DAY ELEVEN: SO CHELSEA HAS WON IT

After a neck-to-neck season, finally Chelsea was crowned the new holder for the Barclays Premier League. It has not been an easy, nor a straightforward season. The fact that Chelsea won the title with a mere solitary point is enough to explain and immaculate the season. No more one horse racing, but this time a two horse-racing. In fact Arsenal was still a front runner (that's three horse racing) up to their sudden collapse late last month.

With the Chelsea's win, they ended Manchester United's hope to retain the title after unprecedented three seasons win in a row, hoping to clinch their 19th to leapfrog Liverpool on the record book. Yes, Chelsea has won while Manchester united have to settle for a point behind on second. Truly, Chelsea deserves the title for been magnificent on this season. Their last 4 or 5 wins have been chalked up by a huge margin of goals spree. The hammering of Wigan by 8 goals at home Stamford Bridge proved that they can score big - something that have been lacking for the Old Trafford's side.

Nevertheless, I have been enjoying this season so much and I am excited to see how things will be different for the next season. The 2009/2010 season has been more than a wreckage of dreams and desires for many (particularly Liverpool or Everton or Portsmouth - dealing with numerous problems and struggles). The season has been a nail-biting, neck-to-neck battle - with almost five or six teams have been on top of the table throughout the season. More dramas, more unsatisfactory towards the referees should be a concern too, why not. Controversies are everywhere but the spirit of sportsmanship prevails.

Rather been disappointed, I have to say that the dismay season for Manchester United may not be long. Over the years, they continue to perform with dominance in style on the English and European soils. Probably, it is a wake up call - something need to be done to correct the agonizing current player structures or the current instable week-to-week performances. Horse race is over, but the fans of football (or soccer in some country) will continue to cheer for more excitement, with World Cup is scheduled exactly a month from now. What can you ask for more?

FORMULA ONE 2010: BAHRAIN GP

The 2010 Formula One Season starts it off at Bahrain. It looks a blazing race with desert climate overhaul the challenge with heat and sand. Sakhir International Circuit will open this season with what many would expect a rather competitive season. Indeed, analysts after the pre-season testing suggested that the top four team will stand a chance of snatching a piece of pie: Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes GP and Red Bull.

THE PREVIEW

SAKHIR
Laps: 49
Circuit Length: 6.299 km
Race Distance: 308.405 km
Lap Record: Fernando Alonso (2010 - Ferrari) 1:58.287

The new track layout is a modification from previous layout, adding in extra corners on second intermediate stint. Let's listen to what expert would say about the track. Taken from Automobile TV on Youtube.

THE RESULT

Catch the report exclusively from BBC Sports
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8566770.stm

Here are the classification after the race that spun over 49 laps:

THE REVIEW

1. The highest ranked debutant driver and the only who finished the race was Nico Hulkenberg of Williams. The other four debutants all retired.
2. The new circuit layout with extra long second stint with most of the drivers lapping in about 64 seconds on this section.
3. From the three new teams that make their debut on this race, only Lotus Cosworth finished the race (both drivers sailed through). Both from HRT and Virgin Racing all retired.
4. Fernando Alonso's win was made possible only by Vettel's exhaust problem. Other wise, the German has been constantly ahead.
5. It was a heartbreaking truth to be swallowed by Red Bull Racing.
6. Ferrari claimed the first one-two of the season and it seems interesting to see how the rest of the season unfolds.

Next race is in Australia in a fortnight time.

FORMULA ONE 2010 - PART TWO

It's a new season again. Formula One is back again for yet another exciting season installed. What do we have? The reigning Driver's Champion, Jenson Button has joined McLaren along side fellow countryman Lewis Hamilton. Michael Schumacher returned after an absent of three years, joining rival Mercedes GP (formerly and reigning Constructor Champion, Brawn GP). Several new teams will debut this year - Virgin Racing, Hispania and Malaysia's very own Lotus.

Now, since you are excited for the start of the new F1 season coming this weekend, here are Green Tea's three parts of the 2010 Formula One Preview!!

PART 1 - The Competing Teams
PART 2 - The When And Where
PART 3 - The Rules Of All (Coming Soon)

PART TWO - THE WHEN AND WHERE

This year, there are 19 races going around across the globe. It started with the Bahrain GP this weekend and runs until the penultimate race in November 14 at Abu Dhabi. I would say this is a hectic season installed.

Race 01: Gulf Air Bahrain GP
Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir
14 March
15:00 Local, 12:00 UTC

Race 02: Qantas Australian GP
Albert Park GP Circuit, Melbourne
28 March
17:00 Local, 06:00 UTC

Race 03: Petronas Malaysian GP
Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur
4 April
16:00 Local, 08:00 UTC

Race 04: Chinese GP
Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai
18 April
15:00 Local, 07:00 UTC

Race 05: Gran Premio de Espana Telefonica
Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
9 May
14:00 Local, 12:00 UTC

FORMULA ONE 2010 - PART ONE

It's a new season again. Formula One is back again for yet another exciting season installed. What do we have? The reigning Driver's Champion, Jenson Button has joined McLaren along side fellow countryman Lewis Hamilton. Michael Schumacher returned after an absent of three years, joining rival Mercedes GP (formerly and reigning Constructor Champion, Brawn GP). Several new teams will debut this year - Virgin Racing, Hispania and Malaysia's very own Lotus. Now, since you are excited for the start of the new F1 season coming this weekend, here are Green Tea's three parts of the 2010 Formula One Preview!!

PART 1 - The Competing Teams
PART 2 - The When And Where (Coming Soon)
PART 3 - The Rules Of All (Coming Soon)

PART ONE - THE COMPETING TEAMS

The insight of whos and whos. The 12 teams this year will featured a competitive results just like last year. However, there are few who already gone much further in front than the others, as evidently seen in the pre-season testing. Heading the field is Jenson Button, the reigining world Driver's Championship.

	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Woking, Surrey, UK Team Principal: Martin Whitmarsh Technical Directors: Paddy Lowe, Neil Oatley Drivers: 1. Jenson Button 2. Lewis Hamilton Test Driver: Gary Paffett Chasis: MP4-25 Engine: Mercedes FO 108X
	Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team Brackley, Northamptonshire, UK Team Principals: Ross Brawn, Norbert Haug Race Drivers: 3. Michael Schumacher 4. Nico Rosberg Test Driver: Nick Heifeld Chasis: MGP W01 Engine: Mercedes FO 108X
	Red Bull Racing Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK Team Principal: Christian Horner Technical Officer: Adrian Newey Race Drivers: 5. Sebastian Vettel 6. Mark Webber Test Drivers: Brendon Hartley, Daniel Ricciardo Chasis: RB6 Engine: Renault RS27
	Scuderia Ferrari Malboro Maranello, Italy Team Principal: Stefano Domenicali Technical Director: Aldo Costa Race Drivers: 7. Felipe Massa 8. Fernando Alonso Test Drivers: Giancarlo Fisichella, Marc Gene, Luca Badoer Chasis: F10 Engine: Ferrari Type 056
	AT&T Williams Grove, Oxfordshire, UK Team Principals: Frank Williams, Patrick Head Technical Director: Sam Michael Race Drivers: 9. Rubens Barrichello 10. Nico Hulkenberg Test Driver: Valtteri Bottas Chasis: FW32 Engine: Cosworth CA2010
	Renault F1 Team Viry-Chatillon, France and Enstone, UK Team Principal: Eric Boullier technical Director: Bob Bell Race Drivers: 11. Robert Kubica 12. Vitaly Petrov Test Drivers: Ho-Pin Tung, Jerome d'Ambrosio, Jan Charouz Chasis: Renault R30 Engine: Renault RS27 - 2010
	Force India F1 Team Silverstone, Northampshire, UK Team Principal: Vijay Mallya Technical Director: Mark Smith Race Drivers: 14. Adrian Sutil 15. Vitantonio Liuzzi Test Drivers: Paul di Resta Chassis: VJM03 Engine: Mercedes FO 108X
	Scuderia Toro Rosso Faenza, Italy Team Principal: Franz Tost Technical director: Giorgio Ascanelli Race Drivers: 16. Sebastian Buemi 17. Jaime Alguersuari Test drivers: Brendon Hartley, Daniel Ricciardo Chasis: STR 05 Engine: Ferrari Type 056
	Lotus Racing Hingham, Norfolk, UK Team Principal: Tony Fernandes Technical Director: Mike Gascoyne Race Drivers: 18. Jarno Trulli 19. Heikki Kovalainen Test Driver: Fairuz Fauzy Chasis: T127 Engine: Cosworth CA2010
	Hispania Racing F1 Team Murcia, Spain Team Principal: Colin Kolles Technical Director: Toni Cuquerella Race Drivers: 20. Karun Chandhok 21. Bruno Senna Chasis: Hispania HRT Engine: Cosworth CA2010
	BMW Sauber F1 Team Hinwil, Switzerland Team Principal: Peter Sauber Technical Director: Willy Rampf Race Driver: 22. Pedro de la Rosa 23. Kamui Kobayashi Chasis: C29 Engine: Ferrari 056
	Virgin Racing Dinnington, South Yorkshire, UK Team Principal: John Booth Technical Director: Nick Worth Race Drivers: 24. Timo Glock 25. Lucas di Grassi Test Drivers: Luiz Razia, Andy Soucek Chasis: VR-01 Engine: Cosworth CA2010

WHAT A SHAME! WHERE IS THE SPORTMANSHIP?

Two big dogs are barking at each other on the other side of the fence. Each wants a piece of bone that is only available for one of them. There is nothing to choose between these two canines other than keep barking at each other as furious as possible to show who is the boss. The one which barks the loudest would win the jewel prize of a piece of bone.

However, in sports, barking louder does not guarantee any success nor victory. In sport, actions prove to be louder than any words. Pundits can throw their betting, analysis and opinions on who should and why this should be the case result. Off-field pundits do not transfer well into the on-field performance and results.

This is the case when there are two big bosses for different airline companies have emerged as the main force to drive their own new Formula One teams. In the British Isles we have Sir Richard Branson, the owner of Virgin Atlantic Airways, who is also the owner for Virgin F1 Racing team. On the other part of the world, we have our own Malaysian's Dato' Tony Fernandez, the founder of Air Asia and team principal of Lotus F1 team.

The two influencer in aviation industry once worked together and it is by no surprise that they share the same passion and experiences. These passions are something that is well-mixed in their bloodstreams. But alas, what a shame! Been the two biggest players where all Formula One is all about money that are thrown just to erect the loudest and fastest car, but to condemn the spirit of sportmanship is no gentlemen at all.

Lotus F1 and Virgin Racing are among the four new teams competing in the 2010 Formula One season. Next season's Formula One is about to create history by making a very much different atmosphere than the one we used to endure before. While the testing season, which will pretty much indicate and gauge each team's performance is far from begin, the challenging season has started between these two bosses.

Fernandes recently quipped that his only target in the new F1 season was to beat Branson; otherwise, he would retire and kill himself.

Branson then suggested something less macabre.

"He has an airline. We have an airline. If we beat him, he can come and work on one of our airlines as a Virgin stewardess. It will save him having to kill himself but we'll make sure the stewardess outfit is perfect." Richard Branson.

The next thing you heard in the paper the next morning is how Dato' Tony Fernandes kindly accepted the offer.

"Our guests will be delighted to be served by a knight of the realm. But knowing Richard, the real challenge will be to prevent him from asking our guests 'coffee, tea or me?'" Tony Fernandes.

Fernandes said if Branson lost the challenge, he would be assigned to duty on board a flight operated by AirAsia X. "We'd like to keep him with us for a longer flight rather than the short-haul flights operated by AirAsia. We'll be applying soon to the Department of Civil Aviation to gain clearance for him."

So, these two bosses are willing to sell their own dignity just to create some nice scene for the F1 fans to see. But I bet not many of us will buy them. It's not only the personal agendas are put into gamble on the Russian roulette table, but the national interests as well. Forget about this shameless challenging verbs been thrown at each other, the end result from the on field car racing is what matter most. This is the day when the sports-world lost its spirit of sportmanship for awhile.

CONGRATULATIONS TO TEAM MALAYSIA PART 1

The current SEA Games is still far from over. We all realized how small this event is when you started to compare it with Olympic, Commonwealth or even Asian Games. But these small achievements are always better than none.

As at 5.00pm Sunday, December 13, the Malaysian team has collected 18 gold medals at the Laos 2009 SEA GAMES. That is 45% of the 40 gold medals which Malaysian Olympic Council had targeted earlier prior to the event.

Here are the rundown of the gold medal winners for Malaysia until NOW...

TAEKWONDO

Middle Weight (67-73 kg) Women - Chan Che Chew

DIVING

10m Platform Women - Pandelela Rinong
10m Platform Men - Bryan Nickson
10m Platform (Sync) Women
3m Springboard Men - Yeoh Ken Nee
3m Springboard (Sync) Men

KARATE-DO

Kumite (68kg and above) Women - Jamalliah Jamaludin
Kumite (84kg and below) Men - Mohd Hatta Mahamut
Kumite (55kg and below) Men - R Puvaneswaran
Kumite (68kg and below) Women - G Yamini
Team Kumite Women

SWIMMING

200m Individual Medley Women - Siow Yi Ting
100m Breaststroke Women - Siow Yi Ting
100m Freestyle Men - Daniel Bego
400m Freestyle Women - Khoo Cai Lin
100m Freestyle Men - Daniel Bego
400m Freestyle Men - Daniel Bego

ATHLETICS

400m Hurdles Women - Noraseela Khalid

TOTAL: 18 GOLD

Can Malaysia grab another 22 or so?

WORLD CUP 2010 FEVER STARTED

It is official, the fever for this summer's FIFA World Cup 2010 has finally ignited with much excitement. Early this morning, the group draw was staged in Cape Town, South Africa, at 19:00 (UTC+2) on 4 December 2009 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The ceremony was presented by South African actress Charlize Theron, assisted by FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke.

After a heart-pounding 30 minutes of so drawing session, here we have the results for the draw. If your favourite team fell in any of these group, it will be exciting to see how they will outcome the rest during the group stage. If you are still unsure which team to be your bidding one, don't worry, you still have roughly 6 months to go.

GROUP A

Group A will see host South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay and France fighting for top two places to Round 2.

Match schedules

Team's statistics

REACTIONS

I don't feel that this is the most difficult group; that is just speculation. Nobody knows how each team will be six months from now. All of our opponents are difficult, but none of them are out of our reach. The difficulty should motivate us even more to play a great World Cup.

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez

All the groups seem balanced to me. It's never easy to play against the host country, but we’ll give it all we can. It will be our last match in the group (against South Africa) and we always know that players can raise their game in front of a great home crowd. We know Mexico well enough and Uruguay as well, because we played them recently in friendlies.

France coach Raymond Domenech

It’s a very exciting first game for us to take on the hosts. For us this is a great opportunity to show what we can do on the big stage. Uruguay and France are both very tough teams too, but we will do what we can to get ourselves out of the group. The styles in this group are very different and it will be a special blend of football.

Mexican coach Javier Aguirre

GROUP B

Group B will see Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea and Greece fighting for top two places to Round 2.

Match schedules

Team's statistics

GROUP C

Group C will see England, USA, Algeria and Slovenia fighting for top two places to Round 2.

Match schedules

Team's statistics

REACTIONS

USA are a good team. But Algeria and Slovenia are also tricky teams. Every opponent at a World Cup is going to be difficult. We’re playing the last two group games at sea level, so that’s going to be a different challenge as well. But I won’t be offering excuses. Every team will need to meet awkward opponents, play in difficult conditions and win matches to win the World Cup.

England coach Fabio Capello

It’s a very interesting group. We all know the English players, but we will need to do a little more research on Slovenia and Algeria. Bob Bradley (USA coach) is a very organized coach and we will need to focus our attention on our first game against England at this point. We have some injuries that we’ll need to overcome and we’ll need to come together as a team.

USA playmaker Landon Donovan

GROUP D

Group D will see Germany, Australia, Serbia and Ghana fighting for top two places to Round 2.

Match schedules

Team's statistics

REACTIONS

I'm not really happy with the group we've landed in. It’s a very strong section. Germany is one of the best teams in Europe and of course the favourite to take first place.

Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac

It's an interesting group. We have to accept the challenge. It's important to win the first game against Australia. After that we will have to play with confidence against Ghana and Serbia.

Germany coach Joachim Loew

GROUP E

Group E will see Netherlands, Denmark, Japan and Cameroon fighting for top two places to Round 2.

Match schedules

Team's statistics

GROUP F

Group F will see Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia fighting for top two places to Round 2.

Match schedules

Team's statistics

REACTIONS

The moment you consider a group easy, every match becomes difficult. Paraguay led the South American qualifying group for a long time and Slovakia is a team that's growing up very quickly with some very strong players in some strong leagues.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi

GROUP G

Group G will see Brazil, Korea DPR, Cote d'Ivoire and Portugal fighting for top two places to Round 2.

Match schedules

Team's statistics

REACTIONS

This group will be very close. It is probably the most difficult of all the sections. But I don’t think it’s a bad thing to have challenges from the start. On the contrary, we will start more focused on this World Cup as a result of it.

Brazilian star Kaka

GROUP H

Group H will see spain, Switzerland, Honduras and Chile fighting for top two places to Round 2.

Match schedules

Team's statistics

Note: All informations and print screen is taken from Fifa.com

MANCHESTER UNITED STUMBLED BECAUSE FANS TOOTHBRUSHING ON THE STADIUM

Yeah, probably many have heard about it.

Manchester United stumbled to the late goal by John Terry, no thanks to the superb free kick by Frank Lampard that has created a bit of havoc. The 76th minute goal is to become the only goal of the match, a decisive marginal victory for Chelsea and a marginal defeat for Man United.

Despite several chances from both sides, several misses and several saves can be seen. Watch the highlight video below. Wayne Rooney missed two good chances.

Chelsea's win marked their 11th straight home wins in any competitions.

Also, for a bizarre story- some moments from the fan box. A fan filmed brushing teeth at Stamford Bridge during the match. WOW!! I wonder why he did that?

According to UK's Telegraph newspaper, this is what they wrote about it:

"During his show on BBC Radio 5 Live, DJ Spoony asked: "Why has he got a toothbrush in the stadium? And more importantly, why is he brushing his teeth in the stadium?"

Co-host Gabriele Marcotti joked: "Dental hygiene. Every time you eat something, afterwards you should be brushing your teeth. You were taught that, right? You should also be flossing too, I would add."

Spoony went on: "So you're in the football stadium, you have had your pie, you brush your teeth. I mean where do you rinse, or gargle?"

He appealed for calls from the fan's friends to explain why he cannot leave his toothbrush at home."

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE MATCHDAY 5

A week break for international duty and the EPL resumed for the Match Day 5. The international duty has soared England to eventually qualify for next year’s World Cup in South Africa with styles, indulging a 100% win record in the qualifying stage along with Netherlands, Brazil, Australia and Japan among others.

Back home, EPL matches last weekend saw both Chelsea and Manchester City continued their impressive run for 100% win while Portsmouth became the only team pointless, rotting down on the bottom of the table.

Man of the week this week was none other than Liverpool’s Israeli midfield, Youssi Benayoun whom had scored a pulsating hattrick to help Koppers trashed out Burnley by 4 goals to none.

EPL MATCHDAY 5

Saturday, 12 September 2009

BLACKBURN ROVERS 3-1 WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

Ewood Park, Blackburn (Att: 24,845)

BLA: Diouf 19", Roberts 56", Dunn 63"; WOV: Maierhofer 88"

LIVERPOOL 4-0 BURNLEY

Anfield, Liverpool (Att: 43,817)

LIV: Benayoun 27”, 61”, 81”, Kuyt 41”

MANCHESTER CITY 4-2 ARSENAL

City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester (Att: 47,339)

MANC: Almunia 19” (og), Bellamy 74”, Adebayor 80”, Wright-Phillios 83”; ARS: van Persie 62”, Rosicky 87”

PORTSMOUTH 2-3 BOLTON WANDERERS

Fratton Park, Portsmouth (Att: 17,564)

POT: Kaboul 25”, Boateng 63”; BOL: Cohen 13”, Taylor 41” (pen), Cahill 88”

STOKE CITY 1-2 CHELSEA

Britannia Stadium, Stoke (Att: 27,440)

STO: Faye 32”; CHE: Drogba 45”, Malouda 90”

SUNDERLAND 4-1 HULL CITY

Stadium of Light, Sunderland (Att: 38,997)

SUN: Bent 12" (pen), 66", Reid 49"; HUL: Drogba 45”, Malouda 90”

WIGAN ATHLETIC 1-0 WEST HAM UNITED

DW Stadium, Manchester (Att: 17,142)

WIG: Rodallega 55”

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1-3 MANCHESTER UNITED

White Hart Lane, London (Att: 35,785)

TOT: Defoe 1”; MANU: Giggs 24”, Anderson 40”, Rooney 78”

Sunday, 13 September 2009

BIRMINGHAM CITY 0-1 ASTON VILLA

St Andrews Ground, Birmingham (Att: 25,196)

AST: Agbonlahor 84”

FULHAM 2-1 EVERTON

Craven Cottage, London (Att: 24,191)

FUL: Konchesky 57”, Duff 78”; EVE: Cahill 32”

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE MATCHDAY 4

This is last week's EPL result and I have to say Liverpool escaped another humiliation. I wonder what people are suggesting Mr Rafael Benitez will do? Say bye bye to Anfield or continue this kind of form?

Obviously Manchester United benefited from a precious victory against The Gunners. Thanks to Diaby's mistake by netting the ball into own net, it could have been a point a piece for both.

Anyway, here are the last weekend's results:

MATCHDAY 4

Saturday, 29 August 2009

CHELSEA 3-0 BURNLEY

Stamford Bridge, London (Att: 40,906)

CHE: Anelka 45", Ballack 47", Cole 51"

BLACKBURN ROVERS 0-0 WEST HAM UNITED

Ewood Park, Blackburn (Att: 23,421)

BOLTON WANDERERS 2-3 LIVERPOOL

Reebok Stadium, Bolton (Att: 23,284)

BOL: Davies 33", Cohen 46" - LIV: Johnson 40", Torres 56", Gerrard 82"

STOKE CITY 1-0 SUNDERLAND

Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent (Att: 27,091)

STO: Kitson 42"

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 1-1 HULL CITY

Molineux, Wolverhampton (Att: 27,906)

WOV: Stearman 46" - HUL: Geovanni 2"

MANCHESTER UNITED 2-1 ARSENAL

Old Trafford, Manchester (Att: 75,095)

MANU: Rooney 58" (pen), Diaby 63" (og) - ARS: Arshavin 40"

Sunday, 30 August 2009

PORTSMOUTH 0-1 MANCHESTER CITY

Fratton Park, Portsmouth (Att: 17,826)

MANC: Adebayor 30"

EVERTON 2-1 WIGAN ATHETIC

Goodison Park, Liverpool (Att: 17,826)

EVE: Saha 62", Baines 90" (pen) - WIG: Scharner 56"

ASTON VILLA 2-0 FULHAM

Villa Park, Birmingham (Att: 32,917)

AST: Pantsil 3" (og), Agbonlahor 59"

GREEN TEA GIVES YOU EPL RESULTS MATCHDAY 2 AND 3

I checked back my recent posts and I realized I forgot to update one. Well, as a football fan, I totally forgot to mention about last week’s English Premier League results – how saddening! Anyway, update has to be done and on this post I will present to you again regarding Match Day 2 and Match Day 3.

MATCH DAY 2

August 18, 2009

SUNDERLAND 1-3 CHELSEA
Stadium of Light, Sunderland (Att: 41,179)
SUN: Bent 18” – CHE: Ballack 52”, Lampard 61” (pen), Deco 69”

WIGAN ATHLETIC 0-1 WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
DW Stadium, Manchester (Att: 16,661)
WOV: Keogh 5”

August 19, 2009

BIRMINGHAM CITY 1-0 PORTSMOUTH
St Andrew’s Ground, Birmingham (Att: 19,922)
BIR: McFadden 90” (pen)

BURNLEY 1-0 MANCHESTER UNITED
Turf Moor, Burnley (Att: 20,872)
BUR: Blake 18”

HULL CITY 1-5 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Kingston Comms Stadium, Kingston upon Hull (Att: 24,735)
HUL: Hunt 24” – TOT: Defoe 9”, 44”, 90”, Palacios 14”, Keane 78”

LIVERPOOL 4-0 STOKE CITY
Anfield, Liverpool (Att: 44,318)
LIV: Torres 4”, Johnson 45”, Kuyt 78”, Ngog 90”

MATCH DAY 3

August 22, 2009

ARSENAL 4-1 PORTSMOUTH

Emirates Stadium, London (Att: 60,049)

ARS: Diaby 18", 22", Gallas 51", Ramsey 69" - POT: Kaboul 37"

HULL 1-0 BOLTON WANDERERS
Kingston Comms Stadium, Kingston upon Hull (Att: 22,999)
HUL: Ghilas 60”

MANCHESTER CITY 1-0 WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester (att: 47,287)
MANC: Adebayor 17”

SUNDERLAND 2-1 BLACKBURN ROVERS
Stadium of Light, Sunderland (Att: 37,106)
SUN: Jones 31”, 53” – BLA: Givet 20”

WIGAN ATHLETIC 0-5 MANCHESTER UNITED
DW Stadium, Manchester (Att: 18,164)
MANU: Rooney 55”, 64”, Berbatov 58”, Owen 85”, Nani 90”

BIRMINGHAM CITY 0-0 STOKE CITY
St Andrew’s Ground, Birmingham (Att: 21,694)

August 23, 2009

WEST HAM UNITED 1-2 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Boleyn Ground, Upton Park, London (Att: 33,095)
WHU: Cole 49” – TOT: Defoe 54”, Lennon 79”

BURNLEY 1-0 EVERTON
Turf Moor, Burnley (Att: 19,983)
BUR: Elliott 34”

FULHAM 0-2 CHELSEA
Craven Cottage, London (Att: 25,404)
CHE: Drogba 38”, Anelka 76”

August 24, 2009

LIVERPOOL 1-3 ASTON VILLA
Anfield, Liverpool (Att: 43,667)
LIV: Torres 72” – AST: Lucas 33” (og), Davies 45”, Young 74” (pen)

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE MATCHDAY 1

So, you shall see this lion logo banner more often. Why not when the English Barclay Premier League (EPL or BPL - and which ever would not be a matter at all) has begun and all we need is to endure a 10-month long football league that accumulates to about 380 football matches.

Enough said, Manchester United goes into the new season as a defending champion but may face some difficulty defending it since two jewels - Ronaldo and Tevez will not be around - there goes about 40 goals. Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are looking strong at the beginning of the season as ever, been the traditional Big Four. Manchester City is looking good as well as Tottenham and several other teams.

Fine, forget about those introduction and let us look at last week's match results.

EPL MatchDay 1

CHELSEA 2-1 HULL CITY

Stamford Bridge, London (41,597)

CHE: Drogba (36", 90"); HUL: Hunt (27")

ASTON VILLA 0-2 WIGAN ATHLETIC

Villa Park, Birmingham (35,578)

AST: - ; WIG: Rodallega (30"), Koumas (55")

BLACKBURN ROVERS 0-2 MANCHESTER CITY

Ewood Park, Blackburn (29,584)

BLA: - ; MAC: Adebayor (2"), Ireland (90")

BOLTON WANDERERS 0-1 SUNDERLAND

Reebok Stadium, London (22,247)

BOL: - ; SUN: Bent (5")

PORTSMOUTH 0-1 FULHAM

Fratton Park, Portsmouth (17,510)

POT: - ; FUL: Zamora (13")

STOKE CITY 2-0 BURNLEY

Brittainia Stadium, London (27,385)

STO: Shawcross (19"), Jordan (33" OG) ; BUR: -

WOLVERHAMPTOM WANDERERS 0-2 WEST HAM UNITED

Molineux, (28,674)

WOL: - ; WHU: Noble (22"), Upson (68")

EVERTON 1-6 ARSENAL

Goodison Park, Liverpool (39,309)

EVE: Saha (90"); ARS: Denilson (26"), Vermaelen (36"), Gallas (40"), Fabregas (47", 69"), Eduardo (88")

MANCHESTER UNITED 1-0 BIRMINGHAM CITY

Old Trafford, Manchester (75,062)

MAN U: Rooney (34"); BIR: -

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2-1 LIVERPOOL

White Hart Lane, London (35,935)

TOT: Assou-Ekotto (44"), Bassong (59"); LIV: Gerrard (55" PEN)

MAN OF THE WEEK

CESC FABREGAS (Arsenal)

MatchDay 1 belongs to Cesc Fabregas, a Spaniard talent inside The Gunners. He simply explosive on that day, producing 2 assists and scored 2 goals on his own.

GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED - THE NEW BLOOD

Manchester United had lost the 2008's Footballer of the Year to Real Madrid, following last month's gigantic 80 million Pound move of Christiano Ronaldo to the Spanish club. Not only that, the inspirational Carlos Tevez also made an exit to the city rival, Manchester City. This has left Sir Alex Ferguson with out a possible strong attacking options. Losing both inspiring players at the end of 2008/2009 season could be a dreadful feeling for the supporters.

Recently, Manchester has brought in a few players to replace them. (Note: Only pictures of those confirmed entrance will be here)

WHO'S COMING IN?

Michael Owen arrived to Old Trafford with a free transfer following the end of his contract in Newcastle. Before signing in, there were speculations that linked him with Hull City, Stoke City, Everton and Aston Villa. I bet you didn't see him coming, don't you. (status: CONFIRMED)

Antonio Valencia in the meantime arrived with an undisclosed fee, presumably around 16 million Pound from Wigan. This Ecuadorian right-midfielder will be a property to watch, I hope, in years coming. Nominated for the Best Young Player at the 2006 World Cup it appears the 23 year old who has 34 caps for Ecuador has a bright future. (status: CONFIRMED)

Gabriel Obertan, a young arrival from French club Bordeaux. Playing int he winger position, he may not be absolute replacement for Ronaldo but with 3 million Pound with a four-years contract sealed recently, this player dubbed to be another younger version of Thierry Henry. (status: CONFIRMED)

Frank Ribery should be an expensive one. The French is a possible suitable candidate to replace Ronaldo. But Bayern Munich could not be ready to release him yet and possibly he may going to Spanish sides instead. Fergie has booked a 60 million contract bid on him. His abilities are unquestioned, great dribbler, pace and immense skill, he also added goals to his repertoire scoring 14 in all competitions this season. (status: SEEMS HE IS MORE ON SPAIN THAN ENGLAND - COULD BE AS HIGH AS 87M Pound)

Karim Benzema could be as great as Eric Cantona, or maybe I am too over-rated on him. The French striker is a hot property of Lyon. A seasoned Champions League performer, 24 caps for France and over 50 goals for Lyon in two seasons tells you a bigger picture about him. He has been a primary target for Fergie for years. (status: LYON SAID THAT HE IS NOT 'UNTRANSFERABLE' - AROUND 30-40M Pound...Now he has signed for Real Madrid - BUGGER!!!)

David Silva, a Spanish with great pace, skill, vision, great technical ability and a lethal shot on him. Valencia's financial burden may sees him off soon but rivals like Liverpool, Barcelona and Real Madrid are after him as well. (status: LOWER 30M POUND)

And a part of those list, you also have names like:

• Mirko Vucinic (AS ROMA - STRIKER)
• Douglas Maicon (INTERNACIONAL - DEFENDER)
• Luis Fabiano (SEVILLE - STRIKER)
• Douglas Costa (GREMIO - WINGER)
• Sergio Aguero (ATLETICO MADRID - STRIKER)
• Andre-Pierre Gignac (TOULOUSE - STRIKER)
• Nilmar (INTERNACIOANL - DEFENDER)
• Iker Casillas (REAL MADRID - GOALKEEPER)
• Ashley Young (ASTON VILLA - WINGER)
• Zlatan Ibrahimovic (INTERNACIONAL - STRIKER)

SPANISH GP AND THE SAME DOMINANTS

Spanish GP marks the first outing in the central European continental, and also marks that the current Formula one season has gone by about a third. It is hard to imagine another household name in winning any race besides those two from the Brawn GP. The end of the day analysis can tells you much more but Brawn GP is still the team to beat.

Jenson Button started on pole, followed by Vettel, Barrichello and Massa. However, at the starting point, Barrichello fired it up to past Button while Massa's challenge distracted the both front runners. Therefore, the first lap looks like Barrichello lead from Button, Massa and Vettel. A further back, Trulli, Bourdais, Buemi and Sutil have a massive piling up on the track, with the four retired and safety car was brought in.

The safety car was brought out four laps later and the race restarted. But the field quickly evaporated to only 15 runners as Heikki Kovalainen is out in some sort of porblem at lap 7. Barrichello and Button slowly pulls away from the third man Massa at a very substantial time.

First pit stop window opened at lap 17, Glock was the first to pit followed by Button and Alonso. Raikkonen became the 6th retiree with anpther disastrous hydraulic problem. When it became apparent that Barrichello first stop was amazingly fast, it learns quickly that the Brazilian was in a three-stoppers. After round one pit stop: Barrichello leads ahead of Rosberg (on long fuel) and the order changed nothing much. Too much dismay, Vettel who has a faster car, was tucked up behind Massa who was holding things well.

Now in the middle stinct, Barrichello came in for his second pit while Webber became increasingly close to the top four now. However, Barrichello was struggling with some problem and had not been fast enough to tickle off Vettel in third. Button was also been radioed over to inform that he just need to be quicker as both Massa and Vettel were on hot pursuit. Webber on heavily fuel early on also making fire pace too.

Now, the fields were making their second stop, a third one for Barrichello. The only funnier moment seems another strategical error for Ferrari - Massa was asked to save fuel and see if can get to the end! Webber's long middle stinct paiud him off. Massa slowed down and let Webber, Vettel and Alonso to pass him until the chequered flag.

In the end, another win for Button while Barrichello was unable to stop asling himself why he was now in second. Earlier, it was told that both Brawns will be running on 3 stops but somehow, Button's strategy was altered to allow only 2 pits. Red Bull promised a new package on next stop in Monaco. I do hope at least another team can do anything to halt current Brawn's hot red, and my best bet will be on Red Bull.

Brawn was flying and I'm surprised that the real pace setter this weekend were Red Bulls and Ferraris. Ferrari was fast over the weekend but again, luck was not on their side. Keep it up boys! The full race result is as follows:

*The article also features on FORMULA ONE GREEN

[source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8041939.stm, http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8042675.stm, http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/11052009/58/button-brawn-win-barcelona.html, http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/results/7921150.stm]