It is now down to the final 8. However I am a bit dissapointed about the games of the second round.
During the first round we saw a number of exciting matches that were free flowing, exciting movement and some brilliant goals. Then as the tournament progressed, the games were more serious and teams started to play more conservative.
The pressure mounted, refs wilted and the goals also seemed to dissapear.
A typical world cup.
Now it is the final 8 and I hope to see more games like the Argentina and Mexico match. Attractive football being played where teams work the ball into attack instead of kicking it long (England) or wait for a counter attack (Italy).
Now to the final 8 matches and my thoughts:
Argentina versus Germany
What a match to start of the quarterfinals. The home team against one of the class acts from South America. It is a shame they meet so early rather than say the semi's but I believe that the the Argies have been playing good looking football during the tournament. Their team have a number of excellent players who aim to play as a team. Yet you can not discount the Germans with the home support. But the pressure and levels of expectations may hinder the Germans.
Prediction: Argies to beat the Germans after a 1-1 at full time, 2-2 at extra time.
Italy versus Ukraine
Well Italy were lucky to get through and Gosso should be back in time after his accepting his oscar for best actor. The Ukraine have the sublime skills of Shevchenko who if given the right service can do some damage. But the football umpires and the skill level of the Italians will win through. I am envisioning shades of Italy in 1994.
Prediction: Italy 3-1 in normal time against a 9 man Ukraine.
England versus Portugal
Look I am a huge fan of England but am so bored by their play. With the suspension of Portugese playmaker DECO and the potential no show of "crybaby" Ronaldo (a reason for ManUre fans to want him to go to Real Madrid, aren't you sick of him crying all the time?) makes it look like this will be a walkover for England.
But don't discount Phil Scolari, twice he has led his team to defeats of England, after being a goal down and even a man down (Brazil in 2002 and portugal in 2004). This is a key factor, he will ensure his players are motivated and throughly prepared for the match.
I do not see SVE being man enough to take off Lampard (who has not been scoring) to allow Stevvie G to play the attacking midfield role and have Carrick as the holding midfielder. This will ensure they win. If he keeps the same team then well they will just get through.
Prediction: England winning 4-3 penalties.
Brazil versus France
What matchups. Strikers of Ronaldo versus Henry (yep Ronaldo may have a bigger ass but his class is present and accounted for). The midfield of Zizou and Viera against Ronaldinho and Kaka.
Talking Ronaldinho, he has not been a stand out. The focus has been on some dubious decisions and Ronaldo. However it should be noted that he has created a couple of scoring opportunities for Brazil during this tournament. For this match he will need to show us some of that magic we see in the ads.
Time to show the world why he was world player of the year. While not discounting Les Blues it is going to be a crackerjack of a match and very exciting to watch.
Prediction: Brazil to samba their way to the semi finals 3-1
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Is England the new Germany?
Back in days before the 2006 world cup, German football teams were seen to be disciplined, rigid in their playing style and uncreative. This style of football resulted in this team being the kings of the 1/2 nil wins.
They were BOOOOOOOOOOOOOORING
It was painful to watch, if you remained awake that long. Teams playing against them would come up to a team that stiffled their style of play, if they managed to get the ball. I think that a number of the German victories resulted from their opponents falling asleep as they were denied posession. They were so defensive and it was not appealing to waste 2 hours of your life watching.
During the 2006 world cup, Germany are playing a little more attractive football. Sure there are occassions like the match against Sweden where they attacked in the first 20 minutes then they shut up shop, but at least there is some excitement in a German match.
Yet it appears that some teams in the world cup have taken on the task of playing boring and unimaginative 'German' football. Greece hired a German coach who implemented this style of play and they eneded up being crowned champions of Europe in 2004.
I dare to say it, I dare to name this team as very boring to watch.....
ENGLAND
who are playing boring football. I have noted that they have won matches with score lines by scoring 1 or 2 goals, play a rigid tactical game that relies on the long ball which makes it a yawn fest.
People around the world do not seem to enjoy watching England play but are compelled too given the worldwide appeal of the players in the squad ie) Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney, Ferdinand, Cole x 2, Crouch etc.
They were BOOOOOOOOOOOOOORING
It was painful to watch, if you remained awake that long. Teams playing against them would come up to a team that stiffled their style of play, if they managed to get the ball. I think that a number of the German victories resulted from their opponents falling asleep as they were denied posession. They were so defensive and it was not appealing to waste 2 hours of your life watching.
During the 2006 world cup, Germany are playing a little more attractive football. Sure there are occassions like the match against Sweden where they attacked in the first 20 minutes then they shut up shop, but at least there is some excitement in a German match.
Yet it appears that some teams in the world cup have taken on the task of playing boring and unimaginative 'German' football. Greece hired a German coach who implemented this style of play and they eneded up being crowned champions of Europe in 2004.
I dare to say it, I dare to name this team as very boring to watch.....
ENGLAND
who are playing boring football. I have noted that they have won matches with score lines by scoring 1 or 2 goals, play a rigid tactical game that relies on the long ball which makes it a yawn fest.
People around the world do not seem to enjoy watching England play but are compelled too given the worldwide appeal of the players in the squad ie) Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney, Ferdinand, Cole x 2, Crouch etc.
Dare I say it, the English have taken on the personality of a team and country, they have such history with.
Yep, England seem to be the new Germany!
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
The day after
I had to wait a while before I came back. I had to wait for the feeling to settle in, to comprehend what happened, to digest the significance and then to deal with it.
Somehow the Spanish referee saw something that others did not. He pointed to the spot and sank nearly 20 million hearts. It was cruel, it was unjust and it was tough to see that this was how the Socceroos would go out of the world cup.
This was the second of two bad decisions that changed the face of this match. The first was a very harsh red card that was awarded to Marco Materazzi. It was unjustified as he made more contact with his team mate that Bresciano. With the card, the Italians tightened their defence, making it very hard for Australia to take advantage of the extra man and penetrate their box. Plus Australia did not attack the flanks enough, settling to go through the centre where the most resitance was met.
Somehow the Spanish referee saw something that others did not. He pointed to the spot and sank nearly 20 million hearts. It was cruel, it was unjust and it was tough to see that this was how the Socceroos would go out of the world cup.
This was the second of two bad decisions that changed the face of this match. The first was a very harsh red card that was awarded to Marco Materazzi. It was unjustified as he made more contact with his team mate that Bresciano. With the card, the Italians tightened their defence, making it very hard for Australia to take advantage of the extra man and penetrate their box. Plus Australia did not attack the flanks enough, settling to go through the centre where the most resitance was met.
I guess as a fledgeling club in world football, we paid a price for our inexperience against one of the aristocrats. We seemed to be wiating for extra time, thinking we would have the fitness and man power to get a win. Italy played for a win. Lucas Neill provided an opportunity to Fabio Grosso to paratke in a favourite Italian past time and the rest you know.
We missed Harry Kewell who was unable to play due to injury, which robbed Australia of their most creative player, who could break down defences. Sometimes, one man can make a difference.
But after all the hate to the ref has subsided, after the furore over the penalty has dies down, Australians should be proud. We made the top 16 of the world cup. Australia gave a solid game to world heavyweights Brazil and Italy. We beat Japan and achieved a result against Croatia.
We did well and we should be proud.
We did well and we should be proud.
The End
Monday, June 26, 2006
Tonight will be about the future
Realisation.
That is what will unfold tonight.
The focus and thoughts of 20 million people in a land down under will look to Germany. To a game that embodies the future and the past.
The past in the blue and the future of the green and gold.
Much of Australia today has to thank the blue Azzuri and its mediterranean neighbours. When Italians, Greeks and other Europeans flocked to Australia post WW2, they brought a variety that would embed itself within Australia.
From the food, we derived a love of pasta and a thrist for good brewed coffee. We understood that it was enjoyable to sit in a cafe on a cold afternoon watching the world go by while we socialised with friends.
The decendants of southern Europe have forged a part in the Australian identity and made way for others. For if they could so it, then why can't a person born in Malaysian, of Indian-Sikh heritage also play a part.
It was the wogs, as they were referred to, who played their game of football here. They were the ones who used it as a means to touch base with their culture back home on the weekends. Australians would focus on the AFL and rugby codes but the italians, greeks, english, scots, they were the ones who wanted to bring the roundball game here. They were the ones who dlaid the foundation, a bare foundation, but a foundation nonetheless.
It was they who resulted in the game slowly and quitely enter the ether of Australiana.
That was the past.
Tonight, it could be the dawn of a new age.
Since that fabulous night of 16 November 2005, since John Aloisi hit the top left corner of the goal, the game has stormed into the Australian culture.
We were drawn with the world champions, a twist of fate that would have only been matched if we were to draw the old enemy - England.
We were asked to play against Japan, the best team in Asia. The confederation that we would be a part off, so why not play the best. Then we were to play Croatia, a team that comprised a number of players that were born here but chose toplay there. Similarly, we had 7 players who were of Croatian decendent who wanted to play wearing a gold jersey.
With each victory, the Australian public, who did not consider football or soccer a real sport have taken notice. After all is said and done, football may not have as much hype, butit has shown the children and afl/rugby mad public that this is truly THE WORLD GAME.
Tonight we play a team that we have never met at this level. Yet the ties Italy has with us makes it even more significant.
We have a coach who lead an unfacied South Korea to an extra time victory.
Both sides hae something to prove.
Australian football supporters want to show the Australian public that the sport is legitimate. That the football players should be reverred with sporting icons such as Waugh, Bradman, Silvagni, Warne and Hird to name a few.
And
Australia wants to show the world, that the assumption that we are backwater football nation was a foolish notion and that we belong.
My heart wants to see the green and gold overcome the blue. But my head, Metria and the world of football say otherwise.
The future awaits.
That is what will unfold tonight.
The focus and thoughts of 20 million people in a land down under will look to Germany. To a game that embodies the future and the past.
The past in the blue and the future of the green and gold.
Much of Australia today has to thank the blue Azzuri and its mediterranean neighbours. When Italians, Greeks and other Europeans flocked to Australia post WW2, they brought a variety that would embed itself within Australia.
From the food, we derived a love of pasta and a thrist for good brewed coffee. We understood that it was enjoyable to sit in a cafe on a cold afternoon watching the world go by while we socialised with friends.
The decendants of southern Europe have forged a part in the Australian identity and made way for others. For if they could so it, then why can't a person born in Malaysian, of Indian-Sikh heritage also play a part.
It was the wogs, as they were referred to, who played their game of football here. They were the ones who used it as a means to touch base with their culture back home on the weekends. Australians would focus on the AFL and rugby codes but the italians, greeks, english, scots, they were the ones who wanted to bring the roundball game here. They were the ones who dlaid the foundation, a bare foundation, but a foundation nonetheless.
It was they who resulted in the game slowly and quitely enter the ether of Australiana.
That was the past.
Tonight, it could be the dawn of a new age.
Since that fabulous night of 16 November 2005, since John Aloisi hit the top left corner of the goal, the game has stormed into the Australian culture.
We were drawn with the world champions, a twist of fate that would have only been matched if we were to draw the old enemy - England.
We were asked to play against Japan, the best team in Asia. The confederation that we would be a part off, so why not play the best. Then we were to play Croatia, a team that comprised a number of players that were born here but chose toplay there. Similarly, we had 7 players who were of Croatian decendent who wanted to play wearing a gold jersey.
With each victory, the Australian public, who did not consider football or soccer a real sport have taken notice. After all is said and done, football may not have as much hype, butit has shown the children and afl/rugby mad public that this is truly THE WORLD GAME.
Tonight we play a team that we have never met at this level. Yet the ties Italy has with us makes it even more significant.
We have a coach who lead an unfacied South Korea to an extra time victory.
Both sides hae something to prove.
Australian football supporters want to show the Australian public that the sport is legitimate. That the football players should be reverred with sporting icons such as Waugh, Bradman, Silvagni, Warne and Hird to name a few.
And
Australia wants to show the world, that the assumption that we are backwater football nation was a foolish notion and that we belong.
My heart wants to see the green and gold overcome the blue. But my head, Metria and the world of football say otherwise.
The future awaits.
Not all Dutch coaches are created equal
We all would have seen, read and reviewed about the Holland versus Portugal match this morning. The Russian referee has followed the path of Boris Yelstin by seemingly making a mess of things. Now Seep Blatter (FIFA president) has the 'galls' to say that he was over zealous with the yellow cards.
To recap, the Russian ref handed out 20 yellow cards which resulted in 4 players being sent off. At the end of the match both teams had 9 players on the pitch. It made for a comical match and obviously a number of players were slightly peeved.
But the issue I want to discuss is not the referee. It is Dutch coach Marco Van Basten. As a player he was class, part of those great Dutch teams that came close but were not good enough.
To Coach Van Basten, what were you thinking by keeping Ruud Van Nistlerooy on the bench? Your team and country had nothing to lose by attacking more. You were down a goal with a one man advantage and as the players kept being sent off the game opened up.
So why did you leave one of the better strikers on the bench.
Was this a result of the ego taking over. Well as a result, your team is out of the world cup, which is sad as they had the quality to progress.
Another Dutch adventure ending in disappointment for its fans.
To recap, the Russian ref handed out 20 yellow cards which resulted in 4 players being sent off. At the end of the match both teams had 9 players on the pitch. It made for a comical match and obviously a number of players were slightly peeved.
But the issue I want to discuss is not the referee. It is Dutch coach Marco Van Basten. As a player he was class, part of those great Dutch teams that came close but were not good enough.
To Coach Van Basten, what were you thinking by keeping Ruud Van Nistlerooy on the bench? Your team and country had nothing to lose by attacking more. You were down a goal with a one man advantage and as the players kept being sent off the game opened up.
So why did you leave one of the better strikers on the bench.
Was this a result of the ego taking over. Well as a result, your team is out of the world cup, which is sad as they had the quality to progress.
Another Dutch adventure ending in disappointment for its fans.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Lazy Sunday blogging
I have finally recovered from Friday mornings result between Australia and Croatia and feel it is time to blog. No talk about Australia at this time as that will come later.
Its a fairly lazy Sunday and I was supposed to take part in a football match but unfortunately we could not find a willing opponent, so that plan has been shelved. They must have heard about my goal scoring exploits and feared running against the Punjabi United Football Club (hehehe).
So instead I shall watch the Germany and Sweden match which I had recorded. The score is known but I look forward to seeing the action.
However, I was up to see the Argentina and Mexico match. I admit to being somewhat worried about the result when it stayed 1-1 but thankfully the team I have tipped to beat England in the final (although I am not sure about England making it that far) came through.
It was a sensational goal by Maxi Rodriguez who crafted a stipendous goal after chesting the ball forward to his left foot that flew over the Mexican keeper and into the top right hand corner of his goal. It was good to see a keenly fought match and the sights of Messi and Tevez playing - a sign that the Argentinian stocks will carry on to 2010.
I would include a witty comment in well known spannish but I can not think of anything apart from 'tacos' and 'speedy gonazalez'....the curse of Sundays.
But looking towards tonight match I wait to see if England are beginning to fire and will they make Ecuador their batty boys, or will we see a HUGE upset. I doubt it as the chances of Ecuador winning are as much as me growing hair back on my head!
The man who made bald cool
As the match kicks of at 1am here, I shall sleep BUT instead shall wake up to see the Nandos take the Oranje people (that is Portugal and the Netherlands). That should be a heck of a match with the likes of Figo, pretty boy and overhyped C Ronaldo, RVN, Diver Robben, Van Pussie etc.
I am looking for ORANGE to be the colour of the day. The match will be hard fought with the sublime skills of many players being displayed. However the Dutch treats shall be a class above the Portugese even with the like Big Phil Scolari sterring that ship!
A great night of action for football lovers.
Now I am off to watch the Germans make sauerkraut of the Swedes!
Its a fairly lazy Sunday and I was supposed to take part in a football match but unfortunately we could not find a willing opponent, so that plan has been shelved. They must have heard about my goal scoring exploits and feared running against the Punjabi United Football Club (hehehe).
So instead I shall watch the Germany and Sweden match which I had recorded. The score is known but I look forward to seeing the action.
However, I was up to see the Argentina and Mexico match. I admit to being somewhat worried about the result when it stayed 1-1 but thankfully the team I have tipped to beat England in the final (although I am not sure about England making it that far) came through.
It was a sensational goal by Maxi Rodriguez who crafted a stipendous goal after chesting the ball forward to his left foot that flew over the Mexican keeper and into the top right hand corner of his goal. It was good to see a keenly fought match and the sights of Messi and Tevez playing - a sign that the Argentinian stocks will carry on to 2010.
I would include a witty comment in well known spannish but I can not think of anything apart from 'tacos' and 'speedy gonazalez'....the curse of Sundays.
But looking towards tonight match I wait to see if England are beginning to fire and will they make Ecuador their batty boys, or will we see a HUGE upset. I doubt it as the chances of Ecuador winning are as much as me growing hair back on my head!
The man who made bald coolAs the match kicks of at 1am here, I shall sleep BUT instead shall wake up to see the Nandos take the Oranje people (that is Portugal and the Netherlands). That should be a heck of a match with the likes of Figo, pretty boy and overhyped C Ronaldo, RVN, Diver Robben, Van Pussie etc.
I am looking for ORANGE to be the colour of the day. The match will be hard fought with the sublime skills of many players being displayed. However the Dutch treats shall be a class above the Portugese even with the like Big Phil Scolari sterring that ship!
A great night of action for football lovers.
Now I am off to watch the Germans make sauerkraut of the Swedes!
Friday, June 23, 2006
All stressed out and happy to blog
Right now I hear the words of the Australian National Anthem "Australians all let us rejoice for we are young and free", all I see is green and gold and all I feel is pride.
Pride for the fact that we have done it. We are through to the last 16.
The match was emotionally trying and it had just about everything except a streaker!
We had an early goal, we had comebacks (twice), we had crazy referee decisions, we had players from both sides sent off and we even had a player receive 3 yellow cards and not get sent off until after the match.
Today I thought I would share my thoughts in a type of log of the match, however things go a bit upside down and inside out during the second half. So here goes.
Pre match: I have been dozing on the couch but my alarm wakes me up and I listen to the pre match commentary. I am quite nervous and excited and contemplate sleeping and waking up to find out the result. But decide I HAVE TO WATCH THIS GAME!
Notice that Zeljko Kalac is starting in goals. Not a big fan as I think Swarz is in much better form. Kalac did not look good in the friendlies and has not played a lot as he is the understudy to Dida at Ac Milan.
0 mins: Game kicks off and the Croatians start ot hassle the Australian defence. They are pressuring for an early goal which is worrying as our passing looks poor and we do not have enough space t create some good play.
2mins: Damm we concede a freee kick in front of goal.
3 mins: @$%&% Croatia up 1-0 and it was a fantastic kick, a lot of keepers would not have been saved it. It was world class into the top right corner. CURSES
He deserves to celebrate after that sensational goal but I am not liking him
7 mins: Mark Viduka is gang tackled int he box and no penalty is given. GEEZ!!
For the next 30 or so minutes I was cursing in all languages i know. Croatia has gone defensive in their half and we seem to be dominating posession but can not get anything in the box. Kewell and Cahill both have chances but can not put them away. Graham Poll is pretty average today. Being English I think he may be slightly biased but I know it is because we are down.
36 mins: PENALTY to Australia for what looks like a handball of a push on tim Cahill. Man I ca not watch. Craig Moore comes to take the kick. It is not Viduka who has missed his last 2 penalties for Australia.
37 mins: GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL
Australia are back in contention for the final 16. Great kick and the keeper dived the wrong way. WHEW! Am not as stressed but I am hoping Croatia attack so we get gaps and can grab another to seal the match.
Moorey shows why he takes the penalties. The last time he scored internationally was against France
The rest of the half the Croatians are looking to attack and grab a goal. All I am hoping for is that we go into half time at 1-1 so Guus can have a chat with the boys. Jason Cullina is having a great match.
I am going through a roller coaster of emotions. I want them to win and this type of game reminds me of the Liverpool Champs League final. I cannot take too much of these, bad for the heart. My fingers are typing away on my phone as my friends and I are discussing about the game, abusing the ref and disagreeing about the merits of Harry Kewell.
The rest of the match I just could not take notes. I was a wreck and praying for Australia to get through. Metria is awake and in between getting ready for work she is watching what is happening.
56 mins: The goal keepoing blunder of the tournament. Kalamity Kalac (as I wil now call him) makes a poor attempt to save a ball and it bundles into the goal I am in utter disbelief about the goal and start to question Guus's idea to play him instead of Swarz. Kalac should never keep goals for Australia again. It was pathetic.
Its now end to end stuff and my neck is hurting from watching this. I am even getting tired from all the running I am witnessing. Australia goes in for an attack, they get blocked and then before I can finish a curse, the ball is heading towards the Australian goal.
Scott Chipperfield, Lucas Neill, Craig Moore and Jason Cullina are just standing up to be counted in the defence. It is all heart and sould and balls stuff. But I am still freaking out with our inability score. Too much.
Guus makes a few changes - Breciano, Aloisi and Kenney all come on. All attacking players, which is a smart move. It is all about getting the goal. If we go down we shall go down all guns firing and all that.
Jordan is looking at me funnily and he comes over whenever I scream and swear. Then.....
79 mins: HARRY scooooooooooooooooooooooores!!!!!!!!!!!
Talk about delivering whe it was needed! He is King Harry for the day.
I am in total pandemonium, I pick up Metria and hug her. I scream and yell. I am as excited as a 12 year old in a topless bar! This makes up for the Brazil miss.
He received a fantastic pass from the right via Brecsiano. He was offside but no flag was raised. This will be raised up probably but this makes up for the handball that occurred a few minutes ago. KARMA!!!
I try to keep a lid on my emotions as I know there are at least 10 minutes of the match left.
Now Croatia go all out searching for the win. They are coming at us like kids attending a fat camp.
84 mins: Kewell gets tackled from behing and Dario Sminic gets his secxond yellow and he is OFF. This makes it 11 vs 10. Surely we can keep the advantage we have, surely...
86 mins: Brett Emerton gives a free kick away by stopping the ball with his arm. That is it for him - OFF. Now its 10 vs 10. The game will be alot more open. Crapola!
The last minutes of thematch were chaos as the ref lost control of the match. One Croatian player (Jospi Simunic) received his 2nd yellow but he was not sent off! There is all sorts of pandemonium, he is making some strange decisions.
3 minutes of extra time and it has already been a slow last 10 minutes. The balls spills tothe goal and Australia thinks they may have scored, but the ref blows his whistle. is it the end of the match I am not sure.
The TV shows the ref giving another yellow to Simunic and then sends him off. This his 3rd yellow and he finally goes.
Australian players are running on the pitch. THE GAME IS OVER!
We are through to the second round against the Azzuri!
I am screaming and yelling. overcome with waves of emotion, happiness, tiredness. I start singing the national anthem.
Football has come of age and I am feeling very patriotic.
The sea is gold today
Pride for the fact that we have done it. We are through to the last 16.
The match was emotionally trying and it had just about everything except a streaker!
We had an early goal, we had comebacks (twice), we had crazy referee decisions, we had players from both sides sent off and we even had a player receive 3 yellow cards and not get sent off until after the match.
Today I thought I would share my thoughts in a type of log of the match, however things go a bit upside down and inside out during the second half. So here goes.
Pre match: I have been dozing on the couch but my alarm wakes me up and I listen to the pre match commentary. I am quite nervous and excited and contemplate sleeping and waking up to find out the result. But decide I HAVE TO WATCH THIS GAME!
Notice that Zeljko Kalac is starting in goals. Not a big fan as I think Swarz is in much better form. Kalac did not look good in the friendlies and has not played a lot as he is the understudy to Dida at Ac Milan.
0 mins: Game kicks off and the Croatians start ot hassle the Australian defence. They are pressuring for an early goal which is worrying as our passing looks poor and we do not have enough space t create some good play.
2mins: Damm we concede a freee kick in front of goal.
3 mins: @$%&% Croatia up 1-0 and it was a fantastic kick, a lot of keepers would not have been saved it. It was world class into the top right corner. CURSES
He deserves to celebrate after that sensational goal but I am not liking him7 mins: Mark Viduka is gang tackled int he box and no penalty is given. GEEZ!!
For the next 30 or so minutes I was cursing in all languages i know. Croatia has gone defensive in their half and we seem to be dominating posession but can not get anything in the box. Kewell and Cahill both have chances but can not put them away. Graham Poll is pretty average today. Being English I think he may be slightly biased but I know it is because we are down.
36 mins: PENALTY to Australia for what looks like a handball of a push on tim Cahill. Man I ca not watch. Craig Moore comes to take the kick. It is not Viduka who has missed his last 2 penalties for Australia.
37 mins: GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL
Australia are back in contention for the final 16. Great kick and the keeper dived the wrong way. WHEW! Am not as stressed but I am hoping Croatia attack so we get gaps and can grab another to seal the match.
Moorey shows why he takes the penalties. The last time he scored internationally was against FranceThe rest of the half the Croatians are looking to attack and grab a goal. All I am hoping for is that we go into half time at 1-1 so Guus can have a chat with the boys. Jason Cullina is having a great match.
I am going through a roller coaster of emotions. I want them to win and this type of game reminds me of the Liverpool Champs League final. I cannot take too much of these, bad for the heart. My fingers are typing away on my phone as my friends and I are discussing about the game, abusing the ref and disagreeing about the merits of Harry Kewell.
The rest of the match I just could not take notes. I was a wreck and praying for Australia to get through. Metria is awake and in between getting ready for work she is watching what is happening.
56 mins: The goal keepoing blunder of the tournament. Kalamity Kalac (as I wil now call him) makes a poor attempt to save a ball and it bundles into the goal I am in utter disbelief about the goal and start to question Guus's idea to play him instead of Swarz. Kalac should never keep goals for Australia again. It was pathetic.
Its now end to end stuff and my neck is hurting from watching this. I am even getting tired from all the running I am witnessing. Australia goes in for an attack, they get blocked and then before I can finish a curse, the ball is heading towards the Australian goal.
Scott Chipperfield, Lucas Neill, Craig Moore and Jason Cullina are just standing up to be counted in the defence. It is all heart and sould and balls stuff. But I am still freaking out with our inability score. Too much.
Guus makes a few changes - Breciano, Aloisi and Kenney all come on. All attacking players, which is a smart move. It is all about getting the goal. If we go down we shall go down all guns firing and all that.
Jordan is looking at me funnily and he comes over whenever I scream and swear. Then.....
79 mins: HARRY scooooooooooooooooooooooores!!!!!!!!!!!
Talk about delivering whe it was needed! He is King Harry for the day.I am in total pandemonium, I pick up Metria and hug her. I scream and yell. I am as excited as a 12 year old in a topless bar! This makes up for the Brazil miss.
He received a fantastic pass from the right via Brecsiano. He was offside but no flag was raised. This will be raised up probably but this makes up for the handball that occurred a few minutes ago. KARMA!!!
I try to keep a lid on my emotions as I know there are at least 10 minutes of the match left.
Now Croatia go all out searching for the win. They are coming at us like kids attending a fat camp.
84 mins: Kewell gets tackled from behing and Dario Sminic gets his secxond yellow and he is OFF. This makes it 11 vs 10. Surely we can keep the advantage we have, surely...
86 mins: Brett Emerton gives a free kick away by stopping the ball with his arm. That is it for him - OFF. Now its 10 vs 10. The game will be alot more open. Crapola!
The last minutes of thematch were chaos as the ref lost control of the match. One Croatian player (Jospi Simunic) received his 2nd yellow but he was not sent off! There is all sorts of pandemonium, he is making some strange decisions.
3 minutes of extra time and it has already been a slow last 10 minutes. The balls spills tothe goal and Australia thinks they may have scored, but the ref blows his whistle. is it the end of the match I am not sure.
The TV shows the ref giving another yellow to Simunic and then sends him off. This his 3rd yellow and he finally goes.
Australian players are running on the pitch. THE GAME IS OVER!
We are through to the second round against the Azzuri!
I am screaming and yelling. overcome with waves of emotion, happiness, tiredness. I start singing the national anthem.
Football has come of age and I am feeling very patriotic.
The sea is gold todayThe moments of madness
I am writing at half time of the Czech and Italian match. I was hoping for the Czechs to win and qualify through along with Ghana. Sadly it does not look like the Czechs are going to win. They are down a goal and just had a man sent off, and it was just dumb by the player.
Nonetheless Metria should be happy if Italy scrape through but not so happy with me as I told her to tip the Czechs to win (and possibly for the pics in this entry)
ARGENTINA VS HOLLAND
Still this match is more intersting that the snooze fest that was Argentina and Holland. I guess with both teams already qualified, the coaches decided to rest some players. I would have though the Dutch would have looked to go for the win so they qualify for an easier part of the final 16, one where they bypass Brazil and England should those teams go that far.
Still the crowd and supporters seem to be enjoying themselves. ;-) and how about diego Maradonna in the stands waving the flag and jumping up and down. It is great to see a player f his status sitting inthe crowds and cheering away with his countrymen. Still pele is still my main football man! This all nicely leads to.....
BRAZIL VS JAPAN
Japan is coahced by Brazillian great ZICO and need to win by at least 3 goals should Australia draw. While Brazil will be resting players I do not think they are going to throw the match and ose 3-0. If that happened, the country would riot. I am looking forward to seeing Robinho get a run and show that he should be playing instead had to many Mc"Ronaldo"s.
I am hoping they start their run. Recollecting thelast world cup, they did not look to good in the first 2 or 3 matches as well. And we all know how that all ended.
We see that the Samba kings have "big support"
Even the locals seem to have caught Brazillian fever
AUSTRALIA VS CROATIA
of course the big match for beings in about 4 hours time. This is THE result I want, Australia to beat Croatia.
This match is going to be damm hard and I am sure the boys are fired up. There are a number of links between both teams. The coach of Croatia used to coach Mark Viduka when he played for Zagreb years ago. 3 of the Croatian players were brought up in Australia and are linked to some of the Australian players. Australia has 7 players of Croatian heritage.
Imagine what it is like for the families. I am sure most will barrack for the team their son plays for and even some of the families know each other - Skoko and Didulic grew up int he same area and their cousins are married to each other. Imagine that place. Someone will be sleeping on the couch for a few days!
More importantly, for the game of football to flourish here, we need a win and a chance to play in the final 16. This will show the Australian public the potential we have and the WORLD that we are not here to make up numbers.
See Australia is a multicultural country
We should be recognised a decent footballing nation considering that we have a number of players that play in the EPL, some in Serie A (Bresciano and Grella), La Liga (Alosisi) and other parts of Europe. The quality is there and lets hope it rises to the top.
Man am I getting hyped and nervous!!
Nonetheless Metria should be happy if Italy scrape through but not so happy with me as I told her to tip the Czechs to win (and possibly for the pics in this entry)
ARGENTINA VS HOLLAND
Still this match is more intersting that the snooze fest that was Argentina and Holland. I guess with both teams already qualified, the coaches decided to rest some players. I would have though the Dutch would have looked to go for the win so they qualify for an easier part of the final 16, one where they bypass Brazil and England should those teams go that far.
Still the crowd and supporters seem to be enjoying themselves. ;-) and how about diego Maradonna in the stands waving the flag and jumping up and down. It is great to see a player f his status sitting inthe crowds and cheering away with his countrymen. Still pele is still my main football man! This all nicely leads to.....
BRAZIL VS JAPAN
Japan is coahced by Brazillian great ZICO and need to win by at least 3 goals should Australia draw. While Brazil will be resting players I do not think they are going to throw the match and ose 3-0. If that happened, the country would riot. I am looking forward to seeing Robinho get a run and show that he should be playing instead had to many Mc"Ronaldo"s.
I am hoping they start their run. Recollecting thelast world cup, they did not look to good in the first 2 or 3 matches as well. And we all know how that all ended.
We see that the Samba kings have "big support"
Even the locals seem to have caught Brazillian feverof course the big match for beings in about 4 hours time. This is THE result I want, Australia to beat Croatia.
This match is going to be damm hard and I am sure the boys are fired up. There are a number of links between both teams. The coach of Croatia used to coach Mark Viduka when he played for Zagreb years ago. 3 of the Croatian players were brought up in Australia and are linked to some of the Australian players. Australia has 7 players of Croatian heritage.
Imagine what it is like for the families. I am sure most will barrack for the team their son plays for and even some of the families know each other - Skoko and Didulic grew up int he same area and their cousins are married to each other. Imagine that place. Someone will be sleeping on the couch for a few days!
More importantly, for the game of football to flourish here, we need a win and a chance to play in the final 16. This will show the Australian public the potential we have and the WORLD that we are not here to make up numbers.
See Australia is a multicultural countryWe should be recognised a decent footballing nation considering that we have a number of players that play in the EPL, some in Serie A (Bresciano and Grella), La Liga (Alosisi) and other parts of Europe. The quality is there and lets hope it rises to the top.
Man am I getting hyped and nervous!!
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
There was another big match last Saturday
I was involved in a football match last Saturday. It consisted of a battle between the current Punjabi United football team against the Old Boys - a team comprised of ex players and friends.
Sadly both teams struggled to field full teams but it was nice to have a run. Due to the lack of fitness of the Old Boys it was decided that the match would be split into three 30 minute periods. In hindsight, it probably should have consisted of sic 15 minute periods.
The end score does not matter (which indicates we lost) as it was all about bringing the old and new about.
I was asked to play in the forward line which meant i would stand near the centre circle and pass the ball to the overlapping players. However, this was not the case, after one run up the pitch most of the players were too tired to run back or run again. However after some playing around we forrayed into the PU box and found ourselves with a scoring chance.
Somehow the ball ended up near my foot which I duly stuck out and it ended up into the net. A few people were shocked.
Metria was shocked I think.
Her MAN had open the scoreline!!
Before progressing it should be noted that of the OB's, only 3 players played regular football. the rest were bums like me who talk more than walk (or run). Therefore, there were periods where we only had 9 or 10 players on the pitch because some of us were sitting on the sidelines catching our breath or pleading for an ambulance.
This well earned lead lasted about 10 minutes before PU equalised. After 2 periods were were down 4-2 but this should have been 3-3 as we socred one of their goals (this would be known in football vernecular as an "own goal").
It is only fair after all, we OB should have some help considering our lack of fitness.
The last 30 minutes of the match would be akin to Justin Timberlake being dropped in the middle of a 13 year old bithday party. Very messy.
We were destroyed and part of it was the fact we were old, slow and unfit.
End score was something like 7-2. The price was paid later that day with sore muscles, most that had not been used in a few years.
But at least I scored!
Sadly both teams struggled to field full teams but it was nice to have a run. Due to the lack of fitness of the Old Boys it was decided that the match would be split into three 30 minute periods. In hindsight, it probably should have consisted of sic 15 minute periods.
The end score does not matter (which indicates we lost) as it was all about bringing the old and new about.
I was asked to play in the forward line which meant i would stand near the centre circle and pass the ball to the overlapping players. However, this was not the case, after one run up the pitch most of the players were too tired to run back or run again. However after some playing around we forrayed into the PU box and found ourselves with a scoring chance.
Somehow the ball ended up near my foot which I duly stuck out and it ended up into the net. A few people were shocked.
Metria was shocked I think.
Her MAN had open the scoreline!!
Before progressing it should be noted that of the OB's, only 3 players played regular football. the rest were bums like me who talk more than walk (or run). Therefore, there were periods where we only had 9 or 10 players on the pitch because some of us were sitting on the sidelines catching our breath or pleading for an ambulance.
This well earned lead lasted about 10 minutes before PU equalised. After 2 periods were were down 4-2 but this should have been 3-3 as we socred one of their goals (this would be known in football vernecular as an "own goal").
It is only fair after all, we OB should have some help considering our lack of fitness.
The last 30 minutes of the match would be akin to Justin Timberlake being dropped in the middle of a 13 year old bithday party. Very messy.
We were destroyed and part of it was the fact we were old, slow and unfit.
End score was something like 7-2. The price was paid later that day with sore muscles, most that had not been used in a few years.
But at least I scored!
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Brazil 25 - Australia 9
That is the number of fouls that were called for Brazil when they played Australia.
Very one sided and if you saw the match you would think that Australia were hacking players and there would have been numerous red cards handed out etc.
But the fact is the game was not spiteful at all. It was hard fought between 2 competitive teams but there was no malice in the match. The only point was at the start when Vince Grella tackled Ronaldo quite badly and you could see some stud marks on his calf. That should have warranted a yellow card but nothing happened.
The referee was inconsistent. A lot of the fouls he called were soft and if a Brazilian player made a tackle just as hard it was "play on!".
I also have to note that the second goal scored by Fred should have been called offside. I believe he was in an offside position when it was struck so when he ran in for the tap in he was offside!
It was frustrating because Australia took the game to Brazil and limited the times they could do their samba. They should have at least left the match with a point!
Very one sided and if you saw the match you would think that Australia were hacking players and there would have been numerous red cards handed out etc.
But the fact is the game was not spiteful at all. It was hard fought between 2 competitive teams but there was no malice in the match. The only point was at the start when Vince Grella tackled Ronaldo quite badly and you could see some stud marks on his calf. That should have warranted a yellow card but nothing happened.
The referee was inconsistent. A lot of the fouls he called were soft and if a Brazilian player made a tackle just as hard it was "play on!".
I also have to note that the second goal scored by Fred should have been called offside. I believe he was in an offside position when it was struck so when he ran in for the tap in he was offside!
It was frustrating because Australia took the game to Brazil and limited the times they could do their samba. They should have at least left the match with a point!
Monday, June 19, 2006
The bar was not high enough
So close to causing a huge upset this morning. Australia played a decent match and looked the more dominant. But if you saw the match you know why Brazil are one the the great teams in the world. all the need is a chance to do some samba on the pitch and thats it, GOAL.
As soon as Harry Kewell came ont he match changed. We seemed to attack more but the misses were criminal in the football sense. Kewell had an open goal but panicked and kicked itover the goal. Viduka had a chance and it was too hich. Marco Bresciano came on and had a couple of chances. One of his chances was a clear run at goal and as he got in the box he slowed down and the defender just took the ball of him.
These guys are professionals and should have done better.
What a day it would have been tobeat Brazil in the biggest event in the world!
Such is football. But if the bar was a metre higher...........
But now it is time to focus on the Croatians. Lets take them, beat them then sail onwards into the 2nd round where we look forward to meeting Ghana, Italy or the Czech Republic.
As soon as Harry Kewell came ont he match changed. We seemed to attack more but the misses were criminal in the football sense. Kewell had an open goal but panicked and kicked itover the goal. Viduka had a chance and it was too hich. Marco Bresciano came on and had a couple of chances. One of his chances was a clear run at goal and as he got in the box he slowed down and the defender just took the ball of him.
These guys are professionals and should have done better.
What a day it would have been tobeat Brazil in the biggest event in the world!
Such is football. But if the bar was a metre higher...........
But now it is time to focus on the Croatians. Lets take them, beat them then sail onwards into the 2nd round where we look forward to meeting Ghana, Italy or the Czech Republic.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Before the Game
I am in the midst of the worlds biggest sporting event. Tonight my team plays the worlds most famous and "best" team.
It is Australia versus Brazil.
Anticipation has been building and I am now a few hours away from kick off. Realistically, I expect Oz to lose. However, I hope it is not a massive loss. A 1-0 loss would be acceptable. But if we get creamed, then it puts a lot of pressure on the team to advance to the next round.
Nonetheless, the sporting romantist within me dreams of a draw or dare I go further, a WIN.
Imagine the headlines and impact that this event will have on the world of football. Pundits were surprised that we beat Japan but that is not a major shock as if we were do get a point or 3 against the best team in the world!
For that to happen Australia needs to bring the A B & C game, hope Brazil have not warmed up and underestimate us and like an Hindi movie, suppress realism and add a bit of dish and bish to proceedings.
Oh well..........I can dream
It is Australia versus Brazil.
Anticipation has been building and I am now a few hours away from kick off. Realistically, I expect Oz to lose. However, I hope it is not a massive loss. A 1-0 loss would be acceptable. But if we get creamed, then it puts a lot of pressure on the team to advance to the next round.
Nonetheless, the sporting romantist within me dreams of a draw or dare I go further, a WIN.
Imagine the headlines and impact that this event will have on the world of football. Pundits were surprised that we beat Japan but that is not a major shock as if we were do get a point or 3 against the best team in the world!
For that to happen Australia needs to bring the A B & C game, hope Brazil have not warmed up and underestimate us and like an Hindi movie, suppress realism and add a bit of dish and bish to proceedings.
Oh well..........I can dream
Saturday, June 17, 2006
ENGLAND
I feel really sorry for English supporters. At this world cup they have their strongest team since 1990 and on paper are genuine threats to win it all. But based on their level of play and the form of other teams are a serious threat to derail their campaign.
Ultimately the main reason for their demise is a combination of bad injury timing and a poor manager. To make matters worse, things will not improve post this world cup with the new regime coming to place. Here is my argument that I submit to the jury.
The man in charge of
With the teams that he has selected and the players at his disposal, these formations are not the right choices. It is almost like a writer from “Everyone Loves Raymond” is writing a script. To the outside, he looks like a bit of a jerk but no one in his family sees him for that.
At some stage of the tournament,
Remember the last world cup when they came up against
If
2. The Squad
Bad selection, if he was going to pick 4 strikers what about picking Jermaine Defoe or one of the Bent boys instead of Theo Walcott.
The squad leads me to my next point…..
3. The players in the starting 11
Michael Owen is not in form and has hardly played in the last 12 months. David Beckham is also not in the form to warrant a start considering the other players in the squad. What has Becks done apart from a few crosses? The Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard combination in the midfield is not working to well.
Again SVE is not using his brain and playing Owen and Becks when there are clearly better options available. He has succumbed to them because they are big names in
He should give Michael Carrick and Aaron Lennon a run. If it was me I would look to have Steven Gerrard partner Peter Crouch up front until Rooney comes back.
Lennon played well as the right wing against TT today and was more useful than Becks. If Rooney comes back then in all honestly, Frank Lampard should be benched and Stevvie take his place.
I an not making a case because SG plays for
With this formation
It is not about putting 11 stars on the pitch, it is about a star team out there in the grass. The 11 that have played in the world cup so far just does not have balance.
4. Peter Crouch
People out there should stop dissing my bean pole. I agree that he is not a super star but with Rooney and Owen not fully fit or in form, he is
PC also gets into the midfield to help bring the ball up. All he is does is plays to his capabilities and does not do fancy stuff.
Repeat with me, “it is not about a team of stars but a star team”.
5. The Future
Sadly things do not look good for
The England FA stuffed up big time by not getting Guus Hiddink. Look what he has done to
Instead they settled on Steve McLaren. He did a fantastic job getting Middlesborough to the UEFA Cup final but they were spanked. Watching the game I noted that when ‘Borough were down 2-0, SM was telling his players to run down the flanks and send in the long balls.
Yup the long ball..the staple of the English football game
Don't be crying for Argentina
Before the tournament me and a few mates bet a 6 pack on who we thought would be top 3 in the World Cup.
My picks were: 1. Argentina 2. England and 3. Brazil
After witnessing Argentina destroy Serbian & Montenegro 6-0, I am confident that my first choice is correct. They way they played and especially how they scored the second goal today was a wonderful display of team work and creativity.
S&M were out of sorts, two of their starting 11 defenders were ruled out before the match kicked off so their defence was not strong and out of sorts.
But being prefessionals they should keep playing. They represent their country and should play for their people.
But probs to Argentina.
My number 2 and 3 choices. Well of those I am more concerned about England. I still think that England could beat Brazil if they meet in the semi finals BUT I am not sure they will progress that far.
As for me reasons why I shall discuss that in a future post.
My picks were: 1. Argentina 2. England and 3. Brazil
After witnessing Argentina destroy Serbian & Montenegro 6-0, I am confident that my first choice is correct. They way they played and especially how they scored the second goal today was a wonderful display of team work and creativity.
S&M were out of sorts, two of their starting 11 defenders were ruled out before the match kicked off so their defence was not strong and out of sorts.
But being prefessionals they should keep playing. They represent their country and should play for their people.
But probs to Argentina.
My number 2 and 3 choices. Well of those I am more concerned about England. I still think that England could beat Brazil if they meet in the semi finals BUT I am not sure they will progress that far.
As for me reasons why I shall discuss that in a future post.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Phone Scam - be warned and on the look out
I received a phone call last night from a number I was unfamiliar with. It rang once and then stopped. Luckily I did not call back. Apparently this is a scam and it is detailed below.
So beware if you receive any calls from the numbers below and check any new missed calls to see if they are legit.
If you get a missed phone call on your mobile from: (SEE BELOW LISTED NUMBERS) ... DO NOT ANSWER OR RETURN THE CALL!!!
This is a scam for some competition whereby the caller is charged $100 for the call. Neil Mitchell from 3AW (1278) radio in Melbourne was caught out when he returned the call. Maybe store it in your phone as - DO NOT ANSWER ! Hopefully you get this email before you are caught out!
It's called a premium service. Very similar to the sex lines which charge a premium rate which is charged a certain amount per minute.
However these premium services also have another way of billing such as a one off payment for calling the number (such as $100).
The original idea behind these premium service numbers being introduced was things like being able to ring up for legal advice and get to chat to a lawyer for a certain rate per minute however these numbers are now mostly used by sex lines and scams like this.
I can assure you this scam is very real, the warning was included in the Optus newsletter today that gets sent out to it's employees.
Below are a list of numbers which are currently being used.
The list of phone numbers you may be pranked from:
(02) 8219 0500
(02) 8303 8320
(02) 8303 8321
(02) 8404 2201
(02) 8404 2203
(02) 8404 2213
(02) 8404 2215
(02) 8404 2235
(02) 8404 2236
(02) 8404 2245
(02) 8404 2296
(02) 8404 2298
(03) 8102 9565
(03) 8558 0556
(03) 8558 1441
(03) 8558 1442
(03) 8558 1443
(03) 8558 1444
(03) 8558 1445
(03) 8558 1446
(03) 8558 1447
(03) 9540 2950
(03) 9540 5100
(03) 9540 5101
(03) 9540 5187
(03) 9540 5189
(03) 9855 2913
Below is a link to let you know fully about this service and how it works.
http://www.4wisemonkeys.com/dc-phone-scam/
So beware if you receive any calls from the numbers below and check any new missed calls to see if they are legit.
If you get a missed phone call on your mobile from: (SEE BELOW LISTED NUMBERS) ... DO NOT ANSWER OR RETURN THE CALL!!!
This is a scam for some competition whereby the caller is charged $100 for the call. Neil Mitchell from 3AW (1278) radio in Melbourne was caught out when he returned the call. Maybe store it in your phone as - DO NOT ANSWER ! Hopefully you get this email before you are caught out!
It's called a premium service. Very similar to the sex lines which charge a premium rate which is charged a certain amount per minute.
However these premium services also have another way of billing such as a one off payment for calling the number (such as $100).
The original idea behind these premium service numbers being introduced was things like being able to ring up for legal advice and get to chat to a lawyer for a certain rate per minute however these numbers are now mostly used by sex lines and scams like this.
I can assure you this scam is very real, the warning was included in the Optus newsletter today that gets sent out to it's employees.
Below are a list of numbers which are currently being used.
The list of phone numbers you may be pranked from:
(02) 8219 0500
(02) 8303 8320
(02) 8303 8321
(02) 8404 2201
(02) 8404 2203
(02) 8404 2213
(02) 8404 2215
(02) 8404 2235
(02) 8404 2236
(02) 8404 2245
(02) 8404 2296
(02) 8404 2298
(03) 8102 9565
(03) 8558 0556
(03) 8558 1441
(03) 8558 1442
(03) 8558 1443
(03) 8558 1444
(03) 8558 1445
(03) 8558 1446
(03) 8558 1447
(03) 9540 2950
(03) 9540 5100
(03) 9540 5101
(03) 9540 5187
(03) 9540 5189
(03) 9855 2913
Below is a link to let you know fully about this service and how it works.
http://www.4wisemonkeys.com/dc-phone-scam/
Big lame Henry
Thierry Henry is an amazing player who is super quick and has a knack for scoring goals. He is great and he knows it. But what is good to see is he is very humble.
One thing that is evident is for all the accolades he is not a big game player. There are mountains of proof:
Exhibit A:
2002 World Cup. France are defending champions. Henry is noted as one of the best players in the world. He is a starting striker in an all star team which has brought back a number of players who won Euro 2000 as well. But at the end of their surprisingly short tournament they do not score a goal and are bungled out. For a player of his magnitude he should have delivered. It is not like he is playing for say Ukranine which has a pretty average team and a super striker in Andreiy Shevshenko, he was playing for France.
Exhibit B:
Champions League Final 2005. A huge stage for him and Arsenal but when the game came along he did not deliver. The same goes for Ronaldinho but he is younger and he should be given time. Disappointing final to say the least as the stars did not shine!!
Exhibit C:
The WC 2006 match against Switzerland. He did not really do much and it has been a long time since France have scored in a world cup final. He had a legitimate penalty denied but he did not fire up and do anything special.
I adore his style of play even though he plays club football for a rival. but when he does magic you can not complain - like the goal he scored against Totenham!
A legitimate reason as to his failures could be a result of him not getting the service he deserves but he is a superstar and superstar's make things happen.
But the WC has started and I look forward to him proving me wrong!
One thing that is evident is for all the accolades he is not a big game player. There are mountains of proof:
Exhibit A:
2002 World Cup. France are defending champions. Henry is noted as one of the best players in the world. He is a starting striker in an all star team which has brought back a number of players who won Euro 2000 as well. But at the end of their surprisingly short tournament they do not score a goal and are bungled out. For a player of his magnitude he should have delivered. It is not like he is playing for say Ukranine which has a pretty average team and a super striker in Andreiy Shevshenko, he was playing for France.
Exhibit B:
Champions League Final 2005. A huge stage for him and Arsenal but when the game came along he did not deliver. The same goes for Ronaldinho but he is younger and he should be given time. Disappointing final to say the least as the stars did not shine!!
Exhibit C:
The WC 2006 match against Switzerland. He did not really do much and it has been a long time since France have scored in a world cup final. He had a legitimate penalty denied but he did not fire up and do anything special.
I adore his style of play even though he plays club football for a rival. but when he does magic you can not complain - like the goal he scored against Totenham!
A legitimate reason as to his failures could be a result of him not getting the service he deserves but he is a superstar and superstar's make things happen.
But the WC has started and I look forward to him proving me wrong!
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
My football following wife
I am really surprised.
For a while, Metria has chastised me for watching too much football. But come the world cup and she seems to know some stuff.
She likes the Italians and Germans. Mainly because of how the players look BUT she knows some things like:
This is all evident that she knows something about the game! How can this be? She seems to pretend that she hates the game. She has been comlaining that she is a football widow during the course of the WC.
Maybe its the magic of the world cup?
Women...they surprise you sometimes!
For a while, Metria has chastised me for watching too much football. But come the world cup and she seems to know some stuff.
She likes the Italians and Germans. Mainly because of how the players look BUT she knows some things like:
- She told me that Togo sacked their coach days before the tournament started
- Was quite surprised that Trinidad and Tobago drew with Sweden
- Shocked that Australia defeated Japan
This is all evident that she knows something about the game! How can this be? She seems to pretend that she hates the game. She has been comlaining that she is a football widow during the course of the WC.
Maybe its the magic of the world cup?
Women...they surprise you sometimes!
3 goals in 8 minutes
What a game and what a comeback.
I will not bore about the details because most of you will know what happened. But what a way to registers Australia's first win. Now bring on BRAZIL!!! :-P
After reliving the experience today and absorbing the media coverage, it is obvious that football is on the rise here. I just hope that this momentum is carried forward in years ahead. The big test is the aforementioned Brazil match. We play the world champs and if people are thinking we can beat them.....well I am not that sure. A good result would be a draw but a 1-0 loss will suffice.
We have the momentum and the thing now is to move onwards in the tournament.
The match exemplified the Aussie spirit. The team battled to victory and did not give up. Here are some points I need to make regarding the match:
1. Reffing
We were shafted by the referee. He even admitted he made a mistake. Football watches know that 99 out of 100 times, that would not have been a goal. But the problem here as was shown in 2002 is that the standard of reffing in parts of the world do not correspond and are not on the same level.
Kudos for FIFA to try to bring more expereience to the nations of Africa and Asia, but the majority of players ply their trade in Europe. They are used to the standard or reffing in those leagues. But the referres in Europe are use to the higher pace and technically advanced nature of play and therefore are able to umpire the game much more adequately.
From the match last night the Egyptina referee made a range of blunders. Some of the fouls he called were not fouls and conversely, he missed the occassions where a fould of occurred.
So this results in inconsistencies. That is the pet hate of players. If a ref is poor, better he be poor to both sides so players can adjust their play.
I could go on and use plenty of examples from the league I am involved in.
2. Japan's South American influence
This was clearly evident but not in the technical aspects. Just the way some of their players were falling over like drunks and an open bar night. I hate that style of play. Got enough of that against Uruguay.
3. Timmy Cahill for PM
What a player to come on and score 2 goals. He goes into the history books in being the first Australian player to score in the World Cup finals. Now add multi scorer and winning goal scorer.
But what a masterstroke Guus is. He fired Cahill up by starting him on the bench. I would have started him. Bu no, Guus kept him on and when he came on he was creating havoc in the attacking midfield role.
Guus did the same thing with Harry Kewell in the qualifier vs Uruguay. Kewell came on the pitch after 30 minutes and changed the course of the match.
Talking about Guus. English FA made a bad mistake!! Your loss is Russia's windfall and you only have yourselves to blame in you do not win an Euro or WC in the next 4 years.
Overall, a fantastic effort and we deserved a win. We dominated play and were far superior when attacking.
One down, 2 more to go.
Bring on BRAZIL!!!
I will not bore about the details because most of you will know what happened. But what a way to registers Australia's first win. Now bring on BRAZIL!!! :-P
After reliving the experience today and absorbing the media coverage, it is obvious that football is on the rise here. I just hope that this momentum is carried forward in years ahead. The big test is the aforementioned Brazil match. We play the world champs and if people are thinking we can beat them.....well I am not that sure. A good result would be a draw but a 1-0 loss will suffice.
We have the momentum and the thing now is to move onwards in the tournament.
The match exemplified the Aussie spirit. The team battled to victory and did not give up. Here are some points I need to make regarding the match:
1. Reffing
We were shafted by the referee. He even admitted he made a mistake. Football watches know that 99 out of 100 times, that would not have been a goal. But the problem here as was shown in 2002 is that the standard of reffing in parts of the world do not correspond and are not on the same level.
Kudos for FIFA to try to bring more expereience to the nations of Africa and Asia, but the majority of players ply their trade in Europe. They are used to the standard or reffing in those leagues. But the referres in Europe are use to the higher pace and technically advanced nature of play and therefore are able to umpire the game much more adequately.
From the match last night the Egyptina referee made a range of blunders. Some of the fouls he called were not fouls and conversely, he missed the occassions where a fould of occurred.
So this results in inconsistencies. That is the pet hate of players. If a ref is poor, better he be poor to both sides so players can adjust their play.
I could go on and use plenty of examples from the league I am involved in.
2. Japan's South American influence
This was clearly evident but not in the technical aspects. Just the way some of their players were falling over like drunks and an open bar night. I hate that style of play. Got enough of that against Uruguay.
3. Timmy Cahill for PM
What a player to come on and score 2 goals. He goes into the history books in being the first Australian player to score in the World Cup finals. Now add multi scorer and winning goal scorer.
But what a masterstroke Guus is. He fired Cahill up by starting him on the bench. I would have started him. Bu no, Guus kept him on and when he came on he was creating havoc in the attacking midfield role.
Guus did the same thing with Harry Kewell in the qualifier vs Uruguay. Kewell came on the pitch after 30 minutes and changed the course of the match.
Talking about Guus. English FA made a bad mistake!! Your loss is Russia's windfall and you only have yourselves to blame in you do not win an Euro or WC in the next 4 years.
Overall, a fantastic effort and we deserved a win. We dominated play and were far superior when attacking.
One down, 2 more to go.
Bring on BRAZIL!!!
Friday, June 09, 2006
Its win-win the way I look at it
Wayne Rooney
That name presents a lot of hope for England and it multitude of fans.
Personally, I am a big fan of England. After all they have fantastic players, not the least being Steven Gerrard. I also liek alot of international teams, I like football and the world cup provides an opportunity to watch great players.
However, for England to progress to the latter stages of the tournament they need Rooney. He is one of the best strikers in the world and ut him with a midfield of Gerrard, Lampard and Beckham and he wil shine and star.
But he broke his foot and a fight has started betwen club and country. His club and manager do not want him to play. If he injures himself in the tournament then their 2006/07 season is in trouble. He may be out for a while and with Rud Van Nistlerooy also looking set to leave, their team looks poor. If he comes and plays before being 100% fit then he may exacerbate the injury or do something else and may miss a part of the next season.
They could do a Liverpool and compete with a strong midfield and defence but they have John O'Shea in the midfield and that says is all!!
Now SVE does not really give a damm and he has FIFA to back him up. FIFA says that a country can pick any player and the club has to let them go. Plus, SVE is leaving England after the world cup and he does not really give a damm what he does or who he upsets.
So he may play Rooney even if he is 75% fit to allow England to advance. If England go all the way then he will be regarded as a god.
If Rooney gets injured, then he has an excuse for failing. SVE is not a decent manager and looks out only for himself.
But if Rooney does get injured, then ManU may see him miss a bit of the season. Or Fergie wil prove that no player is bigger than a club and get rid of him for defying him like he did with David Beckham and Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
Then ManU are stuffed.
So if Rooney plays and England win then that is a win for me as I like them. If Rooney gets injured or gets sold by Fergie, then its even better because ManU will suck next season and that would be great!
That name presents a lot of hope for England and it multitude of fans.
Personally, I am a big fan of England. After all they have fantastic players, not the least being Steven Gerrard. I also liek alot of international teams, I like football and the world cup provides an opportunity to watch great players.
However, for England to progress to the latter stages of the tournament they need Rooney. He is one of the best strikers in the world and ut him with a midfield of Gerrard, Lampard and Beckham and he wil shine and star.
But he broke his foot and a fight has started betwen club and country. His club and manager do not want him to play. If he injures himself in the tournament then their 2006/07 season is in trouble. He may be out for a while and with Rud Van Nistlerooy also looking set to leave, their team looks poor. If he comes and plays before being 100% fit then he may exacerbate the injury or do something else and may miss a part of the next season.
They could do a Liverpool and compete with a strong midfield and defence but they have John O'Shea in the midfield and that says is all!!
Now SVE does not really give a damm and he has FIFA to back him up. FIFA says that a country can pick any player and the club has to let them go. Plus, SVE is leaving England after the world cup and he does not really give a damm what he does or who he upsets.
So he may play Rooney even if he is 75% fit to allow England to advance. If England go all the way then he will be regarded as a god.
If Rooney gets injured, then he has an excuse for failing. SVE is not a decent manager and looks out only for himself.
But if Rooney does get injured, then ManU may see him miss a bit of the season. Or Fergie wil prove that no player is bigger than a club and get rid of him for defying him like he did with David Beckham and Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
Then ManU are stuffed.
So if Rooney plays and England win then that is a win for me as I like them. If Rooney gets injured or gets sold by Fergie, then its even better because ManU will suck next season and that would be great!
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
6 things why Australia can make it to the next round
Why am I optimistic that the Australian football team will do well in Germany? Well below are some of my reasons:
1. The Group
Ok so we drew Brazil but we also drew Croatia and Japan. While they definetly will not be easy beats, those teams are not as bad as say the Czech Republic, Argentina, Portugal even Sweden who we could have been drawn with. It will be tough but some advantages we have are that we play Japan first. This is a crucial game, we win and the ball is rolling in the right direction.
Next we take on the best team in the world that is Brazil. They are tough but I hope they throughly destroy Croatia so they are over confident and we can give them a hard time.
The last match will probably a playoff to get to the next round, if we beat Japan. This game has significance to us because there are 3 players in the opposition who learnt their trade in Australia. Some of the Australian croatians know these players and it will be quite an emotional encounter.
However neither Croatia or Japan had to beat a team like Uruguay. Japan topped a group that consisted of North Korea, Bahrain and Iran. Not exactly hard to play against and they were not tested.
Croatia topped their group but were not really troubled during qualification. So they are not as match hardened as us.
2. Harry Kewell
Just as he was returning to his best, he hit a hurdle when he had to come off the FA Cup final with a groin injury. He was man of the match in the semi final against Chelsea and the fans knew that, so it was a shame. However things are looking good and he should be able to play.
How much, I am not sure but probably not an entire match, maybe 30-40 minutes the first match and then he can play more as the tournament progresses.
Kewell brings a lot of creativity on the pitch and this is one area Australia needs to improve in. With his creativity, defences will be guessing and this should free our strikers and hopefully this results in goals.
Given the dissappointment he endured in the Champions League final I am sure he wants to prove he is a big stage player. I hope he will do what he did against Uruguay and tear that defence up!
3. Being an underdog
No one has given us a chance and I think that being an underdog will help us. We can sneak up on teams and bite them where it hurts, the scoreboard.
The team also is not under any pressure so they can concentrate on the games and not worry about distractions apart from some beer drinking and shouting Aussie supporter.
4. Guus Hiddick
In the last 2 world cups, his teams have finished in the top 4 - Netherlands in 1998 and South Korea in 2002. Any man who can coach South Korea to 4th spot has to be regarded as a genius.
He has not had as much time for Australia as S. Korea but he is a tactical genius and a great man manager. Hopefully he can weave the magic again and make us progress through the group stages. Luck will play a factor as it did with the koreans and a few dodgy decisions from referees but we shall await that.
5. 32 years
That is how long it has been since Australia last participated in a world cup. The players all know that and the football public know that. Both players and supporters are looking forward to the first match. All the bad luck we have experienced seems to have been washed away so lets hope it all goes well.
6. We have the team
Australian teams in the past either had a very strong defence or some good attacking options. Back in 2002, the defence was decent and we had Harry and Viduka toscore the goals, but the midfield was average.
This year we have guys like Marco B, Vince Grella, Tim Cahill, John Aloisi who ply their trade in top leagues around the world. Teh starting 11 plays in a good league.
Japan has a handful of players that play outside Europe and the rest are from the j-League. Not disrespecting the J-League, while it is better than the local league, it is not considered a top world league like the EPL, La Liga or Serie A.
Croatia does not have any big time performers as most of their squad are in the belgium, austrian, swiss leagues who are second tier european competitions.
Go AUSTRALIA
1. The Group
Ok so we drew Brazil but we also drew Croatia and Japan. While they definetly will not be easy beats, those teams are not as bad as say the Czech Republic, Argentina, Portugal even Sweden who we could have been drawn with. It will be tough but some advantages we have are that we play Japan first. This is a crucial game, we win and the ball is rolling in the right direction.
Next we take on the best team in the world that is Brazil. They are tough but I hope they throughly destroy Croatia so they are over confident and we can give them a hard time.
The last match will probably a playoff to get to the next round, if we beat Japan. This game has significance to us because there are 3 players in the opposition who learnt their trade in Australia. Some of the Australian croatians know these players and it will be quite an emotional encounter.
However neither Croatia or Japan had to beat a team like Uruguay. Japan topped a group that consisted of North Korea, Bahrain and Iran. Not exactly hard to play against and they were not tested.
Croatia topped their group but were not really troubled during qualification. So they are not as match hardened as us.
2. Harry Kewell
Just as he was returning to his best, he hit a hurdle when he had to come off the FA Cup final with a groin injury. He was man of the match in the semi final against Chelsea and the fans knew that, so it was a shame. However things are looking good and he should be able to play.
How much, I am not sure but probably not an entire match, maybe 30-40 minutes the first match and then he can play more as the tournament progresses.
Kewell brings a lot of creativity on the pitch and this is one area Australia needs to improve in. With his creativity, defences will be guessing and this should free our strikers and hopefully this results in goals.
Given the dissappointment he endured in the Champions League final I am sure he wants to prove he is a big stage player. I hope he will do what he did against Uruguay and tear that defence up!
3. Being an underdog
No one has given us a chance and I think that being an underdog will help us. We can sneak up on teams and bite them where it hurts, the scoreboard.
The team also is not under any pressure so they can concentrate on the games and not worry about distractions apart from some beer drinking and shouting Aussie supporter.
4. Guus Hiddick
In the last 2 world cups, his teams have finished in the top 4 - Netherlands in 1998 and South Korea in 2002. Any man who can coach South Korea to 4th spot has to be regarded as a genius.
He has not had as much time for Australia as S. Korea but he is a tactical genius and a great man manager. Hopefully he can weave the magic again and make us progress through the group stages. Luck will play a factor as it did with the koreans and a few dodgy decisions from referees but we shall await that.
5. 32 years
That is how long it has been since Australia last participated in a world cup. The players all know that and the football public know that. Both players and supporters are looking forward to the first match. All the bad luck we have experienced seems to have been washed away so lets hope it all goes well.
6. We have the team
Australian teams in the past either had a very strong defence or some good attacking options. Back in 2002, the defence was decent and we had Harry and Viduka toscore the goals, but the midfield was average.
This year we have guys like Marco B, Vince Grella, Tim Cahill, John Aloisi who ply their trade in top leagues around the world. Teh starting 11 plays in a good league.
Japan has a handful of players that play outside Europe and the rest are from the j-League. Not disrespecting the J-League, while it is better than the local league, it is not considered a top world league like the EPL, La Liga or Serie A.
Croatia does not have any big time performers as most of their squad are in the belgium, austrian, swiss leagues who are second tier european competitions.
Go AUSTRALIA
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Talking Singapore
I read this article in The Age newspaper written Michael Backman. Thought I would post it here for you to read.
I like the place, for a holiday, its is clean and very safe with low crime. You can walk down the street in the middle of the night and not worry about being mugged.
However, it is interesting to note that some of the civil liberties I take for granted could be denied over there is I was Singaporean. I would not be able to write about how much of a clown John Howard is (not that I do but I like to know that I could if I wanted to).
The article makes a pint that Singaporeans like their lifestyle but there are those who may want to live and think outside the box. The attitude by some of these people is to place scorn and derision on them. For examples, if my ambition was to be a musician rather than a doctor, lawyer or engineer, I would be looked down upon by peers including friends.
Singapore is very much a status place, what you do, what car you drive and how much bling you carry. Some people may live in some shallow of an apartment but if they drive a BMW or Mercedes then they are successful.
Sometimes their thinking is sterile and very much along the same line as the country. Individual expression is not encouraged.
Anyway....I have probably offended my Singaporean chums enough. Read on.........
Downsides devalue Singapore Inc
by Michael Backman
KIASU is the term Singaporeans use to describe the unpleasant side of their culture. Acting in a kiasu manner means being greedy, unwilling to share and insensitive to others. Many Singaporeans feel this is a good description of the Government and its approach to power. The winner-take-all attitude is out of step with other nations.
No one can deny that Singapore is an easy place (although not necessarily a good place) to do business, compared with its neighbours.
Singapore scores highly on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index: it is ranked No. 5 of 158 countries. The Global Competitiveness Report ranks Singapore No. 6 of 117 economies.
The Government likes to broadcast these figures. But it doesn't broadcast that it executes more people per head a year than almost anywhere else. Reporters Without Borders has Singapore No. 140 of 167 countries for media freedom.
It is as if Singapore is more a ruthless corporation than a country with a civil society, its people more employees than citizens, and its broadsheet, the Straits Times, more like a staff bulletin than a newspaper. As a Singaporean diplomat once told me, "We don't have journalists in Singapore; only propagandists."
Increasingly, people around the world are beginning to laugh at Singapore; they laugh at its Government's petty and self-serving restrictions on what people can and cannot do. But in Singapore, many people are unaware of this because the Government-controlled media feed them a diet of only good news stories.
Race relations are often used as an excuse for restrictions. But Singapore has one of the most homogeneous race profiles in the world: 77 per cent are Chinese, the rest comprise Malays and Indians. Singapore does not have the racial complexities of many countries.
The Maria Hertogh case is cited as an example of how Singapore is on the edge racially, and used to justify various restrictions. Rioting erupted among Malays after a court allowed a Dutch girl who was raised as a Muslim to be returned to her Catholic parents. This was 56 years ago.
No viable opposition has been allowed to form, and without robust national debate Singaporeans are becoming politically de-skilled. Accordingly, the Government comprises plenty of ministers but few politicians, and there is little elegance to their art. They know only how to clobber: too often alternative viewpoints are responded to with public humiliation, threats, defamation writs and detention. Business should consider these aspects and not just competitiveness when assessing Singapore as a place for investment.
The Singapore Government hates people like me commenting on what it regards as its internal affairs. It hates it because foreigners cannot be controlled. But that does not stop the Singapore Government from intruding in the internal affairs of other countries.
Eddie Teo, Singapore's new high commissioner to Australia, has written letters to The Age critical of my recent columns. This is the first time Mr Teo has lived outside Singapore in 35 years and no doubt he finds a free media refreshing.
In one letter, Mr Teo claimed Singapore's defamation laws follow the English model. He is wrong. The British government does not sue opposition politicians so they are bankrupted and cannot run for parliament. If the British are to be blamed for Singapore's laws, then they can be blamed for Singapore's economic success. It was they who established Singapore as a free-trade port, which has made Singapore rich.
He says Singapore has a good legal system. That is true, but only compared with Indonesia, the Philippines, China and Thailand. Laws that have not had the benefit of open public debate and passage through a robust parliament are not really laws but decrees.
Rule of law becomes rule by law and many things are possible. Execution without a jury trial is one; torture is another.
Geoffrey Robertson, QC, writing last month for the Open Democracy Foundation, describes how torture was used in Singapore in the 1980s. A group of young lawyers, Catholic aid workers and women playwrights were rounded up by Singapore's Internal Security Department and detained without trial because they were suspects in an alleged Marxist conspiracy. They were not terrorists, they were political activists. The worst they seemed to have done was distribute Marxist literature.
They were deprived of sleep, doused with cold water and blasted with refrigerated air. The torture was not physical and left little evidence, which was its point. Instead, it was psychological and left what Robertson terms the Singapore scar. The minister then responsible for the ISD was Lee Hsien Loong. He is now Singapore's Prime Minister.
And who headed the ISD and Defence Ministry's Security and Intelligence Division for much of the 1980s? Eddie Teo, Singapore's high commissioner to Australia, the man who now enjoys our media freedoms, but who has spent much of his career denying Singaporeans similar freedoms. Some might regard that as kiasu.
I like the place, for a holiday, its is clean and very safe with low crime. You can walk down the street in the middle of the night and not worry about being mugged.
However, it is interesting to note that some of the civil liberties I take for granted could be denied over there is I was Singaporean. I would not be able to write about how much of a clown John Howard is (not that I do but I like to know that I could if I wanted to).
The article makes a pint that Singaporeans like their lifestyle but there are those who may want to live and think outside the box. The attitude by some of these people is to place scorn and derision on them. For examples, if my ambition was to be a musician rather than a doctor, lawyer or engineer, I would be looked down upon by peers including friends.
Singapore is very much a status place, what you do, what car you drive and how much bling you carry. Some people may live in some shallow of an apartment but if they drive a BMW or Mercedes then they are successful.
Sometimes their thinking is sterile and very much along the same line as the country. Individual expression is not encouraged.
Anyway....I have probably offended my Singaporean chums enough. Read on.........
Downsides devalue Singapore Inc
by Michael Backman
KIASU is the term Singaporeans use to describe the unpleasant side of their culture. Acting in a kiasu manner means being greedy, unwilling to share and insensitive to others. Many Singaporeans feel this is a good description of the Government and its approach to power. The winner-take-all attitude is out of step with other nations.
No one can deny that Singapore is an easy place (although not necessarily a good place) to do business, compared with its neighbours.
Singapore scores highly on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index: it is ranked No. 5 of 158 countries. The Global Competitiveness Report ranks Singapore No. 6 of 117 economies.
The Government likes to broadcast these figures. But it doesn't broadcast that it executes more people per head a year than almost anywhere else. Reporters Without Borders has Singapore No. 140 of 167 countries for media freedom.
It is as if Singapore is more a ruthless corporation than a country with a civil society, its people more employees than citizens, and its broadsheet, the Straits Times, more like a staff bulletin than a newspaper. As a Singaporean diplomat once told me, "We don't have journalists in Singapore; only propagandists."
Increasingly, people around the world are beginning to laugh at Singapore; they laugh at its Government's petty and self-serving restrictions on what people can and cannot do. But in Singapore, many people are unaware of this because the Government-controlled media feed them a diet of only good news stories.
Race relations are often used as an excuse for restrictions. But Singapore has one of the most homogeneous race profiles in the world: 77 per cent are Chinese, the rest comprise Malays and Indians. Singapore does not have the racial complexities of many countries.
The Maria Hertogh case is cited as an example of how Singapore is on the edge racially, and used to justify various restrictions. Rioting erupted among Malays after a court allowed a Dutch girl who was raised as a Muslim to be returned to her Catholic parents. This was 56 years ago.
No viable opposition has been allowed to form, and without robust national debate Singaporeans are becoming politically de-skilled. Accordingly, the Government comprises plenty of ministers but few politicians, and there is little elegance to their art. They know only how to clobber: too often alternative viewpoints are responded to with public humiliation, threats, defamation writs and detention. Business should consider these aspects and not just competitiveness when assessing Singapore as a place for investment.
The Singapore Government hates people like me commenting on what it regards as its internal affairs. It hates it because foreigners cannot be controlled. But that does not stop the Singapore Government from intruding in the internal affairs of other countries.
Eddie Teo, Singapore's new high commissioner to Australia, has written letters to The Age critical of my recent columns. This is the first time Mr Teo has lived outside Singapore in 35 years and no doubt he finds a free media refreshing.
In one letter, Mr Teo claimed Singapore's defamation laws follow the English model. He is wrong. The British government does not sue opposition politicians so they are bankrupted and cannot run for parliament. If the British are to be blamed for Singapore's laws, then they can be blamed for Singapore's economic success. It was they who established Singapore as a free-trade port, which has made Singapore rich.
He says Singapore has a good legal system. That is true, but only compared with Indonesia, the Philippines, China and Thailand. Laws that have not had the benefit of open public debate and passage through a robust parliament are not really laws but decrees.
Rule of law becomes rule by law and many things are possible. Execution without a jury trial is one; torture is another.
Geoffrey Robertson, QC, writing last month for the Open Democracy Foundation, describes how torture was used in Singapore in the 1980s. A group of young lawyers, Catholic aid workers and women playwrights were rounded up by Singapore's Internal Security Department and detained without trial because they were suspects in an alleged Marxist conspiracy. They were not terrorists, they were political activists. The worst they seemed to have done was distribute Marxist literature.
They were deprived of sleep, doused with cold water and blasted with refrigerated air. The torture was not physical and left little evidence, which was its point. Instead, it was psychological and left what Robertson terms the Singapore scar. The minister then responsible for the ISD was Lee Hsien Loong. He is now Singapore's Prime Minister.
And who headed the ISD and Defence Ministry's Security and Intelligence Division for much of the 1980s? Eddie Teo, Singapore's high commissioner to Australia, the man who now enjoys our media freedoms, but who has spent much of his career denying Singaporeans similar freedoms. Some might regard that as kiasu.
Friday, June 02, 2006
The one thing that p's me about the Skippies
For those not in the know the white Australians are sometimes known as 'skippies' so named after the Australian TV show "Skippy the bush kangaroo".
Now back to my story.
There is one thing I do not like about skippies and that is their attitude forAussie Rules Football (AFL) and Cricket and how it is the best game in the world. See the problem i have here and the reason I like to stir the skips up, is that Australia is the only country that plays AFL and one of a handfull of countires that play cricket.
So when the skips say they are the best in cricket, I say 'well that is because there is only 4 or 5 decent countries that play the sport'. The reality is that cricket is played by countires that belong to the commonwealth and about 10 countires can play internationally and be competitive.
So being the world champions in cricket does not mean much when u are playing against maybe 5% of the world.
As for AFL, i like the sport as it has a good combination tomake it interesting. However Aussies are obsessed by it and they degrade football/soccer. They call football a game for 'sheilas, wogs and poofters' but there is a lot of skill and fitness involved. AFL is definetly a tougher sport with all the body contact but worldwide it does not compete.
But things are changing in some respects, football is getting a lot more coverage and will grow. AFL will be comepting but will be okay, it is a unique game and will have a lot of support.
Cricket is ok but too damm slow and sometimes boring.
What gets me is the negative attitude the skips have to football and basketball which are the 2 most popular sports in the world.
Now back to my story.
There is one thing I do not like about skippies and that is their attitude forAussie Rules Football (AFL) and Cricket and how it is the best game in the world. See the problem i have here and the reason I like to stir the skips up, is that Australia is the only country that plays AFL and one of a handfull of countires that play cricket.
So when the skips say they are the best in cricket, I say 'well that is because there is only 4 or 5 decent countries that play the sport'. The reality is that cricket is played by countires that belong to the commonwealth and about 10 countires can play internationally and be competitive.
So being the world champions in cricket does not mean much when u are playing against maybe 5% of the world.
As for AFL, i like the sport as it has a good combination tomake it interesting. However Aussies are obsessed by it and they degrade football/soccer. They call football a game for 'sheilas, wogs and poofters' but there is a lot of skill and fitness involved. AFL is definetly a tougher sport with all the body contact but worldwide it does not compete.
But things are changing in some respects, football is getting a lot more coverage and will grow. AFL will be comepting but will be okay, it is a unique game and will have a lot of support.
Cricket is ok but too damm slow and sometimes boring.
What gets me is the negative attitude the skips have to football and basketball which are the 2 most popular sports in the world.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
The World Cup is nearly upon us
The kick off to the world cup is only 8 sleeps away. After that there will be plenty of sleepless nights and early wake ups to catch a match.
This time, the world cup has more importance to me as a result of AUSTRALIA qualifying. After 32 years of disappointment, we have made it after a dramatic penalty shoot out against Uruguay. It was quite and experience and when they march out onto the pitch to face Japan on June 12, Australian football supporters will be very happy.
My football experience has been disappointing since I started to delve into the sport. I supported Liverpool in the EPL so you can say that I have not had a good ride. But maybe there is a renaissance with my football teams. LFC look the goods and are winning and now Oz is in the big stage.
On the topic of Australia, the biggest most heart wrenching disappointment was against Iran in 1997. We were up 2 nil with 15 minutes to go. Then they score 2 and go through on the away goals rule. Heart breaking.
Next week it starts and I think Australia can qualify for the 2nd round, after that it is a dream. But we have super coach Guus Hiddick and he may be able to do some magic.
We shall see......
This time, the world cup has more importance to me as a result of AUSTRALIA qualifying. After 32 years of disappointment, we have made it after a dramatic penalty shoot out against Uruguay. It was quite and experience and when they march out onto the pitch to face Japan on June 12, Australian football supporters will be very happy.
My football experience has been disappointing since I started to delve into the sport. I supported Liverpool in the EPL so you can say that I have not had a good ride. But maybe there is a renaissance with my football teams. LFC look the goods and are winning and now Oz is in the big stage.
On the topic of Australia, the biggest most heart wrenching disappointment was against Iran in 1997. We were up 2 nil with 15 minutes to go. Then they score 2 and go through on the away goals rule. Heart breaking.
Next week it starts and I think Australia can qualify for the 2nd round, after that it is a dream. But we have super coach Guus Hiddick and he may be able to do some magic.
We shall see......
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