So the big day is upon seven sports who are bidding for the chance to compete at the 2016 Olympic games. There are two spots available for the 28 sport extravaganza and the sport’s bidding for the chance to compete couldn’t be further detracted from each other if they tried.
In what promises to be an extraordinary day at the I.O.C Headquarters in Lausanne in which Squash, Rugby Sevens, Karate, Baseball, Roller Sports ( I know…say whaaaat), Softball and Golf all pitch for the right to compete.
Now, there is no saying what the I.O.C are looking for in the sports however for me there are two sports that stand out in this race. Squash is a highly competitive and exhilirating sport that requires supreme strength of mind and remarkable stamina. The I.O.C have in the past expressed concerns about how it translates to the T.V screens. This is a fair comment because the sport does struggle to show it’s best parts. However, if they are concerned about the T.V viewing figures and the all important bums- on- seats, then i am astounded that they havn’t looked at the values of Table Tennis and Syncronised Swimming. Nothing against the prospective games but they aren’t any more exciting from a spectator’s point of view than Squash is.
My second vote would be for the Karate programme to be included. I think it’s close with Rugby Sevens but my vote would be based on the simple fact that Karate is a sport that has a internationally developed set-up and is not just a shortened quickened game of a rather more established sport. Put simply, you wouldn’t put in twenty20 Cricket instead of the full game. It doesn’t make sense in the long-term development of the Olympic movement or Rugby Sevens. Golf has a strong case, however Golf is just Golf. It doesn’t really need the Olympic movement for the promotion of it’s sport and there are serious doubts over whether or not tour players would turn up.
A Golfer playing Golf….yeah i know, boring isn’t it
As for Roller Sports, Softball and Baseball, they don’t stand a chance in my opinion.
What does everybody think will happen?
The Wenger bus is broken, but don’t let the conductor off
Tags: 606, Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Chelsea, dissatisfaction, Liverpool, Manchester United, Matthew Syed, The Times
Emotions varied whilst i read Matthew Syed’s article in The Times ( i would like to stress, although i do comment on Times stuff quite a bit, i do read other publications) today. His article was based around the dissatisfaction of Wenger at Arsenal and what exactly they were moaning about. In many ways i agreed with him. I didnt agree with his point of playing pretty football is better than trophies in the cabinet but you can’t win them all. It did get me thinking about Arsenal though, specifically since the world seems hell bent on attacking a true genius of the game, have Arsenal fans got amnesia?
It seems so, but i really couldnt point out why. Quite where this dissatifaction has come from is beyond me. I listened to 606 last week and sat angrily whilst an Arsenal fan moaned about a lack of drive, and the clueless nature of Wenger’s tactics. He even had the gall to say that whilst Arsenal might have won trophies in the past, “Wenger had never won the league back to back”. I honestly didn’t know what to think. What more do the Arsenal fans want….blood?
Stability is the key to a successful football club. Since Arsene Wenger took over at Arsenal he has adopted a world class youth system, been instrumental in keeping the same figureheads at the club and adopted a philosophy at the football club which is rivalled by none and bettered by less than that, and yet they still moan.
The main factor of disharmony seems to be that fact- They havn’t won anaything in four years. In that time, Chelsea have bought big, Man Utd have rebuilt bigger, faster and stronger and Liverpool have increased there spending budget and reaped the rewards, leaving Arsenal slightly aloof of the rest. They have built a beautiful stadium though, which is something.
Emirates Stadium, this is what Arsenal have done in those four “barren years”
Four years is a long time, for Arsenal it is even longer, and yes, Arsene Wenger should be held accountable for this but simply saying so long and thanks for all the memories is a bit harsh. At some point, Wenger will realise that his current crop of youngsters are not going to bring a third title and he will start to rebuild, which he has promised will start this summer. At some point, he will have to tweak his policies to placate the fans and board and at some point he will have to look at investing in the football team, not just the club.
But tell me Arsenal fans, is there anybody in the world you would rather manage your football club. Everything about modern Arsenal is Arsene Wenger, everything about Arsenal is the future. Simply turning your back on the man that built Arsenal F.C version 2.0 will win you nothing, in the short term and the long term.
The world may have turned a few times in four years, but it never once passed Arsene Wenger by. He’s earned a second chance.