Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by Duke Red

Looking for a Senior Event Manager

Duke Red — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:43:38 +0800

Hey guys,

If anyone is interested please let me know. It's a pretty senior position and the pay will be around the region of 7K. Looking for someone with at least 5 yrs experience in the line and can lead a team. It's urgent so let me know really soon, thanks.

Loyalty

Duke Red — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:23:05 +0800

Sorry but this issue has arrived of late and I find it too serious an issue to pass up on. I've decided to take this topic away from the Chelsea thread. There was a similar topic once (started by me) but it's too far down the list to track so I'm beginning another.

So then, it would appear that some fans don't see any issue with switching clubs because managers and players do.

Well that they may but only because football is their career. Just because I like my current company, it doesn't mean I won't change jobs if another comes along will I? As a football fan, what do you stand to lose by staying with one club? Who do some fans think it's a cardinal sin to swap allegiances?

What is the concept of "fan"?

Football's Greatest Hardmen

Duke Red — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:11:09 +0800

Mates,

I believe there was a similar topic some time back but I can't find it anymore. The reason for me bringing this up again is because The Daily Mail has just released it's list of the top 50 football players in the world that were/are made of steel and have kahunas the size of Texas.

Of the top 10, Liverpool have Tommy "Anfield Iron" Smith at no. 7 and Greame Souness gracing the top spot. Any wonder the former Liverpool, Blackburn and Newcastle boss has punched his own players?

QUOTE

10 Claudio Gentile (AS Varese, Juventus, Fiorentina, Piacenze)
9 Norman Hunter (Leeds United, Bristol City, Barnsley)
8 Vinnie Jones (Wimbledon, Leeds, Sheffield United, Chelsea, QPR)
7 Tommy Smith (Liverpool, Swansea City)
6 Dave Mackay (Hearts, Tottenham Hotspur, Derby County, Swindon Town)
5 Roy Keane (Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, Celtic)
4 Ron Harris (Chelsea, Brentford, Aldershot)
3 Billy Bremner (Leeds, Hull City, Doncaster Rovers)
2 Stuart Pearce (Coventry City, Forest, Newcastle United, Manchester City)
1 Graeme Souness (Middlesbrough, Liverpool, Sampdoria, Rangers)

No 7: The Anfield Iron in his full thunder-thighed glory. 'Tommy doesn't tackle opponents,' quipped Bill Shankly, 'so much as break them down for resale as scrap.' Born and bred within a mile of Anfield, he once handed Jimmy Greaves a hospital menu before a game. Terrifying

No 1: After ruling England and Europe with an iron fist, the sinewy Souness (right) left his studmark on Scottish football just 37 minutes into his Rangers debut. A crunching tackle on Hibs' George McCluskey (hobbling) sparked a 22-man melee at Easter Road. Souness later admitted that he nobbled the wrong man, blaming boss Walter Smith for the premeditated assault. 'Walter said "you've got to be careful because this player will try to leave a bit on you" so I tried to get my retaliation in first,' a contrite Souness remarked. Brutal

For complete listings, visit the following site and click on the desired link (e.g. no. 41 - 50, 31 - 40, etc).

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...n.html?ITO=1490

Footballing Excuses debunked!

Duke Red — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:26:26 +0800

1) We played like crap - Right, and what did the other team do? They showed up, sat down on the pitch and watched you score into your own net?

2) The pitch was uneven - Right and which pitch was the other team playing on?

3) The ref was crap - Did you feel the same way when he awarded decisions in your favour?

4) Our players are jet-lagged - In those days, players used to play with hangovers.

Mercenaries

Duke Red — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:07:40 +0800

Before you read the following article, might I add that it's not aimed at any one club or player in particular, it's just something I came across posed on WSC and I thought it may provide an interesting topic for discussion. Please read it objectively and refrain from trading insults.

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

Brooding Berbatov

Thursday 2 October ~
Dimitar Berbatov ticks a lot of the boxes that annoy people about modern footballers. Top of this list being a summer filling the papers with come-and-get-me pleas, forcing the hand of Tottenham on a transfer to Manchester United that finally climaxed with him essentially being smuggled into Old Trafford on transfer deadline night. This behaviour doesn’t make him an upstanding man of morals but neither does it make him unique. So why is he the media fall-guy, while Gareth Barry, Robbie Keane, Andrei Arshavin, Robinho et al have been all but forgiven?

In Tuesday night’s damp squib of a Champions League game against Aalborg Berbatov scored his first two goals for his new club, but in doing this he illustrated the very problems that the media have with him, his celebrations of “breaking his United duck” highlighted in various papers for lacking any joy or emotion. In a time when loyalty is so rare, a clenched fist or over the top scream of joy is enough for most fans and pundits to believe a player cares.
Berbatov, a languid, morose and seemingly lethargic forward, whose game is all about time and space rather than outward passion and lung busting effort, is the opposite of Robbie Keane, who a Liverpool-supporting friend recently described to me as “trying too hard to impress” after another disappointing performance. It is this kind of attitude that led Terry Venables to recently use his column in the Sun to blame Berbatov – “and your dream of a few extra noughts added to your bank balance” – for Tottenham’s troubles while Keane was excused. We can claim the Premier League is as cosmopolitan as we like, but when it comes down to it we will still find it far easier to celebrate a striker, puce in the face, needlessly chasing long balls over one who plays with an economy of movement and expression of disdain for balls flying over his head from clueless centre-backs.

We believe that Wayne Rooney really wants to win for Manchester United because we have lip-read him swearing at linesmen on enough occasions, but Berbatov is impossible to read, with most attempts to do so informed by comparisons to poker-faced eastern European villains in Hollywood blockbusters. But it is this enigmatic grace that makes Berbatov far more interesting than 99 per cent of Premier League players and for all his greed, one that should be celebrated rather than dismissed as the ultimate foreign mercenary. Josh Widdicombe

Everyone knows that obscene amounts of money are circulating within the game now and it's no surprise therefore, that at some point, players have to consider money over loyalty. After all you may like your company and boss very much but if someone comes along with a lucrative offer, you'd have to consider your future. In the end we all have to look out for ourselves because as they say, "how can you take care of someone else if you can take care of yourself?". This is all the more true if you have a family to support.

Can we therefore blame footballers for putting loyalty aside then? I'm old school and I would like to believe that I'd be willing to turn down a better offer to stay with the club I grew up supporting for life but in reality, all of us have a price so the question is at what point, is it acceptable to move on? Like many of you I have seen players leave clubs that they either support, or clubs that 'raised' them from young. Is it however foolish for clubs to believe that these players will remain loyal to them? While I accept that because of ambition and money, players may opt to switch clubs and allegiances, I feel that they can leave amicably. Before signing for Chelsea, Michael Essien refused to train with Lyon unless they granted him a transfer to Chelsea. On the other hand, Fernando Torres explained to the fans that he had to leave because he wanted to achieve his ambitions and he vowed to return on day. Which do you think is most acceptable? I stress again that this isn't to take a potshot at anyone as I'm only citing examples I am familiar with.

Now I believe that the club comes before all else. I love my club and I'd like to think that all the players who say they are fans of the club after or before signing, are telling the truth. One can only lie for so long however as the truth will be revealed when we see how much effort they put in on and off the pitch. Can I fully support a player I know is a mercenary? I'd like to think not. I'd like to think that if the said player scored and I celebrate, it's because of the club and not him. Love should be permanent and knowing that he said player will leave one day, being a journeyman and all, I cannot relate to him. I had my doubts when Didi Hamann signed for us as he had a reputation of being a journeyman and to my surprise he stayed with the club for seven seasons, picking up a Scouse accent in the process. In the end players come and go and I've never felt a strong affinity towards a player like Harry Kewell because you just knew the money mattered to him. The story from Steve McMahon also comes to mind. El Hadji Diouf on the other hand was a player that never truly embraced the culture of the club. I could not learn to respect these players as people, only pawns on the pitch.

Can anyone truly support a mercenary or journeyman knowing he may turn his back on them or blackmail them at any time? They'll be around when the times are good but you just know that at some point, we all go through a bad patch.

JPJ & PDRM Roadblocks

Duke Red — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:31:53 +0800

Mates,

As we all already know, JPJ has begun setting up roadblocks as they look to enforce certain rules & regulations after coming under scrutiny. The purpose of setting up this thread is for us to look out for one another. If you do come across or hear of any blocks, please let us all know.

Football Commercials

Duke Red — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:34:48 +0800

After having seen some brilliant commercials, I thought it right to start this thread. Let's start sharing people.

Here is on off Inamoto and Ronaldinho freestyling. Didn't know Inamoto was that good on the ball to be honest.

[YOUTUBE]7rYUAc_V2ZE&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

Model's Night @ SOMO

Duke Red — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:49:17 +0800

Host: SOMO Mont Kiara
Type: Party - Night of Mayhem
Time and PlaceStart Time: Thursday, June 26, 2008 at 9:00pm
End Time: Friday, June 27, 2008 at 12:00am
Location: SOMO Mont Kiara
Street: Unit 2B Shoplex, Jalan Kiara, Mont Kiara
City/Town: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Contact InfoPhone: 0193126528
Email: driza@somo.com.my

Somo's throwing a party for no good reason at all. We would like to invite you to party with us. And if you're a model, there'll be free flow of Dewar's whiskey and special house cocktails (including our very own chu-hai) all night long! Just bring along some form of identification - comm cards, name cards, magazine ad with your picture in it or anything else. Michelle will be rocking to the beats on her electric violin as well.

Cult Heroes

Duke Red — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:59:54 +0800

I can't remember if I've opened a similar topic before but here goes anyway. Now before everyone names popular choices like Ronaldo, Torres or whoever, keep in mind that to be a cult hero, you aren't the best player. Best players have a huge commercial following while cult heroes are those who aren't the most talented but have endeared themselves to the fans nonetheless. 'Cult' is often the opposite of 'Mainstream'. Oh well, give it a go.

My first pick would be 'Mad' Erik Meijer. Here is why they called him "mad" and why he endeared himself to Liverpool fans such as me despite being a striker and scoring only 2 goals!

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

Erik Meijer - He�s big, he�s red, he�s off his f*****g head. Never has a song summed up a player so well. The Big Dutchman who was snapped up on a Bosman from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 1999 proved to be a popular figure with the fans, but it was certainly not for his goalscoring prowess. Meijer was a proper loon, but in a good way. As committed a player as any that have ever played for the club, Erik only knew one way to play, flat out.

Anyone who watched him stomping around St Helens like a madman in reserve games will testify to how committed this man was. Reserve games against Sheffield Wednesday were treated with the same gusto most players would save for cup finals. What he lacked in talent he attempted to make up for with sheer effort, and the one thing Liverpool fans always warm to is a trier.

Erik made 27 appearances in total for the reds, but managed only two goals, both coming in the same game at Boothferry Park against Hull City in the League Cup. Many of his appearances came from the subs bench, where his physical presence and heading ability proved useful whether we were chasing a game or protecting a lead. It became a customary sight, the game would stop for a throw in or corner kick, Erik would enter the field and sprint to the near post and demand the ball.

Another regular sight was his first pumping, arm gesturing to the crowd to get them whipped up. It didn�t matter whether it was 15,000 fans on the Kop, or 15 fans on the terraces at Knowsley Road, Erik loved to get the crowd involved. Reserve games have never been as much fun as they were when the big Dutchman led the attack. There was never a dull moment. There was one occasion where he was in an offside position out wide, and he sneaked along the touchline doing this tip toe, Inspector Cluesoe type walk hoping the linesman wouldn�t see him. Mad as a sack full of crazy monkeys.

Another time he closed down a full back, who played the ball back to his keeper. So Erik chased down the keeper, who played it over to the full back on the far side. So Erik chased him too, and eventually got across there and blocked his attempted clearance and knocked the ball out for a throw. He then leapt to his feet, fist pumping and yelling �Come on!!!� to the handful of die hards stood freezing on the touchline.

Another incident that stands out was in a league game at Anfield (against Bradford I think), where Erik took a ball full in the face from point blank range as he charged down a defenders clearance. There was an eery silence around the ground for a second or two as people waited to see what followed. It was almost like it happened in slow motion, as the giant striker paused for a second, looking as though he may be knocked down, only to suddenly regain his composure and shake his head furiously to shake off the cobwebs. A huge cheer went up, and he immediately set off after the ball again. That kind of commitment is a rare thing indeed, and if certain other players who possess considerably more talent than Erik had that kind of attitude, they could be world beaters. I won�t mention any names, you can guess who they are *coughs* Heskey * coughs* Pennant * coughs*.

Other amusing Erik Mejier tales include the one where was the victim of a terrible high challenge by an Academy youngster who was training with the first team. The story goes that Erik was livid, but knew it would be wrong to take out his anger on the kid, so took himself back to the dressing room and kicked a door in!

The Echo�s Chris Bascombe told TLW the following story about his experiences with Erik: �He was an eccentric but very likable guy. I remember Liverpool had a striker crisis before they played Leeds (when Leeds were good). I was told on the Friday by Houllier that Meijer would play. I saw him in the Melwood car park and asked him about the game. �Tell the people of Liverpool I have something to say. There are many players up for this match, and the Big Dutchman is one of them!� I loved the way he referred to himself as the �Big Dutchman�. When I was still writing �the Kop� magazine, I wrote an article about Liverpool�s strikeforce. I mentioned Heskey, Owen, Fowler and Camara. At the next training session he ran over to me and said �where was the Big Dutchman in your article?� We printed a comic apology in the next issue.�

The season Erik spent at Anfield co-incided with the boom in players� websites. Many of the Liverpool players had websites, but Erik�s was the most entertaining. He�d post some of his home made recipes, and one time even posted a special �Fish Dish� that Sami Hyypia had introduced him to. Erik�s culinary tips went down a storm with the LFC internet community, and it�s a damn shame his website isn�t still going. On the field, the highpoints were the part he played in a win at Highbury and a draw at Old Trafford. Erik won the free-kick from which Paddy Berger stunned the Stretford End with a 30 yard rocket, but for the most part the big man was more cheerleader than striker.

Blatter seeks quotas

Duke Red — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:19:12 +0800

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

What do you make of this? I have mixed thoughts at the moment. I'll try to sum them up into point form?

1) It seems a little unfair as not much was made of it when Italian or Spanish teams dominated Europe at some point. Why only now?

2) Is it the fault of the English that their league is the most marketable and therefore most profitable at the moment? Should other leagues instead not look at it from more of a business standpoint now? Real Madrid are government funded and didn't make the last four so is money really everything?

3) I do agree however that English clubs should have a number of homegrown players. It will help English players develop and clubs will also have their identities intact.

Jamie Yeoh - Heineken Football Event

Duke Red — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:06:17 +0800

Mods,

Please feel free to close this topic after today.

Football fans from all over, I have an announcement to make:

As you may know, Heineken are the official sponsors of this years Champions League. Jamie Yeoh is scheduled to appear at SOMO, Mont Kiara tonight to host an event. There will be fun & games. Winner stands a chance to go to Moscow for this years Champions League finals. I don't have the full details. All I know is she will be appearing @ 11pm but the games will start a little earlier, at around 10pm or so.

Mechanics are as follows:

Jamie Yeoh is there to encourage participation. Ambassadors will be going round with PDA's. Those with a bottle of Heineken will be eligible to participate. Answers are keyed into the PDA and winners will be informed after the UCL Semi's. Questions have to do with predicting the results for the semi's lah.

If you need directions, please search for SOMO, Mont Kiara on facebook. If you don't have an account, ask someone that does

See you there!

An Intimate Evening with Hannah Tan

Duke Red — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:43:13 +0800

Hi all,

If anyone is interested in attending, please PM me or call Driza directly at 019.312.6528. as mentioned in the poster below. Hope to see you there, cheers!

Rising Stars

Duke Red — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 09:08:49 +0800

Hi all,

Saw this thread topic on another forum and thought it would make for good discussion. I'll start it off.

QUOTE

Alexandre Pato "The Duck"

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva (born September 2, 1989, in Pato Branco, Paran�), better known as Alexandre Pato, is a Brazilian striker who has been playing for Internacional since 2002. His nickname, The Duck, comes from the city where he was born, Pato Branco (which translates as White Duck).

Early life
Alexandre started playing indoor football (futsal) in his hometown at the age of 3. Soon his ability became known all around the south Brazilian state of Paran� and after being praised by many of his managers, the teenager went to Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, to try out for Sport Club Internacional. In 2002, at the age of 13, he moved there and started sharing housing with 83 other teenagers that, much like him, wanted to make a name for themselves in the Inter first team.

Career
After a contract settlement that boosted the player's salary from R$3,000 to R$25,000 and extended his stay until 2009 with a release fee of $35 million,[1] Pato was finally considered ready to start a game in the Brazilian football league.

On his first team debut, at the age of 17, Pato helped Internacional to a 4-1 win over Palmeiras on November 26, 2006. Pato had 3 assists and scored a goal. His appearance put the spotlight on the young player and created expectations and comparisons with another southern Brazilian superstar, FC Barcelona player Ronaldinho.

Pato scored Internacional's first goal of the FIFA Club World Cup on December 13 in the semi-final game against Al-Ahly Cairo, helping the team win 2-1 and a spot in the final. He was taken off the field during the second half because of cramp in his right leg and his substitute scored the second, and winning goal, of the game.

Before his team's match against Barcelona in the final of the competition, Bar�a's Brazilian star Ronaldinho identified Pato as a player to watch in Brazilian football.[citation needed] Pato failed to impress during the match and was substituted before teammate Adriano Gabiru scored the winner, ensuring the title for Internacional.

He helped Brazil win the 2007 South American Youth Championship in Paraguay, which qualified the country for both the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. He was Brazil's leading scorer in the tournament with five goals.

Pato has been linked in this press with a move to several high profile clubs including AC Milan, S.L. Benfica[2], Juventus, Inter,[3] Liverpool,[4] Chelsea[5] and Arsenal.[6]

On June 25, 2007, Pato's agent Gilmar Veloz confirmed in English newspaper News of the World that Pato's move to Chelsea was imminent, saying that a euro26.7m deal with Internacional was almost done.[7] Veloz later withdrew his comments, saying that AC Milan, Internazionale and Real Madrid were still in the race for Pato's signature, though he hinted that AC Milan were leading the chase.[8]

[YOUTUBE]JvgS7AM5e1M[/YOUTUBE]

[addedon]July 16, 2007, 9:11 am[/addedon]Carlos Vela of Arsenal. Seen him play for Mexico in the current U-21 Championships. Strong, quick, agile forward with good technique and instincts. Signed with the Gunners in 2005 but was unable to make his debut because of work permit restrictions. Will be eligible to play in England come January 2008 and I'm backing him to be a hit.

[YOUTUBE]9409c1t9XMc[/YOUTUBE]

Football Fights, Fouls & Bizarre Moments

Duke Red — Sat, 12 May 2007 13:38:59 +0800

There has been a lot of talk on the beautiful game, here's the ugly side of football. Don't know if this has been done before.

Attached is a compilation that includes Roy Keane's horrendous challenge on Alfie Haaland, and Harald Schumacker knocking Battistion unconscious.

[YOUTUBE]jbvbuMEI6wY[/YOUTUBE]

For Club or Country

Duke Red — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 11:48:57 +0800

This is not a new topic but I saw it discussed again of Football Focus in-light of the latest Michael Owen saga. Newcastle Chairman Freddie Shepherd is demanding adequate compensation from the FA after Owen injured himself on England duty, sidelining him for much of the season. It can be debated that Newcastle could find themselves in a much better position now had Owen not been injured. It's not that the FA are a poor lot! I do agree with the panel on Football Focus that the FA should be a little more generous with their compensation. As we all know, there are larger stakes in todays game and the loss of a 20 goal striker can cause huge financial damage. Sure playing for one's country is an honour but it is the club that pays his wages and enables him to have a living. It is the club that has developed him as a player and as a person from a young age. There is a lot of time and money invested. As Reavo said, it's like borrowing someones car, damaging it, and then paying for only half the damage. The only question that beckons is, how much is enough compensation? How does one quantify that?

A 'real fan'

Duke Red — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 14:40:25 +0800

In light of the fact that some fans look at others as being of the glory-hunting variety and so on, I thought it would be appropriate to get some views on what people perceive as being a hard-core fan. It's not for us to judge or discriminate as everyone has the right to support their club in any manner they see fit. While I admit this, I still find it annoying when fair-weather fans try to put up an argument with weak points.

Let me ask you then, what is your definition of a hard-core fan?

Crazy Footballers

Duke Red — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:43:25 +0800

Since we had a thread on "inspirational footballers", I thought it would be fun to have one on footballers at the other end of the spectrum. I'll start it off with one Robin Friday.

QUOTE

Robin Friday
He was the epitome of a "flawed genius" graced with immense talent, but having a wild and unpredictable temperament that could see him kissing a policeman one match, pulling down an opponent's shorts in a second, and being sent off and defecating in the opposition's bath in a third

Early career
Friday started his career for the now defunct Walthamstow Avenue football club, but soon moved to Hayes, who were willing to pay him more and were closer to his home in Acton. Hayes started one match with only ten players, as Friday was finishing a pint in the local pub. When he finally took the field after ten minutes he was obviously drunk and spent the game staggering around the pitch. Naturally, the opposition ignored him, until he scored the only goal of the game.

Move to Reading
In 1973 he was transferred to Reading, where he signed professional forms for the first time. In the 135 games he played for The Biscuitmen he scored 55 goals and made many more. He became such a crowd favourite that his on- and off-field antics are still the subject of discussion three decades after he left the club. He even won the "Player of the Millennium" award, a considerable achievement when many of the voters could never have seen him play. In a vote to compile the Royals' best-ever eleven, Friday was voted on the team as centre forward with 33.1% of the vote [1].

His goal for Reading against Tranmere Rovers in March 1976 has been described as one of the greatest ever goals - sadly scored in the days before there were cameras at every match. Friday apparently was waiting just outside the edge of the box when the ball was sent towards him. He subsequently leaped high into the air, caught the ball on his chest, spun around in the air, and proceeded to fire the ball into the top right-hand corner, to the great roar of the crowd. Another time whilst playing against Mark Lawrenson Friday became agitated by the erstwhile BBC pundit. He kicked Lawrenson in the face and received a red card before defecating in Lawrenson's kit bag.

Ends career at Cardiff
In 1976 Friday moved to Cardiff City for the knock-down price of �30,000. The Cardiff manager commented that he felt he was taking advantage of Reading, but was simply told "you'll see". Robin didn't disappoint and was arrested at Cardiff railway station on the day he arrived, having travelled from Reading with just a platform ticket. He started his playing career with Cardiff even more spectacularly, scoring twice against a defence directed by Bobby Moore. However, he lasted only twenty-five games with Cardiff before simply leaving football for good. Reading manager Maurice Evans once told Friday: "If you would just settle down for three or four years, you could play for England." Friday is said to have replied with the question "How old are you?" Evans told him and Friday duly responded "I'm half your age and I've lived twice your life." That was truly Robin Friday, the greatest player you never saw.

The EPL

Duke Red — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 12:40:53 +0800

I've looked through all the topics and noticed that there wasn't one on matches that involved other teams in the EPL. I know that some of us watch these matches and thought it would be nice to be able to discuss them as well.

Did anyone see the Blackburn vs Tottenham one? Tugay scored an awesome goal but was unlucky to be sent off. He received a straight red which can only be warranted had there been intent in the challenge. He clearly caught his opponent with his trailing leg and it was a definite penalty but there was no intent. Ghaly deserved to be sent off for his elbow though Martin Jol strongly thought otherwise. It was a full on affair and Spurs were unlucky to concede a soft penalty. Friedel got a hand to it but was beaten still. Michael (I insulted Colleen when drunk and got socked by Rooney) Gray was voted MOM.