The very moment Fabio Capello raised the possibility of including the Spaniard Mikel Arteta in the England squad a fierce debate erupted that seems to split the game, its administrators and its fans right down the middle. I’m thinking, has Capello opened up a can of worms?

The fact is, the England side needs a quality left winger, and apparently no such player exists that also carries a British passport. For this reason Capello, ever concerned about English firepower, has cast his gaze upon young Arteta, just the man for the job it seems. Despite the obvious fact that the latter is Spanish, Capello and many with him believe such obstacles are there to be overcome. After all, Arteta has played and lived in England long enough to allow him to apply for a British passport and potentially be available for England. (more…)

I spoke with this talented player who has been described as the ‘most exciting young Russian player since Vladimir Beschastnykh’, and found him to be a modest young man with a pleasant smile.

Born in Omsk, Dmitry Sychev comes from a sporting family, his mother a track and field athlete and his father a football player and later trainer. It is perhaps not surprising, then, that Dmitry was destined to become a football star himself, though he combined this passion with ice hockey until the age of ten, when he made the decision to specialise in football.

It would turn out to be a good choice, for after debuting with Spartak Tambov he was signed by Spartak Moscow, before moving to Olympique Marseille in France and, since 2004, back to Russia with Lokomotive Moscow. I met up with him after his team’s training session in the Marbella sun. (more…)

Remember table football? It was fun, the sort of thing you associate with childhood, but not an objet d’art…surely not? (more…)

Like a landed estate of aristocratic bearing, the Dehesa Montenmedio extends over 500 hectares of coastal forest on Spain’s southern Atlantic coast.

The stretch of coastal road that follows the gentle curves of the Atlantic coast from the surfer’s paradise of Tarifa to the pretty white village of Vejer de la Frontera passes through some of the finest scenery in Spain. Just before Vejer, that little jewel with the heart of a mountain village yet just two kilometres removed from the sea, you will see a discreet sign to Dehesa Montenmedio.

Beyond that there is no hint of what is to follow, for this estate lies ensconced within the verdant embrace of umbrella pine, cork oaks, wild olive trees and centenary pine. Within this parkland with its protected natural status you will also find an 18-hole golf course flanked by growths of pine and by lakes that are much more than mere water features. (more…)

In the world of motorcycling Triumph is one of those names that reads like aristocracy. Like its car-manufacturing counterpart, the marque was very much at the forefront of the evolving history of motoring, building itself a legendary heritage in the process. The renaissance of this great old name is therefore every bit as important as the revival of the Bugatti brand was – all the more so because today Triumph once again makes some of the most beautiful bikes around.

Some give us the advice never to look back, saying that in the world of business – motor vehicles included – there is no place for tradition or sentimentality. I disagree. Cars and bikes are not just functional machines that perform a function. They never have been and hopefully never will be. Instead, they form a surprisingly important part of our society, becoming the stuff of childhood dreams, the driver of many aspirational ambitions, the way by which we are measured in terms of success and above all an expression of our sense of style and personality.

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