World Cup

With the World Cup well underway (almost finished!), and with rich history behind the huge spectacle, I have three prizes I want to give.

MOST INTERESTING HAIRCUT:
The craziest hair cuts is mostly from - brace yourselves - the 80's. No surprise there.
And there's a lot of contestants in this category, but I think you all will agree on this one.
Carlos Valderrama, Columbia
If I were to use the word 'epic' just once in my life, it would be about this guy's hair.

BABY FACE:
Yes, Fernando Torres looks 20 years younger than he really is, but I still think Slovakia's Vladimir Weiss looks pretty baby faced.
WORST LOOKING JERSEY:
Just as the hair cut part, the 80's probably is the best decade to search for the contestants on this one, but no - the winner is from the 90's. No other than Mexico's Jorge Campos, with his ugly keeper jersey he designed himself!

10 reasons to why Benitez has to go

"Benitez believes a few select improvements could be enough to transform Liverpool from runners-up to champions.", Liverpoolfc.tv said in an article on June 9th, not long after Liverpool just had their best season since 1990.

But what the fuck went wrong, Benitez? Here's my reasons to what went wrong and why you should leave Anfield:

1) Alonso out, Aquilani in
What really annoys me is Benitez choice to pick Aquilani as a replacement for Alonso. It's not that I don't like Aquilani or think he's a bad player, it's rather the fact that Aquilani was injured almost the first half of the season, and when he actually was healthy enough, he barely got time on the pitch. Bravo, Benitez!

2) Hyypia out
I understand Benitez' dilemma when Hyypia said he would stay if he was promised more time at the match, especially with young defenders like Skrtel and Agger, and later Ayala and Kelly as the season unveiled. But as Hyypia left, the air security in the defense on corners and free kicks, which I think was a major cause to why Liverpool got so many goals against them the first half of the season.

3) Ryan Babel
It is not unknown that Ryan Babel and Rafael Benitez had their arguments this season, after Babel let out his frustration on his Twitter page. I think Benitez was unreasonable because Babel was absolutely right - Babel was brought to the squad by Rafael Benitez two summers ago because he was young and could be developed into a star player. Suddenly, Benitez barely played Babel at all.

4) Lucas Leiva
How many times has Lucas Leiva sucked Benitez' cock, because I can't see any other reason for him to have a never ending season ticket to the starting line up!
For fuck's sake, Benitez, you bought this guy for the incredible price of 6 million, he's played three seasons straight and he's improved JUST A LITTLE!
He has scored, what, four goals? At least not enough goals for me to count on TWO hands.
This more or less links to my 1st point - Less Lucas, more Aquilani. GET IT!?

5) Albert Riera
As Babel did, Riera let his frustrations out, only this time it was for a spanish newspaper, and the comments was apparently worse than Babel's. That's why Riera didn't play a single match the last couple of months of the season.

6) The owners
It shouldn't come as a surprise that the american owners should be mentioned as a problem?

7) Dirk Kuyt as a sole forward
In the abscence of Torres and NGog, Kuyt is opted as a sole forward. THAT'S WRONG!
Dirk Kuyt is my favourite player, but for fuck's sake, Rafael - Kuyt scored goals in his first seasons for Liverpool because he played with a fellow forward, like Bellamy or Crouch, companionships that proved succesful. If you're going to play Kuyt as a forward, get another one to play alongside him! Babel or Pacheco would be good if Torres and NGog is injured.

8) Juniors
If you're all about developing players like Lucas (the only one you're actually trying to develop, come to think of it), can't you PLEASE try out Pacheco or Spearing more often?
Which leads to a point against Lucas - less Lucas, more Spearing.

9) David Ngog
I understand that he's young and you bought him cheap, but this guy is just pure awful. His first touches is harder than his shots, which means it's even worse than Kuyt's first touches!
Sell him, and bring on Pacheco.

10) Yossi Benayoun
And now, June 1st, news about Benayoun being sold this summer really pisses me off! Benayoun is absolutely right about his frustration, he barely played, and that is simply not fair for a player of his quality. It would be the best for the team too, in my opinion.

So, there's your ten reasons.
Here's the two good things about this season: Kelly and Ayala.

Liverpool vs Manchester United: Controversy yet again

It's not to be mistaken - the match between Liverpool and Manchester United brings sweat and tears to fans of both sides, and almost as usual, there was controversy.

As all Liverpool and Manchester United-fans already know, the referee has been fairly criticised about decisions involving Carragher.

Here's some of the things written in articles on a site called The Republic of Mancunia, which obviously is a fan site for Manchester United.
One article begins like this:


"Jamie Carragher hauled Owen to the ground and as the last man somehow managed to escape a red card. Given that Nemanja Vidic was shown a straight red card for pulling Steven Gerrard down at Old Trafford last season when he wasn’t the last man, a decision which was supported by the commentators and press alike, it is odd that Andre Marriner, who surely had a Liverpool jersey underneath his black referee’s shirt, missed such a blatant red card."

To be honest, at first, I thought just the same after the game. But the fact is that with different referees comes different opinions. You can't use that as an example as Marriner didn't do that game.
Besides, if this person is bitter about the red card, it wouldn't make that a big difference if it were yellow or red - the fact is that Aurelio scored on that very free kick, giving Liverpool a 3-1 lead which would be very difficult for United to catch up.

Furthermore:
"A clear goalscoring opportunity was taken away from us (1), with even Liverpool fans surely big enough to admit that the likelihood is Owen would have scored from that position (God knows they saw him do it enough times for them!), yet our only consolation was a freekick. A truly woeful decision which cost us all the points today. Saying that, this is the referee who allowed Lucas Levia nine fouls without a booking and missed our two penalty shouts. (2)"

1) In my opinion this wasn't a CLEAR goalscoring opportunity as Owen had to run to the left to recieve the ball, then run far right to get a good position for shooting. Yes, Owen is quick, but running such a big curve and controlling the ball at the same time isn't that easy without losing ground to the other players behind you. So I think it's not a clear goalscoring opportunity. But I have to be honest - I believe that was a red card.

2) When it comes to Lucas and his tackles, I can't remember much of it, but this guy may be right - come to think of it, Lucas was involved in many tackles. On the other hand - what difference would it make if Lucas got a yellow card?

According to this guy, the referee missed two penalties as well. Which two penalties? The only situation I can remember is the one with Carragher's tackle on Carrick. The United players surrounding the incident didn't scream for a penalty, including Carrick himself.
Alex Ferguson said that the ref was pressured by the atmosphere throughout the game to make the decisions go Liverpool's way. In that situation, I think it was the lack of penalty claim from the United players that made his decision just as much as the atmosphere.

"Carragher ploughed in to Carrick in the box, bringing the man down and touching, yet not winning, the ball. Had Carrick not been brought down he would have happily kept possession in the box as Carragher did not play the ball out of his path. As it was, Carragher brought Carrick to the ground and denied him an effort on goal just yards out."

Though the ref had a good view of the situation, I believe it's a difficult decision as he most likely saw that Carragher was touching the ball in that tackle. That situation is very difficult to me, as there are good arguments from both sides: Yes, he touched the ball but didn't win it. The ball made its way to another United player, though, so I don't know if the ref was thinking advantage or anything...
But the last line claims that Carrick would have a shot on goal if it wasn't for Carragher. I'm not sure about that one as Kuyt was the one running after him and Johnson stood right in front of him when this situation occured.

"Fernando Torres took his goal very well and Rio Ferdinand will have to wonder how he allowed the Spaniard to get past him with such little effort. However, seeing Torres throw himself to the floor every time he was challenged reminded me what a relief it is not to have such blatant cheat in the team. Ronaldo, we wish you well, and whilst I don’t miss his diving, it would have been nice to have someone willing to have a go from the edge of the box today. I imagine Liverpool fans are happy to have a diver in the side if he scores vital goals like that though, just as we were with Ronaldo."

He is absolutely spot on here. Torres is a diver as well as a fantastic player, just as Ronaldo is. I was really pissed each time Torres went to the ground, and I simply don't like him for that. I want none of it.

"Their fans claim we will always be in their shadow, but after winning our 18th title last season and seeing their players celebrate as though they had actually won a trophy (something which has evaded them for years) it is clear the tide has changed. The last time I saw our goalkeeper run the length of the pitch to celebrate with our players was when Giggsy scored our second against Wigan the season before last, wrapping up the title. It seems as though just beating United at home is reason enough for Reina to do the same. Saying that, Reina conceded the title in mid-september, so it is no surprise playing United is his cup final."

Now this is pathetic! That is a bitter, bitter comment. Why the hell criticise Reina for running the length of the pitch to celebrate? Fair enough, there's a few goalkeepers that does that these days, especially in a league match. But this guy should've been a goalkeeper for Liverpool - a team struggling like hell in the league, going through defeat after defeat, and suddenly winning 2-0 against Manchester United in a game that could turn the tide (which it apparently hasn't, though), in a game that every Liverpool and United fan are looking forward to each season. Not to mention the fact that both teams at that point had ten men, United was pressuring Liverpool the minutes before the goal and the fact that N'Gog scored on United's huge injury time. Doesn't that sound like a huge relief for a goalkeeper in a game such as this? A guy that's passionately talking about how the referee ruined the match in a big game as this should definitely understand. He's just bitter.

This guy fails to mention the things that didn't go Liverpool's way, though:
Where was the penalty that Kuyt should have been given after Berbatov tore his jersey apart? And where the fuck did the whole FIVE minutes of injury time come from? I think one certain Alex Ferguson decided for rather than suggestion those five minutes.

The conclusion is - yes, the ref definitely wasn't at his best in that game, but the same thing can be said about Manchester United. I can't remember any other big chances than Valencia's shot in the crossbar and Rooney's header right on Reina.
But I should have the Owen situation in mind, though, which will be a neverending discussion.

Bullshit times: Alex Ferguson feat. Sam Allardyce

Alex Ferguson once again shows his weakness by attacking Benitez verbally. This time, he's not alone - Sam Allardyce has joined in.
The episode which made these two managers reacting was apparently a gesture that Benitez did in the game against Allardyce's team Blackburn Rovers. In my opinion, it's a witch hunt, trying to find something they can blame Benitez for doing. Overreacting.

At 1:57 in the following clip, you can see which gesture Allardyce and Ferguson are referring to.


First of all - It is said in the media that Alonso didn't take the free kick like Benitez instructed him to do, but Torres scored anyway. This means that Benitez did that gesture against Alonso, meaning something like "Never mind" or something like that.

Second - Unless Sam Allardyce was actually on the pitch, this gesture wasn't for him.

Third - Both Allardyce and Ferguson critisized Benitez for the same thing in their respective press conferences that took place with one hour difference.

Fourth - Why should Ferguson even care, in a press conference that was supposed to be about the FA Cup semifinal meeting against Everton? According to The Times, Manchester United's press officer tried to cut Ferguson's talk about Benitez - without succeeding.

Fifth - Ferguson also critisized Benitez for calling Everton a "small club", which happened years ago. Speaking of rivals, when hasn't Ferguson taken the shit out of Manchester City at press conferences?

Sixth - Ferguson also reflects on how much power Benitez want in Liverpool, especially when it comes to transfers. The Times writes that Ferguson probably feels threatened and see himself in Benitez, as Ferguson has got a shit load of (not quoted by The Times, of course) power in his team.

Seventh - "Benitez has never done such gestures against me and he had never had the chance to do it" said Ferguson. Do I dare to remind him of the humiliating 1-4 loss against Liverpool at Old Trafford?

I certainly wouldn't mind reminding myself of it, as it was worth all those years of losses to get that win!

FIA ruins Formula 1

The FIA has once again crapped in their own nest.

I'm then of course speaking of the small incident of Hamilton and Trulli behind the Safety Car in last week's Australian GP.
I assume you, as the reader, know everything about this so I won't tell you what happened there and then, but Trulli was first penalised, and then Hamilton was penalised for giving faulse explanation. The penalty Trulli recieved was a time penalty of 25 seconds, while Hamilton now has recieved a penalty which excludes him from the offical results from the GP.

I know faulse explanations really should be followed up and get severe consequences, but what the hell is up with FIA, race track stewards and penalties in this sport?

Remember the penalty Alonso recieved after "blocking" Felipe Massa during qualifying for the Italian GP 2006?


Or what about the penalty against Michael Schumacher for passing both Kubica and Alonso during red flag in qualifying for the Hungarian GP 2006?


Who can forget the penalty Hamilton recieved at Spa last year?


Sebastian Vettel also got a penalty for not stopping his car after he crashed and was left with three wheels, when he continued behind Safety Car for some more than one lap, because Vettel could cause a collision or leave debris all over the track. Fair enough.
But do you remember Michael Schumacher coming out of the tunnel during Monaco GP 2004 on three wheel and driving all the way to the pits rather than parking the car outside the track right after the tunnel? Did he recieve a penalty? No.

What about the penalty Lewis Hamilton recieved for causing chaos in the first corner of last year's Japanese GP?


Did Hamiltion get penalised because he was a title contender, squeezing out both of his rivals in a race that really counts?
Then what about Ralf Schumacher causing the chaos at the start of the German GP in 2003, in which he had to retire and only recieved a fine of some dollars that he easily could pay as he was one of the most overpaid Formula 1 drivers of all time? After all, Kimi Raikkonen could win the title that year if he would have survived that corner and maybe take the few points he needed at the last GP that year to clinch the title.



But what about Rubens Barrichello this weekend, starting from the second position, making an awful start, causes mayhem for trying to get back up among the cars, taking second place and not getting any penalty whatsoever? Why, may I ask; WHY?

The FIA consists of nothing else but a bunch of wankers being inconsistant and changes the rulebook all the time. And I'm saying this despite not even being a Hamilton-fan! I'm neutral, damn it!

Guitar Hero fever - how does this affect us?

The game Guitar Hero is now one of the most popular games on the market. Not only is it "just a game", but people take it seriously, competing against other people in the world on the same basis as the FIFA-series and shooting games like Call of Duty.

It has even been a Guiness Record to be the best when it comes to Guitar Hero. With the guitar part, that is. I wonder if they take the drums, bass and the vocals that seriously later on.

Music is a part of everybody's lives, and with people that don't even know how to play the guitar, this is the opportunity to live out their musical side, pretending to be a rockstar and actually "play" the songs they love. But how does that effect people?

I know how to play guitar and I love it. I also think it's an awful lot of fun to play guitar hero as well, especially with friends, because it isn't that serious compared to playing the real instruments. Me and some of my buddies used to bunch up to play the real instruments - guitar, bass and drums - and try to create songs. We don't do that anymore now that we have bought the Guitar Hero World Tour game, which is kind of sad.

And what I'm about to say makes me die a bit inside - I don't get motivated by thinking that we should continue where we left with those real instruments. That's because it's so easy playing Guitar Hero with my friends and so much more fun.

Do not misunderstand me - as I've mentioned, I love playing the real guitar, and it is very fun when you make songs with your friend on the drums and such, but let me tell you this - since me and my buddy moved our equipment down to my basement, it hasn't been used that much. It has become overshadowed by Guitar Hero.

I certainly do not hope people, kids in particular, get the impression that playing guitar or the drums is easy when they play Guitar Hero. And if they suddenly decide they want to try to learn one of the mentioned instruments, they get dissapointed and unmotivated by the fact how much harder it is to learn than they thought.

On the other side; like every other video game, really - kids' reactions and eye to hand-coordination really gets hard training with this game. But that isn't much to brag about, really.

I doubt the Guitar Hero game will die out fast. In fact, I think it will grow, maybe to exaggurated and ironic dimensions, like having a band playing Guitar Hero on stage for an audience. Maybe a Guitar Hero-like karaoke bar, where every visitor is allowed to play their favourites for an audience.

Speaking of irony and Guitar Hero, and coming to an end to this blog, if you haven't seen the South Park episode about Guitar Hero, you really should. It has so many points and hits the nail about the ironic sides of this whole game vs. real instrument. Episode 13 season 11, entitled "Guitar queer-o".

You are going to laugh to death and think deeply about what you just saw at the same time!

Cheers,

Espen.

The season is (almost) underway

The season of Formula 1, that is.

Let me walk you through the drivers that participate in the Australian GP this weekend!

Robert Kubica: This driver is known to be the first Polish F1 driver, the first Pole on pole (huh) the first Pole to win a GP and finally being the first driver to have a bigger forehead than Rubens Barrichello.

Nick Heidfeld: Will still speak the ztereotype german-englizh like he alwayz haz... He will also fall behind Kubica this year. I kid you not.

Sebastian Vettel: Have impressed ever since he first drove in Formula 1 and has been named "The new Schumacher". Yep, he is the new Schumacher. Except that he doesn't have seven world titles, god knows how many victories and is actually not unbearable and uncharacteristic - he is Michael Schumacher!

Mark Webber: Webber is starting his eighth season this year, still chasing after Chris Amon's record as the most unlucky driver of all time. "I have the potential to once again retire my home Grand Prix" he was quoted to say. I don't doubt you, Mark.

Lewis Hamilton: Hamilton's ambitions this year is to take as many victories as possible, the title, and be even more cheesy just to piss off fans of F1 all over the world in addition to those he already have pissed off. Like Ferrari-fans and spanish racists cheering for Alonso.

Heikki Kovalainen: Came one year too late to beat Barrichello's huge forehead as Kubica debuted half a year before him. Trying to focus on victories this year.

Felipe Massa:

Kimi Raikkonen: You can expect the same mumbling as every year, really...

Jenson Button: According to my predictions, he will go for "Overrated driver of the year" this time too...

Rubens Barrichello: The only record he really have is for most race starts. And the fact that he's still getting paid for his drives is outstanding. Kudos, Rubens!

Fernando Alonso: Might bitch and whine more about things this year, but I doubt it will be the awful AWFUL colours of this year's Renault... which he has a right to complain about!

Nelson Piquet Jr. Might actually win something this year.

Giancarlo Fisichella: Great chap. *yawn* Are you still here?

Adrian Sutil: If there's one chance for Sutil to show the world what he is capable of doing, he's got his chance this year. So show us a revenge smack in Raikkonen's diffuser while being in third place, please?

Nico Rosberg: One of many names of a second generation F1 drivers - Nico is the daughter... err... son of 1982 champion Keke Rosberg. With that hair I do not doubt he is born in Germany and not in Finland.

Yakuzi Nakajima or something: Will he continue proving Japanese stereotypes behind the wheel, or actually impress us this season? Watch this space... no, seriously, please continue reading.

Jarno Trulli: Without checking the stats fully, Trulli is the greatest Italian driver after Alberto Ascari, having scored one victory in 199 races. Well done!

Timo Glock: Useless fact from F1 Racing: "Timo Glock has fewer letters in his name than any other driver on the grid". Wow!

Sebastien Bourdais: Watch out for this guy: he can take out three drivers on purpose and not be beaten by other drivers as they won't punch a guy that wears glasses.

Sebastian Buemi: Oh god, not another Sebastian? The first swiss driver since... since... oh what the hell, I'm not an encyclopedia, am I?