Florence - 3 - 6 October

Early october I went to Florence for a special occasion. FC Groningen, the club I support, was playing Fiorentina for the Uefa Cup! The home game was 1-1, so we still had a chance of going through to the next stage.
With some friends we rented a 9-person bus to drive to Florence in about 14 hours. We drove all through the wednesday night, but I didn't sleep all that much. There was some terrible music playing at times, but we had a good laugh about it.

On arrival in Florence on thursday morning we had to wait quite some time to get into the hotel. We were all really tired from the trip so a bed would have been nice. Some of us slept a bit, but I stayed awake till we made our way to the city centre. A lot of other Groningen supporters were there singing and drinking and we saw some familiar faces. What I liked most about it was that we, the guys from Groningen seemed to control the centre of Florence. After a while it was time to get to stadium, so about 2000 of us started walking through the streets of Florence. Especially with the singing it was a great atmosphere. One of the best I ever seen around a football match.
The game itself was quite ok, but the stadium sucked big time. The fences blocked the view and the food was terrible. The sheer joy we experienced when FC Groningen striker Erik Nevland scored the 0-1, which meant we were through to the next stage was amazing. Unfortunately it was short-lived, cus 4 minutes later Adrian Mutu scored the equaliser. Still, 1-1 was not bad at all. Eventually it stayed that way and the game would be decided on penalties. I have terrible experience with those bloody spotkicks! Holland lost and broke my heart with them so many times already, but I still had good faith. Yet again, my faith wasn't enough. My team lost once again on penalties. Eventhough we lost I look back at the game as a great effort and we got more than I expected on forehand.
After the match we had to wait for almost an hour in the stadium to get, terrible! My throat was sore, my feet hurt and all I wanted was a drink, food and put my feet up. Boy, was I glad that McDonalds was still open when we got there, but I don't think the workers there were too happy with all the supporters coming in just before closing time.
Finally at about 2.30 am on thursday night I could go to bed after being awake since 8am the wednesday before!

Favourite Football Moments: part 1

From now on I will post 5 great goals or moments every week or so and explain what makes them great to me.

Carlos Alberto: World Cup final 1970 vs Italy
This goal was the icing on the cake for the best team ever in World Cup football. The goal starts at the back and on the left. A genious lay-off by Pelé to set up the right back to score this goal. Absolutely amazing team effort.



Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten: Euro88 final vs USSR
As this was one of my first memories of football I remember it vividly. My favourite player that time, Gullit, scored the most powerful header. Those rasta's flying in the air and the cheers afterwards, unforgettable! If that wasn't enough Van Basten scored what was one of the most incredible goals ever. Best thing about those goals was that they came with a major international trophy. We won the European Championship!!!! Therefor 1988 will always be the year.


Esteban Cambiasso: World Cup 2006 group stage vs Serbia&Montenegro
I was watching this match and afterwards I was convinced this team should win the World Cup. How the are we gonna beat that team? We didn't, ended second in the group with them and were lucky to get to next stage. The Argentina manager is the biggest moron ever! One of his best players, Messi, was left on the bench in the match they lost on penalties vs Germany! What a disgrace.


Faustino Asprilla: 1993 World Cup qualifier vs Argentina (5-0)
Tino the Latino and Colombia performed at their best. A great team with Fredy Rincon, Carlos Valderama, Rene Higuita and the late Andres Escobar were set to do great things. Unfortunately they never really get to this level again afterwards.


Romario: sometime in his Barca days, I believe this is against Mallorca
There are plenty great goals by Romario and some might pop up here in the future. I just love the nonchalance with which he scores this goal. So effortless, yet an amazing goal. Don't forget the great set up by Michael Laudrup.

"..I smoke on the mic like smokin Joe Frazier.."

There's a whole bunch of rappers that I enjoy listening to and today I would put the main focus on an underrated Clansmen. They call him the Rebel INS, Rollie Fingers, but most people know him as Inspectah Deck from the Wu-tang Clan. I really like his style, the way he uses multies and structures his raps. I will pick 5 tracks that are true highlights to me and that show me the potential Deck got.


1. C.R.E.A.M

It's been twenty-two long hard years of still strugglin Survival got me buggin, but I'm alive on arrival I peep at the shape of the streets And stay awake to the ways of the world cause shit is deep A man with a dream with plans to make C.R.E.A.M. Which failed; I went to jail at the age of 15 A young buck sellin drugs and such who never had much Trying to get a clutch at what I could not... could not... The court played me short, now I face incarceration Pacin -- going up state's my destination Handcuffed in back of a bus, forty of us Life as a shorty shouldn't be so ruff But as the world turns I learned life is hell Living in the world no different from a cell Everyday I escape from Jakes givin chase, sellin base Smokin bones in the staircase Though I don't know why I chose to smoke sess I guess that's the time when I'm not depressed But I'm still depressed, and I ask what's it worth? Ready to give up so I seek the Old Earth Who explained working hard may help you maintain to learn to overcome the heartaches and pain We got stickup kids, corrupt cops, and crack rocks and stray shots, all on the block that stays hot Leave it up to me while I be living proof To kick the truth to the young black youth But shorty's running wild smokin sess drinkin beer And ain't trying to hear what I'm kickin in his ear Neglected, but now, but yo, it gots to be accepted That what? That life is hectic

2. A Better Tomorrow

Yo, in the housing, thousands seen early graves Victims of wordly ways, memories stays engraved All my live brothers, is locked down with high numbers The young hunger, blind to these lies, they die younger In this New World the Order slaughter men, women, and children Ten feet gates surround the building keep us sealed in The projects, lifeless like a vietnam vet Constant war, sever threats of enemy conquest Crooked cops comb my building complex that's in the rumble Streets are like a jungle, can't let my cypher crumble Vivid thoughts, Devils resort to trick knowledge They kick garbage, lust for chicks and quick dollars I know the pain the game bring, I did the same thing Spaced out in the staircase, performing a sting It's hard to keep control, I bless those who seek a scroll Trying to reach a whole nation and break the sleeper hold Not a role model, I walk a hard road to follow I sold bottles of sorrow then chose poems and novels The gospel was told, some souls it swallowed whole Mentally they fold, and they eventually sold their life and times, deadly like the virus design but too, minute to dilute, the scientist mind

3. Above the Clouds (Gangstarr)

Yeah; I leave scientists mentally scarred, triple extra large Wild like rock stars who smash guitars Poison bars from the Gods bust holes in your mirage and catch a charge shake em down like the riot squad Invade your zone, ruin like ancient Rome I span the universe and return to Earth to claim my throne The maker, owner, plus soul controller Ayatollah rest in the sky, the cloud's my sofa Stand like Collossus, regardless to whom or what Numerous attempts at my life, so who to trust Who but us, to supply you with the fire? The burning truth, 150 Absolut proof On the mic like Moses spoke in golden scribe Survivor of the oldest tribe whose soldiers died I notified families, we shed tears and more but our hands are the ammo cause the battle's still on Sound the horn; we come rumblin through the function Precise laser beam technique to touch somethin When we die hard, to build the monument to honor us with Humungous effect in the world - we could have conquered it

4. Triumph

I bomb atomically, Socrates' philosophies and hypothesis can't define how I be droppin these mockeries, lyrically perform armed robbery Flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me Battle-scarred shogun, explosion when my pen hits tremendous, ultra-violet shine blind forensics I inspect you, through the future see millenium Killa B's sold fifty gold sixty platinum Shacklin the masses with drastic rap tactics Graphic displays melt the steel like blacksmiths Black Wu jackets queen B's ease the guns in Rumble with patrolmen, tear gas laced the function Heads by the score take flight incite a war Chicks hit the floor, diehard fans demand more Behold the bold soldier, control the globe slowly Proceeds to blow swingin swords like Shinobi Stomp grounds and pound footprints in solid rock Wu got it locked, performin live on your hottest block

5. Cold World

Yo - no time to freeze, undercovers ease up in Grand Prixs and seize packages and pocket the currency Clicks control strips full clips are sprayed Yellow tape barricades sidewalks where bodies lay Madness strikes at twelve o'clock midnight Stick up kids on the ground broke the staircase light And I stays harassed, scramblin for petty cash Jakes on my ass young bucks is learnin fast 357's and 44's Bought inside corner stores, their fire sparks the wars Hospital floors surrounded by the law Homicide questioning while the Jakes guard the door My hood stay tense, loyalty puts strength in my team Cause niggaz main concern is CREAM Some niggaz in the jet black Gallant Shot up the Chinese resteraunt, for this kid named Lamont I thought he was dead but instead he missed a kid and hit a twelve year old girl in the head and then fled Tactical narcotic, task force, back off fast Cause the crime boss is passin off cash Extortions, for portions of streets, causes beef Havin followers of Indians trying to play Chief You witness the saga, casualties and drama Life is a script, I'm not a actor but the author of a modern day opera, where the main character is presidential paper, the dominant, factor


Unfortunately Inspectah Deck didn't live up to his potential as a solo artist, but maybe we expect too much. In the group and as a guest Deck always manages to shine and that's probably when he's at his best. Mostly at those time you'll hear his outstanding wordplay and rhyme style, cus it differs so much from others. The Rebel remains one of my favourites and therefor I hope the Clan will make another album on which he can shine.

Food Heaven, Singapore!

My traveling bug is still very much alive and all I want is to get back to it! One of the finest trips I took was to the Lion City. Maybe my views were blurred by my other interest in that city, but I made two great trips down there that I look back to with fond memories. A Fine City, Singapore. To me Singapore has the best of both worlds, it is Asian and looks modernized. Another good things is that I’m not really short there!

As life there is half the prize for me, shopping and going out for dinner were great pastimes. I spend a lot of time walking around town going in and in out shopping malls, one even bigger and fancier than the other. Especially after my first trip I came back with so much more than I came with. Did some of my best music buys from the past years. The College Dropout by Kanye West, Jay Z’s Black Album, picked up some old classics like Illmatic by Nas and Ice Cube’s Amerikka’s Most Wanted. All those albums rank very high on my list. Most of them were bought at HMV down at Orchard Road where I could spend hours skimming trough the albums and DVDs. The Queensway Shopping Centre in Queenstown got plenty of my money as well. The amount of sports gear, shoes and other clothing is great. My love for football had me drooling over the jersey’s they sold there and of course I had to get one from the Singapore national team. Obviously that wasn’t the only one I got, the sleeveless Cameroon jersey was a nice buy too.

Ok, enough about shopping , let’s get to the food! Singapore is FOOD HEAVEN! Everything I want and then some. Like most Asian cities there’s food on every corner and you can get it almost the entire day. The hawker centers are good for a quick bite and a lunch, but I don’t to get my dinner there either. It seems a bit dodgy at times, but the food is usually pretty good. I recommend to take the Indian or Malay food. The Chinese food is my least favorite and at times the hygiene seems not all the good. That said, there’s enough nice Chinese food as well, but it’s just not much for my liking. Curry puffs, satay or popia’s are great snacks and don’t forget the fish balls. I never had a better range of noodles than in Singapore. Fried noodles, tom yam noodle soup and others, the Japanese ones and so much more. Great other dishes are the laksa, rice noodles in a coconut curry gravy with shrimp, egg and chicken. Nasi lemak, coconut rice with omelette, anchovies, cucumber and chili paste. Sometimes it is wrapped in banana leaves, which enhance the flavour. The Malay cuisine is definitely my favourite, but some good Indian food is always welcome. Chicken madras and a nice tandoori can be served to me anytime. I love all the spicy food and that surprised some of the local people I met there. I sweat, turn read, but love eating it. Barbequed stingray is making my mouth water when talking about it. Quite spicy but a welcome change from all the chicken and beef. Ooh shit, how could I forget about all the yummy sushi. However, the best dish I had is not available in stores. The homemade sambal from my ex-mother-in-law (not that I was married) that was all over some big ass prawns is top-notch. Wake me at any time for that dish and I’ll be happy. That alone is worth the trip back there.

Everybody’s hungry now, mission accomplished!

I stayed in the area of Sembawang MRT, near Sun Plaza and the 2^nd time I stayed around Yio Chu Kang which are both fine neighbourhoods. I can see myself live down there and enjoy it. Some of the best places to walk around in Singapore are Boat Quay and River Quay. I was absolutely tricked there by a Turkish ice-cream seller. I enjoy walking up and down Orchard Road. I know it’s damn crowded and all, but I love to go up in the masses and observe what’s going down around me. The east coast beach area is extremely nice for a good stroll or just a romantic picnic. A trip down to Sentosa Island is a must. The big Lion in the centre of the island looks amazing, the aquarium should be nice (didn’t go inside, maybe next time) and you obviously have to see Fort Siloso. The great historic value of that place was very interesting. If you’re lazy, tired or just want something different, you can move around in a monorail. Last but not least is the great beach area to swim. It looks absolutely amazing and tropical

I must have forgotten so many other great things about Singapore that I might cover some other time. I have to get back there anyway. I met some really nice people there that made my stay unforgettable and I want to thank all of them. The best thing about my trips there was that I saw all the tourist places and was taken to some less known places by my friends there.

I’ll be back!

Champions League football........or should I say FA Cup football

The Champions League is not very interesting anymore. There are too many teams from the big leagues which makes it quite boring. This year there will most likely be three teams from England in the semi-finals. To me that's a damn shame, I might as well watch the FA Cup. I want to see a good variation of teams and preferably just the league's champions. They didn't name it that for nothing. Of course the quality of the games is better with all the top teams from Europe performing in this cup, but there's little room for upsets from the smaller countries. I was glad to see Monaco and Porto reach the final a couple years ago just to see different teams do well. Besides the fact there are too many teams in the Champions League from one country, it's not really special earning qualification in Spain, England and Italy anymore. I might just be frustrated that the teams I wanted to win did not, but I really hope in the next couple of years there will be some changes in this European Cup.

World Cup, Korean Style

Unfortunately the World Cup is not every year, cus the month it's played is my absolute favourite. In all my 25 previous years of life, which include 6 World Cups, I never had the chance to experience it from up close. So last summer in Germany it was finally time to absorb the passion of the biggest sporting event in the world. Luckily I made some new friends at the end of the 2005 summer and one of them had tickets for two World Cup games of the Korean national team. Ok, she didn't have extra tickets for me, but she convinced me to tag along to see if I might be able to get one there and to keep her company of course. One of the better decisions in my life!
The first match was France vs Korea in Leipzig. Once we arrived there the atmospher was already amazing with fans from both countries singing and the streets waving their flags. No clashes between fans, verbally nor physically, which is great for a change. The Koreans were singing their songs in the tram towards the stadium and that gave me goosebums all over. Finally there, I had to find a way to get into the stadium. It was my lucky day, a group of Frenchies approached me with a ticket their friend wouldn't use. My first reaction was: I want it for sure, who cares about the money! So I quickly came up with the 100 euro's the wanted for it and collected my ticket. The prize wasn't too much, it was the exact same as it was printed on the ticket itself. My friend was of course rooting for Korea and sitting with the Red Army. Me myself on the other hand ended up in the middle of a blue see. Of course I was prepared and pulled out my France jersey to fit in perfectly.
The stadium in Leipzig is amazing! The walk up the stairs and before that over the grass towards it looked great. The view, even from way up was perfect and the sound of the singing fans was very good. Eventhough the game wasn't all that spectacular, I was really excited and hyped up afterwards. My first real life World Cup experience was absolutely top notch!

The second game I watched was Korea vs Switzerland. Again the atmosphere before the game was incredible. Hannover turned completely red as it is both countries colour. Every where were people dressed up with painted faces, flags, jersey's and making noise. I had no ticket for this game and absorbing the pre-game festivities I had to get into that stadium as well. My first pickup was a Korean jersey for 30 euro's, which is cheap. My second was the ticket and that was not as easy as the first time. Many people were selling at ridiculous prizes: between 100 and 300 euro's for 30 euro tickets. In the end I found some Koreans that had to get rid of a ticket and we convinced them to sell it at 150 euro. Actually that prize was way too much, but I was determined to get in. I probably wouldn't find one cheaper anyway. This game I was seperated from my friend as well and ended up in the Swiss corner with my Korean jersey. I didn't really care and neither did they. I was cheering for both teams and jumped and partied with the people around me when Senderos headed in the winner. It would have been better to see the Koreans win, cus in that case my friend would have been much happier. On my way home I was still in awe about the whole World Cup experience. The Germans did a great job hosting it, the atmosphere was amazing and all I could have wished for. The only thing I have to improve about this is watch a Holland game next time.
I'm glad I made some nice Korean friends that showed me the Korean way of things. Included was a passion for football. The land that adores Guus Hiddink and brought the likes of Park Ji-Sung and Seol Ki-Hyun to Europe is a defenite stop at a future trip. I'll give kimchi another try then!

Boston's finest, Edo G

As you can see in my list of most played son on the right Edo G has been getting a lot spins in the past year. The album My Own Worst Enemy is a couple years old already, but I like that grimey sound of Edo's voice and lyrics over some dope ass Pete Rock beats any day. One of the highlights is defenitely the first track of the album Boston. Some of the dopest lines spit in this Beantown anthem:

"I'm mad lethal never had equal / cus Boston is a great place to meet bad people"

"I'm telling truths and lies like a reverand /fellin love with hiphop at age 11"

"Too many stones unturned stories untold / the plot unfolds when Edo G push the threshold / I rock like Depeche Mode, Hiphop's best ode / Any club I'm in I'm disobeying the dresscode."

One of the guests on this album is Jaysaun, who quite impressed me. Sometimes rather unknown guests seem to be put on as a favour, but this cat really brings it. His delivery and lyrics are nice and complement Edo G quite well. He's featured on Just Call My Name and Pay the Price. As much as I like Diamond D, the track he did on this album, Streets is Calling sounds totally out of place and the beat is absolutely not what I like.
Krumb Snatcha drops some dope lyrics on Stop Dat. After all the grimey street talk Edo G teams up with Masta Ace for a nice mellow consious track, Wishing. I like the versatility it shows, cus rappers using the same topics over and over again bore the hell outta me.
Overall this album is very solid which I rate 4/5.

Boston: http://www.sendspace.com/file/fcnoxz

The Fantastic Four

Last night I was in the pub and someone asked me what I did. I said I was a student in journalism and that my main focus was sports. In particular football (I say it once more for the Americans, that means soccer). Before I knew it I had to answer all kind of questions about great teams and players in history of the game. I love these kind of things, not to show but to think back about the greatness of the sport.

One of my favourite topics is the French team of the 80's lead by Michel Platini. They had one of the best midfields ever to play the game with Jean Tigana, Alain Giresse, Luis Fernandez and of course Michel Platini. Tigana and Fernandez could run up and down the field all day, Giresse's left foot and then there were the freekicks, headers, outside shot and brilliant passes of Platini. If you combine that with a strong backline including the enormous Marius Tresor, pacey back Manuel Amoros and a butcher like Maxime Bossis and decent goallies Jean-Luc Ettori and Joel Bats, you know it's hard to beat a team like this. The French strikers of that time were not the greatest in the world, but they had pace which made them extremely dangerous. All four of the midfielders had amazing through passes, so those pacey strikers could be used to the maximum of their abilities. The two strikers with the curly hair, Dominque Rocheteau and Didier Six, were a real threat to the opposition. They had to chose whether they would move into the midfield to close the Fantastic Four down and leave a huge space open behind the defense or keep the that gap to a minimum which led to more free space in midfield. It proved to be a lose-lose situation for most teams facing this faboulus French team.

That were my thoughts and memories of an amazing team. Up next are Holland and Brazil.

Paris

Some people don't like to leave their hometown for more than a day and stay within their own small familiar place. For me that's impossible. I was probably born with some sort of travel bug, cus I absolutely love it. One of my favourite cities is Paris. It's full of history, beautiful places to chill out at. I really like to walk around there with my music on disappearing in the masses of a city with millions of people. Walking down the Champs Elyssee with all it's expensive stores and high fashion are interesting if only I had the money to shop there some more.

Instead of shopping I just chill out opposite the Eiffel Tower at Trocadero or on the stairs at the Sacre Coeur and enjoy the view while eating a sweet crepe spread with chocolate or a tuna baquette. There are so many more beautiful sights like the Notre Dame, the Louvre, Versailles and all along the Seine. I've been to Paris many times and I always seem to enjoy in the same way as before and in a new way. If you've never been there I suggest you'll go there in this lifetime and if you did go there you might share my feelings about this city. If you don't share them it's a damn shame!!

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NFL Rookies

This year in the NFL was great for rookies. So many made a great impact and were really valuable for their team. Devin Hester setting return records and scoring the fastest TD in the Superbowl. Joseph Addai winning the Superbowl in his rookie season and being the only RB to reach a 1,000 yards. Maurice Jones-Drew leading the all rookies in TD's with 16, pretty good for a 5'7 dude. Then there's the Saints with Marques Colston coming outta nowhere with over 1,000 receiving yards and 8 scores. Obviously Reggie Bush made an impact as a versatile back. He led the rookies in reception. Despite the fact that he didn't put up the numbers yet, but his performance showed that in time he will defenitely do that. Patriots RB Laurence Maroney is gonna be an absolute gun for years to come. He shared the load with Corey Dillon who has left the team this off-season, so count on Maroney to become a 1,000 yards/10 TD back. The Titans should be really happy with Vince Young who took command with a couple of good wins once he got the starting role. His 39 yard gamewinning rush was the absolute high point and I bet the Titans will improve in the upcoming years. Matt Leinart had to wait a while to get the job and once he did he showed his potential. The Cards O-line needs a lot of improvement and once that's done that offense is really dangerous.

On the defensive side there was Mark Anderson at the Bears who made a huge impact with 12 sacks and reaching the Superbowl. The Texans second draft pick DeMeco Ryans outshined first overall pick Mario Williams by reaching 2nd place in tackles, with 155. The #1 pick did record 4,5 sacks and 45 tackles, but it still seems a really bad first pick. AJ Hawk (119 tackles) made a big impact for the Packers, so did Kamerion Wimbley (11 sacks) for the Browns and Ernie Sims (124 tackles) for the Lions. The two offensive linemen, D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold, picked by the Jets in the first round proved they were very much capable of doing the job at pro-level.

This was just a little recap of a great rookie class which I enjoyed watching. My personal favourites were Marques Colston, Devin Hester and Maurice Jones-Drew (always root for the lil guys!!)

Masta Ace in Groningen

Masta Ace live on stage in Groningen, the Netherland, my home town somewhere in december 2006. There are not that many dope artists coming here so I was really hyped about this show.
Together with Wordsworth, Punchline and Stricklin he formed the supergroup EMC and they were really kicking it here. One of the best shows I ever so.
If you get the chance, check out Stricklin's mixtape sometime.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/onmmkc

For more info about Stricklin check out http://brokestwriter.blogspot.com/

My Crib

This is the only part of my crib y'all need to see. The rest is a complete mess which only some people will ever see.

Yes, there are single lp's from Milli Vanilli up there. Come on, I was about 9 or 10 when I got them and it's the only vinyl I got.
The monkey can dance his ass off on the Macarena! The last gift my ex gave.

Starting off.....

I finally decided to start one these blog things. Making a website took too much time, but in the future I might do it. My love for sports, hiphop and traveling will be shown if you read this blog or at least you'll notice that most of the writings will be on those topics.

The name of this blog is Style88, which is one of the names I go by and the others I use are DS Style and my real name Daan. Sooner or later you'll figure out why I use those names.

Thats all for now, cus I'm extremely hungry. I already missed breakfast and lunch, so I gotta catch up.

DS Style