England outplayed and outclassed.

Now this is definitely a face of shock mixed with anger, frustration and disappointment...

Stuart Pearce begins his new two year deal as England's U21 coach with his side being outplayed and outclassed by a far superior German side in the finals yesterday.

This most probably reflects the bleak future of English football while it probably suggests that the Germans are well on their way to dominate European football in the near future. England has only itself to blame especially with its Preimer League flooded with foreign players, not allowing home grown players to shine and gain top flight football experience. Despite the Barclays (English) Premier League being one of the most successful and most watched league in the world, we observe that the top 4 teams are made up mostly of non-english players and more often than not, most teams in the BPL are built around stars that are definitely not english. Teams in the BPL with english players are mostly found struggling to avoid relegation and such is the sad pitiful state that English soccer have become.

Well, while Stuart Pearce continues to scratch his head and plans to revive his young side, it is not a matter that he alone should be wary of. The nation's football (soccer) organisation should be very worried if they intend to continue their status as a serious contender on an international level.

Germany U21 4, England U21 0. Such is the result which reflects the future domination of European soccer.

Toongerines

In recent times, Brazil won yet another international tournament, the Confederations Cup in their now famous yellow jersey which is symbolic of their brand in Samba football and success at every level. Donned by the legendary Peles, Zicos, Romarios, Ronaldos and Ronaldinhos, Brazil gave life to their yellow jersey.

Quite contrasting though is the recent away kit decided by Newcastle United a.k.a the Toon Army. Not satisfied with a "distinct" home kit that resembles that of jailbirds' uniforms from historical times, it got itself a wuss of an away kit which quite frankly reeks of bad fashion taste.

With the demise of their Permiership status, Newcastle's management somehow got itself into deeper embarassment by introducing a granny-inspired yellow kit that equates to their recent brand of football... toothless and dull. Nick names that had already come to mind of observers include "bananas and ice-cream", "deckchair" and "all-day-breakfast". To me, the best one coughed up to date must be "Toongerines".

I wonder who is the mastermind behind the design. Perhaps he is a keen supporter of Sunderland F.C. whose evil desire is to heap more salt into the heavy blows sustained by the Geordie club.. ... " Now what can we add on to relegation to the Coca Cola Division, the impending sale of the club again, an unstable management team and the loss of Michael Owen.... oh I know... how about a really horrible looking away kit?? hehehehe... HAHAHAHAAA!!"

The poor Newcastle fans must be wondering if their beloved Toon Army is really turning into a cartoon nightmare.

USA beats Spain?

Just look at Jozy Altidore's face (above picture)! All I see is a shocked face and I think the whole U.S.A team's probably in a state of disbelieve while Spain's team is in a serious state of SHOCK!

The team from U.S.A beat Spain 2-0 in the confederations cup to reach the finals. I guess the inspired performance and goals from Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey did it for U.S.A.

How that is something quite unheard of and to me, quite shocking news. But I guess it further proves that in a "cup" game, anything can happen as it is all decided in 90mins, on the pitch.

South Africa, the new "place of possibilities"! Go to South Africa if seeking for new beginnings and previously unheard possibilities...!

Transfers: Owen a tiger?

Hull City's manager Phil Brown has confirmed that he's intersted to sign Michael Owen. The question how is whether or not Hull City has the money to sign Owen and whether they can handle such a star at their club.

As a Liverpool fan, it is quite a disaster to see a Liverpool talent wind up at Hull City. However, for Hull City fans, Owen could prove to what they need to survive another season in the Premier League. With Owen, you can always expect a goal or two each game and you can expect that he will strike some fear into the opposing defense and goalkeeper.

Well, if Phil Brown's interest comes true, it'll be interesting to watch Hull City's game next season partly to watch how Owen's going to fit into the club and help Hull City stay in top flight football.

The rise of Asian and African football

North Korea, the one country that has been on the news for all the wrong reasons have finally made the good tabloids for once, albeit the sports section. The North Koreans have made the 2010 World Cup, meaning the other powerhouses in Asia; Saudi Arabia and Iran will have to fight it out for the last automatic slot.


That is the beauty of football and sports really, where no politics and no government can deny the spirit of fairplay and healthy competition. North Korea, as poor an economy as the Western media will have the communist state to be, has risen above the mega-rich and oil churning Middle Eastern countries to raise a generation of players that will be fighting tooth and nail with the rest of the Western world at the biggest stage in international football. Against a Western world which has dominated world political sentiments and the game of football for the longest time. How apt then that it is to be held at South Africa, a state that has gone through its own history of political struggles as a country.

Who says you need a mountain heap of money and funding to build a football team to qualify for the World Cup? North Korea's football team just proved that with hard work and dedication, you can still chase the World Cup dream. A lesson for Singapore's FAS perhaps?

Many will remember 1966 as the year that England won its one and only World Cup. But few remember that it is also the year when an Asian minnow, North Korea stood up to and beat the mighty Italians 1-0. It was one of the greatest sporting achievements of the century and one that could be repeated again in 2010.

I wait in anticipation for the draw at the World Cup. There is always the possibility that North Korea could play the United States... who knows? Will North Korea's Dear Leader Kim Jong Il turn up to support the team? Perhaps President Barack Obama will make an appearance in the continent his father was born in to support the USA team? It will be a great spectacle.

The World Cup is a gathering of the best teams in the different continents. And even though standards usually differ, the gap is closing. Egypt beat Italy in the Confederations Cup just yesterday to prove just the point that Sir Bobby Charlton made about rising international standards.

Will a team from Asia or Africa ever lift the World Cup? Maybe not in the near future, with the teams from South America and Europe clearly the favourites for at least two more World Cup tournaments. But developing countries are certainly moving in the right direction. Who knows, we might just see a certain Asian or African side lift the World Cup to shift the balance of power. Afterall, Greece lifted the European Cup when people least expected it.

Now that will be an interesting thought, wouldn't it?

Master of their own misery

Real Madrid has created their own misery even before their players have started playing in the new season.

In what is painfully obvious to the bystander, all the clubs are now asking for astronomical amounts of money everytime the Spanish club is looking to buy a new player from them to add to their new super acquisitions, Ronaldo and Kaka. I mean seriously, who wouldn't after Real Madrid broke the world transfer record twice in a week ?!?

Now if I am Bayern Munich's general manager who has a player that Real desperately wants, I will conveniently slap another world record transfer fee on his head. Case in point: the club put a price tag of 87 million pounds for Franck Ribery, Bayern's best player and in the opinion of Bayern, better than Cristiano Ronaldo.

Well... I guess Madrid legend and former record transfer holder Zinedine Zidane said it himself, "to get the best players to come, you need to pay a high price." The cold and hard truth is Real needs to pay a price in excess of the last world record transfer fee they paid, every single time they want to gather another mother son of a great player.

Frankly, I am not pitying their sorry "plight" now. They will probably find people quoting ridculous amounts of money for an ordinary defender which by the way they need desperately now for an imbalanced team... I heard they wanted Gael Clichy? How about 50 million pounds, Monsier Perez? I will try for the sky if I am Arsene Wenger.

Other than Ribery, David Villa's club Valencia is probably trying the same tactics as well. President Perez proudly endorsed it didn't he? He mentioned he will stop at nothing to build the best team in the world, so why would Valencia hesitate to ask for 50, 60 or 70 million pounds? Why not? Test his bank reserves, try his ambition... in the end, everyone wins don't they? Really?

So Real Madrid wants or should we say, they need to offload Robben and Sneijder before buying new players. A case of too many players in the same position with Kaka and Ronaldo. How do you propose selling them? Real cannot charge a high price for them, can they? If I am doing business with them, I wouldn't budge from my first offer if I am interested in their players. "Well, you know what Mr Perez... you can either sell them to me or you can keep their butts on the subs bench in an overcrowded first team while paying off their ginormous paychecks for the rest of the new season. Note: their value drops after a season on the bench." Nei ni nei ni boo boo :p

Fabio Cannavaro who left Real Madrid for Juventus mentioned before that the real issues at Real Madrid are not the qualities of the players or the coach but rather the politicking that is causing the instability which translates to the pitch.

I smell something terribly wrong with Perez's footballing strategy, I just have this sneaky feeling that it will all crumble on him... and my oh my, the cracks are already showing.

Says Who?

I have quite enough of this talking about who is coming to Man Utd that has been ongoing ever since Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed his transfer to Real Madrid. The suspense is killing everyone and it isn't helping one bit that newspapers has got names of potential signings plastered all over the front pages.

Truth is, no one knows except Sir Alex Ferguson. And he will be a buffoon if he told any of these rumor mongers who he was signing to the club. The latest I have heard? Fernando Torres!! Do you in the right frame of mind ever think Rafa Benitiez was going to sell one half of his prized attacking duo to his nemesis and closest rival? Not over his dead body I presume. Its so obviously impossible that its laughable to even suggest it. I am sure Sir Alex knows better than try his luck on this one. Karim Benzema looks more feasible.

A last minute ditch effort for David Villa? No no no, I don't think so. For starters, Villa plays similar to Rooney. And he is from La Liga, the place where Diego Forlan top-scored in while at the same time failing to find the net often enough in the BPL to be offloaded by Sir Alex to Villareal while he was at Man Utd. You think Ferguson will spend 45 million pounds for David Villa who didn't even outscore Forlan?

Perhaps Etoo could be a possibility, afterall he was second only to Forlan and very consistently pops up on goalscoring charts in Europe and the La Liga. His powerful game is more suited for the BPL than David Villa who will be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner by tough tackling BPL defenders. Sir Alex will have noted that smaller built forwards seldom succeed in the BPL unless you are brought up in the way of British style football or your myriad of trickery and skills match that of Gianfranco Zola's. Very few can adapt fast enough for the champions' high demands. 45 million pounds for a whole load of uncertainty about one's ability to cope with the rigors of the British game. Nah... not for me.

If Ferguson is smart enough and looking for a cheaper alternative, he will probably go for a cut price but injury prone Michael Owen if he needed a proven goalscorer, to not only allow time but also first team opportunities for Macheda and Welbeck to mature. This is exactly what he did when he lost his main goalscorer in Ruud Van Nistelrooy but brought in Swede veteran Henrik Larsson to allow Rooney and Ronaldo to mature into the players they are today. Sir Alex's proven style of management seldom changes in transition phases even if he has the cash to spend wildly. He will also probably do all he possibly can to keep Carlos Tevez at the club to maintain stability of the first team as it usually takes time to develop camaderie and players' mutual understanding. Tevez has already achieved that in his two years with Man Utd.

But then again, who am I to say so?

Here's to the future.

The reason why I am proud to be a Man Utd fan: the fans. The maturity, the club loyalty and the big heart that typifies the true Man Utd fans make them the best football fans in the world. So what if Ronaldo leaves, it doesn't change Manchester United one bit. This club is far bigger than any star it has produced over the years. Here's a toast to the future of Man Utd.

Courtesy of Stretford End Season Ticket holder and Man Utd fan Paul Davies

"So it looks like Ronaldo is getting his dream move to Madrid and Sir Alex will have a transfer kitty available to reshape his team. Personally, I think that’s no bad thing.

I was never one of those disgruntled Reds who booed him when he returned to action last season, but, if I’m honest, I could never muster the same enthusiasm for the “Viva Ronaldo” chants as I’d done previously. Nor could many others. The sentiment being that anyone who isn’t totally committed to the Red cause can leave.

Plenty of United fans will be disappointed today, as no supporter likes to see their best player leave. But plenty of others – especially those in the hardcore that follow the team home and away – will not be quite so sad at his impending departure.

For many, Ronaldo’s courting of Real last summer took the shine off what should have been a summer of celebration. We’d won a third European Cup and a 17th title, yet all we heard about was the Portuguese trying to manufacture a move away from Old Trafford. It felt disrespectful and showed a real lack of commitment to United, and for some supporters these things are forgiven but certainly not forgotten.

He eventually stayed on for the 2008/09 season but could not repeat his form of the previous campaign – it would have been an incredible feat if he had – which reassures me that Manchester United are a quality side and not only about one man. Ronaldo wasn’t poor last term, but he had far less impact than in the two previous campaigns and yet the Reds still scooped three trophies. It’s not a bad base from which to rebuild.

Of course we’ll miss his free-kicks and goals contribution, but in Sir Alex Ferguson we have the best manager to cover for this. We all feared when Roy Keane left that we’d never be able to find a man of his stature to replace him. In the end we didn’t need to, instead Sir Alex spread the load and contribution of Keano across several players – including bringing in our now midfield lynchpin Michael Carrick. The same is called for again.

As well as being confident that Sir Alex will strengthen and cover for the loss of the world player of the year – although, surely that title will soon pass to Messi – I’m delighted we’ll be spared another summer of Ronaldo speculation.

Fergie says the United bus is always moving and waits for no one. So thanks for everything, Ronny, but here's to the future. Ding ding. Tickets, please."

Ronaldo leaves Man Utd

It has been confirmed by the club's official site. Man Utd has agreed to sell Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid for a world record fee of 80 million pounds. That is in excess of 131 million US dollars or close to 200 million Sing dollars. WOW !! With that money you can buy Newcastle United now ;)

Real Madrid just re-broke the record they set with Kaka at 56 million pounds. My word, this new Real president Perez guy has got some serious money. How can a sane club possibly turn down the offer which could possibly help them rebuild the entire team again plus fund many other developments. While Ronaldo is seen as indispensable to Man Utd's first team in the last two years, he is only so because the team was built around his attacking forays. Now with Ronaldo gone, Man Utd can focus on building a balanced first team which still boasts the talent of Berbatov and Rooney.

Real Madrid sure has financial muscle, I must do a google search to find out what this Florentino Perez guy does for a living. Signing players of Ronaldo and Kaka's calibre cannot possibly go wrong, afterall they are World Player of the Year winners. What you probably miss out on is the chance to unravel raw talents from your youth team. Unlike Barca, who boasts a vibrant youth system, Real's riches and their board's fickle-mindedness is their bane on an ineffective youth system which last produced a recognizable Spanish talent in the ageing Raul Gonzalez. The other obvious clue which could spell a trophyless season i.e. doom for the Madrid club is that while in awe of Perez's indulgent signings, the defence remains the weakest link at Real. Cannavaro is ageing, while Pepe and Heinze struggled to keep pace with Barca's attack last season. Sergio Ramos on the other hand attacked better than he defended. Casillas as good as he is, was left exposed too many times last season. Looks like nothing is going to change at the back even while Ronaldo and Kaka bombs forward.

Is Ronaldo able to replicate his success and win championships consistently as he did at Man Utd with Real Madrid? Frankly, I don't think so. Not because he is not that good a player to do so but I really don't think he will ever find the same winning mentality as he did with Man Utd. Real Madrid looks more like a "Harlem Globetrotters" of soccer; a show team of "Galaticos" more than a serious team. Their team balance now is unhealthily tilted towards players with attacking and flair more than players who can solidly defend, provide stability and a workhorse/team mentality. Flair in itself is not going to win Perez any sustained success as his first batch of Galaticos has proven him before embarassingly. Well, I guess then that Real Madrid probably suits a player who has allowed his ego to go to his head in recent times, even bordering on disrespect.

Goodbye Ronaldo, we will certainly miss you but it wouldn't be too long.

Newcastle to be sold to Singapore based company???

The people behind bringing Liverpool to Singapore this Summer might soon be owning Newcastle United Football Club. "Profitable Group" is a Singapore based investment company with two Liverpool greats in their executive team, Kenny Dalglish and Stephen McMahon. If these people do get Newcastle United F.C., I sure hope they are in this for the long run and hopefully do a better job than Mike Ashley. Well, we may all have our doubts about this, but it sure will be cool to have something Singaporean own a piece of something in Newcastle.

Transfers: Moving on to help AC Milan's financial crisis?

...and now he belongs to Real Madrid. Kaka has been sold to Real Madrid for a record breaking 59 million pounds. Apparently, one of the reasons Kaka decided to sign for Real Madrid is because he knows that his price tag will help AC Milan tide over the financial crisis. What a "sweet sweet thought". If this is truly true, then I guess there is still some glimmer of hope out there for this ugly world that we live in.

Kaka at Real Madrid. What next? Real Madrid seems to be on a buying and spending spree and it'll be interesting to see what team they'll be putting together to take back the Spanish La Liga and maybe even the Champions League trophy.

Antonio Valencia + Karim Benzema for Man Utd?

With Kaka's confirmed transfer to Real Madrid, Man Utd could be less likely to see the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, unless of course the Madrid team is going to spend another 80 million pounds on Ronaldo. This will be a scary thought, having 160 million Euros spent on two players with no gurantee of success. But then again, nothing is a surprise these days with football transfers.

The attention has switched to Man Utd. Speculation is rife that Man Utd is interested to sign Wigan's Antonion Valencia (top left). The right winger has impressed for Wigan in the BPL for two seasons now. I think he is a fairly good winger, traditional and hardworking, able to cross and shoot decently, and also has two good feet. His runs and natural flair reminds me of Kanchelskis, the Russian winger when he was at Man Utd. But whether is he good enough to challenge Park, Nani, Ronaldo, Tosic, Martin and an ageing Giggs for a spot in the 1st team, I am not so sure. Well, Nani was thought to be the one who will play winger for Man Utd in the future but he has failed to justify his potential and transfer fee. Valencia will be a good squad player to have but might not add enough to the first team.

Karim Benzema (most top) is someone I have admired for the longest time. Seriously, if Man Utd needed another striker, then it has to be Karim Benzema. While I really will hate to see Tevez go to a rival club, Benzema is the answer to allay all fears in me. He is the complete stiker in my opinion and if he hasn't proven himself at the highest level, he could do so with Man Utd. The boy's got touch, two fantastic feet, quick accelaration and a keen eye for goal. I will love to see him at Man Utd.

Who is coming to strengthen Man Utd this year? It will be a thrill to know.

"Where do we go from here?"

In what was probably the worst season for Newcastle fans in near memory, the fans are still enduring a big hangover from relegation with their club being put up for sale. Surely they must be asking "Where do we go from here now?"

No doubt that Newcastle has lost abit of its attractiveness after being relegated to the Coca Cola Division for 2009/2010, now it is being marketed as an entity for sale. Whats going to happen to Newcastle? Are they going to be the next Leeds United who has been mismananged, resulting in the sad demise of a club which used to fight for Champions League honors.

In times of uncertainty, the fan and owner that is Mike Ashley always decides that he has enough and is ready to sell the club. This is not his first try at making a quick exit from a presumably sinking ship. One has to question his timing again. While I think he has proved himself to be an ineffectual owner, this man has pretty much lost all respect at a club whose fans are proud believers in their team. With the relegation of Newcastle, I expected some fight in the man who claims to be a fan of Newcastle United. I expected the owner to show some grit and put his money where he says his loyalty lies, get his team some new players, put in place a new gaffer like Alan Shearer who breathes life into the team and assist the club in their bid to get back into the Premiership. At the end of the day, I guess he is still a man persuaded by investment gains and losses rather than club loyalty.

Not that it is a bad thing. Newcastle actually is better off without Mike Ashley. I hope for the sake of all Newcastle fans, that the club gets an owner who truly believes in the team like they do, who will own the club not based on investment purposes but shares the ambition of the Geordie faithful, who is a firm believer in making this club great again. A new owner, a new start, a new era for the Newcastle fans who so deserve it.

Transfers: Money Talks!

The first major transfer has occurred between Manchester City and Aston Villa. Villa has lost their captain to Manchester City for 12 million pounds. What a pathetic scene.

Just 12 months ago, a similar saga occurred with Liverpool trying to bring him to Anfield, but with no avail. Gareth had previously expressed his desire to play in Europe and also dedicated himself to Villa's fight for top flight football. Now, with Villa qualifying to the Europa league and Man City no where near European football, Barry left for a raise in salary and at a price tag, lower than the original 18 million pounds. It seems as though money was a key factor to his transfer but surprisingly, Gareth decided to pen down a public apology to the people at Villa Park. If you ask me, all these cockamamie talk about believing in the vision of the club and wanting new challenges is "bullshit".

Ultimately, I think Gareth knows that Aston Villa will never be able to offer him as much money as Manchester City and with O'Neil needing cash to increase depth in the team for next season, Gareth Barry became the ideal sale. I believe Gareth could have sold himself out for a higher salary OR could have been sold out by the club for money. I don't think Gareth Barry will enjoy the game as much as he will with Villa. Mark Hughes may have his plans for Gareth Barry but it will be exciting to see who he brings in next and at what price. With Gareth Barry being 28 years old and with the track records of the owners behind these newly bought rich clubs, I don't think we will see Gareth Barry there for more than a season.

Who knows what the real reason is behind this transfer and who knows that their true plans are. As we all know, more often than not, the best stories never get published.

Hmm... Chocolate Milk.

Interestingly, I recently overheard on Class 95, Singapore's popular deejay Jean Danker mentioning about one wonderful effect of chocolate milk I never knew. Well, according to published scientific studies... chocolate milk actually helps athletes recover faster from strenous exercise than the usual and expensive sports drink made for that purpose, case in example Gatorade.

Apparently, in the study made, chocolate milk outperforms sports drinks in every department when it comes to enhancing the performance of atheletes who undergo high intensity physical training. Even expensive and highly engineered drinks fail to replicate these effects with chocolate milk. Nothing beats nature and wholesome foods huh.

Well, if anyone needed some additional convincing... six-time gold medalist Michael Phelps for one drank Carnation Instant Breakfast before his races at the 2004 Summer Olympics. And soccer's very own Wayne Rooney goes for milkshakes after intensive training sessions. Fans who pay attention will note Rooney's exceptional capability to recover quickly from his past injuries... maybe its all just down to chocolate milkshake?!?!

All I know is, there is now a good enough reason for those who don't think about exercising to start exercising again...

Is it time for Ronaldo to go?

Its premature, but the question must surely suffice in the coming months. Is Man Utd ready to do without Cristiano Ronaldo? It will be rather unthinkable now, to see Ronaldo leave Man Utd. But in recent times, Ronaldo's attitude and disrespect for the club manager has made it increasingly likely that its time for him to leave.

Man Utd is well known for sending unwanted players to Real Madrid, the dumping grounds for ex Man Utd talent, including Van Nistelrooy, Heinze and Beckham. Truth is, comments made by the man himself looks increasingly likely that Ronaldo is biding his time at Man Utd. His comments are not reflective of a happy camper.

Should a mega deal be struck by Man Utd for Franck Ribery of Bayern Munich, it might not be a bad idea to offload Ronaldo in return for some extra profit. The work attitude and creativity of Ribery could be better suited to Man Utd's current first team. His team mentality might benefit Berbatov and Rooney more than Ronaldo who is the focal point of every Man Utd attack. Ribery might not score as many but he creates plenty to which Berbatov must convert into goals.

Maybe its time to inject some freshness into the first team for next season. Sir Alex will not want to dwell on a team that is becoming too predictable in its attacking play to close opponents and has seen its predictability being crushed in clinical fashion by Barcelona. Ribery will add a new dimension on the wings but it might have to be at the expense of a certain self declared "best footballer in the world".