Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United: YEAH!

So Liverpool won again, against Manchester United. First of all, I don't want to play it cool, acting like "Oh another customary victory against the Scums, can't wait for the next match" and stuff, because a win against them is never too big, and I'm not cool, WOOOOOOO! WE WON AGAIN! YEAH! OMG!

In any season, there are two matches bigger than Liverpool making it to the Champions League final, that is the two fixtures against arch nemesis United. Between the two clashes, I have to say the one at Anfield is bigger, because we have to win, compared to the one at Old Trafford, where it is acceptable if we don't win there. The only possibility of a bigger match is still against them, but in a Champions League knockout round. The ultimate highest-stake match that could possibly be set up is against them in a Champions League final.

Few days ago, I said, I would rather trade the 6-1 victory against Hull for five dull 1-0 wins. Now, all the misery is forgotten, I would rather have four straight defeats and a win against ManU than four straight wins followed with a defeat to them (though, said that, I would rather have the former if we would go on and win the title this season!)

Ever heard of the phrase 'running out of superlatives'? This is exactly one of them. It never gets boring. The emotions attached to it is humongous. Rafa quietly singing You'll Never Walk Alone, or Hicks jumping up and down like he knows the real football, Reina already running towards Ngog even before he scored, it was a perfect day.

I always said to myself, a perfect weekend is when Liverpool won and United lost, and what better way could that be.

(Ya, Liverpool lost again. For the fifth time in sixth matches. But oh well. Who cares!)

Sunderland 1-0 Liverpool: Beachball 5'

When Sunderland led Liverpool at the Stadium of Light, ESPNStar's scoreboard displayed, "Sunderland 1-0 Liverpool, Blank 5'".

They got it wrong. It should have been: Beachball 5'.

No, Darren Bent totally deserved that goal, and Sunderland totally deserved that win. But I wonder what weed Rafa smoked, that he got such a starting line-up like that, and I wonder what did Liverpool players do at their training, being paid hundreds of times more than what I could possibly earn with my current job.

Don't blame the beachball, it was a Liverpool fan who threw it anyway. But probably if he was subbed on, he would've made a better impact than those fat asses.

If you want to be a millionaire, go and bet Liverpool to win the title this season.

How to Go to Anfield (or Any of the Stadiums for that Matter)

I've enjoyed a very lengthy spell of unemployment, but I ended this wonderful time with vacations to the best places in the world (thanks to my Dad). I've just got back from two of the holiest sites in Islam and if I start talking about that, I probably won't stop, so I think I'll start to write chronologically.

Earlier, I went to Liverpool for the sole purpose of watching Liverpool play at Anfield. This has been a plan for me for like I don't know how many years, but since the start of last season, I knew I can't just keep on dreaming; I had to realized it. And so does another friend of mine, so we took it seriously - very seriously. (I knew I won't be having the money for the trip, so I planned to make a loan from my Dad, but he sponsored me anyway, haha.)

I'm not going to talk about what I did there (OK maybe a little), I'm going to write here on how others can fulfill their dreams just like me.

(Oh by the way, this step-by-step guide is if you wish to do everything by your own, which can cut you considerable cost with great planning. There are travel agents which offers stadium packages, but it might be more costly.)

0. Have a credit card

Things are much easier to plan from far away, thanks to online services. But you need a credit card to make transactions. So have one. If you don't have one, make one. Or borrow one. And another thing, print out every single transaction that has been completed (confirmation slip) and bring it with you there.

1. Stadium tickets

The most important thing (and also the most difficult thing) is to obtain the stadium ticket. First of all, you surely want to watch your first match at home (unless it's a cup final, which would be a near impossibility). Note which fixture you want to go, and plan everything else around it. However, tickets are usually only opened for sale around three weeks before the match, so you would probably want to settle other things first.

2. Passport (and visa)

Make your passport. Can't elaborate much here. Just find a passport centre and make your passport. Be ready to queue for the whole day (I don't know if things are much more efficient nowadays, but just be mentally prepared if it requires you to be extra patient). It should cost you RM 300.

To enter a some countries, you need a visa (entry permit). For short stays, UK allows entry without visa. If you wish to stay longer (say, probably you decide to work there after the match) then you need to obtain a visa. I'm not sure how to obtain it, but I believe you need to ask from their embassy here in Malaysia.

3. Flight tickets

The next important thing (and should be the most expensive) is the flight ticket. Flying is very affordable right now, that's the main reason why now we can dream (and more importantly realize our dream) to watch live footballs. Airlines now sell tickets at usually very cheap price if booked very early ahead of schedule, like around 3 months or even earlier. So if you plan to watch the match in late spring (which is the warmest part of the season - football season that is) like I did, book before January or February.

You need to book for the return tickets, too, so be sure how long you are going to stay there. Make sure you can get your off-days approved by your boss (and do include the flight days).

And take note where you airlines will take you. MAS lands at Heathrow while AirAsia lands at Stansted (neither of which is exactly in London - it is like KLIA is to KL although the name is KLIA). You can also consider other airlines that might get you even closer to your destination; for example, KLM lands at Liverpool while Etihad lands at Manchester (but at the time of my trip, none was cheaper than AirAsia). (Probably you might be a non-English club fan, so the same applies. Otherwise, take AirAsia to UK and from there take RyanAir to whatever it is, Barcelona, Madrid, Milan etc.) From then on you will need the next thing:

3. Transportation tickets

Once you arrive in UK, you need to get to your destination. Probably you can wander around London if you wish, but I do recommend you to sleep in the city of your destination at least the night before matchday. There are two methods: train or coach (bus). I find the train to be far more comfy than coach (and much less travel time), but you probably want to consider the cost as top priority. Go online to find the best promotions on the cheapest trains or coaches. Try National Rail or National Express, feel free to try other lines if you find any. Once transaction is completed, you'll get a confirmation number. For train tickets, you can get them once you arrive there using their machines. Just put in the credit card you used to make the online purchase and they'll print out the ticket for you. For coaches, just print out the confirmation slip. In any case, just print them out and bring them.

4. Accommodation

I would highly recommend you to find hostels to stay, as they are way cheaper than hotels. Remember, we need to convert their pound to our ringgit, and we are approaching 6 on that. Or even better, if you have friends still studying there, stay at their place if they don't mind. Again, do everything here first. You can search for hostels at hostels.com (or just google it) and in Europe it's abundant.

Be extra cautious on security, though. You might be sharing rooms with other people, so take care of your belongings and try not to leave your valuables while going out.

5. Muslim preparation

To live as a Muslim in a non-Islamic country, I believe you only need to take care two major things: solah and eating. For prayers, you'll need what I call as the praying kit: a bottle, a praying mat and a compass. The bottle is for the ablution (wudhu'); you can wet your face, hands and head at the sink, but it would be less pleasing to be seen wetting your feet at the sink, too. And they don't have water pipes in their toilets, so fill up your bottle and wet your feet at the toilet bowl. Use the compass to find the qiblah (together with the knowledge of where the qiblah direction is - you can download the Azan software here, from IslamicFinder). Then lay out the praying mat and pray. It might be, at first, a little awkward to pray outside an enclosed place as we used to, but don't worry, Europeans are very respectful to other people's practices, plus, there are much more Muslims out there than what you might expect, so it won't be a very special thing for them to observe. Still, try to find a secluded corner, though. Don't pray in the middle of a busy pathway.

And eat halal food. If you wish to eat outside, just eat vegetarian food (and to be even more cautious, make sure the vegetarian meal was not cooked with alcohol). Seafood should be okay, too, provided, again, cooked without alcohol or any animal-based oil. The safest would be to cook yourself, and if you're going to UK (I'm not sure about the rest of Europe) there are plentiful of halal stores selling halal meat and meat products like hotdogs and burgers. If not, eating bake beans, scrambled eggs and toast are good enough for me. If you're lucky enough to find a Muslim community, probably they have a restaurant where you can satisfy all your savage meat cravings there.

1. Stadium tickets

OK those should cover everything. But even if you can settle everything 3 months before the trip, you would still have one thing to do: buy the stadium tickets. First, be aware of your club's policy on ticketing. For example, Liverpool only open league ticket sales to members, and Champions League home ticket sales to season ticket holders and regular attendees (cup and exhibition matches are open to everyone, though). Note which fixture you want to go (of course you have done that, that should be the ultimate number one thing on the planning).

Take note on the date and time of the sales launch. UK uses GMT in winter (-8 from Malaysia) and BST during summer (-7 from Malaysia). Save the ticket sales office number in your phone. Be ready around half an hour before the sales launch. If there are online sales, be ready with a decent internet connection. Log in half an hour before the sales launch, and keep on refreshing the page. Be ready for some relentless engaged and busy lines for hours.

However, it is sad to dash your hopes and say it might be very unlikely for you to obtain the tickets through the proper channels. So, next resort would be to buy from the 'ulat-ulat'. These tickets might cost you around a hundred to a couple of hundred pounds, so for security reasons, try to opt for cash-on-delivery deal. There are websites offering these tickets (again, you can easily google them), if you trust these websites, you can give them a try. Or, if you're willing to take the risk (of being empty-handed) go to the stadium on matchday without a ticket, and find these illegal ticket sellers on site. If you find them, you might get much cheaper than making a pre-deal online, because the closer it is to kickoff, the more desperate they get to sell off their tickets. However, if you don't find these sellers, you might have to settle watching at their local pub (after all you've been through).

And I almost forgot, most stadiums have stadium tours, so do check that out, too. Probably it is more suitable to tour the stadium before the matchday, so that the matchday is your ultimate climax of your experience.


OK that's all I guess. If any of you have anything to add, I would be glad to include it. Anfield was one of my greatest experiences in life, so I hope I could share it with others, so that one day you'll get your chance, too. Good luck.

Liverpool 4-4 Arsenal

If any of you needed any sort of reaffirmation that football is the greatest game in the world, you just got one.

Unfortunately, as a Liverpool fan, the drama was merely a consolation to the hopes that were severely dashed. Now level on points with United having played two more games with only five to go, that is not pretty at all. To ship in eight in two matches is horrible defending.

As a Liverpool fan - just like the banner en route to Istanbul, "Make Us Dream" - I never stopped hoping. But probably this, to hope that United lose twice or draw thrice, might just be too much.

I have been accustomed to false hopes, but if United drop points again tomorrow, they might just give me another one.

Accepting Defeat

Unbelievable. Again, hats off to Chelsea. But wow, unbelievable.

Accepting Defeat

Wow.

I was ectastic when Liverpool got the opener so early, and the play was exquisite, but they never stamped authority from there on. Andy Gray was caught out of breath in the first half, and he was a neutral. It was even more so for me, worse since I am definitely not a neutral. Chelsea got have easily gone 3-1 up in the first half alone.

Liverpool have always been described as 'not enabling their opponents to play their football', but this time Chelsea are doing it on Liverpool. I'm always a fan of Guus Hiddink, I immediately supported Russia when I saw them annihilated the Dutch in Euro 08, but I also think with such short time span he's given, Chelsea is not really like Russia, rather, they're playing effective football but boring, chalking up 1-0 wins along the way.

Well, they certainly were not boring tonight. And I noticed two things that they countered Liverpool; the obvious one was mentioned by Andy Gray time and time again, about zonal marking. Zonal marking is good if not better than man marking and I believe that there are statistics to show that. I believe Liverpool concedes far less from corners and free kicks than other teams. But Chelsea used it (their opponent's zonal marking) so well to make it an advantage to them.

But the other point that Gray did not mention was the closing down from their forwards to capitalize on Liverpool's frequent backpasses. In the first half, Kalou anticipated a backpass from Aurelio, and Aurelio anticipated that Kalou is anticipating, so he hesitated, which could have led to Drogba's goal, which he wasted.

Liverpool are all about comebacks (so much so that Terry did not want Liverpool to play the second half attacking the Kop End) but I just can't see it happening tonight. It has always been a pleasure watching Liverpool play, and all the time I just can't wait for to watch Liverpool play, and when they play, I hoped it will never end, but tonight is definitely not one of them. If I'm not mistaken, Liverpool have dominated processions in all of the matches this season (including the defeat to Harry Redknapp's Spurs - which reminds me, wow, how amazed I am now that he won against Chelsea) except this one, Liverpool never got a grip on this one. No shots on target in the second half until Alonso's, 3 seconds from time.

I really hate to concede it, but it might be a little too hard to score 3 at Stamford Bridge. I have no idea what is on Rafa's mind now, he might want to concentrate on the Premier League, but at professionalism says he needs to give all out in the second leg.

Hats off to Chelsea. They've played really well, and they've just did what Liverpool did to United a few weeks ago.

What a Week of Football

I was hanging out with my ex-schoolmates that day - it has been quite awhile since we last got together - and perhaps it was inevitable that the conversation would touch some football. Turns out, this friend of mine is a Real Madrid fan. Yeah, right, everyone can claim they're a Real Madrid or a Barcelona fan and say La Liga simply plays more entertaining football than Premier League. Fact is, he is not some poser, he is a real Real fan. He even watches the live games when nobody bothers to. (Mind you, Primera Liga's matches are played at night which translates to 3 or 4 am in Malaysia.)

A month ago, I posted 7 Points, showing how dissimiliar Liverpool's and Real's situations are, despite both clubs trailing their league leaders by the same seven points. Well, how quickly can things turn around. Now the English Premier League leaders are still smarting from their first back-to-back defeats in 147 games, while the Spanish Primera Liga leaders are buoyant from their 6-0 thrashing of Malaga.

There are so much facts and figures concerning both results that even Martin Tyler can't afford to cover everything.

And, oh yeah, Rafa signed a new deal. I'm certain some of my friends won't be too happy, but I'm just a little too optimistic, I guess. Or they would rather put it as non-realistic. Anyway, this is a very interesting blog post by Geoff Shreeves of SkySports. The title is "No cracks for Rafa - Geoff Shreeves says Rafa Benitez may appear hard boiled, but ultimately he's a good egg..." which sounds quite funny!

He mentioned how surprised he was when Andy Gray got his Rafa's first 11 prediction correct! And he got another surprise when Rafa decided to let Gerrard seek for his hattrick, which he usually does not. It was a very good and simple article that I would almost agree upon everything in there.

Well I guess there's more to life than football. But damn I just can't get enough of it. (But I don't watch internationals, though, so maybe I can get a 'good' rest this weekend.)

Manchester United 1-4 Liverpool: My Verdict

I just can't contain myself.

Liverpool were leading the table heading into 2009, 10 points ahead of United, albeit playing three games more. Since then, Liverpool were guilty of dropping points like pigeon droppings and now United are leading by 7 points with a game in hand.

The midweek Champions League was crucial for the build-up, Liverpool thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 at home, who would've thought that? But my hopes of United being demoralized shattered when Ferguson got the better of Mourinho.

Liverpool must win, while United has the luxury of not needing the win. A win would all but seal their title for sure, but a draw would be an incredible result already, and even if they lose, they would still lead by 4 plus their game in hand. Liverpool, not in the best of situations, need to attack, while United have the luxury to sit back and counterattack if they want to, and everyone knows how good they are at it.

And worse, the next day would be my birthday. I'm putting all my emotions at stake for this one game. If Liverpool win then wow that would be the best birthday gift ever, but if we lose, I don't even want to celebrate my birthday. I wonder, how 'excited' should I try to be when unwrapping the gifts and blowing the candles (if they are any) if Liverpool were to lose on the eve of my birthday to - of all the teams - United, who happens to be the most supported club in my family; my father, brother, and countless of my cousins, all Devils.

I was nervous the whole day. How my reactions would be the next day? I was going through my clip collections, and wondered, would I still be happy watching Babel's goal (the winner at Anfield) after the match? What if there won't be any happy ending this time around?

As for United, they've been in fine class. A record-breaking clean sheet run, a winning streak (interrupted only by a goalless draw at San Siro). People have been talking about the team being the best team in the world, carefully assembled over the years and now have gelled to perfection. It is quite unnerving.

Then, the real deal, the match. I watched at Tropicana, an LSCM (Liverpool Supporter's Club Malaysia) port. It really sucked to go behind against a team like United. The penalty decision was spot on, and there were minority United fans who wanted to show they were brave enough to cheer their team in the sea of Liverpool fans. I won't go into detail on how my emotions were throughout the match, but the rest of the match, I was just jumping and clapping all the time. I clapped so hard, the tip of my fingers were cold at the end of the match (due to lack of blood circulation, if you would want an explanation).

First off, why Alan Wiley? Why not Howard Webb? Well, he very much proved he was a very good ref. Even that was an understatement. He was immense. Referees often get into the limelight for all the wrong reasons, and when they do it right, they rarely get the credit they deserve. Alan Wiley was extremely excellent. Howard Webb is good, and he stamps authority very well, but it is very difficult for him to give penalties, as he (seemingly) prefer to settle the scores from open plays, but Alan Wiley showed exactly how to give penalties when they should've been given. I was gutted about the penalty that Reina conceded, but the man in black got it spot on. There were none at all that I could disagree. And same goes to Gerrard's penalty, there's none at all that United fans could disagree.

And to sent off Vidic in front of the home fans is pure guts. But again, he got it right. Vidic was not the last man, but he definitely deliberately prevented a goalscoring opportunity, and that defines a professional foul.

And to Vidic, I feel sorry for him. I seriously do. Generally, I hate all United players (and everyone who decides to wear a United jersey or t-shirt) but I do respect them and their class. For all their achievement of the record-breaking clean sheet run, I seriously think Vidic is the most deserving man for the credit and not van der Sar (although he himself needed to be exceptionally good for that feat). It is beyond prophecy that of all men out there, it would be Vidic who would have made the errors handing Liverpool's goals.

Aurelio's goal, it was so sumptuous, it rooted van der Sar on the ground, and the whole place paused for about one second before we realized it was a goal and celebrated. And Dossena, wow, of all the people. He has been quite a horrible purchase for a fullback, but he suddenly seemed to be enjoying running forward when Liverpool were in the huge lead, and it paid off with his first goal against Real Madrid. He did it again, but this time, with far more style, chipping the goalkeeper who just had his goalmouth shut for fourteen hours a week ago.

He deserved credit. In fact, I think all the Liverpool players involved in the midweek and this weekend deserved credit. The likes of Babel and Lucas and Dossena (and some others proabably) were on a very bad patch of form and under heavy criticism, and their display showed what they are really capable of, and all they need is confidence.

A week ago, who would've thought Liverpool would put four past Real Madrid and again four past the seemingly-invincible United at Old Trafford?

A win at Old Trafford would certainly be my best birthday present, and I hoped for that ever since the fixtures was released early this season. A win, over United, at Old Trafford, what could be better than that? Beyond my wildest dreams, Liverpool did make it better - by winning it with style. John Dykes said, "It don't get any better than this", and yes, this time, I don't think it could be any better.

Yup, still no title, but certainly, nothing is won in March (except for League Cup). I won't say now that Liverpool might win the title, because I seriously think it is very unlikely, but at least now the red half of Manchester have been demoralized, and it could spell for more points to be dropped towards the end of the season. As for Liverpool, two four-goal hauls against world-class teams of Real Madrid and Manchester United, you can't boost your morale better than that.

What a birthday present, my best birthday present ever. And I don't think even if I would live till over 60 that I would ever get a birthday present better than this.

M5, RM 900k, a helicopter, probably something around RM 8m, a tropical island, more millions. A 4-1 win at Old Trafford. Priceless. Absolutely priceless.

BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

I JUST GOT MY BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!!!

I WON'T CARE IF I GOT NO PRESENTS, NO WISHES THIS YEAR, 'CAUSE I JUST GOT A PRICELESS PRESENT THAT NO MONEY CAN BUY!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

ALHAMDULILLAH, THANK YOU GOD, YOU HAVE BEEN TOO KIND!

Que Sera Sera

When I was just a little boy

I asked my, uhh, mother, what will things be

Will we win the title, or will we at least win this weekend

Here's what she said to me.

Que Sera, Sera,

Whatever will be, will be

The future's not ours, to see

Que Sera, Sera

What will be, will be.

7 Points

Seven points now.

Looking back at my posts of 'In Rafa we trust', I must have looked really ridiculous right now. Well, yup, I'd admit to that. I put all my optimism and hope to this one guy who manages this one club, and now it looks very likely that I will be disappointed. I'd rather look ridiculous than to lose hope, but for now, I think it would be more realistic for me to have rather smaller hopes.

Secretly (or sometimes outspokenly) anti-Rafa Liverpool fans will always have this "Please prove me wrong Rafa" mentality in them. They seem to know what Rafa is doing wrong, but perhaps they themselves are wrong. After all, they are the fans, and he is an established manager, masterminding a team that would affect the emotions of millions if not billions. But now, at least until now, Rafa hasn't proved them wrong. After leading the table in January, the best chance of Premiership that Anfield has ever seen in nineteen years, we seem to blow everything away.

Well, at least it's still February. The title is won in May. We can plant ourselves some fake hope if we want to. It's just seven points.

Let us travel somewhere else, where the current second-placed team is also trailing the leaders seven points behind. However, for them, their situation looks much better than Liverpool's. Only over a week ago, the gap was twelve. After notching nineteen wins out of twenty (that is absolutely insane) and their top trio scoring even more than the whole Real Madrid team, Barcelona looked invincible. Nothing can stop them. Thing is, Real themselves are on a winning streak, and how painful it is to be on such a good run and yet still trail the leaders twelve whopping points.

But things can change all of a sudden. The draw with Villarreal looked like a hiccup, but after the lost to Espanyol, now their incredible twelve point lead has now been cut to seven.

Back to Liverpool. So trailing by seven should not be a very woeful thing, is it? If I'm incredibly optimistic, I could see things that way. Unfortunately, the situations bears no similarities whatsoever, apart from the gap with the leaders. Liverpool drew four of their last six, dropping two points for each match. Had they won all, just like United did, Liverpool would still be leading the table just as they did on New Year's Day. Real, on the other hand, are stringing their own winning streak, so that they can always capitalize on any slip-ups, though it is more hopeful than realistic. As things turned out to be, Barca did slip, and they can always hope for more slip-ups if they continue their own rich form.

Now, hopes are very thin, and I don't hope anymore. If we do win the title, that would be a humongous bonus, something that I would not hope at this stage. I hope we'll have the Champions League as a consolation for us. But first, we need to pass the first hurdle - in the form of who else - Real Madrid.

Holiday Season

Aah, the holiday season.

Only two days ago I was watching Liverpool in action, and today I get to watch another one. At the time of the year when other major leagues are enjoying their winter break and the Russian pitches are frozen (and matches are played with fluorescent orange balls if there are any matches), the English league is peaking at its busiest period. Its a tradition they say, and for the players and staffs - regardless of foreign or local - it must have sucked to be 'working' when their relatives are enjoying the roast turkey at home with their glittering Christmas tree next to them.

But hey, what do I care. I'm a fan, and I don't get paid portion of a million ringgit every week to play football. And furthermore, I don't celebrate Christmas! But I do enjoy these festive times.

Maybe I won't be in such buoyant mood had Chelsea won their Monday game after Liverpool drawing against 10-men Arsenal. Or maybe I won't be very cheerful had Liverpool dropped points yet again at Anfield. But it still is frustrating to see a dominant Liverpool suddenly lose their dominance after Adebayor got sent off. Or when Liverpool are stringing possibly the most backpasses in the whole league just to keep a 70% possession.

But maybe it is this superpatient football that makes sure their oppenents can't do anything, and instead, it is up to them to decide whether to score or not. Liverpool always play possession football, and I dare to say, the way they are playing, they might be unbeatable. (In fact, the only occasions Liverpool have lost are the two matches at White Hart Lane.) The only concern is if they draw instead of winning.

But why worry, right? This is the festive season. Just sit back and enjoy. (I might regret what I write here a few hours after this, but I certainly do hope not.)

Meanwhile, I woke up on this lovely Sunday morning enjoying my breakfast at 2 in the afternoon and saw in the newspapers the Israeli airstrike that killed 205 and possibly more. While we're enjoying our holidays, there are people out there being slayed. I hate myself to hate the Jews and I will still hate myself hating Jews and I won't say the Jews did it, but instead I would say the regime did it, and I don't understand the necessity of killing people while you're occupying their land. I'm really frustrated with what they did but here I sit doing nothing.

But as Muslims, we have a weapon, and although it might sound weak to say this, it is a test of faith to believe in Allah and His answers to our prayers (ﺩﻋﺎﺀ) and that is our weapon. And those victims died with Quranic verses on their tongues and we hope that they shall go to an even better place for their afterlife. For us who are still living, we shall pray for peace throughout the world, and for the perpretrators, I pray that they'll pay for the atrocities that they have done. Aamiin.

Rafa's Doubters

And here we are again, at the same post title, but this time with a totally different atmosphere.

I posted a blog post not too long ago with a same title, but buoyant with confidence after the win against Portsmouth. Only two games after that, we are staring down the barrel of two defeats in a row.

And of course, it doesn't take long for the anti-Rafa brigade to come firing again. It is very natural for fans to take swipe at certain people for losing (or not winning) and the obvious target would be the manager. Everyone certainly has the "I'm always right" perspective, and sometimes we are even righter than the big boss. Why don't you become the boss then? Obviously it is not easy. Who would want to hire a nobody with only his FM triumphs in his resumé? If somebody asked why don't I replace Benitez, I would say that I'm only a fan and a fan has the right to criticize.

But I'd rather be an optimistic fan than a pessimist. Pessimists might argue they are realists, and the reality (so they say) is that Rafa will never win the league. (Ironically, last night's draw wasn't even a league match.) I'd rather be on the side that keeps on dreaming for the 19th title to come under his reign, most hopefully this season. It's easy to criticize when you're not winning, but when you're winning, suddenly Rafa's the man. There are some strong-hearted anti-Rafa fans who would still keep criticizing despite winning, and I respect that consistency in their stance, though I won't really agree with them.

Fact is that, I still have faith in him. True enough, there are numerous instances that I would say I don't understand what he's doing (I admit that last night's performance is one of the worst and the result is not justified), but I know he's doing his job (although his job is not always good all the time). I still hope that Rafa will win the title for all of us, and to be truthfully honest, I don't wish to see him get the sack. In fact, I can't imagine that. And, if ever, he is fated to leave Anfield, I don't know who's better to replace him.

I still have faith in him, and I might get ridiculed for that, but hey, people can ridicule me on all sorts of things, even blogging. Go ahead and say what you want, it is painful sometimes, but I still hope that come May Rafa will finally bring the Premier League trophy to Anfield, and if that doesn't happen then I would agree that you have a point. For now, I just have to wait.

Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Liverpool: Brought Down to Earth

Unbeaten record lost, top spot lost. But hey, sometimes you need an awakening, something that will bring you back down to Earth, even if it might be a rude one.

Rafa's Doubters

After 5 Premier League matches, Liverpool are 2nd, still unbeaten, but already dropped points against Aston Villa and Stoke City. Optimist fans have something to look forward to, but it can't helped that the majority was pessimistic. Even me. Rafa is an astute tactician, but sometimes one can't ignore the fact that at times he's taking things a bit too meticulously and being overcautious. Unbeaten after five matches is good for any club - even Manchester United and Arsenal were not unbeaten anymore at this stage - but if we keep dropping points in draws, there's no point being unbeaten. Last season Liverpool went on a long unbeaten run too, but were adrift in fifth place. When they finally went down to Reading, the title never looked within reach.

The draw against Aston Villa demonstrates the lack of desire of going forward. Liverpool held almost 70% of possession and yet no shots on target. Nobody actually wanted to take a shot, and if there were any, it was off target. The next match, though, was one for the fans to remember. A memorable win against United, Rafa's first against Ferguson in the league. And even leading 2-1, Liverpool kept pushing forward for a third. That was the mentality the fans were hoping. Unfortunately, we we brought down to Earth very soon. Stoke City came to Anfield and defended their hearts out. Liverpool, despite all the shots and corners, were unable to penetrate the incredibly resolute and organized defence. Yes, Liverpool had a goal disallowed, but they had more than eighty minutes to win it, but they didn't. It marks a question mark, are Liverpool lacking creativity?

At that time, the 'Rafa can't win the league' and 'Rafa's not good enough' brigade came roaring out. Some of them are my own friends. To be honest, when I have so many friends against my opinion, I'll take the easy way and agree with them. I pointed out Rafa's weaknesses, one of which is that he's too defensive. The rotation policy, I don't mind. And my other point is, "Does he ever make Liverpool train corner kicks?", because Liverpool wasted 19 corner kicks against Stoke, not only failing to score a goal, Liverpool did not even test the goalkeeper.

>But I was never on the 'Rafa's out!' wagon. He has built his empire for four years, and if you sack him, you're destroying his painstakingly built empire, too. And for the optimists, he is not that defensive. A strong proof was the match against United, and we can always believe the mentality can be maintained on other weaker teams, surely.

When the team is playing horribly, I can't defend Rafa. But I will never have the heart to turn my back against him, too. I will just go with the flow, saying, "Rafa sucks at this," "Rafa sucks at that," but I would never say, "Rafa has to go out." Thing is, secretly, I have faith in him. His wife once told, sometimes when he sleeps, he suddenly wakes up, scribbles something down, and go back to sleep. And he is a people's man, too. A very nice character. But in football, the tactics are the most important, not personality. Jol never won the league, Mourinho did.

(I was trying to find the picture that Rafa sits on the ground and was eventually made into a banner saying "Those who feel the breath of glory come sit down next to me" but then only I realized how hard it is to find that picture!)

Fast forward to present day, Liverpool are leading the table, three points ahead of Chelsea and six above Arsenal, Aston Villa and - of all clubs - Hull City. Liverpool have just shattered Chelsea's unbelievably impressive home record, and made that result significant by winning against Portsmouth, albeit requiring a penalty.

This team that Rafa Benitez took so long to assemble are starting to draw comparisons with his team in Valencia. The team that came to Anfield and mesmerized the home fans. I remember that match, and how frustrated I felt, on how efficient the team was working as a whole. Nobody was the star player, because the team was the star. They were well-organized, defensively and offensively. Liverpool lost only 1-0, but nobody would argue Liverpool deserved to lose. The Valencia team were unfancied against Barcelona and Real Madrid, but they won the title twice in three years. The team was dubbed 'The Grinding Machine', an unfancied team playing not-so-fancy football, yet they're grinding the results.

And finally, Liverpool were taking the shape of that team. Liverpool were down against Middlesbrough, Manchester United, Manchester City, Wigan Athletic, and Liverpool were behind because they deserved to be so. But they showed gritty determination, will and courage to come back, not only to avoid defeat (which is only worth 1 point) but to win, which is worth 3 points.

Yes, it might come down to a bit of luck. The comebacks against City and Wigan was catalyzed by sending offs of Zabaleta and Valencia respectively, but no one would argue the sending offs were rightful. And from the (sent off) players' view, they never had to make the unnecessary tackle, because they were leading. Liverpool had one sending off all season last season, and it was Mascherano against United. He lost his composure and spoke too much against Riley. In other matches of Liverpool's lengthy season, Rafa has emphasised on discipline so much that nobody else got themselves sent off. If you're on a yellow, even if it was unjustified, it is common sense that, "don't go diving in tackles that are not worth it."

And while the comebacks are greatly attributed to our chief motivator, Sammy Lee (I have to credit Vanoord for writing an impressive article here, if you can't access the forum, shame on you, you should've registered) the conquering of Stamford Bridge was pure Rafa. The opening goal might have been lucky, but that's what exactly has been eluding us for years - being lucky. We were always dominant against United or Chelsea, even during the Mourinho time (except the 4-1 mauling at Anfield) but they always came out with the odd-goal. This time, the odd-goal is ours, and it is no exaggeration to say that Liverpool could've stretched the lead, most notably the Alonso's free kick, dummying even one of the finest goalkeepers in football, Petr Cech, into staying put on the ground.

Liverpool were very effective defensively, so much so that Chelsea - who had come back in so many occasions to restore their unbeaten home record - were unable to get a worthy shot on target. Their best chance fell to Ashley Cole who sliced the ball into the stands. And when Liverpool explore the Blues' half, they play very quick tiny triangle passes as they breeze even the world's finest in John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho. I hate when they do that, trying to be beautiful. But it is a delight to watch, isn't it? Sometimes, trying to be overelaborate will catch on you (like against Atlético) but when it works, it is a great morale booster. And when you know the opponent's defence is so good, maybe you have to try something out of the ordinary to break them down.

Luck is definitely integral in winning the title, and Liverpool haven't been short of that, I must not doubt. Maybe the penalty against Portsmouth was lucky (the decision was correct, but the rush of blood to the head by Bouba Diop was lucky to Liverpool) but Liverpool attacked throughout the match, and to win the league, apart from playing well, you need a bit of luck, and Bouba Diop gave it. Chelsea, on the other hand, are still winning comfortably against other opponents, dispatching 'title-contenders' Hull 3-0. Which makes me think, maybe Chelsea lost to Liverpool because their life was made too easy, by Villa, Stoke, Boro and such, that when the comfort was suddenly taken away from them, frustrations took over and overambitious long shots came in.

And best of all, when asked if the win at Stamford Bridge was one of his best, he said, "I like to beat United." Classic Rafa! Classic!

Liverpool 3-2 Wigan Athletic

Wow it has been quite awhile since a worthy post here. The previous one was about three lines, and the one before was a simple Idul Fitr wish.

I thought of writing about my final year project, but with Liverpool in this kind of form, I can't resist writing.

Or are they on form? They sucked in both first halves against City and Wigan. And probably got lucky with the sending-offs of oppositions, but in the end, as everyone said, it is the character.

Both sending-offs - to Zabaleta and Valencia - was rightful and definitely not controversial. And even though Liverpool sucked for most of the match, they turned it on when it matters most. And more importantly, winning when even when playing horribly. That is a sign of a title contender. I won't brag that Liverpool will win it this season, but definitely this is a very good reason of optimism.

And can't Liverpool win it the easy way? Look at Chelsea, they've been winning four, five nil. Why don't win like them? I'm happy enough that we're level on points on top of the league. As I read in Liverpool's forum, we don't need to outscore Chelsea, we just need to match them result by result, and when we play against Chelsea, win it.

And for me, a young supporter, thrills like this are most welcomed. Supporting Liverpool has never been easy, but never it has been boring, too. Liverpool have been one of the greatest things in my mortal life, and supporting them has been a very fun rollercoaster emotional ride. You curse at them at halftime and yet you sing with the fans at fulltime. How many comebacks have we done this season? Middlesbrough, Manchester United, Marseille, Manchester City, and Wigan Athletic, twice from behind this time. I just pity those diabetic, high blood pressure Liverpudlians!

Liverpool 2-1 Manchester United: My Verdict

This is quite frustrating. The internet is catastrophic, my writings are not autosaved. And after some half an hour of writing, UTP blacked out.

But hey, there's nothing to be angry of. There's nothing to be mad of. After all, this is a period to cheer, a period to be happy. The fact that it is victories like this that makes my day. I'm carved with a smile all week long.

There was nothing in my previous post. It was just an honest expression of my extreme burst of joy. This post is how last night could possibly change my life.

Let me unroll some pre-match stats. Liverpool have not scored against United in the league since September 2004, and that was an own goal by O'Shea. The last Premiership goal scored by a Liverpool player against United was further behind in April 2004, Danny Murphy converting the spotkick. That match was also the last time Liverpool had won against their arch rivals. The last league goal from open play was even way back in 2003, scored by Harry Kewell.

And Manchester United have kept seven consecutive clean sheets against Liverpool in the league (although Liverpool did score and won against them, Crouch heading in the solitary goal en route to Liverpool's FA Cup triumph). In any given season, there is no fixture that is bigger than this, except for cup finals where silverware is at stake. Apart from that, this is the biggest fixture that could possibly be. But disappointingly, Liverpool is making it very hard to win against the Devils. Don't mention about winning, they can't even score. Liverpool is my number one football club, but it makes me really jealous to the likes of Manchester City and West Ham and even Portsmouth who could beat United fairly regularly. Why can't Liverpool do that? Why can't Liverpool even score?

And to make things worse, Liverpool's form going into this match is devastating. The goalless draw against Aston Villa is one of the worst performances ever. For a team that strings hundreds of passes across the pitch with zero shots on target, I just wished things won't get worse against United. But with Liverpool, you can't lose hope. With Liverpool, I'm always optimistic. Even with nothing good to look forward to, you just always hope that things will be better. There was this outlandish thought of mine, maybe, just maybe, Benitez is purposely instructing his team to put out a shitty performance so that United will underestimate them. Of course that is totally illogical, but the thought calmed me a bit.

I hate early kickoffs, but what to do. After settling in my seat, in less than three minutes, United were up front already. Fuck. Is this yet another same old story? Or will it be worse? This is Anfield, a fortress that has kept Liverpool 'unbeaten' in the last 53 league matches, except for two defeats, both against Manchester United. Why oh why can't we score against them?

Liverpool started to pile up the pressure from then on. Finally, I get to see some play going forward. And with an incredible piece of luck, Liverpool equalized. The goal drought against United was ended with yet another own goal. My God, how relieved I felt at that time. When Liverpool went behind, there was this sort of numbness to me, some sort of dejection, that I can't hope for much. But when the equalizer came, all the blood came rushing to me. And I started to feel the tense just like I always do.

Some say Liverpool might have got lucky with the equalizer. Well, yes, I have to agree. But I would also add that Liverpool were very unlucky not to level things up earlier than that, when Kuyt somehow hit a body from the corner kick, when scoring might have been easier.

Liverpool continued the dominance into the second half. I'm getting very used to this, Liverpool dominating against United but failing to find the breakthrough, while United, against the run of play, will somehow find their goal from a setpiece or something and steal the three points. While I definitely hope that Liverpool will not lose again, even if we come out with an undeserving draw, I would still be happy. This is, by far, the best performance Liverpool have up. Attacking play, with shots on and off target, definitely much better than the superfrustrating goalless draws against Villa and Standard Liege (if you consider regulation time only) and the last gasp wins against Sunderland and Middlesbrough.

But with all the pressure Liverpool were piling up, a draw would be very unworthful. With every attacking play, I was out of my seat, ready to celebrate if the ball hits the right side of the net, but most of the time I had to sit down again in disappointment. Then came the moment. Mascherano ran down the right, cut inside, and just as I thought the ball was going out, he kept it in, and Kuyt took over from there. Then he squared the ball into the dangerzone, I was up, hoping that somebody in red will meet the ball. Came Babel and he hit the ball and the ball hit the back of the net. OMG what joy it was! It was indescribable. I jumped out and screamed. Never ever in my life had I celebrated a Liverpool goal like that. Not the goal against Olympiakos, not the goal against Chelsea in the semis, not the penalty against Arsenal in the quarters, not even the goals against West Ham at Cardiff or against Milan at Istanbul. None of them gave me the immense immediate joy like this. I even fell down after that, spilling my lychee drink on me. It was very embarassing, but I can't really care about that. When you're in such ecstatic joy, you don't really care about things like that.

All Liverpool had to do now is hold on for the next twelve minutes or so. Oddly, for me, it wasn't the longest twelve minutes I had to endure. I remember, the six minutes of injury time against Chelsea at Anfield in 2005 was far longer than this. And even more amazingly, Liverpool were still attacking, going for the third goal, quite - I would say - uncharacteristic of Liverpool. Kuyt could've done that, but he found van der Sar too big to avoid. Keane is having another frustrating match, he is trying too hard to impress that he chases the ball too much, and when the chances do come, he's too nervous to convert them. But at least, he got the better of his ex-teammate. Riera was a Manchester City reject, but he did win his debut in the sky blue shirt against United, and he did it again with Liverpool, and what a debut performance it was from him. Vidic was sent off later in the match, but he could've got two red cards.

I can't really describe how big this win is. Liverpool have been consistently supplying United with six points every season, and this season Liverpool have taken away three already. Even if United win their home fixture, the gap has been closed down by six points. What a big step that is. And, to note, although winning the Premiership would be the ultimate target and the ultimate joy, winning this match feels good enough like winning the title already. Thank You God, thank you Rafa, thank you Babel, thank you everybody. You have made my day, my week, my month, possibly my year. I will never forget this win. And I wish I will always dream of the Babel goal until I wake up.

LIVERPOOL 2-1 MANCHESTER UNITED: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG
ALHAMDULILLAH!
THANK YOU GOD!

OMG I HAVE NOT FELT THIS HAPPY FOR A LONG LONG TIME!

When you walk
Through a storm
Hold your head
Up high
And don't
Be afraid
Of the dark

At the end
Of the storm
There's a golden sky
And a sweet silver song of a lark

Walk on
Through the wind
Walk on
Through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed
And blown

Walk on
Walk on
With hope
In your heart
And You'll Never Walk Alone
You'll Never Walk Alone

Dilemma

Liverpool will face Manchester United this Saturday in the Premier League. This match is - to me - the most important fixture in any given season. The only possible match that would have a greater importance is if Liverpool face Manchester United in a Cup final.

And the kickoff is at 7:45 pm Malaysian time. How wicked is that. It is just after breaking the fast, and just before solah Isya' and Tarawih. Man, why 7:45? Couldn't it be some other time? Yea, I know, whatever time they shift it, there will be some Muslims who will still be affected. But why early kickoff? For the love of football, this is arguably the most intense derby in the whole wide world. And you fixtures-makers made it an early kickoff? It should be a grand finale to a weekend, something like a Super Sunday or something. Not a Saturday early kickoff.

So here I am, presented with this dilemma. To go to the mosque, or to watch the match? If I consider the weightage, the importance of both commitments, going to the mosque is more beneficial to my own self. I would be rewarded in scales I would never be able to imagine. Also, commitment to one's Creator is surely more important than a commitment to a football club.

But if I really do go to the mosque, will I do it because of Him? Or I will do it just to comfort myself that I'm prioritizing correctly? If I do it for Him, I would have done it every night. Unfortunately, that is not the case. There are nights that I did not go to the mosque simply due to my laziness. Watching the greatest derby in the world should be a much better excuse to skip Tarawih than my usual laziness.

And another thing, am I going to the mosque every night for Isya' or for Tarawih? Am I going to the mosque every night because it is Ramadhan? Questions are being asked on my intentions. Ramadhan offers great rewards, and it offers an opportunity to change. But will I really change for the good? Or I am just changing for Ramadhan?

The dilemma will still go on, until the final whistle. After all, if the imam is fast enough, I would still be able to catch the last few minutes of the action. But surely it must be really distracting for my solah at that time.

And lastly, I hope that I don't have to shut down my blog anytime soon.

Liverpool 1-0 Standard Liege (After Extra Time)

Sunderland 0-1 Liverpool, Torres 83'.

Liverpool 2-1 Middlesbrough, Pogatetz's own goal 86', Gerrard 90+4'.

And now, Liverpool 1-0 Standard Liege, Kuyt 118'.

Liverpool, can't you make it a bit easier? It is killing me.

Thank God I'm not suffering from any clogged arteries or some serious illnesses. And I can live with this. As long as we keep winning. It doesn't matter to me to win in style anymore. I would trade all those 6-0 and 8-0 wins last seasons for a string of 1-0 wins till the end of season and I would be happy with that.

And thank you ASTRO, too. Last season you promised us to show our qualifier against Toulouse but failed. This season you didn't promise to show us the qualifier (the schedule said a six-hour live of US Open) but you showed us anyway. Thanks.