Friday 30 September 2011

The latest Ultimate Sport Preview Podcast is out and make sure you don't find any excuse to miss it!

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There may be an international break on the horizon but what a way for the Premier League to bow out for a fortnight with no less than three local derbies taking place.

Daniel Freeman and Kevin Hatchard are back to discuss the latest goings on from the world of sport, including the Rugby World Cup as well as the football, whilst Charlie Owens is back again after his hiatus last week to look ahead to all the racing news before Sunday's Arc de Triomphe from Longchamps.

In the Premier League we hear from the likes of Kenny Dalglish ahead of the first Merseyside derby of the season, as Liverpool make the short trip across Stanley Park to face Everton, whilst Sunday sees two London derbies, with Fulham taking on QPR and the much-anticipated clash between North London's two clubs at White Hart Lane.

Big weekend for the Rugby World Cup as England host Scotland knowing a win for Martin Johnson's side will send the Scots back home having already lost to Argentina.

It's a bumper edition this week, so there's no excuse to miss out as we delve in to the most comprehensive sports preview of the weekend.

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Wednesday 28 September 2011

The Sporting Day Today - Wed 28/09

After yesterday's fascinating clashes in the Champions League, none more so than Carlos Tevez' apparent refusal to come on for Manchester City in their 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich, there's still a ton of action in tonight's round of matches from Europe's elite competition.

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Football
After Manchester's results yesterday, it's London's turn tonight to try and go one better as Chelsea and Arsenal will look to maintain their undefeated starts to the competition. Andre Villas-Boas' side face a tough trip to Valencia, who suffered their first La Liga defeat of the season over the weekend. Arsenal take on Olympiakos at the Emirates Stadium minus the services of Laurent Koscielny, Gervinho and Theo Walcott. Jack Wilshere will also be missing having had surgery to fix a niggling injury picked up in the summer. Arsene Wenger defended his medical team from criticism by England boss Fabio Capello, who claimed the 19-year old wasn't treated properly by the Gunners' staff after becoming injured with the England squad in June. Holders Barcelona are also in action when they make the long trip to Belarus to face BATE Borisov.

In the Championship there's two games as Southampton will look to strengthen their lead at the top. They'll have to overcome Cardiff City in Wales however. Middlesbrough could go top if Southampton slip up though and they beat Leicester City at the Riverside.

Rugby World Cup
One result from New Zealand today and that's in England and Scotland's pool. Georgia beat Romania 25-9 in Palmerston North. That means Romania will end their World Cup adventure bottom of the Pool B, having lost all four of their games.

Horse Racing
Today's racing action on the flats is at Newcastle, Nottingham and Salisbury, whilst Kempton hosts the all-weather meeting this evening. There's jumps action at Sligo in Ireland.

Tuesday 27 September 2011

Prediction league update


Hatchard pips Freeman to close the gap

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Sports Preview presenters Daniel Freeman and Kevin Hatchard were both on great form in this week’s Premier League predictions but it was father-of-one Hatchard that came out on top.

Hatchard correctly predicted 8 out of 10 correct results, one better than Freeman who remains the outright leader. Both broadcasters called home wins for Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Norwich and a away win for Tottenham. Hatchard also correctly predicted wins for Manchester City and Newcastle and that QPR would draw with Aston Villa. Freeman rightly picked draws between Stoke and Manchester United and West Brom versus Fulham.

The Sporting Day Today - Tue 27/09

Here's your quick run down of the day's sporting action:

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Football
It's Champions League action tonight as both Manchester clubs take centre stage. United will be looking for their first win when they face Swiss side FC Basel at Old Trafford, having to make do without Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez. Manchester City face a tough ask as they arrive in Munich to take on Bayern.

There's a near-full programme in the Championship, with 9 matches taking place on Tuesday. Derby will go top if they pick up three points against Barnsley, with Southampton and Middlesbrough having to wait until tomorrow for their matches. Brighton could also make serious ground on the top should they overcome Crystal Palace at the Amex Stadium.

Rugby World Cup
Two results from New Zealand today as Canada and Japan drew 23-23 in Napier, whilst Italy beat the USA 27-10 in Nelson.

Horse Racing
There's racing at Ayr, Sedgfield and Chepstow today.

Monday 26 September 2011

The Sporting Day Today - Mon 26/09

Another week begins, another week of action-packed sport is on the horizon, so here's what's going on today.


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Football
The one remaining Premier League match from the weekend takes place tonight as Norwich City host Sunderland at Carrow Road.


Rugby World Cup
There's been one result from New Zealand today, as Wales thrashed Namibia 81-7 in New Plymouth. There are two early games on Tuesday when Canada face Japan in Pool A, and in Pool C it's Italy v USA.

Speedway
King's Lynn Stars take a slender three point lead to Poole Pirates tonight for the Elite League Playoff Semi-Final 2nd Leg, having won 48-45 at the Norfolk Arean last time out. They'll play the winners of the other semi-final, where Lakeside Hammers hold the slenderest of leads (1 point) against Eastbourne Eagles ahead of their meet at the Arlington Stadium.

Horse Racing
Plenty of racing to be had today, with meetings at Ffos Las, Roscommon, Hamilton and Bath.

Friday 23 September 2011

The Ultimate Sport Preview podcast - Episode 3

The latest Ultimate Sport Preview Podcast is out!

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It's another action packed weekend of action across the sporting world and we've got all the debate and predictions you'll want with our resident pundits Daniel Freeman and Kevin Hatchard.

Having caused plenty of controversy off the field in recent weeks, Mike Tindall has been recalled to the side for the clash against Romania, having been rested for last week's 41-10 win over Georgia. He's just one of 7 changes as Martin Johnson's side look to maintain their 100% record in Pool B. Meanwhile Wales will wait until Monday to face Namibia, who were hammered 87-0 by South Africa in recent days. We have the thoughts of Martin Johnson on England as well as Welsh fly-half Stephen Jones.

We hear from a host of managers ahead of the Premier League's weekend programme, including Arsene Wenger, Steve Bruce, Owen Coyle and Roberto Martinez as Manchester United aim to strengthen their grip on the top spot having pulled away from rivals City last week.

In Formula 1 Sebastien Vettel will look to win his third race on the trot as he finds himself with the chance of securing a second consecutive Driver's Championship. However, it's a complicated route and you'll need to listen to Kev's explanation to understand just how the German driver can be crowned in Singapore this Sunday.

And following a 4th and an 8th last week at the Ayr Gold Cup, Charlie Owens' shame has forced him to take a much needed break this weekend, so Dan and Kev discuss their tips.

Thursday 22 September 2011

The Sporting Day Today - Thu 22/09

The quietest day in the sporting world this week, but there's still plenty that's happened and will happen today. 


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Rugby World Cup
South Africa have hammered Namibia in Pool D by a 87-0 scoreline in the only game of the day. England have recalled Mike Tindall to the side for the match against Romania. It's the first time since his controversial night out in a New Zealand club that Zara Phillips husband has been involved, having captained the side in the opening match against Argentina. He's one of seven changes to the side who beat Georgia 41-10 and is joined by Jonny Wilkinson and Mark Cueto.

Horse Racing
There's action on the flats at Newmarket and Pontefract, whilst Wolverhampton hosts the all-weather meeting in the evening. For jumps action there's Perth and Fairyhouse.

Wednesday 21 September 2011

The Sporting Day Today - Wed 21/09

There's more League Cup action tonight so here's a quick run down:

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Football
The Six remaining League Cup ties take place tonight including high-flying Championship side Brighton who welcome Liverpool to the Amex Stadium. There's a West London derby at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea face Fulham. Will Fernando Torres get the chance to put that nightmare miss against Manchester United behind him? Manchester City welcome reigning champions Birmingham to Eastlands, whilst there's an all-Premier League clash between Everton and West Brom. Cardiff face Leicester and Championship leaders Southampton face League 1's Preston.

Rugby World Cup
Tonga have beaten Japan 31-8 in the only game of the day in New Zealand. 

Cricket
The Champions T20 League continues as Leicestershire will look to bounce back from yesterday's heavy loss when they face Sri Lankan side Ruhuna Rhinos in Hyderabad, needing a win to have any chance of progressing further. No such pressures on Somerset, who'll be hoping to continue their fine form, having beaten Auckland Aces yesterday, they're now up against Kolkata Knight Riders where defeat may still see them through to the next stage.

Horse Racing
Plenty for racegoers to look forward to today. There's action on the flats at Goodwood and Redcar, all-weather racing at Kempton this evening, and Perth & Downpatrick hosting the jumps meetings.

Tuesday 20 September 2011

The Sporting Day Today - Tue 20/09

A big night of League Cup action ahead, so here's a quick run down:

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Football
Lots of football tonight as the League Cup enters its 3rd Round stage. The tie of the night sees an old rivalry come to a head as Leeds United host league leaders Manchester United in what is sure to be a sweltering atmosphere at Elland Road. Arsenal's youngsters have home advantage as they welcome League 2 side Shrewsbury. There are two all-Premier League ties tonight as Aston Villa welcome Bolton, whilst Spurs make the trip to face Stoke at the Britannia. Wolves take on Millwall, Newcastle make the trip to Nottingham Forest, whilst Blackburn will look for a second successive win when they take on League 1's bottom side Leyton Orient. There's also Aldershot v Rochdale, Burnley against MK Dons and Crystal Palace v Middlesbrough.

Cricket
England's two representatives at the Champions T20 League kick off their campaigns today in India. T20 Cup winners Leicestershire play Trinidad & Tobago, whilst Somerset face New Zealand's Auckland Aces in Hyderabad.

Horse Racing
There's racing today on the flats at Beverley and Folkestone, whilst Newton Abbot hosts the jumps.

Monday 19 September 2011

The Sporting Day Today - Mon 19/09

It's going to be a relatively quiet Monday but there's still plenty going on, so here's your quick run down.

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Football
Just one game tonight with a host of teams involved in the League Cup's 3rd Round. The game's in the Championship at Portman Road as Ipswich play host to Coventry City, with both teams 19th & 20th respectively following poor starts to the campaign.

Speedway
King's Lynn Stars host Poole Pirates in the 1st leg of their Elite League Playoff Semi-Final at the Norfolk Arena. 

Horse Racing
There's meetings today at Leicester and Hamilton on the flats, Kempton on the all-weather and Ballinrobe for the jumps.

Weekend Predictions - The Results!

Freeman roars back as Hatchard stumbles

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Sports Preview presenters Daniel Freeman and Kevin Hatchard continue their bids to come out on top in the Premier League prediction league.

Freeman correctly predicted 6 out of 10 results this weekend. The Oxford United fan rightly called newly promoted Norwich and Swansea getting their first victories of the season as well as Everton, Spurs and Manchester United picking up all three points. He also correctly called the draw between Aston Villa and Newcastle.

Hatchard also predicted victories for Manchester United and Everton as well as Sunderland. From 5-4 ahead, the Liverpool supporter now trails Freeman 10-8.

In Horse Racing, Charlie Owens failed to continue his winning run. The Luton tipster blamed the Soft ground at Ayr for his bets not coming off but did get a place with Colonel Mak taking 4th at 16/1. Waffle finished in 8th..

Friday 16 September 2011

The Ultimate Sport Preview podcast - Episode 2

Welcome to another installment of our epic podcast, The Ultimate Sport Preview, back for a second episode after the roaring success of Episode 1.

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Daniel Freeman and Kevin Hatchard are back in the hot-seat as they debate and discuss the big action over the weekend.

We have an in-depth look ahead to the Premier League weekend, and hear from a number of managers involved. Sunday sees Tottenham take on Liverpool, whilst it's Manchester United v Chelsea to complete a truly Super Sunday.

Arsenal are back in the North West for the first time since their 8-2 mauling at Old Trafford. They're taking on struggling Blackburn at Ewood Park this time around though.

Out in New Zealand, England's progress at the Rugby World Cup is attracting headlines on both the front and back pages. Martin Johnson's side will be looking for a far better performance against Georgia on Sunday, whilst we discuss Mike Tindall who attracted attention after being spotted out with the rest of the team in a Queenstown bar. The husband of Zara Phillips was caught on CCTVgetting up close and personal with one of the locals.

Friday's a big day in the world of horse racing as the Ayr Gold Cup takes place. Our resident tipster Charlie Hoynes, who correctly called the winner of the St Leger last week, is back in the hot seat as he tells us who we should keep an eye on.

We also look ahead to the Tour of Britain, which enters its final strait over Saturday & Sunday.


The Sporting Day Today - Fri 16/09

Even though there's no football there's still plenty of action across the sporting world today, so here's your quick run down.

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Cricket
The fifth and final ODI between England and India takes place today in Cardiff. Alastair Cook's side have won the series but will look to shut out India one more time and claim as dominant a summer as there can be against the visitors. Having won each of the four-match Test series, they currently hold an unassailable 2-0 lead in this series, with the first ODI at Durham washed out and last week's thrilling tie at Lord's.

Rugby World Cup
Hosts New Zealand have thrashed Japan 83-7 in Hamilton in the only Friday game. The pick of Saturday's games sees one of the favourites Australia take on Ireland. South Africa take on Fiji whilst Argentina face Romania.

Tour of Britain
Stage 6 of the Tour of Britain takes in Taunton to Wells along a 90-mile route. Team Sky currently lead the overall team standings, whilst Dutchman Lars Boom still holds the IG Markets Gold Jersey.

Thursday 15 September 2011

The Sporting Day Today - Thu 15/09

Big big day in the sporting world so here's all you need to know about what's going on

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Football
No fewer than five British teams taking part in the first group games of the Europa League. A young Spurs squad makes the trip to Greece to take on PAOK Salonika. Stoke City have made the long trip to the Ukraine to take on Dynamo Kiev, who knocked out Manchester City in this competition last season. Fulham host Dutch side FC Twente, whilst Birmingham City welcome last year's Europa League runners-up Braga to St Andrews. Despite being knocked out in the playoff stages, Celtic are in action as they make the prestigious trip to face Atletico Madrid, after their conquerors FC Sion of Switzerland were kicked out of the competition for fielding ineligible players against last season's runners-up in the SPL.


Cricket
It's the final day of the County Championship season and it seems as if we have a clearer picture over who will play where next year. Hampshire joined Yorkshire in being relegated to Division Two after failing to pick up maximum batting points against title favourites Warwickshire. The Bears are now expected to cement their role as Champions needing to pick up just 7 more wickets at the Rose Bowl, leaving Lancashire languishing in 2nd. In Division Two it looks like heartbreak for Northamptonshire, who led the league for a long period during the season, despite beating Gloucestershire by 9 wickets inside three days. Surrey confirmed their promotion to Division 1 after thrashing Derbyshire by an innings and 126 runs, meaning Middlesex need just to avoid defeat against bottom club Leicestershire to join their London rivals in next year's top flight.

Rugby Union
Just the one game occurring early on Friday and that's the hosts New Zealand taking on Japan.

In Thursday's only game the USA beat Russia 13-6 in New Plymouth.


Cycling
Lars Boom currently holds the IG Markets Gold Jersey despite Stage 4 going to Thor Hushovd. Today it's Stage 5 and that will take in Exeter to Exmouth along a 112 mile route through the South West of England. Team Sky's Geraint Thomas is 2nd overall.

Wednesday 14 September 2011

The Sporting Day Today - Wed 14/09

Another busy day on Wednesday so here's what's going on.

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Football
After Arsenal's 1-1 draw in Dortmund and Chelsea's 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen, it's the turn of the Manchester sides as United and City begin their Champions League campaigns.

Roberto Mancini's side make their first appearance in the competition at home to Italian club Napoli, whilst United travel to Benfica - a venue where last time out they lost and crashed out of Europe altogether having come bottom of the group stage in 2005.

Cricket
Day 3 of the final round of County Championships takes place as it looks as if Worcestershire will have to wait and see whether they'll survive after falling just 12 runs short of picking up the batting bonus points which would have guaranteed their place in Division 1. Despite a collapse they're still hot favourites to send Hampshire down along with Yorkshire. But the main battle is at the top and despite making big scores, both Warwickshire & Lancashire are facing tough asks against Hampshire & Somerset respectively, with both teams yet to complete their first innings halfway through the game.

In Division 2 Middlesex need only to avoid defeat at bottom side Leicestershire in order to clinch promotion, having picked up maximum batting points on Day 2. That puts the pressure on Northants & Surrey who are fighting it out for the remaining promotion place.

Cycling
After Dutch rider Lars Boom won Stage 3 of the Tour of Britain which passed through Stoke, riders head west to Wales for Stage 4. The grueling 184km route starts in Welshpool before ending up in Caerphilly.


Rugby World Cup
Scotland overcame Georgia 15-6 in Invercargill, whilst Canada kicked off their campaign with a 25-20 win over Tonga in Whangarei, and Samoa thrashed Namibia 49-12 in Rotorua.

England woke up to the news that Andrew Sheridan is out of the competition after a recurrence of a shoulder injury, with Matt Stevens favourite to replace him for the clash against Georgia on Sunday. Courtney Lawes is also out of that game having been cited for "recklessly striking" Argentina's Mario Ledesma, and picked up a two-match ban meaning he'll also miss the match against Romania on September 24th. 

Tuesday 13 September 2011

Seems we know our onions!

Kev comes out on top in opening podcast predictions!

On a weekend of little surprises in the Premier League, it was Kevin Hatchard that predicted the most correct results in the first ever SPORTS PREVIEW podcast.

The 30-something who hails from Gloucestershire but claims to be a Scouser correctly predicted that Arsenal would beat Swansea, Everton and Aston Villa would draw (although he did say bore draw), Manchester City would beat Wigan, Tottenham would win at Wolves and Manchester United would come out on top at Bolton.

Daniel Freeman only correctly predicted four correct results. The 20-something balding Oxonian matched Kev by saying that Arsenal, and the two Manchester clubs would win but also picked QPR and Newcastle to draw.

The big result of the weekend predictions came from Racing expert Charlie Hoynes who correctly picked Masked Marvell to win the St Leger.

The Sporting Day Today - Tue 13/09

We continue our look ahead to the sporting week on a day-by-day basis.

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Football
The Champions League group stages begin tonight with two English clubs kicking off their European campaigns. Arsenal begin with a trip to German champions Borussia Dortmund whilst Chelsea host another German side in the shape of 2002 finalists Bayer Leverkusen at Stamford Bridge. Current Champions League holders Barcelona open their campaign with a visit from AC Milan.

There's a full midweek programme in League's One & Two. Sheffield United will be looking to strengthen their lead at the top of League One with 2nd placed Charlton in Carling Cup action.

Rugby World Cup
After a two day break the next set of the 2011 Rugby World Cup fixtures take place overnight. Samoa face Namibia at 03:30 BST, before Tonga take on Canada and Scotland will look for their second win when they face Georgia, who are England's opponents on Sunday.

Cricket
The last round of County Championship matches enter Day Two of their games as Hampshire & Worcestershire continue to fight it out at the bottom after Yorkshire were relegated. At the top Warwickshire & Lancashire are still locked in a battle to claim the Division One title. Meanwhile Middlesex, Northants and Surrey continue their promotion pushes as the three teams contest the two spots available.

In International news Jonathan Trott won the coveted ICC Player of the Year award for his blistering form in both Tests and ODI's, whilst Alastair Cook won the Test Player of the Year.

Meanwhile Eoin Morgan and bowlers Tim Bresnan and Chris Tremlett have been awarded 12-month central contracts, meaning they're now officially on the ECB's payroll. Stalwart Paul Collingwood however has been released from his contract which he's held for six years.

Cycling
After yesterday's postponement of Stage Two of the Tour Britain, it's now Stage Three as the contestants face a gruelling ride around Stoke. Geraint Thomas is the current holder of the IG Markets Gold Jersey.

Monday 12 September 2011

The Sporting Day Today - Mon 12/09

Lot's going on in the world of sport today, so here's your quick guide.

UPDATE 15:30

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Football
Joey Barton makes his debut ... against the club he just left as QPR host Newcastle United in the Premier League at Loftus Road.

Tour of Britain
Stage 2 from Kendal to Blackpool has been called off due to high winds along the 85.5 mile route.

Cricket
It's the last round of County Championship matches starting today and finishing on Thursday. There's everything to play for as bottom hosts top. A defeat for Hampshire will relegate the Hawks to the 2nd Division, but visitors Warwickshire need a good win to secure the title. Second placed Lancashire travel to Somerset, just 3 points behind the leaders. Only a massive defeat for Worcestershire will see Yorkshire avoid the drop. Yorkshire are outside the bottom two places by just a single point but have played all their games, meaning Worcestershire need just two bonus points regardless of result to condem Yorkshire to a season of Division 2 cricket.

UPDATE - Yorkshire have been relegated to Division Two after Worcestershire picked up the necessary two bonus points. Worcestershire & Hampshire are now fighting it out over the one remaining place in the drop zone.

Middlesex go in to the last game of their season top of the second tier and travel to bottom club Leicestershire, who Middlesex thrashed a fortnight ago. That game at Lord's saw the first time under the current scoring system a team pick up maximum bonus points whilst the opposition failed to register a single point. With the title seemingly heading to Lord's, just one point separates Northamptonshire and Surrey in the bid to join the Panthers in Div 1 next year. The Steelbacks host Gloucestershire and it's Surrey v Derbyshire at the Oval.

Speedway
There are three matches in the Elite League today. Eastbourne Eagles host Coventry Bees, Peterborough Panthers face Swindon Robins and Wolverhampton Wolves take on Belle Vue Aces.

Friday 9 September 2011

Sportsmedia Comment: Lies, damned lies and statistics – the delusions of Steve Kean



Blackburn Rovers boss Steve Kean insists he has an excellent relationship with the club’s Indian owners, and therefore has no concerns over his job security. He says that rock-solid rapport with Venky’s means he needn’t be concerned about a fans’ letter calling for him to be sacked. Kean claims the transfer business he did this summer has made the Rovers squad stronger than last season, and that a top-ten finish is well within reach.

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The reality is that Rovers have failed to claim a single point in three Premier League games, and are joint-bottom. While the acquisition of rugged defender Scott Dann from Birmingham City appears prudent, some of Blackburn’s other summer dealings have been questionable. The much-vaunted interest in Spanish striker Raul showed the board’s naivety – Raul was merely using Rovers’ interest to try and negotiate a contract extension, and had no intention of moving to Ewood Park. Scottish forward David Goodwillie has promise, but the decision to sell the improving Nikola Kalinic is looking increasingly foolhardy.

I covered the recent Aston Villa-Blackburn game, and Rovers looked like relegation material. David Dunn hurtled around the midfield smashing into people, showing none of the class and skill he once possessed. Goodwillie missed a sitter and showed an inability to beat players, while Jason Roberts offered almost nothing in attack. Even defensive bedrock Ryan Nelsen was below par. Only impish winger/forward Junior Hoilett shone, creating Rovers’ only goal in a 3-1 defeat.

Kean’s post-match press conference was extraordinary. I asked him whether he was alarmed by Rovers’ lack of attacking penetration, and he brazenly reeled off a stat which showed that both Villa and Blackburn had the same number of “penalty-box entries”. He appeared unfazed by the fact that his side had been outplayed by a Villa team still finding its feet under Alex McLeish. He came out with other banal stats which I forgot almost as soon as I left the room, such was their irrelevance.

You see our Steve loves a stat, and he loves a display of unwarranted optimism (he once claimed Rovers could be Champions League contenders), but it’s tough for fans to match his gusto when the team is joint-bottom of the league. That excellent relationship with the club’s owners might be tested sooner rather than later, and Kean may find that he can’t con the fans as easily as he seems to think he can.

Welcome to the brand new Sportsmedia blog!

Hello and a very warm welcome to Sportsmedia’s brand new blog bringing you the very latest from our London newsdesk. 

We're the sporting newsdesk for over 160 of the UK’s leading radio stations and our team of in-house broadcasters cover every major sporting event from right across the country, and around the world. 

Today also signifies the launch of our maiden podcast, SPORTS PREVIEW, which will cover all your weekend sporting needs, in about 20 minutes! You can listen to it right here on our blog or download at all the normal places for your various mobile listening needs. The SPORTS PREVIEW podcast will be updated every Friday morning for your listening pleasure. 
We don't like to big ourselves up, too much, but we believe you'd be hard pressed to find a more in-depth look ahead to the weekend, as we hear from a number of figures across the worlds of rugby, football, cycling and horse racing. 

This week, Daniel Freeman and Kevin Hatchard look ahead to the Rugby World Cup which kicks off in all its glory in New Zealand, whilst the Premier League makes a welcome return after the international break. In horse racing we look ahead to both the English and Irish St Leger taking place on Saturday and we preview the Tour of Britain, the UK’s biggest cycling event which kicks off on Sunday.

Please feel free to subscribe, retweet or like us on Facebook - help spread the word, we’ll really appreciate it. We're extremely excited at the launch of this service, and hope that you'll enjoy our various ramblings as much as we enjoyed making them.