Ooh ahh Berba !!

Berbatov, much maligned for the languid style he plays is the new hero at Man Utd.

Fickle minded fans (including Man Utd fans) who thought that he was rubbish deserved the slap in the face.

Berba is class. A footballer's footballer. Blasphemous as it may be, he might actually emulate the finesse of the legend himself, King Eric Cantona.

Boy do I detest fickle fans.

Letter to Mr Winston Lee: S-League CEO.

Dear Mr Winston Lee,

I don't watch the S League too much, for reasons too obvious to mention here. Most of the matches resemble "volleyball matches". The ball goes from one end to the other.

But, if I had a regret for not watching one whether live or on TV, it must be missing the "free-for-all" a.k.a streetfight, flying kungfu kicks in an otherwise typical S League match (cue Young Lions vs Beijing Guoan)

Lest to say, ugly scenes are disturbing, especially when one involves the Young Lions.

But I must agree that football is a contact sport and sometimes, tempers are hard to manage in the heat of the moment.

It is embarassing but at least it brought some well-needed (dare I say) entertainment value to the S League.

By the way, who is the marketing executive at the S League committee? Can I suggest that the fella be sacked/deduct his pay because for so many years now, the S League is still NOT attracting anbody to watch the teams play. In a city which I consider to be football mad, it is hard to comprehend why that might be the case.

Mr Lee, I think you should really, seriously consider doing some well needed soul-searching to reach the Singapore masses. Actually, it isn't that hard to spot potential viewers, they are all around us. All it needs is some creativity which obviously this league lacks. Don't say I never help:

1.) The uncles sitting at the kopitiam (offer free Tiger beer.)
2.) The void deck soccer boys (give chance to play with some pros and make them part of the "abang" circle.)
3.) The SPGs (bring in more angmohs and create "meet-the-angmoh player" nights. Etoile the French team can lead that initiative.)
4.) The soccer geeks watching BPL at home (subsidized Singtel mio if they come and watch a fixed number of live matches.)
5.) The girlfriends and spouses of football mad Singaporean men etc. (create a WAGs club per team; who will take in female members and go spa-ing, shopping and have high teas together.)

Mr Lee, I don't want to be impolite but please be sensible and stop wasting taxpayers money on something so chui that it CANNOT even attract Singaporeans. Very lau kui you know.

Yawn... I am bored just writing this. Ok, back to my Engrish Premier Reague.

Yours sincerely,
Fisheye

Will Rooney play?

Will Rooney turn up at Goodison Park, grounds of his childhood club?

Will he be dropped because of his recent scandal?

Will Sir Alex be afraid to unleash a potential hothead onto the pitch with abusing fans from Goodison Park waiting to pounce?

Will the Roon get flak from the Everton players for his escapades behind his wife's back?

Will Wayne be able to handle the pressure, the mockery and the menacing jeers?

If Wayne could rise above it all, he will prove himself to be a true fighter, a world beater, and a professional through and through.

Only then do we know that Wayne Rooney has truly arrived. Go get 'em Roon.

Capello reversing his decision. Beckham creating a new stir in England.

David Beckham is a name synonymous to Football since the mid 1990s as he rose to fame while playing for Manchester United. Despite leaving England in 2003, Beckham continue to have influence in the football community in England. Beckham has always expressed his desire to play for England and has worked hard to prove himself fit and viable for competitive football on the international stage. Beckham came close to playing for England at the recent World Cup 2010 but his plans were thwarted by an unexpected injury to his ankle.

Capello offered Beckham a farewell game as he probably wanted to subtly let Beckham know that he will no longer be considering him for the England squad. However, Capello seems have taken a U-turn on this decision as he eat his words and is now again saying that there might be value in older players and will still continue to consider Beckham for the squad as long as he plays regularly.

We can only begin to wonder what is the reason behind such a reverse in decision and words. Is Beckham too influential in England and the Football community? Maybe the retirement of some key players in the England squad has forced Capello to seek other options. Worst of all, Capello's decision to focus on the youth may simply be not feasible as we don't see many promising and capable youths coming up the ranks in England.

Well, we may once again see Beckham curl a ball for England come 2012.

Instinct

Sometimes in life, you don't have the luxury of time when making a decision or analyzing a situation.

That's when you trust your instincts. It is an acumen that is unique to the most successful and favours the courageous. It doesn't come overnight of course, it comes through trained foresight overtime, experience, talent and sometimes luck.

The best soldiers have it, the most brilliant investors have it, the highly skilled doctors have it too.

The recent acquisition of Bebe, the Portugese street footballer by Sir Alex Ferguson is a prime example of that. Who is going to bet against a manger who discovered Giggs, Scholes, Ronaldo, Rooney, Beckham, Nevilles etc. and groomed them to stardom.

From time to time, instinct fails you. (i.e. African flops Manucho, Djemba Djemba, Brazilian disappointment Kleberson, unhappy Argentine Veron, the Italian clown Massimo Taibi.) but more often than not, instinct brought him more good than bad (see above names again).

"Sometimes you have to go on an instinct, you look at material, you look at the player's age and whether they're bringing pace, balance, desire to play and things like that. That's how a category is formed." Sir Alex Ferguson

Trust your instincts.

Youth Olympics to cost more than S$300 million.

*Picture taken from http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/07/yog-budget-balloons-s104m-to-s387m/

The inaugural Youth Olympics is about to take place and while much news have been generated, I was wondering whether we all know about this piece of news.

The Youth Olympics was estimated to cost S$104 million but is now reported that it may cost the country S$387 million, which is more than 3 times the initial estimate. In contrast to this amount, The ComCare and Social Support programme is set to receive S$92.39 million while the Social Service Sector Planning programme is set to receive $83.02 million, of which both costs more than 3 times less than the inaugural event which is to last for 13 days, this August 2010.

More surprising news is that the local government is putting its initiative to allocate a special lane for YOG vehicles through markings on its road, which requires local vehicles to give way to YOG vehicles or be liable to a fine of S$130. I suppose this is to encourage the locals to show graciousness as hosts and to allow smooth travel of YOG vehicles between event venues.

I wonder if the local government extrapolates this initiative to ensuring that locals give way to emergency vehicles such as Ambulances? I suppose if the purpose is to ensure smooth travel and to encourage graciousness, this should have been initiated a long time ago for emergency vehicles too? We can only wonder...

Chicharito- the next Red legend.

Javier Hernandez, Chicharito (otherwise known as the little pea)

Small in stature, big on talent.

Love his friendly nature and his ease at finding the back of the net.

He is the next smiling assassin, we've waited long for the successor to the predatory Ole Solskjaer.

I am loving Chicharito already.

Discrimination against Liverpool Fans.

Other than the usual job requirements, Nom Nom Media added another clause, stating that the applicant must not be a Liverpool fan. Although this is followed by cheeky emoticon (:P), it still doesn't change the fact that the company is blatantly discriminating against Liverpool fans.

check out the ad here:

(http://www.nuffnang.com.sg/blog/2010/07/01/we-are-hiring-again-growing-to-conquer/)

Nom Nom Media is the exclusive media reseller for Nuffnang, whilst Nuffnang is Asia's first and leading blog advertising community. We can only begin to wonder why a company of such stature amongst the online community chose to put such a discriminating clause in their job advertisement.

Putting aside that I am a Liverpool fan, it is disappointing our following in football is now going to affect our job opportunities. I empathise with my fellow Liverpool fans, who might have been eyeing for this position. Truly disappointed to know that such things are happening. Liverpool fans should do something about this. Football fans around the world should do something about this.

NO WAY SHOULD WE ALLOW OUR FOLLOWING IN FOOTBALL TO AFFECT OUR JOB OPPORTUNITIES!

Success is built, not bought.

With the new season of the BPL soon to start in August, the current transfer period is full of activity, albeit only one club dealing furiously... Manchester City.

The blue half of Manchester is doing what we affectionately call the "Real Madrid" way of building success. Whether it is success or not is undefined.

I have a problem with buying your way to success. I am a big fan of Manchester United, and a big part of that is the way Man Utd earn their success by building from the ground up. Every generation that brought glory to the club is heavily influenced by the youth academy. You've got the Busby Babes from Bobby Charlton's era, you've got Fergie's Fledgings like Beckham, Neville brothers and the influential Giggs and Scholes. Then you had Cristiano Ronaldo, arguably the best talent in the world that honed his skills at Carrington. You're witnessing the rise of Wayne Rooney, Darren Fletcher and a new bunch of youngsters that will soon be household names (tip: watch out for Obertan, Macheda, Welbeck and Cleverley).

Success is built from the ground level up. It is the same in every area. While there are stories of instant success, they are few and far between. The problem with non-footballing owners like Manchester City's is that they expect instant success, and by that they think money will buy them a trophy. They have really missed the whole picture. History makers like Man Utd build their way up, and that can never be replaced by instant gratification from having loads of money.

If you have a goal in mind, and have dedicated yourself to working at it, I am sure you can identify with hardship, rejection and failures. Take heart because the way to success is often long and winding, and it takes many experiences along the way to find it. And just for that matter, you might never find it. Success depends much on opportunity and whether you have grabbed it with both hands.

Enjoy the journey and look back, knowing that even if you never achieve the lofty heights of Man Utd, at least you made an effort to build a legacy, not buy one.

Viva la Espana

The World Cup drew to a fairytale closing.

The Spanish boys, all cute and handsome won the coveted trophy for the first time in a history of near misses and underachievers.

They are the latest member to join an elite group of countries who have won the World Cup, the highest accolade in football and arguably world sports.

A big congratulations to South Africa as well for a most colourful and entertaining World Cup 2010. Without a single doubt, this World Cup has been a resounding success, and much credit must be given to the unsung heroes who had ensured that the World Cup was safe and enjoyable for all partying fans.

Viva la Espana.

The strange case of Paul the Psychic Octopus.

Holy Moley....

The psychic octopus Paul is spot on again in its predictions at the World Cup. It has so far a 100% record in predicting all the matches of Germany, including the semi final loss to Spain.

Am I the only one freaking out here? The psychic octopus seems to come from another planet. If only it predicts matches other than Germany, it will be regarded as a god by the very keen gamblers of this world.

Poor Germany. They got undone by Spain, but hey, at least they can be proud of a mystical octopus by the name of Paul.

Simple Tap in. Simply Memorable.

Miroslav Klose's simple tap in / walk in at the 68th mintue clearly ended Argentina's dreams. Simple goals did it for Germany as they defeated Argentina 4-0. Fielding one of the youngest teams in this World Cup, Germany penetrated Argentina's defence like hot knife through butter.

Simply memorable for football fans all around the world.

Congratulations to Germany as they proceed on to the Semi-Finals of the World Cup 2010.

Total Football triumphs.

In a special match for a less than special occasion, the Dutch team has finally rid itself of its tag "Underachievers" by claiming the scalp of the favourites in the tournament, Brazil.

And by doing so, they have proven that the Samba kings can be turned on their backs by Total Football, a term coined by the famous era of Johan Cryuff.

Brazil had a good first half, taking the lead early but the two most talented Dutch players proved decisive in a victory few would have given them a chance to based on their performance in the first half.

Sneijder and Robben were obviously the difference. Melo was silly by stamping on Robben and Julio Cesar was caught flapping.

So its goodbye to the much maligned Dunga, looked like he just did not have Lady Luck on his side. His animated gestures at the sidelines did not help in masking his massive disappointment.

I fully expect the Brazilians to look for an inspired change again in a new coach who will pick up the familiar kind of samba Brazil with its erratic bunch of superstars like Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Adriano. We all kind of miss that Brazil.

Holland meanwhile has much to prove, next match Uruguay, a defeat will surely return them to the old tag of Underachievers. Victory will put them as clear favourites for the most coveted trophy in world football.

Is Roy Hodgson the one?

Some news to distract all serious football fans from the World Cup.

Is Roy Hodgson the man to lead Liverpool forward?

Well, I think for some fans, this will come as a shock to their system. Especially those who have come to expect a Gerard Houllier or Rafa Benitez; managers who stimulate the affections of the Kop at the start but fade quickly in two seasons.

But clearly, the board is taking on a new direction in employing perhaps a wiser and older British manager, one that is pretty shrewd, experienced yes... but probably has no major credentials on his honour roll... yet.

It is way too early to speculate if Roy is the man for the job, but this could well be a step in the right direction for Liverpool. For one, his job must be to hold on to what remnants he has in the dressing room and convince Fernando Torres that he is an ambitious manager.

Two, he needs to find some young British talent from lower divisions and bring them into an ageing and shallow squad. It is a challenge for him to harness his scouting network to look for rare gems in unexpected places; but that he did manage to pick out for Fulham during his time at Craven Cottage, just to name a few... Dickson Etuhu, Clint Dempsey, Brande Hangeland etc. considering Liverpool has little funds to compete with the big boys. Won't be surprised if Etuhu joins to replace a certain-to-leave Javier Mascherano.

I think the coming season is a season of consolidation for Liverpool and Roy Hodgson is the man for the job. Fulham did manage to consolidate a respectable position in the BPL despite being low on transfer funds when he was in charge.

Boring boring Liverpool might just be the pragmatic step forward for the most successful club in English football. *shrugs*

God couldn't save the Queen (or England).

Unfortunately, it is to be.

And so it is, just like I said it will be.

England departs in sorrow.

At least they lost to a better team.

Germany was clinical, effective and played attractive football. Gone are the boring boring Germans. Toast a beer to that.

England has much to reflect. They looked like they were overwhelmed. They lacked invention against a young and supposedly inexperienced German side.

Cry foul over the disallowed equaliser by Lampard, but that will do injustice to the Germans who were strangely an unfamiliar opposition; they literally played like possessed South Americans.

At the end of the day, a 4-1 scoreline does not lie. The better side won. (Who needs Ballack?)

England will need another time, another place, another chance, another World Cup. Just not this one.

The French Nightmare

If the Frenchman has a nightmare, it will be World Cup 2010.

One lame duck draw, two losses, one revolt and one sad man of a coach Raymond Domenech, and the French return home in utter embarassment.

Like I said before, when the French got through to this Finals through the skin of their teeth by that infamous handball incident by Henry, the French will never get far with Domenech at the helm. The man is a one man disaster, destroying everything the French were; once footballing powerhouses.

The French players are equally at fault. Having a revolution during the Finals is something I thought only the Dutch team was prone to. Captain Patrice Evra was dropped for the final match with South Africa, presumably for leading the revolt. Even the usually quiet Anelka had a go at Domenech. You could imagine how much control and respect Domenech has on the team - zilch.

I hope for the sake of France that Laurent Blanc can turn the team around. He probably will rid himself of the old guard and pass the baton to a new generation.

And to think four years ago, they were competing in the final with Italy, only for Zidane's headbutt to steal the limelight.

How quickly things have changed for France.

The Blame Game

I remembered when I was a little boy, I played plenty of void deck soccer with this deflated football that simply cannot roll properly. Heck, we were kids and the boys always have fun kicking something round anyway. If we had a tennis ball, we'll probably played it too.

So as you have it, the deflated ball seldom goes in the direction the kicker wants it to go. All too often, I missed an open goal (made up of two slippers at each end) because the ball just would not roll straight. This was a typical conversation after a horrific miss:

Me: "Alamak, it is the ball's fault la..."

Boy A: "No la, you just suck at football..."

Boy B: "Ya man, open goal also cannot score"

Me: "Buy a new ball la, this kind of ball how to play ?!?!?"

Everyone else: "You are just lousy... HAHAHAHAHA !!!"

Suck it up and get on with life.

Well, it seems grown men have a knack for pushing the blame too. And when they cannot find someone to blame, they blame the ball. The poor Jabulani ball got all the blame from grown men, Italians, Africans, Brazilians, Englishmen what have you... the Maradonas and the Capellos too.

Grown men who are professional players and seasoned managers blaming a ball for their inadequate displays.

Laughable. I am sick of this ball talk, whether it rolls badly or plays like a cheap beach ball blah blah blah... football can be played with a rag ball for all I care. The event deserves more respect than the condition of the ball.

Grow up boys, shut the nonesense and get on with it.

The Brown Boy Syndrome

So the brown boy syndrome is alive and well in the World Cup...

What?!?! What the heck is the brown boy syndrome??

Oh you mean you didn't know? The brown boys are affectionately known as the beautiful ones of modern football; the sun-kissed, hunky, cute boys who bask in the Meditarranean sun. And the Brown Boy Syndrome is quite simply... the choking up of brown boys at the biggest tournament in the world; the World Cup.

Who are the brown boys ??? Cristiano Ronaldo, David Villa... the Portugese and Spanish super-hunks who get girls saliviating over them and always make for extreme eye candy for the spouses of football-mad husbands. Unfortunately... the brown boy syndrome wipes off all the gloss (or suntan oil, whichever way you see it).

Just this morning, I heard a forty year old lady, a single and professional medical doctor mind you... swoon over the cute Spanish boys from yesterday's match (but she just couldn't hide her disappointment on their lacklustre loss to the mechanical Swiss team)

Skilful, macho, athletic, pretty football. All of that just could not match up for pure drive, desire, discipline and... mother luck. Spain played pretty but their "prettiness" cost them dear.

The brown boy syndrome is alive and well indeed.

p.s. That Cristiano sure has a tight ass... awww...

Cyborg Football

So the most anticipated match in the first round of the World Cup has been played.

The samba kings of football Brazil vs the mystery men of North Korea. Final score: 2-1 to the Brazilians.

I must say I was the most excited person when it came down to this match; well simply because I just wanted to know how the North Koreans look like, whether they have two legs just like normal humans do, or are they fitted with the latest psychopathic bionic legs invented by one of those nuclear scientists working for Kim Jong Il.

Now before you laugh... c'mon... don't tell me you did not just turn on the TV to watch this match so that you can have a glimpse of how the heck North Koreans actually play football, or for the record look and behave? They are so shrouded in mystery and fanatism about their beloved leader Kim that the stark contrast between sombre North Koreans against outgoing and partying Brazilians is a brilliant side-show for all soccer fans.

Unfortunately for the suspense-hungry and sci-fi hippies, the North Koreans look just like us: normal human beings. And no, they don't behave like those weird villians i.e. Zao (pic above) typecasted as lunatics you see in those lame James Bond movies.

Yes, yes... they played football in a cagey and stifling manner, what do you expect them to do? Going head on against the silky smooth Brazilians is suicidal. Plus, they scored a goal in an opening match against the favourites, something Portugal and Ivory Coast despite all their firepower will have desperately wanted in their own matchup earlier. What the North Koreans lack in talent and skill, they made up with courage and no-nonsense discipline.

Maybe not cyborg football as I might have expected it (bionic legs and all...) but at least you saw 11 men working cyborg-like as one on the football field.

I love World Cup football.

Goalkeeper Bloopers.

Here we go again. Goalkeeper bloopers.

You cannnot have a complete World Cup without some goalie bloopers. Clearly the tradition is alive and well.

You have the regular Englishman who keeps up the proud English tradition of goalkeepers with butter fingers. England's first choice Robert Green isn't the first. Remember David Seaman? How about Paul Robinson, Scott Carson and David James? There must be something wrong with the goalkeeping academies of England. They should take a leaf out of Italian and Spanish goalkeeping academies (think Buffon, Toldo, Casillas, Valdes, Reina).

Alas, the pitiful Algerian keeper gave Slovenia a 1-0 win with his rendition of "Robert Green's finest moment".

So there you have it, the first bit of evidence that the World Cup is truly under way after all the hoorah of the opening ceremony and South Africa's massive display before the world.

Here is to more bloopers, more drama and more upsets !! Cheers !!

This time for Africa

So the World Cup kicked off to music and partying ala African style.

The opening match between South Africa and Mexico was entertaining, with chances on both sides and for a moment, everyone thought the land that is representative of freedom from years of racism has achieved yet another memorable evening with a stunning goal. Too bad the Mexicans came storming back to force a draw.

I love the color of this World Cup. It is fun, it is representative and it is different from the rest we have had so far. More importantly, it is in the land of Nelson Mandela, the man I think has single handedly taught the world that the ideals of peace, love and the undying human spirit can change your circumstances no matter how drab it may be.

Many ask me the question "Who will win the World Cup?" While it makes for interesting debate and beer talk, the World Cup is always quite predictable, yet it manages to spring surprises from time to time. The usual suspects Brazil and Germany will be there. The usual under-performers Holland, England and Spain will be there. And even if Spain and England are tipped for glory yet again, I doubt the gods of football like to change scripts too much. The prized trophy at the World Cup has been shared mostly by the same few teams; Brazil, Germany, Italy and Argentina. It says plenty, they know how to win at the world stage. It is in the culture, it is in the blood.

But in a land whereby the impossible has been achieved, could it be the year of an African nation?

I have a sneaky feeling that one of the African nations will progress far enough to surprise a few pundits and I just think that Argentina despite all its problems is going to be a serious challenger (Messi could be the catalyst that Maradona was.) Capello's England will depart in sorrow again. Brazil and Spain got to pace themselves. It is a MARATHON. Nobody wins the World Cup by stepping all over the weaker teams at the start. They tend to lose momentum eventually, crumbling under early pressure from home and the world media. So write off France at your own peril. The French are more than capable of springing a surprise.

Who will win the World Cup? Who cares? Enjoy the ride.

Rafa Benitez has to walk alone after 6 years with Liverpool.

It is official. Rafa Benitez has left Liverpool by mutual consent and with compensation estimated around 6 million pounds.

Benitez has helped Liverpool reach highs and lows throughout his 6 year stint. Winning the Champions League and finishing 2nd place in the 08/09 Season for BPL. Benitez is well known for his queer tactics and positioning of players on the field. Despite a poor 09/10 season, Benitez did afterall contributed to Liverpool's growth over the last 6 years.

Now that the inevitable has happened, the question lies in the who the successor will be. Will it be Kenny Daglish, Roy Hodgson, Guus Hiddink or even Mark Hughes? We will probably find out after the World Cup.

TST editors would like to wish Rafa Benitez the very best in his future career. TST will follow closely the developments at Liverpool and wish for a quick and informed decision to bring someone who will lead Liverpool to win the elusive BPL.

Bye bye Rafa ??

Is it finally goodbye to Rafa for Liverpool fans?

Looks likely. The owners are eager to get rid of him and Rafa looks forlorn and beaten.

The fans who stood by him are no longer so sure of his capabilities to return the club to the glory days of yester-years.

Rafa is starting to lose his dressing room as well, with rumors flying all over of unsettled players and unhappy campers.

It is time for change at Liverpool Football Club.

Whispers are growing in volume that King Kenny Daglish will be taking over as temp manager. I say that is a right move forward for a club which used to pride themselves in British talent... badly missed under the reign of Rafa.

Ah... "You never walk alone"... ...

Looks like Rafa is facing the dreaded walk alone... out of Anfield.

Joe Cole to OT?

Believe the rumors at your own peril.

But this is one I will like to believe and I believe will happen soon.

Joe Cole is set to snub Chelsea and sign for Man Utd. He is set to join Michael Owen as talented English players who had long injury layoffs and admired in their youth by the best manager in England, Sir Alex Ferguson.

And I think it is a rumor that is spinning the right way. He is on a free transfer, he gets to go to the biggest club in England, and he fits the bill at Man Utd who is looking for a talented and footballing winger to replace an ageing legend in Ryan Giggs.

Usually rumors turn out fake, but I got a good feeling about this one.

Singapore is top.

While this is a blog dedicated to soccer related news, as a proud sports fan of Singapore origin, we recognise the stunning achievements of the sports fraternity in Singapore.

A small island, unheard of by many around the world's elite sporting countries is now the loudest name you will hear for anyone who watches the game of table tennis.

The Singapore women's team has clinched the World Table Tennis Championships, upsetting China 3-1 in the finals. This is the first time the POWERHOUSES of table tennis, China has been defeated in 19.... yes seriously 19 years in this competition. Ouch.

Can I say I am very, very proud of the Singapore women's team. While most of them are adopted citizens of Singapore (most of them were born in China)... they came as second rate players disregarded by the table tennis federation and national sports selection system in China. In other words, they were deemed "not good enough" to represent China.

They came to Singapore with new hopes of making it on the world stage. They settled down in a new country and trained exceptionally hard. They lost on two previous occasions in the finals of the Olympics and World Championships 2008 to the China team but they put their heads down and kept training.

This is what makes sports inspiring. There is no better feeling than when an underdog turns the tables on the perpetual favourites. In table tennis, nobody touches China (they are even greater than Brazil in soccer). Singapore has just beaten them on the world stage... its almost like the Singapore Lions beating Brazil 3-1 in the World Cup final. It is almost unthinkable.

If this isn't sporting history in the making of Singapore, I don't know what is. This is the best publicity you can have for the upcoming Youth Olympics to be held in Singaapore.

Majulah Singapore !! Or to our table tennis team chiefly made up of new Chinese immigrants... 好样子，新加坡 !!

The Special One is indeed special.

A man so arrogant yet so charismatic. He shares a love-hate relationship with the media and footballing paparazzi, he is well loved by fans on his side, but so detestable to fans of opposing teams. He is blunt, yet his words are strangely prophetic and wise, in the footballing sense that is. He is unafraid of any opponent, yet he respects all opponents. He plays boring football at times, but hey... they reap fantastic results.

Such is Jose Mourinho, the self proclaimed Special One. It is that undeniable charisma of a man who has led a struggling Italian giant in its European campaign to attaining European glory in just over two years, above and beyond the likes of Barcelona and Bayern Munich. He has single handedly put Serie A back on the world map of footballing dynasties.

I don't quite think Jose achieved his best at Chelsea. He was sacked prematurely. To me, Jose didn't believe in beautiful soccer, he believed in intelligent football and Chelski under its Russian owner wanted Joga Bonito. Alas, Jose proved he is no fluke when he first won the coveted European trophy with FC Porto.

If anyone should deny Jose the honor of being called the Special One in managing footballing teams, they should really look at his record, 2 European trophies already, multiple championships in various countries, that is a track record of success. No one likes a loudmouth, worse; no one likes a loudmouth that actually attains what he says he can.

To be the best that ever lived is one claim that Jose will have the rest of his career to live up to but boy... never has anyone in his generation coming closer to that than Jose himself. And guess what, he gets to steady the ship at the ultra entertaining but substance-lacking circus of football clubs; Real Madrid.

Will Jose get the best out of Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema, Alonso and Raul? Don't bet against it.

Will Torres go?

The conquest of Chelsea for 09/10 has yet to settle and there are already plenty of rumors spinning in the transfer market.

Question of the pre season before the next BPL season starts: Will Fernando Torres go to Chelsea, the newly crowned English champions?

Well, the naysayer will tell you its highly unlikely, given the animosity between the blues and Merseyside, and Torres's professed loyalty to Liverpool.

But the reasoning will tell you Torres is sick of no silverware, poor tactics, lousy club management and low finances. All of these will supercede his loyalty and point him to the exit door. Where else but the English champions Chelsea?

Based on Torres's valuation, only a handful of clubs will dare pick up the tab. Real Madrid, Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City. Real is obviously out of the question, since Torres childhood club is Atletico Madrid, Man Utd will not fork out a 100 million for any player. Man City is not at the highest pinnacle of footballing achievements yet even if they have all the resources to lure him. So the next likely destination --> Chelski of Roman Abramovich.

Liverpool fans, keep your fingers crossed, and your hearts ready for the defect of one Spanish cult hero to London.

TST Pundits.

Date	GMT(+7)	Match	N.	Fisheye	Gut
09.05.10	2300hrs	Arsenal vs Fulham	Arsenal	Arsenal	Arsenal
09.05.1	2300hrs	Aston Villa vs Blackburn	Draw	Aston Villa	Aston Villa
09.05.10	2300hrs	Bolton vs Birmingham	Bolton	Draw	Birmingham
09.05.10	2300hrs	Burnley vs Tottenham	Tottenham	Tottenhamw	Tottenham
09.05.10	2300hrs	Chelsea vs Wigan	Chelsea	Chelsea	Chelsea
09.05.10	2300hrs	Everton vs Portsmouth	Everton	Everton	Portsmouth
09.05.10	2300hrs	Hull City vs Liverpool	Liverpool	Liverpool	Liverpool
09.05.10	2300hrs	Man Utd vs Stoke City	Man Utd	Man Utd	Man Utd
09.05.10	2300hrs	West Ham vs Man City	Man City	Man City	Man City
09.05.10	2300hrs	Wolves vs Sunderland	Draw	Wolves	Sunderland
13.05.10	0245hrs	Aletico Madrid vs Fulham	Fulham	Fulham	Aletico Madrid
16.05.10	2200hrs	Chelsea vs Portsmouth	Draw	Chelsea	Chelsea
23.05.10	0245hrs	Bayern Munich vs Inter Milan	Draw	Inter Milan	Bayern Munich

All the best to everyone!

TST Pundits.

Date	GMT(+7)	Match	N.	Fisheye	Gut
01.05.10	1945hrs	Birmingham vs Burnley	Draw	Birmingham	Birmingham
01.05.10	2200hrs	Man City vs Aston Villa	Aston Villa	Man City	Man City
01.05.10	2200hrs	Portsmouth vs Wolves	Portsmouth	Portsmouth	Portsmouth
01.05.10	2200hrs	Stoke City vs Everton	Everton	Draw	Draw
01.05.10	2200hrs	Tottenham vs Bolton	Tottenham	Tottenham	Tottenham
02.05.10	2030hrs	Liverpool vs Chelsea	Liverpool	Liverpool	Chelsea
02.05.10	2200hrs	Fulham vs West Ham	Fulham	Draw	Fulham
02.05.10	2300hrs	Sunderland vs Man Utd	Draw	Man Utd	Man Utd
03.05.10	2030hrs	Wigan vs Hull City	Wigan	Wigan	Hull City
04.05.10	0000hrs	Blackburn vs Arsenal	Arsenal	Arsenal	Arsenal
06.05.10	0300hrs	Fulham vs Stoke City	Fulham	Fulham	Fulham
06.05.10	0300hrs	Man City vs Tottenham	Draw	Draw	Man City

All the best to everyone!

TST Pundits.

Date	GMT(+7)	Match	N.	Fisheye	Gut
24.04.10	1945hrs	Man Utd vs Tottenham	Man Utd	Man Utd	Man Utd
24.04.10	2200hrs	Bolton vs Portsmouth	Bolton	Bolton	Bolton
24.04.10	2200hrs	Hull City vs Sunderland	Sunderland	Hull City	Sunderland
24.04.10	2200hrs	West Ham vs Wigan	Wigan	West Ham	West Ham
24.04.10	2200hrs	Wolves vs Blackburn	Blackburn	Draw	Wolves
25.04.10	0030hrs	Arsenal vs Man City	Arsenal	Man City	Man City
25.04.10	1900hrs	Aston Villa vs Birmingham	Draw	Draw	Aston Villa
25.04.10	2200hrs	Burnley vs Liverpool	Liverpool	Draw	Liverpool
25.04.10	2200hrs	Everton vs Fulham	Everton	Everton	Everton
25.04.10	2300hrs	Chelsea vs Stoke City	Chelsea	Chelsea	Chelsea
29.04.10	0245hrs	Barcelona vs Inter Milan	Barcelona	Draw	Inter Milan
28.04.10	0245hrs	Lyon vs Bayern Munich	Draw	Draw	Bayern Munich
30.04.10	0345hrs	Liverpool vs Aletico Madrid	Liverpool	Liverpool	Liverpool
30.04.10	0345hrs	Fulham vs Hamburg SV	Fulham	Fulham	Fulham

All the best to everyone!

TST Pundits.

Date	GMT(+7)	Match	N.	Fisheye	Gut
10.04.10	2200hrs	Hull City vs Burnley	Burnley	Hull City	Hull City
10.04.10	2200hrs	West Ham vs Sunderland	West Ham	Draw	West Ham
11.04.10	1900hrs	Wolves vs Stoke City	Stoke City	Wolves	Wolves
11.04.10	2030hrs	Blackburn vs Man Utd	Man Utd	Man Utd	Man Utd
11.04.10	2200hrs	Liverpool vs Fulham	Liverpool	Liverpool	Liverpool
11.04.10	2300hrs	Man City vs Birmingham	Man City	Man City	Man City
14.04.10	0300hrs	Chelsea vs Bolton	Chelsea	Chelsea	Chelsea
15.04.10	0245hrs	Aston Villa vs Everton	Draw	Draw	Aston Villa
15.04.10	0245hrs	Wigan vs Portsmouth	Portsmouth	Wigan	Wigan
15.04.10	0300hrs	Tottenham vs Arsenal	Tottenham	Draw	Tottenham
11.04.10	0000hrs	Aston Villa vs Chelsea	Aston Villa	Aston Villa	Chelsea
11.04.10	2300hrs	Tottenham vs Portsmouth	Tottenham	Draw	Tottenham

All the best to everyone!

Man Utd is no one man team.

Is Man Utd a one man team? Maybe. It is hard not to when you have Wayne Rooney on your side.

But we have got so much to offer. Berba is a good player no matter what those pundits think. He is a different sort of player so don't compare him to Rooney. He is equally a genius when he is on it.

I hope, fingers crossed that Alex Ferguson unleashs Macheda or even Mame Biram Diouf sometime in the game, not in the last ten minutes, because I think the young boys have the surprise element, they do not know fear and Macheda is one heck of a box predator. He is like a young Filipo Inzaghi.

It is going to be tough against an experience German side. It always is when they are defending a lead BUT miracles happen in the theatre of dreams. Welcome to Old Trafford.

TST Pundits.

Date	GMT(+7)	Match	N.	Fisheye	Gut
03.04.10	1945hrs	Man Utd vs Chelsea	Draw	Draw	Man Utd
03.04.10	2200hrs	Arsenal vs Wolves	Arsenal	Arsenal	Arsenal
03.04.10	2200hrs	Bolton vs Aston Villa	Bolton	Draw	Aston Villa
03.04.10	2200hrs	Portsmouth vs Blackburn	Draw	Portsmouth	Blackburn
03.04.10	2200hrs	Stoke City vs Hull City	Hull City	Stoke City	Stoke City
03.04.10	2200hrs	Sunderland vs Tottenham	Draw	Draw	Draw
04.04.10	0030hrs	Burnely vs Man City	Man City	Man City	Man City
04.04.10	2200hrs	Birmingham vs Liverpool	Liverpool	Draw	Draw
04.04.10	2200hrs	Fulham vs Wigan	Fulham	FUlham	Fulham
04.04.10	2300hrs	Everton vs West Ham	Everton	Everton	Everton
08.04.10	0245hrs	Man Utd vs Bayern Munich	Draw	Man Utd	Man Utd
08.04.10	0245hrs	Bordeaux vs Lyon	Draw	Draw	Draw
07.04.10	0245hrs	Barcelona vs Arsenal	Barcelona	Barcelona	Barcelona
07.04.2010	0245hrs	CSKA Moscow vs Inter Milan	Draw	Draw	Inter Milan
09.04.10	0305hrs	Liverpool vs Benfica	Liverpool	Liverpool	Liverpool
09.04.10	0305hrs	Wolfsburg vs Fulham	Draw	Wolfsburg	Wolfsburg
09.04.10	0305hrs	Standard Liege vs Hamburg	Draw	Draw	Standard Liege
09.04.10	0305hrs	Atletico Madrid vs Valencia	Atletico Madrid	Atletico Madrid	Atletico Madrid

All the best to everyone!

Swimming with the sharks.

The BPL is one of the toughest leagues in the world... and it is so for a reason. There is no learning curve, you get thrown in with the sharks and you are expected to swim faster.

The BPL also showcases the gulf between the naive managers from the wily old ones. Zola of West Ham and Roberto Martinez of Wigan reminds us why it took Sir Alex so many years to establish his reign at the top of the pile. It is great to play pretty football but when the rubber hits the road, you've got to play ugly to survive. That is what Sam Allardyce, Mick McCarthy and Tony Pulis know and that has seen their teams win crucial matches for relegation battle's survival of the fittest. Portsmouth and Burnley are going down.

With a shrewd and battle hardened manager like Iain Dowie now in charge at Hull City, you will feel that they always have a fighting chance.

Will West Ham get relegated? I fear so. Will Wigan get dragged in as well. I think so. There is no place for naive management in the BPL. A certain Rafa Benitez at Merseyside should also take note of that.

Old School Pepsi-Soccer Commercials.

Remember these funny soccer commercials sponsored by Pepsi? I'm sure it'll bring back some fond memories about the game and the commercial itself.

Confidence brings out the best in you.

Confidence brings out the best in you.

Liverpool definitely showed that, as they played with confidence, playing the best as they ever should against Sunderland.

Kudos to Liverpool. 3-0 against Sunderland is no easy feat.

Daylight savings end today, 28/03/10.

Dear readers of TST,

Please do note that daylight savings (DST) ends today in the U.K. and thus the time difference between Singapore and the U.K. will be reduced to 7 hours, i.e. GMT+7.


Courtesy of TST editors.

TST Pundits.

Date	GMT(+8)	Match	N.	Fisheye	Gut
27.03.10	2300hrs	Birmingham vs Arsenal	Arsenal	Draw	Arsenal
27.03.10	2300hrs	Chelsea vs Aston Villa	Draw	Chelsea	Chelsea
27.03.10	2300hrs	Hull City vs Fulham	Draw	Draw	Draw
27.03.10	2300hrs	West Ham vs Stoke City	West Ham	West Ham	West Ham
27.03.10	2300hrs	Wolves vs Everton	Everton	Draw	Everton
28.03.10	0130hrs	Bolton vs Man Utd	Draw	Man Utd	Man Utd
28.03.10	2000hrs	Burnely vs Blackburn	Blackburn	Draw	Burnley
29.03.10	0000hrs	Liverpool vs Sunderland	Liverpool	Liverpool	Liverpool
30.03.10	0400hrs	Man city vs Wigan	Draw	Man City	Man City
31.03.10	0345hrs	Bayern Munich vs Man Utd	Draw	Draw	Man Utd
31.03.10	0345hrs	Lyon vs Bordeaux	Draw	Lyon	Bordeaux
01.04.10	0345hrs	Arsenal vs Barcelona	Draw	Arsenal	Arsenal
01.04.2010	0345hrs	Inter Milan vs CSKA Moscow	Inter	Inter	Inter
02.04.10	0405hrs	Benfica vs Liverpool	Liverpool	Benfica	Benfica
02.04.10	0405hrs	Fulham vs Wolfsburg	Fulham	Fulham	FUlham
02.04.10	0405hrs	Hamburg vs Standard Liege	Hamburg	Hamburg	Hamburg
02.04.10	0405hrs	Valencia vs Atletico Madrid	Valencia	Draw	Atletico Madrid

All the best to everyone!

No World Cup in Singapore, Still.

There are but a handful of countries who will not be airing the World Cup 2010. Guess what. Singapore is one of them. A developed country, looking to be unique. Our regulators have sure done a good job delivering to their promise of "Uniquely Singapore". A country with the likes of Somalia to not air the World Cup 2010.

To our regulators: I suppose Singapore has not made it to the dream of World Cup 2010. But there's no need to punish the entire country for your incapability!

Just you and Carlton Palmer, taking a bath!

Sick of Carlton Palmer on the Football Channel, offering the wildest match analysis and playing with his favourite telestrator? You might find him in your bath tub too!!!

TST Pundits.

Date	GMT(+8)	Match	N.	Fisheye	Gut
20.03.10	2045hrs	Aston Villa vs Wolves	Aston Villa	Aston Villa	Aston Villa
20.03.10	2300hrs	Everton vs Bolton	Everton	Everton	Everton
20.03.10	2300hrs	Portsmouth vs Hull City	Portsmouth	Draw	Portsmouth
20.03.10	2300hrs	Stoke City vs Tottenham	Draw	Draw	Draw
20.03.10	2300hrs	Sunderland vs Birmingham	Sunderland	Draw	Draw
20.03.10	2300hrs	Wigan vs Burnley	Wigan	Wigan	Wigan
21.03.10	0130hrs	Arsenal vs West Ham	Arsenal	Arsenal	Arsenal
21.03.10	2130hrs	Man Utd vs Liverpool	Liverpool	Man Utd	Man Utd
21.03.10	2300hrs	Fulham vs Man city	Man City	Fulham	Fulham
21.03.10	0000hrs	Blackburn vs Chelsea	Chelsea	Chelsea	Blackburn
24.03.10	0400hrs	West Ham vs Wolves	West Ham	Draw	Draw
25.03.10	0345hrs	Man City vs Everton	Everton	Man City	Man City
25.03.2010	0345hrs	Aston Villa vs Sunderland	Draw	Draw	Aston Villa
25.03.10	0345hrs	Portsmouth vs Chelsea	Draw	Chelsea	Chelsea
25.03.10	0400hrs	Blackburn vs Birmingham	Draw	Draw	Draw
25.03.10	0345hrs	Tottenham vs Fulham	Draw	Tottenham	Tottenham

All the best to everyone!

Jose wins.

In the battle of Jose vs Chelsea, note that I used Jose, not Inter, Jose won. The game was clearly the old boss against his old team.

And of course, the expensively assembled team at Chelsea can never outsmart their commander and chief, whom I presume with certainty knows them inside out. He set out to deny the Blues a win, and he did one better, he won at Stamford Bridge. This is proof that Jose Mourinho is one of the best tacticians there is in football if you want to win a match and a tournament for the matter. He is a brilliant tactician and more so, an incredible motivator. How else do you expect Inter to come to Stamford Bridge, the stronghold of Chelsea and bring them to their knees.

Sure, there were controversial moments and Drogba will complain about mistreatment again, but the Ivorian only has his own reputation to blame. He is a pathological diver, referees think twice about awarding him penalties and free kicks.

Looks like Roman Abramovich will have to take drastic measures next season to seal himself a Champions League trophy. Not only does he need to rid himself of the team which Jose built, he will need to give Carlo Ancelotti financial muscle to build a team worthy of doing just that. The Chelsea of today is too familiar to their nearest opponents and as long as Jose is around, they will never outdo him with his own team.

Sorry Roman, I still think you made the biggest mistake by letting Jose go. If all I wanted was to win a Champs League trophy, Jose Mourinho will have to be my top man for the job.

Calderon is a pighead.

You think Real Madrid being dumped out of the Champions League will make some people shut up and take notice that their strategy of buying to win is a bad strategy. Wrong.

Calderon, the epitome of loudmouth at Real Madrid is clearly rubbing himself in the wrong direction again, hoping to sign Wayne Rooney as you would have it... to Real Madrid. Join the circus that is Real Madrid... pfft.

Dumped out by a modest team like Lyon. Pooooor Karim Benzema who went to Real thinking he was joining a club that could at least beat his old club. He will be better off sending in a transfer request now to consider rejoining his old club. At least he gets to start games, not sit on benches.

Wayne Rooney I think will never do a Ronaldo. I mean... he just needs to look at Ronaldo's plight to understand that simple truth. The world's best player when he was with Man Utd is already out of the top competition at club level with a star-studded team behind him. Tells you everything eh. There is no such thing as a dream team. And Real Madrid is a bunch of Harlem Globetrotters with a coach that is too small to lead them to great things. Too much ego in the dressing room. And a coach like Jose Mourinho going to Real will be anti-football, because Jose is famed for his cagey tactics, not the free-flowing, joga bonito football the Real fans demand. They work for good wins and trohy laden seasons, but things aren't always the same at Madrid.

So I can only conlude one thing, Calderon is a pighead for constantly spewing rubbish to the media. And the owner Perez is a pighead with money. The circus is spectacular but lacks substance in reality.

Note to David Beckham who just tore his Achilles tendon, likely to keep him out of the World Cup. Get well soon Becks. The World Cup will not be a lesser competition without you, but the England team will be less off without your charisma.

Torres leaving Liverpool?

It was recently reported that Fernando Torres, the start striker for Liverpool, is considering a switch away from Liverpool in the summer if Liverpool fails to present itself as a serious title and trophy contender through recruitment of top quality players.

Top quality seems to be rather subjective especially in the world of Benitez. After all, he seems to believe that Aquiliani and Glen Johnson are pretty top quality players.

It is getting quite tiring to read about players wanting to leave the club because the club is not a title contender and thus would affect their future. I am not personally in the industry and thus, I suppose players have objectives to play for their country and maybe secure commercial deals? To achieve these goals, players may feel a need to be exposed to high profile competitions, in order to represent top brands and thus allow their agents to negotiate a good deal for all parties.

I can't help but think about all those inspirational movies revolving around sports. Movies such as "Cool Runnings", "The Mighty Ducks", "The Titans" and many more. These movies are usually based on a true story, depicting how "heart" can change things in a game, how passion and effort means more than just talent. It seems that in reality, talent, hard work and passion do exist but in a different manner. Talented players seek higher grounds, players work hard towards transferring to a better club, players are filled with passion for a club who serve them well, i.e. win win situation. I know I'm making a lot of generalisation here but reality seems to be so.

What might make a good movie would be a story about Portsmouth, if they manage to stay up in the Premiership despite all the odds against them. Maybe they can instill some fantasy back into my world, back into the world.

Torres did say these though:

"It's too soon to talk, I honestly think that we're going to be fourth, but for me Champions League qualification isn't so important."

"I've left my home and it's clear that I owe Liverpool many things, and I'm very happy here. The fans have treated my like one of their own, but I'm going to think about my future and hopefully it will be here. I think these fans deserve to win."

"Beyond thinking about me, I think the club deserve to get back to winning (trophies), but they know themselves that right now that it's far off."

I'll be keeping my hopes up, believing in passion, talent and hard work. Hopefully I won't be disappointed. It doesn't hurt to dream a little, sometimes?