Sport magazine - Issue 260

Issue 260 | June 15 2012

Renewed optimism starts here

Pride of Lions England face Sweden with faith restored

issue 260, june 15 2012 Radar 07 The best league in the world... ... has sent most of its players to be the worst at the Euros. So far

10 The Kentucky Kid That’s US MotoGP rider Nicky Hayden – on this weekend’s Grand Prix at Silverstone

12 Slammin’ skateboards

Pretend it’s still summer with decks inspired by lolly sticks

13 Man City: Richer Than God

David Conn’s new book offers an intriguing study of his own club

oFeatures this coming week

20 Euro 2012

20 Cover: Filippo Monteforte/AFP Photo/Getty Images. This page: Patrick Hertzog/AFP/ GettyImages, Ronald Martinez/Getty Images, Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty Images

10

We analyse England’s draw with France, and look at the team’s remaining Group D opponents

34 Michael Phelps The most decorated Olympian in history tells us his goals remain lofty. What are they? Er...

42 Inside the Octagon Why UFC is set on being the biggest sport on the planet

56 The Gentle Way

Team GB judoka Euan Burton says he can medal in London

34

72

extra Time 68 Gadgets

Imagine how flimsy refs’ decisions would appear on a pencil-thin TV

70 Geena Mullins

Slightly ahead of Davis and G, our favourite Geena graces Sport once more. Ooh, aah...

72 Entertainment

42

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...

Jaws returns to cinema screens

74 Grooming

This week, the best things come in little round pots of goodness | June 15 2012 | 03

fragrances.hugoboss.com

“READY FOR THE CHALLENGE”

JENSON BUTTON. WORLD DRIVERS’ CHAMPION 2009

BOSS BOTTLED. SPORT. THE NEW FRAGRANCE FOR MEN

C ett elli GehT121©02012 The Gillette Company.

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

Radar

Lars Baron/Getty Images, Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/GettyImages, Alex Grimm/Getty Images

Premier disaste r F

orget England analysis for a moment (plenty of that from page 20), we couldn’t help but notice that quite a few of the Premier League’s foreign stars endured a woeful start to Euro 2012.

Some of you may have noticed that Samir Nasri scored, but Wojciech Szczesny let in a dodgy goal, gave away a penalty and picked up a red card in the opening match (he was saved the embarrassment of trending on Twitter thanks to the fact that few social networkers can spell his name – LOL!), while Petr Cech and Shay Given did passable impressions of a drunken clown in conceding a total of seven goals in their Euro bows.

Goalkeepers aside, Man City’s Mario Balotelli dawdled like a halfwit when through on goal against Spain and was tackled (then promptly substituted), while Robin van Persie showed he’d forgotten to pack his Arsenal form, as he went air-shot crazy in Holland’s loss to Denmark. At least Fernando Torres showed his club colours for country, displaying the array of nervous touches and finishing Chelsea fans know all too well.

Add in poor initial displays by Damien Duff, Tomas Rosicky and – yes – even John O’Shea, and it was a disappointing first round for the Prem. Still, we’re writing this before the second group games, so hopefully things have improved by the time you read it. Perhaps RvP, Balotelli and Torres have all joined Nikica Jelavic and Nasri on the scoresheet. Perhaps you’re laughing and pointing at this page while we scrape rancid, filthy egg off our faces. We certainly hope so. We’d hate to discover that Sky have been lying to us and we haven’t really been watching the greatest league in the the galaxy™ all this time.

p10 – The Kentucky Kid talks stick and ball

p13 – Man City: richer than God, apparently

From top: Robin van Persie breaks out his Emile Heskey tribute act; Petr Cech finally gets both hands to the ball; Mario Balotelli versus Spain (not shown: Sergio Ramos bent double with laughter)

| June 15 2012 | 07

Radar

Cornerclipping good

Olympic eye candy L

ondon 2012 gives us a chance to show off the best of British. Not in terms of athletes (we can just nab those from other nations), but in terms of design. This free Tate Britain exhibition features all of the Olympic and Paralympic posters for 2012, including eye-catching artwork from various Turner Prize winners.

From Thursday June 21, tate.org.uk. See the Sport magazine iPad app for all posters

Sport chats to the Kentucky Kid – not a fried chicken mascot, but MotoGP rider and 2006 world champ Nicky Hayden – ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix

So can we assume your family got you into it – not an overeager pre-school teacher?

“Yeah, my whole family’s into riding – both of my brothers now are in America racing in the AMA Superbike Championship, my dad used to race, my cousins race. It’s pretty much what we know.”

Will you be getting your kids on bikes?

“I would say there’s a good chance my kids will be riding motorcycles. I mean, I haven’t got that far along yet, but we’ll worry about it one day.”

Can you recall your first race?

“I remember my first race as a child – it was just a small race. I guess I remember the ones I lost more than the ones I won.”

You must remember your first MotoGP win?

“Oh for sure, I remember my first win like it was yesterday. I won my home GP – Laguna Seca 2005. It was just a pretty magical day.”

How big is the sport in the US now?

“It’s growing a lot, now that we have two races in America the popularity has grown – especially when I won the championship.

There’s still so many American sports that have been around forever and have a little bit more culture – a lot of stick and ball stuff.”

10 | June 15 2012 |

Do you get recognised a lot when you’re back home?

“In my hometown, for sure. I don’t come from a real big town. I get recognised in America, but I wouldn’t say I get mobbed. So it’s kind of actually nice sometimes to go home.”

Do you follow any of that stick and ball stuff when you’re back?

“I like basketball, especially. I like college stuff, coming from Kentucky – Kentucky Wildcats are probably my favourite team. And NBA – I like the Thunder [Oklahoma City Thunder].”

Are you looking forward to the race at Silverstone this weekend?

“Yeah, Silverstone is a track I really like. I was talking to Cal Crutchlow the other day, and he said a couple of corners have been repaved, which should be better.”

What is that you like about Silverstone in particular?

“It’s the longest track on the championship, lap time-wise; and you know it’s really fast, really, really fun. I like high-speed corners, and at Silverstone we get our chance.

There’s plenty of places to pass – it’s got a little bit of everything to it.”

Nicky Hayden is the 2006 MotoGP World Champion and a Tissot Brand Ambassador.

Turn to page 29 for an interview with defending MotoGP champion Casey Stoner

Javier Soriano/AFP/Getty Images

When was the first time you rode a motorbike?

“I was three years old, they tell me. I don’t remember – but that’s how the story goes.”

Ice cool D decks

espite the bedraggled weather, it is actually summer – the natural time of year for two Sport favourites: skateboarding in the sunshine and delicious, additive-filled ice lollies. These super Pop Skateboard Decks, designed by the wonderfully titled Rory Panagotopulos, unify both. Inspired by lolly sticks, the decks are available in grape, cherry or orange creamsicle. Tasty. £42.55, shop.lin-morris.com

From $167 (AUD), hollowayeyewear.com.au

12 | June 15 2012 |

Radar

No spin City

Richer Than God: Manchester City, Modern Football and Growing Up

by David Conn (Quercus), £16.99

Paul Ellis/AFP/GettyImages

I

t’s a quirk of fate that David Conn – football’s finest investigative mind, a journalist who shines a light on the murky world of finances and owners – also happens to support Manchester City, a club famed worldwide for being transformed by a dramatic ownership change in 2008.

So, naturally he’s written a book about it.

But this is no dry piece of analysis. Rather, it’s a warm memoir of life growing up as a City fan in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as a meticulous piece of research into the realities of the modern City project – including interviews with the powerbrokers at the top.

Conn’s even-handedness is admirable.

Despite fond memories, he doesn’t sugarcoat the live football experience of the ’70s, while he’s also scrupulously fair in assessing City’s ludicrously rich owners. However, when he recalls his younger, innocent years – “It never occurred to me that Manchester City was a company, that someone could own it. If I’d thought about it, I’d have said it was a club, like it always said it was, and so it belonged to us all” – he speaks to all football fans. Which is why this book makes such an engaging read, whichever team you happen to support.

Radar Editor’s letter

www.sport-magazine.co.uk @sportmaguk facebook.com/sportmagazine

Sport magazine Part of UTV Media plc 18 Hatfields, London SE1 8DJ Telephone: 020 7959 7800 Fax: 020 7959 7942 Email: firstname.lastname@ sport-magazine.co.uk

EDITORIAL

Jordan Henderson signs up to the hype – but is he good enough?

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: David Lawrenson

COMMERCIAL

So far, so good... ... but the extent of England’s ambitions may be mirrored by our dearth of talent

Editor-in-chief Simon Caney @simoncaney

The problem that Hodgson faces, not just in this tournament but over the next few years, is in picking his squad. There are few players with a genuine grievance about not being in the squad (Micah Richards is perhaps the only one). While the bare 11 is fine, beyond that it’s all gone a bit Jordan Henderson.

The future could see a midfield of Jacks Wilshere and Rodwell, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott.

In attack, Danny Welbeck is improving at an enormous rate, Daniel Sturridge offers something different, and Wayne Rooney is still a young man. But after those players, who is there? What striking options will Hodgson have at his disposal in two years?

Remember the days when the likes of Robbie Fowler, Ian Wright and Matthew Le Tissier could only get fewer than 70 caps between them? Ah, we didn’t appreciate the riches we had back then...

The International Cricket Council really does need to get to grips with the issue of bad light. If both sides want to carry on, as England and the West Indies did on Saturday, then for heaven’s sake let the umpires use some common sense.

The paying crowd, starved of action because of so much bad weather, had every right to be furious.

The problem with a sport such as boxing, in which there are judges making decisions on the outcome, is... well, that there are judges making decisions on the outcome. Even if there are supposedly stricter guidelines for them to follow than there is in, say, ice dancing, there is still a grey area of subjectivity – as evidenced in Manny Pacquiao’s defeat to Tim Bradley last week. The only answer would be to fight on – and on, and on – until there’s a knockout or simply a submission. Would play havoc with the TV schedules, mind.

Colour reproduction: Rival Colour Ltd Printed by: Wyndeham (Peterborough) Ltd © UTV Media plc 2012 UTV Media plc takes no responsibility for the content of advertisements placed in Sport magazine £1 where sold

Hearty thanks this week to: Bex Meredith, Roberta Casalino, Nick Braund, Chris Mease, Loulou Dundas Total Average Distribution: 304,700 Jul-Dec 2011

Reader comments of the week @simoncaney good piece on rio/terry in sport but do you really think it would have been the end of it if Roy had been honest?.

@BLUEWOOL Twitter

Ferdinand has done 0 wrong, JT overall is dubious & the accused and you think it’s OK for F to be left out & JT in without ANY transparency.

Same with Cook’s situation.

Double standard!

@Sportmaguk @simoncaney Have to pull you up on ‘Hodgson has taken the view’. The FA made the decision. Hope the media drops the Rio story..

Good reality check from @simoncaney in today’s @Sportmaguk re Hodgon’s picky picking on England squad

@ElinaGrigoriou Twitter

@paulcruse07 Twitter

@KliyahLDN Twitter

Agree or disagree? Tweet us @sportmaguk

@simoncaney p20 today.

Deputy editor Ivan Kalashnikov? You couldn’t make it up...

LAUNCH OF THE YEAR

2008

Don’t forget: Help keep public transport clean

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

@amr37 Twitter

| June 15 2012 | 15

Carl De Souza/AFP/GettyImages

T

hat wasn’t too bad, all in all.

Indeed, it’s hard to actually remember a better England performance at a major tournament.

Certainly, there was nothing at the 2010 World Cup that was remotely as good. We weren’t even at Euro 2008, and in the 2006 World Cup, victories over Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago and Ecuador were as good as it got. So we go back eight years – to the time Wayne Rooney announced himself to the world at Euro 2004 – to find an England performance as convincing. Yes, I know that’s mildly depressing.

Still, all credit to Roy Hodgson, who has brought something different to this England team – a pattern, for one thing.

All 11 men (and even Gary Neville on the touchline) singing the National Anthem, for another.

Agency Sales Director: Iain Duffy (7991) Business Director (Magazine and iPad): Paul Brett (7918) Business Director: Kevin O’Byrne (7832) Advertising Manager: Steve Hare (7930) New Business Sales Executive: Hayley Robertson (7904) Brand Creative Director: Adam Harris (7426) Distribution Manager: Sian George (7852) Distribution Assistant: Makrum Dudgeon Head of Online: Matt Davis (7825) Digital Marketing Manager: Sophie Tosone (7916) Head of Communications: Laura Wootton (7913) Managing Director: Adam Bullock PA to Managing Director: Sophia Koulle (7826)

Radar Frozen in time

Joern Pollex/Bongarts/Getty Images

No jacket required Willkommen to the world of German sexpot Jogi Löw, Germany’s answer to James Bond. Here we find him stepping out of another dangerously fast sports car, dressed in the low-cut T-shirt of a man half his age and sporting no socks – and probably no pants either. It was shot only yesterday but could have been taken any day of any week of any year. Because, for Jogi, it’s a full-time way of life.

16 | June 15 2012 |

| 17

Euro 2012 The Second Fixture

Reasons to be cheerful It may not have been samba football, but Roy Hodgson’s England produced a very solid performance to take a point off France on Monday.

Tonight they face Sweden, and we say the signs are positive...

20 years of hurt England have failed to get the better of Sweden in seven competitive internationals dating back to a World Cup qualifier in October 1988. Three of those failures – and, let’s face it, that’s what they have been – have come at the finals of major tournaments, beginning with Graham Taylor not liking a whole lot about a tournament-ending defeat almost 20 years ago to the day...

20 | June 15 2012 |

Sweden 2 England 1 June 17 1992, Solna After the glory of (not winning) Italia '90 under Bobby Robson, an England side now led by Graham Taylor went to Euro '92 as one of the favourites. But they went into this final group game against the hosts on the back of two uninspired goalless draws against Denmark and France, and under pressure from a demanding press back home. It all looked to be going fine when David Platt put England ahead on four minutes, but Jan Eriksson equalised shortly after half-time – and, when Taylor chose to replace Gary Lineker (left) with Alan Smith soon after, we all started to worry. We were right to; with eight minutes to go, future Crystal Palace fatso Tomas Brolin ghosted in to plant an exquisite strike beyond Chris Woods. Game over for England in the last eight-team Euros.

If there is one thing that Roy Hodgson will bring to the England team, it is organisation. His team lined up in two solid banks of four, and while France enjoyed plenty of possession – and at times dominated the midfield – they were largely restricted to pot shots from long range. Scott Parker ran himself into the ground (literally, at one point), while Steven Gerrard, maybe mindful he is not as mobile as he once was, played in a more disciplined deep role. Against a Sweden team that is largely bereft of ideas other than giving the ball to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and hoping for the best, a similar game plan (whoever takes the field) from England should yield results. In short, they looked like a team.

2. The innocence of youth All of that said, England played with some flair, especially in the opening half hour.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, inexplicably criticised by some afterwards, actually ran at defenders with the ball at his feet, thus becoming the first English player to do so since Tom Finney in 1957. Playing him was a bold move from Hodgson, but one we think paid off – the Ox will only get better, and offers something different for England.

Another youngster to shine was Danny Welbeck, who was superb in the lone striker role. He will face tougher opposition than France's comedy duo of Philippe Mexes and Adil Rami, but he showed terrific movement and was especially good with his back to goal, retaining possession even when isolated. A certain starter tonight.

3. A case for the defence Hodgson had to choose between taking John Terry and Rio Ferdinand to this tournament, and on Monday's evidence

he chose wisely. Terry didn't put a foot wrong, ably assisted by Joleon Lescott at centre-back. Glen Johnson may have been profligate in attack, but he did a job on one of the world's top players, Franck Ribery – who was possibly France's most disappointing player as a result. Behind the back four, Joe Hart (and let's agree the goal wasn't his fault) set the tone: he's simply one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Sweden are even more lacking in strikers than England; as long as Ibrahimovic is marshalled (see overleaf for more on that), it is hard to see them scoring.

1

4. Rotten Swedes

2

Forget the Shevchenko hype for a second; Ukraine did not have to play especially well to beat Sweden. This is not a Swedish team of old – back in the day they were strong, physical units who were very tough to break down.

They may still have Olof Mellberg at the back, but he's now 49 years old and those around him do not provoke any great fear. If Oxlade-Chamberlain can again run at the opposition, and Ashley Young can offer Welbeck more support, then Sweden will concede. Fact.

3

5. The Rooney effect England's best player (by some way) will be in the stands again tonight, but there is no doubting that Wayne Rooney is an integral part of this team. He was kicking every ball against France and will be champing at the bit to take the field on Tuesday against Ukraine – and that can only inspire his teammates, especially Young. Rooney will support Welbeck, which could see Young pushed wide (and James Milner playing centrally if Parker or Gerrard succumb to any wear or tear). Whatever calls Hodgson is juggling, the imminent return of his best player can only be a good thing.

4

5

England 1 Sweden 1

Sweden 2 England 2

Almost a full decade later, England rocked up at the World Cup in Japan/South Korea coached by Swedish loverman SvenGoran Eriksson. Fate would have it that they would open their campaign against the very nation from which he hailed, but all looked to be going well (again) when Sol Campbell (left) headed in the opener on 24 minutes. It soon became an all too familiar case of 'first half good, second half not so good', however, as the Swedes dominated the second period. Niclas Alexandersson equalised after an absolute ricket by Danny Mills on 59 minutes, after which only a pair of fine saves from an ageing David Seaman spared England's blushes. Improbably, the team battled through to the quarters, eventually falling to 10-man Brazil.

Another World Cup, another group fixture, and an England team still under the tutelage of Eriksson took yet another first-half lead against the Swedes, the impressive Joe Cole (remember him?) smashing in from distance. Burly former Aston Villa striker Marcus Allback headed in an equaliser shortly after half time, but England looked to have secured their third win from three group games when substitute Steven Gerrard nodded in with only five minutes remaining. It wasn't to be, however, as poacher extraordinaire Henrik Larsson (left) pounced from close range in the dying seconds. Both sides progressed (again), England went further (again), but that elusive competitive win over the Swedes remains unachieved.

Until now, perhaps...

June 2 2002, Saitama

June 20 2006, Cologne

| 21

All pictures Getty Images

1. Efficient England...

Euro 2012 The Second Fixture

The likely line-ups Friday June 15, Group D

SWEDEn v EnGLAnD Olympic Stadium, Kiev, BBC One, 7.45pm Behrang Safari

Christian Wilhelmsson

James Milner

Glen Johnson

Olof Mellberg

Rasmus Elm

Scott Parker

John Terry

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Andreas Isaksson

Johan Elmander

Danny Welbeck

Ashley Young

Joe Hart

Andreas Granqvist

Kim Kallstrom

Steven Gerrard

Joleon Lescott

Mikael Lustig

Anders Svensson

Alex OxladeChamberlain

Ashley Cole

(4-2-3-1)

(4-2-3-1)

Can England get quick How long can England’s support to Danny Welbeck? central midfield soldier on?

What to do about Zlatan Ibrahimovic?

As we have already said on the previous page, Welbeck put in an impressive shift against France on Monday. Strong with his back to goal, he used the ball intelligently and looked dangerous when pulling wide of his markers and running down the channels. He is only going to cause more problems to a Swedish defence that somehow managed to look static against the 72-year-old Andriy Shevchenko and the paceless Andriy Voronin, but if England are to take full advantage of Olof Mellberg’s age, they will have to offer Welbeck quicker and more consistent support than he enjoyed against the French. That means improvement from Ashley Young, who disappointed on Monday, and a bit more ambition from at least one of the central midfielders. And, on that score...

As we saw on Monday, Hodgson plays a rigid two banks of four in front of Joe Hart. It worked well enough in the main, but Samir Nasri’s goal came about through those banks sitting too close together and allowing a clever attacking midfielder to find time and space from which to unleash the kind of shot that can cause England problems. We all recall what Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller did to us from similar positions at the World Cup, and that is exactly the role the great Zlatan now occupies for Sweden. Does Hodgson detail one of his midfielders (most likely Parker) to get in his face early, or does he ask one of his centrebacks (probably Joleon Lescott) to follow him deep? We suspect the former, but it needs to work – Ibrahimovic is Sweden’s only true dangerman.

22 | June 15 2012 |

Both Steven Gerrard, lying deeper than we have become used to, and Scott Parker played well against France – but Gerrard no longer covers ground like he once did, while the admirable Parker visibly tired after a typically energetic performance. Neither Sweden nor Ukraine boast anything to worry the England midfield any more than Yohan Cabaye (how did he not get booked, by the way?) or Alou Diarra did on Monday, but it is not the footballing angle that worries us. Parker missed a lot of football towards the end of the domestic season and Gerrard hasn’t played three full games in a week for Liverpool for a long time; if either or both fall over any time soon, Roy Hodgson may have to call on Jordan Henderson – and that’s not something any of us want to see.

Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/GettyImages

The key questions

Euro 2012 The Second Fixture Friday June 15, Group D

UkrainE v FrancE

Donbass arena, Donetsk, iTV1 5pm riday morning, but no one wants to lie in and keep on dreaming quite as much as the population of Ukraine do right now. Did it really happen? A goal down against Sweden until 35-year-old national hero Andriy Shevchenko rolled back the years to earn a rousing 2-1 comeback win for the tournament co-hosts. It's a sporting drama story even Sly Stallone would reject as too unlikely.

One impact of Ukraine's win is that the onus is now on France to try to win this Group D clash. A draw keeps Ukraine in a strong position, so they can afford to let their opponents take the initiative and look to hit them on the break.

F

Breaking Les Bleus An enticing plan in theory, as Ukrainian wingers Yevhen Konoplyanka and Andriy Yarmolenko were both lively against Sweden – and while bustling French right-back Mathieu Debuchy was a threat against England, both he and

left-back Patrice Evra are attacking players who leave space behind them as they get forward.

On top of this, England can attest to the fact that the French centre-backs, Adil Rami and Philippe Mexes, aren't too hot at dealing with set-pieces or clearing headers from inside the box.

How did Shevchenko score his double against Sweden? That's right: two bullet headers against a static defence.

French fancies Before you rush to the bookies with your life savings and bung them on a Ukraine win, however, there are crucial counterbalances to this. For one, the French have a far superior team to the Swedes. Karim Benzema, Samir Nasri and Franck Ribery all had their moments against England, and will be confident of creating – and then taking – more chances in Donetsk today.

Also, while Ukraine displayed gusto and no little guile in attacking the

Swedes, their defending was not nearly as impressive. Zlatan Ibrahimovic received little support from a poor Swedish attack, but he still still scored one, hit the post with a header he should have buried and gave shaky-looking Ukrainian keeper Andriy Pyatov several other scares. In truth, Ukraine's key player is likely to be Bayern Munich midfield metronome Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, who will have the dual responsibilities of protecting a ropey back four and distributing the ball quickly and cleverly when Ukraine get possession and look to counter.

The reality is that the odds are against Ukraine, but a raucous crowd will be right behind them, and France remain a team not quite the sum of its talented parts. One thing is for certain, though: if Shevchenko scores again, the Ukraine fans will be pinching themselves hard to make sure Euro 2012 is not taking place entirely in dreamland.

The likely line-ups Patrice Evra

andriy Yarmolenko

Franck ribery

Oleh Husyev

Florent Malouda Serhiy nazarenko Philippe Mexes

Taras Mykhalyk andriy Voronin

Hugo Lloris

Yohan cabaye

karim Benzema andriy Shevchenko

adil rami

andriy Pyatov

anatoliy Tymoshchuk Yevhen khacheridi

Yann M'Vila

Mathieu Debuchy

Samir nasri

Yevhen konoplyanka

(4-5-1)

24 | June 15 2012 |

(4-4-2)

Yevhen Selin

Do France need more from Olivier?

Karim Benzema is a classy front man, but the Real Madrid attacker likes to drop back and out wide, linking play and working for his team. All well et bon, but it often leaves France low on men in the box.

To the surprise of some, Olivier Giroud – joint top scorer in Ligue 1 last season – was not introduced against England.

He’s unlikely to start this one, but Giroud could offer France a different option in what looks like a must-win match.

Final group fixtures Group A Group B Czech Republic v Poland

Denmark v Germany

June 16, 7.45pm, BBC One

June 17, 7.45pm, ITV 4

Greece v Russia

Portugal v Holland

June 16, 7.45pm, BBC Three

June 17, 7.45pm, ITV 1

Group C Group D Last three meetings Ukraine 1-4 France 2011 Ukraine 2-2 France 2007 France 2-0 Ukraine 2007

Croatia v Spain

England v Ukraine

June 18, 7.45pm, BBC Three

June 19, 7.45pm, ITV1

Italy v Ireland

Sweden v France

June 18, 7.45pm, BBC One

June 19, 7.45pm, ITV4

All games live on

| 25

Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images

Key Q:

Euro 2012 The Story So Far

Hamsters, hatred and hair

welve minutes... 720 seconds.

That’s all it took to complete the opening ceremony, something all future party planners might like to bear in mind. The times being austere and the presence of the penniless Greeks in the opening game meant they avoided any ostentatious show of cash-spunking in favour of brevity – the lowest-key ceremony we can ever recall. Hence we saw a combination of dancing girls in tight body stockings and funny hats, half a dozen party poppers and a pianist better at tickling the ivories than juggling a football. Not even the presence of a fat DJ in a gold shirt blasting out Euro techno could dampen proceedings.

And it ended as soon as it had begun, with homemade placards revealing the flags of all 16 nations and Sport reflecting on the ‘key Euro values of unity, rivalry, passion and crippling debt’. Danny Boyle, take note.

The key thing we learned from watching England play France was that Wayne Rooney has wasted his money. Repeated shots of his new hamster-hide hairpiece confirm it looks worse than before Belgravia’s finest went to work with gilded needle and thread. The problem is clear: newly liberated in that he now has something to comb over, Rooney is trying too hard to mimic one of the most complex hair styles on the planet: the Scotty Parker spiv slick. But Parker’s piece is far more complicated than it looks, and its owner is playing with a full set of follicles, not the patchy Shreddies

T

26 | June 15 2012 |

stapled into Rooney’s skull. Still, it’s when he demands cornrows we’ll really need to worry.

Who the hell painted Alan Hansen’s new eyebrows on? And could they not have a go sober next time? And why is Gary Lineker incapable of even mentioning The Germans without inciting racial hatred? “Shouldn’t really say putting the towels out,” he said, referring to The Germans and really saying it. Again. And could the BBC’s demotion of Alun Shearer from stitched-in sofa grunt to pitchside pariah to tea boy to P45 please gather more pace? If they do insist on using him pitchside, could the Beeb inform Alun the smile isn’t working? Ordinarily it denotes warmth, but that inane grin of Shearer’s smacks of a man who knows he’s getting away with it at the licence fee-payer’s expense. (And, while Shearer’s smile confirms he has a face for radio, Jamie Carragher has a voice for Ceefax.)

Meanwhile, on the other side, what happens if you sit Roy Keane beside Patrick Vieira beside Gareth Southgate? Evidently far less than ITV were expecting and we were all praying. And, just a thought, but is the reason Mario Balotelli surrounds himself with such nonsense in England simply a smokescreen to conceal how bog-average he actually is?

Witness the sight of the giant child bearing down on the Spanish goal and being

surprised that someone might want to tackle him. He’s very evidently not the Messiah.

And how long before Spain can just be done with it and stick Iker Casillas in their pioneering new 10-man midfield?

Meanwhile, the Capello Index is back, to far less fanfare than before – but every bit as insightful as you’d expect of a project involving a free-wheeling, money-hungry, clearly-couldn’t-give-one-any-more former England manager. To recap, should you have missed the premise, Fabio Capello has nothing better to do than watch every Euro 2012 game and rate every single player.

Currently, at the time of typing, the most successful players, according to his critical gaze, are Dzagoev (75.01), Krohn-Dehli (74.05), Gomez (etc), Shevchenko (etc), Lescott, Nasri, Di Natale, Fabregas... hold on, aren’t these just the players who have scored? Sounds suspiciously like Fab’s phoning shit in again.

Elsewhere, we were already aware that Cristiano Ronaldo gets his hair cut at least every week, just to maintain the exacting standards of the world’s greatest narcissist.

What we only discovered halfway through Portugal’s game against Germany is that he now likes to have it restyled at half-time. First half, Don Draper slick; second half, the tousle of a vainglorious tart.

How long before Wayne Rooney cottons on? Roll on week two.

Nigel Roddis/Reuters/Action Images, Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images, Alex Grimm/Getty Images, Joern Pollex/Getty Images, Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty Images, Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images

A random train of thought on the first week of Euro 2012...

Casey Stoner

The long goodbye After seven years, two World Championships and 35 race wins, Casey Stoner retires from MotoGP at the end of the season. We caught up with him ahead of his last ever British Grand Prix on Sunday

W

Last year you told us racing MotoGP wasn't “huge amounts of fun” for you anymore.

Is that why you've decided to call it a day?

“It's not something that's come on new, so whatever I've said to people has been around for a long time – and these are things I've said for a long time. There's a lot of different factors that are all part

of the decision. It's been accumulated over a long time to the point where, yeah – it just wasn't worth the difficulty of it any more, and it was better for me to find new challenges in my life.”

Has being a new father been one of the contributing factors?

“No, to be honest. I've said I've been thinking about this for years now. And, y'know, the only thing the new family helped me with was... when I had kind of made the decision, it just helped me go through with it a little bit easier and almost gave me support that I had made the right decision.”

What about the safety aspect in the wake of last year's tragic events?

“I've always known this sport’s dangerous, and it seems like nobody else does. I'm the one who likes that respect between racers, and everybody else wants to see biff and bash and they want to see us sitting on the handlebars and all the rest of it – but they forget that this isn't a safe sport. We're not covered in cotton wool and safe from any impact. This is something that's becoming disappointing from fans. I've known for a long time that anything can happen at any moment. It just disappoints me to think people really don't care – all they wanna see is racing and hitting and punching and

Sunday MotoGP | Round 6: British Grand Prix Silverstone BBC Two 1pm

all the rest of it. So, no – it had absolutely nothing to do with my decision.”

Are you still up for another title scrap with Jorge Lorenzo, and trying to go out on a high with another championship win?

“To be honest, I'm willing to go out on whatever we can get. We never go into a championship thinking: ‘Oh yeah, we'd be happy with second or third.’ We're out there to try and win it. Things looked bleak at this point of the championship last year – we were almost 30 points behind. We're a lot closer to the front this time, and a lot more realistic for the championship. I'll never go out on track and just let people win.

We'll still give it 100 per cent.”

What's your relationship with Jorge like – you guys have obviously been great rivals on the track for the past few years?

“We get on very well, to be honest. I think between myself, Jorge, Dani [Pedrosa] and quite a few of the top riders we have a huge respect for each other. >

“People forget this isn’t a safe sport.

It disappoints me to think people don’t care – all they wanna see is racing and hitting and punching and all the rest” | June 15 2012 | 29

Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool

hen a multiple world champion leaves his sport, it's usually at the end of a long and distinguished career, with ample time to reflect on the highs, lows and all that youthful potential fully realised. Not so in the case of defending MotoGP champion Casey Stoner.

Last month, Stoner announced that he will retire from the sport at the end of the current season. Still just 26, and in the running for a third world title, the most surprising thing about Stoner's announcement is that it didn't really come as a shock. The Australian has always been honest and outspoken. Just last year he told Sport that the thrill of racing had left him, and that he saw it more as a job he had to do. So now begins the long goodbye, and it's some notice period – Stoner is 20 points off the championship lead with 13 races to go, starting at Silverstone this weekend.

Casey Stoner

“I’ll be able to watch the races on TV and I’m not gonna miss it at all. At the moment, I don’t wanna be there. So it won’t be difficult”

Who's going to step into your shoes and challenge him next year?

“I have no idea. It's up to everybody else to step up. At this point I don't know if anybody else can. Jorge and Dani will be there next year but, depending on which seats people are in and where they are, and if they're comfortable, maybe they can do something.”

Looking back, what would you say has been your best moment?

“The best moment of my career was definitely last year at Phillip Island. There was nothing that could have really been much better than that. Winning the World Championship on my birthday, at my home Grand Prix, was something special.”

What are you going to miss?

“I think the people I work with – they're the people I'm gonna miss the most, that's

30 | June 15 2012 |

the part of it I'm gonna miss the most. I'll be able to watch the races on TV and I'm not gonna miss it at all. When I was looking at the end of my career in 2009 [when Stoner was struck down by a mystery illness that left him tired long before the end of races – he was later diagnosed with anemia], it was a little bit tough not to watch myself be out there and see what I could do. But that's when I wanted to be there, and at the moment I don't wanna be here – so I think it won't be difficult.”

So no chance of a Michael Schumacherstyle comeback in a few years then?

“No I don't believe so. I mean, I can't say what's gonna happen in a different future.

But I still don't think I'm gonna come back.

If the rules change dramatically or something, I could be persuaded to come back. But with the way things are going now, I don't think so – and I really don't think I'm gonna miss it enough to have to come back.

There's too many aspects of the sport, even away from the racing side, that I don't enjoy.

And, unfortunately, they're only gonna continue to get worse and more difficult.”

Valentino Rossi used to be linked with a move into Formula 1 – would you consider a different kind of motorsport?

“There is a completely different world I want to move into, but I'm still not sure of that.

But I'm thinking if I have a chance to race a V8 Supercar, it'd be fantastic. It's something I've wanted to do for a long, long time.

“I remember telling people about that when I was 14 or 15 – that it's something I'd like to do. So, again, it's not something new.

I've had a lot of plans for a lot of years in my head, and I pretty much stick to them. Even if I've forgotten about them, eventually I end up doing what I always thought I'd do.”

Want more?

For an interview with Red Bull’s Danny Kent – a British MotoGP star in the making – download the iPad app version of Sport magazine now

So, what do you want to do now?

“Basically, have time for family. I wanna open my sock drawer and find socks. I don't have drawers at the moment – all we do is travel round in a suitcase every week. Just stay packed and off to the next place, off to the next place... so it'll be really nice to just wake up in the morning and walk over to a chest of drawers and actually find clothes in it.”

Stoner is a formidable talent who has always excelled – from dirt racing in New South Wales and his first foray into road racing in the UK, through to thrilling race wins and poles on his way to two world titles. Despite his success, and the millions he's earned through sponsorship deals and image rights, this is a man who has grown tired of the carousel of top-level sport, tired of the travel, the training, and – yes – the press.

With his passion for racing evaporated, and his place in the pantheon of his sport’s greats unequivocally assured, Stoner has finally succumbed to the sedate – from speeding round Silverstone to sorting his socks.

Amit Katwala @amitkatwala

David Ramos/Getty Images

“We know how difficult it is to be here – and how hard it is to get here – so I think there is a big respect between a lot of the riders these days. Especially, I think, between myself and Jorge – I've seen the hardship he's gone through [the series of injuries Lorenzo suffered] and the problems he had at the start of his MotoGP career, and the change he's made as a person is huge. I've got nothing but admiration and respect for him – the person he is and the rider he's become. To be such fierce competitors and have respect like that is very refreshing.”

T ISSOT T-R ACE M OTO GP

TM

LIMITED EDITION 2012 Become part of racing history with a robust 316L stainless steel watch. Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, quartz chronograph and water resistance up to 10 bar (100 m / 330 ft).

IN TOUCH WITH YOUR TIME

O FFICIAL

TIMEKEEPER

Get in touch at www.tissot.ch

Stockist information: 0845 296 2446

ONLY ON

In a city under attack from a mysterious enemy, a young woman seeks to recover her past. Get hands-on with your PlayStation®Vita: touch it or tilt it as you defy the laws of physics and enter a mind-bending Gravity Rush™.

The fate of the world rests in your hands… and a gravity storm is coming.

“WITH ITS STUNNING VISUALS AND LUSH ANIMATION, ELEGANT COMBAT AND INGENIOUS USE OF HARDWARE, GRAVITY RUSH IS A MUST-HAVE FOR VITA OWNERS” Empire

Michael Phelps

End GamEs 34 | June 15 2012 |

A

s a modern symbol of successful urban regeneration, the Meatpacking District of New York seems an appropriate location for Sport to be meeting one of the potential stars of London 2012 – an Olympics that, if Lord Coe and his minions are to be believed, is as much about the legacy of renewal in Stratford and its surrounds as it is a festival of elite sport.

The latter, however, it very much remains – and in Michael Phelps, the London Games will have at its heart the most ornately decorated Olympian ever to walk the earth. Four years ago in Beijing, the then 23-year-old became the first athlete ever to claim eight separate medals at two different Olympics; but, having won six gold and two bronze in Athens in 2004, he raised the bar with a perfect eight golds from eight events in China. Not only did he break the

great Mark Spitz's longstanding record of seven golds at a single Games; but his performances set him apart as the greatest gold-medallist of them all.

Phelps' tally of 14 Olympic golds is five more than anyone else in history.

So, when we sit down for an exclusive one-to-one with the great man himself, we feel compelled to ask the question: just why have we heard so little from or about you since Beijing?

"Since 2008 I haven't really done anything in the sport of swimming," he smiles, seemingly forgetting the 14 major-meet gold medals he has bagged in the intervening period – nine across two World Championships and a further five at the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships in California. "I haven't really been swimming too well in the past three years, and that's my own fault. But I was able to find that out and realise that I needed to do more; that if I didn't want to do it any more, then I should just stop. >

| 35

Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images

Michael Phelps has won more Olympic golds than any athlete in history, but London 2012 may represent his final appearance on swimming’s biggest stage. Ahead of the US Olympic trials, he spoke exclusively to Sport

Michael Phelps

"It did take me time to realise that, but right now I'm more relaxed and calm than I have ever been, and I'm enjoying it again.

No matter how much my coach or my mom wanted me to be in the pool, I had to be there because I wanted to be. It's something that took me a while to find out, but I did. And now I'm back to liking it again, like I did when I was growing up – and during my first three Olympics."

Go fourth and multiply His record-breaking feats at the Athens and Beijing Games make it all too easy to overlook the fact that Phelps has actually competed at three Olympics: he went to Sydney in 2000 at the tender age of 15, the youngest male to make a US Olympic swim team in almost 70 years. He may not have won a medal down under, coming home fifth in the men's 200m butterfly, but his appearance marked the beginning of an international career that has since spanned a decade and more.

For a swimmer, that's an awfully long time – and helps to explain why Phelps doesn't envisage his Olympic story continuing beyond this summer.

36 | June 15 2012 |

"I've already pretty much said that this will be my last Olympics," says a man who is yet to turn 27 – he does so during the US Olympic trials in Omaha later this month. "There are a lot of things I still want to accomplish out of the pool, and I've always said that I never wanted to swim past the age of 30. If I come back for another Olympics, then that's what I'd be doing. And I don't want to be that guy still swimming past 30. Once I hang up my suit, I want to be able to look back and say I've done everything I can to achieve all that I wanted in the sport.

Then I'll be happy."

But what will make him happy in London this summer? Phelps is notoriously guarded when it comes to specific goals – in an interview with this very magazine in 2009 he referred to 'lofty ambitions' for 2012 without revealing what any of them might be.

Three years on, and with the Olympics on his figurative doorstep, he remains just as taciturn.

"The goals are still lofty, that's for sure," he confirms. "But I will not tell anybody what they are, and that's always been the same.

Throughout my career, every single year I have different goals. But they're always very high goals, very tough goals. Yeah, sure, it may not be eight gold medals this year, but they are still significant enough that they will make me get out of bed in the morning and do everything I know I need to do to accomplish what I want to. The goals I have

are extremely meaningful to me, but they are ones I think I can achieve and are keeping me hungry."

if at first you don’t succeed...

No joy there, then – so let's try a different approach. Mark Spitz recently said he expected Phelps to compete in a smaller number of events in London, so as to maximise his chances of winning gold in the selected races. How close to the truth is he?

"That's how we've done it throughout our whole career," Phelps says, tellingly referring to an 'us' that reveals just how close a relationship he has with his career-long coach Bob Bowman. "We obviously only swim the events we think we'll have a shot of doing the best we can in. I don't like to lose – nobody likes to lose – so I'm going to swim a programme I think I'll be able to swim fast."

So how many events might that be, Michael? "Less than eight, I'll tell you that," comes the most detailed response we've had yet. "But there's only one other person who can help me achieve my goals, and that's my coach. My mom doesn't even know what they are. They're very private, but if I do accomplish them... well, then you'll know."

1:55.41 The time Phelps clocked for the 200m butterfly in the final of the 2002 Pan Pacific Championships in Yokohama – the last occasion on which he was beaten in the event at a major championships. He has since set six new world records at the distance, the last of which – 1:51.51, in Rome in July 2009 – still stands

this beatinG heart We certainly knew he'd reached his goals in Beijing, where Phelps produced one of the most primal celebrations in Olympic folklore when teammate Jason Lezak snatched an improbable victory from the jaws of certain defeat with a stunning last-leg swim in the 4x100m freestyle relay. Phelps' reaction is always worth a second look, but if he could choose only one of his eight golden swims to watch again, which would it be? >

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

“no matter how much my coach or mom wanted me to be in the pool, i had to be there because i wanted to be. it’s something that took me a while to find out, but i did. and now i’m back to liking it again”

AY D S ’ ER H T A FOR F

£7 each

DVDs

Selected stores. Available while stocks last. Online prices may vary from those in-store. Offer available from 8am on Friday 15th June 2012. ©2012 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

15

ÂŁ

DVD

As Seen On

Watch the incredible trailer now! Download Aurasma Lite from the app store and point your device at the advert to play. Š2012 Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Titles and prices subject to availability, while stocks last. Prices may vary online.

Michael Phelps

The RYan game If Phelps wants to talk about results sticking out, then we have to bring him on to his defeats at last year's World Championships in Shanghai. Back in the country where he became the greatest Olympian of all time,

Phelps tasted not one but two individual defeats – in the 200m freestyle and, to the amazement of the world, the 200m individual medley. His vanquisher in both races was his US teammate and contemporary Ryan Lochte – but how much should we read into those defeats, and do they worry Phelps ahead of London?

"I mean, I did do a lifetime best in the individual medley at those championships," he reflects. "Sure, I only got second, but Ryan's been swimming great for the past couple of years. And it's great for me to have that rivalry and competition, knowing that every time I get in the water with him we're going to push each other to the max.

"That's something I enjoy a lot, and we've been competing against each other for the past seven or eight years now. We were on the 2004 Olympic team together, and we've been on every team since. Hopefully this year I'm in better shape, though, and can actually give him a race."

Phelps' rivalry with Lochte is one that could light up the pool this summer, when swimming will take its traditional onceevery-four-years position towards the forefront of the nation's sporting consciousness. It's a sport that demands intense, long-term training that few outside

its inner circle can truly understand – but the accepted view that every swimmer gets up in the middle of the night for a pre-dawn 50 lengths is one that this particular champion is keen to challenge.

"A lot of swimmers do wake-up swims, where they get up extra-early, go to the pool and then head back home or to the hotel," says Phelps, whose own winning ritual is, enjoyably, somewhat more regular.

"But my wake-up swim is to jump in the shower. It's always been that time by myself, to stretch, get ready and try to get my head in the right spot."

In a fortnight's time, as the US Olympic trials draw to a close in Nebraska, the watching world will gain a clearer insight into just how close to the right spot Phelps' head, and his form, truly are ahead of his Olympic swansong. If he arrives in London fit and firing to achieve those nebulous old goals of his, then we could well witness the greatest Olympian of them all get a whole lot greater.

Tony Hodson @tonyhodson1

201 Length, in centimetres, of Phelps’ arm span.

The distance is disproportionate to his height of 193cm, theoretically giving him greater propulsion through the water than his more proportionately sized rivals in the pool

Michael Phelps is the global ambassador for head&shoulders. The new limited-edition Michael Phelps shampoo bottle is available now in ASDA stores nationwide, RRP £4.99

“I watch the 100m butterfly final and just don’t know how I did it. I went over to Crocker to shake hands, and he said: ‘You must have a guardian angel with you, I have no idea how you’re doing this’” | June 15 2012 | 39

Carlos Serrao 2010

"I actually watched all of them recently," he confesses, smiling. And why wouldn't he?

"But, if I had to choose one, it would probably be the 100m butterfly [in which he came from a mile behind to deny the Serbian Milorad Cavic on the touch, much as the naked eye suggested otherwise] or that 4x100m freestyle relay. Obviously winning gold is always about being in the right place at the right time, but both those races were won by less than a tenth of a second. That defines being in the right place at the right time."

What does Phelps remember of the 100m butterfly final, in particular? "I still watch the race and just don't know how I did it," he says.

"I went over to [Ian] Crocker to shake hands after the race, and I still remember exactly what he said. He said: 'You must have a guardian angel with you, I have no idea how you're doing this right now.' I always remember those tiny little memories from each of my races, but that one really sticks out for me."

• Win 100s of prizes worth £1000’s • Predict Euros results the more you get right the bigger the prize

• Mini League prizes for all • Absolutely FREE to enter Visit promo.888.com/winningstreak

Join now and get

Friday 15th June Match odds: 11/4 Sweden 23/10 Draw 21/20 England

in FREE bets Coupled first goal scorer:

3/1 Andy Carroll or Danny Welbeck to score the first goal 3/1 Andy Carroll or Zlatan Ibrahimovic to score the first goal 9/2 Ashley Young or Theo Walcott to score the first goal 9/2 Steven Gerrard or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to score the first goal 11/2 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain or Theo Walcott to score the first goal For 24 other coupled first goal scorer markets and a full list of bets visit www.888sport.com

Join 888sport now and get upto £88 in free bets.

Enter ‘sport’ in the promotion code box

www.888sport.com

streaks ahead! www.gambleaware.co.uk

1. Offer applies to new customers only. Existing or previous 888sport customers do not qualify. 2. All qualifying bets must be a minimum of £10 and must be placed at odds of evens (2.0) 3. Free bet stakes are not included in any returns and expire after 30 days. 4. See site for further T&C’s.

Sir Matthew Pinsent

Sticking his oar in

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

He’s won four Olympic gold medals and is a sports journalist in his own right. Matthew Pinsent tells Sport just how excited he is about the Games coming to London…

“I’m frankly disappointed I wasn’t in the Olympic legends line-up,” Sir Matthew Pinsent says with a self-mocking smile as he grips a copy of Sport’s recent Olympic Legends issue – the one with Steve Redgrave on the cover. “And I’m edited out of that one,” he continues, pointing at a cropped image of the victorious coxless four shortly after they crossed the finish line in Sydney.

We mumble our apologies and ask Pinsent about his current occupation as a sports reporter for the BBC. “It means I know how to be a really crap interviewee, and just give you monosyllabic answers,” he says, with that same smile.

“But, once you’ve been at the top level of sport for five or six years, you’ve pretty much been asked every question going.”

No pressure for this interview, then.

But let’s start with this summer…

How excited are you about the Olympics?

“I’ve been ridiculously excited about it for getting on seven years. I was there in 2005 when the inspectors came and we were standing in hard hat and Welly boots in what felt like a ploughed field in Stratford, and saying: ‘Right, imagine the stadium will be there,’ and all that sort of stuff. It’s something I was so passionate about for so long. And now it’s going to take hold of the nation.”

Are you disappointed you won’t be competing in your home Games?

“No, because I didn’t just miss by one. If I’d stopped after Beijing, then I might have always questioned… but I’m 42 this year.

I remember what I was like in my 20s, and I can’t do that any more. It’s not a desire thing – I’m confident I could relight the desire. It’s more on an actual blood, sweat and tears physical output level.”

Do you miss it?

“No. I don’t miss the training, certainly. I miss the people. I miss the camaraderie. But that’s something you can replicate. I suppose I miss the simplicity of life. The fact that you’re saying: ‘Right, for the next four years, I’m going to do this.’ Everything else falls by the wayside. But the counterpoint to that is that it’s a very mad way of living life, frankly.”

Who are you looking forward to seeing compete in London, outside of rowing?

“There’s the modern pentathlon – we’ve just got a new world champion in Mhairi Spence.

Modern pentathlon is a fantastic… I don’t want to call it a ‘product’. But as a sporting exercise, it’s hard to imagine a more all-encompassing day. That was brilliant [reporting on it] in Beijing. I hope I get to do the same again in London. Taekwondo is a great sport. Hopefully Aaron [Cook] gets his selection. Then there’s sprint canoeing – flat water. Tim Brabants is defending Olympic champion, and there’s a young guy called Ed McKeever who’s going in the K1 200m.”

You mentioned Aaron Cook. What do you make of his non-selection?

“It’s disastrous for him. It’s disastrous for Lutalo [Muhammad] as well. For one of them, their whole Olympic experience is going to be ruined. Trashed. That’s the first thing I would lay at [British] Taekwondo’s door – how could you possibly get to this stage having not made it clear that there was going to be this issue? Aaron was selected for the Euro Championships in March, and then he wins.

Then in June he’s told: ‘Sorry, the Olympics is not for you.’ That, to me, is… what’s going on?”

Cook quit British Taekwondo’s programme after frustration over ‘negative tactics’...

“But he did that 18 months ago. If they had an issue with him, it should have been laid at his door then and there. You have all that out at the time. You don’t have it out eight weeks before the Games. It’s bizarre. Bizarre.”

How will reporting on the Olympics compare to what you had as a competitor?

“I knew when I stopped after 2004 there’d be nothing that made me feel like standing on an Olympic podium. I’m glad there isn’t. It’s a bloody hard thing to do. It shouldn’t be matched or easily surpassed by something else you can do in life without all that work.”

Graham Willgoss @grahamwillgoss

Want more?

For Pinsent on his favourite Olympic moments, his fears about the Games and not being a competitive dad, download the iPad app version of Sport magazine now

Sir Matthew Pinsent is Gant UK’s brand ambassador. The partnership strengthens Gant’s global involvement in rowing and its Leander Club sponsorship. Visit gant.co.uk

| June 15 2012 | 41

Inside the Ufc

42 | June 15 2012 |

Once the preserve Of the blOOdthirsty few and demOnised as “human cOckfighting”, the ultimate fighting champiOnship nOw has the heart Of mainstream america and its sights set On becOming the biggest spOrt On the planet. nick harper went inside ufc 146 tO find Out why...

A few hours previously, the Brazilian UFC heavyweight champion of the world had leaned in conspiratorially and exhaled.

"I do not want to hurt Frank Mir," he explained to Sport, and we believed him.

Now, a few hours later, he's propelling his giant right fist into the face of Frank Mir at a truly terrifying velocity, repeatedly and with gusto. The man they call 'Cigano' (The Gypsy) was hoping to knock Frank Mir clean out without hurting him, but it's not working out that way. Frank Mir will not go quietly.

The bell saves Mir at the end of the first and he's ushered back to his corner, or what passes for a corner in an octagon.

To make sure he's in a fit state to carry on, the ringside doctor leans in and asks a simple question: "Do you know where you are, sir?" Without missing a beat, Mir shoots back the answer: “Mandalay Bay, Vegas, May 26." Sadly, at the time of questioning, Mir is sat on his stool in the MGM Grand, dazed and confused. But he sounds convincing enough, so out he goes.

Quickly, Cigano drops him again with a blur of punches, then steps back to admire the damage and beg the lord

above for forgiveness. Mir is down, but not entirely out, so Cigano darts back in and administers the coup de grace – a funny little tap on the head designed to finally turn Mir's lights out without doing him any damage. A timid little tap – the pugilist's pacifier.

It's certainly not the sort of finishing shot we expected to end a heavyweight title fight in supposedly the most punishing sport on earth. But then, as we sit ringside at the Mandalay Bay – or the MGM Grand, or wherever we are tonight – we're sharing Mir's confusion. This is not the UFC we thought we knew...

knOckOut, submissiOn, dOctOr, death When the UFC first emerged in 1993, US senator and future presidential candidate John McCain infamously painted it as "human cockfighting". Given that UFC 1 sold itself as a free-for-all between consenting maniacs, in which 'Two Men Enter... One Man Leaves', this was fair comment. The only way a fight could end, read the small print, was via 'knockout, submission, doctor's intervention, or death'.

Back then there were only three rules: no biting, no eye-gouging, no striking an opponent in the groin. Anything and >

| 43

Zuffa LLC

a pacifist, Junior dos santos is in the wrong business... f orclearly

Inside the Ufc everything else was considered fair game and actively encouraged. With smoke billowing from either ear, McCain shot off a stiff missive to the Governors of all 50 US states, demanding they ban any future UFC events and stamp out this evil little empire before it took a grip on society. Thirty-six states signed up and, with a toxic fug hanging over it, the UFC was discarded by the television networks and driven off into the back alleys. Teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, it looked destined to die a slow, inglorious death. Until a saviour showed up.

Dana White didn't have the $2m it would cost to buy the UFC when it went on the market in 2001, but he knew two men who did. White ran gyms and managed fighters in Las Vegas; his friends Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta had made big money in the casino industry. White convinced them that the UFC had been heinously mismanaged, but that it had a future as a sport. The brothers bit, met the price and formed the parent company 'Zuffa' - Italian for 'scuffle' – with White as president. To cut a long story very short indeed, within five years, the UFC was generating more than $200m in pay-perview revenue, and White was dancing.

No mas Even before Zuffa took control, the UFC was being overhauled in an attempt to improve its image. Gloves became mandatory and three rules became 31. Notable additions included no hair-pulling, no twisting of the flesh and, under no circumstances, no inserting of any fingers into any orifice.

White also outlawed the wearing of Speedos in the Octagon, just because.

The biggest battle Zuffa had to wage was in convincing the world that mixed martial arts and the UFC were safe. That PR offensive was probably not helped by the fact that fighters could still beat an opponent around the head when he dropped to the canvas – an act the detractors saw as being cowardly and most 'un-American'. But with the new rules in place, White considered his sport to be no more dangerous than badminton or cheerleading. And, with not a single death to its name since it began, certainly safer than its closest cousin, boxing – in which fatalities run into the hundreds.

"What's more violent than boxing?" he asked. "You and I stand in front of each other for 12 rounds, and my goal is to hit you so hard I knock you unconscious. In the UFC, I can beat you and win, and never punch you in the head once. The difference is that, if I get you into a submission and you're in a bad place, you can tap out with honour. It’s acceptable in MMA. In the Roberto Duran v Sugar Ray Leonard boxing fight, when Duran said 'no mas', he was ridiculed for the rest of his career…"

Today, even Senator McCain has been convinced by the fastest-growing sport on the planet. "The sport has grown up," he admitted in 2008. "It focuses on integrity and its many fans deserve no less." And if you're in any doubt of the success of White's rebranding, check out the Octagon and its main sponsor: Bud Light – a more potent symbol of Middle America you'd be hard pushed to find.

want more?

For Frank Mir on getting hurt and Junior dos Santos on beating up the Klitschkos, download our iPad app version of Sport magazine now

the world aNd beyoNd On a wall inside the Zuffa HQ in Las Vegas, Nevada, hangs a piece of artwork comprised of four large letters: 'F' 'U' 'C' and 'K', in that order. Combined, they form one of Dana White's favourite words, one that keeps a high-rolling captain of industry 'grounded'.

The piece also counterbalances nicely the very large, very original and very expensive Damien Hirst piece hanging in reception, a constant reminder of just how lucrative the business has become.

As of 2012, UFC produces at least 12 main events a year. It is broadcast in more than 150 countries worldwide in 21 different languages, supposedly reaching more than a billion homes. Add on the video games, festivals and fan expos, branded apparel, trading cards, action figures and the rest, and Zuffa is as good as printing dollar bills. When we meet Dana White at Zuffa HQ ahead of UFC 146, he refuses to put a figure on it. "Let's just say that it certainly doesn't suck," he laughs.

We've shown up at his door to get his take on why the UFC has put a choke hold on >

“what’s more violeNt thaN boxiNg?” asks UFC presideNt daNa white. “iN boxiNg, my goal is to hit yoU so hard i kNoCk yoU UNCoNsCioUs. iN UFC, i CaN wiN aNd Never pUNCh yoU iN the head oNCe”

Zuffa LLC

UFC 146, brought to you in association with Bud Light, the all-American beer

44 | June 15 2012 |

REDEFINE THE LIMITS OF POSSIBILITY | LIMITED EDITION OAKLEY RADAR® OFFICIAL PRODUCT OF TEAM GB

UK.OAKLEY.COM ©2012 Oakley, Inc.

|

01727 795791

Inside the UFC

bible bashing

46 | June 15 2012 |

UFC kingmaker Dana White oversees the weigh-in of Dan Hardy (left) and Duane Ludwig

the whole planet, a question he's clearly been asked before: "It's pretty simple. Firstly, we are all human beings, and fighting is in our DNA. We get it and we like it, and it really is as simple as that. But equally, fighting works all across the planet. See, your soccer is big all over the world, but it's not big here.

The NFL's big in the US, but not anywhere else, and it never will be. But fighting works everywhere because the rules are so simple to understand. You can watch a fight with the sound switched off and still understand what's happening."

Dana White is the man who predicted UFC would become more popular than association football. "Ah," he laughs. "That wound a lot of you guys over there up, didn't it? But it's true.

The potential of UFC is enough to make your head explode, and what we're seeing now is only just the beginning."

He is also the man who killed boxing, or so the theory goes. "I'm not the one who killed boxing – they did it themselves," he says, with the frown of a man born and raised on

“i'm scared, man,” laughs Frank mir, the Former heaVyweight champion oF the world. “any Fighter who tells you he’s not scared is bullshitting”

the sweet science. "The big problem is that boxing became this sport where two multimillionaires stepped in to the ring and did everything they could to avoid a fight, all so they could win and get to that next payday. They didn't care if the fight wasn't any good. They didn't care about short-changing the fans who bought the tickets... I'm a boxing fan, but I got sick of being fooled by these guys. When you come to any UFC event, you will not get fooled and you will not get short-changed.

I guarantee that you'll experience 'holy shit!' moments, where you're up out of your seat and not believing what you've just seen."

Fear and loathing in las Vegas "I'm scared, man. Any fighter who says otherwise is bullshitting." It's now the day before UFC 146, and Sport is sat opposite Frank Mir, the two-time UFC heavyweight champion. Mir is a 6ft 3ins beast whose surname can translate, in Russian, as 'peace'.

Ironically, he's infamous for breaking the arms of opponents who don't 'tap out' quickly enough for his liking – an approach taught in his favoured discipline of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

"Listen," he explains. "I'm gonna go fight somebody in front of thousands of people tomorrow night against a man who can seriously hurt me – how am I not gonna get nervous at that? I'm courageous not because of the lack of fear, but because of my conduct in the presence of fear."

Across the room, the man whose plan is to knock him unconscious is smiling widely but dogged by the very same demons. "You have to be always careful in this division," says the softly spoken Junior dos Santos. "There is so much power involved as a heavyweight and it

only takes one moment and it – the fight, the title, the career – has gone. My nerves remind me of what I have to do."

Surprisingly, neither man conforms to the psychotic Neanderthal of our imagination, at least not here and now, away from the Octagon. According to White, this is not unusual, given most UFC fighters are "college-educated guys and really good people". Which begs the question: how can they flick the switch between passive and aggressive so easily? This is far harder to explain. "You just do," shrugs Mir. "It's not something you have to think about too much – it kind of just takes care of itself." At this, dos Santos stops smiling: "This is just a job.

You just have to do what is required before they do it to you. I do not want to hurt Frank, just as I don't want to get hurt myself, but this is what I do..."

there will be blood On the morning of UFC 146, Dan 'The Outlaw' Hardy wakes with "a going-to-war-feeling".

The Nottingham-born welterweight recently relocated to Sin City to take advantage of the better training facilities, better sparring partners, better weather and a better bed.

"It genuinely makes a big difference to wake up before a fight in your own bed," he laughs.

Hardy sports an angry red mohawk and perfectly embodies the spirit White talked of previously. If he loses tonight, he'll have >

Zuffa LLC, Markus Boesch/Getty Images

The UFC was born in 1993 (below) but mixed martial arts can be traced right back to Biblical times.

According to Genesis 32 in the first book of the Holy Bible, Jacob wrestled with God at Peniel for an entire night, an encounter that left him with a dislocated hip - for God was a bad-ass on the canvas. For Jacob’s refusal to tap out, God blessed him and bestowed upon him a new name: ‘Israel’ - which apparently translated as ‘I have wrestled with God’. The UFC trace MMA back to 648BC, when the ancient Greeks engaged in Pankration, an Olympic combat sport combining boxing and wrestling.

According to UFC president Dana White, MMA is the oldest sport in civilisation: “Long before a guy threw a ball over a wall or hit it through a circle, there were two men on this earth... one of them threw a punch at the other, and whoever was standing around ran over to watch. That is how it began, before any other sport.”

Silence the irritation with NIVEA FOR MEN Sensitive

PREPARATION IS EVERYTHING

PROUD SUPPLIER OF THE ENGLAND TEAM

NIVEAFORMEN.co.uk

Inside the UFC

Zuffa LLC

Left: Velasquez goes to work on ‘Bigfoot’ Silva.

Above: ‘Stitch’ Duran applies the pressure

posted five defeats in a row, almost unheard of in a sport where it's usually three and out.

But Hardy has survived because he goes to war and puts on a show. "Dan Hardy's 4-and-0 but he's still here, still fighting," said White. "So clearly, we like him. Can he survive if he goes 5-and-0? That, I don't know."

Again, Hardy is angry on the inside but educated and erudite. He got into MMA not because he wanted to prove his manhood, but because, at the age of six, he "saw the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and wanted to be one", then grew to appreciate the focus and discipline it gave him. He reads and understands far more Friedrich Nietzsche than Joey Barton ever will, and he plans to return to university to study literature or philosophy once his UFC days are done – which could be tonight if heavy-hitter Duane 'Bang' Ludwig has his way. "I'm feeling no pressure about this," smiles Hardy. "I feel serene because I've accepted what's coming."

What's coming, in some form or other, is pain. In the UFC, anything that might be broken has been broken a hundred times and more.

Body parts snap, pop, rip and rupture, concussion is only ever a single punch away.

And then there's the blood. "Yeah, the fighters tend to bleed a lot more in UFC than boxing," says Jacob 'Stitch' Duran, the legendary cuts man for the Klitschko brothers who is now on the UFC payroll.

"See that little section of your forehead above your nose," he says. "That can cut real easy. And because of the elbows and knees and the fact it's bone on bone, the cuts go deeper, so you get more blood..."

At that prospect, Hardy simply shrugs.

"You just concentrate on hurting the other guy more than he hurts you. Pain and blood are just inevitable parts of the process."

48 | June 15 2012 |

Down anD out anD over When fight night finally arrives, it takes until the penultimate fight of the night for Stitch's prophecy to come true: American-Mexican heavyweight Cain Velasquez opens the even heavierweight Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva up with an elbow to the head, and within seconds both men are basting in the Brazilian's blood.

By this point, as the men with cloths wipe down the Octagon, Dan Hardy is backstage, beaming. He knocked Ludwig out in the first round to extend his UFC career by who knows how many more fights. When we reach him for a reaction, we must be his 100th post-fight interview, yet he remains as professionally patient as ever. Proving Mir's point, he admits the pre-fight bravado was mixed with bullshit. "Of course I was nervous," he admits. "But you have to project confidence and I always knew if I landed that left hook cleanly... it can knock anyone out.”

Elsewhere, the night's most unlikely winner is revealing the secret of his success. Roy Nelson (right) looks like a hillbilly Santa Claus, a World of Sport throwback with a large, unruly beard, a gargantuan gut and hair he likes to wear in a plait. His fight lasts 51 seconds, until a furious right hand knocks Dave 'Pee-Wee' Herman into next week. When asked afterwards how he summons up such ferocious power, 'Big Country' Nelson makes the motions of a man repeatedly lifting fork to mouth. "A lot of eating," he grins. "You don’t want to miss your mouth."

By now, the main event is under way and, in a few minutes' time, it will end as this piece began, with Junior dos Santos rapping Frank Mir on the head with his closed fist to end UFC 146 – a denouement as surprising to him as for the 15,000 people in the MGM

“See tHat Section aBove your noSe,” SayS cutSman JacoB ‘StitcH’ Duran. “tHat cutS reaL eaSy. anD BecauSe it’S eLBowS anD KneeS anD Bone on Bone, tHe cutS go Deep anD you wiLL get BLooD” Grand. Most depart happy – the fans have

tHe BooK oF ruLeS had their blood and brutality, the fighters all Once a free-for-all for all sizes, the UFC is now split into eight weight divisions, from flyweight up to heavyweight, running at three five-minute rounds for non-championship bouts and five by five for championship – with a minute’s rest between rounds. Fighting styles mix between jiu-jitsu, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing, taekwondo, judo, karate, kung fu, kickboxing and freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.

The end can arrive in various ways: either by submission by physical or verbal tap out, by knockout or technical knockout, by decision via scorecards or by disqualification or forfeit.

Fighters’ gloves weigh at least four ounces and no more than six – compared with eight to 10 ounces in boxing.

lived to fight another day, and even Sport magazine found it wasn't once outraged by the sight of very willing and able fighters beating each other up for money.

But the happiest man of them all will no doubt be Dana White. With UFC 146 beaming live into 150 different countries on pay-perview, you don't need to know the exact figures to do the maths. UFC 147 is scheduled for Brazil at the end of June, 148 returns to Las Vegas on July 7, and the sport drops in on Nottingham at the end of September.

From there, the rapid expansion across the globe will continue, gathering pace as it gobbles up new territories.

As you read this, the UFC president may well be sat in his luxurious office counting another long trail of noughts, looking at his map of the world and wondering if he should add a 'HOLY' to the 'F, U, C and K'.

Royal Ascot

Ryan Moore Age 28 Royal Ascot winners 13 Odds 3/1 Big chance Carlton House (Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Thursday) The three-time champion jockey has been top man at Royal Ascot in the past two years, and currently leads the jockeys’ championship for 2012. His main employer, Sir Michael Stoute, remains in puzzlingly quiet form, but Moore is likely to pick up a strong book of rides for other trainers and may well ride a winner for the Queen when he legs up on Carlton House for Thursday’s Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

However well his week goes, though (and it will most probably go very well) don’t expect to see this ultra-shy horseman smiling too much.

Joseph O’Brien Age 19 Royal Ascot winners 0 Odds 2/1 Big chance Power (St James’s Palace Stakes, Tuesday) The fresh-faced teenage son of all-conquering Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien is by no means the finished article, but he has delivered some stunningly cool rides in big races already this season – his Derby day double aboard St Nicholas Abbey and Camelot was something else, for example, even given the evident superiority of both horses within conveniently small fields. Will have the pick of his father’s horses in many races next week, but lack of experience (young Joseph is yet to ride a Royal Ascot winner) could yet count against him.

It wouldn’t be Royal Ascot without the Racing Post

Johnny Murtagh Age 42 Royal Ascot winners 38 Odds 12/1 Big chance Saddler’s Rock (Ascot Gold Cup, Thursday) The 42-year-old Murtagh may now be classed a veteran, but few current jockeys can boast anything like the kind of record he has at this track. Top dog at the meeting three times in the past decade, and will always be remembered for his high-profile rides aboard all-time Gold Cup legend Yeats – but many of Murtagh’s best moments came as stable jockey to Aidan O’Brien. Since giving up that position 18 months ago, he no longer brings a deep book of rides to the meeting – as such, he may struggle to challenge this time round. >

ROYAL ASCOT

| June 15 2012 | 51

Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images

Top of the jocks

From wonderhorse Frankel to the Australian supermare Black Caviar, this year’s Royal Ascot promises a feast of equine brilliance – but behind the animals lies a fiercely competitive battle to be crowned the meeting’s top jockey. Sport takes a look at six of the main contenders

Royal Ascot

Tuesday > Royal Ascot | BBC & At The Races 2pm

Age 39 Royal Ascot winners 26 Odds 3/1 Big chance Sir Prancealot (Coventry Stakes, Tuesday or Norfolk Stakes, Thursday) One of the tallest but most stylish pilots in the weighing room, Hughes owes his prominence in the betting for top jockey to his position as stable jockey to veteran trainer Richard Hannon. He can no longer rely upon the great Canford Cliffs – three times a winner at Royal Ascot from as many runs – to get him off the mark, but his boss always rocks up to the royal meeting with a whole bunch of talented juveniles and Hughes will be on most of them.

Traditionally stronger at Glorious Goodwood, mind.

William Buick Age 23 Royal Ascot winners 3 Odds 12/1 Big chance Nathaniel, above (Hardwicke Stakes, next Saturday) He may still have to carry his passport around with him to get into pubs, but don’t be fooled by Buick’s youthful visage – this lad is one of the strongest jockeys in the country and is in stunning form at the moment. As stable jockey to the powerful string of multi-Classic winner John Gosden, the 23-year-old Norwegian-born rider should definitely add to his three winners at the royal meeting next week – but can he add sufficiently to them to challenge for top honours? Only time will tell.

oyal Ascot is always special, but the 2012 jamboree will be doubly so because the two best horses in the world will be lining up in Berkshire.

Unfortunately they won’t be racing against each other – but that won’t bother racing fans, who are likely turn up in droves to watch Frankel open proceedings in the Queen Anne Stakes with Paul Kealy of on Tuesday. Unbeaten in 10 starts, he’ll be a short price to make the Racing Post it 11, but few are seriously considering defeat.

Talking of short prices, Australians are used to seeing their sprint queen Black Caviar go off at odds like 1/50; so they’re sure to consider likely odds of around 1/3 as buying money when she turns up next Saturday for a bit of Pom-bashing in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes. In their view, she only has to turn up to win. Given she’s compiled an unbeaten run of 21 and never yet looked like being defeated, it’s hard to argue.

Neither of those two are going to win you much money, though, and for bets at a working man’s price you’re better off turning to the big handicaps. James Fanshawe has always been the

Expert view

R

Age 41 Royal Ascot winners 45 Odds 16/1 Big chance Opinion Poll (Ascot Gold Cup, Thursday) The undoubted king of Ascot and still the most famous jockey in the world, Dettori has ridden more winners at the royal meeting than any other man still in the saddle. Much was made of his absence from both the Oaks and the Derby at Epsom earlier this month, but he has responded with some fine rides in the royal blue of his employers Godolphin and should never be discounted at his favourite track.

May not end up top jockey, but will always be the undoubted fans’ favourite.

man to follow in big races on the straight course, and he has the first two in the betting for the Royal Hunt Cup (Wednesday) in Primaeval and Dimension.

The former has been raised by the handicapper for an easy win at Goodwood, so looks to be up against it, but Dimension, who should have won at Lingfield on his prep, is a major player.

He won easily at Ascot late last season and has reportedly improved dramatically since being gelded over the winter.

In next Saturday’s Wokingham it might be worth taking a chance on outsider Medicean Man, who has stacks of winning Ascot form and has tumbled down to a winning handicap mark.

This track brings out the best in him and if his trainer can return him to form he’ll go close.

The Ascot Gold Cup is the highlight of Ladies Day (Thursday) and has been farmed in recent seasons by Aidan O’Brien, for whom Fame And Glory will be bidding for a double after coasting to victory 12 months ago . But he faces a serious challenge in Colour Vision, a horse who hammered Melbourne Cup second Red Cadeaux at Kempton on his seasonal reappearance.

The runner-up won a Group 2 next time, before finishing second in the Coronation Cup at Epsom – so the form is rock solid, and Colour Vision looks the value bet at around 7/1.

Download the Racing Post App for a successful Royal Ascot 52 | June 15 2012 |

Frankie Dettori

Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images

Richard Hughes

Your bets mate for Royal Ascot.

Bet anywhere with our smashing app.

Cards. Form. Analysis. Tips.

It makes choosing a horse and betting on it a doddle.

Your bets mate 18+ Please gamble responsibly. www.gambleaware.co.uk Prices correct as of June 7, 2011

Advertising feature

SupporTing a naTion

T

he great thing about major-tournament football is that, regardless of a team’s first result, there is still all to play for in game two of the group stages. So, when England run out to play Sweden in Kiev tonight, they do so knowing that glory is still within their grasp.

That doesn’t just refer to Roy Hodgson and his team, though, because one of the enduring truths about football in this proud old nation of ours is that it means just as much to the people as it does to the men who step out on to the pitch with the Three Lions on their chest.

“There is a bond between football and fans in this country,” says Steve Claridge, who has travelled to

54 | June 15 2012 |

From the england manager to all the fans back home, Vauxhall, the england team Sponsor, are helping to create a nation united behind its team this summer – isn’t it about time you got involved?

Poland and Ukraine this summer to provide expert (and often entertaining) analysis for Vauxhall Football TV. “Football provides us all with another identity, and you know what? I am proud to be English. We live in a fair-minded and decent country; but, from a sporting perspective, I don’t think we should underestimate what people around the world think of us as a footballing nation.”

on the ground It’s now over a week since Claridge and his Vauxhall Football TV co-presenter Andy Friedlander arrived in Poland, since when they have been broadcasting daily updates – featuring all the latest

news and views from behind the scenes of the big tournament. You can still catch his analysis of England’s opening display against France online at www.vauxhallfootball.co.uk/england2012 – but the former striker is keen to point out that Vauxhall Football TV isn’t just about the action.

“I’m hoping it’s going to come back as though we’re having lots of fun out there,” he told us before departing. “There will be analysis of the games, of course, but we also want to give the fans some idea of what it’s like out there – and, importantly, a truly balanced idea. This is not your average package holiday, and we want to reflect that; so we’ll be giving an idea of the feeling around the tournament, what

the vauxhall england 2012 experience Head online now, to www.vauxhallfootball.co.uk/england2012, and you can keep up with all the latest news, views and insights following England in Poland/Ukraine. This features regular news updates from talkSPORT, whose official coverage of every game is being sponsored by Vauxhall.

1

2

For anyone wanting genuine insight from Poland and Ukraine, tune in to regular broadcasts from Vauxhall Football TV. Expert pundit Steve Claridge – not a man short on opinion – joins presenter Andy Friedlander as they go behind the scenes. And that’s not all ‑ keep an eye out for appearances from Roy Hodgson, Wayne Rooney, Scott Parker and Steven Gerrard.

Don’t forget to catch up with all the latest from the talkSPORT Drive team’s video diary. Goughy, Durham and the boys have now made it to Poland – via a number of stop‑offs and a beer or two – but you can still see all the trials and tribulations they had getting there. And don’t worry: neither of them drove.

3

1

2

3

For all the latest news and insight from Vauxhall Football TV, head to...

www.vauxhallfootball.co.uk/england2012 our reception has been like and what we make of the countries themselves.

“Major tournaments now aren’t just about the football. It’s about getting involved, interacting with other fans from different countries and just getting on with people.”

A PlACE FOR THE FAnS For the England fans out in Ukraine, there will be few better places at which to do just that than the Vauxhall England Fan Hubs. Vauxhall are setting one up on the day before and day of each group game England are playing in either Donetsk or Kiev – it’s a great opportunity for the fans to come together before each game, just as those of us back in Blighty will be doing as we prepare for each big game.

“I’m not saying we should win this cup, but we should certainly be competitive – and be a team that others respect,” says Claridge when asked about England’s chances. Whatever happens, one thing is for certain – the nation will continue to get behind them until the very last.

‘There is a bond between football and fans in this country,’ says Claridge

| 55

Euan Burton

a l c i t c Ta do wn e k a t Middleweight judoka Euan Burton is Team GB’s best hope of a medal on the mats in London. We chat to the 33-year-old Scot currently ranked 13th in the world You’ve likened your sport to chess before – what are the similarities?

“It’s an aggressive game of physical chess.

What they mean is that what the other person does directly affects what you have to do. When you have two hands on someone, you’re having to make very quick decisions – as much as it’s a hugely physical sport, it can also be very tactical, and in chess you have to be very reactive to your opponent.”

Toru Yamanaka/AFP/Getty Images

So is there that chess-like element of planning moves in advance?

“There’s certainly some of that, particularly for me in the ne-waza, the groundwork part of the game. In groundwork, you can be fairly sure if you do one move one way how the person might react. So, like in chess, you can almost do one thing to make your partner react another way and then you go back to the original thing you were doing – and then you’ve arm-locked them.”

Do you train for that side of things the way you train your body for the physical aspects?

“Yeah, as well as being physically aware and physically developed, there’s also being tactically aware and developed. Part of that is knowing what makes other athletes tick.

There are a huge amount of intricate tactical tools at your disposal, but just like you have to fine-tune your body, you have to fine-tune your ability to make good tactical decisions.”

56 | June 15 2012 |

So there’s physical conditioning, plus a tactical side – sounds like you’d be the perfect chess boxer?

“Well, I do love boxing – but I’ve never boxed.

I’ve a few friends who are pretty successful boxers and I do find the characters – and the kind of purity of the sport of boxing – very intriguing. I used to play a bit of chess with my dad and my brother when I was a kid, but I don’t think I was particularly great.

So it’s probably not the best career move...”

A sad loss to a noble sport. Have you ever had to use your judo skills in real life?

“I probably used a little of my strength developed through judo because, for a couple of years when I was much younger, I worked as a bouncer – which I hated. It was a means to an end, it gave me enough money to train and that kind of thing. But no, I’ve never really had to use my judo skills in the real world. Perhaps when I’m fighting for the TV controller with my girlfriend – but she’s a judo player too, so it’s a tough fight!”

Who are your sporting heroes?

“When I was younger, in judo, it was Neil Adams. He’s a huge inspiration to a lot of judo players of my generation. I played a bit of basketball, not to any level, but I enjoyed watching people like Michael Jordan – people who have massive ability, but also

you can tell have put in the hard work as well. As far as Olympic sport goes, you can’t look past a fellow Scot like Chris Hoy – what he’s doing at 36 is phenomenal.”

Can you emulate him and win Olympic gold?

“I know I can. But I don’t know I will. That’s sport for you – there are no guarantees.

But I know I have the capability of winning the tournament and that’s what I’m going there to do. But there are a huge amount of variables in judo, and it’s not one of those sports where someone wins every single tournament back to back. But I’m going there with the intent to win.”

Who are you going to need to take down if you want to do that?

“I wish I could say there was only one or two.

Unfortunately, in the middleweight men’s judo, there are quite a few. Travis Stevens of America is very strong; Elnur Mammadli, the Azerbaijani, is very strong; and Leandro Guilheiro the Brazilian is ranked number one in the world. There’s a wide, strong playing field out there... I just hope I can find the belief to plough through it.”

Amit Katwala @amitkatwala Follow Euan Burton and the Sky Sports Scholars on Sky Sports News and at skysports.com/scholarships

42 Days to go

Focus 2012

Weightlifting

THE VENUE Another sport that’s set to wow the crowds inside London’s vast ExCel Centre. Nothing more to see here.

THE EVENT A grand total of 15 medal events (eight men’s and seven women’s weight categories) should be enough to keep weightlifting fans satisfied at the Olympics.

Each event requires athletes to complete two types of lift: the snatch and the clean and jerk, with lifters allowed three attempts at each on a four-by-four-metre platform, raised 10cm off the floor. The athlete who lifts the highest combined total walks away with the top prize.

The snatch involves lifting the barbell from the floor to above the head with arms locked, in one smooth movement. It requires excellent balance, core stability, flexibility in the shoulders and explosive power in the legs to generate enough upward momentum to snatch a hefty weight overhead.

There are two phases to the clean and jerk.

First, the barbell is lifted explosively from the floor on to the front of the shoulders.

The second phase requires lifters to propel the barbell upwards with arms locked and the body aligned.

The competition starts with each athlete naming the weight they will lift to begin,

58 | June 15 2012 |

with the lowest taking their turn first and therefore the favourites often being the last to enter the competition. As soon as the bar is raised above an athlete’s knee, the lift is counted as one attempt and is judged by three referees who penalise athletes for illegal or incorrect technique. They’re also the ones who decide when to press the buzzer that tells the athlete their lift has been successful, and that they can put the bloody thing down now.

In the event of a draw, it’s the lifter with the lowest bodyweight who is declared the winner.

TEAM GB’S PROGRESS “We had many athletes who put their names in the frame for Olympic selection, with some very good performances during the Olympic qualifying period,” says Fiona Lothian, British Weight Lifting performance manager.

“We had only five spots available to us, so there were going to be some disappointed athletes out there. But we’re confident that the athletes we have picked will make the most of the chance to compete at an Olympic Games.”

WEIGHTLIFTING AT LONDON 2012 DATEs July 28-August 7 CApACITy 6-10,000 HOW TO GET THErE DLR, bus

GB hopeful

Zoe Smith

When British Weight Lifting temporarily removed her funding in December 2010, claiming she was ‘overweight’, Zoe Smith hit the gym hard and proved them wrong...

The Greenwich-born athlete was rocked by the governing body’s decision, but has put all that behind her in her attempt to qualify for the Olympics. At the World Championships last November, she returned from six months out with a back injury to record two personal bests, smashing the Olympic ‘B’ standard.

In April this year she went one better at the European Championships, achieving the ‘A’ standard but narrowly missing out on a podium place. At the British Senior Championships in May, Smith all but secured her Olympic place with a second ‘A’ standard performance, leaving her looking forward to big things this summer. “Now I’m looking at it realistically, I could have a shot at medals,” she said. “It’s a bit crazy really.”

AGE IN 2012 18 MEDAL RECORD Commonwealth Games bronze (2010)

Warren Little/Getty Images, Tom Shaw/Getty Images

From the slow walk to the bar to the chalking of palms and beast-like noises before a lift, weightlifting is sheer drama

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

JUNE HIGHLIGHTS 15-JUNE 21 » Rugby Union: South Africa v England » p62 » Cricket: England v West Indies ODI » p64 » Rugby League: England v The Exiles » p65 » Rowing: Samsung World Cup III » p66 » Best of the Rest » p66

Night rider Two-time winner Allan McNish talks us through a drivers’ day at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, which takes place this weekend

“It’s usually a 6.30am wake-up on race day.

The 9am warm-up is the final run the drivers have before the start to get the feeling of the track on that day. There’s a small period when we can have some lunch, and then various official things like the historic run from one side of the circuit to the car. Okay, we don’t jump in the car and drive off like they used to in the 1960s, but they still do that aspect of it.

60 | June 15 2012 |

An hour before the race, you do a warm-up lap and position the car on the grid. From a driver’s point of view, you make sure you’ve got enough fluid on board, and you have your last banana or bit of yoghurt. Then maybe 10 or 15 minutes before 3pm, you start with the pace car laps; at that point you’re basically preparing for the start, making sure the brakes and tyres are up to temperature.

At 3pm on the dot [2pm UK time] the race starts. The length of that first stint depends on strategy, but it’s normally up to about three and a half hours. If you’re slow at the start, you won’t win. The races are not necessarily won in the first hour, but they can be lost.

When you get out of the car, you have a debrief with the engineer for a few minutes, then off to get changed and shower – and go to see the physio for some massage if you’ve got any aches or pains. You have to be ready roughly an hour before you get back into the

car again, so by the time you’ve done all these things there’s not really much time to relax.

You’re always depleting your energy – it’s a constant reduction of the fuel tank all the way through to the end.

If you’re in the car at around 10pm, then you get the sun coming down, and at a couple of points on the circuit it’s right in your eyes, and blinds you for a second or two. You’re doing 185mph at the time, so you have to account for that. The harder thing is, for example, if you start the race in bright sunshine at 3pm. You get out at 6.30pm, and then when you get back in it’s maybe 1am – so you’ve gone from complete daylight to dark.

If you’re winning, it’s complete and utter relief when you see the chequered flag coming down. You know it’s the last lap – it’s 3pm on Sunday and it is probably one of the best feelings you can have as a racing driver, because you’ve done it – you’ve conquered one of the biggest races in the world.”

Jean-Francois Monier/AFP/Getty Images

SATURDAY MOTORSPORT | 24 HOURS OF LE MANS | BRITISH EUROSPORT 1 2PM (AND BRITISH EUROSPORT 2 FROM 7PM)

7 Days Saturday Rugby union | South AfRicA v EnglAnd | cocA-colA PARk, JohAnnESbuRg | Sky SPoRtS 2 4Pm

Former South Africa captain John Smit said last week that England will have no better chance of beating the Springboks than in the first Test in Durban, thanks to the Boks’ relative lack of preparation, recent Super XV exploits and the comfortable sea level conditions.

Well, one 22-17 defeat later, and England are definitely facing an uphill battle – in every sense of the word – to turn this Test series around, because round two takes place 1,753m above sea level in the intimidating Coca-Cola Park in Johannesburg.

It’s not all bad news, though.

England were far from outplayed last week, and for the most part dealt well with the power of the Springboks – Willem Alberts

THE ENGLAND TEAM SPONSOR

WE’RE NOT JUST SUPPORTING A TEAM. WE’RE SUPPORTING A NATION. vauxhallfootball.co.uk/England2012

WARRANTY 100,000 MILE

Vauxhall Lifetime Warranty covers lifetime ownership of first car owner, 100,000 mile limit, annual check required. The warranty excludes wear & tear and serviceable items and the vehicle must be serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s servicing schedule to continue the lifetime warranty. Terms and conditions apply. Offer available to all Vauxhall passenger cars (this offer does not apply to car derived vans). For more information contact your local Vauxhall Retailer or visit www.vauxhall.co.uk/warranty

62 | June 15 2012 |

Alexander Joe/AFP/Getty Images

The only way is up

and Francois Steyn caused headaches – and their kick-andchase game.

The forwards competed at every breakdown and kept the tackles and turnover balls coming, with Tom Johnson, Mouritz Botha and Chris Robshaw (who alone contributed 21 tackles and four turnovers) particularly impressive.

The problem is that England’s back line needs to use the ball better. The kick-chase needs to improve markedly, because South Africa’s back three had way too much time to counter-attack and return kicks (with interest), while the likely selection of Jonathan Joseph (at the time of writing) could add a spark of creativity.

The youngster opened the Boks up in his brief cameo last week, and tore the Barbarians apart on home soil a few weeks before. If England are to pluck a win out of thin air, JJ is the man for the job.

7 Days

Killer

season

Gayle breezes in The West Indies top order has been dismally weak throughout the recent Test series against England, so for the three one-day internationals they have beefed up their squad by adding the biggest muscles in cricket. Former captain Chris Gayle, who hasn’t played for the Windies for 14 months after falling out with the cricket board, has built a few bridges and arrives fresh for action after a destructive display in the Indian Premier League.

Gayle was the IPL 2012’s highest run scorer (733) and greediest six-launcher (59), all at an average above 60 and with a strike rate of more than 160. Even more impressively, Gayle actually reined himself in early on in games, displaying a new-found patience for the opening over (at least).

If he can maintain such control for the West Indies – and bearing in mind all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron

DEXTER® © 2012 Showtime Networks Inc. All rights reserved. SHOWTIME and related marks are registered trademarks of Showtime Networks Inc., a CBS Company. © 2012 CBS Studios Inc. CBS and related marks are trademarks of CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. TM, ® & © by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

64 | June 15 2012 |

Pollard arrive with him – it will mean England face a stern test in the upcoming limited-overs matches.

The hosts’ task isn’t helped, of course, by the fact that their own box-office batsman has retired from all but Test cricket.

Captain Alastair Cook will be scratching his bonce and wondering exactly how you fill a Kevin Pietersen-shaped hole in your batting line-up. Whoever now opens alongside Cook, hopes may fall on the sublimely talented Eoin Morgan rediscovering his batting mojo for England. There will be a number of batsmen under the microscope, as the search to find a settled line-up is on before Australia arrive later this month.

Weather permitting, the Hampshire public can dispense with umbrellas and look forward to a competitive match. Though if Gayle is back in the starting XI, they may be advised to bring their hard hats along.

128

Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images, Action Images/Craig Brough

CatCh Dexter’s most

SATURDAY CrICKET | EnGLAnD v WEsT InDIEs: 1sT ODI | AGEAs BOWL, HAMPsHIrE | sKy sPOrTs 1 10.30AM

Chris Gayle’s highest score in the 2012 IPL, coming from just 62 balls

SATURDAY RUGBY LEAGUE | EnGLAnd v ThE ExiLEs | LAnGTREE PARK, sT hELEns | sKY sPoRTs 2 6.45Pm

PREPARE FOR JUDGEMENT DAY INCLUDES EXCLUSIVE DEXTER ARTCARDS

England cast mates aside It’s ‘mate v mate’ as rugby league’s 2012 International Origin Series gets under way on Saturday, with England taking on the Exiles at Langtree Park, St Helens.

The concept of the national team pitting themselves against the best Australian, New Zealand and South Sea Island players in the Stobart Super League was born last year with a one-off game. The Exiles won that one 16-12, thanks to a last-gasp try from Wigan’s George Carmon.

This year, with no autumn Tri-Nations series, it was decided to have two Origin games to help prepare England for the 2013 World Cup. They promise to be feisty affairs, with many club mates ranged against each other.

New Zealand World Cup winner Lance Hohaia will find himself taking on St Helens teammate James Roby, while Huddersfield Giants hooker David Faiumu (above) is no doubt relishing the chance to go head to head with fellow Giants Danny Brough, Eorl Crabtree and Leroy Cudjoe.

“I love the concept of testing England with an Exiles squad,” said Faiumu. “It’s a great event for English fans to witness and can only benefit the sport over here.

“I had the best time in camp with the squad last year, and I am really happy to make the 22-man squad again this year. It would be fantastic to pull on that Exiles shirt again.”

Many overseas players give up their chance for international honours when they move to Super League, and Faiumu is in no doubt how important being selected for the Exiles is.

“For me, it is a great chance to get back into the limelight, and and it will be a proud moment to represent the Exiles,” he added. “I am also representing my family back home, and it’s a great chance for them to see me playing representative rugby league again.”

The second International Origin match will take place at the Galpharm Stadium in Huddersfield on Wednesday July 4.

Tickets for both matches can be purchased through the RFL Ticket office on 0844 856 1113 or by visiting rugbyleaguetickets.co.uk

| 65

SEASON 6 MISSED ANYTHING? CATCH UP WITH SEASONS

1-5 NOW AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY AND DVD

OUT MONDAY ON BLU-RAY & DVD Free Super Saver Delivery and Unlimited Free One-Day Delivery with Amazon Prime are available. Terms and Conditions apply. See Amazon.co.uk for details.

7 Days

Lake wars The season’s third and final Rowing World Cup takes place in Munich this weekend, with GB’s rowers looking for strong displays before they head into the first of their two pre-Games training camps.

For Olympic lightweight double scull champions Mark Hunter and Zac Purchase (below), Munich is a chance to show their sixth place in Lucerne last time out was no cause for concern, while the men’s eight will look to build on their silver medal from last month’s regatta.

The men’s four of Alex Gregory, Peter Reed, Tom James and Andrew Triggs-Hodge have taken gold at both the World Cups so far this season, setting a world record in Lucerne. But the Australians are never far off, and it took a surge over the last 150m from the Brits to ensure first place in Switzerland.

Time to do it all again in Munich.

66 | June 15 2012 |

BEST OF THE REST

FRIDAY

TENNIS AEGON Classic Quarter Finals, Edgbaston Priory Club, Birmingham, British Eurosport 12.10pm CRICKET Friends Life T20: Warwickshire v Worcestershire, Edgbaston, Sky Sports 2 5pm

SUNDAY TENNIS AEGON Championships Final, Queen’s Club, British Eurosport 2 2.15pm CRICKET Friends Life T20: Somerset v Northamptonshire, County Ground, Sky Sports 1 2.30pm

GOLF US Open Day 2, Olympic Club, San Francisco, Sky Sports 1 5pm

GOLF US Open Day 4, Olympic Club, San Francisco, Sky Sports 1 8pm

BASEBALL MLB: Chicago Cubs v Boston, Wrigley Field, ESPN America 7pm

FOOTBALL MLS: Chicago Fire v NY Red Bulls, Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Illinois, ESPN 10pm

RUGBY UNION Fiji v Scotland, Churchill Park, Lautoka, ESPN 3am

MONDAY

SATURDAY

BASEBALL MLB: NY Yankees v Atlanta, Yankee Stadium, ESPN 12am

RUGBY UNION New Zealand v Ireland, Rugby Park, Sky Sports 2 8.35am

WEDNESDAY

RUGBY UNION Australia v Wales, Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, Sky Sports 2 11.05am TENNIS AEGON Championships Semi Finals, Queen’s Club, British Eurosport 2 1pm FOOTBALL MLS: Houston Dynamo v FC Dallas, BBVA Compass Stadium, ESPN 10pm

BOXING Prizefighter: Heavyweights, York Hall, London, Sky Sports 1 9pm

THURSDAY CRICKET Friends Life T20: Middlesex v Essex, Lord's, Sky Sports 1 6pm GOLF Travelers Championship Day One, TPC River Highlands, Connecticut, Sky Sports 1 8pm

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

SUNDAY ROWING | SAMSUNG WORLD ROWING CUP III | MUNICH | BBC TWO 11AM

Advertising feature

Keep calm and support the team How England have silenced a long-standing irritation f we asked you for a list of things regularly associated with Sweden, it would usually produce quite a positive list. After all, Sweden has given the world meatballs, Vikings, enjoyably cheesy pop music, one likeable England manager and several alluring Bond girls. What’s not to love about our European cousins?

Well, for England football fans, there’s the minor irritant that the Swedish football team were once upon a time so tricky to defeat.

England have regularly met tonight’s opponents in friendlies, qualifiers and major international tournaments – and, while the majority of games ended evenly in draws between the two sides (and the rivalry is a very friendly one), the Swedes, for a while, just proved themselves a difficult team to actually record a win against.

*Source IRI Dat, 22nd May 2012

I

Change of fortune That all changed in 2011 however, as the Three Lions plucked that Swedish thorn from their paw. England deservedly bested Sweden 1-0 in November, in a one-sided match to end their Scandinavian frustration for good. This is excellent news. It means that the England team can go into tonight’s match filled with optimism – plus we can all now sit in our affordable wooden furniture, eating our meatballs, without any irritating thoughts cropping up.

On top of this, the national team also have a winning record against their final group opponents. England have three

victories and one loss against the Ukraine in the four matches that have taken place between the two sides since 2000.

We’re not saying that progress from the group is therefore plain sailing, but it should fill the minds of all England supporters with positive thoughts ahead of these two crucial games over the next five days.

Smooth operator However, while your state of mind should now be calmed where football is concerned, you need to take measures to prepare your skin. Stress, shaving and the fluctuating British weather that we laughably refer to as ‘summer’ can play havoc with sensitive skin, causing dryness and irritation. Thankfully, NIVEA FOR MEN – the UK’s no.1 for male facial skincare* – have the perfect solution for your daily routine.

Start by cleansing with the non-drying Sensitive Face Wash, then feel your razor glide over your face, protected by the Sensitive Shaving Gel. Follow this with the Sensitive Post Shave Balm that soothes and provides lasting moisturisation for your face.

There’s something for every step of your preparation in the NIVEA FOR MEN range – so now that your skin is sorted, you can focus entirely on supporting the England team this week. We can hardly wait.

www.NIVEAFORMEN.co.uk

Extra time Gadgets

P72 Man-eating shark or Roy Scheider’s tan – we’re not sure which is scarier

Making the most of your time and money

The future of television Meet OLED TV, the greatest thing to hit your living room since those sofas with ejectable footrests

LG 55EM960V 55” OLED TV Like your cassette Walkman, your VCR and your Palm Pilot, your flatscreen TV is now painfully out of date. Sorry about that. Don’t fret, though – the future looks pretty damn good. The latest in image projection is OLED, which stands for organic light-emitting diode. It’s tech that’s been used in phones and tablets for a while, but this is the first TV to make the leap. It means an incredibly vivid picture and super-sharp contrast, as well as a ludicrously thin screen – just 4mm.

It’s so petite, in fact, that there’s no room for any of the usual inputs and stuff to go on the back, so they sit in a separate box under the screen itself.

LG predict that, in a few years, everyone will have one of these – but there’s a hefty price tag if you want to stay ahead of the curve. If you still think we’re yanking your chain about a 4mm screen (we would never do such a thing), you can see the set for yourself at John Lewis or Harrods from July, when they will also be available to pre-order for delivery in time for Christmas. Only Fools and Horses has never looked so good. £8,000 | lg.com/uk

68 | June 15 2012 |

It’s pencil-thin: a mindboggling 4mm (to scale)

Y

es, this is Geena Mullins. And yes, you have seen her on these pages before.

But now she’s upgraded her spurious sporting connection, and we thought her worthy of a repeat appearance.

For as well as being the younger sister of lower-league journeyman defender John Mullins (Reading, Kidderminster, Mansfield, Stockport and now Rotherham), the fluent-in-Romanian glamour model is also the girlfriend of recent QPR trialist Jacob Mellis. That would be the same Jacob Mellis who was until recently on Chelsea’s books, but parted company with the Blues ‘by mutual consent’ after setting off a smoke grenade and causing a full-scale evacuation at their Cobham training base back in March.

Can you blame him? We’d probably be setting off nuclear reactors in our down time if we were walking around with Geena here on our arm.

Piotr Stryjewski/Lipstick Syndication

70 | June 15 2012 |

Smoke Geenade

Extra time Geena Mullins

| 71

Extra time Entertainment

Take a bite

GAME

The world’s gone upside down, Fiona Apple is back and she’s angry, but at least the Fixers are here to help out MUSIC

The Idler Wheel... Fiona Apple

FILM

Gravity Rush (PS Vita) Study the image above for more than three seconds and you will quickly grasp the USP of the PS Vita’s latest oeuvre. It’s an open-world adventure in which a girl called Kat and a cat called Dusty embark on a voyage to uncover her past to protect her future, while the world around

BOOK

crumbles to the ground. Cleverly, they have the power to alter and reorient gravity, so walls become floors and floors walls as they float above the rooftops while protecting their people from the gravity storm and evading the evil Nevi monsters. Yup, it’s weird alright, but exhilaratingly so.

MUSIC

Kick-Ass 2

Braquo Series 2

Sequel to Mark Millar’s acclaimed black comedy sees hapless vigilante Kick-Ass back in action while profane 10-yearold Hit Girl tries to live in peace (if only the evil c**ts would leave her alone). It all ends in a bloody superhero battle that puts the Avengers to shame. Out now.

Billed as ‘the French Wire’ (isn’t every series ‘the someplace Wire’, now?) this drama is full of enjoyably outrageous violence and renegade cops. Out on Monday – and as a boxset with the first series, if you didn’t catch that – it’s a filthy world well worth your swilling around in.

Jaws

We’ll Be The Moon Fixers

Steven Spielberg’s defining film (a massive call, as he also gave us Jurassic Park II and Hook) returns, pristinely cleaned up, so that we can all enjoy a perfect suspense thriller on the big screen. Jaws, like Alien four years later, is superbly subtle with its scares, keeping the big beast largely off screen but terrifying with a sudden shot of a fin, blood in the water, a look of horror on a swimmer’s face or that iconic musical score. In cinemas from today – with a Blu-ray release due in September.

Getting a CD release next week after its download debut earlier in June, this psychedelic pop album from Oxford’s Fixers is one of the few hot things about the British summer so far. The overlapping melodies are – quite openly – a bit Brian Wilson, but at least the band have their own catchy tunes rather than pinching them from the old Beach Boy. Damn infectious they are, too.

72 | June 15 2012 |

DVD

Scott Wintrow/Getty Images

Sorry, we must have drifted off. Because a decade ago, we could swear Miss Apple sat alongside Snorah Jones as an easy-listening queen. Yet here she is, in 2012, producing an album of stark brilliance. Despite the rich timbre of her voice, Apple sounds pretty furious here, forcing lyrics such as “every single night’s a fight with my brain” past her teeth with effort. Ignore the loopy title (it’s 23 words in total), this Monday release offers minimalist music and maximum impact. Well worth waking up for.

THE ORIGINAL SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER IS BACK Digitally Restored

“A Master Class In Popcorn Cinema” Esquire

12A

ROBERT SHAW RICHARD ROY SCHEIDER DREYFUSS Co-starring LORRAINE GARY MURRAY HAMILTON A ZANUCK/BROWN PRODUCTION Screenplay by PETER BENCHLEY and CARL GOTTLIEB Based on the novel by PETER BENCHLEY Music by JOHN WILLIAMS Directed by STEVEN SPIELBERG Produced by RICHARD D. ZANUCK and DAVID BROWN A UNIVERSAL PICTURE

IN CINEMAS NOW AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER ON

NOW

ç©1975 Universal City Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.ç ©2012 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Extra time Grooming the travel set

Pots of gold

Niven & Joshua Shave Cream Kit

Be they of the poster paint or pirate variety, you could sail the seven seas and do well to find better

Relive the joys of assorted poster paints with this travel set of four shave creams (white tea, lavender, verbena lime and

almond) and four aftershave creams of the same, er, flavour.

Tempting though it was to see what paint tastes like – and, let’s be honest, we all did it – we don’t recommend you do the same with these, superb though they each smell. Each screw-fasten pot is good for two shaves that

will leave your skin feeling soft and smooth. They will also likely leave you wishing you could stick your own mush up on the fridge next to some of your finest work from yesteryear.

We may not know art. But we know what we like. nivenandjoshua.com

£20 for eight x 8ml

the shave cream

the haIr mOIstUrIser stUff

The Bluebeards Revenge Luxury Shaving Cream

Kingfisher Medium Hold UVA/B Shielding Wax and Fish Freezer Frozen Firm Texturising Cream

If, after ignoring our advice (above), you end up cracking the paints out anyway, you might find yourself with a blue beard. A simple solution, then – take your own revenge with this premium shave cream. It contains decelerine, which helps reduce beard growth and aids your skin’s recovery from the razor. Be a Desperate Dan lookalike no more. bluebeards-revenge.co.uk £9.99 for 100ml

74 | June 15 2012 |

Two more pots of nauticalthemed gold from the Fish, er, men. Born out of the Fish Hairshop in London’s Soho, the Kingfisher Medium Hold UVA/B Shielding Wax is designed to help you mould, style, preen and protect your hair from every element known to man. It also contains emollient oils to add sheen and prevent your hair from drying out, and lanolin, which softens your barnet. Second, more subtle than a wax, the Fish Freezer Fishshape Frozen Firm Texturising Cream not only uses more F-words than Gordon Ramsay, but it’s also ideal for defining short to mid-length hair with chunky, choppy styles. boots.com

the bOdy scrUb £5.99 for 100ml

£6.12 for 100ml

VitaMan Sea Salt Body Scrub Sea salt from the Australian coast, a blend of finely crushed nutshells and aloe vera gel all feature in a natural, gentle exfoliant that is ideal for removing dead skin cells, daily grime and dirt. It also contains lemon myrtle oil, with anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties that help cleanse and protect the skin. We’re not sure Davy Jones would have it in his locker, but you should probably have a tub like this in yours. vitamangrooming.co.uk £39.25 for 300g

Extra time Kit

Pack of all trades

1

2

3

4

5

6

Whether climbing a mountain, running a marathon or just heading to the local park, this lot should have you covered

1 Converse Stuff It Backpack One for the more casual sports enthusiasts, this will ferry your gym gear around with the maximum of cool and the minimum of fuss. And the best news is the padded strap means you can ‘one strap’ like the cool kids without causing your shoulder too much pain. £30 | size.co.uk

2 The North Face Enduro Plus Hydration Pack With a two-litre bladder for drinking water, exterior mesh pocket for storing extra kit and trekking pole attachments just some of the handy features on offer, this is the ideal piece for all you ultra-marathon runners out there. You crazy, crazy people. £110 | thenorthface.com/eu

3 Craghoppers Active Backpack Another choice from the lower end of the price scale, but Craghoppers’ offering comes with all the bells and whistles* you’d expect. A hydration bladder, airflow foam back, masses of storage and space for walking poles are all crammed into this 15-litre bag. £40 | craghoppers.com (*doesn’t come with any bells or whistles)

4 Rohan Stravaig 28 Rucksack The ‘28’ part of this Rohan rucksack’s name cleverly hints at its 28-litre capacity. Cleverer still is the Stravaig bit, however, which is taken from Scottish dialect and means ‘to wander aimlessly’. So next time you’re doing exactly that, be sure to take this bright number with the water-resistant cover with you. £65 | rohan.co.uk

5 Eureka! Swish Daypack A helmet attachment, water-holding mesh pockets and reflective webbing – and thus increased visibility – make this the perfect pack for climbing a mountain.

To be fair, we’ve never actually climbed a mountain. But if we were going to, we’d take this with us. So there. £46 | eurekaeurope.com

6 Osprey Talon II 33 Backpack This super-lightweight bag is designed to grip your body while allowing your back to breathe, thus avoiding those horrible sticky-back moments the warm weather brings. A support harness and hip belt allow for further adjustment, enabling maximum comfort no matter how long the trek. £85 | cotswoldoutdoor.com

76 | June 15 2012 |