Monday, July 26, 2010

Week 9 onwards

Yes indeed. Time does fly. It's end of July. World Cup has ended, but the new BPL season is coming. NBA season has ended, but the World Championship is coming. F1 is midway through its season, and it's exciting indeed. But this?

This is shit.

Yes. From here on out, it's going to be another period of onslought assignments. Non-stop, action-packed deadlines (wa cheh), "Two Potential Midterms", as quoted by Leong Kwan Yi, presentations, and yeah, lots of UNNECESSARY.WORK.

I won't go into details about that, 'cause seriously, it ain't worth remembering. All I know is, there will be two assignment deadlines this week, another 3-4 next week, and ANOTHER 3 the week after. And ohh, there's also one or two in week 12 I think.

Two assignments for Discourse Analysis, two for Language for Negotiation and Persuasion, another two for Feature Writing, and we haven't even got the assignment for Research Methodology yet. Phew.

In the end, I got only two words:

Good luck.

~eNd~

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Absolute Zero 4

Hohoho it gets worse. Read THIS:

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/opinion/letters/8213-chuahs-on-his-own-selfish-kpi-at-the-expense-of-good-staff

Indeed, we sing All American Reject's "I give you my Dirty Little Secrets".

I think if this keeps up, UTAR is going down, especially the president. He may deny all he want, but the facts are there.

And the TRUTH is there.

He's just fighting a lost case in my opinion.

Suck it UTAR.

~eNd~

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Gérard Houllier vs Rafael Benitez - Paul Tomkins

Whilst I lost faith with Gérard Houllier before he was sacked in 2004, I do think he did a fine job up until 2002. However, his incredible attack on Benítez cannot mask the fact that Houllier left a pretty dire squad low on value and morale, and that in almost every way you look at it, the Spaniard did better than the Frenchman.

Houllier told Mihir Bose of the Evening Standard:

“After Rafa Benitez left this summer, one of the players sent me a message. He said, ‘Boss, he hasn’t beaten you.’”

I’m not quite sure what Houllier, or the player, means by this. Were they playing against each other?

Houllier won more ‘proper’ trophies than Benítez; but the Spaniard won the one that mattered most, and came close a further two times. Like Houllier, he also won an FA Cup; Rafa faced inferior opposition in the final, but far superior opposition on the way to it. He also took a title challenge into May, later than Houllier.

Benítez won 56% of games, to Houllier’s 50%.

Benítez averaged 72 points a season, the 4th-highest in Premier League history out of those who have managed for more than two seasons; Houllier averaged 65, ranking 9th, behind Roy Evans, his predecessor. Benítez easily has the highest Liverpool average since Kenny Dalglish, and unlike Houllier, improved on his predecessor’s tally.

Houllier’s best season was 2nd, with 80 points; Benítez’s 2nd, with 86 points. (Houllier’s best season also happened to be the one of which he missed almost half, due to a serious heart complaint; results picked up as soon as he fell ill, perhaps due to a “do it for the boss” reaction, which gradually wore off. In fairness, it was his team, but Phil Thompson was doing the legwork.)

Benítez made it to three Champions League semi-finals and two finals, to Houllier’s none. But Houllier did win more League Cups.

Is that what he meant?

“When I came into the changing room in Istanbul some of the players said: ‘Boss it’s your team.’“ …

First of all, what the hell were you doing there, as ex-manager? What kind of egotist walks in like that, even if at the game in an official capacity? Did Roy Evans start wandering into the changing rooms in Cardiff and Dortmund?

… “Twelve out of 14 in Istanbul were players I had signed or developed. I left Liverpool with a team in the Champions League. But when you finish seventh with Torres [er - wasn’t he injured for a lot of 2009/10?] and Gerrard [ditto]. . .” His voice tails off. Houllier does not need to spell out the very different legacy Benitez has left Hodgson.

What, one with 12 players at the World Cup, and four – all signed by Benítez – in the squads for the final? Rafa leaves an excellent team, but one which cannot cope with many injuries and dips in form; as seen last season. It’s not the deepest of squads, as the Spaniard himself acknowledged last season.

Also, Liverpool finished with more points (63 to 60) in Benítez’s final season, and made a semi-final. The team Houllier left won just 16 of their 38 games, compared with the 18 won last season. Neither season was great; but come on, let’s not pretend that was a good Liverpool side six years ago, just as it wasn’t seven years ago.

Liverpool finished 23 points behind the Champions last season; but 30 points behind in 2004. Incredibly, Liverpool lost five league games at Anfield in 2003/04, and did poorly in all three cup competitions.

The problem of one bad season last year – but not as bad as 2003/04 in many respects – was exacerbated by better teams now existing to take advantage. (And while it was one bad season, I’ve said since before 2004 that two poor ones in the row is the true mark of a manager having lost his way.)

Liverpool were also a stable, fairly well-run club back then; no American owners pillaging and plundering. Yes, there was a lack of visionaries at the club, but that’s better than what we’ve had to put up with since 2007.

There was also no Chelsea as we’d know it from 2004 onwards, nor Man City; both clubs have spent millions more than Liverpool. Indeed, in the last three years, Aston Villa, Birmingham, Spurs and even Sunderland have spent more (net) than the Reds. (Maybe Houllier could ask himself why his good friend Arsene Wenger has failed to even finish 2nd since 2004, when up until then his sides finished either as Champions or runners-up.)

Houllier is happily taking credit for Istanbul; but none of the blame for a lame squad that Benítez struggled to get 58 league points with in his first season (more-or-less what Houllier ended with).

He takes credit for Gerrard and Carragher, and yet while he played a big part in their careers, both were at the club when he arrived in 1998, and also further developed by Benítez in his first season; Carragher as a centre-back, Gerrard in a more attacking role (his average goal ratio was 6 a season in Houllier’s time, with a maximum of 10; he averaged around 20 a season under Benítez, with a maximum of 24 and a Footballer of the Year award).

Houllier left Harry Kewell, who was never fully fit after halfway through his debut season (a bit like leaving a written-off Ferrari in pieces in the garage). He left Vladimir Smicer, who was talented but also rarely fit. And Chris Kirkland, who made Kewell and Smicer look indestructible.

He left Djibril Cissé, who, like Emile Heskey, cost in excess of £25m in today’s money (source: TPI), but who lacked guile to go with his pace. He left Jerzy Dudek, whose excellent debut season and sublime performance in Istanbul were great bookends for the three nervy, error-strewn years in between. And as much as I loved Igor Biscan, he was, like Smicer, a hugely inconsistent and relatively expensive player entering the final year of his contract when Benítez took over.

He also left Djimi Traore, a player whose attributes (height, pace) were outweighed by his headless chicken act. Milan Baros was another headless chicken, although at least one with some talent.

He did leave Hyypia and Hamann – two fantastic players – but both were entering the final stages of their careers. Steve Finnan also had a limited time left, but it was only after Benítez arrived that he showed his true worth. And John Arne Riise was a good all-rounder.

But then there’s Salif Diao, El Hadji Diouf, Bruno Cheyrou, Anthony Le Tallec and Carl Medjani. What a waste of time they were.

Getting any kind of money for Houllier’s flops was a challenge. Indeed, making a profit on any of his successes was rare; only Hyypia, if sold at his peak, would have added greatly to his value and brought in enough money to reinvest. (The costly Hamann would have surely got his money back.)

Of course, Traore left for £2m, four times what he cost. Milan Baros was sold for roughly twice what he cost. Alou Diarra, who spent three years at Liverpool out on loan, also raised £2m, having been a free transfer. And the lively, likeable but often ineffective Sinama-Pongolle left for more-or-less what he cost. All told, about £12m raised on £6m of spending.

But Heskey, Cissé and Diouf left for less than half of their considerable original fees, at a time when high football inflation meant that they were sold for even less, in relative terms. Owen left for half of his actual value, too, with his contract in its final 12 months (having refused to sign a new deal under Houllier). Diao left for nothing, as did Cheyrou.

Stephen Warnock was also part of Benítez’s inheritance. But at 22, he’d never been given a single game by Houllier.

As far as I can tell, during his time in charge Houllier didn’t sell for a profit a single player he himself had signed; essential to rebuild without having to force the club to stump up cash it doesn’t possess. And in total, only three players signed between 1998 and 2004 ended up making the club a profit, none of them hugely significant.

Now let’s look at Benítez. Like Houllier, he signed some duds. Unlike Houllier, he regularly sold them for profit to make money to reinvest (making for a high gross spend, but a relatively low net one; essentially the money was recycled).

Following Benítez’s exit, the £1m paid for Insua seems to have turned into £5m. Yossi Benayoun, despite now being 30, left for what he cost; a great deal for a player at that age. San Jose, signed for a negligible fee, recently left for £2.6m; in other words, paying for Danny Wilson.

If the club wanted, it could get £30m for Javier Mascherano and up to £70m for Fernando Torres. Pepe Reina and Daniel Agger are both worth far more now than when purchased; easily £30m combined. These were all excellent investments, both in terms of playing ability and resale value. None is yet at his peak.

Liverpool received £30m for Xabi Alonso, after five seasons (two of them excellent) following a £10.5m (£20m TPI) transfer. Despite only having a year left on his deal, Alvaro Arbeloa also left for a profit, heading to the mighty Madrid.

Flops like Gonzalez, Voronin, Leto and Paletta (due to a sell-on clause) all left for profits (yes, they required wages while here, but then so did all Houllier’s flops.) Nunez, Josemi and Kromkamp all left for more-or-less what they cost. And players like Keane, Dossena and Morientes, though offloaded at a loss, still left for more than half what they cost; only Jermaine Pennant was a complete write-off.

And if sold now, El Zhar, Degen and various other ‘free’ fringe players would lead to a profit, while Maxi – who is in no way a flop – could easily bring in £4m (if Benayoun is worth £6m). Kyrgiakos, a desperate but essential signing when funds were too tight to go beyond £1.5m, would leave for at least what he cost.

Hit-and-miss players like Bellamy, Crouch, Carson (including £2m received by Aston Villa to take him on loan) and Sissoko all raised a lot of money through sales for profit; money that was usually spent on better players, and then disingenuously used against Benítez to make out he’d spent more than he had.

So far, eleven of Benítez’s signings have left for a healthy profit (over £42m in total), compared with Houllier’s three (worth around £6m).

And even if Torres, Reina, Agger and Mascherano weren’t sold until 2013, then unless injured they’d still conceivably raise a profit of over £50m that a future manager could benefit from.

The fact is, if you add every pound spent by Benítez to every pound players have either been sold for or are now worth, he’d be well in profit. Not bad for a manager whose Champions League runs raised much of the cash in the first place, at a time when David Moores was running out of dough, and Gillett and Hicks were looking to run away with the money.

For more on the spending comparison, there is this article I wrote a couple of months ago.

Back to Houllier’s interview:

By then the Frenchman was in sole charge and he still believes his pioneering tenure made it easy for Benitez to follow. “One, the pattern of getting a foreign coach was already accepted. Two, he had a Champions League-winning team.”…

Woah woah woah. Back up. Two of the most important players in 2005 were Xabi Alonso and Luis Garcia. And I don’t recall Liverpool winning the Champions League until a year after Houllier was sacked, following consecutive dire seasons. How can he claim such a thing?

He laid some of the foundations, clearly, but if Roy Hodgson wins the league in 2011 (however unlikely), will Houllier come out and say that it wasn’t down to his good friend, but rather Rafa Benítez? Of course not.

…“Three, the team were already in the Champions League. Four, we had built new facilities. And five, it was a different training routine, different attitude and mentality.”

Maybe these are true. But Liverpool were not Champions League regulars by any stretch of the imagination. And Benítez could not get the boost of introducing basic, continental techniques (fitness, anti-alcohol, etc) because Houllier already had. That one cuts both ways.

Above all else, it strikes me that the miracle of Istanbul was not due to the fact that the Reds came from 3-0 down at half-time against the mighty AC Milan, but how such a collection of players could even get near the final, let alone win it.

And for that reason, Benítez deserves far more respect than his bitter predecessor seems capable of affording him.

From My View

Yet another peice to read. Although very short, but still quite true.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/opinion/letters/8152-students-paying-a-heavy-price-for-high-handedness

Lecturers being forced to teach subject that is not within their field of experties. I mean, hell. Can you teach something you've never heard of? Can you teach something you've never learn before? Honestly, what logic is there to let a lecturer teach a subject that they themselves are learning?

Yet at the same time, whose to blame? Top management? Head of Department? Dean? I don't know. I don't know who assigns who teaches what, but I have a word for them:

Try being in their shoes and teach something alien. You who assign thinks it's easy, 'cause it ain't your ass on the line here. These lecturers have to suffer, and yes I use the word "suffer", 'cause they have to start from scratch. Yeah, probably you had your ass on the line before, but hey, no one says you should do the same to others.

Know what's the best part? They tell you that you are to teach a new subject, A WEEK before the semester begins. Talk about superhuman. I mean, how much can a lecturer learn up in a week? He or she ain't got no time to prepare everything. The best they can do is, prepare for Week 1, and while in Week 1, prepare for Week 2. It's not that bad if one is a tutor (though still equally bad =P), but it's worse if one's a lecturer.

I remember last semester. I had a lecturer whose new to the subject. Guess what? He basically just read from the slides without much explanation, 'cause he has no time to prepare his own slides! He had to take from the lecturer who previously taught that subject, and it took him a couple of weeks before he could fully teach it HIS way.

Talk about catching up with time.

Poor lecturers. They already have students to take care of (advisor - advisee, especially those in the FBF, where it's one lecturer to at least close to a hundred students), they have students' Final Year Project to oversee, and they've got admin work to do as well! And I thought admin work is only for those at the admin side. Man was I wrong.

And now they are bombed with new subjects. Talk about living hell. It's almost like it - minus the fire - so don't be surprised if the turnover rate gets higher. Wouldn't be surprised if one day all the lecturers in UTAR decide to boycott class.

THAT'S how bad it can get.

~eNd~

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Absolute Zero 3

More views are out in the open now, although the president of UTAR has also spoken out. Here's two more reads on what's really happening inside:

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/opinion/letters/8102-restore-integrity-and-good-governance-in-utar

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/opinion/letters/8101-finally-the-utar-matter-has-come-out-in-the-open

When's The Star going to get real and get the true story out? I'd like to see.

~eNd~

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Deep

A smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities. – Herman Melville

Ain't it true. A smile can be genuine, or it can be fake or forced. It can be a happy smile, sad smile, evil smile, smart smile, you name it.

Talk about ambiguity.

~eNd~

Absolute Zero 2

Well well, here's a good read. Take this UTAR.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/news/general/8041-seniors-utar-academics-quit-over-tamper-directive

THIS is EXACTLY what's going on in UTAR. To those studying there and wondering why is UTAR so horrible, here's your answer.

MCA better do something. Pronto.

~eNd~

Friday, July 16, 2010

Absolute Zero

It opened my eyes.

Yes indeed it did. A group of UTAR students are planning to boycott classes next Wednesday, 28th July 2010, in the light of getting news (or rumours?) that they have to pay RM80 for half a year/per semester/per year (don't know which and don't care), and encouraging other students to do so.

Aren't they serious....

Get real mate. First of all, nothing's official yet. These are rumours, that happened to spread around like wild fire. Until this is official, please don't make a big hu-ha out of it. For all we know, it might not even be implemented.

Yes, there is a certain level of truth, or should I say fact:
(1) Students DO have to walk on the mud to get to their cars, hence getting themselves dirty and all,
(2) it is dangerous indeed to walk so far, especially in the dark,
(3) Rain doesn't help at all, hence point number 1,
(4) those with high-heels will probably suffer the most. I won't be surprised if some of them broke their high-heels 'cause they have to walk on muddy or (in some areas) stony path.
(5) probably the worst case scenario - YOUR CAR GETTING STUCK IN THE MUD. Yes it can happen, and yes it is easily understood about students' frustration of having to pay RM80 for all 5 shits.

However, boycotting ain't going to get you anywhere either:
(1) it's YOUR attendance being affected here,
(2) Lecturers and security ain't going to give two f's about you skipping class. They'll probably go "Oh. Skip lo. Nothing wan ma. Sendiri punya pasal."
(3) referring back to point number 1, you might probably miss important things during lecture. Why waste your time like this for something that's not official? Even if it is, boycott is really not an option.

Again, as long as nothing's official, PLEASE.DON'T.DO.ANYTHING.STUPID. As for bringing it to the media, well I'll leave it to the person who is daring enough to do so, to decide. After all, UTAR does deserve some kicking in the ass for all that's happening at the moment.

This is from the "Boycott page":
We can't tolerate anymore! Time to show our dissatisfaction. Enough is enough. We can't take it already. Car park not enough, motorbike parking lots not enough, bicycle parking lots not enough. Bus TOO little. How to go to school like this?
Car sticker RM100 per semester!
Motorbike stticker RM10 per semester!
Car fine RM20 for illegal parking!(always no parking lots even with sticker) Fine!
Motorbike fine RM10 for illegal parking!
(always hard to find parking lots no matter which block)
Fine!!
Bicycle fine RM5 for illegal parking????
(there is no place for us to park at all except those empty land)

Bus?? watch UTAR's faith la
NOW park on that dirty muddy Eastgate also need to pay RM80!!! SHOW THEM STUDENT POWER!
Every UTARIAN don't go school on 28 JULY 2010!!!
Make all UTAR campuses EMTPY.
Show them We are SERIOUS!We CARE!

The Star Newspaper and MCA will be embarrased.

~eNd~

Thursday, July 15, 2010

A year after

Yes indeed. I played basketball after being "absent" from it for about a year plus. It's been a long time, and though I didn't lose much of my shooting touch, my body certainly couldn't keep up with the pace of the game. It didn't take me 5 minutes to pant like an old man. Really.

Pushed myself too hard maybe? I'm now suffering the consequences of being out of the game for too long, especially basketball being a very physical game. Got elbowed in the cheek and the chest, but well that's all part of it. And guess what? I slept for 9 hours yesterday. Shows you how tired I am. Blek =P

Anyways, hope to continue on from this. I realise I need to "move", and since I recently gave a speech (for my Public Speaking subject) that jogging is bad, I might as well continue with basketball. =D

PS: Didn't know Alex Foo was so good =)

~eNd~

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Words of wisdom from our local ladies

Sometimes you don't have to look very far for beautiful yet meaningful quotes. Proximity mate.

"If you do not make a stand for something, you will fall for anything."
-
Toh Ai Ling

"How we live, shows what we believe."
-
Loh Kay Lynn

Damn right they are. =)

~eNd~

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Player(s) of the World Cup 2010

The World Cup has almost come to an end, with only the final left to play now. Again it was great being a neutral in this tournament. You don't have a "favourite" team to support, and you get to see the good and the bad of the whole thing, instead of just focusing on one team, and when that team loses, you have no interest anymore.

Anyways, below is the list of players whom I think did exceptionally well. I may miss out a lot more, but yeah. I ain't a total expert forgive me:

Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany)
This lad played on the wing when his country hosted the World Cup 4 years ago. At that time he played on the wing, and he was pretty dangerous. Guess what? He plays in central midfield now, and he's even more dangerous. Although the likes of Klose, Ozil and Muller got all the headlines, I think that Schweinsteiger has been a great instrument in the German midfield, making superb passes, controlling midfield, making Michael Ballack's absence less noticable. Joachim Low sure did a hell of a good job converting the Bayern man. It's a pity though, that he is not in contention for Player of the Tournament.

Thomas Muller (Germany)
Honestly, not much is known about him, or that's as far as I'm concern, but I'm sure he has played an instrumental role to Bayern Munich's run to the Champions League final, otherwise Low wouldn't have picked him. But WHAT.THE.PLAYER!!!!!! He scored twice to tear England apart, and played an influencal role to help Germany crush Argentina. His absence during the semi-finals against Spain was well felt, hence Germany losing and having to settle for 3rd/4th placing (again). And when he came back, lo and behold, Germany beats Uruguay. For a 20 year old, he has done enough to catch the eyes of elite clubs, and with 5 goals credited to him, really. We're already seeing the star of the future.

Wesley Sneijder (Holland)
Is there any need at all to say about this guy? Winner of 3 titles/cups in Italy, including the Seria A and the Champions League, he's one of the main reasons Holland got this far in the cup. Crucial winning goals, notably both his goals against Brazil, has brought his tally to 5, along with David Villa. Huge influence in the Holland midfield, always in the heart of every move. One wonders what Mourinho did to him. =)

David Villa (Spain)
Tied top scorer with the man above, one wonders how far Spain would have gone without him. Seriously, out of the 5 goals he scored, 4 that he scored (especially against Portugal and Paraguay) has won the game for them, while it's also fair to say that he crushed Chile on his own with that superb strike and an assist for Andreas Iniesta. Conclusion: He has almost singled handedly won every game for Spain, except Switzerland and Germany. One will hope he can repeat this with his new team.... Barcelona.

Unsung Hero
Dirk Kuyt (Holland)
Another influential player in the squad. Well-known for his unlimited stamia, this Dutchman scored a goal and created 3 (2 for Sneijder and 1 for Robben), and this is one player any coach wouldn't want to go without. He may not be blessed with skills and speed, but with his hardwork chasing the ball around, and his eye for delivering deadly crosses, it almost makes up for it.

~eNd~

World Cup Final 2010

Well, it all goes down tonight. Holland vs Spain. Almost every eye will be on the tele tonight.

Almost.

Not mine though. I'll just wake up in the morning and read who won. Simple. =)

Good luck to both sides.

And again, Liverpool WILL.HAVE.A.WINNER.TONIGHT.NO.MATTER.WHAT. Proud of the Red boys.

~eNd~

A Beautiful Exchange (indeed =D )

You were near
Though I was distant
Disillusioned, I was lost and insecure

Still mercy fought
For my attention
You were waiting at the door
Then I let You in

Trading your life
For my offenses
For my redemption, You carried all the blame

Breaking the curse
Of our condition
Perfection took our place

When only love could make a way
You gave Your life in a beautiful exchange

My burden erased
My life forgiven
There is nothing that could take this love away

My only desire
And sole ambition
Is to love You just the same

When only love could make a way
You gave Your life in a beautiful exchange
When only love could break these chains
You gave Your life in a beautiful exchange

Holy are You, God
Holy is Your name
With everything I've got
My heart will sing how I love You

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Life's catching up on me

I'm finding it harder to update this blog. Year 3 is CLEARLY not an easy year, especially with tougher subjects and Final Year Project. Phew. Nevertheless, will do my best to, so here's an... update? =P

July 7 - Birthday of many people, but two in particular that I would like to wish - Shirley Lee and Chan Mun Yee. Happy birthday to both you pretty ladies! Will pray that God will continue to work in both your lives, and may you live for Him too. =) Celebrated their birthdays, tons of pictures, but waiting for Mr. Photographer to upload them.

And guess what? Holland and Spain will face off in the finals! Just as Paul the octopus predicted. Funny isn't it. I thought the "octopus" was just some nickname of a person, only to find out that it's a REAL octopus that is doing the prediction! Best of all, he hasn't got a wrong prediction so far! Fancy that. Well, my brother can do it too. On FIFA09 that is.

No joke. He played the quarter-final matches, and got ALL semi-finalist correct. Not only that, he also got the FINALIST correct too! Just as it is now, Holland vs Spain in the final, and Germany vs Uruguay in the 3rd place playoff. And in both these games, Holland was the champion, while Germany got 3rd place in "dramatic" fashion, which included a penalty shootout. Beat it, octopus.

Anyways, things are starting to pill up again in uni life. Assignments, midterms and presentations. Usual routine, but it's at another level. Won't bother going into details though.

Ohh yeah. Missed out Liverpool having a new manager, and 22 players being linked with Liverpool, with only 12 million to spend. Well of course he won't buy all 22, and some ARE free, but then again, he can't do much with that kind of money really.

Well that's it for now I guess. Will hope to update soon. Take care peepz.

Ps: I don't care who wins, and it's been fun being a neutral in this 2010 World Cup. Anyways, two Liverpool players will bring home the medal THAT'S FOR SURE. =)

~eNd~

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Ryhmez

Got this from a friend. A brief "summary" about the World Cup 2010. Here goes:

England kalah kerana referi
Jepun keluar kerana penalti
Argentina kuat dgn messi
Brazil handal tapi lansi
Itali masih dalam mimpi
Perancis langsung takda hati
Africa semua balik safari
Korea utara kena tujuh biji
Malaysia?
terus...
BERJUDI!

~eNd~

Monday, July 5, 2010

Ya right.

"The real failure was in the group stage - not finishing top cost England because we ended up playing Germany, not Ghana." - Former England international Gary Neville

Ya right. It don't matter who we play. If England were strong they'd beat everyone INCLUDING Germany. The fact that they struggled even against Algeria shows they've got nothing.

You think Ghana would let England off that easily? Do you think it would have been easier facing Ghana instead? Read USA and Uruguay (if not for that Suarez "Hand of God", they would be in the semis now).

Suck it Neville.

~eNd~

Squad of the future

Fabio Capello said he will "wield the axe" on the current crop of players. Here is my verdict of who should not be selected and who should be.

Ones to go:
Heskey - clearly not good a player at all. Only good sometimes, though his ariel ability will be missed.
James - His time is up. At the age of 40, he's bound to retire soon.
Upson - Perhaps only time will tell about him, but at the moment he'll have to make way.
Carragher - Told Hogdson this time's return to international duty is a "one-off" thing, which will mean he wouldn't be back anymore. Will be missed though.
Terry - Surprised about this as I still believe he has much to offer. Heavy critisicm on him though.
Lampard - He doesn't seem to perform much at international stage. Still a good player though.
Gerrard - His time is coming up soon too, though his influence will be missed. Suspect that Euro 2012 will be his last, if not World Cup 2014
Ferdinand - Same verdict as Gerrard.
Ashley Cole - Quiet during the World Cup, but same verdict as Gerrard and Ferdinand.

Ones to stay:
Milner - Probably one of the plus points of England's forgettable journey in South Africa. Although he initially struggled in the opening game against USA, he picked himself up again, and certainly has a future to look forward to.
Rooney - Disappointing World Cup, that's for sure, but only at 25, he still has lots to offer. What he needs - I don't know =P
Glen Johnson - Many people want him out as well, but I beg to differ. Unless another right-back rises up, there's no one else for this slot. Hogdson might convert him to a right-sided midfield though - he just seem to do so well there. Enough said about his defending.
Defoe - Like Rooney, he also has lots to offer, but he's one of those who wonders what he's got to do to get into the first team.
Crouch - Big asset. Great record at international level. Same verdict as Defoe.
Carrick - Criticisms on him as well, but I believe his time's not up yet. Capello needs to trust him more. Didn't get a minute at all in South Africa.
Lennon - Did well in this World Cup, though some still critisise him for unknown reasons. If only he could bring his Spurs form to England....

Ones to watch:
Walcott - It's time to step up. Injury has destroyed his chance of making it to South Africa, but he is a bright future no doubt. He just needs games.
A.Young - Played well since his time at Watford, but managers never seem to take him to big shows. For me he's to go directly into the squad.
Ablonglahor - Same verdict as A.Young
Adam Johnson - Surprised when he signed for Manchester City but has ever since blossomed into a deadly left-winger. Think he missed out cz he's still too young. But heck, look no further than Thomas Muller.
Onouha - Currently down the pecking order at the blue half of Manchester, but if he moves on, he might be considered.
Wilshere - Made his debut at the tender age of 17 (if I recall). Not too bad, and if Wenger gives him more games, he'll make it definitely.
Hart - Great season with Birmingham. Already tipped as a star of the future. No doubts.

There are a lot more to be mentioned, but I suspect the likes of Anton Ferdinand, Lescott, Gary Cahill, Bent, Downing, Dawson, Huddlestone and Lee Cattermole might be next to step up. That is, of course, if they continue to play their best.

Enough said.

~eNd~

"Ain't that the truth" quote

Every individual has a place to fill in the world and is important in some respect whether he chooses to be so or not. – Nathaniel Hawthorne

Yeah ain't that right. The problem is what.

~eNd~

Sunday, July 4, 2010

They kid themselves.

I initially wanted to post something longer about the verdict of Argentina vs Germany, but I've found a shorter way, thanks to a certain idea. Here goes the verdict:

"There were 3 groups of people during the Argentina vs Germany game: The German players who made things happened, the German fans who watched and enjoyed the game, and all Argentinians who did not know what happened."

~eNd~