The Red Cauldron: 2006-07-09

Saturday, July 15, 2006

THE ZIDANE HEADBUTT GAME

BORED? TRY THIS GAME !

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UNVEILED: LIVERPOOL EUROPEAN AWAY KIT

The Third Kit Revealed:

First and foremost, I would like to assure you that Wayne Rooney did not sign for Liverpool. This guy above is not Rooney..it's John Arne Riise! Okay pretty good looking kit, but I think I'll still get the Home kit as white is not my kinda thing, you know.

OFFICIAL: JUVE, LAZIO, FIORENTINA RELEGATED

And AC Milan Is Out Of Champions League For Season 06/07

So after weeks of decision making and investigation, the Italian FA have finally decided on the punishments for the 4 clubs involve in corruption and match-fixing scandal. Below is a quite summary:

AC MILAN - Stays in Italian Calcio Serie A, but they will start next season with a whopping -15 points. Will be without European football next season. Least affected.

LAZIO - Relegated from Serie A to Serie B. Starts next season with a 7 points deficit.

FIORENTINA - Relegated from Serie A to Serie B. Starts next season with 12 points deficit.

JUVENTUS - Worst hit club, due to their outright cheating. STRIPPED OFF THE SERIE A TITLE FOR THE LAST 2 SEASONS. Relegated from Serie A to Serie B. Starts next season with -30 points.

So, it will all be in quite some mess next season, with clubs going down, the merceneries...oh sorry, the players will have to make a move out of the sinking ship. I for one, can't see Juventus moving out of Serie B for quite some time and 3 years is the MINIMUM for them to move back out into the top flight.

The 4 teams that replace them in European competition will be Inter, Roma, Palermo and Chievo.

LET THE GREAT ITALIAN SALE BEGIN

After clubs are relegated, players with higher profile will usually choose to leave the team because they won't want to waste their talents to save a sinking ship right? Gabriel Batistuta will surely spring up from your mind, as he's really a club legend at Fiorentina. When Fiorentina was relegated few years back, he chose to stay on and help rescue the club.

But here we are talking about 4 squads of talented and high profile players especially for the case for Juventus and AC Milan. Both these teams are the flagship of Italian football over the years and have done them proud in European competition. What made them do such indecent act is beyond me, but as long as there's human, there's corruption.

Juventus is surely the worst hit club, in terms of the punishment dealed out and of course, the squad will be affected. This is the time when you can actually judge who actually loves the club and who's those merceneries. To me, almost everyone in that team are anyway. Clubs like ManYoo, Chelsea and Real Madrid have been hovering above Juve for weeks like vultures waiting to pounce. More so for Real, who have appointed former Juventus coach, Fabio Capello and surely, this is the smart move? He had the working experience with the players there and it'll be easy for him to lure the players over to Spain.

Rumours:

Giangluigi Buffon - To either Arsenal or AC Milan

Patrick Vieira - Back to England? Or most likely to Real Madrid.

Emerson - Most likely a move to Spain. Maybe to Valencia.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Signed a contract with Inter Milan.

Alex Del Piero - No word, perhaps he is their 'Batistuta' ? He'll have all my respect for doing that.

Pavel Nedved - No word as well.

Mauro Camoranesi - Linked with Liverpool as well as Valencia and Inter Milan.

David Trezeguet - Arsenal or Lyon

Gianluca Zambrotta - Real Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona.

Lilian Thuram - Arsenal, or a move back to home, France.

Fabio Cannavaro - Apparently, Chelsea is the favourites to snap up the Italian captain. But AC Milan will be interested as well as Real Madrid.

Look, how many of those players actually made an appearance in the World Cup finals. It's more like a world came crashing down scenario for some players. But I doubt they will have much trouble finding new clubs, especially those who had performed well.

This will throw the balance of football into a spin and I'm worried. Chelsea will still continue to sign players to form their B, C and D squad while Real Madrid is going to buy their way to success again. But having the best players doesn't always equate to success. I believe that Rafa will use his resources well and do what he can. We're not as rich as Chelsea, but as least we're making a difference.

Will the Old Lady rise again?

IS THIS OUR JERSEY FOR NEXT SEASON?

We're all aware that Adidas will be making our kits for next season and apparently, the jersey will be on display tomorrow, when our players will be wearing them. I'm kinda excited to see what Adidas has in place for us and I'm pretty sure they will be better than those Reeboks one.

Alright I've came across some pictures of the new jersey and they looked pretty genuine to me. Here they are (NOTE: They're the prototype, without the sponsor) :

Home Kit - Looks pretty good to me. But usually Adidas jersey looks better with round badges and ours isn't. Whatever it is, I'll get it anyway, with either Carragher's or Alonso's name behind. Hmm, what's with the collar?

Away Kit - Looks like Spain's jersey, without the stripes and the colours are inverted. Looks just alright to me, as I don't really have much love for yellow...

European Away Kit - Looks awesome! I might get it if this is the real version, because it looked qite cool and ungeneric. It's green and not black by the way. Awesome kit.

Genuine? Or Not? Nice? Drop me a comment!

Friday, July 14, 2006

LIVERPOOL: WRITING LEGACY, CHANGING HISTORY

Over the years, Liverpool have made it into couple of major finals including the 2001 UEFA Cup, League Cup and FA Cup. Again in 2006, we went into the FA Cup finals. But when people asked about the defining moment of our club's history, the thing that surely will come to your mind is no doubt the 2005 UEFA Champions League.

What's the similarity between the 2001 UEFA Cup, 2005 Champions League and 2006 FA Cup? Yes, it all ended up 3-3 at normal time and we still went on to win it. But the one match that really stood out among the rest is no doubt the Champions League final, when we were 3-0 down at half time and by theory, we should have already conceded the trophy to AC Milan.

But heroes changes history. They dare to defy all odds and anything logical, and brough magic, miracle and belief into the heart of men. When their current circumstance doesn't suit them, they rose and dared to make changes, making the ultimate difference.

Someone sent me this link of the YouTube video that really touched me and made me believe that whatever situations you're in, no matter how deep sh*t you're in, if you believe and work for it, nothing is going to stand in your way. Are you going to make a difference? Below is a video on the very night when Liverpool turned the world upside down and defied all logics and reality.

Thank you Liverpool. To most, football is just a sports. But I believe there are lots of lessons we can draw from it. Our legendary forefather, Bill Shankly, once said "Football is more important than life and death to you, but I can assure you it's more important than that".

I believe that after turning corners and corners with Gerard Houllier till we're all tired now, we have entered into an era where I can safely place all my trust in Rafa the Gaffer. I believe after what happened to us over the last two seasons, our hard work will pay off one day and we will once again be the footballing power we used to be back in the 1980s.

I Believe.

ITALIAN FOOTBALL IN SHAMBLES

Juventus To Serie B, AC Milan Out Of Champions League?

Juventus will be demoted to Serie B, with a deduction of fifteen points, for their part in the match-fixing scandal that has rocked Italy, according to reports.

Fiorentina and Lazio are also set to be demoted when the official verdict from the trial is announced later today.

While reports in the Italian press claim that AC Milan will not suffer a similar fate, they will be chucked out of the Champions League – as will both Juve and Fiorentina.

Drogballs: If these 'reports' are true, then Italy will surely become the Carefour of football, with players like Cannavaro, Trezeguet, Del Piero, Camoranesi and Buffon on sale. Out of the 20 odd players on the field during the France vs Italy World Cup Finals, up to 10 are going to be affected as most of them played for Juventus and other major clubs involved.

It's all a roller-coaster. One week ago they were lifting the World Cup trophy and at the top of the world. But today, when the verdicts are out, they are going to be brought back down to earth. Juventus, whom we have seen performing in the Champions League and Serie A over the years, will disappear and not feature much on TV anymore. It's a shame, but that is what you get when you cheat. As chinese proverbs says, a paper cannot contain the fire, they're being found out and ought to be punished. Glad that they took action on those that have brought Italian football onto its feet. Will the 'Old Lady' rise again?

Il est un gangster - Marco Materazzi

I applaud what Zinedine Zidane did to Marco, from a football fan's point of view. That Italian footballer, or they called him thug, is quite a disgrace to football. He's a cheating sc*mbag that constantly gets away scot-free from those niggly fouls and of course, those serious ones. Of course another reason why I couldn't stand him is, because he used to play for BLOODY EVERTON. Anyway below is a little compilation of him and his 'deeds'. Enjoy his thuggery!

He deserved every ounce of energy that is emmited from Zidane's baldy head! Maybe Zidane's Mam should go give him a slap as well.

WORLD CUP AWARDS: THE FOOKING SH*T XI

Worst XI Of World Cup 2006:-

Right, so things have settled down, I shall continue on with the World Cup Awards. It was Part One previously and now I shall present you, the first eleven made up of the worst players in the World Cup. They have stumbled, flopped and ended up a laughing stock, So now we can ALTOGETHER laugh at them. Here they are :

Goalkeeper: Zelijko Kalac (Australia)
If you're wondering who on earth is this keeper, then maybe you're not alone. But anyone who watched Autralia vs Croatia during the group stage will clearly know who this bloke is. Alright actually I'm contemplating of putting Fabien Barthez instead of him, but I still think that Barthez did all he could and being too short wasn't his choice either. Anyway this guy is a giant, standing at almost 2 metres and is AC Milan's 3rd choice keeper.

Er, yea so how good is this guy, who competed the position with Mark Schwarzer. Well, he let in one of the , if not THE softest goal of the tournament when the ball was hit low across and he got down well. But the problem is...it bounced on him instead, and went into the net. Great save! Never seen again though. It's a miracle a player that played one game could make me write so much.

Right-back: Cristian Zaccardo (Italy)
The only player to have found Buffon's net prior to the World Cup finals and it's his own goal. Not that he's here for his own goal, but his performance has been average, or maybe even below par. It's real hard to find sh*tty defenders in this tournament, as they all have been pretty decent. Not the 'best' choice there.

Centre-back: Khalid Boulahrouz (Netherlands)
He planted his studs right into Cronaldo's thighs and his defending has been, alright. He actually did really well again Argentina, but his nickname, 'The Canibal' speaks for itself. Needs lots of discipline to be a top class centre-half.

Centre-back: Goran Gavrancic (Serbia & Montenegro)
Ah, the myth of S&M. They went into the World Cup as the team with the BEST defensive record, only conceding 1 goals in 10 games and it wasn't even off the boots of the opponents. But they went home, carrying the dubious honour of the WORST defensive record, with 10 goals conceded in 3 games, 6 coming from the Argies and ended the tournament with a fantastic -8 goal difference.

Maybe the absence of Nemanja Vidic of ManYoo was the key factor, as this player was being drafted in to fill a pretty big pair of boots. But he was being constantly tormented by tricky dutch winger, Arjen Robben and was part of the team that got tonked 6-0 by Argentina.

Left-back: Roberto Carlos (Brazil)
One of the few high-profile flops of the tournament. The Brazillians must have been thanking God that he had finally retired from international football, after being held responsible for the winning goal that kicked Brazil out of the World Cup. The free-kick was floated in and there he was, lazing around at the edge of the box with his hands on his knees while Thierry Henry already made a run into the 6-yards box. After Henry slotted home the ball, he was still seen with his arms on his knees. Free-kick specialist? You're 'avin a laugh!

Midfielder: Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands)
Came with a pretty good reputation, as a youngster just break out of Ajax. But his partnership beside Mark van Bommel hasn't been impressive and his performance are quite simply, lacklustre. His passing are quite woeful at times and his shooting....not as terrible as the one below him....

Midfielder: Frank Lampard (England) - CAPTAIN
You have to wonder why I've handed him the captain's armband. Because he's been the sh*ttiest of the bunch to be honest. Won the 2nd best player in the world award, just behind another fellow 'big-profile, no performance' player, Ronaldinho, and quite simply showed why it was a mistake in choosing him for it. He is officially the player with the most number of shots at the goal for this entire tournament with 24 shots at goal and 0 goal in return. With or without the anchorman, he just couldn't click with Steven Gerrard and just lazed around the pitch, disappear and then pop up when the ball appears near the 20-30 yard zone. What can you say when you're the first choice penalty taker for England, and missed it?

Midfielder: Ronaldinho (Brazil)
Everyone, almost, tipped him to be the star of the tournament, the one saviour to bring glory to Brazil again. But how the mighty have fallen. He was off-colour for the first game against Croatia, where he was tightly marked by Niko Kovac and given no space to move at all. He promised to deliver but talking it to the press and walking the walk is a totally different case. And so Brazil went out, with him coming up with one assist and 0 goals.

Midfielder: Mark van Bommel (Netherlands)
Should've provided the 'experience' to a rather youthful Dutch team. But all he did was to give away stupid, niggle fouls and yellow cards. He was not influencial in the middle of the Dutch team and looked a different player from the one that's playing at Barcelona.

Striker: Mateja Kezman (Serbia & Montenegro)
Remember him, in his first season in the Premiership season, donning the Chelsea shirt and saying 'I'm going to over-take Thierry Henry in the scoring charts soon' ? Well, that's the only thing this bloke have done that made me remember him. Again, as disappointing as the season when he wore the Chelsea blue, he couldn't find the net in the World Cup and his reputation as S&M's most potent striker is in serious doubt. But quite frankly, he's over-rated and a lazy player.

Striker: Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands)
He might have scored a goal against the Ivory Coast, but his performance overall is just as bad as any of his ManYoo colleagues in this World Cup. Louis Saha came on the sub bench twice to get booked twice and got banned from the Finals. Wayne Rooney and Cry-naldo...well we all know what happened. It's up to the van Horseface to save the day! But sadly, nothing of note, no movement, no pace and no passion. I think he looks a pale shadow of his former self for most of the games.

Agree or not? Do drop your comments!

Thursday, July 13, 2006

FIFA WORLD RANKING: NEW FORMAT. SAME OLD SH*T

A new system, with new criterias and new amendments to the old FIFA World Ranking. So surely right after this World Cup, you would expect some of those teams in tournament to go up. But sadly, FIFA is up to its usual 'good' yet again after releasing the brand new World ranking.

1 Brazil - A disastrous World Cup campaign for the world champions. Out with a whimper. Deserves first place? Hmmm, why not give the new world champion the number one spot?

2 Italy - Well deserved. Consistant throughout the qualifiers, group stage and of course went on to win it.

3 Argentina - One of the better performers in the World Cup. They put on great shows but was kicked out by host Germany. Oh, look where Germany is !

4 France - A lacklustre qualifiers and then disappointing in the group stage. maybe entering the finals helped.

5 England - Oh.My.Dear.Lord. How did England get into the Top 5? Seriously, losing to Northern Ireland (!!!) in the qualifer doesn't help and then went on to the World Cup and gave a sh*tty show to everyone on earth. The Portugese beat them, but look where Portugal is.

6 Netherlands - 6?! For poor showing at the World Cup as well? This is getting absurd....

7 Spain - Frankly, over-rated, from a Spanish 'supporter'. They looked good on paper, but always struggle at the highest stage. Should be around... No. 10.

8 Portugal - World Cup semi finalist behind a group of over-rated teams. Not that I like them, I hate them actually. But really, their performance are up to standards and should be ahead of Netherlands in any case.

9 Germany - Beating the Portugese 3-1 and ended up one spot below them. And 9? Are you serious, FIFA?

10 Czech Republic - Good showing at the European Championship 2004 and is everyone's 'dark horses'. But failed spectacularly in the World Cup and went out in the group stage. 10? You're having a laugh...

11 Nigeria - HA HA HA oh my. Didn't even qualify for the World Cup and came in 11th. What's going on? At least the Cameroonian were a penalty kick away from the World Cup.

12 Cameroon - Okay, a penalty kick away from making it to the finals, but do we really beieve Cameroon are the 12th strongest team on earth? Hmmmmm......

13 Switzerland - A decent display at the World Cup and maybe some good performances during the qualifer, especially against France. I think they deserved maybe between 16-20th place.

14 Uruguay - Urr...never made it to the World Cup after the play-off defeat against Australia. Oh wait, where's Australia?!

15 Ukraine - Not too sure about this, but it's quite hard to imagine Ukraine being number 15 judging by those games they played in the World Cup.

16 USA - Finally, made some sense by dropping them down from..second? Still, maybe 16 flattered them a little, but no where else to move, eh?

17 Denmark - Didn't make it to the World Cup, and ranked above Mexico?

18 Mexico - Wow, I applaud....Had a pretty decent World Cup and I think they deserved to be at least within the top 15. One of the better teams around and deserve the credits.

19 Paraguay - Maybe they're good during the qualifiers. But I couldn't remember anything of note from them. Drop them to maybe, 25th.

20 Cote d'Ivoire - The future super-power of African football, and they're behind Nigeria and Cameroon? First time reaching the World Cup and managed to put in good performances. Deserved to be up there, a little higher.

The ranking thing now has become a farce and it's becoming embarassing. To tell people that Mexico is 18th in the world and then Netherlands in 6th is laughable. But what else can you do, it those people that would rather work on the number of yellow cards than stamping out on diving and cheating. I'm disappointed. Are you? I mean, if these small little things can't be done properly, how effective would they be if it's something major?

THE HEADBUTT: ZIDANE'S STORY

Zinedine Zidane has publicly apologised for his sending off in the World Cup final, but claimed he did not regret his actions against Marco Materazzi.

Zidane, who was captaining his country in his final match before retirement, stated that Materazzi insulted his mother and sister in the seconds leading up to the incident, which saw the France midfielder thrust his head into the Italy defender's chest.

"I reacted badly and I would like to apologise for it," Zidane told Canal Plus. "I would like to apologise because a lot of children were watching the match. I do apologise but I don't regret my behaviour because regretting it would mean he was right to say what he said."

He added: "There was no tension with Materazzi before or during the match.

"He just put his hand onto my shirt and I told him to stop. I told him that if he wanted it I could give it to him at the end of the match.

"Then he said very harsh words to me and repeated them several times. I left but then I went back towards him and things went very fast.

"The words he said concerned my mother and sister.

"I heard them once, then twice, and the third time I couldn't control myself. I am a man and some words are harder to hear than actions.

"I would have rather been knocked down than hear that."

Drogballs: So, Materazzi said he didn't insult his mam and sister. So why did Zidane mentioned it? Who's lying? Can we really dig out the truth from both this players?

The only people I know that are lying are: The lip readers. You guys are terrible at it and ought to be shot!

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

MY WEIRD MSN CONVO WITH....

I guess I'll take a break from football and write about some stuff in life. Hope you people don't mind..

-Y-
i guess sometimes life jus goes down down down!
bt it will be rainbow soon alrite

-me-
ive been hoping for that
for
maybe 2-3 yrs
like an idiot waiting for bus in the middle of a desert u know

-Y-
hahaha
dats funny!

-me-
ya but of course its not funny if ure the one waiting
the one laughing is the bus uncle

-Y-
so who's the bus uncle?

-me-
it's bus auntie for me, bus uncle for you. HAHA.

Ya anyway it makes no sense. It's so random that I actually found it funny, even though..I'm not really in the mood to laugh... Anyway thanks so much, you know who you are! Thanks for standing by me when I'm down and out... much appreciated...

With LOTS of love,
Drogballs

PICTORIALS: NEW BOYS READY FOR THE NEW SEASON

Liverpool's pre-season friendlies will start this Saturday, yes this Saturday, one week after the World Cup, up against our near neighbours, Wrexham. So players without any World Cup duties usually meet up sooner than the rest of the squad to start their engine and get ready for yet another long and tough season. Here are some of the pictures from the training recently and I must commen that the training kits are pretty good, especially the one on the coaches.

That's Riise, Hyypia, Sissoko and Warnock

Pako Ayesteran and his colleagues. Nice kits as I've said.

Pako! And Anfield 'God' Robbie Fowler..

Nice to see Bolo Zenden back. Out since November 2005.

I'm not sure who's that guy on the left, he looks like Jon Ostemobor. But he left the club didn't he? Liverpool fans please enlighten me. Besides him is Mark Gonzalez and Fabio Aurelio.

Mark Gonzalez, Fabio Aurelio and the man himself, Rafael Benitez.

Another question. Who's this number 2 below? I thought it was Kromkamp?

Craig Bellamy, ah the tattoes speak for itself.

Momo and Warnock?

New boys Gonzalez and Aurelio...

Alright..sorry, don't really have the mood to do all those awards stuff. Downward spiral in life I guess?

OKAY, BYE, WHATEVER

Summer Clear-out Continues:-

Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse has joined Marseille on a one-year-loan with view on a permanent move, the French club have confirmed.

The 24-year-old forward was called up by coach Raymond Domenech to take part to the World Cup in Germany but was forced to stay at home after breaking his right leg during France's 3-1 win in a friendly against China on June 7.

He is not likely to resume playing until October but that has not put off Marseille, long-time admirers of the player.

'My choice has always been Marseille,'' Cisse said after agreeing the switch.

The player, whose chances of gaining first-team status with Liverpool were limited, will be unveiled at a press conference later today.

Drogballs: That'll certainly free up some wages and that'll be a good news for Rafa, who clearly doesn't like working with the flamboyant Frenchman. His departure means that Liverpool will now have to step up the search for a striker as well as a right-winger.

MAKE A FOOL OUT OF SOMETHING SERIOUS PART #14356

Woke up today with puffy eyes and a little restless. But as usual, went to the F365 forums in search of something that can make me smile at least. But little did I know, it made me laugh real hard.

MORE GIFS AT GIF DUMP (CLICK HERE)

Haha, thanks a dozen to those really creative people over there. Ciao

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

GOOD BYE DIDI, WE LOVE YOU

Hamann Leaves Liverpool For Bolton Wanderers:-

*AND LEAVES FOR MAN-CITEH

Liverpool have today confirmed that Dietmar Hamann has left Anfield to sign for Bolton Wanderers. Hamann's decision to leave the Reds brings to an end a glorious seven year spell on Merseyside during which he played an inspirational role in bringing a succession of top honours to the club.

One of the most popular figures to wear the red shirt, Didi will be remembered as the man for the big occasion. The German midfielder won eight medals during his seven year stint at Anfield and all Liverpool fans will forever remember his inspirational appearance in Istanbul during the Champions League Final against AC Milan when he marked Kaka out of the second half, enabling Gerrard and company to find the space to get the Reds back into the game.

He also played a key role in the FA Cup victory over West Ham United when he came on as a second half substitute. Known as 'The Kaiser' by his Anfield team-mates, Hamann was signed by Gerard Houllier from Newcastle United for £8 million in July 1999 and quickly became a fans favourite.

He went on to make 283 appearances for Liverpool scoring 11 goals. In 2002 Hamann became the first Liverpool player since Roger Hunt in 1966 to play in a World Cup Final.

There Isn't A Non-Scouser More Scouse Than Him! - Carragher

I think that quote from Carra sums up a lot about Hamann, someone's who's contribution to Liverpool over the years are there for everyone to see and his passion and love for Liverpool is something special, especially from someone that is borned outside Liverpool. I'm rather disappointed by the fact that he left, because he often makes huge impact in games and his experience is invaluable.

His presence single-handedly helped Liverpool to our 5th European crown and his last appearance for Liverpool was the 3-3 draw against West Ham, when he was substituted late on in the game and scored from the penalty spot as well. Over the years, he scored some spectacular goals because he's a really cultured player with a wonderful right foot. But its his simpleness in his play that's really a special part of him. He sprays simple passes around and bring players around him into the game. His role as an anchorman, or defensive midfielder, is a really important position in the team and he did his job really well, over the last 7 years.

All I have to say is, thank you Hamann, for all the memories and achievements you brought to Liverpool. Your contributions to the team will always be acknowledged by Liverpool fans around the world and let me have the pleasure to say, good luck Didi. You'll always be the 'Kaiser' to us and will forever be in the lorebook of Liverpool FC. A legend.

Video Tribute To Dietmar Hamann:-

Honours (Liverpool):

Winner

* 2000-01 League Cup
* 2000-01 FA Cup
* 2000-01 UEFA Cup
* 2001-02 Charity Shield
* 2001-02 European Super Cup
* 2002-03 League Cup
* 2004-05 UEFA Champions League
* 2005-06 European Super Cup
* 2005-06 FA Cup

Runner Up

* 2001-02 FA Premier League (Level 1)
* 2002-03 Charity Shield
* 2004-05 League Cup
* 2005 FIFA Club World Championship

WORLD CUP AWARDS: PART ONE

So, finally the dust has settled and the biggest event of the year has come to an end, with Zidane's headbutt proving to be the talking point, instead of the quality of football. I shall do a little round up of the WC based on my own judgement and feeling. Agree or not? Write to me!

Player of the Tournament:

1) Fabio Cannavaro (ITA) - I think there's no use for me to write anything more than this player already. Everybody's praising him and to be honest, he's been immense and there isn't any players in this World Cup that came close to dethroning him from being the best player of the tournament.

2) Zinedine Zidane (FRA) - Despite what he's done during the Finals, I personally believe that he's still had a pretty good campaign, bar the first two games where the entire French team just couldn't find the momentum of the game and struggled, including Zizou himself. Got suspended in the match against Togo, which was crucial, but came back with a wonderful performance against Spain and of course, instrumental in the defeat of Brazil. Converted the all important penalty against Portugal and sent the Les Bleus to the finals.

3) Andrea Pirlo (ITA) - A wonderful passer of the ball, his set piece causes the French to panic during the finals and everytime a corner is floated in, it always seemed certain an Italian's gonna get to the end of it. Scored the first goal for the Azzurris against Ghana, which was a scorcher and has been pretty consistant throughout, bar the Finals, where he seemed a little off-coloured.

Surprise Player of the Tournament:

1) Fabio Grosso (ITA) - I think his name should be in the player of the tournament instead. But because prior to the WC, he was a relative unknown and has only turned proffessional 4 years ago. His career have to be one of the stories of the competition, as a left-back, he proved to be Italy's hero with that last gasp winner against Germans and he provided Totti with the chance to score from the penalty spot against Australia with 5 seconds left on the clock. Without Grosso, maybe the Italians wouldn't have came so far.

2) Owen Hargreaves (ENG) - Got booed and jeered before the World Cup started, but one of the few England players that can actually said 'I've done my best, I don't regret'. Got so much stick from the fans, yet his performance against Sweden and Portugal are going to triump Lampard's '25 shots and no goals' effort. He played in the right-back position against Ecuador as well. What a man, he deserves the spot right here.

3) Philipp Lahm (GER) - Before the WC started, I think only those who've played Footballl Manager knows him. But he made himself an instant hero after scoring the first goal of the World Cup with only 6 minutes on the clock. His tireless runs down the left flank has been a constant threat to teams and statistics doesn't lie. He's one of the players with the highest success rate in tackling.

Flop of the Tournament:

1) Frank Lampard (ENG) - Do we still have to go on about him? Oh dear, shoots from all over the place but misses the sitters. A penalty for him to take from 12 yards out and still, couldn't hit the barn's door with a banjo. 2nd best player in the world, my ar*e.

2) Ronaldinho (BRA) - Really, really disappointing. Seriously, nothing of note from him for the 5 games in Germany and the Samba Boys are out with a whimper. Other than an assist, he was no where to be found and he seemed to be a little fatigued from the long European season with Barca. Best player in the world, my ar*e too.

3) Pedro Pauleta (POR) - A record goal scorer for the Portugese, but this time round, he failed to shine. One goal against might Angola was all he got and maybe due to the lack of support from his midfielders, he always seemed to isolated upfront. But he did get a few chances yet squandered them all.

Drogballs' Team of the Tournament:

Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon (ITA)

Right-back: Philipp Lahm (GER)
Centre-back: Fabio Cannavaro (ITA), Roberto Ayala (ARG)
Left-back: Fabio Grosso (ITA)

Right-wing: Maxi Rodriguez (ARG)
Central Midfield: Patrick Vieira, Zinedine Zidane, Franck Ribery (FRA)
Left-wing: Arjen Robben (HOL)

Striker: Miroslav Klose (GER)

Substitutes: Ricardo (POR), Rafael Marquez (MEX), Lilian Thuram (FRA), Gianluca Zambrotta (ITA), Esteban Cambiasso (ARG), Torsten Frings (GER), Gennaro Gattuso (ITA), Fernando Torres (ESP), Lukas Podolski (GER) ;

Far too much blue for my liking, but it seems like teams wearing the blue jersey gets the furthest and deserves the most. Anyway if you have a difference in opinion, do drop me a mail or write a comment down below! Much thanks and I'll have a part 2 for you guys tomorrow. Stay tune!

THE HEADBUTT: MATERAZZI'S STORY

So, what made Zizou so incensed that he planted his almighty head into Materazzi's chest?This is what Materazzi said in the press conference and I still, will reserve my judgement until Zidane himself comes out and talk about it. Anyway here's the transcript:

Materazzi, 32, told Gazetta dello Sport: 'I held his shirt for a few seconds only, then he turned to me and talked to me, jeering.

'He looked at me with a huge arrogance and said, `If you really want my shirt I'll give it to you afterwards'. I replied with an insult, that's true.'

Materazzi has not elaborated on what he did say, but one report suggested he responded with: `I'd rather take the shirt off your wife'.

Alright, so actually exchanging your jersey with an Italian thug is arrogant? Sounds like a sissy to me. Again, I'll only give further comments when Zidane comes out and clear the things up. He's a legend after all, I still respect him as a great footballer of our generation. Good luck, Zizou.

LATEST ON VAN NISTELROOY

Picture Suggest Van Nistelrooy Will Be Leaving England For The Continent

Oh, sorry...!

SOMETHING I'VE FOUND OVER THE NET...

Zidane > Materazzi Pictures:-

Not really in THE mood to laugh, but that really had me in stitches!

Monday, July 10, 2006

ZIDANE: HE HEADED FRANCE TO BOTH HEAVEN AND HELL

France '98 World Cup Finals, against Brazil, Zinedine Zidane was the man of the moment as he headed in two goals to seal the first ever World Cup title to the Les Bleus. 8 years on and his one moment of folly has almost single-handedly destroyed France and a sudden rush of blood to the head means Zidane himself, pushed the button of self-destruction as he have to watch his team destroyed along wth him in the tunnels. What has happened to the player of our decade, what made him snapped and did something so stupid and ridiculous out of the blues?

He is arguably the best player for a decade, since his rise of stardom back in 1998, when he played an integral part in the French success. His grace and his touch on the football field is something many of us loves to see, as nowadays, footballers are not getting any better to the players back in the days of Pele and Maradona. Who can safely say that during the past decade, the footballing world have came up with another greater legend than Zizou himself. Ronaldinho is the closest, but he's still yet to peak and he's being found out this World Cup, when he was utterly disappointing.

Correct Decisions? Ref?

Is it a correct decision to sent him off? A definite yes from my point of view. It was disgraceful and violent. No footballers, including Zidane himself, could be excused from doing such a thing. But again refereeing standard has been put to scrutiny once again as there has been murmurs that the 4th official actually used video replays to make the decisions.

According to the rulebook, the referees are NOT allowed to use any video technology in their aid for decisions making. Even Italian coach, Marcello Lippi came out and said that the referee only took action after getting a report from the 4th and 5th officials. And he added that all the 3 officials on the field were not aware of the going-ons and what happened.

I'm not trying to say that sending Zidane off is a mistake, but what IF really, the 4th and 5th officials used the TV replays for evidence. Didn't they broke they rules and regulations? I for one thinks that football's rules, guidelines and refereeing standards are backward, obsolete and makes absolutely no sense. Is this not a time to start introducing video technology already, Mr Blatter and to those footballing 'gods'? We're already in the 21st century for god's sake and why can't technology be incoporated into the beautiful game?

I stand by my view that, Zidane deserves the red card. But the most worrying thing should be the guidelines of the game and also the overall refereeing standard. It's only becoming a joke and it all happens at the biggest stage, World Cup. Time to redraw the plans again I reckon. Now is the time.

What Of Materazzi?

Good defender he is, an absolute t**t in terms of personality. Not like I know him personally, but anyone with half a brain and watches him play knows he's someone that not many people look up to. I'll always remember his elbow on Juan Pablo Sorin in this year's Champions League, when he smashed his elbow into Sorin's face and got away with it scott-free. There has been speculations about what he said to Zizou, that made him go bonkers and give him a head in the chest.

Latest news would be that he said something 'very serious' and provoked Zidane, according to Zidane's agent, Alain Migliaccio. Various newspaper speculations were that Materrazzi called him 'a terrorist' while other reports claimed he asked Zidane to 'play for his own country', which is Algeria. To me, it's more likely that the latter one is the speculated one and the 'terrorist' one sounds more evident to me.

Final Words...

But let's hope Zidane would come out and say something within the next few days and end all speculations. I think he have to personally stand out and give his team, the French and of course all football fans around the world an answer to his disgraceful act. Not only did he let his team down, but as a captain, he did something that he shouldn't do and of course, disappointed a whole load of people, including me.

He might be a player with legendary status, but he's a human after all, as I like to say. You need to understand the pressure he's under at that very moment, when there were 17 cameras on him, the hope and expectations of the millions back home in France on his shoulder and of course it might be a little hard for him to accept the fact that his glittering career is ending. It's so, so sad to watch a player of his calibre doing that and I feel so gutted for him. But I believe that people will forgive him faster than expected, because the beauty and goodness he brought to the game far outweights that moment of folly, or let's just say, momentS.

SHOULD HE GIVE IT AWAY?

Zidane Wins WC Golden Ball Despite The Headbutt:-

Zinedine Zidane has been awarded the Golden Ball as the best player at the World Cup despite his sending off in the final last night.

The France legend, playing in his final match before retirement, was dismissed in extra time for headbutting Italy's Marco Materazzi.
Zidane - won Golden Ball.

The voting for the award was carried at half-time in the final, which France went on to lose on penalties. Zidane, 34, topped a of poll journalists covering the event ahead with 2,012 points ahead of Italian pair Fabio Cannavaro (1,977) and Andrea Pirlo (715).

Drogballs: A really weird poll that is, carried out during half time of the World Cup finals. When I heard the news of Zidane winning the Golden Ball, I don't know whether to find this ridiculous or just plain stupidity from the FIFA officials. Okay I mean fair enough, the voting was held during half time. But why half time? Why not a day after the finals and everyone can sit down properly and think through their decisions rather than making a decision based on the past few games and another half of a final game.

Back to point, now seriously, what should Zidane do about this award. I think it's absolutely awkward if he's going to receieve that award in front of all the people. Can he face it? Can he cope with the controversies going around him and his headbutt-ing incident? I for one thinks that he should give the award up and hand it over to Fabio Cannavaro, whom I thought deserved the award more than him. Unlike Zidane, 'Canna' has been immensed since Italy took on Ghana and was ever-present. Zidane meanwhile, was subdued in the first 2 games and got bookings from both the game and as a result, he was suspended for the crucial match against Togo.

I'll be waiting for the latest on Zidane's interview and I'll update as soon as I've got the news and shall do a little analysis on it.

GOALS VIDEO GALORE!

WORLD CUP FINALS

Zidane's Mindless Headbutt

France 1-0 Italy: Zinedine Zidane

France 1-1 Italy: Marco Materazzi

3rd/4th PLACE PLAY OFF:

Germany 1-0 Portugal: Bastian Schweinsteiger

Germany 3-0 Portugal: Bastian Schweinsteiger

Germany 3-1 Portugal: Nuno Gomes

Tags: World Cup 2006, Football, Soccer, World Cup Finals, Germany, Portugal, Italy, France, Zinedine Zidane, headbutt

SORRY FOR THE TECHNICAL GLITCH!

Alright so the aftermath of the World Cup finals was my blog was flooded with people everywhere and due to the bandwidth limit, the banner went kaboom! and disappeared. I got that fixed now and it's up and running again.

Anyway thanks for all your support and comments throughout this wonderful month of June. This World Cup has been great and I enjoyed every bit of it. Watching, talking and blogging. Took lots of time out to do it nicely and I'm quite happy with what I've done!

I supposed the World Cup season's ending and the readerships gonna go down anyway, but I'll continue blogging and bringing you lot the latest stuff and other interesting stories. Ah, nothing's gonna stop me from blogging now I guess. I'm in love!

I'm not gay...HAHA

With lots of love,
DROGBALLS

FORZA AZZURRI, CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD

Zinedine Zidane: Hero To Zero:-

Sunday, July 09, 2006

THE FINAL DAY OF RECKONING

2006 WORLD CUP FINALS

Olympiastadion, Berlin

ITALY vs FRANCE

Azzurri vs Les Bleus

The day that everyone have been waiting for is here. And after that very 90 minutes, we would all be cheering on (or crying out) the new world champions, taking over from South American giant, Brazil. In an all-European and all-Blues match, both have came into the finals with a decent run-in. Both teams faced a different problems during the World Cup, as the Italians have lots of problems back home with corruption and scandals while the French came into the competition low on confidence and almost everyone wrote them off early on. Who will the crown goes to? We'll find out real soon.

ITALY: Italian goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon looks set to establish a mark of excellence IF he keeps a clean sheet for the first 63minutes of the game. The Juventus star has not conceded a goal in 453 minutes, the second best run in the history of World Cup. But Buffon claimed that the record is nothing if he doesn't get his hands on the trophy. There will be no injury problem to the Italians other than Alessandro Nesta. Facing with scandals and corruption on domestic football front, the Italians were united through adversity and difficulties, standing together as one and their team spirit is at a high. You could sense the hunger in the players, as they look to put the problems aside and concentrate on the all important, finals.

Probable Line-up (4-2-3-1):

FRANCE: They too, will not face any injury problem or suspension and will field their best players. This will probably be a sent off for football legend, Zinedine Zidane, who will have to cope with the intense pressure put upon him, as FIFA will be placing 17 cameras around the stadium to capture his every move and make it into a documentary. This will be his swansong, his final appearance and a 'coup'. The French captain will lead out a recharged and revived team, whom have been disappointing in the group stage. But they found their belief and hunger, that came down like a baptism of fire.

Probable Line-up (4-2-3-1):

Drogballs' Prediction: ITALY 0 - 1 FRANCE. I struggled a lot coming up with this scores, especally its this two teams. They are top, top teams with wonderful defences and tenacious midfield. It will be a very, very tight game and the game will be decided by a moment of magic, by Zinedine Zidane. (I hope so.....)

I use my heart to make decisions more than my head, so I think the French Froggers will win, because I've a soft spot for them. Come on Zizou...make your last game a special one.

CONGRATULATIONS GERMANY

Schweinsteiger Magic Seals Third Place For Germany:-

Stuttgart

GERMANY 3 - 1 PORTUGAL

Scorers:
GER - Schweinsteiger (56min, 78min), Petit (Own Goal 61min);
POR - Nuno Gomes (88min);

Before I start, let me say I was spot on with my prediction, so all hail me! Nah, just kidding. Just glad that the Germans won it and won it fair and square while the Portugese disappeared down the tunnel without a trace. To be fair they played really well throughout the competition with some moment of brilliance and should be very proud of their performances. They're being written off before the competition started even by their own supporters but they proved them wrong and put up a good show and did not let their fans down, who filled the entire stadium and their cheers and chants nearly brought down the roof of the stadium.

It's a match that doesn't really matter as it only determines the third and fourth placing and maybe for them to salvage some pride. More importantly, this might be the last time we'll be seeing certain players and a chance for the fans to catch a glimpse of the stars that have shone for years and ready to be taken over by the new stars of te future. Oliver Kahn and Figo most notably were the ones that are ready to step down from national duties after this match and you'll expect them to feature much in this game.

The first half was entertaining with lots of chances going the Germans way but they just didn't convert them, with several free kicks just outside the penalty area. Frings, Schneider and Podolski all tried their luck but Ricardo was on hand. Portugese created their own chances as well, with Pauleta coming closest as he tried to side foot an angle shot past Oliver Kahn, but the veteran keeper dived low and showed the world why he's still regarded as one of the best goalkeepers. As usual a few simulations and dives around by the Portugese and Cronaldo was at it again, as he dived blatantly just before half time and he was lucky to escape from a yellow card.

Second half promises to be a great one as both Portugal and Germany seemed to have stepped up and showed some urgency. Portugese clearly had more of the possesion but couldn't do anything about it.

But first blood was drew when Bastian Schweinsteiger, the Bayern Munich winger, cut in from the left and let fly an unstoppable shot that swerved so much in the air that it actually went straight at Ricardo's dive, but it was just too powerful and it nearly broke he net. That very goal opened the game up very much, with Portugal going for the equaliser and Germans hitting them on the counter attack. It was a pretty fluent game with some nice passes around the midfield, but the quality of the passes in the final third for both teams are pretty disappointing.

The second came when a freekick was awarded outside Portugal's penalty area and it was Schweinsteiger again that is there to weave some magic. He hit the shot low and hard into the penalty area and substitute, Armando Petit was unlucky to place his foot at the wrong place as he directed a powerful shot into his own net. Disappointing for the Portguese as they tried really hard but found the Germans just a little better in terms of technical abilities.

The inevitable happened when the Germans found the net again and oh no, it's Schweinsteiger again! He took the ball and hits another stinger shot. It just swerved powerfully into Ricardo's net and there's nothing he could do about it, as the ball was hit at such a pace and angle that nobody would've saved it.

Portugese then brought on retiring star, Luis Figo and his introduction sparked some life into a dying Portugese side, who lacked the killer instinct in the box. His cross for Nuno Gomes was converted nicely, as he dived (diving header I mean..hehe) in and headed the ball into Kahn's net. Kahn would be disappointed by conceding that goal, as he had been solid throughout the night. But it was THAT cross from Figo that's captured the imaginations. It was pure class and 'undefendable'.

At the end, it was the host, Germany who got the consolation price in coming in third. But they should be proud of this achievement, as nobody would have expected them to come thus far. They've done their best and let's give them the credits. And it's nice to see Kahn and Lehmann shaking hands after the match and it's something special in our eyes, that football is not just a game played by 22 guys, but it might be much more than that. The emotions, the joy and the sorrow of this game is something unique to all who love this game. A job well done to Juergen Klinsmann, he did a terrific job.