2010 Memories?

Background: Liverpool vs Wolves. Liverpool are trailing 0-1 with less than 10 minutes remaining.

I won't bother to say anything about that match. It's depressing.

Earlier today, our young Malaysian football team won the AFF Suzuki Cup for the first time since its conception. I was over the moon but the euphoric moment was killed off by Liverpool's lacklustre performance.

With only two days left to 2010, I honestly can't wait for it to be over. I'm really hopeful that 2011 will be a better year for my career, love life and life in general.

2010 has been a depressing year for me. There are too many low points, I can literally count the highs with my fingers.

Me and my ex broke up in January. I don't wanna go too much into it so let's just say that we didn't end on great terms. That left me depressed for many months later while struggling to keep up with my final year requirements.

Thank God I passed my final year with first class. I'm really thankful to Allah for granting me my wishes although I haven't been the best servant. And to my family and friends and someone that helped keep me sane throughout the turbulence phase of my life.

In short, there are only 3 things positive that I would remember in 2010.

1) Passing my final year.

2) Malaysia being the new King of South East Asian football.

3) The amazing experience with a very bad boy post-breakup.

What I don't want to remember:

1) The 10 day gap between my theory and clinical exams. The time that we used to find at least 7 patients for 7 different clinical exams. Terrible is an understatement, I weighed 40kg at the end of my exams and I'm still surprised why I didn't fall sick at all. Not even the slightest cold after walking in heavy rain every single day.

2) Everything about my past relationship and the way it ended.

Why don't I play fantasy football?

I always get asked: Why don't you play fantasy football? Jom la join. Best wei kite lawan pastu tengok sape menang.

To this kind of question, my response will always be somewhat like these:

- I'm too lazy to keep up with how other teams and their players are doing.

- Malas la.

- Tak payah la confirm aku kalah punya.

While all of the reasons I've stated above are not entirely untrue, the main reason why I have never joined fantasy football is because my fantasy team would look somewhat like this:

-Reina-

Johnson - Carragher - Kyrgiakos - A.Cole

Kuyt - Meireles - Lucas - Nasri

-Gerrard-

- Torres -

Yes, I'm biased to that level. :)

Sex crimes: Whose fault?

Selalu ada discussion pasal sex crimes ataupun dalam Bahasa Malaysia jenayah seksual. Buka je suratkhabar, tiap-tiap hari ada pasal cabul, bapak rogol anak, abang rogol adik, datuk rogol cucu, dsb. You get my drift.

Pastu mesti ada discussion ni: Salah siapa?

Satu golongan salahkan lelaki. Lelaki bernafsu kuat kata mereka.

Satu kumpulan lain pulak salahkan perempuan. Perempuan buka aurat, pakai seksi sangat, menggoda, macam mengundang lelaki datang rogol.

Lagi satu salahkan kerajaan. Kerajaan bukak banyak sangat pusat hiburan, arak, kondom, senang dapat. Masuk aje 7Eleven, grab, pay and cabut.

Aku pulak rasa... semua faktor-faktor yang korang rasa tu menyumbang. Lagi satu faktor ialah aku rasa lelaki sekarang suka tengok porn. Atau filem lucah. Senang sangat dapat porn ni. Asalkan ada access to internet, beres. Layan. Jangan x mengaku pulak. Kalau awak x tengok, fine, bagus la, tapi aku kenal ramai lelaki yang tengok dan tidak segan silu mengaku. Sebab benda biasa beb. Porn aje.

Sebenarnya aku sangat bosan.

Konchesky doesn't always play that badly? Konchesky wasn't the reason that we lost to Spurs? I mean, like, seriously?

Roy Hodgson was the one to blame for the loss? Seriously? Roy Hodgson could make Konchesky quicker than Lennon but he refused to? Roy Hodgson could stop Ngog from jumping with his arms raised? No? So, maybe Roy Hodgson was the reason Maxi and Nando not being able to convert their chances? Seriously?

Because it's the day when everything goes wrong

If the scoreline was reversed, full credit has to be given to our central midfield pairing today. Lucas and Meireles played well. Meireles was guilty in giving away the ball a few times but overall a good performance. Lucas bossed the midfield.

Skrtel scored at both ends. He was the fastest to react when the ball was half-cleared from Meireles' freekick. Then..... he scored an own goal. Modric made a great run down the right and tried to pass the ball to the middle when Skrtel's attempt at clearing the ball went wrong.

I thought Torres and Maxi played and linked really well. That delicate touch from Torres that put Maxi through was brilliant. They both are guilty with the missed chances though.

Konchesky....well, I have no good words on him. Found asleep, caught out of position time and again. He really shouldn't be in the starting XI now that Aurelio's back. Roy, please call Insua back. He can't have done worse than Konchesky.

Johnson did pretty well against Bale at both ends. But our defence crumbled when Carra was out injured. The main concern for us at this time being is the fact that apart from Johnson, our defence lacks pace. In Bale and Lennon, Spurs have really tricky wingers with lightning pace. Lennon went past Konchesky with a breeze time and again.

Martin Atkinson was bullshit. Meireles didn't deserve the yellow card. Can't complain much about the other cards, but why no cards for Spurs? We had some pretty decent penalty claims too.

I don't think this is Roy's fault either. Konchesky was terrible but we missed a few good chances. Individual mistakes led to the goal. As bad as he played today, Skrtel's own goal wasn't Konchesky's fault. Carra was awesome though. That block early in the second half was awesome. But it's Carra, so it's a luck. If it's Rio or Terry, it's great defending. Bollocks.

I resisted myself from retaliating today. I kept reminding myself that they're not worth it. Since when do Spurs have a lot of fans? All jumping ship because Spurs are in the Champions League, ain't it? Yeah they think they have the right to thrash talk Liverpool, but when I say something against their teams they swear at me. Sigh. Why can't we have a proper, intelligent discussion? Why do you think that you know everything? Why do you always have to belittle other people's opinion?

Ok I'm kinda shagged. Will update more tomorrow when I've calmed down and can think clearly.

You know what pisses me off? Melayu yang rasa bangsa dia yang suffer paling banyak dalam dunia ni. Melayu yang expect bangsa-bangsa lain tolerate budaya Melayu tapi pada masa yang sama refuse to tolerate other races' culture.

So what if you're overseas, not at a Muslim-majority places and they serve alcohol at dinners and events or your non-Muslim friends order alcohol when seating down having a meal together with you? Are they forcing you to drink it? No, right? I have a lot of non-Muslim friends. None of them have ever forced me to drink alcohol or makan babi. Non-Malays are more tolerant that sometimes I feel more comfortable to be around them. They tolerate me and my religion well. They never complained that we have to stop doing whatever we're doing because I have to go meet the Maker 5 times daily. They never complained, and I don't ask them to pray with me. So why should I get mad at them when they drink?

Next time you think that they're insulting Melayu and agama Islam, why don't you just take a moment and think: Am I setting a good example as a Muslim to them? Are we, the Malay Muslims yang kononnya religious people, setting the good examples as Muslims as portrayed by our Prophet (p.b.u.h.)? Nobody's perfect, I know, but are we doing all we can to be good Muslims? Stop condemning other religions. Sure, we believe that Islam is the greatest religion, but they don't. You think other religions don't make sense? Well, if you see it from the logical point of view, NONE of them make sense. They believe things that seem ridiculous to us because they have FAITH in their religions. Like we do for ISLAM. Let's just put ourselves in their shoes for a moment: If you don't believe in Islam, does Isra' and Mikraj seem logic for you? Does Mukjizat seem logic?

So, one word: TOLERANCE. We can all co-exist. We can all live in harmony if we learn to TOLERATE. There will be no more of those racist remarks and "insulting" other religions. This is a free country, right? We can live together in harmony if we learn to tolerate. Tak perlu all those 1Malaysia bullshit.

That's just my 2 cents. I will probably get a death threat tomorrow.

A lot of things are going on in my head. I had a dream last night; a bad one. I dreamt that Johnson was megged by Bale. Ahhhh.

I am currently posted in Prosthodontics. It's that branch of dentistry that concerns with making dentures and prostheses. Anyways, I'm telling you this because I think my patient is a psychopath. So far she has not displayed any emotion that I could see. You see, most patients smile when they get their brand new teeth. But this patient is an enigma. No emotion. Stone-cold babe. Penat aku buat cantik2 seyh. No "Thank you, doctor" either.

Work's a bitch at times. Most of the locals keep dodging the workload. They will come in the morning, sign the register then angkat kaki. Sometimes when other departments have patients overload, they will import the interns (that's us) from our department. But these locals are so effin clever. They always tell the lecturer that they have work to do. And I can't believe that the lecturers always, always buy it. We, the Malaysians, who have real work to do, who are too polite to say no, who have work ethics, have to go and work extra every time. Me, for instance, are juggling 3 dentures at the moment. Sometimes I just get off work feeling really shagged all I want to do is sleep.

About the game against Spurs this Sunday.

I have always dreaded big games. Winning is a joy, but defeat is painful. When Liverpool are not playing well, it feels like I'm being tortured, dying a slow, painful death. And I have been dying a lot of times this season. It makes me wanna break the TV set. I'm not exaggerating.

Anyhow, what's the best line-up for the match? I reckon we should play Kelly at right back and Johnson at right wing, that should be sufficient to control Bale? Meireles and Lucas ( is he still injured?) at the centre, with Lucas kicking Van der Vaart's ass out of the game. Torres up front, Kuyt given a freedom of the city. Maxi's playing well, so maybe put him on the left. I haven't been watching a lot of games these days and haven't been reading a lot of news too, so I have not kept track with the injuries. Oh well. We tend to play shite away from home anyway. Can't bloody wait. Whatever happens, You'll Never Walk Alone.

Should Roy be fired?

After last night defeat to Stoke at the Britannia Stadium, questions regarding whether Hodgson should remain our manager or should he be fired arise again.

Antoine Zammit from Empire of the Kop started a poll to get a rough idea of what Red fans all over the world think of Roy.

An overwhelming 83.68% of Liverpool fans think that Roy should be fired NOW.

You can see the poll result here.

By the way, we out-Stoke-d Stoke last night. No drive, no discernible tactics, no creativity.

Gahh. Bad day.

There was a video shoot today. I have no idea what it was for. When I asked, the guy just told me that they're going to show it to some people back in Malaysia. He's an agent who arranges seats for Malaysian students in Indian universities, so I'm pretty sure the video is to lariskan his business guna muka kami yang hot ini.

So we were practically given a script, what to say in front of the camera. How long have you been here, how do you like this place and its people, how is the facilities, practical training, blah blah.

So the guy turned to me and said, "Hey, why don't you say something in Bahasa?"

I said, "Uh, okay. What do you want me to talk about then?"

He replied, "Just tell us about this college, how do you find the place, the facilities, the teaching."

I answered, "Okay, fine."

NOT.

I'm pretty sure I looked like an idiot.

I couldn't even find the words to say what I wanted to say in Malay.

It's like I left my brain some place else.

Then we have to re-do the shoot.

I screwed up again.

Not until he told me to talk in whatever language I was comfortable with and allowed my friends to chip in when I was lost for words.

Finally the torture ended.

Was expecting for him to at least buy us lunch but that kaya tapi stingy kedekut taik hidung masin guy just dismissed us with a "Thank you for your time" !

Cheapo.

Torres' post match interview:

Kennedy: Are you resting now, yeah, for a couple of days?

Torres: Um..no.

Kennedy: No? But you'll have a little drink, yeah?

Torres: Um.. Training tomorrow, day after.. We have to keep working.

OMG. This guy.

Liverpool 2 Chelsea 0

Bragging rights! We certainly earn that. LOL!

I have to say that I wasn't very optimistic prior to the match. Yes, Steven Gerrard saved our sorry asses AGAIN against Napoli but he can only do so much. He's 30. There are signs that his legs are giving away. He's still world-class but I thought that in our current shape, we were not a match for Chelsea. Okay. I have to eat my humble pie now. And I'm glad that I do. Haha!

But whoa whoa whoa. Who is that kid at the midfield la? You know, the small, kononnya weak, blonde, former Rafa's apple of the eye one? Remember the name, people, remember the name : LUCAS PEZZINI LEIVA. Liverpool's number 21. Well done, lad. Play like that every game, with the rate you're improving, you could well be......... nah, I won't say it. I won'x jinx it. Let's just go with the flow, eh? Berapa banyak block, berapa banyak interception ko buat semalam Lucas. I'm impressed. Even Bro Beemer over there at Liverpool Malaya who never put up a good word on you was singing you praises last night. Haha. Jangan marah bro :p Ramires, Zhirkov, Malouda, you can hide behind your mommas now. This Brazilian kid who had been written off time and again put you guys to SHAME.

Fernando Torres is on fire! Great first touch to control the perfect cross from Kuyt from the left hand side before putting it past Cech. He made Terry look like Vidic. LOL. Credit to Skrtel with the defense-splitting pass to Kuyt. The second one was a masterclass show. Skinned Ivanovic. Curled the ball into the far top corner between to 2 defenders and the helpless Cech. Absolute freakin' beauty you are Nando. Oh my sexxxyy soon-to-be husband. Don't judge me, I'm just a normal girl who like good-looking men. haha.

Kelly was great as well. Aku nervous tengok Kelly start kat right back, Chelsea sebelah kiri ada Ashley Cole, Malouda and Jerkoff. Thought he was gonna get slaughtered. But he stood up to them and did really well. Goal.com kate die Irish. FAIL. Apart from a period of time in the second half where he allowed like thousands of crosses from inside his area, this lad did fine.

Carra back to his old self. Immense. Skrtel, apart from a misjudged header, did nothing wrong. Nasib baik Kalou offside. Konchesky and Meireles had their best game in Red shirts as well. Gerrard. Great all around display. Lari sana sini. Apa rahsia ko fit sangat eh? Kejap kat atas, kejap kat bawah. Kalau ko muda lagi aku xde la heran sangat.

Kuyt ni cyborg ke bionic man hah? Wasn't he supposed to be out till January? Orang lain rupture ligament berbulan2 baru sembuh, ko lepas 3 minggu dah buleh lari sana sini? Bapak ko bagi makan 8 botol Scott't Emulsion ke tiap2 hari masa ko kecik hah?

Not to exclude other elements, I do think that we had a bit of luck yesterday. Drogba came down with a fever the night before, Essien and Lampard were out with injuries. But Reina did amazing when tested under pressure. Close range save to deny Malouda. He must be wondering how did that not go in. Then the post's save from an Anelka shot contributed to our cause too. Haha.

Those boys in RED make me a very happy woman.

I have changed a lot.

Some changes are for the better while others are for the worse.

I have become a worse servant. I know I've got to get my life back on the right track but I can't seem to do it at this moment. I've gotten involved in some pretty heavy stuff and it's kinda hard to get back to normal once you got yourself into this kind of shit. No, I'm not doing drugs.

But I'm happier. As happier as I can be. It does get lonely sometimes though but it's better than getting psyched over a stupid argument.

I feel like I'm seeing the world for the first time. I've become less judgmental and learnt to accept things the way they are. I've become optimistic and pessimistic at the same time. I know that sounds weird but I have no idea how to explain it.

Oh dear God. What on earth have I got myself into.

By the way I'm loving my job. I have more freedom in my work now that I'm having a Dr. prefix to my name. My clinical judgments are even accepted and considered. I love to see the patients smile upon looking at their new teeth in the mirror.

Other than that, I can't stop thinking ,"Dear God. What have I got myself into."

It's been a hectic life for me in the past three weeks with work and stuff. I've been working non-stop from 9 to 5, 6 days a week, missing lunch almost every alternate days. It's been some sort like a cultural shock to me since we didn't use to treat this many patients during our student days. It's busy, it's mad, it's crazy all around but I'm loving it. :)

Sigh. About our beloved Liverpool FC. Where do I start. Perhaps I should start that I am currently reading a book titled Red Men: Liverpool Football Club the Biography by John Williams? Yes, I think that's the least painful way to start talking about LFC.

There are two main problems at Liverpool this season: 1) Bad result. 2) Bad performance. The former can easily be explained by the latter. Anyway, it's mental that some people are still blaming Rafa for the mess that Liverpool are in. Last season they used to say that seventh place wasn't good enough, with the players we had at that time we shouldn't be at seventh. However, these people seem to think that we deserve be in the 18th place, as the table stands at this very moment, with the players we currently have?

Don't get me wrong, Rafa had his own shortcomings back when he was still the boss, but I think that these shortcomings seem to be magnified while Roy's ones are conveniently overlooked. They both have totally different styles when it comes to management and tactics and stuffs but I will not go into the details on these. Maybe some other time I will. NESV are giving Roy probation time until Christmas. In the meantime, we just have to watch and see and continue supporting our beloved Liverpool FC. There's a reason that our blood is Red.

P/s: This is a lazy entry since I haven't been posting anything for a while. Will write a more useful entry soon, Inshaallah.

Mascherano and Meireles

I have totally forgotten that I have a blog! Been busy with final exams and stuff. Now I'm at home in Malaysia and I have also passed my finals. Will start working in September, Inshaallah. :)

The most controversial transfer saga of late would be that of Mascherano's of course. How disgraceful. Rafa Benitez picked him with from West Ham when he was rotting in the reserves and Liverpool made him one of the best defensive midfielders in the world. Sure, family should come first but contract and professionalism are part and parcel of your job as a professional footballer. Do you know how lucky you are to be blessed with such talent and being paid with such ridiculous amount of money?

Regardless, we will definitely miss Monster Masch as a player but honestly I don't think many of us can take all the whining from him and his agent anymore. I wish you all the best in your future undertakings but this kind of attitude has left a dark mark in your Anfield legacy. Fabregas, at 23, seems to handle it better than Mascherano does.

Liverpool move in quickly to replace Mascherano with the capture of Raul Meireles from Porto, subject to medical. While there is not a single doubt that he is a good player, made a good impression in the World Cup and used to playing in Europe, he is a different kind of player to Mascherano. He's some sort like a box-to-box midfielder that takes defensive responsibilities as well. If the rumours are true, and I hope they are, welcome to Liverpool FC Mr. Raul Meireles.

Fernando Torres

Torres has yet to commit his future to Liverpool. According to Hodgson, Torres has a "beef" with the club. I wonder what would that be. Broken promises?

In my opinion, if Torres feels like Liverpool are not going forward even with a new manager, what with the owners are still staying, he would leave. He's young, talented, and deserves to win cups. The major ones.

I was so convinced that Alonso would not leave last season, so this time around I don't wanna put my hopes up. Hope Torres will come out and tell us what he really feels, if he wants to leave then he better leaves sooner as it will give us more time to find a proper replacement. Not that anyone can replace El Nino.

New everything

Fans all across the globe have been singing praises for Mr. Roy Hodgson although he is yet to lead the team to one competitive game. I can understand the excitement, it's just that I find it hard to be excited with anything these days.

It's amazing how one signing can have many positive effects on the team. With Joe Cole signing for Liverpool, we suddenly look creative. Our attacking players next season would be Gerrard, Torres, Kuyt, Cole, Jovanovic, Aquilani, Maxi Rodriguez, Ryan Babel (albeit rumour has it that he will be swapped with Huntelaar). Gerrard has pledged his future to Liverpool, don't think he has much of a choice really. He's too important to sell cheap but too old for other clubs to buy. Not that I'm complaining.

Cole, I know we've had our differences in the past years, but you start scoring those fluke goals at the Kop end, then I promise I'll learn to love you. Although I do think that 90k wage a week is a bit too much for him.

Regret Insua's sell. He's 21 years old Argentine international with a great future ahead of him. At the very least, he'll be a decent player. Yes he had been caught out of pace and position a few times last season, but which defender at his age has excellent positional sense. Can't see the logic in selling him really. Think Purslow just wanted to get rid of Rafa's players. Fiorentina willing to pay 5mil for him after a disappointing season at Anfield just shows the amount of potential they see in him. I think Purslow only saw a quick 5mil, which is used to fund Danny Wilson's buy. We still need a left back, although Agger and Wilson can probably play in that position, we still need a proper full back.

Cole is again a good replacement for Benayoun. Can't believe the things Yossi said to the press. He worked hard to earn his place in the first team, then got injured and lost his place to Maxi. What's more unbelievable is that Broughton claimed that it was Rafa Benitez who had sold Yossi to Chelsea. Just ignore the fact that Rafa was let go 6 weeks before Yossi was sold. Just ignore that.

Now we'll see who will be offloaded. Probably centre backs, Kyrgiakos or Skrtel. Skrtel didn't have a good season, but I'm convinced he has good tools to make a comeback. I don't understand the criticism Kyrgiakos got, I think he did well last season. And we need someone who dominates in the air in certain games. Well it's up to Purslow. My opinion does not matter.

#ESP v #NED

So the World Cup is almost coming to its end. To be honest I didn't expect the Netherlands to make it to the final. They defeated Brazil, my favourite to reach the final, albeit it was triggered by Felipe Melo pushing self-destruction button that resulted in Brazil being kicked off the tournament. And questionable goals against Uruguay, but lets not take anything against them. They do not reach this stage by luck, they're doing things right.

Spain may not have scored many goals in the tournament, but they are still a joy to watch. I think the reason that Spain have not been able to score a lot in the World Cup is that the teams playing against them defend in numbers, making it harder to penetrate the defense. But most of the times they remain calm and play their style of football, they pass and pass and pass, rarely resorting to long balls towards the front or attempting impossible dribbles. They pass and pass the ball around, recycle the possession, from the front to the halfway line, look for an opening, and bam, they find some unexpected space with an unexpected player running in it. Their passings wear their opponent down, and they're good at pressings too, making it sometimes impossible for the opponents to even complete simple passes.

I think the key to winning the final is the battle in midfield. In Van Bommel and de Jong for the Netherlands and Busquets and Alonso for Spain, they have fine holding midfielders in their time. Van Bommel is a tough tackling bully everyone hates but loves to have him in their teams, while de Jong protects the back four and provides links between defense and attack. Busquets raised a few eyebrows earlier in the tournament, but as the tournament progresses I think he grows in stature. Tough in tackles,has the ability to smell danger and can pass too. Alonso has been a joy to watch. What he lacks in pace, he compensates with great positioning. His passings are as good as ever.

Okay now it's too obvious I favour the Spaniards, right? But somehow I want Dirk Kuyt to win, no one deserves success more than he does. Lets see how it turns out. :)

I've heard some people saying that Houllier is way better than Benitez in managing Liverpool.
This is the analysis made by Paul Tomkins about the two managers, you can read it here.

YNWA :)

Torres scored one goal every 95.2 mins (the best in the PL for players with at least 5 goals), compared to one per 95.7 for Drogba, one per 104.7 for Rooney and one per 139.6 for RVP.

Warning: Explicit Content

I can't fucking believe it. I do not care that some people call Benitez "fat Spanish waiter",but it's a fucking disgrace when the so-called self-proclaimed Liverpool fans are echoing the statement.

Yes he may have made some bad decisions but he is still our manager, who is also an integral part of the club. Every manager makes some bad decisions, buys some bad players. Houllier's only bad buys are Diouf and Diao? Please. There was even less competition to win the league then compared to these recent seasons. Were Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Tottenham challenging the fourth place too then? Think not.

If you ask me personally, yes Rafa has made some bad decisions. You guys want to get rid of him, what next? In my humble opinion I think we have to get rid of the owners first, ASAP. They are the overriding problem. Whoever the manager we will hire after Rafa won't be able to do their job properly either under various restrictions imposed upon them by the Yankee morons. And if we do fire Rafa, who's next? You guys want Mourinho and Hiddink, but why would those two unarguably great managers come to work with a financially troubled and instable club like us? Right now, we only have history, and only history will get us nowhere, you know it.

Thoughts :(

The last home game against Chelsea was something like a title decider, although that's not how I would like us to decide the title. But as the banner a Chelsea fan was carrying to Anfield said, "Gary Neville or Chelsea?" , Chelsea is definitely the lesser of two evils. Us and Manchester United go way back, while us and Chelsea have become rivals only in relatively recent years.

To be honest, I'm dead scared for the club I love. We're going to spend at least the next season without Champions League football, and that is bound to affect our finances. And with the emergence of teams the likes of Spurs, Manchester City and Aston Villa, who all are more than capable of challenging the sacred Top 4 places, our chance to be back in the Champions League would be an uphill struggle.

Since the takeover in 2007, our debt has increased almost 100fold. When David Moore sold Liverpool FC to some imbecile morons namely Tom Hicks and George Gillet, the morons inherited a total debt of approximately 100mil pounds. Fast forward 4 years, we currently owe the Royal Bank of Scotland around 473mil pounds plus 40mil pounds of interest. With our early elimination from the Champions League and failure to finish above the sixth place, it's no wonder that this season we recorded a loss in profit.

What's more embarassing is that Martin Broughton, the Chelsea season ticket holder had to go meet the Premier League committee to convince them because they were concerned that UEFA would not allow us to operate in our condition. It's fortunate that the license is already granted by the UEFA. Another report states that our current financial status is only good for another 5 years. If we keep going down at this rate, it would safe to bury Liverpool FC in another 5 years. :(

And I don't think anyone would meet the morons' asking price. Or if anyone, it wouldn't happen so fast. When the morons announced that they're selling, I thought it's too good to be true. I don't know why, but I'm not convinced with Broughton. :(

Last home game of the season

Watched the game from my hotel room in Bangalore last night. I don't know how I could stand watching the game in which Liverpool had only one shot on target in the whole 93 minutes.

Reina put on an impeccable performance as always. Was exposed by Gerrard's ill-judged back pass for Drogba's goal, and could do little for Lampard's goal. Made an excellent save to deny Malouda and 3 saves to deny Anelka. His athleticism and distribution are as good as always.

Carragher dealt with Drogba well, but had to be substituted early in the second half due to injury with a broken look on his face. Made some good interventions, but 126 minutes of football on Thursday had taken its toll on his fitness and he's not getting any younger either.

Agger put on a good performance at left back. Despite his niggling injuries, he has been one of the few consistent performers in the team this season, eventhough the second Chelsea goal came from the left flank.

Kygiakos is a monster. For just 1.5million, he's the best bargain of the season. He made some terrific challenges and seemed to be able to win every header that came in his way.

Ayala, a rookie 19-year-old centre back, surprisingly gave an assured performance. I was half-expecting him to be skinned by Drogba. Even some Mancs was impressed. Definitely one for the future.

Mascherano. The worst player on the field yesterday, simply put. I heard rumours saying that he was injured, not sure why he started yesterday. Was skinned by Kalou each and every time.

Lucas looked assured and confident. He moved the ball swiftly and accurately around the field. One of the better performers in our team yesterday.

Gerrard. History repeats itself, although he used to do that to Henry. It was a pretty even game before the disastrous back pass to Drogba to take advantage of. After the goal, it was all Chelsea. But to be fair, Gerrard did show some of his class in the game. Made some smart long distance and cross field passes from deep.

Benayoun. Not having his best day. Was quiet in the first half.

Maxi did well in link-up plays and looked composed on the ball. Made a fine pass to Aquilani but the Italian didn't score thanks to a late intervention by Ivanovic. Had to be substituted late in the first half due to injury.

Babel did little on the ball but showed some urgency .

Aquilani played well in the first half, was unlucky not score from a 25-yard shot that when a little over the bar. Spurned a chance to score due to late challenge from Ivanovic. Faded in the second half to be replaced with David Ngog.

Kuyt. Offered no threat as a lone striker, ran around like a headless chicken most of the time, but did some alright link-up plays.

As a Liverpool fan, I'm quite saddened by the loss, but it makes me feel better to think that Manchester United will probably not win the league this season.

And it's time to stop chastising Steven Gerrard. The man has had one bad season. He's been there for us in the past. Without him Olympiakos, Istanbul, Cardiff, to name a few, would not have been possible. I still have goosebumps thinking of the beauty of a goal he scored at Anfield against Olympiakos at Anfield in 2004. Let us all get behind him, he's had enough to deal with, what with the wild rumours surrounding him and his family. The least we can do for him is to offer him a moral support from us, the loyal supporters.

Champions League or Europa League?

It's been one hell of a season. 4th place is out of reach now, lets just hope that Manchester United won't win the league.

Come to think I it, I think I kinda want us not to be in Top 4. Don't get me wrong, I was us to succeed, I always have, but do we deserve to be in Top 4 this season? We've been playing like shit (with the exception of few games), enough said. Tottenham and City deserve it more than we do. So we'll have to wait for at least one more season to put ourselves together and start playing like the mighty Liverpool again to regain our place in Top 4, deservedly.

Let this be a lesson for all. We may be a club full of history, class and prestige, but that doesn't mean that we can stop playing well. What infuriates me the most is that sometimes I see those players in Red shirts on the pitch don't even look interested.

Well of course losing some major players due to both injuries and transfers were bound to cost us. Xabi Alonso's role last season as a deep-lying playmaker in our midfield cannot be more emphasized. While Johnson provides us an extra flair in attacking with his surging overlap runs, he is sometimes a bit suspect in defending, unlike the always-so-reliable-and-dependable Alvaro Arbeloa.

Maxi Rodriguez will come out good. Aquilani, can't say too much. He's had some good displays, including the man-of-the-match performance against Pompey, but at the moment he's a bit inconsistent. I just hope he'll be given a chance to show what he's made of. For 1.5mil, Kyrgiakos is a bargain. A bit nervy at first, but has been giving solid performances since. He's the best header in our team.

Yes, the lack of fund contributes to this dismal season, but the owners are not the only ones to blame. Here's an idea: why don't the owners, the manager and the players ALL take responsibility and stop pointing fingers at each other?

Benfica 1st leg

Well from last night's game I can conclude that:

- Steven Gerrard and Daniel Agger are geniuses. That backheel is cheeky!

-In Europe you can keep your boots 5 feet high in the air and hit someone (i.e. Ryan Babel) on the head and not getting punished at all

-You can deliberately tackle someone from behind with such a crippling force and not being given your marching order

-You can retaliate when the referee cautions you after your deliberate serious foul play on someone and not getting a second yellow card.

-Touching someone on the face with such gentle loving force is worse than volleying someone from behind with extra heavy duty force

-When you grasp someone's hand for a second and let go a second later and not affecting that person's balance at all, you could be awarded a yellow card

-You can bring explosive flares,firecrackers and missiles in Portugal but you can't even smuggle in a can of Coke at Anfield.

-You can throw firecrackers and missiles onto the pitch in Europa League games in Portugal but you will be heavily fined if you throw an empty crisp packet in England.

-When you want decisions to go your way all night, you can ask your supporters to intimidate the officials with missiles and shout at them in the face until they give in.


Okay what Babel did was silly and gave a reason for the stupid ref to card him, but is his offense worse than Luisao's on Torres? No where in the FIFA guideline that says that you can be sent off for what Babel did. How could it be deemed violent conduct. Babel didn't set to cripple Luisao. Luisao retaliated when cautioned by the ref, than didn't deserve another caution?

But I can totally understand why Babel did it. I'm sick of watching Torres gets kicked all over the pitch too. He apologized later and admitted it was silly. It was silly, but I hope he doesn't feel very bad about it.

We didn't play all that well. After babel was sent off we looked like we were already giving up. Benfica started pushing us. Insua and Lucas had a stinker, enough said. But in all fairness to Insua, he was put in a terrible position, ergo the foul. You can argue that Carra's handball wasn't deliberate cause his hand was up before the cross was made, but I thought it's a penalty at the first glance. Torres missed a great chance for us to re-take the lead at 1-1. That was uncharacteristic of him, with the keeper already beaten but he put the shot wide.

It was strange. The ref got some major decisions right but made a few horrible ones too. Like Danny Agger rightly said, what's the point of having 5 refereees is none of them can make a decision?

Also, we're out of left backs and wingers. Aurelio's injured, Insua's suspended. Kelly's injured, too. Babel's suspended, MAxi's ineligible, and I don't think Rafa will let that prat Riera play. Benayoun is available though.

Great Win

Finished my second internal exam.7 papers. Straight. I'm knackered. Oh wait. I have one more end posting exam on Saturday. Dammit. Sabar Husna. Final year akan berakhir 4 bulan je lagi.

Well exam didn't stop me from watching the game yesterday. I was planning to peek through my books, checking the score every now and then, but then our El Nino was too good y'all. He scored after just 3 minutes into the game with a superb goal which got me excited so I shoved my books away.

Well I'm sure you guys watched the game. Need not say anything more do I? Gerrard basically mocked those pundits who suggested that he has not been playing at his best all season. Fine display yesterday. Like Shebby Singh rightly pointed out, Liverpool performance yesterday was refreshing. Some good movements, excellent quick and clever passings, a few tricks here and there. It's like watching the mighty Liverpool play. Lotsa positives. Insua certainly has put his Old Trafford nightmare behind him, tightly locked in his closet. Johnson's amazing. Want to say a thing or two about him, but I think I'll wait till the end of the season. Agger could do better with his headers though, he already wasted a few good chances before too. Babel's looking okay, positive attitude, I'm liking him again. Maxi showed good understanding with Torres, Kuyt and Gerrard.

Fernando Torres. Top man, he is. 21 league appearances and he's scored 19. Amazing for someone who's been unfit for a good part of the season. I really, really, really hope he's staying coz without him, we're doomed. Hicks and Gillet you better give Rafa the funding he needs!!

Theme song: American Idiot by Greenday

Liverpool 3 Lille 0

Might as well write the match review while I'm at it. I haven't been sleeping for 20hours yet I manage to stay awake. My eyes pop open when Lucas makes that magnificent run into the penalty box moments before he's brought down and gifted a penalty. Well of course Gerrard doesn't make mistake with it. 1-0 before you know it.

Liverpool dominate most part of the first half. Lucas picks out some great passes in the midfield, looks like he's employed in a more attacking role. Our fullbacks Insua and Johnson are positioned higher up in the field. Attacking.

There is one nervy moment of defensive lax when Hazard picks Agger's half-cleared ball in Liverpool half, dribbles past our sleeping defense to get one on one with Reina. Fortunately Reina has a thick skull. He saves with his head.

Torres looks super sharp. If you are listening closely, you can just hear Vidic's ass twitching in terror. Perhaps he needs adult's diaper come this Sunday. Wasn't an easy finish for the second goal, but he's Torres, he makes everything looks easy when he's fit. Gerrard is having a good game too, clearly getting back to his best. Timely.

Lille try to get back in the game. There are a few times when they look close to scoring. Nervy, as they only need a draw to progress.

Babel looks a different player lately. He works hard on the field, he even tracks back. He picks the cleared ball from a Lille corner in our half and sends the ball straight to Torres up field. Torres runs with the ball, Lille keeper comes out when Torres takes a shot but its too late, Adil Rami can only watch the ball rolls into the empty net. Kuyt is a little quiet, nevertheless his game isn's as bad as the few recent ones.

So. Quarter final. This is the only cup to play for. Play with your heart (and head) boys. We are counting on you. A trophy would be just nice to clear the dust in our trophy cabinet.





p/s: wrote this in 10 minutes. record ;)

There can only be one winner

So there is another outburst from yet another Liverpool player regarding the way Rafael Benitez manages the club and players. This time the player in question is Albert Riera.

Lets look at this from one perspective. Whether his allegations are true or not, that we don't know. We don't know what is actually going on in the dressing room, but what we know is this: Riera is behaving unprofessionally.

He claims that he does not play enough games this season. Does he forget that he's been injured for a good part of the season?

He says Rafa thinks he's in charge. Excuse me Albert, it's bleeding obvious that Rafa Benitez IS in charge.

He also claims that Benitez never talks to him. Everybody knows that Benitez does not graduate from the Harry Redknapp's School of Man Management. He is indifferent and dismissive to all the players, it's the way he works. Not saying that his way is correct, but as a professional you have to deal with it. Not everybody likes their bosses, it happens in other professions too.

Who does he think he is? If those allegations were made by, say, Steven Gerrard, or Fernando Torres, or Jamie Carragher, or Pepe Reina, or Javier Mascherano, they would at least have some credibility. Riera has been here for one and half season. While his performance sometimes convincing, he lacks in consistency and certainly not a power figure in the team. It's a shame he has to make his feelings public, I've always thought he's a good option on the left.

So he's saying that the lack of playing time is jeopardizing his chance to be included in Spain's World Cup squad? His solution to this is thrashing his manager on Spain's national radio. What a way to get back in the manager's good books. Here's an idea: why not do the talking on the pitch? I'm sure there are lots of ways to make yourself good in Rafa's eyes again. 1) You can train hard 2) Get fit. You've been injured for long 3) Why not get some games with the reserves like Pennant used to do, it will help with your match fitness.

Take Yossi Benayoun for example. He wasn't a regular before last season, yet he never bad-mouthed his manager in public. He tried hard to earn his place in the starting eleven. Now look where his effort and professional conduct get him. I'm not a fan of Ryan Babel too because of his history of thrash-talking the gaffer on the media and his infamous tweet episodes, but he's been playing well of late, so I'll give him credit where credit is due. Robbie Keane has never been Rafa's best buddy, worse still Rafa ends his time at Liverpool prematurely, yet he never talks bad about Rafa to the press. You're a professional, you've got to behave professionally. If a doctor talks like this about another doctor, lets say his superior/supervisor, he could be sued for this.

Oh, I think I need to mention that his agent has been shamelessly trying to get Barcelona to sign him since last season. I mean, like seriously??

If he thinks his outburst would better the situation, he's wrong. In this Albert Riera vs Rafa Benitez battle, there can only be one winner, and it's certainly not Albert Riera, because you Riera does not matter.


Disclaimer: This is not me showing blind faith to the manager or what, this is just me thinking that Riera's behaviour is unacceptable and, quoting Drogba, "fucking disgrace". So don't bombard me with anti-Rafa sentiments. Peace no war. YNWA.

vs Arsenal

I just finished watching the replay and decided to blog about it since my view of the game is yet to be corrupted by internet pundits, I just read the match report on lfc.tv after the game.

Reina and Almunia didn't have much to do, except for the superb save from Babel's shot by Almunia.

Skrtel and Agger had a great game. One of the best from Skrtel I've seen so far this season.

Insua had some nervy moments, but he's alright.

Carragher had to be substituted due to adductor injury halfway through the game. His substitute, Degen, was absolutely abysmal.Our backline went haywire when Carra got off. As far as cameo apperances go, I think Degen's probably the worst. Was to be blamed for Diaby's goal (I think).

Mascherano was alright, did what he had to do. Lucas gave away a few balls and made some unsuccessful passes but won an awful lot of headers in the midfield. Surprising, actually, even for me, given the size of him and my status as a Lucas lover.

Gerarrd's great. One of our best performers. Dropped back to defend, moved forward to attack. He should be playing alongside Masherano in the central midfield in big games. I mean, he's dangerous when playing further forward and attacking the ball inside the box too, but he only is so when there is actually someone supplying the ball to him, and neither Mascherano nor Lucas is capable of doing so. So, for now he's better off playing around the box, that's where he got his reputation as one of the best central midfielder in the world, isn't it?

Kuyt and Maxi were both disappointing, enough said. Ngog was poor too. Can't expect a goal when 3 of your attacking players were poor.

The important decisions didn't go our way. Maxi's shot was blocked by Vermaelen's raised arm in the box, and that shot was bound to enter. Gerrard's free kick, out last effort, was stopped by Fabregas' raised arm on the line, it should have been a penalty and second yellow for Fabregas. But I guess Howard Webb just didn't have the gut to make the correct call. Perhaps he should consider other profession.

Liverpool 1 Everton 0

I called in sick today and was supposed to get a bed rest. But the thought of last night's derby win is keeping me up since before Subuh till now.

We started the game alright. Carra wins the first 50-50 challenge of the game and the crowd roars in appreciation. The derby game between two fiercest rivals in the country is starting to get hot and sweaty.

And yes it is a hot and messy affair. Pienaar's challenge on Mascherano should be awarded a red card instead of a yellow, and the referee Mr. Martin Atkinson has a good view on it. It is even worse than Masch's tackle on Ben Haim at Fratton Park. Liverpool players are getting battered up all over the pitch by a 'good' Evertonian side who looks more interested in playing rugby than football.

A series of crunching, leg-breaking tackles follows. Dirk Kuyt is kicked in the face by Fellaini, who escapes punishment. Halfway through the first half, Lucas loses possession in Liverpool half and Fellaini steals the ball. Lucas tries to get it back but Fellaini manages dodge his challenge. At this moment, Kyrgiakos comes lunging toward Fellaini in a two-footed, studs up manner. Fellaini, realising that a massive Greek centre back is coming to get him, plays his part well by stamping on Kyrgiakos' leg. Both boys are in trouble there but only Kyrgiakos is punished. Straight red, and so he's off for an early shower.

All downhill from here? Not for us. Playing against a team with a one man advantage is always difficult, but we've done it before. In 2006, Steven Gerrard was sent off only after 20minutes after the starting whistle, yet we managed to claw our way back in the game to win it 3-1. So why can't we do it today?

The answer comes in the 54th minute in the form of a certain Dutch forward-turns-winger. Maxi Rodriguez lobs the ball toward Ngog upfront, Ngog controls and puts in a deflected shot. Corner for Liverpool, nothing comes out of it but Gerrard wins another corner. Captain Fastastic swings the ball with all his might, Howard flaps at thin air, Phil Neville fails at his man-marking, Kuyt heads the ball in. 1-0 to Liverpool.

And right after scoring, Kuyt stops Everton from scoring. Donovan manages to glide past Insua on the left hand side, puts in a cross to Pienaar to head in at the right hand side, and what a good cross it is by Donovan, and a good run it is by Pienaar, but Kuyt is there to clear the ball away.

In a vain attempt to penetrate Liverpool defense, Moyes makes two substitutions simultaneously. Anichebe and Yakubu on for Saha and Osman. These two big thugs are supposed to cause problems to Liverpool makeshift backline with their strength and power in the air. But Reina, whose mistakes are non-existent these days, is certainly too good for them. He blocks a Yakubu shot, then makes another easy shot from Anichebe. Anichebe outmuscles Agger, takes one too many touches, then he shoots but Lucas is there to block, and Reina makes an easy save.

Lucas has been plain in the first half, but makes at least 2 good blocks in the second half. Good choice by Rafa by putting him in instead of the delicate Aquilani. If Aquilani had played, we would have to ship him back to Italy in pieces. And yes, STEVEN GERRARD is back, and stronger! Kuyt at times looks lost and has no idea where to run with the ball ot what to do with it, but his excellent workload and intelligence in positioning cancels out all his mistakes and headless-chickenness. Mascherano plays well as the makeshift right back too. In short, everybody in Red is awesome. The boys defend well and in an organised manner and also get forward to attack. It's a har fought victory, literally. So proud of you Redmen. So proud indeed. =)

Stoke

Oh hello there. It's been a long time, I know, but final year hasn't been kind to me.
Lets see what have I been missing.

Bloody hell.

We're in the 7th position.

Missed several games this season, but watched the Stoke game last night.
Quite disappointed with the scanty number of saves Sorensen had to make at the Britannia Stadium last night.
In fact, we could say that our only goal in the match was gifted by Sorensen. He could have caught the ball, and the good force in the form of a massive Greek defender, Sotirios Kyrgiakos managed to get the ball into the net. 1-0.

Of course, we could have gotten a lead before that. But apparently, according to Mr.Mason who has produced 4 red cards this season, 3 of them for players who play for Liverpool, thinks when a player is blatantly fouled in the penalty box, you should award him a yellow card for jumping instead of a much deserved penalty. And to top everything off, it happened right under the linesman's big nose without any obstruction whatsoever. You couldn't get any clearer than that. And that Higginbotham guy or whatever his name is,not that I care to remember,was jumping up and down after fouling Lucas like he was wronged.

We've conceded a lot of late goals lately. If only Benayoun hadn't made that tackle. If only. If.

And sure it happens again yesterday. Of course things happen to us, we're Liverpool. Things always happen to us.

After the umpteenth long throws, long balls and corners, we finally conceded a goal towards the end. It was from a corner from the left hand side. That Higginbottom guy again used his left arm to lever on Kuyt's (was it Kuyt? I'm not very sure) shoulder to jump and head the ball back towards the left side which subsequently resulted in Robert Huth's goal. Yes, our players are to be blamed for this. Huth wasn't even marked.

Kuyt should have scored that close range header,from a point blank range even. At the same time,Lucas was fouled again in the penalty box. But of course, nobody saw it.

Kyrgiakos was our best man against Stoke. He won a lot of headers and dealt well with Stoke's long ball strategy. Well, it's a relief that circus freak had to be withdrawn halfway through the match. 2nd best player would be Lucas. He has big shoes to fill in, and I'm not saying he's excellent, but he did alright. Yesterday's problem is that we just couldn't seem to place the correct passes. Stoke's playing a real physical game that it seems to me that they had extra players all over the pitch and sometimes our players didn't have a clue what they should be doing. Almost zero number of creative player on the pitch worsened the condition.