Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Kedah, Holland and Mindef

Wearing a Galatasaray jersey given by my brother-in-law Azam, I made my fourth appearance on TV9's breakfast talk show Nasi Lemak Kopi O last Sunday.
Fellow guest was Selangor coach Dollah Salleh.



While the topic centred on the ongoing Euros, it was natural for compere Yatt (left) to congratulate Kedah on their 3-2 victory over Selangor in the FA Cup final the night before.



It was a double blow for Dollah, for he is an avid fan of the Dutch team, who were shown the exit by Russia in the Euro2008 quarterfinals hours earlier.

I said the Selangor defence were too generous in giving acres of space for the Canaries to wreak havoc. Even without topscorer Marlon Alex James and Cornelius Bernard Hugging or fondly known as Outlaw, Kedah proved to be deserving winners. To me, the final was the perfect advert for the local game. It had drama, a red card, five goals including one penalty and a controversial save on the line. What more can you ask? But surely you can't expect our teams to perform anywhere near the Russians.

I was surprised by the outcome of the Russia-Netherlands match but since it is universally accepted that Guus Hiddink is a master tactician, underestimate Russia at your own peril!



While waiting for our turn to take the stage, I chatted with a lady colonel who was accompanying her boss, Brig Gen Anuar Sabtu, Director of Education, Malaysian Armed Forces, to talk about the Army. Kol Fadzlette Othman Merican Idris Merican is no stranger to the Press. She is the Mindef Public Relations Deputy Director.

"Akak jemput datang ke media night Mindef, 30 Jun nanti. Jangan tak datang ya," said the colonel.

6 comments:

JALAN REBUNG said...

SALAM BRO,

seriously ..what is your comment of the final last weekend ..I would say ..a big anti-climax ...well I supposed the same goes to almost all the final matches we've had for the past 10 or more years ...

Not sure how to solve the problem (I'll leave that to you ..Mr football expert..hehhe). How about Gus Hiddink ...to coach the national team ...hehehehe

Anonymous said...

Kudos to the Turks. So myself and my kid wore Turkish colors the whole of Saturday hahahaha!! But I got my Galatasaray la. Never thot of having Turks' all these time. Maybe should get one from Pertama Complex.

Anyway, what la Selangor? Apa lagi yg tak kena ni? One to one pun failed? Gaping goal pun tak boleh nak head bola tu masuk? Against ten man pulak tu. But take nothing away from the Canaries. One import, a few President Cuppers and yet the not-so-red Giants got dumped at...H-O-M-E!!!

But thank you coach Dollah for fielding a team of not-so-well-known players. A good sign. At least these kidz are getting the exposure. Hopefully they'll apply the experience in the near future. I dont quite miss not going to the gigantic stadium but maybe these boyz can make me change my mind soon.

Turkiye in the Final anybody?

rizal hashim said...

Jalan rebung,

Aiyah, getting Hiddink here also will not solve our immediate woes.

Seriously, it was a good match because Selangor allowed Kedah the space to play. But credit is due to Kedah, they have a team of young and pacey footballers. Their future is bright. They will continue to dominate the local scene for years to come.

Question is, can players like Fadly Baharom, Shafiq Jamal, Baddrol Bakhtiar step up to the plate in the international scene?

Can they play with the same level of confidence, control and speed against opponents of true pedigree?

If you ask me, let's focus on winning the SEA Games or the AFF Cup, nothing more, nothing less.

rizal hashim said...

Wak Nihat Arjun,

During the 80s, the Turks were Europe's whipping boys. Then they began to open up and allow foreign coaches to ply their trade there and impart their knowledge.

Gradually they began to create an impression at club level, and later the international stage.

Clubs like Fener, Gala and Trabzonspor have always been tough nuts to crack in europe. Foreign pros began to pitch their tent in Istanbul and the Bosphorus. Then they began to export their talent.

Mix them with players of Turkish ancestry but born and nurtured through a system elsewhere, Turkey possess the formula. The challenge is to maintain their consistency.

But my pick for the final is Germany and Russia.

Spain is no doubt the better team man for man but Russia's march is gathering momentum and any football purist would love for the surprise package to go all the way.

In my earlier posting I predicted either Germany or Holland would be in the final. I hope it becomes a reality.

Anonymous said...

Lama tak jumpa the mejar. She is as nice as always eh...

Anonymous said...

Why wasn't the Kedah keeper given a red card for the blatant foul (penalty)?...He wasn't even cautioned! Or was he? I takde kat Stadium just watched it on TV and dengar komentar Hasbullah Awang which was rubbish!