I have not been saying much in this blog so far, not for any particular reason, and it is just because I did not have much to say this time. However, after reading this article, written by Beckham, I am starting to have something to say now.
Last Saturday's game was very much of a blur now. How did we loose the game? No one could really point a finger on a particular thing at all. Did we play badly? No one can out-rightly say so. Were the umpires horrible? Horribly so, but did they do that much damage that cost us the game? Not to that great an extent, and no one can say it for sure... So what actually happened? Jiao Lian had a great point in his debrief. He said their tactics worked. They challenged us legally or illegally at every ball. While they might not get the ball all the time, they were successful in rattling us. They did not rattle us big time, but they did it bit by bit throughout the game, and they did it just enough to gain an upper hand on us.
Come to think of it, our opponents were some great strategists, as they used the advantage rule and the time out rule to their fullest advantage. As we were all skilled players, even though we were contacted, umpire let the contact went as an advantage. While we did not tumble and fall each time (although some of us did at times), every bang and every little slap on the ball took a toll on us, bit by bit. Also, whenever we started to gain momentum in our attack, they would call for time with no apparent reason (and I say they planned every time out and every team change before hand), and all these little tricks were just enough to keep us at bay. Jiao Lian also said that we could have been physically tougher against them, but we were totally “ambushed” by them...
And what is the relevance of Beckham’s story… In Beckham's case, he became England's most hated footballer when he was handed the red card in the 1998 World Cup. He was provoked by the opponent but England did not empathize with him. Despite the adversity, he thought the best thing for him to do was to keep on working hard in the soccer field to prove himself to England, and he did. He not only redeemed himself , he also reinvented himself as a soccer player.
Like Beckham, we needed to reinvent ourselves! We know their trickery now and we should play smarter next time, and not fall to their tactics again. If it was a physical game they wanna play, then let us all get physical. Most importantly, we all have the skills and wits to outdo them. So everyone, let us all work hard for this Saturday. Let us beat our next opponent this coming Sat so we can get pass the qualifying hurdle for the grand finals. Also, we should all show that we are no not a push-over. We might have loose a game last Sat, but we have the “big hearts” to keep going and to keep improving ourselves.
Last Saturday's game was very much of a blur now. How did we loose the game? No one could really point a finger on a particular thing at all. Did we play badly? No one can out-rightly say so. Were the umpires horrible? Horribly so, but did they do that much damage that cost us the game? Not to that great an extent, and no one can say it for sure... So what actually happened? Jiao Lian had a great point in his debrief. He said their tactics worked. They challenged us legally or illegally at every ball. While they might not get the ball all the time, they were successful in rattling us. They did not rattle us big time, but they did it bit by bit throughout the game, and they did it just enough to gain an upper hand on us.
Come to think of it, our opponents were some great strategists, as they used the advantage rule and the time out rule to their fullest advantage. As we were all skilled players, even though we were contacted, umpire let the contact went as an advantage. While we did not tumble and fall each time (although some of us did at times), every bang and every little slap on the ball took a toll on us, bit by bit. Also, whenever we started to gain momentum in our attack, they would call for time with no apparent reason (and I say they planned every time out and every team change before hand), and all these little tricks were just enough to keep us at bay. Jiao Lian also said that we could have been physically tougher against them, but we were totally “ambushed” by them...
And what is the relevance of Beckham’s story… In Beckham's case, he became England's most hated footballer when he was handed the red card in the 1998 World Cup. He was provoked by the opponent but England did not empathize with him. Despite the adversity, he thought the best thing for him to do was to keep on working hard in the soccer field to prove himself to England, and he did. He not only redeemed himself , he also reinvented himself as a soccer player.
Like Beckham, we needed to reinvent ourselves! We know their trickery now and we should play smarter next time, and not fall to their tactics again. If it was a physical game they wanna play, then let us all get physical. Most importantly, we all have the skills and wits to outdo them. So everyone, let us all work hard for this Saturday. Let us beat our next opponent this coming Sat so we can get pass the qualifying hurdle for the grand finals. Also, we should all show that we are no not a push-over. We might have loose a game last Sat, but we have the “big hearts” to keep going and to keep improving ourselves.
1 comment:
Hello,
I'm sorry I have been lazy at commenting again :( I think I shall do a spot of congratulations for all our NL teams. \
I though we redeemed ourselves quite well with the Blaze game!Winning by 20+ goals is no mean feat considering they were the Daisy Tan champions (although I dunno how much that really counted for). I think most importantly, we showed a lot of grit, unity and trust in each other. Looking at how our opponents started to blame each other for faults made me appreciate the friendship and camaraderie we all enjoy at Sneakers.
And there is no better example of that than to look at our Force team. Made up of a healthy mixture of young and younger players, they overcame the initial uneasiness of playing with each other and have now become quite a force (no pun intended) to reckon with! I mean, you guys led Nike Air by 2 goals at the end of first quarter, if thats not a show of strength and tenacity, I dunno what is.
And Speed, I think you have blown everyone away in Div 2. What's most heartening is that the senior players in Speed (who could have been junior players if they were in Force/Ace, no...lee3 u are not in this category)have taken up great responsibilities in leading the youth players in the team and doing it commendably well. I salute you for killing 3 birds with 1 stone, developing yourself, developing our club's future players and fighting for our club's glory :)
This is the last stretch guys, Ace we have to win tonight's game even more convincingly than any others we have played and fulfill our destiny on Sat's finals. Force, give it your all agst Blaze, you still have a chance to make it to the finals as 21s may yet upset Nike Air. Speed, continue to sweep every team aside and we will surely support you on Sat's Div 2 finals :) Lets all have a jolly good time at jiaolian's restaurant on Sat after we clinch both div's champio nships!BYO alcohol is allowed, but do not drink and drive ok?
Waiyee, have i redeemed myself for being absent from commenting for so long? Pls carry on the good work :) cya tonite!
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