So Schumacher may well be coming back ?

[peter]

So if the story's doing the rounds at the moment are true he will be back next year. You all know how I feel about the guy and I would so love it if he comes back but and it is a big but in that he will be the driver I want to see win races but not in the team I want to win. I now feel my loyalty now lies with Ferrari. If he was to come back and win what a story it would be. Yes I know its been done many times before but it would still be a good story.

[JSR]

Re: So Schumacher may well be coming back ?

So if the story's doing the rounds at the moment are true he will be back next year. You all know how I feel about the guy and I would so love it if he comes back but and it is a big but in that he will be the driver I want to see win races but not in the team I want to win. I now feel my loyalty now lies with Ferrari. If he was to come back and win what a story it would be. Yes I know its been done many times before but it would still be a good story.

It's rather amusing to think that, with all the available drivers out there, only Schumacher is deemed good enough to replace Jenson Button.

Quite an irony given how many people out there still don't believe that Button is a worthy champion.

Off-topic, I see that Jense came second in the Sports Personality of the Year Award.

[peter]

Re: So Schumacher may well be coming back ?

Did you see him on the one show Jenson that is

[Ian]

Re: So Schumacher may well be coming back ?

It looks pretty certain that Schumacher will be announced alongside Nico Rosberg at Mercedes (nee Honda/Brawn). He will be emulating Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost.

Now, Schumacher was a master of the sprint era of F1 thanks to re-fuelling, but that changes next year. The cars will understeer more because of narrower front tyres. Neither of these factors are in Schumacher's favour, so we'll just have to wait and see how it all pans out

Jenson was pipped to the post by a geriatric footballer in the BBC Sports Personality of the year! Last year Lewis Hamilton was also beaten into second place - by a cyclist!

Ian

[JSR]

Re: So Schumacher may well be coming back ?

Did you see him on the one show Jenson that is

No, I don't tend to watch that so I missed out there.

I was fortunate enough to channel hop and found the BBC Sports Personality of the Year smack in the middle of Eddie Jordan doing his musical accompaniment. That was good entertainment.

Unfortunately, when Button came on stage, Jake Humphreys asked him the most lame question he could think of - which left Button with nowhere to go except recite the same mantra we've heard a dozen times. Still, I guess if you only have time for one question, you've got to ask the obvious. At least he managed to leap in a comment about Button pairing with Hamilton next year (but didn't give Button chance to comment - probably because Brawn was looking on and he might have had a tantrum about doing McLaren work before the year-end ).

Back onto the Schumacher question, we know that Schumacher and Brawn make for an indomitable team. If Mercedes GP don't hit the ground running, people will be asking very sharp questions. There will be no room for excuses - the world's most consistently best driver with the best strategist, in the world championship team and the car that won the championship. If Schumacher doesn't do better than win every single race, I fear a few thinly-veiled headlines splashed across the tabloids. At least if Schumacher drove a Ferrari, there's recent history of it being a dog of a car - so just podium finishes would set the world alight.

[Patrick]

Re: So Schumacher may well be coming back ?

Jenson was pipped to the post by a geriatric footballer in the BBC Sports Personality of the year! Last year Lewis Hamilton was also beaten into second place - by a cyclist!

Ian

Why not Ryan Giggs who has over his many years as a footballer served the sport very well and not disgraced it as many others have, he's not been a one season wonder and constantly proved his worth at his chosen sport.
Why shouldn't a cyclist win either, just because they use there own power instead of high powered gas guzzling engines that damaging the environment.

Patrick

[Ian]

Re: So Schumacher may well be coming back ?

Why not Ryan Giggs who has over his many years as a footballer served the sport very well and not disgraced it as many others have, he's not been a one season wonder and constantly proved his worth at his chosen sport.
Why shouldn't a cyclist win either, just because they use there own power instead of high powered gas guzzling engines that damaging the environment.

Patrick

Well, the lifetime acheivement award might be appropriate for Ryan Giggs, but he's not really a great 'personality' is he, let's face it!

Nothing against Chris Hoy - he was in many ways a deserving winner, but I think Lewis Hamilton may have been more deserving - very interesting personality, breaking moulds, etc.

Ian

[Patrick]

Re: So Schumacher may well be coming back ?

Well, the lifetime acheivement award might be appropriate for Ryan Giggs, but he's not really a great 'personality' is he, let's face it!

Nothing against Chris Hoy - he was in many ways a deserving winner, but I think Lewis Hamilton may have been more deserving - very interesting personality, breaking moulds, etc.

Ian

The history of the award indicates achievement to be the main criteria, it just happens to be called Sports Personality. I used to watch it in its very early days as a school boy, not now though is an over-long back slapping, mutual appreciation show. Rather tedious I find.

I just thought your reference to a geriatric footballer to be very unkind, will Schumacher be a geriatric racing driver when he returns?

I also thought the dismissive way you referred to Hamilton coming second to a cyclist, as if it cycling was a second rate sport not worthy of consideration.

Now I am a TV supporter of Manchester United (being born in Manchester) and think very highly of Ryan Giggs, still playing a very important part in the team, so may be slightly biased there.

I am not however particularly interested in cycling (find it boring to be honest) so I show no bias at all.

Patrick

[Ian]

Re: So Schumacher may well be coming back ?

Lighten up Patrick, I wasn't being serious!

But if I have to defend myself, I would say that I'm not alone in thinking that Ryan Giggs' vote was boosted at the last minute by the hoardes of Manchester United fans. He was nowhere in the betting until the last week or so.

I was observing that for the second year running an F1 world champ, and hot favourite, was pipped at the post by someone else.

Yes, I'm an F1 fan and so I'm biased - I fully admit that. But the story of Jenson Button's season was true drama. Literally weeks before the season opened he and his team weren't likely to compete and they were on the verge of being unemployed after Honda pulled the plug. But after being saved from the axe, not only did they and Jenson Button win the 6 of the first 7 races, but they went on to win the championship - both championships (team and drivers). It's the stuff of Hollywood.

With out any disrespect intended, what has Ryan Giggs to match Jenson Button's achievement this year? He was voted the PFA footballer of the year, but is he the top scorer of 2009? Has he made some remarkable contribution in international competition? What is truly remarkable about Ryan Giggs' season? I think what is actually the most remarkable thing is that he won the BBC award out of nowhere. I'm not sure that's necessarily something that commends the BBC's awards system. Even Giggs was surprised!

Ian

[JSR]

Re: So Schumacher may well be coming back ?

Yes, I'm an F1 fan and so I'm biased - I fully admit that. But the story of Jenson Button's season was true drama. Literally weeks before the season opened he and his team weren't likely to compete and they were on the verge of being unemployed after Honda pulled the plug. But after being saved from the axe, not only did they and Jenson Button win the 6 of the first 7 races, but they went on to win the championship - both championships (team and drivers). It's the stuff of Hollywood.

I don't know much about football (or cycling) but my opinion of the award mirrors your words here. If the story of Jenson Button in 2009 isn't enough to warrant such an award, then I just wonder what is.

People have used the term "fairy tale" (a little too often, it must be said), but a year like this will never be seen again. Button would make an excellent ambassador for the sport even without this icing on the cake.

Maybe Giggs has done something more remarkable in 2009 than Button but, if he has, I haven't heard about it and I watch as much news as the next guy.

[Patrick]

Re: So Schumacher may well be coming back ?

I don't know much about football (or cycling) but my opinion of the award mirrors your words here. If the story of Jenson Button in 2009 isn't enough to warrant such an award, then I just wonder what is.

People have used the term "fairy tale" (a little too often, it must be said), but a year like this will never be seen again. Button would make an excellent ambassador for the sport even without this icing on the cake.

Maybe Giggs has done something more remarkable in 2009 than Button but, if he has, I haven't heard about it and I watch as much news as the next guy.

Sorry but Ryan Giggs has done something remarkable, he holds his place on merit in a world class football team, the current word champions, at the age of 36 when most footballers at the age of 30-32 are finding it difficult to get a place in lower divisions. Not just finding form in one season.

Patrick

[JSR]

Re: So Schumacher may well be coming back ?

Sorry but Ryan Giggs has done something remarkable, he holds his place on merit in a world class football team, the current word champions, at the age of 36 when most footballers at the age of 30-32 are finding it difficult to get a place in lower divisions. Not just finding form in one season.

Patrick

Well, perhaps you need to understand football to get the significance of that but it sounds to me like you're saying he deserved to be the BBC Sports Personality of the Year on the grounds that he kept his job.

But, as I say, I don't know the game so if you say Ryan Giggs deserves the award then I'm not in a position to argue the point.

I'll leave it at that.