Supporting club and country
AS a former marathon runner myself – oh sorry, have I mentioned that before? I so like to drop it into the conversation - I felt it my duty to stay up into the small hours on Saturday night with Paula Radcliffe.
I'd warned the television I'd be going to bed as soon as Paula had clearly dropped out of medal contention, but even at 2.23am after 19-odd miles I felt I was deserting her. She stayed to the bitter end, so why shouldn't I, who clearly didn't have as far to go.
It was great day for watching sport on the box and if I'm ever heard complaining my TV licence money is wasted, remind me of the Saturday I watched Olympic rowing and cycling golden emotions in the morning with marathon drama at night. And Match of the Day thrown in for good measure in between.
Obviously, you can't spend a whole day of your life just watching sport on the television so I was glad of the break in the afternoon when I could get out of the house and … oh yes, watch some football.
The first day of the season. Don't you just love it? Green grass, spruced-up surroundings, new smart kit for your team. Same old music on the PA but why not a nice bit of familiarity?
But, as Adrian Chiles wisely points out, it's the hope that kills for a football fan.
If you think you're team's going to have a rotten season you have no hope, so anything after that is a bonus.
But you don't think that. You're impressed with the manager's signings, you like the sound of his positive quotes.
This year, despite all evidence to the contrary from countless failed dreams in the past, is going to be different. This could be the season.
You've got such great hope. One hefty defeat and they're deflated but not completely ruined – after all, there's always next week.
By Tony Rickson, Senior Sports Editor, KRN&Media
Comments
by Nicolas Verdier, Toulouse, France
Wednesday, November 12 2008, 6:41PM
“Oh well, the least I can say as French is that it has been a great year for English sports. Man United won the Champions League, Chelsea was runner-up. Andy Murray is now ranked 4th at the ATP in tennis. But Most of all, the Olympics have been amazing for Great Britain. But what about France?
Well, Lyons could not go further than the round of 16 of the Champions League. In rugby and football, both national teams are trying to build a new team for the next world cups in 2011 and 2010. And the Olympics in Beijing have been an enormous disaster with only seven gold medals.
If the teams and athletes have their own responsibilities bout all those failures, I think that the Medias are responsible as well. They put lots of pressure on them by saying that they have to win or they have won already.
The best examples are Teddy Riner ¿judo- and Laure Manaudou ¿swimming- at the Olympics.
At only 19 years old, 6¿¿8¿ for 20st 6, is probably the best judoka in the world. World champion adult and junior, he was meant to win and had already won in fact. But too much pressure and maybe not enough experience, he (only) won a bronze medal.
Regarding Laure Manaudou who is the best women swimmer ever, those Olympics was meant to be training for her. She would have won all her races with no contenders. But BIG drama, she won NOTHING.
In 2002, before the beginning of the football World Cup in Korea, Adidas started to produce the new France jersey with two stars. We had a heck of the team, won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship. So this World Cup in Asia was a piece of cake. After 2 weeks, we were eliminated with one point and no goal scored in three games.
Amelie Mauresmo, former number 1 and Wimbledon champion, was favourite for Rolland Garros four years in a row but she could not manage to go further the quarter final ¿twice in eleven participation.
Athletes and French teams have difficulties to handle the pressure sometimes. The pressure from the medias does not help though. But it must be something else.
According to my English girlfriend, French are arrogant ¿not me according to her still. Thinking about it, i start to think the same and in sport particularly. We don¿t need to compete, we won already. In sport you have to if you want to win. You have to fight and give everything you have got to win. Everybody can win and that is why I love and we love sport.”