SKIPPER Shahrun Nabil has played under many coaches since making his debut in the 2005 Junior World Cup, and feels Paul Revington has the most practical approach.
"The coach is fast changing our mindset, which used to be a big problem in the past because many of us did not believe in ourselves.
"Slowly, he has made us forget our rankings, as well as the rankings of the team which we will play and this has given us confidence needed to pull off upsets," said Shahrun.
Shahrun, 28, with 190 caps, was a fighter from the start, but now looks more composed than in 2005 lad this scribe met while on his training rounds at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Malaysia, under coach Sarjit Singh, were just 60 days shy of the World Cup and sitting on the bench with the fingers of his right hand fully bandaged was Shahrun Nabil.
"It is a sprain of the middle finger," said Shahrun then, but he still insisted on traveling to Europe a few days later to play against club sides, and one training match against the Netherlands national juniors at the Junior World Cup venue.
That was the spirit he had eight years ago, but if somehow fizzled along the years as coaches came and went, but the fire is back in the skipper and his men, and they might just make the impossible possible by first qualifying for Malaysia's only fourth final, and then making a dash for the Cup which has eluded the hosts for 30 years in 21 editions.
