Sport Magazine - Issue 241

Issue 241 | January 27 2012

scott parker

out of the shadows

A Daimler Brand

The new M-Class.

Big on power, small on fuel.

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In fact, delivering 44.8 mpg makes it the most efficient diesel in its class.

Welcome to our new 4x4x4.

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Official government fuel consumption figures in mpg (litres per 100km) for the new M-Class range: urban: 34.4Model shown is a Mercedes-Benz ML 250 BlueTEC Sport at £47,005.00 on-the-road including optional Intelligent Light System at £1,630.00 (price includes VAT,

38.7 (7.2-6.3), extra urban: 42.2-50.4 (6.7-5.6), combined: 39.2-44.8 (8.2-7.3). C02 Emissions: 165-194 g/km. delivery, 12 months’ Road Fund Licence, number plates, new vehicle registration fee and fuel). Prices correct at time of going to print.

‘I, Richard Branson, am superfast. That’s why I’m doubling your broadband speeds and making the UK’s fastest broadband even faster.’

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issue 241, january 27 2012 radar 06 The opening ceremonies We look back at some of the best there have been – remember Jet-Pack Man from 1984?

10 Scalextric for grown-ups

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Now this looks like an awful lot of fun... plus latest news from the Global Sports Forum

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12 Editor’s letter Arsene Wenger is getting grief from Arsenal fans, but can it be justified? to do this coming week Features

16 Scott Parker

16

The man around whom England will base their summer hopes talks exclusively to Sport

24 Kevin Pietersen England’s prodigious talent on a year of tough tests

31 Olympics: six months to go

46

Cover image: Jon Enoch

NEW ENERGY FOR THE NEW YEAR

improve both your fitness and lifestyle in 2012, with the help of an expert nutritionist...

Lord Coe pens an open letter to Sport readers

32 Focus 2012 Hockey – and no, it’s not Sean Kerly and Jane Sixsmith

extra Time 46 Kit Bobble hats. If you want to get ahead, etc etc

48 Maria Fowler The Only Way Is Essex meets lower-league football. Rejoice

50 Gadgets More stuff, some a bit disturbing, straight from the future

52 Grooming You never need leave your house again. Well, maybe sometimes

54 Entertainment To find out more, turn to page 42!

Lana Del Rey, The Descendants, 2 Bears... what a mix, eh? | January 27 2012 | 05

p08 – A human FA Cup

Jerry Cooke/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images

Radar

Ready for 1 take-off With London 2012’s grand curtain-raiser precisely six months away, we take a look at the jetpacks, flaming arrows and false fireworks that make up our favourite moments from previous Olympic opening ceremonies 06 | January 27 2012 | Sport

p08 – Wu-Tang on wheels p10 – Second-hand Scalextric

He’s a Rocket Man, 1984 The Los Angeles Olympics is best remembered for one man. No, not Carl Lewis and his four track-and-field golds – we mean Bill Suitor, of course. The sight of him zooming around the Olympic Stadium in his jetpack during the opening ceremony, then touching down on a target in the middle of a packed arena, wowed millions worldwide.

Of course, it’s easy to be blasé in 2012, when we’re all using rocketpacks just to visit the supermarket... no, wait – flying around with a jetpack is still damn impressive now.

You really have to admire Bill’s accuracy in not crashing headfirst into the crowd, turning

himself into a screaming, jet-powered death missile. Suitor described the experience of controlling the contraption as like “trying to stand on a beach ball in a swimming pool”, so it sure wasn’t easy.

These brief, brilliant moments were the end of Bill’s participation in the 1984 Games (they probably thought it was unfair to let him enter the high jump), but an indelible impression was left, and a lesson for London 2012 can be learned. That is, you don’t necessarily need to spend millions on fireworks or choreography – one man strapped to a potentially lethal contraption will capture the imagination of young and old alike. Time to man up, Boris.

Turn over to see more great opening ceremonies from olympic games past >

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Radar

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4

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The Flaming Arrow, 1992

The stadium in Barcelona is plunged into darkness. The Olympic Torch is used to light the arrow of Paralympic archer Antonio Rebollo. He points it to the sky and with a twang of his bow, sends it arcing through the air towards the Olympic cauldron, which bursts into flame.

Audacious, memorable yet simple, it hardly matters that Rebollo deliberately overshot his target (a fact hidden by perspective) and the lighting was actually done by remote control.

This was to ensure spectator safety in the stadium, though what pedestrians outside made of this fiery bolt hurtling towards them is anyone’s guess.

3

Beijing Brilliance, 2008

Ignore the fact that they threw in some CGI fireworks and that the adorable little girl singing was lip-synching because the lass with the real-life angelic voice had a face like a bulldog licking piss off a stinging nettle: Beijing 2008 was still the most spectacular opening display of all.

Over $100m in cost, seven years in the planning and involving more than 15,000 acrobats, musicians, dancers and drummers, it was an awe-inspiring feat of co-ordinated artistry and precision. We’re only joking about the ‘other’ little girl too – she was buttoncute and probably hasn’t even been emotionally scarred by the whole thing.

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A Human FA Cup, 1980

Hi-tech extravaganzas are fine in their way, but it was organised displays of muscular gymnastic feats and human endurance that made for an appropriately Russky opening to the 1980 Moscow Games.

The highlight was 2,000 athletes creating the five Olympic rings, with each ring containing one of these magnificent ‘human vases’ in the centre. Looks like a giant FA Cup to us (just picture Tony Adams planting a kiss on it and lifting it aloft in his big, sweaty paw for the full effect).

This was possibly a deliberate, two-finger salute to the soccer-hating USA, who boycotted the Games.

Simon Bruty/Getty Images, Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images, Getty/Stringer

To discover our 5 to 10 – including a glimpse of what London put on in 1908 – download the free Sport magazine iPad app

Killer boards or a group that released just one quality album collectively (Enter the Wu-Tang, in 1993), New York rappers the Wu-Tang Clan really do have an enduring legacy. Although perhaps the reason for these limited-edition Chapman Skateboards decks is that the sport of skateboarding – much like rap music – thrived in the urban underground before mainstream attention arrived in the 1990s. That, or the folk at Chapman fear being haunted by the ghost of the Ol’ Dirty Bastard and crafted these as a peace offering. Either way, they look superb.

F

chapmanskateboards.com

08 | January 27 2012 |

Radar

Micro machines R

emember the joys of Scalextric?

You’d spend hours perfecting your track layout, adding sweeping bends and long straights, then staging Grand Prix after Grand Prix on your living room floor, your childlike imagination filling in the roar of the engines, the noise of the crowd, and the rich tones of Murray Walker’s commentary.

Of course, now that you’re a wealthy adult and your childlike imagination has been firmly consigned to a box marked ‘not for public consumption’, you can fill in the

Close to the blade: Oscar Pistorius has signed up to the forum

gaps with money. The fine folk at Slot Mods will build you a custom slot car track to your exact specifications, and they can even put it in a hollowed-out shell of a real racing car as pictured (right). So you could get a scale model of Silverstone inside a Le Mans racing car, or you could design your own fantasy race track (ours has a loop the loop in it) and whack it in a 1992 Rover MG if you really wanted. The only limit, then, is your imagination. Oh, and the surely staggering cost.

The first Tracy Island Grand Prix ended in disaster when Thunderbird 1 launched from under the track

slotmods.com

Global think tank S

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

ome of the biggest movers and shakers in world sport will be taking part in the Global Sports Forum in Barcelona from March 7-9.

They include such an eclectic group as Lord Coe, Oscar Pistorius and Eric Cantona, to name but three, and among the topics up for discussion at the think tank will be football and finance, what it takes to win an event bid, globalisation of brand sponsorship and gambling in sport. The future, in short.

Sport magazine is a media partner of the event, which promises to be a fascinating three days. That means there’s 30 per cent off tickets for you. Go to globalsportsforum. mediactive.fr and use offer code GSF12QBBU3ST. Simple!

10 | January 27 2012 |

Radar Editor’s letter ‘That Arshavin substitution?

No, I didn’t see it’

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Is Arsene’s time up?

COMMERCIAL

Wenger’s done much to revolutionise the English game, but fickle fans quickly lose patience

Editor-in-chief Simon Caney @simoncaney

game – to the detriment of the England team, perhaps, but from the view of the paying spectator we have much from Le Professeur for which to be grateful.

But now it seems that Arsenal fans have about had enough of him, if last weekend is anything to go by. The man who made their team literally unbeatable less than 10 years ago is now not wanted by certain sections of the crowd. Quite who they would have in his place, at a club unlikely to be in the Champions League next season, is uncertain.

I’m with Wenger. He doesn’t have to justify substituting anyone, or indeed playing anyone – even if it is Andrei Arshavin. He has had a limited budget and the fact Arsenal still have a shot at the top four is a credit to the manager.

Football is cyclical, and eventually fans get fed up of the boss. One day they will regret wanting to get rid of him, though.

To their credit, the management team at Ascot racecourse held up their hands and admitted their mistake. But what they were thinking, when they slapped an orange sticker on everyone they deemed inappropriately dressed last Saturday, is anyone’s guess.

Racing is desperately trying to attract a new audience, but this is just its latest PR disaster. True, it’s not an issue that is going to set the sport back years (unlike the whip debacle, which is likely to come to an embarrassing head at Cheltenham), but it’s done the sport few favours at all.

Few people outside hardened athletics fans will have heard of Holly Bleasdale before last weekend, but she has now recorded the fourth-best pole vault mark of all time.

It’s not a bad year in which to suddenly become one of the best in the world...

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Hearty thanks this week to: David Lawrenson, Duncan Ross, Nick Downie, Dan Williams Total Average Net Distribution: 306,217 Jan-Jun 2011

Reader comments of the week Darlington have only themselves to blame. They took the cash when it was there and only realised later they couldn’t sustain their club. Act in haste, repent at leisure!

Football’s been turning its back on clubs in need for years now. The idea that somehow it can fix itself is laughable. It’s a selfish sport where all anyone cares about is themselves.

Jason, via email

Rodger, via email

12 | January 27 2012 |

Really good A-Z piece on the African Cup of Nations in @sportmaguk this morning. Now know a lot more about the comp!

A bit more excited too.

Shame you had to have a dig at the Palace/Cardiff game. More people will watch that game than any Africa Cup of Nations match.

@mattlittlechild Twitter

@jcreedy Twitter

Get your facts straight!

Try watching some of the awesome 800+ hp Kamaz and Iveco trucks in the Dakar - at disturbingly high speed – for one of the best sporting, if expensive, spectacles on the planet.

LAUNCH OF THE YEAR

2008

Don’t forget: Help keep public transport clean

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Agree or disagree? Tweet us @sportmaguk

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

A

rsene Wenger can do little wrong in my eyes – and no, I’m not even an Arsenal fan.

Sure, he has his faults, notably a myopia that has been rightly ridiculed down the years, but few managers have done more to improve football in this country.

Before his arrival, there was still very much a Route One mentality among many managers; the pre-knighthood Alex Ferguson led a minority who wanted to play football the right way. Wenger joined them in demonstrating that passing to feet was not something of which to be ashamed, and he did so with astonishing success. I may have very rose-tinted spectacles when it comes to football from days gone by, but there’s no question that Wenger helped to change it for the better.

He may also have been at the vanguard of introducing young foreign talent into the

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Radar Frozen in time

14 | January 27 2012 |

When he’s not penning hard-to-come-by books on fly fishing, the reclusive JR Hartley can often be found casting a lonely line into the pond in his garden and chuntering on about the good old days. He does this under the cover of darkness, to protect his ident... oh, you want the truth? Then it’s actually just Jim Rielly, stood in his waders in the River Tay in Kenmore, Scotland. Judging by the tension on that line, it looks like he’s bagged himself a whopper. Just a pity he didn’t notice the loitering shark, stage left and just out of shot.

| 15

Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

You do?!

Scott Parker

16 | January 27 2012 |

Smooth operator as a young boy, Scott parker daydreamed of becoming a long-distance lorry driver.

It never quite worked out that way, and now he finds himself the driving force for both club and country. Can he carry tottenham and england to glory in 2012? and would he like a biscuit with his tea? photography by Jon enoCh

| 17

Scott Parker Given his standing in the game, this all seemed very weird. We mention it to him and he laughs: “Yeah, that just tends to be how it is in my life and I like it that way. I’ve got three kids and I do the regular things you have to do. To be honest, there’s nothing amazingly exciting in my life in terms of celebrity. I live a pretty mundane life, but I’m not complaining. When you saw me I was probably going to watch Alvin and the Chipmunks with the kids, which tells you all you need to know.”

The big problem, though, was that until recently, Parker’s anonymity off the field was in danger of being mirrored on it – through no fault of his own. Despite a series of star turns for Newcastle United and West Ham, Parker struggled to make an impact or catch the eye – at least the eye of those who really matter. Then 2011 arrived, and his star finally began to rise. Or, more accurately, rise again.

O

n the first floor of a building in the centre of London, Scott Parker is stood in the eye of a storm. A pair of photographers buzz around him checking the light and fussing round his ever-excellent hair. Two fashionable chaps fit him for the suit he’s about to slide into. Another pair begin filming him for the interview that will appear on the Sport app. We stand a polite distance back, noting that, at this moment in time, Fabio Capello’s assessment of Parker as “punto di riferimento” is about as apposite as it gets.

In plain English, for ‘punto di riferimento’ read ‘reference point’.

For Parker is the man around whom Capello claims everything revolves. Inside this room at this moment in time, the world is spinning around him, but all is calm and composed in the eye of the storm. As he has been for club and country for the past 12 months and more, Parker takes the attention and invasion in his stride.

Outside these four walls, though, it’s a different story.

Despite being perhaps the most important man in English football (more of that later), Parker can walk down most streets in London – and anywhere else, for that matter – and go about his business unnoticed. For example, last July in a very leafy corner of Surrey, we inadvertently spotted the recently crowned Football Writers’ Player of the Year standing on the steps of his local cinema. We saw him clear as day, because it was a very clear day, but nobody else seemed to have clocked him. Nobody approached him, nobody asked for an autograph or a picture, nobody seemed to even notice he was there.

18 | January 27 2012 |

Scott is wearing: Suit by October House october-house.co.uk Shoes by Loake Shoemakers loake.co.uk

Parker first flirted with fame in 1994, a shy, floppy-haired 13-yearold juggling a football in his back garden for a McDonald’s ad (and before we ask he explains that no, he didn’t get paid in burgers – it was a straight £600). Before that, and despite being obsessed with the game, he’d briefly toyed with taking a very different trade.

“My dad used to work on the lorries and I remember thinking I wanted to do that when I grew up,” he says. “When I was in the cab with my dad there was nothing better, I thought it would have been great driving lorries.” Luckily, for English football at least, Parker was soon fast-tracked in a different direction.

After being packed off to the FA’s finishing school at Lilleshall for two years, he signed with Charlton Athletic in 1997 and had the smile wiped off his face. “That’s when the enjoyment started to go out of it – when I signed a professional contract,” he says. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the game completely, I still do, but at that point it becomes very serious, very high pressure every game – and so you lose some of that boyhood innocence you had.”

At Charlton, under Alan Curbishley, he curbed his creative instincts and developed a more defensive and destructive streak as a way of breaking into the first team. (“Curbs said he couldn’t trust me defensively, so I decided to go away and work on that side of my game.”) The plan paid off and he very quickly forced his way in – but just as quickly wished he hadn’t. “Yeah, it was a shock,” he remembers.

“Bury away in August 1997, and I was on the bench for the first 80 minutes. All I can really remember is running along the touchline, warming up, and noticing we were making a substitution. I was praying, ‘please not me, please not me’, but then I got the call.”

And? “And I was rubbish – atrocious. I was nowhere near ready for it at 16. I think the manager just wanted me to get a taste of it but I was so far out of my depth. If I’d been on from the start, I’d have drowned.”

Parker was soon a regular in the Charlton midfield, however, his assured performances quickly noted by a number of bigger clubs.

He remained at the Valley perhaps longer than he should, until £10m of Roman Abramovich’s riches finally took him west to Chelsea. Only in January 2004 the man who signed him, ‘Tinkerman’ Claudio Ranieri, was replaced by Jose Mourinho, and things started to rapidly unravel.

A broken foot kept him out of Mourinho’s team and out of his mind – in the middle of his midfield Mourinho had Frank Lampard and a certain Claude Makelele, the most celebrated defensive midfielder of his generation. When the foot was finally fit again, the £10m man found himself a bit-part player. What chance he ever had appeared to have gone. “There are times I look back and think about what might have happened if I’d not broken my foot because, at that point, I was just starting to get into the team,” he admits. >

“my DEbuT WAS A SHOCK. AND I WAS RubbISH – ATROCIOuS”

Jon Enoch, Allsport UK/Allsport

IN AT THE DEEP END

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Scott Parker

“I felt like I was just starting to gain Mourinho’s trust. But even when I was coming back from the injury, I got fit and then injured it again, so it was hard. Maybe if I’d stayed fit things would have worked out differently, but who knows? I was young and going into a team with so many massive players, and I’m not sure I was ready for it.”

In 18 months at Chelsea Parker made 14 league appearances, six of them from the bench. Naturally, he was frustrated – but not unhappy.

“The thing was, Mourinho was so good at making every player feel important, even if you weren’t in his plans,” he recalls. “When you were as low as you could get because you weren’t playing, you’d go in and talk to him about it and he’d hit you with: ‘You’re playing at the weekend.’ And, like that, he’d defuse it and make you feel like you belonged. His man-management of everyone was superb.”

Not always, though. When Parker moved on to Newcastle in 2005 in search of regular starts, was Mr Mourinho in touch to thank him for his efforts, to wish him good luck? “No, he didn’t say anything.

But you soon learn that about football; there’s absolutely no room for sentiment. It’s the same most places in football. It’s a business.”

CAPITAL GAINS Parker headed to Tyneside with a fresh determination. “I felt I had something to prove there because it felt like I’d failed at Chelsea,” he admits. He was made captain and led the team to his only trophy to date – the Intertoto Cup in 2006 – before heading back to the capital with West Ham United. Despite the club being on an inexorable slide towards relegation, his drive and leadership caught the attention of those football writers, Arsene Wenger (“a justifiable choice because he has had an outstanding season”) and Sir Alex Ferguson (“he is the player that has driven them on”). Most significantly, they finally turned the head of Capello.

For a while it seemed Parker’s biggest claim to fame in international football would be that he won his first four England caps under four different managers. The fourth of those, under Capello, came in the second half of the friendly in Denmark last February – a game in which Parker didn’t expect to play any part.

He impressed enough to stay in Capello’s head, but in doing so he created a big problem: when West Ham dropped out of the Premier League last May, the captain found himself at a crossroads.

Figuring that he’d need Premier League football to stay on Capello’s radar, he asked to leave. Was this, though, just a convenient excuse? Given he was 30 and that all he had to show for 14 years in the game was an Intertoto Cup, didn’t he simply want to be playing for a team where he could actually win things? Few would have begrudged him that.

20 | January 27 2012 |

“That’s a difficult question because it was a difficult situation tied up in so much emotion,” he sighs. “I had the opportunity to move 18 months ago, but I was having a good time at West Ham and I had a lot of friends there. I understand what you’re saying about ambition, but I had a great rapport with the fans there and I think ultimately that’s what would have kept me there, had we stayed in the Premier League.”

Such honesty suggests either a surprising lack of ambition or a level of loyalty no longer seen in the modern game. The length of Parker’s stay at Charlton when he first started out suggests it’s more likely the latter. Either way, his decision made for a troubled summer as he carried the guilt of relegation (“knowing people would probably lose their jobs as a result of us going down”) with the hope that someone would rescue him from Championship limbo. That they would was inevitable. That only one club came in for him, and that they left it so late, was much more of a surprise.

By the time Harry Redknapp got his man on the final day of August, Parker had already turned out for West Ham at Doncaster and Watford and at home to Cardiff and Leeds in the second tier. Was it difficult to stay focused, knowing (a) he was playing in Doncaster and (b) he wasn’t in it for the long haul with West Ham? ”If I’m being honest, it was. But, ultimately, that’s my job, that’s what I got paid for and I think I was focused and I did go about it professionally. That said, when the transfer finally went through I was very relieved.”

He wasn’t the only one.

Having chased his man for three, maybe four months, Redknapp had to fight hard to convince his chairman that £5m represented excellent business for Parker, whose performances since signing for Spurs would have improved any midfield in English football this season.

Consider the most basic statistics: in 18 league games for Tottenham, Parker has been on the losing side just twice – 12 wins and four draws, 40 points from a possible 54, have catapulted the club into the title race. He can’t genuinely have expected that?

“No. When I signed the ambition was simply to get into the top four – now we’re in with a chance,” he says. “But that doesn’t surprise me, having been able to see the quality of the players we have at the club every day in training.” Can they last the distance and win it? Are they even looking ahead that far ahead? “We talk about it but I don’t know if we can win it. We’re in with a chance but it’s going to be very difficult because we’re not used to being in the position we’re in, and you can feel the pressure increasing with every game. We’re at the stage where we have to win every single game to stay up there and we’re starting to feel it more. That’s why you have so much respect for Man Utd and Chelsea, because they live with that pressure every single game, season after season. We’re not so used to it and it does affect you, but I’d like to think we can handle it.” >

Jon Enoch, Christopher Lee/Getty Images

“I doN’T reGreT joINING CheLSeA, buT IT dId feeL LIke A fAILure”

Scott Parker

What would he rather win, we wonder: an unexpected Premier League with Spurs or an unlikely Euro 2012 with England? He plays this like the older pro that he is, with a clever sidestep and a textbook lollipop. “I’d take them both, I think,” and at that he chuckles.

“At this point I’m in a position where winning both is actually a possibility, which is great. So yeah, I’d like both please.”

THE SAVIOUR? That Parker can even consider winning a European Championship is down to the fact that Capello finally worked out what England need.

His eureka moment seemed more luck than judgement, but it was better late than never. Perhaps it was the sight of 10 Englishmen being led a merry dance by Germany two summers back that convinced him that his most pressing need was for discipline, shape and steel in his midfield. Maybe he just watched videos of Spain playing. Or Germany.

Or Holland. Maybe someone just had a word. Who knows. The important thing is that he finally cottoned on. “In front of the back four, Scott Parker is very important,” announced the England manager recently, like a man who’d finally struck oil. “When the centre back receives the ball or wins back the ball, he’s the punto di riferimento.”

Since passing his audition in Denmark, Parker now starts England’s most crucial games. Away in Montenegro, when a point was needed to qualify for Euro 2012, he was there, shielding the back four. At home to Spain, when the mini-matadors threatened to overrun England’s midfield, he was there – breaking up play, holding what little ball England saw, using it with a very un-English intelligence and walking off as man of the match. (He also, you might remember, almost had his head taken off by a David Villa free-kick.

“Yeah, I had to run it off and make like it didn’t hurt, but it really did.

Still, I’ve been hit in more painful places.”)

In 2011, Parker added seven caps to the three he’d already earned between his debut in 2006 and the end of 2010, at a rate of less than one a year. Why did his face not fit for so long? “I don’t know,” he shrugs. “I just think we’ve got a lot of fantastic midfield players and the competition for places is so fierce.”

Had he given up on England? “Yeah, I had a bit really. After missing out on a place in South Africa I kind of gave up hope of ever making it.

Then I got called up for Denmark and got the second half, which I genuinely didn’t expect. I was like: ‘Shit – I’ve got to take this chance and show the manager what I can do.’ Looking back, it went pretty well.”

22 | January 27 2012 |

Clearly he does a fine line in understatement, because few players receive the type of praise Capello poured all over him. Parker has as good as played himself into England’s starting XI, but when he talks about the national team he is reluctant to say too much, as if it’s not really his place as a relative newcomer. “I know I’m playing well and I know I’m getting good press,” he says. “But I also know that can quickly change. If I don’t keep playing well, someone else will come in and take my place. That’s how it is in football and particularly in international football. But if I keep playing well then it’s all down to me.”

It’s hard to know if this is false or genuine modesty, because the importance of Parker to England and Tottenham can’t have been lost on him. Is he now the most important man in English football?

It’s a very excitable claim to make. When we put this to possibly the most important man in English football, he coughs and splutters.

“Well, that’s a nice compliment and I see the point you’re making, but I don’t think I’d go that far.”

We don’t press the point any further because he seems genuinely too modest to entertain the idea, so we end with the only remaining question. It’s one we don’t really want to ask him, because it could make a very decent, down-to-earth man look foolish. “Can England actually win the European Championships this summer?” we ask, wondering if Parker will be caught banging the drum like so many before him. “I’m absolutely terrified of that question because every time we get to a major championship there are the headlines that we can win it, and I don’t want to add to the headlines,” he says.

But can we win it, Scott? “It’s impossible to answer that. All I’ll say is that we’ve got a very good squad and whoever is picked, we’ll have a very good team out there. If we can show the character we showed against Spain and we get a bit of luck, who knows?”

It may be an honest appraisal but the big problem is that we’ve heard similar so many times before. The difference this time is that while it would be naive to expect too much of a relatively inexperienced England, the fact Capello has finally found a player to build his team around gives grounds for cautious optimism.

And now that player is leaving the building, having done what Mr Mourinho failed to do by saying thanks and goodbye. Before he heads home, he drops into Soho for a nice cup of tea. Here, for the pleasure of our photographer, he sits in plain sight of the passing public, and again they barely bat an eyelid. Except, that is, for the three animated Italians behind the counter, who ask for a photograph with him.

It’s ironic that our continental cousins should show a greater appreciation for the most important – and underrated – man in English football than we English ever have. Maybe this summer though, that will all change. nick hARPER

THE HUMAN SHIELD Parker’s progress in numbers...

2009/10 31 games

2,576 minutes

1,507 passes 82% completion, 65% completion in final third

101 tackles 72% won

2010/11 32 games

2,737 minutes

1,444 passes 83% completion, 69% completion in final third

121 tackles 77% won

2011/12* 18 games (1,586 minutes)

1,084 passes 89% completion, 79% completion in final third

72 tackles 68% won

Pictures by Jon Enoch. Stats courtesy of Opta. *Applies to Premier League appearances only

“I’D gIVEN Up ON ENgLAND. I THOUgHT IT HAD gONE”

Kevin Pietersen

Standing firm Despite a tough start to his cricketing year, England batsman Kevin Pietersen tells Sport he’s in it for the long haul – and explains why this remains the best team he’s been a part of s beginnings go, Kevin Pietersen won’t be overly happy with the one he made to 2012. In the context even of England’s desperate first-Test defeat to Pakistan in Dubai, over within three days on a supposedly benign pitch, Pietersen had a nightmare: two poor shots, two solitary runs, and a good deal more than two words of criticism shot across his bows from an unforgiving press.

The manner of defeat may have shocked, the failure of the entire top order infuriated, but the performance of an improving Pakistan side came as no surprise to those who have followed their recent progress – Pietersen included.

“We’re going to have to have our wits about us against this team,” he admitted in an exclusive interview with Sport. “They are a fantastic cricket team with some special players. They have both batters and bowlers, they can win matches with either of them, and they have a lot of players in form right now.

“There’s no question that we’re going to have to play really, really well to win out here. On the subcontinent, we’ve only beaten Bangladesh in a Test series since 2001; we have three subcontinental tours in 2012 [including the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in the autumn], so this is a huge, huge year for us. It’s going to be a great test, but it’s a test I think this team needs.”

A

Ducks in a row On the albeit limited evidence available thus far, it’s also one this team looks dangerously ill-equipped to pass. Coach Andy Flower admitted his side looked underprepared

24 | January 27 2012 |

in Dubai, while wicketkeeper Matt Prior – one of only two men to even come close to coping with the mystery spin of Saeed Ajmal – confessed the 10-wicket defeat felt like “a slap in the face”. The second Test, which began in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, will reveal much about England’s capacity to learn from their mistakes – but Pietersen has a huge level of confidence in those around him.

“What this team has done very well in the past two years is concentrate all our time and energies into the next hour, the next session, the next day,” he says. “We don’t look backwards and we don’t look forwards, because that’s got nothing to do with what’s happening right now – and I think that’s what Andy Flower and [Andrew] Strauss have brought to the party. These guys want to keep things as simple as possible, but also make us work as hard as possible to improve; it’s the combination of those two that has been so successful.”

Pietersen didn’t appear to be working too hard as he carelessly holed out to deep square leg off the bowling of an inspired Umar Gul in the first Test in Dubai – but he doesn’t intend to let a couple of failures curb the momentum built in a stellar 2011. “At the end of 2010, when I went out to South Africa to work with [former coach] Graham Ford, it was to recapture all that I loved about cricket,” he recalls.

“I needed to go back to my roots and get all my ducks in a row, and I don’t think it’s any surprise that I averaged 73 last year. I had one big double-hundred against India, probably should have had another, and could easily have had a couple of hundreds against Sri Lanka. I’m looking forward to trying to continue that this year.” >

| 25

Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Kevin Pietersen

Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images, Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

‘I train harder than anybody – nothing gets in the way of my preparation’

Four more years

Numbers game

Along with Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson, Pietersen is one of a core of top-level English cricketers who continue to play international cricket across all three formats; the 31-year-old admits it can be a tough slog, but has no intentions of giving any of it up just yet.

“I want to try and get myself to the 2015 World Cup in one-day cricket,” he confirms.

“I’m definitely not going to retire from Test cricket before that, so that’s two forms of the game. Then we have the World Twenty20 this year, which we want to try and defend – and I love T20 cricket, so that’s not going anywhere. I’ll probably re-evaluate where I am in 2015, though, after the World Cup... I’ll be approaching 35, so maybe that’s the time for me to have a look at where I stand in all three forms of the game.

“For now, though, I just want to stay fit.

I love playing for England, it’s one of the best jobs you could ever have. Yes, it’s long and it’s hard and it’s tough... it’s a very emotional time when you have to leave your family behind, and then hear your child asking where his daddy is. Believe me, though, there are worse things we could be doing. You take the rough with the smooth, you take the good headlines with the bad, but we’ve got a pretty good gig. We’re doing something that we love, but it doesn’t last forever – so for me personally, it’s something I want to hold on to and treasure for a few more years yet.”

Pietersen started 2012 as one of only three current international cricketers – along with Jacques Kallis and Mike Hussey – to boast a Test average above 50, a one-day average over 40 and a T20 average greater than 30.

That double failure in Dubai saw his Test mark slip below 50, but he is determined to correct that sooner rather than later.

“I’m a great believer that if you look after your cricket, your cricket looks after itself,” he insists. “I regard my numbers as very valuable and, for all the nonsense a lot of people have written and said about me, I train harder than anybody and will never let anything get in the way of my preparation for a match.”

Witness the extended one-to-one session with spin coach Mushtaq Ahmed ahead of the first Test – “if I’m needed for three or four overs in a day, I don’t want to bowl them like a clown” – but hard work comes much easier when you enjoy the company of those around you, and Pietersen is unequivocal about this being both the best and happiest England squad he has been involved with.

“Oh, 100 per cent,” he says. “In 2005 we were obviously happy because we beat Australia in the greatest Test series that’s ever been, but what’s magnificent about this squad is the longevity of its happiness. Off the field, all our doors are open throughout the hotel; the boys are in and out of each other’s rooms playing FIFA, playing cards, talking nonsense. It really is a great club

26 | January 27 2012 |

KP with wife Jessica Taylor: ‘It’s tough leaving your family behind’

atmosphere, yet on the pitch the boys are brilliantly professional. We have a magnificent bowling attack that can take 20 wickets and we have batsmen who know how to score big hundreds... we’re in a pretty good position at the moment.”

For Pietersen’s sake, not to mention those of us who suffered throughout that first Test, let’s hope those final words ring truer now than they would have done a week ago.

Tony Hodson @tonyhodson1

Maximuscle are proud sponsors of the ECB, providers of sports nutrition to the England cricket team and the choice of England bowler Stuart Broad. Visit maximuscle.com/stuart

Number of England batsmen to make the top-10 list for Test averages in 2011: Ian Bell (118.75), Alastair Cook (84.27), Pietersen (73.10), Matt Prior (64.87) and Tim Bresnan (63.00)

Quick Only 6 days to go

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182 Days to go

Lord Coe

Commence countdown

Dates for your Olympic Diary February

Six months from today, the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games will have the world enthralled (hopefully for the right reasons). But there’s plenty of work still to be done, as Lord Coe explains...

“There are just six months to go until the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, and I know Sport readers will be following our progress closely and looking forward to this summer of sport.

“We are on that vital last lap and, as our teams continue with the huge amount of work left to do, it’s worth outlining the sheer scale of what we are doing here. The Games is often described as the largest ever peacetime operation – and there are several good reasons for that.

“There will be around 10,000 athletes competing at the Olympic Games, and more than 4,000 coming to the Paralympic Games, from more than 200 countries. Each one of those athletes needs accommodation, feeding, transport to get them to their training venues and their competitions... and of course they need facilities in the Village, such as shops, medical facilities and gym equipment. There will be more than 7,000 anti-doping samples taken and over a million pieces of sport equipment bought, from hurdles to tennis balls. In the Olympic Village alone, we will serve 75,000 litres of milk during the Games. If laid out next to each other, the 64,000 bed sheets being used in the Village would cover the entire playing area at Lord’s Cricket Ground – our archery venue – more than eight times over.

“Around 20,000 media representatives will be here to report on the Games. Again, we need to provide them with office space, accommodation, food, transport, and information on every single athlete competing.

16-19 UCI Track Cycling World Cup Velodrome (test event) 20-26 18th Fina Visa Diving World Cup Aquatics Centre (test event)

March 3-10 British Swimming Championships Aquatics Centre (test event) 28-30 IOC’s final Co-ordination Commission visit to London

April 18 100 days to go 23 Men’s Olympic football tournament qualification play-off match City of Coventry Stadium (test event)

May 2-6 International Invitational hockey tournament Olympic Park (test event) 4-7 British University & Colleges Sport Outdoor Athletics Championships Olympic Stadium (test event) 8 London Disability Grand Prix Paralympic Athletics test event, Olympic Stadium 19 Olympic Torch Relay starts

June 21 London 2012 Festival starts

July 21 Olympic Flame arrives in London 25 First Olympic Games sports events Women’s football preliminary matches 27 London 2012 opening ceremony

| January 27 2012 | 31

Jim Lincoln

“We will sell about 11 million tickets to both Games – that’s more than the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, FIFA World Cup in 2010 and Euro 2012 combined. On the busiest day of the Games, our spectators will take around three million journeys on public transport. Over 40 million meals will be served from 40 locations to feed our spectators.

“At Games time, we will have a workforce of almost 200,000 – roughly the population of the city of York. Our website will have to cope with more visits than Facebook as people look up results and news from London. And, of course, billions of people will experience the Games at home – with a bigger TV audience than last year’s royal wedding tuning in to the opening ceremony in six months’ time. No pressure, then.

“But, as I said, there is much to do. There are more test events to hold. Our venues, though structurally complete, need those finishing touches that will turn them into Olympic venues – things like installing the timing technology, scoreboards and big screens. We need to train 70,000 or so Games Maker volunteers and we are still recruiting staff at a rate of hundreds per month. The Olympic Torch will soon start its 8,000-mile journey around the UK, carried by 8,000 torchbearers and coming within 10 miles of 95 per cent of the UK’s population. In June, the London 2012 Festival kicks off, a 12-week UK-wide celebration of arts, music and culture featuring some of the world’s biggest names.

“We couldn’t do this without our sponsors, providers and partners. But, most of all, we couldn’t do it without you – whether you are coming to a venue, watching at home on the TV with friends or taking part in some of the cultural events. This summer is set to be very special one indeed.

We will not let you down.”

182 Days to go

Focus 2012

Hockey

GB hopeful

Alex Danson

THE VENUE Those arriving at the Riverbank Arena to watch the Olympic hockey might be surprised to find a bright pink and blue monstrosity in place of the luscious green pitch one might expect.

The colours – labelled ‘London Blue’ and (you guessed it) ‘London Pink’ – are said to make the sport easier to watch, with yellow the best contrasting colour for the ball.

The Games will be the first international hockey competition to use the colour scheme, but players will get the chance to adjust their eyesight at the test event in May, on a pitch with spectator seating for 16,000.

Formerly known as the Hockey Centre, the Riverbank Arena – positioned next to the River Lea – joins the Copper Box (formerly the Handball Arena) as another of LOCOG’s remonikered venues. Despite this lovely synergy, after the Games the arena will be relocated to the north of the Olympic Park, where it will form part of the new Eton Manor and host international hockey competitions as well as community events.

two halves of 35 minutes, each with extra time and a golden-goal period (remember those?) deciding games during the classification stage.

Hockey uses rolling substitutions, so although teams are made up of 11, there are five players on the bench ready to come on at any time during a match. Red (game over, as with football) and yellow cards (sinbinned for five minutes) are used to punish fouls, with a green card also shown when a foul is committed that doesn’t warrant any further punishment. Two greens equal a yellow. Graham Poll would never cope.

AGE IN 2012 27 MEDAL RECORD European Championship bronze 2011; Commonwealth Games bronze 2010; World Cup bronze 2010

TEAM GB’S PROGRESS David Faulkner, England Hockey performance director, says: “Since the announcement of the London Games, both the men’s and women’s hockey teams have climbed from 11th to fourth in the world. The men became European champions for the first time and won a Champions Trophy medal. The women won bronze medals at the Europeans and Commonwealths, and won a world and Champions Trophy medal for the first time.”

THE EVENT There’ll be non-stop action on the hockey pitches in London, with 14 days of competition. Both the men’s and women’s tournaments consist of 12 teams, split into two groups of six. Matches are played over

HOCKEY AT LONDON 2012 DATES July 29-August 11 SEATING 16,000 HOW TO GET THERE Tube, National Rail, DLR, London Overground

The Reading forward was in the Great Britain squad that finished sixth in Beijing, when her performance was hampered by a broken thumb.

Four years on, she’s part of a squad with realistic hopes of finishing in the medals.

England did just that at the Commonwealth Games and World Cup in 2010 – and, performing as GB at the Olympics, now have a wider pool of talent from which to choose.

Danson was named in the 2011 FIH All Stars Team and has been selected for the GB squad travelling to Argentina later this month for the 2012 Champions Trophy – the last major international tournament before the Olympics, and one that features the world’s top eight teams. We hope she gives them plenty of stick.

32 | January 27 2012 |

Having made her debut at 16, Danson is one of GB’s most experienced players, with 123 caps.

KEY EVENTS BEFORE LONDON 2012 FIH Champions Trophy January 28February 5, Argentina London 2012 Test Event May 2-6, Olympic Park, London

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

After missing out on medals in Beijing, both GB hockey teams are hoping to reach the podium in London

7 Days OUR PICK OF THE ACTION FROM THE SPORTING WEEK AHEAD

JANHIGHLIGHTS 27–FEB 2 » Football: Everton v Man City » p36 » Football: Sunderland v Norwich » p37 » Football: FA Cup Fourth Round » p40 » Hockey: FIH Champions Trophy » p41 » Best of the Rest » p41

The most important indoor season in the career of most British athletes gets under way this weekend, at the annual Aviva International Match in Glasgow. The team-versus-team event pits a Great Britain & Northern Ireland squad against a Commonwealth select team and squads from Russia, USA and Germany – with the Russians looking for a fourth victory in the city’s Kelvin Hall.

For Charles van Commenee, head coach of UK Athletics, the event is a crucial one to assess how his team is shaping up with a matter of months to go before you know what. “It is important we get off to a great

34 | January 27 2012 |

start in 2012 and start the year with a strong performance,” he said. “Those athletes competing in Glasgow will be facing worldclass opposition, and it will be interesting to see how they perform there and throughout the indoor season.”

Headlining the bill is world and European 5,000m champion Mo Farah, who will be sprinting round the shorter 1,500m distance, while fellow Daegu medallist Hannah England is also set to appear. Farah, who now lives and trains Stateside in Portland, Oregon (as well as fitting in some altitude training in Utah), relishes his competitive returns to Britain and will look to repeat the success he

7

The number of medals won by Team GB’s athletes at last year’s World Championships in Daegu – their best performance since 1993

had last time out in Glasgow – in 2009, when he broke the British 3,000m record.

Sprint hurdler Andy Turner won a surprise bronze in Daegu after initial winner Dayron Robles was disqualified for impeding China’s Liu Xiang, meaning the Brit was promoted from fourth place to third. But Turner knows he still has work to do if he’s to get back on the podium in the summer and has just returned from a lengthy spell in Florida, where he trained alongside US Olympic bronze-medallist David Oliver. In Glasgow, over the 60m hurdles, we will get a glimpse of just how hot that warm weather has left Turner ‘s pace.

Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

SATURDAY ATHLETICS | AvIvA INTERNATIONAL MATCH | GLASGOW | BBC ONE 1.30PM

7 Days Tuesday Football | premier league: everton v manchester city | goodison park | 8pm sky sports 2

Class war With presents unwrapped, played with and discarded, and Christmas trees rotting on street corners throughout Britain, it’s clear that the time for festive charity is well and truly over. So Manchester City are unlikely to gift Everton another unwanted Brazilian striker to ease their goalscoring woes.

Jo scored five goals in 12 appearances in his first loan spell in 2008-09, helping the Toffees to a fifth-placed finish. This season, their joint top scorer is left back Leighton Baines, with three goals. As a team, only Wigan have netted fewer in the league.

The club appear to be continuing their inevitable decline and sit 14th in the table, with just one win thus far in 2012. With no money to spend in the January sales, they may struggle to arrest their slide.

Everton’s relative poverty is thrown into sharp focus by the visit of league leaders City, who were comfortable 2-0 winners in the reverse fixture in September. Although City don’t have a great record at Goodison Park (just one win in the past 10 years), they will be comforted by the fact that Everton have picked up only three wins there themselves this season – against Swansea, West Brom and Wolves. Everton’s problem, as ever, is a

36 | January 27 2012 |

lack of firepower up front, although things are starting to look up with the return of Victor Anichebe, and Tim Cahill scoring his first goal in over a year last weekend – though they will have to go some to test the best defence in the division.

This year hasn’t been that kind to the Roberto Mancini’s men, who have faltered without their African stars. They needed a last-minute penalty to beat Spurs last week, having lost to Sunderland on New Year’s Day. Both sides are reaching a crucial point in their season – Everton need to improve sharpish if they want to avoid becoming embroiled in a relegation battle towards the end of the season, and Man City will want to increase their advantage over neighbours United after a few slip-ups during the Christmas period. It’s a battle between two clubs moving in very different directions – and it could prove an engrossing contest.

Net spend by Manchester City on new players since 2006, compared to £3m by Everton

Streaky Toffee? Everton’s Tim Cahill will hope his scoring form continues against Roberto Mancini’s stingy City defence

Around the grounds

SWANSEA v CHELSEA liberty stadium, tuesday 7.45pm TOTTENHAM v WIGAN White hart lane, tuesday 7.45pm MANCHESTER UNITED v STOKE old trafford, tuesday 8pm ASTON VILLA v QPR villa park, Wednesday 7.45pm BLACKBURN v NEWCASTLE ewood park, Wednesday 8pm BOLTON v ARSENAL reebok stadium, Wednesday 8pm FULHAM v WEST BROM craven cottage, Wednesday 8pm

Premier League table 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Man City Man Utd Tottenham Chelsea Arsenal Newcastle Liverpool Stoke Norwich Sunderland Aston Villa Fulham Swansea Everton West Brom QPR Bolton Blackburn Wolves Wigan

P 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22

W 17 16 14 12 11 10 9 8 7 7 6 6 6 7 7 5 6 4 4 3

D 3 3 4 5 3 6 8 6 8 6 9 8 8 5 4 5 1 6 6 6

L 2 3 4 5 8 6 5 8 7 9 7 8 8 10 11 12 15 12 12 13

F 60 54 41 40 39 32 25 23 32 29 26 28 23 22 22 22 28 33 25 19

A Pts 18 54 21 51 24 46 25 41 33 36 30 36 21 35 33 30 36 29 24 27 29 27 31 26 27 26 26 26 31 25 37 20 47 19 45 18 40 18 45 15

A big midweek for...

TUESDAY premier league: wolves v liverpool | molineux | 7.45pm

1. Canaries’ defence

2. The managers

Before they shut Chelsea out for 90 minutes last weekend, Norwich had conceded 36 goals in 21 Premier League games. Few were tipping them to keep a first clean sheet of the season against a relatively potent Chelsea strike force then, but they did just that. Their next challenge is a rejuvenated Sunderland side that

They may be separated by 12 places in the league table, but Mick McCarthy and Kenny Dalglish are united at present in terms of their frustration at their own sides’ incompetence. Dalglish has an FA Cup tie against Man Utd to tackle before his side go to Molineux, where he will hope his players are more competitive than they were at Bolton

scored two of the league’s stand-out goals last weekend. Norwich keeper John Ruddy made vital stops from Fernando Torres and Juan Mata last time out, but ahead of him his back four of Russell Martin, Zak Whitbread, Kyle Naughton and Daniel Ayala refused to be beaten too. They’ll need to take that same mentality to Wearside if they’re to repeat the feat.

last weekend. McCarthy, meanwhile, is dealing with the pressure of his side dropping into the relegation zone for the first time this season, and a run of just two wins in 20 games. Liverpool snuck a 2-1 win last time these teams met in September, and Dalglish would undoubtedly take a repeat showing on Tuesday in what should be the Reds’ final game without Luis Suarez – who, naturally, scored the winner that day.

Scott Heavey/Getty Images, Jamie McDonald/Getty Images, Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images, Shaun Botterill/Getty Images, Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images), Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images

WEDNESDAY football | premier league: sunderland v norwich | stadium of light | sky sports 2 8pm

7 Days Friday rugBy league | Capital Challenge: london SkolarS v london BronCoS | haC london | 2pM

Thursday Winter SportS | FiBt Skeleton World Cup | WhiStler, Canada | BritiSh euroSport 2 11pM

History boys

One week ahead of the new Super League season getting under way, it’s a case of back to the future with the return to the capital of the London Broncos.

They never really left, of course, being that they’ve spent the past six years operating under the guise of Harlequins RL – but Friday afternoon’s fixture against the capital’s other professional club marks a first London appearance for the Broncos since the end of the 2005 season.

It also gives coach Rob Powell (above right, with Skolars coach Joe Mbu) a chance to show off some of the newly, oldly renamed team’s new signings, a week before kicking

38 | January 27 2012 |

off their Super League campaign at home to St Helens.

“It’s a good opportunity to showcase professional rugby league in London, and a nice way to kick off the season,” said Powell ahead of today’s game, which should feature dual-code international half back Craig Gower. “We get a lot of people there who support the game in London; it’s a good hit-out for us, and we look forward to it.”

The game may not be on the box, but a Friday lunchtime kick-off at the Honourable Artillery Company Grounds, in the heart of the City, could prove a far more attractive option than actual work. Tickets are still available, too – visit skolarsrl.com for information.

With the national economy faltering, riots in the streets and failure on a number of sporting fronts, it’s heartening to know that we Brits are among the best in the world at sliding face first down a frozen mountain.

The penultimate round of the face-sliding World Cup (or skeleton, to give it its proper name) is taking place in Canada next week, with Brit Shelley Rudman second in the rankings behind German Marion Thees.

Olympic silver-medallist Rudman, who won gold a fortnight ago in Königssee, isn’t the only Brit performing well – she was beaten by 0.25 seconds in St Moritz last week by compatriot Elizabeth Yarnold (in only her second career start). Rudman has finished runner-up in the World Cup for the past three years, but she is just 23 points off the lead going into the penultimate race in Whistler. With 225 points on offer for an event win, she has every chance of overhauling that deficit and becoming Britain’s first World Cup winner since 2002.

Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images

Let it slide

Sport Promotion

Take Part in a Very Special British 10k The annual British 10k London Run has teamed up with a unique charity partner for 2012. You could be part of it all... n this most special of Olympic years, it’s fitting that Special Olympics Great Britain has been chosen to be the official charity partner of the British 10k.

An important part of the Olympic family, Special Olympics GB differs from the Paralympics in that it provides year-round sports training and competition opportunities for children and adults with learning disabilities (in the UK, a person is deemed to have a learning disability if they have an IQ lower than 75). It is there for people of all abilities and ages, rather than a one-off event for elite (professional) athletes.

I

City of special sights The 12th edition of the British 10k London Run is set to be the best yet.

It takes place on July 8, a mere 19 days before the start of the Olympic

Games, when the city will be abuzz with anticipation. Those taking part will have the chance to run with 25,000 others on a route that takes in some of London’s most iconic sights, including Big Ben, the London Eye, Trafalgar Square, St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.

For every one of the 25,000 runners who will take part in the British 10k, there are 48 children and adults with a learning disability in the UK. Special Olympics GB is working to use the power of sport to positively transform their lives in the Olympic year and beyond. Special Olympics GB’s volunteer-led network of clubs and a nationwide competition programme reaches some 8,000 children and adults with learning disabilities every week, but there are tens of thousands more in need of help.

A great cause The charity’s ambassadors, including Olympic gold-medallist Darren Campbell MBE, football pundit Chris Kamara, Olympic bronze-medallist Katharine Merry and Heather Small, formerly of M People, are all supporting Special Olympics GB’s drive to recruit 2,012 runners fundraising for them on the day.

Karen Wallin, chief executive of Special Olympics GB, says: “Taking part in regular sports activities not only gives people with learning disabilities the opportunity to get fit, but also provides a gateway to inclusion, empowerment, competence and acceptance. So please join Team Special Olympics and help raise funds to develop our programme to benefit thousands more athletes right across the country.”

Get involved The British 10k London Run has sold out for the past six years and, with the 2012 event being an extra-special occasion, demand for places is set to be higher than ever.

To be one of Special Olympics GB’s 2,012 runners, visit thebritish10klondon.co.uk and tick the Special Olympics GB opt-in box when entering. As media partner, Sport has 20 places to give away, so you can be a Special Olympic GB runner for free! Send your contact details to British10k@sport-magazine.co.uk.

For more information, please visit specialolympicsgb.org.uk

| 39

7 Days SATURDAY football | fa CUP foURtH RoUND: QPR v CHElSEa | loftUS RoaD | 12Pm Wayne Bridge might have snubbed his outstretched arm almost two years ago, but John Terry would never have expected a sequel to Handshakegate. And yet this FA Cup fourth-round tie between west London neighbours QPR and Chelsea looms with one question that won’t go away: will Anton Ferdinand cross palms with John Terry?

The Chelsea captain is due to stand trial next Wednesday, charged with racially abusing Ferdinand, but Blues manager Andre Villas-Boas has brushed off suggestions Terry might be better left on the bench at Loftus Road. Neither is QPR boss Mark Hughes likely to excuse Ferdinand from facing up to Terry for the first time since the sides met in October.

Then, a Heidar Helguson penalty and two Chelsea dismissals gave Rangers a first win over their local rivals since 1995 – and left Villas-Boas in no doubt as to the tension that exists between the clubs. Things went downhill rapidly for QPR after that, leading to the departure of Neil Warnock and the arrival of Hughes, who has now overseen two victories in a row.

The visit of his former club won’t be an altogether welcome one (what with Handshakegate and the fact he’s not yet warm in his new seat), but it is a great chance to prove he’s the man for the job.

Sealed with a shake?

THE FIXTURES

Friday Watford v Tottenham, 7.45pm, ESPN Everton v Fulham, 8pm

Saturday QPR v Chelsea, 12pm Liverpool v Man Utd, 12.45pm, ITV1

And here’s what won’t happen this weekend...

Blackpool v Sheffield Wed, 3pm Bolton v Swansea, 3pm Derby v Stoke, 3pm Hull v Crawley Town, 3pm Leicester v Swindon, 3pm Millwall v Southampton, 3pm Sheffield United v Birmingham, 3pm Stevenage v Notts County, 3pm

West Brom v Norwich, 3pm Brighton v Newcastle, 5.15pm, ESPN Sunday Sunderland v Middlesbrough, 1.30pm, ITV1 Arsenal v Aston Villa, 4pm, ESPN

SATURDAY football | fa CUP foURtH RoUND: lIVERPool v maN UtD | aNfIElD | ItV 1 12.45Pm

Chelsea’s preparation ahead of their game against QPR is disrupted when David luiz is arrested on suspicion of trying to murder bart Simpson.

1

2

ITV’s FA Cup coverage reaches a new low when they manage to baffle viewers and anger sponsors by cutting to football coverage during an advert break. one irked viewer tweets: “I wanted to watch that Hyundai advert, but instead I had to listen to Gareth Southgate and adrian Chiles making painful small talk.

It was worse than The One Show.”

Jim Rosenthal is forced to issue a sheepish apology on behalf of the fa after manchester United draw barcelona in the fa Cup fifth round. “We’ve been rigging it for years,” he admits. “that’s why we had to ship David Davies out – he asked too many questions.”

3

40 | January 27 2012 |

Unclear air

The FA Cup draw has a habit of throwing up tantalising ties, as if the balls themselves are somehow aware of the back-page gossip, scandals and arguments. So, if a Manchester United visit to Anfield wasn’t intriguing enough, there’s the added spice of that Suarez/Evra tiff to add to the decades of resentment and rivalry. If Gary Neville’s going to make an appearance, he’d be well advised to sneak in through a side entrance.

The teams met in the third round last season, in Kenny Dalglish’s first game back in charge of the club with which he won two FA Cups. It was fitting that the game would be settled by the actions of two other old heros – a Ryan Giggs penalty gave United the lead after just two minutes, while Steven Gerrard’s first-half dismissal ensured Liverpool couldn’t mount a successful comeback. They say the FA Cup has lost its relevance for the big teams, but with both Liverpool and United a bit out of sorts in the league (at opposite ends of the pitch), perhaps it’s time for two of the competition’s most successful sides to renew their interest – for this year at least.

GB hockey goes for pre-Games lift A big week beckons in the career of Britain’s female hockey players, with the FIH Champions Trophy in Argentina representing the final world-ranking competition before the Olympics (GB’s men played their Champions Trophy tournament in December) – and, as such, a stiff test of their medal-winning potential.

Eight teams contest the Champions Trophy, with GB in Pool A alongside new world number one Holland, Beijing silver- medallists China and the only team in the competition yet to secure their Olympic berth, Japan. In Pool B are world champions Argentina, Germany, New Zealand and Korea.

The signs are good that GB can improve on their fifth-place finish at the 2011 tournament after they defeated Argentina and South Korea in a preparatory Four Nations competition in Argentina last week. Can they repeat such feats when ranking points are on the table? If so, Olympic glory could follow.

BEST OF THE REST

FRIDAY gOLF abu Dhabi HsBC golf Championship Day 2, abu Dhabi golf Club, sky sports 3 6am

CrICKET pakistan v England: 2nd Test Day 3 abu Dhabi, sky sports 1 6am snOOKEr World snooker shoot-Out Day 1 Blackpool, sky sports 2 6pm

BOXIng Commonwealth super-Bantamweight Title: Carl Frampton v Kris Hughes York Hall, Bethnal green, sky sports 1 9pm

SUNDAY gOLF abu Dhabi HsBC Championship Day 4 abu Dhabi golf Club, sky sports 3 8am TEnnIs australian Open: men’s singles Final melbourne, British Eurosport 8.30am

CrICKET australia v India: 4th Test Day 5 adelaide, sky sports 1 11.55pm

MONDAY

nBa miami Heat v new York Knicks american airlines arena, Espn 1am

FOOTBaLL africa Cup of nations: Ivory Coast v angola, malabo, British Eurosport 2 6pm

SATURDAY FOOTBaLL La Liga: real madrid v Zaragoza Estadio Bernabeu , sky sports 4 7pm TEnnIs australian Open: Women’s singles Final melbourne, British Eurosport 8.30am rugBY unIOn England saxons v Irish Wolfhounds, sandy park, sky sports 1 4.45pm FOOTBaLL africa Cup of nations: ghana v mali Franceville, British Eurosport 6.30pm

Scott Heavey/Getty Images, Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images, Clive Brunskill/Getty Images, Wally Nell

SATURDAY > HOCKEY | FIH 2012 CHampIOns TrOpHY | argEnTIna | BrITIsH EurOspOrT 2 7.45pm

FOOTBaLL Jp Trophy area Final 2nd Leg: Oldham athletic v Chesterfield Boundary park, sky sports 1 7.45pm

TUESDAY FOOTBaLL serie a: parma v Juventus stadio Ennio Tardini, Espn 7.45pm

WEDNESDAY CrICKET australia v India: 1st T20 sydney, sky sports 1 8.30am

THURSDAY FOOTBaLL serie a: Juventus v udinese Juventus arena, Espn 7.45pm

gOLF Commercialbank Qatar masters Day 1 Doha golf Club, Qatar, sky sports 1 7am

Competition

Mario Kart 7 delivers frenetic racing fun by air, land and underwater – all in glorious 3D. Multiplayer racing is the best it has ever been; players can use motion controls to steer and can customise their kart to gain a competitive advantage

We’ve teamed up with Nintendo 3DS and the Rugby Football Union to offer two readers the chance to win a pair of tickets to watch England v Wales in the RBS 6 Nations on February 25 at Twickenham Stadium. Because this is England’s first home game of 2012, the atmosphere is likely to be electric!

We are also giving each winner the chance to bring a friend to test their Mario Kart 7 multi-player prowess against three England rugby players at an exclusive venue on February 6.

Each winner will take home a signed rugby ball, a Nintendo 3DS console and a copy of Mario Kart 7 so you can keep honing those racing skills. Find out how you and your friends fare against English rugby’s finest as they take the competition off the pitch and on to the race track.

Rugby Football Union

Win RBS 6 Nations tickets and play Mario Kart 7 with England stars!

The Rugby Football Union is the national governing body for rugby union in England and supports participants and fans from the grassroots to the national team.

Nintendo has been a sponsor of the RFU since September 2009.

FOR YOUR cHAncE TO win, jUST AnSwER THE SimplE qUESTiOn BElOw: What is Mario’s profession?

A Plumber B Electrician C Hedge fund manager To enter, text MARIO plus your answer A, B or C and your name to 81089 Texts cost 50p +std network charge. Competition closes at midnight on Thursday February 2 2012.

Full terms and conditions at sport-magazine.co.uk.

For ticket T&Cs, visit rfu.com/tickets/ termsandconditions

| 41

XOXOXOXoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Advertising Feature

42 | January 27 2012 |

The aThleTe

Dai greene

Age 25 | Sport Athletics European and world 400m hurdles champion Dai Green is a very proud Welshman and one of the nation’s finest athletes.

He is also one of Team GB’s real gold medal hopes ahead of the London 2012 Olympics.

The experT says...

“An athlete like Dai Greene is all about rising to the big occasion, the one-off event that’s the culmination of years of hard work,” says Darren Roberts. “Key milestones and sessions are vital, with races often used to build towards the ultimate goal – the Olympics.

“Dai’s training is all about speed and strength, but he also has to keep himself as light as possible. He eats a high-fibre diet with lots of lean meat while watching his intake, as any leftover calories could turn to fat. It takes someone with amazing attention to detail and total commitment to achieve what Dai has.”

In the final of our three-part series dedicated to helping men across the nation improve their fitness and diet in 2012, expert nutritionist Darren Roberts focuses on the high-flier who plays as hard as he works – and has his sights set firmly on one of the toughest tests in sport 3 The high-flier

Age Early 30s Job Investment banker, doctor, stockbroker Family Partner, no children Sports Training for a marathon

or the high-flier, life is intense. He has a

F

high-pressure, highstakes job in which short bursts of extreme focus and energy must be combined with the stamina required to keep going day after day, week after week. Mistakes aren’t an option, so the demands on his mental resources are as extreme as they are on his physical ones – but he pushes himself just as hard away from the office as he does in it. As well as a busy social life, he is training for the toughest of sporting tests: the marathon.

“When things happen with this guy, they happen hard and fast,” says expert nutritionist Darren Roberts. “He needs to make decisions quickly and be extremely reactive in the workplace, so his training will need to reflect that. This guy is usually end goal-oriented, so a one-off challenge like a marathon provides not only the motivational stimulus to train, but also a stage on which to test himself mentally and physically. While he has the resources to put together a meticulous training plan, the nature of his job means training has to be flexible enough to be changed at a moment’s notice.”

Endurance policy “Training for the marathon requires a large aerobic capacity, with muscular endurance and the often overlooked mental endurance.

With such a long event, there needs to be at least some structure to ensure he doesn’t

burn out before the event or undercook it and fail to finish on the day. So having a basic periodised plan in place, working backwards from the event itself, should prevent this.

“In terms of training, running at least every other day, with bodyweight circuits to maintain some global strength, means up to eight sessions per week. Outlining a plan working back from the event limits run distance and times, set on a weekly or monthly basis and building towards the big day. Those distances and times depend on ability and how far away the marathon is.

“Quality is the key rather than quantity, but the ever unpopular ‘long single distance’ per week is more about mental preparation than physical, so shouldn’t be overlooked. Equally, attention has to be given to recovery days, otherwise injury won’t be far away; a ratio of 3-1 is a good rule of thumb.

“With a training programme that has to be adaptable, missed sessions are a fact of life – so to prevent session congestion, outline key ‘must-do’ sessions followed by ‘should do’ and ‘could do’. This helps prioritise the least that has to be done to meet the goal.”

In brief...

Employ a basic plan working backwards from the big day, running at least every other day and including bodyweight circuits.

Mix it up “With so much training and a high-pressure job, good diet is the cornerstone to success.

The engine needs the right fuel, so have a wide and nutrient-dense diet. Living off just salads and pasta may seem healthy, but variety and having as colourful a plate as possible is the way to go. Using Red Bull

Sugarfree can help metabolise fat in the running sessions, as well as helping you get to the session if motivation after work is a problem.”

In brief...

A wide and nutrient-dense diet featuring more than just salads and pasta.

Darren Roberts is an expert nutritionist at Peak Performance Fitness

Red Bull Sugarfree Red Bull Sugarfree is Red Bull without sugar, with only 8 calories per can. As with the Red Bull Energy Drink, Red Bull Sugarfree is a functional beverage that vitalises both body and mind.

Red Bull Sugarfree has been developed for people who want to have a clear and focused mind, perform physically, are dynamic and performance-oriented while also balancing this with a fun and active lifestyle.

| 43

2 Huge events 1 exclusive venue

Why Stoke Park Country Club and reSort iS gearing uP for a maSSive Summer...

44 | January 27 2012 |

The Boodles, June 19-23

F

or the past 10 years, The Boodles has been attracting the world’s tennis elite to play in the most exclusive, intimate and luxurious grass-court tournament of the summer season.

Set within the beautiful grounds of Stoke Park, the tournament combines world-class tennis with a quintessentially English summer garden party.

Year on year, The Boodles provides the perfect environment for the top male players in the build-up to Wimbledon. Past players have included Boris Becker, Goran Ivanisevic, Tim Henman, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras,

Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Juan Martin Del Potro – and 2012 is sure to be no different.

With an intimate crowd of only 1,500 and no seat further than eight metres from the court, The Boodles gets you and your guests closer to the action than you ever thought possible.

We look forward to welcoming you to The 2012 Boodles from June 19-23. Please come and share another celebration of tennis and English summertime with us.

For more information, or to book, please visit theboodles.com or call 020 7384 4877

Sport Promotion

Stoke Park Country Club and reSort

toke Park, Europe’s leading five-star Hotel, Spa and Country Club, is set among 350 acres of glorious parkland, lakes, historic gardens and monuments created over the past 1,000 years.

Stoke Park is the perfect place to enjoy life in a friendly atmosphere. It provides a unique combination of the traditions of an exclusive members’ club and the best of today’s sporting, leisure, entertainment and hotel facilities in one of the most convenient locations in Britain: only 35 minutes from London and 7 miles from London Heathrow.

S

• 5 AA-Star Hotel with 49 Luxury Bedrooms and Suites • 3 Restaurants, Bars and Lounges (The Dining Room, 2 AA Rosettes)

Playboy Club london SummEr Party 2012

H

ef once said: “Playboy is about the lighter side of contemporary life.”

The Summer Party with Playboy Club London is your chance to cross the threshold into this exclusive world.

On Thursday July 26 2012, on the eve of the London Olympics, Playboy Club London will host the most glamorous party of the summer season at the historic Stoke Park estate in Buckinghamshire.

The Summer Party is an all-day and all-night event, beginning with golf and poker tournaments running simultaneously throughout the day. Guests will have the opportunity to emulate Sean Connery’s epic 007 golf duel with Auric Goldfinger on Stoke Park’s legendary 1908 championship golf course, or try their hand in the Playboy Poker Tournament. Fabulous prizes will be on offer for golfers and poker players alike, including an exclusive chance to win an all-expensespaid trip to the Playboy Club in Las Vegas.

That evening, the 400 players and their partners will enjoy exquisite cuisine at the Gala Dinner overlooking the beautiful West Garden.

The party kicks off after dinner in Stoke Park’s stunning mansion, which will be transformed for the night into the ultimate house party for 600 partygoers. Hosted by Playmates and Playboy Club London Bunnies, guests will be served some truly unique cocktails and superstar DJs will hit the decks to keep us partying non-stop until 3am.

Playboy Club London’s Summer Party at Stoke Park will be the first party of its kind in the UK for 30 years, and promises to celebrate first hand the heritage of the Playboy lifestyle.

For more information or to book, visit summerparty2012.com or call 01753 476 333

• 27-hole Championship Golf Course, designed by Harry Colt in 1908 • State-of-the-art 4,000 sq ft Gymnasium, Fitness and Spinning Studios • Health & Beauty Spa and Salon with 13 Treatment Rooms • Indoor Swimming Pool with Hydro-Seats • 13 Tennis Courts (six grass, three indoor and four all-weather) • Crèche, Games Room and Outdoor Playground • 8 Private Rooms for Entertaining and Conferences • 14 Acres of Private Gardens

www.StokePark.Com tel: 01753 71 71 71

| 45

P50 Terminate the mess: the hoover robopocalypse has arrived...

Extra time Kit

Making the most of your time and money

Mind the bobble Fallen Fury Bobble Hat £16 | fallenfootwear.com

It’s cold and, being England, will probably remain this way until May. Still, these should help keep your head toasty...

F

s hi sle tclot I air sul lu t F p.re es s h o

t Ha d e itt .com n K ng

£34 | odlo.com or call 0845 603 7289

| £6

R

Full Stop Photography

£

t Ha n’s Me ex nis io U k nc o.u Nu on.c SC a z We19 | am £18 | bouf.c om

Lazy Oaf Red

Stripe Hat 46 | January 27 2012 |

Pull-in Pom Beanie

£20 | blackleaf.com

ODLO Stripes Hat

L Cr e co £1 an q 5 | be sp 02 rr or 0 7 y J tif 63 ac 6 4 qu 66 ar 4 d

£2 ran 5. kl 50 in |f & ra M nk ar lin sh an a dm ll B ar ea sh n al ie l .c om

TECNICA DEMON 110 BURTON IMPERIAL

£299.99 £499.99 £329.99 £245

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FISHER WOMEN’S SOMA ZEPHYR 90

ROSSIGNOL WOMEN’S ELECTRA PRO SL 110 TECNICA WOMEN’S DEMON VIVA 110 SALOMON WOMEN’S IVY

£329.99 £150

Rules of £319.99

PROMOTIONAL PRICE PROMOTIONAL PRICE PROMOTIONAL PRICE PROMOTIONAL PRICE

£207.99 £255.99 £263.99 £120

Rule 54 - Divots

The massive £40 divot taken out of the price of an hour on our game-changing simulators must be replaced by March.

Until then an hour’s golf for you and three mates costs just £10.

Offer excludes Thursdays. For full terms and conditions, go to www.urbangolf.co.uk/tenner

FISHER SOMA VACUUM 130

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£259.99

From now until February 29, you and three mates can enjoy an hour on one of our brand new aboutGolf™ simulators for just £10, instead of £50. Over sixty of the world’s finest courses, including Pebble Beach, Sawgrass, and St Andrews, in a golf revolution. So lifelike it’s what world number one, Luke Donald, practices on. Now there are 22 simulators exclusive to Urban Golf Soho, Smithfield and Kensington. Visit www.urbangolf.co.uk/tenner for full details and bring this coupon along when you come to play. Urban Golf rules.

WEEKLY*

OFFER

*Offer ends Sunday 29th Jan 2012

H

ere’s a story for you – it’s a true story, by the way. Glamour model and former TOWIE star Maria Fowler is currently the arm candy for Steve Lomas’ latest recruit at St Johnstone, on-loan Derby County midfielder and storyteller Lee Croft.

Fowler also recently took a break from reinforcing glamour-model stereotypes to wage all-out Twitter war with one Mr Joseph Barton after their paths crossed at last November’s launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Barton described the cast of TOWIE as being “like a Circus freak show... u’ve got midgets, hippos, about 6 with red rums teeth in and a corpse holding a sign” [sic] and “all that’s wrong with the world” after Maria and her former colleagues posted a picture insinuating QPR’s captain was “jel” (we’re led to believe this means ‘jealous’).

We feel Barton may have been a little unfair when he questioned the nature of Croft and Fowler’s relationship, however.

The pair are reportedly planning to get married, after all. True story. Really.

You can’t handle the truth!

Ave Maria!

Extra time Maria Fowler

48 | January 27 2012 | Frank White/Celebrity Pictures

| 49

Extra time Gadgets

Home comforts If you’re anything like us, attempting to cook means a hell of a lot of mess to terminate. So here’s a selection of gadgets for both...

Whirlpool Limited Edition MAX microwave It may look a bit like an early 1990s bedroom TV, but this microwave is probably more entertaining to watch than 2point4 Children thanks to the colour-changing light at the bottom. It features several modes, including steam and crisp settings, and is operated with a touchscreen interface. It’s all a bit much for beans on toast, mind. £200 | whirlpool.co.uk

Illy Coffee Francis Francis X7.1 Espresso Coffee Machine In a world of so-good-they-named-it-twice sleek metallic finishes, we like the anthropomorphic look of this coffee machine – we see it as a sort of WALL·E reject that serves hot drinks to the bloated descendants of humanity. Just us? £203.50 | qvcuk.com

Dyson DC38 Multi Floor

Tefal Actifry

Did you know there are robots that can do your hoovering for you now (see right)? And there you are using your own legs like a sucker. So, you don’t really even need the manoeuvrability and suction power of this hi-tech miniature hoover – perfect for small homes. But still, back-breaking labour is surely the only way to delay the impending robopocalypse...

Labelling this ‘the healthy way to fry’ is a bit like calling inhaling fumes in a pub garden ‘a healthy way to smoke’. But with a spoonful of oil you can cook chips, curries or battered Mars Bars – or all three together for a ‘Glasgow special’. Ideal to sustain you while fighting for the resistance. £205 | tefal.co.uk

£300 | dyson.co.uk

Samsung Navibot Silencio “Come with me if you want to live,” says Kyle Reese when sent back to save man from his own machines. This is how it starts – a near-silent auto hoover with cameras for eyes. What have you done Skynet Samsung? What have you done?! £500 | samsung.com

50 | January 27 2012 |

The

app is out now

Free every Friday The best of Sport magazine on the iPad with extra content • Exclusive video • More stunning imagery • More pages at your fingertips Download the app from the App Store

Extra time Grooming

Box of delights

the all-in-one

A set of grooming products delivered to your door at regular three-month intervals? Sounds like a plan to us...

Glossybox for Men Imagine a world, gentlemen, in which you never had any need to actually go out and shop for your grooming products. Yes, you want to take care of your skin and look good – but, male that you are, don’t really want to put any effort into doing so.

Well, this world has arrived in the form of Glossybox for Men. Granted, it’s not the most masculine of names. But the concept – once

every three months you find a box of seven high-end grooming products arriving on your doorstep for the reasonable price of £15 (plus the inevitable £2.95 p&p) – is about as masculine as it gets. Shaving, skincare, hair products, fragrances... it’s all there for you, and all at the click of a button. The future has arrived. glossybox.co.uk

£15

the moisturiser £27

52 | January 27 2012 |

the fragrances Biotherm Homme Aquapower D-Sensitive

Viktor&Rolf Spicebomb, Boss Orange Man Unicef Edition

There’s no shortage of moisturisers for men on the current market, but that hasn’t stopped Biotherm from throwing their latest offering into an increasingly busy ring.

Containing fortifying calcium, Aquapower D-Sensitive ‘helps to soothe away the signs of skin sensitivity while also helping to protect and strengthen the skin against environmental factors’.

That’s what they’re telling us, at least, although on first evidence we’re not going to argue. Easy to apply and fast-absorbing, Aquapower D-Sensitive is also enriched with pure thermal plankton; the equivalent of 5,000 litres of thermal spa water, no less, although why you’d want to bathe in (or drink) so much of the stuff is beyond us.

At £27 for 75ml, it ain’t the cheapest moisturiser out there – but since when did quality come cheap? boots.com

Two bits of fragrant news for you this week, beginning with the launch of the brand new male scent from Viktor&Rolf. Spicebomb, exclusive to Harrods as of this week ahead of a nationwide release in March, is – as the name would suggest – £45 (50ml) a veritable explosion of spices. Chilli, saffron and vetiver are all prominent in a dusky, dark mix that matches its winter release date.

There’s nothing new about Boss Orange Man, meanwhile – but the January release of a limited-edition flacon to support Unicef’s excellent Schools for Africa initiative is more than worth reporting.

So well done them.

£37 (60ml)

Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). MAC13561_1111

Talking to your family about cancer can be really tough.

But a chat with one of our experts on the Macmillan Support Line can help you find the words you need. So you and your family can face the future, together.

This is just one of the ways the Macmillan team can help you through cancer. Our medical professionals, cancer support specialists and benefits advisers are just a phone call away.

For cancer support every step of the way call the Macmillan team free on 0808 808 00 00 (Monday to Friday, 9am – 8pm)

or visit macmillan.org.uk

Extra time Entertainment

Easy on the eye

MUSIC

Gorgeous George, lovely Lana and a pair of hairy bears – there’s something for everyone in a good-looking week ahead fIlM

The Descendants

Born To Die Lana Del Rey

George Clooney holds up his big, metaphorical megaphone and blares “give me an Oscar already” in this highly acclaimed comedy-drama about a self-confessed ‘back-up parent’ left managing two troublesome daughters after his wife is in a boating accident and falls into a coma. The twist in the tale comes when he finds out that she was having an affair, so Clooney sets off to track her lover down (kids very much in tow). With Sideways director Alexander Payne at the helm and Clooney displaying his sublime comic touch, this has all the hallmarks of a classic.

Internet sensation Lana Del Rey – she of the ethereally brilliant Video Games, the most talked about song of 2011 – finally raises the curtain on her debut album on Monday (the first one not released under her actual name, Lizzy Grant, anyway). Since then, Lana has experienced The Backlash, with music fans speculating as to whether she’s a studio creation rather than the self-styled, David Lynch-inspired princess of retro Americana she first seemed.

Let’s focus on the music, though, because our Liz is no one-hit wonder. She can sing (in a recording studio, at least) and her breathy, plaintive vocals add lustre to some sweeping melodies.

That said, her best non-Video Games song – You Can Be The Boss – isn’t even here. The sign of a studio playing it safe? Quite possibly.

blU-ray

bOOK

MUSIC

The Harpist of Madrid Gordon Thomas

Tinker Tailor Solider Spy

Intrigue, death, insanity, music, the Spanish Inquisition and a heftily endowed sibling... The Harpist of Madrid has it all. It’s the epic tale of Juan Hidalgo, who goes from harpist to spy in the court of King Philip IV of Spain. Brother, it’ll make your eyes water.

Cat-and-mouse spy film took the cream as one of the smartest, most stylish films of last year.

Gary Oldman leads a great cast as a taciturn MI6 officer hunting for a mole. Why he didn’t just ask sidekick Benedict ‘Sherlock’ Cumberbatch who did it is beyond us.

Drive

Be Strong 2 Bears

A laconic Ryan Gosling puts his own spin on a Steve McQueenstyle character in this slick thriller about a getaway driver.

All seems icy on the surface, but when a job goes wrong and his foxy neighbour (Carey Mulligan) and her son are threatened, our mysterious hero proves alarmingly adept at meting out gruesome violence to those responsible. Deliciously dark.

Bungle is back – and he’s brought his pal with him.

Alternatively, 2 Bears are a suitably cheery dance duo, and their happy house revival album is really rather excellent. One half of the furry duo is part of Hot Chip, and you can hear the similarities in the buoyant beats, hooks and cheeky lyrics.

It’s all far less ‘novelty’ than you might expect: proof that you can’t judge a bear by its cover.

54 | January 27 2012 |

DVD