Taking sport too seriously

There'll be short posts as well as long posts. So, in cricket, right, I generally stand by modern coaching decisions and believe they've analysed things carefully, and that standard policy, though sometimes counter-intuitive, is overwhelmingly the right decision e.g. in limited overs, taking your batting powerplay late, e.g. safe rather than daring declarations e.g. no third man e.g. six batsmen, four bowlers. But here's a thing. When I played cricket, and a ball came in the air towards me, the last thing I wanted to hear was some overexcited team-mate shouting "Catch it!!!!" Yes, I know, it's in the air, coming towards me, i recognise the positive effect catching it will have on my team's situation, I don't need you to prepare me for that situation. All you're doing is putting me off, tightening my muscles. If i catch it, I wil be able to excuse your enervating cry as over-enthusiasm, if i drop it, i will hold it against you for the rest of my l

My hope for this blog is that I find things to write which are slightly against the accepted thinking of things, that pick up on lazy journalism, that use factual analysis to expose sporting myths. However, at the moment I find myself generally in keeping with the mood of the nation and the press in my response to the merry goings on in Zurich in the last week and round the world over the last two years. For the first time in my life I have felt strong stirrings of English patriotism (which would no doubt appal both my parents and my past self), so disgusted am I by the global football family led by The Dark Lord Sepp. In all seriousness (well, semi-seriousness) I today suggested that it was time for the real FA to seize back control of the game from the johnny-foreigner-come-lately upstarts who are desecrating what this great nation created ... God help me. At this stage, I'm all for the wounded pride, the indignation and shock, the sense of being cheated, the sense of fuck you,