By Jugjet Singh
COMMENT
AFTER two decades of watching and writing about hockey, it can be safely concluded that the Malaysian team is still struggling to connect the third dot, and still do not have a clue on how to hold on, and work a lead into a win.
The Sultan of Johor Cup is like watching a replay of Arul Selvaraj and his team-mates play in the 1998 Utrecth World Cup. The same mistakes the current coach and his team-mates made decades ago, are being replayed by his charges in Johor Baru.
Arul admitted that the third pass was lacking in his charges, as after two brilliant moves, connecting the third dot is still elusive and that is why the goals are hard to come by. Then there is the sore point of discipline, like pushing the ball away after the whistle is blown and earning a card for this stupidity, and pushing the ball out deliberately at the back line and giving away a penalty corner.
Also after taking a lead, the present batch of defenders seem to enter sleep mode, and this was exactly the same problem with previous junior and senior sides. In Utrecth, we had many promising players, but still, they went on to finish 11th out of 12 teams. And their only achievement was a 1-1 draw in Group B against Poland, and then a 5-4 win over Poland in the 11th-12th placing match.
England, Spain, Australia and Pakistan hammered Arul and his mates in Utrecth, but the player-turned coach is now tasked with trying to help his charges connect the dot, and hold on to a winning start.
In the Sultan of Johor Cup, Malaysia took the lead against Australia, but lost 2-1. And then took the lead against New Zealand, but then gave away a 1-1 draw to the Kiwis.
Arul summarised that except for three, the other 15 players have not even played in the Malaysia Hockey League, leave alone an international match. And that was why they were too excited before the Australia match, and could not settle down even after 70 minutes.
There was better composure against New Zealand, but sill, the holding power was lacking. And today, they are expected to face their toughest match of the tournament against raging favourites Britain.
The British have brought down almost the same side which played in the previous SOJC and have scored seven goals in two matches, without conceeding a goal.
They blasted Pakistan 5-0 and then India 2-0. Malaysia are the third Asian side in their line of fire, and it could be a massacre at Taman Daya if the players go on sleep mode more often than attack mode.
The plus side is that Malaysia have showed that they are the fittest side in the tournament, and have better skills than players from Pakistan and India. And only missing from the recipe to success was building on the third pass in the opponents 25-yerd line.
For, Arul has uncut gems in his palms, and he needs to be careful when he shapes them, because once cut, diamonds remain the same shape for millions of years.
If Arul can grind the right attitude into these boys in the SOJC, winning the Junior Asia Cup and qualifying for the 2016 Junior World Cup would be a breeze and not a heart-break.
Note: Arul Selvaraj's Hockey CV explains: 81 international caps for Malaysia and I retired after the 1998 Utrecth World Cup age 24. My personal phlosophy is that coaching is NOT just being present on the field during matches or training sessions, but more of an individual who is able to adapt as a friend, teacher, manager and physologist to my charges.
WEDNESDAY: Australia v New Zealand (4pm); India v Pakistan (6pm); Malaysia v Great Britain (8pm).
STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
G BRITAIN 2 2 0 0 7 0 6
AUSTRALIA 2 1 1 0 3 2 4
INDIA 2 1 0 1 2 3 3
MALAYSIA 2 0 1 1 2 3 1
N ZEALAND 2 0 1 1 2 3 1
PAKISTAN 2 0 1 1 1 6 1
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Monday, October 13, 2014
Pakistan 1 Australia 1
DAY 2 --- SULTAN OF JOHOR CUP RESULTS: Great Britain 2 India 0; Australia 1 Pakistan 1; Malaysia 1 New Zealand 1.
TODAY: REST DAY:
WEDNESDAY: Australia v New Zealand (4pm); India v Pakistan (6pm); Malaysia v Great Britain (8pm).
STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
G BRITAIN 2 2 0 0 7 0 6
AUSTRALIA 2 1 1 0 3 2 4
INDIA 2 1 0 1 2 3 3
MALAYSIA 2 0 1 1 2 3 1
N ZEALAND 2 0 1 1 2 3 1
PAKISTAN 2 0 1 1 1 6 1
TODAY: REST DAY:
WEDNESDAY: Australia v New Zealand (4pm); India v Pakistan (6pm); Malaysia v Great Britain (8pm).
STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
G BRITAIN 2 2 0 0 7 0 6
AUSTRALIA 2 1 1 0 3 2 4
INDIA 2 1 0 1 2 3 3
MALAYSIA 2 0 1 1 2 3 1
N ZEALAND 2 0 1 1 2 3 1
PAKISTAN 2 0 1 1 1 6 1
TM sticks to his guns..
THE Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) held their ExtraOrdinary General Meeting (EGM) in Johor Baru yesterday and president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah stood his ground of not seeking re-election, and stopped short of naming a replacement.
After amendments to the MHC constitution were agreed to, Tengku Abdullah said: "I will not seek re-election, and was supposed to name my candidate for the post today, but will hold my tongue."
This is because the projected elections in November might have to be held next year, as the amendments to constitution needs to be endorsed by the sports commissioner's office.
"Hopefully the amendments are endorsed before November, so I can name my candidate early," said Tengku Abdullah.
Selangor HA president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal is highly tipped to take over the hot MHC seat in November or January.
On another note, Tengku Abdullah said he prefers coach Arul Selvaraj to remain with the juniors, and a foreign coach to take charge of the seniors.
"I prefer Arul to take charge the juniors as we look for a foreign coach for the seniors. Meanwhile, he (Arul) can coach both the teams," said Tengku Abdullah.
After amendments to the MHC constitution were agreed to, Tengku Abdullah said: "I will not seek re-election, and was supposed to name my candidate for the post today, but will hold my tongue."
This is because the projected elections in November might have to be held next year, as the amendments to constitution needs to be endorsed by the sports commissioner's office.
"Hopefully the amendments are endorsed before November, so I can name my candidate early," said Tengku Abdullah.
Selangor HA president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal is highly tipped to take over the hot MHC seat in November or January.
On another note, Tengku Abdullah said he prefers coach Arul Selvaraj to remain with the juniors, and a foreign coach to take charge of the seniors.
"I prefer Arul to take charge the juniors as we look for a foreign coach for the seniors. Meanwhile, he (Arul) can coach both the teams," said Tengku Abdullah.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
SOJC: Mas 1 Aust 2
MALAYSIA gave away a 2-1 victory to Australia in the Sultan of Johor Cup at the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor Baru yesterday.
There were patches of brilliance, but too many unforced errors which saw coach Arul Selvaraj's men fall at the final hurdle of every move.
Malaysian goalkeeper Ridzwan Azmi brought off two fantastic penalty corner saves in the opening
minutes of play, which set the tempo for a sizzling and extertaining match till the last whistle.
And just four minutes into play, Malaysia won a penalty stroke and skipper Haziq Samsul scored from the spot for the lead, and the capacity crowd went wild chanting and drumming patriotic songs.
But Australia showed their might minutes later as Will Gilmour equalised in the 9th minute, as the entire defense stood rooted.
And even though Malaysia fought for possession gallantly and tried to claw back the lead, it was Joshua Bretherton's easy attempt which sailed in, in the 18th minute, to give Australia a 2-1 lead.
The hosts were placed under tremendous pressure by the taller Aussies in the final five minutes of the first half, where the difference was that the Australian defense were solid and rarely made mistakes, while the Malaysian defenders kept giving away penalty corners.
After the breather Malaysia looked much more energetic, but were again let down by poor trapping in the Australian semi-circle, with Shahril Saabah, who has played with the senior side, making the most number of mistakes.
With 10 minuntes remaining, Malaysia started to make more mistakes as Australia moved forward with confidence to increase their lead, but the score stood and now they must beat another Oceania side New Zealand today to keep their hopes alive of playing in the final.
In the SOJC curtain raiser, Great Britain made their debut by hammering Pakistan 5-0.
It was magnificent performance from Great Britain even after their match was delayed for an hour after only three minutes of play, due to a heavy downpour.
" We won with a good margin but I feel we could have played better, " said Great Britain coach Jon Bleby.
However, it was Luke Tahlor's hat-trick which gave them the edge, and made Pakistan look like novices.
I another match, India had the bettter of New Zealand when they won 2-1 via goals from Parvinder Singh (5th) and Varun Kumar (43rd). The Kiwi goal was scored by Nic Woods (53rd).
RESULTS: Malaysia 1 Australia 2; Pakistan 0 Great Britain 5; India 2 New Zealand 1.
TODAY: Great Britain v India (4pm); Australia v Pakistan (6pm); Malaysia v New Zealand (8pm).
STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
G BRITAIN 1 1 0 0 5 0 3
AUSTRALIA 1 1 0 0 2 1 3
INDIA 1 1 0 0 2 1 3
MALAYSIA 1 0 0 1 1 2 0
N ZEALAND 1 0 0 1 1 2 0
PAKISTAN 1 0 0 1 0 5 0
There were patches of brilliance, but too many unforced errors which saw coach Arul Selvaraj's men fall at the final hurdle of every move.
Malaysian goalkeeper Ridzwan Azmi brought off two fantastic penalty corner saves in the opening
minutes of play, which set the tempo for a sizzling and extertaining match till the last whistle.
And just four minutes into play, Malaysia won a penalty stroke and skipper Haziq Samsul scored from the spot for the lead, and the capacity crowd went wild chanting and drumming patriotic songs.
But Australia showed their might minutes later as Will Gilmour equalised in the 9th minute, as the entire defense stood rooted.
And even though Malaysia fought for possession gallantly and tried to claw back the lead, it was Joshua Bretherton's easy attempt which sailed in, in the 18th minute, to give Australia a 2-1 lead.
The hosts were placed under tremendous pressure by the taller Aussies in the final five minutes of the first half, where the difference was that the Australian defense were solid and rarely made mistakes, while the Malaysian defenders kept giving away penalty corners.
After the breather Malaysia looked much more energetic, but were again let down by poor trapping in the Australian semi-circle, with Shahril Saabah, who has played with the senior side, making the most number of mistakes.
With 10 minuntes remaining, Malaysia started to make more mistakes as Australia moved forward with confidence to increase their lead, but the score stood and now they must beat another Oceania side New Zealand today to keep their hopes alive of playing in the final.
In the SOJC curtain raiser, Great Britain made their debut by hammering Pakistan 5-0.
It was magnificent performance from Great Britain even after their match was delayed for an hour after only three minutes of play, due to a heavy downpour.
" We won with a good margin but I feel we could have played better, " said Great Britain coach Jon Bleby.
However, it was Luke Tahlor's hat-trick which gave them the edge, and made Pakistan look like novices.
I another match, India had the bettter of New Zealand when they won 2-1 via goals from Parvinder Singh (5th) and Varun Kumar (43rd). The Kiwi goal was scored by Nic Woods (53rd).
RESULTS: Malaysia 1 Australia 2; Pakistan 0 Great Britain 5; India 2 New Zealand 1.
TODAY: Great Britain v India (4pm); Australia v Pakistan (6pm); Malaysia v New Zealand (8pm).
STANDINGS
P W D L F A Pts
G BRITAIN 1 1 0 0 5 0 3
AUSTRALIA 1 1 0 0 2 1 3
INDIA 1 1 0 0 2 1 3
MALAYSIA 1 0 0 1 1 2 0
N ZEALAND 1 0 0 1 1 2 0
PAKISTAN 1 0 0 1 0 5 0
Saturday, October 11, 2014
SOJC test for Arul's boys...
MALAYSIAN juniors will know their standings in the world when they are pitted against some of the best juniors in the Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC) beginning Sunday at the Taman Daya Stadium in Johor.
Defending SOJC champions India hope to ride at the back of their seniors Asian Games winning streak to defend their gold. The other teams silver medallist Malaysia will be up against are Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Great Britain.
Much is at stake in Johor, as the SOJC is the only under-21 tournament in the world which is sanctioned by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), the other being the Junior World Cup.
Coach Arul Selvaraj, who named his final 18 yesterday, said that he has selected the best in the country, and it is a balanced squad.
"This is the first tournament for the boys since the team was formed in June, so they are also an unknown entity. However, I expect them to give their best, and of course we would like to play in the final, but there is no early target for these boys," said Arul.
The team is being groomed for the 2016 Junior World Cup in India. For the record, Malaysia finished fourth in the last World Cup, also in India.
Today, Arul's boys will open accounts against Australia at 8pm.
India, riding high on their intense training sessions of the last few weeks, are looking at nothing less than a golden harvest.
Led by captain Harjeet Singh India will open accounts against New Zealand today: "We are a new team but we have the same old dream to retain the Sultan of Johor Cup with us. We have been practicing together as a single unit for the last few weeks and are very confident on achieving the goal. Our first match against New Zealand is crucial as starting a tournament on a winning note will boost the morale of the team and will help continue the winning dominance," said Harjit.
As for India coach Harendra Singh: "The team is geared up for the SOJC and without carrying any burden of previous achievements, we will focus on playing high-level and technically sound hockey”.
MALAYSIA: Ridzwan Azmi, Fitri Jasni, Ashran Hamsani, Luqman Nul Haqim, Azril Misron, Najib Hassan, Meor Azuan, Sufi Ismat, Haziq Samsul, Firdaus Omar, Norsyafiq Sumantri, Amirol Aideed, Shahril Saabah, Syed Shafiq, Ahmad Ashraf, Azwar Rahman, D. Selvanayagam, Najmi Farizal.
SUNDAY: Pakistan v Great Britain (4pm); New Zealand v India (6pm); Malaysia v Australia (8pm).
Defending SOJC champions India hope to ride at the back of their seniors Asian Games winning streak to defend their gold. The other teams silver medallist Malaysia will be up against are Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Great Britain.
Much is at stake in Johor, as the SOJC is the only under-21 tournament in the world which is sanctioned by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), the other being the Junior World Cup.
Coach Arul Selvaraj, who named his final 18 yesterday, said that he has selected the best in the country, and it is a balanced squad.
"This is the first tournament for the boys since the team was formed in June, so they are also an unknown entity. However, I expect them to give their best, and of course we would like to play in the final, but there is no early target for these boys," said Arul.
The team is being groomed for the 2016 Junior World Cup in India. For the record, Malaysia finished fourth in the last World Cup, also in India.
Today, Arul's boys will open accounts against Australia at 8pm.
India, riding high on their intense training sessions of the last few weeks, are looking at nothing less than a golden harvest.
Led by captain Harjeet Singh India will open accounts against New Zealand today: "We are a new team but we have the same old dream to retain the Sultan of Johor Cup with us. We have been practicing together as a single unit for the last few weeks and are very confident on achieving the goal. Our first match against New Zealand is crucial as starting a tournament on a winning note will boost the morale of the team and will help continue the winning dominance," said Harjit.
As for India coach Harendra Singh: "The team is geared up for the SOJC and without carrying any burden of previous achievements, we will focus on playing high-level and technically sound hockey”.
MALAYSIA: Ridzwan Azmi, Fitri Jasni, Ashran Hamsani, Luqman Nul Haqim, Azril Misron, Najib Hassan, Meor Azuan, Sufi Ismat, Haziq Samsul, Firdaus Omar, Norsyafiq Sumantri, Amirol Aideed, Shahril Saabah, Syed Shafiq, Ahmad Ashraf, Azwar Rahman, D. Selvanayagam, Najmi Farizal.
SUNDAY: Pakistan v Great Britain (4pm); New Zealand v India (6pm); Malaysia v Australia (8pm).
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