Cold, very cold, SI BEI COLD

As I am sent once again overseas to complete my job, I relunctantly packed extra clothings expecting the cold to freeze my butt out.

BOY was i UNREADY for the cold!
its not just cold, its not very cold, its SI BEI COLD!!!...

The view is majestic at times when I stand in the warm building of my hotel room admiring the falling snow flakes. And yet, it is freezingly scary while walking outside to office or for food. The 5 mins brisk walk to the office from the hotel have also become increasingly difficult with the harsh weather conditions.

I finally understand why Ang Mohs like to sit in the sun like idiots. We (singaporeans) never knew how good it is for the sun to shine on your face and feel the warm nurturing your tired body.

:)

Contributions to England

Dear Friends,

There have been much accusations that Arsenal does nothing for the England national team. Do you agree? Everyone is saying that Wenger picks the best in Europe but sells the rest of the English. Do you think this statement is fair?

From the calling of a limit on number of foreign players in a team to the dismay state of the English national team, everything is pointing to a decline in the quality of English players. Ferguson and Mourinho have taken their turns in attacking Arsenal and defending Chelsea respectively.

Fergie has announced that Arsenal will be hit the hardest if indeed the limit of foreign players is implemented. He has also insisted that he has helped build a core of English players. Players he has indeed bought and not groomed. The days of Neville and Brown is over and players like Carrick, Rooney and Hargreves are bought with millions of dollars. So much for his help in grooming young Englishmen. In addition, what is with the millions spent on Nai, Ronaldo and Anderson? Are they English in some ways that I have missed? Or has old Fergie seen so much Red that he thinks they are English?

On the other hand, Mourinho said he has groomed an English side with the backbone of the Chelsea team predominantly English. Well, in a way, John Terry is Chelsea through and thorugh. However, Mourinho most definitely did not groom Lampard or J.Cole (from West Ham) or Cashly (from Arsenal). He also bought SWP as a bench warmer. Thus, 'helping' to slow down the growth of the promising youngster.

So it remains to be seen if there is any contributions from man u or chelski to the English cause. If it really go down to the wire, you can even say Arsenal 1 (cashly cole), Chelsea 1 (john terry) and Man U 0.

A Tale of Two Rulers

Dear Friends,

In a far far away land, there once live a ruler that ruled his country much like the Qin Emperor in ancient China. He had a big red nose and would scream at his servants whenever they did something wrong. The Tyrant had a huge love for the game of soccer and recruited the best in and around his country with the large amount of reserves he has. The huge reserves were contributed from high prices of home tickets to watch his team and unknown sources from America.

The tyrant had his way of cajoling and shouting at his team that somehow brings out the best in them. Not a nice way, but effective as he always say. In fact, he is very proud of his famous 'high dryer' treatment on all knights and slaves in his team. With this method and the great money he had, he enjoyed a long term success with his soccer team winning and dominating the league in his country.

Then one day, a brilliant and likeable Professor came along and started to build a small country beside the tyrant. He too had a love for soccer, but his approach was to scout for the young talents in and around the country and slowly nurture them to brilliant players. His arrival was surrounded in mystery and speculations, but the results spoke for itself! Within a few years, it is evident that the brilliant Professor was an equal or more to the Tyrant. His team wrest the league title away from the tyrant a couple of times and started to dominate the league with an ever flowing passing game.

As the Professor's team grow exponentially, so did the names of the players. The Three Musketeers were born; one an ever ready, ever stable midfield anchor named V, one tricky winger that had an eye for goal call P and a lighting fast finishing called H. Together, they are a Very Powerful House leading the league table again and again.

Of course, the tyrant was angry and jealous of the success of the Professor. He chip and chop his team and even sacked his aging Captain. Fair to say, the equally fiery and vocal Captain has long passed his use-by date. However, the manner of the removal was upsetting to many fans. Prawn sandwiches never tasted so good.

Cutting the long story short, the tyrant ployed more change and his team is now with 2 Bulldogs, a dancer, 2 divers and some clowns. They remain strong and powerful and as arrogant as before. Having wrestle the title back last season, even the bulldog is arrogant enough to declare that the Professor's team have no chance of winning the league this season.

On the other hand, the three Musketeers have all left the professor to pursue their own career. With his emphasis on youth, the Professor now holds the next boy wonder, Potter. The midfielder is a wizard on his own; dancing on both feet and shimmering past opponents with slight caress of the ball at his feet.

With a 2-2 draw just secured last night, the Professor's team sits pretty at the top of the league with a game in hand over the Tyrant's team. Did anyone hear the bulldog's bullshit again?

Go Gunners!

Lethargic days...after the 1-1 draw

Had a late barbecue on Sunday night before the big match... So by the time I reached home and switched on the TV, I was ready to fall asleep. My desperate attempt to walk to the kitchen and bring out a beer was futile as the spirit was willing but the flesh is weak.

As I slump in my ever wonderful sofa with my mrs beside me, my body started to stir from its slumber with the starting whistle of the BIG GAME! The cresendo was sent flying of the Richter scale with the stupid free kick given to Liverpool which Steven G duely dispatched. No fault of Blondie as somehow the wall broke down and left a huge gap for the ball to rocket through.

After that, the challenge was to climb back on level terms. We went on and on and on... The players were not matured enough to take the chances in front of goal and Fabregas even panicked with the whole goal open. The good thing is that the new Arsenal does not give up. We created chance after chance and FINALLY, Fabregas tucked one home.

After the equaliser, i thought we were really going to win it. Only for Bendtner to miss a wide open goal. crazy! even my grandmother can score that.... sigh.....

due to the last night showing and viewing, i was exhausted by the time i reached my bed at 2 am. the following day was a drag at work and things were just swimming all around my head... tragic..

today is Wed and I am still dizzy from the late night. boy, i am getting old......

Mood: Stone

Acid Test

The next 2 weeks will be crucial to the credentials of our assault on the premiership title. With a visit to Anfield and hosting of Man u next Saturday, we have a big test on our hands. While victories over both will open up a healthy gap at the top of the table, it will also ensure that these two title contenders are further off the radar.

One quarter of this exciting season has flown past with the Gunners confounding all critics and racing to the top of the league. With eight wins and one draw, we have a 2 point lead over second placed Man u with a game in hand. To add to this incredible feat, we achieved this with experienced players like Gilberto, Gallas and Lehmann out.

Some critics may argue that 6 of those wins have been achieved at home and the Gunners have not any of the traditional top 4 clubs. Indeed, they have a point and it is up to us to prove them wrong these 2 weeks. With a convincing win over both rivals, there will be a psychological boost to our players and convinced them that they can do it.

With the experienced players returning back from injuries and suspension, the team is reinforced with the much needed experience when the going gets tough. As Flamini, Fabregas and RVP matures with more exposure, you can be sure that we will pass the acid test and lead the premiership right up to the last day.

Go Gunners!

Flaming Flamini

Six months ago, Mathieu Flamini seemed to be on his way out of the Emirates. Unable to win a regular place in the team, he considered buying out his contract. What a difference now!
'After the first two months of the season, the Frenchman has proved the perfect partner to the effervescent Fabregas'

As Arsenal's season soars with their performances, so does one little man's dominance and reputation. Like the team's performance so far, Mathieu Flamini has proved his critics wrong with amazing performances in the centre of the park.

It seems like years ago (April 2007 to be exact) that his critics were crying for his head; for him to leave the Gunners after his lack of interest and engagement with the team. Indeed, Flamini himself admitted a lack of first-team opportunities could force him to buy out the final year of his contract and leave Arsenal. He was unhappy that he was playing so few games, even though there were a string of injuries to the starting line-up. The defensive midfielder was recruited by the Gunners from Marseille in the summer of 2004, but failed to secure a regular place in the starting 11. At the beginning of this season, Flamini was considered to be behind Cesc Fabregas, Gilberto Silva, Abou Diaby and even Denilson for the central midfield positions.

Instead, after the first two months of the season, the Frenchman has proved the perfect partner to the effervescent Fabregas. His steady passing, accurate tackling and ferocious determination to win games juxtapose nicely to the incisive passing, delicate chips and brilliant crosses of his Spanish teammate. He works hard throughout the whole match in any game and never backs away from any tackles.

In the past, if there have been any complaints about Flamini's play, they have concerned about his often quarrelsome behaviour. To the delight of all fans, the 23-year-old has showed that he has matured over the past year. Indeed, he has even played peacemaker in a couple of flare-ups during matches.

Kudos to the Professor for taming the Flame and bringing the best out of him.

A Breath of Fresh Air

The start of the new season brought about new changes in Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. With the brand new stadium and brand new atmosphere, a change of the captaincy and departure of the old guards signaled the start of a new generation.

Arsenal supporters who have been subjected to ‘this is a period of transition’ feared the worst. The talismanic Henry is gone and the young successor in RVP seems not to be ready. In the previous seasons, the young successor to Viera (Fabregas) has failed to take over successfully. Will the same story be repeated? Will we get the stale air that surrounds failure again? The 2 pre-season wins in Cup competitions have also failed to raise the expectations of supporters.

However, after 10 straight victories and an unbeaten run of 20 matches, we have left all critics open jawed. We have confounded all odds and statistics, upsetting the form book and now sit pretty on top of the Barclay Premier League with a lead of 2 points and a game in hand over 2nd place Man U.

Like a breath of fresh air, we displayed a brand of attacking football and flair that belied our age. With the maturity of a seasoned campaigner, the young ones have stamped their authority and torpedo-ed our way to the top of the league. In our club management itself, we bucked the trend of foreign ownership. In our manager, he refused to be bullied into spending millions to get the best players. Instead, he grooms them from young.

All in all, Arsenal is like a breath of Fresh air in the cold, stale world of the Barclay Premier League. Go Gunners!