Soccer Aid 2012

HOLLYWOOD A-listers and pop stars lined up with footie legends to raise £4million for a kids’ charity in last night’s Soccer Aid. Around 75,000 fans watched England beat the Rest of the World 3-1 at Old Trafford, Manchester. Will Ferrell, Mike Myers, Gerard Butler and Michael Sheen were among the celebs playing in aid of Unicef.

Soccer Aid’s England versus the Rest of the World was organised by Take That’s Robbie Williams and has so far raised more than £4 million for the children’s charity.

The Rest of the World team, which included a host of Hollywood stars including captain Michael Sheen, Ferrell, Gerard Butler, Mike Myers, James McAvoy and Edward Norton was managed by Kenny Dalglish with Ian Rush as his assistant.Football legends Hernan Crespo, Roy Keane, Clarence Seedorf, Jaap Stam, Edwin Van Der Sar and Freddie Ljungberg all lined out against England but it was Kasabian rocker Serge Pizzorno who opened the scoring leaving them one nil up at half time. Kasabian guitarist Sergio Pizzorno scored first for the Rest of the World with a spectacular chip over ex-England goalie David Seaman. Teddy Sheringham injured Gordon Ramsay in a tackle and the chef was stretchered off.

However, England – captained by Williams – staged an impressive comeback in the second half with goals from Sheringham, Robbie’s best pal Jonathan Wilkes and soccer star Kevin Phillips to take home the trophy.Take That's Mark Owen and JLS singers Aston Merrygold and Marvin Humes lined out for England along with comedians John Bishop and Paddy McGuinness and popstar Olly Murs.However, Pizzorno was a worthy man of the match winner for his sensational chip over the head of former England goalkeeper David Seaman, following a pass from Ljungberg.West Ham's Sam Allardyce managed the winning team with Peter Reid as his assistant manager.

The Government has pledged to match all the cash raised through donations.Speaking before the game, International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said: ‘The huge public response to the Soccer Aid appeal shows that those watching tonight's game are united not only by a love of football but by a fantastic generosity of spirit.

Football Review of 2011/2012

Lionel Messi breaks Gerd Muller's goal-scoring record
Lionel Messi shattered many records this season, including Gerd Muller's 67 goal haul from almost 40 years ago. Messi currently has 72 goals in all club competitions this season, and still has the Copa Del Rey final to add to his goal tally. He also broke the single-season record (previously held by Cristiano Ronaldo), with 50 La Liga goals in 2011/12.

The underdogs make it to the Champions League final
In perhaps what may have been one of the greatest displays of why football is such a dramatic sport, the underdogs for both ties in the Champions League semi-finals won. Chelsea were able to defeat Barcelona after 90 minutes, while Bayern Munich were able to defeat Real Madrid on a penalty shoot-out after two massive saves from Manuel Neuer.

Both Manchester sides fail to advance in Champions League group stage
In what on of the biggest shocks of the 2011/12 Champions League season, both Manchester United and Manchester City were unable to make it out of the group stages of the Champions League.  This was especially surprising for Manchester United, who needed only a point from their last game against FC Basel to make it through. Fortunately for football fans, United and City ended up focusing their energies on one of the closest title races in history, which saw City win the Premier League for the first time in 44 years with two stoppage time goals in their final game of the season.

Real Madrid finally wrest La Liga crown after a long wait
Controversial manager Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid finally wrested the Spanish domestic title away from Barcelona, who have won the last three in a row. Perhaps in a fitting display, they defeated Barcelona 2-1 at the Nou Camp in a late season game to finally pull away in the title race. With the Pep Guardiola era over, it may now be the time of the Mourinho era of dominance in Spanish football.

Pep Guardiola quits Barcelona
After four seasons and 13 trophies (14 if Barcelona win the Spanish Cup), Pep Guardiola announced that he was stepping down as Barcelona coach. However, no one believes he's quite done with coaching, be it in Spain or abroad. What his colleagues universally agree on, however, is that he deserves his one year break.

Juventus win Serie A without losing a game, help Alessandro Del Piero leave in style
Juventus decided to have their own version of 'The Invincibles' this season, and broke AC Milan's record of 42 games unbeaten. This helped them win this season's Serie A prize, and also gave football legend Alessandro Del Piero a reason to smile. Del Piero, a World Cup winner who has garnered many fans outside of Italy with his skills, ended his 19-year run in Juventus. While he may play on in other teams, he will always be remembered in a Juventus shirt on.

Roy Hodgson surprises many by being named England gaffer
Nobody saw Roy Hodgson being named as England's manager ahead of the EURO 2012 position, and so he's got a lot to prove. No one knows if Hodgson can squeeze the most out of the perennial underachievers, but if he is able to, it will certainly one of the greatest surprises of the year.

AC Milan's 'Old Guard' decides to move on
Filippo Inzaghi, Gennaro Gattuso, Alessandro Nesta and Mark van Bommel have all announced their intentions to leave AC Milan.  Clarence Seedorf, another 'grand old man' at Milan, may still continue, but hasn't guaranteed anything yet. This leaves the door open for a younger generation of players to build their own legend at AC Milan.

Borussia Dortmund dominate Bayern Munich to clinch domestic double
Borussia Dortmund, who had already won the Bundesliga title, added to their tally by winning the German Cup, and their first domestic double in their 103-year history. A good, young team, Dortmund showed that they were no pushovers, finishing the season 8 points ahead of perennial contenders Bayern Munich. However, even with their good finish on the league table, no one imagined that the German Cup final would be decided by a 5-2 margin, which left Bayern shell-shocked.

Ruud van Nistelrooy retires
Dutch legend Ruud van Nistelrooy announced his retirement shortly after the end of the 2011/12 La Liga season.  One of the greatest poachers to ever play the game, van Nistelrooy leaves the game as the second-leading goal-scorer in the Champions League, with 60 goals. He had successful spells with PSV, Manchester United, and Real Madrid.

What's Your Reason?

 Last night while I was on Twitter, I saw the trending topic that reminded me of the past. More like reminded me of my ex's or crushes. Hahaha...

This was on Twitter yesterday (KL's trending topic) #AlasanBreakPalingFamous . I read a number of tweets that made me laughed in the middle of the night. Here's a few:

I rasa I tak sesuai untuk you, I rasa ada orang lain lagi sesuai untuk you.

Sorry I tak boleh couple, I nak exam tahun ni sorry.Two weeks lepas tu status "In Relationship". Dasar Penipu!

If you love me, please let me go.

I need some space. 

You bukannya sayang I, you sayang duit I

I'm sure some of you have gone through it. What was your reason?

Sayonara Dalglish

The King has left his throne and the debates are already raging as to whether he was sent to the Tower too soon.Kenny Dalglish may have paid the price for a shocking league campaign but that has not stopped his fans reacting with fury. So was it right for owners Fenway Sports Group to axe the greatest Kop legend of all?Let me give you the rundown to the questions every Kopite is asking.

WHY DID HE HAVE TO GO?

ULTIMATELY it came down to one thing and one thing only — results. While beating the likes of both Manchester clubs, Chelsea and neighbours Everton in the cups had them dancing on the Kop, as far as Fenway Sports Group were concerned, it was all about the Premier League. Henry tossed in a grenade at the start of the season, when he insisted: “Our main goal is to qualify for the Champions League. If we don’t, it would be a major disappointment.” But for FSG, missing out on a place at Europe’s top table once more far, far outweighed a trophy the Yanks had not even heard of before they arrived on Merseyside. Finishing 17 points off the top four — and a place behind Everton — was unacceptable to everyone, including Dalglish. And while his claims they are moving in the right direction convinced some, it cut no ice with the Yanks.

WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT THE YANKS?

WHATEVER the feelings about the decision — and there are plenty who were still in Dalglish’s corner — yesterday’s axe proved John W Henry and Tom Werner are prepared to make the toughest of calls. They are well aware of the backlash now facing them when they next deign to visit Merseyside to check on their investment. Henry and Werner are businessmen first and foremost. And if they feel anything is threatening their investment, there will only be one winner.

WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE THE CLUB?

AT the moment Liverpool are in danger of becoming a rudderless ship, with the dismissal of Dalglish leaving them short in a host of crucial positions. While the hunt for a new manager has started, they have yet to replace axed director of football Damien Comolli, are still without a CEO and have no official head of communications. It all means the next few months could have massive repercussions in terms of where the Reds go for the foreseeable future. If they fail to deliver the right man it will be hard to attract the right kind of players, there will be fury on the terraces and whoever takes over will also find themselves under enormous pressure.

IS THIS THE RIGHT WAY TO TREAT A LEGEND?

DALGLISH, for all his failings, still had the vast majority of fans on his side — rightly so, given all he has brought to the club over the years. Dragging him to America and the ensuing two-day silence, was not the way Dalglish should have been treated. He deserved better than this — at least given the chance to see how it went at the start of next season.

WHAT WERE HIS WEAKNESSES?

HIS judgment in the market has been seriously questioned, given the nightmare seasons Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and — until recently — Andy Carroll endured. Dalglish would never win top marks for his public image and, for the hugely publicity-conscious Yanks, that was crucial. His handling of the Suarez affair — and wearing one of those infamous T-shirts himself — was a PR disaster and even Kenny admits it could have been handled better.

WOULD THE FA CUP HAVE SAVED HIM?

THE one thing this season has proved is that, for the owners, Liverpool no longer exist to win trophies but to get into the Champions League. The odds are that winning the FA Cup would have been a stay of execution — but not a free pardon.

IS THE JOB NOW A POISONED CHALICE?

LIVERPOOL may have suffered their worst Premier League placing but there are still few bigger clubs to have on your CV. The attraction of Anfield is such that the majority of managers would still jump at the chance — and in some ways it becomes even more attractive now. Replacing a figure like Kenny is tough but if the new man turns them into a genuine force again, he will be guaranteed legendary status himself.

Gone, But Not Forgotten

Last weekend marked the end of an era for a number of footballers. Their services to their respective clubs shall never be forgotten. Most of them were from Italian giants, Juventus and AC Milan.

The ultimate farewell: Del Piero on target as Serie A champions Juventus end unbeaten. Alessandro del Piero scored in his last league appearance for Juventus as the newly crowned Serie A champions beat Atalanta 3-1 to become the second Italian side to win the title by going the whole season unbeaten.

Del Piero signed off in style in front of the home fans as he doubled Juventus' lead in the 28th minute to cap a near 20-year career with the Old Lady. And Del Piero, who has been at Juventus since 1993, scored his 289th goal for the club shortly before the half hour when he fired home from the edge of the area.

The Juve captain was substituted in the 57th minute to a standing ovation as the players and staff of both teams joined in with the resounding applause for the club icon. The standing ovation and cheers continued even after Del Piero had left the field and the fomer Italy forward got back off the bench and walked around the pitch saluting the fans and gathering scarves which had been thrown down to him.

When his number 10 came up on the substitutions board in the 57th minute, the party really started. First, every single player on the pitch received him with a high-five, a handshake or a pat on the head. Some gave all three. He went to sit on the bench, giving coach Antonio Conte only a cursory glance on the way, but he wouldn’t stay there for long.

‘Del Piero sotto la curva’ demanded the fans. They wanted to congratulate their hero close-up. He obliged, taking a slow walk in front of all four stands as the game continued behind him. But the match didn’t matter anymore. All the supporters cared about was giving their captain the send-off he deserved. Little over half an hour later, he received the ultimate prize, getting his hands on the Scudetto for the eighth time in his career.

It was the perfect way to say goodbye to the Juventus fans, and while they will get an encore at the Coppa Italia final next Sunday, this was more than enough.

It was also emotional at San Siro as AC Milan bid farewell to club stalwarts Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso and Filippo Inzaghi as well as Mark van Bommel. Before the game at Milan, Nesta, Gattuso, Inzaghi and Van Bommel were given a standing ovation as clips of important matches they had played in were shown on the big screen during the warmup and they were individually thanked over the loudspeaker.

It seemed as if Novara was going to ruin their farewells when Santiago Garcia gave it the lead in the 20th minute but Mathieu Flamini leveled 11 minutes after the break and Inzaghi scored the winner eight minutes from time for his 156th Serie A goal in his 300th appearance.

Thank You BPL 2011/2012

I hate to say it but Congratulations to Man City for making the Barclays Premier League of 2011/2012 a hell of a ride. It was nothing short of excitement til the very last kick of the season. With a heavy heart, Man Utd lost the title and surrendered their title to their fiercely competitive noisy neighbours. Title number 20, has to wait lads.

Credits to QPR for making it really tough for City and also for surviving a relegation battle scrap. Having gone a man down, they took the lead and then conceded 2 goals in injury time. Sadly, the journey has come to an end for Bolton Wanderers. They've been in the top flight for a very long time. Now, they'll be in the Championship and they will rebuild once again either with or without Owen Coyle.

The focus now shifts to this weekend's Champions League final at the Allianz Arena, with Bayern Munchen vs Chelsea. Can Chelsea rise to the occasion under their caretaker manager Di Matteo or Bayern will reign supreme after a heavy thumping last weekend at the hands of Borussia Dortmund? Come this Saturday, we shall have the answer.

The Expendables 2

Here's a glimpse of the new trailer released moments ago by IGN for the ass kicking sequel of The Expendables.

This movie is gonna kick some ass for sure!!!

Roy Hodgson, New England Manager

Wow!!! So much negativity about the appointment of Roy Hodgson's appointment as the new England manager. No disrespect to Roy, but he was not my first choice either but he does have international and overseas experience. Which can be a big help for the England national team ahead of their crunch Euro 2012.

My first choice was pretty obvious, Harry Redknapp. But I think the idea of him leading England got into his head too early and the results with Spurs' current form is definitely a worry. Spurs just managed 2 wins out of 10 games. Definitely a worrying sign, especially the England national team is in a limbo with Wayne Rooney our for 2 games with suspension, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry DO NOT see eye to eye (despite claiming otherwise) and more egos from the players.

Speaking of egos, this is something seriously English players are all about. I haven't manage to read up on Gary Neville and Paul Scholes' autobiagraphy. Both of the books touched on England players' mentality. The difference that they both spoke about was the mentality and egos that got in the way of actually winning a silverware with the national team.

The Manchester United and Arsenal players have been on a winning team before so they know what it takes to win. Actually, they know how to win too. Gary Neville gave an example of Jamie Carragher. No doubt of his ability as a player but he questions his mentality or way of thinking of a friendly match. In his book, he wrote that Carragher couldn't be bothered of a friendly match as it was just, a friendly match. Nothing more. The attitude baffled Gary, whose winning mentality has been built from the day he signed with Manchester United as a kid and also when he signed with them as a professional. Sir Alex always stress the winning attitude even though it was just a friendly or a pre-season game. That burning desire transpired to his players, with Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Nicky Butt who was all involved in that "friendly" back in late 90's.

Now let's go back to Roy Hodgson. Why I think he's a wise choice by the FA? Because he has the experience and just an average manager BUT with an abundance of experience both locally and internationally. It's time for the English players to stop act like they're world beaters cause they are NOT!!! Start thinking as an average team and a hell lot to prove at the world stage. Dude, that 1966 thing was history. Old story. Cerita zaman purba woi!!! Start acting like an average team and built a decent run of forms and win a major trophy. Just look at Spain. Slowly they start to produce world beaters after years and years of under achieving. Roy Hodgson has managed football teams overseas as well, with Finland, UAE and Switzerland previously. A numerous overseas clubs as well. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just Google/Wiki the fella.

Yes, he may have failed at Liverpool BUT he wasn't given the full backing by the squad and especially by Kenny Dalglish, cause he wanted the job actually. Come on Kenny, we all saw that. Prior to that, he took Fulham to the final of Europa League, where his "average" Fulham team lost to Atletico Madrid. No doubt that Madrid was the more deserving side to win but Hodgson's men took it to extra time. They stretched Madrid to the fullest. I was surprised myself that Fulham pulled in a decent form in the Europa League and managed to get into the final. Credits to the team and more so to Roy Hodgson.

Take a look at West Brom now. He saved them from relegation last season. Now they're 10th in the league. He even beat Liverpool last week on his return to Anfield. Isn't that impressive? He turned things around with an average team with no egos and they all worked hard together and manage to put in a good run of results. I think Roy deserves this opportunity.

The English press/media tends screw their own team as well. They always mess things up just before a major tournament. Remember the "robot dance" by Peter Crouch leading up to the 2006 World Cup? The media made a joke out of the celebration and Crouch had to stopped it. Perhaps if the media kept shut about it, England would have a better chance of winning. This is what happened to former England manager, Steve McClaren as well.  He guided Middlesborough to the UEFA Cup final, lost to Sevilla, appointed as England manager, didn't receive public and media backing, gets booted out.

So my advice to the English public and the English media, STOP being so negative about Roy Hodgson, back him up, give all the support he needs. To the English players, STOP those egos, you're all have not win a single thing at a major tournament, keep your feet on the ground and that 1966 thingy is sooooooooo lame and getting old. If Roy Hodgson delivers a trophy to England, you all will be chanting his name right???

Summer Movies of 2012

Hey folks! It's that time of the year again! Yep, it's summer over in the US and this is the time where movie blockbusters showcases what they are all made off..Here's a look at my top 2 choices and the recent trailers for some of the movies out soon in cinema near you. Enjoy! 

Below is my personal favourite and most anticipated movie of 2012, Dark Knight Rises!