TOP OF THE WORLD....
FROM THE LOCAL CIRCUS....
MASSIVE HANGOVER...
DON'T DRINK IF YOU ARE DRIVING HOME, AND HOPEFULLY WE END UP WITH THE BUNCH ABOVE, AND NOT UNDER SOME CHAIR OR TABLE...
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
HAPPY NEW YEAR -- 2009!
TOP OF THE WORLD....FROM THE LOCAL CIRCUS....MASSIVE HANGOVER...DON'T DRINK IF YOU ARE DRIVING HOME, AND HOPEFULLY WE END UP WITH THE BUNCH ABOVE, AND NOT UNDER SOME CHAIR OR TABLE...
Dr Balbir ready to make changes
THE Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) newly-appointed coaching chairman Dr Balbir Singh is no stranger to the sport, and will be coming in with some sound plans to widen, and strengthen the coaching structure in the country.
He will hold his first meting on Jan 10, where his ideas will be discussed, and the viable ones put to work immediately.
The MHF council had first appointed Datuk Poon Fook Loke as the coaching chairman, but he declined because of work commitment.
“I have some ideas on how to improve the the coaching structure in the country, and also have a bigger pool of coaches at state level,” said De Balbir.
And among the changes is to require all coaches to keep a record of their players.
“We need a record of all our players, at the junior, senior and club levels so that a we know what we have in hand. The record will encompass physical, technical, tactical and psychological level of each player.
“With the record, we can then have a better plan and work on individual weakness to strengthen the entire team,” said Dr Balbir.
There was an attempt by the former MHF president, Tan Sri Anwar Mohd Nor, to have a report card for each national player, but somehow, it never took off.
“The data is easy to collect, with help from NSI (National Sports Institute), and once we have an electronic-based file system, working to improve the players performance will become easier.”
As for coaches, former coach Tai Beng Hai will officially start his duties on tomorrow, after Sarjit Singh’s contract expires today.
Beng Hai, who resigned early this year and went on to coach the national women’s team, has been recalled as an interim coach while the MHF hunt for a foreign coach.
“More coaching courses will be held because we need to strengthen the base at the state level. And once this is done, the coaches can start a concerted effort to nurture a bigger pool of players who have strong basics.
“More details will be revealed after my first meeting, but sufficient to say that, with help from states, we can start producing quality coaches as many ex-internationals have shown interest to help the sport.”
He will hold his first meting on Jan 10, where his ideas will be discussed, and the viable ones put to work immediately.
The MHF council had first appointed Datuk Poon Fook Loke as the coaching chairman, but he declined because of work commitment.
“I have some ideas on how to improve the the coaching structure in the country, and also have a bigger pool of coaches at state level,” said De Balbir.
And among the changes is to require all coaches to keep a record of their players.
“We need a record of all our players, at the junior, senior and club levels so that a we know what we have in hand. The record will encompass physical, technical, tactical and psychological level of each player.
“With the record, we can then have a better plan and work on individual weakness to strengthen the entire team,” said Dr Balbir.
There was an attempt by the former MHF president, Tan Sri Anwar Mohd Nor, to have a report card for each national player, but somehow, it never took off.
“The data is easy to collect, with help from NSI (National Sports Institute), and once we have an electronic-based file system, working to improve the players performance will become easier.”
As for coaches, former coach Tai Beng Hai will officially start his duties on tomorrow, after Sarjit Singh’s contract expires today.
Beng Hai, who resigned early this year and went on to coach the national women’s team, has been recalled as an interim coach while the MHF hunt for a foreign coach.
“More coaching courses will be held because we need to strengthen the base at the state level. And once this is done, the coaches can start a concerted effort to nurture a bigger pool of players who have strong basics.
“More details will be revealed after my first meeting, but sufficient to say that, with help from states, we can start producing quality coaches as many ex-internationals have shown interest to help the sport.”
Monday, December 29, 2008
Old La Sallians call for trials
OLD La Sallains Association of Klang (OLAK) hope to re-live their glory years, as they will be playing in their 15th Junior Hockey League (JHL) on Feb 6 with strong sponsorship backing.
OLAK are the only JHL team which has not missed a single season since it was incepted in 1995.
And they will be calling for and Open trial on Jan 3 and 4 at the Pandamaran Stadium in Klang.
OLAK have the distinction of winning the League title in 1997, 1998 and 1999 while their Overall title glory was achieved in 1998, 1999 and 2000.
“We have had some lean years after 2000, but we are working to make a greater impact this season. We have managed to secure strong sponsors, and hopefully have a good team after the selections are conducted,” said OLAK assistant team manager Philip Andrew de Silva.
Current national players Amin Rahim, Madzli Ikmar and national Juniors trainee Wong Khee Hon are some of OLAK’s products.
“We have some players who competed in the Selangor Under-18 with us, and are expecting players from Tereng ganu, Perak and Penang to attend our trials.”
Last season, OLAK finished fifth in Division One of the JHL, and for more information on the trials, call Philip at 019- 6491927 or 016-3037971.
OLAK are the only JHL team which has not missed a single season since it was incepted in 1995.
And they will be calling for and Open trial on Jan 3 and 4 at the Pandamaran Stadium in Klang.
OLAK have the distinction of winning the League title in 1997, 1998 and 1999 while their Overall title glory was achieved in 1998, 1999 and 2000.
“We have had some lean years after 2000, but we are working to make a greater impact this season. We have managed to secure strong sponsors, and hopefully have a good team after the selections are conducted,” said OLAK assistant team manager Philip Andrew de Silva.
Current national players Amin Rahim, Madzli Ikmar and national Juniors trainee Wong Khee Hon are some of OLAK’s products.
“We have some players who competed in the Selangor Under-18 with us, and are expecting players from Tereng ganu, Perak and Penang to attend our trials.”
Last season, OLAK finished fifth in Division One of the JHL, and for more information on the trials, call Philip at 019- 6491927 or 016-3037971.
New Year Bang for Juniors
THE NEW year will start with a bang for the National Juniors, as they will be involved in a Four-Nation tussle in the Australian Youth Olympics Festival Jan 14-18 in Sydney.
And they are expected to be tested to the limit because Junior World Cup runners-up Australia, India and Great Britain will also be using it to test their youth for the Junior World Cup, which Malaysia and Singapore will co-host on June 7-21, and will involve 20 teams playing in two groups.
The juniors, who took part in the Malaysia Hockey League, were far from impressive, and there is still much work to be done before one can call them an outfit.
Realising this, the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) have planned for a series of team-building sessions, and military training is also on the cards.
“The juniors will be involved in team-building sessions because right now, we (MHF) notice that they are still a loose outfit. Hopefully, once they undergo motivation sessions and military-style training, their understanding will be much better,” said MHF secretary Hashim Yusoff.
Fitness is still a problem, and chief coach K. Rajan will be helped by personal from the National Sports Institute (NSI) in this area.
“Rajan will receive help from NSI fitness trainers to get the boys in shape, and we also plan to hold a four-nation in March, at the tournament venue as a final test for both the teams and logistics as well as the artificial pitch in Johor,” said Hashim.
Hashim also said a joint meeting with Singapore will be held on Jan 10, where a clearer picture will emerge on what has been done, and what needs to be done to avoid hiccups in the tournament.
“The management committee has endorsed Tan Sri Anwar Mohd Nor (former MHF president) as the tournament chair man, and after January 10, we will finalise more details.:
The teams which have qualified for the World Cup are defending champions Argentina, Australia, South Africa, Egypt, Malaysia, Singapore, India, South Korea, Pakistan, Japan, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, England, Poland, Russia, Chile, US and New Zealand.
And the juniors will be involved in a few friendlies with a South Korean University side, after which they will head to Europe to play Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.
And they are expected to be tested to the limit because Junior World Cup runners-up Australia, India and Great Britain will also be using it to test their youth for the Junior World Cup, which Malaysia and Singapore will co-host on June 7-21, and will involve 20 teams playing in two groups.
The juniors, who took part in the Malaysia Hockey League, were far from impressive, and there is still much work to be done before one can call them an outfit.
Realising this, the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) have planned for a series of team-building sessions, and military training is also on the cards.
“The juniors will be involved in team-building sessions because right now, we (MHF) notice that they are still a loose outfit. Hopefully, once they undergo motivation sessions and military-style training, their understanding will be much better,” said MHF secretary Hashim Yusoff.
Fitness is still a problem, and chief coach K. Rajan will be helped by personal from the National Sports Institute (NSI) in this area.
“Rajan will receive help from NSI fitness trainers to get the boys in shape, and we also plan to hold a four-nation in March, at the tournament venue as a final test for both the teams and logistics as well as the artificial pitch in Johor,” said Hashim.
Hashim also said a joint meeting with Singapore will be held on Jan 10, where a clearer picture will emerge on what has been done, and what needs to be done to avoid hiccups in the tournament.
“The management committee has endorsed Tan Sri Anwar Mohd Nor (former MHF president) as the tournament chair man, and after January 10, we will finalise more details.:
The teams which have qualified for the World Cup are defending champions Argentina, Australia, South Africa, Egypt, Malaysia, Singapore, India, South Korea, Pakistan, Japan, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, England, Poland, Russia, Chile, US and New Zealand.
And the juniors will be involved in a few friendlies with a South Korean University side, after which they will head to Europe to play Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Juniors hold defending champs Tenaga
NATIONAL Juniors held TNB-Cup defending champions Tenaga Nasional to a 1-1 draw in the first leg, quarter-finals of the Malaysia Hockey League yesterday.
In the another qurter-finals, Ernst & Young blasted Royal Malay Regiment 12-0, while Sapura beat Jurulatih Jentera 5- 0, to virtually book their semi-finals tickets with a match in hand.
National juniors grabbed the bull by the horns in the first half, and were rewarded with a penalty stroke, which was slickly tucked in for a well derseved lead.
The clock showed five minutes remaining on the first half, when the juniors mounted a concerted effort and Izwan Firdaus took a slap shot at goal, but the ball hit Tenaga defender Amin Rahim's foot, and the umpire blew for a penalty stroke.
Nor Hafiq Ghaffar flicked in high to the left of National No 1 goalkeeper S. Kumar's right, and the Juniors were in the driving seat.
But the joy was shortlived, as Tenaga equalised right after the re-start. The Juniors were caught napping, and the ball reached Tajol Rosli, who scored the equaliser off a reverse stick attempt.
Jolted by the soft goal, Juniors started attacking in num bers, but poor finishing was the order of the day, and they even wasted the handful of penalty corners that came their way.
And the Juniors went into deeper misery when Izwan was flashed the yellow card, and they were reduced to a 10-man outfit with five minutes remaining.
But they held on grimly to the draw, and lived to fight on in the return leg.
RESULTS: Q-finals, 1st Leg: Ernst & Young 12 RMR 0, Tenaga Nasional 1 National Juniors 1, JLJ 0 Sapura 5.
Return Leg - Sunday: RMR v Ernst & Young (Tun Razak, 5pm), National Juniors v Tenaga Nasional (National Stadium, 5pm), Sapura v JLJ (KLHA Stadium, 5pm); Dec 13: Maybank v Nur Isnafi (Seremban II, 5pm).
Q-finals, 1st Leg: Dec 10: Nur Insafi v Maybank (Penang, 5pm).
In the another qurter-finals, Ernst & Young blasted Royal Malay Regiment 12-0, while Sapura beat Jurulatih Jentera 5- 0, to virtually book their semi-finals tickets with a match in hand.
National juniors grabbed the bull by the horns in the first half, and were rewarded with a penalty stroke, which was slickly tucked in for a well derseved lead.
The clock showed five minutes remaining on the first half, when the juniors mounted a concerted effort and Izwan Firdaus took a slap shot at goal, but the ball hit Tenaga defender Amin Rahim's foot, and the umpire blew for a penalty stroke.
Nor Hafiq Ghaffar flicked in high to the left of National No 1 goalkeeper S. Kumar's right, and the Juniors were in the driving seat.
But the joy was shortlived, as Tenaga equalised right after the re-start. The Juniors were caught napping, and the ball reached Tajol Rosli, who scored the equaliser off a reverse stick attempt.
Jolted by the soft goal, Juniors started attacking in num bers, but poor finishing was the order of the day, and they even wasted the handful of penalty corners that came their way.
And the Juniors went into deeper misery when Izwan was flashed the yellow card, and they were reduced to a 10-man outfit with five minutes remaining.
But they held on grimly to the draw, and lived to fight on in the return leg.
RESULTS: Q-finals, 1st Leg: Ernst & Young 12 RMR 0, Tenaga Nasional 1 National Juniors 1, JLJ 0 Sapura 5.
Return Leg - Sunday: RMR v Ernst & Young (Tun Razak, 5pm), National Juniors v Tenaga Nasional (National Stadium, 5pm), Sapura v JLJ (KLHA Stadium, 5pm); Dec 13: Maybank v Nur Isnafi (Seremban II, 5pm).
Q-finals, 1st Leg: Dec 10: Nur Insafi v Maybank (Penang, 5pm).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
