Eric Abidal in particular has been incredibly poor and how he overlooked Gael Clichy

Eric Abidal in particular, has been incredibly poor and how he overlooked Gael Clichy is again something which I will never understand.Florent Malouda is yet another player who has been picked for his name rather than performances. He’s looked out of depth when he has come on and seems clueless a bit like his manager.How Domenech selected him over David Trezeguet one of France’s most prolific goal-scorers, only he can answer.He seems to trust the likes of Willy Sagnol and Eric Abidal players who have not had the best of seasons at club level. I myself admitted that he would be one of the players to watch out for, but he is far too inexperienced at the international level to merit a place in such a huge tournament. The Group of Death in the Euro Championships was perceived to be made up of only three contenders France, Italy and the Netherlands.

But now, the former two teams are struggling to make it out of the group while Romania know that if they win against the Dutch, they could make a shock qualification out of Group C in Euro 2008.France has perhaps been the more disappointing of the two big teams who don’t have their fate in their own hands. Had Mclaren calculated they’d be in for a three-way fight for the manufacturer’s crown they sure as hell would have tried every single trick in the book to retain Alonso! And had Alonso realised Ferrari just would have none of his services as long as Kimi “the Iceman” Raikkonen remains with the scuderia; then it is more than likely Alonso would have reconsidered his leaving McLaren!ConclusionBottom line is the divorce between Alonso and McLaren came at the worse time for both parties.If there are any lessons to be taken from this turbulent page of F1 history, always look forward to what the next season may offer, never take your opponents for granted, nor abuse the people who work for you.  . Having promoted Lewis Hamilton to first driver status in his second season only at McLaren may be another one of equal proportions, only time will tell; yet if last year’s showdown in interlagos is any indications - too much pressure will admonish Lewis.Worse bringing in an unknown quantity in the shape of potential talent Kovalainen and expecting the pair to bring in the manufacturer’s points was just foolish! A gamble in essence, how does Ron Dennis expect Hamilton-Kovalainen to fare against the Ferraris and now the BMW’s. Alonso’s input produced that extra 0.6th of a second of pace per lap needed to beat the Ferraris. Compare this to same time last year when Alonso was in second place with 48 points in the bank — the contrast is all the more telling.Fernando may have had a point in stating that staying at McLaren was a guarantee of finishing third in the driver’s championship, however if things stay the same, Renault will not be able to guarantee him any places near that.Both McLaren and Alonso formed an amazing partnership last year. How ironic — Alonso was trying to get onboard that ship when he is living proof that two great drivers just can’t be teamed up!Furthermore rejoining Renault on an early ”return ticket” has not helped his chances in the driver’s championship, nor has it boosted his reputation around the paddock. Two reasons for this: a) Heikki’s best was a second place in Japan last year,b) Lewis is No.1 driver and Mclaren has invested so much into that extent they got rid of former double world champion Alonso for it, so Heikki’s challenging for top notch at McLaren just seems next to impossible.AlonsoFernando Alonso’s decision to split with McLaren is equally fraught with strategic miscalculations and emotions overbearing logic.

I am adamant the pair of Kovalainen and Hamilton is just not experienced enough to put McLaren in a strong position to claim a manufacturer’s title in 2008. 2; as if this pair could outdo the likes of Massa-Raikkonen and Heidfeld-Kubica – Very unlikely to say the least, an insult to their competitors is just as well what it was.The rankings speak against this strategic thinking as Ferrari leads the charge with 73 points followed by BMW on 70 points with McLaren trailing in third on 53 points.Same time last year McLaren was going into Magny Cours with 106 points in the bank whilst runner up Ferrari was left out in the distance with 71 points.This year, the manufacturer’s championship has taken a much different shape; blame it on last year’s spy scandal if you will. 2 to Lewis was questionable too.The question remains whether such an inexperienced pair would be strong enough to mount a credible challenge for McLaren’s expectations with regards to the manufacturer’s crown. So far so good, that’s until Ferrari unveiled its next generation of F1 potential in the shape of the ever awe-inspiring F2008, a car that inspires fear in the hearts of its competitors, so impressive, so fast yet so reliable as well, we could hardly imagine something closer to perfection.Secondly, Ferrari were not alone in unveiling their venom. Lewis has only been racing in F1 for one season only, and promoting him to No.1 driver status at McLaren is putting unnecessary pressures on his small shoulders Furthermore, bringing in Heikki Kovalainen as No.

In the meantime, Fernando was back to his old team after just one year out of a three year deal.Despite the circumstances (the spy gate, the stand up rows, the breakdowns in communications and finally the divorce between Alonso and McLaren), was this separation the right decision for both Fernando and the Woking-based outfit for 2008?The competitionArguable is McLaren’s decision to promote young Lewis Hamilton as No 1 driver. Wasting little time they picked Heikki Kovalainen to fill in the void By the same token, they promoted Lewis Hamilton to No 1 driver status. It then led to Alonso leaving the Woking-based outfit to rejoin former employer Renault.Regardless of the ins and outs of the situation at the time, it now seems that both parties were content with their joint decision to have gone their separate ways.McLaren filed no objections to Alonso’s leaving. Burns of The Simpsons stopping to take a lollipop from a baby after he’s blocked out all of Springfield’s sun. Say what you will about Matt Millen granted he’scompletely incompetent if someone was paying me a couple million dollars a year to live in Pennsylvania (even during the season,) not employ a single scout (the only professional franchise to attempt this brilliant plan,) and generally not do anything other than preside over the league’s worst team, I think I’d keep the job. That fact that he was offered such a lucrative contract EXTENSION after his so-called “leadership” is less an indictment of him, and more damning of the idiots signing his checks. Mr. As do coaches, GM’s (though not nearly quickly enough,) but the one constant that has been hovering over us like a specter since they took over the team are the Ford’s. Yes, the same fourth-generation morons who are still rolling out SUV’s and crippling the entire state of Michigan’s economy, are also responsible for crushing whatever vicarious thrill we could derive from the Lions.  Take our jobs, take our money, but PLEASE let go of our Lions! The Fords are the embodiment of Mr. I can also take solace in the fact that the Tigs have won a championship in my lifetime (1984) and have fielded intermittently good clubs over the years. I could also point to the dagger that “Big Shot Bob” plunged into my back during the 2005 NBA finals that denied the Pistons their second straight NBA title (and some say over-all legitimacy), but their continued excellence over the years more than makes up for that. Unfortunately, my greatest love is unrequited, and isn’t that the very essence of emotional pain?  I send them flowers, buy them sweets, tell them I love them, but somehow I can’t get them to come upstairs for a drink.

My therapist would tell me that this warrants further examination, so here we go.  I warn you this is a journey to confront my most virulent demons and is not a trip taken lightly. Particularly lately with the prominence of mass media giants like the NFL Network and ESPN.  But the first thought that jumped into my head when I read the call for articles was the outline of a Honolulu-blue lion profiled in attack position. The emblem of my beloved Detroit Lions. It’s word association and in my mind the Lions and disappointment are one and the same.  When someone tells me they had a disappointing day, I’m literally thinking,”Detroit Lions.”  Probably much like Chicago fans that walk around thinking, “Da Bears,” though with considerably less precision. Please forward your comments and views whether you disagree or agree…. This is an interesting topic for open mic, because there is a lot of room for interpretation.  As a registered sports-aholic anonymous member, I’ve seen my fair share of disappointing performances, finishes, choke-jobs, broken-records, and scandals. Hell, we’ve probably all lived through them together.