SWANNY'S WORLD OF SPORT: Dreary and undignified athletes, a muscle-bound slogger, biting the hands that feeds, an heroic referee

Hour-by-hour coverage of boring racing punctuated by hopeless analysis with the honourable exception of the great Michael Johnson.

I was going to make Mo Farah my hero of the week (he is at least very watchable), but then he launched a ridiculous tirade at the press. Still I suppose it deflected attention away his final-race flop.

Then I was going to award the ultimate PT honour to Usain Bolt, but he held a press conference alongside the disgraced Justin Gatlin and attacked one journalist for daring to mention drugs.

The biggest stars in athletics are in denial, flawed or both. As are those who run the sport and those who commentate on it.

Athletics is a dreary, undignified mess. I won’t miss it.

A MUSCLE-BOUND SLOGGER

The Daily Mail, as well as other national newspapers I’m sure, need to realise there are many better, and indeed more relevant, golfers in the world than Rory McIlroy .

The blanket coverage of McIlroy is extremely irritating. He’s a muscle-bound slogger of a golf ball with no short game and a terrible putting stroke.

His cockiness is out of all proportion to his current record.

Give those column inches to those who actually challenge for the biggest events.

BITING THE HAND THAT FEEDS

Predictably, and irritatingly, first-class counties, who rely on ECB funding to survive, are racing to snap up Indian stars ahead of a Test series between England and India next summer.

HERO OF THE WEEK

It’s time to forgive Craig Pawson for awarding the dodgy free kick which relegated Posh in 2011. Especially if he carries on making the big calls in the Premier League without fear or favour towards the big clubs. His dismissals of Chelsea cloggers Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas last weekend were highlights of the opening day.