My fellow Brazilians were knocked out of the World Cup last night. A sad day indeed for all Brazilians.
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Saturday, July 3, 2010
The one with the end of my world cup
My fellow Brazilians were knocked out of the World Cup last night. A sad day indeed for all Brazilians.
Monday, March 15, 2010
The one with the football friendly against EPF
Last Thursday (11 March 2010), I made my football debut for Bursa. In a management friendly against EPF. The game was played in the MPSJ Stadium in Subang.
Being the new guy, I was put in charge of the kit, meaning I was the kit-boy for the game. I had to take down names of who took the kit and made sure they returned the kits. Which in the end was a good thing, as I got to know their names.
I didn't get to wear my favoured number 11, as it belonged to some dude from human resources. In the end I took number 14. A number one of my heroes wore, David Ginola.
I started the game and was surprisingly made the lone striker. I told them I can attacking midfielder or winger, but not up front. A move which didn't do wonders for my game, which resulted me being benched after a dismal first half.
Not only did I let myself down, but also a teammate who believed in me. One who knew my strengths but played out of position. I'm not a player in the Rooney-Drogba-Torres mold.
Well in the end we won 6-0, but sadly I didn't play a part in any of the goals and most of them came in the second half.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
The one with the new Brazil jersey
With the World Cup coming up in a few months, Nike has come up with new kits for their teams. A good thing about these new-gen kits, they are made from 8 plastic bottles per jersey. Talk about doing their bit for the environment. You can read the rest of the story here. Picture from the footballshirtculture website.
Monday, August 24, 2009
The one with the perfect start
Three wins in three league matches. A perfect start to my beloved Spurs. A 2-1 opening win against Liverpool, and the 5-1 demolition against Hull and a come-from-behind win against West Ham.
Jermain Defoe tops the goal scoring charts with 4 goals and we are on top of the league. I am so enjoying this, as it is a welcome change to all the red or blue colour teams.
Sadly, we don't get much publicity. Then again any other team doesn't get much print in the local media. They are more interested to talk about the red or blue colour teams. Maybe I should venture into sports journalism. I love sports and I can go on and on about it. All sports in fact, except cricket and baseball.
This perfect start by Spurs has ignited comparisons to the '61 double winning team. The last Spurs team to win the title and they start 3 for 3. But we can't compare the two teams. Both eras are so different in terms of sports science and development. Even the ball is lighter than it was in the 60s.
Anyways, I am not going to let this get to my head. Still a long way to go in the season and plus we haven't started our cup runs. Maybe missing out on the rebranded UEFA cup is a good thing. As to reach the final there are 19 games to play. Half the games we play in the league.
So here are some images from our perfect start.
Jermain Defoe tops the goal scoring charts with 4 goals and we are on top of the league. I am so enjoying this, as it is a welcome change to all the red or blue colour teams.
Sadly, we don't get much publicity. Then again any other team doesn't get much print in the local media. They are more interested to talk about the red or blue colour teams. Maybe I should venture into sports journalism. I love sports and I can go on and on about it. All sports in fact, except cricket and baseball.
This perfect start by Spurs has ignited comparisons to the '61 double winning team. The last Spurs team to win the title and they start 3 for 3. But we can't compare the two teams. Both eras are so different in terms of sports science and development. Even the ball is lighter than it was in the 60s.
Anyways, I am not going to let this get to my head. Still a long way to go in the season and plus we haven't started our cup runs. Maybe missing out on the rebranded UEFA cup is a good thing. As to reach the final there are 19 games to play. Half the games we play in the league.
So here are some images from our perfect start.
Sebastien Bassong celebrates his winner against Liverpool
Celebrating another Defoe goal against Hull
Aaron Lennon bags his late winner against West HamSunday, August 23, 2009
The one with the best goal I've ever seen
This exceptional piece of skill was taken from early this year in the French Ligue 1. The match between FC Bordeaux and PSG. The goal by Yoann Gourcuff.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The one with the Dutch like futsal
With the final group games of the Euros around the corner, some teams have confirmed their berth in the quarter finals (or Elite 8 as the Americans would call it). One team has captured the imagination with their brand of football. I'm talking about Holland.
They dismantled the Italians and French in breathtaking fashion. Their goals, teamwork and style has been a joy to watch. With everyone embodied in the 'total-football' concept you can see everyone doing their part.
So its no surprise I drew inspiration from the Dutch in our futsal session yesterday. Didn't have the usual large numbers, but we had sufficient numbers.You can see everyone was in the groove. We played with flair and finesse. Goals were scored by great team play build-up. We all moved in a fluidity no seen for some time in the group. Even our passing was so imaginative. Overall it was a great game.
Hopefully the Dutch can go all the way. I picked them in the office pool.
They dismantled the Italians and French in breathtaking fashion. Their goals, teamwork and style has been a joy to watch. With everyone embodied in the 'total-football' concept you can see everyone doing their part.
So its no surprise I drew inspiration from the Dutch in our futsal session yesterday. Didn't have the usual large numbers, but we had sufficient numbers.You can see everyone was in the groove. We played with flair and finesse. Goals were scored by great team play build-up. We all moved in a fluidity no seen for some time in the group. Even our passing was so imaginative. Overall it was a great game.
Hopefully the Dutch can go all the way. I picked them in the office pool.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
The one with the football
As you can see from the title I mention 'football' not 'futsal'. Meaning I played football on the big field with acres of green space to run around in. Also it was outdoors with the sun shining brightly.
The game was between a local broking house and the rest of the dealers. I was invited by one of my bosses who knew that I run around like a headless chicken. It also gave me the opportunity to meet up some old friends and colleagues who I haven't seen in a while. Most with the observation that I've grown 'wider'.
We were given the broking house away kit, sponsored by Carlsberg. Gladly it wasn't the scousers kit. Also got my favourite number 11 for the game. And I told the team I would like to play on the left wing.
Before the game I knew this was going to be different. I had to readjust my positioning and spatial arrangements. Also had to look up further and widen my vision. Since I'm so use to analyzing a futsal court. I too had to prepare myself for a whole lot of running.
There were times I was playing futsal style with quick one touch passing and movement. It would have worked if we all knew each other style of play. At times I got caught out because my futsal tricks didn't seem to pull off on the field. Need to work on the execution. Also, despite being the winger, I only manage to put in one decent cross, as most of the action was on the right side of the field.
Towards the end of the game, I shifted to playing upfront, just behind the strikers. I had the easiest chance to score. I missed an open goal from two yards. Somehow, amazingly I muffed the tap-in over the bar. As the rest of my team said, "it doesn't get any easier than that".
We lost the game 1-2. So that made my miss even more stomaching to take. Also it was a game of 3 penalties. Only one went in. And the penalty calls were all dodgy. Since the dives were very obvious. Overall I had a good time. Enjoyed running out in the open spaces.
After the game, I went home as my whole body was aching and surprisingly I slept early.
The game was between a local broking house and the rest of the dealers. I was invited by one of my bosses who knew that I run around like a headless chicken. It also gave me the opportunity to meet up some old friends and colleagues who I haven't seen in a while. Most with the observation that I've grown 'wider'.
We were given the broking house away kit, sponsored by Carlsberg. Gladly it wasn't the scousers kit. Also got my favourite number 11 for the game. And I told the team I would like to play on the left wing.
Before the game I knew this was going to be different. I had to readjust my positioning and spatial arrangements. Also had to look up further and widen my vision. Since I'm so use to analyzing a futsal court. I too had to prepare myself for a whole lot of running.
There were times I was playing futsal style with quick one touch passing and movement. It would have worked if we all knew each other style of play. At times I got caught out because my futsal tricks didn't seem to pull off on the field. Need to work on the execution. Also, despite being the winger, I only manage to put in one decent cross, as most of the action was on the right side of the field.
Towards the end of the game, I shifted to playing upfront, just behind the strikers. I had the easiest chance to score. I missed an open goal from two yards. Somehow, amazingly I muffed the tap-in over the bar. As the rest of my team said, "it doesn't get any easier than that".
We lost the game 1-2. So that made my miss even more stomaching to take. Also it was a game of 3 penalties. Only one went in. And the penalty calls were all dodgy. Since the dives were very obvious. Overall I had a good time. Enjoyed running out in the open spaces.
After the game, I went home as my whole body was aching and surprisingly I slept early.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The one with the latest headlines
Been a tough week again for me. Just glad tomorrow is Friday and hopefully Futsal Ramadhan kicks off tomorrow night as well. I am still drained EMP, and in need of a break soon. But my confirmation period ends in another two months. However, my boss has given me an opportunity for a break by allowing me to take leave during the Eid season. I usually don't take leaves during Eid since I prefer to save my leaves for other occasions.
Anyways, currently the headlines has been dominated by the child in bag story. Which some claim has connections to a missing child case. Earlier in the week the parents came to identify the body and they say it wasn't their child. However latest reports as of today show DNA tests prove it was their child. I for one as at time of writing am still not sure who the kid is. But the fact the the child was a victim of some sick sex maniac really makes me want to go on a lightsaber + force choke + force lightning rage against these sexual predators especially little kids. The world is no longer safe for kids and soon parents will be living in an age of paranoia since these beings disguised as humans somehow are still at large. We talk about wanting to be a great nation, but if the safety of its population especially the next-generation is not taken care of, the dream of greatness will might as well be shelved. Anyways, I hope that the child is safe somewhere, but if tests do prove otherwise it is another sad loss to the nation. It was mention the child is a diabetic, and without the regular prescribed dose of insulin, I fear for the child's safety for the past month she has been missing. This is not the first case as many cases has been reported the past few years. It saddens me that the grief the parents fo through would be too much too much to bear. We can only talk and place blame on the situation. But in the end action is needed and i fear what we are doing is not enough.
Guess that's my first attempt on a serious issue where my flair can't be used. Now for something that also came to a shock but somehow it was expected. The 'resignation' of Jose Mourinho, Chelsea's manager. I am not a Chelski fan, but have too admit I am going to miss the colour The Special One has brought to the Premiership. He has been a breath of fresh air with his antics and style. Which if you have notice is part of his modus operandi. He wants to shift the media attention to him so his players can just go out there and play football. It did work especially in his first two seasons, but after Roman Abromovich's expensive divorce, he has more time for the club and suddenly wants in on first team affairs by bringing in his friends. So between the billionaire owner and the special one, someone had to go and it isn't going to be the man who invested his millions. Well, Jose, our favourite Portugeezer, all the best in your future and hopefully you'll find a club where you have full control of first team affairs.
Then again, we can't have things the way we want it. As long as we understand that, hopefully we can deal with it.
Anyways, currently the headlines has been dominated by the child in bag story. Which some claim has connections to a missing child case. Earlier in the week the parents came to identify the body and they say it wasn't their child. However latest reports as of today show DNA tests prove it was their child. I for one as at time of writing am still not sure who the kid is. But the fact the the child was a victim of some sick sex maniac really makes me want to go on a lightsaber + force choke + force lightning rage against these sexual predators especially little kids. The world is no longer safe for kids and soon parents will be living in an age of paranoia since these beings disguised as humans somehow are still at large. We talk about wanting to be a great nation, but if the safety of its population especially the next-generation is not taken care of, the dream of greatness will might as well be shelved. Anyways, I hope that the child is safe somewhere, but if tests do prove otherwise it is another sad loss to the nation. It was mention the child is a diabetic, and without the regular prescribed dose of insulin, I fear for the child's safety for the past month she has been missing. This is not the first case as many cases has been reported the past few years. It saddens me that the grief the parents fo through would be too much too much to bear. We can only talk and place blame on the situation. But in the end action is needed and i fear what we are doing is not enough.
Guess that's my first attempt on a serious issue where my flair can't be used. Now for something that also came to a shock but somehow it was expected. The 'resignation' of Jose Mourinho, Chelsea's manager. I am not a Chelski fan, but have too admit I am going to miss the colour The Special One has brought to the Premiership. He has been a breath of fresh air with his antics and style. Which if you have notice is part of his modus operandi. He wants to shift the media attention to him so his players can just go out there and play football. It did work especially in his first two seasons, but after Roman Abromovich's expensive divorce, he has more time for the club and suddenly wants in on first team affairs by bringing in his friends. So between the billionaire owner and the special one, someone had to go and it isn't going to be the man who invested his millions. Well, Jose, our favourite Portugeezer, all the best in your future and hopefully you'll find a club where you have full control of first team affairs.
Then again, we can't have things the way we want it. As long as we understand that, hopefully we can deal with it.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
The one where the new EPL season begins and I watched in disgust as my Spurs leave me frustrated (again)
A new season begins. Its back to watching football games on Saturday night. So tonight my favourite team Spurs had the honour of playing the first game to kick-off the season. We were away to newly-promoted Sunderland.
Too frustrated to go into the details, but I couldn't believe what I saw. I seriously believe my futsal groups can play a whole lot better and entertaining. Martin Jol still hasn't learn from his two full seasons with the team. He continues to play 4 central midfielders while sacrificing width on the process. And why on earth does he pin the team creative genius to some Jermaine Jenas is beyond me. I for one know I am way better in being the creative-attacking-midfield-genius than Jenas.
Overall everyone was at fault. The defence couldn't keep things simple. Instead of making the defensive clearance, they want to show off ball control techniques while losing possession in the process. The midfield was non-existent. Even our strikers couldn't even find a shot. The Berbatov-Keane combo wasn't working, newly bought and overpriced and now complete waste of money Darren Bent showed his 'quality' and Defoe couldn't provide the offensive spark.
I for one had hope that this will be the season where Spurs fans finally have something to cheer about. But like every season, they disappoint me. Oh well, now I'll just wait for the NFL and NBA season to start.
Too frustrated to go into the details, but I couldn't believe what I saw. I seriously believe my futsal groups can play a whole lot better and entertaining. Martin Jol still hasn't learn from his two full seasons with the team. He continues to play 4 central midfielders while sacrificing width on the process. And why on earth does he pin the team creative genius to some Jermaine Jenas is beyond me. I for one know I am way better in being the creative-attacking-midfield-genius than Jenas.
Overall everyone was at fault. The defence couldn't keep things simple. Instead of making the defensive clearance, they want to show off ball control techniques while losing possession in the process. The midfield was non-existent. Even our strikers couldn't even find a shot. The Berbatov-Keane combo wasn't working, newly bought and overpriced and now complete waste of money Darren Bent showed his 'quality' and Defoe couldn't provide the offensive spark.
I for one had hope that this will be the season where Spurs fans finally have something to cheer about. But like every season, they disappoint me. Oh well, now I'll just wait for the NFL and NBA season to start.
Monday, July 16, 2007
The one with football news
Honestly I have no idea what to post. Then after watching Brazil beat Argentina (again) as well as a certain Englishman trying to play football in America I might as well give my 2 cents on the matter.
So David Beckham has finally hit the West Coast. In the city where the purple and gold of the LA Lakers rule (until Kobe Bryant gets traded). A lot has been documented on his move to the States. For me, he would find it hard to attract a mass audience to follow soccer. Americans loves sports where the numbers are big. Like in basketball, scores adding up to two hundred plus points or high scoring points awarded for a touchdown like American football or high scoring games in ice-hockey and baseball (to me the most boring sport on earth, after cricket). Americans don't like games where it ends nil-nil or ends in a tie. They are more fascinated by feats of athleticism such as watching Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson flying/driving/soaring to the rim. Or watching precise rocket launching passing by Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Things that will make you fall out of your seat. Believe me, watching ballers perform super-human-like-gravity-defying moves really make you fall off your seat.
So what can Becks do to attract an audience? Maybe his free kicks will make some highlights and have some kid at least try to bend-it-like-Beckham. Besides that, he will just sell jerseys. It was reported his jersey has sold 250,000 units already. Maybe soon some kid here will where his jersey playing futsal. Anyways, best of luck to Becks.
Currently one continental tournament has ended and one is still in the early stages. The Copa America has just ended with Brazil beating Argentina in the final 3-0. The Asian Cup is which Malaysia is co-hosting doesn't seem to be attracting much interest to me. As for Malaysian football, let me have my say on that in a later post.
Brazil and Argentina, among two nations known for a conveyor belt of talent. All raised in the 'sexy-football' syllabus. The things they can to with the ball is breathtaking.
Argentina has a gem in Lionel Messi, whose skills and ball control are a sight to behold. What he lacks in size, he makes up with speed and control. Go to YouTube and look him up. Some of his goals will make you fall off your seat, especially the one against Getafe while playing for Barcelona. Recently he scored a goal which is a masterstroke of genius against Mexico in the Copa America semi-final. How he pulled that of, I have no idea.
The Brazilian master pulled out of the tournament due to fatigue as he single-handedly lead his team to the Champions League title. Kaka is also another playing who is a joy to watch. A creative-attacking-midfield genius.
Back to the final. Argentina were the early favourites as they played with more flair. Honestly I thought they would run rings around Brazil. Somehow Brazil stunned the favourites by scoring 2 well taken goals (the other was an own-goal, but the build up was good). Julio Baptista, Daniel Alves and an own goal by Roberto Ayala did the damage. I loved the third goal scored by Alves. It was a 2-on3 situation with Vagner Love bring the ball up. Then a defence splitting pass hit Alves perfectly in stride to score. Balance, poise, patience, timing and precision as well as ice-cool finishing on display there.
Now I'm so excited about tomorrow's futsal session. Hopefully I can have a good game.
So David Beckham has finally hit the West Coast. In the city where the purple and gold of the LA Lakers rule (until Kobe Bryant gets traded). A lot has been documented on his move to the States. For me, he would find it hard to attract a mass audience to follow soccer. Americans loves sports where the numbers are big. Like in basketball, scores adding up to two hundred plus points or high scoring points awarded for a touchdown like American football or high scoring games in ice-hockey and baseball (to me the most boring sport on earth, after cricket). Americans don't like games where it ends nil-nil or ends in a tie. They are more fascinated by feats of athleticism such as watching Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson flying/driving/soaring to the rim. Or watching precise rocket launching passing by Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Things that will make you fall out of your seat. Believe me, watching ballers perform super-human-like-gravity-defying moves really make you fall off your seat.
So what can Becks do to attract an audience? Maybe his free kicks will make some highlights and have some kid at least try to bend-it-like-Beckham. Besides that, he will just sell jerseys. It was reported his jersey has sold 250,000 units already. Maybe soon some kid here will where his jersey playing futsal. Anyways, best of luck to Becks.
Currently one continental tournament has ended and one is still in the early stages. The Copa America has just ended with Brazil beating Argentina in the final 3-0. The Asian Cup is which Malaysia is co-hosting doesn't seem to be attracting much interest to me. As for Malaysian football, let me have my say on that in a later post.
Brazil and Argentina, among two nations known for a conveyor belt of talent. All raised in the 'sexy-football' syllabus. The things they can to with the ball is breathtaking.
Argentina has a gem in Lionel Messi, whose skills and ball control are a sight to behold. What he lacks in size, he makes up with speed and control. Go to YouTube and look him up. Some of his goals will make you fall off your seat, especially the one against Getafe while playing for Barcelona. Recently he scored a goal which is a masterstroke of genius against Mexico in the Copa America semi-final. How he pulled that of, I have no idea.
The Brazilian master pulled out of the tournament due to fatigue as he single-handedly lead his team to the Champions League title. Kaka is also another playing who is a joy to watch. A creative-attacking-midfield genius.
Back to the final. Argentina were the early favourites as they played with more flair. Honestly I thought they would run rings around Brazil. Somehow Brazil stunned the favourites by scoring 2 well taken goals (the other was an own-goal, but the build up was good). Julio Baptista, Daniel Alves and an own goal by Roberto Ayala did the damage. I loved the third goal scored by Alves. It was a 2-on3 situation with Vagner Love bring the ball up. Then a defence splitting pass hit Alves perfectly in stride to score. Balance, poise, patience, timing and precision as well as ice-cool finishing on display there.
Now I'm so excited about tomorrow's futsal session. Hopefully I can have a good game.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
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