Sport Magazine - Issue 244

Issue 244 | February 17 2012

The Ten Commandments For The Next England Manager (How to succeed in the impossible job)

“an absolute blast” GaMeSraDar

Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Ultimate Fighting®, UFC®, The Ultimate Fighter®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, Zuffa®, The Octagon™, UFC® Undisputed™ 3, and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions. PRIDE®, PRIDE FC™, PRIDE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS® and BUSHIDO® are trademarks of Pride FC Worldwide Holdings, LLC registered in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks, trade dress, service marks, logos and copyrights referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC or other respective owners. Any use, in whole or in part, of the preceding copyrighted program, trademarks, trade dress, service marks, designs, logos or other intellectual property owned by Zuffa, LLC shall not occur without the express written consent of Zuffa, LLC and all rights with respect to any such unauthorized use are hereby expressly reserved.“2”, “PlayStation”, “Ô and “À” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. KINECT, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft.

“Pride Mode is the single biggest reason to buy the game�

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issue 244, february 17 2012 radar 08 Banff Mountain Film Festival Brilliant flicks that will shock and awe you

10 The Emirates Stadium tour Be guided around by Arsene Wenger himself (not really)

12 Boxing upsets When the big names have hit the deck – remember Hasim Rahman?

14 The Napoli story Highs and lows of Chelsea’s Champions League opponents ofeatures this coming week

23 Being England boss

23 62

The 10 commandments that all prospective gaffers should obey: you reading this, ’Arry?

30 The big fight

Lennox Lewis previews the Klitschko-Chisora clash

34 Asafa Powell

Sprinting’s nearly man on why he believes he can beat Bolt

38 Champions League A big match for Chelsea: can AVB see them through against Napoli?

40 Focus 2012 Cover illustration Daniel Mitchell @ artmarketillustration.com. This page: Getty Images

Under the spotlight this week: modern pentathlon

30

extra Time 52 New kit The humble gilet gets its first outing in Sport

54 Emmi Moore Looks very good on the arm of an Aussie Rules star

08

56 Winter sport

34

Stuff the continent and head to Scotland – you hear?

62 Entertainment

Action stations this week, not least with Nathan Drake | February 17 2012 | 07

p10 – On tour with Le Prof

Radar

p10 – Get your virtual head kicked in

p12 – Boxing’s biggest upsets

Blue screen

T

he Banff Mountain Film Festival arrives in London next week, bringing with it stunning wild landscapes, daring climbs and the man on the right’s attempt to grow the world’s coolest facial hair (a contest Daley Thompson dominates to this day). This image is actually taken from the aptly titled Cold, a film that charts an attempt to go where 16 other expeditions have tried and failed, by climbing one of Pakistan’s 8,000-metre peaks in the heart of winter. The team encounter isolation, extreme conditions, an avalanche and – if we can read this chap’s

08 | February 17 2012 | Sport

pained facial expression – sets of stones that end up as frozen as his beard.

Other films on show include Blue Obsession, which features breathtaking shots of an eight-year quest to explore Alaska’s Juneau Icefield (above), while Kadoma tells the story of a legendary kayaker who can survive any river until he meets, well, a crocodile. Gulp.

The festival hits London on February 21-24 at Islington’s Union Chapel. An ideal chance to sit in awe and watch some people far braver (and/or stupider) than we will ever be.

Full listings and booking info at banff-uk.com

Cory Richards Photography, Kristina Williams

Mountain film festival brings spectacular scenes to capital

Radar

Access all areas I

magine walking up to Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, banging on the door and being greeted, as it opens,

by Arsene Wenger himself. “Bonjour, mon ami,” he might say, inviting you in, taking your coat and walking you round the inner workings of the club they annoyingly refer to as The Arsenal.

Just imagine that, like a modern-day Willy Wonka, Le Professeur has the keys (or, more likely, a swipe card) to every cupboard and the type of access and inside information money simply cannot buy (this is not Cobham and he is not John Terry, after all). Imagine you walk and talk, share a series of comfortable bons mots, try his office seat for size and finally, when the tour is over, he helps you back on with your jacket, offers a warm, Gallic embrace and bids you a very fond adieu.

Imagine this could really happen. Well, sadly, it can’t. Not for mere mortals. However, the next best thing is now available.

Thanks to a brand new audio tour in which Le Prof talks you around the inner sanctums of the Emirates, you can now delve far deeper inside Arsenal Football Club than ever before – from the changing rooms to the tunnel to Arsene’s very own seat in the dugout (with its obscured views of just about everything). You can access almost all areas for just £9 – and all with the great Alsatian as your personal guide. Sort of. arsenal.com/emirates-stadium

10 | February 17 2012 |

U

Oli Scarff/Getty Images

In the red corner

FC Undisputed 3 hits shelves today, providing the traditional dose of violent action kids love, plus a range of improvements including a reworked submission system (think Mercy with analog sticks), new online features, and all-new Pride Mode, where you fight for the right to marry a same-sex partner compete in the brutal Japanese mixed martial arts Pride league, which has even fewer rules than UFC. Career mode lets you follow an existing or custom fighter from teenage delinquent through to undisputed champion. Custom mode comes with a bewildering array of appearance options, from skull shape and eye colour through to body hair type and thickness. Try not to stay too close to real life when setting up your fighters’ attributes though – as we found out, there's something quite traumatic about watching a virtual rendering of yourself getting beaten to a pulp by a much bigger, stronger and better-looking fighter.

UFC Undisputed 3, out now on PS3 and Xbox 360

Radar

70s style T

£50 via umbro.com

3 1

Mighty shocks

2

Ahead of Dereck Chisora’s bid to upset Vitali Klitschko, we take a look at heavyweight boxing’s biggest ever surprise packages 1 James ‘Buster’ Douglas KO10 Mike Tyson (1990) When your odds are 42-1 in a two-horse race, it means you have no chance. It’s just that nobody told Buster Douglas that. Faced with prime, unbeaten, KO machine Mike Tyson, would-be punchbag Buster threw himself into his training like a dervish. This was partly to avoid having to think about a series of personal setbacks, which included his mother’s death just 23 days before the fight.

To the shock of those ringside, Douglas used a long jab and powerful overhand rights to dominate an unusually subdued Tyson from the start. Natural order appeared restored when Douglas was knocked down hard in the 8th round with a brutal uppercut. He wasn’t done yet, though. Douglas stumbled to his feet, then continued where he left off in the next round, flooring Tyson in the 10th to end the fight. Images of the ‘baddest man on the planet’ groping for his gumshield on his knees headlined news reports worldwide.

The afTermaTh Buster went on a Long Island Iced Tea diet, piled on 15lb and lost his hard-won world title in his first defence.

Tyson won his comeback fight, but his menacing aura was never quite the same.

12 | February 17 2012 |

2 Leon Spinks W15 Muhammad Ali (1978) A seven-fight novice against the greatest heavyweight champion of all – even at age 36 – was considered such a mismatch that Ali uncharacteristically refused to talk about the fight in the build-up due to pure embarrassment. Imagine Ali’s shame when Olympic gold medallist Spinks called on his reserves of youthful energy to outhustle the champ, becoming the only boxer to ever win the world heavyweight crown from Ali. The afTermaTh Ali tortured his ageing body into shape for a rematch. ‘Neon’ Leon, it can safely be said, did not. Ali won to become the first three-time world heavyweight champ.

3 Hasim Rahman KO5 Lennox Lewis (2001) A training camp that included filming for Oceans Eleven was not the most diligent of Lewis’ career. Rocking up in South Africa as the undisputed champ, a mega-fight with Mike Tyson looming, Lewis weighed in at a then career-high 253½lb against lightly-regarded Rahman. After four sluggish rounds, Rahman landed a sudden, thunderbolt right hand that saw Lewis slump to the canvas, unable to move his considerable bulk fully upright.

The afTermaTh Fuelled by the bad blood between the pair, Lewis produced a dominant display in the rematch, near decapitating Rahman with a spectacular one-two that left the American prostrate on the canvas.

John Gichigi/ALLSPORT, Sadayuki Mikami/AP Photo, Sipa Press/Rex Features

he year 1970 was, in retrospect, a fine one for the English national team. Reigning World Champions, a stylish squad that contained Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton and Gordon Banks, plus the biggest scandal was merely that the England skipper was accused of being light-fingered with a bracelet. Compared to today’s lot, that’s pretty mild going.

On top of this, the 1970 World Cup itself was a thrilling one. England were involved in a pair of matches that ended with what would become a familiar friend: glorious failure. The 3-2 quarter final loss to West Germany was a match for the ages, while England’s 1-0 group defeat to a brilliant Brazil team ended in that famous shot of Pele clasping Bobby Moore’s head. And what was O Rei holding in his other hand?

Why, it was one of these: an England 1970 shirt. Elegantly minimalist, it has now been reproduced ‘stitch-by-stitch’ as part of the new Umbro Icons collection. It’s exactly the same as the original, though it isn’t doused in the palm-sweat of a Brazilian legend.

You’ll have to obtain that for yourself.

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Radar

1990

Napoli win the league again. Their talismanic captain, by now a figure of worship, stirs up trouble by urging fans to support Argentina in the World Cup. After the tournament, he is banned for 15 months for testing positive for cocaine. Never plays for the club again.

1998

A slow period of decline follows, and talented players such as Gianfranco Zola and Fabio Cannavarro leave the club. In 1998, Napoli are relegated to Serie B for the first time in 34 years, after recording just two wins all season.

2011

Mazzari reaps instant rewards, guiding the team to Europa League qualification in his first season back with an exciting attacking team spearheaded by the talent of Edinson Cavani, who scores 26 goals as Napoli finish third and secure a Champions League spot.

1989

After some disappointing European Cup outings, the Azzuri get their first taste of continental success in the Uefa Cup, beating Bordeaux, Juventus, and Bayern Munich en route to a 5-4 aggregate win over Stuttgart in the final.

2004

After a single season back in Serie A in 2000, SSC Napoli slip to the second tier and are declared bankrupt in August 2004, with debts estimated at €70m. A new club with a new name is formed under the ownership of film producer Aurelio De Laurentiis and placed in Serie C1.

2009

After finishing eighth in their first season back, they slip the following year, spelling the end of the Edy Reja’s five-year tenure. His replacement, Roberto Donadoni, lasts just six months and Walter Mazzari is brought in from Sampdoria to take the helm.

1987

A Maradona-inspired Napoli become the first southern Italian team to win the Scudetto, going undefeated at home, and also win the Coppa Italia.

2007

Maintaining high attendances help the ‘new’ Napoli Soccer bounce back at the second attempt, and back-to-back promotions sees them return to Serie A in 2007 as runners-up behind Juventus in a crazily strong second division.

1984

A comfortably dull mid-table side, Napoli put themselves on the map with their summer signing, a £6.9m purchase from Barcelona. His name?

Diego Maradona.

Simply the best I

n case you missed last week’s super, soaraway Sport, we featured a fascinating article by Barcelona-based scribe Graham Hunter, breaking down how the present Barca team has been built in five steps. You can read the feature for yourself now via the Sport magazine iPad app, but from today, you can go beyond this taster by getting hold of Hunter’s book, Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World. It’s a fluentlywritten look at geniuses such as Cruyff, Ronaldinho and Messi, who have been instrumental in their staggering success, as well as a wonderful paean to the beautiful football they craft on the pitch. An homage to Catalonia of the finest quality.

Out now, BackPage Press, £12.99

14 | February 17 2012 |

David Cannon/Allsport, Paolo Bruno/Getty Images, Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images, Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images

The rise, fall and rebirth of Napoli

Chelsea visit Naples on Wednesday for the first leg of their last 16 Champions League encounter to take on a club with a more colourful recent history than a Neapolitan ice cream

Radar Editor’s letter I want to hold your hand: Evra and Suarez try and concentrate on football for a few minutes

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EDITORIAL Editor-in-chief: Simon Caney (7951) Deputy editor: Tony Hodson (7954) Associate editor: Nick Harper (7897) Art editor: John Mahood (7860) Deputy art editor: William Jack (7861) Subeditor: Graham Willgoss (7431) Senior writers: Sarah Shephard (7958), Alex Reid (7915) Staff writers: Mark Coughlan (7901), Amit Katwala (7914) Picture editor: Julian Wait (7961) Production manager: Tara Dixon (7963) Contributors: Gavin Newsham, Hannah Engelkamp

A pointless gesture

COMMERCIAL

It’s time to do away with pre-match handshakes, which do more harm than good

Editor-in-chief Simon Caney @simoncaney

shake hands and wish each other well for the next 90 minutes. And after the game they would meet in the players’ bar and discuss what had gone on in the game.

From that, friendships were formed.

That’s what respect is all about.

Also, forget the notion that children’s teams need to see players shaking hands in order to learn how to respect the opposition. This is clearly a nonsense.

Parents and coaches instil that, not watching some phoney parade on TV. Not only does the compulsory handshake do no good, it can now – as evidenced last Saturday – do harm. Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra don’t like each other, so would a pre-match handshake change that? No. The rule that created that situation inflamed an already tense rivalry. Of course, they can’t ditch the handshake now. There’d be uproar.

But they should. They really should.

Elsewhere, there was fury of a different kind last weekend as the normally placid Lee Westwood stormed out of Dubai like a bear with a sore head after losing a tournament. He later tweeted: “Well tossed that one away nicely! Carnage on the greens!

Managed not to break or smash anything post-round! 16-hour sulk over!” This is enormously encouraging.

Westwood is sometimes accused of being too laid-back, but maybe we’re now seeing a more competitive animal.

If so, he could be very dangerous.

This magazine’s early deadline means that on rare occasions we’re overtaken by events and, by the time you read it, things may seem out of date. So it was with this column last week, for which I apologise.

Thanks, though, to those readers who got in touch with commiserations – it’s appreciated!

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Hearty thanks this week to: Caroline Grenger, Geraldine Davies and Chang Beer for this week’s supplies Total Average Net Distribution: 306,217 Jan-Jun 2011

Reader comments of the week The fundamental reason rugby, cricket and rugby league are better sports than football is simple: respect. Football talks about respect, but you wouldn’t get a bigger joke on a comedy roadshow!

Although your page was out of date the sentiment remains: there needs to be greater communication between the FA and the England manager.

Anthony, via email

John, via email

16 | February 17 2012 |

Feel sorry for @simoncaney with editorial in @sportmaguk.

Got to be hard when you’ve got to write it 2 days before press, then Capello goes.

Today’s editor’s letter is genius. You so knew it was coming. #unlucky

@charliesayz Twitter

@AlfieDM Twitter

I don’t think @simoncaney could be any more off the mark with his predictions regarding Capello in today’s @sportmaguk.

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and tidy for everyone by taking your copy of Sport away with you when you leave the bus or train.

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F

or the second time this season, a handshake – or lack of it – has overshadowed a football match.

This can’t be right, surely?

When we spend so much time discussing whether or not a handshake will take place, then descending into righteous apoplexy when it doesn’t, it’s time to ask what the point of the thing is.

And as far as I can see, it’s nothing more than a pointless gesture, dreamed up by some committee to ‘promote fair play’. The truth is, it does no such thing.

If you shake someone’s hand just because you are forced to, it doesn’t mean you like them or even respect them. The whole charade has no bearing on whether or not the game will be played in a sportsmanlike manner.

Once upon a time, if players on opposing sides wanted to, they would seek each other out before kick-off,

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Radar Frozen in time

18 | February 17 2012 |

Heaven sent

Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty Images

Having lost 18 players in a tragic air crash in 1993, the sight of Zambia’s team celebrating the most unlikely Africa Cup of Nations win on Sunday should bring a warm glow to anyone with a beating heart. Aside from anyone from the Ivory Coast – particularly Didier Drogba, who missed from the spot in normal time before the defeat on penalties. But even he couldn’t have begrudged the rank outsiders their win – particularly as it came in Gabon, the nation where the plane went down and those 18 players perished. Proof, if it were needed, that if there really is a god, then he has a very queer sense of humour.

| 19

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The Impossible Job

The Ten Commandments Of Managing England As the Football Association embarks on yet another recruitment drive for a new England manager, Sport asks author and football writer Gavin Newsham to look at the all-important criteria the successful candidate will need to fulfil if he’s to survive and prosper in The Impossible Job…

I

Lutz Bongarts/Bongarts/Getty Images

Thou Shalt Be English In August 2010, in the wake of England’s dire performance at the World Cup in South Africa, Club England’s managing director Adrian Bevington insisted that, in the future, “the English team should be managed by an English manager”.

At last week’s press conference, though, the FA backtracked. Presented with a shortlist that included Harry Redknapp and, after him, only Roy Hodgson, Stuart Pearce or Les Reed, FA chairman David Bernstein instead maintained that having an Englishmen at the helm was now only “the preference”. But while Guus Hiddink, Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho have all been mooted as possible replacements, it would take a brave man in a suit to bring in yet another foreign coach to take the reins.

And why should they? After all, the Spanish don’t have a foreign manager. Nor the Italians, the Germans or the French. And they all seem to do okay, don’t they? And by ‘okay’, we mean significantly better than England. >

| February 17 2012 | 23

The Impossible Job

II

Thou Shalt Aim Medium-High (A Semi Final Will Suffice) We talk the talk in England (well, maybe Fabio didn’t), but singularly fail to walk the walk. Every time a major tournament comes around, we struggle through the group phase before crashing out in the quarter finals on penalties. We kid ourselves that this time, more than any other time, really will be England’s. But it never is.

In fact, in the 15 major tournaments that England have participated in since the World Cup was won in 1966, we have just three semi-final places to show for our lack of effort (and one of those was in a four-team European Championship in 1968). In the same time, perennial rivals Germany have played in 21 tournaments, recording five wins, six runners-up spots and four third places.

That’s real success – not a narrow defeat in a semi final we still make documentaries about more than 20 years later.

However, history has taught us that while England will never again be a tournamentwinning team, the nation will happily accept less. If you reach a semi final, as Sir Bobby Robson and Terry Venables did (even though El Tel’s England didn’t have to qualify for Euro 96 and only really won two of their five matches at the tournament), you’re still assured of a place in the pantheon of great English managers. Which, as pantheons go, is one of the smaller pantheons in the pantheon of pantheons.

24 | February 17 2012 |

Suits you: Sir Bobby Robson faces the paparazzi in 1990 (above); ’Arry lifts the FA Cup (right)

III

Thou Shalt Have Won Something.

But It Doesn’t Have To Be That Much, Really As the clamour for Harry Redknapp reaches the point at which windows are shattering and ears bleeding, it’s worth remembering that in nearly 30 years of club management, the Spurs boss has (excluding a couple of promotions and an Intertoto Cup) won just a single FA Cup. Lovely bloke and extremely prompt payer of taxes and all that, but one major trophy? In three decades? That’s what Brian Little’s won. And Rio’s not jumping on Twitter begging him to take over, is he? Still, it is more than Kevin Keegan, Glenn Hoddle and Graham Taylor ever won as managers (assuming you don’t count the Lincolnshire Senior Cup as a major trophy) and about the same as Steve McClaren. But does it really matter?

Well, if you believe the FA, who routinely talk of ‘high-calibre candidates’ and ‘proven track records’, then clearly it does. But even Capello, who arrived in England with a truly stellar CV (not to mention a limited vocabulary and a huge vat of hair dye) couldn’t do it. Yes, his unimpeachable success at club level doubtless increased his bargaining power when it came to those initial salary negotiations with the FA, but where did it get him, apart from £24m better off over the course of his contract?

IV

Money managers: Redknapp looks awkward with the Wii (above), while Eriksson hawked anything thrown his way

V

Thou Shalt Appease The Media Often described as a ‘poisoned chalice’ by the press (that’s the same press whose job it is to actually poison the chalice in the first place), the England manager’s job remains one of the toughest in the game.

But for ‘poisoned chalice’, read ‘managerial suicide note’. For ‘hot seat’, read ‘electric chair’. Yes, in a job where you’re only ever a goalless draw against Albania away from becoming a national laughing stock, it’s essential that the new England manager engages with the media and establishes that all-important rapport.

That’s why Steve McClaren got his teeth fixed and employed the PR guru Max Clifford. Harry Redknapp, of course, is well liked by the media, primarily because his car window is permanently wound down for an interview. But being on first-name terms with the press gang can backfire.

Graham Taylor (whose father was a sports reporter) bent over backwards to accommodate the media, even letting a fly-on-the-wall documentary team follow him and his squad around in 1993. But what good did it do him? The papers turned on him after only his second defeat in his first 24 games. The rest, as they say, is root vegetable caricatures. >

| 25

Action Images/Sporting Pictures, Carl de Souza/AFP/Getty Images, Advertising Archives, Shaun Botterill/Allsport

Thou Shalt Not Engage In Extra-Curricular Activities, Financial Or Otherwise It’s imperative that the new England coach steers clear of the many temptations that come hand in hand with the position.

Fabio, for example, came unstuck when he tried to launch his ill-fated Capello Index; while the bookies’ favourite, Harry Redknapp, has already got form here – exhibiting a rare talent at appearing uncomfortable in front of the camera in commercials for Nintendo and The Sun. But this is small beer compared to the pocket money projects of Sven-Goran Eriksson. Despite being the highest-paid coach in world football, the Swede was forever cashing in during his time in charge.

There was a TV advert with Jamie Oliver for Sainsbury’s; there was his CD compilation of classical music; there was a football manager game with PlayStation; and, in the weirdest fit of all, there was a TV commercial for Cirio Del Monte pasta sauce.

When Alf Ramsey was manager of England, all he got was £3,000 a year.

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The Impossible Job

VI

VII

Thou Shalt Not Have Opinions Of One’s Own, Especially If They’re A Little, Well, Unpalatable The Football Association doesn’t like managers who say what they like and like what they say.

That’s why Brian Clough never got the top job, why Steve McClaren did and why Capello saw fit to walk away rather than kowtow to the Wembley suits. They’re even nervier, though, when their coach goes off-piste and starts talking about issues other than football. When Glenn Hoddle’s comments about the disabled hit the headlines in late January 1999, for instance, the FA found themselves in uncharted waters, not least because even Richard and Judy were debating Hoddle’s future (or lack of it) with then Prime Minister Tony Blair on This Morning. Without the support of TV’s golden couple, Hoddle got the boot soon after, proving that compliance – and not football – is the name of the game.

Instant karma (clockwise from top): ‘Arry walks free; Sven is embarrassed by the Fake Sheikh and Hoddle explains away

VIII

Thou Shalt Not Covet Another Job England managers are paid an extremely handsome salary for what is – let’s face facts – a part-time job. Before Capello’s bumper £6m a year contract, the previous top earner in the England job was Sven-Goran Eriksson, who was paid a reported £4m a year. Eriksson’s problem, aside from his rampant libido, however, was that he was forever looking over the FA’s shoulder for a more interesting or profitable job to enter the room.

Not only did he hold clandestine meetings with Roman Abramovich to discuss the Chelsea job, but he was also bang to rights when he agreed to take the Aston Villa job when it was ‘offered’ to him by the News of the World’s ‘Fake Sheikh’. Call it ambition. Call it greed. But whatever it was, it wasn’t on and it will not be tolerated. >

| February 17 2012 | 27

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images, Phil Cole/Allsport, John Frost Newspapers

Thou Shalt Be Whiter Than White.

(But Off-White Will Also Do) When Redknapp was cleared of tax evasion, the sigh of relief from Wembley actually registered on the Beaufort Scale.

You see, nothing spooks the suits more than a manager with one or two little legal difficulties. That’s what eventually did for Terry Venables, who found his day job interrupted endlessly by his appearances in the High Court.

That’s not to say people with previous don’t get the job, of course. Look at Glenn Hoddle. His criminal record – the sickening Diamond Lights – was an offence so heinous he should have never got a sniff in the first place.

The Impossible Job

X

Do we not like that: JT and Schteve get matey; Taylor walks

Harry Redknapp Pros Englishman who speaks a variation on English. Man of the people and man of the players who would provide an instant lift – and probably cheaper than Capello.

Guus Hiddink Pros Tactical tsar, works miracles with footballing minnows, speaks better English than Redknapp (and better Dutch than McClaren).

Jose Mourinho Pros Master tactician, stellar CV, speaks English, likes England and still dashing – first choice of any rightthinking Englishman and his wife.

Roy Hodgson Pros The avuncular old man of English football, once managed Inter Milan and, apparently, Liverpool.

Principled, but less problematically than Capello.

Rafa Benitez Pros Once won a Champions League, speaks English, big fan of dossiers.

Cons Can only pick and not sign Englishmen for England; would bring back David Beckham and lump it long to Peter Crouch. Has unfinished business with Spurs.

Cons Failed to guide Turkey through to Euro 2012; would want to reinstall JT as captain.

Cons Cloughie incarnate, so instantly at odds with the FA. Happy to win ugly and incite a riot. He wouldn’t touch it with a long stick.

Cons Lacking for Liverpool, the England job would chew him up and spit him out.

Cons Still doesn’t know how he won that Champions League; jury out on his sanity.

Paddy Power Odds 1/3

Odds 10/1

Odds 14/1

Odds 14/1

Odds 25/1

Gavin Newsham is the author of Hype & Glory: The Decline and Fall of the England Football Team, from Revie to McClaren.

He is currently awaiting a call from his publisher asking him to update it 28 | February 17 2012 |

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images, Shaun Botterill/Allsport, Richard Heathcote/Getty Images, Mustafa Ozer/AFP/Getty Images, Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images, Michael Regan/Getty Images, Joern Pollex/Bongarts/Getty Images

IX

Thou Shalt Be Friendly, But Not Too Friendly, With The Players A word of warning for old ‘Arry ‘ere. The most cringeworthy thing Steve McClaren ever did, before that interview on Dutch television, was his habitually matey references to his England charges. So while Fabio Capello was militarily strict in his use of surnames, with McClaren it was all ‘JT’ this and ‘Stevie G’ that. It was like some 40-something mum dressing in her teenage daughter‘s clothes in a desperate bid to prove she’s still got it. And just as successful.

Thou Shalt Go Quietly That Capello left before the end of his contract was not, in itself, that surprising. That he actually resigned, however, certainly was. Typically, England coaches don’t really resign, choosing to leave via that woolly escape hatch called ‘mutual agreement’, as in the case of Eriksson. Or, like his successor Steve McClaren, just hanging on in there and waiting for the chop – thereby securing a nice pay-off for their troubles. What is noticeable is that no England coach ever really exposes the inner truths of what happened after they leave office. It’s fine, apparently, to betray the confidence of your players in a book when you’re actually in the job, as Glenn Hoddle did during the World Cup of 1998 – but once you go, and you will, then you’re gone.

Boxing

What’s Klitschko’s main strength as a fighter?

“His main strength is the fact that he's awkward and he leans back. A lot of boxers think that he’s in punching range, but when they throw their punch he’s leaned back a whole foot further away.

Then he leans back in and punches you.

So that’s a problem I found; one that I started to solve halfway through the fight.”

You’ve fought some hard punchers: Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Razor Ruddock.

How did Vitali’s shots compare?

“I wouldn’t say he's a harder hitter – he’s more of a thumper. He’s an arm puncher.

I was more of a puncher, and here’s how you can tell the difference: I knocked people out, he more batters them into retirement [in a fight]. In a lot of his fights, the referee has to step in and say: ‘That’s it, we don’t want this guy to take any more punishment.’ But that’s what he does – he punishes people. A big puncher can take someone out.”

You hit him with some huge, flush punches – were you impressed with how he took them?

“Yeah, there were two or three big uppercuts in there. But I’d hit him with an uppercut and he’d slump on me. This man weighs 250lb, he’s 6ft 8ins. You hit him with an uppercut and he slumps his weight on you – halfway through a fight and you’re tired already, but now you have to boost up enough energy to push him off before you punch him again. But Vitali can take a hell of a shot – I take nothing away from him there.”

Dereck Chisora is far smaller than Vitali.

What kind of tactics do you need to employ against a taller fighter?

“Step on his toes – then he can’t move away [laughs]. If you’re shorter, you have to use the attributes of speed and movement.

Vitali is getting slow on his legs. I see him moving around less now and being more dependent on his reach and his upper-body movement, which is still good. But his feet are not really moving around as much as they used to.” >

With Britain’s Dereck Chisora facing Vitali Klitschko this weekend, we ask Lennox Lewis – the last man to beat Vitali – what it’s like being in the ring with the 6ft 8ins Ukrainian It's over eight years ago that you fought Vitali Klitschko. What are your main memories of that night?

“That he throws a lot of punches, that he’s very awkward and that I wished I’d taken more time to train. I only really had 10 days [Klitschko stepped in as a late replacement when Lewis’ original opponent pulled out] – and he’s lucky that I had 10 days, because he had years to prepare for me. You see, when you’re the top man, everyone is out there hungry and watching you, really trying to figure out how to beat you. Looking back, I shouldn’t have taken the fight. But – at my worst – I beat Klitschko. His skin wasn’t able to hold up to the punches I threw.” [The bout was stopped and Lewis awarded a technical knockout after opening up a series of cuts on Klitschko’s face.]

30 | February 17 2012 |

Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images, Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Laureus

Learn it the hard way

Boxing

32 | February 17 2012 |

Mission impossible

Heavyweight boxing had a golden period with you, Tyson, Holyfield and Riddick Bowe all around the same age. Will we ever see the likes of that again?

“Each era brings a different quality of fighters and right now we’re in a rebuilding era, you could say. This is the era of the Klitschkos. But there’s always going to be challengers out there. When I was champion, I’d get guys calling out my name saying: ‘I’m gonna knock you out, but you don’t want to fight me.’ So I’d fight that guy, come back, sit down on my throne and straight away I’d get three more guys calling me out. There’s always people talking about you. They may not have the talent to do it, but they’re talking up a storm.”

But you don’t see anyone out there – British or otherwise – who can beat the brothers?

“I don’t think there’s anyone around able to beat the Klitschkos. But the interesting thing here is old father time. They’re getting old and there’s always hungry boxers out there, so you never know. People ask why I retired – it was time for me to retire. I beat everyone of my era, and I was slacking off a bit. That’s what I love about boxing. It keeps you honest.

If you’re in shape, it will tell. If you’re getting old, it’ll show. There’s no fooling boxing.”

Alex Reid @otheralexreid

Vitali Klitschko’s stoppage ratio – the highest of any heavyweight champion

89%

Dereck ‘Del Boy’ Chisora has been involved in his fair share of shocks.

He’s planted a kiss on the lips of a rival heavyweight, bitten an opponent’s ear and done his best to ruffle Vitali Klitschko’s feathers – calling himself “the black plague” and telling a startled Vitali that he “swings both ways, player”.

However, the biggest shock of all will be if Chisora can find a way to beat the granite-chinned Ukrainian this weekend. The good news for Chisora is that Vitali is 40 years old and, despite being in phenomenal shape for his age, is injury-prone and slowing down.

The bad news is, well, everything else. At 6ft 1in, Chisora is the smaller man by seven inches. Vitali also towers above him in talent and experience, plus Chisora has two defeats in his past three fights (a 15-2 win/ loss record). Admittedly one of those defeats – his split-points loss to European champion Robert Helenius – was an outright robbery, and it’s on the strength of that performance that the 28-year-old has garnered a shot at Klitschko’s WBC heavyweight belt. The fact remains, however, that less than a year ago Chisora lost his British title to Tyson Fury, who is a long way short of being a Klitschko brother.

Come Saturday, Del Boy will likely learn the hard way that the same can be said of him.

Jeff Gross/Getty Images, Scott Heavey/Getty Images

You have experience in what Chisora faces in Munich this weekend – fighting in front of another guy’s crowd. How did you prepare yourself for a biased audience, maybe even a biased referee and judges...?

“Judges? That part is easy, man. Bring your own judges – [holds up his hands] lightning and thunder! As for the crowd, my mentality was to take the energy from people cheering against me and use that for me. ‘So you're cheering for him? Well, I’m going to hurt this guy’ – and then the’'re not making any noise because they’re worried for their fighter. After that, you can even start Saturday to win some of the Vitali Klitschko v crowd over.”

Dereck Chisora | Munich, Germany | We saw David Haye BoxNation in the ring with Vitali’s younger brother, Wladimir Klitschko, last year – and we might see him in the ring with Vitali in 2012. Does Haye have any better chance of winning against Vitali?

“No, I think Vitali is the best heavyweight out there right now. He’s way better than his brother. I think it’s beyond David Haye to beat either of them right now. He needs to box a couple of other people to build up his standing, because you can never come out of retirement and then go straight into a Klitschko fight. You need to build up a following again so people will say: ‘Oh, I think he’s got better – I think he might beat a Klitschko this time.’”

34 | February 17 2012 |

Asafa Powell

Changing man Asafa Powell’s first indoor season since 2004 brings him to Birmingham for the Aviva Grand Prix tomorrow, where he will be looking to prove he’s not out of the race for Olympic gold just yet...

H

Are you ready for a chilly Midlands blast then, Asafa?

[Smiles] “It's not so bad running indoors – it’s just when you're outside it’s so cold. But I’ll go there and do what I have to do. It's going to be cold and I'm not going to like it, but I’m there for business and I have to handle my business.”

Because Olympic year means business. But a few years ago, you admitted to not being “100 per cent a hard trainer”. Has that changed?

“I've tried my best to see how I can change. I've been attending practice, like, a lot... a lot. I haven't missed a training session since I started this season and I've been doing everything I'm supposed to do, so I think everything has changed – my attitude towards training and my attitude towards track and field. I'm getting older now and I haven't achieved what I set out there to do. So I have to be a man, to think mature. I'm an underachiever right now and I definitely want to achieve greater things in life.”

So, no more nights out?

“Definitely no more... well once in a while I'll go out, but no drinking and all that kind of stuff. I'm trying to make the sacrifice to see what can I do. I'm pushing myself to the limit, pretty much.”

When did you make the decision to change things?

“After what happened at the Worlds last year. I was in the best shape of all the guys – I had the best times. So it was painful for me to see what happened.

I didn't expect Usain to false start. I was expecting a close finish between Usain and Yohan. But he knew that he wasn't in the best shape of his life and he wanted to get out first. I think the pressure of knowing that it’s possible Yohan could beat him is what got the best of him.”

What's Stephen Francis, your coach, like with you? Does he bust your balls? “[Laughs] I've been with him since I was 18, so yes – he's always on my back because I've been there for such a long time and he wants me to do well. In his eyes I haven't achieved what he thought I could achieve, so he's been working hard and putting more pressure on me this year.”

In his eyes and in yours?

“Yes, in my eyes I know I can do a lot better, I can run a lot faster. But it's good when a coach has that kind of confidence in you. He came to me 11 years ago and told me that I can break the world record – and I didn't believe it at first, until I did it. So if he comes to me and tells me I can do something, then I really believe him.”

Steven Jackson

e has broken the 100m world record twice and run the most sub-10 second 100m races of any man in history. But Asafa Powell's sprinting career is, thus far, a failure. “I'm an underachiever right now,” he confesses when Sport meets him after his first race of the indoor season – a brief 50m foray in New York's Madison Square Garden.

With no major individual gold medal in his collection (the absence of the USA's sprinting prowess renders Powell's Commonwealth Games gold in 2006 relatively minor), the 29-year-old Jamaican is widely considered a flop on the world's biggest athletics stages. A flop who's now firmly in the shadows of the current world's fastest man, Usain Bolt.

But even before the bombastic arrival of Bolt, Powell was falling short of glory, having come in fifth at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and third at the 2007 World Championships. Then came Beijing. More specifically, then came a 6ft 5ins, 9.69s whirlwind blown straight in from an athletics club in the same Jamaican town where Powell had prepared for his second Olympics. His fifth place finish left him wondering whether maybe he just “isn't the guy for those big championships”.

But last year's World Championships brought a golden opportunity, with Bolt not at his best and Powell having recorded his fastest 100m time in three years (9.78s) two months earlier. Two days before the championships were due to start though, Powell announced his withdrawal with a groin injury, forcing him to watch from his hotel room as Bolt's untimely false start handed another fellow countryman, Yohan Blake, the title of world champion.

What now, then? What happens now Powell finds himself cast out from the elite sprinting triumvirate (Bolt, Gay and Blake) expected to be on the podium come August? Change – that's what. Powell's run in Birmingham is the second race of his first indoor season in eight years, but the addition of some wintry competition to his schedule is not the only thing Powell's changed since Bolt blew it last August...

| 35

Kevin Pietersen

‘I know I can beat Bolt. In the past it wasn’t my time – it wasn’t meant to be. I have to be patient’ Do you believe that?

“Yes, I know that – I do. Not only because of what happened in Rome (where, last May, Powell led Bolt until the final few metres before being pipped to the line by 0.02 seconds). I've been injured a lot. Sometimes its sad, but I just have to work.

In the past it just wasn't my time – it wasn't meant to be. I have to be patient.”

Many have blamed your failure to win a major individual gold medal on mental fragility. Do you agree?

“In my own head I know that it's a physical problem. Injuries have taken me out of most of the major championships over the years, so I just have to work on trying to stay healthy. If I stay healthy and I go out there and make my best performance and still don't get it, then I'll be happy. Once I get a personal best, I'll still be happy because I can't control what someone else does.”

2002 Tim Montgomery* (broke Maurice Greene's 9.79s)

2005 Asafa Powell

2007 Asafa Powell

*Declared void in 2005 after Montgomery found guilty of doping

36 | February 17 2012 |

2008 Usain Bolt

You've been sprinting at the top level for longer than most of your opponents now – has that taken its toll on your body?

“Not really. The difference with me is that I started running kind of late, so that has had a positive effect on my body. When I was a kid, I wasn't into any athletics training – I was playing football until my last year in high school, when I decided to try track and field. So I was already 18 by then. On the pitch, I was a forward and I was pretty good, but you know – it was Jamaica. It's hard to make it to the top playing football in Jamaica. It's a bit too dangerous for me to play now, but I watch the Premier League and Chelsea especially. I've been to the Bridge twice to watch Didier Drogba. Will he leave? I don't know. Everyone has their time when they need to make a change, but Chelsea need him – they really do.”

You were a typical young lad then, into football and...?

“I was really a car person . Every day when I got back from school, I would pull something from the car in the yard and my father would tell me to do this or that with it. That's what I spent most of my free time doing, and I still do. I thought I'd be a racing driver or a mechanic with my own shop – thats what I was thinking about growing up. I wasn't thinking about anything to do with athletics.”

2009 Usain Bolt

How many cars do you have at home?

[Sheepishly] “A few... seven or eight. What do I most enjoy driving?

That would be the car I drive every day – a Mitsubishi Evolution 10.

That's the easiest car to drive because all the other cars are just way too fast. You cant really drive that fast in Jamaica... I kinda break the rules sometimes though.”

SARAH SHEPHARD @sarahsportmag Asafa Powell will be competing at the Aviva Grand Prix on February 18 in Birmingham, broadcast live on BBC1 from 1.30pm. Event information at uka.org.uk/aviva-series

Ian Walton/Getty Images

Does he tell you you can beat Bolt?

“All the time.”

“Grand Slam Tennis 2 serves up a real treat” - Loaded

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ON COURT TODAY

Champions League

Blues battle Napoli v Chelsea

Tuesday, sky sporTs 2, 7.45pM The story of Napoli’s rebirth is one of the most intriguing in European football – after their Maradona-inspired era of success in the late 80s, when they won two Serie A titles and a UEFA Cup, the club went through a period of slow decline, culminating in bankruptcy and relegation to Serie C1 in 2004 (see p14). Back at Europe’s top table for the first time in 21 years, the Neapolitans have displayed a very un-Italian tendency to favour direct, attacking football, spurred on by some of the brightest forward talents on the continent.

Contrast that with Chelsea’s ageing spine, and Andre Villas-Boas has much to be concerned about.

The Italians are generally content to sit back and hit hard and fast on the break – of all the teams left in the competition only Apoel Nicosia have had less time on the ball. When the likes of Marek Hamsik, Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi do break though, they are clinical – Napoli’s 10 group stage goals came from just 47 shots. Compare that with Chelsea, who needed 95 attempts to score 13.

The Londoners may have topped their group, but they failed to record an away win – a draw against Belgian minnows Genk a real low-point. Walter Mazzari’s side had a tougher task, but came through impressively and extended their unbeaten European home record to 11 games. Combine that with Chelsea’s record of one win in seven visits to Italy, and the omens aren’t good.

PlayErs To waTch Edinson Cavani The Uruguayan is strong, quick and clever. He has scored 18 goals in 25 games for Napoli this season and will cause Chelsea’s centre backs all kinds of trouble.

Gary Cahill Chelsea’s new signing had a difficult second

half against Man Utd, and Napoli’s attacking trio could be an even tougher test for him.

38 | February 17 2012 |

CSKA Moscow v Real Madrid

Marseille v Inter Milan

FC Basel v Bayern Munich

Things are going pretty well for Real Madrid. Although they can’t beat Barcelona, they’re still 10 points clear at the top of La Liga, and they were the only team to win all six of their group games, scoring 18 goals and conceding just two. Jose Mourinho will look to extend that winning record against CSKA, who have actually never lost to Spanish opposition in five outings, home and away.

CSKA finished second in the first phase of the Russian Premier League’s 18-month transition season, but they are now deep in winter hibernation and haven’t played a competitive game since the end of November.

They were unable to press home the advantage of their plastic pitch during the group stages, winning just one of their home games and making it through ahead of Trabzonspor and Lille thanks to a shock win over Inter Milan in their final group game at the San Siro. Madrid, on the other hand, are yet to concede an away goal in the competition and have won on their previous two visits to Russia. We suspect this game will be a minor distraction for the Special One as he plots Barcelona’s downfall.

The Champions League is providing a nice distraction from Inter’s terrible domestic season – after a torrid start, they recovered somewhat in December after the appointment of former Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri. However, they have now lost three of their past five games and, sitting fifth in Serie A, are in danger of missing out on next season’s Champions League entirely.

Marseille, managed by former Chelsea midfielder Didier Deschamps, negotiated a tough group – they beat Borussia Dortmund at home and away and secured a goalless draw at the Emirates. They will look to keep the opposition out by controlling possession, having conceded just four goals in the group stage and managed 56 per cent possession on average – the second highest percentage of any team left in the competition. However, Marseille did manage just 20 efforts on target in their six games, compared with Inter’s 38. Deschamps was part of the Marseille side the last time they progressed beyond this stage, en route to winning the trophy in 1993. He will hope to deny Inter a third consecutive quarter final appearance.

The Swiss team are rightfully on a high after their shock win against Man Utd to secure second spot in their group, but they face a difficult task if they’re to progress to the quarter finals. German giants Bayern Munich are always a dangerous proposition, and with both Manchester clubs out, they have to be considered among the favourites to win the whole thing– especially taking into account the rich vein of Champions League experience running through their squad.

Basel are certainly no walkovers though – they scored an impressive 11 goals in their six group games, and lost just once. That said, Bayern’s defence is unlikely to be as generous as Otelul Galati and the rather leaky red side of Manchester. Bayern also scored freely during the group stages, with a particularly potent Mario Gomez scoring six goals.

Basel’s danger going forward is often offset by fragility at the back – with 10 goals conceded in the group stage, they have the worst defensive record of any team left in the competition.

Players to watch Seydou Doumbia The Russian top flight’s top scorer has been key for CSKA in Europe, too – scoring five of their nine goals. He will be vital if CSKA are to progress.

Players to watch Mathieu Valbuena Marseille need to make more clear-cut chances, to which end diminutive playmaker Valbuena will be key.

Cristiano Ronaldo Who else? The Luzhniki Stadium is a happy hunting ground for Ronaldo as the scene of his only Champions League win to date, despite that missed penalty in the shootout win over Chelsea.

Giampaolo Pazzini Inter’s eight group stage goals have

Wednesday, 7.45PM, ITV1

come from a variety of sources – Pazzini leads their European scorers list with two, and has a habit of popping up with important goals.

Wednesday, 7.45PM, sky sPorTs 2

Players to watch Mario Gomez The striker sticks out like a comicallyoversized thumb alongside Bayern’s tricky wingers, but has a definite eye for goal, with 27 in 30 in all competitions so far this season.

Xherdan Shaqiri The ‘Swiss Messi’ is actually leaving Basel to join Bayern in the summer, so will get the opportunity to show his new employers they’ve made the right decision.

| 39

Paolo Bruno/Getty Images, Denis Doyle/Getty Images, Denis Charlet/AFP/Getty Images, Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

Tuesday, 5PM, sky sPorTs 2

161 Days to go

Focus 2012

Modern Pentathlon THE VENUE The modern pentathlon begins in the Copper Box (or Handball Arena) in the Olympic Park, where the first discipline – fencing – is contested. From there it’s a short distance to the Aquatics Centre, where athletes compete in the 200m freestyle. A 12-jump course makes up the riding competition in Greenwich Park, where the final event – the combined run/shoot – requires athletes to be both fleet of foot and sharp of shot.

THE EVENT A sport that’s full of contradictions, the modern pentathlon actually consists of four elements (not five) and only featured a women’s event at the Olympics for the first time in 2000 (so not all that modern, then).

But if you can get past these incongruous matters, there’s a gem of a sport to be discovered. Its origins lie in the legend of a Napoleonic cavalry officer whose horse is brought down in enemy territory. Having defended himself with his pistol and his sword, he swims across a raging river and delivers his message on foot. And so the fencing, swimming, riding, running and shooting competition was born.

The sport has undergone various changes since its first appearance at the 1912 Olympics. Originally taking place over five days, it changed to a one-day format for the 1996 Games and in 2008 the International

40 | February 17 2012 |

Modern Pentathlon Union decided to combine the running and shooting into a single run/ shoot/run/shoot discipline – a test of athletes’ speed and accuracy.

The most recent change, though, has been to the weaponry used in the shooting. Gone are the traditional air pistols and, in their place, come the more crowd-friendly – and cheaper – laser guns. “We can now hold competitions in parks and shopping malls,” said Klaus Schormann, president of the pentathlon’s world governing body. So don’t panic if you spot a laser gun-wielding athlete sprinting through Westfield.

TEAM GB’S PROGRESS “We had some terrific results in 2011,” said Jan Bartu, GB pentathlon performance director.

“Nick Woodbridge won bronze at the World Cup Final and Jamie Cooke won the World Junior Championships, while our girls won three World Cup medals. The hard work starts now though, with the first World Cups in the USA and Brazil in March and the build-up to the World Championships in Rome in May, which is the next opportunity to achieve the London 2012 qualifying standard.”

MODERN PENTATHLON AT LONDON 2012 DATES August 11-12 SEATING 7,000 (Copper Box), 17,500 (Aquatics Centre), 23,000 (Greenwich Park) HOW TO GET THERE National Rail, DLR, Tube

GB hopeful

Freyja Prentice Age in 2012 22 MedAl ReCoRd World Junior Championships silver, 2010; bronze 2011; European Junior Championships bronze 2011 The competition to fill one of GB’s two places in the women’s modern pentathlon at London 2012 is fierce, but Freyja Prentice is in pole position...

Despite being up against Beijing silver medallist Heather Fell and the world number four Mhairi Spence, Prentice (currently ranked 13th in the world) is the only GB female to have already achieved the qualifying standard for the modern pentathlon this summer. She did so by virtue of being the only British female to finish in the top eight of July’s European Championships.

The former world junior number one is combining training with studying for a biology degree at the University of Bath, where her contemporaries have nicknamed her ‘Fridge’ thanks to her coolness under pressure and ability to pack in the calories. As that July result would suggest, Prentice has made the step up from the junior ranks look easy. Last April, she won the first World Cup medal of her career, taking bronze in Italy.

She’s not guaranteed a spot at the Games yet though – there’s still time for others to achieve the qualifying standard and leave the GB selectors with a very welcome headache.

KEY EVENTS BEFORE LONDON 2012 Modern Pentathlon World Cup Series, March 8-11, Charlotte, USA Modern Pentathlon World Cup Series, March 15-18, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Modern Pentathlon World Championships, May 5-13, Rome, Italy

Ian Walton/Getty Images, Harry Engels/Getty Images

First rule of modern pentathlon: never mess with a modern pentathlete – they’re packing heat

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

FEB HIGHLIGHTS 17–FEB 23 » FA Cup: Sunderland v Arsenal » p44 » FA Cup: Rest of the Fifth Round » p45 » Rugby Union: Bath v Gloucester » p46 » Athletics: Aviva Grand Prix » p46 » Best of the Rest » p48

Twelve months ago, in case there was any doubt before, Luke Donald announced himself as a world-class golfer and world number one.

He did so, in simple terms, by winning the WGC-Accenture World Match Play – but this was no ordinary victory. He needed fewer holes (89) than anyone in the event’s history to seal the win. He was never behind to any opponent at any stage of the week – twice he won 6&5, once 5&4, and in the final, against in-form Martin Kaymer, he cruised 3&2.

This week, Donald returns to Arizona having been the world’s top-ranked player for 12 months now, and seemingly much improved even from the one who dominated last year.

But matchplay is a fickle mistress, and being the top-ranked player will not count for much in the cut and thrust of battle. Anything can happen in an 18-hole match – and, while big-hitting Bubba Watson made the semi finals in 2011, there’s no huge advantage to smacking the ball miles. Instead, it’s about converting chances on the greens – in the 89 holes he played last year, Donald rolled in an incredible 32 birdies. It may, then, be worth noting that Aussie John Senden is currently averaging 5.25 birdies per round this season...

Strangely, considering the lack of an English major winner for 16 years, this event has now been won twice in succession by Englishmen – Ian Poulter landed the trophy in 2010. Paul Casey was also runner-up the year before, which has led many to surmise that Europe’s recent Ryder Cup successes have prepared their players for this event better than the Americans.

This is not the case: when Europe were really dominant in the Ryder Cup, between 2002 and 2006, no Europeans won the WGC Match Play. Instead, it’s horses for courses.

Dove Mountain is long at 7,833 yards, but offers plenty of birdie opportunities.

Donald is the obvious choice, with his superb matchplay record. But Sport may also have a punt on in-form Brandt Snedeker – he bangs in birdies for fun and has great hair.

42 | February 17 2012 |

Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images

WEDNESDAY > GOLF | WGC-ACCENTURE WORLD MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP | RITZ-CARLTON GC, DOVE MOUNTAIN, ARIZONA | SKY SPORTS 1 5PM

Saturday Football | Fa Cup FiFth Round: SundeRland v aRSenal | Stadium oF light | itV 1 5.15pm

th f i f p FA Cuound r ial! spec

A week is a long time in football With Thierry Henry having now made his second emotional, nay painful, departure from Arsenal, the Gunners travel to Sunderland’s Stadium of Light without the player who secured such an important league victory at the same ground just seven days before.

That 2-1 win inflicted a first home defeat on the Mackems since Martin O’Neill took charge, but the Northern Irishman will have seen more than enough to convince him they stand a decent chance of reversing the result in tomorrow’s FA Cup tie.

“We didn’t deserve to lose that game,” remarked O’Neill after last weekend’s reverse, for much of which there was little to choose between the sides. Henry’s 92nd-minute winner was put down to tired legs by O’Neill, who was keen to underline the toll their exertions in an FA Cup replay against Middlesbrough had taken a few days 44 | February 17 2012 |

earlier. This time, though, it will be Arsenal needing to recover quickly from a midweek Champions League tie in Milan.

The most recent FA Cup meeting between these sides came only three months into Arsene Wenger’s reign, in January 1997 – when a third-round replay at Roker Park was lit up by a moment of magic from Dennis Bergkamp. The Dutchman scored the first in his side’s 2-0 win: a double dragback followed by a glide into the box and delightful curled finish beyond Lionel Perez (remember him?).

There’s no longer a Bergkamp to provide such memorable moments for Arsenal, of course, and now no Henry either. Whatever the Gunners have in reserve after their week of travelling, Years since Sunderland reached the FA Cup final, when as a Second O’Neill will feel his resurgent side have little to fear in their attempt to reach the Division side they lost to Liverpool. Arsenal have featured in six finals last eight of this famous old competition. since then, winning five

Chelsea v Birmingham Stamford Bridge | Saturday 12.30pm | ESPN With Andre Villas-Boas under increasing pressure after his club slipped out of the Premier League top four last weekend, he’s looking on the FA Cup as a means of stopping the rot.

But with confidence around Stamford Bridge at a low ebb, Chris Hughton’s Birmingham will be encouraged ahead of their visit tomorrow lunchtime.

The Blues have never won at the Bridge in the Premier League, but they’ve had a great start to 2012, with Hughton and defender Curtis Davies winning manager and player of the month awards for January. Another win this weekend and the ‘Hughton for England’ shouts might even begin – along with the calls for AVB’s head.

Norwich v Leicester Carrow Road | Saturday 3pm

Crawley v Stoke Broadfield Stadium | Sunday 12pm | ESPN

The Canaries’ fine Premier League season almost warrants an FA Cup quarter final, but football doesn’t quite work like that. Instead, they’ll have to earn it with a win against familiar former Championship foes Leicester.

The Foxes are still chasing a playoff spot in the league, but will need to put together their best run of the season if they’re to make it into the top six.

Inconsistency has been their chief downfall, but that won’t concern manager Nigel Pearson so much ahead of Saturday’s one-off clash at Carrow Road. For their part, Norwich have won five of 12 league games at home so far – and Leicester haven’t left Carrow Road as winners since 1995. Paul Lambert will hope that record remains.

If Norwich are a side that have picked up where they left off last season, then so are Crawley. The Chelsea and/or Man City of last term’s Conference Premier may have spent big, but they’ve won big too, and look likely to make the step up to League One next season. After a narrow defeat at Old Trafford in last year’s fifth round, Crawley made the last 16 once more with a win over Championship side Hull City. They are adjusting to life without striker Matt Tubbs, who has signed for Bournemouth, but they will still test a Stoke side on a run of five league games without a win. If there’s one Premier League team equipped to battle it out League Two-style, mind, it’s the Potters.

everton v Blackpool Goodison Park | Saturday 3pm

Millwall v Bolton The New Den | Saturday 3pm

Meeting for the first time in the FA Cup, Everton and Blackpool have a footballing relationship that’s more than a little one-sided. The Tangerines haven’t beaten the Toffees since November 1966, and arrive at Goodison at very possibly the worst time imaginable.

That’s because David Moyes looks to have turned yet another awful first half of the season for Everton into yet another promising second. His side’s 2-0 win over Chelsea last weekend moved them up to 10th and showcased the returning Steven Pienaar’s ability to make a difference from midfield. The Tottenham loanee is cup-tied for this, but Blackpool boss Ian Holloway won’t underestimate the boost that win will have had for Everton’s confidence.

A game that will provide welcome relief from both sides’ relegation battles, though it’s Owen Coyle’s Premier League bunch that looks in the more perilous position right now. Kenny Jackett’s Millwall sit five points clear of the Championship drop zone and secured a morale-boosting win over high-flying Southampton to reach the fifth round, leaving them only two games from Wembley and three short of repeating their shock 2004 run to the final. Bolton face a tough couple of weeks, meanwhile, with trips to Chelsea and Man City following last weekend’s awful league defeat to Wigan. They head to the New Den first, though, where the Lions will fancy their chances of claiming another scalp.

Stevenage v Tottenham Broadhall Way | Sunday 2pm | ITV 1

Liverpool v Brighton Anfield | Sunday 4.30pm | ESPN

Two sides on the rise, with Tottenham still in the title race and Stevenage sat in League One’s play-off zone on the back of consecutive promotions in the past two seasons. The latter beat Championship side Reading in the third round this year, and pulled off a 3-1 win over perennial scalps Newcastle last season, so they have previous when it comes to cup upsets. Spurs are a different proposition these days, though, and should have enough quality to progress. They might get a bit of a culture shock when they visit the 7,100-capacity Lamex Stadium, however. And, despite their good league form, Spurs haven’t shone in the cup thus far. Another Stevenage giantkilling isn’t totally out of the question.

Gus Poyet’s Brighton dumped Premier League Newcastle out of the cup in the last round, and will be focused on causing a further surprise when they head to Anfield on Sunday. Last season’s League One Champions are giving a good account of themselves in the Championship, currently sitting just outside the play-off places, and travel to Anfield having already met Liverpool this season. That was in the third round of the League Cup, at Brighton’s brand new Falmer Stadium, where goals from Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy were enough to see the visitors through.

Kenny Dalglish and co will know the Seagulls pose a threat, however; any complacency from the home side and they may yet be punished.

| 45

Graham Stuart/AFP/Getty Images, Clive Mason/Getty Images, Scott Heavey/Getty Images, Chris Brunskill/Getty Images, Jamie McDonald/Getty Images, Pete Norton/Getty Images, Mike Hewitt/Getty Images, Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images

The OTher TIeS

7 Days Saturday Rugby union | AvivA PRemieRshiP: bAth v gloucesteR | RecReAtion gRound | sky sPoRts 2 2.30Pm

Best of the west A hiatus in the Six Nations means all eyes are back on the Aviva Premiership this weekend – and with eight games left in the regular season, the West Country derby between Bath and Gloucester is sure to be explosive.

The sides are currently separated by just four points and one place, with Gloucester edging ahead in eighth. But, as fans of either side will tell you, this clash is about so much more than league position.

With bragging rights currently with Gloucester after their 23-6 victory back in September, Bath will be keen to get one over on their old enemy. And, much as a pretty desperate league position of ninth would suggest otherwise, Ian McGeechan’s men are actually the side in form. Last weekend’s bonus-point win over Newcastle was Bath’s fourth win in a row in all competitions, and the men from the Rec are tentatively looking up the table – rather than down – for the first time this season.

Anthony Perenise’s footballing skills continue to impress (though what fellow prop David Flatman makes of it, we can only hazard a guess), while 20-year-old Tom Heathcote (right) has ensured that injury to Stephen Donald has not left a void at fly half. Heathcote was instrumental in the win over Newcastle,

his combination with centre Olly Barkley paying dividends.

On the flip side, McGeechan’s men still have a points gap to make up over their rivals, and Gloucester know a win will keep them in the hunt for a top-four finish and the playoffs.

Last week’s win over Northampton might have been just their third in seven games, but with Freddie Burns, Jonny May and Charlie Sharples all back from international duty, Gloucester look like they are back to something approaching their most dangerous.

With Bath in form, Gloucester back to full strength and both teams knowing that tomorrow’s result will go a long way to deciding what they are playing for, if anything, in the coming few months, we’re set for a classic.

Round 15: the other fixtures London Wasps v Exeter Chiefs | Adams Park | Saturday 3pm Newcastle Falcons v London Irish | Kingston Park | Saturday 3pm Northampton Saints v Sale Sharks | Franklin’s Gardens | Saturday 3pm Harlequins v Worcester Warriors | Twickenham Stoop | Saturday 5.30pm, ESPN Saracens v Leicester Tigers | Vicarage Road | Sunday 2.30pm, Sky Sports 2

Aviva Premiership Table Pos 1.

2.

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4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

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11.

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Team Harlequins Saracens Northampton Leicester Exeter Sale London Irish Gloucester Bath Worcester London Wasps Newcastle

Pld 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14

W 12 11 8 7 7 7 6 6 6 5 4 2

D 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1

L 2 2 6 6 7 7 7 7 8 8 10 11

F 350 300 334 359 261 300 329 302 265 187 219 231

A 242 225 231 336 263 324 328 278 276 235 308 391

TB 3 1 2 3 1 1 2 1 1 0 1 0

LB 0 1 3 3 6 5 6 6 4 4 5 3

Pts 51 48 37 36 35 34 34 33 29 26 22 13

For the record

46 | February 17 2012 |

Anyone would think it was an Olympic year, given the names on tomorrow’s roster for the Aviva Grand Prix. The National Indoor Arena welcomes Mo Farah, Jess Ennis, Asafa Powell (who talks to Sport on page 34) and 110m hurdles world record holder Dayron Robles among the athletes looking to set a marker for the summer.

Robles (left) will go head to head with former Olympic champion and reigning world indoor champion Liu Xiang over the 60m hurdles – and big things will be expected from a pair who have amassed a staggering 11 major championship medals between them. It will also be the first time they have faced off since the World Championships in Daegu last summer, where Xiang took silver after Robles, who finished first, was dramatically disqualified for accidentally brushing Xiang’s arm, causing him to trip on the final hurdle.

Elsewhere, Farah, who has developed something of a taste for indoor drama, will compete over two miles. Having set a British indoor record for the 5,000m at this very same meet last year, and fought out a breathtaking 1,500m battle with Kenya’s Augustine Choge at last month’s Aviva International in Glasgow, Farah will be relishing the chance to hone his form. “The field at Birmingham will be world class,” he said. “It’s exactly what I need in an Olympic year.

Right now I want to be racing against the best and being pushed to run faster – that allows me to work on my race strategy, keep my head right during the race and hopefully finish up with a positive result.”

A total of 14 world (and 25 British) records have been broken at the National Indoor Arena. Given the line-up – and what lies ahead this year – is it too much to ask for them to break a couple more?

Michael Steele/Getty Images, Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Saturday Athletics | AvivA gRAnd PRix | niA, biRminghAm | bbc one 1Pm

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7 Days THuRSday WINTER SPORTS | SKELETON AND BOBSLEIGH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS | LAKE PLACID, USA | BRITISH EUROSPORT 2 2.40PM

Ice queens Footballers and tennis players may complain about an increasing number of matches being crammed into the schedules, but the calendars of both sports pale in comparison to the gruelling skeleton and bobsleigh season. Just weeks after the end of the eight-round World Cup, the athletes are off to Lake Placid for the single-event World Championships, where they will compete for their countries.

In the horror film Lake Placid, a US town is terrorised by a 30-foot man-eating Having finished 2011 on top of the one-day international rankings, England’s women go to New Zealand ranked fifth in the shortest form of the game, and will be looking at this five-match T20 series against the hosts as vital experience ahead of the T20 World Cup, which takes place in September.

England have named a 15-player squad for the tour of New Zealand, which also includes three ODIs, and will be hoping to continue their form from 2011, which saw them lose just five of 23 matches. Their opponents are fresh from defeat in Australia, where they lost the Rose Bowl and a bilateral T20 series – but selectors are sticking with the same side to play England, having named an unchanged squad.

The tour marks the beginning of a busy 18 months for England, with the 50-over showpiece event to come in 2013. It’s also the chance for players to prove they’re worthy of a place for the fixtures that lie ahead, against a White Ferns side that is talented but both young and lacking in experience. Fill your boots, ladies.

Ladies’ day

48 | February 17 2012 |

BEST OF THE REST

FRIDAY CRICKET New Zealand v South Africa: 1st Twenty20, Wellington, Sky Sports 3 6am

FOOTBALL Championship: Reading v Burnley, Madejski Stadium, Sky Sports 2 7.30pm

crocodile. Competitors will not have to contend with that, but they will have the equally terrifying task of hurtling downhill, face first, at speeds around 80mph. Shelly Rudman became the first British woman to win the World Cup for 10 years earlier this month, preventing three-time winner Marion Thees from winning a third consecutive tournament in the final round.

Thees has won the past two World Championships as well, and will be out for revenge over Rudman. In the men’s competition, 2008 gold-medallist Kristan Bromley is the main British hope. Starting on Thursday, British success could usher in a golden era of winter sports in the UK.

FOOTBALL SPL: Hibernian v Celtic, Easter Road, Sky Sports 1 2.45pm TENNIS WTA Doha Final, Khalifa International Tennis Complex, British Eurosport 2 3pm RUGBY LEAGUE Super League: Hull FC v London Broncos, KC Stadium, Sky Sports 1 5.45pm

SATURDAY CRICKET Pakistan v England: 3rd ODI, Dubai, Sky Sports 1 10.30am

SNOOKER Welsh Open Final, Newport Centre, British Eurosport 7pm

RUGBY LEAGUE Super League: Huddersfield v Warrington, Galpharm Stadium, Sky Sports 2 4.45pm

FOOTBALL La Liga: Barcelona v Valencia, Camp Nou, Sky Sports 1 8pm

MONDAY FOOTBALL La Liga: Real Madrid v Racing, Bernabeu, Sky Sports 1 7pm

FOOTBALL League One: Brentford v Carlisle, Griffin Park, Sky Sports 1 7.45pm

SUNDAY

NBA Chicago Bulls v Atlanta, United Center, ESPN 9pm

CYCLING UCI Track Cycling World Cup, London, British Eurosport 3pm

TUESDAY TENNIS ATP Rotterdam 500 Final, Rotterdam, Sky Sports 3 1pm

CRICKET Pakistan v England: 4th ODI, Dubai, Sky Sports 1 10.30am

RUGBY UNION Aviva Premiership: Saracens v Leicester, Vicarage Road, Sky Sports 2 2.30pm

CRICKET Pakistan v England: 1st Twenty20, Dubai, Sky Sports 1 3.30pm

THURSDAY

Matthew Lewis/Getty Images, Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images

FRIday CRICKET | NEW ZEALAND v ENGLAND: 1ST WOMEN’S T20 | WELLINGTON | SKY SPORTS 3 1.30AM

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Sport Promotion

Scandi Skiing T

he message is clear: don’t despair!

The winter sport season is far from over – especially this year, which has seen such fantastic snow for months now. There are still some great destinations that will provide superb skiing well into the spring.

And if you’re looking for somewhere a little different, but which will be snowsure all the way into April, then you need to think about Sweden. It’s a country that offers a superb mix of everything you’d want from a winter holiday in beautiful unspoiled landscapes. It’s also home to Åre, northern Europe’s largest ski resort, and one of the best places to ski anywhere in the world.

Neilson Holidays exclusively operate in Scandinavia, and have just won Best Ski Operator for the second year running at the prestigious 2012 Globe Travel Awards.

When some of the Sport and talkSPORT

50 | February 17 2012 |

team visited Åre earlier this year, they were enormously impressed. No matter how proficient you are (and trust us, in our party there were some who were not at all proficient, other than in the après-ski department) or what sort of group you’re travelling in, you’ll find something for you.

You can also choose from chalet, hotel or apartment and some of the best staff in the business will be on hand to offer you a very warm welcome.

With some fantastic offers available, such as last-minute ski holidays from just £199 per person, 2-for-1 deals on ski essentials, hundreds of free child places and free ski leading services, there couldn’t be a better time to book your ski holiday. There’s plenty of the season left yet!

For more information go to

neilson.co.uk/sweden

March is traditionally when snow sports enthusiasts start to prepare for the end of the season, but it needn’t be so...

10 reasons to ski Sweden he Sport and talkSPORT team recently visited Åre – and here are their favourite things (at least the ones they can repeat...)

T

Snowsure resorts for long seasons – due to the resorts’ northerly latitude, there’s great snow right through to Easter and beyond.

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Space on the mountain – these resorts are far less crowded, even on peak dates, compared with main European destinations.

Friendly and efficient service – the locals love the English and are genuinely happy to welcome them in their resorts.

3

Superb ski schools – the tuition really is excellent and beginners are especially well catered for, with small group sizes and easily accessible learner slopes.

4 5 6

Something special – try somewhere different, off the well beaten track.

Saunas – there are many opportunities to stay in a hotel or cabin that offers a sauna for a real taste of Scandinavia.

Style – there’s no disputing that the Scandinavians have a natural flair for interior design.

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Log cabins – you don’t get them in many other places outside Norway and Sweden. People love them with all the wood finishing and cosy interiors.

The nightlife – there’s something for everyone in Åre. Nights to remember!

9 10

Pre-bookable activities – there are so many things to do when you are not skiing in Sweden: husky dog safaris, visiting Santa, snowmobiling, trips to frozen waterfalls and many, many more trips available in resort.

www.neilson.co.uk/sweden | 51

P58 Tall. Slim. Handsome.

Were we a tablet, we’d be a Toshiba AT200

Extra time Kit

Making the most of your time and money

Sleeves are so last year Keep your core warm with these trendy and light gilets – or bodywarmers, depending on your preference

1 Adidas Terrex PrimaLoft Vest 4 ODLO Premium Vest 2 Asics Detachable Sleeves Jacket 5 Gio Goi Justifier Gilet 3 Result Urban R190X Dax Down Feel Gilet 6 Caterpillar Apparel Pinnacle Gilet £72 | ratrace.com

£130 | odlo.com

£60 | asics.co.uk

£60 | usc.co.uk

£31 | resultclothing.com

£55 | 01704 897 586

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T

his, dear chaps, is Emmi Moore. Not to be confused with Sport’s favourite gravelvoiced skinheaded cougar, Emmi is instead a former Australian Swimsuit Model of the Year and current girlfriend of Aussie rules footballer and West Coast Eagles midfielder Chris Masten (not to be confused with Bolton midfielder Chris Eagles, while we’re making things absolutely clear).

Just what does she see in Masten? Well, the Eagles’ 2009 Rookie of the Year is not only man enough to play pretty much the most brutal sport going, but he has done a bit of modelling himself and is also quite capable of defending his lady’s honour, having punched a man to the ground during Perth’s Australia Day celebrations in his first season as a professional.

So if you are going to have a crack at winning Emmi over, just make sure you have a few good men with you.

Emmi the Eagle

Extra time Emmi Moore

54 | February 17 2012 |

APIX Syndication

| 55

Extra time Winter sports

Weekend warriors Fancy a snowy short break away with the lads? Then we have some ideas...

kiT corner

The firsT resorT Cairngorms, Scotland

A long weekend is the perfect time to try something a little unusual, such as ski touring in Scotland.

The Cairngorm plateau is an alpine semi-tundra, with permafrost and snow cover for a significant proportion of the year. It’s also Britain’s biggest national park, with five of the six highest mountains

in the UK, and Wilderness Scotland runs a dedicated Introduction to Ski Touring course up there.

After hiking and skiing all day through the unique landscape, the small groups (with a maximum of six people) return to base camp – which just happens to be a fine four-star hotel in the national park, with good food, open fires and a warming dram or two.

A three-night stay starts at £545, and you can complete the domestic adventure by getting the sleeper train there and back – fall asleep as you pull out of London and wake up in Aviemore, ready for a few days on skis. That should beat the usual weekend fare of car-boot sales and DIY. wildernessscotland.com

The alTernaTives

Oakley Airbrake Goggle

Bansko, Bulgaria

Pertisau, Austria

Courchevel 1850, France

£199.99 | snowandrock.com

With Thursday/Friday departures from Gatwick, resort transfers, ski hire, lift passes, hotel and even lessons all available from just £327, it’s tempting to drop everything for a weekend on the best-value snow in Europe. It’s Balkan Holidays’ first year offering ski weekends – exhaust the 75km of slopes, and you can fall back on the £1 pints.

You don’t need endless piste for a weekend trip, so try somewhere off the beaten track. Pertisau is an idyllic village on the shores of the Achensee lake, with a decent ski area well suited to beginners and intermediates. Inntravel run a three-night trip, including four-star hotel with spa, from £415 (not including flights).

If you want your track well beaten and extensive, set your sights on Courchevel, and the full 600km of the Three Valleys area. Set among the oligarchs’ private chalets, Hotel Saint Louis avoids the ostentation but still offers excellent food and will cater for your every need.

Three and four-night packages are available, starting at £270.

balkanholidays.co.uk

inntravel.co.uk

flexiski.com

Very possibly the coolest-looking goggle on the market right now, the Oakley Airbrake comes with an interchangeable lens design that lets you adapt to any light condition and match your vision to the environment. Oakley’s new Switchlock technology makes changing lens a quick and painless task, while the goggle’s architecture offers all-day comfort for those who like to chalk up plenty of hours on the dust. A couple of hundred quid very, very well spent.

56 | February 17 2012 |

For more info on most of these resorts and many others, check out maddogski.com. MadDogSki has a website full of useful tools to help you track down and make the most of your ski holiday. Sign up for their weekly newsletter at maddogski.com/newsletter

John Morrison/Alamy

It may have taken its time to arrive this season, but winter is finally here.

With record-breaking snow depths across Europe and a growing number of operators willing to cater for the long weekend, there has never been a better time for a sneaky off-peak trip with the boys. Over to Hannah Engelkamp of MadDogSki.com, then, with a few well-selected options...

Extra time Gadgets

Thou shalt not...

Toshiba AT200 tablet Tall, slim, handsome – if this tablet went on Take Me Out (and Shoot Me), we’d be amazed if any lights went out. The thinnest 10.1” device in the world, Toshiba’s new release runs Android 3.2 and kicks the iPad into touch when it comes to connectivity, incorporating micro-USB and micro-SD card ports, and an HDMI port. Let the wireless see the dongle.

Tablets have come a long way since the one Moses jotted down the Ten Commandments on – his didn’t even have Bluetooth!

Pentax Optio VS20

£449/£479 | toshiba.co.uk

Pentax have put some fairly creepy features into this camera, including Smile Capture, which takes a photo when the subject smiles, and a face recall function that prioritises a pre-chosen person’s face when setting focus and exposure.

Perfect for stalking that special someone. £200 | pentax.co.uk/photo

Henge Docking Station

Navman Panoramic Sat Nav

Trying to plug a laptop into an external monitor is this generation’s equivalent of programming a VCR, but this dock makes it easy. It lets you connect USB, ethernet, display and audio cables in one motion, freeing up time and desk space.

“In 200 yards, turn right. No, not that right – was that 200 yards? Are you some kind of idiot?” If our sat nav could talk in more complete sentences, this is probably the kind of thing it would say. Luckily, such confusion should be over with the new features of this massive 7” device, which features lots of features including an ‘easiest route’ option, as well as 3D junction views and lane guidance.

£60-£80 | amazon.co.uk

£150 | halfords.com

Sony Cybershot WX50 Think your smartphone camera is more than enough? Think again. This compact from Sony can shoot in 3D, and features an innovative sweep mode that allows you to take wide panaroma shots simply by sweeping the camera from side to side or up and down. A brilliant option for holiday snaps – although you may look like a bit of a moron doing it. £TBC | sony.co.uk

58 | February 17 2012 |

Extra time Grooming

In a truly packed market, choosing the right deodorant can be a tough task.

Lucky for you we’ve produced this shortlist of 12 then, isn’t it?

1. Sisley Eau de Campagne 150ml 5. Lacoste Challenge 150ml

9. Right Guard Total Defence 5 Energy Zone 250ml

£41.50 | houseoffraser.co.uk

£16.95 | fragrancedirect.co.uk

2. Boss Orange Man 150ml

6. Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb 150ml

£18 | johnlewis.com

£18 | harrods.com

10. L’Oreal Paris Men Expert 96hr Invincible 150ml

3. Joop! Homme 75ml

7. Mitchum Endurance Ice Fresh 48h 200ml

£2.49 | chemistdirect.co.uk

£2.99 | boots.com

11. Agua de Colonia Eau de Cologne Spray 150ml

8. SureMen Adventure 250ml

£7.95 | carterandbond.com

£3.19 | tesco.com

£18.50 | boots.com

4. Ted Baker Toolshed 150ml £4.07 | boots.com

£3.26 | sainsburys.co.uk

12. Ralph Lauren Big Pony Blue Body Spray 200ml £16 | houseoffraser.co.uk

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Full Stop Photography

Spray wars

C ett elli Ge1hT121©02012 The G.iyllentatepC mompany.

MANY ROADS LEAD TO THE MEDAL, BUT ALL BEGIN WITH A GREAT START. SIR CHRIS HOY, 4X OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLIST

NOTHING BEATS A GREAT START. facebook.com/GilletteUK

Extra time Entertainment

Action stations

GAME

Nathan Drake, Tom Hardy and Mr White are back to kick ass in the week ahead DVD

Uncharted: Golden Abyss (PSVita)

Tom Hardy whips himself into the Batman-brutalising shape needed for this summer’s The Dark Knight Rises in this gritty 2011 MMA drama.

Hardy is one of a pair of siblings who do what those napkins the Klitschko brothers won’t and fight each other in front of a baying crowd. While the plot might seem corny, the superb performances, bone-bending fight scenes – and the fact that you go into the final bout genuinely unsure who will win – make it well worth viewing. Extras include a Philosophy in Combat: MMA Strategy guide – a must for all you octagon heads.

The hardest-working man in adventure returns for yet another foray into some far-flung corner of the globe, where the only people he encounters want to shoot him in the head and abscond with his amulet. Nathan Drake is back chasing something or other in another deep, dark jungle. And, while there’s a well-conceived backstory to his latest escapade, it’s really not important. All you need to know is that Golden Abyss is a continuation of the previous three instalments – you run, shoot, clamber, solve puzzles, shoot some more and squire the dame. The only difference is it’s been scaled down to play on the Vita’s 5in screen, on the bus/train/ toilet/hoof. The results are spectacular – but do be warned, for those of you easily offended: it contains a number of cheap gags.

EVENT

BOOK

MUSIC

Waiting for Sunrise William Boyd

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

New novel out this week, from one of Britain’s finest writers, is set in WW1-era Vienna and mixes espionage, psychoanalysis and a passionate love affair.

Billed as a thoughtprovoking page-turner, it’s likely to end up on your 2012 best-of lists.

Nicolas Cage returns as the Marvel antihero with the flaming-skull noggin in this 3D sequel. The task of the Rider this time is to battle the devil, who’s trying to take human form. Watch out that old Beelzebub doesn’t set your head on fir... oh. Never mind.

Films at The Yard

Reign of Terror Sleigh Bells

Converted warehouse The Yard in Hackney Wick has been turned into a pop-up cinema, bar and cafe for the upcoming fortnight by the good folk at the Rooftop Film Club. The bar is open before and after each film, so you can even dance the night away post-screening. The run of cult films starts with Reservoir Dogs this Saturday and ends on March 3 with Labyrinth (goblin king David Bowie offering dancefloor inspiration) with plenty in between. Visit the-yard.co.uk to find out more.

Boy-girl hipster duos from Brooklyn are more populous than pigeons (and produce almost as much crap), but Sleigh Bells are a happy exception.

The pair whack you round the ears with staccato guitar blasts and sudden tempo changes in almost every song; but once you’ve shaken off the initial shock, it’s an infectiously enjoyable mix of rock, pop and lord knows what.

A triumphant second album.

62 | February 17 2012 |

FILM

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Warrior

7- 9 MARCH 2012 PALAU DE CONGRESSOS DE CATALUNYA - BARCELONA

Global Sports Forum Barcelona (GSFB)

-30%

OFF

SPECIAL OFFER

420 €

Come to Barcelona to hear from some of the industry’s top names and explore the upcoming trends in sport business, social media, entertainment and sustainability during three days of thought leadership debate, networking and information sharing.

EX VAT

Speakers include: Éric CANTONA // Director of Soccer at New York Cosmos Sandro ROSELL // President, FC Barcelona Sebastian COE // Chairman of London 2012 Dan JONES // Lead Partner in Deloitte Sport Business Group Chris EATON // Head of Security at FIFA

HAVAS SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Haroon LORGAT // Chief Executive International Cricket Council Claude RUIBAL // Head of sports content, YouTube

Debates// Experiences//Networking

Laird HAMILTON // Legendary big-wave surfer

REGISTER NOW ON WWW.GLOBALSPORTSFORUM.ORG TO RECEIVE A 30% DISCOUNT ON REGISTRATION, ENTER THE CODE : GSF12QBBU3ST ORGANISING PARTNER

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