Home	Football	Blogs	Other Sports	Links	Archive

UK Sport Audit

28th January 2007

A few years ago it all looked so much brighter. Sir Clive Woodward's rugby team appeared to be bringing in a new era of professionally run teams. Although doubts were emerging and our naivety in knowing who was who was shown up by recruiting Sven Goren Eriksson, however it was a statement from the FA that said no xenophobioc Jade Goody nonsense was going to prevent us having the best available coach. In cricket the academies were starting to come on stream, Flintoff was looking like he had a chance to give us balance and Harmison could have been anything. We were starting out on our domination of the Ryder Cup as well.

Take our top sports which are for me team sports and Football, Cricket and Rugby Union. How many world XI or XV players have we?

• Football

  Ironically in the more competitive world of football more than the others maybe. Lampard arguably going into the world cup given he beat everyone bar Ronaldinho in the 2 major world player of the year awards - including Gerrard when Gerrard had the 6 minutes in Turkey fresh in the memories. John Terry who I may not rate but is considered 10th in the world player voting a year ago and I believe is highly regarded abroad. Rooney is not that highly regarded for all his celebrity profile and indeed on the matches I have seen only that profile puts him above Saha at United. Then again this season's player in the Premiership look like Vidic, Ronaldo and Drogba rather than Terry, Lampard and Rooney. Next year I doubt any nuetral assessment could be so positive.

• Rugby Union

  In Rugby I guess their success as a team means it would be hard for many not to pick a world XV with 10 New Zealanders and maybe more.... Not sure any of the England team make the 2nd XV.

• Cricket

  In cricket Kevin Pietersen is resolutely no 3 in the world as a batter. Some would argue for Andrew Flintstone but with Kallis and Gilchrist it is hard to argue for another all rounder, especially one who is not a front line batter or a top class bowler. Of the others I believe only Hoggard is close. No one else is about to select Vaughan as a captain on captaincy alone.

• Golf

  In Golf Luke Donald is number 7 and Casey just outside the top 10.

• Tennis

  Andrew Murray is up to 15 in the world rankings but other than that the cupboard is bare, especially on the female side.

• F1

  Jenson Button won his first grand prix but it is still frustratingly hard to tell if he is making the most of an average car or not getting the best out of all that Honda power.

• Athletics

  A case of whereforeoutthou Paula as she recovers from the birth of her first child. No individual winners at the Europeans although a host of bubbling under performances. There may also be a shift to coaches and seeking out advise from the likes of Michael Johnson and people like that. Indeed Benjamin is now coached by Colin Jackson and finding out what top class athletes train like.

• Assorted Games

  Darts and Snooker are of course games but are mentioned as notwithstanding Barney being world champion we still largely rule the roost. Although the Chinese Ding looks the brightest prospect in Snooker. The Power and the Rocket are still the biggest draws.

Where are our teams now in terms of the world pecking order?

• Test Cricket

  The cricket team despite a constant stream of new talent seems to have collapsed this winter. Sure they beat a Pakistan team in the summer but that is a team that travels like a poorly brewed beer. They seem to have lost the ability to finish teams off as they showed v Sri Lanka. They have also been swept in the last 2 winters by Pakistan and Australia. If England are still 2nd in test cricket then it is barely or joint. The summer series with India who beat the rising England team 4 years ago is eagerly awaited - especially if the 'Little Master' comes back to near his best.

  The real worry is that England's strength, the bowling, looks abysmal: Hoggie will give you his best especially in England: Panesar is a solid spinner without being a consistent world beater but better than we have had: Mahmoud, Anderson and Plunkett have bizarrely stopped improving: Harmison just averaged 60 and frankly whatever his upside having his tired act tie up the bowling coaches makes no sense: Flintstone is a pale caricature of his larger than life Modern Cave Man and although his bowling is still probably the best one wonders if his ankle will last much longer - even losing the captaincy cannot make me escape the view the Ashes was probably the extent of his batting powers and his bowling is on the wane. Added to that we do not have a wicket keeper capable of averaging more than 20.

  The direction looks down albeit we are probably not as down as Australia made us look. Sure Broad looks a prospect. Cook can become better. Strauss can play better. Collingwood has been a pleasent surprise. However the need to find at least 1 more bowler who can average less than 30. 2nd best maybe in the rankings but that is lagged so 2nd and falling.

• ODI Cricket

  One Day International Cricket we have been resolutely woeful for nearly 2 years now having been merely poor before that. We can thank a corrupt and bereft ICC for using Zimbabwe and Bangladesh to keep us off the bottom. We seem to have no idea how to improve or where to go. Too often in sport I struggle to determine if people truly diagnose our faults and act on them.

• Rugby Union

  In Rugby Union we are approaching the next world cup in a sense of trepidation and indeed I wonder if England would just take 3 wins in the 6 nations as a positive. Bryan Ashton has been made coach and whilst he maybe admirable it is not perceived as a great leap forward. Hopefully he will surprise us. Nonetheless as low as 7th equal with Wales? With only Scotland and Italy below us of major nations? Below Argentina, Ireland, France and the tri-nations.

• Rugby League

  Rugby League our players do not seem to take international competition seriously and it is sad to see this great sport in decline. At present Australia and New Zealand may as well just play each other. Great Britain get the odd win but seem undermined by a horrific complacent mind set where some players like Peacock give their all and some go through the motions. They need a ruthless coach prepared to over look better players for more commited one. At present it is a game in decline having lost its best player Farrell to Rugby Union. Conclusion long way 3rd and we don't seem to care.

  Of course Rugby League killed itself as a serious sport in this country when Sean Long was not banned for a very long time for betting on the opposition. Even in county cricket Ed Giddins got 5 years and in baseball Pete Rose got a life ban and is ineligible for the Hall of Fame. Long got 3 or 4 months and has continued to soil the game in other ways including leaving the tri-nations tour early this winter. If Superleague is content to have that kind of person in its ranks then there is no hope for the sport - although when you let gambling cheats off can anyone believe the competition?

• Football

  In Football we have gone backwards in terms of status of the manager from Eriksson who was superficially a top manager, when signed, for a man devoid of any original thinking and someone I cannot help wonder if he would challenge average intelligence. A commited bumbler with no ethos who tried 3 formations in 3 games to disasterous effect so far. He cannot choose between Lampard and Gerrard and would bring Scholes back! What for the notorious 2004 midfield with 3 attacking midfielders and an immobile winger? (WE love the Ginger Prince but he is no more the answer than any individual player).

  Star players like Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, Owen, Terry, A Cole can play poorly and not suit the team tactics yet stay in the team, often shuffled to accomodate each other which does no one any good. In the modern international game a bench player with a lot of ability can be a prized asset so bench some when it is right not when it will be supported by the media.

  I cannot help feel that players pay lip service to playing for their country but frankly I do not think they really mean it,or maybe they are used to competent management and coaching and do not get the England set-up. We have no player who should dictate anything on form. I do not know where we rate but at present I know it flatters us [6th as it happens].

• Golf

  OK the Ryder cup continues to be utterly one sided although the Americans realise they have apologised enough for Brookline and now have Payne Stewart's mate Azinger in charge. Expect no more better to be nice than win from the US after another complete stuffing. It is not like the US could say they were outthought as Woosnam was our captain this time. However as argued elsewhere The Ryder Cup is meaningless when no European has won a major for 7 years and indeed not many have even come close. Indeed appearing at or near the top of a major leaderboard seems to have been the cause of a 2 year anxiety attack for Westwood, Rose and Casey. Donald holds out some purpose and hopefully Casey can continue his upward trend now he has some titles and a million quid from winning the World Match Play. Woods is back so it will not be easy but if Carnoustie's riough is tough it makes it winnable for someone else.

Maybe as with previous times hitting at or near bottom will signal a turn around - a re-doubling of efforts. However the major obsessions of the main sporting bodies appears revenue and the cynic in me says until TV companies offer less money, Wembley is a half full white elephant, Twickers is not sold out, Old Trafford has empty seats for the grand final and people can buy as many advance tickets for Lords as they want things may not change. In football clubs can get untold players from abroad and in other sports we are still in thrall to players, captains and coaches who would fail the "what have you done for me lately" approach of Australia.

Home	Football	Blogs	Other Sports	Links	Archive

© 2006, ThereWeSaidIt.com
All trademarks and registered trademarks appearing on this site are the property of their respective owners.