Gymnastics anyone?

The 2009 Artistic Gymnastics Championships

So the gymnastics has been on TV a lot recently. Just like the snooker was on for a while beforehand. A couple of minority sports in Britain but still given primetime terrestrial coverage....don't get me started... Anyway, did you know that the O2 arena, where the world gymnastics is being held, was actually set up as a gymnastics venue? Its true - its not for live music, the WWE, live shows or for another sport, its for gymnastics. Who would have thought it.... To be fair it is pretty amazing sometimes but I am disappointed by the lack of my personal favourite move: the good old rolly poley. But Britain got a medal in the shape of Daniel Keatings' silver, creating history by winning the team's first ever medal in the men's all-around event at a World Championships. If results like this come from hosting such an event at the O2 and putting it on TV then its not all bad, I suppose.


International Football

So the World Cup 2010 qualifying is almost over. Only the playoffs to go. Argentina made it in the end and join South Africa, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Australia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Denmark, England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Brazil, Paraguay, United States, Mexico, Honduras, and Chile in the finals next summer. But how on earth are they still fifth favourites? I watched their final quaifier against Uruguay and they were very poor - just lucky that Uruguay were worse on the day.

What is Maradona playing at? He has not impressed me. He has used over 70 players in his qualification phase, discarding world-class players seemingly at random, calling up pensioners and kids, and celebrating with Klinsmanns on the touchline. His decisions are bizarre: for example, Sergio Aguero and Juan Roman Riquelme, Argentina's top scorer in the stage, weren't even in the squad for the crunch game. If things do not drastically improve then I can see the South Americans go out in the Group Stage. Do NOT put money on these guys! When your manager says Jonas Gutierrez (who cannot cross, shoot or pass) is one of four players who he guarantees will be in the squad next summer, you know something is wrong...

I'm tempted to have a flutter on France as World Cup winner. Not a bad bet at long odds as I expect them to get through the playoffs comfortably after a resurgence in form, and with the likes of Henry, Benzema, Anelka, and Ribery they have the fire power. But Spain have to be strong favourites.

David Beckham picked up the MOTM award for a 30 minute cameo against Belarus. It sounds stupid but there really were no other contenders. Yes Crouch scored a couple but they were both little tap-ins, and the game was dire - what a surprise! But why oh why did they let Steve "face like a goblin" Bruce choose? In fact why do we bother with a man of the match at all in these kind of games? I doubt Becks is going to treasure that moment. Lets just not have a MOTM when the match is rubbish. We should be man of the match for bloody tuning in!

"So over to Steve for the Man of the Match. Steve?"
"I'm sorry but the match does not merit one"
Simple.