On The Sidelines

Whatever it is at the heart of George Best, it is sad. The recent photographs taken of the former Manchester United forward reveal that the once handsome brooding features have given way to an image of ill health. Although he denies it, regret is written in the face of the Belfast icon.

Best, who is the subject of a book published recently by Joe Lovejoy, the soccer correspondent of the Sunday Times, still goes to the night club Tramp and continues to patronise the same London night spots that he did as a footballing star of the '60s. Best is 52. His wife Alex, 26, was born the year before he gave up football at the ridiculous age of 27.

Perhaps poignantly, this is also the week Paul Gascoigne's career as an international footballer was ended prematurely. Another exceptional talent brought down by a characteristic streak which was both the making and the destruction of the man - booze was again central.

Comparing the two is facile as Best was the better player, but if anything Best has, through all his problems, found a sort of equilibrium that allows him and the rest of the world to survive together.

Gascoigne has been cast further from stability than ever before. He is still a mix of impetuousness and comical vigour, and holds a child's vision of an adult world. Who else would sell their story of being dropped from the World Cup squad to a tabloid? Gascoigne and Best provide a sobering corrective to the hysterical way soccer and soccer players have been celebrated in modern times. The irony of this week's saga is that of all people Best might be the only figure to understand how Gascoigne can now be saved from himself.

Irish hockey may find itself in the grip of a fashion revolution next season if players are to follow the example of the Australian women's team who won the World Cup in Holland last weekend.

The Australians have now discarded the traditional ensemble that make up the national uniform and have opted for a leaf out of the athlete's book with a one-piece lycra body suit.

Clearly the change has done little to affect the potential of the players as the Olympic champions defeated Holland 3-2 in the final of the competition.

Notwithstanding the high-fashion effect of the skintight lycra (for umpires as well maybe?), here is a development in the hockey world that, no doubt, will be awaited with great interest.

England batsman Graeme Hick became only the 24th person in cricket history to score 100 first class centuries. He completed the feat last weekend when he took 132 off Sussex at Worcester. Hick is 32 years old.

In a twist of irony his century was recorded just at the England selectors were leaving him out of the latest Test side. While Hick, who was born in Zimbabwe, can justly include himself as one of the best batsmen to play in England, he will still reflect on a desperately unfulfilled career and can be picked out as the talent that could never really bridge the gap between club and international cricket.

In 46 Tests he has only topped 100 four times and will now probably never get the chance to make in a fifth despite the fact that earlier in his career England tried to get the seven-year qualification rule changed so that Hick could play for them before the full term was up. Now he's on the Test scrap heap. Zola Budd, Graeme Hick . . . who's next?

So much for the protection of precious Premiership footballers. Michael Owen, the Liverpool and England striker, who scored against Morocco in England's 1-1 pre-World Cup warm-up game, was knocked out cold after a collision with the opposition goalkeeper.

The spritely young striker simply jumped to his feet when he regained consciousness and played on. He subsequently continued on at the England training camp in Spain as if nothing had happened.

In racing, rugby and boxing, any athlete who was knocked unconscious would be required to serve a minimum suspension from full contact activity. In racing it is likely to be 21 days. In rugby there is a mandatory three weeks, although players can go back earlier if they have a full neurological examination. In boxing, they are off straight away for a brain scan and must also take an extended break before their next fight.

But for multi-million pound Premiership footballers, it seems to be a case of "whip me over another cross for a header at the far post, Mr Beckham".

Pascal Bary, trainer of the first- and second-placed horses in the French Derby at Chantilly last week, Dream Well and Croco Rouge, must have considered if wonderpunter David McCririck was asking or begging at the post-race press conference in Paris.

With microphone in hand the colourful Channel Four front man confronted the non-English speaking trainer in his usual inimitable style. The gist of McCririck's flamboyant onslaught was that monsieur Bary must run Croco Rouge in today's English Derby at Epsom. And why? Because the be-whiskered, hatted and bejewelled one had Croco Rouge already backed at 33 to 1. Perish the thought that the trainer might have disagreed!

William Hill are not usually in the habit of throwing money away. But if anyone is seriously into making some cash out of the World Cup try this one.

The bookmakers have given even money that a streaker will interrupt playing during the World Cup final this summer at Stade de France in the Northern Parisian suburb of St Denis.

For an investment of a few grand you could fly to Paris on July 12th, pay through the nose for a black market ticket, make your way to the perimeter fencing, take off your kit and leg it across the pitch. Okay, so your mother will see you naked on television, you make well get a dig or two from the French police and you will be fined and chucked out of the country as a hooligan. But you have put your money down and you know you can't lose. Any takers?

John McEnroe hasn't lost his ability to set the stiff upper lips trembling with his comments. The part-time art dealer, part-time seniors player, part-time television commentator and former Wimbledon champion was again snapping at the heels of the traditional All England Club.

Late last year the New Yorker suggested that Wimbledon might like to host a seniors event during the Wimbledon championships for the two weeks in late June and early July. The competition would involve former winners such as himself, Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors. Not surprisingly, the club that refused to allow McEnroe to become a member, as was tradition, after he won his first championship in 1981, said "not a chance old fellow".