You’ve seen it by now and you’ve probably heard all about it, but for the uninitiated, Aaron Ramsey, 19year old Welsh international prodigy, broke his leg. Warning: not for the faint hearted.

2 years ago, Eduardo broke his leg, and even Diaby suffered similar injuries.

How cursed can Arsenal be with such a horrendous injury history — not that they’re asking for it or anything — but this time round, there’s a difference in the situation.

Eduardo was on the end of a very bad challenge, from a player tilting towards the malicious side of the game, while Aarom Ramsey, I believe, is simply unlucky.

Yes, unlucky that he broke his leg in a 50/50 challenge with Ryan Shawcross, a recent fresh entrant into the England Squad by Capello, and who has gone on to apologise profusely for the predicament befalling the young Welshman.

In football, if you don’t go in for a challenge, one might as well sit at home and enjoy a game of Monopoly, and in this case, it’s definitely an accident.

A hugely horrific accident, but does Shawcross deserve the red card?

Judging by the situation at hand, yes he does, to simmer any potential emotions and to prevent any triggering of ‘revenge’ tackles from Ramsey’s teammates.

I do believe and am not saying that there’ll be such a tackle, but what would you do when you see your buddy getting kicked with a broken leg?

There’s simply a chance that tackles get harder and tougher, and bringing the perpetrator out of the game, simmers it.

Referee did the right thing, but does Shawcross deserves to be branded ‘Thug’ or ‘Malicious’ player with that tackle?

No, he does not.

That lad’s an immense talent, and he’s a strong, hard tackler and there’s definitely nothing malicious about the intent in the play that builds up to the injury, and there was plenty of grievances as the big lad trudged off the pitch in tears, after checking on Ramsey’s condition with a comforting palm.

It’s just unfortunate that Ramsey’s leg buckled, as his was planted onto the ground.

It begs the question of what if it was Shawcross that suffered the broken leg?

By any means, it was a possibility as even Ramsey had went into the challenge himself, with both players attempting to kick away the ball.

What makes it even less malicious is that there wasn’t even any lunging or jumping into the challenge by both players.

It’s a sick injury, a horrific accident, and sure that Shawcross takes the blame for that injury, but for certain he is to be vindicated of any thuggery or malicious claims.

It’s purely bad luck, and it could happen to anyone, anywhere, and I hope Ramsey realises this and recovers as fast as he can to get back to enjoying the game that he loves.

Is it just me or is has the well of criticism gone dry?

Only 1 or 2 weeks back, immediately after the draw against Stoke City, we were under attack from all angles, from all corners of the web.

It seemed inevitable that Rafa Benitez was heading towards Juventus, for a new lease of life and for, arguably, a decent amount of respect too.

But Benitez never walks away from a battle, he never backs out, and as his usual calm, assertive and witty self, speculations of his future are brushed off and forgotten.

He’s just signed a 5 year contract, overhauled his backroom staff, realigned the youth academy, and in stout belief of his players, so why would he…. [Read more @ A Red Thing].

You’ve seen Avatar in Real3D (and shame if you haven’t), and did you enjoyed it as much as I did?

Well apart from getting dizzy from the ‘man-made’ 3 dimensional visual perceptions, I think it’s a great entertainment tool for the future.

It won’t be cheap, and I certainly won’t be able to afford it, but just the thought of revisiting Pandora nightly before you sleep, it’s simply out of this world.

Um, pun intended.

Anyway for a football fanatic, like I am, it doesn’t get any bigger, ahem, than watching your English Premiereship stars in Real3D, as reported here by Marketsaw.

It will be as if you’re right there running and jumping beside them.

So what if there aren’t any flying banshees or lean and tall blue humanoids on the screen, but instead 22 (23, if you count the referee) sweaty, athletic men chasing a single white ball around a grass pitch.

It will still be awesome-tastic!

But too bad I won’t be catching my idol, Steven Gerrard, or Torres in Real3D anytime soon.

English Premiereship in Real3D not yet available here. T.T

Have you read his article where he mentions Liverpool’s Aquilani as a flop, and this after watching just a handful of performances?

A flop would be disected as somethingthat failed badly or is totally ineffectual — so does Aquilani warrants such an insult?

If really he does deserve then certainly I’ll be forgiven for labeling Oliver Holt’s writing credential as a flop too, this after reading a few posts of his, because they failed in their accuracy and are also ineffectual especially in judging a player’s worth.

Am I too harsh on Holt then?

So what about Holt’s judgement of Aquilani, a player whom I value highly, where even though he has yet to cement himself as a key player in the squad, he definitely has a dormant bag of deft touches, glimpses of crafty vision and a definite sense of nimble mobility with his off the ball runs.

One thing for sure, and one which I strongly support, is that Aquilani is not a flop — or at the very least, not yet and not so soon, especially if you compare him against the likes of, say, Lucas.

Sure Aquilani is no Alonso, but it took Alonso a few seasons, where Rafa Benitez even tried trading him off, before he became a key player in the team.

Holt, it’s not that Liverpool is missing Alonso (okay maybe partly) but rather the lacklustre attacks is due to a certain consistently deep lying, backwards-running and shot-shy midfielder, known as Lucas.

What lucas does provide though, instead of an extra depth to Liverpool’s attack, is an extra dearth to Liverpool’s attacking plays.

And Oliver Holt, where  just like Lucas, your comments on Aquilani, especially given the pitiful number of games involving the Italian, they pose a sense of inaccuracy, poor technique in execution and dearth in vision.

I’ll give Aquilani till the end of the season, more playing times and resist labelling anything just because there’s an impulse to do so.

And for goodness sake, play fair will ya?

I am not stunned at all at the result: Singapore 1 – Oman 4.

Seriously, our ‘professional’ footballers are living in a lucid dream of glory after all these years, and to think that a campaign, Goal 2010, was put out years back to enhance our chance of getting a slot at the South Africa 2010 World Cup, it’s embarassing.

Big, fat, dreams.

As sponsors and fan turnouts dried up, so did the dream of watching Singaporeans playing at the world cup finals.

Okay, so we tried and indeed we have to dream big to achieve big things, but sooner or later, you’ll always have to wake up.

Unless FAS or whoever it is that takes the lead in building up the quality of our players and our game by sending a team to recce how the real professionals do it in Europe (it’s gonna be costly of course), and until then Singapore’s football will probably never evolve from it’s current pitiful state of ’schoolboy soccer’.

‘Schoolboy soccer’ is a state of mentality whereby players aren’t proactive enough to think on their own and instead wait and hope for others to make the difference, while lamenting at their current sorry state or finding glory at their newfound status as a ‘Pro’ player, thinking they’ve made it and then stop developing or improving themselves.

But thankfully there are players that take initiative and seek to improve themselves and their game.

These players try, and try, and try and try, but sometimes along the way, a better opponent comes along and you’ll simply have to concede defeat — but not without trying of course.

So Iran is next on Singapore’s schedule (6th Jan), but they thrashed us convincingly by 6 goals to 1, earlier in the round robin league, so it’s going to be a tough game.

Perhaps there’s still a chance for Singapore to qualify for the Asian games, by holding out for a draw or beating the Iranians on home turf.

Beating them, sounds like a really long shot, and holding out for a draw seems achievable, by our standards (and thankfully the wet weather too).

But seriously, I really don’t mind if we end up losing the game, just as long as we don’t lose it by playing with 10 men setting up camp and bonfires in the penalty box.

Now that’s just wrong.

These days, not often do I get the chance to blow the trumpet whenever Liverpool plays, so here’s not just to trumpet blowing, but trumpet blowing’s family and everything trumpet blowing advocated with.

Liverpool, playing at home and as usual, had the lion’s share of possesion and shots on goal. Too bad that the clean sheet was not to be, but 3 points is enough to give Rafa Benitez some room to breathe.

If wind of Gillet and Hick’s sale of american clubs, respectively, bears good news, then the back-to-scoring form of Fernando Torres and the extended appearance of Aquilani within an almost disintegrating-yet-proud footclub club, is MORE than just good news.

It is SWEETSPLENDIDAMAZINGLYSATISFYINGLYMORETHANGREAT NEWS. Yup.

Pretty much self explanatory.

Btw, without Torres what would we do? Anyway, you wonder what his hands were doing in the area of which shall not be named, of the person with the face of which shall not be spoken any further of.

Sadly I missed watching the game this morning, as all I managed to do was to hit the snooze button 10 times at 4am in the morning, before finding myself waking up at 9.30 am. Oh how time flies.

KTHNXBAI.

The weekend certainly felt longer than it should, or maybe I wasted it all on gaming and movie watching too much, and if i’m guilty, then luckily I’ve a partner in crime (yes, that’s you Bangau, or should I say BigBird?).

Anyway I topped my lazy weekend with a gloomy dose of Liverpool’s loss, at home to Arsenal — but I’ll accept the loss this time because Arsenal deserved their victory.

Arsenal were more inventive and definitely showed plent of hunger in winning the 50-50 ball.

It was not all surprising that they reacted swiftly and efficiently to Arsene Wenger’s half time pep talk when he challenged them that they did not deserve to wear the Arsenal jersey — and what a comeback it was.

Almost 5 months since Xabi Alonso, who was at the stadium to watch the game, left the Reds and it shows how vital his playmaking skills are, and Liverpool truly misses his presence, or the lack of it.

You never know what you’re missing till it’s gone eh?

So I have a come back to attend to as well, this coming Sunday, because that is when Dad and Mama comes back from their Haji  or Pilgrimage trip. Pilgrimage trip, did I mention it correctly?

My to-do lists would probably look something like:

1. Wash the toilet
2. Sweep/Vacuum the house
3. Unmess their bedroom.

I’m going to miss the last bit most of all, as I get to sleep on a super comfy king-sized bed all to my own, nightly, as after this it’s back to my own room, where Bro shares with me. Good to note that 2 felines are in there as well.

But it’s great that they’ll be back, cos I miss them both already.

It’s more than just cliche but one really never know how much we can miss our family, until they’re away from us.

I suppose absinthe absence does make the heart grows fonder.

Disappointment, sadness, grievances and regrets might be associated at the wake, pun intended, of Liverpool’s Champions League exit, but in my eyes it is actually more of a boon than a bane.

I welcome the exit with welcome arms, not because I harbour no reservations of being the Champions of the UCL again ( I do want them to win, next year perhaps~), but mostly due to the fact that I get to see the Liverpool players as mere humans again.

This exit did not turn Rafa Benitez into a bad manager or the Liverpool players into bad footballers, and if anything it goes to show how beautifullly unexpected the beautiful game can be, and how magnificient and feet-firmly-rooted -to-the-grounds Liverpudlians can be.

Nothing can be taken for granted, and certainly in Liverpool’s case, their entry into the Europa league cannot be regarded as a misadventure, but instead as an opportunity to put in the right foot at the right time.

Blessed (thankfully) with the sudden lack of boardroom drama this season, the teamsheet for Liverpool is suddenly blighted with injuries and the sudden bountyful visits of lady luck to opposing teams, where non other than the beach ball incident comes to mind.

There are plenty more games of football to be played and we’re not even halfway into a season and shoddy calls of a disaster / crisis period looms over Anfield, and I strongly disagree.

If a team plays badly without conviction nor determination, and where the Manager goes into a press conference with his hands held up surrendering and spouting weakness in his every words, and when the Board of Directors starts praising other Managers, and until then, there is nothing remotely resembling a crisis at Anfield.

Imagine Manchester United without Rooney or Berbatov, Giggs or Scholes, and Vidic or Ferdinand.

Imagine Chelsea without Drogba or Anelka, Essien or Lampard, and Terry or Carvalho.

Imagine Arsenal without Van Persie or Arshavin, Fabregas or Denilson, and Vermaelan or Gallas.

Then imagine Liverpool without Torres or Gerrard, Riera or Aquilani, and Johnson or Agger, except for the fact that there are games when all of them have not featured at all.

It’s not as if the players aren’t trying as you can see how they grimace and despair over loss oppportunities and inexplicable setbacks such as a mistimed injury.

The severity of injuries to key first team players have affected the results and until everyone plays together on the same field at the same time, it’s an unfair judgement that’s being passed around the walls of Anfield at this moment.

Remember the saying, don’t judge a book by its cover?

Well, perhaps for now, try not to judge a team by a 4 monthed scorecard.

Ever get that feeling of things never going your way, ever though you’ve tried, and tried, and tried, and tried, and tried?

It is definitely an unorthodox method of pulling it off, but I realise that by not trying at all too hard, things do seem to fall into place at times. NOTE: ‘at times’.

Is it because when you come across as someone who tries very hard, trying to be persuasive, even annoying at times, people get turned off? I know I would definitely love to shove my palm into the face of someone who is nagging and pecking at my neck consistently, nitpicking at things and wanting them to be his or her way, except that I don’t shove my palms most time because I’m just too nice and it would totally be unnecessarily disrespectful and I wouldn’t want others to shove their palms into my face anyway.

Of late Liverpool’s woeful form have undergone major operating procedures under the tables of makeshift footballing surgeons, from uncles whose only concern of the outcome of a football match is how much money they make from their bets to veteran pundits on tv, web and the daily papers.

The same time last season I remember that much of the knives were being used to disect the American owners, and much were being said of how they should vacate the positions to some entity worthy of the Red’s proud traditions and ambitions.

But they didn’t go, and in fact they’re here to stay much longer than expected, after any talks of alien takeovers, were alienated indeed.

Now that the skin of the American owners have toughen up against the knives, a new scapegoat is found, recklessly being put onto the operating table at every sign of despair. From Lucas Leiva, to Rafa Benitez, it seems that the knives are sharper than ever and the operational cuts are deeper than ever.

Why the negative sentiments? I often ask when I read them. What is so wrong about Rafa’s selection or tactics that warrants such petulant criticism, like I wonder if these critics were placed in Rafa’s shoes and put on the shoes that Rafa dons, how could they have done it better?

Should Rafa and the Liverpool lads work even harder? I doubt so. Working harder only tires the body and deflates the soul. I believe a marathon work ethic is the key to any successful long-term campaign and at this point of time, after much loss and dissapointment, they (Liverpool) should take things easy — but of course any demanding fans and critics would argue otherwise.

Still I applaud the way Rafa has tackled this issue, by not berating at his players or at match officials, unlike his much illustrious counterpart from Manchester, who seem to deflect the injury of a loss to his team by attacking referees — so that critics write about these attacks more than his team’s loss.

This managerial tactic reminded me so much of how Mourinho used to work, always deflecting losses to his team away, and these are ruthless, single minded managers who will only gladly do anything to get their team back on track.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) Rafa takes it all in, and keeps assuring everyone that it’s just a blip, just a minor hiccup, just an unfortunate series of events, like how Cameron Jerome scored the wonder goal against the run of play this morning. You can’t predict these things.

Amazing match stats right? You’d be forgiven for thinking how cruel the referee was for not abandoning the one-sided match — but that’s how it goes in football, and it’s this beauty of ‘anything-goes’ that eencapsulates why I love the game so much.

Unfortunately, Rafa’s boys drew and lost points yet again, but I won’t be in grief about it, and I won’t brood much, because I know, it’s a marathon baby, and at marathons you don’t go at it 100% all the way, you pace yourself and we all know that in marathons, the winner is never the fastest runner.

Liverpool 2 – Birmingham 2.  The marathon continues.

The alarm went off at 3am, powered on the comp and I tidied the blankets and refilled the water container for my cats.

I was a little groggy but I managed to wake up in time for the Liverpool do-or-die game against Lyon.

And that was before I decided to take another 5mins of shuteye.

When I woke, Lyon 1 – Liverpool 1, and it’s 6.15am already, with the computer presumably running all the way since hours ago and the monitor watching me, sleeping, instead.

I wasn’t shocked at the scoreline, but rather of how I managed to miss the game entirely.

Anyway, so Liverpool loss, yet so what?

What is there to be said that hasn’t been said of Liverpool’s unprecedented string of losses?

What is worth criticising when there’s a good explanation for every move that is deemed mistaken?

Call me the ultimate Liverpudlian but all the talk of neutrals calling for Rafa’s head to roll sounds a bit tiresome already. Is there something else to talk about?

Say, Rafa picking the wrong players? Well could it be that he doesn’t have any other players to choose?

Oh, Rafa sold the wrong players? Perhaps it ought to be clarified that the board approved the sale?

Lousy youths? Wait, before you blame the manager, then did you knew that with his latest contract, he is finally able to bring in the coaches that he can work with? Coaches that think and breathe like him, and possibly to avoid a Robbie Keane event?

The club disintegrating already? Far from it. Rafa has finally managed to bring the youth academy directly under his control, get transfers and acquisition with his blessings and plenty more.

Things are finally looking bright for the manager and I dare say at this moment that Liverpool will be right up there, challenging for the title race, with key players racing to get fit towards the middle of the season.

Anyway, right now the only thing that’s disintegrating clearly are the patience of the critics, who so dearly and badly longed for Liverpool, the perenniel EPL underdogs, to take the EPL by storm.

Sadly, that’s not the story we’re reading these days, where every paragraph is strung with little to no patience.

For the records, I too dearly want the Reds to triumph at everything, but analysing the squad this season I’m content enough and realistic enough to judge just how far the team can go.

I’ll repeat myself that the teams is dearly in need of at least another world class footballer, but to label the current crisis as the be all, end all, it’s simply premature.

This is all, but a test of character and strength of the players, whom I believe will rise above all the fracas and critiscism, for before dawn wakes in the horizon, the empty night spreads it’s cold darkness.

And from my perspective, things are finally starting to click, and this is only the beginning of the Rafalution.

Apologies if all these don’t make any sense, ‘cos at 3am in the morning, it’s rather pointless tiring to stay sane. Especially when you’ve just had a meal consisting of a generously sugar coated prata, or roti boom, and a glass of extremely sweet Bandung, the mind runs wild.