Jimmy Bullard, you gotta love him!

Jimmy Bullard, where do you start? On and off-field prankster, dead-ball specialist, golden-locked Soccer AM favourite, the likable Eastender has won countless plaudits for his care-free attitude to the game.

Due to his qualities as the in-house joker, his playing abilities have often been unnoticed. However, there is absolutely no question that Hull’s recent upsurge in form has coincided with Bullard’s return from a lengthy knee injury. During his absence, Hull’s 2009/10 season was looking bleak, a continuation of their dismal second half to last season.

Their opening eight games yielded just seven points with five defeats, including a 5-1 mauling at home to Tottenham and a demoralising 4-1 reverse at Sunderland. Since his return, a substitute appearance against former club Fulham, Hull’s fortunes have improved notably. Confidence has been restored at the KC Stadium and the dark clouds hovering over Phil Brown’s tenure have evaporated, for now.

Hull have recently picked up nine points, winning two, drawing three, with two defeats. Ok, perhaps not championship winning form, but Bullard has given a much-needed lift around the place and the general consensus is Hull have a better chance of survival now; a mid-week victory over Everton and a creditable draw against Manchester City at Eastlands, indicative of this.

Bullard may not have the technical qualities demanded by Arsène Wenger, nor the guile and strength evident in Manchester United and Chelsea squads, but Bullard’s ability has been evident ever since he began his playing career at the relatively late age of 20 at non-league Gravesend & Northfleet.

His performances at that level attracted the interest of boy-hood club West Ham and, despite not making a single appearance for The Hammers, his career was rejuvenated by Barry Fry at Peterborough, where he scored a credible 11 goals from 62 appearances.

After his success under Fry, Bullard made the journey north to Wigan for £275,000 in January 2003 and was subsequently named in the 2002/03 PFA Division Two Team of The Year. A key component in Paul Jewell’s side, Wigan’s renaissance saw them rise from League One mediocrity to the Premier League’s surprise package of the 2005/06 season.

This was where the jester first came to everyone’s attention and Bullard’s antics were a far cry from the modern-day footballer, severely detached from reality. The Micah Richards’ and John Terry’s of this world who happily park their flash cars in undesignated parking spots just for convenience could do worse than following Bullard’s example.

Indeed, Jermain Defoe earlier this month was lambasted by a judge for playing 'the litigation game', just because he could afford to. Following a six-month driving ban after his Land Rover was clocked twice for speeding last year, Defoe's appeal was labelled by the judge as 'sad and frivolous' and ordered the England star to pay more than £1,500 in costs.

Jimmy’s arrival onto the scene was a ray of sunshine at a time it was much needed. In Wigan’s home leg of their League Cup semi-final against Arsenal in February 2006, he was honoured on Soccer AM for running the length of the pitch in an attempt to score when the floodlights went out.

His antics in his first season in the Premier League did not stop there. During a home fixture against Everton, a goal-mouth scramble resulted in a pile-up, much to the delight of an incoming Jimmy who leapfrogged the pile, landing flat on his face.

In the same match, Jimmy fronted up to hard-man Duncan Ferguson, following the Scot’s dismissal for a punch on Paul Scharner. Jimmy had the courage to stare up at Ferguson with a cheeky smirk on his face. Someone had obviously not alerted Jimmy to the fact that Ferguson had single-handily dealt with two burglars in 2001, with one spending three days in hospital as a result.

Then came his celebration this weekend. Only Jimmy could have the audacity to mimic the embarrassing on-pitch team talk carried out by Phil Brown last season. Jimmy’s Pièce de résistance, however, had to be his antics in a Wigan dressing room involving a laundry cart. Wearing nothing more than underwear on his head, Jimmy led his former team-mates in a battle chant before being thrown around in the cart before crashing into the locker room wall.

It may surprise some people that the midfielder is 31 and, with no international caps to his name, he may well have missed the boat for such recognition and ultimately forgotten for his technical qualities. However, this would be unjust, as his pedigree is without doubt. If his legacy as a player is forgotten, so be it. But what is beyond any question is he will be remembered as a breath of fresh air in the modern game and one of football’s true characters.

Setting the wheels in motion

British Women feel it is no longer safe to cycle on our roads and are currently launching a safety plea to governments.

Sustrans, a sustainable transport charity, revealed in a poll that women have major concerns for their own safety on the roads.

Since September, the public have been supporting ‘Motion for Women’, Sustrans’ urgent plea to governments to make cycling in Britain safer for women. The petition is already being backed by organisations including Mind, the National Federation of Women’s Institutes and the Townswomen’s Guilds.

One of their major requests is the creation of more cycle lanes that are separated from all other vehicles. Melissa Henry, Sustrans’ Communications Director, said:

“Women’s response so far to the woefully inadequate provisions for cyclists in
Britain has been simple; they don’t cycle.

But, they are also telling us that they desperately want that situation to change.

The desire to cycle, and to enjoy all the benefits that cycling brings, is becoming a
priority for women.

We need to make it a priority for governments too and push for real changes in the way our villages, towns and cities are planned.”

The poll revealed 79 per cent of women do not cycle at all while 67 per cent believe the plea will encourage more women to travel by bike.

Women have until the end of November to register their support to ensure their voices are heard. All signatures will be presented to Government in December.

Women are asked to add their support at www.bikebelles.org.uk/index.php/sign_our_petition/

Heather causing a racket

Rising tennis star Heather Watson almost pulled off an astonishing scalp in a senior event in Canada last week.

In the first round of the Saguenay ITF tournament, Watson took the opening set with world number 133 and tournament second seed Valerie Tetreault, before gallantly losing 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 7-5.

The US Open girls' singles champion, ranked 736 in the world, came through qualifying on the Monday to give Tetreault a massive scare, and this performance is sure to give Watson a lot of confidence.

The 17-year-old from Guernsey seems to favour the hard courts following her success at Flushing Meadows, and this tie proved no exception.

Taking 18 games off an opponent ranked some 603 places above her in the world rankings is encouraging for the starlet, and is promising news for British women’s tennis.

The ITF Women's Circuit is the level below the WTA Tour.

Most Overrated Premier League XI

3-4-3:

David James
Despite being the holder of the record number of clean sheets in Premier League History, the former Watford, Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Ham, Manchester City, Portsmouth Keeper has been around enough seasons to acquire such an accolade (548 games in fact). That Harry Redknapp labels his the best English Keeper at a time where our nation is hardly blessed with goal keeping excellence is barely a tribute to a man who has also conceded the most goals in Premier League history.

Lauren
Currently unemployed like myself, the Cameroonian international was Arsenal's right back during the 'invincibales' season of 2003/04. Part of a back-line that failed to lose a game during the Gunners' stunning season, Lauren's name will not be featured at the Emirates' role of honour as messrs Henry, Basten, Nicholas and Brady are. To say he was fortunate enough to be a part of this historic achievement would be a rather mild understatement.

John Terry
But for the inclusion of his Chelsea team mate Frank Lampard, he would retain the armband in this outfit. The nation's skipper has recently been voted the best defender in Europe, but this does not pardon him from an over-rated team. What all of his accolades and champions fail to show are his limitations as a footballer. He lacks the required pace to come up against Europe's fastest strikers, and this was highlighted as Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi tested his resolve over the two legs of last season's Champions League semi-finals. But for his two Premier League medals, Terry, 28, has failed to deliver when it truly matters, spurning a penalty kick in Europe's premier cup competition in 2008 and has hardly scaled the heights internationally. Hopefully he proves me wrong next summer in South Africa.

Joleon Lescott
The new Citizen, purchased for a modest £24 million pounds, became the third most expensive defender in world football history last month. To say he is situated in the same bracket as the two above him, Rio Ferdinand and Alessandro Nesta, is tomfoolery of the highest order. He is a decent top flight footballer at best, and City's financial loss (not that they care too much anyway) is very much David Moyes and Everton's gain. Another astute bit of business by the Glaswegian.

Jesper Grønkjær
Whilst at Chelsea, the 70-capped Denmark international flattered to deceive almost as much as a Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Pizza. Due to his lack of crossing ability, the pacy winger never quite made the grade at Stanford Bridge, and failed to live up to the £7.5 million price tag Chelsea paid for him in October 2000; making him the most20expensive Danish football player of all time. The kings Road are a rather unforgiving bunch, and Grønkjær found himself the butt of many jokes, one of which was the chant to the tune of Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer: "Oh, he's halfway there. Oh, oh, Jesper Grønkjær. Give him the ball, he'll F**k up I'll swear. Oh oh..."

Darren Anderton
Arguable the most technically gifted midfielder to be conceived during the Premier League's inauguration, Darren 'sick note' Anderton, was no use to Spurs fans if he failed to make it onto the pitch (which was the majority of the time). In twelve seasons at White Hart Lane, he managed just 299 appearances. To put this into perspective, in this period, he would have had the opportunity to have appeared in around 460 top flight games. Recently retired, Anderton will unfortunately always be remembered for his injury record, rather than his one on the pitch.

Frank Lampard (C)
Yes, Chelsea's darling is my midfield engine - you have no need to re-adjust your computer screens. Remember, in an 'over rated' XI, there can be room for exceptionally gifted players. Exceptional gifted at getting the rub of the green that is. Lampard has this incredible knack of finding the wall from free-kicks and then somehow, miraculously and unbeknown to man, the ball ends up in the opposition's net, following the slightest of deflections. Sure, Lampard will be in most people's fantasy teams and he consistently bags 20 or so goals every season. But that does not give him immunity from my team. You can even take the skipper's armband off JT this time Frank.

Seth Johnson
Johnson is arguably as injury prone as the aforementioned Anderton, and would be as equally vulnerable as a china vase should a bull enter an antiques shop. The once capped Englishman moved to Leeds Utd for £7 million in 2001 after impressing for both Derby and Crew. It would be an underestimate to say Leeds didn't get value for money. In 4 years in West Yorkshire, Johnson managed a measly 50 games, suffering from a series of horrendous injuries. There are rumours that when Johnson first met chairman Peter Ridsdale, his agent wanted to hold out for £13,000 a week. Ridsdale entered the room and said "Right, I'm sorry but I can only offer you thirty thousand a week". Johnson's agent uttered some exclamation of disbelief so Ridsdale replied "Alright, thirty-seven thousand then". Leeds went into administration on the 4th May, 2007.

Emmanuel Adebayor
OK, so he has started pretty well this season - and is unrecognisable from the sultry figure that ended the last campaign at Arsenal, but this is the very reason this prima donna is in my line-up. In three seasons under Arsène Wenger, the Togolese international only had HALF a good season - not the ONE good season some critics claim he had. He was petulant, sulked, and was the very essence of a disruption on the young squad Wenger is seemingly continuously moulding. £25 million quid is good business for Arsenal, their only gripe is that they did not sell him last summer for a far larger sum to Milan.

Robbie Keane
When 'Keano' returned to White Hart Lane in January, his reputation as one of the Premier League's most talented forwards took a bit of a bashing following his ill-fated 5 months in Liverpool. It also took the combined transfer total spent on the Irishman to around £75 million pounds with Coventry, Inter, Leeds, Tottenham and Liverpool all splashing the cash on him following his emergence at Molineux with Wolves. There is no doubting he is in the better half of the top-flight's strikers, however, such a combined fee for someone who, in 390 professional games, has only been a regular at 3 of his 6 clubs is rather inflated and he now faces a struggle to keep the Tottenham captaincy with Peter Crouch knocking on the door.

Duncan Ferguson
Hailed by many on the blue half of Mersey side as their best striker since the lofty days of the mid 80s with Andy Gray and Graeme Sharp, Duncan 'Disorderly', as he became known to his doubters, spent more time in the treatment table at Goodison than on the pitch. When he played, few could match his passion, aggression and aerial presence on the park, and he was surprisingly good on the deck as well. That's when he played.

Toshack to continue his policy of youth

John Toshack, the Wales manager, has named three uncapped youngsters in his squad for the next two internationals, including the World Cup trip to Azerbaijan. Toshack has called on Swansea's Joe Allen, Reading striker Simon Church and Leicester City's Andy King and all three can expect to be handed their first full caps in the warm-up friendly on May 29 against Estonia at Llanelli.

With Toshack set to cut his 22-man squad to 20 for the World Cup Group Four qualifier in Azerbaijan on June 6, the emphasis will remain on the development of the nation’s top young talent. In addition, with many of the experienced regulars out through injury, it is predicted that Cardiff 's Joe Ledley will be named captain of his country for these two matches.

Allen, 19, impressed in the final months of Swansea's failed push for promotion, while 20-year-old King starred in Leicester's surge back into the Championship. Church, 20, has also escelled and impressed with eight goals in ten Under-21 games. He also figured in Reading 's play-off semi-final against Burnley.

Wales are without a string of senior men through injury, including captain Craig Bellamy (knee), midfielder Simon Davies (foot) and defender James Collins (calf). Young defender Rhys Williams has now defected to Australia , having won 10 Under-21 caps, while Toshack can no longer call upon the services of the retired Carl Robinson.

Also left out are veteran midfielder Carl Fletcher and Wigan playmaker Jason Koumas, who is expected to have an operation on a troublesome hip injury which has meant he has not started a Barclays Premier League match since Wales ' last international against Germany on April 1.
West Ham's Danny Gabbidon, who has been missing for 18 months with stomach muscle problems, is back in full training with the east London side, but will not be risked for the forthcoming fixtures in a bid to return unscathed for pre-season training.

Teammate Jack Collison is also back in the Wales squad for the first time since serious injuring his knee in early March. Peterborough defender Craig Morgan also returns after a foot injury ruled him out of much of his club's successful promotion campaign. Elsewhere, Derby goalkeeper Lewis Price comes back into the squad as third-choice with Stockport 's Owain Fon Williams out with a shoulder injury.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/international/article6342679.ece

Charm and charisma, Mayweather revels in Indian summer

As summer looms round the corner for most of us, there is one person currently revelling in an Indian Summer of his own. Floyd Mayweather Jr was every inch the champion as he met with the world’s media in the Landmark hotel ahead of his showdown with Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico. Often described as brash and arrogant, the self proclaimed "Money Mayweather" was refreshingly humble and full of praise for just about everyone in attendance; including his opponent.

Mayweather Jr has been out of the ring ever since he overcame Ricky Hatton by knock out in the tenth round in December 2007, and time has seemingly healed more than just his body. “I’d like to thank God, without whom none of this would be possible” the American sang as he greeted the press conference. “I am truly blessed to have been able to have worked with the best. Boxing is something I have been doing all of my life. It is written.”

Whether time has mellowed the 32 year old, or whether he saw this as an opportunity to distance himself from the insensitive, over confident character we are so used to - images of him throwing money away at the camera have become synonymous with him - remains open to interpretation. Whatever the case, Mayweather conducted himself admirably and with a grace that bellied his aforementioned image.

He also defended his father, who he is rumoured to share a less than amicable relationship with. Commenting on Mayweather Sr’s coaching of Hatton, the champion of five different weight classes admitted: “My father is one hell of a guy, and trainer. It (Hatton’s performance against Manny Pacquiao) was not my dad’s game plan. I’d like to take this opportunity to take the heat off my father.”

Such press conferences are usually billed as an opportunity for the fighters to promote their own abilities, and can portray boxers as chauvinistic, self-righteous individuals. London witnessed a refreshing change this afternoon, and Mayweather was orchestrating proceedings. “This is not a weight thing. I am not thinking about Pacquiao, I believe Marquez beat him in those two fights. Mexico has a lot of great champions – he’s a warrior – and I’ve got to stick to my game plan”.

The boxing world waits in anticipation for the bout, and Mayweather also shares the anticipation as he looks to further cement himself in boxing folklore. “I’m still here. I’ve been around since the eighties. Boxers have come and gone and I’m the last standing. Where are thy all now? They’ve gone”.

Floyd “Money” Mayweather returns to the ring on July 18th and despite an apparent distortion in his persona, he will be looking to prove he has not altered from his vast array of boxing prowess, including his signature mix of speed, power and natural instinct in the ring. Marquez awaits, and boxing fans the world over look forward to what should be a classic encounter.

Rose withdraws from PGA

Justin Rose has withdrawn from the PGA Championship due to a niggling back problem. The Englishman had pulled out of last Wednesday’s pro-am tournament in a bid to be fit for the main competition.

The injury is the latest setback on what has been an indifferent period for the 28 year old. Ranked sixth in the world in 2007, he currently sits at 38 and has only managed top ten in six attempts this year, that at the Dubai Desert classic in February where he finished runner up to Rory McIlroy.

Rose has suffered back problems throughout his career, and the latest setback is attributed to his life off the golf course. "Being back in the UK always ends up being very hectic for me as commitments always get crammed into the one week I am home," he said.

“It has been even more hectic this year travelling back with Leo (his son born in February), where we have been taking him to meet all the extended family and friends.

“Maybe all this rushing around has resulted in my back flaring up again and I am really disappointed to report that I have just had to withdraw.

“This has been a tournament that I have always loved competing in and is the main reason we travelled back, so having to withdraw is very frustrating for me.”

Scotland’s Richie Ramsey will now take Rose’s place in the draw.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/golf/article6328049.ece