The new Maradona?

http://vimeo.com/18202720. Check this out.

Rafa gets the boot

If you haven't heard by now, Benitez has been sacked by Inter, giving rise to rumours that he'll be back in charge at Liverpool. NO! However, there are other BPL clubs without a manager, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle (again in a few weeks me thinks), could be Chelsea as well if the rot continues.

Where or where will he go? Only time will tell. Any ideas folks?

Lyon-Hapoel Tel Aviv (2:2) 07.12.2010 Goal of the night Eran Zahavi!

Pardew for the Toon?

Latest rumors have put Alan Pardew in the top spot to replace Chris Houghton (who did a sterling job and is loved by all) as Manager of Newcastle.

This of course means that Newcastle could well be playing in the Championship next season. Congratulations Mike!

Impersonations by Kevin Spacey (Full Video)

Welcome to Russia: 2018 World Cup Bid Official Promos

Welcome to Russia: 2018 World Cup Bid Official Promos

Qatar world cup stadiums 2022

The farce of a Vote

Fairness and football seem to be as distant as heaven and hell. Somehow or another, money has won out in the World Cups 2018 & 2022. How Russia and Qatar got the hosting rights is one of those "infamous" decisions ever made.

Never mind that England had the best technical and economic bid, never mind that Australia and USA had great management and execution, let's just give the World Cup to one country who didn't even make the last few, and another who never did.

I thought Egypt would have been a better bet, seeing that they've won the African Nations Cup a few times, but NO, give it to Qatar. Qatar after all is a Middle Eastern country that has a population just under 1 million, with about 80% of that immigrants. So we'll have all 200,000 or so Qataris at the games for sure. First ever WC where every one of the nation, went to the games! That's some kind of record all right.

Russia, full of guns, racism, mobsters and off course that all important OIL, hasn't got a good enough league and is known to be corrupt. So this must be a great place to host a World Cup. At least all of us visitors to the WC will help the economy there getting ripped off, mugged, raped and possibly killed and dumped in Siberia.

My 1 question is this, 'When will Wikileaks forget about the USA and concentrate instead on FIFA"?

Top 10 best sports one-line quotes

Vote for October's Player of the Month

Sports fans, there's a new poll where you can choose from the 5 players who YOU think was the best player of last month in the BPL. It won't be easy. Let's see who you liked the most.

Last weekends wrap up and Carlos Queiroz

What a weekend of football!!! Arsenals loses to the Geordies and all 3 Geordie fans in Kl are ecstatic. Granted there were more fans before, but since the got relegated, in true Malaysian fair weather fan fervor, the fans deserted them. But for the true fans, this was a win to savor, more so at the Emirates.

While Man u eek out a win against Wolves with an injury hit squad and a still crocked Owen Hargreaves, then Chelsea actually lost to Liverpool. The Kop end found it voices at long last and Torres got his scoring boots on as well. Liverpool didn't play excitingly well, but Chelsea were forlorn without Essein. And the Drog recovering from a fever didn't help, but still Reina was in top form.

However, this is the right time to mention that Man U must be contemplating their on again off again coach Carlos Queiroz. He is currently unemployed after being sacked by the Portuguese national team and available to assist Sir Alex. Whilst Carlos is out of his depth as a manager, he is excellent as a coach and right hand man to Sir Alex.

His being there at the Man U has always coincided with them playing some great football. Maybe the time is right for him to make that return to Old Trafford and instill some of the camaraderie that he was able to with his linguistic abilities. And some training techniques as well.

On another note, it was great to see Malaysia Cup winning coach Sathianathan on Astro Supersport talking football. Since he has been suspended by FAM for speaking his mind and putting 2 and 2 together and coming up with 4, plus winning the Malaysia Cup, I'm sure the officials at FAM must be appalled that he is being paid to talk about the game. But it's ok, they wouldn't understand any of it anyway.

Facebook and footie fans

In the past few days, I've been quite amused to see the discussion on "the walls" of some friends I have on my Facebook. It's mainly been about the Man u v Spurs game and centered around the dubious goals that referee Mark Clattenburg awarded.

After watching it numerous times and listening to all the expert pundit opinions, nothing can take away from the Spurs fans the sense that the game was stolen from them yet again by the same referee that denied them the "goal" that Roy Carroll conceded a couple of seasons ago, also at Old Trafford.

It just seems that when teams play at The Theater of Dreams, the refs seems to be sleep walking at times and the dubious goals committee finds its' hands full after big games. This time around, Spurs once again on the receiving end and this MUST go down as a ridiculous chain of events.

Nani, is fouled, refs says play on, he handles the ball, refs says play on, Gomes picks up the ball and places it for a free kick, as he feels he's the only one who can legally handle the ball, Fletcher yells to Nani to get back into position, and then Nani pops back and cheekily slots the ball home.

Then while the ref consults with his assistant, what is Rio doing there listening to all this? Don't the rules forbid him to be there, or are the rules different for Man U players at home? The ref sends everyone away except him, and then book Spurs players for protesting.

What did Rio, who was about 70 metres away see that the assistant or the ref didn't? What irks me is the threatening way in which the Man U players always confront the refs.

If you don't believe me, just watch the 4 nations rugby thats going on now. Now, thats a rough and tough game, elbows, knees and punches being traded. But the second the ref blows, the players can behave themselves and actually listen to his decision, NO arguing with the ref!

On top of that, rarely do we read of Rugby fans fighting in the stands! There's a lot of banter granted, but thats just what it is, banter!

The BPL teams that we are all following are thousands of miles away, and don't give a damn about us, except that we buy the jerseys and other stuff. We're not season ticket holders or super rich corporate clients of theirs. All of us in total, impact their bottom line. Other than that, we have no say in the club. Yet at times, we tend to act like we're part of the club and defend it to the death.

I have a friend, a great guy, until Man U loses and then he is the worst person to be around. Same goes for a Liverpool fan I have the misfortune of knowing. My best mate is a Spurs fans and hates the Gunners with a vengeance, but he's a Londoner and goes to games there when he can.

I'm a Liverpool fan, love the way the Gunners play, dislike "new" Man U fans, and am awe at the way Chelsea plays. I'm football fan first. To me Jose is probably the best club manager in the world, a pragmatic one at that, but just like Michael Schumacher's numerous records, do any of you remember him for his "dangerous" moves, selfish motivation and cheating or the fact that he is the sports most successful driver.

In the end, it's the titles that are remembered, not how they won. There is no doubt that Sir Alex is a successful coach, but there is also evidence that his teams were arrogant, cocky and bullied refs. Not to mention at times had players going out to injure fellow professionals i.e Roy Keane.

None of our teams are angels, realise that and the fact that we all love discussing the game. it's not worth having grudges over and making enemies though. Each persons opinion, however asinine, is just an opinion.

That's why we all love this game. And I'm absolutely lunatic about sports in general.

An open letter to B. Sathianathan

Dear Sathia,

Congratulations on a fine performance from the Kelantan team and more importantly the 1st ever Malaysia Cup they have won. I'm sure the celebrations will go on for months. Your presence in KB must be deeply appreciated by all, with 2 visits to the Final in 2 seasons.

It was a fantastic game and the fact that your team came back to win after going a goal down is a testament to your team talk at the break and your substitutions. It's great for the home fans and for football fans in the country, as we've all seen a great game.

What next for you Sathia? You've got a 6 month suspension hanging around your neck and I'm sure that the people who are behind this were there at Bukit Jalil last nite to hand you the winner's medal. It reeked of unfairness that you were suspended on the eve of the return leg of the semi-final over something you said 3 months ago.

I'm reminded of Ian Holloway's recent tirade against the "powers in football", FIFA and several others as he defended Sir Alex during the Rooney saga. He took them to task and was extremely passionate about it, so much so one would think we had to dip into his own pocket to pay for Rooney's pay rise. He wasn't fined, suspended or even reprimanded for his remarks even though he was in NO way involved in the matter. He had his point and everyone could see that.

This being 2010 and the fact that football belongs to the people not FAM, I feel it's absolutely wrong for them to slap a ban on people speaking on the sport. Especially the people in the sport. Just because they are the guardians of the sport in Malaysia, what people think and feel about the sport is a reflection of what they do with their guardianship.

Football is a sport that sparks a lot of debate, and currently Sepp Blatter is even defending the right to continue voting for future World Cups despite the furore over vote rigging. There's no suspensions and banning the press there.

What has happened to you in the past, with your remarks on fitness of players and this one on the Terengganu and Perlis "home" tie must be taken as a "person in the know" remark. If some "grey matter deficient" official is unable to do so, he should resign.

If this kind of malaise is going to persist, I would like to suggest this. Take your Malaysia Cup Final Winners Medal and some mementos from your time here and relocate to Japan, Korea, Australia or New Zealand. These are all countries where there are proper footballing set ups, from grassroots to the Top League and they regularly compete to play in the World Cup if not play in it regularly.

Personally I think the A League in Australia is best for you. There might be some prejudice as a foreign coach, but you have the qualifications, the winning mentality and now a winners medal to go with that. We'll miss your quality coaching here, but I think you'll better serve the sport, the country and even yourself by coaching elsewhere.

I think it'll just be a matter of time before you succeed over there, especially without the hindering forces from within the sport here. There might even be opportunities for Malaysian players to ply their trade with you, and that will be great for the sport.

Look at Steve McLaren and our own Lim Teong Kim with Bayern Munich. They are more respected outside their own countries and you can't buy that kind of respect.

With your knowhow and experience, I wish you the best in the future and hope that you will let the world see the positive side of Malaysian football. It seems to me that the only way to do this is to leave the country as staying in it will make the so called "experts" in the sport try and keep you for excelling with their underhanded ways.

Wishing you all the best.

This weekends fixtures 30th Oct

It's a BIG weekend. Man u play Spurs and will Spurs finally kick that hoodoo and win? On top of that Man City need to march on minus Tevez, and will Ballotelli finally deliver? Chelsea expect a tough game at Blackburn, whilst Arsenal WILL have 75 chances to score against West Ham but probably convert 3.

Closer to home though, it's the Malaysia Cup Final with Holders Negri Sembilan meeting Kelantan, the team they beat last year 3-1. Last year though, coach Sathianathan took over Kelantan in the midst of their campaign and made the best of it. This time around though, from day 1, it looked like he was working on their defensive duties and discipline when defending and their fitness.

The result was a harder to break down Kelantan team, but they also looked like they lacked ideas attacking. However, slowly but surely the new brand of football has gotten them to the Final. This time around they are still the underdogs though, with Negri scoring in almost all their matches. But it most areas of the pitch, Kelantan, on paper at least, do have any advantage.

The Negri players have been there and done that and there's no substitute for experience at this level. Kelantan have the weight of expectation of every Kelantanese in Malaysia and they were their hearts on their shirts for sure.

All in all, this looks like it'll be a totally different Cup Final from last year and something to look forward to. The word is that even the 30k tickets allocated to Negri fans have been snapped up by Kelantan. This means the fans could mix in the stadium.

The police will have their hands full, so the hope is that the only action is the one on the field and that we have a Cup Final to remember. My pick is Kelantan to win.

After the past few weeks of ridiculous decisions against Sathia, I hope he wins the trophy and the officials at FAM who hand it over to him, realise this is 2010 and that coaches and players SHOULD to able to talk to the press.

Does Capello have England's best interest at heart?

Today, Don Fabio warned Rooney that he wouldn't play him unless he finds his form? I wonder does Don Fabio understand what he is saying with his understanding of English. He has just told possibly England's best player, he has to hit form to represent the country.

He gets paid 6 million pounds a year, the highest paid National Manager in the world, and this is what he comes up with? I've been wondering for some time now, it Fabio is the right man to lead England or if he is an Italian agent working against the English cause. I'm no England fan myself and knew that they would fail in Africa. The hype is just that, hype. The facts are that they do have the most exciting league in the world, but is it the best? Well, the best players are in Spain aren't they?

Then we have the England squad for SA, which was injury filled and seemed lost. They started badly and then lost the plot totally. Coming back from that debacle, Fabio says he will focus on the youngsters then picks Kevin Davies for his next squad. Kevin Davies?

There are a crop of youngsters in England, Adam Johnson, Ton Huddlestone, Ashley Young, Gabby Agbonlahor, James Milner, Micah Richards, Jack Wilshere just to name a few, who should be nurtured NOW to be considered for the next Euro.

Of these, I think Johnson, Young, Wilshere and definately Huddlestone should be given a chance.

Which brings me back to the start of this article, would you send a player a out there if he wasn't on form? That just sends the wrong message. You can be a marquee name but in the worst form as well. Fabio needs ALL his players at their best. Not just Rooney.

That is, if he's managing England for the English.

The weekend in sports 23rd Oct

Wow, what a weekend! Rooney re-signs for Man U, Javier gets a brace against Stoke, Liverpool finally wins with Torres scoring, Arsenal score 3 after trying not to score 30, Sathia's gets a reprieve from FAM for the Malaysia Cup Final. On top of that Webber skids out of the Korean GP, Vettel blows his engine and Alonso now leads the F1. Then our gal Nicol bags her 8th title of the year. Where's that official who said we should pull our funding of her when she lost a few earlier this year. Ever heard of a athletes' form? No? Then you can be a sports official!

Of all this, it's great to have an open F1, even though I'm for Mark for the title. He deserves it, and all around nice guy and very good driver. Well, we'll know soon though.

Great to hear Sathia can "officially" train his lads to give them the best chance to win this weekends Malaysia Cup. Too bad everyone is going to get frisked going into the stadium, but crowd safety comes first. We DO NOT need hooliganism in our football. It'll be great to see a full stadium for a game, since it's Kelantan and Negri again. Hope it's a close game again. My thoughts on that game this Friday.

Otherwise, Jose shows why he's possibly the best coach in the world as real slam 6 in a match and Cristiano bags 4 goals. The best is what we should all strive to achieve.

Malaysia Cup Final looms.....

It's official. For the 2nd year running, Negri Sembilan will meet Kelantan in the Malaysia Cup Final. Negri overturned a 1 goal deficit to beat Johor FC away 2-0 whilst a goalkeeping error cost Kedah away in Kota Bahru. The twist in this match however is that Kelantan Coach B. Sathianathan was suspended for 6 months by FAM on the match day for something he had said in July.

This is what differentiates our league from the BPL and is possibly why more and more Malaysians prefer the European leagues to our local one. The rules and regulations seem inconsistent. How can Kelantan have a proper chance at winning the Final when their coach is suspended? Is this what is going to better promote Malaysian Football?

In the BPL or European leagues, the commentators and tv shows will dissect the decision and get expert opinion. It helps with transparency, makes for intelligent decisions and talking points, and all views are taken aboard and the fans can decide on their own. Above all, the professional sports administrators can defend their decisions based on common sense, experience and knowledge of the laws, not just political reasons.

Only time will tell now if we are mature enough to take the constructive criticism for our decision making. Watch this space for more.

Today's Sports Birthdays

1967 - Paul Ince

1981 - Nemanja Vidic

1984 - Kieran Richardson

Malaysia Cup Final......

So it looks like Kelantan have a foot in the door and Negri have an uphill battle. 3 changes to the back 4 after 25 minutes into the game must have given Kedah the smell of blood, but Kelantan not only defended valiantly and had some of their attacks push Kedah back.

Looks like all the work done pre season by coach B. Sathianathan on defending and fitness came to a fruition as Kelantan are looking like a hard team to break down. With the return leg in their own back yard, it's looking increasingly likely they will make the finals. Now it comes down to their injuries and if the players recuperate in time.

Negri, on the other hand, played a wonderful game of football in front of their home crowd but saw the initiative snatched by Johor FC. Playing away is never easy and now coach Wan Jamak Wan Hasan has to commit his players to attacking football to overturn the deficit.

Both these matches are a must watch. Catch it on Astro Arena channel 801.

Does Rooney Stay or should he go?

So Wayne wants to leave his world and move on? Or is this just every Man U hater's dream? Let's try and look at this objectively.

Sir Alex, for all the great things he has done, seems spent. Far from being the Father Figure to Wayne as he was with Becks, Giggs, Scholes and gang, he now seems as a Grandfather figure to Wayne. And I don't think Wayne listens to his grandad.

No matter what any Man U fan would say, the 80 millions pounds they got for Ronaldo went towards servicing loans and this does not bode well for the club. Eventually, the credit crunch in the US is going to cause problems for United. Their revenue from non football areas is probably the highest of any top clubs, but the debt is still there and needs to be serviced.

Add that to the fact that Owen Hargreaves (possibly their most influential player) still hasn't played a part for the team in 2 years and Rooney's off field problems causing an on the field loss of form, there is a lack of leaders on field for United.

Giggs, Scholes and Ferdinand just don't seem to have the necessary tools to make this happen and too many times already this season, they have let leads slip. This never happened with the United's of old, and the opponents seems to have their number.

So now that Wayne's wants out and Sir Alex is at a loss for words, what will the next few months reveal.

Somehow or another, it's all about the money. it's NOT the money Rooney wants, but the money that's available to buy new players to make Man U competitive. Sir Alex has been supportive of the owners, some say TOO supportive at times. The fans, the pundits and even the players know they need more players and better ones at that to compete now.

Look at Chelsea and Man City. Even with their injury list, they have cover for all positions. Even Spurs are looking stronger, squad wise. A couple of injuries, and the wheels will fall off the United bus.

Make no bones about it, Rooney has every right to question United on their ambitions. We've known him as a fiery competitor willing to give it all on the field. And he does this to win. So he needs to know if his efforts are being wasted because he knows that football is a team game.

Just look at Barca, even with Messi, the World Player of the Year there, it's Xavi and Iniesta that make the team tick. It's not a 1 man show and in todays' football, you need squad depth with over 50 games a season with international commitments thrown in.

Ultimately no man is above the club, and if the club is saddled with debt and can't buy players to ensure a winning mentality is continued, then it's top players have a right to move on and win trophies elsewhere.

For me, the writing was on the wall when Ronaldo left and there were no replacements. United and Sir Alex need to jump into the market big time to ensure that Man U remain on track, as their competitors are closing fast.

Even Spurs had ole Harry remarking that they are 2 signings away from winning the league. Well, United are one losing one player that make Spurs suddenly favourites for 2nd spot.

Everton deserved to win

Behind all the furore and talk that surrounded the Liverpool takeover, the plain fact in sight for fans of the game on Sunday were clear. Except for Stevie G and Torres, the Toffees has, man for man, a better team, and a team is what wins games.

Roy Hodgson, speaking after wiping his Wengeresque glasses, claimed that Liverpool played their best football, the best their capable of, without disrupting Tim Howards' tea time snack of crumpet and scones. The fans, walking back dejectedly past Stanley Park to drown their sorrows, didn't know what was worse, the teams' performance or Hodgson's attempt of "keeping a stiif upper lip" in the face of adversity.

Liverpool were outplayed, out thought, out run and didn't deserve to play in a Derby match. The past few months have definitely taken their toll and the lies and deception they have been told shows on their body language.

It's interesting to note, that as far as I can remember, there is NO 1 player who played in the World Cup effectively, is performing right now. Messi, Ronaldo,Torres, Villa, Kaka, Gerrard, Lampard etc. Van de Vaart is an exception, but he played a bit part for Holland. These players are fatigued after a long spell of high level football and training. They've probably been at it for a straight 12 months with their respective leagues, Champions League, FA Cup, World Cup and now Euro Qualification and Champions League as well as their bread and butter leagues.

I'm not making any excuses for these mega bucks earning players, but they MUST be tired and full of knocks. Look at Torres. He was injured before the World Cup, came back for it and broke down in the Final. Injured again and again, lost his manager, lost games and finally lost the owners. Now here's a family surrounded guy who's suddenly lost the Spanish speaking contingent of Mascherano, Arbeloa, Reira and on top of that Benitez ( who had so much of belief and faith in him) a father figure.

Enter Hodgson, who sell Javier, gets Poulsen, Meireles (Portugal's best player in the World Cup), Konchesky (only God knows why), Joe Cole, benches Lucas and has Johnson, Agger and of all people Kuyt injured.

6 changes in a team of 11 and Jovanovic the joker in the pack. How would you manage such changes in your team and then have the owners squabbling in the background? Roy doesn't know his best 11 and that's a fact.

Moyes did and has been unlucky all season, almost winning games. A day off from football just relaxing by the Lake did a world of wonders for Everton. That's man management!

Roy needs time. Time to take off the Wengeresque glasses and see his team for what they are. A bunch of dejected, dispirited and tired professionals. A time for a new plan. Make training interesting and the players need to look forward to playing, not hating their moments on the field, because they certainly look it right now.

Today's Sports Birthdays

1962 - Evander Holyfield

1981- Heikki Kovailainen

Today's Sports Birthdays

1953 - Falcao

1970- Mehmet Scholl

1973 - David Unsworth

1976 - Kevin Durant (NBA)

The Future of our Sporting Greats

According to a Sports Illustrated report published in 2009:

1. 78% of former NFL Players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress because of

joblessness or divorce, by the time they have been retired 2 years.

2. Withing 5 years of retirement, an estimated 60% of former NBA players are broke.

Now these are million dollar athletes, with multi million dollar endorsement deals, earning the big bucks from anything like 3 to 15 years. Yet, they're broke, or a large percentage of them at least.

So what of our athletes and sportsman? A case in point is Karamjit Singh. In 2002 he became the 1st Malaysian and Asian to become the Production World Rally Champion for Proton Pert. On top of that he has won the Asia Pacific Rally Championship twice and many other titles. In my time following the sport, I followed him to Medan where he finished 6th in the World Rally Championship round in a Proton, All cars ahead and behind him was factory manufactured WRC cars at least 10 times more technologically advanced than his car.

Thousands of people flock to see him drive in India, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and even Malaysia when he competes. He is very recognisable and friendly and amongst the competitors has been known to give advice freely and share resources.

He has had 2 former Prime Ministers assure him that his exploits will not go unrewarded by his country.

He now owns a small specialized workshop, preparing cars for racing. Occasionally, he organises special advanced driving classes. He still rallies, although most rallies have been cut back and the season now short since there is very little or no money in the sport. How a sport that used to have Top Professionals from the World compete in Malaysia just 12 years ago has dwindled to just a field of 10 or so drivers is a matter for another day. Suffice to say for now, mismanagement and selfish officials and organisers have "killed" it.

Whilst Karamjit is not broke or bankrupt, I find it appalling that a bona fide World Champion that we have, and not many of that as well, has not been aptly rewarded for bringing the nations name to the forefront of motorsport.

It's worrying when ex-footballers and badminton players have a Proton dealership, but the man who brought Proton its' biggest Award doesn't. Is it a wonder the car manufacturer seems lost at times?

A Thomas Cup win and the Sidek brothers were greatly rewarded. What they did with that is their business.

Alex Yoong went on to F1 and now is a commentator for Star Sports. I know he wishes he was in a F1 car, but its' possibility the next best thing for him. That and he's involved in producing the next F1 superstar from Malaysia.

My worry is this. What is the message we are sending to our youth who are athletically gifted? Do your best, sacrifice it all, take the Malaysian name to the Top Step of the podium and maybe we'll do something for you.

What are our ex- hockey players, football greats and even our ex-runners? In light of the recent success at the CW Games in India, I implore the Sports Minister NOT to forget those coaches who trained those athletes when they were young. These are the people who set motion these champions.

And what of these Champions? Let's get them to share their experiences and knowledge with the next generation. Mentorship programmes, lectures, training clinics should be held to reach as many budding athletes as possible.

Many athletes are in in as they are passionate for the sport. Use that and propel them into training and sharing their knowledge. The best football managers weren't great players, but it's their passion for the game that made them study it in depth and excel, just because they loved the sport.

When are we going to start using this passion to get better and win medals and awards. Not getting a piece of land or house only. We should use this passion to build champions and champions to spearhead projects to reach rural areas and give the kids a chance to dream.

This has worked all over the world, why not here. I fervently believe that we have a World Champion in waiting somewhere in some Felda settlement, small kampung, shack in an estate in this country. He/She can't reach us, but its' our responsibility to find him/her.

Let's use the tools/experts we have at our disposal, people who love the sports and know it intimately to reach these kids. This is the correct use of our resources. So sports administrators, it's time to wake up.

Our champions await!

Today's Sports Birthdays

1968 - Didier Deschamps

1971 - Andy Cole

1977 - David Trezeguet

1979 - Paul Robinson

1980 - Tom Boonen (cyclist)

1981 - Elena Dementieva

1988 - Mesut Ozil

Are top class athletes Born or Made?

This has always been a good argument between friends. What do you think? Take for instance football....I think a striker is born and the rest of the squad is made. Talent is however, absolutely necessary to be a success and to play in the top of any sport.

Anyway you look at it though, hard work and fitness is paramount. And this should be cultivated from a young age. If you look at Australia, US and even the UK, they have youth systems put in place with proper coaches, equipment and venues specifically for kids.

At an early age, the basics or fundamentals are taught to these kids. Over the years repetition and muscle memory make the player fluid with their movement and easier to coach at a higher level. Case in point would be the Chelsea players. I'm sure that Carlo Ancelloti talks tactics and systems knowing the players don't have to worry about controlling the ball and passing. All those abilities were learnt from ages 6 to 15.

Now, do we here in Malaysia, have such a system? For any sport? Golf has its success' with the Green brothers and Kelly Tan. In fact, the Koreans have a pretty good Golf Training Centre in Bukit Beruntung and are training hundreds of kids.

Han Jian trains budding badminton talent at SP Setia Badminton Academy. These kids regularly train and participate in tournaments, getting the all important experience. However, to be the best, they need to play the best. Thankfully for Badminton, the best players are Malaysian or even move here to train and compete. This makes our Badminton both popular and competitive.

I myself have seen boys who started out at 10 years old grow into more proficient footballers after 40 games under their belt in a year. The next year they're bigger,fitter and listen to their coaches more. And this has been in the 2 years that the NST/Junior Football League has been organised. We look at these kids, acknowledge the talents and actually see others working harder to be better players.

So the question I pose to you is, is your child a Van Nistleroy, Torres or Lineker. Or is he a Essien, Carragher, Mascherano with a heart full of pride to be playing and leaves every bit of it on the field of play.

Look at Lance Armstrong, who never won the Tour de France till he defeated Prostate Cancer. It spread to his lung and brain. And he came back to win 7 in a row. Many call him a cheat but haven't been able to prove it yet. But he used every bit of knowledge he could get his hands on to win. He researched tyres ,the rubber used to make them, the suit, the helmet, got into a wind tunnel and spent hundreds of hours getting the most efficient posture, nutrition and every inch of the road he would have to ride. He pushed and pushed and then pushed some more. He was willing to take more pain than any of his opponents to win. And he had to recover from that to fight the next opponent the next day.

Was he born or made?

"The Biggest Heart in the World"

Back in 1999, I had the opportunity to meet,hang out with and interview Tyrell Brandon and Travis Best from the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers respectively. Both these players played in the NBA, the highest level of Basketball in the World, and Best coached under the Legendary Larry Bird.

Now here's the thing, they were both 5'11 in height and one of the shortest players in the league. So I asked them, "What does it take for guys your height to play in the NBA next to 6"6 giants?'. They both looked at each other and and said simultaneously, "You gotta have the BIGGEST heart in the world!" When asked what this meant, they went on to explain, they trained twice as hard, twice as much, ran three times more, practiced shooting and rebounding millions of times and then worked out in the gym daily, just to be in the team.

Travis told me that in the NBA, they were likened to a snappy little dog, constantly yapping and hounding the big players and NEVER letting them have a moment of respite. "We were always up against players bigger than us, so we needed to WANT that ball more, fight for it, defend for it, jump for it, run for it and when we got it, never,never,never waste it.

In sports, as in most things in life, people see the heart and soul you put into your work to be the best. It ain't easy and when you're number 1, you're the benchmark. Everyone wants to beat YOU.

This is where WE need to be. COMMITTED. I work with kids from 8 and above, who look at the lifestyle of Cristiano,Wayne, Lionel, Federer, Nadal, Contador etc and wants the riches. What about the work? This is where the parents need to come in and encourage and motivate and be stubborn about it. That's right, stubborn. The kids need to train. Just like studies, they need tuition, revision, tests etc. Sports requires the same. Think of every training session as a tuition session. A friendly match as a revision. A tournament or league as an exam. We may win or lose the tournament under pressure to succeed, but we learn from it. Your kid is not going to be World Champion at 10, but it sets the tone for what is to come when he's 20.

And this is not specifically only catered to athletes but also sports administrators. Nicol David and Shalin Zulkifli emerged from properly planned and executed ideas.

In my next blog, I'll give you an example of what I'm talking about. For now though, Happy Birthday to my good mate and Spurs fan, Gareth in Japan.

Today's Sports Birthdays

1968 - Matthew Le Tissier

1975 - Floyd Landis

1980 - Scott Parker

1978 - Jermaine O'Neal (NBA)

1959 - Gareth Milliams

Today's sports birthdays

1980 - Ledley King

1981 - Ledley King's right knee

1975 - Marion Jones

1980 - Naveen Thomas - blog visitor

1981 - Shola Amoebi

A funny little thing I noticed

I was watching the Squash Semi's Commonwealth Games on the weekend and was a bit surprised that Azlan lost. Not THAT he lost but the way he did. He was clearly injured and had heavy strapping to his left knee and seemed out of sorts. He did his best, clearly he did against an opponent he has never beaten...however it was disturbing to see that :-

1. He didn't seem to have a coach or trainer at his chair during breaks. His opponent clearly had his coach, talking and giving instructions.

2. Azlan seemed all alone whilst the English team was around their player.

I met Azlan when he was training for the CW Games in KL in 98, then full of fire, articulate and extremely hardworking. Some players need someone from the outside looking into the glass room and strategising with them. I think it might have helped him. For sure though, a medic or trainer doing a quick massage or work with that strapped thigh may have taken his mind of it and focused on the match. With 3 coaches and a Team Manager, one wonders what happened.

On another note, it's great to have Nicol win again and complete her "Grand Slam". However, the local papers brought up the fact that once she retires, there's no one to replace her in Malaysia. Do we need Major Maniam back in the fold? Who's job was this and what's been happening?

If you have kids or prospects in sports, please do contact me. I may be able to help in some way.

A guide to BPL Predictions

For those who are keen, on the left of my blogsite, you can follow my predictions on the BPL via twitter. The abv's have been set out and weekly by sat, I will post my picks. If Man u plays Fulham, an e.g. of my abv pick would be MU2w v FU, which would mean Man U to win v Fulham. It's quite simple. If you do have an easier way, do let me know and if I find it better, will use your method. Either way, follow the soccerguru and tell me if you're happy with my picks.

Otherwise, with the way the BPL is going now, my pick is for Chelsea to win it. My thoughts are that barring any news purchases in January, Man U will be out of the race and try and concentrate on the Champions League. My team Liverpool won't be relegated or become the new Leeds United, thanks to another Yank. Rafa got a bad break in my view, and he did us a favour by leaving after somehow devaluing the club. Serves the Yanks right after trying to replace a manager on a winning streak in November with an unproven German in Klinsmann. They don't know anything about football and sport and with their losses, good business as well.

After all that has been said and done, let's not forget it was Rick Parry that recommended these Yanks!

Anyway, click on the link and follow me on twitter for more predictions.

What Winning Means.......

As my 1st post, I think we need to establish what this site stands for and how I aim to achieve it, with a lot of your help. It's about Malaysian Sport and how we CAN improve it. Together, it's us Malaysians against the world for the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, SEA Games, The Olympics, the World Cup and any and every sport we take part in. How CAN we be better? How CAN we succeed? How can we become that WINNING nation with a winning mentality in all that we do in sports. Hopefully it will spread to other areas as well, but right now, the pure simple idea is, LETS' WIN!

So with that in mind, this blog will focus on how we can better serve our sports, the athletes, the management, the finances, the fans and OUR COUNTRY.

If we've lost, haven't won, didn't achieve our goals, it means something went wrong. The preparation, the fitness, the strategy, the funding, the fans and even right down to that dreaded four letter word, LUCK.

First however, let's look at the winning mentality. This means focus, preparation, mental strength and a team of people dedicated to winning. And this preparation begins from an early age. Parents are key in this process as they are in anything in our lives. Andre Agassi hit 2500 tennis balls a day because his dad determined if he did that daily, he would hot a MILLION tennis balls a year. And he started this at age 7. World class athletes start early. Our sports administrators NEED to understand this. The current school system is biased towards providing pupils who are exam orientated. And the teachers are more interested in giving tuition after school than teaching sports out on a hot padang. So it's imperative that our sports administrators recognise this and more importantly, ACT on it.

Political will for this kind of success is lacking and the few and far between world class athletes we have, did it with their parents support. I take my hat of to Shalins', Nicols' and Azlan's parents, just to name a few.

One thing I have noticed is that proper nutrition in this great country of food, is definitely lacking. Sportsmen and women need vitamins, good food and proper nutrition for the body to recover and recuperate as well as perform at the highest level. Parents and kids need this guidance from an early age or world class performances will never be seen. With all the information available today on the net, its' quite easy for us net-savvy people to get at it, but the real athletes are unfortunately from the rural areas and this information needs to reach them.

So to summarize for this 1st post of mine, WINNING starts at home, our home, our state, our country, with attitude, knowhow, hunger to succeed and proper accolades for those who DO succeed. Encourage them to do better, never pat them on the back and say its' enough to win district, state and national events, remember its' US against the world, when it comes to sport at least.