Super Spurs and Tenacious Turf Moor

So, two weeks into the new season and the Premiership table looks fairly familiar in places. Even after only two or three games played Chelsea, Arsenal and a lackluster Manchester United find themselves all within the top 4 places. Yet, currently sitting pretty on top of the Barclay's Premiership are Harry Redknapp's Tottenham Hotspur side.
Spurs have made an impressive start to the new campaign, beating Liverpool on the opening day; following that terrific performance up with an away thrashing at Hull and an away victory against London rivals West Ham. Within those three games Spurs have managed to score 9 goals, through 6 different scorers, whilst only conceding 3 themselves. Another 5 goals were added in Tottenham's 3rd round Carling Cup game in midweek, where another five separate players found their way onto the scoresheet. Doncaster Rovers may not be considered the hardest of opponents, yet it is their variety of goalscorers which underlines their attacking capabilities.
Strikers such as Robbie Keane, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko are good enough to make it into most squads, including international ones. As for Spur's midfield, Aaron Lennon is by far one of the best, if not the best, winger in the league. His speed and skill gives him the opportunity to take on any player, let down only by his ability to cross the ball at times, yet at the age of 22 he is still young enough to learn more of his trade. Tom Huddlestone and Wilson Palacios, provide a bit of stability within the side, with an added bit of long range firepower. Controlling the team though is Luka Modric. Bought a few years ago for only £16.5million he is turning out to be a superb addition to the team. His creative imagination enables him to unlock any defence, providing his strikers with plenty of match winning opportunities. Also, with a defensive pair of Bassong and King, with Woodgate and Dawson still to return from injury, it looks like Spurs will have a strong defensive unit, capable of keeping out most teams. And with the one player who is likely to throw away the match now injured, Gomes, replaced by the experienced Carlo Cudicini, could this really be Tottenham's year?
At the other end of the table, the relegation places are without one of their main contenders. After losing on the first day of the season at Stoke, it looked ominous for the Clarets. Yet their home ground is turning into a Premiership fortress. Turf Moor host Premiership newcomers Burnley and it is at this ground where they have beaten both Everton and the champions Manchester United. Burnley have received plenty of luck it must be added, with both Michael Carrick and Louis Saha missing penalties for the losing side, but in a league as tough as this, you make your own luck. In Burnley's case, it is created by having an old fashioned, tightly packed, in your face stadium, full to the rim with fans who are ecstatic just to be there. In modern times one can only really compare it to Southampton's old ground The Dell. After moving to the St Mary's stadium, Southampton seemed to lose the home advantage and subsequently got relegated that season, coincidence?
Of course, Burnley do have more than just a crazy, intense atmosphere, they also harbour some very talented football players. Having seen Robbie Blake at Leeds for two seasons, it was clear that this man had talent too good for the Championship, proving this with his exquisite goal against the Red Devils. Unfortunately, having spent time in Scotland also, the same cannot be said about their star striker Steven Fletcher, who to be quite honest, has a lot to live up to with a £5million price tag. However, he did score his first, and second goal of the campaign against Hartlepool in the Cup.
Yet that is, in my opinion, Coyle's only managerial mistake so far, in his attempt to do what many, including myself, thought would be impossible, that is to start next season in the Premiership. Of course this is early days yet, but with two home wins out of two, belief has now sprung up amongst the Burnley players and fans which will surely only intensify the atmosphere. However, Turf Moor cannot conceal the fact that at times Burnley must play away from home and with the next two fixtures being away at Chelsea and Liverpool, one may suggest that in two weeks time they may have only moved in one direction in the table.

Yellow For Britain?

So, after London won the bid to host the Olympic games in 2012 there has been an influx of cash poured into British sport. Many of the minor sports have been greatly affected by this sudden interest and after the success of the British cycling squad in the 2008 Beijing games it is no wonder that a new British cycling team has been created.
Team Sky is to be a British based cycling team that will compete from the start of the 2010 calender year, with one of their main targets to win the ultimate road race in cycling, the Tour de France. Now, this seems like a plausible target to suggest, surely every teams aim in any sport is to eventually win the top prize, whether it be the Champion's League in football, or the Heineken Cup in rugby union. Yet surely the operative word in that last sentence is eventually. As much as teams in football, like Manchester City, are seemingly willing to try where Chelsea effectively failed, it is very hard to win the top prize in any sport so quickly when building a new squad, even with enough money. However, Team Sky have set the task of winning the Tour de France to within 5 years. The Team has then made it doubly more difficult by stating that they want this winner to be British himself, so there will be no attempted recruitment of Alberto Contador...
On the other hand though, cycling should not be compared with other sports that many people in Britain associate themselves with. Despite it most certainly being a team sport there is a great reliance on individuals to produce in certain types of races. Different cyclists have different qualities allowing them to compete in various ways. Take Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins as two British examples. Mark Cavendish, who currently rides for Team Columbia - HTC, won 6 stages of the Tour de France in 2009, stream-rolling the other riders out of the way with his electrifying finishes. Bradley Wiggins on the other hand, who rides for Garmin - Slipstream, did not win a stage, yet came 4th overall, leaving Cavendish to struggle behind on the mountain stages, upon gaining valuable time over his fellow British rider who finish a respectable 131st.
So, Cycling is like having an 100 meter sprinter and a steeplechase runner in the same race. If Team Sky seriously want to challenge for the Tour de France, they needed a strong team around a man like Bradley Wiggins to stand a chance. Hence why Team Sky have tried to get Wiggins on board, however, with him producing such a good result for Team Garmin - Slipstream, why on earth would they want to let him go. Yet, if the team cannot attract top quality cyclists into the squad, or more importantly, Britain's best hope of winning the Tour, there has got to be some serious doubts over their potentially over enthusiastic targets, especially since Lance Armstrong has announced that he too shall be creating a squad to compete and there will not be many riders who turn the opportunity of riding with him down.

Our Ashes

So, after five long test matches, 25 days worth of play, the Ashes were won and lost over two critical sessions of cricket played at the Oval. After England were annihilated at Headingly, it seemed only fair that Australia would retain the tiny urn. However, sport is not that dissimilar from life.
England won the toss and elected to bat first. The Oval has generally produced draws in test match cricket, a result which would suffice for the Aussie's, yet with England needing a win to regain the Ashes a large batting total was deemed required if the hosts had any chance. But this did not materialize as many of the batsmen, after getting in, found themselves walking back to the Pavilion far too early. Trott on his debut for England was looking comfortable on 41 when some superb fielding from Katich saw him run out. Bell top scored on 72 with England only amassing 332 runs for their first innings.
The Australians got off to a comprehensive start with Watson and Katich reaching 73-0 fairly easily. However, what the crowd was then about to witness was one of the greatest sessions of English cricket ever. Stuart Broad was brought into the bowling attack and it was not long before he was causing havoc amongst the Australian top and middle order. First Watson was dispatched of, followed closely by Ponting, Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke. Broad later went on to bowl Haddin to get a well deserved fifer. Swann also got in on the act with a four wicket haul, including Katich, who on his 34th birthday resisted the fierce bowling attack on an awkward pitch better than anyone, well deserving his half century and top scoring for the Aussies. Yet, it was Flintoff in his last England game before retirement from the national team that finished the innings off, taking Hilfenhaus's stumps out the ground. The Australians had lost 10 wickets for just 87 runs, finishing on a very demoralising low score of 160.
Strauss and Cook came out to bat with their tails up, knowing that a solid performance would give England a great chance of regaining the much desired Ashes. Yet, nerves were sent jangling when Cook, who has had a disappointing series, went out for just 9. Bell and Collingwood soon followed. Yet, captain Strauss and debutant Trott, not only steadied the ship, but put England in a commanding position, with Strauss scoring 75 and with Trott becoming the 21st Englishman to score a century on opening match for England. Flintoff came on and went off quickly on his last ever bat for England. However, he did give the crowd 20 minutes of fantastic action, something which the great man always managed over his career for the national side.
Australia needed a record breaking 546 runs to win the test match, or needed to bat two and a half days to draw, an even more unlikely event. However, one should never discount the Australians. They were cruising along on 217 for 2 until a moment of madness or magic was produced. Ponting went for a needless quick single, yet he had not banked on Freddie Flintoff picking up the ball and firing it over 25 meters in under a second smack bang into his stumps. It was an excellent piece of fielding. Strauss also ran out M Clarke with some equally good feilding to put the Ashes in real reach. M Hussey hung on scoring an admiral 121 only to lose his wicket with the last ball meaning that England has indeed regained the Ashes.
Australia were all out for 348, 200 hundred short of their allotted total, meaning England won the test match, taking them to 2-1 in the series. The Ashes were indeed their's once more, they had come back to their rightful owner. Flintoff turned the game, as he so often did for England, but for once it was not with his batting, or his bowling, or even his mouth, but with a superb piece of fielding that encapsulates everything about his distinguished career. His energy, his desire, his power and skill but also his ability to change a game of cricket for the benefit of his country. However, he is bowing out at the dawn of a new English all-rounder. Broad is the future of English cricket, Flintoff is the past. Hopefully Broad can help England achieve something which Flintoff never did and that is retain the Ashes when we travel to Australia.

Season Surprises

So, summer has come and gone quicker than Usain Bolt in a 100m final "race" allowing us all to once again enjoy the delights of having our belief that we will be supporting a league winning football side dashed. However, those with more realistic hopes may still feel disappointed by the start of their clubs first match of the season, unless of course you are a Notts County fan!
Liverpool are one of three clubs that were tipped by so called experts to be challenging for the title come May, yet an away loss to Spurs, with an out-of-sorts Torres, does little to boost that claim. Alonso's absence was clear for all to see and only a idiotic error by Gomes, the one player in the Tottenham team that needs to be replaced in my humble opinion, gave the Reds even a sniff of a point.
As for Chelsea, despite the fact that they won 2-1 against Hull City, it took a 90th minute fluke for them to do so. Ancelotti kept mixing up his midfield diamond, clearly trying to decide which player suits which position. Yet, in a club that rarely allows time for such luxuries he better make up his mind pretty soon, he cannot rely on Drogba getting them out of trouble all the time, even if he is returning to his best form.
Man United are aiming to become the first team ever to win the top flight of English football for the 4th consecutive year, yet in true Red Devils fashion they were sluggish on the first day of the season, yet still achieved their aim of beating newcomers Birmingham City 1-0. On the other hand though, the ever increasing injury list will not ease their worries. Ferdinand is just another member of the standard back 5 who is now out of action, this is doubly annoying as he is in my fantasy football team!
At the other end of the table, new additions to the Premiership Wolves, Birmingham and Burnley are all where they expected to be. Whilst it is also looking like an extremely long and difficult season for Portsmouth with their financial status still unresolved.
All six of the London clubs won their opening fixture, providing real hope that Zola can keep the miracle going at West Ham, that Harry really has turned it around at Spurs and that Wenger's Gunners are not dead to the fight.
Yet, all of this is just mere speculation, the first game is not the be all and end all, although it does provide confidence for the next few matches. Yet, in the previous two season's Manchester United have drawn on the opening fixture to their opponents, who have both then gone on to get relegated that season, so maybe it doesn't even provide that much confidence!