How do you moonwalk on a field in boots?!

AFF Suzuki Cup 2010: Singapore 2-1 Myanmar

Impressed with Singapore's fortitude to come back from 1-0 down. Good work, especially on the left from Khairul Amri and up front from the much-maligned Agu Casmir. Terrible positioning from Precious and Baihakki, though. Such huge gaps the Myanmarese could drive a tank through.

http://bolabang.blogspot.com/2010/12/aff-suzuki-cup-group-b-singapore-2.html

Kiko Macheda serves notice

Iran 6-0 Singapore

Singapore 2-0 Indonesia

It was all hands to the pump for a while, but in the end dogged defending won through against a determined Indonesia. Raddy Avramovic's gameplan worked like a dream, two early sucker punches from Baihakki Khaizan & Shi Jiayi respectively in each half rendering Indonesian dominance useless and shredding their confidence.

The Lions do need to be careful, as this soak & strike strategy can easily come undone against a more clinical team. Thailand & Co await in the semis.

Singapore 3-1 Myanmar

Myanmar walk out again. More damningly & embarrassingly, Myanmar FA officials prevented the players from returning to the field despite the efforts of their own coach. Will they ever learn? Not unless AFF kick them out as a lesson to the other nations. They obviously haven't learnt their lesson four years ago as they weren't punished at all for a similar shameful episode. AFF better act tough & act now or history will repeat itself - in the final perhaps?

As Singapore's John Wilkinson put it, do we just walk out whenever we are tired and unhappy a-la Roy Keane? For the sake of teaching respect for officials and basic sportsmanship, I say the Myanmese need to be sacrificed NOW.

On a separate note, Agu Casmir's goal was really of the highest quality. It was a volley with his weaker foot, with defenders closing in. Yet he hit it through a crowded penalty area, just inside the post. If Deco'd done it, everyone would be waxing lyrical.

Singapore 5-0 Cambodia

Ronaldo trick

Drogba trick

Crossbar challenge

Take a bow Messrs. Almunia, no one from Chelsea two years running, and those that could (and couldn't) do it!

Henry's trick kick

Now that's true class.

How to take a penalty

Johann Cruyff's mickey-taking penalty, and then Pires' much-poorer imitation. I mean if even Brondby could do it...

Nike: The Mission

El Nino in slow-mo

12-year-old Fernando Torres vs AC Milan

He was that good even at 12.

Zoran Tosic & Adem Ljajic - United's new Serbian starlets

Perhaps Fergie got Vidic to recommend a player a-la Football Manager?

Remembrance Day

Why the Poppy?

Today, fields of brilliant poppies still grow in France.

A writer first made the connection between the poppy and battlefield deaths during the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th century, remarking that fields that were barren before battle exploded with the blood-red flowers after the fighting ended.

During the tremendous bombardments of the First World War the chalk soils became rich in lime from rubble, allowing 'popaver rhoeas' to thrive. When the war ended the lime was quickly absorbed, and the poppy began to disappear again.

After John McCrae's poem In Flanders Fields was published in 1915 the poppy became a popular symbol for soldiers who died in battle.

Three years later an American, Moina Michael, was working in a New York City YMCA canteen when she started wearing a poppy in memory of the millions who died on the battlefield.

During a 1920 visit to the United States a French woman, Madame Guerin, learned of the custom. On her return to France she decided to use handmade poppies to raise money for the destitute children in war-torn areas of the country. In November, 1921, the first poppies were distributed in Canada.

Thanks to the millions of Canadians who wear flowers each November, the little red plant has never died. And neither have Canadian's memories for 116,031 of their countrymen who died in battle.
---------
Source: http://www.canoe.ca/RemembranceDay/poppy.html
And here's Singapore's boring version: http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/about_us/history/the_early_years/v08n11_history.html

Rory Delap - throw-in superstar

Eat your heart out, Ronaldo! Meet the new king of set-pieces!

Danny Cepero

Estadio Municipal de Braga

This is one weird stadium, where the area behind the goals are an open space and a rock face!