Fight(ing) Club

Miraculous. Unbelievable. Heart. If there were ever a game that spoke of the three, this was it. Ramblers looked dead and buried in the first half with 3 goals conceded in as many minutes. But a brace from newly-crowned Orange Ramblers' Young Player of The Year, Ming, an exquisite shot from just outside the box from Wei and an unlikely strike from defensive-stalwart Adrian hauled the team from the brink of defeat to salvage an unimaginable draw with FBN.

The first half started with a kind of unfamiliarity upfront with Ming partnering Michael in attack; a partnership that looked more like oil in water than peanut-butter on bread – it just wasn't right. But the cause was more down to having no other players on the bench at the start than anything else. However, Michael did acquit himself quite well with a spirited performance, huffing and puffing and pressuring for every ball. With regular defensive partners, Chard and Adrian, looking out-of-sorts and out-of-depth, the signs weren't promising. The midfield was also disjointed and disorganized, allowing Chee Keong and Ah Lee to dominate for FBN. A corner led to their first goal with our defenders asleep and unable to clear a dangerous ball, Eddie from FBN struck from inside the box to give them the lead. Their second came from a slice of luck and some slack defending, as Eddie screwed a shot and it somehow made it's way through our defenders for an unmarked striker to pounce. While their third was scored via a dubiously looking offside. At this point, Max had already come on for Michael and whilst our team reverted to 4-5-1, we were really looking deflated. But Ming rounded the keeper to score to give us a glimmer of hope going into half-time.

Someone once said, “Sport doesn't build character, it reveals it”. And the second-half sparked to life with players that played more with their hearts than any team I've seen before – an epitome of never-say-die and a hallmark of Orange Ramblers as a team this season. Ming began “Mission Impossible” with his second strike of the match and Wei produced a magnificent goal from just outside the box that flew past the despairing keeper to nestle in at the back of the net. 3 – 3. Suddenly, the smiles on the faces of our opponents were fading fast as they were trying to figure out what was happening. Then an unlikeliest thing manifested. Adrian charged down a shot at the edge of his penalty area, fed Ming on the right (who danced and bamboozled his way past his marker), then sprinted all the way into FBN's box to get to the end of Ming's beautifully-weighted ball to slam it past the keeper and gifted Ramblers the lead for the first time throughout the match. It was his first for Ramblers this year but it was soon to be Ramblers' last goal of the year as well. By this time, FBN players were scratching their heads, wondering how they turned victory into a farce. But their response was equally swift as within minutes, a clumsy but unfortunate challenge by Chard contrived the ref to blow for a penalty. Michael, now standing in place for Chris, guessed correctly but somehow allowed the ball to roll under him and the game ended at 4-4.

Rampant Ramblers

An understrength Ramblers proved to be too hot to handle for a Sri Nibong side who were also missing several regulars. In the end, Ramblers ran out 5-1 winners with a brace from young hotshot Seng, a cracker from Wei, a rare Aik goal and one from Sin (I think) in the second half. They got a consolation goal however as our left-back scuffed a simple bobbling ball and their striker took advantage of it by reacting to the loose ball first, running nearly 20 yards and chipping the ball over Michael! But Michael did make amends in the second half by parrying away a fierce drive by the opposing striker. Other than that, it was smooth sailing all the way till the end.

Final Result:

Ramblers 5 - Sri Nibong 1

Traffic Statistics for Orange Ramblers Blog (since Dec. 3rd 08)

This is the traffic statistics for our blog since Dec. 3rd 2008. It seems we have been viewed quite regularly around the globe as well as locally.

Country	Count
Malaysia	136 (75.56%)
Australia	12 (6.67%)
Unknown	12 (6.67%)
United States	10 (5.56%)
Singapore	4 (2.22%)
Costa Rica	1 (0.56%)
France	1 (0.56%)
Germany	1 (0.56%)
Canada	1 (0.56%)
Mexico	1 (0.56%)
Russian Federation	1 (0.56%)

Orange Ramblers (OR) Player of The Year

Looking back at the past 12 months, the team has come a long way and we have had a very successful season by many standards. We've played against some of the top, top teams in Penang and we manage to hold our own. As a team, we make a formidable unit.

But as in all teams, from AC Milan (Kaka) to M.U (C.Ronaldo), there are certain individuals who have stood up and stood out throughout the season. This is your chance to tell us who you think stood out as the best player throughout the year. Please submit your nomination(s) by following these simple steps:

1. Scroll to the bottom of this article and click on "comments"
2. Leave your nomination(s) in the "Leave your comment" box
3. Choose an identity. You can leave a name or choose to remain anonymous
4. When you're done, click on "PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT"

Each player is allowed a maximum nomination of 3 players. Please submit in your nominations no later than 27th December 2008. Voting starts 1st January 2009.

Some Pics from the Timoran game

When Playing Top Teams...

As I was looking to Derek for answers after the game, he summed it up the best - "I think with top teams, if you make mistakes you get punished. I think that's the lesson for today." And it was spot on.

Two goals in the first half by Timoran proved decisive in an evenly contested friendly with a comeback goal by long-term absentee Keon (chicken-pox) not enough to deny them victory. With a long-standing tradition as a top-quality team, the game against Timoran was always going to be a cracker. And the first-half started with Timoran having the bulk of the possession, moving the ball comfortably among themselves while getting into good positions. Their strategy it seemed was to get the ball to their wingers to run us down. However, Ramblers were surprisingly the side with the better chances. Whilst Michael had nothing much to do, the Timoran defence and their keeper were kept busy by Ming and Heng everytime a ball got forward. Then, tragedy struck. A corner by Timoran was headed down and on the way to goal when Aaron, guarding at the far post, was unlucky to have the ball spun off his forehead and into the net to give Timoran the lead. It was a freak goal but I think they'll take it however they came. Their second goal arrived barely 10 minutes after that with an atrocious squared-pass by Adrian to Fajar being intercepted by their striker at the edge of the box to fire low under the outstretched arms of Michael. There was a memorable moment, however, as Ming dribbled pass 3 Timoran players and into the box but was nugged off the ball before he could muster a shot. A glimpse of better things to come in the future, perhaps?

2nd-Half:

The break was a welcomed relief as Max and Michael sought to re-jigg the side in order to find that elusive goal. Max replaced Siang, Aik started at left-back, Derek moved into left-midfield and Wei was introduced on the right. With that, Ramblers came out fighting. Our midfield was sparked to live, with our attacks livelier and the defence finally settling down to cut-off their attacks. After putting pressure on their defence, a cross-field pass by Max was brought down expertly by Poay on the left to cross into the box for Keon to push the ball pass the advancing keeper and reduce the deficit. It was a typical poachers goal and Keon showed no signs of being away for so long. The match continued in our favor as we huffed and puffed to find the equalizer. However, Ramblers were nearly dealt a sucker-punch late in the game when a Timoran midfielder pounced on a loose ball and strided into our penalty area, but Adrian was on-hand to atone for his earlier mistake with a timely sliding tackle to deny the man. And then proceded to recover to block another point-blank shot by their winger who got on to the rebound. Minutes later, the match was over and Timoran took home a hardfought 2-1 victory.

Analysis:

In the first-half, I felt we gave Timoran too much respect and didn't really give them a good go. Our midfield, though industrious, was often pulled out of shape and there were gaps in the center, which, thankfully wasn't exposed by the opposition. Poay was unusually subdued and it left Jason with too much to do. Ming has the pace and the tenacity (although not in the same breath as Brown) to beat opposition players but he needs to find the confidence to do so. And Siang was trying too hard to impress given the fact that we were playing his former team. Adrian, on the other hand, was too concerned with his injured foot and Fajar was pressured to cover his zone and Adrian's.

The second-half was an improvement but in football, if you don't outscore the opposition, you end up losing the game. And we just couldn't kill off the game despite having numerous chances. An over-dependance on Heng and Brown, maybe? Max stood his ground in the center, covering the gaps, giving Jason the freedom to roam. But Sin was pegged back by fear of their left-midfielder, taking the cautious approach and subduing his urge to over-lap. Keon was lively despite a long hiatus and Derek made good use of the spaces he found on the left.

On the plus side, the team showed good character and tactical ability by moving the ball around more. For the most part, we kept things simple and tidy and in truth, it was much better than pumping the ball forward.

Annual Dinner

In conjunction with our superb season and Brown's birthday, Ramblers will be having their annual dinner next Friday, 12th December 2008 at G Hotel. All players are requested to confirm their attendance preferably before 6th December 2008. WAGS (Wives And Girlfriends) are also welcomed. Please get in touch with our General Manager, Michael (012-4820126), for further details.

Ming Brace Clips Sparrow's Wings

A clinical double from Youth Academy graduate Kuan Ming downed a spirited Sparrow team eager to impress before signing-off for good. Nippy winger, Tee Oon, opened the scoring barely 5 minutes into the first-half and Brown compounded their misery with a sublime lob to beat the keeper and make it four. Despite their valiant efforts, Sparrow never really looked likely to threaten this year's Chinese League semi-finalist and the score remained until it ended.

Final Score:

Ramblers 4 - Sparrow 0

Ramblers Edge Youngsters... AGAIN!

It was suppose to be a routine friendly game but Ramblers had to pick themselves up after last week's shock lost to Uplands. And based on reputation and records, the opposition wasn't an easy one either. But we dug deep and came away with a 2-0 victory helped by one goal a piece by Siang and Seng. There wasn't much to comment on the game as Ramblers had the bulk of possession and continued to pressure the opposition in both halves. In fact, our keeper had only two routine saves the entire game! Well, Heng did clip the crossbar from a free-kick in the second-half and Ming rose above their defender to power a header just over. But other than that, it was a typical Ramblers performance... workmanlike, determined and opportunistic. However, after taking a grip on the game early on, Ramblers could have opted to develop their gameplay. Despite our win, the team looked disjointed at times and there were too many stray passes.

Ramblers 2 – Youngsters 0

Thanks Derek! A Free Lesson in Football.

I learned something on Friday that I felt is worth sharing. And I would say "learning" was far from what I experienced. I was amazed as well. KDU went up against Traders Hotel that day in a friendly match, and Heng, Keong and I filled-in for the absent players. The KDU team, I felt, was not the strongest team Derek had that day. They were missing Kugan and Fajar, two stalwarts, and a host of other first-teamers.

Anyway, before the match started, Derek gave very clear instructions: "Listen everyone, this is just a friendly. I'm not bothered about the score and the goals. I just want everyone to pass the ball around. Just pass it." Simple, concise and effective. And KDU did just that. Traders Hotel were being pulled apart by simple, two-to-three touch passing. (KDU won 5-0 by the way)

It hit me then; with limited resources, and up against a slightly more physically-superior team, KDU played beautiful football. At one moment, it seemed that we were the perfect exponents of the Spanish team at Euro 2008! We were organized and rarely gave the ball away. Our opponents on the other hand were getting tired fast, what with all that ball chasing. Now, with more experienced players, a technically gifted midfield, power-packed strikers and fleet-footed defenders, why can't Ramblers emulate that? I'm not taking anything away from Ramblers as a team - we are fantastic. But we owe our success more to dogged determination than anything else. I just feel that, maybe, we could play smarter by first keeping things simple; just like Derek did with KDU. We have no plans when we go out and play friendlies either. The closest we've ever come to a tactical strategy was against CRC... probably our BEST game this year despite the lost. But for the most part, it's “Pump the ball to Vespa”. That seems to be our mantra. Our midfield is under-utilized because we're PUMPING the ball forward most of the time. Therefore, when we lose the ball upfront, we're exposed on the wings because our wingers have sprinted forward in support of “Vespa”. And then they're supposed to sprint back alllllll the way down in support of our full-backs. I don't think any team in the world has such dynamic wingers... not for 90 minutes! Football isn't just about winning and tackling and all that hurly-burly masculine stuff. It's also about learning and growing. Simple question: what have we learn when we're playing a friendly? I know we've got loads of opinions after. But what have we taken out from the game? Ask yourselves that... honestly! I'm even wondering, is more training sessions gonna help? Yeah, it gives us a chance to gel as a team but is it really enough? Is this a mental problem, a tactical puzzle or is it more of a trust issue? We've got to develop a style of play, an identity, and it starts from our friendly games. Maybe Derek should just drop by.

Ramblers Go Down To Uplands

Ramblers, missing several key players and short on back-up, went down fighting to a youthful Uplands team. Despite starting with 10 men in each half, Ramblers managed to match the eagerness of the youngsters and the substituting players gave a really commendable performance. Unfortunately quantity does play a part and Uplands took advantage of that to knock 2 past Michael to send Ramblers into a lost.

Ramblers 1 - Uplands 2

What Now?

I'm sure everyone feels disappointed with our semi-final exit at the hands of CRC... especially more so when we dominated a large part of the match. But that was in the past (1 week ago, actually) and now we have to look to the future.

So, my question would be... where do we go from here? We've had a terrific season by any standards. We were quarter-finalists for the Merdeka Cup (SG2 League), we qualified for a Chinese League semi-finals, and until we're told otherwise, we're still in with a shout in the DTL Div.3 League. But every team needs to re-inforce their resources and I'm sure all our players have an idea or two on where we need to improve in order for us to go further (and win something) next year. Is it the defence? Do we need a playmaker? Does Heng and Brown need more cover? Should we change formations? Maybe we just need a bit more training?

So, go ahead... feel free to give us your input.

Ramblers at PFS

A Word From The Captain

Guys,
thanks for the effort. We've tried our best. I've never wanted this journey to end so fast. Nevertheless, I hope there's more to come. I also hope that we'll continue to stick together as a team and try again next year. I am sure that we'll be a better team by then.

I would also like to take this opportunity to apologise if I've said or done anything that might have been hurtful in the past. I really appreciate all the hardwork and commitment shown by everybody. Go Ramblers!

Chard_5

End of A Fairy Tale

Unseeded. Unheralded. Barely known.

But after today's match, Ramblers would be anything but the above. The stage was set for a David vs. Goliath meeting. The tournament's underdogs up against the defending champions in a game that was 1 step away from a final at City Stadium. It couldn't get better than this. But it did.

If CRC thought that Ramblers would buckle under pressure and just roll over, they were sadly mistaken. For the first time, Ramblers played not only with their hearts on their sleeves, but they played with their heads as well; moving the ball around smartly, getting into good positions and closing down the opponents rapidly. It was football at the highest level that would have left the purists beaming. Heng and Brown were their usual powerful selves, Poay was wizardry personified, Max covered every inch of grass, Siang looked possessed, Derek bamboozled their right-back into substitution, Keong and Sin were solid, Adrian reliable and Chard made his presence felt at the back. The big blue machine had rolled into town.

With a 4-2-3-1 formation, Ramblers drew first blood when Poay sent in a low shot inside off the right post to give Ramblers the lead. But a 15 minute blitz saw our efforts short-lived. Two corners, and CRC got their 2 goals. Their first corner saw an unmarked Ah Han rising above our defenders at the far post to head in the equalizer. Their second came courtesy of Eng Hock who made a speculative shot from the edge of the box that saw the ball bounce fortuitously out of the reach of Chris and into the net. Those were the only notable efforts CRC had besides a long range Wai Loon lob that Chris did well to tip over the bar. But they were to prove enough.

Despite the 1 goal deficit, Ramblers continued pressing for the equalizer without compromising our gameplay. The second-half saw Ramblers wasting very good opportunities to tie the game with Brown and Max missing two very good chances. The introduction of the ever industrious Jason midway through the half strengthen our midfield. But ladyluck didn't smile on us and in the end we lost the game to two well-taken goals. Their experience had carried them through to the final. With so much pre-match hype regarding Wai Loon and Ah Han, they were kept on a short leash and had very little impact on the game with our midfield and defenders magnificent through and through.

Although we lost, we showed that we could compete at the highest level. On the evidence of today's performance, the team has the potential to go really far. But we have to build on this success or else it'll remain just that... potential. However, let no one take it away from us, that we were definitely the better team today. To put it into perspective... Ramblers Rocked!

Ramblers in limbo despite draw

It was a game Ramblers knew they had to win. Sri Mersing had already beaten De' Butterfly by 3 goals to nil and the advantage was with them with a better goal difference of just 1 goal. But with a vague understanding of what the DTL League administrative body wanted, we couldn't risk eking a draw.

Even with regular starters Chard and Keon out due to injury and chicken-pox respectively, the mood in the squad was optimistic prior to kick-off. Management fielded the attacking duo of Heng and Brown supported by the midfield quartet of Benni, Jason, Siang and Ming. It was a line-up fusing experience in the centre with raw, young talent flanking the attack. As usual, Sin, Kugan, Adrian and Max made up the back-four combo whom were yet to concede a goal in this league.

Ramblers started the match rather nervously as we sought to string together a couple of attacks in vain. Siang and the indefatigueable Jason were doing their best to control the midfield with the effervescent Ming scurrying up and down the right wing, supporting both the attack and the defence. The first-half saw very little action with Ramblers limiting the Sri Mersing attack to a few long shots which our keeper, Lan, managed to deal with quite comfortably.

Probably sensing that a draw could be catastrophic to our season, we upped the ante in the second half, but with very little creativity or spark, failed to break down a very determined Sri Mersing defence. Brown, never giving anything less than 300% for every game, was frustrated time and time again from getting caught off-side. His determination was exceptional, his timing was, well, off. With time ticking away, Siang and Jason were also starting to lose their cool. Ramblers, it seems, were too focused on searching for that elusive goal without calming ourselves down and trying to figure out a way around the opponents back-four. We kept up the pressure like we always did, hoping that our never-say-die attitude would bring us through as it had always done, without really using our heads. This time, it just didn't work. The game finally ended all square.

Now, as we await the results from the DTL League administrators, we have to pick ourselves up for a semi-final match against CRC in the Chinese League. This match hopefully, if anything, has taught us that we need a lot more than just attitude and commitment to get us through. We really need to bring our game up another level and to start playing a lot smarter, especially against a tougher, more experienced side like CRC.

Brown Powers Ramblers Through To First Semis

What a game! What a rush! To put it simply... it was unbelievable. Ramblers produced another spirited display of grit and no-holds barred determination to see us continuing our fairytale run in this season's Chinese League with a hardfought 1-0 victory over debutantes Penang NTFA. And the person, or should I say "persons", behind this fantastic result was none other than Brown and Chris. If it was Brown who put us on track, it was definitely Chris who made sure we got there!

And so it began with Management deploying a 4-2-3-1 formation, handing a first ever start to the versatile Derek in central midfield alongside the dynamic Siang and crafty Poay. The back-line had to be re-jigged and in the absence of the injured Chard, Adrian deputized as the sweeper with Alex assuming his regular role as stopper. Sin and Max started on either side of the defence with Keon and Brown slotting in at left- and right-midfield respectively. Heng, as usual, started on top.

The game soon began with a very cautious look about it with both teams careful not to give away possession. It was a cagey first-half with chances far and few in between. The only notable incident was when Heng sent Brown scuttling in from the right, holding off his marker, rounding the keeper and scoring into an empty net. Delirium! We had found ourselves ahead. That part was excellently executed. Now to maintain the lead. NTFA tried to come back into the match strongly and they clearly showed they mean business when a defence splitting pass sent an NTFA player through on goal only for Chris to rush off his line and reduce the angle. Another one-on-one situation saw him expertly blocking the opponents shot with a fully-spread body.

After the break, NTFA laid siege to the Ramblers goal. With wave after wave of attack, broken on the wall that was the its defence. Sin was indefatigueable on the left while Alex was magnificent in the centre. Max too was proving to be a hard lock to pick. But credit must also go to Keon, Poay, Siang, Ming, and Brown for unselfishly tracking back to do their defensive duties. Perhaps the biggest credit must be reserved for Chris who kept us in the game with a string of superb saves! In one of these occasions, he kept a goal-bound shot out with a full-stretched dive to his left. He was outstanding!

When the final whistle blew, the reality that we were now through to our first semi-finals was yet to sink in. I guess, when the euphoria has ended, it will eventually come to light that we're now, regardless of results, one of the top 4 Chinese teams in Penang. And that's really something to shout about...

Are We Good Enough?

So it all comes down to this: the next 5 days. After months of hardwork, sweat, determination, and sacrifice... are we good enough? Can we summon up the strength to come out on top?

"So we've got a big shot stopper (Alex), a good reader of the game in Adrian, attacking full backs in Keon and Arson, Jason who is an experienced covering midfielder, Keon who has pace on the right, Benny/Ming who are unpredictable on the left, Derek & Poay who are intelligent forward supporting midfielders, goal machine Heng and Wes Brown who is Didier Drogba. I think it's a good, solid team with many options." - Derek


Football is a funny game. Some people see it as an opportunity to express themselves. Others see it as being about life and death. I see it as a game of inches. An inch too far, and your keeper misses his save. An inch too wide, and your shot rebounds off the cross-bar. An inch too near, and you've fouled the player and given away a penalty. But it's also these matters of inches that determines whether you win or lose a game. Every inch counts! 'Coz at the end of the day, when the dust has settled, and the game is over, when all the inches have been added up, it might just be the difference between staring at victory or defeat. So, this Thursday, we've got to knuckle down, grit our teeth and fight for every inch up to the last minute... together. Because that's the beauty of football... the 6 inches in front of your face! Question is, how far are you willing to go for those inches?

Ramblers! Ramblers! Ramblers!

90 Minutes Away from a Final

Ramblers opened their second-round Daerah Timur-Laut Div. 3 League game against De' Butterfly on a wet and slippery pitch on Friday. But we were not put-off by the weather and in the end, came away with another 3 precious points. Benni gave us the lead from a Kuan Ming free-kick before Siang wrapped up the game with the all-important second goal in a match that left both sets of players muddied and drenched!

But the result was the only thing that mattered and now we find ourselves a mere 90-minutes away from a Final at the City Stadium. And wouldn't that be a dream come true...

My Two-Cents Worth

"That's what I want, a good spirit in the group because we're not just an 11, we're a squad"

- Luiz Felipe Scolari -

Those words just echoed in my mind when I received Michael's text last night informing all of us that we have 3 tough games in the next 2 weeks - a Daerah game against De' Butterfly on Friday, a Chinese League quarter-final next Thursday, and then a final Daerah game versus Sri Mersing. All of them are must-win matches!

And if we want to get somewhere this season (or year), we really need to come together as a group. Scolari's right, you know... it takes a squad to win games, not just the 11 players on the pitch. Everybody is important, from the Coach, to Management, to the players (every single one of them), right up to the supporters. We've already got a good mix, so all we gotta do is the maintenance. We need to ensure that the harmony's there, that we'll continue fighting as a group.

It's not easy for Management to name 11 players to take to the field, coz all our players warrant a first team place. I understand that some of us would be disappointed not to start and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Just imagine if we had subs who were just contented to sit by the sidelines and watch! Remember Winston Bogarde at Chelsea? The fire is in all of us but we've got to take it on the chin and improve ourselves.

We need to cut Management some slack also coz they've been doing quite a good administrating job so far. But Management needs to come out and be transparent as well... trust our players, have faith in them. They need to provide us with a platform to prove ourselves... that gives us confidence. Hauling players off after 15 minutes if they don't perform ain't the solution. At least give us a half. If he's not performing, let him know immediately. Players on the pitch must also do their part... encourage the guy, help him out.

If we want to get anywhere this year, Management and players, everyone, needs to come together as a team... starting NOW!

Jogo Bonito: From our Youth Academy

Bravo Ming!

Shades of Istanbul?

It was definitely a second half to remember... the stuff champions are made of. It was no Liverpool moment in Istanbul, it wasn't a Final, but it was just as sweet. On the back of an inspired performance, Ramblers rallied from a goal down in the first half to carve out a draw with pre-tournament favorites, Bintang Baru, in an exhilarating match that saw both sides qualifying for the Quarter-finals at the expense of De' Butterfly.

With passage through to the next round already in the pocket, and two key players a card away from suspension, Ramblers SC took a professional decision to field their strongest-11 to try and win the game. Management favored a 4-2-3-1 formation for this game and named Chris in goal, with Sin, Alex, Chard and Au making up the back-line. Benni and Adrian was to hold the midfield, leaving Poay to support Heng in attack. Keon and Siang, on the other hand, were deployed on the wings.

The match began with shades of the game against Youngster United eerily present. Our midfield was disjointed and uninspired with Bintang Baru taking control of the centre, passing their way through to their main men upfront. This left Heng isolated as Keon and Siang tried their best to deliver the desired crosses into the area with little or no effect at all. So it was no surprise that Bintang Baru would take the lead midway through the first-half. A cross far out from their right saw the ball sail over our defence to the far post for their striker to hammer home from close range. 0-1 and we looked deflated and out of our depth. Whereas Bintang Baru started to grow with confidence. Quick thinking by Alex and Adrian re-organized the defence in an effort to plug the gaps in order to avoid going further behind as we slogged our way to half-time.

Eric made a few tactical adjustments during the break and Ramblers came out for the second-half looking a bit more organized and assured of themselves. But Bintang Baru showed why they were tagged as favorites as they continued where they left off by playing a patient, passing game that bellied their reputation. However, Ramblers are no pushovers themselves as we slowly, but surely, moved up a gear and fought to regain possession. Our defenders gave their attackers no time on the ball as Alex and Adrian, who were both magnificent in defence, marked-out their main two as Chard did an equally impressive job of sweeping up any loose balls. Keong and Sin on either side of the centre-3 closed down their wingers effectively as Poay and Siang started to wrestle possession away from their midfielders, especially with Siang putting in some very EPL-like sliding tackles. Brown, as always, was proving quite a handful for their Penang Chinese left-back with his aggressive runs and smart off-the-ball movements.

Suddenly, Bintang Baru had no answers to our never-say-die attitude and before long, Keon found his scoring boots with a sweetly taken shot. A beautifully weighted cross from Poay send Keon through on the left and with the keeper coming out of his line, he took a shot that their custodian could only parry but ended up at the back of the net. It was a well deserved equaliser and we knuckled down to ensure that the result would be beyond doubt. 1-1 and Ramblers SC took top spot in Group A with 3 wins and a draw.

Youngsters Get The Blues

It was a less than impressive performance. In fact, it was poor by our standards. But Ramblers did what they needed to do and came back with a hard-fought, slightly less than deserved 3-2 win over a Youngster United side that pushed us all the way to the very last minute. And that qualified us for a Quarter-final berth with a game to spare.

Management knew this was an important game and a win would send us through to the next round in 2 weeks time. And with a game barely 48-hours later against pre-tournament favorites, Bintang Baru, they couldn't afford to take any chances. So they decided to send out a team comprising of Chris in goal, Max at right-back, Chard and Alex as the centre-backs, Sin on the left, Benni and Keon on the wings, with Poay and Adrian anchoring the midfield. As usual, Heng and Brown started as the front two in a traditional 4-4-2 formation.

And within 5 minutes we were in front. It was a scrappy goal but with the ball bouncing frantically in the opposition penalty box, Brown was on hand to knock the ball home somewhat fortuitously. But the way were going to play, we'd take it anyway it comes. After that goal, the game somehow begun to swing in Youngsters' favor. Adrian and Poay were struggling to contain the midfield and retain any shape at all. Benni, on the other hand, looked lethargic... probably because of the long lay-off due to injury. And in a frustrated moment, Adrian seemed to have lost his head completely and lunged-in at an opposition from behind that warranted a yellow card at least, but escaped only with a stern warning. In the end, we huffed and puffed our way to half-time, holding on to the precious one goal lead.

After the break, management replaced Benni with Sin on the left flank hoping to put some pressure on the opposition's right-back with Adrian pulled back to support him, and Jason taking his rightful place in the centre of midfield alongside Poay. That proved decisive as the midfield began to look solid again. This sparked a 2 goal rush as Brown scored in quick succession. The first came when Keon was thought to have been fouled, but with the ref waving play on, Adrian hammered a sweet 30-yarder over the opposition defence for Brown to run in, deftly taking the ball past the keeper and slotting into an empty net. The second was also similar but this time, it was the opposing defender that gifted the ball to the dangerous Brown, allowing him to steal a rebound to score his hattrick! Then in a sense of deja-vu, we allowed Youngster to regain a grip on the game as they poured forward time and time again. Our defence suddenly looked fragile especially on the left with Adrian who seemed really lost. So it came as no surprise that he would inevitably be the culprit that contributed to the two leaked goals.

Their first materialized when Adrian failed to spot Chard pushing the defensive line up for an off-side trap and he played the opposing striker on-side. Although he tried to make a covering tackle, his lackadaisical attitude left much to be desired and the striker shot past an advancing Chris. 3-1 and Youngster sparked into life! Their next goal came late in the game when Adrian, who seemed like his mind was somewhere else, allowed the same striker to run past him to get on the end of a cross to volley home from just at the edge of the box. Luckily there wasn't any more time left for him to make more mistakes as the ref blew for full-time shortly after.

Final Score: Ramblers 3 - Youngster United 2

Forum: An Underlying Problem Running Too Deep?

Last weekend's game highlighted quite a deeply recurring issue for the team. In my opinion, it's been happening too often... and something needs to be done - fast. It seems that we have been unable to keep a cool head whenever we're on the field especially when things are not going our way. This usually results in us verbally having a go at each other and to me, that's really a BIG concern. It reflects badly on the team as a whole. I applaud the team's commitment and fire, no doubt about it, but the way we're displaying it and at each other is not appropriate. Please don't get me wrong 'coz I'm not pin-pointing any individuals as I firmly believe that we should ALL learn something from this. I'm putting this up on the blog 'coz it's not just our team that's faced with such an issue, other teams do experience such situations as well, and avoiding the issue doesn't help either. So let's be realistic, shall we?

If we have a problem with another team-mate's play, I agree we should let him know on the field immediately in order to take corrective action. Don't wait till half-time 'coz it might just be too late. I admit, I hate losing a game, friendly or otherwise, and I'm quite vocal on the pitch myself. But it's not wise to take the "hair-dryer" approach.. let them know how you feel and what you think constructively and then get on with the game. The person who's been told should also make an effort to give some thought into the comment... never, ever retaliate with equal measure 'coz it doesn't solve the problem! If you feel strongly about a remark, talk it over after the game. You can even bring it up here in the blog if you want to!

I know that talking is easy and when emotions are running high it's hard to think straight. But let's just take a step back and consider this: At the end of the day, during a match, the 11 players in the field and their opinions are the only ones that matter... those are the people that will stand with you, who'll fight with you, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, and who continues to strive valiantly with you for every inch... If you can't trust them, who can you trust?

So c'mon people..! If we don't fight as a team, we'll end up losing as individuals. Even a victory would leave a sour taste in the mouth, wouldn't it?

Ed.- ADrian_13

Friendly Versus Black Falcon SC

The weather was cloudy and our home ground at the Penang Free School has just been beautifully re-turfed at certain parts; in short, it was a perfect evening for a good game of football. Our opponents this evening was Black Falcon SC, one of the teams participating in the Chinese League 2008.

With an important game coming up this Wednesday, the dynamic management duo of Max and Mike decided to take it easy for this match and play 4-4-2 with Keong, Adrian, Alex and Aaron anchoring the defence with Siang, Au, Jason and Tee Oon making up the mid-field quartet. Heng and Keon spearheaded the attack for this game.

The match started and we were pressing the opposition from the get-go. Ramblers seemed to be "parked" in the opposition half and we were enjoying it. Only some woeful finishing and good keeping from the opposition custodian kept our attacks at bay. And little did we know that we were going to pay for our bluntness up front. A rare counter-attack down their left resulted in a neat clearance by Aaron for a throw-in. But quick thinking by an opposition player set their winger down our right which left our entire defence disoriented. A harmless looking delivery rolled across our penalty area and with our defence still trying to regroup and organize ourselves, their unmarked right-back sent in a cross that was toe-poked, somewhat fortuitously, to an advancing striker to smash home from barely 3 yards out! Our response was encouraging with our players taking more initiatives trying to pull us level but with no effect.

Second-half saw the introduction of Chris, Seng, Boon Wooi and Benni, whom was making an eagerly awaited return from a back injury. The result was no different as we picked up from where we left and continued searching for that elusive goal. And when it finally arrived, it came from perhaps the unlikeliest of sources. Keon's deft lay-on was met by Jason's excellent left-footed shot that found the back of the net from just outside the penalty area to tie the game at 1-1. After that goal, it was all Ramblers for the remainder of the match. Unfortunately, Black Falcon held on aggressively for a draw and we didn't want to stress ourselves out either, saving our energy for the game against Youngster United "A" on Wednesday. Final score: 1-1

Friendly Versus KDU

This game was more a pre-Intercollege Games warm-up for KDU than a regular friendly for Ramblers. Derek, the KDU coach, and Ramblers mainstay, was looking for a good game to prep his troops for the upcoming ICG in 2 weeks time. And we duly obliged.

Ramblers were 4-1 up before halftime with Heng and Pei each trying to outdo the other with two superbly taken goals a piece. Although KDU did pull one back, it was all Ramblers in the first half with Jason, Pei and Au controlling the midfield with authority. Heng could even afford to miss a sitter with only the keeper to beat!

Ramblers threw on Keon, Brown and Max in the second half but with a comfortable scoreline and the game under control, we took our foot off the pedal. Sensing the laxity in our gameplay, KDU upped the tempo and managed to put one past Adrian, who was deputising for Michael and Chris. Brown managed to hit the post but other than that, the game was already won in the first half.

Forum: What do you think?

Hmmm...There seems to be some confusion everytime we play with regards to tactics. We know that Max and Michael decides the line-up but what about tactics and team-play? Everytime we take to the field there are 3 differing opinions about how we should play. Max says one thing, Michael another and Eric has his thoughts... It's confusing. What do you guys think? Who should be giving the instructions? While Max and Michael are there for all our games including friendlies and knows us inside out, it is Eric who is the more experience one.

Chinese League 2008 Updates: Oops, We Did It Again!

It sure sounds like that hit single by the infamous Britney but, here it goes: Oops, we did it again. And boy, we sure did! Two wins out of two and we woke up this morning to the fact that we're now in control of Group A with a maximum six points! Unbelievable...!

Yesterday's match was played in pouring rain and when we arrived, Song Boon SC were in high spirits while some of our players were stuck in traffic. All the hype surrounding this match was of Jimmy, Song Boon SC's key marksman and skipper. We've seen him play a few times and knew he could be a threat with his nippy runs off the ball as well as his pace and power on it. So management handed Adrian the task of shackling him while Chard and Alex formed the centre-back pairing with Keong on the left and Max on the right. Siang teamed up with Pei in the center of midfield, leaving Min to “fly” down the left channel and handing a much awaited debut to Ah Or on the right. Leading us up front was no other than Khang Heng who has been experiencing a kind of rennaisance of late.

When the match started, Ramblers were quicker off the blocks. We continuously pressed them down the flanks, sending in cross after cross to Heng. And in one of these raids, we managed to get our noses in front. The ball floated in from the right and in the middle of a goalmouth melee – BANG! Before anyone knew what happened, Heng had put us in front with an opportunistic strike that had a striker's instinct written all over it. But although we were controlling the game, our central midfield looked a little vulnerable and exposed and Chard, our captain, wasn't too impressed as he let them know with an earful Sir Alex Ferguson would have been proud of.

Anyways, Jimmy, the opposing striker was having a hard time with Adrian keeping a close tab on him wherever he went. But in a rare Titus Bramble moment, Adrian lost his concentration and allowed Jimmy to sprint pass him to get to the end of a floated ball first. And although Chard made a covering tackle, Jimmy was just too fast and he shot the ball low under the advancing Chris (our GK). 1-1 and we adjourned for a half-time break soon after.

Song Boon SC came back for the second half looking revitalized after that goal by Jimmy and they looked to have found some belief that they could actually pull off a win. But as they say, form is temporary, class is permanent. Ramblers decided to batten down the hatches with Adrian giving not even a sniff of the ball to Jimmy while Chard and Alex reorganized the defensive line. Brown and Heng continued to batter down their defenses with their pace and power while Pei started to regain control of the midfield with the introduction of the industrious Jason in place for our Riquelme-like Siang. Keon was also brought in for Ah Or on the right hand side and Ramblers were soon in front thanks to a Pei goal, his second of the league so far. A bone-crunching tackle by the Dani Alves version that is Max left a Song Boon SC player sprawling to the ground and the ball rolled onto the path of Pei who held off a defender to fire a shot pass the keeper. At that moment, we were cruising, a win was inevitable, and we knew it! But Song Boon did have their chance when a long-range shot was acrobatically parried away by a full-stretched Chris. What a remarkable save!

The best, however, was yet to come. Minutes later, a determined Brown took a pass on the right, dribbled past two defenders, held off the third, and fired in an amazing goal no. 3 from just out of the box past the despairing keeper. It was a goal oozing with class and finesse! And Song Boon were dead and buried...

Final score – 3-1, and Ramblers find themselves in the driver's seat knowing that a win against our next opponents, Youngster United, would virtually put us through to the Quarter-finals.

Scorers:
Heng
Pei
Brown

Cards:
Chard - Yellow
Adrian – Yellow

Substitutions:
Brown for Min
Keon for Ah Or
Jason for Siang
Eu Sin for Max

Friendly Versus Sparrow

Last Saturday we had a kind of pre-warm up friendly before our game against Song Boon SC. Our opponents? - Sparrow. They're a young team and a hardworking bunch. In fact, they scored first and was leading until a Khang Heng hattrick and a Pei goal sunk them.

First half was ok with newly-signed Alex partnering Chard in central defence in the absence of Adrian, with Au and Aaron taking charge at left- and right-back respectively. And the newly partnered duo were quickly exposed with the opponent stealing the ball from Chard after he missjudged a bouncing ball to score pass Chris. Meanwhile, the central midfield tag-team of Jason and Pei were working their socks-off with some pretty impressive displays of flair and poise while Keon and Ah Or were raiding down the wings to provide Khang Heng with service. The second half was no different from the first as we continued to press forward even after comfortably leading by 3 goals. In the end, our experience clearly showed and Ramblers went home satisfied with the overall results and prepared for the next Chinese League game later today.

Chinese League 2008: Dream Start!

What a dream start for Ramblers! A resounding 4-0 win against OXA yesterday puts us at the top of the table in a group that also includes beaten 2007 finalist Bintang Baru, experienced Youngster United, and newcomers Song Boon SC. Well, at least for 24-hours. But all that mattered was the 3 points and we got 'em. The score might have been flattering but OXA certainly pushed us all the way with their determination. And it took a sweetly taken free-kick by our striker-extrodinaire, Leow Khang Heng, to put is in the lead. It was a beautifully floated ball into the top right-hand corner that left the keeper completely rooted. But it wasn't all smooth sailing and we survived some scares notably when our sweeper, Chard, cleared off the line after a goalmouth scramble. 1-0 and we headed for half-time somewhat quite relieved.

Second half started and we quickly layed siege to the OXA goal and before we knew it, Brown slotted the ball home to give us a 2 goal cushion. And after the introduction of Pei and Keong early in the second half, our midfield suddenly came alive with some newfound creativity and they combined well with Jason to add a little extra bite as well. The newly formed centre-back pairing of Chard and Adrian also began to click and the omens didn't look good for OXA. Two more goals from Pei (an exquiste left-footed half-volley from a tight angle) and another by Seng settled the contest and although OXA did hit the post, it was the best they could muster.

To be honest, it wasn't a vintage Ramblers performance, but this is just the start and I can't wait to see what happens when we hit top-gear. It's still early days, but the future does look bright with this team. Well done boys!

Results in Group A

Bintang Baru 1 - Youngster United 0

OXA 0 - Ramblers 4

Final addition

Before the transfer deadline for the Chinese League, we managed to secure the services of Alex... a big, towering centre-back that's sure to scare the sh*t outta the opposition. He carried himself quite well in his first match with us on Saturday in a friendly (which we drew 2-2). While management has decided to keep him on the bench for the first game in order to acclimatise himself with the rest of the squad, we can't wait to "unleash" him for the upcoming games. Welcome aboard Alex! Errr... the pic ain't the Alex we signed, but he sure comes close.

Our Chinese League 2008 fixtures

Our Chinese League fixtures will be as follows:

Sept 23 (Tuesday) - versus OXA

Sept 29 (Monday) - versus Song Boon

Oct 07 (Tuesday)- versus Youngster United 'A'

Oct 17 (Friday) - versus Bintang Baru

All matches will kick-off at 1730hrs.

Here we were at the Daerah Timur-Laut match versus Sri Mersing. We won this game 2-0

The Adventure is about to begin

Our participation in the upcoming Chinese League 2008 starts next Tuesday with a potentially tricky encounter with OXA at Polo Ground field, 1730 hrs. Let's hope we kick-off this year's campaign with a good result. The team seems ready & everyone's excited... just hope we can bring that energy onto the field and perhaps give them a good game. And hopefully our manager, Michael remembers to bring some refreshments... and some cheerleaders. Haha..