he is enjoying his golf again, and that his goal in the final round was to essentially have fun, or "smile" to use his word. From the doldrums of the last 4 years, this newly relaxed and confident Michael Campbell is great to see. He has drawn his inspiration from fellow over-40 golfers such as 2012 British Open winner Ernie Els, and Fiji's Vijay Singh, who earned $1.5 million (US dollars) this season on the PGA Tour.

Michael probably has 4-5 years left to make some noise again on the professional golfing circuit. Are on the verge of something special? Who knows. He was at 150-1 odds to win the US Open in 2005, was completely out of form throughout the first half of that year, and needed a two-metre putt just to qualify. How did that turn out?

Emphatic Europe

It has already been labelled the "Miracle at Medinah."

Only once before in 38 previous Ryder Cups had a team come from 10-6 down to rally for the win on the final day. That was the Americans back in 1999 at Brookline Massachusetts. Today, at the Medinah course in Chicago, in the 39th staging of golf's biennial tournament, the Europeans did exactly that in front of a patriotic American crowd. 

Captain Jose Maria Olazabal lifts the Ryder Cup, fittingly dedicating the win to fellow Spaniard, the late Seve Ballesteros

Trailing 10-6 going into the third and final day, Europe had yet to win any of the four previous sessions on Friday and Saturday. To win, they would have to win 8 out of 12 singles matches, and considering the dominance of most of the American team so far, it seemed near impossible.

Europe team captain Jose Maria Olazabal sent out his big guns early on in the day with the hope of gaining some ground on the Americans. It proved to be a very clever move as they delivered in the best possible way. Luke Donald overcame Bubba Watson 2&1; Ian Poulter once again wore his heart on his sleeve with a 2up win over Webb Simpson; World number one Rory McIlroy - who almost missed his tee time - had a close 2&1 win over the previously undefeated Keegan Bradley; Justin Rose finished with two long birdie putts on 17 and 18 to beat Phil Mickelson 1up; and veteran Scotsman Paul Lawrie downed Fed Ex Cup champion Brandt Snedeker 5&3.

Bang! 5-0 Europe on Sunday so far, and within the blink of an eye the Americans were trailing 10-11.

However unless the Europe's bottom order played their part, the Ryder Cup would be going to the Americans. It looked that way for a little while during the middle of the day, with the two Johnson's, Zach and Dustin, chalking up close wins over Graeme McDowell and Nicolas Colsaerts respectively. USA 12, Europe 11.

In what turned out to be one of the defining moments of this Ryder Cup, Jim Furyk missed a 6 footer for par on the 18th to lose one down to Europe's Sergio Garcia. Jason Dufner cancelled that out for the Americans by winning 2up over Peter Hansen, and the Americans maintained their one point lead: 13-12.

Then the worm turned. Lee Westwood calmly made par on the 16th to beat Matt Kuchar 3&2 to square up the scoreboard, and Martin Kaymer - who had suffered a compete loss of form this year - won the par 3 17th against American Steve Stricker to go dormie 1up, meaning that if Kaymer halved the last, Europe would reach the magical 14 point number and retain the Ryder Cup.

Germany's Martin Kaymer celebrates with Sergio Garcia after sinking the winning putt.

Stricker composed himself to make a clutch 7 footer for par on the 18th, giving Kaymer a 6 foot putt to win the match and, in turn, the Ryder Cup. It never looked like missing, and straight away he turned towards his team mates, jumping into the open arms of Sergio Garcia.


Europe now had an unassailable lead: 14-13, and even if Tiger Woods defeated Francesco Molinari in the final match of the day, it would only put the USA equal on points with Europe, and since Europe won 2 years ago at Celtic Manor, that would not be good enough. Molinari found the green from a fairway bunker while Tiger missed the green from the middle of the fairway, and the matched ended up all square. Final score: Europe 14.5 - 13.5 USA.

Here is a summary of how each individual performed, in terms of their points contribution out of a total possible points. Remember, some played more matches than others. In no particular order:

Europe:                                                           USA                   

Ian Poulter:                          4/4                      Tiger Woods:          0.5/4
Lee Westwood:                   2/4                       Dustin Johnson:      3/3
Justin Rose:                         3/5                       Matt Kuchar:         2/3
Rory McIlroy:                     3/5                       Bubba Watson:      2/4
Graeme McDowell:             1/4                       Jason Dufner:        3/4 
Luke Donald:                      2/4                       Zach Johnson:       3/4
Sergio Garcia:                     2/4                       Steve Stricker:      0/4 
Francesco Molinari:            0.5/3                     Jim Furyk:            1/3
Nicolas Colsaerts:               1/4                       Phil Mickelson:     3/4    
Martin Kaymer:                  1/2                       Webb Simpson:     2/4
Paul Lawrie:                        1/3                       Brandt Snedeker:   1/3
Peter Hanson:                      0/2                      Keegan Bradley:    3/4

A week to forget: Tiger failed to win a point for his team.

Notable mentions: Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson won all three of their matches when paired together. Hence it was very strange that USA captain Davis Love III did not send them out on Sunday afternoon to continue their hot streak. Suprisingly, Tiger Woods did not win a match, and when taking into account his obvious talent, that is dissapointing. Love III selected Dustin Johnson as a captain's pick, and he definitely played his part going undefeated over the three days. However, fellow captain's pick Steve Stricker did not contribute anything, but he was unfortunate to not pick up a half against Kaymer in the singles.

On a side note, it was extremely dissapointing to hear reports on boorish-like behaviour from the American crowds. Not that the European crowds are saints - some of them cheered when American Hunter Mahan duffed his chip shot at the last Ryder Cup - but when I read reports on spectators abusing Justin Rose's late father, Graeme McDowell's partner, cursing the late Seve Ballesteros, and yes, even asking Ian Poulter if his shoes come in men's size, it just makes me sick to be perfectly honest. That is not the sort of things you want circulating at a golf tournament, not to mention to frequent "get in the bunker" or "get in the water" taunts as players hit their shots.


Oh the trouble of selecting that one defining moment. If I had to pick one moment that I thought won Ryder Cup for Europe, it would be Ian Poulter's remarkable performance late on Saturday evening, where partnered with McIlroy, he finished with five straight birdies, including a 15 footer for birdie on the last, to beat the American duo of Zach Johnson and Jason Dufner 1up. If it was not for the Poluter-McIlroy win, Europe would of been 11-5 down before the final day singles, a daunting prospect. Poulter truly embodies the spirit of the Ryder Cup, and arguably expresses his jubilation more than any other player on Europe's team.

Was this the moment that won the Ryder Cup? Poulter celebrates his fourball win on Saturday

Some have suggested that the reasons for the Europeans' continuous success in golf's flagship team event is due to the fact European players - especially while on the European Tour that involves tournaments dispeersed across Europe, Asia and the Middle East - spend more time on the road and in  hotels away from their families, and hence are able to form close bonds with their fellow professionals. This is in contrast with many of the Americans pros, who tend to travel throughout one country - the US - either as individuals or with their partners; but ultimately, spending not as much time away from the course with their golfing buddies as the Europeans do. Not that it is a bad thing to spend time with your close ones, it's just that much more easier to develop some sort of "brotherhood" amongst players as a European plying his trade on the European Tour.

It now means that Team USA has only won 1 Ryder Cup since the new millennium, that was back in 2008. When the teams meet again in two years time at Gleneagles in Scotland, it would be hard to bet against the Europeans winning their third straight Ryder Cup. Especially with guys like Ian "Poults" Poulter firing up a whole continent.