Beckham racing to be fit for 100th England football cap

He’s not quitting, is he?

Well, he’s no quitter alright and we know that for sure. Come on now, Capello. Even if David is not 100% fit, just take him in the team and you can play him as a substitute or something. Just give him 5 or ten minutes of play and he will get his 100th cap. It will be good for your English PR; you know how much David means to the England fans.

Get my drift, Capello?


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2 Secrets About Dribbling A Soccer Ball

Here are 2 "secrets" of dribbling that are seldom taught, so I encourage you to get your players to try them

Brazilians often relate their soccer to music, and have great rhythm when running and dribbling with the ball. The way to achieve this rhythm is to keep your upper body relaxed. This allows you to be flexible and helps you have much better upper body movements for deceiving the opposition. If you maintain a stiff body posture, your movements will be stiff and not really deceptive at all. A really good tip to get a looser torso while teaching dribbling is to encourage your players to open their hands. By doing this, the upper torso becomes loose and flexible, which in turn will lead to better upper body movement for body fakes. For instance if you try dipping you shoulder one way and then going the other way, the "dip" will be far more effective with a loose upper tors, and therefore far more likely to deceive the defender.

To emphasize the point, make a fist with both hands and clench your fists tight. Now try moving your upper body and you should notice how stiff and awkward it is

Secret #1 for dribbling is to keep your upper torso relaxed and keeping your hands open and floppy

When dribbling it is more effective to be "small". The reason for this is similar to the reason for the first tip. By keeping small and close to the ground with your legs slightly bent, you will have greater mobility and able to twist and turne to deceive the defenders more easily.

To Emphasize the point, stand straight up with rigid legs. Now try and deceive a defender by lunging one way and then going the other direction. Now try it with the legs bent and in a more relaxed fashion. See the difference?

Secret #2 for dribbling is to keep your knees slightly bent and keeping close to the ground Stand small not tall

A useful drill to help Here's a drill to help with this and you can incorporate both secrets into this drill Have your players dribble the ball around and on your command the players must stop the ball "dead" using the knee.

Stopping the ball with the knee automatically achieves two things;

(1) gets the players to lower their bodies by bending their knees, getting their body low to the ground (coiled and ready to accelerate).

(2) forces the shoulder to dip and makes the upper torso turn.

Note this is important to help deceive your opponents when faking to go one way before exploding in the other direction

During the practice alternate knees, try double touches, right, left and continue dribbling, vary pace of the exercise.

Incorporate this little tip in your next warm, its' fun and productive. the Coerver Coaching Method has over 30 1V1 moves to beat defenders

The SoccerHelper coached his team to the top of the league using the Winning Formula a combination of Coerver, Principles of Play and Small sided games.

Click Here for Details

© 2007 TheSoccerHelper.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nigel_Reed

MSL Feb 26th Pahang VS Perak: Final Match Result

Perak was very lucky last night! Despite being forced to defend their own half throughout the game, Perak came out as the winner courtesy of a gem of a goal by Hardi Jaafar (he’s good, damn good) on the 61st minute.

Poor Pahang, poor Zainal Abidin Hassan! They did everything right last night. Pahang managed to shackle Perak’s twin centre forwards (very disappointing!), managed to paralyze Perak’s engine room and gave Nasril Nourdin a big fright. Unfortunately, Pahang failed to do the most important thing in a soccer match, score goals!

Well Steve Darby, your English lady luck is smiling at you at the moment. You might have another big embarrassment last night but luck was on your side. That’s soccer, guys. Sometimes teams that play better end up losing the game. Bookmakers sure don’t mind last night’s result between Pahang and Perak. The odds were with Perak to win. Well, it was an unconvincing win but Steve cares nothing about that as long as he brings home full points and shows it off to his local-coaches-got-no-class employer, Perak FA.

The upcoming Malaysian election had also helped Steve Darby. FAM recently postponed the much awaited match between Kedah and Perak scheduled on March 7th to March 23rd. Another lucky strike for Steve Darby! You better take advantage of this postponement, Steve. Go back to your drawing board and come up with something better fast. I do not wish to see Kedah kick Perak’s puny butt twice!

Perak soccer players, congratulation for the lucky win but you guys need to do better too!

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3 Basic Elements Of Individual Soccer Defending

As a defender, you are not the only player who covers all possible roles in defensive. All of your teammates that are not in possession of the ball should also be considered as possible defenders.

The first element in soccer defense is to stop your opponents from scoring. You need therefore to keep a strong focus on your opponent. The biggest mistake you can make as soccer defender is to keep your eyes on the ball and don't have an idea of where your opponent is.

You may have noticed that professional soccer players (defenders) don't look for the ball especially often. Instead they always mark their opponents tightly making it hard for them to receive the ball and do something useful with it.

As a defender you need to be aggressive and act fast but you must always analyze the current situation and try to find best solution. This is why practised defenders are so good because they have faced similar situations many times during their soccer carrier.

The second element is to be sure that you are familiar with various soccer skills and techniques. The more you know about defending the better you will be or? It is obvious that your defending skills will increase as the more you learn about subject defending. But, you will still need to play regularly to apply what you have learned.

The third important element of soccer defending is to ensure that you are mentally and physically capable of performing these techniques. Playing soccer is a physically challenging and it remains true even during soccer training. It is vital to maintain a healthy lifestyle to be certain that you are up to the task.

You should always try to do your best and use every practice to increase your soccer knowledge. Don't get satisfied just because you have been voted as the player of match. Instead, try to reflect over what mistakes you did during the match (there are always mistakes) and try to improve them in your next game. Good Luck.

http://www.soccer-training-guide.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mirsad_Mr_Hasic

Part VII: How to beat Perak – Paralyze their feeders

I have highlighted this in Part II and I’m going to do it again here today since the great local coach who gave me this soccer tactical tip one time ago emphasized that this is the best way to contain and beat Perak soccer team.

How to beat 3-5-2 & 3-4-1-2 formations

If you have been following this incredible segment from the start, you ought to know that Perak adopts 3-5-2 and 3-4-1-2 formations this season. We have seen it in the current MSL 2007-2008 Super League and 2008 Malaysian FA Cup soccer tournaments. You also ought to know that Perak plays fluid soccer and relies heavily upon their midfielders to feed their centre forwards with goal scoring chances.

In order to beat Perak, the opposing team must contain and neutralize their midfielders, the source of all incoming feed for their two centre forwards. Take a look at the diagram shown down below.


The great local coach who shared this tip with me highlighted that Perak has 4 dangerous feeders (midfielders). Personally, I don’t find Ahmad Shahrul Azhar as dangerous but just listen to what this great local coach had to say. Ahmad Shahrul Azhar is a central midfielder that also acts as Perak’s attacking midfielder or third striker. The great local coach considers him a menace whenever he moves forward and assists centre forwards upfront. Like what I have said, I don’t find Ahmad Shahrul Azhar as dangerous but I do acknowledge the fact that he has the knack of creating delicate through passes that benefits centre forwards.

Perak also relies quite heavily on Hardi Jaafar. Hardi Jaafar has the incredible ability of delivering accurate long passes, long through passes and long balls to the centre forwards. He is Perak’s main weapon in launching fast counter attacks! As a Perak soccer fan, I’m in awed of his incredible ability, reminding me of Azizol Abu Hanifah, a legendary Perak soccer player in the late 80s.

To cut it short, to beat Perak the opposing team must paralyze their feeders/midfielders. Don’t expect me to explain how to do that, soccer coaches from the opposing teams should know what to do. Ask your midfielders to play physical soccer and steal possession of the ball early, from right in the center of the field. Control the center of the field and you will have Perak in your hands, wings clipped like a roasted duck.

By the way, don’t forget to tell your defenders to mark and shadow Perak‘s two centre forwards for the whole 90 minutes. They are not as dangerous, as fast or as prolific as Safee Sali of Selangor or Marlon Alex James of Kedah but they can score opportunistic goals in the penalty box area.

Good luck, soccer coaches out there!

Related Post:
  1. Part VI: How to beat Perak - Attack their weak spots and weakest links

Different Methods Of Defending in Soccer

Containing. When containing an attacker you must lower your center of gravity by bending your knees and leaning forward. Backpedal if the attacker moves sideways. Never face a dribbler straight on, because he will put the ball between your legs or he may run by you. You won't have the time to make a complete 180-degree turn. Instead, approach the ball carrier at a 45-degree angle forcing him towards the sideline. Be prepared to move laterally with your opponent, do not just lunge at him.

Block tackle. The block tackle is the most basic way of depleting an opponent of the ball. It is designed to give you possession while keeping you on your feet. Plant your supporting foot firmly so that you don't lose balance. Then, just as your opponent contacts the ball, you must put your free foot perpendicularly to the direction in which he is moving. If executed properly, this will cause your enemy to stumble or cough up the ball.

Poke tackle. With poke tackling, you basically stab the ball away from your opponent. You must use the foot which is closer to the ball. This method does not guarantee that you will gain possession of the ball.

Slide tackle. Although spectacular, slide tackling should not be used unless in desperation or when you're away from your own goal. It can also be very effective against opponents dribbling down the sideline or shielding the ball.

To learn more about playing football please visit http://soccerboots.blogspot.com. You can find more about football training and playing tips.

2008 Carling Cup Final Feb 24th: Tottenham Hotspur VS Chelsea Pics & Photos

What a surprise!

I didn’t give much chance to Spurs to win the Final, not when they were up against the much fancied Chelsea. Avram Grant must be kicking his very own butt at the moment! I’ll bet Jose Mourinho is smiling in silent somewhere, happy to see that his amazing records at Chelsea are still very much intact. :-)





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Zainal Abidin asking Dollah Salleh for tips to beat Perak?

I just got off the phone talking to my old friend who is privy to the affairs of the Selangor soccer team. He told me that Zainal Abidin has been asking his dear old friend Dollah Salleh for some good soccer tips and pointers to beat Perak. Take note that Pahang is due to meet Perak in Kuantan on this coming Tuesday February 26th.

Dollah Salleh and his Selangor soccer team have been quite successful this season. Currently sitting pretty at the second spot of the MSL 2007-2008 Super League soccer season, surprising soccer pundits and overconfident Perak FA who thought that Selangor could never mount considerable challenge to the top teams before the start of the season. Never look down on local coaching talents, Perak FA cum foreign coach lover. :-)

My friend didn’t know what sort of soccer tips and pointers Dollah Salleh had given his old friend Zainal Abidin but I guess that they were more or less similar with I have highlighted here in this blog. It is funny to think that many considered me as the enemy of Perak even though they knew that I’m a passionate Perak soccer fan inside out. Let me get things straight for you guys out there, supporting Perak and its soccer team doesn’t mean that I should show my love and affection for Steve Darby and Perak FA. I have been doing what I have been doing long enough to know that Perak can do so much better without foreign coaches managing its soccer team and power+money-crazy politicians running its soccer/football association.

Zainal Abidin Hassan… If you are reading this today and you really want to give Perak a big kick in the butt next coming Tuesday, make a pact to bring down Perak with Irfan Bakti (Perlis Super League soccer head coach) and Azrai Khor (Kedah Super League soccer head coach) and strike a deal with them. Perak is due to meet Pahang, Perlis and Kedah in respective order. All three of you can destroy Perak once and for all and give your respective State teams some valuable advantages in the current MSL 2007-2008 Super League soccer season. Call them, compare notes and exchange thoughts about the best soccer tactics and formations that all of you can use against Perak. Find the best way to stop and beat Perak by working together.

MSL Feb 23rd Perak VS PDRM: Final Match Result

I’m in the process of boycotting Perak at the moment like thousands of other Perakians who are not happy with Steve Darby, Perak FA’s pride and honor.

However, I have to congratulate Perak soccer players for playing well last night in their game against PDRM. I know that the players are under tremendous pressure to perform well after disappointing their fans with some bad results in the last few games. Well done Perak soccer players!

As for you Steve Darby, you are not out of the woods yet. Hitting five goals against a cock-brand (Perak soccer fans fancy calling mediocre teams as ‘cap ayam’ teams) soccer brand team like PDRM is no big matter. PDRM has one of the worst defenses in the country; Perak was bound to win last night. Even the Kelantanese-owned Yob4ever Dot Com is not amused, only the blind PerakFA Dot Net made headlines of your big win. Really, it’s no big deal, Steve!

Steve Darby’s real test is in the next three consecutive big games against Pahang, Perlis and Kedah. Perak will have to dance with Pahang in Kuantan, kiss Perlis in Ipoh and bend down for Kedah in Alor Setar. It doesn’t look good for Steve Darby, isn’t it?

Yes, those coming three big games are the real test for Steve Darby.

Can he prove to Perak FA and Perak soccer fans that he is indeed a Barclays English Premier League-standard soccer coach or would he fall down to his knees and admit that he is just another cock-brand soccer coach?

Only time will tell!

Thanks to Leicx-Files Dot Blogspot Dot Com


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Perak FA getting restless?

Yes, I’m afraid that is what all those rumors have been saying (the Kelantanese-owned Yob4ever Dot Com did not say anything about this) in the past few weeks. Perak FA is getting restless and having sleepless nights lately because of the following reasons:
  1. The upcoming Malaysian election is just around the corner and some of their officials and top VIPs are involved with political campaigns and so on. All of a sudden, they have temporarily abandoned their association and leave their duties to some idiots who suddenly have lots of power in their hands.
  2. Under the guidance of their Barclays English Premier League-standard British soccer head coach Steve Darby, Perak’s performance in the current MSL 2007-2008 Super League and 2008 Malaysian FA Cup soccer tournaments so far is pathetic and right darn disappointing.
  3. News of Perak soccer fans planning to organize another mass boycott and shying away from both home and away soccer games is another fine addition to their endless list of worries.

Let’s not talk about the first reason mentioned earlier shall we, I don’t give a f*ck about politics! As matter of fact, I hope that one day we can kick out politicians from sports bodies and prevent them from holding key positions in such sports-related organizations in the future.

Frankly speaking, I have been very patient with Steve Darby. I know he needs time to develop his new soccer team after past key players (Keita, Troare and Kukoc) had left the team. I personally consider the first round of the MSL 2007-2008 Super League soccer season as his testing ground, giving him the opportunity to play around with new soccer tactics, formations and player combinations on the field. Things looks promising after Perak had beaten Selangor in Shah Alam in their last game for the first round of the MSL 2007-2008 Super League soccer season. Even though I had predicted that Selangor will beat Perak in Ipoh in the following match, I certainly did not expect Perak to crumble even further after that!

I really feel sorry for the players and I have nothing to pick against them, not even against Khalid Jamlus and Caceres. They have done well and did everything they can to help Perak but it is not enough unfortunately. I will put the blame on Steve Darby like everyone else.

It is still not too late for Steve to do something. We still have plenty of games left in the Malaysian Super League soccer tournament. Don’t forget that we also have the 2008 Malaysian FA Cup and Malaysia Cup soccer tournaments. Can he turn the table around and bring glory to Perak?

We’ll just have to wait and see guys. In the meantime, it might be good for Perak if their soccer fans really organize another mass boycott. They can start with tomorrow’s game in Ipoh. Send strong signals through Steve Darby’s thick skull and show him that we are not happy with him and the results that he had bring so far.

Boycott Yob Boycott!

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David Beckham's newest tattoo

He’s obsessed with tattoos, isn’t he?

At least he’s doing it to convince Victoria and not Fabio Capello, the new England head coach who purposely left out David from his new England line up. :-)


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David Beckham Feb 19th Hawaii - Pics & Photos

To all David Beckham fans out there, here’s a cute picture of David playing soccer with some kids in Hawaii.

By the look of his smile seen in the photo, I guess David is enjoying himself! Well, he’s family man anyway and everyone knows that he adores kids very much like Zinedine Zidane.

Carry on, David!


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UEFA Champions League First Knockout Round Feb 19th - Olympiacos VS Chelsea Pics & Photos

UEFA Champions League First Knockout Round Feb 19th - Liverpool VS Inter Milan Pics & Photos

UEFA Champions League First Knockout Round Feb 19th - AS Roma VS Real Madrid Pics & Photos

Official Manchester United Products/Soccer Kits - Up to 15% off!

Manchester United fans anywhere in the world, please take note that KitBag is having a grand promotion on official Manchester United products/soccer kits at the moment. For an example, you can buy Manchester United’s official home shirt at 15% off!

I would recommend you guys to go for the exclusive Manchester United home shirt with Christiano Ronaldo’s name and number 7 printed on it. It might be common today but it would be a collectors’ item in the next few years. Buy two today and keep one safely stored in a bank vault (just a suggestion… :-)) somewhere. You can sell it on eBay some day and get more than you originally paid for!

Grab them before they’re gone, guys!


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FA Cup 2008 Johor FC VS Perak: Final Match Result

Great, just great! You have done it again, Steve Darby.

In the last Malaysian Super League 2007-2008 soccer/football game against Terengganu at Kuala Terengganu, you surprised bookmakers and me by bringing a point home to Ipoh. Yesterday you gave us another big surprise. The odds were with you and your team to win the game against Johor FC even though Perak played the game over their home ground but you ended up losing the game by two goals to nothing! I have gone through the numbers myself and predicted that Perak should win the game too.

What the hell went wrong, Steve? What are you trying to prove here, that you are not a Barclays English Premier League-standard soccer coach as everyone had hoped for?

You are already one of the highest paid (paid better than Kedah’s Azrai Khor & Selangor’s Dollah Salleh) soccer coaches in the country. Is it somehow not enough for you?

It would not be easy to come back from a two-goal deficit in the second round match in Ipoh (scheduled on the 4th of March 2008) now. Johor FC can either defend their two-goal advantage or go all out to kick Perak out of the 2008 Malaysian FA Cup soccer tournament. That would be an embarrassing early exit that Perak soccer fans could never accept.

Steve, you have two weeks to prepare your players for the next game. It is time to crack the whip and stop the rot. I have shown the world some of Perak’s known weaknesses, I’m sure that you have read it somehow in this blog. Do something about it then. Plug those weaknesses and turn the team into a formidable soccer team in the like of Kedah fast.

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FA Cup 2008 Johor FC VS Perak: Predictions

All is awfully quite here in Perak. The Kelantanese-owned Yob4ever Dot Com and PerakFA Dot Net did not say anything about their struggling soccer team in the last few days. I guess everybody is sick and tired of the inconsistent performance shown by Barclays English Premier League-standard Steve Darby and his boys on the field.

Tonight is another big night for the local soccer teams. Tonight is where the first round of the 2008 Malaysian FA Cup soccer/football tournament will kick off. Soccer players will be extremely tired and exhausted right after this. They have more games to play now and I wonder if some of those aging (‘reput’ more like it) Perak soccer players can keep up with it. Perak will of course play tonight in the 2008 Malaysian FA Cup. Their first game is against Johor FC and it will be played over at Johor FC’s home ground.

I’m not going to waste my time talking about Perak’s or Johor FC’s soccer tactics and formations today. You can read what I have posted on my controversial ‘How to beat Perak’ segment for that. Let’s just give you guys my soccer predictions for tonight’s game.

Johor FC so far has played 7 games at home in the MSL 2007-2008 Super League tournament. Surprising, they have won 4, lost 1 (to Kedah) and drew 2. Johor FC is quite strong playing at home even though they are playing in an empty stadium most of the time. Some invisible spirits and ghosts must have given them the support then. :-)

Perak soccer fans sure cannot forget the surprise and humiliating 2-0 defeat that their team has to endure at Johor FC’s home ground in the first round of the MSL 2007-2008 Super League soccer tournament.

Can Perak seek revenge tonight? Can they whip Johor FC and return home as the valiant winner tonight?

Perhaps! Steve Darby knew his butt in on the kicking line right now after he had disappointed his employer and Perak soccer fans nationwide. I’m sure he will push his boys for a win tonight to saves his neck. I will say that Perak will win comfortably and bring home full points to Ipoh. That should cheer up his employer (get quality strikers such as Keita Mandjou, Perak FA!) and Perak soccer fans who expect miracles from their toothless team.

Good luck and all the best, Perak! No more disappointments, Steve or Perak soccer fans will force you to walk alone this time!

2008 Carling Cup Final Promotion – 15% off for all Chelsea & Spurs products

Both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspurs soccer fans must be feeling anxious at the moment and can’t wait for this coming Sunday Feb 24th when their teams will meet in the 2008 Carling Cup final!

Nope, I’m not going to do another soccer prediction here today. I will let those professional soccer bookmakers handle that.

I just want to let you guys know that UKSoccerShop is having a grand promotion right now to commemorate this historic meeting between two well known Barclays English Premier League clubs. UKSoccerShop’s promotion started yesterday and will end on midnight Feb 23rd. Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspurs soccer fans and bargain hunters can buy Chelsea and Spurs soccer kits and relevant products at 15% off during this limited promotion period!

Grab them while you still can guys!


MSL Feb 16th Terengganu VS Perak: Final Match Result

I really blew it this time. :-)

I was really surprised to hear that Perak managed to escape with a draw from this game. Soccer bookmakers all over the world expected Perak to lose since the odds were against them. I even made a prediction that Perak will lose the game last Saturday a few hours before the game.

I guess Perak was lucky. If not for Razali Umar, Perak’s lanky, speedy (he’s a good 3-4 seconds faster than Khalid Jamlus in a 40 yard dash) and possibly the only true striker managed to score the equalizer a few minutes after Terengganu had scored their first goal. My colleagues who were there last Saturday in Kuala Terengganu reported that overall Terengganu dominated the game, forcing Perak to defend in numbers at the back.

That doesn’t sound like Perak that we knew, wasn’t it?

Still, hats off to Yunus Aliff and his team. They had proven that Terengganu is very strong at home and I think they might be able to maintain their good run in front of their home fans for the rest of the MSL 2007-2008 soccer league season.

Steve Darby, Perak’s British head coach and many perceive him as the Barclays Premier League-standard soccer coach deserves a big pat on the back too. This is probably his biggest success for Perak this season. Bringing home Perak’s first point from an away game! Perak FA must have been ecstatic! :-)

Too bad for Perak and their soccer fans though. Their team finished second best in the first round of the MSL 2007-2007 soccer season but after two games in the new second round, Perak is now ‘jalan-jalan cari makan’ languishing at the fourth spot, right behind Kedah, Selangor and Perlis. By the way things are going at the moment; I think Perak deserves the current fourth spot. Perak is not the same team that we saw last season. Perak is no longer in the same class with Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Perlis and Selangor. Losing players like Keita Mandjou and Troare Abdoulaye meant that Perak had lost their sharp teeth somehow and that is good news for Perak’s opponents.

Sure, Jamlus and Caceres had delivered the goals for Perak by far but they are far from being consistent or reliable. I will still maintain my point that Jamlus is not the real deal. Anybody can score goals if he is given the opportunity to do so in the penalty box area. Look at his past goals; they were not at all impressive. He just happened to be at the right spot at the right time, that’s all. Somebody else has to do the hard work for him. There’s no way in hell he can replace quality players like Keita Mandjou. You got that, Perak FA?

Steve Darby knew this deep down inside but he’s not going to say anything about it. His pride as the Barclays Premier League-standard soccer coach probably prohibits him from admitting it. All I know is that his employer expects roses and daisies from him and he has to make sure that they get it.

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Wayne Rooney & Coleen Mcloughlin - Bagging big money from their planned wedding

They will get a whopping $5 million dollars by just giving other people media rights to their planned wedding!?

Wonder if such a marriage would last long. David and Victoria Beckham are lucky so far but I have doubts about Rooney and Coleen. I have done soccer predictions so far, maybe I should do marriage predictions too.

Hell… Better send your kids to learn to play soccer in England, guys. Who knows, they might get filthy rich one day! :-)



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Ronaldo to miss 8-9 months

The Brazilian fat-boy soccer playing career could be as good as gone now. AC Milan certainly made a big mistake in bringing him to the soccer club, much to the delight of Real Madrid who has been looking for ways to kick him out last year.

That’s life. You’re a sensational soccer star today and you could be a forgotten soccer legend tomorrow. Get used to it, Ronaldo.



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MSL Feb 16th Terengganu VS Perak: Predictions

Tonight’s match over at Kuala Terengganu should be interesting. I have reasons to believe that Steve Darby, the glamorous British Perak soccer head coach is pissing in his pants at the moment. He’s probably giving out another silly blame-it-on-the-pitch excuse (I will cover this in the future) to the Malaysian press.

Why is he pissing in his pants then?

Easy… Perak will be playing against Terengganu at their formidable home ground tonight. Let us take a look at Terengganu’s past home matches, let me warn you that their records are impressive. Definitely much better than Perak’s!

Terengganu has played 6 home games and they have won 5 and drew 1. Overconfident Perak soccer fans may think that Terengganu is an easy meat for the big-butt Seladang but the Turtle is no easy prey in Kuala Terengganu. As matter of fact, Terengganu has beaten top Super League teams there. Kedah lost 3-1 and Negeri Sembilan Naza also lost by the same goal margin to Terengganu!

Yunus Alif is a good coach and he’s a great tactician too. Like what I said in my previous post, Yunus Alif could not do much for Terengganu this season because he did not have the right kind of players that could do his bidding on the field. His players however seems to perform extremely well at home, their eccentric soccer fans could have motivated them to play well and that is a major bad news for Steve Darby and Perak.

Yes, tonight’s match will be interesting indeed. Perak will play in desperation, desperate to salvage their British head coach’s battered pride and Terengganu will play like devils possessed, eager to seek revenge and tear Seladang apart from horn to tail.

On paper, it looks as if Perak should win tonight but numbers and figures could not determine the other mysterious winning factors, team morale and fans support. That are something that Terengganu had in abundance over in Kuala Terengganu. Terengganu is doing great guns at home and I’m sorry to say that Perak is no real threat for them there. I will say that Terengganu will win quite convincingly tonight. Yunus Aliff knew Perak like the back of his hands and he should be able to come up with the right game plan and soccer tactics to beat Perak.

As a Perak soccer fan, I’m hoping that Steve Darby can turn the odds around and bring full points for Perak. It would be a miracle if Steve can do that tonight. By the way Steve, don’t forget to try out Terengganu’s special delicacy while you are there, turtle eggs! :-)

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Official football/soccer shirt sale – Up to 75% off!

Kitbag recently had a very successful football/soccer shirt sale and a few days back I received an email from them saying that they would extend the offer while stocks last.

Kitbag is having no ordinary sale here, guys. You can get original official football/soccer shirts at up to 75% off! Let me just give you a few examples:
  • England home shirt at £19.99 (price before offer was £39.99)!
  • Liverpool home shirt also at £19.99 (price before offer was £29.99)!
  • Barcelona away shirt at £29.99 (price before offer was £39.99)!
  • Italy World Cup winners 4 star home shirt at £19.99 (price before offer was £39.99)!

The above four examples have 50% discounts and you won’t be able to find it in some other places. Kitbag has lots of other great soccer merchandises, follow the link that I have provided earlier and check out their inventory.

Grab them before they are gone, guys!


Related Post:
  1. New 2008 England Away Soccer Kit from UMBRO! Order now!

Dollah Salleh is a happy man!

Well, he should be happy. His team had whipped and kicked Perak in the butt real good last Tuesday in style and ultimately sent a warning to Kedah that they are gunning for glory in the new MSL 2007-2008 soccer season.


Selangor soccer fans are extremely happy with the win over Perak; nobody can deny that the rivalry between these two soccer teams has always been the highlight of any local soccer tournament in Malaysia. Perak soccer fans must be feeling down at the moment, especially those who were there at the Perak Stadium last Tuesday. It is not easy for any soccer fan to accept such a humiliating defeat!

Congratulations once again to Dollah Salleh for proving that local coaches can deliver results better than foreign coaches such as ‘mat salehs’ like Steve Darby. This is good for the country and I hope that Dollah Salleh and the rest of our local coaches will deliver success and glory for their respective teams in the future. I have my respects for Steve Darby but as a patriot, I will always favor local coaches. You guys out there should know that M. Karathu is my all time favorite local coach. I miss his great fast and furious soccer tactics but I’m glad that current local coaches such as Azrai Khor and Dollah Salleh have the same soccer tactics and they gave us highly entertaining soccer from time to time.

Before I go, I would like to remind Dollah Salleh, his players and their soccer fans that the battle for supremacy is not yet over. Selangor will meet Perak again in other local soccer tournaments; we still have the FA and Malaysia Cup tournaments. We all know that Steve Darby is a slow coach but he is not a stupid bloke. I’m sure that he will pick up the pieces no matter how embarrassing it might be for him and come back stronger. We will meet again, Selangor! :-)

It is time to move on and forget the past. Perak must go forward and forget their humiliating defeat last Tuesday. Life goes on and Steve Darby has to eat ‘roti canai’ and ‘nasi lemak’ for breakfast as usual. The next game against Terengganu over at Kuala Terengganu tomorrow is crucial for Steve and his boys.

Can they pull themselves together and rise back from the ashes of defeat?

I will have my match predictions a few hours before the game tomorrow. Stay tuned!

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Real Madrid is still the world's richest soccer club

The absence of David Beckham who left Real Madrid to play in the United States’ Major League Soccer with LA Galaxy had no effects whatsoever to Real Madrid. The club continues to be the world’s richest soccer club!

Manchester United is not far behind but Arsenal is rising pretty fast. If Arsenal continues to perform consistently and keeps on winning trophies upon trophies in the next five years, Arsenal should be able to eclipse Real Madrid and dethrone them!



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MSL Feb 12th Perak VS Selangor: Final Match Result

As I have predicted, Selangor gave Perak a good kick in the butt last night, beating Perak convincingly with a big three-goal difference. Perak was virtually humbled, molested and humiliated right in front of their home ground packed with Perak soccer fans coming as far as Kuala Lumpur and Penang!

Congratulations to Selangor and Dollah Salleh for proving to the rest of the teams playing in the Malaysian Super League tournament that Perak is no longer invincible playing in Perak Stadium. Selangor created a history of some sort last night, breaking their 12 year old jinx of failing to beat Perak in their home ground. It is interesting to take note that Selangor last won against Perak in Ipoh way back in 1996!

As a Perak soccer fan, I’m not at all disappointed with the final match result. I have expected it since Selangor had better preparations than Perak. Dollah Salleh and his assistants had done their homework well for Selangor and they knew when and where to attack Perak last night. Steve Darby meanwhile failed miserably; he possibly had underestimated Selangor and thought that he could beat Selangor with the same approach that he had used in Perak’s previous match against Selangor in Shah Alam.

What the hell went wrong with Perak last night?

I would argue that nothing went wrong for Perak. Perak soccer players had given their best but Selangor outplayed and outwitted them good. Selangor managed to control the rhythm of the match through possession of the ball in the middle of the field thus giving Perak midfielders little chance to feed Perak’s two centre forwards with good scoring opportunities.

Dollah Salleh knew Khalid Jamlus pretty well; he knew that Jamlus is an opportunistic centre forward that could only score goals if the opportunity to do so is given to him in the penalty box area. It is obvious that Dollah Salleh also knew that Perak’s Chilean import centre forward Caceres also has the same characteristics with Jamlus. Knowing those two important facts are enough to convince Dollah Salleh that the best way to stop Perak is to control the middle of the field. He told his soccer players to do just that and they did not disappoint him.

As far as I’m concerned, last night’s match was a perfect example why Perak need to have good strikers in the team, strikers that can run extremely fast with the ball like what we have seen in past players such as Keita Mandjou and Frank Seator. The absence of such good strikers in the team made Perak look awfully blunt and not at all dangerous upfront. It is quiet pathetic to see both Caceres and Jamlus struggled really hard to outrun, outpace and outsmart Selangor’s young and fast defenders last night. I’m not going condemn either one of them since I know that they are not fit to do that kind of thing, they are out and out centre forwards who need strikers or wingers to do the running for them.

Back to Selangor, last night’s match revealed another good aspect of Dollah Salleh’s amazing variety of soccer tactics. Selangor was successful last night because of their clever use of numbers. Selangor put plenty of players behind when defending and Selangor also push plenty of players upfront when attacking. This is something that Steve Darby had not anticipated and Perak was practically caught with their soccer shorts down. I was really surprised to see that Selangor did not use Elie Aiboy to the fullest last night. Elie Aiboy was a lonesome figure playing a very small role. Everybody expected to see Selangor launching their attacks from the flanks but we saw something else last night. I guess this is another one of those well known Dollah Salleh’s surprising soccer tactics. :-)

I would like to comment on Perak’s poor composure and focus on last night’s game but I’m not going to do that here in this post. I will do that perhaps tomorrow in a new post. I was really disappointed to see Perak broke into pieces after the referee had awarded Selangor with a penalty in the second half. Perak soccer players should not have retaliated and argued with the referee, they should have maintained their focus on the game and continue fighting. I will have more on this tomorrow.

In the meantime, I would like to say well done to Dollah Salleh and Selangor. They truly deserve their win last night. Steve old chap, you need to go back to the drawing board and come up with something better!

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MSL Feb 12th Perak VS Selangor: Predictions

Perak and Selangor soccer fans will be treated to another great cruncher tonight. This time the game will be played in Ipoh, the home ground and stronghold for Perak.

It is interesting to take note here that Selangor had promised their soccer fans that they would give Perak everything they got tonight, expecting nothing than a big win to avenge their defeat in the last match against Perak in Shah Alam. Their confidence is genuine after realizing that they have Perak by the throat in the last game but they messed it all up in the end. They have kicked themselves in the butts then and tonight they wanted to give Perak that very same butt-kicking treatment. YobLatino was right when he said that Perak and Selangor soccer fans reserve incredible grudges against each other. :-)

Both coaches, Dollah Salleh and Steve Darby are probably beaming with confidence at the moment. Dollah Salleh is happy to see that Elie Aiboy, Frank Seator and a few other players selected for his super secret training sessions have adapted well with each other and should play much better as a team tonight. Steve Darby meanwhile is happy because his team had proven themselves after being hit with heavy criticisms especially from their own soccer fans. News from Perak’s camp has it that Steve Darby did not arrange for any super secret training sessions for tonight’s game. He will treat tonight’s game like his previous games but a few observers did mention that Steve Darby is worried about Perak’s defenses. I’m worried about Perak’s weak defenses too and I hope that Steve Darby will push his team to perform better at the back tonight.

Watch out for Dollah Salleh’s dangerous but familiar set pieces (fast attack from the flanks and long balls). I’m sure that he will have a lot of those tonight involving players such as Elie Aiboy, Frank Seator, Shukor Adan and Safee Sali. Tonight’s game will be super fast and furious, tempers will flare and I hope that Ahmad Shahrul Azhar will maintain his cool as usual.

Hell! Tonight’s game will not be easy to predict at all. As a Perak soccer fan, I want Perak to win the game but I got a bad feeling that it is Selangor that will be victorious in the end. On paper, I’m sorry to say that it is Selangor that has the advantage over Perak. Selangor has Elie Aiboy fully fit and Frank Seator back in the team for tonight’s game. Those two names are the key players for Dollah Salleh’s game plan and Perak’s fate will depend on how well they keep those two dangerous players at bay tonight. Steve Darby, do something!!

I will say that Selangor will win the game fair and square tonight if they can get some early goals in the first half. I will say that they will win quite convincingly but I hope that my predictions would go all wrong. It is all up to Steve Darby and his boys to turn the odds against them and give Selangor a very big surprise tonight. Steve Darby, I will love you even more if you can do that!

Good luck, Perak! Don’t walk alone, Steve old chap!

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Part VI: How to beat Perak – Attack their weak spots and weakest links

We have come to the sixth segment of this highly popular topic on this blog. In the previous segment, I talked about launching fast attacks and counterattacks down the flanks to catch Perak with their Joma soccer shorts down. That was a very good tip that if used to perfection can easily break Perak and any other soccer teams obsessed with a three-man defensive lineup (soccer formations such as 3-5-2, 3-4-1-2, 3-4-3 and 3-1-4-2) to pieces.

Today, let’s talk about taking advantage of Perak’s weak spots and weakest links in the team. I got this tip directly from a very successful local soccer coach who had a number of successful outings against Perak. His record against Perak was impressive, winning a number of matches against them with convincing results (Perak was brought down to the ground pathetically)!

This phenomenal local coach had a weird but excellent approach in his soccer tactics. You guys may find it quiet shocking! He would analyze the current form of soccer players on the opposing soccer teams such as Perak and picked out their weakest links. What do I mean by weakest links? Simple, soccer players like any other athletes have their ups and downs. Some even have the tendency (more like habits) to make clumsy mistakes; inconsistency is their regular contributions to the team.

After determining the opposing team’s weak spots and weakest links, the highly successful local coach would go to his drawing board and cook up soccer strategies, set pieces and tactics for his team based upon his findings. He would instruct his team to launch attacks and counterattacks through the opposing team’s weak spots and weakest links.


His soccer tactics are pretty nasty but ingenious! No wonder Perak had a terrible record against his team! Even a smart British coach like Steve Darby has no answer for his clever tactics.

I did asked this great local coach about who to his opinion can be defined as Perak’s weak spots and weakest links in the new MSL 2007-2008 soccer season. He was hesitant to share with me his opinions at first but my persistence had bowled him over. He gave me a few names; not surprisingly the names were Ahmad Shahrul Azhar, Danial Fadzly, Mohd Khairi, Chan Wing Hoong and Mohd Noor Hazrul. If you study past soccer matches between Perak and his team, you can see why most of their attacks and counterattacks were concentrated and focused on certain spots and links in Perak’s soccer team. :-)

There you go guys, use this tactical approach wisely and you can beat not only Perak but also any other soccer teams quiet easily. The keys here are faith in your tactics and persistence, just like what the great local had said to me one time ago.

Related Post:
  1. Part V: How to beat Perak - Flank them left & right

Elie Aiboy ready to teach Seladang a good lesson in soccer

There is an amazing aura of confidence in Selangor’s soccer team at the moment. Despite losing their last soccer game against Perak, Selangor is confident that they can turn the table and beat Perak at their home ground next coming Tuesday Feb 12th.

Their confidence is justified after seeing their new but well known Indonesian import player Elie Aiboy, the fast and furious right flanker/winger getting very much comfortable with the rest of the players on the field in training. The rest of the Selangor soccer players have also got used to Elie Aiboy’s tremendous burst of speed except maybe for out-of-shape Akmal Rizal who is secretly harboring hope that Elie Aiboy will slow down a bit. :-)


I can sense that Perak will be playing against a much better Selangor soccer team next coming Tuesday. Perhaps Selangor is now good enough to beat Perak and give them a few good kicks on their butts. As usual, I will have my match predictions published on this blog at least 10 hours before the actual game starts. Stay tuned!


Related Post:
  1. Frank Seator can't wait to kick Seladang's butt
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BWF latest world badminton rankings Feb 7th 2008: Men's & Women's singles

BWF latest world badminton rankings Feb 7th 2008: Men's, Women's & Mixed doubles

African Cup of Nations Semi Final Feb 7th - Ghana VS Cameroon Pics & Photos

African Cup of Nations Semi Final Feb 7th - Ivory Coast VS Egypt Pics & Photos

Egypt to defend title of African soccer king

As I have expected, Cameroon went all the way into the final of the 2008 African Cup of Nations soccer tournament. They will play Egypt, the defending champion who beat Ivory Coast quite convincingly yesterday.

I would love to see Cameroon win the Cup. Stop those Egyptians at all costs, Cameroon!



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David Beckham in training: Pics & Photos

David Beckham (currently playing for Los Angeles Galaxy), the footballer/soccer player with an incredible Midas touch. Every shirts, jerseys, soccer boots or whatever soccer equipments he wears and dons are bound to make a big impact to him, his team and his sponsors financially. Despite his age, he is still one of the most marketable footballers/soccer players on the planet!

Perhaps it is true that David Beckham worth more as a soccer model than a real soccer player. Do you agree that David Beckham has been ‘overpriced’?





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New 2008 England Away Soccer Kit from UMBRO! Order now!

Guys!

I just received an email from Kitbag just now and they have good news for those who have been waiting to purchase the all new cool-looking 2008 England away soccer kit!

Unfortunately the new kit would only be officially launched on the 12th of March but you can place advance orders here today and the kit will be shipped to you on that day (12th of March).

The awesome new away kit as always is produced by UMBRO featuring their Climate Control Technology known as ‘Trilogy’. Check out its cool looking embroidered England crest! The new shirt also has a specially made underarm gusset to maximize movement. I’m sure those living in UK should know what QR (Quick Read) is all about. Guess what? The new away kit would be the first football/soccer shirt to incorporate QR code!

This is your chance to be the first bloke on the block to own the new kit. Grab the all new England 2008 away soccer kit before its gone, guys!


Brazil beats Ireland in soccer friendly

I was really surprised with the match result. I expected Brazil to score plenty of goals against Ireland and give those Irish some good kick in the butts but they managed to keep an impressive score line, losing only by one goal to Brazil.

What did those Irish did then? Put all players guarding their goal line? :-)



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