MICHAEL VAUGHAN shared the concerns of his successor as England captain, Kevin Pietersen, about coach Peter Moores and flagged up his doubts to the England and Wales Cricket Board last February when the team were touring New Zealand.
Pietersen was forced to resign last week after demanding the ECB remove Moores. Pietersen had told the board: “The whole of the team think he is no good. The whole team want him to go.” The board said that few players supported Pietersen’s stance but sacked Moores anyway.
Vaughan, inset, who quit the captaincy in August, first contemplated stepping down in New Zealand. Moores’ devotion to training, computers and statistics was thought to be a big factor. Another of Pietersen’s demands had been that Moores and his fellow selectors call up Vaughan as a player for the winter tour to the Caribbean. They declined.
Matthew Hoggard, who was in New Zealand, said he had noticed trouble between players and management during the 2007 tour of Sri Lanka, six months after Moores’ appointment. “There were differences. They thought the management was stand-offish. They didn’t feel like they were getting on.” Asked if the players had felt that way since Moores started, Hoggard added: “Yes, I think they did.”
Pietersen last night claimed that he had originally been due to meet the ECB to discuss his concerns 48 hours after he was forced out. He also maintained that he had never submitted his resignation last week, as some reports suggested, but was told via email: “Your resignation is accepted with immediate effect.”
ECB officials have acknowledged that there were problems with Moores. “The situation was extraordinarily serious long before Christmas, even before Pietersen’s captaincy,” said one. Another added, “A lot of older players liked Fletcher as counsellor and adviser. Peter was not really like that. He had a strong work ethic. That way had worked at Sussex but it didn’t fit the England model. He was overpromoted.”
Moores’ ability to handle players proved disappointing yet he remained popular with some, notably Andrew Flintoff, who had fallen out with Fletcher. But Pietersen’s timing was poor, demanding Moores’ removal just seven months before the Ashes. “They thought, ‘Why are we going to war?’” said one source
source://the london timeshttp://adebamboontheweb.blogspot.com
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Tiger's injury absence just shows his worth
Two men were giving a golf clinic in California one day last October and, gathered around them on the practice ground, watching closely, were the select few who had been invited to attend. Tiger Woods was calling the shots and Anthony Kim was hitting them. It seemed a metaphor for golf in the second half of 2008, when the game went on without Woods, its biggest star, while he recovered from knee surgery and, in his absence, the talk was of who would challenge him when he returned to the game.
Professional golf from June 16 to the end of the year was an unusual time in the game's history. Without Woods, TV ratings were down and so were attendances at tournaments. Two major championships and almost exactly half a season's events were staged without the world's pre-eminent player.
Woods did not compete in the Ryder Cup for the first time since 1995 - and the United States won for only the second time since 1993.
The American was not even able to compete in his own tournament last month. Still recovering from his knee surgery, his role at the Chevron World Challenge was that of host.
http://mycomputersworld.blogspot.com
Woods had won the first four tournaments in which he competed in 2008, finished second in the Masters and won the US Open after 91 holes, but he did not win the Player of the Year award in the US, as he had in eight of the previous nine years. That went to Padraig Harrington, who won the Open and the USPGA Championship three weeks later.
Yet any doubt about Woods's dominance of his sport should be dispelled by the publication in Golf Digest, the US magazine, of figures suggesting that Woods won $7.73million (now about £5.31million) in prize-money last year and earned a further $109.60million from endorsements. No other player came close to his total of $117.33million: not Harrington, who earned $17.63 million in winnings and sponsorship, and not Sergio García, the world No2 whose income on and off the course combined to bring him $24.97 million.
In fact, the player after Woods who earned the most money on and off the course was Phil Mickelson, with $44.85 million, a cool $72.48million less than Woods.
Woods hopes to return to competitive golf in March, perhaps at a World Golf Championships event at Doral, near Miami, Florida. That would be one month before the Masters, the first major championship of the year. His recovery after an operation on an anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on June 24, 2008 is said to be going well. He was hitting chips and putting before Christmas; he is now moving up through his bag. Soon he will be hitting drives.
The game needs him playing competitively again and so do the players. “The reason we want Tiger back is because he drives the game of golf,” Mickelson said. “He drives television ratings, the sponsors need him in their events and fans turn out to see him. We are very lucky in golf to have the No1 athlete in the world. We had some of the greatest players in history, whether it was Ben Hogan or Jack Nicklaus, but nobody ever reached the status of the premier athlete in the world before.”
Which brings us back to that clinic in California last October conducted by the world No1 and the American who made such an impression in the Ryder Cup. Kim, 23, is considered by some to have a better swing than Woods at the same age and to be the young player most likely to challenge Woods in the coming years. This would seem to ignore the claims of Harrington, who has won three of the past six major championships, García, the new world No2, Vijay Singh, who won the FedEx Series of play-off events in the US, and Camilo Villegas, 26, the talented Colombian, who is ranked No7 in the world.
As evidence for this claim about Kim, his supporters point to the fact that he is the first American under the age of 25 to win two events in one season since Woods. So this was a clinic given by “The King” and his heir apparent, you might say. It was also one that reminded you of just what the game was missing.
source:the london times
Professional golf from June 16 to the end of the year was an unusual time in the game's history. Without Woods, TV ratings were down and so were attendances at tournaments. Two major championships and almost exactly half a season's events were staged without the world's pre-eminent player.
Woods did not compete in the Ryder Cup for the first time since 1995 - and the United States won for only the second time since 1993.
The American was not even able to compete in his own tournament last month. Still recovering from his knee surgery, his role at the Chevron World Challenge was that of host.
http://mycomputersworld.blogspot.com
Woods had won the first four tournaments in which he competed in 2008, finished second in the Masters and won the US Open after 91 holes, but he did not win the Player of the Year award in the US, as he had in eight of the previous nine years. That went to Padraig Harrington, who won the Open and the USPGA Championship three weeks later.
Yet any doubt about Woods's dominance of his sport should be dispelled by the publication in Golf Digest, the US magazine, of figures suggesting that Woods won $7.73million (now about £5.31million) in prize-money last year and earned a further $109.60million from endorsements. No other player came close to his total of $117.33million: not Harrington, who earned $17.63 million in winnings and sponsorship, and not Sergio García, the world No2 whose income on and off the course combined to bring him $24.97 million.
In fact, the player after Woods who earned the most money on and off the course was Phil Mickelson, with $44.85 million, a cool $72.48million less than Woods.
Woods hopes to return to competitive golf in March, perhaps at a World Golf Championships event at Doral, near Miami, Florida. That would be one month before the Masters, the first major championship of the year. His recovery after an operation on an anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on June 24, 2008 is said to be going well. He was hitting chips and putting before Christmas; he is now moving up through his bag. Soon he will be hitting drives.
The game needs him playing competitively again and so do the players. “The reason we want Tiger back is because he drives the game of golf,” Mickelson said. “He drives television ratings, the sponsors need him in their events and fans turn out to see him. We are very lucky in golf to have the No1 athlete in the world. We had some of the greatest players in history, whether it was Ben Hogan or Jack Nicklaus, but nobody ever reached the status of the premier athlete in the world before.”
Which brings us back to that clinic in California last October conducted by the world No1 and the American who made such an impression in the Ryder Cup. Kim, 23, is considered by some to have a better swing than Woods at the same age and to be the young player most likely to challenge Woods in the coming years. This would seem to ignore the claims of Harrington, who has won three of the past six major championships, García, the new world No2, Vijay Singh, who won the FedEx Series of play-off events in the US, and Camilo Villegas, 26, the talented Colombian, who is ranked No7 in the world.
As evidence for this claim about Kim, his supporters point to the fact that he is the first American under the age of 25 to win two events in one season since Woods. So this was a clinic given by “The King” and his heir apparent, you might say. It was also one that reminded you of just what the game was missing.
source:the london times
Andy Murray reigns in the desert
ANDY MURRAY underlined his position as clear favourite for the Australian Open by successfully defending his ExxonMobil Qatar Open title in Doha.
The 21-year-old Scot was last night priced at 2/1 by William Hill to collect his first major title at Melbourne Park in three weeks’ time after a straight sets win over American Andy Roddick. Following up his excellent semi-final win over Roger Federer, Murray, inset, powered past another former world No 1 in Roddick, taking just 70 minutes yesterday to register a 6-4 6-2 victory that earned him $183,000, to add to the $250,000 he took in winning last week’s exhibition event in Abu Dhabi.
Such early-season form is vindication for the month of hard physical work Murray and his support team put in at the University of Miami before Christmas. He now heads to Australia in the belief that his preparations for the season’s first grand slam event have been perfect.
Murray will perhaps play one exhibition match at Kooyong this week to aid his acclimatisation. “It is great to start the season with a title. The semi-final and final matches were very good against two top players so I am very pleased,” he said.
http://playstationbase.blogspot.com
Reacting to the news that British bookmakers had installed him as the man to beat in Melbourne, he said: “I am one of the top guys but I don’t know if I am the favour-ite.
There is Roger, Rafa [Nadal] and Novak [Djokovic], who won there last year. I like playing in Melbourne but I did not play well last time.” A year ago Murray also arrived in Australia with the Qatar title to his name but lost in the opening round to eventual finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. His performance in 2007, when he took Rafael Nadal to five sets in the fourth round, was an early indication of his potential.
“I feel good going into the Australian Open but after what happened last year I don’t want to get too carried away,” he stressed. “Every round will be tough.”
Roddick praised the rival who has now beaten him six times in eight tour encounters. “Andy played great. He is in top form right now. Every time I had a big point, he hit the line. He was just better than me.”
source:the london times
The 21-year-old Scot was last night priced at 2/1 by William Hill to collect his first major title at Melbourne Park in three weeks’ time after a straight sets win over American Andy Roddick. Following up his excellent semi-final win over Roger Federer, Murray, inset, powered past another former world No 1 in Roddick, taking just 70 minutes yesterday to register a 6-4 6-2 victory that earned him $183,000, to add to the $250,000 he took in winning last week’s exhibition event in Abu Dhabi.
Such early-season form is vindication for the month of hard physical work Murray and his support team put in at the University of Miami before Christmas. He now heads to Australia in the belief that his preparations for the season’s first grand slam event have been perfect.
Murray will perhaps play one exhibition match at Kooyong this week to aid his acclimatisation. “It is great to start the season with a title. The semi-final and final matches were very good against two top players so I am very pleased,” he said.
http://playstationbase.blogspot.com
Reacting to the news that British bookmakers had installed him as the man to beat in Melbourne, he said: “I am one of the top guys but I don’t know if I am the favour-ite.
There is Roger, Rafa [Nadal] and Novak [Djokovic], who won there last year. I like playing in Melbourne but I did not play well last time.” A year ago Murray also arrived in Australia with the Qatar title to his name but lost in the opening round to eventual finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. His performance in 2007, when he took Rafael Nadal to five sets in the fourth round, was an early indication of his potential.
“I feel good going into the Australian Open but after what happened last year I don’t want to get too carried away,” he stressed. “Every round will be tough.”
Roddick praised the rival who has now beaten him six times in eight tour encounters. “Andy played great. He is in top form right now. Every time I had a big point, he hit the line. He was just better than me.”
source:the london times
Rafa Benitez: Ferguson must be stopped
http://adebambo-humanbehaviour.blogspot.com
RAFAEL BENITEZ renewed his verbal onslaught on Sir Alex Ferguson last night. Speaking after a drab 0-0 draw with Stoke, which put Liverpool four points clear in the Premier League, he said he had no regrets about Friday’s outburst against the United manager and that he had felt compelled to speak out because Ferguson had been “talking too much about Liverpool . . . he has to stop”.
Denying that the spat might have affected his team’s performance, Benitez said: “In more than 20 years nobody has said these things, but maybe a lot of people are thinking the same. I do not regret saying it. I can guarantee you that a lot of people have sent messages of support. Now maybe he is a little bit scared. I have a lot of respect for him and he is a great manager, but he is talking too much about Liverpool. This has to stop. There have been conversations between myself and the players about what I said, which I cannot tell you about. He may respond, but if he talks too quickly I will not understand.”
Bentiez then tried to play mind games of his own, before Chelsea’s visit to Old Trafford today, saying: “Do I think he is nervous? Clearly. Tomorow it is clear that both cannot win. We will see what happens. A draw could be a perfect result for Liverpool.” Benitez’s premeditated broadside at the United boss on Friday had contained a litany of complaints, the gist of which was that his rival had been allowed by the lawmakers to place himself above the rules.
Ferguson, meanwhile, continued to rile his rival by suggesting that Liverpool’s challenge for the league title is little more than talk. The Scot said Chelsea remain in his view Manchester United’s main rivals. “I’m of the opinion that it usually goes down to two teams, in the last month anyway,” said Ferguson. His implication was that the Anfield side would not be one of those in contention.http://librarybookshome.blogspot.com
In his latest comments, Ferguson plays down the seriousness of Liverpool’s bid for a first title in 19 years. “Liverpool have had a good start and it’s given them more confidence and there’s more expectation on them now. They’re talking about winning the league, the supporters are talking about winning it and the players are talking about, so that’s a change. But they’ve not been able to talk about it for at least a good few years,” he said. He still expects the title to come down to a scrap between United and Chelsea. “Chelsea have experience and have been our main rivals for the past five years.”
source:the london times
RAFAEL BENITEZ renewed his verbal onslaught on Sir Alex Ferguson last night. Speaking after a drab 0-0 draw with Stoke, which put Liverpool four points clear in the Premier League, he said he had no regrets about Friday’s outburst against the United manager and that he had felt compelled to speak out because Ferguson had been “talking too much about Liverpool . . . he has to stop”.
Denying that the spat might have affected his team’s performance, Benitez said: “In more than 20 years nobody has said these things, but maybe a lot of people are thinking the same. I do not regret saying it. I can guarantee you that a lot of people have sent messages of support. Now maybe he is a little bit scared. I have a lot of respect for him and he is a great manager, but he is talking too much about Liverpool. This has to stop. There have been conversations between myself and the players about what I said, which I cannot tell you about. He may respond, but if he talks too quickly I will not understand.”
Bentiez then tried to play mind games of his own, before Chelsea’s visit to Old Trafford today, saying: “Do I think he is nervous? Clearly. Tomorow it is clear that both cannot win. We will see what happens. A draw could be a perfect result for Liverpool.” Benitez’s premeditated broadside at the United boss on Friday had contained a litany of complaints, the gist of which was that his rival had been allowed by the lawmakers to place himself above the rules.
Ferguson, meanwhile, continued to rile his rival by suggesting that Liverpool’s challenge for the league title is little more than talk. The Scot said Chelsea remain in his view Manchester United’s main rivals. “I’m of the opinion that it usually goes down to two teams, in the last month anyway,” said Ferguson. His implication was that the Anfield side would not be one of those in contention.http://librarybookshome.blogspot.com
In his latest comments, Ferguson plays down the seriousness of Liverpool’s bid for a first title in 19 years. “Liverpool have had a good start and it’s given them more confidence and there’s more expectation on them now. They’re talking about winning the league, the supporters are talking about winning it and the players are talking about, so that’s a change. But they’ve not been able to talk about it for at least a good few years,” he said. He still expects the title to come down to a scrap between United and Chelsea. “Chelsea have experience and have been our main rivals for the past five years.”
source:the london times
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