The JABU List: 10 people who will remember 2010 fondly

Firstly I would like to wish all readers of All Things Jabu a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year. Thank you to all those that support the site and read regularly. Also special thanks to Brat for his help in getting the blog out there.

As the last entry for 2010, I am taking this chance to point out ten sports people (Strictly South African!) who will never forget 2010. Some may be more obvious than others.

10. Jacques Kallis

The illusive 200 was finally obtained after 14 years of test cricket. He has played a remarkable 143 test matches and score 37 test centuries prior to the big one against India just last week. He will long be remembered as one of the greatest cricketers ever to play for South Africa. And at last the monkey on his back has been sent back to the jungle (Excuse the lame metaphor as the Christmas pudding gets to my head!).

9. AB De Villiers and Hashim Amla

Okay so maybe its cheating a little bit, but the two middle order batsmen for South Africa have been nothing short of immense. The two have dominated in performances against England, India, West Indies, Pakistan and both have made a great start to the Indian series as well.

8. Ryan Sandes

Ryan is an ultra marathon desert runner who dominated his sport this year. He won the 4 Desert Championship and is the only competitor to win every stage of the 4 desert races! Check it out on http://www.4deserts.com/. You can also follow him on twitter.

7. Lee Anne Pace

A full write up of her was included in the last entry on All Things Jabu. The first South African to win the Ladies European Tour order of Merit. 5 tournament wins in the year also propelled her up the world rankings!

6. Pat Lambie

In January 2010 not many people had spoken about Patrick Lambie. By the end of 2010 he would be mentioned in many rugby conversations all over the globe. After almost single handedly at times winning the Currie Cup for the Sharks, the youngster from Natal represented the Springboks in the year end tour. He can play in about four different positions in the back line and as a result his versatility could see him as a definate selection for the 2011 World Cup later next year.

5. Jordy Smith

He has been mentioned countless times by All Things Jabu. He has finished the year as the worlds 2nd best surfer behind Kelly Slater with a massive victory at Jeffreys Bay. What a great year for the youngster.

4. Louis Oosthuizen

Another who has received much coverage from All Things Jabu. The Mossel Bay native won the famous Claret Jug at the home of Golf in the biggest upset in Golf in 2010. Good Times!

3. Chad le Clos

Winning 4 medals at the commonwealth Games he equalled the record held by Roland Schoeman of most medals by a South African at a single games. And all of this at the young age of 18. South African swimming is in good hands as the baton moves from Roland and Ryk to Chad!

2. Natalie du Toit

Once again she shone for South Africa at a major sporting event. She grabbed 3 more gold medals at the Commonwealth Games. She won a total of 7 golds in her commonwealth career and won the David Dixon Award in 2002. This was her last Commonwealth games, but it is a year that she will never forget!

1. Siphiwe Tshabalala

Will the country ever forget THAT goal. I was fortunate to be in the stadium when it happened and I can promise you that I have never felt a more spine tingling moment in my sporting following. When Dikgacoi put the through ball through and Shaba ran through on to it, it was a moment of true beauty that 44 million people in South Africa will never forget. Dankie Shaba became a phrase commonly used around South Africa. A move to Europe cant be far off for my favourite Amakhosi player.

2010 was a big year. The World Cup happened in South Africa and from a personal point of view, All Things Jabu was started and made it to the Top 10 of the Evox Sports Blogs of the Year. Thank you to all who read.

Until next year :)

JABU

The JABU list: top 10 moments of 2010

2010 is nearing its final straight. Its been a year that we will never forget in South Africa, a year when our dreams came true and the World came to our shores. We can surely be proud of the magnificent way we hosted the Fifa World Cup, making us an elite country. We have hosted Cricket, Rugby, Golf and Soccer World Cups, the IPL, the Champions League T20, the All African Games and many international swimming events, alongside The Presidents Cup.

But as the sun sets on 2010, it is only fitting that the next few blog posts will focus on the best of 2010. Sure there is a lot of Worse of 2010 too, but I will choose to focus on the good of 2o10. So without further adieu, here is the Jabu list of the Top 10 sporting moments in 2010:

10. Nadal Domination

In January 2010, Rafael Nadal missed the Australian Open due to another frustrating injury that seems so common in Spanish youngsters (See Cesc Fabregas). Roger Federer went to his 16th Major title and many felt that this will be the year that Nadal falls through. Then came the French Open. Nadal dominated the French Open, then went through to win the Wimbledon title he gave up due to injury in 2009. But his ultimate challenge was left. The US Open. For the firsts time in his career he made the US Open coming up against the brilliant Djokovic a man who had beaten him in their previous three meetings. On this day however, the world of tennis watched the pure brilliance of Nadal in a crushing 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2 victory that made him the 7th man to win the Grand Slam. His 9th and definately not last!

9. Lee Anne Pace

The 29 year old South African broke onto the season in a truly magnificent fashion in 2010. She won 5 tournaments during the year including her maiden victory at the Swiss Open in June. She went on to win another 4 titles in the next four months. Ultimately she won the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit and in the process became the first South African to do this in ladies golf. She was also voted players player of the season, which to many professionals is the highest honour to receive. But my personal favourite is the comment from Gary Player (the man whom I share birthdays with!) "I wish she was my daughter," said nine-time major winner Gary Player.

8. Jordy Smith

The 23 year old Surfer from Durban had a year to never forget. He has raked in over R1 million in prize money and won the Billabong Pro at Jeffereys Bay. This led the South African to become the first South African in history to attain the World No 1 ranking. He is the heir apparent to legendary Kelly Slater and could be set for a long reign in World Surfing. He is also know being recognised as having some of the best aerial moves in World Surfing currently. Proudly South African too!

7. 278 not out

AB De Villiers is a humble man. He is fast becoming a legendary cricketer with the only blot on his record really being the cd he released. Over the past year De Villiers along with Hashim Amla have been the consistent men for the Proteas. De Villiers has been asked to keep wicket in the Limited overs format of the game and although it is not his preference, he will do it for his team. His focus has however been on improving his batting, which he has done with great success. De Villiers knock against Pakistan was fantastic and may very well have reached 300 had there been more time. He is now the record holder in the truest form of cricket and is only 26. He is also one of only 5 South African to score two double tons!

6. 70-68

Few sporting moments make you sit up and say wow like this one. One may think of the 438 game as one of these, but in terms of tennis, this was as amazing as it gets. On Tuesday afternoon John Isner and Nicolas Mahut took to court no. 18 at the hallowed grass of Wimbledon. Upon taking to the court neither man would ever have thought they would still be playing on Thursday! Yes, Thursday! Play was halted on Tuesday due to bad light with a pretty stock standard situation. 2 sets a piece. However when bad light stopped play again on Wednesday the score was a remarkable 59 all! Top players all stopped to watch at different points and Court 18 became the main attraction. In the end John Isner triumphed 70-68, but the camaraderie shown between the two will never be forgotten. The game broke all sorts of records like longest match, longest set, most games in a set, most aces in a match, consecutive service games held and most points ever scored in a match!

5. F1: 4 in it

Formula 1 has become a farce over recent years becoming nothing more than a precession. However 2010 was different. The change in points and the emergence of Red Bull Racing as a racing force. Lewis Hamilton (2008 Champion), Fernando Alonso (2005,6 Champion), Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel interchanged the lead all season and when it got to the last race of the season, all 4 could still win the title for the first time in history! Vettel won the last race with only Hamilton giving him a proper push as Ferrari blundered to leave Alonso down the field. With all 4 drivers confirmed for next season, it could be better than ever! F1 is back, at last!

4. Commonwealth Games

For those of you that regularly follow the blog, you will know I am a very big fan of the Commonwealth games. The build up was one clouded in controversy, but once the games began they were nothing short of fantastic. South Africa won 12 gold medals and finished 5th in the medals table, but the arrival of Chad le Clos will be something that sticks out in our minds. The other special mention should surely be to the great Natalie du Toit who bowed out of Commonwealth Games competing with 3 gold medals again. What a champion she is!

3. The Ryder Cup

Once again you will know that I think the Ryder Cup is one of the greatest sports spectacles in World Sport. This year was no different. The Europeans went out into an incredible lead, but the Americans did what only the Americans do so well, they dug deep in a last ditch to write a Hollywood script and fought back with incredible desire and left the entire match down to Graeme McDowell and Hunter Mahan. The European (McDowell), who ironically is the reigning US Open Champion, held his nerve to end an epic encounter. Europe win a nail biter!

2. Louis Oosthuizen

As South Africans we have been blessed with an abundance of Major winning golfers (Ernie Els, Gary Player, Trevor Immelman, Retief Goosen and Bobby Locke). But when the Open Championship took place at the Home of Golf in July this year, few would have expected to add the name of Louis Oosthuizen to that esteemed list. The man from Mossel Bay affectionately known as Shrek surprised all and won his first major championship and became the first South African to hold the Claret jug since Ernie Els, his mentor, in 2002. It was a fairytale story fit for his nickname and a victory that will go down in sporting history as one of the greatest ever!

1. Of course its the World Cup 2010

From even before the kickoff at Soccer City on the 11 June (Which I was fortunate enough to be at!), to long after the World stopped watching in July, South Africa was transformed. Yellow could be seen everywhere and the appreciation this country showed in order to host the World Cup will never be beaten. When Tshaba scored in the 55th minute, we celebrated together. When Khune was sent off, we cried together. When Bafana were knocked out, we embraced Baghana. When Suarez cheated we hated him together. But mostly we stood united not as a country, but as a family united by football. The beautiful game had a beautiful impact on our home. There is no doubt in my mind that when you think of the year 2010, you will think of the World Cup and the pure brilliance of the occasion.

What are your thoughts? Did I leave anything out? Leave your comments below!

2010 is ending, but the memories wont.

JABU

The JABU list: Top Gingers in Sport

This blog arises as a result of the difficulties in Ireland. The Irish are a country famous for many things. Whiskey (with an "e"), Guinness, St. Pa tricks day and of course Gingers! And with all the focus on Ireland, it got me thinking, surely there are some great gingers in sport.

Of course this blog is also dedicated to two team mates for my soccer side (The Cannons), Mr Marcy Marc and Dave the Car Guy, a golfing buddy Marco and to one of my favourite radio personalities Sias du Plessis.

So without further adieu, here are the top Gingers in sport as brought to you by All Things Jabu:

Boris Becker:

The German Maestro was the first German, the first unseeded player and the youngest ever player to win Wimbledon when he triumphed over Kevin Curren in the 1985 (a vintage year in my family, I was born!) final. In total he collected 5 major titles and set the world alight. He of course spent time "Tiger Woodsing" it in broom closets, however his record, much like Tigers, can not be faulted. A definite highlight in his spell at the top was the great duel between him and Stefan Edberg, in a very Nadal-Federer kind of manner. He also helped Germany to win the Davis Cup in 1989. Read a biography of the cupboard bonking German here.

While we are talking tennis, it makes sense that we should bring up South Africa's favourite son, Wayne Ferreira

An Olympic silver medalist and an all round nice guy. Wayne Ferreira is the good guy of South African Tennis. He reached a career high ranking of 6th (1995) and held the record for playing in the most consecutive Grand Slams by competing in 56 between 1991 and 2004. This run was highlighted by twice reaching the semi finals of the Australian Open. He won 15 career titles and is still the most successful South African in the modern era. Remarkably had a P12 W6 L6 head to head record with Pete Sampras, possibly the greatest player of our era (no disrespect to Federer). And a ginger too!

Moving onto a different sport, it is only fair when talking about gingers who have excelled in sport, to bring up the evergreen Paul Scholes

The Manchester United hard man is the classic one-club man. He has been at Manchester United since he was 14 years old and has just surpassed his 36th birthday. He is the 4th highest capped player of Manchester United history behind Giggs, Charlton and Foulkes. He represented England 66 times and scored 14 times for the 3 lions. If ever a ginger has made his mark on European football it is Mr Scholes. He has won the premier league 9 times, the FA Cup 3 times and the Champions League twice.

Further into football we could look at Nicky Butt and Dirk Kuyt, but in the shadow of the man named Mr Scholes, these two are really just boring. So lets move on. After the Springboks managed to salvage some pride on the weekend, I am happy to ponder on rugby. Of course if you are thinking Rugby and Gingers, surely one man comes to mind. That man can only be Welshman Neil Jenkins. He was the first player to score 1000 international rugby points and one wonders if he had been at a team like the Springboks how much better it would have been! He played 87 times for Wales as well as 4 times for the British and Irish Lions. Amassing 1090 points in total. For South Africa we will always remember that his kicking was the difference in the 1997 Lions tour. He also endeared himself to Scots and Aussies worlds over when in the 1999 Five nations he kicked a touchline conversion to beat England 32-31, giving Scotland the title on points difference.

The other notable rugby player being ginger is Clyde Rathbone, but he is a chop. Nuff said.

Moving on to the home of the gingers, cricket. South Africa have been blessed with ginger fast men over the years in namely Mornantu Hayward, David Tebrugge and new boy Rusty Theron. But undoubtedly for me and also earning the "All things Jabu Best Ginger Sportsman" is the ex captain Shaun Pollock.

The son of the legendary Peter Pollock and nephew of the even more legendary Graeme Pollock, some say he was born with a cricket bat in his one hand and a cricket ball in the other. Cricket was always going to be in his blood! Considered by many as one of the greatest all rounders to play the game, he is also South Africa's all time leading wicket taker with 421 scalps. He played for his country a remarkable 108 tests and 303 ODI's. He will always be remembered for the 2003 blunder that led to South Africa being eliminated from the Cricket World Cup. Considered to have bowed out at the top of his game, but he will also be remembered as the only Ginger to unify a nation as opinion is not split on the great man.

Until next time, consider putting a ginger in your team, or don't.

JABU

Officialdumb!

First off I would like to apologise for the deafening silence. I have been on study leave and put everything else on the back burner for the month. But enough about me, lets talk about sport!

Wow, is it just me or has sporting officiating dropped to an all time low? I actually cant remember watching a game of late and having nothing to say about the referee. For those of you that don't know, I am a provincial field hockey umpire. I know that officiating is not the easiest thing in the world, however, I know its not the most difficult job.

Heart Surgery must definitely be more difficult, yet people who are adequately trained, are performing this on a daily basis with no mistakes. Officials cant be bothered to not make a mistake. Here I will just highlight some of the flaws I have seen of late:

South Africa vs Scotland rugby - Stuart Dickinson. Dickinson decided that while South Africa were playing rubbish rugby, he would also blow rubbishly. So much so that the Scottish commentators at one point said they would be very disappointed if they were South African with the decisions being made. The highlight was blowing Juan Smith for going off his feet at a ruck. Juan Smith was still on his feet after the whistle went, he hadn't moved. Shocking!

Arsenal vs Braga - Some European dude. The Uefa Champions League is seen as the best league in the world by many. However, it is not matched by the best referees. Braga were seen to dive about 10 or 11 times in the game, everyone of them being given as fouls. 2 of them leading to yellow cards for Arsenal. Eboue was then chopped down from behind and damaged medial ligament in his knee and not even a free kick was given. Then to top it all off Vela is taken out in the box. Stonewall penalty! No? You say HE DIVED! And promptly a yellow is shown. Its moments like that which will haunt you. Think Chelsea vs Barca a few years back even!

Tottenham vs Man Utd - Clattenburg. What a pathetic moment in English Premier League. Nani (Portuguese like Braga!) goes down by tripping over his own foot and in the process grabs the ball. He then proceeds to lie on the floor like a baby, while Gomes picks the ball up to play a free kick. Gomes moves away from the ball to kick it and Nani runs and knocks it in. The cherry on the cake is the referee just waved play on. I'm sorry United fans, but that was appalling refereeing.

South Africa vs Pakistan - Assoka da Silva. The ball missed amla's bat by a good spacing, yet again Amla was given out caught behind. Are you serious?

Football - Various. Time Wasting has been ludicrous. Teams like Stoke City will kick the ball out and take a minute to throw it back in. at the end of the day, 3 minutes will be added. Time wasting is the worst form of sportsmanship for me, because it isn't sportsmanship!

The thing is that we don't hear from refs afterwards, which I think is something that needs to change. When I umpire a hockey match I can tell you why I made each decision. I can also tell you that above all I am 100% consistent. If this was a card for you, the same is a card for your opponent. Another big problem in football.

Mike Dean (who brags about Arsenal losing when he refs) in an Arsenal game gave a red card to Laurent Koscielny for being the last man. The incident occurred 45 metres from the goal line and against the touch line. The very next week Ashley Young was mauled down by Wes Brown, the last defender, a mere 10 metres from goal, in the penalty box. Only a yellow card! Seriously dude, you are a (insert choice insult here)

All we want from refs is that they don't influence the result. We are asking for consistency, fairness and not being idiots. Is it too much to ask? I don't think so, I mean these days reffing is a profession. If I keep making mistakes at work I would get fired and that's without millions of bucks riding on my decisions!

Big Sporting weekend. Springboks try to redeem themselves (not likely), The Ashes heads into day 3 and 4, the EPL and of course the PSL. Lets hope these games are decided on skill and not referees being stupid!

Until next time, don't throw your remote at the TV, it will hurt you not the ref!

JABU

Jabu's 5 Favourite Sporting Fixtures

So as a warm up to my Currie Cup Final Preview (On Friday) I thought I would pick my 5 favourite sporting fixtures in a calendar year. Of course the countdown is from 5 back to 1. Please note these are completely biased to what I like and to my country!

5. Springboks vs the All Blacks

The All Blacks are the best team in the world for four years, and the Springboks are the best in the other. This game is what rugby is all about. Its physical, fast and tactically as good as it gets. The only thing missing is for the two best rugby nations in the world to meet each other in the World Cup Final! 2011 anyone?

4. The Proteas vs. Australia

They are the team who wins when it counts. They can be out of form but they still win. They are a team that we struggled against. But they are also a team we love to beat. It might not happen often enough, but playing Australia in cricket is something that is the pinnacle of the game. To be the best, you need to beat the best! All I have to say is 438.

3. Cheetahs vs. Lions

This is a big one for me. My group of friends all support the Lions and we have slowly but surely made it a bit of a tradition of attending the Lions home game. It is of course a tradition that is hurting me as both years have seen the Lions win with remarkable comebacks. The Cheetahs and Lions for many years played under the same Super 12 union of the Golden Cats. Ever since this it has been a rivalry worth noticing. Not always for trophies (except Currie Cup 2007), but an all out marathon of rugby anyway!

2. Kaizer Chiefs vs. Orlando Pirates

It might not be etched in history like my first choice, it still has a lot of history. Kaizer Moutang left Orlando Pirates and started a new team based on the team he played for in America, the Kansas City Chiefs. Kaizer Chiefs recently celebrated 40 years and while this in itself has not

caused the ire of Pirates fans, the success of Chiefs have. In the passed 10 years Chiefs have won countless trophies, Pirates have won one. November the 13th cant come quick enough!

1. Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspurs

For any regular readers, you will know that I am a massive Gunners fan. And as all Gunners fans know, there is nothing in the world bigger than the North London Derby. For a full history of the North London Derby go here.

I have been asked before if I would want to see Tottenham relegated, but i really wouldn't! I want to play Spurs twice or three times a season and beat them just as many times. If Arsenal were to finish 10th, it would only be stomach-able if Tottenham finished lower. True story

Until Friday

Enjoy the sport

JABU

A Timely lesson in class for Adebayor!

As Sunday bears down on the impending clash between Man City and Arsenal at Eastlands, we were gifted with the perfect scene just a few days prior to this. On Tuesday night the mighty Gunners played the unstoppable Shakhtar Donetsk and in so doing would come up against the former Gunner Eduardo Da Silva.

For a brief reminder of why we love Eduardo, he was an unknown who replaced Thierry Henry, and after 6 months or so, really started replacing Henry. I remember his falling over, over the shoulder goal against Everton. True Class! This was all disrupted by a Martin "His not that kind of player" Taylor horror tackle. It broke him in half, and did pretty much the same to the Gunners season!Eduardo was out for a year pretty much and even though he scored a wonder goal against Burnley on his return, the niggling injuries as a result of the original injury always stopped his return. So much so that last season with no fit strikers he was still left out in place of Arshavin as a central striker.He understood he needed to move on to play and spoke to the boss about it.

He was subsequently transferred to Shakhtar for 6 million and has now scored six goals for them this season. Upon being sold he wrote an open letter to the fans of Arsenal that was published on Arsenal.com. And truly, he showed his class. When asked if he would celebrate if he scored, he said no. He had simply too much love and respect for the Arsenal and the Fans. And as Murphy has prescribed in his law, Eduardo knocked away the consolation goal. It was something beautiful, something truly poetic. I have never in my life seen a crowd cheer for an opposition goal like that! Even the stadium announcer got in on the action!

The reason I bring this all up is simple. On Sunday Arsenal face Man City (Mini Arsenal). On sunday they face Adebayor. Emmanuel, please look at Eduardo and see the reason he is classy and you are not. Last season, Adebayor was money hungry and fought to be released from Arsenal in order to make more money. He left Arsenal with disrespect. When Arsenal played Man City he stamped on Robin van Persie's face and was somehow not sent off. He of course later scored a goal and ran across the field to show disrespect again to the Arsenal fans. Adebayor and class only go in the same sentence if you talking about how much he lacks it.

Who said you have to leave a club in a cloud of dust. Who said that at all. In recent times Pires, Henry and Eduardo have all received welcome returns. Adebayor should best hope he is injured on Sunday, although he is also lucky Wilshere is suspended, because that my son would be a red card worth taking!

Come on the Arsenal! and for one more time

ED . . .. . . . . . UARDO!!!!

And now for the Bonus Blog


Due to last weeks inability to post a blog, i have decided to treat you with a double bonus blog this week. The Currie Cup is down to its final. The best two teams (As much as it pains me to say this!) are in the final and a deserving winner will be chosen from this battle! Another thing that will happen after the final next week is the bok touring team will be announced. Below are the Jabu picks for the best player from each team in the season and the player I feel should be included in the Bok Squad. Please note I have only included the 6 teams that vie for the semi-finals and not the Puma's and Leopards


Sharks: Pat Lambie - The dynamic young utility forward has the ability to play at fullback, centre or flyhalf and would seem an obvious inclusion based on that versatility. Mvovo may get most of the Sharks credits this year, but Lambie wins the All things Jabu sharks player of the year award!


Bulls: I don't watch the bulls play, except when they play the Cheetahs or in Semi Finals. They lost all three of these games this year and no one player stood out for me. So I will go with Guthro Steenkamp just because I think he had a great tri nations when really the Springboks didn't.


Cheetahs: Coenie Oosthuizen - The try scoring prop, mentored by Os du Randt and plays a similar style of rugby. He is strong, direct and a great carrier of the ball. He always plays with a smile on his face and is pretty good in the scrums. In South Africa we keep producing great forwards and I think Coenie has every chance to be included in that category!


Western Province: Willem de Waal - A points machine, second only to Naas Botha in Currie Cup points history, a recent question was asked by commentators that if you could choose one player to take you a touchline kick to win a championship who would it be? Willem de Waal. As a Cheetahs fan I will never forget how he dictated play at Loftus one year. He is passed his prime in terms of age and will probably never feature for the Springboks, but he has done everything right to be considered and for that he can be proud!


Lions: Elton Jantjies - As previously discussed, I rank this kid very very highly and believe that he is going to have a promising career. It is a big win for the Lions that big money has arrived as no body will be able to steal this shining star for them. This man will win trophies wherever he plays. That i would bet about 20 cents on (I'm not much of a gambler, if you do want a bet, see here!)


Griquas: Bjorn Basson - 22 tries, he smashed the previous records and is a big loss to the Super 15 hopes of the Cheetahs franchise as he has decided to try (good pun i know) his luck at the Blue Bulls next year. Good Luck Bjorn!


Overall: I'm going to betray my heart here and move away from the Cheetahs, I will say that the best player of the season of the lot will go to Elton Jantjies. Not only for his own performances, but for what he did to reinvigorate the Lions. Well done young chap!


Until next time. Enjoy the Sport


JABU

Commonwealth Games - SA's got talent

As the commonwealth games held in Delhi got underway, I spent a moment reflecting on who I think would bring back medals for the South African team. So here they are my pick of medal winners, disappointingly my first three on the list would have been the Mulaudzi, Mokoena and Semenya but their injuries have meant we will have to look elsewhere!

7's rugby

I think this is a great place for us to target a team gold. Its been a tough year for the Sevens boks but I believe they are good enough to do us proud.

Hockey

Our women are looking mighty impressive, are in to the top 10 in the world and could easily sneak a 3rd place in the games. Our men will need to perform above themselves, but a good run of form could see them sneak a medal for our proud nation.

Netball.

I'm sorry, but we don't have a chance. We needed to beat England today, we got thumped. A looming match against the world champions New Zealand awaits. Unfortunately I cant see us getting through this one.

Athletics

My pick would be Commonwealth champion LJ van Zyl (Hurdles), Sunette Viljoen (Javelin) and Elizna Naude (Discuss) as our realistic medal hopes. But Athletics SA will be hurt by the withdrawal of the Big 3.

Lawn Bowls

We are quite good at this and if we can get a good start there is no reason why we cant win any medals. We have men and women in singles, pairs and triples. I would back South Africa to win 3 medals in these 6 events through the likes of Gideon Vermuelen and Gerald Baker

Swimming

Once again this will be our flagship sport with medals going for Le Clos and Du Toit as well as the 4x100 relay already. We can expect more medals from Flag carrier Cameron van der Bergh, Jean Basson, Darian Townsend, Roland Schoeman as well as more for Chad Le Clos and Natalie du Toit.

Archery and Boxing

We have four athletes taking part in each of these disciplines, but I unfortunately know nothing of this sport! Lets hope for a few medals here!

Cycling Track

Well we have a decent sized team here it will be very difficult for our team against the Australians, New Zealanders and the English! Maybe we can sneak a medal in?

Shooting

We have won shooting medals in the past and I would like to see two medals between the four competitors.

Table Tennis

I cant believe we have a team. They are unknown from my side, but lets hope they can beat the Asian contingent!

Weightlifting and Wrestling

I'm again not well informed on these sports but with the sizable contingent that we have lets hope for 5 medals from this lot

GENERAL

In 2006 in Melbourne we won 12 gold, 13 silver and 13 bronze. Our goal has to be an improvement on this. We finished 5th overall behind England, Canada, India and Australia. Our best hope is to move into the top 4 this time round.

I believe we have a strong side with a great balance and we can achieve a lot. To follow the happenings go here.

Until next time. Enjoy the Sport

JABU

Why I wish I was European

Okay okay, dont get me wrong, Im so proudly South African it hurts at times. But there is one major reason i wish I was European. Okay the lack of a need for a VISA would be nice, but the actual reason is a simple three words:

THE RYDER CUP

The Ryder Cup is one of my all time favourite sporting events. Its one of the few times Golfers put aside their need for individual glory and play as a team. The pride of winning for ones nation far eclipses the pride of winning for ones self. As a massive fan of team sport, this is my favourite golf tournament. A lot may say that as a South African I should be a bigger fan of the Presidents Cup (which consistently features 3 or 4 South Africans), however the Presidents Cup is not quite as special as the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup is etched in history and is truly an amazing tournament. The likes of Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, Bernard Langher and the list goes on and on. It was started in 1927 and USA have one 25 and lost 10 in the history.

Watching the Opening Ceremony yesterday, it was apparent to me how much this means to the players. There were serious focused looks on there faces and a steely determination to win. The American team looked closer and have a better relationship with their captain (except Stewart Cink who got left out of the announcement!) but this is understandable from a team desperate to break a 17 year away losing streak.

Europe of course will be looking to bounce back themselves from the defeat two years ago in America.

The European Team consists of 6 rookies but they look good:

Name (World Ranking) - Comment

Lee Westwood (3) - 7th Ryder, Mister Consistency over the last 18 months. I really hope he gets to take on big Phil in the singles in what will be a classic clash!

Rory McIllroy (9) - Rookie, All the talk is of a grudge match with Tiger Woods! Good times

Martin Kaymer (6) - Rookie, The PGA Champ is on form

Graeme McDowell (13) - 2nd Appearance. Will make a potent team with his countrymen Rory McIllroy

Ian Poulter (16) - 3rd Appearance. The Arsenal Fan will be the most likely to chirp Tiger of all the golfers. and they playing together in the opening game! LOVE IT

Ross Fisher (27) - Rookie. He has choked before, I wouldnt bet my house on him. But he is there on form not captains choice

Francesco Molinari (32) - Rookie. The italian is untested (I dont know much about him!)

Miguel Jimenez (42) - 4th Appearance. His experience could be telling and is a huge fan favourite

Peter Hanson (42) - Rookie. The Swede is a no frills no spills golfer. I like it!

Captains Picks

Edoardo Molinari (15) - Rookie. Francesco's brother. I dont know much about him except he won the Barclays and Johnny Walker this year. Nuff said

Luke Donald (8) - 3rd Appearance. The fourth and final Englishman (I hope thats not a sign of things to come!)

Padraig Harrington (22) - 4th Appearance. The Irishman is a nice guy all round and would be my first pick everyday!

The American Team will feature Tiger Woods:

Phil Mickelson (2) - 8th Appearance. Big Phil is good. I really want a Mickelson Westwood round. Please Mr Pavin and Montgomerie are you listening???

Hunter Mahan (14) - 2nd Appearance. Winner of the Bridgestone Invitational this year

Bubba Watson (24) - Rookie. The owner of the coolest name in golf

Jim Furyk (5) - 7th Appearance. The winner of the Fed Ex Cup. The nicest guy in golf

Steve Stricker (4) - 2nd Appearnace. Undefeated as Tiger Woods partner. Surprised Woods doesnt stray!

Dustin Johnson (12) - Rookie. Disappointed in the final major of the year.

Jeff Overton (48) - Rookie. I know very little about Mr Overton to be honest.

Matt Kuchar (11) - Rookie. Picked up two wins on the tour this year!

Captains Pick

Zach Johnson (19) - 2nd Appearance. Solid Masters winner. Always a good pick

Tiger Woods (1) - 6th Appearance. Enough Said

Stewart Cink (35) - 5th Appearance. The owner of the title of "Ruining the biggest golf fairytale in history by beating Tom Watson on the last day, you idiot!"

Rickie Fowler (33) - Rookie. Who??? he looks 13!

I think it is poised to be a great weekends action. I think that the European team will shade the cup this year!

Follow all the action on the official website here.

Until next time, enjoy the golf!

JABU

Legacies Live via Longevity

How pathetic are some sports teams these days? Oh you lost two games did you? you are fired! WHAT? The team had a highest ever finish last year and we won the cup. YES, BUT YOU ARE STILL FIRED!

There is far too much of this going on. In the PSL we have already had two coaches sacked this season. There have only been three league games so far. So we are losing a coach every 1 and a half games! so at this rate we will lose 20 coaches in the league this season. There are only 16 teams. We have built a culture in sport that immediate success is punished. This is a bad idea.

If the Bulls had employed this policy then Frans Ludeke would have been fired! He took over in 2008 and finished 10th in the super 14 and runner up in the currie cup. People were calling for his head, but the blue bull company said no. We have faith in this guy. There patience has been rewarded. Back to back Super 14 along with current Currie Cup champions.

Look at Sir Alex Ferguson. He was nearly fired back in 1988 after a bad start. The board decided to stick with him after much debate and we know exactly how that turned out for Manchester United. Arsene Wenger has been allowed a long term to help take Arsenal to the next level. Sure we may not have won the trophies that United have, but we are in a much better financial position, in a new stadium, with a new logo and play a brand of football that can merely be described as AWESOME! In David Moyes, Everton have the third longest serving manager. From a team who were fighting relegation every year they have become a team who are as good as any other in England and qualifying for Europe is a common occurrence these days.

In South Africa Gavin Hunt has been given a chance and he has now won 3 titles in a row. I am glad to see Kaizer Chiefs didn't do the usual thing and fire a coach after one season. I like Vladimir Vermezovic. I think Chiefs play a good mix and we have a team this year that will push all the way for the PSL trophy. Patrice Motsepe could learn a lesson from the mighty amakhosi.

In rugby we saw what backing a coach could do for a team. Jake White in 2006 would have been fired if he was a PSL coach. Yet he was given the chance and we are still reigning world champions. That was also why I feel Jake White was being a chop. When he was almost fired he got cross, when P Divvy was almost fired he jumped on the bandwagon saying FIRE HIM! I think we have a good squad and this was the wake up call Div needed. I still believe we will be a major contender at the world cup next year!

In other news, All Things Jabu didn't make the top 2 for the best sports blog, but for a newbie blog I am very grateful for the support of everyone of you! My friends at paddlesweep.net are in the top 2 and All Things Jabu proudly holds thumbs for them on Saturday night.

And lastly for today, FIFA 11 is launched next week. Pre order your copy on Kalahari.net (its a discounted price!).

Remember, Once Tottenham have one the FA Cup, turn off the playstation. 4-1 4-1 4-1 4-1 4-1!!!

So until next week, look to longevity for your legacy!

JABU

The Spanish Armada Marches On!

Good day ladies and gents (here forth known as insert catchy name for followers here), on this Tuesday the 14th September. So let’s look at what’s on my mind today.
When 2010 started, there was a feeling of pure joy here in South Africa. The biggest event in the world is coming and we will be the hosts. The whole world will be watching us. The “Gees” will be amazing. This will be our year. And true, many will think of South Africa when they think of 2010, but undeniably the year of 2010 belongs to Spain. In the year that has passed we have seen some truly incredible Spanish victories and the year aren’t finished yet. Sure we could talk about the fact that there hockey women lost to ours, but let’s focus on the big things.

Spain are the Fifa World Cup champions and will hold this title for the next four years. They currently have 9 players in the top 40 of world football according to the Castrol index. They are also the Euro champions and to top off their domination of World Football a Spanish team (Barcelona) are currently the World Club champions. For the first time in my life one team is completely dominant. France in the late 90’s were great, but their club sides didn’t dominate either!

The only race that really matters in Cycling is the Tour de France. Although many of you will know my feelings on cycling and the Tour de France in specific, there is no doubting that the best extreme cyclist in the world right now is Alberto Contador. He dominated the Tour this year and deservedly triumphed in the Paris. Alberto Contador is a Spaniard.

Next we will look at the first tennis player since Rod Laver to hold Wimbledon, the French Open and the US Open at the same time. Yes it is the one and only Rafa Nadal. Pundits all over the world wrote him off due to injury plagued 2009. He has troublesome knees and will never be that good at the hard court season. He decided to re-invent his game and the now 24 year old has become the outright favourite for the Laureus Sportsman of the year. He has now won 9 majors and should he stay fit he will comfortably beat Roger Federers record haul of majors. I was never a fan, but I was amazed at his comeback this year.

The other man I would like to talk about is Fernando Alonso. I am a McLaren fan and as a result also a Lewis Hamilton fan. I don’t like Fernando Alonso. However, I would like to point out how brilliant he was at Monza this weekend. What a win for the Ferrari team. Alonso has not had a great car, yet with just 5 races left he is within a win of the leadership of the championship and the way this year is going I wouldn’t be surprised if he won this again.

In the two wheel version of the sport, Jorge Lorenzo is running away with a championship that was previously owned by Valentino Rossi. He is currently 63 points clear and is just riding through the motions of winning the championship. And would you believe it? He is Spanish!

And in completely other news, a Spanish speaking country won the Women’s Hockey World Cup! Congratulations to the Argentineans! Well done to the South African women too, except for a harsh call against India, they could have finished 9th. As the lowest ranked team at the World Cup we can surely be proud of this and build on it!

So in leaving you this week, I leave you with this thought. If you really want to win something this year, hope for luck, or alternatively get a Spanish passport!

In sport
Jabu

On a side note. Thank you once again for all the votes! Please keep voting for All Things Jabu and any other categories if you are keen! Please leave comments if you would like to see change!

Deadline day with Hockey and No Balls

What a disgrace.

Match fixing has reared its ugly head once again and the cricketing world collectively sighed that the ugly beast has not left the sport! 9 years on from Hansiegate the Pakistan players agreed to bowl no balls at certain times and above is an image of how bad the overstep was! (3 times!) The game of cricket is in shock. The sporting world is in shock. I am not shocked at all! Match fixing, spot fixing and other fixing have been a big part of the cricket world for a long time! And the sad thing is the Pakistani's are always involved somehow. Many feel that Hansie took the flak for many in 2001 and with the new outbreak of this virus it may very well be that others who avoided the axe are soon going to be staring straight into it.

Can we ban betting on cricket? I don't think so. The ICC have no control over the betting world and if the bookmakers wanted to bet on what time i would wake up in the morning, they could do with very little input from me. Once again something that I mentioned in a previous post ("Cheaters never prosper, till they do") I again think the only way for cricketers to avoid this is if the punishment is severe and harsh! Take away the one thing that makes them cheat, the sport itself. It was an easy decision to ban Hansie, why not do the same to the disgraceful Pakistani's!

I HATE CHEATING!

Onto deadline day in the footballing world, this event is like a full moon, except it only happens twice a year, but much like a full moon, more often than not it turns out to be disappointing! My mind goes back to 2006 (When the deadline ended at midnight), Arsenal and Chelsea made the surprise swap of Cashley Cole and William "now a spud" Gallas in a great eye catching deal. In 2008 we saw the deadline deals for newly found money bags getting the outrageously disappointing Robinho and Manchester United getting the lazy looking Berbatov. But with the weaker economy, the new premier league rulings and the lack of available class, the past two seasons have been very disappointing. The big news that came through is that Spurs were allowed to bend the rules and sign Van der Vaart after the transfer window, however it must be said VDV 8 million, Bebe 7 million, i hate to say it but Spurs beat United in this one! The nice news from deadline day was that African hero Asomoah Gyan went to Sunderland in the biggest transfer of the day (Which should help him overcome this) and former Gunner Hleb went to Birmingham instead of Liverpool and Spurs.

The disappointment is surely this for South Africans:
World Cup Squad (team before world cup/ team after world cup)
Khune (Chiefs/ Chiefs)
Josephs (Pirates / Pirates)
Walters (Maritzburg/Maritzburg)
Khumalo (Supersport/Supersport)
Booth (Sundowns/ Sundowns)
Gaxa (Sundowns/ Lierse)
Masilela (Macabi Haifa / Macabi Haifa)
Mokoena (Portsmouth / Portsmouth)
Ngcongca (Racing Genk / Racing Genk)
Sangweni (Arrows / Arrows)
Thwala (Pirates / Pirates)
Moriri (Sundowns / Sundowns)
Davids (Ajax CT / Ajax CT)
Dikgacoi (Fulham / Fulham)
Modise (Pirates / Pirates)
Lethsoloanyane (Chiefs / Chiefs)
Tshabalala (Chiefs / Chiefs)
Pienaar (Everton / Everton)
Sibaya (Rubin Kazan / Rubin Kazan)
Khuboni (Arrows / Arrows)
Nomvethe (Swallows / Swallows)
Mphela (Sundowns / Sundowns)
Parker (Twente / Twente)
This means that we have two players playing in the big leagues (England, Italy and Spain). Only two players play champions league (Parker and Sibaya). If we want to be world beaters we need our players to play against the best there is on a regular basis! Mphela should have gone to Birmingham, Tshabalala should have gone, Khune should have gone. I love the PSL and am an avid chiefs fan, but Bafana comes first and these players can only grow by playing the best.

A last thought on the transfer window. I really feel the window should close at the end of July, keep it open for two months. by keeping it open you change the dynamics of leagues already started all around the world and this is a problem in my eyes!

On an ending note this week. Hockey. This is a sport close to my heart. For those that don't know, i still coach and manage provincial hockey although i have now stopped playing the game. The South African women are competing in the world cup currently. They beat Spain 2-1. for you to understand Spain have professional hockey, South Africa don't. This is a great result and hopefully the ladies can continue to fly the flag as high as they do in preparation for the Commonwealth games in Delhi in November.

JABU's PICKS
2 out of 3 again last week. Here are the pick for this weekend:
The big 4 to go marching on in the US Open (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray)
Bafana to spark a frenzy in Nelspruit by winning by more than 2 against Niger
The Springboks to end the tri nations with a comfortable win by more than 10

Closing notes
Thanks to all those that nominated. All things Jabu is now a finalist for the SA Blog Awards 2010. Please keep voting if you like the blog. Or comment if you want change!

Until next week. If you are asked to bowl a no ball, please say no!

JABU

If you are good enough you are old enough

An interesting thought has been through my mind again this week. You see the Springboks lost again, albeit after what I thought was a very bad call in not seeing the forward pass before the lack of evidence try for Richie McCaw, and my thought is if ever there was a time to try some youngsters out it would be now. If the full strength Boks lose on Saturday morale will be at an all time low and though some will say look at our season in 2006 when we got annihilated, yes, but there were also some players rested. If we selected some fringe players and they lost a close game it would give hope. Some youngsters who have impressed me in the currie cup include Elton Jantjies from the Lions, Coenie Oosthuizen from the Cheetahs and Pat Lambie from the Sharks. Please note Province and Bulls fans, I only watch the highlights for your teams unless you are playing Cheetahs. I also wouldn’t mind seeing Robert Ebersohn given a chance and we all know Lionel Mapoe (Sharks or Cheetahs, who knows!) is definitely in the thinking of P-Divvy. I also think we would have been justified to Aplon and De Jongh in the starting line up, but Im just a blogger not the national coach. All I do know is that come Saturday, whoever is in the springbok team will get my cheers.


On a similar note, as an Arsenal fan we have under Arsene Wenger become a team who believe that if you are good enough you are old enough. Case in point is the obvious Cesc Fabregas who played regular first team action from the age of 16. This is being shown again through the likes of Jack Wilshere, Kieran Gibbs and even Nicklas Bendtner. You see Mr Wenger does not look at age, but rather quality. This worked wonders with Sir Alex and his boys in the early 90’s. The reason i bring this up is simply due to the new home grown ruling in England. I like the rule and the way it benefits youngsters. I really see more young stars coming through, I mean two 21 year old Englishman scoring hat-tricks this weekend is testament to this. However what this will do to the established players is one place the system still needs justifying. Craig Bellamy at Cardiff, doesn’t sound right.


I recently attended the South African Under 16 Boys Inter Provincial Hockey Tournament, or Nationals for short. I was the manager of the Southern Gauteng B side. In the A side we had a 14 year old boy who I wish I could have had this player in the teams I was coaching a few years back. At the age of 14 (turning 15 this year) the youngster made the South African Under 16 Team. He is good enough, therefore he is old enough.


A quick recap of the big sports on the weekend.
The Springboks lost and New Zealand regained the tri nations that they last held in 2008. The Currie Cup saw two humdingers in Bulls – Griquas and Pumas – Lions, while the Cheetahs showed the hapless Leopards are out of their league and the Sharks became the first team to beat Province. I would still venture as far as to say that will be the final this year.
We also saw 38 goals in the premier league second weekend with some scores resembling tennis more than football, 6-0 6-0 6-0! Speaking of tennis, Fed Express won his first tournament since January and quickly people are proclaiming him as US Open favourite, but I think he will fall short again!
Caster Semenya continued her brilliant return by remaining undefeated with a scintillating time. The MTN 8 also happened with Sundowns losing the most ridiculous penalty shootout i have ever seen. Chiefs and Pirates have been drawn in the double legged semi and yet another Soweto derby serves to undermine the value of this derby game. I mean they are now guaranteed to meet 5 times this season with two cups still to play! Seriously!


Jabu's Sports star of the week

Andy Caroll. The newcastle number 9 produced a performance that the previous number 9 would have been proud of (Alan Shearer) in scoring a hat-trick against Aston Villa in the Toons comfortable 6-0 win!



Jabu's Picks for this weekend
Lets quickly look at last week, I got the SA vs NZ game wrong, but the Sharks and Kaizer Chiefs victories correct. So can i better 2 out of 3 this week?
Chelsea to concede for the first time this season
Frans Steyn to kick a 55+ metre penalty as the springboks finally get a win
Red Bull Racing to qualify in pole position in Belgium.


Closing Note
To all those that have nominated me for the SA Blog Awards thank you very much. To those that haven’t, if you enjoy the blog please do so. Just follow the link in the top right corner. If you don’t like it, thats fine too. May i recommend you go onto the SA Blog Awards website and see some of the other great blogs there. I will give a personnel recommendation to http://www.paddlesweep.net/ it is truly a great read!
Until next week,
JABU!

Whats happening in Sport

Sorry for the delay my people. I got somewhat sidetracked! Lets have a look at whats been happening in the world of sport

GOLF

The final major of the year took place and the unfancied German Martin Kaymer won. This of course was without controversy as Dustin Johnson was given a two shot penalty that meant he could not partake in the playoff! Now just for you to understand, he was punished for grounding his club in a bunker. Now in fairness this has always been a rule, but when seeing the replay you too might be somewhat surprised at that being called a bunker. No South Africans in the top 10 though, so the elation of the last major was not quite matched and you have to start to wonder if Ernie will ever win another major.

In other golfing news, the 8 automatic qualifiers for the Ryder cup are now decided. For the first time in his professional career Tiger Woods failed to qualify. He most likely will still get a captains pick form Corey Pavin, but its hard not to wonder how badly he has fallen. Tiger Woods is no longer the hurricane force that he once was.

CRICKET

So in a brief note about cricket, South African captain Graeme Smith has decided to resign from the T20 side and will step down as ODI captain post 2011 world cup. I for a long time have felt that we should treat our teams separately for T20 specifically and think Johan Botha will make a great captain. If Smith is on form and warrants a place then let him be there, but an out of form Smith as captain can hurt a team.

Also the Airtel Champions League is poised to start here in South Africa. I think this makes us the only country to have hosted all of the big 3 T20 events. The World T20, The IPL and the champions league. Once again this just underlines the brilliance of South African in sport hosting

SOCCER / FOOTBALL

Well the great thing was that Bafana Bafana followed up their world cup victory over France with a very creditable win over World Cup fan favourites Bhaghana. Pitso Mosimane, definitely my choice for Bafana coach kept the principles and played the players who deserved a game. Two strikers was a lot more positive and Katlego Mphela continually underlines his brilliance for the national squad.

Furthermore the English premiership and Scottish Premier League got underway this weekend. Chelsea demolished Wigan, United beat an average Newcastle, Arsenal were gifted a point by Pepe Reina, Moneybags Man City were lucky to get a draw at a team with no class. But the story of the week was definitely Blackpool back in the premier league for the first time in 40 odd years winning away from home 4-0. They are a club that stick to their principles and have a salary cap more in line with the 3rd division but what a success story! Rangers and Celtic kicked off with wins, but far from anything close to resembling comfortable. For all the goals of the premier league this week click here

And of course special mention goes this week to Spurs. Young boys 3-2 spurs! LMAO

TENNIS

Andy Murray beat Federer and Nadal in claiming the Toronto Masters. But most importantly South African no 1 Kevin Anderson has moved up to 76th in the world. It is great credit to the hard work he has put in. He is now poised to receive an automatic qualification into the US Open. Truly great signs for the South African Davis Cup team

RUGBY

Possibly the greatest captain in Rugby Union history is set to win his 100th cap in front of a crowd of 90 000. I think any debate about the form of John Smit needs to be set aside and we all need to give respect to the man who every other country wish they had. I hope we can win the world cup next year and he can bow out with the ultimate achievement! In a weeks time another great servant of south african rugby will get his 100th cap at the most appropriate stadium. Congratulations to both John Smit and Victor Matfield on the brilliance of the careers.

The boks tackle the all blacks on Saturday and i can see the Boks scraping a win. Of course hopefully we don't have anyone sent off in the first 10 minutes.

The Currie cup reaches the halfway stage this week with a humdinger of a game in Durban. I think that the Sharks might take it this week, but it could be narrow.

I also would like to vote my Currie cup star of the week last week (this is a feature i will likely add again next week), it has to be Elton Jantjies. The young flyhalf broke my Cheetah supporting heart with a display that strangely brought back the joy of Carlos Spencer. This boy has a great future, but i hope he stays at the lions for a while longer to reap the benefits of training with "King Carlos"

JABU'S PICK THREE FOR THIS WEEKEND

As mentioned already the first one will be in the Currie cup. The Sharks to beat Province by less than seven.

My Second is going to be for the ultimate bore draw in a 0-0 for Man City vs Liverpool.

Lastly i am going with Kaizer Chiefs to beat Bloem Celtic by two in the Quarters of the MTN8.

All eyes will be on Soweto on Saturday, but sport will be everywhere this weekend.

In sport of course!

JABU

The Jabu Predictions for 2010/11 EPL

As the English premier league is a meagre week away now, its that time of the year when I look to put my neck on the line and make a prediction of the EPL. So here it is from first to last, my pick for how the season will finish:

1. Arsenal - Yes, yes, im a gunners fan. But that aside, we went close last year and have pulled off two good signings, i think this could be a great year for the gunners.

Key Player: Robin van Persie (if he stays fit, he will score 20+)

2. Man Utd - wow, isnt Javier Hernandez good. Its quite scary imagining United pairing him with Looney Rooney. I think Sir Alex has proven he can get average players to perform (think Butt, neville, O'Shea and Fletcher), combined with the quality of the up front men they will be the biggest threat for me

Key Player: Wayne Rooney (its not only coincidence that he played badly and England played badly)

3. Chelsea - Im not impressed by Chelsea. i think they are distinctly average and yes they peaked at the end of last season, however none of their stars had a good world cup and are looking very much like world cup hangover could leave them lagging early on in the season. They are ageing at a scary rate and if Cech gets injured they are in big trouble as Turnbull has Flapianski skill unrivalled!

Key Player: Didier Drogba (he was the catalyst last year)

4. Liverpool - I am a huge fan of Roy Hodgson and believe that Liverpool (should torres stay fit) will regain their place as a member of the big 4.

Key player: Fernando Torres (much like van persie, needs an injury free season)

5. Man City - its only a matter of time before they break into the top 4, however they make very wierd signings! I still believe Mancini is the wrong man for Man City. He is too defensive! I also am very interested to see who they have to get rid of due to the new 25 player ruling.

Key Player: Yaya Toure (25 million for a defensive mid, he better marshall that defence like a fat kid guarding the last piece of cake)

6. Everton - Again, i am a very big fan of David Moyes and the work he has done at Everton. In Cahill, Arteta and Pienaar they have players that would fit into most teams starting 11. In Tim Howard they have a solid shot stopper who has definately grown since leaving United.

Key Player: Steven "Schillo" Pienaar (Mzansi's best)

7. Aston Villa - I think they have a good squad and should they hold onto James Milner they will be there and thereabouts again. They unfortunatley will not progress due to the lack of financial muscle.

Key Player: Richard Dunne (he was brilliant in defence with Collins last year, if they can keep it that miserly again they might push for higher honours)

8. Tottenham - Many will wonder how i can put them this low, but its simple. Spurs have proven over and over again that they can not cope with a European campaign. Should they fail to qualify they might be better off, but i would put an outside bet on them losing all 6 games after champ league group games (even if its against Blackpool!)

Key Player: Gomes (The Brazilian shot stopper kept them in it in the back half of the season last year and will need to perform similar heroics again this year)

9. Birmingham - They are a dirty team that ruined Eduardo's career. Their fans have no class and their manager is a ginger! but with Carson Yeung's money they are going to be a comfortable mid table team!

Key Player: Barry Ferguson (he has enjoyed his return to England much more under the ginger guidance)

10. West Ham - Avram Grant's performance as a manager in England is simply outstanding. West Ham are also free from the financial ridicule of the prior year with Gold and Sullivan's money and i see them returning to mid table where they belong.

Key Player: Scott Parker (the captain has the ability to inspire those around him)

11. Stoke City - They are a team that don't lose many home games and that has been the foundation of their success. I don't see much changing this season, expect them to rely heavily on Rory Delap's throw ins again

Key Player: Rory Delap (even though he cant play football, that throw in is lethal, as can be seen that teams would rather concede a corner!)

12. Fulham - It doesn't matter what Mark Hughes does this year, its going to seem boring in comparison to last seasons epic Europa league run that got manager Hodgson a bigger job!

Key Player: Bobby Zamora (possibly should have been included in the England shambles of a world cup squad!)

13. Blackburn - Sam Allardyce will always have an average team, but hey thats Allardyce. They will punch, kick, hijack and possibly shoot you if you have the ball, but it works for them.

Key Player: Paul Robinson (He will have lots of work to do. His team will also only score one or two in a game meaning a clean sheet is imperative)

14. Sunderland - I think they are seriously going to miss last seasons captain Lorik Cana, they have replaced him with a bunch of unknown players and it could see them involved in an ugly scrap to stay up

Key Player: Darren Bent (he scored 50% or more of Sunderlands goals last year, one with the assist of a beach ball!)

15. Newcastle - The team that were too good and too big to go down, really were too good to go down. In history that will be one of the biggest disappointments in EPL. They should stay up this season unless there are more manager-go-rounds

Key Player: Jonas Gutierrez (the Argentinean had a decent world cup and is good on both defense and attack)

16. Bolton - They look better under Coyle, but i still think there is some time to go before he completely changes their style into his. There are rumours that they could sign Tom Cleverly on loan from United, that would be a great coup.

Key Player: Gary Cahill (There is a reason a lot of big clubs are interested in the Englishman and he has a sweet shot on him too!)

17. West Brom - I like their style and for that i will give them the nod over Wolves. The perennial yo-yo club really need to do it ugly and make sure they stay up!

Key Player: Roberto di Matteo (he holds the record for the quickest FA Cup final goal, but can his limited management skills keep WBA up?)

18. Wolves - Mick McCarthy is a terrible commentator, but not too bad a manager. Wolves were never likely to stay up last season, but they did and that is to his credit!

Key Player: Kevin Doyle (a player who has the right qualities for a team in the bottom half of the premiership. A good fighter and great leader of the line!)

19. Wigan - they simply don't deserve to be in the premiership. losing 9-1 and 8-0 last year is poor. they may even come last.

Key Player:Hugo Rodallega (His ten goals last year was the only surviving factor)

20. Blackpool - They should enjoy the experience, but i cant see them doing anything fancy. i think Cardiff would have been better suited to the premiership, but Blackpool were entertaining in the playoff. Hopefully they do better than the last playoff winners Burnley!

Key Player: Brett Ormerod (its his goal that got them up, can his goals keep them up?)

Thats all for now!

JABU