GAZZA'S gone.

It wasn't a shock, just a shame. The truth is that Gazza failed to establish himself at Middlesbrough. The talent he once had in abundance only flickered and that was never enough considering the price the club was paying.

His close personal relationship with Walter Smith is now being heralded as the key to prolonging Gazza's colourful career.

I seem to remember more or less the same being said of the mutual respect between Bryan Robson and Gazza when he joined Middlesbrough.

A good relationship between player and manager is, of course, crucial. But that can never be enough if the talent has faded.

We'll still miss him though.

THE plot thickens at Feethams.

George Reynolds has really stirred up a hornets' nest by demanding that players lose more than half of their match bonus.

Not only that but he went on to reveal details of players' salaries and bonuses in The Northern Echo.

You don't have to be Einstein to work out that having the bonuses was a massive incentive for them to win and morale must have been hit.

For players to even hint at striking just goes to show how frustrated they must be. Somehow I reckon we're in for an interesting season at Darlington.

I KNOW I'm tempting fate here, but aren't our cricketers doing well? England are on a winning streak with Alec Stewart on top form. I'll stop there..just in case.

But I can't leave cricket without adding my congratulations to Durham for hosting the internationals last weekend.

It's another way to show the world what a lot the North-East has to offer.

ALL eyes are on Tiger Woods in the Millennium Open.

What a talent at only 24 - especially when you consider what he has to deal with every time he hits a golf ball.

Despite arguably being the world's greatest sportsman, he can't escape the racist hate mail and abuse. Four army-trained body guards accompany him everywhere and he must always have the threat of attack in the back of his mind.

Fame at such an extraordinary level brings great rewards - but there's also a pretty big price to pay.

MEANWHILE, Nick Faldo and Mark James still can't find it in them to bury the hatchet.

James slags off Faldo in his book. Faldo says it's not fair and insists James is censured by the Tour. The Tour refuses but says James has to say sorry. Faldo won't accept an apology. And so it goes on and on.

Good grief! Personally, I think it should have been fixed for them to have to play together in the Open.

I have this wonderful vision of them coming up the 18th fairway, belting each with their handbags and Tiger's bodyguards having to desert their man to throw themselves in front of the flying leather.

And they say us girls are catty.