FIFA Ranking List 2008

Fifa released its latest ranking list.

African Nations Cup host Ghana went up to 14th place, while champions Egypt are now in 29th.

















Occupying the summit is Argentina, followed by Brazil, while World Cup winners Italy dropped to third.

Our beloved Malaysia dropped another place to 165th. "Adoi!"
















Pak Lah's dream of Malaysia winning the World Cup is best forgotten. We can't even beat Singapore, Indonesia or Thailand regularly.

We struggled. Yes you heard me, our footballers s-t-r-u-g-g-l-e-d to beat Vietnam & The Philipines during the SEA Games.

There was a time when I enjoyed watching our national team. There was Mokhtar Dahari, Santokh Singh, Soh Chin Aun "The Towkay", "Spiderman" Arumugam, Jamaluddin Norbit, Dollah Salleh, Azizul Abu Haniffah, and many more from the 70s & 80s.

But now, most of the players are young guns in their 20s, who are more interested in looking good while on the pitch while wearing the latest Nike or Adidas white/blue/orange boots. Yet, they haven't even mastered the most basic of football techniques. What's the point of having a specially designed jersey by Nike if you can't play properly?

Have you seen our national team in action?

The players can't even trap the ball properly when receiving it in the air.

They are incapable of passing the ball to a team mate who stands more than 10 feet away.

They can't dribble properly or take on defenders. "Malu man"

And this is the most common, the players can't score clinically even when the chance is clear cut. If there are 10 clear cut chances to score, our players can't even knock 5 of it into the net. "Seriously bengang to watch"

Did you also notice that our national players constantly run out of steam? They don't have the stamina to last for the full 90 minutes. 'Ginseng-powered' Park ji-Sung would be running circles around them.

Bukit Jalil National Stadium is supposedly our best stadium, along with the Shah Alam Stadium.


But have you seen the condition of the pitch? Try kicking a ball along the ground & count how many times it bobbles up & down. This does not do our national team any favours.

I remembered during 2002. Brazil came over and played a warm up match before they flew to Korea & Japan for the World Cup Finals. We hosted the World No.1 football team with sand filled-grass pitch at Bukit Jalil Stadium. What an embarrassment. Isn't there any allocation in the budget for maintenance of the grass?

By the way, Brazil hammered us 4-0 & went on to become World Cup Champions that year. They played with so much pride, passion & love for the colours of their nation. How I wish our national players would play with that much passion & spirit. It's not that our boys can't, they just aren't doing it.

I guess Malaysian football is destined to be in the doldrums for many many more years. Until FAM get its act together and the national players show improvement & change, nobody can blame me & thousands of Malaysians for opting to watch foreign football instead.

Malaysian football can only 'menang sorak' for the so-called 'Super League' & 'Premier League' but 'standard tak bole pakai'.

pictures courtesy of:

www.the-diplomat.com
www.nst.com.my
www.blog.kievukraine.info
www.football-wallpapers.com

Manchester Remembers...

Every Man.United fans' radar is on standby.


Tomorrow is going to be an an important derby match for the Red Devils as they will take on city rivals Manchester City.












































It will also be an emotional match for United, as there will be a minute's silence to remember the tragic Munich air disaster that took the lives of eight talented Man.United players that occurred on 6 February 1958 in Munich, Germany.


Apart from a minute's silence to remember the 50th anniversary of this tragedy, a special retro kit will be worn by the Man.United team.






















The strip, which has been specially designed without kit manufacturer or sponsorship logos, is based on the kit worn by the Busby Babes in the 1950s - in recognition of this week's 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster.


Also abandoned are modern squad numbers, with United's 16-man squad set to don numbers 1 through 16 on Sunday after gaining special dispensation from the Premier League.


United's Chief executive David Gill said: "The sincere thanks of the Club go to AIG and Nike for their wholehearted backing for the kit change, and to the Premier League for allowing us to mark the event in a unique way."


Like United, opponents Man.City will don a retro strip, free of sponsorship, especially for Sunday's match. A black ribbon motif, bearing the words ‘Manchester Remembers,’ has also been incorporated as a mark of respect.


As a hardcore United through & through myself, my respects & condolences go out to the family members of those United players, staff & journalists.


I am from Malaysia, and I'm sure all Manchester United fans from here are with you.

R.I.P.

Geoff Bent
Roger Byrne
Eddie Colman
Duncan Edwards
Mark Jones
David Pegg
Tommy Taylor
Liam 'Billy' Whelan
Walter Crickmer (Club Secretary)
Bert Whalley (Chief Coach)
Tom Curry (Trainer)


Malaysia Remembers...


(Information source: www.manutd.com & en.wikipedia.org)

pictures courtesy of: www.manutd.com

Not so "dream final" afterall...

I watch last night's Buletin Utama sports news with a smile.





















So it seems there isn't going to be the much anticipated "dream final" for the African Nations Cup this year. Host Ghana were shot down by a single goal from Cameroon, while Ivory Coast was ripped apart & given a footballing lesson by holders Egypt in their respective semi-final matches.


Despite all the hype before the tournament began that it will only be a final between favourites Ivory Coast & host Ghana, fate stepped in and changed the course of destiny.





















Cameroon led through Alain Nkong's second-half goal, scored after a brilliant piece of counter-attacking football which illuminated an otherwise drab semi-final.

The midfielder, who plays for Atlante in Mexico, latched on to a Samuel Eto'o through-ball after 71 minutes to score.


While Egypt showed Ivory Coast that having a squad full of Premier League stars does not guarantee success with a comfortable 4-1 win over them.











I guess this defeat will wipe off that silly arrogant smirk from Didier Drogba's face, and teach him some form of humility.

















Congratulations to Egypt & Cameroon, and I'm looking forward to the final. May the best team win.


pictures courtesy of:

www.espnstar.com
www.africanhit.com/news
www.footyblog.net

Africa's Best Player? No!

He's at it again.


Chelsea hitman Didier Drogba has said that he deserves to win the African Footballer of the Year award. If you remember, he made the same statement for European Footballer of the Year award in 2007. Oh dear, "perasan betul".






















Anyway this time, according to Drogba, the reason why he wasn't chosen was because he couldn't travel to receive the prestigious award, due to his commitment with Ivory Coast for the African Nations Cup. So it seems the committee decided to "give" the award to Freddie Kanoute of Mali instead.





















Whether that is true or not, I believe that Drogba should just keep his big mouth shut, stop making accusations & just keep on playing football.


And also please stop being so arrogant. You're not the only top footballer from the African continent. Have you forgotten about your team mate Michael Essien? What about Samuel Eto'o? Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue? You don't hear these guys blow their own horn, do they?








































































So please Didier, just play football, stop being arrogant & please be quiet. Nobody likes an arrogant loudmouth footballer.


pictures courtesy of:

www.skysports.com
www.gongonews.com
www.dhifm.com
www.4thegame.com
www.futbolreal.com
www.arsenal.com

Bobby "The Hamsap" Chinn

This is a non-football related post.
















Celebrity chef & TV host Bobby Chin's famously cheeky ways have finally caught up with him.

He won the Best Entertainment Presenter for Discovery Travel & Living series World Cafe Asia at the recent Asian Television Awards, but lost a lot of points with Andrea De Cruz and her entourage.


The actress-host was posing for the cameras on the red carpet when a man suddenly came up from behind her-hugged her, nuzzled her neck & kissed her ear.


Andrea's actor-husband Pierre Png, her perennial partner for the annual event was not by her side this year because he was filming in China.















When the New Paper caught up with her right after the incident, she appeared shocked, horrified and disgusted.


She complained to a reporter & her managers about Bobby's "rude gesture"-especially since she didn't even know who he was.


Andrea revealed that when she told Png about it, he was "very upset and wanted a public apology".



Her managers from Media Corp were also annoyed and asked her if she wanted to take action against Chin.


They are still deciding whether or not to send an official letter of complaint to the event organisers.


When contacted, an extremely remorseful Chinn apologised profusely for his actions, unaware of the happiness that he had caused.





















"I am obviously upset because I upset her and it was not my intention to offend of belittle her".


He claimed he had never been invited to an awards ceremony before and was caught up in the excitement of being at the Asian Television Awards.


He also had no idea who Andrea was or that she was married.


Chinn hopes that the incident won't cause Singaporeans to brand him a lecher. He added that he'll be "more cautious" in the future when "similiar situations" crop up.


He said: "I'm cheeky, but I'm not chee ko pek (Hokkien for dirty old man).


My comments: You ARE a dirty old man Bobby. Shame on you for behaving the way you did. Your excuse of being caught up in the excitement was a silly one, and the fact you don't know who Andrea was is reason enough for you NOT to grab her & did what you did.

For the record, I'm NOT a fan of you.


(news source: The Star, Tue. 25 Dec. '07)


pictures courtesy of:

www.thingsasian.com
www.news.bbc.co.uk

R.I.P. Phil O'Donnell...

Another post that was supposed to be up last year.






















Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell collapsed on the pitch during a Scottish Premier League match. O'Donnell who won one cap for Scotland in 1993, was taken off the pitch on a stretcher 12 minutes from the end of the game against Dundee United, which third-placed Motherwell won 5-3.


Motherwell owner John Boyle described the death as unspeakable tragedy.


"Phil was rushed to Wishaw General Hospital by ambulance after collapsing during today's game," the club said in a statement on their website (www.motherwellfc.co.uk).


"Motherwell & Dundee United medical staff believe he suffered a seizure and efforts were made to revive him en route to hospital.


"Despite the efforts of the two club's medical staff & medical staff at the hospital. Phil did not regain consciousness and was pronounced dead at 17:18 (GMT).


"This is an unspeakable tragedy for Phil's family," Boyle said.


Motherwell manager Mark McGhee said: "We are totally devastated and our thoughts are with Phil's wife and family.


"Phil was a great professional and gave everything when he played the game. This is a shocking tragedy".





















O'Donnell was a huge favourite having made his debut as a 17-year-old in the 1990/91 season, and later that campaign scoring in their 4-3 Scottish Cup final win over Dundee United.


He made his sole Scotland appreance as a sub in a World Cup qualifying game against Switzerland at Aberdeen in 1993 and the following year moved to Celtic for what reamins a Motherwell club record fee of 1.75 million pounds.


He spent five years at Celtic before moving to England with Sheffield Wednesday, where he made only 20 appreances in four injury ravaged seasons.














He made an emotional return to Motherwell in 2004 in a game against Dundee United where nephew Clarkson scored a hat-trick in a 3-1 win and earlier this year (2007) signed a new contract as a player-coach.


Former Scotland manager Craig Brown told Sky Sports: It's very very sad news and I just can't take it in. He was a perfect gentleman. You will not get a more ideal role model for a young footballer than Phil O'Donnell".














Rest In Peace Phil O'Donnell...


pictures courtesy of:

www.dailymail.co.uk
www.timesofmalta.com
www.elmundoderpotivo.es

Ryan Giggs OBE

This post should've been up since December last year.


For his contributions to football, Ryan Giggs was made an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire).









































Graham Taylor said: It is very easy to confuse talent & professionalism by first assuming that the two go together.


Talent on it's own only takes you so far. But applied talent, which requires a deep desire to succeed and a commitment to dedicate yourself to your profession, is the hallmark of a true professional. This is how Ryan Giggs is best described.


With a tally of 143 goals in 744 appreances for his club, 8 Premiership medals, 4 FA Cups, 2 League Cups, 1 UEFA Supercup & Intercontinental Cup & 1 Champions League League medal, Ryan Giggs is Manchester United's most decorated player.






















At a ripe age of 35, Giggs is still making valuable contributions to the club & his hunger for more success in the United shirt has not waned.


I could never imagined Giggs playing for another club other than Man.United. Giggs' name is up there with Charlton, Best, Crerand, Law, Cantona & Edwards. You say those names and you automatically think Manchester United.


Let's understand one fact, Giggs was never going to play for England for personal reasons. Wales was his choice. But regardless of which national team he chooses, one does not need to be an expert to recognise the natural talent he possessed.


His work-rate, his strict discipline, his absolute devotion to his profession would put any young footballer nowadays, who are more interested in making money & being glamorous, to shame. Man.United gaffer Sir Alex admitted that having Giggs is an absolute gem & he is a model professional for young players at United to look up to and emulate.


In case some you young generation readers who has never seen Ryan Giggs in action before, what he did with the ball-his pace when in possession, his willingness to take on multiple defenders, his dribbling accuracy, the excitement & expectancy that lifts you off your seat-is what Giggs did in those days when he first started playing, like what Cristiano Ronaldo is currently doing right now.























To achieve what Ryan did over so many seasons requires a mental rod of steel, and along with his applied talent, he deserves every recognition that comes his way.

(news source: The Star, Fri 14 Dec.'07)

pictures courtesy of:

Getty Images
www.manutd.com
www.bbc.co.uk
www.starstore.com
www.telegraph.co.uk
www.dailymail.co.uk

7 is for Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to be the highest paid footballer in the English League.























Manchester is set to offer the young Portuguese a salary increment of 140,000 pounds-a-week deal which will keep him at Manchester United until 2014, which in total cost about 44 million pounds. This increment will take Ronaldo ahead of the salary currently earned by Chelsea's captain John Terry which is 130,000 pounds-a-week.


Man.United management is more than happy to reward Ronaldo for his sterling performance this season where he has so far banged in almost 20 goals this season. On average that's one goal per match.


What amuses me is how Arsene Wenger revealed 'how close' Ronaldo was to signing for Arsenal. Well, however true that is Mr Wenger, Cristiano decided NOT to sign for Arsenal, didn't he?
















On another note, UEFA chief & french legend Michel Platini has challenged Cristiano to prove himself on the world stage if he is to be crowned truly great.








































Ronaldo replied he can't wait for Euro to begin.


pictures courtesy of:

www.insanesoccer.com
www.soccer.org.au
www.commentisfree.guardian.co.uk
www.demo-blog-sport.templatextreme.com

England 2.....Switzerland.....1

Last night, was the beginning of a new era in English football. It was England's first win under the new regime of Fabio Capello.


According to match reports: Capello was down from his seat in the stand after just five minutes, not surprisingly after a passage of play in which England conspired to squander possession.


After bland Sven-Goran Eriksson and insipid Steve McClaren, Capello cut a dark intimidating touchline figure.


















And for large parts of a disjointed first half the Italian features were grim with good reason.


If he did not know before then he does now. For some unfathomable reason when England footballers pull on the shirt with the Three Lions they appear incapable of passing the ball more than 10 metres to a team-mate.


I read that Capello has introduced several tight/rigid rules for the team. They include:

a) all players MUST sit down & have meals together

b) Cell phones can only be used in bedroom

c) NO friends or family members are allowed at the team's hotel

d) NO WAGS! (Thank God!)

















There are other rules, but I can't recall what they are. Anyway, I'm sure these new regulations would rock the boat & certainly punctured some egos in the England squad. About time!


pictures courtesy of:

www.mrcalcio.it
www.dailymail.co.uk

Daddyhood here I come...!

Hello people,

I've been busy lately with some work. Hardly had time to breathe or to update my blog. Anyway, one of the good news is located below:


















What you're looking at is the very first ultrasound scan of my unborn child, whom my wife & I fondly refers to as Peanut! Hehehe....yep that's right I'm gonna be a daddy!!!

So the time has finally come for me to go through what my dad has gone through when he had me. Whether I'm ready or not I've got to step up to the plate.

Somebody once told me: "There's never a good time to have children...When the baby comes, ready or not, you have to do it & take responsibility"

So wish me luck people :o)