Friday, December 28, 2012

Harimau Malaya : The Future

This time around, we have not been able to defend our AFF Suzuki Cup title which we have won in 2010. That honour now belongs to Si***p**e. The question on most, if not all Harimau Malaya fans' lips is, "What now?"

True, in recent years we have seen some improvement in the way the team plays, but obviously this has not been enough. We have failed to progress in the World Cup qualifying rounds and, as stated above, failed to defend our title. To be truly successful, we must look beyond the Southeast Asia region. We must be challenging at a higher level

But are the players up for it?

In the series of friendlies just before the Suzuki Cup, I've noticed the team lacked cohesion in the overall gameplay, and this problem persisted into the tournament. The most obvious examples are the games against our southern neighbours and Thailand. We offered next to nothing in attack. The midfield wasn't exactly doing its job properly, thus resulted in the lack of killer balls in the attacking third and also exposing the back four to the opposition's threats. For me, Safiq has failed as a captain and a playmaker. While he was influential in the 2010 win, he was invisible during the tournament. His only noticeable contribution was that freekick against Laos (which was brilliant, by the way). However, you cannot expect to keep living on one good moment throughout the whole campaign

One of the bright sparks in the team was Wan Zack Haikal. Recently awarded S-League's Young Player of the Year award, he showed us that it is not all doom and gloom for our national team. In fact, I believe that he is in for a bright future if he is managed properly. Together with Mahalli Jasuli, our right flank can be deadly in attack, sort of like the Neville-Beckham combination at Manchester United

However, I believe if they keep plying their trade in Malaysia, they may not be able to fulfill their true potential

Let's be honest, do you really believe Malaysia-based players can go far? Certainly it would be better for our football if our players started playing in foreign countries. I am not talking about countries in Southeast Asia, as they are of similar level to us, but countries such as Japan, South Korea and Portugal. Sure I may sound like I'm talking out of my arse, but really these countries are superior to us not just in footballing performance, but training, facilities and youth development as well. Look at Nazmi Faiz. While he was playing in Malaysia, he can barely play a full match. Now reports are emerging from Portugal that he is now able to complete a full match thanks to advances in medical science and sports science facilities over there. Which teams in Malaysia have those kinds of facilities? Not many I suppose. Training sessions in those countries are also more intense, in the sense that the sessions are engineered around improving stamina and technique. Take a look at Manchester United. Why have they been able to snatch a win in injury time, time and time again (and no, it's not because of Fergie time). It's because even after playing for 90 minutes, they still have that bit energy to carry them over the finish line. I doubt many of our players can do that, save for a few such as Kunanlan, who just can't stop running

Now this is where I believe agents should come in (even though some are parasites, even more so on the Football Manager games). The players should have agents representing them so that they can be recommended to teams around the world. While securing a dream move to the EPL or La Liga may just be wishful thinking, there might be other clubs in top footballing countries who might be interested in the players. That's how Nazmi secured his move to Beira-Mar. As much as I don't like to admit it, agents can make or break a footballer's career. It is absolutely vital to have good connections so that multiple clubs might have an interest in the players

Earlier today, the Malaysian U-15 team beat their Slavia Praha counterparts 5-0 in the Frenz U15 International Cup. For those who don't know, Slavia's senior team currently play in the top flight of Czech football. Our youngsters are showing great potential. While they may not have been world class, they are rough diamonds who must be shined to carry our nation's name in the future. Which is why I believe they must play overseas instead of in Malaysia. If we compare our senior team's performance in 2010 and 2012, we can see there's been little to no progress. As I've told my friends, it's not that our players have gone backwards, it's just that they have not really progressed. Our playing style has been the same, there's been no improvements or adaptations to combat the oppositions' playing style. We can't keep hoofing the ball forward for the striker to chase, that's kampung-level football. The players need to work on their technique so we can play short passes and keep possession for a longer period of time. If the youngsters play in Malaysia, they will never improve since our training facilities and tactical mindset are not that great. They should emulate Nazmi and train hard to earn a move to a foreign club and hopefully improve leaps and bounds

Another reason why the youngsters fail at a higher level is purely academic pressure. Some parents believe that professional football will not benefit them in the long run. Others are simply the non-sporty types and do not want their kids to have anything to do with football. While studying is indeed important, this mindset must be changed. Their kids may be the quality players that Malaysia needs to step up to the next level and may even secure lucrative contracts. Let these kids play and develop their talents, for there may be a superstar in the making, but their futures are scuppered because of their parents

The future of our national team is bright, but only if it's managed properly. With the clowns at FAM running the show, and the usage of obsolete tactics at international level, I am highly skeptical of this. But I do hope to see our players playing in top leagues in Europe and Asia powerhouse countries


UPDATE : Nazmi, you suck

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Czech prodigy set to sign for Negeri Sembilan?

 Artur Vlastislavic, Czech hotshot striker

With Negeri Sembilan's season effectively being over after being knocked out of the Piala Malaysia quarterfinals, the transfer rumour mill is at full swing, with Farizal Marlias having been already being confirmed to join Perak for next season. With the contract status of Jean-Emmanuel Effa Owona and Marian Farbak being major unknowns, the name Artur Vlastislavic has popped up, touted as a possible player to fully utilise the foreign player rules

 Vlastislavic is an 18-year-old Czech striker, who can also function as an attacking midfielder. Born in the town of Karviná in the year 1994, Vlastislavic was spotted by MFK Karviná scouts while he was playing in a regional football competition, during which he was the youngest player of the tournament at a tender age of 7. He joined the club's academy, and started playing in the U18 league at the age of 14. During this time, he bagged an impressive total of 102 goals after making 89 appearances, a club record. Vlastislavic has clearly impressed the manager, who persuaded him to sign a pre-contract deal when he was 16

However, Czech giants Sparta Prague caught wind of this raw talent, and snapped him up a year later. He is yet to feature in the first team so far, but he has been banging them in while playing for the U18 team, scoring 34 goals in 29 appearances. An ankle injury suffered while training last January has hampered his progress, but expect him to return to form once he recovers

Sources in Czech Republic state that scouts from several Malaysian teams, including Negeri Sembilan, were spotted at recent matches involving Sparta Prague's U18 team, apparently casting an eye on Vlastislavic. It remains to be seen whether these rumours hold any water, but should they be true, expect him to wear the yellow of Negeri Sembilan as the sources also indicated only the scout from Negeri Sembilan was present in all the matches mentioned
 
if you actually believe this I feel sorry for you

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Piala Malaysia 2012 - Negeri Sembilan vs ATM (Quarterfinal Preview)


It was almost inevitable, wasn't it? With the number of players departing to ATM, it was not a question of if, but when they would be facing Negeri Sembilan. In a week's time, six former Deer - Farizal Harun, Irwan Fadzli Idrus, Aidil Zafuan, Rezal Zambery Yahya, Zaquan Adha and Hairuddin Omar - would come face-to-face with their former teammates. Several Deer fans still have a soft spot for these players due to their services to the team, but come matchday, all sentiments will surely be forgotten


On paper, ATM are the favourites to win the tie, simply because of the sheer number of so-called stars in the team. But football is never won on paper (see Wigan vs Manchester United, season 2011/2012), and certainly not on Malaysian papers, where somehow we are always the underdogs even though we've made it to the final 3 times in a row now. Individuals do not make a team, and I'm fairly certain that collectively as a team, we are better than them

In goal, there will be the battle of the Farizals - Marlias for Negeri Sembilan and Harun for ATM. Both keepers have done well in their stints at NS last season, but judging from the few ATM matches I've seen on telly, it seems our Farizal (Mael) has a slight edge over Farizal Harun (Ijai). Having said that, Ijai has always had quick reflexes, so our strikers may need to find that extra something to beat him. Certainly I'd back Mael to keep out all the threats from ATM as he's been superb this season so far

I would fully expect coach Azraai to deploy Kuna and Shahurain (Kecik) as our main wingers. In the previous match Kuna was played at rightback, which for me restricted his play, as he is well known for the tireless, bombarding runs down the flank. The change was made to accommodate Thana on the left wing, who admittedly was key in our equaliser against Felda. It would be interesting to see who would the coach go with, but I'd start Kecik and Kuna, with Thana being the 'joker' on the bench

As for midfield, I would like to see Idris and Rashid being played there playing the roles of playmaker and enforcer respectively. Idris certainly has the quality to dictate play from the middle of the park, and it would be interesting to see him squaring up against Rezal, his partner-in-crime during their time together. I'm looking at Rashid to be the player who breaks up the opposition attacks in midfield. Sort of what Alif does, minus the yellow cards. If we can control the midfield, we can control the game, hence my rationale for those two mentioned above


Now in attack it's going to be fairly obvious - Owona and Khairul Izuan. These two - if I'm not mistaken - have started in all the matches in the tournament together so far. Owona is going to be a marked man, so Khairul Izuan needs provide an outlet for Owona. He needs to play off Owona, which means whenever Owona receives the ball, he should be ready for Owona to lay the ball off to him. Khairul certainly has pace, and needs to use that advantage to beat the ATM defence

In my eyes, ATM's key players will be Hairuddin, Marlon, Rezal and Aidil (Zaquan too if he plays). These are all quality players, and our team certainly have a huge task at hand to overcome them. However I have complete faith in the likes of Farbak and Rashid to quell these threats. Farbak for me would be key in our defence as he would be the one doing all the tackling, which has certainly saved us in many occasions

And if anything goes wrong, we always have this guy... 



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I was lucky enough to attend the Piala Malaysia roadshow organized by Astro last Saturday. The main reason I was there was to meet the Negeri Sembilan players. I also took part in the fastest shot challenge, which unfortunately I did not win. But yeah the highlight of the day was taking some pictures together with the players

Here are some shots from the day

 





Sunday, September 2, 2012

The real truth

So I'm guessing by now most, if not all, of you know what this "Oppa Gangnam Style" is? Well, if you don't, Google it yourselves, I'm not your mom. Anyway rumours are flying saying it has a sinister meaning related to becoming Jews and stuff. Well, that last bit is not true, but here's what it really means
Why hello there. Looks like you found the hidden message. Just so we're clear I don't even like this song
The dance moves are actually part of an ancient ritual called "Jisung Chuyoung", which basically means "sacrificing animals and humans to the demons of Gangnam". 'Gangnam' is actually named after a lost tribe in Korea who worshipped demons, and danced whenever they do the sacrifice ceremony. The tribe members would ride on horses to deliver the sacrifice to the "demon's lair" at the foot of Mount Duri, the tallest peak in Korea
 I'm just pointing out the ridiculousness of what some people are willing to believe
"Oppa" means "long live the eye" in the language of an ancient Amazon tribe called the "Garrincha". This could be dismissed as a coincidence, but do proceed to my next point
Yeah, I don't believe the above point either
What is more worrying however is that the tribe displayed traits of the Illuminati. So it is safe to assume that they were either part of the Illuminati, or were the founders themselves. Basically what this means is that whenever you listen and dance along to "Oppa Gangnam Style", you are actually doing what the Illuminati done ages ago. This, in effect, means you are supporting the movement without even realising it
Bull. Crap
So there you go. The song will turn you into Illuminati-supporting devil-worshippers. Oh, and there's something about the Freemasons as well. The shoes worn by the guy in the video has noticeable Freemason traits. Please spread this for the sake of not only Muslims, but all of humanity
If you actually do share this, man you are paranoid

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Thursday, February 23, 2012

perilaku semasa cuti

dari aku tulis panjang-panjang apa aku buat time cuti, baik aku post gambar je, senang sikit dan korang pun mudah faham

begin slideshow


















rasanya korang dah boleh rumuskan apa yang aku banyak buat bila x gi sekolah ni

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

So9 Exclusive : Mesyuarat Vetting Committee FAM

pictured above : the actual meeting

Dikhabarkan bahawa syarat pengambilan pemain import telah diubah selepas tarikh pendaftaran pemain Liga-M telah tamat. Syarat yang mengatakan bahawa hanya pemain dari negara yang mempunyai ranking lebih tinggi dari Malaysia pada 24 Ogos 2011 telah diubah kepada 24 November 2011 tanpa pengetahuan orang ramai dan ahli gabungan FAM. Kami di State of Nine membayangkan inilah yang berlaku pada mesyuarat yang mengubah syarat itu

Hamidin : Baik, mesyuarat mula bersidang sekarang. Semua tahu kan kenapa kita ada di sini?

Vetting Committee : ...

Hamidin : Baguslah kalau semua dah tahu. Kita kena ubah syarat yang berkaitan ranking negara pemain import tu, sebab aku baru perasan Lebanon ranking dia bawah Malaysia masa 24 Ogos tu

Vetting Committee : ...

Hamidin : Bukannya apa, kalau guna ranking 24 Ogos tu nanti pemain import Selangor tu tak boleh main dalam Liga-M nenti sebab tak layak. Tu sebab selama ni aku guna alasan 'klausa 19 & 20' tu. Kita ubah syarat, guna ranking terkini sebab Lebanon dah ada atas Malaysia. Adil kan untuk Selangor begini?

Vetting Committee : ...

Hamidin : Cantik la kalau semua dah setuju. Oh ya, jangan beritahu persatuan-persatuan lain yang pemain import diorang tak layak sampai tarikh tutup dah berlalu, faham? Biar Selangor je dapat  pemain yang terbaik. Pasukan lain tu semua tak penting untuk Liga-M. Tahun ni juga aku nak pastikan 'Misi 33' kami berjaya. Siapa yang halang akan kena hantar bekerja kat lombong arang batu kat Korea Utara

Vetting Committee : ...

Hamidin : Excellent. Dah, mari kita semua makan mi goreng dengan karipap, minum teh tarik. Ni semua aku guna duit tiket final Piala Malaysia hari tu. Jangan membazir tau. Susah nak perah duit banyak-banyak dari penyokong ni

Xavi : Cesc is suffering! *baling kerusi kat Hamidin   

Sunday, January 15, 2012

got blackmailed

bah, you win. can't believe you got dirt on me
 hi there, i must've told you to go here
as I promised you, here's the video for the fanboys/fangirls
there's no biebtard/k-pop/whatever i told you it was video guys :)
still don't see what the fuss is all about though
 but there is a video of Rick Astley instead
click here : video
you've just been rick rolled :p
pueh hati korang?
pueh hati den!