January 2011 Archives

There is a big debate going on about sexism in football in light of Andy Gray's stupid comments and subsequent sacking by Sky Sports, a company that only employs attractive women to read from an auto cue on Sky Sports News.

I'm going to go for the short option. Is football sexist? Yes. Will it ever change? Probably not. Should Andy Gray have been sacked? Yes, because he questioned the ability of all women to officiate in a game when there is no basis for his prejudice other than the prejudice itself.

For 90 minutes on Saturday I allowed myself to think the unthinkable. Admittedly it had been a long night on Saturday and I had that mild sense of euphoria you get when you realise your hangover is subsiding and you are not going to throw your lunch up all over the journalist sitting next to you.

But, as I watched Newcastle soak up Tottenham Hotspur's second-half pressure and consistently threaten to score a second goal on the counter-attack, I began to contemplate the Magpies returning to European competition.

So much to say about Darren Bent, so little time. I shall try to be concise, I shall to be direct and I shall, I'm afraid be brutal. Darren Bent, in my opinion, has made a big mistake, but it is a mistake which will make him a very wealthy man.

It was interesting to watch Bent in his first press conference as an Aston Villa player. He looked nervous, uncertain and unsure what to say.

He tried to cling on to an argument he left Sunderland for purely footballing reasons, yet ultimately, the reason his relationship with the Black Cats soured was due to the failure to give him an improved contract.

Due to a poorly planned holiday to America I missed the Sunderland vs Newcastle derby last weekend, but what did I actually miss out on?

I missed a combustible atmosphere which threatened to ignite into a blazing inferno after the final whistle, I missed the idiotic Sunderland fan who shoved Steve Harper in the back, I missed Steve Bruce's wild man celebrations and I missed the Black Cats rescuing a point in a game Newcastle thought they had already wrapped up.

I missed out on Kevin Nolan's fourth goal in a Tyne-Wear derby (an impressive ten for the season), I missed the drama of Asamoah Gyan's fortunate (you make your own luck in this game, whatever that means) late equaliser and I missed out on Darren Bent's final appearance in red and white stripes.

It has been a long time since the North East could boast two of the most coveted players in English football, but the real question is how long will Andy Carroll and Jordan Henderson remain here?

Nobody has been the subject of more transfer tittle tattle over the last few months than these two, but no matter how many time you are told they are off to this club for that much, and that club for this much, rest assured the pair are here to stay - at least for now.