Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Success v Personality - A Difficult Choice

We're a pretty eclectic bunch when it comes to following sports here at Azalea Towers.

Obviously, as we spend a lot of time working in golf, we're all keen golfers. Football - the European variety as opposed to Gridiron - is another one which gets our juices flowing.

Indeed we have pretty much everything covered, as with Henry and Andy having had a public school education, even lacrosse, polo and real tennis get a look-in.

But of course, at the moment, the whole country's only interested in the 'I can't believe it's not real' tennis variety - the one at Wimbledon.

And watching Andy Murray's progress through to the semi-final had me feeling a little sorry for Tim Henman - not an emotion I ever thought I'd feel. It's a fair bet that the surly Scot will achieve more in his career than Tiger Tim did. If he goes on to win Wimbledon this week, the bookies will stop taking bets on the winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. And that's somewhat ironic, for Murray makes Henman look like Timmy Mallett.

He is devoid of any personality and must make the BBC sports interviewers long for the chance to ask the taciturn Gordon Strachan for a 'quick word' - "velocity" was the then Saints' manager's whimsical response.

What a trade-off we have to make for sporting success in this country - if we want to win something we have to endure a non-personality (Nigel Mansell); or we can put up with being a popular second and maintain the slapstick traditions of the British pantomime (Frank Bruno).
It's a tough choice and if Murray falls at the semi-final stage we won't yet have to make it.

"C'MON TIM!"

BUNKY


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