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...
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
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!
Monday, October 27, 2008
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...
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...
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
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!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
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.
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.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
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
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
Monday, October 13, 2008
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
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
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
Saturday, October 4, 2008
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.
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.
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