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Review of the week

Chris Charles | 11:49 UK time, Wednesday, 16 July 2008

It's all very well going toe-to-toe with the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet, but you haven't really made it in life until you've had a horse race named after you.

So no prizes for guessing who had the biggest smile at Haydock on Sunday as he judged the best turned-out nag for the Ricky Hatton Stakes.

At one stage the Hitman looked so happy he appeared to be crying tears of joy, until revealing he had an allergy...to horses.

The boxer, who said his face once "came up like the Elephant Man" after taking his son riding, needed treatment from paramedics before administering his own cure - anti-histamines with a Guniness chaser. Don't try that at home, kids.

Hatton is already preparing for life outside the ring and has been touring around the country with his stand-up show - a mixture of gags and boxing tales. Apparently it has been a roaring success, but then who's going to be daft enough to heckle?

Robbie Fowler is another one with an equine aversion - not ideal when you're trying to make your name as a horse owner.

Fowler was the subject of the strangest 'transfer' of the week when he linked up with his old mucker Paul Ince at Blackburn. All Incey needs to do is create a role for Steve McManaman, invest in some tasteful white suits and the Spice Boys reunion is on.

Fowler is on a two-week trial at Ewood Park and most football fans - apart from those who live in Cardiff - would love to see Old Spice having one last hurrah in the top flight, if only to hear the chant "We all live in a Robbie Fowler house" ringing around the terraces again.

Talking of reunions, Peter Crouch linked up with Harry Redknapp for the third time in his career and admitted: "I'm not going to stand here and lie about Portsmouth's chances of breaking into the top four."

In this age of Blatters and Ronaldos, it's refreshing to have someone like Crouchy around - a man so honest that when asked by Soccer AM what he'd have been if hadn't made it as a footballer, he replied: "A virgin."
rooney438318.jpg
Man Utd attempted to put their troubled summer behind them with a friendly at Aberdeen. Predictably there was a no-show from the injured Ronaldo - although if I hadn't seen pictures of the troubled 'slave' in Portugal the same day, I'd have sworn Wayne Rooney had eaten him.

The striker was clearly out of shape but still managed to disprove the Aberdeen faithful's assertions that he could only "score in a care home" by heading in a beauty and winning a penalty in United's 2-0 win.

As for the cricket, if ever there was a game of two halves, England-South Africa was it. After initially looking forward to watching the boys wrap up the first Test on Sunday, I quickly got bored with the war of attrition and suddenly found myself glued to a repeat of Diagnosis Murder - one of those programmes you know is wrong but still feel compelled to see through to its conclusion.

Even the most ardent purist, yearning for the times when Boycott and Tavare brought three days' worth of sandwiches to the crease, had to admit this was a day when even the Wide Awake Club would have been in trouble.

It is to be hoped that Test cricket and Twenty20 can make for happy bedfellows. But if Sir Allen Stanford caught any of the 'action' on Sunday and Monday, he'd have been chuckling into his chequebook.

And finally, since taking over as Chelsea manager, Big Phil Scolari has apparently fallen in love with the beautiful game....darts.

According to The Sun, the Brazilian has taken to the arrows like a duck to water after discovering his new team were huge fans - and has already earned the nickname 'Phil The Power' for his prowess on the oche.

The only players better than their boss are those crafty Cockneys Joe Cole and John Terry, who after last season are only too familiar with the old Bullseye classic..."Here's what you could have won."


STUFF WORTH WATCHING
Drunk Belarusian ref staggers around pitch
Air hostesses dance for Spain's Euro 2008 winners
Peter Crouch robot dance

Comments

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  • 1. At 5:30pm on 16 Jul 2008, Giordie wrote:

    Good! Very enjoyable read.

    I love "Guniness" as well - hic.

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  • 2. At 6:20pm on 16 Jul 2008, okainii wrote:

    geee, real cool. yes its an enjoyable read, especially the part about rooney eating up ronaldo n crouch being a virgin if he hadnt been a footballer

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  • 3. At 6:27pm on 16 Jul 2008, thebenster wrote:

    Maybe not drunk, looks like a back spasm.

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  • 4. At 00:47am on 17 Jul 2008, ShanghiShanky wrote:

    Great review my man, loving your work u keep up like this and ull be gettin a job as the next tim lovejoy im sure soccer could work beautifully on the bbc. Focus might have something to say about it though!!!!!

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  • 5. At 00:48am on 17 Jul 2008, ShanghiShanky wrote:

    soccer am i should say

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  • 6. At 10:45am on 17 Jul 2008, FoxForever - Vox Populi - (a.k.a sunillcfcp) wrote:

    That last line is well put together!
    Nice one!

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  • 7. At 1:00pm on 17 Jul 2008, babydave83 wrote:

    All i can say is your comments re Rooney and Crouchy have made me giggle. Will make this afternoon that bit easier till hometime.

    Cheers!

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  • 8. At 1:45pm on 17 Jul 2008, unclesamsonite wrote:

    Good humorous article. You can't write this stuff...

    The last comment was nicely done!

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  • 9. At 1:56pm on 17 Jul 2008, TheColourfulSheep wrote:

    can't help but point out that at the time of the cream suits debacle in 1996 (arguably the pinnacle of the spice boy era), ince was - wisely - out of the country, playing for inter

    nice article though... sometimes it's almost even amusing

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  • 10. At 06:39am on 25 Jul 2008, Limboblo wrote:

    I feel very sorry for manu this season considering that they didn't manage to secure one good player to replace the aging scholes and giggs. rooney should have been at his best had it been for his temper and failure to stick to his position. and as for rio ferdinand, he needs to understand that one has to become dirty from tackling strikers and not come out of a match with his attire free of dirt. and one other thing, sir alex needs a very heavy reprimand for tapping berbatov. if he is reluctant to let go of ronaldo why should he be so keen in destroying totenham hot spurs. the fa need not favour.

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  • 11. At 06:50am on 25 Jul 2008, Limboblo wrote:

    Arsenal might has lost the services of Hleb and Flamini however their deparure has created room for other deadlier ones in the likes of the mercurial Walcot and the new boy Nazri to mention but a few.

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