Showing posts with label verdict. Show all posts
Showing posts with label verdict. Show all posts
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Watford v Crystal Palace: Two club legends give their verdict on the Playoff Final
"Although Palace defended well against Brighton, I really can’t see Watford not scoring at Wembley. I think the game will get stretched towards the end of normal time and Watford will win it 2-1 (10.09/1)."
- Nick Wright
It's Watford v Crystal Palace in the Championship Playoff Final. Callum Davis spoke to Shaun Derry and Nick Wright, two men who know what it's like to reach the Premier League through the playoffs with Crystal Palace (in 2004) and Watford (in 1999) respectively, about their memories of the showpiece occasion and who they fancy for promotion this time round...
What are your memories of the game?
Shaun Derry (SD): My main memory of the game is that it was incredibly tight. We were coming into the game as underdogs while West Ham had been relegated the previous season and everyone fancied them to go back up. We didn't let any of that talk faze us at all in the build up to the game and our preparation couldn't have been better. The manager, Iain Dowie, kept drilling into us that we were more prepared than them and he turned out to be completely right. They were probably more nervous than us as the pressure was all on them to get promoted and as a result they didn't really threaten us. Despite the significance of the game, we were all very relaxed as a team and I think that helped us to play to our fullest potential on the day.
Nick, what are your memories of your spectacular goal?
Nick Wright (NW): I get asked this a lot and I honestly remember it all perfectly! As the ball came over I was in my usual position on the edge of the six yards box and I remember Andy Todd was defending under the bar. Andy headed the ball out to me with more of a looping header rather than a proper clearance. It all happened very quickly but as the ball came over my shoulder I just focused on getting as good a contact on it as it I could. I had to look through a pair of legs to see where the ball had gone but as soon as I saw the net move I knew I'd scored it. From then I remember I ran as fast as I could up the other end of the pitch towards the Watford fans where I was pole axed by Paul Robinson from behind with a rugby tackle that could have genuinely ended my career!
Was it the highlight of your career?
SD: Oh of course yes. Obviously it gave me my first taste of the Premier League and I was incredibly relieved and thankful to be given the opportunity to play at the top level with Palace. But more than that I was proud of the way we went about it. Iain Dowie had taken over near the beginning of the season when we were second from bottom of the Championship and at that stage we weren't thinking about the playoffs at all, it was more about making sure that we were going to stay up.
To go from that position to ending up in the Playoff Final and then getting promoted was an incredible experience. Iain Dowie managed to create a real close knit group of a team with a great team spirit and I see a lot of that team spirit in this season's Palace side.
NW: Oh definitely, people always say that their dream as a boy was to score in an FA Cup Final, and that was certainly mine too, but let me tell you the feeling of scoring that goal was even better. To score the best goal of my career in the biggest game in the club's history to take them to the Premier League was unreal.
What do you make of the current side?
SD: I always keep an eye out for how Palace do because it's still a club which means an awful lot to me. Just over two years ago they were close to going out of business and to see where they are now is a real pleasure for me to watch. They've taken huge steps since those dark days and I really hope they can go one step further and make the Premier League.
For me the core of their side is the back four and the two holding players in front. Everything they do is based around that stability which they have at the back, and in Miles Jedinak they have a real leader who has stepped up to the plate as captain without Paddy McCarthy in the side. I wasn't surprised at all to see how well they played against Brighton and that performance was all down to the back six making themselves so difficult to break down. It allowed Palace to soak up the pressure from Brighton and gave players like Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie the room to break on the counter.
NW: I do a lot work for Watford Radio so I've been fortunate enough to watch them a lot this season so I've been able to keep good track of them. I have to say that they're an exceptionally talented side. Their quality of movement, passing ability and creativity has been fantastic to watch.
My only concern is that they have relied on a handful of key players to get the job done this season and when those players don't perform the team tend not to function either.
Can your team win?
SD: I've got a sneaky feeling that Palace can do it. In many ways Watford and Brighton are very similar sides, they both like to keep possession and attack as much as possible and, as they proved at the Amex, Palace are well suited to play against a team like that. If the Palace back six can keep Watford's front three of Vydra, Anya and Deeney quiet then I think they'll will nick a win just like we did in 2004.
NW: Yeah of course they can and I'm fully expecting them to. I was at the game on Friday against Leicester and the atmosphere at the end after that finish to the game was unbelievable. The town and the team are on a massive high and I'd even go as far to say that the momentum is more with Watford than it is with Palace. There are also some good omens on our side as well, it's seven years since Watford were promoted in 2006 and it was seven years before that when we won the Play-Off Final against Bolton. I'm just praying that the seven year rule continues to be true for us!
Your recommended bet?
SD: Like I said I think Palace will try to make it a tight game and will try and soak up all the pressure from Watford. I have a funny feeling that it could be a repeat of the 2004 final so I'll go for Palace to shave it 1-0 (9.08/1) . Saying that I can see it being incredibly close! To a certain extent Watford are an unknown quantity with the amount of foreign players they have in the team so Palace will need to do their homework.
NW: Although Palace defended well against Brighton, I really can't see Watford not scoring at Wembley. I think the game will get stretched towards the end of normal time and Watford will win it 2-1 (10.09/1).
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Saturday, April 13, 2013
Donald McCain: The verdict on my Uttoxeter pair
"There’s no denying he’s (Tick Tocker) been disappointing – I had high hopes for him at the start of the season and he hasn’t delivered but we’ve gone back to basics with him and the better ground should be in his favour here..."
Donald has a couple of novice hurdlers in action at Uttoxeter on Saturday.
13.40 Uttoxeter
Tick Tocker
There's no denying he's been disappointing - I had high hopes for him at the start of the season and he hasn't delivered but we've gone back to basics with him and the better ground should be in his favour here. If he can return to the form he showed when he was second at Sedgefield on his hurdling debut then he'd have to have an obvious chance and hopefully he will see his race out a bit better back on this sounder surface. Paul O'Brien takes off a handy 8lb as well.
14.10 Uttoxeter
Bit Of A Jig
He's been waiting for some better ground and he seems very well in himself at home. This doesn't look a bad race but he is still open to a bit of improvement and if the extra distance brings about some progress - which I am hopeful it might - then he ought to be there or thereabouts. His latest Market Rasen run looks solid enough and he would have to have an each-way shout.
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Friday, March 30, 2012
First Test Verdict: Spin confirmed as England's Kryptonite
England Cricket 
/ Ed Hawkins / 29 March 2012 / Leave a Comment 
Rangana Herath enjoys himself as Sri Lanka take the first Test
"England have lost four Tests in a row now because they cannot defend spin. And the [3.3] that Sri Lanka make it five in Colombo looks a steal, particularly with Stuart Broad a doubt with an ankle injury."
It's now four losing Tests in a row for England and spin has destroyed them each and every time. It will surely be another defeat in Colombo next week, says Ed Hawkins
England have found out in Galle that they have no quick fix for psychological turmoil. Beaten by 75 runs, the batsmen will be queuing up to have a lie down on the coach, and not just because of the soaring mercury.
It was as alarming a defeat as each of the three to Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Actually scrub that, it was far worse. At least in that series England could claim to be rusty after a long break and to have been bamboozled by the world class spin of Saeed Ajmal.
This time their preparation was good and we were told they had worked hard on ironing out the technical deficiencies which Ajmal had exposed. So why were England so vulnerable to the spin pair of Rangana Herath and Suraj Randiv?
Herath is a wily campaigner but he has been compared to Raj Maru, the former Hampshire spinner, in stature and style. As for Randiv, he has an elegant action but he has only played six Tests.
A batting line-up as experienced as England's should not be struggling against such a pair. Between them they took 18 of their 20 wickets. All ten of the second-innings wickets fell to the twirling pair as England lost their last five wickets for just 12 runs. They are harrowing statistics which will haunt the tourists long into a humid Sri Lankan night.
There can be no doubt that they are mentally shot. As soon as a spinner skips into his run-up, an England batsman is a startled rabbit in the headlights, just waiting for the mortal blow.
This is a damning indictment on the work done by Graham Gooch, the batting coach, and Andy Flower, the team director. They are not psychologists but they are supposed to soothe the mind with technical remedies.
All Gooch has done is told them to sweep, it would appear. That is like treating a cancer with a herbal punch. Five England batsmen fell sweeping in the match. It is a shot which must be cut out.
"In truth we made too many mistakes to win the game," Andrew Strauss, the captain, said.
"We left ourselves too much to do, mainly with our batting in the first innings. In international cricket there's no room for mistakes.
"We had a great position in the first innings to go big but we all felt too softly. We probably didn't get the balance between attack and defence right."
If only it was as simple as that. England have lost four Tests in a row now because they cannot defend spin. And the [3.3] that Sri Lanka make it five in Colombo looks a steal, particularly with Stuart Broad a doubt with an ankle injury. For England, the torture may seem like it will never end. They may already be worrying about going to India at the end of the summer.
England are suffering from a crisis of confidence, says Ed Hawkins, as he considers the reasons for their batting collapse and weighs up their chances of a successful chase......
Ed Hawkins, the Betting Writer of the Year for the second year in succession, has all the stats and analysis ahead of the match, which starts on Monday...
From Test match flops to ODI champs, the last two weeks have shown the best and the worst that this England cricket team has to offer, says Frank Gregan....
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Donald McCain: The verdict on my Sunday runners
Donald McCain / Donald McCain / 11 February 2012 / Leave a Comment 
'Bumpers for jumpers' is the order of the day at Southwell on Sunday.
"He’s [Smadynium] a lovely little horse and he probably should have won on his debut when he was only worn down in the closing stages....."
'Bumpers for jumpers' is the theme at Southwell on Sunday and Donald has runners in five of the races on the card.
Smadynium
He's a lovely little horse and he probably should have won on his debut when he was only worn down in the closing stages. That form looks a bit better with the winner going in again since and he is well up to winning a race like this. Obviously it's a bit of a guess with regards to the surface and the Twiston-Davies horse [Rossoneri] looks to be okay, but he would have to go close if he handles the fibresand.
Golden Call
As with most of mine running here, the surface is an unknown and I wouldn't know quite what to expect from him here. He wasn't right at Catterick last time and you can put a line through that, and the fact he has won a bumper in the past has to be a positive. He isn't the easiest to deal with at home so he might as well be out on the racecourse and hopefully he can pick up some money in this small field.
Smart Act
He's a lovely horse who has been ready to go for a while and I thought I might as well give him a run here with a view to another run over hurdles next week. He's more of a long-term prospect but the more he runs, the more experience he will gain. This probably isn't a bad race but it has cut up enough to make the run worthwhile.
Tornado Bob
He won a bumper when he was trained in Ireland and he isn't short of speed so hopefully he will handle the surface. He hasn't really fired over fences this season but he comes here ahead of returning to hurdling in the short term.
Record Breaker
This should be his cup of tea as he has spent most of his life running in decent Flat races. There might be a couple of them that are too strong for him in this field but it will keep him ticking over and there's no obvious reason why he wouldn't give a good account of himself.
Donald has a strong team assembled for Musselburgh's rescheduled fixture on Saturday....
A quiet weekend for the Bankhouse team but Donald tells us that the weather isn't wreaking havoc with the schedule just yet....
Donald is due to have four runners at Musselburgh's competitive card on Sunday....
Monday, January 23, 2012
Donald McCain: The verdict on my Sunday runners
Donald McCain / Donald McCain / 22 January 2012 / Leave a Comment 
Record Breaker, a smart Flat horse, faces a very different test at Towcester on Sunday.
"The ground was very testing and he didn’t seem to get home in it - he was much better over his hurdles than he was on his debut though and hopefully the better ground here will help.........."
Four runners for Donald on Sunday, including a couple of smart Flat racers making their way over hurdles.
Mountain Hiker
He was beaten a long way in the end at Chepstow last time but I didn't think he ran that badly. The ground was very testing and he didn't seem to get home in it - he was much better over his hurdles than he was on his debut though and hopefully the better ground here will help. He is clearly a bit quirky but there is an engine there if he can get it all together.
Great Boss
I actually thought he didn't do a lot wrong behind Cinders And Ashes at Haydock last time and there is something to work with there. He's a big horse who isn't really going to come into his own until he is stepped up in trip but this is a very stiff 2m and he is going the right way.
Record Breaker
He's been around for a while on the Flat but he won't have ever experienced anything like Towcester! Joking aside, I was pleased with his run at Bangor first time and he is only going to get better over hurdles with experience. He looked like a stiffer test would suit him there and it doesn't get much stiffer than this.
Red Rocco
He's had a break since a couple of quick runs and I thought he ran very well at Aintree last time. He looked like he was ready for the step up in trip on that occasion and although this isn't a bad race, I would think he ought to go well trying 3m for the first time.
Donald has a strong team assembled for Haydock on Saturday, subject to the meeting passing a morning inspection, with Cheltenham hopeful Cinders And Ashes heading the raiding party....
A busy day for the McCain team on Sunday with a lorryload heading north of the border to Kelso....
Donald has runners all around the country on Saturday, including some live chances at Wetherby....
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Man Utd Transfers: The verdict on their biggest English buys
Premier League / Michael Lintorn / 27 June 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Rio Ferdinand has set a high standard for new arrival Phil Jones to match
"There is something incongruous about Carrick’s duel role as a fairly frequent starter for the reigning Premier League champions yet struggle to even make the England squad, where the likes of Scott Parker and Gareth Barry are favoured."
Manchester United's decision to spend in excess of £15 million on both Phil Jones and Ashley Young was a rather significant show of faith, given that the Red Devils have only spent such sums on four English players in the past. How did those guys fare? Michael Lintorn investigates...
Rio Ferdinand
The Red Devils paid around £30 million to sign Ferdinand from Leeds in 2002 after he excelled for England at the 2002 World Cup. While there have been a few rough patches in the nine years since, such as his eight-month ban in 2004 for a missed drug test and his hefty demands when negotiating a new contract a year later, his contribution to their performance in that period, which has included five Premier League titles, cannot be underestimated.
Success of signing: 9/10
Wayne Rooney
Rooney was also purchased after a star showing in an international tournament, netting four times in four games at Euro 2004 to earn a move to Old Trafford for a fee in the region of £27 million. Early on, he played second fiddle to first Ruud van Nistelrooy and then Cristiano Ronaldo, but delivered when anointed the main man in 2009-10. That was the sole campaign in seven though in which he scored 20 in the Premier League and averaged more than a goal every two matches.
Success of signing: 6/10
Michael Carrick
There is something incongruous about Carrick's duel role as a fairly frequent starter for the reigning Premier League champions yet struggle to even make the England squad, as the likes of Scott Parker and Gareth Barry are favoured. However, while his impact if often underappreciated, a record of four titles in five seasons under Sir Alex Ferguson's guidance can't be knocked, and has more than covered the £18.6 million shelled out to take him from Tottenham.
Success of signing: 7/10
Owen Hargreaves
Of the quartet, Hargreaves is the one most will judge the biggest flop, despite being the cheapest at £17 million, having made just 18 top-flight starts in four years prior to his release this summer, but he was integral in his debut campaign. He fired the fantastic free-kick that saw off Arsenal in perhaps the decisive match in arguably the toughest of their 12 Premier League triumphs and shone in their only Champions League win this century, to ensure that he will be remembered fondly by fans.
Success of signing: 5/10
Will Jones and Young achieve as much as Ferdinand and Carrick? Manchester United are [3.0] to finish first in 2011-12.
Gone are the days when it was solely the Manager who decided which players his club should sign. Ralph Ellis looks at which Premier League Chairmen and Board Members like to meddle when it comes to raiding the transfer market....
Chelsea could improve offer for midfielder this week while United monitor Bale and Milner contemplates Villa return. Meanwhile, if you've heard a rumour let us know at the bottom of the article....
Thiago Alcantara, the man of the match as Spain overcame Switzerland in the European Under-21 Championship Final, has allegedly attracted the interest of Manchester United....
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Dancing on Ice 2011: Our verdict on the final three
Dancing On Ice / Eliot Pollak / 24 March 2011 / Leave a Comment 
/ Eliot Pollak / 24 March 2011 / Leave a Comment Can season-long favourite Sam Attwater justify his position at the top of the market?
"At one stage, the boy Attwater was so hot, even the sun was jealous."
It's a three-way battle as Dancing On Ice reaches its cool crescendo - but who is the pick of the odds? Let Eliot Pollak take you by the hand and skate through the final three contenders
Nothing says beer, takeaway and some comfy clothes more than the final of a big reality television competition. Except perhaps, Paul Gascoigne pitching up at the scene of a man-hunt. Nevertheless, in the absence of the genial Geordie, a night in-front of the telly is the best we can do.
Here is your guide as to who will win Dancing on Ice 2011
Sam Attwater ([2.0])
At one stage, the boy Attwater was so hot, even the sun was jealous. But his grasp on the big prize has slipped slightly of late, and he has drifted steadily for weeks, out from his zenith of [1.44].
Yet there are plenty of good omens for him. Fans of pretty patterns might be interested to know that the winning genders from the previous five series read like a dinner party seating plan - girl, boy, girl, boy, girl... as the only male left, it's in the bag for Attwater. He is also very much the form man, having been absolutely spectacular in last week's solo dance.
One final thing in the big dog's favour is that Justin Beiber - the closest thing to a deity we have - has decreed his desire for Attwater to win. Should Beiber's hysterical minions find the time to stop screaming and ghosting his dance moves, they may pick up the phone on their God's behalf. Because lets face it, he is unlikely to bother himself.
Laura Hamilton ([2.5])
There is precedent for a large upset in this show. A couple of years ago, it was supposed to be in the bag for Chris Fountain - the best ice skater from the start - but he lost out on the big night to Suzanne Shaw. Whoooooo? So an upset is not entirely out of the question.
In truth, Hamilton would make for a worthy winner. She's a graceful ice dancer, a judge's favourite, and will serve as perfect lads-mag fodder for many years to come. She has also had 'a journey' - so beloved by viewers of this sort of tripe.
Chloe Madeley ([9.6])
Madeley, although in the skate-off at the weekend, has the potential lethal combination of bulldog spirit and famous parents. In addition, first-time voters may be swayed by her Balboa pluckiness next to Hamilton's robotic grace. An outsider to win, but by no means an impossibility.
So there you have it. Place your money, slip on some pyjamas, and get the pizzas in. For what its worth, judge Jason Gardiner has rather pointlessly described the final as, "very neck-and-neck." Tosser.
It was all about Laura v Sam last week but, look!, Chloe Madeley's getting involved all of a sudden. Can this young 'born-to-be-a-D-list' star do the business, asks Eliot Pollak...
Watch out! Dancing On Ice has suddenly got interesting as the previously impregnable favourite Sam Attwater has been drawn into a battle for the winner's crown with Laura Hamilton...
Saucy Sam knows how to get the voters' hearts pumping faster and that makes him a skated shoo-in for top honours in the 2011 Dancing On Ice, says Eliot Pollak...
Saturday, February 5, 2011
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