Album Review: Westlife - Gravity [2010]

Salam & hello.

I finally got a chance to review Westlife's latest album. I procrastinated a lot to do this entry actually. But, anyway, here it is. 

This latest album by Westlife is called Gravity. It was released in November, last year. So, it has been like 7 months and only now I managed to write a review. But, I'm gonna share my review anyway regardless whether if there is anyone out there will read this or not. For those who don't know or not sure, Westlife are still exist and this album is their 11th studio album. 13 years, they are still going strong doing performances & tours around the world. Personally, I grow up listening to their songs. Because of that, I can assure you that this is the best album Westlife have ever produced. This album rocks! Westlife have changed their style little bit, but not completely. They go for much rockier (is rockier a right word?) and dark appearance, but not like heavy metal or something. Their songs are more solid and exciting. They are no longer a boy band with charming lookings etc. 

As I wrote in my previous post for Safe single, this album is produced with the help of great John Shanks. This guy is one of the most talented music producer in America and he has worked with the likes of Bon Jovi, BSB, Kelly Clarkson and others. So there's no surprise by how amazing Gravity turns out to be. 

Track by track review

1. Beautiful Tonight - Perfect start for this album. A potential chart topping song. This song is probably the best and most different Westlife's song in many years. It's a mid tempo song, has a great beat in it. Some of my friends thought this song was Bruno Mars' The Way You Are. If you hear it, you can understand why. It's a song that you would like to sing along to it. 

2. Safe - First and apparently, the only single for this album. The melody and style are very much like any other Westlife's songs. It's a power ballad I should say. The lyrics are nice because they deviate from typical love songs.

3. Chances - This one is actually a cover song. It was originally sang by a band named Athlete. Very good song. It starts slowly and ends dramatically. Music and strings in this song are awesome, especially at the climax. 

4. I Will Reach You - Another great song in the album. Love the melody, music, lyrics and basically, everything. I recommend this one to anyone that would like to know Westlife's current music style (along with Beautiful Tonight). 

5. Closer - My personal favorite. I always love listen to songs that start with piano + hopeful tone and have dramatic/extravaganza finish. This is one of them. It's pretty similar to the last album's hit song, What About Now. All members of the band contributed in writing this song.

6. The Reason -  This one is actually need no explanation. Another cover song, originally from Hoobastank. I'm sure everyone knows this song. I love this song, since many years ago and it's one of my all time favorites - Hoobastank version. Quite disappointed when I found out that Westlife would record it and put it in the album. Anyway, their version is not that bad, just fine, nothing much. 

7. Tell Me It's Love - I've posted an entry for this song. The reasons why this song is good; beautiful lyrics, nice melody,  easy listening and Nicky's part (third verse, after the second chorus).

8. I Get Weak - If Nicky has his part on the last track, this one has Kian in it (Nicky & Kian rarely sing solo).  Again, nice melody and it's a heartbroken song with nice lyrics. 

9. Before It's Too Late - For the last album, they have a song that called Talk Me Down, where Mark sings solo in it. This one is quite similar. It has the same music style, and it's even better. Lyrics are good; about saying something important to people when we still have our chance. One very great song. 

10. No One's Gonna Sleep Tonight - Ever heard of Black Eyed Peas' songs? Well, this one is like theirs. Perfect song to be played in events, commercials or montage. It's a dance/club song, no one would hate it, trust me. Love the part where there's instrument playing like in a Muse's song (I don't know what the instrument is. Keyboard, synthesizer or something?).

11. Difference In Me - A very unique song. Different from all Westlife's songs in their 11 albums. Shane sings solo in it, and his voice suits very well. It's like a song that Plain White T's would sing. 

12. Too Hard To Say Goodbye - For the last album, the last track is a goodbye/farewell song - I'll See You Again. And they do the same for Gravity. As before, they dedicate it to Nicky's & Kian's late fathers. In fact, the lyrics for this song are more personal than the other one. I like the chorus, lovely lyrics; "Standing by your side. It felt like I could fly. If I could be half the man that you are in my eyes. And I could face the darkest day and fight the tears inside. I can't turn the page or hold back the time. It's too hard to say goodbye". Also, do you guys know Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On? This song was written by the same person who wrote that Titanic popular soundtrack. So, you can hear the similarity in the music. A very beautiful ballad song.

All in all, this is the best and most exciting album they have ever produced. All 12 tracks are amazing. Although it's the best, my favorite album is still their first album (Westlife, 1999). Gravity my second favorite, yet. Go, buy, download it or whatever. Totally worth it. If not, try listen to Beautiful Tonight, I Will Reach You or Closer. I give it 5/5. awesome album! 

By the time I'm writing this, Westlife have announced that they will release their second Greatest Hits album: Unbreakable Vol.2 (possible name). How great! The first single will be released in August. Can't wait! Two greatest hits album in their career, not many bands can achieve that. Amazing accomplishment. Kudos to them.

That's it for my review. Thanks for reading. Next, I will review Avril Lavigne's 2011 album: Goodbye Lullaby.     Here is a live version of Beautiful Tonight. Enjoy it! Bye.

Anfield Talk: King Kenny is Coming Back!

Hey guys

As of now, to all football fans out there, you probably have heard the news. The big news. Yup, Kenny Dalglish is taking over the head coach position for Liverpool. Hooray!!

Welcome back king!

I don't feel sorry for Roy Hodgson. His termination was simply inevitable and long overdue. 31 matches, only 13 wins? That's not good enough old man. In fact, it's the worst thing I've seen since the first time I started supporting Liverpool, 11 years ago. Suffice to say that Roy is just an average manager - mid table club at best. We are Liverpool, we are better than this. We should have been challenging Premier League title by this time, or top 4 finish at the very least. Instead, we embarrassingly lost to Blackburn, Stoke, Blackpool, Wolves and even freakin' Norhampton. Sayonara Roy Hodgson. You will be remembered, for the wrong reasons, and surely will not be missed.

Hodgson legendary (embarassing) face rub

Now, let's talk about King Kenny. Kenny Dalglish is a Liverpool legend, no.1 all-time greatest player in fact. We are so glad to have him back (he managed Liverpool 1985-1991). He is definitely will boost squad's morale and motivate all the players, encourage them to keep on fighting.

Good old days

"Kenny: You just have to poke those eyes. Like this. Easy!
Gerrard: I'm not doing that to Owen, Kenny. He was my best friend"

That's all I got to say from now. This entry may sounds not that interesting, but I'm actually so excited with this news. 2011 shall be the year that The Reds started to comeback to rule European & English Football. Yeah!

You'll Never Walk Alone.

Ciao

TV Series Round-up

Happy new year guys!

LOST (quick review)
Last year was the final season of LOST. Do guys know LOST? Yeah, that tv series. I'm a massive fan of this show. LOST is definitely in the top 3 of my all-time favorite tv series list and it's pretty sad to see the show ends. LOST follows the lives of various characters, most importantly the survivors of the plane crash, on a mysterious island. LOST is a great show, because they played with the characters' emotion very well and the storyline were fantastic. The final season. last year, was the 6th season of the series. But, honestly, it wasn't as good as the previous seasons, especially season 1,2 and 3. My thought is that the producers & writers didn't conclude the whole story very well. In fact, so many questions have been left unsolved. But overall, I still think that it was a great show. Btw, here's one big rule that you must follow in order to understand LOST; you must watch all episodes, in the right order preferably. True, otherwise you wouldn't understand and you ended up asking 'why' every time you watch it. Haha.

"Tell me guys, if this island can heal people,
do you think it can help me with my hair problem?
Anyone?"

Now let's get to the other tv series that I'm following and still running.

The Office
The Office is one of my favorites tv show of all time, of all time! (Kanye West's emphasizing style. Haha). Probably my number one and the best I've seen yet. The Office depicts the everyday lives of office employee in Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of a paper company named Dunder Mifflin. The characters in this series are awesome, including the supporting characters. It's a comedy series and the jokes are simple, smart and subtle. They don't have to jump around or act like an idiot to tell their jokes (eventually, at some point, they did). That's why I like this show very much. I tell you what, if any tv series I'd recommend to you guys, it would be The Office. You guys go watch season 1 (6 episodes) & season 2 (22 episodes)* and I promise that you will come back for more. Yup and this is not an exaggeration - unless if you put your expectation way too high or compare it to your favorite show, and that would kill your impression on The Office.

What happened last time (spoiler alert!):
For your information, this season will be the last season of the main character, Michael Scott, the boss of the office *sad*. Last episode was the 12th episode of the 7th season and it was a Xmas episode. It was hilarious! Holly back at the office and Michael gets so excited about it. He postpones the party to the later time when Holly comes back to impress her. He learns that Holly is still with AJ and naturally, he gets upset and acts unpredictably (Pam refers it as 'idolizing people'). In the end of the episode, Michael learns from Pam that Holly gives ultimatum to AJ.

Michael as a Santa yet again

Office romance. Pam & Jim

The Office's casts

Next episode:
The next episode is 'The Ultimatum and will be airing on 21 January 2011 (Pheww!)

*(20 minutes for each episodes except for Casino Night episode; 40 minutes)


Fringe
This show is actually produced by one of the producers of LOST - J.J Abrams. Abrams also produced two great films, Cloverfield (2008) & Star Trek (2009). In fact, he was also the man behind Alias (2001) & Felicity (1998) (I watched all of them!). As a big fan of the guy, I couldn't resist but started to watch Fringe. And I ain't disappointed. Fringe is awesome! The concept of the story is pretty much the crossover of CSI and X-Files. The series follows the story of FBI 'Fringe Division' team in their investigation on many mysterious & scientific cases happen around them. The thing that I like the most about Fringe is that it plays with science ('fringe science' to be precise - parallel universe, time travel, dark matter, telepathic, etc) deeply. That's actually the theme of the show. It is a brilliant sci-fi tv series.

What happened last time (spoiler alert!):
Currently, Fringe is on its 9th episodes of season 3. In the last episode, Olivia Dunham, the main character, manages to jump back to the real world after she got stuck in the parallel universe for some times. I know, it sounds strange and way too confusing. But that's what happens. I could tell you more, but probably no one would understand, except if you do follow the show. Right? Hehe.

"Hey, what's up?"
Walter, Peter & Olivia

Next episode:
Firefly. Premiere 22 January 2011 (another phewww!)


The Walking Dead
The series is based on the graphic novel of the same name. It's about a small group (probably there will be many more) of people trying to survive in the post-apocalyptic world. Yup, it means, there are horrifying zombies in this series. It may sounds cheesy like any other zombie films/stories, but it is not. I actually quite surprised by how good the show is. It's not the same like others. Yes, there are killing, hacking and slashing dead people scenes, but it also gives you different views on surviving the aftermath of zombies apocalypse. The themes of the show mainly about desperation, moral dilemma, humanity and choices you have to make in your life. The story runs slowly and it's not a fast-paced & action packed tv series like 24 or Prison Break. But that what makes The Walking Dead so good - it lets your emotion attached to the story.

What happened last time (spoiler alert!):
Last year, The Walking Dead finished its 1st season (6 episodes). The survivors make their way to Atlanta, Georgia and find out that walkers (zombies) have overran the city. So, the city is no longer safe for them and they also learn that there are no one out there to help them.

Obviously not everyone likes police officer

Excessive botox treatment

Next episode:
The premiere of season 2 will be on October 2011


Archer
An animated tv series follows the story of a International Secret Intelligence Service's (ISIS) agent, Archer Sterling. This show is freakin' hilarious! Seriously. The jokes are fast, clever & yet stupid. Basically the jokes are much like any other typical American jokes that you would find on YouTube. But I enjoyed watching it. The main character, Archer, he is like James Bond, but he is also an idiot, annoying and hilarious agent.

What happened last time:
Season 1 has finished with 10 episodes.

Exactly Archer!

Next episode:

Season 2 will be started on 27 January 2011.

Also, tv series that I watched last year, and...

I loved it!

Everwood

Lovely 2002 classic family tv series. Everwood is a story about father and son relationship, family dynamic, friendship, life, career, academic and of course, love. This is one of the best American drama I've seen. I like all the characters in this series and the actors were brilliant. The storyline and themes are superb. It has everything in there for a great drama - joy, sadness, fondness and comedy (minus action theme). I watched all 4 seasons in just a few months. Can't get enough of it. Oh yeah, plus, Emily Van Camp (as Amy Abbott) is so pretty! Hehe

Ephram Brown & Amy Abbott

Favorite scene. Ephram gives a necklace to Amy.
 (Yeah. Damn right I'm a sentimental guy)

I've stopped watching

V

Lame. Liked the concept, but not its presentation. The CGI is horrible, dialogs are bad and the acting is poor (I'm not an expert, but anyone can tell)

The poster says it all

The Event

It started very well with an action packed pilot episode. Then it became too complicated. Too many flashbacks and twisted storyline. I like the idea of the story, but something is missing, affection theme perhaps? I'll come back to it later (few years from now maybe. Haha).

Sometimes hot girl is not a factor for a good show

Ok. That's it guys! I literally took half of my day to finish this entry. Pheww! I got nothing else better to do anyway. Hehe. 

So, thanks for reading. See ya next time. Ciao!

p.s: Excuse me for my grammatical errors & weird sentences :)

Anfield Talk: Welcome Back to Anfield, Houllier!

Hello everyone!

It was the 16th Premier League game for Liverpool last night and a comfortable win against Aston Villa. The scoreline was 3-0 and scored by Ngog, Babel and Rodriguez.

Aston Villa coach, Gerard Houllier returned for the first time to Anfield since he left the club in May 2004. For those who don't know, Houllier was a Liverpool manager in 1998 until 2004. We won UEFA Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Charity Shield and two League Cup under Houllier's charge. We also finished 2nd in 2001 with 80 points - 3 points above United. Beating Barcelona, AS Roma, Bayern Munich and United at Old Trafford were amongst the highlights of his managerial career with Liverpool. So, this time he came back to Liverpool as a opposite manager.

Treble season. UEFA Cup winner 2001.

Houllier, Thompson and Houllier-appointed captain - Gerrard.

For Liverpool, we had to play without Gerrard, Torres and Carragher. So Ngog and Babel were given a start and they did well. Nice goal-poacher instinct by Ngog gave us a lead. That goal shows us what he can do - natural goal scoring talent. Hopefully he can do more often. Babel later scored after a nice lob ball by Lucas. Babel had a great game, love to see more from him. Sometimes he doesn't use his brain much while playing. He likes to do whatever he wants, that's what makes him a not-so-good player. But if he plays properly and confident, he can be the best player on the field.

All players did well last night. Johnson had a couple of chances. I think Roy Hodgson should seriously consider to convert Johnson as a right midfielder. If Gareth Bale (Tottenham) can be a great flanker, why can't Johnson be one? Anyway, once again, Lucas & Meireles partnership was outstanding. I pick Lucas as man of the match, again. He has been terrific this season. Good to see all the 'Lucas' haters' suddenly turn to be fans of Lucas. Haha. I told you so he is a good player! Hopefully both of them will continue their good form for the rest of the season. Our defenders were great. Managed to shut Villa's attacker for the majority of the game. As for Reina, he was brilliant yet again. He made one outstanding save and initiated an awesome counter-attack (Rodriguez goal).

Ngog dives to score the first goal.

Overall, Liverpool did very well. I really hope that Roy Hodgson can motivate the lads to maintain this kind of performance. I'm not a big fan of commenting opposite team performance, but I feel sorry for Houllier. It wasn't a very good night for him at Anfield. Villa have great players but they didn't perform. I particularly like Ashley Young, Albrighton and Agbonlahor, also, Downing. Wish that Roy could sign at least one of them this January.

So now, Liverpool are in 8th, with 22 points, 8 points are needed to chase Man City in 4th position. Btw, it's only 10 points behind league leader, Arsenal. 10 points, say if we can make 2 months of winning streak, and probably undefeated until end of the season, who knows, we can be a champion! Shooting for the star, err.. right?

Spotted Xabi Alonso at the stand watching the game. We really miss you man!
So, that's it. Thanks for reading. Until next time, YNWA.

p/s: Remembering my post on Liverpool 5-0 win against Villa last year. It was written for my first blog :P

Anfield Talk: More misery for Liverpool

Hi guys

The thing is, I'm tired of seeing Liverpool losing. Spurs couldn't defend, Van Der Vaart & Kaboul were out early in the game, Bale was ran out of steam. For some freakin' reason, Liverpool lost the game! The result was a 2-1 lost to Tottenham.

I don't like to blame anyone, I always see football as a team sport. But this time I know exactly who to blame. First, Torres & Maxi. What the hell they were doing in front of goal. Torres, so called a world class striker had two clear chances. Although he made two delicates tap cum pass, but when in front of the goal, he didn't shoot, he was slow. To be honest, he didn't look like showing any desire to play for Liverpool at all. Maxi also had couple of great chances, which he missed, terribly! Second person I'd like to blame is, Konchesky, our 'first choice' left back. He was goddamn too slow. In fact, he has been very slow and poor all season. Mediocre at his best. Thirdly, obviously, Roy Hodgson. As a manager, he has been uninspiring for the rest of the team, to the fans as well. He openly criticizes our own players, rubbish at press conferences and often makes poor tactical judgement. He must go, immediately, or at the very least this January.

Positive side from the game, Lucas & Raul Meireles were brilliant. Lucas in particular was very solid. Raul did well, his tackling was good, though sometimes his passing was little bit off. Skrtel also was excellent. He was unfortunate to score an own goal after scoring for Liverpool at the other end. His tackling, blocking, heading and anticipation were good. Spurs were lucky to have Carragher injured 5 minutes before the game finished. Kyrgiakos was Carra replacement, and Spurs took advantage on that. Long ball played more than 4 times towards Crouch in the last minutes of the game. One of them assisted Lennon winning goal, helped by the lack of pace of, who else, Konchesky. Spurs didn't play THAT well and they were the lucky bast*rd. Just sayin'.

I've already started to hate Spurs

I don't know how Liverpool going to bounce back anymore. We are so inconsistent. The way I see it, Liverpool need somebody to score goals for us. I've already lost faith on Torres. I don't see determination and desire inside him to play for us anymore, half-hearted at most. He was brilliant only few times this season. Other times, he was average and I have to say this, he was freakin' lazy. Liverpool need to bring a set of top-class, fast paced, magician winger. New goal scoring and effective strikers are also needed. Perhaps, a set of full back also would be good as well. I hope Liverpool will comeback and finish this season in 4th place at the very very least. That's all I have to say. YNWA - always.

Sorry for the angry words and bit dramatic. I'm just too disappointed. Thanks for reading though. See ya next time.

Westlife's 2010 Album: Gravity

Hello readers

I have a great news folks. Or at least for me. The news is, Westlife are back with their latest album! Heyyooo!! Mesti ada yg macam; "eh, ada lagi ke Westlife ni?". Damn right they still exists. Tahun ni dah masuk 12 tahun since, diorang punya 1st appereance which was in 1998. 12 years guys! That's quite an achievement for any artists, let alone for a band. Ok, mungkin yg tak tau, I'm a huge fan of Westlife since I was a kid. Alah, time zaman sekolah rendah dulu. Mana-mana best friends aku mesti tau punya. Hence, yes, I've listened to every Westlife's songs. In fact, I own all their 10 previous albums and have watched all of their tour concerts. So, yeah, I kinda a big fan :)

So, album kali ni namanya Gravity and single pertama mereka bertajuk Safe. Album ni adalah album ke-11 mereka. Seperti album sebelum ni (Where We Are, 2009), Westlife akan tampil dengan imej yg lebih rock & matured. Ok, memang diorang dah matang, tp tu daripada segi umur lah. Matured yg ni bermaksud muzik mereka bukan lagi teen pop macam album-album terawal mereka, tapi muzik kali ni lebih segar dan 'kasar'. Album kali ni adalah hasil kerjasama Westlife dengan producer baru mereka, iaitu John Shanks.

Gravity album cover

Safe. Single album cover.

Bagi yg tak kenal John Shanks ni, dia sebenarnya music producer kat Amerika yg mmg popular. Bak kata orang tu, a living legend la, walaupun beliau tidak memiliki motosikal Lagenda. Antara artis-artis yg pernah di bawah ketiak bimbingan beliau adalah Bon Jovi, Michelle Branch, Miley Cyrus, Hillary Duff, Colbie Caillat, Simpsons sisters (Ashlee & Jesicca), old timer - Rod Sterwart, Enrique Iglesias dan tak lupa, 2 boyband yg terhebat sepanjang zaman selain Westlife - Take That & Backstreet Boys. Ramai kan? Sebenarnya ramai lagi. Kalau lagu pulak yg John Shanks ni produced dan jadi popular adalah Breakaway (Kelly Clarkson), The Climb (Miley Cyrus), Fly (Hillary Duff), Pocketful of Sunshine (Natasha Bedingfield) dan banyak lagi, letih nak taip. Kalau nak tgk full discography John Shanks ni boleh la check kat Wikipedia ataupun laman webnya sendiri. For your information as well, beliau ni antara yg producer yg slalu dapat jd nominee utk anugerah Grammy. Album terbaru Miley Cyrus (Can Be Tamed) juga diterbitkan oleh John Shanks. So, reputasi mamat ni memang hebat kat Amerika sana. Jadi, dah tentulah, bila Westlife umumkan bahawa album Gravity ni adalah sepenuhnya terbitan John Shanks, peminat-peminat Westlife ni tersangatlah excited. Yup, including me, which Westlife's fan wouldn't right? Kalau kat Malaysia, John Shanks ni macam Audi Mok la, kan? Ataupun terbalik? Lebih kurang la :)

Album Gravity ni bakal mengandungi 12 tracks. Mungkin ada yg noticed, Westlife ni terkenal dengan cover songs mereka. So, kali ni, dengar cerita mereka akan menampilkan hanya dua lagu cover sahaja. One of the song that I know is The Reason by Hoobastank. Incidentally, lagu ni adalah salah satu lagu favorite sepanjang zaman aku. Agak menarik la bila Westlife buat cover version, tapi harap-harap tak dijadikan single, sebab orginal version oleh Hoobastank tu memang rock & mantap! Nak dengar samples boleh dengar kat sini.

Safe dipilih sebagai single pertama mereka utk album ni. Kalau first time dengar lagu ni, korang akan rasa lagu ni macam biasa je, tak lari daripada lagu-lagu Westlife yg lain. Tapi cuba dengar berberapa kali dulu, layan banyak kali, pasti korang juga akan rasa best. Bagi aku, lagu ni boleh dikatakan gabungan antara typical Westlife's song dengan irama rock sedikit sebanyak. Mungkin genre yg paling tepat sekali ialah Power Ballad ataupun Pop Rock. Contoh lagu yg mempunyai genre yg sama; I Don't Want To Miss a Thing (Aerosmith), Wind of Change (Scorpions) dan When You're Gone (Avril Lavigne). Lirik Safe ni jugak boleh dikatakan menarik. Tak seperti love songs Westlife yg lain, lagu ni more like as if you are hoping to save someone. It's like when you see someone crying or in pain, you feel like you want to comfort that person, or in other word to make them feel safe. Boleh dikatakan agak general tema lagu ni dan sesuai untuk semua lapisan umur (macam tgk wayang pulak) :p

Safe official music video

Anyway, this Gravity album looks promising. Tak sabar bila album ni di release kan 14 November tahun ni. Mungkin sampai kat pasaran Malaysia dalam hujung bulan November ataupun awal Disember. Diharap post aku kali ni dapat memberi gambaran sedikit sebanyak dekat korang tentang perkembangan Westlife. Westlife bukanlah lagi teen boyband yang macam dulu. Tak salah rasanya kalau menyokong band macam ni. Lagipun lagu-lagu diorang memang semuanya sedap untuk. Memang band ni dah agak lama ataupun yg macam sesetengah orang cakap, ketinggalan zaman, tapi bagi aku, memang berbaloi kalau follow perkembangan dan sentiasa lagu-lagu terbaru diorang. Tak kisah korang nak cakap atau judge apa, bagi aku Westlife salah satu group yang best & cool.

Westlife perform You Raise Me Up at Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony 2009

One of my favorite Westlife's live performance

That's it guys. I'll be updating you with the full review of the album. Thanks for reading. See ya next time!

p.s: Avril Lavigne's 4th album is coming out and Taylor Swift's Speak Now is just released. Can't wait to hear them all!

Anfield Talk: Liverpool & Torres are back!

Hello readers.


This week must be the greatest week for Liverpool fans all over the world. Yesterday, we beat Chelsea 2-0!!! Woohooo!!! Err..sorry for my over excitement. I just can't help it. It has been a long time since the last time we had this feeling. The feeling of beating  a big, arrogant, full of annoying fans and rich club. Sorry Chelsea fans. I'm not saying all of you, but some of the fans really make me sick. Not to mention the fans from the other red team. Not the team with the cannon, but with the fork. You know what I mean right. They like to mock our club, disrespectful, minding other clubs' businesses and talking nonsense when it comes to football (lack of understanding I suspect). In fact, they keep referring us as 'Liverfool'. Ehhh, that's so lame and very childish lah. Booooriiiiiing. Again, not all of them, only some of them, but sorry to say, in this particular club's case, MOST of them. 


Anyway, let's get serious here. Now, Liverpool are in a hot streak. 4 wins in a row, including the comeback in the Europa League game against Napoli in midweek. The team has performed well recently, and this win against Chelsea really boosts our spirit to chase the top 4 finish in Premier League table. 11 games already played now and we are in 9th spot (15 points, level with 5 other teams) and only 5 points-shy to be leveled with Arsenal and Man City. That's a great improvement since we almost hit rock bottom few weeks ago.


Now let's talk about Liverpool performances in the past few weeks. The wins against Blackburn & Bolton are definitely important for the team. Those two games have lifted team spirit and the team now looks more alive and enthusiastic for the first time this season. Players now look pretty settled, team chemistry & confidence start to grow higher in each game.

NESV Board Members visited Anfield

Torres netted the winner against Blackburn. Liverpool won 2-1

Maxi late winner. Bolton 0 - 1 Liverpool

Gerrard came to the rescue with 15 minutes hattrick against Napoli.
3-1 the final score

Yesterday performance I must say, was awesome! We got ourselves early goal, thanks to the brilliant combination between our strikers in that game. Great vision by Kuyt to set up Torres who wouldn't miss that kind of chance. I personally felt little anxious with the way he handle the loft ball from Kuyt, but didn't he control it so well, did he? Brilliant first touch and without any delay he side footed the ball into the net. The ball took little bounce though, but it was a great goal. The second one even better. Torres did exactly what he capable of. Fine control with the ball and delicate finish. Torres was terrific in this game. He chased the ball, closed Chelsea's players down - very often, showed some aggressiveness, he was at his best during the game.

Torres 1st goal. Terry was all over him!

For the whole team, they were terrific as well. Konchesky's defending as expected was little bit suspect. Some of the Chelsea's clear chances came from the right flank crosses. Means that Konchesky didn't handle his opponents very well, but I guess he was fine. Thankfully, the introduction of Bosingwa who replaced Ivanovic didn't give any damage to our defense and Maxi did his job helping Konchesky at the back. Both of our centre-back (Carragher & Skrtel) were solid. They read the game well and were very tough to crack. Martin Kelly, I like this guy, he does so well every time he play. For 90 minutes, he was great, with the help of Carragher beside him, he managed to stop Chelsea's movement from the left. Though he let Malouda & Drogba ran past him few times, he did great, considering that this was a big game, he learns.

Torres curled the ball into the net for the 2nd goal

Gerrard as usual, worked very hard. Involved in every aspect of the game, fantastic captain. Meireles and Maxi did their job even though  they may not looked comfortable in their positions. Being a central midfielder, both players tend to make runs toward the centre instead of opening wide, dribbling and crossing the ball - we can see that in every game. I guess it's in their nature as a playmaker, so I can't say anything more.  Now, how about Lucas Leiva?. I've posted about how do I rate this guy as a player. So you must know that I'm one the Liverpool fans out there who appreciate Lucas ability. He has received tons of criticisms throughout his career at Liverpool. Lots of Liverpool fans esp here in Malaysia like to banish and moan about his performances. But yesterday, he was a monster. He worked so hard and was tenacious during the game. He passed, tackled and closed down so well. He anticipated every movements made by 3 Chelsea's central midfielder. Suffice to say that Gerrard-Lucas won the battle versus Mikel-Zhirkov-Ramires. 


Reina also did well. Managed to make couple of important saves. One of them was brilliant/lucky point blank save and the other one was a fine dive stopping Anelka's shot. Ona and all have done their job very well. We performed well, were tireless and determined. Our work ethics, attitude and discipline have won us 3 points and let's hope the momentum keeps going. YNWA.


My ratings (out of 10):
Reina 7.5, Kelly 7, Carragher 8, Skrtel 8 , Konchesky 6, Meireles 7, Lucas 8, Gerrard 8.5, Maxi 7, Kuyt 7, Torres 9.


I don't give a damn about Chelsea's players. lol. But I give a few. Terry 7. Anelka 6, Ramires 6 and Drogba 5 (2 complete passes & 1 shot off target, what can I say more?).

"'Galah panjang' anyone? You'll never play it alone." lol

p.s: I like to call Liverpool as 'we' cause me and all the supporters are part of the team. Don't you feel that way too toward your team?


*All pictures are complete ripped off from liverpoolfc.tv and other sites. I don't own the pictures.