Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by Duke Red

WSOP

Duke Red — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:48:13 +0800

Mods,

Not sure if this is the place for it but does anyone play poker, or watch the World Serious of Poker? Any Phil Ivey wannabes? I can't find a topic on this which is weird since a lot play online via facebook etc, and I know some at least, play live.

Is it a sport? Mmm... well I can't find any other suitable forum.

Loyalty

Duke Red — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:23:05 +0800

Sorry but this issue has arrived of late and I find it too serious an issue to pass up on. I've decided to take this topic away from the Chelsea thread. There was a similar topic once (started by me) but it's too far down the list to track so I'm beginning another.

So then, it would appear that some fans don't see any issue with switching clubs because managers and players do.

Well that they may but only because football is their career. Just because I like my current company, it doesn't mean I won't change jobs if another comes along will I? As a football fan, what do you stand to lose by staying with one club? Who do some fans think it's a cardinal sin to swap allegiances?

What is the concept of "fan"?

Football's Greatest Hardmen

Duke Red — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:11:09 +0800

Mates,

I believe there was a similar topic some time back but I can't find it anymore. The reason for me bringing this up again is because The Daily Mail has just released it's list of the top 50 football players in the world that were/are made of steel and have kahunas the size of Texas.

Of the top 10, Liverpool have Tommy "Anfield Iron" Smith at no. 7 and Greame Souness gracing the top spot. Any wonder the former Liverpool, Blackburn and Newcastle boss has punched his own players?

QUOTE

10 Claudio Gentile (AS Varese, Juventus, Fiorentina, Piacenze)
9 Norman Hunter (Leeds United, Bristol City, Barnsley)
8 Vinnie Jones (Wimbledon, Leeds, Sheffield United, Chelsea, QPR)
7 Tommy Smith (Liverpool, Swansea City)
6 Dave Mackay (Hearts, Tottenham Hotspur, Derby County, Swindon Town)
5 Roy Keane (Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, Celtic)
4 Ron Harris (Chelsea, Brentford, Aldershot)
3 Billy Bremner (Leeds, Hull City, Doncaster Rovers)
2 Stuart Pearce (Coventry City, Forest, Newcastle United, Manchester City)
1 Graeme Souness (Middlesbrough, Liverpool, Sampdoria, Rangers)

No 7: The Anfield Iron in his full thunder-thighed glory. 'Tommy doesn't tackle opponents,' quipped Bill Shankly, 'so much as break them down for resale as scrap.' Born and bred within a mile of Anfield, he once handed Jimmy Greaves a hospital menu before a game. Terrifying

No 1: After ruling England and Europe with an iron fist, the sinewy Souness (right) left his studmark on Scottish football just 37 minutes into his Rangers debut. A crunching tackle on Hibs' George McCluskey (hobbling) sparked a 22-man melee at Easter Road. Souness later admitted that he nobbled the wrong man, blaming boss Walter Smith for the premeditated assault. 'Walter said "you've got to be careful because this player will try to leave a bit on you" so I tried to get my retaliation in first,' a contrite Souness remarked. Brutal

For complete listings, visit the following site and click on the desired link (e.g. no. 41 - 50, 31 - 40, etc).

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...n.html?ITO=1490

Footballing Excuses debunked!

Duke Red — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:26:26 +0800

1) We played like crap - Right, and what did the other team do? They showed up, sat down on the pitch and watched you score into your own net?

2) The pitch was uneven - Right and which pitch was the other team playing on?

3) The ref was crap - Did you feel the same way when he awarded decisions in your favour?

4) Our players are jet-lagged - In those days, players used to play with hangovers.

Mercenaries

Duke Red — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:07:40 +0800

Before you read the following article, might I add that it's not aimed at any one club or player in particular, it's just something I came across posed on WSC and I thought it may provide an interesting topic for discussion. Please read it objectively and refrain from trading insults.

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

Brooding Berbatov

Thursday 2 October ~
Dimitar Berbatov ticks a lot of the boxes that annoy people about modern footballers. Top of this list being a summer filling the papers with come-and-get-me pleas, forcing the hand of Tottenham on a transfer to Manchester United that finally climaxed with him essentially being smuggled into Old Trafford on transfer deadline night. This behaviour doesn’t make him an upstanding man of morals but neither does it make him unique. So why is he the media fall-guy, while Gareth Barry, Robbie Keane, Andrei Arshavin, Robinho et al have been all but forgiven?

In Tuesday night’s damp squib of a Champions League game against Aalborg Berbatov scored his first two goals for his new club, but in doing this he illustrated the very problems that the media have with him, his celebrations of “breaking his United duck” highlighted in various papers for lacking any joy or emotion. In a time when loyalty is so rare, a clenched fist or over the top scream of joy is enough for most fans and pundits to believe a player cares.
Berbatov, a languid, morose and seemingly lethargic forward, whose game is all about time and space rather than outward passion and lung busting effort, is the opposite of Robbie Keane, who a Liverpool-supporting friend recently described to me as “trying too hard to impress” after another disappointing performance. It is this kind of attitude that led Terry Venables to recently use his column in the Sun to blame Berbatov – “and your dream of a few extra noughts added to your bank balance” – for Tottenham’s troubles while Keane was excused. We can claim the Premier League is as cosmopolitan as we like, but when it comes down to it we will still find it far easier to celebrate a striker, puce in the face, needlessly chasing long balls over one who plays with an economy of movement and expression of disdain for balls flying over his head from clueless centre-backs.

We believe that Wayne Rooney really wants to win for Manchester United because we have lip-read him swearing at linesmen on enough occasions, but Berbatov is impossible to read, with most attempts to do so informed by comparisons to poker-faced eastern European villains in Hollywood blockbusters. But it is this enigmatic grace that makes Berbatov far more interesting than 99 per cent of Premier League players and for all his greed, one that should be celebrated rather than dismissed as the ultimate foreign mercenary. Josh Widdicombe

Everyone knows that obscene amounts of money are circulating within the game now and it's no surprise therefore, that at some point, players have to consider money over loyalty. After all you may like your company and boss very much but if someone comes along with a lucrative offer, you'd have to consider your future. In the end we all have to look out for ourselves because as they say, "how can you take care of someone else if you can take care of yourself?". This is all the more true if you have a family to support.

Can we therefore blame footballers for putting loyalty aside then? I'm old school and I would like to believe that I'd be willing to turn down a better offer to stay with the club I grew up supporting for life but in reality, all of us have a price so the question is at what point, is it acceptable to move on? Like many of you I have seen players leave clubs that they either support, or clubs that 'raised' them from young. Is it however foolish for clubs to believe that these players will remain loyal to them? While I accept that because of ambition and money, players may opt to switch clubs and allegiances, I feel that they can leave amicably. Before signing for Chelsea, Michael Essien refused to train with Lyon unless they granted him a transfer to Chelsea. On the other hand, Fernando Torres explained to the fans that he had to leave because he wanted to achieve his ambitions and he vowed to return on day. Which do you think is most acceptable? I stress again that this isn't to take a potshot at anyone as I'm only citing examples I am familiar with.

Now I believe that the club comes before all else. I love my club and I'd like to think that all the players who say they are fans of the club after or before signing, are telling the truth. One can only lie for so long however as the truth will be revealed when we see how much effort they put in on and off the pitch. Can I fully support a player I know is a mercenary? I'd like to think not. I'd like to think that if the said player scored and I celebrate, it's because of the club and not him. Love should be permanent and knowing that he said player will leave one day, being a journeyman and all, I cannot relate to him. I had my doubts when Didi Hamann signed for us as he had a reputation of being a journeyman and to my surprise he stayed with the club for seven seasons, picking up a Scouse accent in the process. In the end players come and go and I've never felt a strong affinity towards a player like Harry Kewell because you just knew the money mattered to him. The story from Steve McMahon also comes to mind. El Hadji Diouf on the other hand was a player that never truly embraced the culture of the club. I could not learn to respect these players as people, only pawns on the pitch.

Can anyone truly support a mercenary or journeyman knowing he may turn his back on them or blackmail them at any time? They'll be around when the times are good but you just know that at some point, we all go through a bad patch.

JPJ & PDRM Roadblocks

Duke Red — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:31:53 +0800

Mates,

As we all already know, JPJ has begun setting up roadblocks as they look to enforce certain rules & regulations after coming under scrutiny. The purpose of setting up this thread is for us to look out for one another. If you do come across or hear of any blocks, please let us all know.

Football Commercials

Duke Red — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:34:48 +0800

After having seen some brilliant commercials, I thought it right to start this thread. Let's start sharing people.

Here is on off Inamoto and Ronaldinho freestyling. Didn't know Inamoto was that good on the ball to be honest.

[YOUTUBE]7rYUAc_V2ZE&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

Model's Night @ SOMO

Duke Red — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:49:17 +0800

Host: SOMO Mont Kiara
Type: Party - Night of Mayhem
Time and PlaceStart Time: Thursday, June 26, 2008 at 9:00pm
End Time: Friday, June 27, 2008 at 12:00am
Location: SOMO Mont Kiara
Street: Unit 2B Shoplex, Jalan Kiara, Mont Kiara
City/Town: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Contact InfoPhone: 0193126528
Email: driza@somo.com.my

Somo's throwing a party for no good reason at all. We would like to invite you to party with us. And if you're a model, there'll be free flow of Dewar's whiskey and special house cocktails (including our very own chu-hai) all night long! Just bring along some form of identification - comm cards, name cards, magazine ad with your picture in it or anything else. Michelle will be rocking to the beats on her electric violin as well.

Cult Heroes

Duke Red — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:59:54 +0800

Blatter seeks quotas

Duke Red — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:19:12 +0800

Jamie Yeoh - Heineken Football Event

Duke Red — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:06:17 +0800

Mods,

Please feel free to close this topic after today.

Football fans from all over, I have an announcement to make:

As you may know, Heineken are the official sponsors of this years Champions League. Jamie Yeoh is scheduled to appear at SOMO, Mont Kiara tonight to host an event. There will be fun & games. Winner stands a chance to go to Moscow for this years Champions League finals. I don't have the full details. All I know is she will be appearing @ 11pm but the games will start a little earlier, at around 10pm or so.

Mechanics are as follows:

Jamie Yeoh is there to encourage participation. Ambassadors will be going round with PDA's. Those with a bottle of Heineken will be eligible to participate. Answers are keyed into the PDA and winners will be informed after the UCL Semi's. Questions have to do with predicting the results for the semi's lah.

If you need directions, please search for SOMO, Mont Kiara on facebook. If you don't have an account, ask someone that does

See you there!

An Intimate Evening with Hannah Tan

Duke Red — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:43:13 +0800

Hi all,

If anyone is interested in attending, please PM me or call Driza directly at 019.312.6528. as mentioned in the poster below. Hope to see you there, cheers!

Rising Stars

Duke Red — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 09:08:49 +0800

Football Fights, Fouls & Bizarre Moments

Duke Red — Sat, 12 May 2007 13:38:59 +0800

There has been a lot of talk on the beautiful game, here's the ugly side of football. Don't know if this has been done before.

Attached is a compilation that includes Roy Keane's horrendous challenge on Alfie Haaland, and Harald Schumacker knocking Battistion unconscious.

[YOUTUBE]jbvbuMEI6wY[/YOUTUBE]

For Club or Country

Duke Red — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 11:48:57 +0800

This is not a new topic but I saw it discussed again of Football Focus in-light of the latest Michael Owen saga. Newcastle Chairman Freddie Shepherd is demanding adequate compensation from the FA after Owen injured himself on England duty, sidelining him for much of the season. It can be debated that Newcastle could find themselves in a much better position now had Owen not been injured. It's not that the FA are a poor lot! I do agree with the panel on Football Focus that the FA should be a little more generous with their compensation. As we all know, there are larger stakes in todays game and the loss of a 20 goal striker can cause huge financial damage. Sure playing for one's country is an honour but it is the club that pays his wages and enables him to have a living. It is the club that has developed him as a player and as a person from a young age. There is a lot of time and money invested. As Reavo said, it's like borrowing someones car, damaging it, and then paying for only half the damage. The only question that beckons is, how much is enough compensation? How does one quantify that?

A 'real fan'

Duke Red — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 14:40:25 +0800

In light of the fact that some fans look at others as being of the glory-hunting variety and so on, I thought it would be appropriate to get some views on what people perceive as being a hard-core fan. It's not for us to judge or discriminate as everyone has the right to support their club in any manner they see fit. While I admit this, I still find it annoying when fair-weather fans try to put up an argument with weak points.

Let me ask you then, what is your definition of a hard-core fan?

Crazy Footballers

Duke Red — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:43:25 +0800

The EPL

Duke Red — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 12:40:53 +0800

I've looked through all the topics and noticed that there wasn't one on matches that involved other teams in the EPL. I know that some of us watch these matches and thought it would be nice to be able to discuss them as well.

Did anyone see the Blackburn vs Tottenham one? Tugay scored an awesome goal but was unlucky to be sent off. He received a straight red which can only be warranted had there been intent in the challenge. He clearly caught his opponent with his trailing leg and it was a definite penalty but there was no intent. Ghaly deserved to be sent off for his elbow though Martin Jol strongly thought otherwise. It was a full on affair and Spurs were unlucky to concede a soft penalty. Friedel got a hand to it but was beaten still. Michael (I insulted Colleen when drunk and got socked by Rooney) Gray was voted MOM.