I really didn't want to do this, but I must. Everton won the match 1-0. Here's my thoughts...
Everton were far and away the better team, especially in the midfield where Neville, Gibson, and Fellaini ran rampant on Man United's midfield and defense. Everton also made David De Gea work, peppering him with shots and free-kicks. Everton definitely exposed United's defensive midfield problems, and there was no question that they deserved to win this match.
Now on to United, and I'll start with the positives. Kagawa looked really good out there with his vision and his passing. I am really excited to see what he can really do in the following games. David De Gea was also very good as well, making some brilliant saves.
Now the negatives, United had a lot of possession but they didn't really do anything with it. It looked like watching Arsenal out there, with trying to walk the ball into the net and stuff. They didn't really test Tim Howard with shots, they just seemed content with knocking the ball around the outside of Everton's 18-yard box with no real tenacity.
Wayne Rooney had a terrible display today, though you can argue that he wasn't very match fit. I think that is a bit of an excuse. I'm sure Rooney will improve as the games happen. He can't be this bad for longer, can't he? Nani was also very poor, with his low point being his crossing, which was abysmal.
Man United's defense was also a bit shaky, but you would have to expect that if you only have two regular defenders starting in the match (Vidic and Evra). It doesn't help that Evans, Ferdinand, Jones and Smalling are all out injured, which left the defense a bit short. That meant that Carrick had to come in as cover as a center-back. He was sorely missed at the midfield. Valencia also had to go at RB as well, and he did an okay job.
I always thought that if United stayed relatively healthy, then they would be winning the league for sure. But with these injuries, especially in the back, I'm not so sure. This is not doom and gloom, but the performance from United today was a bit worrying. This is only the first game of the season though, and the performances will be better. Everton away is always a tough place to go and get points. 37 games left, let's go.
August 20, 2012
August 14, 2012
Random Thoughts 9: Cuba Stories, and Other Stuff
It has been a while since I actually did a “Random Thoughts”
post. If you’re not familiar with how this works, it is basically thoughts I
have that are too long to be tweeted on Twitter, and too short to be actually
made into a proper blog post. So I collect them into one single blog post. The
“Random Thoughts” blogs tend to be a lot more fun for me to write and tend to
be on the lighter side of things (though there are some occasional serious
thoughts as well).
Well, let’s get into it, and I will start with the Cuba
vacation I had not too long ago. I already talked about the hotel we stayed at,
but now I’ll talk about some of the experiences I had.
The very first time we went to the disco to drink and party,
we met some very interesting people there, including some Brits, and Cuban
locals. But the people who made the biggest impression on me that night were a
lesbian couple who were vigorously making out all over the dance floor.
Security tried to get these two girls to stop, but they kept going at it. One
of the girls wanted to make out with my cousin, but she flatly refused. The
final act the lesbian couple did that managed to get the disco shut down was
when they laid down on the bench and started having sex, right there, in the
view of everyone in the disco. Security came in and kicked out everyone, while
the drunken lesbian couple was arguing with security. Shit was going to go
down, so we left.
There was another time we had at the disco. We were chilling,
drinking and on the dance floor when this random girl took my drink and started
drinking it. Well, she was pretty hot, so we began to chat, while she kept
stealing my drink (drinks were free, by the way). Then when I asked her for a
dance, she blew me off! What a bitch! She has the audacity to steal two of my
drink, but she wouldn’t give me a wine? That’s straight disrespect.
I don’t think I have ever seen an actual ugly girl in Cuba.
All the local young girls (18-30) were amazingly fit, and very sexy. Would love
to take one home, but I don’t think the Cuban government would permit that.
Also, there are a lot of nice classic cars in Cuba as well.
At the resort, there would always be a small dog wandering
around. I resisted every part of my body to want to see how far I could kick
that dog.
Olympic Closing Ceremony Thoughts: I watched Austin Powers
instead. I have no regrets.
Last thought: I come from a family who loves to put pepper
sauce on everything. Not just on the food that would regularly need it, but on
regular food that people would never think of putting pepper sauce on, such as
pasta, and various breakfast items. Now, if you are someone who likes to put
pepper sauce on every food imaginable, then do you really know what good food
is? If you are cooking food, and you have to put loads of pepper sauce on your
already cooked food, then you are simply not a good cook. You can’t appreciate
the food for what it really is.
August 07, 2012
My Thoughts on the Canada-USA Match and Post-Game Reaction
If you all didn’t know by now, the United States pulled out
a 4-3 win in extra time in the semi-final of the Women’s soccer Olympic
Tournament from an Alex Morgan header in the last minute. I’ll spare you a full
tactical analysis because I personally find it boring and you can get that from
many media personalities and analysts. I’ll say this; Canada showed an
astounding amount of heart in that match and Christine Sinclair put in one of
the most memorable performances in recent memory in the women’s game. But all
too often, Canada easily gave away possession to the USA, and didn’t mark very
well, which showed in the USA’s 1st and 4th goals. I
would call the match pretty even between the USA and Canada.
Now on to the controversy, when the match was 3-2 for Canada,
the Canadian goalkeeper got called for the 6-second rule, and the USA got a
free-kick inside the 18-yard box. When that free-kick was taken, the ball
struck a Canadian player in the arm and a penalty was called, which Abby
Wambach scored to tie the game up. A lot of Canadian supporters were incensed
at those calls, as well as at other decisions the ref has made. Also, a lot of
Canadian supporters (and even some players) thought that there was “a fix” for
the Americans to win the match, because of the perceived bad decisions that the
referee has made.
Okay, my thoughts on the post-game reaction…
There was no “fix” in this match. I think that was nothing
more than emotion coming from the angry Canadian supporters. Don’t get me
wrong, the Canadian supporters have every right to feel angry from this match,
but to say that there was a “fix” for the USA to win is a bit rubbish. What exactly
will FIFA profit from this if there was actually a “fix”? TV Ratings? Money? I
really don’t know. To those Canadian supporters who continue to believe there
was a “fix,” I want to see some hard evidence of this. When I actually see it,
I’ll believe it, but until then, this match wasn’t actually a “fix”.
A lot of Canadian supporters are understandably upset at
some of the refereeing decisions made in this match, but it wasn’t like Canada
didn’t get away with tackles that the referee didn’t call, because they
certainly did. It seems like almost every single match, Canadian supporters
(and other fans of clubs and countries) are upset with the referee about
something. The referee isn’t likely to call a perfect match between two teams,
so then why do we demand perfection from the referees? Maybe it is because in
this time we live in, we get more and more access from soccer matches, such as
camera angles, crowd reactions, and interviews. Did the referee in that
Canada-USA match ref a bad game? That is debatable, but it seems like every
time a match is played, supporters get upset over something the ref calls or
hasn’t called.
For the 6-second rule that was called on the Canadian
goalkeeper, I have never seen that rule implemented in a match in all my years
of watching soccer, but no matter how obscure the rule is, it is still a rule
of the game that has to be observed. But there were also instances where the
USA goalkeeper Hope Solo held the ball for more than 6 seconds, but that is the
failure of the referee to spot, not because of some “fix”. As for the handball
call, the Canadian player clearly blocked the ball with her arm. That’s a
penalty, no debate. There are some people who attribute inexperience as to why the referee made those calls, but there has to be a time where a referee makes that step to reffing an important match such as this one, and for that Norwegian referee, that time was this match.
I even saw some tweets from actual Canadian players saying
basically that it “was already decided that the USA was going to win this game”
and that “FIFA should look over this match”. I thought those comments were a
bit classless and rather emotional, but once again; the players have every
right to feel angry about the outcome of the match. Some of the American players,
coaching staff, and supporters weren’t exactly graceful in victory, but I think
that pales in comparison to Canada’s “outrage”. This is merely a minor gripe.
Well, there is no use crying over spilt milk right? We can
talk about a “fix,” or bad refereeing decisions, but the only thing I will
remember from this match is that the Canadian Women’s Team played their hearts
out and gave their absolute everything. That is what I am proud of. Next is the
bronze medal match against France, and we need to give the ladies all our
support and will them on to a medal.
As for the events that happened against the USA, let’s put all
of this behind us, shall we?
August 02, 2012
Cuba - Special Shout-Outs
I want to use this blog post to send out a few shout-outs to those who have made my vacation in Cuba an enjoyable one. First, I would like to thank the resort staff of the RIU Varadero for making our stay at the resort as comfortable as possible. You men and women are a special bunch. Now onto my particular shout-outs...
Special thanks to our maid that cleaned our hotel room and bathroom every day. There are not too many people in this world who can do the job that you did. I hope you enjoy the hat we gave you, as well as all the other stuff too.
Special thanks to our Havana tour guide, who was very knowledgeable about Cuba and the City of Havana. I learned a lot from you about daily life in Cuba and the Cuban government. Also, the places you took us in Havana were really cool. For a history buff like me, being in Havana was an unforgettable experience.
Special thanks to our Varadero cab drivers who showed us around the town of Varadero and took us to the various shops in the town. I hope the lunch you had with us at the restaurant was good for you as it was for me.
Shout-out to the pianist at the piano bar, who played a song I requested, and it was beautiful. That song was "Hello" by Lionel Ritchie.
Shout-out to Waldo, the bartender at the lobby bar. Fun guy to be around, that's for sure.
Shout-out to Adrian, the bartender at the disco, who I'm convinced the only reason why this guy is around is to get me drunk. Haha, I'm kidding. You were top-notch. You also got some nice bartending skills.
Shout-out to the Welsh boys and the sexy British girls we hung out with at the disco, you guys were awesome.
Shout-out to the people we met from Brampton, y'all were fun to hang out with as well, and one of you guys is a Customs officer, who we ran into in Customs while coming back to Canada!
And finally, big shout-out to the people we met from Markham. We all gotta hang out again, that's for sure. Good times at the disco.
That's all I can remember...
August 01, 2012
Hotel RIU Varadero Review - Part 2
Beach
I was pleasantly surprised at how clean the beach was. There
are enough beach chairs and huts for everyone, and the water was a healthy
bluish color. There was also a bar nearby do you can do some drinking right by
the ocean. The beach was a little bit narrow from the ocean to the bushes, but
that is a minor gripe. The beach was very nice.
Rating 7/10
Pools
There’s the main pool, which is the busier of the pools.
There are always different shows going on and live music will play at the pool
sometimes. There is also a swim-up bar to get your drinks. It can get really
busy at the main pool and the swim-up bar sometimes, and if it gets to be a bit
too much for you, you can go to the relaxation pool. Always less people than
the main pool and offers a very tranquil atmosphere. It also has a swim-up bar
and a waterfall. I spent most of my time in the relaxation pool. It is one of
my favorite spots of the entire resort. There was also the Royal Section pool,
but we didn’t go to that. Overall, the pools were pretty good.
Rating: 7.5/10
Theater Shows
I went to see most of the theater shows while at the resort,
and I found myself bored at the majority of the shows. There were a couple
shows where I walked out before the show had even finished. Seriously, the only
show that was any good was the Michael Jackson show, so if there is only one show
you should go see in the theater, make it that one. As for the other shows,
they can be a bit better, and less boring.
Rating: 4.5/10
Disco
After the show ended, the disco would open for dancing. The
place itself is pretty okay, maybe a little bit small, but still okay. There
were some nights where a lot of people were at the disco, and other nights
where there wasn’t as many people. The absolute worst thing about the disco was
the DJ. The DJ played mostly latin music, mixed in with today’s popular club
jams, which was fine. But the music he played couldn’t get people on the dance
floor at all. Thankfully, the DJ was open to requests, so I requested some real
dancing music, and all was good. Oh, and did I mention he played the exact same
song twice, one before the other? Yeah, pretty crazy.
Rating: 5/10
Internet
You can purchase internet cards, 5 pesos for ½ hour, 10
pesos for 1 hour. The internet isn’t fast at all, but it wasn’t terribly slow
either. Also, one of the PCs wasn’t working, which left only two working PCs.
If you’re not stingy about hi-speed internet, then the internet in the resort
shouldn’t give you much trouble.
Rating: 5/10
Games Room
The games room offers billiards, ping pong, and various
board games. The ping pong paddles were half broken and the pool table only had
one cue stick, which was cracked at the tip. The games room is pretty garbage,
but at least it is something.
Rating: 3/10
Lobby Bar/Piano Bar
The lobby bar is the main bar in the resort, where people
can come relax and have a drink. The lobby bar can get really busy at times,
especially in the evening. The chairs to sit in were pretty uncomfortable, as
well. The piano bar always had someone playing in the evening time, but the
pianist always plays the same 2-3 songs. The most common song on the piano is
“Someone Like You” by Adele. I must have heard that song at least 15 times
during my stay. Overall, the lobby bar is a decent spot to chill at.
Rating: 5.5/10
Final Verdict
The newly-opened RIU Varadero has some nice pools, a
relaxing beach, and decent rooms, but the terrible food was the deal-breaker. I
would not come back to this hotel, and if I were to come back to Cuba, I would
look elsewhere. If you have a strong stomach and food is not an issue for you,
then take a chance on this resort. But for everyone else, see if you can find
something better. I also add that this all-inclusive resort was a bit on the
cheap side, and the saying of “you get what you pay for” rings true here. If
you can spend more money on a better all-inclusive resort, then don’t hesitate
to do it. RIU claims that this hotel is a Cuban 5-star resort. I disagree; this
was probably 3 and ½ stars, maybe 4 stars at best.
Final Rating: 5.5/10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)