´óÏó´«Ã½

I was at a charity do on Tuesday night and turned on my phone afterwards to see if anything interesting had happened in the world of sport.

The first thing that caught my eye was the over who would take a penalty kick. I thought that was going to be the big talking point of the night but then I saw .

´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 5 Live was full of Tevez talk while, after I got home, the news channels were running pictures of a gesticulating Mancini and a confused Tevez talking to Pablo Zabaleta. None of us know the exact way things developed in Munich - whether Tevez flatly refused to go on or from the boss - but it doesn't really matter.

He is paid by the club to play football. If the club ask him to play football - even in a way he's not keen on - he must do it. He has to do it for himself, his manager, his team-mates and for the thousands of people many footballers don't seem to care about - the fans.

Read the rest of this entry

Sport at the very top level, played by gladiators at the peak of their powers, is a captivating spectacle.

The US Open tennis was a great example. During the , my wife came into the living room to discover why I was whooping like a banshee.

Even though my eyes were closing during Monday night's final and I needed to be up at the crack of dawn, I pressed on, intoxicated by the quality of the talent on display and the developing battle between Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

I would suggest that last week's England v Wales charity match at Pride Park for the perhaps lacked some of the 'watchability' that made the tennis so unmissable.

It was a real pleasure to play in the game that ended in a and showcased the foundation's work in raising the awareness of testicular cancer - a condition John battled through after being diagnosed in 2009 having ignored a lump for four years.

Read the rest of this entry

I really enjoyed last Saturday's . was at his insightful best, while proved he is a pundit for the future and delivered that unpredictability you need from live television.

As soon as the show finished, Neville turned to James and laughed, "I think you just ruined any chance of a TV career". We had a few tweets and emails saying was hard work and a bit rude but that is far from the truth.

He does have a remarkably dry sense of humour that probably doesn't work as well in quick-fire TV as it does in normal conversation. If you watch the longer-form Focus Forums on the website, you'll see what I mean.

Read the rest of this entry