By Stewart Weir
Saturday
As a nation, England have a pretty dire record when it comes to winning penalty shoot-outs. That said, at least they have regularly put themselves in that sudden-death position.
For one or two, missing from 12 yards out for their country has been their unwanted claim to fame: Waddle, Pearce, Southgate, Batty, Carragher.
It’s been put down to nerves, to the opposition having a better technique, or to a plain lack of practice. But, going by the latest shoot-out disaster, it could be down to genes.
For like their menfolk, England’s women failed when they seemed set for the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup, first losing an equalising goal to the French with just two minutes of normal time remaining, before being beaten 4–3 on penalties.
Not that England coach Hope Powell was looking for sympathy. Quite the opposite. She was looking for someone to point the finger at, accusing her team of cowardice.
"Three times I had to ask [for volunteers] before anyone stepped forward," said Powell. "'Where are you?', I was thinking, and then a young kid is the first to put her hand up. But other players should have come forward and they didn't. That's weak, it's cowardice."
I can’t remember Bobby Robson, Terry Venables, Kevin Keegan or Sven-Goran Eriksson making such accusations against their players. They had the volunteers – it just so happened they weren’t very good at penalties…
Sunday
The end of an era today, with the final edition of the News Of The World.
As a freelancer, I did my bit for the "Screws" – football, rugby, cricket. I was the resident boxing writer in Scotland, and even turned crime correspondent one day – albeit when Walter Smith and Alex Totten helped police with their enquiries after a tunnel altercation at McDiarmid Park. And some people think tunnel bust-ups are a new thing.
As part of the big farewell, the NotW include a souvenir pull-out featuring famous front pages, including the one from July 1966, hailing Alf Ramsay’s England side as "The World Beaters".
However, unlike today, when it would have been the only thing on the front page apart from the suggestion that you read more on pages 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and in the 48-page special pull-out brought to you by some beer company or another, the front page then carried more than one story, even adverts.
But, what struck me more than anything was the other sports story carried on the front page the day after arguably England’s greatest-ever sporting success - that the Fleet Air Arm won the Royal Navy Field Gun Competition.
I suppose it was just 20 years after the war, when not everything revolved around football or fame, and when different things appealed to a very different generation. It was a different world, and a very different News Of The World.
Monday
The Tour de France has had several highlights thus far, this one being my particular favourite.
There have been no Tour de Pharmacy headlines this year, although I am ignoring the voice in my head which is saying "yet".
But this morning, reading reports of yesterday’s events, maybe it should be Tour de Farce after this horrific crash.
I know the French desperately want a home winner, but that was taking things a bit too far!
Tuesday
Snooker’s World Cup is taking place currently and Scotland’s representatives John Higgins and Stephen Maguire have their "Costa Rica" moments when they both suffer shock defeats to Polish player Kacper Filipiak, aged just 15.
The Scots however saved their blushes by winning the doubles tie and the remaining singles to score a 3–2 win over the Poles in a group which also features Hong Kong and Afghanistan, and a team called Thailand 2 – who, it might be said, are making up numbers…
Sadly, just a few days before The Open comes the news that golf commentator Alex Hay has passed away aged 78.
He wasn’t someone I knew well. But he was a very charming gentleman as I and others found out during the WPGA International Matchplay at Gleneagles in 2001.
Alex was part of the BBC commentary team in Perthshire and took great delight in inviting several guests into the Beeb’s commentary truck during the course of the weekend, where he would explain all and everything to his captive audience.
He didn’t have to do it. But Alex understood that golf needed selling to organisers, sponsors and their associates, and was all too happy to do his bit if it brought supporters into the game he loved.
Wednesday
While Newcastle United are US-bound for their pre-season tour, the same cannot be said for midfielder Joey Barton.
The volatile star was denied an entry visa because of his criminal record. Barton was handed a six-month jail sentence after admitting assault and affray in 2008, enough for United States authorities to ban him from visiting.
Barton is not alone. Newcastle striker Nile Ranger was also refused a visa for similar reasons.
Obviously US officials are wary of past reputations and are well aware of what these Rangers can get up to on their travels…
Thursday
The 140th Open tees off at Royal St George’s, returning to the Kent course for the first time since 2003 when Mark Roe – part of the Radio 5 Live commentary team this week – was disqualified after the third round for failing to exchange cards with playing partner Jesper Parnevik.
A few years before, I accompanied Roe around Gleneagles during a pro-am when I caddied for Dennis Taylor in a group that also included Stephen Hendry and Willie Thorne. Mark was the model pro on the day, as well as being an expert coach and ball-finder.
I did the same again at the pro-am ahead of the B&H Championship at The Belfry a few years later, so naturally I felt for him when he was denied his chance at glory in 2003. But being behind the microphone this week, surely nothing like that could befall him again? Wrong!
In addition to his Sky Sports work, Roe is a coach these days, with Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts being one of his clients.
Unfortunately, Colsaerts was denied the chance to follow up his third place in last weekend’s Scottish Open when he crashed his hired scooter, injuring his elbow, which forced him to withdraw from The Open.
Not sure if it qualifies as a jinx, or a curse. But Mark Roe doesn’t do uneventful weeks at St George’s.
After the first round, English amateur Tom Lewis and Danish veteran Thomas Bjørn shared the lead on five-under, with several leading names back on two-under, including England’s Simon Dyson. Which begs the question – does he use a bag?
Friday
Change or away kits. You know how much I love them. But this week it’s about rugby rather than football. I see that England will play in an all-black "All Blacks" strip when they take on Argentina in the World Cup later this year. What is it they say about imitation being the highest form of flattery?
– Tweet Stewart Weir with thoughts and comments, @sweirz
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