I give up

Writing a day-by-day report on my trip to China is suicide. Its even longer than my law essay. Because I have no patience, no time, will be travelling again, will be working soon, and will have more pictures and thoughts of my further travels, and the thought of a day's summary being even longer than my law essay disturbs me... I give up. I will just post pictures and write a bit on specific locations (if I have the patience).

Meanwhile, I drown myself in sorrow for my dear Arsenal;

Came up with a list of places I would like to go within the following 5 years (not in order):

1. Hiking in Tasmania, Australia
2. Nothern Territory: Kakadu and Ayers Rock, Australia
   
3. Journey to the South-west China backpacking trip (covering the Three Gorges, Yangtse River, Guilin, and Yunnan)
   
4. India
5. Cambodia
6. Vietnam
7. Bangkok, Thailand
8. Jakarta and surrounds, Indonesia
9. Melacca, Malaysia
10. Climb Mount Kinabalu, Borneo
    
11. Mulu, Borneo
    

On that day: End of the Invincibles

OCTOBER 24 2004: MANCHESTER UNITED 2-0 ARSENAL
On that day: End of the Invincibles
By John Brewin(Archive)
October 23, 2008
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It will perhaps be remembered for the use of a buffet in a post-match argument but October 24 2004 was a seismic day in the history of the English Premier League. In surrendering a truly wondrous unbeaten record of 49 games, Arsenal's aura of invincibility was gone. And has not returned since.

The moment that the rivalry intensified between United and Arsenal came a year before.To lose it at Manchester United made it all the worse for Arsene Wenger's men, and the Gunners were thrown totally off-kilter in their attempt to regain the title they had won by going the whole season unbeaten. The previous year had seen a battling United performance end Arsenal's dream of a League-FA Cup double and despite Sir Alex Ferguson's side being a fading force at the start of a regeneration process, they were yet again the deniers of North London aspirations.
Arsenal's run had begun with a 6-1 pummelling of Southampton in May 2003, the week after they had lost the title by virtue being beaten by Leeds, handing United the Premier League for 2002-3.
The Gunners began 2003/4 with a 2-1 home win over Everton and their unblemished record survived by the skin of their teeth early on in the season. Controversy surrounded their 1-1 draw with Portsmouth when Robert Pires clearly dived to win Thierry Henry's equalising penalty. At Old Trafford a penalty would again go in their favour, as Ruud Van Nistelrooy missed in the last minute from the spot.
What had followed on that September day became known as the first 'Battle of Old Trafford' when Martin Keown, old enough to know better, mocked the Dutchman, who had already invited the ire of Arsenal for his involvement in the dismissal of Patrick Vieira, the Frenchman retaliating to a clear foul from Van Nistelrooy. The fragile temperaments of both teams frayed to breaking point and when a soft Keown challenge on sub Diego Forlan was judged by ref Steve Bennett to be a penalty all hell broke loose. In rattling the crossbar, Van Nistelrooy failed to keep his cool and was harangued by jubilant Arsenal players at full-time in a melee in which goalkeeper Jens Lehmann and Cristiano Ronaldo, barely arrived in England, were both heavily involved.
Van Nistelrooy would eventually have his revenge but was forced to spend over a year ruminating on how that miss had given Arsenal the chance and indeed belief that their lives were charmed. From that moment, Wenger's team played with a Gallic sense of entitlement that can either be a team's greatest strength or its Achilles Heel. They played a brand of athletic, attacking football that had rarely been matched on the British Isles, making them the envy of their rivals, with United especially heading the list.
That FA Cup semi win had been achieved by United playing a far more rough-house brand of football than they usually employed. The plan worked for Ferguson as his team qualified for a 'gimme' final win over Millwall. Juan Antonio Reyes, the gifted Spaniard bought in January 2004 from Sevilla, had been marginalised by some aggressive play from an all-action midfield trio of Paul Scholes, Roy Keane and Darren Fletcher. So too sub Thierry Henry as United held on to Scholes' solitary goal.


Gary and Phil Neville were accused for their strongarm tackling at Old Trafford.By the time Arsenal made it to Old Trafford in October, a Community Shield win over United, and eight wins out of ten had the Gunners strutting once again. They had overtaken the Brian Clough vintage Nottingham Forest of 1977-8 of 42 games with a 4-1 win over Norwich and 50 matches, a magical half-century was within their grasp. Only AC Milan, of the top European leagues, had ever gone further when from 1991 to 1993 they went 58 games unbeaten. The way Arsenal were playing and were feeling, that achievement was there to be equalled. Their fans' anthem was "we are invincible" and that felt like it may never end.
Yet Sir Alex Ferguson and United awaited. Though United were hardly in rude health. An opening day loss to young pretender Jose Mourinho and his Chelsea team had set them back before they had even started. A series of draws had followed, and had left them miles off the Premiership pace set by Arsenal and Chelsea. For Fergie this was the type of game he has long relished; the chance to prove that he and his team had been written off to the rest of the world's peril.
United chose to set their stall out in similar fashion to that at Villa Park in the FA Cup semi-final. Secret weapon Phil Neville was called in with Roy Keane absent through injury. The younger Neville had previously excelled against Arsenal, with Patrick Vieira often finding it difficult to play against him. So it proved again.
Neville and brother Gary also entered North London notoriety for their treatment of Reyes, Arsenal's player of the season so far. A fraternal double-team ended Reyes' interest and heart for this match, and many others beyond. He would never again shine as brightly in English football.
Arsenal possessed the greater craft but United were superior in terms of determination. After sustained Arsenal pressure, United bought time with a 73rd minute attack. Wayne Rooney, newly arrived at Old Trafford, cut past Sol Campbell in front of the Stretford End. He fell to the floor and yet another controversial penalty had been awarded. Campbell had been remiss to stick out a leg, Rooney's youth did not protect him from accusations of clear gamesmanship.
It was time for Ruud's redemption. Tension gripped the stadium yet Van Nistelrooy sent Lehmann the wrong way and fell to the earth in celebration of his relief. Arsenal were beaten, and perhaps knew the gods had gone against them when they had been with them a year earlier. As they pushed for an unlikely equaliser in injury time, their play and demeanour having lost their grace, Louis Saha was able to break away and release fellow sub Alan Smith. His cross greeted Rooney clear on goal and he passed it into the net. "The Invincibles" had lost, their terrace anthem had died and the belief drained away from Arsenal. 'Fifty Not Out' would not be achieved this time.
As United celebrated, their fans mocking the deflation of Arsenal's ego, a scene was developing backstage. What happened remains conjecture yet Ferguson appeared in front of the post-match cameras covered in a red substance that was clearly not meant to act as an accessory to his tailored suit.

Ruud's redemption: Van Nistelrooy celebrates the penalty that buried a ghost.Early theories abounded about the stain being due to an Arsenal player throwing tomato soup over him, later wisdom had a pizza being commandeered from an onlooking buffet table being thrown at the Scot. Ashley Cole, the most accused culprit, later denied doing so, as did Cesc Fabregas, then 17. Other rumours included Arsenal players refusing to swap shirts because they were wearing vests on underneath adorned with "50 Not Out" and Wenger confronting Van Nistelrooy, who is said to have told the Arsenal players that despite that their achievements they had "no class". Within days the game had entered football mythology as "Pizzagate".
United's strong-arm approach to the game, criticised by many, with Wenger at the head of that queue, and their ability to get under the skin of Arsenal showed other teams the way. The Gunners ended the season second, twelve points behind Chelsea, the new force in town with a manager who enjoyed getting under Wenger's skin perhaps more than Ferguson.
They eventually suffered five league defeats, including the return with United at Highbury. Like United the year before, an FA Cup win acted as little consolation; to date this was their last honour. Pre-eminence and intractable confidence shattered, Arsenal have yet to surpass that league position of 2004/5 and, despite Wenger's recent claims to the contrary, the idea of them surpassing the achievements running up to that rainy October day seem tantamount to fantasy.

beautiful words to see after the weekend

www.footytube.com

you piece of shit

01.07.2008

Fact of the day:
Australia is heading north 6cm each year.
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Is there pain without suffering? Would you still call it pain?
What is suffering without pain? Would you suffer at all if you could not feel pain?
Should pain and suffering be treated as the same thing? Or are they different feelings/sensations/experiences altogether?
Is suffering the result of experience? Or the result of pain?

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my euro predictions were close enough
Nicolás se siente feliz por sus hermanos.

EURO 2008 Lowdown

Group A

Portugal
All the hype on this team because of Ronaldo's presence. Ronaldo in my opinion does not live up to big games and succumbs under pressure. In my opinion, they have a strong enough midfield and defence and play with a lot of width. However they do lack quality in the striking department.
Whether or not their midfield will gel and there is a danger that it may turn into a show-boating competition between Ronaldo, Nani, Deco and Quaresma. But still they are not in a very strong group and will finish top.

Switzerland
If Phillip Senderos replicates his club form for his country, the Swiss are doomed.
Still, they are a very disciplined and they play tactically. Often playing with men behind the ball and are very tight. Strikers however could be a potent danger. But any minor slip-up against opponents such as Turkey or Portugal could mark the end of their tournament. Swiss to manage a draw or two but will not qualify from the group stages.

Czech Republic
Traditionally a team that utilises pace, counter-attacks, and width to do damage to their opponents. However this is not the same team that we saw in the previous Euro or in the World Cup. They basically use the same players as the past two tournaments and are an ageing side. One might refer to France and Italy to argue the contrary, but however, the style of play by the Czechs is very much different to that of France and Italy which are more tactical. Age would definately take its toll on the quick passing, width playing, counter-attacking Czechs. And to add to that we have the injury of Playmaker Rosicky plus the ageing defence are not the quickest to deal with the Portugese and the Turks. Czech to miss out on 2nd spot.

Turkey
Full of energy and attacking flair. They have exciting young players and are a good team to watch. Expect a lot of goals and expect to see the Swiss and Czech struggle to handle them. Turkey to make it through together with Portugal.

Predictions: Portugal 1st place; Turkey 2nd

Group B

Austria
Expect to see a dismal performance from the hosts.

Croatia
Very quick. They posses a very strong midfield and attack. Their midfield and attack are quick, skillful and are very exciting to watch. They have a couple of exciting young players as well. Expect to see one of the most talented and promising midfield play (attack-wise) in the tournament.

Poland
They will fare better than the Austrians. Are on a relatively good form at the moment but will be no match for Croatia or Germany.

Germany
One of the favourites of the tournament, and probably boast the best and most impressive line-up. They excel in every department of the pitch. Striking partners Gomes and Klose would be terrifying defences just as the Klose-Podolski partnership did in the World Cup. They have excellent wingers and full-backs on the flanks and the centre of their midfield is commanded by the in-form Ballack. Defence will be hard to break. Physically strong, disciplined and play with ruthless efficiency. Expect them to top the group with ease.

Predictions: 1. Germany 2. Croatia

Group C

France
Were it not for one player, I would have written off their chances this tournament. Karim Benzema surprisingly will be their key during Euro. The young striker has overtaken Trezeguet, Cisse, Anelka et al as the 1st choice partner for Henry. Despite Henry's dismal showing for Barcelona this season, the attacking trio of Henry, Benzema and Ribery had combined very well during the last couple of outings and are expected to shine during the tournament. It has not been the case for many years, but the attacking front of France will be the most fearsome and powerful in the tournament. They have good width from their attacking players and full-backs, and an evergreen and disciplined central defence partnership. However, despite their terrific link-up play at the front, they have surprisingly found it hard to score against opponents of late. All bark but no bite but they will get through this group of death.

Romania
A very attacking side and playing style and mentality very similar to the Turks. Form has been even better than them and have been playing superbly in Friendlies and Qualifiers. Very unfortunate for them to be drawn in this group but expect to see them fight all the way to the end.

Holland
Judging on the individual talent, they have an average defence if you compare their defensive line-up to that of the powerhouses of this tournament. However, Holland have actually conceded the least among the Euro teams during Qualifying. They have, like France, found it hard to score against opponents of late. They play a very disciplined game and do not expect to see free-flowing attacking football from this side. Will try to get 1-0's in all their games. van Nistelrooy would be a danger as always, however their midfield and other attacking players look less than convincing recently. van Persie would be a sure starter and had been a key player for Holland for the past couple of years but I expect to see him stutter in the tournament as he has looked very rusty for Arsenal.

Italy
They basically won the last world cup on some superb tactics and substitutions from the coach and maintaining their discipline throughout the tournament. A team that plays behind the ball and hits on the counter with venom. They have been performing well of late and they are a more consistent side than the other main contender of the group - France, and are more efficient than the Dutch. Expect to see them top the group due to these two factors.

Predictions: 1.Italy ; 2. France

Group D

Greece
They would be playing with almost the same team that won the last the tournament. Their last showing was inspirational. They are still a good, disciplined and tactical side as they were before. Expect them to play well but it will take a miracle for them to go as far as they did during their last outing.

Sweden
A team that plays ever so well during Qualifiers for any major tournament but has never manage to display the same standards after getting through. Captained by injury plagued, terrible form Ljungberg, I expect to see them end up bottom with the group. Will manage a draw against someone if lucky.

Spain
Somehow all the powerhouses of the tournament (other than Germany) with excellent players in the striking department are finding it hard to score against opponents of late and Spain are no exception. Torres having just finished a phenomenal season with Liverpool would be looking to spearhead the one man attack of Spain. A passing team so do not expect to see him lack any service from the midfield. Strangely Spain are probably the team with the least width in the tournament. Spain will field all their central midfielders (expect to see at least 5 of them) to make sure they fully utilise their passing talent while sacrificing the two wide spots. The two full-backs will provide the width and expect to see holes in their defence due to this. Chances galore for the spaniards and how well they would fare in the tournament would depend on whether or not they covert those chances and how well their holding-midfielders protect the back four (or should i say two? - given that their full-backs will never be there).

Russia
A team brimming with self - confidence, a lot of young talent, great team play. It does seem a bit strange to call any team with Hiddink at the helm a 'darkhorse'. Expect to see them progress throughout this tournament more on the energy of their players, substitutions and tactical play by Hiddink.

Predictions 1. Russia ; 2. Spain


Knockout
Portugal - Croatia*
*Germany - Turkey
*Italy - Spain
*Russia - France

Semis
Croatia - Germany *
Italy - Russia *

Final
*Germany - Russia