Euro 2012 - and then there were 4

With the first semi final of Euro 2012 on tonight it seems logical to write a post on the tournament so far and make a little prediction as to who may win it.  To be honest after the first couple of matches I was a little disappointed as there wasn't much excitement in the matches.  Don't get me wrong the football was still of high quality with Russia looking hugely impressive in their first game but I think most teams were too afraid of losing which didn't help.

However as the tournament has gone on the excitement levels have risen with shocks, quality football, great goals, some dubious calls and intense finishes coming to the fore.  Pre tournament favorites Spain and Germany have not disappointed and are potentially poised to meet in consecutive Euro finals.  Italy and Portugal stand in their way which may have come as a shock to some pundits but on their form it is the four best teams left in the competition.

Some nations were massively disappointing.  Holland were their usual imploding selves which shouldn't be a huge surprise as have becomes used to their egotistic behavior over the years.  However few would have bet against them getting a single point in their group never mind securing qualification.  Russia were seen as the dark horses by many and after a terrific start their challenge just fell away.

Back at home not much was expected from the Republic of Ireland in a very difficult group and this was to be the case as they acquired no points.  Despite low expectations it was the lack of spirit and fight from the Irish team that disappointed the most as this is not what Irish fans (who were the best in the tournament it has to be said) are used to seeing.  England on the other hand went into the competition with low expectations from the nations viewpoint which is very unusual.  However after topping the group the expectation levels rose and again England faltered on penalties although in honesty they were completely outclassed in that game and didn't deserve to go through.

UEFA again confused every one as to how the group standings were decided but it did make the final matches more interesting with the end to the Group D being devastating for Croatia and also Greece qualifying for the quarter finals by beating the Russians.  This was one of the shocks so far along with Denmark beating Holland and Sweden beating France.  Then there was the goal that wasn't for Ukraine which Blatter responded to by saying it is time for goal line technology - at long last Sepp!  

There have been some great goals so far but for me Zlatan's goal against France has to be the best:

Hopefully in the last 3 games we may get something to top this from the likes of Ronaldo. Iniesta, Ozil or Pirlo.  I have mentioned these four as I believe they have put their names into the ring, along with others, for player of the tournament.  Personally I think whoever wins the tournament will decide which four of these players gets it.

Now onto the four teams remaining.  Everyone is expecting a Spain vs Germany final but the way this tournament has went I have a feeling there will be a shock somewhere along the line.  I don't imagine both these teams not being in the final but I do think it will only involve one of them.  Germany have a bad record against Italy and the way the Italians are playing I wouldn't be surprised if that continued and with Portugal's pace on the counter attack they are sure to cause "strikerless" Spain some problems.  Spain and Germany have been the best two teams by far but the best teams don't always win!

To finish I have to say that Euro 2012 has been a great competition and despite what happens in the last 3 games it will go down as one of the better ones.  Possession football is now the norm due to teams like Barcelona and Spain and it has to be said Spain are the kingpins at it even without a striker.  How people can argue with their formation and that is beyond me as they still look like the team to beat and let's be honest with the quality they have they really don't need an out and out striker.  A lot of people think it will be the Germans to stop them but you heard it here first, it will not be a Spain vs Germany final (despite that being what the football world and I want!).  My money is on Italy to win it outright.    

Recovery using Ice Baths (Cold Water Immersion)

In the sporting world there are many methods that can be used to help athletes recover faster post exercise.  These can range from passive or active recovery through to electronic devices that massage parts of the body. 

 

One method which has been made popular in the UK by the likes of Paula Radcliffe and Andy Murray (who swear by it) is ice bathing, scientifically known as Cold Water Immersion (CWI).  The picture below shows Mo Farah using this method:

  

 

When you get an injury the first protocol is applying an ice pack on the injured area.  Well an ice bath works on the same principles only for general recovery and not just in the case of an injury. 

 

In simple terms an ice bath induces a flush like action that helps the muscles, tendons, bones, nerves and all the different tissues used in sport recover from their workout in the following way:

 

• “Ice bath” narrows blood vessels and thus decreases blood flow
•  This reduces swelling and tissue breakdown thus relieving pain
•  Once out of the ice bath the underlying tissues warm up
•  This causes a surge of oxygen filled blood to flow back to the muscles
•  This helps return by products of cellular breakdown to the lymph system for efficient recycling by the body
•  Main by product is lactic acid which can cause cramp, fatigue and a general feeling of tiredness in the muscles (delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS))

With ice bathing temperatures and durations are always discussed.  There is no conclusive research as to optimal temperatures or durations but many believe for contact sports the temperature needs to be lower.  Research suggests that ice baths need to be used straight after exercise however Andy Murray uses them daily even when not training but he has a hectic schedule to contend with.  Temperature, duration and times will depend on the physicality of ones sport or training and also personal preferences. 

 

Some people see it as a torturous method for recovery and even huge fans such as Paula Radcliffe admit they hate the thought of taking them.  However the old cliche of no pain no gain is very much true in the instance.  Ice baths are beneficial to athletes due to the hydrostatic pressure and cold temperature of the water. 

 

Technology has allowed ice bathing to progress significantly.  Instead of barbaric means, such as putting ice ice in a wheelie bin like below, athletes and coaches can now use more scientific and hygienic methods that actually require no ice at all (such as our F3 HydroPool products (http://www.f3hydropool.com/)). These products chill the water to a temperature that is controllable by the user.

 

Being able to control the temperature is a massive benefit as with traditional methods this was not possible as the ice would lay at the top of the water meaning the temperature was colder at the top than the bottom.  Another problem was that the heat of bodies especially with teams cause the ice to melt and heats up the temperature meaning there is a constant need for the re-filling of ice.  Therefore it was impossible to ensure that the athlete's whole body or specific area was recovering with the same temperatures.  This may be one of the reasons that some studies have reported no benefits as they did not test accurately enough. 

 

As these new products eliminate all the problems with traditional methods any future tests into ice baths should be carried out using them to find conclusive evidence.  Overall ice baths as a recovery procedure following exercise is better than performing no recovery procedure.  Ice baths should be implemented immediately post exercise to ensure maximum recovery benefits irrespective of the time of administration.

Drug Cheats - Lifetime ban or second chance

This is quite topical due to the recent news that the British Olympic Association (BOA) has to go to the Court of Arbitration of Sport to defend its lifetime ban (selection policy) on drug cheats.  The BOA set this ruling in place in 1992 and to this day still believe it is the correct course of action.  Whether or not it is right will now be discussed. 

Drug cheating has become a massive problem in all sports due mainly to the advancements in drug production.  It is believed that drug testing methods are 3 years behind new drugs that are being used.  A case which highlights this issue is Marian Jones who admitted to taking performance enhancing drugs before the 2000 Olympics.

Two sports in particular, Athletics and Cycling, seem to have the most recurring instances.  Due to this these sports have lost some credibility and the athletes face rigorous testing to the annoyance of some.  The clip of Mark Cavendish (11:30 onwards) shows this:

When Usain Bolt broke the 100m record at the last Olympics I remember a huge discussion in my local watering hole was that he was on performance enhancers and it wouldn't come out until he is retired like the Marion Jones case.  The same discussion then moved on to Lance Armstrong with half the group believing he was on performance enhancers for all his Tour De France victories. 

From these discussions you can see that as soon as someone in these sports performs to a level we have not seen before a lot of peoples first thought is "drug cheat" because it is synonymous with these sports.  This is not fair on those clean athletes who compete fairly through hard work and determination.  It also leads people to look at past great athletes and think they may have been on performance enhancing drugs back then but just weren't caught.  All in all drug cheating has tarnished these sports. 

That said though is it right that a drug cheat should be banned for life?  Well firstly the BOA only imposes a lifetime Olympic ban on any British athlete banned for more than six months for a doping offence - the only national Olympic committee to do so.  Other nations use WADA's regulations of banning them from the next Olympics.  

The BOA do not see their rule as a sanction but instead one of its selection policies.  However this then could be looked at as discriminatory as clean athletes get favour (which when said sounds perfectly OK).  Despite this in today's society this would still be deemed discriminatory as just because someone cheated in the past doesn't mean they are currently or will again which is the main area surrounding the debate of lifetime bans versus second chances. 

Nowadays we as a nation believe in giving second chances so with this is missing the next Olympics not enough of a punishment?  Remember this is their careers and in some instances all they have.  They train hard every day and for maybe one silly mistake on their part or their coaches that's their careers over.  Unlike losing a job these guys can't go out and just get another one in the same field.  In other sports such as Soccer players receive a short ban for which they can then play afterwards.  Adrian Mutu received a 9 month ban and is now still currently playing so it wasn't detrimental to his career.

 

The Olympics is also the pinnacle event of an athletes profession so to take their chance of ever being a part of this away from then is destroying their dreams.  The BOA make valid points when they state that selecting an athlete outside their by law would:

"also damage the credibility and reputation of the team in the eyes of the athletes and the public, and would send the wrong message to aspiring Olympians and new entrants to Olympic sport - particularly young people.

"Further, an athlete who deliberately cheats should not take the place in Team GB of a clean athlete."

I agree with these statements especially as young people are so impressionable.  Despite this however I think a simple solution is that those who have offended be rigorously tested after their ban to ensure that at the next Olympics they are clean and therefore are selected on their natural ability.  Again one could argue that the testing is behind so they could still taking performance enhances but this could be said for all athletes. 

One final point is that those banned for less than 6 months for drug taking are not banned from the next Olympics and are free for selection in the case of the BOA.  This to me is unfair as there should be no separate offences from drug taking, it should all be tarnished with one brush with the same sanctions applying to all offences. 

In conclusion I believe drug cheating is tarnishing sports and I feel bad for those clean athletes who get painted with the same brush when they do a superhuman effort cleanly.  However I believe in second chances and think missing one Olympic Games in your career is punishment enough and that if an athlete can prove during selection for the next Olympics they are clean then they should be allowed selection in the Team GB team and also other teams.  To me in all sports drug cheats should be given a second chance to prove themselves after all isn't life all about second chances?  Maybe you disagree?

Racism in Sport

Racism is currently a debatable topic within sport thanks to the controversy surrounding John Terry and Luis Saurez and the comments made by FIFA president Sepp Blatter.  Firstly let me point out that I, like most people, am completely against racism or any other form of discrimination in sport such as bullying or sectarianism.

The first well known case of racism in sport was back in the 1936 Berlin Olympics where Jesse Owens caused an uproar by winning four gold medals and in doing so eliminated Hitler's idea of "White Supremacy".  



Jesse Owens on the podium

Owens did not get the recognition he deserved for his great achievement as worried about how conservatives would vote President Roosevalt refused to invited Jesse to the White House - had he done so the racial barriers may have been broken a lot sooner and this may not even be a topic today.

There are many recent examples of racism both at a group and one to one level.  The recent incidents between John Terry and Anton Ferdinand (below) and Luis Saurez and Patrice Evra are perfect examples of one to one racism. 

Group racism was exemplified by the Indian cricket crowd making racist chants to Australian Andrew Symonds and also at a international friendly between Spain and England where some players such as Ashley Cole and Shaun Wright-Philips were barraged with monkey chants from the crowd when they touched the ball.  No racism is tolerant but group racism like these examples are a bad reflection on an area or country. 

One to one racism can sometimes be heat of the moment.  I am still not defending it but sometimes in the heat of battle players will say things that they really don't mean and may not even remember saying.  However in the world we live in today a bit of sportsmanship like this should be outdated and eradicated from every one's minds.  This is why Seep Blatter's comments were disgraceful and for me he should have stepped down after making them.

The sporting world is making massive steps against racism with campaigns such as "One Game, One Community" in football, "Everyrace" in F1 and "One Game" in Cricket.  The South African Rugby Team is a perfect example of how far the world and in particular that country has progressed in its racism fight.  In this years world cup South Africa had a black coach/manager and numerous black players which is far from the days of it being a white dominated sport.  Even the countries most ardent fans - in the heart of Afrikaner country - don't seem to mind anymore. 



South African Ruby World Cup 2011 Squad

In our own country the IFA and GAA united against racism and sectarianism last year at a weekend of games by playing a unite against hate anthem and distributing wristbands. 

I believe these campaigns raise awareness of the issues they are aiming to eradicate but unfortunately I do not see them completely eradicating issues such as racism, sectarianism or bullying.  I think there will always be certain individuals who will use comments about ethnic origin, sexual orientation, political status, beliefs or physical appearance to abuse an opposing team or individual.  In society we are very judgemental and although we probably don't like to admit this we judge people on what we see initially.  With this I think until we change the way our whole society thinks we will not eradicate these issues fully from sport. 

Hopefully one day I am proved wrong! 

Boxing greats never die

With the sad news that Smoking Joe Frazier had passed away this week I thought it would be fitting to do a blog on boxing greats as Smoking Joe was one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.  Firstly though to pay my respects to a true great both inside and outside the ring - RIP Smokin' Joe Frazier, you gave us some great memories. 

Ironic as this sounds boxing is one of the most disciplined sports around and the phrase blood, sweat and tears fits no sport better than boxing.  It is one of the most gruelling sports in terms of training and requires the up most courage, discipline bravery and a little showmanship making boxing so special and therefore the greats even greater. 

When you discuss boxing the first name that comes to mind is Muhammed Ali.  The man who called himself the greatest and to this day many would not disagree.  Ali had it all; speed, power, flair and a showmanship that is still unrivalled in the sport to this day. 

One of the most infamous pictures in sport not just boxing is the one above of Ali standing over Sonny Liston in their second fight.  Ali went on to have titanic tussles with George Foreman and Joe Frazier that to this day are still talked about as if they happened yesterday.  These are the notorious "Thrilla in Manilla" and "Rumble in the Jungle". 

These fights were so great because they involved all time greats.  Both Foreman and Frazier are legends in the Hall of Fame along with Ali.  The "Thrilla in Manila" is considered by many to be the greatest fight of all time and who can argue.  Both men gave everything and Ali admitted after that he was close to giving up before Fraziers trainer called it a day while he was on his stool.  Frazier was not impressed with the decision and this fight and his character to continue alone with basically one eye proved how much of a great he was. 

The "Rumble in the Jungle" is most famous for the "Rope a Dope" below which Ali performed to a tee. 

Boxing is full of era's and in these days this was a special era which will never be forgotten.  These fights will always be discussed and that is why despite Frazier's passing his name will always live on in the memory as will Ali, Foreman and other great heavyweights such as Liston, Holyfield, Tyson, Lewis and the Klitschko's today.

A fact that proves this is that when discussing the greatest boxer ever Ali doesn't actually pick himself but the first true great amongst most people: Sugar Ray Robinson.  He put boxing on the map with seamless displays of flair, speed, power and fast feet.  He was also a showman and to this day is considered the greatest ever boxer thanks to his infamous bouts with Jake LaMotta who is also a name that continues to be synonymous with the sport also. 

One of the greatest era's of the sport was the Fab Four era.  This included Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns and Roberto Duran.  Leonard has the best versus record amongst the four but all four boxers have been in boxing folklore for years and will continue to do so as they will be remembered even when they have passed.

Nowadays there are some boxing greats who are still fighting but will also be added to this list when they retire.  The most notable 2 being Manny Pacquaio and Floyd Mayweather.  Despite them not fighting one another yet to decide who is the best pound for pound fighter at the minute they will go down as 2 of the best boxers in history and will always be discussed with the other greats.  Other fighters such as Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto, Sergio Martinez and our own Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton will be the same but maybe to a lesser extent. 

Boxing is a sport full of personal opinions as to who is the greatest of all time.  Everyone will have justifiably reasons for the person they pick and because of the constant debating and the Hall of Fame where many of them end up boxing greats may pass on but they never truly die in the boxing or for that matter sporting world.     
  

Rugby World Cup so far & preview of final

With the rugby world cup final this weekend I thought I would have  to preview it and also write about how the tournament has been to date.  This weekend the All Blacks take on the French in the showpiece finale whilst the Aussies take on the Welsh for the bronze prize.

The semi finals were exciting but in very different ways.  France vs Wales was low scoring but no one would have predicted Wales to play the way they did with 14 men after they lost their captain, Sam Warburton, in the first half.  As for the sending off I am with the majority that this was only a yellow card offence at most and believe it spoilt the game and ruined Wales chances.  In saying that Wales were inches away  from pulling off one of the best results in World Cup history and had plenty of chances for a drop goal attempt towards the end.  If they had have taken these chances we could be looking at a very different final.

The other semi final was total domination by the All Blacks.  They were out to set a marker against their old foes and did so in the first 10 minutes.  The All Blacks may be known for choking but they were never going to choke in their old backyard against the enemy and dominated the rest of the game.  To be honest they probably should have won by more.

The tournament in general has been, in my eyes, the best world cup so far.  Smaller nations in the rugby fraternity have closed the gaps on the more dominant forces.  Romania gave Scotland a scare, USA pushed Ireland all the way and just when all the big guns thought they were safe from a potential embarrassment Tonga beat France to confirm how much the gap is closing.

Before the world cup not too many pundits gave the Northern Hemisphere teams a chance and believed the trophy would fall into the hands of one of the Tri Nations teams, probably in an All Blacks v Aussies final.  This World Cup proved that the gap between the hemispheres is also closing with Ireland beating the Aussies (putting a spanner in everyone's final prediction ha) and Wales coming so close to beating South Africa.

The 1/4 finals were all closely fought games even the Argies against the All Blacks as they pushed them further than any team to date.  Then as discussed the semi finals were brilliant in different ways.  Some teams have really helped make this tournament with Wales, Ireland and Argentina winning a lot of fans.  Wales have played some terrific rugby and may actually have blown one of their best chances of winning a tournament as despite a young team you don't know how it will perform in 4 years.  

Hopefully the final this week can cap of a brilliant tournament.  In the final are 2 teams in contrasting form.  The All Blacks are yet to lose and the French have lost twice, once to the All Blacks in the pool stage.  From this alone you would be predicting an All Blacks win which would be reinforced by how the teams have played throughout the tournament.  The All Blacks have looked slick and stylish as we have come to expect but they have added a new dimension to their game.  They now have intensity, hard work and from their semi final clear drive and focus to complete the job at home.

The French on the other hand have been stop start and really stuttered their way to the final.  The French are the most unpredictable team, one day they can blow you away and the next they are mediocre to say the least.  Funnily after the group match against the All Blacks, a friend said my bet with him that the All Blacks would win the tournament is looking good to which I replied don't be surprised if that is the final.  The reason for my prediction is I knew France were going into an all northern hemisphere side and on their day are capable of beating anyone.

This is why in the final I do not believe it will be an All Black onslaught as many predict.  I am sticking with my prediction that the All Blacks will win but I cannot see France playing that badly in a final.  I think the All Blacks will win by 5-10 points with a fitting Richie McCaw as man of the match and player of the tournament.  I think the forward battle will be immense as France have forwards who on their day can match the All Blacks intensity and drive.  However I believe the French backs will struggle to curtail the likes of Nonu, Jayne and Dagg who are in blistering form at the minute.

The Wales v Australia match may actually be the best game of the tournament as both teams play open and fast running games so I am expecting a high scoring affair.  I think Wales have done magnificently to date and this will just be one hurdle to far for them as Australia will be out to prove a point after last weeks hammering to the enemy.

All in all the tournament has been fantastic with some hard hitting, intense and skill packed rugby matched with the beautiful setting of New Zealand and its warm and friendly people.  In my eyes it would be fitting that the All Blacks win the trophy as lets face it, they are the best team in the world for the last number of years and deserve it.  However you don't always get what you deserve in sport!


 

Do managers get a fair crack at the whip?

We are nearly 2 months into the new Premiership season and already some managers are feeling the heat.  Martinez, Wenger, Kean, Bruce and Coyle have to look over their shoulders regarding their jobs as fans and I am sure the board are becoming concerned with results.  Bookies have these managers as favourites to be the first sacking of the season. 

(Wenger feeling the pressure)

The tables can quickly turn on managers.  Look at Coyle and Martinez for example: last year Martinez was a hero for keeping Wigan Athletic up and Coyle was branded as a very good young manager for getting Bolton Wanderers to the FA Cup semi fnal.

The problem is that fans can be very fickle and a slow start to a season or a few poor results can cause them to start the "out" chants at the end of or during games towards managers who may have revolutionised the club (Wenger for example).  This then resonates to the board, particularly the chairman, who can sometimes make very hasty decisions to satisy their main customers.

(Fans turn so quickly)

Personally I think managers nowadays do not get enough time and clubs are to dismiss them.  In the old days managers were given more time to put their stamp on clubs.  Sir Alex Ferguson took 6 years to win a trophy with Man Utd.  If Man Utd had have dismissed Fergie before this would the club have grown into the monster it now is?, the answer, NO.  The reason for this is that Fergie has transformed the club several times during his time there and has continued to drive success from it. 

Nowadays managers are lucky to be given 6 months never mind 6 years.  Since the good old days manager dismissals have dramatically increased and as a result the average tenure is becoming a lot shorter.  Last season in the League Managers Association there were 58 changes of manager with dismissals accounting for 40 of those and the average tenure was 1.58 years.  

Two thirds of dismissed managers last season were sacked at below average tenure and half of those dismissed were gone within a year of appointment while nine managers were sacked six months of being appointed.  It has changed a lot from when Sir Alex started as Man Utd manager.

There are some clubs who are more faithful than others to their managers.  Apart from obviously Man Utd and Arsenal who have the 2 current longest serving managers, Everton are a perfect example.  It is easy for Man Utd and Arsenal (until this season) to hold onto their managers as they were always around the top fighting it out for trophies on all fronts.  Everton on the other hand cannot always say this but they have stuck with David Moyes for what is coming up to be his 10th year (remarkable in this day and age).  Even last year when Everton started so poorly and were bottom of the pile Bill Kenwright, Everton chairman, stuck by his man through difficult times where a lot of others would ahve dismissed him.  Everton then reaped the rewards of this decision as they climbed back up to the table to finish 7th.  In recent seasons Moyes has had Everton in the top half of the table and back in the 2004-05 season he lead them to Champions League football.  

(Moyes has been a success at Everton thanks to faith from his Chairman)

Clubs and fans have to realise that only 1 team can win the league and it does not mean the other 19 teams are bad.  In football there is a huge divide betwen the richer and poorer clubs and it is because of this that many clubs can continue to do well.  David Moyes is great at working to a small budget and giving enough time other managers would be too. 

This does not just apply to football as there is a tendency to do this in all sports.  The only difference is that football clubs have more money and can afford to dismiss managers in the middle of their contracts more regularly.  Also in other sports like Rugby Union and League there seems to be a tendency for managers to resign before they are sacked or move to other clubs.  New Zealand Rugby Union have shown faith to Graham Henry over the years as after not winning a world cup most NZ managers get shown the door but this didn't happen to him in 2007.  As a result he has them playing well and looking good at this years tournament.  

In conclusion I believe there are the rare cases where after a short time clubs know they made the wrong decision and should dismiss their manager.  However I believe clubs should spend more time on ensuring they get the right manager in, in the first instance, and then show them some faith by giving them a few seasons to put their mark on the club and team.  There is no quick fix or magical wand in sport, as in life, and it takes time, trust, loyalty and commitment from all parties (including fans) to build something special.