Arsenal entertained Liverpool today in a contest that both sides, particularly Arsenal could have done with the three points. However that was never going to happen and with Arsenal already taking Manchester United and Chelsea scalps so far this season, league leaders Liverpool were next.
The goal that came from a glorious long ball from Manchester United's worst nightmare Samir Nasri found Robin Van Persie, who displayed his world class ability with a chest control and touch that was capped off with an incredible finish.
I have never been a huge fan of Van Persie but I have never thought he was a bad player and I knew he was capable of scoring fantastic goals. His temper sometimes lets him down and has done in the past but he has matured now and setting a good example for the young guns in the team. I was reminded that the Dutch striker was a lot better than I had given him credit for and might I say again, "what a fantastic goal".
The goal just before half-time was bad news and to add to it the knee injury sustained to captain Cesc Fabregas. As he limped off the pitch the expression on his face said it all, he wasn't going to run this one off. His replacement Abu Diaby is a player I think can be very effective but he lacks consistency and had a very poor game in my opinion tonight.
Then later into the second half, referee Howard Webb showed Emmanuel Adebayor his undeserved and unjustified second yellow card. It is yet unclear to me whether it was the straying arm that hardly touched the Oscar winning actor Alvaro Arbeloa or the high foot, which must have had Middlesbrough's Julio Arca in stitches after what he got away with on Saturday on Fulham's Andy Johnson.
Either way Arsenal had taken two major blows and despite having the bit between their teeth for a period in the second half, a goal was unlikely with Liverpool's ten man defence making it rather difficult. From the sending off onwards the referee had a nightmare booking Bacary Sagna for a poor tackle where play should have been stopped anyway for a foul on Nasri.
However the referee had enough stick from the Arsenal faithful so that's my rant over with. What disappointed me just as much was the goal that the Gunners' conceded. Johan Djourou, a young defender I think has a great future at the club got caught napping as a ball over the top found Robby Keane who finished well. The Swiss born centre half was covering the left channel instead of making sure he was in a position to get goal side of goal scorer Keane. A little bit of inexperience is what I personally boil it down to but that will obviously come in time.
Apart from that I couldn't really fault the players. Adebayor looked dangerous in and around the penalty box before his unfortunate departure and Sagna, Nasri, Van Persie and Denilson all showed a bit more fight than I've seen as of late. Sometimes in football you have to battle and can't always play pretty and they done that well today to get a well earned point. I thought William Gallas was fantastic throughout game, particularly when his side seemed up against it in the second half.
The injury to Fabregas is going to be the downfall of the Gunners' season in my opinion, not just because he is the captain but his ability and presence will be sorely missed. It is now up to the characters in the team such as, Gallas and Kolo Toure when he returns, to rally the troops and try to see out the demanding Christmas period. With Aston Villa looking in great form Arsenal need to make sure it is not them who is chasing a Champions League spot by the end of the season.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Moto2, good or bad?
If anyone follows the Moto GP as much as me then they will join me in saying that the two other classes that follow the blue ribbon class around the world is a fantastic addition to the series.
In the good old days when Moto GP was screened on Eurosport, there was nothing I loved more than tuning in to watch the future of Moto GP battle it out on pukka two strokes, risking life and limb to be recognised as the next graduate to the premier class.
However this week we have learned that the 250cc class will undergo a transformation in 2010 and dwindle into non-existence by 2011. It's replacement? A GP600 class consisting of 600cc 4 stroke engines with a 16,000 rpm rev limit and a controlled ECU unit supplied by Dorna. The new era has been introduced to try and ease the cost of racing at this level and reports from the 17/12/08 edition of MCN say that teams can purchase the race winning engine for just under £18,000.
2010 however will prove to be an interesting year with a split grid expected where the new GP600's will be up against the current 250cc bikes. As unfair as it sounds something tells me we could have a fantastic championship to look forward to in two seasons time. The GP600's will be underdeveloped compared to the trick 250cc bikes and even though I am no expert it seems to have close competitive racing written all over it.
Even though a number of pundits have pinpointed many faults in the rulebook already where teams can gain advantages through loopholes I think such a transformation was inevitable. As we know two-stroke engines are very 'dirty' in terms of their emission output and four-strokes seem to be the future of motorcycling everywhere due to their more emission friendly output e.g. off road bikes turning to four-strokes.
For me seeing the two-strokes disappear will be a huge shame. Every time I attend the British GP one of the highlights without a doubt is hearing and smelling the intoxicating sound and smell of the super tuned 125's and 250's. They will be sorely missed like my Aprilia RS 50 is since I let it go four years ago. Not only that but the stroker's remind us of the legend days of the fire breathing 500cc machines tamed by the likes of Kevin Schwantz, Mick Doohan and Wayne Rainey to name just a few, and that is something that the two-stroke era will always be remembered for.
But as the saying goes, the show must go on and so it will. It will be an exciting transition hearing the GP600's scream around the Moto GP tracks of the world and for all you die hard two-stroke lovers, we still have another two seasons to relish every single one of them out there in the 250 class until they depart in 2011. I can't help but think that it may only be a matter of time before the 125cc class is replaced.
In the good old days when Moto GP was screened on Eurosport, there was nothing I loved more than tuning in to watch the future of Moto GP battle it out on pukka two strokes, risking life and limb to be recognised as the next graduate to the premier class.
However this week we have learned that the 250cc class will undergo a transformation in 2010 and dwindle into non-existence by 2011. It's replacement? A GP600 class consisting of 600cc 4 stroke engines with a 16,000 rpm rev limit and a controlled ECU unit supplied by Dorna. The new era has been introduced to try and ease the cost of racing at this level and reports from the 17/12/08 edition of MCN say that teams can purchase the race winning engine for just under £18,000.
2010 however will prove to be an interesting year with a split grid expected where the new GP600's will be up against the current 250cc bikes. As unfair as it sounds something tells me we could have a fantastic championship to look forward to in two seasons time. The GP600's will be underdeveloped compared to the trick 250cc bikes and even though I am no expert it seems to have close competitive racing written all over it.
Even though a number of pundits have pinpointed many faults in the rulebook already where teams can gain advantages through loopholes I think such a transformation was inevitable. As we know two-stroke engines are very 'dirty' in terms of their emission output and four-strokes seem to be the future of motorcycling everywhere due to their more emission friendly output e.g. off road bikes turning to four-strokes.
For me seeing the two-strokes disappear will be a huge shame. Every time I attend the British GP one of the highlights without a doubt is hearing and smelling the intoxicating sound and smell of the super tuned 125's and 250's. They will be sorely missed like my Aprilia RS 50 is since I let it go four years ago. Not only that but the stroker's remind us of the legend days of the fire breathing 500cc machines tamed by the likes of Kevin Schwantz, Mick Doohan and Wayne Rainey to name just a few, and that is something that the two-stroke era will always be remembered for.
But as the saying goes, the show must go on and so it will. It will be an exciting transition hearing the GP600's scream around the Moto GP tracks of the world and for all you die hard two-stroke lovers, we still have another two seasons to relish every single one of them out there in the 250 class until they depart in 2011. I can't help but think that it may only be a matter of time before the 125cc class is replaced.
The credit crunch takes no prisoners!
In the last month or so we have heard the shocking news that Honda are one of the mighty forces in motor racing that have been severely hit by the credit crunch. First came the withdrawal from F1, which came as a shock in itself, but now MCN last week revealed that Honda may not have much of a future in Moto GP either.
With the financial dilemma hitting all the big businesses hard everywhere you look, it somehow doesn't seem right that Honda seem to have been struck the hardest. Such a successful company in producing motor vehicles for the road and the race track, could we be on the brink of losing one of the most synonymous manufacturers in motor sport?
It's anyone's guess what the future holds for motor racing in the current economic climate, but ITV's F1 pundit Martin Brundle believes that Honda pulling out of F1 could trigger more teams to make such a bold decision to quit top flight motor racing. One thing is for sure, if the crisis is enough to send Honda packing then I'm sure there are plenty more manufacturers that are on the same exit path in order for their co-operation to survive.
The latest news to come out of the Honda camp is that the AMA Superbike team has pulled the plug leaving Britain's Neil Hodgson out of a job along with a load of team mechanics and technicians.
It seems the credit crunch takes no prisoners and not even the super powers in motor sport are exempt. Lord only knows who will be it's next victim!
With the financial dilemma hitting all the big businesses hard everywhere you look, it somehow doesn't seem right that Honda seem to have been struck the hardest. Such a successful company in producing motor vehicles for the road and the race track, could we be on the brink of losing one of the most synonymous manufacturers in motor sport?
It's anyone's guess what the future holds for motor racing in the current economic climate, but ITV's F1 pundit Martin Brundle believes that Honda pulling out of F1 could trigger more teams to make such a bold decision to quit top flight motor racing. One thing is for sure, if the crisis is enough to send Honda packing then I'm sure there are plenty more manufacturers that are on the same exit path in order for their co-operation to survive.
The latest news to come out of the Honda camp is that the AMA Superbike team has pulled the plug leaving Britain's Neil Hodgson out of a job along with a load of team mechanics and technicians.
It seems the credit crunch takes no prisoners and not even the super powers in motor sport are exempt. Lord only knows who will be it's next victim!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Last one of the year!
As the year draws to a close, December 6 marked my last test for RSR Racing this year. With weather not playing ball as usual at this time of year it was no different at Mallory Park.
With proceeding delayed until just before midday due to ice on the track my first session was suitably steady. One of the riders suggested that we run a wet compound front to maximise the grip from the wet and slippery Mallory Park surface. With track conditions hardly offering us an opportunity to improve on our quickest times, and not having ridden on wet tyres before I decided it would be a valuable experience.
My first session was suitably steady and the rest of the day was a bit like learning the track again, guessing where the grip was. With no major moments the day went steady, until the last session of the day.
Pushing my luck resulted in a rear end slide at Edwina's, followed by an ambitious overtaking attempt that nearly landed me face first on the grass. The last session of the day the track was in it's best condition and despite being part of a handful of riders who were black flagged for dark visors due to the fading light, I quickly got back on track to make the most of it.
I was then part of a mini race after gradually catching up to two riders going quite well. After sitting behind them for a handful of laps I found where I was a little bit quicker and went to pass the rider in front at the chicane. However I left my braking a little bit late and was heading for a two in one corner manoeuvre, which was not the plan. As I squeezed the front brake on more and more I decided it wasn't worth risking taking the both of us out. I let off the breaks and went under the leading rider and straight across the unforgiving saturated grass. I managed to keep the Yamaha upright and made it back to the tarmac having felt like a bit of an arsehole' for ruining our dabble.
Never the less we learn by our mistakes and hopefully I will have got them out of the way by early next year. My Birthday and Christmas has brought me a chest protector and a new pair of Alpinestar boots, which look way too good for me to wear. Roll on the new year when the weather brightens up and the talking stops!
With proceeding delayed until just before midday due to ice on the track my first session was suitably steady. One of the riders suggested that we run a wet compound front to maximise the grip from the wet and slippery Mallory Park surface. With track conditions hardly offering us an opportunity to improve on our quickest times, and not having ridden on wet tyres before I decided it would be a valuable experience.
My first session was suitably steady and the rest of the day was a bit like learning the track again, guessing where the grip was. With no major moments the day went steady, until the last session of the day.
Pushing my luck resulted in a rear end slide at Edwina's, followed by an ambitious overtaking attempt that nearly landed me face first on the grass. The last session of the day the track was in it's best condition and despite being part of a handful of riders who were black flagged for dark visors due to the fading light, I quickly got back on track to make the most of it.
I was then part of a mini race after gradually catching up to two riders going quite well. After sitting behind them for a handful of laps I found where I was a little bit quicker and went to pass the rider in front at the chicane. However I left my braking a little bit late and was heading for a two in one corner manoeuvre, which was not the plan. As I squeezed the front brake on more and more I decided it wasn't worth risking taking the both of us out. I let off the breaks and went under the leading rider and straight across the unforgiving saturated grass. I managed to keep the Yamaha upright and made it back to the tarmac having felt like a bit of an arsehole' for ruining our dabble.
Never the less we learn by our mistakes and hopefully I will have got them out of the way by early next year. My Birthday and Christmas has brought me a chest protector and a new pair of Alpinestar boots, which look way too good for me to wear. Roll on the new year when the weather brightens up and the talking stops!
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