Kick Off : Euro 2012

Two goals, dodgy ref, two red cards, a goalkeeper sent off, a saved penalty, a ten-man Greece scoring an equalizer but bottling it from the spot - and that was only the first match.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Euro 2012 has finally arrived.

Yeah that Russia v Czech game was okay, there were only 5 goals scored in what was possibly the best attacking display the Russians have ever put together. Arshavin looked like the player Arsenal signed back in the 2008/09 season; if not more dominating. Had they not been so wasteful in front of goal, they likely could have scored 10 - no exaggeration. 

Rewind back to the opening match, Poland looked lethal. Playing on home soil obviously helped raise the game, but the Greeks didn't know how to deal with them. I watched the match on the Danforth, surrounded by blue and white. Typically I would be a neutral, however I went with my best friend, who is Polish.

The moment we rose from Pape station - Artur draped in his Polska flag - we were welcomed by a driver screaming "Poland sucks, get the fuck off the Danforth." It didn't end there. Not many people are insane enough to walk into enemy territory like a peacock, however we had bee drinking all night.

As the game kicked off, you could sense the anger in the bar. There were at least 200 Hellas supporters, singing, waving flags, staring at us with fury. When Poland began to dominate, we were targeted. The evil stares only got worse as Poland took an early 1-0 lead, Art jumping on the seat of our booth, waving his massive Polish flag, the both of us high fiving each other.

Red card, half time, Greece changes formation. Switching from their relatively unorthodox 4-3-3, Greece suddenly took away Poland's space. The free flowing game Polska had been enjoying was suddenly nullifed. Greece counters, levels the score, Sweet Potato Fries suddenly rain upon our table.

As shocking as this was, nothing could express the distress in Art's eyes when Szczesny was sent off. Art cowered under his flag, not able to bare to look at Greece taking a 2-1 lead, the hopes of his homeland suddenly being diminished. This was a penalty kick, the game was over.

I only wish for a moment that I was him, hunched underneath the flag, expecting to hear the bar roar once again as Greece took the lead. However, instead of feeling a roar, it was my hands that started shaking his head. He looked up to see it had been saved very well by Tyton. Once again, the seat became Art's personal trampoline.

The game did fizzle out as both teams were beginning to tire. Yet all of the emotions and action helped set an unprecedented tone for the rest of the tournament. There are 20 days left, what else is in store?

England winning?

  

the outcast conundrum

Analyze this..

 A country with a population of over a billion, India, cannot produce 23 fully functioning footballers. So we took to the other sport that the mighty ol' english gave us. Cricket. Thats right! The sport that all the young boys in England take to when their football coach says they're not good enough.

 The problem i present is this - what must an Indian do when he/she does not have that rich footballing heritage to look to? Follow the English premier league? Follow the La Liga? The Bundasliga maybe? And this problem extends to all those footballing fans who come from a country that does not primarly follow this great sport. We cannot associate ourselves with a club. Why? Because those clubs are part of a rich history that spans generations. We will almost always be called glory hunters who jumped on to the band wagon and followed a team by reading up and/or listening to a true fan rave about the clubs' great victories. The outcasts cannot enjoy the World cup because frankly, our countries never make it past the qualifiers.

 So, even though today, i proudly wear the crimson red colors of Liverpool FC and chant "You'll Never Walk Alone", i know that once i step inside Anfield, i will not be fully embraced as one of their own. I can only hope that one day my country gives the sport the true credit it deserves.

Pepé Les Bleus

To many Westerners, the French are often viewed as rude and pretentious - and their personal hygiene has been known to raise eyebrows and flare nostrils.  Without looking too much into the cultural differences and stereotypes, French international, Patrice Evra’s scratch-and-sniff idée fixe left me scratching something which smelled all but floral. While sitting on the bench during last week’s friendly against Serbia, Les Bleus fullback was caught wiping his derrière with fellow teammate, Mathieu Valbueno's jersey, then following it up with a whiff. The peculiar, percolated gesture seemed to garner laughs though, as both Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema shared some chuckles: an inside joke that I don’t even know if I want to get.  

Now it has been known for some time that the French don’t think too kindly of Americans – and vice versa – but if an American was caught desecrating their own national ensign in any way, shape or form, it would warrant the death penalty.  

Heading into Euro 2012, the expectations for Les Bleus are at an all time high, especially following two deplorable campaigns at the last two major championships.  On paper, the French are in the upper echelon of countries vying for this years Euro hardware; but is that 1 ply or 2 ply? Infamous for allowing their ego and amour-propre get the best of them, Les Bleus have consistently underachieved since their runner-up performance in Germany at the World Cup in 2006 – and we all know how that ended.  Now I haven’t really been one to analyze ‘ifs’, ‘ands’, or ‘headbutts’, but if the Coq Gaulois fail to reach the semi-finals, I can almost guarantee they’ll be on the first cargo plane back to Paris, sharing the oxygen with a shipment of Eastern European knock-off eau de toilette. Now if they happen to reek [sic] havoc, and reach the finals, I’m kind of curious as to how the end-of-game-jersey-exchange with the opposition will transpire, shall they finish number 2.

History of the World : Part II

As a Liverpool supporter, the obvious question has been thrown at me numerous times in the past 48 hours; so, Brendan Rodgers?

I would be lying if I said I was happy with the appointment - but don't think too much on that, let me explain. I'm not, not happy because we've hired Brendan, I think he's going to actually prove to be a shrewd move by the club. What I'm not happy about, is the way Kenny Dalglish, the "Heart and Soul of Liverpool Football Club" as Tom Werner so patronizingly put it at the press conference this morning; was thrown away like unwanted trash just two weeks ago.

Let's take a step back to the fall of 2010. FSG came riding into Liverpool in a flurry, rescuing this great club from administration; snatching it from the grips of the dubious owners Gillett and Hicks. When all the dust was settled, there was turmoil. Fans unsure of what they knew anymore, a manager with a mid-table mentality, and a squad that had not been adequately reinvested into for some time. Not wanting to do anything too drastic, too soon, FSG waited until it seemed everything was lost and started the rebuild by replacing Roy Hodgson.

What is the one thing that keeps your body alive? Your heart. What was the one thing FSG needed to implant, in an attempt to defibrillate this dying club? Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish.

FSG, as cunning as they are, knew Dalglish would be able to get everyone on the same page. They knew, if they could get the supporters onside, the club would benefit. The players too got a lift, helping elevate the team from 12th, to 6th by seasons end. I won't go into what transpired over the next year, the simple fact of the matter is, Dalglish was just a short term fix. He wasn't FSG's "guy", and unfortunately for them, results in the eyes of fans stipulated he must get the job full time. His departure at the end of this season was simply a matter of time, FSG needed any excuse and they got it, by finishing 8th.

June 1, 2012 Brendan Rodgers from Carnlogh, Nothern Ireland was named the 18th Manager in Liverpool history. The supporters are mixed somewhat in their opinions. Thanks to the society we live in these days, everyone wants a big name. But to me, football isn't managed by names, and it isn't played by names (there are exceptions) however, it is played by ideologies and systems. Brendan Rodgers has proven this.

Rodgers took Swansea City into the Premier League, where most bookmakers had them going down just a quick as they came up. Swansea had something else in store, finishing 11th.

Its not just that they finished 11th, but its also how they played. I've seen a number of articles about Brendan and his footballing philosophy in the past few days. These insights show appointing him may be something that harkens to the history of our club, shrewd managerial appointments - see Shankly and Benitez as prime examples.

One would notice, the articles make mention to the "Barcelona style" as well as La Masia. I'm not jumping up and down screaming that I want us to copy Barca's system, but what I want, and what most Liverpool supporters want is good attacking football. His vision and tactics are all about that, Swansea easily showed this as the dominated eventual Champions, Manchester City this year.

I'm not going to be blindly optimistic and assume that he will turn us around over night; I wouldn't complain if it happened. What I will say, is that I will give him time and the opportunity to show us what he has in mind. I do have a good feeling about him however, and I'm very intrigued to see what's in store.

My only caveat is this, if we move a year down the road and this project fails, I will continue championing for a certain Spaniard with the reverse initials of Brendan Rodgers to return. But that's another story for another day.

For now I'll just quote the classy words of one Kenny Dalglish "Congratulations to Brendan and Good Luck to everyone at LFC. Kenny."