More than 45,000 football fans flocked to the National Stadium last night to watch the friendly between Singapore and Liverpool. (Or was it just Liverpool?) The overwhelming attendance brought life and energy to what was a drab, decrepit stadium, turning it into a bustling "Red" Stadium if only for a few hours. Fans turned up in droves in their favorite Liverpool jerseys - with caps, scarfs, banners and hooters to boot.
The match kicked off with the singing of the two anthems, but fans can be forgiven on such a sacred occasion for forgetting the lyrics of our national anthem. Even President Nathan and DPM Teo Chee Hean could be seen from a distance singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" - the Liverpool anthem!
Fans came from all over for the sole purpose of seeing the Liverpool players in the flesh - in action. Team coach Rafa did not disappoint. He fielded all his players who were fit to play. Never mind that some of them played for only a quarter of an hour, but fans get to see players like Kuyt setting up goals for Voronin, Nemeth, Riera and Torres; Alonso and Carragher making precision 40-meter passes; Mascherano showing off his deadly sliding tackles; and Babel and Benayoun dribbling past Singapore defenders into the 12-yard box. This alone is value for money for the football fans. Anything else, including the 5-0 final scoreline, is a bonus.
Singapore team also made 13 changes, not so much to display the home-grown talents (if there are any) as to replace the tired or injured players.
It has been 32 years since I last stepped into the National Stadium. An icon it no longer is, but last night, it was special. It was Anfield! The Kop was here. I am happy I was there!
Writer: Peter Chang
email: peterchanglc@gmail.com
Monday, July 27, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Live Life To The Fullest - Today
Spare a moment to reflect the following ... 3 air disasters in the last two months ... suicide bombings in Jakarta's JW Marriot & Ritz Carlton ... terrorists' attacks in Mumbai ... ethnic clashes in Urumqi ... the list continues. Lives were lost - in all cases unexpectedly and unnecessarily. A fellow Singaporean was a dining table away from certain death and lived to tell his story and experience. Others were not as lucky. And the stark reality is that it could very well have been you or me.
Life therefore is uncertain and unpredictable, and should never ever be taken for granted. Live life to the fullest today and not leave it till tomorrow.
This is something I consciously try to do everyday, from the moment I open up my eyes to a brand new day every morning. I am counting my blessings every single day. I am spending good, quality time with my family and will continue to give them my time and attention whenever I am able. This new-found philosophy of life has made living that much more meaningful and enriching.
This weekend I get to watch Liverpool Live! at the National Stadium with my wife. Now this is the life!
Ces't la Vie!
Writer: Peter Chang
email: peterchanglc@gmail.com
Life therefore is uncertain and unpredictable, and should never ever be taken for granted. Live life to the fullest today and not leave it till tomorrow.
This is something I consciously try to do everyday, from the moment I open up my eyes to a brand new day every morning. I am counting my blessings every single day. I am spending good, quality time with my family and will continue to give them my time and attention whenever I am able. This new-found philosophy of life has made living that much more meaningful and enriching.
This weekend I get to watch Liverpool Live! at the National Stadium with my wife. Now this is the life!
Ces't la Vie!
Writer: Peter Chang
email: peterchanglc@gmail.com
Red Devil Owen
Man U wrapped up the Malaysian leg of their Far East tour with another win over the weekend, with Owen scoring a second time in as many games since putting on that Red Devil shirt. Already the tabloids are singing praises of his goal scoring prowess and Fergie's astuteness in plucking the diminutive striker off the free transfer market. Lest the whole world gets too carried away too soon, lets puts things in perspective.
The team that Man U beat is not the Malaysian team that once ruled the soccer world in Southeast Asia. Owen was a failure in Real Madrid and a washout in Newcastle. That is an undeniable fact. Without him, Man U would have beaten the Malaysian side anyway, with perhaps even more goals. Why? Because that is how strong a Man U team always is. A reserve Man U side would have won in Malaysia just the same.
We all know how he had let Newcastle down. A big chunk of his time there was spent either in crutches or on the bench. And when he did play, he wasn't scoring goals in the games that really mattered. What irks this writer even more is that he reportedly said "I could have scored more goals for Newcastle but the team was lacking in confidence. It was not playing well, there was a manager every two minutes and unrest at board level. In a situation like that you cannot name many players who have played well on a consistent basis over the years."
He went on to say "I don't want to say I was dragged down by Newcastle because I have a lot of respect for the club, but I do believe I play better in a team full of confidence."
Owen, it's early days yet. The new season hasn't even started, so hold your horses and all your bragging. You ungrateful dwarf!
Writer: Peter Chang
email: peterchanglc@gmail.com
The team that Man U beat is not the Malaysian team that once ruled the soccer world in Southeast Asia. Owen was a failure in Real Madrid and a washout in Newcastle. That is an undeniable fact. Without him, Man U would have beaten the Malaysian side anyway, with perhaps even more goals. Why? Because that is how strong a Man U team always is. A reserve Man U side would have won in Malaysia just the same.
We all know how he had let Newcastle down. A big chunk of his time there was spent either in crutches or on the bench. And when he did play, he wasn't scoring goals in the games that really mattered. What irks this writer even more is that he reportedly said "I could have scored more goals for Newcastle but the team was lacking in confidence. It was not playing well, there was a manager every two minutes and unrest at board level. In a situation like that you cannot name many players who have played well on a consistent basis over the years."
He went on to say "I don't want to say I was dragged down by Newcastle because I have a lot of respect for the club, but I do believe I play better in a team full of confidence."
Owen, it's early days yet. The new season hasn't even started, so hold your horses and all your bragging. You ungrateful dwarf!
Writer: Peter Chang
email: peterchanglc@gmail.com
Sunday, July 5, 2009
"Liverpool Is In My Blood"
Michael Owen's transfer to Man U hogged more headlines than Kaka's move to Real Madrid. This is mind boggling considering that Real paid a hefty 56 mil pounds for the Brazilian's services while Owen goes to Man U on a free transfer. Whatever reasons Fergie has, they cannot be financial. It smacks more like an act of desperation. Ronaldo, his top striker, is gone. Tevez decided to call it a day at Man U. Fergie's target for Ronaldo's replacement, Benzema, has opted for Real. His other target, Ribery, had made it clear that it would be Real or not at all should he decide on a move. It is almost as if Fergie set out to buy a Porsche and a Maserati but came home with a Mini Austin and a Fiat Ponto instead. Oh yes, Fergie's other signing is one Antonio Valencia who in his 3-seasons with Wigan had scored just seven goals!
"Liverpool is in my blood," so said Owen many years ago. That didn't stop him from abandoning his childhood club for greener pasture - Real Madrid - in the hope of winning silverware he thought could only be a pipe-dream with Liverpool. He ended up warming his backside more than his feet at the new club. He quit to join Newcastle where his only notable achievement was to help accelerate the club's downward spiral to the lower division.
But surely there is something that Fergie sees in Owen that we don't. I can only hazard a few guesses:
- Owen is small -a foreign coach actually once called him a midget. Being small, you are supposed to be quick and nippy. But how quick can you be if you are running on only one leg (the other of course being either injured or under repair)?
- With Rooney alongside Owen, Fergie can have two strikers of similar build and size, a strategy sure to confuse any rival team's defenders.
- He dives like Ronaldo. That alone is worth half a goal everytime he plays.
- The oft-quoted statistic of 40 goals in 89 games for England was touted around to be a major deciding factor for Fergie. I beg to differ because that was precisely the reason why England had not won the World (or European) Cup for such a long time. Every manager had built the England team around the diminutive striker to ensure an abundance of goals for Owen at the expense of his fellow players, but falling short of winning the vital games that really mattered.
As a Liverpool fan, I am not complaining. Fergie can have all of Owen, body and soul (and injuries), including also-rans such as Crouch and Heskey. For good measure, he can also have Houllier and Souness as his backroom staff for free.
Rafa's foresight and vision in bringing Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush onboard his technical team can only augur well for Liverpool's future. 2009/10 could very well be the year the EPL Championship Trophy returns to its rightful place at Anfield. And remain there for many more years to come.
Writer: Peter Chang
email: peterchanglc@gmail.com
"Liverpool is in my blood," so said Owen many years ago. That didn't stop him from abandoning his childhood club for greener pasture - Real Madrid - in the hope of winning silverware he thought could only be a pipe-dream with Liverpool. He ended up warming his backside more than his feet at the new club. He quit to join Newcastle where his only notable achievement was to help accelerate the club's downward spiral to the lower division.
But surely there is something that Fergie sees in Owen that we don't. I can only hazard a few guesses:
- Owen is small -a foreign coach actually once called him a midget. Being small, you are supposed to be quick and nippy. But how quick can you be if you are running on only one leg (the other of course being either injured or under repair)?
- With Rooney alongside Owen, Fergie can have two strikers of similar build and size, a strategy sure to confuse any rival team's defenders.
- He dives like Ronaldo. That alone is worth half a goal everytime he plays.
- The oft-quoted statistic of 40 goals in 89 games for England was touted around to be a major deciding factor for Fergie. I beg to differ because that was precisely the reason why England had not won the World (or European) Cup for such a long time. Every manager had built the England team around the diminutive striker to ensure an abundance of goals for Owen at the expense of his fellow players, but falling short of winning the vital games that really mattered.
As a Liverpool fan, I am not complaining. Fergie can have all of Owen, body and soul (and injuries), including also-rans such as Crouch and Heskey. For good measure, he can also have Houllier and Souness as his backroom staff for free.
Rafa's foresight and vision in bringing Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush onboard his technical team can only augur well for Liverpool's future. 2009/10 could very well be the year the EPL Championship Trophy returns to its rightful place at Anfield. And remain there for many more years to come.
Writer: Peter Chang
email: peterchanglc@gmail.com
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Traffic Jams Along Upper Bukit Timah!
Traffic situation along Upper Bukit Timah towards the direction of city had gone from bad to worse and now getting even 'worser'. This is despite LTA's typical one-size-fits-all solution to the problem: the ERP gantry just outside, of all places, the clusters of condos in Hume Avenue!
If LTA is unable to see through their congested glasses where the actual problem lies, let me offer some help - for free.
The bottleneck is at the 2-lane road (left side of the underpass) where vehicles merge to head in 3 different directions: turn left into PIE; head straight towards Bukit Timah; turn right into Jurong Kechil. All it takes is for one car on the right lane (heading in the direction of Jurong Kechil) and it is enough to cause all the cars at the back to stop idly for a full 40 seconds before the green 'right' arrow comes on. As the arrow stays green for only 10 seconds, only a maximum of three cars will manage to filter right each time, and then the whole waiting cycle starts all over again.
My solution to the problem? Put up a no-right-turn sign (read: not ERP gantry!) at this junction. That will allow cars heading towards Bukit Timah to clear the light-controlled junction for the full 40-second duration without interruption.
As for those cars headed for Jurong Kechil, they can still do so (without necessarily incurring more time) at the next junction just 150 metres away. This is the 4-lane Clementi/Upper Bukit Timah junction which has a designated right-turn-only lane for cars going back in the direction of Upper Bukit Timah including Jurong Kechil.
LTA should give this suggestion some serious consideration.
Writer: Peter Chang
email: peterchanglc@gmail.com
If LTA is unable to see through their congested glasses where the actual problem lies, let me offer some help - for free.
The bottleneck is at the 2-lane road (left side of the underpass) where vehicles merge to head in 3 different directions: turn left into PIE; head straight towards Bukit Timah; turn right into Jurong Kechil. All it takes is for one car on the right lane (heading in the direction of Jurong Kechil) and it is enough to cause all the cars at the back to stop idly for a full 40 seconds before the green 'right' arrow comes on. As the arrow stays green for only 10 seconds, only a maximum of three cars will manage to filter right each time, and then the whole waiting cycle starts all over again.
My solution to the problem? Put up a no-right-turn sign (read: not ERP gantry!) at this junction. That will allow cars heading towards Bukit Timah to clear the light-controlled junction for the full 40-second duration without interruption.
As for those cars headed for Jurong Kechil, they can still do so (without necessarily incurring more time) at the next junction just 150 metres away. This is the 4-lane Clementi/Upper Bukit Timah junction which has a designated right-turn-only lane for cars going back in the direction of Upper Bukit Timah including Jurong Kechil.
LTA should give this suggestion some serious consideration.
Writer: Peter Chang
email: peterchanglc@gmail.com
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