Morning:
9°c
Sir Geoff, you really are the weakest link
Sir Geoff Hurst has suffered much indignity in his post-playing career, not least when this fierce patriot flogged off the shirt in which he scored a certain hat-trick.
Nothing has matched the humiliation of Saturday evening, however, when he failed to be the last surviving ex-footballer on a Weakest Link special.
Nothing startling there, you might think. You might want to think again on learning the identity of the man who edged him out. Gazza.
Geoff bore the defeat stroically, later claiming that he was "fairly comfortable" re-enacting his hat-trick goal because Anne Robinson had already had Chris Hoy stroking his outsize thighs.
Brave talk from a brave knight. Knowing how Sir G hates to dwell on 1966 and all that, for fear of boring us rigid, it must have been excruciating.
JT committed? We'd be crazy to think not
Now that the saga is over, the football press must ask itself how it came to imagine that John Terry was contemplating a move to Manchester City.
Only yesterday, both the News of the World and Sunday Mirror reported, with equal exclusivity, on “Terry's turmoil” and “JT Fury” respectively.
He was “maintaining his vow of silence” (NoW) and “refusing to commit his future to Chelsea” (SM). A few hours later, the turmoil ended along with the silence. “I am totally committed to Chelsea, always have been,” insisted Terry. Of course you are, and were, love. “Me leaving was never a possibility.”
How foolish we all feel today over this giant misunderstanding.
Silver-tongued Jose puts heat on Hughes
As for his former boss, Jose Mourinho's latest oracular offering excites the conspiracy theorists.
The Portuguese monomaniac has declared that he expects an even Terry-less Manchester City to win the title. “That's it,” he adjudges after reeling off all the new signings, “City are champions for sure!”
Recalling rumours about Mourinho going to Eastlands in November, some will wonder if this might be a typically subtle ruse to heap the pressure on Mark Hughes, and hasten the day when a vacancy is announced.
Don't bank on seeing a darts grudge match
Attempts by Sky Sports to infuse darts with the spirit of heavyweight boxing suffer a setback as that much desired grudge match remains elusive.
The boys did their best at the World Matchplay
semi-finals on Saturday, talking up Phil Taylor v Mervyn King as a re-run of Ali vs Frazier because of a recent hissy fit when King threw over Taylor's head as he retrieved his arrows. In the event, a cool handshake was as close to the Thriller in Manila as it came.
The problem, I think, lies with the dearth of
pre-match jive talk. Someone wants to study the other Mervyn King warning Gordon Brown (I paraphrase slightly) that he's going to make him his bitch over spending plans.
Now that's a grudge match. King v Taylor is very nearly a froideur.
