Bye! March 2006

I Didn't Know Warnock's Married

Bearing in mind we've spoken about the fact you're not a regular in the side, do you worry that one day the manager might say to you that you're no longer a part of his plans?

Yes, the future is always a worry and so that's why I train as hard as I can for every minute of every session. It's been drilled into me from day one at the academy that you should never fail for the lack of trying and you should only ever fail for not being good enough. If it comes to the point where they say to me 'you're not good enough' then fair enough, I can hold my hands up and say I've given it my all and that's fine by me. I'll never fail for the lack of trying.

When did you get married?
Last summer, in June.
No celebrity magazine picture deals…
[laughs] No, that isn't my style at all.

(...more of the interview on liverpoolfc.tv.)

No Stevie Celebrating This Time

25 Mar 2006 Liverpool 3-1 Everton - EPL

BBC - Gerrard earned two quickfire yellow cards - for kicking the ball away and then a bad challenge on Kevin Kilbane. Liverpool then scored twice in three minutes through a Phil Neville own goal and a clinical finish from Luis Garcia. Tim Cahill headed one back but Everton had substitute Andy van der Meyde sent off after 72 minutes for an elbow and Harry Kewell's fine strike sealed it.

I missed the match as I was working. I called my friend right after my work and he told me Gerrard was sent off in just 20 minutes. I couldn't believe it. How embarrassing I thought, a Merseyside derby with our captain sent off so early! After watching the replay on TV, well I think it was indeed embarrassing. Gerrard was so irrational! Both two yellow cards were avoidable. I must say that thanks God, other Reds just saved the day for him! Thanks to Neville(well done pal), Garcia and Kewell's goals, or the media would point at Steven Gerrard if we lost, saying he always screws up important games, blah blah blah...

Great win anyway, and we're back to the 2nd place(well temporarily). Now let's hope Man Utd slip in their matches coming up. Come on, more own goals!! By the way, hope you all like the new look of this blog, though i still want to stick with blank background.

Wow, You Believe That?

21 Mar 2006 Birmingham 0-7 Liverpool - FA Cup Last 8

BBC - Sami Hyypia gave Liverpool the lead after just 55 seconds, heading in following Steven Gerrard's free-kick. Soon after Peter Crouch scored with a downward header, with the Liverpool striker side-footing home the visitors' third just before the break. Fernando Morientes scored on the hour, John Arne Riise's drive made it 5-0, with Olivier Tebily's own goal and a Djibril Cisse shot completing the rout.

Gerrard: "We've been getting criticised for not scoring goals of late but hopefully we have proved the critics wrong. We're really pleased with our performance tonight. Nothing has changed in terms of why we're suddenly scoring goals. I just think we're getting more luck now. We've always been playing well but the strikers hadn't been having much luck. Now they're starting to go in and we're delighted."

Rafa: "We always said that we had confidence in the strikers because they have quality. It is not normal to score 15 goals in three games but it wasn't normal to score as few goals as we had from so many chances. Sometimes you don't score with 30 attempts - like what happened to us against Charlton - but tonight every time we shot, it was a goal."

Oh, I'm Sorry Professor

A professor from our partner university in Newcastle visited Taiwan. He came here for giving a presentation about his university and trying to get students to join the exchange program. After the presentation, I came to him and asked a few questions, mainly about the price for the dormitory, etc. To be honest, so far I love what I've heard about the university and Newcastle. The most important thing is.....

Me: "So, is it far to get to the football pitch?"
(I don't know how he knew I was talking about St.James.)
Professor: "Actually you can see its roof from the campus!"
Me: "REALLY??"
Professor: (surprised) "Are you Newcastle fan??"
Me: "Oh no, I'm Liverpool fan."
Professor: "grrr....."
(That's exactly the same reaction I have when an English told me he liked Chelsea the other day in a party.)
Me: "Hahaha..."
Professor: "We lost to you....was it 3-1?"
Me: "Yeah, yesterday!"
Professor: "grrrrr......."
Me: "...I'm sorry..lol"
(No, I'm absolutely not...haha.)

19 Mar 2006 Newcastle 1-3 Liverpool - EPL

BBC - Crouch played a part in Liverpool's two first-half goals, scoring with a downward header and then setting up Gerrard, who drilled home. Newcastle pulled a goal back before the break through Shola Ameobi's header, but Jean-Alain Boumsong's 51st-minute red-card ended their fightback. Boumsong was sent off after giving away a penalty for a foul on Crouch, with Cisse converting the spot-kick.

And here's the one who needs to be sorry...

Cisse: "I didn't intend to be rude. I was just really happy to score a goal after such a long time because scoring goals is what I love doing. I want to make it clear I respect the Newcastle supporters and if they thought I was being disrespectful to them, then I obviously apologise for that."

Don't do something like Gary Neville please, okay?

Our Strikers Scored!

15 Mar 2006 Liverpool 5-1 Fulham - EPL

BBC - Fowler headed in at the far post after 16 minutes when Luis Garcia flicked on a Harry Kewell corner before Collins John equalised with an angled shot. Michael Brown's own goal restored the Reds lead and Fernando Morientes lashed in to put the home side 3-1 up. Peter Crouch and Stephen Warnock then struck late on to complete a Reds win.

I Don't Blame You Stevie

12 March 2006 Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool - EPL

BBC - Henry's exquisite finish had given Arsenal a first-half lead. Luis Garcia levelled for Liverpool after Jens Lehmann could only parry Gerrard's thumping shot. Seconds after Xabi Alonso's dismissal, Gerrard's back pass was intercepted by Henry, who rounded Jose Reina for his second goal.

liverpoolfc.tv - It was a carbon copy of an incident during England's defeat against France in Euro 2004 when Gerrard's backpass to David James was intercepted by Henry before the striker was brought down for a penalty.

Gerrard: "It was just like France all over again. I was trying to take up time. I did not see him. The last player you want the ball to go to is the best player on the planet. It was completely my fault and I hold up my hands. It was a stupid mistake that has stopped us from robbing a point because we did not play well at all."

Rafa: "For me it is clear and Xabi slipped. It was unbelievable and I don't understand these things. That was the turning point of the game because when we equalised I thought we could win. We didn't play that well in the first half, but we controlled the second half. But with 10 men it is more difficult. We made a mistake for the winning goal, but Steven knows that and he has scored 18 goals for us this season. My concern now is to recouperate the players and look for three points against Fulham."

Henry: "You can't blame Steven Gerrard. He is an amazing player. For example I did not know he was their best goalscorer until I looked in our programme. Stuff happens. I saw Ronaldo missed a penalty in the last minute on television over the weekend. If you do it once every two years then OK but how many times has Gerrard made Liverpool win? I know he does not do it on his own but he does score some special goals and make some special deliveries. It is difficult to not point it out because it is the goal that won the game. But he is one of the best players out there. I was just hanging out there on the edge of the box and the ball came to my feet. Thankfully for us, I managed to finish the job."

'Owen Wanted To Come'

Gerrard: "I know Michael Owen wanted to come here. I have got a good enough relationship with him to know that. That he didn't was down to Liverpool not making it happen, rather than Michael not wanting to come."
"It's difficult for me to say what difference he might have made the other night, but Michael Owen scores goals. Domestically, in Europe and at international level he has proved that."
"Someone asked me after Wednesday's game if I would like him back, and it's a silly question ... of course I would love to have him back."
"Statistics don't lie - I'm not going to disguise the fact that we need a poacher. The problem we have got is obvious."
"Peter has never been prolific, and I don't think he is ever going to be. He's a target man, you will only get the maximum out of him if you play him alongside a prolific striker, and we have not got one at the moment."

Walk On Walk On.......

8 March 2006 Liverpool 0-2 Benfica (agg 0-3) - 2nd leg of CL Last 16

BBC - Liverpool's dream of retaining their European crown was ended with a frustrating defeat at home to Benfica. - The Merseysiders had early chances to overturn their 1-0 first-leg deficit, with Peter Crouch, Jamie Carragher and Luis Garcia the most guilty. They were made to pay when Carragher dithered and ex-Reds target Sabrosa Simao produced a stunning strike. Fabrizio Miccoli completed Liverpool's misery when he grabbed a second in the dying minutes with an overhead kick.

Gerrard: "The fans were superb tonight and got behind us - but when you are 1-0 down it is important to get a goal. We created two or three chances in the first 20 minutes - and when they don't go in and they score you start to worry. Good luck to them, but it is very frustrating. We never took our chances - we could not put them away. It is a lack of confidence, and I think we need to work on it - extra shooting sessions in training, I think. We need to pick ourselves up. The FA cup becomes even more important now; we need a trophy. And of course we want to finish the league season strongly because we want to be back in Europe again next year. That's the aim."

Alonso: "The crowd was superb and you can't ask for more than this. At 2-0 down they knew we were out of the Champions League, but they were still singing and making us feel their support. It's been a disappointing night for Rafa but I know he's really focused and committed to the club. He realises how passionate this crowd is and how much they adore him. It would be impossible for him to find another crowd like this. Our crowd is so special because they react as well when we're feeling low as when we've had success. I'm not worried about the situation with Rafa and the rumours. I know how he feels about the club."

Re: Brokeback Mountain

hello nik,
sorry to be this late to reply. i'm so happy that Ang Lee won the Oscar best director! and best music and adapted screenplay for Brokeback Mountain. i like the film. i'm not a romantic girl to be honest, and romance is even not my type of films.
but Brokeback Mountain is so touching. i always like gay movies. i like all things about freedom and things against moral standards. we are bound to many things that we hardly doubt about in life. if love is falling completely for someone. why it's must be the opposite sex?
we are talking about we shouldn't choose lovers just by their appearances, as true love is about soul combination. well, if it's about soul, then it doesn't matter the one is she or he, does it?
most people feel it's awkward beacause they just believe in what they've been told. they never doubt it. women and men get married and have children. that's how the society works. everyone does this, so i must follow.
but the truth is... it's the love that matters, not the society, not how other people see you. Brokeback Mountain is a simple story. it's about love. a story that two people being so crazy about each other. a litte bitter....but touching, like other love stories.

Our National Hero: Ang Lee

78th Academy Awards:
Best director: Ang Lee - Brokeback Mountain
Best actress: Reese Witherspoon - Walk the Line
Best actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman - Capote
Best supporting actor: George Clooney - Syriana
Best supporting actress: Rachel Weisz - The Constant Gardener
Best costume design, best art direction, best cinematography: Memoirs of a Geisha
Best sound mixing, sound editing: King Kong
Best music (score), Best adapted screenplay: Brokeback Mountain
Best foreign language film: Tsotsi (South Africa)
Best film editing, Best picture, Best original screenplay: Crash
(..more winners)

While everyone is talking about the disappointment of World Baseball Classic, Ang Lee earned the honor for us, for the small land. We were angery about Americans, the Yankees who don't let our best hurlers Chien-Ming Wang go back to fight for the country. It's alright, it's alright! Ang Lee won the Oscar for best director, and he's Taiwanese!!! Oh dear. There were tears in my eyes when he went up to the stage! It must be the music! The Brokeback Mountain music and a national hero standing there, talking to those big names and the whole world. I thought of Brokeback Mountain, as if I were back to the cinema. Think you Ang Lee. You've told us a beautiful story written by E. Annie Proulx, leaving us so touched.
On the other hand, I must say: Crash is crap. It's a big surprise that it won and even been nominated the best picture. I don't like that film. I felt uncomfortable watching it, and have forgotten it soon afterwards. To me, Brokeback Mountain is certainly the best picture. Also it's a shame that Munich didn't win anything. And a bit of surprised about Moemories of a Geisha.

Off-side???? NO WAY!

5 March 2006 Liverpool 0-0 Charlton - EPL

Liverpoolfc.tv - Like in so many recent fixtures, the Reds enjoyed the greater share of possession and carved out the better goalscoring opportunities but failed to make their superiority tell.
Djibril Cisse and Peter Crouch were guilty of spurning the best of the goalscoring chances, while Robbie Fowler was denied a last-gasp winner for the second time since returning to the club by a linesman's flag.
To compound Liverpool's misery, Sami Hyypia suffered a hamstring injury that forced him to be substituted at half-time.

Rafa: "It is a pity in the last games we are not scoring goals. We are doing everything to score and are creating a lot of chances. The goalkeeper of the other side is always man-of-the-match but we just have to keep going. I saw the flag but Robbie was on-side. I don't want to blame the official as the most important thing is that we need to score during the 90m minutes with the number of chances we create."

Anfield Joy For England

1 March 2006 England 2-1 Uruguay - International Friendly

BBC - Joe Cole struck a last-gasp winner as England came from behind to beat Uruguay at Anfield - Substitute Shaun Wright-Phillips produced a perfect cross from the right for the outstanding Cole to beat keeper Sebastian Viera at the near post. England held the upper hand throughout but Uruguay led at the break through Omar Pouso's sizzling 30-yard volley. But Cole crossed for substitute Peter Crouch to head a deserved equaliser before the Chelsea man's late winner.

Didi on Momo

Didi: "He's a great young player, improving all the time at Liverpool and I'm sure he'll recover as soon as possible and be back fighting for every ball in midfield."
"He was actually in the dressing room at half time being treated but we had a lot to talk about and so weren't able to do much except tell him to keep his chin up. It was arriving at the airport knowing that we were leaving somebody behind when it struck us how bad the injury must be."
"We went over there with a full squad and we wanted to leave with a full squad. That's how it is here. We win, lose and draw as a team and we fight as a team. You never like leaving anybody behind."
"He has everyone's support at the club and we are all thinking about him and hoping he makes a full recovery."

Liverpoolfc.tv - Sissoko is still waiting to discover when he'll be able to play football again after suffering a serious eye injury against Benfica in Portugal last week. Although the youngster is making pleasing progress in his recovery, the Reds have so far been unable to set a timescale on his return to action.