Source: Daily_Mail
GARY LINEKER: Sport Relief proves footballers DO have a heart...
Presenting the first hour-and-a-half of Sport Relief on Friday night was such great fun, and a huge privilege. [LNB]I was proud of the British public who showed their generosity and support for people who need it. And I was proud, too, of the sporting industry particularly the football world that I used to inhabit.[LNB]We all know football has had more than its fair share of unsavoury headlines, some of them justified. But there is another side to footballers, a side we saw on Friday; happy to give their time, to send themselves up, to rally together for a good cause.[LNB] Game for a laugh: Becks showed off his acting skills for Comic Relief[LNB] It was a huge buzz, of course we all knew the work that had gone into preparing such a big event. And ultimately it did go all right on the night, thanks largely, of course, to the record donations.[LNB]It's incredible how the emotions could veer from tears to laughter and back again. James Corden was sensational as Smithy sharing a bath with David Beckham. Then, there was Alan Shearer's report from Kenya, where so many children have to take on the role of parents.[LNB]Alan was clearly moved, and told me it has changed the way he thinks about things realising and understanding just how tough life can be in different parts of the world.[LNB]My first job for Sport Relief was to record Masterchef six weeks ago in east London. It was nerve-racking both for me and my fellow 'cooks', Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson.[LNB]Lawro cut his thumb in half-slicing garlic bread, and, boy, did he complain about it! TV viewers were lucky his whingeing was severely edited.[LNB] In the tub: Beckham has proved not all footballers are bad[LNB] More from Gary Lineker... Gary Lineker: Jose Mourinho will be back at Liverpool or Manchester City13/03/10 Gary Lineker: Don't bank on Rio Ferdinand being captain in South Africa - England's World Cup curse will hit Fabio Capello's planning06/03/10 Gary Lineker: John Terry may look strong but he is only human27/02/10 Gary Lineker: Martin O'Neill is the man to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United20/02/10 Gary Lineker: It's simple - Terry and Bridge are England's best option now13/02/10 GARY LINEKER: The England captain must have the trust of his players06/02/10 Gary Lineker: Has Sir Alex Ferguson lost faith in Manchester United's £31m record buy Dimitar Berbatov?30/01/10 GARY LINEKER: Arsene Wenger can bury the myth that to be champions you have to spend millions 23/01/10 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE Hansen won, but my excuse is the food was cold by the time thejudges tasted it it took such a long time to set up the right camerashot. [LNB]Otherwise they might have wolfed down my steak andchips. We genuinely did find the experience intimidating but, ofcourse, it can't really compare with Christine Bleakley's waterskiacross the Channel, or Eddie Izzard's multiple marathons.[LNB]Maybe I'd like to do something out of the studio, so if anyone has any bright ideas My trouble is it can't involve anything with excessive stamina I didn't even have that as a player or heights![LNB]Frank Lampard was in the audience to give his support to Christine and we had a chat in what was called the 'Star Bar' afterwards.[LNB]I could tell he was still really down after the Champions League defeat by Inter Milan it's the one club trophy he hasn't won. In that sense, watching Sport Relief was probably the best way to keep it in perspective.[LNB]Christine was great to work with we had a script meeting on Tuesday and a rehearsal on Thursday and earlier on Friday. But I didn't tell her about the unscripted line I threw in about not going out with a footballer. I deserved to get cuffed for that.[LNB] Handed an ace: Corden even managed to persuade the camera-shy Andy Murray to join in the fun[LNB] Christine was thrown off balance only once, when she had to watch Debra Stephenson impersonate her on a spoof of the One Show.[LNB]She told me afterwards it did make her a bit self-conscious, particularly the way she moved her arms. I know how she felt Alistair McGowan used to do a BBC show that aired just before Match of the Day and I had to stop watching it because I'd end up trying to avoid the mannerisms he'd do of me![LNB]It suited me to have the first slot on Friday night. It meant I could then sit back, have a few drinks and enjoy the show like everyone else. Danielle and I watched some of it in the studio and the bar. We were only 10 yards away from Robbie Williams when his Lottery ticket was turned into a wad of money by the magician Dynamo. [LNB]I could tell how genuinely shocked Robbie was. Like me, Danielle is a huge fan of James Corden from Gavin and Stacey. She comes from Cardiff and says a lot of the characters remind her of friends she knows! [LNB] Big splash: Corden goes diving with young sensation Tom Daley[LNB] I think Beckham has to be given a lot of credit for sending himself up with Smithy. Becks is a world name but can clearly laugh at himself as well. Ditto Wayne Rooney. I thought the whole sketch at Manchester United's training ground where Smithy, aka Corden, put the stars through their paces in the gym was fantastic.[LNB]Footballers are certainly better dancers than in my day I wouldn't have fancied cutting some moves if Smithy asked me to 'freestyle', but the United boys seemed completely at ease, particularly Rio Ferdinand.[LNB]It was hard not to be moved on such a big night. Musicians and comics have been associated with big charity events in the past and it's nice to be able to give sportsmen and women a pat on the back for following suit.[LNB]It was heart-rending at times; incredibly funny at others. I loved presenting the show now for a suitable task next year. Let me know if you can think of anything.[LNB] The problem with ChelseaI backed Chelsea to beat Inter Milan, but there was one proviso. I feltif Michael Ballack and John Obi Mikel played together, Chelsea's tempowould drop to a point where Jose Mourinho would fancy his chances.[LNB] As it happened, Carlo Ancelotti did pick Ballack and Mikel and the result was there for all to see. Chelsea simply didn't have enough pace or variation in their attacks.[LNB]They never seriously looked like a team hell-bent on clawing back a 2-1 deficit. I think Chelsea have to address that midfield problem if they want to stay a major force at home and in Europe.[LNB] Master tactician: Mourinho[LNB]They have missed Michael Essien, but on Tuesday night they looked one-paced andslow though their average age was actually younger than Inter's.[LNB]I am not sure what kind of future Ballack has at Chelsea. He has been a great player, but on current form in the Champions League, his presence in the Chelsea line-up was an own-goal.[LNB] More problems for Capello I am flying to South Africa today to film some adverts, and I'm sure the visit will whet my appetite for what is to come at the World Cup this summer. I hope Fabio Capello is sharing my sense of anticipation, but I'm not sure! [LNB] A lot to ponder: Capello must now deal with the injury to Jermain Defoe[LNB] His comment to me the previous week that he has had to contend with 'everything' wasn't quite 100 per cent accurate. Last week Jermain Defoe tore a hamstring and is just another important player facing a race to be fully fit and match-sharp for the World Cup. [LNB]Beckham, Hargreaves, Lennon, Cole, Ferdinand, Terry, Bridge, Walcott and Defoe problems and doubts of varying degrees about all of them. Let's hope that's the end of it.[LNB] Fergie lays into 'crazy' FA discipline system as Stevie is clear to face UnitedPompey fall guy Peter Storrie says: Don't blame me over cash woesNow Carlo Ancelotti's eyes are set on Chelsea's first ever DoubleBlockbuster: Arsene Wenger says Arsenal v Barcelona can be the best game for 10 years[LNB]
