Murray hits top form... at the wrong time!

They say timing is key. Unfortunately, Andy Murray appears to have got his all wrong and must never wished so much that it was April, not October.

As the season comes to an end in just over a month with the ATP Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in London, the new world number three has found a run of form which has seen him take the spoils in the last four of five tournaments, culminating in a fine display in the Shanghai Masters last week.

But for the world's top players, there is still over three months to wait until the next Grand Slam event in Melbourne and for Murray, there could prove a problem in maintaining his excellent form over the season break. Questions will again arise as to whether he can take the last step and realise his dream of a major win.

Roger Federer is not the player he once was, falling below the Scot to his lowest rank since 2003 and without a Grand Slam title in 2011. Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal has hit an unexplained slump in form and Novak Djokovic is feeling the effects of a remarkable season, one that nobody expected.

ONLY A MATTER OF TIME?: Murray has a renewed vigour following a hat-trick of titles in Asia.

And if Novak can do it, there is no reason Andy can't. A few minor tweaks and Djokovic springboarded himself to the top of the world rankings, taking the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open titles and five Masters 1000 events along the way.

Murray's efforts in the Grand Slams saw him reach the Australian final, succumbing to the excellent Serb in straight sets, before he capitulated in three semis against Nadal. The challenge for Murray is to overcome the nerves and pressure which seem to affect him in these big games.

He certainly has the ability to win a Slam, we all know that. What appears positive in recent weeks is a growing confidence and sense of belonging as one of the top players which he will need to carry into next season and will prove vital in any challenge he mounts for the Grand Slam title that he craves.

With eight Masters 1000 titles, the 24-year-old Scotsman's achievements should not be underestimated. His British number one predecessor, Tim Henman, only managed one in his entire career and never reached a major final, something which Murray has already accomplished on three occasions. But many believe a tennis player cannot be called a "great" until they have achieved glory at the highest level.

I think most would agree that Murray is the most likely British player in recent history to succeed in putting the Fred Perry references to bed, the question is when. With the experience and apparent confidence gained this season, I fully believe that 2012 is the answer.

Should he stay or should he go?

Excited for Euro 2012? Nope, neither am I. Let's be honest, it's a poor man's World Cup in which Spain will dominate and England will no doubt crash out around the quarter-final stage at best, especially given Wayne Rooney's three-match suspension.

Should the ruling stand (it is understood the FA are likely to appeal), Fabio Capello will be left with the tough decision of whether he should take Rooney to Ukraine and Poland next summer at all. If he does decide to leave him out, he will have to rethink his squad selection, which was previously centred around the Manchester United frontman, and figure out a way to make the best of an average bunch of players.

As by far and away the best English stopper, Joe Hart is guaranteed his starting place, barring injury. In front of him we can again be assured of the presence of John Terry and Ashley Cole. The other two places in the back four are very much up for grabs, with the major contenders being Phil Jones (who continues to go from strength to strength), Gary Cahill, Kyle Walker and Micah Richards, though the latter appears to have little admiration from Capello.

The midfield is once again where most of the questions lie. The only safe bet currently looks to be Ashley Young who seems to have finally found some international form. Jack Wilshere should also feature should he regain fitness and form following a lengthy absence and the same goes for Steven Gerrard whose experience is key in the centre of midfield. Theo Walcott should feature but needs to gain some consistency at the top level to establish himself as a Capello favourite.

WRECKLESS: Rooney's actions in Montenegro have left Capello with a selection dilemma

In attack, Capello is likely to go with the lone frontman and this is where the problems lie for the Italian. Rooney aside, England has little to offer in this area, so much so that Darren Bent is probably at the head of the pack, not someone you would group in the "World Class" category. Jermain Defoe, Andy Carroll and Bobby Zamora are likely to be given chances to prove themselves but they have hardly lit up the sky in an England shirt thus far.

Elsewhere, there is promising talent in Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge and even Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who has impressed for both club and country (at U-21 level) in recent weeks, a hat-trick against Iceland U-21 the outstanding moment of his career so far.

I have little sympathy for Rooney - his actions in Montenegro were selfish, irresponsible and showed a worrying lack of maturity, something which many thought was a thing of the past for the 25-year-old.

The way he has been castigated by the press for the incident – “An Idiot Abroad,” “Roonatic” and “Roo Fool!”,  just a selection of the tabloids' choice words – is not surprising given the nation’s need for a scapegoat to cover over the cracks of a under performing national side, capable only of churning out dour wins in qualifying before stumbling at the major championships.

You'd hope that any potential Rooney absence will serve to dampen the unrealistic expectations that rear up every time England qualify for a major tournament. I predict this won't be the case though when the team heads out to the continent next summer. The usual display of national pride, shown through flying a service station-bought St George's flag from the back of a Ford Transit van, will quickly be replaced by burning effigies of Rooney when the inevitable happens and Capello's men suffer their usual disappointment.

How do you solve a problem like Carlitos?

The most talked about man in sport at the moment, Carlos Tevez, is perhaps also the most abhorred. As a man (and I struggle to call him that) who earns in excess of £200k a week at Manchester City, his behaviour in Munich was unforgivable.

DISGRACED: Could Tevez's actions impact on his international career?  

©Saadick Dhansay

With a history of winning the admiration of fans before turning his back on them, the 27-year-old disgraced himself with a temper tantrum at being consigned to the bench in his team's midweek Champions League 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich.

The fall out from the whole saga is a two-week suspension for the City forward but there is almost universal agreement that the powers that be at the Etihad Stadium should show the little Argentinian the door.

Of course, he is not the first player to throw a strop at his lack of first team football. Indeed, in the right manner, it is something you don't mind seeing from a sportsperson - a desire to contribute to their team. But what Tevez demonstrated was a complete lack of respect  and disregard for all involved at Manchester City, from his boss Roberto Mancini (who quite rightly voiced his disdain for the striker), right down to the fans, the majority of which want him out.

Tevez is now refusing to apologise to his manager, convinced in himself that he has done nothing wrong and believes he will have the backing of his teammates. If he does receive their support, they are just as bad as him. 

Unfortunately for City, Tevez's actions seemed to confirm an absence of team cohesion and chemistry. There has now been a number of well-publicised incidents at the club of team fall outs - training ground bust-ups involving Mario Balotelli, Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayour the most notable examples.

It is hard to say where the responsibility lies for this. I would like to see Roberto Mancini laying down the law to his players and he has the perfect opportunity to do this through making an example of Tevez.

Or he could go for the Brian Clough approach. The former Nottingham Forest manager didn't take too kindly to some showboating by Nigel Jemson and, following the game, asked him, "Have you ever been punched in the stomach?" When he replied he hadn't, Clough delivered a swift hook to the forward's midriff, reportedly following up by saying, "You have now, son. Don't you ever try those fancy tricks while your mum and dad are in the stand."

Or perhaps he could go for the John Sitton approach, as demonstrated in this video from a half time team talk (WARNING: Contains very strong language)

One thing is for sure, some players need a good boot up the proverbial. With unemployment creeping about 2.5m in the UK, I'm sure plenty would be happy to take Tevez's place on the bench and his exorbitant salary with it.

What the future holds for the estranged striker is yet to be seen. I'd like to see him sacked (although there are obvious financial implications in this for City) and dropped from the national team. He should be made to work, nay grovel, for his place in a team, although the few that could afford him will be wary to take on a player with his erratic track record.

Of course, should City do the right thing and terminate his contract, Tevez will find new employers. Good luck to them, I hope they enjoy dealing with this high-maintenance, full-of-excuses child.

Thoughts so far....

I apologise in advance for any pro-united bias this post might portray....

So, we're about 1/7th of the way through the Premier League season and it's shaping up to be a cracker. We've had goals, upsets, good transfers, dodgy transfers and a Frenchman clinging on to his job for dear life.

But five games in and one thing is clearer than crystal - Manchester United will once again be the team to beat. Few would disagree they have been magnificent so far and certainly as good as I can remember seeing them play since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Sir Alex has once again proved he is the maestro of discovering and nurturing young talent and in players like Chris Smalling, Tom Cleverly, Phil Jones and Danny Welbeck, and yes, even David De Gea (who has come under a lot of unfair criticism in my opinion), the future looks bright at Old Trafford.

It is the perfect mixture of youthful exuberance and naivety combined with the experience and maturity of seasoned professionals in Evra, Giggs, Ferdinand and now it appears even Rooney can be grouped with the latter. After the debacle of the will he/won't he Manchester City transfer last season, the 25-year-old has shown a new-found vigour and maturity towards his football and the goals have flowed as a result. With nine already you'd put your mortgage on him taking the golden boot come the end of the season.

Talking of City, I'm impressed, if unsurprised, at their start to the season. Sunday's result aside, they have looked dangerous and extremely easy on the eye with a style of football and set up not too dissimilar to that of United of the Ronaldo era with countless attacking options to choose from. Whether they can keep it up for the duration of the season with the increased pressure and expectancy of the Eastlands, sorry, Etihad faithful remains to be seen but with their squad depth and quality, they certainly have the artillery to do so.

Several long seasons ago, the above paragraph would have applied to a fiery, adventurous Arsenal side, capable of winning multiple trophies. Now the picture is a much bleaker one. I said pre-season that I thought they would struggle and they have emphatically proved me right.

Some last-minute transfer action prompted by an 8-2 drubbing at Old Trafford appears to have done little to smooth over the cracks at the North London outfit left by the departure of Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas and you have to wonder where they go from here after their misery was compiled by a 4-3 defeat at Ewood Park. Personally, I think it's time for a change at the helm but Chief Exec Ivan Gazidis has today come out in support of Arsene Wenger, a man I believe has truly lost the plot but surely with the safest job in football.

The same cannot be said about that of Andre Villas Boas at Chelsea who will of course be sacked should he fail to bring any silverware to Stamford Bridge by May. They have looked, to my eye, rather unconvincing thus far but we all know they will be fighting to the end of every competition they enter. A much-improved performance by frontman Fernando Torres on Sunday should help the Spaniard to regain some confidence if he can forget about that miss which I'm confident he can. He was by far Chelsea's best player at Old Trafford and should begin to finally add to his abysmal goal tally for the Blues. Despite a quiet summer by their standards, the signings of Juan Mata and Raul Meireles should help boost an ageing squad and keep them in the fight in what I hope will be at least a three horse race in the Premier League.

As for best of the rest, Liverpool have to be massive contenders for a top four finish this season and I think they will probably clinch the fourth spot ahead of either Spurs or Arsenal. Despite overspending on players like Henderson, they have secured the signatures of some decent players and have looked fairly promising so far despite two defeats in their last two. A 1-0 away at boring Stoke will be a common result for many a team this season and they can put their 4-0 loss at White Hart Lane down to some poor discipline/harsh refereeing resulting in the dismissals of Charlie Adam and Martin Skrtel.

With 33 games to go, it is still early days but with domestic and European cup competitions now in full swing, we should be able to see who can keep up with the pace in the next few weeks and I am thoroughly looking forward to it.

Predictions? Oh go on then:

Top Four
1. Manchester United
2. Manchester City
3. Chelsea
4. Liverpool

Bottom Three
18. Wigan
19. Swansea
20. Blackburn

And just in case you missed it....

Is the Blue Moon really rising?

Never before have I feared Manchester City as a genuine title contender. Luckily I still don't.

Yes, they sit a very promising 2nd in the table and after a brief hiccup in the F.A. Cup, they find themselves in the 4th round after a comfortable 4-2 replay win against Leicester.

There appear to be, however, deep-rooted issues and in-fighting that appear to be affecting team harmony and subsequently I can see them falling off in the second half of the season.

As a manager, I fail to rate Roberto Mancini. The guy has been at the helm at Eastlands for over a year now and can only just about stumble awkwardly through a television interview. How on earth he gets his message across to a team that, in their last Premier League outing, consisted of seven different nationalities is beyond me.

Obviously I can only imagine the atmosphere at a Manchester City training session but I'm not sure it's somewhere I would feel entirely comfortable. The apparent lack of camaraderie is surely to have a detrimental effect on team performance.

Added to this, they have a complete lack of experience of fighting at the top in the race for the title and new found (if somewhat deluded) expectations from their fans.

But as my friend and City fan explains: "Supporting Man City is now a joyless experience, where winning results in an awkward embarrassment, and losing sparks mass celebrations and mocking at our expense along the lines of 'you can't buy success'."

He's right. Call it jealousy, call it what you like, people are clearly afraid of the rise of City under its Arab ownership. Yet they still miss something.

That something, I believe, is the Mourinho factor. With him, I am in no doubt that City could win the title. At Chelsea he brought the team together, he cut the bullshit and people respected him. It was the same at Inter.

As we all know, he is also a master of diverting attention away from his players and taking it on himself, something which I think the players at City would benefit greatly from when faced with unprecedented levels of pressure and expectation.

He, like Ferguson at Manchester United, also has an ability to push his team to get results even when they are playing poorly, something which has been well documented at Old Trafford this season.

When playing their best, they are capable of turning in great results against good teams. Too many times, however, they fail to push on from that and fall complacent against smaller teams which will prove costly come the end of the season.

And it is for these reasons that I can sleep safe at night in the knowledge that while City may well be in the ascendancy, they have a long way to go yet.

Records galore, but still a draw.

As the curtain fell on the first Ashes test in the Gabba on Monday, we were all left to reflect on what had been quite a remarkable game of test match cricket.

Everyone has their own opinion on cricket and it appears in particular that the 5-day form of the game is particularly Marmite-like in its appreciation. However, anyone who saw the action from Brisbane, whether at home on TV or at the Gabba itself, and denies they enjoyed it is lying.

One question I heard asked recently was: "What's the point in cricket when they play for five days and still draw?" - Many may think this person has a point.

But let me ask you this - why do you watch sport? I would imagine most people would answer like myself something along the lines of "to be entertained".

Well, judging by the fact that my friend who has no prior experience or interest in cricket, and was probably one of the people questioning the point in it described her day at the Gabba as "fab", I would say even she was entertained.

And yet while I harp on about what a magnificent achievement it was for England and what a spectacle it was for the game, there are in fact several things that bothered me about the match.

England have very clearly entered into this series with one aim and one aim only - to retain that little urn. However, unfortunately that appears to have turned them into robots on the pitch and in interviews. I have lost count of the number of times the players have churned out clichés such as "we have to turn that preparation into results" or "it's not about me, it's a team performance".

The latter particularly applies to one Alastair Cook, who, after breaking records left, right and centre, including Sir Donald Bradman's highest total at the Gabba, struggled to show an ounce of emotion about the feat. In fact in general, his reaction to just about anything is pretty impassive.

It would be unfair to pick on Cook alone though. The whole team lacks a bit of personality which would make for more of an entertaining affair between the two sides and perhaps create a few more personal rivalries rather than the mundane Pietersen vs. The World affair that takes centre stage at the moment.
  
Still, I suppose we shouldn't complain. If the team is turning in results then we should be happy....Oh wait, we didn't win.

On to Adelaide though, and as I write this, things are looking good for England, very good in fact.

Of course, they can't afford to become complacent. They will have to leave it all out there on the pitch and give it 110%. The need to really have their game face.... damn, this cliché thing is catchy.

The beautiful game's ugly reality

It is a damp, cold November night in Klagenfurt, Austria.

The city's HYPO Group Arena is playing host to what appears on paper a rather uninteresting and insignificant friendly between Italy and Romania.

Mario Balotelli, Italy's emerging young striker, picks up the ball and is greeted by a chorus of boos.

"So what?" you might ask. Of course, this is commonplace at football matches when unpopular players take possession of the ball and all part of the fun and games between fans and players.

However, as the boos quickly descend into a series of monkey noises, it becomes apparent that racism has once again reared its ugly head.

Perhaps more alarmingly, if that is possible, is that the chants are coming from the corner of the stadium designated for Italian fans.

Unbelievably, a section of far-right Italian "ultras" are racially abusing their own player. They have already had a banner stating "No to a multi-cultural Italy" confiscated.

Unfortunately, this is not a rare event in Italian football, nor indeed in football worldwide. Despite numerous campaigns by various governing bodies, racism, as well as other forms of discrimination, is rife.

Having lived in Verona for a year, I can report several instances of racism at Lo Stadio Bentegodi at Hellas Verona games.

Whilst the abuse was not universal, there seemed to be no alarm among the tifosi and certainly no attempts to castigate those involved.

Verona themselves had several black players (a relatively new phenomenon for them, I must stress) yet that did not seem to deter them.

The "monkey chant" was not just reserved for black players either. Should the butei simply not like an opposing player or feel they lacked talent, they would happily brand them with the same iron in a sort of "we can't believe you're not black" manner.

Yet whilst all this goes on, the authorities are doing little of any effect to tackle the problem.

We live in an age where at most top grounds every seat is covered by CCTV and there are countless stewards patrolling the terraces, making it easy in theory to identify the perpetrators.

However, as demonstrated last year when Balotelli was once again victim to abuse from Juventus fans, the football associations deem it appropriate to punish innocent fans and the team by making them play behind closed doors.

Balotelli himself has come out in defence of the majority claiming it is unfair to punish everyone for the actions of a minority.

Why the footballing authorities cannot do more to tackle the individuals much like they have done with hooligans by imposing banning orders is a question I think needs to be addressed by Sepp Blatter and his cronies up at FIFA.

They should be applied with a zero tolerance policy to all that bring the game into disrepute for whatever reason, be it racism, violence, homophobia etc.

It would be quite simple to do, especially in countries such as Italy where everyone is required to show I.D to purchase tickets and enter the ground.

Unfortunately, when you have clowns like Croatian Football Federation President Vlatko Markovic producing comments like: "As long as I head the football federation, there will be no homosexuals playing in the national team," and "Luckily, only normal people play football," in reference to whether he has ever come across a homosexual player, the process seems to take a somewhat backwards step.

Surely there are powers also to remove idiots like this from the world of football and the influential positions they hold.

What is clear is that more must be done. The problem will not simply disappear.

No amount of initiatives will stop the hardcore minority at the centre of the abuse. They must be dealt with directly and with a heavy hand.

I for one would much prefer debate to surround this issue than one such as goal line technology, which, when you put the two next to each other, pales into insignificance.