World Map of Sport

Check out my new google map showing British sporting acheivements across the globe. It’s just a bit of fun, but I thought it would be interesting to see just how far-flung our sportsmen and women are all year round, not just during major events. More additions will follow soon.

Shearer new Newcastle manager

Alan Shearer has been named as the next Newcastle United manager, taking charge immediately until at least the end of the season. That makes him Mike Ashley‘s fourth managerial appointment in one season, after Kevin Keegan, Joe Kinnear and Chris Hughton, which must be some kind of record.

Blatter Separates Fifa from football logic

Being Sepp Blatter‘s head of communications must be a constant nightmare, a hair-pulling, desk-pounding, heart-attack-waiting-to-happen bastard of a job. Imagine the exertion required to ensure that Sepp doesn’t spend all day, every day, exposing his laughably one-sided beliefs and shocking lack of knowledge concering the world of football. Maybe the answer is that he doesn’t employ any communications staff. It would certainly explain the regular appearance of comments in the press such as these.

Dutch Courage for Murray

It has…ahem…come to my attention (obviously I have my finger on the pulse of all sports) that Andy Murray is getting back on the metaphorical bike tomorrow when he takes on Ivan Ljubicic at the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.

The draw is such that if he makes it through the first round there’s a great chance of reaching the final, probably via Gasquet in the quarters and Simon/Ancic in the semis. You may be one of the Murray-haters (“He’s such a grumpy scot….He needs to cheer up…Bring back Henman…) but I think it would be fantastic if he managed to bounce straight back with a tournament win, taking some ranking points off third-placed Djokovic who sounded off so strongly against Murray at the Aussie Open.

Chambers best in class

Dwain Chambers – he of failed drug test and attempted NFL/rugby league crossover fame – is getting back in his groove on the indoor track. At the Birmingham games he posted a personal best of 6.52 seconds for the 60 metres. Looks like he will be gunning for the chicken-nugget scoffing, comically quick Usain Bolt at the World Championships in August.

His secret? Chambers described his approach to races thus: “It’s like a dog that doesn’t get fed very often,” he said. “When I get my Pedigree Chum, I am shoving it down. I am a man that’s hungry. When I get the opportunity, I go.”

UK athletics were not available for comment on whether this training diet was orthodox behaviour for a sprinter. Hopefully running around all whacked on scooby snacks will bring home a gold.