Random Bite

It is an end of an era. Today in the twilight of morning former West Bromwich Albion and Fulham player Sir Bobby Robson passed away at age 76 at his home in County Durham with his wife and family at his side. The courageous former England forward succumbed to cancer, an illness he was battling for what seems an eternity. Tributes from across the football fraternity are flying for the Geordie legend, men like Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Alan Shearer,Harry Redknapp and even British Prime Minister Gordon Brown have chimed in about this charismatic genius. On a personal note I can't even drum up a paragraph to show how badly I feel about his death. His achievements I could never just lay them out in text or will I try, he meant alot to many and this day shall never be forgotten. As for his god like status at Newcastle they shall be no other above him. Maybe now this tragic event will make the Newcastle players open their eyes to what their club, crest and colors really mean.




















Sir Bobby Robson England Manager





















Erected Statue Of Sir Bobby





















How I remember him
(From his Autobiography 2000)

R.I.P Sir Bobby. Thank You for your exuberance. You definitely made me smile.

SIR ROBERT WILLIAM ROBSON
Sunrise- February 18th 1933
Sunset- July 31st 2009

Random Bite

Wayne Rooney if you are not the most handsome man in the world. This quite possibly has to be my shortest and most pointless posting ever. I was torn between putting this little adventure in my Chameleon Corner or my Random Bite segment. Well you guess who won but it could have gone either way. The Corner had a good shout because I think this is funny and very sad. You guys must think I am a Manchester United basher by now and you maybe right not to fond of them as an organization but as a team I do like their play and philosophy. I am not a kit man but my goodness I had to peak up on the new Man United kit and some others as well. The others will be coming in a different post. This kit to be is so...........................................wow. They are some really good looking kits out there coming out for the 09/10 season. I really like Real Madrid, Liverpool, Man City, Lazio, SV Hamburg, Juventus, Derby County and Celtic. In my Bizarro world, for those who don't know who he is, he is Superman's opposite in an alternate universe, so that means on the other hand I hate the following kits. Tottenham (this year only), Chelsea, Wigan (your eyes literally bleed when you see it), Barcelona (always hated the colors), Palermo (who the heck wears pink), Bolton Wanderers (No one deserves to wear that junk my heart bleeds for their fans this season) and Everton's. On this Man U kit I really don't care for, my Man United pals on the outside can respond I would love it.




Oh I know where I saw this design before. That is right, Mexico did the whole V-Shaped chest thing about 3 years ago at the World Cup. Is Nike to blame no. Man United could have come with something original but I know they can't, they are the poor club in Manchester and with debt deeper than the Dead Sea you know they had to cheap it out. What they should have done is use some of that Ronaldo money. Oh that's right you guys have to pay of that massive debt that your Yank owners brought to the club. You do know this looks like a wet suit they give you in primary school when you go frolicking in the sea.The whole black and blue thing. It is the away kit so obviously it would be far away in the color spectrum from the home kit which I have to admit I will give it a pass but just bearly this kit on the other hand looks like something a cop would where. The home is red and black and it just looks okay. I mean if they were going to utilize the V-Shape but some faded design in it like Mexico's. In all I don't like maybe when I see it in motion I will change my mind.




Ladies the vane, charismatic, egotistical, pretty boy that most of you would have hope would have been the father of your children, the Iberian Idol known as Cristiano Ronaldo has flown the coop known as Old Toilet (Trafford), sorry Man United fans I meant to say Old Trafford. Ronaldo is gone he never liked you and never cared about United but fear not my Mancunian brethren you have others better to model your police /swimsuit kits. Others like the fighting French Fullback (alot of F's there) Patrice Evra. From Ronaldo to Evra. Not saying something is wrong with the lad, he is a looker I guess but you have to admit that Ronny did have that X-Factor, he made you want to look at him even if you hate him. When you look at Evra you just want to punch him, I don't know why I just do, I don't know, is it because he is French I don't know and if this strapping stud is not available, there is the oh so handsome Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand, the man who looks like Snoop Dogg. Well at least you guys got rid of Frankenstein aka Carlos Tevez, so you guys look in good stead in the looks department. Take this United fans with you at least you don't have cut Potato Head Joleon Lescott on your team to model your stuff, what a cross Everton bears. One last thing why does Evra look like he was dressed by his mother? Damn that kit is tight.
T-Rep

Editorial: Le' Femme Footy

Chicks, Chickies, Females, Girls, Girlies, Duchess, Madame, Dames, Princess, Queens, Empress, Sweethearts, Women, Prey, Flams and my personal favourite Milk Maidens. The daughters of Eve is on the radar. Everyone loves women, I know I do, most men do and shoot even women love women and I love that they love women, if you know what I mean. Its a man's world sadly if you really think about it the great evils of the world such as slavery (boooooooooooo) and war were cause by man. What if women were at the helm?I am not saying women are the angelic figures they like to portray but we know women are for a fact compassionate beings in general who hate to see anything suffer, maybe its a maternal thing. I being a son of Adam admit that I venerate violence, hold jealousy and hate close to my heart and could care less for the pain of most. I am trying to change all that though, so I am a category four jerk rather than a full blown douche. Women for their admirable qualities deserve more than equality in this orgasmic train ride or shit storm we call life depending on which side of the fence you sit. In sport women are viewed as a side note to their male counterparts, equality is as far apart as the two sexes. A fact that I don't think can ever be changed for the mind is like flowing water it can't change form unless radical doctoring is abundant.

The Cons

I have been waiting to do this. I have praised women at every turn of my life and for the most part I have been let down by 98% of the women I have ever met. Some cuts are deeper than others, some cuts vanish while others leave scars, scars that have left me untouchable by any human action. My whole mental state and view of the world is that of a broken tyrant, a man who had revolutionary dreams, a man who had more pride than a Hoplite General and a man who was braver than a lone angel flying through the depths of hell. These images of myself have either been warped or transformed to their inverse, all thanks to the alleged fairer sex. Am I to blame for allowing myself to be weakened to a state of shame? I say no for to under estimate women is to invite the wolves into your stable. I can only get back at my tormentors the only way I know how, which is through my words and I shall poke fun at their every stride. As much as I praised their push for equality from sport to politics, I know they could never achieve their little goal of equal standing a fact gives me a smug smirk on my face. In football that is an objective they are looking to execute, an objective that has a millennium to even come close to what man has achieved and with that let the hate begin.
You are WEAK!, a fact that women themselves can not deny. Both physically and mentality. Physically men are stronger, faster and more agile. No matter how hard a woman trains her body she could never match her male equivalent in any sport. In football, watching women's football can be a task, as much I have said I am slowly being converted to the women's version, it is still slow, like drugged slug slow. I love the game at all levels but to watch women's football I have to gear up myself mentally to take on this spectacle. I don't know about you but when I am watching a sport I don't want to use my mind to get through it. It is mentally exhausting. The women play the sport like if there is some physical barrier over them, the play and the pitch. I can best describe it as jousting with sponge lances all while going at the speed of a braking tricycle. On mental faculties I have always heard that women are more discipline and better equipped to deal with stressful situations, apparently this does not apply to soccer. I have watched ladies literally cried because they lost the ball. I have watched women while losing stormed off the field. I know football is an emotional game but some of the stuff is ridiculous. A trend that I have noticed in the women's game is the inability to be up for a fight. As soon as a team scores the first goal the other team is on the bus already. Their is little fire in their bellies if you are new to that term I assure you it is nothing physical it has to do with mental strength and it means being motivated, to go for it, a notion that the ladies same to either forget or was not informed on the brochure.
I am a firm believer of the herding mentality. This is when an individual follows his or her peers in a trend, direction or in this case ideology. I like the two billion people of the earth who actually follow the sport take ours with a side of man,thank you and not with sports bras. When I say no one watches women's football I mean no one,on television that is. I am right in saying they have a growing fan base coming through in my previous article but I did also say that growing fan base were little girls hyped up on cupcakes. Which I find hilarious. Like WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) these women play in semi-packed arenas which by the way through nifty camera work are able to look semi full. You ask the average man the name of any women's soccer club team they would struggle to tell you. I myself do struggle a bit but when it comes to the sport I am how you say a bit above average so I am ruled out. It is so sad that some teams have to resort to ad campaigns to heighten awareness. Okay lets do a test. Who is the most famous women's soccer player?, who is the number ranked women's football team in the world?, name eleven professional women soccer players? That is your google homework for the day. I myself struggle from the top of my head on the last question I only am only able to name ten with regards to position and skill.
Another reason why women's soccer fails miserably is the lack of popularity of its athletes. If am going to follow something let me at least have something to follow. The most popular women's soccer image I have in my head is from the movie, "Bend It Like Beckham," even that is vague, I think it had an Indian chick in it. The games are hardly on television, no one ever knows who is playing who, when the "major," tournaments in inverted commas are. They would be lucky to get a slot right between to the comics and the obituaries. I would say that is where women's football belongs but to put something in the obituaries it has to be dead and women's football was never alive to begin with. The fact that they play the game with such sluggish vigor does not help their cause either. Who would want to endear themselves to persons that look like they are playing hopscotch with a ball.
Women have longed try to be on par with men in all factions life. They wanted the vote they got that. They wanted general equality in the workplace that is getting ahead as well. In sport is another matter. I could have gone further with my little mini tirade but I won't. As much as I am learning to appreciate women's football, I must say I only watch it for my own selfish gain. That being my quest for knowledge in all things sport, if not for that I would not cast an eyelid on it. Face it, its not that good bordering on the terrible. Women's sport can be really good but it has to depend on the sport and football is not one of those sports. There is a place in this world for man and woman but unfortunately, a woman's place is not on a football pitch. Sorry!!!!!!!!!!!
Reptile

Random Bite

Indeed Carlos Indeed

I had to chime in on this one. Is it jealousy or a superiority complex? Who knows but thee picture aloft has had the famous Manchester United gaffer Sir Alex Ferguson with all his knickers a bunch. If you are not aware between the history between Manchester United and Manchester City a team that is actually in Manchester unlike United, take that you Red Devil fans, you have missed out. United has been the most illustrious team in the area for many generations but now City has acquired the tag of the richest club in the world a fact that has Fergie a bit upset. The poster features former Man United and Argentina ace Carlos Tevez as you can see a fact that has Ferguson boiling. Honestly in my opinion me being a Blue nose man myself Manchester City should have put a long standing City player on that billboard like Micah Richards, Stevie Ireland or as I like to call him Richard Dunne aka the "Dunneymonster,"
instead of a new comer like Tevez who now has to earn his salt. Could it be the fact that a Manchester United player has crossed the divide to their cross town rivals? Well I say no because it has been done before. Men like the Great Dane Peter Schmeichel, Andrew Cole, Denis Law and Brian Kidd have done it with no real scorn aimed. Could it be the spending power of City, I doubt United have trophies and City don't so material things are blown out the window. Sir Alex called Manchester City a "small club," after this image of the Argentine was erected. Well Sir Alex let me cast your aging Scottish mind to last seasons league campaign, where you Lord Ferguson called a press conference to call out Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez for his comments on David Moyes' Everton in which Benitez referred the Toffees the nickname for Everton a "small club." As like his countrymen in the movie Braveheart the valiant Scot came to the aid of his fellow countryman Moyes. Now I may not be the smartest scientist in the lab but is not that being a hypocrite? Maybe my Manchester United fans out there can clarify the situation because you know Manchester United fans are the smartest people on the planet they invented football you know, you didn't well now you know, they did.I think the man who looks like Santa Clause minus the beard and pleasant spirit has a point on how this advert could be interpreted as a bit flashy but didn't Manchester City pay for the player, a player you did not try hard enough to keep and benched at every turn. I would assume me not me being a specialist in Public Relations although I did get a "B," in college, have they not the rights to all likeliness of the players image and again an image that you did not want to pay for. What is my take on the situation well this is my diplomatic response this is a rivalry like any other so really no punches should ever be pulled back, my gangster doctrine teaches me, "see thy enemy hate thy enemy, strike thy enemy before stricken." That is me being diplomatic, now this is me being an uncivilized heathen. Sir Alex Ferguson is a bitch and all who support and follow his ideology are bigger bitches. Sorry for the language but it had to be said. I have little respect for him or his lot and the "fans," who support them. I do have a Manchester City bias I will admit but putting that a side Fergie is truly a petty old man, for so long City have had to put up with their chatter and now they are making meaningful strides all fans of United and Ferguson can do is be arrogant and pompous. United feel they are the greatest club in the world and they are not, they and their supporters feel they have some God given right to be on top which is horse manure. I respect Real Madrid more than United only for the simple fact they are modest. One final note to all United fans grow up really it is about time.
T-Rep

Random Bite

Okay guys this is totally random hence the name Random Bite. I actually had no plans to talk about football for a couple of days, call it a bit of a hiatus. In my exile I have been taking in a bit of football and I was feeling a bit philosophical as well. What has inspired this upcoming tirade is the CONCACAF Gold Cup. To be honest I have struggled to follow this competition in terms of watching live games due to my lack of broadcast options. Thank You, Antoinette Gibbons for that, your love for your son is unrivaled. Anyway the tournament has to be said a low ranking FIFA tournament, it definitely is no World Cup and fails miserably to its South American, African, Asian and European equivalents. Okay we have establish the fact that it is watered down manure compared to the competitions mentioned prior but this is not where my attention lies. Today was the final of the Gold Cup. If you care the Untied States was raped 5-0 by Mexico in New Jersey by the way not even that heavy molestation is the brunt of my argument. Oh no, believe it or not, it will be discussed but not just yet have no fear. Lets cast our minds a couple of days before this so called big match which was a bit dull if you ask me. About a week ago in my glorious life of unemployment which I still am by the way. I was doing one of the 78 commandments, " Thou shall layeth (not a typo) upon couch and watch Public access television." While taking in one of the few good channels on Public access TV, ESPN they were previewing the USA, Mexico game. I would admit for Americans they had a good grasp on football and the forthcoming game, I was impressed. Cool, all is well and at the end of the segment they announced the channels it would be broadcasting on and to my horror they said that the only way I could see the game was in Spanish on Public access, once again may I give a shoot out to my mother Antoinette Gibbons the greatest export Barbados ever produced a true heroine. Anyway the game came over public television mine you the cable package most Americans would have, it in Spanish on a Latin American based channel as promised. The point I am trying to make is that one of biggest game in United States soccer history was not available to the general public in English. This just shows the lack of respect this game has in this country. The Americans who actually give a damn about the sport had to suffer today not only by the hands of the Mexican style rape on the field but to add insult to injury they had to watch it in good old Espanol. Which I liked I must say to hear, "GGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAASSSSSSOOOOOOOOOO," was mad fun and the commentators give you great entertainment value but my only problem was oh yes it was in "SPANISH." As comical as the game and commentary was I was upset. How can this sport grow in America if the public are relegated to watch their national team play to the voice of a man who calls players names repeatedly like if it is Sesame Street. As much strides US Soccer makes on the field they take two steps back in another department. This inability to supply the general populous who most of which speak English shows me that the powers behind the sport in the America could not give a fill in the blank about the fans in the country. Not everyone is privileged to have upgraded cable packages and this is a national event so that makes it even more shameful. Maybe it was a good thing the greater public did not see this American tragedy that transpired on the pitch. The game was not that great. I being a football connoisseur know players on either side. I was cheated by the line ups on display because I know each side strongest teams. This shows a lack of respect for the cup and the fans who follow it so big worm infested thumbs down for American coach Bob Bradley and Javier Aguirre his Mexican counterpart. Mexico was without the likes of Pavel Pardo, Rafael Marquez and Andres Guardado while the Yanks forgot to tell the regular team to show up apparently. They had no Tim Howard, Landon Donovan, Oguchi Onweyu, Damarcus Beasley (who looks like my uncle LOL),Freddie Adu, Maurice Edu, Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Brad Guzan, Carlos Bocanegra, Bobby Convey and Charlie Davis. Now that is a fairly decent line up. So you see why they deserved to get rape, I honestly feel cheated. The game itself was pedestrian at best. Mexico turned on the style late and are deserved winners so props to them. Giovanni Dos Santos and Carlos Vela were beautiful and on the American half young Stuart Holden did not deserve what he got today he has to much of a bright future. So that is it from me. One more thing what is even more sad on the US part was that the game was played in New Jersey and the Mexican fans outnumbered Uncle Sam's Army 3 to 1. America, this was truly a dark day.
T-Rep

Snake Eye

The randomness of randomness have returned and aren't we all excited. Well I know I am and you should be as well. I will tell you why, all the best stuff in life is completely random and unpredictable. Okay think about the woman who was just minding her own business and then out of the blue her boyfriend asked for her hand in marriage. Or the hapless loser that is down on his luck and plays the lottery for the first time and strikes it rich. That is the joy randomness can bring but with most things it can go both ways. For every lucky sap there is an unfortunate soul. For example picture the guy just walking down the street and is attacked by a pack of runaway pitbulls who have not eaten in six days. Poor soul indeed. Fear not though Snake Eye only sounds violent but in truth is as harmless as a basket full of extra soft baby towels.Well maybe the basket can hurt you not the towels though I doubt. If you don't know how we arrived at this point well I shall tell you. When selecting a player for Snake Eye, I break out the PS3, drop the FIFA 2009 in the system and hit the random button and BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM. There we have our star player to showcase. Why this way?, well for one thing I it gives me a chance to see players that I am not familiar with which are a lot and gives them their time in the sun. So with no hesitation and loads of anticipation I bring the snake nation.

Name: Stephen Appiah
Nickname: Tornado
D/O/B: 12/24/1980 (age 28)
Place of Birth: Accra, Ghana
Position: Midfielder (Central Midfielder)
Preferred Foot: None
Height:5'10 ft/inches
Weight:170 lbs
National Team: Ghana
Caps: 53
Club Teams: Hearts Of Oak (1995-97), Udinese Calcio (1997-2000), Parma (2000-03), Brescia (2002-03) (loan), Juventus (2003-05), Fenerbache (2005-08)




Finally an African player on the blog, I was kind of getting worried that the site was packed with Europeans and South Americans.Nothing is wrong with that but it is time for some parity. The African continent have bred a special kind of player, bull like and powerful. Could it be down to the anatomy I have no doubt but people say the African player is not the thinking man's football, all brawn if you will. I say tell that to men like George Weah, Didier Drogba,Samuel Eto'o, Benni McCarthy and Steven Pienaar. The specimen on offer is of all their ilk and more. The African player is truly a champion of all having to deal with what has to be said the cross of poverty to bear. I being a colored man, obviously I am green, am really proud of any African player who made a name for himself and this man receives my full praise.
Stephen Appiah was born in the Ghanaian capital of Accra in the good year of 1980 on the 24th of December. Christmas Eve nice one. Stephen Appiah is one of Africa's brightest exports but with all exports they have to be grown locally and grow he did. He started to sprout with Hearts Of Oak as a boy in 1995. Before I move on just want say really am feeling the name of that club, I thought Blyth Spartans was the coolest thing since Swat Cats but Hearts of Oak is pretty top notch but enough of my tripe. The footballer nicknamed the "Tornado," because of his dominance in midfield spent two years with Oak playing 21 times and hitting the net 9 times. This form saw Appiah destine to a move north to Europe and in 1997 Udinese Calcio planted the young oak in their midfield. Appiah was truly a pro now and Italy is where he sought his fortune. Udinese received three years of Stephen's life and he played 36 times for the club but one could say he never really got going with the side so he had to go and go he went to Parma in 2000. Parma only in recent years have started to decline but back in the day they were something to see. Their financial instability basically their undoing put in Appiah's time they were very much a force. He spent three years with Parma, years again he found with limited playing time, in all he only amassed 29 appearances with the club but he did win them a Coppa Italia which is a nice bonus. A loan deal was panned out with fellow Italian side Brescia in 2002 a deal that lasted one year. In that one year he managed to play more games for Brescia than he was able in his tenure at Parma. At Brescia he started to play with more purpose and started to slowly creep up into the elite bracket. Since it was a loan the Ghanaian had to return to his parent club Parma but such a robust performance by him say him attract the interest of Italian super club Juventus and another loan deal was struck this time with an option to buy. This where the Tornado had touched down. In 2003 was a monster year for the man it began his somewhat domination of "the Boot,"(referred to as the Italian peninsula) four titles in just two odd years makes fantastic reading and writing. Barely with his feet wet in Turin Stephen found himself an Italian Super Cup winner in his first year. Then back to back Serie A titles with Juventus in 2005 and 2006 followed, stardom could be the only thing that can describes Appiah's status at his time with the Old Lady of Italian football. Sounds like a dream dipped in sprinkles, I know but with all dreams there is the odd nightmare, Stephen's came in the form of Manuele Blasi. Blasi ousted The Ghanaian from his natural position in the center of the park and kept him out. The Tornado had become no more than a gentle breeze in the eyes of the Old Lady and in 2006 he was sent to ply his trade else where. The else where was referring to Fenerbache the Turkish club. That is right our African lion was in the land of the whirling Dervish, google that my friends.I don't know what is with this dude but success seems to be his opium and why not it is a drug and I could really use some but the story not about me it is about Stevo. He joined Fenerbache and immediately titles rained in 2007, he was a Turkish League winner and he snagged the Turkish cup as well the same year. Sadly so far this is where his club career has ended because of a reoccurring injury of the knee this has seen Stephen's club career put on hold. Fenerbache SK severed their ties with the Ghanaian thus Appiah has had to scoot on over to the unemployment line. His injury has hampered him since and club teams have asked questions, teams like Tottenham Hotspur and FC Rubin Kazan of Russia but his injury have made him unable to secure a contract but despite this he is still a staple for his national team.
The captain from the capital is how I can describe this ox of a man. The opium of success was apparent from his early days even in youth football. Internationally he has been absolutely outstanding. In 1995 he won the Under 15 FIFA Championship with his homeland and from then made tremendous strides to be the leader he is today in the Ghanaian set up. He made his full senior debut for the "Black Stars," in 1996 since then he has gained 53 caps and scored 13 times. He is the captain now being in front of the likes of Asamoah Gyan, Michael Essien and Sulleyman Ali Muntari is not easy but with the trio one senses they don't have leadership skills to drive a team foward. Stephen on the other hand does and needs to take most accolades for the way Ghana has played over the years, his robust style drives the team forward and has made Ghana a new force in African football.
What is there not to like he is a model and he has a nanny goat beard. With that combo you are already a winner, oh yeah and he is a very good player as well. The facts I have laid out in front of thee can only back me up, he has had a glut of success in what I think is a very short space of time. This is testament to his natural abilities, what is however worrying is this nasty injury he has that has affected his game, fitness and more importantly his career. He and I are very much a like right now, colored and unemployed. The Tornado has lost its speed and power and when its done that it's no more than a slight breeze coming from a little girl blowing bubbles through a stick. I could poke fun at him and say things like how long is the line for unemployment but I won't he does not deserve that but what I will suggest that he sort his fitness and this injury out if it can be. He is to good to be on the side lines. One more thing in the spirit of pure randomness I bring to you random Street Fighter quote this time brought to by my man Dhalsim here we go. "Cultivate A Pure Heart." Nice one that.
Reptile

Editorial: Le'Femme Footy

Ladies,Ladies,Ladies, oh how I love my ladies. Why shouldn't I. Damn it my mom is one and if you can't love someone who housed you in their stomach like a warehouse for 9 months who can you love. Women are soft, cuddly and smell like things you would like to eat. Not like a grill chicken sandwich and some Mediterranean fries. Yummy by the way but like fine chocolates or very sweet dainty fruits. It is this kind of thinking by males in general that lead to the stigma that female athletes have to put up with. I was an antagonist myself. I used to say stuff like, "They now gave you lot the vote now you want to do man things (sports)." I know, terrible on my part, may I never have a girlfriend again after that comment. Unfortunately this is portrayed in the west about women in male dominated fields and in the east we would not even be having this conversation. Football shares this same issue and don't think we will side step it. What you think we are women? That sort of remarks that keep female sports down.


The Pros

Why yes. Yes they are. They are professionals a fact that can not be denied and pretty darn good ones as well but that is not the pros I am talking about. You know the expression the pros and the cons. The pros being the positives and the cons the negatives. Ironically a con can be referred to a convict i.e a prisoner but the only thing that has been imprisoned is my heart and my enslavers are the fair maidens of women's football. They are a lot of good things that can be drawn from women's soccer, we will see if they out way those nasty cons. I doubt it because to weigh more than a 268 pound child rapist name Nils Viensenpool who lives on E-wing in an unfashionable third world country is damn near impossible. I actually mean the negatives but they can't out weigh what I said previously either.
A highlight of women's football is its rapid and dangerously loyal fans. It sounds a bit odd but I guarantee what I say is true. Given the fact that football is a genuine family sport not like golf and to a lesser extent tennis. Think about the amount of families who follow their son's or daughter's careers and think about the amount of mothers and fathers who send their kids to soccer camps all over the world. What the women's game has done wonderfully well is use the unconditional family support that people give one another to bolster fan base and popularity. Take it from me the biggest fans you will ever have is your family and the amount of that are actually relatives is staggering. Another part of the rapid fan base the ladies receive comes from what I like to call " I want to be just like you girls when I grow up because you are pretty and strong and awesome," also known as the young aspiring female talent. Women don't idolize men they love or adore them. Who they idolize is an image women. No you say. Well consider this, there is a reason why Barbie is so popular. A beautiful and athletic woman is like God or a goddess in this case to a little girl.
What is also great about women's football is that it helps break that social taboo about women and sports. Well all women who play male based sports do break it but my focus is football. Let's not kid ourselves football is a man's sport it is physical it is rough and the odd killing takes place depending on where you live. It is played, supported and idolize by men the world over because of this women are for lack of a better word ostracize from it. I use myself as an example again my actions and my comments to women sports have been, well, shameful. I have heard men say they would rather watch two frogs fight in a bucket. A very interesting scenario I might add, you have not lived life until you have seen it trust me. Rather than watch a game of women's professional soccer. These handful of women never complain about the lack of support or what I find the ignorance that surrounds them and if those critics of the their game would actually give them a chance they would see what they can offer. What is sad in a so called modern world that we live in has a society that sees women as merely objects of desire incapable of real skill. Give the girls a break especially after the strides they made in the west to gain the distorted idea of equality but social equality is another article and another time.
I think the greatest pro that women's soccer can produce is the actually play it itself. The woman footballer is the most composed creature on earth, well at least for 90 minutes. The male footballer can learn from his female counterpart in how to exercise self control. Nothing tends to shake her demeanor, so their play can be surprisingly very calculated not like the cock fight I expected. This gentlemanly style has serve the ladies well ironically. The female footballer may not have the physical attributes of the man but she has the mind and this is transfer to her ability on the ball. Speed may be lacking sometimes well our interpretation of it that is but guile and craft is very important which the ladies display. Some football purist say that the inflated prices of male professionals have led to the game to being tainted, so now they find themselves drifting towards youth play and towards the women's game. A game they say stick to the old tactics and traditional play that the male's have forsaken. The women who play this game are extremely well conditioned and have given the middle finger to the limitations of the woman body. An attribute that negates weakness of their bodies in short they are tough, they can hurt you if they get in their way.
Women's sport is always under advance scrutiny as with any thing they do that encroaches on "men sports," which is not fair. This just shows the maturity of the world that we can still poke fun at women. As for the football I am a converted pagan. I implore you to watch it. It may not have the household names as the males would but it is good fun, these women don't can do damage. Plus all you guys out there, they are hot and pretty to look at. Imagine, football the thing you love the most played by an attractive woman who loves the game. I know I want to marry one am I wrong that.
Reptile

Heiress

You know I was talking to one of my close friends Lord bless his heart about my blog. He said he liked it, who doesn't?, but I ask for some input on what he think I could add to it and what problems he may have with it. It was a cool converstaion I liked the feedback it had me thinking about my committment to the sport. His suggestion was that I talk about female soccer players. When he said that I said to myself the only way I ever do that is if I will find the magical kingdom of Narfgrovf and give myself sexually to a 320 pound Myrmidon name Greil all while having my chest hairs singed off by the flames of Babylon. Today I can walk shirtless because of my lack of body hair. I begin with a new segment called Heiress, heirs to what I do not know it just sounds cool, plus I could not find anything reptilian that would go with women and the ladies I know would not take great pleasure being called something cold blooded although I may have a different opinion along with 75% of the male population. With my new found appreciation of the female footballer, I bring you an article based on a female might not be long but I will try.

Name: Leni Larsen Kaurin

D/O/B: 03/21/1981 (Never reveal a woman's age lol)

Place of Birth: Alesund, Norway

Height: 5'5 ft/inches

Position: Midfielder/Foward (Right Winger/ Auxillary Striker)

Prefered Foot: Right

National Team: Norway

Caps: 56

Club Teams: Skarbovik IF, Fortuna Alesund, Asker, Team Strommen, 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam

I am trying to get the hang of women's sports in general. People often say women's sports most of them are watered down versions of their male colleagues. I was one of those people, I thought they were slow, awkward, docile and that their anatomy got in the way of how the sport is suppose to be played. I literally watched women sports especially football with a bad mind, not even the cuteness of their little angel like faces could get me to sit for the entire duration of the game. I cursed women's football, not the type of curse when you bought a snickers and then took one bite and said you should have had a milky-way but the kind of curse that was inspired from your better half of twelve years telling you they cheated on you with half of the males in your family even your grandfather you who use to beat you with a fish gut belt until you sweat blood. I am a reformed man, well maybe not fully but I am getting there, the turning point actually was the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Where this young lady on show was one of many that at least caught my eye, I mean with the football but my looking at her makes my heart smile as well.

Leni Larsen Kaurin was born in Alesund, Norway and is a professional footballer player. She plays on the right side of midfield or acts as an auxillary foward if the situation demands. The Nordic beauty to me is the fourth Powerpuff Girl because for the simple fact she plays the game like she has superpowers and her stamina has to come from a large amount of sugar. She began her career at hometown club of Skarbovik IF where she played part of her youth football the latter half was played at mighty Fortuna Alesund where she forged a name for herself as one of the hottest prospect in Scandanavia, which mind you is very hard to do as a girl seeing that woman's Scandanavian football is among the elite in the world. Asker was her next club where she joined them in 1998. She was off to play for one of the most successive clubs in Norway, pressure that not only did she learn to cope with but used to her advantage. After a multitude of games played for Asker Leni found herself on the move to Team Strommen, here is where I wished my keyboard had Nordic fonts and keys because I am not doing Norwegian team names any justice. Team Strommen gained her services for a spell but it was not to long before she was off back to Asker, I guess you have to ASK HER, I hope you got the corny joke. Searching for ever more glory my lady stuck with Asker until 2007 until a chance to play in Germany came via 1.FCC Turbine Potsdam, what the one is for I do not know. Do this date she has played only twelve games a fact that concerns me as I am writing this it is 2009 she joined up with Potsdam in 2007 so I think she may want o fix that problem.

Women's football on a whole gets most if not all of its recognition on the international stage. Club football is a bit behind in popularity. Our heroine not the drug but I must admit her beauty is intoxicating plays for one of the better national sides out there in 7th ranked Norway, if only the men of Norway were that good. Leni is definitely an academy baby playing for all national sides Norway has to offer from the U-17s to the full senior team. At senior level she has 56 caps for the "The Vikings," which I need to find a female equivalent to. I think we shall call them "the Valkyries," the choosers of death.They and Leni are very good. Leni held the world's fastest goal in women's soccer for a little while it happen at the Olympic games in Beijing against the United States of America a game they won 2-0. That same tournament she guided the Valkyries as I like to call them to a respectable fourth place finish. To this date Kaurin has only netted five times for Norway a tally I know she can bolster.

For Kaurin the player I have seen her play and she is the textbook Nordic player, a great passer of the ball, excellent temperment and a hard worker off the ball. What my sources tell me she has a nice turn as pace as well and a sweet right foot. In that same game with the mighty Red White and Blue she tormented the oppsition defenders. Her passing game left the Americans dumbfounded and her link up play with Norway's lone striker can be compared with Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho from Barcelona a few years back. Okay maybe I am exaggerating a bit but it was pretty darn sweet how they played. She is ambitious and talented, looking at the fact she is the only Norwegian female playing in Germany says a lot, it shows a willingness to be a great and to be honest I would love to see her Stateside because that is where the action is at. I think she is the female equivalent of a yound David Beckham she is pretty, has a nice technique and very charismatic. Even if you don't like her play, from that picture can you hate someone that pretty and that is not being sexist she is an awesome girl with a bright future.

Reptile

Sleeping Dragons

I had a tutor at college he was good a bit past it in years but he was good. He was teaching one day and my classmates were acting like asses as usual and in the ruckus he said something I will never forget and it is something that has kept me up later at night. This is what he said " In life you will have many friends and those friends will have potential and many of those friends will die only having potential," Robert Best. In my series Sleeping Dragons we will encounter men who unfortunately will may very well die without reaching their full potential. I fear that idea so much. I think I have a bit of potential but I ask myself everyday will I ever make it?, do I have the heart for the fight?, or am I just fooling myself? I have friends I can see them easily leaving me in the starting blocks and they are players who are like that, the one who promised so much and delivered so little. Well I must say I do fear for myself and these Sleeping Dragons we are men of promise hopefully we can yield product.




Name: Ricardo Andrade Quaresma Bernardo





Nickname: Cigano







D/O/B: 09/26/1983 (age 25)





Place of Birth: Lisbon, Portugal





Height: 5'8 ft/inches





Position: Midfielder (Right/Left Winger)





Prefered Foot: Right





National Team: Portugal





Caps: 24





Club Teams: Sporting Clube de Portugal (Sporting Lisbon) (2000-03), FC Barcelona (2003-04), Futebol Clube do Porto (FC Porto) (2004-08), Internazionale (2008-present), Chelsea FC (2009) (loan)





What's Wrong Son?: If It Is Not In Portugal Why Bother



You know I have to admit I hate this blog entry don't get me wrong I love all my works from my most thrilling a bit part novel I have been working on coming soon to a store near you to my primary school composition on why I love the Thunder Cats so much. That little cartoon changed my life albeit my life had just started. I hope the guy I am talking about today has an Epiphany like I did and really turn his stuff around. I would hate to know a guy this talented, strong and handsome. Not as handsome as me but if I was a Portuguese woman around ages 16 to 35 I tell you it would be on. Lets get to know our casanova in question and lets see what ails his heart.
Ricardo Andrade Quaresma Bernardo was born on the 26th of September in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. "Cigano," which I find a bit offensive not going to lie is his nickname. Cigano means Gypsy in Portuguese, well he seems to like it and it is a fraction of peoples recognize on the earth so may be not so racist. What is racy is the youngster's speed a trait that got him into one the biggest clubs in all the world Sporting Lisbon. He was great there but what is worrying is Cigano's inability to perform well outside of Portugal but we will get to that in a second but I have to do some more ass kissing first.What I really love about Ricardo is his crossing ability and for a winger that is key. I know it may sound boring but Quaresma strikes me as an old fashion winger, a textbook one if you will. He hugs the touchline and just to what he must to get pass you. He does do those fancy tricks well and I will use my favourite line and say he has more tircks than the magic circle, he really does. He does not score that often for a man in an advance position which is a minus but when he scores it is something to see. I won't say he is tireless but what he does do well defensively, yes the boy does defend unlike a certain other pretty boy winger, we won't call any names. What Ricardo does that is quite unique not just the defending it is the way he defends, he just doesn't run back widly like most attackers and try to chop the oppositon's foward, he actually kind of stalks the player and then allows a teammate in a kind of mugging the old double team but much more premediated. I have seen him to this a couple of times with great success it could be me trying to see something that isn't there but I have seen it to much times on his part for it to be a flash in the pan thing. Another trait that has served him well is the mastery of the arts known as "trivelas and rabonas." The trivela is a shooting technique that generates a wicked amount of swerve and bend on the ball. This is mostly effective on dead ball situations like free kicks, corners and penalties. The rabona has to be one of my favourites moves it is hard to explain but I will post a video to show what and how it works. Lets just say Quaresma is really good at it. In Portugal is where all his success has come as a player, he owns the Iberian nation. In his homeland he is undoubtly one of the world's best.
Now for the cons and they are a fair bit. Ricardo does not travel well at all. Not like former Arsenal striker Dennis Bergkamp you had a phobia of flying which is a bit funny but Ricky has one of a footballing nature. Ricardo has had moves to big European clubs such as FC Barcelona, Chelsea FC which he was on loaned at in 2009 and Inter Milan where he is currently a member of the squad. He joined Barca from Sporting Lisbon in 2003 and played a fair set of games but he never took off in his first and only year. I remember what one of my favourite football pundits said that Barcelona do not let good young players go which I think is true. Think of the good young players that have pass through Barca's ranks the likes of Carles Puyol, Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernandez these are just to name a few. So one may argue about the calibre of player Barca recruits and if Quaresma is in that class of player but if he was really that good he would be there to this day. His time at Inter Milan was suppose to be his big come back, his arrival on a bigger European stage. He had found form back in Porugal with Porto and looked ready to at least dazzle Serie A football. His price tag to this date at Inter has not come close to being justified he has been a flop in Italy a mere a cone to be dribbled around and a free tackle, he has just not settled. A loan to Chelsea in the latter half of the 08/09 season saw Quaresma join up with former Portugal coach Luis Felipe Scolari hoping Big Phil could light a fire under him that did not happen. In fact Big Phil couldn't light a fire under any of the Chelsea players and the axe was swung and the Brazilian was off to the unemployment line. This left Ricardo in a bind possibly the only coach in the world who believed in him was off to sunny Brazil, what made it even worse is that Chelsea started to establish a stable first eleven an eleven he was not a part of and new manager Guus Hiddink seemed to fancy the Portuguese. To go along with his travel sickness Quaresma has a terrible work rate. The man is lazy yes he does get back and help out but he tends to not want the ball enought just content to play his part. His thirst for flamboyant tricks can be both annoying and harmful, to many times has he lost possesion of the circle thing the boys are trying to kick in woven strands. His selfishness is sometimes warranted for a playmaker but he can go overboard with his attempted trickery often leading to wasted plays. Internationally I have to withdraw a bit of my punch strength. Ricardo faces direct competition from one Cristiano Ronaldo and if Ricardo has more tricks than the magic circle Ronaldo drew the circle. They both are very similiar in most departments but despite Quaresma being older he is in Ronny's shadow. They both have a similiar style and gait with Ronaldo's a bit more springy but the major difference is end product. Ronaldo is the greatest player on the earth currently who sets up and scores a brothel full of goals while Cigano just plays like he was just in a brothel.
What is needed to to fix the boy, well for one he has to beef up that work rate settling for second best just does not cut it not if he is suppose to be a top man on the park. Ricardo needs to find a team outside of Portugal who will keep picking him week in week out. He is a man who needs to be needed not some guy who comes of the bench to orchestrate some sort of rescue mission. You can see it in his eyes which sounds a bit weird but you can see he wants to be a leader his confidence and spirit is shot, he wants to be the go to guy. What he can do as well is simplify his game. I know being all clever and want not is a huge part of his game but he can do with just playing the game using his speed to his advantage, let the tricks come out in tight spaces and on fast breaks not in slow build up play and moments of possession and oh yeah far way from your own goal. What maybe his major problem is his position in Ronaldo's shadow, he is to good to be stuck in his shadow if anything he should be pushing his countryman to higher heights. I want Quaresma to cement his own legacy with a different tinge to his competitors he is not a carbon copy like present day Nani, he is to good for that.
Wyvern

Editorial: Potential Football Hot Beds

We have come full circle lads and ladettes. Pardon, lasses. It has been a while since Potential Football have strolled on to the blog actually I think I had two haircuts and shaved nine times since the last entry. We have certainly racked up some frequent flyer miles with more to come. From Beirut to Auckland from Tallinn to Yerevan we shall span the globe aiding the poor. In football that is. We are like Mother Teresa, Ghandi, Mandela and Robin Hood all in one. Minus the green spandex...................shoot lets keep it because it's green. We are the missionaries spreading the good word, like the Knight Templars on pilgrimage to the holy land. Well maybe not like the Templars we don't go around slaughtering people in the name of the Lord but we do travel alot. If you are wondering where football hot beds are located they are on the continents of South America and Africa (debatable is Africa) and on the western half of Europe but who cares they don't need our help nor to they need any recognition, I care for the forgotten not the famed.

Men From The Land Of Zen

Princes Of Persia

I absolutely love Prince Of Persia the video game, if you have not played it you should. I was just rambling on there about the title of today's article and a classic video game that shares its name pay me no mine. Well mi raza I have taken you all over Asia from the south east to the far east, we kicked it a bit in the south and we even went to that oh so wonderful center. If you are atuned to our cardinal point placings you would have noticed that we have yet to make a stop to the WESTSIIIIIIIIIIIDDDDDDDDDEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!, which is ironically called the Middle East. Funny, I know absolutely hilarious but what is not so funny is the state of Asian football as a whole. They are a few marquee teams around and some fairly average ones as well but they are some embarassments among the clutch of nations. The AFC (Asian Football Confederation) as a unit is fairly sturdy one, I reckon if they had to put out and all star AFC XI, I would have to say they definitely wouldn't be raped by any team and not getting raped I would imagine is a good thing. The bulk of that team would mainly come from the Far East Asian nations Japan, the two Koreas and China. The rest of the team would come from I am totally speculating the Arab states, you know the guys from the Middle East. It comes as a shock to the uninformed but if you know your Medieval sports, football being one of them you would know the Persians aren't that bad, there is where we make our final stop on our Asian tour.

The land in which the Middle East sits is a sun baked and arid with very view physical rewards but that one they call oil is a very brilliant consilation. How anything can thrive is a mystery but yet for centuries people have eeked out a living. What does thrive in the region is the religion of Islam. This is Mohammad's land where the world's most rapidly growing religion was born but what also came from this land is some very decent footballers. The nations that make up this western Asian sect are Iraq, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Palestine. In no particular order there they are your Western Asians. As per usual I will start by getting the paper weights out of the way first and work my way up to the juggernauts. The three most lowly ranked out of the grouping of nations are Palestine ranked 175th, Lebanon ranked 151st and Yemen with the god like rank of 141st. Although I hate to talk about politics and football I most certainly cannot ignore it in this article. Palestine has been locked in a constant war over the years with another Middle Eastern state Israel. I need not explain the reason nor do I want to examine it. It is an issue larger than this trival sport called football. This the issue has been reported world over but what I will do is talk about their football. Due to the conflict between the two nations Palestinian football can go nowhere literally. The conflict has become so terrible that a training session is virtually impossible due to Israel's scrutiny. Palestine's players are not allowed to leave the nation because they would have to obtain a special visa, a visa that Israel aren't keen on giving. On top of that they live in a war zone so football has to be the least of concerns for the people of the Middle Eastern state. They are now looking for players of Palestinian roots to fight for the cost. They have no players of note and never made a World Cup appearance. Sadly for Lebanon's Cedars, war is also a key component for their cellar like rank. Lets not kid ourselves the region is troubled. I can say on Lebanon's behalf is that they are a battling little team and they do have one player of note one Youssef Mohamad who plies his trade in Germany with FC Koln but not even he can inspire the Cedars to reach the clouds in which the World Cup sits, no qualification to date for them and their performances in Asian cups are less than average. I have to be honest though I know little to nothing of Yemen as a country or a footballing unit. If you are a country that is not well known you are truly blessed it means you are quiet and reserved but that is what I thought of Yemen before I did research but my views other than on footballing matters are null and void. The Yemenites are not the greatest footballers in the world they are fairly poor actually no World Cup qualification to speak of and bearly a whimper in Asian cups. What I have learned that Yemen is a fairly poor nation not only as Arabian states go but on a whole maybe this is the minus that subtracts from their pluses, a little math for you.Our next trio are Jordan, UAE and Kuwait. Jordan and the UAE are tied at 122nd but that is where the similarities end. Jordan are decent at best and have never qualified for the World Cup and have very little players of note. May be they and the UAE are not hat different. The luxury capital of the world has the most important thing that is money. UAE is filthy with money, a factor I feel will see them shoot up the ranks soon enough. They have a World Cup outing, one of which came in 1990 in Italy. Clearly they have declined but with a money soaked league I expect a renaissance of sorts. The nation of Kuwait too has it riches as well both financialy as well as on the pitch. Kuwait has been to the World Cup which is always a plus and they have been also been crowned champions of the Asian cup once. They have a nice budding league and talented players, their rank can be rectified. Syria, Iraq and Oman are next on the chopping block. The Syrians are ranked at 95th in the world respectable. For nation who never qualified for the World Cup they have a surprisingly lofty rank, they never won an Asian title so I have to commend them on such a nice standing.Like most Arab states most of their players are locally based so they really aren't any players of great note but I'm sure the Syrians would beg to differ. Now to the feel good story of Asian football, the Iraqis. Iraq is ranked 94th in the FIFA census. I am very proud of Iraq, like many nations of this region politics have marred their legacies. Under the regime of the late Saddam Hussein Iraq went through a truly dark period in their history not only in the sport but in life as well. The Iraqi team was literally told they would be tortured if they gave lost, played poorly or failed to win. Their country is a war zone that fact can not be avoided but hope has come for "Asood Al-Rafidain," that would be the Lions of Mesopatamia for us who speak English to translate in Dutch I can not do. In 2007 Asian Cup held on the Malaysian peninsula the Iraqis shocked the world by lifting the the cup leaving perennial powerhouses such as Saudi Arabia and Japan in their wake. Was it a shock?, to the world yes but to this old reptile no. Iraq is a very good team and has been for years. They have been to the World Cup already and they hold many Asian titles such as the WAFF Cup,West Asian Cup and the Gulf Cup, a cup I might add they one thrice, three times for the ignorant. They have talent throughout their ranks the best of the litter being recently signed FC Twente Nashat Akram a playmaker in every since of the word. Here is hoping some brighter sparks for Iraq on a whole. Now to Oman the only country in the world that begins with the letter "O," bit of knowledge spat there. Oman is ranked 78th in the world, very comendable. However I have to question the rank. They never made it to the World Cup and are only runner ups in Asian cups so it does have me question their rank but if it is so high they are doing something right. I do know an Omani player which is really good on my part. Ali Al Habsi is the Omani goalkeeper a tidy one at that and plays in the English Premiership with Bolton Wanderers so they can produce some talent within their borders. I leave the best for last Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain. Let me start with Qatar or "Cutter," as I like to call them who are ranked 86th. Yes you are right Oman is ranked higher and are probably stronger but what the Qataris have over most is a super rich league and wonderful grassroots programmes. Have you never heard of the odd European star going to play in the Qatari league the likes of Marcel Desailly, Christophe Duggary, Jay Jay Okocha and most recently Brazilian ace Juninho. This flury of International player adds some substance to Qatari football a wonderful spice to give the locals some flavour. "The Maroon," as they are known are the regions great under achievers. To many near misses have cost them any lenghty spell of glory but I am sure they will get it together. Bahrain their neighbours fair no better in the luck department . Bahrain have never made it to the World Cup but a 2010 birth may be on the cards. If any one in this region can take down the might Saudis Bahrain have to be the favourites. Crowned FIFA's most improved team in 2004 they certainly just don't kick around wildy and has more than justified their 66th FIFA ranking. Who knows maybe in a few decades they may be on par with the "Green Falcons," of Saudi Arabia. On that note you know our favourite color is green so we have to love the Green Falcons. Saudi Arabia are the true kings of the Persia. They are a World Cup stable ranked 61st in the world a rank I think can and should be higher and have a fairly strong team. They are champions from the Asian to the Gulf cup and a number of junior titles as well. They are great they are a testament of what can be achieved if investment is in place and when the public starts to care. They were not always the greatest but they are a decent force now. Their players are mainly home based but no matter so are the Europeans. The greatest Saudi player ever has to be Sami Al Jaber, if you want to know how it feels to be worshipped watch him walk the streets of Riyhad. They are thee team and that is a wonderful feeling the most feared and hated. Hate by opposition is a fantastic achievement it shows you have done all you were meant to do which is make your neighbours feel inferior in every way.

I am gald I did this whole potential hot bed thing. It showed me a side of football I knew but did not focus on to heavily. As far the Middle East states go in football I am pleased to report they do have passion for the game and more investment should be pumped into the region. There are those unfortunate nations however that have more important things on their plate than to be dealing with football a concept I can understand. As I will always state football when you look at it in comparsion with life is a very trival thing. The region is in good stead they love the game but the only problem is will external conflicts be an end of that love.

Reptile

Fossils

"The vision of a champion is someone bent over drenched in sweat, to a point of exhaustion, when no one else is watching." Anson Dorrance. Have you ever got up in the morning or afternoon what ever is your thing and just don't have the will to just carry on. Or have you said, what is the point of plugging away at a task that seems remedial? It is the constant dedication to a task that breeds a champion. I admit I tend not to win very often in most situations and I do get discourage and those days full of remedial tasks I have had my fair share. I would so like to be a winner one day but even if I don't I will know I gave it that old 110%. That quote when you think about it applies to every successful althelete/person you can think of. We never see the hours put in or the investments banked or even the long faces when hurt or disappointed. To master a skill is to forsake all others, it's risky. A risk legends in all sports have taken with great results. In my series Fossils, yes you may be old and possibly forgotten and a shell of your former self but the hours you have put in can never be taken, hours that saw you hardly able to stand for this I will acknowledge. Sure you may have conquered the world but I will not salute that I will salute the strides you took to get there. I will never just see the end product.

Name: Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard

Nickname: The Llama (LOL I will explain)

D/O/H: 09/30/1962 (age 46)

Place of Hatching: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Position: Midfielder/Defender (Center Midfielder/Center Back)

Prefered Claw: Right

Height: 6'3 ft/inches

National Team: The Netherlands

Caps: 73

Club Teams: Ajax Amsterdam (1980-87), Sporting Club de Portugal (Sporing Lisbon) (1987-88), Real Zaragoza (1987-88) (loan), AC Milan (1988-1993), Ajax Amsterdam (1993-95)

Glory: Ajax Amsterdam (Dutch League- 1982/1983/1994/1995), (Dutch Super Cup- 1993/1994), (KNVB Cup- 1983/1986/1987), (UEFA Cup Winner's Cup- 1987), (UEFA Champions League- 1995), AC Milan (Serie A- 1992/1993), (Supercoppa- 1988/1992), (European Cup- 1989/1990), (Intercontinental Cup-1989/1990), The Netherlands (European Championship 1988)

Decomposition: 1995

If you have not guess it by now I am on a Dutch theme right now evident by my last two entries. I stated my bias in the first installment and have talked up the Dutch more times than Geert Wilders, you know what to do there google if you please. What I have not done is talk up the Dutch as a footballing force. I have not said how creative and how wonderful they are and no I won't say like I laways do that I don't know what to say because now I really do. No country on this earth can rival the quality of footballers this nation and its dependencies and former dependencies can produce. You have your Brazils and your Spains and Argentinas all which have had their Golden Generation. The key word being generation. The defintion of that word is as follows." A body of living beings constituting a single step in the line of descent from an ancestor." That word single is important. The Dutch have generations of superstars while the fore mention nations have only one Golden generation. Controversial very much so but this only sures up my Dutch bias. To win my great Dutch debate and show why the Dutch are the best I shall showcase one of the big guns another stupid cliche but who cares. I will deliver my TKO and not even Dutch windmills can bring the wind back into your sails.

I will only highlight this man's playing career and not his managerial one that is for another time look out for that one. Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard was born on the 30th of September 1962 in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam. Born to a Dutch mother and a Surinamese father Frank. Little did he know would start he very unique trend of Surinamese-Dutch footballer that is common in the national team even to this day. Frank started his footballing career at Ajax Amsterdam and made his debut for the legendary side in the season of 1980 against weirdly name Dutch club Go Head Eagles. Success of the instant variety was obtained by the young Dutchman. Playing either in the center of the defensive or midfield was no difference to youngster. His first campaign with the club was nothing less than magical he won three Dutch league titles first in 1981 followed by the titles in 1982 and in 1984. Not to make the league titles feel lonely he also added three KNVB Cups as well in the seasons of 1983,1986 and 1987. Frank also threw in a European Cup in 1989 for good measure. What is a distrbing trend among Dutch players is their temperment. Rijkaard's docile facade was merely that, the Dutchman had a legendary bust up with then Ajax coach Johan Cruijff. Rijkaard vowed never to play under him, a vow well kept and Rijkaard left the club. Sporting Lisbon was a new challenege for the young Dutchman a mecca in Western football. It was a pity he never played for the Portuguese aristocrats. After that little bust up with Mr. Cruijff I guess the clubs got a bit tardy in registration. There you have it not a game played because of laziness on someone's part. With no football in Portugal to be had a trek across the Iberian Peninsula to Spain and to Zaragoza was the action for Rijkaard. On loan at Real Zaragoza Rijkaard hardly step ground on the pitch just playing 11 times. The season of 1987/88 was a bit of a weird one for the maestro, ousted from Ajax, being shunned away in Lisbon and a murky spell in Spain but in 1988 Rijkaard would begin to cement his legacy. The Dutchman moved to the San Siro in the same year and that marked a five year rampage of Italy. Frank made 142 appearances for the Rosseneri and hitting that net all but 16 times. Titles?, why of course. Serie A titles two of them 1992 and 1993 to be exact. Supercoppas that would make two first of which coming in 1988 and the second 1992. Another duo this time the European Cup in 1989 and 1990. He likes two a lot he also gained two Intercontinental cups with his time with Milan and if not winning the European Cup was not enough he had to super size it and win the European Super Cup twice. That is silly because you put "super," in front the cup it is automatically great I would use the term LOL (Laugh Out Loud) but I'm not on web chat. With basically the whole of Europe robbed of silver by Rijkaard and his cohorts at Milan it was time to plunder Holland one more time before time before struck with chronic knee athritis. To finish his days as a player he returned to the stable that which housed him Ajax welcomed home their prodigal son. More titles anyone? might as well nothing better to do. Rijkaard won the Champions League on the final day of his playing career. Against who? Milan very anticlimatic that is. At least he has more silver than five star kitchen.

Now internationally "The Llama," has been more of a success than most of his compatriots he actually won something and he won the European championship in 1988 but this is not where my story lies. Yes we know he is a wonderful player but I am hear to disect his behaviour which is down right spitty. That out little nickname the Llama was bestoed upon him by the German press after the Dutchman got into an incident with West Germany's Rudi Voller in the 1990 World Cup. The Dutchman spat at the German multiple times hence the nickname Llama. That is nasty and he has dropped a lot of brownie points from me but he being Dutch I can't stay mad at him. He made his debut for the Netherlands in 1981 racking up 73 caps and netting ten times and there is of course that Euro 88 title.

The man is a legend. Looking at the dates I have provided for your reading pleasure one can clearly see that I would not have been able to have lasting memories of watching him take the field. Actually the only thing I can recall is Rijkaard in an Ajax shirt hugging a team mate from behind. Gay?, yes it is but I was like seven so it does not count. Thank goodness for youtube for making up the swagger for me. From what I have read watched and heard he seems to be the greatest thing since free internet pornography or if religious a reading from your holy text read by your favourite patron saint. Look at what he has done as a player and look now what he has done as a coach but that my children is for another time. Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard a god amongst men. UP THE ORANJE.

Reptile