The good omen

The good omen, as she tackles the 10,000 metres and the marathon, is that Helsinki has a tradition of producing multi-medal long-distance winners. Emil Zatopek achieved his unique treble there at the 1952 Olympics and Lasse Viren, double Olympic champion in 1972 and 1976, comes from there.

Paula claims to be in canny fettle, but it will be interesting to see if she uses tomorrow's 10,000 metres as a final training run for the marathon or whether her competitive instinct drives her to go for gold. I suspect she has now learnt enough to concentrate on her prime target and the marathon gold is what she really craves.

Cram, of course, won the 1,500m gold at the first World Championships in Helsinki 22 years ago and this time he will look on from the commentary box as another North-Easterner, Morpeth Harrier Nick McCormick, tries to follow in his footsteps.

He is currently Europe's fastest miler, but while Cram had the great Said Aouita in his wake in 1983 the depth and quality of African opposition is far stronger now.

I'M already sick of Gordon Strachan, which is a sad thing to say because he's one of football's more likeable characters. He's a victim of the media overkill which surrounds Celtic, a club incapable of progressing beyond the second qualifying round of the Champions League.

When once asked if he was the right man for the job at Southampton, Strachan replied: "No, they should have got George Graham because I'm useless." On another occasion when a reporter asked him for a quick word, he replied: "Velocity."

Such wit is a shimmering oasis in the desert of footballing repartee, but it's no reason to thrust Strachan so firmly into the limelight at the start of his management career in the wastelands of Scottish football. No wonder Celtic and Rangers are desperate to jump ship and move in with England's elite, but if they succeed in their aim the remaining Scottish clubs might as well convert their premises into curling rinks or caber-tossing parks.

Why the English media thinks we are interested in Scottish football is as big a mystery to me as why rumble strips go right across the road before you enter a 30mph limit.

The sport on ITN News on Tuesday night referred to the Celtic and Liverpool matches but made no mention of the England cricket captain's injury. They caught up on that the following night, outlining his elbow injury in detail even though he had been declared fit much earlier in the day.

THE Magpies' nest obviously needs feathering, but the source of rumours about a bid for Sir John Hall's shareholding remains a mystery. Someone probably made a killing out of the brief rise in share prices, but the club is a less attractive investment opportunity without European football.

It is no good bleating that they were unlucky to be drawn against such a good club as Deportivo. The calamitous defending on Wednesday night suggested nothing has changed and, with no European action, an even bleaker season lies ahead. Still, the fans will be happy as long as they beat Sunderland.

IT WILL be interesting to see whether the home-loving Ashington Express, Steve Harmison, agrees to tour Pakistan this winter. With the Ashes series lasting well into September, he won't get much rest before tangling with the Aussies again on their home patch as he has been named in the Rest of the World squad for the "super Test".

This has been granted full Test match status by the International Cricket Council, but it wouldn't surprise me if Harmison pulls out. It comes shortly before England leave for Pakistan, which provided Harmison with his first taste of life away from Ashington as a 17-year-old member of an England Under 19 squad.

It was such a culture shock that, with the help of a back injury, he was back home after a week. But it's possible that his commitment to England and his desire to prove to himself how he has matured as a person will persuade him to give it a try.

He opted out of going to Zimbabwe last year, assuming an anti-Mugabe stance, and will be entitled to pull out of Pakistan on safety grounds as Robert Croft and Andrew Caddick did when England went to India four years ago. Unlike Croft, Harmison will be assured of his place next summer, whatever he decides.

A REPUTABLE national newspaper this week described Phil Tufnell as a charismatic off-spinner. We all make mistakes, but Tufnell was a left-arm spinner and it is equally wrong to mistake buffoonery for charisma. Know what I mean, mate?

Published: 05/08/2005