MILAN, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Andriy Shevchenko failed at Chelsea because he was too used to being treated like a prince at AC Milan, according to his former coach Jose Mourinho.

continue...http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=566611&sec=europe&cc=4716

he may be right, but er......can he at least focus on his task at hand at inter? keep harping on chelsea indicates that he's still sore about his premature demise there.

coach liu was quoted as that he rather have a 2nd place(w) and 16th place(m) finish rather than a 4th/4th for the men and women's team as a justification to focus on the women and`ignore' the men's team.

a. that kind of comment is not befitting a head coach. as a leader, your job is to ensure an inclusive and impartial treatment for all. imagine lhl tell the `o' level folks, "sorry laggards, my priority is the grads. you can die for all you want".

b. the individual match started after the team event. singapore has already `won' silver, so what is he talking about? the flow of event is flawed based on his explanation.

c. if singapore is a ping pong powerhouse, shouldn't it have enough coaches and resources to go to beijing? again, due to a sickness, the system broke down. i find it hard to believe.

he is just giving excuses.

Originally posted by SBS7484P:

beck?? ham?

no, not beckham but that loser, beck hansen...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beck

loser by beck

*i noe beck not HM, but alternative, can?

Originally posted by skythewood:

that's an interesting number

u see pap

i see iron maiden

Originally posted by sgdiehard:

It is very sad that we should link every damn thing to "something more tangible". I hope this is not typical Singaporean, and

why spite yourself again? you did raise a good point.

pls tell snoc and ssc to remove the `tangible' part, and see if your heroines, jiawei and companies will continue to wear the flag on their hearts.

lol.

Originally posted by sgdiehard:

This I agree. if not Indonesia and India would be harvesting medals. But at the same time, this is a clear demonstration of the "software" that is necessary for training world class sportsman and woman.

Now we know Singapore has the software to train good sportswoman to world standard, that is clearly demonstrated when we see our lady paddlers receiving the silver medals at the olympic. The IOC recognised our standard, they din't say anything about quick fix or local born.

i think you forgot the word `imported' somewhere in your reply.

double post.

Originally posted by sgdiehard:

 

apologies - double post....

Originally posted by sgdiehard:

Of course we don't break rules, but whose rules? we send our representatives according to the rules, if IOC and other world organisations accepted our players as representives of our country, we don't have to follow any rules by some self righteous idiots on who are qualified to represent Singapore. An olympic silver medal is a silver medal, on it nothing is said about quick fix or local born. Hope this is clear enough.

Well, well, talking about "something more tangible". very sad lah, Tao Li is not entitled to anything tangible for this olympic, if anything were to be given to her it is for training her for better future for Singapore. But she is happy because she set new Singapore record, her own best timing, and is the first Singaporean to swim in the final of an olympic event, and we rejoice with her. It is not something more "tangible" that she is receiving.

I am sure Junie Sng didn't put in all her effort to swim for whatever tangible rewards Patricia Chan had received, and Joceslin Yeo certainly was not swimming to achieve anything tangible that is better than what Junie had, and what was Ang Peng Siong swimming for, something more tangible? Or are you saying that they could had done better if the government had provided "something more tangible"? Dont insult our atheletes!

Did Jamaica have "something more tangible" for their atheletes?

It is very sad that we should link every damn thing to "something more tangible". I hope this is not typical Singaporean, and NUS graduates would not want to be associated with such attitude. It is sad that you blame the government for not doing enough but ridicule singapore for being a nanny state. you forgot that it is your mom who gave birth to you, not your nanny. May be its time to put your mom's photo on the wall.

your selective reading prowess is astounding!

i admit i cannot keep up discussing with you with your tangent replies. i could rebut you point by point but obviously it is not going to do any good becos obviously you didn't get it.

however, i will touch on the `tangible' part. this refers to rewarding howe liang specifically for his olympic silver. reward for performance. if peng siong wins an olympic medal, then i think he deserves it. however, all of them that you mentioned did not win anything at the olympic level. and it has nothing to do with what the preceding athlete has achieved. so, your reply is completely out of context and incomprehensible. and i doubt it is deliberate on your part. it is just you. 

as for the rest, i leave it to you basking your glory with your warp views. i can tell you are at your very best when it comes to fitting a square peg in a round hole.

btw, i treat my mum way better, judging by your ineptitude reply.

method man,

radioactive...........................both by wu-tang clan

~ol' dirty bastard lives ~

Originally posted by eagle:

 

Just because engineering jobs have little future in Singapore (at least to me) doesn't mean we can't explore alternatives.

u shld give it(engineering) more time....i have a colleague, first class honors as well, double e, nus; after a couple of job change, now doing forecasting job in my company. a real bright guy.

i have always thot that it is absolute talent wasted. i am a lesser being compared to him in terms of his academic and brain prowess, but contributing more.

he shld have persevered.... 

it is close enuf for ronaldo.....no u, the city will do.

curiously, how will thaksin pay for it, given that all temasek's money is tied up in the kingdom.

2 things we find out from this:

1. buck teeth sucks. it won't always get the girls even if you got million$ and 2 deft feet.

2. now we know why brazil didn't make it all the way.

wayang...tt's why paper published...

permatang pauh today, putrajaya tomorrow!

dr m, get ready your passport.

Originally posted by lionnoisy:

We are not just look at dollar and cents.But we dunt want to be another

Hong Kong or other countries !!

178cm short meh?

anwar can make a political comeback and chee don't stand a chance.

Originally posted by sgdiehard:

Unlike some other sports in some other countries, the paddlers of Singapore only showed their potential, but have not achieved anything internationally before they came to Singapore. There is no certificate of warranty that they will succeed and win.

What really is important is that we have the facility, the coach, the program and most importantly, the environment to allow them to develop further their potential. That is why the credit is not to the athelete alone.

Imagine we buy in a marathon runner, he will have to practice alone all the time. hahaha...

Can we produce atheletes for export? we are too small, too few people to choose from, and we don't have the tradition to select and train good sport. Indonesia has the tradition (including the coach, the environment..) to come out with good badminton players, Malaysia is also very good. We are good in swimming, but we need to bring the standard to new height.

Well, Rome is not built in one day, but we must have the dream, and the confidence.

again, sports exellence has nothing to do with size of population.

it is the system and the `software' that makes the difference, amongst others.

jamaica has a population of just under 3m. how do you explain their recent success?

what about croatia? 4.4m and a soccer powerhouse.

Originally posted by sgdiehard:

your mind is prejudiced with the little you know. anything else you don't agree means nothing to you. Typical.

1. Singapore 'bo hiu' sports in the past and only 'hiu' since 8 years ago?

Singapore's focus on sport was mainly in soccer, swimming, and probably water polo... because of what we could do in Seap games, SEA games, then Asian games, these were where we could compete a little. we had great atheletes like Patricia Chan, Junie Sng, Joceslin Yeo, Ang Peng Siong. Never had the standard to talk about Olympic. Tan How Liang's photo is on the wall of Singapore Sport Council, the Weight Lifting Association... what you don't see doesn't mean they never exist. you live in Singapore all these while? probably too young to know, or simply never hiu? I don't care if you are in any sports or just play computer games, with your kind of attitude towards sports and sportsmen, it is no wonder singapore sports could go far in the past.

2. We follow International Olympic Committee rulings, and other international bodies on who are qualified to represent us in such international meets. and we are only interested in their games and their rulings.

You can set your own ruling and play with yourself.

We never miss people like you in our celebration.

ahh......such graceful reply...

1. i am not denying that we have good athletes. i am saying that it is not the gahmen's policy to promote sports excellence until recently. there is distinct difference between the 2. do you even know when you type this reply? we win waterpolo in sea, so what (with due respect to the w/polo team)? outside of sea, we are minnows. duh, put photos of athletes in ssc office means something? how about something more tangible? i hope at least you got a photo of your mum in at your home. it sure means something to you. but your mum might be slighted becos maybe that's all you do, nothing much else.

have you spoken to these athletes in person to ask them what kind of support they get as they pursue their dreams? i have, including some of the luminaries you named above. 

2. again, i am not saying we broke the rules to win. so, what's your point, really? write just for the sake of writing?

Originally posted by Rednano:

Temasek Holdings turns in record profits of S$18b last year
By Timothy Ouyang, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 26 August 2008 1308 hrs 
    
  

SINGAPORE: Temasek Holdings posted record profits of S$18 billion in 2007, double that of the year before.

The company's S$10-billion net investments outside of Asia last year exceeded the S$5-billion invested in Asia for the first time in Temasek's history.

Temasek's portfolio grew to S$185 billion - an increase of 13 per cent from S$164 billion previously. This includes a S$10 billion injection by the Singapore government.

Its portfolio exposure to Singapore also fell for the first time from S$62 billion to S$60 billion partly due to the sale of Tuas Power.

Singapore continued to account for a smaller part of its growing portfolio - 33 per cent last year, as compared to 38 per cent in 2006 and 44 per cent in 2005.

Temasek said on Tuesday it believes financial services will perform well in the future. The sector is the largest segment of its portfolio, accounting for 40 per cent currently.

Total shareholder returns by market value in 2007 was seven per cent, on the back of lower marked-to-market gains due to market uncertainties.

Going forward, Temasek said the volatility in global financial markets will remain high and stay at elevated levels for the near future.

But the imbalances will create investment opportunities.

When asked about its high exposure to volatile markets, Temasek said it still sees strong fundamental value in the United States and Britain.

It added that it is not distracted by short term dislocations in the financial market and continues to be focused on being a long term investor.

It also sees investment opportunities in Latin America and Mexico, but declined comment as to whether it has plans to invest in Lehman Brothers.

wow, definitely looking like it is getting serious again....

Originally posted by xtreyier:

I had always enjoyed TOC's articles now and then when i want some off-beat amusements. It's articles are filled with fantasizes and delusions akin to UK tabloids of elvis sightings, UFOs, alien abduction and the what nots.

But the latest article on the MP Lee sarga irks me much in their deluded attempts to portray themselves as serious alternative voices, which every serious alternative political parties and supporters should avoid and distance themselves away from. In their hate for the ruling party, they had allow that hatred to consume them and forgotten what alternative views are about - the Nation, our country.

To spare all reading the delusional diatribe from TOC, here's a summary of what that article posted  on Page 3 is all about:-

a.)  MP Lee BW has no integrity nor any accountability

b.)  MP Lee BW had been high-handed in her approach.

 

In their hatred of the ruling party, they once again as often, ignored facts.

a.) Gao Ning battled ALONE a 'so-called' mediocre opponent whom won.

b.) Out of 5 coaches. not even 1 was present for a running match to provide analysis and support, at an Olympic level and not a friendly neighbourhood competition.

 

I am a neutral political person, take no sides, but I certainly would and had made a stand on MP Lee's decisions. I am glad she stood up for our player, wearing our flag, first as a citizen, then the President of the player's association, and finally, an accountable public figure as an MP.

She had shown her courage and mettle, to stand up for the common guy represented by the player under her charge, and based on irrefutable facts of negligence under public eyes, to chastisize those responsible for the unforgivable negligence.

She did it without a care or wit who it was, what they had contributed, without fear or favour, or hiding anything. as should we all, being a nation of equals, proves her integrity to her oath as an MP.

That she decided to let the matter rest, shows her accountability as the President of her Association. She had that power as a President to hire and fire, and rather than to hang the team manager in public, the response was the manager would not have his contract renewed, but allowed to reapply again, under the responsibility of the new CEO. Her compassion showed.

 Thus TOC had been blind to call her actions high handed. A wrong had been committed and her response was swift. To call her high handed would mean TOC, supposedly an alternative voice,is advocating making decisions behind close doors. kissing butts, sweeping mistakes under the carpet. This is not democracy. This is worse than N.Korean authoritarian methods.

The writer ought to be sacked for advocating such means.

I for one, am glad there are people like MP Lee BW around, without fear and favour to denounce what is so obviously wrong and clear cut. 

We want medals and success, but we will not compromise our principles for it. We may fudge a little, for it is not written on stone, with the concepts, but it's core remains, had done so and been guided by this doctrine for the past 43 years, from nothing to something of today. 

 

 

 

what's TOC? sorry, i am still `asleep'...

Originally posted by sgdiehard:

Well, depends to whom you give the glory for the medal. Singapore worked for 48 years, STTA have been working for don't know how many years, then come this Silver medal. and the players, come here one year and get silver medal in olympics, they must be good, but even they don't take the whole credit for themselves.

Yes, some of the players are new in our team, but they have taken the decision to fulfil the dream even to the extent of migrating to the country who accept their dream. They have gone a long way in fulfilling their dream. Many players work their whole life but win nothing, guess they had wasted their time lah... this is not sporting spirit.

Tiger Woods started playing golf at 2 yrs old, Michael Phelps started swimming at 7...what they went through, lost time for social life, studies, vigourous training, overcoming injuries....if they don't make it, you won't know they exist. Now you know there is a Li Jia Wei, Feng Tian Wei, Wang Yue Gu, and Tan Hao Liang, at least in Singapore.

Somebody wrote in the papers today, "In olympic, big countries look for results, small countries value their participation; The real Olympic spirit values involvement more than winning medals; in life, how you live your life matters more than what you achieve." and being involved is more than just going there, join in the opening and closing ceremony .

The singapore table tennis team, the STTA have shown Singaporean that we have the facilities, we have the world standard training, world class coaches and everything you need to be a world class table tennis players, are singaporean inspired, motivated, enough to do your own part for the game, especially those true blue Singaporean, born in Singapore? If somebody can do it with just one year as Singaporean, what more can you do, having born and grow up in Singapore?  

If these people can't, then they can argue against FT, call it fake medals, blah blah blah, until their face turned green, nobody will remember who they are, true blue singaporean with green face, hahaha.

In the mean time, the three paddlers will be remembered, together with Tan Hao Liang, as Singapore's olympic medalists, in the new history of Singapore, and Singaporean, born here or otherwise, will continue to rejoice with them. 

you write much but says little.

1. "singapore worked for 48yrs to get a olympic medal". you claim to be living in singapore all these while? singapore, until is last 8 years or so, literally `bo hiu' sports. the  "sports for all" motto  says it all.

2. "Many players work their whole life but win nothing, guess they had wasted their time lah... this is not sporting spirit." with this kind of comment, i take it that you don't do sports at all. that much is revealed about you.

3. players train their whole life. you write it well. singapore got them over, at least the 2 of them, and in less than 12 months, claim credit for its success. that goes against what you said. this is a (BIG) loophole in the rules. the international table tennis association should at least impose a 12months stay period for eligibility. singapore did well to spot this loophole.

4. correction, tan howe liang is remembered only once every 4 years.

rogue trader, jordan belfort once wrote something to this effect, " when i first cross the line (committed the crime), i was a little vary of it. but after a while, i was so far out from the line that my instinct tells me to heck it and go all the way". btw, jordon got caught; wrote an amazingly funny, tell all book called the "wolf of wall street". singapore is in a similar predicament. it cross the line (though not illegally) by getting all foreigners, 2 of which are literally newly minted citizens to help her win an olympic silver. after a while, these sports policy maker will think that it is not so bad at all, since glories is what is the end state. when the mojority of singapore sports then start to rain in the medals, all but using foreigners, then singapore will be numbed to all these `quick fixes'. personally, i won't celebrate such success.