Lissek slams players for erratic play

26/03/2003

THE Malaysian team came under heavy overnight shelling from coach Paul
Lissek for raising the white flag just minutes after New Zealand fired
their first salvo in the battle for the Azlan Shah Cup.
The 18 players were accused of making a mockery of their home, their
tournament and deserting their fans despite undergoing months of
preparation and three mock battles against Pakistan.
A furious Lissek literally flung the tactical file folder at the players
during the half-time briefing, which sparked them to pick up the tempo in
the second half, but by that time the Kiwis had dug deep and the war was
lost with two matches in hand.
What is wrong with the Malaysian team? Why are they so unpredictable?
What, if anything, motivates them?
Nobody in the local hockey circle has a clue and Lissek is almost at
breaking point trying to understand their pusillanimous stance.
Lissek was 30 minutes late for the post-match Press conference because
he was ambushed on the way by Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) president
Sultan Azlan Shah. The normally cool German emerged visibly disturbed and
had to dig deep for excuses.
"Most of the players are not physically fit, and that is the main reason
why we lost the first two matches (2-0 against South Korea and 4-2 against
New Zealand)," said Lissek.
Who is to be blamed for that? None other than Lissek himself because
that is part of his work - to ensure the players are ready in every aspect
after so much time and money has been spent on them.
"Roslan (Jamaluddin, goalkeeper) is not fit enough because he skipped a
large number of our training sessions and that is why I did not field him
in the two matches and opted for Kumar even though he lacks match
experience," said Lissek.
"I gave Kumar a big break but he was a letdown and now I have to field
Roslan for the match against Pakistan (today)."
Those who have been following the team closely feel that the boys were
tired of the three-times-a-day video sessions prescribed by the German
coach. They also feel that he is concentrating too much on the newcomers,
while the old hands are left to their own devices.
"I will have to do more research to find out why the players looked like
they had rocks tied to their feet in the first 15 minutes against New
Zealand but yet could play excellent hockey in the second half. I have
much work to do, because we have crucial Olympic and World Cup qualifiers
in the next 12 months," said Lissek.
Strangely, Lissek still feels that his players lack exposure, even
though a majority of them have played in the World Cup, the Champions
Challenge, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.
The battle-experienced players are the ones who have been playing very
badly in the Azlan Shah Cup. S. Kuhan, Nor Azlan Bakar, Chairil Anwar,
Chua Boon Huat, Tajol Rosli and Keevan Raj have seen action at every
level, but they were the big disappointments and struggled to keep pace
with the less experienced players in the team.
Malaysia meet Pakistan today and only a miracle can help our lads
because Shahnaz Sheikh's players have been very deadly in front of goal.
But the Malaysian players are as unpredictable as ever so don't be
surprised if there is a marked improvement in their play today.
(END)