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.