Euro 2008 - Group B preview

Group B: Austria, Croatia, Germany, Poland

Germany are surely overwhelming favourites to top this group. They won 3 European Championships, more than any other European team. They have a good chance of winning a fourth European crown. Germany’s youngish side have come along very well since finishing third as hosts of the 2006 World Cup. They generally impressed in the Euro qualifiers, & qualified for Euro 2008 with a few games to spare. German great Franz Beckenbauer has labeled them “best team in Europe”. The claim might have some patriotic bias, but it does have some truth. The current German squad may not have a superstar player in the “genius” category like Cristiano Ronaldo. But that does not matter to Germany, for 2 reasons. Firstly, Germany still have quality players. Secondly, team ethic, co-ordination between positions & organization will be the order of the day. Nevertheless, the current side play a more expansive, attacking game than past German sides. The high tempo, cavalier football employed by Jurgen Klinsmann at the World Cup will be retained by Joachim Low at the Euros, although perhaps with a little more patience. Germany has good goalkeepers to choose from. Key players in outfield positions include defenders Lahm & Mertesacker, midfielders Ballack, Frings, Schweinsteiger, & forwards in Podolski, Klose & Mario Gomez.

Co-hosts Austria are the outsiders, & considered the weakest team in the tournament. Would Austria have reached Euro 2008 if they had to play the qualifiers? Probably not. Because they qualify automatically as co-hosts, Austria had to make do with friendlies over the last 2 years. Results overall have not been very impressive. Some Austrian fans are concerned at the prospect of their team being humiliated at the Euro. However, there were moments in 2 recent home friendly matches (both lost) where Austria showed they might not be as bad as some claim. Against Germany, they competed well, before conceding 3 second-half goals. Against the Dutch, the Austrians raced to a 3 goal first-half lead, before astonishingly conceding 4 goals in the second-half to lose 4-3. Apparently, concentration & tactical discipline are problems which the Austrian coach must address before the tournament starts. Austria will depend heavily on playmaker Andreas Ivanschitz, who will have to shine if Austria are to make any impact. Other main players for Austria are defender Emmanuel Pogatetz & striker Roland Linz, their main hope for goals. Austrian fans will also keenly observe the performances of a couple of their youngsters – defender Sebastian Prodl, & forward Erwin Hoffer.

Croatia are favoured to join Germany in the knockout stages. And with good reason. Since their dismal showing at the 2006 World Cup, new coach Slaven Bilic rejuvenated the squad & they are now much improved from the out-of-sorts 2006 outfit. Youngsters like the talented midfielders Luka Modric, Niko Kranjcar, Ivan Rakitic & Brazilian-born Eduardo da Silva are now regulars. They performed impressively for much of the Euro qualifiers, beating England twice to help eliminate the English. They consistently displayed the style, confidence & assurance not seen at the 2006 World Cup (i.e. such form surely would have taken the Croatians though to that World Cup’s knockout stages). Bilic allows the Croatian players greater freedom & flexibility than that afforded by the previous coach. Unfortunately for Croatia, they will be without Eduardo da Silva, who is out with a long-term injury. Eduardo scored 10 goals in 12 Euro qualifiers, & he will be missed. In Eduardo’s absence, Mladen Petric will probably lead the Croatian forward line. Croatia are still likely to finish second, but without Eduardo, it will be a close tussle with Austria & Poland. One bonus: the squad should enjoy plenty of support from the Croatian immigrants in Austria & Switzerland.

Poland deserve respect for topping their Euro qualifying group ahead of Portugal. However, recent friendly results & performances (losing to the US, drawing with Macedonia) were uninspiring. And they have a recent habit of playing well in tournament qualifiers, only to crash at the tournament itself (witness last 2 World Cups). The truth is that the current side is simply not as good as the Poland sides that finished third in the 1974 & 1982 World Cups. Goalkeeping is perhaps Poland’s strongest department – their Dutch coach, Leo Beenhakker can choose from Artur Boruc, Lukasz Fabianski & Tomasz Kuszczak (all UK-based). For inspiration, they will also look to midfielder Jacek Krzynowek, Brazilian-born Guerreiro & especially Ebi Smolarek. Smolarek, an attacking midfielder, is probably Poland’s most talented player. If he shines, then the Poles might just reach the knockout stages. Still, possibly the bigger problem lies in the mind. Do the players have the belief that they can reach the next stage? The players might have a mental block from the early departures from the last 2 World Cups. Can they overcome that block? Poland will co-host Euro 2012 with Ukraine, so they will have plenty of incentive to do well at Euro 2008.

Germany’s group opponents have "history" with them. Austria & Poland are neighbours with Germany, & their fans will love nothing more than seeing their teams defeat the Germans (though it may have been a long time since that last happened). Croatia remembers the hard-fought encounters with Germany during the quarter finals of Euro 1996 (which Germany won) & 1998 World Cup (which Croatia won). All 3 will raise their game against Germany – but it will probably not be enough to prevent the Germans from winning the group.

Prediction:
1 – Germany
2 – Croatia
3 – Austria
4 - Poland

Euro 2008 - Group A preview

Group A: Switzerland, Czech Republic, Portugal, Turkey

Some fancy Portugal as tournament winners. With good reason: they were finalists as hosts of Euro 2004, & semi-finalists of the 2006 World Cup. So they do have pedigree & big match temperament. They were led at those tournaments by Brazilian coach Luiz Scolari, the man who won the 2002 World Cup with his native Brazil. He is still in charge, but is expected to depart after the tournament. Though Portugal dare not take any of their 3 group opponents lightly, they should be quietly confident of qualifying from this group. And I think they will – in first place. The Portuguese will enter Euro 2008 with no shortage of belief & confidence. They have arguably Europe’s finest footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo. He had such a fine season with Manchester Utd, helping them win the Premier League & UEFA Champions League. But Portugal have other stars, too – Deco, Simao, Quaresma, Nani, and Postiga. With talents like these, Portugal will not depend on just Ronaldo. Defensively, Portugal are no slouches, with players like Ferreira, Carvalho, Meira & Pepe at their disposal. Portugal look stronger than their group opponents & should top the group. But whether they can win the tournament is debatable, especially with that chronic ever-present problem of a lack of a true goal-poacher.

I think Switzerland, as co-host, will make home advantage count & finish second, narrowly ahead of Czech Republic & Turkey. The Swiss will be well-organised & difficult to break down. They are not expected to be one of the most entertaining sides in the tournament. They will score few goals, but also concede few. Switzerland’s performance at the 2006 World Cup was decent, finishing the group stage ahead of eventual finalists France, before losing to Ukraine in the round of 16 in a penalty shoot-out. Remarkably, the Swiss did not concede a single goal during the World Cup. Switzerland’s youth football development is starting to bear fruit, & some of the players to have come through the youth ranks will be key men during Euro 2008, such as midfielders Tranquillo Barnetta & Valon Behrami, & young forwards Johann Vonlanhten & Eren Derdiyok. For all that, Switzerland’s main hope for goals will lie in experienced goalscorer Alexander Frei. Key defender Patrick Muller has just returned from injury & has been selected in the squad. If he fully recovers in time for the tournament kick-off, then he should play alongside one of the Arsenal duo of Philippe Senderos & Johan Djorou. The Swiss may reach the quarter-finals, but no further.

The Czech Republic disappointed at the 2006 World Cup, failing to reach the knockout stages. So they come into Euro 2008 with something to prove. Some consider the Czechs as dark horses for the tournament. They do play a patient, measured, classical “pass & move” football – at its best, entertaining to watch. However, they will miss the midfield creativity of the injured Rosicky, even though the other available midfielders (Plasil, Jarolim & Matejovsky) are quite talented. If Rosicky is available, I can see them qualifying to the next stage. Their key players will be Chelsea goalkeeper Peter Cech (one of the world’s best keepers), & a strong defence (only conceded 5 goals in 12 qualifying matches). Up front, they will probably start with Baros & the giant Koller. Look out also for Martin Fenin, the talented young forward whose helped the Czech youth team reach the 2007 World Youth Cup final. Fenin will be ready to step in should first-choice forwards Baros or Koller underperform. Given the chance, Fenin could explode & his goals might be crucial to Czech hopes. Overall, the Czechs will find it difficult to match their impressive semi-final effort at Euro 2004. They have earned the respect of the other sides in the tournament, & their group opponents will be wary of them.

Like the Czechs, Turkey will also have something to prove. They were semi-finalists at 2002 World Cup (finishing third), impressing observers with their passing, technical football. But Turkey narrowly, & perhaps surprisingly, missed Euro 2004 and 2006 World Cup. Their match with Switzerland will have added spice, since it was the Swiss who denied Turkey a place at the 2006 World Cup in a bad tempered affair. But if Turkey focus on revenge & not football, they will find it difficult to display their true capabilities & will be in trouble. Revenge talk aside, Turkey were erratic during the Euro qualifiers. They defeated European champions Greece 4-1 in Athens, yet could only draw against Malta and Moldova, & lose to Bosnia. Turkey have considerable talent in midfield & attack, with players such as Tuncay Sanli, Arda Turan, Hamit Altintop and English-born Kazim Kazim. A shame that young midfielder Nuri Sahin was not selected – out due to injury, perhaps? Anyway, defense is Turkey’s problem position. Turkey will score goals, but also liable to concede – hard to see them keep their opponents at bay. So regrettably, I feel Turkey will finish bottom of this group. But not before providing flashes of skill and entertaining football, as they are so capable of providing.

Prediction:
1 – Portugal
2 – Switzerland
3 – Czech Republic
4 - Turkey

Euro 2008 is upon us!

We are getting so close to Euro 2008! It's on this month & will run for about 3 weeks. In fact, Euro kicks off in a few days! I'm excited! It promises to be a good tournament, with quite a few sides capable of challenging for the trophy. What a feast of European football awaits us. It will, hopefully, be a tournament full of exciting football & some great goals.

Once again, the group stage is as follows:

Group A: Switzerland, Czech Republic, Portugal, Turkey

Group B: Austria, Croatia, Germany, Poland

Group C: Netherlands, Italy, Romania, France

Group D: Greece, Sweden, Spain, Russia

The top 2 teams in each group qualify for the quarter-finals. The format is such that the winner of one group play the runner-up of another group. Here it is:

Quarter-final 1: A1 v B2
Quarter-final 2: B1 v A2
Quarter-final 3: C1 v D2
Quarter-final 4: D1 v C2

Semi-final: QF1 winner v QF2 winner
Semi-final: QF3 winner v QF4 winner

Final: the winners of the semi-finals, of course.

OK, here is how I think the tournament will pan out. The top 2 in each group will be:

Group A: Portugal, Switzerland

Group B: Germany, Croatia

Group C: France, Italy

Group D: Spain, Russia

And the line-up for the knockout stages:

Quarter-final 1: Portugal v Croatia (Portugal win)
Quarter-final 2: Germany v Switzerland (Germany win)
Quarter-final 3: France v Russia (France win)
Quarter-final 4: Spain v Italy (Italy win)

Semi-final: Portugal v Germany (Germany win)
Semi-final: France v Italy (Italy win)

Final: Germany v Italy (Germany win)

Euro 2008 winner: Germany

Germany are the team I think will win. However, the team I want to win is Spain. But unfortunately, I suspect they will be undone by the usual stage fright. Come on Espana, prove me wrong.

I will preview each group in the next few posts.

Yes We Care 2008

In a nutshell, the Yes We Care campaign is about participating churches going out to the community & give a little something back by helping homeowners (usually the elderly or less fortunate) around their homes with tasks like cleaning up rubbish, gardening, etc etc. A few of us at CCCB got involved with Yes We Care 2008 today. We gathered at church for a debriefing, & were then split off into 3 groups (mine had myself, Man Kit, Uncle Mike & his wife) & each group got assigned 3 different homes. Each group were given some umbrellas before heading off to respective destinations. I was reunited with my old lost umbrella, I had lost it more than 1 year ago & had thought I accidentally left it on a bus, but it turned out I left it at church.

The home we were delegated was a double-storey house in the Western suburbs. The house was not bad at all - certainly not to be sneered at by any means (I'd be happy to own a house like that). The homeowners were an elderly Asian couple (Chinese Malaysian, to be exact). We greeted them at the start, & gave them some Christian tracts. They got us to do some gardening for them, mainly clearing their garden. We basically pulled out weeds, ferns, & dead leaves (lots of brown ones). The rain did affect what we were able to do - it made it more difficult to get a proper grip when we were pulling out some unwanted plants. And speaking of rain, I (rather guiltily) wished I could have been tucked in bed as I would have enjoyed the sleep.....

We did what we could with the garden. None of us were gardeners, although Man Kit's father is one & it was obvious that Man Kit had some of his dad's talent. In fact, I think I was the worst gardener out of the lot. But hey, I did my fair share of work. It was quite hard work, & it involved lots of squatting for prolonged periods, so that caused my legs to be numb - especially my right thigh, left knee & right foot. It hurts every time I stand up or walk. A reminder of my woeful lack of fitness.

Anyway, our efforts were appreciated by the homeowners. The lady gave us some home-made pastries as a sign of thanks for our work. I took the roll of pastry home & had it for lunch. It was tasty (it looked like sausage roll, but the contents included chicken & potatoes).

I was encouraged that the lady was a Christian; she attended a church in the Southern suburbs. Her husband is also a Christian; the lady informed us that her husband is not well, which was sad to hear. But anyway, I was heartened when she said she has been praying to God to look after them & send someone to help clean up their garden, as they are not able to upkeep it due to old age. (And ironically, her children were involved with Yes We Care elsewhere, so they couldn't help the couple out). It turned out that we were the ones who were sent to help them with their garden. Poor lady & poor husband. But I was glad that we were of some help, & glad that God gave us the opportunity to help them. It's because of God that we are able to help out. And I pray that God will bless & look after this couple.

Office prank.....hehehe

My manager has been away on vacation for 2 weeks. He'll be back next Monday. Or is it Tuesday?? Hmmmm....

Anyway, after official work hours finished today, my team mate Muzz & myself pulled an office prank on our manager, to give him a special "welcome back" greeting. We both flooded his office with loads of thick, heavy work files. We filled our manager's shelf, desk & even some of his floor area with files & boxes filled with more files & paperwork. This whole thing was Muzz's idea. The first thing our manager will see when he gets to his office next week is all those files piled up in his office. Wow, what a greeting that will be. The aim of the prank is to scare our manager & create an exaggerated impression as to the amount of work he has to review & go through. When he steps into his office, he is likely to think: "What?? I've got all that work to go through??!!! Arrgghhhh".

The reality is that our manager doesn't need to review all those files. A lot of the files relate to jobs which have already been completed! I put about 20 or more cardboard files on the manager's desk, plus 2 A4 full-lever arch files on his shelf. Manager will probably only take 1-2 seconds to know that the 20 files on the desk came from me. He might panic at the sight. The reality is, the only files that he needs to review/work on are just those 2 full-lever arch files on his shelf. The 20+ files on his desk are mostly finished jobs (some finished way before he went on vacation), with some relating to jobs yet to be completed (& therefore manager can't review until client provides all information). But will my manager immediately recognise the prank when he first sees all those files? We will find out next week.....

Other colleagues at work found the whole thing amusing. Hahaha, I would like to see my manager's face when he gets back to the office. Hmmm, that's an incentive to get in very early on Monday morning, yeah?? Muzz & I are so bad, aren't we?? But then again, it's all Muzz's idea to begin with......

Sermon on Acts 9:1-6

Pastor Steve gave a sermon on Acts 9:1-6 this past Sunday (apparently, we are going to look at the persecuted church). Here is my summary (any errors & ambiguities are mine):

Today, there are lots of threats, even murder, against disciples of the Lord, against Christians worldwide. There is something we can, should & must do about this. The striking thing in Acts 9:1-6 was Saul’s persecution of Christians. Jesus considers those who touch Christians as touching Him. Jesus questioned Saul as to the reason he was persecuting Him. Saul, it seems, did not even know who he was persecuting.

A lot of God’s people out there are suffering incredibly. This affects Jesus. And Jesus is the most scarred person in human history. That is why Jesus, in the passage, questioned Saul as to why he was persecuting Him & Christians. With every Christian who was mocked & persecuted, Jesus took it as if it was done to Him. The things that happen in the world today are atrocious. And Saul did not know that he was persecuting God. He would then later transform into apostle Paul. A lot of people today do not like Jesus because they not like the idea of having a King over their lives.

How are we to respond to persecution?

• Expect persecution; it is the Biblical reality. We are not to be shocked, for persecution is a reality. See John 15:20.
• Remember those who are in prison (Hebrews 13:3). It is hard for Christians elsewhere. We must always remember & always think of those Christians who are persecuted. Do not forget them.
• Love & prayer for “our” persecutors. Love your enemies (Matthew 5:43-45). It is not for us to judge those who persecute Christians. Pastor also referred to the St James Church in South Africa which was attacked one day in 1993 by some attackers who threw detonators to all corners of the church before spraying the church with machine gun bullets. A number of people were killed & many were seriously injured. In April 1996, the St James Church massacre victims forgave the attackers. The forgiveness shown is remarkable.
  
• Pray for the persecuted Christians, that they will be able to stand firm in the face of the persecution.
• Pray for the saints & gospel opportunities (that they will be able to proclaim the gospel boldly). Refer Ephesians 6:18-20. The persecuted church wants us to pray for them.
• God’s enemies can become His friends (Romans 5:8).
• Remember that victory belongs to God.
  

Eurovision Song Contest 2008

Wow, these past few weeks must have been great for the Russians. Their ice hockey team won the 2008 IIHF World Championship by beating their Canadian hosts in the final. Then, Moscow hosted the 2008 UEFA Champions League final, which apparently did wonders for the Russian capital & injected considerable tourist money. And now, Dima Bilan just won the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest for Russia.

The 2008 Eurovision was hosted by Belgrade, Serbia, courtesy of Serbia's victory in the previous year. Prior to the final round, they had 2 semi-final rounds to filter contestants for the final. I saw the semis & thought it was a shame that San Marino & Holland didn't make it through to the final round. But anyway, Marija Šerifović, who led Serbia to the crown last year, opened this year's final by performing last year's winning song.

Dima Bilan's winning song was titled "Believe". Though I quite liked it, I would have preferred first place to have gone elsewhere. I was most impressed by the performers from Albania & Armenia (nice ladies, both) & the pop performed by the duo from Iceland. I would have awarded these 3 the top 3 placings. I also quite liked the performances of Greece, Portugal, Norway & the Cher lookalike of Sweden - I found these 4 to be at least as good as the Russian performer. There were some strange/bizarreish performances, too - the pirates of Latvia, the angels of Azerbaijan & most of all, Spain's performer with Elvis-like hard hair who sang "Dance the Chiki Chiki". Uh huh, I think the Spanish guy takes the cake for clownish act....his song was so comical. Not bad, just amusing & weird. Ahh, well....it takes all sorts to make Eurovision....

Among the guests was the Serbian basketball legend, Vlade Divac. I remembered him from the 1990s when he starred in the NBA for LA Lakers (before he moved to other clubs) - that was when basketball highlights were shown free-to-air. Man, he has aged - his appearance on Eurovision was the first time I've seen him in ages, & he's now got grey hair. But good to see him.

The voting is almost as big a feature of Eurovision as the song performances themselves. Some 43 countries voted. And of course, as always, there was "bloc voting", whereby viewers' voting tend to lean towards performers of neighbouring or "nearby" countries. I suspect that this might have played a significant part in Russia's success. Russia got a lot of their points from the former Soviet nations, such as Ukraine, Latvia & Armenia. I mean, initially, Russia & Greece were neck & neck, but the Russians eventually pulled away & ended up winning by a very comfortable margin. The BBC commentator Terry Wogan would sneer (in a humorous, non-malicious way) as each bloc voting become apparent - everytime the Baltic states give first placing to Russia, everytime Greece & Cyprus viewers vote for each other, everytime the Nordic countries award top points to each other, etc etc. I enjoy Wogan's commentary.

Anyway, what's good about Eurovision is that we get to see glimpses of various cultures, listen to songs in unfamiliar foreign languages, see & laugh at some comical acts (like the Spanish "Chiki chiki" guy, as mentioned above), & well, just chill. Well done to Russia for their success. Next year, Russia will be the hosts, & Moscow will probably be the venue. Oh, well, guess that means next year's Eurovision will be brought "from Russia with love". Hahaha, pardon the silly attempt at "pun". Anyway, that's it for this year's Eurovision. Next month, my attention will once again be weighed in on Europe. Because coming up, it's....Euro 2008!

Sofitel food was good

Fresh from watching the Champions League final this morning, I left home (not feeling great because of the result) & headed for a whole-day seminar at Sofitel Brisbane. I attended the seminar as a very last-minute replacement for a colleague who was originally scheduled to attend, but couldn't due to illness (it's the Christian colleague, JC, whose workstation is next to mine). I didn't want to attend, but felt compelled to because no one else seemed willing to. Huh, I really need to learn to say "no" to people's faces, or at least people at work. Next time, next time......

The seminar? It was the second of a 2-part seminar. A different colleague attended the first part the previous day. It was a financial accounting workshop, so it covered financial accounting, financial reporting, audit, ASIC's new developments (the corporate regulators in Australia)....all of which made me feel zzzzzzz. Both speakers were reasonably good (first one more so than the second); I had no issues with them, & they seem obviously knowledgable. It's the seminar content that I didn't enjoy. The workshop had nothing to do with tax (income tax, GST, FBT etc), which I prefer to that financial reporting, audit, ASIC regulatory mumbo jumbo.

Anyway, the brightest thing today was lunch (which came as part of the cost of the seminar, which work paid for) - the food was pretty good. We had lunch at the Thyme Restaurant within Sofitel. It was a buffet. I was told before seminar started that the buffet was good & I would really love it if I love my food. And so it proved.

First plate was seafood - oysters, mussels, prawns, raw fish (similar to sashimi, or maybe it was sashimi). Nice, loved it, fantastic - although a bit saltier than similar seafood that I had at other places. Never mind. So walked to the bar to grab some more, but then I noticed the Indian food on offer. So, forgetting the seafood, I filled my second plate completely with papadum, garlic naan breads, Bombay potatoes, pork vindaloo, & some chutneys. I also took a small bowl of French onion soup. I heard one of the chefs telling another patron that the vindaloo was spicy. The patron was deterred on hearing that. But not me - I just smiled, because that is how I love my curries. The Indian food was delicious. The naan was soft & nice. Rubbing it with the chutneys, potatoes & vindaloo gave something really tasty. Onion soup was good, too. For third plate, I had a roasted lamb skewer, char siew pao (Chinese pork bun).....& more Indian! (this time, minus the papadum, & with different chutneys from previous plate). Yep, I really love Indian food, that I went for more instead of trying other dishes.

Then onto dessert, where I filled a plate with orange & chocolate truffle, caramel & macadamia tart, & chocolate fudge cake. I also had 2 bowls of chocolate ice cream, oreo cookie ice cream & fruit salad with mint sauce. Dessert was good, too - though I couldn't really taste the mint sauce, as it was probably muffled by both ice cream flavours.

So yeah, I did have quite a bit for lunch. And on top of that, I had stuff for morning tea & afternoon tea, too. I liked the food at Sofitel/Thyme Restaurant. Hmmm, it would be good if all seminars could be held at Sofitel......

2008 UEFA Champions League final

Manchester Utd won the Champions League in Moscow, beating Chelsea 6-5 in the final on penalty shoot-out, after the final score after normal time & extra time was 1-1.

I saw the all-English final this morning, & was cheering for Chelsea, but sadly, it was Utd who took the trophy. That ruined the plans of Chelsea's wealthy Russian owner Abramovich of seeing his team triumph in his native Moscow. The match was so close, as many predicted correctly. Which is not surprising, given that in the English Premier League, both these teams were neck & neck in the final weeks of the league season before Utd eventually finished on top, just 2 points ahead of Chelsea.

United took the lead when Cristiano Ronaldo headed well from a cross, which was poorly defended by makeshift right-back Essien (who normally plays in central midfield). The London side equalised just before half-time when a deflected shot found Lampard inside the box & he lifted his shot above the advancing keeper & into the net. After scoring, Lampard pointed to the sky, to commemorate the goal to his mother who recently passed away.

There were no further goals during normal time & extra-time. Both sides had other chances to have scored more. Man Utd had shots cleared off the line, while Chelsea hit the post twice & pressure from Ballack almost forced an own goal from a Utd defender. Overall, Chelsea had more shots on goal than Utd. But since neither side managed to score further, the lottery of the penalty shoot-out was needed to decide who lifts the Champions League trophy.

Drogba managed to get himself sent off just minutes before the end of extra-time, so he would take no part for Chelsea in the shoot-out. Both teams scored from their first 2 kicks, but then C Ronaldo had his penalty saved. Both teams then again scored 2 apiece. Chelsea captain John Terry then had the chance to clinch the trophy with Chelsea's fifth kick, but he slipped on the slippery surface (it was raining by then) & his shot hit the post. So it was then on to sudden death, with Utd scoring, Chelsea scoring, then Utd scoring again. Anelka then saw his shot saved, & so 6-5 it was at the end. Utd took the trophy.

I really feel sorry for John Terry, nicknamed "Mr Chelsea" - he was in tears & inconsolable after the shoot-out. How he must really feel. Had he not slipped (& so so unlucky at that) during his penalty, Chelsea would have taken the title. But no one can lay any blame on him. He was brave enough to step up for the penalty. Anyone can miss from the spot. Luck plays a big part in penalty shoot-outs. None of the Chelsea players blamed Terry for the miss. If any Chelsea player is to be blamed for Chelsea's fate, it's Drogba. Had he not been sent off during extra-time, he would most probably been one of the penalty takers. Indeed, it was revealed after the match that Terry was not originally intended to be among the first 5 penalty takers. Ahh, well, we can speculate & talk about it till the cows come home. It won't change a thing.

Well, the gloating from Utd would have commenced long after the shoot-out ended. I didn't want them to win, due to their infamous arrogance & superiority complex. It is said by fans of other clubs that a lot of the Utd fans are such bad winners; they win something, they rub it in the face of others. Oh well, I think I should put on ear plugs every time I walk near a Utd supporter. LOL. But seriously, it looked like Utd's success was fate, because 2008 is the 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster, when a signifcant portion of the Utd squad in 1958 died in a plane crash. It is also the 40th anniversary of Utd's first European Cup triumph in 1968 (Champions League was European Cup back then). So, ok, on that basis (especially with the 50th anniversary thing), let them have their moment. Credit to them for their success in the Champions League & English Premier League - great reward for their fine form this season. In any case, I would prefer to think that at least the 2 United players I like, Tevez & C Ronaldo, have winners medals.

Interestingly, for all the talk about Chelsea's dull style of play, I didn't see much of that dullness from them in the final. True, Utd are on the whole a more enterprising side than Chelsea. But in this final, if anything, it was

One thing I don't understand, why is it that people (including sections of the media) portray Chelsea as being all about the money who try to buy success by splashing money to buy players or anything that moves, when United themselves have splurged considerable sums on the transfer market? When United buys, no one says anything, but when Chelsea does the same, people complain about Chelsea throwing their financial weight around. A lot of people resent Chelsea for their wealth, since Abramovich took over. But well, if you have money, are you not entitled to spend some of it?

Anyway, the final was overall a good match. Very sad that Chelsea didn't win. Got undone by the penalties, but hey, sometimes u win em, sometimes u lose em. Football is like that, & u just have to take it in your stride. Better luck to Chelsea next time.

Nice t-shirts!

Look at these t-shirts! I recently found these among other pics on The Times website.

Nice, interesting & funny shirts. I really like the "You To be" & "my space" shirts. Actually, I like them all.....I want all of em!

2008 UEFA Cup final, FA Cup final

A couple of final matches took place in Europe over the past few days.

2008 UEFA Cup final

On Thursday morning (Brisbane time), Russian club Zenit St Petersburg beat Scotland's Glasgow Rangers 2-0 in the UEFA Cup final, played in the City of Manchester Stadium (home of Manchester City). Both goals came late in the second half, after a tight & rather tentative first half (I managed to miss the first 17 minutes of the match because I woke up "late"). Firstly, Denisov opened the scoring in the 72nd minute after playing a nice one-two with influential playmaker Arshavin. Then, in the last minute, with almost the last kick of the match, Zyrianov tapped in a low cross to seal the trophy for Zenit.

The win was deserved, because Zenit looked to be the more accomplished & more adventurous side. It's a great achievement for their experienced Dutch coach, Dick Advocaat. Zenit had some remarkable results on the way to the UEFA Cup triumph, including a 4-0 hammering of German giants Bayern Munich in the semi-final second leg. So it is fitting that they won the trophy. Rangers did very well to get to the final, though some say that the style of football displayed by Rangers (they defended grimly & pinched a goal here & there) left a lot to be desired. All things said, I'm glad to see Zenit win (nothing against Rangers, though) because of the football that they have displayed in the tournament.

2008 FA Cup final

This morning (Brisbane time), Portsmouth beat Cardiff 1-0 in the FA Cup final at Wembley, London. This final was an intriguing match-up: Portsmouth, 8th in the English Premier League (England's top football league) against Cardiff, 12th in the Football League Championship (England's second highest football division, after the Premier League). Cardiff is actually a Welsh side, but allowed to compete in the English football leagues. So the 2008 FA Cup final was seen by some as an England v Wales contest. The only goal came in the 37th minute, after Cardiff's Finnish keeper Enckelman fumbled a cross from Portsmouth's Nigerian attacker Utaka, giving Kanu (also a Nigerian international) an unmissable chance to score. Kanu could have scored earlier in the match after a nice passage of play by Portsmouth saw him rounding Enckelman, but he tapped his shot against the post. The goal that Kanu did score seemed harsh on Cardiff, who had been comfortably holding their own against the more fancied Portsmouth.

On the whole, the match could be regarded as fairly even, with neither side able to say they really dominated the other team. Cardiff continued to search for the equaliser in the second-half, but without success. It's refreshing to see a different name on the trophy for once, after recent editions have been dominated by England's top 4 clubs (between 1996 & 2007, the final was always won by either Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester United). This was Portsmouth's first FA Cup win in 69 years. It's good to see Portsmouth likeable manager Harry Redknapp with a trophy to show for his good work for the club. Commiserations to Cardiff, who did so well to reach the final. In defeat, they showed that they are definitely a capable side, & if they can keep their squad & get in a couple of decent signings, then there is no reason why they cannot achieve promotion to the Premier League next season. Good luck to them.

Possible merger between Westpac & St George

Look at the news below (obtained from NineMSN).

Westpac (one of Australia's biggest 4 banks) & St George (Australia's fifth largest bank) have had merger talks this morning. According to another source, should the merger go ahead, the new entity would actually be Australia's largest bank. Know what the interesting thing is? Gail Kelly, the Westpac CEO, used to be the St George CEO. But she left St George last year, to work for Westpac. And now look, she & her bank are returning to her old bank to absorb it.

Now, the banking regulations in Australia (it's called the "four pillars rule") prevent Australia's biggest 4 banks (CBA, NAB, ANZ, Westpac - not sure the order of size) from merging with each other. Since St George is not part of that top 4, the proposed merger will not fall foul of the "four pillars rule" but obviously there will be other regulatory "hurdles" which must be cleared before the merger can go ahead. But looks as if we have a case of a member of the top 4 banks taking out a major competitor to the top 4. Perhaps Westpac see this takeover as a way of expanding to challenge the other 3 members of the top 4.

At least the St George brand will stay (or at least that is the plan at this stage, anyway). I have an interest in this news because I am a St George customer. I've been largely satisfied with St George thus far. I don't know what Westpac are like. Maybe they're not too bad. But if the merger goes ahead, how will things change? The talk is that of a bigger & better organisation, & while it will certainly be bigger, will it be better? Hopefully the level of customer service at least stays the same, if not improve. What I look forward to see is the range of new products that will be released by the newly merged entity. What new products will the new entity offer to customers? New savings accounts with high interest rates & Nil fees? New investment products? If the merger eventuates, all I got to say to the new entity is: show us what u got!


*************
Westpac, St George in merger talks
10:00 AEST Mon May 12 2008

Two of Australia’s biggest banks have kicked off merger talks after Westpac approached St George about a proposed takeover of its operations.

St George told the Australian stock exchange today that Westpac had approached it after close of business on Friday.

Both banks this morning asked for trading halts in their shares to allow confidential discussions to continue and for an announcement to be made, possibly within 24 hours.

In a statement, Westpac said the respective brands would be better able to compete and flourish by belonging to the same larger, stronger entity.

"Both organisations are strong businesses, with iconic brands, strong and highly complementary cultures and long track records of delivering for customers, employees, shareholders and the community," it said.

Under the potential merger, all Westpac and St George brands, including Bank SA, and branch/ATM networks would be retained.

"The focus will be on investing more in front-line services," Westpac said.

Westpac chief executive Gail Kelly said the merger was a unique opportunity to bring the brands together in a way that would benefit both banks and their customers.

"It would create Australia's leading financial institution with regard to meeting customer needs, distribution, strong brands, scale, financial strength and the best products," she said.

"For customers, it would make it more convenient to access customer touchpoints, including the largest distribution network with over 1,200 branches and in-stores as well as more than 2,700 ATMs.

"It would also provide greater diversity and choice of products from both organisations."

Radio talk by Phil Campbell on greed

On the way to church this morning, I heard a talk on the radio (FM 96.5) delivered by Phil Campbell. The topic of the talk was greed. I remembered Phil from last year's Men's Training Event. He was a very good speaker (I'm sure those who attended MTE would agree). His radio talk this morning was rather enjoyable. I don't think I remember exactly everything that was said (selective memory retention, is what it is), but I hope this post covers the gist of the talk.

Phil Campbell's talk was on Luke 12:13-21. The passage talked about the parable of the rich man. Phil emphasized Luke 12:15: "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions".

Phil said that the passage warns us against greed. He referred to inheritance as one situation in which greed can manifest itself. He gave an real-life example of a man & his sister who both inherited some things (jewelry or stuff like that) from their mother's will. The sister would insist that she inherit those things which are of better quality. That sort of "me first" mentality is greed. The person thinks he/she should be number one & scramble to get as much as he/she can get.

Time & time again, Phil implored his listeners to be on our guard against greed. He mentioned that the world does encourage greed, this desire to get & accumulate more. Phil said that the problem with greed is that it reduces life to less than what it really is. There is very little point in accumulating treasures on earth, things which we cannot take with us when we move on from this world. Instead of focusing on those things, we should focus on things which are more permanent. Jesus in the passage was warning His audience to be on their guard against greed, & seek the kingdom of God instead of material things. Phil encouraged us to do this - to seek the things of heaven instead of focusing on accumulating earthly possessions.


Reflection:

I'm glad I got to hear Phil Campbell's talk, & I managed to do so because I left home a little earlier than other Sundays (so I won't be too late picking up Mark & Chris H). The timing was interesting - Phil Campbell's talk came on the radio so soon after I started the car & left home. It's almost as if God had planned on me listening to the talk. And probably with good reason, too. It's because I think I at various times & at various degrees, do struggle with greed. There are lots of things around me which can potentially tempt me & foster greed. I see them on the internet, in the financial newspapers, investment magazines (which I subscribe to!).

For example, I read about top performing managed funds during a given period of time. I will think: "Wow, I wish I got money to put into those shares or managed funds. Then in X number of years, my investments will grow, my stocks will rise & I will have more money! Money, money, yeah, yeah!". Sheer greed - & this, despite the fact that I already got a portfolio of investments already. I remembered having a chat about this particular struggle at BLT 2006 with one of Fayette's friends, Chris (different one from Chris H). Though I don't look as much or as obsessively at managed fund prices anymore, it'll be dangerous to think the problem is completely gone.

Anyway, I pray that God will help me be watchful against greed, & that I will look to prioritise building my relationship with Him, instead of building up material wealth or possessions. It won't be easy at all, as I think I can be susceptible to be tempted by the things around me (it's possibly one of my weaknesses). But I pray that God, with whatever ways He has, will strengthen my heart to want to seek His kingdom first, & to remember the warning in Luke 12:15.

Mother's Day 2008

It's Mother's Day today. We had a quiet one. We went out as a family for dinner, to a Thai restaurant in Graceville (near Val & Andrew's home). Val & Andrew recommended the Thai place, so we decided to have a go. The restaurant had nice interior. The place was packed, probably because it's Mother's Day. Despite the busyness, our dishes came out rather quickly, which was good. The food was really nice (including the green curry with chicken & jungle curry with beef), even though the portions are small. But it seems to be like that in Thai restaurants. I like Thai food - it's yummy. After dinner, the whole family went to Val & Andrew's place for some ice cream, stayed back to talk a bit, before calling it a nite.

To mum, Happy Mother's Day. Thanks for all your love, kindness, patience & sacrifices. Thanks for being a godly mum, always encouraging us to look to Christ in all things. Thanks to God for looking after u all these years. I pray that God will continue to bless u richly.

RIP François Sterchele

François Sterchele (14/3/1982 - 8/5/2008) was a forward who played his club football with Club Brugge, one of Belgium's top professional football clubs. He played 4 times for Belgium. He was apparently the top goalscorer in the Jupiler League (Belgium's top football league) during the 2006/2007 season, while playing for another club, Germinal Beerschot who are based in Antwerp.

Just a couple of days ago, Sterchele was tragically killed in a car crash. He crashed his Porsche Cayman S into a tree & died instantly. He had been visiting some friends in Antwerp, & was on his way home early in the morning when, driving at high speed, he lost control of his car & hit a tree. No other cars were involved in the accident, according to Belgian police.

Sad sad news. What a terrible thing to happen. I feel really sorry for his family, friends, his club, his club supporters & his team mates. They have lost a loved one. Both club & country have lost a football star who could have offered them much. As a football fan, I do get upset when I hear footballers die. It does seem unfair for someone who has a lot ahead of him to die so young. It puts things in perspective - at the end of the day, football is just a game. There is more to life than football. And life is short, time is short.

RIP François Sterchele.


Some pics found on the internet:

Humiliation & embarassment for FC Barcelona

Real Madrid 4 Barcelona 1. That was the result from the latest El Classico this morning (Brisbane time) at Real's home, the Bernabeu. With it, Madrid have beaten Barcelona home & away during this La Liga season. The result confirms that they deserve to be champions of Spain. For Barcelona, it totally humiliating & embarassing. I'd even argue that it's beyond humiliating & embarassing. Yeah, it's really that bad. I never got to see the match, & perhaps just as well.

Real Madrid had won the La Liga championship during the weekend. So, that meant that the Barcelona players had to form a guard of honour & applauding their bitter rivals onto the pitch to commemorate their championship success. Sporting gesture. And as if that ignominy was not enough, it got even worse once the match kicked off.

One thing I don't understand - how can Barcelona go from winning 6-0 against Valencia during the weekend to losing 4-1 to their bitter rivals just days later? True, Valencia are having an even worse season than Barcelona. But to have such extreme results in a short space of time is simply bewildering beyond belief.

According to reports, Real played very well, & Barcelona played very poorly. Real reportedly played with skill, confidence & assurance of champions. A superb team performance from them. Barcelona? Goodness gracious, I wonder if they actually played any football during the match. I was fuming at Barcelona when I learned of the result & continued to internalise my fury for much of today. By now, I've run out of insults & bad things to say about Barcelona. So I'll try not to rant & rave in a hysterical manner. I heard 1 or 2 of the Real goals happened in "questionable" circumstances, with the referee's performance (which went heavly against Barcelona) being blamed for contributing to the result. Well, even if true, the fact remains that Barcelona were abysmal. Yes, Real Madrid are currently better, but by that scoreline? Come on. Barcelona should never lose heavily like that to Real or any other side. Never.

No finger pointing at specific players right now. True, some will have to go during the off-season & replaced by better players. But right now, no finger pointing at certain players. It's a team game - win as a team, lose as a team. On the whole, it was a collective failure against Real, a very bad day at the office. They got to take the result on the chin, move on & buck up. Hopefully, with what's left of the remainder of the season, they will pick things up somewhat.

As for the manager Rijkaard, well, looks like his time is up. Rijkaard is a nice guy & have achieved success at the club - up until last season, when things seem to start going downhill. So perhaps things have gone stale. And what do u do when the bread goes stale? You get a new loaf. Thanks for your efforts, Rijkaard. But it's time we part ways, & Barcelona will have lots of planning to do, both to find a new manager & also new players. A big rebuilding job is due, & if the Barcelona board are in any doubts as to the need for rebuilding, they would surely have been emphatically dispelled by this morning's debacle at the Bernabeu.

I should commend Real for their achievements this season. Reports say that Real's Argentinian players did very well against Barcelona - Gago was superb in midfield, young forward Higuain scored barely a minute after coming on as a substitute, while defender Heinze had a solid game. Speaking as someone very fond of Argentinian football, I'm glad to hear that these players are doing well, even if it comes at Barcelona's expense. Real had 3 Argentinians involved in the game. Barcelona had only 1 (the whizzkid Messi, of course). It might sound simplistic, but there might be a message there for Barcelona - look to Argentina if you want to sign players.

The crushing result means that Barcelona cannot even finish second in La Liga - third is the best they can hope for. For a club like FC Barcelona, going 2 consecutive seasons without winning any silverware is considered a failure. So yeah, big rebuilding needed. The wheels must be set in motion, sooner rather than later. The one silver lining is that the only way is up, so I'll try to enjoy the upward ride. Things surely cannot get any worse for Barcelona. Or can it? If worse is to come, then I'd shudder to even think about it. Time for me to head off now....

Barca crash out of Europe

This is old news now. But in the middle of last week, FC Barcelona crashed out of the UEFA Champions League. They lost the semi-final second leg 1-0 away to Manchester United, at Old Trafford. So, with the goalless draw in Barcelona the week before, Barcelona bomb out 1-0 on aggregate. It means that the Champions League final this season will be an all-English affair.

How am I feeling? Sad? Yes. Disappointed? Yes. Depressed? No, I won't go that far. Embarassed? Not really. Humiliated? Certainly not. Nothing humiliating or disgraceful to be beaten narrowly by very very strong opposition on their home ground.

True, I was not happy with the 1-0 loss. But I had a feeling Barcelona wouldn't win anyway, & so it proved. The result (a narrow loss) & the pattern of the match is merely a continuation of an ordinary season for Barcelona. Barcelona did have the better & more impressive general play, in terms of passing & maintaing possession. But that's basically all they did - impressed more in general play. They couldn't score, & when that's the case, u can't win a lot, can u? Barcelona are all style, but not enough substance. Their midfield didn't provide consistent support to the forwards, & the defence as a unit once again look very unconvincing. Messi played well, but unfortunately, many of his team mates didn't. Luck was also not on Barcelona's side with a couple of good chances which might have gone in on another day (e.g. Deco's shot which went narrowly wide, & Henry's second-half header straight to United's keeper).

Manchester United did look more dangerous, but the goal Barcelona conceded was a gift. Zambrotta carelessly & needlessly gave away possession to Man Utd, & Scholes made the most of the charity to score. A dumb mistake for Barcelona to make, & of all times they had to do it in a European semi. Sheessh.

Obviously, Manchester United's players & fans were delighted at reaching the Champions League final. They've had an excellent season, & to secure the final appearance probably came as no surprise considering the fine & consistent form they've been in. Yet I don't think they are truly superior to Barcelona. I mean, this one of the best United sides in a number of years, & they've been in top form. But for all that, all they did was narrowly beat a Barcelona side in crisis & playing far below their potential. The "out of sorts, crisis club" from Spain still managed to outplay United for long period of both legs. So imagine then what Barcelona would have done had they been in form, & had their forwards shown the same ruthlessness of the Barcelona of old. Having said all that, this United side are very very strong, & credit to them for reaching the final.

Anyway, the one possible good thing to come out of this is that the loss would make the Barcelona hierarchy realise that the squad needs to change. New players will be needed to replace those players who are underperforming & who are not likely to make much contribution in the long run. Perhaps a new coach may come in (personally, I like the current coach for his attacking philosophy, but a lot of people say he's not the best tactician). If losing now means winning next time, then maybe it's better to lose now, & make the necessary changes to ensure future success. I mean, if Barcelona had got past United & gone on to win the Champions League, will the Barcelona hierarchy be inclined to provide transfer funds to sign new players? Likely not. In that situation, they will conveniently forget Barcelona's inadequacies & point to the trophy as argument that if it ain't broke, don't fix it, so let's not change the squad. Then, with the problems or inadequacies not fixed, Barcelona will be shown up in the future.

Anyway, whatever Barcelona's failings or deficiencies, whatever problems they've been having this season, I appreciate their efforts in reaching the Champions League semi-finals. Better luck next time. I'll be behind Barcelona all the way. Hola Barca!

It's May already!

Wow! I can't believe we've arrived in May already! I said as much to a couple of friends a few days ago. Time really does fly.

Looking back, I'm scratching my head to think of what I've achieved between January & April. Anything to show for those months? Anything that really sticks out? Hmmm, I won that 30GB iPod a couple of months ago (& which of course I blogged about). Errr, that's basically all I can think of. Nothing else happened during the first 4 months of the year that is unusual.

I can't say I have been particularly productive during those months. At times, I feel I'm just going through the motions of life. Work, eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep, hang out with friends, go here, go there, do this, do that, yadda yadda yadda. And don't get started with quiet time (still can't really get this going consistently). I don't want to say my life is directionless, but sometimes it does feel like it. So here's hoping my next 4 months will be more productive. And I hope God will show me the way forward.

Brave Barca shoot blanks

FC Barcelona drew 0-0 at home in that Champions League semi-final first leg against Manchester United. Considering their recent indifferent form, the draw was not a particularly bad result, though not fantastic either. At least they didn't lose. But it would have been so much better if they managed to have got the win they so richly deserved for their domination. Even a 1-0 win would have been a good result to take into the second leg.

I woke up early this morning to watch the match. It could have started horribly for Barca - they conceded a penalty in the third minute, thanks to Milito's silly & completely unnecessary handball. But Man Utd star Cristiano Rolando missed badly from the spot. A let off for Barca, who then proceeded to control the rest of the match. In general play, Barcelona absolutely pulverised Man United, having at least 65% possession (some sources have it as much a 73%) & constantly attacking the English club, creating some good chances too. But unfortunately, for all their attacking waves, they fired blanks & failed to score. Viewers might have recognised some shades of Arsenal in Barca's play - all style, imaginative passing & entertaining attacking football, but with little or no end product. Watching the match unfold, it's not so difficult now to see why Barcelona have struggled in the Spanish league this season - they don't score enough goals. If you don't take your chances, you can't expect to win many matches. The Barcelona of a couple of seasons ago would have annihilated Manchester United, because that side never had problems putting the ball in the back of the net.

Overall, I was very happy with Barcelona's performance, which while not totally marvellous, was nevertheless good & impressive enough in light of their recent indifferent form. Where some might expect them to be nervy, they were brave. They comprehensively played Man Utd off the park. This Man Utd, remember, are famed for their high-tempo, speedy & lethal attacks. We saw none of that from them. Instead, we only saw one team trying to entertain & win, & that's Barcelona. I've never seen Man Utd play so defensively & cagily, & I'm not sure why. Was it because they feared being carved apart by Barcelona? Were they saving a bit of energy for this weekend's top of the Premier League clash with Chelsea? Who knows....

There were some encouraging performances from some of Barcelona's players. Lionel Messi, the young Argentinian prodigy who returned from injury, played well. Yaya Toure was superb & tireless in midfield, & Deco (who also came back from injury) didn't play too badly either. Defensively as a unit, they don't look totally convincing (though Marquez had a good game - shame he'll be suspended for the second leg), but it wasn't really an issue because Barcelona mostly attacked throughout the match.

The decisive semi-final second leg at Old Trafford will be different, as United will certainly be more adventurous in front of their home crowd & play their normal attacking game. This will allow Barcelona to find more space for their attackers to do some damage. But on the other hand, it's also hard to see Barcelona keeping a clean sheet against United. Though I'll still say United will probably go through to the final, anything can happen now. The 0-0 draw, while not great, isn't too bad for Barcelona, because United failed to score an away goal. So any goals Barcelona manage to score at Old Trafford will count double, i.e. whatever goals Barcelona score, United must outscore them. So if both sides score the same number of goals, Barcelona will go through on away goals.

For the second leg, I think Barcelona must start with Henry - he has a good record against United when he played for Arsenal, & the experience of having played against United would help Barcelona. Puyol will be back in defence, to replace the suspended Marquez. Apart from that, Barcelona should pretty much stick to the same players that started the first leg match. And hopefully they can at least reproduce the first leg performance at Old Trafford. Of course, it will be difficult in United's own backyard. But they should just try to play their normal game, not make silly mistakes. Then they will have a good chance. Win or lose, I'll be behind FC Barcelona all the way.

What's this? Support from unlikely sources?

I was just surfing the internet, reading up all sorts of football news as usual. Then I read something which kind of shocked me - the club president, the coach & some players of Real Madrid have said they will be supporting Barcelona in the Champions League!

What??! Real Madrid & FC Barcelona are supposed to be sworn enemies! Both clubs have had years of mutual loathing & animosity. It's like the rivalry between Argentinian club sides River Plate & Boca Juniors. It's like Brazil & Argentina at national team level.

I would have thought that people connected to a given football team wouldn't support that team's most bitter enemies or arch rivals. Normally, u would want to see your arch rivals lose. And yet, it seems that the Real Madrid fraternity actually want to see us win in Europe's premier club competition! All this, after much slagging & mud flinging between both sides during much of the current Spanish season.

One of the Real Madrid players that voiced support for Barcelona, Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder, said Barcelona was his favourite team when he was a kid in the Netherlands. The Real coach, Bernd Schuster, was a former Barcelona player & apparently he even still holds club membership with FC Barcelona. As for the Real Madrid club president Ramon Calderon, he said he will support Barcelona in the Champions League because he is good friends with Barcelona club president Joan Laporta. So perhaps they had valid reasons for lending their support.

I was a tad amused by this unusual & unlikely support. A display of sportsmanship? Perhaps. Or perhaps, it could it be that they are a bit jealous that Barcelona are still in the Champions League while Real didn't even make the quarter-finals, & therefore see Barcelona's continued participation in the tournament as the embodiment of everything that their own club has failed to live up to. Actually, I shouldn't gloat like that, because I do respect Real Madrid & they are miles ahead of Barcelona in the Spanish La Liga standings. So, I'd say they are still better than us, despite being eliminated earlier from the Champions League.

But anyway, back to the unusual & unlikely support. It'll be interesting to see how this would go down with the Real Madrid fans. Although I have seen posts by some Real Madrid fans saying they would like to see Barcelona win the Champions League, because Barcelona are Spain's sole representative in the Champions League & they want to see a Spanish side do well become champions of Europe. Ah, that's it - national pride & solidarity, the reason that most Spanish football fans would be willing Barcelona on tomorrow against Manchester United. Hey, the feeling is mutual - although I'm a Barcelona fan, I would support Real Madrid if they play Manchester United. In fact, I'd support any Spanish side against Manchester United....

No doubt the Real Madrid fraternity will look at Barca's Champions League game tomorrow with envious eyes, wishing that their side are still in the competition. But hey, if they want to support us, they are welcome to. Go ahead, do as they please. Not that we need their support. And, of course, those Real people would support Barcelona only in Europe, & only because no other Spanish side remain. They won't support Barcelona if they were playing another Spanish side. Next month, Barcelona will have to travel to Madrid to play Real in el clasico. The Real fraternity surely will not wish Barca well then, will they! I'm sure in the lead up to el clasico, the slagging & mud flinging between the clubs will have well & truly resumed!