The way it felt in 2002

June 29th 2011 is going into the tennis book shelves as a date to remember. But for two completely ironical reasons surrounding one man. Roger Federer. The good part was the record Fed created for the number of continuous grand slam QF appearances. The other : the way Jo Wilfred Tsonga served to outclass class himself. It was definitely a sad visual for those ardent Fed-Ex fans. I am not that big a fan of the Swiss maestro. To say it with candour, I have never been a fan of someone who has ruled a sport for a really long while with very less danger from any opposition. Take for instance Schumacher, I have never convinced myself to back his red Ferrari during his reign as the king of racing. Coming back to the point, Federer's defeat to Tsonga portends something more than what met the eye that evening. It was in 2009 that he last won his dearest slam of all- The Wimbledon. The year before and the year after, Nadal showed him that athleticism and class in combination can outplay skill on a given bright summer morning, be it lawn or clay. The point is Federer's win in 2009 that sandwiches Nadal's wins on either side, was partly because Nadal had pulled out of that year's slam.

I am not trying to take anything away from Federer's trophy chest by downplaying any of his achievements. But I am afraid if 2011 is to him, what 2002 was to the master Pete. Nirmal Shekar pointed out on his column in The Hindu recently that Federer's loss to Tsonga reminded him of Sampras's loss to George Bastl in 2002. Bastl was ranked 145 in the list that year. After that devastating 5 setter, Sampras gave some food for sensation-hungry media by sitting on the pitch and staring at the grass, long after his conqueror left the stadium. But Federer gave nothing of that sort. He sported a composed look but with a blackish mask portraying doom as he waited for Tsonga to pack his kit bag. It was a heart breaking sight for anyone who loves the maestro. It was just a couple of days back that his picture with tendulkar made its rounds on social media and created a furore like never before. Fans doing their salutes and wishing their wishes, confident of another Wimbledon crown to prove his critics wrong. But this one was a sight that spoke louder than words. He went down in a macabre sort of way even after he played a decent game with only half as many unforced errors as his decisive opponent's. In contrast, Sampras played one of the worst games of his career in that loss to Bastl. But just 2 weeks later he went on to win the US Open as he conquered his arch rival Agassi to end his glittering career on a high.

I hope something like that happens to a man like Federer who is undoubtedly a master of this generation. Though, in my opinion, he might not be able to better Sampras's record of 7 titles at The Championships Wimbledon, I wish he gets to equal that number and retire on a high. But age is definitely something that is pitting against him. And Nadal's dominance is reaching new highs year after year. But the man has it in him to pull off something out of the blue and show the world that he is truly a champion. I wish a smooth retirement for a man of his class and I wish he conquers Nadal on that lush green court on the suburbs of London just once before making a bow. A win when Nadal was not in the fixture list was not good enough to make the point. A win in a grand slam final against the world no. 1 himself, would be what is a good show of true class and character.

P.S: I have always wanted Nadal to win whenever I saw him opposite Roger. But the way the latter went down this year is definitely a bad sign for tennis lovers who would like to see a legend pass out like a legend.

P.P.S : I so want Murray to win it this year though! An English winning it after ages!. Poor thing. Give one to them

For a Change

The idea of writing a book review on the blog has always fascinated me and rightly so, I haven't hidden that little fantasy of mine for there have been quite a few of them in the past. There have been awfully long ones on History, Humor, Literature and what not.

S0, for a change, I have decided to cut the crap and write a few (really only a few) sensible lines on what i think of the two books i have read recently.

A Prefect's Uncle-P.G.Wodehouse

This was the Second book that came from this genius after an outstanding "The Pothunters".The school time story touching upon cricket, stolen money and an embarrassing uncle hits heights of humor many a time in the course of its hundred and fifty odd pages. This one is more of a progress since the first novel for him and the inimitable turn of phrases that he employs (the trademark Wodehouse perfections) are there in this book already.

The Small Bachelor-P.G.Wodehouse

Wodehouse captures an era that probably never was but many of us wish it had. He does one of his best jobs, capturing Twenties' New York at a roar in this neatly done up farce. Just like reading a screwball comedy, laughs come often and out loud! The Small Bachelor is not to be missed by any true aficionado of P.G. Wodehouse

Life would have been better If

• If I did not stop quizzing after high school because it involved a lot of preparation if one had to make a mark when on stage
• If I really cultivated the habit of reading way earlier in life (say 7th standard or something)
• If I concentrated on my chess and took it further when i started playing during my school days
• If I did not take up engineering after school
• If I did not opt for a dual degree from BITS ahead of a Comp. Sci degree at Anna University
• If I knew after school that Journalism was a decently paying career option
  
• If I did not appreciate the fact that getting high when in college was a fantasy
• If I had inherited loads of money and a big business to look after when i graduated
  
• If I really utilized my five years in BITS for constructive purposes
• If I had the courage and money to start up on my own when I wrote my first business plan
• If I really did not think MBA was the easiest path to money
• If I did not choose Software Development for my First Job just because it pays me well
• If I was born in a meagerly populated country
• If I knew how to manage time better
• If I was not the lazy goose that I am
• If Engineers in the country got high paying management jobs right after graduation
• If I could work from home always instead of going to the workplace daily
• If I had realized PG Wodehouse is the most hilarious writer quite earlier
• If I don't suffer from "lethologica" as frequently as I do
  
• If I was really not in the position to write this post after all
  

These are a few of the million things that I regret for having done in Life. I bet everyone has a big list like this one and I know this post is one with which I can tag other bloggers after all.

After writing so much of what i feel, I am sure i have made quite a big deal "Thinking Aloud".

No points for guessing that I am a big pessimist after one reads this.

What a win!!!!

After last night's champions league semi final can i please put two myths to bed?

1. Ronaldo is a big game bottler

2. Wenger has a plan

P.S : F365 Mailbox excerpt

Gimme a Break!!!

Round Up - Last Weekend

Liverpool's first goal was scored thanks to Mascherano diving and winning them a freekick. Their second goal was scored thanks to Lucas assisting Dirk Kuyt with his hand. They win 3-1.

United are awarded "a controversial penalty" one week after they were denied a stonewall pen against Everton, which cost them their place in the FA Cup final. They then go on to play the best football United fans have seen all season scoring a further four goals. They win 5-2. Yet for some reason the media claim Howard Webb has handed us the title, with no mention of Liverpool's good fortune a few hours earlier.

Liverpool are the media darlings, whilst Manchester United have to settle for being Champions. It's a hard life.

PS : Extract from the mailbox @f365

Manchester United !!! Football freaks Read On

Chanced upon this article. This was written by someone just after Man United won the UCL finals against Chelsea last year. It’s a good read, irrespective of the club you support. Enjoy.

Yesterday I saw Man United win the 2^nd UCL final in my life. I did not believe it when they won it the first time. Neither did I believe it when they won it again yesterday.

I have been following United from my school days. Although United hadn’t won a major title post-’68, they were still rated as the most famous club in the world! They were famous as George Best (the only player – allegedly – whom Pele rated higher than himself) played at Old Trafford for 11 years. They became the first English club to win the UCL. They were the first English club to have three European Footballers of the Year (’64, ‘66’, ’68 – Law, Charlton, Best). They were the most well known brand in the world!

My friends (in the late eighties) used to support Tottenham (they were good those days), Everton (they won the league once in the eighties) and Liverpool (they towered with 10 titles between ’76 and ’90). Doordarshan did not use to telecast live European soccer matches. But we used to sometime capture live feeds from Bangladesh TV using something called abooster (can you believe it – soccer matches being telecast not in India but in BangladeshJ) and see them. I used to read paper clippings from The Telegraph (Calcutta) and find out about United’s performances.

United had their issues. They were reluctant to play non-British/non-Isles players and were focussed on playing the players of their academy. While Keegan, Platini, Rummenigge, Rossi, Matthaeus, Voller and Klinsmann dominated European club football, I kept on seeing United losing in crucial matches. There were times when I felt that I was let down by United. I lost my face to my friends at school (I used to study in a school run by Irish Catholics and was therefore privy to a lot of sports that dominated the Anglosphere). My friends (in the late eighties) used to support Tottenham (they were good those days), Everton (they won the league twice in the eighties) and Liverpool (they towered with 10 titles between ’76 and ’90). My friends jeered me about United and said that Best was passé and that United were not the best!

In the nineties, something changed. Despite losing a nail-biting season to Leads United in ’91-‘92, I saw United spark. Ferguson not only instilled a sense of belief in them but also strategically acquired Eric Cantona from Leads United. In ’92-‘93 (when I moved out of school) United won their first title after 26 years. Young guns such as Giggs, Scholes, the two Nevilles and Beckham fired. And Cantona ruled. I could not believe that they had finally won. I wished that my school friends were around!

Cantona mesmerised me (in his 5 years at United he won 4 EPLs and 2 FA Cups). I remember that on many occasions United used to win 1-0. A moment of brilliance from Cantona - and they used to go 1-0 up. And then they used to shut the opposition out. They became so good at this that they kept on winning EPLs with effortless ease! Except for Blackburn in ’95 and Arsenal in ’98 no one challenged them in the nineties. Cantona instilled a sense of self-belief in long-time United supporters such as myself. When Cantona left United in ’97, the year I joined Infosys, I was aghast and shocked. I felt that the definitely needed him to win the UCL (United had messed up against Dortmund in the UCL semis). But he had done the trick. Keane and company took over. United were the most famous and the richest club in the world for long. Now, they took a step towards becoming the best.

I saw United beat Munich in ‘99 (after trailing for 91 minutes) in injury time by virtue of goals from Sheringham (the blond bloke in the Ten Sports commentary Box yesterday) and Solkskjaer in the 91^st and 93^rd minute. I think that was one of most heart-breaking losses for any major team (even the ’70 World Cup semi-final between Italy and West Germany would pale to insignificance). Even after the match I failed to discern the truth from the make-believe. I could not believe that United had become the best in Europe.

Time passed by. I went out of the country for nearly 7 years and saw United lose two more titles to Arsenal in ’02 and ’04. And then the Abhramovic-powered Chelsea took over. They grabbed United by the scruff of their necks and hurled them to the corner of a boxing ring. Chelsea’s power and wealth dominated the proceedings. Suddenly, a club, that hadn’t had a title in 50 years, won two back-to-back EPLs and almost won the UCL twice. Football became demonic and clinical. I was scared. United kept on playing their youngsters and allowed Nistelrooy to leave. United did not even finish second! Chelsea’s stars outshone everyone. Truly, Mourinho was the special one. He delivered a style of football in which you won by playing with surgical precision and using the mind of a strategy consultant! Football became formula-based and a power-game. Maradona, Cruyff, Pele and Best would not survive in that mode of football.

But I did not see United changing their style of functioning. They could not match Chelsea and Arsenal in those two years. They relied on their academy-based players and kept on recruiting and targetting the English and Isles players. And they kept on losing! And I used to get easily frustrated with Ferguson’s tactics in those years. I felt that United could never stop the Chelsea juggernaut. Chelsea were richer and had better players. In short Chelsea had everything that United lacked. And funds were scarce at United as the Glazers performed a leveraged buy-out to take control. Like most United fans, I was shocked! But I kept on being optimistic. I hoped that Ferguson would deliver as he did so in the nineties. Keep the Faith – I told myself.

United played well - at times Ronaldo played with bewildering guile. At times, I detested him. But come ’07, United started pushing things. As their young team matured, they started calling the shots. I think that United believed for the first time that they could win the EPL despite Abrahamovic, Mourinho and the Chelsea superstars. I did not believe it myself. But I felt that United did. As they delivered the killing blow on Chelsea’s dreams by winning it in ’07 in Mourinho’s tenure, I was convinced about football again. And I realised that they would do well in Europe despite their injured team losing to Milan in the UCL semis.

United became confident. They played brilliantly at times and yet won matches even when they played ordinarily. I think that that is the hallmark of a great team. Of course Chelsea’s internal turmoil and uncanny focus on the UCL and Arsenal’s insistence on playing super-attractive soccer and failure to deliver in the finishing third superbly helped United’s cause! But I was reassured of something that became evident when United won the UCL yesterday.

You can still play with your heart and win in life. United did not win this season because of their tactics. They won it because of their heart. United may not win the UCL again in the coming 21 years. I don’t care. They may never break Liverpool’s record in the EPL or Madrid’s record in the UCL. It does not matter to me. My club is the best in the world again. But most importantly, they became so by not compromising on their tradition, philosophy, attitude or flair. In days of extreme depression, I felt that my club’s football lifted my spirits. In days of lost causes, a United victory helped me stave off the vagaries of life. At crucial moments of my life, my club helped me live. I hope supporters of all clubs have such sterling moments in their lives. My club inspired me to aspire for the extraordinary. My club taught me to be optimistic in the lowest ebbs of my life. My club told me that there was still hope for the regular Joe in the world. Yesterday, I became a bit hopeful about life again!

I love Manchester United. I salute Manchester United. I live for Manchester United.

- From a Manchester United supporter of more than twenty years! We are not blue-blooded. The colour of our blood is RED.

Great Article. Not all people would agree here. But a treat to all Manchester United Fans nevertheless...

!!!

P.S : Post forwarded by Prashant Sahu (Indeed a RED!!!)