Have a good one, Sir Bobby

It is indeed a sad day in the world of football. One of the legends of the sport has passed away leaving behind fans all over the world in shock and in mourning.

Sir Bobby Robson was one of the most loved personalities both among the footballing industry and among the fans. His charisma, his dedication to the sport and his fantastic work ethic made him one of the respected people in his generation. I remember Steve Mcmahon once mention that Sir Bobby played a round of golf (18 holes), immediately came to the studio, worked for 8 straight hours and he looked as fresh as ever. And he was 74. That says it all.

John Travolta's quote about Phoenix in the hit movie Ladder 49 can be compared to the following quote. Sir Bobby loved football and gave his life to football. Let us all celebrate the life of Sir Bobby Robson.

Rest in Peace, Sir Bobby...

Sup"porter"

Well, enough has been said about the footballing world. The players, the managers, the clubs, UEFA, FIFA et all... It's time to talk about the more important contributors to the sport - The supporters.

Warning : This might NOT please many people...

Undoubtedly, the supporters of a football club/country are the most important ingredients to making football what it is today, and what it will be tomorrow. We all know that. But this post is not about that.

A decade ago, not many people I knew, even considered Chelsea as their club to support, to watch, to pay to watch.Then, Mr. Abramovic arrived and shortly thereafter, Mr. Mourinho arrived. Needless to say, many good players arrived and not surprisingly, Chelsea started winning titles(NOT by playing the best football at most times). Suddenly, there were a whole barrage of people supporting Chelsea. People who knew zilch about football were supporting Chelsea left, right and center. People even switched their support from their own club to Chelsea. Is this what you call a "Die-Hard" supporter? Is not a supporter responsible to support a club through the best and worst of times?

I am not saying, people should not watch the football, admire it etc. Hey I am a Liverpool fan and I admire the way Manchester United play at times(Again, I am a football fan first, then a Liverpool fan). But never in a million years would I "yap" about the football United play or
even think of being an United fan.

These people are definitely contributors to the football world (what with the merchandise, tickets et all). But are such people really good for the world watching football? More importantly, are such people really needed for the watching world?

You may be intrigued by the timing of this post, but, it might just be the right timing after all. What with the Manchester City explosion going on.

P.S. I hope you get the subtle pun in the title.

Alonso/Ribery another Ronaldo?

Disclaimer : I am not comparing the players.

All I am doing is trying to make sense of what is happening in the transfer market. Specifically, with respect to Real Madrid.

Madrid have been very open about their interests in Alonso and Ribery but neither Bayern nor Liverpool are refusing to budge. In both cases, it looks like the player wants to leave, but the manager/club do not want to sell.

Any dejavus?

Any ESP's on whats going to happen next season with Ribery/Alonso? (i.e. if it does not happen this season)

Now, besides the "Will he, wont he" sagas, I would like someone to define the term "tapping up". And can someone please tell me if it is legal? Or is it "officially" illegal? I, for one, am getting sick of it. Anyone care to join me?

HELL of a 24 hours

The first time I heard about Owen's imminent switch to Manchester United was on BBC. And one can only imagine the rage I had inside of me. Or for the matter, inside of any Liverpool supporter. The very thought of a Liverpool player playing for Manchester United is mind boggling. And of all the players, Michael Owen. The player who made me who I am today.

On a neutral note, the move might resurrect Owen's career. Not that it needed any resurrection. Just that he needed to be in a top club to produce the goods. As for getting into the England frame is concerned, well, its all up to Mr. Capello.

As for Manchester United, well, they have got themselves a goalscorer. They can go to hell.

When Owen left Liverpool in search of silverware in 2004, they won the Champions League in 2005. Now, Owen has joined United in 2009. The Premier League might well be on its way to Liverpool. Who knows?

P.S. I never thought the 4 labels for this post would ever be connected.