FOOTBALL: CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINALS 2ND LEG

Manchester United VS. Barcelona
(First Leg: 0-0)

Chelsea VS. Liverpool
(First Leg: 1-1)

Among all of them, Barcelona could be the most desperate because if they lose this match, they will be without any titles again this season. Manchester United are also under tremendous pressure after their defeat against Chelsea last weekend. Chelsea will be going into the clash with a lot of confidence as they are hosting as well. They have one away goal to give them more boost. Liverpool are always hard to beat in Europe after Benitez's arrival. We shall see two very interesting matches. These matches will pretty much determine the fate of some players and managers.

The UEFA Cup semifinals second legs will be also played later this week. Let's see how far can Bayern Munich go.

Zenit St Petersburg VS. Bayern Munich
(First Leg: 1-1)

Fiorentina VS. Rangers
(First Leg: 0-0)

FOOTBALL: CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINALS 1ST LEG

Liverpool VS. Chelsea

Barcelona VS. Manchester United

Three English clubs and one Spanish club to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League competition. Among them, it seems like Barcelona are in the lowest form. Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United are all in fine form. It is basically a battle between Gerrard and Lampard for the Liverpool-Chelsea clash while a battle between Messi and C.Ronaldo for the Barcelona-Manchester United clash. Enjoy yourselves, guys!

FOOTBALL: 2 WINS TO GO

Real Madrid just need two more wins from their last 5 matches to win this season's league title. It will be even sweeter if they can win it in their next 2 matches before playing Barcelona at home for the third match.

This season, Real Madrid can win the title not because they are better than the last. Last season's final matches were the best of all time. This season however, they are extremely poor. Well, the only reason I can see is that the opponents are even lousier.

Barcelona have been so out of form and I think we can blame the internal issues of players. As for Villarreal, there is just no inconsistencies. Valencia and Sevilla are having the same fates too. Atletico Madrid benefitted from all these and are now in fourth place. Strange that this happens after they sold Fernando Torres. Therefore, if they do win the Spanish La Liga, I will say the win is because of weak challengers this season. It is not because of Bernd Schuster and his "exciting attacking" football. In my brain, Fabio Capello > Bernd Schuster X100 times over.

Current top 10 table standings:
Real Madrid 72 points
Villarreal 62 points
Barcelona 61 points
Atletico Madrid 54 points
Racing Santander 53 points
Sevilla 51 points
Almeria 48 points
Athletic Bilbao 48 points
Deportivo La Coruna 46 points
Espanyol 46 points

Real Madrid's last 5 matches this season:
Home - Athletic Bilbao
Away - Osasuna
Home - Barcelona
Away - Real Zaragoza
Home - Levante

Villarreal's last 5 matches this season:
Away - Real Betis
Home - Getafe
Away - Recreativo Huelva
Home - Espanyol
Departivo La Coruna - Away

Barcelona's last 5 matches this season:
Away - Deportivo La Coruna
Home - Valencia
Away - Real Madrid
Home - Mallorca
Away - Murcia

AIRWALK OR AGROBANK?

Have you guys seen the new logo of Bank Pertanian Malaysia (Agricultural Bank of Malaysia)? It is now called Agrobank if you don't know. As a fan of Airwalk, I straight away identify it as a very similar copy of Airwalk. If you look closely, only the arch below the capital A to be slightly different and the triangle's three corners are left to be sharp for the Agrobank logo. It is also using the red colour.

Check out how they explain their logo design:

RASIONAL LOGO

"Identiti baru Agrobank menggambarkan keazaman dan halatuju strategik bank untuk menerajui perkhidmatan kewangan secara kompetitif dengan sektor pertanian sebagai fokus. Logo atau simbol dalam bentuk segi tiga merah mencerminkan kestabilan dan keyakinan. Logo ini juga menggambarkan tenaga, komitmen dan aspirasi baru Agrobank.

Ikon yang berbentuk bulat mewakili visi yang dikongsi bersama di antara bank dan pelanggan. Nama dan logo bank diperkuatkan dengan penggunaan fon berimpak tinggi untuk menggambarkan sifat tersendiri dan memudahkan pengenalan. Untuk melambangkan dedikasi terhadap pembangunan sektor pertanian selama 39 tahun, moto korporat “Sentiasa di sisi Anda” terus dikekalkan."

Talk about creativity! Malaysia Boleh! (Malaysia Can!)

P/S: I didn't know they do direct translations for the word 'icon' to 'Ikon'. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when I see 'Ikan' (fish).





Airwalk

Agrobank Malaysia

DEMONOID IS BACK!

The Gate Keeper announced to me that Demonoid is back! I'm surprised because I never thought it will be ever be coming back again. Welcome back!

NODAME CANTABILE SHINSUN SPECIAL IN EUROPE
のだめカンタービレ　新春スペシャル　ＩＮ　ヨーロッパ

Well, glad to be able to finally watch this special edition after watching the Nodame Cantabile drama in 11 episodes. This Japanese drama is actually derived from a manga titled Nodame Cantabile by Ninomiya Tomoko. Ueno Juri is Noda Megumi, who is the lead actress in the drama. Oh my, how big she has grown! I first watched her in Engine, then Orange Days and finally Swing Girls movie. I literally watch her mature into a lead actress now.

As for the lead actor, Tamaki Hiroshi, I first watched him in Last Christmas. I don't really like his character in that drama so he did not leave a good impression in me. However, playing the lead actor in this drama as Chiaki Shinichi with such humour, you just want them both to be together.

This special, called Shinshun Special in Europe is basically two long episodes after they graduated in Japan and proceeded to Europe to further their music careers as pianist and conductor. You will have beautiful sceneries of Vienna, Prague, Paris to enjoy.

Well, I hope they will further make Part 2 and so forth as the manga is ongoing too. It will be good if it follows the manga to the end. I always enjoy comedy dramas. This is one of the best out there. I will definitely recommend you guys to check it out.

NIKON DSLR D300 OR D80?

With the graduation ceremony of me and my bro this coming July as well as a big possibility of my marriage ceremony end of this year, it is time to seriously think about investing in a DSLR. I have been delaying in the purchase for a long time. Blame it on the market for keep releasing new, better, more powerful models all the time. It is time to jump on the DSLR bandwagon now since normal digital cameras can no longer satisfy me as well as always envying the quality of photos that can be generated from the DSLR cameras.

One big decision I need to make is between D300 and D80. D80 is alot cheaper so definitely no issue but the question is really whether I will spend more to acquire the D300. Well, between them, D300 VS. D80 in comparison, I will have 2.1 million pixels more, ISO 200-3,200 VS. ISO 100-1,600, 1/8,000 VS. 1/4,000 maximum shutter, uncompressed VS. compressed RAW, 3 inch VS. 2.5 inch LCD monitor, LCD Live View mode VS. none, supporting GPS VS. not (this may not be crucial for normal photographers but since it is related to my current research, it will give me some advantage in my real work test) and 825g VS. 585g (without battery, memory card, body cap or monitor cover).

The current cheapest prices as of today that I know of in Singapore are:
D300 body only - S$2,450 (USD1,805.48 or EUR1,143.44)
D80 body only - S$1,188 (USD875.515 or EUR554.453)
D80 kit - S$1,498 (USD1,103.98 or EUR699.142)

Accessories:
AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm -S$460 (USD339.008 or EUR214.69)
AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm -S$1,060 (USD781.192 or EUR494.721)
Speedlight SB-800 -S$570 (Grey) (USD420.065 or EUR226.015), S$619.50 (USD619.5 or EUR289.091)
Speedlight SB-600 - S$345 (USD254.226 or EUR160.995)

The prices in JB are all more expensive, at least from my observations around the more prominent camera shops here. I will check with friends in KL too to compare. I will see how far the price will drop come The Great Singapore Sale (23 May - 20 July 2008).

I will see how it goes. It will seriously make a giant big hole in my pocket. I think it is time I do extra freelance work to earn extra income to be able to afford them fast. Hehe! I am also saving for marriage too. Eat grasslah from now onwards and cut down on my weight!

FOOTBALL: BIG CLASH WEEKEND

Juventus VS. Milan

Before the Moggi scandal, this match will get top attention in Europe. Now? It is more like the has-beens now. With Shevchenko and Ronaldinho linked to Milan, I just could not imagine what will happen if it is true. Still, there is a lot to fight for the European places. Juventus is third on the Serie A league table and would definitely want to solidify their position as Fiorentina are chasing closely behind them.

Man. Utd. VS. Arsenal

This match will pretty much determine whether Arsenal will be still in the title race. If Manchester United lose, Chelsea can become joint league leaders if they win their match a day later against Wigan. If Manchester United win, they will pull a 9 point gap away from Arsenal. A draw will maintain the 6 points gap. Chelsea is just 3 points behind Manchester United. There are only 5 matches left in the league.

I found an interesting thing when I use FireFox to check the English Premier League table. I think it only appear like this in FireFox.



Here is a closer look at all the clubs in this special English Premier League table. There are a staggering 35 clubs in this special league!



Inter Milan VS. Fiorentina

Fiorentina are still at the top 4 and will require to strengthen their position there as AC Milan are chasing closely from behind. Inter Milan are not in good form lately so Fiorentina can upset them. Mutu's two goals against PSV Eindhoven had brought them to the UEFA Cup semifinals. Fiorentina are definitely in good form.

BRAND'S SUDOKU CHALLENGE 2008

OK, I admit I do play Sudoku sometimes. If you don't know what it is, check the fountain of knowledge for information. I am not a big fan though but I tried the challenge in the Practice section. It's not too difficult if you compare to some of the toughest ones I had tried before. You can join the competition if you think your Sudoku ability is extremely good. There are two categories available and I am not sure whether we have a Malaysia Open. The prizes?

The BRAND’S® Sudoku Challenge 2008 Singapore Open winners will receive
1st prize winner - $8,000 cash prize, $300 BRAND’S® Hamper, Trophy and Certificate
2nd prize winner - $4,000 cash prize, $300 BRAND’S® Hamper, Trophy and Certificate
3rd prize winner - $2,000 cash prize, $300 BRAND’S® Hamper, Trophy and Certificate All 100 Singapore Open Finalists will receive $100 cashAll Singapore Open Semi-finalists will receive BRAND’S® goodie bags worth $60 each.

BRAND’S Sudoku Challenge 2008 Asia Pacific Open winners will receive
1st prize winner - $10,000 cash prize, $300 BRAND’S® Hamper, Trophy and Certificate
2nd prize winner - $5,000 cash prize, $300 BRAND’S® Hamper, Trophy and Certificate
3rd prize winner - $2,500 cash prize, $300 BRAND’S® Hamper, Trophy and Certificate
4th and 5th place - $100 cash prize and Certificate All Asia-Pacific Open participants will receive a BRAND’S® goodie bag worth $60 each.

Well, before you dare to go for the competition, try to beat my record of 3 minutes 49 seconds. OK, I have no idea how good or how lousy I am but that's my personal record. Try it out!

PRACTICE SUDOKU

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHNNY SHEVCHENKO!

All the best for a great year ahead! May you have a wonderful birthday in Kuching! Don't get too drunk and easy on the babes! Haha!

FOOTBALL: MAN. UTD. AND BARCA THROUGH

No surprises in this year's Champions League campaign. Everything is pretty much expected all the way. I was expecting some surprises in terms of giant upsets. Well, it was not meant to be.

Anyway, Liverpool will host Chelsea first on the 23rd of April 2008 and later Chelsea host Liverpool on the 30th April 2008. Barcelona will be hosting the first leg on the 23rd April and Manchester United will host the second leg on the 29th April 2008. Who will be your favourites to reach the final? Liverpool VS. Man. Utd.? Liverpool VS. Barcelona? Chelsea VS. Man. Utd.? Chelsea VS. Barcelona? All possible! Base on the current form though, it looks like Liverpool VS. Man. Utd. as a bigger possibility!

Well, I read about this news from Goal.com below regarding Barcelona players. I am not sure how true it is as we can never totally believe everything that's said in Goal.com all the time.

Barça Director Spills Beans On Squad Split

The club's economic president, Xavier Sala Martín, has revealed that some of the Blaugrana's first team players are "separated" from the rest, and that the club disguises this ostracism by claiming the players are "injured".

Without naming those involved, Martín continued by stating that there are players who "do what they want" and, therefore, are used to training less than their team-mates.

"It is unjust that one, two or three of them have so many days off and that out of 60 training session they only attend around 20 or so," he blasted.

Another source of irritation for the outspoken board member is the rumour that president Joan Laporta is happy to let this continue. Martín claims that the opposite is the case.

"It is unfair to say that Mr. Laporta is not acting," he explained.

"These players do not work, they do almost nothing and they are not playing for weeks as they spend a long time out with injuries and such like. But they are separate and isolated from the squad."

Barcelona's woes are beginning to be exposed and the rumours that the club will off-load those stars that they believe have effectively stopped playing are starting to grow.

Ronaldinho is one obvious candidate that could well have taken part in his last game for the club, and Deco is another player who could be on the way out after rarely featuring this term.

Ian Dixon, Goal.com

VIENNA, NEXT TIME THEN!

It's confirmed that my friend got his visa in time to go Vienna so I don't have to fly.

I want to thank my Austrian friend for getting ready free accommodation for me outside the few days I will stay in hotel if I had gone. I also want to thank Emirates for their great service and informing me daily with reminder of the date due of ticket purchase. Some day perhaps I may have the chance to go Vienna on Emirates, hehe!

Champions League news:
Liverpool and Chelsea are through! Good luck next year Arsenal and Fenerbahce. Manchester United and Barcelona will be next! Did I hear wrongly that Thierry Henry may be sold to Chelsea?

FOOTBALL: 2007/2008 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTER-FINALS 2ND LEG

Chelsea VS. Fenerbahce
(First Leg: 1-2)

Liverpool VS. Arsenal
(First Leg: 1-1)

Man Utd VS. Roma
(First Leg: 2-0)

Barcelona VS. Schalke 04
(First Leg: 1-0)

Here we go folks! It is very tricky indeed! From the first leg, only Manchester United seem to be in the most comfortable lead to go to the semis. With added bad form of Roma and the absence of captain Totti, I don't see why they cannot wrap up the tie to move on. Their own Cristino Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are still in great form. This could be the best year for The Devils to win the Champions League since their treble. Meanwhile, Barcelona have the most easiest tie in the whole quarters. Still, Barcelona themselves are not in good form but Messi is back. If they play their usual football, they should be able to wrap it up easily with their collection of superstars. It will be a disaster otherwise.

I know Chelsea have a better chance to go to the next round because they are a far more expensive and skilled side but I really love Roberto Carlos to get something from this competition. Liverpool will have the slight edge against Arsenal in the tie at home. Liverpool have the advantage of their Champions League magic to back them. The person to exact more presence in midfield will influence the team to win - Gerrard or Fabregas.

RM3/5 PER BAG?

BLOOD SUCKERS!

The Star

AirAsia to have check-in baggage fee

KUALA LUMPUR: Budget airline AirAsia will introduce check-in baggage fees from April 21.

The move is to defray rising fuel costs, said group chief executive officer Datuk Tony Fernandes.

The baggage fees are RM3 per bag (for online check-in) and RM5 per bag (for airport check-in).

PIKOM PC FAIR 2008 @ JB



I have two things to check for the Pikom PC Fair 2008. The 8GB flashdrive and the Mitsubishi DVD+ discs. I could not find the DVD+ discs unfortunately. There are other brands available like Imation, TDK and HP. Hence, I settled with buying the flashdrive. There are 7 brands which are more commonly available - Apacer, Corsair, Imation, Kingston, Pendrive, Sandisk and Toshiba and their prices are about the same.



I am asked to purchase a few others apart for 1 myself. I decided to choose Apacer myself. The two types of 8GB flashdrive offering from Apacer are AH221 and AH225. RM92 for the AH221 (black-gold) model and RM93 for the AH225 (white-blue) model.



The two types of 8GB flashdrive offering from Apacer are AH221 and AH225. RM92 for the AH221 (black-gold) model and RM93 for the AH225 (white-blue) model.

Other prices:
Apacer Flash 1GB RM17, 2GB RM26, 4GB RM46 & 8GB RM92
Corsair Flash Voyager 4GB RM59 and 8GB RM99
PenDrive Mini 1GB RM19, 2GB RM27, 4GB RM47 & 8GB RM93
Kingston Flash 1GB RM17, 2GB RM27, 4GB RM47 & 8GB RM95



The black-gold version may look cooler but the assembly of the cap is a totally stupid design. It is not very secure and totally dumb because you basically insert that round ring through this small slot at the back of the flashdrive. I wonder who is the designer. The white-blue one has a very ugly huge round cap but it is more practical. When I asked why it costs more, they said it has a magnetic cap which makes it more securely fasten. OK....very nice.....I tried it and it don't think it is actually making much of a difference.



All I have to say is I am surprised by the speed of the price drop in the market. I can't imagine buying the 8GB flashdrive for anything below RM100. When will the 16GB versions be available?

For the other locations and dates of the fair throughout the country, this is the schedule:



Note:
1 AUS = RM2.9436
1 EURO = RM5.02597
1 GBP = RM6.37064
1 NZD = RM2.51785
1 SGD = RM2.31311
1 USD = RM3.1944

EMIRATES, YOU GOT MY VOTE!

Flying to Vienna or not, I found out that Emirates have the best arrangements for people like me who can only make a decision to pay for the flight at the very last minute (1 day before the flight). I tried booking with local travel agents first. They don't allow you to hold your booking till just 1-2 days before your flight. I need to buy directly now that it is just less than 6 days before my flight. Therefore, I gave up and tried to check the airlines online websites.

First, naturally I checked Singapore Airlines but the routes were crazy, complicated and prices are almost 8 times more expensive! Later, I tried KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (despite the stupid call to boycott Dutch products / services) and Air France. They were about S$1000 more expensive but with the fastest routes ever. Next, I tried Qatar Airways. They have good prices and nice routes to reach Vienna but they don't fly everyday and do not fly on the day I intended.

Finally, I tried my luck with Emirates and I was happy that they fly everyday with equally fast routes as well. Among all of them, only Emirates allow you to book your ticket and purchase at a local office in Singapore at least 20 hours before my flight. Incredible! That's how last minute you can hold your booking. The rest forces you to purchase directly online and there are no other ways to it. Therefore, Emirates gave me a really good first impression and now I understand with just trying out their booking system that they deserved all those awards they received. They solved all my frustrations and difficulties with ease. I will be honoured if given a chance to fly in their planes in the future.

CHIANG MAI / VIENNA / PARIS VS. BIRTHDAY

First of all, I got a paper accepted for an architecture conference hosted in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It clashed with the birthday of Lee Ling. I thought well, as a wise saying goes, you can forget all dates in your lifetime, erased totally from your memory, even your own birthday but there is 1 date you should have no excuse to forget. It is the birthday of your wife/girlfriend! I had my supervisor to go instead and Chiang Mai is not very far so I don't mind not going eventhough I will be sponsored enough to cover most expenses for the trip by the university.

Then, came another good news but yet again clashed with Lee Ling's birthday. A current research project I am supporting and doing won the design prize to be presented in Venice, Austria. The prize is a fully paid trip for two (regardless of whatever airline you are using or whatever class of seats you are using or whatever plane you choose to fly in) and the full coverage of accomodation costs there. As a pianist myself, whenever I think of Austria, I thought of the best composers in human history: Mozart, Schubert and Strauss. It will surely be a pleasure to visit museums or any monuments dedicated to them. A few days later, came the news that the same project also got nominated for another design prize ceremony in Paris few days later, the day of our friend, Johnny Shevchenko's birthday.

Now, what will you do if you were in my shoes? I will probably have a hard time to consider if let's say I am given a chance for an all-expense trip to the recently upgraded five-star mark (Elite) Santiago Bernabéu Stadium to watch a match in the Presidential box and to get an autograph from Honorary President Alfredo di Stefano Laulhé and Raúl González Blanco. Raul by the way just scored his 290th goal for Madrid and levelling himself with Carlos Alonso Gonzalez (Santillana). He is only behind to Di Stefano's 307 goals.

Ah! Wishful thinking from me to get such a chance........I will probably have to break the conventional law if there is ever such a chance. Haha! I decided to still stay back and celebrate with her, giving up my place to other colleagues in the research group if the colleague who is suppose to go failed his visa application. I hope someday I will have the chance again.

Update: In the first place, two collegues who are the main people involved in the project are going. I mean to be fair, my involvement in that project is probably 3rd most in comparison to them. However, one of them is having difficulty with his visa application. I was in the first place given the chance as a back-up. My boss had a talk with me regarding the Vienna trip and persuaded me to reconsider if my colleague failed his visa application. He said that we should not waste 1 ticket with accomodation just like that. None of the colleagues can make it, either because of work or because of visa issues. I will book the ticket for now. I will go if his visa application fails. As for the award ceremony in Paris, one of us or a friend of ours will go to represent us.

RE - IMAGINING THE CITY
The Role of Artists in the Shaping of Cities

This sounds like a cool event to join.

RE - IMAGINING THE CITY
The Role of Artists in the Shaping of Cities

Presented by the British Council with acclaimed UK cross-media outfit onedotzero and KLue magazine, Re-imagining the City is an audio-visual project exploring how artists are both influenced by, and can help shape, cities, through the use of digital and other emergent technologies. Explore this with us through a programme of audio visual performance, screenings, workshop and debate.

Surface - live audio visual performance
Date:Saturday 5 April 2008
Time:Doors open at 8.30 p.m.
Venue:Mainroom @ Zouk KL, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur
Admission:Free before 10.00 p.m. – club rules apply.
Re- imagining The City comes alive with Surface, a collaborative, on-going audio-visual work between London based D-Fuse and local creatives Altered Image, Blastique, Ahmad Fariz Hanapiah and Nazim Esa. Come view the city through their eyes and ears in a trademark D-Fuse immersive sensory experience.

onedotzero: graphic cities - short films
Screened twice so you have no excuse to miss them.
Dates and times:Saturday 5 April 2008 at 3.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m.
Sunday 6 April 2008 at 11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.
Venue:Gallery 1, Annexe @ Central Market, Kuala Lumpur
Admission:Free

Innovative moving image work exploring artists’ interpretations of the urban environment, specially curated by onedotzero. Creatives include Neutral, Ed Holdsworth, Richard Fenwick, Light Surgeons, MK12, Steve Glashier, Metaphorm and many more. Click here for a full list.Local filmmakers angle their camera lenses on the city and have their work showcased in a parallel screening. Curated by Klang Valley’s pulse reader, KLue Magazine, it features the talents of Andrew Yeoh, Azharr Rudin, Chi Too, Fairuz Sulaiman, Jordan Suleiman, Diffan Sina Norman and Tony Pietra.

How artists shape our city - panel discussion
Date:Sunday 6 April 2008
Time:2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m.
Venue:Gallery 1, Annexe @ Central Market, Kuala Lumpur
Admission:Free

Panel discussion chaired by Shane Walter (Director, onedotzero) joined by Matthias Kispert (D-Fuse), Pang Khee Teik (Annexe, Central Market) and Chu Yuan (artist). Shouldn’t artists – rather than just politicians and urban planners - be involving in the shaping of our cities? Your input is required so come and give us your two cents.For more information on these events, email arts@britishcouncil.org.my

FOOTBALL: 2007/2008 CHAMPSIONS LEAGUE QUARTER-FINALS

Schalke 04 VS. Barcelona
Roma VS. Manchester United
Arsenal VS. Liverpool
Fenerbahce VS. Chelsea

It is nice to see Cicinho (Roma) and Roberto Carlos (Fenerbahce) still in the competition after they were forced out of Real Madrid. How will Schalke 04 and Barcelona play out the clash as both are going through tough times? Krkic is the current player who is shinning in Barcelona. Will Roma be able to stop The Devils who are in such top form now especially with Cristino Ronaldo while they themselves aren't? Can Liverpool's Champions League magic destroy Arsenal? Will Chelsea be able to easily beat Fenerbahce as expected?

All these answers will be known in the two days competition. All we ask for are entertaining matches loaded with goals.

DON'T BE FOOLED TODAY!

Happy April Fools' Day!

121 words

Speed test

Maldini 'Considering Newcastle Move'

The 39-year-old defender has spent his entire career with the Rossoneri, but having said he would retire at the end of this season appears to be having second thoughts.

Wholesale changes are expected at Milan over the summer, however, with last weekend's 2-1 home defeat to Atalanta the final straw, and Maldini has been told he won't be appearing for the club next season no matter who the coach is.

Milan want to move towards more youthful players and it appears Maldini is willing to abandon his status as a one-club man in order to keep playing for another season.

Reports surfaced on Monday that Newcastle United had made the five-time European Cup winner an offer for next season, with boss Kevin Keegan feeling Maldini's experience could help sure up things in the Magpies' defence.

"It's true that Newcastle have been in touch," confirmed Maldini yesterday. "It's certainly an interesting offer and one I won't rule out just yet.

"My only regret in my career is that I've never had the chance to play abroad and this would be a terrific opportunity to play in the Premier League for a massive club," added the defender, who admits to being extremely impressed by Newcastle's run in last season's Intertoto Cup.

April Fool, Goal.com