Arsenal beat Manchester City 1-0

It's about time. It's time to be tom yam by Manchester City. 1-0 is good enough to prove that Manchester City's fortune as well as Thaksin's may have turned for the better. For the boys in Red, it'll be a day of reckoning and soul-searching. It's better to rethink what happened and what to do for now. My prediction came true with one goal average. Mr Quah - Man U is heading into oblivion. The city of Tom Yam is really winning.

This was the man of the hour. A little of Geovanni's Samba and a little of Eriksson's touch, Manchester City is now the leader of the English Premier League. 

I believe Fergie needs more direction. He has yet to find it and at such an early start of the season, Manchester United is definitely not having a good time at all. Sorry Man U fans, time to prepare for a bad season ahead. Teams to watch out for - Chelsea and Manchester City.

Man City will beat Man U 2-1 tonite. Somehow, Man U may not have it to win tonite. I guess by tonite, we will all know the outcome and how the game turned out to be. Expect an explosive match-up between England's 2 finest professional team. Mr Old monkey Quah, don't expect Man U to carry this game. I believe the Thai factor is playing against Man U. Expect Thai "black magic" to see the game through and Man City will be the victorious team :)

Yes - Nicol David has done it again. She conquered the CIMB Singapore Women Masters crown in 54 mins beating Australia's Natalie Grinham. A prime example of one individual who continues to live up to her dreams without any intervention from politicians or royalties. What is better is that she is a Penangnite.

Nicol offered some reasons for her victory. She kept her cool and stayed discipline and prevented her nemesis from upsetting her rhythm.

Keep on rolling Nichol!

Good call..good decision. Very seldom you see something constructive but this deserves a good pat on the back. POLITICIANS should not be involved in Sports Bodies, period!

I believe it will do more good for all sports in this country than one can imagine. Take the case of the state of our football national team. Not only we lost our grip of what was Malaysia's proud sport, we now have a situation in which other so-called "politicians" wanting to do their part to upgrade soccer standards in the country. Seriously, doing it using the TV Reality format does more harm than good. So what if we have a dream team that can beat the best teams in the Premier League of England Malaysia. What is the continuity?

Seriously, one should hear what Mr. Lim Teong Kim has to say. Malaysia lacks football infrastructure. I am sure if we want to do this game more good than harm, start them young. Have good football fields all over the country in different states and have them called as Penang Under 12 team, Penang U-19 team and have them play against their fellow peers. Of course , at this tender age, players need to maintain their academic performance. We wouldn't want a player who does not know how to count or even read, would we?

Again, this is not rocket science. If we ever want a Malaysian player playing in Europe or England, they must have the will to do so. Nothing will make donkey sense if they have an inbuilt inferiority complex which disallows them to make it elsewhere. After all, Lim Teong Kim did play in the German League and today he coaches the U-19 team of Bayern Munich. So, who says one can't make it overseas? We have other coaches in other fields that are making it big - I can't remember their names but we as a country need to continue to promote sports as what it's.

Seriously, a bid for 2014 World Cup will be a long shot, but think of it this way....Anyway, Brazil is the only country bidding at the moment. So why not give them a run for their money....

Forget about the call of Malaysia Boleh (Malaysia can do it!). I suggest we start looking inwards first and improve the standards of the sports. If Nichol David can be a world champ in her own rights, lets soul search the efforts needed to have a national blueprint for sports. Lets start having a good infrastructure throughout the county. Not just Bukit Jalil stadium alone but the likes of a good football field, swimming pool, tennis courts throughout the padi fields of Kedah to the far reaching heights of Gunung Kinabalu...etc..etc.

I am no sportsman but I believe too much meddling by non-sports persons may have done more harm than good for the sports. This is very important as more and more self proclaimed "sports messiah" mushrooming throughout the country, the essense of winning the game for national pride becomes lesser.

This is one of my wish list for our country's National Day - improve our sports standards and this will bring the people together. After all, Iraq just kicked Saudis in a dream match of the year....why can't Malaysia beat Brazil in a soccer game .... think of it ya?

Iraq  is now the new Asian Cup champions. Celebrations all over Iraq rang out after the last whistle was blown in Indonesia. Even CNN gave a "breaking news" item for this result. Just when the rest of the world celebrated together with Iraq and its people, I am sure many will agree that Malaysia really needs to "tabik dada and tanya selera" about the future state of its own soccer programme. I mean our beloved national soccer team.

I am not sure where and how the FAM will drive this but again, my concerns. Involvement of politicians as well as dignitaries may have done more harm than good. Leave FAM alone. Let it have a major shakeout and probably something good may come out of it.

Read this latest Bernama news....many Malaysians probably support their National team. However, isn't it time to get some professionals to do something about it. Good show polticians...but the game requires professionals...time to start looking for some and leave the game alone!

July 30, 2007 23:16 PM

'Give Me Deputy One, Khairy Deputy Two' - Shahidan

KANGAR, July 30 (Bernama) -- Perlis Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said he was willing to shoulder the responsibility to restore the dignity of national football.
He added: "No need for contest. Just give deputy president one post to me and Khairy Jamaluddin deputy two because we can do the work."
He told Bernama this after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi launched the Perlis-level Northern Corridor Economic Region here today.
Shahidan, who is Perlis Football Association president, said he and Khairy were a suitable match and had no problems in working together for national football.
Recently, the Tengku Mahkota of Pahang Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah stepped down from being Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) deputy president. Following this, Khairy relinquished his position as an independent member of the FAM Council.
The other FAM deputy president is Datuk Redzuan Sheikh Ahmad.
-- BERNAMA

Who says they can't do it? Who claims that South Korea is a major player in the Asian football arena? Iraq considered an underdog in the Asian Cup tournament took the world by storm. They defeated South Korea 4-3 via penalties. While Iraq continues to be ravaged by civil disturbances from within, the country is simple overjoyed with the latest results.

While many Iraqis were celebrating, many of these poor souls died when bombers targeted them. I guess the terrorists are a bunch of losers. Can't bear to see Iraqis rallying around their fellow countrymen at Bukit Jalil Stadium celebrating their victory against South Korea.

Seriously, there is indeed a theory that goes around politics. Soccer is indeed a major unifying game that can bring people together. Many terrorists and politicians tend to use this game as their platform to gain support.......this is my theory. Case in point, Thailand.

Manchester City - The former deposed PM of Thailand is now the owner of this Premier League team. He is now saying that he will draft 2 Thai National players to play in the English team he owns. Imagine this. Thailand has a love affair with soccer. What better ways to distract the citizens to rise up against the military junta by using soccer as a "weapon"? Things that make you go...hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Case in point, Malaysia... 

Think I will skip this one. Why? Well, one thing for sure - FAM (Football Association of Malaysia) is now in turmoil. Hence, the best way now is to get non-politicians to run it. After all, our ranking is not even near the top 100....I think I better don't go down that path. Politicians wanting to make a name from soccer in Malaysia are now staying away from it. It's quite a liability to many of them now. Some even chose to eat the humble pie and leave. You know who should run the team now? Serbie Singh, Soh Chin Aun...to name a few. They could bring back glory to this game called soccer.

Iraq doesn't have World Class stadiums like Bukit Jalil. But guess what, they kicked ass and I predict they will beat Saudi Arabia 2-1. That is a force to be reckon with. So for those in FAM, take a hard look into this. Get a coach. Suggest someone of the likes of Dunga....pay a little bit more. Players get inspired and change the bloody Premier League of Malaysia. It's getting very pathetic.

I think we can learn a thing or two from the Americans or the Aussies. I don't play ball but I can definitely cheer for my favorite team - SS Quah - eat your heart out - Chelsea is gonna kick ass this season...

 Litt le Cornelius got his first medal in his first ever Sports Day in school. I am sure he is delighted with this....As usual, he is camera shy...and not wanting to be in the picture as usual, he turned away immediately after receiving his bronze medal.

He is back...this time big time with Manchaster City. Will he create "waves" in the EPL league - ala "Tom Yam" style? Only time will tell!

Playing mind games

LONDON: England manager Steve McClaren has claimed the impressive form of David Beckham at the moment has been sparked off by his being dropped from the national team.  

Beckham’s performances against Estonia on Wednesday and last week against Brazil have led to claims that he should not have been left out by McClaren in the first place.  

Back in favour: David Beckham, dropped after last year’s World Cup, was recalled to the England team for the Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia on Wednesday.

But the England manager insists he made the right move after the World Cup – and also did the same when he decided to bring the Real Madrid player back into the international fold.  

McClaren said: “I wouldn’t change the decision (to leave him out), I felt it was correct at the time for everybody, the squad and the team.  

“I wouldn’t change my decision to bring him back either. I felt it was the right time, and if he had been fit for Andorra and Israel it might have been earlier – in October he wasn’t in the Real Madrid side.  

“I just know that what we are seeing now is David Beckham the player that everybody knows.” 

McClaren said he has not been surprised by the way Beckham has reacted to his original omission from the former Middlesbrough manager’s first squad last August.  

Asked why it had taken a shock to the system for Beckham to respond, McClaren said: “Believe you me it doesn’t matter whether you have the best talent in the world or the lowest talent in the world, in all walks of life, in business or in sport, it just becomes more evident and more plain in sport.  

“It has taken a shock, both individually and as a team, to change things and that is what has happened.  

“You come across adversity and it’s how you react – for example Michael Owen has reacted to his injury by coming back better.  

“It’s the in-born character and we need people like Michael and David, those type of characters. David has reacted exactly as I thought he would when that decision was made, he’s taken a conscious effort and since the new year he has looked fitter, stronger.” – AFP 

MY COMMENTARY:

Sometimes in life, it is this way. Trust me - I know it too well.

It has not been an easy week but some great news to share. Firstly, Proton could be owned by 51% by week end and secondly, England is back on track. With David Beckham back in form , one can really hope he continues to bring the team to greater heights. It's a revival of his career but he needs to keep his consistency in check. Otherwise, it could be a situation of a flash in the pan. England beat Estonia 3-0 with 2 of the goals scored was due to the passes from Beckham. Again, I will be cautious to say that it could be a flash in the pan but at least a draw with Brazil and a win over Estonia puts England back on the track of recovery. I am quite excited about this. Lets hope it continues....

What a game...what a score! I am glad that Beckham set up the goal for John Terry. Sorry Mr Quah, Mr Beck is back for good :) Brazil ... eat your heart out ! England 1  Brazil 1 !

The blond boy...Mr. Posh ...Mr Beckham has been recalled back to the English team. I was bloddy heart broken when England bowed out of the last World Cup. Painful as it seems...i think the current team is still struggling to make things happen in a country where soccer was born there.

Maybe it's time for England to settle some scores with Brazil in the next coming match. Good luck England. I know at least Beck is finally back...maybe for a shortwhile. My prediction : England 1 Brazil 0

Not a big fan of Man U but the latest cancellation of their trip has made Malaysia and its FAM (Football Association) look like ..ahem...bad...(better word to use).

I have a suggestion. Get AirAsia to fly them in specially to celebrate our 50th Anniversary....really...how nice if all Malaysians start writing to AirAsia and a special flight can be arranged to ferry the entire Man U team into KL after the dreaded AFC Asian Cup tournament. A food for thought...maybe :) Have a great weekend!