Blog


Napier revels in repeat performance

May 24th, 2011

Graham Napier

When Essex all-rounder Graham Napier blasted 152 not out during a Twenty20 fixture against Sussex in 2008, it was heralded as a one-off, an achievement that could never be repeated.

However, some three years later, Napier reminded everybody of his explosive hitting last week with an innings of 196 from 130 balls against Surrey, including a world-record equalling 16 sixes.

You can read the rest of this article here.

I will be writing features for www.ecb.co.uk all summer.

England v Sri Lanka 1st Test – Preview

May 23rd, 2011

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Fresh from their Ashes victory in Australia earlier this year, England return to the test arena this week as they take on Sri Lanka in the first of three test matches.

Forming the first part of a fascinating summer for Andrew Strauss’ men, the match takes place at the Swalec Stadium in Cardiff and will get underway on Thursday morning.

You can read the rest of this article here.

Champions League Final Preview

May 20th, 2011

Pep-Guardiola

Fresh from securing the league title in their respective countries, Manchester United and Barcelona do battle on 28th May in the Champions League final at Wembley.

It is the final that most football fans around the world wanted. The most famous football club of all time taking on arguably the greatest club team of all time. Could we ask for much more?

You can read the rest of this article here.

Premier League set for exciting 2011-2012 season

May 18th, 2011

Manchester United

The Premier League is the most entertaining league in the world. Of that there can surely be no doubt. Goals, passionate fans, controversy and watched the world over – it really is the pinnacle of club football as far as entertainment is concerned.

The 2011/2012 Premier League season is set to be better than ever though, purely for the fact that it is going to be incredibly competitive at the top. There will be a number of teams vying for Champions League places as well as the title itself.

Looking at this year,  Manchester United and Chelsea have been the teams to beat once again. The Premier League used to have a ‘big four’ at the top, it is arguably now a ‘big two’ with these two teams finishing in the top two places in six of the last seven campaigns.

There is a chasing pack though and there is no way United or Chelsea will comfortably hold onto their place in the top two next season.

You can read the rest of this article here.

Back to blogging

May 17th, 2011

A lot has changed since I last added anything to this blog. I now run my own sports content company and this has involved me doing lots of exciting things.

Of course, this has limited my time to contribute to this site, but I want to get it going again.

An article a day might be ambitious, but that’s what I am aiming for.

If for no other reason than to let you all know what I am up to.

For now, you can follow me on Twitter.

West Ham 1 – 1 Fulham

October 2nd, 2010

It was Fulham who were the fastest out of the blocks at the start of the game, enjoying plenty of possession in the West Ham half.

Despite this, the first real chance fell to the home side as Frederic Piquionne’s header was cleared off the line by Carlos Salcido.

Fulham were always a threat though and were rewarded for their earlier dominance when Clint Dempsey volleyed passed Robert Green from inside the area on 33 minutes.

West Ham pushed for an equaliser before the break, but they were disappointing in the final third and failed to create too much.

They didn’t have to wait too long into the second half to get back on level terms though.

Brede Hangeland’s mistake let in Victor Obinna to cross the ball into the path of Piquionne who made no mistake from close range.

Both sides then had spells on top during the second half, with the majority of chances coming in the final ten minutes of the game.

Scott Parker could only find the side netting with his shot from a tight angle for West Ham and his team mate Robert Green then made a fine save from a close range Dickson Etuhu header.

Fulham had another opportunity to secure all three points in stoppage time, but substitute Diomansy Kamara curled the ball wide after being played clear on goal.

Wolves 1 – 2 Aston Villa.

September 26th, 2010

At the start of a lively match, Wolves started the better of the two teams with Gerard Houllier’s men failing to settle in the opening stages.

The home side didn’t make their extra possession count though and Villa slowly started coming into the game with James Collins forcing a good save from Marcus Hahnemann from his free header.

The away side then capitalised on their bright spell by taking the lead on 25 minutes. Marc Albrighton produced an excellent cross for Stewart Downing to tap home at the back post.

Wolves almost his back quickly, but they found Brad Friedel in excellent form as he made a double save from Steven Fletcher and then Kevin Doyle to keep his team ahead going into the break.

Mick McCarthy’s men started the second half as they did the first – on top. They made the most of it this time too, with Matt Jarvis’ dangerous cross finding its way into the back of the net.

Villa responded well to being pegged back though and despite occasional Wolves pressure, they always looked the more likely team to score a winner. They did just that in the 88th minute when Heskey headed home superbly from a Steven Warnock cross to secure the three points.

Crazy night in the Carling Cup

September 23rd, 2010

The Carling Cup may not be highest on the list of certain club’s priorities, but it certainly produces some cracking games. Take last night for example – incredible stuff.

Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool were all knocked out by teams they were expected to beat and this only touches the surface of the excitement.

I had the pleasure of doing live goal updates for the Chelsea v Newcastle game as well as the Scunthorpe v Manchester United one, so it is fair to say I was busy!

Newcastle ran out 4-3 winners at Stamford Bridge in a thrilling contest and Manchester United were 5-2 conquerors of Championship side Scunthorpe. I’m not sure I will cover two games that include 14 goals between them ever again!

As mentioned, there was drama for Liverpool and Manchester City too. Roy Hodgson’s men lost on penalties to League Two side Northampton Town, whereas Roberto Mancini watched on as his side were knocked out to fellow Premier League side West Brom.

All in all, it was a superb evening of football and shows that those who talk about the Carling Cup as pointless are extremely wide of the mark.

England announce Ashes squad

September 23rd, 2010

The countdown to the Ashes is well and truly on. The English summer has now concluded and the squad for the winter tour to Australia has been announced. The word excitement doesn’t even do it justice.

Referring to the England squad for the greatest test of all, there weren’t too many surprises. The most notable inclusions being Steven Davies as the second wicket keeper, Monty Panesar as the second spinner and Chris Tremlett in as another bowling option.

These three selections are all justified too. Davies has been extremely impressive in the ODI series against Pakistan and this, combined with his heavy run scoring for his County, means he is a solid back up for Matt Prior.

Panesar deserves to be back in the fold too. It seems to have passed people by that he has taken quite a lot of Championship wickets this summer. He has played in Australia before too, with relative success, so this weighed heavily in his favour.

As for Tremlett, not many would have given him a chance at the start of the summer. He had just moved to Surrey and was simply aiming to get his career on track. With 48 County Championship wickets though, he has caught the eye again. Throw in the fact that he has height, pace and bounce – something the Aussies aren’t too keen on facing – and you have yourself a very valuable bowling option.

It is likely, of course, that none of these three will play in the first test at Brisbane on 25th November. England have a settled side after a fantastic couple of years and an extremely productive summer.

The likes of Andrew Strauss, James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann have proved themselves as regular match winners. Then there is Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Matt Prior and Steven Finn who have had excellent English summers.

On top of this you have Alistair Cook, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood all due to come good. They haven’t been at their best in the last few months, but what better time to improve than in an Ashes series?

This list doesn’t even include the regular heroics of Eoin Morgan or the ever improving consistency of Tim Bresnan. Basically, the squad is strong and has what it takes to defeat the Australians.

With Strauss and Andy Flower at the helm, you just know they are going to be prepared for battle too. So, bring on November, bring on Brisbane and bring on the Australians. This England team is one to be reckoned with.

Super, super Fred…

September 19th, 2010

Andrew Flintoff has been a fantastic cricketer for England. Of that there can be no doubt. Only a handful of players in world cricket have been as influential as he was over the England side at times.

Flintoff during his last ever at The Oval, August 2009. It was an honour to be there.

Flintoff during his last ever at The Oval, August 2009. It was an honour to be there.

With this in mind, it is sad to hear that Freddie has retired from all forms of cricket. He called time on his test career last summer of course, but the plan had been to continue playing for the ODI side and his county Lancashire.

After continuous problems with his knee though and several consultations with medical experts, he has made the very tough decision to retire from the game completely.

This is a disappointing way for a player like Flintoff to bow out of the game he loves, but we must all remember the good times. The innings against South Africa when he broke his bat, the shirt off celebration in India, the two Ashes wins…. he has been a superb servant to English cricket.

Critics will harshly point at his statistics not being the best around, but that was only a small part of what Flintoff was about. He struck fear into opposition players and at times carried the England side.

It is a shame that he looks unlikely to go into coaching or punditry, because it would be good to see his face around English cricket for many years to come.

Whatever he decides to do though, I wish him the best of luck. He has been a fine international cricketer, is a top bloke and should have a very successful second career.

Super, super Fred……

Blackburn 1 – 1 Fulham

September 18th, 2010

It was the home side who started brightly, showing excellent energy going forward and putting pressure on a nervous looking Fulham defence.

Cottagers keeper Mark Schwarzer was then lucky to stay on the field as he appeared to handle the ball outside the area.

Despite this good fortune, Fulham were struggling to get control of the ball and had to wait until the 23rd minute for their first half chance on goal as Moussa Dembele struck the ball just wide.

It was certainly Blackburn that were doing the majority of the pressing, mainly through Nikola Kalinic and El Hadji Diouf. They then deservedly took the lead after 30 minutes when Christopher Samba flicked a looping free-kick into the back of the net.

Either side of half-time though, there was a change in approach from Fulham and they were starting to have much more of the ball. They were rewarded for this on 56 minutes when Clint Dempsey headed home from a superb Carlos Salcido cross.

Both teams then had their good spells in the remainder of the game, with Danny Murphy’s free-kick with seven minutes to go the closest either side got to a winning goal.

The draw means Fulham maintain their unbeaten start to the season and Blackburn still go in search of their first win since the opening day.

Wishing Bellamy well at Cardiff

August 17th, 2010

Craig Bellamy is a Norwich City legend. I’m not sure if this view is shared amongst all Canary fans, but we haven’t had many players like him come through the academy, so he will always go down as one of my favourite players.

A lot of people forget that he started his career at Carrow Road and I guess how far he has gone since leaving goes someway to explaining that. As recently as last season he was rightly described as one of the best attacking players in the Premier League, after all.

After today’s revelations though, the 31-year-old is now a little closer to life as a Norwich City player. He has signed for fellow Championship side Cardiff City on a season-long loan deal from Manchester City in one of the most surprising transfers for many years.

There are three main factors behind the move though, which, ones you put them together leaves the whole scenario making a great deal of sense.

1. Manchester City didn’t want to sell to any Champions League rivals.
2. Manchester City are still paying his wages.
3. Bellamy supports Cardiff City and wants to be with his family.

You can’t really dispute any of these points in an argument against Bellamy making the move. It is Manchester City’s prerogative not to sell to Premier League rivals and if that means still paying Bellamy’s wages – so be it. It’s not as if they can’t afford it.

Then, on the third point, you can’t deny Bellamy the right to play for his hometown club. He says he is pleased to be doing so while in the better years of his career. He didn’t want to turn out for Cardiff when his best days were behind him.

There is a subplot too – Welsh football. Bellamy is passionate about his country and as captain of Wales will want the best for the national team. Would having Cardiff in the Premier League benefit football in Wales? Undoubtedly and Bellamy will do all he can to help.

It has to be said that as long as he stays fit, Cardiff are now front-runners for promotion. One player doesn’t make a team, but the lift this signing will give the place will be unprecedented.

It could be similar to when Darren Huckerby came to Norwich in 2004. He was the shining light in our Championship winning team and it seems almost certain that Bellamy will be exactly that for Cardiff.

Paul Lambert and Norwich travel to Cardiff at the end of October and although it doesn’t bear thinking about Bellamy running at the likes of Russell Martin and Michael Nelson, I wish him all the best.

Perhaps a slight hamstring injury ruling him out of the game amongst an otherwise productive season wouldn’t be the worst thing. I would like to see him at Carrow Road in January though as I for one will enjoy giving him a warm round of applause.