WHAT’S HOT WHAT’S NOT
HOT LUKA MODRIC
AFTER losing the Champions League final to Barcelona in 2011, Sir Alex Ferguson made Modric his prime target as he sought to rejuvenate his team. But Daniel Levy wouldn’t sell and the little Croatian eventually left Tottenham for Real Madrid. We have been reminded this week that the 32-year-old has been a great loss to the Premier League.
SARAH STIRK
STIRK’S rise to prominence as Sky’s No 1 golf reporter has been steady and included spells at channels as diverse as Manchester United’s MUTV and the defunct Setanta. But her versatility was showcased last week as she collared and expertly interrogated a US Open rules official in the wake of the Phil Mickelson incident. It was impressive journalism.
ENGLAND CRICKET
AUSTRALIA have been poor as they have succumbed to the England ODI steamroller but Eoin Morgan (right) and his players are exceptional and next year’s World Cup can not come soon enough. Just one warning. The tournament is scheduled to last a month and a half, so it may not be the best team who win but the one who peak at the right time.
NOT DIEGO MARADONA
THE lumpy Argentine sits in judgment like Caesar at his nation’s games and is not slow to comment. He has already advised coach Jorge Sampaoli it may not be safe to return home after disappointing results but the problem with Maradona is that he has a short memory. The Argentina team he coached at World Cup 2010 were pretty shambolic and he will never be able to remove that from his own CV.
PHIL MICKELSON
AMERICA’S Marmite golfer has finally apologised for his actions at the US Open. Credit for that but an email received by members of Didsbury Golf Club in Manchester this week showed how far the ramifications of Mickelson’s offence have been felt. Anyone who deliberately strikes a moving ball during competition — members were warned — will be disqualified. MOHAMED ELSHENAWY DEFENDER Ahmed Fathi will for ever be known in Egypt for scoring the own goal that set Russia on their way to victory in St Petersburg, but the real villain was goalkeeper Elshenawy. Too many keepers are punching when they could catch and this goal could be traced all the way back to the man with the gloves.