Sunday Mercury - Offside

Rosssi shows he is no Chicken!

2009-10-26T18:52:45Z

So I didn’t quite make it up at stupid o‘clock once more this weekend to watch the penultimate race in the MotoGP season out in Sepang, but thank goodness for iplayer, as it was one hell of an eventful Grand Prix!

First up was the incredible torrential rain that came 30 minutes before the race proper, after it had been sunny and dry all weekend, which would have completely messed up the riders preparation, then the fact that Lorenzo failed to make it back to his starting position in time meaning he had to start form the back of the grid looked to have ended any hopes he had of taking the Championship before the race had even begun.

Then when they finally did start, Rossi uncharacteristically lost his advantage from starting on pole as he slipped back to 5th on the first corner, and was languishing in 11th by the end of the first lap.

Suddenly it seemed as if the race was back on, with the awful conditions meaning Rossi could fall at any time, and with Lorenzo rapidly gaining back places it seemed as though we would have a race after all!

But the wise head of Rossi meant that he had actually simply stuck himself on the back wheel of Lorenzo, to ensure that he wouldn’t get away from him, knowing that a top four finish would do to help him take his 7th Premiere title.

Ruthlessly he loitered in Lorenzo’s mirrors, until he realised his teammate did not have the pace, and then he simply ghosted past him, and from that moment on, even though there was always a chance of a crash in the horrendous conditions, you just knew that “The Doctor” had it in the bag!

The most bizarre bit of the day though was clearly when Rossi, having won the title, decided to stop and pose with a chicken adorned in his colours…….no he hadn't mistakenly popped into a KFC Drive Thru, but instead the reason for this strange celebration is simple really, as the great man said "My celebration was because in Italy we say an old chicken makes good soup but can no longer lay eggs! I am like the old chicken - 30 years now - but I have made another egg! That's nine!,"…………………okay maybe not that simple, but zany enough to be done by Rossi!

He truly is the greatest, he has set pretty much every record and deserves to be champion once more, but I can’t help think that next year, with a fit Stoner and more experienced Lorenzo, it will be harder to make it a nice round 10. In fact Stoner was such a class above everyone else, he was in different time zone, having put on a 18 second lead in about 10 laps, he simply cruised home, and this young Aussie is looking better than ever, amazing when you think that the Ducati he is on is notoriously hard to ride!

Moving to the football, I was gutted to see Arsenal throw away the 2 goal lead at Upton Park, and with it the chance to go top of the table, sure its early doors, but games like that can make a huge difference at the end of the season. Just ask United who had their worst nightmares come true at Anfield as they were played off the park by a Liverpool team with something to prove!

Chelsea won again, although the real thriller was between Bolton & Everton…….I know who’d have thought it, especially with the fact that Megson’s men were actually playing some decent football and just not lumping it up to Davies for him to get stuck into.

In fact after this weekends results, I would say that the Premiership is really open this year, and the European places, as no team seems to have an unbeatable air about them at all, and others seem to have really raised their games.

I managed to pick every game wrong this week in the Guinness Premiership, as my beloved Tigers went down at the Madejski to London Irish, again without scoring a try, and I would be seriously worried in the Tigers camp about their lack of penetration at times. Quins beat the impressive Worcester, Newcastle picked up their first win of the season at Bath, and even Wasps managed to beat Gloucester away! Sarries continued their 100% record with a hard fought win against Leeds, and returned to the top of the table, while with Northants beating Sale, they moved up into 4th place above the Tigers.

So all in all, both Premierships are throwing up some results that lead me to believe this could be one of the best seasons of sport ever!!

On a personal note this week, I am turning 30 on Friday, so I mostly going to be out celebrating, by going to see the Dead Weather tonight, hosting a premier in Birmingham for my listeners of Jennifer’s Body (Megan Fox as a demonic cheerleader…….hell yeah!), and then watching Greenday at the LG arena on Weds before heading home for a bone scan on my neck, and some fun and games with my mates and family back in Epsom!

Chances are then that the next time I’ll blog I will be thirty………….maybe I should get me a chicken too??

LiveJournal Tags: luke wilkins,kerrang radio,offside,motogp,rossi,lorenzo,stoner,guinness premiership,premiership

Button, Brawn and Bikers!

2009-10-22T17:43:23Z

What a weekend for motorsport!

I awoke with a rather large hangover on Sunday afternoon to the bliss that is the MotoGP. In fact I was so not with it, that I even phoned my mate Gary up who runs Streetbike, as I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing!

Lorenzo flying off at the first corner, and taking poor Nicky Hayden with him, was so unbelievable to me after watching him all season, that I had to call someone, it was only then that Gary pointed out to me the race had actually taken place at stupid o’clock that morning, and I was in fact watching the highlights!

Good news though, as Gary subtly didn't ruin the race for me, and just said to keep watching. What unfolded over the race was simply breathtaking, two men riding their bikes right on the edge, all the way to the chequered flag!

You would have though Rossi would have eased off and given Stoner an easy win, but it was not to be, as both riders showed just how good and competitive they are, still pushing right to the end, with both almost losing at the final corner!

For Stoner it must have been bliss, as he proved all his doubters wrong and has shown that now he is fit, he is up there with the very best, and just seems to be enjoying riding now, and with Rossi’s lead at the top now 38 points surely Lorenzo has blown his title hopes?? Bring on the next race!

Then after some frantic walking of my friends dog….for two hours to sober up, I settled in at possibly the perfect time to watch a Grand Prix. Seriously, 6pm, after a nice Sunday lunch, and with it cold and dark outside, how cool was it to watch the Brazilian grand Prix…….oh and that man Button!

I really thought Button was blowing the Championship this year, he is a natural racer, and he has struggled in races ever since he has seemingly been trying to play it safe. I really thought another performance like that might cost him the title. Wow was I wrong!

After the worst qualifying of the season for Jensen, and starting in 14th, he must have just decided, sod it, and with his teammate and championship rival Barrichello in the lead early on, we got to see some of the best driving I have ever seen on a Formula One track!

Button was incredibly, battling his way up through the pack with a mixture of incredible overtaking skills and real on the edge driving, and it was obviously he had had enough of the negative tactics that had seen his lead at the top of the table diminish so rapidly. Yes Brawn haven't been on pace for some races,but to see his true colours come through in Brazil was simply astonishing!

What a way to shut your doubters up and show you truly are a World Champion! Also wasn’t it lovely in world more associated with the cold calculating egotistical genius of drivers like Alonso, Schumacher, and to an extent Hamilton, wasn’t it great to see the emotion that poured out of Jensen after the win, something that made the struggles of his career all the more tangible, although I do feel his rendition of we are the Champions may come back and haunt him on the new TV Show I have heard about being made by the BBC, Celebrity come Dancing Karaoke on Ice…….seriously though Button, top work, an amazing job by everyone at Brawn too, and to see the “Ice Man” Ross Brawn break down into tears at the end….well it just rounded up a perfect day, and show you how much these guys keep there emotions in check most of the time!

So then this week I am mostly riding lots of motorbikes in the rain, which is nice, if you haven't already check out my other blog to see what I’m on about in the Motorcycle Diaries, and i am also loving the return of Champions League footy to warm my dark and cold winter evenings, if only the results weren't so predictable, Man Utd and Chelsea win, Arsenal play well but struggle to a draw and Rangers getting thumped, plus of course the normal doom and gloom surrounding Liverpool after a few bad results.

On a personal note, I am chuffed this week after having actually managed two gym sessions in a row without breaking down! My neck has been playing up so badly over the summer but light is at the end of the tunnel, and I am off for a Bone scan next week, and I’m seeing a Neuro surgeon the week after, hopefully to get the all clear so I can start running into people head first again on a rugby pitch!

LiveJournal Tags: Luke wilkins,kerrang radio,sport,offside,motogp,formula one,moto gp,button,rossi,stoner,lorenzo,brawn

I’m Baaaaaaaaaaackkk!!!

2009-10-12T19:12:51Z

Apologies for lack of bloggage over the last few weeks, I have simply been so busy that my head exploded, and unfortunately while i though I was actually blogging, I was just taping away at an empty table with my laptop on the other side of the room.

In all seriousness I have been rather taken up not only with my daytime show on Kerrang Radio, but also with the ever developing and exciting Motorcycle Diaries which I have now taken into the video stage, so go check them out! Oh and here is a picture of me doing some Moto X just in case you don’t believe me!

On top of that I launched a new club night, and have been doing lots of work for my TV show, plus now I’m also starting back in training to look at seriously playing a bit of rugby again!

Only one problem there, and that is I’m awaiting the results of a bone scan and Neuro surgeon consultancy in a few weeks on my injured neck, as something wasn’t right on the MRI i had two months ago, but hey, heading back in the gym tomorrow to see if I cant get somewhere near match fit, so I can go and train and hopefully play with the Birmingham & Solihull Bee’s again at some point in the near future!

I couldn’t have asked for a better game to get the blood pumping and get me focusing on rugby fitness than Leicester vs. Ospreys at the weekend in the Heineken Cup….what a comeback by my beloved Tigers, and a great example as to why fitness in the final minutes of a match can make such a difference! Also it was just to have Europe’s premier Rugby competition back……man I missed it, and as always it didn't disappoint!

Oh and Billy Twelvetrees, I don’t care how many larches you own son, you did ace!!

Not that I’m anywhere near match fitness, in fact since I injured my neck at the end of last season, its been hard to get a weeks training in without breaking down, but hopefully, I have turned a corner and can start getting “Massive” as they say again!! Yay!

I thought it was a shame to see England throw away their 100% World Cup qualifying record against Ukraine on Saturday, all pretty much down to one silly mistake from a certain Rio Ferdinand. No doubt a world class player, he has copped a lot of stick over his mistake that led to Robert Green being sent off, and he will be in no doubt that he needs to get himself out of his comfort zone if he is to up his game….but come on……we were already through!

Sure it wasn't a great game, but you know what, we have done the hard work, and so if our players want to mess up at any point in their international career now is a good a time as any!

I read someone’s Facebook status (you can add me on here www.facebook.com/superstarluke to stay updated with the latest blogs!) after the final whistle which read something like “God why do I bother to support England after a game like that!” and couldn’t believe it! I mean this is a side that has just walked through qualifying with one of our best runs of form ever, scoring goals for fun and looking great while doing it, and they were judging them on the Ukraine match. I say, take it easy, these boys have already got their mind on 2010, so it was never going to be a full blooded performance, but the main thing (Just ask Maradonna with Argentina) is that we are through, and will be in South Africa next year!

Right then, I am aiming to update this at least twice a week from now on with my sporting views and random gibber jabber, so until next times my illustrious compadres!!!

LiveJournal Tags: england football,luke wilkins,kerrang radio,motorcycle diaries,heineken cup,leicester tigers

Time for some Honesty in Sport

2009-09-16T16:55:30Z

Man what is going on with the world of sport at the moment???

Formula one appears in a right mess, after the whole Mosley Scandal, then the breakaway furore and with some big names dropping out, the last thing it needed was a race fix scandal!!

Especially when it appears that yes, Nelson Piquet Jr was asked to deliberately crash his car so his teammate Alonso could win the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, hell they are not even contesting the allegations, and both Briatore and Chief Engineer Pat Symonds have simply left the team.

In football the headlines have been dominated by Eduardo and Adebayor, not for scoring goals, but for the formers stupid dive, the latter's ridiculous celebration, and for stamping on Robin Van Persie’s head…all the more incredible because they were former friends at Arsenal….although to be fair I’m an Arsenal fan and sometimes I have been tempted to do that to the Dutchman as he can be so lazy……..so yeah maybe just cut out the celebration ! I mean I know football isn't really known for its integrity, but come on please, don’t be such numpties!!!

There was the ridiculous decision in Boxing the other night which saw Tyson Fury grab the English Heavyweight title after the judges awarded him the fight 98-92, even though in everybody else’s eyes in the arena, and on telly, he had been completely out boxed.

We have the gender confusion of Semenya, the South African Gold medal winner in the 800m at the recent World Championships, which has possibly been the worst handled saga ever, with both the IAAF at fault for making the announcement before the race, and the South African Team can also be held responsible as they should have withdrawn their athlete as soon as she was under suspicion, its not fair to put anyone through what she has been through. Hell, if you believe the South African Sports Minister it could still lead to World War Three if the IAAF try and take back her gold medal!

The worst though was still to come for me, the summers revelations in rugby regarding the Bloodgate saga at Quins, which in any ones eyes is pure and simple cheating…….something that has never really been prevalent in rugby, a game that has reputation for honesty, yes its a brutal sport, but as the saying goes its a Hooligans game played by gentleman. The idea of faking an injury sickens me, as I have seen people sew their own ear back on just to carry on and play the game, hell, even I have played through some stupid injuries (Busted neck, mullered back and broken hand) just so as not to let the side down. Also one of THE biggest things I was taught is never let the opposition see that they have hurt you, as that is half the battle won. Oh and David Lemi of Wasps, what was this celebration all about on Saturday???

All of this has shocked, and upset me, as I LOVE sport. Not the razzmatazz and money that has made it a global marketing force nowadays, but the pure, unadulterated idea of it. Its a great feeling if you are in a team, that has done all it can and played to the best of its ability even if you don’t win, a feeling that I think a lot of people seem to be forgetting about. That camaraderie is like nothing else, and it exists even at the lowest levels, and I think its wonderful, honestly I don't think there is a better feeling than being in the clubhouse with your teammates after you have all pulled together, put your bodies on the line of reach other and won…….its almost caveman-esque.

The fact that when you go to compete, at what ever sport, at what ever level, it is simply down to you competing against something else, whether that is another athlete, the clock, or simply competing against yourself.

Its a wonderful feeling for me, when on a rugby pitch the action comes towards me, everything seems to go into slow motion and it simply comes down to who wants it more, the guy on the opposition team with the ball, or you in defence. I know this sounds corny, but its true, I have always felt this sheer joy at playing sport, no matter it is, and the buzz you get from setting yourself targets, whether in training and then seeing the effects on the pitch is immense.

Yet all of this seems to be being forgotten now as people have let the money, the media and everything else take over. Sure it has to be a part of sport to survive, but when did sport lose its soul??

I want to make an appeal, to every sportsman and woman out there, no matter what you play, or how good you are, how about we all just try a bit of honesty.

Footballers, don’t dive, its cheating, I don’t care what you say, its the most despicable form of it too, rugby players, only bleed when you have been cut, because lets be honest that happens quite a bit too! Formula One drivers, stay true to your morals and don’t submit to ridiculous team orders and athletes………well try not to be so confused over your gender!

Lets make a stand, lets start it as grassroots level, lets let our children enjoy sport for what it is, and not for what it is becoming and lets all go back to being good honest people!!!

Phew rant over!!!! Now I'm off to take advantage of all you honest, and good sportsmen and woman over the world by cheating my arse off and winning everything!!

Mwahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! What’s that – yes I’m female (at least I have Long hair!), of course I’d love to run in the 800m!!!

Ah well, at least we have the Champions League back now to watch, providing a decent distraction from the cricket one dayers, although to be fair it never ceases to amaze me how the England team comes up with new and improved ways of throwing away games and just generally being rubbish at the middle length form of the game!

Oh and a massive congrats, but also an unlucky to the Birmingham & Solihull Bee’s who just lost out on a massive scalp in only there 2nd game in rugby’s Championship against Bristol the other day, losing out just 40-36…………what a game!! A great advert for what is good about rugby, especially as they had so many injuries they even asked my if I was available……….you knwo your desperate when………!! Seriously though, its going to be a hard season for the boys, but hopefully they can build on this awesome performance and show what honest, decent (well apart from Hunty) rugby players can do!!

Good on ya boys, I’ll be back down training with my Alice Band once my neck is better! Why not watch them against my brothers old club London Welsh this Saturday at Sharman’s Cross Road!

LiveJournal Tags: rugby,football,cricket,athletics,luke wilkins,kerrang radio,honesty,birmingham and solihull bees

Bring on South Africa!

2009-09-10T16:54:08Z

Man what a victory last night!!

As an England football fan, I have had to endure many painful nights during the lengthy and arduous qualification processes for major tournaments, nights which have left me with profound memories, full of anguish and angst, and some full of joy (Beckham against Greece anyone…… last minute free kick? I fell over backwards in a bar in Sutton, and knocked over a bunch of skinheads table full of drinks…….and they didn't care ‘cos we were off to the Euro’s!)

So last night, after 7 flawless qualifying games under Capello, I just assumed that something would go wrong, a disastrous own goal or a dreaded keeper miskick were all playing on my mind, hell I even contemplated the possibility that an angered ladybird might fly into Green’s eyes as he went to collect a backpass, rendering him temporarily blind, and while he floundered away wondering why Mother Nature was so cruel, up steps Slavan Bilic himself to knock the ball over the line with his earring………….you never know……… it could of happened!!

But no, instead of nail biting drama and tense anxious moments, we looked pretty damn good from the start, scored early and never looked back. What has Capello done to this England team?? Next thing you’ll know we will be experts at the dreaded penalty shootout!!

Seriously though, what Capello has done is immense, I do feel there has always been a lot of talent in our squad, but wow has he shown all the other managers how you get a team focused, and doing their jobs!

Plus the whole confidence thing is freaky, no longer do our players try and spend the whole 90 minutes away from the ball so as not to be lambasted the next day in the press, nay…..now they all actually look hungry for action…….almost as if they want to try and win the game???

I genuinely never thought we would see that in an England team, now if Capello could just go and spend some time with our One Day cricket squad that would be ace!!

They were rubbish, but I am not even going to dwell how bad we were at the cricket, instead I am simply going to salute our England manager and team for ensuring next summer I will be stuck indoors for a month doing nothing but watching our boys hopefully march to glory!! Saaaweeeet!

Although if they could find it in their hearts to give us something to moan about, that would be ace, all this talk of victory and how good we are is unsettling, I mean we are English after all, we like a moan!

LiveJournal Tags: luke wilkins,kerrang radio,football,capello,england,cricket

Ashes – the boys done good!

2009-08-26T18:24:43Z

Yeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!

Dame Edna Everage, Jason Donovan, Harry Kewell, Rolf Harris….and a certain weasel faced Ricky Ponting, your boys took one hell of a beating!!!!

So we have done it, repeated the glory of 2005, and brought that little urn full of ash back to the UK. Wow, is all I can say, what a summer!

From the word go I really thought the series would fail to live up to the hype surrounding our momentous win back in 2005, but boy was I wrong! While it may not have had the panache or class of that series (the players back then were a bit special!) it actually probably ended up having more drama.

From Jimmy and Monty’s last wicked partnership down in Cardiff, to the super Fred show at Lords, the dismal defeat at Headingly, to one of the biggest comebacks of all time in the final game at sun drenched Lords, it had everything!

Add to that the fairytale that occurred with Freddie retiring, the debutant Trott scoring a ton on debut and of course game winning bowling spells through the series by Jimmy, Graham Onions, Stuart Broad and Swanny, and you can see why I am still excited just thinking about it 3 days after it has ended!

Oh and in case you missed it, to top it all we only went and won! Yes this is not the same Aussie side that ruled the world 5 years ago, nor is this England side exactly the best in the world, but all of that was put to one side as two extremely determined and focussed teams went head to head in the heat of battle and gave there all.

Strauss was a legend the whole way through the series, a rock with the bat, I thought his captaincy was spot on, especially in getting the players to bounce back from the two shocking 1st innings performances at Cardiff and Headingly, and his contribution, in a team of mis-firing players, should not be overlooked. I also think his partnership with the new coach Andy Flower (a top bloke) is one that could really allow England to build something special….but i am getting ahead of myself….back to this summer!

That we came out on top is awesome, I must admit I have been sitting back during the summer while everybody who has ever happened to accidently switch the radio on to TMS ranted and raved at me about who should be coming in to replace Ravi, about why Strauss is a useless captain, how the whole England team need to be replaced by an army of flannel wearing Ooompah Lumpahs (okay I might have made that last bit up!) and how they could do better….yeah right! All the time I just nodded, listened to what they had to say and carried on, as I genuinely, deep down had faith in this side (see blogs from earlier in the year!) and with all the band wagon jumping that was going on about bringing Ramps back, bringing in Harmison, and reanimating WG Grace so he could come back from beyond the grave and spank the Aussies driving me mad, I ended just nodding my head and keeping schtum. I simply could not put up with all the negativity surrounding the side, especially as most of the people spouting it wouldn’t know an off cutter from a googly, let alone have the ability and balls to face a guy bowling a ball at you at 90mph.

I mean that's the thing with cricket, you could be the best batsmen in the world, and you can still get out cheaply by playing a bad shot, or getting a poor decision (that’s the whole point of the game), or you can have a lacklustre bowling spell when conditions don’t favour you, it doesn’t mean you are suddenly a bad player.

Obviously I want the uninitiated to get into cricket, as it is a truly wonderful game, but when people who have no idea bout the game start spouting off it does leave me angry! Why not just enjoy it, without feeling you have to try and tell everyone else how it should be played!

Dealing with all of this negativity and bad press, made the England task even harder, and the players should be admired in the way they did not let it get to them (some of the headlines after Headingly were hilarious – we were still 1-1 in the series, not 5-0 down!) and instead used it to spur them on.

I could sit and write for hours about everything that made this series special, but I will instead focus on one huge moment which for me summed up what the whole summer was about.

In Australia's 2nd innings at the Oval, they were set the mammoth total of 546 to reach to win the Ashes, simple as that, or so you would think. While they had had a solid start, the loss of two quick wickets seemed to setup the inevitable win, but Messrs Ponting and Hussey had very different ideas. Two batsmen who are truly world class, but were horribly out of form, decided that they were not going to let England get their hands on the urn without a fight.

Cue some brilliant batting, showing the edge and determination that had been prevalent in the whole series, as the two men at the crease were seemingly making a mockery of the record books and putting the Aussies in a position to actually go on and win the game.

Anyone that has seen these two bat before, will know when they do get in, they normally go on to make big scores, and I could really see Punter getting a double ton at one point and making it so that the urn would be heading back to Oz that the next day.

Then up stepped a man who, in my opinion, is one of the most talismanic sportsmen this country has ever seen, Freddie Flintoff. Having already made his mark on this series at Lords, injury and his impending retirement, and of course the emergence of Broad, seemed to have meant that in his final test match (cameo batting performance aside) his contributions would be minimal. Hardly fitting for the big man when you consider how often he has carried this side almost singlehandedly in the past.

Not to be out done by the young healthy whippersnappers though, Freddie had one last trick up his sleeve! From the moment Mr Cricket Hussey called Punter for the single to mid on, taking on the bg mans throw, I watched in almost disbelief as he nonchalantly picked the ball up in almost slow motion, set himself and then precede to throw down the stumps.

It was a moment of sheer genius and inspiration from the Lancastrian, and one that couldnt have come at a more pivotal time, the crowd were restless, the Aussies believed they could do it at 217-2, and yet suddenly their whole world came crashing down, especially when England picked up Clarke for 0 with another amazing run out a few balls later, with the team clearly pumped up now after Freddie's “Intervention”.

It was classic Flintoff, and as he stood still, with his arms held aloft in his now customary celebratory style, I knew that the Ashes were ours, and that however little you may have felt Freddie actually had done with bat and ball, he had left his impression on this series like no one else could!

As Fred ventures off into retirement from the test arena, he can hold his head high as being the man, for me anyway, who restored my faith in the England cricket team and who managed to seemingly get the whole nation on their feet believing the impossible, every time he got the ball in hand, and I hope more players come thorugh the ranks who give as much as he did, and wear their hearts on their sleeves….although maybe they could have a few less late nights!

So with the Ashes in the bag after an epic series, you’d think the England boys would be having some wild celebrations this week, although it is back to the grindstone in reality as they have a one day game against Ireland tomorrow, but one thing is for certain, that victory will do wonders for those Englnad players, and the big challenge ahead is to not get carried away like we did after 2005 and let our standards slip.

Hopefully though the lesson has been learnt, and this is the beginning of a great era of English cricket…fingers crossed!

As for those idiots down in London on Monday night after the West Ham Millwall game, honestly, what a bunch of wimps and eejits! You want to get in a fight boys, get in a boxing ring or on a rugby pitch with someone who can handle themsleves…..but oh no you won’t do that will you? Because you are complete and utter cowards and bullies, and take away the big gangs that you hide behind, and what have you got left at the end of the day? Pathetic individuals who have no care for life at all, and certainly no passion for football.

Seriously, I have travelled the world for many a year having to deal with the fact that from Mexico to the Middle East, every time you introduce yourself as an Englishman, the first thing that people associate with our country is “England? Oh yeah football Hooligans!”

Enough is enough, and it makes me sick!

Right then, rant over, I’m off to watch my beloved Arsenal play Celtic, in what will hopefully be a vindication of everything that is great about football!

Until next time my illustrious compadre’s!

Technorati Tags: Ashes,luke wilkins,kerrang radio,offside,cricket,freddie flintoff

Ashes Decider Time, Lightning Bolt and Go on the Burnley!

2009-08-20T16:50:21Z

So what a week of sport!

That man Usain Bolt was grabbing all of the headlines on Monday after absolutely destroying the 100m world record with a new best of 9.58 seconds………..that’s right, since he has come along, he has taken 0.16 seconds off the previous best of 9.74 set by Powell in 2005. To put this in perspective, it took Bolt about a year to get down to this time, while before he came a long, it took 22 years to shave the same amount of Calvin Smith’s 9.93 former record!

In other words Bolt is not just an incredible athlete, he is a phenomenon…..and it’s supposed to get harder to beat records as they get lower! I watched the race live with my girlfriend, who previously has not had a major interest in athletics, but she did start getting into Jessica Ennis successful bid to win gold in the Heptathlon, and of course, she could not take her eyes of the spectacle that was the men's 100m final!

Bolt can go quicker still, which is the scary prospect, and spare a thought for Tyson Gay who ran a gobsmacking 9.71, good enough to beat the world record set by Bolt in Beijing and take gold in pretty much any race throughout the history of time, and yet he wasn't even in contention behind the giant Jamaican…….imagine that feeling!

To be fair, Bolt should not be able to run that fast, his height means his natural levers are very long (this is the science bit!) and therefore he should not be able to generate the pace necessary to get them moving as quickly as he does……and its something that Bolt has had to fight against all his life. When he started he was told he was too tall, and to be fair if I had met a young Usain while studying Sports Science at Loughborough, I would have laughed him off the track too! Someone his size should not be able to be an effective sprinter.

Just goes to show you should never try and limit anyone's potential, if someone wants to do something, why should we stop them, just because they don't fit the traditional mould……I mean look at the impact Jonah Lomu had on World rugby and the introduction of backs the size of small buildings?? He was a freak according to Will Carling, but sometimes it takes a freak to make people realise you can think outside the box, now look how many sides have a guy Lomu’s size in the backs, and I for one love it…….unless its my responsibility to tackle them!

After the fun of the 100m final in the World Championships, came the ridiculous scandal surrounding the South African 800m gold medallist Semenya, which involves people claiming that she doesnt look enough like a woman and so therefore should be gender tested…….erm okay……well without being rude, I look at a hell of a lot of female athletes nowadays and think the same, they have become so similar to male athletes in build none of them look that feminine anymore, but to actually accuse them of being a man? That just seems crazy, I mean after all does no one remember Fatima Whitbread??

Hello!!!

Anyway, moving on, I am writing this while listening to TMS, and the incredibly drastic finale to the 2009 Ashes series at the Oval……….its so tense I have stopped biting my nails and am now down to my knuckles! Bell gave us a good start, but a typical England collapse has meant that my hero Freddie is in, and it really couldn't have been set up any better for the retiring legend if i had written the script myself. Lets just hope the big man can smash a few and make sure we post a minimum 1st innings total of 400, although personally I would have loved a good 5-600 on the board!

Will we win? As a patriot I will of course say yes, and as a cricket analyst i would also say we have a top chance, it will literally come down to who blinks first between these two good, but not great sides, and I cant wait to watch the drama unfold!

Oh and Sir Alex……….ahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahha!! Take that you moaning gits!! You were beaten by Burnley! Ahahahahahahaahahahahahhahahahahha!

Isn’t it great to have the footy season back? My beloved Arsenal put 6 past the Toffees, and then Liverpool and United have both lost a game already! I get the feeling this might just be a bit of a special season …….don’t ask me why, but I do feel that apart from Hull and Pompey, there aren’t many sides that will be a push over this year, and fringe teams like Sunderland, Tottenham, and Wigan will start to pick up their games and pose a real danger to the old top four…….obviously not forgetting Man “We have so much money we eat it” City!

Villa fans must be gutted though, in fact there was a rumour going around the Midlands the other day that O’Neil had in fact left Villa Park, but it was probably just for a sandwich or something, as he seems to be back there now!

I couldn’t believe that Lorenzo stacked it in the MotoGP when it actually looked like he had the beating of Rossi at Brno, but it was not to be, as the legendary pressure applied by the “Doctor” simply got too much for the youngster. With only six races to go, and Rossi having a 50 point lead, as well as the “Hoo-Doo” over his rivals, you get the feeling that it might be game over for Lorenzo, but the reason why I love bike racing is that you never quite know….so bring on Indianapolis next weekend!

It might all be rather elementary anyway, as I hear from a little bird that there is soon to be a new superstar in MotoGP who will come from nowhere to take next years title………..yes that’s right….its me! Okay I might sound a bit big headed here, but I have good reason, I did a day at the Ron Haslam School of Racing at Donnington, and if you want to find out how I did, check out the latest Motorcycle Diaries.

Oh bugger………Flintoff has just got out to Johnson…….dagnabbit!!!

I best go prepare my dinner, a nice serving of humble pie followed by a dollop of humility…….I hate Ricky Ponting!

LiveJournal Tags: luke wilkins,kerrang radio,offside,motogp,athletics,Usain Bolt,Ashes,Flintoff,Rossi

Super Subs, Paddy Power, and Bring on the Premiership!

2009-08-13T17:45:50Z

I don't know, first of all we have no footy for ages, then we get an embarrassment of riches all at once, with the Football League kicking off at the weekend, the Carling Cup starting on Tuesday and then International matches last night!

Talking of embarrassments though……..Scotland…….ahahahahaahahahahah…….sorry I meant England managed to avoid one against the Dutch last night, sure it is still technically pre season for these guys and you can’t expect them to be on top form, but I think the the first half performances by some of our supposed best players would have induced even more worry lines into Capello’s already Gordon Ramsey-esque forehead. I reckon by the time we get to the World Cup in 2010 it will be so full of furrows that you could grate cheese on it.

But the Italian pulled it out the bag at half time, after two frankly embarrassing mistakes by Ferdinand and Barry (who lets be honest are normally two of the most reliable performers in the side) gifted the Netherlands a 2-0 advantage, by bringing on his army of super subs!

To be fair, I have often watched Milner and Defoe flatter to deceive, but not last night, as they gave us the much needed passion and pace to generate that we had been lacking, and am I the only who thought Carlton Cole actually looked pretty damn good?? Maybe working under Zola at West Ham has brought out the best in this perennial underachiever?

It was great to see England fight back, and to be fair there would have been no complaints from the Dutch if we had won it, but it was not meant to be, still it does make it interesting now in the race for 2010 spots in the squad, and you can bet Capello will be reiterating that no one's place is secure in the coming weeks, and I personally think competition for places is what this team really needs.

Anyway, job done, kind of, and lets now turn our attention to the Premier League which returns on Saturday, and I am going to be getting the low down and insider knowledge from one of the best in the business on Saturday in my Offside show as Paddy Power will be in chatting about everything from who will lift the title, to who will end up with the Golden Boot!

Don’t miss it, 2-6pm on Kerrang Radio this Saturday!

A big talking point today is that Women’s boxing is being allowed into the Olympics, and while I can see every argument against the sport (I used to know my brother had had a boxing match when we were younger because the next day the bathroom would be covered in blood!), I do think that, as with any sports, if the competitors are fully aware of the risks, and are happy to continue, then that should be up to them.

I also don’t see any reason why sexism should come into sport, if someone wants to play a sport, no matter what colour, creed, or sex, they should be allowed too, although I am thinking of banning my girlfriend from playing darts, simply because she is getting a bit good and is starting to beat me on a regular basis……even when I cheat and make up increasingly more desperate and random rules like, you have to hit the light switch to win……….in the bedroom.

It would be great to see rugby back in there as well, which it looks like will happen for 2016, just a shame that its not going to be included in time for 2012!

The saddest news this week I feel is that we will not be able to witness the return of Michael Schumacher to Formula 1 because of a neck injury, I don’t think there was anyone out there who wasn’t looking forward to seeing Schumey lock horns with Jensen, Webber et al again, and I was really pumped about seeing him go up against Hamilton, whom he has never raced, but you have to realise that if there was any chance he could get in that Ferrari, I think he would, so his injuries must have been pretty bad!

On a personal note I have managed to come through the dark times of my neck injury (6 weeks rest, 4 weeks rehab) and I have started back in the gym as of this week, trying to get some of the power and fitness (Ahem……I did used to have some honest!) back and hopefully even managing to get out and do some training again with the Birmingham Bee’s before they kick of their new season in Rugby’s all new Second Tier, the Championship.

Well part of me hopes that, the other part quite enjoyed sitting on my arse eating cakes watching other people go through the motions!

Until next time my friends!

LiveJournal Tags: Luke wilkins. kerrang radio,sport,offside,football,olympics,boxing,capello,england,schumacher

Football is back, and those pesky Aussies regain their aura!

2009-08-10T16:38:23Z

Yes ladies and gentlemen, rejoice for once more 22 grown men running around a piece of grass chasing after a bit of leather is back to keep us entertained over the next ten months, and I must admit I am so glad!

I can not tell you how grateful I was to have a shed load of goals to talk about on Saturday afternoon on my Offside show, mostly because it meant I didn’t have to watch as much as I normally would of England's horrible capitulation at Headingley in the cricket….more on that later, first up……BOOOOOM Football!

Yes I would be lying if I said I haven't missed the razzmatazz of the footy season in all its pomp and glory, but even I, the worlds biggest optimist, didn’t see it coming back with such a bang! Right from the word go on Saturday the goals were flying in (let’s not count the Sheffield vs. Boro game – it was pants!) and they were lots of shock results on the cards, including Norwich’s unbelievable 7-1 drubbing at the hands of the mighty…..erm Colchester.

Already in the Championship you can see Cardiff are looking good, along with Leicester and Derby who picked up good early wins, but it must be said I actually think that in West Brom and Newcastle, who played in the late kick off on Saturday, you have two sides that have the potential to bounce back up. I was actually surprised by Newcastle, it almost looked silly with the wingers Duff and Gutierrez having so much pace that at times it looked they were playing against 12 year olds, but their wastefulness, tied to the clubs current predicament meant that it was the Baggies who looked the better team, albeit until the final 15 minutes!

Sunday then brought about one of those true sporting rarities, Manchester United losing a cup final! Okay admittedly it was just the community shield, but Ancelotti wont care as you could see how much it meant to both sets of players to be on the winning side yesterday, and it is a psychological blow to their rivals, if only a small one, but wasn’t it great to see Fergie lose his rag at the end too, at least he hasn't lost his passion for the game yet!

Bring on the full fat Premiership campaign which kicks off next weekend!!

Talking of psychological blows, what a difference a week makes in cricket! After Edgbaston we were bemoaning the rain, and raving about how this England cricket side had the Hoo Doo over the Aussies coming in to the 4th test..whoops!

They always say beware a wounded Tiger, and wow did the Aussies come back firing, they may not have the talented individuals we are used in the likes of McGrath and Warne, but they could teach this England side a thing or too about playing together as a team to the best of your ability!

We got stuffed, and what the hell was going through those England players brains when they had the willow in hand?? Ah well, I do love the way every Tom, Dick and Harry then suddenly chirps up when England have a bad game about bringing in wholesale changes………….were these not the same people who were moaning when England tried one off selections last time round……Pattinson anyone?

This is the same team that was stuffing the Baggy Green wearers mere weeks ago, so why suddenly change now?? Did the Aussie’s make wholesale changes after we beat them?? No, they didn't and look how their players responded. Don’t get me wrong, being a Surrey fan and having met the guy a few times, the romantic for the game in me would love to see 39 year old Mark Ramprakash come in for the last test, score a double ton and win us the Ashes, but it shouldn’t happen.

Ramps is a top county player, and it bemused me that he didn't translate that to international games, but like Graham Hick, he was simply found wanting psychologically at the top. Hell if we want to go down that route, I hear they can do wonders with animatronics these days, lets get WG Grace back to open the batting with Boycott (although I actually think the latter would do that if given a chance!).

Seriously, while I hope Flintoff is back to let the selectors drop the eternal let down and all round wet sponge is Steve Harmison, I don't think we should be looking at making massive changes, they just need to look at what the team did differently building up to this test, and get it right for the Oval.

I also think that a lot of the sensationalism that follows the England side’s fortunes is because most of the people commenting on the sport haven't played it at a high enough level, how many times this week have I had a chat with someone who has laid down the law when it comes to the players misfortunes, only to find that they have never even faced a geriatric Octogenarian form 22 yards, let alone someone chucking it down at 90mph.

I’m not trying to be snobby, but cricket is one of those games where you can have an off day, like in golf, because it all can all come down to one moment, and unless you have truly experienced a ball being bowled at you at speed, moving in the air and off the seam, its a bit unfair to criticise these players, and anyway, as they always say, form is temporary and class is permanent. I do believe building the future of this team should be considered, before they bring in one off players, and you will be able to tell a lot about the players individually in this side by how they bounce back (hopefully!!) at the Oval.

Ah well, either way, they can’t do much worse than they did at Headingley!!!! Come on boys, all you have to do is win the final test and the Ashes are ours!

As a fan should we not be getting behind out players in this hour of need, instead of turning on them as if they were lepers???

Until next time my illustrious compadres!

LiveJournal Tags: kerrang radio,luke wilkins,offside,football,cricket,ashes

All the Latest Offside Blog Entries Can be Found Here!

2009-07-31T10:43:13Z

Hey and welcome to my fancy new Rss Widget that will allow you to read all of my sports blogs in one place!

Simply Click the headline to read the article in full, and click again to close that article!

Freddie Calls it a day and chatting to Michael Vaughan

2009-07-15T20:01:15Z

Well I have to say, this has been a pretty amazing week for me, starting the new daytime show on Kerrang (Mon-Fri 11am-3pm), riding a Harley Davidson CVO Fat Bob, and yesterday I got to chat to one of my sporting heroes, England's most successful ever Test cricket Captain, Michael Vaughan.

A Chat that means so much more now that the news has filtered through that one of our most talismanic cricketers of all time Freddie Flintoff will be hanging up his boots at the end of this Ashes Series for good in the Test Arena.

You see Michael Vaughan retired merely a few weeks ago for the same reason, debilitating injuries just meaning that his body had had enough of the game, exactly the same reason why Freddie ahs decided to call time on a glittering career. In fact it's one of the best Interviews I have ever been a part of, with Vaughney chatting frankly about how will not miss the game, why he decided to call it a day, and also giving his thoughts on England's First Ashes test performance, and of course THAT dramatic climax!

Catch me chatting to MV on Saturday's Offside show on Kerrang! Radio from 1pm - you can listen online here!!!

So what about Freddie's decision to throw in the towel after this series?? Well you can't really blame him, he has been battling with serious injuries now for the last few years, and it has such an impact on his game, its more often that England turn out without the big man than with it seems.

There is no doubt he has been one of the best players in the world of our generation, and I know a lot of people will point to the stats (only two 5 wicket hauls, and a batting average that does not do him justice), but to be fair, that's not what Freddie is all about.

He epitomises the passion, the fire, the aggression and the desire that is all too often not seen in our players (apart from Colly and the Tail Enders late last Sunday.........Ohhh that's a great name for a band, Colly and the Tail Enders!), and how many times have we been up the Taff without a paddle only to chuck the ball to Fred and for him to make something happen?

In 2005, the series he will probably be best remembered for, it really did seem at times that he was carrying the whole hopes of a nation on his shoulders, maybe that's what did his knee in, in the end, and he has become a symbol of all that is good about England.

I will go much more in depth into the great mans career once this series has come to an end, because I reckon there is still some history to be written, and if I was the Aussies, I would not be sleeping great tonight.

He seemed so relaxed at the press conference today that you could tell this had been weighing on his mind something rotten, and once it was out, he visibly looked so much more at peace with himself and dare I say hungry to go out with a bang.

You can be sure he will be on the pitch every last ball for the remainder of the series no matter what it takes, and now he knows the time limit on his career, he won't have to keep saving himself, and I reckon a carefree, pumped up Freddie will be able to make one hell of an impact in the next 4 Tests, as he will want to go out with the type of bang that created all life in the universe......you know a Big one!

Oh and let's not forget he will still play in the one days and Twenty 20's, so this is not the end for Freddie, and for us England fans let's hope it's the beginning of a very special farewell Test summer!

Right don't forget Offside on Saturday, and my new daytime show on Kerrang from 11am-3pm each weekday, and tomorrow I'm off to DJ with my buddy Johnny Doom at the Velvet Lounge in Worcester from 10.30pm, then I'm mostly looking forward to going to the British Superbikes at Mallory Park on Sunday! I Will blog back before the weekend, so until then my illustrious compadres, be good to each other!

The Ashes Catch Fire

2009-07-13T22:31:27Z

My generation of England cricket fan has grown up with only really one constant in their life, the feeling of being let down.

Each series you would get used to the usual formula:

The hype before the a ball was even bowled with all the usual suspects talking up our chances, the emergence of a new "Talent" who would lead us forward into a bright new era aka the "New Botham", then the normal sinking feeling would kick in and lo and behold we would just end up getting trounced.

Of course we didn't always lose, but you knew, that when the big occasion came, these players who you would follow to the ends of the world to watch them whack a bit of leather with some willow, would perennially let us down and crumble to a humiliating defeat.

Seriously, I reckon Morrissey used to skip down the streets singing "I love Candy" until he started watching England play cricket.

I am one of the most optimistic people in the world, and yet even I would sit there and see the score as 175-1 and just know that somehow we would get bowled out for under 200.

Then it all changed...........2005 came around and suddenly England lived up to the hype, they manned up and took it to the best team in the world at the time, and in winning the Ashes that year, showed the world what we were finally capable of.

This was going to herald in a new era of English cricket, finally we had discovered some back bone and guts to go with our undoubted talent, the future was looking rosy and cricket in this country was not only popular once more........but actually cool (don't believe me - watch the video of the open top tour they did parading the Urn around London, they were gods to us!) and we had a talisman called Freddie to place all our hopes on even at the darkest times.

Alas it was not to be, as that fabulous team got decimated through injuries, mental breakdowns and sheer lack of form, and once again we seemed to be settling back into a rut of underperforming when it mattered most.

That is until Sunday afternoon, honestly, I had no idea that we were capable of holding on for a draw against the Aussies. Yes this Aussie side is not a patch on the team that was here 4 years ago, and neither is this England team, but I tell you what, the guts and determination shown by some of the boys yesterday blew me away, and has restored my faith in this 11, because even if they may not be the best ever players to take to the field, if they keep playing with heart like that I would watch them playing tiddly- winks until the end of time if needs be.

After 4 days of some pretty lacklustre cricket (not taking a wicket for 24 hours when North and Haddin was in was probably the harshest point), and with England having managed to deflate any thoughts of a similar performance to that of 2005 simply down to some awful shot selection and uninspired bowling, something remarkable happened.

One man stood his ground and said "No.............no more..........I will not let that weasel faced git and his boys get one over on me anymore, this is where I draw the line!".

That man was Paul Collingwood.

I predicted that the match would be over by all intents and purposes by 1pm, mostly so I could then watch the Formula 1 without feeling any guilt, and lo and behold, by 12.50 we were 90-5 and all was looking glum.

Imagine my surprise when I turned over a bit later from the Formula to see how badly we had been beaten and..............well we hadn't!

Collingwood was simply having none of it, and he stopped the rot that had seemed so set in stone earlier in the day, that some of the England players (KP and Ravi anyone?) didn't even seem to want to put up a fight.

My dad always use to talk to me as a child about Derek Randall, and how he was such an important part of the England team back in the 70's and 80's. He was by no means the best batsmen in the side, but what he could do in the field was incredible, and more than that, he inspired others. I have seen his dogged innings he played against the Aussies in 1977 at the MCG, where after narrowly avoiding a lethal bouncer from Dennis Lillee that almost took off his head; he simply doffed his cap at the moustachioed fast bowler and said "No use hitting me there mate, nothing to damage!", and this summed up his brave and incredibly focused attitude (which a lot of people just mistook for charm). He may not have had the most talent but he was so brave, and what he did to England in the field was immense, as he would pull off such remarkable feats of athleticism that people such as Botham and Gower would be so jealous of him stealing the limelight, they would try to outdo him.

That's what a team does, inspires each other when you need it most, look at Freddie when he comes into bowl, even if he was missing that usual spark after his first spell in this match, and how he lifts the fan and his teammates, now transfer that onto Collingwood and look at how he inspired the tailenders.

Colly only scored 74 in total, but he faced 245 balls in a stay of something like 6 hours,
and I don't think anyone would try and pass him off as England's most talented batsmen by any means. He stayed at the crease through determination, application and a sheer will not to give his wicket away.

It was awesome, and as each over passed, I suddenly found my faith being restored in English cricket.

Could we do the impossible and bat out the final day (it would seem so easy to most sides), could this obdurate man stop us from losing the first test in the most crushing way? Let's not forget we had been outplayed in pretty much every session of the game so far, and a defeat in the manner we were playing would have pretty much destroyed the moral of our players for the rest of the series.

The legend couldn't quite make it all the way through, and when he departed, after some good support from Swann (who wore a few and put his body on the line old school style) and Broad, you really thought, "Ah well, that was a nice ray of hope, never mind eh, back to miserableness in all its form"..............but no!

Colly had shown Jimmy Anderson what could be done, and Monty "The Absolute Blooming Legend" Panesar stepped up to see us home in one of the most remarkable 11th wicket stands I have ever watched.

All through the game my hopes for a series to match the 2005 epic, where every ball was filled with drama and consequences, had been slowly dashed as I realised we simply didn't have the heart to compete with these industrious and fiercely competitive Aussies.

Suddenly though, as the sun shone down on our 10 & 11 at Cardiff, the impossible seemed on, could Monty (not exactly the best batsmen to pull on a set of pads) and Jimmy (who has now gone 50 innings without a duck - a world record!) see us home??

They stuck at their task admirably, nurdling us into a lead and then finally seeing off the last few agonizing balls as the clocked ticked down..........you simply couldn't have made it up.........and when Punter offered his hand to Jimmy A at the end to say "Well done boys, you've done it!" you could see what it meant to the two men at the crease.

A huge amount of credit must go to the amazing crowd at Cardiff, who created one of the greatest sporting atmospheres I have ever witnessed at the newest test arena, and I genuinely doubt that we would have seen it home if it hadn't been for some of the most vocal support I have ever heard at a cricket ground (all those Welsh Male Voice Choirs you see!)

Along with the increasingly whacky and surreal but always loyal Barmy Army, they should really been written down in the scorebook as the twelfth man that made all the difference..............well much more of a difference than the actual twelfth man when England tried to time waste......something that really disappointed me, but at least even that was overshadowed by the vociferous crowd who maintained incredibly high spirits despite having little to cheer for all game.

Cardiff I salute you!

An awesome end to a poor test match from England, and wow how that has shaken up the series, we will now go to Lord's with a belief that this touring side can be taken, and if some of our top order take a leaf from Colly's book and don't give their wicket away (there is a huge difference in being positive and batting recklessly) then wow, we could be in with a chance.

I am worried about our bowling though, as at no real point, apart from Flintoffs first burst, and a few over's from Jimmy, did we ever look like actually really threatening their batsmen, and expect the talented, but ineffective Broad (he is one for the future) to be replaced by an on fire Harmy for the next test. Personally I would also plump for Panesar over Swann at Lords, simply because he is such a talisman for the fans and the team, and Swanny looked like he couldn't turn a steering wheel on the slow pitch in Wales.

One thing is for sure, as the legendary band Journey would say:

"Don't Stop believing!" because this England side could be just about to discover their potential and more importantly a bit of self believe, and if they do, we could be on for one hell of a series!

So this week I am mostly going to be recovering from the shock of us not losing the first test, and I shall mostly be doing my brand new show on Kerrang from 11am-3pm Mon-Friday!!

Don't miss it, and now that I have got my whole new schedule in place for my working day, I am hoping to be able to blog at least every other day to keep you up to date with my comings and goings and my general ramblings on sport!

I also caught the Grand Prix at the weekend, interesting result which shows that Red Bull are in the ascendency now, and although Hamilton will be gutted with the puncture that ruined his race on the first corner, he will be looking forward now to the next race in Hungary now that his McLaren car appears to be competitive, and also expect a backlash from Brawn, as Button will not give up this title race that easily.

Right I am off to bed, as I am up early to continue my first week back in training in 6 after ruining my neck, I'm taking it incredibly easy and just doing some very light core work, but I have to say, just being back in Arch 20 gym training with Scott feels wicked!!

Until Next time my illustrious compadres!

Lions Lions Lions, The Greatest Final Ever, and roll on the Ashes!

2009-07-07T16:12:16Z

One word to describe what went down at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon.........PRIDE!

The boys wearing red put absolutely everything into the game and showed the potential they had promised all tour, and the Springboks simply had no answer.

Yes it was technically a dead rubber, but I don't think that took anything away from either side's performance as they played out one of the most physical and fast paced games of rugby I have ever seen. There was redemption for players like Vickery and Monye, there was a huge battle won up front by our forwards, Rob Kearney looked world class at full back and some of our backs play was simply breathtaking (Riki Flutey take a bow for the touch that set up Williams second!). More important to me was how they fronted up in the contact area, never taking a backwards step and showing what they are really made of........top stuff.

Of course now people will look back and the "Ifs and Buts" will do the rounds about whether we could have won the series, but that's pointless, the fact is these guys have shown everyone what a real Lions tour is all about, and they have done us proud.
Roll on the next one in 4 years time!

Onto Wimbledon, where everyone's favourite "Greatest player of all time" faced off against the man who shall forever hence be known as the Murray Masher............oh okay for the sake of this I'll call him Roddick.

Greatest Final EVER!!! They just couldn't be separated all the way through the game apart the incredibly rare break of serve in sets one and four, and then there was that final set. Has there ever been a tenser end to tennis match? It was like a penalty shoot out in the World Cup Final, you just had to see who would blink first, and the tension and drama was unbelievable.

Roddick had the disadvantage of always having to come from behind, and in the end it was his undoing as Federer won the 4,1778,8997th game to take the set 79-78...........well it felt like that!

It felt very weird on Monday sitting down after work and not having any sport to watch, and immediately I was a little bit low, that was until I remembered it would only have to be for two days, as the Ashes starts tomorrow............7 weeks of sheer sporting bliss!

A lot has been made of the loss of Lee from the Aussie side, and that England might play two spinners, and yes while Lee is a blow, I don't think you should ever write off an Aussie side, and as for the spinner debate, if the pitch is going to take turn, then it could be a master stroke as that's the one department where Ponting lacks a real world class option.

To be fair, I can't wait for all the hyperbole to end, and for that first ball to be bowled tomorrow, and I for one will try not to miss a single one for the rest of the series!
This week I am on drive 4-7pm on Kerrang, before I start my daytime show next week, and I must I can't wait for it to begin! I'm also supposed to be back in the gym beginning my rehab on my ruined neck, but I have had to put it on hold for a few days while I rest it that tiny bit more.........god I'm getting old!!!

I'll write back Thursday to update you on how I think the Ashes have gone so far, and don't forget to check out my other blog the Motorcycle Diaries, as this week I have been on the back of a nice classic Harley, and well tomorrow I get delivered one of these.....a custom built Harley one off Fat Bob - bring it!!

The Best Sunday Ever, "Vaughan-y" Calls it a Day and Murrays the Man!

2009-06-30T18:18:42Z

After just about managing to recover from the Lions loss on Saturday, which in hindsight was probably one of the very best games of rugby I have ever seen, I needed something to cheer me up!

So Sunday after my show I headed to the World Superbikes at Donnington as the guests of the very cool people at Express Insurance, sponsors of WSB rider Shane "Shakey" Byrne, and wow what fun I had!! I have written about the whole experience on my other blog the Motorcycle Diaries, and I also managed to grab loads of pics, so got check it out here!

After the thrill of the races, I was always going to need some very dramatic sport on my Monday to get me excited, and my goodness Andy Murray delivered. Wimbledon this year has already shown signs of being one of the best tournaments ever, not only do we now have the roof (I never thought I would hear a cheer from the crowd at Wimbledon when it rained - oh and anyone else see Cliff Richard looking really crestfallen because his karaoke skills wouldn't be required when it had closed...........genius, if I would have known that was the reason it was there I would have paid the reported £80 million myself!), but some of the tennis has been breathtaking.

Plus for the first time in my lifetime (sorry Jeremy and Tim!) we actually have a player who is good enough to win the tournament. Does anyone else find that really weird, actually supporting one of the favourites for once, and not some underdog, it almost feels dirty, as if the novelty has worn off, although it was clear he was made to work very hard on Monday night. Lots of people seem to dislike Murray, and say he comes across as too focussed and aggressive, and some would even have the temerity to say he is arrogant....................my answer is of course he is!

Unlike Bates or Henman, who on their day could be top class, Murray is actually one of the world's best players and not just for two weeks in June /July either. I remember reading Ian Botham's autobiography, and in the first chapter he talked about being accused of being arrogant, his response was simple, "of course I'm arrogant, do you think I would have the temerity to pull off some of the stuff I did if I didn't have total and utter confidence in myself?"

Never a truer word spoken, obviously everyone one is different, but look at some of the top sportsmen in the world over the last few years, Tiger Woods, Michael Schumacher, Kevin Pietersen etc, are all people who don't exactly lack confidence.

Oh and as for him being aggressive, that's called being competitive, and it's what helps give him the edge over opponents, so if you don't like Murray because he seems grumpy, well I'm sorry but the simple fact is that to be as good as he is, you can't afford to be nice. You have to push yourself day in day out in training, when all of your mates might be down the pub or relaxing at home, you have to be able to dig deeper, be incredibly selfish and single minded and have the ability to motivate yourself when others would simply stop, and all from a young age, it's not exactly conducive to developing a really social personality! Being a sportsmen can be a very lonely and exhausting experience, so I always find it funny when people say, well it would be nice if he smiled from time to time.........if he had time to smile I would say he wasn't focused enough!

I know people will say, well in the past it didn't seem to matter, yeah and in the past rugby players used to drink every night and eat what they like, but professional sport has moved on so much in the last few years, there is no room for a Mr Nice Guy anymore!

Anyway, I also saw Laura Robson win in the second round of the Girls tournament today, and my goodness this 15 year old girl has got a whole world of talent, let's just hope the English Hype machine doesn't ruin her before she is old enough to not have to think about homework!

Commiserations to Stuart Pearce's England U21 side that got trounced 4-0 in the European Championships Final by a very impressive German side, the boys have played really well over the past two weeks, and it's a shame that they were on the end of a hiding, but the German midfield playmaker Mesut Ozil made sure of that...............geez he is good, I hope Arsene Wenger was watching!

I love my cricket, as you know, and it's a sad day today as England's most successful ever Test Captain Michael Vaughan has decided to retire from the sport. He was determined to make this Ashes series, but the combination of his debilitating knee injury and lack of runs, must have meant he had got to the point where he could not see the light at the end of the tunnel anymore.

Vaughan was a top captain and incredible batsmen on his day (anyone who doubts that should watch the 2002/3 Ashes series out in Oz, where at times he was a one man batting line up) and the way he inspired others and got the best out of his team was simply awesome.

Oh I also found some brilliant Pictures on SkySports.com of the Lions on Safari in SA and playing with................well real life Lions......................to be honest after Saturday I'm surprised the boys didn't shove Ronan O'Gara in the cage, but instead Tom Croft and a few of the lads got up close and personal with their hairier (Welsh Front Row excluded) counterparts...........madness!

Right I'm off to London tomorrow to see a specialist about my neck, although it started to feel a bit better, so I am planning on doing some very light training next week, to see how it responds because 5 weeks of no exercise is driving me insane, but I shall be blogging back on Thursday, and I will leave you with a lovely quite from Michael Vaughan from his retirement press conference earlier:

"Two weeks ago, I was in the garden with my little lad Archie. He bowled a ball which hit a weed and knocked my off stump out of the ground - and when a three-year-old's bowling you out, it's time to move over."

Nice!

What a Week!!

2009-06-28T06:21:50Z

Okay, firstly apologies for the lack of manic sports bloggage this week, its all been a bit hectic, what with the changes being announced at Kerrang and myself taking over from the legend that is Emma Scott from the 13th of July.

I'm going to miss Emma, Christian, Nick, Tim and the other's who are leaving Kerrang like you wouldn't believe, not only as they are great friends, but are also part of the best damn radio team I have ever worked with!! I can't wait to bring you the new show, and don't worry, I'll still continue bringing you Offside to give you your sport fix for a Saturday afternoon.

So first up Lions.........Lions......Lions......so close and yet so far! On Saturday we witnessed a truly epic game of rugby, and while my boys may have come out second best in the most dramatic fashion, they should still take a lot of credit for the performance, which makes it even harder to swallow the result.

On Facebook about 10 seconds after the final whistle, the O'Gara hating began, with everyone looking at him for those two missed tackles, and of course THAT penalty.

Missed tackles are inexcusable at this level of rugby, and while it's very easy to lay the blame on O'Gara for the whole series loss, really he was trying extra hard to make up for his mistakes when he conceded the final penalty with which the Boks won the game.

You could see in his face, all he was thinking about was trying to win the game, and he was just frustrated, still its no excuse, but you could look at 50 different factors over the last two weeks to see where we lost the series, so I think it's a bit harsh to blame it all on R'OG, especially as you could see how devastated he was at the end.......poor sod!

I thought the boys played out of their skin though, and for most of the game their defence and aggression levels were spot on, while the Boks did not know what hit them for the first 50 minutes. That's the sign of a great side though, the fact they were on the back foot, and trailing, but managed to get a foothold in the game, and wow did they mount a comeback at the end. You always got the feeling the Lions were trying to hold on from half time, and unfortunately they just couldn't last.

It's a real shame, as I truly hoped that they would not only win this match but the series, but now we travel to game 3 with just pride at stake, and in a Lions test that's no small matter, so don't exactly expect it to be a dead rubber come Saturday!

Wimbledon has been in full flow for a week now, and it must be said, Andy Murray's progress has been very un-British, in other words.....he hasn't lost yet. In fact he has looked imperious, and what started off as a bit of typical national patriotism, thinking he might win the whole damn thing, has turned into a real possibility!

Also we had the MotoGP yesterday, as "the Doctor" made it 100 wins in an imperious display that saw him lead home his championship rivals Lorenzo and Stoner in 2nd and 3rd respectively. It may not have had the grandstand finish of last weeks epic race, but it was still a great race, with the battle for 6th being a particular highlight, and one which I am pleased to say was won by our very own Jamie Toseland, equalling his best ever finish place on his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 bike.

I'm pumped because I'm off to Donnington today to watch the World Superbikes, and literally as soon as I finish my show at Kerrang at 10am, I will be heading straight there on the Buell to pick up all the action!!!

Also this week sees my hopefully getting one step closer to recovery from my neck injury with my MRI taking place down in London on Wednesday, which will hopefully let me know what's wrong with it so I can stop feeling like such an old git, and get back in the gym! Although on the flip side that does mean I would have to start pre season training.........ouch!!

Right, I'll blog back tomorrow to tell you about the fun I will have at Donnington later, so until then my illustrious compadres..oh and here is waht I am goign down on...........nice!!!