Monday, June 30, 2008
Spain: "Ordinary" Champions of Europe?
After the pain and agony associated with not living up to expectations year after year, Spain have finally stamped their name in international football with the Euro 2008 crown. Their passing throughout the tournament has been slick and they've played football with the right, positive attitude. But, were they worthy champions? Did they really play the best football among all the 16 nations (17, if you still thought somehow that England were competing) ? The La Selección did, afterall, win the title with players from "lowly" teams such as Valencia, Villarreal, Mallorca and to please you Mancs out there, Liverpool. Does that make Spain "averagely" good? Whatever it is, Spain are the Champions of Europe and I'm just glad it didn't turn out to be a farce that was Euro 2004.
Soccertee.com
Guys, I have a friend who wants to bring in a bunch of Soccer related tees from Hong Kong to Singapore. He wants to gain a general opinion on how much people are willing to pay for a tee shirt like that. He claims the tee shirt quality is comparable to Nike or Adidas. Do help him out and leave a comment to this post as to how much you are willing to pay for something like that. The website would be www.soccertee.com. And some interesting designs that I have found include:
Do browse through the website and state how much you're willing to pay for a tee shirt. Thanks guys!
Do browse through the website and state how much you're willing to pay for a tee shirt. Thanks guys!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
League Game 7: Match Report
In contrast to last week, the weather greeted us with scorching hot temperatures coupled with surprising morning humidity this time around. Well done to everyone for keeping away from your own weird rain rituals and bringing about the sunshine. We picked up our thrid win on the trot against a rather hardworking Team AMK FC and in doing so, scoring 3 and keeping our first clean sheet of the season (and a little beyond into last season as well). Our performance was a very collective hardworking one but I personally felt that we were dodgey, nervous and rather tired for long periods of the match. It was a good performance but I'm sure many would agree that a performance of this level will probably warrant a mauling from a team higher up in the table. I shall put that down to perhaps the break last week. The weather certainly didnt help us either. I was dead by half time and was basically clinging on for dear life. Special mention to the gaffer for keeping the team fresh and managing the substitutions and tactics from the sidelines. Switching to 4-5-1 for the last 10 minutes was a good touch. Very well taken goals by Murali and Vijay. Just a few observations from behind that I would like to add. I urge everyone to leave a comment to add on to what is being discussed here. Very pleased with the fullbacks and wingers today. Very good communication and i can see the effort in trying to help one another out. However, there were instances where both the winger and fullback pusched up and left a gaping hole behind. Many a times we were exploited in this area. Perhaps you guys can come up with your own system within the flanks where should the fullback push up, then the winger slots back into the hole or you can always call out to the centre backs to shift. On my part, I will try my best to organise the defence to fill up these spaces but I still hope that the passing and movement when the wingers and fullbacks attack will be tighter and more decisive. Try your best to play safe passes especially when you know that you are taking a risk by pushing high up the pitch. Do not hesitate to put in early balls into the box. Have confidence in your own ability and try to create chances for the strikers. The third goal was created by Siva, who is a right back, and this shows the importance of quality crosses into the box. Strikers, please make an effort to challenge for every ball. I would suggest discussing before the match with the wingers as to how you want the balls played in. Do you want low crosses? Deep crosses? Cut backs? Also have a system with your strike partner. For example, one can attack the near post and the other can peel away to the edge of the box to pick up any loose balls. When you do get the ball in the box, try your best to get a shot on target. Avoid beating players when there isnt a need to. You always have your centre midfielders to whom you can pass to. Centre midfielders, please take more shots where the opportunities arise. I dont think we tested the keeper enough today. Also try and spread the play more to the wings so as to stretch the opponents and free yourself of makers. And lastly, I will try to improve my communication with my centreback partner and also devise a proper system of playing the offside trap. A lapse between me and Pream almost caused us to concede an early goal and had that gone in, it would have been a different story all together. They seemed very capable of defending a lead for 90 minutes. Vinod, outstanding save from the penalty! Guys, it was a credible win nontheless and lets work harder in the next game to notch up another win. We will be playing the same team again ( dont't ask me why) but at Serangoon Sec this time. Let's continue working as a team and help each other out. Advice your teamates on areas they have to improve. Anand, for example, approached me after the game and adviced me to maintain my cool on the pitch and not end up being a liability to the team by getting myself sent off. Point certainly noted and I will work hard on this area. Similarly, I urge the rest to feel free to go up to one another and hand out similar pointers. Have a great week ahead boys, rest well, get some milage under your belt for your own fitness and most importantly, take care of your own health. Cheers! Oh, and lets work on our punctuality as well!
Team: Vinod, Dinesh, Pream, Kathir, Siva, Anand, Murali, Prem, Prashant, Sakthi, Vishnu, Dr Karthik, Vijay, Kumarran, Vik, Naga, Rethish, The Gaffer (Present as Ever).
Final Score: 3-0
Scorers : Murali (Around 30 minutes), Vijay ( I'm guessing like 70th and 80th minutes)
Casuarina Curry Man-of-the-Match: Vinod*
*All MOM from now on are are entitled to 1 x kosong prata, 1 x speciality prata of your choice and 1 x kopicino. Award redeemable with a trip down to Casuaina Curry with the Gaffer.
Team: Vinod, Dinesh, Pream, Kathir, Siva, Anand, Murali, Prem, Prashant, Sakthi, Vishnu, Dr Karthik, Vijay, Kumarran, Vik, Naga, Rethish, The Gaffer (Present as Ever).
Final Score: 3-0
Scorers : Murali (Around 30 minutes), Vijay ( I'm guessing like 70th and 80th minutes)
Casuarina Curry Man-of-the-Match: Vinod*
*All MOM from now on are are entitled to 1 x kosong prata, 1 x speciality prata of your choice and 1 x kopicino. Award redeemable with a trip down to Casuaina Curry with the Gaffer.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Its League Game 7 again, hopefully.
Hi guys, Sunday is approaching again and after the disappointment of the canceled game last week, I urge everyone to not perform anymore rain rituals and pray for clear skies this time around. We will be up against Team AMK, 9am at Canberra Sec. Do contact the relevant people if you need a lift. I think most of us will be familiar with this venue. It was where we picked up our first win of the season against CUFC. Try to be there by 0830, change up and we shall try to warm up together and discuss how we're going to line up. We have never played this team before and hence we need to be cautious. I guess we will have to adapt as the match wears on but nonetheless, I will discuss with the captain and we will let the team know how we will shape up on the match day itself. As ever, rest early the night before and hydrate yourself well. See you on Sunday guys!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
League Game 7: Match Report
After the flurry of activities and hype, the rain has caused the game to be canceled. Please continue working on your own personal fitness meanwhile and take care of your own health. We shall meet again when the skies are brighter...
Saturday, June 21, 2008
League Game 7
Its the weekend again and its AFL action again. This was a last minute fixture and hence really sorry about the last minute activation. We're hoping for a good turnout and as it stands, Keerthi is the only unavailable player. I hope all those who have given your word do indeed come down. Players who have been coming down regularly and have been putting in good performances will be given priority at the gaffer's discretion. We have to be fair to those showing commitment. The response for the initial friendly was extremely poor and while I do understand that many have other commitments on a Sunday evening, I hope everyone treats these friendly games seriously. We need to play more often together and friendlies will always remain an integral part of the learning process. Its alright if we get thrashed, as long as we learn something from it.
This week we will be playing Marine Devils FC (return "home" fixture), a team that we lost to 2-0 at Serangoon Sec a few games back. We have played this team 3 times in total (and have lost all 3) and by now I hope all of us understand their style of play. We know who their key players are and I would urge everyone to be ready at the pitch by 830 tomorrow so that we can discuss how we are going to approach the game. Attendance will be taken. They are a hardworking, organized team and we have to be disciplined for the whole 90 minutes. That simply means stick to your position and work with and along with your team mates. We are capable of beating them and anything less than a win tomorrow will be unacceptable. Guys, have a good rest tonight and hydrate yourself well. We will meet at the pitch tomorrow.
This week we will be playing Marine Devils FC (return "home" fixture), a team that we lost to 2-0 at Serangoon Sec a few games back. We have played this team 3 times in total (and have lost all 3) and by now I hope all of us understand their style of play. We know who their key players are and I would urge everyone to be ready at the pitch by 830 tomorrow so that we can discuss how we are going to approach the game. Attendance will be taken. They are a hardworking, organized team and we have to be disciplined for the whole 90 minutes. That simply means stick to your position and work with and along with your team mates. We are capable of beating them and anything less than a win tomorrow will be unacceptable. Guys, have a good rest tonight and hydrate yourself well. We will meet at the pitch tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
On and off the pitch...
Hi guys, Kathir here and I'd like to make some announcements. I'll split this post into 2 bits. Firstly, I'll touch on some admin matters on behalf of the gaffer and prem. The gaffer being Abi of course. Then i'll go on to some issues regarding our football. I'd like to invite everyone to leave a comment below this post or in the comment box. Feel free to say anything and everything about what is to be announced. So here goes...
Off the pitch:
As you may have already noticed, I have attained the password to the blog and re-arranged the site a little and updated it. Please orientate yourself to this slightly new layout and let me know if it sucks. I've placed the fixtures and results list at the end of the page and have also placed the league table at the side. I will help prem to update this as often as required. There's is also a link to the AFL site right above the league table. Next, prem has assigned abi and myself to be the ones to inform everyone about the games everyweek. You will receive a text message from us and all you have to do is to let us know whether you can make it or not. If you do say yes, please make sure you turn up as promised. Abi will take attendance for all games and those who fail to turn up despite giving your word and/or without a valid reason will have your playing time reduced in the next match. Abi will see to this. There are no superstars in the team and to be quite honest, we all agree that this has become quite a prevalent problem. This rule of regular attendance for matches applies for friendlies and league matches. Prem has also appointed Vishnu as the new treasurer. All friendly games will cost $10 bucks a person. The excess amount will go into the team fund (which will be kept by Vishnu) and be used to fund the consecutive season(s). Abi will once again take attendance for these friendlies and those who dont turn up enough will not gain the benefit of having to pay less for the the following season's registration. Abi, Vishnu, Prem and myself will all keep accounts and I will undertake the responsibility of posting the accounts on the website every month. Those who have not paid for this season, PLEASE DO SO ASAP. You will only receive a free jersey if you are paying the full amount of $110. Those who don't pay the full amount, can purchase a spare jersey for $20 or loan a jersey everyweek (You must return it to me after every game). This is to maintain fairness to all those who have paid the full amount. As it stands, Ezek, Lavin, Praga are yet to pay half a season's registration fee. All three will also have to pay for your jerseys (if you do want to buy one). Vijay is yet to pay the full amount. When these payments are settled, the team fund will have around $150 to $200. I will confirm this once all payments have been settled. A big thank you to all the rest who have paid up.
On the pitch:
A few things regarding our football. I urge everyone to turn up early before every game so that we can conduct a little team warm up. We can do about 4 slow jogs across the breath of the field and then proceed to stretch. During this, Abi and Prem can name the team and pass instructions regarding how we're going to approach the game. Finally let me state my 5 cents worth regarding what I observed on the pitch over the last 2-3 games. As I've said, there are no superstars in this team and therefore please correct me if I am wrong. We are all friends and we should never take things personally. Learn from one another and improve as a team.
1) Wingers and fullbacks: I've mentioned this alot of times. The importance of wingers and fullbacks and working together. I urge the wingers to communicate with your fullbacks and take responsibility for your flanks. Work together to keep the opponents wingers quiet and limit the amount of crosses and diagonal balls coming into the penalty area. Attack together and defend together. When defending, fullbacks please call out to your wingers to come and help. When we're defending, the defense will shift towards the the flank from which the opponents are attacking. For example, lets say rethish's right flank is being attacked. The four defenders will all shift towards rethish's flank. Naga's left flank is bound to be left empty and the opposition winger will most likely slot into this space and try to receive a through ball or diagonal ball from rethish's flank. We will get caught if this happens. There fore, it is naga's duty to call out to prashant (the left winger) to slot into this empty space and mark the opposition winger if need be. I really hope that the wingers will be responsible enough to not leave your fullbacks exposed. Let's work on this part. The centre backs will guide you guys, so dont worry. Just keep this in mind.
2) Centre Midfielders: There were quite a few instances of the centre midfielders losing the balls in crucial areas over the last few games. This is very dangerous. I urge centre midfielders to try and reduce this. Try to not beat players in the centre of the field, unless it means that after that you will be able to make a crucial pass or move. Always go for the simpler option. Use your wingers, use the centre backs. As a rule of thumb, do not attempt to beat players in our half. It is perfectly alright to play the ball back and relieve yourself of pressure. Do trust your team mates. Similarly, i would like all the defenders (including myself) to brush up on your first touch. If under pressure, learn to put the ball away. Play it out or towards the wingers. NEVER ACROSS THE BOX OR ACROSS THE CENTRE OF THE PITCH. It was my hesitancy to put the ball away that caused the goal against kampong and I will improve on that.
3) Communication: Very simply, talk to one another. dont expect telepathy. Impose authority on the players around you and tell them what to do. I dont see the strikers talking to each other or the midfielders talking to one another. I must, however, commend the wingers and fullbacks. They seem to be doing the most talking. The rest of us must not be afraid to talk to one another and learn to leave whatever is said on the pitch.
4)Releasing the ball: I observed the strikers making alot of runs and creating spaces in the last game. However, the rest of us failed to release the ball early and many times blamed the strikers for being offside. Do remember its a two way thing. The moment the strikers ask for the ball, release it as soon as possible. Strikers, time your run and ask for the ball. I was guilty of not doing that on sunday and I will improve on that. Another thing that the strikers can work on is , as prem mentioned, working together to pressure the forwards. Never give defenders alot of time. There were many passes from the opposition full backs that almost caught us out. Please pressure them into playing the balls early so that they wont be that accurate.
These were just some thoughts that I hope we can work on for now. As we go, I will gather feedbacks and help prem to make posts regarding such matters. Please add on guys! Till the next game, which wil probably be a friendly, do maintain your own fitness, take care of yourselves and have a great week. Cheers.
Off the pitch:
As you may have already noticed, I have attained the password to the blog and re-arranged the site a little and updated it. Please orientate yourself to this slightly new layout and let me know if it sucks. I've placed the fixtures and results list at the end of the page and have also placed the league table at the side. I will help prem to update this as often as required. There's is also a link to the AFL site right above the league table. Next, prem has assigned abi and myself to be the ones to inform everyone about the games everyweek. You will receive a text message from us and all you have to do is to let us know whether you can make it or not. If you do say yes, please make sure you turn up as promised. Abi will take attendance for all games and those who fail to turn up despite giving your word and/or without a valid reason will have your playing time reduced in the next match. Abi will see to this. There are no superstars in the team and to be quite honest, we all agree that this has become quite a prevalent problem. This rule of regular attendance for matches applies for friendlies and league matches. Prem has also appointed Vishnu as the new treasurer. All friendly games will cost $10 bucks a person. The excess amount will go into the team fund (which will be kept by Vishnu) and be used to fund the consecutive season(s). Abi will once again take attendance for these friendlies and those who dont turn up enough will not gain the benefit of having to pay less for the the following season's registration. Abi, Vishnu, Prem and myself will all keep accounts and I will undertake the responsibility of posting the accounts on the website every month. Those who have not paid for this season, PLEASE DO SO ASAP. You will only receive a free jersey if you are paying the full amount of $110. Those who don't pay the full amount, can purchase a spare jersey for $20 or loan a jersey everyweek (You must return it to me after every game). This is to maintain fairness to all those who have paid the full amount. As it stands, Ezek, Lavin, Praga are yet to pay half a season's registration fee. All three will also have to pay for your jerseys (if you do want to buy one). Vijay is yet to pay the full amount. When these payments are settled, the team fund will have around $150 to $200. I will confirm this once all payments have been settled. A big thank you to all the rest who have paid up.
On the pitch:
A few things regarding our football. I urge everyone to turn up early before every game so that we can conduct a little team warm up. We can do about 4 slow jogs across the breath of the field and then proceed to stretch. During this, Abi and Prem can name the team and pass instructions regarding how we're going to approach the game. Finally let me state my 5 cents worth regarding what I observed on the pitch over the last 2-3 games. As I've said, there are no superstars in this team and therefore please correct me if I am wrong. We are all friends and we should never take things personally. Learn from one another and improve as a team.
1) Wingers and fullbacks: I've mentioned this alot of times. The importance of wingers and fullbacks and working together. I urge the wingers to communicate with your fullbacks and take responsibility for your flanks. Work together to keep the opponents wingers quiet and limit the amount of crosses and diagonal balls coming into the penalty area. Attack together and defend together. When defending, fullbacks please call out to your wingers to come and help. When we're defending, the defense will shift towards the the flank from which the opponents are attacking. For example, lets say rethish's right flank is being attacked. The four defenders will all shift towards rethish's flank. Naga's left flank is bound to be left empty and the opposition winger will most likely slot into this space and try to receive a through ball or diagonal ball from rethish's flank. We will get caught if this happens. There fore, it is naga's duty to call out to prashant (the left winger) to slot into this empty space and mark the opposition winger if need be. I really hope that the wingers will be responsible enough to not leave your fullbacks exposed. Let's work on this part. The centre backs will guide you guys, so dont worry. Just keep this in mind.
2) Centre Midfielders: There were quite a few instances of the centre midfielders losing the balls in crucial areas over the last few games. This is very dangerous. I urge centre midfielders to try and reduce this. Try to not beat players in the centre of the field, unless it means that after that you will be able to make a crucial pass or move. Always go for the simpler option. Use your wingers, use the centre backs. As a rule of thumb, do not attempt to beat players in our half. It is perfectly alright to play the ball back and relieve yourself of pressure. Do trust your team mates. Similarly, i would like all the defenders (including myself) to brush up on your first touch. If under pressure, learn to put the ball away. Play it out or towards the wingers. NEVER ACROSS THE BOX OR ACROSS THE CENTRE OF THE PITCH. It was my hesitancy to put the ball away that caused the goal against kampong and I will improve on that.
3) Communication: Very simply, talk to one another. dont expect telepathy. Impose authority on the players around you and tell them what to do. I dont see the strikers talking to each other or the midfielders talking to one another. I must, however, commend the wingers and fullbacks. They seem to be doing the most talking. The rest of us must not be afraid to talk to one another and learn to leave whatever is said on the pitch.
4)Releasing the ball: I observed the strikers making alot of runs and creating spaces in the last game. However, the rest of us failed to release the ball early and many times blamed the strikers for being offside. Do remember its a two way thing. The moment the strikers ask for the ball, release it as soon as possible. Strikers, time your run and ask for the ball. I was guilty of not doing that on sunday and I will improve on that. Another thing that the strikers can work on is , as prem mentioned, working together to pressure the forwards. Never give defenders alot of time. There were many passes from the opposition full backs that almost caught us out. Please pressure them into playing the balls early so that they wont be that accurate.
These were just some thoughts that I hope we can work on for now. As we go, I will gather feedbacks and help prem to make posts regarding such matters. Please add on guys! Till the next game, which wil probably be a friendly, do maintain your own fitness, take care of yourselves and have a great week. Cheers.
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