Kuyt 1 Crouch 1 Kepa 1

I woke up at 330 in the morning to catch the match live on ESPN. It was a bore in the first half as I was comtemplating of not watching the 2nd half to catch up on my much deprieved sleep. 10 seconds into the 2nd half, Crouch nodded down the ball for Kuyt to hit one unstoppable shot off the crossbar and into the net. Being late or early in the wee hours in the morning, I raised my fist to celebrate without a sound. It was a brilliant goal for Kuyt. His best to date in a Liverpool shirt. Before Alan Curbishley could realize what did he not say right during the half time break, Alonso, Gerrard, Riise and Crouch combined to score one of the most beautiful pass and move goals you will ever see. It was total domination from then on. Ripping apart their defence at will. We should have made it safe by scoring the third.

Then, on-loan Sevilla striker Kepa Blanco chose to score 90 seconds into his debut. West Ham improved and we looked edgy towards the finishing line. Nevertheless, we won and 3 more important points as we hunt down Chelsea who is only 2 behind although with a game in hand.

It would be Merseyside derby this Saturday. Let's go and chew the toffees into bits and pieces. I would love us to trash them just for revenge but a win would do for me. Let's conserve our energy and hit Barcelona when they least expect it.

Anyone saw Rafa fell when trying to retrieve the ball from the touchline? I love this man. He is real. He is our Rafa! Come on, Rafa's Redmen! We can do it. You'll Never Walk Alone!

Weekend of Excellence

It was a weekend full of sporting action. Though Liverpool was not involve in the FA Cup matches, I was occupied by the Korean Open Badminton Super Series, the AFF Semifinal between Malaysia and Singapore and of course, the Australian Open. It was a weekend of sports to say the least, the best way to spend the weekend together with your loved ones.

First up, I managed to catch Kien Keat and Boon Heong in action for the semifinals of the Korean Open. Although they lost quite tamely to Hwang Ji Man and Lee Jae Jin, it would be understandable after two weeks of world class badminton. Something had to give but it was no shame as the Korean pair were deserving winners on the day. After watching the match, the honours for the Beijing Olympics could be a fascinating tussle between Koo-Tan, Chandra-Tony and the two Korean pairs, Jae Jin-Ji Man and the Korean Open winners, Yong Dae and Jae Sung. In my opinion, these pair would be the four best pairs in the world at the moment although the ranking may suggest otherwise. Hafiz put on a credible show against Chen Jin but succumbed to his errors once again. He could be the Roger Federer of badminton if he got his mental strength sorted out. That is how much I rate him talent wise.

Then, while hitting the gym, I manage to catch the later part of the 2nd half between Malaysia and Singapore in the AFF semifinals. It was a passionate affair. More brawns than brains kinda match but I finally could see some hunger from our national side. That is commendable although we lost on penalties. Let's hope their enthusiasm towards the game continue for our football to improve. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Then finally, I witnessed a master class by Roger Federer. He is a champion that everyone loves. He is humble enough and yet confident enough to showcase his fantastic ability around the tennis court. Watching him play tennis makes you think that tennis is such an easy game. (It is not, believe me) Gonzalez played the match of his life yet came up way short against the Swiss mestro. He has 10 Grand Slams after winning the Aussie Open yesterday. At 25, I would suggest that he could easily surpass Pete Sampras's haul of 14 Grand Slams. Federer will be the best ever player in tennis's history. That is a safer bet than Man Utd winning the Champions League this season. Believe me!

Super Show by Kien Keat and Boon Heong

I was priviledged to watch the Malaysian Open Super Series Finals 2007 at the KLBA Stadium in Cheras. It was an occasion to remember when our doubles pair of Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong put on a show to stun Sydney Olympic Champions, Tony Gunawan and Chandra Wijaya in straight sets to win the inaugural Super Series tournament in KL.

This pair certainly had what it takes to win even more major honours if they keep the right attitude. Too many a time when our athletes fail because of their severely lacking mental attibute of patience, determination, confidence and poise. This pair seem to have it all. Winning the Asian Games gold medal proved to be no fluke after all. We never had a shortage of skillful shuttlers, it's just we had very few smart ones. The ones who will win the points when the chips are down or when it matters most. I foresee this pair destined for greater heights if they keep their heads down and do what they do best, play good badminton.

It was absolutely breathtaking to watch it live in the stadium. Both our young stars had impregnable defence, you could see the expression on the faces of Tony and Chandra when their smashes kept coming back. This match could signify the changing of guard. The new replacing the old where Tony and Chandra, legendary in their own right were given a run around by the hottest pair in world badminton today. Believe me, not many Malaysian pairs would be able to match Chandra and Tony, let alone beat them fair and square.

Tony Gunawan, with 3 world titles with different partners would probably be the best ever doubles player in badminton's history eclipsing even the likes of Park Joo Bong and Rexy Mainaky. I truly believe Kien Keat and Boon Heong will be up there at the end of their careers if their attitude is right. By the way, they are only 22 and 20 respectively. Bring on Beijing 2008 and London 2012. We may have multiple Olympic gold medallists come 2012. It's exciting times for Malaysian badminton. Let's hope our singles shuttlers buck up! Malaysia Boleh!

A Glimpse of Malaysian Open Super Series 2007 Finals

Our champions, Kien Keat and Boon Heong warming up before their match with Tony and Chandra. It was a breathtaking match. Worth the entry ticket alone.


Current Olympic Champion, Taufik Hidayat signing autographs on finals day. He lost, remember?




Bao Chunlai getting instructions during the match with Peter Gade. He eventually lost in three sets.

Peter Gade walking to the rostrum after tossing his shirt and racket to the crowd.

Of Mew Choo, Kien Kiat, Boon Heong and Liverpool FC

Wow! One of the most amazing days in sporting terms for me. All our shuttlers who reached the semi finals on Saturday won their matches and will be strutting their stuff in the finals tomorrow. I'll be heading to the KLBA stadium to watch the finals. It will be an exciting fare with Bao Chunlai vs Peter Gade, Wong Mew Choo vs Zhu Lin and Kien Kiet-Boon Heong vs Chandra-Tony. I will write on the shuttlers when I get back from the KLBA stadium tomorrow.

LIVERPOOL 2 CHELSEA 0

It was a fantastic match. Chelsea was under strength in their defence with the comical Geremi at rightback, 'so called best leftback' in the world, Ashley Cole and our main characters in today's match, bumbling Ferreira and stuttering Essien. It was so satisfying to get one over them. My brother and I were shouting like hell when Kuyt nodded the ball past Ferreira and left 'rugby' star, Cech standing helpless with a fine strike.

We controlled the match and Jermain Pennant chose to score his first goal against the reigning but bumbling Premiership Champions, Chelsea. What a strike it was! It was one of the sweetest volleys you will ever see in such a highly charged match. When his mate, Ashley Cole chose to underestimate his shooting accuracy by not charging down while he prepared himself for the thumping volley, Petr Cech was hearing the ball cracked the crossbar and went in for the second goal.

We finally broke the duck against Chelsea in the league. We are five points behind Chelsea and the race for 2nd spot is back on. I would pray that Arsenal would beat MU at the Emirates tomorrow to narrow the gap to 11 points. With MU coming to visit at Anfield, it could be a 8 point difference by then. I would be really keeping my fingers crossed for that to happen. I would love it if we caught up and win the league. I would absolutely love it, but then again, it will be wishful thinking till it happens.

Anyway, I am more optimistic after this victory. It was certainly a massive one to win! You'll Never Walk Alone! Cheers, Benitez. You got it right today!

Malaysian Open 2007 Round 2

Quite a disappointing day for the Malaysian shuttlers in my opinion. We are left with Chong Wei to challenge for the Men's Singles, Kien Kiat - Boon Heong and Bin Shen - Soon Hock to vie for the Men's Doubles and Mew Choo in the Women's Singles. Special mention to Bin Shen-Soon Hock for shocking current World Champions and World No. 1 Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng yesterday. It was a pleasant upset for the Malaysian upstarts. I remembered a few years back when they defeated Jens Erikssen and Martin Lundgaard Hansen, they were tipped to be the next big thing but things stagnated a while and it was good to see them get a good win for their confidence. Their next assignment, Tony Gunawan-Chandra Wijaya. That would be one hell of a tough match.

I am praying hard that our shuttlers will be featuring in the finals on Sunday because I bought tickets to watch it with Grace, my brother and sister. I better be there in the stadium on Sunday to cheer our shuttlers. If not, it will be a total letdown. Let's go shuttlers. Malaysia Boleh!!

Malaysian Open 2007 - Round 1

Besides Liverpool, I am also an avid fan of other sports such as badminton, tennis, golf and etc. The new season of Badminton has started and the first round results of the Malaysian Open for the Malaysians were mixed nevertheless. We have Chong Wei, Beng Hong, Kay Bin and Choon Hann through to the 2nd Round. Hafiz disappointed once more with his loss to Chen Hong, the player he defeated in the 2003 All England Final. In my honest opinion, he will be a goner in the badminton scene if he does not buck up anytime soon. Guess what? He will be facing Chen Hong once more in the first round of the 2nd Super Series tournament of the year, the Korean Open.

Our doubles pairs that advanced were Kien Kiet-Boon Heong, Fairuz-Woon Fui and Bin Shen-Soon Hock. Our veteran pair of Tan Fook-Wan Wah once more proved to be the most inconsistent and erratic pair in the world when succumbing to opponents I never even heard of before. Perhaps the time is up for them to hang up their racquets and give the youngsters the chance to compete if they continue to under perform.

Wong Mew Choo upset Pi Hongyan to advance to the 2nd Round. Should be an interesting 2nd round of matches tomorrow. I for one is at the moment contemplating whether to go down KL to catch the semifinals and finals this weekend. I'll decide by tomorrow I guess. Hopefully, our shuttlers will win a few titles this time around. Malaysia Boleh!

A stroll at Vicarage Road

A little late on my thoughts on the previous match on Saturday. Watched the match with my brother and dad in the comforts of home sweet home, Seremban! We were kinda sloppy and impatient in the first quarter of the hour or so. Succumbing to their long ball tactics, but as the commentators said the other day, our class showed. The 3-4-3 formation worked although I was quite sceptical when I saw the team sheet at the start of the match. Bellamy and Kuyt were fantastic once more. When you see Kuyt and Bellamy play more and more, you will understand clearly why they were brought into Anfield by Rafa Benitez. Bellamy reminds me of a certain Michael Owen, and I think Bells workrate is even higher compare to Michael. Kuyt is a rarity as a striker. He hustles, runs, chases, do all the dirty work, dropping back deep to play a pass, hold up the ball and bring the whole team into play. That is what I called an unselfish player. It's a good trait I believe. Perhaps, one out and out goalscorer to come hopefully by January or in the summer to equip ourselves with a natural goalscorer. Any suggestions? Villa, Torres, Bent, Defoe? I am not too sure about these people but the prospect of signing a big name is always very very exciting.

As for the match at Vicarage Road, a brace by Crouch and a Bellamy opener sealed the match. It would do the confidence a whole lot of good before the Russian army come visiting on Saturday. I am confident we will gain something from the match. I have to be! You'll Never Walk Alone. Mourinho, we'll be chasing you down. Sir Alex, you better watch over your back as the Reds are marching in!

Liverpool 3 Baptista 4 Arsenal 6

I am gobsmacked with the scoreline. I did not manage to catch the match but I set my alarm clock at 445 to check the half time score. When www.xscores.com showed 1-4 to Arsenal, I was thinking it must be a mistake. After a few moments, it finally sank in and I went to sleep hoping for a miracle. When I woke up for work, the scoreline read Liverpool 3-Arsenal 6. How in the world did we allow 6 goals at fortress Anfield?

I would say that Dudek would play a part in the 9 goals we conceded in two games with the Gunners but my respect for Benitez increased when he said he fielded Dudek to fulfil a promise he made to the Polish custodian earlier in the season. That is a tell tale of a person who has class and dignity. A person who keeps his words although it could backfire on the team. It did backfire but he gained my respect. Liverpool are in good hands with Senor Benitez at the helm. Maybe we will not win the domestic cups once more or the treble cup I once bragged in my earlier posts. Fear not, come February, we will take on Barcelona and give them a fight till the death. We will show the world when adversity hits Anfield, we will come back stronger than ever.

I am a true Merseyside Red. Been in love with Liverpool since the age of 7, and hopefully my wish to see them lift the League Title will occur in my lifetime. I've seen all the other trophies by the way. :P FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League, UEFA Cup and the European Super Cup.

We will be back.....................with a vengeance. :)

In the back of a bruising defeat.............

I dread this post. Writing after a loss is hard to take. I am suppose to brag and celebrate Liverpool's victories and triumphs. No, I will take every defeat on the chin and stand by the team through thick and thin. When Dirk Kuyt, pulled one goal back for us, I was praying so hard a miracle could happen again. When Henry chose to punish us with a sublime run and finish, I knew we will not be at Wembley come May 2007.

Kudos to the boys for fighting their socks off, and if I am not mistaken, Kuyt was named the man of the match (to my surprise), I would have voted for Rosicky with two superb goals. We will be back tomorrow for the Carling Cup. Losing twice to the Gunners in three days will be damn hard to take. I am sure the boys will rise to the occasion and gain some revenge in the form of the Carling Cup.

You'll Never Walk Alone! And I will never let the Reds walk alone after a defeat.

'When we walk, through a storm, hold your hand, up high.............................

Of Blackburn, Spurs and Bolton......

Been off this blog for a while as I did not have internet access these few days. After the match with Watford, we had three matches to play for in the recently ended festive period. We went to Ewood Park and seemed to be controlling the match throughout with Crouchy guilty of at least three gilt-edge chances. Sometimes, Peter Crouch bemuses me because his ability with his feet seem to outclass his aerial prowess although he is of 6'7" frame. His timing on his jumps could be improved and if he does just that, he will score more goals from his head. The misses by the Reds proved crucial as we slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Ewood Park. With 6 defeats already in the season, I would guess realistically our chance of claiming the Holy Grail which is the Premiership should be gone and dusted by now.

After the slump in Ewood Park, a tougher match on paper would be a trip to White Hart Lane where Spurs were in top form and proved to be a tough nut to crack at home. It was one of those days where whoever scores the first goal would eventually win the game. On the stroke of half time, a blunder by the Ivorian enforcer, Didier Zakora paved the way for King Luis to stroke the ball home from close range after solid running by Captain Stevie. When Berbatov was introduced at the start of the 2nd half, Spurs looked an entirely different team and Carra and Agger were brilliant in thwarting the increasingly confident Spurs attack line. We held on in the end with Stevie Finnan nearly scoring an own goal which richochet off the crossbar. Three vital points in the fight for third place.

The 3rd vs 4th clash was scheduled yesterday and it seemed that Bolton kept us at bay for a good 60 minutes with their infamous tactics. Former Kopite, El-Hadji Diouf showed to the world why he is an ex-Liverpool player with his disgraceful antics. True Liverpool players do not dive! As the match entered the crucial period, then came Crouchy with his now trademark bicycle kick. It was a beauty to say the least. The joy on his face showed it all and he certainly made up for all the misses in the defeat to Blackburn. Less than 2 minutes after, Stevie G volleyed home a sweet shot and left the Bolton keeper stranded. We could have been ahead by a few more if not for the in-form Finnish stopper. Dirk Kuyt showed his class with a superb exhibition of pure power and finesse with a brilliant finish to make the scoreline 3-0.


We are right where we wanted to be at the moment. Consolidating third place although we would have loved to be a few points closer to Man Utd. As it stands at the moment, we are

Man Utd P22 +34 54pts
Chelsea P21 +20 47pts
Liverpool P22 +16 40pts
Bolton P22 +6 39pts
Arsenal P21 +18 36pts
Pompey P22 +11 36pts

Chelsea and Arsenal will be completing their festive fixtures tonight. Let's hope that they slip up and give us a chance to catch Chelsea and keep a comfortable distance from the Gunners.
Guess what? We have two back to back clashes with Arsenal at Anfield in the FA Cup and Carling Cup. I am looking forward to it. Perhaps a Cup Treble will be in the cards this season. With the Champions League this time of course. :)