Three months to rectify three problems..

By Jugjet Singh
jugjet@nstp.com.my

The three elements needed now for the Azlan Shah Cup in February, and then the Olympic Qualifier on March 11-18 in Dublin are a strong minded-skipper who can rally his men to hold onto a winning lead, make sure with sitters, and don’t give away unwarranted penalty corners.

AFTER a roller-coaster show in the Champions Challenge I in Johannesburg, the Malaysian Hockey team will be in for the ride of their lives when they play in the Olympic Qualifiers in March.
In Africa, Malaysia played like they were in holiday in the first three group matches which saw them lose 3-1 to Canada, draw 2-2 with Japan and got clobbered 5-2 by Argentina.
But it could be due to the format of play, which guaranteed a quarter-finals slot for all eight-teams, irrespective of their group matches.
Malaysia placed all their hopes in that one quarter-finals match, and lost 5-4 to India after letting in a golden goal.
There was more classy play after that which saw them beat Japan 2-1, and then Poland 3-0 to finish fifth and claim the next ticket to the Champions Challenge I.
The most promising display was from 25-year-old Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, a product of the 2005 Junior World Cup coached by former skipper Sarjit Singh.
But sadly most of Tengku’s mates from that era have mostly vanished from the scene, and among those who are still donning national colours are Baljit Singh, Shukri Mutalib and Razie Rahim.
And to be fair, all three of them were only impressive in patches, and did not display their true potential, like Tengku, in any on the matches.
The biggest disappointment was defender Baljit, who has never failed to impress in all the previous tournaments with his never-say-die attitude, but in Africa, he was just going through the motions -- and gave away many easy turn-overs which troubled goalkeepers Roslan Jamaluddin and S. Kumar.
Amin Rahim, always can be relied to score off penalty corners in every tournament, was also not his usual self. He gave away more penalty corners as a flat-footed defender, than the three goals he scord in the Challenge.
Maybe in the Azlan Shah Cup in February, coach Tai Beng Hai should inform Amin to stay above the 25-yard line at all times, as his skills as a defender is surely lacking for him to be present in the semi-circle and give away penalty corners on a platter.
From the younger 2009 Junior World Cup brigade, Faizal Saari missed many crucial sitters in the early matches, but made up with three goals which helped Malaysia beat Japan and Poland.
The coach should train the immensely talented youngster with powerful drives, reverse and front, to hold back a little when he aims for the goal-mouth, as he lacks accuracy.
In the Dublin Qualifiers, which only offer one ticket to the London 2012 Olympics, missing sitters and giving away penalty corners should be at the very minimal level, unlike in Africa where the two crucial elements were aplenty.
If not, South Korea and Ireland as well as Russia, Chile and Ukraine would suddenly turn into unbeatable sides in the Olympic Qualifier.
The three elements needed now for the Azlan Shah Cup in February, and then the Olympic Qualifier on March 11-18 in Dublin are a strong minded-skipper who can rally his men to hold onto a winning lead, make sure with sitters, and don’t give away unwarranted penalty corners.
If this three elements can be nurtured in the next three months, this batch of players will not only qualify for the Olympics, but finish among the top-six in London next year.
But sadly, easier said than done...