Latest happening among fans in Liverpool pre-season asia tour 2011!

BPL teams Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are currently on their pre-season tour in Asia. Obviously, their fans in Asia are super excited at the chance to catch their team in action on local soil. But let's not forget about the genuine football fans. Priorities are usually given to the specific team fans when the team travels to a certain country which is definitely fair and deserving for their fans. However, there are the "real" football fans who loves a good game of football regardless of the teams that are playing. Fans must always respect others who attend the game even if its a supporter from a rival team. But this was not the case when Liverpool had their training session in Malaysia leading up to the game with the local team. A Man Utd supporter attended the training session only to be booed and was forced to take off his man utd shirt. The Man Utd supporter did take off his shirt only to have liverpool fans to force him into wearing a liverpool jersey! The poor fan eventually walked off shirtless only to return wearing a Malaysian team jersey. Many Liverpool fans who booed the guy will probably argue stating that he probably  should not have walked in wearing a united shirt in the first place. But when a logical point of view is taken in, the guy does have free right to wear whatever he wishes to wear and he does not deserve the treatment he got. Besides, he paid to be there just like the rest of them. Let's consider this senario even if it does not apply in this situation. What if he was not a football fan in the first place? What if he just randomly choose to wear the jersey? I find it absolutely disgusting that people actually treated him the way they did. Recently, Arsenal was also in Malaysia for their pre-season tour and i wore a Man Utd jersey to the training session as well as on the game night itself but the Malaysian Arsenal fans didnt seem to mind at all. I think fans should be proud that fans of other teams are willing to watch their team. That just goes to show that they respect the team. But dont just take my word for it. Here's a link to the video i came across in youtube which showcase what really happened at the Liverpool training session Asia Tour 2011 (Malaysian leg).

Edwin Van Der Sar in Asia for trophy tour!!



VAN DER SAR LIFTING THE TROPHY TO THE CROWD!





VAN DER SAR SMILING TO THE FANS



Van der sar was recently in Malaysia for the united trophy tour. The newly retired goalkeeper toured Kuala Lumpur with the trophy. Around 5PM (local time), Edwin was at Starhill Gallery in Kuala Lumpur for a corporate event (invitation only). However, that did not stop die hard united fans from gathering outside the event to catch a glimpse of the lanky goalkeeper. The 38 year-old then made the final stop for the Malaysian leg of the tour at KLCC (Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre) around 7.45pm (local time) at the convention centre's outdoor park nearby the fountains. Eager fans have been gathering since morning to see the trophy and the keeper. Fans pushed through the crowd hoping to catch get Van Der Sar's autograph. The crowd sang "Glory glory Man United" as Van Der Sar lifts the trophy to the crowd as soon as he stepped out of the buggy. The keeper also interacted with the crowd and amused them by threatening to throw the trophy into the crowd!!! A smile was plastered on Edwin's face as the crowd throws random but hilarious questions at him from enquiring about David De Gea to Opposition team, the crowd certainly amused the trophy ambassador. At the end of the day, as the sun sets at KLCC,
Van Der Sar and the fans were seen leaving the park looking exhausted but with a smile plastered on their faces.

Having the fortunate privillage of being there, here are some photos that i manage to take amidst the chaos! It might not be the best photos as i try to survive being squashed by the fans but these are personal candid shots and i hope you enjoy it! (the rest of the pics will be uploaded in a matter of hours due to technical difficulties- sorry) 



STARHILL GALLERY (WHERE EDWIN MADE A STOP WITH THE TROPHY)



Fight or flight: the battle of wingers



Nani



Nani during international duty for Portugal





United's second signing for the summer-Ashley Young



Yes, Nani said it. He told press in countless interviews that he is not concerned about the competiton and fight for a place in the team. With Ashley Young in the picture, everyone is wondering how will Nani and Valencia cope with the pressure? But people seem to forget that we do have another great player who will also be fighting for a place-Giggs. The best part about this healthy competition is that each of this players are actually very different from each other in terms of playing style. Nani is quick and agile and the rate and speed his brains work is often above the average opponent thus giving him the upper hand in most one-to-one battles with midfielders or defenders. Valencia has a smoother more relaxed style of playing. He rely on composure and calculative tactics to get by his opponents while Giggs is in a class of his own. Experience has made Giggs a fearsome name among opposition players. The Red devil's legend rely on strength and has the ability to spot spaces to get through the defenders.  Add Ashley Young into the mix and we get speed and creative play for the united team!
I think Sir Alex will do justice to these amazing talents and give each of them a fair chance to play depending on formation and individual strength. There is enough room for all of them in the United team.
Each of them can bring different things to the Devil's table and play and exciting season. Nani and Giggs partner ship has been proven to be effective over the course of last season likewise Nani and Valencia partnership. I also believe that ashley young might just be the right person to take on the creative duties of the team. Remember how United suffered last season when Nani was out with an injury from the Liverpool game (challenge by Raul Meireles) ? United didn't have a creative force quite like Nani to help pull the team through and inspire them at the final moments of the game. Nani was dearly missed during those games. But now, United can at least rely on ashley young to maybe have a decent creative force to drive the team.

With Phil Jones and Ashley Young joining the team, the United dynamics bound to change. But will it change for the better or worse? It really doesnt matter if you got the best player on your team, if the team dynamics dont workout then success cant be achieved. Football is a team sport not an individual sport. 90% of the success has to be from team work and not indidvidual effort.



Antonio Valencia And Sir Alex Ferguson



7th time lucky for the Roman empire?

So Andre villas-boas is the blues new manager!
Instead of going on about what everyone already knw (release clause; chelsea hiring him; him leaving Porto and etc) let's focus on what really matters. Andre villas-boas might actually be the one for Chelsea FC judging from his strategical point of view and coaching style. Andre villas-boas swears by his philosophy which is Attack, attack, attack and attack some more! In his master plan of things, his strikers are 'the real protagonists". A fact which he insist upon. He also insists upon playing an intense pressing game.

What else can we expect?? Discipline to be restored. Andre was quoted saying

"If a midfielder does not fight for me, he does not have a place in the team." Maybe this season , things will change at Chelsea.
 Andre villas boas is also obsessed with his tactics! He holds special 30 minute tactical teach-ins the day after every match to ensure the players have the tactics drilled into their heads.  Chelsea might be signing more foreign players since Porto had 17 south americans in it and only 6 homegrown players.

Last but not least, the portugese boss is no Mourinho when it comes to one-on-one interviews. His reason for being camera shy?


 " For me, the coach is not the star but simply a person to exploit the best qualities of the players."Judging from the above, I think Andre villa-boas could be a serious and deadly threat to defending champions, Man Utd. Different type of playing style and tactics among the titans could make the 2011/2012 BPL season even more exciting than its ever been..... and maybe Sir Alex has a few new tricks up his sleeves , tactically speaking .......


Here's a video of Andre Villa-boas first interview for Chelsea.

ALEX MCLEISH < BIRMINGHAM TO VILLA?

Leaving the club during the club's darkest hour seem to paint Alex McLeish in the colour. The ex-Birmingham boss decided to hand in his resignation with two years left in his contract. As id leaving the club just when its relegated isn't bad enough, Mcleish shock Birmingham fans by joining bitter rivals- Aston Villa. This whole ordeal has shed light on the morale side of things in football. Will McLeish honour the unspoken rules in football? Will he abide to the rules where what happens in the dressing room stays in the dressing room? This is what Alex Mcleish has to say regarding the above issue.
" I know there are many good players there (Birmingham) but the policy that I have always maintained is not to talk about other clubs' players," he said.


"I'm getting bombarded - we are just going to access things at the moment. If I thought a (Birmingham) player could improve Aston Villa Football Club why not?"


Mcleish is hoping that Villa fans will give him a chance-not to prove them wrong but rather prove that he is indeed the man for the job. However, the questions that remains at the back of everyone's mind is how can a Carling cup winner get relegated??? Was Mcleish really doing his job right?? Or was there other factors involved? In my opinion, I think we should all give Mcleish a chance to prove that he really is the man that Aston Villa needs to improve. All the above questions? I think we can have our answers as the 2011/2012 BPL season progress.

Drogba for Torres?

Chelsea are planning for a summer clear-out to help pay for 75 million pound Torres and Luiz. A Chelsea source confirmed: there are a few big names and big earners whose performances have fallen short this season." Chelsea summer clear-out  big names include Zhirkov, Mikel, Bosingwa, Malouda and DROGBA .
The Chelsea players will be under intense scrunity for the remainder of the season as the competition for places gets more intense. Chelsea have just announced losses of 70.9 million pounds and are conscious of UEFA's impending fair play rules which states that clubs must limit their spending according to income.
I think selling Drogba to pay of Torres is illogical. Clearly Drogba is a much better player than Torres despite not scoring as much as he did last season. To  be honest, I seriously dont think Drogba will be sold by Chelsea in the summer but only time will tell i suppose.

Hanging the boots!

 Liverpool defender Alan Hansen said “Right colour, wrong city." He was talking about the the best left-back England has ever seen- Gary Neville. Gary Neville played a huge part in Manchester United's chase for silverware. The driving force, the momentum, the glory, the bragging rights, the inspiration that Gary Neville brought to the red devils will be missed by the fans and players alike. He makes the haters wanting to sign him to their respective clubs such is the talent of Gary Neville. Leaving the club with such an impressive winning streak will definitely make the world of football  miss him that much more.

He’d led United’s golden generation to FA Youth Cup glory and became the successor to Paul Parker’s number two shirt. Now, nearly 19 years later and after winning eight Premier League titles, three FA Cups, two League Cups, the Intercontinental Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup and the Champions League Gary Neville has hang his boots.
 Leaving the club in mid-season is a surprising decision but the ex-skipper has his mind made up. According to Neville, injuries is the main reason behind his departure from the theater of dreams. Not being able to play the way he did 20 years ago, succumbing to injuries, and his left knee flare up played a big part in his desicion. The Man utd ace says he is does not want to be a 'passenger' in the united team as he felt like he could no longer contribute to the team the way he used to. However, "G-Nev" is certainly not leaving with empty pocket as his winning streak through out his career bagged him with a huge load of medals and cups (most lifted with an armband no less) and with his name forever sealed with the "One of the Greatest club in the world". He will forever be remembered in the World of football as the greatest left-back in England.