SWANNY'S WORLD OF SPORT: VAR farce, happy to see Root and Morgan fail, my heroine of the week

It’s pretty scandalous VAR is only available for certain games in certain competitions. If it’s going to to be used in the FA Cup it needs to be for all ties or not at all.

I’d prefer the latter, I was enjoying the Liverpool/West Brom game last weekend. It was end-to-end, enthralling action and then the need for VAR arose, completely killing the momentum and the atmosphere. It took four minutes to make a decision on a rather obvious penalty appeal during which time the crowd were left completely in the dark as there was no big screen showing the relevant action . And the officials then failed to add on the time wasted. No wonder losing manager Jurgen Klopp was angry.

HAPPY TO SEE ROOT MISS OUT

I’m pleased England cricket captain Joe Root didn’t get picked up by an Indian Premier League team, We need him fit, fresh and firing throughout 2018. I was also pleased England one-day captain Eoin Morgan didn’t get selected, but for different reasons. He’s average and lucky he’s the skipper or he wouldn’t get in the side.

CITY TRYING TO BUY TROPHIES

A big, big blow to those who believe Pep Guardiola’s success at Manchester City is down to top class coaching rather than access to zillions of pounds of oil money. A centre-back called Aymeric Laporte landed at the Etihad at a cost of £57 million from Athletic Bilbao this week. Rather expensive for someone not yet a full international.

HEROIC FROM WOZNIACKI

The women’s matches at the Australian Tennis Open were better than the men’s. The final was a cracker as Wozniacki finally broke her Grand Slam duck at the expense of Simona Halep and soared to number one in the world rankings. Wozniacki is a street-fighter who never gives up as she showed when coming back from the dead in the second round.