EPL Highlights

The new EPL soccer season is already here. The Green StarHub torch has been passed over to SingTel to become red. I am passing my $26 or so to and from the same direction. The Sports Channel is popular so it can't be part of three channels you subscribed to in a package and so if I wanted Golf and other sports I have to pay about $12 to continue an this is a reduction since StarHub lost the EPL rights. What about my rights? Meanwhile, I will continue to receive up to 7-8 matches live at the same time, whatever for? More and more people are pissed and are going online to search for solution. Those who subscribed wanted some convenience. I really think that the market should be open up so that we can have more choices.

If you saw Joe Hart in action for Manchester City you will recall why I was gunning for him to play for England in the World Cup. I do not think like Fabio Capello. Hart was Man of The Match and made at least 5-6 saves to prevent Tottenham Hotspurs from winning. Spurs was unlucky not to have won. With the kind of money spent on players I expect City to be a lot more gung ho and playing swashbuckling soccer on the trot.


If you think Spurs was unlucky, Liverpool fared worse. Giving a goal to Arsenal at the very last minute. Arsenal's Chamakh was credited for the effort but it was Liverpool goalie Pepe Reina who gifted the goal as the ball ricocheted off the post, hit him and scrambled into goal. Did you notice anything different? I give a resounding "YES!" There were only a few occasions that Liverpool played like that for the whole of last season. Maybe they were confused and less willing and there were some unhappiness when Benitez was the manager. Did you see what I saw which was a resurgent Liverpool where every player knew their role and knew what they are supposed to do with or without the ball? Did you see that they did not panic even when under relentless pressure from the Gunners? They were resolute in their tackles and challenges. Even the often-caught offside and seldom used Ngog scored fore Liverpool.



Though Arsenal got their point and have always played the best soccer they did not impressed me. Perhaps not all their players were available for selection. This is a very important year for Arsenal as they have not won anything for some time though they are still among the best eight in Europe. It could be Cesc Fabregas last year as the Nou Camp beckons. Hopefully once Fabregas is back, he will restore the order.

Champions Chelsea was slow on the pedal as their engine warmed up but once they got going, they could not be stopped. What a start for Drogba with that hattrick! Manchester United did like wise and was business like then they trounced newly promoted Newcastle 3-0. Old boys Scholes and Giggs turned on the style. I have told umpteen times that old is gold.



This could be an intriguing year. Chelsea and Manchester United have continuity with a few addition so they will still be there or around there toward the end of the season. All Arsenal needs to do is to fulfill the promise as they have the ingredients. Liverpool could surprise as Roy Hodgson is an old hand who knows what exactly to do. Spurs has done well but may find sustaining last season's form to be tough. Manchester City has plenty in reserves as in money and also the substitutes available. Oh yes, I love Blackpool and am going to buy their jersey. They whacked Wigan 4-0 away. I think some one showed them the newspaper report saying that they will be the first team to go back down. Next time I wish to motivate you, I will say some nasty things to irk you.
Have a great weekend!!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Uncle Choo

Image
Preface It has really been awhile since I have last written and published an article on my blog with the last being in October last year. Before that I have been writing and publishing non-stop for 15 years since 2008.  I was not suffering from writer's block. They say running water never grows stale. So I have to move on to other things since the pandemic has ravaged and torn all asunder. No matter how passionate you are about anything, you will find that after an absence for sometime, the engine gets cold and you find it harder to start.  Just too darned busy and being too busy with one thing means one becomes lazy with the others. The law of compensation. A hiatus if you must.  Covid made it worse as there was no more travelling since borders were closed and eating locally and overseas were curtailed. So I could not write about these things. In fact, I laid out my travel luggage, sat down and spoke to them - "We are not gonna travel for a few years". They have since be
Read more

The Kallang Roar! (Part Three)

Image
Back in the good old days, we have four other national teams. Besides the National Team (The Lions), we also have a B team (The Cubs). Then we also competed in the Sultan's Gold Cup fielding a team called Singapore Malays. We have the Singapore Indians playing in the Bardhan Cup and the other being the Singapore Chinese team also competing aga inst Malaysian state teams in the same format and also the Ho Ho Cup triangular among Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. In 1976, Englishman Trevor Hartley became responsible for the Singapore team at age 28. I can't remember which year Singapore beat Malacca 6-2 and Lee Bee Seng was sent off for punching an opponent who must have trampled on him. Here is Bee Seng with Brian Rozario. In the same match Quah Kim Song was sent off too for fighting. And I said wow! Malaysia Cup is like that? I like! (Pix - Lee Bee Seng with Brian Rozario). And can you believe this? Before all these we have Mike Walker who played Kim Song a
Read more

The Hainanese

The Hainanese are people from Hainan who originated from Hainan Island - the smallest province of China at the Southern most tip. They were originally fishermen from Fujian and Guandong and later settled over there. The Hainanese, part of the Chinese dispora migrated to different South East Asian countries including late comers to Singapore worked in ships as sailors, opened their own coffee shops or restaurants, bakeries or bars and worked as cooks and chefs and others at local hotels.  Hainanese in Singapore made up 7% of the Chinese population. The Hainanese came to Singapore much later than the Hokkiens and Teochews who are already well entrenched in trade and commerce. Originally they also have problems communicating with other dialect groups as their language seems unintelligible to the others but they began to carve out a name for themselves working for wealthy Europeans including as canteen operators for military bases.  Hainanese are especially with food and beverage.
Read more