(no subject)
I watched the YOG football semis yesterday.
It was disappointing to say the least. Contrary to what the media wants you to believe, Haiti were not all that good. They didn't create much at all and Singapore dominated the possession. The Cubs just couldn't turn that possession into goals (haha, Arsenal much?). We could've scored at least three, that was the number of clear cut chances we had. The boys started off nervously, and just couldn't find that clinical finish. Before the first half came to an end I thought to myself, "we don't want to concede a goal right now, if we do we are not going to win this." Sure enough, the keeper did his best impression of Lukas Fabianski and that was it. It was a needless goal to concede, the Haitian player put in a weak cross which should've easily been collected but the boy spilled his catch.
Haiti was always going to defend for their lives and waste time after that. Still, we had chances to level it but nerves got the better of our boys. And at the end, the lack of composure cost them. After committing too many men up front, a Haitian throughball split the defence. One of the boys made a needless challenge and got sent off, Haiti were awarded a penalty. Game over.
I feel for our boys, I really do. At 15, playing in the youth olympics representing your country is probably one of the best experiences you'll ever get. These boys are living the dream. No one likes to lose, especially at this stage. I will admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the cubs, the horrible long ball play from the AYG has mostly been overwritten, now they play proper football, passing the ball along the ground. Until they were chasing the game. I was very impressed with the chinese boys, Brandon and Jonathan. Skillful wide players with excellent crossing, a joy to watch. Hanafi as well, though he needs to address that one-footedness.
Now, I do think that the media made a big mistake after the Montenegro game. The boys were put on a pedestal and expectations suddenly sky-rocketed. It all went a bit England-ish. Papers were doing features on individual boys, comparing them to Sundram, Fandi and Quah Kim Song. It's a bit too early for that, isn't it? The media should've given the boys focus by keeping their feet on the ground, reminding them of the lessons learnt in their horrible AYG campaign. When you are that young, it's easy to lose focus and lose yourself in the hype. Damned new paper.
Now, I think he's a promising young lad but Jeffrey Lightfoot needs to be more commanding, he needs to learn how to shout and talk more. It's no use being a captain and a defender if you don't talk. I'd advise him to stop watching Jamie Carragher and take a look at Tony Adams. That's a fine example of a defender/captain. Also, he needs to cut out the hollywood passes/shots. No one is going to score from a 40m freekick (unless you're Juninho), and a failed long ball just leads to a turnover of possession. As a defender, keep it simple, play it along the ground. Step out of the defence once possession is won and start the attack from the back. Didn't the AYG teach you something? You're 15 kid, you need to learn. Do all that and I guarantee he'll be a better player.
And the goalkeeper. He needs to sort himself out, this isn't the first time he's made this sort of mistake. A goalkeeper has to be reliable, first and foremost. The defence needs to trust that he can do his job, otherwise all that will happen is they'll end up like the current Arsenal.
I wanted the cubs to win so bad, I really did. But that's football. I hope the boys learn from this, they really have to. Mel asked me why I bother with Singapore football. Because these are our boys, they represent our country in a sport that I love, and I see a bit of our 15 year old selves in them. I will always want them to do well, I will always be upset and disappointed when they lose.
Nihat Kahveci said, "You have to think about today and tomorrow because yesterday does not exist in football."
So come on you Cubs. There's still a medal match waiting for you.
Rise and rise again until lambs Cubs become Lions.
It was disappointing to say the least. Contrary to what the media wants you to believe, Haiti were not all that good. They didn't create much at all and Singapore dominated the possession. The Cubs just couldn't turn that possession into goals (haha, Arsenal much?). We could've scored at least three, that was the number of clear cut chances we had. The boys started off nervously, and just couldn't find that clinical finish. Before the first half came to an end I thought to myself, "we don't want to concede a goal right now, if we do we are not going to win this." Sure enough, the keeper did his best impression of Lukas Fabianski and that was it. It was a needless goal to concede, the Haitian player put in a weak cross which should've easily been collected but the boy spilled his catch.
Haiti was always going to defend for their lives and waste time after that. Still, we had chances to level it but nerves got the better of our boys. And at the end, the lack of composure cost them. After committing too many men up front, a Haitian throughball split the defence. One of the boys made a needless challenge and got sent off, Haiti were awarded a penalty. Game over.
I feel for our boys, I really do. At 15, playing in the youth olympics representing your country is probably one of the best experiences you'll ever get. These boys are living the dream. No one likes to lose, especially at this stage. I will admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the cubs, the horrible long ball play from the AYG has mostly been overwritten, now they play proper football, passing the ball along the ground. Until they were chasing the game. I was very impressed with the chinese boys, Brandon and Jonathan. Skillful wide players with excellent crossing, a joy to watch. Hanafi as well, though he needs to address that one-footedness.
Now, I do think that the media made a big mistake after the Montenegro game. The boys were put on a pedestal and expectations suddenly sky-rocketed. It all went a bit England-ish. Papers were doing features on individual boys, comparing them to Sundram, Fandi and Quah Kim Song. It's a bit too early for that, isn't it? The media should've given the boys focus by keeping their feet on the ground, reminding them of the lessons learnt in their horrible AYG campaign. When you are that young, it's easy to lose focus and lose yourself in the hype. Damned new paper.
Now, I think he's a promising young lad but Jeffrey Lightfoot needs to be more commanding, he needs to learn how to shout and talk more. It's no use being a captain and a defender if you don't talk. I'd advise him to stop watching Jamie Carragher and take a look at Tony Adams. That's a fine example of a defender/captain. Also, he needs to cut out the hollywood passes/shots. No one is going to score from a 40m freekick (unless you're Juninho), and a failed long ball just leads to a turnover of possession. As a defender, keep it simple, play it along the ground. Step out of the defence once possession is won and start the attack from the back. Didn't the AYG teach you something? You're 15 kid, you need to learn. Do all that and I guarantee he'll be a better player.
And the goalkeeper. He needs to sort himself out, this isn't the first time he's made this sort of mistake. A goalkeeper has to be reliable, first and foremost. The defence needs to trust that he can do his job, otherwise all that will happen is they'll end up like the current Arsenal.
I wanted the cubs to win so bad, I really did. But that's football. I hope the boys learn from this, they really have to. Mel asked me why I bother with Singapore football. Because these are our boys, they represent our country in a sport that I love, and I see a bit of our 15 year old selves in them. I will always want them to do well, I will always be upset and disappointed when they lose.
Nihat Kahveci said, "You have to think about today and tomorrow because yesterday does not exist in football."
So come on you Cubs. There's still a medal match waiting for you.
Rise and rise again until lambs Cubs become Lions.