now where is that Nike guy of ours.. i want a spot at this... hope no more age limits..

http://anakmemberontak.blogspot.com/



The only Malaysian flag at Gelora Bung Karno on 29th December 2010....

This post has been edited by aressandro10: Jan 6 2011, 09:16 PM

http://rizalhashim.blogspot.com/2011/01/co...-with-raja.html

Conversations with Raja
Loose cannon: Hello, coach!


K. Rajagobal: Yes,


LC: Coach congratulations...


Raja: Yes, yes congratulations for putting Muslim Ahmad in defence...


LC: Eh, urrr...


Raja: Yes, I have been keeping tabs on what you say on Kafe Sukan, while talking to Datuk Zol...on putting young players...


LC: Oh yes of course la coach, you know...

Raja: Yes, yes I know, but how many times I've told you...that it takes time to build a team...but critics like you don't understand...you must make people understand, that young players take time to mature...and that we must trust them...

LC: Ok, coach, yes I understand...so coach the producers of Kafe Sukan wish to have you appear on the show Monday la..

Raja: No lah...you know Rizal, it has been a long year...I wish to spend time with my family...

LC: But I remember watching you on TV, semua channel you ada...after winning the SEA Games last year...

Raja: No lah, I only appeared on Astro Awani's In Person...

LC: Come on lah coach, Astro Arena had been wanting to have you on their shows Kafe Sukan and Formasi for a long time...

Raja: Ya la, but you know I've been very busy throughout the year...

LC: Come on la coach...

Raja: No la Rizal...

LC: Come on la coach, you sudah menang pun susah mau keluar...bukan selalu coach...we pay tribute to you...you can refute what I say...

Raja: Ya ya, I always refute you...

LC: Ok coach, Monday

Raja: You call me Sunday la...

LC: Ok coach, don't switch off your handphone ahh

LC: So coach, how was it - being taken to the stadium in an armoured car?

Raja: Terrible...this is war, I said...nowhere in the world this can happen la...I blame the organisers, the Indonesian football federation for not providing adequate protection to our team...when we were taken to the stadium, it was so hot, there was no air-cond, I felt it was done on purpose to unsettle the team, tapi bila balik sejuk...

LC: How long after the game that you were brought safely back to the hotel?

Raja: I guess close to three hours...

LC: When was the turning point for the team, coach?

Raja: When we lost the first game, I told the players look here, we remain a good team, we lost because of individual errors...

LC: You put in Khairul Fahmi for the second game...

Raja: Yes Sharbinee was not made the scapegoat but I knew Fahmi had a good outing in the Asian Games, and their standard is almost the same...it was the same in Vientiane, when Sharbinee gave an excellent performance after taking over from first choice Farizal Marlias...so Fahmi took his chance well...

LC: Thailand...

Raja: Thailand is the best team in the region...but I realised Bryan Robson made a strange decision of not fielding his best line-up for the first game...every player needs to play in order to gain momentum...I knew we had a chance of a positive result...yes they kept coming onto us and we had our chances as well, in the end it was the turning point...

LC: How do you see the win?

Raja: You tell me, did our legends, if we continue talking about the past, win before a huge crowd of 100,000 inside the stadium, with 50,000 waiting outside? Can you understand the intense pressure the boys had to go through? I really thought it was a nightmare, so scary to be in such a situation...with the players being harassed everywhere we went...

LC: What went through your mind when Indonesia was awarded the penalty?

Raja: We were expecting it but it came too early...of course I was worried, in Bukit Jalil we scored three goals in 12 minutes, they could do the same in Jakarta...but on the two occasions I saw Firman Utina sending his penalty to the left of the keeper, so I told Fahmi to cover the angle...so what he told the papers, it was true...

LC: Coach you know about the Tabung Akujanji?

Raja: Ha ya, wah thank you, thank you, you are also contributing...but the coach also gets ah?

LC: Of course coach, 22 players plus 10 officials...

Raja: Wah fantastic bombastic...OK you tell Khawari (SAM) president, if tak cukup I also can contribute...

LC: haahahahahaha

LC: Coach, how are you going to manage this success?

Raja: It's not up to me alone, you know me Rizal, I pick players on merit...those who perform will always be given a chance...but in order to progress, we have to get everybody working on the same page..if the development programme by FAM and other government agencies is showing the desired results, it should be implemented at a smaller scale at the grassroots...of course at the national level, I'm happy to have a bigger pool of players to select from...around 30 or 40 players who are equally good and this can only be a positive sign for the national team. In Jakarta, Rizal, I saw how their media instigated and created a frenzy in rooting for their team, imagine despite having a 3-0 deficit, they were supportive of their team all the way, we do not have this kind of support in Malaysia...critics like you always question...


LC: Coach betul ka you kena ludah? I spoke to a few witnesses...

Raja: Ya ka, I thought it was only water...ya la, that's why I said we were not given adequate protection, you know la, what was important was the fact we won despite having to go through all these...

LC: Coach, wah the white shirt lucky charm for you la...

Raja: Yes you know, I like to dress well, I have a collection I bought from British India...I started wearing white after the two matches against Manchester United (July 2009)...but maybe starting 2011 I might wear different colours hahahaha

LC: Coach, what is your stand on players like Brendan Gan (Australian born of Malaysian descent) being given the chance to be selected?

Raja: I'm open to the idea, if you have relatives, sons, nephews who are studying in the UK, Australia, if they play and they think they have the capacity, come, study the national team calendar, because we don't train everyday, come for trials and as long as they prove they are better than the players I have now who have offered blood, sweat and tears, they have a chance...

LC: You have a four-year plan for the team...was winning the Suzuki Cup this year part of the plan?

Raja: Yes to qualify for the Asian Cup 2015 on merit...honestly speaking, my target for the Suzuki Cup was to advance to the last four. Looking at the draw, Thailand and Indonesia were the favourites but I knew we stood a chance of creating an upset...fortunately lady luck smiled on us.

LC: Plans for 2011?

Raja: We must play an A international match at least once every month, and we have the friendly with Hong Kong in February and the World Cup qualifiers in June, followed by the match against Chelsea. The World Cup I think is a station too far, we cannot harbour hopes of advancing beyond the first round realistically speaking...

LC: I heard Air Panas, Setapak will be having a party to celebrate?

Raja: Really ah, I don't know...but I'm visiting my mum, Danaletchumi, who is 75...I'm sure she's proud of her fifth child...

LC: What about your dad?

Raja: Oh he passed away when I was only two...ah that's why you don't know history...he suffered a heart attack...he was in his 40s...

LC: Sorry to hear that...what was his occupation?

Raja: He was a bus driver with Len Seng...

LC: Oh I selalu naik bas tu dulu coach, in the 70s, hijau merah..

Raja: According to my mum, my dad was quite a taikor, everybody knew him...hahahaha

LC: Ya and you have many friends from Air Panas who played for Hotspurs kan?

Raja: Ya la you know Subramaniam, Nallathamby, Updesh and Avtar Singh (hockey players) and Santokh Singh was my neighbour...that's why you don't know your history...

will the ultras own the place as usual ?

the dark days...

this is not the end.... its not even the beginning of the end....

but its definately the end of the beginning....



This post has been edited by aressandro10: Jan 10 2011, 07:52 AM

you probably need to register with respective state fan clubs for that. Though, need to be warned there are clubs registration fees as well..

the league tickets is just RM 10 per match. Unless you plan to buy in bulk, i dont think you have to worry too much discounts..

thats because they have the biggest stadium.. Kelantan's supply are limited by their stadium capacity.. to be able to cope with the overflowing demand, and to compete with teams with bigger stadium like Selangor, they need to make it more 'exclusive'.

if Kelantan can build a new stadium, i am sure the season ticket price will be cheaper..

This post has been edited by aressandro10: Jan 10 2011, 04:43 PM

nice one bro..

i dont think that classification only covers the strength of the national team. It also covers the state of football in the country as a whole. To move ourself from 'developing' nation to 'developed' nation, we must improve also our administration, fans mentality, media and bussiness/commercial orientation of our football which is poor at best. It is almost moving mountains and as hard as to train to be our players to be a World Cup team..

This post has been edited by aressandro10: Jan 11 2011, 03:02 PM

AFC's FIFA WORLD RANKING - JANUARY 2011

26 1 Australia Australia 796 0 Equal -19
29 2 Japan Japan 776 0 Equal 0
39 3 Korea Republic Korea Republic 649 1 Up 2
65 4 Iran Iran 491 1 Up -4
78 5 Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia 423 3 Up -4
79 6 China PR China PR 419 8 Up 30
93 7 Bahrain Bahrain 351 0 Equal 0
98 8 Iraq Iraq 334 3 Up 11
99 9 Kuwait Kuwait 328 3 Up 11
102 10 United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates 304 3 Up 3
104 11 Oman Oman 297 -5 Down -32
105 12 Qatar Qatar 290 9 Up 30
107 13 Jordan Jordan 286 -3 Down -19
108 14 Uzbekistan Uzbekistan 285 1 Up 10
109 15 Korea DPR Korea DPR 283 -1 Down -9
110 16 Syria Syria 277 -3 Down -19
119 17 Thailand Thailand 244 2 Up 5
126 18 Indonesia Indonesia 224 1 Up 13
127 19 Yemen Yemen 222 -1 Down 10
133 20 Turkmenistan Turkmenistan 173 2 Up 0
136 21 Vietnam Vietnam 167 1 Up 0
139 22 Singapore Singapore 151 1 Up 3
142 23 Malaysia Malaysia 145 2 Up 17
143 24 Tajikistan Tajikistan 141 2 Up 15
144 25 India India 132 -2 Down 0
146 26 Hong Kong Hong Kong 128 0 Equal 4
149 27 Myanmar Myanmar 109 0 Equal 0
152 28 Chinese Taipei Chinese Taipei 102 1 Up 0
153 29 Philippines Philippines 97 -3 Down -11
158 30 Bangladesh Bangladesh 84 1 Up 0
161 31 Maldives Maldives 81 1 Up 0
162 32 Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 79 1 Up 0
165 33 Cambodia Cambodia 68 1 Up 0
168 34 Laos Laos 64 1 Up 0
168 35 Lebanon Lebanon 64 -14 Down -28
171 36 Pakistan Pakistan 56 0 Equal 0
173 37 Nepal Nepal 54 -1 Down 0
175 38 Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan 50 -1 Down 0
178 39 Palestine Palestine 40 -1 Down 0
182 40 Mongolia Mongolia 32 0 Equal 0
188 41 Guam Guam 17 0 Equal 0
193 42 Macau Macau 14 0 Equal 0
195 43 Afghanistan Afghanistan 10 0 Equal 0
197 44 Brunei Darussalam Brunei Darussalam 9 0 Equal 0
197 45 Bhutan Bhutan 9 0 Equal 0
201 46 Timor-Leste Timor-Leste 3 0 Equal 0

---

Added on January 12, 2011, 5:57 pmmissed Singapore by 6 points....

we gained only 17 points from semifinals and finals games

This post has been edited by aressandro10: Jan 12 2011, 05:57 PM

For the time being.. this are the teams that we must target to lead to venture further on Asia level...

99 9 Kuwait
102 10 United Arab Emirates
104 11 Oman
105 12 Qatar
107 13 Jordan
108 14 Uzbekistan
109 15 Korea DPR
110 16 Syria
127 19 Yemen

---

Added on January 12, 2011, 6:03 pmduring the group games we lost 1, drew 1 and win versus inferior team 1 and we got 16 points. so i expect more than 1 point extra when we won twice versus Vietnam and Indonesia who ranked higher than us..

This post has been edited by aressandro10: Jan 12 2011, 06:03 PM

thats what i said..

previous cycle :

1w + 1d + 1l = +16 points.

this cycle :

2w + 1d + 1l = +17 points .. i points difference only..

but i do aware that points are caculated based on average of 4 years .. not just the result of the last months..

---

Added on January 12, 2011, 7:09 pmPiala AFF: Skuad Harimau Malaya terima RM65,000
Jan 12, 11 4:20pm
Kongsi 30
Datuk Seri Najib Razak hari ini mengumumkan pemberian insentif saham amanah serta wang tunai berjumlah RM65,000 setiap seorang kepada 25 pemain dan jurulatih bola sepak kebangsaan yang menjuarai Piala AFF Suzuki pada bulan lalu.

Indonesian Hamka Hamzah (L) with Malaysian Mohamad Safee ® AFF Suzuki Cup 2010Setiap pemain dan jurulatih diberikan unit Amanah Saham Wawasan 2020 berjumlah RM50,000 yang bagaimanapun tidak boleh dikeluarkan sehingga tempoh 10 tahun, kata Perdana Menteri ketika meraikan skuad itu di kediaman rasminya, Seri Perdana, di Putrajaya hari ini.

Pada majlis yang turut dihadiri menteri-menteri kabinet, Najib berkata imbuhan wang tunai RM10,000 adalah daripada kerajaan dan RM5,000 lagi melalui Skim Hadiah Kemenangan Sukan (Shakam) daripada Majlis Sukan Negara.

malaysia wins AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 fanKatanya Kementerian Belia dan Sukan akan memperuntukkan RM500,000 kepada Persatuan Bolasepak Malaysia (FAM) untuk menaik taraf kemudahan gimnasium dan membina bilik sauna di Wisma FAM di Kelana Jaya bagi kemudahan pemain.

Malaysia menjuarai Piala AFF Suzuki buat julung kalinya dengan menumpaskan Indonesia dengan agregat 4-2 setelah menang 3-0 di sini dan kalah 2-1 di Jakarta.


-------------------------------------------------------------

ASW : 50k (only after 10 years can withdraw)
GOV : 10k cash
standard sports reward : 5k cash
Akujanji : 4 - 5 k cash
President personal contribution : +/- 20-30k cash

---------------------------------------------------------------

state contribution : 5k cash + house/land lot
----------------------------------------------------------------

i think thats pretty decent for a history making feat

---

Added on January 12, 2011, 8:18 pmLATIHAN & PEMILIHAN PASUKAN KEBANGSAAN UNTUK PERSIAPAN PUSINGAN KELAYAKAN PIALA DUNIA 2014 PADA 29 JUN 2011 :

1. Latihan Tempatan 2 Feb 2011 hingga 10 Feb 2011 bertempat di Wisma FAM Kelana Jaya.
2. Perlawanan Persahabatan Antarabangsa 9 Feb 2011 bertempat di Stadium KLFA, Cheras.

Pemain-pemain yang dipilih untuk menjalani latihan dan pemilihan adalah seperti berikut :

1 Amar Rohidan - Kedah
2 Mohamad Azmi Muslim - Kedah
3 Mohd Sabre Mat Abu - Kedah
4 Mohd Amirulhadi Zainal - Selangor
5 Mohd Asraruddin Putra - Selangor
6 Mohd Safee Mohd Sali - Selangor
7 Safiq Rahim - Selangor
8 Ahmad Fakri Saarani - Negeri Sembilan
9 Mahathevan a/l Gengatharan - Negeri Sembilan
10 Mohamad Aidil Zafuan Abd Razak - Negeri Sembilan
11 Mohd Farizal Marlias - Negeri Sembilan
12 Kunalan Subramaniam - Negeri Sembilan
13 Mohamad Ashaari Samsudin - Terengganu
14 Mohd Sharbinee Allawee - Terengganu
15 Chanturu Suppiah - Kelantan
16 Norshahrul Idlan Talaha - Kelantan
17 Khairul Fahmi Che Mat - Kelantan
18 Gurusamy Govandar Kandasamy - Harimau Muda
19 Izzaq Faris Ramlan - Harimau Muda
20 Mahalli Jasuli - Harimau Muda
21 Mohammad Muslim Ahmad - Harimau Muda
22 Mohd Fadhli Mohd Shas - Harimau Muda
23 Mohd Faizal Muhamad - Harimau Muda
24 Shahrizal Mohd Saad - Johor FC




-----------------------------------------------------------
AFF SUZUKI CUP DROPPED PLAYERS/INJURED.


Mohd. Razman Roslan
Khairul Helmi Johari
Mohd. Amri Yahyah
Khyril Muhymeen
Faizal Abu Bakar



This post has been edited by aressandro10: Jan 12 2011, 08:18 PM

So aku nombor berapa ?

Sunday January 16, 2011

The ball’s at his feet

By RASHVINJEET S.BEDI
sunday@thestar.com.my

Coach K. Rajagopal, who led the Malaysian football to glory in the recent AFF Suzuki Cup, may be soft-spoken but his success proves that he is made of sterner stuff.
WHEN people talk about the glory days of Malaysian football, names such as Mokhtar Dahari, Santokh Singh and Datuk Soh Chin Aun will crop up without fail.
The name K. Rajagopal could now be immortalised in the same breath, not as a player but as the person who pumped new life into Malaysian football following the team’s success in the recently concluded AFF Suzuki Cup.
Calls have been made for Rajagopal to be awarded a Datukship, and some Liverpool fans, obviously keen to be on the winning side again, have suggested that he take charge of the under-performing English Premier League club.
He has, together with wife M. Chanthra, even been invited to guest on Datuk Siti Nurhaliza’s new talk show on Astro Ria (the show will air in February).



But Malaysia’s very own “Special One” is taking all the new-found attention in his stride.
“It makes you proud that people are saying things like this but at the same time I don’t want to be carried away. There is a lot of work to be done. We need time,” he says in an interview at his Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) office in Kelana Jaya recently.
A picture of him with Manchester United supremo Sir Alex Ferguson adorns the background of his desktop. And just like Ferguson, Rajagopal, 55, is not the best of friends with critics.
In fact, he can be blunt and straightforward, especially at critics who he says know nothing about the game or history.
“It is very difficult to satisfy humans. People want too many things too fast without knowing the background and reality. They want a Kancil to beat a Ferrari. We are trying to improve the Kancil so it can maybe compete with the Honda or Toyota,” says the father of two boys aged 23 and 25.
Some might consider comments like this to be arrogant, but those close to him say he might be misunderstood. They point out that he is being single-minded in his pursuit of success for the country.
National team manager Datuk Subahan Kamal says Rajagopal can be flamboyant but at the same time is modest and down to earth.
“He is sincere and humble. There are no airs about him despite his success. He appreciates everyone and doesn’t like to swallow success for himself,” he says, adding that Rajagopal obliged Indonesian fans by taking pictures with them.
Subahan also says that Rajagopal has a sense of humour, although he is all business on the field.
In any case, Rajagopal has certainly come a long way from his humble beginnings in Air Panas, Setapak. The fifth among six siblings, he grew up in difficult circumstances, with his father who was a bus driver passing away when he was only two.
Since his mother was a housewife, it was left to his elder brothers who were of school-going age to fend for the family.
Living across a football field, there was football for him day and night.
His playmates included ex-internationals Santokh, who recommended him for a technician job at PKNS, and R. Subramaniam who later played with him in the Selangor team. His senior by five years, Santokh recalls Rajagopal to be a fast and nippy player.
“He was hardworking, dedicated and had determination. Those qualities are important for any coach,” Santokh says.
Rajagopal started by playing for his local club Hotspurs and then went on to Cholan Youth in the Selangor Football League in 1975. He emerged top scorer in the league.
He was then called up to the Selangor team in 1978, where he played as a striker behind Mokhtar Dahari.
He also played for the national team, although mainly for the second team.
Altogether he won six Malaysia Cup and two FAM Cup medals with Selangor.
His most memorable moment was beating a star-studded Singapore side 4-0 in the 1980 final at Merdeka Stadium.
He also remembers when Selangor took on Malacca in a league game at the same stadium. Malacca were then undefeated and had just recruited Soh Chin Aun.
“One or two hours before the game, a few gates were broken down because there were too many fans,” says Rajagopal.
He also had the opportunity to play against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, a Brazilian all-star team, and Boca Juniors who had a certain Diego Maradona in their ranks.
Rajagopal was, however, not included in the 1984 Selangor squad, a sore point for him, and, to this day, he does not know the reason why.
“I wanted to continue but they said I was not included because I got married. I think it was a political thing. I was so passionate about football. Maybe some officials didn’t like me,” says the Manchester United and Brazil fan.
Coaching career
He continued to play for Selangor PKNS until the age of 40, however. The lean Rajagopal still plays football at least three times a week to keep fit.
His foray into coaching began with the Selangor Sukma team in 1990. After coaching various teams, he was appointed head coach of Selangor in 2000.
Despite winning the Premier I title and making it to the Malaysia Cup semi-finals in 2000, he was dropped from the squad.
To prove himself, he quit his job with PKNS after 22 years to pursue a full-time coaching career with Kelantan, a gamble by his own calculations.
“I took a big risk but I love the game so much. I made painful sacrifices to leave my family for the first time to take up a coaching job with Kelantan. I was not used to being alone and, believe me, I suffered and missed my family a lot,” he recalls.
He then got a break with the national youth team in 2003 before moving up the ranks to take the national team’s hot seat in April 2009.
FAM general secretary Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad says Rajagopal is loyal, committed and dedicated, and is always the first on the training pitch.
“He might seem soft-spoken, but he is strict and takes a no-nonsense approach. He has a good sense of instilling discipline in the players,” he says.
In December 2009, Rajagopal led Malaysia to the Sea Games football gold medal, the first in 20 long years.
Nevertheless, there are lots of people who call him a puppet coach, pointing out a squad that is comprised mainly of one race.
But he counters that one has to look into the league registration for the core issue of this problem.
“Who is the most outstanding Chinese player? I was desperately looking but there was no one. For me, the best players get into the team,” he says.
In fact, Rajagopal made a very brave decision to go with a young team for the AFF Tournament, leaving out some big names.
“Was I a puppet? That shows how much guts I have. Allegations of race bias will never end. As a coach, I cannot think about all these things.”
Instead he stays positive, getting inspiration from motivational coaches such as Robin Sharma and Robert Kiyosaki. He opens up a big box containing many motivational books. The books include Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom, among others.
Subahan confirms Rajagopal’s positive outlook to everything.
“Deep inside, he is always optimistic about winning. He has a never-say-die attitude and never feels sorry for himself,” he says.
Despite his success, Rajagopal still prefers to spend his free time with his family. Subahan says that Rajagopal would always visit his mother, even when he was busy.
“I feel that I have spent a lot of quality time on my career. My wife has sacrificed so much and put up with a lot. When I was moving here and there, she was taking care of the children,” says Rajagopal.
The dedication and hard work has paid off, however.

http://thestar.com.m...1957&sec=nation

This post has been edited by aressandro10: Jan 16 2011, 02:52 PM


Attached thumbnail(s)

auuwwww

legend tu takdelah.. pengasas HMC dan ultrasmalaya adalah orang-orang yang aku anggap legend

aku suka tgk aku sebagai minyak pelincir yang men'smoothkan' perjalanan dan membawa idea itu lebih jauh sahaja .. huhuhuhu...




aku dah start ajar anak aku chants sikit2... 2 kali jer dah simpan dah mufflerr... malas btol...... takper.... tahun depan umur dia 3 tahun aku paksa dia hapal lagi chants.. .. lepas tu baru aku ajar dia ABC..

the trick is to increase awareness that football is not just fun to play and watch, but it can be fun to support as well... true supporting inconsiderate of result or show on the pitch,,

i dont think their national team "failed"... frankly speaking, they have the leanest, meanest team in the AFF with the most numbers of wins.. abeilt i have to say, all of them are at home...

and i think they have the potential to have the best league in Sout East ASia... although the imports would strangle youth development like they did for us, they have the advantage of volume... meaning eventhough with that amount of imports, they still have a large amount of local players due to the size of their country..

---

Added on January 19, 2011, 12:15 pm
Krishnasamy: Malaysian football is on the rise

Malaysia ended their long wait for an inaugural major international crown by claiming December's 2010 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup, formerly known as the Tiger Cup. The success, their first in the regional competition since its inception in 1996, reignited footballing passion across the country with fans hailing the re-emergence of the Malayan Tiger. Such was the raw outpouring of support for the national team that Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak, the 2010 AFC Diamond of Asia winner, declared a public holiday following the 4-2 aggregate victory against Indonesia.

Coach Rajagobal Krishnasamy is the man responsible for masterminding Malaysia's successful rebuilding. Since taking over in July 2009, Krishnasamy has moulded his side into a highly-disciplined and competent unit, one far removed from the disastrous showing on home soil at the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. After making history with his team, the former national team striker sat down with FIFA.com to shed light on the significance of the triumph, the team's prospects and their goals for the years to come.

FIFA.com: Congratulations on Malaysia's achievement in winning the recent AFF Suzuki Cup for the first time. By doing so you broke new ground for the country's football. What is your assessment of the victory?
Rajagobal Krishnasamy: It was an encouraging victory for all Malaysian people especially the football fans. The young players played their hearts out throughout to achieve this, so for all of us this triumph is special.

Does this achievement kick-start the revival of Malaysian football and can the nation return to the heady days of the 1960's and 1970's when they were among Asia's best?
Yes, this Suzuki Cup victory has brought hopes back to us and it indeed marks the revival of Malaysian football. Having said that, it may take at least 6-7 years for us to get back to the continental stage where we can compete against Asia’s best.

Will this Suzuki Cup triumph, at least partly, contribute to the recovery of the Malaysian league? After the slump in the 1990's, is the local league rebuilding and heading in the right direction?
I think yes. The national league has improved over recent years and without foreign players in the domestic competition, the local league provides our young players with more chances to develop and emerge.

Malaysia appeared to be one of the most attack-minded sides during the recent Suzuki Cup, with Mohd Safee Mohd Sali striking five times to top the tournament scoring chart. As a former national team forward, was it a priority to enhance the team's potency in attack?
The top priority is for the team to play as a unit but we did focus a bit on our attacking approach in preparation, adding more finishing training for the strikers.

Before this Suzuki Cup victory you had led the U-23 side to ASEAN Games' gold. Did that previous success lay the foundation for the senior team's triumph?
The backbone of players from that Under 23 side constituted the core of the senior team that won the Suzuki Cup. We had thirteen players from the ASEAN Games squad who became the nucleus of the current national team.

Could you name a few of the key players who emerged during the successful campaign?
To name a few, our emerging starlets include midfield talents like skipper Safiq Rahim, Amar Rohidan, Subramaniam Kunanlan and Kandasamy Gurusamy. At the back we have Ahmad Muslim and Mohd Asraruddin, while spearheading the frontline is Norsharul Tahala.

No ASEAN team qualified for this month’s AFC Asian Cup, so does that mean the gap between your region and Asia's best is widening? If so, what can be done to bridge the gap?
To keep the team competitive we should regularly play top teams from Asia and Europe alike and, to be exact, we must make the most of the international A-match days every month to arrange friendlies with good teams, to sharpen our form and gain experience.

What is the next goal you have set with the Malaysia team?
After winning the regional title our next target is to have a strong side to qualify for the next Asian Cup in four years time.

Sauce: http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/news/newsid=1366482.html

This post has been edited by aressandro10: Jan 19 2011, 12:15 PM