Andoni Iraola for Liverpool and Martin O'Neill for Celtic

Andoni Iraola is the new Liverpool head coach. 

The appointment of the Basque as the Reds’ boss ahead of 2026-27 was sealed on Thursday. 

North of the border, Martin O'Neill is the Celtic manager, it was asserted on Friday. It's a no-brainer really that O'Neill is set to continue at Parkhead on a one-year contract after two successful interim spells culminated in a league and cup double last season. 

Russia’s battlefield performance in Ukraine since December shows it can contest territory but cannot hold it, it has been claimed. 

Moreover, Ukraine's ability to impede the flow of Russian supplies and personnel to the front lines has grown in recent days, from the southern regions of Zaporizhia and Kherson to the eastern front, and has forced the Russian army to a standstill, according to Western analysis. 

Meanwhile, Ukraine has continued to strike refineries and munitions factories deep inside Russia, weakening its war effort. 

This war in Ukraine as described above was reported by Ukrainian fanboy John T Psaropoulos for Al Jazeera on June 05. This correspondent has been gleefully writing fiction about the Ukraine war right from the beginning. 

If you will believe, according to his May 29 report, the scale of Russian combat losses in Ukraine has increased nearly threefold compared to last year. 

To be honest, everything he wrote is pure fantasy! His texts serve as a highly delusory, if not deceitful narrative. And preposterous doesn't even begin to cover it!

Russia has actually gained the edge! Dominance confirmed.

Let me spell it out again: Russia is winning!

Liverpool Sack Arne Slot

Liverpool’s fairytale turned nightmare is officially over. Following an abysmal title defense, the club have sacked Arne Slot with immediate effect. 

The club announced the news of the 47-year-old’s departure on Saturday afternoon, less than a week after the final day of the Premier League season and Slot’s assertion that he was part of the plans to come. 

The decision came after an end-of-season review that saw the club suffer 19 defeats across all competitions and fall from 84 to 60 points. And Champions League qualification secured only on the final day. 

Slot is just not good enough for Liverpool!

👏👏👏

Expensive or Not?

“Takeaway like this costs RM12. Is it too expensive?” the user wrote. 

A simple takeaway meal from a popular Penang restaurant has triggered debate online after a customer questioned whether RM12 was too much to pay for a packet of rice with a piece of fried chicken. 

[I came across this news story in The Sun on Friday]. 

The post quickly attracted mixed reactions from netizens, drawing more than 250 comments, with some agreeing that the price was steep while others defended the eatery, saying the fried chicken from the restaurant was worth the cost.

One commenter joked: “I dare not comment because someone will tell me to cook it myself”. 

Another compared it with prices abroad, saying: “I can get something even cheaper than this in Singapore”. 

Some users attempted to break down the estimated cost of the meal. 

“The chicken is RM6 and the rice is RM2, so it should only be RM8”, one commenter wrote. 

Others pointed out that the cafe’s fried chicken is known to be popular despite the pricing. 

“No choice, their fried chicken is really good. But RM12 for one piece of chicken and rice; maybe they calculated it wrongly. You can ask them”, another netizen said.

All I can say is that one of my favourite nasi kandar places that I patronise pretty regularly is Nasi Kandar Pelita – and their prices are very reasonable! At least, the one at Jalan SS15/4C in Subang Jaya.

The May 17 bill I attached has almost the same items, i.e., white rice with "kuah campur banjir" and one piece of chicken. Plus an extra portion of rice and a glass of iced plain water. And it is only RM9.75!

Need I say more? 😜😜😜

Liverpool had their last Premier League match of the season yesterday, and they could only draw 1-1 against Brentford. 

The Reds scored first when Mohamed Salah picked out Curtis Jones to tap it home in the 58th minute. The Bees replied six minutes afterward.

Until the final whistle, neither team could find a winning goal. I suppose we should take comfort in knowing that the Reds secured the single point they needed to seal fifth spot – and Champions League qualification. 

And so, we can finally say goodbye to this absolutely cursed season. TBH, I'm not looking forward to 2026-27 because we lacked a clear tactical identity and we suffered from poor game management. I don't expect us to do well if Arne Slot remains in charge.

Donald Trump Accuses US Media of Giving Iran False Hope

On Tuesday:

Two days later, US President Donald Trump got a deserved epic reply from Iran: 

"The only thing rotting at the bottom of the sea is American credibility. 
Our Navy still sails. 
Our missiles still strike. 
Our will is forged iron. 
Because you obliterated the Iranian Navy, you still don’t dare send your bloated, puffed-up flotilla into the Strait of Hormuz? 
Keep tweeting those desperate White House fairy tales, Donny. Reality is carved into the burning wreckage of your failed aggression. 
Iran stands unbroken. 
The louder the lies, the clearer the cowardice. 
You don’t break nations with geriatric bluster. 
The future belongs to those who endure – not a washed-up con man raging from his golden toilet".

💪💪💪

Yesterday, Liverpool and Aston Villa went into the game level on points, each requiring a win to guarantee Champions League qualification for next season. And not unexpectedly, the latter won 4-2.

The Villans scored first in the forty-second minute; the 22nd time this season the Reds conceded first. But Virgil van Dijk headed home from Dominik Szoboszlai’s free kick to put his side on level terms in the 52nd minute. 

Villans again took the lead when a three-goal (57, 73, 89) surge put them back in front. Still, van Dijk managed to add a consolation in stoppage time, another header off a set piece. 

Liverpool drop to fifth, having won just three of the last nine league games. They’ll need a result on the final day of the season to secure Champions League football, having missed the opportunity to do so yet again. It must be said that Arne Slot's side were out-coached, out-fought and outclassed. 

To rub salt in their opponents’ wounds, Aston Villa played the iconic Champions League anthem out of the stadium loud-speakers after the final whistle to extend Liverpool’s misery beyond full-time.

A Real-life Statue on the Met Gala 2026 Red Carpet

Celebrities arrived at the 2026 Met Gala with their take on this year's theme – costume art – where organisers asked attendees to experiment with the lavish and whimsical dress code. 

Heidi Klum, as expected, came well-prepared, looking like she walked out of a museum's sculpture gallery and onto the carpet. 

In fact, she was virtually unrecognizable on the May 04 event, dressed as a marble statue complete with draped robes that hugged her figure and facial prosthetics that mimicked a veil rendered in stone. And the 52-year-old supermodel wore a floral wreath and flat sandals, showing off head-to-toe chalky gray body paint.

 

It was her first appearance on this particular red carpet in 12 years, having last attended in 2013. 

Reds failed to beat Blues who had lost their previous six Premier League games, managing an uninspiring 1-1 draw at Anfield on Saturday. 

Rio Ngumoha’s work on the left wing opened the space for Ryan Gravenberch on the edge of the penalty box, with just one touch needed before a beautifully curled shot inside of six minutes.

Chelsea levelled in the 35th minute. Easy-peasy.

And that was it. When the final whistle was blown, the Liverpool faithful let loose a raucous outburst of boos at Arne Slot and his players. It was another poor game from them.

And yesterday too, Heart of Midlothian and Motherwell produced a similar score. They drew 1-1.

Leaders Hearts nudged four points clear of Celtic in the Scottish Premiership title race but really, they missed an opportunity to put maximum pressure on the defending champions before today's Old Firm derby.

The US Is A Pirate Nation

US President Donald Trump bragged about the seizure of a tanker and its oil as part of a blockade against Iran, and gleefully admitting the country's Navy are acting “like pirates”. 

“We... land on top of it and we took over the ship. We took over the cargo, took over the oil. It’s a very profitable business”, Trump boasted on Friday. 

By rebranding military blockades as profitable ventures and seizing foreign cargo, the US has effectively become a "pirate nation", abandoning international norms in favor of raw economic theft.

In short, piracy has become policy. The impact of this analogy goes beyond mere words; it reflects a specific "transactional" foreign policy model reminiscent of the historical Barbary Pirates. 

A direct and damning admission of the criminal nature of US actions against international maritime navigation. 

In yesterday's match between Liverpool and Manchester United, the latter won 3-2. 

The Red Devils raced out the blocks to score twice inside fourteen minutes. 

Fortunately, they squandered the advantage in the second half. A United sub gave the ball away in midfield and Dominik Szoboszlai ran through their defence before placing a left foot shot into the bottom corner in the 47th minute. And another mistake from United passing out from a goal kick gifted the equaliser for Cody Gakpo nine minutes later.

But Manchester United restored their lead in the 77th minute when Liverpool failed to deal with a cross from the left. 

The victory tightens the Red Devils' grip on third spot in the Premier League table as well as guarantees their Champions League qualification. And Reds now have three games remaining to ensure their place among Europe’s elite next season.

I must highlight that this is Liverpool's 19th defeat of the season, their joint-most this century!

Israel Threatens To Bomb Iran Into The Stone Age

Israel is waiting for a go-ahead from the US to resume the campaign against Iran and bomb the Islamic Republic back to “the Stone Age”, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated on Thursday. 

The message came after US President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire with Tehran indefinitely on Tuesday to allow time for a potential deal, while keeping American naval blockade of Iranian ports in place. 

The “Stone Age” rhetoric was first used by Trump on April 01, roughly five weeks into the fighting. At the time, he warned that US forces would “hit [Iran] extremely hard” and could “bring them back to the Stone Ages” within “two to three weeks” if Tehran refused US demands, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz and agreeing to a deal imposing stricter limits on its nuclear activities. 

Tehran predictably rejected the demands, refusing to stop nuclear enrichment, which it says it needs for civilian purposes, including energy production and medical applications.

Please, let the fighting resume. I would love to see the US of A and Israel wasted! 

Oh, how I wish!

Liverpool strengthened their grip on next season's Champions League spot with a 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace yesterday. 

Alexander Isak smartly controlled Alexis Mac Allister’s wayward effort on goal and swivelled on the ball to volley it into the net in the 35th minute. That was swiftly followed by another from Andy Robertson, finishing well into the bottom corner after a lightning break five minutes later. 

The Eagles pulled one back in the 72nd minute but Florian Wirtz sealed the victory deep into stoppage time (90+6') with a composed finish inside the box.

 

Victory moved the Reds up to fourth place in the Premier League table with four games left to play.

In the meantime, in Glasgow, Celtic defeated Falkirk 3-1 to go level on points with Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts. 

Daizen Maeda opened the scoring in the 30th minute after pressing his rivals' defence. And just before half-time, utilizing his high-tempo pressing, he dispossessed a Falkirk player and played the ball through to Kieran Tierney to rocket a powerful strike into the top corner. 

The Bairns hauled themselves back into contention when they shot home in the 70th minute. But Maeda's second, Celtic's third, was instinctive striker play as he dropped off his marker to swing around in the box and convert a driven Sebastian Tounekti cross in the 83rd minute to settle the outcome.

The table standings after the Scottish champions' triumph on Saturday:

Donald Trump is Doing a Damn Good Job in Iran

US President Donald Trump is so damn unappreciated! 😞😞😞

We should applaud, commend and praise him because he is doing a darn good job with Iran! 👏👏👏

With only a top-five finish in the Premier League left to play, the pressure was on Liverpool's Arne Slot and his players to deliver when they made a first-ever visit to Hill Dickinson Stadium for the 248th Merseyside derby yesterday.

And the Reds delivered. They scored a timely 2-1 win over Everton. 

The Toffees gave away the ball cheaply to Cody Gakpo, who played a terrific pass for Mohamed Salah to tuck it home in the 29th minute.  

But they made amends and equalized in the fifty-fourth minute. And it looked as though both teams were going to share points.

Virgil van Dijk had other ideas as he scored a dramatic 100th minute winner for the Reds from a Dominic Szoboszlai corner. 

The victory boosts Liverpool’s Champions League qualification hopes as they now sit seven points clear of closest challengers Chelsea.

Up north, Celtic too, triumphed 6-2 against St Mirren.

Daizen Maeda capitalised on the Buddies goalie's mistake to force Celtic's opening goal in the very first minute. And Anthony Ralston thundered an effort in off the bar with the last kick of the first half after stepping onto Yang Hyun-jun's clever backheel. 

St Mirren equalized in the 53rd and 91st minutes to force the game into extra time.

In that additional period, quick goals came from Kelechi Iheanacho's near post header via a James Forrest cross and the boot of Luke McCowan broke the Buddies' spirit before Iheanacho slammed in a fifth with a stunning left-foot finish from inside the area. Extra gloss was added when Sweden international Benjamin Nygren stroked in his 20th goal of an impressive debut season. All in a ruthles seven-minute spell. 

Martin O'Neill's men have now booked their spot in the Scottish Cup final – their 62nd final – on May 23 against Championship side, Dunfermline Athletic.

Donald Trump Thinks He's Jesus

US President Donald Trump faced a firestorm of condemnation after posting an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus figure and launching a series of social media attacks on Pope Leo XIV.

The image, shared on Trump’s Truth Social platform on Sunday and deleted on Monday, showed him in a white robe placing a hand on a man’s head in a scene resembling a healing. It was posted after a separate message in which Trump criticised the pope, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy”. 

Later, Trump told reporters that, though he had posted the image, he thought it depicted him “as a doctor”. 

“And had to do with the Red Cross as a Red Cross worker, which we support. And only the fake news could come up with that one”, he said. 

He also said he does not “want a Pope who criticises the President of the United States”.

He must really think Americans are stupid. I suppose, they are, since they did elect him into the White House!

I do think this is a gross act of irreverence! Perhaps, they should crucify him – and then see if he gets up on the third day?!?! 

The irony is that he secured strong support from Christian voters in the 2024 election, including a majority of Catholics, who backed him 56 percent to 42 percent, according to an analysis by political scientist Ryan Burge of Washington University. 

Christians in America, you have lost your marbles if you are still supporting this basket case! 

Arne Slot (right) was so damn confident. He was adamant the Reds could pull off what would be a comeback for the ages when Liverpool faced Paris St-Germain in the return leg of their Champions League quarter-final yesterday. 

Of course, he was talking BS.

Half time: 0-0. Then the European champions scored in the 72nd minute. And for good measure, a second one in the 91st minute. 

2-0 at home and 2-0 away. 4-0 on aggregate. And Liverpool are OUT! This is Liverpool's 17th defeat in 50 games in all competitions this season.

Well done, Slot!

US Hoping for a Deal in Islamabad

Ahead of the Islamabad negotiations, Iran has clearly told Pakistani mediators what must happen before any final deal. 

Iran’s conditions: 

• Full control and sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz
• Payment of war reparations 
• Release of all frozen assets 
• Permanent ceasefire across the entire region 

This means one thing Iran is not coming to negotiate terms… it is coming with terms already set.

So now the situation looks like this. Talks have begun in Islamabad, Pakistan – but Iran has fired a warning shot across its opponent's bow.

The message from Iran is unmistakable: no more games, no more separation between Washington and Tel Aviv, and no deal without real concessions.

I am very much skeptical – but we shall see.

[Note: What began on Saturday as indirect "proximity talks" with mediators shuttling between separate rooms, both sides eventually transitioned into face-to-face negotiations, it has been reported]. 

Anfield roared back to life yesterday! Liverpool put an end to their three-game winless run with a convincing 2-0 victory over Fulham at home. 

Teenager Rio Ngumoha opened the scoring in the 36th minute, finishing off a driving run from Florian Wirtz with a composed low strike. 

Four minutes later, Mohamed Salah doubled Liverpool’s lead, clipping home after a neat assist from Cody Gakpo.  

The English champions' win leaves them in fifth, a position which now qualifies for a place in next season's Champions League.

Resignation Letter on Toilet Paper

A headhunter in Singapore has gone viral after posting an employee's resignation letter, which was written on a sheet of toilet paper. 

In a LinkedIn post published last week, Angela Yeoh shared that the employee resigned using this method to reflect the treatment they received at the organisation. Neither the employee nor the employer was named in the post. 

"I have chosen this type of paper (toilet paper) for my resignation as a symbol of how this company has treated me. I quit", read the letter. 

Speaking to Yeoh, the employee explained that they felt disposable as an employee, saying, "I felt like toilet paper: used when needed, then discarded without a second thought". 

Yeoh said the employee's words struck a chord with her, emphasising the importance of fostering a culture of appreciation within an organisation. 

She remarked, "Make your employees feel so genuinely appreciated that even when they choose to leave, they part ways with gratitude instead of resentment. Such an experience doesn't reflect a lack of loyalty but speaks volumes about the company's culture". 

She stressed that appreciation is more than just a retention tool – it is a reflection of how much an individual is valued, not only for their contributions but for who they are as a person.

Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain hosted Liverpool in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg yesterday.

The latter went into the game many expect them to lose. And they did not disappoint. 

PSG won 2-0, seizing a clear advantage to take to Anfield for next week’s return.

FYI, Arne Slot's boys ended the game without a shot on target; in fact, they were very fortunate to escape only two goals behind.

The Reds were pitiful, period.

Kiss My Ass: Donald Trump's Undignified Reference To MBS

US President Donald Trump, speaking at the Saudi-backed Future Investment Initiative (FII) Priority Summit on March 27, 2026 at the Faena Hotel in Miami Beach in Florida, USA, mocked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). 

“He [MBS] said, you know, it’s amazing... a year ago, you were a dead country. Now, you’re literally the hottest country anywhere in the world”, Trump said. 

“He [MBS] didn’t think this was going to happen… he didn’t think he’d be kissing my ass… he thought it’d be just another American president that was a loser… but now he has to be nice to me”, he added. 

The comments came amid reports that MBS is asking the US to continue bombing Iran until the regime is toppled.

Today, Manchester City stood in the way of Liverpool reaching the FA Cup semi-finals. 

Based on the latter's season so far, I didn't expect the underwhelming Reds to win. Much as I hated it, I had to be realistic. And unsurprisingly, they predictably suffered yet another severe humiliation. 

Arne Slot and his boys failed to deliver. Again. They were mauled 4-0!

Somebody posted that they’d folded like a deck of cards!

On this showing, you fear for Liverpool playing in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in Paris in midweek against PSG.

Meanwhile, in the Scottish Premiership, two matches had featured Rangers and Motherwell.

The former won 4-2 against Dundee United while the latter faltered again when Falkirk beat them 3-2.

The latest table standings for the top 4 Scottish clubs:

Malaysia's Asian Cup Dream is Over

Malaysia has been knocked out of contention for the 2027 Asian Cup after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Tuesday overturned their qualifying wins over Nepal and Vietnam, saying the national team fielded players who were not eligible to represent the country. 

The AFC’s disciplinary ruling converted both matches into 3-0 forfeits for Malaysia, leaving them six points behind Vietnam at the top of Group F and removing any mathematical possibility of advancing, with one game to go. 

The Football Association of Malaysia were also fined $50,000 to be paid within 30 days. The association did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The sanctions from the continent's football governing body came in the wake of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) partially upholding the sanctions laid down by FIFA on the seven footballers who played for Malaysia using falsified naturalisation documents, ruling they would serve a 12-month suspension from official matches only. 

The CAS also upheld FIFA's 350,000 Swiss franc ($444,275) fine on FAM.

Liverpool had beaten Brighton & Hove Albion twice this season, winning 3-0 against them in the Premier League and 2-0 in the FA Cup. Therefore, you'd be forgiven for believing that it would be a walk in the park for the reigning champions again in yesterday's match in Sussex.

It wasn't to be. Liverpool suffered a 2-1 loss.

The Reds conceded as early as the fourteenth minute. It's entirely their own doing. Giorgi Mamardashvili lost the ball carelessly and from the resulting throw-in, the Seagulls nodded in from close range. 

But Reds levelled sixteen minutes later when a Brighton defender decided to head back a high ball without looking behind him and that was costly as Milos Kerkez nipped in to flick the ball over the goalie.

In the 56th minute, the same Brighton scorer netted again from close range. 

This was their 10th Premier League defeat of the season; you have to go back a decade to find the last time they lost that many times in the league. 

The defeat leaves Liverpool in fifth place in the Premier League table, but could drop further down the standings if results elsewhere go against them. 

They will be back in action only on April 04, when they face Manchester City in the quarter-final of the FA Cup, with their next league fixture on April 11 against Fulham.