Poor Poor England

I used to be an England fan. Supporting them from the days of Alan Shearer's debut in Euro 92, who at that time was partnering Gary Lineker, to the famous beer celebration by Paul Gascoigne in Euro 96. I even woke up in the wee hours of the morning to catch Beckham kick Simeone in France 98. By Euro 2000, I was kinda fed up with all the expectations England put unto themselves but they were still entrenched in my heart as the international team for me (besides Malaysia of course). They did better at the 2002 World Cup but couldn't muster a decent attack while losing to Brazil in the quarter-finals. In Euro 04, once more they lose out in a shootout. In last year's world cup, that was the tournament where I actually wanted them to lose. It was pathetic, disgraceful and inept. Losing shootouts once in a few tournaments may boikl down to luck. Losing in all of your exits in major tournaments boils down to nerves. These are highly paid professionals who earns obscene amount of money but yet, can't seem to convert from 6 yards out. But, then again if they really dreaded the shootout so bad, why couldn't they settle it in regulation time?

The last two international qualifiers they had were a disgrace. I don't really blame the coach. I blame the players. The point is, either Lampard or Gerrard needs to be dropped and obviously, I feel that Lamps is the one that does not warrant a place in the team. He does not lift his underperforming team. He can only play in a team of stars. When the chips are down, he misses more than he hits. I am a Liverpool fan but I am sure many neutrals would agree with me. Why play Lennon on the left when he is a right winger? How is he going to run to the byline and cross? It is stupid mentality and a mentality to suit the stars. If you are not performing, you are out! Guess who saved England in the match with Andorra? Stevie G of course. Typical of him. Rafa limits him on the right in Liverpool because we have equally good midfielders in the middle to suit certain tactis. If we had Lennon or Quaresma, I am sure Rafa would play Gerrard more on the middle. Both Lampard and Gerrard are similar players but if given a choice, who do you think is the better player? Who has come up with the goods when it mattered most in the most crucial of tournaments? Our captain did! So, Lamps, probably it's time to tell the coach, that you will sit in the bench for the sake of England.

I am sure it's better to sit on a bench of a winning team than playing in a lousy team. Think about it? If you can't win a World Cup or European Championships while playing in the first eleven, what is the next best thing? You win it from the bench of course. I may sound bias but it's a fact. Gerrard is better than Lampard. Period.

Sometimes, I just hope Stevie, Carra and Crouchy don't come back to Melwood injured. This is my only hope for a very dismal England team at the moment.

God Save the Team!!!

Looking forward to.......

1) Liverpool's Champions League Quarter Final vs PSV.

On paper, probably it should be a shoo in for Liverpool but we still need to play to our best in order to reach the semi finals. I am positive we will not underestimate them and play to the best of our abilities.

When :- First Leg, at PSV Eindhoven on the 3rd of April 2007
:- Second Leg, at Anfield on the 11th of April 2007


2) Kien Keat and Boon Heong to continue their exploits in the world scene, Chong Wei to rediscover his form.

The next two Super Series will be held in Singapore and Indonesia respectively. It would be tough for our new heroes to continue their fine run as they will be watched by the other pairs now. My hope is that Chong Wei can rediscover his form in the coming tournaments.

Thomas Cup Prospects

One of the more important tournaments in badminton would be the Thomas Cup. The Men's team event where it provides the most excitement, joy and also heartbreak to many viewers around the world. When we won in 1992, where I was barely 9 years old. I remembered jumping for joy and screaming with so much sense of pride. We reached the final a couple more times later but the closest we came to winning was actually back in 2002 where Roslin lost to Hendrawan in the decider. We lost the tie 3-2.

Since the emergence of Kien Keat and Boon Heong, I am sure many Malaysian's have begun to take more interest in the sport once more. Finally, we have a pair who wins not a player who upsets a world class player and loses the next round. We ought to aim for more. I personally hate players who say that their aim is to reach the semi-finals or finals. If you don't feel that you have a chance of winning a tournament, please do not take part. Half the battle is won and lost in the head.

Anyway, let's take a look at the big 5 teams using the latest world rankings released yesterday. Let's make it easier with a team of 10 players comprising of 4 singles players and 3 doubles pairs.

China
Lin Dan- (1)
Bao Chunlai - (2)
Chen Jin - (3)
Chen Yu - (7)
Fu Haifeng/Cai Yun - (1)
Shen Ye/He Hanbin - (42)
Guo Zhengdong/Xie Zhongbo - (54)

Denmark
Peter Gade - (5)
Kenneth Jonassen - (8)
Joachim Persson - (17)
Kesper Oedum - (29)
Jens Eriksen/Martin Lundgaard - (2)
Lars Paaske/Jonas Rasmussen - (17)
Simon Mollyhus/Anders Kristiansen - (20)

South Korea
Park Sung-Hwan - (14)
Lee Cheol-Ho - (61)
Hwang Jung-Woon - (79)
Shon Sheong-Mo - (95)
Jung Jae-Sung/Lee Yong-Dae - (3)
Hwang Ji-Man/Lee Jae-Jin - (11)
Yoo Yeon-Seong/Han Sang-Hoon - (71)

Indonesia
Sony Dwi Kuncoro - (11)
Taufik Hidayat - (18)
Simon Santoso - (20)
Jeffer Rosobin - (57)
Markis Kido/Hendra Setiawan - (4)
Candra Wijaya/Tony Gunawan - (5)
Luluk Hadiyanto/Alven Yulianto - (8)

Malaysia
Lee Chong Wei - (4)
Hafiz Hashim - (9)
Roslin Hashim - (19)
Lee Tsuen Seng - (21)
Choong Tan Fook/Lee Wan Wah - (6)
Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong - (10)
Gan Teik Chai/Zakry Latif - (13)

With all this players lined up, let's do a simple calculation on who are the favourites based on their best average world ranking of 3 singles and 2 doubles. I am sure China will be the favourites already looking at the strength of their singles but let's have a little fun. The results are :-

China - 9.8
Denmark - 9.8
South Korea - 33.6
Indonesia - 11.6
Malaysia - 9.6

I did not expect this. Malaysia has the lowest average ranking if we take into account the best lineup possible. Would 2008 be our year of regaining the cup? China's strength in the singles may just pull them through but who knows? Another gem from Malaysia could emerge by then. Let's keep our fingers crossed. Malaysia Boleh!

The Best Pair in the World

Kien Keat and Boon Heong won the Swiss Open Super Series title last night. It was another impressive win although they were a little off their best last night. They showed nerves of steel when it mattered and played the important points better than the Danes. That proved crucial in a pretty scrappy match where it only started to sparkle at the end of the 2nd set.

Winning 3 of the 4 Super Series tournaments thus far is amazing. Watching them play for each other is a joy to watch. This is the first pair I have seen from Malaysia who encourages each other after a mistake or a winning shot. No blaming and just moving on to concentrate on the next point. It is certainly a great partnership. At 21 and 19, let's hope they would further improve on their understanding on court. That part of their game still needs polishing as they do sometimes tend to go for the same shuttle.

They have certainly proved to be the pair to beat this year. Their ranking may not show but I am sure not a single pair in the world would want to face them. Maybe Jung Jae-sung and Lee Yong-dae would want to give it a shot as they are the only top pair yet to face our current hotshots. Whether they meet sooner or later, I am sure our pair would give their best and come up victorious.

Hail to the best pair in the world! Kudos to both of you! Malaysia Boleh!

National Heroes

The All England Badminton Championships 2007 ended last night with China sweeping 4 of the 5 titles at stake but we sneaking in and winning the one that probably mattered to them most. The event China are weakest at, the Men's doubles. Kien Keat and Boon Heong was fantastic throughout the match. Remembered my prediction yesterday? It was two straight sets. I do not know why but this pair does not give me the jitters like other pairs. They do not give me the feeling that they will choke on the big stage. Only 5 tournaments together and they won 3 of them All highly charged and world class field tournaments. 2 Super Series and the Asian Games. What would you expect from a partnership of 6 months? It is truly fantastic.

I thinked I have posted something about Rexy wanting to quit during the Asian Games after the team event debacle. Take a bow, Rexy! You have made our rising stars champions! We have too many rising stars but not many make the grade as consistent champions. Malaysian sports is famous for it's athletes being consistently inconsistent. You have unearth two gems who love the sport and play with passion. I thank you and salute you for that! Teach these boys humility as they become better and more succesful in the game. If they would finish their careers with half the honours you won as a player, I am sure many Malaysians will be very happy.

Come on, Kien Keat and Boon Heong! Let's have our first World Champions in August! Malaysia Boleh! By the way, I may go all the way to KL to see your shaven head, Kien Keat!

Congratulations! You guys deserve it!

All England Final 2007 Preview

The finals of the 3rd leg of the Super Series will be underway tonight. We have a pair in the finals where not many people would be surprise about. The fact is, they have taken the world of badminton by storm. 5 tournaments into their partnership, they have won twice, runnersup once, semifinalist once and now, reaching another final of a major tournament.

Watching them demolish 2-time All England Champions, Jens Eriksen and Martin Lundgaard Hansen was a masterclass. It was simple, effective and brilliant badminton. For all the people who cannot see beyond the power and smashing in badminton, you will not be able to appreciate Kien Keat and Boon Heong's skills. They are quick, agile, smart and crafty in their play. They do not have the biggest smash in the game but they have the all round play to hurt their opponents as much as a one time big smash by let's say Fu Haifeng.

The Danes have been famous through their careers for being mentally stronger than their opponents. They infamously deprieved Tan Fook and Wan Wah two All-England titles purely by mental strength or perhaps a lacking of it from our Malaysian veterans. This new pair is like a breath of fresh air. They are intelligent, brave and brash in their approach. Fearing no one that comes along their way. Their path to the final was not easy but they have yet to dropped a set.

Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng would not be easy tonight. But, for a sports enthusiast like me, I would guess that the Chinese pair game plan is to attack, attack and attack. If their attacking game is working, they could be tough to beat but if Rexy can come up with a plan to thwart that, Kien Keat and Boon Heong would be our first pair to win the All-England in 25 years. They have stopped the drought in the Asian Games with 36 years. Let's hope that the drought at All-England stops at 25.

My prediction would be victory to the Malaysians. (What do you expect?) It could be a quick two setter or even a tight three setter. Any way the match progresses, I believe our pair have what it takes to win it. Malaysia Boleh!

Into the last eight and beyond

Ya, if you were to have browsed through the Liverpool official website and read the reports from the various newspapers in the UK, as a Liverpool fan, you would be extremely proud of our team. We showed guts, determination, courage and class. We had enough heart to weather the storm when Gudjohnsen scored the first goal, we had enough determination to make up for our lesser skills (compared to Ronaldinho, Messi and Eto'o) with tenacity. Sometimes, on these big European nights, I for one do not expect too much of Liverpool's football. A journey through the triumph in 2005 proves that supporting Liverpool is spiritual. You go through the tough times and by doing so, you cherish the good times even more. We epitomized the meaning of team spirit. I am so proud of the team. I was in the gym on the treadmill when the last 16 draw was made. I was upset like ever as Barcelona would be my favourite team to win the competition if Liverpool were not in it. I was upset because I felt that it would be a monumental task to dethrone the champions of Europe. But, as the media begin slating Liverpool's chances to almost nil. I got so sick of it and deep in my heart, I felt that we could pull through. Remember in 2005, we trashed a very in-form Leverkusen, table topping Juventus and of course, big spending Chelsea. Oh, of course Milan as well. :)

The last eight would be as tough as the last round of matches. Looking at the teams remaining in the competition, I echo the sentiments of Stevie G of wanting to avoid the Englich clubs, but then again, do you think any club would fancy playing Liverpool? :P Chelsea would not want to lose to Liverpool for 3 consecutive seasons in a major competition, do they? Man Utd should know that we will not let them go this time around. So, instead of us wanting to avoid them, I am sure Mourinho and Fergie would want to avoid us too. Besides, how many champions league have both Chelsea and Man Utd won? Zero and Two.

Here is the answer to how many we have won. Five! :)

The draw is on Friday night at 7pm. Probably will catch it on ESPN. I would guess it would look something like that. Hopefully, my predictions are right. :)

Liverpool vs Valencia
Man Utd vs Chelsea
PSV Eindhoven vs Roma
Bayern Munich vs AC Milan

Rafa back at the Mestalla? That would be great, ain't it.

Barca Stunner, Blunt Blades and Kop End Robbery

It's been a few weeks since I last posted anything on this site. Thank to the CNY holidays, I was still in a bit of a holiday mood. :) The match 2 weeks ago when we shocked Barcelona at Nou Camp will rank as one of the greatest European nights in Liverpool's history but it would be to no avail if we do not see out tonight's 2nd leg tie at Anfield. Saying that, I am very confident we wil go through although Barcelona are the finest team in Europe should they choose to do so. Liverpool, on the other hand, who I may not be brave enough to say is the finest in Europe, perhaps do have the tag of the grittiest and toughest team to beat in a hostile or super charged European confrontation.

After the match at the Nou Camp, we had a relatively easy 4-0 win over the bumbling blades who decided to allow Robbie Fowler's goal tally to increase. His two expertly taken penalties was a reminder of his brilliance. He may be past it but imagine having him as a penalty taker in any of the European ties if we needed a shoot out? That would be great, ain't it.

Let's move on to the tough part. The robbery in midday at Anfield. We were robbed last Saturday to a O' Sheat goal. What a Sheat goal it was, when Giggs was playing for the free kick when he knew he couldn't get past the Reds defence. We were playing them off the park for almost like 90% of the match. Do we hear Rafa said that we lost to a team who only played 1 minute of football and won the match? That was what Sir Alex Said when he beat them enroute to our finest FA Cup victory last season. That is typical Rafa! Pure class. I am still totally behind him for slagging of the Toffees as a small team because facts are facts, Everton will never be bigger than Liverpool. And if you are no where near the stature of Liverpool, you are a small team. Period! :)