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From Times Online
October 23, 2007
Top 50 great British losers
Is Britain a nation of sporting losers? Some small-minded or gloomy souls wallowing in the weekend’s sports results may think so, with the England rugby team failing to win the World Cup and Lewis Hamilton seeing his hopes of Formula One success disappear in the final race. Yet how easily we ignore the adversity our sportsmen conquer. The rugby team were written off five weeks earlier after losing to South Africa 36-0; Hamilton was in his first season and competing against vastly more experienced rivals.
The Battle of Ideas will address this question on Saturday with a Times-sponsored debate and this list of Britain's Top 50 Gallant Sporting “Losers” may help to spark discussion. The inverted commas are important. Why should second place be regarded as losing? For a small nation, we have produced a lot of sportsmen and women to be proud of. In this list, there are athletes who touched the pinnacle of their profession. Some reached beyond disappointment eventually to attain their goals, others slumped down after coming so close to being the world’s best.
These are the glorious nearly men. The proxime accessits, as lawyers call them, or, if you will, the very top of the second-drawer. Do not mock them, relish them. And especially for those in the top ten, be grateful that we had them and that they fought so hard to raise the national morale and make the most of their talents, rather than chiding them simply for not being as good as a Tiger Woods, a Pete Sampras or a Fangio.
We have tried to be a bit more scientific in this list rather than just going on subjective gut feeling. Each athlete has been ranked out of five in five categories:
1) Proximity to Glory; 2) Number of Shots at Glory; 3) National Expectation; 4) Strength Relative to Other Britons in the Sport; and 5) Ability to Bounce Back from Adversity.
Where there has been a tie, I have ranked higher those who I thought had done better. Naturally there will be some talking points and disagreement so do, gently, let The Times know what you think by the comments box below.
50) Eddie Edwards 0-1-0-5-2 = 32%
The man so hapless that the International Olympic Committee passed a special rule to prevent people like him competing again. Eddie the Eagle, the short-sighted plasterer from Cheltenham, soared high and not that far at the Winter Games in 1988, winning hearts and derision around the world. He was a peculiarly British sporting hero: 20lb heavier than the next heaviest competitor and fully self-funded, he touched No 55 in the world rankings but came dead last, despite setting a British record, in Calgary. Although he never qualified for another Games, he earns rehabilitation points for recording a song “Fly Eddie Fly” and being the inspiration for a Steve Coogan film, due out next year.
49) Middlesbrough FC 2005-06 4-1-1-2-1 = 36%
An unglamorous club that surprised many people by reaching the final of the Uefa Cup in 2006, a year in which they finished fourteenth in the Barclays Premiership. Having twice come back from 3-0 deficits, to Basle and Steaua Bucharest, on the way to the final, they were overpowered 4-0 by Seville. They have not flourished since, and Steve McClaren, their inspirational manager, has found the going harder with England.
48) Darren Clarke 2-3-2-2-2 = 44%
Given the famine that has affected European golf (outside of the Ryder Cup) for much of the past decade, Clarke had come as close as anyone to winning a major championship with six top-ten finishes. The closest and most agonising was in 1997 when he came tied for second behind Justin Leonard, who had a final round of 65. Gains points for rehabilitation after his heroics at the Ryder Cup last year but his slide down the rankings (he is now No 221) suggest his time has come and gone
47) Bobby George 4-2-2-1-2 = 44%
Few come more flamboyant than George, who twice reached the final of the world professional darts championship after taking up the sport at the age of 29. He lost 5-3 to Eric Bristow in 1980 and 6-0 to John Part 14 years later. Still takes part in the qualifying rounds of the world championship but his career is now in punditry
46) 2005 Lions rugby team 1-1-5-2-2 = 44%
The beginning of the dismantling of Sir Clive Woodward’s reputation. A team packed with World Cup winners from England, plus others with big reputations from Ireland, Scotland and Wales, they lost all three international matches against New Zealand, the closest defeat being by 17 points, and were even beaten by the New Zealand Maori. Spin that, Alastair Campbell.
45) Audley Harrison 4-2-2-2-1 = 44%
The first Briton to win an Olympic boxing gold for 32 years, Harrison’s professional career has not matched the heights of that achievement or his own self-publicity. A string of joke bouts followed and his career appeared stalled when he tried to tempt Frank Bruno out of retirement. Beaten for the European title this year by Michael Sprott, Harrison keeps on talking himself up but is unable to get himself a big bout. Says that 2008 will be his year…
44) England rugby team 2007 4-1-1-3-3 = 48%
“Defending champions reach final” may not be a brilliant headline, but England’s journey from despair to near triumph this autumn was fascinating. Ranked seventh by the time the World Cup started, they beat Australia and France against the odds and, though they failed to win the final, they prevented South Africa from scoring a try. There are good signs of optimism for next season and the 2011 World Cup.
43) Bomber Graham 4-3-2-2-2 = 52%
Herol “Bomber” Graham was the junior world welterweight boxing champion in 1976 and went 38 professional fights without defeat before losing his European middleweight title in 1987. Had three world title bouts at middleweight and super-middleweight but could not go the distance, losing a tight bout on points to Mike McCullum, almost stopping Julian Jackson before Graham was knocked out and, in 1998, being stopped in the tenth round against Charles Brewer.
42) Maureen Gardner 5-1-3-3-1 = 52%
The Times said this of Gardner’s second place in the 1948 Olympics 80 metres hurdles: “as good a second place perhaps as ever recorded in athletics”. She won silver by less than a foot, pipped narrowly by Fanny Blankers-Koen. The timekeepers agreed that Gardner would share the new world record time with the Dutchwoman but, alas, they would not share first place. Given that Gardner had qualified only third from her semi-final after clipping a hurdle, it was some achievement.
41) John Lloyd 4-1-3-3-2 = 52%
More famous, perhaps, for being Mr Chris Evert, John Lloyd was Britain’s most successful tennis player until Tim Henman and Greg Rusdeski came along. He reached as high as world No 21, in 1978, and the previous year had lost the final of the Australian Open to Vita Gerulaitis. Naturally, it was a five-set thriller. Had some rehabilitation with three grand-slam mixed doubles titles in the 1980s with Wendy Turnbull.
40) Neil Adams 4-3-3-1-2 = 52%
The most successful of a long list of great British nearly men in judo. Britain has won no gold medals in the Olympics, but seven silvers and nine bronzes, including medals for David Starbrook and Brian Jacks. Adams, from Warwickshire, won gold at the 1981 world championships but took only silver in the 1980 and 1984 Olympics and came second in the 1983 worlds.
39) Pippa Funnell 4-2-3-2-2 = 52%
Three times a winner of the Badminton Horse Trials – and three times at Blenheim as well – Funnell was twice European three-day eventing champion but the gold medal has eluded her in the Olympics. She won silver in the team category in Sydney and Athens and bronze in the individual in 2004, but only after Bettina Hoy was disqualified.
38) Eddie Irvine 1999 5-1-2-3-2 = 52%
The Ulsterman in many ways had an underwhelming Formula One career, but there was one glorious season in 1999 when, with the best car, he came within a sniff of being world champion. Won his only four grands prix that year and led the championship with one race to go but came third behind Mika Hakkinen in Suzuka to hand the title to the Finn. Moved to Jaguar where he won two podium finishes but never challenged for the title again
37) Matthew Stevens 5-3-3-1-1 = 52%
The Welsh snooker player has a fine track record for regularly blowing big leads. Has twice lost in the final of the World Championships, beaten 18-16 by Mark Williams in 2000, having led 13-7, and again by 18-16 by Shaun Murphy in 2005, having led 10-6. He has also lost in the semi-finals three times and in 2007 lost his quarter-final to Murphy 13-12, having been 12-7 in front. A former world No 6, he has now slipped to No 20.
36) Scotland rugby team 1991 4-1-3-3-2 = 52%
Does it count as a great British loss if you lose to another British side? Perhaps it does if you come within two kicks of reaching a World Cup final. The scene: Murrayfield, 1991, rugby World Cup semi-final. Scotland’s best side for a generation, grand slam champions the year before, play England in a dour match. Gavin Hastings misses a penalty from in front of the posts and England advance to the final 9-6.
35) Greg Rusedski 5-1-2-3-2 = 52%
The only British man to reach a grand-slam final in the past 30 years, Rusedski was often overshadowed by Tim Henman but while he did not match his compatriot’s repeated achievements at Wimbledon, the Canadian-born tennis player reached a high of world No 4 and lost the US Open final to Pat Rafter in four sets. It would be the pinnacle of his career.
34) England cricket team 2006-07 1-3-3-3-3 = 52%
What a fall from grace. Ashes champions one year, 5-0 whipping boys the next. The Australians know how to dish out revenge and it was brutal. Many reputations were shredded last winter and are only slowly recovering. A poor World Cup and a lost series against India this summer have not helped.
33) David Beckham post-Manchester United 2-3-4-3-1 = 52%
A fairly miserable four-year stay in Madrid after Beckham left his boyhood club in 2003 was followed by a more disastrous move to LA Galaxy, dismissed by one of his team-mates this week as no better than a pub team. Madrid won only one trophy in his four years, and that came in the final match he played. After scoring five goals in his first 13 games, he found the target only eight more times. Didn’t have much joy with England either.
32) Mike Atherton 1-3-3-5-2 = 56%
For much of the mid and late 1990s, Mike Atherton was the first and last line of defence for the England cricket team. Unlike Graham Gooch, his predecessor as England captain, he did not boast a large average and his substantial quantity of runs came over 12 years, but he was the most reassuring batsman in the England camp. His defiance, particularly against South Africa and Allan Donald, could be riveting – the 643-minute innings of 185 not out in 1995 standing out, but it was largely downhill from there
31) Jon Brown 3-3-2-3-3 = 56%
They say that fourth place is the worst place to finish – and Brown has done it twice in the Olympics, coming just outside the medals in Sydney and Athens, missing out on bronze by seven and 15 seconds respectively. He has had four finishes in the top 15 in the London Marathon. Naturally, his best finish there was fourth.
30) Tom Simpson 2-2-3-5-2 = 56%
Perhaps the most talented British cyclist, Simpson tragically died on Mount Ventoux during the 1967 Tour de France but had made his mark. Came fourth in both individual pursuit and road race in the 1959 world championships and came 29th on the Tour de France the next year. Won four Classic one-day races and wore the maillot jaune as leader of the Tour de France in 1962, finishing sixth overall but never won a stage. Became the first Briton to win the world road-racing title in 1965.
29) England cricket team 1992 5-1-4-3-1 = 56%
England had been beaten finalists in cricket’s World Cup twice before, notably when Mike Gatting’s misjudged reverse sweep proved costly in 1987, but the 1992 final was arguably their best chance with several England players at the peak of their powers. Pakistan, who beat England in the final by 22 runs, should not even have been there. Bowled out by England in the group stage for 74, Pakistan escaped with a draw thanks to rain. It was enough to ensure that they qualified as the fourth semi-finalist. England have never since reached another semi-final.
28) Roger Bannister in 1952 3-1-4-2-5 = 60%
Selected as an Olympic ‘possible’ in 1948, Bannister preferred to set his sights on the 1,500 metres in the 1952 Helsinki Games. Had been impressive over the previous two years and ten days before the Olympics had run a three-quarter mile in 2:52.9, but he was thrown by the late decision to have semi-finals. Qualified fifth from his heat and, although he set a new British record in the final, he missed the medals by one place. Made up for it two years later with the first sub-four-minute mile, which he lowered to 3:58.8 in the 1954 Commonwealth Games.
27) Graham Gooch from 1990-95 2-2-3-4-4 = 60%
England’s most prolific batsman in cricket history, whose best years came 15 years after his Test debut at the age of 21. He flourished with the burden of captaincy and as he approached 40 his batting became better and better. In the last five years of his career, from 1990-1995, he was one of the best batsmen in the world, averaging 51.55 with 12 hundreds, yet England won only 13 of the 45 Tests in that period. Gooch’s failure was that he could not persuade his countrymen to be more like him. His reputation has not diminished even if England have improved.
26) Celtic 2002-03 5-1-3-3-3 = 60%
Celtic have tasted success several times in European competition, but 2003 was a chance that went begging. They beat Liverpool, Stuttgart on the way to the final, but were outgunned by Porto 3-2, who scored the winning goal with five minutes left in extra time. Have since won the Scottish Premierleague and Scottish Cup three times, and reached the quarter-finals of the Uefa Cup in 2004.
25) Gordon Pirie 4-1-4-4-2 = 60%
The long-distance runner from Leeds won the 1955 Sports Personality of the Year award but his best achievements came the next year when he set world records at both 3,000 and 5,000 metres. It made his performance at the Melbourne Olympics rather disappointing, finishing eighth in the 10,000 metres and coming second by 11 seconds behind Vladimir Kuts, of Russia, in the 5,000 metres. Claimed bronze in the 1958 European Championships.
24) England football team 1996 4-1-4-4-2 = 60%
Football came home in 1996 and Terry Venables’s side were optimistic of winning the European Championships. A 4-1 win over Holland raised expectations and when England won a penalty shoot-out, against Spain, the nation went berserk. Enter the Germans and their clinical finishing to calm things down in the semi-final.
23) Grantley Goulding 5-1-4-4-1 = 60%
Britain’s entry in the 110 metres hurdles at the first modern Olympics in 1896 faced only one competitor in the final after the other two withdrew. Goulding stumbled out of the blocks but closed up the gap and officials declared that he was beaten on the line by just five centimetres. Apparently he did not stop to say farewell to Thomas Curtis, who won the gold for the United States, but “took the first train out of Athens”.
22) Bunny Austin 5-4-3-2-1 = 60%
Fred Perry cast a shadow even in his own day. Austin was the nearly man of British tennis in the 1930s, twice reaching the final of Wimbledon, twice getting the final of the US Championships (as the US Open was then known) and once losing the French Open final. In the 1938 Wimbledon final he was beaten by Don Budge and won only four games, a small improvement on the 1932 Wimbledon final when he won six games. Was the last Brit to get to the final of Wimbledon.
21) Ryder Cup team 1999 4-1-3-3-5 = 64%
If it wasn’t for the 1999 Ryder Cup team losing in Brookline, Europe would have won the past six competitions against the United States. Leading 10-6 going into the final day’s singles matches, Mark James’s team looked well set to defend the title, but defeats for Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke and Andrew Coltart, all British, handed the US victory by one point. Revenge has been total.
20) Henry Cooper 4-3-3-4-2 = 64%
“Our ‘Enry” twice won the Sports Personality of the Year award but never won the world heavyweight title. He fought Muhammad Ali twice, knocking him down in the fourth round in 1963. When they met for the world title in 1966, Ali cut Cooper’s face badly. His final fight was a controversial 15-round defeat to Joe Bugner
19) Peter Oosterhuis 5-3-3-3-2 = 64%
The Colin Montgomerie of the 1970s, Oosterhuis won four consecutive European Orders of Merit and was a dependable Ryder Cup player but the English golfer never landed a major title. He was runner-up in the Open twice, in 1974 and 1982, on the latter occasion being one stroke behind Tom Watson, led the Masters after three rounds in 1973 before coming third and led the Open after two rounds in 1975 before coming seventh, three strokes off the lead.
18) Ireland rugby team 2004-07 4-3-4-4-1 = 64%
The greatest generation of Ireland rugby players, with names that should resonate through the generations (O’Driscoll, O’Gara, Murphy, Hickie, Stringer…). Just the one problem, they kept on blowing their chances. Three triple crowns in three years is not to be sniffed at, but Ireland could and should have won the championship, if not the grand slam, in 2004, 2006 and 2007. Drawn in a tough pool in the recent World Cup, they were well beaten by Argentina and France and nearly lost to Georgia.
17) England football team 1986-1990 4-2-4-4-2 = 64%
The Bobby Robson era took in a World Cup quarter-final and a semi-final and featured some of the best players to pull on a white shirt, including Gary Lineker, Peter Shilton and Paul Gascoigne. Maradona’s brilliance and the Hand of God knocked them out of the Mexico World Cup but Lineker won the Golden Boot. A poor Euro 88 was followed by the masterful Italia 90, for which they qualified without conceding a goal. It was the West Germans, naturally, who spoilt the party but it helped to speed the rehabilitation of football in British society after the Heysel disaster.
16) England football team 1970 3-3-5-4-1 = 64%
If Euro 68 was a hiccup, Mexico 1970 was a choke. England were felt to have a stronger team than they had in winning the World Cup four years earlier and despite the foreign conditions England progressed to the quarter-finals with only a 1-0 pool loss to Brazil, the favourites, to spoil the mood. They were expected to meet again in the final, but West Germany’s calmness and Peter Bonetti’s lapses in goal turned a 2-0 quarter-final lead for England into a 3-2 win for the Germans. English football took a long time to recover.
15) England football team 1967-68 4-2-4-4-3 = 68%
Two years after winning the World Cup, Bobby Moore’s side were upended in Euro 68. In preliminary qualifying, they were beaten 3-2 at Wembley by Scotland but scraped through when Scotland lost to Northern Ireland. England then came from behind in Madrid to beat Spain and qualify for the semi-finals where they lost to an 87th-minute goal by Yugoslavia.
14) Lewis Hamilton 5-1-3-4-4 = 68%
Almost the perfect debut season. Hamilton has been the first British driver for eight years to have a sniff of winning Formula One’s drivers’ championship and he was prevented from winning on Sunday by just two points. Finished third in his first grand prix and won four races in his first season, he led the championship by 12 points with two races to go but had a disastrous end to the season. He will be back, so we’re giving him pre-emptive rehabilitation points.
13) Devon Loch 5-5-4-3-1 = 72%
The Grand National winner who wasn’t. Dick Francis was cruising to victory on Devon Loch in 1956 when the Queen Mother’s horse, perhaps afflicted by cramp, slipped and collapsed 45 metres from the winning post.
12) Arsenal in Europe 5-3-3-4-3 = 72%
Arsenal have a noble record of winning trophies in England but their European adventures are limited to one Cup Winners’ Cup trophy in 1994 and a Fairs’ Cup in 1970. Twice runners-up in the CWC, once in the Uefa Cup and once, most agonisingly, in the Champions League final of 2006 when they took the lead but lost to two late goals by Barcelona.
11) Paula Radcliffe 4-2-4-4-4 = 72%
The 2002 Sports Personality of the Year won hearts for her determination to fight back from serial near-misses and injuries. She made her mark in 1995 when coming fifth in the world championships in the 5,000 metres, finishing in the same position in the Olympics a year later. Improved to fourth in the 1997 worlds and second in the 1999 10,000 metres worlds but the big titles continued to elude her until, in 2002, she switched to marathons and immediately won in London and Chicago. Added the Commonwealth 5,000 metres and European 10,000 metres titles. Has since won the London marathon twice more and the worlds marathon, but will be remembered in part for her teary collapse in the Athens Olympics. Still has something to prove next year in Beijing.
10) Dai Rees 5-4-3-4-3 = 76%
Best remembered as the Great Britain golf captain whose team won the 1957 Ryder Cup, Rees has the best record of any Welshman in the Open. He came second three times, in 1953, 1954 and 1961, on the last two occasions just one stroke behind the winner. He also came third once and fourth once.
9) Frank Bruno 5-3-4-4-3 = 76%
Forty wins in 45 bouts and a heavyweight title does not make one a loser, but Bruno cultivated the lovable image. The future pantomime star had 21 consecutive wins by knockouts at the start of his professional career but the run ended when he was knocked out by ‘Bonecrusher’ Smith while leading on points. Lost to Tim Witherspoon for the world title while ahead, rocked Mike Tyson, beat Oliver McCall to become world champion but then lost it in his first defence to Tyson. Has suffered from mental problems since but has many fans hoping for a recovery.
8) Nigel Mansell 5-3-4-3-5 = 80%
Mansell, the most famous moustache in Formula One since Graham Hill, almost won the drivers’ championship in 1986. He needed to come third in the final race to hold off Alain Prost but Mansell’s left-rear tyre exploded with 19 laps remaining. Won six grands prix in 1987 but again came second, to Nelson Piquet, and finished runner-up to Ayrton Senna in 1991. It set up his finest season a year later when he began the year with five straight victories and finished with nine, winning the championship with ease.
7) Kelly Holmes 5-3-4-4-5 = 84%
Despite two gold medals in the Commonwealth Games, Holmes’s career was heading for a disappointing end before the Athens Olympics. The former Army judo champion had two silver medals from world championships, plus two more from the world indoors and European championships and a few bronzes to boot. A string of injuries did not help, but all that was forgotten after her double success at the 800 and 1500 metres in Athens.
6) Steve Backley 5-4-4-5-3 = 84%
A multiple winner at European and Commonwealth level, Backley had to make do with four silvers and a bronze in the world championships and Olympics. Even an Olympic record throw in 2000, his third Games, was not enough to win him the gold; Jan Zelezny threw 22cm farther with his next throw. In his fourth Games, he could come only fourth.
5) England rugby team 1991 5-4-4-4-4 = 84%
Dull, unadventurous rugby but good enough to reach a World Cup final (where have we heard that before?). England qualified to play Australia in the final of the 1991 World Cup but bizarrely decided to change their cautious playing style for the occasion. It backfired and Australia won 12-6. England won the grand slam in the Five Nations the next year.
4) Jimmy White 5-5-4-4-3 = 84%
Poor old Jimmy. Six finals, six losses but he remained the nation’s favourite snooker player. Just when Steve Davis’s powers were on the wane, along came Stephen Hendry to torment him some more. White’s closest chance came in 1994 when he lost 18-17 to Hendry.
3) Colin Montgomerie 5-5-3-4-4 = 84%
Five second-places spread across three different major championships is a pretty good haul and when they are set alongside eight Orders of Merit in Europe and an astounding record in the Ryder Cup, Montgomerie really ought to smile a bit more often. The 2006 US Open was the closest he came to victory, underclubbing at the last hole and losing by one stroke. At the age of 43 it was a good effort but the chance has surely passed him by.
2) Stirling Moss 5-5-4-4-4 = 88%
Moss is regularly described as the best driver never to win Formula One’s world championship. He was second four times in a row from 1955-58 and followed that with three third places before a bad crash ended his career. One of his many claims to fame was to be the subject of the standard question from police to speeding drivers.
1) Tim Henman 4-5-5-5-4 = 92%
No more will we hear “come on Tim” in SW19 at the end of June – and how we will miss him. Henman was mocked by those who thought him too nice, but his killer edge came through in those mammoth five-setters that were a speciality of his. So what if he never won Wimbledon? He was a top ten player for years, got to six grand-slam semi-finals, won an Olympic silver medal and defeated most of the best players in the world to win the Paris Masters. Match that, Murray.
Mike Catt the 'Human Speedbump' - got run over by Lomu, got hated by everyone in his adopted nation (ie in England circa 1998) as well as his nation of birth (RSA), and still won a World Cup winner's medal, which was one more than Lomu (and one more than aynone who played with Lomu, for that matter). Good lad.
Toby, Hove,
Surely Lewis Hamilton is the greastest Choker in the history of sport????? In the fastest car,leading the championship,he overdrives the first corner is sheer panic ,then panic stricken hits a button on his steering wheel to neutralize his car to blow the world championship.............
Robert, nadi, Fiji
I hope you saw the New York marathon, Paula Radcliffe is certainly no loser!
Becky, Wakefield,
Outraged comments seem to reflect a total misunderstanding of the intention of the article and list, although is was perfectly defined by the scoring method.
I, for one, a Frenchman knowing a bit about Britain, was just happy to be reminded of such admirable and endearing characters as Stirling Moss, Jimmy White and, yes, Eddie Edwards. No country other than yours could have produced Eddie the Eagle, and I say it with the utmost admiration.
Christophe Goux, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
This is disgraceful, this article has made me so mad. I can't believe you can refer to these people as losers. They are all legendary figures in British sporting history. How on Earth could you put Kelly Holmes on a list of losers? Two gold medals in one Olympic Games. These people have achieved so much in their lives which has brought glory not only to themselves but to Britain, what have you done? A loser is someone who gives up and so in my books none of these people are losers.
Becky, Wakefield,
These people have done so much for UK sport, persued their dreams and taken on some of the best people and teams in the world. In some cases they've won, so how can they be losers? Why do we, especially in England, build up our heroes so highly upon their pedestals and cut them down when they don't come in at Number 1? Take Tim Henman, how many people actually make it as far as the Wimbledon men's semis? That would be four a year. From the whole world. Plus he wasn't just there once. Some loser!
Please let's not do the same to Lewis Hamilton because Kimi won the F1 season this year, nor strike our Rugby heroes down for losing in the world cup final. It would serve us all right if England didn't make it past qualifying for Euro 2008, we chould be grateful for having the chance to compete. Surely the biggest loser are those who wasted their time putting together a list of inspirational high-achievers. Well done for at least attempting some praise, if not from the outset of the article.
Stevie, Fakenham, Norfolk,
I hope it's some consolation to those people who missed the spirit and compliments in this article that the English, Scottish and Irish would never come anywhere near 1st Place for the Sour Grapes Award when the Australians and New Zealanders are around!
Anne, Jozi, RSA
Actualy, Lewis led the championship by 17 points before the last two races.
So, that moves him higher on the list.
What a loser...
Dr C, London, UK
Lewis Hamilton got exactly what was coming to him...nothing!
Oh, and a number 14 spot in the "Top 50 great British Loser."
The Prima Donna should be up a few more spots, in my opinion. I would rate his national expectation extremely high, especially mid-season when he was leading the WDC and almost no one believed Kimi had a chance.
J. Eriksson, Stockholm,
Lewis Hamilton does not deserve to be on that list. Simple as that
Andy Fraser, Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Lewis Hamilton deserved to have the number 1 position but may be he is such a big loser....that he loses again....
ptown, valencia, catalonia
Thanks to everyone who has contributed their thoughts on my list - and apologies to any peeved Irish fans. My father is from Mayo and would never be called British. We'll ignore the fact that eight of the Ireland World Cup squad play for Ulster. As someone pointed out, that's more from the UK than Arsenal have.
Thanks especially to those (Gareth, Henry from Thailand, Harry from Sydney) who got the point of this piece - that it is to celebrate those who work bloody hard and come up just short of ultimate glory. Despite the title of this piece, these are not losers and those at the top (Henman and all) least deserve to be called losers. They are the best of the nearly men and have given us much joy and heartbreak
As for Jon Brown, well done to the two of you who spotted that I'd mis-read a decimal place. It's been changed now.
Patrick Kidd, London,
I must say I'm rather tickled at the posts from my cousins in the Republic who (perhaps understandably) scampered to this article headed "Great British Losers" only to find their schadenfreude as short-lived as British sporting achievement :) Mum from Carlingford, dad from Cork btw, currently living in the Britis/Irish/whatever you care to call them Isles...
philip, cambridge,
Eddie (the eagle) recently plastered my son's kitchen in Gloucestershire. Did a great job, but very expensive
Melaragni, London, uk
<<Im pretty sure Australia has the highest number of nobel prize winners per capita.... >>
I think he might mean highest number of delusional halfwits.
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/peo_nob_pri_lau_percap-nobel-prize-laureates-per-capita
Maria, Sydney,
I thought it was only when we won something that the Brits claimed us. Now ye are claiming us as looser!
The education standards in Britain must be falling if ye can't sort out the Geography at this stage. Maybe ye are still using pre 1921 maps?
Ciaran O'Loughlin, Ennis , Republic of Ireland.....(not Britain!)
If you're from nothern ireland you are British as Northern Ireland is still part of the uk. therefore, you should have a british passport and not an irish one. It is like someone from south korea playing for north korea!!
Peter, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Peter under the Belfast Agreement those who live in Northern Ireland are considered citizens of Ireland and can, as many chose to do, hold an Irish passport by law.
The British Isles comprise "Great Britain and Ireland and adjacent islands in the north Atlantic". If the islands are Britsh, so must be the people who live on them.
Matthew, Ringwood, UK
Matthew the British Isles is a term which was used during the period when all of Ireland was under British rule or as commenwealth country. Since the declaration of a Republic in 1949 the correct term is the British - Irish Isles.
Tomás, County Kerry, Ireland
Tomás, Kerry, Ireland
Great article. But there IS a serious point here. What is it about the British psyche that prevents us from crossing the finishing line first?
We're even at the point as a nation, that when we do have a true sporting giant like Sir Steve Redgrave, we interpret his dedication and single-minded as 'arrogance'.
We fundamentally prefer a 'good-bloke' loser to a 'git' winner!
And no-one remembers Paula Radcliffe's amazing performances. We're obsessed with her hideous, soul-baring, unravelling failure.
John Kelly, Stamford, UK
Since when have Irish teams counted as British?
Darren Gleeson, Dublin, Ireland
RJA, Nottingham,
I've taken the bait again.. but hey its fun rubbing your nose in it. Here we go:
1/ Winter Olympics: Golds - Alissa Camplin (aerials), Steve Bradbury (1000m short track speed skating), Dale Begg-Smith (freestyle skiing), Bronze - Zali Steggel (slalom), 5000m short track relay team. Except for the relay team all of these medals were won at the last three games. GB and Northern Ireland's totals over the same period = 1G, 1S, 2B.
2/ We have competed in the 4 man, 2 man, 2 women bob, luge and skeleton. Admittedly we are pretty rubbish at all of these events but hey, like you said, so what.
I agree with one of your comments though, it is unlikely that you will ever see an Aussie write a list like this as we generally take the view that it is important that you have a go and it is how well you played the game that counts. Winning or losing does not come into it.
AussieDigger, London,
People in Northern Ireland can now hold an Irish passport if they wish to. All my friends in Derry and Belfast hold Irish passports.
Sinead, Galway, Ireland
The "human speedbump" comment from the Aussie yob will not stand. Catt deserves praise , accolades, kudos and more for coming back from that , playing in at least two other RWCs, as far as I know , and getting a gold and silver for his efforts. If that aint sporting heroism nothing is. Till I started reading the Timesonline I didnt realise how many be*ks call themselves Australian.
As for the men women and animals in your list of "losers" most of them are tremendous role models for participation, commitment and guts. If we are too chicken to play and lose no-one would ever win.
Bokfan , Johannesburg, RSA
I think the article is good. We think we are great but we are not. Yes, we are leaders in many areas but face facts, :D We are Great at Losing. No need to get sad. Lets just keep battling on.
Gareth Trow, Middlesbrough, UK
51 if you include Dave Bedford, he with the red socks.
P. Telling, Barham.
P. Telling, Ipswich, England
Im pretty sure Australia has the highest number of nobel prize winners per capita and you guys cant seem to get enough of Rolf Harris or Barry Humphries haha. Please do us a favour though and keep Germaine Greer please.
Matt, Sydney, Australia
Eddie the Eagle landed in to the bottom percentile of most competitions he entered but he always came back. He is the true incarnation of the spirit of good sportsmanship. Norway loves sports heroes like him.
S Dale, Oslo, Norway
Yes, fair point about the Ireland rugby team. I included them because they feature players from Ulster, but of course most of the biggest underachievers are properly from the south. Still, the way they have repeatedly blown up when on the verge of something big suggests that an air of bottling it must have floated across the Irish Sea.
Still, it makes a change. I thought that Irish normally got annoyed that we only refer to Irish as being British when they win things.
Patrick Kidd, London,
Where's Colin Jackson?
Nigel, Cambridge,
I'm not a Brit but how refreshing is it to see sporting-related issues NOT dredged through the mindless mire of nationalism and myopic xenophobia.
What is wrong with lauding the achievements of the also-rans? It is easy to barrack for the favourites and winners.
Eddie Edwards:
"The man so hapless that the International Olympic Committee passed a special rule to prevent people like him competing again."
Brilliant . . . and an English Champion
Henry Gaier, Chanthaburi, Thailand
I´m missing Ron Dennis, and his "sportive style" on this list! XD
scuba, Gran Canaria, Sapin
I wonder if you get the idea of this list, Peyton.... it is not a list of losers, but of very good sportsman who didn't quite win the ultimate prize. Its not negative at all.
I wish there was more of this good humoured joy in sport, that isn't all about winning.
Harry, Sydney,
What about the Scotland football team 1872 - 2007?
Owen, London,
Mr Peyton - You're sledging us Aussies and we weren't even on the field. Consoling yourself with the assumption that sport is the only thing we are good at. True, we've only managed 11 Nobel prizewinners in sciences and 1 for literature. Only won the Booker Prize 5 times. Only 6 of our universities are ranked in the world's top 50 by the Times HES (UK has 7); only 4 Australian cities are ranked in the world's top 10 for "llveability" by the Economist; only 3rd on the UN's Human Development Index . Only a handful of Australian actors, producers and directors have won Oscars lately . Can do better and we're trying.
But do consider whether an element of prejudice and sheer lack of interest contributes to ignorance of Australia in non-
sporting spheres. As the man says about our boastful sportsmen who denigrate others - name them. We may not punch above our weight particularly outside the sporting field. But its always endearing how far the Brits punch below theirs.
David Richards, Canberra, Australia
What about Celtic away games in the Champions League - they have gained 1 pt out of 45 pts. That's record breaking.
Mike, Dubai,
I find it bizarre that you call Roger Bannister an "almost" anything. I have absolutely no interest in track and field events but even I have heard of RB, as the first person to run a 4 minute mile. He will remain known for that, even among the many millions who could not name an Olympic medal winner if you paid them
John Duggan, Lisbon, Portugal
What about the 12 drivers Title's and 28 team Title's ? Great Britain are the most successful country in the world at Formula one. Besides which you can't go winning all the time it just would'nt do. Look at the Eurovision song contest, sure we could win it every year but it's only the Americans who do things like that.
Just look at the numbers(money) Great Britain is miles out in front. London is Financial and Cultural capital of the world, bar none.
Bat and Ball, car races it's kids stuff let johnny foreigner win, It's money that makes the world go round, and great Britain is up there with the best of them.
Rule Brittania.
God save the queen.
Will, Hannover,
Yes true but....... Australians are meerly our criminal outcast from years ago.
Will, Hannover,
If it was a kiwi list wouldn't you just list every All Black from the last 20 years? They don't have anything else do they?
Matt, London,
I'm bemused by some of this. The premise is that if you didn't win then you're a loser. Well, to the Aussy gent, England beat you twice in sucessive world cups so if we're losers, what are you? Hamilton came seond in the world championship ahead of everyone else but one - loser? Monty has a brilliant European record and would probably smile more if he wasn't incldued as a 'loser' in lists like this. Do I assume that all journalists who didn't win this the Pulitzer are losers?
Tom, London, UK
I'm so disappointed by this list, from the 'most read' tab you can't tell it's a sports feature, I was expecting something wonderful with perhaps Ernest Shackleton as #1. Now that would have been worth reading.
Diane, Sutton,
If you're from nothern ireland you are British as Northern Ireland is still part of the uk. therefore, you should have a british passport and not an irish one. It is like someone from south korea playing for north korea!!
Peter, Belfast, Northern Ireland
The British Isles comprise "Great Britain and Ireland and adjacent islands in the north Atlantic". If the islands are Britsh, so must be the people who live on them.
Matthew, Ringwood, UK
how can you say people are losers? at least they try unlike you. You just sit there for hours thinking of people who in your eyes tried and failed. at least they tried. a loser isnt someone who tries and doesnt suceed a loser is someone who doesnt try.
S.K., cardiff, Wales
How could a list of English sporting loosers ever be complete without Mike Catt's attempt to tackle Jonah Lomu in the South African hosted Rugby World cup of 1995. He will forever be remembered as the human speed hump.
Adrian Nolan
Adrian Nolan, Penant Hills, NSW
I find it odd that you characterise many of these as 'losers'. It is surely in the nature of sport that sometimes achievements are made and goals reached. And sometimes they are not. But to place athletes that have reached, for example, the status of World Champion in their respective sports in a list of failures I find misguided.
To achieve they have had to give everything they have. They have to be as prepared to fail as to succeed, and publicly! This is not a list of losers. It is a list of some very capable, corageous and ambitious people. They are deserveing of respect.
Sally, Bristol,
Ian, Sydney.
Oh I'm sure we can come up with a lot more. That's because we compete in lots of things. Whereas you seem to settle for cricket, swimming, Aussie rules, and league. All of which you're good at admitedly, but it is a somewhat limited field isn't it ? I don't think I've ever seen an Australian competing in the winter Olympics, and certainly not on the ski-jump, or the bobsleigh, crickey ! Even the Jamaicans have tried that, to their credit.
So you bask in the glories of Ian Thorpe (the slightly dodgy Ian Thorpe) and stuffing the poms at cricket. And we'll turn our hands at all sorts of things. most of which we'll lose at. But so what.
I wonder if an Aussie could have written an article like this. Doubt it. Your biggest cultural exports are Dame Edna, Kylies bum, and that crocodile bloke.
RJA, Nottingham, England, UK.
You need a bigger list!
David Allen, Woy Woy, Australia
No. 1 - 50: (tied): English football and cricket teams. Apart from two years: 1966 and 2005, English football and cricket has been pathetic.
Amrit Kolluru, Cambridge, New Zealand
Jon Brown, fourth in the Olympic Games 'by seven and 15 hundredths of a second respectively.' Really? Well, when I watched the races, he was certainly further behind the bronze medallists than that. Get your facts right.
I think your list is totally pointless. The real losers in sport are people like Dwain Chambers and Paul Gascoigne. Why aren't they on your list?
Steven Mills, Plymouth,
David Bedford?
Heather, Croydon,
And you have the cheek to call the All Blacks chokers - you appear to have a country full of them !.
You actually missed out the pathetic English Americas Cup perfomances. You lost it over 160 years ago and have spent millions trying to win it back - with no result!
kiwikidd, Auckland, New Zealand
Invite the laughing Aussie to produce a list: his countryman's heroic sporting flops.
They are even more dramatic that ours: include an Americas Cup boat that sank mid-race; an Olympic rowing eight that stopped rowing with the line and a medal in sight; a group of fairies that pretended to be a rugby team in France in 2007; a football side that has only made the World Cup when it is held in Germany; Shane Warne; not a single male gold medal track and field winner in nearly 50 years (staggering that); Greg Norman - the epitome of a choker; the Olympic walker who was entering the stadium for her gold and was disqualified for running; Cadel Evans; did I mention not a single male gold medal track and field winner in nearly 50 years; apart form their overseas imports, barely a boxer of merit for 50 years, and their best heavyweight, "Aussie" Joe Bugner; Craig Mottram; Kostya Tzsu doing his impersonation of drunk against Ricky Hatton.
Go on make a list for a bloody good laugh!!
BIG Ted, Brisbane, Essex
As an Australian I love reading list of British failures! Is the editor Australian? It would be considered treason here. And why is there no mention of every British Olympic team since 1936?
Damian, Brisbane, Australia
How about the Leeds United team of 1969-1970. Supposed to be the best but failed to get any!!
Arzmi Yaacob, Subang Jaya, Malaysia
Choking has a home in England
Hawkesy, Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia
I wouldn't describe Kelly Holmes as a "loser" - she's a double Olympic gold medallist! Colin Jackson would, however, make the list in my opinion, because he always fell at the last hurdle (pun intended) at the Olympics.
Joanne (a Brit abroad), Wellington, NZ
My heart bleeds for the British punters who faithfully supported their local hero only to be undone time after time after time.
Tom, Perth, Oz,
The biggest English / British loser of all time has to be what you call "football", as in soccer. What a dull, one-dimensional unphysical sport! No wonder spectators vandalise the stadiums and belt the daylights out of each other! No wonder they have time and attention to devout to such nice singing! Soccer is the last sick joke of the British Empire on an ungrateful world.
Leonard 7248, Launceston, Australia
I am an Australian but agree with A. Peyton. Australians can dish out out but cant take it so well. Look at the near punch ups when teams like India sledge the Aussies!
That said, the UK drastically under performs given the population size & amount of money spent on sport in the country.
Julio, Vancouver,
I wouldn't count Arsenal in the CL final last year as being British either.
Steve, London,
Scottish football team 78 surely?
Grant Ogilvie, London,
The island of Ireland is still part of that geographical entity, the British Isles, so in geographical terms Irish people can still be described as British, just as a Ghanaian can be described as an African or a Swede as a Scandinavian. However more recenrtly the term British has come to be used specifically to describe the people of Great Britain, which is a political entity, so this may be where all this heat under the collars is coming from. To solve the confusion the Eire Irish could always remove their portion of the island from the European continental shelf and put it somewhere more to their own liking; the Caribbean perhaps. Do you know the worst thing, in recent geological history Ireland was joined to Britain, and (Ohmygod) Britain was joined Europe. Get a grip you people! You must be even more bored at work than I am! My excuse is that I've quit am working out my notice; what's yours?
Nick, York, UK
Re No. 18. The Ireland Rugby team are IRISH, not British. Ye've enough losers of your own without trying to claim ours.
Sinead, Galway, Ireland
As a Kiwi I have to both agree and disagree!
They say we are "more British than the British themselves" so to call us predictable and dull - while somewhat accurate you only have yourselves to blame!
As for scientists/writers/musicians etc - we may not have them in droves, but for a country with the population of a suburb or two of London, New York, Tokyo or even Sydney we probably punch above our weight. Ernest Rutherford ring any bells? Splitting the atom? Probably only the most important scientific discovery ever made....
Luckily for us all, sport is one of the great levellers - where all the population and so-called depth (viz All Blacks and/or English football team) in the world counts for nothing.
I'm unsure whether to ridicule or admire the British sporting public but its the perpetual belief your sports teams (particularly football and cricket) even have a chance of winning anything that makes you special!
Ben, Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
What about Jenson Button ?
Colin , Melbourne, Australia
44) England rugby team 2007 4-1-1-3-3 = 48%
Let's get it right - you can win if you don't cheat.
1. Tackled, held the ball, penalty.
2. Deliberately trip an opponent, penalty.
3. etc (couldn't watch more after those stupidities)
We didn't lose it, we gave it away.
Ian, Solihull,
Even as a supporter, I'm quite surprised Newcastle United (1995-1996) didn't make it in there! Blowing a 10 point January league with some of the best players ever to play at the club - shocking!!
David, Gateshead,
Grantley Goulding is obviously revered - there isn't even a pic of him!
Sean, Nagoya,
Tim from Seoul - the rugby players that were listed do not have British passports.
Anyway, why isn't King Kev on the list, the most-loved failure as a football manager as they come!
Sean, Nagoya,
What about Colin Jackson, ok, World Champion and World Record holder, but never won Olympic Gold despite several attempts.
Captain, Brighton, UK
As an Aussie living here, this list is great and tops off a perfect week....thanks for the laughs
Sean, London,
As above how on earth can the Ireland rugby team be in such a list, they should be in the list of Great Irish Loosers, clearly!
mike65, waterford,
Northern Ireland is in the UK (the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). So a list of British Sportsmen should not even include any from Northern Ireland.
Shaun, Macclesfield,
I live in Finland and the only sportsperson they know of, excluding F1 (is that sport?), is Eddie the Eagle!!
Surely he should be No.2?
Well done Tim...
Matt, Espoo, Finland
How can you leave out the Great Britain Rugby League team!!!
League Freak, Sydney, Australia
Hardly fair to call the 2007 England rugby side losers. To reach the world cup final, having beaten Australia and the hosts convincingly, and then be pipped at the post by a strong South African side was a magnificent achievement.
andrew b, london, UK
Dear losers,
RE no 18 - you lost Ireland in 1921. Please stop trying to take it back.
Lanod, Ireland,
Well technically Frank Gordon by your definition i.e. the academic one of what georgraphy the word British entails we shouldn't include the Scots. Britiain is only England and Wales with Great Britain also including Scotland. The United Kingdom of course includes N. Ireland but in general language use British is deemed to include the whole UK. Oh and one more thing, the British Isles includes island of Ireland and mainland UK so we could incorrectly argue that British simply means the geographical bounds of the British Isles but no son of Eire would accept that. Just why do folks get upset but miniscule issues and miss the big picture which is a fun celebration of the plucky British tradition of giving it a go.
Matt S, Connecticut, USA (Brit ex-pat)
I have fun memoried of Eddie the Eagle :)
Quick nose around shows that Great Britain includes Northern Ireland.
A Tysoe, Sacramento, California
Agree with Mark,New York.
As they say ' it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of
a needle than for an Ulsterman to play for Ireland'.
As Ulstermen dont want to be associated with 'losers, suggest
Northern Ireland get their own rugby team.
David, Stockholm
David Nelson, Stockholm, Sweden
A. Peyton, Fukuoka, Japan
I can't believe I'm going to be sucked in by your comments.. but you did ask about our intellectuals and creative types. Here is a short list (in no particular order, and having spent only 5mins to put it together off the top of my head):
1/ Phillip Noyce, Peter Weir, Bazz Luhrman - Directors
2/ Collette Dinnigen, Sass and Bide- Fashion Designers
3/ Germaine Greer - Author
4/ Clive James - Author / Comedien
5/ Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Heath Ledger, Cate Blanchett, Mel Gibson, Geoffrey Rush, Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths etc. etc.
6/ Patrick White - Nobel Prize winning author
7/ Lawrence Bragg & William Bragg, Howard Florey, Macfarlane Burnett, John Eccles, Bernard Katz, John Cornforth, Pete Doherty, Barry Marshall - All Nobel prize winning scientists (in fact, I think you will find that Australia is the country to have been awarded the highest number of Nobel prizes per head of population);
8/ John Harsanyi - Nobel prize winning economist
AussieDigger, London,
What about 50 British winners? What about Britain's Andy Priaulx bringing back, for the forth time, a world championship in Touring Cars. Why is it that the Brits always focus on the Negative......................?
rick gome, guernsey,
Pretty pointless list, in my opinion. If you are going to define a loser as someone that never won the highest accolade in their particular sport, or area, then you are effectively saying that the vast majority of sportsmen and women are losers. Tim Henman should never be considered a loser. As your article pointed out, he spent years in the top 10. That is not a loser - that is the stuff of a quality sportsman.
This obsession with calling someone a loser for not being utterly victorious is rather pathetic and another indication of the lengths to which the British press will go to put someone down. Any excuse.
S