long live another day

By now you should have seen and heard the chirps over the past weekend’s football affairs. And if you are a Manchester United or Chelsea supporter, you most probably been on the receiving end. My two favourites being:

“His armband said he was red, Romans money turned his head, he thinks he’ll have a better life, until John Terry meets his wife“

And
“If you see an Arsenal supporter walking a dog, get them to call 0800 4-0 4-1 4-2 4-3 4-4 for advice on how to hold a lead”

These (of course) cultivated by the scrutiny that is soccer. An unforgiving tale of all that is the game. No one knows this better than a Reds supporter… Or so everyone thought. Let’s face it; Chelsea did not give the men in Red half a chance, as did their supporters reciprocation.

Who can forget the we-took-Torres-right-under-your-noses slurs? The Manchester giants suffering their first season defeat to the ‘Davids’ at the bottom of the log is something never envisioned.

And I guess one has to be an Arse to comprehend as well as perhaps explain …some things. However, a great outcome for Dalglish’s outfit who bared it all and handed Ancelloti’s men their seventh drub (well imagine that).

It’s been said that “Football is not what you deserve, but what you do” What you make of the chances created. The rare, and yet so golden opportunities that procure a great touch lethal to opposition.

No statement has ever been more unerring as far as Davide Somma is concerned. Wednesday night brought South African fans together. Replicas, once again dusted off and out of the cupboards to support ‘The Boys’.

Bars, households, and of course twitter buzzed – how did we watch any game before the twitter phenomenal – as international friendlies around the world befell.

Bafana Bafana welcomed Kenya to the South African shore. Somma’s second appearance for his country should be somewhat memorable, but for the fan club the memories are not what they anticipated, especially considering how it all began. An ordered hat-trick to say the least.

His minute and eight seconds goal gave an impression of his determination to (possibly) be Pitso’s number one forward. One may argue that, it may not be off the cards just yet, but the Leeds United’s striker currently lacks the command that is identity to Katlego Mphela.

It cannot be denied he’s pacy, strong with agility on his feet, and always in the box at the right time, exactly what is required while ‘Killer’ Mphela fights his I-want-to-go-overseas demons, but one has to wonder if his current footwork will be good enough to break The Pharaohs’ backline, when they meet in March.

It doesn’t take the final score to indicate that SA was a much stronger side and though(the score) will certainly boost the 47th ranked side confidence (to a certain extent) and inevitably give it a good standing with FIFA Rankings, however, we cannot dispute the fact that Egypt will not be running with jitters due to that performance.

As we move onto another great sporting weekend, whatever it holds, one thing is for certain only a few will elude the on-coming chirps. Let the count-down begin.

smile in mourning

During the 2010 World Cup a number of things shifted in SA as well as me.

Obviously I backed the boys in Green and Gold along with, the eventual winners, Spain. But my other two teams were the Yanks and (dare I say it) Uruguay! I was quite distraught when I found two of my teams in the same group.

My dream, for the first round at least, was that SA and Uruguay made it through but as I was often reminded they had the French to concede with. But as it always does Karma came back to bite the French in the backside and they couldn’t pull off a single convincing win (I am sure Ireland could have done better).

Now as a confessed Uruguay fan you can imagine the condemning comments I received after the Suarez hand ball incident against Ba-Ghana Ba-Ghana (how I hated that name!).

After the game I posted something along the lines of “Gyan will (forever) be remembered as the man who single-handedly cost Africa a World Cup.” Many responded “Don’t you mean Suarez?” more than once. This made me realize that most of us had fantasies of Ghana actually claiming the title and Suarez broke the hearts of the entire continent…right.

This brings to the question; will LFC’s newest recruit break hearts even further? I’ve already ‘welcomed’ the obscene remark that we have just become the most hated club in Ghana.

Let’s admit it has been a roller-coaster ride (if ever there was an understatement) in the life of all that is Liverpool Football Club. Arguably the greatest club in England (you know what I mean), with a breathtaking history than any bed time story from Nelson Mandela.

The Reds have seen and been through it all especially these past two seasons – from the prospect of new owners, Woy, not making the Champions League, fighting off relegation, fighting to stay in the top half of the table and more recently the loss of our Golden Boy – El Nino – to Chelsea.

We didn’t have much time to comprehend, let alone mourn this loss – the rumours started and were confirmed within a week. As expected the supporters didn’t take kindly to the news of his departure and a person understand this debacle only too well would be Melissa Reddy hence the tweet:

“Dear footballers, you have every right to want to win trophies, further your careers and make more money. Just please respect supporters.”

I can only hope that, the heart breaker keeps our hearts in one piece and along with Andy Carrol starts scoring some goals. And I must admit that if his hand ruptures the hearts of some Chelsea, Arsenal and United fans I won’t complain.

It is ironic that the two teams who were most affected by this last transfer period are playing on Sunday. Whether it’s seeing Torres comes on the field in a blue shirt, which will be worse than seeing an ex with a super model a week after a break-up or the possibility of a winning goal from the boot (or hand) of Suarez it is going to be an interesting clash between these giants of the EPL.

You’ll Never Walk Alone

legendary feet. legendary heart.

They say a legend is an old man with a cane known for what he used to do; that his accolades best describe him and gives his audience a reason to remember him. For years, and to no end, the Real Steven Pienaar will enter the book of class greats.

The past weekend was one of legends (at least what can be classified as legendary moments), and a few step-up to the scale.

These includes Kurtley Beal – a Wallabie that tore at the hearts of many Boks. The Lions roared louder than any bad Storm causing the biggest upset in 2010 Currie Cup (since Pumas embarrassed the over-confident Bulls), by thrashing Western Province.

Frankly, I wasn’t upset all, neither was The Star Newspaper’s Chief Sport writer – Kevin McCallum – who probably opened more beer cans than he had in his life. Cindy Poluta of Eyewitness News Sport kicked up her heels for her beloved Lions.  But the man of the weekend has to be Schillo.

Bafana Bafana has evolved under the guidance of Carlos, and seems to be souring with Pitso in the driving seat. The 2010 World Cup has left an impressionable legacy. My white boss actually won a ‘Name a Bafana’ contest against her brother and husband.

Yeah this inheritance is serving the white household, and on the pitch it was evident on the Blackstars / Niger clashes. The endless missed opportunities (especially against Niger) are an extensive concern though, and while Pitso may be a patient man, the Boks have shown the SA Fan Club is anything but.

Pienaar flaunted his escalating ball skills, hushing his critics and fueling the ever burning fire of his fan base by collecting the MOM award. The Everton man proved once again why he is SA’s greatest export to the English League and an avid midfielder.

While most players wouldn’t part with the ball in the ’18 area’, Schillo displayed his unselfish heart by sending one of those legendary passes to a man who, even though lacks composure (at times), deserves to be playing in the English soil – Katlego ‘Killer’ Mphela. Bernard Parker’s goal and the other five that should have been are a reflection of this Capetonian’s God given structure.

If I had illusions of making pro-soccer Pienaar’s jersey would probably be on my wall.

Ah Legendary Heart. Legendary Feat.