After all that waiting I am finally here in Malaysia sitting nicely at my in laws place. It is a great feeling to be on holiday where I can sleep in, eat, nap and eat some more. It is only the second day here and all is well.
The trip to KL from Melbourne was uneventful but 8 plus hours can be stale. I decided to sit in the window seat and give Metria the aisle seat. Big mistake as the seats are not very big and hence I felt cramped up. Eventually we switched so I could stretch out a bit but the damage may have been done so I had to get up to stretch the legs. The service on MAS was a bit poor and the stewardesses were not really switched on. An order of a drink resulted in them delivering the drink to different passengers on 2 separate occasions. But the on-demand movies and TV shows was excellent. I saw 'Glory Road' and 'King Kong' and a host of other shows.
Eventually we touched down and surprisingly we got through immigration very quickly as the airport was very quiet. I was expecting the luggage to take some time but that arrived quickly and before you knew it we were through the sliding glass doors and were enveloped in the humidity and smell that is KL.
It was great!
We met Metria's sister and off we went. It was past midnight Melbourne time and we were a bit tired yet awake with excitement of arriving here. I waned to head to the in-laws for a shower but Metria wanted to go straight to the mamak stall!
So while I decided to take it easy and have a tetarik. Metria whacked a roti canai.
It was great to be back here.
Yesterday we celebrated my ma-in-laws birthday and we went Mexican at Mezquite in Heritage Row. We had some tequila shots but after an hour the food was not out. There were only 2 other tables and we could not fathom the reason for the delay. Eventually we left and the manager bought us a round of maragaritas. The venue decor was exquisite but the service was poor. Can not comment on the food as we did not taste anything BUT we got free booze.
Eventually we went to a Chinese restaurant. I had my satay. I am happy. I love satay and this place was great coz they marinate the satay in the sauce then cook it. YUMMY. I only ate 15 sticks but trust me I could easily do 50!
All in all things have been good. The weather has not been too hot so I have been able to acclimatize well.
Seen my in-laws and am shortly going to catch up with my mum and my cousins.
All good. Tonight I shall catch up with Mr Dish Bish and later others. It is gonna be an excellent 2 weeks!
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
A true legend bows out
I really have to say something about DENNIS BERGKAMP as he bades farewell to top level football and sails into the sunset. You could call him specatacular, awesome even use tremendous but those words do not seem enough.
He was ICE, you know the street word for "DIAMOND"
Because that is what Arsenal did when they bought him. They unearthed a diamond. He epitomised class and talent.
I do not really say much about a player from another team but I would rate DB as the reason I would watch an Arsenal match. As a matter of fact him and Ryan Giggs are the only non-Liverpool players I enjoy watching and have admiration for.
He has a career filled with highlights particularly when he would don the Dutch uniform. How can one forget his goal against Argentina in the 1998 WC. The way he controlled the long ball, beat the defence and slotted it in coolly. And cool he was and he was dubbed the "Iceman".
I believed that in Euro 2000 he showed the football world why he had to be considered one of the best. He led the Dutch to the semi's only to be denied by the goal post. The Italians (their opponents) did not do a lot to stop him, DB just could not get the ball to bounce the right way. But he tore apart the Azzurri defence with his creative flair and passing.
That is what I enjoyed about him. He was a great team player and an amazing creator for goal scorers. How much better or easier did he make life for Ian Wright and Thierry Henry when playing behind them.
And this was a player who Inter Milan president Mossami Morratti said would "be lucky to score 10 goals in a season". He may have been stiffled by the boring and grinding style of Italian football but when he crossed the channel he came to the fore.
This is one player I would have loved to have seen in Liverpool red. Still I enjoyed him when he play everyone bar LFC. Arsenal fans should note that he was the reason why you had that renaissance, why you won titles and why your team succeded.
He PIMPED Arsenal! The Arsenal team colours should have changed to a ice cool blue hue just to recognise what he brought to their club.
Dennis Bergkamp a true legend. 120 goals during 420 plus EPL matches. European player of the year in 1993, Euopean cup winners up winner, a UEFA cup winners cup, 3 EPL titles, 4 FA Cup titles and 1999 PFA player of the year in England.
As Ali G likes to put it...
RESPECT
He was ICE, you know the street word for "DIAMOND"
Because that is what Arsenal did when they bought him. They unearthed a diamond. He epitomised class and talent.
I do not really say much about a player from another team but I would rate DB as the reason I would watch an Arsenal match. As a matter of fact him and Ryan Giggs are the only non-Liverpool players I enjoy watching and have admiration for.
He has a career filled with highlights particularly when he would don the Dutch uniform. How can one forget his goal against Argentina in the 1998 WC. The way he controlled the long ball, beat the defence and slotted it in coolly. And cool he was and he was dubbed the "Iceman".
I believed that in Euro 2000 he showed the football world why he had to be considered one of the best. He led the Dutch to the semi's only to be denied by the goal post. The Italians (their opponents) did not do a lot to stop him, DB just could not get the ball to bounce the right way. But he tore apart the Azzurri defence with his creative flair and passing.
That is what I enjoyed about him. He was a great team player and an amazing creator for goal scorers. How much better or easier did he make life for Ian Wright and Thierry Henry when playing behind them.
And this was a player who Inter Milan president Mossami Morratti said would "be lucky to score 10 goals in a season". He may have been stiffled by the boring and grinding style of Italian football but when he crossed the channel he came to the fore.
This is one player I would have loved to have seen in Liverpool red. Still I enjoyed him when he play everyone bar LFC. Arsenal fans should note that he was the reason why you had that renaissance, why you won titles and why your team succeded.
He PIMPED Arsenal! The Arsenal team colours should have changed to a ice cool blue hue just to recognise what he brought to their club.
Dennis Bergkamp a true legend. 120 goals during 420 plus EPL matches. European player of the year in 1993, Euopean cup winners up winner, a UEFA cup winners cup, 3 EPL titles, 4 FA Cup titles and 1999 PFA player of the year in England.
As Ali G likes to put it...
RESPECT
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
10 more sleeps until Vacation time
Metria and I will shortly depart the cold and wet of Melbourne for the heat and humidy of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I am looking forward to the trip and am experiencing a whirlwind of emotions. One is trepidation although my tastebuds differ just thinking of a ice chendol on a hot day.
The reason for my angst and fear is that the last two trips to KL have ended the same way. Me in a PJ hospital with food poisoning, wanting to throw up and very cranky. It is not to pleasant and makes me the centre of attention in a negative way. If I am to be the centre of attention I want it to be in a positive way such as me being a clown or the satnd up comedian I see in my feeble little mind.
Still I hope I can go through this holiday and not eat any bad food. My mum-out-law has given me strict instructions that I am to eat home cooked food. But the charm of KL is the food - the mamak and hawker stalls, the SATAY..I am drooling already!
Nonetheless I hope to catch up with Keropok and Daniel Franklin Gomez and have a "bloggers meet, eat and drink". At the very least we shall argue about football and why Liverpool is better than the Arse and ManUre. Metria will be fine then she can catch up with her friends. The last time I met Keropok, I had married his friend Metria and the previous time we met, I was sick! Hopefully this time I make a good impression (what am i saying, I am a LFC fan!!)
The trip shall afford me the chance to catch up with relatives and touch base with my cousins. I come from a large family with a lot of uncles and aunties. We seriously should consider having our own section in PJ with the family members that have extended as us kids grow and get married. But is wonderful to see all my uncles, aunties and cousins and their kids. I enjoy the family feeling and it is the one thing I missed the most when I left Malaysia back in thd day.
I also hope to make a side trip to Batu Pahat and see my cousin who was recently blessed with the arrival of 2 daughters. Plus I have never been to BP and would like a look. And on the way stop at a few stalls and taste some food. But have to be cautious, must make sure it is freshly cooked and edible, otherwise my mum-out-law shall be most upset
It is time to start counting down but at the back of my mind is the dreaded office and work that needs to be done! Such a pain, you got to work your booty off to enjoy your holiday and then when you come back nothing else has been done.
But I am looking foward to sweating and breathing that air that is KL!
The reason for my angst and fear is that the last two trips to KL have ended the same way. Me in a PJ hospital with food poisoning, wanting to throw up and very cranky. It is not to pleasant and makes me the centre of attention in a negative way. If I am to be the centre of attention I want it to be in a positive way such as me being a clown or the satnd up comedian I see in my feeble little mind.
Still I hope I can go through this holiday and not eat any bad food. My mum-out-law has given me strict instructions that I am to eat home cooked food. But the charm of KL is the food - the mamak and hawker stalls, the SATAY..I am drooling already!
Nonetheless I hope to catch up with Keropok and Daniel Franklin Gomez and have a "bloggers meet, eat and drink". At the very least we shall argue about football and why Liverpool is better than the Arse and ManUre. Metria will be fine then she can catch up with her friends. The last time I met Keropok, I had married his friend Metria and the previous time we met, I was sick! Hopefully this time I make a good impression (what am i saying, I am a LFC fan!!)The trip shall afford me the chance to catch up with relatives and touch base with my cousins. I come from a large family with a lot of uncles and aunties. We seriously should consider having our own section in PJ with the family members that have extended as us kids grow and get married. But is wonderful to see all my uncles, aunties and cousins and their kids. I enjoy the family feeling and it is the one thing I missed the most when I left Malaysia back in thd day.
I also hope to make a side trip to Batu Pahat and see my cousin who was recently blessed with the arrival of 2 daughters. Plus I have never been to BP and would like a look. And on the way stop at a few stalls and taste some food. But have to be cautious, must make sure it is freshly cooked and edible, otherwise my mum-out-law shall be most upset
It is time to start counting down but at the back of my mind is the dreaded office and work that needs to be done! Such a pain, you got to work your booty off to enjoy your holiday and then when you come back nothing else has been done.
ALAMAK!
But I am looking foward to sweating and breathing that air that is KL!
Monday, July 17, 2006
The season that could be
My attention has now focussed onto the happenings of the domestic leagues around the world. Although the past few days there has been a lot of socialising especially the last weekend where a very good friend of mine visited me from Adelaide. Hence it was a weekend of eating and drinking. Thankfully I managed to play a full football game and 90 minutes of running (ok it was more walking and short jogs here and there) has helped. But damm sore now!
I am a big fan of the EPL and Liverpool Football Club is my team. I supported them since the mid 1980’s when as a child I would see my uncles and older cousins congregate over a few whiskies and discuss football. I cannot recall whether they were watching the games on TV as this was my youth in KL and I was too busy pretending to be a Jedi knight!
It seems that the majority of my family were Manchester United supporters. Being the rebel I was, I decided that Liverpool would be my team and that has started my love affair with the most successful football team in England. Actually at that point I was not caught up and did not comprehend the peak that LFC was experiencing.
My earliest memories of LFC have been negative. The earliest one is of Ian Thomas scoring the winning goal in 1989 to clinch the championship. Of course during the 1989/90 season they claimed the title but after that it has not been so glorious.
I suffered through the Manchester United domination of the 1990’s and forget about rivalries with Arsenal and Chelsea. The LFC and MUFC rivalry is the biggest in the EPL. It has been going since the 1960’s and it has grown worldwide now.
I respect MUFC but not the fans. I have had the success of ManU rubbed in my face for nearly 15 years. But……
……now I feel the balance of power in the north east of England and the EPL is changing a little. We are in the midst of the Rafalution.
Since Rafa has become the manager the team is playing more consistently. He has brought out the best from players like Jamie Carragher, rediscovered Sami Hyppia, unearthed the jewels of Xabi Alonso and Momo Sissoko and he brought back GOD! The future looks promising if the recruits of Gabriel Paletta, Daniel Agger, Mark Gonzalez and Craig Bellamy show the promise we hope.
Under his guidance the team has been doing well. European Champions League winners in 2005 and the FA Cup earlier this year. Along the way to the titles we slew the giants of Chelsea, ManU, Juventus and AC Milan!
With these two I see plenty of trophies coming our way
While I do not really see the EPL trophy being lifted but Steven Gerrard this season I feel we will challenge. The future looks golden and we look to get better. We look to improve. There will be more memorable nights in Europe and days in England!
The smile of LFC supports will return and when that happens, won’t the ManUre fans know about it!
You’ll Never Walk Alone!
I am a big fan of the EPL and Liverpool Football Club is my team. I supported them since the mid 1980’s when as a child I would see my uncles and older cousins congregate over a few whiskies and discuss football. I cannot recall whether they were watching the games on TV as this was my youth in KL and I was too busy pretending to be a Jedi knight!
It seems that the majority of my family were Manchester United supporters. Being the rebel I was, I decided that Liverpool would be my team and that has started my love affair with the most successful football team in England. Actually at that point I was not caught up and did not comprehend the peak that LFC was experiencing.
My earliest memories of LFC have been negative. The earliest one is of Ian Thomas scoring the winning goal in 1989 to clinch the championship. Of course during the 1989/90 season they claimed the title but after that it has not been so glorious.
I suffered through the Manchester United domination of the 1990’s and forget about rivalries with Arsenal and Chelsea. The LFC and MUFC rivalry is the biggest in the EPL. It has been going since the 1960’s and it has grown worldwide now.
I respect MUFC but not the fans. I have had the success of ManU rubbed in my face for nearly 15 years. But……
……now I feel the balance of power in the north east of England and the EPL is changing a little. We are in the midst of the Rafalution.
Since Rafa has become the manager the team is playing more consistently. He has brought out the best from players like Jamie Carragher, rediscovered Sami Hyppia, unearthed the jewels of Xabi Alonso and Momo Sissoko and he brought back GOD! The future looks promising if the recruits of Gabriel Paletta, Daniel Agger, Mark Gonzalez and Craig Bellamy show the promise we hope.Under his guidance the team has been doing well. European Champions League winners in 2005 and the FA Cup earlier this year. Along the way to the titles we slew the giants of Chelsea, ManU, Juventus and AC Milan!
With these two I see plenty of trophies coming our wayWhile I do not really see the EPL trophy being lifted but Steven Gerrard this season I feel we will challenge. The future looks golden and we look to get better. We look to improve. There will be more memorable nights in Europe and days in England!
The smile of LFC supports will return and when that happens, won’t the ManUre fans know about it!
You’ll Never Walk Alone!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Now it is over for another 4 years
The world cup is over.
On reflection, I do not think this world cup was the best of them.
The best team (Argentina) did not win it, actually it did not make it to the last 4. But that is one of the beautifual aspects of the WC. The favourties rarely win. Each team needs a bit of luck in the match and to be able to fire up at the right time.
Germany overcame the lack of expectation to finish 3rd. Good for them. They were brilliantly led by their Coach and deserve the accolades and plaudits. They were overcome by the champions when they switched of for the last 90 seconds of the match. A 2-0 scoreline was harsh. They had to attack with a few ticks of the clock left and when the defence is left bare, a team can capitalised.
Portugal performed as they should have in 2002, by progressing far but some of their players will be remembered shortly for the wrong reasons and their fans were appalling in the semi final (anyone note that whenever a French non white player touched the ball there was a chorus of whistles). Certain players showed me that they are soft and will do anything for their team to win, even if it means sending off a team mate from their club!
It was somewhat anticlimatical when ZZ was sent off for a headbutt. It was the correct call but people are questioning why ZZ did it. He knew what was at stake, he knew his action would be seen and he must have know that he would be OFFiif he followed through! But for that micro second we saw the less acknowledged part of Zizou - his temper. He lost control and did something crazy to spoil the goodwill the world shone on him as he provided us the last glimpse of his greatness.
What happenes now is the the last glimpse we have of Zizou is walking past the trophy I and many others wished he was holding as that would be a fitting lasting image of a great player.
Nonetheless, I see him as this generations Pele or Maradonna. His sublime skills, the spectacular play and his WOW factor. Let us remeber that Maradonna has his faults too but one could never question his skill. We can do the same for Zizou. Maybe we shall remember his better sides in years to come.
France deserved to be in the final - after all they beat the previous world cup finalists and an up and coming, yet underperforming Spanish team.
They showed that the world cup is not a sprint. Teams can not peak at the start and maintain the rage for another month. They should improve and when they reach the knockout stages the should be peaking so they can be firing on all cylinders come the final. They were lucky to get out of their group but they did and then they rode into the final.
We forget that Italy had a tough group and they qualified well by beating the Czech Republic and Ghana while leaving a bloodied America with a point. They managed to get through the second round through controversy and had a good run to the semi final where they beat the hosts. Still I am not a big fan of the Azzurri, their players find it acceptable to cheat and their fans find it acceptable to degrade players of differing ethnic origins (not all Italian fans are like that but there are some)
Argentina looked good at the start. They destroyed Serbia and Montenegro but could not reclaim that form when it mattered.
The first round was exciting with plenty of action and goals. The second round started the down hill roll in terms of the scoring but with more at stake, it is accpeted that teams become more cautious and look to defend hard and grab those chances.
To win the world cup a team has to make their luck and grab the chances their opponents give them. There is no other match. Thereis no tomorrow.
As I said, this world cup was good but not great but that is my opinion. But it is a special tournament, it brings the world together and it brings a sense of joy and well being to the world for a month.
It is hard for those of us on the other side of the world as it means late nights and hard working days, but then we can catch up with friends and talk all about the football.
That is what I shall miss, the talking, the blogging and the commentating as wannabe phooderballl experts!
Euro 2008.....come on down....
On reflection, I do not think this world cup was the best of them.
The best team (Argentina) did not win it, actually it did not make it to the last 4. But that is one of the beautifual aspects of the WC. The favourties rarely win. Each team needs a bit of luck in the match and to be able to fire up at the right time.
Germany overcame the lack of expectation to finish 3rd. Good for them. They were brilliantly led by their Coach and deserve the accolades and plaudits. They were overcome by the champions when they switched of for the last 90 seconds of the match. A 2-0 scoreline was harsh. They had to attack with a few ticks of the clock left and when the defence is left bare, a team can capitalised.
Portugal performed as they should have in 2002, by progressing far but some of their players will be remembered shortly for the wrong reasons and their fans were appalling in the semi final (anyone note that whenever a French non white player touched the ball there was a chorus of whistles). Certain players showed me that they are soft and will do anything for their team to win, even if it means sending off a team mate from their club!
It was somewhat anticlimatical when ZZ was sent off for a headbutt. It was the correct call but people are questioning why ZZ did it. He knew what was at stake, he knew his action would be seen and he must have know that he would be OFFiif he followed through! But for that micro second we saw the less acknowledged part of Zizou - his temper. He lost control and did something crazy to spoil the goodwill the world shone on him as he provided us the last glimpse of his greatness.
What happenes now is the the last glimpse we have of Zizou is walking past the trophy I and many others wished he was holding as that would be a fitting lasting image of a great player.
Nonetheless, I see him as this generations Pele or Maradonna. His sublime skills, the spectacular play and his WOW factor. Let us remeber that Maradonna has his faults too but one could never question his skill. We can do the same for Zizou. Maybe we shall remember his better sides in years to come.
France deserved to be in the final - after all they beat the previous world cup finalists and an up and coming, yet underperforming Spanish team.
They showed that the world cup is not a sprint. Teams can not peak at the start and maintain the rage for another month. They should improve and when they reach the knockout stages the should be peaking so they can be firing on all cylinders come the final. They were lucky to get out of their group but they did and then they rode into the final.
We forget that Italy had a tough group and they qualified well by beating the Czech Republic and Ghana while leaving a bloodied America with a point. They managed to get through the second round through controversy and had a good run to the semi final where they beat the hosts. Still I am not a big fan of the Azzurri, their players find it acceptable to cheat and their fans find it acceptable to degrade players of differing ethnic origins (not all Italian fans are like that but there are some)
Argentina looked good at the start. They destroyed Serbia and Montenegro but could not reclaim that form when it mattered.
The first round was exciting with plenty of action and goals. The second round started the down hill roll in terms of the scoring but with more at stake, it is accpeted that teams become more cautious and look to defend hard and grab those chances.
To win the world cup a team has to make their luck and grab the chances their opponents give them. There is no other match. Thereis no tomorrow.
As I said, this world cup was good but not great but that is my opinion. But it is a special tournament, it brings the world together and it brings a sense of joy and well being to the world for a month.
It is hard for those of us on the other side of the world as it means late nights and hard working days, but then we can catch up with friends and talk all about the football.
That is what I shall miss, the talking, the blogging and the commentating as wannabe phooderballl experts!
Euro 2008.....come on down....
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Be a Man! - The Russell Peters Gig
It has been a really busy week and I have not had time to blog. Nope I was not working hard, it was socialising hard. 4 of the 5 nights involved us going out to dinner and catching up.
Last night, we caught the comedian Russell Peters.
Somebody gonna get hurt real bad....somebody!
For those not in the know, he is of Indian decent but born in Canada. He was very unknown until the last year or so when a video popped up on the net which showed his shows. He has a couple of catch phrases known to all curries....
"Be a man" and "somebody gonna get hurth real bad".
Finally he has come down under and obviously we saw him last night. It was great. He performed for over an hour and I enjoyed it a lot. I was laughing a lot.
RP's style is to make fun of cultures particularly the Indians and Chinese. He talks about how his parents have adapted to life in an other country and as an immigrant, I so relate! How the parents treat their children, how they talk to you.
A story I related to was about how he had a childhood friend who used to swear and tell off his parents. So he tried it and if you are Asian, you know it did not work out. Here he explains why.
He has spent a bit of time studying the various cultures as a lot of his act relies on his interactions with the audience.
He will chat to a few audience members, ask them where they are from and then make fun. Well he was quiet about those who are Muslim but he is phunee about it.
And his accents, by far they are excellent. His chinese accent is the best I have heard from an Indian.
He is talented and whether you are Indian, Chinese, Pakistani, Italian, Lebanese, Greek whatever you are - Go catch him when he comes to your town.
Last night, we caught the comedian Russell Peters.
Somebody gonna get hurt real bad....somebody!For those not in the know, he is of Indian decent but born in Canada. He was very unknown until the last year or so when a video popped up on the net which showed his shows. He has a couple of catch phrases known to all curries....
"Be a man" and "somebody gonna get hurth real bad".
Finally he has come down under and obviously we saw him last night. It was great. He performed for over an hour and I enjoyed it a lot. I was laughing a lot.
RP's style is to make fun of cultures particularly the Indians and Chinese. He talks about how his parents have adapted to life in an other country and as an immigrant, I so relate! How the parents treat their children, how they talk to you.
A story I related to was about how he had a childhood friend who used to swear and tell off his parents. So he tried it and if you are Asian, you know it did not work out. Here he explains why.
He has spent a bit of time studying the various cultures as a lot of his act relies on his interactions with the audience.
He will chat to a few audience members, ask them where they are from and then make fun. Well he was quiet about those who are Muslim but he is phunee about it.
And his accents, by far they are excellent. His chinese accent is the best I have heard from an Indian.
He is talented and whether you are Indian, Chinese, Pakistani, Italian, Lebanese, Greek whatever you are - Go catch him when he comes to your town.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Now its down to four
First thing first, time to recap on the quarter finals.
Let me break with the order of matches and get to the England and Portugal match. We all know that the career of one Sven "Going Going Gone" Ericksson has finished and what a career!
It will be noted with distinction as a career that never reached its intended heights and never achieved anything. He managed to get his teams as far as the quarter finals and that he has been out coached by Phil Scolari on all occassions. The biggest flop was his loss to a 10 man Brazil in the 2002 world cup.
Possbily Englands worst manager - EVER.
"Hey Gaffer why don't you let me attack and let me bring in Rafa to teach you how to coach a team"
Yet I feel sorry for the English. Their best team in a generation yet SVE cocked things up from the beginning.
Wrong squad selections (Jermaine Defoe would have been a logical selection even before the injury curse hit the team) and there NO game plan apart from kick it long and lets hope someone can beat 4 defenders and score.
Most people know Rooney is more effective at running at players, not as a lone striker with his back to the goals. He should have had Crouching Peter with him to knock balls down.
Further SVE consigned himself to go down in history as a yes manager who does not having the balls to change his players who were not performing ie) Becks, Lampard (I counted 6 chances against Paraguay).
Here are some points that should be noted:
Lampard missed the penalty. Did he miss to remain in Jose's good books (his manager is Portugese)? A Man United player got another Man United player sent off. Can not wait for pre season training! Rio Ferdinand crying. Like Crystine Ronaldo when he came off against the Dutch. Must be a new training technique Fergie has implemented. 
What a pass and what a finish. Will he deliver on the big stage this time?
It is all on now!
Let me break with the order of matches and get to the England and Portugal match. We all know that the career of one Sven "Going Going Gone" Ericksson has finished and what a career!
It will be noted with distinction as a career that never reached its intended heights and never achieved anything. He managed to get his teams as far as the quarter finals and that he has been out coached by Phil Scolari on all occassions. The biggest flop was his loss to a 10 man Brazil in the 2002 world cup.
Possbily Englands worst manager - EVER.
"Hey Gaffer why don't you let me attack and let me bring in Rafa to teach you how to coach a team"
Wrong squad selections (Jermaine Defoe would have been a logical selection even before the injury curse hit the team) and there NO game plan apart from kick it long and lets hope someone can beat 4 defenders and score.
Most people know Rooney is more effective at running at players, not as a lone striker with his back to the goals. He should have had Crouching Peter with him to knock balls down.
Further SVE consigned himself to go down in history as a yes manager who does not having the balls to change his players who were not performing ie) Becks, Lampard (I counted 6 chances against Paraguay).
Here are some points that should be noted:
I can do on and on and on about this. I have a soft spot for England because I love the EPL and Liverpool so would really want England to suceed. All that money and time wasted by the Mr Magoo lookalike. Thisis why I am critical of the team.
But let us spare the embarrassment for the Ingurlanders!
Germany-Argentina was a sad day. My pick to win it all was knocked out via penalties. The Germans were clinical and deserved to do so.
Coach Peckerman messed things up by taking Riquelme off. Yet Argentina should have continued to attack after the first goal, intead of sitting back and letting the Germans attack. Sadly, he should have had Messi on as he would have added some class and flair down tht left side.
The Italian diving team beat Ukraine 3 nil. No surprise there. Lest talk about them the better.
However, a funny thing happened to France on their way from the first roung to the second round. They found their game. Shock Horror - they beat Brazil 1 nil. Thierry Henry delivers in a big stage.
What a pass and what a finish. Will he deliver on the big stage this time?Zinedine Zidane shows the world that he should be considered as our generations Maradonna (I have the gall to say it) with a best on ground performance. He sets up the goal and my lasting image of him will be his flick over a chasing Ronaldo and then a header. Pure class and talent.
Hope for us baldies!
I would love France to do it and take the world cup. But I am worried about ZiZou. He has been the catalyst for the progression driving the midfield and coordinating the game. But he is 34. Hopefully he can maintain the rage for another 2 matches.
As for the semi finals. I see France overcoming the negative play of Portugal and only if ZZ fires up. Home town support will see Germany make the finals.It is all on now!
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