Download - Sport magazine - Issue 249
Issue 249 | March 23 2012
Hoy StorySir Chris talks exclusively to Sport
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ISSUE 249, MARCH 23 2012
Radar
07 The Cannibal New book charts the amazing career of Eddie Merckx
08 Arsene behind the scenes Wenger gives us a personal tour of the Emirates
10 The Old Firm A new documentary gets inside the biggest rivalry in football
12 Sustainable shades Now that spring is here, a collection of ethical sunnies
o this coming weekFeatures
18 Sir Chris Hoy The Scottish cycling knight sits down with Sport and talks about, well, all sorts of things
29 Sir Bob Willis talks cricket Okay, he’s not a Sir. But he should be, if you ask us
32 Sir Nani Joke running thin. But Nani – and his agent – speak very well
36 Champions League Chelsea fly a lone English flag in the quarter finals
38 Hong Kong Sevens England coach Ben Ryan on the joy of sevens rugby
Extra Time
50 Kit Cricket bats – how are those indoor nets going this year?
52 Heather Mitts She is a better footballer than you, we fear. No, we know
58 Entertainment Including bacon and Jo Nesbo – both things we like, a lot
60 Gadgets Earphones – lots of them. You need earphones, though
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| March 23 2012 | 05
ith Mark Cavendish and Bradley
Wiggins piquing British interest in
cycling, now’s the perfect time for
a meticulous and absorbing new biography on
the ‘Pele of cycling’. No, not Lance Armstrong,
but a legendary rider with over 300 more race
wins than the Texan – Eddy Merckx. The Belgian
was nicknamed ‘The Cannibal’ not because he
snacked on his rivals as he overtook them, but
because of his insatiable appetite for victory.
Ace cycling writer William Fotheringham’s
book begins with a rather sweet story about
the teen cannibal winning a local amateur race
against the odds, despite being undersized and
in the wrong gear. It goes on to chart Merckx’s
ascent to being the most dominant cyclist
in the sport: a versatile winner fuelled by
obsessive passion and powerful sideburns.
It also covers horrific injuries and Tour
deaths, all the while trying to get under the
skin of what made this man so remorselessly
driven. With a balance that
means it will engross know-
nothings and aficionados
alike, this superbly written
book has put in a Merckx-like
surge to being among the
year’s best sporting titles.
Merckx: Half Man, Half Bike
£16.99 (Yellow Jersey Press)
Radarp10 – Tiger’s back, at least in game form
W
Fast Eddy
p08 – Arsene Wenger takes us round the Emirates
Fine young cannibal: Merckx
won five Tour de France titles
| March 23 2012 | 07
hat a greedy pig Cristiano Ronaldo is.
Not content with scoring a mighty 50
goals for club and country so far this
season, he’s already got his eyes on 2012-13,
and the footwear he’s helped to develop that
will take him to dizzying new tallies. That boot
is the Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII – and it’s been
redeveloped in several crucial areas.
A sleeker, closer feel is achieved by a
special toe-box reinforcer, while sharper
blades cut through the turf for instant
changes in direction. Crucial for CR7 when
he’s jinking past defenders, and key for you
when you need traction on rock-hard winter
pitches. It’s also stronger and lighter than
ever at 185g – and comes in a striking bright
mango (the boot, not Cristiano). Perfection.
To explore the Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII, download
the Pro-Direct Soccer Zone app via iTunes store now
Radar
08 | March 23 2012 |
he changing room is not a space I
do team talks in. I do them there at
half time, but normally I do team
talks in the hotel. In the dressing room you
always have the kitman walking in and out or
people wanting some information, so we get
close together in the hotel room where we
prepare the game – tactically and on the
motivational side. In the dressing room, I
consider it’s like going to a mass – once you
go in there, sometimes, the manager has to
leave the players alone because we all have
our own way to prepare for a game.”
RITUAL SUCCESS
“Some players are very loud, some need to
be very secretive, some retire completely
to their music. They each escape a little bit
because they have their habits. A player
repeats all the little things that he has
done the last time he has been successful,
and that is different from everybody else.
I always feel it’s important not to disturb the
player during that ritual. I have a lot of trust
in the players. They want to do well, the
players will push to do well. Those that do
not have that, they never get to this level.
“When I am in the tunnel I get butterflies.
Yes, of course, there’s a moment when you
prepare for the battle and that happens.
When you walk in the tunnel, that’s where
we all have to be up for it. This is the
moment of realisation that, now, my
friend, it really starts. Now you have to
show how strong you are. I would say that
this is the physical moment you get before
the battle starts.”
CHANGING TIMES
“It’s amazing how things have changed
nowadays – the most being after the game.
You don’t have the same contact with the
players any more. Media reasons, the man
of the match – you cannot even celebrate
together any more when you have a good
result, because you miss two players who
are out somewhere for an interview. Then
also what has changed is that the players
go to their cell phones to see the messages
they have got from their families if they
have done well.
“That is why I created the shower and the
bath in the dressing room. The bath for it to
be comfortable because that is a moment
where you can enjoy, you can relax and you
can exchange with the other players. Many
times you see players staying a long time in
the bath after a game and having a chat, in
the shower or having a massage. That’s
why you see these massive rooms we have;
I wanted them to feel comfortable and have
the desire to rest completely after the
games, because you realise only later when
you have stopped playing that they are
privileged moments.”
Arsene Wenger was launching the club’s
new audio tour, in which he and other
Arsenal luminaries talk you round the
Emirates. www.arsenal.com/tours
T
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Mercurial talent
Behind closed doors What’s it really like inside the changing
rooms of one of English football’s biggest teams? Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger welcomes us in and tells all
Stu
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Discover more at www.clarks.co.uk/sailing
Developed, tested and worn by
Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson
Olympic, World and European Champions
Radar
10 | March 23 2012 |
Love to loathe you A
he king of
golf games
returns next
Friday, with several
new developments
– the main one they’re
pushing being the Xbox Kinect capabilities that
allow you to take all of your shots controller-
free. However, it’s two other features that are
getting our plaid golf pants in a twist. Namely:
Experience Tiger’s legacy
Match the great player’s achievements (the
golfing ones) by recreating his best moments.
You start as a teeny Tiger cub doing chip
shots into a paddling pool in the back yard,
moving on to the challenge of creating your
very own ‘Tiger Slam’, plus much more besides.
Total swing control
Swing tempo, stance, selecting where to strike
the ball: the shot control is now firmly in your
hands. So, off the tee, you can try a Bubba
Watson blast, an Ernie Els-style sweep or your
own monstrous combination of the above.
You now choose exactly how the big dog eats.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13, March 30 (PS3/Xbox)
TBig swinger
Stu
Fo
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Big
new documentary, Rivals: Rangers
& Celtic, takes a fresh look at
Glasgow’s age-old football divide
in the light of the recent bill criminalising
sectarian abuse at matches. This involves
a trip for one plucky reporter to the city to
interview former football hooligans, fanzine
writers and other fans whose definition of
the term ‘banter’ seems to stretch to some
fairly abhorrent behaviour.
You could point out that if you talk to
extremists, you will get extreme views – but
there’s also a humour and passion to many of
the subjects here, as they talk of how these
famous old clubs provide a bond to their own
culture and past. The doc’s strongest suit is
in questioning whether the law-makers have
a right to put their foot down on something
that’s been part of working-class Glaswegian
life for many generations. Are they dictating
how people live their lives, or is the bill
protecting a ‘silent majority’ from abuse?
Thought-provoking without trying to
supply all the answers, the only thing you can
guarantee is that any Rangers or Celtic fan
who watches this documentary will probably
claim it’s biased against their club.
Rivals: Rangers & Celtic premieres in full
on vice.com from today
nder normal circumstances, a
skateboard right in your face
sounds like a woeful proposition.
However, eco-conscious Australian brand
Holloway change all that with their range of
chic sunglasses made from – you guessed it
– recycled skateboard decks.
The SK8 line covers a range of classic guy
and gal designs under names such as Narc,
Owls and Vampire Baroness. As well as each
pair being unique, they do a fine job of
protecting your peepers from the sun’s
bright rays with their Younger’s NuPolar
lenses renowned as being among the finest
in the world. Get a pair now and look gnarly
(do skaters still say that?) all summer.
12 | March 23 2012 |
U
Sustainable shades
From £110, hollowayeyewear.com.auCo
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id you struggle for tickets to the Six
Nations? Well, we’ve got a solution
for the future – get your kid into
rugby, then nag him for tickets when he
makes it big. And Super Skills Travel can help.
That’s because the company, founded by
rugby legends Will Greenwood and Austin
Healey, offers a week of coaching for your
kid in Sardinia, and all while you relax in the
sun. With welcome drinks, accommodation,
a full set of kit and two hours of coaching
every day from a genuine rugby icon, it’s all
you could need to get your boy started on
the road to freebi… er, the road to success.
Visit superskillstravel.com
D
Radar
Scrum on down
Relax on holiday: while
Austin Healey takes
your offspring down
14 | March 23 2012 |
Radar Editor’s letter
Editor-in-chief
Simon Caney
@simoncaney
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Hearty thanks this week to:
Nuala O’Neill, Nicky Higgs and Kayak
Attack for the MASSIVE cake. Ta
Don’t forget: Help keep public transport clean and tidy for everyone by taking your copy of Sport away with you when you leave the bus or train.
LAUNCH OFTHE YEAR
2008
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H as any managerial sacking
in history been quite so
disastrous as that of Mick
McCarthy? And has any
managerial sacking in history
galvanised a team quite like that of Andre
Villas-Boas?
Let’s look at Wolves first. I have some
sympathy with the club – some fans I know
were saying that McCarthy’s time was up.
When he was sacked, the team was at the
top of a bottom five, cut adrift from the
rest of the Premier League.
But just getting rid of the boss does not
in itself make any difference. The same
regime is in charge, just without the man
who was at the helm. Poor Terry Connor is
clearly a good football man, but he seems
out of his depth and clearly not right for
the job. Roger Johnson’s training ground
misdemeanour sums up what can go
wrong if players don’t respect what’s
happening around them. Suddenly Wolves,
who had a decent fighting chance of
staying up, appear doomed.
Over at Chelsea, there has been a
remarkable transformation. Can this all be
down to the man-management genius of
Roberto Di Matteo? As popular as he is,
that would seem unlikely. Yet suddenly,
players who seemed leaden-footed (and
indeed seriously injured) just a few weeks
ago are now bouncing around the pitch
like spring lambs. They’ve even managed
to get Fernando Torres on the
scoresheet, which says it all.
Nobody thinks Villas-Boas is a bad
manager, but what’s clear is that he had
lost the dressing room – and Chelsea is
one place where you simply cannot do that
and survive. Is that correct, though?
Chelsea fans may be delighted at their
team’s resurgence. But they also have
the right to feel a little cheated.
By all accounts, the RFU will appoint
England’s full-time coach next week.
I said on this page a few weeks ago that
Stuart Lancaster should get the job full
time – and since then, I have become
even more convinced. Nick Mallett, his
rival for the position, is wonderfully
qualified, but Lancaster has displayed
perfectly why he is the man for the job.
I’d also counsel (not that they’re
listening to me) against appointing the
two men jointly – that way a lot of
heartache and confusion lies.
Finally, apologies to any new users of the
Sport iPad app, or if you have just updated it
– there have been some download problems
this week, for which we apologise. We’re
working hard to get things fixed and
hopefully you’ll be able to find us – alive
and well and working properly – on the
Apple Newsstand shortly.
A tale of two sackingsMcCarthy and Villas-Boas highlight what can happen when the boss gets the push
Agree or disagree? Tweet us @sportmaguk
Mic
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Fired: Villas-Boas’ sacking
has ignited Chelsea, while
Wolves seem all burned out
Reader comments of the week
@simoncaney athletes
shouldn’t be restricted to
their country of birth but
once they’ve competed
for one nation, no
swapping! #plasticbrits
@Sykesy_Katie
When people don’t want to
compete for Britain, the Mail
accuses them of a lack of
patriotism – and when people
do want to, it still angers
them. But you covered the
arguments perfectly
without taking sides.
Mick, via email
Plastic Brits: WG Grace
took an England side to
Australia, with a Scottish
batsman called Gregor
McGregor and an Indian
player with such a long
name I’m frightened just
to try to spell it.
Howard, via email
Great piece in
@sportmaguk today on
A Plastic Argument with
@simoncaney. Totally
agree with you Sir. The
argument is pointless &
uneducated
@MsBennyBonsu
If someone’s not born
here and is of another
nationality, they shouldn’t
compete for Britain. It’s
pretty simple.
Alan, via email
16 | March 23 2012 |
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So far it’s cost Great Britain around £11bn to
prepare for this summer’s Olympic Games – and,
while there’s been a little angst about just how much
Stratford really needed a velodrome, the taxpayer
can rest easy knowing that barely a single penny
has been spent on the Olympic apartments. Two
beds, two bedside cabinets, two small lamps and
half a curtain, with views out on to a grim swamp –
this sleeps at least 12 and would be dismissed as
inhumane by any right-thinking jailbird. Clearly Lord
Coe plans to bore his athletes to sleep early every
night, or someone ballsed up on the budget.
Lights out
Radar Frozen in time
| 17
18 | March 23 2012 |
Sir Chris HoyB
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THE CYCLING KNIGHTIn an exclusive interview
with Sport, the nation’s
most decorated track
cyclist looks back on his
first taste of the Olympic
Velodrome, looks ahead
to a massive six months
of competition, and
reflects on life as a high-
profile member of the
sporting nobility >
| 19
A chilly but bright Monday
afternoon in late February, and
Sir Chris Hoy is sitting down.
He looks comfortable enough,
chatting away with the small
group of people around him
and sipping from a nearby glass of water, but
something doesn’t feel quite right. And then
it hits home: Sir Chris Hoy is sitting down.
It’s a pose few of us associate with our
sporting elite – not least a man who has
spent a decade and more powering round
the velodromes of the world on two wheels.
In our minds, Hoy gets off his bike for only
one reason: not to eat or to sleep, but to
stand atop a podium for a few minutes, while
some dignitary or other delivers his latest
gold medal. Sitting down simply isn’t part
of the schedule.
But then the great Scot describes a
typical day of competition at the apogee
of world cycling, and we’re forced to
reconsider. “You each have your own little
territory,” he says. “It’s funny, because you
arrive into the pen and each team has its
own zone. It’s like being in a British embassy
in a foreign land, I guess. This is your spot;
no matter where you are in the world, that
pen is your pen, and within that you have
your seat. And that is your spot for the
whole weekend; it’s where you’ll put your
shoes on, put your helmet on, sit down and
lock yourself into your own little world. You
put your headphones on and start visualising
how you want each race to unfold.”
Sport is speaking to Hoy in the wake of a
successful World Cup weekend at London’s
Olympic Velodrome, during which he took
gold in the keirin and, crucially, the individual
sprint. The routine of competition is still
forensically fresh in his mind... or is it that,
after so long at the top, he just can’t forget?
“There is so much going on around you:
the big screen, entertainment in the arena,
a board with all the race times and, of
course, the racing itself,” he continues.
“There are two things you always worry
about and need to focus on, though – one
is your next race, and the other is the timing
of your days. You spend the whole weekend
breaking it down into little 15 or 20-minute
chunks. You take one chunk after the other,
have some food here, go to the loo there…
it really does become quite draining.”
You would expect such a process to
become easier with experience, but Hoy –
who won his first major medal at the 1999
World Championships in Berlin, and turns 36
today – corrects us on that score as well.
“No, it’s really tough, particularly when
you’re doing three days in a row,” he admits
with disarming honesty. “You get to the end
of the second day, and you’ve gone through
dope control, had press conferences, got
home quite late. You try to switch off and get
to sleep, but you might be awake to 1am,
2am, even three in the morning, and then
you’re up again at 7am and you’ve got start
it all over again. Come day three, there are
guys there who maybe haven’t raced yet and
are fresh. These guys are peaking for one
event… this is their big moment, and you’ve
already had two long days in the velodrome.
It can be very tough.”
HOME COMFORTSHoy pauses for another sip of water,
perhaps stealing a moment in which to
reflect on just why he committed himself
to four more years of such intense training
and competition after leaving Beijing as a
32-year-old with four Olympic gold medals
to his name. A moment is seemingly all
he needs, however – for as much as the
itinerary of international cycling grinds him
down, the prospect of riding at his home
Games builds him right back up again.
“The atmosphere in the Olympic Velodrome
is phenomenal,” says the Scot, who acted
as the cyclists’ representative on the panel
that selected Hopkins Architects to design it.
“When you see the artists’ impressions of
what they were suggesting, you try and read
between the lines a bit, to picture what it
might really look like – but when we saw the
completed project it was virtually the same.
It looks stunning. The interior, the track, the
natural light… everything about it, everything
we asked for, is in there.
“And to ride in? You just hear this volume
– this roar – more than any other race I’ve
ever been to. Six thousand is a huge capacity
for a velodrome; until now, I think Manchester
has been the biggest experience I’ve had in
terms of a crowd really getting into it, but
this is almost twice the capacity. The crowd
and the noise in London were at the same
intensity as Manchester, which amounts to
almost twice the volume – and it was with
us all the way. It was incredible.”
A stellar line-up of British cyclists gave, in
the main, a succession of displays worthy of
the support they received at last month’s
World Cup meeting. Victoria Pendleton and
“I FEEL AS THOUGH I’M IN THE BEST SHAPE I’VE BEEN IN SINCE BEIJING”
Jess Varnish set a new world best in the
women’s team sprint, but it was inevitably
Hoy who made the biggest headlines. After an
encouraging bronze alongside Jason Kenny
and Ross Edgar in the team sprint, he
produced a near-miracle to steal keirin gold
before giving something of a masterclass in
the individual sprint. Gold in the latter was
particularly satisfying.
“You can never think about any one event
more than the others in your preparations,
but looking back at the three events I think
the sprint was the most pleasing,” he reflects
on a weekend that doubled up as the official
Olympic Test Event for track cycling. “I’ve
been struggling with the tactics a little bit,
and while I’ve won keirin races since Beijing,
I’d only won one or two World Cup races in
the sprint. It’s nice to start rediscovering
some form in it, and I actually feel like it’s the
best shape I’ve been in since Beijing. It’s great
to time it right in terms of it being an Olympic
year, but it was even more important that I
– and the whole team – performed on the
Olympic track. That’s really, really pleasing.” >
Number of medals Sir
Chris Hoy has taken
home from the Track
Cycling World
Championships, more
than half of which (12)
have come in the team
sprint. The total
includes 10 gold, eight
silver and five bronze
20 | March 23 2012 |
Bry
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Sir Chris Hoy
Believe in Britain
Sir Chris Hoy
From start to finish
From track to road
From grassroots to the podium
We’re behind cycling all the way
Read more at skysports.com/believeinbritain
KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE…Hoy is inevitably seen as the father figure
of an elite cycling squad that has been
meticulously developed by performance
director Dave Brailsford and head coach
Shane Sutton over years rather than months.
As such, his dedication to the idea of the
team, while both sincere and admirable,
is to be expected.
He remains a lone wolf at heart, however
– and his overt satisfaction at that recent
sprint gold is rooted in the knowledge that,
should he let his standards slip, he may not
get to defend his Olympic title in London.
Changes to the rules in the aftermath of
Team GB’s dominant displays in Beijing
stipulate that each nation can enter only
one competitor in any of the individual
track-cycling events for 2012; and the
aforementioned Kenny is not just Hoy’s
regular roommate – he’s also the defending
world sprint champion.
“They tend to put us in together, because
if you’re riding all the same events then
you’re probably getting up at the same time
every morning,” smiles Hoy. “But neither of
us waste any energy worrying about what
the other one is doing. We’re teammates and
we’re good friends, but once you draw each
other in a race and you go head to head, then
it all changes. As soon as you step on to that
track, you’re battling each other virtually to
the death.
“Apart from that, though, we’re good
friends. Jason’s only 23, 24... but he’s very
mature and has an old head on young
shoulders. He’s a good lad and we get on
well; and if one of us has had a bad race,
the other one knows exactly how it feels. So
I know he’ll have been disappointed with his
sprint yesterday [Kenny lost to Germany’s
Max Levy in the quarter finals of the test
event]. It wasn’t a bad ride, and no one
was missing; everybody who is anybody
in sprinting was there at that event, so to
come in fifth out of 60 or 70 starters was
still a fantastic result. But it’s not what
he wanted.”
Nor was a silver medal what the then
20-year-old Kenny wanted in Beijing, when
on reaching the Olympic sprint final he
found Hoy – exactly 12 years his senior,
the pair share the same birthday – in
unforgiving mood. But the chance to
compete for such a medal is better than
the exclusion one of them will face in
London this summer – something about
which Hoy feels strongly.
“It’s such a shame, because the one-rider-
per-nation rule means there are going to be
genuinely world-class riders missing out on
the chance to compete at the Olympic
Games,” he argues. “You wouldn’t want to
see the men’s 100m final with only one
Jamaican guy or one American in it. You want
to see the fastest eight men in the world,
and if they’re all from the same country then
so be it. It’s the same with distance running,
where you have the Kenyans and Ethiopians.
You want to see the best of the best, and
I think it should be the same in cycling.”
WORLDS AWAYWhether or not the rules change again
beyond London 2012 is irrelevant to Hoy, for
whom this year’s Games represents an
Olympic swansong. His sole focus is on
ensuring he takes his place in both the keirin
and the individual sprint this summer, but
knows Kenny won’t give up without a fight –
and the upcoming World Championships,
which begin on April 4 in Melbourne, give the
younger man an ideal stage on which to
re-audition for that sprint role.
“We originally thought the worlds would be
the main selecting event, but I think they’re
going to have to look at the whole season,” says
Hoy, well aware of how persuasive his recent
win in the Olympic Velodrome may prove.
“In some ways, it’s nice for the selectors,
because they know no matter who they pick
they’re going to be well represented; but it
will be very difficult to leave out either one of
us, or even Matt Crampton. We’ve always
known it would be like this though; as soon as
they announced the ruling we accepted it,
and other countries have it just as bad. The
French, the Germans, the Aussies… it’s
tough for everybody.”
He may not be saying that when Eric the
Eel rocks up on his pushbike for round one,
stabilisers at the ready, but there’s no
doubting the potential importance of next
month’s trip to Melbourne. “A great city,
with great coffee,” says Hoy, but what of
the cycling – what would he consider a
successful championships?
“I think objective progression in terms
of data,” comes the initially underwhelming
response. “We have very, very sophisticated
instruments to measure power input,
torque, speed, cadence… all these things. >
“ON THE TRACK, YOU’RE BATTLING EACH OTHER VIRTUALLY TO THE DEATH”
22 | March 23 2012 |
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win
partyLondon 2012
with
tickets &
look outfor our
hairy bottlesin store now
entrants 12+ and residents of GB, IoM or CI. promotion ends 25/05/12. draw on 26/05/12. see www.gvwurl.com/jessiejgb for full terms and conditions.promoter: Coca-Cola Great Britain, 1 Queen Caroline Street, London, W6 9HQ. ‘Glacéau vitaminwater’ and the ‘Glacéau vitaminwater’ get up are trade marks of energy brands, inc. aka Glacéau.
It sounds a bit clinical, I know, but this is
the way you can genuinely measure
performance. Yes, the most obvious way to
measure progression is in gold medals, but
that can be misleading sometimes. So I want
to see improvements in my top speed, my
time trial for the sprint, and the team sprint
is very quantifiable as well.
“Then in the keirin and the sprint, I want
to see an improvement in tactics, fewer
mistakes… ideally no mistakes. If I can do all
that, then I’m going to be very close to
winning medals, and perhaps even gold.”
Clinical indeed, but Hoy’s single-minded,
scientific approach to his own levels of
performance betrays a common theme
running through the psychology of elite
athletes across a number of individual
sports: focus less on beating others, and
more on beating yourself.
“Well that’s all you can worry about,” says
Hoy. “As soon as you think about other people
or medals, then you lose an element of
control. You can’t control beating a rival; you
can win a race below your best form one day,
and the next get beaten in the form of your
life. But you can’t be upset about that; you
just have to shake the other guy’s hand and
say the better man won. You can’t win them
all – that’s life. But what you can do is make
sure you go into a race in the best shape of
your life.”
QUEALLY GOODSuch is the mentality coursing through the
veins of every medal-winner to come out of
the British cycling scene in recent years, on
the track and off. The sport has come a long
way since the days of Chris Boardman and
Graeme Obree, lone rangers who as good as
designed and made their own machines… but
has the boom occurred by chance, or can the
progression be traced back to one definitive
turning point? Hoy is unequivocal.
“Sydney 2000, when Jason Queally won his
gold medal [in the now defunct 1km time trial],”
he says. “Up until that point, it had always
been guys like Chris or Graeme, individuals
with amazing talent who had done it with
their own people. It wasn’t a federation thing,
whereas Jason had come on board in about
1995, pretty much straight from uni. He
timed it right in the same way as I did with
the lottery funding, but we watched him
come in with a lot of talent, put in a lot of
hard work and then do it [at the Olympics].
“It’s the same in any walk of life – you
raise the bar and the rest follow. And that’s
what Jason did in 2000. He made us believe
that if he could do it, then we could do it too.
He inspired me, and I’m sure he inspired a lot
of other guys too.”
Queally’s success was the first visible tip
of a British cycling iceberg that has since
taken down any number of supposedly
invincible vessels from overseas. Hoy and
Pendleton remain the chief destroyers on
the track, Bradley Wiggins and Mark
Cavendish off it, but the Scot reserves
special mention for those behind the scenes
– and one man in particular.
“I would say [head coach] Shane Sutton
is probably the single most important person
in the whole building – more than any rider,
member of staff, anybody,” he insists.
“He’s this force of nature, really, like a cross
between Mick Dundee and the coach in
Rocky, you know? He’s larger than life, has
so much energy, and every single person on
the team, whether mountain-biker, BMXer,
road racer or track cyclist… well, no matter
what you do, he’ll be right there, aware of
your programme and everything you’re
doing. I don’t know how he does it.
“When he’s on your case, though, he’s the
worst person… you can be coming to blows,
virtually, but at the end of it you’ll often step
back and say he was right, that he was only >
24 | March 23 2012 |
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Sir Chris Hoy
Seconds taken by Hoy
to ride 500m from a
flying start in La Paz,
Bolivia, in May 2007.
In doing so, he broke
the previous record,
held by Frenchman
Arnaud Duble, by more
than a second
“ANY ATHLETE WHO SAYS THEY ARE 100 PER CENT CONFIDENT IS LYING”
getting at me because he was trying to help
me improve. Everything he does is to try and
help you, but he doesn’t pull any punches.
He’s very, very clear and never sugarcoats
anything. You always know where you stand
with Shane, but he’ll fight to the death for you.
A strong character, and a fantastic coach.”
HIGHS AND LOWSHoy is a generous, engaging character who
pays careful attention to ensuring everyone
behind his immense personal success (not to
mention immense personal frame) receives
due credit. That includes the highly
respected team psychologist Steve Peters,
although Hoy denies experiencing the ‘dark
forces’ that Pendleton in particular admits to
having been plagued by in recent times.
“I think any athlete who tells you they’re
always 100 per cent confident in their
performances is lying,” he concedes.
“Athletes are probably among the most
insecure people around, much as they may
sometimes appear superhuman. Everybody
has ups and downs, but I think it’s more
about how the individual perceives pressure.
“When you’re going well, and you have
confidence and momentum, you can almost
do no wrong; it’s when things aren’t going
quite so well, when perhaps you start
questioning your ability – that’s when it’s
difficult. But that’s life, and with experience
you learn not to get carried away with the
highs, in the same way you can’t worry too
much about the lows. No matter how good
you were yesterday, there will always be
someone chasing you tomorrow… you can’t
get caught up in your own press.”
Which brings us on to Hoy’s fellow
Olympian Tom Daley, who recently came
under fire from his own performance
director Alexei Evangulov for doing too much
media work. How impressed the latter would
have been at Daley’s recent announcement
as the face of adidas Body Care is up for
debate, but the marketable young diver is far
from alone. After Beijing, Hoy himself enjoyed
a high-profile campaign as the face of Bran
Flakes, while we are speaking to him in his
latest role as an ambassador for Gillette.
The question is, can an athlete go too far?
“It’s very difficult for someone like Tom,
who shot into the public eye at the last
Olympics and then became a world
champion,” says Hoy. “He’s now one of our
highest-profile athletes, and with that you
get so many opportunities. You suddenly get
to stay in nice hotels, go on the red carpet,
meet actors and musicians, and it’s like wow,
brilliant! Sometimes maybe training can be
a little compromised, but with sponsorships
you do want to capitalise financially and make
some money when you can. You don’t know
how long it’s going to last; you could be in the
public eye for two years or 12, but there’s no
security – so it’s easy to think you should
make hay while the sun shines.
“I struggled with it a bit after Beijing, just
the amount of requests and things that I
wanted to do, but I always had the desire to
continue on to London. The important thing
for me, Tom or any athlete, is to pick and
choose the things you really want to do.
You never want to come back from doing
something and feel it was a waste of a day.”
Time will tell how Hoy looks back on his
afternoon with Sport, but we couldn’t leave
without asking the nation’s favourite biker
whether, at the age of 36, it still feels odd
being referred to as ‘Sir Chris’.
“It’s still very, very strange,” he smiles.
“It’s such a huge honour, and you are
reminded of it every day when you get mail
with ‘Sir’ written in front of your name, but I
don’t think you realise how big it is until you
go abroad. You go overseas and all the press
are like: ‘Oh, there goes the cycling knight!’
And they’re all so excited to meet you and
ask you about it. It’s great for the sport
when you turn up for a press conference and
there are hundreds of people outside a
velodrome to see you – but it is still weird
going to a foreign country and having so
many people know who you are.”
Tony Hodson @tonyhodson1
Sir Chris Hoy is a Gillette ambassador. Gillette’s
‘Great Start’ campaign celebrates great
coaches and inspires the next generation
by encouraging men to get into coaching.
Visit facebook.com/GilletteUK
Hoy is one of only three
cyclists to win the BBC
Sports Personality of
the Year award, doing
so (as you’d expect) in
2008. The other two?
Tom Simpson (1965)
and Mark Cavendish
(2011), although Beryl
Burton (look her up)
came second to Henry
Cooper in 1967
26 | March 23 2012 |
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299 Days to go
England’s batsmen struggled badly against
Pakistan. How much was that down to their
own poor form, and how much down to
Pakistan’s bowlers and conditions?
“Mostly it was down to the Pakistan bowlers,
Saeed Ajmal in particular. But, as Andy Flower
admitted at the end of the Test series, the
England preparation wasn’t ideal. I think we
can tell by the seriousness with which they
took on their first warm-up match in Sri
Lanka, that they won’t be making that mistake
again. Also, I don’t think Sri Lanka have a
mystery spinner like Ajmal, so the England
batsmen will fare a lot better.”
Who will be most dangerous of the
Sri Lankan bowlers?
“Rangana Herath has been the leading
spinner of recent times, but when you lose
Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga and Murali,
that’s a lot of Test wickets to try and replace.
With the best will in the world, I don’t think Sri
Lanka have been able to do that. They are
much stronger in batting than bowling.”
You’ve played in the subcontinent before,
how much of a challenge is it?
“It’s very difficult and England’s results over
the years have proved this. They’ve gone to
South Africa and won, they’ve gone to
Australia and won, but it’s over a decade
since they won a series in the subcontinent.
Also, the World Cups held there have been an
out-and-out embarrassment for England.”
What makes playing in Sri Lanka so tough?
“Fierce heat and humidity. They’re obviously
getting acclimatised to that now, but it
doesn’t matter how much acclimatisation
you do, they’re still the most demanding
conditions to play cricket in the world.”
So what’s the key to England succeeding?
“The cricket can be more attritional, so we’ll
need all of Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook and
Jonathan Trott’s concentration to give
England a good start. It was a chastening
experience against Pakistan, so I think they
will be doubly focused to put that right.” Ga
reth
Co
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,
Subcontinent strugglesEngland fast-bowling legend and Sky Sports analyst Bob Willis tells us
about the challenges Andrew Strauss and his team face in two Test
matches against Sri Lanka in the world’s most draining conditions
Sri Lanka v England
Which England players really are under the
spotlight to perform in these games?
“Kevin Pietersen regained some form in the
one-day matches, so I don’t think that the
spotlight will be as fierce on him as it might
have been. Ian Bell had a dreadful time, so I
suppose if there was a tumbrel setting off to
the guillotine, he’d be the next passenger. But
then it’s less than 12 months since he was
scoring huge hundreds for England, so the
selectors won’t cast him off lightly. He will
need a better performance, though. It was
just surprising that he couldn’t pick Ajmal at
all. He’ll need to do better against the more
orthodox spin bowlers in Galle and Colombo.”
How much pressure is there on Andrew
Strauss to start scoring runs?
“A little bit of pressure, but I think he’s almost
got a Mike Brearley air about him as an astute
captain. They will give him the longest possible
time of lean scores before they think about
changing. Alastair Cook is the heir apparent and
I thought it was a big mistake for Strauss to
retire from one-day cricket, as it’s only a year
ago that he was outbatting Sachin Tendulkar
in that amazing tied match in Bengalooru.
Also, there’s so much one-day and Twenty20
cricket now that he’ll go for long periods
without playing any meaningful England
matches. I think it’s a disadvantage.” >
| March 23 2012 | 29
| March 23 2012 | 31
What changes do you think we’ll see to the
England team for this series?
“I would have thought that it will be one
straight swap – Ravi Bopara in for Eoin
Morgan – and the same bowling attack of
James Anderson, Stuart Broad and the two
spinners. That’s very tough on Steven Finn,
who really is bowling at the top of his
capabilities at the moment. It won’t be long
before he’s back in the Test side, perhaps
even in front of Tim Bresnan and a fit
Chris Tremlett.”
Who’s the key Sri Lankan wicket those
England bowlers will be aiming for?
“Kumar Sangakkara [pictured] is their most
gifted player. Although, without the captaincy
responsibilities, you can expect Tillakaratne
Dilshan to get back to form. Clearly Mahela
Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera are
top-quality players as well.”
Yikes. Any chinks in the armour for our
bowling attack to exploit?
“They’ve always struggled for an effective
opening partner for Dilshan, so that’s
generally a weakness. However, you go down
the order and the batting is probably as
powerful as any top six in world cricket
right now.”
La
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Sri Lanka v England
You can see Sri Lanka posting some big
scores in these games, then?
“Well, they were completely taken apart by
England’s seamers when they were last on
tour, but the conditions couldn’t be more
different than the cold and damp conditions
at Cardiff, Lord’s and the Rose Bowl. So, yes,
I’d expect at least three of their top six to fire
in both games. England will need to respond
to that challenge.”
Is the balance of stronger batting/weaker
bowling opposition a good match-up for
England, though, seeing as England’s
bowling attack looks like their stronger suit?
“Yes, but everything combined superbly in
Australia – batting and bowling – with Cook
and Trott scoring all those runs and other
people chipping in as well. But clearly the
bowling of Anderson, Tremlett, Bresnan,
Finn and Graeme Swann in Australia was
fantastic – and Anderson, Broad, Panesar
and, to a lesser extent, Swann carried that
on in the Emirates. However, we just have to
keep our fingers crossed that the batting
can improve, because I don’t think the
bowlers have anything to prove at all. As we
saw in this first warm-up game in Sri Lanka:
to bowl a side out twice in those conditions
so quickly bodes very well indeed.”
Sri Lanka V
England
1st Test, Galle
Monday March 26
Sky Sports 1 5am
2nd Test, Colombo
Tuesday April 3
Sky Sports 1 5.30am
Overall, how do you see the two Test
matches progressing?
“England’s best chance is to win at Galle and
draw in Colombo. It’s been a while since
England have played on these grounds, so you
don’t know how they’re going to behave, but
Galle historically spins more. However, you can’t
emphasise enough the draining conditions
that England will be performing in.”
Alex Reid @otheralexreid
Bob Willis was speaking ahead of England’s
tour to Sri Lanka and an unrivalled summer of
live cricket, with domestic, international and
women’s matches live on Sky Sports HD
Divided decade
England's Test record in the subcontinent
against India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
(combined) over the past 10 years. Gulp.
The struggle with subcontinent conditions is
shown by England’s Test record against that
trio on British soil over the same period.
Won 1
Drawn 7
Lost 9
Lost 2
Won 15
Drawn 9
‘THE SRI LANKAN
BATTING IS PROBABLY
AS POWERFUL AS ANY
TOP SIX IN WORLD
CRICKET RIGHT NOW’
32 | March 23 2012 |
Nani
On a wing and a prayerwith nine league games to go and tension in Manchester ratcheting up, Sport talks to nani about his team’s title run-in with the noisy neighbours, that statue and befriending Mike Tyson – with a little help from an unexpected source
Jo
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| 33
Here are six words we never
expected to type: thank god
for the football agent. Now this
is not an easy claim to stand
up, we admit, and we have
extensive first-hand
experience of football’s Mr Fifteen
Percenters being among the most
obnoxious cabal of characters you could
ever hope not to meet – slick shysters
leeching their livelihoods from moneyed
young men and making estate agents
and City bankers seem like walking saints.
It’s no exaggeration to say that the reason
you will rarely hear an interesting word from
a footballer is not because they have nothing
interesting to say (although that is, for a
large number of them, true), but because
as soon as they attempt to engage their
brain, the agent has a quiet word and, at
the end of the day, y’know, normality is, if
you like, resumed.
But thankfully, every so often, along comes
an agent who gives their trade a good name.
We found one just last week in Manchester,
sitting on the shoulder (not literally) of
Luis Carlos Almeida da Cunha, better known
as Nani, the Manchester United winger.
Most agents go out of their way to censor
their clients and encourage them to keep
their answers brief and disingenuous.
But not Nani’s. Not Barbara Vara.
She took the opposite approach, poking
the player until he said something worth
writing down and revealing more than
the giant narcissist (all will become clear)
might have ordinarily wanted. It started
with a handshake and an easy opener...
So, should we call you Luis or Nani?
“Nani is fine.” [“It’s Nar-ni,” says the agent,
laughing. “It’s Nar-ni, not Nanni. You always
get it wrong.”]
Who does? I do?
[The agent: “Everyone in England, you say
Nanni, but it should be Nar-ni – it should
be softer.”]
Well, apologies for that. Luis, is it fair
to say that Manchester United are now
favourites for the title race?
“I guess, erm, I think both teams are still
the favourites. We are both still going
for the title and we have to see because
there are still games to go and I still feel
that it will go right to the last day of
the season.”
But United have the lead and what looks
to be the far easier run-in. Do you look at
City’s fixtures and look at where you think
they might drop points?
“Yeah, we think about this, but sometimes
it is not where you think they might drop
them. They have some difficult games
coming, but so do we. We have to be
focused on what we have to do – we have
to think about winning those games.
We don’t want to slip up, but you never
know in this league.”
You say you think it will go to the final game,
but the whole season could well hinge on
the derby game at the Etihad on April 30.
[The agent laughs; Nani exhales loudly with a
smile on his face] “It’s very, very difficult to
go there with so much to play for, but if you
want to win the title then you have to believe
you can go anywhere and and win – and we
have to believe we can do that, otherwise you
have no chance. Do I believe we can go there
and win? Yes, because it’s on the fixture list
in black and white, so we have to believe
we can win. Otherwise, well, what would
be the point?”
Do you enjoy derby games, or is there too
much pressure for that?
“Yes, I feel I can enjoy all the games against
City because there is a good atmosphere
and for the players that gives you more
motivation. You want to play, you want to feel
it and you want to win, so yes – there is
pressure, but for me it’s nice.”
For much of your time at United you’ve been
up against Chelsea in the title race. Is it
more or less enjoyable to be up against
a team from your own city?
“I think it’s maybe a bit harder, because I
think you feel more close, and of course we
don’t want them to win the title. To lose it
would be very bad, but to lose it to the other
team from the city? No. Not good.”
Do you encounter many City fans in your
day-to-day life? And are they as noisy as
your manager claims?
“Do I see any? [“No!” laughs his agent.] No.
I barely see any of them. I hear they have
more fans in the city, but I haven’t seen
many of them.”
How would you evaluate your own form
this season?
“I think I did well since the start of the
season, playing good football, scoring goals,
assists, doing good – but it went a bit
down when I got my foot injury [against
Arsenal] and it takes time to recover and
get back to where you were. But I am getting
there. I want to finish the season as well
as I started it.”
Has Alex Ferguson demanded more goals
from you? You’re 11 in 40 this season, one
less than in 54 games last season...
“Of course, he asks to score more goals
and give more assists – we all want that
if it helps us win the title. But the most
important thing if you give a choice: win
the title or score more goals, I would say
win title.”
Because you recognise it’s a team game?
“Yes. No, no, no. Because when I go to my
house and I go inside my trophy room, I
see my... player... me...” [Struggling to find
the correct word in English, Nani starts
talking Portuguese to the agent. Laughing,
she suggests: “It is a statue, a little Nani,
you know?”] >
34 | March 23 2012 |
Ah, the statue. We thought this was
an urban myth. Is it really in the middle
of your living room?
“Yes, but it is only small.” [The agent
interrupts: “It is quite big though – not
quite lifesize, but big.”] “It is not so big.”
And it’s marble?
“Yes. It is where I put my medals, around
his neck, to have on show. So, to be able to
add another title, that would be beautiful.”
We can only imagine it would be. So what
happened in the Champions League this
season – why did United go out so early?
“I don’t know. We had many changes, some
players were not in the right rhythm and we
had many chances to win games, but we
didn’t. We let them come back. It is
something that is difficult to explain.”
Did United not take it seriously, as the Basel
midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri suggested?
“No. We always take it seriously, but they did
well – you have to give them credit. But we
missed some unbelievable chances, and you
cannot afford that in the Champions League.”
The Europa League had to be a comedown
after the glamour of the Champions League?
“No, it’s a good competition. It doesn’t matter
what the competition is – it’s an opportunity
we needed to take. I wanted another medal.”
To hang on little Nani?
“Of course.” [The agent is laughing.]
Looking further ahead, what are your
hopes for the Euros? Can Portugal win
the tournament?
“It will be difficult, but it’s not impossible.
We need to come through the first group,
which is very, very difficult. After that, who
knows? But we have opportunity because we
have a good team. If we work well, work hard
for each other, then maybe.”
What do you make of England and their
chances in the summer?
[The agent giggles, tellingly.] “I don’t know
who England play because I didn’t see the
last game they played against, who was it?
Holland? So I don’t know who is playing.”
Nobody seems to know. That’s the problem.
“Which teams are in England’s group? France,
Sweden, Ukraine? I can see France and
England qualifying. You have to think about if
the team is together, if they are playing well,
and you can only think about the group.”
According to your Twitter account, you play
the piano, like eating fruit and enjoy the
music of Usher. More newsworthy though
– you seem to be friends with Mike Tyson?
“Me? [Nani seems very puzzled, until the
agent steps in to explain that they look
after his Twitter
account for him and
often befriend other
celebrities as a
form of networking]
“I do not know Mike
Tyson personally, but
he tweeted me and
I tweeted him back.
He asked me for
a favour.”
And it’s hard to say
no when someone like
Mike Tyson asks you
for a favour?
“Well he is a big
man, yes.”
And with that, Nani and the agent both
laugh, and she stands to indicate our time is
up. So we stand also, say “thank you for your
time, Nani” (still pronounced Nanni), and
shake his hand again. And we thank the agent
too, and warmly shake her by the hand –
because, frankly, she deserves it.
Nick Harper
Nani appears in EA SPORTS FIFA Street, out
now on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Order at
amazon.co.uk or visit youtube.com/easports
football and facebook.com/easportsfifa for
more informationMa
tth
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Pe
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/Ma
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Nani
‘MY STATUE IS ONLY
SMALL – IT IS WHERE
I PUT MY MEDALS,
TO HANG AROUND
HIS NECK, TO HAVE
ON SHOW’
Benfica V Chelsea
TUESDAY 7.45PM, SKY SPORTS 2
The quarter finals of the Champions League have
become as familiar to Chelsea’s players as their
teammates’ girlfriends and FA hearings, but it looked
like they wouldn’t be making it this year after their 3-1
defeat in Naples. However, the Blues look revitalised
under Roberto Di Matteo, and a gargantuan effort over
120 minutes from their demarginalised veterans saw
them through. Now they face the Portuguese league
runners-up. Twice former European Cup winners,
Benfica are no longer continental giants, but they do
carry a significant attacking threat, as they showed
against Manchester United in the group stage.
Quick and crafty Paraguayan striker Oscar Cardozo
has scored 22 goals in 29 appearances this season
and is the main goal threat, but overall Benfica’s
approach is less explosive than the onslaught Chelsea
faced against Napoli, so they should be confident of
progression. Shutting down Cardozo and the creative
midfield of Nicolas Gaitan and Pablo Aimar will be key to
that, although given Chelsea’s European record away
from home this season (they’re yet to win), they should
be happy if they come away from the Estádio da Luz on
level terms. If they can do that, they should be capable
of dishing out the killer blow at Stamford Bridge in the
return leg – they’ve won all four home games in the
tournament, scoring 14 and conceding just one.
That they remain in the competition is a bonus for
the Blues after events in Napoli, but with confidence
returned and defensive wrinkles seemingly ironed out,
they should be capable of setting up a semi-final clash
with AC Milan or Barcelona.
ROAD TO THE QUARTERS
Benfica topped their group undefeated, twice holding
Manchester United to a draw, before squeezing past
Zenit St Petersburg 4-3 on aggregate in the last 16.
Chelsea also emerged as group winners, winning all
three home games, but losing in Leverkusen and
drawing away at Valencia and Genk. A remarkable
comeback got them past Napoli 5-4 after extra time.
36 | March 23 2012 |
Champions League The Quarter Finals
Drawn and quartered
| 37
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Apoel Nicosia V Real Madrid
TUESDAY 7.45PM, SKY SPORTS 4
The Cypriot champions are boldly going where no team
from their Mediterranean island has gone before, but
surely their journey will end here – against one of the
most expensively assembled teams in the galaxy.
Apoel made it past a sub-par Lyon side on penalties
after a 1-1 aggregate draw, but Jose Mourinho’s team
have developed a ruthless streak, scoring 24 goals in
the tournament compared to the Cypriots’ seven.
Barring a 1-1 draw away on CSKA’s notoriously tricky
plastic pitch in the last 16, Madrid have won all of
their games. Cristiano Ronaldo has six in six in the
Champions League, and is of course the main threat,
but Karim Benzema and Jose Callejon will need to be
watched closely too (with five and four apiece).
For what it’s worth, Apoel’s main threat comes from
Brazilian Ailton, but his team just seem happy to be there
– after the draw, their president Phivos Erotokritou
said: “All dreams must come to an end.” With Barcelona
on the ropes in La Liga, Madrid are eyeing the Champions
League final in Munich – and there’s no way they’re
going to let this team from Cyprus stand in their way.
ROAD TO THE QUARTERS
Madrid won all six of their group games, conceding
just twice and sticking six past Ajax, six past Lyon and
seven past Dinamo Zagreb. A 5-2 aggregate win over
CSKA Moscow put them into quarters for only the
second time in eight years.
Apoel drew all three away games in the group, but beat
Porto and Zenit at home, losing to Shakhtar. Overcame
Lyon on penalties after two home 1-0s in the last 16.
AC Milan V Barcelona
WEDNESDAY 7.45PM, ITV1
This is the tastiest tie of the round by far, its appeal
undiminished by the fact that we’ve already seen it
twice this year. Milan’s 2-2 draw in the Nou Camp and
the subsequent 3-2 reverse in the San Siro were
probably the games of the group stage, the Rossoneri’s
fluid front three showing that they can cause problems
for the usually unflustered Barcelona defence.
They’ve stuttered a bit in the competition away
from their encounters with Barcelona, though, almost
letting a 4-0 lead slip against Arsenal in the last 16.
Former Barca striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has a score
to settle with Pep Guardiola, whom in his recent
autobiography he accused of having ‘no balls’, among
other things. Guardiola has his own special way of
exacting revenge, of course – it involves just the
one ball flying between his midfield maestros at
breathtaking speeds before his little genius, Lionel
Messi, applies a suitable finish. Messi has scored a
frankly ridiculous 49 goals this season (at the time
of writing), including five in his previous Champions
League outing. The two thrilling games between these
sides in the group make this a mandatory watch.
ROAD TO THE QUARTERS
Barcelona topped their group ahead of Milan, collecting
five wins and that draw against the Rossoneri, then
ruthlessly hit 10 past Leverkusen in the last 16.
Milan beat Plzen and Bate comfortably enough at
home, but could only manage three away draws. They
trounced Arsenal 4-0 at the San Siro in the last 16, but
succumbed to complacency to finish 4-3 on aggregate.
Marseille V Bayern Munich
WEDNESDAY 7.45PM, SKY SPORTS 2
Roused from their slumber by Basel’s late winner in
the first leg of their last-16 tie, Bayern Munich dished
out a 7-0 lesson in the return leg, with wingers Arjen
Robben and Franck Ribery reminding us that an
El Clasico final isn’t necessarily the dead cert most
people think it is. The 2009-10 finalists are desperate
to reach the final, which will be played at their home
stadium, but first they’ll have to get past Marseille,
who have reached this stage for the first time since
their own successful final appearance in 1993.
The Germans have the advantage on paper, with
a solid midfield and the goals of Mario Gomez, but as
Martin Tyler has told us in every FIFA game since the
beginning of time: the game isn’t played on paper.
The European run has proved a welcome distraction
from Marseille’s dismal league form – they’re currently
ninth in Ligue 1 after five defeats in a row. However,
they can threaten through the likes of Loic Remy and
the Ayew brothers Jordan and Andre, and had enough
about them to see off an admittedly lacklustre Inter
Milan side in the last 16.
ROAD TO THE QUARTERS
Bayern topped a tough group with Napoli, Man City
and Villarreal, winning all three home games. They lost
out late on at Basel in the first knockout round, but
recovered in style with a 7-0 win in the return leg.
Marseille, meanwhile, beat German champions
Dortmund home and away in the group. They got past
Inter on away goals after a 92nd-minute Brandao
strike in the second leg.
38 | March 23 2012 |
How much do you look forward to the Cathay
Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens each year?
“Hugely. All the other tournaments are
fantastic, but there’s just something a bit
extra in Hong Kong. It’s our version of the FA
Cup final or the Olympics at the moment. In
all honesty, we probably prefer it to London
right now. We had a world-record crowd at
Twickenham last year, so I might change my
view on that over time, but at the moment
Hong Kong is the spiritual home of sevens.
It’s the one I remember staying up to watch
as a kid, so it’s hard to shift that perception
among players and coaches.”
You go to some spectacular places in your
season. Do you get time to enjoy any of it?
“I think you get to know places as opposed to
enjoy them in the traditional sense, so you
know the best restaurants and shops to
go to. To be honest, the life of a professional
sportsman means your travelling is generally
airports, hotels, training grounds and stadia.
I try to give the lads a bit of culture and
they’re pretty good at trying to find it,
but it’s few and far between.”
And in terms of the actual rugby, how
confident are you ahead of Hong Kong?
“We’ve been the nearly team this year.
We started well with victory in Dubai, and
that shows that we can beat anybody out
there when we give it our best. We’ve just
been a little bit off at times this year, and New
Zealand have beaten us by less than a score
to knock us out too many times. I’ve been
fairly inhumane and flogged the lads in the
last month to get them to a position where
they feel rock-solid mentally and physically...
so we’re in good shape for Hong Kong and
we’re feeling confident.”
How can the sport grow its global coverage?
“I think it’s naturally growing already. A lot of
our lads might not get recognised walking
around London, but in Hong Kong, Dubai and
other stops around the HSBC Sevens World
Series, they get recognised and mobbed – so Ch
ris
Mc
Gra
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y Im
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The magnificent sevens
Set for the Olympics in 2016, sevens rugby is on the rise. Ahead of the Hong
Kong Sevens this weekend, we caught up with England coach Ben Ryan as
his men – fourth in the HSBC World Series – look to close in on the leaders
Ben Ryan
they find it a bit surreal that no one back
home knows them. I think it will catch up with
itself once we get some stars and the game
becomes more widely known in the rugby
community, and the Olympics can help that.
I remember Great Britain winning the hockey
gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and the likes
of Sean Kerly and others became heroes
overnight. I think the same will happen with
sevens in Rio, so we need to be ready to
challenge for that gold medal – and then we
need to be ready to deal with the increased
level of participation after the Olympics.”
Would you be easily tempted back to coaching
in the 15-a-side game?
“It’s very hard to get away from sevens once
you get embedded in it, because it’s such good
fun; it’s so enjoyable, it’s highly competitive
and it’s just on an upward curve. For sure, I’d
love to get back involved in 15s at some point,
but if I had to make a choice between the two,
it would be sevens. It’s just highly addictive, and
going to these fantastic places to play in front
of 50,000 people is very hard to give up.”
Mark Coughlan @coffers83
The finale of the HSBC Sevens World Series
comes to Twickenham on May 12-13 2012.
For more information on the Marriott London
Sevens or for tickets, visit rfu.com/tickets
Saturday
HSBC Sevens
World Series |
Hong Kong |
Sky Sports 3 6.30am
Competition
The third and final instalment of the
critically acclaimed Mass Effect series
hit stores last week. To celebrate,
Sport is offering you the chance to win the
N7 Collector’s Edition of Mass Effect 3, and
an Xbox 360 to play it on. Mass Effect 3
thrusts players into an all-out galactic war
to save mankind from an ancient alien race
known only as the Reapers. Players take
the role of Commander Shepard, a
wartorn veteran who’s willing to do
whatever it takes to eliminate a nearly
unstoppable foe. With a team of elite
soldiers at their side, each player decides
how they will take earth back, from the
weapons and abilities they utilise to the
relationships they forge or break. The
collector’s edition comes in a premium
metal case with commemorative artwork,
including a hardbound book and comic, plus
exclusive in-game content.
Texts cost 50p +std network charge. Competition
closes at midnight on Thursday March 29. Full terms
and competitions at sport-magazine.co.uk
Win! Mass Effect 3 and an Xbox 360!
FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN, JUST
ANSWER THE SIMPLE QUESTION BELOW:
Who was the first person to set foot on
the moon?
A. Lance Armstrong B Neil Armstrong
C Stretch Armstrong
To enter, text ME3 plus your answer,
A, B or C, and your name to 81089
£9.99DVD
Film © 2011 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Focus 2012 126 Days to go
40 | March 23 2012 |
THE VENUE
The first London 2012 venue to be designed,
but last to be finished, is one of the Olympic
Park’s standout structures, its spectacular
wave-shaped roof boasting a longer single
span than Heathrow’s Terminal 5.
The Aquatics Centre is the brainchild of
award-winning Iraqi-British architect Zaha
Hadid, who designed it before London had
even won the bid. Hadid’s design was used
as a glittery example of how London could
provide shiny new venues, as well as tried
and tested ones such as Wembley and the O2.
It proved more difficult (and far more
expensive) to erect than first thought,
costing around £269m by the time it was
completed in July 2011. And the temporary
seating blocks – positioned either side of the
elegant roof to allow for crowds of 17,500 at
the Games – left Hadid less than impressed.
The blocks will be removed once the Games
are over to leave a sustainable venue with
space for 2,500, meaning Hadid’s design will
look as intended and Stratford will have a
leisure centre of which to be proud – providing
its vending machines are well stocked with
Monster Munch, of course.
THE EVENT
One of the most straightforward events of the
Games (for spectators, that is), the swimming
is a direct race to the finish. In the pool there
will be 32 medals awarded throughout the
Games (16 each for men and women) across
the four strokes – freestyle, breaststroke,
backstroke and butterfly – with the medley
races requiring swimmers to utilise all four.
The shortest distance covered is 50m,
which is just one length of the pool, taking the
best swimmers in the world just over 20
seconds to complete. The longest is 1,500m
for the men and 800m for the women, with
the current world records standing at
14:34.14 for the former and 8:14.10 for the
latter – set by GB’s swimming star Rebecca
Adlington four years ago in Beijing.
TEAM GB’S PROGRESS
“It is part of my job to set targets,” says
Michael Scott, British Swimming performance
director. “Winning six medals represents
a significant challenge. But collectively we
have the time and opportunity to improve to
make sure we’re as competitive as possible
for when the rest of the world arrives in
London in July. The thinking is that we are
not taking tourists to the Olympics. Everyone
in the team has the potential to make the
semi finals – and, with an increase in
performance, hopefully make the finals.”
SWIMMING AT LONDON 2012
DATES July 28-August 4
CAPACITY 17,500
HOW TO GET THERE Tube, National Rail,
DLR, London Overground
De
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taro
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Swimming
Hannah Miley
KEY EVENTS BEFORE
LONDON 2012
British International
Disability
Championships
Sheffield, April 6-8
ASA National
Championships
Sheffield, June 20-23
GB hopeful
AGE IN 2012 22
MEDAL RECORD World Championships silver (400m
medley) 2011, 2008 (short course); European
Championships gold (400m medley) 2010,
silver (400m medley) 2011 (short course);
Commonwealth Games gold (400m medley) 2010
Trained by her helicopter pilot father in a 25m
pool in Aberdeenshire, Miley shone at the recent
Olympic trials, qualifying for the 200m medley
as well as her favoured 400m distance...
Hannah Miley could be the first British
swimmer to race for a medal this summer,
with the 400m individual medley among the
first events in the Aquatics Centre.
The 22-year-old recorded the second
fastest time ever in a textile suit at the
British Gas Championships and Olympic trials
earlier this month. When she followed that
up with victory in the 200m medley, in a time
that would have won her any Olympic title
at the distance apart from in Beijing (where
swimmers were aided by the now banned
supersuits), Miley announced herself as a
potential double-medallist.
She’s up at 4.45am six mornings a week
to train with her father, who is known for his
unorthodox methods. Miley often finds herself
swimming with a belt of sponges tied to her
waist, creating more resistance. Still, she’ll
thank him if it means Olympic glory – probably.
Forget the Beijing Water Cube, London’s Aquatics Centre
is set to provide even more thrills and spills this summer
7 DaysMAR 23–MAR 29
HIGHLIGHTS
» Premier League: Chelsea v Tottenham » p44
» F1: Malaysian Grand Prix » p46
» Tennis: Sony Ericsson Open, Miami » p46
» Rugby Union: Harlequins v Bath » p48
» Best of the Rest » p49OUR PICK OF THE ACTION FROM THE SPORTING WEEK AHEAD
42 | March 23 2012 |
For the second season in a row, all eyes will be
on the new guys when the AFL season kicks
off tomorrow, with Greater Western Sydney
Giants taking the Gold Coast Suns’ title as the
new team in town. And what better way to kick
off life in the AFL than with a local derby?
SATURDAY AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL: GWS GIANTS v SYDNEY SWANS | ANZ STADIUM, SYDNEY | ESPN 8AM
New boys
Bluffer’sGuide to ‘footie’
The Giants, entering the AFL for the first time,
host the Sydney Swans tomorrow, with the rest of
the round’s fixtures taking place next weekend.
For coach Kevin Sheedy, it signals a new dawn in
the AFL after 27 years in charge of Essendon.
Sheedy led Essendon to four Premierships in his
time there, but life with the Giants presents a new challenge, and he
will be relying on his trio of co-captains – the experienced Luke Power
and the youth of Phil Davis and Callan Ward – to lead from the front.
The Swans, meanwhile, were disappointed to finish seventh last
year and will be keen for a winning start. An opening-day derby
against a brand new rival. Is there any better motivation?
Ma
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1The game is played on an oval, with
four posts at each end – two tall posts (‘the goal’) and one shorter post on each side.
2Kick into the goal for six points, or the
outer posts for one. If a ‘six’ is touched by an opponent before going in, you only get one.
3A player running with the ball must
touch the ball on the ground (usually a bounce) at least once every 15 metres.
4If a player catches a kick that has
travelled more than 15m, he can call a mark and have a free kick from that spot.
5Games are played over 80 minutes,
split into four quarters (but often last for more than 100 minutes with added time).
6The AFL consists of 18 teams, who play
22 games each. At the end of this season, the top eight teams enter a post-season playoff.
Subscribers make great savings every day
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From just
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With our 7 Day Pack, subscribers enjoy seven days of
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Save 30p on The Times every weekday – 70p compared to £1
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44 | March 23 2012 |
SATURDAY PREMIER LEAGUE | CHELSEA v TOTTENHAM | STAMFORD BRIDGE | SKY SPORTS 2 12.45PM
Bridge battle
7 Days
ARSENAL V ASTON VILLA
Emirates Stadium, Saturday 3pm
BOLTON V BLACKBURN
Reebok Stadium, Saturday 3pm
LIVERPOOL V WIGAN
Anfield, Saturday 3pm
NORWICH V WOLVES
Carrow Road, Saturday 3pm
SUNDERLAND V QPR
Stadium of Light, Saturday 3pm
WEST BROM V NEWCASTLE
The Hawthorns, Sunday 4pm, Sky Sports 1
MANCHESTER UNITED V FULHAM
Old Trafford, Monday 8pm, Sky Sports 1
Around the grounds
Torres: he scores
when he wants,
pretty much
One week after their FA Cup tie against Bolton
came to a shocking and premature end,
Tottenham make the short trip across London
to Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea have won
their past four games in all competitions.
The most recent, a 5-2 tonking of Leicester
City, assured Chelsea’s progression to the
semi finals of the FA Cup. But the resultant
headlines were almost entirely focused on
the part played by Fernando Torres, who
finally, finally scored his first – and second
– goals in more than 24 hours of football.
“I needed those goals,” admitted the Spaniard
afterwards, with no small amount of
understatement.
His previous goals (another brace) came
on October 19 against Genk in the Champions
League, sparking claims at the time that the
mental block had been broken and Torres
would finally be the goal machine Roman
Abramovich believed he’d paid for. That didn’t
happen, obviously. So will this time be a
different story?
Harry Redknapp will hope not. Spurs’ bid to
finish in the top four looked a fairly safe bet
until recently, but three league defeats in
a row (before Wednesday’s game against
Stoke) left them looking over their shoulders
at north London rivals Arsenal, who’d love
nothing more than to see Redknapp’s side
tumble out of the Champions League places.
Chelsea just about have Spurs in their
sights now that they’re seemingly a united
group of players again, although as the only
English team left with European football to
think about (for now, at least) they’re also
the only team involved in the top-four scrap
with such distractions.
In the short term – which seems to be the
only term in the mind of Abramovich – the
Blues look in good shape. Mathematically still
within touching distance of the top four, in
two cup competitions and with the core of
John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba
firing again, Chelsea could yet prevent
this season from being the disaster many
had predicted.
Fernando Torres
had 50 shots in
all competitions
between scoring
his goals against
Genk last year and
playing (and scoring)
last weekend
SATURDAY STOKE v MAN CITY | BRITANNIA STADIUM | ESPN 5.30PM
A big week for...
After three league defeats in their past 10
(before Wednesday’s match against
Chelsea) – and with capitulation to
Sporting Lisbon confirming their fourth
exit in five competitions this season –
things seem to have gone a bit stale at
Man City. Whatever happens Wednesday,
City need to win their remaining games
– including the Manchester derby next
month – to stand a chance of lifting the
Premier League trophy, so
Carlos Tevez’s return from
his extended holiday might
just prove the perfect tonic. Tevez
virtually carried West Ham across the
line to Premier League survival in 2007,
and his endless levels of energy might
be just what City need to break down
increasingly defensive oppositions. His
boss has shown an incredible U-turn in
welcoming Tevez back to the club. Now
it’s time for the Argentinian to say his
thank yous on the pitch.
SATURDAY SWANSEA v EVERTON | LIBERTY STADIUM | 3PM
It’s impossible not to admire the way
Swansea City have gone about their job
in the Premier League this season –
the Swans have a better possession
average per game than Manchester
United, Tottenham and Liverpool, and
the third-highest passing completion in
the league – but it’s the man between
the sticks who has arguably been their
star player. Only four teams have faced
more shots than Brendan
Rodgers’ men so far – three
of them are in the bottom five
– so it’s to Michel Vorm’s credit that
Swansea currently sit happily in the top
half. In fact, three wins on the bounce
– with clean sheets in all three – have
got the Swansea fans very excited, and
a home fixture tomorrow will only help.
Vorm has conceded just 10 goals in 14
home games this season. Another
clean sheet tomorrow, and the Swans
might just be thinking of Europe.
1. Carlos Tevez 2. Michel Vorm
Mik
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46 | March 23 2012 |
7 DaysC
liv
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SUNDAY FORMULA 1 | SEPANG INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, MALAYSIA | SKY SPORTS F1 9AM
FRIDAY > TENNIS | SONY ERICSSON OPEN | MIAMI | SKY SPORTS 4 3PM (FROM SATURDAY), BRITISH EUROSPORT 6PM (FROM SUNDAY)
After last season’s snoozefest,
this year’s frantic opener in
Melbourne played out in a
manner suggesting the teams
and drivers had all been shoved
in a bottle, shaken up, and then poured out on to the track. Mercedes qualified strongly but had
a disastrous race, while Ferrari failed to make the top 10 on Saturday but managed a fifth-
placed finish with Fernando Alonso on race day. McLaren did manage to match their qualifying
performance on Sunday, though, coming away with a deserved victory as a result.
We head to Malaysia with all six former world champions looking competitive, epitomised by
Kimi Raikkonen’s charge from 18th to seventh on his F1 return. Less than a second separated
the top eight in qualifying in Melbourne – last year that gap would have stretched only to third.
At the slightly more sociable hour of 9am, this is definitely a race worth getting up early for.
F1 wakes up
Miami vice
Andy Murray's opening-round defeat to the
world number 92 in Indian Wells earlier this
month was a blow to his post-Australian Open
confidence, but if there’s one place he’d
choose to go to get that back, it’s Miami.
The Scot spends much of his off-season
training in Florida and, now that he’s under
the guidance of Miami-based coach Ivan Lendl,
the amount of time he spends there is bound
to increase.
Murray won the event in 2009, but the
two years since then have been disastrous,
featuring opening-round exits to Mardy Fish in
2010 and qualifier Alex Bogomolov last year.
How he bounces back from Indian Wells this
time around will be a good test of the Lendl
effect on Murray’s psyche.
Novak Djokovic arrives as defending
champion on the men’s side, having defeated
Rafael Nadal in the final last year, while
new world number one Victoria Azarenka
triumphed in the women’s event. Known as
‘the fifth major’, the Sony Ericsson Open is
the last hardcourt event before the focus
turns to clay. If Murray’s wise, he'll try to
make the experience last as long as he can.
Sky commentators David Croft and Anthony Davidson talk us
through the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia
LAPS 56CIRCUIT LENGTH 5.543KMRACE DISTANCE 310.408KMLAP RECORD 1:34.223 – JP MONTOYA (2004)
2011 RESULT
1 SEBASTIAN VETTEL (RED BULL)2 JENSON BUTTON (McLAREN)3 NICK HEIDFELD (RENAULT)
SPORT’S PREDICTION
1 JENSON BUTTON (McLAREN)2 LEWIS HAMILTON (McLAREN)3 MICHAEL SCHUMACHER (MERCEDES)
ROUND 2 MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX MARCH 25
START
SCHEDULE (GMT)
SATURDAY MARCH 24 QUALIFYING 8AM SUNDAY MARCH 25 RACE 9AM
DC: “I love Malaysia. It’s establishing itself as a really good Grand Prix.”
AD: “It's the grandfather of [Hermann] Tilke’s designs, isn’t it? It’s fast-flowing,
it’s undulating. He gets criticism, but you always have to point them in the
direction of Malaysia because it is a great, great circuit – you see overtaking,
you see tyre degradation to the max. It’s such a gruelling race for the drivers
– so hot and so physical inside the car, you almost want to forget it when it’s
over. Technically the the track focuses quite a lot on braking. Tyre degradation is
a big factor – the most important thing is keeping your rear tyres alive.”
DC: “The hairpin is brilliant because you’ve got all the time in the world to
overthink your entry, and you see so many people going wide, locking up and
giving away the chance for overtaking into that main straight. It’s what you
want; hurtling straight into a heavy-braking corner promotes mistakes. You
don’t need DRS when you’ve got corners like that.”
Free for both existing
and new Sky TV
customers with HD
Sky Sports F1™ HD, our dedicated Formula 1™ channel, launched on 9 March and is available free to HD customers.
Get a free Sky±HD box † and free standard set-up when you upgrade to the HD Pack
And get Sky Sports F1™ HD free
Enjoy up to 60 channels in stunning HD, depending on your Sky TV package
If you’ve already got Sky TV
Just £10.25 extra a month
If you’re joining Sky TV
£30.25 a month
Get a free Sky±HD box† and free standard set-up when you join Sky TV with the HD Pack
And get Sky Sports F1™ HD free plus our most popular TV entertainment channels in HD
Plus Sky Broadband Everyday Lite and inclusive calls#
Believe in better
Existing and new customers can also watch Sky Sports F1™ in standard definition for free with Sky Sports 1 & 2
Award-winning Sky Go app – enjoy F1™
on the move at no extra cost on your iPad,
iPhone, laptop or selected Android™
Incredible picture quality for all the crucial
details, plus Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound
Sky Sports F1™ HD is showing
every race live and uninterrupted
Go to sky.com/formula1 or call 08442 410 896
Don’t miss out – free standard set-up offer ends 29 March
For our best offers, upgrade or join online and get a £50 voucher
£50
†Free Sky±HD box and free standard set-up when you upgrade to the HD Pack or join Sky TV with the HD Pack. Set-up fee may apply. Excludes existing Sky±HD box households.
Sky Go is available in standard definition only. Uses 3G/WiFi.
Sky Network areas only. Sky Line Rental payable at just £12.25 a month.
LU
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en
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Sky Go
Shift your viewing up a gear with a free Sky±HD box† and free standard set-up
Free Sky±HD box†
Free standard set-up
Subject to status. Upfront payment may be required. #UK evening and weekend landline calls of up to an hour to 01, 02, 03 & 0870 numbers only (excludes Channel Islands, indirect access & dial-up internet numbers). Acceptable Use Policy applies. Box set up times currently average 7-10 days for new Sky TV customers and for existing customers upgrading to Sky±HD may be longer (excludes Highlands & Islands, Channel Islands, Scottish Islands, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland). Free Sky±HD Box: Free (otherwise £49). Excludes existing Sky±HD box households. Free standard set-up offer is valid until 29 March (otherwise £30 for new customers and £60 for existing Sky TV customers). Sky± customers must take the self set-up option and set-up must be completed within 31 days of receipt. New 12 month Sky TV minimum term applies for existing customers. Sky Sports F1™ is a part-time channel launching 9 March 2012. Sky Broadband: Existing customer set-up £60. 2GB monthly usage cap. Sky Talk: Compatible line required otherwise connection charge from £39 may apply. Online M&S Voucher offer: Only available at sky.com. One voucher per household sent within 45 days of activating viewing. Offer ends 29 March. Sky Go: WiFi/3G (charges may apply). Available in UK/Ireland on two registered compatible devices (content may vary). iPhone (3GS or above), iPad, iPod touch (4th gen. or above) require iOS 4.3 or later and selected HTC and Samsung smartphones with 0S2.2x or 2.3x. Dolby Digital 5.1: Available on many programmes. You’ll need a compatible home cinema system. General: 12 month minimum subscriptions. Non-standard set-up may cost extra. Sky± requires two satellite feeds. Boxes must be connected to a fixed telephone line and prices may vary if you live in a flat. You must get any consents required (e.g. landlord’s). Prices for Direct Debit payments only. Continuous debit/credit card mandate costs 50p pm. UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man residential customers only. These offers are not available with any other offers. Further terms apply. Calls to Sky cost 5.1p per minute (plus 13.1p connection fee) for BT customers. Calls from other providers may vary. Correct at 22 February 2012.
The F1 logo, F1, FORMULA 1, FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, GRAND PRIX and related marks are trademarks of Formula One Licensing BV, a Formula One group company. All rights reserved.
48 | March 23 2012 |
7 Days
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SATURDAY RUGBY UNION | AVIVA PREMIERSHIP: HARLEQUINS v BATH | THE TWICKENHAM STOOP | ESPN 1.30PM
The Six Nations is over for another year, so
it’s back to domestic duties across the Aviva
Premiership this weekend. Having played just
twice since mid-February, there’s always a bit
of a fresh-start feel to the post-Six Nations
Premiership games. But with just five games
left, there’s no time for reminiscing or
settling back in.
Two defeats and one draw in their five
Premiership games so far this year have seen
Harlequins’ lead at the top of the table cut
dramatically, with Saracens now just four
points adrift ahead of the weekend’s fixtures.
But the good news for the returning Chris
Robshaw and his men is that their home
form has been
magnificent
– Harlequins have
lost just once
at ‘home’, and that was in a tie moved to
Twickenham. Quins failed to fire against
Newcastle in their last outing, so they
desperately need to find their early season
form here tomorrow.
For the visitors, an inconsistent season
appears to have found its feet at the perfect
time, thanks in no small part to the form of
young fly half Tom Heathcote. Bath have now
won four of their past six in all competitions
and sit just two points off Gloucester in the
race for the sixth Heineken Cup place. With
Northampton and Leicester two of their last
four games, Ian McGeechan’s men will be
desperate to pick up at least a point here.
Time for the run-inWhile HMRC may have replaced Celtic as the Gers’ nemesis
right now, Rangers will still be determined not to have this
season’s misery compounded by the green-and-white half of
Glasgow clinching a league title at Ibrox. If Motherwell fail to
beat Kilmarnock on Saturday, however, a Celtic win confirms
their championship victory with eight games still to play.
The strike partnership of Anthony Stokes and Gary Cooper
may have been frustrated in the League Cup final, but this Celtic
side remains full of goals, while a fit Scott Brown adds an edge
of dynamism to their midfield. Rangers are a team depleted by
injuries, shorn of their finest attacker in Nikica Jelavić (now at
Everton) and with young players filling in in unfamiliar positions.
That said, three defeats in four since going into administration
belie some gritty performances. They’re underdogs at home
this Sunday, but don’t expect them to go down without a fight.
Salt in the wound
SUNDAY FOOTBALL | SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE: RANGERS v CELTIC | IBROX | SKY SPORTS 1 1PM
SUNDAY FOOTBALL | JOHNSTONE’S PAINT TROPHY FINAL: CHESTERFIELD V SWINDON TOWN | WEMBLEY STADIUM | SKY SPORTS 2 2PM
Wembley throws open its doors to two of its smaller
constituents this weekend, for the final of the
Johnstone’s Paint Trophy. Just a handful of places
separate the two finalists in the footballing
pyramid, but their seasons have been very
different. Swindon were relegated, bottom of
League One last year, but have been revitalised
under Paolo Di Canio this season and now sit top of
League Two, seemingly set for promotion at the
first time of asking. They swapped divisions with
Chesterfield, who were last season’s
League Two champions, and look set to do
so again, as the Spireites have struggled
in the third tier and have been in the
relegation zone since October. The cup run has
provided some much needed respite, but the form
guide isn’t exactly in their favour – Swindon have
lost just thrice since October, and they’ve got
experience on Wembley’s hallowed turf, losing
to Millwall in the 2010 League One playoff final.
Alan Connell and Paul Benson are Swindon’s
dangermen, while Chesterfield will look to Craig
Westcarr and Jordan Bowery to provide their
cutting edge up front.
Role reversal
FRIDAY CRICKET West Indies v
Australia: 4th ODI,
Gros Islet, St Lucia,
Sky Sports 2 1.25pm
GOLF Arnold Palmer Invitational Day 2,
Orlando, Florida, Sky Sports 3 7pm
RUGBY LEAGUE Super League: Wigan v
Warrington, DW Stadium, Sky Sports 1 8pm
SATURDAY
RUGBY UNION Super Rugby: Crusaders v
Cheetahs, Christchurch Stadium,
Sky Sports 1 6.30am
CYCLING Tour of Catalunya: Stage 6,
Spain, British Eurosport 3pm
FOOTBALL La Liga: Mallorca v Barcelona,
Iberostar Stadium, Sky Sports 4 5.15pm
RUGBY UNION Aviva Premiership:
Northampton v Wasps, Franklin’s Gardens,
Sky Sports 1 5.45pm
FOOTBALL La Liga: Real Madrid v Real Sociedad,
Bernabeu, Sky Sports 4 7pm
BASKETBALL NBA: Houston Rockets v Dallas
Mavericks, Toyota Center, ESPN 12am
BOXING Erik Morales v Danny Garcia, Reliant
Arena, Houston, Sky Sports 1 12.45am
SUNDAY
RUGBY UNION Aviva Premiership:
London Irish v Leicester Tigers,
Madejski Stadium, ESPN 2.15pm
HOCKEY Women’s Olympic Qualification
Tournament: Final, Belgium,
British Eurosport 2 3pm
GOLF Arnold Palmer Invitational Day 4
(featuring Justin Rose, right),
Orlando, Florida, Sky Sports 3 6pm
RUGBY LEAGUE Super League: St Helens v
Leeds, Langtree Stadium, Sky Sports 1 6.35pm
BASKETBALL NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder v
Miami Heat, Chesapeake Energy Arena, ESPN 1am
MONDAY
SNOOKER China Open Day 1, Beijing University,
British Eurosport 7.30am
TUESDAY
CRICKET
West Indies v Australia:
1st T20, Gros Islet,
St Lucia,
Sky Sports 1 7pm
BEST OF THE REST
THURSDAY
FIGURE SKATING
ISU World Figure Skating Championships:
Pairs’ Short Dance,Acropolis Exhibition Centre,
Nice, British Eurosport 7.45pm
FOOTBALL Europa League Quarter Final
First Leg: AZ Alkmaar v Valencia,
AFAS Stadion, Alkmaar, ESPN 8pm
| 49
Extra time Kit
50 | March 23 2012 |
Making the most of your time and money
1 Adidas Pellara EliteWhen he’s not trying out stupid shots, restyling his
hair or practising his English accent, Kevin Pietersen
can occasionally pop up as a very useful batsman. And
this is his weapon of choice. Good enough for us.
£360 | 0870 240 4204
2 Puma Cobalt 5000Did you know bats are the only mammals capable of
sustained flight? This bat, a Puma, doesn’t fly – but it’s
great for cricket, and with the bulk of the power higher
up the blade, it’s even better for big-hitting cricket.
£320 | facebook.com/pumacricket
3 Gunn & Moore Icon DXM 606The Icon DXM is the bat used by Jonathan Trott, and
the 606 incarnation combines a lightweight design with
thick power edges to increase your chances of a big
boundary – as long as you can hit the ball in the first
place. It can’t help you much if you can’t.
£104 | amazon.co.uk
4 Kookaburra Kahuna 600A kookaburra, just to confirm, is a terrestrial
kingfisher native to Australia and New Guinea. No idea
what that has to do with cricket, but the Kahuna 600
combines a reinforced handle with an air-dried face
to help big hitters notch up big boundaries.
£180 | prodirectcricket.com
5 Gray-Nicolls Evo SlayerAlong with the band (Slayer) and the TV character
Buffy (the vampire slayer), this Gray-Nicolls bat is now
up there with our favourite slayers. That’s thanks to a
high sweet spot that is very forgiving for late shots.
£56 | amazon.co.uk
6 Slazenger V100 Club Cricket BatEver wondered what animal that is on Slazenger’s
logo? So have we – sorry if you actually wanted to know.
Anyway, the V100 boasts a cane handle designed for
increased power and it’s endorsed by James Anderson
and Paul Collingwood, so clearly suits all types of game.
£90 | sportsdirect.com
Unleash your inner batmanEngland get their first Test in Sri Lanka
under way this Monday, so prepare to
emulate your heroes with these top bats
1 2
3 4
5 6
P58
Hug a hoodie and
face the inevitable
consequences
*Conditions apply. See tda.gov.uk/conditions for full details.
52 | March 23 2012 |
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Extra time Heather Mitts
| 53
Easter Festival, Salzburg, March 31-April 9Every year, the birthplace
of Mozart plays host to a
festival of classical music
and opera that further
illuminates this already
beautiful Austrian city.
The 2012 festival launches
on the evening of March 31,
with a performance of the
great Georges Bizet opera
Carmen, but that’s not the
only reason to go this year.
That’s because 2012 marks
the end of Sir Simon Rattle’s
nine-year tenure as artistic
director, and the last time
the Berlin Philharmonic will
play as resident orchestra.
End-of-an-era stuff.
osterfestspiele-salzburg.at/en
Tribeca Film Festival, New York, April 18-29The Tribeca Film Festival
was founded in 2002 by,
among others, Robert de
Niro in response to the
September 11 attacks on
the World Trade Center.
It has since developed a
reputation for showcasing
independent films, shorts
and documentaries, not
to mention holding panel
discussions with major film
personalities such as last
year’s special guest Martin
Scorsese (above).
A fascinating fortnight of
film, then – and an excellent
excuse for visiting one of
the greatest cities on earth.
tribecafilm.com/festival
Grand National, Liverpool,April 14A bit closer to home, this
one, but next month’s
Grand National is one of our
great sporting spectacles
– and you can travel there
in some style aboard an
Orient-Express train.
On Saturday April 14,
the British Pullman departs
London Victoria at 7am. And
for £595 per person, you
could be on board, enjoying
brunch on the way to
Aintree, reserved seats in
the Princess Royal Stand to
watch the day’s racing, and
a five-course dinner with
champagne on the way back.
Sounds alright to us.
orient-express.com
54 | March 23 2012 |
Easter paradeThe Easter break affords a great
chance for us all to get away and sample
some culture. Here are our picks of the
available options for 2012, kicking off
with an appropriately religious offering
Semana Santa, Seville, April 1-8The shot above may look like a monthly meeting of Shit Ghosts
Anonymous, but these characters are actually among one of
the many cofradías (religious brotherhoods) of Seville who
spend Semana Santa (Holy Week) processing in penitence
through the streets of the Andalucían capital every year.
Such a grave procession doesn’t sound like the most
captivating sight, but there is beauty to go with the solemnity;
as they make their separate ways to the spectacularly Gothic
Seville Cathedral, each brotherhood carries with them floats
bearing ornate and often antique religious sculptures.
Processions last all week, giving you plenty of time to get
out and explore the many attractions of an ancient city that
boasts a Mediterranean climate, some stunning architecture
and some of the best tapas you’re ever likely to taste.
Check skyscanner.net for direct flights to Seville
THE ALTERNATIVES
Sa
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ob
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Ha
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g/R
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Fe
atu
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, V
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a G
arb
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/Re
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ea
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s, J
em
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ss
/Ge
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Ima
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s, A
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Ya
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/AF
P/G
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Limited availability. Prices are one-way including taxes and charges, correct as of 01/03/12 but are subject to change at any time. Prices based on departing from London Gatwick to Nice for travel between 23/04/12 – 25/05/12. Two items of hand luggage means one piece of hand baggage plus a laptop, briefcase or handbag. For full terms and conditions go to ba.com/gatwick
Gatwick to FRANCEone-way from
With our transparent prices, it really is easy.
// No admin fee with debit card payments// Two pieces of hand luggage// 23kg hold luggage allowance// Allocated seating
Visit ba.com/gatwickTo Fly. To Serve.
THE SPORT SELECTION
Extra time Travel
Schwarzkopf Professional
[3D]Mension Grey Blend
You’ve got to hand it to the creatives at Schwarzkopf.
Faced with the problem of how best to market their
first haircare range developed exclusively for men,
they eschewed anything even vaguely subtle, instead
choosing to go with the kind of colourful branding
that makes Kermit the Frog look ‘a bit earthy’.
Still, it’s hard to ignore, which is exactly why we
know more about the [3D]Mension range than we
ever thought possible. The 3D bit comes from the
entire range’s desire to, and we’re quoting here,
‘deal with men’s hair in a truly three-dimensional
way’. This starts with haircare products, such
as shampoos and tonics, and goes on to include
a styling range comprising the usual mix of gel,
wax, spray and cream.
But it’s the third ‘dimension’ that most piqued our
interest, plagued as we are by more grey hairs than
the waxing room floor on the set of Calendar Girls.
The Grey Blend range features an easy-to-mix
colour cream and developer in six toning shades,
and enables natural grey blending with an additional
care benefit in only five minutes. Grow grey
gracefully in double-quick time – that’ll do for us.
schwarzkopf-professional.co.uk
Lies, damned lies...
And grooming statistics. A recent
survey* of 5,000 men has thrown
up some rather interesting facts
about what we consider important
to our daily bathroom regime.
And it’s sensational news for
shampoo manufacturers. When
asked to name their top five
bathroom essentials, 84 per cent
of lads named shampoo, Bearing
in mind how many baldies there
are out there, that implies pretty
much every bloke with hair simply
can’t do without his daily wash.
Intriguingly, deodorant only
crept into the top five, with an
unimpressive 50 per cent. But
who needs to smell fresh when
your thatch looks so damn good?
Style Pilot
There’s absolutely no point in
spending hour upon hour on your
grooming regime if you end up
leaving the house dressed like
a fashion disaster. We speak from
experience, and it’s no fun.
Enter Style Pilot, which describes
itself as a ‘personal style engine for
men’ and has been designed to aid
helpless (and so most) men in their
quest to find styles and brands that
suit them. Built by an expert team of
stylists, it’s dead easy to use and
could just save you any number of
shopping nightmares. We’re off for
a play now, and suggest you follow.
stylepilot.com
*Report conducted by the Consumer Analysis Group in November 2011
56 | March 23 2012 |
THE WEBSITE
Green days
Don’t be a basket case about greying hair
– you can do something about it with a
new, and spectacularly coloured, range
THE HAIRCARE
THE RESEARCH
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Extra time Grooming
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2 TOOTHBRUSH (83%)
3 SHOWER GEL (78%)
4 RAZOR (74%)
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£9.95
MANY ROADS LEADTO THE MEDAL,BUT ALL BEGIN WITHA GREAT START.
SIR CHRIS HOY, 4X OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLIST
©©©©22220
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NOTHING BEATS
A GREAT START.
Act of Valour
Storming the US box office by earning over £24m
in its opening weekend, Act of Valour boasts an
edge of realism missing from the usual Hollywood
war film. The filmmakers achieved this by ditching
gym-buffed actors to use
active, elite Navy SEALs
in key roles, while also
basing the plot on
real-life missions. Vin
Diesel eat your heart out.
Archer Season TwoJames Bond meets Family Guy is the brief for this underappreciated
US comedy series that’s as clever as it is crass. Central to the
fun is boozy, womanising, Burt Reynolds-obsessed Sterling Archer
(codename: Duchess) who works for a secret service agency run
by his scheming mother. He lives with Woodhouse (his aged, decrepit
valet), owes money to a pimp called Popeye and regularly attempts
to seduce and/or molest his colleague Lana. He’s funny because
he’s the type of man we can really relate to, is what we’re really
trying to say.
This second series (out on DVD and Blu-ray from Monday) sees
Archer charged with protecting a precocious, 16-year-old Swiss
nymphomaniac, battling breast cancer and fathering a lovechild
(possibly). Near the knuckle, but very close to the funny bone.
The Better Bacon Book
From the delicious-looking ‘fat kid
burger’ to bacon-infused desserts
and even bacon cocktails, the
iPad-exclusive Better Bacon Book
is packed with enough rasher-
based recipes to scare the hell out
of Porky Pig. As well as images
and easy, step-by-step instructions, the book also
contains 20 high-definition videos as part of a guide
to making your own bacon from scratch (porcine
slaughter not included). Out now and priced £2.99,
it represents excellent value, although it’s arguably
not one to invest in if you’re a Jewish vegetarian.
Drive Soundtrack
Even slicker than Ryan
Gosling’s performance
in the lead role was
Drive‘s score: a work of
moody synth brilliance
by Red Hot Chili Pepper
turned film composer,
Cliff Martinez. Throw in
some of the movie’s
catchy electro-pop
songs (A Real Hero is
the obvious standout)
and you get an album
that’s a cut above your
usual driving music.
Phantom Jo Nesbo
New thriller from the
Norwegian crime author
focuses on maverick
sleuth Harry Hole, this
time investigating the
death of a young junkie
in Oslo while also being
mysteriously hunted
himself. Expect a pacy,
punchy read from one of
the best in the business.
Wild Bill
Skilfully mixing crime, comedy and family drama,
Dexter Fletcher’s directorial debut features sharp
dialogue and top performances. Top of the bill is
Charlie Creed-Miles, fresh out of
jail and back home to two boys, 15
and 11, living alone and none too
glad that Pops is back. However,
when the younger lad gets into
trouble with Bill’s old pals, daddy is
forced to man up and sort it ahht.
58 | March 23 2012 |
FILM
Making bacon
Sizzling pork treats, the US James Bond
and the soundtrack to your spring
BLU-RAY
iPAD
FILM MUSIC BOOK
Extra time Entertainment
© 2011 BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
© 2011 PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. HASBRO, TRANSFORMERS AND ALL RELATED CHARACTERS ARE TRADEMARKS OF HASBRO. © 2011 HASBRO. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
© 2011 BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, THE MOVIE:© 2011 MVL FILM FINANCE LLC. CAPTAIN AMERICA, THE CHARACTER: TM & © 2012 MARVELENTERTAINMENT, LLC & SUBS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Philips SHE9000Of a more robust
constitution than
other similarly
priced offerings,
this sleek pair have
rubber tips and a
coated cable to stop
tangles. Ideal if
you’re making a move
away from the awful
headphones bundled
with your iPod.
£36
philips-shop.co.uk
A sweat-soaked comedian, some
misappropriated party food and
a surprising musical duo all appear
in our in-ear headphones special...
Extra time Gadgets
60 | March 23 2012 |
Play it by ear
ACS T3 In-Ear MonitorsFavoured by
musicians from
Supergrass to
Slipknot, and
designed for serious
audiophiles. For an
extra £90 you can
get custom-moulded
silicon earpieces, for
the ultimate comfort
and noise isolation.
£249
acscustom.com
Gear4 GP10 Sports HeadphonesThis sweat-resistant
pair are perfect for
Lee Evans, who’s
irreparably soaked
so much electrical
equipment that he had
to give up exercise
altogether. They’re
good value, too, so
he’ll even have some
cash left for a spot
of anti-perspirant.
£20 | gear4.com
Bowers & Wilkins C5Dane Bowers and
Ray Wilkins did seem
an unlikely double
act, but their debut
album My Word was
chart gold. These
headphones are just
as good, and slightly
less fictional – they
boast an innovative
secure loop and
stunning sound.
£150
bowers-wilkins.com
Sony MDR-AS20JWe’re not big fans of
Sony’s code-based
naming system, so
we’ve decided to
rechristen these
the Sony Banana
Stencils. They wrap
round your ears for
exercise, so they
won’t fall out – no
matter how vigorous
your run/cycle/
Zumba session gets.
£15 | sony.co.uk
Heartbeats by Lady Gaga headphonesWe hoped these
Lady Gaga-designed
‘phones would be
along the same lines
as her famous ‘meat
dress’, perhaps
shaped from cocktail
sausages. Sadly, we
were mistaken, but
it’s probably better
for the sound quality.
£120
beatsbydre.com
Advertising feature
SEAL LifE cEntrE We take a look at the technology and
vocabulary on view in Act of Valour...
1 SSGN Submarine
A US Navy cruise missile submarine. When
shooting Act of Valour, the crew had only 45
minutes in which to film a scene on which the
SEALs landed on an SSGN submarine platform.
The narrow window meant that filming had to run
with pinpoint military precision... which makes the
decision to use active-duty US Navy SEALs a very
good one indeed.
2 HH-60 Helicopter
A US Air Force helicopter whose primary
mission is the insertion and recovery of special
operations personnel under stressful conditions,
including search and rescue. Capable of operating
in daytime or at night, and in extremely hostile
environments.
3 Special Warfare Combatant Craft
Small craft used to support special operations
missions, in particular those of the Navy SEALs.
The Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen
(SWCCs, pronounced ‘swicks’) who operate these
craft go through separate specialised training
programmes that emphasise special ops in the
maritime environment.
4 RQ11 Raven
An unmanned, miniature drone aircraft that is
launched by hand, powered by an electric motor
and which has an effective operational radius of
10km. It provides day or night aerial intelligence,
surveillance, target acquisition and
reconnaissance. Quite the toy.
5 SDV Submarine
The SEAL Delivery Vehicle (or SDV) is a
two-man stealth submarine used to deliver
US Navy SEALs and their equipment for special
operations missions. Used primarily for covert
or clandestine missions into hostile or denied-
access areas.
Bogey Unknown aircraft that could be
friendly, hostile or neutral – but
which, if you’ve seen Top Gun (and who hasn’t?), is
almost always the middle option of the three.
on my six Naval aviation term referring
to having someone at your
back, relative to the hours of a clock; thus 12 is dead
ahead, 3 starboard (to the right), 6 behind and 9 port
(to the left). You don’t really want a bogey on your six.
Balls to fourA four-hour
watch
spanning from 00.00-04.00, though in practice it
begins at 23.45 and ends at 03.45. Not hugely exciting,
but we like greatly any phrase with the word ‘balls’ in it.
emergency Blow When
a sub
rapidly blows all of the ballast out of its tanks, resulting
in a rapid ascent and impressive display as the sub
breaks the surface. Not what happens to us after the
weekly Friday-night curry.
canoe cluB Quite simply, the slang
term for the US Navy.
A particular favourite because in the UK this drums up
images of spotty teenagers in oversized lifejackets.
But it’s not that in the States – not by a long shot.
the top 5...
seals technology
the top 5...
seals speak
1
2
3
/ActofValourUK/ActofValourMovie15 CONTAINS STRONGLANGUAGE AND VIOLENCE