Jol Jolly LOL

Tottenham Hotspur's defeat at Stoke today, leaving them adrift at the bottom of the English Premier League, 3 points below Newcastle (who have a game in hand), must bring a light smile to Martin Jol's face. It must make up for the fact that his latest club, Hamburg, failed to beat Schalke o4 today. But Hamburg do remain top of the Bundesliga.

I have nothing particular against Spurs, or their individual players. Indeed, I used to enjoy going to see them in Europe (and willed them on in those endeavours) when I lived in London in the 1980s.

However, it is now clear that the undermining of Martin Jol by Spurs just over a year ago, was a massive act of hubris, for which the club is now paying the penalty (no pun intended in the context that Spurs gave away two penalties to Stoke today).

Martin Jol had managed to take Spurs to within a whisker of Champions League football. But he was viewed (by the Spurs Directors) as being not sufficiently ambitious in the pursuit of that elusive champions league place. So he had to go.

Enjoy this moment, Martin. Revenge is a dish best served cold!

Speed must go, with undue haste

What other sport’s governing body but cricket’s can completely mess-up their showcase tournament?

The Cricket World Cup in the West Indies can only be seen as an unmitigated disaster. Granted, the International Cricket Council cannot be held responsible for the mysterious death of Bob Woolmer, but most of the other sins can be laid at their door:

- An interminable competition lasting almost seven weeks

- Near-empty stadiums - Locals priced out of attending the matches

- Regulations that stopped people enjoying themselves – no instruments, no drinks unless bought through official concessions

- A commercial strategy underpinned by an assumption that India would at least survive the first round (they didn’t)

- Rigid application of a standard approach to handling rain-hit matches – which ruined the final as a spectacle

While some of these issues were addressed during the tournament, it was by then too late.

The only bright spot was the fun had by Bangladesh and Ireland in tweaking the noses of their supposed superiors.

The ICC has embarked on a strategy of commercial maximization since Malcolm Speed became their Chief Executive. He should now do the decent thing, and stand down.