British sports personality of the year

[BoyBrumby]

Originally Posted by superkingdave

Cavendish, depends on how you view cycling, but think he won about 4 or 5 stages on the TDF and is maybe the best pure sprinter in cycling.

Originally Posted by Samuel_Vimes

No maybe about it.

Shouldn't it be qualified to best road sprinter, tbf? Cavendish may be the best sprinter after a tour stage, but you'd fancy Hoy to have him in the velodrome, wouldn't you?

[Marcuss]

Originally Posted by Uppercut

Yeah. Graeme Swann should have it nailed down if we're taking the award's title literally.

Signed up to twitter just to follow him

[Goughy]

Originally Posted by grecian

Have voted for Strauss, never understood F1 winners, 'tis the car surely.

BTW an heptathlete and a triple-jumper have won this before, so it wouldn't be that odd if either took it out. Ennis would be my second choice.

Yeah but the triple jumper that won transended the event and was the greatest ever and set a world record that still stands over 10 years on. That doesnt compare to a guy (ie Idowu) who has a personal best that wouldnt have even been the best jump back in 1975. What Idowu pales in comparision to what Edwards did.

[Goughy]

Originally Posted by Uppercut

True, but if an English footballer broke the all-time record for goals in a World Cup Qualifying campaign (including, amongst other things, a hat-trick to beat Spain 3-2) he'd win the award so conclusively it would barely be worth holding a ceremony. Healy did it in a vastly inferior team and didn't even warrant a mention.

Up until Healy did it it is a record I have never heard anyone talk about previously. It is a nothing record. Nice but meaningless. It carries no glory. Breaking a record noone cares about doesnt really elevate someone.

No kid dreams of becoming the all-time record goal scorer in a World Cup Qualifying campaign. They dream of other more important and glamerous things.

[cpr]

I think Button has a fair case as watching him drive at times he's shown some outstanding quality. In a sport ridiculed for lack of overtaking, some of the moves he's made are breathtaking.

Ennis and Idowu never heard of, least someone like Daley has transcribed from a **** sport no-one cares about to the public eye, albeit for his age.

Haye and Cavendish have really put their sports back on the map. Admittedly neither have been far away.... Britain have had Lewis in recent years on the heavyweight scene, but Haye has finally dragged us back to the top, whilst Hay has rightly been acknowledged for cycling last year, but Cavendish has kept cycling at the top, in the most prestigious tournament on earth (and one were not very good at!)

Strauss bless him is riding the Ashes eurphoria, which lets face it, was more jammy than sublime.... Do we hold the same hope for English cricket being world no 1 as we do for Murray?? First time weve had a tennis player worth caring about since Perry (sorry Henman, but you were **** outside mid June)


Still Button or Haye for me, prefer Haye, with Murray 3rd... wouldnt whinge about Cavendish in the mix

[BoyBrumby]

Feel obliged to point out diving and gymnastics aren't real sports.

Tweedle a yarp too.

[GIMH]

Originally Posted by Uppercut

Darren Clarke was odds-on to take it that year after helping win the Ryder Cup just after his wife died. There's a feeling in Northern Ireland that the whole thing is ridiculously Anglo-centric, David Healy didn't even make the nominations when he broke the World Cup Qualifiers goalscoring record.

Personally I don't care in the slightest, the whole award is so full of **** that it makes me mildly angry.

Well of course it's Anglo-centric. It gets voted for by the public and there are about 50 million more people in England than Northern Ireland.

It's why Calzaghe's win was a bit of a surprise, and I doubt Hoy would have won had he represented Scotland rather than GB

[BoyBrumby]

Originally Posted by GeraintIsMyHero

Well of course it's Anglo-centric. It gets voted for by the public and there are about 50 million more people in England than Northern Ireland.

It's why Calzaghe's win was a bit of a surprise, and I doubt Hoy would have won had he represented Scotland rather than GB

Calzaghe's English as roast beef, tbf. Born in Hammersmith.

[grecian]

Originally Posted by Goughy

Yeah but the triple jumper that won transended the event and was the greatest ever and set a world record that still stands over 10 years on. That doesnt compare to a guy (ie Idowu) who has a personal best that wouldnt have even been the best jump back in 1975. What Idowu pales in comparision to what Edwards did.

Take your point there, but Idowu is very much an also-run, and we where talking about the general strength of the list, and Athletics World Champions generally get nominated, haven't got the stats but I'd bet every individual one has. I'm a crap punter though.

Originally Posted by cpr

I think Button has a fair case as watching him drive at times he's shown some outstanding quality. In a sport ridiculed for lack of overtaking, some of the moves he's made are breathtaking.

Ennis and Idowu never heard of, least someone like Daley has transcribed from a **** sport no-one cares about to the public eye, albeit for his age.

Haye and Cavendish have really put their sports back on the map. Admittedly neither have been far away.... Britain have had Lewis in recent years on the heavyweight scene, but Haye has finally dragged us back to the top, whilst Hay has rightly been acknowledged for cycling last year, but Cavendish has kept cycling at the top, in the most prestigious tournament on earth (and one were not very good at!)

Strauss bless him is riding the Ashes eurphoria, which lets face it, was more jammy than sublime.... Do we hold the same hope for English cricket being world no 1 as we do for Murray?? First time weve had a tennis player worth caring about since Perry (sorry Henman, but you were **** outside mid June)


Still Button or Haye for me, prefer Haye, with Murray 3rd... wouldnt whinge about Cavendish in the mix

Well a lot of subjective stuff in their, Personally I don't know owt about Cavendish, Tweedle and a few others, but do know about Ennis and Idowu because I don't mind athletics but never knowingly watch cycling or gymnastics.

Button, as I've said before is mainly about the car, IMHO, and I never understand how only F1 out of all our other motorsports success gets all the plaudits, well since Barry Sheene anyway.

Murray was awful in the Grand Slams, which is what most people (including himself probably) care about. Talk of whether he may be World number 1 in the future, and Del Potro is younger then him so I don't think it's a certainty, seems irrelevant for this years award. Simple fact is we DID win the Ashes, whether jammily or not, and Murray didn't win the biggest prize in his sport (which he thinks is the US Open apparently).

Haye is a good shout, but can't say I love boxing nowadays for a number of reasons.

I won't mention Daley much because I think he's the lowest form of life obviously.

[Pup Clarke]

Originally Posted by grecian

Murray was awful in the Grand Slams

wat

[grecian]

Originally Posted by Pup Clarke

wat

Umm, he lost to players ranked lower then him in each didn't he?

Awful may be an exageration, maybe mediocre perhaps

[Pup Clarke]

He actually had his best run in slams tbh

[GIMH]

Didn't win any though

[grecian]

For consistency it was, but surely making a Final is more impressive, matter of perspective I guess.

[Marcuss]

Originally Posted by grecian

I won't mention Daley much because I think he's the lowest form of life obviously.

Divers aren't that bad, are they? Some incident as a youth perhaps?