Football often seems quite tawdry. I don’t know how you feel about the game, but occasionally I switch off Match of the Day and despair.

I get tired of watching the top four eye up the Fulhams and the West Hams as if they were lions sizing up a gazelle. You lose football’s soul in the long grind of the Premier League season – if the league is all about delayed gratification over 38 games, my inner child sometimes takes to screaming for fun now, victory now, champagne now. Something to elicit a true roar of joy from the crowd, rather than simply the satisfied clap and nod of the head which happens at the end of a league win, with 30,000 faces already looking towards the next fixture.

Then, suddenly, it’s January, the third round of the FA Cup happens, and again I am whole. For one weekend a year, anything is possible, and gratification (or otherwise) is immediate. Premier League vs. Conference. David vs. Goliath, with David’s mortgage riding on the outcome. There is purity in the third round. Reputations count for nothing, and careers can be made off the back of one good showing. Any one player, can be as good as the Premier League big boys. Absolutely anyone can dream.

This has been a solid, if not spectacular, year in terms of upsets, and an even better one in terms of justice. The FA Cup has its own brand of karma, which it dishes out to all those who get too big for their boots. Think Malcolm Macdonald and Newcastle United disrespecting Hereford before the embarrassing defeat to Ronnie Radford et al in the replay of 1972. This year’s third round saw Paul Lambert claiming that “managers could do without the Cup if they were being honest”; it seems like just that his Villa side got beaten 2-1 by a struggling Sheffield United, who languish two leagues below them. Manchester United lost to Swansea. West Ham got pummelled by Nottingham Forest. The eternal underdog story makes the FA Cup worth watching every year, and is the ultimate palette cleanser after a year of watching Luis Suarez chew his way through the Premier League.

‘The Cup’ is far more important than just seeing big teams get turned over by smaller ones though. The FA Cup provides the oxygen of publicity which keeps lower league clubs solvent, and gives washed-up players another chance. DJ Campbell, who shone in Yeading’s 2004-5 cup run, made it to the Premier League within weeks. His previous clubs included Billicray, Chesham United and Stevenage Borough, his next was Birmingham City – then in the top division. When York City drew Stoke in 2010, the club managed to break even for the first time in ten years because of the money. Without the FA Cup, many English football clubs would not exist.

Most importantly, the third round is fun whether you are a broadcaster or player, director or fan. Every game could be the game that you remember for the rest of your life. You might just get Manchester United in the draw. You might just score the winner. The third round is the closest thing that football has to the lottery. Everyone gets the chance to dream. How can you fail to love it?

Seven intense days, eleven exhausting pool sessions and two gruelling land training workouts later, Oxford University Swimming Club just about managed to crawl through Malaga airport and onto the flight home –  complete with our costume shaped tan lines, aching bodies and wet towels, all in desperate need of a good cup of tea and decent Wi-Fi. Yet despite returning with a crippling inability to move at a functional pace, the week most certainly fulfilled its mission statement – “be ready to shoe the Tabs”.

Arriving at lunchtime on Sunday 5th January, after a less-than-pleasant 3am start, the team hit the pool for their first session, but only after fuelling up on the native Spanish cuisine – Burger King.

There seems something fundamentally wrong about outdoor swimming in January, but the Piscina Virgen del Carmen III could be considered a thing of beauty – an Olympic sized pool, positioned at the base of a mountain range, and with a spectacular view of the sea. Although quite frankly, just a glimpse of blue sky was a welcomed break from the appalling British weather: rest assured that we took full advantage of the sun, despite the locals repeatedly warning us that it was “frío”.

The week revolved around swimming and meal times, consisting of two pool sessions a day which each lasted two hours, although on both Tuesday and Friday a gruelling land-based session replaced the morning swim. This routine was made up of a post-breakfast session from 9-11am and a pre-dinner session from 4-6pm.

Setting the alarm for a 7:30 wake up call, which was inevitably pushed back to 7:53 by day seven (every minute counts), breakfast predictably took the form of “Europeans try and do English Breakfast”. However, if you know anything about swimmers and their appetites, you will not be surprised to note that there were no complaints. In fact, numerous attempts were made to sneak out food for lunch (at least three pain aux chocolats) – although it seems pockets are not sufficient pastry-carrying devices. Actually, on reflection a list of my general food intake for the week would read something like “carbs, carbs, carbs, protein, carbs… ice cream… sangria.”

Pool sessions were preceded by an half hour core workout, before jumping in (literally) to a mixture of speed sessions, drills, breath control and long distance training. Bravely, the prospective Channel swimmers among us even took to the sea for an hour in preparation for the Varsity Channel Relay in July – I’m told that was most definitely “frío”. Perhaps the most challenging aspect of the training was the land sessions though.

As a fresher, I had been warned by various team members over the last term of the “dreaded steps”, a seemingly innocent set of stairs that takes one down to the beach front. Naively, I thought, “how hard can that really be?”

Unfortunately, “dreaded” was underselling the fear-factor. Imagine walking up 105 (I counted) sloping, steep steps, whilst dodging tourists and doddery OAPs. Now picture running up and down, 6 times, on two occasions. After that we all consciously made the effort to take the lift at every opportunity for the rest of the week.

Interestingly, OUSC were not the only team training in Torremolinos, swimming at the Virgin del Carmen III pool and staying in the Hotel Roc Flamingo that week. Perhaps the Tabs were so threatened by our astounding, record-breaking win at Varsity 2013 that they had to come and see how it’s done. You know what they say – keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

 Don’t worry, we didn’t do too much fraternising with the enemy but we were challenged to the annual Varsity Mini Golf competition. I am happy to report that a member of Team Oxford took the prestigious title – no doubt a reflection of the upcoming result of Varsity 2014.

All in all, the week was tough but extremely rewarding and OUSC are most definitely ready for the challenges of Hilary term. Now excuse me whilst I spend the day under the covers, catching up on episodes of Sherlock I missed before training resumes

After twenty years of success, Manchester United fans are finally feeling the pain. In the League, United are floundering. Their FA Cup run was cut short by a secondstring Swansea team, whilst progression in the League Cup looks perilous following a first leg defeat at the hands of the Manchester United B circa 2007 – also known as Sunderland.

To blame David Moyes alone for United’s apparent crisis would be unfair. Indeed, Fergie himself must take some of the blame: he bequeathed a sub-par squad on his successor. Above all, Ferguson failed to address the club’s obvious deficiencies in midfield, exposed time and again by lesser teams. The midfield which lined up against Sunderland – Giggs, Carrick, Cleverley – lacked pace, power, and physicality. Anderson, whilst capable of inspiring performances, lacks consistency, whilst Shinji Kagawa has not yet adapted to the English game.

It would be wrong to leave responsibility solely at Ferguson’s door. Moyes took over at United a full month before the transfer window opened: this should have been ample time to assess the squad’s weaknesses, identify viable targets and, as has been the United tradition, to conclude business early. The club opted for Marouane Fellaini, a panic buy, after other midfield acquisitions failed to materialise. Imperious at Everton, Fellaini has disappointed immensely since arriving at Old Trafford: to call the Fellaini of 2014 glacially slow would be to insult glaciers.

Moreover, analysis focusing solely on squad weakness is plainly insufficient. The current squad have worn league winners’ medals twice in the past three years, coming within minutes of another. Whatever its frailties, this team certainly has the quality to overcome the likes of Sunderland, Cardiff, and West Brom. The problem is not that Ferguson’s old squad has stopped over-performing; Moyes’s team are under-performing.

So David Moyes is far from faultless; and yet United fans stick with their man. Some, immersed in the cut-throat post-Abramovich football world, where failure occasions immediate sacking, scoff at such quaint naivety. These people fail to see the value of a long-term approach. Ferguson recognised this. In choosing Moyes over Mourinho, he rejected a track record of immediate success, in favour of one of impressive longevity. Thus, Ferguson chose Moyes because he saw in his fellow Glaswegian the potential for long-term stability and success.

This experiment has only just begun, but will we ever see it through to the end? Though the initial results are far from encouraging, to jump ship now would be to judge a long-term venture on short-term criteria. United’s loyal fans are able to transcend this modern obsession with immediate results; perhaps it is time the media try doing that too

There are perils in the lives of professional sportspeople. Injury, mental stress and the short-lived nature of success all spring to mind. So is life as a professional sportsman or woman all it’s cracked up to be?

Injury can be devastating. It prevents them from doing what they enjoy most. It hinders individuals from developing into better players and can undermine future sporting prospects. Not ignoring the fact that, obviously, it hurts. When sports matches encounter significant delays due to visibly painful injuries, spectators can see the hurt engraved on the individual’s face. What races through one’s mind when lying on the floor, clutching a damaged limb? It probably goes like this: First, ouch. Second, how did that happen? And third, how long is this going to set me back for?

Arguably, the frustration of sitting on the side-lines, watching friends or rivals compete is even worse. The desire to “be fit again” can be overwhelming, particularly for those who were on the cusp of something special. This could range from playing for your school’s rugby team on a Saturday afternoon, to walking out to the cheers of thousands to represent your country.

As a young teenager, I once broke my arm in a rugby match, preventing me from playing the next week in the county cup quarter final. This is slightly overshadowed by the injury sustained by Theo Walcott last weekend. He has received news that he will not be able to represent his country in the World Cup; crushing news for any footballer. Whatever level you are playing at, injury is painful and extremely frustrating.

 The mental pressure of being a professional sportsperson is immense. Constant scrutiny from all angles  – the media, the coaches and the fans – one’s staunchest advocates can turn on you in the blink of an eye, all for the sake of a poor shot, a missed tackle or a miscued forehand.

The pressure to always improve places immense strain on professionals. The revelation during the Ashes series that Jonathan Trott was suffering from a mental stress condition should not be surprising. That the opposition respected his need to leave the sporting world shows recognition of the mental strains inherent in professional sport.

From two recent tours in Australia, Alastair Cook now has two different sets of memories. One filled with remarkable success, the other with failure. In one he scored over 700 runs averaging over 100, and more importantly, was part of a winning team. Returning three years later as captain, his England side suffered one of the more humiliating series defeats in recent sporting history.

How do you recover when luck turns against you? For those who have enjoyed sustained success, it should be a simpler task than for people who are just beginning their careers.

Yet whoever you are and whatever your experience, one can look back to the reasons for pursuing the career; enjoyment and natural talent.

Whilst a professional sporting career is something that many crave, there are many perils and pitfalls. However much we idolise our sport heroes, they remain human beings subject to failure and injury, just like us all.

Rich Smith, St Cross College MSc in Musculoskeletal Sciences

Rich Smith is a towering presence at centre-back for the Oxford University Blues football team. His footballing pedigree is nothing if not impressive. Kevin Ball – the Sunderland AFC Senior Professional Development Coach and twice caretaker manager of Sunderland – still cites Rich in interviews as an example of a young player who has been successful inside and outside of football. Rich can boast Liverpool’s £20m man Jordan Henderson as well as Sunderland regular Jack Colback as former team mates.

Scouted by Sunderland aged 10 whilst playing in his home town, Durham, for the local Sunday league team, he stayed with the club until he was 18, progressing through the youth setup and earning a contract upon turning 16 years old. As a lad who had supported Sunderland since his elder brother started playing for their academy when Rich was eight, the fairytale was going well.

However, at the time the contract was offered, Rich was forced to make a very difficult decision. Sunderland would not allow any of their youth players to study A-levels in conjunction with their youth contracts. Therefore, despite impressive GCSE results, Rich temporarily decided to turn his back on education and pursue a career in professional football.

Regardless of Rich’s role in helping the Sunderland Youth team win the Premier League Youth Championship with the under-18 squad, by the end of his two year youth contract he felt that he did not have a long-term future in top-level English football.

Although he received the offer of a one year contract extension from the Wearside club, he took the decision to leave,  instead taking his A-levels from age 18 to 20 at his local sixth-form college.

After completing his A-levels Rich was offered a place at Harvard which was partially aided by his profile from Sunderland and his old manager Kevin Ball.

Rich moved to America and his presence garnered immediate success on the football pitch as Rich scored the Ivy League winning goal in his first year in the states. He then went on to captain the Harvard football team in his fourth year. Whilst in America, Rich was given the opportunity to go to the Major League Soccer draft exhibition trial but he deemed that staying in education was the correct decision.

Standing at 6’6”, Rich is always a danger from set pieces and difficult to beat in the air at centre-back. He exemplifies the dedication required to overcome the difficulties of combining academic work with sporting – or other extracurricular – success.

He is clearly impressive in his ability to alternate between the two with apparent ease. Although, Rich admits that maintaining this dual-role is more difficult than it looks: “I do love the game and although it can be stressful at times [combining football and studying], I would not want to be doing anything else.”

This year Rich’s sights are set on helping the Blues to a Varsity win. The dominant centre-back could be crucial for Oxford if this is to occur. He may also try fitting in a bit of Musculoskeletal Science, whatever that is.

The Blues play Oxford Brookes on 14th February at Iffley Road, 7pm kick-off.

The new year marks the mid-point of the English football season; from Manuel Pellegrini of Manchester City to Chris Wilder of Oxford United, a managerial sigh of relief was heard upon the end of the gruelling Christmas schedule. But while every manager is a footballing Scrooge, cursing and bah-humbugging the period for the physical demands it imposes on players, the Bob Cratchits of the footballing world – the fans – have been gorg-ing upon a veritable festive treat. With Christmas and its glut of games now behind us, managers, players and fans can begin to project where their team might finish in May.

The final months of this season carry extra significance for certain Premier League players who have set their sights on the World Cup in Brazil. Before the tournament starts, we’ll have to endure a media-led (I’m well aware of the irony here) cacophony of rumours, reports and speculation as to who will be “boarding the plane to Rio”.

The final months of the Premier League season are the final chance for players on the fringes of their national teams to stake their claim for the plane ticket to South America.

Here at Cherwell Sport, we’ve focused on three nations – hosts Brazil, holders Spain and hopeless England – and assessed the chances of the Premier League players who will be hoping to represent their teams this summer.

Brazil

Hosts Brazil have an embarrassing amount of talent at their disposal, including Liverpool’s Phillippe Coutinho. If he can start adding goals to his repertoire of tricks and assists, he may find himself adding to the solitary cap he has gained for his country. Coutinho’s team-mate Lucas Leiva is also vying for a place in the squad, having been overlooked by Brazil coach Luis Felipe Scolari for last year’s Confederations Cup. He faces stiff competition from Paulinho and Sandro, both of Tottenham Hotspur.

Chelsea’s Brazilian duo of Oscar and David Luiz are rated highly by Scolari, having played a major part in the Confederations Cup triumph, and will be confident of securing a place in La Seleção. Scolari’s likely inclusion of Oscar is particularly intriguing when considering Coutinho’s chances – with both playing in the same number 10 position, does Scolari stick with his favoured playmaker in the Chelsea man, thus excluding Coutinho? Or does he include the diminutive ex-Inter Milan player, with the intention of playing him as a winger, a position he has occupied before at Liverpool?

Spain

Spain, the holders, are another team whose second string could walk into the national side of most countries. This means the pressure is on for the misfiring Roberto Soldado of Tottenham Hotspur, and Fernando Torres of Chelsea, to replicate the form they enjoyed at previous clubs. This is especially true when we consider the excellent form of David Villa and Brazilian-born Diego Costa at Atletico Madrid.

Costa in particular, who only elected to represent Spain in October of last year, has fired Los Indios to second in La Liga – behind Barcelona only on goal difference – with 19 goals in 17 league games. With Fernando Llorente of Juventus beginning to find his feet following his summer move, it is crucial for both Soldado and Torres to get on the scoresheet regularly if they want to visit Latin America.

England

Much has been made of the paucity of options available to England compared to other nations. Although there is no doubt that other sides possess stronger squads, England do undoubtedly possess technically gifted players.

Roy Hodgson’s main problem is not that there are not enough good players to choose from; it’s whether the ‘old guard’ – Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole – who are in the twilight stages of their careers, can perform again this year.

If he decides to shun the tried and tested, who have admittedly failed to deliver in major tournaments, in favour of the talented new generation, headed by Adam Lallana, Ross Barkley and Daniel Sturridge, England could be an unpredictable banana skin for more fancied sides.

An England starting eleven that favours the young over the old would be a gamble – but it is certainly an exciting prospect and something to look forward to seeing. A strong end to the season for these unproven players could lead Hodgson to take a significant, albeit potentially rewarding, leap of faith