Memoirs of football fans

The Salford City Story

2010-12-17T00:43:00.003+05:30

Saturday night derby

Eighteen games into the season and Salford City is unstoppable. They trounced league winners Manchester United 4-3 last night in front of a packed home crowd. The small city wore a deserted look on saturday night as folks jostled into the 20,000 seater stadium in the north west corner of the city. The stadium, also called Uncle harry's meadow saw plenty of excitement as Salford equalized thrice and finally seized the game in the injury time.

Nani with two brilliant free kicks and Hernandez netted the third, but the home hero and this year's leading scorer Wayne Rooney banged in four goals, each of them a minute after every red score.

Unbeaten Run

This little "Cinderella" Manchester club has been riding solely on the success of 25 year old Wayne Rooney. Thanks to Wayne, the Club has climbed three divisions in the last three years and entered this season into the premier league and the city and the press just can't raving about Wayne.

The townsfolk just love this kid. "I know Wayne, he'll never leave this town", says the ageing caretaker of the club ground. "Wayne is our hero", says the Graffiti on this wall and the next we drive past and then we realize, all of them. The local Sir Francis catholic school even has a morning prayer called, "We'll be like Wayne."

So, how is Wayne dealing with all this adulation?

Wayne

Next we go to Wayne's house. A mile drive from the city outskirts into the woods and we reach a secluded lawn covered on all sides by dark forests and in the middle stood the two storey-ed building. All peace and quite. Transparent glass for a wall on the first floor, statues of unicorns in his lawn, a small freshly dug pond with mud still strewn around its edges. Lives alone. Grew up in this very house after his parents died or so he believed.

"There is something wrong", the first thing he says; looks blankly out the glass wall.

"What?", we ask, "things couldn't have been better."

"I've never told this to anyone before but I have to tell someone or I'll go crazy."

"Please go ahead! We'll understand", we lean forward, rapt attention. A dog barks in the distance breaking the afternoon stillness.

"I.....", he pauses, hesitating, "I never really touch the ball. I mean, like when I shoot, the ball moves before my boot hits it. It's like the ball isn't really there", he looks at us, "you understand what I am saying?"

We nod, trying out various possibilities in our minds. All that loneliness and the sudden adulation might have taken a toll on the kid's head.

The Special One

2010-05-30T20:15:00.002+05:30

It has been a love-hate affair of Chelsea fans with Mourinho ever since he took over Chelsea in 2004. 2004 to 06 was a good time to be a Chelsea fan. You didn’t have to go through the heartbreak of losing. It was a good time to support when all you wanted was emotional highs and skip the lows. And boy, did they win – back to back premiership titles after 1955. It didn’t matter that Mourinho turned Chelsea into a boring, defensive outfit. All was forgiven because he gave us wins.

But even the self-styled 'Special One' knew that this winning streak couldn’t go on forever. "Daddy always brings a trophy", said Jose's son and Jose says, "Daddy can't bring the trophy every year. Daddy got to lose someday". So, he did falter. A red resurgence in 2006/07 meant that Chelsea were second in England and there was that fallout with the Chelsea hierarchy.

Then Mourinho took Inter, an already boring team with quality not quite at the level of a Barca, Chelsea or a Man U. February came and Chelsea fans watched with horror as the man who had led their entry into the big league was taking apart their dreams. With Barcelona, it was vintage Mourinho as Inter suffocated Barcelona with their tight marking and umpteen flow-breaking fouls. The idea was to let them not play. The press conference smugness that Mourinho displays now seemed to be hubris and his tactics against the very idea of football. One anchor has put it this way, "If this world gets ten managers like Mourinho, there would be no spectators. The stadiums would be empty".

The most detestable part of it was that he was leading the second best or maybe the third best team to a trophy they didn’t deserve. Everyone, the neutrals would be happy if it was Messi's Barca who would lift the trophy and Jose Mourinho tried to upset that and therein lies a catch. Like, is it that bad? Leading an underdog, using their strengths whatever they had; as Eto'o accepted, 'We are not as skilled as Barcelona, but we have our strengths [sic]', does the most 'perfect', the highest quality team have to win? Why not the so called second best, those not quite at 'that level' but with their own strengths nonetheless? Why not those who rise to the occasion? It all seemed fair again.

So, what makes the special one, the special one? A glimpse of the answer came after Saturday's final match with a YouTube grab showing Jose getting down from his car and having an emotionally charged exchange with Marco Materazzi. "We did it. We knocked the bastards off". Jose was ours again.

Check out the vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUD4IxLIPuo

Champions league up for sale: 14 man Inter beat Barca

2010-04-21T20:41:00.002+05:30

'It's a fucking disgrace', as Didier Drogba would have put it. Never has a referee been so moronic, the decisions so glaringly wrong as has been in the Inter-Barca first leg match last night at San Siro. Dani Alves' hearty laugh said it all when he was fouled by Sneijder inside the Inter penalty box, and what does the referee do? Instead of a penalty to Barca, he throws down a yellow to the fallen Alves. The refs mistakes had reached such comic proportions that one wonders how fatter his wallet got after Tuesday's match.

No doubt Inter played well; attacked on the break and defended well, but the scoreline should have been 2-2 rather than 3-1.

To add to the circus, look at how the commentator describes Milito's goal - "Well Deserved". Now sir, before using any other adjective, a remotely sensible person would say, "that was clearly an offside". Well deserved? You must be joking, right? Or did the Mafia manage to scare the commentators too?

Let the bodies hit the floor

2009-07-26T21:47:00.004+05:30

Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor

Beaten, why for (why for)
Can't take much more
Here we go here we go here we go, now

One, nothing wrong with me
Two, nothing wrong with me
Three, nothing wrong with me
Four, nothing wrong with me

One ,something's got to give
Two, something's got to give
Three, something's got to give

Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Now!

Push me again (again)
This is the end
Here we go here we go here we go, now

One, nothing wrong with me
Two, nothing wrong with me
Three, nothing wrong with me
Four, nothing wrong with me

One ,something's got to give
Two, something's got to give
Three, something's got to give

Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Now!

Skin to skin, blood and bone
You're all by yourself but you're not alone
You wanted in and now you're here
Driven by hate, consumed by fear

Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor

One, nothing wrong with me
Two, nothing wrong with me
Three, nothing wrong with me
Four, nothing wrong with me

One ,something's got to give
Two, something's got to give
Three, something's got to give

Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor

Hey...Go!
Hey...Go!
Hey...Go!

Champions league final preplay

2009-05-16T16:50:00.008+05:30

If you are curious about what’s going to happen on the 27th of May at Rome, here is an indicator. We as summer interns dedicated to contributing to humanity’s powers of prediction decided to check out what fortune and the game engine of FIFA 09 had to say about the match. So it was, with difficulty level set to world class and half length at 6 minutes did the kickoff start.

Lest the validity of the game should be questioned, it was played in front of two witnesses who alternated between watching out for the big boss Tanya and taking a peek at the interesting happenings on the screen.

Astonished we were at the accuracy of FIFA makers at modeling reality as Messi dominated pretty much of the whole game. Ronaldo with all his spread legged free kicks was at best a shadow of the swerving and shimmying Messi. Wayne F. Rooney burst into an occasional run and a shot which often went wide off the post. All in all the attacking trio of Etoo–Messi–Henry proved to be too good for Man F. United as Barcelona trounced them 4-2 in 90 minutes.

Barcelona took the lead in the 26th minute as Etoo slipped the ball inside from five yards with a grounded pass from Henry. Man U equalized in the 44th minute with a low shot by Berbatov from just outside the box. The game went into the break with 1-1.

Messi exults after scoring in injury time

And then second half saw the real genius that is Messi. The heat was on Man U from the word go as Messi took the ball from midfield, burned down the right wing and unleashed a fierce shot from an acute angle. Van der Sar parried the ball off just to see it being tapped in coolly by the well positioned Henry. The third goal followed soon enough as Xavi and Iniesta combined to set up Etoo who slot it home. Michael Carrick gave Man U some hope with his spectacular goal from about 20 yards, but by then the damage was already done. Messi sealed the deal for Barcelona in injury time with a straight left footer after another solo run down the right wing.

P.S. Down with Man F. United. This is what is going to happen.

Oh no! Not again

2009-05-07T12:25:00.002+05:30

Maybe some things aren’t just meant to be. Last year it was the rain and this time it’s the referee. Feel really sorry for Lampard and Terry, so much belonging, so much commitment but all that love always goes unrequited. Maybe that’s the way it will be written in history books, the best players to not have won the champions league. The Stamford Bridge heroes who never got to lay their hands on the silverware.

It’s getting tiring, year after year. The same story keeps repeating itself. First comes Mourinho, then comes Scolari and then Hiddink, everyone is so cursed. After a while you got to start asking `is it really worth the effort?’, because fuck history, history or glory fifty years on doesn’t really matter – what does though are those few minutes of relief and pure joy that they so rightfully deserve and that they have been denied again and again. It’s a cruel and unfair system, yeah and in the end, maybe the cup doesn’t really deserve Chelsea. I say, just f*ck off.

The blue rush

2009-04-17T20:30:00.002+05:30

The last few days have been crazy, what with Chelsea displaying entertaining football of the highest degree in EPL as well as Champions league.

After the delectable 3-1 treat at Anfield, the following week saw fans enjoying a lot more of pure blue class. The game against Bolton was a step by step tutorial on how to make a game interesting. After leading 4-0 at 63 minutes, the blues allowed the guests to score three goals to script this season's most interesting match.

The game also saw 'The Drog' getting back to his scoring ways. His opportunistic brace doubled his season's tally to four goals…disappointing, yeah but then the big Champions league matches are yet to come and you always know the true blue forward can change a game with one flick, one turn and one shot.

Then came the second leg with the reds in the bridge and after the match, everyone's was left saying, "This is what a football match should be like".

After a 2-0 lead by Liverpool, just when the red fans had started hoping, Lampard and Co. reached inside their chests, pulled their hearts out and threw them all far away from the Champions league. The game ended 4-4, Chelsea reaching the semis with a mammoth aggregate 7-5. If you missed it, do watch the recording.

Champions league Semi final fixtures (1st leg)

Chelsea - Barcelona 28 April
Man U - Arsenal 29 April

Let there be food on the table, stars in the sky and Chelsea with the cup. Amen.

Liverpool on a roll

2009-03-15T11:17:00.005+05:30

Liverpool are unstoppable at the moment pummeling everyone coming their way. After last Tuesday's 4-0 hammering of Real Madrid, they were at it again on Saturday as they comprehensively beat Man U 4-1 at Old Trafford. This win will give Liverpool hope to keep fighting till the last match of the League, though they are still 4 points behind, with Man U having one game in hand.

Torres is in great form and so is Steven Gerrard, as always. The player to look out for in Liverpool is Andrea Dossena who scored both in the Madrid and the Old trafford match. Specially his injury time goal at Old trafford where he stylishly lobbed the ball over Van der sar will have won him many fans.

P.S. We welcome the new contributor to our blog 'sadomasochist'. There couldn't have been a better bitter welcome to the die hard Man U fan. The punishment at home definitely will have pleasured the masochist in him, but sorry boy, Liverpool has more normal preferences :)

FIFA 2006 Intro commentary

2009-01-24T20:06:00.009+05:30

“Game after game after game, I realize now what’s most important in my life: Football. Show me something more thrilling than a perfect volley; tell me you’ve never dreamed of the immaculate strike and that passionate moment when an entire nation holds it breath. Tell me that football is not our one common language when the world stops for ninety minutes to be witness to that one special moment.

You could tell me I’m wrong; some may say it’s just a game, but this is about heroes and tribes, loyalties and devotion; it’s our battle and our belief, our commitment and our passion; this is our faith. Now, feel the fever of the crowd, hear the roar of the faithful…you are Ronaldinho, you are Wayne Rooney, this is your moment.”

Blues, sweat and tears

2008-05-22T11:10:00.004+05:30

No more words needed. What can you do when even the gods conspire against you? When the gods decide to complete the circle of tragedy that started with the reds in munich and pass it on to the blues in moscow.

The cup is chelsea's rosebud. Something they have wanted so bad but couldn't have. Something they have come so close, inches close, sniffed it, almost felt it but yet it's so far now. Oh! the pain of it all.

One Blood

2007-12-05T21:28:00.000+05:30

In the far away fires
Where the hills forever burn
At the feet of our heroes
We try hard to learn
But the lesson is lost there
In the smoke and the mire
That we are one flesh, one breath, one life, one blood

I stood by the river
That ran red with shame
I stood in the killing fields
Where death had no name
I stood with my brothers
And away it flood
And we were one flesh, one breath, one life, one blood

Then I fell to the ground
Tasted ashes on my tongue
Thinking that only the dead
Are forever young

There was peace in the twilight
And for a moment among
It was a world without danger
A world without war
And I will take all your suffering
It will do any good
Cause we are one flesh, one breath, one life, one blood

Liverpool Fans all look the same

2007-11-29T22:05:00.000+05:30

A picture is worth a 1,000 words and this picture of your typical Liverpool supporters is no different. At least Liverpool supporters all have great porno mustaches.

Day of Grit, Frustration and Massacre

2007-11-25T13:02:00.000+05:30

Date: 25th Nov 2007, Sunday
Setting: FOOTBALLLLLLL

GRIT
Yes, that's what Liverpool showed in their game against Newcastle United. They showed character, determination and they were duly rewarded for their efforts by a 3-0 win. This figure kind of undermines Liverpool's effort, Fernando Torres missed atleast 3 chances, but the guy is amazing!!, he 'is easliy the best foreign entrant into EPL this year. Do we need to talk about Steven Gerrard ?? that free kick it just decided the game right in the first half, Newcastle United already the kind of ladies they are were totally finished, no chances, pathetic football. I just wonder, when will Newcastle United pull up their socks and start displaying some character ?? May be the first step would be chucking that mafiaso looking manager who seems to be staright out of a Guy Ritchie movie.

FRUSTRATION
for me, for all Manchester United fans. not just frustration, but tension too, Liverpool won big against Newcastle, Arsenal is going strong, is the title slipping away ?? No no it can't be..... How in God's name did Carlos Tevez missed that chance ?? and Why the fuck didn't Patrice Evra pass that ball to Louis Saha in those dying minutes ??, it would have been a sitter for Saha. But a good game by Bolton, due to some sloppy defending by United in the early minutes and a great defense by Bolton let them emerge winners. Score line Bolton -1 , ManU - 0

MASSACRE
that's what Everton did to Sunderland. They just killed them with a 7-1 victory, They were scoring for fun, with arrogance. it was 3-1 in the 1st half, but the 2nd half was a total nightmare for Sunderland fans. Each time the ball came into their half, it was finding its way into the back of the net!! A good skillful play by Everton, escpecially by Pienaar and Arteta.

Other games:-
Derby 0-2 Chelsea
Arsenal 2-0 Wigan

Massacre at Anfield - Liverpool 8-0 Besiktas

2007-11-08T19:40:00.000+05:30

The setting: Rafa benitez's 50th European game in charge of Liverpool. Liverpool has managed to pull just one point out of 9 in the last three champions league games and Benitez is the man under fire for his obscure team selection. Even a draw and Liverpool are out of Champions league. But spirit is high at Anfield. Liverpool's new American owners have got the go-ahead from the local council to build a 60000 stadium at Stanley Park. Peter Crouch gets his chance on the frontline after months of warming the bench. Also, key central defender of Besiktas, Gokhan Zan is out with a injury.

The heroes:

Yossi Benayoun 31',52',55': Riise releases Voronin down the left. Voronin's cross to the center and Yossi Benayoun has an easy time putting it in. Benayoun's second goal, it's voronin-riise-Benayoun again. Arikan parries off Riise's shot and Benayoun finishes from six yards for Liverpool's third goal. Benayoun's third goal came 2 minutes after the second. Voronin is in it again. Voronin is fouled on the edge of the box, Steven Gerrard takes the free kick and it is too powerful for Arikan to hold. Benayoun finishes fron close-up once again.

Ryan Babel 78',80': Comes in on the 62th minute for Fabio Aurelio. Benayoun crosses low from the right, a clever back heel and it's Liverpool's goal six. Babel deflects in the seventh off Ibrahim Uzulmez's clearance. Babel misses a hat-trick by a whisker as his header comes off the cross-bar.

Peter Crouch 18',88': Voronin prods a pass through the middle to Crouch. Crouch forces his way between two defenders and takes the shot, only to see Arikan block it. Crouch follows up for his second only goal of the season. Benayoun's cross and Peter Crouch finishes off the game with a header.

Steven Gerard 68': It is Voronin's day. Voronin plays Gerrard in a fine one-two and Gerrard scores with a dipping drive. Arikan has no clue where the ball is.

What follows?

Liverpool still have to win the remaining two games against Marseilles and Porto to go through to the next round. But confidence is one thing they won't be short of.

Liverpool's next fixture:

Liverpool - Porto 28 November 2007 Anfield

The Eagle-- easy way to remain in touch with EPL

2007-11-06T17:15:00.000+05:30

It happens with all of us, that we want to be in touch with the Barclay's EPL, but we can't manage all the times.

"The Eagle" can be a perfect solution to the above problem. "The Eagle" is a RSS reader customized for the EPL. Just this install this simple application (currently this is availble only for Windows), and it keeps running in the background, and whenever something exciting happens (be it a goal, a card, a transfer, or a transfer rumour, an injury) it alerts you. It gets even better, you can also configure "The Eagle" for other news items, and stay in touch with all the fields you are interested in.

It has been useful for me, and "Memoirs of football fans" recommends "the Eagle" for all the Barclay's English Premier League lovers.

To install,or know more about "The Eagle" go to: -

http://www.premierleague.com/page/Eagle

Waiting in the wings

2007-11-05T23:08:00.000+05:30

Here, we scout the world for the best of teenage talent in football.

Here is a sample of what is to come. Here are geniuses gifted by the gods. Here are young lads preparing to conquer the world. And most importantly, here are happy boys ecstatic beyond all belief. What will happen to them? Will they wither away, wasted prematurely, will they soar higher than the anyone ever has or will they meet a cruel fate, a reckless tackle from behind perhaps. Whatever it may be, let's follow them in their fantastic journey.

Mexico: Carlos Vela

Born: March 1, 1989

League: Spanish Primera

Club: Osasuna (On Loan from Arsenal)

The year is 2005. The setting: FIFA U-17 world cup in the heights of Peru. Mexico thrashes Brazil in the final 3-0 thanks to a stunning display from the golden boot winner 16 year old. Thus starts the ascent of Carlos Vela from a relatively lowly Guadalaraja to the bright lights of Europe. Lucky Arsenal beat others to the race for signing him and came out with a 5 year deal. He had to be loaned to Spanish clubs, first Celta Vigo, then salamanca and to Osasuna due to work permit restrictions in England. Next season, he moves back to England.

Nigeria: Macaulay Chrisantus

Born: August 20, 1990

League: National D1 (Second tier of Nigerian Football)

Club: Abuja FC

Seven goals in seven matches. Need we say more? His goal-scoring led Nigeria to victory in the U-17 world cup 2007. What's next? Medicals in Manchester, London, Moscow, big bucks, tabloids blah blah..So, what's in it for us? If we are lucky enough, we might see him next season in England now that his nurturing in the Nigerian capital looks to have fruitioned. One big question remains though, 'How the hell is he playing in the second tier in Nigeria?'

Germany: Toni Kroos

Born: January 4, 1990

League: Bundesliga

Club: Bayern Munich

Bayern manager Uli Hoeness says Toni is going to wear the number 10 jersey once he gains enough experience. In his 2007 UEFA cup debut against Red Star Belgrade, where he came in the 81 st minute, he set up one for Miroslav Klose and scored One himself. In his Bundesliga debut, he created 2 for Klose. Hopes have built in the German Public so much so that they think he will be the next great playmaker after Sebastian Diesler. We hope, they are right.

Saturday EPL

2007-11-04T01:43:00.000+05:30

An exciting day of football, the results are: -

Arsenal (2) Man Utd. (2)

Arsenal once again proved to be a hard nut to crack, with william Gallas redeeming himself and his club by scoring the late late equaliser after he had diverted a Rooney shot into his own net in the 1st half.

Wigan (0) Chelsea (2)

Chelsea continues its fight, or in words of their manager "As long as we win and play attacking football that is good for me. We want to play good positive football" May be that's another way to say "Ok, I know that we are out of race this time, still we'll try to save our face". But anyways full marks for Chelsea, for showing character. They outperformed Wigan in all the departments, though Wigan seemed belligerent in 2nd half.

NewCastle (1) Portsmouth (4)

Ridiculous display of football by NewCastle. I want to see a match where NewCastle shows some characters of being a good club. They are even worse than the Indian Cricket Team!!, atleast the later is performing well in T20!!. Oh come on NewCastle Chak De!!

Well, that's for the football update for Saturday, tune in tomorrow. Am signing off, with the link of some good photos from today's matches: -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/7076518.stm

Good riddance, Old Henry

2007-11-02T00:01:00.000+05:30

At the beginning of this season's EPL, it looked like it's going to be a dry Henry-less season. Four months into the game and does anyone miss god Henry? Wenger and his young guns have more than made up for Henry's departure. What is on display is a young, fearless, attacking brand of football reminiscent of the best days of Arsenal. The Arsenal of 2002. Shorn of aging baggage, We have in Theo, the rightful successor of henry, We have in Cesc, the best midfielder of the game, We have in Adebayor, a consistent goalscorer finally coming out of so many years in Henry's shadow, We have in Hleb and Rosicky, exciting midfielders ready to take 'em on all alone, and even Toure manages to hit the woodwork regularly. King Henry would be sitting now, somewhere in a Barcelona castle, watching them young lads burning up the EPL. He would let out a sigh and would think, 'Maybe, Just maybe, I made a mistake'.

Arsenal's game has become far more exciting after Henry has left. For the last two seasons, you could see a griping henry on the pitch, complaining about why the ball wasn't put precisely at his feet, about why the play wasn't planned keeping his express wishes in mind. It looked like there was god henry in front and the 10 lesser mortals existed merely for the purpose of serving him.
Now, with the play-by-henry restriction gone, the game has become more free-flowing. Goals are coming from all sides and hopefully will keep coming in the future. What awaits us is an exciting season of 'football, as it should be played'.

Henry's stint at Barcelona can at best be described as average, easily swamped on the green and on the screen by the genius called Messi. No malice towards Henry. We hope he settles soon, we hope he scores as many as in EPL, but one thing is for sure. He ain't gonna get the royal treatment in an all-star Barcelona. Just for the record, Henry's tally in Barcelona till date:

La Liga appearances - 9: Goals - 4
Champions league appearences - 3: Goals - 1

I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles

2007-06-03T19:44:00.000+05:30

I'm forever blowing bubbles,
Pretty bubbles in the air,
They fly so high,
Nearly reach the sky,
Then like my dreams,
They fade and die.
Fortune's always hiding,
I've looked everywhere,
I'm forever blowing bubbles,
Pretty bubbles in the air.

I'm dreaming dreams,
I'm scheming schemes,
I'm building castles high.
They're born anew,
Their days are few,
Just like a sweet butterfly.
And as the daylight is dawning,
They come again in the morning.

AND THE PREMIERSHIP GOES TO...

2007-05-09T11:55:00.000+05:30

MANCHESTER UNITED!!!!
its final now, with an unassailable 7 points lead, and with only 2 matches to go, this year's premiership is decided and ManU are the winners. they have been able to grasp the trophy back from Chelsea. Its celebration time now guys!!!

Some crucial points in United's journey to glory are captured here:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/6627749.stm

You'll Never Walk Alone

2007-05-05T19:27:00.000+05:30

When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of the Storm there's a golden sky
And the sweet, silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind, walk on through the rain,
Though your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart,
And you'll never walk alone.
You'll never walk alone.

AC Milan v/s ManU (3-0), Semi Final, San Siro

2007-05-03T12:23:00.000+05:30

A ridiculous display from United. Do we call this defending????, Even college teams know that you've to clear the ball when in danger, but no. How in god's name did Clarence Seedorf get the ball for his goal ?? What were the defenders doing. United might blame the ridiculous rain, but that was for Milan too, and it was not the first time that it rained during a football match. Rooney was not being given ball, at times it looked deliberate (from Christiano).
I'm not in a mood to write a full analysis for this one (I'd put my money on ManU). But one thing, a diplay of good pass and move football from Milan, a ridiculous defence from ManU, coupled by a factor of rain, saw Milan through to Athens.
Well its deja vu 2005 now, but Milan will pray that they don't get deja vu on final day!!!!
As for me my money now is on Liverpool, go Gerrard, go!!!!!!!

Well, if u wanna look at some pics from this disaster then:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/6615015.stm

Liverpool v/s Chelsea (4-1 penalties), Semi-Final second Leg, Anfield

2007-05-02T10:11:00.000+05:30

In an earlier post I said "If Liverpool get their basics right then they can pose a serious threat to Chelsea's chances of playing in their first champions league final". And that was exactly what they did and they did it quite in style. Rafa's boys meant business right from the start. While the blues were still settling into the rythym, Reds were out in full flow. It was good to see Peter Crouch in the starting line up as it assured that Liverpool would be giving it their best shot. On the other hand, Carvalho's absence meant Chelsea'd be vulnerable at the back. Mascherano and Gerrard were in best of their forms.

Liverpool was applying good pressure and was aptly rewarded around mid-way through the first half. Boy o boy they are damn good at set-pieces. They made mistakes in the first leg, but no mistakes this time. A superbly taken free-kick from Gerrard(to Blue's surprise it was a grounded one), while all the defenders were concentrating on the aerial threat posed by Peter Crouch, Agger made his move and a sweet little touch was enough to send the ball into the back of the net. No chance for Peter Cech. The free-kick spoke of the volumes of practice that had gone in it. I think Rafa needs an applause here. So it was all square now, 1-1 on aggregate, damn interesting!!!!!!!

Didier Drogba had a chance minutes later when a stray pass from Mascherano was played to him by Kalou. This was a placement thing, but Drogba chose power and Jose Reina is a world class keeper. In a nutshell, a good save from the keeper and a slight misjudgment from the Ivory Coast striker.

Soon at the outset of second half Crouch had his real chance at goal. Good-good air ball from Pennant(he was in superb form last night) but Englishman's touch was well too mundane for the man from Czech Republic, an easy save. The goal keeper again came to Chelsea's rescue in the first period of extra time, when Mascherano's pass found Kuyt in an onside position. Cech was once again brilliant in denying Xabi Alonso (it was a good strike) with a dive to his right.

But after all it turned out to be Jose Reina's night. With his two saves in the penalty shootout(one from Arjen Robben and the another one from Geremi) he booked his and his teammates tickets to Athens.

Overall an interesting clash, Rafa scores once more over Jose in a Cup title clash. This clash'll do no good to the already bitter rivalry between the two clubs.

Now what remains to be seen is whether "Man great U" can prevent a replay of the 2005 Champions League Final. As for me I'd place my money on ManU, and with the fitness news of Ferdinand and Vidic doing rounds I'd raise my bet!!!!!!!

So keep your eyes glued to your television sets tonight.
For some nice pics from last night's match:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/6611405.stm

Maradona+Enzo v/s Messi+Tevez at Tennis Football

2007-04-26T16:01:00.000+05:30

The present definition of GENIUS

2007-04-26T10:58:00.000+05:30

too damn good man, a freak goal, what must be his state of mind while scoring this crazy goal.

Second Semi-Final--Chelsea v/s Liverpool (1-0), Stamford Bridge

2007-04-26T10:33:00.000+05:30

The blues have done it once more, though not with an aplomb this time. It was not an entertaining game to watch, not at all a display of sublime, free-flowing football. Nevertheless, Chelsea deserve a hand here. Liverpool as per their playing style didn't let Chelsea to get their moves going, but they themselves were not able to capitalise on very few set-peices chance that came their way. So, it was a very disciplined performance from Jose's side, not giving away easy free kicks and corners, hence preventing the Liverpool threat.

Drogba was impressive once more, setting up Joe Cole for the only goal of the match. He was involved in another good chance(this time) with Lampard, a ferocious shot from the later(half-volley, on the run, too good!!!) but keeper Reina was up to the job.

I'd say still an open contest this one, only one home goal advantage, if Liverpool gets basics right next time, they can turn it to their advantage.

For some pics form the match:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/6592631.stm

First Semi Final--Man Utd V/S A.C.Milan (3-2), Old Trafford

2007-04-25T11:17:00.000+05:30

huh, atlast United makes it........what a thriller!!! you had to watch this nail-biting competition between two of the best sides in Europe till the very end.
The best part, none of the star players disappointed us, ample of goals, ample of trickery(Ronaldo, kaka', Seedorf) it was a complete package.

With Christiano Ronaldo's goal in 9th min, it seemed it'll be his match, he looked hungry. After the goal from the header, he took another shot (was on the left flang, cuts in, changes to his natural foot and boom goes the shot, no scare for Dida this time). Minutes later another glimpse of the brilliance being called Ronaldo, this time an on-target, powerful shot(out of nowhere) that too with his left, Dida somehow manages to keep it away. Ryan Giggs proved(once more) that there's plenty of football left in him, this guy plays with lots of head on his shoulders, what a ball was it inside the D and a good shot from Carrick, but Dida was on his toes this time(he looked clumsy at the start).

Then we'd Kaka's brilliance--nice pass from Seedorf and a well timed run from the Brazilian, beats Heinze and a good-good shot to beat Van Der Sar. For his second goal Kaka' caught United off-guard on the counter attack and single handedly beats 3 defenders(Evra, Henize, Brown), genius personified!!!!

In the end it turned out to be Rooney's game . Two late goals(the second one very late into the stoppage time) and job done, Ronaldo's thunder stolen, Rooney satisfied [:-)]. For the first goal he was brilliantly setup by a clever lob from Paul Scholes and the second one was a trademark Rooney shot.

For some nice Pics from this thriller:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/6589369.stm

ManU Roma 7-1

2007-04-23T22:21:00.000+05:30

Watched it on youtube just now. Thanks to whoever made youtube for that, in addition to cristiano of course. Absolute man. Everything is just so easy with him. Rooney's first goal where cristiano dribbles quickly in the midfield and creates a wide wide space for whoever was on the right wing. His second goal, clean and simple. It couldnt get any simpler. Take it on the right, put it in the corner. Though I havent watched all others yet, Cristiano is the best at the moment. simply the best. Carrick seems to have a great long ranger. Or maybe it was his lucky day. One of the two. De rossi's goal looked like a fluke, though one couldnt say.

AC milan vs Cagliari this weekend- The genius called Ronaldo (Brazilian) ain't over yet. Watch his chest-goal last weekend against cagliari. Who could have thought up such a masterpiece but him?

Hypocrisy and the red devils

2007-04-18T17:03:00.000+05:30

"Manchester United must win the major cups this season for the good of football", says an stupid half baked fathead. why not Bury FC? why not Norwich? why not Leicester for the greater good of football? Why only Man U?
Now, what makes Man U a better club then these poorer ones? Bigger city, more fans, more moolah. 'MORE' Moolah. So, when Man U crushes Blackburn on a sunday, it is primarily because they have more money. Not because they are better by birth. And that, the fathead would now say is fair. You could smell the resentment of those small clubs that Man-great-U deign to play in the league and FA cups, 'Big city millionaires', they would say,' anyone would build a team with that kinda money'. So these are the rules of the game, which as you see, are fundamentally unfair. And in this unfairness, if chelsea breaks the rules of the game and pours in some money from the outside, it is Chelsea which is the sole culprit.

You could say it is Ferguson who shaped, nurtured, built Man U from the basics. To which a chelsea fan or even a neutral observer would say, It is Jose Mourinho who has led Chelsea to its success. Ferguson or no Ferguson, Man U was always a good side.

What should be, those fatheads say, is that the fans should have the control of the game. Even if we suppose that this is the 'ultimate benchmark of fairness', of how things should be, then there is no fairer team than Chelsea. A fan controls it, a fan decides whom to buy, a fan decides who is to be the manager. the fan being Abramovich. Now, can a profit motivated, Glazer controlled Man-fucking-U claim that kind of fan participation?

Chelsea V/S Valencia

2007-04-11T15:55:00.000+05:30

Chelsea(2)-Valencia(1)

Why are they so consistent, I don't like Chelsea and they keep on winning. And more frustrating is their remarkable fighting spirit, their ability to come ahead from back, the scoring power in their ranks. After all they played good and now have set up a semi-final clash with either of Liverpool or PSV (though PSV have a meager chance after being thrashed 3-0 at their home by Rafa's men)
For pictures:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/6542335.stm

Man Utd V/S A.S.Roma

2007-04-11T15:48:00.000+05:30

ManU(7)-AS Roma(1)

that is what we call some performance man!!!!! uff, one heck of a game, a dream come true for ManU fans like me, absolute delight, right from start till the end, goals all over and nearly everybody joining the party. Carrick, Ronaldo, Rooney, Evra, Smith and Though giggs didn't score he made 2 with his pin-point passes. Heartbreak for Roma fans who travelled all the way from Italy to Old Trafford to watch their team being slaughtered in the mecca of English football. I wish that every playday turns out to be like yesterday for united, that they play every time like this, amen!!!!
for some nice photos from the match:--
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/6542335.stm

Indian Football: Club Format

2007-03-21T14:06:00.000+05:30

The Indian National Football League (NFL) is a football league system in India run by the All India Football Federation.
The NFL has 3 divisions -

1.the Premier Division (created in the 1996/1997 season),

2.the Second Division (created in the 1997/1998 season), and the newly created 3.Third Division (created in the 2006/2007 season). (Amity United plays in the Third division NFL)
Each year, two teams are relegated and replaced by promoted teams.
Other than these there are inter-state competitions.

The Premier Division currently sponsored by ONGC has the following teams:
1. Mahindra United - Mumbai, Maharashtra

2. East Bengal Club - Kolkata, West Bengal

3. Dempo Sports Club - Goa

4. Sporting Clube de Goa - Goa

5. JCT FC - Phagwara, Punjab

6. Mohun Bagan Athletic Club - Kolkata, West Bengal

7. Mohammedan Sporting Club - Kolkata, West Bengal

8. Air India - Mumbai, Maharashtra

9. Churchill Brothers Sports Club - Goa

10.Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Sports Club - Bangalore, Karnataka

The games are in a home-away format, that is each team plays 18 games in a season which runs from January-June.
it is mid-season now, each team having played 8-9 games.dempo FC of goa is leading with 20 points in 9 games.
Games to look out for:
if you are in Goa: march 27,28,31

kolkata: march 21,24,25,29,30
Except for these venues matches are also regularly held in mumbai, Ludhiana and bangalore.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE’07--STAGE OF LAST 16

2007-02-28T19:59:00.000+05:30

Well for the spectators atleast this is as good as it gets, all power packed games now on,. and for clubs, triumphs for some and tears for the rest, each game is a battle, and the home and away games funda is like icin on cake again for spectators.

So, guys here we go:--

Chelsea v/s porto

Mourinho’s game, one club(porto) whom he helped to win the trophy 2 yrs back, and the other his present club, who he has helped win two successive EPL titles, but will he conquer Europe this time??? If he does then that surely’ll be a slap in Roman Abramovich’s face.

Well Chelsea won this time, lets wait for the next leg of this game

ManU V/S Lille
(1-0)

Lille upset ManU last time, but this time call it god’s grace, or gigs presence of mind(mingled with his brilliance) or refree’s foolishness, ManU won this controversial game. I’m still not sure what the hell happened on field that day, but being a red’s supporter as long as they win doen’t matters to me.

Fergy this one for u, control ur temper man, after u r “Sir Alex Fergusson”

Liverpool V/S Barcelona
(2-1)

Typical Liverpool win, fight till the end and u’ll succeed. Boy, this club makes u see the fruitfulness of hard-work. This game was a feast for spectators, fluidly flowing Barcelona game against air balls and set-pieces of Liverpool(they are really good at this)

What a ball it was from Zambrotta into the centre of Liverpool D, absolute beauty and it met its end(into the back of the net from Deco’s head(superb finsh—Reyna had no chance)

Full marks to Craig Bellamy(though he missed a chance in 1^st half) for being ever-watchful and super quick. Not surprisingly Kuyt was again un-impressive, he spills the ball very easily and then rushes like a kid to get the ball back and seldom he gets it. Anfiled has not been blessed with a good striker since Owen left..Rafa u got something to think abot here, u won’t get lucky everytime

Everything to watch for in the next match. Pressure’ld be on Barca, Liverpool is riding on the cushion of 2 away goals, but this’ll make the game all the more interesting, and good news to Baraca fans—Eto’o is back

Real Madrid V/S Bayer munich
(3-2)

Boy what a game, 5 goals absolute treat. And beckham once again proved his dominance in giving pin-point passes. When it come to giving air balls this guy is in a all together diff league. And Bayern doesn’t gives up easily, in the end they had scored 2 away goals, so this game is wide open, don’t miss this one