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7 more days till my music test. Or electone test. Damn worried... Haha... But then again its one step closer of being more pro... Haha I not proud lah... Today I damn headache. Played soccer with my iMedia futbol friends against Sec 2s. 5v5. We owange, although we let in a few, we scored chao duo... I scored a hat-trick... Haha... iMedia football, I feel, is one of the best. Inter-CCA competition, I feel we have a good chance of winning... Haha...

So Chinese Oral Exam on Wednesday. Damn scared...

Bye~!

Woot~! What a week, just what a week it has been. Everyday of the past seven days I have had to wear my school uniform. Saturday I had remedial, as I stated before, and today I had CIP, flag day for the Wildlife Conservation. The first hour that we did was comparable to three-quarters of the whole time we did last week. People would donate. When I asked one Caucasian to donate, she remarked, "For animals, I would give my money... For people, I won't". Haha!! Luckily I wasn't doing Action for Aids flag day today... Haah she gave a $2 note in the end, which was quite nice. The rest of the time, we went to walk around, and then at 3 o'clock after summore long walking, we ended up in Eng Wah at Suntec City, where we watched License to Wed. It was a nice show, comedy and romance at the same time, really a nice show. Sian just feel damn fatigued, and tomorrow still have to go to school. It just feels like two weeks chionged at once. Haha...

Well I have an issue. Why doesn't NAPFA test have to determine whether someone is fit or not? And failing means unfit, passing means fit. It's just total bullshit to me. Anyone disagrees? Not my problem, we're in a free country with freedom of speech... Haha... Its like failing 2.4km run means you can't run on a football field... You can't maintain playing a sport enjoyingly... Cos isn't it obvious you need to be fit to play sports? Some people might fail 2.4km, maybe like JH... But he still enjoys football and I can tell you he looks fit. No offence and I pray it doesn't happen, but I certainly doubt that he'll collapse on the football field after exerting too much when playing and competing. Its just total bullshit. How does Sit-Ups count in how fit you are? Doing 42 up and down movements of your stomach muscle, I think, and getting an A means you are uber-fit? Being able to stretch a certain distance with two hands means you are fit? Having to slow down fast enough and run fast enough four times up and down a 10m lane counts that you are fit? Probably only being able to do vertical pull-ups should be counted as muscular and/or fit. So NAPFA test is bullcrap, bulldung, bullshit, bullfeces.

So anyways Liverpool won 2-0 at Sunderland, second away win of the season already. Things can only be looking up for my beloved Reds. Mohamed Sissoko looked good and made Steven Gerrard's absence almost unnoticeable, he took his goal brilliantly, great long range shot. Andriy Voronin's link up play between the midfield and Fernando Torres was quite decent, even his goal was well taken, however he had some misplaced passes, but his pass for Sissoko's long range effort was good. Fernando Torres was harshly unlucky not to register his second goal, but looked very strong and brave and aggressive against his stronger and bigger opposition defenders. Who said he dived? And please don't compare him to a very famous Andriy Shevchenko, Torres is much more committed and is willing to get stuck in, even against the over-paid John Terry.

The only down was Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypia pulling off injured. Ryan Babel's on off, on and again off substitution was damn funny. Carragher was so pissed with Rafa Benitez for not subbing him off earlier, they just somehow screwed that substitution. He even shouted at the latter when he eventually got off... So everything looks good and the signs are up!

Just wished tomorrow didn't have to go to school. Such fatigue hitting me...

Bye~!

Flag day part 2. Haha... Its tomorrow yeah... Two flag days in less than 10 days... 10 freakin' days! Aaahh sian tiao... Last week was for the Action For Aids, so it was quite okay. Last week as people asked me what was this for, I could safely say an organisation that would really benefit people really in need. But this week's for the freakin' Singapore Zoological Gardens, or just Singapore Zoo. Who the hell in the right mind would donate to this sorta cause, besides those naturalist or enviromentalist or animal lovers lah? I tell you one example... I approached this woman, around the mid-20s or late 30s, looked quite young, and she gladly donated, but funnily remarked whilst leaving "this not for SPCA ah" or something along those lines. But the main thing was SPCA! Although this is just one example, it just shows that some people don't even wanna donate to the SPCA, let alone the boring Singapore Zoo. Haha... So today I also had Physics remedial with our new recent Physics teacher. From 9 to 1, plus he provided lunch... Learnt much more about Pressure, even though didn't understand everything, at least I absorbed a bit... Not like CW, failing both sciences yet dun even care to do anything about it... Sigh...

So that's all... Now to futbol! Haha... Liverpool travel to Sunderland for their second away game of the new Barclays Premier League season. After losing 3-0 to Wigan, Roy Keane would love to bounce back with a surprise draw. Liverpool may be without Steven Gerrard, so I think it would not really be a that big of a blow... Haha... So the likely line-up I feel is Jose Manuel Reina in goal, but against Sunderland, maybe manager Rafael Benitez might be tempted to throw in new recruit Charles Itandje in goal. Steve Finnan might operate right back, and I just have the feeling again that Benitez may be tempted to put Alvaro Arbeloa there to allow John Arne Riise to fill in the left-back, or Arbeloa would just be left out completely. Jamie Carragher and Daniel Agger should feel the central defence, Sami Hyypia to displace one of 'em? I doubt so but with Benitez we'd never know... Haha. A flat four-men midfield, with Jermaine Pennant likely to be on the right, or maybe Yossi Benayoun will get his first start? Left flank, I feel, should be Ryan Babel, I just hope it's him as he is such an exciting player. Central midfield should see Xabi Alonso pair up with Javier Mascherano or Mohamed Sissoko, just dunno which one. I would like to see Lucas Leiva play in the absence of Stevie G... But with so many options for the middle, who knows? Maybe even Alonso might be left out. The strikers should be Fernando Torres, with most probably Dirk Kuyt pairing up. And as usual, Peter Crouch or Andriy Voronin might start ahead of Kuyt, or more surprisingly even ahead of Torres. It's all just depending on what is on Rafa Benitez's mind. Rotation, or all out for the win. Who knows??? Haha...

Bye~!

Just realised I haven't blogged in awhile... So I thought a little blog entry on Real Madrid would suffice nicely... Haha... So here's the thing, they have signed a few decent players, experience ones... And even one from their arch rivals... Heh... Even one from Liverpool!! No not another Steve McManaman... So yeah... At least its not English football... I just decided to venture out a little bit more, since Saturday's the start of the new 2007/08 La Liga season in Spain!! Heh I'm definite SY is so damn excited... Tomorrow I'll do Barcelona, just relax... So I'll show you what I think is Real Madrid's first XI.:



In other words, tyco. Chelsea were uber-tyco! They were so lucky to get away with a draw against Liverpool at Anfield. Fernando Torres showed what the Chelsea strikers couldn't do with a good ghost-pass of Tal Ben-Haim and good finishing by sliding the ball under, what Chelsea fans call, the best keeper in the world currently in Petr Cech. Florent Malouda is not a diver, that's all I can say. He and Steve Finnan just collided and lost balance and both fell to the ground. Its Rob Styles that has an issue. No one was protesting, even Didier Drogba was complaining play didn't go on... No one in the stadium had any thought it was a penalty, not even the Chelsea players, neither Malouda. Only the f**kin'-idiotic dumbass ref Rob Styles.


Liverpool controlled the game, but they just lost two points... Unfortunately... But the bright side of this match is Spanish striker Torres' ability and skill as an attacker. He showed his class against one of the Big Four and Liverpool's overall display looked good. Steven Gerrard picked up man-of-the-match award, and playing in the central of midfield. So much positives, little negatives... Proves that Liverpool are improving... Now what's needed is consistency, and that to perform at a similar or just alike level like they did against Chelsea...

Bye~!

Some people just don't get it. They just don't. Certain amounts of people, some of former affiliations, just don't like him. Or just simply, hates him. He can suan other people, but the latter can't suan him back. He irritates people. Asks people go his house, watch movie, when they just don't like to hang around with him. And out of desperation, he talks and hangs around with, sorry there, freaks. Luckily I asked him to shoo off, but he still disturbs those around me, who too don't like him. Its nothing personal, you know... Its just the way of life... The hard facts... The cold truth.

Anyway on the brighter note, Liverpool plays host to Chelsea at Anfield tonight, at 10.55pm (Singapore time). Unfortunately, I'll not be able to watch it, as... If i do, tomorrow, I'll be fast asleep in class. So I'll just have to check out tomorrow's Sports section of the newspaper. Sian... Liverpool must win this game, and hopefully they do... Really! I will only predict their line-up, no scoreline, no prediction of the game, just game plan. The probable defence line should be Jose Manuel Reina in goal, with Steve Finnan on his right, John Arne Riise on his left, Daniel Agger and Jamie Carragher just in front of him. The main dilemma is in midfield. Ryan Babel should start on the left, as his pace and trickery should terrorize Paulo Ferreira or Glen Johnson, just like how Olivier Kapo did against Johnson last week. Hopefully the injured Gerrard plays in the middle, with Xabi Alonso beside him. If so, the other wing will be filled by Jermaine Pennant. The striker confirmed of a place is Fernando Torres. There's still one more spot I heard, it can be either a striker or a midfielder. My guess is... Well I dunno... If it's a striker, Dirk Kuyt should play, although the height of Peter Crouch is a better option. If it's a midfielder, expect either Mohamed Sissoko, for his tireless running but limited distribution and accurate tackling ability, or Javier Mascherano, for his accurate tackling, good distribution and ability to sit in front of Carragher and Agger. The substitutes looking to make an impact would probably be Crouch or/and Andriy Voronin, if either or both is on the bench. Yossi Benayoun might come in to contribute more trickery to the game. C'mon Liverpool!

Bye~!

Class 3-2, 3-4 and a lil' bit of others from other class had to do CIP today. Flagday. OMG!!! Haha... Anyway... Here's what happened, in chronological order, of course.:

• 9am - AM and I met SY at Bishan MRT, and we set off for Orchard MRT
• 9.30am - We met CW and GY at Orchard MRT, and went off in search of our breakfast. Nothing was opened, which was quite unbelievable to me, unless I haven't been to Orchard Road much anymore... Heh...
• 10am - We eventually settled for Old Chang Kee as our breakfast, and we went to The Heeren, where we were supposed to meet.
• 10.10am - As we were told we had to wait till 10.30am to obtain our donation cans and stickers, we set off to get PW from Orchard MRT back to the Heeren.
• 10.30am - We got our cans and filled in our forms, plus our stickers, and we head off.
• 11am - Slacking at MRT as it was raining. So many other schools doing the same flagday or the Straits Times Pocket Money donation flagday. Sian... No spot as everywhere is taken up, and we couldn't go out because of the rain.
• 11.40am - PW, SY and me were at the overhead bridge towards Suntec City!!! PW stationed himself at the end of the bridge heading towards Suntec City, and chased a few Nanyang girls, who were also trying to do flagday, in the process. SY, unfortunately, had to settle for the middle of the bridge, which was quite useless as no one would donate, as they would have passed me and PW before getting to him... Lol... I was stationed at the entrance of the bridge towards Suntec City, not bad...
• 1pm - Started slacking off and had lunch at McDonalds.
  
• 2pm - Waiting for CW, GY and AM, we started to walk around, not knowing they were going to be two hours late.
• 3.30pm - Saw DS and he gave us a good place to do this flagday thing. At Shaw Plaza! The 'business' there was much better as people actually bothered to donate!!!
• 4pm - Returned our donation cans, checked out HMV, and headed back to Shaw Plaza to watch movie with CW, DS and PW at Lido.
  
• 5.30pm - Watching Rush Hour 3. Damn funny, lousy plot/storyline.
• 7pm - Took the MRT home. =)

Well, I got jacked by some kid during my flagday at the bridge. Only PW and SY knows, I think... And hopefully it'll be kept that way... Haha... Damn pissed. At least did some CIP and for a good cause. No soccer!!! Haha...

Just missed those two years. Now looking back, I am really cherishing those Sec 1 and Sec 2 years. Heh... We just had so much fun playing football and all. And doing projects, like presentation to English skits, with ZY, JC, BS and GS... It was like just so fun. I knew I lost it a few times when things weren't going my way... But it still felt oh-so-good... ZY would always be the one who would bail us out when we realised the project was like due at the last minute. BS and GS were just slackers... But they still contributed in their own special way, whether their laughter and jokes or just some stupid ideas which after a while, we realised it was actually quite good. JC was... Just to me a Paul Scholes on the field, really considering how he would always delay his runs or lay predator outside our opponent's box, and have a good eye for goal with his long-range hard hit shots. Haha... But he would still contribute too...

Other than projects, these two years were the nicest years considering all the stresses we are having at this level... Sec 3. Just wished could live through those years again... Learning was much more fun back then...

Bye~!

Liverpool leaves Villa Park with all 3 points after a hard fought game. It's their first game of the season and its already their first away win of the season, not bad there... Considering it took 7 away games for Liverpool to register their first away win, thrashing Wigan 4-0 last season. Dirk Kuyt and new-boy Fernando Torres looked good upfront, linking up well with each other. A Steven Gerrard through ball found Kuyt, who dummied it into the path of Torres. He slipped but managed to get his shot away, forcing Villa's goalie to parry... Kuyt rescued the ball and centered it back in, however it found the feet of Villa defender Martin Laursen, and he scored an own goal. Villa hit back after the 80 minute mark with a Gareth Barry unstoppable penalty, Jamie Carragher adjusted to handle the ball in the box. However 3 minutes from time, Steven Gerrard curled a delicious free-kick home to give Liverpool all 3 points.

Good win... Quite tyco... Heng sia'l...

Bye~!

It seems a old virus have been creeping up on us again... Haha... Its some 'Photo Album' virus... The infected user doesn't know about it, and his MSN or Windows Live Messenger will get 'infected' and try to spread the virus by sending to other online users some Photo Album file, usually a zip file, after stating "What do you think about this?" or something along that lines. DON'T ACCEPT IT! My bro oso says it opens the back door of your comp to allow other viruses to infect your computer. DON'T ACCEPT IT!

Anyway... ITS HERE!!! ITS FINALLY HERE!!! The start of the EPL 2007/08 season is just a few hours away!!! Hmmm... Almost all the newspapers in Singapore are previewing it with their special large posters and 15-page booklets inside the newspaper itself. Hmm... Liverpool kick off their campaign against Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa at Villa Park. Not very good, considering last season's poor away games run in the first seven away games. No wins. So if Liverpool can get off to a winning start, away from home, unlike last season with a 1-1 draw with Sheffield United, they should do well this term...

Yeah... Lets enjoy the new season...

Bye~!


Bye~!

Happy 42nd Birthday to Singapore... Haha... Okay...

Now to futbol again. 2 more days to go... Yeah... To the start of the new EPL season. The first match of the new season is at the Stadium of Light, with the honour going to newly-promoted Sunderland against Champions League spot contenders Tottenham Hotspur. So now I'm gonna giv' me opinion on all the teams, in a very formal way... Haha... Enjoy.:

Arsenal
Manager: Arsene Wenger
Star Signing: Eduardo da Silva
Star Player: Cesc Fabregas
Unsung Hero: Kolo Toure
Possible Finishing: Champions

Aston Villa
Manager: Martin O'Neill
Star Signing: Nigel Reo-Coker
Star Player: Gareth Barry
Unsung Hero: Olof Mellberg
Possible Finishing: UEFA Cup

Birmingham City
Manager: Steve Bruce
Star Signing: Franck Queudrue
Star Player: Gary McSheffrey
Unsung Hero: Maik Taylor
Possible Finishing: Relegation

Blackburn Rovers
Manager: Mark Hughes
Star Signing: Roque Santa Cruz
Star Player: Morten Gamst Pedersen
Unsung Hero: Brad Frediel
Possible Finishing: UEFA Cup

Bolton Wanderers
Manager: Sammy Lee
Star Signing: Heidar Helguson
Star Player: Nicolas Anelka
Unsung Hero: Jussi Jaaskelainen
Possible Finishing: UEFA Cup

Chelsea
Manager: Jose Mourinho
Star Signing: Florent Malouda
Star Player: Frank Lampard
Unsung Hero: Michael Essien
Possible Finishing: Champions

Derby County
Manager: Billy Davies
Star Signing: Robert Earnshaw
Star Player: Giles Barnes
Unsung Hero: Matthew Oakley
Possible Finishing: Relegation

Everton
Manager: David Moyes
Star Signing: Phil Jagielka
Star Player: Tim Cahill
Unsung Hero: Joseph Yobo
Possible Finishing: Mid-Table

Fulham
Manager: Lawrie Sanchez
Star Signing: Steven Davis
Star Player: Clint Dempsey
Unsung Hero: Zat Knight
Possible Finishing: Relegation

Liverpool
Manager: Rafael Benitez
Star Signing: Fernando Torres
Star Player: Steven Gerrard
Unsung Hero: Jamie Carragher
Possible Finishing: Champions

Manchester City
Manager: Sven-Goran Eriksson
Star Signing: Valeri Bojinov
Star Player: Richard Dunne
Unsung Hero: Micah Richards
Possible Finishing: Mid-Table

Manchester United
Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson
Star Signing: Nani
Star Player: Wayne Rooney
Unsung Hero: Paul Scholes
Possible Finishing: Champions

Middlesbrough
Manager: Gareth Southgate
Star Signing: Luke Young
Star Player: Stewart Downing
Unsung Hero: Jonathan Woodgate
Possible Finishing: Relegation

Newcastle United
Manager: Sam Allardyce
Star Signing: Alan Smith
Star Player: Obafemi Martins
Unsung Hero: Steven Taylor
Possible Finishing: Mid-Table

Portsmouth
Manager: Harry Redknapp
Star Signing: Dave Nugent
Star Player: Gary O'Neill
Unsung Hero: Sol Campbell
Possible Finishing: UEFA Cup

Reading
Manager: Steve Coppell
Star Signing: Emerse Fae
Star Player: Leroy Lita
Unsung Hero: Marcus Hahnemann
Possible Finishing: Mid-Table

Sunderland
Manager: Roy Keane
Star Signing: Kieran Richardson
Star Player: Anthony Stokes
Unsung Hero: Stanislav Verga
Possible Finishing: Relegation

Tottenham Hotspur
Manager: Martin Jol
Star Signing: Darren Bent
Star Player: Dimitar Berbatov
Unsung Hero: Michael Dawson
Possible Finishing: Champions League

West Ham United
Manager: Alan Curbishley
Star Signing: Craig Bellamy
Star Player: Dean Ashton
Unsung Hero: Anton Ferdinand
Possible Finishing: UEFA Cup

Wigan Athletic
Manager: Chris Hutchings
Star Signing: Jason Koumas
Star Player: Ryan Taylor
Unsung Hero: Paul Scharner
Possible Finishing: Relegation

So who will win the title this year? Which three will get relegated? Which teams will just stay up? Which team will enjoy another year of mid table mediocrity? Will Tottenham or other clubs break the Top 4's domination? Will Manchester United be dethroned? Is it Liverpool's year to end their years of hurt?

We shall see... Come end of May!!!

Haha...

Bye~!

3!! Haha.... 3 more days! Yeah... But first, today's NDP celebrations in school. Had some smaller-scale march pass by the uniform groups of Scouts, NCC (Land & Air), NPCC and St John's. Heh... Then there were some really seriously not well rehearsed performances. Singing of the NDP songs were as followed. You see how short and simple I kept that? 'Cos it sucked... Speech Day was next, being backstage... I have a confession to make, I fell into a semi-sleep halfway during the presentation of 100+ awards.

Okay now to the opinions on soccer part. Interested? No? Then leave... Haha wadever lah. So now here's my views on the teams contending for the European spots, preferably the UEFA Cups and that fourth valuable Champions League spot, but by doing so they'll need to derail either Arsenal or Liverpool, and maybe unlikely Chelsea or Manchester United. These teams are Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, Bolton Wanderers and Newcastle United. I picked them as its just all about their past season achievements.

First up, Tottenham Hotspur. They have bought many new players, and of good quality too. A consistent 5th placed team, looking to break into the Top 4 for two years, they have a very good squad, with good depth all round every position. And this summer, they have continued to strengthen their already strong squad. Former Charlton star striker Darren Bent have joined their already strong attacking force. Young Welsh left back Gareth Bale has also been signed. His wicked left foot has a few goals in it. His free kick taking and long range shooting techniques will be much revered in this Tottenham side. Hard-tackling defender Younes Kaboul also joins to bolster their defensive side of things. Former German Bundesliga playmaker Kevin-Prince Boateng joins to add much creativity to this side oozing with midfielders. Their U-18s have also been thought of, with Danny Rose joining from Leeds United. With all these signings of proven talent, most notably Darren Bent, it'll equip Tottenham with much needed resources and talent to challenge for a Top 4 spot more next season.

The next team is Everton. Only one significant signing this season, and could prove to be a significant one for the blue side of Merseyside. Phil Jagielka can play in central defense, right back, central midfield and right midfield, and of course the much publicize role in goal when keeping Arsenal at bay. He is a useful and hardworking player, a hallmark of a Everton player. They have also signed on loan a much more creative player in Steven Pienaar. He can play on the wing or in the attacking midfield role, giving Everton more options when going forward. Their first eleven is good, however in an injury crisis, it would be interesting to see how they cope and how their back-up players perform. If they can perform well, they should be well in for a UEFA Cup spot.

The third team is Bolton Wanderers. Now without Sam Allardyce, they might not do as well and may even slip towards mid-table mediocrity. However considering Sammy Lee does a good job, we shall see. They have signed several new players, of whom only a handful has EPL experience. Villa rejects Gavin McCann and Jlloyd Samuel will add defensive steel to their midfield and defence respectively, whilst former Fulham target man Heidar Helguson will add some height in their offensive play. EPL newcomers such as left back Jose Enrique, winger Daniel Braaten, midfielders Mikel Alonso and Christian Wilhelmsson will add some European flair to their strong, aggresive play. Daniel Braaten and Christian Wilhelmsson will fly down both wings, whilst Mikel Alonso will be the one who creates everything. If all these players from outside England can find their way as fast as possible, Bolton should fare alright and battle for another UEFA Cup spot.

The last team is Newcastle United. Under new boss Sam Allardyce, they should have finally spend their money wisely and be tactically shrewd. He had signed 5 players. Of all, four are proven in the EPL, which is only good for Newcastle United. Target man Mark Viduka will add much firepower and strength to a strike force which boast speed demons Obafemi Martins and Michael Owen. He'll score his fair share of goals and lead the line well. Utility man Geremi from Chelsea can play almost everywhere in midfield or defence, which will prove vital for the Magpies. He will add much strength and steel to the defence, especially if playing at right back. His crossing and set-piece talents, especially his trademark hard-firing free kicks, he could prove a bargain buy. Bad boy Joey Barton will add much bite in their midfield, and considering he don't get into much trouble, his talents of both creative play and defensive tackling will be vital for Newcastle after selling former captain Scott Parker. Striker cum midfielder Alan Smith will be a quality signing. He can score goals, create, and surprisingly, also tackle. He will be the man chasing down defenders, and pressuring them. EPL newcomer David Rozenhal will bolster Newcastle's poor defence, and hopefully he'll excel, to push the Magpies up the table.


So these are my picks for the contenders for the European spot. There are many more, but these are the few I have chosen. So below is my predictions.:



4 more days to the start of the new 2007/08 EPL season. I just dunno why they changed it to Barclays Premier League, and everyone's calling it BPL now... Sounds uber wierd... Haha... I'm also wondering what's up with StarHub and ESPN Starsports. Ok, here's the main pointer, StarHub agreed a huge fee to pay towards the Premier League to have 370 'live & delayed' matches to be shown on their network. However, long time broadcasters ESPN Starsports couldn't agree a fee with StarHub, so StarHub cut their EPL relationship with ESPN Starsports. As a result, StarHub are now showing the EPL matches on Supersports and Supersports Plus, channel 22 and 21 respectively. In addition, an additional channel will be added, the Football Channel, on channel 27. Whilst we pay more for this, I think $10 more, we also get once pay-per-view channels 106 and 107, which is Goal TV 1 and Goal TV 2, in the package. This is all alright. But why does ESPN Starsports keep reiterating that they are showing some matches on their network again? So does it mean we have so many matches, sometimes repeated on two channels, live? But when checking the StarHub online Telescope, a program guide, ESPN Starsports on 11 August 2007 at around 6pm to 12am will show no matches from the EPL. So that's pretty wierd. Just know that there'll still be matches, no matter what channel. Just have to pay more...

Now to some real football. I'd like to give me opinion on the relegation candidates - working my way up the various battles in the upcoming days leading up to the start of the EPL. Now its the obvious clubs that just got promoted, Sunderland, Birmingham and Derby County. In addition, Wigan Athletic, Middlesbrough and Fulham look the most vulnerable, in accordance to last season and this summer's transfer activity and managerial changes.

First up, Sunderland. Roy Keane has done a good job in the Coca-Cola Championship, but what bout the EPL? He has brought in some players, but are unknown whether they are quality in the EPL... Russell Anderson, Greg Halford, Michael Chopra, Paul McShane and Dickson Etuhu are all quality in other leagues, most notably the Championship. Russell Anderson excelled in the Scottish League. Greg Halford excelled in the Championship, but failed to make an impact in the EPL with Reading. Michael Chopra was sold by Newcastle to Cardiff, and went on to score 20+ goals in the Championship season. Paul McShane was not needed by Manchester United, he and Dickson Etuhu excelled in the Championship too. All not from the EPL, will they do well in the EPL? Only Roy Keane's tactical analysis, and the hopefulness that these untested players will do well in the EPL, then will Sunderland be able to stay up.

10. Thats the amount of players another newly-promoted side has recruited. Steve Bruce's the manager. He has EPL experience, however guiding Birmingham to the drop two seasons ago. Birmingham stuck with him, and he led the club back to the big time. He has also brought in players, and some do have EPL experience. Franck Queudrue, Liam Ridgewell and Stuart Parnaby have all played in the EPL at least a few games. All are defenders, which are vital, as they have to keep a good, experienced backline to fight off opponent strikers. There are some unknown newcomers however, such as Juventus' Olivier Kapo, Daniel de Ridder, Rafael Schmitz, Garry O'Connor and Richard Kingston. Olivier Kapo is the most notable of the lot, having played in the Champions League and Serie A before. He'll add some European experience to this bunch of players. However what about the others? They have never tested EPL nor Championship football, and will they have what it takes to fit in? Their survival also counts on these untested players to do well in the EPL.

All except Lewis Price of the newcomers have played in the EPL, however bit part roles at their former clubs. This is still a good thing, as they have some sort of EPL experience. Robert Earnshaw will harbor most hopes as his goals will prove vital, if he can get 'em, of course. Defensive foursome Andy Griffin, Tyrone Mears, Claude Davis and Andy Todd are decent players. It will be seen how manager Billy Davies manages his players. Star player Giles Barnes will look to use this stage as a platform to move on to bigger things. His ability on the flanks will be crucial, as he is expected to pile up on his assists bonuses. Derby County are expected to finish last, and some have predicted they'll be the whipping boys of this season's EPL. Their will and character will be severely tested over these coming 10 months, and at the end of May 2008 will we see whether they had it, or they were just not good enough.

Another big spender is Wigan Athletic. A fairytale first year and a hard fought second will see them garner good enough experience. They bolster every section with at least one player of EPL experience. Tough, industrious midfielder Michael Brown, target man Antoine Sibierski and defender Titus Bramble will add more experience to an already experienced line-up. New to the EPL are Jason Koumas, Carlo Nash, Antonio Valencia, Mario Melchiot and Andreas Granqvist. The former three have played in the EPL before, but not so recently. Most of them have EPL experience, so would need lesser time fitting in. New manager Chris Hutchings will hope to have sort things out by now, and get his new players to gel with the current squad. A team with good depth, it wonders why they performed so badly last season.

Middlesbrough, under Gareth Southgate, have performed decently over the course of last season. New additions of Luke Young and Jeremie Aliadiere need no time in fitting into the EPL, whilst Turkish international Tuncay Sanli would need some of those precious time. Former captain of relegated Charlton, Luke Young would bring in leadership and defensive steel to a vulnerable backline. Jeremie Aliadiere, who misfired at Arsenal, will look to erase the memory of Mark Viduka and score a good amount of goals. An inconsistent side, Middlesbrough will look to their new players, as well as the current batch, to pull through some consistent results to keep them in the EPL, they're just too good for the Championship.

Fulham have bolstered their squad with 7 new players. EPL-experienced players of Steven Davis, Aaron Hughes and Paul Konchesky will bring in much needed stability to their inconsistent side. More newcomers Diomansy Kamara, David Healy and Lee Cook will look to aid Fulham in their survival cause, scoring and assisting. Chris Baird and Adrian Leijer will add depth to their squad. It looks to see if Lawrie Sanchez can provide the same magic he produced at international level with Northern Ireland, and push Fulham to where Chris Coleman couldn't. American duo Brian McBride and Carlos Bocanegra will be an integral part of their line-up, and if the former brings in the goals, Fulham should stay up.

So this is my opinion on the relegation candidates and their new signings. Now for my bottom three predictions.



Theo Lucius is a bloody sissy. So are the rest of the Feyenoord team. First Royston Drenthe slides Steven Gerrard from the back. And when Javier Mascherano fairly tackles him off the ball, before Daniel Agger clears and hits Drenthe's back. He and Agger get into an argument. That's fine, really. Then why does Theo Lucius have to come in and hit/punch Agger's face and neck twice? And when Gerrard tries to defend his teammate by punching Lucius in the face, I know that's wrong, everyone feels Gerrard is in the wrong. Bloody hell. And Theo Lucius acts like a bloody sissy, waiting for the rest of his other team to defend him. All ganging up on Gerrard. Royston Drenthe's a joke too. Slides from the back and can't take a ball hitting his own back? Bloody sissies. Feyenoord are a bunch of noobs. Can't even get into the Champions League, still act so zhai. Please lah these Dutch teams should just act a bit more manly.

Sigh... Theo Lucius, you're just a ...... noob.

Bye~!

Ooh yeah... Yeah... Next week's celebrates Singapore's 42nd birthday! Its the National Day 2007 of course. And... Yeah... The best thing is... There's such a long break! I just have to ren for two days of lessons, and by the time its the school celebration on Wednesday, in which we finish at 10am, I'm free till the next week. The start of the EPL season is also less than a week away, two days after the NDP celebrations, can't wait for that too. First match will see newly-promoted Sunderland tackle Champions League spot contenders Tottenham Hotspur. Anyway... Back to next week... Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday completes the period of break. Lesser allowance too... Sian... Haha! Looks kinda wierd, doesn't it? So hopefully next week, or tomorrow, or Tuesday, can get back our English papers, my only hope of getting a good grade, after an all-passing common tests, besides the History paper. Must start finishing Physics project and preparing our presentation.

Bye~!

7 more days to the start of the 2007/08 EPL campaign. Naturally, for Liverpool to think about winning it, or challenge, they'll have to weigh up their opposition, such as meager-spenders Chelsea, big-spenders Manchester United, and the young guns of Arsenal. So I'll give you my opinion on the two teams each club can bring out, accordance to quality and talent, and then my view after each clubs' two teams. Firstly meager-spenders Chelsea.:

First XI / Second XI:
1 petr CECH ............................................ 23 carlo CUDICINI
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20 paulo FERREIRA ......................... 2 glen JOHNSON
26 john TERRY (C) ........................... 22 tal ben HAIM
6 ricardo CARVALHO ....... 44 michael MANCIENNE
3 ashley COLE ............................. 18 wayne BRIDGE
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8 frank LAMPARD .......................... 9 steve SIDWELL
5 michael ESSIEN ....................... 13 michael BALLACK
4 claude MAKELELE ................... 12 john obi MIKEL
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10 joe COLE .................................... 21 salomon KALOU
15 florent MALOUDA ....... 24 shaun WRIGHT-PHILLIPS
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11 didier DROGBA ................. 7 andriy SHEVCHENKO

So Chelsea have two players for each position, and they play a 4-4-3 formation, with the exception of Michael Mancienne. Should any injury crisis occur to the center-backs of Chelsea like last season, no one would be surprised to see Michael Essien pushed back, and Michael Mancienne not even being allowed to sniff at an emergency spot. The attacking department of Chelsea is strong, the midfield alike have good depth, whilst the back-up defenders have to prove their worth. Carlo Cudicini is always a reliable back-up to Petr Cech. This squad should give Jose Mourinho good options, not forgetting youngsters Scott Sinclair, Ben Sahar and Michael Woods. Next up, big-spenders and current Champions Manchester United.:

First XI / Second XI:
1 edwin VAN DER SAR ................. 29 tomasz KUSZCZAK
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2 gary NEVILLE (C) .................................... 6 wes BROWN
5 rio FERDINAND ..................................... 22 john O'SHEA
15 nemanja VIDIC .......................... ?? gerard PIQUE
3 patrice EVRA ....................................... 4 gabriel HEINZE
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7 cristiano RONALDO ...................... 13 PARK ji sung
8 owen HARGREAVES ................... 16 michael CARRICK
18 paul SCHOLES .......................... 24 darren FLETCHER
11 ryan GIGGS ...................................................... 17 NANI
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10 wayne ROONEY ............................ 9 louis SAHA
?? carlos TEVEZ ......... 20 ole gunnar SOLSKJAER

This is Manchester United's two teams, two players for one position, and they play a normal 4-4-2 formation with wing play an important aspect. The main talking point is their defence. If Gabriel Heinze goes, and that no replacement comes in, expect youngster Danny Simpson, back from loan at Sunderland, to fill that spot. Gerard Pique might leave, opening a slot for another youngster back from Sunderland, Jonathan Evans, to provide back-up. All in all for Man Utd's defence, is that they have young, but good and talented defenders as back-up. Their midfield will just see Owen Hargreaves win the defensive midfield role over Michael Carrick. And at the strikers, it'll be interesting to see how Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez play with each other up front. Don't forget there are still young buy Andersen, Chinese international Dong Fangzhuo and Chris Eagles to give Sir Alex Ferguson a wealth of options to choose from. Next up is Arsenal and their young kids.:

First XI / Second XI:
1 jens LEHMANN ........................... 24 manuel ALMUNIA
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27 emmanuel EBOUE .............................. 3 bacary SAGNA
5 kolo TOURE .................................. 6 philippe SENDEROS
10 william GALLAS ............................ 20 johan DJOUROU
22 gael CLICHY ................................. ?? armand TRAORE
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13 aliaksandr HLEB ...................................... 15 DENILSON
4 cesc FABREGAS ......................................... 2 abou DIABY
19 GILBERTO silva (C) .................. 16 mathieu FLAMINI
7 tomas ROSICKY ................................ 32 theo WALCOTT
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11 robin VAN PERSIE ...................... 26 nicklas BENDTER
25 emmanuel ADEBAYOR .............. 9 EDUARDO da silva

Another 4-4-2 formation, this time its Arsenal's two teams. Its unlike Man Utd's 4-4-2 though, as this Arsenal formation will allow free movement of the wide players, to move in and out of the center of midfield, or allow them to bomb forward, with one striker dropping back to the flanks. So their version of the 4-4-2 formation is very free and random movement for the attacking players. The only flanking will be from the full-backs and occasionally crosses will come in from the two wide men. The midfield will look to be interesting if there's a crisis there, especially when 3 out of 4 players of the second team are central midfielders, although Abou Diaby plays out left, with Theo Walcott probably on the right flank, should a crisis really happen. No Thierry Henry? No problem. There's still Robin van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor, new-signing Eduardo da Silva and youngster Nicklas Bendter. Arsene Wenger is not as equipped with as good depth as the other two title rivals, but their creativity should be a main factor in whatever success.

So these are the two teams of each title rivals of Liverpool FC for the coming season. Now let's compare a little on the teams with Liverpool's own two teams, that I posted earlier.:

Goalkeeper 1: Petr Cech 9, Edwin van der Sar 8, Jens Lehmann 7 ... Jose Reina 7.5
Goalkeeper 2: Carlo Cudicini 7, Tomasz Kuszczak 6.5, Manuel Almunia 5.5 ... Scott Carson 6.5

Right-Back 1: Paulo Ferreira 5.5, Gary Neville 8, Emmanuel Eboue 6.5 ... Steve Finnan 8.5
Right-Back 2: Glen Johnson 5, Wes Brown 6, Bacary Sagna 5 ... Alvaro Arbeloa 6

Center-Back 1: John Terry 9, Rio Ferdinand 8.5, Kolo Toure 8 ... Jamie Carragher 8.5
Center-Back 2: Ricardo Carvalho 7.5, Nemanja Vidic 7.5, William Gallas 7 ... Daniel Agger 7
Center-Back 3: Tal Ben Haim 6, John O'Shea 6.5, Philippe Senderos 6 ... Sami Hyypia 6.5
Center-Back 4: Michael Mancienne 3, Gerard Pique 5, Johan Djourou 5 ... Gabriel Paletta 4

Left-Back 1: Ashley Cole 8, Patrice Evra 7.5, Gael Clichy 7.5 ... John Arne Riise 7
Left-Back 2: Wayne Bridge 7, Gabriel Heinze 7, Armand Traore 5.5 ... Fabio Aurelio 6.5

Right Winger 1: Joe Cole 7.5, Cristiano Ronaldo 9, Aliaksandr Hleb 7.5 ... Jermaine Pennant 7
Right Winger 2: Shaun Wright-Phillips 7, Park Ji Sung 6.5, Theo Walcott 6 ... Yossi Benayoun 6.5

Central Midfielder 1: Frank Lampard 8, Paul Scholes 8, Cesc Fabregas 7 ... Steven Gerrard 8.5
Central Midfielder 2: Michael Essien 7, Owen Hargreaves 7, Gilberto Silva 7.5 ... Xabi Alonso 7.5
Central Midfielder 3: Michael Ballack 6.5, Michael Carrick 7.5, Mathieu Flamini 6.5 ... Javier Mascherano 7
Central Midfielder 4: Steve Sidwell 6.5, Darren Fletcher 7, Denilson 6 ... Mohamed Sissoko 6.5

Left Winger 1: Florent Malouda 7, Ryan Giggs 7.5, Tomas Rosicky 7 ... Harry Kewell 7
Left Winger 2: Salomon Kalou 7, Nani 6.5, Abou Diaby 6.5 ... Ryan Babel 6.5

Striker 1: Didier Drogba 9, Wayne Rooney 8.5, Robin van Persie 8.5 ... Dirk Kuyt 8.5
Striker 2: Andriy Shevchenko 6, Carlos Tevez 8, Emmanuel Adebayor 7 ... Fernando Torres 7.5
Striker 3: --------------------, Louis Saha 6.5, Eduardo da Silva 6.5 ... Peter Crouch 7
Striker 4: --------------------, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 6.5, Nicklas Bendter 6 ... Andriy Voronin 6.5

Woo! What a long post. Not bad if you managed to read till this far. Haha.... Loads of information, I know... I think I took an hour to do this! Heh! So make your own judgement about these players and the two teams. Leave a comment or what you think on the tagboard.

Bye~!

Sian tiao week! The week after the common tests week. The week before the National Day Celebration week. It sucked so bad! So here's the deal. I come to school on Monday, yeah Monday, and to find my History file is not under the table I used to seat for the common tests the week before. I lost it! Or someone stole it, of course. Then for the middle of the week, I keep receiving back my test papers, and all just passed! Although the physics pass looked good as most of my class failed that one, the just passed Add Maths paper looked like crap, and I lost my bet with SY over our Chinese papers, who would get higher of course. Chemistry was also a just pass. The only thing proud of is History, but overall I still didn't get A2, not mentioning A1. Then waking up on a Friday morning, at around 7, due to our privileages or reporting to school thirty minutes later, I felt my throat being damn dry and sore. Sorethroat! Damn~!

Haha... So gonna drown myself with lots of warm water and some sorta Chinese tea.

Bye~!

9 more days to the start of the new 2007/08 EPL season! I would like to give you my opinions on Liverpool's new signings, and maybe also particular teams who are very active in this current transfer window... Yeah...

So first up is €8million signing Lucas Leiva. This Brazil U-20 skipper and former Gremio midfielder looks a good prospect. A "cross" between current Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard and AC Milan playmaker Kaka, as most mention, he looks quite decent defending as well as firing away at the opponent's goal from long range. His range of passing is also quite decent, although not as fantastic as current Liverpool passing specialist Xabi Alonso.

The second player is a free player from Bayer Leverkusen, it's Ukrainian Andriy Voronin. He once partnered now Tottenham Hotspur striker Dimitar Berbatov whilst at the German club. He has a good balance of skills and techniques. A good header, pace to burn and a decent finishing touches make him a good utility and squad player, and could win some matches when call upon from the bench.

Now its the players who cost Liverpool some American cash. Haha... The third player is Ryan Babel. This is also another exciting youngster, recruited from Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam. He plays on the left wing and can also lead the line, with the ability to play on the right flank if needed in an emergency. Tricky and pacey, Babel should be the player to look out for this season and maybe more in the following.

Another player is Yossi Benayoun. This former West Ham United midfielder, from Israel, can play anywhere across midfield, but more comfortably just behind the striker, or strikers, and on the right flank. More of a squad player, he would add much more creativity to a midfield with a wealth of that attribute. Slick skills made him a hit at West Ham, and now hopefully at Anfield.

The most famous and well-documented transfer is Liverpool's new record signing, Fernando Torres of Athletico Madrid. This young Spanish striker has already scored quite a number of goals and made quite a name for himself in Spain, scoring some crucial goals for the Madrid club. He also has pace to burn, a good header in him, and a very good finishing touch. Just look to see if he can fit in like Dimitar Berbatov did, or flop as bad as Andrei Shevchenko.

So these are the new signings Liverpool have made so far. Lets just hope they settle in fast and well, and make an impact for Liverpool in the upcoming season... And hopefully the Reds will finally challenge for the title! Haha...

Bye~!

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