A quick briefing for the new sports minister

So farewell then, Kate Hoey and hello Richard Caborn, the new sports minister.

In Who's Who he lists his only recreation as "amateur football", which is very encouraging, as were the remarks he made on his appointment about sport in schools being important.

Let's hope that he is given a fair chance by those in my profession. Both of his predecessors were brought down by the hack pack, although in utterly different ways.

Tony Banks, the first minister for sport appointed by Tony Blair, was a decent cove but was loathed by a number of columnists, whose politics and pomposity prevented them from listening to what he was actually saying, most of which was quite sensible and unremarkable.

Next came Hoey. She had a coterie of favoured journalists who encouraged her in some fundamentally flawed beliefs.

In particular, the cabal of journos who want a permanent athletics track at the new Wembley helped persuade her to keep harping on about that folly.

So an argument which had been thoroughly debated and beaten was aired again and again and doubts about Wembley fermented and festered. Little wonder that the banks became wary of lending their money.

Caborn says a new National Stadium is not his priority, but he may be saying that so that he is not too deeply implicated if the Wembley fiasco grinds on too much longer.