The one with The Avengers

The first of the summer-comic-book-movies has been screened - The Avengers. A fan-boys dream come true. And I must say it was surprisingly fun.

I was a bit sceptical about the movie. I was worried about chemistry, screen time, character development and the flow of the story. However I was glad I was wrong.

Each character was given a fair amount of screen time and presence in the film. Though I believe Loki had more screen time than most and Tony Stark had the best lines especially with his verbal sparring with Steve Rogers.With Steve playing the patriotic soldier and Tony being himself, the clash of ideas really had an impact on the team. And their on-screen chemistry was beautiful.

Mark Ruffalo's portrayal of Bruce Banner surprised me. I for one really enjoyed Ed Norton's portrayal of Bruce, as he embodied the inner struggle he endured brilliantly. Mark played a Bruce who seem more in control of 'the other guy'.

My favourite character Thor was probably the most awesome of them all (yes, I'm biased). His early battle against both Captain America and Iron Man was one of my favourite scenes. Thor himself enjoyed watching both Steve and Tony go at each other. Also the Thor against Hulk fight was awesome. (Wonder if we would have a Hulk vs Wolverine soon?)

The other characters Natasha and Clint had their share of screen time too. The were normal humans who didn't have powers like their teammates. Nick Fury, Phil Coulson and Maria Hill had their screen time.

Come to think of it, Joss Whedon really did a good job developing the characters. Unlike the X-men trilogy where Wolverine was the main focus of the story.

The movie is about the different personalities of each team member and how they all came together to fight the common enemy.

My overall review for Avengers would be awesome and fun. Just enjoy the ride.

The one with another disastrous futsal tournament

Last Saturday 14th April 2012 was the 2nd edition of the EPL supporters club futsal tournament. It was bigger then the last tournament with a total of 12 teams. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle all sent 2 teams while Manchester City and Spurs sent 1 team.

Prior to the tournament we didn't really prepare well. All attempts for centralized training was met with lukewarm response and injuries. With that, I came into the tournament with zero expectations. And how wrong I was. I didnt know we were suppose to win the whole shindig. The best part was the players who never turn up for training are the ones demanding a win. 

First I'll get to the results. We drew our first game against Chelsea B 0-0 and I didn't see any playing time in that one. Next we lost to Man Utd A 2-3. I came in after half-time and we were already 2-down at that point. I came in and help stabilize the defence (sometimes you just need big guys at the back). I also got yellow-carded in that game. I was carded because I ran over a very small Man Utd player which I didn't see when going for a high ball. Funny call but it was against Man Utd. Craig pulled us level with 2 quick goals. Then disaster happened. I under hit a pass forward which was intercepted by a Man Utd player and I was caught out with a quick 1-2 counter. I was blamed for that goal which I owned up too. But the rest didn't accepted it. They claim that I should have been subbed because I was 'tired'. Well that was suppose to be their call on who comes in and out. My number wasn't called so I carried on. With that I knew I was going to be benched for the rest of the tournament. I missed our next 2 games, a 2-1 win over Arsenal A with goals from Leonard and Conrad and a 1-3 loss to Liverpool A with Conrad scoring our lone goal. We were already eliminated from the semis before our last game against Newcastle B. I was asked to start because there was nothing to play for. Due to be out cold, I wasn't ready for the game and made 2 early errors which lead to their goals in the first 3 minutes or so. Everyone was making me the scapegoat and then I had it. I walked out on the team, asked someone else to replace me. We lost 1-3 with Shahrul getting our goal. I didn't say goodbye to the team and walked back home straight after the game. The tournament was just across the road from my in-laws place so I decided to just walk to the tournament venue.

So i just played less then 8 minutes in the tournament from a total of 50 minutes playing time. Only played in 2 games while I was benched for the other 3. I didn't appreciate being made the scapegoat for the losses in which I played a part in. We didn't even prepare as a team. What do you expect? You think we can win by just showing up? Even Barcelona don't win without any preparation. With that I officially quit the team (like I was needed anyway). I will not make myself available for any future Spurs Malaysia futsal teams. 

A frustrating tournament and also a wasted weekend.

The one with the evening with Gary Mabbutt

On Tuesday, 27th March 2012, was a memorable occasion for the Spurs Malaysia fans. We had the opportunity to sit down, chat and dine with our legendary captain during the late 80s to 90s, Gary Mabbutt. The event was held at Seri Pacific here in Kuala Lumpur.

When he arrived, he was greeted with rapturous applause from all of us. It was my first experience seeing a Spurs legend up close. I had goosebumps and didn't know what to do with my hands but clap.

He shared his experiences and stories from his playing days as well as his opinions on the current Spurs squad.

When asked about the current squad, his believes it can go places, and he also says that if Harry Redknapp wants the England job, then the team should let him pursue his dream. As for who could replace him, he had 3 names - Carlo Ancelotti, Jurgen Klinsmann and Guss Hiddink. He felt British names like David Moyes and Brendan Rodgers could be within a shout for the Spurs managerial post should Harry leave.

Gary also shared the work footballers do during the off-season. While a majority of players will make the headlines for the wrong reasons, footballers actually do a lot of community work. He talked about the charities and community work done by the club in Africa.

Gary also shared about his playing experiences. Who were his toughest opponents and such. He always wanted to play fair. He wasn't the "out-to-break-your-legs" type of defender. He always won the ball fairly. And how the current Spurs team could use a defender like him now to stabilize the squad. He was also the last captain to lift the FA Cup back in 1991. It was one of his proudest moments in his career.

There were topics we avoided asking, but Gary talked about it anyway. He talked about his own-goal in the 1987 FA Cup final. And how he became on of Coventry's influential people in their history as well as getting meals for free there for life. The other topic was Paul Gascoigne. His life story is well documented and Gary said its good to see Paul try to get his life back together.

The evening ended with an autograph session. And I didn't bring anything for him to sign. So I only got his autograph on the invitation card. I admit I was star-struck the whole evening and even when we chatted during the autograph signing, I was at lost for words. It's not everyday a Spurs legend comes to town.