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“That’s unfair. I’m as impartial as I can be”

The Sunday edition of The Sun, Brian Moore on impartiality, the love-in between Mark Hughes and Martin Jol, Ryan Giggs proves that age is no barrier, Arsenal enjoy a derby delight and Bumble foes with a swing. Quotes from sport and the media from the past week

Shipwrecked? Brian Moore

“That’s a really unfair thing to say. I’m as impartial as I can be” Brian Moore, the former England rugby hooker turned BBC television commentator, protests too much on Desert Island Discs when Scotswoman Kirsty Wark questioned his objectivity.

“I signed him to add some much-needed steel in the centre of midfield and hopefully he’ll provide us with that” Mark Hughes turns into Mystic Mark as QPR’s Samba Diakite is sent off on his debut.

“I offered my hand and he shook it readily. But I took exception because I thought he was going to pat me on the head, which I deem to be slightly patronising” Hughes on the traditional post-match managerial handshake after his former club Fulham beat current club QPR.

LET'S SHAKE: Martin Jol and Mark Hughes

“We shook hands, but maybe I made it a bit too personal. I tried to put an arm around him and he didn’t like it because he’s a tough guy” Martin Jol.

“Massive 3 points for us. Norwich gave us a hard game. We never give in though which is the Man Utd way! Ryan Giggs-900 games…madness!” Rio Ferdinand after Giggs marked his 900th game in a United shirt with the winning goal at Carrow Road.

“Apart from the day Archie was born… this is the best day of my life!” Jack Wilshere tweets following Arsenal’s 5-2 thrashing of Tottenham.

“I can hold my hands up and say I didn’t have the greatest of first halves” Theo Walcott, who went on to score twice as Arsenal came back from a two-goal deficit against Spurs.

“In the British market, seven-day-a-week journalism has always been an expression of despair: a triumph of accounts over editorial. No Sunday paper has achieved real success when produced, as this one is, by weary daily hacks for whom it is just another shift” Matthew Engel in the Financial Times on The Sun‘s Sunday edition.

“He’ll be swinging like a suburban couple at a Sixties party” David Lloyd in Sky Sports commentary on Shahed Afridi’s approach to his innings in a Pakistan v England T20 international.

“Atelaw Bekele went to his local athletic club with a note in his hand because he couldn’t speak Belgian” Brendan Foster maintains BBC’s athletics coverage’s reputation for Colemanballs.

“Police in Munich spent 24 hours searching fruitlessly for David Haye. Not the first time he’s gone missing in Germany, though, is it?” Martin Samuel, Daily Mail, on the way Haye did a bunk after his unofficial clash with Dereck Chisora.

“If Vesuvius had erupted during last night’s match and sent its molten lava rolling down the hillside to engulf the old San Paolo stadium, the archaeologists of a future generation might have unearthed the remains of a youngish man, charred scraps of a rather fussy belted raincoat clinging to his corpse, frozen for all time in a strangely contorted position, perhaps crouched down on his haunches, his hands caught fashioning an urgent gesticulation” Richard Williams of The Guardian sums up the story of Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas following his side’s 3-1 European Cup defeat to Napoli, after having taken an early lead.

Dodgy connection? Rugby fan Lee Westwood had trouble listening to the England v Wales game

“Was it my slingbox playing up or did the video ref in the Eng v Wales game have a welsh accent?” Lee Westwood on England’s Six Nations defeat at Twickenham.

“Flipping heck, that was one hell of a Test match! To get the Triple Crown is unbelievable. I’m not going to jinx myself, I’m not going to say it we’ll win the Grand Slam” Sam Warburton, Wales captain, jinxes himself.

“It reminds me of the situation in Russia with Kournikova… I don’t mind what he does if he gets the medal. He can become a rock star” Alexei Evangulov, British diving’s performance director, hammers home his point after Tom Daley and Peter Waterfield only finished seventh in the 10m platform synchronised diving World Cup.

“Up until this point illegal betting has not been a huge problem at the Olympics but it was difficult to monitor in Beijing. This is a new threat and an evolving threat” Hugh Robertson, the Olympics minister.

“We’re rowing in, going for gold, grabbing the baton, for the high jump” Blur accept their invitation to headline the Olympics closing ceremony celebration concert in Hyde Park.


UPCOMING SJA EVENTS

Tue Mar 6: SJA Ladbrokes Lunch with former England rugby star Simon Halliday. Click here for booking details.

Mon Mar 12: SJA British Sports Journalism Awards in London. A gala dinner celebrating our colleagues work. For ticket details, click here.

Mon Apr 16: SJA Spring Golf Day, Surbiton GC. Watch the SJA website for booking details.

Thu Apr 19: SJA Annual General Meeting. Details to be announced on the website and in members’ emails.

Thu May 10: SJA Ladbrokes Lunch with former England cricket captain Alec Stewart. Booking details to be announced.