Football: Euro 2012 Qualifiers - preview

The final four qualifiers for the European Championships will be decided today with the playing of the second legs of the runner-up play-offs. Some of the ties look all wrapped up, and most interest will be on Portugal's clash with Bosnia-Herzgovina in Lisbon. The home side were lucky to escape with a 0-0 draw on Friday, and they will be under plenty of pressure to get the job done today back home. Montenegro are still in with a chance, but will need a great performance at home to turn around their 2-0 deficit against the Czech Republic.

In the other two games, the home sides' fans will be in party mode after strong away wins on Friday. Ireland have a four goal cushion after their thumping of Estonia in Tallinn, while Croatia won 3-0 in Turkey and should be untroubled in completing their passage to Poland and Ukraine next summer.

Cricket: Former Australian coach interviewed

Cricinfo have posted an excellent interview with outgoing coach Tim Nielsen. He gives a lot of insight into the crucial moments in Australia's recent cricketing history. It's interesting to consider the point he makes about tight results going against a team, and the impact it can have on future results. Too much is made of wins and losses when the margin is especially narrow. St Kilda's loss to Collingwood in 2010 and the Texas Rangers loss to the St Louis Cardinals last week are two obvious recent examples. Players being able to execute well under the higher pressure deserve all the credit they get, but frequently, too much credit, and more importantly, blame are passed onto coaches when the result could so easily have been different.

Anyway, here's the interview, in two parts.   

Part 1.

Part 2

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