A good time to be an Indian sports fan

A lot has happened in my life lately, and its kept me away from commonfan for a while. things have settled down now and the period of neglect is over. This post is going to be a recap of all thats happened while I was away.

One of the developments has been the start of a new sports website called http://isport.in. Its come from the collective effort of a group of hard-core sports lovers. I have started writing on the site and it already has five of my articles. I would encourage all of you to go to isport. My favourite section is jabberoni, which is a forum for discussions and debates. Iam already addicted and most of you will follow suit, once you go there.

Commonfan will not suffer beacuse of isport. Infact, there will be no overlap in the stuff on the two pages. This will reduce the amount of content on commonfan but rest assured, it will be regular.

So, here's my first post.

India have won the test series in England. Will talk no more about it. Its a massive achievement in itself and we have to be proud of it. We always do well, when our batsmen fire. And this was a major collective effort - the likes of which we have seen very few.

The ICL is moving ahead with full speed. The BCCI is making knee-jerk changes but is clearly losing face. Luckily for them, the ICC and other major cricket boards are firmly behind them. Their proposed response to the ICL; the PCL is a long distance away and merely a creation to drive sponsors away from the ICL. Subhash Chandra need not worry. There is no dearth of advertizing moolah in this country when it comes to cricket.Iam really looking forward to the ICL.

At long last, the new EPL season is here. Man United have struggled initially. But Iam not worried. Let the new dudes settle down and injured players return. Liverpool finally look like taking on the big two. The biggest surprises have been Man City and almost all the new signings have excelled. The biggest star, however, has been Kasper Schmiechel. Lastly, my man, Michael Chopra has made a dream start with a match-winner on day one.

Continuing with a football, India have won the Nehru Cup. Its a big win - our biggest triumph in a long long time. Mr. Houghton seems to be on the right track. Just wondering if Chopra could agree to play for India. Bhutia and Chopra would be more than a handful together. Dream on Indian football fans.

Tiger Woods won the PGA Championship to silence all the doubters about his ability to win majors. No, his daughter has not taken his focus off his game. Sadly, our great hope - Jeev was not at his best and missed the cut. Hope he builds on his feats and doesn't go the way of fellow pro Arjun Atwal. Atwal had a promising first season on the US PGA tour but has struggled this year and is in grave danger of losing his tour card.

The US Open is on and players are already in the third round. Iam rooting for Novak Djokovic and Sania Mirza. The Serb has easily been the third-best player on tour after Federer and Nadal and took a major step towards challenging the two at the Montreal Masters. Consecutive wins over Nalbandian, Roddick, Nadal and Federer is testimony to his growing stature. I expect a breakthrough performance at the Open. Sania has had a great hard court season and is well positioned to match her fourth round performance of 2005.

Finally, hats off to my star performer of the period. Anup Sridhar has taken a big step forward in his career with a quarter-final appearance at the World Championships. He scalped two top players and almost beat the worlds best player in the quarters. He has the potential to become the next 'great Indian badminton player'; following in the foot-steps of Padukone and Gopichand. Remember, how training in Denmark with Morten Frost made Prakash such an improved player. A similar experience would do a world of good for Anup. He has been running around for sponsors and really needs help. Lets pray that one of the big corporate houses takes him under their wings and helps him realize his potential.

For once, its good to be an Indian sports fan.

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See, I told you so!!!

It’s confirmed now. Our very own Michael Chopra has been signed by newly promoted Sunderland to be part of their strike force for the coming season. Iam super excited about it. I had been counting on his move to the premiership and now I can root for one of my own. (And before you say Sunderland, who, remember that our previous best was Baichung Bhutia being a substitute for Bury FC, which plays two divisions lower than Sunderland)

I know his first stint in the premiership with Newcastle was a disaster. But he is a much better player and a far mature human being now. Expect a much better season from him this time round. Roy Keane has signed him for £5M. That’s a lot of money for a newly promoted club and surely Keane rates him highly.

And come on guys; let’s go all out to cheer for him. Please take a cue from the Chinese. When Yao Ming went to the NBA, his countrymen voted him to the top of the all-star fan ballot. The NBA’s popularity is growing in China and lots of NBA teams are touring the country. The premiership is pretty popular in India and we could see some of the sides visit our country soon.

Mr. Mittal seems to have put on hold his plans to buy Birmingham City FC, but Chopra’s move will definitely gladden the hearts of all Indian football lovers.

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My take on some transfer gossip from football

Football teams across Europe are busy strengthening their squads for next season and it’s no surprise that football agents and journalists alike are working double overtimes. Some big transfers have already been inked and some are in the pipeline. So here's my two pence worth on all the action off the field.

Man United signing Owen Hergreaves from Bayern Munich, Nani from Sporting Lisbon and Anderson from Porto - Man United have really upped the ante with three big moves and they are not done yet. Hergreaves fills an important hole in the mid-field and is a proven performer at club and country level. The other two have shown tremendous potential and could be the long term replacements for Giggs and Scholes respectively. The 50 million pounds (and still counting) spent by the Glazers will finally help them win over the legion of skeptical Man United fans. With Liverpool also looking to spend big bucks, a frugal Chelsea look far from retaining the crown they lost this year.

Thierry Henry to Barcelona - The Thierry Henry transfer gossip is a yearly occurrence. This year however, it looks like becoming a reality. Arsenal are under pressure after another trophy-less campaign. Arsene Wenger realizes that he needs more goals (read a typical penalty box poacher) and less craftiness (read Henry). Henry's biggest supporter David Dein is no longer at the club. Arsenal have no money to buy a world class striker. Perennial Henry-admirers, Barcelona could finally make an irresistible offer to Arsenal (read next transfer story) in the form of Samuel E'too. The Cameroonian is just what Arsenal need and they could pull the trigger on Henry if the Catalans do come up with the offer.

Samuel E'too to AC Milan - And here's the reason why Barcelona would be willing to make the offer to Arsenal. AC Milan owner, Silvio Berlusconi has made an open offer for Samuel E'too (and remember Berlusconi always gets his players, when he open his chequebook). His efforts to lure Shevchenko back to Milan have failed and he needs another world class striker to fill the void. E'too is disenchanted at Barca and would fancy a move to another big name club. Barcelona would get nothing in return if E'too goes to Milan. They could cover their losses if they send E'too to Arsenal instead. They will get Henry in return and E'too will also be happy with such a move. He will be at home with all the other African players in Arsenal and be the biggest star in the side.

Anelka to Man United - Most people just remember Anelka as a disgruntled and selfish player. They forget however, that he still remains a proven goal scorer in the premiership, an accomplishment which the likes of Shevchenko and Morientes have failed to match. Anelka would be dying to get back to a club where he can win some silverware again. His pace suits United's style of play perfectly and he could be available really cheap. His good behavior under the enormous personality of Sam Allardyce could quickly change to terrible under Sammy Lee. United would have no such trouble with Fergie in charge (remember how he managed Cantona). They could even go for a swap deal with Saha and some other bits like Kieran Richardson or Mikael Silvestre thrown in.

Carlos Tevez to ???? - He is the most 'available' big name player right now. There is no way West Ham can afford to hold on to him and he is sure to move on. His late season flurry has shown that he is the real deal and a number of clubs are vying for his services. With Real failing to land Ronaldo and Raul showing his age, Real will go all out to get him. Expect stiff competition from Chelsea, who desperately need help upfront with Drogba missing the start of next season with African Nations Cup duty and Shevchenko completely disinterested in having a better second season. Let the highest bidder win.

Out of personal interest, I’ am still hoping for a move to the premiership for our boy, Michael Chopra. With the three new clubs in the premiership next season, identified, his agent should get a call anytime soon.

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7 reasons why, I can't wait for the 2007-08 English Football season to begin

1. There's absolutely nothing to see on ESPN Star till then - As mentioned in a previous post (My season of misery begins), the sporting action this summer is the perfect recipe for a round of forty winks. The return of the premiership in August will resuscitate all the bored to death sports fans. These summer days seem to go on forever.
2. For the blossoming of the Chelsea - Man United rivalry - Man United have successfully broken Chelsea’s stranglehold on the premiership and shaken them out their belief that the premiership was a one horse race. Expect a full fledged rivalry next season, with Chelsea more determined than ever to impose their authority and Man United confident in their belief that they have in terms of heart and passion, what they lack in finances, to match their London rivals. While Chelsea are going to war with wholesale changes in the squad, Man United are looking to make a few strategic additions (One in the form of Owen Hergreaves is already on the way). This could well become the British version of Real Madrid- Barcelona.
3. For Liverpool and Arsenal to finally come to the party – I will call this the ‘Cold War’ of Britain. Nothing stimulates a Yankee, like the sight of a Russian. Just ask Malcolm Glazer of Man United about it. The new American owners of Liverpool and Arsenal (as I write this, the Arsenal chairman has finally agreed to discuss a take over. Trust me, Stan Kroenke will be in charge by the start of the new season) will go all out to win the title and hold no dollars back. Just to give you an idea of their financial muscle; Tom Hicks of Liverpool gave baseballer Alex Rodriguez the most expensive professional contract of 252 million dollars and Arsenal hopeful Kroenke recently broke the bank to sign Allen Iverson in the NBA.
4. For the second coming of Michael Chopra - Step aside Baichung Bhutia. Michael Chopra is by far the best known footballer of Indian origin. Groomed as the successor to Alan Shearer at Newcastle, his first stint in the premiership was a major disappointment. He went down a division with Cardiff City, where he has scored goals galore. A lot of premiership clubs are interested in him and I can’t wait for him to become the first Indian to score in the premiership.
5. For the return of Roy Keane – For all their success this season, Man United still miss the leadership and combative spirit of Roy Keane (as was evident in their shambolic display against Milan). He returns this season, albeit not as a player but as a manager, having earned his managerial spurs with Sunderland (he took the club from bottom after six games, to league 1 champions at the end). The fortunes of Sunderland will be closely followed in the coming season; a successful one firmly establishing ‘Keano’ as the likely successor to ‘Fergie’ at Old Trafford.
6. For the ‘Carlos Tevez’ movie to begin (having seen the trailer last season) – The Argentinean arrived after the mid term break, took a while to settle down and then exploded towards the end; single-handedly leading West Ham to 8 wins in their last 10 games. All the top clubs are chasing him, and if he can carry on in 2007-08 from where left off in 2006-07, the likes of Ronaldo and Gerrard can kiss the ‘PFA best player’ award goodbye.
7. To raise a toast to the new 'Asian' invasion of England - While the Yanks are running riot, an Asian is making a conquest of his own. Former Thai premier, Thaksin Shinawatra is close to taking over Manchester City. Our very own Lakshmi Mittal already owns the CSKA Sofia team in Bulgaria. I pray that he does an 'Arcelor' on one of the English clubs as well. And if he can close the deal on 15th August, I suggest we give him the Bharat Ratna this year.

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