Liverpool 3 Manchester City 2

Watched last night’s game. Quite gutted actually. Here’re 5 thoughts.

1) Liverpool Will Almost Win It Now
Liverpool really played out of their skins man. You could tell that they really wanted this win. Kudos to them. On paper it was always going to be Man City winning this tie, but given they played at Anfield, with a few lucky breaks here and there (Yaya injured, Kompany fucking up his clearance), they took enough of their chances to win. I never like to see Liverpool win, but last night I would say they deserved their victory.

With 4 more games to go, Norwich (A), Chelsea (H), Crystal Palace (A), Newcastle (H), one could argue that they have the easiest run-in of the three title contenders. The title is really theirs to lose. Win all their games, and the title is theirs. And if they do win the EPL title, then the most deserving player would be Steven Gerrard. I mean heck, Michael Owen has more EPL titles than him!

2) Does Man City Have A Chance?
Being 7pts behind with two games in hand is quite tricky for Man City. Their fixture lineup is as such, Sunderland (H), WBA (H), Crystal Palace (A), Everton (A), Aston Villa (H), West Ham (H). Firstly, more games means higher chances of slip ups. Even the easier games are not sure-win guarantees. Secondly, they still have Everton to play away from home. That’s a tough proposition for anyone. Even Man United is expected to lose this weekend!

Not only does Man City need Liverpool to drop points, they need to pick up maximum points as well. And with Yaya Toure out injured, that is a tough proposition.

3) Does Chelsea Have A Chance?
Being 2pts away means that if all the title contenders theoretically win all their remaining games (impossible since there is a Liverpool v Chelsea tie), Chelsea will finish in 3rd spot. To think that at one stage a few weeks ago they were 4pts in the lead. How different a few weeks can make.

Their fixture lineup is as such, Sunderland (H), Liverpool (A), Norwich (H), Cardiff (A). Basically I think that the away Liverpool game will be the title decider. If Chelsea wins that game, the title will be theirs, whereas Liverpool only need a draw to retain the advantage. Also a relatively easy run-in, they actually just need to focus on winning at Anfield.

4) Gutted I
Not only is Manchester United nowhere near to challenging for the title, not only are we almost certain not to make the Champions League spots, we are currently in danger of not making the Europa Leave spots even! I mean 7th position is really not acceptable for the reigning EPL champions, no matter how you make of it.

Chelsea, Man City, Everton, all have had a change of managers as well, so using the ‘transition’ excuse doesn’t make sense. Not when we have a team that won the title by a mile last season. Moreover, these teams are playing better football and are all in the hunt for the top four spots. Heck even Tottenham, who sacked their manager halfway into the season is above us.

The players don’t look like they are motivated or have the confidence to play for David Moyes. It really all boils down to him, considering that he was almost the only significant thing that changed from last year’s set-up. His tactics are prehistoric and he makes questionable decisions in team selection and substitution. Quite simply, he’s way out of his league and the sooner he goes, the better it will be for the club and all its fans.

#moyesout

5) Gutted II
By rank of who I DO NOT want to win the EPL the most, it goes like that Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea. Very sore for a Manchester United fan, but that’s what happens when your team is absolutely out of the running for just about anything – the true mark of mid-table supremacy.

The primary reason of not wanting Liverpool to win is one of rival pride. We are currently sitting on 20 league titles, while they are on 18. Sir Alex Ferguson took 25 years to ‘knock them off their fucking perch’ and now they’re about to chip our lead away with their first title in 24 years. Not to mention the greatest English football rivalry, I have far more friends who are Liverpool fans than any other club. Here is Asia, it is really Man United and Liverpool that retain the largest fanbases. Damn you David Moyes!

Arsenal is also a matter of rival pride. From the late 90s to early 00s they were our biggest rivals. They’ve also got a fairly large fanbase bourne out of that period. And they haven’t won a trophy for the past 9 years and we sure hope that continues. That being said they are in the FA Cup finals and are odds on to win it, given they will play either Hull or Sheffield United. Boo that. Not qualifying for the Champions League spots might ease the pain.

Man City was the traditional noisy neighbours. A sharer of glory using the same city name. They’d occasionally beat us but we’d still go on to win the title. Not wanting them to win the league is more keenly felt in Manchester, I suppose, due to the inter-city rivalry. Here in our parts, they have no fans, not until now at least. Any people don’t jump on their fanbase for fear of catching the ‘plastics’ or ‘money-buys-everything’ label. Look at what a powerhouse they are now though, and they play very aesthetically-pleasing football to boot.

Chelsea is every Manchester United fan’s choice for the title. They have the ‘money face’ track record already, have very little fans, and no one likes Jose Mourinho (although some MU fans wished it was he who took over). Not to mention that they play the shittiest football of the top contenders, so everyone is going to get upset if they won. Haha, here is where things get a little sore for me as a fan haha.

As long as David Moyes is in charge, even next season looks bleak, squad overhaul or not.

GGMU!!!

Must Learn To Laugh At Ourselves III

Continuing the MLTLAO series once more...

MUFC Vs FC Bayern Munich II

Ok, so as expected, we bowed out of the UCL with a 1-3 loss to Bayern in the 2nd leg. At least we had a good showing during the first leg.

I don't feel that sad since most fans were expecting a wipeout and a 2-4 aggregate score over two legs isn't half bad. Heck, I didn't even stay up to watch the match.

So what now? There's hardly anything to look forward to this season anymore.

I guess mainly we just hope to win all our remaining games. Hope that Man City or Chelsea can somehow win the league instead of Liverpool. Hope that we have some new players in the bag by now. Hope that we make the UEFA Europa League at least. Hope that Moyes will be shown the door, or make some really radical changes in his backroom staff and working techniques that could bring about some optimism.

Else there really isn’t much to look forward to for the rest of this season.

#moyesout

GGMU!!!

Bully

Today I watched this docu-drama on FX, cable TV, called Bully.

It is about the lives of kids who have been bullied in school in the US. Some ended up committing suicide while their parents pick up the pieces, some found the confidence to stand up for themselves, others got help from the love of their family and loved ones.

It was quite a powerful and poignant film that drove home several messages. 

Firstly, all of us naturally discriminate. 

Let's not kid ourselves. People different from us are stereotyped and generalized. Whether by LBGTQ, race, gender, nationality, size, history, family background, everything! But it is how we react to overcome these mindsets that make a world of a difference to those around us. And that is the important first step to eliminate bullying, period. Don't be an ignorant bully without even realizing it. As one parent rightly said in the show,"You just don't know what another person's been through until you've walked a mile in their shoes.". The parent who said that lost his son to suicide and only during his search for answers as to what drove his son to do it, realized that so many times his son had tried to reach out to him and others but was never paid heed. So sad. Help before it's too late.

Secondly, bullying happens anywhere.

It doesn't have to be school. It could be at the workplace, in public, in any group, heck, even at home. Recognize it and stand up against it. Of course it's easier said than done, especially in our society where we try to mind our own business all the time. Still, it is prevalent anywhere and everywhere. Whether you choose to step up and make a difference is up to you.

Thirdly, make a difference at home.

The toughest part for me, were the cases where the kids see no way out and choose to commit suicide. Only then did the parents speak up, ask questions about society and themselves, and try to make a difference. It drives home the important point that if we all just communicated more at home, get to know our kids better by listening to them, and respecting them for the individuals they are, we would have less regrets in life. Kids who are better loved also grow up more confident, knowing they have their families who've got their backs. That's just so important.

Game Of Thrones

I've always wanted to know what the big deal was with this whole Game Of Thrones period drama.

Then suddenly I have this window of opportunity and guess what comes up on HBO while I'm away in Jakarta? The Game Of Thrones season 2 marathon!

And in one fell swoop, I catch the final four episodes of the season.

Lovely stuff!

Stat Bike Ride II

Managed to squeeze in one more stationary bike ride today.


Clocked 12.63km of cycling in 30min on Level 10 normal. This works out to 25.26km/h for my second stat bike cycling training session.

Hopefully I'll be abit more disciplined with my swimming and cycling here on until my surgery.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Managed to catch the movie in Jakarta over the weekend.

1) Awesome As Usual
As with all the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, this installment was awesome as usual. Funnily enough I didn't really like the first installment.

2) Just Like In The Comics
What I really like about these movies is the fact that I relate a lot of it to the comics I used to read as a teenager. I still have a huge stash of it (some 400-500+) in the storeroom. Tales like The Uncanny X-Men, The Amazing Spiderman, X-Force, The Avengers, all helped me grow up to become what I am. And it's great to see it all come to life in the movies.

3) Them Easter Eggs
'Nuff said.

4) I Love Scarlett Johanson
As the Black Widow, she looks to have aged somewhat (maybe it's her marriage :P) but still looking hot as Agent Romanov. Amazing actress. Hope to see even more of her in the upcoming installments.

5) Can't Wait For Quiksilver And The Scarlett Witch
Set to appear at Avengers: The Age of Ultron, these twins are going to rock! Stay till the end credits!

Stat Bike Ride

Clocked a half hour on the stationary bike today.

Haven't exercised since I tore my ACL so I was abit apprehensive about going on the bike for too long. In fact I missed the OCBC Cycling 2014 because of that fear of aggravating the knee again.

Wow I shouldn't have worried too much man. 

Firstly, the orthopedic surgeon said I should really work hard on strengthening my quads by cycling and swimming ONLY. These are the only two exercise activities that are intensive and yet don't strain my torn meniscus.

Secondly, the half hour ride on the bike gave me very little pain in the knee. Apart from an initial 5min start where I suspect the pain was due to not exercising for too long, the rest was a breeze. In fact I tested my directional change motions and they were so ok, I feel like I could go play football again! 

Anyway I need to put in more effort in the gym. My muffin top is getting too obvious!

MUFC Vs FC Bayern Munich

I don't really think we will survive tonight, but then, you never know. 

Believe!

GGMU!!!

欠扁问答题 IV

Four oldies but goodies:

Joke (1)

谁卖忘情水？

阿哈。 因为“阿哈给我一杯忘情水。。。”  (that Andy Lau song)

Joke (2)

谁拾 "ba zhang" (dumpling)?

降龙。 因为降龙十八掌（拾 ba zhang)。

Joke (3)

小叮当最讨厌玩什么游戏？

石头剪刀布。因为它只能出石头。

Joke (4)

为什么小叮当那么乐意助人？

因为它只能伸出援手。

See all the previous 欠扁问答题 threads here.