Arsene's Antics!

Is it just me or has Arsene Wenger lost the final screw that was holding his head in place? Wenger's often blatantly stupid rants at officials, fellow managers and opposition team players are quite legendary! So is his love for playing the 'beautiful passing game' more often than not at the risk of humiliation like the recent Chelsea (3-0) loss. His insistence on buying young, cheap players and selling his more experienced stars has now become an obsession! One that can be added to his other obsessions of buying French kids and the current, 'buy the Barcelona youth academy' policy! Season-upon-season we've been hearing the thick French-accented English of Wenger claiming that "They are still young, they are only maturing", and even more surprisingly TV commentators agreeing with him saying "Give them another year, next year they will be champions!"

But after a 5 year win-less (major championships) streak, most commentators and pundits are starting to lose faith in Wenger's babies, ever 'maturing'!... The exasperation of Arsenal fans is becoming ever more evident as they try to justify the latest of Wenger's rants coupled with the ever increasing failure on the pitch! Not even the most die hard Gunners' fan could possibly convincingly justify Wenger's claim that the Dutch FA should compensate the injury, that Arsenal's best player of the season so far, Robin van Persie, picked up while on international duty! And they would be hard pressed to accept their French manager's claim that the Burnley side they drew with 1-1 was supposedly too strong for them!

While Wenger's actual words might have been that it is unfair for Arsenal to have faced a strong Burnley side when Manchester United faced a second string Wolves side the day before, the question still remains whether Arsenal are incapable of getting the better of the strongest side Burnley can put out? I mean, for a team that (if you believe Wenger) is still in the Championship race, getting the better of newly promoted Burnley should be a walk in the park, shouldn't it? Not underestimating the fight and grit of Owen Coyle's boys, who have already defeated Man U in the second week of the season. Still after that defeat, Sir Alex definitely didn't come out and berate the fact that Burnley were too strong for them! Defeats happen and Man U have been notorious for their slow starts to seasons. But in any normal situation, a game against Burnley should be quite an easy 3 points for the Gunners! It wasn't, and while the real culprits might have been his players who again turned in a shoddy performance on the pitch, Wenger chooses to blame his sides misfortune at having to play a strong side!

I keep coming back to that one point coz I still can't get over the ludicrousness of that claim! Yes, Mick McCarthy, the Wolves boss, did rest his 10 starters for the game against United, but can you actually blame him? McCarthy has enough experience to realise that a game against an United side charging for the title would be a difficult one to get a result from even if he played his best side. And in light of the packed Christmas season coming up and more immediately, the game against, ironically, Wolves on Saturday, he rested his key players! Big deal. The fact that McCarthy feels Wolves can beat Burnley while Wenger felt the same side were too strong, just speaks volumes!

And even if it was wrong on McCarthy's side to have fielded a weakened side at Old Trafford, it is to me just a taste of his own bitter French medicine for Wenger who had just the weak before, fielded the youngest ever side in the final Champions League match against Olympiakos who went on to beat his side of inexperienced teenagers and progress to the next round at the expense of Standard Liege, who fell to third in the group on account of that result! For one thing, Liege who will now compete in the Europa league lost out on millions of pounds in TV revenue as a result of that. Now for that, should they receive compensation from Arsenal who will reportedly receive 36 million pounds for topping their Champions league group?

Which brings us nicely onto Wenger's own claims of being compensated for a hip injury picked up by Van Persie on international duty. The number of injuries at Arsenal this season, as has been the case in most recent seasons (40 injuries and counting), is indeed shocking. It is also very unfortunate for Wenger that the one player in his side who has been scoring goals at will and orchestrating the show, is now out for some time. Yet blaming the Dutch FA for having played him in a supposedly 'unnecessary' game is rubbish! I would like to see how Wenger would react if he were the manager of a national side and had a player he called up for a friendly refuse to join the team, especially with the World Cup just months away!

Getting the composition of the squad just right, ahead of a World Cup is crucial and if Van Persie wanted to play at the World Cup he had no choice but to play the friendly. As it is, international managers hardly ever get their full squad together for more than a week in two months. And again, how appalling is it to say that a player should not play for his national side when he gets a call-up? There are players who train, play and exhaust themselves day in and day out to get a single call-up to their national side. Representing the Oranje is a matter of pride and great honour to Van Persie, I'm sure. But for Wenger to berate the Dutch FA for calling him up to play for his country is, I'm sorry to say, simply lunatic!

Wenger certainly seems to have lost his bearings these days. His latest complaint has been about the congested fixture list. The problem – Arsenal are playing 3 games in 7 days!... Earth to Mr. Wenger – do you remember a certain Manchester United side do just that every week for 5 months at the end of last season, what with their commitments in the Club World Cup, Champions League, Carling Cup and FA cup to add to the BPL?... And they didn't do too badly did they? Won the Club World Cup, won the Carling Cup and the BPL, and were Champions league finalists and FA cup semifinalists...

This sort of situation is called hard work Sir Wenger!... You need a squad of experienced players to deal with such situations. You need a squad that is willing to come in one day, give their heart and soul and then 3 days later come back and do the same! Arsenal's kids are certainly not at that level yet... the way things are going and especially if they keep having a lunatic Frenchman in charge who keeps selling off their best players, they won't be at that level any time soon!

- BiBinhio

The Hand of Gaul!

23 years since the original Hand of God goal scored by Diego Maradona against England in the '86 World Cup, another prolific, exceptionally gifted and widely admired footballing talent takes the road down the dark alley of footballing infamy. Within a mere five seconds of twice handling the ball, passing it off and then rushing over to celebrate with goalscorer William Gallas, French international captain and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry had marred his reputation almost irrevocably.

Often credited to be the leading inspiration behind the Anti-Racism movement in football, Henry's double handball in extra time against the Irish that ensured progression for France to the 2010 World Cup, has very much ripped the 'good' he's done over the years to tatters. It also ensures the millions of dollars that go along with a team's presence at this global sporting extravaganza, the continuation in the post of manager (at least for a while more) of the often criticised and controversial Raymond Domenech and spares the blushes of the French football association, fans and to some extent Fifa.

The Hand of Gaul

For in all reality, while genuine cries of uproar are coming out of France today, the fans and officials of the French footballing bandwagon are indeed happy somewhere that their team made it through to South Africa. A French employee can at least go to work without facing the taunts of his Italian or British colleague about their teams non-qualification. Fifa itself has often been criticised of favouring European giants France and Portugal in the draw for the European playoffs. Judging by the expected mammoth economic benifits of France making the African sojourn in 2010 instead of say Ireland, one cannot blame Fifa either, in the present economic climate. One just wishes that their claims of 'fair play' are dumped in the incinerator where it belongs!

Gallas Scores and Henry commiserates with Dunne after match

Where next for Ireland and football?

Well definitely not to football's global governing body Fifa and their at the best of times, controversial President Sepp Blatter. Fifa has waved aside claims for a replay of the match saying that the referee's decision is final. I agree for once with this actually. What Fifa needs to be doing is ensure such incidents are never repeated again.

A lot has been said about the use of video technology to avoid such incidents in the future, a lot of which have come from high ups in Ireland. After all of their concert

ed efforts to keep the game flowing, if Fifa succombs to pressure and implements a modified Hawkeye technology as used in rugby, it would be interesting to see what that will do to the amount of injury time at the end of every game! Teams like Arsenal, Barcelona, Argentina and Spain who thrive on free flowing, momentum building styles of play could very well be affected by constant stoppages. It has already been noticed how teams like Bolton and Blackburn have efficiently used a physical style of play to force constant stoppages, thereby enjoying success against the Arsenal's of the game.

It seems that the best Irish fans can hope for and the least the French Association can do is drop Henry from their team for South Africa, but the meteor supposed to arrive in 2012 will consume earth and the rest of the universe before that happens!

Was Thierry Henry at fault or was it a refereeing blunder?

As Henry would have all believe, he is not the ref and the ref is at fault! True, the ref and the assistant ref both failed to spot the handball but they were clearly not at a position to spot the infringement with their view blocked by all the other players. Yet, even after the goal had been scored Henry had the opportunity to own-up! Show some fair play! Stand up for his actions! As Russel Peter's would put it - Be a man! Instead he ran over with a gleeful (looking as stupid as always) grin on his face to celebrate with Gallas.

Its hard to say Henry was at fault for doing what he did. The obvious advantages of not admitting his action to the ref weighed up on one side. On the other, who ever said that human's are perfect? And with this incident Henry definitely proved he is as human as you or I. But in the same breath, to say that Henry was not at fault for his actions is even harder! The handball might even have been a reflex, but he very well knew what he was doing when he passed the ball over to Gallas. He knew that he was extinguishing the hopes and aspirations of millions of Irish football fans and the Irish team who arguably owned the French on the pitch that day at the Stade de France. He knew that he was probably forever tainting not just his reputation but also of his nation and the glorious game. Still he did what he did. To err is human. To forgive, divine?

- BiBinhio

Season end!

Well the relegation dogfight in the Barclay's Premier League certainly threw up the surprises and excitement it was supposed to. Unfortunately, Newcastle United with their amazing fan following and rich history have been relegated to the Championship along with Middlesborough and West Bromwich Albion. Hull City and Newcastle's neighbours Sunderland, both managed to maintain their Premiership status even though they both lost on the last day of 2009 Premiership action.

As I expected a very 'weakened' Manchester United team went to KC Stadium and racked up a 1-0 win over Hull. As Newcastle United manager Alan Shearer had said earlier, 'Any team of Mancheter United that goes to Hull will get a win'... So it prooved with Darron Gibson securing three points for the champions with a blinding strike mid-way through the first half. This meant Newcastle United only required a draw at Aston Villa to stay up and yet could not manage this as they had no reply to a Gareth Barry strike at Villa Park.

Middlesborough's fate was pretty much sealed before the final round of matches and they would have required a sporting miracle to stay up. Yet they put up a valiant display and still lost to Gianfranco Zola's West Ham side at Upton Park by 2 goals to 1. Sunderland put up a fight in what was coach Ricky Sbragia's last match in charge and went down 3-2 to Chelsea. Manager Niall Quinn should now try and look for a big name replacement for Sbragia to take this team forward next year.

So another season of Premiership football is over and now all eyes turn to Rome and the Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona on the 27th. Come on you Reds!...

Final day mircales again?

The 2008-09 Barclays Premier League season is coming to an end. Yet another entertaining and hard fought season has seen Manchester United trump for a 3rd straight year and hold off age old rivals Liverpool and the more recent challenger in Chelsea. The Mersysiders put up a season long championship winning effort for the first time in almost 20 years.

These two North-West English giants have had a historic rivalry that has with this triumph of Man United seen both clubs rack up 18 top flight championships. The Mancunians and Scousers alike would love nothing better than to see their clubs go ahead of the other in Championships' count next year! But while things are done and dusted at the top of the table, the relegation battle is anything but. Heading into the last week, only West Bromwich Albion (31 pts) are mathematically relegated. One of the closest and most competitive seasons ever in the BPL has resulted in Middlesborough (32 pts), Newcastle United (34 pts), Hull City (35 pts) and Sunderland (36 pts) all fighting to stay in the top flight of English football for another season on the last matchday.

Sunderland could have secured their Premiership status yesterday night at a relegation dogfight at Portsmouth but squandered a 1-0 lead thanks to some horrific defending and crashed to a 3-1 defeat. Now they have to win at home against a Chelsea side who have shown phenomenal away form all season, as they emphatically reminded everyone with a 4-1 thumping of Arsenal at the Emirates in their last BPL away game. A draw for Ricky Sbragia's men would mean that wins by both Hull and Newcastle would see Sunderland relegated alongwith Gareth Southgate's Middlesborough.



Similar emotions - Ricky Sbragia (left) and Alan Shearer (right)

Newcastle United have displayed a lot of grit and determination ever since Toonside legend Alan Shearer took over as manager a few weeks back. This new found 'backbone' in performance has not exactly seen the ideal results in terms of wins for the Magpies. Yet on a last day trip to a recently faltering and patchy Aston Villa, I would expect a team boasting the skill and experience of Michael Owen, Mark Viduka, Obafemi Martins, Damien Duff, Alan Smith, Joey Barton, Kevin Nolan and Nicky Butt among others, to pick up a vital victory. Even though they find themselves in the last relegation spot at the moment, the one thing they have going for themselves is a better goal difference to their opponents. If Hull and Sunderland both win then this counts for nothing. But if Sunderland draw and Newcastle win then this plays a huge role because as things would then stand, both these teams would be locked on 37 points with Newcastle above Sunderland because of GD. As already mentioned, that, combined with a Hull City win over Manchester United would mean that Sunderland would be relegated.

Manchester United have nothing to gain from their first ever trip to the Kingston Communications Stadium. They have wrapped up the championship. Plus there is a little matter of a Champions League Final to look to in 3 days time. You could forgive Sir Alex Ferguson to rest all his stars for this match as I am sure he will do. Theoretically this should give Phil Brown's Hull (the picture shows Brown's infamous on the pitch half-time dressdown of his wards in the match against Man City) a chance for what would be in other circumstances an upset. However, I do not believe this will happen. For one thing, Sir Alex has always been one to ensure he plays a strong enough team in such circumstances and not be blamed for taking the relegation battle lightly. The last day game against West Ham in the 2007 season with an FA Cup final against Chelsea coming up is a very similar situation. Ferguson did play a strong team that day which included the likes of Rooney, Smith, Fletcher, Solskjaer and Van Der Sar. Yet at the same time I do not expect Ferguson to play Rooney, Ronaldo and his other stars on Sunday either. The difference between 2007 and now is the amazing squad depth that United have.

The Man Utd squad on Sunday should be pretty much like the squad Sir Alex put out against Everton in the FA Cup semi. A young, attacking squad that only lost on penalties to an Everton squad that is sure of European football next year! This side that should consist of Darren Fletcher, Kiko Macheda, Danny Welbeck, Darron Gibson, Rafael and Fabio Da Silva, Ben Foster and others should be enough to beat Hull.



Vociferous managers - Shearer (Left) and Southgate (right) - but how much can manager's actually do if the players don't perform?

Middlesborough are the side least likely to escape relegation as they would need a convincing win at West Ham and other results to go their way in order to beat the drop. Taking their current form into account this seems hardly likely. Southgate's men need Hull and Newcastle to loose their games first. Their GD stands at -28. Hull's is -24. Newcastle is on -18. A loss for both these teams would mean Hull stays at 35 pts and Newcastle at 34. 'Borough would go up to 35 points with a win. Then they have to overcome a 4 goal difference over Hull. Basically if Hull loose by a single goal to United then the Riverside club would have to win by at least 4 goals to save themselves. If United runs rampant at the KC stadium things might look a bit more probable. If Newcastle draw then Middlesborough would have to win by a nigh impossible 11 goal margin! It is safe to say that if Shearer's men manage any sort of result at Villa then 'Borough are doomed.

But last day miracles can happen... They always have! If anything is certain it is that May 24 is gonna be an action packed day fitting for a remarkable season!

Predictions:

Sunderland vs Chelsea: 1 - 2
Hull vs Manchester United: 0 - 2
Aston Villa vs Newcastle: 1 - 1
West Ham vs Middlesborough: 1 - 0

: Sunderland and Newcastle to beat the drop.
: Hull, Middlesborough and West Brom to be relegated.
: Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Everton, Aston Villa - top 6.
: Fulham to get the last Europa League spot over Tottenham.

Champions again!

1 point more... and i point is what we got yesterday night against Arsenal at Old Trafford... A 0-0 draw it might have been... yet it served the purpose because now with being 7 points ahead of Liverpool and just 2 games to go for them... Manchester United are the champions of England for the 3rd straight time and the 18th time overall!... Glory, Glory, Man United!

To all the Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea fans I've had fights with over the last few years - At the end of it all its the results that matter and the results speak for themselves! 3 BPL titles in the last three years. Reigning European Champions. Reigning World Champions. Add the Carling Cup to that and the Community shield for good measure! It all points to this 1 term - CHAMPIONS!



The BPL trophy remains where it deserves to be!



Superhuman effort - 11 championships... Ryan Giggs!



But amidst all the celebrations... Could this be a final pat on the back... a goodbye if you will? - Carlos Tevez!

And 1 point more...

With the derby against Manchester City emphatically taken care off as well as the trip down to the JJB Stadium, Manchester United need 1 point from their remaining two games to win the Premier league for the 11th time and the English First Division championship for the 18th time, equaling the record of rivals Liverpool in the process.

A convincing 2-0 win over City on Sunday and a come from behind 2-1 win against Steve Bruce's Wigan on Wednesday night, mean that United could be champions on Saturday with at least a draw against Arsenal at Old Trafford. If they were to achieve this it will only be the second time in all of their 11 BPL championships when they have won the league playing in front of their home fans. The last time they did this was in the record breaking season of '99. With this season looking to be a repeat of the Treble performance from '99, that feat looks set to be achieved again.

With Carlos Tevez being linked with a move away from United in the summer because of the Red Devils' apparent hesitancy to cough up around 30 million pounds to make his loan deal permanent, the two crucial goals he scored in these 2 games increases the pressure on Sir Alex Ferguson to keep this fan favourite at Old Trafford. If Tevez were to score another goal in Saturday's game against Arsenal, the striker's form might also pose Ferguson with a dilemma heading into the Champions League final at Rome on May 28th against Barcelona. Does he leave out record signing Dimitar Berbatov and deploy Tevez, the talismanic Wayne Rooney and the world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo up front? Or does he leave both Tevez and Berbatov out and go for a more conservative approach? At the end of this long winding season I'm just glad that its someone like Sir Alex who is at the helm to make such a crucial decision.

Arsenal game preview:

The two embarrassing defeats in the Champions League semis will still be fresh in the minds of the Arsenal players and fans. United should take advantage of the shell shocked Arsenal players who also lost at home to Chelsea last weekend. Ferguson would not also want his team to
loose their current rich vein of form ahead of the mouth watering clash against Barcelona in less than 2 weeks time. Wrapping up the championship against Arsenal also means that Ferguson will be able to rest all his stars at Hull next Sunday, 3 days ahead of the Champions League final. Given all this impetus plus the joy of winning in front of their home fans against old rivals Arsenal, I would expect United to go looking for a win and get just that!

Barcelona hit by injuries:

Already missing Daniel Alves and Abidal due to suspension and Gabby Milito and Rafael Marquez due to injury, Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola got an added scare as Andres Iniesta, who scored the valuable goal deep into extra time against Chelsea in the 2nd leg of the semis, limped off with what appears to be a recurrence of an earlier thigh injury in the weekend game against Villareal. Iniesta and Thierry Henry, who picked up a ligament injury against Real Madrid a week earlier, both face a tough battle to be ready for the Champions League final. This could largely hamper Barcelona's challenge for the Champions League title.

If you're a Red Devil n u know it clap ur hands!

In my other posts on this blog I have tried to be as objective as possible... Not qriting biased one-sided passionate fan posts... But over the course of my studies on international journalism, I have come to understand that objectivity in reporting has never really existed... So what the hell... Unleashing the true Red Devil inside me...

3-1 Man United!... 4-1 on aggregate! As Gary Bloom (SBS commentator) put it, 'It was not men against boys, it was CHAMPIONS against boys'!... United's first ever win at the Emitates stadium and in what style... 2-0 up inside 10 minutes... 3-0 up after an awesome counter-attack early in the second half... If the only thing United did wrong at Old Trafford a week back was fail to take their chances, they definitely corrected that today!... The only tinge of regret... the only black mark, was the sending off of Darren Fletcher for a last man tackle on Cesc Fabregas, in which Fletcher clearly got to the ball first, yet got penalised. Van Persie scored from the penalty and got Arse-nal a thoruoghly undeserved consolation goal.

There was a lot of talk in the press from Wenger before the game about 'not leaving with any regrets'. Well... I guess Le Prof understood today just how far his kids have to 'mature' before they can step onto the pitch with United. For United though this performance away from home can very well be compared with that of the 7-1 drubbing of Roma two years back. The coreline may not be that emphatic but when you keep in mind that the entire game was played only with one striker on the pitch at any given point of time and that the game was at the Emirates against Arsenal, it throws into light the magnanimity of the acheivement. 

          

The atmosphere early on in the game wass terrific really with all those red and white Arsenal flags and shit... I guess most of those flags will remain in dumpsters in and around the ground as the poor idiots who support Arsenal try to forget this night for ever! But one thing is for certain... I'm not gonna let u forget it that easily!

Reviewing the player performances:

Almunia - Wenger made comments in the press after the first leg that Almunia is the best 'keeper in England! Come on!... The freekick of Ronaldo clearly showed that he is a mistake-prone at best, horrible at worst 'keeper! With Wenger saying Almunia should get English citizenship and get into the England team... am I glad that that won't happen...

Gibbs - In a facebook thread between Arsenal and Man U supporters that I'm a part of, some1 mentioned a 'dream' scenario in which Gibbs lands Ronaldo on his back, gallops forward and passes 2 Bendtner 2 score.... Well all I can say is Gibbs' butt and the Emirates turf have a unique understanding... one that let Park score the 1st goal of the game! :D

Djourou - Like in the 1st game Djourou must have though he was on the bench I guess... He sure did a looot of watching the game than doing anything about it!

Toure - Yaya Toure has recently come out and said he wants his bro at Barca... After this performance Arsenal will be glad to see him go...only prob would be that Barca won't take him! :P

Sagna - The only piece of skill Sagna showed in the match was when he caught the ball from falling to the ground over the touchline sometime in the first half. He then proceeded to throw it nicely as well... Maybe he should try cricket coz football is definitely not his cup of tea...

Song - Wenger this year called him the new Viera... Really Mr. Wenger??? are u tat dumb???... Viera at Song's age was helping Arsenal win the League and FA Cup double... Song trying to inspire this team 2 do that... no chance...

Nasri - The next Zinedine Zidane for some... Puhlease... don't disgrace Zidane... Nasri can't even wipe Zidane's butt... Nasri was so invisble in this game that I had to stop and think who was the 11th gunner on the pitch...

Fabregas - Other than being fouled by Fletcher for the penalty, Fabregas did absolutely nothing in the game... Clearly shows why Spain employ Senna behind him when he plays for them... Lads like Fabregas need someone with him to bully the other team's players away from him so that he can run into space and score one-on-one with the 'keeper!

Walcott - For all talks of the next big English thing and all Walcott sucked in both games! This leg clearly showed that for Walcott to dazzle he needs to put up against a far slower left back... Evra's pace easily put him in his place. Maybe Walcott needs to go play in the veteran's league where his pace can do him some good...

Van Persie - Scored the penalty. Took 2 freekicks. That was his total contribution. His coming back from injury made absolutely no difference!

Adebayor - Adi was ball boy and servant boy for United today. Everytime the ball would go out behind the United goal, Adi would run and fetch the ball and then place it on the 6 yard line for Van Der Sar to kick! He was terrific in those duties... But as a striker... Just as the rest of the team he was inefficient... invisible (even for some1 his height) for most parts!

United played a magnificent overall game. In the second half with the injection of Berbatov they even beat Arsenal at their own passing game... Park's shot that was saved by Almunia clearly shows how Utd ran circles around them.

I was predicting a 1-1 draw but I guess I was giving 2 much credit to the Gunners. Its been 5 years now since their trophyless run and 5 years of constant whinings of 'maturing side' by coach and fans alike... Well... deep down I guess everyone knows that this policy is gonna get them nowhere... They better go get some good players if they have the money! Earlier in the week their majority stakeholder increased his stakes to about 28%... how he must be wishing he hadn't done that now! :))

Anyway United through to the Champions League final in Rome. A repeat of the '99 treble is still on. Maybe I have taken biased reporting a bit 2 much in this post and then again maybe I've not... Who cares... I'm a true Red Devil at heart and I know it and I'm sure as well happy and clapping my hands! :D

Glory Glory Man United!

- BiBinhio.

1 down... 6 to go...

The Middlesborough game went as planned... 2-0 just as I had predicted. A smooth overall display capped with Giggs' goal less than a week after winning the PFA Player of the Year award. Hopefully the Welsh Wizard will land his 11th and Man United's 18th top flight championship trophy later this month. All that's needed now is 7 points from 4 games.

Later tonight is the Champions League return leg at Emirates against Arsenal with United taking a 1-0 lead into the game. That lead could and should have been a lot more emphatic based on the display they put up at Old Trafford 7 days back. This tie should definitely have been put to bed and unfortunately that's not the case. But on the flip-side it means that we are in for yet another exciting United vs Arsenal match today. Can't wait really!

Prediction: 1-1 draw (United progress 2-1 on aggregate).

2009 - Another Treble?

Wednesday 26th May, 1999...

A date forever etched in footballing and particularly Red Devils' folklore. The date when Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United capped off a fantastic season with winning the UEFA Champions League final at the Nou Camp in Barcelona. 10 years hence, a much changed side with the same manager at the helm is looking to repeat that performance come 27th May at the Stadio Olympico in Rome.

Yes there are a few differences. As opposed to '99 Man Utd are not in the finals of the FA cup having been knocked out on penalties by Everton. Yet in turn they have won the Carling Cup this time keeping the possibility of the treble alive. With the Red Devil's on top of the Barclay's Premier League by 3 points and with a game in hand on old rivals and 2nd placed Liverpool, and with just 4 games left in the season for Liverpool, the league title looks set to be staying at Old Trafford for the 3rd year in succession.

With a 1-0 lead heading into the second leg of the Champions League semis against bitter rivals Arsenal, Man Utd should be able to get the job done in a weeks time at the Emirates stadium. After all the rich mix of experience and youth, individual talent and great squad players and the overall depth of the squad should come through against the young Gunners. If they do reach the final at Rome, a mouth watering tie against free-flowing Barcelona or Guus Hiddink's tactically astute Chelsea will be in store.

Yet after a season of early dominance on all fronts which prompted realistic hopes of a quintuple (including the FA Cup and the World Club Championship which they won in December) United have lost their game a bit over the last month. Conceding 15 goals in 9 games is hardly a catastrophe. But for a team that had gone on a record run without conceding a goal for 13 straight games just before this, the contrast makes for a bit of a worry. The fact is that without the central defensive pairing of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, United have looked a bit shaky at the back. This was evident when without Rio, United conceded two goals to F.C.Porto in the first leg of their quarterfinals at Old Trafford. But with Ferdinand back in the squad for the second leg they held on to a comfortable cleansheet at the Dragao stadium in Porto.

Can United be halted en-route the treble?

I don't see it happening but it is possible. In the BPL if Liverpool pick up 12 points from their remaining matches and manage to hang on to a better goal difference than United, the Red Devils will have to pick up 10 from their remaining 5 matches to win the league. These 5 matches include 2 against Middlesborough and Hull both of whom are fighting for survival in the top league of English football. These two teams will definitely not be lacking in motivation. The added danger is that United have to travel to both these clubs. Middlesborough at the Riverside is capable of upsetting any teams applecart. A last day match against Hull at the K.C. stadium with Hull needing to win to stay up, might provide anything. It would be wise to remember that Hull went to Old Trafford and scored 3 goals only to loose narrowly 4-3. Memories of when struggling Leeds United cost Arsenal the title back in 2002 come back to mind!

The last 5 games for United also include 2 big games against local rivals Manchester City and Arsenal. The 5th game is against former Red Devil Steve Bruce's Wigan Athletic who have done quite well in the league this year. Picking up 10 points from these 5 games? Should be possible with United's depth in squad. Wins away at 'Borough and Hull will be crucial. Wigan away again should not be a difficult proposition except for the fact that 3 days before they play City and 3 days later take on Arsenal. If the Red Devils' can continue to fight off attrition as well as they have done this season then the league title should be bagged easily.

The Champions League scene sees United up 1-0 against Arsenal after the first leg. Arsenal can easily overturn this deficit at the Emirates in front of their fans. United have never won at the Emirates yet. United should be looking to score early on in that game or otherwise there might be an upset on the cards.

If they do make it to the finals, they'l most likely meet Chelsea for the second time running. Chelsea went to the Nou Camp and just like United in exactly the same position last year, they held Barcelona to a 0-0 draw. Now it remains to be seen if Lampard or Ballack can step up and be Chelsea's Paul Scholes in the second leg at Stamford Bridge. But from a footballing purist's point of view I would love it if Barca made it through to face United; another meeting of arguably the 2 best and most consistent teams in Europe at the moment.

My take on results:

Middlesborough (A) 2nd May: 0-2 win
Arsenal (A) (CL) 5th May: 1-1 draw (United win on aggregate 2-1)
Man City (H) 10th May: 3-1 win
Wigan (A) 13th May: 0-2 win
Arsenal (H) 16th May: 2-1 win
Hull (A) 24th May: 3-0 win

Barca/Chelsea (Rome) 27th May:

Well how about this scenario...

Barcelona lead Man U 1-0 till the 87th minute. On comes super-subs Carlos Alessandro Tevez and Fredrico 'Kiko' Macheda. Tevez scores to equalize and then Macheda turns in a Ryan Giggs corner in injury time to do the treble (not counting the club world cup of course) for United 10 years on since '99! :D

As Ferguson said before the game in Porto, United are good at being the 'first' to do something. They were the first to win the EPL, land a treble, first English team to win at Porto and so on... It is only fitting that they'll be the first team to retain the Champions League!

- BiBinhio

A GRAND Sunday...

23rd March 2008: Sunday... And what a Sunday it proved to be. For 1 it was Easter...but that was not the reason why this particular Sunday rocked.

Grand Slam Sunday - that was the term ESPN gave to this special day. On this day champions and league leaders Manchester United were playing their greatest rival Liverpool and straight after this second placed Arsenal were playing London rivals and third placed Chelsea. The title race of the Barclays Premier League was quite easily the tightest in recent years, prior to this particular Sunday. But as expected the whole championship scenario just got a whole load more tight after it.

In the early kick off Man U faced archrival Liverpool at the Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford, Manchester. THe game was built up as the Cristiano Ronaldo vs Fernando Torres clash. Both these young superstars have taken the world by storm ever since moving to England from the nearby nations of Portugal and Spain respectively. Looking at the rich goal scoring form that these two had been showing in recent games, the media had a good point in building the game around these two players. But still the whole rivalry between the Red Devils and the Reds was never left out either.

I was feeling distraught by around 6 in the evening as the game was starting at 7 and i had a train to catch at 7 25. I was returning to Manipal from Trivandrum and there was no way i couldn't get on that train and yet i seriously contemplated it!!!... Finally on the train i was recieving updates from my sis-in-law. God when I got the msg saying manu-1 liv-0, i was over the moon. I sat and had my dinner and then waited and prayed. Finally the mobile starts vibrating again and i open the message rather apprehensively. But then i read: Man U 3 - Liv 0.... I read that 1 line over and over again for abt 5 times and then get up and punch the air (the chechimar sittin nxt 2 me must hav thought tat i was mad!!!)...

Chelsea also beat Arsenal 2-1 later on in the day, taking over second place in the league. Now they are 5 points behinh Man U and still have 2 play the Red Devils at their home ground of Stamford Bridge. But still my bet now (as it has always been) is on the exciting team of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Grand Slam Sunday was also a Grand Prix Sunday as the Malaysian Grand Prix was taking place at the Sepang International F1 Arena. The second race of the 2008 F1 calendar was emphatically won by another team in red - Ferrari. For the first time since the Belgium GP last year, the front row of the grid was all red as Felippe Massa took pole alongside his teammate and reigning world champion Kimi Raikkonen. In the end, Massa ended up spinning put mid-way through the race and Kimi won. A full 20 seconds ahead of Robert Kubica of BMW who finished second. Heikki Kovelainen of Maclaren took third while the young pretender to Raikkonen's throne and winner of the 1st race of the season, Lewis Hamilton, came home in 5th place.

All in all, for me Sunday was GRAND!... My favourite football team and F1 team racked up wins and I was also on my way back to Manipal with my new laptop. Especially coming after Friday on which day I broke up with my girlfriend (Yes I knw - the post 'Is it 2 young 2 fall in love' was actually abt me, I admit now!...), Sunday was fabulous. But now I have to say, the world seems a wider place than it used to seem........ I guess we broke up at somewhat the right time for both of us.

Anyway enough about that sorry episode...this post is suppossed to be about a GRAND Sunday... and that it sure was....

Ending with - Lets go Red Devils and Prancing Horse!...

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

- BiBinhio

Blowing with the wind of CHANGE...

'I follow the Moskva, down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change
An August summer night, soldiers passing by
Listening to the wind of change

The world is closing in and did you ever think
That we could be so close, like brothers
The future's in the air, i can feel it everywhere
and Blowing with the wind of change

Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the wind of change'...

- Wind Of Change by Scorpions

The winds of change are defenitely blowing everywhere you look, the world over. From the United States' politics to the cricket action Down Under, change is the overwhelming constant that smiles down upon u like the large hoarding of Shane Warne that dominates the sight screens of all the cricket grounds in the Oz with his large cartoony smile...

While there is no use in writing abt the politics of the states (they are doomed neway:D) there always is other useful stuff 2 write abt, ain't there?... Hmmm... mayb not... One can argue that there never was ne point in just going
online and blogging about sports or my school or love or watever...but that didn't stop me then and it ain't gonna stop me now!... :D

To look at things in a broader perspective there couldn't have been a better time for me to get back onto the blogosphere. Yesterday night Man Utd thrashed their long time rivals Arsenal in the 5th round FA Cup tie held at Old Trafford, Manchester. While the term 'thrashed' has often been misused in relation to the world of sports, exaggeration is minimal this time around. 4-0 was the scoreline echoing in every Arsenal players' mind when a bruised, battered and 'red-carded' Gunners team took the long trip back to London from Manchester which suddenly must have seemed to them to have become abnormally cold (even 4 this time of the year), like the effect a couple of dementors would cause if they were swarming around the place. In all reality if you listened to the rantings of Arsene Wenger(manager of Arsenal) at the post match press conference, then one could be forgiven for calling in a baby-sitter for such were the manner of his complaints that he appered to be like a kid trying to play an adult in a game like Monopoly.

Liverpool fans were also rewarded for keeping faith in their 'LEGENDARY' manager Rafael Benitez, when they lost in their 5th round FA cup match to Championship side Barnsley. For those ardent fans who had guts enough to sit up and watch this game, the result might not have been such a big shock considering the last two rounds of the FA Cup that the Reds had played. The third round match against Luton that went to a replay and the next round match against non league side Havant and W in which they struggled at the beginning before finally winning 5-2 had both given enough signs for fans at Anfield to feel justifiably worried. Yet as a few of my friends tell me, 'Liverpool fans know football much
better than Man U fans', and I have to agree with them coz they are out of the FA cup and we are not. That sure is a great achievement to be rated alongside every one of their - don't b frightened now - 18 League titles!... I feel that I have said enough about Liverpool but one last thing u can be sure of is that whatever mediocrity the players (or managers) give they still dont have to worry bcoz - " You will never walk alone "...

Elsewhere in the world of sports, turning back a few pages, Novak Djokovic finally ended Roger Federer's streak at all Grand Slams minus the French Open. The lanky Serb got the better of the graceful Swizz Fed-Express at the new and blue courts of the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne during the inaugural grand slam of the year - The Australian Open. Finally!... The Swizz 'maestro' looked rather out of sorts during the whole tournament and as far as I am concerned he should have fallen earlier on to another Serb Janko Tipsarevic who stretched him to 5 sets and to 10-8 in the 5th set.

As I am blogging on a Sunday and as I am expecting a couple of calls, I keep glancing over to my mobile phone and yet it blatently refuses to ring. I guess the winds of change are blowing a bit too much in my life as well... Memories of what appears now to be a long time away when I was in school back home in Tvm come flooding back and i wonder what i am to make of all of it....The answer comes to me again in another second and that is that i will blog abt it 2.

My blog '4thebots' where i blog abt my school life has been redundant for a long time now. Guess its time to spark some life into it as well. College life here in Manipal seems rather dull compared to the devilry we used to get to back in school and yet unfortunately i hear from friends that the winds of change are blowing far too heavily against the fortress of fun and at times education, that is Loyola.

I have almost exhausted my capacity to sit in front of a computer and go on typing mindlessly without any specific objective in mind so i guess its time now to bid adieu... atleast until next time :D

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

- BiBinhio

Back for more.....

BiBinhio is back for more....

I do have this funny habit of blogging avidly and then dying off for a few months 2gether......I jst hope i dont do it again.....

I'm in Manipal now...Manipal Institute of Communication 2 b more precise....And life sure as hell is rockin....

Times change and I've also changed slightly.... I jst dont knw wat 2 blog on now!!!....

Neway sports is 4ever present.....

Manchester United are finally gettin there... the 4 match streak of 4 goals with a 2-2 draw against ARSEnal (which we shuld hav won) and then another 4 goals against Kiev, followed by a 2-0 win over high flyin Blackburn.....yes, The Red Devils are playin their best football of the season... rooney and Tevez are gettin on well but the 4 week injury layoff for Rooney is a bit of a worry.... Ronaldo is gettin back 2 his best...but i miss Scholes's presence on the pitch...But 1 last word on Man U....the way Giggs played against Blackburn was breathtaking......I love ya Giggsy....

The Baron Davis vs the Dallas Mavericks shootout I saw while I was back in tvm was 2 good....
All the shots that Baron was makin....shit man....and then Jason Terry, J-Stack and Dirk comiin back and doin the same....it was 2 good....

And finally.....Federer's foundations r beginning 2 shake....its abt time!!!!....Lets go Nalbandian and Djokovic and Ferrer and Nadal and Canas and Roddick and Davydenko and every1 else.....Stop the Swizz express....

So much 4 now.....

Jst abt had enuf....

b back soon...

BiBinhio.

T20 - 'Feverish' excitement...

Its been a long time since my last blog post, but during those months of 'inactivity' i've been busy with other things...

For 1, i've been busy with photos and posting on flickr.
My Page: http://www.flickr.com/bibinhio

For another, I've started college life and am enjoying life at Manipal Institute of Communication! But from Manipal i've been forced to come back to trivandrum with a fever that has taken me 2 and a half weeks to shake off. I'll probably be leaving for Manipal again tomorrow, and since this is the last day when i have access to the net without having to pay 4 it, i thought i'd blog again!

Now since the title goes T20 - 'Feverish' excitement, I've got 2 mention the world cup, don't I?...But i hope by now, everyone would have understood the 'feverish' part!...

But 2 say T20 has consumed the imagination of legions of cricket fans around the globe, would be putting it light, very light!!!... Frankly speaking, the inaugural match between the hosts S.A and the Carribean 'Kings' was a bit boring - cricket wise. Slap bang cricket, but still, it was a no contest between the bat and ball. Yet, Chris Gayle's massive hitting deserves a mention... a 101 m 6!...How Sir Viv Richards wuld hav enjoyed this form of the game!... Hate to think of the bowlers who'd have to bowl to him though!!!...

India vs Pakistan, a game that never fails to shock you every time... and yet this one at the T20 world cup was a shock bigger even than 9-11, one could say!... The fact that the Pak skipper Shoaib Malik and the coach, the 'experienced' Geoff Lawson did not know about the possibility of a shoot-out is something remarkable and even more foolish!...

But the game of the tournament so far, just because of the unbelievable nature of it, has to be little David(Zim) slaying the mighty Goliath(Aus)!... In there first ever world cup match back in 1983 an inspired Zimbabwe defeated Australia, and now in their first T20 World cup match, they've done the same, and to the same old adversary again!...Its a shame they were knocked out though.

Its a bit early to say who's gonna win... India is in a strong group along with the Black Caps, the hosts and the brewery happy Queen's men!!!... The mighty kangaroos look ready to hop back into form and the Lankan Lions are roaring led right from the front by the 38 years young Sanath Jayasuriya!... Pakistan could yet be a force to reckon with as long as Shahid Afridi fires and the Bangladeshi Tigers are as much a pushover as USA or China at the Olympics!!!!!...

Any of the eight teams could win it from here...but two things are for sure, I'll be supporting India and I'm not likely to at all get bored in the process...T20, Cricket's answer to the global brand of football...

Cheers.

BiBinhio.

Anyone but Federer....pls.....

The pre-emminent tennis championships of the world....WIMBLEDON!!!... Wimbledon Male Single's Trophy(Challenge Cup)
ALL THAT MATTERS!

Roger Federer.... what can I say about him, but, superhuman... And yet, when I sit back and think about that statement that I have just made, I begin to think...superhuman?....Federer???

Take a look at the times when tennis was played the way it is supposed to be played....The era of the greats...the era of the fine art called 'serve and volley'. Names of legends spring to mind...Borg, Edberg, Becker, Mcenroe, Connors, Lendl, Courier and finally the peach of the lot - Pete Sampras...

Well yeah, Nadal reached last years final...Yeah Roddick plays best on grass... Yeah Djocovic could turn out to be a young pretender...but still the fact remains...none of these players are,at the moment of the same class as say a Becker or a Macenroe or a Connors or an Agassi.

But that does not mean that I am questioning Federer's talent...no way...All I'm saying is, to say that he is a better player than Pistol Pete or Borg, based on these four(and maybe five) crowns is rubbish!...

People compare Federer's four year unbeaten streak at Wimbledon to that of Sampras and Borg. But while Borg battled the likes of Becker and Edberg and Mcenroe and Connors and Lendl en-route to winning those five crowns and Sampras went through Becker and Ivanisevic and Courier and Agassi and Rafter among others, Roger Federer has as major opposition - no one!!!!...

Would he have displayed this same level of consistency and domination had he come up in the time when Sampras was at his peak???...People could debate yes, but I very much doubt it. But do remember...a young Fed-ex with long hair held up by a bow, did stop Pistol Pete's attempt at one last hurrah at Wimbledon, back when Sampras was looking to equal Borg's record of ruling the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club Championships for five straight years.

But by that time, Sampras was past his best...Without a doubt Federer defenitely isn't at the moment...But still that same dream of Sampras that a young Swizz by the name of Roger Federer thwarted, is the same one that he is going for this time...Could we find a new, young dark horse, springing up and spoiling the Swizz maestro's party???...Again, I very much doubt it.....But I sure hope so!!!...

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

- BiBinhio.

Is it 2 young 2 fall in LOVE???...

It is quite a modern fashion statement for a bloke to say to a girl...Heh, I love you... Many say it so many times that finally its just like wishing someone a good day for them... And the extraordinary stuff is that girls take it in that way as well....well, most of them aneway....

U know Malayalis and Indians at large are so proud and boastful of our great and rich cultural heritage... But the way the present upcoming generation is headed, the ancient customs and beliefs will soon become just that - EXTINCT!!!... Arranged marriages are already a thing of the past...And at the rate of modernization that we are going through, sex before marriage(and plenty of it) will become just as customary as brushing your teeth before sleep(well if that is the case, then maybe there's a chance - coz i'm not 2 particular abt that!!!...but then u get the idea!!!...)...

Nowadays if a guy or a girl in their early twenties goes home and tells their parents that they're in love with someone, then 9 out of 10 times the parents will be ready to listen and go along with the wishes of their 'mature' wards...Just take the example of my brother.... One fine morning, (well night actually) he calls our parents together and tells them that he is in love with a classmate of his and that he wants to marry her. There is no caste difference and anything, so pretty soon his marriage is fixed and 3 years later they're married and have already completed a year of being together(God save my sis-in-law!!!!:-D)...

But still the question remains...When does a boy and a girl decide that: "Yeah, we've got something good and serious going on here...Maybe this should be more than just another relationship..." some oldtimers will say that falling in love is not good at any age, until and unless one is engaged to the mate in concern. Any modern-day, practical parent you ask will probably say that you have to be atleast 21!!!... To them I say - I respect your views a lot, but if I can help decide who rules the nation at the age of 18, then why can't I make this decision at that age as well???...

This has got all the hallmarks of being a great topic for a national debate, but then there's yet another point I'd like to make...

The Indian judiciary has named 18 as the minimum age for marriage for girls... Now does that not mean that girls have the right to decide who they wanna live with(i.e. who their lover is) by that age???... The government and the judiciary has also toyed with the idea of bringing down that age limit to 15 for girls and 18 for boys...That idea was even implemented for a few days in a state... Now if that idea has gone through such scrutiny, then does that not mean that the idea has some sort of factual basis behind it???... Then, maybe we can say that yeah kids around the age of 15 can decide whom they wanna fall in love with...

Now, there are a lot of views expressed above, of which I believe in none!!!... I believe that there is no age for falling in love...One 'can' fall in love at age 18 and just as surely one 'can' fall in love at age 81!!!... Why everyone who is born into this world falls in love from the second that they open their eyes... The first love of any man, woman, boy or girl is defenitely their mother...

But when one talks of love as being the emotion that one feels towards a life partner, age I believe, is no barrier... As Gregory Robert Joseph says in his book 'Shantharam', when one meets the person you are meant to be with in your life, you just know it... The first time you see each other, or the first time you speak or whatever, you feel a sort of connection, an invisible bond, just like the one a newborn baby senses towards its mother... Now, my seniors will probably think, God how did he come to know all this.......................

To them I say:

I READ!!!...

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.

- BiBinhio.

The week that was... or wasn't...

Rollercoaster ride......the best way to describe the week that was....or wasn't....

What with a nasty fever coupled with Real Madrid winning the Spanish title after the longest drought in their history, and also the amazing young Brit Lewis Hamilton once again upstaging Alonso, and ex-Loyolite Sankar's top performance in the duet round of the reality show Super Dancer on Amrita, the week was a long list of what was and also what wasn't!!!!....

But then....I'm not doing justice to Real Madrid am i???...."Down and out"...the words ESPN pundit Jamie Reeves used to describe Real's title hopes this season back in March...And few could blame Jamie then...Real were so back behind arch rivals F.C.Barcelona and Sevilla that a comeback seemed a task worthy of Ethan Hunt(Mission Impossible style)... And yet, on Sunday, in front of the very same Tom Cruise who played Ethan Hunt in the MI series, Fabio Capello's men gave as best as they got and more to steamroll past Mallorca and lift the Spanish Primera Liga for the first time since David Beckham arrived at the club...

Back in March it was humiliating as a Real fan to go to the Real Madrid community on orkut...There were 'fans' of the club there so disgusted with the way the club was playing that they were routinely and clinically rubbishing each and everyone at the club and none more than the coach Capello and the captain Raul...'Raul is old'...'Raul is past his best'...'Raul is no longer the finisher he once was'...all this were routine comments(the 'postable' ones shall i say)...Coach Capello was getting a different kind of stick...'Capello is gay'...'Capello takes Emerson everywhere with him...they must be gay partners'....this was what was being said about the coach....And the irony is that now, the same people, at the same forum, are lauding Capello and Raul and praying that Capello will not get sacked by the club........ I've grown used to the fickle mindedness of the average Indian when it comes to the cricket team, but i never expected this from foreigners....Or maybe too many people in that community might be Indians...talk anout the tech bloom in India!!!...

Now on to Sankar and the way his body is grooving and moving and taking over theway the competition it can be said with his dance in the Melody round, dancing to the tune of Vennilave, vennilave. He then followed it up with a high paced, highly innovative number in his duet round with his partner Chippi also chipping in smashingly!!!... What do I say about Sankar...He was a good dancer at school, he was a great dancer when he passed out of school and now he is a SUPER DANCER.........as Faasil calls him - THE DANCING PRINZ....ROCK ON BROTHER...

Now i believe Sankar is 20...but a man 2 years older than him was stealing headlines around the world with his unbelieavably awesome performances on the race track...Yes, Lewis Hamilton has been groomed from the age of 11 to be an F1 driver and yes, he is in what seems to be the fastest car at the moment, (God i hate to admit that...come on Ferrari!!!) but still his teammate is the 2 time defending champ Fernando Alonso and yet Hamilton managed to stave off his challenge for the whole U.S.Grand Prix... Even hardcore Alonso fans(pity them) must admit that little boy wonder Lewis made 'Alonso' look like a rookie while going into turn 1 of the Canadian Grand Prix, the week before.

And after the good start that Lewis had to the season I was wondering when Alonso would become the crybaby that he really is...and wolla...it didn't take long did it...."Mommy......Maclaren are favouring Hamilton because he is a Brit".....Well Mister Alonso why the hell did you leave Renault then???...Oh thaat's right....U fell out with the boss over pretty much similar reasons eh?...It seems as though for Alonso to win, everything has to be just perfect, he needs to have the best car and no one, not even his team-mate should have a similar car....Not hallmarks of a great champion are they???...

And elsewhere in the world of sports, the San Antonio Spurs became just the 4th club ever to win 4 or more NBA titles and thereby create a mini dynasty since winning the trophy for the first time back in 1999... It was the 4th title for Tim Duncan and also for coach Greg Poppovich at San Antonio...Tony Parker took away the MVP award in a series which was a 4-0 whitewash of the Cleveland Cavaliers, first in an NBA final since the early 90's, i believe. This triumph was the 7th title for mercurial power forward Robert Horry and also the first for veteran Michael Finley who moved to the club last season and ended up getting the game-ball as a souvenir from his mates...

But then finally the week belonged to someon that very very few Indians(let alone foreigners) had heard of.... This person was so very well known that all the news channels and news papers, including those of the Indian government itself, had to run a profile check and profile report on her for the sake of themselves and the watching public... I am ofcourse talking about the person who is all set to become India's first woman President - Pratibha Patil (if the spelling is wrong, well, u get the point....).

("I will not be a puppet President" - meaning she already knows that she is!!!)...

Rajasthan Governor...Former Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha....Cabinet Minister of the Maharashtra Assembly a few times...and now Madam President???...Her Biggest Claim To Fame: she has TWICE opposed Sharadh Pawar......that's it......just opposed......And yeah she did send back the controversial Religious Freedom bill while she was Governor of Rajasthan...But to flaunt her around as our next President is simply unthinkable - George Bush Jr. might have been a better candidate... I'm not against having a woman president or anything....I am someone who feels that Hillary Clinton should be the next U.S. President(wow...Bill Clinton : the 1st Gentleman - awesome!!!)... But then if say Indira Gandhi were not dead and one fine morning the Congress were to announce her as the president then great...but Pratiba Patil?????.....The Left front has won big here...they have prooved that the UPA government has got no backbone...They rejected each and every one of the 6-7 candidates that the UPA put up...rejected...no...vetoed would be better...And in the end the Congress says that Mrs. Patil is the best man(or woman- as the case may be) for the job???...So is every Indian supposed to believe that Mrs. Patil is better and more capable than Dr. Kalam or Dr. Karan Singh or even Vice President - Bairon Singh Shekhawat???... Any kid in UKG will tell you an emphatic no!!!...What is the world coming to???...With this one major decision, India could slide down many

a rung, prestige wise in the international political scene...

It may be a long shot...but I for one, sure hope that President Kalam gets a second term...Now there's a man of real substance and vision...A real PRESIDENT!!!...


(Re-elect ME pls!!!)...

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam...