Topic

sport & selling

A collection of 422 issues

Ballon D'Or Winner's Mantra

"Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise. 🏆" - Harry Kane, when crowned the world's best footballer for 2026 Gnomic, yes. Yet not quite redolent of a parody. For it does feel how the prolific striker has long guided his career. As regular readers and

Lead The Hunt Like Speed Queen Amy

“The world at this level breaks down into two groups. Those who would rather be anywhere else in the big moment and those who wear it. And [Amy] looks like she enjoys the arena.” So ran reports of this 'astute observation'. By none other than legend athlete Seb

Sticky Succession Stat

“It takes six months for a great manager to fix a poor team, and the same time for a poor manager to ruin a good one.” This quote is attributed to uber football coach Johan Cruyff. Which according to lore, 'although possibly apocryphal, stands up to scrutiny when judging

Medals are for Keeps, Records are Borrowed

This blog's title is the exact phrase as said in commentary tonight by javelin European championship and former world record holder, Steve Backley. Notable as it was his own record that just got beat. Eventually. Lasting an impressive 28 years. Remarkable as he had been bemoaning the current

What Makes GOATs Stand Out

"Usually, most players receive the ball and the aim is to pass it from A to B. The top ones, when they pass from A to B, they are thinking ahead and looking to see how it will influence C then D. But with Zico, Maradona and Messi, the

Is Your Colossus About To Suffer?

"A sporting colossus suffers while an unaccountable cadre of administrators prospers. It is the eternally English way." Boom. A recent sign-off from London-based broadsheet sports columnist, Oliver Brown. The legend that is England Test captain Ben Stokes. Forced out by backroom chicanery. All cricket fans feeling for him

Calmly Instill Belief & Process

Well, that was a rollercoaster. Ingerlund got a W under their belt from the first World Cup game. Croatia put to the sword. As many a pundit suggests, it is strangely taking a non-English manager to finally unlock England playing in the gung-ho manner of our gangbuster world-leading Premier League.

Commentary Colour

“Well done, you didn’t repeat anything I said or describe what I could see for myself.” Recollection of live punditry debut feedback to a then just-retired player from that rarest of pros, a brilliant sport commentator. Having recently been reminded of the broadcast genius of cricket's Richie

No Hammering To Make An Impression

Luckily, I had a boss at Sky, Andy Melvin, who taught me: ‘Don’t just criticise, tell me why it’s bad and why it might get better.’ Here is a career insight from a much maligned live sport tv host. As with many a-thing, you don't get

You Never Settle Until...

The snooker world championship is as thrilling as ever. You can see how the game is slowly but surely spreading. There's already reportedly been an incredible TV audience on CCTV5 for the blockbuster all-chinese Second Round affair of 180 million. The former champs I hear commentate usually put