Vitriolic Villain

Congrats Rafa! Where's your goatee?

Its high noon at Villa Park tomorrow, fueled by Gareth Barry transfer saga.
Of course, Martin O'Neill was angry about the way Liverpool haggled over his captain.
Barry himself had conceded defeat about playing in CL. With Villa?....forget it.
That sums up the mood for tomorrow's encounter.

Will there be a handshake between the gaffers?
Rafa said he does not enjoy a good relationship with O'Neill but being a calm man, does not discount a good handshake. Yes, he would.....after the Reds annihilate the home side. Fat chance?

Sure, Liverpool were poor in the previous games but keep winning games, weren't we?
SG won't be playing but Monster Masch will be up for this one as direct replacement, fresh from gold grabbing act in Beijing. Albert Riera, if he passed medical won't be there either. It's Babel or lightweight Benayoun for the left wing berth. Sadly, both do not excite me.

Well, too much at stake here. Lose and Chelsea could be opening a gap before international break next week.
Dunno what's wrong with Liverpool these days, something is missing.
Maybe Mascherano's tireless legs or maybe the high expectation burdening the players.
Whatever it is, the season starts tomorrow at Villa Park. It's make or break...

The players know better....to keep the momentum going.
Another sub standard performance and the likes of Carew, Agbonlahor and Young will ever be ready to punish them.

Your predictions?

SJI87 Community Bloggers Merdeka Teh Tarik Session 270808

(Jack Sparrow plugging away while Loose Cannon engrossing himself with an informer)

(Loose Cannon & Kajang-Today)

As Mother Nature wreaked havoc in most parts of KL late yesterday, the Merdeka TTS went ahead as scheduled at our "Blog House".
Although attendance was poor by our standard... SJI maaa, the MANY lucky attendees not bugged by TB* syndrome and foul weather were not disheartened, the rendezvous went just fine.

Views exchanged, pics snapped and secrets secretly told.

*TB- takut bini.

p/s Mat Taiwan will arrange a BUKA PUASA meet up. Details will be out soon.

Liver Bird has 9 Lives too

Update

Champions League Draw

Group D

• Liverpool
• PSV Eindhoven
• Olympique Marseille
• Atletico Madrid

First game away at Stade de Velodrome 16/9, 3 days after MU. Last season the Reds whacked them 4-0.
Nando granted his wishes to 'belasah' his former club, Real's poor cousin Atletico Madrid.
The fixtures look tough on paper huh...but as always, the Reds will prevail.

Read more on CL draw HERE


Original posting

Liverpool got out of jail once again...ermm in 4 consecutive games actually.
This time, it was Dirk Kuyt (pic) who spared the blushes, sidefooting a teasing Ryan Babel's cross in the 118th minutes, against a valiant Standard Liege for whom Mbokani was superb....the next Drogba maybe minus a silly haircut..wow, 2 minutes away from the dreaded penalties.

In stark contrast to PP by-election, Goliath was nearly slaughtered but for some divine intervention.

I was livid, on the edge of my couch potato sofa really...cursing another awful display.
Or has Liverpool perfected the art of winning ugly? It seems so lately, winning games when they are not at their best....and scoring in the last 10 minutes in every game so far. Suppose with the current form, it's only a matter of time before somebody inflicting the 1st defeat, when they finally run out of luck. Villains at Villa Park this weekend perhaps?

Except for few players, they rest were pathetic, El Nino included.
Keano? What can I say? Another insipid play...looks like a misfit...boring stuff.
El Zhar looks promising though.

Nevertheless, the Reds are through to CL proper but with a cost, Stevie G will be missed for 15 days as he undergoes a groin operation. More on the CL draw later.
MU on 13/9 looks certainly daunting now if he doesn't recover in time.

And I thought only cats have 9 lives....Liver Bird certainly has it too.

Heroes to Zeroes Part Deux

The polling stations in Permatang Pauh by-election are now officially closed. Well...some are waiting for the result with bated breath, some already conceded defeat and some are hoping for the unlikeliest upset. Will Goliath be slayed tonight? Certainly do not think so.

The question that comes to my mind-Chong Wei, where art thou? Wonder if he's in his hometown, paying his dues to the nation that gives him so much.

Eat your heart out folks...a Datuk in his twenties...the latest addition to the never ending list of Datuks and Datins in our country. That too, after a pathetic display in the final.

Talking about rewards, spare a thought or two for Rohullah Nikpai. Who?Yes, it's Rohullah Nikpai. Sounds like a Nepalese watchmen you'd say. No, he's not.

He is a fighter, a taekwondo exponent from Afghanistan who just won a bronze for his homeland.

I've never been to Kabul, yet I was reliably informed that electricity supply is only 4 hours a day and inconsistent one at that.... so he was forced to adjust his training schedule according to availability of electricity supply to the rundown gym he's training in.

Guess what he's doing in his sparetime? Don't laugh...he's a barber in between trainings.

See how lucky our athletes are?

In the most harrowing of times, Rohullah and his family were forced to emigrate to some transitional camps in Iran, coming back only recently. That's where he picked up the Korean martial arts...guess he's not only picking up but a good, masterful one at that...and he beat one Spanish bloke, a world champion en route to winning the bronze. How's that?

You have to beat a champion to be a champion in every sense of the word...not like some chums huh..

Yes, in a country ravaged by war, Taliban regime etc..he is a saviour, sort of national hero at this moment if time.

I too, would consider him an Olympic hero...I'll put him above Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps any time. He's a living proof that success is achievable if you have the talent.

And his rewards...a govt house from Hamid Karzai, sort of DBKL flats here in Bolehland.

You hear me, Chong Wei?

p/s- my niece, MU crazy Emma in UIA, Gombak is now driving a new set of wheels, u truly deserved it gal. Sort of champions too.

Boon or Bane

Heard over radio while driving to work this morning:-
BAN ON FOREIGN PROS IS SET TO STAY!

Ohhh big deal..local league anyway, wasn't overtly paying attention though..hehe but at least it's not a Flip Flop decision.
and then, reasons cited :-

1. Foreign strikers hogged the goalscoring chart
2. Most of foreign pros were bad signings etcetera,

and a few other meek reasons, can't remember it...erk, feel like turning off the radio. Sickening!

To the state FAs and the bigwigs,

Whose fault is it when the foreign pros you signed turned to be an accidental limping tourist?

A lesser version of Pini Zahavi mischievous act or the non existence of talent scouts network? or keeping up with the spirit 'biar papa asal bergaya'?

To start with, who is of a sound mind wants to ply their trade in Malaysia if they can cut it in Europe's big leagues or in Asian continent, Japan and Korea? If they are that good, zero chance they will slip the grasp of vulture like football agents scattered over the lesser continent like Africa. The young pros would be shipped and nurtured in smaller leagues like Belgian and French, cutting their teeth waiting to be discovered and paid a ransom in EPL, La Liga or Serie A. Some might make it, some don't. So, obviously those who did touch our shores were a bunch of leftovers, unwanted, discarded...any other name you may want to put across....and after that, classify them as mediocre.

They were already MEDIOCRE when you signed them. Good players command hefty salary which is out of reach for most state FAs. So they sign a cheap player and what do they get? 5 star performance? Well...kindly do the math.

and for crying out loud, even Leeds United which went into administration paid the salaries on time.........didn't they?

Boro Blues

update

Final score Liverpool 2-1 Boro

2 goals in the last 5 minutes inclusive of stoppage time courtesy of Carra, deflected of coz huk..huk and Stevie G's belter.

The omens are good I'd say. Carra who rarely scores, it's like 5 in over 500 games, getting on the scoresheet...wow, seems like they had luck in abundance these days...and sure, it augurs well for the race of EPL.

Next victim, Standard Liege on Wed.

Bring'em on.

Tomorrow, the Reds will entertain self proclaimed Kings of Riverside, Boro at Anfield.

1st home game of the season at 11 pm local time.

Last season, we won 3-2 at home albeit with lots of luck. Torres scored a hat trick...capitalising on some dreadful Boro defending. Julio Arca who's no longer around gifted him the 1st goal while Schwarzer's indecision cost Boro the 3rd goal. We're lucky, very very lucky in fact to wrap the game with 3 points as Boro finished the game strongly.

How do we fare this time around? Hard to tell...the previous 2 games were not so convincing.

But it is Anfield tomorrow..the Reds might just nick it though. I certainly hope so...at least to keep up with the front runners. Chelsea looks frightening last week, Gunners also won at home while MU dropped points against Newcastle.

Liverpool 3-0 Boro...hehe that could be my next posting title..we'll see tomorrow.

Meanwhile, my fellow blogger Mat Taiwan has invited me for a TTS (Teh Tarik Session) sometimes next week...sort of Amateur All Blogger Session in support of a certain "Loose Cannon".

Check out his invitation http://sji87community.blogspot.com/2008/08/teh-tarik-session-bloggers-n-none.html

Hmmm...the popular Loose Cannon

Heroes to Zeroes

Can't help feeling pity for Lee Chong Wei.

Just came back to Bolehland from Beijing, smashed to smithereens( Rizal's words) by Lin Dan, now he is in limelight for all the wrong reasons. Just check NST's Vijesh Rai take on him today...you'll get what i mean. Sigh...

Phew...he only got a silver medal, mind you. Who remembers 2ND placing after all? ....and now a Datukship from Penang? That's too much OK...ain't 300K and a lifelong monthly pension of 3K not enough for now?

Sure, you can grant him Datukship later after he has retired but now? I don't know but tend to agree to the notion of political gamesmanship....and the cheque presentation will be done at Bukit Mertajam where Permatang Pauh by-election will be contested on Aug 26. What does that tell you?

Chong Wei is not Penang born. He was born in Perak, a state now governed by PR. His family migrated to Penang when he was already a teenager.

Guess, that conferment of Datuk to Nicol David earlier has set a precedence, a bad one though.

Now, whoever it was who mooted the idea ought to be seen as fair thus the same award to Chong Wei. That begs a question for another Penangite Esther Cheah for she too won international accolades, why no Datuk for her?

I'm not against rewarding athletes with monetary perks or even Datukship for that matter but the timing is wrong. Award him or her or him/her when they retire ala Mokhtar, Ghani Minhat or Boon Bee. Not now....but LATER.

And please, don't hold any thanksgiving dinners, kenduris and what not for him. Look at what happened to doubles pair KKK-TBH. Where are they now in world rankings?

Touted as gold medal prospect after winning All England, were they not feted like kings and queens when they touched down at KLIA? Those kenduris and all...

All those beras siam do make them FAT and I foresee Chong Wei to be there in London as well, the back up players not forthcoming. So do not spoil him, PLEASE!

Malaysia Cup and I..Part 2

1986...

I have fond memories of 1986. I am in Form 4 now...so called the honeymoon year as there's no major exam in F4. Fresh from clearing the 1st hurdle that is SRP...no, it wasnt clearing really, I really scored big time in SRP...suddenly, honeymoon year beckons.

Wow, it was a honeymoon in every sense of the word...though some my actions or rather inactions then would later comeback to haunt me in years to come.

That year Selangor met Johore, the reigning champion in the final. Being considered as big boys now, my friends and I decided that we've had enough of watching the final in a dimly lit Dewan Makan...time to rough it up, time to join the mob and there were we in Stadium Merdeka, lining up to buy the tickets.

I still remember vividly how it rained cats and dogs in the hours before the 1st whistle being blown. It was really pouring....good Omen maybe? Ahh..the old laksa shack near the stadium provided us shelter and above all, cheap and good food.

Enter the stadium, the scene was unbelievable...it was packed with Selangor diehards, big time.

We're not overawed though as Stadium Merdeka was a familiar hunting ground, what with my alma mater, SJI holding its annual Sports Day in the hallowed turf...not to mention my school soccer team exploits there. The days of Isham Hassan, Shamsuri Alias and yes, funnyman Harith Iskander too revisited.

Match proper, Johore drew 1st blood, the then young, up and coming Dollah Salleh scored with a header. Johore 1-0 Selangor.

And then....on a muddy pitch, Selangor scored 6..yes six without reply. Can't really recalled who scored except subs Mutalib Adam who scored last.

Mokhtar was in his swansong game, Aru kept goal...the rest were Khan Hung Meng, 1st Indon import Ristomoyo Kassim..ahhh...can't really remember the rest now. I think Ristomoyo did score too.

Guess he started the foreigners' influx..and Semi Pro days hasn't even started yet.

Final score Selangor 6-1 Johore.

Mokhtar later announced his retirement and Selangor retired the No 10 jersey. Did Safee Sali wearing that number now? OMG..flip flop decision.

Ohhh 1986...that was before Fandi powered KL reigned supreme with 3 titles on the trot 1987-1989.

Come Saturday, would Selangor repeat the 1986 feat? On paper...seems too big a task...but hey, God works in mysterious way...who knows?

Malaysia Cup and I..Part 1

I grew up watching M'sia Cup Final on a small TV set placed high on a cabinet, in a dimly lit "Dewan Makan" in my hostel, Asrama Dr Latiff. The hostel is now long gone, demolished to make way for Ampang elevated hiway, all in the name of development..shhesshh.

Yeah..those days, we're only allowed to watch TV on weekends..ahh I still remember the principal, the late Cikgu Ghani who later took on Ustaz Ismail Kamus in Gombak in PRU 10 after his retirement. Most of my friends still do remember him..for all the wrong reasons I guess.

Back to M'sia Cup...the Dewan Makan then, would be filled to its brim whenever the Final is carried live on TV, all boys, fanatics or otherwise. There would be thousands...err hundreds of us, acne faced boys shouting our support for Selangor, naturally since we all came from all nooks and corners of Selangor. Front seats were reserved to the Fifth Former though...the TV screen barely visible amidst clapping hands, foots et al. Forget about the commentaries...expletives accompanying each missed chance easily drowned the voice of Rahim Razali, even with full audio level on. Did we care? Not one bit...Malaysia Cup is everything for us then.

That was circa 1983-85. In the days leading to the Final, the MSM would provide the insight of the teams contesting the match...strengths vs weaknesses, Super Mokh vs Jamal Nasir sort of things..ala EPL nowadays. The analysis would provide us with lotta things to banter about.

Present day...woke up and scanned the whole 18 pages of NST Sports Sect today, not a single line reporting of Malaysia Cup Final...duh, what gives? Somebody did tell me the Final is on this weekend but how come no coverage at all?

Maybe the timing with Olympics, EPL new season etc..etc..

Bet you 2 full pages would be dedicated to M'sia Cup then in the 80s even with World Cup being played somewhere else.

Ohh reality bites...no one is staunchly following local football anymore these days, yours truly included I must admit. Blame it on EPL, Avril Lavigne, bla,bla and a host of other syndromes...simply M'sia Cup is not our cup of tea anymore.

I can't name the Selangor line up anymore except the more famous ones like Shukor, Safee and Indra Putra. Weekend rituals to football stadia is also long forgotten except whenever EPL teams came calling.

My former neighbour Abang Talib has also not bugged me to watch local football for a long, long time either..or has he installed an Astro decoder in his household? or has he found a new love interest since Kak Jenab left us all 2 years ago?

Whatever it is..its been different or is it indifference? The Malaysia Cup has simply lost it's lustre...sad but true...the gloss been taken over by God knows what.

On a sad note, good luck to Selangor and Kedah, may the best team wins.

700k Govt Savings

I know everyone is down at this moment..
Let's skip Chong Wei's defeat then, afterall Lin Dan is not HUMAN. He must have descended from Mars, hitching Soyuz back from the orbit with the good doctor/restaurateur on board. What or who else can he be?

What an anti climax? The stand-off billed as Match of the Tournament turned out to be a MISMATCH...the nation's best hopes for an elusive gold medal goes up in smoke...enough, I'm resigned to the fact that M'sia would never win an Olympic gold medal or matters closer to the heart, feature in FIFA WORLD CUP...not with the state of sports we are in now..more of this in my next postings. Only consolation is..the Govt get to save 700K as only 300K will be rewarded for his heroics instead of 1M for a gold medal.

Was flipping between Chong Wei's match and Chelsea game actually, so impressed by Scolari's boys. Really, the Special One is a distant memory..Big Phil is a class act. Scintillating is the buzzword.
No Drogba, no Essien today yet they are so fluid, its frightening to think what the team is capable of when everybody can be counted upon. The replacement "killers" were so good, nobody noticed their absence.
Roman's cheeky grin after the final whistle says it all..Jose who?

Rizal Malay Mail said Samir Nasri made a perfect debut. Read his posting http://rizalhashim.blogspot.com/2008/08/samirs-perfect-debut.html

Obviously, he had discounted Deco for a perfect debut...cracking goal, man of the match...that's perfect debut.

Legend in the Making

El Nino once again came to the rescue of the Reds last night at the Stadium of Light.

With 7 minutes remaining, he collected a pass from fellow Spaniard, Xabi Alonso (pics) and let fly a thunderbolt to the bottom right corner, unerringly.

Apart from Torres' moment of brilliance, the game was rather forgettable. Personally, I dont like the system of playing.

Too many long balls...Carra and Dossena were guilty of spraying too many punts upfield thus bypassing SG. How to orchestrate play if he's denied the ball?

Only when Alonso came in the 2nd half that we saw plenty of neat passing and possession.

So the Q is :- 4-4-2 or the proven 4-5-1 with SG playing link up? The former with Keane supposedly to be the link man was rendered ineffective by the long balls...ohh I thought his touches were so poor, he even blocked a sure goal from FT.

The latter? No tigerish holding player...Plessis and Alonso dont give you that, both too slow though Xabi is 2nd to none in his range of passing.

The truth is, we miss Monster Masch. With him in the team, snapping at opponent's heel, the team looks compact thus allowing Gerrard to roam freely...but he's in Beijing, awaiting teammate Lucas in the semis.

Whenever we had possession, Kuyt and Bennayoun tend to move infield, narrowing play. The lack of width was clearly apparent..the play become too predictable.

Nonetheless, we had luck last night...something we didnt have in the past. Lady Luck didnt smile too much for us in the important games like the MU and Chelsea games where we get beaten by sly goals...drawing games against mediocre teams although we dominated the whole match...those sucker punches.

And champions normally had luck in abundance whenever they're not playing well..like MU did. Winning ugly you'd say.

Going by the struggle last night, I'd hope the Reds will improve and buck up fast, to tighten up play..the loose ends...though the saviour Torres can be counted upon when the chips are down, winning matches single handedly.

Gimme more...

The Biggest Joke Of the Year

Patrick Kinghorn, London based market analyst...gaming that is, rubbished Liverpool's chances to win EPL as "biggest joke of the year". Praise the Lord, he said.

I know it's a 'cliche' to say it will be our year this season, year in year out...it's been a long,18 years wait...ahhh it's only logical for him to be pessimistic!

Does it matter to the Red's faithful? Nah..I still fancy our chances, it's a long season, who knows what will happen to the other BIG 3...loss of form, injuries, sacked managers & so on.

Tomorrow, Rafa's brigade will be entertained by Keano's Sunderland...seems they're fortified by Spurs rejects plus the most hated footballer, Mr Spitful El Hadji Diouf.

So far, my predictions have all gone awry...but still, I 'd predict Liverpool to bury the Black Cats.

Meanwhile, a liitle while ago Lee Chong Wei demolished Lee Hyun Il in a rubber to step into Sunday's final against either Lin Dan or Chen Jin.

Hope he can bring back the elusive gold medal....I'm pretty sure the nation would come to a standstill this Sunday and to Patrick Kinghorn.....every dog has its day, we'll make sure you eat the humble pie come next May...mark my words...

Kuncorot Kuncoro

Corot literally means finishing last, and this morning Sonny Dwi Kuncoro was thumped by our sole survivor in badminton, the classy Lee Chong Wei.

I was fortunate enough to watch him doing the business in a "swanky but sweaty" mamak shop, taking respite from the scorching heat. Yup...the heat wave lately is unbearable but what Koo-Tan failed to accomplish last night, was soothed by CW's sweet victory, like the mango lassi I was savouring.

Chong Wei was supreme to say the least, the scoreline suggested. 9 and 11 points were all that Kuncoro could muster. Sure it was THUMPING folks..

Yesterday, wasn't a good day really..had to miss ADL boys night out and then the draw with Liege. It was a dissappointing performance all over the pitch, the Reds were lucky to escape with a scoreless draw, the only consolation is the return leg will be in Anfield.

Chance to put the record straight..

Cool King Cole

Master dribbler Joe Cole is courted by the Reds as Barry saga continues.

The English international who can play at both flanks, could be influential signing I reckon...anyhow his Chelsea days could be numbered if Robinho makes London his base.

I don't like Voronin and Pennant, period. My kids say Pennant is more like orang Penan, no dirrespect to Penan community though. He overdribbles, painful to watch and seldom scores...fluke goals maybe, as against Chelsea and Newcastle last season.

Voronin, whatmore can I say? Buang masa jelah... League Cup material.

Both are in the loop for Liege game tonight. I hope Benitez will sell these 2 blokes ASAP and use the money to finance the purchase of Cole and Barry. Sell Finnan too..he's too old now.

I'm not too bothered by Liege tonight. Not that overconfident but it'll be a walk in the Abbey Road for Rafa's boys. Keano will make his CL debut tonight, what a better way to enhance your resume with a goal.

Meanwhile. Arsenal will start their European campaign with a trip to Twente Enschede under the guidance of "Wally the Brolly" Steve McClaren. Cesc will not be playing...hope Gunners will be Gooners.. hehe, one up against my better half who's rooting for Arsenal, her interest somehow dwindled after Henry "kepala butut" (as in Kelantanase dialect to describe lump at the back of his head) left for Barca.

I'm meeting ADL boys tonight at Kelana Jaya..for old time sake...and then burning the midnight oil if the game is aired on the tube.

Another MC on the card....

Another One Bites The Dust

Magnifique! Magnifico!

Olympic defending champion, Taufik Hidayat is out at the hands of old warhorse Wong Choong Hann in a not so keenly contested match ended just now.
1st set was touch and go affair while the 2nd was all Choong Hann's.
He led all the way in the 2nd set except for a brief spell when he allowed Taufik to pull level. Ahh..he was just postponing the inevitable for tried as hard as he maybe, Taufik was clearly 2nd best tonight. Choong Hann's foreplay ..ooops attacking play was too much for him.
Choong Hann now goes thru to the last 16 to join compatriot Lee Chong Wei who earlier defeated naturalised Singaporean Ronald Susilo.

Is he going for the 1M reward?
My good friend, schoolmate and football match ticket provider, Rizal Hashim of Malaysian Sports' Loose Cannon fame appeared in RTM's Blog Live yesterday. He opined that 1M was too much a reward.
66% of viewers of a live poll backed him.

Me? How much? 1M? Who cares anyway.....the nation's wealth worth gazillion is being plundered by some quarters who think their father own our Bolehland...at least Choong Hann or any gold medal winner worked their ass for it...not sell it huh...like some Fools..

1M is peanuts then...

Devil Titi?

Henry alongside Tevez, Rooney and Ronaldo? That's quite an awesome foursome.MU supremo SAF is rumoured to have launched a bid for former Arsenal's prodigal son, Thierry 'Titi" Henry.

The Barca favorite is in his radar after apparently failing to snatch Count Berbatov from Spurs who's more interested to ply his trade in Spain.
Stop gap measure? Maybe, but Larsson did well in his sojourn to Old Trafford some moons ago but will Barca let him go? We'll see...

Meanwhile, MU will take on Pompey tonight in Community Shield minus two R (Ronnie and Rooney) who are recuperating. My take, Pompey will upset the formbook with former Reds Crouchie scoring.

Aah, boring weekends is now finally over....must call my bookie then...wonder if he's still alive, whatmore with the dull economic climate blanketing our Bolehland.

Ever since Roman Abramovich changed the face of EPL with his roubles, the best league in the world had since becoming the playground of rich and famous. Briatore, Ecclestone and Thaksin had followed suit owning clubs in the Premiership and Championship.

Today, Dr M is quoted to have said " I''ll get out of the country if DSAI becomes PM".

Some people in the streets suggested countries like Zimbabwe, Iran etc if he ever leaves Malaysia.

Me? Try England or St James' Park to be precise. Mike Ashley is contemplating for a sale. Wow.. 1st Malaysian to own an EPL club and Joey Barton as playing staff..what a combo...

Why not? Khalid Ibrahim raided Guthrie before...afterall deposed Thai PM is already there.. he'd be a good neighbour, would'nt he?

Fancy that, Dr M?

Nostradamus and a dangerous game called Carrom

Beijing Opening Ceremony

So Nostradamus fell flat on his face last night. None of my predictions went right though the Reds still won comfortably 1-0 courtesy of late goal by the much maligned, pony tailed Andriy Voronin.

Beijing Olympic was officially opened last night in a spectacular fashion, so spectacular that the next Olympic organiser London must be kicking themselves hard to emulate if not better Beijing performances.

Back on national shores, NST reported a disabled man was sentenced to 6 six years jail for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, all this over a game of carrom.

So now who would say carrom is not a dangerous game?

Back in my university days some 20 years ago, we'd use cigarette sticks as wager. My friends Sulaiman Uncle and Duyung however took it to another level though. I'm not at liberty to disclose those pranks...suffice to say it involves private anatomy.

No wonder carrom is not included in the Olympics...they want to prevent another Munich massacre...

Another Goal Spree?

Senor Benitez's charges will take on Italian outfit Lazio in their final pre-season friendly in Anfield tonight.

Already missing Mascherano, Lucas and Babel to the Olympics, the Reds will also be deprived of Captain Marvel's (that's Stevie G for the uninitiated) services due to thigh strain. Fantastic duo Keano and Torres will spearhead the attack while Xabi Alonso and the much improved French starlet, Damien Plessis will hold fort in midfield.

In previous 2 matches, the Reds plundered 4 goals each against Rangers and Valeranga with the same set of goalscorers- Torres, Alonso, Benayoun and another young French hotshot, David Ngog.

I like him a lot, he's so unlike Kuyt, a clinical finisher.

Bet that Keano will open his Anfield account tonight with Torres also getting on the scoresheet. Predictions Reds 2- 0 Lazio.

Hope the Reds will chalk up another morale boosting win before mauling Liege next week.

Fat hopes?