End of year report - you read it here first! ...

Weekly Sport is owned and published in the UK and Eire by Independent News Ltd.  The title was launched by a team of  journalists keen to create a tabloid suitable for all the family.     As such, the Weekly Sport aims to provide genuine sports news coverage throughout the Olympic year and to offer our readers intelligent editorial commentary on current news.    It is hoped that this will continue to expand as a long term positive media project, and help to restore the lost integrity of the red top and its central part in our popular British culture. You are welcome to reprint the news and features in these e-bulletins, on the proviso that you retain our journalists' credits together with our web address www.weeklysport.co.uk at the footer of each republished piece.     IT'S ALL IN YOUR SPORT'S END OF YEAR REPORT! By your man in-the-know - 'big hearted' FRANK WORRALL. HERE’S how the big six in football’s Premier League have fared over the last year – and how they can improve – and a rundown of the year’s happenings in the worlds of Formula 1 and golf. MAN UTD   DESPERATELY need a quality midfielder, particularly after the sad news of Darren Fletcher’s digestive/bowel illness - which could conceivably put him out of the game for good, certainly for a season. Who to buy? Wesley Sneijder of Inter Milan is surely the man: arrogant, confident, bustling and a winner. He will cost £35million and wages to match – but, come on the Glazers, you are sucking United fans dry with match-day costs…time to put something back into the club. The central defensive dilemma now Vidic is injured? Put Phil Jones there, with Ferdinand or Smalling. And get rid of Jonny Evans, Fergie – he just ain’t good enough to represent Man United. MAN CITY NEED a quality centre-half and maybe another quality midfielder if they are to keep up their title challenge. Joleon Lescott is not good enough; neither is Kolo Toure. And Gareth Barry is OK in some games but not speedy enough in the big matches that decide the winners and the losers. Who to buy? The man Chelsea will also be after – England centre-half Gary Cahill, a snip at £8million (because he only has a year left on his contract) and mercurial Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard. CHELSEA   I WOULD let Frank Lampard go. Yes, I know he is a Blues legend and still popular among fans but he is not happy with the squad system and that can only lead to resentment against rookie boss Andre Villas Boas. Great to see how Villas Boas has brought on youngsters like Danny Sturridge and Juan Mata – and brought Didier Drogba back to life. Can he resurrect the career of Fernando Torres, too? Well, it is Christmas…the so-called time of miracles, so maybe it is now or never! Who to buy? Gary Cahill to plug the gap at centre half and thus make life easier for John Terry.   ARSENAL   WOULD be great if they could get Karim Benzema from Real Madrid as has been suggested. But would the French striker really want to leave Madrid, just as Jose Mourinho seems on the brink of establishing a team to rival Barcelona? I cannot see it, but it would be a massive coup if Arsene Wenger could grab him. He is a world-class talent – as he demonstrated when he destroyed England while playing for France earlier this year. TOTTENHAM THE main aim for Spurs is to keep what they have. If they can keep hold of the likes of Modric and Bale they have a good chance of continuing to challenge for the title – although obviously a world class centre half (Gary Cahill gets another honourable mention!) would be welcome. Will they sign Carlos Tevez? Why would Harry Redknapp want to bring in a divisive dressing room influence when things are going so well? If Sir Alex Ferguson can’t handle him, then nobody can – he is a mercenary who only has loyalty to his own cause, not a particular team’s.   LIVERPOOL   KING Kenny Dalglish is on the right tracks. He has brought in players who can play at more than one speed – the likes of Downing, Suarez and Bellamy – but the elephant in his room remains £35million Andy Carroll. My belief is that Carroll will turn out to be an excellent signing and eventually come to be loved as both Liverpool and England’s first choice No 9. But Kenny needs to give him a decent run and make sure that Downing gets the ball into him. For a big man, Carroll is excellent on the ground as well as in the air – as his showing for England against Ghana earlier this year proved.   MOTOR RACING LEWIS HAMILTON had a dreadful year – while fellow Brit and McLaren team-mate Jenson Button was wonderful yet again. Jenson does not attract the headlines or seek out the limelight like Lewis, but, in his own steady way, he continues to outshine the boy wonder. Lewis needs to calm down and settle down and maybe the return of his father to his side would help him. Jenson, meanwhile, will do what he always does – go about his business with pride and professionalism. Jenson I salute you – you are very much understated and, I believe, underrated…but you proved yourself to be the top driver at McLaren last season. Yes, better than Lewis Hamilton – and who would have anticipated that scenario when Lewis won the world title back in his debut season?   GOLF   RORY McILROY continues to hog the headlines – and deservedly so. The young man from Northern Ireland is a rare talent and he will surely become the world No 1 within the next couple of years. He has everything that Tiger Woods had when he became golf’s standard bearer – except the over indulgence in women! Rory’s success at the US Open, after his meltdown at the Masters, was the sporting story of the year. He deserves to be the BBC’s Sporting Personality of the Year – and you can help him earn that accolade by voting for him. And, plug, plug, if you fancy a bit of sporting reading over Christmas, why not have a read of my book Rory McIlroy: The Biography, published by John Blake and available from amazon… http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rory-McIlroy-Biography-Frank-Worrall/dp/1843587521/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323878060&sr=1-1   Anyway, have a good holidays (as they say in America) and Happy Christmas and a great new year from me and Weekly Sport publisher, Duncan Williams.   Drowning in Debt? Clear All Your Bills in 12 months or Less!! Visit: http://bit.ly/uwpY2p   follow the Weekly Sport on Twitter join the  Weekly Sport on Facebook forward the Weekly Sport to a friend  Copyright © Independent News Ltd.  2011 Independent News Ltd., 'Weekly Sport' and 'WeeklySport.co.uk' are legal and registered trading names of Independent News Ltd. All rights reserved. As a Weekly Sport reader you qualify for our free sporting news commentaries, updates and special offers. If you should wish to unsubscribe at any time simply press the tab. Our mailing address is: Independent News Ltd. Studio C, 41 Edith Grove London, England SW10 0LB Add us to your address book  unsubscribe from this list  update subscription preferences

Football crazy, football mad... Roman backs his Manager!

Weekly Sport is owned and published in the UK and Eire by Independent News Ltd.  The title was launched by a team of  journalists keen to create a tabloid suitable for all the family.     As such, the Weekly Sport aims to provide genuine sports news coverage throughout the Olympic year and to offer our readers intelligent editorial commentary on current news.    It is hoped that this will continue to expand as a long term positive media project, and help to restore the lost integrity of the red top and its central part in our popular British culture. You are welcome to reprint the news and features in these e-bulletins, on the proviso that you retain our journalists' credits together with our web address www.weeklysport.co.uk at the footer of each republished piece.        FRANK LAMPARD AND CARLO ANCELOTTI FOR TOTTENHAM? FRANK WORRALL reporting. LAST week I commented on the unfolding situation at Chelsea under new manager Andre Villas-Boas. I pointed out that he had reached the stage where, after a series of poor results, he would either be backed or sacked by He Who Must Be Obeyed. Now my spies at Stamford Bridge tell me that the Portuguese WILL be backed – that Roman Abramovich, a man hardly renowned for his patience, has finally accepted that the new man must be given time…and that he does indeed have a major rebuilding job on his hands. I am also informed that there will be no return for former caretaker boss Guus Hiddink – that if the jovial Dutchman was re-employed in a director of football role, Villas-Boas would certainly walk away. So now that the battle is over – and Villas-Boas has won the opening skirmishes, we can cast a more astute eye over the land and assess the true winners and losers. Clearly, Villas-Boas has re-emerged from the fray in a better position. The 3-0 win over a talented Valencia side – and confirmation that Chelsea have made it into the next stage of the Champions League - has cemented his position and, I believe, means he will now be given the full three years to carry out the necessary reconstruction job needed at the Bridge. And let’s be honest: he does have a major job on his hands. No manager has dared to drastically tamper with the team that Jose Mourinho established back in 2005: basically, they faced the sack if they did so as Roman operated a short-termist, survival by results regime. But now drastic change is finally needed because the team have inevitably grown older, and slower, together. Already striker Nicolas Anelka and the defender Alex have been sacrificied and, in a classic move to stamp his authority on the club, Villas-Boas has exiled both away from the first team. They now train with the reserves and the kids. It was a devastatingly effective warning shot to the rest of the old brigade – mess with me, and this is what happens. As such, it worked, and quickly. Notice how effective veterans Didier Drogba and John Terry were against Valencia? It was as if they had been re-energised; maybe the truth is both knew they were now playing for their futures at the Bridge. That time had caught up with them and that, finally, any pleas to Roman for special treatment would no longer be tolerated. That the emperor had a new favourite in town – the boss who was around the same age as them and who some players (not Terry, Drogba or Frank Lampard by the way) had derided as ‘just the bloke who used to compile the DVDs for Jose’ when he was an assistant to Mourinho at Chelsea. Which brings us to Mr Lampard. A great servant to Chelsea over the years and still a good player. But not as quick as he was and one who surely did his cause no good with the new regime when he skulked off sulking as he was substituted at Newcastle. Without axed Frank against Valencia, Chelsea looked more vibrant and solid in midfield. Now I hear noises that he may be on his way in the next few months. That he might be approached by his Uncle Harry at Tottenham. It would surely be a good move; Frank would fit in well with the more attacking formation at White Hart Lane (where Scott Parker would cover his defensive duties) and he would surely be more at ease under his uncle Redknapp than Villas-Boas. But what if Redknapp quits Spurs for England next year, I hear you ask. Well, I have also heard that Spurs may have a contingency plan lined up for that situation – which would see the excellent Carlo Ancelotti taking over from Redknapp. Again, good news for Frank – Ancelotti has always been an admirer of the England midfielder and enjoyed being his manager at Chelsea. These are seismic times at Stamford Bridge. Change is happening and not slowly. Villas Boas has to shake things up but also continue to keep the club in the hunt for trophies. He is making some good moves: I hear he has set up a deal with Owen Coyle, Bolton boss, to bring Gary Cahill to the Bridge. That is excellent news for John Terry, who can establish his England partnership with Cahill at club level – and stop worrying about covering for the inconsistent David Luiz.   Also, Luka Modric may eventually end up at the Bridge as Lampard heads to White Hart Lane as a sweetener in a revised £35million deal. All of a sudden, Chelsea would look refreshed and reinvigorated – just as Roman demanded. Funny game, ain’t it, football? Just a week ago, Villas Boas was seen as a loser – now he may yet prove to be Jose Mourinho Mark II at Stamford Bridge… THE ICEMAN COMETH AGAIN TO F1   WHAT a tonic for F1 this week – with the exciting news that former champion Kimi Raikkonen is returning to the sport next season. After two years away (during which he competed in the World Rally Championship) Raikkonen could no longer resist the temptation of a return to the F1 circuit. His comeback is great news for fans and Lotus Renault GP, who have lured him back. All of a sudden the sport has a wealth of brilliant – even legendary – drivers competing against each other. If you could do a dream team of F1, you couldn’t really improve on next year’s line-up…which will include Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastien Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and Michael Schumacher. The past versus the present in a star-studded grid. How will 2007 champion Raikkonen fare? Some pundits point to the struggles of Michael Schumacher since his return two years ago – and say the Finnish ace will suffer a similar fate. That Schumacher has never really looked like threatening the hegemony of young turks like Vettel and Hamilton. But so what? Schumacher and Raikkonen already have the T-shirts at home to confirm they have been there and done it. Let’s give them a break – and just sit back and lap up the extraordinary spectacle of them giving the new kids on the block a run for their money. Welcome back Kimi the Iceman…you’re one of the greats and you’ve been sorely missed, mate… Drowning in Debt? Clear All Your Bills in 12 months or Less!! Visit: http://bit.ly/uwpY2p follow the Weekly Sport on Twitter join the  Weekly Sport on Facebook forward the Weekly Sport to a friend  Copyright © Independent News Ltd.  2011 Independent News Ltd., 'Weekly Sport' and 'WeeklySport.co.uk' are legal and registered trading names of Independent News Ltd. All rights reserved. As a Weekly Sport reader you qualify for our free sporting news commentaries, updates and special offers. If you should wish to unsubscribe at any time simply press the tab. Our mailing address is: Independent News Ltd. Studio C, 41 Edith Grove London, England SW10 0LB Add us to your address book  unsubscribe from this list  update subscription preferences

F1 in full throttle and Chelsea set to triumph ... ?

Weekly Sport is owned and published in the UK and Eire by Independent News Ltd.  The title was launched by a team of  journalists keen to create a tabloid suitable for all the family.     As such, the Weekly Sport aims to provide genuine sports news coverage throughout the Olympic year and to offer our readers intelligent editorial commentary on current news.    It is hoped that this will continue to expand as a long term positive media project, and help to restore the lost integrity of the red top and its central part in our popular British culture. You are welcome to reprint the news and features in these e-bulletins, on the proviso that you retain our journalists' credits together with our web address www.weeklysport.co.uk at the footer of each republished piece.       IS RORY MCILROY PRESSING THE SELF-DESTRUCT BUTTON - LIKE LEWIS HAMILTON DID?   FRANK WORRALL reporting at the very heart of British team events  -  FRANKIE has his say, exclusively for your WEEKLY SPORT. IT HAS been my privilege to write the first biogs on Lewis Hamilton and Rory McIlroy. My book on Lewis came out just days after the end of the 2007-08 season – the campaign that saw him win the world drivers’ title after a thrilling season-long, ding-dong battle with Spanish driver Fernando Alonson. I remember writing that this was the start of something big for F1 and Lewis: that his brilliant debut season triumph heralded the opening up of the game to many more people and that he would now go on to win titles galore over the next few years. Well, as we count off the days towards the end of 2011 I have to admit I was wrong in my Mystic Meg prediction about Lewis. Since that victory, he has lost out in the three subsequent title battles – one to now McLaren team-mate Jenson Button twice to the new Michael Schumacher, Sebastien Vettel, or as his native Germans prefer to call him ‘Mini Schumi’. And his loss of form coincided with a loss of focus on the circuits. One example jumps out of the page at me – shortly before the start of the 2010 season, Lewis got rid of his father Anthony as his manager. He then proceeded to swan around on holiday with his then girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger…instead of practising on the track and ensuring he was both physically and mentally on top for the season opener. Knowing his father, he would never, while serving as Lewis’s manager, had allowed him to stay away for the circuit so long. And he would have discouraged his boy from becoming known on the party circuit, rather than the F1 circuit. Now I know that Rory McIlroy is only just truly finding his legs on the golf circuit (yes, despite that wonderful US Open win) and that he is a young man. But, like Lewis, he has grown up in something of a cocooned bubble. As Lewis was mentored by McLaren and his father (the latter until the fateful split) so Rory looked to his dad and the agent Chubby Chandler as his vital support network. The proof is always in the pudding and in Rory’s case (like Lewis when he won the title) it definitely worked. He became the big-name player of the year with that US Open win that followed on the back of the meltdown at the Masters. But then, it just as quickly started to go downhill. Just as Lewis took three weeks away from F1 in 2010, so Rory, took the same amount of time off before the Open in Kent in July. He was spotted anywhere but a golf course as he attended Wimbledon and watched David Haye in his world title fight. Then he finished with his childhood sweetheart, Holly Sweeney, taking up instead with the world No 1 women’s tennis star, Caroline Wozniacki – and split from Chubby as his agent. Since the US Open he has won only the Shanghai Masters, which is more renowned for its financial rewards than ‘win credibility’. OK, the £1.25million winner’s cheque provided some consolation but Rory would surely have preferred to scoop the Open title. Instead, he left Kent after the Open blaming the weather. He has now announced he plans to spend more time playing in America – where he likes the milder weather. I just hope that he isn’t becoming distracted by the fact he has become a major worldwide star – ‘and playing the big star’, as some fans believe, at the expense of his game. Just as Lewis Hamilton should have gone on to tie up consecutive world crowns for years after that 2008 triumph, so Rory should now be on his way to winning another major tournament, rather than have us scratching our heads over his relative lack of form. You don’t have to turn into a Lewis Hamilton, Rory…but it’s all down to you now… ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS – OR HIDDINK AND LAMPARD? THE young Portuguese manager Andre Villas-Boas is really under the cosh at Chelsea. He has overseen a series of poor results and he is struggling to get the team to play the way he wants. He is determined that the Blues will compete via a higher defensive line and wants to inject more pace into their game. All that is very admirable – and it works, as proven by his Porto team’s success last year. Can it work at Chelsea? Of course, but it will need time, money and patience. Can Villas-Boas survive? Of course, but only if he realises that resorting to the brave new world means he needs time, money and patience. To put it more simply…he most buy himself time and patience by moving more slowly to that new, speedier system. Right now, he is too impatient himself, trying to get men like Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and John Terry to adapt to a system alien to them in mere days. The truth of it is they may never adapt to it. If Villas-Boas stays that means he will have to implement the new system more slowly, replacing the older stars with newer ones in a couple of years. With that softly-softly approach you keep some of the old system and bring in some of the new. If he continues to try to change everything overnight I fear for him: the powerful dressing room cabal of Cole, Terry, Lampard and Drogba are not going to stand back and see everything they have worked for over the years be destroyed as Chelsea go out of one competition after another. My sources suggest Roman Abramovich has a straight decision to make within the next couple of weeks: to persevere with Villas-Boas, or to bring in Guus Hiddink as manager with Frank Lampard as his assistant. The latter is an attractive option as it brings gradual change and sets up Frank for the top job in a couple of years – and, trust me, he is intelligent and savvy enough to become a great manager. But Roman’s decision is dependent upon Villas-Boas. If the Portuguese slows down his rush to change things, bringing it in more sensibly at a pace the current bunch of players can cope with, he can beat Valencia in the Champions League and survive. If he continues without thinking, he may push himself out of the door…and open it for Guus and Frank…      follow the Weekly Sport on Twitter join the  Weekly Sport on Facebook forward the Weekly Sport to a friend  Copyright © Independent News Ltd.  2011 Independent News Ltd., 'Weekly Sport' and 'WeeklySport.co.uk' are legal and registered trading names of Independent News Ltd. All rights reserved. As a Weekly Sport reader you qualify for our free sporting news commentaries, updates and special offers. If you should wish to unsubscribe at any time simply press the tab. Our mailing address is: Independent News Ltd. Studio C, 41 Edith Grove London, England SW10 0LB Add us to your address book  unsubscribe from this list  update subscription preferences

Frank Worrall reports from the Formula One race track ...

Weekly Sport is owned and published in the UK and Eire by Independent News Ltd.  The title was launched by a team of  journalists keen to create a tabloid suitable for all the family.     As such, the Weekly Sport aims to provide genuine sports news coverage throughout the Olympic year and to offer our readers intelligent editorial commentary on current news.    It is hoped that this will continue to expand as a long term positive media project, and help to restore the lost integrity of the red top and its central part in our popular British culture. You are welcome to reprint the news and features in these e-bulletins, on the proviso that you retain our journalists' credits together with our web address www.weeklysport.co.uk at the footer of each republished piece.     LEWIS BLEW HIS CHANCE OF FORMULA 1 GLORY THIS YEAR   - BUT BET ON HIM REGAINING HIS CROWN NEXT SEASON   FRANK WORRALL reporting for the WEEKLY SPORT. BACK in 2008 I was privileged to write the first biography of Lewis Hamilton…just months before he won the F1 crown. At the time, I predicted that not only would he triumph that year, but that he would dominate the world of motor racing for years to come. Yet since that remarkable debut season, Lewis has become very much a secondary figure to another young man who not only took up his challenge, but has literally roared past him. Yes, Sebastian Vettel is ready to be anointed as the undisputed King of F1 in Brazil on Sunday. The brilliant German has already won the title for the second year on the trot – and he will officially receive the trophy on Sunday. He has won 11 of the 18 races so far, been on pole 14 times and amassed an incredible 374 points. That total puts him 121 ahead of his nearest rival, Jenson Button, Hamilton’s McLaren team-mate who has enjoyed another first-class season himself. Hamilton is fifth in the driver rankings with 227 points – yes, he is not even the No 1 in his own team now, let alone No 1 in the world! Last season Lewis finished fourth as Vettel won the title for the first time and some pundits are even writing him off for next season now…because Vettel seems to be the man on a roll and, at 24, is actually two years YOUNGER than Lewis. The German, dubbed ‘Mini Schumi’ in his homeland (after the legendary Michael Schumacher, of course) will surely dominate the sport for years to come, the pundits say. He has it all – speed, concentration, youth on his side…and he doesn’t allow himself to be swayed by events away from the circuit, they add. And yet… If I were a betting man (which I am only on big cup final days and the Grand National) I would think very carefully before putting my mortgage on Vettel to keep winning at the expense of Lewis. I know, I know…Lewis has been Mr Inconsistency this term and most of last. But there have been encouraging signs of late that, finally, he is getting his mojo back. That, finally, he is back to the kind of form that earned him that wonderful title in 2008. That, finally – and here’s the key – he has sorted out his head…that he is back on track away from the track. For me, his downturn began before the start of last season when he sacked his father as his manager. He took a few weeks off before the campaign to relax on holiday with his girlfriend, Nicole Scherzinger, a pop star. Then he failed to make an impact during the season. In my view, there was no way he would have prepared for that campaign that way if his father had remained in charge of his affairs. For the next 18 months, Lewis continued to live the life of a boyfriend of a major star – and his results largely remained unconvincing.  My view is that he was, maybe subconsciously, rebelling against the iron fist of McLaren. He had, after all, been cocooned in the McLaren bubble for 12 years (since the age of 12), and had been pushed by his father since the age of eight to become a racer. I myself would have eventually dashed for freedom – to live some of the childhood/youth I had been denied by the iron discipline and determination it took to become world champion. But now I believe Lewis has got that freedom push out of his system – and that is why I also reckon Vettel will not have it all his own way next season. Lewis has recently split from Scherzinger and seems much more determined to work his way back to the top. He seems much more focused. The signs were there for all to see in his last race – when he won so brilliantly in Abu Dhabi. And I certainly would not bet against the boy pulling off another triumph in Interlagos. Brazil, after all, always seems to bring out the best of Hamilton. In many ways, he views it as his spiritual home and his inspiration for F1 – the legendary Ayrton Senna – hailed from there. Lewis has never denied that he bases his racing on Senna’s and he wants desperately to win there on Sunday to honour the memory of Senna. Ayrton twice won at Interlagos but Lewis has yet to do so. Don’t be surprised if he does just that on Sunday – and follows it up with a world crown next season. Hamilton is back – and you’d better believe it… CAN A NEW SENNA BECOME F1’S NEXT BIG STAR?   HAMILTON and Vettel are undoubtedly the pin-up boys of F1, the ones who draw the crowds and help sell the motor racing dream via the T-shirts, the caps and the rest of the memorabilia you find trackside at every race. But there are some very talented guys bubbling underneath them in the rankings. Jenson Button, as we have already mentioned, is the best of the rest for me. The 2009 champion, the man who has outpaced Lewis this season and a truly brilliant driver – a man who combines tactical nous with incredible skills. We are lucky to have him and Lewis – two British demons. Of the rest, Fernando Alonso is arguably the most gifted. A driven (if you’ll excuse the pun) individual and two-time world champion who is still at the top after years of excellence. The Spaniard lies third in the drivers’ standings and is the biggest challenger to Hamilton and Vettel, along with the man who is a place behind him – the effervescent, ultra-confident Mark Webber. Aussie Webber, at 35, would surely have been champion over the last couple of years given that he has been racing the wonderful Red Bull car. Would surely have been, that is, if he had not been in the same team as the prodigious Vettel. Given his age, Webber’s time has surely been and gone…just as the great Michael Schumacher is now merely an also-ran. One for the future? Well, why not the man who has family links to the tragic genius who continues to inspire Lewis Hamilton? Yes, step forward Bruno Sennna…nephew of Ayrton, who was killed on the track in 1994. Bruno is 18th in the current driver standings – but has only raced in seven of the 18 races so far. With the backing of Renault, maybe he too can become a contender to Vettel and Hamilton in coming seasons…       follow the Weekly Sport on Twitter join the  Weekly Sport on Facebook forward the Weekly Sport to a friend  Copyright © Independent News Ltd.  2011 Independent News Ltd., 'Weekly Sport' and 'WeeklySport.co.uk' are legal and registered trading names of Independent News Ltd. All rights reserved. As a Weekly Sport reader you qualify for our free sporting news commentaries, updates and special offers. If you should wish to unsubscribe at any time simply press the tab. Our mailing address is: Independent News Ltd. Studio C, 41 Edith Grove London, England SW10 0LB Add us to your address book  unsubscribe from this list  update subscription preferences