What ever happened to World Cup star Odonkor?

It seems to happen all too often; a highly promising player bursts onto the scene, the media hypes them up to be the next global superstar, and all the big clubs come sniffing around like hounds to a fox. And then, all of a sudden, they slip off the radar.

There are numerous examples of players in English football's lower leagues, who could well have been so much more successful than they eventually were.

But sometimes, and arguably the most devastating for all involved, a player gets his big move, before seeing injuries tear their dreams to shreds. Of course, the next thing to happen, is that player gets forgotten about, and in the end, their talent was never done justice.

I am referring to one player in particular here. The German midfielder, David Odonkor was expected to go on to become one of the top, top players in the game.

Funnily enough, it was only due to a chance game of FIFA one day that I noticed the pacey winger in squad of Real Betis. At first I was not quite sure where I knew his name from, but as soon as I looked it up, everything came flooding back.

Odonkor began his career with Borussia Dortmund in his homeland. Playing for the club's second team as a 17-year-old, he impressed coaches with his pace and ability on the right wing. Indeed, he was heralded as one of the brightest prospects in the German game.

Having made almost 50 appearances at that level, he was given his chance in the first team at the Westfalenstadion. The step up certainly did not faze him, and he went onto play a further 75 games for the club.

It was that form in the German Bundesliga that attracted the attention of Jürgen Klinsmann, the coach of the national team. Odonkor had been playing in the under-21's, and making a big impression, but would surely have been thrilled when he heard that it was not the Euro 2006 under-21 championships that he would be going to, but instead, the World Cup.

He had been given his chance with the seniors, and was determined to build on his reputation. He was well known in Germany by this point, but the opportunity to announce himself to the world was awaiting.

While England's bright hope of the time, Theo Walcott did not play a single game in the tournament, Odonkor featured four times from the bench for his country. He even provided an assist to Oliver Neuville in the group match against Poland.

Suddenly, the world knew who David Odonkor was, and Spanish big boys, Real Betis were the most interested spectator. Despite having signed a new five-year deal with Dortmund, the opportunity to ply his trade against the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona was just too tempting.

He switched for a fee, which at the time seemed an absolute steel, of €6m (£5m), and was expected to fill the boots of Joaquín Sánchez, who had moved to Valencia for €25m (£22m) earlier in the summer.

Just days before his big move, he had been involved in a friendly for Germany against England, in what was the first full-international to be played at the new Wembley Stadium.

As the season got under-way, Odonkor could not have possibly known what hell the next few seasons would bring. After all, things were still running smoothly for him – in the September he netted his first international goal against Romania.

But it was then that things began to go awry. A knee injury saw his first season at the club go down as nothing less than a write off. He made just 13 appearance all season – an eerie number considering what it meant for his career.

In his second season at the club, he seemed to have shaken off his injury, and looked fit and raring to go. He made a bright start, but was soon sidelined again, with another knee injury. His demise had parallels with Betis', at the end of the season, following a 1-1 draw with Valladolid, the club was relegated to the Segunda Division.

With the club in the doldrums, several English clubs saw it as a chance to try and snap Odonkor up for a pittance. He made his desire to move to England clear, as Midlands duo, Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion were repeatedly linked. No move materialised, and Odonkor remained with Betis.

At the end of the 2010-11 season, Odonkor was finally released by the Spanish club, now back in La Liga. His reputation battered, he began looking for another club. That took him to Glasgow, where he went on trial with Rangers. Now, no disrespect to the Ibrox club, but had his career carried on as it was back in 2006, a move to Scotland would have been considered well below his level.

Instead, nothing came of his trial – he was not offered a deal. Deflated, he was left to search elsewhere for his chance to get back into the game.

As the transfer window slammed shut, he was one of those players left without a club. Indeed, he can still sign for someone outside of the window, due to his free agent status – but the days of World Cup glory, La Liga hope, and Bundesliga promise are long behind him.

At 27, he should now be at the peak of his career, and looking forward to an exciting future. Instead, he is just one of those sad few players left wondering if he even has one.

And the window slams shut!

It is one of the most exciting days of the footballing calender. Rumours and speculation everywhere, and millions of pounds exchanging hands up and down the country. Yes, it is transfer deadline day.

For all the hype and excitement however, this one turned out to be something of a let down. Unlike last January, there were no astronomical deals – at least, not of the same calibre of Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll.

But there were some very shrewd moves. Following their humiliation at Old Trafford, Arsenal fans will be among the most delighted with the final day's activity. Not only were deals for Per Mertesacker and Andre Santos wrapped up, but other big names, such as Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun, also arrived at the Emirates.

Indeed, the Arteta story became the big story of the night – at one point it looked off, but was miraculously reignited at the very last. It was not until the deadline had passed, that the deal was officially confirmed.

Another intriguing bit of business that we did not know about until after the 11pm deadline, was that of Raul Meireles to Chelsea. Both Liverpool and his new employers know about leaving it late – the deals for Torres and Carroll were just as 'last minute'.

Although Liverpool fans will be aggrieved at Meireles' decision to leave Anfield, they will be no doubt buoyed by the return of former hero, Craig Bellamy. He had looked set for QPR earlier in the day, but once he was released from international training, he made a beeline for the Merseyside club.

Joe Cole was allowed to leave the Reds on loan. At one point his loan move to Lille looked set to be hijacked by Aston Villa, but it turned out he had his heart set on a move to France which would see him making the one-and-a-half hour commute from his home in London.

QPR might have missed out on Bellamy, but having secured Joey Barton last week, they remained undeterred. It looks like they have done some of the best business on deadline day in the Premier League thanks to their Malaysian backing.

Shaun Wright-Phillips was quite possibly the biggest name to arrive at Loftus Road, while the likes of Anton Ferdinand and Jason Puncheon were also snapped up in the end.

Tottenham Hotspur are often one of the most interesting sides to keep an eye on as the deadline approaches each time. Reports that Luka Modric would be leaving were quickly dismissed by Harry Redknapp, who then moved quickly to bring Scott Parker in from West Ham.

A whole host of Spurs players then left the club, with Jermaine Jenas and Alan Hutton heading to Aston Villa, while Peter Crouch and Wilson Palacios moved to Stoke City.

Stoke are another side who will be thrilled with their work for the day. The Potters not only confirmed the Crouch and Palacious deals, but moved to bring in Cameron Jerome from Birmingham.

It is impossible to mention all of the deals that went through on deadline day, but some of the other big Premier League deals included Wigan landing Shaun Maloney from Celtic and Manchester City finally wrapping up their deal for former United player Owen Hargreaves.

There were several big moves in the Championship as well. Brighton perhaps caused the biggest shock when they signed former Valencia and Spain international Vicente. At only 30 years of age, he still has a lot to offer, and could be massive in the second tier of English football.

West Ham continued to shell out the big wages – taking David Bentley from Spurs and Guy Demel from Hamburg. Both top, top quality players. Former Norwich loanee, Henri Lansbury also moved to the club on loan from Arsenal.

Sven Goran Eriksson dug into his deep pockets at Leicester to bring in Jermaine Beckford from Everton for a fee believed to be around £3 million. They did have a bid, believed to be around £6 million, rejected by Rangers for Nikica Jelavic. The Glasgow club announced they had also turned down a £9 million bid, which could very well have been Leicester as well.

One big player who will be staying put is Gary Cahill at Bolton. He had been linked with potential moves to Arsenal and Tottenham, but in the end nothing could be done. It means he stays at the Reebok Stadium where he will now be joined by David Ngog and Gael Kakuta, who both saw their deals finalised on deadline day.

If it has not been an explosive day, it would be fair to say it has still been a fascinating one. With deals getting going right from the off, and running right up to the window slamming shut, for some, it has been a very, very tiring day.

I doubt that I am just speaking for myself when I say thank goodness it is all over. Time to get a cold class of water and head to bed for the next week! Goodnight everyone!

Transfer Deadline Day

Full Summary of Transfer Deadline Day coming up here as the window slams shut at 11pm tonight.

Follow the big stories on Twitter by clicking here.

Deals of the day

Per Mertesacker and Santos - Arsenal

Joe Cole - Lille

Scott Parker - Tottenham

Christian Poulsen - Evian

Diego Forlan - Inter Milan

Guy Demel, David Bentley and Henri Lansbury - West Ham

Shaun Maloney - Wigan

Owen Hargreaves - Manchester City

Vicente - Brighton

Jermaine Beckford - Leicester

Football has changed, and the sooner Arsene Wenger realises that, the better.

Arsene Wenger has become a victim of his own success, in many ways. The 8-2 humiliation at Old Trafford quite possibly was the beginning of the end for a man who has contributed so much, not only to Arsenal, but the entire game of football.

It really is hard to contemplate where the football club would be right now if it was not for his presence, but unfortunately, it seems that the empire he built is beginning to turn on him.

Let's get this straight, Wenger still is a fabulous coach – his philosophy of getting the ball down and playing attractive football has been a welcome addition to the English game. It has rubbed off on so many clubs, all the way down the football pyramid.

But it is not his tactical approach that has come under scrutiny – unfortunately it is his principles. Wenger still seems to have an idealistic, almost romantic view of the game. It is a view that, sadly, died out a long, long time ago. The idea of taking a gifted youngster, putting him into the first team, and moulding him into a world superstar seems to be something that is going by the wayside more and more.

Many of the top players in the Premier League no longer can say they started their careers with a top club and worked their way up – instead they have been imported in, later in their careers for extortionate sums of money.

Ryan Giggs might be one of the few, but his career began a long time ago – things have changed an incredible amount since then, and though it may still be possible to bring two or three promising youngsters through at any one time, a whole team is impossible.

The approach that Wenger takes to the game would not have been at all out of place thirty or forty years ago. As an Ipswich supporter myself, I am regaled with stories of the golden days when Kevin Beattie, John Wark and George Burley were at the top of their game. They all came up through the ranks at Ipswich, and went on to win some of the top honours in the game with the club.

Sadly, however, the days of winning silverware have long since slipped away from Ipswich, and are now a distant, distant memory. Indeed, so distant that fans such as myself cannot even say we were alive to witness them.

That is what, I am afraid to say, is happening to Arsenal. The difference is, Ipswich were naïve, and did not stop the rot, but the Gunners still have the chance to.

Football is losing its former identity, and has now become an almost entirely different game altogether. With the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City investing heavily with the backing of their wealthy owners, club's have to spend big to compete.

Manchester United are doing the same, and that is why they are still considered the top side in England today.

The great situation for Arsenal, is that they do have money there to spend. Wenger has admitted before that if he wanted to, he could splash out up to £40m on a player. I can understand why he does not want to – it is sickening that it should be the case.

Fan's are not interested in seeing their club saving millions of pounds – they want to see their club winning games. Winning trophies. Having large sums just sitting in the bank earning interest is not the way for it to happen.

Maybe Wenger has this impression that one day, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool will somehow implode, and his side will be left, unchallenged, to walk to straight to the Premier League title.

That may well happen – if Roman Abramovich walks away from Chelsea, they will have a serious problem. But who is to say that will happen any time soon, right?

The sooner Wenger changes his transfer policy, the more likely it is that Arsenal Football Club can return to their former glory. I have criticised them in the past, but as a football fan, you cannot help but feel a sense of sadness as to what is happening there.

If Wenger does not change his approach, one of two things will surely happen. The first is that he could lose his job. It would be an utter tragedy that the very man who has built that club from the ground to where it is now, would be pushed out of the door simply because his ethics, his principles and his morals are no longer suited to the game.

The alternative, of course, is that he keeps his job, and the club continues their demise. Robin Van Persie will leave, potential signings will be tempted to go elsewhere and even the youngsters will grow fidgety.

That cannot be allowed to happen – it does not have to happen – and Wenger needs to realise that. No one wants to push him out, but the sense of frustration in North London is growing stronger by the day.

Future looks bright for England's young pretenders

As we go into the International break, it gives us a chance to reflect on the start to this season's Premier League, and assess the current state of English football. It is so easy to dismiss England's Euro 2012 chances after the debacle in South Africa – but that is a long way behind us.

The two Manchester sides have eleven players in Fabio Capello's latest squad between them. It seems quite incredible, but I honestly believe it is good for the national team. Many of these players will be playing together week-in week-out, and will have a good understanding of one another.

Phil Jones and Tom Cleverley are two of the players who have been included, which is wonderful to see. Both were involved with the under-21's earlier in the summer, and now they are pushing for a place in the first team.

There is no doubt that their form for Manchester United has been incredible – Jones has been as solid as a rock at the back, while I am finding it hard to avoid puns on the other player's name to describe his contribution to the Reds' midfield.

It is interesting to see that Rio Ferdinand has been omitted from the squad. I don't think that will be the end of his international career, but I do certainly agree with Capello's decision to start bringing through the younger players.

Germany proved at the World Cup that it is possible to have a successful team filled with young players – Alan Hansen certainly would not have believed what he was seeing. If these players are good enough, then why not include them.

As for Manchester City, they have provided possibly the best England keeper since David Seaman – some might even argue you could go further back than that – Shilton, perhaps? The wonderful thing is that he, too, is young. As a goalkeeper, he has got ten years of international football ahead of him, at the very least.

Of course, it is not up to me who Capello puts out against Bulgaria and Wales this week, but any football follower loves to speculate about such things.

There is no question as to who starts in goal – Joe Hart is the only one of the three goalkeepers plying his trade in the Premier League this season. Robert Green probably will drift out of the England set-up over the next few years, while David Stockdale is undoubtedly a fantastic goalkeeper, and he will get his chance one day.

Micah Richards has enjoyed a fantastic start to the season in the Premier League, and would be my pick for the right-back role. Ashley Cole still remains one of the top left-backs in the game, and still is a key member of the England squad. He'd be my first choice for left back.

I'd go for a centre-back pairing of John Terry and Phil Jones. Terry is the captain of England, and a born leader. He will still be around for another couple of tournaments yet, and forms the heart of the defence. Jones will benefit from playing alongside him, and could even be a future captain himself.

This might be a touch controversial, but I would stick the left footed Stewart Downing on the right for England. He begun his Liverpool career fantastically, and has operated down the right for them mostly anyway. It would allow Ashley Young to start on the left, where he prefers to play too.

Tom Cleverley and Frank Lampard have to be the central pairing. Again, the younger player will benefit from playing alongside a wise old head, and Lampard will always be a key part of the national team so long as he is still featuring regularly for Chelsea.

Wayne Rooney should lead the attack. He looks to be back to his glorious best for Manchester United this season, and hopefully, coming off the back of a hat-trick, he can carry that form into the England side.

I would partner him with Andy Carroll. This is mainly because the Liverpool man looks like he really could be the future of the national team, and playing alongside Rooney could bring the best out in him. His powerful presence will trouble a lot of European teams.

For some players, however, the international break will allow some much needed recuperation, while club's will be able to sit back and assess how to improve on their starts.

There has been no lack of entertainment in the first three games of the Premier League, and hopefully that will continue. It is great to see the young players getting their chance, and when England travel to Bulgaria, we will be able to see whether it has all paid off.

Is there a need to boo your own players?

Ipswich Town’s defeat to Peterborough on Saturday was probably one of the most embarrassing moments as a Blues fan in some time. In what was quite possibly one of the worst defensive performances since the 9-0 defeat to Manchester United, Town crumbled to a 7-1 thrashing.

However, having supported them all my life, there was nothing more embarrassing than some of the chanting by a small section of the club’s fans at the game.

It was an issue that Liz Edwards, chairwoman of the Supporters Club raised a few weeks ago – and in doing so, she became the victim of verbal abuse on Saturday.

In truth, however, that was pretty harmless, with fans merely having a laugh about the comments she made – I can understand that. Albeit pretty spiteful and inconsiderate, that chant was not detrimental to the team, and is, thus, not what bothers me most.

- Read the full blog at TheBallisRound.co.uk -

England Annihilate Awful India

Huge centuries from Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen left England well in charge of the final test after day two at The Kia Oval.

Despite India starting the day brightly, England soon regained full control of the game, and charged to a massive 457-3 by the close of play.

Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss lost their wickets early in the morning session, which in the end simply proved to be the floodgates opening for the hosts.

Pietersen did not quite make it to the end of the day, but night-watchman James Anderson and Ian Bell were unbeaten, with the tourists deflated.

To read the full report, click here.

Reckless spending of football clubs MUST stop

This week, it has emerged that West Ham United, a now Championship side, with debts reported to be in excess of £100m, are bidding to secure the services of Reading front-man, Shane Long for a staggering £8m.

It raises the question of how such a reckless move could ever be vetoed by The FA. There are a whole host of reasons why such a transfer should never be allowed to happen.

The first, and probably most obvious, is that when any company has such hefty debts, they should be looking to pay them back – not increasing them without any care in the world. Furthermore, such a move would seem to be dangerous for the future of the football club.

Secondly, and what probably riles most football fans, is the fact it creates an uneven playing field for all their rivals.

No Championship club could match the figures West Ham look to be paying out: QPR were one of the most wealthy clubs in the world, yet they never spent sums anything like that when they were in the league.

Leicester City have a healthy financial backing, but despite their mass summer recruitment, they have come nowhere near what West Ham will ultimately end up spending.

It seems an injustice. As an Ipswich Town supporter, I watch the club minding the pennies, scrapping around for free agents and bargains.

Yet the club's debt is dwarfed by West Ham's.

The Hammers are not the only club to blame, though – last season it was Portsmouth. They seemed to be in and out of court more often than a Geordie joy-rider, with their financial woes.

In fact, Portsmouth were a club on the brink of liquidation owing to the fact that they simply were unable to pay back their crippling debts.

Yet they still somehow managed to fund the arrivals of Liam Lawrence, Dave Kitson and a plethora of other proven Premier League stars.

Chester City had their financial problems a couple of seasons ago, and were forced to close. Their finances were nowhere near as bad as West Ham or Portsmoth's.

Surely there is a way to stop this. It is unfair on other Championship sides who are aiming for promotion – but doing it the sensible and honest way.

It is never nice to see a club have to close because of their finances – or to see a club docked points for going into administration. But it is time for the authorities to take action, and make an example of one or two clubs.

It is harsh, admittedly, but what does it say for the game in general if teams are unable to live within their means. There are starving children in Africa, for goodness sake.

The Champions League have a good system set up. In future, clubs who are unable to justify their spending, simply are not allowed to compete in the tournament.

Perhaps it is time for the Premier League and Football league to take a leaf out of that book.

England are back to where they belong

It is almost a month since FIFA came to the ridiculous conclusion that England were the fourth best team in the world, ahead of the likes of Brazil, Argentina and Portugal.

For a side that failed so miserably in the last world cup, has stuttered in recent friendlies and did not even qualify for the previous European Championships, it would be understandable if the national team failed to make the top 10.

Thanks to the Copa America (a competition that England fortunately don't get to humiliate themselves in), there has been a more sensible reorganisation of the rankings.

Uruguay and the aforementioned Brazil have both nipped in ahead of England, pushing them down to sixth.

For the sake of dampening overzealous English expectation, that is certainly for the better – indeed a reasonable conclusion, seeing as few people could make a case for England being amongst the world's top five international teams.

Fair enough, England can arguably pick from a host of world class footballing talent, but the fact that there is about as much chemistry and organisation among them as a pack of stampeding zebra, has often been commented on.

Uruguay can justify their position in the rankings, following their incredible Copa America win, and a stellar performance in the 2010 World Cup.

They, like Spain and Germany, just seem to have that ingredient that England don't.

Those sides seem to just click when it comes to kick-off – they function as a unit, and look as much a bunch of mates as a professional unit.

Sadly England do not.

An Indian summer of cricket

There are two big questions on the lips of cricket fans this week. When will Sachin Tendulkar reach his landmark one-hundredth international century? And, are England the finest Test side on the planet?

Tendulkar made his test début way back in 1989, aged 16, against Pakistan in Karachi. Coming into bat at number six, the youngster looked to have a tough job on his hands.

With Pakistan having been bowled out for a good first innings score of 409, the Indians were struggling at 41-4. To make matters worse, the Pakistan team of then had a formidable bowling attack which included both Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.

It probably won't go down as one of Tendulkar's finest displays, as he was clean bowled by Younis for just 15 runs, and the game ended as a draw. What it was, however, was the beginning of an era.

It would probably be fate if The Little Master were to make his hundredth international century at some point in the coming series against England. It was the English who he scored his first century against at Old Trafford in 1990.

His first attempt will come on Thursday at Lords, the home of cricket. It is hard to believe that a man who has not only scored 100 against all of the test playing nations, but has scored 150 against them all too, does not have a Lord's century to his name.

It is something that Tendulkar has said would be a dream of his, but he is now down to his last attempt.

The second and third test matches are to be played at Nottinghamshire's Trent Bridge and Warwickshire's Edgbaston grounds. In 1996, Tendulkar enjoyed a fine summer against England which included centuries at both of those grounds.

The Oval, another ground he is yet to make a century on, is the venue for the fourth and final test.

Tendulkar has carved a reputation, down the years, for being the finest batsman of his generation – indeed, the most prolific run-maker and greatest cricketing icon of all time.

It has rightly been observed many times before, that he does not really have a weakness, with his balance, movement and precision stroke-play making him a truly terrifying opponent.

England off-spinner, Graeme Swann admitted this week that it would be wonderful to see Tendulkar reach the impressive 'century of centuries' milestone, but is determined not to let that happen in this series.

Fair enough, too. England have priorities of their own going into what is, aside from the Ashes, one of the most hyped Test series' of the Millennium.

As if winning a test match alone was not motivation enough, England have the added carrot of becoming the world number one test side should they win the series by a margin of two or more.

It is all very crowded at the top of the ICC World Rankings right now. India currently hold top spot, but South Africa and England are not far behind, and are looking to displace them.

No one can possibly predict the outcome of such an eagerly anticipated series, but one thing is for sure; over the next few weeks, cricket fans the world over are going to be in for a treat.

Video: Top five golf shots of all time

Woods celebrates with caddie after chipping in at Augusta.

It is something that is sure to start a debate among any true golf fans. What is the greatest shot of all time?

There are many candidates - far to many to mention in one blog, but here I will attempt to pick my top five. Not everyone will agree, but one thing is sure, they are all spectacular in their own right.

In such a list it would be so easy to pick out five stunning hole-in-ones - because that is the perfect shot, right?

But no, that would be too easy. For this exercise, it involved thinking outside the box a bit - not me, but the players.

They are shots where any average golfer who plays at his local course would not think to play. Shots which only the finest players the game has to offer could possibly dream of pulling off.

Admittedly two hole-in-ones have made this list - no list would be complete without at least one, so we've gone for two here.

So pour yourself a cup of tea, and sit back to enjoy some of the finest plays that the beautiful game of golf has served up down the years.

1. Miguel Ángel Jiménez - The Open Championship, St Andrews, 2010.

Maybe not the most technically brilliant shot of all time, but this effort from the quirky Spaniard deserves it's place in this list as much as any of the others. Having left his approach shot tight to the wall, Jiménez was left with no room to get his swing in. As the BBC commentary team began to ridicule him he turned the tables on them, reverting to mini-golf tactics by using the wall to his advantage, and pulling a truly sensational shot out of the bag.

2. Phil Mickelson – The Masters, Augusta National, 2010.

Every amateur golfer has done it – hooked their tee shot horribly wide of the fairway and landed up behind the local flora. It is a nightmare to get out of, and anyone with a level head on their shoulders would probably accept their fate and tap the ball back out onto the fairway. Phil Mickelson is different from everyone else though, he spotted a gap that even his caddy did not know existed, drawing the ball round the tree nicely to set up a putt for birdie.

3. Tiger Woods – The Masters, Augusta National, 2005.

It's easy to forget that Tiger Woods, currently sitting 20^th in the world, was actually once a candidate for 'greatest golfer of all time'. Year by year he would pull incredible shots out of the bag that surprised even his most avid fans. But this, at the 16^th hole in 2005, may well top the lot. Leaving the ball in a reasonably putt-able position would have been enough for any of the other players that day, but Tiger was no ordinary golfer and just had to go one better.

4. Fuzzy Zoeller – Allianz Championship, Glen Oaks Country Club, 2006.

A controversial character, to say the least, Fuzzy Zoeller was certainly someone who knew how to grab an audiences attention – not always for the right reasons. The first of two hole-in-ones in this list, this shot makes it in, not because it was the finest shot that day, but because of the truly ridiculous circumstances in which it occurred. What looks to be a distinctly average shot, suddenly turns into something much, much greater – did he mean it? Or was it just the crafty work of the devil?

5. Miguel Ángel Jiménez – Dubai Desert Classic, Emirates Golf Club, 2008.

Last, but by no means least, it must be such an honour for Jiménez to make it onto this list twice. If his earlier shot made it on for being inventive, this one makes it on for being truly sublime. It is rare to see a hole-in-one anyway, but hitting it so accurately that it drops straight into the hole without even so much as a bounce is pretty much unheard of. It takes you a moment to realise that the ball has actually gone in at first, but when you do, it leaves you astounded.

Clarke win highlights Northern Irish dominance in golf

New Open Champion, Darren Clarke.

Lets just suppose you had walked into a bookmakers at the beginning of last week and asked to place a tenner on world number 111, Darren Clarke winning the first major of his career on Sunday. Most punters probably would have given you a strange sort of sidewards look. The bookies on the other hand, would have been more than happy to oblige, offering you odds of 150/1, and thus a potential windfall of £1,500.

But who would have been stupid enough to have done that, right?

Well no doubt there is someone out there who decided to take a punt on the 42 year old Northern Irishman, and is probably right now counting their lucky stars – if not their winnings.

In the same week that a Scottish couple bagged the £161m jackpot in the Euromillions, Clarke overcame the odds to scoop the £900,000 winners' cheque as well as having his name engraved upon the famous old Claret Jug.

Clarke's win caps a remarkable couple of years for golf in the tiny country of Northern Ireland, with his countrymen, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell both winning majors of their own.

Some may call it a coincidence that such a thing could happen; after all, how could a country with a population of less than two million ever produce three of the top players in what is truly a global game?

Indeed, golf is not a particularly big sport in Northern Ireland – with football and a plethora of Gaelic sports favoured.

But the truth is, that little country seems to have made a habit of churning out great sports men and women down the years. Does anyone remember a certain footballer by the name of George Best?

It is hard to pinpoint exactly the reasons why Northern Ireland is enjoying such a purple patch in the world of golf at the moment, but there certainly are a number of factors that in their own small way will have served to play their part.

The Royal County Down Golf Club boasts the fourth best golf course outside of the United States, according to Golf Digest magazine's 2007 listing.

The ninth at County Down is one of the most spectacular links holes in world golf.

Furthermore, the fourth and ninth holes at that very course both made it into a book about the 500 greatest golf holes in the world.

But having great golf courses doesn't instantly guarantee great players, although the type of courses arguably could.

Links golf is the main form of the sport in Northern Ireland, so it is perhaps no wonder that in the adverse conditions at Royal St Georges, it was a hardy Northern Irishman who came out victorious anyway.

US Open champion, Rory McIlroy credits the challenging nature of Northern Ireland's courses, in particular the Holywood Golf Club where he learnt his trade, as one of the main reasons he has made it so far in the game.

As for Graeme McDowell, he chose to take advantage of the college system in the United States to learn his game.

Although just recently, success for American golf has cooled slightly, there is no doubt that it is there that the finest coaching and facilities can be found. McIlroy, too, has benefited from them in the past.

Regardless of how these men have risen to the top of their game, it remains clear that in Northern Ireland golf is a sport on the up. Who knows, it might not be too long before another Major Champion emerges from that wild and rugged land.

Why do English players continue to struggle in The Open Championship?

World number one, Luke Donald missed the cut.

European golf looks to be at it's strongest point for a long time. Four of the last five Ryder Cups have been won by the continent, including the triumph at Celtic Manor in 2010. Furthermore, five of the top ten players in the world now are Europeans.

Closer to home, English golfers are doing even better. Not only are five of the world's top 40 players from this green and pleasant land, but in Luke Donald and Lee Westwood the country boasts the two finest golfers on the planet right now.

True enough, world number 19, Tiger Woods may still be regarded the most talented player of a generation; but truer still, neither Westwood nor Donald have won even a single Major championship between them.

Indeed, that latter point has a certain degree of veracity to it – something that is painfully highlighted when looking at the results of recent Open Championships.

Not since 1992 has an Englishman won the famous tournament (Nick Faldo), and more shocking still, an Englishman has not won the tournament on English soil since 1969 when Tony Jacklin took home the Claret Jug.

Going into today's third round at Royal St Georges, the highest ranked English player is, remarkably, the amateur Tom Lewis. He sits tied 14^th in amongst a posse of world class talent, including former Masters champion, Phil Mickelson.

As for the aforementioned talented duo of Donald and Westwood, well, astonishingly they both missed the cut.

So why is there such a distinct lack of success for English players in this competition?

It is hard to put a finger on precisely what it is, after all the conditions are more or less the same for everyone competing in the tournament. In fact it could be argued that English players should be more comfortable with conditions that they most likely would have grown up in.

Of course, The Open Championship does present a very different challenge to any of the other Major golf tournaments, for it is played out every year on links courses. Courses where, essentially, a player's biggest obstacle is not dense woodland, thick rough or tight fairways, but rather, the wind.

One argument, and very flawed it does seem, is that most of the top players – including England's top hopes – are high ball hitters. It has been suggested many times before that they struggle in the windy conditions. However, three time Open Championship winner, Jack Nicklaus was a notoriously high ball hitter, and as his record suggests, he never had any real difficulty adapting.

As for the argument that the creative 'feel' players struggle in such conditions? Nonsense. The late, great Seve Ballesteros built a career on such play, and he won the tournament three times as well.

There are many arguments out there, and it would take a lifetime to go into any great depth about them all, but it certainly does remain an enigma.

This year, though, it is Northern Irishman, Darren Clarke who leads the tournament going into the weekend, and it now appears he will be the one all British hopes are pinned to. His countryman, Rory McIlroy is still hanging in there too, after a solid round of 69 on Friday to take him to level par for the championship.

But despite all that, the facts remain. It appears to be more of the same old, same old, and it looks as though another year will pass without an Englishman winning the tournament, as the long wait creaks slowly into its third decade.

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Scotland Must Stay

A perpetual habit of Ipswich Town's always seems to be letting a good or promising player go each summer for relative peanuts. In recent seasons, especially, it appears to have become a worrying trend at Portman Road.

There are endless players that you could easily go into detail about, but the latest one to keep an eye on is Jason Scotland. Admittedly, the former Wigan striker did not exactly set the world alight in his first season with the club, but then again, nor did former manager, Roy Keane – he still got another half a season.

Reports this week suggest that the Blues and Swansea City have already begun negotiations which would pave the way for the Trinidadian to return to Wales, and indeed, Premier League football.

Now usually that would spark a certain degree of interest from the selling club with the potential for a big amount of money coming their way. Last season when Jon Walters went to Stoke, it seemed a mutually agreeable deal – Town picked up in excess of £3m for the player, and the Potters got their man.

This summer, in fact, Connor Wickham smashed all records with his £8.1m move to Sunderland. Sure, it was sad to see him go, but at least there was a tasty incentive for Ipswich Town fans at the end of the day.

With Scotland, however, all looks to be very different. He looks set to join a group of players such as Alan Lee, Jon Stead, and Jordan Rhodes, who despite doing what appeared to be a decent job, were unmercifully pushed out of the door.

Like those players, Jason Scotland is not a bad player – he has proven many times before that at Championship level he can score goals. Actually, a lot of goals.

When such a situation occurs, it looks a pretty safe bet that there is not going to be a lot of money involved. If Town even recoup what they paid for him it would be remarkable.

Of course, a lot of fans will argue that with the arrivals of Michael Chopra and Nathan Ellington, as well as Priskin offering an alternative option, Scotland will not exactly be the first choice at the club. Maybe too, there could soon be another arrival in the striking department with reports earlier in the week that bids had been placed for two unknown players.

The fact is, though, Scotland has been at the club for a season now. In that season, he did manage to notch 10 goals – more than any of the other strikers at the club, and only bettered by the now departed David Norris, a midfielder.

Supposing Michael Chopra was to bag 20 goals this season, Ellington a further 10 – wouldn't 10 more from Scotland be a welcome contribution?

It is also worth considering that he played much of last season as a lone striker. Early indications from this pre-season are that Paul Jewell is looking to play two up front, meaning that if Scotland were to play, there would be someone to share the work load with.

Furthermore, Jewell himself is even said to be happy with how the bulky forward is performing in pre-season so far.

It really does beg the question: how the hell could he ever be allowed to just slip out the back door?

Warning: Bad boy Bowyer is in Town

Some footballers ought to come with a warning sign attached to them when they sign for a new football club, especially those with a bit of a reputation.

One of those is Lee Bowyer, who has just signed a one-year deal with Ipswich Town this week. I'm sure I read somewhere that he was the most booked player in Premier League history, and we all know about his off-field shenanigans with Jonathan Woodgate whilst at Leeds United.

Furthermore, it is worth considering that one of Town's reported transfer targets of this summer just so happens to be Keiron Dyer. Could the ex-Newcastle 'buddies' be re-united at Portman Road?

Since becoming a professional club in 1936, Ipswich Town has forged itself at reputation as a friendly, welcoming family club. A club that, essentially, signs nice players who play nice football.

The managers have been quite mellow too – the kind gentleman that was Sir Bobby Robson, the humble Scot, George Burley and the unobtrusive tactician, Sir Alf Ramsey.

Yet in recent times that all seems to have changed.

Roy Keane's arrival in 2009 reflected that change dramatically. The former Manchester United hard-man came in to replace Jim Magilton. Everyone said it could not work – the two were not compatible. Ipswich Town and Roy Keane could never work...

They were right.

The arrival of Lee Bowyer does seem to be of the same mould, if you like. Michael Chopra did not exactly represent the coming of a moral guardian either.

Somehow, though, both seem like fantastic signings for the club. Bowyer will bring a tenacity to the midfield, whilst also chipping in with goals. Chopra, meanwhile, is a poacher – a striker hungry for goals, someone who knows better than most in the division where the net is.

When the season finished back in May, Town were facing a crisis. It seemed as though half the squad were out of contract and would not be signing new deals.

Add to that the fact that the club's player of the season, Jimmy Bullard, had only been a loanee, and the reality of the situation was that the club was never going to be able to afford his wages. Paul Jewell had an almighty job on his hands.

He has done well though. The addition of Bowyer to the team instantly replaces the work ethic and steel that was ripped from the core of the team when David Norris left for Portsmouth. Ivar Ingimarsson adds the experience and quality at the heart of the defence in the position that was vacated by Gareth McAuley.

Aaron Cresswell, a player courted by many Premier League and Championship clubs, brings the enthusiasm of youth, and could turn out to be a gem from the lower leagues. Nathan Ellington arrived off the back of a disappointing few seasons with Watford – but his most successful years were under Jewell at Wigan.

In total five new players have arrived at the club – better still, they have arrived before the team has even played a single pre-season game. Fans have grown accustomed to no one signing before July, only for a mad rush in late August, leaving the squad imbalanced and the supporters underwhelmed.

Indeed, it looks as though there is more to come, too. This week Jewell has admitted that he is waiting to hear back from clubs regarding bids placed for a further two players – reportedly a winger and a forward.

It is nice to see the attacking options being addressed. For a number of seasons now, the options in those areas have looked depleted at best. Not since Shefki Kuqi six years ago has any player scored more than 20 goals for the club in a season. In fact, few have scored that many in their time with the Blues.

One concern for me, though, still remains defensively. Unlike some fans, I am reasonably contented with the goalkeeping options at the club, but I am still worried about the lack of a recognised right-back at the club – even if Carlos Edwards filled the position well towards the end of last season.

Moreover, there are only three recognised centre-backs in the squad. Ingimarsson is the only right-footer among them, and a man of his age surely cannot be expected to play all 46 games. Damien Delaney is prone to spells of catastrophically bad form, while Tommy Smith, despite having played at a World Cup is still only 21.

Leicester snapped up the main transfer target for that position, Sean St Ledger, so it is back to the drawing board there, unfortunately.

More money will have to be spent. Jewell has done well so far, getting in a raft of players on frees, while only paying half of the figure the club were quoted last summer for Michael Chopra (£1.5m).

And there should be money available. The Connor Wickham sale looks to be a blessing in disguise. At 18, he was never going to tear the Championship apart single handedly, but the £8m transfer fee (potentially rising to over £12m) will give the club a better chance of doing so.

It remains to be seen what Jewell still has in store for the club. So far he is doing well, and if he keeps that up, who knows, this time next year, he could be the toast of Ipswich.

News of the World gone, but sadly not forgotten for a long time yet

When asked by people what I am training to become, I often have to grit my teeth and bear the inevitable mocking of my profession. Telling people that I wish to be a journalist in the not too distant future always sparks the same reaction. I find my very own morals and ethics being questioned.

In the last decade things have changed in the world of journalism – the press complaints commission now strictly moderates ethics in the industry and the sanctions imposed on anyone stepping out of line can be crippling.

Such issues have not entirely disappeared, though. Stories emerging this week about further phone hacking by the News of the World have plunged the reputation of journalists right back down to the depths they thought they had long since managed to rise from.

No one can doubt the heinous nature of The News of the World’s latest actions. What they have done goes way beyond the line of day-to-day ethics, and right into the heart of serious crime.

Whether or not the life of school-girl, Milly Dowler could have been saved, had the News of the World not deleted messages from her inbox, does seem questionable at the very least. But what is not questionable, is how wrong and utterly immoral it was for someone to do such a thing.

In the latest development to the story, it has now been announced that this coming Sunday’s edition of the tabloid newspaper will be it’s last. For some it is the end of an era, but for most it is good riddance.

For, it seems, every blotch on the good reputation of journalism in the last five years seems to have been associated with them.

Rebekah Brooks, Chief Executive of News International has claimed that the Guardian newspaper that exposed the latest phone hacking scandal, were ‘out to get us, and got us.’

It seems remarkable that she could ever have hoped that hacking the phone of a murdered school-girl was going to remain secret. Furthermore, how on earth could she have ever expected further developments, such as the hacking of 7/7 victims’ families, to go un-noticed?

The world of journalism has now been left to pick itself up from one of the biggest blows it has taken in years. Who can say if it will ever fully recover? A long road lies ahead, and many challenges await. However, with improved levels of training, and stricter regulation, maybe some public faith can be restored.

William Taylor

Haye has a tough fight on his hands

By the time David Haye and Wladimir Klitschko step into the ring tonight, it will be the culmination of months of relentless promotion and hype. The talking will be over, and the two protagonists will get down to what they really are good at – boxing. It will be one man against another, there will be no mercy, and for the loser it will be heartbreak.

For some years now, there hasn’t been the same level of interest in a heavyweight boxing fight, most likely because this was the one everyone had been waiting for. Haye and Klitschko nearly fought a few years back, but when the Hayemaker pulled out through injury, it was cancelled.

In the meantime, there is no doubt that a lot of talking has happened. In Haye’s case, a lot of publicity stunts, reaching a crescendo of tastelessness. Both men have taken on mediocre opposition – none more so than the pathetically one sided encounter between Haye and Audley Harrison. One can only hope that tonight’s meeting does not follow the same path.

When two of the best heavyweight boxers of a certain era come together for a world title bout, there is little to match the excitement, the buzz and sense of expectation that it generates. You know that months of preparation and fighting talk will all boil down to a mere 12 rounds – or even less in most cases.

Everyone with even so much as a passing interest will attempt to make their prediction of what might happen on the night, and the Haye v Klitschko fight is proving to be no different. It is amazing; there is no other sport on the planet that draws such differences in opinion from so many people. Even the experts cannot seem to agree on who will come out on top.

One argument is that Haye’s speed and agility will see him to victory, while others argue that Klitschko’s height and weight advantage will be too much for the Brit to handle. It is impossible to guess who truly will come out on top in the end.

Indeed, who would have said Ruslan Chagaev would have overcome a 1’1” height difference to beat Nicolay Valuev? Surely no one would have fancied a 45 year old George Foreman to beat Michael Moorer, 19 years his junior. The fantastic thing is, however, those things did happen.

My personal viewpoint is that Klitschko will just about have too much for Haye. For all Haye can talk the talk, I sincerely doubt he can follow that up with a win tonight. Wladimir Klitschko doesn’t hold three world title belts for no reason – he will be hungry to add a fourth to his collection, meaning the Klitschko brothers will have a monopoly of all the world heavyweight titles.

It won’t be a one sided encounter though – it might not even be particularly explosive. There is a lot on the line for these two men, so a cagey battle would appear to be on the cards. If this one doesn’t go the distance, it will be sure to still go a long way.

Haye has admitted he is not prepared to let the fight go 12 rounds, and so he shouldn’t. It would be safe to say that if it does, a notoriously biased judging panel in Hamburg will back the German based Ukranian. A Brit surely couldn’t hope to win on points, right?

To win, Haye will have to knock him out, and I’m not sure he has it in his locker. Sure, he is a big puncher – but so is Klitschko. Haye will have to be careful not to leave himself exposed. Equally he must not be too defensive, for Klitschko will dominate him.

He needs to strike a balance – something close to what Muhammed Ali went for to beat George Foreman in 1974. Ali won that with an eighth round KO, and if Haye is to win it may well be via similar route.

Sadly, or thankfully some cynics may argue, I do not see Haye stopping ‘Dr Sledgehammer’, he just does not quite have enough. For me, this certainly will go the distance, and when that happens, there will only be one winner… and he won’t be British.