Spain reign to end years of pain

We will have to think of a new tag with which to label the Spanish sides at future major tournaments.

For so long they have been ‘perennial underachievers Spain’ but they shed that moniker by rising to the occasion at the Ernst Happel stadium yesterday.

For the next couple of tournaments ‘Euro 2008 champions Spain’ will suffice and it’s a title they richly deserve.

The Spaniards were simply too good for Germans and capped off a wonderful tournament with a classy display of their passing football in the final.

While Spain’s tournament win will be seen as a vindication of the quick little silky midfield player, with Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas and David Silva all fitting in that category, it was a classic centre forward who rose to the occasion in the final.

Fernando Torres may not have had a great tournament by his own Everest-high standards, but the Liverpool hitman picked his moment to shine.

They say the best players perform on the biggest stage and last night Torres stepped up to the plate.

Full of menace, he carried more threat on his own than the whole Germany side put together and gave a real cutting edge to the pretty passing stuff being played out behind him.

His goal was a classic striker’s effort, brushing aside Germany’s Philipp Lahm before calming dinking the ball over an onrushing Jens Lehman.

But it was the sheer enthusiasm with which Torres harassed the German back line and the competitive way he fought tooth and nail for his side that raised the spirits of the whole team.

There is a streak of pure anger which fires Torres game’ that belies his cherubic features, this is after all a man who was nicknamed El Nino – the kid – in Spain for his youthful complexion.

He has a ferocious desire coursing through his veins, not dissimilar to that fervour that grips Wayne Rooney every time he steps out on a football pitch.

Unlike the Manchester United forward though, the Spaniard seems to be able to contain the anger, only releasing it in occasional outbursts seemingly directed more at himself than opponents or the referee.

I remember reading an interview with Torres’ Liverpool team mate Steven Gerrard shortly after the striker arrived at Anfield when the Reds’ skipper said he was surprised by how much Torres enjoyed the rough side of the English game.

It may explain why the forward was so quick to adapt to life in the Premiership, he didn’t just cope with the tough stuff dished out by big centre halves week in week out, he enjoyed it.

This is clearly not some pretty boy striker here to make a quick buck, Torres is that rare phenomenon of a star player who plays with the attitude of someone who is less able than his colleagues and has to make up for it through grit and determination.

It is not hard to see why he has become an instant Kop idol, and why he was deified during his time at Atletico Madrid.

As Spain won a victory for football purists last night, Torres was busy claiming a separate triumph for the role of the old-fashioned centre forward.


My team of the tournament for Euro 2008:
(4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas (Spain) – For years the most reliable player at Real Madrid and Spain, the stopper deserved to lift the trophy in the tournament’s final act. Had his moment of personal recognition in the quarter final shoot out against Italy but Casillas is also the epitome of a team player, ever-dependable and a steadying influence on those around him.

Right back: Sergio Ramos (Spain) – Not flawless defensively but more than made up for it with his surging runs forward and bags of energy on the right flank. It’s hard to imagine England ever producing a full back so comfortable on the ball and the Real Madrid defender is also a great athlete, able to add his presence in both penalty boxes at set pieces.

Centre back: Carlos Marchena (Spain) – The less celebrated of Spain’s centre back pairing, the Valencia defender came of age in this tournament and offered a solid foundation for his side to use as a base for their sparkling football. An old school defender who gets stuck in and does the simple things well, Marchena was an underrated contributor to the champions, success.

Centre back: Robert Kovac (Croatia) – This is likely to be the last time we see Robert and brother Niko at a major international tournament and the pair will be sorely missed. Robert is a classy defender who plays with a calm authority that tends to rub off on his team mates. A true leader, he made up for any lack of pace in his ageing legs with great reading of the game.

Left back: Yuri Zhirkov (Russia) – Russia went into the tournament boasting that in right back Alexandr Anyukov they had the Cafu of Eastern Europe. That may have prompted Zhirkov to pull off a passable impression of Cafu’s compatriot Roberto Carlos with his marauding runs from the left and also the ability to smash the leather off a dead ball.

Centre midfield: Marcos Senna (Spain) – It’s no surprise that the two finalists had the two most effective holding midfield players in the tournament. Senna offered a security net for Spain’s more naturally gifted midfielders to roam forward. His work ethic, sensible use of possession and positional sense were key to the Spanish success story.

Centre midfield: Xavi Hernandez (Spain) – The Barcelona player summed up what Spain were all about with intelligent passing and brilliant vision. They say the best sportsman look like they have more time than they are actually given and Xavi never seems rushed on the ball. His success will help banish the memories of a season of underachievement at the Nou Camp.

Right sided attacking midfield: Wesley Sneijder (Holland) – The gifted Dutchman was key to his side’s bright attacking play early in the tournament and he scored two fine goals, one putting the finish touch on a great team move and the other a superb individual effort. Coming off the back of a great season with Real Madrid, his wicked delivery from set pieces is another weapon in his bountiful arsenal.

Central attacking midfield: Andrei Arshavin (Russia) - May have missed the first two games and might as well have not shown up against Spain in the semi, but in the two games in between the tricky Russian was electrifying. The kind of creative genius every major tournament needs, the only mystery is how it took Arshavin till the age of 27 before he proved himself on the world stage.

Left sided attacking midfield: Lukas Podolski (Germany) – The Polish born forward struggled for a starting spot at club side Bayern Munich last term, but he has come to the fore at the last two major tournaments. Deployed on the left flank by Joachim Low, Podolski was a threat and claimed three well-struck goals. Faded as the rest of his side’s form dipped in the closing stages of the competition.

Striker: David Villa (Spain) – Expected to play second fiddle to Torres, the Valencia hitman claimed the Golden Boot despite missing the final and coming off injured before half time in the semi. One of the most complete strikers in world football, Villa is equally comfortable playing deep, out wide or on the shoulder of the last defender. No wonder the big guns are said to be getting out their cheque books.

Cherries Chat: Fans favourite Danny commits to life in League Two

It’s been a rare week of good news at Dean Court.

AFC Bournemouth are still in administration and joint administrator Gerald Krasner has admitted that the club is likely to start with a 15-point deduction next season.

However, all bar one of our out of contract players have committed to the club for next season and the squad for the upcoming campaign is starting to take shape.

Josh Gowling has fled the nest, moving the length of the country to stay in League One with Carlisle.

Hopefully former Arsenal trainee Ryan Garry will finally shed his injury curse next season and fill the gap left by Gowling.

Elsewhere we have lost Sam Vokes, who was snapped up on the cheap by Wolves, and Max Gradel, our loan star who had returned to his parent club Leicester.

Otherwise we have maintained all the players who did so well for us at the end of last season and narrowly missed out on survival.

With over a month to go before the 2008/9 campaign kicks off we will hopefully find room in our tight budget to make a couple more additions, with another forward and a wide player key targets.

We will have one of the best squads in the division, even if it is on the small side, and as long as we are not hit by too many injuries, we should be able to bounce back quickly from whatever points deduction is inflicted on us.

In true ‘save the best till last’ fashion it was the supporters player of the year Danny Hollands who was final player to pledge his immediate future to the Cherries.

The former Chelsea reserve team skipper was slow to make an impact at the club after being signed by Sean O’Driscoll at the start of the 2006/7 season.

But the midfielder came into his own last season, even when the team was struggling his outstanding work rate and love of a tackle shone through.

He always makes himself available and, while he is not bad on the ball, he knows his limits and will often play the simple ball when it is on.

For me his best performance last season was actually in a game we lost, away at Cheltenham in January.

Hollands was everywhere, pulling the strings as we dominated the game but poor finishing cost us as we conceding from a set piece in the dying minutes.

There must be something positive going on off the pitch at Bournemouth that is convincing players like Hollands to stay on the south coast next season despite offers from other clubs.

I hope we can get the financial issues sorted as quickly as possible but at least now I am finally looking forward to next season with some optimism and I can’t wait for us to start playing again.

Colly has a wobble

Paul Collingwood must be looking back through rose tinted spectacles at the days when all he had to worry about was woeful batting form and a crisis of confidence.

His early season woes with the willow must now seem small fry compared to the troubles now sitting on his shoulders.

Forced to sit out the next three one-day internationals and a Twenty20 for overseeing a slow over rate in the field in the latest clash with New Zealand at The Oval, the Geordie has also become the villain of the cricketing world for his part in the controversial run out of Grant Elliott.

Collingwood refused to allow the Kiwi all rounder to be reinstated after he was caught out of his ground following an accidental clash with Ryan Sidebottom.

The act has been described as going ‘against the spirit of cricket’, but it was not just that, it went against the spirit of sport in general.

One player should not suffer, and his team’s chances of winning be hit, by a simple accidental collision.

In football players are encouraged to put the ball out of play if a player is injured, in boxing you have to let you opponent get up if they slip and in most sports a side pauses if a member of the opposition is down with an injury.

Admittedly Collingwood apologised pretty swiftly after the game, but the damage had already been done.

He had his chance and he made the wrong call, what is more he knows it.

If Collingwood is honest he simply panicked, the game was going down to the wire and he saw a chance of getting rid of Elliott, who was looking like the matchwinner and had been a key component in the Black Caps victory in the previous game at Bristol.

It’s all very well to say you’re sorry now but captaincy in cricket is all about making the right decision in the heat of the movement and the combative Durham all rounder let the pressure of the situation affect his judgement.

It almost seems a saving grace for Collingwood that England still managed, with some effort, to contrive to lose the game.

The vitriol heading the England skipper’s way may just have been a little bit spicier if England had walked away with a victory.

If the home side had won it would have gone down in the record books as a win but it would only serve to raise the question of how we actually define a ‘win’, is there really such a thing as winning at all costs?

If you have to bring your sporting integrity into question and the manner in which you play the game, can this side really be classified as winners? Or is all that matters the ‘W’ in the results column?

Think of the times when Michael Schumacher was second to his supporting Ferrari team mates such as Rubens Barrichello and they eased off in the closing stages to allow the German to take over, ensuring him maximum points for his title challenge. Who actually ‘won’ that race?

In 1986 Argentina won the World Cup but how many people think back to that tournament and picture Maradona holding the trophy aloft in a Bobby Moore-esque pose?

How many of us, particularly the English, instead picture the Argentinean rising with his fist aloft as he cheekily dinks the ball over Peter Shilton with the immortalised ‘Hand of God’ to help knock Bobby Robson’s men out in the quarter finals.

I guess the key element in this Collingwood issue is that, thanks to the most basic of cricketing errors – failing to back up in the field, the question of how we define a winner is irrelevant because, in both senses, poor old Colly came out of the game a loser.

Should we return to Hell?

The home nations rugby sides are currently licking their wounds after another emphatic reminder that they are still playing catch up with the Southern Hemisphere on the international stage.

Scotland may have claimed one win out of two in hostile surroundings in Argentina but Ireland, Wales and England all came up short against the big guns of the south.

The question on the minds of management staff, fans and even the players now is probably something on the lines of ‘was it really worth it’?

Wales came back to earth with a bump following their Six Nations grand slam as World Cup winners South Africa showed just how poor the standard of this year’s competition really was.

The Springboks showed the true meaning of the word ‘champions’ as they eased to two comfortable test victories while playing largely within themselves.

Ireland put up a spirited display against New Zealand, but never really stretched the All Blacks or a weak Australia side.

Skipper Brian O’Driscoll openly raised concerns about the demands of overseas tours at the end of a World Cup season and suggested the players may have been better off putting their feet off at home.

But it was England who suffered worst on their tour and I’m not even taking into account the allegations against the so-called ‘gang of four’ relating to an incident at the team hotel in
Auckland after the first test.

A young side was emphatically put away by an Kiwi team in transition, making a mockery of all pre-match talk concerning the ‘drain of All Black talent’ and the ‘depth of English rugby’.

New England supremo Martin Johnson seems to have dodged a bullet by electing to miss the series and stay at home with his expectant wife.

So the issue is whether we have learned anything from these tours, whether they serve any purpose.

I have no doubt that these trips are an essential part of a young rugby player’s education as there is nothing quite like touring and the experience of playing an away test in the Southern Hemisphere.

You could almost excuse the numerous senior pros who pulled out of touring with their respective country because of injuries, some more convincing than others.

They may well think they have done the whole tour experience and at this stage in their careers they have to look after their bodies in an increasingly demanding rugby calendar.

But for young players these trips can prove an invaluable experience, if a humbling one, and surely these bright prospects are the sort of players who could be returning south in the red of the Lions for next year’s tour of South Africa.

The fact they have already been on a tour with an international side and faced the cream of global rugby in their own back yard can only stand them in better stead.

We also hear of people like Jonny Wilkinson who was part of the original ‘Tour of Hell’ to Australia in 1998 and how it turned out to be the making of the young man.

It is a well known coaching maxim that the time when you really find out about your players is not when they are coasting to victory but when they are being dominated and how they respond.

England’s trip to New Zealand may forever be remembered for whatever did happen in that hotel and the fact our young hopefuls were roundly trounced.

But maybe, just maybe, we will talk to a James Haskell or a Tom Rees in a few years time and they will say how the tour was an integral step on their path to becoming a top international player.

In terms of the tabloid headlines that have overshadowed the actual rugby side of the tour, I don’t want to say too much because – quite frankly – we have no idea what exactly happened.

What I do find outrageous is the blame levelled at Rob Andrew for allowing the players to go out on the town and the idea that if Martin Johnson was present all the boys would have behaved like angels.

Touring is a massive bonding experience that can build a team but the time spent relaxing off the pitch is equally as important as those intense moments in the heat of a test match.

Players need to be able to let off steam and they should be able to go out for a few drinks a week before the next game whether they win, lose or draw.

But when they are given freedom it is up to the players to take responsibility for themselves.
They may be young men, but they are not children and should have to face the consequences of their actions.

As I said, we don’t actually know whether they have done anything wrong and it is likely that the England management staff don’t know either, so of course they are right to support the players.

But if any of the allegations do turn out to be true, or even if they are false but the players have still acted in a way to discredit the rest of the squad, then there is noone to blame but the individuals themselves.

Tortured Toni's passionate display

I was extremely pleased that the local television directors producing the pictures for Euro 2008 picked up on the dramatic body language of Italian striker Luca Toni early in the tournament.

Few neutrals have shed a tear at the exit of Roberto Donadoni’s World Champions, as their exit will hardly hinder the entertainment aspects of the tournament.

However, one source of amusement to take from their negative displays was the repeated pleading to the heavens by hapless hitman Toni as yet another guilt-edged chance went begging.

The whole of the Bayern Munich forward’s massive frame contorted with exasperation as he let out screams like an Oedipal figure tortured by the Gods.

If only such passion was evident in the way the Azzuri actually played the game, perhaps they might have progressed beyond the quarter final stage.

A very British hero

It’s that time of year again at SW19 when the place comes alive with strawberries and cream, rain delays, Sharapova’s legs and McEnroe’s opinions as the whole nation suddenly takes an interest in tennis.

This year at Wimbledon though one of the staple ingredients of the British summer banquet will be missing.

Yes, I’m talking about ‘Tiger’ Tim Henman, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I will miss the presence of the Oxford-born nearly man in the draw.

Henman is remembered by some as the typical serial loser of British sport - so often he offered promise, the belief that it might actually be his year, only to crash out in dramatic circumstances.

Like the English football team he roused the public expectation time and time again only to leave us with that slightly betrayed feeling that we were seduced by his pretence as a potential champion.

But I want to thank Tim for the years he gave to British tennis.

In an era where we bemoan the lack of homegrown talent how can we complain about a man of modest ability who gave his all and adapted his game to be able to challenge anyone in the world game on the Wimbledon turf.

Four semi-finals and four-quarter finals may point to a man unable to perform when it really matters but it underlines the sheer consistency with which Henman came back again and again to the All England Tennis Club to present a real challenge in a period dominated by Pete Sampras and then Roger Federer.

Henman’s best chance to claim the trophy was in 2001 when he knocked out a young Federer and, with Sampras out of the competition, all that stood between him and a final with Pat Rafter was Goran Ivanisevic.

In typical Henman fashion it was a thrilling contest - we all remember how Tim was on the cusp of victory before the rains came and the loveable Croat fought back to claim victory and eventually win the title.

The point is I found it so easy to get behind Tim, it was exciting, at times unbearable, but you were never left in doubt that this was a man leaving nothing behind.

With Tiger Tim moving aside, we now have Andy Murray as the standard bearer of British tennis and I can’t say I’m thrilled.

It’s not that I don’t want to like the angst ridden young Scotsman but I find his ‘world against me’ attitude and taciturn demeanour have started to get to me.

I understood it when he was a fresh-faced teenager breaking into the game but his refusal to grow up off the court seems to be reflected in his game.

The thing is Murray is actually far more talented than Henman, although his game is perhaps less suited to grass, but when you compare his progress to that of Novak Djokovic since the two first broke onto the scene as gifted teenagers it is easy to see which has made greater strides.

Murray is also playing at a time when there are arguably just three real ‘world class’ players in the men’s game – Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic – and when you take them out of the equation anyone can beat anyone.

He has a great chance of winning a grand slam, perhaps in one of the hard court tournaments, if that holy trinity slip up or injuries strike.

But as yet he hasn’t shown the dedication and mental strength to make the most of his talent that will take him to the top of the game.

He has already penned an autobiography, which I have about as little intention of reading as the one produced by Cherie Blair, but what – in tennis terms – has he actually done?

Murray needs to stop focusing on the negative aspects, such as the pressure of the media, that could hold back his career and start focusing on the positives to improve his game.

I am tipping Nadal to overcome Federer this year and take his first grand slam on grass.
Federer may look so at home on grass that I’m convinced he was born in a Swiss meadow, but he has been winning purely out of habit of late and the way Nadal put him away so emphatically at Roland Garros - even if it was on clay - must have left mental scars.

I watched Nadal at Queens recently and although many were impressed by his triumph in the final over Djokovic, it was his quarter final win against the giant Ivo Karlovic that impressed me.

The 6ft 10in Croat’s serve was on top form as he banged down over 35 aces and Nadal was unable to break him in a single service game.

However, Nadal hung in there and in the final set tie break the Spaniard raised his game to another level and swept Karlovic aside.

It showed the kind of mental strength that Nadal has added to his game since he burst onto the scene as a bicep bulging, fist pumping clay court specialist.

Another youngster who can set an example to Murray as he carries a nation’s hopes on his shoulders this summer, whether he likes it or not.

More luck than judgement

I have a confession to make. Something I want to get off my chest.

Without wanting to sound like a kind of cricketing Luddite, I just don’t get the whole Twenty20 revolution.

I’m normally all for change or ‘progress’ and we repeatedly hear how sport is an ‘entertainment business’, but something just didn’t sit right with me from the start of this whole insatiable thirst for quickfire cricket.

It took me a little while to put my finger on it but I’ve finally worked it out.

The problem for me is that a large percentage of this new game is based on pure and simple luck.

Gloss it up as hard-hitting skill as you like, and I know there is some talent required to time the ball over the ropes, but there can be know doubt that every time someone launches the ball into the air they are playing with fire.

The players who succeed in Twenty20 rely on good fortune just as much as a good eye and shot selection.

Bowlers who get smacked straight to a fielder on the boundary rope get just the same result in the wicket columns as those who beat a player all ends up and send their stumps flying out the ground.

For a game that places so much emphasis on numbers and statistics, the shorter format brings with it a much higher element based on fortune that cannot be expressed in pure numbers.

With all the riches on offer for the winners now, how do we tell who deserves it and who is just blessed with some sort of lucky charm – does it even matter?

The whole point of test cricket is that it is just that, the ultimate test, five days of combat relying on skill and mental strength. Invariably the better side comes out on top, especially over a series.

In Twenty20 the chance for an upset is so much higher because fortune can favour one man on either side who can turn the game on it’s head in the space of a few minutes.

It is cricket condensed, downsized into a frenzied period of activity, but there are a number of elements of the game that are lost such as the ability to pick the delivery to leave or hit and manoeuvring the field through clever deflections.

For me it has parallels with a penalty shoot out in football, the skills involved are based on the general game and the better players normally have the advantage.

But in this ultra-simplified version anything can happen, the playing field is levelled and the upset is on the cards.

I hate sounding like an ultra-conservative lauding the status quo in the face of exciting change, but there we go, I’ve said my piece.

Unfortunately there is one all-conquering argument to shoot down any of the anti-revolutionaries like myself and that is the old business maxim – ‘give the people what they want’.

As long as the demand for Twenty20 remains and the money floods in, the revolution will continue to move forward.