What’s the Buzz: Tim Cahill not wanted, Arsenal come to town and

WHAT’S THE BUZZ: Former Arsenal star Freddie Ljungberg arrives to promote Gunners’ visit, while Tim Cahill had too much baggage for Sydney.

SAINT

BRITAIN’S Andy Murray and Frenchman Lucas Pouille for knocking our male tennis brats out of Wimbledon and saving this wonderful country from any further shame or embarrassment on the international sporting stage.

SINNER

DAVE Warner has rejected Ricky Ponting’s suggestion for smaller and lighter bats to be used in Test cricket. This guy already bats on flat pitches and faces popgun attacks compared to the great old fast bowlers of the past. He would have half his average if he’d played in the 1970s and ’80s.

WHAT’S THE BUZZ: How Krilich came back from the dead

Would David Warner be so effective with a smaller bat?

SHOOSH

WHICH State of Origin star was caught by bouncers with drugs in a nightclub just 24 hours before going into camp for game three? Luckily for the player in question, the bouncers didn’t call the police and just told him to get rid of the drugs.

SHOOSH II

TOWARDS the end of each year, we traditionally reveal those who have fallen out in sport and won’t be exchanging Christmas cards. We’re getting in early this year to reveal Bob Fulton and Dr George Peponis will be at the top of the list.

SHOOSH III

WHICH rookie NRL club chief executive needs to undertake an urgent course in public relations rather than ignore phone calls, text messages and emails from the media.

SHOOSH IV

AN NRL club has employed a private investigator to ensure one of their former players is no longer mixing socially with his ex-teammates because he is such a bad influence.

SPOTTED

THE Isle of Capri is the playground for Australia’s rich and famous to escape our winter. James Packer is there on his luxury ship Arctic P and so too is Roosters legend Anthony Minichiello who was spotted there last week with the Mayor of Gunnamatta, Marty Downs.

SPOTTED II

FATTY Vautin, Greg Alexander, Royce Simmons, John Cartwright, Phil Gould, Ray Hadley, Shane Flanagan, Lenny Stacker, Beau Ryan, Erin Molan, Pete The Greek and Todd Greenberg and your columnist at the 60th birthday party of Darryl Brohman at JD’s in Cronulla on Saturday night.

Former Arsenal star Freddie Ljungberg will be in Sydney to promote the Gunners’ tour.

FREDDIE’S GUNNER FIRE UP SYDNEY

HIS name is Freddie Ljungberg — the Arsenal legend almost as famous for his work as a Calvin Klein model as for his great deeds on the pitch.

And he’s heading to Sydney this week to promote the Gunners’ tour of Sydney, where they will play back-to-back blockbusters against Sydney FC and the Western Sydney Wanderers.

Swede Ljungberg, 39, made 216 appearances for Arsenal in a glittering 10-year career.

He was also captain of the Swedish national team, earning 75 caps.

But just as many people here in Australia will remember him as the face (or body) of Calvin Klein underwear — the good-looking football hero who helped deliver the company one of its most successful marketing campaigns.

Seats for next year’s matches at ANZ Stadium go on sale at 10am on Tuesday week. Such is the massive appeal of the EPL giants, first ticket allocations are expected to be exhausted within hours.

A keen sports fan, Ljungberg will attend State of Origin III on Wednesday night.

TURNING OFF TIM

IT appears certain Socceroos legend Tim Cahill will join cashed-up Melbourne City in the A-League in a huge boost for soccer in this country. Interestingly, there was little interest from Sydney FC or the Wanderers to enter into a bidding war — and not necessarily due to the price tag. It’s more to do with the fact both Tony Popovic and Graham Arnold regard Cahill as high-maintenance despite his ability as a goalscoring machine.

DARK, DANK PLACE

NEVER mind the lives he’s ruined — disgraced sports scientist Stephen Dank has picked up a paid gig as a panellist at a Sydney Opera House conference on, can you believe, legalising drugs in sport.

He is promoted in flyers as: “An Australian biochemist who has worked as a sports scientist with NRL clubs such as Manly Sea Eagles and AFL clubs such as Essendon and the Gold Coast Suns. He is known for his unorthodox treatment and diagnostic methods.”

And, remarkably, no mention of the Sharks’ or Essendon’s peptide scandals. He’ll be joined on the panel by former swimmer Lisa Forrest, Tracey Holmes and Kevan Gosper.

Despite everything, Parramatta fans still love Semi Radradra.

SEMI STILL THE ONE

DESPITE the Fijian escape, doubts about his future and domestic violence charges, Semi Radradra remains Parramatta’s most popular player by the length of a footy field. In fact, long-time Parramatta sports store owner Peter Wynn says Semi’s jersey has been as popular this year as any other player since he started the business. “It’s up there with Jarryd Hayne and even Peter Sterling and Brett Kenny from when I first started,” Wynn said, “It’s been huge.”

TIMELINE DRAGS ON

CHANNEL 9 is baulking at introducing a 7.30pm State of Origin kick-off next year at a more family-friendly time to rescue sliding ratings. In fact, the network is blaming the teams for the fact games one and two started well after the advertised 8.10pm kick-off. Nine rings a two-minute warning bell outside the dressing rooms at 8.08pm. In the first game, NSW kept the Maroons waiting six minutes. Queensland did the same thing to the Blues at Suncorp. Obviously, gamesmanship is more important than kids falling asleep by halftime.

NRL STRATEGY TORN APART

SHANE Richardson was paid $700,000 by former NRL CEO Dave Smith to be the Head of Strategy and set up reforms for the competition and a State of Origin schedule. His strongest recommendation was to scrap the Holden Cup under-20s competition. Sydney-based NRL clubs, headed by Phil Gould at Penrith, are now picking his recommendations apart and will insist Holden Cup stays.

PREMIER’S AIM MISDIRECTED

IT’S interesting that premier Mike Baird refuses to do anything about the violence and thuggery that is banned from this column — the punching, choking, kicking, stomping, elbowing and blood and brutality of UFC. Never mind the fact youngsters love to imitate their sporting heroes. Forget about it. Let’s just get rid of greyhound racing, a sport for the battlers, instead of chasing down and locking up the crooks responsible for the animal cruelty.

GOOD OPERATOR GOES

THE state government has lost one of its best sporting operators with PR guru John Redmond quitting the offices of Stuart Ayres, the minister for major events and sport. Ironically, it’s in the same week that Ayres stuffed up the State of Origin team announcement, doing a John Grant, by introducing ”James” Mansour and ”Jack” Trbojevic. He had a really tough role during the recent stadium wars but always aimed up and played his part like a true professional.

NAMES TO EXCITE

SOME famous league names were read out when NSW under-20s coach Dean Pay announced his side to play Queensland at ANZ Stadium on Wednesday. Canberra five-eighth Lachlan Croker is a nephew of Raiders and NSW stalwart Jason, while clubmate Zac Woolford is the son of ex-Raiders captain Simon. Paul Sironen’s son, Wests Tigers prodigy Bayley, was selected in the back row, while Jed Cartwright, whose father John won a premiership at Penrith and is Manly assistant coach, is 18th man.