The Sporting Hack

It’s enough to make you wonder what the sporting world would be like without cynicism. While British Tour de France leader Chris Froome has been defiant about allegations of doping throughout this year’s centenary edition, his Team Sky support staff have turned the table on the accusers and called on them to take a look around. Raising the bar: Brailsford (above), Froome (below) Dave Brailsford, Team Sky’s general manager, has invited the necessary bodies to look at all the necessary data and information that they want, even going so far as to say that they “can live with us.” Sky have invited potential investigation and interrogation, if there was any hint that Froome was doping, would anybody take such a risk? Welcome to the three week circus that tours France each year and is now turning in to a huge game of 'Call my Bluff.' And the turning point just had to be Mont Ventoux on Bastille Day. 46 years after British rider Tommy Simpson had taken amphetami...

Welcome to another edition of The Sporting Hack’s ‘On The Attack’, where we bring you the latest news and opinions from around the globe. As mentioned in previous posts, we are looking to expand all the time, so feel free to pay us a visit on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesportinghack or tweet us your thoughts on Twitter @thesportinghack, it would be great to hear from you, wherever you are in the world. Benched: Schwarzer may get used to this Mark Schwarzer’s gentle stroll down the King’s Road from Fulham to Chelsea is actually more like a mad dash for one thing and one thing only...game time! The 40 year old’s contract with the Craven Cottage outfit had expired and the Australian first choice goalkeeper – who will be between the sticks for the Socceroos come their World Cup campaign next year in Brazil – has moved to compete with the Blues number one, Petr Cech. Call us cynical to suggest that he’s only gone for the money, but could it really be that Schwarzer wants to f...

England (215) lead Australia (75-4) by 140 runs. For a 70 minute spell of a frenetic days play at Trent Bridge on the opening day of the Ashes series, it looked like Australian veteran Chris Rogers was going to provide some calm and a level head in among the school playground cricket on show in Nottingham. Shane Watson and Rogers Bespectacled in the field and sporting a grey armguard nicked from lost property when at the crease, the opener looked somewhat like a PE teacher on his return to the national fold after his five year absence from his single outing in 2008. Back then, Aussie spinner Ashton Agar was only fourteen years old, but he was thrust in to the limelight and handed his debut cap ahead of first choice Nathan Lyon. Agar couldn't make hay with the ball and it will be interesting to see how Darren Lehman handles an inexperienced bowler and the aformentioned Lyon, whom it can be presumed will be quite disillusioned even this early on in the piece.   R...

For many years there was a joke that teams in the lower reaches of the English football pyramid system would play in Europe at least once a season, provided Swansea or Cardiff City were in their respective divisions. While both were the punchline to their opponent’s self-deprecation, the latter has capped an incredible ten year period for both clubs by joining their south Wales rivals in the Premier League. However it is the former, under the guidance of the mercurial Dane Michael Laudrup, who, from next season, will be playing in Europe against some of the continent’s elite clubs. The Swans don’t want to stop there though; the League Cup winners are casting their net far and wide in an attempt to spread the word of their evolving culture and recent history, a farfetched and unlikely tale which has the queuing film makers still adjusting to the real-life script. “Bottom of the Football League to Premier League and League Cup winners in only 10 years is an u...

As Andy Murray stood there clutching gratefully, and almost disbelievingly, at his Wimbledon trophy in the baking heat of SW19 late on Sunday afternoon, he was being grilled – in the loosest sense of the word – by the ferocious and provocative prober that is Sue Barker. “What were you thinking when serving for the match?” proffered Barker. “I remember it as if it was two minutes ago, Sue, mainly because it was. I was thinking how much I want to take Sir Bradley’s crown and get more public votes than Leigh Halfpenny or Graeme Swann,” he responded as quick as one of his cross-court fizzers that had seen him defeat world number 1 Novak Djokovic in straight sets. OK, so we might have slightly altered what the Scot said. However, the gist of the above is what some people were thinking – “Oh, crikey, BBC Sports Personality of The Year 2013 right there, when do the phone lines open?!” You could almost hear the producers screaming in Barkers ear: "We need more footage! Get...

Welcome to yet another edition of TSH’s ‘On the Attack’. Wherever you are in the world and whatever sporting interest you have we hope we’ve got something topical, and perhaps amusing, for you. We are building the blog at quite a rate and therefore would appreciate any help in broadening the audience, so whether you have millions of Twitter followers or just a handful please share the stories, and if you don’t know what Twitter is, @thesportinghack or the hashtag #TSHontheattack won’t be much use to you! Ricoh: Lights on but nobody home Ten years ago, Coventry City were plying their trade as a mid-table outfit in the comfortable surroundings of the then First Division (now Championship). The Sky Blues were still reeling from their Premier League relegation a couple of years ago, but they could still attract 20,000 locals to Highfield Road. Not anymore. After a move from Highfield Road to the Ricoh Arena, the Midlanders are now set to move from the city of Coventry alto...