Tuesday, September 30, 2008
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
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
Monday, September 29, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
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
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
Monday, September 22, 2008
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.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
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..
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