Sport magazine issue 305

Issue 305 | May 17 2013

Fergie’s Final challenge mm

The future of Manchester United rests on whether their greatest manager can keep his nose out

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Contents

16

Issue 305, May 17 2013 Radar 04 Gumball 3000 Big-time celebrities drive their even-bigger-time cars 5,000 miles from Denmark to Monte Carlo

06 UEFA Champions Festival If your kid has a touch as bad as yours, take him/her to the Olympic Park for some skills sessions

08 Clock-watching We count back the extra seconds that saw some of Fergie’s greatest triumphs – and most painful losses oFeatures this coming week

16

Sir Alex Ferguson: a study We talk to some of the football men who know Fergie best to find out how he will take on his biggest challenge: not managing Man Utd

24 Premier League Awards There have been highlights, lowlights and shoulder bites – we pick our season’s best from 2012-13

32 Perri Shakes-Drayton

06

Talks exclusively about her desire to turn her Olympic disappointment into success for this season

46

Extra Time 44 Gadgets

Front cover illustration: Peter Strain. This page: Alex Livesey/Getty Images,

24

Over-ear headphones that mean you don’t have to listen to anyone.

Apart from us. Please

46 Kit The Artis Run treadmill – jewel in the Technogym crown – does everything but actually move your legs for you

48 Grooming An Italian fragrance, hand wash and deodorants that mean you will smell the part while you watch the Giro

52 Entertainment

32

We peddle the propaganda making itself at home at the British Library, Django’s unchained on Blu-ray, and The Great Gatsby parties on | May 17 2013 | 03

Radar

Celebrity road trip D

on’t worry, it’s not a dreadful reality show – Leslie Ash won’t be going anywhere near a Welcome Break. We are talking, instead, about genuine celebrities parading their collection of outlandish cars on a 5,000-mile, six-day jaunt from Copenhagen to Monte Carlo.

The Gumball 3000 rally, now in its 15th year, starts in Denmark on Sunday. It will see some of the most esteemed figures in music and sport – plus David Hasselhoff – driving their expensive vehicles across Europe, arriving in Monaco in time for the Grand Prix. Overblown decadence is back in fashion, right? gumball3000.com

04 | May 17 2013 |

p06 – Die UEFA Champions Festival im die Olympic Park p06 – We talk big air with Edgar Torronteras ahead of the X Games p08 – The games, for Sir Alex, when timing was everything

Radar

Euro zone

F

or a few days next week, the site of Great Britain‘s greatest sporting hour will become a shrine to the continent, in the kind of inclusive celebration that makes certain UKIP cronies recoil in horror. The Olympic Park will host the UEFA Champions Festival – free family-friendly activities, including skills ‘clinics’ for kids whose first touch is potentially fatal, the Champions League museum, and an exciting chance to get your photo taken with the Women’s Champions League trophy (and the men’s one too).

May 23-26, Olympic Park. Visit uefa.com/championsfestival for more information

EDGAR TORRONTERAS

FrEEstylE motocross

T

he X Games take place in Barcelona this weekend – reason enough for us to have a chat with excitable 33-year-old freestyle motocross rider Edgar ‘ET’ Torronteras, the ‘face of the games’.

We guess that pretty much makes him the Jessica Ennis of extreme sports.

And after my silver medal in Brazil, that gives me the extra power to go for GOLD!!”

Your nickname is ‘ET,’ which is just your initials. Do you wish you had a better one?

“No! I couldn’t have a better one. It’s my initials, and the name for an extraterrestrial, just like me. Don’t you like it? I love it!”

What happens if it goes wrong?

“Dude, don’t say that! You can feel it when you take off, so if something goes wrong I just try to jump straight and not do the trick.

That’s normally fine – if not I just throw the bike away and try to land on my feet. It’s not easy... and I try not to think about it!”

But if you could choose your own, you’d pick something more ‘extreme’, right?

“Nothing fits me better than this one [laughing]. I can see you don’t like it.”

How excited are you for the X Games?

“For me, to have the Olympics of extreme sports in my city is something really big.

06 | May 17 2013 |

No need to shout. What’s your best trick?

“I’m a specialist on the whip. You take off while seated and then turn the bar and put the bike upside down. I love that feeling.”

What’s your worst injury?

“Five years ago, I landed short and hit both my feet at the same time and broke both ankles. It was gnarly. I threw the bike away and landed on the ground. The pain was horrible... and it took a year to heal.”

Radar

that’s Fergie time S

1994-95: LOSE

1995-96: WIN

1998-99: WIN

2007-08: WIN

2011-12: LOSE

Blackburn lost 2-1 at Liverpool, so a victory for United at Upton Park would have won them the title. They were denied, though, by an “obscene effort” from West Ham, for whom keeper Ludek Miklosko performed heroics in a 1-1 draw.

King Kev would have “loved it” if United had slipped up at the Riverside, but an early David May goal got the ball rolling for a final-day canter to Fergie‘s third title. And Newcastle‘s draw with Tottenham gave him a four-point cushion anyway.

The moment when the treble dream began, as David Beckham and Andy Cole scored to seal a 2-1 home win over Spurs after going behind. Kanu‘s goal for Arsenal against Aston Villa kept the pressure on, but Fergie‘s men stood firm.

They couldn‘t slip up away to lowly Wigan, could they? Well, no, as it turned out. While Chelsea struggled at home to Bolton (a game that finished 1-1), goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs secured the league title by two points.

United beat Sunderland. QPR were beating Man City. Then the most famous four minutes of recent Premier League history unfolded. If you need us to talk you through this one, you‘re banned from all future Sport social events. Both of them.

08 | May 17 2013 |

All pictures Getty Images

o, he‘s finally gone. And it‘s for definite this time, right?

Good – we can start talking about the grand old Scot without fear of partially incoherent, threatening phonecalls flooding into the office from a certain Manchester number. Sir Alex Ferguson was, and always will be, a footballing legend. And while this weekend‘s game with West Brom will see him bow out on top, his season finales haven‘t always been quite so smooth. Here are a few of our favourite Fergie finishes...

Radar Editor’s letter

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Don’t be too blue Yes, Roberto Mancini’s sacking left a sour taste, but his sacking wasn’t exactly a surprise

M Editor-in-chief Simon Caney @simoncaney

And as the world of football doffed its collective cap in the direction of the greatest manager it has known, United moved swiftly to secure the services of David Moyes – a thoroughly decent man who has worked wonders at Everton. Throw in a trophy presentation and an open-top bus ride, and it was a classy week for the red half of the city.

In contrast, 12 months to the day that he led Man City to their first top-flight title in 44 years, Mancini was fired.

Set against the celebrations at Old Trafford, that didn’t exactly look great, did it?

Yet it’s hard to shed too many tears for the Italian. For a start, he will waltz off with compensation running into many millions, not that he’s short of a bob or two. And secondly, so many people demand that football should be run ‘like any other business’ that they can’t complain when that also includes the less pleasant aspects.

The fact is that Mancini, for all his previous success, had a list of targets and would have been aware that his job would be

in serious jeopardy if he didn’t achieve them. The end, when it came, would not have been an enormous surprise. City have been slated for showing Mancini a lack of respect, but in simple terms he didn’t hit his targets.

Slightly odder was the City statement that there was “an identified need to develop a holistic approach to all aspects of football at the club”, which Mancini had failed to address.

Hopefully Manuel Pellegrini is a more ‘holistic’ sort of manager.

One thing’s for sure: he’ll need to get holistic pretty quickly, or he’ll find he’s following Mancini through the exit door.

© UTV Media plc 2012 UTV Media plc takes no responsibility for the content of advertisements placed in Sport magazine £1 where sold Hearty thanks to: Natasha Ayivor, Katie Jorgensen, David Meek

Sport went to press last week just hours before the news broke that Sir Alex Ferguson was leaving Man Utd, so this is a belated farewell. His success is well documented, but he has always striven to do it ‘the United way’, with thrilling football played at pace. In many ways, he is the man who saved the winger in an era when Route One ruled.

Matt Prior may feel ‘uncomfortable’ at being named England’s cricketer of the year, but he has been clearly the best player of the last 12 months, and is one of the most improved players in world cricket. A deserved accolade, whether he likes it or not.

Get in touch @sportmaguk

Reader comments of the week

Cover of the Year

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Hanging out from the

@davidflatman on Friday

great editor’s entree in this

@Sportmaguk love pg10

@Sportmaguk obviously

Have to feel sorry for

back of my #BorisBus

is best thing about

week’s @Sportmaguk from

quote “@GarethBale11: 1

went to press before

@simoncaney

@ Dalston & getting my

@Sportmaguk !! ‘part from

@simoncaney – football

reason so many of us have

Fergies big announcement

@sportmaguk Press

@Sportmaguk =

the Gadgets page of course

has regained some respect

found a place in our hearts

this week! Not sure

deadline meant not a word

after the perfect Olympic

for football once more”

@LewisHamilton dog going

about #SAF in their

experience

YES! #coys #thfc.

to a race is quite as big.

weekly mag. Deadlines,

@pomph

@WhiteHartLady

@a_dam_e

#ThumbsUp (Hope this gets me in the twitter bit) @SimplyWotsits

10 | May 17 2013 |

@themag_

bloody hell.

@stuart_rock

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

anchester City must be cursing Sir Alex Ferguson. As they were readying the golden bullet to end Roberto Mancini’s tenure, across the way the self-styled ‘Scottish Beast’ stole a march.

Colour reproduction: Rival Colour Ltd Printed by: Wyndeham Group Ltd

Flats on Friday

David Lyttleton

Radar Opinion

Choose your spot wisely

T

he Heineken Cup final is a huge occasion and one that, for any real sports fan, cannot be missed. It’s an event that warrants some bona fide preparation. My dog will be bunged into the neighbour’s hallway, Mrs F will be – as part of a reciprocal deal involving some ghastly pillow-fight night with her mates – elsewhere, and will take the infant noise machines with her. I will assume the position, flanked by enough snacks and fluids to keep a Gloucester Old Spot alive for a month.

This all sounds pretty perfect, but it will still rank as only my second-best Heineken Cup viewing experience. You see, in 2011 we watched it during day three of Danny Grewcock’s Scottish stag do.

Day one had included an element of travel and, just to take the edge off, seven or eight hours in a nightclub we all hated. Day two, after roughly 15 minutes’ sleep, started at 5am: we peeled ourselves from our beds, walked straight past the shower and wobbled downstairs to meet the fully camouflaged men sent to take us deer-stalking.

As an animal lover, this was a very unpleasant way to spend a morning – but I bought in because I am a lad/was too zombified to see sense and stay in bed. Out we went into the woods, and it was Baltic. Seeing as I was absolutely not going to shoot anything, I didn’t even bother accepting a gun from the back of our hosts’ bloodied carcass transporter. Honestly, if they drove through London in this thing without cleaning it, they would

12 | May 17 2013 |

be surrounded by the Serious Crime Unit quicker than you can say “we’ve been killing”.

None of the drunk men with guns even got a shot away, which was great news for health and safety types everywhere, and we returned to base for a late lunch. The hunter-gatherer types in the army gear ate with their bare hands as we watched on in terror, desperate just to be somewhere civil again.

Instead, we ended up in a pub in Melrose that was showing the rugby. Dan had a couple of social pints, as did we all, and all was bubbling along nicely.

Then, as the half-time ad break began on the TV, all sound was cut off and the lights turned up. This was a football pub; in the opposite corner I think Hamilton Accies were playing Hibs and everyone – everyone – else in the packed pub was watching that. They had no interest in the rugger whatsoever.

So the pausing of their match and announcement that Danny Grewcock, Bath, England and British Lions, would be doing a 15-minute Q&A went down like a Highland Terrier sandwich. The fact that a brutally shy Danny had no idea we had arranged this with the landlord was the icing on the cake.

Never – and this is saying something – had Danny been so openly despised by a crowd of people.

He was mortified, they were beyond livid, and we were wheezing with hysterics. But, as soon as the second half kicked off, without saying a word, the rumpus was ended. Some things are bigger.

Enjoy your weekend, and get your prep right. @davidflatman

It’s like this…

Bill Borrows

T

here is some debate about whether former Primer Minister Harold Wilson actually said “a week is a long time in politics” or “48 hours is a long-time in politics”. Either way, politics has nothing on the Premier League.

This time last week (as I write, not as you read – Tuesday, if you must know), all was well with the world.

Sure, Manchester United had won the title, but City were odds-on favourites to win the FA Cup and I had a ticket for Wembley. Bag another trophy and then look forward to next season.

The next day, news was leaked that Alex Ferguson, who could see the writing on the wall, had finally been knocked off his ‘f**king perch’. April 8: Margaret Thatcher; “We now have a May 8: Alex Ferguson; season with no June 8: (note to self) silverware and an buy a lottery ticket. interim manager The in-built 10-point advantage delivered by who failed at fretful match officials Blackburn” would be a thing of the past. Perhaps there would even be a penalty for an away team at Old Trafford. There were tearful phone-ins and City announced a full-strength squad for the final.

What could possibly go wrong?

On the Thursday, United announced David Moyes as their new manager. Nothing to worry about there.

And even though the media was full of speculation that, win or lose, Roberto Mancini was off, a quick rebuttal from the top would get rid of that nonsense – as it had at least 19 times previously.

But none came.

A lacklustre City were deservedly beaten by Wigan in the last minute of the cup final. The heavens opened.

On Monday, United paraded around Manchester as part of their outreach scheme – and, after days of damaging press coverage, it was formally announced that Mancini had been sacked.

Or, as the official statement put it, “relieved of his duties” for failing to reach targets. There was also some American business school bollocks about a ‘holistic approach’ but, unusually for this canon of cant, no use of the phrase ‘going forwards’. Perhaps because the club suddenly no longer seems to be moving in that direction.

A week ago, United had Ferguson about to announce his decision to retire, while City were going into their second cup final in three years. We now have a season with no silverware, an ‘interim’ manager who failed at Blackburn, and are being strongly linked with a bottle of sparkling natural mineral water.

As former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson – and such joy is it just to write that line, I think I’ll write it again... as former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson – once said: “Football. Bloody Hell.” @billborrows

Frozen in time

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

It’s goodbye from him Ralph Milne, Giuliano Maiorana, Brian Carey, Neil Whitworth, Pat McGibbon: some of the less heralded of Sir Alex Ferguson’s early signings at Manchester United, and now all long since forgotten. Indeed, the great man once labelled Milne as his worst signing, though McGibbon’s one game for the club, in which he got sent off, did not make for a stellar career. Still, farewell old boy.

You did sign one or two decent players too.

14 | May 17 2013 |

| 15

Out Of the spOtlight, intO the shadOws His managerial career is over, but Sir Alex Ferguson’s influence at Old Trafford is far from it. We look at Fergie’s new role, and ask how his actions could shape Manchester United’s future

16 | May 17 2013 |

Illustration by Peter Strain

Sir Alex Ferguson A Study

| 17

Sir Alex Ferguson A Study

C

ontrol. Summing up Sir Alex Ferguson’s success at Manchester United on the day his retirement was announced, Gary Neville kept coming back to one word. Control. For 26 years, the Scot has managed every aspect of Manchester United with an iron grip. “A headmaster in control of his school,” is how Neville explained it on Sky. The difference is that when a headmaster retires, they spend their days doing a spot of fishing or losing their slippers – not looming ominously behind their replacement at morning assembly. That said, perhaps a dictator would be a more apt comparison – certainly not many outgoing headmasters have a giant statue of themselves in the school car park.

Ferguson might have voluntarily loosened his grip, but the 71-year-old is staying at Manchester United in a dual role as director and ambassador. He will act as both a behind-the-scenes presence at the club, and a visible face of it. How hands-on he will be remains to be seen. However, there is a precedent for how this could go disastrously wrong – for Ferguson, United and his successor David Moyes – and it comes in the form of the manager with whom he’s most often compared.

John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images

Sir Matt Busby syndrome When Sir Matt Busby left Manchester United in 1969, after 24 years that took in the Munich Air disaster and a European Cup triumph with the rebuilt Busby Babes, the club descended into chaos. So says Denis Law, who played for United under Busby and in the years afterwards. “We were so used to Sir Matt Busby being there, and all of a sudden he wasn’t any more – it was like losing your father, and there was a bit of chaos,” says the Scottish striker, who famously thought his backheel had relegated United just six years after they lifted the European Cup (in the 1973-74 season, when they would have gone down even had he missed).

That chaos was compounded because Busby remained involved with the club, casting a shadow over his successors. Journalist David Meek has been covering United since the 1960s, and tells us that Busby felt guilty about the ageing squad he’d left his replacement Wilf McGuinness. “When he retired, the club needed a lot of work to ease out the famous but long-in-the-tooth players,” says Meek. “I think maybe Sir Matt had a bit of a conscience about leaving McGuinness with so many problems. He felt involvement and responsibility, and it’s very understandable when you think what he’d been through with the club.”

Unfortunately for McGuiness, who was promoted from reserve team coach on Busby’s advice, that responsibility manifested itself in day-to-day interference. “I think he did influence him,” says Meek. “Wilf didn’t have control of who he bought and sold. He had a few players in mind that he wanted to buy – but, when he went to see Matt and the board, he didn’t get the okay. So he did cast a shadow over McGuinness. It was an impossible task, and he only lasted 18 months before he was sacked.” His replacement?

Sir Matt Busby – stepping back in for a six-month stint.

Frank O’Farrell, who took over from Busby after his second spell at the club, grumbles that he “was always interfering” and that “he was always somewhere where the players could find him”. In an interview with the Irish Independent, he maintains that, although Busby was meant to have a minor role with no say in team

Ferguson emulated Sir Matt Busby by lifting the European Cup in 1999, part of an historic treble

The club has been aware of the danger of history repeating, wary of what its hierachy called ‘Sir Matt Busby syndrome’ selection, he repeatedly overstepped the mark with him and the men who subsequently took up the post. “Those managers must have been doing well to be offered the job in the first place,” O’Farrell says. “Dave Sexton, Tommy Docherty, Ron Atkinson and myself – we were all good managers, and only became bad managers when we went to United, and Busby was the main influence behind that.

He was the most influential person at the club.”

The club has generally been well aware of the danger of history repeating itself. In his post-treble autobiography Managing My Life, Ferguson tells of a set of contract negotiations in the middle of the 1990s, when it was made very clear to him that his desire to stay on in some capacity after he stopped managing was not welcome.

Back then, the club remained wary of a repeat of what the club’s hierachy refered to as ‘Sir Matt Busby syndrome’. >

The post-Busby breakdown Instability after Busby’s retirement saw United slip into the Second Division in 1974 Year Position

1966-67

1967-68 1st

1968-69

1969-70

1970-71

1971-72

1972-73

1973-74

2nd 8th

8th

8th

11th 18th 21st Manager

18 | May 17 2013 |

Sir Matt Busby

Wilf McGuiness

Busby

Frank O’Farrell

Tommy Docherty

Sir Alex Ferguson A Study

Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images, Clive Brunskill/Allsport, John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images

Kings of Old Trafford: Ferguson with the league crown last weekend; with Eric Cantona, Brian Kidd and the FA Cup in 1996; and signing Ronaldo (and, er, Kleberson) in 2003

That attitude has clearly changed in the intervening years.

The people making the decision have changed, too. The Glazers have faced enough hostility from the fans without sidelining a figure who has now attained legendary status. The Scot has engineered a position where he is ultimately in control of his own destiny – exactly the kind of influence O’Farrell warned against, in fact.

“He wanted to build a dynasty in which the club was full of these hierarchical figures,” says Neville. Ferguson himself clearly believes that his enduring presence will do more good than harm, as he wrote in his book: “Was it sensible to decree that all my experience of managing Manchester United would be cut off from the club at a stroke instead of being put at the disposal of my successor, to be tapped if and when he had a use for it?”

That’s a sentiment shared by a man who has first-hand experience of the role that Ferguson will be moving into. Sir Bobby Charlton assures us that Sir Alex will not be a disruptive influence on David Moyes. “He will help him, and he’ll respect that his time has gone as a manager,” he says. “He won’t intrude – not at all.”

Law agrees: “He’ll give advice, as you would do in any business.

I’m sure the new manager will ask him occasionally: ‘I’ve got a problem here, what do you think?’”

The consensus among those who know Ferguson best, then, is that he will take the necessary steps to ensure that the only shadow he casts over Moyes comes from the Old Trafford stand that bears his name. “I’m sure Sir Alex will know exactly what to do,” says Law.

Hard to let go Of course, knowing the rationally correct course of action is very different to actually carrying it out – particularly for a man as addicted to the game and as used to speaking his mind as Ferguson.

The years ahead will demand a delicate balancing act, of helping and advising Moyes without being seen to be pulling the strings from the shadows – and without inadvertently undermining his replacement. The older Glaswegian takes great pride in having shaped every aspect of the club’s development over the past three decades. In his autobiography, he talks about “building from the bottom up” and “spreading [his] influence and self-belief through every layer of the organisation”. Will it be that easy for him to sit idly by if all that work seems in jeopardy?

Busby couldn’t. He stepped back in to save his side from relegation just 18 months after standing down. But, according to Law, that won’t be a problem for Ferguson because he’s left the club

20 | May 17 2013 |

“Sir Alex had a big input. Moyes was his candidate, but he hasn’t put him forward because he thinks he can control him” in a much stronger position than Busby did. “When Sir Matt decided to give up, United weren’t doing too well [finishing 11th in the First Division in Busby’s final season],” he explains. “It was going to be very difficult for anybody to come in. Sir Alex has left them in good stead.” Meek agrees. “Sir Alex has left David Moyes a going concern,” he tells us. “He’s got no reason to want to interfere like Matt, because he’s leaving the club in good order.”

Bryan Robson, who was Ferguson’s captain in the early 1990s, thinks the personality of the man he still calls ‘the boss’ means there won’t be a problem, regardless of whether results go Moyes’ way or not. He tells us: “Knowing the character of the boss, he’ll not be an interferer. If Moyes wants to ask for a bit of advice, I’m sure the boss will help as much as he can. I don’t think it’ll be the other way round, where the boss is going to go down and say: ‘I wouldn’t do this or that.’”

Like Busby before him, Ferguson has had a hand in selecting his successor. He’s opted for someone cut from the same cloth when a more blockbuster choice – a Mourinho or a Guardiola – might have found it easier to step into his considerable shoes. It is, however, unlikely either of them would have tolerated any upstairs interference. Has Ferguson used his final influence to ensure he’s still got a voice in the Old Trafford dressing room? Meek doesn’t think so. “Sir Alex had a big input, and David Moyes was his candidate,” he says. “But I don’t think he’s put him forward because he thinks he can control him.”

Time to kill In his emotional farewell speech after last weekend’s victory over Swansea, the outgoing manager implored the fans to stand behind “our new manager”. The phrasing suggests Ferguson still sees himself as an important part of the club. Were there perhaps some early hints of meddling in the way Ferguson brusquely dismissed the transfer talk surrounding Wayne Rooney in the wake of his last home game? “We won’t sell him,” he told Sky initially – remembering later to tell the BBC: “It’s not up to me any more.” >

Like our cover this week? If so, you can purchase a copy of Peter Strain’s limitededition print for yourself at peterstrain.co.uk

Sir Alex Ferguson A Study

Matthew Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images, Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Making space: Ferguson will not interfere with Moyes’ plans, insists Dwight Yorke

Retirement has long been a grim spectre in Ferguson’s psyche.

His father was diagnosed with cancer a week after ending his long career in Govan’s shipyards at 65. Ferguson junior has not been unemployed since his teens, and once famously said: “There are too many examples of people who retire and are in their box soon after. You’re taking away the very thing that makes you alive, that keeps you alive.” For 26 years, his whole life has been Manchester United. Ferguson junior has stepped on to this ledge before – going as far as announcing his retirement 12 years ago, before the reality of the yawning chasm of time ahead of him hit home, and he changed his mind. There’s plenty to keep him occupied in his dotage: racehorses, his grandchildren, not to mention his wife Cathy. But it’s safe to say (with apologies to Lady Cathy) that those pastimes might lack the intensity to sate the fiery workaholic.

As usual, Gary Neville sums it up best: “I’m not sure free time and Sir Alex Ferguson go together that well.”

Even if Ferguson does manage to adjust seamlessly to his new role, there’s still a risk that the others at the club will not. In an interview with Football Focus earlier this year, he cited “consistency of staff” as the secret to Manchester United’s success. “You go right down to youth level, there are members of my staff that have been with me for 20 years or more – that creates a loyalty from both sides, and there’s a value in consistency and loyalty.” Ferguson has fostered that loyalty by forming close personal links with almost everyone at the club – the players and coaches, of course, but also “the office workers, the cooks and the laundry ladies”. What will happen when those years of loyalty towards Ferguson are tested?

Dwight Yorke, who was part of Fergie’s treble-winning team in 1999, tells us his former manager is “like a father figure to everybody in and around the dressing room”, adding that if the players ever had an off-field issue, he was always around to help.

Ferguson has vowed not to set foot in the dressing room after retirement, but could he still risk undermining Moyes if he continues to welcome players into his office (if he still has one) to offer advice and pastoral care? Meek says that it wasn’t until Tommy Docherty was appointed as manager in 1973 that the club was really able to move on from the Busby era, thanks to Docherty’s “ruthless, hire-and-fire approach towards players still loyal to their old boss. I remember Frank O’Farrell telling me at the time that he’d never be successful until he’d got his own players.

He felt it was Busby’s team.”

Yorke tells us “it will be difficult for him to walk away”, adding that Ferguson’s best approach might be to deliberately make himself

“Ferguson wouldn’t want anyone to interfere with him, and I think he will give Moyes exactly the same treatment” less available to the players and backroom staff he knows so well.

“I think if the manager wants it [advice], then yeah, he’ll give it.

But Sir Alex knows an experienced manager won’t want anybody in the football club doing their own thing. Ferguson wouldn’t want anyone to interfere with him, and I think he will give David Moyes exactly the same treatment.”

The fans and media are used to winning every week, though, and might not be so forgiving. There’s a risk that if Moyes’ first few months do not go well, they will clamour for the old hand’s return.

A long shadow

When Sir Alex first started, he was also keenly aware of the weight of the club’s successful past, even two decades removed from their last top-flight title. In his first ever programme notes, for a home game against QPR in 1986, Ferguson wrote: “The aim at this club must clearly be to win the championship. That is the only real way to lay the ghosts of the past.” Until Moyes makes his own mark on the Old Trafford trophy cabinet, he will be haunted by the ghosts of the hardest job in football.

Ferguson’s task could prove just as hard. He has proven beyond doubt that he knows how to manage a football club. Now he must show he knows how not to manage one. To ensure a steady succession, he will need to manage himself with the same discipline he instilled in his teams. The fierce old competitor needs to adjust to a life without control.

With long-standing chief executive David Gill also on the way out, for the first time in a long time, there are winds of uncertainty swirling around the country’s biggest club. The outgoing manager’s final challenge is to make sure his presence doesn’t whip them into a storm.

Amit Katwala @amitkatwala

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| May 17 2013 | 23

Premier League Awards

SEASON’S BEST UNSUNG HERO OF THE SEASON

1. Rickie Lambert After 21 goals in League One helped Southampton to the Championship, and his 27 goals at that level took them to the promised land, Lambert has made it three incredible seasons on the trot, with a haul of 14 Premier League goals. It wasn’t enough to save his manager, but he picks up our main gong – which is sure to be some consolation.

2. Leighton Baines He defends, he makes goals, he scores goals, he takes a hell of a free-kick – and he’s bloody English. The only problem for Everton fans is that he’s probably off to Old Trafford next season.

3. Michu Okay, his early season form died off after the Swans picked up some silverware, but the man deserves a break after such a remarkable spell for Swansea. The challenge for Michael Laudrup now is keeping the walking shampoo advert happy in Wales.

All pictures Getty Images

MOST PROMISING YOUNGSTER 1. Eden Hazard Impossible to give it to anyone else. The Belgian (one of three on the list – Belgium for the World Cup in 2020?) has taken to the Prem like a duck to water, contributing nine league goals and 16 league assists to Chelsea’s cause.

Sure, he kicked a ball boy – but that wasn’t in the league so it doesn’t count.

2. Christian Benteke The big striker has made Aston Villa fans forget his shortened name-alike very quickly, throwing in 19 goals and four assists. His link-up play with Andreas Weimann was Villa’s sole threat until Gabby Agbonhalor’s recent run.

3. Romelu Lukaku Another big Belgian goalscorer completes the list. His 14 goals and seven assists helped spearhead West Brom’s early-season form, and four goals in three early Februrary games halted the Baggies’ mini-slide.

24 | May 17 2013 |

MANAGER OF THE SEASON 1. Sir Alex Ferguson Who else? Europe might not have gone to plan in the big man’s final season, but these are the Premier League awards – so no one else comes close. Fergie brought in one big signing and watched his side reward him with one last title. Farewell, Fergie. Ye shall be missed.

2. Steve Clarke The former Liverpool and Chelsea number two has led West Brom to a comfortable top-10 finish. Injuries put paid to a flying start to the season, but a few new faces could see another big step forward next year, and leave some Liverpool fans wondering if they shouldn’t have given him a shot in the hotseat.

3. Sam Allardyce The fact we’ve heard so little about West Ham this season tells its own story. Tipped by many for relegation, the Hammers have been comfortable for a long time. His style may come under attack from some, but there’s no denying Big Sam’s plan works.

ANOTHER PREMIER LEAGUE ROLLERcOASTER GRINdS TO A HALT THIS wEEkENd. TIME, THEN, FOR SPORT’S ANNUAL AwARdS – ANd THIS TIME wE’RE STARTING wITH THE GOOd GUYS…

GOAL OF THE SEASON 1 MATT LOwTON

Aston Villa v Stoke, April 6 The Villa right-back arrows an unstoppable 30-yard volley into the top corner after a half-cleared corner.

2 LOIc REMY

QPR v Wigan, April 7 A quick counter-attack sees a Stephane Mbia layoff finished first time into the far top corner of the net.

3 ANdREAS wEIMANN

Aston Villa v Liverpool, December 15 After some slick passing, Christian Benteke’s backheel parts the Liverpool defence to leave the little Austrian with an easy finish.

4 JONATHAN dE GUzMAN

Swansea v Stoke, January 19 A quick pass, a backheel, a through ball, a cheeky flick and a side-footed finish add up to a team gem.

5 JERMAIN dEFOE

Tottenham v West Ham, November 25 Picking up the ball by the touchline, Defoe spins and beats three men before firing in from outside the box. >

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TEAM OF THE YEAR

Rex Features. All other pictures Getty Images

Asmir Begovic Stoke

Pablo Zabaleta Man City

Jan Vertonghen Tottenham

Laurent Koscielny Arsenal

Leighton Baines Everton

Juan Mata Chelsea

Michael Carrick Man Utd

Santi Cazorla Arsenal

Gareth Bale Tottenham

Premier League Awards

BEST FATHERLY EXAMPLE TO A YOUNG DAUGHTER Sunday Times, April 21 Luis Suarez says of his wife: “She’s my biggest critic, she always comes to watch me. She asks what I’m doing, why am I arguing with the referee. ’All you’ve done today is turn up to shout at people, why don’t you concentrate on playing football?’ If I don’t, they [Sofia and his daughter, Delfina] won’t come and watch me any more.”

Anfield, April 21 Suarez bites Branislav Ivanovic on the arm and picks up a 10-game ban. For his sake, we hope Delfina doesn’t have Sky Sports.

BOOKING OF THE YEAR The PFA securing the talents of Reginald D Hunter, not realising he was going to make offensive jokes. Bravo, PFA. Bra. Flippin’. Vo.

Robin Van Persie Man Utd

Luis Suarez Liverpool

WORST ATTEMPT TO BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT AVOID RELEGATION You’re scrapping for survival in the polar opposite of a winner-takes-all clash. What do you do? Well, if you’re Harry Redknapp or Nigel Adkins, you watch your teams play out a dire draw as you replace one full-back with another in the final 15 minutes (they both did this) and wait until the dying moments to even think about throwing an extra striker on.

Rob Green taking over a minute to take a goal-kick in injury time sums it all up. A 0-0 draw relegated both sides. Jose Bosingwa laughed.

Nobody else really cared.

1. Newcastle It all promised so much after last season. Alan Pardew had signed an eight-year contract, Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse were ready to form a deadly partnership, and the midfield creators who had torn the league up were all fit and raring to go. Yet it took until the penultimate weekend of the season for Newcastle to guarantee Premier League safety. The Magpies’ long-term seat at football’s top table is once again looking dubious, and Pardew (presuming he stays, considering it’ll cost Mike Ashley £10m to get rid of him now) needs to invest wisely to trouble the right end of the table next time out. Plus one of their fans punched a horse – but more on that later.

2. The title challenge Yes, Manchester United were imperious, and the race for the Champions League spots has been pretty exciting. But, seriously, who were United’s challengers? Chelsea have stumbled through the season, Tottenham have had one man to thank for their top-five position and Arsenal gave up the ghost when they sold RVP to the Red Devils. At least City gave it a go, but the Mario Balotelli distraction ended up being too great. We expect better next season, chaps. Don’t let a mardy Scot win it so easily again.

3. Fernando Torres £50m. Never forget that. >

| May 17 2013 | 27

12 WEEKS

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Premier League Awards

Top Three brendan rodgers quoTes

“My biggest mentor is myself because I’ve had to study, so that’s been my biggest influence.”

‘The anIMaL sTandIng up To phYsICaL abuse FroM a Fan’ aWard

“I always say a squad is like a good meal – I’m not a great cook, but a good meal takes a wee bit of time.

But also, to offer a good meal, you need good ingredients.”

“I’ve always worked along the statistic that if you can dominate the game with the ball you have a 79 per cent chance of winning a game of football.”

LeasT surprIsIng FIb oF The season “I don’t want to spend the owner’s money,” said Harry Redknapp before the January transfer window. “I won’t be looking to get rid of anyone.” Thirty-one short days later, the Rs had let five players go and brought in six new faces, including Christopher Samba and Loic Remy on £100,000 and £75,000 per week. Both triffic lads, mind.

Rex Features. All other pictures Getty Images

The ’TaKIng The season oF goodWILL a bIT Too Far’ aWard There’s getting in the Christmas spirit, and then there’s Aston Villa. Paul Lambert’s men haven’t had the strongest of seasons, but their three-game run from the December 23-29 saw them ship a remarkable 15 goals without scoring one in reply, as they went down 8-0, 4-0 and 3-0 to Chelsea, Tottenham and Wigan respectively. ’Twas the season, and all that.

Step forward Bud the police horse, who took a right hook to the snout from an overexcited Newcastle fan after the Tyne-Wear derby. Barry Rogerson, the infamous fan in question, said he “did not go out to attack a horse”.

He added: “I’m an animal lover. I’ve got three dogs, a fish pond out the back and I feed foxes across the road.” We don’t know how to tell you this, Barry, but foxes are vermin. Stop feeding them right now.

ILL-adVIsed MoVe oF The season Injury hasn’t helped him, to be fair, but Scott Sinclair might be wishing he could wind the clock back 12 months and stick with a Swansea team on the rise. Sport is no expert, but when your boss tells the press that you should probably leave the club less than a year after you signed, things probably aren’t going brilliantly. >

| May 17 2013 | 29

Premier League Awards

THE ‘HITTING THE MAGICAL 40-POINT MARK AND SUBSEQUENTLY DREAMING OF THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS’ AWARD

Tight run thing, this one. Fulham reached 39 points and went on to draw one and lose five of their next six, thus hitting the magical 40 in the process. Swansea, though, have to take the title. They reached 40 points in the game after their appearance in the Capital One Cup final. The Swans lifted the trophy, and went on to win just two of their next 10 games, losing five and drawing three.

PUB SIGN OF THE YEAR

All pictures Getty Images

THE ‘TEENIEST, TINIEST OVERREACTION TO AN INCIDENT’ AWARD "You can clearly see that he could have been killed. The FA has got to look into it regardless that he has been given a yellow card. He should be banned for a long time because that was the most dangerous thing I’ve seen on a football field for many years.” Sir Alex Ferguson reacts after Swansea’s Ashley Williams dares to kick a ball at Robin van Persie. The hooligan.

30 | May 17 2013 |

LAZIEST SIGNS OF THE SEASON

DOUGHNUT OF THE YEAR

Remarkably, this one goes not to an actual QPR player, but to Peter Odemwingie – who tried to become one by driving his way down the M40 on transfer deadline day and turning up at the club’s car park to force through a move. Sadly, the Rs had failed to reach any agreement with West Brom and turned poor Peter away, leaving him to traipse back up north to face a frosty reception from his boss at the Hawthorns. Even weirder, West Brom were ninth at the time.

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Perri Shakes-Drayton

The home Olympics was meant to hold special significance for 400m hurdler Perri Shakes-Drayton.

Born and raised in east London, the then 23-year-old was considered a medal prospect leading up to the Games, and set a personal best of 53.77s in a Diamond League event just before

World Athletics Championships in Moscow in August.

At 24, though, she has youth on her side. The 2012 Olympic gold and silver-medallists – Natalya Antyukh and Lashinda Demus – are both 30 or over, but ShakesDrayton admits that experience is important in a highly technical

the eyes of the world turned to London. That put her second in the world rankings, made her the second-fastest British woman of all time over that distance, and seemed to justify the praise from those expecting her to be standing on the podium in her home town.

It wasn’t meant to be, however – a hamstring niggle before the semi finals meant she failed to make it through to the Olympic final.

She forced herself to watch from the sidelines – something that gave her the motivation to shrug off the disappointment and refocus on this year’s World Championships.

“I sat and watched,” she tells Sport. “I wanted to know what time they won it in. I felt a bit better afterwards, because my personal best wouldn’t have got me a medal.”

With that weight shaken from her shoulders, she was able to head into the winter ready to work.

But with her coach Chris Zah unable to join her on their usual warm-weather training trip to Florida, Shakes-Drayton stayed at home. “Obviously the Olympics didn’t go the way I would have loved it to have gone,” she explains. “But I channelled the disappointment I had into the winter season, trained hard as I always do, and it paid off at the European Indoors.”

Shakes-Drayton won two gold medals in unfamiliar disciplines in Gothenburg in March – but success in the 400m (without the hurdles) and the 4x400m relay hasn’t sated her desire for redemption. “It’s nice to be reminded of it,” she says when we bring up the double victory. “It kind of went to the back of my head – when people remind me, it puts a smile on my face.”

That grin could become a permanent feature if she manages to fulfil what many believe to be her potential with a medal at the

event like hurdles. There are, however, doubts as to whether some of her competitors will even continue on to the worlds.

“A lot of the girl hurdlers are a lot older than me,” says ShakesDrayton. “So we’ll have to see [if they are still competing] when the season starts.”

Although perhaps not as well recognised as some of her Team GB colleagues, Shakes-Drayton has seen first hand the effect that the Games have had on the British interest in athletics.

“I’ve seen a lot of people more interested – even in the amount of followers I’ve got on Twitter,” she says. “They are always asking when my next competition is.”

Since you ask – and we did – her schedule looks like this: she‘ll be competing in the Great City Games in Manchester at the end of the month, before returning to the Olympic Stadium for the Anniversary Games in July. There will also be Diamond League events in between, although she’s missing the first 400m hurdles race of the series in Shanghai this weekend.

The main focus, though, is on the worlds. Shakes-Drayton refuses to get carried away with medal talk – for now she simply wants to achieve what she failed to do at the Olympics. Her success in Sweden has eased the pain, and there are signs that her winter work has reaped rewards. She will, however, have to wait until August for a shot at her season’s main goal. It’s like Shakes-Drayton says: “I need to be making that final.”

After Olympic hurt in her home town, Perri ShakesDrayton is planning for a season of redemption 32 | May 17 2013 |

Amit Katwala @amitkatwala

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| 33

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

MAY 17-MAY 23 HIGHLIGHTS » Football: Premier League Preview » p36 » Football: League One Playoff Final, Brentford v Yeovil » p38 » Boxing: Devon Alexander v Lee Purdy »p40 » Cycling: Giro d'Italia Stages 14-15 » p41 » Rugby League: Leeds Rhinos v St Helens » p42

Saturday RuGBY unIOn | HeIneken CuP FInAL: CLeRmOnt v tOuLOn AvIvA StADIum, DuBLIn | SkY SPORtS 2 5Pm

La Finale There will be a distinctly Gallic feel around Dublin

Stadium. Having been separated by just one point

front of the posts. The collisions in the midfield will

this weekend, with three French sides in town

at the summit of the Top 14 (in Clermont's favour),

be big, the carrying around the fringes herculean –

and on the hunt for trophies. First up, it’s mission

it’s fair to say there’s not a lot between the two.

but it’s nerve that will probably decide it, with a

The travelling French fans – and the hordes of

mistake or moment of magic likely to prove pivotal.

they travel to face Leinster at their RDS home in the

Munster supporters who no doubt snapped up

Amlin Challenge Cup final (Sky Sports 2, 8pm). The

tickets 12 months ago – should be in for an explosive

the big occasion. They may have seen off Munster in

Irish province blew Biarritz away to earn their place

encounter . Both sides are at the climax of a heavily

Montpellier, but they should have been out of sight

in the final, and remain firm favourites to secure the

financed journey and desperate to top off their first

long before a tense finale. Toulon, meanwhile, might

first of their season’s likely trophy double.

Heineken Cup final appearances by lifting the trophy.

have lacked creativity in their semi-final win over

As for the game, power and the boot will be the

Saracens, but their nerve was there for all to see.

European rugby’s showpiece on Saturday, when

go-to gameplans, with Jonny Wilkinson (above, for

Plus they have Jonny. Toulon to win. Clermont to

Clermont Auvergne and Toulon head to the Aviva

Toulon) and Clermont's Morgan Parra metronomic in

lose. And Toulouse? Wait, this is very confusing.

A French victor is guaranteed, however, in

34 | May 17 2013 |

Clermont have previous for failing to turn up for

Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

Olly Greenwood/AFP/Getty Images

improbable for Stade Francais on Friday night, as

7 Days

Premier League

sunday tottenham v sunderland | white hart lane | 4pm

The fierce battle for fourth spot goes down to the wire, with Spurs hoping the Arsenal team are all on the lasagne for their pre-match meal in Newcastle sunday newcastle united v arsenal | st james’ park | 4pm

While Tottenham are relying on Arsenal to slip up at Newcastle, they must also deal with a threat from the northeast if they’re to stand a chance of securing fourth.

If they lose, Sunderland’s own fate also rests elsewhere – in Wigan, to be precise (unless the Latics failed to beat Arsenal, that is). Either way, Emmanuel Adebayor’s winner at Stoke last weekend will have given Spurs all the momentum they should need to get three more points.

sunday wigan v aston villa | dw stadium | 4pm

As talented and blessed with brains as we are at Sport,

some semblance of success by qualifying for the

Aston Villa have gone 21 league

we do have our limitations– one of which is our inability

Champions League next season. Arsene Wenger will hope

games without a clean sheet –

to see into the future. So, with Arsenal’s game against

that, with Newcastle having secured their own survival

a run that includes a 3-0 loss to their

Wigan having taken place after our press deadline, the

last weekend, the Magpies’ minds will already be on a

opponents this Sunday. Should the

Latics might now be one game from Premier League

beach supping Newky Brown. It could also work the other

FA Cup winners still be ‘in play’ after

survival, or they might be goners.

way, mind. With the nerves that caused Alan Pardew’s

their midweek game and complete

We could hazard a well-informed guess. But, well,

side to make such a jittery start against QPR now

their great escape by beating

no one likes a smartarse, do they? Download the Sport

dissipated, they’ll be playing free from the sort of

Villa, the latter will be relying on

magazine iPad app for free from the iTunes store, though,

pressure that is weighing heavily on Arsenal.

Sunderland losing to Spurs if they

and you’ll find a fully informed preview of the relegation and Champions League spot battles.

For now, we look to St James’ Park – where on the final day of the season Arsenal continue their bid to cling on to

36 | May 17 2013 |

Either way, this game should be a lively one: only

are to survive. Villa’s away form gives

twice in their last eight league meetings have there

them hope, though – they’ve won

been fewer than three goals scored in matches between

more on the road than any other

these two sides.

team in the bottom half (bar Wigan).

sunday liverpool v qpr | anfield | 4pM

sunday Man CiTY v norwiCh | eTihad STadiUM | 4pM

sunday SoUThaMpTon v SToke | ST MarY’S | 4pM

And so the time finally comes for

Unbeaten in their last seven

Another Manchester manager bites

Unless something very odd

Rafa Benitez to wave goodbye to

matches, Liverpool seem to have

the dust, then. Only this one didn’t

happens, Southampton should be

Chelsea. It’ll be an emotional

finally found their groove. It’s too

exactly depart on his own terms.

popping the champagne corks and

occasion too, although perhaps in

late to do them any good, but it

At the Etihad, where Norwich will try

celebrating a second season in the

a slightly different vein to the fond

bodes well for next season. Before

to improve on their record of one

top flight. Stoke, meanwhile, will be

farewells bid by David Moyes to

then, they face a QPR side whose

away win on Sunday, City have lost

celebrating a sixth (against all the

Goodison and Fergie to Old Trafford

confidence took a battering from

once in the league this term. With

odds), despite having won just three

last weekend. Blues fans are more

their own manager last weekend.

Brian Kidd in charge at City for the

games since the turn of the year.

likely to be found helping the

“This team wouldn’t finish in the top

final throes of this ‘terrible’ season

The last time these sides met they

Spaniard clear his desk than singing

half of the Championship,” cried

– in which they’ll likely finish second

played out a thriller of a 3-3 draw,

his praises, whatever happens on

Harry Redknapp. The renowned

and reached the FA Cup final –

with Cameron Jerome scoring a

the pitch between two sides who’ll

‘arm round the shoulder’ treatment

anything other than a win will have

90th-minute equaliser to rob

be managerless at the final whistle.

clearly failed ’Arry this time round.

the fans screaming blue murder.

Saints of a deserved victory.

sunday SwanSea v fUlhaM | liberTY STadiUM | 4pM

sunday weST broM v ManCheSTer UniTed The hawThornS | 4pM

sunday weST haM v reading | UpTon park | 4pM

Premier League tabLe W D

L

F

A

Pts

1

Man Utd

37 28 4

5

81

38

88

2

Man City*

36 22 9

5

62

31

75

3

Chelsea

37

21 9

7

73 38

72

4

Tottenham

37 20 9

8

65 46

69

5

Arsenal*

36

19 10 7

67 36

67

6

Everton

37

16 15 6

54 38

63

7

Liverpool

37

15 13 9

70 43

58

8

West Brom

37

14 6 17

48 52

48

9

Swansea

P

37

11 13 13

47 48

46

10 West Ham

37

11 10 16

41

43

11 Stoke

37

9 14 14

33 44

41

12 Norwich

37

9 14 14

38 56

41

13 Newcastle

37

11

51

8 18

45 67

41

14 Southampton 37

9 13 15

48 59

40

A game between two sides who in

With Fergie’s big goodbye done

Sam Allardyce professed

15 Fulham

37

10 10 17

47 60

40

large part took their collective feet

(apart from this magnificent issue

disappointment with his players

16 Aston Villa

37

10 10 17

45 67

40

37

9 12 16

41

53

39

44 67

35

of Sport, that is), the bus parade

after their “bad performance”

match is one that’s unlikely to ignite

over and the trophy lifted, there’s

at Goodison last weekend. The

18 Wigan*

36

9

in any way whatsoever. Martin Jol’s

bound to be an element of post-

Hammers are without a win in three

19 Reading*

36

6 10 20

41

67

28

37

4 13 20

30 59

25

side are yet to beat Swansea since

victory hangover about this game.

games and don’t have a good record

the Welsh side’s arrival in the

Unless of course, the Scot has spent

against Reading, who did the double

Premier League. With the team on a

all week ramming his “don’t let

over them in the Championship last

run of five league defeats in a row,

yourselves down” message down his

season and beat them in December.

that’s a statistic that looks unlikely

players’ throats, which is likely.

Nigel Adkins tasted his first victory

to change on Sunday – unless Jol

West Brom have never beaten

as Royals boss earlier this month,

can remind his players that summer

United in the Premier League – this

and will look for another win to finish

hasn’t started just yet.

could be a good time to change that.

their stint at the top on a high. Sort of.

0 20 QPR

8 19

All pictures Getty Images

off the gas about a month ago, this

17 Sunderland

Tottenham and Swansea are yet to win a single penalty in the league this season

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sunday ChelSea v everTon | STaMford bridge |4pM

| 37

7 Days Friday > CriCket | england v new Zealand: 1st test | lord’s | sky sports 1 11am

Swanning back in

Sunday Football | league one playoFF Final: brentFord v yeovil town | wembley | sky sports 1 1.30pm

Bees scent Championship honeypot

The first Test of the English summer may already be a day old, but there is much to be learned from the next four days of cricket

Watford may have attempted to steal

season – although that still has him three

against New Zealand at Lord's.

their thunder on Sunday, but no team this

shy of Paddy Madden, the Yeovil forward

season has experienced the full gamut of

set to line up against him on Sunday.

First and foremost, the watching world's focus will be firmly directed on whether Andy Flower and Alastair Cook have their

playoff emotions quite like Brentford.

Victory for the Glovers would see

team in better nick than during the hugely disappointing 0-0

First came the despair at having to

draw with the same opposition earlier in the year. The batting

actually play in them at all, as late drama

Championship for the first time in their

line-up will have to do without the worryingly still-injured Kevin

against Doncaster in their final game of

history. They have already completed a

Pietersen, but the likes of Nick Compton, Jonathan Trott and

the regular season saw automatic

league double over the Bees this season

Joe Root have been in excellent county form in recent weeks –

promotion slip away with Marcello

and head for the final on a run of five wins

translating that to the Test arena will bode well ahead of an

Trotta's missed penalty. Then came the

in their last seven games. If there is one

Ashes series later in the summer.

agony of throwing away a commanding

thing the playoffs have taught us,

4-2 aggregate lead against Swindon in

however, it is to expect the unexpected.

And, while Messrs Anderson, Finn and Broad are likely to find

them reach the dizzy heights of the

much more to help them in home pitches than in the absolute

the semis, a last-minute Aden Flint

roads delivered them in New Zealand, attention will inevitably

header sending the tie into extra time.

One final, Capital One Cup runners-up

switch to the returning Graeme Swann (pictured). His absence

Finally, though, the joy, as a 5-4 penalty

Bradford return to the scene of their

through injury was keenly felt down under, but he has returned

shootout victory saw them into Sunday's

Swansea battering to contest the League

from elbow surgery and looked good in taking 4/56 for Notts

playoff final against Yeovil – and a chance

Two Playoff Final against Northampton

against Durham on his county return a fortnight ago. A fully

to return to the second tier of English

(Saturday 1.30pm, Sky Sports 1). The

fit Swann would spell bad news for New Zealand this week –

football after a spell of 20 years away.

Bantams had the better of their league

and for the visiting Aussies later in the summer.

38 | May 17 2013 |

Manager Uwe Rosler will once again

Twenty-four hours before the League

meetings this season, Nahki Wells

look to free-scoring Clayton Donaldson

grabbing the winner at Valley Parade

(below) to net the goals to take them

last month, and should start as slight

there. The 29-year-old's brace against

favourites to return to League One after

Swindon took him to 20 league goals this

six years in the basement division.

7 Days SaTuRday BoxinG | devon aLexandeR v Lee PuRdy | BoaRdwaLk HaLL, atLantic city | sky sPoRts 1 12.30aM

Not punching, but drowning Going in at the deep end is one thing, but in New Jersey this weekend Britain’s Lee Purdy (right) is plunged into boxing’s equivalent of the Atlantic Ocean. The Essex banger snapped up a chance to fight for the IBF welterweight title after Kell Brook withdrew through injury, but the problem is that Purdy hasn’t even proved himself top dog at domestic level. The 25-year-old was losing to the likes of Colin Lynes just five fights back, in compiling his 20-3 record (13 knockouts).

Devon Alexander, his opponent on Saturday, is an elite-class boxer whose only defeat in 25 fights came against Tim Bradley in a unification bout. The American flatters to deceive, often winning unspectacularly, but he’s a speedy southpaw with excellent ring craft. The likely outcome will see Purdy both outslicked and outskilled.

On the undercard, former Olympian Anthony Ogogo looks to build on April’s impressive debut in his second pro fight. But the main event is the fight of the weekend, as Argentina’s Lucas Matthysse takes on controversial Amir Khan conqueror Lamont Peterson. The latter’s workrate is his great strength, but his opponent is a monstrous hitter – if Peterson marches on to a Matthysse bomb, he will likely wake up on the canvas seeing stars.

Sunday MotoGP | Round 4: MonsteR eneRGy GRand PRix de FRance | Le Mans | BBc two 1PM

The young pretender Defending MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo reacted angrily to being barged out of second place on the last corner of the last race by a young upstart. In truth, he’s in danger of being shoved out of the limelight altogether by the talented debutant Marc Marquez.

The 20-year-old Honda rider is the new darling of Spain, and after three podiums in three races leads the championship in his first MotoGP season. A Spanish trio, completed by Dani Pedrosa, lead the standings – only once has a podium step been occupied by another rider.

It had been a while coming for Valentino Rossi, who finished second in Qatar, but he’s back among the best of them after returning to Yamaha to join Lorenzo and Cal Crutchlow. The British rider is seeking to build on his consistency this year with some podium finishes, and currently completes what looks a very strong top five in the championship. With the greatest rider of all time back near his best, and new Iberian rivalries bubbling away, there’s much to look forward to as the championship moves to Le Mans this weekend.

40 | May 17 2013 |

Pretty in pink?

The Giro sorts the men from the boys this weekend,

Eurosport 2 11.30am) is another monster – 149km with

with back-to-back high mountain stages as the race

two category-one climbs and one category-two, as the

heads into Tour de France territory.

race crosses the French border on the way to Col du

After a flat stage today (Friday), Saturday’s 168km rollercoaster sees a category-two climb to the ski resort of Sestriere, where the route tops out 125km in. That’s

Galibier, where the finish awaits after 18km of climbing at an average gradient of 6.9 per cent.

That will favour climbers such as Astana’s Vincenzo

followed by a sharp descent into the Susa Valley, before

Nibali, who would not have expected to have worn the

another climb to Bardonecchia and then a final

Pink Jersey so early in the race and will have identified

category-one beast of a finish – a climb to Jaffreau.

the high mountains as his battleground. BMC’s Cadel

But it’s not so much the climbs Sir Bradley Wiggins

Evans, who has a habit of finishing in the top five, is also

(pictured) has to worry about – it’s the descents on

looking dangerous. If Wiggins can hang on to their coat

which he struggled in the first week, with the 33-year-

tails, he will give himself a chance – especially with one

old admitting he “descended like bit of a girl really...

time trial to come (on Thursday, albeit a mountainous

not to disrespect girls, I have one at home”.

one, but with a steady gradient), in which Sir Mod should

That was after Stage 7. Wiggins, though, still insists he is “physically better than I’ve ever been” – but he will need to be, because Sunday’s Stage 15 (British

be able to stick a good minute into everyone else.

Whoever is sizing up the Maglia Rosa after this weekend, though, will be sitting pretty come Brescia next Sunday. | 41

Scott Heavey/Getty Images, Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP/Getty Images, Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

SaTuRday cycLinG | GiRo d’itaLia staGe 14 | ceRveRe-BaRdonecchia, itaLy | BRitish euRosPoRt 1.30PM

7 Days

Over the pills and Farhh away Sheikh Mohammed and his troubled Godolphin stables continue to operate under the cloud of Mahmood Al

Monday rugby League | super League: Leeds rHinos v sT HeLens | HeadingLey carnegie sTadium | sky sporTs 1 7.45pm

Monday night raw

Zarooni’s doping shame, but the yard of alternative

The first of Sky’s Monday night Super

back, should return from suspension for this

trainer Saeed bin Suroor remains open for business –

League fixtures this season should be a

one. And his beleaguered team can take

and Saturday’s Lockinge Stakes at Newbury gives the

cracker, as reigning champs Leeds Rhinos

one crumb of comfort from the way some

famous royal blue silks a welcome chance to make

host St Helens at Headingley.

of their youngsters have taken to life at the

the news for the right reasons.

The lightly raced Farhh (pictured) makes his seasonal

For the hosts, it’s a match that represents a chance to get back to winning ways after

top level, particularly centre Mark Percival and prop Alex Walmsley.

return in the prestigious Group 1 race, which last year went

their surprise defeat in the Challenge Cup at

the way of now-retired wonderhorse Frankel. Farhh saw

Huddersfield last week. St Helens had the

Wolves host Hull FC (Sky Sports 3, 8pm).

those particular hind quarters on two separate occasions

weekend off, having already been dumped

The Wolves are on a run of five straight

in 2012, but in Frankel’s absence the five-year-old has an

out of the cup by Hull Kingston Rovers –

wins, but the Black and Whites have won six

opportunity to establish himself as Europe’s top miler for

one of six defeats in their last seven games.

from seven and travel in confident mood.

2013. Victory over a decent field, featuring the high-class

They currently languish in eighth place in

Big close-season signing Gareth Ellis has

globetrotter Cityscape, recent Group 2 winner Trumpet

the Super League, and need to get some

finally got his Super League season under

Major and Aidan O’Brien’s improving Declaration of War,

of their injured stars back very soon.

way, too. The England second row scored

would represent a first step on the road to doing just that.

England back-rower Jon Wilkin

his first try for the club in last weekend’s

(pictured), who has been filling in at half

42 | May 17 2013 |

In Friday’s televised game, Warrington

cup win over Wakefield Trinity Wildcats.

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Saturday Horse racing | JLT Lockinge sTakes | newbury | cHanneL 4 & racing uk 3.50pm

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P52 Propaganda: Power and Persuasion – find all three at a new British Library exhibition

Gadgets

2

Inflated audio

1

1. Bowers & Wilkins P3

Dane and Ray sure do know how to make high-quality audio products, and this pair is no exception. Aluminium and rubber mean they’re as lightweight as Ray’s punditry. £169 | amazon.co.uk

5 3

2. Sennheiser momentum Black

The headphonic equivalent of travelling first class. On a plane, not a train, that is – we mean comfort and style, not just a free newspaper. £260 | shop.sennheiser.co.uk

3. Sony mDr-xB910

4

Optimised for powerful bass, these headphones are perfect for anything from plunging dancefloor basslines to the more sedate tones of Barry White, the Walrus of Love. £199 | sony.co.uk

4. Skullcandy Navigator

5. Jabra revo Wireless

These connect to your phone via Bluetooth, or the included wire, for flexibility when you need it, and battery-saving when you don’t. Excellent. £200 | amazon.co.uk £120 | acscustom.com 40 44 | May 10 17 2013 |

James Lincoln, www.jameslincoln.co.uk

Available in a rainbow of colours, from hot pink to the black featured here, the Navigators are a comfortable and durable option at an affordable price. £84 | uk.skullcandy.com£649 |

eT

Kit

one small sTep on a Treadmill…

… one giant leap into the future of home gym tech. Okay, it doesn’t have the same ring to it as Neil Armstrong’s finest oration, but this new gear will still blow your mind

artis run Treadmill

Now this is what we call a running machine.

The jewel in Technogym’s Artis range, the treadmill is loaded with cool features and boasts the ace Unity screen: an interactive gizmo loaded with features to pep up your workout. Here are a few of our favourites. £13,220 | technogym.com/artis

Change of scene

Staring at a wall can only get you so far when you’re pushing yourself to the limit, so why not go virtual? Just one press of a button and your screen will have you kicking through the surf on the beaches of France, dodging your way through the streets of New York, trying to outrun a hungry Luis Suarez or many more. Note – some of the above might not be true.

sync up your training

Take your workout details with you if you want to get sweaty somewhere else. Unity is connected to the MyWellness Cloud, which means you can update and view your training log even when you’re out on the go – plus you can load it straight up on a different Unity machine to keep your session consistent.

Keep things personal

NFC technology means one simple swipe of your Android device will log you into your Unity (iPhone users have to plug their phone in – it’s positively archaic!) so you can access your personal preferences, stay logged into your favourite websites and basically just save a lot of hassle.

stay social

If the idea of being off Facebook for an hour leaves you in a cold sweat, you’ll be pleased to hear you can tweet, skype or ‘book from the ’mill. Christ knows what the person at the other end of your Skype will make of a sweaty face-to-face call, but we’ll leave that one up to you.

“Totes tweeting while running.

Lolz. #lookatmeimworkingout”

The rest of the range The Artis Run might be the big name, but the supporting cast are just as eye-catching. Launched to celebrate 30 years of Technogym, the Artis range covers strength and cardio, and these nifty numbers we’ve picked out – bike (1), sit-down bike (2) and step machine (3) – all come with the interactive Unity screen. technogym.com/artis 46 | May 17 2013 |

1

2

3

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Advertising Feature

e have a winner. Our three average guys have spent the past 12 weeks proving what a difference protein, exercise and a balanced diet can make for anyone who wants to get into great shape.

And now the votes are in.

Of more than 10,000 people who applied, only three were selected for this incredible challenge. The nation and a celebrity judging panel have followed their transformation and chosen their winner: Oli Ward.

Oli has proved that it is not just pro athletes and bodybuilders who can benefit from regular exercise and getting their protein intake right – protein is for everyday men, too, and the benefits go beyond just muscle bulk.

We asked Oli about his journey, and his remarkable metamorphosis: MAXIMUSCLE, PROMAX and star device are registered trademarks of the GlaxoSmithKlineGroup of companies. UK’s No.1 sports nutrition brand – Neilson data

W

OLI, YOU’VE BEEN On a great journey. what motivated you to take on the challenge?

“The fact that I was in really bad shape and was so injury-prone made me want to enter, so I could get the help and guidance to build a body that would hold up for rugby.

Also, I wasn’t proud of the body I had and didn’t like the way I looked.” what improvement are you most happy with?

“My waist size has dropped dramatically, which was always a concern because there are all sorts of health risks linked to a large waist size. The strength gains I have made are good for helping in rugby, too.”

what part of the challenge did you find toughest?

“The initial stages really tested me, and made me question myself and my ability to do well in the challenge. And the marine training all three of us took on in week five was really tough!” were you familiar with sport nutrition before you took part in the protein project, and how has your perception changed?

“I was familiar with sports nutrition, but always doubted what I read.

As soon as I knew what they do and how they benefit you, I understood what I was aiming to achieve – and got a thirst for learning more and more about them.” what was it like using maximuscle products on a day-to-day basis?

“It was really easy – Maximuscle’s supplements taste great and they were a key part in my successful transformation.” wHAT is the key change you have made to your diet?

“Making sure that I had a shake straight after exercise, cutting out processed foods and only eating what I need, when I need it.”

If you could give one piece of advice to our readers, what would it be?

“To get on and do it, to put everything you have into it and think about what you want to achieve by the end of it every morning. That sets you up for a productive day and keeps you on track.”

Visit www.maximuscle.com/Protein Project to see our three average guys’ transformations and for all the resources you need to start your own 12-week challenge. It could be the first step in proving to yourself that, with the right protein, combined with exercise and a balanced diet, you can make yourself fitter, leaner, stronger and perform better than ever.

www.maximuscle.com/ProteinProject

| 47

ET

Grooming

ITAlIAn qUAlITy

With the second week of the Giro d’Italia coming to a close, we saddle up for a Grand Tour of a grooming regime

The deodorants

Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo

AdP’s new collection of deodorants – each based on its own complementary fragrance – reads like the route map of the Giro, featuring as it does (from left to right) the Arancia di Capri, with notes of mandarin and lemon with cardamom; the Mirto di Panarea, with jasmine and rose; the Fico di Amalfi, with fig nectar, pink pepper and jasmine petals; and the Mandorlo di Sicilia – a bergamot and orange blend accompanied by notes of green Mediterranean almond and ylang-ylang. But the Pink Jersey, as far as Sport is concerned, goes to the fruity Bergamotto di Calabria, with notes of red ginger and cedarwood, and a base of musk. Buono. £25 each | acquadiparma.com

The hand wash Molton Brown Anti-Bacterial Rok Mint

A clinically proven anti-bacterial hand wash blended with natural aromatic extracts – no bad thing after 254km of handle bar-gripping ascents and descents. That’s how long the longest stage of the Giro is – today’s Busseto to Cherasco. So spare a thought for Cav, Wiggo and co when you lather on this formula blended with fermented filtrate of Rok-radish and aromatic basil herb from Italy, with blackcurrant and mint. One for the entire peloton, this. £16 | nivenandjoshua.com

The fragrance Ermenegildo Zegna UOMO

EZ’s new scent comes in a bottle with a design based on the Casa Malaparte, a house on the Isle of Capri.

This blend of bergamot (cultivated at EZ’s grove in Calabria, Italy), grassy vetiver, cedarwood and violet is for men “filled with ambition, intensity and desire”.

We can only presume they are talking about the Modfather himself. £60 for 100ml | boots.com

How do you face your problem if your problem is your face?

This moisturiser isn’t the whole answer, but it’s a start.

48 | May 17 2013 |

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ONLY THE BEST GET BETTER WITH AGE

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*Source: Euromonitor International Limited; Nivea by global brand name in the category Men’s Skin Care; in retail value terms 2012.

Only available at Boots Shop online at boots.com

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50 | May 17 2013 |

S

wimsuit and lingerie model Gemma Lee Farrell has recently been busy promoting two wheels as part of the Monster Energy Dime Squad for Monster Energy Supercross, asking fans questions such as: ‘Which of the following is the Street League Championship prize? a) kittens b) cake c) Dime Squad pillow fight or d) $200,000.’ We know this one – the answer has to be cake. Right?

But it’s with four wheels that Farrell’s heart really lies, dating as she does pro skater (as in skateboarder, to anyone who hasn’t read Nick Hornby’s Slam) Brandon ‘The Sactown King’ Biebel. He is the only skater to be issued his own Sacramento Kings NBA jersey because – annoyingly – he’s just that good at both sports.

Farrell divides her time between LA, with Biebel, and – according to her Twitter profile – “a pineapple under the sea”. That, fortunately, is the only thing she has in common with SpongeBob SquarePants. Though we can’t say for certain – she might have a pair of those in purple, too.

Square pants?

Extra time Gemma Lee Farrell Apix Syndication

| 51

ET

Entertainment

YoUR coUnTRY nEEDs YoU!

... to check out a fascinating new exhibition, enjoy road rage in the cinema and get into trouble with The National

Exhibition

Film

Fast & Furious 6

“War! Huh! What is it good for?” sang Edwin Starr in 1970, before coming to the conclusion of: “Absolutely nothing!” Right on, Edwin. However, even he might grudgingly agree that a fascinating by-product of war is the propaganda posters, films and cartoons that often seem to bring out the best in creative minds, as well as being a thought-provoking insight into human psychology. This new exhibition

Blu-ray

Django Unchained

Western, comedy, blaxploitation film and Quentin Tarantino’s best work since Pulp Fiction – Django Unchained delivers on many levels. Jamie Foxx plays it cool as the freed slave searching for both his wife and bloody revenge, while Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio ham it up as a quirky bounty hunter and sadistic plantation owner. Magnificent.

Out Monday 52 | May 17 2013 |

at London’s British Library offers an insight into 20th and 21st-century state propaganda. While materials related to war in general (particularly World War II) are understandably prevalent, the exhibits on show also vary from portraits of Napoleon to public information material on safe sex. An intriguing look at media manipulation, plus a chance to boo Hitler and cheer Bert the Turtle. It’s open until September 17, and entry costs £9.

Opens today

Music

Trouble Will Find Me The National

There are elements of Nick Cave and Bruce Springsteen on The National’s sixth album, but it’s no pastiche. From the rumbling Demons to the languid beauty of Trouble Will Find Me, the US indie-rock miserablists imprint their class everywhere, while Matt Berninger’s baritone vocals play havoc with your neck hairs.

Out Monday

Film

Music

Random Access Memories Daft Punk

Funky, 1970s-style disco hit Get Lucky is one of 2013’s best songs so far, but it doesn’t sound like a Daft Punk track. The French electronica duo have diversified, using (gasp) live instruments and enlisting the help of everyone from Julian Casablancas to indie favourite Panda Bear to create this: an album of eclectic joy.

Out Monday

The Great Gatsby

No surprise that Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of F Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece has divided critics.

His lavish, grandiose movies tend to do that – and this story of an enigmatic 1920s millionaire is notoriously tricky to film. At least all agree that Leo excels in the lead role; a case of the great DiCaprio, even if the film isn’t quite the full American dream.

Out now

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© Crown, © Universal, Courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures

Propaganda: Power and Persuasion British Library

The fifth film threw The Rock’s mighty biceps in with the muscle cars and revitalised this series with a verve that continues here. Vin Diesel is back, tag-teaming with The Rock, in part to track down his old flame, Michelle Rodriguez.

But Vin’s method of showing he cares is less sending flowers and more about delivering jawdropping, physics-defying stunts featuring planes, a tank and tearing up London in souped-up automobiles. Add in stunning fight scenes – including Diesel’s E Honda-style flying headbutt – and you have a grin-inducing, guilty-pleasure blockbuster.

Out today

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