The Back Page: November 2010

It's been another eventful month in the world of sport. There have also been plenty of headlines that have entertained me during the cold drab Edinburgh autumn. So now I share them with you dear readers, through the medium of the monthly awards:

Moment of the month - Dilhara Fernando of Sri Lanka backpedalling at the WACA to take a ridiculous one-handed catch to dismiss Michael Clarke, the Australian T20 captain. It sparked a performance from the tourists that led to a thrashing for the Aussies. Will this poor T20 form be a sign of things to come as it was back in 2005? The Ashes just got interesting!

Inevitability of the month (i) - It rained all weekend at a major sporting event in Wales. Who knew the Ryder Cup would stretch to a fourth day?

Inevitability of the month (ii) - Scotland have fought back to 2-2 from 2-0 against the world champions. Hampden is rocking. Who knew the Spanish would strike again late on to take all the spoils?

Inevitability of the month (iii) - The Broncos vs the 49ers at Wembley. Both bottom of their respective divisions and offensively bereft of ideas. Who knew the fourth International Series game would be as dull as sin until the 4th quarter when Troy Smith finally decided to take a risk?

Underwhelming meeting of the month - While on the subject of the International Series, the NFL attempted to build bridges with the cricketing community whilst in the UK. Who better to promote relations than the 49ers "star" punter Andy Lee, and Jonathan Trott, the "home-grown" and "flamboyant" England middle-order batsman.

Press conference of the month - A tie. Both on the same issue - here's Sir Alex going all Mourinho when comparing Wayne Rooney to a cow. Followed by the Pistol from Bristol Ian Holloway, getting all worked up for what turned out to be no reason at all:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI7B0BLgSlg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdJ_EqLrxkA

Inconvenience of the month - I'm not sure if anyone's considered this - how did the whole Andy Carroll & Kevin Nolan domestic arrangement come to pass? Nolan has a wife and kids at home. Now Carroll rocks up and instantly the place gets vandalised. Was Nolan in court and volunteered to take his errant striker under his wing? Or did he get a strange call in the middle of the night - "Howay Kev, it's Andy man. Can I come and crash at your place, only the judge says I need a propah rooole model after batterin' mah burd like?"

Hallowee'n Horror Moment of the Month - Gordon Brown is not the only seemingly dour Scotsman who should never be allowed to smile in public. I give you Andy Murray, after winning the Shanghai Masters:

Lookalike of the Month - The X Factor has got up and running, so the lookalike-o-matic machine in the BtC office has been working overtime. We found the Wagner/Miguel Angel Jiminez comparisons a little lazy, likewise with Aiden Grimshaw/Gareth Bale. Google those ones if you feel like it. The winner - Katie Waissel and Sally Gunnell:

So what can we look forward to in the next month? Well, as you all know, I'll be following the Ashes fervently from the 25th onwards. We have the Autumn Tests ahead of us, starting this Saturday, as well as Livingston vs Dumbarton - episode 2. For those of us who enjoy other sports - there's the ATP Masters Tennis from the O2 Arena and the conclusion to a tight Formula 1 season. It's also Movember - where we all ditch the razors for a month in honour of prostate cancer. John Barclay's handlebar effort from last year will take some beating!

RM