16 mins into the game against China, the share of possession was something like 76% - 24% in favour of China. Another crap performance inspite of whatever positives the coach may claim existed. I have no idea why we insist on entering such competitions when the team is clearly not up to mark, it is an embarrassment.

It's really saddening to read headlines like "We shocked Myanmar!" when we used to beat the likes of Korea and Japan.

Can someone remind me why we are training in England again since we play mostly in Asia where it's hot and humid?

HAHAHA! How humiliating. Maldives has the population of what??? Kampung Kayu Ara???

The sad thing is, it's obvious what is wrong and yet the same mistakes are being made over and over. They deserve every bit of criticism directed at them as far as I'm concerned.

They should not be consoled and cradled like babies after this abysmal result. They should be publicly ridiculed, chastised, have people laugh in their faces and treated like grown-ups. Given how they play though it's difficult to tell if they are actually grown-ups. Our football team is an embarrassment!

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Apr 19 2007, 02:40 PM

Well if he can live abroad and not miss 'nasi lemak' and the warm weather I'm sure he'll stand a decent chance in a foreign environment. Stay here and he'll become an un-ambitious, lazy, unmotivated, corrupt SOB of a player.

Most of us will remember how the Singaporean national team participated in our league back in the day when it was semi-professional. The famous Kallang roar provided for one of the most intimidating and electric atmospheres in the league. Since then, Singapore has pulled out of the M-League and started their own league. The question is, has this proved fruitful? How far have they come in recent time?

Well the AFC Cup competition kicked off for Perak and Kedah last night with both teams suffering humiliating defeats at the hands of Singaporean opposition. Bear in mind that these are two of the top teams in our country, who are facing off against teams that are less than a decade old.

Kedah crashed to a 5-1 away defeat to Home United, while Perak were whipped 1-6 at home to Singapore A.Forces. Malaysia Boleh!

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Mar 19 2008, 09:01 AM

why?

"Datuk"? Let's not forget that Matlan Marjan scored two against Chris Woods when Malaysia hosted England last. Still, nothing came of it.

The interest in the sport is wanning not because of the lack of facilities or funding, it's the dirty politics. You don't get a whole lot of football pitches in Brazil and yet they churn out the world's best players.

Yay we beat Syria but we honestly need to start playing against opponents ranked higher than us on a consistent basis. You can only get better by playing those better than you are.

Looks like the stadium was what? 10% of it's capacity. If they, and yes I say, "they" and not "we" , want to get the fans back in, they had better start playing higher quality opposition. So what if they get kicked around for the next couple of years? One can only get better if one plays someone better than them. Way back then the "prestigious" Merdeka Tournament used to feature teams like Sao Paolo, Hamburg, Czechoslovakia, Ghana, Algeria, Japan and Korea. Now we have teams like Myanmar, Vietnam U-22, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Taiwan playing. The tournament has since been canceled altogether. Not only is the quality of our football on a steady decline, the quality of our opposition is as well. If you visit the FAM site today, the main page features the headline, "Malaysia pulls off famous victory". I don't know about that as it was Korea's U-23 side FFS. Are our expectations of the team really that low?

Amongst the friendlies we've played off late, the opposition comprised of teams like Lesotho (I don't even know where that is), Al Qadisyah (who?),Kenya (they play football?), and Yemen (who incidentally, are ranked much higher than us). We need quality games.

You are damn right. One match isn't going to change my perception of Malaysian football and how it's deteriorated over the years. Maybe you were around during our heydays and maybe you weren't but the state of our football is shambolic at the moment and the worse thing is, it's our own doing.



Dude... you are right because I refuse to accept that this is as good as it can get. I refuse to lower my expectations just because our FA have lowered theirs. We've beating the U-23 side of a team we used to kick around and this is because of bad decisions made (and corruption) over the course of 2 decades. Years of mistakes cannot be rectified after just one match. If the teams achieves such results consistenly over say a year, then perhaps there is room for optimism.



My perspective of things has been explained in the previous paragraph. Yes by the age of 20, there are players who have become world beaters but there are also a whole lot more who do not go on to scale similar heights. Fact remains that senior sides feature players who are the finished article and therefore are harder to beat. Wayne Rooney today is more of a player than he was 4 years ago, no?



"More mature football mind", what do you mean by this? The reason we're ranked number 16+ in the world is the same reason our nation's GDP is so low despite having an abundance of natural resources. People got greedy and people got complacent. You're looking at this game from the perspective of one game, while I'm looking at it from the perspective of games played over a number of years.



I don't understand your questions.

And yet you choose to ignore the fact that by and large, our team has been playing friendlies against inferior opposition. So what if Yemen or Lesotho sent their strongest squads? How do you not see that we've been playing friendlies against lesser opponents, unlike in the past?

Once again, I can and I do. Hurray for this victory but let's not cream in our pants until we show some semblance of consistency and continue to improve. More often than not, these results have proved to be false dawns. When you get all over excited over such results it provides the FA with the smokescreen they need to mask the real problems hindering our progress in world football and it has to do first and foremost with the clowns running the whole damn show.

And when you say, "they go on to win the whole damn thing", what exactly did they win again? A friendly, that's right.

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Added on July 27, 2010, 4:35 pmYou sentence doesn't really make sense but if I get what you mean, I'm with you. Please prove us wrong!



This post has been edited by Duke Red: Jul 27 2010, 04:35 PM

The fact that we had little else to offer but grit and determination is on one hand a positive, because too often I've seen our players look lost and disheartened whenever they have gone behind. I'll be the first to admit that the last time I followed local football, we were semi-pro but the quality of the league was still much better than it is today, after we've turned professional. Like I said earlier, it's good that the lads have fire in their bellies but at the same time, it's a matter of concern that we have fallen behind in terms of player development when our local league has been around for decades now.

Grit and determination will give you an edge over similar quality opposition but your state of mind is fragile. In the Premiership it isn't uncommon to see newly promoted sides like Hull, Reading or Wigan surprise many by scaling dizzying heights simply because they are pumped. Sooner or later though, the old adage applies. "Form is temporary, class is permanent". Instead of getting ahead of ourselves, thinking we've achieved something, we should focus on closing the gap in standards even more.



Why do you say I've moved the goalpost? In each and everyone of my posts, I've always cited why I think Malaysian football is in the state it is now. Has anything changed? Nope, or at least, not yet. Hence, my views remain the same.

Why do I not focus on the positives? Because the negatives far outweigh them and after years of complacency, it's time to stop taking such results for granted. I find it equally annoying that small victories are celebrated with such gusto because it takes much more to earn back the respect they've lost. These days, supporters go all ape when we beat Singapore or Indonesia. I reckon it's because these countries are our neighbours, not because we beat great sides. Lower your expectations if you so wish but my benchmark is the team that used to strike fear in not only our South East Asian counterparts, but our Asian counterparts. Respect is not given, it is earned.



Again, nothing has changed in how football is run. Will this U-23 side go on to become world beaters or will they succumb to the same greed, corruption and politics that ravaged those before them? Why am I not elated? It's because if history is anything to go by, the latter seems the most likely.

Touche. It irks me when people fail to see the bigger picture.



Forget Manchester United. Premiership clubs come here looking to sell jerseys and increase TV revenue. They aren't here to win. England once came here and won 4-2 with Gary Lineker bagging 4 and Matlan Marjan scoring 2. Suddenly, there was all this optimism and what happened? The result was deceptive. England were jetlagged and playing at half pace. We went on to continue to struggle when it mattered, during competitive tournaments, struggling against the mighty likes of Philipines, Laos and Singapore.

Ok so we're not harder to beat but let's not pat ourselves on the back just yet. We have a bad habit of being complacent.



That's my point though. We won through grit and determination like you said but having better ability gives you better results. We should be focusing on developing players so they have the same ability. This is why I brought up the issue of the FAM. With the millions that is being pumped into football each year, what is being done to emulate the success that teams like Korea, Japan and China, who were previously inferior to us have achieved?



Since you've been an avid follower, what makes his squad different then? Also, what makes you think they won't go down the same path over U-23 sides have prior to them?



Who is blaming Korea? The rest of my reply will be a repetition of what I've already mentioned above.



Since we're being honest and serious here, I honestly don't see Kenya, Jordan, Syria, Yemen or the Maldives as good competition. You may choose to be sympathetic of the state of our football but I choose not to, because it is our own doing. If nothing changes in the way football is run, do you seriously expect us to miraculously come out of our football rut? During the days we were semi-pro, we could attract the likes of Tony Cottee, David Roecastle, Chris Kiwomya, and Karel Stromsik to our shores. Since turning pro, prior to banning foreigners, we had to settle for much less. Also, what about the teams we used to attract to the Merdeka tournament I mentioned earlier?

You may want to keep this discussion in the perspective of this match alone but the thread title clearly indicates, "Malaysian Football Talks", so I have equal right to look at the bigger pictures.

I expect our boys to get creamed, but at the same time I don't expect to get all excited over one result and will reserve that for a time when the team achieves something, like qualification for the Olympics. Why? My expectations are higher, and rightly so. Not long ago there were ads calling for fans to flock the stadiums again but it's like I said earlier, you have to pull the fans back and not push them. If the team plays notable opposition and gets positive results, the fans will go without having to be told. It's annoying just like when nationalism is forced upon us during National day.



Did I put the team down? I don't even recall mentioning the team. I was addressing Malaysian football as a whole. The only time I referred to the result was when I warned against getting over excited. If anything, I'm playing the result down.



And you are too easily satisfied which is the reason why we never get these results consistenly. Suddenly we think we are on par with other Asian sides only to falter when playing Vietnam in the SEA games or whatever. Yes yes I get it, even Vietnam is better than us now but that isn't my point.

Once again, I reiterate my right to focus on the bigger picture. The one thing that will satisfy me is a total revamp of the FAM where politics and blatant corruption is removed from the equation.

This was the last time we achieved notable success:



Then this happened:

The fans didn't just walk away. They were turned away. I used to collect newspaper cutouts each time my team, Selangor were featured but since turning pro, the state of football has turned into a cesspool of greed and corruption. Has any drastic action been taken? Not that I know of, so unless there is, we'll be watching nothing but reruns.



A quick fix for the team playing on that day but how will this address the issues I mentioned earlier?

Well that's where we differ. I believe that passive action is exactly what's needed. Let our domestive league decline to the state the FA has no choice but to fix themselves. If fans go back, all will be peaches and cream again. Nothing will need to be done to address deep underlying issues. Some time back China suspended their own Super League to address these issues and since they've been rocked with a similar scandal again, they are looking to take action (http://www.goal.com/en/news/14/asia/2009/11/13/1623139/betting-scandal-could-lead-to-suspension-of-chinese-super-league-). Look at how China has become a football powerhouse in Asia despite these scandals because they take action.

In summary, I won't take credit away from this result alone but you'll note that I very rarely focus on the game, but on Malaysian football as a whole, which is I believe a component of the thread. Let's see what happens now.

Prior to Hiddink's appointment, South Korea had not won a single match after 5 World Cups and on his first attempt, he took them to the semis. If there is one thing I got out of that it's that we need the help of a foreign coach, and we need to give him a free hand. Too often we've heard coaches complain that they weren't even in full control when it came to team selection! Claude Le Roy? Josef Vengloz? These are guys who have taken unfancied sides to the World Cup Finals. They know their stuff. This whole, "going local" concept obviously isn't working as our coaches simply don't have sufficient exposure, and experience. While the world is embracing globalisation (even England have hired foreign coaches now), we seem to be operating in reverse.

If there is a local born coach with the experience, it's Lim Teong Kim. How many know that he spent 4 seasons playing for Bayern Munich where he is now Assistant Coach of Bayern Munich's Junior Team where he has helped groom current German prospects like Thomas Mueller and Holger Badstuber? I seriously doubt he'd give up life in Germany to come back to the crap hole we've dug for ourselves, but there is no harm in at least trying is there? On a side note, isn't he deserving of a Datukship?

By insisting that we go local, we excude pride, but are we also displaying ignorance?

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Added on July 28, 2010, 1:49 pmPrior to Hiddink's appointment, South Korea had not won a single match after 5 World Cups and on his first attempt, he took them to the semis. If there is one thing I got out of that it's that we need the help of a foreign coach, and we need to give him a free hand. Too often we've heard coaches complain that they weren't even in full control when it came to team selection! This whole, "going local" concept obviously isn't working as our coaches simply don't have sufficient exposure, and experience. While the world is embracing globalisation (even England have hired foreign coaches now), we seem to be operating in reverse.

If there is a local born coach with the experience, it's Lim Teong Kim. How many know that he spent 4 seasons playing for Bayern Munich where he is now Assistant Coach of Bayern Munich's Junior Team where he has helped groom current German prospects like Thomas Mueller and Holger Badstuber? I seriously doubt he'd give up life in Germany to come back to the crap hole we've dug for ourselves, but there is no harm in at least trying is there? On a side note, isn't he deserving of a Datukship?

By insisting that we go local, we excude pride, but are we also displaying ignorance?

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Jul 28 2010, 01:51 PM

Who are you referrring to?

I'm still here so what are you going to do about it?

Prove you at least have half a brain and articulate your opinion on the matter and show that you aren't just some random half wit retard with a liking for caps lock. The fact that you can call be a glory hunter for supporting a team that hasn't won the Premiership for 20 years indicates that you don't fully understand what I've been saying in my earlier posts.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Aug 2 2010, 02:05 PM

Is right. If the team keeps getting this kind of results, the fans will return on their own and there won't be a need to ask or coerce people into the stadiums anymore.

In my course of work, I get to meet and speak to people in the local football fraternity every now and then. Just the other day I met with the brother of one of a current manager of a team. Their interest is in youth development and he has said that up to U-14 level, we have players more talented than even the Koreans but after that, the Koreans have an edge because while we play maybe 40-60 competitive matches, the Koreans play up to 400 competitive games by the time their kids reach 18 years of age. You can teach a kid all you want but you need to expose him to competitive matches just as you do, kids in your clubs youth team. It's really that simple. It's why I keep saying that our national side needs to play higher level games even if it means we'll get beat.

Some of us see things from a long term perspective but obviously many others don't. My opinions are based on conversations with people familiar with local football. From what I've heard, Kelantan is the club of the future in the country. They have the most passionate fans and they also have vision that stretches beyond local shores. They also have plans to develop long term youth development programmes unlike the other states. Give it another 4-5 season and we'll see some results I'm sure.

Exposure is also a key ingredient of development. I liken it to the days I was a student in Australia. There is a great deal of emphasis on exposing students to the real world. We are given assignments and are tasked with contacting and liaising with companies to get information and understand the business they are in. We don't sit behind a desk trying to memorise textbook material like we do here. Similarly, our youth players need to be exposed to players from other countries and different styles of play. From what I've been made to understand, it isn't about ability, it's about playing competitive games consistently. If you've tuned into ASTRO of late, you'll notice a programme featuring a junior league. I actually met with the owners of the league recently to get their perspective.

Mr Lim. Well I think it says a lot when no one had even heard of his achievement until recently. Why not? I'll leave that up to you to figure out. All I know is that with the crap that goes on behind closed doors in our local football scene, I don't see why he'd give up his life there even if he were to be asked.

From what I can recall, a select few get sent overseas for trials with clubs. It's likely to be their only chance given the level of favouratism practiced here.

I'm actually glad that Titus chose not to return. Good on him. Very unlike the useless bunch of idiots including Akmal Rizal who got attached to French clubs but decided that the weather and food was not to their liking. What a waste of money. They should reserve it for players who have more heart, desire and ambition.

The way they are throwing Datukships around, you would have thought that a Malaysian who has made a mark in one of the biggest football clubs in the world, and has helped developed some of the most promising prospects in world football would be deserving but no, apparently Sharukh Khan has contributed more to our country. Bunch of idiots.

Well next to no one knew that Lim Teong Kim was attached to Bayern Munich either. My point however is that at least Titus has desire and ambition. He is now still only 22 and plying his trade in Lique 3 in France which is arguably still of higher quality than our Super League. His goal is to play in Ligue 1, particularly for PSG. He may or may not achieve his goal but at the very least, he has ambition. He was called up to the national side before but could not make it due to complications in France. In a another couple of years we may yet see the first Malaysian to make an appearance for a Ligue 1 side.