World Cup 2010 News

Ah...the groups for European qualifications for World Cup 2010 was done and dusted in South Aftica on 25th November 2007. I thought to share my thoughts on the groupings and see for comments.

Group 1
Portugal
Sweden
Denmark
Hungary
Albania
Malta

Comments: Portugal and Sweden would be the favorites to qualify from this group with Denmark playing the part of the dark horses. As for Hungary, Albania and Malta, their best hope is to avoid a trashing.

Group 2
Greece
Israel
Switzerland
Moldova
Lativa
Luxembourg

Comments: An interesting group where Euro 2004 champions Greece should be the favorites here. The runner up place should be between Israel and Switzerland though Lativa might throw a spanner into things.

Group 3
Czech Republic
Poland
Northern Ireland
Slovakia
Slovenia
San Marino

Comments: The fight for qualification would be down to Czech Republic and Poland with Northern Ireland a threat. Interesting though is the pairing of Czech Republic with Slovakia as they were together as Czechovakia, if I am not wrong.

Group 4
Germany
Russia
Finland
Wales
Azerbaijan
Liechtenstein

Comments: Germany by the strength of their team should take the group if they do not underestimate their opponents, leaving Russia, Finland and Wales to fight for the runners up spot.

Group 5
Spain
Turkey
Belgium
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Armenia
Estonia

Comments: A straight duel between Spain and Turkey for the top spot in the group as the rest do not seen like a major threat to these 2 nations.

Group 6
Croatia
England
Ukraine
Belarus
Kazahstan
Andoora

Comments: What a more interesting group than this one. England and Croatia again for qualifications with Ukraine in the Russia role. Hopefully this time, England do their work well.

Group 7
France
Romania
Serbia
Lithuania
Austria
Faroe Islands

Comments: France should be overwhelming favorites to take this group, but has to be wary of Romania and Serbia though.

Group 8
Italy
Bulgaria
Republic of Ireland
Cyprus
Gerogia
Montenegro

Comments: Based on the strength of the group, World Cup Holders Italy should qualify with ease.

Group 9
Holland
Scotland
Norway
Macedonia
Iceland

Comments: The group of death for me in the qualifications are even the supposed minnows Macedonia and Iceland are no pushovers. Best group for upset actions.

Headlines time

1. " Cetlic Cup in 2009"
In the place of non qualifications for Euro 2008, the football federations of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland agreed in principles for a four nation cup. England though distanced themselves from the idea, even if the idea came from UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Read on find out more.

2. "Bruce's Round up on Birmingham"
After being formally introduced as the new manager of Wigan, Steve Bruce let loose on his thoughts on his old club, Birmingham. Read on find out more.

3. "Sir Alex Charged"
More bad news for Sir Alex after his sending off on Saturday as English FA has formally charged him with using abusive language against a match official. Read on find out more.

4. "Sir Alex Rally his troops for Sporting game"
Sir Alex has came out rallying his troops for the Sporting Game in midweek as a win would cemment Man utd as Group F winners and for a easier draw in the second group. Read on find out more.

Some soccer News

What a weekend for EPL. Big result for Bolton to put off 1-0 win at home vs Man Utd. Can you believe it that was Bolton's first league win at home vs Man Utd for 30 years? Another icing on the cake is sending off of Sir Alex to the stands? Maybe he is letting off steam for not fielding Cristando Ronaldo in the absence of Rooney or he underestimate Bolton. Well Done Bolton for making the season interesting. If Bolton played this way week in and out, they would be safe from the relegation.

A bad day for Man Utd overall with Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Portsmouth all winning their respective games.

Ah...now Pool is just 3 points behind Man Utd with a good 3-0 win away at Newcastle. It seen that Newcastle even without Bramble, still has problem in defence. Another problem is whether Big Sam would be given sufficient time to turn things around as the Toons are not patient fans. As for Pool, it is nice to see Gerrard forgetting the events of mid week and focusing on the task on hand. Next is Porto in mid week CL action which better be careful.

Arsenal and Man City left it late to win their games against Wigan and Reading respectively. Only in the 83rd minute, did Arsenal breach Wigan's resistance with a Gallas goal. As for Man City, a 90th minute was needed to secure their win.

As for Chelsea, they are lucky to escape with a 2-0 win which should have been 1-1 to Derby County. A Kenny miller's equalizer wrongly ruled offside and a SWP goal that should not be given due a foul in the build up. But that's football where luck play a major part.

Portsmouth and Aston Villa enjoyed their win with a comfortable 2-0 and 3-0 win vs Birmingham and Middlesbrough.

Match of the day is the emphatic 7-1 win of Everton vs Sunderland at Goodison Park. It seen that this season would be a high scoring season as there have been at least one eight goal match every month so far. Tough luck for Keane and co though, but congratulations to David Moyes and his boys for such an entertaining match.

English Premiership Results

Newcastle 0-3 Liverpool
Arsenal 2-0 Wigan
Bolton 1-0 Man Utd
Man City 2-1 Reading
Birmingham 0-2 Portsmouth
Middlesbrough 0-3 Aston Villa
Derby 0-2 Chelsea

Bundesliga Results

Karlsruhe 2-1 Hertha Berlin
Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 Duisburg
Bayern Munich 2-1 Wolfsburg
Bochum 3-0 Arminia Biefield
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-4 Stuttgart
Energie Cottbus 0-2 Werder Bremen
Hannover 2-3 Schalke

It seen that all the big boys won respectively yesterday in the Bundesliga. A win in 5 games finally for Munich should wake their title challenge again. Really the morale winning victory vs Munich seen to spur Stuttgart on.

Spanish La Liga

Barcelona 3-0 Recreativo Huelva
Sevilla 1-2 Mallorca
Murcia 1-1 Real Madrid

Okay expected Barcelona to bounce back, but Sevilla to lose at home and Madrid's draw is unexpected though. At least the title race would be interesting though with such results. Great Chance for Villarreal and Valencia to catch up with wins.

Italian Serie A

Inter Milan 2-1 Atalanta
Genoa 0-1 Roma

Routine wins for Inter and Roma. Expected from them. Let's see why Fiorentina, Juventus or AC Milan can do tonite.

NEWS TIME

1. "Sir Alex's date with FA"
After his side lost 1-0 to Bolton at the Reebok Stadium, Sir Alex would also have to face a date with the English FA after his sending off to the stands during the match. After some many years, it seen that he had lost his fire in him though.

2. "Prefect Seven at home for Barcelona"
After winning 3-0 vs Recreativo Huelva, Barcelona maintain a prefect home record of seven home wins to move within a point of Real Madrid. However impressive as their home form, their away form need improvement as six points from 18 points are not champships form. Next up is Lyon away in the CL.

3. "Good Lesson to be Learnt"
After his departure or sacking, Steven McClaren is postive that his tenture would provide a good lesson to be learnt by his successor. McClaren's term as English Boss is one of the shortest ever, just 12 months.

4. "Lyon's Price for Victory"
France Champions won 2-0 away to Rennes to bounce back from their defeat to Marseille. However injury to midfielder Karim Benzama may be a higher price extracted 4 days ahead of crucial CL crash with Barcelona. A miracle may be needed for him to play, which without a doubt is a major blow for Lyon.

Book Review for Descent of Angels

Here is a review of Descent of Angels by me. Hope that you guys enjoy it.

Descent of Angels is the sixth book in the Horus Heresy Series of novels by the Black Library Publishing. Following on the release of Fulgrim, Descent of Angels mainly focus on the life of Lion El'Jonson, Primach of the 1st Space Marine Legion, on Caliban.
The whole novel is seen through the eyes and experiences of Zahariel, a knight supplicant, who joins the Order. The Order here is refers to a knightly order on the world of Caliban with the Lion and Luther key figures in the Order.
Throughout the novel, Zahariel started off as a knight supplicant, then a full fledged knight, a space marine and then finally a possible librarian. His encounters with the beasts of his world, his fellow knights and then his brief experience with the space marine legions would catch the reader up into a world where fantasy would meet technology.
Also throughout the novel, the roles of and reference to Lion, Luther and Lord Cypher are all mentioned in details. As most Warhammer 40K players would know from the Space Marine or Dark Angels Codex, the Lion and Luther would engage in a civil war during the Horus Heresy. This would result in the destruction of the Caliban and the hunt of the traitors by the victors. Throughout the course of the novel, the cause of this breaking of brotherhood between the Lion and Luther could be traced. As per in the novel, the relationship of Luther and the Lion can be seen between Zahariel and his cousin, Nemiel.
For one, when our hero, Zahariel, killed off the last Caliban lion, the Lion did mentioned that there would be those jealous of his achievements mainly Luther. The logic is that without killing a Caliban Lion, Luther would not be the equal of the Lion. Another was when Luther discovered that the Saroshi delegation ship was a weapon; thoughts of betrayal greed and power did run through him.
However the final break between the brothers were not explained. That may be a disappointment in the novel though overall it can rated as a good novel by Mitchel Scanlon.

PS: Review can be found on Ezinearticle too.

10 Interesting Facts About FIFA Player of Year Award

Another article that is done by me in conjunction with the short list of FIFA Player of Award 2007. It is also published on Ezinearticles.

It is time of the year where the FIFA world player of the year award is decided by the votes of coaches and captains of national team worldwide.

An introduction of the mechanism of the system used to select the player of the year would be discussed first. The award was started in 1991 for the male player and in 2001 for the female player categories respectively. Basically, the coaches and national team captains would vote for players drawn by the technical committees of FIFA. The system used is called the Borda count where each coach and captain would get three votes (one of five points, one of three points and one of one point) to cast for the players of his choice. And the winner would be determined by the total of points received. The winner last year is Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro of Real Madrid.

And here are ten interesting things about the FIFA World Player of the Year Award

1. The winner of 2006 award, Fabio Cannavaro, is the first defender or a player other than a midfielder or striker to have ever won the award since its inception win by Lothar Matthaus in 1991. The closet any other defender or goalkeeper has came to the award before Cannavaro’s victory are Oliver Kahn (Goalkeeper, second in 2002), Roberto Carlos (Defender, second in 1997) and Paolo Maldini (Defender, second in 1995).

2. In the past sixteen editions of the awards, it had been won by strikers and midfielders for seven times each. Thus making outfield players with the exception of defenders, a more popular choice for the award. It is summarized that as strikers and midfielders hoard most of the glory in competitions, therefore their chances are equally higher than defenders and goalkeepers.

3. There are two triple winners of the awards since its inception in 1991. They are French Midfielder Zinedine Zidane (1998, 2000 and 2003) and Brazilian Striker Ronaldo (1996, 1997 and 2002). The other player who has won more than once is Brazilian Ronaldinho (2004 and 2005).

4. No player has ever won the award for three consecutive years in the roll. The closet any one have came to it are Ronaldo (1996 and 1997) and Ronaldinho (2004 and 2005). It would take something really special every season for any one player to do so.

5. Although the award is meant for the world’s best player, only players from Europe, Africa and South American do make it to the final short list. Hence there have been quite some critics from some corner in the world about the selection process.

6. Another interesting fact is other than Juan Roman Riquleme’s nomination in 2007 when he is playing on loan for Boca Juniors, all the players on the short list came from clubs in Europe.

7. No English Player or Player from United Kingdom has ever won the award before. The closet any have came are Gary Lineker (1991, third), Alan Shearer (1996, third), David Beckham (1999 and 2001, both second) and Frank Lampard (2005, second). Maybe it would take England winning the World Cup or European Championship for a English to take the award.

8. Brazil has the most wins by nationality. Brazilian players have won the award a staggering seven times; four times more than the closet nationality of French with three wins. It could be the flair and attacking nature of the Brazilian players that clinched them the wins as players such as Ronaldo, Ronaldino, Rivaldo and Romario are all attacking players full of flairs. Or it could down to the names as all the Brazilian winners have a letter “R” to head off their names.

9. The last six winners of the award have come from teams in the Spanish La Liga. Hence it can be seen it is not English Premiership with the most star power, but the La Liga.

10. FC Barcelona had six winners from players within its ranks while great rivals Real Madrid had four. Thus making a majority of winners (a staggering sixty three percentage) from both of them for the past sixteen awards since the inception of the award. Their closet rivals for this honor is the Italian Giants Juventus with four winners.

Hopefully, the above can give one a better understanding of the FIFA Player of the year Award. And let’s await the result in 17th December 2007.

Review of Players Short Listed for the FIFA 2007 Player of the Year Award

In conjunction with the release of the short list for the FIFA 2007 Player of the year award. I did this short article on Ezinearticles.

It is time of the year where the FIFA world player of the year is decided by the votes of coaches and captains of national team worldwide.

But before we go into the discussion of the list of players drawn for 2007, an introduction of the mechanism of the system would be discussed first. The award was started in 1991 for the male player and in 2001 for the female player categories respectively. Basically, the coaches and national team captains would vote for players drawn by the technical committees of FIFA. The system used is called the Borda count where each coach and captain would get three votes (one of five points, one of three points and one of one point) to cast for the players of his choice. And the winner would be determined by the total of points received. The winner last year is Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro of Real Madrid.

Now to the list of players short listed for the award this year. Heading the list are five players of Italian descent, they are Cannavaro, Gianluigi Buffon, Gennaro Gattuso, Alessandro Nesta and Andrea Pirlo. Except for Cannavaro and Buffon (Juventus), the remaining three players of the UEFA 2006-2007 champions league winners AC Milan. However the chances of an Italian repeating the feat of winning is slim this year as the national team did not perform to its best after World Cup 2006 and as for domestically, the Serie A is recovering from the scars of the scandal hit season.

Next up would be the discussion of the English contenders for the title. They are Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), John Terry (Chelsea) and Wayne Rooney (Manchester United). Looking at chances of the English contenders, none of them have high chances of clinching the title as the English national team has a difficult Euro 2008 qualifying campaign so far and they did not any outstanding club exploits last season. The other reasons are although Manchester United and Chelsea went head to head in the Premiership race, they failed to impress at the UEFA Champions league level. As for Gerrard, if Liverpool did won the last season UEFA Champions league final against AC Milan, then his chances would be different. However they did not and Liverpool had another of its forgettable seasons in the league again.

As for the French, they have Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Lillan Thuram (Barcelona) and Patrick Vieira (Inter Milan) short listed. At the moment, the chances of the French are as slim as the English for similar reasons. Henry has been a world class player, but he could not inspire Arsenal to the Premiership title and for this season, he is still adapting to his new club, Barcelona. Ribery also did not have the best of seasons last year and has changed clubs in the summer, leaving for Bungesliga Giants, Munich from the sleeping giants of French Football, Marseille. In Vieria’s case, Inter Milan did retain their Serie A title last season, but as mentioned above, the title seen to be given to Inter midst point deduction for several Serie A clubs and demotion of Juventus. Hence he would not have a high chance in this year’s competition for the best player’s title. For Thuram, it is even more gloomer as he did not feature in a lot of his club’s games last season and Barcelona failed to defend its La Liga title.

Brazil has three players short listed in Kaka (AC Milan), Juninho (Lyon) and Ronaldinho (Barcelona). Although the Brazilians have a forgettable world cup 2006, however one of three can be considered as a highly possible contender for the title. He is Kaka. The reason is that he has also won the FIFPro 2007 Player of the year award and it was he that inspired AC Milan to winning the UEFA Champions League midst a disappointing Serie A 2006-2007 campaign. As for Ronaldinho, a previous two time winner (2004 and 2005), his chances this year are quite slim as he was not in the best form last season with the Catalans Giants as they lost out to Real Madrid in the La Liga title. In the case of Juninho, other than inspiring Lyon to six consecutive French Ligue 1 titles, he had no major efforts of note last season.

As for Brazil’s South American rival, Argentina too has three players short listed in Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Juan Roman Riquelme (River) and Carlos Tevez (Manchester United). Of the three, Messi’s chances are the highest as he has continued where he left off last season with eight goals in as many games this season. Tevez had a difficult season in which his transfer reeks of a drama serial while Riquelme with his talent to a lot of people has choked on the big stages once too often.

Another highly possible contender for the title is Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United. With his 23 goals, English Premiership Player of the year award and PFA player’s player of the year award last season, he can be seen as a major reason why Manchester United managed to regain the English Premiership title. Furthermore, in midst of enduring an anti-Ronaldo season after his antics at World Cup 2006, it is a wonder that he could conjure up such a wonderful season. Another Portuguese short listed is Deco of Barcelona who for all his talents was a bit player for Catalans last season and hence his chances are not very high then.

The remaining players of the short list are Fernando Torres (Spain, Liverpool), Ruud Van Nistelrroy (Holland, Real Madrid), Petr Cech (Czech Republic, Chelsea), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast, Chelsea), Michael Essien (Ghana, Chelsea), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon, Barcelona) and Rafael Marquez (Mexico, Barcelona). Of seven remaining players, Ruud Van Nistelrroy may have the best chance as he was the top scorer for Real Madrid in their title winning squad last season and has continued his fine form this season. As for players of Chelsea and Barcelona, their failure in defending the title and poor UEFA Champions League showing would count against them. Lastly, Torres, the sole Spanish in the list, like Henry has traded clubs where he left his boyhood club, Atletico Madrid for English side Liverpool in the summer. His chances are very slim as during his time as Atletico Madrid, the team failed to establish it as La Liga contenders and as for his new club, he is still adapting there.

Lastly to summarize my views on FIFA 2007 Player of the year, my choice of player to win is the Kaka of AC Milan with Lionel Messi (Barcelona) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) to give him a run for the title. The results would be out this December 2007 at the FIFA World Player Gala in Zurich.

Preview of EURO 2008

Here are some of the images of areas for Salzburg in Austria which is a venue for EURO 2008 games.

First up is the plate showing the birth place of great composer Mozart.

Next up is the bust of Mozart.

Enjoy the inner serenity of the Salzburg as below

Really even in a candy shop, one can find the potrait of Mozart

3 Reasons behind 4-4-2

In the modern game of soccer or football, the most common formation or system played is the 4-4-2. In most games, one would be likely to see a 4-4-2 being deployed 90% of the time. Here are three main reasons why such a formation or system is employed. A definition of the formation or the system is needed first to understand the rationale behind them.

A 4-4-2 would refer to the deployment of one goalkeeper, four defenders, four midfielders and two strikers. The basis is that for defense, the four defenders would include two centre backs (or centre defenders), one right back and left back (right defender and left defender respectively). As for the midfield, it is set up like the defense where there are two centre midfielders, one right and left midfielder (or winger). The remaining three positions would be the goalkeeper and two strikers up front. There are also variations of the formation or system in which it can be attacking or defensive in mind set. But we would not be describing them in detail here.

As for the reasons, there are as follows:

Flexibility - Football or soccer is one of the most fast paced games in the world, where an attack can be turned into the counter attack by the opposition if possession is lost. As similar to a 4-5-1 system discussed in another of my articles, a 4-4-2 offers or allows for the flexibility for the team in both attack and defense. In attack or possession of the ball, the left and right midfielders would operate as wingers to push up and join the strikers. Furthermore of the two central midfielders, one or both can also push to join the attack and fall or drop back to assist the defense in case of a break or counter attack by the opposition. As for defense or without possession of the ball, strikers would assist in dropping down to the midfield to contest possession while the midfielders assist the containing of the opposition’s attacks.

Balance – Deploying such a formation or system of 4-4-2, there is balance thoroughly the team as there are tactically cover for all positions. Without a doubt, the major reason for the popularity of the deployment of 4-4-2 is the overall balance allowed for the team as compared to most other formations. Balance here would refer to coverage of all positions on the field. In theory the whole field would be covered by the players employed under such a formation since each player is dedicated to an individual role.

Simplicity – A 4-4-2 is a very simple formation to play in as most or all players have played in the system or formation at one or the other during their careers. Hence it is the most comfortable for players.One must remember that football is a fast game and to deploy a simple formation could enable the players to play better or get into their rhythm faster.

Furthermore the tactics are very easy and common for the deployment of such a formation or system. Over complex tactics or instructions would cause miscommunications or problems in execution and might result in bad results.Hence the above reasons should help to explain the rationale behind the employment of a 4-4-2 system or formation.

PS: Article has been published on Ezinearticle.

Action from World Cyber Games 2007

WHoa is the time of year where the finals of the World Cyber Games are held. This year in Seattle where a total of 700 contestants from 74 countries compete for honor and prizes up to $500,000. Really how far has playing computer games came from a recreational activities to a commerical activities. It is really something to do something one can enjoy and still make money from it.

Maybe it is time to take out the console to start training for the next games.

Victory is so sweet as one can see below.

How to be cool to be winning

What a crowd to see a cyber match

And here's is an article on the games.

Manchester United vs Wigan

What a game on Saturday at Old Trafford.

Ever before kick off, some bad news for Man Utd as Saha got injuried during the warm up causing him to be dropped from the subs. bench. As for Wigan, Chris Hutchings set out his team in a defensive 4-5-1 to defend against Man Utd.

During the first half, it looked bleak for Man Utd as Vidic and O'Shea got injuried and needed to be subsitited by Anderson and Simpson respectively. It looked like Wigan was holding well in the first forty-five minutes as Man Utd did not took their chances and the half ended 0-0.

With the restart, Man Utd has started off to get the goals. A boy did they came, one after the other, ending in a 4-0 victory for the defending EPL Champions.

Here are some pictures from the game.

Some other pictures / images from games in the Bundesliga. Enjoy.

5 Reasons Behind the Deployment of a 4-5-1 System or Formation in A Soccer or Football Game

Another of my soccer articles published on ezinearticles. Do enjoy

In the modern game of soccer or football recently, a formation or system 4-5-1 has enjoyed a much higher played ratio especially by smaller clubs or clubs or nations playing away. Here are five reasons why such a formation or system is employed.

A defintion of the system is first needed. A 4-5-1 would refer to the deployment of one goalkeeper, four defenders, five midfielders and a striker. An example of a team making a success of the formation is the Greek National in European Football Championships 2004 where they emerge as champions with the deployment of such a system. And now for the reasons.


Flexibility - Football or soccer is a fast paced game where an attack can be turned into the counter attack by the opposition if possession is lost. Hence the deployment of a 4-5-1 system allows the flexibility in both attack and defense. In attack or possession of the ball, the left and right midfielders would operate as wingers to push up and join the lone striker. Furthermore of the three central midfielders, one or two can also push to join the attack while the remaining midfielder would drop back to assist the defense in case of a break or counter attack by the opposition.

As for defense or without possession of the ball, a five midfield in theory would be able to pressure the opposition to win back the ball. Another example, the five man midfield would add more steel into midfield portion to win or retain possession to ease off pressure at the back.


Defending a one goal Lead - In some matches, the game can be very close one where a single goal can decide the outcome. Hence some managers would like to employ 4-5-1 formation to defend the lead in the last ten to twenty minutes of the game. The flexibility of the system is already explained under point 1. The system would also enable the team to launch counter attack if needed when the opposition throws caution to wind for an equalizer. The other purpose is to pass the ball around to run down the clock and the best way to do so is to keep possession.


Playing an Away Game - In the modern league games, a point from a game drawn especially if the game is away or against a strong opposition is crucial. The reason is simple as most home teams would go out to try their best to win at home with their supporters behind them acting as the 12th man. For example, in recent games like Liverpool verses Birmingham City or Manchester United verses Reading, both City and Reading employed a 4-5-1 system to stifle the midfield of Liverpool and United. The system would usually enable a team to come away with a point or avoid a mauling at hand of strong opposition. Such a point usually meant a victory for the smaller clubs.


Playing against Stronger Opposition - As mentioned in point 3, playing against strong opposition at home, a 4-5-1 system would be employed for the same rationale of getting a point or avoiding a heavy defeat. Such a attitude towards game can be seen as a defeatist attitude, but survival in the top leagues around the world would mean huge revenue for clubs. An example is the English Premiership where millions can be lost if a team is relegated. Hence some teams would rather employ such a formation to ensure of a low scoring defeat or a draw game for a point while a more attacking one when facing opposition of similar status.


Injuries - This is the least common reason why a 4-5-1 formation would be deployed. The reason is a very simple one. There are usually more defenders and midfielders than strikers in the club. Hence if a club has a striker injury situation, it may be more inclined to employ such a system than others. Furthermore deploying players in familiar positions would be having a much better effect than playing them in an untrained position.

Hence the above reasons should help to explain the rationale behind the employment of a 4-5-1 system or formation.

PS: Article has been published at Ezinearticles too.

3rd October 2007 Entry

Logbook Entry 03-10-07

Been very busy the last few weeks especially working on my soccer blog, http://epllatestnews.blogspot.com , and my business project. Plus being a bit too lazy to write my post though.

Back to work. Finally renovations have kicked off on my office. Hopefully it can be finished by next week.

I got another interview tomorrow to ponder whether I should work for someone or work for myself. The concern here is working for someone lets him or her worry about the overheads while doing my work. However the job satisfaction one may get from it may be less from working for myself. I am still struggling with this concern or worry of mine.

My partners are a bit over their heads sometimes. Hence I do realise that I should let them decide the course and just follow. The logic is that let them take the lead and moderate the course of actions later. Hopefully it would not be too late.

Another thing that has been bugging me is that a business deal should have been closed weeks ago is still dragging. Hence with my partner, we are trying to close it today. Wish me luck.

Finally I really wish to thank my girlfriend for the support she has shown me for this period. Yes she may be demanding, crude and unladylike, but she honestly care for me. That I would appreciate.

UEFA Champions League News

Here are some news update of UEFA Champions League Matches played this morning.

1. First up, Wayne Rooney scored the crucial goal that allowed Man Utd to beat Roma 1-0 at Old Trafford. Sir Ferguson had commented that he hoped that this would open up the floodgates for the English International. Another tight game where Man Utd won by 1-0; this would be 6 win of the season with the 1-0 score line. A worrying sight for Sir Ferguson's defending EPL Champions.

2. Next up, Another win in Champion League for the young gunners. Mr Wenger is hoping for another repeat of the unbeaten run by the gunners 2 to 3 seasons back. Looking at his team, he might be able to do it again.

3. Following a 2-0 win at Stuttgart, Barcelona has taken a big step towards the next round of the Champions League. Barcelona heads up the table with Rangers on 6 points.

4. In the same group with Barcelona, Rangers served up a 3-0 win away to Lyon. This would inspire the Rangers to maybe greater heights in the competition with a place in the next round highly likely if they keep up their form.

5. Already mindgames have started for today's game of Liverpool vs Marseille with Manager Erik Gerets with the first salvo. This would also marks the return of Cisse and Zenden to Anfield.

6. In another of today's game, Chelsea may field Captain John Terry in a crucial game against Spainish Side Valencia. However Terry would be wearing a protective mask if he does play especially after having a operation on his checkbone 2 days ago.

Importance of a goalkeeper to a team

Here is my latest article on football or soccer at EzineArticles.

Have you played as a goalkeeper before? Never wanted the position? Think about it. It is one of the most critical positions in a game. Read on to find out more.

As discussed in my soccer formation or system article, a goal keeper in a soccer team is always critical player. He would have to be fielded regardless of whatever formation or system a team would be put out to play. A goal keeper can be defined as the player who guards the goal of his team during the course of a match. Furthermore he is the only player legally allowed to touch, pick or save the ball with his hands within the six yards box or penalty box. This alone makes him different from all the other players.

Under the laws of soccer, any other player who uses his hand to touch or block the ball purposely would result in a foul minimum and a free kick or penalty would be given to the opposition. Another fact is that most keepers would stay within the penalty box or not across the half as their job is to keep the ball out of the goal. Technically a goal keeper is the most difficult position to play in. The reason for this is simple even if he saves every shot at him in the match except for conceding the one goal that loses the match for his team, he would become a villain instead of the hero at the end of the match. Hence a keeper has to be on own his toes and maintain concentration throughout the whole match as a single mistake or lapse could cause his team to lose.

Therefore usually a goal keeper is treated in a very different way from the rest of the team. The characteristics of a great keeper can be summarized as: Having a good command of the box, having good positioning sense, having good agility or jumping ability and having a good pair of hands. Having a good command of the box, would enable a goal keeper to better or organize “arrange” his defense during opposition corners or free kicks. This is critical as most teams in the modern game do work on their set pieces and just a lapse in defense may result in conceding a goal.

In the past, great keepers have always been seen commanding the box like generals such as Peter Schmeichel of Manchester United fame.Another important aspect is the positioning sense of a keeper. Sometimes it can be akin to a sixth sense of where the ball would be shot towards. In some games, poor positioning of the keeper can result in a goal being scored. Being agile or having good jumping ability has enabled many a keeper to keep out or pull off magnificent saves when the opposition has shot certain goal bound shots. While equipped with a strong pair of hands is a necessity as shots can be coming in at a high speed or from different avenues with a variety of power.

Some of the best keepers in the modern games are Buffon of Italian Giants Juventus and Peter Czech of English Giants Chelsea fame. Each of these keepers possesses most of the above characteristics to make them a highly valued member of their teams.Without a doubt, a goal keeper is one of the most specialized positions in soccer or football with their ups and downs in each match.

PS: Article Has been posted on Ezinearticles.com

A Soccer Formation or System and what it means

Here is something I wrote up about soccer.

In a soccer or football game, there are eleven players to a side. However if one reads any articles on the web or newspaper and hear or watch a review and match, there is always a formation mentioned for each match. What is a formation then, you may ask yourself?Basically it can be defined as a tactical system by which the team is organized and plays by for a match. Formation can be changed anytime during a match. Reasons for these changes could be due to injuries to players, tactical changes by the opposition, to protect a score or even to chase a game. Therefore it is not surprise to see several formative changes to it during the course of the match.

An important note in any formation, the only unchangeable aspect is the goalkeeper. Regardless of whatever formations obtained by a team, there must be a goalkeeper in the game. And he is the only legally allowed player in a match that can use his hands to collect, save or touch the ball in the six yards or penalty box. Hence he would be wearing gloves and a different color jersey from his team mates. This is another reason why all formations seen to be based on 10 outfield players since the goalkeeper is a compulsory player. Therefore formations can read 4-4-2, 5-4-1, 5-3-2 and 3-43 without mentioning the goalkeeper.

Since there are many formations, this article would focus on the current basis for formation for most teams which is a 4-4-2. In layman terms, it means that other than one goalkeeper, there are four defenders, four midfielders and two strikers. Here is a bit more complex as even in a 4-4-2, there can be attacking or defending methods or styles to it. To have a clearer picture, the 4-4-2 would have to be broken further.

In defense, there are usually four defenders which mean that there would be a left back (or left wing back / defender on the wing), two centre backs (central defenders) and a right back (or right wing back / defender on the right wing). In attack or possession of the ball usually or frequently, the left and right back would push up and join the attack while the two centre backs hang back to defend. While in a corner situation, the reverse happens, the two centre backs (chosen for their heights) would join in the opposition penalty box while the left and right back hang back in case of a counter attack.

In a defense situation, all four of them would form a line in front of the goalkeeper as the basis for the offside rule. Interestingly to note the depth of defensive line played would indicate how offensive the team would play; a higher line or closer to midfield can be often perceived as going into a more attacking mode. Secondly they would be defending the opposition players in the penalty box when there is an opposition corner.

Next up is to examine the midfield positions in a formation. It is quite similar to the defense where there are four midfielders as to four defenders in a 4-4-2. There are left midfield (or winger), two central midfielders (or defensive or attacking midfielder) and one right midfield (or winger). In a 4-4-2 system, the left and right wingers or midfield players would support the two strikers with crosses from their sides respectively. Frequently, they would also link up with the left back and right back to work the flank effectively. However, it must be stated not many wingers are famed for tracking back to defend. Hence there is a huge danger for allowing an opposition counter attack when possession is lost by the winger with the back in front of him.

As for the jobs of the central midfielders, one is usually employed as a holding or defensive midfielder in the modern game. His job is to protect the back four, break up the opposition attacks and win back the ball. In some sense, he is to be the enforcer or school yard bully. The other midfielder is usually employed in a more attacking sense to link up play between the defense, midfield and attack. The top midfielders in this aspect are sometimes known as playmakers since most of the attacks revolve around them. However they are not that easy to find in the top flights of soccer.

Finally the front line or usual goal poachers can be examined. There are many combinations for the strikers. Usually one frequent pairing is of a fast striker (small man) with a bulky striker (big man). The logic is that the bulky striker would head down, lay up the ball for his team mates or hold up the ball for his team mates to join him. As for the other striker, he would use his pace to get the lay up ball to break the opposition defensive line and find an opportunity to score. Some team may also employ four pacey strikers and wingers to break the opposition line by pace alone. One important thing to note here is that if the front two are of the same wave length, they would be extremely dangerous to the opposition. An example of a small-big approach is the pairing of Michael Owen and Emilie Heskey in the England games verses Israel and Russia recently.

Thus the above is simple explanation of a 4-4-2 formation and some of the roles of players in it.

A parting note is that there are a lot of variations for formations or system nowadays. But hopefully the above can assist the explanation of how a soccer / football formation or system is based or built up on.

PS: Articles has also been published on EzineArticles.com

RE: Entertainment News

Here are some entertainment from the US

1. Resident Evil: Extinction scores big at US box office; going top of the movie chart

2. Here are more on the performance of movies in the US over the last weekend.

3. In an effort to curb the negative influence of American Idol like shows in China, the mainland authories have tightened the rules on it. Read below to find out more.

How bad can it really be though? I believe it is still the mindset that have to be changed.

RE: A case study on leadership

How Does Alexander The Great Measure Up To The 7 Points Of Leadership?

In my other Article, I have written about 7 points which a leader must take note of. Here I am using the example of Alexander the Great to see how many points he would score

1. Always have a vision
Good or Great Leaders have a vision that can be shared and appreciated by your staff would enable him to motivate the staff in getting the goal achieved. In the case of Alexander, his vision is that to right the wrongs done by the Persians on the Greeks and ultimately replace the Persian Empire with his own. At that time, his vision was thought to be bold, out of this world and basically impossible. His success in projecting this vision of his could be seen in history where he became king of an empire that was not exceeded by the Mongols.Hence we can draw a lesson from this is that via successful projection of a vision, nothing is impossible.

2. Do not focus on negative
A good leader basically should try to see and find the positive or good in the bad or negative and essentially take advantage of it. Again for Alexander, it is his sense of invincibility or good tactical sense that often bought his success against overwhelming odds in battles verses the Persian Empire or later in India. Here we got a leader where no matter how bad is the situation, he always or often turn it to his advantages.

3. Mood Management
A good leader should learn to keep one's feelings or moods to oneself and let nothing out if possible as to affect his staff. This is something which Alexander does not do very well as leader. Maybe in his case, the Greek Culture brings out emotions, feelings and moods more directly of men then. Hence we should not really fault Alexander as it should be said that being a Ancient King, he was entitled to his moods.

4. Core Values Communication
A good leader would make sure that his or her values are evident to all stakeholders involved while being able to align values or policies of the organization to those of the employees. Here is something which Alexander does very well. In history, he always managed to win the respect and loyalty of his men regardless of the situation. Proof of this can be seen is that he would not ask his men to do anything he would not do himself. And always before battles or after battles, he would go among his men to listen and encourage them.

5. Concentrate on the Big Picture
A good leader should always look at the big picture and think of it as the most important item. Alexander has never lost sight of his vision and the situation at hand during his short reign. One example is his destruction of Thebes after his accession to the Macedonian throne was a step in his vision where he hoped to cow any Greek opposition into submission before setting out to fight the Persians. Another example is that during the conquest of the Persian Empire, he often confirmed surrendered Persians in their posts. This allowed the governing of the regions to continue unbroken while reducing the need to garrison every province. He did make a precaution where only Macedonians are placed in charge of the garrison.

6. Crisis Management
Crisis Management is critical to being a good leader. If a crisis can be handled without losing control of the situation, a leader would be able to shine then. He or she should never be overwhelmed by the scope of the crisis. There was no bigger scope of the crisis or situation which Alexander faced. He was up against the largest Empire and its seemingly inexhaustible manpower. However through his calm and superior leadership, he managed to resolve most of the crisis to an advantageous ending.

7. Stop Gossip
A good leader should always avoid listening or believing in gossip unless one witness for himself or herself the event in question. Here is another fault of ancient times, where Kings are always suspicious of their powerful or successful subjects with deadly results. In the case of Alexander, gossip or rumors caused the death of Parmenion and Philotas. Hence he did not really manage to keep his actions clear of rumors or gossip.

Conclusion
Although Alexander does not score well for 2 of the 7 points, he can still be considered a good or even great leader as per his actions and achievements in history. Hopefully, this case study on Alexander would enable all to understand the importance of above seven points of leadership.

PS: Article has been posted on EzineArticles.

Some Business News around the world where Martel has apologized to China over toy recall. The reason is that the recall was caused by design flaws, rather than production problems.

Although that was cleared up, but more storm clouds are there for china since a recall of millions of baby crib after the death of two babies. What would be next?

19th Sep 2007 Entry Log

Logbook 19-07-07 Entry

Yeah...been very busy to write on my blog...

Getting around to do my work with regards to my business project. Running around the isle of Singapore to get things done up properly. Lots of regulation to read up in the past week.

Now trying very hard to solve and close out my first business deal. Tons of work left to be done before closing. Hopefully I can close it by end of next week. If successfully, a few thousand in profit. Wish me luck guys.

As for the domestic front, my bro is teaching tarrot card reading. Yes, something he has interest in doing. That's good for him. I wish him all the best.

Finally my girlfriend made up her mind to go back to Malaysia to celebrate the Moon cake festival with her family. I better go and collect her ticket before being scolded by her.

Some stuff I am reading:

Congratulations to Sopranos picking the emmy this year. Hence the end of a great drama series. In the end, HBO is the big winner this year.

Ah, opening of the Singapore Season into China. A great achievement of exporting our Singapore culture overseas. We should be proud of it.

What has the pop princess, Britney Spears turned into. It is very sad to see her end up now in drug rehab of all things. Is it the fame or money that cause?

14th September 2007

Logbook 14-09-07 Entry

Finally, a 100 visitors to my blogs. Maybe I should get a separate counter for each of my blogs.

Thanks to all those who have visited my blogs. Hope that you would come for more.

A topic that is raging in Singapore is whether a gay teacher should have come out in the open declaring he is gay or not.

There are a few issues at work here.

1) Singapore is still an Asian society where such things as homosexuality are still a taboo to some people. Hence in a sense, a very sensitive topic. I would admit that I admire his courage coming open or clean with his facts. But as many can see in the newspaper, he took down his blog entry after realizing that too many people are reading. Is it due to the culture or pressure? One would wonder.

2)Being a gay teacher in an all guys school, would it be a problem? Many parents would be shocked or worried about it. The major concern here is the influence of the teacher on the students. There are two school of thoughts on this. Being a gay teacher, should not means that he would or could influence the sexuality of his students in any sense by doing his job as a teacher. However, if he takes advantage of the situation, then that's different.

3) Would his career be affected? Being honest is not a bad thing, but in this case, I may worry for his career as school and ministry may not look kindly on his actions and the storm of upheavals caused. Another reason which I admire him for is that by coming out open, he would be mentally prepared for the possible results from it. The worst case is that he may lose his job.

Although I may admire his actions, but it may be not the most suitable situation to come clean yet. Yes, society has became more open to accepting the gay issue, but not to every extent it is tolerable for people. Asian would still take time to adapt to this sort of scenario. Hopefully the good of it is that people can learn to accept the reality of gays.

PS: I have nothing against gays, just stating what are my feelings on the matter.

Some news for those interesed, UN has passed a non-binding resolution to protect the human, land and resources rights of the estimated 370 Million Indigenous people over the protest of US, Australia and Canada. What a victory for the ordinary people over the interests of just a few nations.

RE: Will Liverpool be Champions this 2006-2007 season?

Being a supporter of Liverpool since young, it pains to see that unachievement of the team in the premiership for last few seasons. Granted, Liverpool had been excellent in the Champions League, making the final twice in three seasons. But it is the league that is important.

Read on to see whether you agree with me on the chances of Liverpool this season.

For the last 17 years, Liverpool and its fans have been living in the shadows of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea as the trio dominate the English Premiership (EPL). Without a League title to its name for the past 17 years since 1990, this season however may prove to be different.

With the support of new owners Mr Hicks and Mr Gillett, Rafa Benitez has spent wisely over the close season by bringing strength to each of the position. Thus making sure that Liverpool would have at least 2 players to choose from for each of the position. This is important as without strength and quality in depth, the team would be suffer in competitions if injuries started cooping up. Hence with the transfer of Ferando Torres, Andriy Voronin, Ryan Babel, Yossi Benayoun, Lucas Levia, Sebastian Leto and Charles Itandje into the squad for the 2007-2008 season, Liverpool looks well prepared for the new season.

Upfront, the transfer of Torres in especially is highly anticipated by the fans as the solution to the scoring woes that plague the team for the last few seasons. Thus far, this has proven to be true as all four strikers, Torres, Kuyt, Voronin and Crouch have opening their accounts for Liverpool.

In midfield, finally Benitez has realized the impact of playing Steven Gerrard in the middle of the park and would play the Captain there. And with the additional of Benayoun, Levia, Leto and Babel in, there are many more choices or options for Benitez to choose from. This is also essential as Benitez has set out a team in a match that in his opinion is the best against the opponents.

As for defense, not much changes have been made to the first choice back four of Arbeloa-Agger-Carragher-Finnan and goalkeeper being Reina. So far this season in the league, Liverpool has only conceded 2 goals from penalties. Thus the defense seen sound as always in a Benitez's team. However only a small concern on the centre backs as if Carragher, Agger or Hypia is out, then there may be a problem as there are no other recognized centre back in the 1st team.

Back to league, another problem for Liverpool over the season is the slow start it had made in the August or September. Reviewing 2006-2007 season, if Liverpool has managed to win more games in the opening two months, then the league race would be much closer. However so far, Liverpool has made an excellent start to season, winning 3 games, drawing 1 and have a game in hand verses West Ham.

The pick of the wins is the 6-0 demolition of Derby County with Torres scoring a brace. What makes it more impressive is that both Carragher and Gerrard were out injured. With that win Liverpool is first in the league for the moment. Next up is Pompey, then Spurs.

If Liverpool can continue this rich vein in form and have no major injury problems, this could well be the year that Liverpool add the EPL title to the 18 it has previously won.

PS: Article has been published on Ezinearticles too.

Some news from the premiership where Benitez has joined the chorus of Man Utd and Chelsea in critizing the league for scheduling games post International; leaving him with less time to prepare for the upcoming clash with Pompey. Now the question is that would it really have an effect this sat?

RE: Article on Being a Sucessful Sales Person

In the past, I have always faced problems of conducting sales to people. However as I grew older, I have learnt many things. Hence the below, can be summarized as my experience which I would like to share you.

In order to be a successful sales person, it is not that difficult. By applying or following the following five key points, one can be one.

1. Direct Selling Approach

Most of the time, people would not want to hear excuses or being forwarded from department to department on their problems or concerns. What is critical to them is that they are able to have their issues, problems or concerns solved directly.

Hence this applies to selling too. Being direct and honest, would be a better way of selling instead of covering up facts which would be found out eventually. Do not beat around the bush. Selling of the core benefits of the products and services is the key point here in sales.

2. Setting Goals (or Targets)

Never forget that by setting goals or targets, one gives direction to whatever he or she would hope to achieve. This is important as then he or she would know what would be needed to be done to achieve the goal. And furthermore, the prospects of self satisfaction from achieving goals and targets are highly tempting or provide motivation to a person.

3. Sales Pitch

With experience, one would be able to analyse his or her arsenal of sales pitch where those that do work would be focused on. Hence by focusing on those sales pitch that works, the selling skills can be honed and sharpened. With each selling experience, confidence and belief in one's selling skill would be built up to the level of being able to cope with any sorts of customers.

4. Taking positive from negative

In sales, it is not always possible to conduct a sales. Be it the wrong sales pitch or unsuitability of the product or service, it should be not disheartening to the sales person. The reason is that as above under point 3, take it as a learning experience where by analysing what went wrong with the pitch or method. Thus by remembering the mistake, one should or would not make in the future.

5. Mistakes

No is prefect where he or she does not make any mistakes where starting a sales job. There is no need to dwell or linger on mistakes, but take them as learning experiences to reduce or prevent them from happening again. Slowly, the number of mistakes would be reduced or prevented.

And do not be afraid to apologize for any mistakes made. Always be prepared to make amends to them.

Lastly, always reflect on the set goals or targets and update them if necessary.

Hopefully the above can help you in overcoming your sales problems and to be on your way to be a more successful sales person.

PS: Article has also been posted on EzineArticles.com

Also read on for some business news where the Bank of England agreed to emergency funding to Northern Rock after it had fallen prey to the liquidility squeeze in the banking sector.

12th September 2007

Logbook 12-09-07 Entry

This morning, I again made my girlfriend angry by not giving in to her. Why is it all female expect males to give in? Even after giving in to her, she is still pissed at me. Really do not know why is it so hard to please her? Anyway trying to coax her now.

Another stupid mistake I keep making is writing wrongly the worded amount on cheques. It happened yesterday, and yet it happened again today. I am really not used to writing. Should really buy a reader to do it. Actually should be Must....Not sure whether any one else have this problem.

I just tried filling out a CPF contribution today, lucky I was wise enough to seek the help of the customer service office at the CPF branch. It is quite a headache to fill in, but at least with the internet, there are automated calculators on the CPF website. My only concern is that the cheques do not bounce due to my signature. Really have to do something about it also.

11th September 2007

Logbook 11-09-07 Entry

Today is the real start for the new company I am working on. The lease for the office has been signed and the work would start this week on the renovations. One of my partner would be hopefully selling the goods by end of this week, for a positive cash flow to the company.

I had just did up the a simple balance sheet for the company. The reason is to check for the cash flow issue. Only then I can know how much can be used and what should it used for.

Today we would also remember 11th Sep for the World Trade attack in US and the passing away of the founder of Body Shop.

Also I had a nice outing with my girlfriend in which we had ice-cream at parkway and dinner at Auston. Although she can be a bit difficult sometimes, but she is still the one I love with all my heart.

Now for some news where US commerate the 11th Sep Terrorist Attack

Also for the health consicous, check on what you take and what they are for as the vitamin C show below:-