Bleacher Report - Articles by Chris Rowlands

Rafa Benitez Is In the Wrong Part Of Management

Chris Rowlands — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:35:21 -0500

Liverpool have lost six of their last seven competitive senior games, only a 2-0 win against rival Manchester United have prevented this from being one of their worst runs in a rather magnificent history.

Many pundits and fans have laid the blame at the shoes of their Spanish manager, Rafael Benitez; perhaps this is justified, perhaps not. All I know is, his five year stint at Liverpool have shown him to be one of the best potential international managers in the world.

Think about it: he won the Champions League in a squad that included the likes of Milan Baros, Salif Diao, and worst of all, Djimi Traore. The poor squad was not his fault, he inherited most of it from his predecessor, Gerard Houllier.

Surely only a tactical genius could win such a prestigious competition with the squad he had?

Time and time again we have seen Liverpool come back and win games they had absolutely no right to. If Benitez was any good in the transfer market, I have no doubt Liverpool would have won the Premier League by now. However, constant terrible signings have led Liverpool into the 2009/10 season with players such as Antony Voronin getting regular games: this may well be a criminal offence.

If there was nothing but harmony in the boardroom at Liverpool, they would have seen the need to appoint the "dreaded" Director of Football; somebody like Sven-Goran Eriksson, somebody with a vast knowledge of the game to bring in quality signings that compliment the likes of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard.

Were Benitez to leave club management, he would no longer have to worry about making signings, he can do what he seems to love best: play with tactics.

Picture this: American Samoa not conceding double figures against a semi-decent international side such as Australia (Australia have beaten the minnows 32-0 in the past, a record). It would be incredible. Possibly even a national holiday. All this is possible if Benitez goes international.

Kamui Kobayashi: Asia's Brightest Star, Or Just Another One-Hit Wonder?

Chris Rowlands — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:29:43 -0500

Due to Timo Glock's cracked vertebrae as a result of his horror crash at Suzuka, we got to see rookie Kamui Kobayashi take his place for the final two Grand Prix of the season.

At Brazil he finished a promising ninth position, after defending from a rampaging Button for several laps. For pretty much everyone, this was our first experience of his rather aggressive driving style—one rather reminiscent of a certain Takuma Sato.

Unlike Sato, Kobayashi did not crash, he in fact avoided most of the carnage and possibly stopped Button finishing any higher than he actually did. While this was a promising performance, most people ignored him for the much bigger news—a new World Champion is generally regarded as more important than a mildly promising debut for a mid-finishing driver.

Glock was not risked for Abu-Dhabi, so we got a second look at the 23 year-old Japanese hopeful. He qualified a respectable 12th place.

During the race Kobayashi turned out to be the fastest of the one-stopping drivers. At one point he was 3rd position, and he was driving some of the fastest laps out of anyone. When he again encountered Button, he pulled off an overtaking manoeuvre that seemed more than slightly out of place against the newly-crowned World Champion.

His aggressive style was a joy to behold, while it lacked the finesse of Button, or the dogged ability of Alonso to get stellar performances from an average car; it got the lap times, and he never really looked likely to crash out; making him much better than Takuma Sato already!

Eventually Kobayashi finished in 6th position, his overall pace and victory over his much more experienced teammate Jarno Trulli has all but guaranteed him a place in the Toyota lineup for 2010. After all, Toyota developed him, and he would be a great addition to a team wanting some home-grown talent.

Formula One During the 2000s: A Tale of Two Halves

Chris Rowlands — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:31:43 -0500

From the start of the 2000 season of Formula One through to the 2009 Abu Dhabi finale, we have seen so many epic moments in this, the most-watched sport in the world. We have seen a man win five consecutive World Driver's Championships, the first Afro- Caribbean driver and World Champion, and the first team to win the Constructors Championship at their first attempt.

Safe to say, it has been eventful.

Most notable was the complete division between the two halves of the decade. The first five seasons were dominated by the pictured team, Ferrari, and more notably Michael Schumacher, statistically speaking the greatest F1 driver ever seen.The second half was won by four different people and four different teams, a complete role reversal.

While there were indeed some fantastically dull races—notably the 2002 Hungarian Grand Prix—there is no doubting it was incredible to watch one man dominate his opposition so thoroughly, at almost every time of asking. It wasn't dull. It was mesmerizing.

After Schumacher retired, I felt mostly relief the title would become more open, but looking back I actually feel regret. How amazing would it be to witness Hamilton, Alonso et al face up against Schumi?

One problem we seem to be facing with regard to the future, however, is the removal of several European venues from the calendar. While France was understandable, seeing as Magny-Cours was in the middle of nowhere, Austria was quite a blow. Don't forget Belgium was absent for a year. Who can really envisage a future without the magnificent Spa? The British Grand Prix is under threat too, but it looks likely Silverstone will now retain it. I certainly hope so.

Looking forward to the next decade, I see nothing but promise. The number of extremely talented young drivers is ever-increasing, to the point where half the grid can be labeled "potential World Champion." Regulations are constantly being modified to increase the spectacle of F1, and there will be more teams next season than I personally have ever witnessed.

The only stumbling block is the political motivation coming over the competitive motivation we have seen so much with Max Mosley as FIA president, that Jean Todt can hopefully reign in. Onwards and upwards, I say.

We end 2009 with a quote none of us ever thought we would hear: "There are things I cannot afford" - Bernie Ecclestone. (I'm serious. He said this. Honestly.)

Button Dominance Shows Us: Bernie's Grand Idea Will Not Work Next Year

Chris Rowlands — Mon, 11 May 2009 06:03:29 -0400

For those of you who do not follow Formula One, you may want to know that Briton Jenson Button has won four of the five races held so far this season. This is certainly a good thing, as Button is the second most deserving of a Championship out of the "old boys" in formula one, right behind Mark Webber.

You may also want to know that the "boss" of F1, Bernie Ecclestone wishes to introduce a new scoring system for the Drivers Championship for the 2010 season, whereby the driver with the most wins will be the Champion, as apposed to the current points system.

Button has practically won the Championship already on the wins system, last year the two drivers with the most wins were Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton, with six and five respectively. Button has four, and it looks likely that he will win at Monaco and the next couple of races after that.

Teams with bigger budgets will be catching up in a couple of months, but even then it's not guarantee that someone can win six or seven races and Button will not win any more.

Which means that the rest of the season has been made redundant.

However, were Button to not finish, that is ten points that someone (at the moment Vettel or Barrichello) can make up on him. This is a massive chunk out of lead, and one win closer is just not as big.

The wins system also will be odd to use for the Constructors championship, the second driver is practically redundant, and teams like Force India might as well not turn up.

Still, we are having an interesting season, but lets hope next year is not ruined by unnecessary changes. Bernie Ecclestone has done many things that have improved F1 immensely, safety and commercial rights have improved tenfold and put F1 on the map (or Asia, if you prefer).

Let's hope he knows what he is doing.

Chelsea Are Not Lying, FIFA Are Out To Get Us All

Chris Rowlands — Fri, 08 May 2009 09:24:06 -0400

As we all saw on Wednesday night, Chelsea were the victims of an obvious, malicious, and successful attack by UEFA, the governing body of European Football.

They assigned relatively experienced referee Tom Henning Ovrebo (from Norway - clearly one of the most corrupt footballing countries in the world) to the Chelsea V Barselona Champions League Semi-final; where he proceeded to deny Chelsea four penalties in a controversial game.

Then, as if to show he was not the clearly corrupt referee he is, he sent off Barcelona's Abidal rather harshly, as if to say: "I am on your side, Chelski." Well, it did not work, sir; for I know you did that to make it seem like bad decisions were going both ways, rather than just against Chelsea.

Never mind that of the four potential penalties one was outside the area, one was an unavoidable handball, one was touch and go and the other was a penalty—he should have award another penalty to say sorry for not awarding the other four!

The result is clearly not Chelsea's fault, it's not like they knew or understood the away-goals rule.

The only solution is to sack everyone who works for UEFA, everyone who works for Barcelona, and everyone who has ever spoken to Tom Ovrebo, and, to be on the safe side, bar Barcelona from European competition for 100 years. Drogba should be awarded Sportsman of the year, for pointing out the heinous crime UEFA have committed.

This way we can prevent UEFA from ever doing anything to anyone again. Grassroots football can fend for themselves, they are not as important as Chelsea's 2008-'09 Champions League campaign.

Five Things I Have Learnt from Football This Week (Jan. 23)

Chris Rowlands — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 09:17:55 -0500

I have thought of five things to do a second week of article, in a format definitely not stolen from my favourite sports supplement, The Game!

1) Why change the away goals rule?

Burnley managed to score a goal within 90 minutes away; Tottenham didn't. Surely Burnley are the team in the final? No, another needless rule change means that Tottenham Hotspur progress.

2) Kaka cancels deal.

It worked out for the best, and Manchester City are going to lose Robinho in the summer. Improvement is 99 percent gradual, Hoffenheim being the exception. All Man City are proving is that you need more than money to have a successful team.

3) Hull need to improve, fast.

They are now showing the same form as Derby, circa a year ago. If they hadn't got 20 points in the first fifth of the season, they would be rock bottom. The fact the bottom half is tight doesn't help things.

4) Interesting table.

Very tight at the bottom, with teams such as West Brom hoping to repeat their famous escape several years ago. The top is tighter than previous years, as any one of three teams could win; and then there are Aston Villa—making it "the big five".

5) We need a winter break.

Player injuries and fatigue can be solved very easily: Either hold a winter break, which also solves the problem of postponed games; or keep the season the same length and move international fixtures to the end of the season.

In 15 years' time we will see retired players unable to move because of the damage an intense season will do to them.

Five Things I Have Learnt From Football This Week

Chris Rowlands — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 09:35:04 -0500

Welcome to what will hopefully become a weekly feature here on Bleacher Report! The opinion of an English teenager is important for all of us, so it seems only fair that I tell you five things that have piqued my interest this week, from the world of Football.

1. Liverpool keeping it interesting.

It may be bias, but I think Liverpool still have hope, in terms of winning the EPL. I can only hope the draws to Fulham and Stoke were a deliberate tactic from Rafa Benitez, to make the title race more interesting. At the moment it really does look like Manchester United will run away with the title.

2. Fulham, what are you doing here?

Roy Hodgson seems to have done a good job at Fulham, I was never expecting to see them ninth in the league with a win to their name! They even beat Arsenal, although quite a few teams have done that this season.

3. Ronaldo, World Player of the Year.

Congratulations to him, although it seems the people judging have forgotten what a mediocre Autumn and Winter he has had. Still, he is a very, very good player. Unfortunately, that sentence would probably look better if "annoying person" replaced "good player"

4. Who on earth will be relegated?

It's quite tight this year, in case you somehow didn't know. I was looking forward to seeing Newcastle and Tottenham in the Championship, but hey, we all have to start somewhere.

5. Kaka would be insane to accept 500K a week.

The rest of the team would alienate him, and this would throw the whole financial system into disarray. Players will want to earn as much as him, and no club could afford 11 players on anything over 150K a week, let alone 500K.

I know a lot of you guys out there like your Football, so: discuss!

Hull City to Give Mid Table Mediocrity a Go

Chris Rowlands — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:43:17 -0500

Hull City AFC's PR department announced today that they are going to draw the remainder of their games this season 0-0 or 1-1.

This comes in light of comments in the press saying that after their superb start to the season (at one point being on equal points with leaders Chelsea and Liverpool); then "doing a Derby", they want to see what it is like to be Middlesborough.

Phil Brown was unavailable for comment, most probably due to the fact he is currently inside the KC Stadium, demolishing the home dressing room. Work on a pitch side replacement is underway.

Goalkeeper Boaz Myhill was heard saying: "Good news for me, I can take a nap against high scoring teams like Man U and Wigan now."

More news shortly.

Will Andy Murray Succed at The Australian Open, Or Is There Too Much Hype?

Chris Rowlands — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:18:54 -0500

As an armchair tennis fan, I have found the recent media hype over Andy Murray rather intriguing.

For a start, I'm not used to the British guy being the favourite. There is a reason teams like Accrington Stanley and Hull City (I have been a fan since the old division three days).

Having beaten Roger Federer twice this year, and Rafael Nadal once, Murray has become the bookmakers' odds-on bet to win the first Grand Slam of the year.

One must wonder, though, if it is too good to be true? The British seem to be notorious under-achievers, and this just seems like one of those moments where the hype has caused us all to suddenly "realise" that Murray is going to be better than Federer!

Murray seems to be different to the British sportsman stereotype: humble, hard-working, and always falling short. Considering he has spent a decent (or not-so-decent) amount of time injured, becoming No. 4 in the world at the tender age of 21, he actually has the potential to win Grand Slams.

Is he ready yet?

Early season form, for any sport, is often misleading. Look at Tottenham or Hull in the English Premier League. I like Murray, and would definitely like to see him win a Grand Slam this year.

It all depends on how he does in five-set games. We all saw the Masters Cup, and what happens if you beat Roger Federer, then play two days later.

Aston Villa: The Neutral's Club

Chris Rowlands — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 09:50:57 -0500

If (like most people) you do not support Aston Villa, perhaps we should take a look at the club often know as the Villains—as they are far from it.

Their manager, Martin O'Neill, is one of the most talented British (when Villa win—British, when Villa lose—Northern Irish) managers in the Premier League, and he has built his squad with an emphasis on youth. At one point last season you could even field a decent English XI using Villa players (Scott Carson left, but Stuart Taylor is in the squad, so it is still possible). Players such as Reo-Coker, Barry, Knight, Agbonlahor, and Young give Villa an excellent mix of technical ability, intelligence, and work rate.

Villa are constantly on the threshold of breaking into the top four, and reach Europe often enough to be considered a big team. Last year they were knocked out of the second qualifying round in the UEFA Cup, after winning in the third round of the Intertoto Cup.

Aston Villa are a sleeping giant of a club, with a past full of success; which includes a European Cup.

Villa's owner is Randy Lerner, also owner of the Cleveland Browns NFL team. Since he purchased the club from Doug Ellis, he has been perhaps one of the only foreign owners not to cause any major controversy. As a result, Villa have flourished, becoming one of the best six clubs in the country.

Villa play entertaining football, at Villa Park. Their main rivals are West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City, and in the recent past there has always been at least one of these clubs in the top flight, meaning Villa fans always get a derby game. There is little doubt that Villa are one of the best clubs in the Midlands.

If that wasn't enough, they play in claret and blue, wonderfully eclectic colours that actually make the club's kit look very good. The away kit is sometimes a bit off, but this season's blue and black is not too bad.

After all is said and done, you know you want to be a Villa fan now, who doesn't?

2008: The Drivers and Constructors Performance Rankings

Chris Rowlands — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 21:39:18 -0500

Hello, and welcome to what must be the one millionth performance rating article on Bleacher Report. Before we start, I will say that these rankings are based on my own personal opinion, which means they are more likely to be wrong. I am also going to omit Super Aguri and Prodrive, seeing as one went bankrupt, and the other lied about participating.

Here we go, constructors first:

10th - Honda

This would seem to be the obvious choice, while they are now an established team, for two years they have been nothing short of abysmal. If I were to be fair to the team, the car has been ignored for the best part of six months, when it was decided that effort should be given to the 2009 car. It is for this reason that I predict they will do much, much better next year.

Finish this season - 9th

Predicted finish next season - 6th

9th - Williams

What on earth has happened to Williams? They have one of the strongest driver line-ups on the grid, and (10 years ago, at least) a decent car. They have been going backwards at a pace Eddie Jordan would be proud of. I can only imagine them getting worse next season, and Rosberg and Nakajima must be thinking of jumping ship.

Finish this season - 8th

Predicted finish next season - 9th

8th - Force India

If it wasn't for an unfortunate incident near the end of the Monaco GP, Force India would not have finished on 0 points. If we consider that the car would have not been developed properly, because of constant managerial changes (Jordan to Midland to Spyker to Force India) then the drivers have an excuse. Force India also have one of the best line-ups, Sutil is easily as good as Vettel; and Fisichella, well, he won a race in a 2003 Jordan. Enough said. Still, I can't see the car improving fast enough.

Finish this season - 10th

Predicted finish next season - 10th

7th - Red Bull

This was a lukewarm year for Red Bull, with Couthard's last race epitomizing their season as a whole. They were beaten by their sister team, who were supposed to be rubbish. Webber is a great driver, and Vettel can hopefully keep up his spectacular form. Except this season to be a one-off.

Finish this season - 7th

Predicted finish next season - 7th

6th - Renault

I know what you're thinking. "Why put the team who won two races and has a former double world champion in 6th?" Well, that's exactly it. They have Alonso, and Renault have two constructors championships. They should have done better. The car was unreliable—12 retirements between the two drivers. They will do much better next season, now that Alonso has been confirmed for another year.

Finish this season - 4th

Predicted finish next season - 4th

5th - Toro Rosso

This was a good season. The form they displayed will not be repeated next season, with Vettel leaving for Red Bull. The fact that they won a race is enough to put them here anyway, but the first half of the season did not impress me at all. It woud be nice to see them do as well next season, but I feel it is unlikely.

Finish this season - 6th

Predicted finish next season - 8th

4th - Toyota

This was the first time they performed well since joining F1, and it is about time. Supposedly the richest team on the grid, I expect similar results next season. They also have the best driver nickname - Tim O'Glock - given to him by Eddie Jordan (at Jordan).

Finish this season - 5th

Predicted finish next season - 5th

3rd - Ferrari

As a Brit, I generally support my home drivers. I also have a slight aversion to Ferrari, but this season was a bit topsy-turvy. Räikkönen is world champion, but he was invisible for most of it. Massa was meant to be on his way out, and pretty poor at driving. He nearly won the championship, and was definitely the best driver for the last few races. I am not going to predict the top three for next season - it is just too tight. At least they were the best team.

Finish this season - 1st

Predicted finish next season - 1st-3rd

2nd - McLaren

They did well, but Heikki let the side down. He is a good driver, but his first two seasons have been lukewarm at best. Hamilton did well to win the WDC, but they were not the best team of the year when you compare results to expectations.

Finish this season - 2nd

Predicted finish next season - 1st-3rd

1st - BMW

By some miracle, they became championship contenders. They faded towards the end, but nobody expects Robert Kubica to be leading the Championship at any point. What makes them top though, is the promise they are showing for next season. They abandoned development on 2008 after Canada, yet they were still quite competitive. Next season they could win, and I can't imagine a better winner than Robert Kubica

Finish this season - 3rd

Predicted finish next season - 1st-3rd

Now, onto the drivers. Well done, if you are still awake, have a cookie. I won't do predictions for drivers, the Driver's Championship is too volatile for me to feel confident about how correct I will be.

20th - Jenson Button

I like him, but he was completely invisible this season. He better improve next year or we will forget about him.

Finished - 18th

19th - Giancarlo Fisichella

He was outperformed by his much younger teammate, "Fisi" is still a good driver, he just had a bad season.

Finished - No Points

18th - David Coulthard

A sad thing to see him go. He had a fantastic career, but you could tell he was not fully in it this year, being mediocre for extended periods. The paddock will miss him severely.

Finished - 16th

17th - Adrian Sutil

Could have finished fourth, were it not for an unlucky mistake from a talented Ferrari driver. Sutil spent most of the season being beaten up by Ferrari, Singapore and Monaco being the main examples.

Finished - No Points

16th - Kimi Raikkonen

I imagine I will get a lot of hate for this, but World Champions do not perform like this. He was invisible, yet he is in a Ferrari. Outperformed by Massa. However, he is very talented, and he will do much better next season. I guarantee it.

Finished - 3rd

15th - Sébastien Bourdais

I know he is a rookie, but compared to his teammate, this was not a great season. Luck did play a major factor. I doubt he will improve much next season.

Finished - 17th

14th - Nelson Piquet Jr.

He was average in an improving car. I admit it must be hard to have Alonso as your teammate, but he is better than his results show

Finished - 12th

13th - Kazuki Nakajima

When he was awake, he was good. However, he didn't seem to be awake mush. He could do a lot better, but the car limits him.

Finished - 15th

12th - Heikki Kovaleinen

Unlucky. So, so unlucky. Even so, he was still average. He has the potential, he just needs to realise it.

Finished - 7th

11th - Rubens Barrichello

No, I haven't gone insane. He regularly beat Button (not a difficult feat this year) and even got on the podium, in a Honda. He is also the most experienced driver in the field, but still going strong.

Finished - 14th

10th - Mark Webber

An average season form one of the most outspoken and unluckiest drivers out there. If he gets a good car, he will do well. No one seems to want him, which is the problem.

Finished - 11th

9th - Jarno Trulli

Both Toyota drivers did better this season, in an improving car. Toyota should be doing better though, hey have the resources.

Finished - 9th

8th - Timo Glock

Kept up with his more experienced team-mate. Tim O'Glock will always be remembered for the Brazilian GP, even though he did absolutely nothing wrong.

Finished - 10th

7th - Nico Rosberg

A great driver in a not so great car. If the Car gets better, he will continue to get the most out of it. Has the potential to win a championship.

Finished - 13th

6th - Nick Heidfeld

He's getting older, but now he has the car, he is doing an admirable job as 2nd driver. It may not be ideal, but now that he is scoring, I doubt he'll mind.

Finished - 6th

5th - Fernando Alonso

Finished on a very high note. Expect him to carry that on next season. A good, if not annoying. (To a British fan, at any rate. I bet Spaniards feel the same about Hamilton as I do Alonso. Hooray for blind patriotism!)

Finished - 5th

4th - Sebastian Vettel

It's getting harder to rank them now. Let's face it, he won a race in a Toro Rosso. He scored in 6 of the last 7 races, coming 9th in the other one. He better hope Red Bull have a good car for him, he is going to be a champion one day.

Finished - 8th

3rd - Robert Kubica

He could have been in contention if the car had been developed. Watch out for him next season, he could realistically expect a few more wins next year. The Canada win was a great highlight of his skill under treacherous conditions, and also brought to my attention the possibilities of Formula 1...on ice!

Finished - 4th

Join 1st - Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa

Yes, you caught me; I do not have the balls to separate these two. Hamilton won the championship, but did anyone expect Massa to run him so close? I thought not. Massa certainly did better towards the end of the season, and Hamilton was lucky to come fifth at Brazil.

Hamilton does seem more likely to keep up his form through to next season, but I am so good at predicting wrongly that I have just signed off any chance Hamilton had for winning the championship.

If you are still awake, you are my new best friend! Thanks for reading, and I expect lots of comments saying how wrong I am!

The Englishman's Guide To American Sport

Chris Rowlands — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 09:29:08 -0400

America has many sports. We don't play them, at least very well. If we do play them, it's under a different name; with different rules. Here I will attempt to explain what these are.

American Football

Or in America, Football. They call Football Soccerball, not English Football, because they're crazy. It's the only logical explanation. This sport is like Rugby, only you pass forwards instead of backwards (which tends to help move play up the field, the inventors of Rugby missed a trick here), and they wear armour.

This is because it's fun to hurt people in a regulated way; which you can't do in rugby—you have to hit them while the ref looks away. Teams have catchy names, such as the Jacksonville Jaguars. This name is catchy because both words start with the letter J. This sport is best played in between advert breaks.

Baseball

Or, Rounders. We don't have a baseball or rounders league. This is because only an eight-year-old would play that game. Besides, you have to catch with your weaker hand! How crazy is that. Teams here are named after the colour of their socks, or Sox—the American spelling. Interestingly enough, America win the World Series every year. I call this The Micheal Schumacher Effect.

Organised Fighting

Commonly played on ice, with hockey sticks. Americans don't play much regular hockey, because ice rinks provide a better fighting atmosphere. Interestingly, Bill Clinton owns an ice-Hockey team in Ontario (that's in Canada, for anyone who didn't know).

Soccerball

Only women and male goalkeepers play this sport. Apparently it's a bit like our football, although I'm not sure...I'll have to check my facts on this one.

I hope you are now an expert on American Sport. This guide will help you out-debate even the most seasoned fans, thanks to the incredible facts and serious tone of writing.

Why We Should Boo Booing: Ashley Cole and the Wembley Aftermath

Chris Rowlands — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 06:03:33 -0400

Saturday, Oct. 11. England vs. Kazakhstan. As expected, England slotted five goals past the minnows. Unexpectedly, though, Kazakhstan got a goal! Ashley Cole was the man responsible, slotting an accidentally excellent cross, which Kukeyev sublimely tucked past David James.

After this, Cole was booed by a minority of England fans, which, in my opinion, is shameful behaviour. I can understand why a fan would want to boo a player; after all, it costs a fortune to get into Wembley, and conceding to Kazakhstan wouldn't amuse me, either.

This is still no excuse for what they did. Everyone makes mistakes, some bigger than others. You don't boo people who drop pens; you don't boo people who give incorrect change. Cole's mistake didn't really cause much worry; Kazakhstan were never going to score another goal.

Sometimes I think Wembley resembles a zoo; whenever the "animals" do something the crowd doesn't want them too, we shout at them. Footballers do get paid a lot, but if your company was making millions, wouldn't you expect some of that money to come to you?

If the crowd wanted Cole to play better, booing was the worst possible solution. No one likes that kind of pressure put on them, even less when it isn't really deserved. The best way to prevent this is name and shame the abusers, perhaps even ban them.

Why F1 Is More Exciting Than Five Years Ago

Chris Rowlands — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 23:51:06 -0400

We all know who Micheal Schumacher is. Arguably the greatest driver of all time, he broke Juan Manuel Fangio's incredible record of five World Driver's Championships; getting 7-2 for Benetton, and five for Ferrari. He broke almost every record set or recorded in Formula 1, and made the career of Rubens Barrichello seem mediocre, which it isn't.

Micheal Schumacher is almost always blamed for F1 becoming boring; this is unequivocally wrong. It is the fault of the other teams participating in Formula 1 who are to blame for this boredom.

What Micheal Schumacher achieved is nothing short of incredible, and you cannot complain that he ruined the sport because surely being successful is the whole idea of competitive sport?

The fact that there was little overtaking near the start of the 21st century's seasons covered the whole field, not just the little red dot disappearing over the horizon at every race. Why would it be a front-runner's fault that a Sauber couldn't overtake a Prost? That is the fault of the designers of the cars; which just weren't made for overtaking.

Some of the recent rule changes have helped make F1 better. Qualifying was drab when there was 1 car at a time; now we see exciting sessions where there is a real possibility of the championship leader coming 15th.

We now have several drivers who could become Champions with the right car and timing. Lewis Hamilton, Felipe Massa, Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso (who has shown his talent again with impressive Singapore then Fuji wins), Robert Kubica, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, Adrian Sutil, and perhaps a few others.

Teams are closing the gaps to each other. Next year could have BMW and Renault join the chase; while teams such as Toyota and Toro Rosso are improving massively. Let's not forget that Red Bull, Williams and Honda still have great potential.

GP2 (or F2, from next year) has several great talents. Bruno Senna (nephew of the great late Ayrton Senna), Lucas DiGrassi, and Sebastien Buemi are all real prospects. Watch out for these guys, they could make a massive impact in three or four years time.

Now that we have this competitiveness, wouldn't it be great to have Micheal Schumacher come back and have another go?

The Pains Of Being a Fan Of Too Many Teams

Chris Rowlands — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:43:46 -0400

I am an armchair fan. The reasoning for this is that I can only see my local team live, and Gillingham F.C. are renowned for their ability to defy expectations. Usually this means losing 7-0, but today they actually won! I know!

Besides, when I go to watch them, they lose. I even went to Upton Park (a West Ham-supporting mate had a spare ticket) as an undercover Hammers fan, and Gills lost 2-1. I can tell you, celebrating the Gills goal from the Hammers stand was a big mistake...

Anyway, because of this unfortunate Gillingham-living-near-to experience, I watch a lot of random football on TV. Soccer Saturday has become my best friend. Here we go, a list of clubs I either support or check the results of/really like:

Hull
Liverpool
Gilingham
Accrington Stanley
Hartlepool
Swansea
Scarborough
Ebbsfleet
Inverness
Hamilton
East Stirling
Braintree
AFC Wimbledon
FC United
AFC Liverpool (Yes, they exist!)
Go Ahead Eagles (Holland)
Allemania Aachen (Germany, went there on a school trip, was three Euros away from buying their club shirt)
Malaga (School Trip)
Kaizer Chiefs (Blame the band)
erm...Gretna, until they decided to stop existing selfish bast...

So, what is my dilemma? Well, how exactly do you expect me to keep track of all these teams? I'm not magic...well...not much...so it becomes a drain on my life.

Secondly, most of these teams suck, I love a minnow (Hull were near the bottom of old division three when I became a fan eight years ago), as such, 12 teams will lose at any given weekend. Except this one, England are playing.

I live in southeast England. Who else is going to want to discuss the merits of a Dutch second-tier team? Only Paedophiles, that's who!

Anyway, the real dilemma is trying to classify the subsequent Bleacher Report article. Is it a list, or humour? I'm going to leave it up to those who edit my article, but I see 21 funny things and 20 lists.

Points Mean Prizes and Sparks Mean Surprises: Fernando Alonso Takes Singapore GP

Chris Rowlands — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 08:51:13 -0400

Sometimes Formula One can be just incredible; today's race at Singapore was one of those times. Fernando Alonso came from 15th on the grid to win his first race of the season in what was also F1's first nighttime race. It could not have been better.

It started off as a race reminiscent of the Schumacher years, with Felipe Massa building up a comfortable lead over Lewis Hamilton, who never looked threatening. However, you could sense that it would not stay like this, and we were proven right before the first set of pit stops.

Nelson Piquet had put his Renault into the wall at turn 17, setting up a chain reaction which caused his teammate to find himself in a winning position.

Alonso had pitted three laps before Piquet's crash, and he had fuelled for a very long time, meaning he ended up fifth.

The pit stops were most notable for Felipe Massa's impression of a Liverpudlian (nine Liverpool players have been burgled in just over two years) when he drove off with the fuel hose his mechanics were fuelling him with. He very kindly stopped at the end the pit lane, so that the mechanics could sprint 500 meters to take it off.

These poor mechanics had to trundle back and forth past every single team, who were no doubt loving it. A mention should go out to the controller of Ferrari's unique semi-automatic pit lane release system, which caused this accident and nearly ruined Adrian Sutil's day. (That gets ruined later.)

Rosberg and Kubica had pitted when the pit lane was closed, so they had to serve 10 second stop-go penalties. Pretty harsh when the alternative is stopping on track when you run out of fuel. Rosberg's penalty actually caused a mild amount of confusion, as he managed to get back out ahead of Hamilton, leading (for one hilarious moment) to the ITV commentators to think he had forgotten to stop.

The next few laps were slightly less eventful, but that is hardly surprising. Then, on lap 50, Massa put his Ferrari into a wall. He spun back onto the track, but Sutil (yes, the one from earlier) had to avoid him, and ended up crashing himself. This brought the safety car out, causing a few nerves at the Renault garage.

Sutil must really hate Ferrari now, as, way back in Monaco, Kimi Raikkonen shunted him put of a points position, near the end of the race.

Ferrari's day went from bad to worse, as Raikkonen misjudged the triple chicane later on, and went into the wall and out of the race.

Alonso held on to his lead, and became the seventh driver to win a race this season. Credit should also be given to Rosberg, who finished second, despite a stop-go penalty; and Sebastian Vettel, who finished sixth to get 14 points from the last two races.

Honda's troubles continued with Barrichello's retiring again; then, as he went to throw his gloves to the crowd, the wind blew them into the sea. Button finished ninth.

Why The Media Is The Best and Worst Thing For European Football

Chris Rowlands — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:49:50 -0400

Wa all hear at some point every week that somebody has said something about someone else. We get this information from newspapers, television, or the Internet. Without these vital forms of getting information to us, insane things could happen. Misguided beliefs would arise. Newcastle United could be wrongly pronounced as a stable club bound to get to Europe next season.

But at the same time, we get stories of how the media is responsible for England's latest loss, the 39th game, or whatever else is negatively affecting football.

Why is this so?

We all know that football has had billions of pounds pumped into it since the Premier League was formed, and has brought us three European Cups and a Portuguese player with incredibly well coordinated feet. But is this a good thing?

The media, however you picture it, has lapped up the stories with vigour. Because of hard-working reporters, I can tell you that nine Liverpool players have been robbed since Rafa Benitez took over. We would also be the first to know how much it would cost for a weekend with Mrs. Ronaldo.

Unfortunately, we have thrust footballers into the limelight, and like most twenty-somethings, they make fools of themselves. The final main advantage of the media: the gem of a quote from Phil Brown at the weekend, "It's inconclusive, there's no doubt about it." This was talking about replays of Everton's goal that only just crossed the line.

The other dark side of the media is televised Football. Despite being too young to remember a time when it happened, I miss seeing all 10 Premier League matches played at the same time: Saturday, 3 PM. Nowadays, Sky and Setanta both steal a couple of games a week, making Gillette Soccer Saturday feel rather lacklustre and, quite frankly, dull.

Apparently it is these reasons why England can't score. The influx of foreign players caused by the influx of foreign money caused by the influx of Sky and its cameras; has resulted in no English players being developed. This can't be right, I know two words that prove it wrong: Theo Walcott.

I leave you with this: would you rather have every match on a Saturday at the proper time, or an English team in the Champions League final and the ability to watch exciting 6-0 games from one of the best teams in the country, playing with their youth side against a team supposedly Championship standard?