Super "football" Sunday

THE PAST Sunday, which is the December 16th, is a very special day for me. I do not need to work, as a result in those 26 hours (I know you will ask why but I will explain later), there are 5 football games I am either involved or interested about it! A crazy football fans liked me, I must say I am absolutely delighted about it.

The first game as all of you would concerned is Colchester United vs Norwich City, the final score is 1-1 and we should satisfy about it because we are still out of the bottom 3, but look at the table again, we cannot afford to have any slip up now, because a win from the bottom team when we lose, we will go back to the drop zone again! The Christmas fixture will be very important to us.

Talk about the game, fellow "Hong Kong Canaries" all send our concern to "TV Payvision", hopefully they can change their decision to show our game, but we receive the following reply:

"Thank you for your enquiry and support to TVB Pay Vision service. Once we received your enquiry about the FLC match 'Colchester United vs. Norwich City" on Channel 998, we have conveyed the message to our Programming Department to comprehend. According to the reply,  we regret to inform you that due to the content provider unable to obtain the broadcasting right of this match, therefore, TVB Pay Vision cannot broadcast this LIVE match. Meanwhile, another LIVE FLC match 'West Brom vs. Charlton' is scheduled on 15 Dec 07 at 20:45 on Super 998 channel."

Nevermind, because we already try our best already, also we can listen the game's commentary by Canaries World.

From the commentary it is really a poor standard game, seems the yellow & green shirt always pass to the blue & white shirt, and the blue & white shirt just pass to the yellow & green shirt again! There are not really many chances in the game, especially the first half. In the second half we make changes, and all three attacking minded players -- Dion, Hucks and Crofty come on, Neil Adam say we have a good chance to win the game after the change but -- minutes after that, we conceded the goal! What a bad way for Neil to comment!

From the replay it is hard to understand why Mo Camara miss the header, and then raise up his arm for...what? Answer on the Christmas card. You have to say it's definitely the left-back's fault to miss his header at the near post, and David Marshall has all the rights to criticise his defence and show his frustration. It's not hard to understand because we are now in the drop zone again.

We keep trying and finally get a reward from the "helping leg" of the Colchester United player, instead a former Canaries, Danny Granville, who turn Gary Doherty's far post header to the net under Jamie Cureton's big pressure, who means a big relieve for "Curo", as he celebrated with his hand pointing to the Norwich badge on his shirt. Jamie has a tough time at the moment, but hopefully he will keep working hard and bring back the goals to us! 1-1 the final score and we are stay at 21st position. Let's stay there or above before the end of the season!

THE SECOND game I am involved,  it's my company's 7-a-side rock surface football league match. Let me tell you my schedule: Colchester United vs Norwich game kick off at 1:20 Hong Kong time, finish at 3;15am, then I go to sleep, and have to wake up at 8:45am, get myself prepared, also watch yesterday EPL highlights from 9am to 9:15am, then walk to the gym and do my work out -- the "running machine", or the trolley they said for 45 minutes, finish at 10:45am and then travel to the football pitch, which the match kick off at 12pm. Sounds liked a very tight schedule and only has less than 6 hours to sleep. Oh mine! I would be tried.

I have bad experience with my company's football team before, because in the first league game they play about two weeks ago, we win 2-0 and there are 14 players travel to the game, 13 of them can get a full 50 minutes or a half, 25 minutes, or even 5 minutes on the pitch, but one player who travel to there and play 0 minutes -- that's me! I was absolutely shocked and frustrated about that because you know I always want to play football, no matter with any teams, but being left out, the feeling is, I think you understand.

I do not tell any of my teammates about that but for some reasons, when I go to the pitch yesterday, seems everybody know I am not happy about that incident, they keep explain the situation to me, and of course I tell them I just want to play, and I know I am a poor skill player I admit but I have enthusiasm to play my football, and I would love to play. Anyway it's passed and I am on the starting lines-up -- and I find myself in the unfamiliar position: we play 3-2-1 and I am the starting right-back. Nevermind and everyone know my best position is sweeper, but I think I can do a job in any defensive position, if they ask me to do.

The opposition team is mainly the players who are older than 50 years old, then 1 or 2 younger people, who I also think around 30 years old; my team who has a former Hong Kong representative team member, Gary Sham in the team. We have a 4-0 lead when the half time whistle blows, and I have a good performance and rated "7 out of 10" from myself.

I only has one overlapping run forward and also manage to get a long range shot on goal after the corner is not clear well, everyone think I will blast, but I would prefer to control it and make it on target. There are no many attacks from the opposite side to be honest, so I have quite comfortable on defence, a few good block tackle from me and at least I don't need to make any sliding tackle, on the rock surface pitch!

I am told to come off at the start of the 2nd half, I accept it because I think I play well, and I have to save some energy later. We can make 6 changes and we use them all in the 2nd half, with 15 minutes left, we lose 3 goals in quick succession, and all from defensive errors. Well, the manager say everyone has to have a game for fun, and of course you need to pay the price. We hold on and the final score is 4-3, we win. It's good to win although in a poor way.

In around 2pm, three of my colleagues with their girlfriends, go to the Chinese resturant for lunch, I go too but I do not eat! They are very, very surprise because I am always the only people, to "clean up" all the dishes, but I am not able to eat because I have another important game on 5pm later!

Anyway, they all pick up their chopsticks with some good food, "dim sum" you know what it is with beef, pork and some great taste vegetable, try to entice me to eat. Hahaha! What a good colleague but I think my determination to play football will beat them, and of course yes, I just keep drinking my 750ml bottle of water.

I WOULD like to talk about the other two football games first, Liverpool vs Manchester United kick off at 9:30pm and Arsenal vs Chelsea, which kick off at 24:00 to 26:00, that's 12am to 2am and that's why I say it's 26 hours of football! A trick I know and I just loan 2 hours from Monday! Both games are tight and exciting, also plenty of goals, and I have to say the better team wins. Liverpool again show they are not good enough to challenge the title and Arsenal, still play the best football in England and a joy to watch if you are a natural fans liked me. The last tackle of the game by Cesc Fabregas to Ashley Cole is absolutel storming, but I think the Arsenal fans would enjoy it!

TO COMPLETE my Super "football" Sunday, the "main course" is on 5pm, because my team "RedKop United", play a friendly with an old opponent "Magic Strikers". "Magic Strikers" has played against us twice before, and the result is they win 8-2 and 7-2. We lose to them twice and seems a quite one-sided game. They are not really skillful, most of them are 30 years old but they play quite tough and rough, also direct and long balls too.

The venue is also a big factor to affect the result, both games are played in "Kowloon's King George V Memorial Park" pitch, and this pitch is a smaller size of the 7-a-side rock surface pitch, which is quite useful for them if they pressue us -- as you know before "RedKop" is mainly youngsters who are 18 to 21 years old. They just do not know how to do when they are under pressure.

I know this, so before yesterday game, I give a call to my former secondary schoolmate: right-back Victore Lau, left-back Lau Chun Wah (Wah) and striker Jason Tam, ask them to join the squad. Three of them play football with me from 15 years ago when we are in schooland; if you have good memory, I have mentioned them before in this column.

We have all involved in some absolutely terrible defeats, but also a few superb win when we play against a team with a Hong Kong First Division player who play in striker, a narrow 1-0 win, who I remember I am in left-back, Victor in right-back and Wah in sweeper! I should say they understand my football philosophy -- play it save always!

I wear the current season away red shirt with Drury on the back to play. We start the game in a terrible way by conceded 2 goals in first 10 minutes, in the duration of 120 minutes, I am the sweeper but the full-backs are other players not Victor and Wah, and I admit I am in fault for the second goal because I just let their 6 feet giant big center forward, who runs away from my attention, he is clean through and beat our keeper at the near post. We get a goal back in the 30 minutes mark, 1-2 and a tight game,

What a shame because one of the young left-back, who is in fault of the 3rd and 4th goals we conceded, absolutely lack of concentration to defend the far post, and let their striker to score with zero pressure; their long throw tactic is so successful against us. 4-1 with an hour to play, you should say they will repeat the scoring show again as 7-2 or 8-2 again -- NO! I, Victor and Wah won't let it happen again.

Compare with the game I play in the afternoon, I am involved much much more in this game, by make about 5 sliding tackles to block their goal-bounded shot, also I keep encourage the teammates to keep going and pressure them, with now Victor and Wah with me on defence, we are matching them, Vitcor and me put our body and leg to block their shot, Wah win many of the aerial battle, and Jason do the job up front, setting up 2 goals and score one by rounding the goalkeeper twice. 4-4 the score with 30 minutes left, and what a game! It is liked a FA Cup tie now!

Right now the game is a bit of dirty, as Jason is tripped more than twice up front just outside the box, and for myself, I have to kick their big striker's right shin but I have no choice, because their forward make a hard hitting shot just outside the box, our keeper, who is absolutely excellent on the day by make at least 3 breath taking saves, can just parry the ball out of that 6 ft striker's path, 12 yards out, empty net, and I am facing the goal, I see he prepare to smile and want to put blast it in, so I throw myself to the ground, stretch my right leg up and hope to make a contact, as he balloon it high because my right leg kick his right shin! I apologise to him but I say I have to try to rescue the situation, so I have to kick, just unfortunate to him. Play of the game to be honest.

They eventually score the 5th goal after the rare error by our goalkeeper, but we hit back at the last 5 minutes and the final score is 5-5. What a game! Goalkeeper "Laken", right-back Victor Lau, Left-back Lau Chun Wah, sweeper XXL16, midfield "Wing" and striker Jason and "mouse" are the superb performers, to savage draw to us.

A bit shame we cannot revenge but we show the never say die attitude -- same as Norwich City! What a day to remember! All things with football and do I still need girlfriend now?