F1 Belgian Grand Prix preview

Well the football is back, but now I'm missing the Formula One. I don't recall the mid-season break feeling quite so long before. Some sport fans are never happy! The F1 will be back next weekend at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, which is my favourite circuit as well as many of the drivers favourite so I shouldn't be so impatient. The new pristine circuits of Abu Dhabi, India, China and Singapore may have the perfectly smooth tarmac and immaculate pit facilities, but without doubt the circuits lack the character of Spa, Silverstone, Monaco, Monza and Interlagos; You can sense the illustrious history around these places which is something that the newer tracks will never have. Fangio, Moss, Ascari and Stewart haven't pitted their wits against these less dangerous (and possibly less challenging) circuits. It may have been a horrific part of the past in motor-sport, but the clinical nature of the more recently built circuits removes the constant reminder that people have died taking part in this sport. There must be something that keeps your senses dialled in that bit more if you know that one mistake could throw you in to the wall at 200mph. Relive a bit of the circuit and the history below as Michael Schumacher in his Benetton chases down Ayrton Senna in his McLaren. It is interesting to look at the differences between the two cars in 1993; most look relatively the same in 2012 because of the regulations, but these cars are quite different. 

RIP Ayrton. I know I'm not alone in saying that you may have been taken from us far too soon, but you will never be forgotten and you will always be missed. 

I think the close to this F1 season could be the most exciting ever as at the half way point any one of the top five drivers could still win the championship. Fernando Alonso will take some beating as Ferrari seem to have found their stride, but Vettel, Hamilton and Raikkonen will no doubt have a big part to play. The man who I hope plays the biggest part, and manages to overhaul the speedy Spaniard's forty point lead is Mark Webber. With twenty-five points for a win the gap is not impossible to bridge, but the odd issue with the prancing horse may be required. I think the Australian is due his share of luck. I know that Mark is highly regarded as a good bloke off the track, as well as a hard racer on it. Four or five years ago I was lucky to spend an afternoon watching the Belgian Grand Prix with former BBC motor-sport commentator Norman Greenway. (Also sadly missed by many. Norman lost his battle with cancer at the age of 87 in 2010) Norman was the radio equivalent of Murray Walker, and was also the circuit commentator at Snetterton. Norman had spent a lot of time around all the drivers of the day, as you might imagine, and he was absolutely clear that not only was Mark Webber one of the nicest drivers he'd ever met, he was one of the nicest people he had ever met who was always generous with his time. I think there are ten races in eleven weeks to the close of the season so it will be frenetic to say the least, so I hope things swing the way of the Australian.If anybody deserves it he does. Red Bull Racing, and particularly Adrian Newey are always trying to push the boundaries to the limit which has proved a winning strategy over the last couple of years. Winning it may have been, but the favour fell mainly on the other side of the garage with team mate Sebastian Vettel as he won back-to-back world championships. This season Webber has been out-performing Vettel in the main so long may this continue and hopefully Alonso may falter. As a double world champion himself, this is unlikely but you can always hope! Come on @AussieGrit!

In a round up of other matters, Lance Armstrong has given up fighting the USADA accusations the he has taken and distributed illegal substances and hormones this week. This is a massive sports story, but as a relative newcomer to cycling I felt unable to compile a creditable story. As a result Armstrong has been stripped of all professional wins in the sport; perhaps the saddest part is that he has been a massive inspiration to budding cyclists as well as cancer victims around the world who've used his achievements in sport and life to overcome their own obstacles. Now this inspiration has been cast under the biggest shadow that perhaps sport has ever seen. 

Good luck to Andy Murray who starts his campaign to win the US Open at Flushing Meadow this week. After winning Olympic Gold at Wimbledon beating Roger Federer, hopefully his confidence is high and he can use that to win in New York. It has always been a good tournament for him, so hopefully he can go one better than in previous years and take the title.

email: floydssporttalk@live.co.uk

Follow me on Twitter!

Why do I love football so much?

After an opening day like my team Liverpool had yesterday, it is an easy question to ask; thankfully when you look at the bigger picture the answers come equally as easy. Nineteen goals across seven games; two teams scoring five; great goals from Demba Ba, Mladen Petric and Zoltan Gera amongst others. If I am struggling to convey my anguish, the next picture of Liverpool centre half Dan Agger just about sums it up. The noise he makes at exactly this point is precisely how I feel.

One picture says it all as Dan Agger leaves the field of play.

The result was not good for Liverpool but there are positives. Just.  Luis Suarez looked like a man that has not really had any rest this summer and was as sharp as a tack, but boy does he need to improve his goals per shot ratio. Liverpool could have had the game by the scruff of the neck if the Uruguayan had taken a couple of his four or five chances.  After going down to ten men at one-nil down it was never really going to be our day, but Liverpool showed signs throughout the game of a team that is trying to implement a new style of play. It didn't help that Fabio Borini and Joe Allen looked a little overawed at times, Stewart Downing was poor for most of the sixty minutes he spent on the pitch, so after we went down to ten men we were effectively playing with half a team. There isn't much more to be said, other than chalk this one up to experience and move on. It's a shame that we have to move on to playing the current champions Manchester City at Anfield next Sunday. At least with Moroccan winger Oussama Assaidi signing for the Reds this week we should be subjected to Stewart Downing on a less regular basis. I do think that we would benefit from one or two more to bolster our strength in depth. There are still rumours about Cristian Tello and Theo Walcott coming from Barcelona and Arsenal respectively. Perhaps the most controversial Reds-related transfer rumour of the moment is that David Moyes is trying to make Charlie Adam the first player to cross Stanley Park since 1992 when Graeme Souness sold Gary Ablett. With Joe Allen coming in, perhaps Adam's chances will be limited so he may be better taking the opportunity to leave while it's there. It is reasonably safe to say that Liverpool's season probably won't get worse, but i hope it gets better sooner rather than later. 

To sum up the rest of the Premier League's games, 0-0 against Sunderland might be a big indication of how Arsenal will get on without Robin van Persie, who signed for Manchester United this for £24m this week. Fulham 5-0 Norwich probably says more about Norwich than Fulham, but the south-west Londoners will be glad of a fantastic start to build on having lost a few players already, as well as having Clint Dempsey on strike trying to get out of Craven Cottage. Swansea's Michu looks an exciting prospect, scoring two as well as Nathan Dyer as they smashed QPR 0-5 at Loftus Road. Reading and Stoke finished 1-1 although it could have been different but for a bit of a howler by Royal's keeper Adam Federici. West Ham beat Aston Villa 1-0 at Upton Park in the battle of the claret and blues, Kevin Nolan scoring the only goal five minutes before half time. Finally, Newcastle beat Tottenham at St James' Park with Hatam Ben Arfa scoring the decisive goal from the spot in the 80th minute. This came just four minutes after Jermain Defoe had equalised Demba Ba's stunning opener. Perhaps the most exceptional (and funniest!) event of the game was Alan Pardew getting sent of for physically abusing the linesman. He has subsequently apologised and labelled his actions as ridiculous, but he will probably still face sanctions from the FA. 

On balance I am much relieved that the football is back, I just hope from a personal point of view that things take a massive upturn sooner rather than later.

 SPORT SHORTS

Huge congratulations to Rory McIlroy who tore the field apart last weekend at Kiawah Island to win his second major, the US PGA Championships, sealing victory by eight shots. Britain continued to stamp it's authority on the sport as four of the top five were from these shores. 

The third Test match at Lord's is very finely poised between the two best sides in the world at the moment, England and South Africa. The Proteas are slightly ahead at the moment, but a few early wickets on day four can change the complexion of the game completely. We'll find out tomorrow who'll be the victor in the battle for number one in the world. 

Troubled club Portsmouth fought for a 1-1 draw in League One yesterday having fielded a team of eleven debutantes. Much credit should go to manager Michael Appleton who signed ten players on loan and short term contracts on Thursday in order to make the fixture happen. 

Follow me on Twitter!

FA Premier League 2012-2013 preview

So the football is finally back! Six or seven weeks have never seemed so long. As much as I have enjoyed the Olympics, and my love for all sport has most definitely been affirmed, there is nothing quite like football.

Today’s curtain raiser (still The Charity Shield in my mind!) may be an indicator of where the title is heading, as I can really only see the true race for the championship being between Chelsea and Manchester City. Chelsea have been the biggest spenders so far signing Marin, the brothers Hazard and Oscar; I think the true test of their season will be how well they cope without Didier Drogba. If Torres comes good they will be half way there, but they’re still light up top if you ask me. There is talk of Neymar but he’s no Drogba. If they go down that route they’ll only be able to play one way which isn’t great for any team.

Manchester City on the other hand are starting to flex their muscles by signing Jack Rodwell from Everton. I hope the rumours are not true, but if they can sign Daniel Agger from Liverpool as well they would become an even more formidable outfit. If that deal gets done, I hope it involves Adam Johnson going the other way. It’s criminal how much time one of England’s brightest talents has spent sat on the bench. You do have to wonder where the Sheikh’s spending spree will end. Maybe it won’t! Perhaps the biggest surprise in the close-season so far is that Manchester United have only signed Shinji Kagawa. I know there are still a couple of weeks to go until the transfer window closes, but it would be highly unusual if the Red Devils don’t make one marquis signing. I think in general the window has been quiet so far, and this might be because most first team European players have been on duty at either Euro 2012 or the London Olympics; consequently they have been at least a couple of weeks behind the rest of the squad in getting back to pre-season training. It might liven up in the last week or so when managers have had chance to fully assess their players. 

So aside of who might win the Premier League this year, the other main questions is who will stay up? All three promoted teams would have high hopes of remaining in the Premier League, and who could blame them. Reading and Southampton dominated the Coca Cola Championship last year, and West Ham were not too far behind. That coupled with the fact that  Aston Villa, Wigan and QPR hardly covered themselves in glory in staying up by a hairs breadth. It could be the most open Premier League from the top four downwards that we have ever seen. With six clubs having new managers, and a couple more that have only been at their respective clubs for half a season, there is a good chance of some very unpredictable results early on this year.   

Premier League Predictions

Top four - 1. Manchester City 2. Chelsea 3. Manchester United 4. Arsenal

Bottom three - Wigan, West Brom, Norwich. 

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate everybody who has been part of organising the London 2012 Olympics. I won't deny that I was a bit sceptical about how much of a success the games would be, but I have to say I have enjoyed them more than I ever thought I would. I've watched and enjoyed some sports that I would normally not bother with, and the events I was looking forward to were better than I thought they would be. All the competitors have taken part with maximum effort (with exception to the odd badminton player!) and absolute grace; in victory and defeat. I give particular congratulations to every member of Team GB. Everyone knows who the greatest successes have been, but they should all be proud of creating the greatest Olympic Games that I can remember, and possibly ever. 

Team GB's medallists on the roof of HQ.

Follow me on Twitter!

The Plight of Portsmouth FC

 I have written about the disgraceful situation at Portsmouth briefly before, when Rangers were hanging on to their position in the SPL by a thread, but with only five days left to resolve the club's issues things are now looking desperate. The two potential buyers of the club, The Pompey Supporters Trust and Portpin (Balram Chanrai's organisation), have placed conditional offers on the table but the main condition is that all players either take substantial reductions in their wages or leave the club altogether. Most have done this already, but Tal Ben Haim and Liam Lawrence remain 'on the books' at the moment although it has been reported that deals are close for both. Should both players leave the club in the coming days, the next choice would be which bidder is preferred? As an outsider, there should only be one winner and they are the Pompey Supporters Trust. After all, Balram Chanrai has been part of the circus of the last few years and has had his chance; and fan ownership should be seriously considered as a viable option. There are several instances in England of fan ownership, most notably Wycombe Wanderers, Wrexham, Ebbsfleet, AFC Wimbledon and FC United of Manchester. If it can work for some, why not others? In Germany it is a legal requirement to have fan ownership of at least 51%; when Red Bull acquired SSV Markranstadt and renamed the football team RB Leipzig it could only acquire 49% of the shares, and they weren't allowed to use the full Red Bull name due to other German rules. They may be only in the Regionalliga Nord which makes up part of the fifth tier of German football, but Dietrich Mateschitz (Red Bull owner) is an incredibly astute businessman and he's invested in many sporting franchises as well as other football clubs; things that this man turn his hand to tend to be a success. With this kind of model as an example, why can't it work for Portsmouth? Maybe they could be the first side to achieve real success with fans as owners. The gentlemen concerned might have a few more quid than the average football fan, but they are fans nonetheless so they would have the interests of other fans, as well as the club at heart. Ian McInnes who is one of the 'high net worth individuals' that look to be providing the main funds for the bid, says that 'outside his family, Portsmouth football club is the most important thing in his life' and 'the city would die without the football club as a heartbeat.' He would know. He began his life in the humble surroundings of Portsmouth's northern suburb Paulsgrove, and Portsmouth has been in his blood ever since. As well as the four individuals backing the trust, McInnes intimated that there was a 'major backer from left field' who is looking to meet with the trust to discuss investment, so even if things are looking a bit cloudy on the horizon at the moment there's bright sunlight behind there somewhere. Perhaps the first hurdle to overcome will be the biggest of all; getting Chanrai and the two remaining players to walk away so a deal can be done with the Trevor Birch and the administrators to secure the future of this club that means so much to the people of this fantastic historic city. Portsmouth may not be my club, but I live close to the city and a lot of my friends are Pompey fans so I know for a fact that extinction for this club and city is not an option. I am not one to publicise things on this website, but if anybody wants information on the trust the best place to go is www.pompeytrust.com. I wish a great deal of luck to the loudest fans the Premier League has ever seen, and hope to see you back there soon. 

SPORT SHORTS

Well, Team GB have had a bit of a turn-around at the Olympics haven't they? Crikey.This time last week we had two or three medals. Now we have twenty nine medals including fourteen golds and we're up to third in the medals table. Last night was an amazing spectacle as Jessica Ennis (Heptathlon), Greg Rutherford (Long jump) and Mo Farah (10,000m) all made the top step of the rostrum within a literal 'Golden Hour' by crushing their opponents. There are more medals in prospect today with Andy Murray already guaranteed two Silver medals at least, and others being contested in sailing, athletics and more cycling at the velodrome.COME ON TEAM GB!

The England v South Africa test match at Headingley is finely poised with things just about even as rain stopped play just before lunch on Sunday. Kevin Pietersen's 149 and Matt Prior's 68 have given England a platform to build on. I think this game has draw written all over it, but if the bowlers can have a good day there's a slim chance of a win. All to play for in the battle for best Test side in the world.

With the English Premier League season a fortnight away, the transfer rumours are starting to spread. Manchester United are said to be preparing to bid £30m for Brazil's Lucas Moura and £20m for Arsenal's Robin van Persie. 
Also, I think this one is somewhat unlikely, but it's being reported that Manchester City are thinking about buying Scott Sinclair from Swansea. Has Roberto Mancini got a blind spot where Adam Johnson is concerned; He can send him to Anfield if he wants! Liverpool have apparently made a bid £12.5m for Uruguayan Gaston Ramirez. We must have some sort of interest in Uruguayan exports! 
(C)ashley Cole wants to be paid £200,000 a week. Enough said.  

Back next week with a full Premier League preview. 

Follow me on Twitter!