ASEAN - Conquered! Next - ASIA!!!!

November 21, 2011, a date cherished by every Malaysians. On that day, I had a meeting and I was unable to witness the historic moment. The Malaysian U-23 team or fondly known as 'Harimau Muda' won the SEA games gold medal after beating regional rivals, Indonesia through a penalty shootout.

I only received SMS updates of the game and the moment I received this particular message 'MACHI OPEN THE BOTTLE' (Start your celebrations(correct me if i'm wrong!)), i was rooted in one place without knowing what to do. I wanted to celebrate but I couldn't! I could only control myself.

It was a great day and according to Bernama, 2.8 Million Malaysians watched the final. Reading that article made me realise that Malaysian football is back to its pinnacle. Every Malaysians are beginning to notice the exploits of our youngsters. Zubir Azmi, Baddrol Bakhtiar,Muslim Ahmad, Fadhli Shas and K.Gurusamy are hot commodities and they have etched their names in the hearts of the Malaysians(Other players pun ada la..)

However, this is the second straight gold medal we have won and for three years in a row, we have nailed the rights of being called the Football King of ASEAN! 2009 Sea Games gold medal, AFF Suzuki Cup Champions and now, 2011 SEA Games gold medal! We have conquered ASEAN in a way!

However, reality check comes into play. When you are the Kings of ASEAN, you are expected to perform well in the Asian stage. In Malaysia's case, we are still the whipping boys! If Khairul Fahmi Che Mat is not in goal, we will be minced by the top teams in Asia! That's for sure! One fact, which we need to accept!

Having qualified for the group stages of Olympic Qualifiers, it was a heavy task for Ong Kim Swee's side but optimism was high and many were expecting the team to go on a cindarella run. It could have happened but our boys were outclassed by their much fancied opponents.

Japan and Syria proved to be a thorn for the young Malaysian side. Being beaten 2-0 in both games, Kim Swee's boys were minuscule against the Young Samurai and Syrians! Losing their first 2 games, many were expecting them to bounce back against Bahrain and they were close to upsetting them but they let their laurels down.

Leading 2-0 till the 80th minute, the youngsters blew their lead and allowed Bahrain to peg back and win the game 3-2. Before they came back, I was at a mamak restaurant watching the game and one uncle told me that the youngsters are better than the senior squad. I nodded my head and told that this was the creme of the crop and boom!! the scored the second goal!

I left the place and moments later, my friend told me that they lost 3-2! I was in disbelief! The uncle's thoughts came into my mind and I told myself, don't tell me that they have learnt to blow a lead from their senior lads! 17 year old Nazmi Faiz Mansor's performance was just overshadowed by our shoddy defense!

Losing their first three games and out of contention for the olympics, FAM should brainstorm and find ways to continue this momentum. Not the losing momentum but continuing from where they have left off, the SEA games gold medal!

Looking at the side, Ong Kim Swee has got talents like Nazmi Faiz Mansor, Gary Steven Robbat, Syahrol Azwari and A.Thamil Arasu to rely on as these players will be available for the next SEA games and Olympic qualifiers. They have got bags of experiences now and they should make it count in their coming assignments.

Furthermore, we need to improve technically as many Asian sides are beginning to mould themselves technically. Look at Japan, their passing, ball control and awareness is just immaculate! Against Malaysia, they were just too good and they were only disappointed by the exploits of Khairul Fahmi Che Mat, who put up a virtuoso performance!

The youngsters are doing better than the senior squad as they have proved themselves in the SEA games and even in the qualifiers. Eventhough they were outclassed by their opponents but they have significantly improved. Harsh it may sound but K.Rajagopal should learn a thing or two from Ong Kim Swee. Ong Kim Swee is brave yet he has the brains to make sure that his bravery counts! 

Now, we should look at conquering Asian and become one of the best in the region in the coming years. It may be a distant possibility but nothing is impossible. Trust me, Ong Kim Swee has what it takes to take Malaysian football a notch higher. 

Arsenal back on track..

Arsenal 3-0 nil demolition of West Bromwich Albion summed up their great run as Arsene Wenger's side have steadied their ship. Arsenal who were shambles in the beginning of the season, as Wenger's side endured a tumultuous 2 months.This is their 400th win in their Premier League and this tally will surely be broken in the years to come!

Losing against rivals, Tottenham Hotspurs and Manchester United in the first 5 games, Wenger has certainly made strides by injecting a newfound enthusiasm in the team and Wenger showed his midas touch by ensuring a steady run of results and at the same Robin Van Persie's form should be attributed to Wenger's dilligence and tactics to make him the squad's lone striker.

Arsenal captain, Robin Van Persie has been the man to watch as his 11 goals in the Premier League has been vital towards the team's growth. He may be the lone striker but he has ample ammunition from Ivory Coast's tricky winger, Gervais Yao Kaossi or fondly known as Gervinho and English speedster, Theo Walcott. Gervinho who seems to have hit off with Van Persie but he needs to improve on his finishing.

Robin Van Persie will have to be at his best for every game as Arsenal certainly needs his presence up front. I wasn't a fan of him once, but who needs Batman, when we've got Robin! His awareness, finishing and movement has improved and the captain's armband has given him that extra impetus to bang in the goals.

Arsenal's defense has also improved as Per Mertesacker's presence has helped shore up the defence. With Thomas Vermaelen returning, Wenger has the luxury of choosing three top class central defenders. Laurent Koscielny has improved considerably after his harrowing performance against Manchester United. With all three defenders hitting form, Wenger will surely ticker with his defense.

Carl Jenkinson, Arsenal 19 year old right back seems to be improving every game but we still do miss Bakary Sagna's presence. He may have impressed in yesterday's game, but the youngster still needs more time and games to be called a reliable right back. He is still young and I'm sure Wenger will do his trick in molding this young English lad.

Without a doubt,the new signings have gelled with their teammates as Andre Santos, Mikel Arteta and Per Mertesacker have been pivotal towards the team's steady run. Andre Santos has given the attack a new lease of life but he needs to improve on his defending if he is to be called a great signing. Mikel Arteta, might be 29, but he is using his experience to good use as his passing and tactical awareness has helped Wenger's side to move.

As for Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, Park Chu Young and Yossi Benayoun, they may have played sporadically but they have impressed in their appearances.

These players have contributed much to the team but one man who deserves the credit and accolades is Monsier Wenger himself. Having been riled by the media after their shocking start to the season, Wenger has improved the squad's morale and their win against Chelsea showed that team has put their stuttering start  aside.

I've always felt that Wenger should have used 4-4-2 but his insistence on sticking to his tactics has paid off brilliantly!Wins against Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion showed that the 60 year old manager still has it and will do what it takes to improve the emirates side.

The sun is shining bright at Emirates and Arsenal fans will surely usher a new beginning for their beloved squad. This mini revival would surely be the right tonic for the squad as the team will mount a serious challenge for all the titles!

In Arsenal I Believe, In Wenger I trust! 

Liverpool's Standard Chartered event at Pavillion

 Liverpool fans from around Asia wait for their stars at Pavillion

 Mabuhay!! All the way from Phillipines!

 Liverpool's mock jersey being unveiled at centre square

 Arrival of Assistant Manager, Steve Clarke..Mobbed by the press!

 Liverpool's veteran defender, Jamie Carragher arrives

 Chelsea's midfielder, Raul Meireles(played for Liverpool last season) arrives

 Young defender, Jack Robinson arrives as he is stunned by the boisterous reception at Pavillion

 Sotirios Krygiakos, currently with VFL Wolfsburg arrives for the standard chartered event

 Christian Poulsen

 Young prodigy, And Carroll

 Even the escalators were stopped to accommodate the fans

 The Kop-ites conquering every floor in Pavillion

 (From left) Meireles, Carragher, Clarke and Krygiakos

 A bemused Robinson is still reeling from the effects of the massive liverpool support at Pavillion

The liverpool team unveils the Standard Chartered MasterCard

Website HACKED! FAM in the midst of a crisis?

Today, FAM's official website got hacked after some 'sources' have aired their discontent about the rise in ticket prices and also the shambolic management of FAM.

Here are some of the screenshots, courtesy of Calvin Lau Kai Mun(thanks macha!)

 LOL...Those dudes are creative laa..but ini sedikit 'over' la guys!

 To all parents out there, please refrain your kids from viewing this web for now..Such 'beautiful words' they have posted.

Aikk, Silver State Ultras punya video pun ada..Cayalaaa!! hahahaah

First, the government based agencies websites were hacked. Now, the National footballing body are the victims of cyber crime and I've a very strong feeling that there are some fans out there who want to bring this body down.

First, it was the mismanagement of the league. Now, the rise in ticket prices have irked fans especially the lads from Negri Sembilan and Terengganu. The Malaysian Cup Final tickets have been priced at RM 50 and many have aired their discontent about.

However, FAM wouldn't budge from their decision and they have maintained their stance on the ticket price. Many fans have vented their frustrations thorough blogs and portals. As a sportswriter, the sudden rise  in ticket prices has caught me off guard as for many years, the ticket has been priced at RM30.

The question is, why the sudden rise in price? To be frank, has the Malaysian League reached the standards of Premier League to place such an exorbitant price! Even the Djarum Super Liga, which is far more better than the Malaysian League, offer cheap ticket prices!

Even, Sports and Youth Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabeery Cheek have asked FAM to reconsider the ticket pricing as it is too expensive and it burdens the rakyat.

This incident will surely be a wake up call for everyone and FAM should do something before their 'SHIP SINKS'. Sometimes, you do need to look at the fans perspective before implementing a measure! If a minister understands the sentiments of the fans, why can't YOU? Wake up and get yourselves back on track!

Will be calling FAM tomorrow, to ask their comment on the hacking of the website! This will be a good story!! hehehe

Possible transfers for Perak next season...

Presiden PAFA, Datuk Zainol Fadzi Paharuddin dilaporkan berkata, dua pemain import dari negara Arab dan Afrika sedang dikenalpasti bagi menjalani ujian pemilihan tidak lama lagi. Zainol menyatakan bahawa pemain dari Indonesia dan Thailand turut menjadi perhatian skuad Seladang. Katanya, sekurang-kurangnya empat pemain tempatan daripada Kuala Lumpur, Selangor dan Pulau Pinang juga sudah dikemukakan tawaran bagi menyertai skuad Seladang.(quoted from Peraknews.com)

Based from the quote above, I was deriving the list of possible transfers for Perak as Khairul Azwan seems to be on the mood to get players to bolster the state's team challenge next season. The Perak manager has publicly declared his desire to Selangor's playmaker, Syafiq Rahim, Harimau Muda A's defender, Mohammad Fadhli Shas and Terengganu's forward, Abdul Hadi Yahya.

With contract negotiations ongoing for Safiq, Fadhli and Abdul Hadi's negotiations have reached a dead end as Abdul Hadi is tied with Terengganu till the end of 2012, whereas Fadhli has been encouraged to remain with Harimau Muda A for another season as they want their best players for next season's S-League challenge.

However, Perak FA's preseident has told that he is eyeing players from the stated of Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Penang. Furthermore, he also stated that they are scouting players from Indonesia and Thailand.

Here are the list of 3 possible players that have been earmarked to improve the squad next season:

Muhammad Shahrom Abdul Kalam(Kuala Lumpur FA)

The right back who came into prominence this season, is being eye-ed by Norizan Bakar to bolster his options on the right. Shahrom who is the captain of the team after Azidan Sarudin left for Selangor last season, has impressed for the struggling side. Having been called up twice by Datuk K.Rajagopal, he received his first cap during a friendly against Hong Kong. A target for many clubs, the defender will surely move on as he wants to strengthen his place in the national squad. The 26 year old would surely be a good addition for Perak as his awareness, movement and leadership skills would surely be an asset to the team.

Firman Utina(Sriwijaya FC)

Most Valuable Player for the AFF Suzuki Cup 2011, the inspirational playmaker for Indonesia has been touted to be one of the foreign players for Perak. 51 caps for Indonesia, the Sriwijaya FC playmaker will be marquee signing for Perak as he will be able to bring the crowd and enthrall them at the same time. the 29 year old, who has yet to venture for a foreign club, might take this opportunity to ply his trade outside of Indonesia. However, he will surely eye for a big club and Perak will need to fork out a fortune if they were to get him. However, anything is possible as Perak are on the verge of rebranding themselves and it will be a great start, if they bring a class lad like Firman.

Boaz Salossa(Persipura Jayapura)

One striker that deserves to go to Europe but thanks to his off field antics, he was one talent that nearly went into waste. However, last season, he was the toast for Persipura as he top scored in the Djarum Super Liga. The diminutive striker, has been a revelation!2010 onwards, he is a changed player! 22 goals and still counting, the man from Papua is firing from all cyclinders in the Djarum Liga Super Indonesia.Many thought, that his stock will drop after his tumultuous years battling with alcoholism, aggression and indiscipline but the 25 year old has proved that all the bitter memories that he has had is the thing of his past.He may not possess the CV's of Irfan Bachdim or Jhony van Beukering but the man who comes from the renowed Salossa family has what it takes to succeed in Europe.Great pace, an eye for goal and his ability to ward off bigger opponents with ease will surely impress Indonesia's new coach, Wim Rijsbergen. Having been in the International wilderness for long, the lad would surely be kicking for selections and who knows he might displace lads such as Bachdim or Pamungkas from the set up.He was a revelation in the 2004 Tiger cup, where as an 18 year old, he tormented defences and many clubs took notice of him. Malaysian clubs were prying for his services but the lad refused to leave his club Persipura Now, he should take this chance to further his career and improve his credentials!

Perak to go all out to get Safiq!

During bhajans today, I received a message from Perak's Manager, Khairul Azwan. In the midst of singing of 'Kailasapathey', I was jolted by a vibration and checked out the sms.

Here is the text:
"Salam..Sila petik kenyataan saya segera..PAFA amat serius menawarkan kontrak professional kpd syafiq rahim, pemain selangor utk mewakili pasukan perak musim depan.Surat tawaran telah diserahkan kpd beliau lebih 2 minggu sudah setelah mendapat lampu hijau dari FA Selangor.PAFA juga bersedia untuk berbincang dgn syafiq rahim sekiranya tawaran yang dibuat tempoh hari masih belum menarik buat beliau..Tq Khairul Azwan - Pengurus Pasukan Perak / Bendahari Kehormat PAFA"

He is at it again and I think Khairul is serious in bringing this lad to Perak. Perak, kicked out of the quarter finals of the Malaysia Cup by Selangor, are beginning to make the necessary changes for the squad and they are hellbent on making Syafiq their marquee signing.

The 24 National team skipper who has been recalled by K.Rajagopal to the national squad is out of contract with Selangor and he is allowed to discuss with any clubs.

Among the Malaysian Clubs, Perak have been vocal and they have made several press announcements to rope in players for the Kejor Yeop Kejor team.

As a sportswriter(wannabe!), I'm hoping that Safiq will get an offer to play out of Malaysia. With Indonesian clubs interested to sign him, he should take this opportunity to broaden himself and become a top class midfielder(to be honest, the Djarum Super Liga is ten times better than the Malaysian League!)

If he comes to Perak, he would surely be an asset for the team as Khairul Azwan is making an intent to improve the fortunes of the well supported state team.

Let's see what happens and to be honest, Khairul Azwan is one interesting character to watch. Making announcements here and there, he will do whatever it takes to get his players!

I was wrong about Persie..

To be honest, I've always thought that Van Persie was overrated and the team overly relied on him for results. He is a star in his own accord but I can't seem to find any 'beauty' in him.

I watched Arsenal when players like Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Viera, Tony Adams, Marc Overmars and Robert Pires were in their prime and they were top class  lads.

Robin Van Persie who first came into prominence in 2002, was an asset for the team but he was injury prone and at that time the 'Invincibles' were just a class above the then young Dutchman!

When that era ended, players like Fabregas, Van Persie, Song and Samir Nasri came into prominence and these players were exciting!

However, they didn't come as close as the 'Invincibles' as Wenger's babes were good but not good enough to bring the side to another level(We may have faced injury crisis and so on, but if they were so good, why weren't they fit enough and constantly getting injured?)

Now that Fabregas and Nasri have left, Van Persie was given a heavy task to lead the team. After their transfers to Barcelona and Manchester City respectively, the team were on a slump and at one point, they suffered a 8-2 defeat against rivals, Manchester United.

After that, the team's perfomance 'yo-yo-ed' and fans were losing their patience with the side led by le professeur! 

However, in recent games, Arsenal seem to be on a consistent run and they have got to thank Robin Van Persie for helping them to steady the ship.

I've always doubted Persie but after his performances against Sunderland and Stoke, today, my doubts have been cleared and he has proved me wrong! 2 goals against both sides, he is the man to take us a notch up higher.

His class, determination and cheeky left foot has been a source of inspiration for the side and today, he came out from the substitutes bench to help Arsenal beat Stoke 3-1 in the Emirates.

Arsenal who were held 1-1 in the first half will need to thank Van Persie as he helped the team to nail the tie as his two goals proved to be decisive.

His current performances is encouraging and I'm sure Wenger will want to keep in the side for many years to come.

Today's victory will put Arsenal in 7th place and the team is slowly getting back their groove after an abysmal start. Wenger will surely be loving this prospect as Chelsea and Manchester United have lost their respective games.

I'm just praying that Arsenal continues to chalk up results even if they play 'Bruce Rioch' football. As for Persie, please continue this scoring rate and you will be a legend for Arsenal! By the way, in 34 games, he has scored 29 goals, not bad for a player who is always on the treatment room!