Ramblers Through To 2nd Successive Quarter-Final!

Please click on the image for a larger view in order to read the Report

Pre-Chinese League Friendlies

Friendly #1

Ramblers Vs Macallum

Date: Wed., Sept. 2nd, 2009

Venue: Padang Polo

Result: Ramblers 3 - Macallum 1

Scorers: Seng, Chard, Wei

Friendly #2

Ramblers Vs CRC Veterans

Date: Fri., Sept. 4th, 2009

Venue: CRC

Result: Ramblers 5 - CRC Veterans 1

Scorers: Sin (X3), Derek, Ah Or

Friendly #3

Ramblers Vs Timoran

Date: Sat., Sept. 12th, 2009

Venue: Penang Free School

Result: Ramblers 1 - Timoran 2

Scorers: Keon

Friendly #4

Ramblers Vs PYFC

Date: Sat., Sept. 19th , 2009

Venue: Penang Free School

Results: Ramblers 4 - PYFC 1

Scorers: Keon, Benni

Friendly #5

Ramblers Vs Inpro SC

Date: Sun., Sept. 27th 2009

Venue: Teknik School

Results: Ramblers 2 - Inpro SC 3

Scorers: Poay, Benni

Edged Out In Extra Time

Ramblers were finally halted at the semi-final stage of the Chinese Super League by Inpro SC, thus denying them a first Final appearance at City Stadium. It was a heart-breaking moment in a dull match but Inpro dealt the decisive blow 5 minutes into extra-time when a through ball sent their striker clean on goal and he kept his nerve to place the ball low and hard beyond the keeper. Surprisingly, Ramblers failed to produce their usual never-say-die attitude and as the minutes ticked away, Inpro knew that the 1-0 result was enough and defended stoutly. For Ramblers, it was another disappointing result as their semis curse struck yet again. Will they ever appear in a Final? We would like to think they will. But in the mean time, there is obviously lots of work to be done for the boys in blue before we can see that being a reality. And the upcoming Chinese League represents the best occasion to prove that they deserve a Final appearance.

Final Score:

Ramblers 0 - Penang Chinese Sports Club (Inpro SC) 1

Ramblers Triumphs On Penalties

Ramblers emerged victorious and booked themselves a semi-final date with Penang Chinese Sports Club at the USM Stadium this Wednesday by prevailing 3-2 in a tense penalty shoot-out after both teams played out a 0-0 draw.

On a wet and muddy pitch, the referees were reluctant to go ahead with the match but after consulting the managers of the 2 teams decided it would proceed as planned. Injuries and suspension of several players forced management to reorganize the Ramblers line-up with Poay filling in at sweeper together with Puga as his defensive partner, staying in front of stand-in keeper Adrian and pushing libero Chard up to midfield.

The match started sluggishly as both teams adapted to the soft and unplayable conditions of the Teknik pitch, with players slipping and sliding everywhere. The water puddles on the field were making it difficult for our speedy wingers Keon and Ming but proved lucky for the defense as a sloppy tackle from Poay let in the Anak Malaysia striker to drill a shot low pass Adrian. However, to the custodian's relief, the ball got stuck on the water puddle just on the line! Chard came in to clear and in doing so had a brief altercation with their star-striker Mynn whom also slided in to try and push the ball beyond the line. The referee intervened and when order was restored had blown for a free-kick.

The second-half didn't go any better and so it was inevitable that it had to be down to penalties to decide the winner although Chard was sent-off for a reckless challenge. Benni stepped-up to take the first but their keeper guessed correctly and palmed away his effort much to the shock of Rambler's regular penalty taker. Thankfully, Anak Malaysia's first attempt was also off target as their kicker ballooned it inches off the top left corner. Sin and Poay scored the next two just as Anak Malaysia converted theirs. And when Keon missed his, it was a going to be a tense finale. But the overwhelming support of the Ramblers bench for their keeper Adrian reverbated throughout the pitch as players from De'Butterfly and Macallum whom had finished their game also came over to watch. Everyone including those who did not get to feature like Aaron, Au, Tee Oon, Max, Michael and the injured Chris as well as the fasting Man showed great character and had got behind their stand-in custodian unselfishly. And it helped as the rapturous support put-off the takers attempt and Adrian dived correctly to push out his kick. Puga then converted his to the delight of the men in black. And as nerve-wrecking moments go, Adrian then saved the last kick from Anak Malaysia to help send his team through to the semi-finals and ensuring a first feature for Ramblers in a stadium.

Final Result:

Ramblers 0 - Anak Malaysia 0

(Ramblers won 3-2 on penalties)

Come On Guys!

Let's face it. We're just not good enough. I didn't say we aren't good... just not good enough. At least for the moment. I mean, come on, we have more luck hitting the posts and side netting than actually putting the ball where it should be.. in the back of the net! And we've been conceding almost at will!

We've had some great inclusions to the team this season, namely Man and Puga. In addition, we've successfully maintained the squad from last year as well. And nobody can deny that we've played some pretty awesome games this year; Bomba, Tanjung Bungah Rangers, Kampung Makam, Inpro, and the list goes on, every member of the team weighing in with their own contributions. But at the most critical moments, we have always fallen.

And everytime we fail, these are the most common things you will hear:

“The referee was bias”

“We played a good game. Just no luck lar”

“The defence was weak”

“Keeper should have saved that 2nd one”

“He should have put that into the net”

“The tactic was off”

Aren't you sick of the excuses? - Well, I am.

This article isn't aimed at berating anyone. Nor do I want to highlight our shortcomings. Nope. That wasn't my intention. I think we're all big enough to realize that ourselves. But there's also absolutely no point in trying to mask things as they are.

As in any team, we all want to move forward. And we should! This squad has the best potential to accomplish great things. ALL our players will easily walk into any other team, save maybe CRC. Our commitment and desire in games are unmatched, our fighting spirit – unbelievable. No team in their right mind would want to face us. So we should be more than just luckless losers. We deserve better! Much better.

I know that some of you (including myself) might have grievances with management and fellow players about a lot of things. Some don't get enough playing time. Some have issues with tactics. Some are under-rated. Some are played out of position. And some are not played at all! But I believe that management always tries to do their best to accommodate each player's needs according to the situation(s). And sometimes we might not agree with their decisions. I think it happens in every team from Manchester to CCFC. However, we should also bear in mind that they are not perfect and are also subjected to the same mistakes as any other person. Don't you agree? To be fair, Michael's done a fantastic job so far by making sure our schedules are correct, the jerseys are washed, the medical kit is sufficient, and all our players are informed for games (although there were the occasional missing SMS to some players!)

But despite all of that, it is us, the players, who ultimately determines the outcome of a game and the destiny of a club. And this year's Chinese League in September is the best occasion to make that happen; to be Champions. We were semi-finalists last year and ever since then we have only grown in strength. Sadly our results this year reflect otherwise. And although a LOT of people have their own ideas as to why it's happened, we only have ourselves to blame – we win as a team, we loose as a team, doesn't matter if you started, were subbed-in or you stood by the sidelines supporting. The truth is, we lacked the killer edge, we took too long to make that pass, we hesitated in front of goal, we allowed the ball to bounce, and we didn't mark the opponent tightly enough. It wasn't the referees, nor was it the pitch, or the tactics. We just didn't take our chances and we gave the opponents theirs.

After the Chinese League, some players might leave for better playing time, others might have job commitments, and there are those who would be furthering their studies. By fate, we were brought together as a team and we definitely rocked the status quo – CRC were shocked, Inpro were beaten, Kampung Makam had a real fright. So I say we put aside our differences and ego, learn from our mistakes, swallow our pride, and fight as a TEAM for that cup because this year might be our last as an original squad, and we sure as hell deserve it. I hope that everyone will stay on for this tournament for Penang might never see a better team than this one for a long, long time to come.