The Iceman is Back!

A bit out of the blue this, but after 2 years away, the driver they called Ice-Man is back in F1.

2007 world champion, Kimi Raikkonen, has signed a 2 year contract to drive for the Lotus Renault team next season. The Finn has been racing rally cars and living it up large since leaving his multi-million contract at Ferrari at the end of 2009, but apparently has rediscovered his "hunger" to compete in F1 and was looking to sign for Williams.

In hindsight, Lotus will probably be a more competitive drive than Williams who have had their worst season ever. Lotus are very much at the head of the pack that isn't McLaren/Ferrari/Red Bull/Mercedes and with Kubica's return still uncertain, Raikkonen has the chance to assume the number 1 driver role in the team.

All this is wonderful news for F1 and its fans who have missed the unorthodox and very talented Finn, except maybe for Bruno Senna and Vitaly Petrov who are now battling for the one seat left at the team. In fact, on the same day Raikkonen was signed, Petrov was given till Dec 10 to decide if he was remaining with the team.

Both Senna and Petrov have tremendous financial clout and have shown to be very competitive. However, Petrov has had an erratic season after finishing 3rd in Australia while Senna has been quite impressive since joining halfway through the season as a replacement for Nick Heidfeld.

It remains to be seen if Senna and Petrov are merely just warming the seat for Kubica while the talented Pole slowly recovers from serious injuries sustained earlier this year.

But getting back to Raikkonen, it means a quarter of the grid would consist of world champions past and present; Vettel, Button, Hamilton, Alonso and Schumacher are the other world champions of course. I think even in the competitive 60s, we never had this many world champions on the grid.

The question is will Raikkonen have enough motivation to compete for mid-to-lesser points against the likes of the Force Indias, Toro Rossos, Mercedes and Felipe Massa for much of next season?

It makes for a very intriguing 2012.    

But it's good to have the Ice-Man back. He may have his many critics but golly, he does know how to drive a car fast and well.

Midweek Football - Gary Speed Day

It's the first proper round of football action since the sudden death of Gary Speed on Sunday with the Carling Cup quarterfinals and several Championship games - there was even La Liga and Serie A action involving several of the top teams.

Tributes were made to the Welsh manager before kickoff nationwide.



Leeds and Forest fans sang the "There's Only Gary Speed song" for 11 minutes from the 11th minute of their game at the City Ground. Midway through, Leeds scored through Rob Snodgrass. It finished 4-0 to Leeds and lifts the Yorkshire club deep into the playoff spots.

Other scores, Blackburn and Chelsea continue to plumb new depths, both lost 2-0 to Cardiff and Liverpool respectively while Manchester City beat Arsenal in the dying moments of the game to ensure that a Manchester derby for the semifinal is very much on.

Juventus drew 3-3 with Napoli after being 3-0 down while Barcelona thrashed Rayo Vallecano 4-0 to claw the deficit to Real Madrid to 3 points. 

New Zealand Tour of Australia 2011 - Preview

2004 - Darren Lehmann takes a bit out of Rigour, Adelaide.

After much anticipation, New Zealand's tour of Australia will kick start proper with the 1st test at the Gabba in Brisbane on Thursday. In fact there has never been more anticipation and optimism amongst the New Zealand ranks with the hosts missing key players for this test like Cummins, Johnson, Watson & Harris due to injury.

The Gabba

And rumour has it that the pitch will be fast and bouncy but may not offer too much for the bowlers. So we could see plenty of runs - something that the New Zealanders appear capable of scoring if their showing against Australia A was anything to go by. In fact that was probably the New Zealanders' best performance in a warm-up game in Australia yet!

So the squads for the 1st test are:
Australia - Michael Clarke (captain), Brad Haddin, Ben Cutting, Phil Hughes, Michael Hussey, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, James Pattinson, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, David Warner

New Zealand - Ross Taylor (captain), Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson, Jesse Ryder, Dean Brownlie, BJ Watling, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Chris Martin, Daniel Vettori, Reece Young.

My tip: Match drawn.

Can Tim Tebow Lead the Denver Broncos to the Playoffs?

This will be my last Tim Tebow blog for a month.... I promise.

Unless the Broncos make the play-offs..

Which now seems highly possible after Tebow's latest fourth-quarter rally in San Diego. This time Tebowtime would go into overtime after Tebow couldn't quite get yet another dramatic late touchdown to win the game.




Not that Tebowtime was any less exciting or effective.

Unless you find boring, Tebow passing an absolute peach of a ball to Eric Decker for the touchdown to make it 13-10.

Unless you find boring, Tebow creating the seal for Willis McGahee to scamper away yards and enable Matt Prater to snatch victory and probably end the Chargers' playoff hopes.

So the Broncos are now 6-5.

They're a game behind their divisional rivals, the Oakland Raiders on 7-4, with a better conference record than the Raiders.

They're a game behind as-it-stands wildcard holders, the Cincinnati Bengals also on 7-4, 2 behind the Pittsburgh Steelers/Baltimore Ravens (8-3) and their ding-dong battle for the AFC North title.

They've got the same record as the New York Jets and the Tennessee Titans in the chase for a wildcard spot.

Not bad given their 1-4 start.

So who have the Broncos got ahead? Who has Tim Tebow got next in his unexpected quest for the playoffs?

Also just as important is who the likes of Oakland, Cinci, the Jets and Tennessee have got next; they're the most likely antagonists to the Tebow fairytale ending..

THE RACE FOR "A" WILDCARD

Dec 4
Oakland at Miami
Tennessee at Buffalo
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
Jets at Washington
Denver at Minnesota

Minnesota are 2-9 and a team slowly rebuilding - they may have Tebow's match in the running game in Adrian Peterson for this one though.


Should be 6-1 to Tebow. 


And Cincinnati and Oakland have tough away games. So all 3 could be 7-5 by the end of the round and Denver could lead the AFC West due to their superior conference record.  

Dec 11
Oakland at Green Bay
New Orleans at Tennessee
Houston at Cincinnati
Kansas City at Jets
Chicago at Denver

Denver and Oakland face two of the very best teams from the NFC North.

Having said that, Chicago will still be without Jay Cutler and one of Denver's quiet performers this season has been their defence.

As long as Aaron Rodgers doesn't get injured, Green Bay will continue to be invincible and can't see Oakland beating them on this form.

7-1 to Tebow. Denver 8-5 lead AFC West a game ahead of Oakland 7-6.

Dec 18
Detroit at Oakland
Tennessee at Indianapolis
Cincinnati at St Louis
Jets at Philadelphia
New England at Denver

As a Pats fan, I'm now really nervous about our game in Denver. The Pats have never done well in Denver and there's quite a decent rivalry between the two sides. Having said that, the Pats have finally figured out how to defend and there's always Brady's multi-facet, short-pass attack that has been tearing teams apart now its on song.

Oakland will be taking on a Detroit side still chasing a playoff spot..

Brady ends the winning streak for Tebow at 6 to make it 7-2. Denver tie with Oakland on 8-6 at top of division but lead on better divisional record. 

Dec 25
Oakland at Kansas City
Jacksonville at Tennessee
Arizona at Cincinnati
Giants at Jets
Denver at Buffalo

Both Oakland and Denver are on the road on Christmas day although Denver may face the tougher game if it snows in upstate New York. Having said that though, it might suit Denver's rushing game and Buffalo are on the decline now after such a bright start to the season.

Another tough call but Oakland to beat Kansas City even with Kyle Orton throwing for the Chiefs.

Denver and Oakland tied at 9-6 but Denver leads on better divisional record.

Jan 1
San Diego at Oakland
Tennessee at Houston
Baltimore at Cincinnati
Jets at Dolphins
Kansas City at Denver

Both Oakland and Denver are at home and if results go as predicted, Denver's game at home to Kansas City could be the last regular season game of the season if it turns out to be the clincher.

Tim Tebow is a winner and winners know what to do when the crunch comes. This could be Tebow's moment to guide the Broncos into the most unlikely of playoffs. Oakland and Denver tied 10-6, Denver go through on divisional record.

To realistically qualify for the playoffs, the Broncos will have to take on the Raiders for the division title as Cincinnati have the easiest route to the playoffs on paper. But Denver already have the edge on Oakland in the division race thanks to their win at the Coliseum which really set Tebowtime off.

How apt then, that Tebowtime would finish with a playoff spot based on the result of that game.

2 Minutes - 28 November 2011

The last ever 2 Minutes from Mount Victoria begins on quite a sombre note.

RIP Gary Speed

I woke up early this morning to watch the Liverpool v Man City game and shortly after checked the news and found out about the death of Wales football manager and former Newcastle, Everton, Leeds legend, Gary Speed.

It looks like it may the second suicide involving a high-profile sportsman this month - Peter Roebuck being the other one of course.

Even so, Gary Speed's sudden death at age 42 is a tremendous shock to everyone who follows football and for his fellow Welshmen.

By the time I started following football, Gary Speed was pretty much in the autumn of his career at Newcastle United after playing for Leeds & Everton. He eventually moved to Bolton and Sheffield United around the same time the late Sir Bobby Robson left Newcastle. He was the sort of player you'd always have in your starting XI - solid, dependable, industrious and with not a bad foot and head.

When he retired, like most footballers we went into management starting with Sheffield United. It wasn't the most auspicious start but he was quickly offered the Wales manager's role. He took it gleefully and started moulding together a very young but talented side consisting of Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Wayne Hennessey, etc.

His Wales team had been in very good form recently as qualifying for EURO2012 concluded and pundits were tipping them to have a great shot at qualification for EURO2016 - they had been drawn in quite a tough pool for the 2014 World Cup.

Then came this.

The saddest thing is that Speed had only been on the BBC's Football Focus less than 24 hours before he was found hung in his home. It appears that the circumstances of his death will be a matter of mystery for years to come. Ironic really for a player who you could depend on and never really delivered the unexpected.

A sad day for football. But a horrible one for his family who will not only have to come to terms with the loss of a husband and father but also figuring why this happened out of the blue.

RIP Gary Speed.





Gary Speed's last ever interview on BBC's Football Focus.

Gary Speed's first ever hat-trick for Everton.

Montage of Gary Speed's goals at Newcastle United.

Can Matt Leinart Become an NFL Starting Quarterback?

The most intriguing situation to observe during this Thanksgiving weekend of NFL action will be in East Florida when the Jacksonville Jaguars host the Houston Texans.

Okay, it may be just another game between two divisional rivals - the first for this season between these two. And okay, the Jaguars have the Texans' season record in reverse.

So what's so intriguing about this game?

Well, it'll be Matt Leinart's first game for the Houston Texans as starting quarterback since incumbent, Matt Schaub was ruled out for the season, and since Leinart was told by the Arizona Cardinals he wasn't their starting quarterback for the future despite Kurt Warner's retirement leaving the path free for the former Heismann Trophy winner.

Matt Leinart has the talent and has shown to be a winner, helping to guide his USC team to the Rose Bowl and National Championship. He won 34 out of his 35 games in Los Angeles - his 1 defeat was only to Vince Young's Texas in the best Rose Bowl in history in 2005.

Perhaps this is why Leinart hasn't quite been able to make the transition from college star to regular NFL starting quarterback. It didn't help that when Leinart got injured at the Cardinals that Kurt Warner brought back the Age of Aquarius and guided the Cards to their first Super Bowl in eons and only just lost to the Steelers in the 2009 Super Bowl.

But 5 years on and in a winning team environment in Houston, Leinart now has the chance to nail that starting quarterback that his talent long deserves.

Despite losing star defensive end, Mario Williams to a season-ending injury and despite star wide receiver, Andre Johnson's persistent injuries this season, the Texans are still winning and as a team have never been better. Their defensive form from a few seasons ago has returned and is now backed up with a monster rushing game.

Perfect for a quarterback new to the system and in his first start then. And against Jacksonville who are also a predominantly rushing side, Leinart will not have to throw to his receivers as much.

It's a bit like the All Blacks in this year's Rugby World Cup when Dan Carter was injured prior to the knockout stages. Colin Slade, Aaron Cruden and even Stephen Donald were drafted in to fill the key pivot position with Cruden and Donald probably impressing the most.

Leinart will be hoping to be Cruden/Donald: confident and ready to take on the line, instead of the nervous Slade. The Texans would like him to be the former as a first ever playoff appearance looks ever closer.

And given Schaub is now in his 30s, nail this and Leinart could be the Texans quarterback for a couple of seasons yet as they set to take advantage of the rebuilding in Indy, Nashville and Jacksonville.  


Fail, and Leinart will be another what-if story for ESPN to file.

NBA Is Back!

Dirk and his Mavs will defend their title after all this season

After talks between players and owners went into overtime, it appears we will have some NBA action this season after all.

This story courtesy of USA Today:

The NBA and locked-out players returned to talks Friday, and in the 15th hour, early Saturday, came away with a tentative agreement to end the lockout on Day 149, according to The New York Times. CBSSports.com and ESPN.

The participants for this session were, for the league, NBA Commissioner David Stern, Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver, San Antonio Spurs owner and labor relations chairman Peter Holt and attorneys Rick Buchanan and Dan Rube and for the players, trade association chief Billy Hunter, trade association president Derek Fisher, trade association vice president Mo Evans, economist Kevin Murphy and attorney Ron Klempner. The players had dissolved the union after rejecting the last owner's proposal Nov. 14.

To make this deal work, the union must be reconstituted and lawsuits the players filed against the league must be settled. There are also so-called B issues, such as player conduct and drug testing, that need to be worked out. Going into this session the hope from the owners was to get a 66-game schedule. "It's our hope that we're going to play some games this season," Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck had said Thursday to USA TODAY's J. Michael Falgoust. "We regret that we haven't been able to reach an agreement yet.

LeBron is back!

We know that that has an effect on fans and business partners and people who work around our arenas." The sides first met Tuesday, their first formal communication since Nov. 14, when the players rejected the owners' last offer of the roughly 50-50 split of BRI and the restrictions on how that money would be distributed. The players disbanded the union and filed two antitrust lawsuits, which were merged into one complaint filed in Minneapolis by attorney David Boies. Your lockout stories Competitive balance is a major priority for the owners.

To get that, the NBA wants to reduce massive payroll discrepancies between the highest and lowest spending clubs with restrictions on clubs paying the luxury tax.

Some of those restrictions in the league's last proposal:
•Limited use of the mid-level exception — $3 million a year for a maximum of three years for taxpaying clubs compared to $5 million a year for three or four years for non-taxpayers.
•A punitive luxury tax that escalates for each $5 million a club spends above the tax threshold.
•Taxpaying clubs would not be able to acquire players via sign-and-trade after the first two years of the deal.

The union had argued those measures restrict player movement and serve, in essence, as a hard salary cap. A deal soon was needed to keep the attractive Christmas Day TV slate: first, the Celtics at the New York Knicks on ESPN; followed by a doubleheader on ABC — the Miami Heat at the champion Dallas Mavericks, then the Chicago Bulls at the Los Angeles Lakers. Stern has said it would take about 30 days to start the season after a CBA is reached. Thirty days out from Dec. 25 was Friday.

More on the latest NBA deal: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/sports/basketball/new-deal-helps-nbas-small-market-teams.html

The Future of International Cricket: Twenty20s, Tests and/or ODIs?

England spinner, Graeme Swann, says we shouldn't be playing one day internationals, i.e. the 50 over games. 

Australian fast bowler, Ryan Harris, says having a two-test series is a joke. 

There has been so much debate among players, fans and those in the national governing bodies of cricket about which formats of cricket should be played more, which formats should be played less or even relegated to history.

Cricket is so unusual from other global sports in that it has several formats to follow. Yes, rugby union has its sevens version but sevens rugby is very much the appetizer to the main meal. Golf does have its matchplay format but that's really only played occasionally.

Thus, with every series, it is a challenge to organize a series to cover all formats adequately. For cricket fans, it may be either terrific having so many formats to follow, or the fact that we go from 20 to 50 overs to 5-day cricket gets wearisome.

At the same time, cricket needs to weigh up each format on profibility along with tradition. Test cricket is probably the main reason why cricketers play cricket as it is the ultimate test of their skills, batting, bowling or fielding.

Even apparent Twenty20 specialist, David Warner, is working to get into the Australian test side. The fact is Twenty20 cricket may be fun and very profitable but it's over too quickly and games are played too often to be remembered for ages.

In my opinion, here's how I think every series should be scheduled:

5 Twenty20s
3 ODIs
3 Tests (5 for the Ashes)

The 50-over format of the game will probably still be around for years to come but should be reduced to 3 series so that each game is more meaningful.

As for test cricket, the ICC should have a look at golf and how they've made the game exciting to follow even though it is as long as test cricket and like test cricket, goes through plenty of periods where not much happens on the field.

Maybe test cricket could be marketed as the upmarket version of cricket and get involved sponsors of luxury end brands like Jaguar, Aston Martin, Rolex who sponsor many of the golf majors and yachting regattas. After all, isn't it sponsorship that is the problem with test cricket at the moment?    

Can Green Bay Finish 16-0 in the Regular Season?

So the Packers have done it.

They've avoided the rout they suffered last time they played in Detroit on Thanksgiving in 1962 and won quite comfortably in the end 27-15. With the help of a Sam Warburton-like brain explosion from Lions star nose tackle, Ndamukong Suh.

Speaking of Suh, it's a shame that a player of his talent and physique has to revert to such dirty tactics at such a young age and in only his second season in the NFL. The former Heisman trophy winner and 2nd overall draft pick in 2010 shouldn't really want to build a reputation as a thug and lose the respect of his peers.

Anyway, the Packers improve to 11-0 and with 5 games to go, a perfect regular season record of 16-0 is no longer a wild fantasy.

Here's the Packers' schedule for the rest of the season:
Dec 4, at Giants
Dec 11, Raiders
Dec 18, at Chiefs
Dec 25, Bears
Jan 1, Lions

It looks like the Giants could be the Packers' greatest threat to perfection as the Packers have to play the Giants in the big Apple.

However, it appears the Giants are having their November wobbles which threaten to derail their Super Bowl aspirations.

Nevertheless, from a fan who knows, the Giants have a knack of ending hopes of perfection. Furthermore, it was the Giants who knocked Brett Favre's Packers out of an encounter with the then unbeaten New England Patriots in the 2008 Super Bowl.

Jordy Nelson - most prolific receiver for Packers in '11.

Other than that, the Packers play 3 of their 5 games in what should be the Tundra Bowl in the middle of winter, even if they do play teams with current winning records.

Their 1 away game is at Kansas City but it is against a heavily depleted Chiefs side and even with Kyle Orton throwing for them, the Packers are too good a side to lose such a game.




So I'm sticking my head out for a 16-0 season - even 15-1 would still be phenomenal but right from the start, I believed the Packers had the goods to pull off something quite special. Aaron Rodgers is having the sort of season Tom Brady had in 2007 when the Patriots finished the regular season 16-0.

So here's to perfection!

Tribute to Rubens Barrichello

It appears that this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix could be the last for the effervescent Brazilian driver, Rubens Barrichello. Rubinho, as he is called by his own countrymen, may be out of a drive next season with signs that the Williams team are not likely to retain the veteran's services for 2012.

If that is the case, Rubinho's F1 career which dates to as far back as 1993 is over. It's a shame though that with Williams enduring its worst season in living memory at the back of the grid, Rubinho is unlikely to bow out in a blaze of glory - that along with the fact that Rubinho has never done well in his home grand prix.

If that is the case and Rubinho finishes outside of the top ten in the Brazilian Grand Prix, Rubinho would retire as F1's most experienced driver having competed in 326 Grand Prix, started in 322 of them and picked up 658 points, 68 podiums, 17 fastest laps, 14 pole positions & 11 wins.

He may not have won the championship, but Rubinho would still rank up there as one of F1's most successful drivers. But what is for certain is that Rubinho will bow out as one of F1's most popular and respected participants ever.

His F1 career began like most with a small team; a small but emerging team. Eddie Jordan's cash-strapped team took on the British F3 champion and in his third race in 1993 on a wet Donington Park track, Rubinho ran ahead of the then-dominant Williams-Renault before mechanical issues forced him out. Only his compatriot, Senna was more effective in the tricky conditions. Rubinho would eventually earn his first points of the year, finishing 5th in the Japanese Grand Prix.

1994 started well for Rubinho with 4th place in the Brazilian Grand Prix, and then his first podium - 3rd place - at the next race at Aida.

But then came Imola. Rubinho suffered a massive crash in practice which he was lucky to survive from. Unfortunately, his idol and compatriot would not be so lucky two days later.

The death of Senna had a profound effect on 22-year-old Rubinho. Some say he might never have recovered from the sudden pressure placed on this very young and talented Brazilian.

To be fair to Rubinho, he didn't quite have the deity-like talents of Senna but he was still one of the top drivers in the field and could be absolutely brilliant on his day. His maiden grand prix win at the old Hockenheim circuit in 2000 was one example.

That win was the first of 9 he would win in his career and for Ferrari. With the best car at the time, Rubinho had his best stint in his career, at least statistically. However, after 5 frustrating seasons as Michael Schumacher's backup, he signed for the Honda team alongside Jenson Button.

Barrichello was hoping for a return to the days when he was the no. 1 driver in the team just as he was at Jordan and Stewart. But again, Button would have the reins in the outfit that would eventually become Brawn in 2009.

Brawn was surprisingly competitive and had the best car in 2009 but just as he was at Ferrari, Barrichello was second-fiddle to an in-form Button who won the first six races of the season. But because Barrichello would often finish on the podium behind the Englishman, he was in the title race right to the penultimate race in Brazil.

Alas, his bad luck at Interlagos again struck and Button got the result he needed to clinch the title.

Rubinho left Brawn for Williams the following season as the team was taken over by Mercedes. Ironically, his former Ferrari teammate, Michael Schumacher would take one of vacant spots at Mercedes alongside Nico Rosberg.

Rubinho's last two seasons with Williams have been disappointing to say the least and a pale shadow of his past achievements.

Rubinho may not be racing in F1 next year. He, his frankness (he jokingly asked the stewards to punish him anyway at the end of an uncompetitive 2007 season for Honda where Rubinho scored zero points) and humour will certainly be missed by his peers and fans.

Anyway, undoubtedly, the moment of his 18-year career:

   

SNAPSHOT: Champions League - Who is Through to the Knockout Phase?

SNAPSHOT brought to you by Olympus Cameras.

Barcelona
AC Milan
Real Madrid
Internazionale
Bayern Munich
APOEL
Arsenal

On the cusp:
Ajax Amsterdam
Bayer Leverkusen
Benfica
Napoli

On the brink:
Chelsea
Manchester United
Manchester City
Borussia Dortmund
Lyon
Porto

My Top 3 Favourite Sports Leagues

I shan't rank them since they all compliment each other quite well during the year.

NFL - When there's no rugby to watch in the summer, I can still get my feed of big hits and contact courtesy of the NFL. Plus, courtesy of the NFL Draft, no team really ever dominates and teams who have losing records last season are given a chance to turn it around with the latest star out of college. And then there's the Super Bowl - the best Grand Final in the world held annually.    

Super Rugby - While New Zealand's NPC is a brilliant competition, it no longer features the best rugby players in New Zealand with the Tri Nations/Rugby Championship overlapping with the NPC. They all feature in the Super Rugby competition, playing the best of the Aussies and South Africans. And it is set to get better in its latest incarnation thanks to an expanded NFL-style playoff format and local derbies.

English Premier League - The most televised and publicized football league in the world and probably the best now. Plus it features quite a few of the so-called "big clubs" - and then there's more in the next tier of football looking to gain promotion into the money-laden Premier League. With the likes of Man City and Tottenham emerging to contest a place in the top 4 with the established "big 4" of Man United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, the EPL has never had it this good.  

Bad Night For Manchester

Well Matchday 5 of the 2011/12 Champions League turned out to be a bit of a mare for the city of Manchester.

Man United struggled to a 2-2 home draw v Benfica. It means they need to go to Basel and get a result just to make the 2nd round.

And as Liverpool and Juventus fans would know, Basel is never an easy place to get a vital result especially when their tails are up.



The biggest casualty of the night was Manchester City, however.

A 2-1 loss to Napoli means they're now banking on Villarreal to shock Napoli whilst getting a win at home v Bayern Munich who booked their place in the 2nd round as well as locked up top spot in the group.

Bayern's nemesis distant and recent past have also booked their places in the 2nd round - Inter and Ajax did just enough away from home with draws.

Meanwhile, Dinamo Zagreb must surely be the worst club to feature in the Champions League. They went 3-0 down to Real Madrid inside 10 minutes. After it looked like they may be on a hiding to nothing, the Croats kept the losing score 2-6.



So the Manchester clubs have it all to do next time to ensure they're still playing in the Champions League in the new year.

Which NFL Conference is Stronger: NFC or AFC?

Every NFL team has played 10 games this season and had their annual bye done and dusted too. You can view my snapshot of how the playoffs would be if the season ended today.

It's been an eternal debate as to which conference is stronger.

Like every competition in the world, the NFL has gone through cycles which have seen NFC or AFC teams take turns to dominate the scene.

From 1998 to 2009, AFC teams won 9 out of 12 Super Bowls with 4 wins in a row between 2004 and 2007 courtesy of the Patriots, Steelers and Colts.

And of course John Elway's Broncos won in 1998 and 1999 and the Ravens won in 2001.

However, this period of dominance by the AFC was preceded by a very long period of NFC dominance starting in 1985.

During this time, the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins & San Francisco 49ers took turns to build up their Super Bowl ring collections with the New York Giants, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears also laying out their hands for those glorious rings.

And it looks like we could be witnessing the rise of the NFC teams again.



The Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints have undoubtedly the two best quarterbacks in the competition at the moment - that is when form and talent are combined in harmony.

Plus, Aaron Rodgers is still only in his mid-20s and could still break many more records while Drew Brees' zenith feels like it has only just begun.

There are also a few young quarterbacks who could be very potent in years to come, i.e. Sam Bradford, Cam Newton, Matt Ryan and Matthew Stafford.

Then there's the San Francisco 49ers who have their coach - Jim Harbaugh.

Amidst the 49ers' tremendous winning streak, it's easy to forget that the younger Harbaugh is making his NFL coaching debut only this season - he was Andrew Luck's coach at Stanford last year, remember.

So the NFC has three outstanding teams at the moment with the Bears, Lions, Cowboys and Falcons, Eagles and Buccaneers playing catch-up miles ahead of the likes of the Rams, Redskins, Vikings, Seahawks, etc.

The AFC on the other hand is very much a dogfight at the moment.

The Texans, Ravens, Patriots & Steelers share the best record in the conference of 7-3 - the Patriots are the best team in the AFC by dint of their superior conference record over the Texans and Ravens.

The Ravens are ahead of the Steelers due to their better divisional record.

After the Bengals (6-4), there's a big chasing pack including the Titans, Jets, Bills and Broncos, then another chasing pack including the Chargers and Chiefs (although you could say those two are pretty much out of the running).

If Manning was playing this season, the Colts probably would be in there.

So where does that leave us? Yes, the AFC may be closer as a conference than the NFC but does that mean it is the better conference in the NFL?

Maybe we could compare division by division. Both North divisions have been very competitive while the NFC East and South divisions have been more competitive than their AFC equivalents.

The nowadays weak West divisions have seen quite a contrast. There has been one clear standout team in the NFC West in the 49ers but the AFC West is as tight as can be - the Raiders are only just ahead of the rest.


Conclusions?

It's a fair draw.


Fact is while the NFC does have two of the most dominant teams in the NFL this season, it doesn't quite have the dominance over the AFC as it used to. And while the AFC has been a dogfight in the last few seasons, that appears not to have helped the AFC rep in the Super Bowl in the last two seasons - so thereby that cliche that having more competition in the buildup to the final makes a team better equipped to win.

What I can say though is that the best teams in the NFC have focused on throwing the football to a variety of receivers - look at the Packers and Saints. But they do have some of the best linesmen and defence in the NFL making them the ultimate balanced teams. That is what the Patriots are trying to emulate a bit at the moment - and it seems to be working for them. 

Hence, why I have tended to look forward more towards the NFC encounters as they are a bit more open affairs. But I'm still very much an AFC man.