David Peace, The Damned United, Faber and Faber, London, 2006, $23.95 Reviewed by Chris Riordan David Peace’s THE DAMNED UNITED is a remarkable novel. By dint of its nominal subject, Brian Clough, football manager, and his catastrophic 44 day reign at Leeds United in 1974, it is a sports book. But whilst that in itself, [Read more]
Crio’s Q: The All Australian Argument
July 6, 2010 by 39 Comments
by Chris Riordan Quite rightly it is oft repeated that footy is not an individual game, yet it is also true that great players are what we go to watch. Although from year to year I could not recite the All-Australian team, it can be an interesting source of discussion at around this stage of [Read more]
Almanac racing…MV mid-winter with the Winning Post on my mind
July 2, 2010 by 25 Comments
“I am sitting in my dingy little office, where a stingy Ray of sunlight struggles feebly down between the houses tall…” * You know its mid-winter when you donate more to MyChemist than to TAB’s MyAccount! The new “synthetic” track at Geelong is already on high rotation as dank conditions shroud Australia’s south-east. There’s little [Read more]
Growing another leg
June 28, 2010 by 20 Comments
Uncharacteristically, the Almanac racing preview threw up a winner on Saturday… “I’ll just be taking a little Quadrella at Flemington, coming home with Mt Gambier’s 9 y.o. evergreen, Riceman. His Slow form is only “middling”, but he’s won 6 on the Heavy and, in his backyard, they know what a real gluepot is!” Riceman, formerly [Read more]
Crio’s Racing- Flemington 26-6-10
June 25, 2010 by 19 Comments
Here’s the first certainty of the weekend, though I doubt you’d get set. Today’s “current bun” rates the Flemington track (Rail Out 12m) as a SLOW6. We’ve had a stack of rain here this afternoon and, to be honest, I’d say they are more likely to be called off than rated slow. Mick Goodie’s had [Read more]
Crio’s Q: Who are our favourite flairs?
June 22, 2010 by 23 Comments
by Chris Riordan Flairs are always in fashion! Almanac legend Gigs runs a popular Ladderist comp, the gist of which is to forecast the AFL teams’ order at season’s end. This can be very difficult. My dilemma this year was exemplified by a form-frustrated declaration that “only 5 teams can make the 8!” The identity [Read more]
SPLIT VIEWS ON THE SPLIT ROUND
June 18, 2010 by 5 Comments
It is not only footy fans who face unfamiliar fixturing this weekend. Punters, too, face the realities of winter’s hiatus from feature racing as they scan their Friday formguides. Brisbane’s “metropolitan” meeting moves 40km to Ipswich, usually a Friday venue but, for this weekend, hosting 20,000+ patrons , drawn by good fields, good prizemoney and [Read more]
Crio’s Q: yo me frio o lo sophlo?
June 14, 2010 by 19 Comments
The Clash voiced a quandary faced by all sports fans at various times…”Should I stay or should I go now?” Channel Ten commentators on Saturday night noted that, despite the breathtaking Geelong clinic taking place, about half of the crowd had left – big trek to Essendon! – before the final siren. I hope that [Read more]
Forecast for Saturday is… Eagle Farm
June 11, 2010 by 13 Comments
Melbourne…Cloudy. Showers. Winds west to southwesterly averaging 15 to 25 km/h. Max 14 Brisbane …Fine Max 20 Here’s a tip. You’d rather be at Eagle Farm! That’s not to decry Melbourne’s racecard, as it is actually a good Flemington winter meeting tomorrow. But who’d want to shiver in that wind tunnel of a betting ring [Read more]
Crio’s Question: Confounded Sporting Expectations
June 7, 2010 by 7 Comments
To go down “like a lead balloon” is vernacular for an underwhelming performance…deflating.* What should have been a fairytale moment for Sam Stosur seemed very quickly to become a “given” – an expectation that she, on Australia’s behalf, would win. The loss was greeted with incredulity. What in previews would have been gauged a triumph [Read more]
Crio’s Racing: Flemington, Brisbane and Sydney Swimmers
June 5, 2010 by 6 Comments
Anyone working on the racecourse now is besieged by “responsible gambling” pamphleteers and a determination to embrace a politically correct tide alerting any of the few wayward punters likely to visit our wind tunnel that they might lose. A lifetime in the betting ring has revealed many sad tales and it is a disease to [Read more]
Crio’s Question
May 31, 2010 by 34 Comments
Like Sergei Bubka, the Hawks seem to have again marginally broken their own record. Was their jumper against Sydney the worst of their many fashion crimes – beginning with the Club ‘s colours – and do they hold the mantle of worst sports uniform? Broadening the debate, I propose that Melbourne Victory’s home shirt is [Read more]
Racing: Brisbane and the Valley
May 28, 2010 by 7 Comments
by Chris Riordan Saturday’s feature meeting is again in Brisbane, highlighted by the exceptional Group One Doomben 10,000 which provides a smorgasbord of quality chances, headlined by Ortensia, Hot Danish and Whobegotyou. A very good meeting there and a crack race but I can’t possibly offer any direction for punters. Locally, Moonee Valley doesn’t get [Read more]
Crio’s Question: A mid-season draft anyone?
May 24, 2010 by 28 Comments
In recent years there have been rumblings for a mid-season draft. I don’t know what form it should take, but most supporters would have a dump and a wish list for their side. I watched Brisbane, for example, and reckon that Luke Power has lost his bite and could be headed for the scrap heap. [Read more]
Crio’s racing…look at some form!
May 21, 2010 by 1 Comment
The usual suspects go around tomorrow at Caulfield as winter sets in and racing’s profile drops away. For what it is, your basic meat’n’veg mid-season card, the meeting is OK but for many of us it is time to cut the losses. Even Elvis, our intrepid Groote Eyelandt correspondent, ruminated yesterday on trying for a [Read more]
Crio’s Question: Talent spotting
May 17, 2010 by 32 Comments
We all love to claim being first to spot a talent – it’s part of being a sporting genius! It is why people take feature doubles and is, I am told, a key component in Dreamteam success. My old man backed Galilee when it won its maiden at Gawler. He then stayed “on board” throughout [Read more]
Racing: The Ramsden Day Ramble
May 14, 2010 by 10 Comments
by Chris Riordan Budget week can be an appropriate time for us to review our financial strategies; in this case revisit some of our punting maxims and the big philosophical questions and queries that need to be addressed in the search for success. Today I’m going to incorporate four dilemmas in to the discussion on [Read more]
Urban Legends: Flynny’s out!
May 12, 2010 by 15 Comments
by Chris Riordan High-profile Almanacker, Peter Flynn, was humbled by “security” last Thursday night in Warrnambool and refused entry to fabled “Whalers” bar and nightspot. Under intense questioning, the uniformed bear (No.15) defied Peter’s logic with “I’ve already made my decision!” and made it clear that no further correspondence would be considered. It seems that [Read more]
Crio’s Q: What are the list management hits and misses of the season so far?
May 10, 2010 by 16 Comments
by Chris Riordan It is a good stage of the season to evaluate how each club has fared in “list management” for 2010. During the NAB Cup there was hysterical support for the Doggies’ Hall recruitment. By Round 3 the additions of Fev and Bradshaw were seen as master strokes by Brissie and Sydney. As [Read more]
Warnambool Carnival: Crio gives us the latest scuttlebutt
May 4, 2010 by 11 Comments
by Chris Riordan The rumour doing the rounds of the Warrnambool pubs last (Monday) night was that Dan Nikolic will beat the rap! Watch this space and see how the journos fare when they get accused of a witch hunt.
Recent Comments