Ben’s “redemption” had nothing to do with last night.

The scene was set, two minutes on the clock. The Pittsburgh Steelers down by six to the Green Bay Packers in the fourth quarter of SuperBowl 45. A Hollywood ending was in store. The Steelers would do what they do. Grind down the field. Pop it to big Ben Roethlisberger and he would find a way to win.

Ink would be spilled and blogs filled with the redemption play. His throw to the end zone that would banish that bawdy Georgian night last March which led to an charge of sexual assault from a twenty-year old college student against him. A charge that was dropped by the authorities and ultimately only cost Roethlisberger four regular season games due to suspension from the NFL.

His suspension mirrored that of another pyrotechnic quarter-back Michael Vick. Having served eighteen months in prison for his part in a dog fighting ring Vick earned this years NFL comeback player of the year. He has garnered praise not only for his astounding performances for the Philadelphia Eagles but also for his work with anti-dog fighting organisations.

Vick is the prime example to some in America of how the prison system should work. He committed crimes that were withering in their cruelty but he served his time and has worked hard to make himself a better person and with that a better player. That may be a utopian view but it can be argued. Big Ben is an altogether more grey case.

Sport, we have been led to believe, shows the character of someone. The Chicago Bears quarter-back Jay Cutler was straight up lacking balls for some, because he went off injured in the NFC championship game against Green Bay three weeks ago. I myself, have to admit, questioned his fortitude as pictures of him ambling around on the sideline were beamed back from Solider field.

We have all heard about Brett Favre or Roethlisberger playing with injures. In the first quarter last night Ben was feeling his knee-something Cutler failed to do to convince the likes of me- but then went on a storming run to pick up the first down. Character? Balls.

Just as no-one can question Cutlers bravery because he didn’t sell his injury effectively, can anyone say Roethlisburger is a better or worse person today because he lost a football match. Vick has at least shown he is trying to change. All Roethlisberger has shown this season is he is a very good quarter-back. Had he thrown the winning touchdown pass last night do the questions or the allegations ( He is also being sued by a Nevada hotel employee for sexual assault, a case going back to 2008) disappear? Of course not.

Football is perhaps the most macho of sports. Quarter-backs look up from beneath their face-masks at packs of ravenous hunters with eyes only for them. Roethlisberger is from the Favre gunslinger school. Inviting them into the pocket and dodging their shots.

They get hit, they get up, they play on. But Big Ben hasn’t sold the reformed character yet. He may never do, but one things for sure the win/loss column has no bearing on it.

Six Nations Preview.

Ireland : With France and England at home, this is Ireland’s best chance of repeating the grand slam. But injuries have crippled the side and concerns about scrum-half and the perennial lack of a specialist seven could scupper any title bid. Miniscule chance of the slam, marginal one at the championship.

The coach: It is crunch time for Declan Kidney. Nothing he can do about injuries, but the selection of O’Callaghan and O’Leary against Italy smacks of conservatism. It may feel like an eternity in Rome on Saturday.

One to watch: Mike Ross. Ireland may have found the answer to their tight head woes. Should the Corkman stabilize the scrum, Sean O’Brien and co can wreak havoc from the base.

England: Which one will you get? The free-flowing tyros who so impressively swatted aside Australia last November, or the team that melted against South Africa? If the former, than genuine slam contenders. The latter will do well to stay above Scotland.

The coach: It is to Martin Johnston’s credit that he has tried to move away from a forward dominated game but England’s midfield lacks any class. Friday night lights in Cardiff could well decide their season and Johnston’s coaching career.

One to watch: Ben Youngs. Already a household name, Youngs combines lightening pace with an intuitive rugby brain. Needs Toby Flood and co to attack the gainline though.

France: Where to start? The only thing you can be sure about with the French is that you won’t be sure just what they are going to do next. From the sublime to the faintly ridiculous. Should the right team be picked they win. Simple as. Not much chance of that happening though.

The coach: There may be a method to Marc Liévermont’s madness. Should Le Bleus win the big one in September, he will be remembered as a crazy genius. Until then, he’s just crazy.

One to watch: Maxime Mermoz. Selected ahead of the legendary Yannick Jauzion for the Scotland match, the Perpignan man is in the form of his life. His partnership with Aurélien Rougerie has limitless potential.

Italy: They will be brave, they will scrummage like beasts and they will ultimately fail. Nick Mallet has done an admirable job with the Auzzuri but the lack of quality in the backline means another wooden spoon awaits. They will give Ireland a fright however.

The coach: Mallet has maximised the resources at his disposal. He will target the Ireland game as his best chance of a win and to gain any possible edge for a quarter-final knock-out down under in September.

One to watch: Sergio Parisse. Stating the bloody obvious I know, but it is glorious to watch the No:8 rage against the light. Expect barnstorming runs, soft hands and astounding athleticism. He may even throw in the odd drop-goal.

Wales: Any ambitions of a title were probably cut short in the valleys when Adam Jones and Gethin Jenkins were ruled out through injury. They will hit England with everything they have got Friday night however and should they prevail then who knows?

The coach: Warren Gatland likes a verbal spat with the opposition as highlighted with his pop at English hooker Dylan Hartley. He should concentrate on keeping his job as his win ratio is getting negative fast.

One to watch: James Hook. Liable to throw an intercept pass but also capable of genuine class. The Osprey man wants to play at ten and is bound for France to do so. He needs to make his mark in the centre or at 15 for Wales to be a force.

Scotland. Commitment, passion and the catchiest of all the anthems wont be enough for the Scots to challenge for the championship. But undoubtedly awkward opponents for all but France who they just cannot beat.

The coach: Andy Robinson has done a very good job with Scotland. Test wins in Argentina are rare as are any slayings of Springbok’s but he has not got the required class in his backs to take them up another level .

One to watch: John Barclay. How Ireland would love this guy. A seven with the perfect mix of groundhog abilities and rangy running. He will be to the fore of everything good in navy.

Mayweather v Pacquaio needs to happen

LAST YEAR DAVID Remnick of The New Yorker edited a collection of the magazines finest sports writing. It is something to be treasured.

Such seminal gems from the likes of John Updike transport you to places like Fenway Park in the 1960s, misty-eyed at Gods who don’t return letters.

In amongst this collection is an epic centred on the ring. A.J Liebling invokes Ahab and The White Whale while writing on the heavyweight championship fight between Rocky Marciano and Archie Moore.

We are on his shoulders watching the two touch gloves “When the principals shook hands, I could see Mr Moore’s eyebrows rising like storm clouds over the Sea of Azov. His whiskers bristled and his eyes glowed like dark coals as he scrunched his eyebrows down again and enveloped the Whale with the Look, which was intended to dominate his willpower.

“I was sitting behind Marciano’s corner, and as the champion came back I observed his expression, to determine what effect the Look had upon him. More than ever, he resembled a Great Dane who had heard the word bone.”

Any writer would struggle to capture a moment of tension like that today but the problem would not be for lack of poetry. More lack of personality between the combatants. Boxing more than ever needs a fight to rekindle the wider publics interest in the sweet science.

There is only one that would be worthy of Liebling’s prose.

As Manny Pacquaio continued slicing through the weight divisions, reducing each step up to that of a step ladder, fight fans have yearned for him to clash with Floyd Mayweather. They are complete opposites in style and personality. Humble and brash.

A perpetual machine against the minister of defence. It is a fight that would render any other sporting event this year to the undercard but can it happen?

The answer is maybe. It has been long and often tiresome saga between the two. Claim and counter claim have jabbed from each side. Money, venue and blood tests proved the initial obstacles but they have given way to severe legal problems for Mayweather stemming from assault allegations against him from his ex-girlfriend and a security guard.

If proven guilty of these charges the undefeated star could face up to 30 years in jail.

It is almost impossible to see Mayweather fight in the first half of this year because of this. Pacquaio is scheduled to meet Shane Mosley on May 7 in a fight that has drawn criticism from some boxing commentators. Mosley is 39 and is far from the force he was but promoter Bob Arum had little to choose in picking an opponent for the Pac-man.

The feeling in some quarters is Pacquaio’s camp are trying to draw Mayweather out particularly as they have been highlighting the Mosley punch that nearly floored Mayweather in May of last year. “Pretty Boy” eventually won the bout with a unanimous decision. But if Pacquaio knocks out Mosley, he can claim with some justification he would do the same to Mayweather.

This would-be fight has already gulped a sea of ink and we haven’t even re-negotiated yet. If somehow, those choppy waters are navigated then the most mega of fights can take place. The destination would be worth the trek. The cerebral Mayweather ducking and diving waiting to pounce. The bullish Pacquaio, a whirl of fists, built for submission.

If it happens, it will be the biggest, but it could be the greatest of them all.

Fight fans, I don’t care where you are, here’s to our dreams

Hail little Leo, but save sympathy for Xavi.

In the end it was fitting. Lionel Messi centre stage, Xavi Hernandez watching him. It wouldn’t surprise anyone had Xavi directed him up there. Some of the football cognoscenti wanted the Catalan schemer rewarded for a year in which the two best sides in the world danced to the hypnotic beat of his passing. If not this year then when?

When would football’s top brass salute the man who treasures the ball above all others? A man who regularly completes more passes in a game than the opposing team combined. One who weaves and darts about the pitch creating quick-fire triangles despite pit bulls snapping at him.

In any other year, perhaps in any other generation Xavi would have won comfortably. But we live in the age of Leo. We have witnessed the birth, the initial steps, the ascent and now conformation of a legend. Fifty three goals in fifty two appearances in 2010. Many of them bewildering in inception and bewitching in execution.

South Africa is the stick to beat him with but Messi played well this summer. The reason for his lack of goals was he was trying to be Argentina’s Xavi as well as Messi. That and some simple bad luck in encountering a goalkeeper in Nigeria’s Vincent Enyeama who described his own performance against Argentina as “divine” as he repelled an almost possessed Messi time and time again.

He has two more world cups at something approaching his peak in which to silence any internationally influenced doubters. To excel at tournaments such as the world cup a player needs to be injury free, playing as part of a settled team and be well coached. Messi had only one of that three criteria.

Xavi it must be noted plays alongside team-mates in Sergio Busquets and Iniesta in the centre of the Spanish midfield. That is not to downplay his monumental level of performance but it is undoubtedly a factor in the maintenance of his club form with the international side.

Messi’s level for Barcelona has not dipped for over two years. The have been sporadic disappointments when a system such as Inter Milan’s last April chokes him of space but in the main it has been a whirl of goals and assists. His shredding of Arsenal in the champions league quarter-final has already donned a mythical edge. Left-foot smash into the top corner followed by a right foot smash into the top corner. A full pelt scoop over the keeper for the hat-trick. A mere shot through the legs for four.

It has become almost mundane now, watching his brilliance every weekend. His duel with Cristiano Ronaldo atop of the picchi standings is compulsive viewing. Perhaps the difference between the two is best summed up in their free-kick approach. The brash Ronaldo with the gun slingers run-up and often scattergun result. Messi, with a careful stroke, like a golfer in a bunker teasing it towards its destination.

It is a duel that will drink ink for years but my money is on the Argentinean to stay centre stage. After all, he has Xavi directing him.

The Premier League's night of long knives.

The final weekend of the regular season in the National Football league ends on black Monday. It is the day traditionally used for teams to dismiss their head coach.

The Premier league has no equivalent, there is no set period where a win/loss record is tallied and the hard data makes the call. Even so January fifth may go down as black Wednesday for four premier league managers.

Avram Grant had seemingly pulled his West Ham side from the brink over Christmas with a healthy points return of seven from nine but a five nil shellacking from Newcastle has sealed his fate. The former Chelsea man has never seemed comfortable in a relegation slugfest. His luck in taking over Jose Mourinho's Chelsea and thus leading them into a Champions league final was just that, luck. He has never had the forceful personality nor the midas touch needed in the transfer market for the Hammers job.

Gerard Houllier took a major risk in replacing Martin 'O Neill at Aston Villa. The Villa owner Randy Lerner had made it quite clear that belts would have to be tightened at Villa Park and O' Neill knew that beyond the Villa first eleven quality was scarce. Houllier, it must be said is a long-term manager. He will have a vision, a grand plan but can Villa afford to wait out the season with the spectre of relegation hanging over them? Th Frenchmen will have to be practical with the pennies in the coming weeks. If he gets any.

Roy Hodgson has had the look of man facing the gallows for quite sometime now. He took the job at the behest of deeply unpopular owners, he inherited a dis-jointed and ultimately poor squad and replaced a popular manager. His signings such as Christian Poulsen and Paul Konchesky have failed miserably. He has failed to inspire the misfiring Fernando Torres and his selection and tactics have been baffling at times. Old Trafford awaits on Sunday for Liverpool with their old foes smelling blood. It may very well be do or die for Roy.

Carlo Ancelotti should not be a man living in fear of the sack. He took Chelsea to the double last season, despite not having anywhere near the funds his predecessors had. Yet with the champions losing to Wolves, it is not inconceivable that Roman Abramovich may look to bring in an temporary manager for the rest of the season. He has previous in this, replacing Felipe Scolari with Guus Hiddink halfway through the 08-09 season. The Italian needs funds to supplement and in some cases replace some of his ageing squad. Should Roman keep the chequebook closed however than Carlo could be saying arrivederci.

Some of the above may survive, they may even prosper and look back on January fifth as the dark before the light. But it is unlikely. The dye has been cast with all four. It could be a bright summers day when the axe falls, but it was a black night in January that has in all probability sealed their fate.

The team of the half-season.

1. Ben Foster: One of the few success stories in what has been a poor season for Birmingham. Written off at Old Trafford, Foster has made a string of impressive saves but has also added some much needed calmness to his game. His performance against Chelsea at St Andrews was the standout goalkeeping one.

2. Bacary Sagna: After a dip last season, the Frenchman has regained his debut season form for Arsenal. One of the few defensive bright spots for the Gunners.

3. Patrice Evra: It is a measure of Evra's consistency and his abilty to get forward that he has disgusied United's lack of a left wing threat for a couple of seasons now. Started slowly but now back to his best.

4. Gary Cahill: Bolton have arguably been the team of the season so far with Owen Coyle a decent bet for manager of the year. It is their passing game that has impressed the most but that has been built on the solidity provided by Cahill at the back.

5. Nemanja Vidic: Made captain at Old Trafford at the start of the season, the Serb has responded by leading his team to the top of the table. He has resumed his powerful partnership with Rio Ferdinand and has guided the likes of Chris Smalling through.

6. Nani: Often a candidate for most fustrating player the Portugeese is now one for most improved. A constant stream of goals and assists. His new found defensive responsabilty should also be noted.

7. Alex Song: So often known as Arsenal's only enforcer, Song has shown just how adept he is with the ball at his feet. Five goals this season equals his tally for the previous five.

8. Rafael Van der Vaart: Goals, assists and genuine class. The Dutchman has a strong chance of being footballer of the year next May. His intelligence in front of goal and his cleverness at finding space have added a new dimension to Spurs.

9. Samir Nasri: Despite the claims of the excellent Gareth Bale it is the little Frenchman that gets the vote. Double figures in goals and his role for Arsenal in the absence of Fabregas was vital.

10. Andy Carroll: Alot wondered if the giant Geordie could score at the highest level and so far he has emphatically shown he can. An obvious danger in the air, he proved against Liverpool he can also be deadly on the ground.

11. Carlos Tevez: Forget the transfer talk, the Argentinan has yet again been the focal point for Man City. He has maintained his level of performance from last season and is vital if City are to maintain a title challenge.

Alternate team : Hart, Rafael, Cathcart, Gallas, Baines, Varney, Modric, T.Cahill, Bale, Elmander, Berbatov.

City star ready for next season.

Cork City striker Graham Cummins has said that there can be no excuses next year as the club battle to regain its Premier League status but that he also expects the competition to be tough.

“It depends on what type of squad the manager puts together before the start of the season, other clubs like Waterford and Shelburne have strengthened so it will be tough but there are no excuses for us, last year was all about stability and learning as a team. Next year we will have a good pre-season and we will hopefully be able to really push for it” he said.

The City star had a fantastic season last year finishing as the division one top scorer and earning a string of rave reviews for his performances on his own up front. He puts his great season down to a combination of things.

“The coaching staff helped me a lot. I felt a lot stronger and fitter last season. The season I had with Waterford in 2009 really pushed me along as well. Being upfront on your own is a lot of responsibility and that helped me in a way. You are not dropping deep or out to the wings, you are staying up top and trying to be a threat. I think I have become more mature as a player and because of that I was able to focus on the role”

He sees room for improvement in his game however.

“I was happy with the amount of goals I scored but I kind of hit a wall towards the end. I didn’t score in my last five games and I’d like to get more towards the end of the season”

His performances for City were recognised by him be selected in the First Division team of the year and winning the division’s player of the year award last season. He was also selected for the Republic Of Ireland under 23 squad for game against Estonia last September.

“That was probably a personal highlight. I really enjoyed the set-up there. Training in the morning. All your meals ready for you. It was a good environment to learn and help you grow as a player. A great experience”

He believes City can kick on next year and earn promotion back to their rightful place in the Premier League.

“Everything about the place is geared towards it” he explained. “ The stadium and training ground are great and the management give you everything you need outside of that like gym membership, it’s a very professional set-up”

The striker who scored eighteen goals last season is happy at the club and sees his immediate future there having agreed a two-year contract earlier this year.

“Yeah, it is a two-year deal and I’m enjoying my time here, I don’t see anything happening to change that at the moment, a lot of the lads have signed on again from last year so that can only help us” he said.

The lure of England must be strong however for a player who has attracted interest after his sterling performances last season.

“Of course playing in England is an ambition for most lads, if a good opportunity came you would have to look at it. It would mean more stability for you in your career. But I was over in Sunderland before for two weeks and being on trial is not easy. You have to be sure. I think a lot of players used to go over when they were fifteen or sixteen and then come back. You are better off playing in the League of Ireland and then if a chance comes up maybe look at it”

He cites the likes of former city stars Kevin Doyle and Roy ‘O Donovan as examples of players who spent their youth playing in Ireland before plying their trade across the water. Former city player Kevin Long- who last week extended his loan deal from Burnley to Accrington Stanley- is another example.

“Kevin Doyle opened the gate I suppose, he was such a success that teams started looking at the league for other players. The likes of Roy ‘O Donovan at Coventry is doing well and Kevin Long has a good deal at Burnley so it shows there is a lot of quality in the league”

The recession of course has cast it shadow across all spectres of sport in the country but soccer is affected more than most. Drogheda United announced last week that they need to raise €185,000 by the 28th of January if they are to meet the likes of Cork in next seasons First Division. This kind of instability only adds to the pressure for players to find work. Cummins is currently doing some Christmas work and admits it is hard to combine his soccer career and to find stable employment.

“I finished college last year and am just picking drink orders for Christmas. It is hard. The clubs here now can be unreliable with their financial difficulties. You hear a lot about GAA players maybe going abroad for work and it may happen with soccer players too. It’s hard to combine the two. You need time off, usually every Friday and employers aren’t going to be too keen on that”

For now his sights are firmly set on next season. Improving on such a good season last year won’t be easy. Is his target to score more goals than he did last season?

“Well you want to improve as a player. I’d obviously like to score more goals than I did last season but if you offered me scoring less goals and us winning the league next year than I would definitely take that. It all about getting into the Premier League”

The Douglas man is gunning for the season to start then. If he can repeat, or improve upon his stellar form last year than City have a great chance to return to where they believe they belong.