Comment On Rory McIlroy, Wayne Rooney, Luis Suarez…

Comment of the past week’s sporting news. From the golfing achievements of Rory McIlroy to football with Roy Hodgson, Wayne Rooney and Luis Suarez.

Alan’s 2014 Summer Diary – Almost The Last One

Sunday 11 August

Glory Rory!

Regular readers will know that I occasionally drift into commenting on other sports and I can’t resist this one. Golf. I’ve been enjoying the TV coverage of the final day of the USPGA Championship as I type up my hopes for the coming season. Apart from one maddening thing. The ubiquitous t*ssers that yell out “in the hole” every time someone hits a ball. They even do this when the player is on the tee, 400 yards from the flag and the only chance of the shot dropping in the hole is if there is a bl**dy earthquake. Don’t they realise how absolutely moronic they sound? Every time they yell it, what I hear in my head is “I am a w*nker”.

The good news is that Rory McIlroy digs deep in the dark at Valhalla to recover the lead and win his second major in a row. Brilliant.

Arsenal win their second trophy in 3 months, rolling over Manchester Cheaty 3 – 0 in the Charity Shield, even without their World Cup stars. We already have some catching up to do.

Can you believe it?

Mark Robins is already the first managerial casualty of the Championship season which has started a week before the Premiership. He parts company with Huddersfield after my local club Bournemouth score after 24 seconds and win 4-0 away.

Up-date: Tony Pulis has left Crystal Palace and the Premier League season hasn’t even started….who’ll be next?

What price Bournemouth in the Premier League? Eddie Howe next manager at White Hart Lane? Yes please but give it 3 years Daniel.

Wry smiles as promoted Ipswich and Wolves beat relegated Fulham and Norwich respectively. Felix Magath continues where he left off last season, giving an intelligent and articulate interview in which he convincingly explains how the latest defeat is everybody else’s fault but his.

Tuesday 12 August

Aug 2, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney (10) goes for the ball against Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa (17) during the second half at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

England Captain

Roy Hodgson also gave Sky an exclusive interview where he said that he knows who his new England captain will be and it will be someone all the England players respect. Presumably then, that won’t be someone who uses prostitutes behind his partner’s back and regularly fails to deliver at major tournaments. Yeah, right. Then again, he did say he wouldn’t take injured players to the World Cup and then did exactly that.

Secure in the knowledge that his job security is guaranteed, he also had a good whinge about the fact that one of the most important players is always being criticised by the mass media either before, during or after a tournament. In the run up to the World Cup I pleaded for the media not to do this – but wouldn’t it be even better if Roy and his fellow club managers could utilise their man-management skills to greater effect to prevent players from displaying the sort of behaviour that attracts the criticism in the first place? Just like managers on much smaller salaries have to do in normal jobs.

Captain Rooney

Louis Van Gaal selects Wayne Rooney as Manchester United captain for the “great attitude” he has shown in the few weeks since he joined the club. That was probably what Hodgson was waiting for. It makes announcing his England decision a lot easier. It’s obvious what that’s going to be now.

Thursday 14 August

Jun 19, 2014; Sao Paulo, BRAZIL; Uruguay forward Luis Suarez (center) on the bench after an injury against England during the 2014 World Cup at Arena Corinthians. Uruguay defeated England 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

More from Tottenham News

• Storybook ending after difficult period for Tottenahm’s Richarlison
• Tottenham comeback showcased invaluable intangible Ange has cultivated
• Tottenham player ratings in 2-1 comeback win over Sheffield United
• Tottenham projected starting 11 for Sheffield United
• Tottenham’s Richarlison says he’s going to seek psychological help

Luis Suarez

The Court of Arbitration for Sport confirm Luis Suarez’s ban from Uruguay and Barcelona matches at his appeal but say he should after all be allowed to train, which apparently includes playing in friendly matches. Despite whinges from Barcelona and Uruguay that the punishment is disproportionate, the revised decision sounds about right to me.

He has committed multiple assaults at both international and club level and neither he nor his new club should be allowed to benefit from doing so. If Liverpool don’t qualify for the Champions League this coming season, despite all the money they got for him, it will be because he forced their hand by biting his way out of the club. Any new club crass enough to take advantage of that should therefore feel the effect of any sanction.