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vcfsantos

Listed below are comments made by vcfsantos between Thursday, 8th October 2009 and Friday, 30th October 2009.

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Cycling's problematic pursuit of equality 7:13pm on 30 Oct 2009 From a personal point of view, I'm gutted for Wiggo probably not getting the chance to go for a triple gold in his home country. But, like I said, this is a personal point of view, dictated by emotion and the fact that I'm a big fan of his. I think credit needs to go to the author of this blog for writing something very even-handed and rational when it could so easily have been another bout of whinging (as has been seen on so many of the cycling forums).

For two of the cyclists mainly affected there is some good news though:

- Wiggins: Yes, he's lost the chance of a hat-trick in the pursuit but possibly this will make him concentrate 100% on Le Tour for the next few years? He's certainly not going to topple Contador, but with a dedicated training schedule he may just get ahead of the Schlecks and Armstrong in 2011 (though I do realise time isn't on his side).

- Romero: Judging from her history all she needs to do is write down a list of all Olympic sports, put on a blindfold and stick a pin in one of them. She'll probably win gold.
Agassi confession lengthens shadow of doubt 08:29am on 29 Oct 2009 As a huge fan of Agassi, this news has come as a disappointment. However, like many people above, I think that a degree of perspective is needed. A bloke who was suffering from depression took some meth. Its not good, but it isn't a massive deal. Some people drink when they feel down, in the States, crystal meth is pretty easy to come by so that was the poison that Agassi chose.

That said, I do take issue with all the people above who say that Agassi wasn't cheating. He knew full well that if he had told the truth he would likely have received a significant ban. The drug itself may not have been performance enhancing, but Agassi's presence at subsequent tournaments was based on a lie and in my book that constitutes cheating.

A part of me is almost glad he lied, because the way his career was going at the time, it is not hard to imagine that a ban would have led to retirement and we would have missed out on so many of his subsequent achievements. But there has to be a bottom line to these matters and unfortunately as Sports fans we're often not that great at seeing this. As much as we may have loved watching Agassi and as appealing a character as he may be, all fans should be stating that this is an ugly episode for tennis that should be roundly condemned.

As I said at the top of this post, I've been a fan of Agassi for many years and have loved watching him play, but until we genuinely start showing our disgust at this behaviour then we remain complicit in accepting it or at the very least accepting that it will be swept under the carpet.
Valero and Vieri: the future and the past 2:09pm on 27 Oct 2009 Sorry for stating the blinking obvious but BOTH LEAGUES ARE VERY GOOD IN DIFFERENT WAYS! There is no clear cut way of determining which is better. For every fan of the EPL who points out the number of English teams in the CL semis last season, there will be a La Liga fan who will point out that Barca won the tournament and that Real have improved massively since last season.

Those who like their football physical, quick and direct will prefer the EPL. Those who prefer a more tactical, patient give with slightly better technique will prefer La Liga.

For me the bottom line is that if the top team from each league played each other and then 2nd v 2nd, 3rd v 3rd etc then unless there was an absolute thrashing, there wouldn't be any shock results. By which I mean if Barca played Chelsea it wouldn't be a surprise if either team won. Same goes for Man U v Real.

Another interesting observation is that Ronaldo seems to be having a very similar level of success in Spain as he has had in England for two comparable clubs, suggesting that the opposition may be of a similar standard. There are obviously weaknesses in this argument (as there are in all of the arguments above) but it points to what I think is the truth of the matter: both league contain teams of a very similar standard. One season one league might have the edge (I'd suggest that this year it is La Liga, on the basis that the defending in England has gone mad) whilst the other league may appear superior the next (I think that the two previous years the EPL was slightly better).

Apologies for sitting on the fence, but someone has to try and stop the kiddies arguing!
Valero and Vieri: the future and the past 10:32am on 27 Oct 2009 #26 - Good points made.

Ultimately, I don't see how anybody can reach a conclusion about which league is the best. Its down to personal preference. To be honest, in terms of excitement the English Championship is right up there at the moment!

Peronally, I think the standard of football being played in Spain is higher so far this season than that of the EPL. Last season, except for Barca, I think the EPL had a higher standard of football. Not sure why, but the leading English teams appear to have forgotten how to defend and this is a worry not only for their Champions League campaigns but also for England's outside shot at the World Cup.

Ultimately, whatever league you most enjoy watching is the best league for you. I'm happier watching amateur football in Bristol than I am watching the EPL or La Liga, so I'm going to say that's the best!
Froch's rocky road to recognition 3:05pm on 16 Oct 2009 #21 - I'm sorry mate, but you don't go 12 Rounds with Taylor and then get a knock out simply by luck. Yes, he took a battering. So does every boxer at some point and being able to stand up to it is one of the skills of the sport. Its why the term 'glass jaw' isn't a compliment!

More to the point, at the end of those 12 rounds it wasn't a lucky punch that did the damage. The fact that he finished the fight in the manner he did is testament to his skill as a boxer. Not many people currently in the ring could have survived that long. Even fewer would have had the fitness, strength, presence of mind and mentality to win.

I'm not saying he's one of the greats or anything but I think to put his win down to luck is disrespectful.
Cagey Contador loses nothing in translation 1:35pm on 16 Oct 2009 I wouldn't be so sure about Contador winning the Tour next year. I have no doubt that he is better equipped individually than Armstrong, but this year Armstrong will have a hand-picked team working for him. It looks like Contador will have very little effective support from his team-mates unless there are some new recruits (and Bruyneel appears to have snapped up the most promising candidates).

The absence of a team-time trial will work in Contador's favour (almost certainly the Tour establishment's way of getting at Armstrong in my opinion) but the route will not. Even though Contador is the better climber the sheer number of Cat1 and HC climbs means that he will struggle. Every climb will see one of Armstrong's team mates attacking Contador with fresh legs. Can he defend against that over the course of 19 major climbs and with little or no support from team-mates? I don't think so. Expecting Lance to make his own attack on one of the ascents of the Tourmalet.

Will be absolutely fascinating. I'd love Contador to win it, as it would be one of the greatest Tour achievements in recent times, but am expecting Lance to be on top of the podium.

P.S. Also think the number of climbs will work against Wiggins' attempts to challenge the podium. Too fine a balance to be struck between the Tour and the Olympics.
Capello's World Cup contenders 07:50am on 15 Oct 2009 #9 - Think there are a few reasons why there is a limit on squad size. Perhaps the most important one these days is to keep things fair - Some of the countries at previous WCs have struggled to afford to take their squads as it is. FAs like England could obviously afford to take as many players as they wanted within reason, I doubt the same could be said of some of the teams from countries where football isn't a big sport and doesn't generate revenue. Additionally, it puts more pressure on the players who are there and the manager. This is the WC - it needs to be the hardest test of a team and the limit on squad size helps acheive this.

Re the blog: Agree with pretty much everything written here except, like many other people, I think that Beckham should definately be on the plane. Should say that I also agree with your comments on Rooney in the previous blog (again, unlike many other people!).

The five things I want from the rest of the season to give us the best chance in the WC are...

1 - Rooney, Gerrard and A Cole to stay fit
2 - Jagielka and J Cole to get fit
3 - David James to have a blinding season
4 - Walcott and Milner to come of age and hit their peaks this season
5 - Rio to stay concentrated

Too much to ask?
Are sportspeople right to retaliate? 1:23pm on 08 Oct 2009 Personally I don't see why there needs to be such confusion about this issue. Should footballers have to face 90 minutes of abuse every week, some of it racist, some homophobic, some just vile? Of course not. Does that then give footballers the right to respond by taunting, gesturing, or returning abuse. No, it doesn't. There are systems in place to deal with offenders in the stands. They should be more effective than they are but we are seeing progress on this issue, with more and more fans being prepared to report people sat around them for their behaviour.

When footballers are on the pitch, they are doing a job for which they are very handsomely rewarded. I don't think that job involves taunting opposition fans in any other way than with their skill.

Adebayor was wrong to act in a way that put both fans and stewards potentially at risk. Bellamy was wrong to cuff a spectator who came on to the pitch (especially as stewards had the matter in hand). Both may use the excuse of the emotion of the occasion getting to them, but that is pathetic. Grown men should have control of the emotions.

None of this however, is to suggest that the fans in either of the examples above were in the right. The Arsenal fans behaved in a ridiculous manner and the club should have received a warning. The pitch invader at OT has rightly received a ban.
Can James answer England call? 08:28am on 08 Oct 2009 Also think that the comments made about Robinson's unfair mauling in the press after the Neville backpass are quite correct. He does need to be made of sterner stuff but if he hadn't been torn apart by virtually everybody for a hugely unlucky incident that wasn't his fault, then I think he could well have been our #1 for the past few years. Would have been a much more comforting position to be in.
Can James answer England call? 08:25am on 08 Oct 2009 You can generally tell if a keeper is not world class when all people can say about them is 'great shot stopper.' All of the candidates for the England side are great shot stoppers but in a way this is the easiest part of their game.

The great keepers have a mental approach and an authority that means they 'own' their penalty area and they 'own' their defenders. James makes me nervous primarily because of his mental approach to games. That is not to say that he isn't confident or that he doesn't put the work in, but more that if there is any dent to his confidence or any hiccup in his preparation, it seems to affect him far more significantly than it should.

Having said that, I think he is the leading candidate with Green pushing him hard. Hopefully we'll have a better idea after Christmas. Any later than that will be too late I think.

Just a thought: I don't think its the way Capello would do things, but what do people think about consulting Terry and Ferdinand over this? Assuming they're fit, they'll be the first choice pairing at centre back and their relationship with the keeper is absolutely crucial. I wonder if they get sounded out. Imagine that Capello is a bit more of a dictator than that though (and I'm not saying that's a bad thing!)

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