Anything but Ordinary

Like many typical sons, i inherited the football passion from my dad, who, just like his other 4 younger brothers, are so crazy about football that all 4 of them used to play for their respective school teams...(i have photo as evidence!! hee~)our family used to gather in front of the tv and catch the Tiger Cup and we would open all our windows so that we can shout together with the rest of our neighbours when singapore scores...the atmosphere was great, imagine ur neighbours around u, no matter above or below or beside, u hear them chanting for singapore to win and when they do scores, the excitement was immeasurable!! u'll hear the tinkling of beer bottles, cheers of joy, 'boom' 'boom' sound from the ceiling(sometimes has pieces of paint falling down) and the chanting of Majulah Singapura all around u....it's almost like we're there in the stadium watching the LIVE match..... Shortly after the Tiger Cup, seems like our local legend Fandi Ahmad decided that he should retire, and the failure to find himself a successor for the national team probably caused the demise of local football and attention to the EPL....my dad has long been a fan of Manchester United, ever since the George Best, Bobby Charlton era....though i am not very familiar with names at that time, i eventually became a fan too due to my dad's influences... unlike now, what we singaporeans got back then were always delayed telecast... however, that did not prevent the gradual interest in EPL and the cravings for the English Game....Eventually the English invasion became so unstoppable that it seems like every single football fan out there only knows nothing but EPL.... i was as equally guilty too after seeing how the English play...it was different....those heart-stopping strikes,pin-point crosses and amazing tactics.... so much different from the boring and textbook football we were used to see.....very differnet..... anyway, i can't really recall the manchester united matches i've watched back then...i was only like 12 or 13.... but i did recall the Champions League Final between Manchester United and Bayern Munich, it was the most breath-taking match i've ever seen then, thus leaving such a deep impression in me..... for those who've watched that match, had to agree with me, the way they still fought relentlessly despite being overpowered by their opponents.. and their hard work paid off.... That's the kinda attitude the English plays football, hardwork and commitment more than silky crafty skills and tricks.... After the European win, Manchester United continued to dominate the EPL for many seasons...there weren't any serious contenders other than the one-off Newcastle and Blackburn....but they were incomparable....thus, losing the unpredictability that i used to enjoy... and so i quit and turned my attention to my sports and academic results and started by EPL shut-out.... However, by some chance, when i entered poly, buying The New paper seemed to be the norm for everyone else(the only newspaper i'll buy is Sin Ming and that's for my mum) and somehow, after i got to know Bangtong, my urge to watch EPL came back....

I remembered that he was very crazy about buying The New Paper the moment it's hot on the shelves(usually is 12pm) to catch the latest article, comments and analysis about the EPL matches and most important of all, Arsenal's articles... at that time, i had no idea who Arsenal is...and only knows about Man United, thus i wasn't very convinced when he wanted to introduce me to this supposedly "attractive" team called Arsenal.... after i watched several of their matches, i realised that he was right afterall, they are playing the kind of smooth and free-flowing football that is SO UNLIKE the english, yet, it's an english team playing in the EPL......after i got to know more about team, i found out that the manager is actually a Frenchman, and French are known to play free-flow attacking football....with very neat footwork and exeptional technical abilities..(alright, i'm getting too chim here..haha~ just got carried away) anyway, the way Arsenal play straightaway attracts me back into EPL.....and thus, it's the beginning of a hobby which has now become a part of my life.... of course this time, i didn't become a Gooner immediately, it was a gradual thingy.... soonafter, i got to know Renjie, who later became a Gooner too due to my influence... he might deny that it was due to my influence if he reads this( Come on man! i'm sure it's me la...HA HA HA~) but i know that my daily comparison between Arsenal and Man United with Wille(he's a "die-hard" Man Yoo fan) plus the attractive, smooth and silky attacking football that Arsenal plays week-in and week-out, must have affected him to join the mighty AFC...

Therefore, i believe, that with the attacking football that i've been watching Arsenal play since 2001, i'm very convinced that my mighty Arsenal can really do it this time round....cos Barcelona will not be as hungry for European glory as Arsenal, which had not won the champions league before ever since Arsene Wenger took charge... and i know, that the manager will give it everything he got to grab the trophy which he has been trying to get his hands on for 10yrs......

YEAH~ so MARCH ONWARDS ALMIGHTY GUNNERS!!! DO EVERY GOONER PROUD!!!