BLOG POSTS
Posted Mar 12th 2007, 11:33am
Exiled
Living as I do now in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, I´m 700 miles away from the Spanish penisula and 50 away from the African continent. It doesn´t take Einstein-level intellect to work out that I´m at a significant disadvantage when it comes to commissioning than when I was back in London. However, I´ve just got to use my location to my advantage. Since I´ve been here I´ve enjoyed a week´s free tuition at a surf school in return for an article and taken in the odd delights of lucha canaria, Canarian wrestling, a sort of sumo-meets-Cumbrian-wrestling type of sport. And for the benefit of any commissioning editors reading my ramblings, I´m handily placed for covering the Lisbon-Dakar rally.
Posted Mar 9th 2007, 9:59am
London Sport
It is with interest that I read that Steven Gerrard recently won a libel case against the magazine London Sport which claimed that the Liverpool captain was considering a move to Spanish club Real Madrid. Gerrard was awarded undisclosed damages against the mag, which made the allegations in an article in January.
The article claimed Gerrard booked into the same hotel as Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon and speculated that a move could take place in the summer.
Similar, but less detailed allegations were also made in another article published in February.
However, Gerrard's lawyer Gerard Tyrell told London's High Court that the allegations were not true and that the magazine had not contacted the footballer or his agent to verify the story before it was published.
Mr Tyrell told the court that Gerrard had not been involved in secret talks with Real Madrid or any other football club regarding a possible move and said that the player was "more than happy" at Liverpool.
The solicitor also told the court that the story had caused Gerrard and his family embarrassment and distress.
Echo Publishing, which prints London Sport Magazine, agreed to pay damages and legal costs to Gerrard and apologised for the distress caused by the article.
Now this raises interesting questions. As a journalist myself, I´´m sure if I´d written a similar story and phoned Gerrard or his agent for confirmation about a possible Real Madrid move, they´re obviously going to deny it. The article also stirred my interest as I happen to be a contributor. I´ve interviewed the likes of Sol Campbell (incredibly open), freediver Tanya Streeter (incredibly confident), and Phil Tufnell (incredibly drunk). Here´s some links for your amusement:
http://www.ls-magazine.co.uk/articles/cache/c33fb82faf6d44e2bfd824cb1d73c1c4.php
http://www.ls-magazine.co.uk/articles/cache/4c943e084b437265fa111be8af21ffa9.php
One would hope that the damages handed out won´t affect the long-term future of London Sport.
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Posted Mar 8th 2007, 3:34pm
Fight Night
If you haven´t seen footage of the fracas between Valencia and Inter at the end of their Champions League clash two nights ago, you must have been away. In space. For the benefit of any interplanetary travellers out there, this is what you missed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbe06xm6EFE&mode=related&search=
I particularly enjoyed the way Valencia sub David Navarro evades attempts by Inter players to bring him down. As if he´s running the bulls in Pamplona. The fight, as you can see, continued in the tunnel. In truth, though, animosity between Italians and Spaniards has existed for centuries. And there have been flashpoints on the football field before. Notably when Italy´s Mauro Tassotti broke Spain´s Luis Enrique´s nose with a vicious elbow into the face during their 1994 World Cup quarter-final.
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Posted Mar 2nd 2007, 2:01pm
Big Mouth Strikes Again
Everybody seems to have it in for Chelsea these. Next up shouting off their mouth at the front of a disorderly queue comes Eamonn Holmes. "You have to despise Chelsea more than anyone", argues the frothing-at-the mouth telly tubby. In an interview with Loaded magazine, he slates the club for being successful: "The way they´ve gone about it, the arrogance of Mourinho. And Abramovich - all that money, but have you ever seen him smile? Why is he so miserable." Quelle surprise! Our Eamonn´s a United fan. Sore loser, we say.
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Posted Feb 25th 2007, 8:34pm
Pitch(ed) Battle
Arsenal and Chelsea don´t like each other much. Blues fans stereotype Gooners as overly geekish Nick-Hornby-like uberbores. Meanwhile, Arsenal supporters (and their managers) resent the emergence of the Blues as the dominant footballing force. So there was little love lost on a day which saw the game explode into life following Theo Walcott´s sensational opener. The unfairly-derided Ballack then superbly set up Drobga for the equaliser. Although Arsenal were perhaps the side playing the prettier football, it was Chelsea who got the winner, again through Drogba, this time powerfully heading in a centimetre-perfect cross (we live in metric times, my friends) from Robben. Then more drama came when John Terry swallowed his tongue. Thankfully, he´s already recovered. The seven minutes of additional time became 11 after an incredible incident saw Adenbayor and Toure sent off for Arsenal, and Mikel for Chelsea, plus yellow cards for Fabregas and Lampard. And they say football´s not exciting anymore!
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Posted Feb 21st 2007, 5:04pm
Here Be Dragons
Chelsea arrived in early December 2004 secure of their qualification to the knock-out stages. Porto "welcoming" their former manager Jose Mourinho back to the Estádio do Dragão, literally Stadium of Dragons, sat in third place in the group, hoping on PSG slipping up and picking up three points to avoid the ignominy of becoming the first Champions to go out at the group stage. Sufficiently fired up, they triumphed 2-1 with a late goal from Benni McCarthy. I was at the game that night and felt the fiery passion of the home supporters who drove on Porto to play above themselves. Porto, it seems, are most dangerous with their backs to the wall. Luckily, Chelsea have something to play for this time around and should proceed to the quarter-finals. Although, not without a fight.
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Always find it interesting that Porto's slump post-Mourinho was really quite severe.
But they seem to be back to where they should be now, and that was a decent draw last night.
But they seem to be back to where they should be now, and that was a decent draw last night.
Posted by Andy Swan, Feb 22nd 2007, 1:51pm
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