Happy New Year Gooners! One made all the more pleasant of course by a huge morale lifting win over title rivals Chelsea. OK, so the game wasn't technically on the Boxing Day but Arsenal made sure they threw a heavyweight punch into the faces of those critics who questioned our ability to win the big games.
Having lost to Manchester United away at Old Trafford a fortnight ago still pinches a lot but this victory should come as healing cure and restore the belief about this side that has maturity to win the games when they matter the most.
It does'nt get any easier from here on. The fixtures for festive period have just begun and we need to maintain the consistent run of form in our next 3 games against Wigan, Birmingham and Manc City.At the same time we must also hope our rivals and current leaders drop some points, as we do not face them at Emirates till end of April.
The Champions League draw is always very exciting, arguably even more so when you reach the latter stages. Fortunately for us Gooners it is something we have had bitter experiences in recent seasons against the super favorites Barcelona. To be honest, Barca play at a totally different level; so I will be content even if we manage to lose only by an odd single goal.
And of course there is the domestic cups that Arsenal are chasing and as a fan I will take them all this season. Bring on whatever cup we can win this season. I believe this has to be the season which will wipe out the tag line of "5 years without trophy".
The only regrets for this season so far have been the defeats at home to Spurs and Newcastle. Also in some small proportions Wenger's resistance to signing a decent goal keeper. But on the plus side, we retained Cesc Fabregas after intense summer speculations and also don't get me wrong, we have played better this season, in fact for me we've played better and lost but may be we have been so much better that it still keeps us very close to our opponents.
The season is long,
Our squad is strong.
We have the desire,
to go higher.
We shall overcome the syndrome,
The Cup will finally come home.
Good Wishes & Happy New Year To Everyone. Cheers!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Pictoblog!
Snaps from my recent trip :)
Just before entering the beach:
Hmmmm. Nice :)
Temple View:
Me:
Evening scenery:
Life's a beach -
Just before entering the beach:
Hmmmm. Nice :)
Temple View:
Me:
Evening scenery:
Life's a beach -
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The Diwali Weekend
It ocassionally happens that I have something spectacular to talk about so I thought its time I blah blah about something. But I got confused as to which topic to write. I have three things on my plate and I can write about 1024 words on each, but instead I choose to write just a few sentences on what I think on those topics. D'oh! I am going to talk about some of the events that took place during the Diwali weekend - Barack Obama's visit to India, India's drawn test match against Kiwis & my vacation trip to the beaches of Ganpatipule.
Obama Visits India:
The Obamas arrived on the auspicious occasion of Diwali. Grand arrangements were made and Manmohan Singh himself went to receive the most extraordinary couple at the Mumbai airport. Ever since his first speech for the Democrats as a presidential candidate, then on the day he took his oath and gave his first speech as a victorious President, then later when he made a few decisions in correcting the US Economy along with the Fed - he has been my personal favorite! And now here he is in my motherland wooing zillions like me.
Q) So what is he here for?
A) He is here on an economic mission. As two great functional democracies, India and the United States must be seen standing together and exuding confidence of a distinct world view, based on protecting pluralism and peoples’ will. His list of business includes seeking greater market access for US companies in the retail and financial services sectors, and greater technology protection for energy companies.
Q) Did India get what it expected from the US Prez?
A) Well, the answer is certainly 'yes we did'. President Barack Obama has proved skeptics wrong. He made all the noises we wanted to hear: support for a permanent seat in the UNSC, lifting curbs on dual-use technology exports, cooperation in homeland security and membership of restrictive multilateral treaties and organizations such as the Nuclear Suppliers Group, strongly advising Pakistan to whip crack on all the terrorist outfits to make way for peace dialogues, announcing more opportunities in educational institutions for Indian students in order to build knowledge warehouses, accepting the fact that outsourcing is still the way to go for the US companies. Apart from all these, he also paid rich tributes to Aryabhatta, Gandhiji, Rabindranath Tagore and Ambedkar.
The bottomline - He is liked in India not because we think he will donate a few million dollars to us, but because Indians like men of character and wisdom. His speeches reflect his mind and his heart. As a man of wisdom and straightforward heart that loves India, he is welcome but the rest is a ruthless race for business. Hence keeping all our eggs in the US basket will not be wise.
Kiwis test India's mettle:
The 1st test between India and New Zealand was played out in this festive period. So, MSD finally won the toss and elected to bat on a flat track. As expected we saw easy early fireworks from Sehwag in first innings and Sachin decided to make us wait longer for the record 50th test ton. Jesse Ryder loves to toy around with Indian spinners and he once again stood rock solid to protect his wicket. However, it was Chris Martin's majestic bowling spell and inexplicable harakiri by Indian batsmen which swung the test match in New Zealand's favour. At 65/6, I had almost given up on India's chances to save the test match; it was time for the Kiwi Redemption. But what can be said about Laxman that's not been said before? It is perhaps easier to define Laxman in crisis situations. "Laxman just did what he always does, He scores runs." The fabulous wristy shots come and go, the singles are always flowing, the gaps are found repeatedly, and his face is calm. There is the ball and his reaction to it. That's it. On the other end he had Harbhajan Singh, high on confidence after scoring career best 69 in first innings, he started second innings in a similar flashy fashion. He played the reverse sweep, the hoick over midwicket, the walk-down-the-pitch-and-smack shots, and the lofted hits over long-on fielders. But that's Bhajji the batsman for you. He failed miserably with the ball in hand but ensured that his efforts with bat help the cause. There was a stark contrast in the way both VVS and Harbhajan batted to save India from going down in the series described as cakewalk for the reigning champions.
A trip down the Konkan Lane:
I spent my Diwali in Ratnagiri district of the Konkan region. It felt good to be away from the noisy and smoke filled Mumbai during the festival. On this piligrimage, I was accompanied by my parents and relatives. We left Mumbai at 11 pm and after 8 hours of driving through the Sahyadri ghats we reached the location early morning 7 am. After a couple of hours rest, we went to the Ganpatipule temple to seek blessings from the elephant-god. From there we moved to a few places of historic importance, Keshavsut's memorial (a reknowned poet), Lokmanya Tilak's Birthplace (a freedom fighter). Then after having spicy lunch we headed back to our cottage to take afternoon nap. I spent my time playing football with my cousins and after sunset we all spent our time splashing waves on the beach. The scenery at the beach front was absolutely awesome: the cool low tide waves, the sun setting against slight drizzle of rain causing a magical rainbow. On the next day we visited the Ratnadurg Fort built by Shivaji Maharaj's Navy Admiral Kanhoji Angre. The horse shoe shaped fort is surrounded by the sea on one side and village on the other side. Whenever I visit such forts, I get nostalgic and I imagine how these forts still withstand the nature's brute force. Hats off to the architects of those ancient times and clearly should be an embarrasment for the builders of the bridge at CW games, New Delhi. From there we carried on with our trip to another of temples in that region. Marleshwar temple is within a mountain cave and dwelling place of Shiva. (the father of elephant god). The mythology says that Shiva has been reincarnated in this place for the betterment of villagers to protect them from snakes. And it may be true indeed. Inside the temple there were snakes lying around and the priests that were near by the idol. I was hell terrified and I made a quick exit from the temple by offering my prayers from the edge of the cave. :) We then marched on to museum created to depict the life of Shivaji Maharaj, our great Maratha Warrior. That was our last stop before we started our journey back home. The return journey is always more tiring than the onward journey, but all in all it was a great trip, one to cherish for a long time. I'll soon post some pics from the trip.
Cheers.
Obama Visits India:
The Obamas arrived on the auspicious occasion of Diwali. Grand arrangements were made and Manmohan Singh himself went to receive the most extraordinary couple at the Mumbai airport. Ever since his first speech for the Democrats as a presidential candidate, then on the day he took his oath and gave his first speech as a victorious President, then later when he made a few decisions in correcting the US Economy along with the Fed - he has been my personal favorite! And now here he is in my motherland wooing zillions like me.
Q) So what is he here for?
A) He is here on an economic mission. As two great functional democracies, India and the United States must be seen standing together and exuding confidence of a distinct world view, based on protecting pluralism and peoples’ will. His list of business includes seeking greater market access for US companies in the retail and financial services sectors, and greater technology protection for energy companies.
Q) Did India get what it expected from the US Prez?
A) Well, the answer is certainly 'yes we did'. President Barack Obama has proved skeptics wrong. He made all the noises we wanted to hear: support for a permanent seat in the UNSC, lifting curbs on dual-use technology exports, cooperation in homeland security and membership of restrictive multilateral treaties and organizations such as the Nuclear Suppliers Group, strongly advising Pakistan to whip crack on all the terrorist outfits to make way for peace dialogues, announcing more opportunities in educational institutions for Indian students in order to build knowledge warehouses, accepting the fact that outsourcing is still the way to go for the US companies. Apart from all these, he also paid rich tributes to Aryabhatta, Gandhiji, Rabindranath Tagore and Ambedkar.
The bottomline - He is liked in India not because we think he will donate a few million dollars to us, but because Indians like men of character and wisdom. His speeches reflect his mind and his heart. As a man of wisdom and straightforward heart that loves India, he is welcome but the rest is a ruthless race for business. Hence keeping all our eggs in the US basket will not be wise.
Kiwis test India's mettle:
The 1st test between India and New Zealand was played out in this festive period. So, MSD finally won the toss and elected to bat on a flat track. As expected we saw easy early fireworks from Sehwag in first innings and Sachin decided to make us wait longer for the record 50th test ton. Jesse Ryder loves to toy around with Indian spinners and he once again stood rock solid to protect his wicket. However, it was Chris Martin's majestic bowling spell and inexplicable harakiri by Indian batsmen which swung the test match in New Zealand's favour. At 65/6, I had almost given up on India's chances to save the test match; it was time for the Kiwi Redemption. But what can be said about Laxman that's not been said before? It is perhaps easier to define Laxman in crisis situations. "Laxman just did what he always does, He scores runs." The fabulous wristy shots come and go, the singles are always flowing, the gaps are found repeatedly, and his face is calm. There is the ball and his reaction to it. That's it. On the other end he had Harbhajan Singh, high on confidence after scoring career best 69 in first innings, he started second innings in a similar flashy fashion. He played the reverse sweep, the hoick over midwicket, the walk-down-the-pitch-and-smack shots, and the lofted hits over long-on fielders. But that's Bhajji the batsman for you. He failed miserably with the ball in hand but ensured that his efforts with bat help the cause. There was a stark contrast in the way both VVS and Harbhajan batted to save India from going down in the series described as cakewalk for the reigning champions.
A trip down the Konkan Lane:
I spent my Diwali in Ratnagiri district of the Konkan region. It felt good to be away from the noisy and smoke filled Mumbai during the festival. On this piligrimage, I was accompanied by my parents and relatives. We left Mumbai at 11 pm and after 8 hours of driving through the Sahyadri ghats we reached the location early morning 7 am. After a couple of hours rest, we went to the Ganpatipule temple to seek blessings from the elephant-god. From there we moved to a few places of historic importance, Keshavsut's memorial (a reknowned poet), Lokmanya Tilak's Birthplace (a freedom fighter). Then after having spicy lunch we headed back to our cottage to take afternoon nap. I spent my time playing football with my cousins and after sunset we all spent our time splashing waves on the beach. The scenery at the beach front was absolutely awesome: the cool low tide waves, the sun setting against slight drizzle of rain causing a magical rainbow. On the next day we visited the Ratnadurg Fort built by Shivaji Maharaj's Navy Admiral Kanhoji Angre. The horse shoe shaped fort is surrounded by the sea on one side and village on the other side. Whenever I visit such forts, I get nostalgic and I imagine how these forts still withstand the nature's brute force. Hats off to the architects of those ancient times and clearly should be an embarrasment for the builders of the bridge at CW games, New Delhi. From there we carried on with our trip to another of temples in that region. Marleshwar temple is within a mountain cave and dwelling place of Shiva. (the father of elephant god). The mythology says that Shiva has been reincarnated in this place for the betterment of villagers to protect them from snakes. And it may be true indeed. Inside the temple there were snakes lying around and the priests that were near by the idol. I was hell terrified and I made a quick exit from the temple by offering my prayers from the edge of the cave. :) We then marched on to museum created to depict the life of Shivaji Maharaj, our great Maratha Warrior. That was our last stop before we started our journey back home. The return journey is always more tiring than the onward journey, but all in all it was a great trip, one to cherish for a long time. I'll soon post some pics from the trip.
Cheers.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
FIFA Ballon D'Or
FIFA and France Football have announced the nominees for this year's prestigious FIFA's World Player of the Year Awards. Players from Spain have dominated the list and rightly so. My dissection of nominees on a slightly different angle from which I can probably conclude who could be the winner on Jan 10 2011 in Zurich, Switzerland.
League-wise:
La Liga =11
Bundesliga = 5
Serie A = 4
Premier League = 3
Club-wise:
Barcelona = 6
Bayern Munich = 5
Real Madrid = 4
Inter Milan = 4
Atletico Madrid = 1
Arsenal = 1
Chelsea = 1
Sunderland = 1
Position-wise:
Goalkeepers = 2
Defenders = 4
Central Midfielders = 6
Attacking Midfielders = 5
Strikers = 6
Historically speaking:
Barcelona = 7 winners (Romario, Ronaldo X 2*, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho X 2, Messi)
Real Madrid = 4 winners (Figo, Ronaldo, Zidane, Cannavaro)
Juventus = 4 winners (Baggio, Zidane X 2*, Cannavaro)
AC Milan = 3 winners (van Basten, Weah, Kaka)
Inter Milan = 3 winners (Matthaus, Ronaldo X 2*)
WC 1994 Finals = Romario scored in shoot out
WC 1998 Finals = Zidane scored
WC 2002 Finals = Ronaldo scored
WC 2006 Finals = Cannavaro
(Note: * denotes played for 2 clubs in the same year)
Based on above statistics, it is safe to say that neither England nor Premier League players have left their mark on awards night. Only once on top and mostly finished in second or even in third place. The above stats also conclude that a central midfielder playing for Barcelona in La Liga who has also scored the goal in the Finals of the World Cup stands the best chance of winning the award. Andres Iniesta. This year also sees the introduction of FIFA Manager of the Year award. The choices again are not surprising, because they all have either won some trophy for the club/country for the year or have been longest serving managers for their historic clubs.
The obvious and popular choice would be to give this award to someone who has helped the country win the world cup or club achieve a treble in all competitions. Vicente Del Bosque and Jose Mourinho have achieved the feat with their respective teams; One had the players who knew their roles and performed as champions they were known to become and the Special One possesses special management skills and he knows exactly how he wants his team to play and makes them victorious champions no matter what. But one manager who stands out for me is he who believed in youth system, he who symbolized attacking football the way his Nazi ancestors used Blitzkreig on the armed forces, he who keeps a 'Loew' profile. Joachim Loew.Well those are my votes for awards, who do you think is the most deserving player to win it this year?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Sachining & Shining
Hello again and a warm welcome to thee. This one is a short blog. I wrote a few weeks back about how bureaucrats are bringing disrepute to country by mismanaging the Games. I feared if India’s a one sport nation. Two weeks later those doubts have been put to rest.
A lot of news hungry section of media sensationalized and brought much malign to the Games. However the artists from India ensured a grand opening ceremony witnessed by thousands in the stadium and many others on television. I only watched it in bits and pieces and some on You Tube and forwarded emails… Reason – Arsenal vs. Chelsea. It is also people like me who do not watch the good things happening around but are first to criticize when things go wrong. But I have made a decent effort to overcome that and have kept a close eye on India’s performance in Games. 32 gold medals and counting… make me feel proud of the athletes. We have achieved more than what we did 8 years ago in Manchester. With medals in Shooting, Weightlifting, Boxing and Athletics and awaiting medals in Table Tennis and Hockey, it clearly shows the youth is participating in all possible games. And who are these winners – most of them from the small towns and cities of the country. Our next aim should be to repeat such performances in Olympics as well and try to beat the Chinese, Americans and Russians in some of the games in which they dominate the world sport. I would urge parents of all youngsters in the country to take up sport seriously as part of academics and encourage them to remain fit and healthy when the events such as these come knocking at the doorstep.
Cricket is Religion and Sachin Tendulkar is GOD. And He once again showed why He is an All Time Legend of a cricketer. Coming into 2nd test match after being named ICC Player of the Year, Sachin showed no signs of high headedness. He did what He does the best; a double century while guiding Vijay to his maiden test hundred. Even the statisticians must have forgotten the count of records that Sachin keeps on adding to his name. He can be compared to Ryan Giggs in this aspect – I once heard that Giggs played his 98471st minute on the pitch and that was published as a club record. Hehe, just joshing. :)
A 2-0 win over the Aussies looks so flattering to be deceived; but it was a hard earned series win which involved huge efforts from the entire team and bowlers especially, Zaheer Khan. He reverse swung the sessions of the match in India’s favor which the Australian bowlers failed to do. The momentum is now with India as we go into ODI series and hope they youngsters come good again. The prep for World Cup 2011 has to begin from now…
Congratulations & Thanks a Ton to All Indian Athletes in Commonwealth Games 2010 and Indian Cricket Team for giving 2 joyous weeks!!!
A Proud Indian.
A lot of news hungry section of media sensationalized and brought much malign to the Games. However the artists from India ensured a grand opening ceremony witnessed by thousands in the stadium and many others on television. I only watched it in bits and pieces and some on You Tube and forwarded emails… Reason – Arsenal vs. Chelsea. It is also people like me who do not watch the good things happening around but are first to criticize when things go wrong. But I have made a decent effort to overcome that and have kept a close eye on India’s performance in Games. 32 gold medals and counting… make me feel proud of the athletes. We have achieved more than what we did 8 years ago in Manchester. With medals in Shooting, Weightlifting, Boxing and Athletics and awaiting medals in Table Tennis and Hockey, it clearly shows the youth is participating in all possible games. And who are these winners – most of them from the small towns and cities of the country. Our next aim should be to repeat such performances in Olympics as well and try to beat the Chinese, Americans and Russians in some of the games in which they dominate the world sport. I would urge parents of all youngsters in the country to take up sport seriously as part of academics and encourage them to remain fit and healthy when the events such as these come knocking at the doorstep.
Cricket is Religion and Sachin Tendulkar is GOD. And He once again showed why He is an All Time Legend of a cricketer. Coming into 2nd test match after being named ICC Player of the Year, Sachin showed no signs of high headedness. He did what He does the best; a double century while guiding Vijay to his maiden test hundred. Even the statisticians must have forgotten the count of records that Sachin keeps on adding to his name. He can be compared to Ryan Giggs in this aspect – I once heard that Giggs played his 98471st minute on the pitch and that was published as a club record. Hehe, just joshing. :)
A 2-0 win over the Aussies looks so flattering to be deceived; but it was a hard earned series win which involved huge efforts from the entire team and bowlers especially, Zaheer Khan. He reverse swung the sessions of the match in India’s favor which the Australian bowlers failed to do. The momentum is now with India as we go into ODI series and hope they youngsters come good again. The prep for World Cup 2011 has to begin from now…
Congratulations & Thanks a Ton to All Indian Athletes in Commonwealth Games 2010 and Indian Cricket Team for giving 2 joyous weeks!!!
A Proud Indian.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Whaddaaplayaaa!!!
Hello readers, Welcome to the 11th edition of my simple blogs. Today I am writing this is in ecstasy. No, I have'nt been taking drugs or have been high on ale, but I just witnessed a heart breaking, nerve wretching and happy ending test match in office breakout area which India won convincingly by more than half a day to spare. Claps. Claps. Claps.
I woke up today morning with a feeling that Sachin will finally deliver when it matters the most and silence his critics. One can't blame the Master - he did his bit with the bat and fell to Bollinger's tact. I left for office dejected having absolutely no hopes on Dhoni pulling it off for us. Well, I had forgotten about one man army against the Aussies, who very recently in Sri Lanka series bailed us out from a similar position chasing 258. The Very Very Special Laxman.
VVS joined Sachin at crease with India still 140 runs behind. Remember Laxman was playing with an injured back. He accumulated runs at fast rate thus taking pressure off Sachin's shoulders. Even after Dhoni's run out; Laxman kept scoring steadily in partnership with Ishant Sharma. Whats up with this lanky bowler, bowled no-balls in both the innings before a dream spell where he picked 3 wickets. Now I gotcha why he bowled no-balls, he had them balls preserved for batting in tense situation. VVS and Ishant took the game away from Australia. Bravado.
In the closing stages of the game, Laxman showed all his emotions on the pitch. It was so apparent that he just wanted to win this game so ever badly for his country. He gestured throwing a bat at Ojha, scolded Raina for hearing his decision before making a call on whether to take a run. All in all, it was a sweet effort from the Hyderabadi batsman to once again pin down Ponting's men. As the winning runs were scored the entire country erupted in joy. The players from dressing room went running to the field to congratulate the heroes. And there I stood in office breakout area, with almost teary moist eyes, murmuring to meself,
"Thanks VVS. Take a bow, my son."
I woke up today morning with a feeling that Sachin will finally deliver when it matters the most and silence his critics. One can't blame the Master - he did his bit with the bat and fell to Bollinger's tact. I left for office dejected having absolutely no hopes on Dhoni pulling it off for us. Well, I had forgotten about one man army against the Aussies, who very recently in Sri Lanka series bailed us out from a similar position chasing 258. The Very Very Special Laxman.
VVS joined Sachin at crease with India still 140 runs behind. Remember Laxman was playing with an injured back. He accumulated runs at fast rate thus taking pressure off Sachin's shoulders. Even after Dhoni's run out; Laxman kept scoring steadily in partnership with Ishant Sharma. Whats up with this lanky bowler, bowled no-balls in both the innings before a dream spell where he picked 3 wickets. Now I gotcha why he bowled no-balls, he had them balls preserved for batting in tense situation. VVS and Ishant took the game away from Australia. Bravado.
In the closing stages of the game, Laxman showed all his emotions on the pitch. It was so apparent that he just wanted to win this game so ever badly for his country. He gestured throwing a bat at Ojha, scolded Raina for hearing his decision before making a call on whether to take a run. All in all, it was a sweet effort from the Hyderabadi batsman to once again pin down Ponting's men. As the winning runs were scored the entire country erupted in joy. The players from dressing room went running to the field to congratulate the heroes. And there I stood in office breakout area, with almost teary moist eyes, murmuring to meself,
"Thanks VVS. Take a bow, my son."
Friday, September 24, 2010
Let's Wake Up!
Welcome to the milestone 10th edition of "KEEP IT SIMPLE" blogs. So without wasting much time lets just get straight into the sporting subject that is concering Brand India's image - the Common Wealth Games.
Now that the commonwealth games are ljust 9 days away the preparations are really going down to the wires. Honestly, I am more than a little confused about whether to support the games or not.
In 2008, Pune - a city in Maharashtra hosted Commonwealth Youth Games and we saw tremenduos development in the city. The journey from Mumbai to Pune which was earlier 5 hours is just about 3 hours today. The magnificent Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports City at Balewadi boasts of state-of-art infrastructure and the notable feature of this event was that the competition venues of all sports events and the Athletes Village were located in one single complex. The event was held successfully.
Earlier in summer, apart from a few major roads which were still dug, a few flyovers which were still under construction, the organizers thought that they will easily complete before the D-Day. Govt. stepped in, did some inspection and requested the CM of Delhi to fasten the work. A few months ago, the reports of corruption and scandals broke out that heavy machinery were bought and cheaper amounts and accounted for crores of rupees. Media created a furore and rightly so. Once again the Govt. stepped in and helped Kalmadi to come out clean. The CWG boss visited the Games Village in Delhi and in his report he said that "the preparation is far from over, but we all are working towards achieving one common goal." A few days back some more events took place viz., an Australian carried RDX and showed that security can breached easily and then we had the roof collapsing at one place, a bridge at some other place. So a common man asks these questions - What problems are the organizers facing? Who are responsible people to fix them? Are we just a 1 sport nation? Are we ready as a nation to host any such events?
I will try answering these to the best of my knowledge.
Q) What problems are the organizers facing?
A) It could be a lot of things - support from Govt. in terms wages for unions/workers (most of them who are from backward classes), the corruption that exists in the heirarchy where every top manager wants to have his share of commission and profits. Secondly, it has been raining incessantly in Northern parts of India,The rivers and dams are over flowing causing deluge in many places. This adds to possibilities of outbreak of epidemics and all the hygiene related problems. Thirdly, the Ayodhya case hearing & growing inflation rates and opposition party calling country wide agitation programs are not helping Govt. to focus on one single issue at a time.
Q) Who are responsible to fix them?
A) Well, it should have been the responsibility of the organizers and the State Govt to ensure that all went smooth. Leadership, Ownership & Accountability are the words one must follow in this situation. Yesterday, PM has stepped in for the nth time and has set a 24hr deadline to clean up the Games village. But then, I tell myself that some of these jokers, which basically means the top guys in the organising committee and the civic administration and their political masters, have had 7 years to get things ready, and delayed things deliberately to create panic so that no question asked funds are released. So they deserve no mercy. And then again, the thought creeps up. Why should the nation be embarrassed for the folly of these individuals, especially when we know that those responsible for the mess are thick-skinned?
Q) Are we just a 1 sport nation?
A) This country hosts IPL every year; whenever it comes to cricket, sponsors invest huge money and all the arrangements for the event happen so smoothly that there's never a need for Govt to step in. The preparation for 2011 Cricket WC is in full swing and most of the stadiums have already been rebuilt and used once in domestic tournaments. We also hosted the Hockey World Championships in Hyderabad 2 years amidst all the bomb scares and terror threats in India. When we talk about architectural designs, in Mumbai we have one of the finest bridges a.k.a Bandra Sea-link, Lewis Hamilton drove his Mercedes McLaren on this very bridge. I would like to believe that we are drifting from the image of being a cricketing nation and we can provide a grand stage to all other sports played across the world.
Q) Are we ready to host any such events?
A) Yes. I think this CWG, Delhi is just an one-off affair where things have gone wrong. If it was any other city, may be things would have been better. Basically what is happening is that all these are being done just because some worthies thought all this is needed in an international city, without a clue as to how it is to be executed. There is science behind tactile tiles, or the angle at which disabled friendly ramps are to be built, for example, but it’d be churlish to expect that anyone is even aware of these aspects. It hurts. It really hurts. How we are being milked can be gauged from the fact that most of those involved in the implementation of these projects have spent considerable amount of taxpayers’ money on overseas study tours to learn implementation of such projects. In the absence of any feedback or accountability, one just ends up spending a lot of money with almost zero benefit.
These mistakes for Delhi event will make us better prepared to host world events in future. Just some basic training and awareness will result in creation of better civic facilities, complement this with putting right people for right job at right time will ensure India's status of a growing economic power will flourish even more and bring joy to the masses in the country.
I am sure, you all are aware of what is being done and have an opinion on how it should be done and I would love to hear them. I can only hope this will somehow help in future. It is easy to give up and live with the rot, but then that is taking the easy way out and we don’t want that. Future is always bright.
Now that the commonwealth games are ljust 9 days away the preparations are really going down to the wires. Honestly, I am more than a little confused about whether to support the games or not.
In 2008, Pune - a city in Maharashtra hosted Commonwealth Youth Games and we saw tremenduos development in the city. The journey from Mumbai to Pune which was earlier 5 hours is just about 3 hours today. The magnificent Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports City at Balewadi boasts of state-of-art infrastructure and the notable feature of this event was that the competition venues of all sports events and the Athletes Village were located in one single complex. The event was held successfully.
Earlier in summer, apart from a few major roads which were still dug, a few flyovers which were still under construction, the organizers thought that they will easily complete before the D-Day. Govt. stepped in, did some inspection and requested the CM of Delhi to fasten the work. A few months ago, the reports of corruption and scandals broke out that heavy machinery were bought and cheaper amounts and accounted for crores of rupees. Media created a furore and rightly so. Once again the Govt. stepped in and helped Kalmadi to come out clean. The CWG boss visited the Games Village in Delhi and in his report he said that "the preparation is far from over, but we all are working towards achieving one common goal." A few days back some more events took place viz., an Australian carried RDX and showed that security can breached easily and then we had the roof collapsing at one place, a bridge at some other place. So a common man asks these questions - What problems are the organizers facing? Who are responsible people to fix them? Are we just a 1 sport nation? Are we ready as a nation to host any such events?
I will try answering these to the best of my knowledge.
Q) What problems are the organizers facing?
A) It could be a lot of things - support from Govt. in terms wages for unions/workers (most of them who are from backward classes), the corruption that exists in the heirarchy where every top manager wants to have his share of commission and profits. Secondly, it has been raining incessantly in Northern parts of India,The rivers and dams are over flowing causing deluge in many places. This adds to possibilities of outbreak of epidemics and all the hygiene related problems. Thirdly, the Ayodhya case hearing & growing inflation rates and opposition party calling country wide agitation programs are not helping Govt. to focus on one single issue at a time.
Q) Who are responsible to fix them?
A) Well, it should have been the responsibility of the organizers and the State Govt to ensure that all went smooth. Leadership, Ownership & Accountability are the words one must follow in this situation. Yesterday, PM has stepped in for the nth time and has set a 24hr deadline to clean up the Games village. But then, I tell myself that some of these jokers, which basically means the top guys in the organising committee and the civic administration and their political masters, have had 7 years to get things ready, and delayed things deliberately to create panic so that no question asked funds are released. So they deserve no mercy. And then again, the thought creeps up. Why should the nation be embarrassed for the folly of these individuals, especially when we know that those responsible for the mess are thick-skinned?
Q) Are we just a 1 sport nation?
A) This country hosts IPL every year; whenever it comes to cricket, sponsors invest huge money and all the arrangements for the event happen so smoothly that there's never a need for Govt to step in. The preparation for 2011 Cricket WC is in full swing and most of the stadiums have already been rebuilt and used once in domestic tournaments. We also hosted the Hockey World Championships in Hyderabad 2 years amidst all the bomb scares and terror threats in India. When we talk about architectural designs, in Mumbai we have one of the finest bridges a.k.a Bandra Sea-link, Lewis Hamilton drove his Mercedes McLaren on this very bridge. I would like to believe that we are drifting from the image of being a cricketing nation and we can provide a grand stage to all other sports played across the world.
Q) Are we ready to host any such events?
A) Yes. I think this CWG, Delhi is just an one-off affair where things have gone wrong. If it was any other city, may be things would have been better. Basically what is happening is that all these are being done just because some worthies thought all this is needed in an international city, without a clue as to how it is to be executed. There is science behind tactile tiles, or the angle at which disabled friendly ramps are to be built, for example, but it’d be churlish to expect that anyone is even aware of these aspects. It hurts. It really hurts. How we are being milked can be gauged from the fact that most of those involved in the implementation of these projects have spent considerable amount of taxpayers’ money on overseas study tours to learn implementation of such projects. In the absence of any feedback or accountability, one just ends up spending a lot of money with almost zero benefit.
These mistakes for Delhi event will make us better prepared to host world events in future. Just some basic training and awareness will result in creation of better civic facilities, complement this with putting right people for right job at right time will ensure India's status of a growing economic power will flourish even more and bring joy to the masses in the country.
I am sure, you all are aware of what is being done and have an opinion on how it should be done and I would love to hear them. I can only hope this will somehow help in future. It is easy to give up and live with the rot, but then that is taking the easy way out and we don’t want that. Future is always bright.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Technology, Human Errors and Administrators!
Welcome to 9th edition of Keep It Simple blogs. Today I am discussing a serious issue of Technology and Human Errors in Sport. Well, you might have already read a lot about use or misuse of technology on other blogs as well. But we have'nt really yet come to a conclusion. WHY??? What's stopppping us humans from making use of advanced technologies created by us humans for betterment of life???
Controversies are part and parcel of any sport and they add a bit of spice to the contest, no doubt. But we must ensure that it doesnt cost an individual or team's fortune for a bigger cause. Just mention to the Irish about 'Henry' OR ask Lampard 'Why could he not score against the Germans?' You will surely get your answers there. How far and fast have the admins moved to change all this? I think so far we have covered a distance of 2mm @ speed of 0.00004 mm per light year.
I will recount two incidents on the weekend from Stoke vs Tottenham game and India vs Sri Lanka game.
Stoke vs Tottenham Spurs:
Did the ball go in? Yes.
Was referee or linesman in right place to view the incident? Yes.
The Result? Stoke denied a point. May be or may be not, Spurs could have scored a 3rd which we'll never know.
Why was there not much of a fuss after this game? Probably lesser known teams. It is just a league match, it may balance off in course of 38 games.
India vs Sri Lanka:
4 umpiring decisions went against India. Umpires were from Sri Lanka and Pakistan none of who have got a great umpiring record broke the spine of Indian batting. The match was of utmost importance to Indians, win it and qualify for the finals. Yes, the rest of the batting was patchy but was largely due to pressure caused by erroneous umpiring.
The Result? Indian suffered another humiliating defeat and are on brink of exiting from the tri-series cup.
Indian fans Reaction: The reasons umpires Dharmasena & Rauf declared them as "Out" were probably due to excessive appealing from Lankans OR to take revenge of the Randiv incident.
What Next? Do the refs own up the responsibility? When will administrators do something to save the integrity of the sport? Or should we fans take everything in stride and carry on thinking it's not our job to change the system?
Said it before as well and saying now again to the FIFA and ICC Chiefs - Technology is there, bloody well USE IT just like you would use condoms when bedding your precious prostitutes; before your prestige will be at stake.
Go Technology!
Controversies are part and parcel of any sport and they add a bit of spice to the contest, no doubt. But we must ensure that it doesnt cost an individual or team's fortune for a bigger cause. Just mention to the Irish about 'Henry' OR ask Lampard 'Why could he not score against the Germans?' You will surely get your answers there. How far and fast have the admins moved to change all this? I think so far we have covered a distance of 2mm @ speed of 0.00004 mm per light year.
I will recount two incidents on the weekend from Stoke vs Tottenham game and India vs Sri Lanka game.
Stoke vs Tottenham Spurs:
Did the ball go in? Yes.
Was referee or linesman in right place to view the incident? Yes.
The Result? Stoke denied a point. May be or may be not, Spurs could have scored a 3rd which we'll never know.
Why was there not much of a fuss after this game? Probably lesser known teams. It is just a league match, it may balance off in course of 38 games.
India vs Sri Lanka:
4 umpiring decisions went against India. Umpires were from Sri Lanka and Pakistan none of who have got a great umpiring record broke the spine of Indian batting. The match was of utmost importance to Indians, win it and qualify for the finals. Yes, the rest of the batting was patchy but was largely due to pressure caused by erroneous umpiring.
The Result? Indian suffered another humiliating defeat and are on brink of exiting from the tri-series cup.
Indian fans Reaction: The reasons umpires Dharmasena & Rauf declared them as "Out" were probably due to excessive appealing from Lankans OR to take revenge of the Randiv incident.
What Next? Do the refs own up the responsibility? When will administrators do something to save the integrity of the sport? Or should we fans take everything in stride and carry on thinking it's not our job to change the system?
Said it before as well and saying now again to the FIFA and ICC Chiefs - Technology is there, bloody well USE IT just like you would use condoms when bedding your precious prostitutes; before your prestige will be at stake.
Go Technology!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
A New Season, But will it be the same old stuff?
Chelsea and Manchester United played out the traditional curtain raiser for the season 2010-11. Red Devils lifted the FA Community Shield with ease by slotting 3 goals past the hibernating Chelsea defence.
Since the world cup, some teams have been busy looking for managers, some teams have been busy retaining their most valuable players and fighting off tipp-tappy media and some teams have been finding it difficult to sell players whilst all teams have built upon their squads and had decent pre-season camping outside of UK.
Fernando Torres and Cesc Fabregas have committed atleast one more year of their professional lives to their respective clubs by quoting "for the love of the fans." But in reality, did they have a second option? NO. So with 5 days to kick off the new season, I wonder we have to ask the question "Will it be the same old stuff?"
Aston Villa havent been able to add significantly to their squad, but are on verge of losing James Milner who was their best player last season but could'nt run half a mile on the pitch in South Africa. Since many of their players did not play world cup, they will be having fresh legs early in the season and may be leading the tables as well.
Tottenham Spurs have an experienced manager who knows how to deal with pressure and with attraction of playing in Europe for the first time will at some stage be in a dilemma of sorts on which cup to concentrate.
Roy Hodgson's first job at Anfield will be to lift the spirits up in the team and especially their captain who had a forgetful winter in Africa. Liverpool may actually do well this season as compared to last, but they are in desperate need of a good first team striker to partner Torres & Ngog!
Chelsea have lost their key midfielders in Ballack and J Cole. In fact they have also lost Belleti and Deco. To me it seems they will be short in midfield as the season progresses and will get beaten more often than they ever have been in their winning seasons.
Man City have enough money to start a league of their own, but because of the new FA rule of 25 man squad, Mancini's going to have to trim a few quality players in order to satisfy greed of those few who joined very recently from well to do clubs.
Arsenal are the only team who have'nt lost a game in pre-season. However, with that said it wasnt the best pre-season as lots of goals were conceded, some early and some late. A good goal keeper signing has become very much a pre-requisite for this season. As far as a center back is concerned, I think Wenger should sign an experienced defender who has atleast 250+ games on his CV in their domestic leagues. Any European experience will be an added advantage.
Certainly the Man Utd fans think its their birth right to win every title cometh every new season. They have made decent purchases buying Hernandez and Smalling. Unfortunately for them, Hargreaves has again got injured but they still seem to have enough firepower in them to launch an attack to get back the title they lost by a mere point. But ofcourse they will have SAF, Fergie Time and Own Goal as tools that will assist them to be on track whenever they are in spot of bother.
Clubs like Newcastle United, Everton, and Bolton to finish in top half of the table. Blackpool, Wolves and West Brom will be relegated again and one of those will set a record for lowest points.
Though Arsenal are my favorites and I would like them to win the PL, I think it would be only wise I tip Man United to win another title this season. (This to please my friends, but God knows my predictions are always wrong :D)
Here are my predictions for the looooooooooooooong season!
1) Manchester United
2) Arsenal
3) Manchester City
4) Chelsea
5) Liverpool
6) Tottenham Spurs
7) Aston Villa
8) Everton
9) Newcastle United
10) Bolton Wanderers
11) Stoke City
12) Fulham
13) Sunderland
14) Birmingham
15) Wigan Athletic
16) West Ham United
17) Blackburn Rovers
18) West Brom
19) Wolves
20) Blackpool
Whaddya think?
Since the world cup, some teams have been busy looking for managers, some teams have been busy retaining their most valuable players and fighting off tipp-tappy media and some teams have been finding it difficult to sell players whilst all teams have built upon their squads and had decent pre-season camping outside of UK.
Fernando Torres and Cesc Fabregas have committed atleast one more year of their professional lives to their respective clubs by quoting "for the love of the fans." But in reality, did they have a second option? NO. So with 5 days to kick off the new season, I wonder we have to ask the question "Will it be the same old stuff?"
Aston Villa havent been able to add significantly to their squad, but are on verge of losing James Milner who was their best player last season but could'nt run half a mile on the pitch in South Africa. Since many of their players did not play world cup, they will be having fresh legs early in the season and may be leading the tables as well.
Tottenham Spurs have an experienced manager who knows how to deal with pressure and with attraction of playing in Europe for the first time will at some stage be in a dilemma of sorts on which cup to concentrate.
Roy Hodgson's first job at Anfield will be to lift the spirits up in the team and especially their captain who had a forgetful winter in Africa. Liverpool may actually do well this season as compared to last, but they are in desperate need of a good first team striker to partner Torres & Ngog!
Chelsea have lost their key midfielders in Ballack and J Cole. In fact they have also lost Belleti and Deco. To me it seems they will be short in midfield as the season progresses and will get beaten more often than they ever have been in their winning seasons.
Man City have enough money to start a league of their own, but because of the new FA rule of 25 man squad, Mancini's going to have to trim a few quality players in order to satisfy greed of those few who joined very recently from well to do clubs.
Arsenal are the only team who have'nt lost a game in pre-season. However, with that said it wasnt the best pre-season as lots of goals were conceded, some early and some late. A good goal keeper signing has become very much a pre-requisite for this season. As far as a center back is concerned, I think Wenger should sign an experienced defender who has atleast 250+ games on his CV in their domestic leagues. Any European experience will be an added advantage.
Certainly the Man Utd fans think its their birth right to win every title cometh every new season. They have made decent purchases buying Hernandez and Smalling. Unfortunately for them, Hargreaves has again got injured but they still seem to have enough firepower in them to launch an attack to get back the title they lost by a mere point. But ofcourse they will have SAF, Fergie Time and Own Goal as tools that will assist them to be on track whenever they are in spot of bother.
Clubs like Newcastle United, Everton, and Bolton to finish in top half of the table. Blackpool, Wolves and West Brom will be relegated again and one of those will set a record for lowest points.
Though Arsenal are my favorites and I would like them to win the PL, I think it would be only wise I tip Man United to win another title this season. (This to please my friends, but God knows my predictions are always wrong :D)
Here are my predictions for the looooooooooooooong season!
1) Manchester United
2) Arsenal
3) Manchester City
4) Chelsea
5) Liverpool
6) Tottenham Spurs
7) Aston Villa
8) Everton
9) Newcastle United
10) Bolton Wanderers
11) Stoke City
12) Fulham
13) Sunderland
14) Birmingham
15) Wigan Athletic
16) West Ham United
17) Blackburn Rovers
18) West Brom
19) Wolves
20) Blackpool
Whaddya think?
Saturday, July 17, 2010
His STORY in MARKETS!!!
The stock market is like a beast creature in itself; at times it makes sense and sometimes no one can explain why it acts the way it does. What is clear is that, over the long run, the stock market will climb faster than any other traditional investment scheme. With that said, it may also happen that the value of the stock gets whacked and economy goes downhill. The story is true in case of our football’s transfer markets also. I’ll try to explain my views below.
Okay. For the beginners, stock market is driven by supply and demand. The stock market is really just a big shopping mall where everyone goes for buying and selling, we also know this mall as an Exchange. If the stock is getting its first look into the market place, we call it as IPO or a Primary Market. Then we move into Secondary Market where stocks are traded after initially being offered in the Primary Market and/or listed on the Exchange. At somewhat advanced stage we also deal with derivatives in secondary markets where the shares are bound by contracts. These contracts can be settled by various types viz. Futures and Options. Now since trading involves money matters between two or more individuals, it always will happen that one person turns out to be over smart than the other; hence we need a regulatory body that can keep an eye such details that all dealings happen within specified time frame abiding all rules that govern the stock markets.
Many football clubs across Europe have setup their coaching academies for young kids across the world. Those who can afford send their children to play football to these schools or else you have to be an exceptionally cute looking kid to be picked up by a reputed visionary coach for a big club to pay for your coaching. As a young boy with ambitions, you join your local academy and you make your parents feel proud of you. You play freely and make friends with a fellow short South American who tells the big club to pay for his illness and somehow help him grow in height. With each year passing by, you make more friends and destroy the U14 teams with slick passing movement and scoring ability. You like being called one of the teenage sensations; but you forget you are being watched by the world and you innocently land yourself in a MARKET.
As your formative years come to end, you are being picked up by a Top 4 club in UK. The new UK life likens the youth in you and you happily accept the offer and get called yourself a Gunner. After being on sidelines and playing multiple FA Cup and League Cup games, you prove yourself as a man ready for the next challenge in PL. After the departure of Patrick Vieira, you get a chance to wear the #4 jersey and establish as midfielder of the PL in seasons to come. In one of the Champions League games, you just tamed your nemesis on his ex-ground and the Arsenal Fans appreciated the show. The legends departed, the seniors cried on the pitch, the young legs got injured as season reached its climax. Wenger sensed that Arsenal needed a new leader on the pitch and he handed the armband to the playmaker. A few high moments that defined the last season were double strike against Aston Villa, a solo run goal against Spurs and numerous assists throughout the season with the killer pass to his friend from native country in the World Cup of 2010. That early reputation has now turned into fame and has an attractive price attached with it.
I think you might have already guessed the name by now, this is about Cesc Fabregas! His story in the transfer market has been very much like that of equity in stock market. The Gunner Fans can cheer for now as Catalonian Chief has expressed defeat in pursuit of Fabregas. Although I feel UEFA could have pitched in earlier and would have made the law breakers pay a hefty fine. But Barcelona being Platini’s favourite club they escaped without any punishment. (Subject to argument later)
But as I said, this is market and it can take its cruel twist anytime. Till then gear up with your FFL teams and watch who’s new on the market post world cup and who is past his sell by date?
Cheers!
Okay. For the beginners, stock market is driven by supply and demand. The stock market is really just a big shopping mall where everyone goes for buying and selling, we also know this mall as an Exchange. If the stock is getting its first look into the market place, we call it as IPO or a Primary Market. Then we move into Secondary Market where stocks are traded after initially being offered in the Primary Market and/or listed on the Exchange. At somewhat advanced stage we also deal with derivatives in secondary markets where the shares are bound by contracts. These contracts can be settled by various types viz. Futures and Options. Now since trading involves money matters between two or more individuals, it always will happen that one person turns out to be over smart than the other; hence we need a regulatory body that can keep an eye such details that all dealings happen within specified time frame abiding all rules that govern the stock markets.
Many football clubs across Europe have setup their coaching academies for young kids across the world. Those who can afford send their children to play football to these schools or else you have to be an exceptionally cute looking kid to be picked up by a reputed visionary coach for a big club to pay for your coaching. As a young boy with ambitions, you join your local academy and you make your parents feel proud of you. You play freely and make friends with a fellow short South American who tells the big club to pay for his illness and somehow help him grow in height. With each year passing by, you make more friends and destroy the U14 teams with slick passing movement and scoring ability. You like being called one of the teenage sensations; but you forget you are being watched by the world and you innocently land yourself in a MARKET.
As your formative years come to end, you are being picked up by a Top 4 club in UK. The new UK life likens the youth in you and you happily accept the offer and get called yourself a Gunner. After being on sidelines and playing multiple FA Cup and League Cup games, you prove yourself as a man ready for the next challenge in PL. After the departure of Patrick Vieira, you get a chance to wear the #4 jersey and establish as midfielder of the PL in seasons to come. In one of the Champions League games, you just tamed your nemesis on his ex-ground and the Arsenal Fans appreciated the show. The legends departed, the seniors cried on the pitch, the young legs got injured as season reached its climax. Wenger sensed that Arsenal needed a new leader on the pitch and he handed the armband to the playmaker. A few high moments that defined the last season were double strike against Aston Villa, a solo run goal against Spurs and numerous assists throughout the season with the killer pass to his friend from native country in the World Cup of 2010. That early reputation has now turned into fame and has an attractive price attached with it.
I think you might have already guessed the name by now, this is about Cesc Fabregas! His story in the transfer market has been very much like that of equity in stock market. The Gunner Fans can cheer for now as Catalonian Chief has expressed defeat in pursuit of Fabregas. Although I feel UEFA could have pitched in earlier and would have made the law breakers pay a hefty fine. But Barcelona being Platini’s favourite club they escaped without any punishment. (Subject to argument later)
But as I said, this is market and it can take its cruel twist anytime. Till then gear up with your FFL teams and watch who’s new on the market post world cup and who is past his sell by date?
Cheers!
Friday, July 9, 2010
WHAT A CONUNDRUM FOR A FOOTBALL FAN!
The semi finals of the World Cup 2010 saw range of emotions flowing from the football fans across the world. The players and the management involved on the match day were probably more tensed than ever as history beckoned on each one of them. Buoyed by the expectations from the fans, the captains of the team led from front; Gio Bronckhorst – a veteran of 3 world cups let one fly from his left boot for the goal of the tournament. Diego Forlan proved why he is still one of the deadliest strikers of the football. He tamed the Jabulani and beat the Dutch keeper with flight and swerves in the air. Carles Puyol, though he’s not leading the team but marshals the back line of Spain side with same vigour as for the Catalan team. His bullet header crashed into the German net and dashed the hopes of millions of German supporters. Philippe Lahm waved generously at the crowd and graciously accepted the defeat.
Not many were surprised by the Netherlands win, but that match went close up to 70 mins until Wesley & Robben show put Uruguay’s defence to mat. A few of my colleagues were absolutely sure about Germany thumping Spain based on the tournament form. The match was played exactly as I had dreamt about with Torres dropping off to bench and Pedro providing width. The pass until death philosophy worked its magic for the first time for Spain in this edition. This intricate style took the life out of young ethnic Germans and they eventually lost the plot. What followed was the outburst from fans. Spaniards are now called a boring team! Some fans have run out of excuses and are ordering for the “Soup of Octopus!”
Two days later we see another Nostradamesque prediction from ‘Psychic Paul’ that it would be EURO 08 repeat. I have been supporting Spain since exodus of Zinedine Zidane from France in 2006. In Euro 2008, the Dutch displayed striking football and I fell in love with their game play too.
At the start of 2010 World Cup, I had 3 wishes:
1) A Gunner to lift the trophy.
2) Netherlands or Spain to win.
3) Cesc Fabregas to stay with Arsenal for another season.
Now is the time to make a call – Van Persie’s Holland or Cesc’s Spain? With Barca continuing their pursuit of Fabregas and him too pledging of his Catalan blood as if it being of the “purest quality”… It prompts me to choose “The Netherlands”
Hup Holland Hup!!!
Not many were surprised by the Netherlands win, but that match went close up to 70 mins until Wesley & Robben show put Uruguay’s defence to mat. A few of my colleagues were absolutely sure about Germany thumping Spain based on the tournament form. The match was played exactly as I had dreamt about with Torres dropping off to bench and Pedro providing width. The pass until death philosophy worked its magic for the first time for Spain in this edition. This intricate style took the life out of young ethnic Germans and they eventually lost the plot. What followed was the outburst from fans. Spaniards are now called a boring team! Some fans have run out of excuses and are ordering for the “Soup of Octopus!”
Two days later we see another Nostradamesque prediction from ‘Psychic Paul’ that it would be EURO 08 repeat. I have been supporting Spain since exodus of Zinedine Zidane from France in 2006. In Euro 2008, the Dutch displayed striking football and I fell in love with their game play too.
At the start of 2010 World Cup, I had 3 wishes:
1) A Gunner to lift the trophy.
2) Netherlands or Spain to win.
3) Cesc Fabregas to stay with Arsenal for another season.
Now is the time to make a call – Van Persie’s Holland or Cesc’s Spain? With Barca continuing their pursuit of Fabregas and him too pledging of his Catalan blood as if it being of the “purest quality”… It prompts me to choose “The Netherlands”
Hup Holland Hup!!!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
The Last Four
Ever since June 11th, ma life's been hectic watching footie. I had been thinking of penning down notes after the group stages where I wanted to abuse the French, Italians and the English badly. But the games flew thick and fast and I found no time to do it. Then, I thought of writing again after the pre-quarters to highlight FIFA's growing negligience towards introducing the simplest of goal-line technologies in their sport. Well I finally found time today, to write this piece of article to talk about Germany's prowess & my thoughts on how semis will unfold.
Meself was nevva a German fan, but I asked one of my friend to start following football by watching the way Germany play and it has been a delight watching them give footballing lessons to proud egoistical nations like England and Argentina. "Blitzkreig" is a famous word in world war history and this German team symbolizes their attacks on the opposition by that word.
Thomas Muller, Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose have all been scoring goals but one player that stands out is BASTIAN SCHWEINSTIGER. He's strong on the ball, controls the pace of the game in midfield and sets up those goals for the team. He's playing like Zidane's 1998 & 2006. He's been well supported by Ozil and Khedira who are barely as famous and rich as players playing in established clubs. Germany have hit the jackpot by having a excellent domestic setup run by good administrators and they are reaping the rewards. On the current form, they are favorites to lift the World cup 2010.
A team that has qualified to semis by virtue of "Hand of God" is the only South American team left at this stage of the tournament. With two World Cup titles to their name they are the dark horses to lift the title. Diego Forlan is their most recognized player and he works his socks off every match to ensure they do not get drubbed by the opposition and the young Luis Suarez who has scored one of the goals of the world cup will miss the clash against the Dutch.
Viva Espana!!! The chants can be heard from the Spanish fans who cheer every pass that gets played into path of David Villa. The striker who moved to Barcelona is showing his class to the rest of the world and currently favorite to win the Golden Boot. But, coach Del Bosque will not be satisified with that, he's here to claim the big prize and Spain still have a lot to do to justify their pre-tournament favorites tag. El Nino has not been sharp and they should try his look alike Llorente in game against Germans. The short passing game looks good to eyes but one mistake and Germans are lethal on counter.
Finally, I speak about my team that I picked at the start of the world cup - The Netherlands. Men in Oranje must be high on confidence after beating the world favorites Brazil in intense quarterfinal match. Who would have thought they will turn the tables on Brazil after going a goal down in just ten minutes of the first half? Ofcourse I knew they would! ;) The DUtch are doing an efficient job and are on a 24 match unbeaten streak, a national record. They havent exactly produced Total Football for which they are known, but its been giving them the results wanted. I have been banking upon the trio of Robben, Sneijder and RVP to lead the Dutch to their first ever World Cup victory. Hup Holland Hup!!!
I do not want to jump the gun and give my bold predictions for semis, I will rather sit back, have fun and watch the events unfold themselves.
Cheers!
Meself was nevva a German fan, but I asked one of my friend to start following football by watching the way Germany play and it has been a delight watching them give footballing lessons to proud egoistical nations like England and Argentina. "Blitzkreig" is a famous word in world war history and this German team symbolizes their attacks on the opposition by that word.
Thomas Muller, Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose have all been scoring goals but one player that stands out is BASTIAN SCHWEINSTIGER. He's strong on the ball, controls the pace of the game in midfield and sets up those goals for the team. He's playing like Zidane's 1998 & 2006. He's been well supported by Ozil and Khedira who are barely as famous and rich as players playing in established clubs. Germany have hit the jackpot by having a excellent domestic setup run by good administrators and they are reaping the rewards. On the current form, they are favorites to lift the World cup 2010.
A team that has qualified to semis by virtue of "Hand of God" is the only South American team left at this stage of the tournament. With two World Cup titles to their name they are the dark horses to lift the title. Diego Forlan is their most recognized player and he works his socks off every match to ensure they do not get drubbed by the opposition and the young Luis Suarez who has scored one of the goals of the world cup will miss the clash against the Dutch.
Viva Espana!!! The chants can be heard from the Spanish fans who cheer every pass that gets played into path of David Villa. The striker who moved to Barcelona is showing his class to the rest of the world and currently favorite to win the Golden Boot. But, coach Del Bosque will not be satisified with that, he's here to claim the big prize and Spain still have a lot to do to justify their pre-tournament favorites tag. El Nino has not been sharp and they should try his look alike Llorente in game against Germans. The short passing game looks good to eyes but one mistake and Germans are lethal on counter. 
Finally, I speak about my team that I picked at the start of the world cup - The Netherlands. Men in Oranje must be high on confidence after beating the world favorites Brazil in intense quarterfinal match. Who would have thought they will turn the tables on Brazil after going a goal down in just ten minutes of the first half? Ofcourse I knew they would! ;) The DUtch are doing an efficient job and are on a 24 match unbeaten streak, a national record. They havent exactly produced Total Football for which they are known, but its been giving them the results wanted. I have been banking upon the trio of Robben, Sneijder and RVP to lead the Dutch to their first ever World Cup victory. Hup Holland Hup!!!
I do not want to jump the gun and give my bold predictions for semis, I will rather sit back, have fun and watch the events unfold themselves.
Cheers!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
World Cup Parties
Good days are coming soon. Football is returning on the telly again and we all will be praying, celebrating, cherishing, sulking or whining depending on the outcome of the game. Yes, and some of us will be bragging and blogging about the teams assigned to us by Mike.
Everybody needs a reason to party and events like World Cup give us chance to get together with Family, friends and relatives. If you've decided to host a World Cup party, then you'll need to get everything right, otherwise it might not just your team that loses out.
Here's 11 what you need to remember.
1. You'll want somewhere large enough to hold all your friends in comfort. If you're holding it at your home, then you'll want to make sure that all your valuables are out of the way of your TV.
2. You'll want to invite all of your friends to your world cup party, so that they can enjoy the football with you. Why not plan ahead and invite them now, so that there's plenty of time for them to swap work shifts as necessary.
3. Your guests will need somewhere to sit, so you'll have to have plenty of chairs, or large cushions for everyone. Maybe you've got enough seats already, or perhaps you'll have to buy some specially.
4. A large TV is essential, and if you haven't got one big enough for everyone to see, then you'll have to get one. You might want to go for a projector, and have the image displayed on one of your walls rather than on a dedicated screen.
5. You'll need to arrange freebies of that particular day's matches with jerseys, flags, posters & vuvuzela; so you can really soak up the atmosphere of South Africa.
6. You'll need plenty of food to keep your guests going between matches, and during half time. You might want to have a buffet, encourage guests to bring their own food, or arrange a takeaway.
7. You'll want your guests to bring their own drinks, so that you don't spend a fortune on drinks that nobody likes. One advantage of guests bringing their own, is that if they run out, it isn't your fault!
8. Ideally, you'll want someone to bring food and drinks to you, so that you don't miss any of the action.
9. Maybe you'll share goodies/sweets if your team wins, or maybe you'll just sulk if they lose. You'll want to have something planned in case you need cheering up after the game.
10. After a party involving food, drink and fantastic football, you'll hopefully have plenty of people to help you to tidy up afterwards. It's amazing how many people have things to do, and need to be elsewhere as soon as there's cleaning up and washing up to be done.
All in all, it can be too costly time to hold a World Cup Party at your home. Even if you don't buy a bigger TV, and your guests cannot bring their own food and drink, you can still hang out at pubs and each one from friend's circle can take turns in sponsoring the food and drinks bill. However, as the World Cup only occurs every 4 years, you'll want to make the most of it.
Now you know what sort of things you need, you'll be able to plan the perfect World Cup party, and enjoy the match even more.
I will be celebrating Oranje month meself and also brag about Denmark. Up the Dutch & Danes!!! ;)
On your mark, Get Set Go...
Everybody needs a reason to party and events like World Cup give us chance to get together with Family, friends and relatives. If you've decided to host a World Cup party, then you'll need to get everything right, otherwise it might not just your team that loses out.
Here's 11 what you need to remember.
1. You'll want somewhere large enough to hold all your friends in comfort. If you're holding it at your home, then you'll want to make sure that all your valuables are out of the way of your TV.
2. You'll want to invite all of your friends to your world cup party, so that they can enjoy the football with you. Why not plan ahead and invite them now, so that there's plenty of time for them to swap work shifts as necessary.
3. Your guests will need somewhere to sit, so you'll have to have plenty of chairs, or large cushions for everyone. Maybe you've got enough seats already, or perhaps you'll have to buy some specially.
4. A large TV is essential, and if you haven't got one big enough for everyone to see, then you'll have to get one. You might want to go for a projector, and have the image displayed on one of your walls rather than on a dedicated screen.
5. You'll need to arrange freebies of that particular day's matches with jerseys, flags, posters & vuvuzela; so you can really soak up the atmosphere of South Africa.
6. You'll need plenty of food to keep your guests going between matches, and during half time. You might want to have a buffet, encourage guests to bring their own food, or arrange a takeaway.
7. You'll want your guests to bring their own drinks, so that you don't spend a fortune on drinks that nobody likes. One advantage of guests bringing their own, is that if they run out, it isn't your fault!
8. Ideally, you'll want someone to bring food and drinks to you, so that you don't miss any of the action.
9. Maybe you'll share goodies/sweets if your team wins, or maybe you'll just sulk if they lose. You'll want to have something planned in case you need cheering up after the game.
10. After a party involving food, drink and fantastic football, you'll hopefully have plenty of people to help you to tidy up afterwards. It's amazing how many people have things to do, and need to be elsewhere as soon as there's cleaning up and washing up to be done.
All in all, it can be too costly time to hold a World Cup Party at your home. Even if you don't buy a bigger TV, and your guests cannot bring their own food and drink, you can still hang out at pubs and each one from friend's circle can take turns in sponsoring the food and drinks bill. However, as the World Cup only occurs every 4 years, you'll want to make the most of it.
Now you know what sort of things you need, you'll be able to plan the perfect World Cup party, and enjoy the match even more.
I will be celebrating Oranje month meself and also brag about Denmark. Up the Dutch & Danes!!! ;)
On your mark, Get Set Go...
Thursday, May 20, 2010
CUP OF POSSIBILITIES
If one can turn to the Football World Cup itself overlooking the upcoming Champions League Final and the recent most transfer news of a possible World Cup superstar; the picture is becoming a little clearer about the tournament favourites. Did I just say that? Atleast JP Morgan tells us this story about how England are going to win the World Cup. Let us explore each continent and see who the strong contenders are.
The African contingent is led by the home nation South Africa who performed reasonably well in the Confederations Cup. Michael Essien's Ghana had a notable performance in Germany'06 and they will hope to continue their run. It would be foolish to neglect Ivory Coast who I believe are the strongest Africa side who can carry on the Safari Nation to knock-out rounds by eliminating one of the strong contenders in Group Stages.
South Korea? might have performed on big stage under Guus, but without him they do not have any might. Plus the usual fillers from Asia/Pacific are Ozzies and Black Caps.
Brazil? always to be taken seriously. There is plenty of skill, thrust and defensive solidarity in the side. Gilberto has re-invented himself in that defensive-mid role. Kaka, who has had a disappointing first season at Real Madrid remains one of the exciting midfielder's of modern game. And it should be no surprise Brazil's gameplan revolve around him and seek support from Man City exits Robinho, Elano and Luis Fabiano who has scored healthy amount of goals in La Liga. With Argentina, you can never be sure of what to expect. Boasting of a side which has World's best footballer in Messi and his explosive mentor-coach Maradona, they can make a huge difference in te tournament. There is abundant talent in the squad with likes of Tevez, Aguero and Mascherano; but they have only just qualified for the WC Finals. So keep guessing?
It seems to me that Dutch are "coming good" at exactly the right moment, above all in the shape of 3 major stars. And has it not always been said that great team must be built around three or four good players? Especially reassuring for the Dutch has been the recent return of incisive Arsenal forward, Robin van Persie. Our for over 5 months, he returned with a galvanising performance against Spurs in a losing cause. Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder have put inspired performances for their respective clubs and have been largely responsible for helping them reach Saturday's European Showdown @ Santiago Bernabeau. Holland should flourish. Spain still look the justifiable favourites though it remains to be seen whether the prolific strike force, elegant midfield and sturdy back-four can repeat their Euro 08 performance without M Senna. David Villa, Xavi, Alonso are fit and raring to go; If Torres, Fabregas can get over their injuries and with enough quality on subs bench; all the betting money should be in Spain's favor.
England? Unless their allies of World War II (USA) can spring surprise on them in their opening game, they should qualify easily for pre-quarters. But Capello's team still doesnt convince me. No obvious goal keeper - David James or Joe Hart?? Ashley Cole the only real gem in defence; although winning FA Cup might have given Terry huge relief and confidence to overcome media and public rant that he faced during the season. Wayne Rooney too coming back from a less serious injury will be a potent force to deal with for opponents. But again, where's the support? Will it be Defoe or Crouch? And the midfield dualism between Stevie G and Lampard is yet to be resolved at world stage for England. But atleast fast wingers aboard the plane to SA, Beckham wont be missed too much. Lennon has pace, Milner is good on both wings and in central area too. And Walcott waiting in the wings to be an impact sub. All in all, it still looks likey that England only upto Quarter Finals yet again?
Who will win the Jules Rimet trophy? Only time will tell. But what you can say is who do you think are your two most likely "beat me if you can teams" of this edition of the World Cup?
The African contingent is led by the home nation South Africa who performed reasonably well in the Confederations Cup. Michael Essien's Ghana had a notable performance in Germany'06 and they will hope to continue their run. It would be foolish to neglect Ivory Coast who I believe are the strongest Africa side who can carry on the Safari Nation to knock-out rounds by eliminating one of the strong contenders in Group Stages.
South Korea? might have performed on big stage under Guus, but without him they do not have any might. Plus the usual fillers from Asia/Pacific are Ozzies and Black Caps.
Brazil? always to be taken seriously. There is plenty of skill, thrust and defensive solidarity in the side. Gilberto has re-invented himself in that defensive-mid role. Kaka, who has had a disappointing first season at Real Madrid remains one of the exciting midfielder's of modern game. And it should be no surprise Brazil's gameplan revolve around him and seek support from Man City exits Robinho, Elano and Luis Fabiano who has scored healthy amount of goals in La Liga. With Argentina, you can never be sure of what to expect. Boasting of a side which has World's best footballer in Messi and his explosive mentor-coach Maradona, they can make a huge difference in te tournament. There is abundant talent in the squad with likes of Tevez, Aguero and Mascherano; but they have only just qualified for the WC Finals. So keep guessing?
It seems to me that Dutch are "coming good" at exactly the right moment, above all in the shape of 3 major stars. And has it not always been said that great team must be built around three or four good players? Especially reassuring for the Dutch has been the recent return of incisive Arsenal forward, Robin van Persie. Our for over 5 months, he returned with a galvanising performance against Spurs in a losing cause. Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder have put inspired performances for their respective clubs and have been largely responsible for helping them reach Saturday's European Showdown @ Santiago Bernabeau. Holland should flourish. Spain still look the justifiable favourites though it remains to be seen whether the prolific strike force, elegant midfield and sturdy back-four can repeat their Euro 08 performance without M Senna. David Villa, Xavi, Alonso are fit and raring to go; If Torres, Fabregas can get over their injuries and with enough quality on subs bench; all the betting money should be in Spain's favor.
England? Unless their allies of World War II (USA) can spring surprise on them in their opening game, they should qualify easily for pre-quarters. But Capello's team still doesnt convince me. No obvious goal keeper - David James or Joe Hart?? Ashley Cole the only real gem in defence; although winning FA Cup might have given Terry huge relief and confidence to overcome media and public rant that he faced during the season. Wayne Rooney too coming back from a less serious injury will be a potent force to deal with for opponents. But again, where's the support? Will it be Defoe or Crouch? And the midfield dualism between Stevie G and Lampard is yet to be resolved at world stage for England. But atleast fast wingers aboard the plane to SA, Beckham wont be missed too much. Lennon has pace, Milner is good on both wings and in central area too. And Walcott waiting in the wings to be an impact sub. All in all, it still looks likey that England only upto Quarter Finals yet again?
Who will win the Jules Rimet trophy? Only time will tell. But what you can say is who do you think are your two most likely "beat me if you can teams" of this edition of the World Cup?
Monday, May 17, 2010
T20 drama unfolds
The 3rd edition of ICC T20 World Cup started on the backdrop of lavishly organised and scandal tainted Indian Premier League. Most of the players were up and ready to hit the ground straight away in the Caribbean.
The tournament started off with a low scoring last ball affair between Black Caps and the Lankans. Indians then played a double header on a weekend and showed some serious intent to regain back their "Champions" status; it proved merely a false indication and what followed was a disaster for MSD and his Men in Blue. Elsewhere, England sobbed over Duckworth and Lewis which was about to knock them out of the tournament and Australians just went about with their usual business and seemed very confident of T20 format this time round. At this stage, without any cupsets the strong teams entered the Super Six stage.
Tournament had already witnessed 2 centurions by now in S. Raina and M Jayawardene. India fell apart from here on and England were on upswing. South Africa choked yet again and New Zealand failed to make the cut which allowed lucky Pakis to make it to Final Four. On the other side, the rub of green was not favoring the Indians and they lost not only lost the spot in Semis but also lost the match to brilliance of Angelo Matthews. The battle lines were drawn - Sri Lanka vs England and Australia vs Pakistan.
In Semi Final 1, Stuart floored the Lankan batsmen with Broad smile and then Pietersen KO'ed them to underground. Semi Final 2 was antithesis of what was anticipated by many (it was supposed to be annihilation of Afridi's Survivors). We wished it was a final in many ways and Michael Hussey provided an enthralling finish to the game. Hats off to Mr. Total Cricketer.
Here comes the Finals. Ashes reignited. Winner takes it all. Just when I thought Collingwood's decision to bowl first would backfire, his Plan A worked. An inspired spell of bowling from Sidebottom, Bresnan, Swann restricted Aussies to a meagre total. The champagne was ordered in Buckingham Palace. Now, Kieswetter and KP just provided the final rites chasing the Oz target. Morgan ensured no more hiccups as they crossed the finish line. Memories of 1979, 1987 & 1992 WC Final and 2004 Champions Trophy were wiped out. England crowned as the T20 World Champions. Celebrations continued...
(Hope you all like my first attempt at writing something meaningful. I definitely a'int Robbo standards.)
Friday, May 14, 2010
The Changing Web-World
Welcome to the blog land of a techie-analyst. I am on here to start discussing on any topics related to e-commerce, social networking, quality assurance, automation, investment banking and football, cricket, world events etc.
Stay tuned as I am soon going to come up with my experiences on above said topics.
Stay tuned as I am soon going to come up with my experiences on above said topics.
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