Something i wrote on SOCCERNET blog

Posted by Shawn Liew 1 day, 10 hours ago

What then, may I ask, has Wayne Rooney done for England since an exceptional Euro 2004?

And is it only me, who thinks that Frank Lampard, is nowhere even remotely close to the talent that Gerrard is? Gerrard had to play on the right wing for Liverpool because in the infancy of Benitez's reign, Liverpool simply had no player with the necessary quality to play there. For England, Gerrard had to play, on occasions, and may I add, ridiculously, on the left wing, in order to accommodate a far inferior player in Lampard to play in Gerrard's preferred central position.

Also, I don't agree that Gerrard has to 'perform' for England to prove himself as a world class player. He has prove, time and again, that he is a world class player in an excellent and ever-improving Liverpool side. Gerrard doesn't perform for England? May I dare ask, which England player does? Fact is, Gerrard plays in a mediocre England team. Sometimes, you are as good as the players around you.

http://blogs.soccernet.com/editorblog/archives/2009/03/gerrardlite_will_not_do_for_en.php

Champions League predictions

Wednesday, May 11 2009

Bayern Munich VS Sporting Lisbon

First Leg : Sporting Lisbon VS Bayern Munich 5

Prediction : Bayern Munich 3 Sporting Lisbon 2 (Bayern to win 8-2 on aggregate)

Juventus VS Chelsea

First Leg : Chelsea 1 Juventus 0

Prediction : Juventus 2 Chelsea 1 (2-2, Chelsea to win on away goals rule)

Panathinaikos VS Villarreal

First Leg : Villarreal 1 Panathinaikos 1

Prediction : Panathinaikos 1 Villarreal 1 (Villarreal to win via penalty shoot-out)

Liverpool VS Real Madrid

First Leg : Real Madrid 0 Liverpool 1

Prediction : Liverpool 2 Real Madrid 2 (Liverpool to win 3-2 on aggregate)

Thursday, May 12 2009

FC Porto VS Aletico Madrid

First Leg: Aletico Madrid 2 FC Porto 2

Prediction : FC Porto 1 Aletico Madrid 1 (3-3, FC Porto to win on away goals rule)

AS Roma VS Arsenal

First Leg: Arsenal 1 AS Roma 0

Prediction : AS Roma 1 Arsenal 0 (1-1, AS Roma to win via penalty shoot-out)

Barcelona VS Lyon

First Leg: Lyon 1 Barcelona 1

Prediction : Barcelona 4 Lyon 2 (Barcelona to win 5-3 on aggregate)

Manchester United VS Internazionale

First Leg : Internazionale 0 Manchester United 0

Prediction : Manchester 1 Internazionale 1 (1-1, Inter to win on away goals rule)

Quarter-Finalists : Liverpool (England) Chelsea (England) Barcelona (Spain) Villarreal (Spain) Internazionale (Italy) AS Roma (Italy) Bayern Munich (Germany) FC Porto (Portugal)

Are you really a fan?

First and foremost, congratulations to Manchester United in winning the Mickey Mouse, eerrmm, I mean the League Cup after a quite insipid penalty shoot-out victory over the mighty Spurs from White Hart Lane. Still, a victory is still a victory and United are now favourites to win the League after Liverpool slumped to defeat at the Riverside, leaving United seven points clear of the chasing pack, with a game in hand to boot.

Therefore, so typical of United ‘fans’, I have been touted incessantly, such is my proclaimed love for Liverpool FC, when I would ‘burn my Liverpool jersey’, why I continue to be a ‘Loserpool’ fan and wouldn’t it be better to a Man Utd ‘fan’? Therein lies the question: What is a ‘fan’? Are you really a ‘fan’?

I had the great ‘honor’ of meeting a United ‘fan’ whom when asked what is United’s stadium called, had this answer: “eeerrmmm… The Man U stadium lor.’ I know of United ‘fans’ who do not know that United have won 17 league championships, that last season’s European Champions League triumph was United’s third in the prestigious competition. (That’s right, THREE. Liverpool has FIVE.) I had United ‘fans’ who gave me the most quizzical look in the world when I mentioned the names of Duncan Edwards, Matt Busby and horror of horror, even Bobby Charlton. And of course, Alex Ferguson has been United’s manager since, well, forever? (Ferguson took the Old Trafford reins in 1986 and Ron Atkinson was Ferguson’s predecessor)

If you belonged to the above group of United ‘fans’, please do not have the temerity to question my commitment to my beloved club. If a Liverpool fan could tell you more about Manchester United than you, a self-professed ‘fan’, it really begs answering: Just what kind of fan are you?

I would never dare to brand myself the biggest Liverpool FC fan in the world, for I only started following and loving the club in 1994, when a certain wing wizard named Steve McManaman mesmerized me when he single-handedly defeated Bolton Wanders in the Mickey Mouse, darn, there I go again. I solemnly and respectfully meant the League Cup.

Yet I have no problems telling you that Ian Callaghan is Liverpool’s record appearances holder with 857 appearances spanning 20 years. Or that Ian Rush remains the club’s record goal scorer with a staggering haul of 346 goals. Or that Bob Paisley remains Liverpool’s most decorated manager of all time. (despite the shadow of the great man, Bill Shankly.) Or that Jamie Carragher remains Liverpool’s record appearance holder in European competitions. Or that current skipper Steven Gerrard remains Liverpool’s record goal scorer in European competitions. It is not my intention to be boastful or undermine anybody’s right to support the team of your choice but shouldn’t a genuine ‘fan’ possess some basic knowledge of your club? If not, at least have the decency not to publicly parade yourself as a ‘fan’, goading and touting other fans with unabashed shame. Retain some self-respect and stop making a mockery of genuine fans that stick by their teams through thick and thin.

There are plenty of football quizzes available online. Do go take one and find out exactly how much you really know about your football club before you disgrace your football club and demonstrate to others how embarrassingly ignorant you are. While you are at it, you might as well take any tests or quizzes along the lines of:

· ‘Am I a poser?’
· ‘Am I an attention-seeker who is emotionally insecure?’
· ‘Do I need to align myself with winners because I am a loser?’

Or something like that. You get the idea. Have fun!

I'm back!

Rafael Benitez just can’t win, can he? When Benitez brought Robbie Keane to Anfield in the summer for 20.2 million pounds, he was chastised for ‘paying over the odds’ for a player who was ‘over the hill’, a player who would not fit into the Liverpool team.

Six months later, Keane is back at White Hart Lane and the same ‘critics’ of Keane feel ‘disgusted’ and ‘revolted’ at how a player of Keane’s ‘undoubted quality and class’ could possibly have been so sparingly used by Benitez. “An absolute insult!” They throw their arms up in mutiny as Benitez continued to deny Keane even a place on the substitute’s bench.

Do not misread my intentions. I have nothing against Robbie Keane and neither do I wish to besmirch his short and ultimately unsuccessful Liverpool career. Robbie Keane is a terrific footballer and it was probably no fault of his that his Anfield career petered out into a hugely disappointing anti-climax. Whether it is true that it was Liverpool’s chief executive, Rick Parry, who brought Keane to Anfield without Benitez’s full endorsement, we will never know. I do wish Keane all the best in his second coming at White Hart Lane.

I digress. The point is this: it was never about Robbie Keane. It was about Benitez. It was about Liverpool Football Club. There just seems to be sections of the media and the press who have an agenda against LFC and Benitez. Suddenly, Benitez has lost it. Liverpool are in crisis. Liverpool have blown their best chance of winning the league title for the first time in 19 years. This, with Liverpool sitting two points behind Manchester United, albeit with the Old Trafford club having a game in hand. Sadly, then followed Liverpool ‘fans’ demanding for Benitez to be sacked.

Well, I am writing this as a Liverpool fan, and I hope all genuine fans listen to what I have to say.

Yes, we are all frustrated with the recent draws that have seen a seven point lead over United disintegrate into a potential five point deficit. Yes, we are all frustrated that United sit above us in the table, and we shudder to think of the possibility that United would equal our record eighteen league titles should we fail to prevent the title from once again going to Old Trafford. And yes, I have to agree that Benitez’s rant against Alex Ferguson (you can forget it if you think I am going to afford him the salutation of ‘Sir’ in MY COLUMN) was extremely ill timed, coinciding with Liverpool’s recent run of poor form.

Yet perhaps we are just getting ahead of ourselves. How many of us would have gladly taken the position of being in second place in the league, two points adrift of the leader, when offered in August, before a ball was even kicked?

I have been asked many, many times while Liverpool were top of the pile, if this is the year Liverpool would finally reach the holy grail of a 19th league title? I have always tired to diffuse the overwhelming and suffocating wave of optimism by presenting Benitezesque pragmatism by reminding fellow fans to take it one game at a time. The important and crucial detail was, I told them, that Liverpool was still in title contention when the New Year swung around. I still stand by that view.

Last season, after twenty-five games, Liverpool had 44 points, 12 points behind then leaders Arsenal, with no realistic chance of challenging for the title, let alone winning it. This season, after twenty-five games, Liverpool has 54 points, 2 points behind leaders United. Where are the rest? Chelsea are already 7 points behind United. Arsenal? As precocious a talent as Andrei Arshavin is, it would require a monumental slip-up from everybody else for the Gunners to overturn a 12 point deficit; instead, Wenger would be relived if his team can wrestle fourth place away from an impressive Aston Villa outfit, who are themselves 5 points behind United, yet unlikely to last the pace of a title sprint. Make no mistake. United are in imperious form (I do give credit where it is due, unlike many Mancurians) and it is now a question of the rest playing catch up. Crucially, who is closest to United in the table? Crucially, how long has it been since Liverpool were in this position; actually challenging for the title in February? (I am no mathematician, neither am I a statistician yet I struggle to understand how Liverpool’s title challenge is OVER, with the team 2 points behind United and 39 points still to be contested)

Let me reiterate if you do not already know. I am a fanatical Liverpool fan, dare I say, more than many of you reading this. I was gutted when Everton dumped us out of the FA Cup. I am hugely disappointed that seven draws in our last twelve games have seen us relinquish a rosy-looking perch atop the Premier League table. I do not always agree with Benitez’s tactics neither do I attempt to gloss over the deficiencies in the team. Three defeats in thirty-eight games suggest that we have become increasingly difficult to beat under Benitez’s regime (Just 1 defeat in the league, coupled with 9 draws), yet thirteen draws in the same span also suggest that we do lack the killer instinct and guile to kill off teams while dominating games. It is also true to a certain extent that the team is still too reliant on our talismanic skipper Steven Gerrard and ‘El Nino’, goal-scoring extraordinaire. (Yet we did manage to beat United earlier in the season without both players) Perhaps many of the draws could have been converted into wins had Fernando Torres not been injured for huge chunks of the season and how many times have we seen our inspirational skipper dragged us out of the throes of defeat? Still, Benitez knows, the fans know, and most importantly, the players themselves know that there is enough quality in the squad to compensate for the absence of the two, hugely important though they are to Liverpool’s cause. Players like Dirk Kuyt, Yossi Benayoun, Albert Riera and especially Ryan Babel, I feel, must step up to be counted as Liverpool enters the critical phrase of the season. Consistency is the key and bar the excellent Xabi Alonso, many of Liverpool’s attacking players have lacked the consistency required of a title-winning side.

The reality check is this: Liverpool may yet surrender their proud record of being the most decorated domestic champion in English football league history; Liverpool may yet win nothing this season. Yet this is not the time to be turning against the team, against Benitez. I struggle to understand how ‘genuine Liverpool fans’ merit the campaigning of sacking Benitez in February. Would bringing in a new manager now guarantee the league title comes to Anfield? Neither can I fathom the incessant bitching and whining that Liverpool are ‘off the pace’ and ‘falling apart’. Twenty points off the pace we are then.

Another self-inflicting wound in an ‘injury-ravaged’ season then. First, the broad room power struggle between the American owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, continues, culminating in Benitez refusing to sign a new contract, as he soughts to get control over team affairs and transfers. Then came Benitez’s bizarre and untimely rant against Ferguson. Torres’ lengthy enforced absences through injury and of course, the captain’s arrest for assault have only combined to undermine and potentially derail Liverpool’s quest for ‘No. 19’

Then came the coup de grace.

“ A few weeks ago, we were in first position, then a certain individual from the club attacked another individual from another club, and since then, we have lost form and slid down the table”

Disgruntled fan? Supposedly ‘knowledgeable’ football pundit cum ex Liverpool player? Hardly. That ‘hugely enlightening’ sound bite came from none other than George Gillett. It is absolutely galling and disgraceful that a football club owner can come out and publicly ridicule the manager while the club is in the midst of challenging for the league title. Of course, Mr Gillett conveniently suffered the sin of amnesia when he chose to forget who got the club to ‘first position’ in the first place.

George Gillett and Tom Hicks (even with his ongoing war with Gillett and friendly overtures towards Benitez) are no fans of Liverpool. Coming from where they come from, they probably don’t even understand the game, let alone begin to remotely comprehend the foot balling institution that is Liverpool Football Club. Pure and simply, they are in for the money and God willing, may the club be put out of the hands of these mercenaries as soon as possible.

If you choose to do a ‘Gillett’ and proclaim yourself a fan, I honestly do not know where you are coming from. Me? I am just a supporter and I do what I know best. Support the team through thick and thin. Would you rather walk alone?

Conspiracy Theory?

If Hollywood studios are looking for talented script writers, they should look no further than the shores of Singapore, what with the absolutely ingenious and utterly fictional script written of Mas Selamat's aka Mas Houdini's (Give me a break. Even Houdini couldnt pull this off.) great escapade from a heavily guarded detention center in Singapore.

Did Mas Selamat really escape from a maximum security detention center on the pretext of a piss, or since it apparently is the vogue to write scripts, could I preposterously write my own, and suggest that we are instead talking about a dead man pissing?

Think about it. The concept and ideology of 'kiasuism' applies not only to the average Singaporean. Were you recently at the Singapore Airshow? I bet you were not exactly amused that you had difficulty in moving anywhere without being checked and scrutinized for any elements of a security threat. Oh. The ignominy of being treated like a criminal while at the same time deprived of breathing air must have really irked you, didn't it? And the worst crime you ever committed was litter and jaywalking.

Now consider the fact that Mas Selamat is the head of the Singapore affiliate cell of the JI. Am I the only one who finds it ludicrous and improbable to fathom the thought that such a figurehead of such political sensitivities would be allowed to take a pee without close supervision?

Was he well-versed in martial arts? Perhaps he dabbled in black magic? To add the proverbial punch to the story, he managed to leave the detention center with a permanent limp in his left leg. (Take that, Carl Lewis) For those of you not awares, the detention center is actually guarded by ISD(Internal Security Department) and Gurka officers. The Gurkas are a disciplined, tough, mechanical, almost mercenary outfit of men from Nepal trained to kill, or at the very least, maim adversaries.

Please do not insult my intelligence by insinuating that the man just simply waltzed his way out of the detention center, bad leg and all. Something lurks beneath the surface and the entire episode reeks of a conspiracy theory. How, exactly, did Mas Selamat escape?

There are several theories:
1) He fought his way out of the damn detention center. Yeah right. Provided the man takes bullets as a health supplement.
2) He utilized black magic. Who needs Harry Potter when you have a magician right on your door-step?
3) He bribed the entire goddamn facility. With all due respect to the good men of the ISD and the Gurkas, I steadfastly hold the belief that our security forces are corruption free, GOD willing. By the way, stop blaming the SPF for this entire saga. The ISD reports directly to the Prime Minister's office and the Gurkas report directly to... well... whoever is in charge of the Gurkas, which, by the way, is definitely not the JI. Therefore, categorically speaking, the ISD is not a direct affiliate of the SPF.
4) He actually did ask to go for a piss, got pissed off, (Mas Selemat is notorious for his disdain for incarceration) decided that he had enough of being detained, said goodbye to everybody and walked out of the center. Yes Sir. We believe you. If we had peas as substitutes for brains.
5) Mas Selamat is dead while in detention. For fear of reprisal, I shall not speculate on how that may have occurred. Draw your own conclusions.

I may be jumping the gun but how would Singaporeans react should Mas Selamat's body conveniently turn up mysteriously somewhere in a deserted outpost?

The answer is: Relief would inundate the island that the saga is over that nobody would even question how he ended up dead in the first place. As conspiracy theories go, this would conceivably, be the biggest in the history of Singapore.

I could be a Hollywood script writer myself but until somebody can reasonably explain to me how Mas Selamat managed to get out of the detention center in the first place, I am simply not buying the story that we lost Singapore's most wanted man due to an alleged piss.

It seems to me, that to the contrary, we could all be the victims of a great piss in the face by the authorities.

Have you ever felt that you were fighting a losing battle, one that, despite your most valiant efforts, you were destined to lose from the very beginning?

Why then, do we fight on? Who then, do we fight for? Most of us stumble through life without having a fucking clue what exactly we want out of life. Go here, do that, we are told. We have lost the primal and basic ability to think for ourselves; like a misguided dog chasing its own tail, we travel in a circular route, seeking our self worth and inadvertently find ourselves back where we started, disillusioned and desperately alone.

And the world could care less. Without you or me, the world continues to evolve until the day it has had enough and annihilates its inhabitants before mankind kills one another. Here’s a sobering thought: Who really gives a damn about your existence?

I am tired. An understatement. I am exhausted. Sometimes I can hardly breathe. Sometimes I am tempted to throw in the towel and say, “That’s it. I have had enough. Screw it.” Yet I stay to fight another day. Perhaps it is poignant. Perhaps it is simply pathetic that my life is a crusade to fight against the odds, to overcome the insurmountable odds that life has continuously thrown at me. I have survived. Or have I?

I would not fall without a fight. Yet I am a mere mortal. My body is weary, leaden with fatigue. My soul is disenchanted with this perpetual battle that I fight alone. The tears cloud my vision, I can no longer see clearly. Perhaps I need a rest. Perhaps I really do not care anymore. I am tired. I am exhausted.

‘ If I had wings, I would take off and fly away from this crazy world. Even if you are the one to come upon me, do not stop me.’

My Top 10 wishes for 2008

My Top 10 wishes for 2008

1. Up in smoke

I know I am beginning to sound like a broken record, when in all honesty, I have done absolutely nothing about it. People who know me long enough would probably snigger and go “yeah right”. I realize I have as much credibility on this matter as Bush has on the Iraq war yet I also realize that I have now been smoking for the good part of a decade. With that dubious distinction follows a small fortune and probably a few years of my life as well. So there you are. My first wish for 2008 is to quit smoking.

Here’s a sobering thought. Have you ever realized that those damn cigarette producers are actually conducting genocide on the world? And guess what? By paying for their cigarettes, we are actually funding the entire heinous process. Therefore, technically, that makes you and I a murderer. So, how many people do you want to kill in 2008?

2. What money can’t buy
Health. I would gladly accept the gift of good health bestowed to me in 2008, if I so deserve. If not, may good health be forthcoming for my family, especially my parents. They have led hard enough lives and I have failed in my duties as a son. Allow me to make amends; let the cycle of obligation fall upon me. Do what you would to me, fate would decree my path. Let my parents enjoy a blissful 2008.

3. You’ll Never Walk Along…….
Come May 2008, Liverpool would be crowned champions of England for a record 19th time.

It probably would not happen. Cut me open and Liverpool red flows through my veins but let’s be realistic here. I said when the season started that Liverpool are probably not going to win the title this season, despite the introduction of a clutch of exciting new arrivals over the summer, noticeably the phenomenon known as Fernando Torres. What I did say was that Liverpool would be closer to challenging for the title. And they are.

Talks of a crisis are ludicrous. Entering the New Year, Liverpool are 9 points behind leaders Manchester United, 8 points behind Arsenal and 2 points behind Chelsea, with a game in hand on all three teams.

Frankly, I am sick and tired of the “Benitez-bashing” that perpetually dominates the press, both local and abroad. Yet, the most disappointing aspect of the entire saga is hearing so-called “Liverpool fans” joining the clamour for Rafael to be sacked. These “Liverpool fans” are disgraceful and have no place in the traditions of this very, very special club.

It took Alex Ferguson 6 years to win his first league title as United manager before United dislodged Liverpool at the pinnacle of English football. Likewise, Benitez needs time to drag a Liverpool side that was in decline back to its former glory. Open your eyes. This is the best Liverpool side since the days when Kenny “The King” Dalglish, John Barnes, Ian Rush, Alan Hansen and co swept all before them in the all-conquering teams of the 80s.

I could go on forever to argue for Benitez’s case but this column is not all about Liverpool. Still, for those with short memories, Liverpool reached two European Champions League finals in three seasons under Benitez, winning their 5th European Cup in that monumental night in Istanbul. Ferguson led United to their 1st Champions League semi-final in eight years last season. Arsene Wenger led Arsenal to their one and only final in 2006 after almost a decade at the helm. Mourinho and Chelsea? Beaten by Liverpool in the semi-finals in 2005 and 2007.
I rest my case. For now.


4. ….And may they rot alone in hell
While Liverpool win the league title, United, Chelsea and Everton get relegated. Ok. Now I am getting ahead of myself.

5. Singapore qualifying for the World Cup in 2010
Can Singapore’s football team defy insurmountable odds and conquer the impossible? Well, could United, Chelsea and Everton really be relegated from the Premier League? Eeeerrmmm….emphatically, NO.

Still, if Greece enacted mission impossible in winning the European Championships in 2004, I dare to dream. And if anyone is reading this, take me up on it. If Singapore qualifies for the World Cup in 2010, yours truly would stand in the middle of Orchard Road and offer my very passionate rendition of “Majullah Singapura”.

6. Up, up and away
Transportation fees go up. Utilities bills go up. Oil prices go up. Food prices go up. GST goes up. CPF withdrawal dates go up. Your blood pressure goes up. Your salaries go up. Right, in your dreams. With inflation expected to hit the roof in 2008, expect everything from staple food to your guilty indulgences to cost more than they ever did. Time to beg your boss for a pay rise or be part of a grand bank heist. Either way, it beats waiting for the government to hand out cash for you to spend. As the Hokkien famously say, “dan ku ku la.”

7. Time waits for no man
If procrastination were a crime, most of us would be charged guilty with no hope of parole. Therefore, the New Year always offers us an opportunity to look at our lives from a fresh perspective and re-evaluate our goals and priorities for the year ahead.

Therefore, after much thoughtful consideration, (actually it took as much time as slapping my doggie for jumping up on me but hell, at least I thought about it) I surmise that these are important issues for me in 2008:
My studies. Although I can’t control having to work with imbeciles at times, it is high time I re-discover my motivation and drive. I am doing this for myself, not for anybody else.
My family. Looking back at 2007 one of the most satisfying aspects of the year flown by is the improving relationship with my parents, especially my dad. I intend to build on it.
My writing. No, it is not ok to hold it back to another day. If I habour any serious dreams of becoming a writer, I have got to be writing regularly.
My friends. Time to catch up with those I hold dear to my heart. For those who do not really care two hoots about me, guess what? I don’t really care too. Go to hell. I would still say how I feel; I would still adhere to my beliefs and principles. Do not expect me to be a puppet; do not expect me to agree to everything you say, even if you make absolutely no sense. Instead, expect me to be even more frank and open this year. I want to be true to others and myself. Hypocrisy is anathema to Shawn in 2008.
Seriously start scouting for a new job. Go ahead. Squeal on me. As if I care.
Facebook, porn and anything on public broadcast TV are a waste of my time. Period.

8. Two makes a pair
Let me state categorically that none of my wishes are in any particular order of importance. Significantly, this is the least important of the lot. Even if more and more of my friends are getting married. Even if sometimes you do need somebody besides you. Even if it means regular sex.

Ok, ok, fine. At the expense of sounding like a sex-depraved pervert, I do secretly (so much for that being a secret now) hope to find that special somebody in 2008. Or maybe I really just want the sex. Shut up, shawn. Shut up.

9. World Peace
The assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, really hit a sore chord with me. It is an abhorable and dastardly act of cowardice that revolts and nauseates me. This is no longer about religions, beliefs, nationalities or political agendas. Anytime anyone takes it into their own hands to take the innocent lives of ordinary citizens, the boundary of acceptance has been crossed. Besides the death of Mrs Bhutto, the suicide bomber took the lives of at least twenty innocent Pakistanis.

What depths have the world sunk to, if violence is the order of the day; when we turn Mother Earth’s green fields into killing fields of crimson red? From the Islamic extremism that personifies the Al-Qaeda and other Muslim organizations who preach for all Muslims to perform the “jihad”, or holy war against America and its allies, to the Middle East Crisis that threatens to plunge Israel and Palestine into renewed war should US-brokered peace talks break down, to the dictators of Myanmar’s junta’s bloody crack down on peaceful demonstrators, the bottom line is this. Innocent lives were lost and continue to be lost on a daily basis just so a bunch of murderers, psychopaths, tyrants and inadequate leaders achieve their agendas and political aims.

I reiterate that once innocent lives are lost, it is a situation that simply cannot be accepted or tolerated, even if some might lead you to believe otherwise. When George W. Bush ordered American troops to invade Iraq in 2003, he claimed that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. Today, Saddam Hussein has been hanged and as yet, the US has found no evidence of such weapons of mass destruction. Instead, scores of innocent Iraqi civilians have been killed as the country slips into civil war. If Bush genuinely still believes that the war in Iraq can be won, he should be hanged like Saddam Hussein. How do you proclaim a victory when the blood of thousands rests on your very own hands?

There is just no reason whatsoever, to legislate for the indiscriminate taking of lives. Some may call it collateral damage; some may call it a holy duty, yet others may claim that it is for national security. Bollocks. I call them goddamn murderers.

“A little girl was asked by her father if she had gotten everything she wanted for Christmas. Shaking her head sadly, she pointed towards the newspaper spread on the table with the headline screaming ‘Dozens killed in suicide bombing’”

10. This is for you
If you are reading this, you know whom you are. There is not a shadow of doubt that life is hard and we all face our own difficulties, trying to exorcise our inner demons and overcome the challenges that life throws down at us.

Sometimes, we get tired and weary and we feel we simply do not have the strength to go on anymore. Yet, have we truly realized how precious life is; how life has been deprived from others who are not quite ready to give it up?

When we give ourselves up, all hope is lost. For those whose lives have been nothing but a bed of roses, good for them. Somebody who has never failed can never truly savour the sweetness of success. There is no comparison to be made. You live your life for yourself, not for anybody else. You decide how your life pans out; you decide what meaning life holds for you.

You are a fighter, as I know you. I do not know you as somebody who gives up without a fight and taking your life does not bring you redemption. It brings you condemnation and forgiveness that I would refuse to grant you for eternity.

Be strong. You are not alone. You are never alone.

Who would be England’s new manager, and who should?

I have a friend, who was kind enough to praise me for correcting predicting that England would not win Euro 2008. Well, I didn’t explicitly state that England would lose to Croatia but they certainly would not win if they are not even going to be there, so I guess, in a way, I am right. Well, you get the picture.

So she went on to ask me the question on everyone’s lips: who would be England’s next manager? Yes, the nation waits with bated breath. No, I am not talking about England. I am talking about Singapore. Such is our crazed obsession with anything to do with English football that who would be the next England manager dominates coffeeshop banter and blog communities than the fact that our national team have reached the third qualifying round of Asia qualifying for the World Cup. National patriotism? Ouch. But that’s a story for another day.

Now, it has been awhile since I wrote and I had the time to sit back and devour the stories, debates and analysis on who exactly should be the next England manager. Here’s my take.

The call for an Englishman (or anyone who most closely resembles being an Englishman)

Which EPL team that has an English coach is currently highest in the league standing? Portsmouth and Harry Redknapp. ‘Enuff said.
The most preposterous suggestion I have heard is Alan Shearer. Clamoring for Shearer reeks of absolute desperation and an overdose of football fantasy and romanticism. To throw someone who has absolutely no experience in coaching and management into the deep end and expect Klinsmann-esque effect is pushing it too far. Jurgen Klinsmann led Germany to the semi-finals of the world cup on home soil and I suspect that he quit immediately after that because he realized that he had taken the team as far as he possibly could. Who dares gamble? Not England.

The call for “the foreigner”

Take it from a pragmatic point of view. What priority holds for the next England manager? Qualifying for the World Cup in 2010. Who are the last two World Cup winning managers/coaches? Marcello Lippi and Luiz Felipe Scolari.

England are boring enough as it is so let’s do without an Italian at the helm, with all due respect to great coaches like Lippi and Fabio Capello.

Scolari may have won the World Cup in 2002 not with the most exciting Brazilian team you were ever going to see and you may question what exactly he has won with the Portugal team since he took over the helm. You may want to sit back and digest the fact that before Scolari led Portugal to the final of the last European Championship and the semi-finals of the last World Cup, the last time Portugal reached the semi-finals of any competition was in 1966, when the legendary Eusebio led Portugal to the semi-finals of the World Cup. Make no mistake; the man knows what he is doing and that is not something I can say with much conviction about previous England managers.

The call for the “ Special One”
Jose Mourinho? GOD blesses the queen if Mourinho ever becomes England manager and that’s all I could be bothered to talk about Mourinho as England manager.

Verdict:
They say don’t read too much into the papers and the speculation but when you have a football association that is as predictable as the way its football team play, I say expect Fabio Capello or Jose Mourinho to be named as England manager before the new year comes about.

A minute of silence

It saddened me when I read about the deaths of five young Singaporeans who drowned in Phnom Penh, Cambodia when their boat capsized during last Friday’s Tonle Sap dragon boat race.

This is especially when the tragedy happened came on the heels of me writing about the fragility of life. It filled me with profound poignancy when one of the victim’s fathers commented in a media interview that he regretted not having been able to say anything to his son before he departed for his ill-fated trip to Cambodia. Now, he would never have the chance again, ever.

Therefore, I reiterate again to each and every one of you reading this: A life full of regrets is one that diminishes and devalues.

Finally, I hope with all earnest that the media frenzy cease even while the bodies of the victims return to Singapore. Yes, there is a need to analyze what went wrong and prevent similar tragedies from happening again. What there is not any need to, is to point angry, accusatory fingers at who or what may have been causal contributors to the tragedy and there is certainly no necessity to allow this terrible event to spiral into a media circus. Allow the bereaved families to grieve silently, bring a closure for them as quickly as possible and afford them the space to move on with their lives.
Meanwhile, do find it in your heart to say a prayer for the five young men who, no matter who could be done or said, could never be brought back to life again. We can only hope that they have departed to a better place and achieved eternal peace.

How fragile is life

I was recently re-introduced to the fragility of life when my mother fell ill and was rushed to hospital. Thankfully, she emerged out of the ordeal unscathed and is currently convalescing at home.

Yet it got me thinking. It takes a lifetime to build a life yet it takes only a second to take one away. The next second may be the last.

Prior to my mother’s episode, I was rocked by the news that a friend had jumped to his death. Granted, I hardly knew him yet I never saw it coming. In fact, most of us did not. We were left with unanswered questions and regrets that we failed to spot his inclinations to end his life and perhaps to have pulled him back to where he rightfully belongs. A life.

On a fateful day of July 7th 2006, I had my own brush with death when a rogue decided to plunge a knife into me. Had he had any deadly intentions, I would surely have perished.

We only live once. What is here today may no longer be here tomorrow. A life sullied with regrets is poignant. It may be cliché but the phrase “at least I tried” brings closure and peace. Somebody who has never experienced failures would never fully savor the sweetness of success.

A dream is only impossible because we think it to be. An impossible dream becomes a reality because we want it to be. I may be scoffed at, I might be ridiculed, I might be downright dismissed but it does not stop me from aspiring to be a writer. My detractors do not dictate my life. They do not shape my future. I do. I believe. You should too.

Slow down. Look around you. How long have you not looked into the eyes of the people you love and tell them that you loved them? I cannot yet bring myself to tell my parents that I love them; I hope I may one day. I choose now to allow my actions to show that I do care, that I do not take them for granted, that despite their imperfections, they were the ones who gave me life, the ones who made sacrifices to bring me up and mould me into what I am today. For that, I am eternally grateful and in debt, to the day they leave for a better place. And I never will know when that day would be.

Sometimes, all we get is one opportunity. Once gone, a second might never come. Today may be all we got. Make it count.

Dear Lord, forgive me

To all England fans, I hereby issue a formal apology for dissecting and belittling your beloved team’s chances of winning Euro 2008. I did not have to throw you into emotional turmoil, reading how depressingly minute your team’s chances were of winning the tournament. Rejoice. You do not have to experience the agony of seeing them fail at the tournament proper. They would not even be there.

Congratulations to Steve McClaren. You are officially the worst England dud manager since Graham “ Tulip” Taylor. Fret not. While they sharpen their knives and drive the final nail in your coffin, you can start writing your resume. Seriously, it’s not that bad. Not too many managers can state categorically “ I failed to bring England to a major competition. Beat that.” Last I heard, Birmingham City is looking for a manger. You could add next season’s 1st division championship title to your impressive CV.

Congratulations to the Russian national team. Not only have you qualified for Euro 2008 but also you suddenly don’t look like absolute fools losing to the might Israel anymore. Plus, you get some coffee money from one certain Roman Abramovich. Top deal.

Finally, congratulations to the entire England team. You managed to surpass all my expectations and proved me wrong. Not only are you as inadequate as I painstakingly put you to be. Turns out, you are even worse. Three Lions. How about three pussies?

Disclaimer: I unreservedly apologize to all animal lovers, especially cat lovers. The above passage was meant to be purely metaphorical and in no way links cats to the losers that form the England national football team.

Why England would not win Euro 2008

The collective sigh of relief in the streets of London to Manchester to Upper Serangoon and Jurong was almost palpable as the penultimate round of qualifying for Euro 2008 drew to a breathless close.

England had survived to fight another day and now require simply not losing against Croatia at Wembley on Wednesday night to secure qualification for next year’s European Championship finals. Simple, considering the fact that Croatia have already qualified and have pretty much nothing to play for, top spot in the group not withstanding. So, England marches on to Austria and Switzerland and lay claim to being one of the favourites to lift the trophy.

Wait. Before you devise grandiose dreams of England glory, consider this. England would have been dead and buried and Steve McClaren’s epitaph freshly inked if Russia had not unceremoniously crumbled to defeat in Tel Aviv. The Hand of GOD? More likely the leg of Israel, or more accurately, the leg of Omer Golan, whose 90th minute winner against the Russians ensured future employment in the land of football’s birth.

However, the cold, hard truth remains. England made hard work of qualifying from a modest group that, with all due respect, is hardly the caliber of potential tournament winners. Surely tougher obstacles lie ahead. If England failed to beat any of the top three teams in their group away from the comforts of Wembley, (drew 0-0 with Israel, lost 2-1 to Russia and 2-0 to Croatia), how could they possibly negotiate the challenge of teams like world champions Italy, France, Spain or Germany, just to name a few teams that are technically vastly superior to the aforementioned trio of teams England failed to defeat.

I opined when McClaren was appointed England head coach that he was not the man for the job and after his team’s treacherous qualifying campaign, I have not changed my mind. McClaren’s only saving grace comes in the form of England’s imminent qualification for the finals, which saved him from being branded “he’s worse than Graham Taylor”. (Taylor failed to guide England to the World Cup in 1994, the last time England failed to qualify for a major international tournament.) McClaren simply does not have the tactical acumen and know-how to guide England to their first success since the glory year of 1966. When England played their best football during qualification, Gareth Barry sat alongside Steven Gerrard, anchoring the midfield, allowing the Liverpool captain the chance to do what he does best, breaking from midfield to score or support the strikers. Tactical genius? Hardly. It was only through a wretched run of injuries that forced McClaren to play Barry in midfield.

This midfield conundrum is nothing new. McClaren’s predecessor, the languid Swede, Sven Goran Erickson, persisted obstinately to pair Gerrard and Frank Lampard in central midfield, a move that was destined to fail spectacularly. Both players like to break forward from midfield, leaving England shorn of defensive cover and shape in midfield. Instead of forging a partnership that looks mouth-watering on paper, the pair instead stifled each other’s play and deprived England of shape and fluidity. It is a warning that McClaren is unlikely to heed. Already, he is contemplating bringing Lampard back into the fold, and ludicrously, shifting Gerrard onto the right wing to accommodate the Chelsea man. Even Gerrard’s club manager, Rafael Benitez, the tinker-man that he is, has ceased to play the Liverpool skipper on the right. Gerrard’s importance, and influence from central midfield is immense (remember Istanbul and Cardiff?) and he needs someone like Barry or Manchester United’s Owen Hargreaves to sit in midfield to allow him the freedom to break forward from midfield, where he is at his devastating best. It is high time McClaren has the moral courage to consign Lampard to the substitutes’ bench. Surely the team’s success takes precedence over reputation and ego?

It is galling that one of England’s joint top scorers during qualifying cannot command a regular starting berth at club level. If you have not yet already guessed, Liverpool’s lanky, beanpole striker, Peter Crouch, has top-scored for England during qualifying with four goals, alongside former Liverpool star Michael Owen. (The current top scorer in qualifying is Northern Ireland’s David Healy with 13 goals, breaking a twelve-year record held in European Championship qualifiers held by the legendary Croatian striker, Davor Suker.)

The statistics don’t lie. England has scored a pastry 17 goals in 11 qualifiers thus far, with the majority of the goals coming against the might of Macedonia, Estonia and Andorra. Owen remains England’s most potent goal threat, with 40 goals in 85 England caps making him the fourth highest England scorer of all time. However, it is no coincidence that Owen’s four goals in qualifying came while Wayne Rooney was sidelined with injury. It is one of football’s worst kept secrets that Owen is most effective having a big man playing alongside him, holding up the ball and knocking little balls to which the diminutive hit-man can utilize his pace to get behind defenses. That was why Owen prospered in Liverpool, having the much -maligned Emile Heskey playing alongside him. It is also why current Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce was so quick to bring Mark Viduka to the north-east club.

Do not be mistaken. Wayne Rooney is an exceptional player, the one player who is most likely to produce a moment of genius to unlock opposing defenses in an otherwise too often workman-like England side. Therein lies England’s attacking paradox. Rooney likes to play in deep-lying positions, the proverbial “ hole “ if you would, and is unlikely to offer the target man that Owen’s predatory instincts prerequisite. The Manchester United star’s international goal-scoring record hardly sets any pulses racing either. Bar from an exceptional goal- scoring run at the last European Championship finals before his forced retirement from the tournament derailed England’s glory quest, Rooney has hit just 14 goals in 40 appearances for England.
Crouch, on the other hand, has 13 goals in just 23 appearances for England. Admittedly, the bulk of Crouch’s goals have come against the lesser lights of European football and it is debatable if the awkward 2 meter tall giant has the technical ability to score against the higher echelons of European football, although it must be argued that he has vast experience and a more than enviable scoring record in the Champions League with Liverpool.

They say great players adjust and adapt to different styles and patterns of play and there is no doubt that both Rooney and Owen are great players in their own right but the evidence is damning. Who partnered Owen when he scored his 4 goals during qualifying? Peter Crouch and Emile Hesky, and Owen looked none the less distressed by Rooney’s absence.

McClaren must find a way to accommodate both Rooney’s genius and Owen’s propensity to excel with a target man playing alongside him. There is still time before the tournament begins with earnest for the pair to really gel and form a telepathic understanding in order for the goals to flow while Crouch remains a useful alternative from the bench. If not, England’s goal woes look set to continue.

The supply lines do not herald a glut of goals for England’s front-line either. While the French has the likes of Florent Malouda and Frank Ribery, the Dutch have Ryan Babel and Arjen Robben, the Spanish have Joaquin and David Silva and the Portuguese have Christiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Querasma, England’s flanks reek of mediocrity. Joe Cole remains England’s most creative outlet out wide however he tends to drift infield too often, leaving England’s width on the left to be filled by Cole’s club-mate and namesake, Ashley Cole, which inadvertently equates to England’s vulnerability to the counter-attack. On the right, Shaun Wright Phillips and Aaron Lennon lacks consistency and the temperament to perform at the highest level while David Beckham is a fading force, despite his obvious handiness at set pieces.
England’s defense is decent, led by the indefatigable captain John Terry although keeper Paul Robinson remains susceptible to a howler now and then. (Just don’t mention Croatia)

Still, England does not bore the hallmarks of potential champions, not with the way they are playing, which presents a crystal clear synopsis on why England have failed to progress beyond the quarter-finals of any major competition since the European Championships was held in England in 1996. Is it because of incompetent managers? Is it because of a mental condition that continues to plague the England team and causes them to “freeze” when it comes to the crunch? Is it complacency stemming from English teams’ successes in European club football?

England have more then enough talent in their ranks to get the point they require against Croatia to qualify for the finals and if they fail to do so, it would indeed be a football travesty although unlike many, I would not feel sorry and aggrieved should England fail to do so. Unlike their British neighbours, Scotland and Northern Ireland, who have fought gallantly and admirably to attempt to reach the finals with much lesser talents than those under England’s disposal, England were expected to breeze through their qualifying group.

For Scotland and their Tartan army, the dream ended in tears with defeat to world champions Italy in controversial fashion in a rain-sodden Hampden Park while Northern Ireland’s diminishing hopes were kept flickering by the record-breaking Fulham striker, David Healy. For these two teams, they were expected to be cannon fodder for other teams in their groups. Instead, Scotland pushed Italy and France all the way in a quite memorable qualifying campaign, culminating in home and away victories against the French. Northern Ireland, long rubbished and ridiculed as no-hopers, beat Spain, Sweden and Denmark en route to a slim chance of overhauling Sweden on the last day of qualifying to join Spain into the finals. They may yet fail but what epitomized Northern Ireland and Scotland’s qualifying campaign is the heart and never-say-die attitude that saw both teams rise above adversity and perform beyond expectations and in all honesty, natural ability.

This, in a nutshell, is what England is lacking sorely. While the talent is obvious, England is about a team of overpaid individuals, spoilt by superstar status at club level and not a cohesive unit attuned to an insatiable hunger for success. I may yet be proved wrong but I again see England as no more than a quarterfinals team. I just do not see enough England players having the mettle and bottle to sustain a championship push and England’s cause certainly would receive no boast from the glaringly inadequate tactics and inflexibility of Steve McClaren.

Still think England can be crowned European champions? I say don’t bet on it.