Thursday, July 26, 2007

everyone's so busy

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

match report
score: swai-ji 3 el lobos 1
scorers: zhipeng 1
attendance: 28.000

report: huikai took longer than expected, so here's what happened.

if we were to delve into details of the match, i would be woefully shorthanded. the truth is, the team attacked well in the opening ten minutes, zp missed three glorious chances, and that was about it. other than two opportunities spurned by jx near the end, the team did not threatened as much as a two goal deficit might have suggested.


just a summary of the goals (80 mins played):

oppo goal 1 (22 min): swai-ji forward gets the ball. 1-on-1 situation with wee theng. thengz in two minds whether to commit or not, and the forward clinically finishes.

oppo goal 2 (37 min): didn't catch it clearly, but looked like a fast break which caught our forwards off-guard.

zhipeng's goal (60+min): blocked by a sea of bodies; all i can remember is the ball hitting the back of the net, zhipeng pumping his fist into the air. and the initial feeling of relief.

oppo goal (73 min): swai-ji big man loops ball over wee leong. game set.


it should have been over long ago in fact. the loss stinks, and it's the second in the row. but that's the least of our worries.

other than the usual trio of players who couldn't make it for various reasons, two very crucial elements in confidence and energy were clearly missing. yes, the opposition was very physical and manhandled the players throughout the game. but on the energy level we were found wanting thoughout the entire match. offhand, five players did not have five hours of sleep, and who do we blame?

will try and work things out. hope you guys are with me on this. even with tay out of the equation, the team play gives little hope for the future. there's too much quality to be wasted like this.

manofthematch: wee theng
to his credit the dude never gave up. not saying that anyone slacked, which definitely wasn't the case, but i saw him go up again and again against that big guy with a look of fierce determination, devoid of any resignation one would have expected and not scorned.

moanofthematch: same dude
whatever his problem is, it's definitely chronic.

conclusion: another time perhaps.

Monday, July 02, 2007

friendly on 8th july, sunday
venue: NIE futsal court
match time: 0900
water parade: 0845
opponents: swai-ji

last result: loss (4-5)

our first loss. need i say more?

currentsituation: apparently yes. we've got a couple of injured players, and some very busy people. but i'm sure the six of us who played the last match would liked to see some defenders turn up. we've got four, dammit, and the one who came (leo) was the keeper. if cong hadn't played a great match, we would have died.

right now, the confirmed list includes bob, cj, thengz, weeleong, zp, liangfa. lack of firepower not a dire issue now, nor is the defence needing an urgent fix. leo will be turning up, but having camp the day before means he is incapable of playing a full match. sum has family priorities, but has stated that he will try to make it. assuming that huikai and liangfa turns up, we have a more complete team for once.

tay wanted to try out his knee, which could have spelt a revival. but latest news has it that he is headed for thailand. yewtze has family commitments, and will give this match a miss.

despite the absence of two key players, the defence is reinforced by the presence of more defensive specialist, and it might be a positive result for us this time round.

don't think our new striker on trial will be present on the day itself. at any rate, there are ample replacements. huikai will be looking to add on to his impressive turn-outs.

opposition: they are committed, fast and very physical. zp needs to get the better of his aj senior at the back. their full backs like to run up the flanks, hence the forwards might need to help out in closing them down.

pity sum's not confirmed coming. their strikers are opportunists, and need to be handled asap, whether technically or physically. cj might need to defend once again, as yewtze had trouble handling the big men in the middle.

conclusion: would have loved to be available for this one. the team is more balanced now. on paper should be a more favourable game.

probable line-up: wee leong, wee theng, congjing, bobby, huikai, zhipeng