England reclaim The Ashes

WARNING: This article contains information that some Australians may find distressing.

Blimey! What a result!

Before I begin, I’d like to just take a moment to revel in my Englishness as I wallow in a jacuzzi of Australian misery. After all, I am an England fan, and this is the best thing thats happened for some time! For the next few weeks, every time I speak to an Aussie, there will be a twinkle in my eye and a wry and knowing smile. England getting one over the Aussies doesn’t happen very often, and I am in pole position to make the most of it.

As the article continues, I will try to become more objective, but right now, all I can say is, BOO YA!
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Can Man Utd make it 3 in a row?

I was meant to write this article last weekend, before the premiership kicked off. But unfortunately I was down the coast in Sorrento in a friend’s beach house, recovering from a round of golf and an afternoon wine tasting. I’m sure you can now understand why I didn’t get round to it. Still, I’m here now, and super psyched that the football season has begun. Also, I think we could do with a break from cricket on this blog!

To business then. Regular readers will know that I’m a Manchester City fan. And as such, I’ve been looking forward to this season with salivating anticipation, if that makes sense. As I’ve just been reminded, 11 years ago, at the start of the 1998/1999 season, City were building up for their assault on the then Division 2 [League Two] title. My early childhood hero, Georgi Kinkladze had just departed for Ajax, and things didn’t look good. Still, we had Paul Dickov and Kevin Horlock, among others! Surely things could only get better?
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Freddie's Last Hurrah

Well game on then. For England the equation is simple. 1 Test match. 1 Win needed. 1 Ashes series. For Australia, the equation is equally simple. Despite the fact that they need only a draw, I can guarantee that Ricky Ponting’s men will be all guns blazing. They will want to leave England 2-1 winners. So what a game we have in store. I only hope that the game proves to be the nail biting finish that this series deserves, and that we are not robbed of a good contest by the weather or a placid pitch.

England head into this test low on confidence and middle order ability, and it would be an astonishing turn around were they to upset the odds and win this week. But in order to do so, they must display the determination and aggression that will be needed to wrestle the urn from under the number 1 ranked team in the world. And if they have the will, they can certainly do it. After all, aside from the 1st test and the 4th Test debacle, England have been on top in this series, and must take heart in the fact that, if they bowl in the right places, and don’t give their wickets away, they have every chance.
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Andrew Strauss contempltes England's short comings

What a shocking weekend. I left work on Friday night looking forward to watching what could be the defining test in this Ashes series. Although I had a bad feeling about this test match, not in my wildest nightmares did I envisage such a car crash of a performance then I have done this weekend. Now, as I write this, with England 172-7, still 150 odd runs behind, I have every expectation that they will be all out by the time I finish writing. As an aside, my lacrosse team also got hammered, and the only bright spot, was Carlton’s win over Geelong.

In all fairness, I thought Australia were outstanding. Their bowlers finally delivered the sort of performance that has been expected of them ever since the series began. Making best use of the seam and swing friendly conditions, they tore through the England batting line up as if they weren’t there. A small figurine made out of cheese with a wooden stick would have been more successful then England’s middle order. Australia could have performed at half the standard they have done, and they would still have won by an innings.
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