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pontoon_g117

Listed below are comments made by pontoon_g117 between Monday, 29th June 2009 and Thursday, 26th November 2009.

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The Miseryside derby 7:48pm on 26 Nov 2009 I can wholly understand why the groundshare idea is back on the agenda after today's news and I can also totally understand why it provokes such strong feeling on both sides of the debate.

But, to say glibly that both Milan and Rome clubs groundshare is to miss one key point - they've all been looking at building their own grounds in recent times. So just at the moment when adopting that model is being considered here, it appears the mood is going the other way on the continent.

I can't see how a groundshare will ever get off the ground without serious political and financial support from Liverpool City Council and, if I'm honest, I wouldn't want it to.
Haye does what he has to do 10:24pm on 08 Nov 2009 First and foremost, I would hope that all fans of British boxing would want to congratulate our newest world champion. For me, there was no doubt both that Haye won the fight clearly and that he fought the style of fight that gave him the best possible chance of victory against somebody of the dimensions of his opponent. That deserves credit, not criticism.

To take some of the other issues, I agree with the criticisms directed at certain pundits, particularly Jim Watt. Now I usually find Watt to be a good and reasoned analyst to listen to, but I thought his reading of last night's fight was completely wrong, as shown by his scoring of the fight in Valuev's favour. The number of times Valuev swung and missed was frightening and Ian Darke had it right when he said you can't just give points to a fighter for coming forward.

I guess that brings me to the comments of Frank Warren, which appear quite strange on one level and just silly at another. I don't think anybody has said Valuev is a great heavyweight, but his sheer size presents a unique challenge which Haye took on and the Klitschko brothers, who Warren apparently thinks so highly of, have not.
Can football learn from rugby league's play-offs? 10:19am on 28 Sep 2009 Football doesn't give enough of an advantage to the higher placed side in the playoffs. Rugby league has now gone too far the other way.
Can football learn from rugby league's play-offs? 10:15am on 28 Sep 2009 It may well 'reward' them in the short-term, Paul, but what will you be saying if Leeds lose on Friday night, as frankly I hope they do. I have nothing against Leeds whatsoever (I have no allegiances in rugby league), but I just think this whole concept is daft and, rather than rewarding the higher finishing side, is potentially a far bigger disadvantage to them. There is no doubt in my mind that Catalans will be even more motivated for this game than they otherwise would have been, regardless of the fact they are a form side at the moment, thus making them a far tougher proposition for Leeds than they perhaps needed to be. I hope the idea is scrapped.

If football takes this idea, then it will just be further proof that the lunatics have taken over the asylum.
Semenya left stranded by storm 12:32pm on 20 Aug 2009 This is a very difficult and highly emotive issue. I find it hard to believe that the South African federation could have entered this athlete into the women's 800 metres without being as sure as they could be of her gender. That said, given the speculation, the IAAF had no choice but to make some form of public statement on the issue.

Personally, I only saw Semenya for the first time about half an hour before the final. Her very looks make you suspicious. However, we have to wait for the results to come back before we can draw any conclusions on her.

One conclusion I will make, however, is this - the accusations of racism made by some posters are out of order. If there is a problem here, then it needs to be resolved for everyone's good. It doesn't matter what nationality is involved. I remember Amelie Mauresmo facing similar taunts in tennis a few years ago. Was that because she was French? Get a grip!
Ramps for The Oval? 11:54am on 13 Aug 2009 The selectors picked Pattinson for good reason - he was in form and it was felt the conditions at Headingley would suit him. He actually performed far better than any of the snide critics ever gave him credit for.
Ramps for The Oval? 10:49am on 13 Aug 2009 I would tend more towards the view of keeping changes to a minimum. The fact is that this series has been contested between two evenly-matched teams. You can quote whatever statistics you want, but the reality is that England have won one Test and were on top in another and Australia have done likewise. 1-1 with one to play is probably a fair scoreline after four Tests.

In that context, I would make a maximum of two changes - Key for Bell at three and move Bopara down one and Flintoff must play for Harmison. There is absolutely no way that Mark Ramprakash should be selected in my view. Not because of his age, but because of the fact that he never fulfilled his potential for England at the highest level. Regardless of whether he is having a good season for Surrey, the idea that we should pick somebody who averaged 27 in Test cricket and hasn't played for England in eight years is desperate bordering on crazy.
The rights to highlight 2:31pm on 05 Aug 2009 as another Grimsby fan here, one thing that particularly irritated me about Football League coverage on ITV was that there was no programme on weekends when the Championship clubs weren't playing, whether for international breaks or FA Cup. Are the BBC intending to correct this or will I still need to watch Sky for some half-decent lower league coverage?
Broad's Ashes spot no longer secure 9:55pm on 03 Aug 2009 While I agree with Andy wholeheartedly, I doubt we can hope for that, even in England in August.

So, to get back to the main point, I think Stuart Broad's biggest problem at the moment is that, rather like James Anderson's a few years ago, he is being asked to learn his craft as a quick bowler at the very highest level and that is very difficult to do. It seems to me that his best performances with the ball have come when Flintoff hasn't been playing and he has had to step up and perform. That said, assuming Flintoff's fitness, I would be very tempted to play Sidebottom at Headingley and give Broad the opportunity to get some rhythm and confidence back at Nottinghamshire. He's a great talent and should be a big part of the England side for many years to come, but we can't afford to carry passengers.

One final thing. I don't really see what the fuss is about the booing of Ponting. I must admit I don't particularly like it, but I can't stomach people preaching about the spirit of the game in relation to the treatment of a man who has behaved so churlishly at times in this series.
Have officials turned a blind eye to Burger? 10:17pm on 29 Jun 2009 Newlaager, you're wrong. Due process was not followed, because the appropriate punishment was not handed down on the field at the time. Are you proud to win a series through resorting to that kind of behaviour? I know I wouldn't be.

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