Who'd be a football manager?

Time has not been my friend this week.  I've wanted to blog about so much (Degale vs Groves, the PGA Championship, tennis, darts, I could go on) but sadly, until I get paid for my musings on sport, that's just something that I'm going to have to live with.

One thing I will find time to write about though, is my opinion on the utter ridiculousness that was the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti on the last day of the season.  Who in their right mind would want to manage Chelsea now?  Yes the money is lovely, but you also spend a year of your life (more if you're lucky) walking with a metaphorical gun to your back. Nice.  If Mr Abramovich knows so much, then why doesn't he just cut out the middle man and do the job himself? He may as well.

Cue the Benny Hill music...

And so it ends.  It seems that each season becomes more eventful than the last and 2010-11 has been no exception.  We can now look forward to a summer of transfer rumour madness.  Oh joy.

Truthfully though, whilst I think that the lucrative business of buying players is well beyond farcical, I, like the rest of you, find it perversely entertaining.  Possibly because these Sheiks and Oligarchs may as well be chucking around Monopoly money in their game of 'I own a football club, because I can'.

How anyone (and I include the players and agents when I say this) can see any sustainable good in this, really baffles me.  They probably don't give a monkey's about sustainable good though, so therein lies the answer.

I expect that if not this season, then next, we'll see clubs purchasing quality players, simply to prevent other clubs from doing so.  Worrying.  The FA is trying to bring in legislation capping wages in the Premiership.  Too little too late perhaps?  The cynic in me expects that yes, just like bankers and their bonuses, not much will really change.  Let's see what Man City Allstars look like in 12 weeks, eh?

Have fun, play and see what happens...

I love a bit of ESPN Classic.  In fact I'd wager that when combined with with a cheese toasty and a can of diet coke, it is quite possibly the best hangover cure ever.  Bearing this in mind, it’s no wonder that I couldn't wait for the cinema release of From the Ashes - the documentary recounting the epic 1981 series in which England dramatically defeated Australia.  I was not disappointed.

In truth, I never really fully understood why Beefy is so revered, but I do now.  Put simply, he was pretty bloody awesome.  At the age of 24 he managed to defeat an impressive Australian side in spectacular fashion.  During the pivotal test at Headingley, he said that his aim was to ‘have fun, play and see what happens.’  Which is surely what sport is all about, no?

Legend

My thoughts are with the Ballesteros family at this deeply sad time.

I'm only just learning exactly how profound Seve Ballesteros's influence was in the golfing world. I fully intend to read his autobiography as soon as I can get my hands on one, I'm sure it'll be extraordinary.

I remember being greatly inspired when I heard him talk so humbly about the treatment he had received.  You can just tell that some people are good.  Rest in peace.

Better late than never - Khan touch this!

Dammit, I was in Buenos Aires when Khan fought McCloskey and was too busy guzzling the Malbec to blog about it.  I was particularly looking forward to posting, since in the run up to the fight, I'd thought of the best pun of all time - see above.  I'm disappointed that it wasn't quite the thriller the Maidana fight was, but that's the way things go I guess.

British boxing is in a good place right now, not least with the announcement of the Haye/Klitschko bought, now definitely going ahead on 2nd July.  I cannot wait for this!  The Haye camp must've doubled their efforts to get the fight to materialise particularly in light of the Harrison farce.  This is obviously THE challenge that everyone's been waiting for and I for one look forward to seeing David (we're on first name terms) smash it.