F1 Season 2014 - Testing in Jerez

You would think that the majority of discussion on the first days of testing for the new season would be about the engines and turbo etc. No its all about noses and how pretty or ugly the cars are. Looks are important however if you are going to win races it is performance and reliablity that counts. My vote for the best looking goes to the Mercedes, uglist to the Caterham, and the most inventive look goes to the Lotus which will not test until the next session in February.

Lewis Hamilton in the new Mercedes

Still before performance and reliabilty is the noise or sound of the new engines. Fans are concerned that without the high reving V8 engines the atmosphere will be downgraded. From what I have heard on Skys coverage I don't think there is anytihng to worry about. The sound is still loud but less of a scream, the exhaust popping is gone but the turbo noise ( I think it must be the turbo) adds a new sound. We will only really be able to tell when a race gets underway with all twenty cars on the grid.

With all the build to the season increasing I personally cannot wait for that first outing in March. Only two days of testing complete my bets for the season are as follows:-

Mercedes - Hamilton

Ferrari - Alonso

Vettel - Red Bull

Mclaren, Lotus, Force India and Williams follow in the bunch.

I will probably be proved wrong but heres hoping.

Murray exits Australian Open

I don't think Andy Murray could have done any better than he did in defeat to Roger Federer in the quarter finals of the Australian Open. After a slow start Andy started to fight back but it became apparent that Roger Federer is a new man and is playing a new style with which he was master of their net battle. It was after a titantic game early on in the fourth set which Andy won, you could easily see he was not able to keep up with Federer, either not totally match fit or still suffering from his back operation. His mobility seemed to be impared, the opposite of Roger who appeared to have gained some speed and agility over the close season. I think it is also safe to say that Stefan Edberg his new coach has also made its mark.

Overall I think Andy must be congratulated for an excellent performance in the tournament as he has shown a lot of progress from his first matches he played after the operation. Perhaps he has a long way to go to get totally match fit but can take inspiration from  Roger Federer who has been rejuvenated and Rafa Nadal who has had an outstanding return from injury over the last twelve months. The next few tournaments will be used for training to get match fit and ready for defence of Wimbledon.

Manchester United End of Season

Today's defeat by Chelsea must surely signal the end of Manchester United's domestic season. The only thing David Moyes has left to aim for is the Champions League ? This is the only way that he can ease the pressure from all the interested parties. If he can get his star players Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney playing again then I suspect he may stand a chance, without them it will go the same way as the domestic season.

I sincerely hope he gets the support of the board and is allowed to beef up the squad this month. Getting rid of old timers and failed newbies is essential. If Rooney wants to go to Chelsea then sell him and reinvest in someone who is interested in playing, making a profit at the same time. I know it is highly unlikely but we can still hope they ( David Moyes and the MU board) take a risk. They can still set up for next season in the summer break if this fails. No risk no gain.

Moyes Under Pressure

Sunday is going to be effectively the end of the domestic season for Manchester United. Never before in recent years has everything has dissappeared from view this early in the season. He will still retain the support of the board but David Moyes through no fault of his own, will be under even more pressure if they lose against Chelsea. The players around him are not doing the job and changes are required as prescribed in my last post.

With Rooney and van Persie missing from the line up, the result seems a foregone conclusion, yet David Moyes is still showing a positive face, claiming it is still possible to get a result at Stamford Bridge. On top of that Jose Mourhino is adding to the pressure with his comments. It doesn't matter that he apologises the damage is already done.

Mourhino is still adamant that Rooney will be moving to Chelsea at the end of the season. He doesn't beleive he is just dreaming. If I were Moyes / MU Board I would take the money for Rooney now, and start the rebuild of the team as soon as possible. For me Rooney is good in flashes but will never get back to his best, like when he was playing with Ronaldo. Let him go and they can waste more money, like they did with Fernando Torres, still a good player but his skills are still not exploited by the team.

Manchester United still have the champions league, and this is where I think David Moyes will put all his efforts, winning it or

Man Utd Savaged

Man Utd need to make some serious changes during the transfer period according to Robbie Savage. With three home defeats who could argue?  I agree with Robbie on many of his suggestions and his statistical support is compelling. First question is, will Moyes get the support ? - I will get to that later

Ferdinand is too old and cannot keep up anymore, if the defence is to be solid he must go. Ferguson if he was still in charge would also have to make this change, one of the reasons he decided to retire. Another reason is the mistakes in Fergusons hire of some the youngsters who are not performing up to their billing or price, Smalling, Buttner and Cleverley should be changed. I also include Anderson who never plays regularly and is expensive.

Why is Nani on another 5 year deal, he is not worth it as is Evra who might have experience, but is slipping in defence. Everyone loves Giggs, he is a proven match winner but should not be counted as team regular. Will Rooney be around, it seems that every time the transfer window opens his name is banded around. I would take the money and convert it to players Moyes needs. I talked about this earlier in the year.

Is Moyes up to same standard as Ferguson? No, he is not the same genius but Robbie believes he is still the right person to rebuild the team. Everyone is now beginning to doubt and even Ferguson is getting the blame by being in the stand. A problem totally discounted by Moyes. Will he get the support of the Man Utd board? Yes he will for the time being but not a large pot. If he wants more Rooney will have to go.

We will all have to wait and see if Moyes can survive and deliver some silver. For the moment he is heading in same direction as McKay and Allerdyce (will happen soon, as we all know what full support of the board means).

What did Robbie actually write, check full story here

FA Cup

The Aston Villa's manager Paul Lambert's comments on the FA Cup has been debated in the media to the extent of who cares anymore. What is important is the competition is now underway with the big boys involved.

I think Lambert's comments were borne out of intense pressure for Villa to survive in the Premier League. In terms of a business staying in the top league is essential and Lambert without any real spending power does want to expend any players on the FA Cup that may keep him in a job.

With all that said, I firmly believe the dream of the a junior team having an opportunity to compete against the bigger teams, is what keeps the game going in the lower leagues. You must be able to test your players against superior opposition for them to progress. The FA Cup also acts as a reward programme for the owners and supporters of the lower teams that experience the later rounds.

The Premier League of course is reason for all of the discussion, everyone loves the football but are not so happy with the deterioration of our home talent. When was the last time a Premier team played a 100 percent home grown team? ( If you know please post a comment). It is time some restriction is made on imported players to preserve and encourage our home players ( see previous blog). This would not only improve the balance, but help our national teams. Look at the top teams in Spain - a lot of Spaniards and they play for the national team.

My prediction for the FA Cup is an Everton and Arsenal final, only time will tell.