Ian Wood: Those knee knockers come to us all

PRESSURE is what it's all about these days. Everybody's under it, or so it would appear. It's what makes sportspeople break down in tears when they lose and even when they win. It's what makes footballers run about with their jerseys pulled up around their heads and makes snooker players' eyes sink in their sockets as they age visibly in their seats.

Professionalism, with all the money that goes with it, usually gets the blame, though it is doubtful if that's all there is to it. Not that I've had any experience of playing for money in the serious sense of the word, but that's partly the point. It...