England's True Saviour

What joy to see Englang finally winning a football match. The media hails Steven Gerrard as England's (and their manager's) saviour, with headlines like "Gerrard rescues England from brink of disaster". It's easy to come onto conclusions like that, after all, the man did score 2 goals. Some (i think very few, if one considers his track record thus far) would give credit to Steve Mclaren for restoring Gerrard to his favourite position, something I would have done a long time ago. But further investigation would provide more hints & a clearer picture as to who is truly the mastermind behind England's 3-0 win over Andorra.

no, definitely not him...

The only reason why Gerrard was in that position was because Lampard was out of the England qualifier with an wrist injury.

"my wrist... it hurts so bad..."

And how was he injured? Reports say that Lampard suffered the injury when he was struck by a full-power shot by Wayne Rooney in training on Monday... Wayne Rooney?? Hmm, that makes perfect sense... My guess is that Rooney had a conversation with Steven Gerrard before training that day...

Rooney: Hey Steve. Lampard really sucked the other day...

Gerrard: Yea, tell me about it... I can't believe that the gaffer is still picking him.

Rooney: At least Beckham could cross a ball.

Gerrard: Yea, Beckham should play on the right wing. Then I should...

Rooney: Play at the centre, right?

Gerrard: Exactly.

Rooney: I have a plan to get you there, Stevie.

Gerrard: You're going to overthrow the queen?

Rooney: NO!! I'm going to do something to Lampard, but you'll have to play along.

Gerrard: Hmm... go on....

Rooney: First of all, get Lampard into position like this...

Gerrard: Uhuh...

Rooney: Then once you see me in this motion...

Gerrard: That's a really nice picture of you.

Rooney: Why thank you.

Gerrard: So what do I do next?

Rooney: Actually, if you haven't say it, I wouldn't notice how nice this picture really is...

Gerrard: yea yea, and then what do I do?

Rooney: Oh sorry mate. When you see me like that, you move away...

Gerrard: And...??

Rooney: And then this!!

Gerrard: That's a nice picture too.

Rooney: I'm good at choosing photos, ain't I?

Wayne Rooney, England's True Saviour.

Everyone's Making Fun Of English Football

Has anyone else noticed how the English national football team is being made fun of in movies? For example, I was watching the animation Flushed Away and in that show itself they made several jokes about England... SERIOUS!! Let me list down what I can remember...

>> When the hero (Roddy) was about to do something impossible to save the day while the world was watching the World Cup Final, the heroin, Rita, said "that's not possible!!"... Our hero answered " England's winning, anything's possible!!"

>> The last time the score was revealed, England were beating Germany 4-1... That was before half-time. But at the end, the headlines of the newspaper was "ENGLAND LOST ON PENALTIES"...

And after all that, a new movie is coming up next April. The movie is called The Game Of Their Lives...
"America's Finest Moment In The World's Greatest Game"... wow. Want to guess what that finest moment was??

Haha... It's funny. Seriously...

It's America beating England in the 1950 World Cup finals after training together for only 10 days.

Still No Beckham Recall?

Of the original 28-man squad, 8 have been hit with injuries (Read here and here). Aaron Lennon, who was expected to claim his first England start, won't make the trip to Holland... What should Steve Mclaren do now?

 

One possibility is to use Steven Gerrard on the right. He has proven that he can do a decent job for England there, but that won't go down well for Liverpool fans - who are much wiser than the club manager, knowing that Gerrard is meant to play in central midfield. Another alternative would be Shaun Wright-Phillips, who has played well every time he comes on for Chelsea as a substitute. But his crossing aren't world-class. And with Mclaren likely to drop their tall man for Andrew Johnson, crosses from the flanks need to be of the highest quality.

 

With all these factors coming into consideration, would Mclaren give David a call? If both Gerrard & Wright-Phillips join the injury list soon enough, that might just happen. But you would wonder if something fishy is going on... =)

Bring back Beckham!! (*or more players will get injured)

Cross yourself?

I was going my morning routine, reading yahoo.com sports news where I stumble across this article, where Fabio Cannavaro, the Real Madrid was speaking to the press ahead of their clash with Barcelona this weekend. Now I don't know if he speaks English, or if he used a different language while addressing the press... But I saw something funny... Check out what Fabio Cannavaro said, or presumably said, about Ronaldinho...

 

"We know all about Ronaldinho, he is a phenomenal player. I don't know how you stop him. When your rival has a forward like that you simply have to cross yourself and hope for the best."

 

Did you see that? No? Read it again.

 

"you simply have to CROSS YOURSELF and hope for the best."

 

Wow. Listen to the World Cup winning captain of 2006 Italian team giving advice on how to defend against one of the world's most feared strikers...

 

"You'll first notice him being beamed down from his space ship... "

 

"You do know he's an alien from Planet Brazil, don't you? That's where he got those funny teeth..."

 

"No, stupid!! Funny teeth doesn't give them greater skill or speed. It's just the way they distract you. They sometimes show up with funny hairdo too. You remember Ronaldo in 2002?" 

 

"That's how he scored 2 goals lah... They want you to think that they're stupid. Don't fall for that... Anyway, listen to me. When he comes charging forward..."

 

 

"CROSS YOURSELF!! Like this..."

 

"or like this..."

Gosh, I hope that I'll be able to blog more, so that this post won't be on the front page. But will my site now have much more traffic? I wonder...

The World Cup 2006 - Semi Finals (2)

France 1 vs Portugal 0

 

Wow!! What an exciting match!! I saw the replay, and knowing the results beforehand did nothing to put off the excitement the game brought (maybe my Winning 11 did).

 

I have nothing much to say about this match lah. Zidane's penalty was superb lah. It was always curling away from the goalkeeper. Had it not been for Thuram, though, Portugal would have had won the game easily. I'm very happy that France is in the final and I'm really hoping for a high scoring match.

 

Ok now I have somethings to say. Don't judge me. Judging from this match, I have a few suggestions for the French team manager that would make their game against Italy a great one.

 

_ Replace Abidal with Silvestre. Abidal conceded possession in dangerous areas and defended poorly.

_ Replace Barthez with Coupet - or you'll be staring calamity in the face!!

_ 4-5-1 has served you well throughout this competition. Now Henry would need Trezeguet as his stricking partner to break the Italian defense.

_ If you insist on going 4-5-1, then you'll have to make Cristiano Ronaldo french and replace Malouda.

 

 

The World Cup 2006 - Semi Finals (1)

Germany 0 vs Italy 2

 

I managed to wake up just before the end of the first half... I chose to do that, because I know if there were any goals, it will be shown during the half time show. That way I don't miss a thing, or waste my time watching nothing. Anyway, after the first half of extra time I turned off the tv. Somehow sleep became my main priority. I had a feeling that Del Piero would score the winning in the final minutes. But didn't expect it to be 2-0 though. The following are a summary of my thoughts of the match.

 

_ Ballack and Pirlo were the engines for their respective teams in midfield. Pirlo had more of the ball and a tougher job to do, in my opinion.

_ Both keepers played extremely well.

_ Saw flashes of brilliance by Totti - ineffective ones.

_ Bastian Schweinsteiger didn't even try to take on Zambrotta. Phillip Lahm looked more like an attacking player than he did.

_ David Odonkor - the commentator introduced him as the fastest player in the German league. He went on to say that "he looks like an olympic runner who found his way into the national football squad... by accident". I have no clue...

_ Did you see how Ballack intentionally stuck Iaquinta when they both went in for a high ball? He then pretended as if he collided head on. And it seemed like the commentor didn't notice that after 2 replays.

_ Alberto Gilardino was unlucky to hit the post with Lehmann beaten. Italy finally looked like winning the game.

 

Will have more motivation to watch tonight's match - Portugal vs France - because I'll be able to play Winning 11 at the same time. HAHA.

The World Cup 2006 - Quarter Finals

The Good:

 

_ Zidane's diplay and Henry's goal.

_ England with a new manager and captain.

_ Aaron Lennon.

_ Germany's equaliser - superb build-up.

_ Germany's and Portugal's goalkeeper during penalty shoot out.

_ Germany's subtitutions.

_ Italy's 3-0 win.

 

 

The Bad:

 

_ England's 4-5-1.

_ England players treating Rooney like Crouch.

_ Frank Lampard's clear misses.

_ Argentina players slow to shoot. 

_ Cafu. Should have used Cicinho.

_ World Player of The Year Ronaldinho not making an impact at all!!

_ Cristiano Ronaldo making a fuss out of a foul he didn't see from 40 metres away. Go figure.

 

The Studipity:

 

_ Argentina not starting the game with Saviola.

_ Argentina not bringing Messi into the match when they needed magic.

_ Sending Rooney off.

_ Starting Ronaldo - remember how bad he was against France in 98?

 

This is Joash Chan reporting - without watching any of these matches. Woo!!

The World Cup 2006 (10)

England 1 vs Ecuador 0

"Who the man? I the man. Who the man? I the man. *throws up*"

Man, he does look pale... I know the football ain't that beautiful in this game, but I still wished I had seen the match. No Astro...*sob*. A Beckham free kick sealed the game. He made history by becoming the first Englishman to score in 3 World Cups, all in dead-ball situations.Can anyone tell me if he's the first to throw up in a World Cup match?

Portugal 1 vs Netherlands 0

Portugal's performance was pretty impressive. The 3 frontmen for Netherlands tried to expose Portugal's defense with their speed, but Scolari's men did exceptionally well to break the attacks. I wonder how they will match up against England. I would say Portugal go into that quarter final match as favourites to win. But they'll have to hope that Beckham doesn't feel queasy next Saturday.

So there goes my team of choice again. Czech Republic gone, and now the Netherlands. Won't be seeing these 3 guys in action together anytime soon.

The World Cup 2006 (9)

Oh, hey, Pavel... What's going on? Why you're looking so down? Oh... you don't want to talk about it? Oh, you'll just show me some pictures? Oh ok.... Let's see now.

Oh, another 1 of your teammates did something stupid to earn a red card in last night's match? I can see what you mean. You guys struggled with 10-men in the last game too, against Ghana. It must have been even harder last night, huh?

Ya, I saw Italy's second goal too. Amazing how this dude actually beat your off-side trap and scored a goal, huh?Petr almost managed to steal the ball away from his feet... It was so close. He tried his darnest, I'm sure. To be fair to him, you all did leave the defense exposed... I guess you all really trust him to deliver the stops while you all chased the game.

Yea, I feel for you, Pavel. Can I call you Pablo? Pablo is so much easier to pronouce, and it sounds cool too. Oh Pablo is an Italian name? Is that what you think, you racist?!!

Ok ok, I'm sorry. I know you're in a bad mood. Your last tournament and the team failed to perform up to your potential. I was hoping you all would go all the way. I guess now you'll have to let the younger ones fulfill your dream now, huh? Oh speaking of younger ones, I have a picture of one of your young teammates... Can you recognise him?

That's right. It's Tomas Rosicky, the headless chicken. Now we both know why Fergie didn't buy him... So inconsistent. Anyhow, I do hope he'll find his head soon. He has potential. I still believe that.

The World Cup 2006 (8)

Where were you when this happened?

I was sound asleep. Thank God for replays!! Heard people talking about how he controlled the ball with his chest and let fire, but no one talked about the technique of that shot. Did you notice how the ball dipped so quickly?

yes, Crouch... You need to learn how to do that.

The World Cup 2006 (7)

Let my words be few this time...

France 1 vs Korea Republic 1

- Henry did his best and was his team's best player. Sure, he did miss a great chance late on. But I don't think anyone expected him to pick out a deflected shot and make the most out of it. Without him, France would have gone 5 consecutive World Cup games without scoring a goal.

- Patrick Vieira missed a great chance to score the winner when the ball was cut back to him. At least he could respect himself better by hitting it on target.

- Let Ribery start, now that Zidane is injured and there is no more excuse. If what is said about him is true, then he will carry the team through to the Final 16. Let Tregezuet start too!! Make him the main stricker and let Henry be the playmaker.

- I hope this wasn't Zidane's last competitive game.

Brazil 2 vs Australia 0

- Adriano's goal was a lucky one.

- It's either Brazil and Ronaldo are putting on an act to fool their opponents (just like how they did to Germany in 2002 finals when Ronaldo had that stupid haircut to distract them), or they better put Robinho to start ahead of Ronaldo.

- For once, the Brazilian back 2 (considering Cafu and Roberto Carlos aren't really defenders) are reliable and strong.

- Don't think they'll win the World Cup this time. Am I being too bold with this prediction?

I think my words were too much to be categorized as few, ei?

The World Cup 2006 (6)

Ghana 2 vs Czech Republic 0

Wao!! What a breath-taking game!! For me, the Czechs go into this game as favourites. But Ghana looked like they could cause an upset in the World Cup. Never thought that the Czechs would be the ones chasing the game though. Rosicky looked like a headless chicken running whenever he tried to spark an attack.

They would go into their next game (against Italy) without some of their key players, who are either injured or suspended. I don't even want to know the name of the dude who got sent off when the penalty was given. Petr Cech didn't save that penalty, but if it were not for his heroics, Ghana would have emerged winners by as least 2 more goals.

Losing 2 to nothing to a side which the Italians beat by the same score ain't any confidence booster. Italy only need a draw against Czech Republic to qualify for the final 16, while the Czechs need a win for that assurance. Things ain't looking good for them now. I still hope they go through. Kudos to Ghana for such a brave performance.

The World Cup 2006 (5)

Argentina 6 vs S&M 0

Wouldn't it be scary - playing against Argentina, knowing that they have 2 quality strickers on the pitch, and 2 more magicians as capable on the bench? What more do I need to say when you see such a score line? It was Joga Bonito enough for me. Maradona seemed very pleased with them too.

The commentator said something stupid when the camera pointed at Maradona. He said something like "Maradona is a big fan, in every sense of the word"... I'm like "What?!"... I mean, what more needs to be said? "Big fan" totally does it, doesn't it? And how many senses are there in those words? Dumbness...

The World Cup 2006 (4)

England 2 vs T&T 0
Once again it's Beckham making the goals. England looked so much more lively with the 55th minute substitutions. I thought it was a pretty bold change for Swen, taking off Carragher for Aaron Lennon. Love to see those risk taking moves by managers. But Terry and Ferdinand were steady at the back, and Rooney's introduction to the World Cup pinned T&T to their own half.

Lampard managed quite a few shots on target. And I kept wondering if Gerrard was deployed in that role, he might have taken those chances much better. And sure enough, he proved just that in extra time with a beautiful swing on the left foot.

All in all, I really want to say...

Welcome back, Rooney.

The World Cup 2006 (3)

wowsers!! Ukraine made Spain look so good - 4 goals to nothing. This was their fourth goal, a lovely stunner scored by Torres. Must also mention that the build up was awesome too. Great to see Puyol coming up and providing the assist. The whole experience made me go "WOW!!"

Glad to see Xavi back after a long injury. I thought he would miss the World Cup totally. Maybe my sources are as ignorant as I am. Or maybe it's just me. Anyway, glad he's back. I wonder why Fergie doesn't buy him. No, I am not an MU fan. I'm a Leeds United fan. While they are still struggling in the First Division, I'll divide my love for MU and Real Madrid. Yes I know all 3 aren't performing up to standard. I'm loyal like that. Ni'h.

Oh hey, that was the way I reacted to him!! We have something in common!!

The World Cup 2006 (2)

These 2 teams are recent World Champions. France won it in 1998, Brazil in 2002. France were suppose to give a good fight to defend their title in the Far East, but they failed to score in any of their group matches and bowed out. They were my favourite team then... sad. The way they beat Brazil in the '98 finals just caught my attention. Just like Leeds United. They impressed me enough to make me a loyal fan, then they disappoint me by getting relegated. Brazil boasted about their ability long before the World Cup. Their manager even conceded his starting line up a month ahead. And guess what happened in their first game?

France 0 vs Switzerland 0 / Brazil 1 vs Croatia 0

France played boringly ineffective in the game. Zidane (my favourite player) played the way he did in the 3rd game of 2002, where he was rushed back from injury. I don't know what Ribery was doing. And with that performance, France has failed to win 4 consecutive World Cup group stage matches. The next picture says quite a lot of words... slightly less than a thousand, if you know what I mean. And because of their lousy game, I was too depressed that I fell asleep, missing Brazil's match... 1 goal isn't much to show for, and I hope that they will show me what Joga Bonito is all about. I hope they score many more goals in their next game.

The World Cup 2006 (1)

How can a football mad blogger not blog about the World Cup, right? Here are my thoughts on some of the games played:

England 1 vs Paraguay 0

Like Sir Bobby Robson said, David Beckham sent in a beautifully weighted ball that was almost impossible to defend against. It looked like even if the defender didn't touch the ball, the goalkeeper wouldn't have saved the free kick. A narrow win, really. For England, and the World Cup, I hope Rooney plays - injury free.

Australia 3 vs Japan 1

I am a football fan that loves action. A good football game to me is 90 minutes of end-to-end, brilliant passing, creativity plus teamwork, a good (or oddly dangerous) goalkeeper and drama. I'm not too sure if this game provided what I wanted, but I only tuned in at the 80th minute and boy it was worth the while. Fatigue costed the Japanese 3 precious points, and Tim Cahill was their executer.

Czech Republic 3 vs USA 0

This is the best game of this World Cup thus far, and Czech Republic showed the world just how good they are. Tomas Rosicky scored 2 fabulous goals. I've always wondered why MU never bought him. He would be an excellent replacement for Paul Scholes. And I think both of them could play alongside each other too. I thoroughly enjoyed this game. I'm sure all neautrals would too.