A Bright Win Over the Dark Shirts

When you turn up for a Ramblers Orange friendly, you never know who is going to turn up - for the starting eleven or the opposition! You just receive this sms from Michael asking you to confirm your attendence and then you see what happens. So when I turned up on Saturday, it was a relief to see that Ramblers were warming up properly by playing 'monkey' because there was a slight dread of fear when I saw the opposition - the first division team and hard tackling nuts that are Timoran. (We will feature in Division 3 this year.)

However we should have nothing to fear from the team in black. After all our last game against them ended in 2-1 loss but we were not outplayed a month ago. It was only individual mistakes that cost us that game and the team were focused on a positive result this time round. And this time we got it!

Jocelyn modelling the bibs that Ramblers wore. A return to the team's root colour yielded a victory of equally sunny disposition.

One of the best first half performances from Ramblers Orange since I joined the team allowed us to go into the break with a one goal lead. The midfield trio of Jason, Derek and debutant Sukor gave no time at all to their two centre midfielders which forced them to go wide. However Keon was working overtime to deny them space on the left whilst Wes Brown ripped the left back to pieces several times on the right. If only he had crossed or shot accurately, Orange Ramblers might have been three goals to the good at half time. But Wes Brown made no mistake with his head after Heng's free kick was pushed out by the goalkeeper. The team might have killed him if he had missed most five yards out! Cherk came close to doubling our lead from the opposite side with a long free kick that bounced off the bar.

Timoran found Wes Brown's weakness (defending!) and attacked down his side much to Max's consternation but to the senior man's credit, he buckled down and launched some crunching tackles. Cherk and Fajar were also playing well in defence (the latter somehow ending near the opposition's corner flag during an attacking move!) but Kugan was providing anxious moments for the management and supporterswith his lack of contact on Timoran's diagonal balls. There were 3 swings of the right boot, 3 misses of the match ball and fortunately 3 lack of shots by Timoran strikers but it was a note of warning - the game wasn't over.

However coming into the half time break, we knew we had done a good job - it was a matter of the rest of the squad doing the same in the 2nd half as the substitutions rolled on. Sukor's debut could have featured 2 assists as he displayed accuracy and swerve with his crossing from the right - Heng's bullet head flew wide of the near post whilst nobody was able to connect with the 2nd cross several minutes later.

But with the orders and midfield discipline of Derek off the pitch, Timoran slowly moved the ball through midfield with more fluency. As Sukor neglected his central midfield role and Siang being caught upfield, Jason was soon finding himself with a lot to do. Fortunately he had the rock solid KDU central defensive partnership of Fajar & Kugan behind him. The tall man displayed a solid Vidic-esque performance in the second 35 minutes after a nervy first half with man of the match Fajar looking as usual like the ball was glued to his foot. Our goalkeeper, Chris, had very little to do - he had to catch the odd long through ball but all in all, it was a surprisingly stress free game for him.

Surely the most underrated player in the Ramblers Orange squad, Michael, also gave Timoran no room to maneuver at left back whilst Tee Oon found himself exposed with Wes Brown's wanderings on the right. It was from this position that Timoran gave us a reminder of their quality - a curling right foot shot pinged off the upright - and it was also a reminder for us to finish off matches when we have the upper hand. Playing well and losing is the same result as playing badly and losing after all.

Football just isn't about Messi Magic. A long scar from the Butterfly team is now joined by a stud mark from a Timoran midfielder. However these probably weren't as bad as what Sukor got - a frontal kick to the groin! OUCH!

Overall it was a performance that members of the management team could be well satisfied with. A quality team beaten and outplayed for most of the 70 minutes & a solid defensive display from all who patrolled the back line, it only lacked a killer goal and more midfield discipline in the 2nd half. Pei, who represented Timoran today, must have wished he was wearing an orange bib! With Keong, Adrian, Arson, Ming and Wei missing from the matchday squad, the future bodes well for Ramblers - if they can continue to sustain this level of performance.

(written by Reporter Derek)

Two Games, Two Days, Two Wins.

Click on the link to lead you to your desired match report:

vs Butterfly on Valentines Day.

vs CRC Veterans on the day before roses got expensive.

4-5-1

The 4-5-1 is gaining a place in the modern game and is sometimes used by a lot of professional teams today.

Four defenders leaves plenty of cover at the back, whilst the team should have no trouble in dominating the midfield with five midfielders (wide-men in Keon and Ming and a trio of any of the following: Derek, Jason, Siang, Poay, Au, Benni, Max). Yet with only one striker, usually Brown or Heng, it can be difficult to finish off any attacks and this lone striker may find it a little tricky to carry the team on his own up front. So when teams play this formation, they'll often make one of the midfielders go up and support the striker when the team is attacking so that in effect he simply ends up playing off the striker for some of the game. However, our central midfielders are rarely running into space or playing off Brown/Heng for that matter, which ends up with either 2 of the following scenarios:

1. the strikers are dispossessed by the opposition Stopper and Sweeper

OR

2. they are forced to play the ball out wide to the wide midfielders (Keon or Ming)

The first ending will eventually tire out our striker and the midfielders as they regroup to regain possession time-and-time again. Even passing it out wide for our wide-men to get a cross-in would logically yield little results as usually the opposition defence will crowd out our threat of only 2 men in the box! Central midfielders must take the initiative to run into space or be ready to attack the ball as it's floated in from out wide. A reason why this is important is because opposition defenders will be caught by surprise from the attacking midfielder as he is charging into the area.

This formation, if applied with Zonal Cover tactics (i.e. players are assigned and are responsible for their zones), should serve us well as we will have a balanced midfield that's (theoratically) organized and is rarely out of shape... maintaining adequate cover when attacking and defending while not tiring out our midfielders easily. One other point to note is that the wide midfielders will have an option of passing the ball back to a central midfielder while running into space behind the full-back or just dragging the full-back wide to stretch the defence.

(some parts of this article was taken from www.how2playsoccer.com)

Ramblers Throw It Away on Chap Goh Meh Eve.

On a fine day at Technic college ground, Ramblers met FBN after a previous day's showdown with the team's management. Whilst some players asked for a change in organisation, they probably didn't mean that the manager should forget to bring all the balls! Max elected to got with a 4-5-1 formation with the pacy wingers, Keon and Ming, down the wing and the passing trio of Jason, Au and Derek in the middle of midfield supporting the lone man, Heng up front. The defence saw the new partnership of Chard and Keong in the centre with Tee Oon and Michael on both flanks whilst manager Michael kept his white shirt in goal.

It was a quick start from the visiting team as they quickly got into their stride against a FBN team who hadn't warmed up properly. Ramblers looked to play a more deliberate patient game and it seemed to work to an extent as they gained a succession of corners. It was from this source that the goals came from - Michael was given the ball on the left side of the penalty area and he curled in a wonderous shot that ended up in the top right corner. Heng's goal was just as impressive as he volleyed a ball straight from Ming's corner kick. Premiership strikers would have been proud to have these shots captured on camera.

There shouldn't have been any way back for the FBN but Ramblers were welcoming guests as Chinese New Year drew to a close. Their short pacy striker had already threatened several times on the left as he raced across the back line and he really didn't need any more help with some terrible passes by the defence and the old ball going under the feet of several midfield players. Jason in particular looked a bit match rusty at times and this carried through to the rest of the midfield which looked a little bit nervous.

Michael had already saved a one on one but he couldn't stop a neat finish after aforementioned pacy striker ran between our centre halves to collect a ball that had previously threatened our defence several times. For all of Ramblers dominance, they could only carry a one goal lead into the half time break.

With seven players on the bench, there were many changes and the second half saw a revived Ramblers coming out in the 2nd half as they started the 1st - on the attack -in particular down the right. Keon's shots were pushed around the post twice as he outpaced the defence to get onto Benny's through balls whilst Derek failed to put away his chance when he returned on the pitch. However Siang showed them that accuracy was more important than power as he went on a mazy cross field run before passing the ball into the bottom right hand corner and again, it felt as if Ramblers couldn't possibly lose it.

But in the spirit of the Ang Pow giving season, FBN caught us on the break. Three times. Resulting in three goals. It would be enough for an AC Milan coach to tear his hair out but when Ken steered the ball between the new keeper and Chard on the line, it looked to be no more than a consolation. However things looked to be more ominious after Chard was pushed on the half way line whilst challenging for a header but the devilish Ken put a through ball in for another striker to run in between Max and our other new centre half, Ah Seng. The equaliser duly arrived and the game looked to be heading towards an energetic 3-3 draw.

Sadly for Ramblers, Chard looked to be harshly judged as the referee gave a penalty in favour of FBN after a challenge by the centre back. The new keeper dived right but not far enough as FBN completed a comeback worthy of Rafa's team leaving the visitors mystified as to what went on / wrong. Max's post game team talk (which was good!) gave Benny praise for his creative input but lambasted the rest of the midfield for not giving enough cover. Maybe this defeat was good for us in the long run because the manner of the defeat from such a position of strength should cause us to ask questions.

(written by Reporter Derek)

Undone by PSC... AGAIN!

After a week long hiatus, Ramblers were itching to get back into a game. And our opponents for the day was none other than Penang Sports Club (PSC) whom we have always come unstuck against. The last two games against them ended with us losing 3-1 and 6-4 respectively. So, I think the thing that crossed everyone's mind was “is third time's a charm?”

With a first eleven of Chris in goal, a defence consisting of Adrian and Fajar being flanked by Max and Michael,a sparkling central midfield trio of Benni, Poay and Derek, with Ming and Keon on the wings, and striking-supremo Heng as our main man upfront, the team oozed class in all departments. But little did we know that “class” was not balanced by discipline and tactical acumen. Ramblers sent out a team that had more technique than tactics in a game that required both!

The first half was an evenly contested affair with both teams having a go at each other. Poay had a great chance as early as the first minute but dragged his shot just wide. Then Derek's shot got acquainted with the opposition's upright after a clever set-up from Heng. Keon, after a long absence, was proving to be a handful on the left. Poay as usual was his “latino” self with the silky moves and oles; even nutmegging Woon Siang in a smart move at one point. But PSC were also launching numerous attacks of their own with their focal points being Alan their Croatian striker and Woon Siang, Penang's former football captain. But the defence held firm with Max and Michael cutting off their crosses while Fajar and Adrian kept Alan on a tight leash. However, all that was to go to waste. A poor clearance by Fajar allowed PSC to put Alan through on goal, and with our defence caught flat-footed, he duly slotted the ball past an advancing Chris to open the scoring. Then shortly after, with our defence back-pedalling and with no one to close him down, it was Woon Siang's turn to double their lead when he curled in a beauty to Chris' top right corner.

Max aimed to provide some much needed muscle and steel to a very gifted midfield by playing himself as a defensive midfielder while switching Benni to right-back. Aaron also came in at right midfield while Ming was pushed out on the left with Keon taking a breather. Michael C. subbed Chris in goal in the other notable switches. And surprisingly, PSC took a better grip of the game after the re-start with wave after wave of attack being brilliantly thwarted by Michael C. – hand and feet. The much needed muscle and steel was nowhere to be seen although to be fair to Max, he was trying his best with inadequate cover. Our defence was, on the other hand, being stretched to breaking point with our defenders looking jaded and disoriented but holding out with a LOT of luck and desperate tackles. Heng was battling a lone battle upfront with Derek looking unusually subdued. Poay was also beginning to tire out as he dropped deeper and deeper, exposing the midfield to quick and short passess between the PSC players. But football is a funny game and while PSC were looking for that nail in the coffin, Ming's pace and wizardry allowed us to pull a goal back and salvage an already crumbling piece of hope and pride. With a bamboozle and dance, he left his marker for dead, strided to the edge of the box and with what looked like an impossible angle, arrowed his shot into the bottom right hand corner. And with a celebration that mirrored Kaka's, we were wishing that they were related somehow. Unfortunately, PSC closed ranks after that goal and continued to pound our goal like it was Pearl Harbor. Although Ming did have 2 very good free-kicks, I'm afraid that was the best we could muster in a very dispirited 2nd half. In the end, we were outfought, outdone and outplayed, and even class couldn't save us.

Final Score:

PSC 2 – Ramblers 1