Sunday, November 30, 2008

Shivering cold to the spine.


Raining and raining. It’s been raining heavily here in the coast and some people predict that this years it’s going to be another big flood after last big flood in the year 2004.Well, looking at the current air and water level, it will be no surprise. Rain or not life must keep going.
You had made a mistake. I know it’s a mistake. it is a mistake.
But there are certain things in life where you know it's a mistake, but you don't really know it's a mistake, because the only way to really know it's a mistake is to make the mistake, and look back and say," Yep, that was a mistake."So, really, the bigger mistake would be to not make the mistake because then you'd go your whole life not really knowing if something is a mistake or not
And, damn it, I've made mistakes, my life, university, break-up, money but then I realize that there is no use in whining and regretting for the entire mistake that I’d done. My life is sweet even it taste sour with all the mistake because if my life is mistake free I will never be the man that I am right now and for sure I will not be able to see, love the people who is loving me right now. So, I love my mistake because of that I found my love and my life and create the person that is able to learn the value of life, friendship and love.
Give me the coffee, please?
It’s been 2 months already since I worked as a part timer in a coffee let say factory but actually not a factory like others see it but I can say that a small coffee factory to be precise. Coming December, I might quit the job in the middle of the month. At first, I found the job was a little bit tiring and exhausted but then after nearly two months working there I felt I had cope well with the workload and recently because of the raining season, the workload seem to be decrease as the order from the people who like to drink the instant coffee are not as much as it was before. It’d been a wonderful experience working there not just filling up holidays and earn some extra cash but I learn a lot about life and business. The business of selling coffee is quite daunting but worth every minutes of it. As I talked and listened to the elders there, the hardest part in this business is the first step. After that, you surely will enjoy. Like other businesses, you need to have strong determination and hardworking so that your business will become a success. Coffee, sometimes we might call it a small thing but to other people it meant a world to them.
Gomo Kelate Gomo.
As I read newspaper a couple of days ago, I came upon reading in Sports section that Kelantan team will enter Super league in the upcoming season. This is huge news for all the football fanatics in Kelantan. With all the hype and stars signing in the post season, this new is the icing on the cake for Kelantan. The squad is ready to face the elite team in the Super league and Kelantan will no longer be branded second rate team. All over Malaysia, Kelantan have huge supporters and we only lack in silverware. Every game played in Stadium Sultan Muhammad Ke IV attracted big crowd and surely next year the crowd will flock the home ground for showing the never lasting support to Kelantan.With names like Khalid Jamlus,once a feared striker in Malaysia and Indra Putra the lethal winger.Kelantan will be hoping to put a serious challenge in the Super league not just as a team to fill up the league number.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Half glass full of winning

The Serie A is entering half way through and the leader of the table is still Inter Milan. With all the prediction in the summer, Mourinho sits atop of the table with 3 points ahead of AC Milan.S o far, Inter had been consistent in the field although there are some doubt if Mourinho had lost his winning touch. But looking back from the start of the season where Inter had many injuries and some players still adapt with new tactics and approach that he brought to this team I say that he had done pretty good job if not excellent in keeping up with all the hype of the Champions of Italy. Inter still had not found their true best form while competing in Europe which is something that been bothering them for years. Moratti pay a big load of cash in bringing money and player with a great coach yet they still lack of silverware in champions league so what is wrong with this?
In the summer Moratti sacked Mancini who had delivered 3 Serie A titles in a row and hired Mourinho in a sole purpose, Champions League.Inter know they are the force that can not be beaten in Italy with Juventus still building after the scandal and AC Milan with their old team. Inter wanted to a force in Europe. They want to be the best, the class of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United. But looking at this season with draws with team from Greece and lose to Panathinaikos , Mourinho has a lot work to do especially in bringing out the best from the star studded squad. Inter does not lack of quality.They have a combination of experience, flair, agility, technique and youth. Their midfield and attackers can be rated among the best in Europe and their have a formidable back four and quality keeper in Julio Cesar. So what is that the missing piece?
In my opinion it is the determination. Yes, we had seen Inter comeback in Serie A but in Europe they does not show this. They should have score a load of goals in Greece but they seem to just firing half of the cylinders. They play with good tactics on the paper but then fail to deliver in the field. Maybe Mourinho need to reflect on his tactic or maybe just give a little more time with the regulars. Still, it is only half way through and all the players just come back from injuries such as cordoba, figo and Samuel. In December and January we shall see a more confident side in inter. i believe in this.Yes, inter does not play attractive attacking football like Barcelona or Arsenal but then at the end of the day all it matters is the 3 points. Inter are more patient team. They lured the opponent onto them and the tries long pass and made use of target men in Zlatan and Adriano. If Mancini and Quaresma can find the form just like last season, the Mourinho’ supposed tactic will bear the fruit. These 2 players are good winger. They just do not find their rhythm yet and they will find it in due time.
I’m looking forward to this weekend match and Inter will extend their lead at the top of table before entering the cold month of December. Mourinho had urged the players to show more anger on the field this weekend after a lost at home in the Champion League. We can catch all Serie A matches on Astro Supersport channel 811.Another late night for me in watching these games but it’s worth it. I hope.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Is it worth it?

Is it worth it?
The million dollar question that had been popped out in every one mind in every minute at every chances they encounter.The question that the real answer is can only be find within the inner self.Friends,families can only help to find the answer but truly our inner self can solve this question.Some times we found that it's not worth it and we regret every second of the decision we make but eventually we shall find that the decision that we make it the best one.Some other times we find that at first it is worth every cent of every second of the decision that we make but then at the end of the day we found that it is not like we expect or predict it' s going to turn out.
The best way to deal with this is just by accepting whatever the outcome that may come.Whether it is good or wrong we pay the dividend.

- Can not wait to go to KL in the middle of December. It's seem a long time ago since i went there.Just going for a fun trip.Spending the holiday with friends and relaxing mind with window shopping.Just relaxing mind and muscles after 2 whole months of working. is it worth it?i think it is worth.

NBA inside - Lakers for the champion

PHOENIX – Shaquille O’Neal walked off the Phoenix Suns’ practice court and into the arms of Phil Jackson, wrapping his old coach in a hug. He whispered a few words in Jackson’s ear then gave him a kiss that left sweat pooling on Jackson’s cheek and brow. “You know I wouldn’t do you like that,” O’Neal cooed.
This is how it goes with Shaq. He raps about Kobe Bryant smelling his ass. He calls San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich a coward. He says Jackson orchestrated the riff between him and Kobe. And then he says he was joking or taken out of context, or both. He’s forever 36 going on 13, and that’s what makes him so lovable. The Big Eraser, making history then deleting it as he sees fit.
By the time Kobe and Phil arrived at US Airways Center Thursday evening, Shaq had already waxed nostalgic about his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe? He and Kobe never had problems. Kobe called him fat and he called Kobe selfish, but evidently those were just terms of endearment. Phil? How could he ever say anything bad about Phil? Phil always took care of him. Had the three of them stayed together, Shaq guesses they would have won several more championships.
Bryant didn’t spend nearly as much time reminiscing, and there’s a reason for that: Why waste time dwelling on the past when your future looks so bright?
After Thursday’s 105-92 rout of the Phoenix Suns, the biggest question facing the Lakers is whether they’ll find someone in the Western Conference to challenge them. Extending the search into Utah’s Wasatch Mountains might be the last hope for locating a worthy rival.
“I was telling Luke [Walton] that this might be the first season I average 31 minutes because we’ve been blowing people out,” Bryant said. “I’ve been sitting the whole fourth quarter. That’s pretty amazing.”
The Lakers can thank O’Neal for that. His departure gave them the flexibility to create this impressive roster. O’Neal has the one championship he added to his résumé since leaving Los Angeles, but the Lakers aren’t exactly crying about the terms of their breakup.
The popular theory suggests that had the Lakers kept O’Neal they would have won at least one more title. But even that might be a stretch. Their last championship came in 2002 and making the ’04 NBA Finals required Derek Fisher’s .4 miracle. By then, the Lakers’ supporting cast had begun to show its age.
On Thursday, Jackson said the decision to trade O’Neal was “purely an economic situation with our owner.” Had O’Neal lowered his asking price for a contract extension, Jackson said, he would likely still be a Laker, regardless of his ongoing feud with Bryant.
“It wasn’t anything about their personalities,” Jackson said.
Few people believe that. Bryant was a free agent that summer, and despite his assertion otherwise, it was widely assumed he would have left had O’Neal stayed. As it was, he almost left anyway, flirting with both the Chicago Bulls and the neighboring Clippers.
With O’Neal’s salary no longer clogging their salary cap, the Lakers set about building the league’s deepest roster. They missed the playoffs their first season without Shaq, but that netted them the lottery pick to use on Andrew Bynum. Give credit to Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak and his front-office staff. Kupchak made one mistake, trading Caron Butler to the Washington Wizards for Kwame Brown, and he cleaned that up last season when Brown helped land Pau Gasol. After Bryant chafed at the length of the rebuilding process, Kupchak brought back Fisher – who had left in the summer of 2004 for a lucrative contract with the Golden State Warriors – to give the team another veteran guide.
“We were all at different places in our careers and it’s very difficult to try and keep that together,” Fisher said. “Think about where we are now compared to then …
“The three years I was away from the Lakers just gave me a greater appreciation for where we are now and the value that you feel as an athlete when you are a winner. Nothing replaces that. There’s no contract, no amount of money that replaces the feeling of being the best.”
O’Neal knows the feeling. Now he finds himself staring up at the Lakers. With eight victories in their first 12 games, the Suns had hoped to measure themselves against the conference’s defending champs. Turns out they needed an odometer rather than a yardstick.
While most West teams would be happy to own an 8-5 record, the Suns admit they’re still searching for an identity, caught between their seven-seconds-or-less past and new coach Terry Porter’s insistence they pound the ball into O’Neal. In the process, they have marginalized Steve Nash. On Thursday, he didn’t score his first points until midway through the third quarter. Raja Bell, who has previously questioned the new inside-out philosophy, politely declined to answer any questions about the Suns’ offense, adhering to the age-old wisdom that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
O’Neal naturally has no problem with the ball going to him, claiming the only thing separating him from his Lakers days is “lesser shots.” “For an old man,” he said, “I still demand a double- and triple-team.”
O’Neal does do that on occasion. But as well as he’s played this season, the Suns can’t depend on him to be a game-changing force every night, at least not until they learn to better space their offense around him. The Lakers swarmed O’Neal often Thursday and the Suns didn’t make them pay. Afterward, O’Neal gave a gracious nod to his opponent.
“They’re the best team,” O’Neal said.
That says something about how far the Lakers have come. For now, Shaq can answer the what-ifs. Kobe doesn’t need to look back on his glory days. Not with so many more seemingly still ahead of him.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Tactically,technically win cold heartly.


Inter.Inter.Inter.that was the sound around the San Siro Stadium this morning when Inter Milan beat Juventus by one goal scored by Suley Ali Muntari.Thousand kilometers away,i was sitting alone,in cold soaking night in front of television watching Mourinho tactic outclass Ranieri.It was a typical Derby game where both team play cautiously with Juventus controlled most of the game and inter just sit back,play behind the ball and done the damage by counter attacking.This tactic worked however.Some people question Mourinho tactic but cannot deny the effectiveness as he always collect three valuable points (always but not all the time,football need the element of luck).
Tonight,Inter let Juventus came to them and then play the long ball to Adriano and Zlatan.With cambiasso, zanetti, stankovic and muntari on the midfield,they kept Juventus jsut in front of their penalty box.Juventus have more ball possession but then they just seem cannot create many chances and lack of the composure between Amauri, iaquinta and Del Piero.The Inter defender play a good solid in keeping all the striker wandering in the box and tightly marking them to force them end the match empty handed. Adriano, after a spell of left out of the squad play a very important role tonight supporting Zlatan.Both of them time to time tormenting the Juventus defense by playing the ball into feet and controlling the ball in the air.in a swift attack, Adriano tried to control a long ball and with that he pulled 2 defenders and unfortunately the ball fall to Zlatan who tried mis kick first timer toward the goals but muntari rushed and put the ball into the back of the net.Muntari made the interisti full of excitement as Inter extended their league and ended Juve winning stretch.
Tonight, Mourinho proved yet again that he tactically and technically have a better squad then Ranieri. Inter , the champions showed they have a better squad, a better depth to conquer Serie A for the fourth time in a row.For me,it was satisfying to watch this game although i might not have enough sleep and had to battle with cold shivering raining early morning.Passion, that is the word to describe the heart for Inter.Forza Inter.Forza Inter.

Inter 1-0 Juventus (HT: 0-0)
Scorer: Muntari 72.
Inter: 12 Julio Cesar; 13 Maicon, 23 Materazzi, 25 Samuel, 6 Maxwell; 4 Zanetti, 19 Cambiasso, 20 Muntari (14 Vieira 90), 5 Stankovic (16 Burdisso 85); 8 Ibrahimovic, 10 Adriano (9 Cruz 83).
Subs not used: 1 Toldo, 7 Figo, 18 Crespo, 77 Quaresma.
Coach: José Mourinho.
Juventus: 13 Manninger; 21 Grygera, 33 Legrottaglie, 3 Chiellini, 28 Molinaro; 32 Marchionni (16 Camoranesi 70), 22 Sissoko, 20 Tiago (19 Marchisio 4), 11 Nedved; 10 Del Piero, 8 Amauri (9 Iaquinta 77).
Subs not used: 12 Chimenti, 4 Mellberg, 20 Giovinco, 29 De Ceglie.
Coach: Claudio Ranieri.
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Bologna).
Booked: Cambiasso 25, Legrottaglie 29, Materazzi 50, Samuel 54.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Nerazzuri vs Old Lady.Derby D'Italia


This Saturday Inter Milan will welcome Juventus on a big clash of top of the table Serie A.Inter will win this match for sure as they will be playing at home at the mighty San Siro Stadium.This match will be the first time Ranieri,Juventus boss meet with Mourinho as both are the former manager of Chelsea.Inter will be welcome the return of Luis Figo and the veteran winger will surely add more flair to the team since mancini and quaresma had yet to find their best form since arrived in San Siro.Ibrahimovic will be up against Del Piero, both strikers have just find an excellent form recently.In midfield, Cambiasso and viera will surely need to contain the intelligent force lead by nedved ,veteran Czech maestro.
The long rivalry between the clubs, who have consistently battled against each other for the Italian title, is just as intense and if not more so than the Milan city derby. Inter versus Turin-based Juventus is called the "Derby of Italy".
"The rivalry with Juventus is older, more traditional and linked to scudettos. Instead the rivalry with AC Milan is because we are from the same city," Inter president Massimo Moratti told reporters.
Anomisity between the clubs worsened in 2006 when Juve were stripped of the title and demoted in a match-fixing scandal, leaving Inter to be awarded the championship in a court room.If that did not anger Juve fans enough, Inter signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Patrick Vieira from the then-Serie B club.
Saturday's match at the San Siro is given extra spice because third-placed Juve, on the back of seven straight wins in all competitions, can move level with the leaders with a win.
Injured midfielder Christian Poulsen is doubtful for the visitors while Inter have centre back Ivan Cordoba suspended. Ibrahimovic was rested for Sweden's friendly in Netherlands on Wednesday to leave him fresh for the big encounter.
Inter will come up on the top of this match but with close encounter.i predict that Inter will win by one goal margin and we could expect a game that move around the midfield with both team play cautious and once a while counter attack play.you can catch this match on Sunday morning on channel 811 astrosupersport.inter will win.Forza Inter.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Kingdom come


i am a fan of justice league,dc comic and marvel.one day i come across a comic by Alex Ross entitle Kingdom come.I'm very amaze by the quality and the storyline of these comic.Alex Ross made the character very lively.These series come in 5 series and you can download from rapidshare and www.4shared.com. i am guarantee that you will be fall in love with this comic.
This book is set some 20 years into the future of the then-current DC Universe, it deals with a growing conflict between "traditional" superheroes, such as Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Justice League, and a growing population of largely amoral and dangerously irresponsible new vigilantes. Between these two groups is Batman and his assembled team, who attempt to contain the escalating disaster, foil the machinations of Lex Luthor, and prevent a world-ending superhuman war.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Nice article about new football style in Italy


I surfed and found this article about a new style of scoring goals in Serie A, Italian football league.Man, you can never expect what a man can do in order to win.For me this style is cheap but then in football where sometime in all about winning and losing people will do whatever it takes to grab three valuable points in every match week in and week out.i hope this style won't spread to other leagues as it will affect the popularity of this beloved sport.Let the game of football be a fair game.

ROME (AP)—In the latest fashion statement out of Italy, soccer players are dropping their shorts to score goals.
Catania, a team in the country’s top division, unveiled the new look while taking a free kick. The players lined up in a wall and dropped their shorts in an effort to block the goalkeeper’s vision.
The Sicilian team carried out the maneuver to perfection Sunday. Three players dropped their shorts practically to their knees so Torino goalie Matteo Sereni couldn’t see the kick by Giuseppe Mascara, who scored during Catania’s 3-2 victory.
Catania is coached by Walter Zenga, a former goalkeper on Italy’s national team.
“This is a strategy that Zenga tries continually in training,” Pietro Lo Monaco, the club’s chief executive, told RAI state radio Monday.
Former referees coordinator Paolo Casarin called the move “unsportsmanlike and in bad taste.”
“It’s a trick that should not be tolerated anymore by the referees,” he said.
Lo Monaco replied: “A trick? I wouldn’t say so. It’s up to the referee to decide if it should be penalized, otherwise I don’t see where the problem is. … Good taste is relative.”

Monday, November 17, 2008

Inter Milan History part 2

La Grande (golden era)

Following the war, Inter won their sixth championship in 1953 and the seventh in 1954. Following these titles, Inter were to embark upon the best years of their history, affectionately known as the era of La Grande Inter (The Great Inter). During this period with Helenio Herrera as head coach, the club won 3 league championships in 1963, 1965 and 1966. The most famous moments during this decade also include Inter's 2 back-to-back European Cup wins. In 1964, Inter won the first of those tournaments, playing against the famous Spanish club Real Madrid. The next season, playing in their home stadium, the San Siro, they defeated two-time former champions Benfica.
Following the golden era of the 1960s, Inter managed to win their eleventh league title in 1971 and their twelfth in 1980. Inter were defeated for the second time in five years in the final of the European Cup, going down 0-2 to Johan Cruijff's Ajax Amsterdam in 1972. During the 1970s and the 1980s, Inter also added two Coppa Italias to their tally in 1977-78 and 1981-82.
Led by the German duo of Andreas Brehme and Lothar Matthäus, and Argentine Ramon Diaz, Inter captured the 1989 Serie A championship. Fellow German Jürgen Klinsmann and the Italian Supercup were added the following season but to little avail as Inter did not manage to defend their title.
Dark times
The 1990s were a period of disappointment for the club. Whilst their great rivals AC Milan and Juventus were achieving success both domestically and in Europe, Inter were left behind, with some mediocre positions in the standings, their worst finishes being in 1993-94 when they were just 1 point from relegation. Nevertheless, they achieved some European success in that decade with 3 UEFA Cup victories in 1991, 1994 and 1998.
With Massimo Moratti's takeover from Ernesto Pellegrini in 1995, Inter were promised more success with many high profile signings such as Ronaldo, Christian Vieri and Hernán Crespo, with Inter twice breaking the world record transfer fee in this period.[citation needed] €19.5 million for Ronaldo from FC Barcelona in 1997 and €31 million for Christian Vieri from Lazio in 1999. However the 1990s remained a decade of disappointment and is the only decade in Inter's history in which they failed to win a single Serie A championship. For Inter fans it was difficult to identify who in particular might be to blame for these troubled times and this led to some icy relations between president, managers and even some individual players.
Inter chairman Massimo Moratti later became a target for the fans, especially when he sacked much-loved coach Luigi Simoni after only a few games into the 1998/99 season, after having just received the Italian Manager of the Year award for 1998 the day before, Massimo Moratti decided to end his contract. In the 1998/99 season Inter failed to qualify for any European competition for the first time in almost 10 years, finishing in a poor eighth place.
In the 1999/00 season, Massimo Moratti made some major changes, once again with some high-profile signings. A major coup for Inter was the appointment of former Juventus manager Marcello Lippi. Inter were seen by the majority of the fans and press to have finally put together a winning formula. Other signings included Italian and French legends Angelo Peruzzi and Laurent Blanc together with other former Juventus players Christian Vieri and Vladimir Jugovic. Inter were also seen to have an advantage in this season as they had no European "distraction". Once again they failed to win the elusive Scudetto. However they did manage to come close to their first domestic success since 1989 when they reached the Coppa Italia final only to be defeated by Lazio allowing them to win the Scudetto and domestic cup double.
The following season more disaster struck. Inter impressed in the Supercoppa Italia match against Lazio and took the lead through new signing Robbie Keane – however, they lost 4-3. Overall, though, they were looking good for the season that was about to start. What followed was another embarrassment, as they were eliminated in the preliminary round of the Champions League by Swedish club Helsingborgs IF. Alvaro Recoba was given the opportunity to draw the sides level with a last-minute penalty, yet he missed, hitting the post, and Inter found themselves back at square one as Marcello Lippi, the manager at the time, was sacked after only a single game of the new season following Inter's first ever Serie A defeat to Reggina. Throughout this period, Inter suffered mockery from their neighbours AC Milan; Milan were having a period of success both domestically and in Europe. They also seemed to be suffering from a series of non-ending defeats at the hands of their city rivals, including an unfortunate 0-6 defeat in the 2000/01 season -- their worst "home" result in history. Marco Tardelli, chosen to replace Lippi, failed to improve results, and is remembered by Inter fans as the manager that lost this match. Other members of the Inter squad during this period that suffered were the likes of Christian Vieri and Fabio Cannavaro, both of whom had their restaurants in Milan vandalised after defeats against AC Milan.
Inter fans' protests throughout this period ranged from vandalism to banners being unfurled in the stadium to protest against certain players. In some cases fans arranged for the Curva Nord, a section of the stadium to be empty for entire matches. Inter were in this period often deemed to be one of the favourites for the championship. This led to a popular AC Milan chant against Inter – "Luglio Agosto" (July and August); this was because during the summer months according to the press Inter had won the championship before it had even begun, only for them not to realise their promise.
In 2002, not only did Inter manage to make it to the Uefa cup semi-finals, they were also only 45 minutes away from capturing the Scudetto, when they needed to maintain a one-goal advantage over SS Lazio at Rome's Olimpico stadium in the final match of the season, and Inter were top of the Serie A table at kick-off. However, a defeat would see Juventus, who were second, or even AS Roma, in third place, take the title from them, should these sides win. As a result, some SS Lazio fans were actually openly supporting Inter during this match, as an Inter victory would prevent their bitter rivals AS Roma from winning the championship. Inter were 2-1 up after only 24 minutes. SS Lazio equalised during first half injury time and then scored two more goals in the second half to clinch victory that eventually saw Juventus win the championship after their 2-0 victory away to Udinese. The date of this match -- 5th May 2002 -- still haunts Inter.
2002/03 saw Inter take a respectable second place and also managed to make it to the 2003 Champions League semi finals against AC Milan. Although they drew on aggregate 1-1 with AC Milan, Inter lost on the away goals rule, even though both matches were played in the same stadium. It was another disappointment but they were finally on the right track.
However, once again Massimo Moratti's impatience got the better of him, Hernán Crespo was sold after just one season, and Hector Cuper was fired after only a few games. Alberto Zaccheroni stepped in, a life-long Inter fan but also the man who had been in charge of SS Lazio's 4-2 win over Inter in 2002 - the fans were sceptical. Zaccheroni brought nothing new to the side, apart from two fantastic wins over Juventus 3-1 in Turin and 3-2 at the San Siro and the season was again nothing special. They were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League in the first round after finishing 3rd in the group. Furthermore, they only just managed to qualify for the Champions League by finishing in 4th place, only a point ahead of Parma. Inter's only saving grace in 2003/04 was the arrival of Dejan Stankovic and Adriano in January 2004, both solid players that filled the gap left by the departures of Hernán Crespo and Clarence Seedorf.

Inter Milan History part 1

The club was founded on 9 March 1908 as Internazionale FBC Milano, following a "schism" from the Milan Cricket and Football Club (43 members). A group of Italians and Swiss (Giorgio Muggiani, a painter who also designed the club's logo, Bossard, Lana, Bertoloni, De Olma, Enrico Hintermann, Arturo Hintermann, Carlo Hintermann, Pietro Dell'Oro, Hugo and Hans Rietmann, Voelkel, Maner, Wipf, and Carlo Ardussi) were unhappy about the domination of Italians in the AC Milan team, and broke away from them, leading to the creation of Internazionale. From the beginning, the club was open to foreign players and thus lived up to its founding name. The club won its very first Scudetto (championship) in 1910 and its second in 1920. The captain and coach of the first Scudetto was Virgilio Fossati, who was killed in World War I. In 1922 Inter were in Group B of the Serie A and came in last place after picking up only 11 points in the season. The last place team of each group was to be automatically relegated. The second last place teams were placed in a pre-relegation 'salvation' tournament. Inter and La Gazzetta dello Sport's editor (Colombo) petitioned the FIGC to allow Inter to participate in Serie A the following year as a year in Serie B would have been financially detrimental. The FIGC saved Inter some weeks prior to the season starting by allowing them to remain in Serie A in 1923. Venezia, who had come in 3rd last in Group B ahead of Inter, were relegated in Inter's place. In 1928, during the Fascist era, the club was forced to merge with the Milanese Unione Sportiva and was renamed Ambrosiana SS Milano. They wore white shirts around this time with a red cross emblazoned on it. This shirt design was inspired by the flag and coat of arms of the city of Milan, which in turn is derived from the flag of the patron saint of Milan, St. Ambrose and dates back to the 4th century AD. The new upcoming President Oreste Simonotti decided to change name to A.S. Ambrosiana in 1929. However, supporters continued to call the team "Inter," and in 1931 new president Pozzani caved to shareholder pressure and changed the name to AS Ambrosiania-Inter.
Their first Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) was won in 1938-39, led by the great legend Giuseppe Meazza, after whom the San Siro stadium is officially named, and a fifth league championship followed in 1940, despite an injury to Meazza. After the end of World War II the club re-emerged under a name close to their original one, Internazionale FC Milano, which they have kept ever since.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Choices - hard and compelling

Everyday, people need to make choices.Life evolve around choices that we make.Whether we eat or not.Whether we sleep or not.Some choices involve a very risky decision that cost money,life and time.Doctor for example, they make choices everyday around their patients.Their choices based on experiences and knowledge about the medicine,disease and so much more.Sometimes their choices lead to death but then they had to do it.Sometimes their choices bring joy and happiness to others.i really glad that i choose not to take medicine but back then what choices do i have?Choices come along with prediction and what we have now.Way back my choices are limited.My condition does not seem to lead me toward medicine.But hey, i happy right now with what i got.
Now, my dilemma is to further studies or work.if i continue i need another 3 or 4 years of fighting with books and student's life.If i work i can experience a new way of life.i can earn my own money but then with my qualifications right now i feel i need to further more.What a confusing choices to make.This choices will determine the man that i will become in the future.So for now i just focusing for what i have and let time predict the choices for me to undertake.
Let us now go to choices that is less risky.Shopping for example involve choices.Shopping is about choices actually.Whether you choose to buy expensive item or cheap ones.You want a branded watch or just a fake one.You want an expensive yet good quality shirt or just a cheap and not so good jeans.The choices that we make sometime make us regret at the end of the day but as the day goes by, we will moved on and accepting that.Choices need acceptance.Without it, we make them a ghost, always haunted our life.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Wet yet peaceful

Month of November.To the people of east coast(Kelantan,Terengganu and Pahang), this is the month when monsoon season come.The season promise to bring rain,rain and rain.To us, we had been used to this season.For some,this month might bring extra money to the pocket.But to some people they wished to avoid this rainy month.But whatever happen, one thing for sure that rain will definitely pour.
Monsoon season bring in wet condition.The road will be slippery so all the drivers need to be very alert to the condition when driving.Workers need to prepare umbrella when going to work.Children will be happy as they can play with water but guardians need to keep an eye on them especially with the school holiday is just around the corner.This time around all people are on their sit.JPS, arm forces, Rescue team will always be on the extra alert to keep monitoring on the water level in the river.They will foreseen and take any precaution if flood come.
For me,rainy season is special.Not because the temperature is cool and we can sleep more but rainy season bring peaceful and togetherness.When rain come, to the Astro subscribers, we will have some difficulties to watch television and teenagers feel reluctant to go outside the house.This bring the family together under one roof.In the fast world today, some families even found a little time to get together with family members because of work commitment and others.So in this rainy season maybe we could embrace the bond of togetherness with our families.After all, rain does not always bring disaster, it bring new life to the mother earth.
Rainy season also can make football fan stay at home and watch the game with their families,if they can watch ; )

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

President-elect Obama faces daunting challenges


WASHINGTON – His name etched in history as America's first black president-elect, Barack Obama turned Wednesday from the jubilation of victory to the sobering challenge of leading a nation worried about economic crisis, two unfinished wars and global uncertainty.
"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep," Obama cautioned.
Young and charismatic but with little experience on the national level, Obama smashed through racial barriers and easily defeated Republican John McCain to become the first African-American destined to sit in the Oval Office, America's 44th president. He was the first Democrat to receive more than 50 percent of the popular vote since Jimmy Carter in 1976.
"It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment, change has come to America," Obama told a victory rally of 125,000 people jammed into Chicago's Grant Park.
After an improbable journey that started for Obama 21 months ago and drew a record-shattering $700 million to his campaign account alone, Obama scored an Electoral College landslide that redrew America's political map. He won states that reliably voted Republican in presidential elections, like Indiana and Virginia, which hadn't supported the Democratic candidate in 44 years. Ohio and Florida, key to President Bush's twin victories, also went for Obama, as did Pennsylvania, which McCain had deemed crucial for his election hopes.
With most U.S. precincts tallied, the popular vote was 52.3 percent for Obama and 46.4 percent for McCain. But the count in the Electoral College was lopsided — 349 to 147 in Obama's favor as of early Wednesday, with three states still to be decided. Those were North Carolina, Georgia and Missouri.
With just 76 days until the inauguration, Obama is expected to move quickly to begin assembling a White House staff and selecting Cabinet nominees. Campaign officials said Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel was the front-runner to be Obama's chief of staff. The advisers spoke on a condition of anonymity because the announcement had not yet been made.
With these moves and many others to come upon him quickly, Obama planned a low-key, everyman day-after in his hometown of Chicago. The president-elect was taking his two young daughters to school, and then heading to the gym, with little else on his schedule.
The nation awakened to the new reality at daybreak, a short night after millions witnessed Obama's election — an event so rare it could not be called a once-in-a-century happening. Prominent black leaders wept unabashedly in public, rejoicing in the elevation of one of their own — at long last.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who had made two White House bids himself, said on ABC's "Good Morning America" that the tears streaming down his face upon Obama's victory were about his father and grandmother and "those who paved the fights. And then that Barack's so majestic."
"He's going to call on us, I believe, to sacrifice. We all must give up something," Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and leading player in the civil rights movement with Jackson, said on NBC's "Today" show.
Speaking from Hong Kong, retired Gen. Colin Powell, the black Republican whose endorsement of Obama symbolized the candidate's bipartisan reach and bolstered him against charges of inexperience, called the senator's victory "a very very historic occasion." But he also predicted that Obama would be "a president for all America."
Bush, whose public approval ratings have plummeted in the waning days of his presidency, was mostly behind the scenes in the last weeks of the historic campaign. He called Obama to congratulate him late Tuesday and scheduled a midmorning statement in the White House Rose Garden.
Democrats expanded their majority in both houses of Congress.
In the Senate, Democrats ousted Republicans Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and John Sununu of New Hampshire and captured seats held by retiring GOP senators in Virginia, New Mexico and Colorado. Still, the GOP blocked a complete rout, holding the Kentucky seat of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Minnesota seat of Norm Coleman, who had been challenged by Democrat Al Franken, and a Mississippi seat once held by Trent Lott — three top Democratic targets.
In the House, with fewer than a dozen races still undecided, Democrats captured Republican-held seats in the Northeast, South and West and were on a path to pick up as many as 20 seats.
When Obama and running mate Joe Biden take their oath of office on Jan. 20, Democrats will control both the White House and Congress for the first time since 1994.
"It is not a mandate for a party or ideology but a mandate for change," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said the American people "have called for a new direction. They have called for change in America." She scheduled a midday news conference on Capitol Hill Wednesday to elaborate.
After the longest and costliest campaign in U.S. history, Obama was propelled to victory by voters dismayed by eight years of Bush's presidency and deeply anxious about rising unemployment and home foreclosures and a battered stock market that has erased trillions of dollars of savings for Americans.
Six in 10 voters picked the economy as the most important issue facing the nation in an Associated Press exit poll. None of the other top issues — energy, Iraq, terrorism and health care — was selected by more than one in 10. Obama has promised to cut taxes for most Americans, get the United States out of Iraq and expand health care, including mandatory coverage for children.
Obama acknowledged that repairing the economy and dealing with problems at home and overseas will not happen quickly — alluding even in the first blush of victory to the possibility of a second term. "We may not get there in one year or even in one term," he said. "But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there."
McCain conceded defeat shortly after 11 p.m. EST, telling supporters outside the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, "The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly."
"This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans and the special pride that must be theirs tonight," McCain said. "These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face."
Obama faces a staggering list of problems, that he called "the greatest of our lifetime — two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century." He spoke of parents who worry about paying their mortgages and medical bills.
"There will be setbacks and false starts," Obama said. "There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem."
The son of a Kenyan father and a white mother from Kansas, the 47-year-old Obama has had a startlingly rapid rise, from lawyer and community organizer to state legislator and U.S. senator, now just four years into his first term. He is the first senator elected to the White House since John F. Kennedy in 1960.
Bush called Obama with congratulations at 11:12 p.m. EST. "I promise to make this a smooth transition," the president said. "You are about to go on one of the great journeys of life. Congratulations and go enjoy yourself." He invited Obama and his family to visit the White House soon.
Obama won California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
McCain had Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming. He also won at least 3 of Nebraska's five electoral votes, with the other two in doubt.
Almost six in 10 women supported Obama nationwide, while men leaned his way by a narrow margin, according to interviews with voters. Just over half of whites supported McCain, giving him a slim advantage in a group that Bush carried overwhelmingly in 2004.
The results of the AP survey were based on a preliminary partial sample of nearly 10,000 voters in Election Day polls and in telephone interviews over the past week for early voters.
In terms of turnout, America voted in record numbers. It looks like 136.6 million Americans will have voted for president this election, based on 88 percent of the country's precincts tallied and projections for absentee ballots, said Michael McDonald of George Mason University. Using his methods, that would give 2008 a 64.1 percent turnout rate.
"That would be the highest turnout rate that we've seen since 1908," which was 65.7 percent, McDonald said early Wednesday.

A New World Order - Obama Win

Nov. 4, 2008, was the day when American politics shifted on its axis.
The ascent of an African-American to the presidency — a victory by a 47-year-old man who was born when segregation was still the law of the land across much of this nation — is a moment so powerful and so obvious that its symbolism needs no commentary.
But it was the reality of power, not the symbolism, that changed Tuesday night in ways more profound than meet the eye.
The rout of the Republican Party, and the accompanying gains by Democrats in Congress, mean that Barack Obama will assume office with vastly more influence in the nation’s capital than most of his recent predecessors have wielded.
The only exceptions suggest the magnitude of the moment. Power flowed in unprecedented ways to George W. Bush in the year after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. It flowed likewise to Lyndon B. Johnson after his landslide in 1964.
Beyond those fleeting moments, every president for more than two generations has confronted divided government or hobbling internal divisions within his own party.
The Democrats’ moment with Obama, as a brilliant campaigner confronts the challenges of governance, could also prove fleeting. For now, the results — in their breadth across a continent — suggest seismic change that goes far beyond Obama's 4 percent margin in the popular vote.
The evening recalled what activist Eldridge Cleaver observed of the instant when Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus and a movement followed: “Somewhere in the universe a gear in the machinery shifted.”
Here are five big things about the machinery of national politics and Washington that will be different once Obama takes office on Jan. 20, 2009:
The crash of the conservative wave
For most of the past 30 years, since the dawn of the Reagan Era, conservatives have held the momentum in American politics. Even the Clinton years were shaped — and constrained — by conservative ideas (work requirements for welfare, the Defense of Marriage Act) and conservative rhetoric (“the era of Big Government is over”). Republicans rode this wave to win the presidency five of seven times since 1980, and to dominate Congress for a dozen years after 1994.
Now the wave has crashed, breaking the back of the modern Republican Party in the process.
Obama’s victory and the second straight election to award big gains to congressional Democrats showed that the 2006 election was not, as Karl Rove and others argued at the time, a flukish result that reflected isolated scandals in the headlines at the time.
Republicans lost their reform mantle. Voters who wanted change voted for Obama 89 percent to 9 percent. They lost their decisive edge on national security. They even lost the battle over taxes.
Republicans lost support in every area of the country. Virginia went Democratic, and North Carolina at midnight hung in the balance. Republicans still hold a significant, if smaller, chunk of the South and a smattering of western states. The cities were lost long ago. The suburbs fell last night — and even the exurbs are shaky.
Republicans lost one of their most effective political tactics. Portraying Al Gore or John F. Kerry as exotic and untrustworthy characters with culturally elitist values proved brutally effective for the GOP in 2000 and 2004, as it had in numerous other races for years. In 2008, such tactics barely dented Obama — who because of his race and background looked at first like a more vulnerable target — and they backfired against such candidates as Sen. Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina, who was routed badly after trying to paint Democrat Kay Hagan as an atheist.
The movement that brought so many conservatives to great power over the past 20 years — Gingrich, DeLay, Bush, Cheney and Rove — is left without a clear leader, without a clear agenda and without a clear route back.
The crash of the conservative wave does not necessarily mean the rise of a liberal one. By stressing middle-class tax cuts and the rights of gun owners Obama showed he is sensitive to hot buttons. But he will take power with the opposition party diminished, demoralized and divided by a draining internal argument about the future.
A Democratic headlock
Many people find Obama’s post-partisan rhetoric soothing. But it’s doubtful that these sentiments, even if sincere, reflect the reality of the new Washington.
This is a city that defines itself by partisanship. Politicians and the operatives they support play for the shirts or the skins and believe that one side’s gain is the other’s loss.
In this environment, Democrats have the capital in a headlock, holding more power at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue than they have had for at least 32 years (Jimmy Carter) and, more realistically, 44 years (Johnson). Obama seems ready to press this advantage. The best early clue of his ambitions: He wants sharp-elbowed Democratic Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) to run his White House.
Democrats are positioned to do more than move legislation. They will flush Republicans out of key positions in the federal government and lobbying firms. They will install their people in the federal courts. They will be positioned to raise money for those who usually give to Republicans and easily recruit the most desirable candidates in 2010, as other Democrats look to join what looks like a winning team.
Rainbow rules
While Obama’s race hovered over this campaign, what was most striking was that it was not the all-consuming subject that it would have been in the past. Exit polls showed Obama pulling support from 43 percent of white voters, 2 percentage point higher than Kerry.
And look around elsewhere in American politics. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s gender was a novelty when she first took the gavel but now draws little notice. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) is a top member of the House Democratic leadership.
Meanwhile, the Republican Party’s inability to offer more diversity in its top ranks — Sarah Palin notwithstanding — threatens to become a crippling liability. Hispanics broke for Obama 67 percent to 31 percent.
The party inexplicably failed to field a single minority candidate with a plausible chance to win a House or Senate seat or a governorship. It will enter the next Congress just as it did the past two: without a single black member.
A party dominated by white males is poorly positioned to prosper among an increasingly diverse electorate. Somehow, the GOP needs to find new ways to appeal to minorities — or risk a long life in the wilderness as a percentage of the overall population continues to shrink.
Geek power
For a couple of generations, conservatives had the more effective political infrastructure. They used direct mail and talk radio to run circles around liberals in raising money and communicating their message around the filter of the establishment media. Some of that money flowed into think tanks that helped nurture ideas and operatives.
This year was striking because the technology/communications advantage was decisively with the Democrats. Obama and other Democrats used this to raise vastly more money than McCain and to mobilize legions of people who had not previously been engaged with politics. Liberal think tanks such as the Center for American Progress have served as a Democratic government in waiting.
Important to remember: This Democratic infrastructure advantage is not disappearing. Obama, regarded as a heroic figure among party activists, can use it to help raise even more money, and to mobilize support for his agenda. This is a potent force that will inspire fear, and give him clout, over legislators of both parties.
Obama is the Google of politics: He has technological expertise and an audience his political competitors simply cannot match. Looking ahead to 2010, House and Senate Democrats will be jealously eyeing Obama’s e-mail lists and technology secrets — giving him even greater leverage over them. Republicans will be forced to invest serious money and time to narrow the technology gap.
The 1960s are over — finally
For two generations, American politics has been dominated by issues and personalities that were shaped by the ideological and cultural conflicts of the Vietnam era.
The rest of the population may have been bored stiff, but the baby boomers continued their remorseless argument, as evidenced by Bush and Kerry partisans quarreling over Swift Boats and National Guard service in 2004.
Obama had not yet reached adolescence in the 1960s. He seems little interested in the cultural conflicts that preoccupy baby boomers. The fact that he admitted to using cocaine was hardly a factor in this election.
And this young president-elect exerted powerful appeal over even younger voters. They favored Obama by 34 percentage points, 66 percent to 32 percent — a trend with huge potential to echo for years to come.
Guns, God and gays will not disappear from our politics. But they are diminished as electoral weapons as the country confronts a new generation of disputes: global warming, mortgage meltdowns and the detention of terrorism suspects, to name a few.
Obama had won the election and become the first black US President.For us in Malaysia we still did not know whether he can bring peace to all people in the world especially the Muslim.We hope he can do something that can make the world a better place.But we should cautious with this victory as after all he is an american and we know that history tell us that American love violence and will do everything for their selfishness . let just wait and see we change does this man will bring.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

5 Predictions for the 2008-09 Season - For NBA fan

The Association Blog is up a ready to go for the 2008-09 season! I'm rested, I'm rejuvenated and I'm just about over Game 4...
So let's get this thing rolling with 5 predictions for the 2008-09 season (BTW - for those of you keeping score at home, I was an embarrassing 2 of 5 in my predictions last season):
1 - Houston slightly edges out Philadelphia as most overrated. The easy pick for most overrated team is Philly. Elton Brand coming off a serious injury joining a team with zero perimeter shooting and a point guard notorious for being a great player on a bad team but a below-average player on a good one. That's an easy first round exit!
Nope, Houston wins the award for most overrated team of the season. Fresh off another yet another first round exit, destroying along the way all the good memories of that winning streak (seriously what was it: 17, 23, 87? I really don't know. All I know is I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!) the Rockets bring in Ron Artest.
Size up the rings, roll out the parade and drop a banner! Forget that the current dynamic duo is injury prone and have never advanced beyond the first round IN THEIR ENTIRE CAREER. Forget that their head coach while a good regular season coach is notorious for getting a case of sphincter-itis beyond April. Forget that the point guard should be running along side Tha Professor at Rucker Park instead of lining up against CP3, Deron Williams, Tony Parker and Steve Nash. Oh and forget that your NBA title hopes fall on the shoulders of Ron Artest.
2 - The Boston Icon Curse is VERY real! No I'm not talking about the quality of women from Beantown. The new curse involves the sporting icons from Boston. SNAP!!! Tom Brady blows out his knee, then POP!!! goes the Papi's wrist (along with a very clutch .186 in the postseason)... So which "icon" on the Celtics gets it? Obviously to everyone not named Paul Pierce (who's STILL thinks he's an elite player, though he somehow forgot all those "elite" seasons before Garnett bailed his ass out), a KG injury would severely hamper any shot at a repeat. Look I'm not wishing any injuries on the Celtics, but still....
3 - San Antonio's every other streak ends. If the pattern held to form the Spurs would be NBA champs in 08-09. They won titles in 02-03, 04-05 and 06-07 impressively with mid-February runs after coasting though the first half of the season. Manu's hurt, they lack that "it" energy guy they seem to always find and their veterans are O-L-D. The Spurs are at their best with Duncan resting through All-Star break riding Manu's energy through the first half. Now they have to hope Duncan has a full 82 games in him this year. I can't see it happening. We're two years away from the phrase, "Tim Duncan's corpse."
4 - LeBron James will win the MVP! Hard to believe but with all the Chris Paul love LeBron James is officially under the radar. It's like the NBA media is strictly monogamous, they can only drool on one guy a year. Last season they "dated" LeBron, then Kobe and CP3 now they're in a fully committed relationship with Paul and have issued an MVP Save the Date for May. Did they not see King James in the Olympics? The guy seems prime and ready for a massive season (like Jordan in 1987). Remember, the Cavs came a few minutes shy of knocking of the Celtics literally weeks after retooling their roster? Now LeBron gets a full season with this roster and he looks prime to take the MVP.
5 - Lakers will beat the Cavs in the Finals. Cleveland has the right pieces and more importantly the Celtics lost two HUGE components in James Posey and PJ Brown from last season's title. LeBron will prevail in a hard-fought 7 game series over Boston to earn a place in the Finals.
The Lakers will struggle early on trying to fit Andrew Bynum into the same roster that won the Western Conference but things will start to turn around in December. They have the deepest team in the NBA, despite being crushed by Tom Thibodeau in the Finals (come-on we all know Doc did nothing) they still have one of the best coaches ever, they got a full preseason of Pau Gasol and oh and by the way, they still have the best closer in the NBA. Do they have that toughness necessary to win a title? Can they win with two 5's on the floor? Will Kobe hold up after a long and busy off season? Will Odom's and Bynum's contract situations be distracting? Will the Buss family hold together or will they unravel like is years past? This is LA, there's always drama and the Lakers seem to rise above it. Their depth will allow Kobe to rest up and get them through the annual rash of injures that come in early January. And they will win the 2008-09 NBA Title!
As the league started all the attention had been focus on Houston,Boston and Lakers.For me, i really hope Lakers can win the title this season.They have all the ability and just need a little bit of luck this time around
5979f5b768e5dced217091a4112dc1dcge

Inter, Barca and Chelsea on brink of last 16

Victories on Tuesday evening will see Barcelona, Chelsea and Inter Milan qualify for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League with two games to spare.

GettyImages
Inter coach Jose Mourinho was doing a good job of rehabilitating Adriano.
Serie A champions Inter will guarantee their place in the last 16 if they can record a win at Anorthosis Famagusta thanks to a superior head-to-head record with their Group B rivals.
However, Inter will again be without striker Adriano after coach Jose Mourinho decided not to reinstate the striker to his squad after several incidents of indiscipline.
The Brazilian scored the winner in Inter's 1-0 home victory over the Cypriots in the reverse of the fixture two weeks ago.
Also playing in Group B on Tuesday are Werder Bremen and Panathinaikos, who meet in Germany after drawing 2-2 in their previous encounter.
Barcelona will expect to progress to the knockout phase when they take on FC Basel at the Camp Nou. Their Swiss visitors are bottom of Group C having lost all three of their group stage games, have scored just once and were taken apart by Barca losing 5-0 in their last game.
A win will give Barcelona a maximum 12 points from four games but the Spanish club could be prevented from qualifying if third place Shakhtar Donetsk win at second-placed Sporting Lisbon in the other Group C game.
Chelsea, last year's Champions League runners-up and the current Group A leaders, travel to Serie A's surprise strugglers AS Roma.
The Italian side are 17th in the league standings with just two wins from nine games, and go into the match against in-form Chelsea on the back of a 2-0 defeat to Serie A rivals Juventus.
Chelsea know that three points will seal their progress if second-placed CFR Cluj defeat Girondins Bordeaux in Romania.
In Group D Liverpool are hopeful that Fernando Torres will be fit to face his former club when Atletico Madrid with a place in the last 16 the prize for the winners, unless PSV Eindhoven win at point-less Olympique Marseille in the other Group D match.
Torres has missed Liverpool's last five games and is only rated at 70% by manager Rafael Benitez, but could feature from the bench as Liverpool look to end a poor run against Spanish opposition in the Champions League: Liverpool have failed to beat Spanish sides at home in their last five home UCL fixtures and are without a goal in the last four of those.

Mourinho press Conference on Champion League

NICOSIA (CYPRUS) - José Mourinho briefed the Italian and Cypriot press in Nicosia ahead of Tuesday's Champions League Matchday 4 clash against Anorthosis Famagusta.
He said: "We know that we'll be through if we win tomorrow, and this is our first objective. The Champions League is a risky competition. You have to be careful not to slip up or make things complicated for yourself. But we know what to do. Our goal is first place.
"We face a tough opponent who prepared very well for the first match and created problems for us. So we're not expecting it to be an easy game. Anorthosis have won every game in front of their fans. They have beaten strong opponents so they will try to create problems for us too, but our goal is to win and we always go on the pitch to win."
Mourinho's 4-2-4 formation and tactics in Saturday's match against Reggio Calabria raised a few eyebrows in the Italian press. "I know that for many of you critics I should have inserted some defenders after Patrick Vieira's second goal," explained the coach, "but this isn't my football and, as I have already said many times, Italy won't change me, so I preferred to continue with a very offensive formation and this is why we won the match in the end."
The Inter coach also commented on the form of several players. On Ibrahimovic, he said: "I don't understand why everybody worries about Ibra's condition. Physically and psychologically Zlatan is a strong player who is very extremely well for the team. He played splendidly in Reggio Calabria and was involved in all the moves. I'm sure that if I put him on the bench one day, all the critics would be ready to underline my mistake. But I don't choose according to what the critics say, so if a player is in form, like Zlatan is, he plays."
On Julio Cruz: "Julio is with us and he'll go on the bench. It's important for the team to have a player of his quality and experience."
On Adriano: "I think that Adriano will get more playing time if he wants to, like he did before when he did very well. He's not with us for this match but there are two more Champions League games and I'm convinced he'll be with us if he wants to."
On Quaresma: "I wasn't worried before when he had a few negative games, and I'm not worried now after his positive performance in Reggio Calabria. I have known him for a long time, he has enormous potential."
On Mancini: "He's already an 'Italian' player because he's been playing in Italy for many years, but he has changed team and style of play so he needs a period of adaptation. He has played some excellent games, and even when he hasn't played that well he has still been important and decisive, like he was in Florence."

Story on Manny Ramirez Saga

DANA POINT, Calif. – Signing Manny Ramirez is on the Los Angeles Dodgers’ list of offseason priorities, general manager Ned Colletti confirmed Monday on the first day of the general manager meetings.
Somewhere below rebuilding the left side of the infield.
And shoring up the bullpen.
Oh, and adding a starting pitcher.
“Those are our top three needs,” said Colletti, sending a not-so-subtle signal that both sides can play hard to get when it comes to a certain dreadlocked power hitter.
Colletti will meet with Ramirez’s agent, Scott Boras, in the next day or two, maybe by the sprawling swimming pool at the St. Regis resort. Their toes will dabble in the water. That’s all. The Dodgers have not decided to offer Ramirez “A-Rod money,” although they know that $25 million a year for three years might be the minimum offer taken seriously by Boras.
There’s no point in making that offer at this juncture, not when they know Boras plans to field other suitors for at least a month.
“We don’t have enough information to set the course yet,” Colletti said. “I’m not too convinced it will be resolved in a short period of time.”
Colletti was reminded of Ramirez’s quote the day the Dodgers were eliminated in the National League Championship Series, something about his value going up like the price of gas.
Aren’t gas prices dipping?
“That’s a good point,” Colletti said. “I’ll have to check the gas market before I speak to [Boras]. I know how the fans feel. I know how we feel. We saw a lot of good things. Would that continue?”
Then there are those other pressing needs. Replacing or re-signing shortstop Rafael Furcal and third baseman Casey Blake is essential. The question of whether closer Takashi Saito will return to form lingers. Bolstering a starting rotation that is only three deep is crucial.
The Dodgers could field a perfectly adequate outfield with Andre Ethier in right field, Matt Kemp in center, Juan Pierre in left and Andruw Jones attempting a comeback from his disastrous first season with the club.
But the fans want Manny. They want the optimism, the joy and, above all, the production: the .396 batting average, 17 home runs and 53 RBIs over the last two months of the regular season; the .520 average in a postseason that took the Dodgers deeper than any time since 1988.
Boras will make a persuasive case that giving Ramirez a five- or six-year deal worth well more than $100 million not only makes sense from a baseball perspective, but also it will be sound business. The Dodgers’ attendance spiked about 4,000 per game after Ramirez was acquired. If each of those customers was worth $50 over the course of an entire season, the net gain would be about $16 million.
That’s why Boras considers Ramirez a rare “iconic” player, like Alex Rodriguez or Barry Bonds, someone whose ability to produce revenue transcends his playing ability. But since Boras will be delivering that spiel to every team with a decent-sized payroll, the Dodgers know there is no hurry.
So, they can re-sign Furcal, as it appears Colletti will do early on. Sign a reliever. Exercise the option on malcontent Brad Penny’s contract for 2009, then trade him for a third baseman, enabling Blake DeWitt to make a permanent move to second. Or decline Penny’s option and try to re-sign Derek Lowe or bring in Ben Sheets for two years.
The Dodgers could even make a play for Jake Peavy, who the San Diego Padres are shopping to a handful of NL teams, including the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. The Dodgers would be long shots because the Padres are loathe to help their intra-divisional neighbors to the north. It would take Clayton Kershaw or Jonathan Broxton, plus DeWitt and Ethier, just to pique the Padres’ interest.
Trading within their division is difficult, Colletti said, because “You are going to see that player play a lot, so you want to be sure you win the deal, so to speak, in order to do something.”
That wouldn’t be the case with Ramirez. As Boras is apt to say, it’s win-win. The Dodgers can address their other needs, then take a breath and refocus on Ramirez at the winter meetings in December. He’ll probably still be available.
“You can’t let one player stand in the way of other things you want to do,” Colletti said. “One guy can’t hold up other needs unless it’s a very unique situation.”
All of which explains the odd priority list. Ramirez could inch his way up as the offseason progresses.
“We’re always looking for a power hitter,” Colletti said, smiling coyly. “That goes without saying.”

Jom Share