Law of the Pitch v 2.0 - The Premier Football Blog in Malaysia

BAYERN STUNNED!

2008-05-02T20:42:00.001+08:00

FC Zenit Petersburg 4 - 0 Bayern Munich

Uncertain Times in England

2008-04-08T22:09:00.003+08:00

Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea will all be playing tonight in Europe's biggest competition amidst a backdrop of endless possibilities in domestic football. With Manchester United's 2-2 result against party-crashers Middlesborough, the title race seem poise to entertain till the end.

Though for all three clubs tonight, Europe becomes their top priority. Arsenal and Liverpool will face each other, where unlike two prior matches - there will be one winner and one loser - no sharing of spoils. But Benitez may have already conceded defeat despite a narrow away-goal advantage, when he state that his squad building is incomplete - eve of the biggest clash of his club this season and despite uncertainty in the board room. Or is this the age-old mind trick?

For Chelsea, Avram Grant has stated clearly his team has quality in its favor. Rightly so. But Fenerbahce has a goal favor and its manager more favor than his counterpart.

So as things go, and as United are uncertain with 2 centre backs down and will be facing Roma and Arsenal in no time, England's four stars are set to battle it out - in body, spirit, soul and mind. There is a war here - and the prize is to be the best in Europe first of all, and then in Britain. Are you an Allied or an Axis?

Predictions:
Both will have to fight teeth-to-teeth to get anything out of the match but Arsenal to win it.
Chelsea to win it.

1-1 Again

2008-04-05T23:16:00.002+08:00

One thing for sure, the score on next week's 2nd leg between Arsenal and Liverpool will not be 1-1, at least not after extra-time. The 1-1 score will not be beneficial for both teams but Arsenal had more to lose - perhaps the premiership title. In addition, the week-long marathon would definitely have taken a toll on the Gunners - and dented their chances of the Premiership. Not to forget, they have a slight disadvantage come the second leg of the quarter finals.

Liverpool will have to wait for Everton to play already relegated Derby tomorrow for a clearer picture of their position in the League - though they are in a reasonably safe position. And with Toress and Co rested, and playing at home, Champions League will be a tat easier compared to their opponents.

Needless to say though, that whoever losses concentration and determination at this stage will still have all to lose for for the last of the trilogy.

Surprise as it may seem, Arsenal - may pull a stun to sink Liverpool with an amazing comeback - this may be a strategy by Wenger (less likely) or a catalyst to excel (more likely). As they say, a 'crisis' will either break you, or make you.

LoTP anticipate a fight to the last breath - Sudden Death on Tuesday!

A Qiuck One on tonight's BIG Match

2008-04-05T15:54:00.003+08:00

Sandwich between key European matches, the second of the weekend "blockbuster trilogy" between the Gunners and Reds will test both mental and physical of both sides. Liverpool will have the confidence and advantage of the away goal that took them equal in the q-finals after the first leg. Arsenal will have to count on their hunger and drive to come back for both their Premiership and 2nd leg of the q-finals. As for bodies, Liverpool will field a 'weaker' 2nd string line-up in the Emirates Stadium, with the likes of Crouch and Riise possible starters. But as things go, sometimes the reserves may put on a great show to have a shot at getting a regular spot in club... and country.

Arsenal, having coming from behind to beat Bolton and suffering a draw in midweek will have to have to make do with the usual suspects, since their reserves will not be at par with the Liverpool reserves. Wenger did not issue any media comments on the match, choosing to comment on the England's upcoming match-fixing 'scandal'.

The way we see it, Arsenal will need to work much harder than Liverpool to ensure they come up on top after their 3 matches with the Reds.

Predicition: Win for Arsenal. (we are still firm on our position that Liverpool are going through in Europe)

Ps. remember to vote on our poll and watch the Ars-Liv Preview/trailer.

Germans not doing well in Europe

2008-04-04T09:09:00.002+08:00

It is in itself a mockery that Germany has no representative in the UEFA Champions League. But it seems that their misery doesn't end there. Both German clubs that did manage to make it into the UEFA Cup have made life difficult for themselves. Leading the way was Bayer Leverkusen - once a semi-finalists in the Champions League-found themselves humiliated in front of their home crowd as they fell 4-1 to Russia's Zenit St. Petersburg.

The once-favorite and more highly esteemed German side Bayern Munich also found themselves puzzled by a draw at home when they were beaten by lowly Getafe. Munich were deemed as playing with a different/lower class of football when they could only managed to qualify for Europe's 2nd-tier competition - and they were expected to at least reach the final fairly easily. But this was not the case as they struggled in the tournament's last 16 and now in the first leg of the quarter finals. The manager were left sulking that perhaps they might have scored several more goals in the match that ended 1-1. And some have point to the fact that the German giants were without Miroslav Klose. But as a club that has invested so much on stars like Ribery and Lukas Podolski, to name a few, no excuse is justifiable.

One point of interest: Have the inequality of football "power distribution"shifted from the traditional few to less celebrated clubs, such as Zenit and Getafe. Only time will tell.

For Full Scores and Report on the UEFA Cup Q-Finals First Leg clash - goto LoTP endorsed soccerway.com.

Go to 'Live Commentary' @ Soccernet

2008-04-03T03:05:00.002+08:00

If you don't have paid TV at home and is too lazy to drag yourself out to watch the big matches, see the Live Commentary below:

Arsenal v Liverpool

Fenerbahce v Chelsea

Champions League Quarter Finals 1st Leg - Day 2

2008-04-02T22:49:00.005+08:00

Arsenal 1 v 1 Liverpool

This is perhaps the most anticipated match of the ECL quarter-finals match. Although both are constant highlights of English, and some say world media, the Gunners and Reds have been building up on media exposure recently. Both came out losers in the recent Big-4 clash but did manage to beat their opponents last weekend. As LoTP has said, Arsenal will have the satisfaction of a comeback after trailing Bolton by 2 goals coming into the match tonight. But Rafa Benitez and his team will also be savouring their derby win against Everton.

Their league wins and boost of confidence will mean one thing-both will cancel out each other's advantage as far as that area is concern. Both team are also concerned on cashing out on the "fear factor" - but we would humbly submit that the "fear factor" that Gerrard talked about may not apply-they are playing against an English side, and Liverpool's recent European success counts for nothing.

Let's look at the other aspects of the game. Arsenal will have the home advantage and that may be bad against them on the whole-so they will have to take full advantage of that. They have Fabregas, Van Persie and Toure at their disposal - but would most likely be looking to Adebayor to provide the goals. This is evident when Wenger brought him in for the Bolton match (he was supposed to be rested).

In the Liverpool camp, "TORRES" will no doubt be the magic word. Scoring in successive league games and demonstrating great form on goal, the Spaniard will exploit the Arsenal defence tirelessly. Arsenal's Toure and Gallas will need to pay 110% attention to "the Kid" and their wing-back colleagues who are not as up to standard will have to cope with the likes of Kuyt, Babel and Mascherano, to name a few. Oh, did we mention MASCHERANO. Yes, the Argentinian has had a lot of time to rest and reflect, and he will not be as "dumb" as before, but will be integral in the Reds' midfield machine.

As for consistency, Arsenal had only won twice in their last 9 matches, while Liverpool have won 8 in the same number of games.

We predicted: 2-2

Fenerbahce 2 v 1 Chelsea

The Turkish crowd will roast the Blues like turkeys, no doubt about it. But Avram Grant, despite his doubters, have manage to squeeze wins after wins - something that the Turkish side have to be weary of.

There is no major injuries to be worried about for both teams and Alex, Lampard and Terry will all share the same field of play. Of course Chelsea will win the competition in terms of number of International/Star players. That might not be winning factor, as Porto's opponents found out few years back. Fenerbahce is the kind of club that has strong mental capacities, as shown in their last-16 encounter with Sevilla.

But the teams' previous matches' stats may suggest the outcome for tonight. Fenerbahce only managed 33% wins while Chelsea notched 69%. And Chelsea has averaged 45-minutes-per-goal for their away matches, but Fenerbahce only managed one in 90.

We predicted: 2-2

Champions League Quarter Finals 1st Leg - Day 1 Results

2008-04-01T19:42:00.005+08:00

FC Schalke 04 0 v 1 FC Barcelona

The French underdogs will take on Spanish giants Barca - amidst a poor run of form by the boys from Nou Camp. The French side are slightly disadvantaged to play at home first and they are not known to play too well against the big boys as demonstrated by their recent defeats by Bayern Munich and Leverkusen, despite beating Porto in the last-16 (through penalties)

Barcelona have only won 2 of their last 7 outings and are what we call an "injured animal" at the moment.

Both Barca and Schalke are struggling in their respective leagues so the Europe may be the only forum to boost executive and fans' confidence - especially for Frank Rijkaard, who is doubtful to be still managing Barca next season. Rijkaard's men will play in France tonight without Ronaldinho and Deco. E'too is also doubtful for the match. Schalke will miss midfielder Ivan Rakitic.

Overall, Schalke will have to be extra dilligent in front of the Spanish goal with all of Barca's defenders expected to be on duty. Their only shot at the semis will be to take Barca to the neck at home and win it. If Et'oo doesn't play and Messi out as expected, then perhaps Schalke could squeeze through without an away goal. However, Barca's Europe experience must not be overlooked despite their current condition.

LoTP's very generous prediction "in favor" of Schalke: 0-0

AS Roma 0 v 2 Manchester United

If Roma are indeed without talismanic Totti, they may not be able to repeat last year's result in Rome (winning 2-1). The amazing form of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are too hard to ignore and their defense have been consistent to steer the English side to 7 out of 7 previous matches.

This is not to say Roma can be totally despised. They are doing well domestically - just 3 points behind Serie-A leaders Inter. If you suggest writing them off, they will point to the 2-1 win against AC Milan, who outshone United in Europe last season. Of course, Milan is a lack-lustre side this term but our point is that the Romans will engage the United match in a gladiator-like encounter: they won't go down without a fight, not in Italy anyway.

As mentioned, Totti will be sorely missed tonight and the only thing standing against a United win tonight are a violent Roman crowd and their own pride.

LoTP were going for a 3-1 win to United.

Launching of the LoTP v 2.0

2008-03-31T21:23:00.004+08:00

After almost 2 weeks of brainstorming, planning, researching and refining HTML scripts, we are proud to celebrate the launch of LoTP's version 2 (v 2.0) interface - that include an informative, as well as interactive console (2 columns). Despite the shift in display, we will still be bringing you all things football. Allow us to put the above picture of Bobby Moore and England celebrating the nation's first and only World Cup to commemorate this historical event...

Our launch also coincides with the dawning of April. We will be up to full force with our blogzine featuring and previewing the final 3 rounds (Q-final, Semi-final & final) of the UEFA Champions League. Check out the last 8 clubs that will battle it out for Europe's top prize in the next month.
(NOTE: This is no April's Fool joke)

Do take a look at the new features and don't forget to share it with your friends!

Another Reason Why Avram Grant May Go This Summer

2008-03-31T16:23:00.004+08:00

While many Malaysian Chelsea fans are relishing the prospect of watching their favorite team in K.L. when the English club's 2008-09 pre-season tour commences, they may be disappointed to know that Chelsea may not come after all, after media speculations that manager Avram Grant who is an Israeli may be denied entrance into our country. Tal Ben Haim, also from Israel, will also face such prospects.

Grant and Ben Haim or Chelsea may not be coming the Malaysia this July

Although arguably Chelsea could still come without the duo, but Chelsea CEO Peter Kenyon states that the coach must be available for the tour as it is an integral part of training. Good news is, DPM Najib are favorable for the team although the Blues are not his "favorite team"- the Honorable DPM said Chelsea's presence here will boost Malaysian football. LoTP echoes his thoughts.

Why entrance might be denied? Read the full article here (AFP/Al-Jazeera).

Quick update on the Weekend

2008-03-31T02:16:00.002+08:00

We were spot-on when we predicted a Liverpool victory in the Merseyside derby as the Reds won 1-0. Chelsea beat Boro with a similar scoreline, and Kevin Keegan can breath easier now as Newcastle scooped up a 4-1 victory against hosts Tottenham.

Elsewhere, more surprising results in Spain as Barca were defeated by lowly Real Betis 3-2, making way for Villareal to climb above them into second place.

Adelaide United's Aurelio Vidmar talks about Australian Football

2008-03-31T01:58:00.004+08:00

It is amazing how the unsung sport of Australia- Soccer - managed to take off. Being the "ancillary" game after Australian Rules Football (a type of rugby) and Rugby, Australian football (for the avoidance of doubt, means "soccer" here) took the international scene by storm when the national side qualified for World Cup - and went all the way to the knockout stages two years ago. How did the sport improve despite a lack of fan-based support? Definitely not without several rough patches along the way, says Adelaide United coach Aurelio Vidmar.

Follow the Australian's story and interview by ESPN's Jason Dasey here.

Excerpt: Q: Being Adelaide-born and bred, have you been surprised by the way the A-League has taken off and the size of the crowds around the country? Is the Adelaide market growing as it might?
A: No, not surprised at all. I always knew that if they could get it right at the top then it would all fall into place. The market is growing all the time and the state of South Australia is now getting behind the team. We now get recognised wherever we go, which would never happen before.

After LoTP's Malaysian footballing Crisis post that drew much international attention, perhaps we may be able to "look south" to Australia and get some inspiration.

EPL Review for Saturday 29/3/2008

2008-03-30T15:37:00.004+08:00

Arsenal proved that class may sometimes beat poor form, and arguably bad luck. With the triple-Liverpool-cruncher just days away, Arsenal were virtually in breaking point- 2 goals down and 1 man less. But a simple switch by Wenger bringing in Adebayor and Walcott made all the difference between a ruined season and an injection of hope. Though neither of the 2 substitutes scored, the Gunners reversed the 2-goal deficit to architect an amazing comeback with Jlloyd Samuel of their opponents Bolton eventually scored an own goal and kept Gunners title hope alive. Although the win may mean nothing come the end of the season, but as quality play and goals are important in football, so are hope, confidence and morale equally essential to win a league- and perhaps the Champions' League.

As for Arsenal's Champions' League Q-final opponents Liverpool, tonight's Merseyside derby may also be crucial in instilling especially after last week's humbling by Man United. Although Everton have won their last 3 league matches (not to forget qualifying for UEFA Cup Q-finals as well), the Reds' quality should be able to help them win at Anfield. Both Arsenal and Liverpool have created history in recent English football, but zooming in on the aforesaid Bolton-Arsenal and United-Liverpool match, in which both Arsenal and Liverpool have players sent-off early on in the match, one perhaps may come to the conclusion that Arsenal may have the stronger mental ingredients to run the last leg of the 2007-08 season "marathon".

Highlights elsewhere:
Manchester United thrash Villa 4-0 as Ronaldo scores again.
Derby Relegated despite 2-2 draw with Fulham.

Results elsewhere:

Fixtures tonight:
Chelsea - Middlesborough
Liverpool - Everton

2008-03-27T18:47:00.002+08:00

Circle 1st April 2008 in your calendar! LOTP version 2 will be launched as promised. More footy enjoyment on Malaysia's premier football blog!

Check our Beta Testing version here:

http://lotpbeta.blogspot.com/

"Berkhidmat untuk Footy Fans"

Rio Wants to be Roy

2008-03-27T00:33:00.003+08:00

Come Saturday, Rio Ferdinand will captain England for the first time - against France. And, there will be one person on his head - Roy Keane. The Man Utd defender has stated to media that he wants to emulate Keane as his 'Role Model'.

Not knowing to many, the term "role model" is actually quite a scientific term - coined by Sociologist Robert Merton as describing "individuals comparing themselves with "reference groups" full of people who occupy the social role to which the individual aspires". Of course Ferdinand wasn't thinking about that in a social level. Neither is he referring to Keane's "bullish" nature and numerous fouls/cards he collected throughout his career. To Keano's credit, the Sunderland manager did led his former clubs Nottingham Forest and Manchester United to much glory, and in a more micro sense, had a commanding presence on the pitch each time he played.

We do not want to make this into a Roy Keane tribute or anything-for that you can go on Amazon and find out numerous books by him or about him. (Note: we don't get paid by Amazon for this). Perhaps when Sunderland qualify for Europe we might consider doing a tribute. Nonetheless, you may pick up one or two lessons from Keane's early years and when he was developing his career - especially if you are young, poor and working several odd jobs to make ends meet (need I say more?).

As for Rio Ferdinand, we recommend at least a phone call to Roy and get a tip or two before Terry, Gerrard, Lampard & Co. (captain candidates) go to theirs.

LOTP is 1 Month-Old

2008-03-26T11:43:00.010+08:00

By any measure, 1 month is a very short time. But the first month of everything big is always an occasion worthy for some celebration - just look at infants.

For a recap, and to those who are new at LOTP, we started off with the ugly side of football - covering the horrific injury of Eduardo at 11.04 a.m. on 26th February 2008. We then went on to report on areas ranging from Chelsea's Assistant Manager to Tottenham's League Cup success in the remaining days of February. We also won a ticket to Nuffnang's Pajama Party with the Man Utd's new sponsors post.

Nuffnang Pajama Party at Borneo Barouk Club

As March approached, we were in for more juicy news, great videos and colourful images of the world of football. LOTP also reflected more of what made headlines in the news, with major English FA Cup upsets, Cristiano Ronaldo snatching George Best's goal record and more recently, Mascherano's controversial send-off.

1000 visits in a week and counting.

But what was to be a major diversion from Euro-centric football, proved a major attraction point for international readers when LOTP reported on an article on the "Malaysian football crisis". The article, which discussed briefly on the underlying causes of poor international performance of the Malaysian football team, made its way into New York Times Blog Freakonomics. This was when the visits to LOTP broke the 1000-mark.

The Freakonomics post came as a surprise.

In some sense, LOTP is like an infant to us. There's always much nurturing involved. What started off as a blog is now in the process of turning into a full fledged football website and portal. Although we can't reveal much, it is sufficient to say we plan to develop this site into a reader and fan-focused Malaysian-based football site - and would no doubt report more on the developments of our beloved Malaysian football. To our readers, our sincere gratitude for your support. More breakthrough to come we are sure!

Starting from next month: Malaysian Football Collumn, Chat Console, more news feed, footy links and interactive panels.

More Red Cards in the News; More Bad News for Perak

2008-03-26T01:19:00.003+08:00

Picture is courtesy of NST Online.

After a disastrous week in the AFC Cup, Kedah and Perak (who made news by losing badly to Singapore teams) came face-to-face for a repeat of last season's F.A. Cup final. Kedah manage to regain some composure by obtaining a outstanding score of 5-2, at the expense of their opponent and title rivals. This will definitely put a serious dent on Perak's title hope, who are 7 points behind league leaders Kedah and has played one more match. Selangor stands in 2nd spot in the league between both the clubs. Congratulations, Kedah.

Both will however be looking forward to their next outing at the Continental scene. Perak meets Kitchee, while Kedah takes on South China - both their opponents are clubs from Hong Kong. Based on record, the HK sides are tricky - though both the Malaysian sides will be playing at home. But as Perak found out last week, home fixture may never guarantee preservation of dignity, let alone a win.

Stay tuned to LOTP as we bring to you more updates on Malaysian presence in the AFC Cup. Our best wishes to Kedah D. A. FA & Perak D. R. FA (their official names in Asia).

lawofthepitch.blogspot.com are proud supporters of Malaysian Football.

Reactions from Anfield

2008-03-26T01:14:00.002+08:00

The 'MAN' himself - "Unbelievable!"

Rafa Benitez - "Let me talk to the boss!"

This is an Astounding Remark!

2008-03-24T19:04:00.004+08:00

More interesting headlines (read the article here) ! Let the Footballing (or rather the Planet's) Awards start.

Facts (according to the article):
1) Mascherano repeatedly told referee "F*** Off" after first yellow.
2) He confronted the match officials six times in between the yellows.
3) He charged 20 yards to confront the ref after...
4) ... team mate Fernando Torres got booked for dissent.
5) He kept on swearing and refuse to leave the pitch after the red.

You can watch the video (Man Utd v Liverpool) here or read our editor's opinion here.

Accidental or Intentional?

2008-03-24T18:51:00.001+08:00

Error or Intentional? Read the article, and then decide. Your guess is as good as ours.

And now for the Videos...

2008-03-24T18:18:00.002+08:00

Manchester United 3 - Liverpool 0

Chelsea 2 - Arsenal 1

The Eclipse on our World Game

2008-03-24T01:32:00.005+08:00

The subject on player discipline has been REF-ed up another level with the sending off of Javier Mascherano in the Man Utd-Liverpool match yesterday. In fact, this "ugly" aspect which is at most ancillary to the game will cast a near-total eclipse to all involved - as the match itself displayed. 'Maschie' (shorter form) saw red after Steve Bennet found him of being in dissent. The player acted emotionally and needed few bodies to stop him from eating the ref up, amongst the men pulling him back were Stevie Gerrard and gaffer Rafa Benitez.

The next 50 minutes of the game as you can say, was history. Starting from the red card, Liverpool had 2 alternatives: keep their spirits up and fight on or be entirely defeated morally. In fact, as soon as Maschie was sent off, I told my friend who was watching the match with me that I was "a little worried" that Liverpool may be able to bounce back as did many teams in the past. Unfortunately, the opposite happened. Players' morale stumped, one goal led to another and the domino effect continues.

In terms of the post match reactions, unsurprisingly the manager and the fans will also lash out on the poor little man-in-black, or maybe the whole body he represents (ie. the FA). And then there will be bans and more bans; fines and more fines... The above scenario will likely be amplified further with a big match such as this. Fortunately, it may not probably be a big controversy after all, from the looks of various blogs and forums - which largely side the ref.

The outcome of all these, is a superb match with lots of hype surrounding it, turning into a sour affair. And critics will most probably dwell much into JAVIER MASCHERANO rather than the superb goal by Nani, or the sublime performance of Wayne Rooney, in a match that saw 3 goals from the home side.

Match Stats
	Man Utd	Liverpool
Shots (on Goal)	23(16)	8(4)
Fouls	11	12
Corner Kicks	2	4
Offsides	4	0
Time of Possession	61%	39%
Yellow Cards	1	3
Red Cards	0	1
Saves	3	8

Scorers: Brown, Ronaldo, Nani
LOTP's Man of the Match: Wayne Rooney
LOTP's Rating:

Other match on "Blockbuster Sunday":

Match Stats
	Chelsea	Arsenal
Shots (on Goal)	11(8)	7(5)
Fouls	10	13
Corner Kicks	4	2
Offsides	5	1
Time of Possession	52%	48%
Yellow Cards	3	1
Red Cards	0	0
Saves	4	8

Scorers: Bacary Sagna (Ars); Drogba (2)
LOTP's Man of the Match: Drogba
LOTP's Rating:

Tribute to C.Ronaldo and George Best

2008-03-22T11:45:00.002+08:00

One of the major headlines this week was Cristiano Ronaldo creating history in Man Utd football history - the winger's 33 goals this season exceeded Man Utd's previous record, George Best with 32. It is still puzzling to some perhaps, how a non-striker/forward could score that many in professional football. One explanation could be that C.Ron and Best both had the acumen and instinct to do just that. But nonetheless both the wingers has really quick feet. Some have made comparison between them, but they are of different class. Ronaldo is sort of a makeshift forward occasional dribbling but the scoring are most of the time quite a separate, distinct occassion. Best, on the other hand puts dribbling and scoring in the same sentence, both verbs were inseparable and continuous. The closest a Man Utd player can get to Best's playing style would probably be Welshman Giggs.

Despite contending both being distinct and of different class, it is no doubt both record-breaking are legends and true artists when it comes to footballing. We conclude this opinion with a saying:"Pele Good, Maradona Better, George Best". To celebrate the Best-Ronaldo historical feat, we present to you 2 classic videos, courtesy of YouTube. Enjoy!

Applying Economics into Malaysian Football

2008-03-21T14:43:00.005+08:00

Perak 1 S'pore Armed Forces 6

Home United 5 Kedah 1

The state and condition of Malaysian football is again under the microscope after both our nation's representative were crushed in the Asian Champions' League by 2 Singaporean teams. One must be equating this to David defeating Goliath considering the demography and population of both countries. The last time Malaysian football was embarrassed was when, as co-host, our national squad suffered an early and humiliated exit.

First, I would like to say that I will not point my finger to anyone - simply because too many will have to take responsibility. I urge therefore, that more active involvement and effort be put in by all quarters (and this include the fans) to make Malaysian sports (not just football) become something, rather than nothing in the near future.

I think there are serious underlying causes as to a poor performance in the international sports arena by Malaysians. There are of course the obvious - not much "investment" and attention given to sports (as opposed to, say, Singapore who imports many sportsmen in every year). But that is just a surface factor.

More for concern is of course, the issue of local talents being overlooked, or not being able to step up for a sporting career. Let's face it, for Malaysians- especially the city folks, success in life is measured by how many properties owned or how fat your bank account is. This spur many parents, discouraging or even preventing their kids from pursuing a career in sports. Sports, for them, is of course "low paying and no future". The kids being influenced by the whole "success culture philosophy" - of course would have to (or rather forced to) focus on academic performance - the barometer of what constitutes success. By the time they realize where their passion lies, it is already too late to start over. It is not hard to imagine why, as many who had jumped into their work life would rarely go back and study - the same is true for the once upon a time young tennis wizard or football whizkid.

Do not, however misconstrue me for criticizing the abovesaid parents. They have valid and plausible reason to do so. After all, why would you want to earn RM2,000 - 20,000 max (about USD 500 to 5,ooo) when you can be a doctor or lawyer or businessman earning much much more. And mind you, your sporting career ends before 40. Therefore, as things turn out, we might be stuck in a rather sticky situation.

What can we do to address the TWF (short for 'Talent-Without-Future') syndrome/crisis? It is up to everyone reading this article and everyone who thinks Malaysian sports has future. The magic word is 'Incentive'. Traditionally an exclusive economics term, Michael Armstrong had defined incentives as "any factor (financial or non-financial) that provides a motive for a particular course of action, or counts as a reason for preferring one choice to the alternatives." All of us sports (football or otherwise) to put our heads together to think up creative ways to offer more incentives for the teenage talents and their parents alike to change their mind about choosing the safer academic route rather than taking the risk with pursuing a professional footballing career. The key is changing the mindsets and the "cultural/psychological" barrier that was built up in them rather than just offering more money.

Perhaps a campaign may be started to instill that passion above all else - for football, as are all sports, is a passion first and foremost. Then come the various Sports Association and authorities that are and have to be the "lighthouse" for the respective sport. Promoting football among the laymen and children is as important as building a strong national squad or employing esteemed foreign coaches.

Of course, there is always the financial consideration that stands in the way. Which is why, as stated above, more creative ways should be plotted out to get around this "wall". The Internet, for example, can be a good start - as well as going to the "roots" - the schools, the local council and other community outreach, rather than traditional ways like the T.V. or poster/billboards(in which people have already been desensitized and give a deaf-ear to). And on a larger level, I do contend that all Malaysians who pay attention to sports can and must play a role (whether financially or not) on giving our beloved Malaysian Sports a shot, instead on concentrating so much on EPL (in which I myself am guilty of myself) and Roger Federer.

In conclusion, I would like to say that there are certain things in this world that are impossible, but the international emergence of Malaysian football/tennis/athletics (amongst others) are not. If everyone could put aside 10 ringgit everyday for their favourite sport and 10 minutes everyday, then our nation will be a constant feature in the Olympics Gold Medal Tally. 'Malaysia Boleh!'

This article is by LOTP's blogger Nic Hor.

Midweek Report: Tottenham-Chelsea Entertains

2008-03-20T17:03:00.009+08:00

Both Tottenham and Chelsea must be wondering what it took to beat each other as both Londoners put up a stunning display aiming to get maximum points from the derby. With 10 attempts from either side, it is not surprising that there were 8 goals in the end - and Tottenham would have themselves to blame for not converting more of those ala-Jon-Woodgate, with 10 corners as opposed to the Blues' 2.

Except for the team display, several individuals also chose to perform flawlessly, most notably double-goal Joe Cole. J.C. also manage to created several chances, one which Essien converted. The hosts had their own talisman Robbie Keane who was on target to save White Hart Lane's blushes.

The match progress itself presented an amazing illustration of 2 brilliant strategists plotting each and every move to overcome each other. This can be shown clearly from the several equalizing goals - the players and the manager just want to fight back - at all cost.

Our conclusion: 2 thumbs-up for both sides - first for performance, then for their spirit. Perhaps one arguable shadow on the game - Ashley Cole's horrendous tackle - he wasn't aiming at the ball. Wonder if his wife's sex ban on him for 6 months have anything to do with it.

What we Say:
Man of the Match: Joe Cole
Dark Horse Award: Petr Cech
Entertainment Rating: 8/10

LOTP's rating:

(5 Balls are the highest)

Now watch the superb quality of the superb match here.

Photo Quiz: How selfish is John Terry?

2008-03-20T03:33:00.005+08:00

Facts about the picture above:

1) This is a black Bentley (obviously!)
2) It is parked on a lot for the handicap.
3) The black Bentley is Chelsea's John Terry's car.
4) His wife was not delivering a baby, nor was any of his family members in serious health conditions when he parked at the spot.
5) He went to dine in a Pizza restaurant.

When he goes to pay the 60-pound fine, we suggest he wears the mask he wore while he was injured last year:
The authorities concerned might let him off with a lighter fine, not that he could not afford the original penalty with his £150,000 a week wages.

Confirm the story from the source here (courtesy of 'The Spoiler').

David James says 'TAK NAK'

2008-03-17T15:11:00.005+08:00

I used to hear friends who smoke telling (I never smoked) me that it was hard to keep up their stamina while doing sports. And I often wonder, do English footballers smoke? But no research was done to quench the curiosity. Until today.

Sunday's The Guardian David James article shed much light - that pro footballers (yes, including World Stars and EPL players) do smoke. This is a major eye-opener because of the image the footballers present (on TV) rarely if ever show them smoking - as opposed to Hollywood actors for example. It's a good thing, in fact.

In his article, James actually wrote he once smoked 20 cigarettes a day before he quit. And now he has spoken out against the habit and said that "there's no place in football". However, James was not alone when he smoked. Below is a picture (Paparazzi probably) of the Great Zinadine Zidane smoking on the eve of World Cup Semi-finals 2006.

The list goes on with Johan Cryuff, Paul Gascoigne, Fabian Barthez, David Ginola and Dimitar Berbatov all modern examples.

But how does this affect match performance/fitness? Here's what James has to say:

"Now I'm 37 and talking about hanging on for the World Cup in 2010. None of that would have been possible if I'd kept smoking. Whereas I used to struggle with training, now I actually enjoy it. People praise my fitness, but there's no way I would be in this condition if I hadn't kicked the habit."

He went on to say that there are many, many more players who smokes.

Not everyone, anyway. Wonder if the Health Ministry is interested in getting David James involved in their 'Tak-Nak' campaign...

NOTE: LOTP does not condemn smoking but wishes to remind that Smoking is bad for health.

A 1/104 Prediction

2008-03-16T01:06:00.002+08:00

It was reported on various media that a Liverpool Echo post correctly predicted the Quarter-Finals Draw of the Champions' League - thus sparking rumours that there was match-rigging/fixing. The odds of guessing all the 4 fixtures correctly are 1/104.

Now watch the video below. We need the magicians to tell us whether the fella making the draw had any magic at all in the draw (We suspect it has something to do with the ring):

Paolo Maldini - Built to Last

2008-03-14T13:13:00.007+08:00

Personal information
Full name	Paolo Maldini
Date of birth	26 June 1968 (1968-06-26) (age 39!)
Place of birth	Milan, Italy
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Centre back, Left back
Club information
Current club	A.C. Milan
Number	3
National team²
1986–1988 1988–2002	Italy U-21 Italy	012 0(5) 126 0(7)

Now that you've got your facts correct (especially his age), it is "heartening" to know that Mr. Paolo does not intend to retire in the near future. Breaching 40 and still running - now that's what we call a TRUE SPORTSMAN. Agree or not, it's up to you.

Now look at these Maldini-themed posters/pictures.

2008-03-14T02:13:00.002+08:00

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Football Commentators : An Introduction to the Voices that roams the pitch.
If you've ever played EA Sports FIFA Franchise, you would probably have heard the rather 'interesting' voice of commentator Andy Gray, erm, more like annoying honestly. Here's a rough guide to the usual football commentators you listen to on EPL broadcast matches.

Penalty Woes

2008-03-13T23:15:00.002+08:00

The 2 English sides of the UEFA Cup were knocked out of the competition. All thanks to penalty kick lost. Everton and Tottenham, however will not stand alone in history a famous penalty losses.

See for example:

Martin Palermo Misses 3 Penalties (in normal time) in one match

...and what was Robert Pires thinking when he did this:

... but probably the most unforgettable Penalty missed would be L.A. Galaxy star(?) David Beckham

Mr. Capello, please think again before selecting your next line-up.

Point of interest: Is Scoring a penalty really that easy (even from just metres away)?

Trivia Game

2008-03-13T02:13:00.003+08:00

Why Will Cardiff not be eligible for the UEFA Cup even if they win the F.A. Cup?

Play the F.A. Cup quiz on BBC Sports

Regrettably, we only got 3/10 correct. Shouldn't be hard beating our score.

Liverpool Defeats Inter 3-0 on aggregate

2008-03-12T11:33:00.004+08:00

Responses: (Please click on one below)

Match Report: Inter v Liverpool (0-1)

Why Liverpool pose Major Threat in Europe (and who can stop them)

Inter's Boss to Quit at End of Season

Benitez Praise Premier League Quality

FA-ntastic Four!

2008-03-11T19:09:00.006+08:00

FA-irytale Cup - that's what the Star say about the Semifinals of the English FA-Cup. It is a dream semis for all the contestants indeed as all 4 beat their relatively stronger opponents in the Quarter-Finals. We congratulate Barnsley, Cardiff, West Bromwich Albion and Portsmouth for their recent exploits.

But this is the nature of the Cup since its birth. Wikipedia states that FA Cup is the oldest Cup in the world - with "players of all standards playing against each other". This being the case, it does not take a genius to figure that there will be encounters whereby David will slay the Goliath.

To a deeper level, there had not been many "miracle winners" happening traditionally, with Tottenham Hotspur being the only non-league team so far to ever win the FA Cup - and that was back in 1901! On all other levels of the competition, there has been major upsets. Among these, Yeovil Town tops the list with more such occasions than any other.

Yeovil holds the record for most "giant-killings"

Back to 2008, there will be 3 Championship (formerly the First Division) teams playing in the Semis and Portsmouth being the only Premiership side. As LOTP continues its strong support for entertaining and de-monopolization of football, we will keep a close eye on the remaining of the competition. All the best to all the 4 clubs!

P/S: In conjunction with the giant-killing FA-Cup season, the LOTP blog will be putting up our first ever polls. Vote and support the club you think will go on to lift the Cup!

News Center

2008-03-10T17:40:00.002+08:00

We are in the process of creating a LOTP News Center, which will collect all the latest & hottest European Football (Asian Football, next) from all the major sites - including BBC Sports and ESPN. Thanks for your continuous support.

A Night to Remember or A Night to Forget?

2008-03-09T15:35:00.005+08:00

No, we're not talking about the Malaysian General Elections. In case anyone has forgotten, it was the English FA Cup Quarter Finals yesterday - and the Big Boys didn't do well at all.

Although it was "Men vs Boys", mediocre and Championship Division Side Barnsley knocked favourites Chelsea out of the Century-Old competition vide a goal from Kayode Odejayi. For the record, the Blues have now been knocked out of 2 major competitions in the space of a fortnight. See the lessons LOTP already learnt.

Match Commentator:"Ooooh, it's a goal for Barnsley!!!"

In a different match, it was an 'eventful' but not fruitful night for Manchester United as they too crashed out of the FA Cup - Muntari scoring the only goal of the match for Portsmouth. 3 playes stood in between the goal posts when Van Der Sar was substituted out injured, while replacement Tomasz Kuszczak got his marching orders, forcing defender Rio Ferdinand to swap into the goal-keeping position. Predictably, Rio failed to save Muntari's spot kick and that, as they say - was history. Ferdinand was last seen on LOTP wearing pyjamas, who would have guessed he was to don another odd outfit - the goalkeeper jersey. Well weird things happen.

We are on the lookout for more Ferdinand-Inspired costumes after his infamous PJs
and Goalkeeper outfit

You can watch the extended video coverage of Barnsley moments here, and Man Utd's frustrating night here.

7 Goals Highlighted in February's FA Premier League

2008-03-03T17:55:00.004+08:00

The 'A' List for Top Goals of the Premiership in February. LOTP didn' compile this - but we approve, nonetheless.

Eduardo before he was injured, scoring one of the Top Goals.

LOTP's First Ever 'Play of the Week'

2008-03-02T18:31:00.006+08:00

Law of the Pitch's Play of the Week awarded to Athletico Madrid (vs. Barcelona 1/3/2008)

While Blues and Devils fans celebrate another victorious weekend - while Arsenal would thank the Lord for narrowly escaping second-place with a late injury time equalizer, LOTP turned instead to the Spanish La Liga where a promising weekend was about to be under way. As you well know, or if you are unaware, we are totally into great football and totally against siding one particular club or another. So when Athletico Madrid downed Barcelona (the Big boys in Spain and Europe), we felt compelled to leave our usual English base into Spanish territory.

In case you're asking us who's Athletico (not to be mistaken by Real) Madrid, we have to ask you to check on Soccernet or Wikipedia. All we can say it's Fernando Torres' former club. Normally stuck in mid-table despite having Torres and other good players around, Athletico find themselves currently 4th on the La Liga table - just 2 behind 3rd-place Villareal.

Having lost 4 of their last 6 matches, and booted out of the King's Cup (Copa Del Rey) and UEFA Cup, Athletico must have felt they enter the match as underdogs. But what came out of their play was a stark contrast to their recent form. Rarely do we see two or more good goals in a match, but to see all 5 open-play goals that amazed us would indeed warrant this match a spot in our 'Classic' book. Perhaps there was a feeling of morbidness in the air at the Vicente Calderon Stadium when Ronaldinho scored the opener for Barca via a tasty bicycle kick. But the cheers from the Athletico supporters were destined to reign all through the night with Sergio Aguero dribbling past 2 defenders and aimed at Victor Valdes' goal - the deflection on Puyol claiming Aguero his first of the night.

A cheeky pass again from Aguero gave Maxi Rodriguez the chance at the hour-mark and the latter took no error in converting the beauty-pass into the net. Forlan tripled Athletico's delight with a well-placed penalty before Aguero again scored - this time through positive strength and great balance - dribbling past defenders and with half the Barca squad back to defend - scored his second. By the time Samuel Etoo score the consolation for Barca (this another lovely long shot), no force could stop the boys in white and red stripes to take all 3 points from the match. Barca will have no complaints - though they had to go 5 points short of leaders Real now - Athletico and the rest of the World knew they were worthy winners of the match and taker of LOTP's first ever Play of the Week. By all means, enjoy the video!

Man Utd has New Sponsor

2008-02-29T12:58:00.009+08:00

Chipster, the newest Potato Chips in town has penned a lucrative 65.7 Million Pounds deal with football giants Man Utd. The Chips will therefore be the T-Shirts sponsors for the Red Devils for the coming 3 years.

Shirt sales have escalated this morning with thousands of fans lining up at the Theatre of Dreams' Megastore to buy the jerseys. Meeting them were Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand - all dressed in pyjamas to promote Chipster's campaign - "I sleep better with Chipster"

Here's what Ferdinand (dressed in a comfy women's pjs) have to say:"I totally sleep well better with PJs. Gives me the carbs I need to win a match and the packaging are soooooo cute."

Chipster will be giving away to the 67 thousand plus attendees at every Old Trafford match a packet of its delicious chips in their next home match against Liverpool.

P/S: In case you still have not come to realisation, this entire post (except this section and that Chipster is tasty) is a hoax. We want to win a place in Nuffnang's pajama party, and their requirement was that such a post promoting it be made.

Tribute to the English League Cup

2008-02-29T00:06:00.005+08:00

A very late congratulations to London Club Totenham Hotspurs for winning the League Cup (and sweeping aside giants Chelsea in the process). We apologize for not putting it on our earlier posts relating to the occasion.

2008 Carling Cup Winners - Tottenham Hotspurs

As we say goodbye to this year's edition of League Cup, let's have an interesting look at some of the facts of the 47 year-old tournament.

1. While we call and know it as "League Cup", it's simply known officially as 'Carling Cup', named after its main sponsor. Let us reiterate that we shouldn't just kick racism out of football, but Commercialism too.

2. Prior to 1982, the League Cup was simply known as the "League Cup". No sponsors, no strings attached (on the face at least).

3. Thereafter, the tournament was renamed 6 times, namely:

1982-1986 : Milk Cup (Speculation is that it is government propaganda encouraging milk-drinking)
1987-1990 : Littlewoods Cup
1991-1992 : Rumbelows Cup
1993-1998 : Coca-Cola Cup
1999-2003 : Worthington Cup
2004-Present : Carling Cup

More Names - Worth-Nothing Cup (a joke from Worthington Cup) and Mickey Mouse Cup (that's how Man Utd fans look lightly on it)

4. It is suspected that watching League Cup gets you more thirsty than watching any other tournaments - the reason: 4 of its sponsors/names (Milk, Coca-Cola, Worthington and Carling) are beverage producers. The latter 2 are alcohol manufacturers, which leads us to doubt whether the English are really that serious about eliminating alcoholism/hooliganism after all.

Real Men Drink Beer - not.

5. Rumbelows was a electrical retailer while Littlewoods was a former gambling empire.

6. The first 6 years of the League Cup Finals were played over 2 legs.

7. Aston Villa were the first League Cup winners back in 1961, winning 3-2 on aggregate against Rotherham United.

8. Everton, West Ham and Bolton Wanderers reached the final twice without winning the trophy. Lightning does strike twice on the same spot (more like teams).

9. Liverpool have won the Cup more than any teams, winning on 7 occasions; followed by Aston Villa (5) and Tottenham (4).

10. This last one especially for the History Junkies - The Cup was originally intended to exploit weekday evenings throughout the winter (where daytime is shorter).

You can find out more on the Past Winners of the League Cup and scores on http://www.sportingchronicle.com/leaguecup.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_League_Cup.

Vacancies Available: Club Owner

2008-02-28T01:15:00.003+08:00

Don't even think of buying them if your net worth is below 9 figures. Welcome to the business of Football club-takeover.

With Liverpool having caught the interest of yet another buyer (DIC), LOTP looks back at the trend and the people behind the 3 top English club-takeovers that made news in the past year.

What to put in your Resume?

Screw law or medicine, if you want to own a club, become a businessman. This is what Tom Hicks (Liverpool co-owner), Malcolm Glazer (Man Utd's Owner) and Roman (a.k.a. Czar) Abramovich (Chelsea's boss) will tell you at least. Having said that, it seems that business is more to a flair than a vocation you decide to pick. Take Glazer for example, having inherited a dying jewellery business from dad, he started to expand his business within 5 years, and not long after became CEO of a huge business empire soon after. Needless to say Roman is an exception to the general rule, having became a billionaire at age 30. Of course, Hicks having owned 7-Up and Dr. Pepper adds to our Rich Man's club. Oh, and did we mention Roman is a prominent Russian politician too? Perhaps you could argue that you could do all of the above- even better, but one thing you couldn't if you AREN'T: 3 of the above all all Jews.

How much required?

Glazer reportedly paid $1.87billion for 28.7% of United. Roman put in £440 million for transfer funds and assumed £80m of Chelsea's debt. Initial share value+ transfer funds+club liabilities= You do the math. We reckon £2 billion would be a safe figure - don't forget legal fees for all those property transfers, contracts etc.

A second look at the transfers however, may suggest it may just take much lesser than that. As you may well know, Glazier was very much financed by the bank. Soon after the takeover, United announced a refinancing plan which split the debt taken to buy the club between the Club and the Glazier family. This simply means using club assets to pay the bank for the money borrowed to buy the club. Sounds like cheating but that's the world of finance. Consider the statement from Man Utd's Supporters' Trust:

"'The amount of money needed to be repaid overall is huge.... 'The interest payment is one thing but what about the actual £660million? It is difficult to see how these sums can be reached without significant increases in ticket prices, which, as we always suspected, means the fans will effectively be paying for someone to borrow money to own their club."

So considering that you actually can make use of the club to fund your purchase, we shall re-calculate:
Approx. 2 billion - Approx. 660 million = Approx. 1.34 Billion

Expected Earnings ?

For starters, Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool generated 212, 190 and 134 million pounds each last year. Quite a meager amount you would think considering the funds thrown in. Well, when you are a businessman, you think far. Speculators think the tycoons/masterminds are looking at cross-continental deals such as co-operation between Man Utd and New York's Yankees. Needless to say, the shirt sales, tv rights and brand name would bring mountains of gold, so to speak. With the looming recession, you could best less cars, buy less goods, even food - but never less footbal, once a fan, always a fan, dude.

IF YOU FULFILL THE REQUIREMENTS ABOVE, KINDLY CONTACT YOUR NEAREST ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP CLUB BEFORE TOMORROW.

p.s. The author thank Wikipedia.org and Spoke.com for valuable information.

Put an 'X' on the Ball Position

2008-02-27T13:56:00.002+08:00

5 Ways to Lose the League Cup Final (or any other key matches)

2008-02-27T12:48:00.003+08:00

5. Not Treating Your Reserves with some Suites

Several Chelsea players who were not involved in the League Cup clash were denied stay in the club's pre-match hotel on the eve of the Finals. "Cup final tradition dictates that the squad would usually stay together the night before the match and Chelsea were based at the Landmark hotel in Marylebone, central London." -The Independent

4. Failing to Reveal your Starting Line-up until Match Day

Although that would perhaps motivate everyone involved to give 101% in training so to win a spot at the starting line-up, this is apparently Russian-Roulette style risk-taking. This is especially true if you are planning to ditch key figures such as Ballack and Alex.

3. Playing A Striker on the Wing

For example, putting Nicolas Anelka as a Left-Winger.

2. Omitting Your Best Wing Backs

Ashley Cole isn't the best in the world but...

1. This is Applicable if you are the Owner of the Club:

Appointing Avram Grant as Manager.

Terry's Bust up with Coach sparks LATP Interest

2008-02-27T01:04:00.004+08:00

Henk Ten Cate with Chelsea manager Avram Grant (Left) in better times.

The latest news is that Chelsea skipper John Terry was involved in a bust-up with Assistant Manager Henk ten Cate. Law of the Pitch (LATP) has immediately lodge an investigation into the Dutchmen (for the avoidance of doubt, Terry is Brit and Ten Cate is Dutch).

The first place we looked at is obviously Wikipedia. Born on 9/12/1954 in Amsterdam, Henk was a professional football player that played for Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles (a club supported by Americans perhaps?) for most part of his professional career. Stats show that he had a short (9 seasons) but O.K. time playing as a winger- with the Goal/Apps Ratio of 34 to 202 or approximately 1 goal in 5 matches.

As many would say - If you can't play, manage. Henk did managed several clubs including Go Ahead Eagles and prior to Chelsea, at Ajax. But being the Assistant was where he really shone. Assisting Barca's Rijkaard, he helped won the La Liga and Champions' League in the 2005-06 season.

We moved on from Wiki and googled the personality. 260,000 hits surfaced on the Dutchman's name. Henkky obviously rose to fame through Chelsea with the top 20 hits surrounding his joining of Chelsea on 11/11/07. What caught our eyes were the allegations that he was a liar before exiting Ajax. It was only right to have a dig (not Digg) into it. What we found in this "World Cup" blog was quite something. He was literally pointing fingers at everyone but himself. "Perez was too demanding", Lindenbergh was the "little wanker", and Hantelaar. I do pity poot Henk for the last interview question (on him doing better as Assistant Manager) though- and admire his guts on the answer, as well:

“My reputation is being made on the basis of two failed European matches. I won’t go into that. I’ve proven I can be a good head coach. The only drawback is to have to talk to people like you. The press. I will be co-responsible for the line-up at Chelsea, like my assistants at Ajax were too. The good thing is, I don’t have to justify that to the press anymore.”

We finally arrived at the Times UK website to find how he did in his Ajax results. Henk apparently did brought improvement at the Dutch Runner-ups, just falling short on points on the last match of last season but was ultimately forced out for Ajax's mediocre performance at the UEFA Cup. We did find some cause of concern, maybe the root of dawning trouble when he said

“A coach ... has to establish his authority. I think you can be part of the group and stay above it to the extent that you keep control.”

Perhaps Henk just did some over-controlling on Mr. Terry. And all that would spark some fire.

VERDICT: Henk would fit into the team's Assistant to the Assistant Manager.

2008-02-27T00:52:00.004+08:00

SHORTS - Football Lookalikes: John Terry vs Ewan McGregor

I've always find both of them having a great level of resemblance. Ironically, they are both Brits. Lost brothers perhaps?

An Ugly Week in Football

2008-02-26T11:04:00.007+08:00

Football is known for some of the most beautiful as well as ugliest attics around. I mean, where else could you see nude men running around except on the pitch? Where else could you find men using their feet like magicians and skillsmen? On the weekend of 23 Feb 2008 however, the total spin of events made the beautiful game one of the ugliest.

1. Eduardo Fractures His Fibula

I remember when my sis broke one of the bones on her leg and it was (needless to say) an ordeal for the whole family. But Arsenal's Eduardo's injury was far worse (judging from the video below). That was like breaking glass or something. And yet as the Croatian himself mentioned, he doesn't blame Taylor (the perpetrator) as these things happen in football. Rightly so, for I cannot find Mike Taylor's tackle wholly intentional (albeit reckless) beyond reasonable doubt. I guess you would be expecting yourself to get injured at certain point of time if you are in professional footballing. The conclusion is : buy insurance. Now you know why Man Utd's jersey has AIG written on it.

No, his leg was not made from jelly.

2. Danny Vukovic Slaps Referee

If Eduardo's injury was an expected course of event, then Referee Mark Shield would consider himself to be very very unlucky. It seems that giving unpopular refereeing decisions would merely make you unpopular sometimes but to get you hurt? I don't think that's something too remote as well. Judging from the temper that some lads have and the violence in society, one would have expected it to be happening once a week or thereabouts. On another note, I don't endorse such "extra-curricular activities". It's always back to the "Professional" issue when we are facing these issues: If you want to be a "professional" footballer, BE PROFESSIONAL. You can always go back to playing field football in your village. Perhaps how childish Danny behaved after the 'hand of gore' incident will tell you why he should still be playing for the Uni as opposed to the club or country.

After taking into consideration all the evidence, we find the Defendant guilty. He is hence banned for 15 months of professional play.

We know that as much as we do't want them repeated, they will at some point of time. After all, football aren't just about the goals, right?