Ani iyo xabashi maxaa isaga kaayo dan ah. Nacalaa aabahood ku yaal. But, it is true, I grew up with them. People are amazed by my levels of Somali given that I never have been to Somalia proper except Hargeisa on vacations when schools close. Burco and Berbera (only on short visit in 2002. Let me tell you. Mid af-xabashi iiga turjun leh miyaad aragtay (Nairobi) oo nabad-sugidda Ethiopia igu leh walaalo ayaynu nahay ku dheh. " War hedde u sheeg buu kolba i yidhaa"; ana waxaan kulaha xabashiga "maad naga baxdaan buu ku leeyahay!". Guddiga nabadgalyadda Banaadir baan ku jiraa buu igu yidhi. Of course, the man was not from Banaadir.

KoolKat (mukulaal Qaboow) Xaalku waa caadi. I never take your comments badly. Waa ciyaare la soco hedde, dadka ha ina maqashiine. Xiinoow Sayidkaan faraskiisa Marka uu Fardin haayoo Kii ahaa bal wax iiga sheeg.

I saw Barcelona. It is not only Deco. Xavi and Iniesta are wonderful players. But the flamboyance of Ronaldinho and the tiring legs of Deco are the real problem. I think Arsenal's problem is up front. There is no real finisher. That bull Adebayor scores 1 out 9 chances. Why would anyone keep Gilberto Silva for instance? I am a fan of Brazil, and will never want Ronaldino in that team. The young Diego is by far effective. Of course a moment of brilliance from Ronaldino can change a match, but how often does that come these days? For a football team, I think these things matter. - It must play from the wings (at least out of 6 attacks, 4 has to come from a ball delivered by the full backs). The logic is simple. Defenders are facing their goal and the lurking strikers will have an advantage once the ball is delivered. That is why the success of Brazil largely depends on the quality of the full backs). When Dunga brought in Maicon and Gilberto (although a bit ageing) on the two flanks, Brazil are now more potent. Shame that Daniel Alves is right-footed and can't play along side Micon. - To be able to penetrate the defence from its heart. Players like KAKA are good for this. - To be able to shoot from outside the box. And make use of set pieces - To alternate between long, and short passes. - In the mid field, it is always who wins the 50-50 balls. And who passes less horizintally. - In the defence, zonal marking is the best as a tactic. But to always ensure the two midfield defenders are aggressive and don't get excited to go up front too often. Of course all this is known. But the tactics of when to mount pressure (big teams do that in the first 10 minutes and when the whistle approaches for the half-time/end of the game), and when to sit back and see what the opponent can do. Still, you can get all the tactics and techincs right, and it will prove to be not enough. It is simply not your night. Imagine if John Terry haven't slipped in that crucial penalty in Moscow. What would the talk have been by now? KING Grant! But I admire teams that play from the wings. The Dutch are the second best after Brazil. I would have preferred the defence of Italy, the midfield of Argentina, the wings of Brazil, and the attack of Germany. Of course the Top keepers these days are Ikar Casilas, Julio Cesar of Brazil and Inter, and Van der Sar. Cech is no more as good as before the head injury.

^ Hadana waad isii caayaysaa? I really enjoy when you get upset.

Oday Xiin, kolkaad Shariifkii iga reebtay, eed faraskii aan iska saaraa iga dajisay, miyaa hadana wali ila daba socotaa wadhaf? lool@najisyahoow najisku dhalay inaan.... Koolkat: Baleeg waad i caayaysaaye; wiilka sanadka ma waxaad u jeedaa "wiilkii wareerka ee Sanadka"??

^ Yaa loo jeeda tolow? yareey, Maxaa Rer-Mudug kaa galay adiga? Af-somaligan ma fahmin deh hadana.

Yes, they have no pace in their play. Individually, the likes of Ronaldo or Nani, or Ricardo Quresema can run; but the passes in the midfield give other defences much time to regroup. Too much touch on the ball. Did you watch their latest friendly, and how it was difficult for them to get the ball to strikers? How do you define pace in footbal anyway? ma orod la isa sii daayaa, mise waa waa reaching the other's goal in few balls? Is there anytime you can just comment without silly suffixes or prefixes, dear Ngonge.

Brofessor While my affection to Romania which goes back to the days of Hagi, Lupescu, Rotario, Demetriscu and Popescu is a factor in highlighting Romania's chances, I still believe the likes of Chivu and Adrian Mutu will do something this year. I think if there is an area where I am not suspect at analysing, it is the game of football. Did I tell you I was the top striker and goal scorer for my college. And I believe I am good in analysing the technic and tactic side of football. Predictions are just predictions, of course. You know what happened in Euro 2004. But I also learned that having a group of top players is not always the key to success. That is the mistake people make. I am not saying Romania will won, Brofosorre; but they will upset the first round expectations by beating either France, Holland or Italy to the second place. Saaxiibkay baad tahayoo ku oran kari maayo, "Shalaad barataye waa la shubi jiray!"

Yastesarial (God forgives /in Ge'ez: the archiac form of Amharic) was the toast of the nights in Addis in 2005 elections. It was a song many used to taunt the Tigres, who for no apprarent reason reacted very harshly to this song which basically was calling for forgiveness and reconcilliation. The part they didn't liked was when he said nothing got better for us (the people) from Haile Sellasie to mengistu to the current regime. When his majesty walked down From his throne to volkswagen And a new one took the helm sixty graves were dug by the revolution [Mengistu] To be filled with sixty old heads [the 60 ministers killed the same night Mengistu took power] Wearing shorts (pants) stitiched with 17 needles [17 years the TPLF fought] He who claimed to have combed for a change As he climbed the big throne Just like that of yesterday If he is punishing the predecessor He is just a NEW KING, tell me where is the change? Ja yastaserial! The information in the brackets is from me. I am not good at composing a poem, and I regret that some flavour lost in the translation. But, Tewedros is a hugely popular and wonderful singer. Go Teddy! I wish you listened to his hit: Hewan Indhawaza (the Eve's (women) are not easy).

Spain could do nothing with the undisputed talents of Emilio Butraggenio, Michel, Jose Maria Bakero and Andoni Zubizeretta. Passing tirelessly entertains fans but this trademark of the Iberians will do very little to win matches. Portugal couldn't win it at home, for instance. Why? Psychology and pace. This two are lacking in both Spain and Portugal. So it will be a Déjà vu , yet again.

The pain of Spain Paul Fletcher 30 May 08, 02:59 PM I love Spain. I love the food, I love the price of wine in restaurants, I love the fact that I don't feel like a complete imbecile when I'm there because I can speak a little of their language, and I love the fact you can watch top-flight football without your bank account taking a pounding. But there are things about Spain that trouble me, peculiarities that defy reasonable explanation. One of them, for example, is the curious way in which some Spanish men drape pastel coloured V-neck sweaters over their shoulders.Another is the poor record of Spain's national football team. So many talented players but so little success at major tournaments equates to one of life's great imponderables. The latter was very much at the forefront of my thoughts during a recent trip to Spain with my wife and her father. I was keen to see whether the Spanish would be in the midst of the massive deluge of pre-tournament hype we normally get in England and I wanted to know whether they were confident their team would finally throw the monkey off their back.I tried my luck at a small seaside bar in Galicia. After the barman had told me that Real Madrid would prise Cristiano Ronaldo away from Old Trafford, I asked him about his hopes for the Euros. The first half of his reply was sort of a grunt crossed with a resigned exhalation, the sort of noise that seemed equal parts contempt and despair. "Spain? No chance," he said. "Not with that ***** in charge." There may or may not have been expletives colouring the barman's answer, but the "*****" in question was Spain coach Jose Luis Aragones. The coach's decision to omit Raul from his squad was very much headline news and, from what I could gather, it was proving to be a very divisive issue. The newspapers were full of talk about the places up for grabs in Aragones's squad while some of the features focused on how the tournament will showcase some extremely impressive young talent. No mention, though, of the likes of Wayne Rooney or Theo Walcott. Also contained within the sports pages were plenty of adverts, promoting the kind of products we have come to associate with the beautiful game. The days when footballers only advertised boots, balls, nylon tracksuits or, if they were really lucky and happened to be Kevin Keegan, aftershave are long gone.In the space of several pages in one Spanish paper I was told which car to travel home in ahead of the match, which beer to drink when the match had started, on which brand of TV to watch the match, and which make of digital camera to have at the ready if I wanted to record any memorable moments. Disappointingly, though, I did not see a single life-size cut out of any players at the various supermarkets and shops I visited. At no point did the wife have the opportunity to say that so and so is a lot smaller than she expected...not that the other half is all that familiar with most of the Spanish squad. Advertising shortfalls aside, I hope Spain do well in the tournament. I think they play attractive football, and I remember vividly the haunted faces on their supporters' faces after they crashed out to France in Hanover two years ago.But I'm not adopting Spain. In fact I'm not adopting any of the 16 nations in action at Euro 2008. After years of being tied to England - and suffering the continual crushing disappointments that entails - I'm going to see how the wind blows in Austria and Switzerland and support whoever I like, when I like, in a thoroughly shameless manner. Paul Fletcher is a broadcast journalist at BBC Sport Interactive. Please check our FAQs if you have any questions.

Intelligence iyo kuwan aad soo sawiraty waligood mayna isa salaamin. All of these waa distingushed members of ururka xoolaha!

Romania topped its group three points more than the Dutch. Most of the players are from Steau Bucherst who did very well in europe this season. Technically, Romanian's are very good artists and play cohesively as a team. While it is true they are drawn in the group of death, I think they will do very well to qualify. Italy is not so great (they are lucky as usual), Holland is good but hasn't managed to beat Romania at home and were beaten in Bucherst. Like the Greek's, I see the dark horses of the tournament in Romania. But again, I understand they don't have the pedigree to warrant an attention, and I see people are surprised with my predictions. Anyway, Nuune, adigu sug uun horta. I know you will be impressed by their performance.

Haneefah Rer-mudug waa laguu yaqaan!

Brofosoree War meesha Croatia, iyo Portugal iyo Spain waa entertaining teams. Not result-oriented. For no apprent reason, I still think Romania will be the surprise team, and Portugal will go out in the first round. Spain will disappoint again.

^ Kaasa Balbalaare isaga miyaa taqaan! Waa Casa populare soo ma aha.

This Rer-Mudug went into a Movie house in Muqdisho, an old friend of mine told me. He was carrying a small radio, to listen to the BBC Somali service when it starts its afternoon programme. He sat next to the old friend, as an action packed Karate film started on the wide screen. At one point, as the big Khaa’in (the bad guy) approached menacingly from behind, lurking to take out the main actor with a monstrous machete, the Rer-Mudug stood up and started alerting the man to the danger. "Timo-caddow Gadaal! Timo-caddow Gadaal!"(the actor had a white hair). He shouted "Wa ma falan yahay wuxu,? War Gadaal waryaa"!!. Everybody laughed. After a while, the man switched on his small radio to the tune of, “Halkani waa BBC London oo aad nagala socotaan…..”A courtous Rer-Xamar begged him to swith if off."Duqaa, See waaye adeer? Shaneema aa joogtaa"! The undeterred Rer-Mudug retorted back: “Adeer, Miyaa waalan tahay? War bal waxan eega! Action’ ka indhaha kala soco, idhaacadana dhegaha ka dhagayso.” The film was translated in Italian, and what the Mudugaawi failed to understand was that,unlike him, most people understood the storyline and were following it with suspense.

JB War dee Heesta ii sax ninyahow! Huud iyo Calaydh maxay ahaayeen. Mise anaa u qaataye wax kaluu lee yahay? Tan miyaad maqashay iyada. A man angry at his wife for chewing qat. Hadaad fiidkii qaxayso Hadaad Qaad doonanayso Qaraarku markuu ku gaadho haddaad sii laba qarxayso Haddaad qarashkii caruurta Qayb kale aad ku qaadanayso Qalbiga been looma sheegee Miyaa la is qabi karaayaa??

Ka hadh baan lahaa Haween iyo jacaylkoo Horey uga tag baan idhi Hayskuba...... (missing) Marka aan habeen qudha Hurdo nadab ku seexdaba Sow habluhu heesiyo Hayaay iima qaadaan Caawana hirkaan dagay Ma huud iyo calaydhbaa (????) Heesihiiyo Caashaqa Ma kagalay halkaygii Please, will someone fill the missing part, and also explain to me the line with question marks? Vintage Mohamed Ahmed Kuluc.

In the absence of anything to proud of as a somali: No national team to cheer, no international celebrities, no country; through time I started liking this kind of adventures and desperately try to sell it as bravery and being warrior to outsiders. Good to see the Kenyan's police outmanouvered by Somali militiamen. Ha isku qasmo aduunku oo meel walba haka dhacdo; ileen Somali qaranimo loo diidye!

Originally posted by Abtigiis & Tolka: iyada oo markii wafdiga madaxweynaha la dejinayay hoteelka la sheegay in ay magaalada ku maqnaayeen. Iyaga laftigoodaa riwaayad kale ah. Shaah baa lagu maqnaa gara'oo. Kolkii warka la helaa la oran, Sheikh Khadaroow kac taksi qaada'oo alaabtii meesha inooga soo gur. Xayaatu-kalbi ayaa dhaama in nimankaas lala dagee!

^I think inayna wayssada ka jabin bay u carareen.

Shariif Xasan iyo Sheekh Shariif oo ka guuray Hoteelkii ay degenaayeen, markii wafdiga Madaxweynaha lala dejiyay. Sheekh Shariif SheekhAxmed iyo Shariif Xasan Sheekh Aaden ayaa ka guuray Hoteelkii laga dejiyay magaalada Jabuuti, kadib markii lala dejiyay madaxweynaha dowlada federaalka kmg-ka SOomaaliyeed, Col: C/laahi Yuusuf Axmed. Wararka waxa ay sheegayaan in labada mas’uul ay degeen hoteelka kale, iyada oo markii wafdiga madaxweynaha la dejinayay hoteelka la sheegay in ay magaalada ku maqnaayeen. Ma jiraan wax hadal ah oo labada mas’uul ay ka yiraahdeen ka bixitaankooda hoteelka, iyada oo dhinaca kalena Saleebaan Colaad Rooble oo gudiga warfaafinta isbahaysiga Asmara madax u ah oo arrimahaasi wax laga weydiiyay uu ka gaabsadey. Wararka qaarkood waxa ay leeyihiin waxaa soconaya dadaalo ay wadaan xubno dowlada Jabuuti ku jira iyo guddiga Qaramada Midoobay, iyada oo wafdiga madaxweynaha ay hoteelka dejiyeen xubno wasaarada arrimaha dibada Jabuuti ka tirsan. http://www.kilil5.com/kulamo_rt3

In early 1970s, Doobyaaye- a 'mentally retarded' man who lived in the small town of Aware, in Degahbour zone, summed up the behaviour of the Xabashi's. Back then, my father tells me, no one took him seriously and people saw his admonisions as the baloney of a crazy man. This was his Dhaanto. Itoobiya waa wax loo bogayoo Ninkii u dadaala way dili Yusuf Dabageed of Hirran, the notorious warlord, has this to say after nearly four decades! Dabo-geed: “waxaa wax lala yaabo leh in Itoobiyaanka inta ciideyda iigu yimaadaan ay iigu hanjabaan in aan isaga baxo “waxaa wax lala yaabo leh in Itoobiyaanka inta ciideyda iigu yimaadaan ay iigu hanjabaan in aan isaga baxo” sidaasi waxaa yiri Yuusuf Axmed Hagar (Dabo-geed), gudoomiyihii gobolka Hiiraan. ‘Nafta Ilaah ayaa haya, aniga nin diin leh ayaan ahayn, waana ogahay inhal mar aan dhimanayo, laakiin haddii leys leeyahay ha loo caga jugleeyo, hana ka baxo gobolkaasi, taasi ma dhaceyso” ayuu hadalkiisa sii raaciyay. “Hubkeyga iyo baabuurteyda oo aan aniga xoolaheyga kala baxay, qaarna ay beesheyda leedahay ayaa si xaq darro ah markii hore leygala wareegay, Hadana afartii qori ee la igu waardiyeynayay ayaa la iga qaatay, markaas ayaa hankabaad la iila yimid” ayuu mar kale yiri Dabo Geed. Wuxuu sheegay in taliyaha ciidamada Itoobiyaanka ee jooga Jante Kuundishe uu amar ku siiyay in uu ka guuro goobtii uu degenaa, haddii uu doonayana uu ku biro kooxaha dowlada ka horjeeda. Wuxuu sheegay Dabo-Geed in uu iminka ku sugan yahay gudaha Baladweyne oo uu sheegay in uusan marnaba ka baxayn. http://www.kilil5.com/kulamo_

^ adaa wax tol ah meesha joogee, DP ila qabdsii! Kan yar ee computer'ka garaacaya eed meesha soo dhigatayna isaga dan u wareeri doona.