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| 'Bobby Robson's love of football and life was unsurpassed' Greats who passed away in 2009 are remembered by those who were alongside them when they performed at their peakSir Bobby RobsonPeter Reid: played for England when Robson was managerI always remember one training session with Bobby before a game we won against Scotland. It was already getting dark but he wanted to put more work in on dead balls and had some new ideas for John Barnes. Time passed, the light went completely and we couldn't see each other properly, let alone the ball, but Bobby was so absorbed he didn't seem to notice. It was absolutely unbelievable. Eventually John had to say "Boss, it's a bit dark now, it's getting a bit late …" For me that summed up Bobby's great enthusiasm for football – and for life. It was the same in his tactical talks – which rarely lasted under 20 minutes and sometimes went off for 90 minutes. They did go on a bit but he was so enthusiastic he would be jumping around the place, demonstrating physically the points he was making. I remember him warning me to make sure I closed an opponent down properly and then showing me exactly how by chasing me round the room and really getting in my face.He used to give us detailed tactical instructions in the dressing room before internationals and then smile when, at the end, I'd say: "Right lads, lets welly into them." Bobby's love of football and life was unsurpassed. His enthusiasm never waned.Sir Bobby Robson, footballer and manager, died 31 July aged 76David ShepherdDickie Bird: fellow Test umpireI umpired him many times when he was a player for Gloucestershire. I talked to him in those days when he was still playing and we struck up a friendship that carried on for years and years. When he then came on to the umpires list I helped him all I possibly could. Umpiring international matches in places like Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates, they were always asking could I bring another umpire from England and I would always take David Shepherd with me. I stood with him in many Test matches of course and I always enjoyed standing with him. He had this superstition where when the score was on all the ones or all the twos he had to keep his feet off the ground until the score moved on. He'd be bouncing about on his feet, hopping from one foot to the other. It used to distract me many times. I'd shout to him: "What you doing Shep?" and he'd say: "Superstition, lad, superstition." I never asked him what he'd do if we reached the close of play with the score on such a number.We always had a drink or a meal together after the match, at close of play. He was good company to be with and I enjoyed it. And I enjoyed umpiring with him. He'll be sadly missed.David Shepherd, cricketer and umpire, died 27 October aged 68Darren SutherlandBrendan Ingle: boxing manager who trained Sutherland as an amateurThe first time I met Darren was on a film set in Dublin when this young lad, who was one of the extras, came up to me and asked if I could train him. Just like that. I didn't think it would go anywhere – these things rarely do – but he agreed to come to Sheffield for a week, liked what he saw and stayed. He picked things up quickly – he was in the gym twice a day, six times a week – and he made sure he got an education, too.After a few years he went back to Dublin due to homesickness, but I was delighted when he won a bronze medal in Beijing last year. When he turned pro, he had everything going for him: he was handsome with a good physique, he could punch and he had a crowd‑pleasing all-action style. He quickly won four fights by knockout and, with Frank Maloney guiding him, was a future Irish, European and world champion in the making. His death, aged 27, was a huge, horrible, shock.Darren Sutherland, Olympic boxing bronze medallist, died 14 September aged 27Vincent O'BrienCharles O'Brien: son and assistant trainerJohn Magnier has made the point that he now has to employ five people to do the jobs that "MV" used to do. There was training, buying, pedigrees, conformation, planning matings and selling, too, as the whole commercial aspect was very important. The attitude in the yard was that what happened yesterday was not relevant. It was all about tomorrow, unless you could learn from what happened yesterday. Everything was done to the highest possible standards, and he never had a lot of horses, perhaps 40 or 50 was the average. Everything was done with immense precision, and every horse was treated like a champion until it had proved otherwise. Ballydoyle's success today is part of his legacy, and so is Northern Dancer's whole influence on the breed, which would not have happened without him. He also developed the first all-weather gallop back in the 1940s, which has gone on to be so useful to so many people.Bear in mind that he spent his early years in National Hunt racing, betting what would have seemed like millions to him on his own judgment. We still have all his betting ledgers, with every bet meticulously recorded. He bought Ballydoyle with the proceeds.Dr Michael Vincent O'Brien, racehorse trainer, died 1 June aged 92Henry SurteesRobert Wickens: raced alongside him in Formula Two this yearHenry was not only a great driver but also a great person. I was privileged to work alongside him during the 2009 Formula Two season. Henry was one of the most positive drivers I've ever encountered. Any time I was having a down day, he was always the first to be there for me. He was a fantastic role model. Even when things were going badly for Henry, he somehow always managed to smile and take the positives from everything; he was really remarkable in that respect.Because of a lack of experience, he struggled early on. But I was able to see his development during the season. I could also appreciate the fantastic relationship he had with his father. Henry had some extremely bad luck – such as clutch failure at the start after taking an amazing pole position in Brno. Finally, he got what he deserved with his first podium after finishing third at Brands Hatch. That made the accident the next day seem even harder to bear.Henry Surtees, Formula Two racing driver, died 19 July aged 18Bleddyn WilliamsDennis Gethin: president of the Welsh Rugby UnionBleddyn was one of the greatest players in the history of the game but he was also one of the most modest. He was a man without conceit, quick to exploit a try-scoring opportunity but slow to take the credit. The values he embodied are timeless and it was my pleasure, as president of the WRU, to last year invite Bleddyn and his former centre partner for Cardiff, Wales and the Lions, Jack Matthews, to Wales's international with New Zealand at the Millennium Stadium.Bleddyn had been the last man to captain Wales to victory over the All Blacks, back in 1953, a few weeks after he had led Cardiff to success against New Zealand. He turned to me before the game started and said that he fervently hoped his record would go; you knew he meant it because he was as selfless off the field as he was on it. I saw him play a few times at the end of his career and was in the Cardiff squad at the same time as two of his brothers, Tony and Elwyn. Bleddyn was quite rightly known as the "Prince of Centres", a player thousands came to watch: he had a devastating outside break and was able to think on his feet. I rang him the day before he died. He was too weak to come to the phone and knew that his time was coming to a close. He asked that I be one of the speakers at his funeral and it was a true privilege to pay tribute to an outstanding man at a packed Llandaff Cathedral.Bleddyn Williams, Cardiff, Wales and Lions rugby player, died 6 July aged 86Also lost this yearRobert Enke 32, German goalkeeperChris Finnegan 64, 1968 Olympic middleweight championBill Frindall 69, cricket statisticianArturo Gatti 37, IBF junior lightweight and WBC junior welterweight championReg Gutteridge 84, boxing journalist and commentatorJohn Holmes 57, Leeds, England and Great Britain rugby league player, in the 1972 World Cup winning sideJack Kramer 88, tennis player and administrator who became the first executive director of the ATPJamie Kyne 18, apprentice jockeyTerry Lawless 76, boxing manager and trainerKeith Macklin 78, sports broadcasterDr Karl Mullen 82, rugby union player who captained Ireland's 1948 grand slam winnersMax Robertson 94, Wimbledon commentatorAlbert Scanlon 74, Manchester United winger and Busby Babe who survived the Munich air crashDavid Vine 73, sports broadcasterLeon Walker 20, Wakefield Wildcats rugby league playerJan Wilson 19, apprentice jockeySir Bobby RobsonDavid ShepherdHenry Surteesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Boat damaged in anti-whaling clash in Antarctica SYDNEY (AP) -- A conservation group's boat had its bow sheared off and was taking on water Wednesday after it was struck by a Japanese whaling ship in the frigid waters off Antarctica, the group said.... hosted.ap.org |
Packers CB Woodson voted AP's top defensive player NEW YORK (AP) -- In his own view, Charles Woodson put together his best pro season in 2009. How appropriate, then, that he is The Associated Press 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.... hosted.ap.org |
Pope Says Vatican Helped Jews Pope Benedict XVI said the Holy See offered "hidden and discreet" help to European Jews during the Holocaust, defending the Vatican's World War II record as he visited the site of one of Europe's oldest Jewish communities. online.wsj.com |
The west's new front against al-Qaida Arab country's dwindling oil revenues and vocal Islamist opposition present a volatile mixtureIt has four soaring minarets, seven ornate domes and can be seen from all over Sana'a: the Yemeni capital's Salih mosque is a vast monument to the country's president, Ali Abdullah Salih, its lights blazing all night even when power cuts plunge parts of the city into darkness."Look at it," said Nasser al-Rimahi, a teacher. "Do you know how many Âmillions that mosque cost? Do you know the state of our hospitals and schools, the problems of making a living here? They say it was a gift from the president. But where did he get his money from?"Salih has compared ruling Yemen to "dancing with snakes" – a striking image in a predominantly tribal country whose water and oil are fast running out and which has catastrophic rates of Âpoverty, illiteracy and population growth. But it has taken the spectre of jihadi terrorism to galvanise global interest Âunprecedented in his 31 years in power.Alarm bells went off when the ÂNigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, praised todayby Osama bin Laden as a "heroic warrior", tried to blow up an airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day. The stark realisation that al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (Aqap) could strike so far beyond its Yemeni base has resulted in a high-profile international Âconference in London this week to Âdiscuss the twin issues of terrorism and development, and co-ordinate efforts to help a state which some say is Âfailing in slow motion.Many Yemenis say the threat from Aqap is exaggerated by western Âgovernments and media. "Life here is normal," said Ismail Sohaily, of al-Iman University, fighting off a reputation as a hotbed of Islamist activism. "This is not Waziristan or Tora Bora. My students joke that they were surprised we weren't blamed for the earthquake in Haiti."Still, normality in Sana'a includes a fortress-like US embassy hit by suicide bombers in 2008, troops searching Âvehicles for wanted men and weapons and displays of counterterrorist firepower for the foreign TV crews who poured in after the Detroit incident. "The media frenzy is over now," said commentator Nasser Arabyee, "but Yemen's problems remain."It is not hard to gauge public Âopinion. Salih presides over a system of what one expert calls "pluralised Âauthoritarianism," with a vocal and predominantly Islamist opposition and a press that is highly critical despite a crackdown in recent years.Fears about terrorism are bad for desperately needed foreign investment and tourism. "It has been very hard these last few months," lamented a shopkeeper in Sana'a's labyrinthine old city, his cheek bulging with qat as he surveyed his unsold stock of curved Âdaggers, brocaded belts and jewellery. "It's all because of the security problems."But fighting against rebels of the Shia Houthi clan in the north, the economy, corruption, separatist unrest in the south, malnutrition and a young population of 23 million that will double in 20 years all feature higher than al-Qaida in most people's lists of concerns."There is the ideology of al-Qaida that you can't get rid of very easily," said Jalal Omar Yaqoub, deputy finance minister. "Yemen has become fertile ground for it because of its economic and development challenges. Citizens want job opportunities, basic services, electricity, water, healthcare and the rule of law. If these are available the majority will be law-abiding; the security forces can deal with the small minority who are not."Yaqoub is one of a "new gang" of technocrats close to Salih's son, Ahmed Ali, expected by some to succeed his father. But critics caution that the Âpresident will have to give up some of his immense power to allow formal government to function more effectively. "If Salih continues to rule like this the economy will collapse," argued Abdel-Ghani al-Iryani, a consultant. "The regime must understand that if it wants to survive, it must change."Economics, development, Âpolitics and terrorism are seen as inextricably interlinked: Âdiminishing oil revenues have limited Salih's ability to buy support and maintain security in provinces such as Abyan, Shabwa and Marib – "ungoverned spaces" where al-Qaida is operating. The snake-dancing is getting riskier.Yemeni officials hope that the current international concern will produce financial aid – $4bn a year is the figure bandied around. But Washington and London insist there will be no "blank cheques" or new pledges unless serious reforms get under way. Fuel subsidies, which consume a staggering third of state spending, are a prime target; thinning the ranks of the bloated civil Âservice another. Both feature in a 10-point reform plan drawn up by Yaqoub and praised by the US.Help may come from Saudi Arabia, increasingly worried by the dangers from its poorer neighbour. It already pays billions of dollars a year to Yemeni sheikhs and others but has no long-term development strategy. Agreement by the Saudis and smaller Gulf states to reopen their labour markets – closed to Yemeni workers since Salih rashly backed Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait – could generate huge sums in remittances. That would be far better than any handout.Diplomats say Salih is watching his back: Sheikh Abdel-Majid al-Zindani, the cleric and Afghan war veteran who taught Osama bin Laden and founded al-Iman university, has already warned of an American plot to occupy Yemen – despite Barack Obama's insistence that he will not put US "boots on the ground".Iraq and Afghanistan have taught painful lessons about getting too close to Washington: with the vast majority of Yemenis against foreign intervention, US involvement is likely to remain discreet. "It's a lose-lose situation," said a former official. "When the government attacks al-Qaida the opposition and the Islamists go crazy. The US has unrealistic expectations of what can be done."So what can the London conference achieve? "We're seeing results in [Yemen's] counterterrorism efforts and we want to see similar results when it comes to development," Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, said on Friday. Yet some in Sana'a worry that for the west, fighting al-Qaida will take precedence."International support may empower Salih to be more repressive," warned Nadia al-Sakkaf, editor of the Yemen Times."I haven't seen corrupt officials being tried. The government needs to be made more accountable. Help can't be given unconditionally. It doesn't have to be about bombing al-Qaida. It's got to be about re-instating the rule of law, about things that matter to the Yemeni people - not just to the outside world."YemenAl-QaidaOsama bin LadenGlobal terrorismIan Blackguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |