ONLY POOLS AND HORSES

Joker ‘Olly turns Serious

“This time next year, we’ll be millionaires”.

Those are the words that are uttered on nearly every episode of Only Fools and Horses, by the irrepressible Del Boy Trotter.

Ian Holloway could not have dreamed of saying those words when he took over at lowly Blackpool in May 2009. Yet only a year and a day after he took charge, Holloway was celebrating promotion to the Premier League with Blackpool, after winning the £90m play-off final at Wembley.

However, much like the Trotter’s doomed jackpot win, which saw them go from paupers to princes and back again, Holloway, seems to be far from settled sitting at English football’s top table.

‘Olly seems to be someone who has got it all having won the jackpot (i.e. won promotion to the Premier League). Yet now he is there he is finding that it is not everything he had ever wished for.

The recent debacle over his ten changes to the side which narrowly lost 3-2 to Aston Villa, was blown out of proportion by many in the media, but also worsened by Holloway himself. A siege-mentality has been adopted by him recently that is totally unlike the man who would come up with a press-conference cracker every week, not so long ago.

His attitude towards the media has become surprisingly defiant and bullish recently. Surprising for a man whose entire managerial career up to this point, has been the stuff of YouTube legend, with bloopers and quotes almost becoming his trademark.

His bizarre blackmail threat, offering his resignation if found guilty of fielding a weakened side, only made the situation even more complex. It also signified that Holloway is a different character to the one painted as a lower-league jester. It would seem he is keen to shake off that impression, and instead be portrayed as a very serious and competent football manager.

Contract wrangles, rushed signings and talks of financial penalties have so far eluded Holloway in his career, and they have undoubtedly marred his impression of the top flight now that they have become commonplace.

As far as the results on the pitch are concerned, have been nothing short of outstanding, yet they have they do have the look of a timid Hull City not so long ago, in their first season, in the sense that they like to attack and outscore teams, rather than hold out for an edgy 1-0 win.

Victories at Anfield and St James Park have gone some way to showing that Holloway’s bunch of lower-league journeymen and foreign unknowns may actually survive amongst the big fish.

They also have an individual match-winner in Charlie Adam, much like Geovanni was for Hull when he first joined. The key is keeping up the results and morale, after Christmas, when the euphoria and hype over the Seasiders will have surely wilted. That is something that will be arguably the hardest part of Holloway’s task; keeping momentum going, whilst trying to add sensibly to the squad to ensure survival.

When comparing Holloway to the Trotters, it is ironic that both have had sniffs of the big-time, the money, the limelight etc. But the question is will Holloway’s moment, and Blackpool’s for that matter, last longer than a season. If it does, it will have been an outstanding achievement.

If he was to break up the relationship between him and the seaside club, purely because of a disciplinary rule or a contract wrangle, then there are many that would believe he would be a “plonker” to do so.

LTA FACING CRUCIAL MATCH POINT

THE CONSEQUENCE OF REWARDING FAILURE

Like an under-pressure top seed serving to stay in a Grand Slam, British tennis is in a state of disarray currently.

At a time when many sporting clubs and institutions are cutting their cloth, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) is still receiving its more-than-generous funding of £26m, with hardly any justifiable reasons for doing so.

The institution has come under scathing criticism in recent years for failing to produce a sufficient amount of prospects like Andy Murray or Laura Robson.

When evaluating the success or failure of the organisation in recent years, many people simply suggest one name: Alex Bogdanovic.

Bogdanovic, 26, has become a laughable figure in the game, due to a succession of wildcard Wimbledon entries which sees his record stand at eight consecutive first round exits.

The case of Bogdanovic is just one aspect that falls under the LTA’s umbrella of failure.

In order to combat the problems faced by British tennis, earlier this year Sports minister Hugh Robertson announced that a greater emphasis will be placed on the game at grassroots level,. He said:

“We expect tennis to play a prominent role and to capitalise on the huge demand and potential that exists in schools as part of our plan to set up an Olympic and Paralympics-style competition. This will be a nationwide competition that is open to every school and every child in the country”.

It would seem this initiative is aimed at producing a better standard of players in the future years; nevertheless, the matter of today’s prospects must also be questioned.

James Ward is 23, and is ranked as British number 2, yet only scrapes into the world’s top 200 and is virtually unknown by even the most diehard British tennis followers.

Ward featured in the recent Davis Cup debacle when Great Britain, minus Murray, were embarrassed in a 3-2 defeat to Lithuania that signalled the team’s sole dependence on the world number four, aswell as highlighting the deficiencies within our ranks from the Scotsman’s understudies.

Murray’s shoulders must be close to buckling, given the weight of expectation that he is carrying. The LTA’s reputation is on the line every time he enters a major tournament, and with each failure, a harmful blow is dealt to them from scathing critics.

Many from within the game have talked about a cut in funding, with the intention of teaching them that their failure cannot continue to be supplemented so graciously.

Whatever the solution, it needs to be quick, in order for the LTA to avoid the infamous game, set and match analogy that surely faces them at this moment.

CITY POOL GETS SEAL OF APPROVAL

Sheffield's Ponds Forge has been given huge praise by Steve Foley, the man who will be partly responsible for guiding the US diving team to success in the London 2012 Olympics.

Foley, speaking during part of a three-day visit to the city by a number of US Olympic committee members, said: “ Ponds Forge is one of best aquatics centres in the world. For a training venue it’s great, really world class. So it's good for us to have our best divers training in the best environment”.

Foley has a distinguished career in the sport of diving, having competed at the Olympics in 1976, 1980 and 1984, and is currently in the role of High performance director of US Diving.

The Australian also said that Sheffield rates as better than the pre-Beijing camp in the last Olympics: “This is probably better, because it’s an event pool. The one we trained in before Beijing was just a very small diving pool, so I think it's good for us to come here and dive in a big event pool”.

Sheffield City Council Leader Paul Scriven was also present at the visit and says other national teams are in discussions to also come to the City: “We’ve got the Serbia team already here and the Brazilian judo team are coming aswell. And we’re also talking to other teams trying to make sure we utilise as many of our sporting facilities to get teams here and really promote Sheffield”.

PURSE AIMS FOR ASCENT BOTH ON THE PITCH, AND IN THE SKY

As he sits back, fresh from an autumn morning’s training, Darren Purse discusses what his plans are for life after football and stares expectantly into the skies. Ironically, those skies are void of clouds, and represent perfect conditions for a mid-morning flight – something the Sheffield Wednesday captain may be doing on a regular basis when he eventually hangs up his boots.

“It’s a career that I would like to go into, obviously when I’m finished playing football” says the 33-year old.

Retirement plans will no doubt come into the minds of most thirty-something players from time to time. It is therefore a refreshing change to see somebody who has a passion away from the game, instead of wondering what to do with himself after he trudges off the field for the final time.

He describes an off-chance trip with a former team-mate, as the moment his desire for helicopter piloting stemmed: “My old friend at Cardiff, Ricardo Scimeca, took me along one day to Coventry airport to have a look at helicopters, because he was the one that was into all that. We had a go in one and I really enjoyed it and it’s just gone on from there really.”

It seems what was once a hobby has now grown into a real future career prospect for the much-travelled centre-half, although he is finding it increasingly harder to fit in the sessions nowadays: “Living up in Sheffield, it’s a lot harder (to find time). Obviously when I was living in the Midlands, Coventry airport was there and I’d go and fly on an afternoon, whereas now, especially when you’re coming to the latter stages of it, it takes a full day out of your life just to do two hours flying.

A lot of it now is navigation stuff, and paperwork and you’ve also got to check the helicopter overnight aswell so it does take a lot of time to do. This is why I’ve put it to the back of my mind for the time being until I’ve finished my coaching badges and then I’ll take it back up again.”

Purse, who has played top-flight football in his career with Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion, refuses to rule out becoming a manager, although he does see the need to keep his options open: “I’m hoping my “A” licence will be done by next June (2011), and then that’s those done really. There’s only one other licence I can take and that’s the Pro Licence and you can’t really take that up until you’re a manager anyway.

But once I get the A licence done, I can then manage anywhere I want, up to the Premier League even. Obviously it’s a natural step from being footballer to become a coach, but there are a lot of managers out of work at the moment, so you’ve got to open up other avenues, and that’s where the helicopter thing came up.”

It seems Purse will not be stuck for options to choose from, when it comes to hanging up his boots. A route down the helicopter path seems likely, although with a coaching career in the back of his mind, he refuses to set to his heart on one route: “I’ve every intention of when I’ve finished playing football, of maybe taking a year out to get my PPL (private pilot’s licence) and then to do a crash course, which takes another year before you get your commercial licence. And that’s something I would be interested in doing. Once you’ve got that you can then fly people about and obviously do what you want to do.”

It seems that that is the goal for the Owls skipper, in the long term. However, for the time being, the Londoner is firmly focused on his football. He takes his responsibilities as Wednesday captain seriously not only on the pitch, but also off it. He is the club’s ambassador for their partnership with the Children’s Hospital of Sheffield, who are sponsors for the Owls home and away kits.

Part of being ambassador means visiting the hospital on a regular basis, which the defender sees as hugely worthwhile: “It’s amazing when you go up there and hear that a kid’s had a smile on their face for a week, just because I’ve been up there and spent 20 or 30 minutes with them. That’s something that I really enjoy doing, and to put a smile on their face is the most important thing.”

To say Purse’s schedule is hectic would be an understatement. Aswell as being a full-time professional footballer, doing his badges and training for the PPL, he also has three children to cater for.

Purse, who joined Wednesday in the summer of 2009, says he enjoys watching his son play football aswell as help mucking out the stables with his horse-mad daughter. He also tries to find time to fit in other hobbies: “I like a game of golf and I’ve got a greyhound which runs, which I enjoy watching. I don’t really get much time to sit down. When you’ve got three kids you’ve got to be (active). And you’ve got to share your time equally between the three of them.”

As the attention switches back to football, Purse acknowledges the desire to propel the Owls to promotion this season: “With the players we’ve got, we should be in the top two in the division. If we finish outside the play-offs, it’s been a horrible season. To get promoted, we need to do the hard work now.”

And with that parting, passionate comment, the stocky skipper gives a firm handshake and departs. There is no doubting that for the time being, Purse’s mind is firmly set on guiding the Owls to ascension from League One.

While a career in helicopters remains a possibility in the future, for now, Purse is more than content to navigate Wednesday to promotion at the first time of asking.

GOAL GLUT AS WEDNESDAY RIDE OUT SAND-STORM

SOUTHPORT 2 OWLS 5

Wednesday avoided slipping on the banana skin that was present at Haig Avenue, and eventually ended up winning comfortably to seal their passage to the next round of the FA Cup.

But the scoreline does not explain the bizarre game that took place. Despite conceding five, the Conference hosts, known as the Sandgrounders, were on parity twice before capitulating thanks to some shocking defending.

Only a bizarre spell of six goals in eleven second half minutes brought this dull affair to life, and ensured a meeting with Northampton in the next round.

Wednesday had opened the scoring on 11 minutes. A long throw from the right was knocked on by Tommy Miller and Clinton Morrison, and eventually ended up with Teale, who poked home at the far post.

It is fair to say that Wednesday’s defence were content to get the ball as far away as possible when in possession. Mark Beevers was the worst culprit in the first half, literally hooding the ball downfield on every occasion, most of the time to no avail.

As the half progressed, Wednesday’s stranglehold on the game increased. Shortly before half-time, they went close on a number of occasions, with Giles Coke smacking the bar from a free-kick layoff, and then Neil Mellor firing just over.

In first half stoppage time, Mellor should have made it 2-0 undoubtedly when he and Teale broke away with one defender for company. Mellor had a glorious chance to effectively kill the game off, but his scuffed effort rolled wide as the half faded out.

The game certainly livened up in the second half, with a staggering purple patch of goals. The hosts were first off the mark, when the lively Barrett, capitalised on a Jon Otsemobor header and lobbed Nicky Weaver to send the home fans into raptures.

Far from dwelling on that setback, Alan Irvine’s men took the lead almost immediately when another long throw from Spurr, came to Morrison who hit the post. The resulting rebound fell to Mellor who tapped home to make it 2-1.

The hosts bounced back again, this time instantaneously when substitute Matt McGinn took a long throw, and when it came back to him he drilled it low past a sea of bodies beyond the reach of Weaver.

The home fans and TV commentators were now sensing an upset on the cards, but just as the tide was turning, Wednesday finally hit top gear, smashing in three goals in four minutes to secure their Hillsborough date with the Cobblers.

First, Morrison poached a brace in quick succession with a typical striker-in-the-box double, before Tommy Spurr added the icing on the cake with a thunderous effort that rendered the remaining 25 minutes a foregone conclusion.

OTTERS SWIMMING AGAINST THE TIDE IN WAKE OF SPORTING CUTBACKS

Pride, passion and hard work are just three of the qualities that are required to reach the Olympic Games, the pinnacle of an athlete’s career.

All three it would seem were in abundance in the case of Josh Smith, formerly of Huddersfield Otters water polo club.

Smith was a young Olympic hopeful who had been called up to the Great Britain side, after a string of impressive displays for the West Yorkshire outfit.

The dream, however, turned sour in early 2009. Paul Bentley, coach at the Otters explains: “Josh was training with the GB team in Manchester, although he was only third choice. However, the funding for it went and that was a big blow”.

A cut in funding to the sport, in preparation for 2012, meant that Smith became disillusioned with the sport, and headed for pastures new, which is an extremely sad state of affairs when you consider the amount of talent that seems to be slipping through the grasps of British sport, not only in water polo.

In an ailing sport, Bentley and other volunteers are seemingly swimming against the tide, with regards to the resources at their disposal. “We have to train in shallow pools (here at the Sports Centre) which isn’t ideal as water polo should be played in deep pools really.

Despite working on a shoestring budget with limited resources, it is a testament to Bentley and his team, that players like Smith can even think of entering the “Greatest show on earth”. It would certainly seem that they punch above their weight and only last year, the Otters claimed the under-16 Yorkshire championship, which just foes to show the potential that exists within the club.

Despite that success, the veteran coach confesses that the club does face a struggle to attract new blood: “we do find it hard to attract new members, as it is hard to teach good swimmers to be good at water polo, and vice versa.”

“We are always looking to improve, but as lads get older they’ve got families and friends and it becomes harder to remain dedicated.

However, instead of trying to find ways to combat that, it seems the club cannot compete with its more popular counterpart – swimming. Bentley states: “the difference in sports is massive: Swimming (in Kirklees) gets 20 hours a week, whilst we get only 2½ hours.”

That revealing figure highlights the struggles that water polo faces in the coming years.

However, money is not necessarily the answer, although it does help.

It is dedication shown by clubs like the Otters that is keeping the sport afloat.

AND TO THINK, THIS IS ANFIELD?

First of all, it is worth saying that Liverpool Football Club will not be relegated this season, no matter how many people try and convince you otherwise.

Yes, their problems have been catastrophic but even a nine-point deduction (although unlikely as it is) will not mean that they end up in the Championship next year.

That is because unlike Portsmouth, LFC still have the resources of a certain Mr Gerrard on their books to drag them kicking and screaming through every game seemingly.

Supporters at Anfield remain disillusioned with the situation both on and off the pitch and rightly so.

Tom Hicks and George Gillett have successfully negotiated a way to run a once-illustrious English club into the ground in no time at all. Even the much-maligned Glazers have not managed that feat in their tenure at Old Trafford (so far).

As far as playing matters are concerned, there is no doubting that the Kop have fallen down the Premier League pecking order, not only in positional sense, but also in terms of fear factor.

Supporters that once prided themselves on following a club that considered itself like a magnet to trophies are now faced with turning up at home games and being happy to take a point from sides such as Sunderland at the end of 90 minutes, a scenario that would have seemed unthinkable to the loyal band of Merseysiders not so long ago when they were flirting with top spot on a regular basis.

It is now more interesting, it would seem, to discuss the antics in the boardroom as opposed to on the pitch. The sorry state of affairs that has taken place has ripped the club apart from the inside out.

There is of course no doubt that Liverpool is still a massive club and the sooner the ownership issue is resolved, then the quicker their return to form will correlate.

Whether Roy Hodgson will be given time to turn the situation around, only time will tell, but surely a managerial change will bring with it only more upheaval. What is certain in this farcical daily drama is that the Reds will definitely not be pitching up in the second tier come next season, something they should be thankful for.

Hudd-P'Boro

TERRIERS MOVE A LICK OF PAINT CLOSER TO WEMBLEY

HUDDERSFIELD 3-2 PETERBOROUGH

It was a tale of two halves as Huddersfield scraped into the last eight of the Northern section of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

In front of barely 3,000 inside the Galpharm stadium, the Terriers survived a second half onslaught from the visitors as they nearly let slip a 3-0 lead after a dominant first half performance.

Graham Carey opened the scoring for Town with a long range effort that opposite keeper Joe Lewis should have dealt with, as oppose to let slip through his hands.

Fellow Town winger Anthony Pilkington then doubled the lead after shimmying into the area and letting rip an unstoppable shot that flew into the top corner. He added another shortly after to effectively wrap up the game.

Many a time in the first period, Town used the channels as their major outlet, with front man Alan Lee winning countless headers and playing in Carey and Pilkington on the wings.

However, complacency set in after the break. A triple substitution by Posh boss Gary Johnson at half-time freshened them up, and it wasn’t long before they found a route back into the game when Aaron McLean, one of the subs, headed home via the post.

Peterborough continued their quest to draw level as the half grew, with McLean and Craig Mackail-Smith looking the most likely to strike.

Some smart goalkeeping was required from home keeper Ian Bennett, when he cleverly palmed away two corners that swept into the penalty spot region.

The removal of Lee with a quarter of the game to go meant that Town’s main outlet had departed, and as a result, Peterborough reduced the deficit furthermore, when Mark Little nodded from close range.

Just when Posh looked like staging a remarkable comeback, Lee’s replacement, Jordan Rhodes, spurned the chance to kill the game off, when he fizzed an effort just over the bar.

That was to prove the last major incident of the game, as Town held on to reach the quarter-finals and move one step closer to Wembley.

NOTTS COUNTY MATCH REPORT

With a new month comes a new start.

That is certainly what Alan Irvine will be hoping for after a resurgent performance that was more than welcomed after a nightmare September.

In a month which saw four defeats on the trot, car park protests and questions raised over the shelf life of Irvine, the Owls will have been glad to see the 1^st of October arrive on their calendar.

How ironic that the goalscorers on Saturday were two players that have been much-maligned recently during that pitiful run.

Marcus Tudgay finally scored his first goal in open play since April, whilst Darren Potter went some way to restoring his reputation among disillusioned supporters.

After soaking up the pressure in the first half, Wednesday came out and took initiative after the break, with Marcus Tudgay scoring from outside the area with a finely placed effort. Not since fourteen games back has the striker netted (Excluding penalties).

The goal allowed Wednesday to relax slightly, however County gave them a scare when they were denied an equaliser when the flag was raised to quash Lee Hughes headed goal.

Both sides continued to threaten in patches, with Neil Mellor hauling his shot wide and the ever-dangerous Hughes always looking a threat to the Owls backline.

With little under five minutes remaining, County were reduced to ten men when Alan Judge was shown red for a clash with Potter. The decision looked extremely harsh especially when considering it was a straight dismissal.

Nevertheless Wednesday used the sending-off to their advantage, when Potter, on a substitute, slotted home past ex-Owls keeper Rob Burch to seal the first maximum haulage since late August.

OLDHAM ATHLETIC PREVIEW

After a miserable weekend, Owls fans could be forgiven for wanting to evade this fixture on a cold, Tuesday night in autumn, as they prepare for the visit of Oldham from across the Pennines.

A surrender to Southampton, followed by a half-hearted protest has left many supporters even more bemused at the club’s situation, with rumours of a record low attendance for this game, however a positive result on Tuesday may go someway to rekindling the hope that existed barely one month ago.

As far as team selection is concerned, pressure is growing on the terraces for Paul Heffernan to be given a starting role on Tuesday, against one of his former clubs. The Irishman has yet to start for the Owls in the league and will surely get no better chance, given the team’s dreadful run of results recently.

Skipper Darren Purse went off at half-time on Saturday after a knock to the head, but should return to the heart of the defence, although the full-back options remain wide open. Daniel Jones, Tommy Spurr, Lewis Buxton and Jon Otsemobor will compete for the two coveted starting shirts.

As for the visitors, rookie boss Paul Dickov has steered confidence back into the club after flirtation with relegation last campaign. Last season, Athletic finished just two points above the drop-zone, narrowly avoiding demotion to the fourth tier.

The Latics lost out to a cruel, late winner on Saturday at league leaders Brighton. Sources in the North West say that Dickov’s troops were unlucky to come away from that match without anything to show. They currently sit tenth in the league, having racked up a dozen points from eight league games.

With over 30 professionals on the books, Dickov possesses one of the largest squads at this level, and will hope that quantity does not mean lack of quality, as he aims to restore Oldham back to the Championship, after a fourteen-year absence.

Striker Warren Feeney endured a bizarre spell on loan last season at S6 playing just a quarter of an hour before returning to parent club Cardiff. He joined Athletic in the summer and has made five appearances but has yet to hit the net. He is out of the game on Tuesday, with an ankle knock.

SKIING BLOG

With the winter Olympics looming, skiing is set to enjoy a boom in interest.

The popular winter sport is always associated with snow-laden countries such as Switzerland and Canada, however Britain is able to effectively compete in this event without the help of real snow.

The Video (see, below) shows the thrills that a skier can expect, whether they are skiing leisurely or competitively, when they pull off the perfect jump and finish.

if you are interested by this sport, why not make your next holiday a sporting one and enter the adrenaline-fuelled world of skiing.