Liverpool Asia Tour 2011 – Photos and Video of Training Session @ Malaysia

The day after Arsenal came and ran away with 4 goals against Malaysia, Liverpool FC hit town with their players making an appearance in Bukit Jalil to conduct their training in front of their fans. If I were to compare the two group of fans that turned up for both Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC, I would say there was more die hard Liverpool fans as 1/2 the stadium was filled with their fans instead of the 1/4 filled stadium during Arsenal FC’s training session.

The boys arrived into Malaysia at 4.30am and we can tell that they were visibly jet-lagged during the training. The coaching team was in a jovial mood though as I got to chat with them about their trip so far in Asia. I can’t really ask them about their experience in Malaysia so far as they just arrived in the morning and they have been busy with back to back press conference sessions. It’s also silly to ask them that question too even though I heard some one actually asking them that. 6 hours after they arrived, checked into their respective rooms and then PC time. Do you really need to ask that type of question? Really? Seriously? (more…)

Arsenal Asia Tour 2011 – Photos of the Malaysia vs Arsenal game

Arsenal came, had a go at the Malaysian National team, wooed the crowd and left. Did they achieve their goals? The marketing side of things, I believe so and I believe the same will happen with Liverpool and then Chelsea as these teams gets in one after another to win over the hearts of their fans and to win more fans. What about the match? As a football fan, I would say the match between Malaysia and Arsenal disappointed me.

Did I expect the match to be as boring as it was? No, I expected the Malaysia Tigers to give the Gunners a run for their money especially after their fantastic performance at the AFC Suzuki Cup recently and the Gunners wasn’t at their best either. That is not to say it’s not to be expected as this would be one of the first matches they played together after taking a month off since the end of last season but still, I definitely expected much more. (more…)

Arsenal Asia Tour 2011: Video of Post Match Press Conference by Datuk K. Rajagopal and Arsene Wenger

The Arsenal Asia Tour 2011‘s Malaysia leg is over and the match ended with Arsenal 4 – 0 Malaysia. Here’s the match highlight for those of you who missed it. Mind you this is from the angle where I was sitting so I can only capture those action that was happening in front of me.

Arsene Wenger and Datuk K. Rajagopal then sat down with the media for a Post Match Press Conference to talk about the match, about the teams and what to expect from the players in the coming matches. (more…)

Arsenal Asia Tour 2011 – Training @ Bukit Jalil – Photos and Video

I’m sure by now a lot of you would know that Arsenal is already in Malaysia as part of their Asia Tour 2011. On the day after their arrival, they’ve taken to the Bukit Jalil Stadium for an hour of training after being introduced to the crowd 1 by 1. The deafening roar of the fans was incredible, anyone walking out of the tunnel was greeted by loud cheering as that’s what I received when I walked out of the player’s tunnel to the field.

The Coaching staffs was the first to be introduced to the crowd and Arsene Wenger led his team to the field for a quick warm up and training plan before the players was introduced. Again, 1 by 1 the players made their way to the field and with each announcement, the fans cheered along. The loudest cheer I think went to the Mascot as it made it’s way around the field. Once the team was gathered on the field proper, they started off the training with a light warm up jog around the field. (more…)

EPL Confirms first batch of TV games!

As extracted from ESPN’s news site.

Now you can start planning your weekends as the first set of TV matches for the 2009-10 have been confirmed. ESPN will broadcast 46 live games in the United Kingdom this coming season.

ESPN’s first live match will see Everton play host to Arsenal at Goodison Park at 17.15 BST on August 15 with the Toffees looking to set out their stall as challengers for a place in the Champions League.

Lynne Frank, Managing Director for ESPN for Europe, Middle East, and Africa, said: “We’re clearly delighted to be able to broadcast 46 Barclays Premier League matches this season on ESPN.

“We will kick off our coverage with a clash between Everton and Arsenal, live on the new ESPN channel at 5.15pm on Saturday, August 15. ESPN’s coverage of the matches announced today will bring excitement, surprises and drama to football fans. We are pleased to be a part of the beautiful game, and look forward to delivering fans top quality coverage as the season unfolds.”

The full list of live games are as follows. Games on ESPN are shown in bold: (more…)