Tough Choices for Obama

When the news came through that the Troubled Assets Relief Programme (TARP) would cost USD 200 billion less than expected, it was universally accepted that this was good news. As Mitul Kotecha, the head of global foreign-exchange strategy at Calyon, the investment banking unit of France's Credit Agricole said in an Irish Times report, "The fact that they are spending less TARP money means that recovery is better and stronger than expected, and that's all positive for growth.”

Since then however, the extra USD 200 billion has become a political headache for President Barack Obama. With unemployment still above ten percent in the United States, he is under pressure from his party to spend the money on another stimulus package, specifically on a jobs package. The fiscal conservatives on the right of his party and across the aisle however, want the money to be ploughed into reducing the budget deficit. The president looks set to spend the money on a jobs stimulus but either path is problematic.

The budget deficit currently stands at around USD 1.4 trillion. Essentially the federal government spent USD 1.4 TR more than it took in through tax revenue and other revenue streams. The problem with not reducing the deficit is that as long as the deficit is allowed to grow, the federal debt will increase and only makes the US more vulnerable to a dollar sell off by the likes of China as well as potentially making it harder for the United States to raise money on the international bond markets.

The day Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said the TARP would cost less than previously thought, the Republican leader in the House of Representatives (the lower house of parliament), John Boehner, said that the savings should be used to cut the deficit. Any other spending would only “grow the size of government”. Last night a bipartisan group of budget officials called on the government to reduce the size of the deficit as part of a plan to reduce the overall National Debt. The group includes Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former head of the Congressional Budget Office and Jim Jones, the former chairman of the House Budget Committee.

The argument to reduce the deficit first is clearly reasonable and nuanced but it would be next to impossible for Mr. Obama to articulate this argument to a country enduring an unemployment rate of ten percent. That figure goes past seventeen percent when it includes people who have given up looking for a job.

Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the Democrats and Speaker of the House of Representatives, has already said legislation is being written to use some of the TARP funds to help small businesses while the White House is “actively looking” at ways to use the TARP to spur job growth.

Last week, the president’s approval rating fell below fifty percent for the first time since he took office. The unemployment rate is thought to have been a huge factor in this, especially as people in trouble financially watch Mr. Obama emphasise the war in Afghanistan and healthcare reform while he also travels to Oslo to accept a Nobel Peace Prize and then goes to Copenhagen to try to strike a deal over climate change.

Mike Barnicle, a former Boston Globe columnist and now a contributor to the cable news channel MSNBC, believes it is creating a perception of an uncaring president.

“People look at this and they think, ‘that’s fine, I want a job’. In what was billed as an economic speech, the president offered a tax incentive to weatherise my house but I haven’t got any work,” he says.

“There is a growing resentment of his celebrity – going to Copenhagen and getting his Nobel peace prize when I lost my job seven months ago. He’s in the White House surrounded academics when I want my job back,” Mr. Barnicle added.

Assuming Mr. Obama chooses to spend the money on jobs, there is no guarantee it will be successful. Despite the multiple bailouts since the recession started, the unemployment rate in the US has continued to rise. Either choice is a gamble for the president. It is a gamble he would rather not make.

The Genius of Brad Childress

Mea Culpa mea culpa.

In my last post I slated Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress for what I perceived as a boneheaded move to sign Brett Favre and his bending over backwards to accommodate the man from Louisiana, possibly at the expense of the rest of his team.

Well, four weeks into the season and the Vikings record is four wins and no losses. They sit atop the NFC North and their last two wins have been because of Favre. One tends to think that only Favre could have made the 32 yard pass to Greg Lewis with two seconds left to beat the 49ers and last week, on a night when Adrian Peterson was restricted to 55 yards rushing, Favre strafed his old Green Bay Packers for 271 yards and three touchdowns.

So far so good for Childress. That decision is just one of the many, many reasons why he is a head-coach and I am sitting at a lap top in the dead of night.

The Madness of Brad Childress

Well he's finally done it. Brett Favre, who Sports Illustrated rightfully described as the wishiest washiest person in sport, has returned to the NFL and signed for the Minnesota Vikings - something that he was expected to do all summer until he announced he would not do so on July 28th. I have no problem with Favre coming back. One of the oldest sayings in sport is "you're a long time retired". Favre obviously still wants to play and he's found a team that will have him. I do however, have a huge problem with the Vikings and specifically Brad Childress for taking him on.

Let's look at the facts.

Favre is 40 in October and coming off surgery for a torn bicep in his throwing arm. How many 40 year olds have been successful quarterbacks in the league?

Last season his decline had begun before he injured his bicep. In September he three 12 touchdowns against 4 interceptions while completing 70% of his passes. From October on his record was 10 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. The nadir, of course, was December (2TDs. 8ints, no playoffs). The injury was not the only factor in Brett Favre's decline. If this was anyone other than Favre would those kind of numbers not be taken into account by a coach?

While getting surgery on his bicep, his surgeon - the renowned Dr. James Andrews spotted a partially torn rotator cuff. This injury nearly ended Chad Pannington's career. Twice.

When Favre announced back in July that he would not be coming back, he cited soreness in his knees and ankles and worried that his body would not last a whole season. In the space of three weeks what changed?

What kind of effect does this have on the quarterbacks the Vikings already have? Tavaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels may not be long term prospects but having watched their coach chase the man from Hattiesburg all summer like a crazed lover what must they and the rest of the team think? The headcoach has basically turned around to them and said I have no confidence in you to lead this team to the playoffs. What if Favre's body does give out like he feared? Are they going to have the confidence or desire to step in and do a job for the team?

Madness. Absolute madness.

Australia take the honours

England got off to the worst possible start at Edgbaston this evening when Australia stormed out of the gate to reach 112/1 a short time before close of play. Shane Watson, in for Phil Hughes claimed his first 50 against England while Smon Katich helped himself to 46 at just under a run a ball. The England bowlers were guilty of bowling an inconsistent line and length and only Graeme Swann could give any sort of control; he eventually had Katich LBW trying to pull a ball off middle stump.

There was drama just before the start of play when Aussie keeper Brad Haddin was forced out of the test when he broke his left index finger when warming up. The teams had already tossed and Ricky Ponting requested to Andrew Strauss that Graeme Manou be allowed to take his place. Strauss consented.

D-Day for Ponting and Johnson

“Rain, rain go away, come again another day”, or words to that effect, will undoubtedly be washing around Ricky Ponting’s head this morning. With the crucial third test now only 24 hours away, the grim weather forecast may match Australia’s prospects for salvaging a result from the forthcoming five days. The complexion of this series changed completely once Graeme Swann bowled Nathan Hauritz ten days ago. Whereas at tea on day five at the Swalec stadium Australia were going to win the series five nil, England are now going to win the series four nil. The domination Australia displayed for four days and two sessions at Cardiff is now a distant memory, The momentum is all England’s; once again the great and the good of Australian cricket and the press box are questioning Ricky’s captaincy – a theme Ponting will be finding tiresome after the struggles at home to South Africa this past winter.

After inclement weather prevented him from working on the pitch for much of the last two weeks, the groundsman, Steve Rouse, has already described the pitch as “jelly” and fears an under prepared strip. He said the same though in 2005 and Punter Ponting is not putting his money where the Warwickshire groundsman’s mouth is this time after being suckered into
putting England in here in 2005. The rest of that first day was spent watching Marcus Trescothick lead an English charge past 400 before the end of the day as the groundwork was laid for the dramatic denouement four days later. After looking at the pitch with his own eyes though, the Australian captain may well end up advising his selectors to give him the four seamers Rouse has recommended after all. The pitch looks like a return to the tracks that bowlersfrom all parts so loved in the 90s. If it still has the green sheen to it tomorrow morning that it currently displays then it would be a foolish or extremely confident captain who goes into the game with only three frontline quicks.

Australia, while not desperately needing to win at Edgbaston, will want to at least take the wind out of the English sails that have been billowing since Lords. To have the better of a rain effected draw may be no bad thing going into Headingley.

To this end, the gods seem to have favoured them this time. As we all know by now, Kevin Pietersen is out and Ian Bell, save for one innings against South Africa, has been uncertain at best when facing the top tier of test match bowling. Without Pietersen coming in at four the middle order suddenly seems vulnerable. KP guided a troubled Ravi Bopara through the afternoon session at Lords on day four. Could Bell do the same? Paul Collingwood, who could nearly be picked purely because he brings the best out of Pietersen when they’re at the crease together, undoubtedly loses some of his aura (if he has one) without the man from Port Elizabeth at the other end. If these three can’t put a score on the board, Matt Prior’s loose technique and overly attacking mindset means he is not someone who can be trusted to come in at six to gut out an Australian onslaught. The English middle order suddenly takes on a whole new level of
vulnerability without their best player. Andrew Strauss will be all too aware of this.

That is the positive for Australia. The major question though is even with the potentially weak middle order of England, will the Aussies have the fire power to even get that far? Mitchell Johnson’s travails have been well documented since Lords. Four wickets in four innings with an economy rate of over five might be acceptable in Twenty20. It is a disaster in test cricket.
Alistair Cooke may have a weakness against the straight ball angled into the stumps but he and Andrew Strauss maybe a compulsive hooker but both are perfectly capable of clipping leg stump half volleys through mid wicket and cutting wide long hops through point all day. At Lords they was asked to do little else by Johnson when putting together an opening stand of 196 on the
first day.

Johnson has cut a lonely figure since the second innings at Cardiff . It is not unusual for star bowlers from the southern hemisphere to struggle the first time they play in England. Even Glenn McGrath was caned by Graham Thorpe and Nasser Hussain the first test he played here in 1997. The difference between Johnson and most of the other Australian bowlers who have struggled in English conditions is that most were guilty of bowling too short initially, and they quickly rectified the problem. In 1997 McGrath followed 1/104 at Edgbaston with 8/38 at Lords. Johnson was barely been able to land it on the cut strip at Lords.

For his own sake, and for the sake of his future development, he should be dropped for Edgbaston. The lack of alternatives may see him reprieved though. Stuart Clarke is the obvious candidate but he may yet come in for Nathan Hauritz. If he does then it would be a straight choice between Johnson and Shane Watson. Watson is a better batsman but even in his current state, Johnson has more penetration with the ball. Watson is a batting all rounder to be sure but whether he can be trusted as anything more than a fourth or fifth seamer, especially given his injury history is open to question. Peter Siddle too has been full of hustle and bustle but has rarely looked like blowing through anyone on the tour to date. Only the excellent Ben Hilfenhaus has been exempt from criticism all series. It has been argued that Hilfenhaus and Clarke are too similar to have in the same attack. If that was the case then no team would want two Glenn McGraths sharing the new ball. It is an absurd argument to make. Both players can give Ricky Ponting the control he has lacked all series but especially so on day one at Lords. Not every ball need take a wicket, as McGrath himself demonstrated. A persistent line around off stump and an ability to keep it tight will always bring rewards. If only Johnson could find that combination.

If Australia’s problems with the ball can be sorted out they stand a great chance of getting the result they need at Edgbaston. Unfortunately, no matter how well they do with the ball themselves they may be denied by the weather. The forecast is horrendous until the weekend. It may be a case of gaining the ascendancy before launching an all out assault at Leeds.

Just a Thought

England's day so far, no doubt about it. At tea on the first day at Lords England were 225/2 with captain Andrew Strauss unbeaten on an even century. He shared a partnership of 196 with Alistair Cooke. Cooke was unluckily out lbw to Mitchell for a well made 95. He was unlucky not because he wasn't out - he was plumb - but rather it was the only straight ball Johnson had bowled all day. The left armer continued his bad form from Cardiff except he was much worse than the first test. Mixing wide long hops with leg stump half volleys, he cut a sorry figure for the first two sessions of the day, conceding 77 in eleven overs. The pick of the Australian bowlers was Ben Hilfenhaus. On the money from ball one, Hilfenhaus deservedly clamed a wicket when he brought one back into Ravi Bopara's pads. The Essex man may have got an awful decision in the last test but he could not dispute this one.

Kevin Pietersen looked uncomfortable to Hilfenhaus as the ball started to swing but Strauss continued on his serene way bring up his hundred two balls before tea.

It has been a tough two sessions for Ricky Ponting. After he lost the toss he then had to watch his bowlers get taken apart by the English batsmen. To add insult to injury he also lost his spinner, Nathan Haurits to a dislocated fingure when he tried to take a low return catch off Strauss.

Tea at Lords

England's day so far, no doubt about it. At tea on the first day at Lords England were 225/2 with captain Andrew Strauss unbeaten on an even century. He shared a partnership of 196 with Alistair Cooke. Cooke was unluckily out lbw to Mitchell for a well made 95. He was unlucky not because he wasn't out - he was plumb - but rather it was the only straight ball Johnson had bowled all day. The left armer continued his bad form from Cardiff except he was much worse than the first test. Mixing wide long hops with leg stump half volleys, he cut a sorry figure for the first two sessions of the day, conceding 77 in eleven overs. The pick of the Australian bowlers was Ben Hilfenhaus. On the money from ball one, Hilfenhaus deservedly clamed a wicket when he brought one back into Ravi Bopara's pads. The Essex man may have got an awful decision in the last test but he could not dispute this one.

Kevin Pietersen looked uncomfortable to Hilfenhaus as the ball started to swing but Strauss continued on his serene way bring up his hundred two balls before tea.

It has been a tough two sessions for Ricky Ponting. After he lost the toss he then had to watch his bowlers get taken apart by the English batsmen. To add insult to injury he also lost his spinner, Nathan Haurits to a dislocated fingure when he tried to take a low return catch off Strauss.

The End for Fred

Andrew Flintoff today announced he will retire from Test match cricket at the end of the current Ashes series against Australia. The Lancashireman, who has passed a late fitness test before tomorrow’s second test after injuring a knee in the first test, cited his injury history and the toll the five days of a test takes on his body. He will remain available for one day and twenty20 cricket.

The 31 year old came into the England team as a precocious teenager against South Africa in 1998 but was hopelessly outclassed. Like nearly everyone has since Ian Botham retired, he struggled with the tag of “the new Botham” and was in and out of the England team for several years. His reputation for living life to the full off the pitch as well as troubles with his own weight and fitness left him open to widespread criticism from the press and within the cricket world. However, he finally established himself under the management of Duncan Fletcher and the captaincy of Michael Vaughan, averaging 52 with the bat including a dramatic 142 at Lords against South Africa in 2003. He followed that up with fine performances the following summer but that would be only a prelude to the Ashes series of 2005. In a series acclaimed by many as the greatest of all time, Flintoff dominated the stage, inspiring Englandto a first win against Australia since 1986/87. His stats for the series – 24 wickets and over 400 runs – were excellent but they told only half the story. Every time he took the ball in his hand he made something happen. His over at Edgbaston when he took the wickets of Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting was described by Mark Nicholas commentating as “the over of the series”, he followed that with a 102 in the 4th Test that Wisden described as “ a century of murderous purpose.” At the end of that historic series it seemed the world was his oyster and only greatness awaited. Ultimately the fates would conspire against him.

Just as the England management a generation earlier had mistaken a great player for a great captain in Ian Botham, Duncan Fletcher and co did the same with Flintoff. When Michael Vaughan was injured before the next summer, Flintoff was named as captain. He led England for three test against Sri Lanka only for he himself to go down with injury. Andrew Strauss promptly stepped in and led England to a series win over Pakistan. England were to travel to Australia to defend the Ashes the following winter and with Flintoff feeling his way back to full fitness, Strauss seemed the obvious choice to continue as captain. Instead they picked Flintoff to lead the party.

Targeted relentlessly by the Australians, Flintoff could only watch as an outclassed England were whitewashed to the delight of the natives. He would never reclaim the greatness that briefly shone on him in 2005. Since that summer he has missed more tests than he has played and whispers had begun that perhaps England were a better team without him and maybe the test team could not continue to wait for him as he recovered from his latest ailment.

The latest knee problem seems to have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. He informed the players on Monday of his intentions and as rumours started to fill the air he formally made his announcement though the Press Association and followed that with a press conference at Lords.

The timing of the announcement does put the selectors in a bit of a spot. What if his form does not merit a place in the last test? Will they drop him as they would with other players or will they allow him to say good bye to his adoring fans publicly? In any case it may not matter. “Fred” will continue to play one day and Twenty20 cricket which his bank manager will be very pleased to hear. Like Darren Gough before him, he seems destined to see out his days on the international 20 overs circuit and playing for England in the shorter forms if he is selected.

After 2005 Wisden described Andrew Flintoff as having made the “quantum, the Beamon leap, from excellence to greatness”. Ultimately it would be just a fleeting moment before his own body would pull him back to ranks of the merely mortal. He was a very fine test cricketer, but not a great one. If he had been blessed with a more rugged frame he may have made that quantum leap a permanent one, but maybe a fleeting moment was enough.

The squad has been picked, now for the test team

Rugby Union: The first shock came when the back rows were named. No to Ryan Jones and Tom Croft, but yes to Alan Quinlan and Andy Powell. In the second row, yes to Simon Shaw but no to Steve Borthwick. And perhaps most surprising of all, yes to Keith Earls and Ugo Monye but no Mark Cueto and Delon Armitage. Even the choosing of Paul O’Connell over his international captain Brian O’Driscoll to lead the team, although widely expected, carries an element of risk. The British and Irish Lions squad that Ian McGeechan selected this weekend (with a little input from Warren Gatland, Shaun Edwards and Rob Howley) has brought several surprises and, perhaps, the possibility of recriminations if the tour does not go as planned. The main talking points right now among the fans are obviously who didn’t make the touring party. In a six weeks time though the question will no longer be who should have been picked for the tour but rather who should be picked for the first test on June 20^th. To that end, here is a best guess at what the management team may do if the first test was this Saturday. As happens on every tour though, somebody will emerge from relative obscurity to take a test place. Few would have expected Jeremy Davidson to make the impact he did in 1997 or Ryan Jones in 2005. So please, don’t read this and then head straight for the nearest bookmakers to put the mortgage on this XV lining out at Durban two months from now.

In the back three, Tommy Bowe and Luke FitzGerald go into the tour as favourites for the wing spots. Both had solid Six Nations but both may have to show excellent for form to cement places in a position that is notable as much for those omitted as those picked. Mark Cueto had a fine Six Nations and has returned to the form he showed when he made it into the England team in the first place a few years ago. He will be disappointed that he hasn’t made the plane, as will be Delon Armitage. Armitage arguably over took Rob Kearney for the second full back spot towards the end of the tournament and had shown a willingness to attack that the Irishman seems to have forgotten. His scything runs against the French stand out and he has continued his form with London Irish. A place should have been found for him. In fairness though, Leigh Halfpenny has electric pace along with the strength to match while Ugo Monye, a few years later than advertised, has finally turned in to the international winger he was supposed to be when he was 20. Lee Byrne is unquestionably the man in possession of the 15 shirt right now and don’t be surprised if Halfpenny and Shane Williams (if he can find his form) make it an all Welsh test back three.

The gamble taken on Keith Earls may be where this tour lives or dies. Keith Earls is a young tyro who played for Ireland in the autumn but didn’t feature in the Six Nations. He has been in fine form for Munsterand undoubtedly has a bright future. The selection team obviously see him as a Will Greenwood type selection in 1997. There is a lingering fear though that this tour may have come a year too early for him. Gordon D’Arcy completed his comeback from along term injury this spring and showed he was back in form. Considering he has kept Earls out of the Ireland team his non-selection has to be a surprise. If Earls doesn’t make it and inside centre becomes a question mark position then the second guessing will start quickly. There is a danger Earls may end up like Matthew Tait out of his depth so early in his career. In any case, with O’Driscoll guaranteed his place barring some apocalyptic event, it becomes four players looking for one position. Tom Shanklin will probably shade it as of right now but the fast tracks of the High Veld will suit Riki Flutey and his distribution skills may be key to running the Lions backline.

As of today, the half backs seem relatively straightforward. The faster hands and longer kicking range of Ronan O’Gara will see him picked ahead of Stephen Jones at ten but he needs to pick up his form. It has been sheer grit that has got him though this season. Both these players can count themselves fortunate that neither Danny Cipriani nor James Hook were able to make a late charge for the plane. Dwayne Peel’s injury problems and the inability of Chris Cusiter to find favour with Frank Hadden this year mean neither will be in South Africa and the Lions will be weaker for it. Mike Phillips is big and strong but his pass it too slow for international rugby while Tomás O’Leary has also struggled with his distribution. Once Harry Ellis regained his Englandplace at the expense of the unfortunate Danny Care the Leicester scrum half was outstanding. He scored tries, was a live wire around the park and bossed his pack well. He is the unquestioned starter.

The pack is where things start to get a little more complicated. The Lions seem to want to shift the Springboks around the park and tire them out (hence the selection of someone like Earls) but they also need a pack that will not be intimidated and can ultimately dominate the South African forwards (hence the selection of Alan Quinlan). Let’s start at the front.

Euan Murray has emerged as the best tight head prop in the Home Nations, likewise Gethin Jenkins is seen as the top loose head inEurope. If they were on form both Phil Vickery and Andrew Sheridan would be worth their place but neither player has shown their best in at least a year. Vickery especially seems to be playing from memory at the moment and it may have been a lack of alternatives that has seen him travel. None of the three hookers picked have had outstanding seasons. Matthew Rees was taken apart at the lineout by the Irish jumpers while both Jerry Flannery and Lee Mears have been considered too small at times. With Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha awaiting them, the one thing the Lions hooker must be able to do is find his jumper consistently. This is where Flannery may separate himself from the pack. If Rory Best was in the party he would be the early favourite because of his throwing but Flannery is excellent in this department. Rees’ traumatic experience in the Irish game may cost him his place in the test team while Mears can be expected to make an impact from the bench.

With Paul O’Connell captaining the side there are essentially four players fighting for one spot. Donncha O’Callaghan started all three tests in 2005, Simon Shaw knows what it takes to win a Lions tour having been there in 1997, and Nathan Hines has taken over from Scott Murray as Scotland’s premier lineout technician while Alun Wyn-Jones is probably the best young forward in Europe. O’Callaghan is abrasive but was anonymous for long periods of the Six Nations. He does not carry a lot of ball but does a lot of the work in the trenches. Unfortunately for the Lions that is not enough. Nathan Hines is a fine player and shone in a poor Scottish team yet he can go missing for long periods of games. Wyn-Jones is a superb middle of the line jumper but that’s something his captain will be doing while he has suffered as part of a struggling Ospreys team. Which leaves the old warrior Shaw. He may be 35 but he has shown the form this year that would have earned him a heck of a lot more than 52 caps for England if it wasn’t for a certain Martin Johnson. He has superb hands for a big man and is a strong ball carrier while he does the dirty work brilliantly. He should start alongside O’Connell.

The back row is probably the most competitive area of the squad. Martyn Williams is thought to be the favourite at openside but to take on the Springbok backrow of Schalk Burger, Danie Rossouw and Pierre Spies – none of whom are under 6’4” – significant bulk will be required. That is why David Wallace has to be considered. Apart from being a brilliant open field runner and a turnover machine for Ireland andMunster, Wallace is 6’2”. He was the outstanding back row for Irelandand deserves his chance. Similarly at blindside, the need for a big, no nonsense player opens the door for Joe Worsley. He is possibly the most anonymous England player ever that had more than 70 caps. He is one of the best tacklers in the game and that skill will be invaluable when trying to mark Pierre Spies. Although Stephen Ferris started every game for Ireland this year, Alan Quinlan is the perfect impact sub. At 34 he may not be able to last the full 80 minutes but will be more than capable of a frantic 30 minutes. He also has something of a wildness about his game that could prove invaluable against the Boks.

Number 8 could prove the most controversial position, and it will be more to do with the player left behind than the battle between Jamie Heaslip and Andy Powell. Ryan Jones should be the test 8. If he ends up on tour due to injury, he will force his way into the first XV. In the meantime, of the two out and out 8s that have been chosen, Jamie Heaslip is probably the more refined player while Andy Powell, although more of a straight ahead runner, can bring an intensity of purpose that Heaslip may struggle to match.

So there it is; a tour that has been looked forward to for four years is almost upon us. All the talk will be thrown out the window when the first game against a High Veld XV kicks off on May 30^th and the inevitable injuries start to pile up. In the meantime, all we can do is wait. Whatever the final result, it promises to be a fascinating tour and if the result of the series is still in doubt with ten minutes left in the final test at Ellis Park, well, we can but dream can’t we?.

Possible team for first test: 15) Lee Byrne, 14) Leigh Halfpenny, 13) Brian O’Driscoll, 12) Riki Flutey, 11) Shane Williams, 10) Ronan O’Gara, 9) Harry Ellis, 1) Gethin Jenkins, 2) Jerry Flannery, 3) Euan Murray, 4) Simon Shaw, 5) Paul O’Connell [c], 6) Joe Worsley, 7) David Wallace, 8) Jamie Heaslip Subs: 16) Lee Mears, 17) Andrew Sheridan, 18) Alun Wyn-Jones, 19) Alan Quinlan, 20) Tomás O’Leary, 21) Stephen Jones, 22) Tommy Bowe.

Andy Flower named England coach

Cricket: Andy Flower has, as expected, been named as the new England Team Director. Flower, who had the job on an interim basis for the recent tour of the West Indies, has signed a contract worth around £250,000 per year.

The new coach has a solid pedigree as a player - a former Zimbabwe captain he finished his career with over 4,500 runs at an average of 51, and earned widespread praise during the 2003 World Cup when he and Henry Olonga wore black armbands to signify "the death of democracy in Zimbabwe."

As the England batting coach under the Peter Moores' regime he is known to have impressed the players with his ideas and attitude and earned widespread praise when leading England though a difficult tour of the West Indies. After a collapsing to 51 all out and losing the first test on that tour, England then declared for six straight innings but could not get a victory, as a result England lost the Wisden trophy for the first time since 2000. A disastrous opening to the one day series seemed to take a toll on the team but they bounced back to win the One Day series - a rare victory for England in that format.

Having already built a strong relationship with his captain Andrew Strauss, Flower will now have to solidify his relationship with Kevin Pietersen. Pietersen is known to have lobbied for Flower's dismissal following the tour of India before Christmas and newspaper comments made by the star batsman while in the West Indies led some to question whether Pietersen would continue to be part of the England team.

That will be just one task facing Flower and with the international summer beginning on May 6th he will not have a lot of time to put his plans in place.

Ugly

Jenson Button stormed to pole position in tommorow's Australian Grand Prix with a brilliant performance in the new Brawn GP car. He was joined on the front row by team mate Rubens Barrichello. It was a stunning turnaround for a team that barely two months ago seemed to be on the way out of F1 after Honda pulled out of the sport.

Undoubtedly the team has been helped by the new regulations brought in by the FIA to level the playing field on the grid and the regulations seem to have caused problems for some of the established teams, most notably McLaren.

Although the rule changes are undoubtedly a good thing both for the sport and the environment, one thing they have done is make the cars incredibly ugly. The elongated nose is okay but just look at the tiny rear wing. It just looks absurd. It's almost as if they designed an ultra hi-tech Formula 1 car and then a 19 year old boy racer bought it and instead of adding a body kit and various flashing lights, he bolted a wing from a 1992 Opal Corsa onto the back of it. Completely absurd.

Okay, I admit I'm completely shallow when it comes to how a car looks but JEEZ!!!

On to Cardiff

Four down, one to go. Ireland stayed on course for a first grand slam since 1948 with a tense 22-15 victory over scotland here at Murrayfield tonight.

Two nervous sides played out a first half low on endeavour with Chris Patterson kicking four penalties to Ronan O'Gara's three. As the game restarted, someone needed to provide a spark. It was provided by Peter Stringer. In a pre-planned move off a line out about 30m out on the left touchline, the recalled scrum half took a ball off the top and burst through the gap in the middle of the line, drew Patterson the full back and off loaded to a celebrating Jamie Heaslip who ploughed over from a yard out. O'Gara followed with a drop goal to take the lead to 7 and despite anoter kick from Patterson, O'Gara sealed the win with a late penalty.

Bravery missing in a team that needs to win

The West Indies claimed a draw here at Trinidad to win their test series with England 1-0 and reclaim the Wisden Trophy for the first time in nine years. Fidel Edwards blocked out the last over from Monty Panesar as the West Indies finished their second innings on 114/8 in pursuit of a nominal target of 241. It is a huge blow to England as they look forward to the Ashes this summer and especially the captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower.

Jimmy Anderson, Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar shared eight wickets but Danesh Ramdin, surrounded by close in fielders, saw off 87 balls for an unbeaten 17 while captain Chris Gayle, nursing a partially torn hamstring, batted 42 balls for 4 runs. Earlier Kevin Pietersen scored a brilliant 102 off 92 balls to get England to 237/6 declared but Andrew Strauss delayed his declaration until lunch thus depriving his bowlers of what turned out to be crucial overs.

It was the second time in four tests that England were left just short of victory and the new captain's judgement will now come under severe scrutiny after this series. By the close of play last night, the general consensus was that a target of around 210 in 70 overs should be enough. With 71 overs left today, England's lead was 209. Even with the change of innings they would have had 69 overs left. Three overs is all they would have gained but when you are left two wickets short then 2 balls seems like a lot.

Two tests ago England set the West Indies an absurd 502 runs to win in 128 overs. On a dead pitch in Antigua wickets were always going to be at a premium and England batted too long and were left one wicket short. Today, they again delayed too long with the same result. Strauss surely discussed a target with coach Andy Flower. He must share some of the blame here and it will have done his prospects of getting the coach's job on a permanent basis no favours. What would Kevin Pietersen have done if he had still been the man in charge? It is a question that will inevitably be asked in the post mortems that will follow. It is also a question that the current captain would do anything to avoid being asked.

At a time when England, and Strauss in particular, needed to be prepared to lose in order to win, they could not take that final leap. This summer's Ashes hors d'ouevres against a resurgent West Indies suddenly became a lot more interesting. If this England team are to become the team they think they can, their captain needs to have made that leap by the start of the summer.

Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries

Well I've finally done it. I've taken the plunge and got myself a Blackberry.

And I love it.

It's got everything and by everything I mean everything. I'm writing this post on it. I get my email in work. I've got the net on the move. Pure escape. I never really got the "crackberry" thing before, the same way I never understood the whole Apple thing. I have an iPod Touch but feel no loyalty to Apple whatsoever.

This is so, so, different though. The 8900 is a pure joy to use. The buttons are so satisfying to press, the screen is so clear. And don't let anyone tell you the menu system is too complicated. It's completely text based but otherwise is great.

I go to lunch, I write a post, I need to know what's happening in the world, I turn to this. I can get my thoughts down at any time, and don't have to worry about having a pen & paper in my pocket; and for me being able to get my thoughts down in writing is a really big deal.

Overall, if you are a news junkie, need your email all the time or just need to access to the world in general all the time then have the means I highly recommend picking one up.

Three Months Later

I'm back. And having been caught up in the Credit Crunch for the last 18 months I figured I'd finally make a post on the subject.

I'm afraid it's not going to be very nuanced, more a demonstration that not everybody on the street is making millions at Wall Street's expense. Without giving the actual name of my firm away, we were taken over back in September the weekend Lehmann collapsed. Our new owner has had to get TARP money and our former CEO was forced out of the new firm when it emerged he had spent over USD 1 million refurbishing his executive suite when he joined our firm 15 months ago.

There has been a lot of controversy over the magnitude of Wall Street bonuses, especially in my firm. The staff have been branded as selfish, greedy, inconsiderate and horrendous people in general. The perception is that we are all millionaires taking the tax payer for a ride.

Which is why it might surprise you to learn the circumstances the underlings face. I am with my firm for the past three years. I supervise a team of 9 people and an outsourcing team in India; 19 people in total. I work around 50-55 hours a week. It is not unusual for me to be in the office at 10.30 pm on a Friday night. We recently moved offices. What was a 40 minute commute door to door is now at least a 90 minute commute. My team was cut by 75% last week. The workload and targets remain the same. For this I earn EUR 33,000 a year (about USD42,000). My bonus this year was EUR 1,400. I did not get a pay rise.

My point is not "woe is me" or "I have it so much worse than everyone else". Far from it. All I'm trying to say is that we are not all the millionaire thieves you think we are with the house in the Hamptons and the apartment overlooking central Park. We are suffering the same as most people these days and it is not nice at ll to be reading about how we are such bastards for working our guts out every day.