Album review: Gorillaz - The Fall

Last year on Christmas Day fans of the world’s favourite cartoon band got a welcome treat. No, Alvin and The Chipmunks didn’t release their second squeakquel on the big screen, but instead the inventive Gorillaz gave their online members their new album, ‘The Fall’, for free. The unique album was recorded on an iPad in just 32 days during the band’s tour of North America in the autumn of 2010 and it now finally gets officially released.

Gorillaz have never been a ones to follow the ‘traditional’ conventions of being a contemporary band so we shouldn’t really be surprised that Damon Albarn’s troop have managed to put together nearly 45 minutes of music on Apple’s space-age gizmo. Although what is very impressive is that ‘The Fall’ was Gorillaz second album in 2010 coming quickly after the critically acclaimed ‘Plastic Beach’.

Where ‘Plastic Beach’ had an abundance of collaborations leading to a plethora of electronic hip-hop singles ‘The Fall’ is stripped bare of glossy production and is pieced together using the finest apps the media tablet has to offer. The album feels like a spontaneous adventure through music and is treated as an on-tour diary or memoir which organically grew while the bus powered down America’s endless freeways with many of the tracks’ titles incorporating the names of the cities they visited such as ‘The Snake in Dallas’, ‘California and The Slipping of The Sun’ and ‘Aspen Forest’ amongst others.

Another of these, the album’s opener, ‘Phoner to Arizona’ creates a great level of expectancy for the next 14 tracks as it uses squelching beats, bleeps and distraught vocals to give an impression of the loading period before a video game kicks into full flight. It also wouldn’t have been out of place on Daft Punk’s soundtrack to the film Tron: Legacy with Gorillaz using an eerie sci-fi sound which is a heavy feature to much of the album. The intro to ‘The Joplin Spider’ almost feels like a homage to Ridley Scott’s Alien with the use of grainy fearful spoken-word recordings creating a strange suspense and sense of impending doom.

Posted on www.virgin.com

F.A. Cup Semi-Final

Manchester City fan Craig Jones is still rejoicing after watching Saturday’s FA Cup Semi-Final at Wembley. Here he relives one of the best days of his life

As the beaming sun peered in between the gaps in my curtains and seven synchronised alarm clocks, looking a little like the opening scene from Back to The Future, made an almighty racket, I slowly opened my eyes at 7.30am on Saturday morning (a time I’m rarely awake on most weekdays let alone weekends) and realised it was Derby Day.

I leapt up quickly, showered and had a bit of breakfast before sauntering over to Eastlands to get a coach to Wembley to face city rivals Manchester United in the semi-final of the FA Cup.

I was met by a sea of blue shirts, scarves, flags and any other memorabilia that Manchester City’s supporters had been able to lay their hands on. There was an army of coaches, many looking like chariots with an abundance of mod-cons. Mine and my father’s, however, looked more donkey and cart.

We set off and straight away my iPhone sprung into life with ‘hilarious’ texts from United-supporting friends who would be watching the evening’s events in the company of Adrian Chiles and co from ITV.

“You do know Wembley is south of Manchester don’t you?” said one. “If you get lost give Fergie a call he’s been there a few times before,” said another. “Make sure you take a sat nav.” I didn’t rise to the bait because I’ve never been one for playground football banter. I was going down to support my team and couldn’t have cared less about the opposition.

To be honest I wasn’t looking forward to the match, given that United beat us a few weeks previously with a wonder strike from Britain’s most charismatic man, Wayne Rooney, and our recent record against the Reds wasn’t great. Also, we’d just got schooled in a 3-0 defeat at Liverpool. On top of that, despite being one of the world’s richest clubs, there was still the feeling that we were destined to lose any match away from Eastlands.

But the mood soon changed when the party and the chanting started. One fan on the bus noticed my slight resemblance to our suave Italian manager Roberto Mancini and a chorus of “Bobby’s son is a City fan” broke out with lots of pointing at yours truly.

We arrived at Wembley to a great reception from City fans. I felt part of the Royal Wedding entourage. But Blue heaven turned to Red hell when we passed a sea of United fans. That’s when the ‘healthy banter’ stopped and the coach was pelted with missiles with a bottle smashing against the rear window. Love thy neighbour was quite literally out of the window.

The coach parked up in the shadow of the imposing figure of Wembley’s arch. Unwittingly, our coach driver parked at United’s end of the stadium and we were herded into the lion’s den like helpless zebras. At this point my dad, Michael, began to flap a bit having seen the bad old days of football back in the Eighties which, thankfully, I’m too young to remember (although the first match I ever went to at Maine Road I did get chairs thrown at me from opposing fans). Thankfully nothing untoward happened.

Quite the reverse, in fact. We headed to the other side of the stadium to congregate with the other City fans. I was dressed in a white cardigan over my blue shirt and black jeans with the sun glistening on my Ray Bans and a light breeze blowing back my wavy hair, which prompted a backhanded compliment from a United fan with a Cockney accent. “Oh Russell Brand’s arrived!”

We crossed Wembley Way where red became blue and I was getting anxious as kick-off was imminent. Oddly, just before entering the stadium, we saw Fulham defender Brede Hangeland walking into the VIP section and I wondered what interest the big Norwegian had in a meeting between Manchester’s finest. I guess I’ll never know.

As we found our seats, choruses of ‘Blue Moon’ rang around the stadium as the two teams took to Wembley’s field which looked like a freshly laid carpet. Roars met the reading of every City player’s name before a pre-match Poznan was unleashed as the stadium announcer read the Reds’ starting line-up. For those that don’t know, the Poznan is a ritual City have adopted this season after meeting Polish side Lech Poznan in the Europa League where after a goal is scored, inspired by the Polish fans, City’s supporters turn away from the field, put their arms over the people next to them and jump up and down.

The gentle probing from both sides didn’t draw too much blood in the first 10 minutes but I felt United were turning up the heat. My suspicions were confirmed when Berbatov was one-on-one only for Joe Hart to pull off a fantastic save. But the danger didn’t end there as the ball immediately returned to the Bulgarian only for him to fluff another gilt-edged chance. My heart began to pound quite hard. I was certain a goal was imminent.

City started to push against the Red current, making a few good opportunities and for a moment, after seeing Joleon Lescott connect with the ball from a corner, I stood expectantly awaiting the net to rumble, but it didn’t. How the hell did he miss? That was bound to be our last chance, I thought.

After half-time, City continued as they had finished, on the front foot and pressurising the United backline until they made a mistake. Midfielder Michael Carrick gave a stray pass to City’s Yaya Toure who burst forward into the box and placed a shot in between Edwin Van Der Sar’s legs. It was beautiful.

I jumped and screamed in pure ecstasy along with another 40,000 City fans who dared to dream that we could be on course to the final.

After being in control and failing to grab the second goal a sense of nervousness crept in which was momentarily relieved when Paul Scholes was shown a red card for a bizarre and stupid challenge on Pablo Zabaleta. I celebrated like we’d extended the lead hoping it would prevent a United comeback. But I was all too aware of United’s never say die attitude. I was still on edge until the final whistle was blown after the traditional Fergie time.

We all rejoiced as City took one step closer to ending their three-decade trophy drought. The scuffle between Ferdinand and Mancini, which for the most part went unnoticed during the celebrations, emphasised the match’s importance not just to the blue half of Manchester but also to the red.

After the joy of seeing the Poznan performed by City’s players and staff on the pitch we headed back to the coaches. It was only a short walk to the car park and I greeted every insult and expletive with a smile before we climbed back on the coach and headed North.

I did ponder sending a boastful text to my Manchester U friends but decided against it as beating United was only half the battle. It will all be meaningless if we don’t return victorious after playing Stoke City next month.

One thing is for certain, I’ll be sure to ask for directions from Manchester United fans when we return to Wembley in May as all their helpful advice sorted City out a real treat on Saturday.

Posted on www.thenatter.co.uk

China Grand Prix review

Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix was a joyous culmination of this season’s three reforms flowing in tandem to produce an exhilarating race something which Formula One has sometimes lacked in recent years. The DRS (Drag Reduction System) and KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) complemented each other beautifully so that cars could have that extra boost to pass the road hog in their way once they got behind them. While Pirelli’s new tyres really left the paddock’s strategy men with lots to ponder as they dramatically started to degrade once they’d reached their sell by date.

The big winners on the day were undoubtedly Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg who gambled by making an extra pit stop so that their tyres would still be fresh at the end of the race while other racers were left struggling for grip. This allowed Hamilton to catch this season’s runaway championship leader Sebastian Vettel at a vast rate of knots and gave the McLaren man his first victory of the season.

Throughout the field there was no-stop action something the sport hasn’t seen since Brazil 2008 when the aforementioned Hamilton secured his World Championship on the last corner and very rarely sees without nature’s raining intervention.

One man who deserves special praise for his performance on the Shanghai International circuit was Red Bull’s Mark Webber who has quickly become the sport’s forgotten man this year in the shadow of his team-mate Vettel. The Aussie had a disastrous qualifying performance suffering from technical difficulties, then going out on the harder less preferable tyres and failing to make it through Q1 finishing 18th on the grid. Red Bull’s Team Principal Christian Horner insisted the car was good enough to get through to the next session and wasn’t the most sympathetic to Webber’s plight.

On race day though the six-time race winner lived up to his Twitter name and shown true Aussie grit as he stormed through the field to secure a podium finish on the dying laps. It’s also a great compliment to the quality of Red Bull’s RB7 car that Webber could start so far down and bag a third place. But take nothing away from Webber who put in a stonking drive to position himself back into the title battle. It’s now vital he builds on such a great performance and pins back World Champion Vettel in this year’s championship fight.

Webber’s performance was comparable with the countless times the great Michael Schumacher has bludgeoned his way through the field from the back, when he rode his prancing Ferrari. It was also on par with the magnificent drive Jenson Button put in to secure his maiden F1 victory at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix as he started 14th to then win. What makes Webber’s drive on Sunday probably more impressive than Button’s that day was that all this happened in dry conditions showing that Webber, his tyres and his strategy just all clicked.

It has been noticeable so far this season that the new rules have prompted more overtaking than we’ve had in previous years but there’s still been the same old problem. Of a car scampering off into the distance and nobody else being capable of catching them although what was really impressive about Sunday and the new tyres in-particular is that now the teams are literally driving into the unknown. As Pirelli are new this season to F1 the teams don’t know how well the tyres will hold together on certain tracks. This was the case in China when Vettel looked to have sealed another victory only for his tyres to lose significant performance, like the majority of the field’s two-stoppers, leaving him a sitting duck for Hamilton. This unpredictable nature combined with the new technology to assist with overtaking could really help create the best season ever and make F1 the exciting sport all the fans want it to be.

Posted on www.virgin.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TGI'S

Craig Jones helps TGI Friday’s celebrate its 25th birthday and ends up ever so slightly inebriated

Readers of The Natter may recall late last year our reporter Tamsin Eames received a crash course in ‘flair bartending’ at TGI Friday’s, creating her own concoction, The Lady Pint.

Recently I returned to TGI’s Trafford Centre restaurant to see if it had become a hit during the chain’s 25th birthday celebrations.

Unsurprisingly, The Lady Pint – which consisted of every ingredient on the bar lovingly chucked into a pint glass – hadn’t made its way onto TGI’s never-ending menu of cocktails (although the Passion Punch did look like it had ripped it off slightly). But they have debuted a new beverage created by Trafford Centre bartender Warren Parsonage.

The elegant drink known as The Skyy High Elderberry beat 57 other cocktails in a battle to be added to the chain’s nationwide drinks menu. Each of TGI’s UK stores nominated one new cocktail made by a member of their staff as an entry in their mixology competition.

Winner Warren said: “I’m buzzing that my cocktail has been chosen to become part of Friday’s famous cocktail menu. Friday’s is known for its cocktail innovation and now I can proudly say that one of my own creations will be on the menu next to some all-time classics.”


Craig and Tamsin sample the now legendary,
but sadly no longer available, ‘Lady Pint’

The Skyy High Elderberry is a refreshing blend of Skyy vodka, crème de Mure, apple juice, and elderflower cordial. Warren was more than happy to demonstrate making it with the aid of a few tricks and flicks in front of some adoring punters during the restaurant’s birthday party.

Every hour Friday’s’ highly skilled flair team put on a spectacle of showmanship and audaciousness that even cocktail Casanova Tom Cruise couldn’t have matched in his Eighties pomp.

The Trafford Centre bar team was led by Adi Astley, main picture, above, who is TGI Friday’s 2010 UK Flairing Champion. Adi had the honour of choreographing a world record breaking routine to kick-off TGI’s 25th birthday celebrations earlier this year.

It saw 101 bartenders performing for over two minutes without dropping a bottle or falling out of sync. This set a new Guinness World Record title for the ‘Most People in a Simultaneous Cocktail Flair’.

Adi said: “That was a really great day and we had so much fun. I’m so proud of everyone. Flair is about creating theatre and fun around the bar experience.”

On our previous visit me and Tamsin were guided by the capable flairing hands of barman Ian Brooke, who taught us how to make (and sample) various cocktails. This time I briefly made a cameo behind the bar with my tutor. It’s fair to say the apprentice hasn’t yet outgrown the master as I wasn’t an unprecedented success.

Ian tried to teach me to flick a bottle and land it standing back on the palm of my hand. At the best of times my hand-eye coordination isn’t great and after supping a fair few cocktails it wasn’t at its most impressive. I attempted the trick only to inadvertently hit the bottle back towards Ian striking him in an area of his body where it’s always bound to hurt. Thankfully everyone – including Ian – saw the funny side of it.

I rather sheepishly returned to the other side of the bar after experiencing the kind of embarrassment Del Boy once suffered in a cocktail bar.

Luckily, I was saved from further suffering after I foolishly agreed to try a Flaming Lamborghini cocktail, which explodes if you make the slightest wrong move. In my increasing drunken state I couldn’t hide my fear and thankfully I lived to fight another day when my ‘flair bartending’ friends said we’d sadly not have enough time to set it up (what a relief! I dodged a bullet there).


Record breakers: TGI bartenders set a Guinness World Record for simultaneous flairing

TGI’s used the party as a fitting opportunity to present a cheque for £30,000 to their charity partner, the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

New York’s finest is now halfway to the Big Five-O but there’s one thing for certain, they won’t grow old quietly – there’s sure to be lots of excitement upon the way. Bring on another 25 years and Happy Birthday TGI Friday’s.

To see TGI Friday’s record breaking flair bartenders in action follow this link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRqwe5KR1tg

Will Felipe Massa's luck change?

Felipe Massa was lucky to escape with his life during qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix after a stray suspension spring struck the Ferrari driver on the head at a speed of around 160mph. The object brutally shattered the Brazilian’s helmet striking him just above the left eye leaving him in a life-threatening condition.

Thankfully the 11-time racer winner slowly recovered making his F1 return at the start of the 2010 season back in the red of Ferrari. Many pundits questioned whether Massa would return a different man and whether fear may have clouded his desire to win. There could be some truth to that as the Brazilian has gone from title contender to second fiddle at Ferrari since he returned to the sport.

Although it's all too easy to point to his horrific accident and suggest this is the reason for Massa's decline overall the Brazilian has had some rotten misfortune for some time and could certainly challenge Red Bul's Mark Webber for the crown of the sport's unluckiest driver. Look at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2008, this is when his spirit probably started to waver, he crossed the line in the season decider effectively as the World Champion resulting in premature celebrations in the Ferrari garages.

Only for Lewis Hamilton to overtake a slowing Timo Glock on the final corner to secure a fifth place finish which gave the Englishman his first championship as the floods opened in Interlagos and the rain came down on Massa's title dreams. This was an exhilarating finish for fans watching all around the world but to say this was cruel on Massa does't cover it. There's a horrible realisation moment where the cameras homed in on the Brazilian's father, Luiz Antonio, as his celebrations are cut short noticing that Hamilton got the result he needed securing the championship by a solitary point ahead of Massa.

This has to be the moment where Massa lost something as it must have been such a bitter pill to swallow before that he'd always ran his team-mates, Kimi Raikkonen and previously Michael Schumacher, close giving as good as he got but now it has very much been established that Fernando Alonso is Ferrari's title-fighter. Placing Massa in the position of rear gunner and with the horrible understanding that his best chance to win a title has passed him by.

F1 has always been a sport of being in the right place at the right time, ask Jenson Button in 2009, a driver has to take their opportunity as there's no guarantee it'll come around again. Even leading up to his accident in 2009 it was clear to see Massa was a changed man. He competed in 10 races only mounting the podium once and failing to win a Grand Prix.

Since his return he's not won a race either although he did come close to victory at the German Grand Prix in 2010 when he was cruelly denied an emotional win, his first since his accident and since his championship heartache in Brazil, but this was sacrificed for the sake of team-mate Fernando Alonso's title challenge. Massa, who was cruising at the front, got a radio message from engineer Rob Smedley saying: "Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message?" Soon after Alonso passed and the Spaniard took the victory with Smedley messaging a very quiet Massa to say: "Ok mate good lad, stick with him now, sorry." This left a very sour taste given all that Massa had been through and it resulted in Ferrari getting a fine for breaking the rules.

That was a significant moment though as it put into place for all the world to see who Ferrari's number one and number two drivers were. Two races into the new season Massa still looks destined to become one of Formula One's nearly men as there has been no sharp turn in form although he could have gained a rare podium at this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix if it hadn't have been for a dodgy first pit-stop instead he finished fifth. It's a pity for the Brazilian as he has pace in abundance, race winning pedigree and potential but one thing that he's severely lacking is luck. To be a success at anything your ability needs to complemented by a fair bit of luck and lucky is one thing Massa's career certainly hasn't been.

Originally posted on www.virgin.com

Andy Parson at The Lowry

Andy Parsons: The Lowry, Salford. Review by Craig Jones

It’s often been said that stand-up comedy is the new rock ’n’ roll, so it seems appropriate that the Lowry is filled with a soundtrack of heavy guitar-based rock, including The Kings of Leon, The Strokes and The Cribs, as anticipation mounts for comedian Andy Parsons’ Salford appearance on his 40-date tour.

The question is: can the Mock The Week regular live up to the build-up?

A prolonged period of darkness descends on the auditorium before a suave blue-shirted figure draws attention to the venue’s décor. Parsons says: “Good evening I’m very happy to be here at Britain’s most purple venue.”

He gets a reassuring laugh from the varied audience of old and young before a bewildered stare at the vacant seats slap bang in the centre of the front row. This is rather odd considering the theatre’s three tiers are packed but the former Spitting Image writer doesn’t let it faze him as his act gets into full flow.

Parsons, scheduled at the Lowry between Shaun The Sheep and Peppa Pig, gives many thoughtful reflections about the current state of the economy and the government.

He mocks: “Let me get this straight, we had all this fuss about getting Brown out of Number 10 and then the great British public elect a coalition of blue and gold. Forgive me if I’m wrong but doesn’t that make brown?”

No one is safe from the Edinburgh Festival regular’s observations as he sticks the boot into David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Sir Alan Sugar, giving a unique take on how he’d handle that dreaded boardroom firing with the entrepreneur.

Parsons, who began his Gruntled tour in February, has a deceptively cheery delivery to his often dark punchlines and social commentary.

His views on the London Olympics are a fitting example. “I don’t think anyone other than Seb Coe thinks the Olympics are going to go well. I’m sure I’ll wait weeks to find out I’ve not got a ticket to a good event but I’ll still go on our second-rate transport system, then I’ll get there in a never ending queue eating a half-cooked burger, drinking a pint that cost a fiver and then, when I finally get in, I’ll be sat next to two fat thighed people. Then in front of me I’ll have the tallest man to have ever lived who’ll probably have an obnoxious kid with ADHD.”

As the interval nears the bald comedian speaks of a coalition he’d like to see, rather than the current government – the hairless and the ginger joining forces to rule Britain as Parsons’ Vegetable Party – the potato heads and the carrot tops.

During the break the audience sit back in their cosy purple seats as they get a chance to dry the tears from a hilarious opening 50 minutes.

In the second period Parsons gets even more at home with the audience, revealing how previous reviews have described him as a ‘bullet headed funnyman’, ‘potato headed panellist’ and ‘a well-informed veg seller’. In all honesty he’s more like a laidback Pierluigi Collina with all the knowledge of a chirpy Cockney taxi driver who tackles hard-hitting issues like the recession, religion and the cuts but never fails to get a laugh.

It’s amazing to think how high the former Cambridge Footlights student’s star has risen since he debuted on Mock The Week. It is abundantly clear he appreciates how the show, which he describes as ‘a frantic war zone’ has changed his career, propelling him out of shabby clubs into beautiful theatres the length and breath of the county.

As Parsons’ show comes to its conclusion he gives a memorable anecdote from when he was recently in Scotland and found a pair of underpants in a jar of mayonnaise he bought. When he complained he was accused of planting them himself!

Parsons leaves the stage to The Enemy’s ‘You’re Not Alone’ which somehow fits nicely with his closing gags about happiness. The audience, clearly rejoicing after a magnificent evening of fun and topical cheer, conga to the music up the aisles out of the Lowry and into the concrete jungle of Salford Quays.

Posted on www.thenatter.co.uk

Has Schmacher still got it?

Every child has an idol or role model that they aspire to be in their younger years and you won’t be surprised to discover I was no different. During my 1990s childhood I had three people who I idolised and wanted to follow in the footsteps of. My idols were footballer Gennaro Gattuso, Joy Division/New Order bassist Peter Hook and the one which I longed to be more than any other was F1 driver Michael Schumacher. All three were determined, highly successful characters, prone to the occasional controversy who knew how to reach the top. Now in 2011 they’re not what they once were, their popularity has dwindled, they’re being out-performed by hotshot youngsters and for the most part they’re taking up a role as living memory to their great pasts. Although just because most have given up on them doesn’t mean I have. A prime example of this came as I watched Michael Schumacher’s performance at last weekend’s F1 curtain raiser in Australia. Over the winter I’d anxiously hoped the seven-time world champion’s Mercedes would be topping the pre-season time sheets and at times it did which filled me with great hope that Schumacher would start this season a changed breast from the one which bumbled throughout his comeback year. That said, he left Melbourne without a point so my prayers were hardly answered but what disturbed me the most was that the fact that nobody really seemed to bat an eyelid when he finished empty handed. For example in qualifying when he only qualified 11th failing to make it through to Q3’s top ten shoot-out commentators Martin Brundle and David Coulthard were hardly sympathetic to their former sparring partner’s plight. Worse came on Sunday on the opening lap of the race while millions of people across the world were fixated on the front of the grid waiting to see if Lewis Hamilton would make a move on pole sitter Sebastian Vettel my eyes were elsewhere. Some six rows back in fact to see how Schumi would start, with me hoping he’d at least finish in the points. He started well and got into the thick of the action into turn one but unfortunately he did get penned-in by Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari which halted his progress. Schumacher continued harrying into turn three only for the Torro Rosso of Jaime Alguersuari to collide with him resulting in a puncture. This had seemingly gone unnoticed by the cameramen and commentators but I knew what had happened as I sat backwards into my chair I knew Schumacher’s race was basically over. He tiptoed back to the pits, got new tyres and as he returned to the track he was running comfortably last by over a minute. For a moment I thought back to the glory years of Schumacher in his pomp when he was once a lap down in Austria and stormed through the field to finish third in his Ferrari. I hoped and wished I’d see a sensational performance like that again but it never came instead he trundled round the Albert Park circuit, not overtaking anyone, before he decided enough was enough and he parked his Mercedes in the garage. After that, all I wanted was for his team-mate, Nico Rosberg, not to finish as I didn’t want him to start the season already beating the master. Thankfully I got my wish two laps later when Schumacher’s old Ferrari comrade Rubens Barrichello over-ambitiously went to overtake him smashing into his car. As this happened the footage cut to Schumacher standing in the garage watching the action unfold on the monitors and he gave a little despairing shrug to the camera. This spoke volumes to me because underneath his concerned glances the old devious Schumacher still exists and his face echoed relief that Rosberg, who nearly doubled Schumacher’s points tally of 72 last season, wasn’t beating him again just yet. If we’re honest as much as I adore Michael Schumacher there will be many detractors who will have had a good laugh at Schumacher’s struggles since returning to F1 last season seeing just how far the mighty has fallen. As it is hard, for some, to ignore some of his previous antics, such as purposely taking Damon Hill out of the race at Adelaide, trying something similar on Jacques Villeneuve in Suzuka and parking his Ferrari in Monaco to block Fernando Alonso. Over the winter Sir Sterling Moss questioned his record as a seven-time world champion implying that he was basically in the right place at the right time. This is quite a harsh statement as you don’t win seven world titles purely on luck, or basically reverse the fortunes of the Ferrari team just on good timing not to mention the fact he won two of his titles with Benetton who were hardly one of F1’s established greats. Obviously having a good car helps but there still needed to be a world class driver behind the wheel and that’s what Schumacher was but sadly probably isn’t now. In the build-up to the Australian Grand Prix Nigel Mansell said that he felt that Schumacher had one more world drivers crown in him before he called it a day for good. This is something I just can’t see not with the dominance that Baby Schumi (Sebastian Vettel) seems to have in his Red Bull not to mention the other young pretenders in Mclaren and Ferrari. Personally I think this will be Schumacher’s swansong year and I have realistic expectations for him. I just want to see him grace the podium from time-to-time (which he didn’t do at all last season) and have consistent points finishes. If he could win a race that would be a perfect send-off to what has been the career of F1’s greatest ever driver (even including his comeback). Whatever happens this year I’ll be supporting at every turn, crash and occasional triumph. As featured on http://www.virgin.com/