August 2008 Archives

THERE was one man happier than most down at Bodymoor Heath today when Villa pulled Litex Lovech out of the hat for the next round of the UEFA Cup.

No, it wasn't Martin O'Neill after finally coming out on top in his summer-long pursuit of James Milner nor was it the now ex-Newcastle flyer himself having finally been handed the move to Villa he longed for two years ago.

Villa's very own happy chappy was bouncing Bulgaria international Stiliyan Petrov who was skipping around like a kid on Christmas morning.

But a return to his homeland wasn't the reason behind Montana-born Petrov's delight.
'At least we're not going somewhere where we might get kidnapped' remarked the excitable midfielder affectionately known as Stan.

BRITAIN'S Olympic Sailing team became the latest bunch of medal winners to receive a deserved heroes' welcome on Thursday.

The top team, that scooped medals in six of the 11 classes in Beijing, were treated to a champagne reception in London, the city where they hope to complete a clean sweep in four years time.

However while no gift would ever better the gold, silver or bronze medals that were hanging around their necks, I was a little surprised with what the heroes of the high waves received from the organisers of the homecoming.

For years these sailors have spent hour after hour in their trusty boats, breaking sweat as they battle against the unpredictable elements that mother nature throws their way and no doubt a few tears have been shed while they have been cooped up in their vessels.

So after all that painstaking preparation surely they would be forgiven for not wanting to venture near a boat for a couple of weeks while they put their feet up. And what were the GB team sailing team each presented with - a model of a boat!

Surely that's the equivalent to giving a plumber a golden spanner, a builder a diamond-crusted trowel or a waste collector a silver bin on a plinth.

IF Beckham-bashing were an Olympic sport us Brits would end up with more Golds than Michael Phelps, Chris Hoy and the Birmingham City boardroom put together.

And, although Final Word is reluctant to jump on the anti-Goldenballs bandwagon, the time has surely come for one of the finest and most committed players of his generation to hang up his boots.

I am writing this blog from Wembley where I have been privileged to witness England's friendly draw with the Czech Republic. Not privileged because it was a great spectacle of football. It wasn't, as you all know, it was dire.

But privileged because I truly believe I have just seen David Beckham's final game in an England shirt. And that's privileged in a 'I was there when a legend called it a day' kind of way rather than a 'thank God that useless so and so is finally going' kind of way.

I have never subscribed to the view that Beckham is a one trick pony, because in his prime, Posh's hubby, while lacking in pace, was almost the complete footballer.

There's no doubt, however, that Brand Beckham, on the football field at least, has been based largely around the sort of impeccable delivery that Postman Pat would be proud of.

So when the set-piece specialist's set-piece standards start slipping it really is time to call it a day on the international scene and stick to soccer and showbiz shindigs Stateside.

Granted, the LA Galaxy superstar's right-wing corner did provide an assist for Wes Brown's goal, but was the front post flag kick really beyond the deadball abilities of Villa's Ashley Young or Tottenham's David Bentley?

Too many times Becks's corners, free-kicks and crosses from open play failed to beat the first man - the minimum requirement in Sunday football, let alone the world arena.

He was so pedestrian, I can only imagine he was trying to reduce his carbon footprint after all those trans-Atlantic flights.

Don't get me wrong Beckham has been a brilliant ambassador for English football and the centurion fully deserved nearly all of those 103 caps.

But the time has come for the former Man Utd and Real Madrid star to step aside for a younger version who can make a more telling contribution over 90 minutes in an England shirt.

I might be wrong, but Beckham's 80th minute substitution for Jermain Jenas was surely his last involvement for Fabio Capello's team. And his body language as he returned to the field at the final whistle to applaud all four sides of a quickly-emptying Wembley stadium suggested as much.

Being married to a Spice Girl, Becks is no stranger to sour notes - but it's just a shame that his glittering career should end in such a low-key way.

It now appears that along with troublesome agents and pesky journalists, football managers have a new pest that threatens to cause unrest in the dressing room - Facebook.

Yes that's right, the social networking website that has taken the online world by storm and probably accounts for the vast majority of time-wasting that goes on in offices up and down the country. And now the interactive addiction looks to have spread into the world of football.

No longer is it just us mere mortals that want to find out what our mate's cousin, who we only met once back in 1989, had for dinner on their birthday by nosing at the pictures they've uploaded - millionaire footballers want a piece of the action.

However while footballers may have previously grumbled about the latest gripe they have with their gaffer in private to their their pals - they're now doing it via Facebook where potentially anyone can stumble across their conversations and that's bad news for Messrs O'Neill, McLeish and Mowbray.

Take the recent example of Alex Bruce, son of ex-Blues boss Steve and a former defensive midfielder at St Andrew's, who rather foolishly told a Facebook audience of potentially 90 million that he wanted out of Ipswich.

This is barely a month after Crystal Palace winger Ashley-Paul 'Motor Mouth' Robinson revealed that he had a trial with Fulham through his Facebook status - he is now a free agent.

Final Word has stumbled across the following Facebook statuses - see who you think they belong to:

- Shaun loved his night in Glasgow and wishes he could move back there.

- Seb wishes Fabrice and Olivier would stop boasting about the Premier League - it really annoys him and James.

- Borja can't understand these accents - what does 'bostin' mean?

ONE of the enduring moments of a fabulous Olympic Games was Welsh weightlifter Michaela Breeze completing her event through gritted teeth.

Breeze might not have been one of Team GB's growing band of golden girls and boys but her never-say-die attiitude alone was worthy of a medal.

The 29-year-old was suffering from an excruciating back injury and was in obvious agony as she battled through the pain barrier to lift 100kg.

But Breeze, who finished seventh in floods of tears, admitted there had been no chance of her quitting, adding: "It's an Olympic Games - pain's irrelevant."

Wonder if this guy would agree.......?!

WHILE Birmingham boxer Frankie Gavin is still coming to terms with his Olympic exile, Scouser David Price has restored some pride to Team GB by clinching a medal.

But all eyes will be on former Athens 2004 Olympian Amir Khan when he returns to the ring to fight someone called Prescott at Manchester's MEN Arena on September 6.

We don't know too much about Khan's opponent. But, we've done a bit of research and discovered that, like Gavin, this Prescott fella might struggle to make the weight (Give it 12 or 13 seconds to get going).

FINAL Word was horrified to stumble across this pre-Olympics picture the other day.

It depicts the Spanish basketball team ignorantly poking fun at their Chinese hosts ahead of their trip to Beijing.

The days when making slanty-eye gestures were acceptable are, thankfully, long since gone.

So why did Spain's men's and women's basketball teams, dressed in team kit on official photos, feel it was fair game to be pictured pulling back the skin on their eyes to narrow them?

The photographs appeared in a newspaper advertisement for a courier company in popular Spanish daily, Marca.

This is just the latest racist gaffe by the Spanish sporting fraternity.

Former national football coach Luis Aragones made derogatory comments about Thierry Henry and Formula One fans blacked up to abuse Lewis Hamilton at the Spanish Grand Prix.

In a day and age when sport is being used as a positive platform to stamp out prejudices, what do you think of the latest act of ignorance from Spain?

Leave your comments on the link below.

GUESS Villa's Spanish-speaking new signing Carlos Cuellar won't be turning to Big Marlon for English lessons, then!

Or should that be Big-as, Biga-siz, Biga-iz, Bigsa-iz Marlon!

We know it's an old clip but we love it, so we just needed any old excuse to use it.

THE Olympics is in full sway.

A supposedly adult diver has plumbed new depths by bullying our teenage boy wonder.

Us Brits are fooling ourselves that our athletes will return home with more gold than on Mr T's little finger.

And the obliviously offensive Spanish basketball team have made former football coach Luis Aragones seems like Kofi Annan with racist gestures on their team picture.

But while the first few days has already provided plenty of talking points, Final Word is already looking forward to the Paralympics.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting two Midlanders hoping to make their mark in Beijing - and their stories really were inspirational.

The interviews will appear in the Sunday Mercury in the run up to next month's Paralympics, but needless to say we wish blind footballer Simon Hill and wheelchair rugby star Alan Ash all the best.

And if their stories aren't remarkable enough, here's a fascinating clip which proves those with disabilities can still lead an active life.....

Ishmael Miller gives his verdict on Tony Mowbray's hilarious impression of a car in today's Sunday Mercury and here's another chance to see that clip from last season: