YUSUF ABDULLAH AND DALE STEYN

On the weekend I bumped into Yusuf Abdullah and Dale Steyn. I met Steyn for the first time. Top oke. Shazo gave him a spin in the E55 and Dale loved the Merc. We wished the owes well for Centurian and were off

SUPER TUESDAYS

Il start of by saying Good Luck PENALTINO.

Why

Portugal play Bafana Bafana tomorow night. If I was Queiroz or Sir Alex I would not play Penaltino.

Lets go back in time when Linda Mercedez Benz Buthelezi took out Gascoigne. Then later Thabang Molefi took out Beckham.

Watch out penaltino. Our owes will take you out!

Since its International break I had to post this piece written by Killa. Marty McFly.Where are you

THEORY OF RETRO-ASAL NOO WAKAT (Gujrati for back in the day)
I remember the mini Nutella tubs.. Looked like em hotel jam tubs.. Smuggle one of those into class with that mini plastic spoon and you sorted.. Many people have different taste.. Differnt strokes for different folks as they say.. I was at a wedding in Roshnee this past weekend.. And i saw something unique there.. Something that took me back to the days of Italia 90 and Boris Becker.. Something that lit up the spark inside me that died a while ago.. I saw an empty packet (freakin old) of RASCALS.. i shit u not.. This oke kept it for donkey years.. RASCALS were the shit.. Back in the day, MJC stood for “maar just chow”.. U see, u buy u eat.. Thats how we rolled.. Now we have radio stations fighting over chicken farm rights.. Its like DALLAS.. The Ewings vs the BARNES’s for the oil plants.. Back to the point..
Rascals are not the only forgotton item of pleasure.. In the chocolate section the 2 mujaahids are CHAPELAT (yellow and navy wrapper with the spelling on it) and RIPPLE CHOX.. Those 2 choc’s were affordable and flippen lekka.. CHOX would meltin your mouth.. Esp the red orig one.. That was the shit.. There was another one called GOLD… I dunno if many remember that.. Shaped like a mini gold bar.. Tasted awesome.. Tad bit costly tho..
Then there was the best combo of all time.. The creme ale cream.. The king of combos.. SHOOTERS crisp and CHERRY COKE.. Shukr i get something similar to cherry coke at my local cineama but its not the same.. But this combo was sublime.. Music in ur mouth.. The hot SHOOTERS crisp was the pinnacle of tastebud pleasure.. Downed with a cherry coke.. U go home.. U watch Liewe Heksie and u chow Shooters.. That was it.. Now theres fucken mxit and shit. Also back in the day.. The white powder on your kids jersey was the best ever.. Yes, you guessed it.. ROCKET SHERBERT.. IN peach, granidalla and banana flavor.. Rocket sherbert was a must.. If u didnt have rocket sherbert u were a social outcast..
In the frozen foods dept there are many winners.. the legendary COCONUT BAR and TONY’S chocolate ice-cream.. In the old school silver wrapping.. Fuck i bet u hungry now.. And not to mention the best after school treat ever.. HI BOY and CHOC o LINA.. 50 cent a piece i think they were.. I remember the first OLA range.. That choc ice cream with that dog pic with the big ears.. Fuck i forgot the name.. The most legendary treat to ever come out of the freezer however was the RED ICE POP.. U load ur pockets up after mads.. U come home.. One or 2 burst in ur pearl white kurta.. Ur mother TANANA’s you one, two.. U dont care.. Cos u still have red ice pops to finish..
What about the fridge items.. i see BIBO is discontinued but good ridden i say.. CAPRI SONNE (pacific cooler) was the benchmark in fruit juice.. However CERES SEcrets of the Valley deserves a mention.. Then there were those cheap flavored water drinks.. The containers were shaped like teddy bears and cars and stuff.. Those were lekka also.. And remember Sweet Aid and Kool Aid Cherry.. The Ginger Beer should gly (pronounced khley) as well..
In other categories there was popeye sherbert, syrup mango which i spoke of before, barbeton choria andthe chocolate known as TAKE-TWO.. Fanta Apple and Bubble Gum didnt stand the test of time, neither did Hubbly Bubbly.. Those were also the days of PIZZA HUT and caramel popcorn.. Do they still make quality caramel popcorn.. Ghosts PoPs made a surprise return a few years back but one crisp that didnt was HULA HOOPS…There are many otheres like the necklace and wacth sweets and the purple and green pakets of PUFF CORN.. PEZ and HAW FLAKES deserve a mention also..
In conclusion here are some of my most missed confectionary items..
O Gradys Cheese/Sour cream crisp
Cherry coke
Ripple Chox Red
Tony’s Choc Ice cream
Chupa Chups Stock Sweets

KiLLa
http://killa.co.za/blog/?p=147

IPL PREVIEW

DECCON CHARGERS

Franchise History
The Deccan Chargers franchise is owned by Deccan Chronicle. The media group acquired the franchise from IPL for $107 million on January 24, 2008. It is announced that from 2009 season onwards the team will change its jersey(from beige-black to sparkling silver-blue), logo and also the team will have much more hype in it.[2]

2008 IPL Season
Despite the fact that the team was one of the favourites to win the inauguaral edition of the IPL, the team failed to reach the semi-finals. In addition, Andrew Symonds (Deccan's most expensive player) batted only 3 innings before leaving to play for the Australian national team, and team captain Laxman had his season ended by an injury after 6 games. Only 3 Deccan bowlers, R. P. Singh, Pragyan Ojha and Shahid Afridi, took more than 4 wickets in the competition. In this 14 match period, the team went winless at home and only managed 2 wins overall, one against the Mumbai Indians and one against the Chennai Super Kings. They finished at the bottom of the table.

Players
The franchise acquired players like Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Shahid Afridi, Scott Styris and Herschelle Gibbs. The main bowlers acquired by the franchise were R.P. Singh, Nuwan Zoysa and Chaminda Vaas. From 2009, the team will be captained by Adam Gilchrist who replaced the captain of the inaugural season, V.V.S. Laxman. In 2008, VVS Laxman was intended to be the Icon Player for the team but he relinquished his Icon Player Status and settled for a signing amount of $375,000, which allowed the team to bid for costly players and still remain under the salary cap.
A huge controversy has risen amidst the Deccan Chargers camp, as their ace player VVS Laxman has reportedly decided not to play for the team again. Laxman, a senior Indian batsman, is upset by the way the owners have overlooked his contributions and sacrifices and named Adam Gilchrist as the captain for the next season, without even informing him before-hand. People realized something was wrong when another star player Shahid Afridi accused VVS Laxman of his below-par performance and inability to lead on the field in the inaugural season. A temporary truce was resorted to, but the flames have reappeared soon. Later they have terminated the contract of Shahid Afridi and after team management have snapped their ties with him.

2009 Season

New Administration And Support Staff
After the debacle of 2008, the team management have sacked the entire previous administration(their CEO, Managers), the Captain and the entire Coaching Staff except assistant coach Kanwaljit Singh. They have sacked their CEO J.Kalyankrishnan after one week of the 2008 Season, Coach Robin Singh and later Captain V.V.S.Laxman and replaced them with Tim Wright(later he too resigned after violating Foreigners Act), the former Australian batsman Darren Lehmann and former Australia Wicket-Keeper Adam Gilchrist respectively.

Trading
In a low key trading of players, the Deccan Chargers management have placed Shahid Afridi and Herschelle Gibbs up for sale, a direct result of their below par performance during the 2008 season, however no other Franchise owners were interested in acquiring these two players. Due to this the Deccan Chargers management have ceased all tieswith Shahid Afridi, due to a disagreement with former Deccan Chargers captain V.V.S.Laxman. They have also released former India all-rounder Sanjay Bangar.

New-Signings
Before the second player auction took place the management signed Queensland all-rounder Ryan Harris owing to a strong recommendation from Coach Darren Lehmann.
In the resulting auction the Deccan Chargers franchise acquired two West Indian players, Fidel Edwards for a fee of $150,000, and Dwayne Smith for $100,000
They have also signed up six new domestic players, T.Suman and Abhinav Kumar are two batsmen,bowler S.M.Shoaib from the Hyderabad, team signed after their consistent performances on the domestic circuit, M.S.Bisla, a Wicket-Keeper from Himachal Pradesh and two fast bowlers from Punjab, Jaskarandeep Singh and H.S. Bansal. The Chargers' team are currently experiencing an unprecidented level of media hype due to rumours circulating that the all-rounder and the Chargers' highest-paid player Andrew Symonds may be available for the entire season if he is dropped from the Australia squad for their tour of Pakistan (assuming the tour goes ahead at all). Some have stated that the Chargers' spinner Pragyan Ojha will be their major asset because of his recent performance in all forms of the game.

CEO Resignation
Chargers new CEO Tim Wright have resigned, after alleged to have committed serious violations of Foreigners Registration Act and this made to resign as CEO of Deccan Chargers. Later team Vice-President Venkat Reddy said that team will not have CEO for 2009 season.

Team Jersey
The New Deccan Chargers Team Jersey created for IPL Season 2009. Team jersey is being sponsored by Sports brand Puma.

Etymology
The Deccan Chargers are represented by a charging bull, the mascot for the chargers which signifies strength, power and aggression while the red and gold bands on the flag stand for dominance and victory.[3]

Current Squad
Deccan Chargers Roster

Batsmen
05 Chamara Silva
08 Herschelle Gibbs
19 V.V.S.Laxman
26 Arjun Yadav
36 Venugopal Rao
45 Rohit Sharma
59 D.B.Ravi Teja
-- T.Suman
-- Abhinav Kumar
All Rounders
50 Dwayne Smith
56 Scott Styris
63 Andrew Symonds
-- Ryan Harris
Wicket Keepers
18 Adam Gilchrist(Captain)
11 Halhadar Das
-- M.S.Bisla
Bowlers
09 R. P. Singh
20 Fidel Edwards
22 Chaminda Vaas
23 Nuwan Zoysa
27 D.Kalyankrishna
30 Pragyan Ojha
-- M Sarveesh Kumar
-- H.S.Bansal
-- Jaskarandeep Singh
-- P. Vijay Kumar
-- S.M.Shoaib

source:wikipedia

A GLITTERING FUNCTION FROM THE KOP

Last night we entered the gates of Anfield for a glittering function. Fellow Kop Lad Saheer Laher went down. The function was glittering,nothing short of spectecular and the food sublime.
The Liverppol toppies were kitted in flashy suits and I bumped into a few MANC toppies in the back of the line during tea time. I asked Uncle Saleem Laher,Shaheers father if he had indeed caught invited these MANC fans in the family because I didn't see any.

I didn't know whether Uncle Saleem was more happier that Liverpool reduced the deficit to one point or that his son got married. I caught up with Uncle Saleem later and told him the function was magnificent. He told me Swoosh, "You know if it wasn't for the ladies I would have mad the men's section standing,synonymous to the KOP.
But congratulations Shaheer Laher. You will Never Walk alone now for sure. The usual suspects were present from our Champions League crew, with Riyad Loonat shining. The Madrid man had too after we dumped them out of Europe. But was good to see the lads again and commentary was filtering in as Yusuf Abdullah was bowling his spell during chow time. I also met Imraan Khans father and from teh Bernabeau to Anfield, another lad bites the dust.

In terms of Sport though there was World Cup Qualifiers, PRO 20 Action,Super 14 and the Euphoria of the IPL

In World Cup qualifiers there were no major surprises. Spain, Italy, Holland,Germany and most of the big guns won. But Portugal are floundering and SA mite not see Penaltino and the Portuguese.This will be a tragedy for the South African Portuguese contingent.

The Portuguese drew with Sweden 0-0.

Maradona in his first important game had lots to smile about as Messi and Co ripped their opponents apart. Are the Argies favourites to win 2010. As for Brazil tehy conceded late and drew.

England and Wayne Rooney were sublime in thumping Slovakia 5-0,was it Azee. The English had a new kit and even though it was a friendly they look set for Ukraine.

And SA Well they put it in impressive display to beat Norway 2-1, and the only question on peoples lips is that should Benny Play or Not? Please send your comments

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The Bullring was superb I hear. Ebie Kop End was in the thick of things so I'l await his comments.

Yusuf Abdullah didnt start on Friday but he certainly did yesterday and it was great to see him in action and producing a gem of a delivery. Also a good debut from Roelof van de Merwe. SA 2-0 up in the series and the question now is that who will make the PRO 20 World Cup Squad in June. Albie Morkel your Beauty. How was that one six by Morkel on Friday.Massive.

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WEEKEND RESULTS
Blues 22 Waratahs 27 Highlanders 36 Bulls 12 Crusaders 11 Stormers 7 Reds 26 Chiefs 50 Sharks 35 Brumbies 14 Lions 32 Hurricanes 38

In Super 14 the time has come where SA teams have to rely on one another. But Bulls still rule the roost

I thought I would post this interesting statement made by legend Diego Maradona
Pele Lost His Virginity To A Man - Diego Maradona
The Argentine coach responded to claims made by the Brazilian that he is not a good role model, and he did not hold back...James Walker-Roberts
27 Mar 2009 15:50:39

Diego Maradona has reacted to claims made by Pele that he is not a good role model for children, by declaring that he lost his virginity with a man.
The Brazilian legend claimed last week that both Ronaldo and Robinho have taken drugs, and that Maradona is not someone to look up to because of his history with narcotics.
The Argentine coach was asked for his thoughts on these statements at a press conference today, and did not twist his words when responding.
"What do you want me to say? He debuted (lost his virginity) with a lad (a man)," is what the coach told a press conference, attended by Goal.com's Martin Decaux.
"I don't know if that's a good example or a bad one."
This response prompted plenty of laughter from many of the journalists present at the conference but it is unlikely to go down to well with the Brazilian, nor with some onlookers, due to content that could be viewed as homophobic.
Pele has already had to track back on his claims that Robinho had taken drugs, after the Manchester City man threatened to take legal action.
The now retired Pele claimed that what had been quoted was a "misunderstanding" and suggested the drugs claims were not true.
This latest remark by Maradona has dragged the Brazilian legend into the spotlight yet again and it will be intriguing to see if, or how, he reacts to the comments.

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I apologise lads for the Fantasy F1. I totaly forgot and I didnt even realise. We will have to skip a season.

As for the Austrailian Grand Prix, Hazrat phoned me on Sunday Morning From Mekbourne. I could hear teh cars in teh background. Lucky bastardo, He will bring some pics back for "Been There Done That"

Button finally silences critics
30 March 2009 (07:55)

The 29-year-old Briton's roller-coaster career pulled out of a two-year plunge to soar sky-high in spectacular fashion on Sunday with a commanding pole-to-chequered flag victory in the Australian season-opener.
The one-two finish for Brawn GP, with Brazilian Rubens Barrichello following Button across the line, was the most successful debut by a team in 55 years and delivered a long-awaited payback for their English driver.
In the space of one afternoon he had scored more points than in all of the last two years with Honda, the existing team bought out by Ross Brawn.
The driver who took a massive pay cut to help keep Brawn on the road got his reward with a second career win that left him on top of the world.
"This is a fairytale ending really to the first race of our career together and I hope that we can continue this way," Button told a news conference.
"I said on the radio to my engineer 'can you please pinch me next time round'. It was at the start of the race after five laps when I had a five second lead or something."
In 18 races last season, Button scored a meager three points. The year before he had gathered just six. And yet in 2006 he won in Hungary and ended the season sixth overall. In 2004, he was third overall with 85 points when BAR (fore-runner of the Honda team) finished as runners-up.
"The last two years have been very tough, for both of us," he said, sitting alongside a beaming Barrichello.
"To drive that car we had last season, it was a handful. Every corner we got to we didn't know what was really going to happen. It was a beast but that's what we had to deal with."
Button, who made his debut with Williams in 2000, has had plenty of criticism over the years but he refused to take aim at his detractors.
"I don't need to poke anyone in the eye about what they've said about me in the past," he said. "There have been a lot of positive comments in the past and those are the ones that you obviously enjoy. I'm just happy to be here and I've worked bloody hard to be here."
The one-two finish reflected the grid positions and yet was also unexpected, with Barrichello making a terrible start and dropping to seventh by the end of the first lap.
It was only when Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and BMW-Sauber's Robert Kubica collided three laps from the end while battling for second place that the road to the podium was opened for the Brazilian.
"I have to admit to feeling slightly guilty that we were rather unsporting," said Brawn chief executive Nick Fry.
"There was a bit of a cheer that went up... it was slightly nerve wracking and at that point all the stress went away. We needed that accident to happen... first and second is indescribable."
As night fell over the paddock, rock greats The Who entertained the crowd by belting out classics such as 'Who Are You?'
For Button, the simple answer was a winner again and with much more to come.

www.supersport.co.za

THE LITY KNOWN AS CUCHEES BREW

Last night I met up with Hash, Yusuf Abdullah and the Doc briefly and the boys were looking good and ready for tonight. Long time ago when we were still playing ball at Tech for Lesco my toppie was managing a under 10 team. His team were sweeping all in the division at the time and there was this lity, a striker called Yusuf Adam that was putting away. My father always talked about him. He used to come to the grounds with his brew,the notorius Cuchee as he was known and their father in that famous land rover. It so happened they stayed behind us in mosquito Valley. Years later we were watching the Dolphins and my father asked me If I remember Yusuf Abdullah.I couldn't make him out. He said thats Yusuf Adam that played for my team. It so happened I met Abbers as his known by Hash and Co,and he came home top see the toppie and have lunch. We chatted and talked about Abbers making it for the national team one day insha-allah. I mean since Bret Shultz he was a natural lefty and he could swing the ball. When I checked him last night and seen the look on his face I felt proud. He was soaking up the euphoria and anticipating the atmosphere of the Bull Ring where he should start. And start he must as he will get Swing and he must make the strike bowler position his own. Off the field "THE HEATER" as he is also known as is a top owe. Obviously under the guidance of Hash, Abbers is a gentleman,calm and collected and well he's our owe. No doubt its a great achievement and it takes lots of hard work. And the heater has deserved it.
For me its wonderful to see that our neighbourhood owe from back in the day who is again a role model off the field making it and leading the attack for South Africa in the Pro 20's.This will be a start for our man for great things to come. Its certainly a proud moment for Swoosh0018.com. Hash, Bodi,Imraan Khan and now the Heater. What a thing.
So in this post I just wanna say Congratulations "Heater". Enjoy the moment my man. Tonight is your night. Make us proud and we will support you 100% of the way.
Get a fiver Abbers. This is a start for bigger things. Good Luck also to Hash and the rest of the Proteas squad. 20/20 Cricket is no more a social. Its the real thing

WORLD CUP 2010 HOST CITY-RUSTENBURG

WOZA SA 2010 WOZA

HOST CITY: RUSTENBURG
Rustenburg is situated in the North-West Province. Rustenburg is situated not far from the Magaliesburg Mountain Range. Very close by to Rustenburg is the Sun City & Lost City Entertainment & Casino Resorts. There are numerous activities and adventures located within this massive resort including various water sports, a golf course, casino, theatre shows to name just a few.

Rustenburg is situated within a 2 hour drive from both Pretoria & Johannesburg allowing visiting guests within Rustenburg to visit other host cities.
Other attractions in Rustenburg and the northwest include Hartbeespoort Dam, Pilansberg National Park (Big 5), Madikwe Game Reserve and the Magaliesburg Mountaine Range.

2010 PROJECTS
ROYAL BAFOKENG STADIUM


The Royal Bafokeng Stadium was originally a Rugby Stadium used for the 1995 World Cup. It has become a soccer stadium of late. The Stadium itself is already well equipped and will only require minor renovations to meet FIFA Standards. The Royal Bafokeng Stadium will be used for both the 2009 Confederations Cup as well as the 2010 World Cup. The stadium currently holds a capacity of 38 000 and is expected to be increased up to 45000. The Royal Bafokeng plays host to 5 Group Games and 1 Round of 16 Game at the 2010 World Cup as well as the following Confederations Cup 2009 Games.
Group A
Spain vs New Zealand
South Africa vs New Zealand
Group B
Egypt vs USA
Knockout Phase
Third Place Playoff


RUSTENBURG FAN PARK
It is expected that the FIFA FAN PARK in Rustenburg will be located at either the grounds adjacent to the Olympia Park Stadium or at the Thlabane Stadium in Thlabane North-West of the CBD and the third option is the Boitekong Sports Facility in Boitekong.

TRAINING VENUES

The training venue for Rustenburg is not yet finalised but is most likely to be either the Olympia Park Stadium (Picture Above) about 2kms from the Rustenburg CBD in close proximity to the R104 and the other option is to build a new Stadium near the mines in Boitekong north of Rustenburg or upgrade the Mogwase Stadium.
.
PARK & RIDE
The proposed Park & Ride areas for Rustenburg are Show Grounds situated between the main roads leading into Rustenburg CBD, Kloof Holiday Resort 500m from the Kloof Interchange of the N4, Site between the CBD and the stadium on the old N4, Site North of the Stadium located on R565 from Sun City and the Rustenburg Airport which is north of the CBD on R510.

RUSTENBURG TRANSPORT PROJECT
The proposed budget for the Rustenburg Host city 2010 Transport Project is about 320 Million Rands and includes the following projects:

Construction of Ring Roads as well as link Roads around the Royal Bafokeng Stadium
Integrated Rapid Public Transport System (IRPTN)
Park & Ride Sites to Serve the Stadium
Public Transport Priority System on the IRPTN
Pedestrianisation of Fatima Bhayat street in Rustenburg CBD
Improved Walkways and Public Transport System in the Stadium Precinct Area
Upgrading of the Eastern & Western Bypass of the N4
Upgrading the Taxi Rank and Bus Facilities

ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation in Rustenburg will mainly be based around the Sun City & Lost City Resorts which has four hotels including the Lost City, Cabanas, Cascades & Sun City Main Hotel. Other Main Accommodation Sites would include the Pilansberg, Madikwe and Borakalalo Game Reserves.

Galactico

*Rustenburg owes reading the blog, share some input here please.

IPL COMES TO SA

Johannesburg: South Africa will host the second edition of the DLF-Indian Premier League from April 18, IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi and Cricket South Africa Chief Executive Gerald Majola announced here on Tuesday.
The decision to accept South Africa’s offer to host the second edition of DLF-IPL has much to do with the fact that the promised 4-00 p.m. and 8-00 p.m. (IST) start of the games could be achieved more practically here than in England, which was the other venue nation being considered.
The notoriously fickle English weather in April and early part of May was another huge reason why the DLF-IPL tournament has headed to South Africa rather than England. It was estimated that rain could seriously affect as many as 70 per cent of the DLF-IPL T20 matches if they were scheduled for England.
The teams will start arriving in South Africa from April 1, 2009. The opening ceremony will be held in Cape Town, with the inaugural match being played on April 18. The final is likely to be held at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. As many as five other cities – Durban, Centurion, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town – have already been identified. East London and Bloemfontein are competing for a host city berth.
The schedule for the 59 matches and the host venues for the eight franchises will be released shortly. Royal Challengers are likely to be based in Johannesburg.

What a thing this is for SA Cricket and spectators. To see the best in the world on our doorstep

GAMEWEEK 30

1 kalgats akiel asvat 44 1623
2 Kop End Ebrahim Ahmed 74 1612
3 FC Toby Irshad Latiff 66 1606
4 ANZO STARS ANEES MAYET 74 1558
5 THE CHAMPION SETH Junaid Seth 32 1542
6 PORN STARS Azhar Mohamed Moola 41 1534
7 Fordsburg Lighties Bilal Coovadia 63 1529
8 I'm better than UBG! Mohsin Seth 32 1529
9 FAT FRANKS XI Yusuf Seth 34 1519
10 F C HAZRATS yusuf rasool 62 1504

Ebie Kop End just finds himself in the position of Liverpool. He is 11 points of Akiel Asvat. Can he do it. Its tite up there. Id say its a three horse race. Akiel, Ebie and Toby.

8 games left..........................

SUPER TUESDAY ON SWOOSH

Firstly, Cna anyone comment on the Taxi Blockade thats preventing Lenz Guys to come to town. Any news on that. Please leave some comments

THE SHOOBS CORNER
All the way from the UK

Has Man United pushed the self destruct button? Accusations have been thrown at me for being biased and an arrogant United supporter. I will admit to being an arrogant United supporter – we’ve earned the right but as for being biased, every article I’ve written for Swoosh’s blog has been objective barring the one prior to the United v Liverpool game which I hold my hand up for and admit I was over-confident and ended up having to eat my words. It’s been a dismal two weeks for United, falling to Liverpool at Old Trafford was a bitter pill to swallow but we were consoled by the fact that we still had a healthy amount of points and a game in hand. Post the result this weekend, nerves are being tested at Old Trafford. I had been invited to the Fulham game by a co-worker who has been a season ticket holder at Craven Cottage for years. I met him and his father (who has been following Fulham for over 60 years) at a pub before the game. The pub was an old-school English geysers pub without much shouting and chanting going on. Everyone I spoke to at the pub knew I was a United fan and took no issue with that. We sat the Fulham end of the ground and the support the Fulham faithful showed their team was a definite help to squad. Barring the result, it was one of the more pleasant games I have been to. Not so pleasant however was the United performance. I’ve had the privilege of watching United up close a few times this season the performance on Saturday was a far cry from the performances I’ve witnessed throughout the season so far.

United were looking tired and unsettled. Take nothing away from Fulham, they were brilliant in the first half and were fully on their game. It was probably one of those rare halves where V D Sar was made to earn his money. The media, United forums and fans are buzzing with comments on Fergie’s team strategy/selection and naturally Scholesy’s and Roo’s sending off (which has dominated headlines) and it’s all a bit unfortunate for Fulham as that has taken the spotlight away from them. They’ve earned a well deserved 3 points and as a United fan you can do nothing but congratulate them on a match well played.

Also as a United you have to be concerned. Post our Carling Cup success, our performance has deteriorated and we are no longer playing with the confidence and decisiveness we’ve shown throughout the season. With Vidic, Rooney and Scholesy missing out on the upcoming league games, time has come for Fergie’s men to dig deep and deliver. I’d like to think we’d be able to do that, but after the showing at Fulham and I am very concerned... I guess, taking into account the season we had last year and the way we’ve been playing so far, the pressure was bound to come to a breaking point, which is where I think we are at the moment, how we deal with that will dictate whether we can continue to be Champions or not (and let’s not lose sight of that fact). Either way, the team that lifts this year’s title will be a deserved winner, whether it be United, Liverpool or even Chelsea, you’d have to swallow your pride and offer your congratulations, I know I am willing to do that, I wonder how many others reading this would be able to do the same? Other news dominating the headlines would be Liverpool’s current form.

As Lineker put it on Match of the day, Liverpool have struck a “rich vein of form”. Without prejudice, I will admit they are something else at the moment, how long before this form falls away? I’d prefer sooner rather than later, but there is no telling. Also, the CL draw has created a stir especially in my neck of the woods with Liverpool drawing Chelsea again. Working in Chelsea and surrounded by CFC fans there was a lot of mixed feelings about that draw, the most common response being “not again”. Guus Hiddink’s statement that if Russia don’t qualify for the World Cup he’ll be released from his contract has also been met with great approval from the CFC fans, but with Russia sitting second in their group with a game in hand, the possibility of Hiddink being at The Bridge next season is uncertain. Lastly, nothing yet back on the allegations that Mourinho clocked a United fan after the Champions League game earlier this month. If the issue persists, Mourinho will be required to fly back to Manchester and instead of heading off to Old Trafford he’ll have to visit the Greater Manchester PD...

FROM THE KOP END

By Red For life

14 March 2009, the scoreboard at Old Trafford read Manchester Utd 1-4 Liverpool. It was unthinkable. Many Utd fans and even well known football punters said it was merely a bad day at the office and Utd have too much class to crumble. They would prove their quality by bouncing straight back with a convincing performance at Fulham's Craven Cottage, a ground they never lost at for the last 45 years or so.Utd fans were in for a shock. Their team hardly showed up before a Danny Murphy penalty put them 1-0 down. Utd never recovered from losing Scholes so early on and were lucky to go into halftime trailing by just the one goal. Utd came out fighting in the second half but could not crack a resiliant Fulham defence and an equally good Shwarzer. The pressure started to show and after conceding a second goal in the 88th minute it looked like most of the fireworks had passed. Up stepped Rooney and after hurling the ball back at the referee he saw red for a second yellow. Utd looked a beaten team.The weekend got even better for LFC when Chelsea lost 1-0 at White Hart Lane to a Modric goal early in the second half. Spurs fought hard for the 3 points after much criticised goalkeeper Gomes made a series of stunning saves. A weekend this good could only be capped by a Liverpool win. Many fans feared that our inconsistency would once again come back to haunt us with a tricky tie against Aston Villa.

How wrong they would be. LFC ended up winning the game 5-0 and closing the gap to just 1 point from Man Utd albeit with a game in hand.Liverpool started the game with a frantic pace and pushed Villa back with some stunning approach play and opened the scoring after just 8 minutes from a well taken shot by Kuyt after Alonso's initial header from a Gerrad free kick came back off the cross bar. Villa started coming back into the game and gave LFC a scare or two. Carew's header from a well placed Milner cross brought a fabulous one handed save from Reina. Soon after the mini Villa revival they found themselves 2-0 down. Reina was the architech of the goal as he pumped the ball up field with pin point accuracy and picked out Riera who smashed a stunning volley past the helpless Friedle. LFC put the game beyond Villa with a third goal before halftime after Riera went on a run into the box looking to take on Reo-Cocker and was brought down. Gerrard did the honours and sent Friedle the wrong way.Early in the second half Gerrard had the opportunity to extend the lead after Kuyt was brought down on the edge of the box. He calmly stroked the ball into the net to make if 4-0. Liverpool were coasting and Rafa decided to rest both Alonso and Arbeloa who were returning from injuries.

On came Rafa's favourite, Lucas and a welcomed return for Agger. Torres latched on a through ball and rounded Friedle only to be up ended and the American saw red for his troubles. Gerrard slotted the ball into the back of the net and once again sent the keeper the wrong way thus completing a stunning set piece hat-trick.The title race is definetly back on and for once it might look like Utd are the ones who succumb to the pressures of leading the pack into the business end of the season. Fergie should be worried.

http://www.lfc4lifesa.blogspot.com/

MUGG OF THE WEEK

WITH UNCLE BHAI GORA

Vy does he alvays do did.Time and time again he lets team and country down vit his fiery temper and behaviour. He let England down in Vorld Cup by stamping on Carvalho. Rooney know dat of he got sent off in dat game den England vud be under the kosh. But he doesnt think this boy. So much potential but he just lose it. Everytime he give referees mouthfull. Good he deserved it at Fullham. Dis vud teach Rooney a Lesson. But for man dat always lets you down wen you need him da most vit his temper. Rooney is my MUGG of the Veek. Ok Ok. And because he cost us in 2006. I can nevr forget that.

LEAKED IMAGES OF NEXT SEASONS TEAM JERSEYS

Ok I dont know how authentic these designs are but these re benchmarked as next seasons kits

Man Utd Home

Man Utd Away

Liverpool Away

Chelsea Home,Robocop Body Armour Design

Arsenal Away

FELICITY MOODY

This weeks babe of the week is the sexy Felicity Moody. For mor epics of Felicity and PIMS one on one with her,Click here.Also see PIMS new website http://www.p-i-m.co.za/

WHAT COLOR SUIT MUST I WEAR OR IS IT MURPHYS LAW

I apologise for the late post. PC stuffed up at home and traffic this morning but what a sporting weekend. What a Weekend.Where do I start.

Ok Saturday and the curse of Danny Murphy returned to haunt the MANCS and I immediately went to Extension 8 Ackals and told Imraan and them to smile. I said "Make that 4 Toasted Steaks please, and Oh yes please add another two"

Poor Mancs they have been receiving a bashing and today will be no different. Everyone thought Fullham will be a breeze.

But what was Scholes trying , thats a red. Murphy slotted home and the MANCS were 1 down. I thought ok here is it, We all going to get happy for nothing and the MANCS will steal again like they do always. They were pressing and pressing. And then Fullham scored spectacularly, Rooney sent off. Great. Alot of Mancs were saying that the Referee was full of shit . What do you guys think of the Sending off. Did Rooney deserve to see red?

But great for the premiership race, great for an ABU. The fight is still on and Vidic, Rooney, Scholes are all missing and Bervatovs leg I heard is in plaster, dont know how true it is.

So when it came to Sunday Everybody expected Liverpool to f#4k up. I myself was worried as Villa were tough opposition. But a 5-0 drubbing led by Captain Fantastic. Liverpool are on fire. And now how we regret those draws against the minnows. We would have f#4king been ten points clear already.

And Rieras second goal, sheer class. Liverpool was class. gerard was fantastic and 13 goals in the last three games against big scalps.

What color suit must I wear. The tailors packed it away till next year.Now they working on it again. AND THE MANCS ARE IN PANIC STATIONS

Chelsea and Guus disappointe dearly.They lost to Spurs and failed to capitalise on the MANCS slip up. Good win for Arsenes men

In Europe Barcelona nad Madrid step up the pace and how was Barca, a 6-0 demolishon job they gave. Messi,Eto, Henry and the usual suspects were on the scoresheet.

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In Italy and Serie A, I watched the game on Saturday Night,Juve vs Roma and Juve ran riot. The Atomic Ant Giovinco was terrorising the Romans. A good win for Juve. Sadly though Inter won also and that Juve slip up a month ago could prove decisive.

Milan drew and Im sure they lining up a replacement for Ancelotti

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On Saturday night I stopped at the Select in Lenz. i seen some local Petrol Attendants screaming and cursing Jimm Tau. They were saying he must f#4k off and he cost Chiefs the game. They were also in shock as Chiefs were upset by TUKs. Pirates and Sundowns also lost in the Nedbank Cup and Sundowns fans wanted to moor teh ref in teh end. All three BIG BOYS sent packing. THE BOOKIES must have made money

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SA wrapped up the final test in Newlands in emphatic style. It was good to watch even though it was a dead rubber. Good performances from AB De Villiers and Harris got Man of the Match awards. To the one days and PRO 20 action where our local owes Hash and Yusuf Abdullah will be featuring.

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In Tennis, Rafael Nadal proved his a supreme athlete once again when he thumped Andy Murray in straight sets to win the 1000 Series Masters in Indian Wells. Nadal didnt let the heavy winds affect his game and went on to capture yet another Masters, his 29th I think

THE QUARTER FINAL DRAW

Well so thats it hey, Chelsea again. We are tired of Chelsea but weay of Guus. The MANCS are lucky to get Porto and avoid the big boys. Arsenal should beat Villareal and the Clash of the round Bayern Munich vs Barcelona.

I say we meet the MANCS in Rome. Arsenal vs Utd. Liverpool vs Bayern. Thats my prediction.The Stage is set

Quarter Finals (April 7th-8th, April 14th-15th, 2009)
1. Villarreal vs Arsenal
2. Manchester United vs Porto
3. Liverpool vs Chelsea
4. Barcelona vs Bayern

Semi Finals (April 28th-29th, May 5th-6th, 2009)
5. Winner of Match 2 vs Winner of Match 1
6. Winner of Match 4 vs Winner of Match 3

Final (May 27th, 2009, Rome)
Winner of Match 6 vs Winner of Match 5

Also Hash and Imraan Khan both gone. Hash just cant seem to be taking those solid starts to big ones. He hit 8 fours in his knock though. Imraan well good on ya lad. Its your debut


The quarter final draw takes place today and I have a feeling we going to draw Man utd and continue the Jihad.
Funny story I met this Liverpool fan who said he had lunch last week Friday by his MANC connections. On the lunch table he asked his cousin so did you see the draw. His cousin said who ,what when.Who did we get.He said Liverpool. He said his cousin had that look of fear on him and was vipping.lol

2010 TOUR OPERATORS

WOZA SA 2010 WOZA
OFFICIAL 2010 STORES:

The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Event Stores contract was awarded to Edgars Consolidated Stores (Edcon) in November 2007. The official World Cup Stores will be located within the 150 Nationwide Edgars Stores. Edgars will act on behalf of FIFA’s master brand, Global Brands, to ensure that fans and visitors can enjoy official 2010 World Cup products. Official FIFA World Cup Stores have already had major successes in the past 3 World Cups.
At the moment the following Edgars stores have the FIFA Official Section:

V & A Waterfront Cape Town
Canal Walk Cape Town
West Street Durban
Gateway Mall Durban
Westville Pavilion Durban
Eastgate Johannesburg
East Rand Mall Johannesburg
Sandton Mall Johannesburg
Joburg City Johannesburg
Menlyn Park Pretoria
Church Street Pretoria
Greenacres Port Elizabeth

2010 TOUR OPERATORS:
The 2010 Tour Operator programme is under way. Tour Operators for the 2010 World Cup have been given a certain quota of tickets which they me resell to the general public. At present there are a number of approved tour operators that have tickets available for the 2010 World Cup. However Tour Operators have only been allocated Team Specific Tickets (TST’s). Packages available include TST 3 (Group Games Only), TST 4, TST 5, TST 6 & TST 7 which includes all matches of your team including Group Games and all Knockout Rounds. If the team you are following gets knocked out you will follow the team that knocks them out and so on.
A list of a few tour operators in South Africa are as follows:

Edusport Travel 2010@edusport.co.za http://www.edusport.co.za/
Thompsons Holidays info@thompsons.co.za http://www.thompsons.co.za/
HRG Rennies Travel susan.vandemerwe@renniestravel.com http://www.renniestravel.com/
Fli-Afrika Travel 2010info@fli-afrika.com http://www.fli-afrika.com/
Anybody not wanting to wait for the lottery of tickets may contact the above tour operators for further information.
If you want a full list of tour operators or further information with regards to becoming a tour operator check out the following link:
http://touroperator.match-ag.com/

Galactico

THE CHAVEL SPEAKS

THEATER OF DREAMS

By the Laal Chavel (Red Rice)

After The Mauling
Now that the KOP fans have calmed down after getting all carried away for the hiding they dished out, lets focus, they still third (hehe). Somehow most United fans took it quite well. Upto that game we played about 7 or 8 games more if you count the World Club Cup, League Cup & FA CUP. Not only that bit it was an early kick off on Saturday not giving us much rest from last Wednesdays Inter game. So those are the excuses if any, how long can you be at your best & maintain focus if fixtures are working against you. The immediate focus will now be to put daylight between us and the blues.
Sir Alex Ferguson has had his fare share of maulings at United, the 5-0 hiding at Man City in the late 80’s, the 5-0 drubbing at St James Park when the TOON army were led by Keegan in the mid 90’s and now the fools have had their day, that said United have always triumphed when it came to the crunch.
The Ferguson philosophy of football stamped over Old Trafford over the last 20 years is beyond what any other club has achieved in that time. Sir Alex was recently interviewed by British journalist Alastair Campbell talking about politics, retirement & the Quintuple…

INTERVIEW with the Sir Alex Ferguson
Alastair Campbell: On a scale of one to ten, how political do you think you are?
Alex Ferguson: Well, I guess I'd have to be a ten on football. With politics, I'm interested in it, I follow it, I read political history and I have strong political views. So I would say around seven and a half.
Alastair Campbell: Where do you think your politics come from?
SAF: My background and upbringing. I grew up in a very working-class area of Glasgow and I was always very conscious of the sense of community, people and families supporting each other. I grew up believing Labour was the party of the working man, and I still believe that. It's true I've earned a lot of money. But I've worked hard, pay my taxes and put a lot back in different ways. I think part of Tony Blair's success as a leader was showing success and Labour could go together.
Alastair Campbell: What do you think politics and sport can learn from each other?
SAF:I read a lot of history and in most history books there won't be a mention of sport, but there are always insights you can learn. Like that book you sent me last summer, the one about Abraham Lincoln . I couldn't get enough of it. And of course the big story was slavery and the civil war, but what was fascinating was how he held together all these big personalities, the ones who had tried to stop him becoming president, to make sure they stayed roughly on the same track. Now, he was president of the United States in a totally different era. I am a manager of a football team. But I can learn about the art of team-building and team management from all sorts of places.
Alastair Campbell: It's changed so much since you were a player, or since you started at United.
SAF The thing is, I have been here while all these changes have gone on and I've managed to adapt and help players adapt. I was here before agent power, before freedom of contract, before the really big money from TV kicked in. Part of my job is to make sure these lads keep their feet on the ground. I hammer it into them that the work ethic is what got them through the door here in the first place and they must never lose it.
Alastair Campbell: And does all the fame and the money change them for the worse?
SAF: Well, some footballers it might, but look at [Manchester United's] Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, model professionals who have also handled the celebrity status well. So then the younger ones look up to them, too. And the job of the manager is to get the best out of them, and always be looking to the future as well.
Alastair Campbell: Do you have a retirement date in mind yet?
SAF: Not for a while. I'm 67 now. My health's good. I still have the drive and the energy. I've been here more than 22 years, but I still get a buzz arriving at the training ground. I still get that tingle of excitement when the team bus draws up at an away ground before a big match. Or I see some of the young kids coming through, like the young Brazilian twins [Rafael and Fábio Da Silva, of United] . . .
Alastair Campbell: So what are we saying? Another year? Two?
SAF: That kind of area. We'll see.
Alastair Campbell: I reckon your last game should be at Wembley, the 2011 Champions League final. Then you do the UK football team for the 2012 Olympics.
SAF: We'll see. I certainly support the idea of an Olympic team in principle, provided there is no danger at all to the individual identities of the smaller countries.
Alastair Campbell: What do you think the LabourTory score is right now?
SAF: Well, the polls aren't great, are they? And a recession is the last thing you need when there's an election not that far off. So you'd have to say the Tories are a goal or two up. But I don't think it's over. I don't hear too many saying they really want the Tories back.
Alastair Campbell: What about Gordon?
SAF: I think he did a terrific job as chancellor. And I know people go on about him being a dour Scot and not having Tony's charisma and so on, but I think maybe the country needs a bit of that dour Scottishness.
Alastair Campbell: Best player you ever saw?
SAF: Pelé, Di Stéfano, Maradona, Cruyff.
Alastair Campbell: Greatest manager?
SAF Jock Stein.
Alastair Campbell: Who will replace you? And will you have a say?
SAF: United is a family club and I know they will want me to stay involved as an ambassador of some sort. If I'm asked my view I'll give it, but I won't be a back-seat driver.
Alastair Campbell: And who do you fancy?
SAF: I'm not gone yet.
Alastair Campbell: Reaction to [Liverpool manager] Rafa Benítez's rant?
SAF Weird. I really don't know what he was talking about. I'd be amazed if his staff or his players thought it was a good idea.
Alastair Campbell: Best (other) manager in the Premiership?
SAF: You'd have to say Arsène Wenger, David Moyes and Martin O'Neill.
Alastair Campbell: Your United dream team, out of the players you've managed?
SAF: My problem with United is I have had so many great players that I can't do one dream team.
Alastair Campbell: Do two, then.
SAF: Well, two goalies for sure - Schmeichel and Van der Sar. Both top 'keepers. Full backs, Denis Irwin, Gary Neville, Evra, and these Da Silva boys are something else. Centre backs, you'd have to say Stam, Bruce, Ferdinand and Pallister. For midfield . . . I ask myself who were the players you could not leave out. Bryan Robson, for sure. Roy Keane. Scholes. Giggs - never, ever leave him out if I was playing my best team. Ronaldo and Cantona are both “never leave out” players. You'd have Beckham knocking on the door. Out-and-out strikers, where do I start - Van Nistelrooy, Cole, Yorke, Solskjaer, Sheringham. As for Rooney, if I left him out, I'd have to do it by e-mail or I'd never hear the end of it. God, when you go through it like that, I have been blessed with terrific players.
Alastair Campbell: Greatest achievement?
SAF: The treble [Premiership, FA Cup and Champions League] in 1999, and in particular the comeback at Barcelona against Bayern.
Alastair Campbell: Best goal scored under you?
SAF: Giggs against Arsenal at Villa Park [in the 1999 FA Cup semi-final]. Out of this world.
Alastair Campbell: Biggest mistake?
SAF Letting go of Jaap Stam. No question.
Alastair Campbell: Biggest disappointment?
SAF: Not getting Gazza. He was a fabulous footballer and he would have done brilliantly here.
Alastair Campbell: Can you do the quintuple this year?
Alastair Campbell: No.
Alastair Campbell: Seriously?
SAF: The thing about cup football is you need to be the best, but you also need a lot of luck and I think it's asking too much for all the games to go your way. The one thing I will say is, this squad is the best I have ever had. Every game we play, I feel confident. At the moment, every attack fears our defence and every defence fears our midfield and attack. That gives you confidence, but it is too tough a call.

chavelinho