A Phenomenon called Ryan Giggs

:"This is embarrassing to say but I have cried twice in my life watching a football player; the first one was Roberto Baggio and the second was Ryan Giggs."
- Alessandro Del Piero

"Giggs is the detonator,the man who can make Manchester United explode"
- Jean Tigana

"When he's at the top of his game, there's not a team in the world that can handle Giggs' speed and penetration" - Alex Ferguson

 Many legends of the game have attributed a variety of praises to Ryan Giggs. The Football fraternity is proud of him. The Red Devils fan(like me) worship him. The Wannabe fans pretend to have heard of him. Wales is proud of him. Who is he? What is he? Why is he so famous?

The very same words (in the picture above) are in display in the stands of Old Trafford, a pilgrim site for the Manchester United(Not ManU) freaks.
In the last face off between Manchester United and Chelsea, that was no less than any thriller movie, there were solid performances from both sides. David de Degea  replied aptly to his critics with his over-the-top saves. Valencia proved once again why ManUnited had made no mistake signing him after Cristiano 'Cr7' Ronaldo's departure. Apart from Paul Scholes(who came out of retirement lately), there was one man who was at the helm of affairs in the United midfield. He was the evergreen Ryan Giggs. He  made deep runs often into the Chelsea penalty box and rotated the ball completely. Finally Chicharito scored a perfect equaliser that was befitting the pinch-perfect cross from Giggs. This made me wonder:-"In his late 30's he pisses off the other teams. So how was he in his early 20's?" I write a tribute to this Living Legend in the Red Devils camp.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quI_LkMj4HI

                     Born as Ryan Joseph Giggs in Cardiff, Wales on 29th November, 1973 , he started his youth career in Manchester City for a mere 2 years. After joining Manchester United he found his luck. This sensation was thrown in to the spotlight as early  as seventeen years and became the "Premier League's First Poster Boy" . He is one of "Fergie's Fledgelings", a group of young footballers trained and brought up under Alex Ferguson that consists of Paul Scoles, GAry Neville, Phil Neville, Eric Cantona etc.   The arrival of Eric Cantona and the rise of Ryan Giggs led to the dominance of the Red Devils over the Premier League table. 

                                   Off the pitch, newspapers claimed Giggs had "single-handedly revolutionised football's image" when he appeared as teenager "with pace to burn, a bramble patch of black hair bouncing around his puppy popstar face, and a dazzling, gluey relationship between his impossibly fleet left foot and a football". But Sir Alex Ferguson was too protective of him and did not allow him to be interviewed till the age of twenty. There was a TV show in his honour, "Ryan Giggs' Soccer Skills".
This was a new trend of setting footballers as idols since the days of George Best, who himself has cliamed ,
                                       "One day, they might even say I was another Ryan Giggs".
A famous image of his young days was during the FA Cup semi-final of 1999 against Arsenal where he ran bare bodied after whipping of his shirt. It was a well deserved goal and according to me it was as good as "The goal of the Century". He dribbled past the whole Arsenal defence with the elite names of Tony Adams, Micheal Keowan, Lee Dixon single-handedly and struck just under the left corner , leading the 10 man team to the FA Cup final.
                   

                        Even at the age of 38, he plays a pivotal role in the midfield. In the words of Fergie,
"Giggs is a very valuable player, he will be 35 this November but at 35, he can be United's key player. At 25, Ryan would shatter defenders with his run down the flank, but at 35, he will play deeper."
He has made and broken his own records. He personifies the notion of competing  and outclassing oneself.
He is the longest serving Manchester United player after Sir Bobby Charlton. Last season, he became the oldest person to score in a Champions League match. This year, he was awarded the 2011 Golden Foot Award. He is a part of Football League 100 Legends and the FIFA 100. Besides these there are various PFA Youth awards and other Player of the Year awards in his name. Only a Ballon d'Or  is missing from his closet.
                                                   His mere presence on the field sends shivers down the spine of the opponents though he  may not be as the same force as he was 10 years ago. His deadly crosses, penetration, assists and long distance strikes can ruin any opposition. This was evident in the lone Champions League goal by Wayne Rooney in that "BEAUTIFUL" match against Barcelona that they eventually lost. He has been a part of both the Champions League Wins under Fergie. ManUnited has ample potential in the wings as Ashley Young, Nani, Anton Valencia etc. But none can make up for him.
                                        Giggsy has recently been under media glare for an alleged extra-marital affair with Imogen Thomas and for allegations against him for sleeping with his sister-in-law. One small speck of dust cannot ruin the worth of a diamond. My respect for him knows no bounds. I have my own football jersey with the number 11. I guess his successor will have large shoes to fill and it may be a legendary number along the legendary Number 7 Jersey of  Manchester United.
                                                                   I pray and sincerely wish for him to continue as long as his faculties allow him. There is a rumour that he night be present in the management of Manchester United in the footsteps of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. After all, experience matters.
Recently his 38th birthday passed on 29th November, 2011. So Happy Birthday to you Sir, the Evergreen Ryan Giggs. We are thankful for whatever you have done for us in your lifetime.
                                                                                            

Sincerely, -A Red Devil Fan

                                   


                                                                                   

Martyrs of love.....BULLSHIT!!!!!

                                       A Common Thing For Cowards   
                                           "When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse
                                           Out of the corner of my eye
                                          I turned to look but it was gone
                                         I cannot put my finger on it now
                                        The child is grown the dream is gone
                                       I have become comfortably numb".....
                                        -Pink Floyd(Song:-Comfortably Numb)

                 A boy returns home from school. He drops his bag, shoes, socks here and there and enters his room. An hour later his mother is perplexed as the apple of her eye has not consumed a morsel of food. She enters his room and finds him hanging from the ceiling. A note on the table claims, "The love of my life has been claimed by someone else.My life has no purpose."
                Nowadays every unrequited Romeo slits his wrist for the doe-eyed Juliet and vice versa. Every depressed characters knows not how to make amends to the source of his sorrow. He jumps straight to the conclusion. This is primarily seen among the adolescants who, with their new found sexual maturity, thinks they understand the meaning of love, sex and relationship. All they know is what pleases the eye. Love is much more than that. It is a bond where one party acts in accordance to the welfare of the other.  The true essence of love has been masked by pictures of two young people stealing kisses and  making love. Love for country, love for parents, love for animals, love for school all go out of the window.
So many individuals have fallen into the snares of delusion and have taken their own lives citing "love".They are not heroes, they are not martyrs , they are petty cowards who cant face reality that the other party don't find their ugly face appealing.
                                                  All this must have compelled you to think that I have never loved. Yes it is true. I have only had attractions and infatuations. I have only dreamt of satisfying my lust. I am cold hearted. But I believe my life has a value and is not to be  thrown away. If any girl dumps me for another guy, I would smirk and make myself a man that one day she will ever be sorry that she ever left me. I would humiliate the other.But I would never torment myself. When we commit suicide for one relationship,we immediately denote our ingratefulness towards our parents, friends, peers who expect so much from us.
                   To all these "martyrs and soon to be martyrs", I would like to dedicate a song:-"You give love a Bad name" By Bon Jovi.
Many of my friends are in a relationship. I can say that some will last forever but most will stay as long as a mirage.
Rudyard Kipling had said........
"If you can walk with Kings, nor lose the common touch
  If any man count with you, but none too much...........
..........................You will be a Man, my son"
So think twice before you ever try such a cowardly deed. Maybe 30 years later, you will be rich, married, successful and laugh it off, these days of emotional tumult. You shall say as Bryan Adams croons..."Those were the best days of my life".

Hypocrisy......a thing of the past, present and the future

 

The Horrific Napalm Attack

               They proclaimed they represented the free world. They fooled us. They represented Communism as a threat to world peace and harmony and potrayed themselves as heroes.They fooled us. By providing for Pakistan they displayed their affection for the world. They fooled us. While Pakistan clung at USA heartily, another Islamic state was being drained of their rich oil reserves. That state was Iraq. The Vietnam War is a classic example where North Vietnam was airstruck by Nixon just because they refused to accept few terms of the Paris Peace Accord. With the excuse of finding the guilt for the 9/11 they destroyed the lives of thousands of Muslims all over the world. After their release from the Guantanamo Bay they still struggle to find their place in the outside world. And we call such a country the Global leader.

                      The fault lies not with USA alone. Hypocrisy and corruption go hand in hand in politics and the normal world. A classic example would be of a school captain uttering noble words in his Oath Of Office and later going against the very same solemn words with his nefarious activities. Thus it is inherent in each one of us. But there are few who tend to tone down the hypocrite in them and go the right way. They become role models later. 

                                In the entertainment world the "friendships and marriages" are as volatile as staircases of sand.  This whole wide world is filled with men of the character of Macbeth. Nothing can be done about that. Pakistan say" We do not support terrorism". Yet that son of a gun Osama bin Laden was found in a tall building , relaxed on his couch, in Pakistan. The above statement was as absurd as Hugh Hefner proclaiming true love for one girl. Strange.

                             This does not mean that I am perfect. But who am I to judge myself. It is upto people who know me. Sometimes hypocrites do end up at the receiving end of a kick on their asses.

The pig head thrown at Luis Figo

The most significant example would be of a great Portugese player called Luis Figo. People were in awe of his charisma when he proclaimed his love for the fans of Barcelona at Nou Camp. Days later we find him in the jersey of Real Madrid, following his greed for money. In the El Classico that followed suit, the infuriated fans had humiliated him infront of the whole world by throwing the head of a dead pig at him. 

                                              This list can go on and on. Neither do I  want to act as any Redeemer nor do I expect any change. Thus Hypocrisy is here to stay. It has been seen in the past. Looking at people such as A.Raja, Suresh Kalmadi, Kanimozhi I say it is still a matter of the present. It shall continue in the near future as long as the human race survives in this Good Old Earth.

                              

                                                          

The Degradation of the Cartoon Network

Scooby Doo. My virtual pet at eight years of age