Saturday, May 10, 2008

SOS for hockey?

It's great to know the Malaysian team performed their best match this season in going down 3-2 to Pakistan in the opening match of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

But I'm still bothered by issues surrounding the team's failure in the recent Olympic qualifiers in Japan, especially after a letter containing allegations on the team's preparations was widely circulated.

Personally, I wish the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) would respond positively to the contents of the anonymous letter. Some say it is a poison-pen letter but I reckon it warrants MHF’s attention. That’s all.

Some of the points raised…

Is it true a player is given time off on Fridays?

Is it true there’s no proper pre-match planning and motivational talk for the players?

Is it true the players have lost faith in the coaching set-up?

Is it true most players are faking injuries in order to avoid being selected for the ongoing Sultan Azlan Shah Cup?

Is it true only a few minutes were taken to analyse the video footage?

Is it true the team were asked to sleep till 11.0am on rest days and later play cricket or rounders during the Olympic qualifiers?

Here are excerpts of the letter (unedited):

* Rebut the facts of the hockey lover letter and other comments.
* What is the future of the 2009 and 2011 Qualifying under this Coaching Setup? Which is only 15 months away for the Qualifying Round for the World Cup. Same players and Coaches no chance!
* Ethics and professionalism of the Coaching Setup.
* Is Murali the best Caoch for the Juniors? The next breed of the players.
* Money Lending and Gambling activities among the Coaches and players?
* Asked each player to comment? Get it from the horse’s mouth!
* Asked some former Coaches and former players to meet TBJ and meet head-on on the contents.

The Hockey fraternity is already foreseen the Game of Hockey is gone to the graves after reading all the comments and is even worse to hear from the national players that all the information are true. This is sad.

What is NSC doing? They say they cannot interfere in the Coaching line up, but can agree to the payment. Doesn’t make sense. Is like somebody decide to buy a thing and the thing is paid by somebody even without knowing the characteristic or qualification of the thing that is bought. Is a crazy world!

Why can’t NSC make or take some initiative on this matter. Is NSC official is also involved in the friendship policy. But many have agreed that a former international who misses goal is now working at NSC. Apparently, he is being a full-blooded supporter of these arrogants. He is also involved indirectly with the failure. For sure, his conscious agrees that all these arrogants have massacred the game of hockey but staying as a hearing-impaired. There will be a Judgment of God soon on all these kind of personalities.

Have MHF submitted the POST-MORTEM REPORT to NSC?

Heard the Arrogants have met the above-mentioned NSC official for few times at the MHF office on how to assist these arrogants to prepare the report to NSC. An insider has said that few meetings whether formal or informal have taken place on how and the best way to write the report so that MHF and NSC could get of this problem amicably.

Where is the justice? We hope the hand of Justice of NSC and all the Affiliates of MHF to get things done accordingly and save hockey before it gets decayed or kain kapan in Malay!!!

There should be a forum by all interested parties - MHF, NSC, Coaching Chairman, Former Coaches, Former Players and Media on this matter and the post-mortem details.

Let sit down – no personal attack and don’t blame anybody. Just think about the way forward.

Hand of Justice – MHF & Affiliates and NSC Please save the Game of Hockey.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmm Sarjit..so close yet so far.

By the way...long live MATCHA Mail!!

Anonymous said...

Don't harap lah. These fellars all worse than politicians.
The money lenders are protected by the bigwigs. Must ask, is TM an invested as well?
Otherwise, why isn't he reacting?

Fed-up hockey observer

John said...

Interesting blog you have here. I'm from Malaysia and a passionate supporter of Argentina. Please check out my blog. Do feel free to drop any comments...

Our latest posting is on the Argentina Olympic team...

http://mundoalbiceleste.blogspot.com/2008/05/batista-names-17-for-friendly-against.html

Unknown said...

I'm surprised the coach declared that the performance against Pakistan was their best performance for this year and yet they lost the game.

I think we should put the benchmark higher then that. We still condoned the mediocre.

This year's SAS Cup Mas should finish among the top two. Other than that is a failure. Since last year some of the top teams participated Mas finish 2nd so this year without them top 2 is a reasonable target to achieve.

On the other allegations please MHF or NSC pls look into it. As an ardent hockey fans I'm sad to say that Mas team will fail to qualify for the 2010 World Cup and 2012 if the relevant authorities just ignore the issues involving the coaches.

Bung Karno said...

This is for malaysian football

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Wigan 0 Man Utd 3

Man Utd crowned Premier League champions for the 10th time after the deafeat of Wigan in their final game .

Their star Ronaldo scored 2 goals to bring his tally for the season to 42 goals. Goalie van der Sar scored the final goal when his goalmouth kick at the final minute of injury time sailed into the Wigan goalmouth.

United were remarkable despite being reduced to 8 men by the 80th minute after the dismissal of Rio Ferdinand, Wes Brown and Patrice Evra for arguing with each other.

Long live the champions.

Chelsea ? Chelsea who ?

Posted by Bung Karno

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Bung Karno ...

typical lah of man u supporter, dont know your facts (or suppress the facts).
game is tomorrow lah. dat oso dont know ah?

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Rizal,

All you have to do is to look at the composition of our team sports and you will know why we are in trouble. You dn't need to be a rocket scientist to figure this one out. If you still havent got it, take a closer look at the composition of the invidual sports that are doing well. Do you get it now?

Anonymous said...

to save malaysian hockey from its dying stage is not simple. we must go back to school as or base.MHF cant no longer afford to be arrogant and snubs just because TM is there. please listen to the ground TM. Dont listen to the sweet melody played by your kiasu adviser. What happen to KPM plan to setup center in the school which your adviser advice againts it??
Dont reject KPM olive branch just because you are fearing that will cut your influence.

Anonymous said...

The likes of football, hockey, taekwondo are nothing less than in a state of ignominy. Sports of which once graced the world arena is now in dire straits.

Stop blaming players. Players are groomed. They are made. They are products of our country's own development scheme.

Our national sports' body and council have made no effort what so ever proactively. Basically they suck.

Taekwondo are full of power hunger lices.

Football? Need I even say anything? They are a lost cause.

Then there is hockey. The game which is an art by itself. The cowardly management team are a bunch of dim witted parasites. All of them are in for the money.

Our MSN will willingly and imprudently gratify such wishes. That is because the MSN are freaking loaded. They basically do not give a rat ass, they are not really obligated to do give a shit actually and they will continue to work in a futile manner.

Believe me, we are rolling like a snowball downhill and nothing is going to change for next few decades.

darthvadai said...

We always seem to come up with the best lines especially in defeat, we are often quick enough to deflect the responsibility of defeat and even quicker to accept the praises

Hockey is a small fraternity, word of mouth, poison pen letters gossip all circulates easily even during the times I was part of the system.

2 major bones of centention.

1. We failed to qualify for the Olympics ( well the team failed but Amarjit the umpire has continued to qualify to officiate). Aside from the fact the world champions are also in the qualifying tournament, the question, the analysis, the review should focus on the game by game performance, the preparation, the end result.

We did no favors to ourselves by dismal performances against Poland, Italy. Germany and Japan put up convincing displays against these teams.

Has the management council received the tournament report, review them?

Did we justify the money spent?

The second major bone of contention
Is the role played by the Selection committee, the panel of national coaches, the NSC. While there may be a joint working committee it seem to be a disjointed effort from the outside looking it. Everyone at this point seem to be saving their own seat.

Did the coaching committee review the short term and long term plan for the national team? Did the selection committee actually review the performance of each individual players leading up to the tournament? Did NSC as funders actually review the expenses?

There are so many questions and the silence is deafening

Anonymous said...

Well so much for the Rizal blog but looks like TM has put some butter on Rizal as now he not talking or exposing as he started but anyway we all expected as we remember Jaafar Veloo and Gomez right bro rizal

Anonymous said...

Guys,

we need to be fair with Rizal.. If you got an opinion please share for the good of hockey! Otherwise there is no point in B*T****G.

Fellow hockey lovers, I hope Rizal has recovered from the audience with H**. Instead of advising him to use the groin protective guard only, we should ask him to use full Goalkeeper’s padding plus the helmet to be fully protected.

Brother Rizal hope you have recovered. It is not easy with age catching up.

Please be constructive as we do not want to practice what is being currently preached and implemented that is MUDERING the game.

Rizal, please teach our guys how to be analytical and report the facts instead of trying to bluff the public by praising the team, giving them a HIGH today and blame it on the players the next day.

‘MALAYSIA stunned the gallery on Thursday with a superb display against Pakistan but none of the coaches or officials were the least bit surprised as they had always known that this young team are capable of better.

The players were super fit and their skills more superior to that of Pakistan, who are renowned for their superb ball control and dribbling skill.

But on Thursday, one could be forgiven for mistaking Malaysia for Pakistan. The hosts did everything right except score’.

Brother Rizal, I believe you must share your writing skills/experience with the green horn otherwise we seem to be getting pro coaches reports but players are not spared generally.

The fact remains that the coaching set-up remains STEREO type and not able to understand the basics of modern hockey. If hosting the Champions Trophy (CT) was a successes in terms of spending the public money than we have fail to learn from the trashing by Spain during the CT, MAS (2 ) SPAIN (7). The SAS game proves to be the same, Malaysia (0) Argentina (5).

Mathematically 7 minus 2 equals to 5. And 5 minus 0 equals to 5. I hope I got it right.

Spain and Argentina plays the same concept/game. They speak the same language and the Argentines play in the Spanish league. We repeated the same mistakes and as per the Champions Trophy match against Spain. We can call the players ‘Jagoh Kampung’ or stupid or what so ever but it remains the fact that the play dished out by the team is the product of the coaching set-up whereby tactical and match planning are the responsibility of the coaches.

The day of ‘UFO’ overhead ball passes is back in trend and prominently resurfacing back as part of the coaches’ playing days. Loosing possession of the ball and unforced errors giving the argentines the ball possession when Malaysia is down 2-0 is commonly seem in those dinosaur days.

Well we cannot totally blame them as the Spanish and Argentines are more tactically match superior and they have a culture where the Matador cleverly used their herding skills before they go for the kill.

Rizal you have to agree that Argentines cleverly control not only the game of play but also the Malaysian bench. Before the super fit players and bench realize what is happening the game is over!!!

MAJULAH SUKAN UNTUK NEGARA

Anonymous said...

Sad sad days ahead for hockeyI'm afraid.
MHF have much in common with an astro, they use the same tag line ... i got time ... ya rite

Anonymous said...

Pathetic!
I thought Malaysia is suppose to be one of the fittest teams in world hockey.
I wasted my time going to tonight's Azlan Shah Cup match against Canada.
It would have been to stay at home and watch our gallant girls play in the Uber Cup.
Malaysia is lucky to escape with a 2-2 draw. Canada should have scored at least 4 goals.
There goes the team's hopes of reaching the final.
What now Sarjit?

Anonymous said...

yes indeed, what now sarjit? how come the players get the blame when malaysia loses but he wants the credit when malaysia wins.

Anonymous said...

am really disappointed with our malaysian team,they play like yo yo,one day good hockey the next down the drain's..something is really wrong with the method or players dont have the hearth to be champions,

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Sarjit, please, please, please, please, please (x1000 pleases), quit now

Anonymous said...

With three tournaments, the National Team got the worse results:
 Last in the Champion Trophy
 Out of Finals – Qualifiers in Japan
 Last in the recent Sultan Azlan Shah Trophy

What a humiliation result?

To move forward, all the Coaches must take the responsibility and announced their retirement from the game. If they are gentleman, this is the best solution.

As for TBJ and President, please save the dignity of the game by sacking these National Coaches.

As a hockey supporter, please do the right thing.

All the best and thanks to Rizal for this platform.

Anonymous said...

In one month from the Qualifier and Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. There is already three letters of allegation on the MHF and NSC. All info is indisputable and all the players also certified.

Received the third letter last Friday, hockey supporters, the letter is very damaging and all the information in the letter is true.

Well done to writer to highlight all the current affairs of our hockey in this country.

Rizal, could not put this letter because is very damaging for some reputable people.

So how now, what about post-mortem on this recent Azlan Shah Cup.

Anonymous said...

If we look at the India team – with 12 junior players played in the finals but How?

They have a foreign expert i.e. Richard Charlesworth former MP and former Australia hockey player.

In Malaysia contigent, we got who????

Remove these people and put some reputable people. Appoint good foreign coach and get former players like Nor Saiful, Mirnawan, Maninderjit, Steven, Yahya. Beng Hai, Colin, Ow Soon Koi and others.

Look at the Commonwealth team in 1998 when Malaysia beat powerhouse India to clinch silver medal. Players like Roslan, Mike, Shanker, Kuhan, Azlkan Bakar, Keevan, Chairil, Mirnawan, Nor Saiful were superb.

Compared with the current National Team, No where and not even close a inch.

MHF please remove all these responsibility people and check the report for the failure.

Anonymous said...

I heard Sarjit is the one who decided on the Azlan Shah dates and even hand picked the teams, thinking they will be easy meat.
So, whose fault is it if the tournament was too close to the Olympic qualifiers?
No shamelah this fellow