A week in sport in quotes, including record-breaking batting from Stuart Broad and Jonathan Trott, the end of Tiger Woods’ (non-violent) marriage, Usain Bolt’s marriage counselling, £3,000 Olympic tickets, and Sam Allardyce lectures Arsene Wenger on dirty football teams
“He was fantastic in the way he was so clear with his thoughts. He told me to play as straight as possible and have some positive intent… At the same time I also knew if we were 100 all out, the Test series was going to be 2-2, so I had to take some responsibility” Stuart Broad praises his England batting partner, Jonathan Trott, after their series-saving centuries at Lord’s.
“It was the dirtiest team in the League. When they used to win the League they did it with more sendings-off and bookings than anyone else. Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit, Sol Campbell and Martin Keown would mix it any way you wanted to” Sam Allardyce reminds Arsene Wenger of Arsenal’s past, ahead of their visit to Blackburn.
“I think it’s fair to say I’m having to deal with a lot more than I envisaged when I signed up for the captaincy, but isn’t that the story of my life?” Colin Montgomerie, Europe’s Ryder Cup captain and the latest leading sportsman to take out a super-injunction to stop newspapers carrying some articles about him.
“The International Olympic Committee is concerned that traffic is the biggest problem facing London 2012, but this is because they expect thousands of their officials and camp followers to be whisked around in limousines… In a city with such extensive public transport, this is an arguably unworkable plan” Richard Tracey, former sports minister, now Tory transport spokesman on the Greater London Authority, who also suggests travelling to Wimbledon by boat (take a look at a map, Dick).
“And so to the latest news of the London Olympics, as it is suggested that some tickets for major events such as the opening ceremony could have a face value of £3,000. The London Organising Committee concedes the original pledge to make half of all tickets £20 or under has been shelved, but points out that pricing strategies have yet to be announced. No doubt – but it does rather chime with a recent statement by LOCOG’s chief executive Paul Deighton, who told the Guardian that the Games’ marquee events would be largely populated by ‘people with privileged access’. Which is Olympic for ‘liggers'” Marina Hyde in The Guardian.
“There was never any violence inside or outside our home. The speculation that I would have used a golf club to hit him is just truly ridiculous” Elin Nordegren, in an interview in the American magazine People, published in the week that her divorce from Tiger Woods was confirmed.
“I wouldn’t get married now. It would be awful. Wayne Rooney’s the same age as me – he’s married and got a kid. I don’t think these guys are ready to get married yet. There’s less stress on me. If they say, ‘I saw Usain out with a girl last night’, whatever, cos I’m not married” Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man, offers some marriage counselling to his Premier League heroes.
“I watched Match of the Day because I knew Theo had scored a hat-trick for Arsenal against Blackpool. I was watching it for his goals, not my own and I was a bit surprised when Alan Hansen was critical of him because Theo couldn’t really do much more than score a hat-trick. People do forget how young we are and they do expect a lot of us. But we know how to take that” Gareth Bale, the Tottenham left-sided player, in an interview on his recent outstanding form.
“Just bought a pair of headphones at the airport for $100. Tax deductible?” Stewart Cink, career winnings £17.7 million, including last year’s Open, counting the pennies via Twitter.
“Having seen it again from my armchair, I would red-card him. The trouble in the actual game was that I had a poor view of that particular incident… I just wasn’t prepared to take a guess 25 minutes into the game” Howard Webb, the World Cup final referee, refreshingly honest in his re-assessment of Nigel de Jong’s “kung fu” kick on Xabi Alonso.
“The players are quiet lads. They’re not guzzling champagne or anything” Harry Redknapp after a 4-0 win over Young Boys of Bern put his Tottenham side into the group draw for the Champions League for the first time.
“We want Real Madrid and Inter” Peter Crouch, who scored a hat trick for Spurs.
“I certainly thought about missing the game the day after she died but my mum sat me down and said, ‘I know Miche would want you to play.’ It was appropriate that I played and I was delighted we won the game but it was a hard day, particularly for dad who was walking around the ground bumping into old friends who had heard the news” Stuart Broad explains why he played in a one-day international the day after his step-mother, Miche, died earlier this summer from motor neurone disease, and which has prompted the England all-rounder and his father, Chris Broad, to establish a charity in her memory.
“‘Marcomms’ is a sports industry buzz word, with the growing trend towards merging marketing and communication divisions. Yet there have been so many arrivals in that department at the ECB, it’s being called morecomms” Charlie Sale, the former SJA member, in his Daily Mail column.
“I think it’s unfair. We should be able to play 16 at least” Sir Alex Ferguson bemoans the selection problems of having a fully fit squad at Manchester United.
“In May 2004, BBC3 broadcast a documentary on the dealings of Jason, his son and a football agent at the time. Few of us would remember the broadcast, least of all its allegations, were it not for the actions of the father. Ferguson’s serial refusal to talk to the broadcaster… has kept the story alive” Matthew Syed‘s shrewd analysis of Sir Alex Ferguson’s boycott of the BBC.