TR EMERITUS

Top 8 will be a new regular Sports feature (published every Friday), where the editors will choose eight top persons/incidents and rank them in descending order, either by pure opinion, hard data or a mixture of both. Why eight? It is not because the editors are lazy but because top ten is getting boring and eight is a lucky number in Singapore! _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Ranking Methodology: 50% opinion; 50% statistics __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Ray Ang With more than half a season gone and the January transfer window just concluded, I am reviewing the Top 8 signings so far this season which has taken the Barclays Premier League by storm. 8) Glen Johnson (Liverpool) Yet another year of starting the season with high hopes but spluttering through half the season and putting themselves so far away from the title challengers that ending the season early will only be a relief to them, Glen Johnson remains the only bright spark in an otherwise insipid season for Liverpool. Despite being accused of being poor in defending by some critics, the England fullback’s absence in a handful of games was sorely missed as Liverpool lacked cutting edge and struggled to break down their opponents.  The fullback’s willingness to run at opponents and his brilliant off-the-ball running shows that he is still one of the best fullback in the Premier League when fit. 7) Damien Duff (Fulham) The first half of 2009 was forgettable for Damien Duff. He was part of the expensively assembled Newcastle team that played so much below their strength that they were relegated to the Championship.  Duff struggled to show glimpses of his past form while playing for Blackburn and Chelsea and even ended up playing as a left back towards the end of the season. Duff also played his part in the crucial relegation decider against Aston Villa by scoring the deciding own goal that sent Newcastle down. However, since joining Roy Hodgson at Fulham, Duff has found his scoring boots and scored 5 goals in 21 appearances and has once again regained his reputation as one of the best wingers in the game.  6) Joe Hart (Birmingham City) Displaced last season by Shay Given at Man City, Joe Hart joined Birmingham City this season on a year-long loan deal. Much was expected from this hugely talented but relatively young goalkeeper (still age 22) who is touted by many as a future full England international. Hart started the season between the sticks for Birmingham, but a couple of high profile errors and veteran goalkeeper Maik Taylor’s clean sheet against Manchester City in a game which Hart was ineligible, left manager Alex McLeish with a dilemma. His decision to stick with Hart in goal paid dividends however, as Hart gained confidence in subsequent games and help guide Birmingham to a club-record 12-match unbeaten run in the top division. His performances have prompted many pundits to rank him as a surprise contender for a ticket to South Africa this summer with the England squad.  5) Ivan Klasnic (Bolton Wanderers) Yet another value-for-money deal. Croat Ivan Klasnic joined Bolton Wanders on transfer deadline day on a year-long loan deal from French club FC Nantes and has quickly established himself as a firm fan favourite. Klasnic has repaid the faith shown by Bolton by scoring 6 times in 17 appearances for them. What is even more amazing about Klasnic was the fact that Klasnic recovered from not one, but two kidney transplants. His successful battle against kidney failure has also made him a shining example for others battling the same illnesses.   4) Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal) Being the only summer signing for Arsenal this season and costing a hefty initial fee of €10 million, Thomas Vermaelen had big shoes to fill to try to shore up an Arsenal defence which had been accused of lacking height. The Belgian defender not only managed to ease into a new found partnership with William Gallas comfortably, but also managed to score 7 goals in all competitions in the process, making him the fourth highest goal scorer in the club.    3) Stephen Hunt (Hull City) Hull City escaped relegation last season by the skin of their teeth and it was by no means due to their own prowess, but rather Newcastle’s ineptness that allowed them to continue to punch above their weight again in the Premier League this season. Hull City’s lack of bite in front of goal has been well documented and the addition of clumsy young American striker Jozy Altidore and veteran Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink this season has failed to quell their inadequacy. Cue £3.5million signing Stephen Hunt from relegated Reading to the rescue. Hunt, who plays as a winger or an attacking midfielder, has scored 6 goals from 24 appearances for the Tigers this season (more than the above 2 strikers combined) and has been a vital part of the Hull team that is still somewhat not surprisingly languishing around the relegation zone. However, such is his importance that Hull has rejected a £5 million bid from fellow strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers in the January transfer window.  2) Lee Bowyer (Birmingham City) Who? Once one of the brightest teenagers in the country and a potential England international at Leeds United along the likes of Jonathan Woodgate, Lee Bowyer lost his way a little after discipline and injury problems during spells with West Ham and Newcastle United. He spent the last 3 seasons at Upton Park playing a bit part role and scoring only 4 times in 41 appearances for the Hammers. At 33 years old, he was signed up by Alex McLeish this season on a free transfer from West Ham and one would think that it was with the intention of having him as a backup player for him to spend his twilight years in football. However, Lee Bowyer seemed to have rejuvenated himself and secured a place in the starting 11, scoring 5 goals in the process and helping Birmingham to their best ever Premier League unbeaten run of 12 games. Kudos for Alex McLeish for one of the best value-for-money signings so far this season.  "Are you watching, Old Trafford?" 1)  Carlos Tevez (Manchester City) Frustrated at not getting enough playing time at Old Trafford, Carlos Tevez became a select few to make the short walk across Manchester to join their fiercest rivals, Manchester City in a rumoured £25.5 million deal in summer. Rumours about Manchester United not willing to pay the asking fee for Tevez and talk that Tevez is not worth his transfer fee by his ex-Manchester United teammates has spurred Tevez on. He has responded in kind by having arguably his best season in British football. His eagerness to impress was epitomised during the Carling Cup semi-final against bitter rivals Manchester United, although his 3 goals in 2 games were not enough to get Manchester City into the final. However, a dividend of 18 goals in 25 matches in all competitions for Tevez has shown that he is in fact worth every single penny of his transfer fee unlike some of his multi-million dollar teammates. ________________________________________________________________________________________ The editorial team will like to seek the opinion from all  readers on what you think. Do you agree with the Top 8? Is there anyone that you feel is more worthy to be on the list? Leave a comment! If there is something that you will like us to feature as part of this top 8 series please leave a comment and our team will try to accomodate!  Read More →

By Sheepy Butler Celebrity wedding planner David Tutera is really mad at Melissa Chin, one of his former clients. Tartera basically called the woman a “Bridezilla” looking for 15 minutes of fame after she and her husband filed suit in Manhattan Supreme Court. Tortera claims the couple saw their wedding, and his involvement, as some sort of PR opportunity. My question is; “Is Bridezilla something a wedding planner should call any wedding client?” Talk about bad PR. Tutera’s reality show, “My Fair Wedding”, is the defendant in the suit filed by Chin and groom Steve Choi after the Tutera failed to show up for their Aug. 22 dream extravaganza at Singapore’s five star Shangri-La Hotel. The $300,000 spectacle was produced by Tutera whose past celebrity clients include the Rolling Stones and former Vice-President Al Gore. Tutera now claims the bride’s father cut off the purse stings as the wedding was getting too expensive, but Chin’s attorneys say the contract will tell the story. Apparently the Chins wanted the cost of the lavish affair to be a secret, which kind of runs counter to Tutera’s contention the whole thing was a publicity stunt. He had this to say with regard to publicity for the event: “Chin herself asked for publicity but requested that the dollar amount her family spent was not made public in respect to her father’s political position.” Turtera reportedly even had the wedding suppliers to sign confidentiality agreements so that the dollar sum would not be publicized. Melissa Chin is a molecular biologist and her husband Steve Choi is an IT consultant. Hardly a likely pairing for a Hollywood type PR scam is seems. The couple also claim Tutera not only stood them up, but encouraged other contractors to do so as well. The couple did get married, and managed to put together missing elements Tutera was supposedly responsible for. Tutera stands by his claim that one payment increment was missed. Regardless of the truth of this story Tutera need some lessons in public relations. Dude. Never call any bride “Bridezilla” because every woman on the planet is going to identify with that sweet girl approaching the altar. Tutera gets this week’s PR Goofy Award, right or wrong a bride is a bride. Even if Chin is Bridezilla, any sane wedding planner knows the pitfalls of goofing up a wedding. Source  Read More →

Written by Our Correspondent The Straits Times quoted a survey conducted by US-based PR firm Edelman today which reveals that "trust in the Singapore Government was 84 per cent.", the highest among the 22 countries polled. That is far higher than the global average of 49 per cent, which means fewer than one in two people worldwide trust their own government, on average. The survey polled 200 people in Singapore and a total of 4,875 worldwide, including the United States, Britain, China and India. "The Singapore Government’s successful track record in steering the country through global economic crises and pandemics has instilled unprecedented levels of trust," said Mr Bob Grove, managing director of Edelman Southeast Asia. The survey did not reveal if the 200 people polled are all Singapore citizens or if a proportion are PRs and foreigners who tend to have a favorable impression of the Singapore government. Neither did it reveal the exact questions asked for it to arrive at the highly suspect figures. With due respects to Straits Times, it appears to be clueless about the background of Edelman which was embroiled in a heated controversy with climate activists two years ago. In July 2008, activists from Oxford Climate action staged a protest at the London office of Edelman, alleging a massive 'greenwashing' campaign by the agency's energy client E.ON. (read article here) Several protesters gained access to the PR firm, while others climbed on to the roof to unfurl a banner. Labour MP John McDonnell stopped by to lend his support to Oxford Climate Action's stunt. It said the demonstration aimed to 'highlight the insanity of investing in new coal power stations such as Kingsnorthin the face of human-caused climate change'. The group also described Edelman as having 'a long record of involvement with ethically questionable companies, including AstraZeneca, Wal-Mart and Pfizer'. The Straits Times has frequently published one-sided studies to applaud the "accomplishments" of the ruling party while ignoring surveys critical of it. For example, it did not publish International Living's recent report on quality of life in the world which ranked Singapore at a pathetic 70th position below Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. It also failed to publish a comprehensive UBS study last year which revealed that Singaporeans have the lowest domestic purchasing power among the developed nations though they work the longest hours. Of course, it did not publish the Singapore media's miserable 133th ranking in terms of press freedom by international NGO Reporters Without Borders till Law Minister Shanmugam made a hoo-ha over it by slamming the report as "quite divorced from reality". The Straits Times appears to have hurt its own credibility by quoting a questionable survey "quite divorced from reality" to please its political masters. In an online poll done on the Temasek Review, more than 90 per cent of some 250 respondents indicate that they do not trust the Singapore government.  Read More →