Crouchaldinho!!

27 Sept 2006 Liverpool 3-2 Galatasaray - CL Group Stage
BBC - Liverpool were two up after 14 minutes thanks to Crouch's close-range volley and Luis Garcia's well-placed header. Early in the second half Crouch got his second, when with his back to goal, he scored with a wonderful scissors kick. But two headers from substitute Umit Karan ensured a tense finale as Galatasaray threatened to do what Liverpool had done to AC Milan in 2005.

[see how Crouchaldinho did it]

Matter of Life and Death

Bill Shankly: 'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I'm very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.'

I'm so sick of people that showing no respects to things that matter to others. We decide what's important to us based on different values, so there's no point of judging. I'm not expecting people to understand my interest - football obviously, which almost can't be seen in my own country. But the bottom line is that you show respects. You can't judge things that you hardly understand, can you.

What I've heard recently that disappoints me badly is that people say football matches are all fake because of the bet. That came from people never really sit down for 90 minutes watching a football match. Unfortunately they're my friends, and were probably joking with me because I was watching something they're not interested on TV.

At first, you feel fine. You're thinking: they didn't mean it, they just like making fun with me. Even though you're a little sad that those fans and players who got a great passion for football were all denied by someone who don't even know how many players on the pitch in a game.

And then they moved on saying English football is boring, no skill at all, nothing like Brazil football, blah blah blah.... And that's it, you've gone too far. If you're a fan of those skillful football, that's fine, I take that it's your opinion. But if you don't even know about football, don't even watch football, then you stay away from it, shut the fuck up. Especailly when you know your friend is a big fan of English football, and she does know something about it.

My friend once told me: "Last night I saw Barcelona's game on TV, wow, it's much better then every Premiership games I've ever watched!"

Firstly, I don't believe you've watched full 90 minutes last night.
Secondly, how many Premiership have you watched? Nil.
So, just shut up, would you. And please leave me alone while I'm watching football, or at least don't fall asleep.

It DOES matter to me. Stop joking if you don't understand it.

Nice One, Reds!

23 Sept 2006 Liverpool 3-0 Tottenham - EPL

BBC - Liverpool struck three times after the break to seal an impressive victory. But Spurs were left to regret an astonishing miss from Jermaine Jenas seconds before Mark Gonzalez gave Liverpool a 63rd-minute lead. Jenas somehow missed from a matter of inches from Edgar Davids' cross, and Spurs were punished when Gonzalez scored after Craig Bellamy hit a post. Dirk Kuyt slammed home the second after 73 minutes and John Arne Riise hit a spectacular third in the dying seconds.

Kuyt: "We had a difficult day, we had to work really hard for the 3-0. Spurs are a very good team and they played well first half. In the second we did well, created chances and got the goals. That's the main thing. The game changed when they missed the open goal and we scored straight after. It was not so funny for them. My goal was a great goal but I still have to play better for the team. I have a lot more confidence now and hope to move on and make more goals."

OMG, How Did Xabi Do That!!??

20 Sept 2006 Liverpool 2-0 Newcastle - EPL

BBC - Kuyt ended Liverpool's five-hour goal drought when he slid in to convert Steve Finnan's cross after Alonso's exquisite pass had created the chance. And after the break, Alonso produced another moment of brilliance when he shot from inside his own half to leave the slipping Steve Harper groping air. Luis Garcia had earlier hit the post as Liverpool dominated poor opposition.

Rafa: "It was good for me and the supporters to see the team playing well, creating chances and scoring goals. It was good to keep a clean sheet and if we keep clean sheets and continue to play good offensive football then we will win a lot of games. I thought we deserved to win by more goals but to win 2-0 as well as a very good performance was a good night for us. It was funny because before Xabi decided to shoot for goal I was ready to shout at him because Gerrard had made a good run down the right side. Xabi has got great vision and it was a great goal. It didn't surprise me because he practices that in training a lot."

[Just watch this - can you believe that!]


Xabi: "Yes, I think this was better. The Luton goal bounced a few times, this one went quite straight. The Luton one was left-footed - it was different - but I am quite happy to score the goal"
"At the beginning I was looking for the pass but the ref was in the way of me getting it to Stevie (Gerrard) properly so I looked up and saw the keeper off his line and so I thought I'd have a go for it. It was vital that he slipped, maybe if he hadn't he would have saved it."
"I love to practise it with the trainers. Many times they shout at me because I throw a lot of balls away but it is something I like and I will keep trying."

We Deserved More?

17 Sept 2006 Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool - EPL

BBC - Drogba swivelled and powered in a shot from 18 yards to put the Blues ahead before the home side's Michael Ballack was sent off for an apparent stamp.
Steven Gerrard spurned the best chance for the visitors when he shot straight at keeper Petr Cech from eight yards. Liverpool were denied a penalty when Gerrard seemed to be pushed before Peter Crouch missed with a late header.

Rafa: "I think we deserved more from the game. In the first half we created clear chances through Kuyt and Gerrard, but one player won the game for Chelsea with a fantastic goal. We started the second half creating more chances and getting into good positions. The push on Gerrard by Lampard was a clear penalty, but we cannot change these things now."
"It's clear that we need more points, but it's only the beginning of the season and it's a long race. We need to get going."

I'm Back From London

What I love about London...

1. flirting with the guy sat next to me on the train who noticed my Liverpool keyring
2. the great Westminster Abbey
3. requesting a prayer in a small church in Greenwich University for my classmate Eric who suicided two months ago.
4. London makes me think of my hometown Taipei city which is very different from Newcastle
5. handsome young Londoners
6. better and cheaper China Town than in Newcastle
7. people kissing in public

What I don't like about London...

1. I felt regret not being bolder with that guy on the train throughout the journey. I liked him.
2. crowded and hot underground
3. impolite little black girl on the bus who wanted to sit on my seat and asked me to move over, but I rejected and she was pissed off
4. exhausting shopping
5. always people giving you free newspapers in the streets which becomes annoying because I don't like turning people down
6. the British Museum is boring to me
7. everything is expensive
8. they showed Chelsea's CL match on the big screen in a bar and Liverpool's on a samll TV, but actually not that much people were watching Chelsea. The other day they showed Man Utd on the big screen rather than Arsenal, but that made sense since Man Utd fans were all over the bar!
9. I wanted to go back to Newcastle just the second day

Well.....in short, I don't really like London. It's not like what I expected.

Goaless Again

12 Sept 2006 PSV 0-0 Liverpool - CL Matchday 1

BBC - Liverpool held PSV to a draw in their Champions League Group C opener as Steven Gerrard started on the bench. - Liverpool had plenty of the ball early on but PSV had the better chances with Arouna Kone hitting the bar and Ibrahim Afellay testing keeper Jose Reina. Kone missed a good chance in the second half with only Reina to beat, while Edison Mendez twice went close. But in the closing stages Liverpool twice hit the woodwork through Dirk Kuyt's shot and Gerrard's half-volley.

I Miss Last Season's Clean Sheets

9 Sept 2006 Everton 3-0 Liverpool - EPL

BBC - Tim Cahill gave Everton the lead with a close-range finish after 23 minutes. Andrew Johnson added Everton's second 12 minutes later, coolly taking advantage of Jamie Carragher's mistake as Liverpool's defence struggled. Liverpool wasted a succession of chances before keeper Pepe Reina fumbled Lee Carsley's shot for Johnson to head home in injury time.

Liverpoolfc.tv - Riise has been ruled out of Liverpool's next two matches against PSV Eindhoven and Chelsea after suffering a reoccurrence of his ankle injury.

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Sorry for not updatinig this blog that much as it used to be. I know what I've missed though. The US Open, two England's Euro 2008 qualifiers, and I have been wanting to write about the life here in Toon.... My summer language school at Northumbria University was over, and after some parties I got my exam results two days ago, which was....EXCELLENT! lol Alright, so, just let you guys know that I'm still here and have followed all those things I love as usual. I'm going to London for the 5 following days. Good luck to Liverpool's CL game against PSV! The derby loss hurts so much....

I Found Beauty

[watch]
You know what...I think that short speech of Agassi should become one of those greatest ones like Martin Luther King's 'I Have A Dream' that be remembered for years and years in history. It was so emotional at that moment. People were clapping and shouting, with tears and respects. Thank you Agassi, for the last 21 years and for the passion you've given to tennis. And with that passion, I found beauty. Life is not easy you know, and it's sometimes shit, but there are so much beauty in the world. You're moved by words from someone you've never met, someone you've never talked to, but brought you great moments and memories in life. Well, that's beauty to me I guess.