Starting the week - October 1st

A great sporting weekend, for me at least, with football, cricket and golf to choose from.

As a Derby County fan, my emotions screamed hot, cold and ‘hide behind the cushions’ while 95 + minutes of football were played out against arch-rivals Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Watching the away game on live television with the score 0-1 to Derby and with no cushions available, I was changing channels every time there was a scary moment. Only Doctor Who has the same effect.

True fans of any sport will understand the heart-stopping moments we experience, and while the T20 cricket gave England a straightforward victory, the Ryder Cup was unbelievable.

I’m not a golf aficionado by any means but being part of a sporting family, there are few competitions which escape notice. At midnight BST, as September became October, I was whooping and shedding tears with the best of them as America were beaten by remarkable team-play. Now tagged in the press as the ‘Miracle of Medina’, so be it. To me, it was just a brilliant contest and victory was sweet.

On a serious note, the collapse of JJB Sports and consequential job losses for about 2,200 staff leaves me less than cold. JJB, along with other sports retail organizations, demonstrated a level of greed and arrogance during the 1990's that forced small, individual retailers out of business. Now you know how it feels peeps.

Suppliers have been equally to blame with their minimum order requirements, crippling payment terms and poor delivery records.

Let's hope the greedy train stops at the next station.