Old Jurong Stadium, 1500 Hrs
SUFI FC 1 Fighting Cocks FC 2(AhCool x1)
For a long while, i tried to think hard for the reasons as to why it seems as though we were unable to put FCFC to the sword and as i type these words now, i continue to be baffled. The opponents were restricted to 3 shots on target for the entire match and truth be told, they hardly troubled our backline and goalkeeper. The large pitch definitely did test their physical resolve but it is undeniable that for majority of the game, they kept possession of the ball and worked our boys into moving left and right nonstop. Thing is, they moved from side to side without much danger for a large part of the game. Clinical finishing definitely gives u 3 points in tight games i guess.
A brief summary of the game is as such:
Allan started in goal with the defenders being Jason, Kass, Huijie and Ronald.The midfielders were Mok, Law, Vic, AhCool n Rudee with Juf being the lone man up front. The tactic was simple, and that was to soak and strike. We can go on about how the opponents started with 9 men and that we were giving them too much respect. I can only reply you with this, the fact is that they kept the ball better even when it was 9 vs 11. As a team, there is not a shadow of a doubt that they were more collective and solid than us.
However, the SUFI boys kept to their roles as well as shape well with the only chance for our highly illustrious opponents being a mistake from a corner which led to an open chance for their number 6. Thank god he blew it. Not to be outdone, we did have our moments as well with Rudee sprinting on to a long ball from yours truly early in the game, only to miss with a combination of bad luck and desperate defending. The best chance of the half though definitely fell to our top marksmen, Juf who raced onto a through ball after some mass orgy-ness in the middle of the park. With Mr Botak closing down fast on him, Juf unleashed a snap shot that.... to the disappointment of the group, fell within inches of nestling into the bottom corner. It finished 0-0 at the half, with SUFI holding its own against FCFC who were supposedly not at full strength. (To the ref, if man city has its full strength team week in and out, they'd probably be on top. Are they?)
The 2nd half started with the SUFI boys hoping to continue to soak up pressure and to strike on the counter. Unfortunately, FCFC drew 1st blood after their main man n captain played a floated cross in from the right and it was poorly dealt with. Despite that, their number 20 SMU striker (I'm pretty sure wong knows him), swiveled and turned past some desperate lunges just outside the box before unleashing a peach of a shot past Phileo and into the net. The groans of the men in white were quite audible amidst the relatively quiet atmosphere in the stadium. It was probably deserved on the surface of their possession for the stats would probably have read FCFC 80% - SUFI FC 20%. (Well, if games were won on possession, barcelona would be runaway leaders this year. Are they? Once again, NOT...)
With heads falling faster than u could say Fighting Cocks Football Club, a moment of brilliance was conjured by our in-from wing man, AhCool. Yasin picked up a loose ball by the opposing keeper after some hard work in closing down the keeper by Dinie. Yas the man released da man with the flashy yellow boots who was stationed out on the left flank. With a first touch that oozed quality, he got pass his marker and subsequently curled it into the opposite side of the goal. The bench erupted into cheers as the boys celebrated a goal of real class against quality opponents. The move and the goal probably caught some of our opponents off guard however one famous manager (I guess i would use my own name here since i cant remember who it was) once said that the most dangerous time for a team that just scored is right after scoring a goal itself. Well, we failed to heed the warning of 'CONCENTRATE!' as the very same SMU striker danced his way on the left into the box before unleashing a smashing shot that was too hot to handle for Phileo approximately 5 minutes after the equaliser. Demoralising but once again finishing of the highest quality. Kudos to the man. 2-1 the score at this point. And that was how it finished with some SUFI boys feeling more contented than others.
My MOTM: The standout performers on a day where the team worked hard for each other were HuiJie and Ronald whom in my opinion, quashed anything that was thrown at them. Very Vidic and Ferdinand in terms of the defending with the goals that we conceded were an unfortunate blip for the defense on the day. However, the award definitely has to go to the man with those flashy yellow boots as he was a constant thorn in the viets side all day with his amazing pace and constant hustling. Well, if it is any consolation, his marker that was skinned for the goal did confirm AhCool's quality when he went straight through ahcool with one of his robust challenges. A dirty tackle, but in my opinion it was validation from our opponents of the man's performance on the day.
Gaffer's thoughts: Most of what had to be said was exchanged at the end of the game and we shall just leave it as such. There were good performances and not so good ones, however in a game where we had to be contented with relinquishing possession for much of the game, we did WELL. I did play back in my head what i would say if we were spanked 5-6 goals but at the end of the day, even though it was not easy, we held together and surprised me with our solidarity. We are still a young budding team and i did overhear the ref telling one of the FCFC players that we were a tough team to break down and the man agreed. The irony is that the FCFC player was also the one who scored twice against us. Bleh. Haha. Excellent experience against a good quality team. Definitely a learning curve for us and after a short break, we will be back... Hungrier and hopefully more united as a team after today's lesson. Thank you to all who fought hard for the team.
Take note that whatever advise we give to each other, it is always constructive. Do not interpret it as unreasonable criticism. From our throw ins to our positioning to our lack of discipline at times in maintaining our shape, let us internalize them and seek to improve as individuals. We only want what is best for the team and that is what we will continue to strive to do. Peace out peeps and cya in a fortnight's time.
And once again, a very happy birthday to birthday girl Aisyah!
Personnel:
Allan, Phileo
HG, Kass, Jason, Alaric, Ronald, Huijie
Rudee, Yas, AhCool, Mok, Law, Vic, WS
Dinie, Juf
Fans in attendance:
Aisyah, Fadilah
I'm quite disturbed by what i saw today so here is what i have to say. i don't mean to offend anyone but i wont embellish my words either. But i say what i say hoping that you all will understand and pull this team closer.
ReplyDeleteNobody likes losing. I can understand if we get frustrated but i think we shouldn't pick on individual players. Instead of picking on every individual mistakes of our players, we should encourage each other more. Picking on mistakes creates a fear of failure and it is very demoralising. Also, it dampens the spirit of the team and we will only look for someone to blame. We must try to pick each other up as a team and play as one even when we are on the backfoot- that is the only way to win over much stronger oppositions. We win as a team, but more importantly, we must learn to lose as a team as well.
I know all is good now after the match. But i'm talking about during the match itself. And i'm not pissed off with anyone (not with you, liang. We're okay, really. i'll even out a smiley to confirm that. :) or I'm demoralised. I'm just saying this cos I love you guys and I don't want this to exacerbate during the league.
United we stand, in victory or defeat. If you think i'm overreacting, please tell me. if you know me you know i take criticism very well and i don't hold grudges. And i'm not being emo.
Bye. Act cute abit:P i feel like putting my name as HG but i dont want to sabo him. I dont know if you are emo or not but cheer up Hg if u are reading this.
Think of it this way. Whatever we said at the end was done by sitting down and in front of everyone's faces, man to man. We have a great team, but anytime at all if someone gives another feedback, take it. I myself may not like it when someone else gives me feedback, but i know that it is for my own sake.
ReplyDeleteNo one will tell u something for the sake of just plain dissing. This doesnt work in this team and it never will. There are no weak players in the team, and if u feel that way.. Wake up. If none of u knows this, each and every player was specially chosen by me for character, ability and the will to play. Just look at the guys who have not made it beyond their 1st game in this team.
I have faith in you, question is.. For anyone who doubts themselves, do u?
ok i'll be lying if i say im not demoralised or anything. frankly, i did a damn bad job at defence today, considering they scored 2 after i came on. yeah. sorry if i looked defensive or uninterested to all your criticisms/feedback today. im not. im listening. and trying to shape my thinking of the game. i know my positioning is horrendous and i make stupid decisions that i myself cringed when i think back. believe me. i'm my worst critic. all the missed tackles/interceptions i made today still burns in my memory. and yeah. honestly. i think im starting to doubt my own abilities over the past few weeks. and maybe. maybe that has affected my game one way or another. but please. dont take it that your feedback is bad or anything. its just something that i myself have to overcome.
ReplyDeleteim not going to give up. i will keep trying to improve my game and work on ironing out my mistakes. and well. i hope i'll become a better player in time to come. cheers.