Saturday, April 30, 2011

Babe Of The Month - The Alluring Pippa Middleton























Philippa Charlotte Middleton (Pippa) was born on the 6th September 1983, in Reading, Berkshire. She is the second of three children, and the only sister of Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge.

Pippa was initially educated at St Andrew's School, Pangbourne, then at Downe House, a girls' boarding school in Cold Ash, and finally at Marlborough College.

She then followed her sister to higher education in Scotland, attending the University of Edinburgh to study English literature.

She was the maid of honour at her sister's Royal Wedding to Prince William on the 29th April 2011.

The bride's sister, looked the picture of elegance on the morning of the Royal Wedding, as she fulfilled her maid of honour duties with aplomb, calmly shepherding the tiny bridesmaids into Westminster Abbey before returning outside to arrange her sister’s train.

The slinky white cowl-neck gown she wore was made by Alexander McQueen designer Sarah Burton, and showcased her enviably slim figure, with the cap sleeves keeping it youthful. The back of her dress, revealed as she carried Kate's train into the Abbey, was studded with tiny silk-covered buttons.

She wore lily-of-the-valley in her hair, which was styled identically to her sister’s in a demi-chignon.

Pippa had featured in various pre-wedding photos of her sister shopping for the 'Big Day.'
However until she appeared on the morning of her sister's wedding, stepping out of the Abbey to meet her sister's car, the general public was not aware of how stunningly attractive she truly is.

She has now confirmed herself as one of the most eligible single girls in London society, although Miss Middleton is understood to be dating Alex Loudon, a friend of Prince William's who is a former professional cricketer for Kent and Warwickshire, and now works in the City.

Pippa, who at 27 is two years younger than Kate, works as a party planner for a company called Table Talk for three days a week, and spends the rest of her time running the online magazine Party Time, an off-shoot of the Middleton's party supply company, Party Pieces.

"Pippa has a reputation as being the really fun one, slightly louder and more outgoing than Kate," Tatler magazine editor Catherine Ostler tells the Royal Diary. "She’s a Chelsea party girl, almost to the extreme."

Join the: Pippa Middleton Ass Appreciation Society/Facebook or read: twitter.com/pippasass


Friday, April 29, 2011

Fast 5. 2 Slow 4 Me.



Fast Five.
Not a review.
Not fast enough lar.
Not enough fast cars, at least.
It WAS quite furious at times though.



This time, it's more of a heist movie.
Which got my hopes up.
But then donno why,
After all that planning,
The heist went missing.
WTF?



VIN DIESEL vs. THE ROCK!
Now THAT'S a fight I'd pay money to watch!
How was it?
To tell the truth, I'm not too sure.
All I saw was a flurry of biceps,
And a lot of grunting.
It was like a fight between two sets of really big arms.



Good to see all the familiar faces though.
Even though some of them were not very familiar anyway.
Han, Tyrese, etc etc.
The only one missing is Michelle Rodriguez.
She died in the last movie, remember?
Yeah, me neither.
Wait... or DID she?
Jeng jeng jeng...



PHWOOAARRR, who is this Gal Gadot er.. gal?
She was in the last F&F movie? How come I didn't notice wan?
She's not much of an actress,
But boy does she look good in a bikini.
But then... why did they hire a weapons expert,
And not have a single scene where she actually fired a weapon?



And while we're on that subject,
Why assemble a team with such specific specialties,
And don't actually use them properly?
For instance, Han is the 'chameleon',
But he didn't seem to do any 'chameleon-ing'.
But the dude is still damn cool lar.



Oh, and I wonder how many innocent bystanders died,
In that final chase scene.
Surely that HUGE bank vault would've squashed SOME people....



BTW, if they make a sixth movie,
(which they probably will, judging from the post-credits scene)
what will they call it?
Fast Six?
Furious Six?
Fastest and Furioutest?
Furious Fast Sex?

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Don't Waste Light,Start a Foo Fight!



Has it really been THAT long since I've heard a good old Rock 'n' Roll album I liked? Have I been swimming in indie rock waters so long that I've forgotten how awesome an old school rock album can be like?

It's not everyday that a band makes me question my current playlists, but the Foo Fighters have. Heck, after hearing this album for the first time, I chucked out all the indie pop nonsense (ok, not nonsense, but the less rocking ones) I had in my iPhone and loaded it with all the classic rock albums I used to love so much.

Supposedly recorded the old school way - on analogue tapes - in Dave Grohl's garage, Wasting Light is one awesome album. I think the last album I felt this exhilarated listening to it was Green Day'sAmerican Idiot, back in the days before I discovered all those funky little indie bands that I've been listening to since.

Wasting Light caught my attention form the get go - even though I was doing my usual 'earphone in ear, music in background, attention somewhere else' thing, I couldn't help headbanging (or rather, head nodding, since I'd look really stupid headbanging in a silent office) to the songs. Bridge Burning and Rope got the album off to a great start, but then came the next song.

Dear Rosemary is definitely one song that is gonna be on my Top Ten list at year end. Everything, from the rousing intro, the battling guitars, the frenetic build-up, the soaring chorus, and the mid song bridge with Bob Mould is just AWESOME. It's the type of song where you are just COMPELLED to turn the volume ot 11 and head bang to, no matter where you are.

As for the rest of the album, my other favorites are Arlandria, I Should Have Known, These Days, Miss The Misery, and that song from the THOR soundtrack, Walk (after learning to fly, he now has to learn to walk again. heh heh). Heck, that's almost the whole album!

So yeah... All hail the Foo! Now THIS is how you make a REAL rock and roll album! YEAH!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Super Superstition, Jura!



I'd heard a lot about Isle Of Jura's Superstition single malt, and when I saw it in the airport recently, I just could not resists getting a bottle for myself. The fact that the bottle looks damn cool, and features a very prominent and cool Ankh on it didn't hurt either. I'm a sucker for pretty bottles. So sue me.

Anyway, this is a unique whisky in the sense that it's a blend of an old Jura single malt and much younger and robust, and peaty malt, which gives it a very unique flavor. Now, I'm a fan of Islay malts like Laphroig, but Superstition was something else. It's peaty, but not as robust and certainly doesn't have a strong 'medicine' smell of a Laphroig or Ardbeg.

On the nose, the first impression is the peat, but it's not as sharp as the usual Islay pearty malts. This one seems more... earthy, with hints of chocolate and nuts instead of the Islay iodine scents.

Taken neat, the whisky does not assault your senses like an Islay does. Instead, it's got a very smooth texture, but is just robust enough to wake your palette up. The finish is surprisingly delicate, but distinct and lingers for quite some time.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Congratulations to the England Under 16's Football Team


England's Under 16's regained the Montaigu Tournament title after beating France 5-4 on penalties in the final, which took place in the Stade Maxime Bossis stadium in Montaigu (west central France).

The Montaigu Tournament (In French: Tournoi de Montaigu) is an international association football competition that is contested by under-16 national teams.
The tournament was founded in 1973 by Dutchman André Van Den Brink who was the president of FC Montaigu, a French amateur football team. The tournament is also known as "Mondial Minimes".

This year's England team went one better than last years crop of Under-16 internationals, who lost in the final to Portugal in this annual competition, allowing captain Ryan Inniss to lift the Montaigu trophy.

Kenny Swain's side reached the final by topping their four-team group with seven points. They beat Uruguay 5-0 and the United Arab Emirates 3-2, before a goalless draw against Guinea on Saturday.

This win over France was the fourth time England have won the tournament, and rounds off a successful campaign for the England U16 team, who last month also lifted the Victory Shield for the tenth straight year. Next up for these Young Lions is the Nordic Tournament during the close season.

The England Team that beat France to win the Montaigu Tournament:

George Willis - Sheff Utd (GK)
Ryan Inniss - Crystal Palace (captain and pictured right)
Fankaty Dabo - Chelsea (off 80')
Luke Shaw - Southampton (off 69')
Jordan Graham - Aston Villa
Joe Rothwell - Man Utd (off 39')
Diego Poyet - Charlton
Jordan Houghton - Chelsea
Reece Mitchell - Chelsea (off 41')
Kieran Wallace - Nottm Forest
Devante Cole - Man City (off 54')

Substitutes:

David Moli - Liverpool (on 41')
Callum Robinson - Aston Villa (on 54')
Ben Pearson - Man Utd
George Cole - Chelsea (on 39')
Jack Rose - West Brom (GK)
Max Clark - Hull (on 69')
Lawrence Gorman - Nottm Forest (on 80')

Manager: Kenny Swain

THUNDER! THUNDER! THUNDER GOD! THOOOOOR!!!



Thor.
Not A Review.
FOR ASRGARD!
FOR MIDGARD!
FOR MUDGUARD!
FOR PIE CHART!
FOR SEX TART!
FOR MYKAD!



Ahem.
PHWOAR THOR!
ORIGINAL AVENGER, YO!
He's also a GOD also ok, don't play play!
Got MAGIC HAMMER!
ASGARD! FROST GIANTS!
DESTROYER! HAWKEYE!



Thor is damn awesome.
A bit annoying in the beginning,
Especially when he was all LOOKITME I'M AWESOME!
He was more fun when he got to Midgard.
(That's Earth to you mere mortals)
But foooh he fight damn power.
I can has Mjolnir too?



PHWOAR GOT BLACK SWAN ALSO!
(Waddayamean she ain't a superhero?)
(Got Black Canary, Black Panther, Black Bolt,)
(Why cannot have Black Swan?)
She's hot. But no Cleavage Rating though.
Sorry guys.



Loki also pretty good.
Not as slimy or sneaky as I imagined him to be,
But damn silver tongued fucker, that guy.
And he's gonna be in the Avengers!
Now THAT is interesting...
Masters of Evil, anyone?



I LIKED this movie.
But I thought it was a bit slow at times.
But got a lot of backstory mar.
At least this Hemsworth guy was pretty awesome.
And girls, he takes his shirt off too.
Go nuts.



It was a good movie.
Not GREAT, but good.
But it's a GREAT prelude to The Avengers.
(Have I mentioned Hawkeye was in here as well?)
NOW I can pretty much see how Thor is gonna come in.
And how they are gonna fit all the magic magic stuff in.
Now I can't WAIT for the Avengers to assemble!


Sunday, April 24, 2011

Melancholic Hurts And The Infinite Sad Happiness



So, apparently this band called HURTS is coming to KL for a gig. Not having even heard of them before, I was intrigued. So I decided to give their debut album Happiness a listen to see if they'd be worth going to watch live.

Ironically, despite calling their album 'Happiness', the band doesn't actually sound very happy in their songs, heh heh. In fact, the whole album is filled with melancholic, melodramatic power ballads, with a few upbeat synthpop numbers thrown in between.

It's fairly uncomplicated fare - their music is more pop than rock, to tell the truth, veering more into mainstream synthpop, like a combination of Savage Garden, Duran Duran and bizarrely, Rick Price (one of the songs actually reminded me of Heaven Knows).

Ok, I know that description doesn't sound very flattering to them, but the album actually is pretty decent. Most reviews of the album so far have emphasized the strength of singles Wonderful Life and A Better Day, while complaining about the number of melancholic ballads in the album. I happen to be the opposite - I prefer the ballads, and actually think they are actually the better part of this album.

Album opener Silver Lining sets the tone for what's to come - most of the songs here are uncomplicated, catchy pop numbers with killer hooks and the occasional melodramatic soaring climax, which suits me just fine. Other songs I kinda liked were Blood Tears and Gold; Illuminated, Unspoken and Evelyn.

Surprisingly, the much-praised Wonderful Life and Better Than Love sounded a little bland and unremarkable to me. (The latter actually reminded me of a less edgy White Lies, to tell the truth). And while we're comparing acts, their duet with Kylie Minogue - Devotion - even reminded me of a song by Gregorian. Heh.

My favorite of the lot, however, has to be Stay. Sure, it's a completely clichéd, bombastic and melodramatic song, but I can't seem to stop listening to it. Maybe it's the melancholic romantic in me, but this sort of songs always seem to catch my attention more than most.

So, would it be worth going to watch them live?

Well, I'd give this band the benefit of the doubt. Judging from some of the songs on the album, they should be a pretty decent live act. Songs like Stay, Illuminated and Silver Lining would be GREAT when played live, especially if the crowd is familiar enough to sing along with them. I personally can't wait to sing along to Stay. Hey, what can I say, I'm partial to guilty pleasure singalongs at concerts, so sue me.

Anyway, if you're interested to go watch the show, they'll be playing this 6th May, at Mist Club. You can get tickets at Red Tix, or at selected Rock Corner, Victoria Music or TOPMAN outlets. For more information,click on the poster below:



TOPMAN is also 

offering
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(Only
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 MusicTicket+ 
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Friday, April 22, 2011

Beer Of The Week: Budvar, The REAL Budweiser

Remember when I blogged about my favorite beer EVER, Zywiec from Poland? Well, there's also a few other beers I had during that six-month bende... er... trip to Eastern Europe. One of them was this one, BudÄ›jovickĂ½ Budvar, also known as Budweiser Budvar:



Now, before you scream, "BUDWEISER?", let me clarify. This is the one of THREE beer companies (2 in Cezch and 1 in America). Of course, while the American Budweiser took the name 'Budweiser' and made it a world famous for being piss, they can't call their beer 'Budweiser' in Europe. On the other hand, the other two Czech companies have retained the rights to market Budweiser beer in Europe, but can't call themselves that when marketing to US. For the full story of how the whole mess came about, check out the Wikipedia article on it.



But enough about the name. I LOVE this beer. I've loved it ever since the first time I drank it in Prague almost 10 years ago. I also had some last year in Munich, but because I also had some Zywiec later, I completely forgot about Budvar.

Anyway, this Hong Kong version is imported all the way from Czech. Is it as good as I remember though?

Well, Disappointingly, it didn't seem to taste as great as I used to think it was. Maybe because I'm drinking it in HONG KONG, and not PRAGUE. I don't remember why I liked it so much ten years and 19375839 beers ago, but at least its still a pretty damn good beer. It's smooth, citrus-y, and has a very pleasant flavor, with a slightly hoppy finish. Unfortunately, it also reminds me a little of Heineken. At 5% ABV, it's a standard lager's strength. It's also an easy drink, but not as piss-lite as the American Bud.

Oh well. I'm not so much into lagers and pilsners these days anyway. But I'd still take this over the American Budweiser ANYDAY.

Tale of Two Woes at the Reebok - Betting News with Betfred










versus










It is a clash of two wounded animals on Sunday in the Premier League as Bolton look to bounce back from their FA Cup humiliation at the hands of Stoke, and Arsenal will be out to make amends for dropped points at Spurs in midweek.

Many Bolton fans, especially the thousands that travelled to Wembley, expected the Trotters to beat the Potters and make it to the FA Cup final. That 5-0 semi-final defeat must have hurt and it even led Bolton captain Kevin Davies to admit he was "ashamed and embarrassed" by the performance.

With seemingly little to play for over the remaining games, as Bolton are safe from relegation and too far away to challenge for a place in Europe, it would be understandable if they took their foot off the gas.

But Owen Coyle is an ambitious and ferocious manager who will have been bitterly upset with the Stoke result, so you can be left in no doubt his side will be fired up when Arsenal arrive at the Reebok Stadium on Sunday and the Premier League best odds make the Trotters 4/1 to win the game.

The Gunners have also had a disappointing week, after conceding a late-late penalty to draw with Liverpool last Sunday, and then surrendering a two-goal lead at White Hart Lane on Wednesday night. Arsenal got just two points from those two games when it could easily have been six, and their title hopes could have gone up in smoke as a result.

Those looking to bet on Premier League weekend games should remember this:

Arsenal have dominated this fixture in recent season and you have to go back to November 2006 for the last time Bolton managed to beat the North London side, with the travelling team 8/11 to win again.

Both managers (Wenger and Coyle) will use their recent results as motivation to go for the win, but Arsenal could enter this fixture with some trepidation, as anymore dropped points will almost certainly spell the end of any lingering title dreams they may have.

My Tip of the Week:

Arsenal look good to score a couple of goals, so 7/1 for either a 2-0 or 2-1 win to the Gunners looks a good shout.
Robin Van Persie is in a rich vein of form since his return from injury, and he is a tempting 11/10 to score at anytime.


Sunday 24th April: Bolton v Arsenal, kick-off 4pm, live on Sky Sports1.

By Drew Swainston
(Guest writer from Betfred on behalf of Beer Footy and Birds!)

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

One Year After The BP Spill

April 20th, 2011, marks the one year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

I mark the BP Spill as a point in time which it became even more clear to me that the United States government is invested in protecting corporations and industry over protecting its citizens from harm.

The reckless disregard for both human life and the environment of BP and Transocean has not met with any criminal prosecution. Serving as an example that a company is free to cause death and mayhem without any consequences but an individual who caused the death of eleven workers and poisoned the Gulf for decades to come would receive no such special treatment.

America continues to be a cowardly nation when it comes to holding the people responsible for the industrial homicide that took place one year ago.

Add atop all this that the government lied to the public regarding the location and magnitude of the spill on multiple occasions and approved a toxic dispersant that has been banned in the U.K. to be sprayed into the environment in quantities previously unheard of for use in an oil spill clean up.

Considering all this I don't trust the EPA or the federal government when they proclaim the seafood as safe as the Gulf as non-toxic. The health and safety of the public is secondary to promoting the needs of the private sector industry forces, so if the feds and the EPA have to lie and cause a few people to get sick as a direct result then that is exactly what they will do.

As a single solitary citizen there is not much I can do to bring the inhuman monsters responsible for this to justice nor can I hope to see those in the EPA and the federal government who would lie to public be fired and replaced with people who would actually do their jobs rather than bend knee to the oil industry. Beyond voicing myself on a blog the only avenue I have to act upon is this: boycott BP forever.

A corrupt government we can change, though I don't see it as an easy road it is entirely possible if people only stand together in a common cause. But changing a multinational corporation is much more difficult than changing a government and in all reality corporations are beyond all laws and beyond taking responsibility for the death and destruction they bring about in their narrow, greedy quest for ever-increasing profits. When faced with such a power the only recourse of a ordinary person is to not contribute to the empire of death with everyday purchases like gas or food.

When every former BP station has rebranded itself and the company is treated like the pariah they are in the United States then I might consider reviewing their corporate policies and considering put an end to the calls for boycott, not a moment before.

If consumers continue to reward corporations guilty of industrial homicide with business then there shall never be any hope of a private sector that doesn't cause these horrific disasters in the first place.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Winter Has Come. HEAR ME ROAR!



I personally think that George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice And Fire series is one of the best fantasy series EVAR. Now, if only he'd finish the damn thing already, it might well be THE best ever. Best of the rest, I mean. LOTR still rules.

Anyway, when I heard that HBO was making a TV show out of the series, I was skeptical. Hollywood haven't actually had a good track record of adapting fantasy series' into TV shows (remember the Earthsea disaster?), and if they can't even get a CHILDREN'S FANTASY NOVEL like Earthsea right, what are the chances of them getting a series as expansive and deep as A Song Of Ice And Fire right?

The first worry I had was when they called it 'Game Of Thrones', without the 'A Song of Ice And Fire' in the title, or even the 'A'. C'mon lar, 'A Game Of Thrones' sounds much better than just plain old 'Game Of Thrones' right?

Anyway, yesterday I managed to catch the pilot episode of the series, and somehow... it was kinda underwhelming. But that was probably because I had completely forgotten just how slow-moving the beginning of the series was, especially before the action moved from the cold frigid environment of Winterfell to King's Landing. That doesn't excuse the rather uninspiring opening titles though...

But anyway, my memory of the series slowly started to come back as I continued watching the show - and I remembered just how tragic a lot of the book was. Just knowing how some of these characters would end up eventually was enough to give me a sense of dread. But made me curious as to exactly HOW they would pull the whole thing off.

The show certainly doesn't cut any corners - the set is marvelous, the costumes are great, and they don't skimp on the language or the er... sex scenes.

Oh, and House Lannister certainly don't disappoint. Jaime Lannister is suitably jockish and cocky; while the best casting in the show has to be Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister - you immediately take a liking to him, and this was great for me because he was my favorite character in the books anyway.

I do have a few complaints though. One - Lena Headey just seems a little too head strong and tough-looking to be a convincing Cersei Lannister. But considering how utterly evil and power-hungry Cersei is, I suppose Headey should be able to pull that part of the character off. Just that I always pictured her as a more er... blonde, doll-ish, mean cheerleader type of bitch, and not well, a former Sarah Connor.

Also, the Stark kids seemed a little too unremarkable at first. I suppose it's just the first episode and we'll probably get to know them and recognize them better, but for now, it's a bit hard to tell between Jon Snow and Robb Stark. Sean Bean is great as Lord Eddard Stark though. And you can totally see what Catelyn Stark is capable of in the future, even in this brief one episode.

Across the Narrow Sea, Daeneyrs Targaryen is shaping up nicely (and I don't mean her body shape, which she reveals more than one time in that first episode). And Viserys really is a bastard.

Oh, and one more thing - what the fuck is with all the hoo haa over the supposedly anti-feminist elements in the show? If you'd actually bothered to read the books or heck, the Wiki on the series, you'll know that the books are populated with really, really powerful women; women who will eventually dominate and shape the series. Sure, there's some gratuitous nudity, and in the beginning, the women are largely portrayed as submissive and expandable, but isn't that how Mad Men is like as well? So just because it's 'fantasy', it's not ok? Geez.

Anyway, I'm definitely gonna give this series a chance, especially since I know what an awesomely brilliant story it becomes as it progresses along. My one concern is that other non-fantasy viewers might not give it the chance to grow it deserves.

As for the books... bring on A Dance With Dragons, George, I want to read more NOW NOW NOW!


Cersei Disapproves.

PFA Teams Of The Year 2010/11


Premier League:

Van Der Sar (Man Utd), Sagna (Arsenal), Cole (Chelsea), Vidic (Man Utd), Kompany (Man City), Nani (Man Utd), Nasri (Arsenal), Wilshere (Arsenal), Bale (Tottenham), Tevez (Man City), Berbatov (Man Utd).

Championship:

Kenny (QPR), Naughton (Leicester), Harte (Reading), Williams (Swansea), Morgan (Nottm Forest), Taarabt (QPR), Sinclair (Swansea), King (Leicester), Hoolahan (Norwich), Graham (Watford), Holt (Norwich).

League One:

Davis (Southampton), Calderon (Brighton), Harding (Southampton), Greer (Brighton), Fonte (Southampton), Pilkington (Huddersfield), Bennett (Brighton), Lallana (Southampton), Oxlade-Chamberlain (Southampton), Mackail-Smith (Peterborough), Wright-Phillips (Charlton).

League Two:

Lee (Chesterfield), Batt (Oxford), Skarz (Bury), Sharps (Shrewsbury), Branston (Torquay), Whitaker (Chesterfield), Ainsworth (Wycombe), Ryan (Accrington), Lowe (Bury), Law (Rotherham), Davies (Chesterfield).

Congratulations to all those players selected by their fellow professionals in the 'teams of the year' for the their respective leagues.
From what I understand the players are asked to submit their nominations in the early part of the calender year, some three months or so before the results are revealed - a strange arrangement but none the less that is how it works!

I would like to open up a debate on the players selected in the 'team of the year' for the Premier League.

In the Premier League I find it hard to understand how Blackpool's Charlie Adam, Scott Parker of West Ham and Tottenham's Rafael van der Vaart (right), failed to make the 'team of the year' despite all being nominated for the title of 'PFA Player of the Year' by the Professional Footballers' Association.

Has any player ever made the step up from Championship level to the Premier League look easier? Certainly Charlie Adam has made a mockery of the theory England's top flight is the toughest to crack in the world after taking to it like a duck to water. Nine Premier League goals would be a fine return for any midfielder, never mind one from a side embroiled in a relegation battle, but that is exactly what the Scot has achieved. Few if any possess a better range of passing than the former Rangers man, who also takes a deadly set-piece.

Should Avram Grant's West Ham team win their survival battle and stay afloat then no one will have had a greater impact than their talismanic midfielder Scott Parker.

Rafael van der Vaart, the 2003 European Young Player of the Year made a cracking start to his first season in the Premier League, but injury has restricted him to just 22 league appearances so far, although he has still managed to rattle in 10 goals and 6 assists to his name in that time. At £8m from Real Madrid on the final day of the August transfer window, Van der Vaart probably represents the 'value buy' of the season by Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp.

Kevin Nolan I personally think has had a wonderful season for Newcastle and deserves a mention, if not a place in the 'team of the year.'

In my opinion Everton's England international Leighton Baines (right) has had a truly outstanding season, and it seems tough on the lad that he did not make the 'team of the year' ahead of either Ashley Cole or Bacary Sagna.

Other defensive players who deserve a mention include Stoke's Robert Huth and Birmingham Roger Johnson. Both have had terrific seasons in leading their clubs to domestic cup finals.

I think Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov were deserved winners of the strikers berths. Of Tevez's 19 league goals this season, six have been winners – the highest in the top division. With a further six assists, the Argentinian has either scored or made more goals than anyone else. Bulgarian Berbatov's 22 goals so far this season make him the outright leading goalscorer.

Of the other strikers in the Premier League West Brom's Peter Odemwingie (right), the Russian born Nigerian has made a significant contribution, including 12 goals in his first season in the top flight, that has almost certainly helped The Baggies cement their place in the Premier League for another season.

Manchester United's Mexican striker Javier Hernandez has chipped in with a goal every other game for The Reds this season, and at just 22 years of age he looks like the he will only blossom further under the stewardship of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Aston Villa's Darren Bent and Liverpool's Andy Carroll will each be looking for 'big' seasons next term, following their big money moves this season from Sunderland and Newcastle respectively.

Finally, many congratulations to Gareth Bale (right), who was last night voted the 'Player of the Year' by the Professional Footballers' Association.
The 21-year-old, who has scored 11 goals in 36 club games this season, has proved to be without doubt the single most exciting player of the season. No one has thrilled us more this season than the pacey Welsh wing wizard.

Recent Previous Winners of the PFA Player of the Year:

2009/2010: Wayne Rooney
2008/2009: Ryan Giggs
2007/2008: Cristiano Ronaldo
2006/2007: Cristiano Ronaldo
2005/2006: Steven Gerrard
2004/2005: John Terry
2003/2004: Thierry Henry
2002/2003: Thierry Henry
2001/2002: Ruud van Nistelrooy
2000/2001: Teddy Sheringham
1999/2000: Roy Keane