THE LUFBRA ECHO: 100 POSTS OLD

Despite protestations that the site would be “closed down”, the Lufbra Echo today reaches a significant milestone: this is the 100th post. Ahead of an extended holiday for the busy editorial team, and largely because we can’t think of anything else to write, we thought that we would re-hash some of the best bits over the past few months. Cheap and lazy journalism? Well, possibly. But to be fair in two hours of live athletics coverage on Tuesday morning, the BBC spent well over half of it reminiscing about the Barcelona 1992 Olympics, so we feel we are due our own look back. Make yourself a nice cup of tea, sit back and enjoy our look over the top 10 moments in Echo history. Simply click on the number to read the story.

NUMBER 10: It was us who first broke the news that the now European 10,000m champion Mo Farah had had to give up on his hope of scooping the BBC Masterchef crown.

NUMBER 9: Ryan McLeod makes his first appearance in the countdown after he and Nick McCormick broke Loughborough’s pricy Alter-G treadmill.

NUMBER 8: Bowser, a European Cross Champion? Surely not. Err, well according to the BBC he was.

NUMBER 7: And a welcome first entry for the Echo’s award winning Portugal coverage. Here, there are concerns before the annual influx of distance runners even arrive in the Algarve.

NUMBER 6: Justice for LaShawn! The Echo sensitively discusses the drug cheat’s private issues.

NUMBER 5: UKA shocked everyone with their World Cross Selection. We had our own exclusive twist on the story.

NUMBER 4: It’s that man again! Ryan McLeod was in trouble after calling the emergency services for his damaged iPhone

NUMBER 3: It’s a bronze for the much praised coverage of the McLeod-Russell spat. The Echo was thanked by the Sports Journalists Association for our sensitive articles.

NUMBER 2: POST DELETED DUE TO ONGOING LEGAL FIGHT. Uh oh! It looks like we can’t bring you our silver medallist as we are still entrenched in a bitter and drawn out courtroom drama!

NUMBER 1: Well it had to come down to something on Portugal didn’t it? Yep, you guessed it- the gold medal Echo article as voted for by our research department is the report following a “night of scandal” in Vilamoura. Happy memories.

The Echo will now be on holiday until something interesting happens, if it ever does.

UK CHAMPIONSHIPS NEWS

All the major talking points from the weekend.......

MOSES CALLS FOR HAWK EYE INTRODUCTION


FURY: Wayne Rooney shares the news

Lewis Moses has said that he felt “absolutely robbed” of a legitimate place in the 1500m final after being denied on a photo-finish. As it was, the Loughborough based star was forced to pace the final and dropped out after 900m. Speaking after the final, Moses’ frustration was clear. “I could see that I got in,” said the 3:42 man, “everyone in the ground could see that I got in, so why didn’t the officials? It’s very poor.” Calling on the IAAF to “act now”, Moses slammed the “historic” arrangements currently on offer at the finish line. “It seems that we are always talking about this and it is ruining the sport,” Moses told the BBC, “how many more high profile foul ups will it take before someone gets the technology right? Tennis have had Hawk-Eye for years and so should we.” The Prime Minister watched the Championships from the G20 Summit in Canada and added weight to the calls for video technology. David Cameron said: "I'm a keen follower of cricket and tennis and I think the third umpire has been a great thing and the machines that bleep at Wimbledon are quite handy too. Maybe that's something that [athletics] could now have a look at."

ANGER AT FOSTER SNUB

The BBC have revealed that they have been “inundated” with complaints regarding their coverage of the UK Championships this weekend. Angry viewers have complained that the commentary was “far too positive” in the absence of Brendan Foster. It seems that many football fans switched over from England’s humiliation at the hands of Germany hoping to find that athletics was in a far worse state that the national game. “As it was, [Steve Cram] just kept dwelling on the positives,” thundered one disappointed female viewer, “where were the gibes at the demise of distance running? By the time the women’s 800m final was on, I switched off because the positivity was all too much.” The BBC have apologised for the positive slant and have said that they would “do all they can” to ensure that future broadcasts will look at how far athletics has gone backwards in future.

Bad news came for Jonathan Edwards who found himself sidelined after Saturday’s “abysmal” anchoring performance. It now seems very unlikely that the former Olympic Champion will be allowed to perform such a role again as rumours are rife that Denise Lewis and Colin Jackson refused to work with him on the Sunday. A BBC insider said, “he kept talking about himself, even when he was interviewing a distance runner.....and he insisted on carrying a clipboard even though it was clear to everyone that there was nothing on the bloody thing!” The criticism will be particularly hard to take for Edwards, as he ditched his trendy earring (seen briefly at the Beeb’s coverage of the Great North Run last year) in order to take on the more serious role. John Inverdale had to be hurriedly dispatched from Wimbledon in order to “clean up the mess” that Edwards had left. The broadcasting legend was none too pleased at having his Sunday afternoon ruined by the former triple-jumper’s incompetence and pledged to have “firm words” as soon as he catches up with him.

RUSSELL FAILS IN 5K BID


HEARTBREAK: Russell's loyal following declared themselves "proud" of their man

SPIKE ‘DID ALL HE COULD’ TO IMPRESS SELECTORS

UK Athletics mascot, Spike, has said that he “made the best of a bad situation” in an attempt to make the team for Barcelona. The mascot, who has been dogged my injuries all season said that he still hoped he would be able to achieve the ‘B’ standard at the Gateshead Grand Prix in a couple of weeks. “This is my first competitive outing this season,” said the red-skinned star, “I got banned from all BMC meetings and so it is hard to find form. I remain positive and thank all those who stood by me.” Spike was referring to his nationwide ban from all British Milers Club events after he was involved in an infamous bust up with Berlino the Bear (of World Championships fame) last year. UKA courted heavy criticism for standing by their mascot despite the fact that he was clearly seen to strike the blue-skinned bear in the face. It is rumoured that Berlino made “disparaging remarks” about Spike’s lineage (he is a cousin of the Manchester United mascot Fred the Red) and professed himself to be a Liverpool fan. The pair had to be separated by police and their conduct is still the subject of an independent investigation. The Chief Executive of the BMC said that he was left with “no choice” but to issue Spike with a lifetime ban as he had “clearly brought the sport into disrepute.”

WATFORD BMC ROUND UP......

ANGER AS McCORMICK WEARS DATED KIT

Nick McCormick is likely to face the wrath of Nike executives early next week after he wore last year’s kit at yesterday evening’s Watford Grand Prix. Shocked bystanders watched the North East star line up in the 800m ‘D’ race- where he expressed his anger at having to share a lane. One said, “Nick was clearly upset at being made to share the territory. I think he must have forgotten to change into this year’s new style.” However, insiders have revealed more sinister goings on. It appears that Mr. McCormick “does not like” the new kit as it does not suit his new haircut. “He hates it,” said a source, “when it was delivered he threw it on the ground in disgust. I doubt he will wear it at all this season.” No one was available for comment at Nike this evening, but it seems likely that their athlete will be forced to explain himself. One anonymous source at the sporting giant said that the cut off for the old kit fell on Thursday. “All athletes will have been sent a memo urging them to destroy their old vests and shorts on the 10th June,” said the senior aide, “it was made clear that old kit will no longer be tolerated.” McCormick was racing in the UK for the first time this season, after a period of enforced exile owing to his “horrifically short” hair cut. Speaking afterwards, he revealed that it was “still in the balance” as to whether he would be allowed to compete at the Crystal Palace Diamond League next month. “I reckon it [the hair] will grow enough by then,” said the 3:33 1500m man, “it really comes down to whether I want to spend a significant period of time in the hell hole that it Crystal Palace.”

McLEOD UNNERVED BY BOO-BOYS

Ryan McLeod ventured out in public for the first time since his major bust up with bitter rival Tom Russell. The Tipton Harrier opted to pace make the 5,000m ‘A’ race, but his name was greeted by a chorus of boos from the stands. Despite pleas from officials to show him the respect he deserved, McLeod had to endure repeated insults from angered West Country folk- the Metropolitan Police have revealed that a total of three individuals were arrested for “public order offenses.” It is unlikely that any of the three will be charged. In the race itself, it became clear from the start that McLeod was not himself. As early as the second lap, he was attempting to usher chasing athletes though to “share the pace”. It was not until a BMC official reminded him that he was being paid to lead the race, that the 13:54 man settled down. The damage to Luke Cragg’s race was done however and the US based man was furious after his race. “You expect better than that,” harrumphed the England international, “I saw Ryan pacing the locker room before and could see he was freaked out by the situation. When I debrief him, he’ll know what I think.”

TIMEKEEPING WRONG: EIGHTLANE

Distraught Eightlaners have called for immediate action after watching videos of several of last night’s races. “BMC please read this, watch the video and sort the results out,” pleaded ‘1500 result?’, whilst his/her/its presumed brother/sister/other life form, ‘1500m results’ supported the view, “not great time keeping”. It seems much of the evidence base for the allegations stems from video footage that has been placed on the internet. In light of such overwhelmingly clear (as long as you have it up on a very fast bandwidth and ignore the glitches) evidence will result in the timekeepers who were standing directly in line with the finish being overturned? ‘1500 result?’ certainly hopes so-“there is something seriously wrong with this [1500m ‘A’ race] result- look at 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th position.” Regrettably, Mr ‘1500 result?’ appears not to have all of his facts in line, “Luke Gunn dips someone on the line, who I assume is the Dutch athlete but he’s 0.2 behind on the result”. Outrageous! An unnamed athlete may or may not have beaten Luke Gunn and this may or may not be clear from the video. Court of Arbitration for Sport here we come!

NEWS IN BRIEF

DASAOLOU TO APLOGISE FOR ITALIAN RANT

Britain's next big sprinting hope, James Dasaolu, is being forced into an embarrassing U-Turn this morning after clashing with an Italian police officer. The 10.06 (wind assisted) man is currently on a training trip to Rome and is alleged to have "completely lost it" with the officer after being informed that his hire car was parked illegally. By-standers were left stunned as Dasaolu was restrained by close pal and training partner, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey. Dasaolu was particularly upset as the policeman in question had watched the two sprint aces take 20 minutes to maneuver the vehicle into the spot. This in itself brought a heated exchange between the two friends with Dasaolou branding Aikines-Aryeetey an "idiot" as his directions were unclear. One bystander has alleged that Dasaolu's car "clearly touched" another vehicle and it was at this point that the police officer had no option but to become involved. "It was quite funny," said Liverpudlian tourist Denise, "the smaller one [Dasaolou] was getting all upset because the bigger one [Aryeetey] kept doing press ups when he should have been directing him." UK Athletics have said that they will be insisting that their charge apologise to the Italian police generally after calling them "a bunch of corrupt losers who no one likes." Dasaolu, who is not known for his intelligence, is also thought to have injured himself by kicking what he thought was a football in a fit of rage. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a solid marble decorative boulder. A UKA insider has said that the injury is "not season threatening".

JONES TO SET UP CAKE SHOP

Disgraced American sprinter, Marion Jones, is to set up a cake shop in Los Angeles, the Lufbra Echo understands. The cakes, which will be "special brand", will be made by the sprinter herself in a joint venture with fellow dope, Justin Gatlin. Jones is rumoured to have "excelled" on a cookery course she took whilst serving time in prison for defrauding just about everybody she has ever met. However, doubt has been cast on her ability as a prison insider told of how she was disqualified from her final Cake Making Board Exams. "She stole some pre-made cakes from the kitchen," our source said, "and then rigorously denied the allegations. Her cakes never failed an authenticity test, but there was enough evidence to link her with the fraud." Weeks of rumours apparently led to a teary confession on the steps outside the infirmary, where Jones said that she had "let everyone down" particularly her beloved cell-mate Greta 'Biatch, the G-Dog', Griffiths. The Jones-Gatlin camp, have dismissed the allegations and are instead focusing on the "exciting venture" that the pair are currently working on. "We hope that people will either eat in or take out," said a spokesman, "they have decided to call it 'Clean Cakes' and hope that consumers see the irony." USA Track and Field have condemned the plans and warned all of their athletes not to frequent the establishment. LaShwan Merritt was thought to be involved in initial plans for the store, but was forced to pull out citing "little problems".

McLEOD IN BIRTHDAY GAFFE

Ryan McLeod celebrated his birthday 24 hours too early in what has been called a "pacing mix up". The Tipton Harrier turned 25 yesterday, but was seen out on Sunday evening celebrating with pals. One observer said, "someone went up to him and suggested that he was going too early and he [McLeod] just glared at him and said 'who do you think you are? Tom Russell?'" It was only in the early hours of the following morning that McLeod realised his blunder but by this time it was too late. "The damage had been done," sighed coach John Nutall, "Ryan tried to make it a true run birthday celebration, but it didn't work out- he was just too eager." It is rumoured that the 13:54 5k man was left "absolutely shattered" for his actual birthday evening. An insider said, "he had nothing left. He had been doing far too much of the work."

EMERY CONFIDENT AHEAD OF MIDLANDS TEST

Stephen Emery has revealed that he is "absolutely certain" that he will win the Midlands' 1500m title this weekend. The Coventry man suffered a blip last week at the BMC Sport City meeting, but claimed that "nobody, not even a cat on EPO" could touch him this weekend. "Sport City was Sport City. I think we all know that it was a joke there and that Gary [Bradbury] maliciously taunted me hair highlights before the race. I'm ready now- come and get me." Emery is likely to face stiff opposition from the likes of Tom Russell and Tim Dalton, but the 3:49 1500m man has had firm words for his rivals. "None of them have achieved what I have. I am the BUCS bronze medalist and showed my kicking ability in that race, so I know I can live with anything."

RUNNERSLIFE IN EIGHTLANE SLUR

“Nonsensical tosh written by idiots, for idiots” was the shocking accusation levelled at popular running forum Eightlane.com this evening. The rant came from the Chief Executive of fierce rival, runnerslife.co.uk, after several months of underhand blows. Runnerslife has accused Eightlane founder, Alan Wales, of employing “dirty tricks” in a bid to lure their athletes away to post training logs onto his sites. Lawyers for Mr. Wales have dismissed the complaints as “nonsense”, but the Welsh-based Runnerslife may well cite the recent departure of Stephen Sharp as evidence- the Belgrave man has been a regular fixture on Eightlane since he quit Runnerslife. It is no secret that Sharp complained to the Runnerslife management on several occasions that he was not receiving adequate protection from “slanderous, baseless filth” appearing as comments on his blog and rival sites. Speaking earlier in the year, Sharp said “it is what drove Mark Draper away and the same is happening to me. We put ourselves out there and get shot down. Where are the lawyers when you need them?” It is thought that Runnerslife are “very nervous” that they could lose Sharp’s coaching charge, Nick Goolab, if they do not act now.

Runnerslife insiders have also revealed that website chiefs are “absolutely fuming” that a potential move for Eightlane regular, Luke Cragg was thwarted. Our source said, “Cragg was ready to join the team, but pulled out at the last moment. We all know it is because Wales threatened him with de-registration.” Wales could be in hot water this week after Runnerslife reported comments made on his site in the recent McLeod-Russell dispute to Ofcom. It is rumoured that McLeod threatened to “up sticks and leave” if his website did not back him in the spat and regulators at Runnerslife are said to be “disappointed” that the thread in question was not frozen. “They wonder why they are losing viewership to Letsrun.com [another rival], well it’s that sort of behaviour that drives them away,” said a Runnerslife executive.

Eightlane took unsuccessful legal action when the “fly on the wall” style rival launched a forum of its own last year. A High Court judge threw out the claims as “everyone is entitled to have a forum- we all look forward to reading what anonymous people think about other anonymous people”. At the time, Runnerslife received a rough-ride on the boards of its rival. “Runnerslife is awful,” thundered ‘Rubbish’, “I read some [training logs] the other day that said something like Thursday – 7 tempo.... WTF?” Whilst ‘Fanofboth’ was keen to remain impartial, others clearly had it in for the plucky Welsh site. “That runnerslife lot fink they are well good [sic]” chortled ‘p*ss off’, “well they shud run well away innit [sic]”.

Runnerslife did, however, find themselves in serious trouble over the axe-gate scandal. Spies on Eightlane circulated rumours that Runnerslife had been shut down leading to the website being inundated with requests for it to stay. It was later proved in court that it had all been a publicity stunt and a “rebranding exercise.” Eightlaners were indignant, “Outrageous,” opined ‘Derek Dogg’, “how can they use Eightlane for such blatant lies?” Runnerslife were ordered to compensate Mr. Wales to the tune of a little over £5,000 for the gaffe. This latest dispute is unlikely to end up in court. However, negation experts ACAS have been placed on standby if a compensatory agreement for the loss of Sharp and Cragg cannot be reached. An ACAS source said that this was “no worse” than the British Airways strikes and that he was confident a solution could be reached. “The lines of communication are open,” said the source, “we just hope that ‘Cod Liver Oil’ and the team play ball”.

McLEOD - RUSSELL SPAT IN PICTURES

The world reacts to the major talking point of the week......


The Coalition Government ponder their position



Protesters take to the streets of Stroud in favour of Tom Russell



A protest group have started selling these T-Shirts in response to rumours that McLeod has been arrested



A flashback to times gone by



The Commander-in-Chief has firm words for the Bristol man



News reaches the England camp. Capello 'concerned' it may cause distraction



George Gandy remains coy on his position

NEWS ROUND-UP

OUTRAGE AS ATHLETE EXPRESSES OPINION

British Athletics is this evening coming to terms with a scandal that looks set to rock it to its very foundations- an athlete has said what he really thinks in public. The revelations have trickled out over the past few days and commentators have said that it is "too early to say" whether the sport will recover or not. "It is a massive shock," said a senior athletics source, "usually we get them saying that they all ran really well and how proud they are of each other. But for someone to say what they actually think is a dangerous tactic." The athlete- who cannot be named for legal reasons- is now in hiding after suggesting that someone may not have done their fair share of the front-running during a recent BMC race. Police have revealed that they are "very concerned" for the athlete's safety after hate mail was sent to his home. For their part, the BMC have refused to rule out handing the big mouthed star a ban from all events for the rest of the year.

RUSSELL DISAPPOINTED WITH TESCO TRIP

Tom Russell has said that he is "upset" after an unsuccessful trip to Tesco with his training partners. It is thought that his friends refused to allow the 5k star to "hide at the back" of the convoy. The revelations come as the Bristol favourite was accused of "tucking in" behind several other cars on a recent trip to Manchester. An anonymous source said, "Tom was bragging about how he saved loads of fuel on the trip up to Sport City. Well we can all do that- he took none of the wind whatsoever." For his part, Russell has hit back at the criticism, stating that his car was "recovering from a dodgy MOT" and claiming that he "didn't want to push it". Friends were fuming as he kicked past them as they left the M60 and triumphantly pulled into the car park claiming the win.

BMC TO 'GO UP AGAINST' WORLD CUP

Fighting talk from the British Milers Club this evening as they have revealed that they feel that their Watford Grand Prix will deliver a higher audience that England's first World Cup game. An insider said, "who wouldn't want to watch the cream of the crop bicker about who should take up the pace? I am sure that people will snub England vs. USA in favour of it." Officials have not ruled out going head to head with "the snoozefest" that will be the World Cup Final. Our source continued, "we are thinking about organising an U15 Girls' 10,000m and sticking it on Sky. It'll be interesting to see how it will compare." Mick Woods has hit back at the idea, saying that 10,000m is "far too short" for U15 girls.

ATHLETE SEASON 'EFFECTIVELY OVER' AFTER ONLY EQUALING PERSONAL BEST

A long distance runner has said that it is unlikely he will compete again this season after he did not perform as he would have wanted in a race this weekend. The unnamed star- who is rumoured to be based at Loughborough- was said to be "distraught" after the race and is now planning on "jacking it all in". The Lufbra Echo understands that the runner was planning on "obliterating" his personal best- but only managed to equal it. At the end of the event, he was seen to be visibly upset and petulantly threw his vest onto the floor. A close friend said, "last week, he was in the shape of his life and now he feels as if none of it is worth it. He says that he feels empty inside." The race is said to have "really rocked his confidence", but rumours that a crash diet broccoli and water have been dismissed. The source continued, "he is planning on taking the next year off and then look to build up very slowly. I believe he is targeting a comeback in late 2012". LSAC insiders refused to whether confirm the story related to one of their athletes, but have said that the action "sounds appropriate".