Redefining Excellence, One Handoff at a Time

“He’s a winner.”

For many fans, that is the trump card in any discussion about N.F.L. quarterbacks, the kill shot that negates contrary arguments based on statistics, scouting reports or other empirical evidence. “So what if he generated only 225 yards of offense, scored just 10 points, and needs the entire playbook turned inside out to achieve even minimal success. He’s a winner. Case closed.”

The “he’s a winner” mantle is not new. It has been passed around for decades, from young quarterbacks to career backups on hot streaks. Now that Tim Tebow is wearing it, however, it has attained an almost hypnotic ability to overwhelm reason. The conscious mind cannot reconcile his 4-1 record as quarterback of the Broncos with his ineptitude as a passer, so the mind snaps and creates a narrative in which scoring 27 offensive points in two weeks is somehow a hallmark of excellence.

Tebow appears to be redefining the quarterback position in a way that renders passing, regularly sustaining drives and consistently scoring points irrelevant. He runs keepers and read-option plays. He hands off. He throws the occasional screen pass, often for minimal gain, and sometimes looks downfield in confusion before galloping out of the pocket. The Broncos shrug their shoulders and punt on most drives, typically trail at halftime, and remain in games only because their defense manages to hold opposing offenses well below 20 points.

Nothing that happens in a Broncos game is relevant until the fourth-quarter magic, some of which tangentially involves Tebow’s doing something good. Against the Dolphins, the Broncos recovered an onside kick, then an overtime fumble, then kicked a 52-yard field goal. The victory over the Raiders featured a punt return for a score and a 24-yard touchdown by running back Willis McGahee. The Chiefs game featured one long pass in the fourth quarter (Tebow’s second completion of the game) and an injury to Matt Cassel, which eliminated the threat of a Kansas City comeback. Denver’s final 95-yard drive against the Jets started with a receiver wriggling out of a tackle at his own 1. Tebow metes out two or three fine plays during these late victories, but they are the types of plays a good quarterback should routinely execute.

The Broncos’ victories are the obvious result of a great defense playing some terrible teams (Chiefs, Dolphins) or unprepared opponents (Jets, Raiders). But that is not how they are perceived. Instead, the familiar platitudes are marshaled.

“He makes plays when he has to,” except that in the N.F.L. you always have to, not just when there are 5 minutes 54 seconds to play. “He’s an incredible competitor,” but with the exception of Albert Haynesworth everyone who reaches the N.F.L. is an incredible competitor. Even if Tebow’s competitiveness goes up to 11 like Nigel Tufnel’s amplifier, it is minor compensation for the fact that even his own coach has said the Broncos cannot really throw the ball and hope to win. And of course, “he’s a winner,” which is solipsistic and inarguable.

Thursday was an ugly night for the Broncos’ offense. Denver converted exactly one first down before the final drive. Five times, the Broncos started drives in Jets territory, yet they entered the fourth quarter with 3 offensive points. Eight of the Broncos’ 12 possessions consisted of three or fewer plays. The Jets, meanwhile, could do nothing offensively, which is why they kept handing Tebow the ball around midfield. The question at the end of the game should not have been, “How did Tebow do it?” but “Why on earth did he have to?”

Watching Tebow play quarterback is like watching a television psychic perform a cold reading. He flails about, trying this strategy and that, looking lost and a little silly. Then suddenly, someone shouts, “That voice from the spirit world you are hearing whose first name begins with a J is my great-uncle Jasper!” Everyone gasps in awe and cheers wildly as Jasper delivers his otherworldly message of vagueness, and any skeptic who dares to point out the absurdity of it all is branded a hateful killjoy.

But quarterbacks with the “winner” label always cause headaches for the rational people among us. Fans eager to embrace a new hero apply the post hoc fallacy: the team won, therefore the quarterback must have done something wonderful. They mix in a little confirmation bias: those three good plays are a sign of greatness, so we can ignore the 53 bad ones. Communal reinforcement — even the guys on the talk radio show agree! — serves as a chaser. There is nothing wrong with any of this because fandom is about hope and emotional connections to players and teams, not rational thought. But to cut through the rhetoric and analyze and evaluate these quarterbacks, you are better off consulting the noted skeptics James Randi and Michael Shermer than the gang at ESPN.

If you need further proof that Tebow mania is just a new face on an old phenomenon, simply look at the quarterback who lost Thursday night’s game. Mark Sanchez was a “winner,” too, as recently as last year.

Remember the come-from-behind victories against the Lions and the Browns? The Sanchez bandwagon was in third gear after those games, explaining away three-plus quarters of inaccuracy and mediocrity. Many of the same experts who lauded Sanchez for his toughness, poise, leadership, courage and intangibles last year have been busily burying him in the last two weeks. Did Sanchez suddenly become less courageous and poised over the last 12 months? More likely, everyone saw, or pretended to see, something that was never there.

Crisis? What crisis? Sepp Blatter solves the world’s problems

Total global solutions: Sepp puts the world to rights. PHOTO: GETTY

That man Sepp is at it again, dismissing the idea that racism is a problem in football with typical élan. What would Sepp’s take be on other issues of the day?

On the Eurozone

“Okay, Europe’s bankers might have totally shafted the world’s economy a bit, but these things happen in the heat of the moment on the trading floor.”

On global warming

“I would deny it. There is no global warming. That would be if an ice cap actually attacked a polar bear, something like that.”

On Italy’s political crisis

“Obviously it was disgraceful what happened to Silvio – a dear personal friend and one of the most brilliant statesmen of the age. But now that they have dispensed with all that old fashioned “electing people” business, I am sure we will really see big improvements.”

On Kate McCann

“I do not know why she cannot just shake hands with the News Of The World people who published her private diary without permission and move on.”

On England rugby

“Why should Rob Andrew resign just because he is the figurehead of an organisation that has totally failed?

On Pippa Middleton’s break-up

“Perhaps if she had tighter shorts she could have held on to her man.”

Newcastle’s name game is glimpse of Stadiums Future

Another Ashley hit: Toon fans in their traditional posture upon hearing news of Mike's latest scheme. Photo: Mike King

Perhaps Mike Ashley simply finds the spectacle of crying Geordies funny. With the club enjoying their best on-field days since Keggy was in his managerial pomp, it takes a very special sort of owner to nonetheless plunge the fans into frustrated outrage. But Mike is a man who never stops thinking about how he can take his relationship with the Toon Army to the next depth, and it was inevitable that the shell suit magnate would sooner or later auction-off naming rights to the family home.

The argument that “a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet” holds no appeal for Newcastle fans who, not unreasonably, don’t feel too happy about roaring on their heroes in the Sports Direct Arena rather than St James’ Park (even if some are as shaky on the apostrophe as Titus Bramble dealing with a bouncing ball).

They should count their blessings: fans of MLS team FC Dallas have to root for the home team at the Pizza Hut Park. The NHL’s Nashville Predators until recently welcomed opponents to their intimidating Gaylord Arena. And what MLS fan could fail to be inspired by a trip to watch the Colorado Rapids at their prestigious Dick’s Sporting Goods Park? Closer to home, pity York City fans, obliged to create a cauldron of support inside Kitkat Crescent (née Bootham Crescent, and thankfully restored to its former glory once sponsors Nestlé moved on in 2010 before they could change it to the Baby Milk Bowl).

All in all, the Sports Direct Arena could be a lot worse. And with all the teams that aren’t owned by billionaires starting to feel the pinch, maybe a rubbish name for your beloved home ground is inevitable. At least Newcastle can enjoy some sort of early-adopter advantage, and hopefully get a decently named sponsor while there are still plenty to choose from. Newcastle United at Sony Park, or the Adidas Stadium, or the Coke Arena (even has ties with the region’s colliery past)… it might not be so bad.

Rather that than be one of the teams that leaves it too late and is forced, like a man ferreting for the wife’s Christmas present in a Christmas Eve panic at Superdrug, to pick up any old rubbish that has a half-familiar name and hope for the best.

In five years time, slowcoaches like Sunderland might have had to forgo the Stadium of Light for the Happy Shopper Arena, Liverpool might be playing their home games at Ovaltine Crescent and, if Lord Sugar for some reason decided to get back into bladdy football, poor Tottenham might even be turning out every fortnight at the Amstrad Stadium. All in all, it could be worse.

How to rehabilitate cricket: lock them all up

Lock him up: celebrations like Mario Baoltelli's will be a thing of the past. Picture: GETTY

It was, as many have said, A Sad Day For Cricket. On the other hand, it was a good day for the hang ‘em and flog ‘em merchants, who wanted books thrown, keys chucked away, levers pulled themselves, and seemed largely happy that porridge would be served. Personally, I’m not sure I’d wish a spell in Feltham Young Offenders’ Institution on my worst enemy – even on Anthony ‘Nipple Cripple’ Jackson, junior school bully par excellence. And especially not in a country where the convict didn’t speak the language, but many think that Mohammad Amir and the rest have got the least of what they deserved.

Elsewhere today, Neil Warnock wants the Chelsea fans who chanted a cryptic, although despicably-intentioned, chant about Anton Ferdinand to be locked up for two years. 24 months, for shouting? It wasn’t even on Facebook.

But perhaps this is the solution to all sport’s problems, big or small: just bang everybody up, all the time, for anything. Given the amount of free space in prisons, and their superb work in rehabilitating offenders, a hardline approach is clearly what is needed to save sport as we know it.

I suggest that the England ODI team’s top-order batsmen could do with a short, sharp, shock after their efforts with the bat in India. If 18 months in Parkhurst can’t get Craig Kieswetter working the ball around against the spinners, I am not sure what can.

And why should cricket be the only sport to benefit from this excellent jail-based system? Perhaps Andy Murray might not go on the defensive so readily in Grand Slam finals if he’d had three character-building years fighting off armed robbers with a sharpened toothbrush in the showers at Wormwood Scrubs. Would Rooney be corrupting the nation’s youth by swearing on television cameras if he was doing a ten-stretch in Pentonville? Of course not, unless he was being filmed for a fly-on-the-wall documentary by Channel 4. Lock them up: it’s the only language these pampered millionaires understand.

So, yes, a sad day for cricket – but from the tragedy, a glorious sporting future might emerge. One where ill-discipline and play-acting and bad language and handling the ball in the ruck are a thing of the past, because even the slightest infraction is punishable by a custodial sentence. The people best placed to dispense this firm but fair justice are, of course, our Premier League referees. And once Mario Balotelli, or a generation of future Mario Balotellis, find themselves using a bucket for a toilet and sharing a cell with a homesick, amorous, 350-pound safe-breaker called Len, the evil of over-celebrating a goal will be eradicated from the game forever. Let cricket be the guide: only prison can set us free.

Tailgating Recipe: The Diesel Bloody Mary

Tailgating life is easier when your game starts in the midafternoon or later. But an early game shouldn’t be an impediment. That said, while it’s true that it’s always noon somewhere, beer might not be right for some palates in the morning. Justin Haynie, a Falcons fan and owner of the Diesel Filling Station in Atlanta, helps get the day started with the Diesel Bloody Mary.

Newcastle must be taken seriously even if they still have questions to answer

The shock has faded, but the smiles are spreading. Newcastle United are not content with being the Premier League’s surprise packages, they want to become serious contenders again.

Most anticipate a slump at some point, most believe the Magpies have over-achieved after ten games, but nobody is denying they need to be taken seriously.

It may still be autumn and Guy Fawkes remains unburned, but a quarter of the Premier League campaign has already gone.

In case anyone needed reminding, Newcastle’s impressive 3-1 win at Stoke on Monday night moved them above Chelsea into third, one point behind Manchester United, three points ahead of Spurs, four clear of Liverpool and six better off than Arsenal.

Newcastle’s achievements cannot be dismissed as a flash in the pan success, their unbeaten start cannot be waved away as a quirk of the fixture list.

Detractors may point to their relatively easy run of games, but try telling Stoke City they are a push over at home. Try persuading Arsenal and Tottenham they are not good enough to play in the Champions League. All three have faced Newcastle this term and failed to beat them.

Stoke were made to look distinctly ordinary in front of supporters who have seen their side beat Liverpool at the Britannia Stadium this season and draw with Chelsea, Manchester United and Spurs.

Perhaps the biggest compliment I can pay Alan Pardew’s side is I wasn’t even surprised they won at Stoke.

Others were, most notably Gary Neville. The former Manchester United player has proven to be an excellent pundit for Sky Sports and was clearly impressed by what he had seen from the Magpies.

Not only did he concede that Demba Ba – eight goals in nine starts – was a far better player than he had ever given him credit for, he tipped Newcastle for Europa League qualification.

They will need some good luck along the way. Pardew has been careful not to say so publicly, but his squad lacks the strength in depth to cope with anything approaching an injury crisis.

Should either centre back, Fabricio Coloccini or Steven Taylor pick up an injury while Mike Williamson remains sidelined they are in trouble. Should Yohan Cabaye pick up an injury while Chiek Tiote recovers from a knee problem, it’s the same.

Foreign imports to English football normally start to feel the strain of a hectic schedule, the climate and the lack of a winter break around Christmas so we do not know how Cabaye, Ba, Sylvain Marveaux and, as he was injured last season, Hatem Ben Arfa are going to cope.

The fact Ben Arfa still cannot force his way into the starting line-up is encouraging of course and Marveaux provides cover for Obertan on the right, but there is not a specialist left-sided player to deputise for the industrious Jonas Gutierrez.

Newcastle are moving into unchartered waters and there are plenty of hazards waiting for them over the next month or so.

If Newcastle haven’t played anyone yet as some argue, they will play virtually anyone who is anyone in English football over the course of their next four games.

Everton arrive at St James’ Park this weekend, before the international break is followed by successive away games at Manchester City and United. After that Chelsea land on Tyneside.

Should Newcastle remain in the top four at the end of that daunting run of games, nobody can dismiss their European credentials.

Of course, there are other important questions to answer. The chief complaint against owner Mike Ashley and managing director Derek Llambias has been the club’s performance in the transfer market, so will that also change for the better now the club is on firm financial ground?

Will Newcastle resist bids for their star players in January? Will they look to strengthen the squad from a position of strength?

Striker Modibo Maiga is expected to arrive from Sochaux in the New Year, but is there room in the budget for another centre-back and a left-winger as well?

Finally, will Coloccini finally put pen-to-paper on the new contract that has been “virtually agreed” for more than a month?

There are murmurings of interest from Liverpool for a player who will have one year left on his current deal at the end of this campaign.

Kenny Dalglish has already stolen Jose Enrique and Andy Carroll – albeit paying hugely over the odds for the latter – from his former club, he must not be allowed to take another.

If Newcastle really want to be taken seriously again, they must stop their best players signing for a rival which, at the moment, they look strong enough to stand toe-to-toe with once more.

London 2012 Olympics: Team GB could prove lucrative for Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and the BOA

Brothers in arms: Rooney and Giggs could be a big attraction for Team GB at London 2012

There are three men who are genuine considerations for the over-23 spots in the Team GB football side at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

David Beckham is a shoe-in if only for the publicity and ticket sales he will generate.

But the other two names will convert the Team GB ‘Dream Team’ into a Team GB ‘Redeem Team’. They are Wayne Rooney and Ryan Giggs.

Both have appeared in the newspapers for the wrong reasons in recent years, with front page exposure about their private pursuits not nearly as welcome as the back page coverage of their sporting heroics.

What these players do in their personal lives may ultimately be of little relevance to their football skills, but competing in the London 2012 Olympics will surely give them an opportunity to present to the world a different side to their tabloid personas.

The London Olympic organisers need to shift a million football tickets and having such high profile personalities as part of the home football side is crucial to generating publicity- good or bad.

They certainly will guide the structure of play on the pitch. The degree of influence in helping to mould a cohesive national team – welcoming Welsh players Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey for instance – could enhance their leadership credentials.

Commercially the role is also a winner for the players. Technically they aren't paid for their time in the Olympic team, but some players have sponsor bonuses in their contracts that could be quite lucrative. Just being able to call themselves “an Olympian'” is a motivating factor.

The BOA is also in an interesting position if these players are selected for Team GB.

The bosses have already set lofty moral standards. We have seen them remain strong in the rejection of any athlete who has served a drug suspension, but the BOA's claim that competing for Team GB is a privilege and bears with it higher ethical responsibilities could be questioned by the over-23 player nominations.

Not that the Olympic athletes village is entirely clear of sordid speculation. Inaccessible to the media and the prying eyes of inconvenient spouses, it is fuelled with reports of record condom usage – something that may even shock a professional footballer.

Got Questions? Battista Has Answers

Is Christian Ponder for real after an impressive debut as the Minnesota Vikings’ starting quarterback? Does Plaxico Burress’s re-emergence and two straight victories mean the Jets are back? Should the Peyton Manning-less Colts pack the whole thing back onto the moving vans? Judy Battista, The Times’s N.F.L. reporter, will again answer selected questions from readers this week. Use the comment field below to ask your questions, and the answers will appear on The Fifth Down on Friday.

The gift and the curse of Newcastle United

Forget fourth place, forget unbeaten starts, the biggest success Alan Pardew has achieved is making Newcastle United fun to watch again.

For the first time since Kevin Keegan’s brief return as manager in 2008 – a largely unspectacular nine month reign that ended in an acrimonious departure and an explosion of supporter animosity to owner Mike Ashley – everyone is enjoying themselves at St James’s Park.

Before Keegan, you would have go to back to the Sir Bobby Robson years (1999-2004) – although even the end of those were soured by bitterness and resentment as an ageing support grew disillusioned by the constant near-misses under the grand old knight.

For the first time in years, Ashley and his right hand man Derek Llambias can come to games without hearing chants asking them to leave – although obviously in rather less polite terms – supporters can come to games with belief in their side and players can enjoy playing in an arena which has few rivals for atmosphere when it gets going.

Newcastle are never more dangerous than when their long suffering support sense they have something worth supporting again.

They are not unique in that, of course, but it had been forgotten for too long at St James’s Park. There are so many clichés that can be used, but I’ll go with the most simple. When Newcastle fans are at their partisan best, they really are like an extra man on the pitch. When they roar and they scream, sing and they shout.

Anyone who has played there knows how intimidating and intense it is, the only problem is that intensity has weighed too heavily on the shoulders of home, rather than visiting, players in recent times. Newcastle United were constantly in danger of becoming victims of friendly fire.

Things have changed this season. Even when Newcastle fell behind against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, there were no signs of disgruntlement in the stands, merely a desire to help lift the players.

By the end, after Shola Ameobi had pegged Spurs back for a second time, the stadium on the hill overlooking the city crackled with energy that fuelled Newcastle’s players as they went in search of a winner.

It is to Tottenham’s credit that they did not wilt because they were clinging on for a point and were mightily relieved to head home with one. That is what Newcastle’s support can do to you – just ask Arsenal.

That magnificent, memorable clash back in February was perhaps the moment those fans remembered how important they are.

At 4-0 at half-time, Arsenal were strutting peacocks, masters of all they surveyed, but they were shivering wrecks 45 minutes later.

I will never forget the confused faces on the Arsenal players as the home crowd cheered a corner and rose to urge the players on.

Once one goal went in, Arsenal’s cockiness was replaced by fear. The game ended in a 4-4 draw and earned instant acclaim as one of the Premier League’s best.

That sort of support in such an apparently hopeless position was alien to so many in the Arsenal ranks, as it had been to most Newcastle players in recent years. But on that day something changed for the better.

For the last few years, even during the successful promotion campaign from the Championship, opposition sides have known it does not take much to make the crowd turn on their own on Tyneside. Newcastle United were anything but.

If you could get Newcastle’s support to turn. If you could get them at each other’s throats, half the battle was won, but visitors to St James’s Park are once again more worried about getting their throats ripped out these days.

Few would have anticipated it in the summer, particularly once the window shut and Andy Carroll’s replacement still hadn’t been signed, but there is a feel good factor on Tyneside which has brought unity as well as momentum.

Results have been good, but more significantly in trying to explain the current mood, they have been unexpectedly so.

As well as being hard to beat, Newcastle have a threat going forward. They have natural width and pace and should Modibo Maiga, as expected, sign in January, they should have another player to put the ball in the back of the net on a regular basis alongside Demba Ba, who has notched five in his last three appearances.

The squad is small and unlikely to be able to handle injuries and suspensions, European qualification may well be beyond them because of it, but that cannot disguise the fact Pardew has built a team – with the help of chief scout Graham Carr – that plays with enterprise, spirit, speed and skill. That’s good enough for most who follow them.

There is a buzz around the city there has not been since Robson led them into the Champions League. You can feel it, sense it and I’m not even a Newcastle supporter (it will always be Leyton Orient for me).

Even during these times of financial uncertainty – the North East has the highest unemployment rate in the country – Newcastle United have done what they are supposed to do – they have made the city feel good about itself again.

Long may it continue, not just for Newcastle, but for the vibrancy and entertainment of the Premier League. In these days of billionaire owners, English football needs the rest to make the most of the strengths they have.

Newcastle United’s supporters are their gift and their curse. They can be too demanding, too expectant and they can crush those who do not provide them with what they want.

At the moment, they are a gift to Pardew and players who are thriving in the positive atmosphere they generate. The longer it lasts the longer Newcastle will maintain their challenge for Europe.

Tailgating Recipes: Sausage and Cheese Chowder

A Times article this week about the Milwaukee Brewers’ sausage race inspired some of those close to The Quad, The Times’s college sports blog, to demand a sausage-based tailgating recipe in time for this weekend’s games. We’ve already had mouths watering with a bratwurst stew, but it is difficult to turn down a request and, well, you can’t have too much tubular meat at a tailgate party. And thus The Quad presents a sausage and cheese chowder from a Packers fan.

OPLC has questions to answer over Olympic Stadium shambles

So, the Olympic Stadium, clanger or carve-up? Nearly 72 hours after the dramatic decision to abandon months of negotiations with West Ham we have little choice to make up our own minds.

The Olympic Park Legacy Company, the key body in the process, has had three days to issue a statement or offer some explanation for why it tore up a year’s work, but has still not uttered a word.

Sports minister Hugh Robertson has spoken at length about the threat of “legal paralysis” that prompted the decision, and the OPLC communications team say that for now the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, is “taking the lead”.

Not for the first time in the tortuous and flawed history of the stadium, that is a long way from being a satisfactory response.

The Olympic Stadium is a £500m public asset that will now have at least another £95m of taxpayer money spent upgrading it so it is fit to be rented to a football club.

Given that level of public funding the events of the last few weeks deserve proper explanation from OPLC chairman Baroness Ford and chief executive Andrew Altman. Granted, the pair inherited an ill-considered mess when they took on the stadium job, but we could still do with some answers.

Throughout Ford and Altman have been adamant that their process would be robust and would deliver a tenant into the stadium and a return to the taxpayer. Yet 10 months from the Olympic opening ceremony they still can’t tell us who will be using the stadium, how many seats there will be, what facilities it will have – beyond a track – or how much the return will be.

The OPLC say that Ford may be available to discuss what happened, and what happens next, next week. Here’s a few questions she, the government and the Olympic authorities might consider

Does the “legal paralysis” explanation really hold-water?

Tottenham and Leyton Orient were challenging the terms of Newham’s £40m loan to West Ham, claiming it breached European state-aid rules But from the outset the OPLC insisted that its decisions would be water-tight and that legal challenges had been anticipated, so they should have seen it coming.

Perhaps they did. Just 10 days ago I was assured by a senior OPLC source that the Spurs-Orient challenges were “baloney” and that the legal advice was unequivocal. The OPLC would win.

So what happened to turn Tottenham and Orient’s pile of “baloney” into “legal paralysis”? Could it be that new evidence provided by Orient made it far more likely that Newham-West Ham and the OPLC would lose? Or that the anonymous complaint to the European Commission had not been anticipated?

At the very least the OPLC’s legal due diligence looks questionable. If the Newham – West Ham finance package were to be declared illegal there would be no way back for the Hammers or the OPLC.

Legal sources have told me the same lawyers, Eversheds, have advised the OPLC on the bid process and the judicial review. Little wonder then that they keep getting the same answers.

There are a couple of other possible explanations for Monday’s Olympic-class U-turn

Could it be that the 2017 World Athletics Championship bid, a priority for Sebastian Coe as well as Robertson, became the most important factor in government thinking?

You might think that a case of the tail wagging a stadium-sized dog, but don’t underestimate the importance attached to securing a meaningful athletics legacy. It has driven every step of this process

One other thought, a question that West Ham might be able to help answer. Is it possible that the OPLC feared that Karren Brady and Co were considering walking away, or at the very least re-negotiating the terms of their deal?

With the government committed to a track come what may Spurs were definitively out of the race, making West Ham the sole bidder in an uncompetitive market.

In those circumstances I would have tried to renegotiate. Maybe they did too. And maybe that’s the real reason why the OPLC is now preparing tender documents for a £2m a-year rental agreement, with West Ham at the front of the queue.

Liverpool are right to raise anomaly of TV rights – but it is La Liga that should change

Ostensibly, it appeared that Ian Ayre, the Liverpool chief executive, had given a series of interviews to coincide with the one-year anniversary since Tom Hicks and George Gillett were successfully ousted as owners.

Yet, deliberately or not, the story today is not the changes at Liverpool over the past 12 months but his call for the Premier League to allocate more of their £1.4 billion from overseas television rights to its most popular clubs.

As it stands, the Premier League markets its product collectively and broadly shares the income.

It means that Manchester United, with their vast global fan-base, benefits just as much as Swansea City or Wigan Athletic from the sale of television rights to 212 countries outside the United Kingdom.

Liverpool have understandably pointed out that in some other countries, notably Spain, clubs sell their rights on an individual basis. It means that Barcelona and Real Madrid can generate considerably more income from this specific revenue stream than any English club.

Yet it also means that the smaller clubs in Spain’s La Liga earn dramatically less than their counterparts in the Premier League.

As a whole, La Liga also earns considerably less than the Premier League. The result? Barcelona and Real Madrid are exceptionally wealthy and well-placed to dominate in Europe while the rest of La Liga begin just about every season playing for third. Indeed, over the past two years, no club has finished within 20 points of either Barcelona or Real Madrid.

In that context, it is easy to understand the temptation for the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

They are the clubs with the largest global fan-bases and, in theory, the most to gain from selling their television rights individually. The wider and more long-term question, however, is just why those clubs have developed such a vast worldwide fan-base.

All of the evidence suggests that it has really snowballed during the incredible booms years of the Premier League. And why has the Premier League been so popular? Because it is generally very competitive. Widen the gap between the clubs and that key quality would be lost. The Premier League certainly subscribe to this theory and are certain that it is the collective strength of all the clubs which underpins its vast global reach.

In his interview, Ayre cited the 80,000 fans who came to watch Liverpool in Malaysia, but would they really have been so aware were it not for the type of league his club plays in?

In any case, the hard reality of the situation is that it is not the Premier League who Liverpool have to convince of their case. To pass a change in the way overseas television income is distributed, they would have to persuade a two-thirds majority of their rivals clubs. That’s 14 of the 20 Premier League clubs. Given that Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal are all opposed to the idea, it is clear that there is little prospect of change.

If Ayre cannot convince those who would most benefit, he has no chance of persuading others to sign up to something that would reduce their income and further cement the dominance of the elite clubs. It should also be noted that Ayre’s comments have been met today with significant scepticism from around the country.

After all, with Liverpool having made such little progress on building a new ground and with their commercial revenues dwarfed by Manchester United, they are currently faced with limited options as they try to build their income.

Yet at a time when Uefa are introducing regulations relating to ‘financial fair-play’, Ayre was right to highlight the obvious anomaly of clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid being able to sell their TV rights individually.

If Uefa are serious about financial fairness and introducing collective fiscal rules, they should surely also insist on a uniform method among the major leagues for selling their television rights. And it is the model of Spain’s La Liga which should be changed rather than that of the English Premier League.

Liverpool are right to raise anomaly of TV rights – but it is La Liga that should change and not the Premier League

Ostensibly, it appeared that Ian Ayre, the Liverpool chief executive, had given a series of interviews to coincide with the one-year anniversary since Tom Hicks and George Gillett were successfully ousted as owners.

Yet, deliberately or not, the story today is not the changes at Liverpool over the past 12 months but his call for the Premier League to allocate more of their £1.4 billion from overseas television rights to its most popular clubs.

As it stands, the Premier League markets its product collectively and broadly shares the income.

It means that Manchester United, with their vast global fan-base, benefits just as much as Swansea City or Wigan Athletic from the sale of television rights to 212 countries outside the United Kingdom.

Liverpool have understandably pointed out that in some other countries, notably Spain, clubs sell their rights on an individual basis.

It means that Barcelona and Real Madrid can generate considerably more income from this specific revenue stream than any English club.

Yet it also means that the smaller clubs in Spain’s La Liga earn dramatically less than their counterparts in the Premier League.

As a whole, La Liga also earns considerably less than the Premier League. The result? Barcelona and Real Madrid are exceptionally wealthy and well-placed to dominate in Europe while the rest of La Liga begin just about every season playing for third.

Indeed, over the past two years, no club has finished within 20 points of either Barcelona or Real Madrid.

In that context, it is easy to understand the temptation for the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

They are the clubs with the largest global fan-bases and, in theory, the most to gain from selling their television rights individually.

The wider and more long-term question, however, is just why those clubs have developed such a vast worldwide fan-base.

All of the evidence suggests that it has really snowballed during the incredible booms years of the Premier League. And why has the Premier League been so popular? Because it is generally very competitive. Widen the gap between the clubs and that key quality would be lost.

The Premier League certainly subscribe to this theory and are certain that it is the collective strength of all the clubs which underpins its vast global reach.

In his interview, Ayre cited the 80,000 fans who came to watch Liverpool in Malaysia, but would they really have been so aware were it not for the type of league his club plays in?

In any case, the hard reality of the situation is that it is not the Premier League who Liverpool have to convince of their case. To pass a change in the way overseas television income is distributed, they would have to persuade a two-thirds majority of their rivals clubs.

That’s 14 of the 20 Premier League clubs. Given that Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal are all opposed to the idea, it is clear that there is little prospect of change.

If Ayre cannot convince those who would most benefit, he has no chance of persuading others to sign up to something that would reduce their income and further cement the dominance of the elite clubs.

It should also be noted that Ayre’s comments have been met today with significant scepticism from around the country. After all, with Liverpool having made such little progress on building a new ground and with their commercial revenues dwarfed by Manchester United, they are currently faced with limited options as they try to build their income.

Yet at a time when Uefa are introducing regulations relating to ‘financial fair-play’, Ayre was right to highlight the obvious anomaly of clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid being able to sell their TV rights individually.

If Uefa are serious about financial fairness and introducing collective fiscal rules, they should surely also insist on a uniform method among the major leagues for selling their television rights. And it is the model of Spain’s La Liga which should be changed rather than that of the English Premier League.

Steve Bruce is under pressure whether you like it or not

Another week, another set of Steve Bruce on the brink reports. No matter how many times senior club figures and media handlers deny their validity, this is a story that simply refuses to go away.

More stubborn than a red wine stain on a pristine white carpet, the pressure on Bruce is not going to vanish quickly.

For what it is worth, my information remains consistent. Bruce’s position is not under any immediate threat.

While his chief ally Niall Quinn is no longer chairman – concentrating instead on overseas development and international business links – owner Ellis Short has personally assured his manager he retains his full backing.

With just one win in eight games in all competitions this season, results have been disappointing, but at this stage, far from disastrous.

After seven games, the Black Cats are one point worse off in the table than Arsenal and Everton.

After seven games, it is hard to justify any manager’s position being under threat unless their team is bottom of the table, pointless, the fans are protesting and the players are clearly playing with the intention of earning him a P45.

In Sunderland’s last game before the international break, they were two goals down at home to West Bromwich Albion and disgruntlement was turning into open hostility towards Bruce.

By half-time the Black Cats were level and by the end of an entertaining game, they probably should have taken all three points.

The players are clearly still playing for the manager – half and perhaps the most important part of the battle – and there is a genuine desire at boardroom level to maintain stability rather than push the managerial ejector seat.

Bruce has spent a large chunk of the international break with Short in Korea, pushing the Sunderland brand in a potentially lucrative overseas market. Hardly the behaviour of a condemned man.

Yet, others continue to fuel the uncertainty. The latest reports over the weekend have even claimed Martin O’Neill – still out of work after walking out on Aston Villa at the start of last season – has already been lined up to replace Bruce when the bullet comes.

Bruce must feel like he is drinking in the last chance saloon with a selection of rather large knives sticking out of his back. It is unhelpful, distracting and unsettling, but it is unlikely to go away anytime soon.

It might be subdued if Sunderland win – or even secure a point at Arsenal on Sunday – but it remains in the background, simmering away and ready to boil over again as soon as a bad result emerges.

Like it or not, Bruce is fighting for his job even as those around him offer him protection. He cannot stop people speculating about his future, he cannot stop the rumours, all he can do is try to win football matches.

Two from the next four would be great given the opposition, but two and a couple of draws would be the sort of exceeding of expectations he needs to silence the doubters in his current predicament.

After the trip to the Emirates this weekend, Sunderland travel to bottom of the table Bolton before entertaining Darren Bent and Aston Villa at the Stadium of Light.

Should all three pass without success, the prospect of a visit to Old Trafford to take on champions Manchester United will hardly instil confidence a corner is about to be turned. Crunch time, therefore, could come at home to Fulham on November 19th.

Football is and always will be a results business. Bruce will live and die by them. He probably does not deserve to be under-pressure given the progress made over the last two years, but he is.

Regardless of the support he has at boardroom level and the understanding he has been shown, only a good run of results, not the odd one here and there, is going to change things for the better.

Tailgating Recipes: Buffalo Chicken Wraps

When The Quad, the Times’s college sports blog, put out a call for readers’ recipes for tailgating parties, we honestly didn’t expect much healthy eating. Of course, we’ve been surprised by some of the submissions. What should not have surprised us was that a recipe from a Southern city had an eye on calorie counting. We wouldn’t expect that from Chicago, Green Bay or New York, where fans are pretty well bundled up for most of the season. This week’s recipe is Buffalo chicken lettuce wraps, the spicy wing dish with a few of the calories lopped off. It’s not too late to submit your own recipe for barbecue or chowder, or whatever makes your pregame feast tasty.

Banning Tottenham supporters for abusive chanting is a waste of time

Abuse victim: Emmanuel Adebayor was singled out by some of Arsenal's supporters at White Hart Lane (GETTY IMAGES)

I am not condoning the horrible chants from Tottenham and Arsenal supporters during Sunday’s North London derby. Having to write that feels like an insult to our collective intelligence. No-one much likes torture, tragic deaths or Hitler, either. We are rarely forced to clarify those positions.

Of course it’s horrible for Arsène Wenger to be ludicrously, baselessly called a paedophile. Of course it’s inhuman to mock Emmanuel Adebayor for being the victim of a terrorist gun attack in Angola. But did small pockets of supporters singing songs about these things really overshadow Sunday’s game, as has been mooted?

There has been much easy use of the word “overshadowed” in coverage of the chanting, which feels like lip service to imagined offence caused. Of course, football as an abstract whole cannot be seen to tolerate such behaviour and it’s no surprise to read Harry Redknapp saying: "It was disgusting, yeah, disgusting.

“How do you chant something like that to someone? You can't be right mentally. You need help. There are kids up there as well. It's got no place anywhere in life, that sort of stuff."

That sort of everyman moralising from Redknapp will strike a chord with those swathes of the population that become outraged at the merest provocation.

Personally I resent that apparently agreed league table of “sickness” which makes one kind of cruelty fine and another “disgusting”. Many of us share an unspoken understanding of what constitutes “acceptable” abuse at a football match, but trying to enforce that line collectively, or chastising those that cross it, is extremely problematic.

The concept of abusive chanting is nebulous in itself. We will rightly stand behind the idea that racist abuse is out of order. But it’s apparently fine to tell Cardiff supporters that they enjoy congress with sheep. Homophobia is correctly frowned upon, but most wouldn’t bat an eyelid at a player exaggerating injury being slandered with a gay pejorative from the stands.

This unclear collective moral compass touches lots of crowd behaviour at football, and is riddled with inconsistencies. Home supporters will cheer when a visiting player pulls up in pain and hobbles off. They’ll applaud if he’s taken off on a stretcher. Who knows which of these injuries will prove most serious in the long run?

It’s extremely difficult to change this ingrained group behaviour but it does happen. When it does, the change in attitude usually comes from within, not as a result of condemnations from clubs or managers. When I started watching QPR in the early 90s I remember a man a few rows behind me spewing racist abuse at John Fashanu, unencumbered by stewards.

A few years ago a different bloke shouted something vile at a different black player. Before he’d even had chance to finish several people around him shouted at him to shut up.

Those incidents did not happen at particularly intense games, unlike Sunday’s at White Hart Lane. The beloved media narrative for any game like Spurs v Arsenal is all about bad blood, a heated rivalry, a lack of love lost. How can that coexist with impeccable behaviour from each side’s supporters?

We want that edge, that excitement. Football is not clean, genteel and sophisticated, and this is part of the attraction for many of its followers. Such shallow condemnation of abusive chanting achieves little and represents the thrust of sanitisation creeping into the Premier League product.

Demonising supporters, dismissing them with that patronising epithet “so-called fans” betrays a wilful ignorance of what football support is about. The uncomfortable and generally unmentioned truth is that those undesirably fervent supporters who sing horrible songs are often the backbone of a club, certainly they constitute a large part of any team’s travelling support.

There will always, always, be people that misbehave in heated situations. Spurs’ policy of “taking out one or two of the ring-leaders who are initiating the chants," sounds sensible, but why are the people that start the chants worse than those that join in?

The evidence is hardly watertight, either, as demonstrated by Ian Trow’s quashed conviction for chanting at Portsmouth in 2008.

Until Sky has HD cameras trained on each block of a ground, how can you expect to identify those that are guilty of singing a significantly abusive song? How much of it do you have to sing to be guilty?

I’ve never heard the majority of a stadium singing one of these top-tier offensive chants in 20 years of going to football. It’s very small pockets of support, and banning the perpetrators achieves nothing.

Everton fans still throw coins at Luis Suarez, nutters still send Neil Lennon letter bombs. There will always be new idiots ready to take up the mantle. But attitudes change. Eventually the sane will outnumber the fools and collectively shout them down.

In the meantime, when it comes abusing opponents there will be some who go over the top, because there will always be people in society that are not self-aware enough to realise how ridiculous they are. And people who just aren’t very nice.

Tokenistic banning of a few of these will not change that fact.

 

 

Week 4 N.F.L. Matchups

Jets (2-1) at Ravens (2-1)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m.
Line: Ravens by 3.5.
Any team coached by a member of the Ryan family does not so much play a 16-game schedule as careen from bitter rivalry to bitter rivalry, each game becoming the kind of over-boiled grudge match usually settled with suplexes and folding chairs at ringside. It happened to Buddy Ryan’s Eagles, and it has happened to Rex Ryan’s Jets.
Jets-Cowboys becomes Rex Ryan against Rob Ryan. Jets-Patriots becomes Rex Ryan against Bill Belichick. Jets-Ravens devolves into Rex Ryan against the team that declined to promote him to head coach when he was its defensive coordinator. Next time the Jets face the Raiders, it will be Rex Ryan against the team that broke his quarterback’s nose. Even Rex Ryan could not muster a feud with the Jaguars, but Joe Namath got into the act this week, so if you play the current Jets against the 1968 version in a video game, that is now a grudge match, too.
Granted, the presence of the ex-Ravens Bart Scott, Jim Leonhard and Derrick Mason on the Jets roster does give the game a familiarity-breeds-contempt angle. “This is a family game, but it’s also a heated rivalry,” said Ravens defensive end Terrell Suggs, perhaps not realizing that Jets charity softball tournaments are also heated rivalries. “You’ve got to go beat up on the ones you love.” In other words, this time it’s personal. Just like all the other times. Pick: Jets.

Steelers (2-1) at Texans (2-1)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Texans by 4.
The season often starts this way for the Steelers. They grind out a couple of seemingly difficult wins against bad teams. They lose to the Ravens, or someone Ravens-like. We question their offensive line and remark that the team is not deploying the classic Steelers running game, because in Pittsburgh it is always 1978 and the only way to win is to hand off 40 times.
The Steelers have had a suspect offensive line for the entire Ben Roethlisberger era, made worse by Roethlisberger’s belief that getting rid of the ball on time causes back pimples. Bruce Arians has been the offensive coordinator for five years, and he has always been more pass-oriented than the guys with Franco Harris collector’s edition beer steins would like. The Steelers have reached two Super Bowls in four years through a succession of ugly wins. It is time to stop being surprised. Pick: Steelers.

Lions (3-0)  at Cowboys (2-1)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Cowboys by 1.
The Cowboys botched several center snaps on Monday night, and Tony Romo knows why: the Redskins were imitating his pre-snap cadence. That’s right: there is a Romo voice impersonator on the Redskins, or perhaps the team purchased one of those “Romo Calls” from a sporting goods store (“Blow into it, and American Idol runners-up flock to your position!”) The Romo Karaoke did not stop the Cowboys’ six field goals because no one knows what kicker Dan Bailey sounds like. (The holder Mat McBriar actually calls for the snap, but his voice was a mystery, too.)
Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson scored two touchdowns in each of his first three games, in part because opponents have an illogical impulse to leave him single-covered in clutch situations. The Cowboys will not make that mistake. “You always have to account for Calvin,” safety Gerald Sensabaugh said. Maybe he should tell the Vikings and the Chiefs. Pick: Cowboys.

Panthers (1-2) at Bears (1-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Bears by 6.5.
It’s time for advanced algebra with Mike Martz. Let x represent the amount of control Martz has over an offensive gameplan. Let f(x) represent running plays and g(x) represent passing plays. As x increases, the ratio of f(x) to g(x) is an asymptote approaching zero. Meanwhile, h(x), Lovie Smith’s blood pressure, and p(x), Jay Cutler’s health insurance premiums, increase exponentially. We would compute the rate of change in the Bears’ playoff hopes as Martz’s influence increases, but this is no place for derivative humor. For the Bears, Martz and his 4-to-1 pass-run ratios will always be an x-factor. Pick: Panthers.

Bills (3-0) at Bengals (1-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Bills by 3.
“The fandemonium is running high in Buffalo,” began a WIVB television segment about the Bills early last week. The nearly three-minute segment revealed that Bills merchandise is flying off the shelves, that Ryan Fitzgerald jerseys are on back order, that Bills fans are hanging out at the bar more but drinking less (“They don’t have to drink away their sorrows,” said the tavern manager Jill Vecchio, after wiping a bar top that looked perfectly clean in the first place) and that there is precious little else to talk about in greater Buffalo besides a three-game winning streak. One fan was said to be heading to an “exclusive Bills-only watering hole in Florida,” which makes you wonder how some business models survive the recession while other, saner ones fail. Pick: Bills.

Patriots (2-1) at Raiders (2-1)
Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
Line: Patriots by 4.
Raiders linebacker Rolando McClain said during the week that the Patriots were “just a finesse team.” Tom Brady, perhaps realizing that the criticism hit too close to home, immediately consented to the most famous buzzcut since Elvis Presley was drafted in 1957. The high ‘n’ tight Brady can take solace in the fact that only successful teams are accused of being “finesse,” often by grumbling opponents who fail to notice that their own offenses consist largely of end-arounds and cutesy option plays. Pick: Patriots.

Redskins (2-1) at Rams (0-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Redskins by 1.5.
Like the first frost of autumn, the first unhinged DeAngelo Hall rant was late to arrive this year. But once it came, it delivered everything we have come to expect in a Redskins player interview: frustration, profanity and more than a hint of insubordination. Hall criticized the coordinator Jim Haslett’s blitz packages, saying “you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out after a while.” Rocket scientists could not track a 6.5-ton satellite as it crashed to the earth last week, so they might find Haslett’s defense rather befuddling. Rams quarterback Sam Bradford has a degree in that most reliably predictive of all disciplines (finance), which may explain why he so often looks surprised. Pick: Redskins

49ers (2-1) at Eagles (1-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Eagles by 8.5.
X-rays on Michael Vick’s right hand revealed that the Eagles’ linebackers are terrible. The Eagles took eventual action, benching Casey Matthews in favor of Brian Rolle in a panic-scented move. Vick says that there is a “100 percent chance” he will play despite a tender nonthrowing hand. Speaking of percentages, the folks at FootballOutsiders.com have determined that the 49ers have a 74.7 percent chance of reaching the postseason; only the Packers and the Lions have better odds. The percentages are determined by feeding statistics and schedules to a computer, watching as the computer gains sentience and weeps at the fate of the Seahawks, the Cardinals and the Rams, then drawing the obvious conclusion. Pick: Eagles.

Vikings (0-3) at Chiefs (0-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Vikings by 1.5.
The Vikings have now blown halftime leads of 17-7, 17-0, and 20-0, and have been outscored, 67-6, in second halves and overtime. Coach Leslie Frazier and the offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave have made plenty of questionable decisions late in games. Why leave Calvin Johnson single-covered in overtime? Why work Adrian Peterson into the ground, then hand off to Toby Gerhart on fourth-and-1? The Vikings can defeat the Chiefs without solving these riddles. After that, their fans are advised to tape the games and watch them backward so they can enjoy the spirited comebacks. Pick: Vikings.

Saints (2-1) at Jaguars (1-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Saints by 7.
The Jaguars defensive coordinator Mel Tucker tore a quadriceps muscle while goofing off with other coaches after practice. Coach Jack Del Rio talked Tucker and the offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter into fielding punts from a JUGS machine, and things went horribly awry. Thank heavens they did not opt for skeet shooting instead. Del Rio was later seen grabbing the JUGS machine by the collar, getting up in its grill and shouting “You fool! That ball was meant for Koetter!” Tucker will miss this week’s game, but defensive coordinators do not do much against the Saints anyway, except stand around and contemplate futility. Pick: Saints.

Titans (2-1) at Browns (2-1)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Line: Browns by 1.
The Titans’ passing attack has been surprisingly efficient in the early weeks, but that may change now that Kenny Britt has torn an anterior cruciate ligament. Britt had 17 receptions for 289 yards and 3 touchdowns, picking up much of the offensive slack left by Chris Johnson, who is still struggling to average more than one body length per carry. “It’s not like we can magically create another Kenny Britt,” quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said during the week. If they could, the Titans would win the first-ever Nobel Prize in Traffic Violations. Pick: Browns.

Falcons (1-2) at Seahawks (1-2)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
Line: Falcons by 4.5.
The Falcons have surrendered 13 sacks in three games, prompting Coach Mike Smith to consider personnel changes: left tackle Sam Baker is a leading candidate to be benched if there is trouble Sunday. Meanwhile, on the police blotter, kicker Matt Bryant got his stolen golf clubs back. A Chinese food deliveryman swiped the clubs from Bryant’s garage, then traded the clubs for drugs — who knew there was even an exchange rate? The police eventually tracked the stolen clubs by their serial numbers on the Internet, untangling one of the most pathetic webs of crime ever spun. Bryant’s prized Scotty Cameron putter, like the Falcons’ pass protection, was still missing at press time. Pick: Falcons.

Giants (2-1) at Cardinals (1-2)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
Line: Giants by 1.
The Giants’ injury report arrived in the in-box this week, and it did not crash the server, there was no “low memory” error and there was no need to change toner cartridges twice while printing it up. Those are positive signs: Mario Manningham and Osi Umenyiora are back at practice, and additions are finally starting to outnumber subtractions. Eli Manning is fifth in the league in quarterback rating, and the Giants host the Seahawks after Sunday’s journey to Arizona, where Kevin Kolb is fading a little every week, running back Beanie Wells is banged up and the local fans are distracted by the Diamondbacks. At this rate, Tom Coughlin may be almost cheerful by November. Pick: Giants.

Dolphins (0-3) at Chargers (2-1)
Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
Line: Chargers by 7.
Reggie Bush Rationalization Season is upon us, a time to examine all of the underlying reasons for Bush’s slow start while missing the main reason: he simply is not very good. “This last game, I got caught pressing. I’ve got to be patient,” Bush said Wednesday. And the Wednesday before that. And most Wednesdays in 2009 and 2010. Tony Sparano wants his staff to “do a better job of getting Reggie in space, try to get Reggie touches early.” Bush fumbled twice in the first half against the Browns, once on a pitch to the outside that gave him plenty of space in which to bobble. The Dolphins signed running back Steve Slaton this week. He’s a small, shifty back who has had some brushes with greatness but has reliability issues. They must be trying to complete the set. Pick: Chargers.

Broncos (1-2) at Packers (3-0)
Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
Line: Packers by 12.5.
The Packers’ midweek injury list was long. Running back Ryan Grant (kidneys) and tackle Bryan Bulaga (knee) are unlikely to play. Tight end Jermichael Finley and three key players in the secondary (Nick Collins, Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams) were all either out or limited in practice as of Wednesday. The Packers had a similar injury rash last season, and they won the Super Bowl by replacing their starters with other team’s castoffs. Any general manager who releases a practice squad player right now is simply playing into Ted Thompson’s hands. Pick: Packers.

Colts (0-3) at Buccaneers (2-1)
Monday, 8:30 p.m.
Line: Buccaneers by 10.
The two franchises that Tony Dungy helped to build are going in different directions. The Buccaneers are an up-and-coming team with lots of quality players but few superstars. The Colts are scotch-taping Kerry Collins together in what is becoming an increasingly depressing farce of an effort to survive without Peyton Manning. Dungy has become a best-selling author since leaving the Colts back when Manning was healthy and the supporting cast was capable. Dungy’s next inspirational book should be titled “Distancing Yourself from Disaster.” Pick: Buccaneers.

Carlos Tevez – a day in the life …

Man on fire: Carlos Tevez ain't gonna take it no more. Photo: AFP/Getty

(A day in the life of Manchester City's rebel without a clue, as mistranslated by an evil journalist)

I am wake early, and am having nice afternoon sitting in the kitchen designing a new range of snoods and talking to butler. I like butler; sometimes I think he is only one that understand me.

The wife comes in; she look angry. This could be trouble – I don’t want her to make me move countries again. She say to butler that someone is ringing at the front door bell for many minutes and why can butler not go answer the door like he is paid to do?

I look at butler. Butler look at me.

I know I have to take a stands. I put down my snood-designing crayon.

“No way,” I say. “It’s not your place to tell butler where to come and go. I like him here in kitchen with me. We are drawing picture of snood and deciding which watch to buy today.”

I show her design of latest snood: the Tévez Freedom Fighter snood. Is picture of me and Eva Peron fighting together against injustice (represented by Mancini dressed up as the forces of oppression in a dirty scarf).

She look at picture with sneer of disgust; like Sir Ferguson when I tell him I need more pay-rise to pay for fashionable clothes and fleet of cars befitting a man of my position.

My wife says this is ridiculous and that we pay butler so we can tell him to go and do things. She says it is bad enough that she cannot get a decent empanada for love nor money in Alderley Edge, and now she cannot tell the servants what to do?

I will prove her that I am the boss around here. To make my point, I start crying until she says butler can stay.

When I am stop crying, she say: “Okay Carlos. You go answer the door yourself then.”

No way. I am not warmed up properly for that. I go to sit over by breakfast bar and avoid her gazes. This is the time for me to say “No más”. Her request is totally unreasonable.

LATER Wife is still angry and she has been on phone to Mancini. I am been exiled to sit in garden with gardener. I do not like gardener; he has little interest in snoods. I expect we shall have to move to Italy.

Tailgating Recipes: Cheddar, Bacon and Ranch Dressing

The Quad, the Times’s college sports blog, is running back recipes submitted by readers for football tailgating parties. Last week we offered up a Brat Stew. This week, it’s Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pulls from an Auburn fan. It’s not too late to submit your own recipe for barbecue or chowder, or whatever makes your pregame feast tasty.

Newcastle United are benefiting from low expectations rather than suffering

From the depths of depression and despair to wild and unrestrained euphoria, sometimes all in the space of a week, Newcastle United have tended to show all the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder.

It is a rollercoaster ride you simply cannot get off, full of exhilarating highs and stomach churning lows, or at least it has been ever since Kevin Keegan gave the archetypical sleeping giant an almighty kick up the backside in 1992.

In the 19 years since Keegan used Sir John Hall’s money to restore the club to something like its former glory, expectations have run wild on Tyneside.

It is not true to say Newcastle supporters expect to win trophies, that is clearly misleading when the Magpies have not won a major trophy since 1969, a domestic one since 1955 and the league title since 1927.

But they do expect to be in the mix, jostling for European positions, snapping at the heels of the super-heavyweights in their division and landing telling blows while they do it.

And, they have, since Keegan, been expected to do it in an attractive, attacking style with the emphasis on goals scored, not conceded.

Keegan helped transform a football club and, in doing so, helped reawaken several others. Having seen how much could be done with a little bit investment and momentum, the Hall-Keegan axis galvanised all of English football.

Keegan, of course, did not win anything, but he turned Newcastle into a major attraction again, a force to be reckoned with and he did it with flair.

His success has weighed heavily on the shoulders of all those who have followed him into the St James’ Park dugout. It says much about the magnitude of the challenge that only a titan of the game like Sir Bobby Robson has matched his achievements.

Newcastle fans are generally viewed with mixture of bewildered admiration and begrudging respect, if only for continuing to turn up in their thousands to follow a team which persistently fails to match their expectations.

There are some who mock their misguided loyalty, while Sunderland supporters can rarely mention their local rivals without the words arrogant and deluded creeping into the conversation, but generally speaking I suspect there is more respect than ridicule.

Expectations, though, have perhaps never been lower on Tyneside and if Mike Ashley has done one thing successfully since he took over four years ago it is this.

It is not necessarily a bad thing as Alan Pardew and his squad are starting to discover. Tipped for a relegation battle after an uninspiring summer which saw virtually none of the £35m Andy Carroll fee spent on transfers, Newcastle’s supporters headed into the new season with a sense of foreboding, or worse, apathy.

With the club’s iconic number nine shirt remaining vacant after a mistake-ridden search for Carroll’s replacement, Pardew’s side were not expected to achieve anything more than disappointment and, with a bit of luck, top flight survival.

The early signs are far more encouraging than that. The leaves are still on the trees so no need to get carried away, but for once nobody is.

There is just quiet satisfaction because, for once, Newcastle are exceeding expectations, not failing short. Newcastle’s squad is small, but it is talented, while Pardew has created the sort of siege mentality every team intending to punch above its weight needs.

Newcastle are well-drilled and well organised. They have shed the Entertainers tag, but have not suffered negative publicity because of it.

In fact, Pardew has done what Sam Allardyce failed to do. He has made Newcastle, first and foremost, a difficult team to breakdown, difficult to beat. Stubborn, obstinate and belligerent, not exciting, expansive and flaky.

Pardew, though, hasn’t shouted about it in every press conference and repeatedly told everyone how clever he is, as Big Sam had a nasty habit of doing during his short spell as manager.

Newcastle do not have to play attractive, attacking football. Of course, it is preferential, but a win will be celebrated as a win, regardless of how it came about. This has been the subtle shift Pardew has managed to oversee.

Where once there would have been excited chatter about a European push after an unbeaten start to the campaign, and even a shot at silverware in one of the cup competitions, there is just contentment things have not begun nearly as badly as feared.

Newcastle still need a striker to fill the number nine shirt, regardless of Leon Best’s run of three goals in four games, and the squad only looks a couple of injuries away from being stretched in any department, but at the moment solid rather than spectacular is going down rather well.