The Original Postman

Question of the Week (Who should replace Fergie?)

2008-05-26T23:23:00.001+08:00

THE search is on for Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor.
The Manchester United manager dropped a bombshell after the Champions League triumph last week by announcing that he will step down in the next three years.
The 66-year-old Scot said: “I won’t be managing here any more than three years at the very, very most. Without question. I assure you of that.”
It will be an uphill task for the Red Devils to replace the most successful manager in the history of the English game: Fergie has won 22 major trophies during his 22-year reign at Old Trafford.
Who should replace him? So far, a few names have been bandied about.
His No. 2 Carlos Queiroz is the frontrunner for the Man United hotseat if the words of the club’s chief executive David Gill are to be believed.
Gill said: “We have an assistant manager in Carlos Queiroz who will be very much in the frame.
“He’s clearly a key part of our success. If you look at what Liverpool achieved in their very successful years during the 70s and 80s, that was through internal appointments.”
Also in the running are Man United old boys Steve Bruce, Mark Hughes and Roy Keane.
Bruce’s tactical nous was evident during his spell with Birmingham City and now Wigan, while Hughes has established a reputation for himself at Blackburn Rovers.
Not to mention he is a former coach of the Welsh national team.
Not many were convinced of Keane’s managerial ability until he took over at Sunderland, where he guided the Black Cats to promotion two seasons ago and then helped them stave off relegation in the Premiership last season.
The trio aside, there will be no lack of applicants for arguably the hottest managerial job in the world.
Who knows, maybe in three years’ time, we will see a Portuguese at the helm at Old Trafford.
By that, I’m referring to Jose Mourinho, and not Queiroz.
The Postman’s Question of the Week is: Who is the best man to replace Ferguson, and give the reasons why you choose him to be the next manager of Man United.
The word limit is 200 words and the deadline is 4pm on Wednesday.
The Letter of the Week wins a Philips digital portable media player worth $199.
The spread of chosen letters will be published in The New Paper on Friday.
We will also be selecting the Postman’s Male and Female Writers of the Year for the 2007/2008 season.
The Writer of the Month of May, who consistently responds to the Question of the Week and the Weekend Questions, wins a Philips Arcitec Shaver set worth $499.
The New Paper’s Postman blog site is currently undergoing reconstruction, so give your instant views to the temporary blog at http://post-man.blogspot.com/ (there’s a word counter there).
Alternatively, you can e-mail The New Paper’s Sports Desk at npsports@sph.com.sg under the title “Dear Postman”.
E-mailers and bloggers, please e-mail separately your full name (and blogging nickname if applicable), age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, to be considered for prizes and publication of views.

Cheers
Lim Han Ming
The TNPPostman

Question of The Week (Name Champs League Dream XI)

2008-05-19T21:36:00.005+08:00

IT started with 32 teams with one common mission – to become the "Kings of Europe."
After months of pulsating competition, there are only two teams left standing – Manchester United and Chelsea.
The two English giants will battle it out in the first all-English Champions League Final in Moscow on Wednesday (Thursday morning, Singapore time).
Some of the world’s best footballers will be in action, but they are not the only ones who have caught our imagination this season.
This week, The New Paper Postman wants you to take a look at the Champions League as
a whole.
Which player has impressed you this season?
If one were to pick a Champions League ‘dream team’, the starting 11 will no doubt feature the star players from the two finalists.
But there are others who have made their mark in Europe this season.
Some of the names that come to mind are Lyon’s Karim Benzema, Fenerbahce’s Deivid, Sevilla’s Daniel Alves and not forgeting the irrepressible Lionel Messi of Barcelona fame.
The Postman’s Question of the Week is: Name your Champions League best XI this season, and tell us why you choose each player (in one short paragraph each) to be included in the Champions League dream team.
The word limit is 200 words and the deadline is 4pm on Thursday.
LETTER OF THE WEEK
The Letter of the Week wins a Philips MP3-CD Micro Hifi worth $212.
The spread of chosen letters will be published in The New Paper on Saturday.
We will also be selecting the Postman’s Male and Female Writers of the Year for the 2007/2008 season.
The Writer of the Month of May, who consistently responds to the Question of the Week and the Weekend Questions, wins a Philips Arcitec Shaver set worth $499.

The New Paper’s Postman blog site is currently undergoing reconstruction, so give your instant views to the temporary blog at http://post-man.blogspot.com/ (there’s a word counter here).
Alternatively, you can e-mail The New Paper’s Sports Desk at npsports@sph.com.sg under the title “Dear Postman”.
E-mailers and bloggers, please e-mail separately your full name (and blogging nickname if applicable), age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, to be considered for prizes and publication of views.

Cheers
Lim Han Ming
The New Paper Postman

Question of the Week (Liverpool lacks real class?)

2007-05-24T22:12:00.000+08:00

Welcome back,

With the majority of football fans in Singapore being Liverpool fans, it's no wonder there was dead silence in the heartlands on Thursday morning after Milan beat the Reds in the Champions League final.

But the disgruntled moanings can still be heard, despite all the post-match analyses in the media yesterday. Milan were lucky. Liverpool were unlucky. The Italians are always lucky...and the English always unlucky.

Why did Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez field the hopeless Boudewijn Zenden from the start, they asked? But wasn't he useful in the stages leading up to the final?

Why leave Peter Crouch on the bench? Why start with Dirk Kuyt?

But honestly, did you really curse and swear to yourself (especially if you were a Liverpool fan) when the lineup was announced for the final?

Did you think a horrible crime had been committed, when Peter Crouch and Craig Bellamy had been left out? Or even that Steven Gerrard was put in a free role behind Kuyt?

Benitez's actual lineup was, after all, pretty much what the English media had predicted. Television commentators went on saying how Kuyt was in fact, the best man for that kind of job. But when things went wrong, oh... how they wondered.

The New Paper's Stanley Ho, says on Page 66 in today's (Friday 25 May) edition, that the real truth is that Milan were really a class apart.

So what if this Liverpool team was widely seen by the English as the better team all round, compared to the 2005 team that beat Milan in the final? Liverpool's vintage could never compare with Milan's. You know what they say about wine.

Benitez said after the game: "When you look at the champions Manchester United spending £20m ($60m) on a midfield player, and we have been paying only £8m to £9m for our strikers, you know what must be done."

Therefore, the Postman's Question of the Week: Do you agree that Liverpool lacks real class, and should Benitez spend big, following the Real Madrid or Chelsea way, or go with the cheaper but shrewd Arsenal buying way?
Consider too, if real class can be bought overnight.

Answer in not more than 200 words, by 3pm on Monday, and the usual spread of letters will be carried on Tuesday, in The New Paper.

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my poll here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman" (by clicking the link on the right).

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers and bloggers, you all should e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, to be considered for the last round of Adidas prizes for May)

Instant Post-Champs League Final Comments

2007-05-23T14:07:00.000+08:00

Dear readers,

Tomorrow morning, who will prevail? Milan or Liverpool again?

Straight after the live telecast, we would like to know your post-match opinion and feelings, so we can publish them in the paper that you'll buy from 11am onwards.

The Postman's special Mid-week Question: What was the outstanding highlight of tonight's match for you?

There's a 100-word limit. Answer by 6am after the game.

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Champs League Final" (by clicking the link on the right).

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers and bloggers, you all should e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, to have your comments published)

Technical glitch

2007-05-19T07:40:00.000+08:00

Hi, due to some technical issues, readers have been unable to post their comments for the most recent Question Of The Week below. We've fixed it, so you can go ahead now, sorry for the downtime!

Question of the Week (How to stop Kaka?)

2007-05-18T19:18:00.000+08:00

Welcome back folks!

Kaka was one of the biggest reasons why Manchester United lost to AC Milan in the semi-finals of the Champions League. In the second leg, John O'Shea was reportedly assigned to shadow him. Instead, he was left chasing shadows on the pitch.

On that rainy night in Milan, Kaka drifted left and right, and cleverly evaded the attentions of Man United's defensive midfielder Michael Carrick. Even Paul Scholes didn't know what to do with him when he came within close range. Nemanja Vidic and Wes Brown were torn between having to stay back in central defence and roaming up to close down Kaka (right) as their team-mates became confused.

In other words, chaos ruled in Man United's ranks as Kaka romped over them. Very soon, it will be Liverpool's turn to face Kaka and Milan in the Champions League final.

The Postman's Question of the Week: If you were Liverpool's manager Rafael Benitez - who's known for his tactical supremacy in Europe - how would you stop Kaka, by using the players you have at your disposal?

Answer in not more than 200 words, by 3pm on Monday, and the usual spread of letters will be carried on Tuesday, in The New Paper.

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my poll here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman" (by clicking the link on the right).

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers and bloggers, you all should e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, so you can be selected as prize winners or have your letters published.)

Question of the Week (EPL as Movie/Song/Poem)

2007-05-10T18:40:00.000+08:00

Welcome back all,

There is one more round of matches to be played before the curtains come down on the 2006/2007 English Premier League season. What an exhilarating ride it has been. Manchester United once again reigned in England after winning their ninth Premiership title.

Despite their big-spending ways, Chelsea could end up with only the Carling Cup if they fall to Man United in the FA Cup final. A Champions League final awaits Liverpool in Athens. Looking back, what caught your attention the most?

Was it the love-hate relationship between Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and his club owner Roman Abramovich? Or was it West Ham’s signing of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano? What about Craig Bellamy’s golf club swing on John Arne Riise or Joey Barton’s savage attack on his teammate Ousmane Dabo?

Throughout the season, all of you had your say on some serious football issues. The time has come for you to let your hair down and have some fun.

Let your imagination run wild.

Let your creative juices flow.

Hence, The Postman’s Question of the Week is: In your own creative ways, summarise the 2006/2007 Premiership season.

You can do it as a poem, as a movie script or even as a song.

Let your imagination run free and impress us with your creativity. To quote an example, The New Paper paid tribute to Man United after their 7-1 drubbing of Roma in the Champions League on its back page that morning with reworked lyrics of Don McLean's song "Vincent".

Along that line of thought, we are inviting our readers to put on your thinking caps and tell us what you think of this Premiership season.

Answer in not more than 200 words, by 3pm on Monday, and the usual spread of letters will be carried on Tuesday, in The New Paper.

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my poll here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman" (by clicking the link on the right).

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers and bloggers, you all should e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, so you can be selected as prize winners or have your letters published.)

Question of the Week (Rafa Best of the Big 4 Bosses?)

2007-05-04T19:53:00.000+08:00

Welcome back,

The search for the Holy Grail of club football is nearing its end in the form of the Champions League. Two teams are now left standing as they prepare to do battle on 23 May.

England's Liverpool and Italy's Milan. The vanquished are England's Manchester United - who were taught a footballing lesson by Milan in midweek - and Chelsea, who were pipped by Liverpool in a penalty shootout.

The Champions League boasts a wider spectrum of philosophies and styles across the European continent. Is that more of a test for managers, rather than the somewhat predictable nature of domestic leagues?

This year, Liverpool face Milan again, a repeat of the 2005 final. Rafael Benitez, the Spaniard whom they are now calling the master of tinkering, manages Liverpool.
Arsene Wenger, the shrewd Frenchman, manages Arsenal. For Benitez, that's two Champions League final appearances in three years.
But Chelsea's Jose Mourinho looks down on him for failing to win the EPL in England.
Ferguson is still seen in some quarters as being rather lucky in that 1999 final against Bayern Munich, when they were outshone for most of the match but scored two late goals for a dramatic win.

That's football, most will say.

But the Postman's Question of the Week: Using the Champions League's broader stage as a platform, is Liverpool's Rafael Benitez actually the most tactically nifty, and therefore, the "best" manager among the Big Four (Ferguson, Mourinho and Wenger) in England?

Answer in not more than 200 words, by 3pm on Monday, and the usual spread of letters will be carried on Tuesday, in The New Paper.

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my poll here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman" (by clicking the link on the right).

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers and bloggers, you all should e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, so you can be selected as prize winners or have your letters published.)
Pablo, I've replied to your last post. See the previous archive.

Champs League rumblings

2007-05-02T23:10:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

Chew Jia Hao, yes, we've checked and there was a slight oversight in the records.

But I'm reminding all bloggers. Please do us a favour. Don't expect us to remember everyone here and trawl through the records (of hundreds of names) to figure if Mani-Kam Mani-Go is V. Sundramoorthy, and so on.

Each time you post, and want your letters to be considered as publishable material, it's only common courtesy to e-mail us your particulars. (Do not leave your phone numbers here or you might get unwanted calls).
Very few people except Phua Tzai Wei and Ashvin and a few others follow the guidelines all the time. For next season, we'll figure out better mechanics but for now, please follow our guidelines.

Q-S, each time you step on your own foot, you're falling 10km behind the rest. Like I said, get over it. Just because something happened to you, doesn't mean you should wish it for people like Haley. Again, get over it now.

As for the rest, it's time to reflect on the Champs League results, once the outcome of the Milan-Man U game is known...

200 words please in each post. No one wants to scroll till their wrists hurt. For a visual guide, scrolling twice thru each post equals "enough already".

Cheers,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Question of the Week (Europe's Young Guns)

2007-04-26T07:56:00.000+08:00

Dear readers,

Next Tuesday is Labour Day, so we want you to answer The Postman's Question of the Week early, by 3pm this Saturday. Take part in our poll too below...

Many of you have always asked for a bit more variety in The Postman's series when it comes to football in Europe. And since it's the semi-final period of the Champions League, it's the perfect chance to raise the debate with three players currently dominating the headlines.

The two obvious ones are Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo and Milan's Kaka.
Of course, Ronaldo's team-mate Wayne Rooney stole the limelight on Tuesday when his two goals gave Man U a dramatic 3-2 win over Milan in the first leg of their semi-final.

Now, may we add another. Although his team has been knocked out of the Champions League, Barcelona's Lionel Messi stunned the footballing world last week with a goal that reminded many fans of Diego Maradona's stunning solo run and goal against England in the 1986 World Cup.

Barcelona was playing Getafe in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, and Messi was in nearly the same spot as Maradona when he received the ball around the halfway line.

The Argentinian left-legged wizard showed amazing trickery and a burst of pace to get past two Getafe players first. He then sprinted with the ball magnetised by his feet, dribbled past another two defenders on the edge of the box, before rounding the goalkeeper and nudging the ball over a sliding defender into goal, from an angle. Six players in all, he had beaten.

Type the words "Lionel Messi" and "Getafe" in YouTube on the Internet, and hold your breath.

It brought inevitable comparisons to Maradona’s legendary goal.
"It's true that it is like Maradona's classic, but I think Messi ran even faster," Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard said after.

Kaka is 25, while Ronaldo and Rooney are 22 this year. At 20, Messi is the youngest of this promising quartet spread out across three of Europe's top leagues in England, Spain and Italy.

The Postman's Question of the Week: Who (among Ronaldo, Kaka, Rooney and Messi) do you think can be the world's greatest player, and why?

Answer in not more than 200 words, by 3pm this Saturday, and the usual spread of letters will be carried on Tuesday, in The New Paper.

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my poll here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman" (by clicking the link on the right).

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers and bloggers, you all should e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, so you can be selected as prize winners or have your letters published.)

Question of the Week (Chelsea's dynasty cumble?)

2007-04-19T21:01:00.000+08:00

Welcome back,

I'm in St Petersburg, Florida for a journalism seminar. Ben & Jerry's had a Free Cone Day here, so everyone who lined up bet 9am and 8pm, could get a free cone. Do we have that in S'pore???

Checked out the Tampa Bay Devil Rays baseball team at a game, and btw, when you walk in their stadiums, you can't go two metres without having a food or snack or drinks stand on either side. They sure love their food here! (Check out some pics above)

Before I go on, thanks to all regulars here, guests fm overseas like Iain, and even newbies like Gerry etc. Welcome Adhie too, from Indonesia, sorry...we are Asean champions again! I'll be in touch soon.

To people like Samuel, glad you liked the opinion I had written about on Curly Ronaldo last weekend. It was on the spur and in 30mins, once the news broke.

To others who have posted regarding q-s, thanks for the concern, but again, my wish is not to ban people from here. We appreciate all of them for being avid readers of The New Paper.

Q-S, you actually make some sense when you write posts that concern football. Well, that's how you won previously. It's just when you ramble on about other things that you go way off tangent. Not to mention your unnecessary rants at others. And to be fair to others, that keeps us from considering your letter highlights. I hope you get the drift here...and get over it quickly.

But back to the Question of the Week now.

The Champions League resumes in a few days with the first-leg games of the semi-finals being played.

Manchester United host Milan first, followed by Chelsea, who have to entertain their visitors from further up north - Liverpool.

For Chelsea though, the proverbial noose still remains around the neck of their Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho.

Increasing speculation points towards his exit even if he can snatch the English Premiership title miraculously from Manchester United, or beat them in the FA Cup Final, or even win the Champions League eventually.

Why Russian owner Roman Abramovich would want to sack such a manager who can bring him such potential riches, is hard to understand, as he remains silent in the background.

One factor is the clash of egos between the duo. Then, there is Abramovich's supposed desire to see "champagne" or flowing football from Chelsea, which is a tactical style Mourinho has not created so far.

This, unlike the Man Us and Barcelonas of the world.

Instead, it's grit and discipline that has become Chelsea's hallmark in the past two winning seasons, in the Premiership.

Recently, Chelsea skipper John Terry said there has been no progress over his contract talks with the club.

Chelsea themselves, have yet to make a formal contract offer to his team-mate and key midfielder Frank Lampard.

Chelsea fans are now fearing the worst for the trio that has formed their team's backbone so far - Mourinho, Terry and Lampard.

The Postman's Question of the Week: If the trio leave or have to exit the club after this season, will the London club's overnight dynasty crumble?

Reply by 3pm on Monday, in not more than 200 words, please (click link right for auto word counter).

Readers' views will be published on Tuesday with The Postman's spread of letters.

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman" (by clicking the link on the right).

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers and bloggers, you all should e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, so you can be selected as prize winners or have your letters published.)

Question of the Week (EPL world's best league?)

2007-04-13T15:15:00.000+08:00

Welcome back everyone (q-s, you owe Ladylala and everyone here a huge apology for acting your shoe size, and not your age again)

What a week it has been for English clubs in the Champions League. Three of them are now in the semi-finals of club football's most prestigious competition.

Yet, at national level, England are almost pathetic.

Still, it raises the debate over whether the English Premiership is the best League in the world, ahead of Spain's Primera Liga and Italy's Serie A.

After Manchester United sang "Arriverderci Roma" to Francesco Totti and company during their midweek quarter-final clash - in spectacular fashion - their manager Alex Ferguson made a bold statement.

He said: "The fact that three English teams should be in the semi-finals probably makes our League the best in Europe. Six or seven years ago, Spanish football was the best. But on the evidence of this season, Barcelona and Real Madrid are not as near to where they were, in previous years. The competitive nature and the quality of the English game has improved over the seasons."

Yet, live attendance figures are dropping, with a number of Premiership clubs resorting to price cuts to bring the fans back.

It seems that outside of the 'Big Four' of Man U, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, the rest of the pack don’t seem to have the X-factor.

From the Watfords, to the Middlesbroughs, and to the Boltons, surely, they all contribute to the overall quality of the Premiership. But are they better than the Atletico Madrids, Deportivos, and Real Sociedads, or their Italian equivalents?

The Postman's Question of the Week: Does England really have the 'Premier' or best League in the world?

Reply by 3pm on Monday, in not more than 200 words, please (click link right for auto word counter).

Readers' views will be published on Tuesday with The Postman's spread of letters.

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman" (by clicking the link on the right).

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers and bloggers, you all should e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, so you can be selected as prize winners or have your letters published.)

P.S. We would like to remind our dedicated readers that with the help of you intelligent, courteous and humorous bloggers here, it's best to IGNORE all attention seekers here. You can do that by NOT ENGAGING OR REPLYING to such attention-seeking posts. We still have the same stand on vulgarities and those with asterisks in them. And this applies to rude references of 'screwing' other people.

Question of the Week (Play Champs League Pundit)

2007-04-06T20:38:00.000+08:00

Hi all, pls continue the Champs League debate as the last matches will be played tomorrow morning. - Cheers, The Postman (11 Apr)

Welcome back,

I'm in Sepang for the Grand Prix and have got to run out now again...

But you've seen the midweek Champions League games and the results after the first leg of the quarter-finals.

The second legs are next week.

And with The Postman's usual spread of readers' letters being published on Tuesday, the timing is perfect to see if you can play the role of a football analyst.

That's right, fancy yourself being The New Paper's football analyst Tohari Paijan.

Fancy you tipping better than The New Paper's football tipsters Brian Miller, Gary Lim and Jules Carter.

Then tell us what to look out for in next week's Champions League quarter-final showdown.

Bayern Munich host AC Milan (with a 2-2 aggregate from the first game).
PSV face Mission "Almost" Impossible as they visit Liverpool (needing to overcome a 3-0 deficit).
Man U host Roma (needing to overcome a 2-1 defeat in the first game).
And Valencia host Chelsea to settle the 1-1 aggregate from the first leg.

The Postman's Question of the Week: Tell us which game you pick for the Biggest Possible Upset next week, and why.

Reply by 3pm on Monday, in not more than 200 words, please (click link right for auto word counter).

Readers' views will be published on Tuesday with The Postman's spread of letters, as we announce our new prize sponsors.

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman" (by clicking the link on the right).

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Midweek Topic (Rafa's Shopping Spree)

2007-04-03T21:20:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

For 40 million pounds and slightly more, Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez's targets seems to be top strikers like Barca's Samuel Eto'o and Valencia's David Villa.

But will they actually bite the bait, to join a team like Liverpool? If not, who else should Liverpool go for? Or should he not buy too much? Consider the various factors...

Tell us, in not more than 200 words, (please click link right for auto word counter).

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here or e-mail us by clicking the link right, and writing under the heading "Midweek Topic".

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers and especially bloggers, e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, to be in the running)

P.S. To prevent the Bellamys of blogging from popping up with the impatient swings, and personal digs at others, we would like to remind our dedicated readers that with the help of you intelligent, courteous and humorous bloggers here, it's best to ignore all attention seekers.
Yes, you can do that by NOT replying to such attention-seeking posts. We still have the same stand on vulgarities and those with asterisks in them.

Question of the Week (Romario's 1,000)

2007-03-31T05:07:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

Time for the Question of the Week, and away from sorry England for once!

At the age of 41, Romario is looking to score his 1,000th goal this Sunday in Brazil.

It will be an epic landmark for the 1994 Brazil World Cup winner and Vasco da Gama star. He will also follow in the footsteps of the great Pele, who scored a total of 1,281 goals.

Go to Vasco’s official website, and you can download his career goals list.

But the Brazilian and world’s media, are steadily questioning his goal tally. Their investigations have revealed that Romario added about 100 goals to his tally, that came from questionable levels of play.

They range from his youth days - when he was as young as 13 - to scoring in less established leagues he played in, when in Miami or Adelaide.

He pulled out from Vasco’s last game earlier in the week because he did not want to score at opponents Americano’s crumbling stadium.

Simply because he wanted to score his 1,000th goal at a more renowned arena like the Maracana, where Vasco will play long-time rivals Botafogo this weekend.

Oh yes, the nerve of Romario. And he has had plenty of that in his career. Be it in front of coaches, team-mates and even some taunting fans, Romario has never shied from antagonising them.

In front of goal, his nerves of steel are legendary. But that’s Romario for you, the best-known Brazilian bad boy, who actually comes off as intelligent, witty, and is one of the most interesting characters to emerge from Brazilian football in the last century.

Some even say it would be ideal if Romario scores his 1,000th goal this Sunday, which is also April Fool’s Day.

In fact, even at his age, Romario could probably walk straight into the current England team and score goals for them!

The Postman's Question of the Week: Do you think Romario has cheated himself and the world with a controversial goal tally, or does it not matter, given his undeniable scoring talent?

Reply by 3pm on Monday, in not more than 200 words, please (click link right for auto word counter).

Readers' views will be published on Tuesday with The Postman's spread of letters, as we announce our new prize sponsors.

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman" (by clicking the link on the right).

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Question of the Week (Mediocrity sells for England)

2007-03-27T05:08:00.000+08:00

Welcome back,

We say goodbye to our prize sponsor for March - ESPN STAR Sports - and will announce the new sponsor for next month, next week. But The Postman's questions continue...

If mediocrity sells, then the England team is proof of such an award-winning product. Yet, we can't live with them, or without them, it seems.

Who wants an autographed England jersey signed by underperforming stars and a stiff of a manager? Oh yes, many of us wanted that this month...

So, if talking about mediocrity fires you up, let's continue here on England as they shape up to face Andorra.

I wonder what transpired between McClaren and Rooney after the Israel game? Do you believe it?
I wonder what McClaren is drawing on his tactics board now, as he sits back with some tea and biscuits, and chats amiably with English journalists. Can you foresee his line-up or what happens should one of them ask what to do with the bread knife?
Or will a win over Andorra temporarily gloss over the defects?

Tell us, in not more than 200 words, (please click link right for auto word counter).

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here or e-mail us by clicking the link right, and writing under the heading "Midweek Topic".

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers and especially bloggers, e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams)

Question of the Week (McLaren's Guts)

2007-03-23T00:43:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

It's time to comment on the team Singaporeans love to watch and bash at the same
time - England.

Tomorrow, they face Israel away. Next Wednesday, they fly to Andorra.

With England lying third in Group E behind Croatia and Russia, these two games will be crucial for Steve McClaren and his men. They need at least second spot to qualify for Euro 2008.

Of course, it looked plain sailing for McClaren after he took over from Sven-Goran
Eriksson following the World Cup quarter-final exit.

But a 2-0 loss away in Croatia and a 0-0 draw at home to Macedonia have hindered
England's qualification plans.

Naturally, logic has it that England will walk over a side like Israel. But then again, England are notorious for underperforming against less reputable sides,
and shining against big guns when you least expect them to.

That's the irony of their famed bulldog spirit.

But back to McClaren. He initially seemed to send a strong signal that he didn't want to be associated with Eriksson's regime style of depending on big-name players
(regardless of form).

That saw him drop David Beckham.

But in his own way, he has still yet to solve England's greater problem in the core of its midfield. That is, how to play Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard together, or to drop one of them.

So far, he's shifted Gerrard out right, and we've seen the resistance at club level at Liverpool, for that argument.

The Postman's Question of the Week: Do you think Steve McClaren has the guts to drop
one of them, for the sake of the team, or will his patience eventually see a world-class adaptation from both players?

This is your last chance to win an ESPN STAR Sports prize package, and also the exclusive 2006 England World Cup jersey autographed by its star players
last year in Germany.

Reply by 3pm on Monday, in not more than 200 words, please (click link right for auto word counter).

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman" (by clicking the link on the right).

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
N.B. The Letter of the Week will win an ESPN STAR Sports package of products (which The Postman's assistant Lim Say Heng is posing with in the picture at the top)
The Writer of the Month will win an autographed 2006 World Cup England jersey framed with a certificate of authenticity, signed by all their star players like Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, David Beckham, and even former manager Sven-Goran Eriksson (which I'm holding).

(PS. E-mailers and bloggers, you all should e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, as we need the information if you are selected as prize winners or have your letters published.)

Midweek Topic (England & Rooney's form)

2007-03-19T23:40:00.000+08:00

Welcome back folks,

It's time to warm up to the thought of the weekend's impending Euro 2008 qualifiers. Yes, how England's national team desires European glory too.

This Saturday, they travel away to face Israel. Next Wednesday, they travel away to face Andorra.

With England lying third in Group E, behind Russia and group leaders Croatia, these two games will be crucial for Steve McClaren and his men.

So far, there has been criticism of McClaren's tactical choices and picks for his first, second, third XI and so on, if he even has up till Plan C.

But if there's any hope for England's potency at this stage, it may perhaps lie in the form of the rejuvenated Wayne Rooney.

His recent scoring prowess means he may be starting to find his feet again, after being injured almost a year ago.

Yes, he may have had a quiet season by his standards, since he was taken to the World Cup last year, only to have his recovery delayed.

But with Manchester United doing so well at the top of the English Premier League, Rooney's form has escaped the distracted critics so far.

Lately though, the signs are there that he's steadily emerging to show his natural brilliance once again.

The Postman's Midweek Question: Do you expect Rooney to explode for England in this weekend's Euro 2008 qualifiers, or be a flop?

Don't forget, you can still be in the running to win ESPN STAR Sports' ultimate prize for The Postman's Writer of the Month.

That would be an autographed 2006 World Cup England jersey, framed with a certificate of authenticity, and autographed by star players such as Rooney himself, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and David Beckham.

Tell us, in not more than 200 words, (please click link right for auto word counter).

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here or e-mail us by clicking the link right, and writing under the heading "Midweek Topic".

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers and especially bloggers, e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, to be in the running)

Question of the Week (English Clubs in Europe)

2007-03-16T04:19:00.000+08:00

Welcome back,

It's time for the Question of the Week again, with the deadline being 3pm on Monday.

English clubs have never looked stronger in European competition.

In the Uefa Cup, Tottenham Hotspur - who have become thrilling to watch in attack, but can cause heart attacks in
defence - have reached the quarter-finals.

They have now scored an amazing 23 times in their last seven games.

Can they outscore their opponents all the way to the Uefa Cup final?

Newcastle held a 4-2 lead against AZ Alkmaar going into the second leg of their Round of 16 knockout game this morning
(after press time).

While Manchester United are hot favourites to land the English Premiership trophy, they, Chelsea, and Liverpool are all in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Liverpool face tricky Dutch side PSV, while Man U take on Italian upstarts Roma.

Chelsea, though, face a hard prospect in Valencia, but that's why they bought Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko.

The Postman's Question of the Week: Do you see English clubs sweeping both European Cups, and why do you fancy the teams you pick to do it?

Reply by 3pm on Monday, in not more than 200 words, please (click link right for auto word counter).

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman" (by clicking the link on the right).

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
N.B. The Letter of the Week will win an ESPN STAR Sports package of products (which The Postman's assistant Lim Say Heng is posing with in the picture at the top)
The Writer of the Month will win an autographed 2006 World Cup England jersey framed with a certificate of authenticity, signed by all their star players like Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, David Beckham, and even former manager Sven-Goran Eriksson (which I'm holding).

(PS. E-mailers and bloggers, you all should e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite
teams, as we need the information if you are selected as prize winners or have your letters published.)

Midweek Topic (Managers and their Mouths)

2007-03-13T02:16:00.000+08:00

Welcome back all,

How can you be the Writer of the Month for March?

Don't just answer the Question of the Week, but every Midweek Topic posted by The Postman on his blog.

And this week's topic concerns the recent controversy surrounding Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho's use of the Portuguese word "puta" - which translates as bitch - when speaking to referee Mike Riley during the weekend's FA Cup quarter-final with
Tottenham Hotspur.

While he admits to saying the word because of emotions (and he was seen mouthing off
from the sidelines during the live telecast), he denied swearing at Riley.

Now, the English Football Association will not take any action against Mourinho since Riley did not mention it in his referee's report.

Still, you often see managers mouthing off using famous swear words, be it in English or similar European languages like Spanish, Portuguese or
Italian.

Should managers curb their foul mouths, especially when they are seen by millions worldwide now, including impressionable youngsters?

Tell us, in not more than 200 words, (please click link right for auto word counter).

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here or e-mail us by clicking the link right, and writing under the heading "Midweek Topic".

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers and especially bloggers, e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, to be in the running)

Question of the Week (How can Man U slip up?)

2007-03-09T10:11:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

What a difference a week makes.

Last weekend, almost everyone thought that the English Premiership title was headed Manchester United's way, after John O'Shea's late and unexpected winner against Liverpool.

But in the past few days, the worry lines have been making more indentations on the foreheads of Man U fans.

For so long, Man U has enjoyed an injury-free run, while Chelsea have not been so lucky.

Suddenly, Lady Luck - in return for presenting O'Shea his goal - seems to be "punishing" the Red Devils somewhat.

The result is an extending queue in front of Man U's treatment room.

In defence, a back-up option has been lost with Mikael Silvestre, out due to his dislocated shoulder.

In midfield, another back-up option has been lost with Darren Fletcher out for the season with an ankle problem.

Also, Paul Scholes' red card in the Liverpool game means he will miss the next three Premiership games (against Bolton, next Saturday), (against Blackburn, 31 Mar), and (against Portsmouth, 7 Apr).

Up front, Louis Saha has been ruled out for a month with a hamstring injury, or possibly longer, now that Henrik Larsson is confirmed to be returning to Sweden.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is recovering from knee injury.

That leaves Wayne Rooney as the sole striker with real match fitness, since Alan Smith has only made a comeback recently.

The Postman's Question of the Week: Do you seriously believe Man U are in trouble and could slip as a fighting Chelsea smell blood? Tell us how so.

Reply by 3pm on Monday, in not more than 200 words, please (click link right for auto word counter).

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman" (by clicking the link on the right).

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
N.B. The Letter of the Week will win an ESPN STAR Sports package of products (which The Postman's assistant Lim Say Heng is posing with in the picture at the top)
The Writer of the Month will win an autographed 2006 World Cup England jersey framed with a certificate of authenticity, signed by all their star players like Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, David Beckham, and even former manager Sven-Goran Eriksson (which I'm holding).

(PS. E-mailers, especially bloggers, please let us have your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite
teams, as we need the information if you are selected as prize winners or have your letters published.)

Midweek Topic (Man U's midfield balance)

2007-03-06T11:15:00.001+08:00

Welcome back everyone...

To the Midweek Topic, to keep you busy till Friday's Question of the Week.

After a goodbye to Nike, let's say hello to our new prize sponsor for this month, cable television channel ESPN STAR Sports.

They've thrown in a weekly package of products bearing their name (which The Postman's assistant Lim Say Heng is posing with in the picture at the top), for Letter-of-the-Week winners, and a separate ultimate prize for the Writer of the Month.

That is, an autographed 2006 World Cup England jersey framed with a certificate of authenticity, signed by all their star players like Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, David Beckham, and even former manager Sven-Goran Eriksson (which I'm holding).

You will see this month's first Letter of the Week in the usual spread of views in today's The New Paper.

But how to be a Writer of the Month for March?

Don't just answer the Question of the Week, but every Midweek Topic posted here, starting today.

So now that Paul Scholes has been suspended for the next three domestic matches following his red card last Saturday, how serious a loss will it be?

After all, midfield balance is one of the key things a manager always tries to maintain, and Alex Ferguson has steadily achieved that with him and Michael Carrick this season.

Who do you see stepping into the fold to replace Scholes, and how will the midfield be adjusted without losing that all-important balance?

Tell us, in not more than 200 words, (please click link right for auto word counter).

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here or e-mail us by clicking the link right, and writing under the heading "Midweek Topic".

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers and especially bloggers, e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, to be in the running)

Question of the Week (Man U fans' Biggest Fears?)

2007-03-01T23:15:00.000+08:00

Welcome back,

It's time for the Question of the Week.

We bid goodbye to our kind sponsor for February - Nike - and will announce our March prize sponsor for The Postman series, on Tuesday.

Man U now lead the English Premiership table from Chelsea, with nine games to go.

Chelsea have a game in hand.

So after last night's Liverpool-Man U showdown, we'd like you to tell us how you think the final sprint to the finish line will shape up between Man U and Chelsea.

The Postman's Question of the Week: Do you have a disturbing feeling deep down inside that Man U are going to blow their title hopes, and how can Chelsea capitalise?

We want to feel the pulse of our readers as the bell rings for the last lap.

Reply by 3pm on Monday, in not more than 200 words, please (click link right for auto word counter).

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman".

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers, especially bloggers, please let us have your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite
teams, as we need the information if you are selected as prize winners or have your letters published.)

P.S. To prevent more Bellamys of blogging from popping up with the occasional swing, with the help of you intelligent, courteous and humorous bloggers here, it's best to ignore all attention seekers.
Yes, you can do that by NOT replying to such posts. We still have the same stand on vulgarities and those with asterisks in them.

Midweek Topic (Converts, 2/3-in-1 fans)

2007-02-27T18:03:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

Yesterday, we began our build-up to this Saturday's classic English Premiership
clash between traditional rivals Liverpool and Manchester United.

And to tap into readers' fever, we kicked off our build-up with a story of a Liverpool-turned-Man U convert Raja Edwin, a 16-year-old student who was influenced by peer pressure to switch sides (see diehard Liverpool fans' reactions to his story in The New Paper later today).

Yes, shoosing an English football club to support can be simple but dicey. Of course, supporting the Singapore national team should be a given.

Assuming you choose to support an English Premiership team, there's always the odd chance that the team may be relegated or down in the dumps a few years later.

Singapore fans of Leeds United, and there's quite an active few here in Singapore, know all about this.

Most of us will have grown up knowing the one unwritten rule of being a fan, that there's no question of "divorce" from your favourite football club.

Yes folks, if you're a newbie to English Premiership football this season and you've been seduced by Reading's grit, then you had better stick with them, through thick and thin.

Even if they end up gritting their teeth in the scrap heap of England's lower divisions. Marriage for life, in other words.

Otherwise, you will only face a lifetime of heckling and ridicule from friends who know about those "footballing" skeletons in your closet.

Like you, I got a shock when Raja Edwin first wrote in to The New Paper, declaring himself to be a Liverpool-turned Man U convert.

I mean, what species of football fan is his type?

Or do new Singapore fans of English football today think it's no big deal to switch
favourite teams or support two major English giants at the same time, like Liverpool and Man U?

The Postman would like you to respond to the emotions brought up by the story of convert Raja Edwin.

1. Are you cheesed off by what is, essentially, "bandwagon-hopping"?
2. Or do you defend such converts, and think it's perfectly all right to switch
teams in this day and age?
3. Were you even tempted to switch teams, and what were
the circumstances?

Also, are there more of you Liverpool-turned-Man U, or Man U-turned-Liverpool fans
out there?

Or even, double or three-in-one so-called supporters who aren't afraid to
say, "Yes, I'm a Man U, Liverpool and Chelsea fan"?

To further fan the flames of this debate, are you one of those football fans who started out supporting one team in when they were much younger, but over the years, have lost faith simply because these teams have dropped out of the spotlight altogether and you can't follow them on television any more?

Or that you simply outgrew them?

We can think of examples like Wimbledon, Derby County, Norwich, Nottingham Forest or
Leeds United.

Tell us why, and reply to all the various questions here by 3pm this Thursday, in not more than 200 words, (please click link right for auto word counter).

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here or e-mail us by clicking the link right, and writing under the heading "Dear Postman".

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers, especially bloggers, please let us have your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, so they can be published this Friday)

Question of the Week (Bye Bye Bellamy?)

2007-02-24T01:02:00.000+08:00

Dear readers,

It's been two weeks of intense heat felt by Craig Bellamy, the infamous Welsh bad boy of English football.

This, after he got into an argument with Liverpool team-mate John Arne Riise during a training camp in Portugal last week.

The Reds were in centralised training for the midweek Champions League clash against
Barcelona.

But they had a bust-up over, of all things, Riise's refusal to sing a song during a karaoke session.

Later, Bellamy reportedly took his anger out on Riise by swinging a golf club at his leg.

Riise was not hurt though, and the pair were suprisingly fielded together against Barca on the same flank by Reds manager Rafael Benitez.

Perhaps it was Benitez's psychological ploy - using Bellamy and Riise's desire to prove a point to the critics - to help Liverpool win.

In the end, Benitez got his desired result, if it was at all intended.

Bellamy scored the equaliser for Liverpool in the first-half, and he unselfishly set up Riise for the winning goal in the second.

The pair who got into a row have now hit the headlines for the right reasons.

Bellamy even had the cheek to imitate a golf club swing as he celebrated his goal against Barca.

Here's the potential twist though: Bellamy may think he has redeemed himself and will have a long future at Liverpool.

But deep down inside, what does Benitez really think of all the embarrassing fracas in Portugal, after which he fined 15 players for their boozy antics?

In a similar way, erring goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek was hailed for his penalty-saving heroics to help Liverpool win the 2005 Champions League trophy.

But just a couple of months later, the Polish custodian was unceremoniously dropped in favour of new Spanish goalkeeper Jose Reina.

It is clear that past glory counts for nothing at Anfield.

The Postman's Question of the Week: Should Benitez and Liverpool still keep Bellamy after what he has done?

Reply by 3pm on Monday, in not more than 200 words, please (click link right for auto word counter).

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman".

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers, especially bloggers, please let us have your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite
teams, as we need the information if you are selected as prize winners or have your letters published.)

P.S. There was a delay today in putting up this post, as The New Paper's Post Office decided what to do with the Bellamys of Blogging we highlighted recently. But after speaking some Spanish tinged with an American accent, us muchachos decided that with the help of you intelligent, courteous and humorous bloggers here, it's best to ignore all attention seekers.
Yes, you can do that by NOT replying to such posts. We still have the same stand on vulgarities and those with asterisks in them.

CNY Topic II (First Barca, now Pool)

2007-02-18T22:36:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

In the week they are supposed to meet in the Champs League, first the spotlight was on Barca's in-fighting. Now, it's shifting to Liverpool, where Dudek, Pennant and Fowler were apparently drunk one night during a training camp in Portugal last week.

Next, we hear that Craig Bellamy and John Arne Riise were involved in a bust-up.

What do you think will happen when they meet tonight in Barcelona?

And let's hear your post-match comments too after the game?

No prizes for guessing what will be the next Question of the Week...

At your service
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
P.S. Blogger q-s (a previous Letter-of-the-Week winner), YOU OWE EVERYONE HERE AN APOLOGY. I thought you would have the decency and courtesy to stop questioning our newspaper decisions regarding the series and stop attacking other bloggers here.

Seriously, do you expect your views to be published week in, week out, ahead of others or win prizes all the time, or be invited to a photo shoot? I told you before we had reasons for whom we chose - which were clearly stated in that issue - to the public. There are so many other writers to the Postman series who haven't won, or didn't get chosen, but are they crying out?

By verbally attacking the likes of even a 13 or 14-year-old here, I'm sorry, but you have stooped far too low for a mid-20s guy like you. Do you expect anyone else here to respect your views from now on?

Once again, for the rest of you courteous bloggers here, please keep replying to our topics and avoid replying to such posts. I said it a few months ago, and the same advice applies now (and that goes for vulgarities, and words bordering on vulgarities too).

Everyone's welcome here, but please, let's have a little more respect.

CNY Talking Point (Pre-Olympic Pussycats)

2007-02-16T03:49:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

Our CNY Question of the Week spread of letters should be carried this coming Monday, when we'll be the only English newspaper from Singapore Press Holdings, on sale.

In the meantime, we're keeping it local here again on The Postman series.

Following the exploits of our pre-Olympic Cubs (after the high of the senior Lions victory in the Asean Championships), what do you make of the recent exit at the hands of the Pakistanis?

This, despite the heroics of striker Khairul Amri...

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here or e-mail us by clicking the link right, and writing under the heading "Pre-Olympic Pussycats".

No more than 200 words please (click link right for auto word counter)

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers, especially bloggers, please let us have your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams)

CNY Question of the Week (Bye Bye Nat Stadm)

2007-02-13T07:52:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

If you buy today's The New Paper, you will notice that besides our usual spread of letters on Tuesday, we have asked the Chinese New Year Question of the Week in advance.

For more background, read it before answering it here.

The Postman's Chinese New Year Question of the Week: What's your best idea for a fitting footballing finale for the current National Stadium before it's torn down?

Reply by 3pm THIS THURSDAY, in not more than 200 words, please (click link right for auto word counter).

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman".

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers, especially bloggers, please let us have your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, as we need the information if you are selected as prize winners or have your letters published.)

Question of the Week (Ameri-Liver-pool)

2007-02-09T22:41:00.000+08:00

Sorry for the delay folks,

But by now, you would have read today's The New Paper for the Question of the Week.

There's still time to answer over the weekend of course...and it concerns Liverpool, whom we were calling Al-Liverpool not so long ago (Bye Bye sheikhs)

So here's The Postman's Question of the Week: What should Liverpool's new American owners (George Gillett and Tom Hicks) do to bring back the glory days for the Reds?

Reply by 3pm on Monday, in not more than 200 words, please (click link right for auto word counter).

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman".

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers, especially bloggers, please let us have your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite
teams, as we need the information if you are selected as prize winners or have your letters published.)

Midweek Topic (Asian Cup qualifying ideas)

2007-02-06T03:00:00.001+08:00

Hi all,

With Nike on board this month, their timing is superb, coming on the back of the Lions, whom they sponsored the national jerseys for.

So make sure you keep writing in, to answer Midweek topics as well, to be in the running for the Writer of the Month.

Now that the S'pore Lions are in a really good position to consolidate their position as Asean No.1 over the next four years at least, what ideas would you have to take our Lions to the next step - that is, qualifying for the Asian Cup (which we narrowly failed to do last year)?

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here or e-mail us by clicking the link right.

No more than 200 words please (click link right for auto word counter)

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Question of the Week (Backing our Lions)

2007-02-02T03:03:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone,

To comment on the Singapore-Thailand game later on, go to the post right below.

The Postman will announce a brand new sponsor too, for this month, when we publish the Letter of the Week on Tuesday.

Since this series started in August last year, most of the Questions of the Week have focused on English Premiership football talking points.

Sometimes, there are the odd questions about world football in general, too.

As for local football talking points, it's been restricted to midweek topics, for which there are no prizes.

But everyone will agree that this time round, Singapore football has been the hottest buzz around town for the past week, since the Lions beat traditional rivals Malaysia to meet Thailand in the final of the Asean Football Championship.

After Wednesday's first-leg final, Singapore now carry a 2-1 lead to Bangkok for the second leg this Sunday.

We can go on and on about the fiasco of the Malaysian referee's decisions for that game, or the shameful behaviour of the Thai team, who wanted to walk out of the match after a controversial penalty was awarded against them.

But we will not.

Indeed, there's no denying the strong national sentiment that pulled Singaporean fans - even those who once were Malaysia Cup fans and have since lost faith after the pullout in 1994 - back to Kallang.

This is the difference between a full-house crowd of 55,000 and a 8,000 plus group, whom you'd find still watching the S-League.

There's also no denying that the Thai football team of today is no match for the classy teams of yesteryear.

Malaysia lack the quality they once boasted.

But Singapore - even with some newbies this time round - have shown all-round improvement and ability to clearly be at the top of the Asean ladder for the next five years, at least.

The Postman's Question: Will you turn up in full force to support the Lions the next time, from as early as the group stages, instead, or even for a friendly international?

To keep in touch with the Lions, would you even want to see a return of an invitational tournament, like the Merlion Cup or something like Thailand's King's Cup?

Reply by 3pm on Monday, in not more than 200 words, please (click link right for auto word counter).

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman".

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers, especially bloggers, please let us have your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite
teams, as we need the information if you are selected as prize winners or have your letters published.)

Midweek Topic No.1 (Who Will Top The EPL?)

2007-01-30T03:11:00.001+08:00

Hi all,

Welcome back and here's a big thank you to our sponsors for January, Lotto. We'll be announcing our next sponsor for Feb soon, so stay tuned to The Postman series.

In the meantime, if you've read today's edition of The New Paper (Tues, 30 Jan 2007), who do you think will top the EPL and why?

Again, in not more than 200 words please (click the link right for an auto word counter).

To post your views instantly, click on "comments" below my mini-poll below, or e-mail The New Paper under the title "Topping the EPL" by clicking on the link right.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers, especially bloggers, please let us have your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams)

Midweek Topic No.2 (Your Roar for the Lions)

2007-01-30T03:07:00.000+08:00

Yes folks,

Here's your chance to say anything you want about our Lions before their 2nd-leg Final playoff with Thailand tonight.

As expected, no heads will roll before tonight's match. No action taken against Thais, (until after this tournament, when they may not have to play any matches), thus setting a dangerous precedent for the next one in two years' time, where players can dispute any decision by walking out, where the coach can instigate a walkout, and where they can all return for the final without any problems.

To post your views instantly, click on "comments" below my sign-off below, or e-mail The New Paper under the title "Lions" by clicking on the link right.

Oh yes, 200 words please (pls click link right for auto word counter)...

Cheers...
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers, especially bloggers, please let us have your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams)

Question of the Week (Chelsea's Real Rat)

2007-01-26T11:04:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

It's time to answer The Postman's Question of the Week by 3pm on Monday.

And it's your last chance to win the Lotto prize packages we've been offering all month.

The last Letter of the Week winner this month will be outfitted from top to bottom, in Lotto gear, for a total package worth $250.

There's different gear for male or female winners.

We are also looking for the Writer of the Month (who has been making the effort to
answer all my other midweek questions).

The winner will get a bumper package worth $500 (kitted from top to bottom, with
extra gear like a Lotto Postman messenger bag, Lotto's Petr Cech gloves and ultra-soft kangaroo leather Zhero Leggenda boots worth $230, see left).

More technical details of the prize packages can be seen by clicking the link on the right.

This week's topic then, concerns Andriy Shevchenko...striker for Chelsea, or is it the mole, spy, or rat?

The Ukrainian, much maligned for his lack of goals on the pitch, as for his alleged
unhappiness off it, has suddenly been thrust into the middle of Chelsea's behind-the-scenes power struggle between Russian owner Roman Abramovich and
Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho.

All because Sheva the "Dud' is good friends with Abramovich.

But let's rewind the affair once more.

It turns out that Israeli agent Pini Zahavi seems to be attempting to pull some glass-coated kite strings all this while.

Surely, he stands to gain something in the long run if Abramovich were to sack the
complaining Mourinho and hire the lurking Sven-Goran Eriksson.

After all, Eriksson was supposedly the No.1 choice for Chelsea in 2003 before he chose to stay with England under pressure.

Then, there has been mention of Zahavi angling for Israeli Avram Grant - currently
the director of football at Portsmouth - to replace Mourinho's assistant Steve
Clarke, which cheesed Mourinho off publicly.

The Postman's Question of the Week: Who's the real rat around Chelsea?

Reply in not more than 200 words, please. (Click the link right for an auto word counter)

Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my mini-poll or e-mail us under
the title "Dear Postman" by clicking on the link right.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers, especially bloggers, please let us have your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, as we need the information if you are selected as prize winners or have your letters printed.)

Midweek Question (Chelsea to slip further?)

2007-01-22T23:55:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

So who thinks that with 14 games left in the EPL season, Chelsea will be overtaken by either Liverpool or Arsenal, and slip to third, or even fourth?

If so, why? If not, why?

Again, in not more than 200 words please (click the link right for an auto word counter).

To post your views instantly, click on "comments" below my mini-poll below, or e-mail The New Paper under the title "Midweek Question" by clicking on the link right.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers, especially bloggers, please let us have your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams)

Question of the Week (Holly-Becks!)

2007-01-18T23:40:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

Time to answer The Postman's Question of the Week by 3pm on Monday, to win these great Lotto packages for male or female readers.

The news of David Beckham making a move to the United States soccer scene later this year dominated world headlines and even had CNN talking about him for a while.

The former England captain's five-year contract with Major League Soccer (MLS) club
LA Galaxy is worth an astonishing 128 million pounds ($384m) - the richest deal in world sport.

And we've read all sides of the story, it seems. From his wife Victoria pulling the strings behind his decision to move to the only real land of celebrities so she can hobnob with Hollywood's acting and music moguls, to him simply deciding to sacrifice the last few years of his playing career for a lucrative payout.

But if you settle down to think about it properly, did Beckham pull off a masterstroke of a career decision at the age of 31?

Trust the Yanks. They can turn a beggar into a star. And Beckham's not exactly that rough.

Football-wise, as he ages, he won't lose that much since free-kicks and crosses require more technique than fitness. So Americans can still see some special moments for a few years.

No better place in the world too, than to sell your football youth academy franchise in the long run. After all, back in England, parents could send their children to clubs and football schools.

No better place and time, too, than to sell football in the US in this modern technological and marketing age (as compared to Pele's time with New York Cosmos in the 1970s).

Beckham could just turn out to be another expensive cog in American soccer's wheel as it tries to popularise the sport further, given increasing participation figures at grassroots level.

But is he really expecting to be the godsend of American soccer? More so, he's doing this for himself. And it so happens these plans happen to perfectly fit Victoria's celebrity needs.

The Postman's Question: Did Beckham make the best move of his life by deciding to go to the US?

Reply in not more than 200 words, please.

Comment online here by clicking on "comments" below my mini-poll below or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman" by clicking on the link right.

Click the link right for an automatic word counter if you need to.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Midweek Poll (Support your fav Big 4 team)

2007-01-16T02:35:00.000+08:00

Welcome back everyone,

You'll see today's spread of letters in The New Paper.

And if you read it, you will know what to do here.

We want you to take part in our Special Poll, to see how many of our readers are fans of Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal.

All you have to do is click on my mini-poll below to show your support by Thursday.

As for my midweek topic, please click the link to my Singapore at Large blog (on the right) and post your views on a national issue raised on Sunday. This will help improve your versatility in local sports issues.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Question of the Week (EPL boring w/o Jose?)

2007-01-12T22:11:00.000+08:00

Welcome back everyone,

It's time to answer The Postman's Question of the Week by 3pm on Monday.

We will then choose the Letter of the Week winner, who will get $250 worth of Lotto sports gear - for men or women - from top to bottom, with football boots or turf shoes (seen here).

Last week, readers of The New Paper argued over a conspiracy theory suggested over the rifts between Chelsea's manager Jose Mourinho and the club's Russian sugar daddy, Roman Abramovich.

But after Chelsea's Carling Cup semi-final shock 1-1 draw with lowly Wycombe Wanderers in midweek, Mourinho seemed to publicly hint at tensions between himself and the Chelsea board.

After the game, he confirmed he had identified players he wanted, but did not expect the club to make signings.

Asked for the reasons, he replied: "I don't have to tell you the reasons. It's club reasons. I think our squad will be the same when the market closes."

Manchester City's Micah Richards and Bolton's Tal Ben Haim are among defenders that Chelsea have reportedly asked about.

But when asked about buying players, the usually ultra-confident Mourinho replied: "It's not my club, I'm just the manager."

Does that sound like a concession of defeat somewhat?

Indeed, love him or hate him, Mourinho has certainly spiced up the English Premier League (EPL) in the past two years since he arrived from Portugal.

The Postman's Question: Will the EPL be less colourful and more boring without Mourinho, or would it be better off without someone like him and the sometimes contradicting principles he has shown?

Reply in not more than 200 words, please.

Comment online here by clicking on "comments" below my mini-poll here.
(Or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman" by clicking the link right)

Please e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, to be selected as prize winners or have letters printed. Bloggers, e-mail me your blogging nicknames too, so I know which post is yours).

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(P.S. Please take part in our poll below, to understand what it is about first, click the link on the right to my Singapore at Large sports blog)

Midweek Question Part 1 (Guus v Jose)

2007-01-09T01:11:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

Since Guus Hiddink's name has now been linked with Chelsea, in yet another conspiracy theory posed this time, by media all over the world, what say you guys?

1. Do you believe Mourinho will stay on if he loses the EPL (or Champs League) this season?

2. Can Hiddink coach Chelsea and Russia at the same time?

3. Can Hiddink do better than Mourinho?

Again, 200 words please (use auto word counter link on the right).

Click on "comments" below my sign-off here or e-mail us under the title "Midweek Question Part 1" by clicking the link on the right.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Midweek Question Part 2 (Nike, FAS and fans)

2007-01-09T01:01:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

FAS is holding a press conference later today to announce details of Nike, which will sponsor the Lions' national jersey from now on.

This is the story we broke on New Year's eve after raising a national campaign from September to October, to get the old Tiger sponsored national jersey updated after five years of stagnation.

1. While it's good news for the Lions, would it entice you to turn up for Singapore's first game in the Asean Football C'ships this Saturday at the National Stadium, if FAS and perhaps Nike, make the effort to produce special fans' T-shirts, and give them out free to fans at the National Stadium, to create a special "Kallang Sea of Red"?

2. Since Star Sports is going to show all the Asean Cup matches, would you turn up at the National Stadium to watch the Lions, or stay at home in front of the telly instead?

Click on "comments" below my mini-poll here to post your views, or e-mail us under the title of "Midweek Question Part 2" by clicking the link on the right.

200 word limit again please (see auto word counter link right).

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Question of the Week (Chelsea Conspiracy Theory)

2007-01-04T23:02:00.000+08:00

Welcome back!

Don't forget to answer the Question of the Week by 3pm on Monday.

And we have Italian sports apparel giant Lotto on board for this month, as they've upped the ante to provide an unprecedented bonus for readers.

Each Letter of the Week winner this month will be outfitted from top to bottom, in Lotto gear, for a total package worth
$250.

For male winners, this includes a choice of football boots (or street shoes), with the model being the kangaroo leather
Lotto Vento KL II FG boot (the one with green trimming in the first picture) worth $149 alone.

For female winners, they get Lotto sports tennis wear and a choice of female specific football boots or turf shoes (see 2nd
picture - the Lotto LG Captain FG with studs or LG Captain Turf models respectively, in a choice of pink or blue). The
boots alone are worth $60.

The Writer of the Month (who also makes the effort to answer all my other midweek questions) will get a bumper package
worth $500 (kitted from top to bottom, with extra gear like a Lotto Postman messenger bag, ball, socks, Lotto's Petr Cech
gloves and ultra-soft kangaroo leather Zhero Leggenda boots worth $230 - see 1st picture, the boot with white and gold
trimming).

Aren't Lotto kind to you guys? For more about Lotto's products, click the link on the right.

In the meantime, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has been complaining about clubs trying to over-inflate the prices of their players when they hear he's interested, ever since the transfer window opened this month.

He has said he would rather play his 55-year-old assistant than pay for a centre-back
in the English market.

He has said he does not need to buy, and that all he needs are the return of injured stars John Terry and Petr Cech.

The Postman's question and conspiracy theory poser: Could Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich be purposely tying Mourinho's hands by keeping his fat wallet firmly in his pocket, to see how the self-proclaimed Special One gets out of Ferguson's trap this season?

This, after Mourinho seemed to hint last month that he should call the shots for buying players, referring to the case of Andriy Shevchenko, whom Abramovich is rumoured to have personally brought over.

Reply in not more than 200 words please (word counter link on the right here)

Comment online here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here.
(Or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman" by clicking the link right)

(PS. Please e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, to be selected as prize winners or have letters printed. Bloggers, e-mail me your blogging nicknames too, so I know which post is yours).

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Ready to Roar with our Lions?

2007-01-04T05:05:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone,

I hope you had a great X'mas and New Year long weekend break and since it's the new year, it's time for our very own Lions to defend their title as Asean champions next week in the Asean Championship (formerly known as the Tiger Cup).

I prefer it being known as the Asean Cup, because that would have been a good way to get it stuck in our minds, in the absence of a cup sponsor.

So I've got a few questions for you before tomorrow's Question of the Week is published in The New Paper.

1. What would it take to get you interested in this Asean Championship, or is it that you can't wait for it to start?
2. Do you find a general lack of public fanfare generated about the Lions? (Public training sessions - would you even be interested in attending?)
3. Would you even watch the Lions in action at the National Stadium next week, or wait to see if the defending champions win or lose their opening match?
4. Should national coach Raddy Avramovic quit if the Lions fail to get past the group stages, or should he stay since there are so many coaching changes in this part of Asia?
5. Do you expect the foreign-born players to be the same standard as Singaporeans, or better?

Just list the numbers in your post and answer accordingly, by clicking on "comments" below my mini-poll here.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Our New Year's Question!

2006-12-29T13:34:00.000+08:00

Welcome back everyone,

Here's the New Year's Question, which you would have seen in The New Paper today.

Alex Ferguson recently named five "world-class" players he has coached during his 20 years of managing Manchester United, and David Beckham wasn't among them.

When asked for the list, for a club history published two weeks ago, Ferguson named goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, winger Ryan Giggs, midfielder Roy Keane, and
strikers Eric Cantona and Wayne Rooney.

While he added that current winger Cristiano Ronaldo has the potential to join the list in future, and that Paul Scholes is a possibility, Beckham didn't get a
mention.

This, despite former England captain Beckham helping Man U win nine League and Cup trophies - including the famous 1999 Champions League victory - in his 12-year spell at Old Trafford.

Was it all to do with the pair's personality clashes?

Ferguson was once so angry that he kicked a boot in the changing room and it hit Beckham above the eye, opening a deep cut. He then sold him to Real Madrid after Man
U won the Premiership in 2003.

The Postman's question this week is: Should David Beckham have been in Ferguson's list of the top five "world-class" players who featured for him, and be voted ahead of Schmeichel, Giggs, Cantona, Rooney, or Keane?

Reply by 3pm on Tuesday, since there might be more than a few New Year hangovers.

And in not more than 200 words please (with the results out next
Friday).

So it's goodbye for now, to our December sponsor iShop by Club 21 at Cineleisure Orchard, which I find is best for service and knowledge for Apple products here, and secure third-party additions.

The sponsor of our prizes for January will be announced next Friday, along with the first Letter of the Week in the new year.

Comment online here by clicking below my sign-off here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman".

Click the link right for a cut & paste text word counter if you need.

Happy New Year!
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Ho Ho Ho Everyone!

2006-12-23T23:07:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

Just when I managed to finish preparing six pages worth of the Boxing Day edition for The New Paper last night (featuring our readers, mostly non-winners), I was settling down in front of my laptop to give one last try to Blogger.

And guess what, I actually managed to get in, and complete the transfer to the Google account.

So I don't have to set up a new blog after all...(which means no change in colour for my template perhaps Ladylala?)

In the meantime, we can enjoy a long holiday weekend together here online, while the English clubs keep their restless fans entertained by playing on.

So I'll try to keep you guys occupied till Boxing Day on Tuesday, when The New Paper will be available in the early morning.

We won't announce the New Year's question yet, till we tie up some loose ends with the new sponsor for January.

For now, I'd like you all to answer a few questions.

1. What are your football "live" TV-watching habits on the weekends? (eg, Do you watch all EPL games on a Sat, followed by all Spanish, and the same for Sunday, followed by Spanish on Monday morning?) Or do you catch a few "live" and the rest, via news highlights?

2. What are your Champions League "live" TV-watching habits in the middle of the week? Or do you prefer to sleep, and then find out via The New Paper that morning itself?

3. What do you like to read in The Straits Times and Today's sports pages, and is there any writer you follow in particular?

4. What football websites are your favourites? Why? Any particular writers or columns you follow online?

Just list the numbers in your post and answer accordingly, by clicking on "comments" below my mini-poll here.

Merry X'mas!
Ernest Luis
The Skinny Post-Santa-Man
The New Paper

Midweek Topic (Liverpool v Arsenal Carling Cup)

2006-12-19T04:57:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

So it's going to be Liverpool v Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup tomorrow morning (S'pore time).

1. What do you think will be the significance of this game in respect to their form in the EPL, and what will you be looking out for from the game?

Also, Mourinho has now lambasted Andy Johnson for "diving" to try and earn a penalty over the weekend against his team. Everton's David Moyes says Mourinho is being unfair, referring to Chelsea's "Ivorian Elephant" who scores brilliant goals but goes down when a flea lands on his back.

2. Is the EPL - the world's toughest league - becoming a league of "softies"?

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Question of the Week (Chelsea overtake Man U?)

2006-12-15T04:07:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

IT'S time for the Question of the Week again, to be answered by 3pm on Monday (18 Dec).

But you'll also have to answer the following week's Postman's Christmas Question in advance over this weekend (see instructions in the post below).

That's because the "Post Office" will be closed on 25 Dec.

The first topic is quite simple. True to his pre-match boast, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho saw his side cut the gap to five points with Man U by their narrow win over Newcastle yesterday.

The Postman's Question of the Week: Do you think Mourinho and Chelsea can overtake Man U eventually and win the EPL?

Reply to this question by 3pm on Monday in not more than 200 words.

Post your views by clicking on "comments" below my poll below, or e-mail The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Question of the Week".

Click link right for a cut & paste word counter if needed.

The winner of both Letters of the Week will win a clip-styled digital music player - the iPod shuffle - worth $138 from iShop by Club 21 at Cineleisure Orchard.
The Writer of the Month will win a iPod nano worth $348 (for more technical details, click the other link on the right)

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Christmas Question

2006-12-15T03:57:00.000+08:00

As for the Postman's "Christmas Question", I'd have to say that Man U's Cristiano Ronaldo has been the best player of the season so far.

At the World Cup in Germany, he was starting to fulfil the promise he had made when he arrived at Man U.

Mentally, he has made stunning progress in the face of adversity and hateful boos from fans all over. Technically, his timing - when it comes to releasing the ball while on his stepover runs - has improved greatly, making him less predictable.

And after comparing him with Chelsea's 28-year-old Didier Drogba, I feel that Ronaldo, at 21, will clean up his "diving" act eventually.

So, the Postman's Christmas Question of the Week: Who do you think is the best player in the EPL season so far, and why?

Reply to this question by 3pm on Monday (18 Dec) in not more than 200 words.

Post your views now by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here or e-mail The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Christmas Question".

Click right link for an cut & paste text word counter if needed.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Midweek Question (Mourinho v Roman, Goal Vote)

2006-12-12T00:08:00.000+08:00

Welcome back everyone,

To keep your footballing soul enriched (since we were talking about Liverpool's soul over the weekend), this week's midweek topic is:
Do you think the recent public comments Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho made about his misfiring striker Andriy
Shevchenko can be seen as a polite but firm ""reminder'' to his boss - Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich - not to buy any more players on his behalf?

And do you think Abramovich will be tempted to kick Mourinho out if he fails to win the English Premier League and Champions League this season?

In the meantime, we'd also like you to cast your memory back to Michael Essien's stunning equaliser for Chelsea against Arsenal over the weekend, and Matt Taylor's amazing opening goal for Portsmouth against Everton.

Essien's intended drive from about 25 metres saw him keep the ball low enough to rise with enough venom and power, to whistle past Arsenal 'keeper Jens Lehmann into the far corner of the net.

As for Taylor, there's no doubt he probably intended it too. As a loose ball fell to him around the halfway-line, he went for it on the volley as Everton 'keeper Tim Howard was off his goal-line. The ball sailed over him and dipped under the crossbar.

Post your views on Mourinho and Abramovich below my new mini-poll, and vote for which goal you feel is better.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Question of the Week (Liverpool's Soul)

2006-12-08T00:13:00.000+08:00

Welcome back,

For the first time in our series, the Postman's midweek topic (for which there were no prizes for readers who responded) generated more answers than the Question of the Week (for which there are prizes).

What sparked the huge interest was our readers' first thoughts about Liverpool's takeover bid by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al Maktoum for 450 million pounds ($1.36‚billion).

One blogger on the Postman's blog - SGgooner - called the Reds "Al-Liverpool".

Imagine the EPL with Chelski, Glazer United and an Al-Liverpool challenging each other to see who can splash the most cash.

As you can see in today's The New Paper (Friday), Liverpool have provided quite a buzz.

My first introduction to the world of football came when Liverpool were still grand in 1980. I remember some classmates trying to fight off the undeniable glamour of the club then, with the heart-tugging history of Manchester United.

But we all grew up realising that Liverpool always seemed to have a special soul about them.

But does that have a place any more in a rich club's modern game of "buy, buy, buy" and "rotate, rotate, rotate"?

The Postman's Question of the Week is divided into two parts: If the Sheikh's takeover happens, will Liverpool lose their soul, or as Singapore fans, do you really care as long as they get results?
Or will they become a bubble waiting to burst eventually, as in the case of Fulham's Egyptian owner Mohamed al-Fayed?

Reply by 3pm on Monday, in not more than 200 words.

Click below my sign-off here on "comments" to post your views instantly.
Or click the link right, to e-mail The New Paper's sports desk under the title "The Postman".
Please mention which team you support, too.

Click the link right for a cut & paste text word counter.

The winner of the Letter of the Week will win a clip-styled digital music player - the iPod shuffle - worth $138 from iShop by Club 21 at Cineleisure Orchard (more technical details on its website link on the right).

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers, please e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams to be selected as prize winners or have letters printed.
Bloggers, the same thing, but add your blogging nickname so I'll know which post is yours)

Midweek Question (Liverpool takeover)

2006-12-05T09:16:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone,

Welcome back to the midweek topic (think of it as training for the Question (Match) of the Week). Which also keeps you in with a chance to be the Writer of the Month, based on consistency and regularity.

Because it'll be Christmas soon, this month's prizes (the most expensive range so far in the Postman series) are generously sponsored by iShop by Club 21, an official Apple products reseller in Cineleisure Orchard (see details in today's The New Paper and click link right for their website link).

Now if you can't get a rich Russian, get a rich...sheikh?

That seems to be Liverpool's credo as they have confirmed they have given exclusive rights to Dubai International Capital (DIC) - a firm owned by the fabulously-wealthy Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai - to launch a takeover bid.

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry said the takeover holds the key to the club's new stadium and being able to compete with the richest clubs in the world.

Sheikh Mohammed's fortune dwarfs that of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich - he is thought to be the fifth richest person in the world with a fortune of £5billion.

The Postman's question: Do you think this will pave the way for Rafa and his Shakeypudlians to storm their way to the league title next season? Or will the luxury of buying more players lead to more Rafa rotations?

Answer, in not more than 200 words, by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here, or e-mail The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Liverpool Takeover".

Click on the right link for an automatic word counter if you need.
Click link right, to e-mail us.

At your service
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(P.S. E-mailers, pls e-mail your full name, age, occupation.
Bloggers, also add your blogging nickname with the other details, so I know which post is yours.)

Question of the Week (Anti-Cheating Idea)

2006-11-30T21:30:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone,

Time for the Postman's Question of the Week, which you should answer by 3pm on
Monday.

This week's topic surrounds anti-cheating initiatives.

English League Two side Torquay has decided on a no-nonsense way to punish
players who dive or feign injury during matches.

New Torquay supremo Chris Roberts - who took over last month - said he was encouraged by Sunderland manager and ex-Manchester United legend Roy Keane's recent attack on players who try to con the referee.

So he announced that his players will be sacked if they are
found to have dived or feigned injury on three separate occasions.

Roberts said: "What we are suggesting may sound
draconian but a player has to do the same thing three times
to be dismissed.

"And we are talking about black-and-white incidents - not situations where a player
goes down and some say he dived and some say he didn't.

"But, at the end of the day, diving is never accidental."

Torquay lie in 20th spot in the 24-team League Two competition and are fighting to
avoid relegation to non-League football.

But Roberts would prefer honesty and relegation, even it there was a chance for a player to "dive" and earn a penalty which would save the club in the last game of the season.

Roberts' announcement has ruffled feathers at the club and he may face dressing room
mutiny after warning his players.

The Postman's Question: Should top clubs sack players who dive or cheat the referee
on three separate occasions?

Reply, in not more than 200 words, by clicking on "comments" below my mini-poll here, or e-mail The New Paper's sports desk under the title "The Postman".

Click on the right link for an automatic word counter if you need.
Click link right, to e-mail us.

At your service
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(P.S. E-mailers, pls e-mail your full name, age, occupation.
Bloggers, also add your blogging nickname with the other details, so I know which post is yours.
This is needed to select prize winners and featured letter highlights)

Midweek Question (Funny Nicknames)

2006-11-28T01:34:00.000+08:00

Welcome back,

Remember how I asked for funny or twisted nicknames last Tuesday for both Man U and Chelsea?

Well, we want to extend it a bit longer.

Yes, we want you to come up with more nicknames for the famous footballers from teams in the English Premiership, Spanish and Italian Leagues.

Click on "comments" below my sign-off here, or e-mail The New Paper under the heading "Funny Nicknames" by clicking the link on the right.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Question of the Week (Euro Player of the Year)

2006-11-24T00:52:00.000+08:00

Welcome back all,

We've decided to keep the nicknames you all have sent in for Man U and Chelsea so far, and launch it another day, possibly asking for more nicknames fm other teams.

But for now, time to answer the Postman's Question of the Week by 3pm tomorrow, with a last chance to win Puma prizes for this month.

It concerns the European Player of the Year award. France Football magazine will officially name the award winner tomorrow night (Tuesday morning, Singapore time).

But Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon recently claimed he already knows who the winner will be. He said it will be his own team's defender Fabio Cannavaro, bought from Juventus after his World Cup-winning exploits with Italy. The Italian media also reported that the award would indeed go to Cannavaro, with major sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport trumpeting him.

The European Footballer of the Year award is based on a vote by European football
journalists.

And if that's where the vote is coming from, rest assured that the same journalists writing for their respective organisations, are surely not pulling our socks with the early Cannavaro prediction.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger though, disagrees. He feels the award should go to his own striker Thierry Henry.

The Postman's Question: Do you think Cannavaro deserves to be European Player of the Year? If not, who else and why?

Word limit: 200 words.
Post here by clicking on "comments" below my mini-poll here, or e-mail The New Paper's under the title "The Postman", by clicking link right.

Click link right too, for an automatic word counter (go to "tools").

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. To be considered as prize winners, e-mailers, please e-mail us your full name, age, occupation and contact numbers.
Bloggers, pls e-mail the same particulars with your blogging nickname too, so I know which post is yours.)

Midweek Question (Fun and Serious Comments)

2006-11-21T00:59:00.000+08:00

Welcome back everyone!

This Sunday, your lips should be smacking in anticipation of the clash of the English Premier League's two biggest Goliaths - Manchester United and Chelsea.

So I would like you to show your funny as well as your serious side.

Yes, we want you to send us as many funny or twisted nicknames of both teams' players as you can. No vulgar ones though. But I'll start the ball rolling here.

There's Wayne Rooney the Looney. Or Jose Moan-rinho. A local twist perhaps, like Edwin van Tau Sar?

Do you know of, or can you think of funnier nicknames for the players and managers of Man U and Chelsea?

We'll need them by 12pm on Thursday.

The Postman's midweek question then: Tell us - in not more than 200 words - why you think Man U will beat Chelsea on Sunday, or why Chelsea will win instead?

And don't forget to add those funny and twisted nicknames.

Post them online here by clicking on "comments" below my mini-poll here, or e-mail The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Midweek Question".

Click link right for an automatic word counter (cut and paste text under "tools").

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

P.S. E-mailers, leave your full name, age, occupation & contact numbers.
Bloggers, please e-mail your blogging nickname, real name, age, occupation & contact nos)

Question of the Week (Salary Cap/Draft Pick)

2006-11-17T10:01:00.000+08:00

Welcome back,

Time to pen the Letter of the Week - to be published on Tuesday - which will win its writer a Puma football and t-shirt (left).

The Question of the Week surrounds Watford manager Adrian Boothroyd's recent
comments on his fears that the English Premier League will end up like the Scottish Premier League, with the usual two suspects, Rangers and Celtic, always dominating.

He believes the current playing field favours the richest EPL clubs, and that the sport's governing bodies should step in to regulate the open market.

His first suggestion: A salary cap to limit the richer clubs' "let's buy the best players so the rest can't have them" approach.

His second suggestion: To copy the American draft system for player transfers, whereby teams near and at the bottom of the Premiership, have the first choice of players available for transfer.

The Postman's question: Would these systems work or flop, and is the current open-market approach competitive enough for you?

If you prefer to e-mail your answer, click the link right. If you prefer to post here instantly, click on "comments" below my mini-poll.

Word limit: 200 words (click link right for word counter, and cut & paste your text under "tools" to measure)

For e-mailers: Please leave your full name, age, and occupation with your answer.
For bloggers: Please e-mail separately, just your blogging nickname, your real full name, age and occupation, so I know which blog post is yours.

Please take part in my new mini-poll too.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Midweek Question (Green Managers)

2006-11-14T02:40:00.000+08:00

Welcome back all,

I usually post my midweek question on Tuesdays, the same day we publish the Letter of the Week and spread of views in The New Paper (look out for it today).

So for those logging on today for the first time after reading my note about being in contention for the Letter-Writer of the Month, welcome.

If you prefer to e-mail your answer, click the link right. If you prefer to post here instantly, click on "comments" below my mini-poll.

Word limit: 200 words (click link right for word counter, and cut & paste your text under "tools" to measure)

For e-mailers: Please leave your full name, age, and occupation with your answer.

For bloggers: Please e-mail separately, just your blogging nickname, your real full name, age and occupation, so I know which blog post is yours.

For now, Man City and Boro are close to each other in the bottom half of the EPL table. Both are led by players who turned coaches suddenly, at the top level in their country.

Stuart Pearce, and now Gareth Southgate still working on his B licence, before he wants to get an A, and then a Pro Licence course.

So my midweek question is: Do you think teams like Man City and Boro have taken the weak short-cut route towards managerial appointments, and that the likes of Pearce and Southgate need to come up the harder way, that is, cut their teeth through the lower leagues?

Of course, this takes into consideration the different needs of a league format, as opposed to a Cup format, where consistency week in, week out, is needed.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Question of the Week (Refs & Press Cons)

2006-11-10T14:19:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

If you haven't, check out today's The New Paper (Fri) for details about the latest Question of the Week.

Puma prizes are at stake again (see pic left). So if you have read the paper, fire away.

If you prefer to e-mail your answer, click the link right. If you prefer to post here instantly, click on "comments" below my mini-poll.

Word limit: 200 words (click link right for word counter, and cut & paste your text under "tools" to measure)

The Postman's Question: Should referees be forced to attend post-match press conferences or is it pointless?

For e-mailers: Please leave your full name, age, and occupation with your answer.

For bloggers: Please e-mail separately, just your blogging nickname, your real full name, age and occupation, so I know which blog post is yours.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Midweek Question (Ranting Managers)

2006-11-07T02:35:00.000+08:00

Welcome back,

Regulars here will know I usually post my midweek question on Tuesdays, the same day we publish the Letter of the Week and spread of views in The New Paper.

So for those logging on today for the first time after reading my notes about being in contention for the Letter-Writer of the Month, welcome.

If you prefer to e-mail your answer, click the link right.

If you prefer to post here instantly, click on "comments" below my mini-poll.

Word limit: 200 words (click link right for word counter, and cut & paste your text under "tools" to measure)

For e-mailers: Please leave your full name, age, and occupation with your answer.

For bloggers: Please e-mail separately, just your blogging nickname, your real full name, age and occupation, so I know which blog post is yours.

So my midweek question is: Do you think ranting and complaining managers are stealing the limelight from the games and results themselves?

I mean, was Spurs' win overshadowed by Mourinho's mouth?
Was West Ham's win forgotten because of Wenger's swinging arms?

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Question of the Week (Managerial Sack Window)

2006-11-03T09:31:00.000+08:00

Dear readers,

Brand new month, with brand new prizes to be announced on Tuesday. And for now, a brand new Question of the Week.

Last week, manager Stuart Pearce, under fire for Manchester City's dip in form, suggested that managers should be protected by a "transfer window" before they can be sacked.

He blamed the fickle-minded footballing world for heaping unnecessary pressure on managers. That one result can dictate whether you are doing well or badly is not healthy for the game, he said. Especially after just 10 rounds of a total of 38 for the season.

Others feeling the heat are West Ham's Alan Pardew and Newcastle's Glenn Roeder. Liverpool's Rafael Benitez has only just eased the pressure somewhat with recent wins. But at one time or another, most of the English Premiership managers have faced it themselves, right up to veteran Sir Alex Ferguson, as recently as early last season.

The Postman's Question: Do you agree football managers should be protected by a "transfer window", so clubs cannot sack them after only a few bad results?

If you agree, state if you feel the "sack" window should come before the player transfer window period in January.

The usual 200-word limit applies.

Click right link for an automatic word counter (then go to "tools"). Click link right to e-mail us, or post your views instantly here by clicking on "comments" below my mini-poll here.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers, and especially bloggers, please e-mail us your name, age, occupation and contact numbers in case you are selected as prize winners.)

TNP Talk! (Farrer Park vote)

2006-10-31T14:10:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

So it's goodbye to adidas, the sponsor of our prizes for October, and congrats to the latest winners, and the month's winners in today's The New Paper. For the rest, don't give up hope. Hang in there, like Rooney.

A warm welcome to the new bloggers here too...

Now, for a change to the local scene temporarily. If you saw our paper on Sunday, do you agree with us that Farrer Park can be and should be revived for sports?

More importantly, would you frequent the area or use the facilities if something's done, as we suggested with the whole area?

Post instantly by clicking on "comments" below my mini-poll. Please vote too.

This will count towards identifying the potential Letter-writer of the month for November.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

TNP Talk! (Journalism basics)

2006-10-31T13:55:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

Some of you wanted to know basic criteria for journalism.

First, if you're aiming for English papers, your standard of English has to be decent. By that, I mean the basics have to be there, like spelling and grammar.

Then, you need a degree preferably (in any discipline).

And if you dream of being able to comment on Rafa and overseas football, you'll first have to prove yourself on the ground. By that, I mean, the S-League for example, if you're covering football. That applies to other sports as well, here in the local scene.

Good interpersonal skills help too.

Cheers,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Question of the Week (Rotation & Adaptation)

2006-10-27T01:30:00.000+08:00

Welcome back,

Time for the Postman's Question of the Week, inspired by Liverpool, everyone's favourite talking point now after England.

You saw Manchester United silence Liverpool last weekend.

Just when I thought Rafa Benitez found enough answers from the Champs League to not rotate, on came Mohamed Sissoko in the centre, with Steven Gerrard pushed right, while Rafa shoved his own head in the sink in the meantime.

My question: Does rotation, and adapting to different positions, work for English clubs and English players?

Points to consider:
1. Has there been a history of rotation by winning Premiership teams in the last few years?
2. The English mindset (mentality and open-mindedness)
3. English players' technical abilities

Word limit for all answers: 200 words

Post your views instantly by clicking on "comments" below my mini-poll below, or e-mail with heading "The Postman" by clicking link right.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers, and especially bloggers, please e-mail us your name, age, occupation and contact numbers. This is in case you are selected as prize winners.)

TNP Talk! (Bar-be-cue-lona)

2006-10-24T02:48:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

You may have caught the Real Madrid-Barca El Clasico showdown over the weekend. And here's a chance to shift the focus to Spain.

Just what do you think is going wrong with Barca? (from what you saw there, and also, from the Chelsea game last week)

Again, the usual 200-word limit applies, so this blog remains reader-friendly.

P.S. Do not be tempted to respond to anyone with the nickname "Anonymous" in the posts below. It could be one or more persons trying to rile up regulars. There are those with blogging nicknames, but they have some identity at least, in that they post regularly or stick to it.
My advice: Just ignore responding to all "Anony-mice" and post your views.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Tips for New Question of the Week

2006-10-19T18:27:00.000+08:00

A Happy Deepavali to all our Hindu readers,

It's time for the Postman's Question of the Week again.

Earlier this week, Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson made Wayne Rooney a surprise captain in the Champions League, possibly to inspire his return to much-needed form.

THE POSTMAN'S QUESTION: Do you think it's too early to make Rooney (who turns 21 this Tuesday) a captain, or will it backfire?

I'll help with some points to consider, to improve the quality of your answers:
1. Consider how responsibility can either make or break some people some times.
2. Will it make his Man U team-mates jealous? Eg, Rio Ferdinand, who's been eyeing it.
3. Can he command that all-round respect (after you've watched his Champs League and this Sunday's upcoming performance ag Liverpool)?

Do not limit yourself to these pointers, if you have better arguments. These are just a guide.

The Letter of the Week, to be published on Tuesday, will win its writer an adidas Champs League replica ball and shoebag.

Those who have been posting consistently this month will be in the running too, to be the Letter-Writer of the Month for October, for which there are adidas full kits for either a male or female winner worth $300 (see both sets of pictures above).

What is the difference?

Usually, the Letter of the Week winner writes that one letter well or clearly debates his points nicely.
The Letter-Writer of the Month has so far, been the bloggers who post here regularly, simply because I post mid-week topics every Tuesday (that don't offer prizes).

This way, I get to see their range, their views, their regularity, judge their maturity, among other things. And so far, very few e-mailers have done that (but that's not to say I'm not monitoring them).

So back to the Question of the Week then.

Answer in no more than 200 words, by e-mailing under the title "The Postman" clicking the link right, or by clicking on "comments" below my mini-poll here, to post your views instantly.

Go to the blog for a link to an automatic word counter (click after on "tools") if you need.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

TNP Talk!

2006-10-17T01:21:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

Sunday's big match between Man U and Liverpool is coming up after the Champs League.

Who thinks Liverpool can really turn their season around with this game? (I thought they showed signs of promise despite the Blackburn draw last weekend)

P.S. The usual 200-word limit applies per post (click right link for auto word counter under "tools")

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Question of the Week

2006-10-13T00:37:00.000+08:00

Well, well, well,

Now that your blood pressure is lower, hair pulled out nicely, or stomach muscles relaxed after laughing too hard, it's time to imagine yourself as Steve McGoreng, I mean, McLaren.

Yes, it's time for the Postman's Question of the Week again. And I'm looking for the Letter of the Week, to be published on Tuesday.

Topic? England. Despite boasting their best crop of players since the 1966 World Cup-winning batch, and getting rid of David Beckham and Sven-Goran Eriksson, they suddenly look like the worst bunch ever.

The Postman's question then: If you were the manager, how would you rejig the England team to get the best out of their players again?

With your preferred team formation and first XI, answer in no more than 200 words, via online comments on the Postman's blog, or to The New Paper's sports desk e-mail under the title "The Postman".

Click link right for an automatic word counter under "tools" if you need.

Post your views instantly by clicking on "comments" below my mini-poll below, or e-mail "The Postman" by clicking the link right.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

TNP Talk

2006-10-10T03:12:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

Bizzare cruel luck or the worst-ever England team?

And by the way, was anyone able to send SMSes out for at least 20 minutes after that own goal?

Max 200 words please, by clicking on "comments" below my mini-poll here.

(Click link right for an auto word counter, and yes, these comments will help gain an edge over others in clinching the Letter-Writer of the Month title, which will win the above prizes you see here)

Cheers,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Question of the Week

2006-10-06T02:28:00.000+08:00

Welcome everyone,

You would have seen today's The New Paper (6 Oct) by now, as well as a picture of last month's winners with their prizes, courtesy of Diadora.

Of course, you will know that this month's prizes are being given by adidas. I am looking for the Letter of the Week, for which the prize is a Champions League replica ball and shoebag. The sets you see above are for the eventual male (above left) or female (right) Letter-Writer of the Month.

On that note, it's time for the Postman's Question of the Week, which is related to Jittery Benitez, sorry, Rafael Benitez.

I mean, does he change his clothes five times before he leaves for work every morning?

The Liverpool manager clearly hinted after the Galatasaray Champions League win that goals do not guarantee his benched but in-form striker Peter Crouch a starting place.

If goals do not guarantee a striker a starting place, then what does?

Does that message suggest that if you're hot, you should be on the bench, and if you're not, you should be on the pitch?

The Postman's question: What message is Benitez trying to send to Crouch with his recent statements and do you think it makes sense?

Click on "comments" below my sign-off here to post your views instantly or e-mail your views under the title "The Postman" by clicking right (the 200 word-limit applies to each post and e-mail).

(Click right for a link to an automatic word counter if you need)

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers, and especially bloggers, please e-mail us your name, age, occupation and contact numbers. This is in case you are selected as prize winners.)

TNP Talk

2006-10-03T17:28:00.000+08:00

Hi guys,

Singapore Sports Council has just released its half-time report on the progress towards a Sporting Singapore in 2010. But we're asking, what can Singapore do to be more sports friendly?

In other words, do you feel there's anything worth suggesting to improve here, be it grassroots facilities, opening/closing hours, have a wider variety of facilities or sports, or even courses etc? Void deck anti-football rules...

Click on "comments" below my mini-poll here to post your views (the usual 200-word limit applies)

Cheers,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Lions Strip Poll

2006-10-03T12:15:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

Together with national captain Aide Iskandar, The New Paper has shortlisted the designs from readers of a possible new strip for our Lions. From now till Thursday, we'd like you to cast your vote for the best design.

Click for your choice on the mini-poll below my sign-off here, before we run the results on Sunday.

Also, you would have seen today's spread of views in the Postman's Tuesday Mailbag, with adidas as our new prize sponsor.

By the way, was Joey Barton a disgrace over the weekend? Oh, and Rio Ferdinand calling a radio DJ a "faggot" and then apologising straight after (see the Guardian's website).
Do you really look up to football players as role models today? (The usual 200-word limit applies)

Click on "comments" below this poll to post your views instantly.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Question of the Week

2006-09-26T14:56:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone,

Earlier this week, France coach Raymond Domenech called for two referees per game. Then, Fifa president Sepp Blatter suggested reducing the number of players in extra-time to decide a game's winner, instead of using the current penalty-shootout format.

Our question: What do you think of the pros and cons of both suggestions?

Send your views under the title "The Postman" in no more than 200 words, by clicking below my poll here, or to The New Paper's sports desk e-mail by clicking link right. (Views published Tuesday 3rd Oct).

(Click link right for an automatic word counter, then see under "tools")

Oh, and please take part in my poll here if you bought yesterday's (1st Oct) and today's (2nd Oct) New Paper.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers, please don't forget your name, age, occupation and contact numbers in case you are selected as prize winners.
Bloggers, e-mail the same details along with your blogging nickname used here.)

Question of the Week

2006-09-22T22:03:00.000+08:00

Welcome back everyone,

Time to answer the Postman's Question of the Week by 3pm tomorrow. Next week sees the Champions League group stage go into its second round of matches.

Of the English "Big Four", Chelsea face Levski Sofia away, Manchester United play Benfica away, Liverpool host Galatasaray, while Arsenal meet Porto at home.

After watching their form in the EPL this weekend, note what you think are potential weaknesses that could puncture their bubble.

The Postman's question: Which of the English giants will suffer an upset next week in the Champions League, and why?

Send your views, titled "The Postman", in no more than 200 words. Click on "comments" below my mini-poll below, or e-mail by clicking the link right.
(Click link right too, for an automatic word counter if you need)

The Letter of the Week winner will get a Diadora ball, and the Writer of the Month for September will also be chosen to win a full Diadora kit including classic black, full-grain kangaroo leather boots worth $300 (see picture above).

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

TNP Talk!

2006-09-22T14:56:00.000+08:00

Okay,

So the Southern softies really did lose, as expected.
Their southern neighbours finally "flew" in their new stadium.
And the other southern neighbour of course, had a Lamp to lead them to the light eventually.

On a side note, can you suggest any improvements to The New Paper's Tipster contest, to make it better?

Cheers,
The Postman

TNP Talk! (Judging the Three Amigos)

2006-09-18T23:36:00.000+08:00

Welcome to TNP Talk, to regular readers of The New Paper, and to newbies here...

In the past month, all the topics here have been about football. But if you see today's The New Paper (19 Sep), the Postman is asking you now to post your views on something that involves a wider perspective.

Essentially, it concerns three men who have dominated in their respective sports fields, and proven their genius. Their names are also synonymous with the sports they have helped re-defined in the modern era. They are:
1. Michael Schumacher for Formula One motor racing
2. Tiger Woods for golf
3. Roger Federer for tennis

It isn't fair to compare them, but isn't that half the fun in sports talk?

So who - among the trio - do you think is the greatest?

All e-mail and blog posts must not exceed 200 words (cut and paste your text to the link right to measure before sending through).
Deadline: Thursday (21 Sep)

E-mail your views to The New Paper under the title "The Greatest", (by clicking the link right).
Or simply post instantly here below my mini-poll on this same question.
Don't forget to take part in the poll too.

Cheers,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Question of the Week

2006-09-15T02:02:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone,

This week, I'm going to play devil's advocate and suggest that Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are no longer the key driving forces in midfield they were expected to be.

At club level with Liverpool and Chelsea respectively, Lampard plays more on the left of centre, while Gerrard is out on the right flank. Technically, the core of any great football team runs through the centre, the spine - from the two central defenders to the central midfielders, to the main striker up front.

Although they are among the main personalities of their teams, their on-field roles suggest they have been unable to impose themselves with authority to make the central role their own. That's why others like Michael Ballack or Xabi Alonso have taken their places in the centre.

The Postman's question: Do you agree Gerrard and Lampard are being slowly sidelined at club level?

Answer in no more than 200 words, by clicking on "comments" below my mini-poll here.
Or e-mail The New Paper with the title "Postman" by clicking the link right.
(Click link right too, for an automatic word counter if you need)

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
P.S. E-mailers and especially bloggers here, please e-mail me your name, age, occupation and contact numbers in case you are selected as the winner of a Diadora football for Letter of the Week)

TNP Talk (on other topics)

2006-09-15T01:41:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

Welcome to TNP Talk, where if you feel a Mourinho-like need to talk about more than just the Question of the Week, you can do so.

So far, Anonymous has asked Ladylala and Tedrid for their contacts, there are still differing views over Chelsea and Man U fans (yeah, those living in London - applies to both teams), the Singapore Lions, and support for them, and some views lately, on a couple of the Young Lions who found themselves in an online trap recently.

So Sunday's Scorcher sees Chelsea v Liverpool at 8.25pm, followed by Man U-Arsenal.

Who do you fancy? And what's the latest talk you've heard out there?

Please keep all posts here to 200 words or less, too. No Cristiano Ronaldo stepovers all the way to the dressing room please.

Cheers,
The Postman

Champs League first impressions...

2006-09-13T09:05:00.000+08:00

Welcome back everyone to TNP Talk (with tomorrow's Question of the Week coming soon).

It also helps in spotting potential Letter-Writers of the Month here in S'pore (who stand to win the Diadora full kit package you see in the picture for this month).

So what did you make of the 2nd day of Champs League results this morning?

And I'm sure Brit commentators will make more of the fact that Robin van Persie dived, as opposed to Ryan Giggs?

As usual, no comments over 200 words. (Click the link right for an auto word counter by going under the section "tools", before sending your posts by clicking below my sign-off)

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

TNP Talk!

2006-09-12T09:23:00.000+08:00

Welcome everyone,

This new "TNP Talk" section is simply for anyone to post their comments on more than just the Postman's Friday Question of the Week. It also helps in spotting potential Letter-Writers of the Month here in S'pore (who stand to win the Diadora full kit package you see in the picture for this month).

The TNP Talk section only exists for this blog (no e-mail form). The rules are simple.

1. As usual, no comments over 200 words. (Click the link right for an auto word counter by going under the section "tools", before sending your posts)

2. To send your comment through, just click - below my random mini-poll here - on "comments". Click "Other" to write your name or nickname if you're not a blogger. Then, type your verification code number so I don't have to worry about spam. Don't worry, it's not for the Postman to trace you like some Hongkong "pizza"razzi. Then, publish your comment.

So I'll kick off...Who's fancying which team for the Champions League that starts tonight and why?

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Postman's New Guideline

2006-09-07T10:50:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone,

If you've stumbled across this site, it's a newspaper-linked personal blog that lets our readers in Singapore discuss the latest football news and talking points.

For our dear readers of The New Paper though, the Postman will up the ante to help you hone your writing skills further this month. From now on, no readers' comments here must be more than 200 words long.

This applies to all topics.

In other words, (even for those not vying for prizes) we want your views to be not only interesting but concise, sharp and punchy like a Cesc Fabregas pass.

Those who keep to this ethic will get the edge in being chosen as the Letter-Writer of the Month too (for which they'll be kitted out from head to toe in Diadora gear worth about $300, see pics here).

The Letter of the Week winners this month will each get a football from Diadora. So that's five winners in total we're looking for in September.

So I'll kick off this week's question with my view on the Chelsea-Arsenal-William Gallas-Ashley Cole swop.

For me, Gallas has been one of the key reasons why Chelsea won the
English Premiership title two seasons in a row.

You don't win a League title if you don't build the team from the back, and Gallas the "French Plumber", has helped plugged every possible leak across Chelsea's back four in the past two seasons.

His versatility gets my nod over Ashley Cole, a dedicated leftback who since
starring at Euro 2004, has gone on to lower heights in his career, not helped by his secret rendezvous meetings with Chelsea behind Arsenal's back.

The Postman's Question of the Week: Who had the better deal - Arsenal (for William Gallas), or Chelsea (for Ashley Cole) - and why?

Blog comment posts and e-mailed views must not be longer than 200 words.

Click the right link to a "Word Counter" under "Tools", where you can cut and paste your text to have them automatically counted. Then, send your posts or e-mail through.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(P.S. Bloggers and e-mailers, please e-mail us your name,
age, contact no, in case you're chosen as prize winners. Click link right)

New prizes for September

2006-09-05T03:43:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

It was German brand Uhlsport last month. Now it's Italian brand Diadora this month.

Yes, check out The New Paper today for the prizes up for grabs. And also, this week's selection of views published plus the Letter of the Week.

For the rest, don't get disheartened, keep posting, writing and someday - like Peter Crouch - you'll score, right?

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Crouch causes Andorra big "Ouch"...

2006-09-03T02:01:00.000+08:00

Good Sunday morning!

Some of you may be logging on after today's reminder in The New Paper, and especially after Peter Crouch scored two in England's 5-0 win over Andorra.

We're still looking for the Letter-of-the-Week winner to be announced on Tuesday. Please try to keep your posts shorter, as I'm looking for sharp but concise views too.

Those who wrote about Crouch in the post before, I've already noted them. Just make sure you e-mail "The Postman" your contact details if you haven't done so before.

If you saw this blog last week or the paper last Friday, I wrote that England lost their way in the World Cup, partly because Eriksson and his twiddling thumbs left Peter Crouch on the bench despite his promising start in the opening games. That's my take although I'm no fan of his as an individual player.

His newfound confidence going into Germany saw him make better use of his natural assets and strengths, although he's still limited technically, like at headers. And so far with Liverpool, I've noticed that he's obviously put in some work to improve on his weaknesses, and it shows.

The Postman's question: (Although Andorra is a minnow), can Peter Crouch be the main striker for England?

Now fire away by clicking on "comments" below my simple poll below...

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
P.S. All bloggers and e-mailers who haven't done so before, pls e-mail "The Postman" your contact details too (click on link right) in case you are selected for prize collection.

Earlier Crouch Views

2006-08-29T02:43:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

It's September, a brand new month, so again, we're looking for more Letter-of-the-Week winners and a Letter Writer of the Month (whose consistency and regularity in posting interesting and thought-provoking views here will no doubt give him/her the edge over others). Prizes for the month to be announced on Tuesday.

By the way, check out my Singapore at Large blog too for something you might want to help contribute to Singapore soccer.

But those new to this blog can start posting away, to be in contention for Letter-Writer of the Month for September.

Here are the early posts last week on the Postman's question: Can Peter Crouch be the main striker for England?

You can see them by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off below...

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

Mail The Postman Again

2006-08-23T19:20:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

With tomorrow's Monday 3pm deadline coming, it's time to pen your thoughts.

I have two questions for you this weekend.

1. Can Andriy Shevchenko beat Thierry Henry to be the EPL's top scorer this season?
2. Should Man U boss Alex Ferguson stay on even if he doesn't win the EPL this season?

We will then choose the Letter of the Week, for which the winner will get an Ulhsports football.

We will also choose the first "Writer of the Month" for August.

This person will be picked based on his or her consistency and regularity in giving concise and interesting views, and will be kitted out from head to toe in Ulhsports football gear, including the latest boots as worn by Czech Republic star Pavel Nedved.

The total cost of the football gear plus a bag (all sponsored by Ulhsports), comes up to $300, and isn't it a great feeling to turn up for your average Sunday kickabout fully kitted out and looking the part as well?

The only disclaimer we insist on, is that the boots are not guaranteed to turn you into Nedved overnight (but you can start though, by keeping your hair long and shaggy).

We will sort out the best mail to be published in Tuesday's edition of The New Paper.

Two ways to reply to my questions?

1. E-mail "The Postman" by clicking the link on the right (leave your contact too)
2. Or post instantly here by clicking on "comments" just below my sign-off here.

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
P.S. All bloggers who post here, please e-mail "The Postman" your contact details and nickname too, so I can call you on Monday if you have been chosen for "Letter of the Week" or "Writer of the Month", to arrange prize collection.

Rooney & Fergie

2006-08-22T12:52:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

If you bought today's The New Paper (22 Aug 2006), you will see how serious we take our readers' views as we want them to join us on the bumpy ride throughout this new season.

We asked for your views after the start of the new season of EPL, you wrote in, and we published them.

The Postman was blurbed (in newspaper speak, that means published in a small section) on the front page of the paper too.

The unexpected bonus for readers was that in the last few days, The New Paper managed to secure some prizes sponsored by German brand Ulhsports (which has a niche following among some of those weekend warriors here in Singapore).

As such, I was able to pick a Letter of the Week, for which NSman Lim Swee Keat won an Ulhsports football.

Next Tuesday, another Letter of the Week winner will win the same prize.

For those who didn't get published, keep trying...

And there's more.

We're also looking for a "Writer of the Month".

This person will be picked based on his or her consistency and regularity in giving concise and interesting views.

We will then kit the "The New Paper's Letter-Writer of the Month" out from head to toe in football gear, including the latest boots as worn by Czech Republic star Pavel Nedved, which retail here for $199.90 (see picture).

The total cost of the football kit plus a bag, comes up to $301.50, and isn't it a great feeling to turn up for your average Sunday kickabout fully kitted out and looking the part as well?

The only disclaimer we insist on, is that the boots are not guaranteed to turn you into Nedved overnight (but you can start though, by keeping your hair long and shaggy).

So to keep things going, I have two midweek Man U-flavoured questions for you.

1. Following his threat to the FA (see today's back page), is Wayne Rooney a spoilt brat?
2. Does Man U boss Alex Ferguson still have the X-factor, and should he stay even if he doesn't win the EPL this season?

Those who prefer to e-mail us, click on the link on the right of this column.
Otherwise, post your say instantly by clicking on "comments" below.

At your service,
The Postman
The New Paper

1st impressions of EPL Big Five

2006-08-17T01:33:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

Here's a very warm welcome to THE POSTMAN'S blog for the new club domestic season in England and the Champions League.

Yes, that's my new title (although not officially recognised by SingPost) after being The New Paper's Man on the Run at the recent World Cup in Germany, where you may have followed my World Cup blog.

To kick things off, this blog is simply a place where we hope you'll go to online from now on, to react to the latest football news, gossip, and especially the talking points brought up by The New Paper in its print edition.

So hopefully, you'll be in the loop by reading the paper faithfully and have the luxury of logging on (when the boss is not looking over your shoulder...) to post your instant reactions and comments.

Since we can't print your comments every day in the paper, I'll be able to monitor them on behalf of our sports desk and publish the best of them in our new Sports Mailbag each Tuesday.

As ever, at The New Paper, we always want to convey that energy and passion we show in our coverage of football, and we want you in on the ride too.

So let's cut to the chase now.

Sat's live EPL matches are:
1. Sheffield Utd v Liverpool (7.40pm)
2. Arsenal v Aston Villa (9.55pm)
3. Everton v Watford (9.55pm)

Sunday's live games are:
4. Bolton v Spurs (12.10am)
5. Man U v Fulham (8.25pm)
6. Chelsea v Man City (10.55pm)

By 5pm on Monday, I'd specially like to know two things from you.

1. Your first impressions of the "Big Five" teams, Chelsea, Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs.
2. Rate these teams' new player buys (on a scale of one to 10).

You can then check out The New Paper on Tuesday for the best of the Sports Mailbag...

At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper

P.S. Being online is never about waiting, so you can start the ball rolling by posting, because this blog is for us to hear YOUR VOICE. Click on comments below to have your say...