Go For It!

By Poon Fook Loke
(The writer played in the 1975 KL World Cup)

"GO for it!"
Having experienced the frustration of being mere spectators and being left in the cold in the 2006 World Cup in Moenchengladbach, Germany, I believe this Malaysian team are now ready to take on the challenge in the AirAsia men's Asia Cup.
In fact, judging from the quality of the players we have in the squad, it is not impossible to aim for the title if the players are hungry enough and excited by the fact that a title triumph means an automatic place in next year's World Cup.
I am not a fan of the English Premier League but many may recall that Sir Alex Ferguson bravely announced before the EPL kicked off this season that Manchester United would definitely win the championship again.
The reason he gave was that for the first time in pre-season training, he observed something that was never there before -- that every player was hungry for success.
United today are on top with four matches remaining and are also in the Champions League final.
What Tai Beng Hai's players have going for them is international maturity and their exposure stretches back to the past two Junior World Cups -- the last being in 2005 in Rotterdam.
It was in Rotterdam that the team stamped their mark. The most impressive match was when they came within a whisker of beating Argentina, the eventual champions, in the preliminary round.
It clearly reflected that the juniors, even then, had the potential to excel and the majority of them are now in this Asia Cup squad.
I cannot help but remind these former juniors that they used to run rings around Timo Wess from Germany and India's Sandeep Singh then. Today, Wess is the German national skipper while Sandeep is a top penalty corner specialist.
Their mental strength took them to a new level. Likewise, the Malaysians have matured and should be motivated to take on this new responsibility in the senior team.
Malaysia, as shown before, can play quality hockey but what is crucial to the campaign is maintaining consistency.
Lapses in concentration have cost Malaysia dearly in matches and I hope Beng Hai has rectified this weakness.
It is also appropriate to remind players that fitness is a personal responsibility and a critical factor in order to deliver a top class performance.
If you cheat in training, you inevitably pay the price. Those who have played in European leagues should know of this basic demand of fitness required by coaches, failing which you may have to sit out and wait for another opportunity.
Beng Hai, I am sure, has a game plan in place for all Malaysia's opponents as we have played them so often.
Playing on home ground means high expectations but if Malaysia play to their strengths, the results will follow.