Quintin Jardine's blog

The season is under way, and as always the focus is on The Sack Race . . . that is, Who will be the first Premier League manager to lose his job? There is a web site of that name, and at the moment, Nigel Adkins, of Southampton is bookies’ favourite for that ignominy.  I will say at the outset that I believe it is morally wrong to bet on a man’s employment, any man, but having watched his side put up a decent show against Manchester City, I do not agree with that forecast. Instead, having seen on MoTD QPR’s debacle against Swansea (Yes, Andy, I may have been premature in tipping them for the drop, but we’ll see what the winter brings.) I reckon that  without a big turn-around a certain dour, grey-headed Welshman may be seeking a new career as a pundit, come November.

The highlight of my weekend telly football binge . . . bless you, Eileen, for putting up with it . . . for all the hype about the English Premier League, was Barcelona’s season opening fixture, the first game in charge for the new coach, Tito Vilanova, a Bellcaire boy whose parents own a bodega in L’Escala. He got off to a good start, with a 5 — 1 win over Real Sociedad, with you-know-who having a quiet game yet still scoring a couple. Very few people transcend their own sports to become global figures, and it may be that Lionel Messi’s lack or fluent English will be an obstacle to his ever being up there with Ali, Bolt, Michael Jordan or Pele. If so that will be a pity. It’s impossible to put a definitive label on ‘the best player ever’, in any sport, but even with half a career ahead of him Lio belongs in the mix.