Looking for Eric - a true fan movie

*SPOILER ALERT: TOOK THE LIBERTY OF INCLUDING DIALOGUES SINCE MOST OF YOU WOULDN'T WATCH IT :)*





There were two reasons for going to lengths at searching the download for this movie and watching it.
- First, it featured one of my heroes Cantona
- Second, it was about a football fanatic. Something I strongly relate to

The beauty of this movie is not so much as potraying Cantona as a superstar. (which it does in one of its dialogues:
Eric Bishop: It's sometimes hard to imagine that you are still a man
Eric Cantona: I am not a man ..... I AM CANTONA)
But, more so about trying to understand how the common man tries to get through his daily problems and difficulties by trying to emulate the people he admires/ worships. How a simple moment of brilliance or magic can take your breath away and make you forget your problems atleast for sometime.
(Again potrayed beautifully where Bishop is trying to understand what it Cantona's most sweetest moment.
EB: Remember Sunderland, Ah that was a beauty Magnifique
It was like a ballet, a dance. Kept me going for months that goal.
It sort of fills you up so much that you just forget the rest of the shit in your life. Just for a few hours)
This is true for any kind of fan:
A movie fan who thrills in the masterpieces the director provides,
A book you may have liked and can keep reading it more than once.

Yet, the movie also potrays how hard our superstars have to work to keep their fans happy, to drive themselves forward they strive for that something special which will keep them in the fan's hearts
(EB: Must have been amazing though.
60,000 people watching ya. Cheering. Chanting your name
EC: Scary? yeah!
EB: You? Scared?!
EC: Scared it might stop
I loved to surprise the crowd.
Every time in every game, I tried to offer them a gift.
.
.
Further discussion on which was Cantona's sweetest moments, EB keeps listing the goals and finally says:
EB: Alright sweetest moment ever?
EC: It wasn't a goal
EB: It has to be a goal.
EC: It was a pass.
EB: Ah god! To Irwin against Spurs.
EC: *Describes the pass leading to the goal* He took it in his stride and my heart soared
EB: A gift?!
EC: Yeah! Like an offering to the great god of football.
)

It's a true fan movie which completely captures the emotions of the fans for whom football isn't just a game. It's a religion. For whom going to a game means saving a week's wages sometime. For someone like me it's a dream to go there. Like a pilgrimage.

Definitely a must watch for a Man United fan. I would still go far as to say keeping your loyalties aside and watching it as a neutral will give you some joy.

The most defining dialouge of the movie is realated to Bishop's own personal problems, but is summed up by Cantona:
The sweetest vengeance is to forgive

I'll leave you guys with one of the few Cantona songs in the movie:
What a friend we have in Jesus,
He's our saviour from afar,
What a friend we have in Jesus,
And his name is Cantonaa!!

OOH AAH! CANTONA!!

"The Lost" Diaries - 1

When I flew out of India for the first time in my life on 4th Aug 2010 lot of my assumptions were thrown out of the window.
Firstly, nowhere in the world is my name pronounced correctly.
Secondly, whoever said Americans do not spit on the road did not have the privelege to witness what i did this evening.
Russel Peters was telling the truth about Italians using sign language for WTF :D (I had an Italian for company from Munich to Newark ... friendly guy named David)
The smallest size of coffee/tea is not our good old "cutting chai" back home.
It's hot in the East Coast at this time of the year!!

As soon as I landed at my final destination at Richmond apart from being tired (damn the 35-40 hours connecting flights) I was taught a good lesson immediately. A security guy asked me if I needed help which I politely refused. But, he kept insisting, so I was like ok. When he loaded the bags in the taxi he was there standing, I was like uh oh! what have I done! Thanks to Strabucks (where BTW the smallest cup of coffee you get is called "Tall") I had change to give him 5 bucks.
So, lesson number 1: "Nothing is free in life. Even if you didn't ask for it in the first place."

Cab ride was good. Afe (the driver) was scared of lightnings and well you guessed it ... when I landed there was a thunderstorm. He kept telling me he was scared and kept praying to Jesus. Well, I just flew through those storms ... Imagine if Afe was in the plane!!

Work is challenging and good here, luckily the CRM team folks are awesome and helpful. I can only say there's never a dull moment here. *Grinning*

Adjusting to life in Pardes. It's very expensive here(who said you could save here) and no local transport .... believe me Pune public transport is much much better. So, that means I gotta get a license here and quick. Hope that goes well. Bought a new camera so till the enthu is there I'll be clicking snaps here and posting on facebook.
That's pretty much it for this time .... Got an offshore call in an hour now :D

Take care and be safe
Marwin

THE DILEMMA OF THE ‘YOUTH’ POLICY

Evans passes to Anderson, who jinks past his man passes it to Welbeck, Welbeck to Anderson who plays a lovely ball to Macheda and its in!!! 1-0 Manchester United.

Well, this is a fantasy for some United fans like me. Watching a player progress through the ranks is different feeling, a different connection. You start learning about a prospect when he is in the U-18’s and as he progresses so do you! As Sir Alex says, “The crowd take to the younger lads more than a player ‘bought’.” But, at a club like Manchester United the pressure to win is so high, that you expect big player signings and one feels without them the club isn’t moving forward. Last season was one such season where after we sold a key player everyone expected some big money signings. But, who did we get a winger from Wigan who can’t play on the left, a crocked player from France who wasn’t fit to play in the first two months and a 29 year old PAST-HIS-PRIME Michael Owen. It raised doubts through the media and most United fans.

While our signings turned out to be more than decent, the younger ones too stepped up to make a mark. Ok, it was only Johnny Evans and Nani who made a mark, but that’s two young players getting through into the squad. Anderson showed flashes of brilliance here and there, but hasn’t delivered yet in a big game. But, he was injured in the latter part and really with Carrick out of form the chance was ideal for him to perform. I think (or rather hope) next season will be the breakthrough season for Ando, just as this was for both Evans and Nani. Rafael can show he can do the job but he’s immature (advantage taken by Ribery), hope he learns from that. Fabio is out only because Evra had an immaculate season with over 50 starts. Gibson has a shot on him, but can he really keep the ball and pass well? that’s left to be seen.

We have been blessed to have younger talented understudies in most of our first team positions. Probably that’s how we’ve differed from other teams like say Arsenal, who are supposed to be the promoters of the ‘Go Young’ policy. But, then again they haven’t been able to hold on to their good players like Flamini, Hleb, which meant young players are immediately thrust into the spotlight. Not every young player makes it right away on the big stage, mental strength plays a big part there. For us, Ronaldo has been one of the few established stars who have left the club in their prime, last being David Beckham of course. Thankfully, with the squad that we have it meant youngsters could be blooded in gradually. Youngsters need to be treated with care and also need to be educated to keep a level head. Who better than Giggsy, Scholesy, Neville or even Rooney then to set look upto? Also, before the Carling Cup semis we saw youngsters given more chances they showed their worth totally.

Of course, at a certain point age youngsters demand more playing time, I’m sure people remember Guiseppe Rossi. But, the case was different then, Rossi had just returned from loan and we got Carlos Tevez. Sir Alex knew better than to let Rossi rot in the reserves and we lost on a bundle of talent who I believe will become a great player for Italy if given the chance. Hopefully, next season with just one world class creative midfielder signing we will the same young players getting more chances.

Some of the youngsters have done well on loan. Tom Cleverly was Watford’s player of the year and he could actually replace Gibson in the squad. Craig Cathcart and Fabian Brandy did well too. Our Reserves won the league title and we also clinched the U-18 North title for the first time. So, it was a good domestic season for the youngsters. At the international level, the U-17 European Championships have 4 of our young players doing really well. Paul Pogba has been man of the tournament for France and the U-18’s, while the English team which reached the final has 3 United representatives. So, definitely there is hope.

But, patience is going to be the key if we are to see a new generation of United superstars coming through the ranks. Even out of a group of 20 if we see 5, 4 or even 1 make it really big the satisfaction will always be there that he was always ‘OUR’ player, just like Giggs, Scholes and the others. Well, I’ll leave you here, it seems Macheda just scored after a neat moving involving Welbeck and Anderson in Football Manager 2010 that is.

MI v RCB ..... FROM THE STANDS

I always wondered what's so special about watching a game from the stands. I mean television gives you everything stats, replays, commentary etc... What more could any cricket lover ask for? Everything is at your fingertips.
Now, after going for a game I realize all these things don't matter at all. The noise you make, the shots you see first hand, the effort you put in trying to pick up the ball when Dale Steyn bowls it .... and of course the cheer leaders if they are right in front of your stand. As a biased MI supporter Brabourne was the place to be last night, unbelievable atmosphere. From the time you watched JP Duminy, Ryan Mclaren, Fernando practising .... to the time when the crowd roared when the MASTER came in .... and all this before the first ball was even bowled.
I was lucky to witness Sachin and Kallis batting, both are truly great players. While other players HIT the ball, these guys were CARESSING it. As if to say 'Cricket! simple game, ain't it?'
Now I know why crowds all over the world is disappointed to see Sachin out. Every ball he struck was magic. You just wished for more and more. If he hit the ball for four then a player was moved to that spot. Next ball, same shot .... but the ball has gone to the fielder's original spot, Amazing!!!
I didn't witness Sachin's straight drive, but then I saw Kallis. The speed at which the ball leaves the bat is unbelievable. People beside were saying 'I can't spot the ball'. While I'm saying follow the ball from the bat else you've missed the magic.
We got to see some other magical things too like Uthappa's six out of the ground, Tare's square cut was a rocket to the boundary, Sachin's 3 flicks of his hip ... but these are not the things that stick in my mind. Things which I still vividly recollect are:
1. Dale Steyn is fast .... As much as I tried I could track the path of the ball when it left his hand. (And I was having a side view) I could track Malinga, Zaheer, Kallis but not Steyn. That was a sight which you don't get on the TV
2. Dravid's one hand stunner .... I was lucky that both the great catches (Dravid's and Malinga's) were at my end. When the ball left Sathish's bat we all thought ok, one run. But Dravid is scrambling ... surely this 30+ oldie won't make it .. Morgan will back it up ... He's streching but naah .... Oh my God! What a stunner!!!! I can't explain this fully to be honest.
3. Waiting for the 3rd umpire's decision is an experience for the crowd ... You don't have the replay, you only wait ... and wait ... and wait ... And when the opposition player is out the stadium erupts!! And what a throw!!
4. The dives they put at backward point are not easy .... The ball is actually too fast, you have a split second to make that dive. That's why Jonty was special. I wonder how it would be to watch him from the stands.
Finally, I have to mention the cheer leaders. They were stunning to say the least. After the fall of every MI wicket, we would put our heads down. But, these were RCB cheerleaders they would come on .... and well life would be beautiful again. But honestly, Sachin's wicket was the most depressing moment. Even when Pollard hit a six later, you just said, 'Hmm good ... But nah! Sachin for a second time please!!!'
Last night's excitement is wearing off slowly, but I'll never forget it. Surely this won't be the last time I go to watch a match, another T20 maybe 50 over would be too exhausting. But, I pray to go to Old Trafford now :) Well one can't stop dreaming about it now, can they? Especially if there's a will to chase it ;)