Having watched the match between Chelsea FC and Team Malaysia, I have the followings observations to share:
1. Malaysia need a coach with international experiences who are exposed to competitive matches in Europe and in major competition such as the World Cup and the Olympics. How is a local coach to train a group of young Malaysians who are not exposed to competitive matches when the coach has no such experiences? For example when a team is preparing for major competition how are the training regime like? What sorts of preparation took place? Other than physical training, what about psychology and mental training? These experiences are invaluable when come to major competition and Malaysia need one right now.
2. Malaysia does not have form and shape in their game. The game plan in the match with Chelsea was very simple and very similar to the 70’s during the era of Mokhtar Dahari, Soh Chin Aun, Santokh Singh etc where individual flair dictates the game most of the time. In another word, there was very little progress since the 70’s, which directly justifies Malaysia’s FIFA ranking at this time. In the game there were sporadic individual skill but we couldn’t really see any build up and set play in their game. Most of the time they were desperately chasing the ball and trying to limit the Chelsea team and not really having a plan of what to do once they get the ball. The player tends to look at each other looking for someone to pass the ball and when under pressure will release the ball aimlessly.
3. Malaysian players need more stamina and speed to compensate for the lack of frame and size. Having said this, there is no compromise on the goalkeeper and the defenders, who need to be fairly built to compete at the higher level. What we lack in size we have to make up in stamina and speed, and there are no options. If a Malaysian player can reach a loose ball faster than his opponent because he has speed it will hold him in good stead in the match. However most of the time we saw Malaysian players playing at walking pace and have the ball snatched from their feet countless time. They also tend to back pass quite a lot.
4. For the defenders and goalkeeper Malaysia need to develop players of at least 5 ft 8 in for defenders and 5 ft 11 in for goalkeepers. The defenders need to be heavily built and robust. They need to be trained to jump higher by developing the knee and leg muscle scientifically. This will allow them to challenge for crosses and to make a decent wall during free kicks. Since Malaysia’s FIFA ranking is low, we are bound to meet opponent higher in the ranking and as such its logical to assume that in most matches that Malaysia will be subjected to attacks from the opponent and as such the defense need to be trained to cater for this possibility. In competitive matches the better ranked opponent will score from slimmest of a chance and having big gaps in the defense will invite flurry of goals which will not bring any confidence to the team.
5. For the other positions, having skillful players with certain lack of size is still acceptable. Shukor Salleh and Azizul Abu Hanifa were slim built midfielders who can dictate game and make beautiful thru passes, as they are skillful and can read the game. They are mobile all the time and always get behind opponent’s defenders and supply crosses into the opponent’s goal area. However, if it’s at all possible, Malaysia must seek to build team with players of acceptable size and skill to compete at the highest level.
6. Malaysia needs more thinking players. Therefore please source for players that are university graduate of even university dropouts. The players must be able to listen, understand and implement instructions. The players need to also increase their knowledge by watching, observing and reading. The players need to be playing the game and react positively to situation, as all matches are different. They can’t wait for instruction from the coach all the time. At times they need to also provide feedbacks, because as players as they are the ones who are on the pitch and not the coach and thus will see the match at different perspective from the coach. Therefore if the players can’t communicate than how are they to provide these feedbacks?
I probably have other comments but these have been heard before, such as sending players to play overseas, money incentives, changes in FAM structure, converting imports to Malaysian etc etc.
However, having said the above it was commendable of the Malaysian team who were very hard working and spirited in the match. For the night it may be worth it, however for long term achievement we will be chasing shadows as spirit and hard-work without any strategy will not get us very far. I am a big fan of Malaysia, since the days of Moktar Dahari and Co, however the last 20 years were not much to shout about. Something drastic needs to happen to recapture the glory days of the 70’s and 80’s. Those days we have our football heroes that we always can count on in matches. It felt good to watch a football match knowing damn well that our team are capable of achieving something and when it happened it was such a frenzy and satisfaction and will be talked about for many years. In the match with England B in 1978 ( I think, I was then 17 years old), Mokhtar Dahari ran away from chasing England defenders and lobbed Joe Corrigan from 30 M to earned Malaysia a 1-1 draw with England at Stadium Merdeka. The whole stadium of 45,000 people erupted with cheers and it was just magical.
I hope I will live to experience the same again…….
Jebat-Siber
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
August 1, 2008
July 30, 2008
Being blue and being the "Blues"
I read with amusement and sympathy the article written by the STAR, R Manogaran (Mano) in today’s edition dated 30th July 2008. This was about the friendly football match between Chelsea and team Malaysia. Nothing special you think because visits by top English clubs to KL have been going on for years. We have seen the likes of Arsenal with Malcolm MacDonald, Liverpool with Kevin Keegan, Man United with Eric Cantona and other clubs whose agenda is to “connect” with the millions of fans in Asia for the obvious monetary gains thru TV rights, merchandises, sponsorship etc.
However the article by STAR touched on the second-class treatment accorded to local media and local “Blues” fan by both the organizer and the Chelsea team. He wrote that the fans that came to watch the team in training never got close enough for an autograph and that the local media were not allowed in the main press conference and instead a separate press conference was arranged. However, all hopes were dashed for the player attending the ‘second-class” press conference was only Carlo Cudicini, the reserve goalkeeper. There was no John Terry, no Frank Lampard, no Michael Ballack, no Michael Essien, no star player, no nothing….
“All I can say is that it’s not the first time and certainly it will not be the last”
It was also reported in the press that 80% of the 50,000 who watched the match at the stadium were “Blues” fans. Therefore there were about 40,000 Chelsea fans who sacrificed their time and hard earned cash to see “their team” in action. Wow..if only 40,000 fans can fill up the stadium every week in the local league, surely Malaysian football would have enough gate collection to buy good import players.
Last few years I watched the match between visiting Liverpool team and Thailand national team on TV. At the end of the match I saw a Thai national player trying to swap jersey with a famous Liverpool player but was hushed away by the arrogant Liverpool player. This was on TV and watched by millions through satellite. So much for their social responsibilities to the fans in the Far East.
I was once a student in UK long time ago. Unfortunately I have never been to any of the football matches as it was filled with hooligans and safety of us Asians were not guaranteed. Those students who stayed near any of the football stadium will attest that after the Saturday matches there will always be broken window panes and other damages to properties as the fans leaving the stadium either venting their anger or celebrating their win. Most would be drunk and would not be aware of the score-line anyway.
Back to the friendly match, in order to create the atmosphere of EPL you must also throw in the fans as well. You have to sing the same song and anthem and be rowdy, drunk and boisterous. Wearing blue and clapping will not make you a “blues” or “reds” or “devil” fans. Since we are used to watching the game on TV lets keep it that way. Do not go to the stadium for you will be disappointed as reported by Mano. I have seen many football friendlies live and on TV to tell that the “Star” Team will play only for exhibition and will not be stretched. They are here on promotion tour and not to “connect” with their fans in this region. Do not expect too much from them, as this is a “holiday cum training” for them. Work will start in August when the EPL kicks off. For some, touring the region is a pain in the neck as its too far from England, what with the traveling time, time difference, away from families, climate changes being humid and all and other grouses fitted to be made by superstars. In fact I think this visit by the “Blues” is a drag and they just couldn’t wait for it to be done with. Can’t really blame them, as the oppositions were all mediocre by their standards. Actually they got nothing from the tour, come to think of it, other than the commercial values as mentioned earlier.
These days I see tour packages being promoted to watch live EPL matches in England. For a real EPL experience hop on to these tours but first sign yourself an insurance policy. Paint your hair blond and color your face so that being Asians will not be so obvious. Do not shout too loud as your slang will give you away. Eat fish and chips and not nasi goring. If in winter put on extra jackets so that you will look big. Make sure you have the scarf of the home team and not the visiting team. When the match is over stay longer in the stadium because you have paid much more to be there.
Next time a big club comes visiting, play the match at MPPJ stadium, in this case the stadium will be brimming with people instead of half full. Otherwise take the match to another location such as Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Ipoh, Penang where there are also strong fan base for EPL. For the opposition lets have a Malaysian league selection instead of just Malaysian players. In this case we can include say maximum 5 international players for the friendlies. Maybe P Chipeta can score a goal or two where we Malaysian cant.
The new EPL season is just round the corner, good luck to all the ladies whose men made up the 40,000 at the stadium and many others around the country who are just as fanatics about EPL.
Good Luck to the "Blues" in the new season. I hope that the team will win the championship.
Jebat-Siber
However the article by STAR touched on the second-class treatment accorded to local media and local “Blues” fan by both the organizer and the Chelsea team. He wrote that the fans that came to watch the team in training never got close enough for an autograph and that the local media were not allowed in the main press conference and instead a separate press conference was arranged. However, all hopes were dashed for the player attending the ‘second-class” press conference was only Carlo Cudicini, the reserve goalkeeper. There was no John Terry, no Frank Lampard, no Michael Ballack, no Michael Essien, no star player, no nothing….
“All I can say is that it’s not the first time and certainly it will not be the last”
It was also reported in the press that 80% of the 50,000 who watched the match at the stadium were “Blues” fans. Therefore there were about 40,000 Chelsea fans who sacrificed their time and hard earned cash to see “their team” in action. Wow..if only 40,000 fans can fill up the stadium every week in the local league, surely Malaysian football would have enough gate collection to buy good import players.
Last few years I watched the match between visiting Liverpool team and Thailand national team on TV. At the end of the match I saw a Thai national player trying to swap jersey with a famous Liverpool player but was hushed away by the arrogant Liverpool player. This was on TV and watched by millions through satellite. So much for their social responsibilities to the fans in the Far East.
I was once a student in UK long time ago. Unfortunately I have never been to any of the football matches as it was filled with hooligans and safety of us Asians were not guaranteed. Those students who stayed near any of the football stadium will attest that after the Saturday matches there will always be broken window panes and other damages to properties as the fans leaving the stadium either venting their anger or celebrating their win. Most would be drunk and would not be aware of the score-line anyway.
Back to the friendly match, in order to create the atmosphere of EPL you must also throw in the fans as well. You have to sing the same song and anthem and be rowdy, drunk and boisterous. Wearing blue and clapping will not make you a “blues” or “reds” or “devil” fans. Since we are used to watching the game on TV lets keep it that way. Do not go to the stadium for you will be disappointed as reported by Mano. I have seen many football friendlies live and on TV to tell that the “Star” Team will play only for exhibition and will not be stretched. They are here on promotion tour and not to “connect” with their fans in this region. Do not expect too much from them, as this is a “holiday cum training” for them. Work will start in August when the EPL kicks off. For some, touring the region is a pain in the neck as its too far from England, what with the traveling time, time difference, away from families, climate changes being humid and all and other grouses fitted to be made by superstars. In fact I think this visit by the “Blues” is a drag and they just couldn’t wait for it to be done with. Can’t really blame them, as the oppositions were all mediocre by their standards. Actually they got nothing from the tour, come to think of it, other than the commercial values as mentioned earlier.
These days I see tour packages being promoted to watch live EPL matches in England. For a real EPL experience hop on to these tours but first sign yourself an insurance policy. Paint your hair blond and color your face so that being Asians will not be so obvious. Do not shout too loud as your slang will give you away. Eat fish and chips and not nasi goring. If in winter put on extra jackets so that you will look big. Make sure you have the scarf of the home team and not the visiting team. When the match is over stay longer in the stadium because you have paid much more to be there.
Next time a big club comes visiting, play the match at MPPJ stadium, in this case the stadium will be brimming with people instead of half full. Otherwise take the match to another location such as Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Ipoh, Penang where there are also strong fan base for EPL. For the opposition lets have a Malaysian league selection instead of just Malaysian players. In this case we can include say maximum 5 international players for the friendlies. Maybe P Chipeta can score a goal or two where we Malaysian cant.
The new EPL season is just round the corner, good luck to all the ladies whose men made up the 40,000 at the stadium and many others around the country who are just as fanatics about EPL.
Good Luck to the "Blues" in the new season. I hope that the team will win the championship.
Jebat-Siber
May 21, 2008
"Setan Merah" VS "Yang Biru"
6 hours from now, thousands of kilometres from Moscow, a nation will experienced high electricity loadings very early in the morning. The national power company from years of experience will have anticipated this situation and will not scheduled any maintainence work at this hour. So we all dont have to be worry about electricity disruption. No its not gonna be a any fireworks display or anything like that. No, its not going to be any warfare between 2 giants either as implied in the title bar. Its the football's EUFA Champions league Final Between "Red Devil" and "Blues" more commonly known as Manchester United and Chelsea, respectively.
What makes this match special is that both finalist are from the English Premier League that has strong followings in Malaysia and in the Asian region. Most Malaysian footbal fanatics knows these 2 teams by hard, from managers, players, substitues, jerseys, track records, goals scored, goals against, injury list,players diet, last medical check up, marital status, size of underpants, last parking fines not paid, favorite food, etc etc. Most of us will be watching this match from our living room but for added thrill some will watch this games at cafes, "mamak" stalls, complete with jersey of their team and all.
Well quite normal you say, but its gonna be 230 am in the morning in Malaysia when this game is played in Moscow. Expect the day after that most Malaysian men will be at work with bleary eyes, mis-button shirt, fly undone,wear underpants wrong way round,different coloured socks, hairs combed the wrong way, brought wife's briefcase to office, wallet accidently left on the breakfast table etc etc. For should the match goes to penalty kicks it will only be done by almost 6 in the morning, what with the medal presentation, interviews, replays etc. So there will be only enough time to shower, do the subuh prayer, have breakfast, send kids to school(hopefully the right school) and off to office praying very hard that there will not be a traffic jam. If there is one, then pray that you dont fall asleep and knock into the bumper of the car in front of you or worst still the bumper of a fan of the losing team.
So why do we keep doing this, year in-year out between May to July every year???
Do drop me something to share...
For the final, I think "Yang Biru" will win this one because in Moscow "Setan Merah" will be off colour. What ever it is lets enjoy life and deal with tomorrow after the match. If we are lucky the government will declare a public holiday....
Jebat_Siber
What makes this match special is that both finalist are from the English Premier League that has strong followings in Malaysia and in the Asian region. Most Malaysian footbal fanatics knows these 2 teams by hard, from managers, players, substitues, jerseys, track records, goals scored, goals against, injury list,players diet, last medical check up, marital status, size of underpants, last parking fines not paid, favorite food, etc etc. Most of us will be watching this match from our living room but for added thrill some will watch this games at cafes, "mamak" stalls, complete with jersey of their team and all.
Well quite normal you say, but its gonna be 230 am in the morning in Malaysia when this game is played in Moscow. Expect the day after that most Malaysian men will be at work with bleary eyes, mis-button shirt, fly undone,wear underpants wrong way round,different coloured socks, hairs combed the wrong way, brought wife's briefcase to office, wallet accidently left on the breakfast table etc etc. For should the match goes to penalty kicks it will only be done by almost 6 in the morning, what with the medal presentation, interviews, replays etc. So there will be only enough time to shower, do the subuh prayer, have breakfast, send kids to school(hopefully the right school) and off to office praying very hard that there will not be a traffic jam. If there is one, then pray that you dont fall asleep and knock into the bumper of the car in front of you or worst still the bumper of a fan of the losing team.
So why do we keep doing this, year in-year out between May to July every year???
Do drop me something to share...
For the final, I think "Yang Biru" will win this one because in Moscow "Setan Merah" will be off colour. What ever it is lets enjoy life and deal with tomorrow after the match. If we are lucky the government will declare a public holiday....
Jebat_Siber
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