Friday 27 July 2012

Pre-season 2012


So the two pre-season game have been disappointing. Anticipation was high but the moment I saw the line-up, I knew these two games were not meant as a warm-up match. Its more of evaluating "high profile" players on whether they suit the gaffers style. Charlie Adam, Aquilani, Joe Cole and Jay Spearing to name a few big names that might not fit in.

I can safely predict that Adam, Aquaman and Joe Cole just don't make the mark and it's interesting to see how the three move forward from now on. Rumour stating that Adam might be tied in with the price tag to get Clint Dempsey to Anfield may just be true. Aquaman and Joe Cole, loaning them out again is my best guestimation. As for the rest, they are young enough to sit on the bench and get ample time to prove their talent and maybe squeeze into the first eleven in the future.

The match against Tottenham this Saturday on the other hand is technically more important than the previous two. I am sure BR will bring in the big guns and refine his game plan. 



So far, the youngsters that really caught my eye are Sterling, Ibe, Eccleston (picture above) and Suso. They are quick and more importantly willing to chase the ball around, putting pressure on opponents to win back possession and make runs into spaces to receive passes. Suso might not be as quick but his passing and skills on the ball is neat and full of composure. Nevertheless, it is quite sad to read that Eccleston is free to leave the club. Considering now that we have Borini, places up front is harder to come by and to be fair to him, he needs playing time to flourish.


What about Big Andy? I think he is off to another club soon.

Monday 16 July 2012

Suso Fernandez

Congratulations on winning the Euro U19 2012 in Estonia. The nineteen year old Spain number 8 is heavily left-footed, has the skills to dribble pass opponents and send accurate passes that can slice through any defense, anytime.


I hope he can make regular appearances for Brendan Rodgers reds next season. The future looks bright and it is already here.

Thursday 12 July 2012

Tentang Zain & Wembley - Cergas

Tanpa melengahkan masa, Zain terus membuka TV sebaik sahaja menutup pintu bilik hotel bernombor H-311. Wanita di kaunter 'check-in' hairan kenapa Zain beria-ia sangat mahukan nombor bilik itu. 




Seperti hotel tiga bintang lain yang berselerak di kota London, Haven Hotel tempat Zain menginap tiada skyTV. Yang ada hanyalah BBC One, BBC Two, ITV dan Channel4. Saluran yang sama seperti TV1, 2 dan 3 di Malaysia, banyak memaparkan program yang lemau. Zain pasrah lagi.

"Apalah nasib aku ni. Dua minggu di London, tempat macam ini yang company sediakan?

"Celaka, celaka, celaka. Memang balik KL ni aku nak resign".

Hati kecil Zain menyumpah-nyumpah comel. Dia ke tingkap dan merenung jauh. Merenung masa hadapan, merenung masa lampau dan mengharapkan impiannya ke Wembley untuk final Piala FA nanti tercapai.




Letih merenung, dia perlahan-lahan meletakkan beg besar berisi baju, makanan dan Macbook diperut katil lalu duduk dihujungnya. Telefon bimbit yang juga Zain bawa diletakkan atas meja. Tiba-tiba Zain teringatkan sesuatu dan bergegas mencapai kembali Blackberry Bold 9000 tadi. Signal "wi-fi" melantun-lantun tanda ada.

"Yes!"

Zain gembira dan dengan pantas mengangkat ganggang mendail operator hotel.

"Hello.

"Hi, I'm calling from room H-311. I see that I have wi-fi access in my room.

Suara dihujung talian jelas menerpa gegendang telinga Zain. Dia khusyuk mendengar.

"Ok. It's free for hotel tenants then?

Sejurus selepas bertanya, Zain tabah menanti jawapan.

"Ok. Alright. The user is 'guest' and the password is? G.U.E.S.T.1.2.3. Ok, thanks. Thanks luv."

Usai meletakkan telefon, Zain melompat 'stage dive' ke katil.

"Tak jadi aku nak resign.

"Hmm..Bau apa yang kepam sangat ni?"

Zain menghidu-hidu badannya yang sudah mula melekit, tersengih lalu terus membuka baju dan seluar jeans bersaiz 37. Seluar bersaiz 'rare' itu dicampak ke tepi pintu bilik mandi dan Zain terus berlenggang masuk.

"Zas, zas, zas". Bunyi air menyirami tubuh Zain. Ini disusuli oleh 20 saat yang sunyi, sessi menyapu sabun kebadan sebelum bunyi zas tadi kembali berdesing, berkali-kali, hinggalah Zain rasa cukup bersih.

Selesai lap badan dan memakai baju, Zain menekan butang 'ON' alat kawalan jauh TV dan melayan rancangan TV yang sedia ada.

5 minit berlalu.

30 minit berlalu.

Tanpa disedari sudah 3 jam Zain menatap Channel4 di TV. Barulah dia sedar bahawa selemau-lemau mana pun, siaran percuma yang keudara di England banyak berunsurkan pengetahuan seperti dokumentari dan kisah kehidupan yang agak menarik jika dilayan. Program realitinya sahaja jauh lebih mantap dari Akademi Fantasia dan Masterchef Celebrity.

Macbook Pro 13 inci miliknya dibuka. Kini tiba masa untuk Zain menghantar panggilan 'S.O.S' kepada rakan-rakan 'reds' yang ada di U.K. Kesemua laman web dan forum LFC yang popular telah Zain singgah dan tinggalkan pesanan ringkas.

"Hi, my name is Zain from Malaysia. I'm here in London, six thousand miles away from home to watch Liverpool play the FA Cup finals in Wembley and I'm looking for tickets. Please help. I can be contacted at IamZain [at] gmail [dot] com".

Selesai menutup Macbook, Zain ke tepi tingkap lagi untuk kembali merenung jauh dengan tangan mengusap-usap rambut bertujuan untuk mempercepatkan pengeringannya.

"Come on you reds, dont let me down. Not this time.

"Esok,mesti cergas beli kad pra-bayar untuk Blackberry aku".

Detus hati Zain sambil tangannya masih menyapu mesra ubun kepala dan rambut tanpa sedikit pun gusar tentang kursus yang sepatutnya dia hadiri keesokan hari.

Malam kian berlalu dan menjadi semakin suram. Zain pasti azan subuh sedang berkumandang di kampung.

(... bersambung)

Edisi yang lepas:

1. Tentang Zain & Wembley
2. Tentang Zain & Wembley - Tiba di London
3. Tentang Zain & Wembley - Tiba di London, Bahagian 2

Saturday 7 July 2012

Liverpool Third Kit

So folks, the long awaited mystery kit is out. Some find it interesting, some loathe it, vomits blood and swear that it is God's way of punishing them for all their sins.

Let's visually scrutinize the kit together.





The Warrior team says that the main colour is 'nightshade' and there is a tint of orange at the collar, which looks like a conventional 'V-neck'. A tribal design on a white sleeve sums it all up.

Nightshade. This colour on a kit is what I call 'daring'. In hex the colour code is 3F3149 and it is not actually purple. I do not see any issue if it is purple to be honest. Fiorentina has been donning purple kit for ages and it looks pretty neat.

Being off-purple, it takes away the norm in a jersey. White, yellow, green and grey has all been our away colour and Warrior decided to instill daring differences to the norm. It is a way of telling people that we are different and we are here, ready to fight.

I reckon that the usual away colour will be adopted in future seasons.

No issue with the orange collar.

Now, whats with the tribal design?

Warriors of old have all been synonymous with tribal tattoos. Look at The Maori's for example. Their Ta'Moko has now gone mainstream and defines their culture as powerful, strong, brave and historically a man with a moko ranks high in their social hierarchy.

I personally think that a tribal motif is a wee bit too much but again it's a design philosophy that is way firmer than the table cloth theme chosen by our next door neighbour.

Liverpool's third kit has grown on me and I may get one soon, just for keep and please remember, it is a kit one of its kind and made specifically for Liverpool. Kau hado?

Friday 6 July 2012

Jamie Broad




Nice ...