Football's Fallen - Phil O'Donnell

By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

Recently, I wrote a couple of pieces for a new website called Football's Fallen - a site dedicated to those footballers who sadly get taken away on the football field. Set-up by my former colleague at Total Football Magazine and fellow football fan, Laura Jones, I have written pieces on one of Scotland's brightest hopes, Phil O'Donnell and this one about the ex-York striker David Longhurst.

Christmas is a period where families come together and celebrate a special time. It is often the period for goodwill, giving and joy but not in all instances.

For the O’Donnell family, their world was feeling good as the end of 2007 dawned. Married with four children, Phil O’Donnell (pictured below) was skipper of SPL side Motherwell and was enjoying one of the best spells of his injury-hit career. Sadly their hearts were about to be ripped out by a tragedy that is among one of the worst to have hit the game in Scotland.

Phil O'Donnell had found form and fitness again before his shock death in 2007

Full of promise as a youngster, O’Donnell had won the Scottish Cup twice and experienced the big time as a Celtic player in the mid-1990s before injuries ruined his stint in England with Sheffield Wednesday. 

To continue reading this article, visit Football's Fallen

Categories: 1990s, 2007, Career, Celtic, Christmas, Family, Injury, Motherwell, Phil O'Donnell, Scotland

Will The Jump be back next year?

By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

When Channel 4 decided to proceed with The Jump, they were planning a nice warm-up in this miserable weather climate of celebrities learning how to compete at winter sports in the build-up to the Winter Olympics in Sochi. What they got ultimately was a programme that turned into one of the most dangerous in reality television history.

The celebrities who took part ranged from Olympic medallists and pop singers to glamour models and reality show regulars but it was the general hospital in Innsbruck, Austria that seemed more accustomed to seeing them rather than the competition the general public witnessed, both in Austria and on television.

The series was eventually won by former X-Factor winner Joe McElderry, who beat Donal MacIntyre in the final. To top it off, both were replacements which defeated the object of the entire series. So did Channel 4 get it wrong? Was it good television or too dangerous and more importantly, will it get another series next year?

The concept of the programme

Initially planned to be The Alpine Games two years ago, the programme producers offered the plan to ITV first but they turned it down as they deemed it to be too dangerous. It seems like their caution was the right move.

Needing a boost in ratings to compete with programmes on at this time of year such as Splash, Dancing on Ice and Celebrity Big Brother, Channel 4 put a lot of time and effort into the programme. Nine winter sports would be tested out, such as the giant slalom, speed skating and the terrifying skeleton. Experts including skeleton gold medallist Amy Williams and UK Sport performance director Graham Bell were brought in to help the rookies tame their fears and bring out their competitive streak.

They would compete in these events on a day-by-day basis and the bottom two on each evening would have to do a live ski jump, with the individual recording the lowest distance being eliminated from the competition. The idea was there, the concept sounded good but the execution of The Jump probably backfired.

12 celebrities started but none of these competitors would win The Jump

What The Jump did manage was to get a solid crop of celebrities. Taking part were British Olympic legend Sir Steve Redgrave, former cricketer Darren Gough, 80s pop singer Sinitta, TV presenter Anthea Turner, ex-Five member Ritchie Neville, model Melinda Messenger, Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt, comedian Marcus Brigstocke, hairdresser Nicky Clarke, presenter Laura Hamilton, TOWIE favourite Amy Childs and socialite Henry Conway.

Little did they know the injuries they would collect and that none of them would be crowned winner of The Jump.

Injuries galore

Gough was the first to go down with injury with various accidents in training and two awkward crashes on the ski slopes in rehearsals before the main show. When he exited on day three of the competition, the relief was clear to see. His body had taken a battering and it was pretty silly that medical advice didn’t intervene to pull him out before serious damage was done.

Henry Conway was next on the casualty list. An injury picked up during training for the skeleton event left him with a broken hand and devastated to be leaving the competition. It opened the door for McElderry to come in as a replacement, defeating MacIntyre in a live ski jump.

One injury is unfortunate and it can happen on any show, while another taking a pasting can be seen as careless but once Melinda Messenger was forced to withdraw after suffering concussion in bobsleigh training, The Jump was quickly turning into a medical drama rather than a winter sports competition.

The final was farcical itself. After a nasty accident on the slopes that had worrying echoes of the crash off-piste that has left racing superstar Michael Schumacher fighting for his life in hospital, Sir Steve Redgrave was in grave trouble. A fractured rib left him in deep pain. He battled on in his true Olympic competitive spirit but he had to call it quits on the morning of the final event, realising it was a risk too far, even for an Olympian who has achieved it all in his superb career. 

Then, comedian Marcus Brigstocke – a popular member of the celebrities had a monumental shunt off the final jump of the risky ski cross event. Screeching in pain from the moment he landed, it looked distressing to watch. An ankle injury meant he became the fourth contender eliminated through injury. 

The other two finalists also weren’t unscathed. McElderry lost control in the final event and took a nasty bang to the head but made it to the final jump-off. MacIntyre, who was growing in confidence with every event, had a big crash in rehearsals for the jump-off to be crowned champion, cutting his lip and leaving him with a black eye. McElderry won almost by default – he was last man standing and it destroyed what promised to be a competitive final night of action.

Presenting problems

Davina McCall and Alex Brooker were the co-hosts of The Jump. I’m not Davina’s biggest fan considering my pure hatred of Big Brother but she has done a superb job hosting the tense quiz The Million Pound Drop in recent years. Having started her TV career presenting Don’t Try This At Home for ITV back in 1998, she is no stranger to shows that ramp up the risk element. On the final night, Davina proved her daredevil ability by jumping off the K-40 – the biggest jump in the competition and landed it successfully and with style. Sadly her presenting control on the programme wasn’t quite up to the same standard. She hasn’t lost a huge amount by hosting The Jump but it did lack the command that sometimes a show that struggles needs from its anchor.

Brooker is most familiar appearing regularly on the panel show The Last Leg. However his presenting ability for this show was disappointing and pretty lame. There was no chemistry between him and McCall and therefore without any leadership from the front, The Jump began to fall down from the word go.

Reception and plus points

Despite the injuries galore, there were some pluses with The Jump. With it on a nightly basis, it was easy to follow or simply drop out of. I decided to watch it as it was something different and it is so much better than Splash. If I wanted to see diving on TV, I’d just watch a game from the Barclays Premier League on Sky Sports rather than Tom Daley’s pitiful programme.

The Jump held no fears for some, but left many needing medical attention

Some of the celebrities showed no fear. Kimberley Wyatt stepped out of the background and into the limelight. Often overshadowed by former Pussycat Dolls in recent years, Nicole Scherzinger and Ashley Roberts, Wyatt won many fans with her attitude to both competition and the way she never gave up. Her dramatic exit in the quarter-final was a real shame, as she had the potential out of all the celebrities who started to win it. Anthea Turner was another who should be praised for taking on anything thrown at her without any fear – something you couldn’t say about Amy Childs who was a nightmare and eventually wimped out like a baby on the second evening of competition.

Barry Davies reminded us all of his golden age in the commentary box. His humour and wit in guiding the viewer through the events was class. Of course, this is the man who famously said in the 1988 Seoul Olympics; ‘Where were the German defence, but frankly, who cares!’

The reception from TV critics it got though was largely negative. Digital Spy’s Alex Fletcher wrote: “It was more painful than a snowball in the mouth” whilst The Independent’s Sally Newall commented: “A bonkers, scary mash-up of Big Brother and Ski Sunday.”  

The ratings also agreed with the experts. Starting at 2.6m viewers on opening night, fans of The Jump melted away in the days that followed. By the end, a million viewers had been lost – with a measly 1.7m tuning in for the final. Even Australian daytime soaps, Neighbours and Home & Away attracted better rating figures despite their scheduling last week.

So how would I sum up The Jump? It was something different and clever that turned into a television danger zone. While I watched it all the way through for the interest of something new, I don’t think I’d tune in if it returned in 2015. In fact, I don’t think many will be shedding tears when this winter sports laughing stock is put to sleep and into the television graves of reality show failures. 

Categories: Austria, Channel 4, Donal MacIntyre, Injury, Joe McElderry, Sir Steve Redgrave, Skating, Ski Jump, Sochi, Winter Olympics

Schumi's toughest battle

By Simon Wright - Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

As fans of the legendary Italian car manufacturer Ferrari gather outside the Grenoble hospital in France to hold a silent vigil, the world of motorsport and particularly Grand Prix racing says a prayer, holds its breath and hopes that the greatest driver of his generation and possibly of all-time pulls through.

Friday, 3 January marked the 45^th birthday of the seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher but he would have known nothing about it. The former Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari and Mercedes GP driver has now been in an induced coma for a week after a skiing accident whilst on a family holiday in the French Alps.

Michael Schumacher faces his toughest battle - this one to survive

This isn’t going to be a piece about why the accident happened, or what might have saved Schumacher’s life, nor will it look into the consequences of skiing in the slopes. This will be looking at Michael Schumacher (pictured) the man, Michael Schumacher the racing driver and now the human being who is fighting for his life in a French hospital as we all hope he makes a complete recovery from the serious brain injuries suffered.

While my recent F1 2013 season review before Christmas was my last regular piece on the sport for this website, I felt this was something I wanted and needed to write about. There is no doubt that Schumacher has his millions of fans around the world and others who put him down as an arrogant, smut and petulant German who would win at all costs, even if that meant bending the rules to do so. However I’m sure we can all unite in saying that he needs to come through this barrier and that he is among the best that have ever driven a Grand Prix car.

The arguments will reign on to who is the greatest. Was it Juan Manuel Fangio at a time where drivers were racing with no safety restrictions and consequently, accidents were often fatal? Was it Ayrton Senna – the iconic Brazilian who showed the first signs of ruthlessness required to become a multiple world champion and died doing what he loved? Is it even Schumacher’s countryman Sebastian Vettel, who is sweeping all before him and could well surpass Michael’s records in the years to come? It is a debate that will rage on for years but Schumacher has to be placed among the best. The stats will back this up too. 91 wins, seven world championships, 68 pole positions, over 1500 points amassed and 308 Grand Prix starts.

As a racing driver, he was extremely competitive and hated losing but also loved a challenge. In 1995, he raced to a second successive title with the unheralded Benetton team, becoming the youngest back-to-back world champion until Vettel arrived. Rather than stick with the Enstone unit, he decided to turn his back on them and accept a new challenge. That was to lead the Prancing Horse of Ferrari back to the top. Ferrari had been in the doldrums for far too long when he arrived for 1996. They hadn’t won a constructors’ title for 13 years, a driver’s title for 17 years and there were tough times such as driveshafts snapping in the pitlane and engines blowing up on the formation lap. Not once did he criticise the team though and he moulded them into a winning breed once again. He deserves great credit for accepting a new challenge and building a team around him.

The near-misses were tough to take but the relief and the pride was always there. When he finally achieved his goal of becoming world champion for Ferrari after victory in a gripping wheel-to-wheel duel with Mika Hakkinen at the 2000 Japanese Grand Prix, the majority were delighted. Formula One is not the same without a winning Ferrari outfit. He then proceeded to crush the opposition for the next four seasons. He won the title in 2002 by late July, 2004 by late August – something that with the number of races nowadays is unlikely even for Vettel to achieve. Even when Ferrari didn’t have the best car in 2003, Schumacher put in some meteoritic performances when required to snare the titles away from McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen and the Williams BMW driver Juan Pablo Montoya.

Of course there were dark moments in his career where he had to win at all costs and I’m sure these are things the great man would regret. His move to take Damon Hill out of the 1994 title decider in Adelaide was a rash moment of desperation; the attempt to eliminate Jacques Villeneuve in Jerez at the 1997 finale was blatant and frankly disgusting – even his own tifosi support were incensed by that rash moment. There was also the worst parking offence of the 2006 season at La Rascasse during the dying moments of qualifying in Monte Carlo when he deliberately stopped his car to prevent other quicker cars stealing his pole position. The dark stains on his character are a real shame as it does taint a great champion.

However, I will remember him more for the epic drives he produced time and again. His drive from 16^th on the grid to win the 1995 Belgian Grand Prix for Benetton; his first win for Ferrari at a wet and soggy Barcelona in 1996 when he didn’t have the best car but won by a mile; the 1998 Hungarian Grand Prix on a qualifying style strategy when McLaren had the measure of his chassis; the classic race with Hakkinen in Japan 2000 and the cameo in his comeback in Canada 2011 when he rolled back some of his prime days with clever overtakes in a car that was well below the standard he normally had underneath his disposal. 

As a man, Schumacher has great respect with the general public. He is a loving family man, who cares deeply about the achievements of his kids and his wife. He also spends a lot of time working for charities now his racing days are done and donating money to good causes. He gives a lot back to more unfortunate people who have suffered worst and that means he has my respect. While I admit that when he was winning all the time, it wasn’t great to watch – I appreciated the success and the ‘Dream Team’ at Ferrari more as history was being carved out, something we are witnessing again today with the Red Bull/Vettel combination.

The whole of the motorsport fraternity is thinking of Schumacher and his family at this horrible time. The tributes from former rivals, ex-team-mates and current competitors have been lovely to see. It shows that F1 and the sport in general is a family and we are all deeply affected when something terrible happens. Schumacher would know that from experience; shown when he broke down in floods of tears during a televised press conference after victory at Monza 2000 as he digested the news of a marshal being killed from injuries sustained in a multiple accident earlier in the race. I just hope Michael can pull through and will be able to see the general love, affection and respect that has been fully evident over the past week.

Ferrari fans show their support for their former hero outside hospital

Last Sunday, things didn’t look good whatsoever and I had almost given up hope with the way the reports were coming through of his injuries. Like the fighting desire he showed on the racing track time and again, the signs from Grenoble (Ferrari fans outside pictured) since 29 December have been slightly more positive. The situation is still critical and there is a long way back to recovery or even a stage where we can confidently say Schumacher is out of life danger. We will probably only know the severity more when the induced coma he is currently in is eased slowly by the hard-working and determined doctors over the next week. It would be a terrible irony that after 19 seasons driving around some of the hardest racing circuits at speeds upto 220mph relatively unscathed that this supremely fit human being succumbed to an impact that eyewitnesses have suggested was no more than 10mph.

My thoughts are with Michael Schumacher and the whole of his family. All we can do is keep our fingers crossed, say some prayers and hope that he comes back from the brink and makes a full recovery. This is his toughest battle yet but having seen him at his prime and peak, I know he can beat this, just like he did to all his rivals when he took the chequered flag in first place so often throughout his career.

Categories: Benetton, Charity, Controversy, Ferrari, France, Grenoble, Injury, Jordan, Michael Schumacher, Skiing