The old line was rolled out this week: "all political careers end in failure". Not much consolation, I suspect, to the cabinet ministers currently under fire. But it's a good rule of thumb that if politics is tough, then sporting politics is even tougher.
People at the would doubtless subscribe to that after the week they've just had. Whatever you think of what happened, managing all the characters in the game isn't easy; and everything the FA does is under an unremitting spotlight.
Which brings me to Jose Mourinho. (currently on our site) marks with the disclosure that he's not 100% happy - and there's something about the culture of this country that's at odds with the way he wants to be.
Quotes: "Why don't I go to press conferences? Because I have no pleasure to go... Maybe I have to be a different person in this country. Maybe this country - football-wise - is not adapted to my mentality and I will have to change.
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It's been quite a week to launch this blog, with our coverage announced as well as big announcements about the .
All the has helped remind me why my team has a collective headache trying to do great new things for the World Cup. A project this size almost makes you sympathise with those building Wembley.
This week's variety of feedback also shows those of us in the 大象传媒 who have been waiting for this corporate message that new media was a top priority that people change at a different pace.
For every there has been another email .
However I believe those who bemoan the end of this institution need not worry.
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Much of the sporting chat this week has been about being offered the England manager's job. It's a great tale, guaranteed to generate some decent debates down the pub - but this kind of story poses lots of questions for a news operation like ours.
Since , the issue of his succession has been played out on the back pages, with all manner of front-runners being tipped to get the job.
大象传媒 Sport's approach to a story like this is that we try to avoid speculation and stick to what we know. We have a strong national, regional and international newsgathering operation - and it's vital that we make the most of this network of journalists to tell the real story. I think Five Live's football correspondent Jonathan Legard showed this week how it should be done.
And if the colourful Scolari does indeed get the job, then one thing seems certain - the next few years will be entertaining for anyone covering the England football team. Hang onto your hats.
When it comes to football, it doesn鈥檛 come any bigger than the World Cup!
Our aim is simply to provide users of the 大象传媒 Sport website with something unique, engaging and totally fantastic for the 2006 World Cup finals.
We were proud of the way we covered the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea. After all, many of the games were during 'office hours' and a lot of you could only follow what was happening in the Far East via your computers.
Things have really moved on since then, so here's how we plan to satisfy your every World Cup need this time.
Our chief football writer Phil McNulty willl bring you every bit of breaking news and info from the England camp while Mandeep Sanghera will be our 鈥渞oving reporter鈥 who鈥檒l file from other major games at the tournament.
But it's not just about our world-class journalism - we'll be providing loads of extra things on top.
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A lot of discussion this week about , with a generally supportive reaction from the press and a mixed response from viewers. Many against losing the programme, obviously, but many in favour too. A large number saying "scrap the programme but keep the music" - so we'll see what we can do...
One of the best points made in email was there was huge coverage of what we were stopping doing but less about our future plans. Such is modern media life. But here are some headlines:
*The 大象传媒 will commit to making major events even bigger --- the best place to tell the stories of the on all our platforms (we have the rights until 2014) and showcasing Olympic Sports in the run-up to Beijing and then .
*We will put the emphasis on live sport scheduled where the greatest number of people can see it - and supplemented by highlights on demand whenever possible. In other words, you choose the timing not us.
*We will invest in interactive and new media services that give you more choice of coverage and events.
*There will be a new Sports News programme for 大象传媒 Television
*We will have a Sports Editor working across all our output with the same stature as someone like Nick Robinson in politics.
The aim is simply to make 大象传媒 Sport stronger and more exciting. But also - and this blog is part of it - more open to what audiences think and keen to debate the big issues in sport. So now it's over to you.
I'm the Series Producer, the person responsible for the content of the programme.
It's my call which features we film, which events we cover and it's down to me to take care of the overall look of the programme.
You may have noticed one or two changes to Ski Sunday this year, well, let me know what you think.
If you share my passion for the mountains then I hope this is the show for you. If you have any queries about any part of the output then please get in touch, I would really like to hear from you.
I became editor of in 2006 when from 大象传媒 Television Centre in London to Birmingham's NEC. It was the first time the show had been filmed outside of London and it was also the first time ever that members of the public were able to come along and watch the show live.
I'm also now Editor of for the 大象传媒. Having raised 拢50 million in its first three outings Sport Relief is back in March 2008 and promises to be bigger and better than ever before. For many years I was series producer of the popular quiz working with presenters David Coleman and Sue Barker, plus captains Ian Botham, Bill Beaumont, Ally McCoist, Frankie Dettori, John Parrott and Matt Dawson.
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I'm the multimedia commissioning editor for the 大象传媒's . I think I must win the prize for the longest job title and I know what you thinking . . . What on earth does he do?
Well, basically, my job is to co-ordinate our sports journalism across , radio and the . The aim is to break stories, set the sports news agenda and interview the big names in sport.
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