Azlan Misron: I want gold..

SEASONED campaigner Azlan Misron (pic) is a man of few words, as he prefers to do the talking on the pitch, but yesterday he broke the taboo with a fired up message for his mates who will be playing in the World League Round Two in Singapore on Jan 17-25.
  Azlan, who has represented Malaysia for the last 14 years with a whopping 346 caps, wants his mates to give their all and erase all embarrassing 2014 records.
  "Coach (Tai) Beng Hai has selected the best players and the team is mantap (solid) and we will be out to erase our embarrassing 2014 record which saw many bickering and in-fights which led to poor results on the pitch.
  "I believe all the problems have been sorted out, and even though the MHC (Malaysian Hockey Confederation) has set a top-two target in Singapore, my personal target is a gold medal," said the 31 year-old Azlan
  2014 saw  the worst of Malaysian hockey on and off the pitch, as player-power, star players, bungling officials, fighting coaches -- all led to a string of disastrous tournaments with the climax being when they lost 4-2 to 29th ranked Trinidad and Tobago at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
  "That is all the past, and I am looking for a new beginning as the New Year is still fresh, to bring about drastic changes in the minds of our supporters by winning gold an the Singapore World League and qualify for the World League Semi-finals with dignity," said Azlan.
  Azlan will also break a Malaysian hockey caps record, as he looks set to play in all six matches in Singapore to take his tally to 350.
  Last year, the Perak-born played to form in the World Cup as well as the Asian Games, but was let down by some poor play from his mates.
  "This time around we have a very good understanding and by going into the tournament as top-seeds (ranked 13th in World) we need to keep our reputation intact and what better way than win the gold medal.
  "Having said that, we are not overconfident playing against lower ranked teams, but are confident with our own capabilities this time around," said Azlan.
   Malaysia only have Oman (22nd), Ukraine (24th) and Singapore (36th) for company in Group A. In Group B are Japan (14th), Poland, (18th), Bangladesh (30th) and Mexico (35th).
  The top-three teams in Singapore will advance to the World League Semi-finals at either Argentina or Belgium where tickets to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics await.

JOHN LENNON IMAGINE....

Poles make early claim..

POLAND are dead serious to claim the World League Round Two crown in Singapore on Jan 17-25.
  And they have left no stone unturned as before coming to Malaysia on Dec 27, as they played matches in Belgium and Spain and their youthful team did not disappoint manager Tomasz Cichy.
  "We want to win the tournament and have been to Belgium and Spain to play matches before heading to Malaysia for acclimatization. We have a team with an average age of 24, and they have been improving steadily.
  "Possibly, we will meet Malaysia either in the semi-finals of final, and we are ready for them," said Cichy.
  Three teams from the Singapore tournament will advance to the World League Semi-finals in either Belgium or Argentina. The Semi-finals offer three teams from each venue to qualify for the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics.
  But fourth or fifth placed teams in both the WL Semi-finals also have a chance to play in Rio, provided teams which have already qualified by winning their continental championships finish among the medallists.
  Malaysia, who finished fifth in the WL Semi-finals in Johor Baru, got the chance to play in the Netherlands World Cup on this continental clause.
  The stakes in Singapore are high as top seeded Malaysia, ranked 13th in the World, only have Oman (22nd), Ukraine (24th) and Singapore (36th) for company in Group A. Poland, ranked 18th, are in Group B with Japan (14th), Bangladesh (30th) and Mexico (35th).
  But Malaysia are well known to crumble when playing lower ranked teams like the 4-2 defeat in the hands of World No 29th ranked Papua New Guinea in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
  Malaysia played two friendlies against the Poles, and the result was not encouraging as the Poles greased the hosts to a 4-4 draw then a 4-3 win.
  However, Malaysia had more than 10 scoring chances in both the matches, and according to goalkeeper S. Kumar: "We should have won by a 10-goal margin if not for poor shooting in the semi-circle, and this is what we can't afford in Singapore."
  That, could be coach Tai Beng Hai's biggest challenge when he plots the downfall of minnows in the Group stages.
  All eight teams qualify for the quarter-finals, and if Malaysia play to their seeding, they should top Group A and play either Bangladesh or Mexico in the last eight.
  In the semi-finals, either Japan or Poland are expected to be the hurdle.

WORLD LEAGUE ROUND TWO
SINGAPORE -- JAN 17-25

GROUP A: Malaysia, Oman, Ukraine, Singapore.
GROUP B: Japan, Poland, Bangladesh, Mexico.


FIXTURES (Malaysian time):
  Jan 17: Group A: Malaysia v Ukraine (5.30pm), Oman v Singapore

(8pm); Group B: Japan v Bangladesh (9am), Poland v Mexico (3pm).
  Jan 18: Group B: Bangladesh v Mexico (3pm), Poland v Japan (5.30pm).
  Jan 19: Group A: Ukraine v Singapore (3pm), Oman v Malaysia

(5.30pm).
  Jan 20: Group A: Ukraine v Oman (5.30pm), Malaysia v Singapore

(8pm); Group B: Japan v Mexico (9am), Bangladesh v Poland (3pm).
  Jan 21: REST DAY
  Jan 22: Quarter-finals
  Jan 23: Fifth-Eighth
  Jan 24: Semi-finals
  Jan 25: Final and placing matches.

Baljit back in the fold..

BALJIT SINGH Charun (pic) was the surprise inclusion when national coach Tai Beng Hai named his 18 for the World League Round Two in Singapore on Jan 17-25.
  Baljit was left out in the cold last year, as he was dropped from the World Cup as well as the Asian Games and only played in the Commonwealth Games.
  The squad, to be led by penalty corner flicker and defender Razie Rahim, have been tasked to finish top-two in Singapore as there teams will get the chance to play in the World League Semi-finals where tickets to the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics await.
  "We have selected the best and the target is for the team to enter the final as only three teams will play in the next qualifier either in Argentina or Belgium," said Malaysia Hockey Confederation (MHC) vice-president Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad.
  Beng Hai again reiterated that the tournament will start at the semi-finals stage for his players.
  "We should make the semi-finals, where the actual tournament will start as we need to make it into the final and claim the World League Semi-finals ticket early.
  "And as the top-ranked team in the tournament, the target is achievable," said Beng Hai.
  Malaysia are in Group A with Oman, Ukraine and Singapore while in Group B are Japan, Poland, Bangladesh and Singapore.
  All eight teams qualify for the quarter-finals, and Malaysia must finish as group champions to play against likely opponents Bangladesh of Mexico.
  Seasoned goalkeeper S. Kumar, who helped Malaysia qualify for the last World Cup by being a pillar in the penalty shoot-out against Japan in the World League Semi-finals, had a word of caution.
  "I am ready to help the country qualify for the next round, but my mates and I know that lower ranked teams are no longer push-overs and we need to subdue them in the first two quarters by scoring as many goals as possible.
  "If not, they grow in confidence and will be difficult to handle in the next two quarters," said Kumar.
  His caution is timely, as Malaysia did take Trinidad and Tobago lightly in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and suffered a humiliating 4-2 defeat in the hand of the minnows.
  Baljit, after being sidelined by previous coaches, has the full backing of Beng Hai.
  "I ready to play for the country again, and give my best to take the team to the next level. I missed the World Cup, so my next dream is to play in the Rio Olympics," said Baljit.
  Baljit was an unfortunate casualty last year, as after helping Malaysia finish fifth in the World League Semi-finals and qualifying for the World Cup, he was bundled out of the team unceremonially and missed a lifetime chance to play in The Netherlands.
   TEAM: Goalkeepers: S. Kumar, Roslan Jamaluddin; Defenders: Azlan Misron, Baljit Singh Charun, Sukri Mutalib, Izad Hakimi, Razie Rahim; Midfielders: Shahrun Nabil, Faiz Helmi, Meor Azuan, Fitri Saari, Marhan Jalil, Nabil Fiqri; Forwards: Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin, Faizal Saari, Izwan Firdaus, Firhan Ashaari, Haziq Samsul.