WHY MALAYSIA WILL DEFEAT INDIA IN CHAMPIONS CHALLENGE?

Despite a rather insipid performance by the national hockey team in their group matches at the Champions Challenge 1 at Johannesburg, they are expected to bounce back and defeat thge high riding Indians in the last eight clash on Thursday.

It may be wishful thinking to many, especially with the fact that Malaysia has been performing poorly in all three matches they played, losing to Canada (1-3) and Argentina (2-5) with only a draw against Japan (2-2) giving them some vindication.

And going by statistics, Malaysia have played India 98 times since their first meeting on 4th June 1932 where Malaysia was hammered 7-0.

It took Malaysia some 44 years to inflict defeat on India, and that occurred on 17 November 1976 in Lahore, Pakistan where Malaysia won 2-1.

Of the 98 matches, Malaysia lost 67, with 18 matches drawn and Malaysia winning only 13 of the clashes. In terms of goals Malaysia has scored 102 against their opponents but conceded 233 goals.

And additionally, the two teams met only twice this year with India winning 5-2 in the match at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup while their match in the AHF Champions Trophy in Ordos this September ended in a 2-2 draw.

So why the optimism on a Malaysian win when the odds based on history are stacked so highly against Malaysia?

In order to understand that one needs to go back to the eventful night of September 19, 1998, the venue being the Commonwealth Games and the semis of the hockey event.

Malaysia defied all odds to win that match 1-0 and move into the final of the 1998 Commonwealth Games.

Since that win, Malaysia and India have played a total of 34 times with India winning 17 matches, 9 ending in draws and Malaysia winning eight of the clashes.

The number of matches Malaysia won may be less then half of the Indian victories, but the Malaysian wins were registered in crucial tournaments.

One does not have to go far but turn the clock to a year ago for it was at the Asian Games in Ghuanzhou that Malaysia dashed the Indian hopes of making the London 2012 Olympics by winning the semis match 4-3 on golden goal.

Malaysia also defeated India 3-2 at the 2002 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, a match many of us will not forget as Malaysia raced to a 3-0 lead.

And last year at the Azlan Shah Cup, Malaysia had comprehensively defeated India 5-2.

All this points to one thing, that Malaysian players do not fear playing India, especially in knockout matches as they are mentally psyched up and are optimistic of when facing the once former Asian giants.

The Malaysian players must just out there onto the pitch and play their normal firebrand hockey, taking the game to the opponents rather then let them come out and dictate play.

And if the players are confident, then at the end of the 70 minutes, Malaysian flags will fly high in Johannesburg and some officials here will take the credit as well. But then again who cares what these attention seekers do, for Malaysian Hockey is what matters.

CHAMPS IN PERTH, BUT 1MAS AND MHF QUIET ON IT

The 1Mas team emerged champions at the WA F-H-E Cup in Perth but you will find nothing about their achievements in either the official MHF Website or the 1MAS Website where thousands of rinngit is parted to develop and maintain the websites.

This is indeed baffling as the whole idea of naming the team after an airline was to provide them the return of investment.

But when six officials are sent and none can send back news about the exploits of the team, that leads me to wonder what Return of Investment are we talking about.

Right from the onset this blog had no issues with the participation of the team but the manner in which it was named, with most of the 1MAS Steering Committee members having no knowledge it was named after an airline is shocking.

More so the fact that our government provides RM3 million per year as funding for the 1MAS program. Hence if there was to be any form of advert then rightfully it deserves to be our government.

Credit must go to the players for their achievement in Perth and kudos to them for the fine results achieved.

That is why this insignificant blog has opted to highlight their achievement and pays tribute for a job well done.

Results:


Group Stage

Defeated WA Under 16 : 2-0
Drew Japan Under 16 : 2-2
Defeated South West Academy of Sports: 3-1
Defeated WA Under 15: 4-1
Drew NSW Bushrangers Kelly Blues: 1-1
Defeated NSW Bushrangers Golden Thunderbolts: 5-0

Final
Defeated WA Under 16 Schoolboys: 3-2

TIME TO BUCK UP

Contrary to what some may think, the Malaysian hockey team at the Champions Challenge I i Johannesburg should win matches in the preliminary rounds in order to have a better draw for the last eight.

This was the opinion shared by HRH Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, the President of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation who is in Johannesburg following the proceedings and watching the performances of the team.

Malaysia have not had a good start to the tournament, losing their opening match 1-3 to Canada before holding Japan to a 2-2 draw after being two goals down in the opening ten minutes of the match on Sunday.

" The performances so far is below par. The team is capable of playing much better hockey. Of course I am not happy with the defeat to Canada and the draw against Japan," said Tengku Abdullah via email.

" Every match is important as such the results at group stage does matter. If we do well at this stage, the chances are we will meet a weaker team at the quarter finals. Vice versa if we do badly then we will meet a stronger team in the quarter finals. "

Tengku Abdullah also voiced his concern on the ability of the team to be consistent in their displays, as evident in their patchy performance in the two matches thus far.

Adopting a hands on approach is Tengku Abdullah's forte and the fact that he is in Johannesburg to watch the team in action is testimony to the fact of his commitment in ensuring Malaysia qualifies for the Olympics after a 12 year lapse.
 

" After watching the team played the last 2 games, I noticed that there are some weak links in the team," said Tengku Abdullah.

" I did not want to highlight this issue but I have spoken to the coach and he will address this issues ASAP. 

" On the issue of consistency, the coach will have a look into it seriously as the qualifier is in March and we have the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in February. 

" The team management is aware of these issue and they have 3 months to rectify them before the qualifier."

LiVE HOCKEY

The Malaysia v Canada match will be live on Astro CH 811 today at 5pm

KL, ATM BOOK SEMIS SPOT

KL Sukma and Armed Forces qualified for the semi finals of the 5th Raja Noora Ashikin Cup 2011 in contrasting fashion at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

While ATM romped home with a 11-0 demolition of SMK Puteri, KL Sukma were held to a 2-2 draw by Singapore.

ATM made it to the semis as the best placed runner up in the three pools and will take on KL Sukma who required only a draw to confirm their spot.

KL took the lead in the 7th minute through Nor Azlin Sumantri, the younger sister of Project 2013 player Nor Izzat Sumantri.

However Singapore drew level in the 18th minute through Li Min Toh. However their joy ewas shortlived as KL went 2-1 ahead via skipper Fathih Hasni.

Singapore scored their second goal in the 50th minute through Sabrina Bahnu De Gofar but could not muster up a third that could have given them a spot in the last four.

Meanwhile ATM played at half pace, perhaps wary of the fact that they will be playing the semis in less then 24 hours. But it was still good enough to whip the Negeri Sembilan side who are actually preparing for the National Under 16 Tournament in Seremban in two weeks time.

Nadia Abdul Rahman put ATM ahead in the 2nd minute before Siti Rahmad doubled the advantage in the 7th minute.

And that opened the floodgates with goals from Nadia ( 9th and 42nd minute), Siti Rodiah Tumin ( 23rd and 67th minutes), Ma Jamaliah (32nd and 45th minutes), Thalasiah Yaacob ( 56th minute) and Juliani Mohammad Din (61st minute).

FIXTURES


FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2011


SEMI FINALS

0800H - Pitch 1 - PDRM v Pahang
8088H - Pitch 2 - Armed Forces v KL Sukma

RESULTS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2011

Group A 

Johor 2 Seri Titiwangsa 0

PDRM 4 Perak 1

 

Group B 

Terengganu 2 Penang 1
Armed Forces 11 SMK Puteri 0

 

Group C
Selangor 10  Setia Cougar 0 

Singapore 2 KL Sukma 2

FINAL STANDING

 

Group A
                              P      W      D      L     G      A      PTS

PDRM                   4       3       0       1     17      6      9

Johor                     4       2       2       0     10      5       8

Perak                     4       1       2       1      9       9       5

Kedah                   4       1      2        1      9       9        5
S. Titiwangsa        4       0       0       4      2      18      0

Group B
                              P      W      D      L     G      A      PTS
Pahang                  4       4       0       0      26     2       12

ATM                     4       3        0       1     18      2        9

Tgganu                  4      2        0       2      13     9        6

Penang                  4       1       0       3      6      14       3

SMK Puteri           4       0       0       4      1      37       0

 

Group C
                              P      W      D      L     G      A      PTS

KL Sukma             4       3       1      0     11      4      10

Singapore              4       2       2       0      8      2        8

Selangor                4       2      1       1      15     5        7
Malacca                 4       1       0      3     5       4        3

S. Cougar              4       0       0      4      1      25       0

 

TEAMS IN BOLD QUALIFY FOR SEMI FINALS

 

PDRM MAKE SEMIS IN STYLE

PDRM dashed the hopes of the youngsters from Perak when they defeated the silver state 4-1 to qualify for the semi finals of the 5th Raja Noora Ashikin Cup 2011 at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil this morning.

And Johor, the other team from Group A who had a mathematical chance of sneaking through had PDRM failed defeated Seri Titiwangsa 2-0 to complete their matches.

For more: read www.rnacup.blogspot.com

 

RAINED OFF

The South African men's hockey team's Pre-Champions Challenge warm-up match against Malaysia was called off after 15 minutes when a torrential downpour and lightning engulfed the Randburg Hockey Stadium last night. The score was 1-1 at that stage. 

Malaysian goal was scored by Firhan Ashaari. They play India in the next match. maybe MHF will update us on the result at the site early tomorrow.

INSIGNIFICANT BLOG?

Well before some pea sized brained official that questioned just how many people read this blog, perhaps he might want to check why such incompetence exists in the first place.

Just follow this link http://www.fih.ch/en/competitions-146-fih-champions-challenge-1-2011-champions:teams and see for yourself how only Malaysia does not provide the number of international matches it's players has played in its submission of players for the Champions Challenge.

Now before they go on to shift the blame to team officials, one must also understand that the form, if incomplete should not have been submitted at all.

And coming back to that someone who questioned the readership of my blog, well for your information the blog enjoys worldwide readership, is also linked to two popular website www.mole.my and www.fieldhockey.com. So we are talking about an average of 13,000 readers on a daily basis for a week at the least.

So it's readership is surely much higher, though slightly, on an average DAILY basis to your monthly salary.

So please check your facts for if you can remember I did check mine with you.

And at the same time how is it now that the top guns in Air Asia too are not aware of such a condition in sponsorship?

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

It was shocking and done in bad taste. For the team from the 1 MAS program that will be participating in a tournament in Australia has been entered as Malaysia Air Asia.

While the administrators of the 1 MAS Program may be unaware of the consequences of their actions, it is indeed a shame that those entrusted as guardians of the 1 MAS Program, or in short the Task Force , have decided to commercialize the nations name to save a few ringgit.

Mind you the deal with Air Asia is not free for am told that it was a reduced ticket price that enticed the naming of the squad to Malaysia Air Asia. They still had to pay RM200 per ticket but is the honour of the country worth just a couple of thousand ringgits?

Let us not put the blame solely on the administrator whom I da sought clarification from. And Lim Chiow Chuan the Project Director was accommodating when asked just why this was done in the first place.

He was forthright and told this blog that that was the request or condition of sponsorship from Air Asia. And to Air Asia that was part of their ROI, or return of investment.

Now when I contacted a senior official involved in various deals of sports sponsorship in Air Asia, he was shocked that Air Asia resorted to such demands as it has never been their policy, not even when Air Asia kindly arranged for the first Harimau Muda team to train at the famous Carrington, home of Manchester United.

Infact Air Asia never asked for MyTeam to be called MyTeam Air Asia when they flew the participants of the reality to gram twice to Manchester.

If at all anyone has the naming rights, then it ought to be the government of Malaysia who fund RM3 million a year for the development program.

Now entry into any foreign tournament comes under the purview of the Malaysian Hockey Federation. Surely their administrative officials ought to be aware of the fact that one cannot commercialize the name of the country. When FIH are very strict on even short advertising then how is it that these "competent" MHF officials entered the team named as Malaysia Air Asia?

This is not the first time that MHF has commercialized the name of the country as two years ago they did the same when a team was sent to participate in the Surjit Memorial Trophy in Punjab.

So who was the smart Alec that was penny wise and pound foolish is selling cheaply the name of the nation?

Let me give you a lesson in marketing, a simple one at that and one that you could pose to Air Asia as well.

Why has QPR not changed their name to QPR Air Asia? Why has Team Lotus not called themselves Lotus Air Asia?

The Federal Constitution and the Sports Development Act 1997 is very explicit on the usage of the wording Malaysia. So what gives some people the right to utilize the name of our nation for commercial purposes?

Will this ever make it to the main stream media? Doubt it as they need the adverts and curry favour with MHF as well.

But what is wrong has to be pointed out but no one will get hauled up for such blatant disregard of our country's laws.

Note: Wish I had the money and could ask MHF to name a team after my blog.

AT WHAT COST ?

It was an interesting conversation with regards to the national hockey team.

For the topic was on its participation at the forthcoming Champions Challenge and the Azlan Shah Cup 2012.

Let's take it one by one though.

While MHF named Stephen van Huizen as the Assistant Manager of the team to Johannesburg, he was in actual fact a last minute inclusion.

For in the registration sent to South African Hockey earlier, the MHF named Mokhtar Lassim, the Medical Assistant as the Stand In Manager. And before MHF officials want to deny this, let me assure them that I have a copy of the registration form in my possession.

So why was Stephen a last minute inclusion?

Next the Azlan Shah Cup. It is to be held from Feb 2-12 at Ipoh.

The Olympic Qualifiers is scheduled for March 11-18 in Dublin. So effectively there are only 32 days between the two events.

And that too not taking into account the traveling dates, for the team should be in Dublin at least a week before the qualifiers for lest the great coaches forget it is the tail-end of winter in Europe.

So how come Tai Beng Hai agreed to Azlan Shah Cup to be held so close to the Qualifiers?

Why deny two juniors of a chance to play at the recent Sultan Johor Cup as he advocated that it was too close to the Champions Challenge.

And lest he forgets, his contention that the MHL should not be held as he wanted to concentrate on preparing the team and does not staging the Azlan Shah Cup work against the team for any injuries, as was the argument for MHL, might affect the team?

Or is this a case of having a ready made excuse should we fail to qualify for London 2012?

So do the honorable thing,for the draw for the qualifiers has been kind, hence those associated with the national team and those who have misled the President and Council of MHF, be brave enough to declare now that they will vacate their positions should we fail at Dublin.

But wait a moment, was not the whole MHC thing a manipulation to secure their seats for the next 4 years in addition to the one year they have served?

Keep up the drama for some can actually win awards for play acting, for they keep giving false hopes to stay in position.

Update

Just got word Izad replaces Nabil Fiqri, more later

RNA CUP 2011

The 2011 Raja Noora Ashikin Cup will get underway this Sunday at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil. A record number of 15 teams have confirmed participation in the tournament that was inaugurated in 2000 and returns after a  five year hiatus.

We have created a dedicated blog to bring you news and updates on the tournament and will provide you with daily reports as well as pictures for the event. Please feel free to visit:

http://rnacup.blogspot.com/

Update

Just got word Izad replaces Nabil Fiqri, more later

TEAM TO CHAMPIONS CHALLENGE 1

Since the Malaysian Hockey Federation or the Malaysian Hockey Confederation has opted not to invite me for the Press Conference to name the team for the Champions Challenge in South Africa, I will now release the team list and let them know that there are no secrets in hockey.

For Hafifihafiz Hanafi and Azlan Misron will be on the plane to Johannesburg this weekend and it is virtually the same team that played in Ordos minus Amir Farid and Fitri Saari, the duo who played at the recent Sultan of Johor Cup and emerged victorious.

Hafifihafiz did not play in Ordos as he lost his father just before the tournament while for newly wed Azlan it will be a welcome return after being dropped since the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

And while the MHF are on the boycott campaign, maybe they would care explain as to why the team is flying to Johannesburg via Doha, with a 4 hour stopover at Doha?

So the total flying time is around 15 hours, 7 from Kuala Lumpur to Doha and 8 hours from Doha to Johannesburg. And including the stopover we are looking at 19 hours of traveling.

If one were to fly the national carrier MAS, then it will only take 11 hours as it flies direct.

So who blundered here? Nevermind let's all blame the NSC, easy scapegoats right for they always get the short end of the straw.

Now let us see if the competent MHF officials who do not invite me for Press conferences will update their website with results from Johannesburg faster then this blog? Or will they do the natural thing - copy and paste then claim credit!

ZONAL RAZAK CUP OUT

It was introduced with such fanfare despite reservations by this blog and other concerned officials.

Still some went ahead with a half baked idea and supposedly wanted to give the Razak Cup a new lease of life.

But at the Management Committee Meeting of the soon to be dissolved MHF, it was decided that the Razak Cup will revert to its original format of carnival system and the zonal system to be discarded.

And for the next two years the Razak Cup will be held in Pahang.

EASY DRAW

Though the official FIH statement has yet to be issued, it is learnt that Malaysia will head for Ireland for the Olympic Qualifiers that will be held in March 11 next year.

Malaysia is expected to be seeded second in the qualifiers behind South Korea and ahead of hosts Ireland, Ukraine, Chile and Russia.

And you will not get an easier draw then this as Malaysia will avoid the likes of Spain, India and Canada.

With the other qualifiers in India and Japan, Malaysia had to travel to Ireland as the original hosts Belgium had qualified on merit.

With this developments, expect the Azlan Shah Cup to be held in early February minus the likes of South Korea and India.

The Qualifiers:

New Delhi - 15 to 26 February

(Men)
India
Canada
France
Poland
Egypt
United States

(Women)
South Africa
India
Italy
Canada
Ukraine
Poland

Dublin - 11 to 18 March

(Men)
South Korea
Malaysia
Ireland
Russia
Chile
Ukraine

Beerschot (Belgium) - 17-25 March

(Women)
Spain
Ireland
Belgium'Russia
France
Mexico

Kakamigahara (Japan) - 25 April - 6 May



(Men)
Spain
Japan
China
Austria
Czech Republic
Cuba


(Women)
Japan
Azerbaijan
Chile
Belarus
Malaysia
Trindad & Tobago






 

KOREA TAKE THIRD SPOT

Korea needed a golden goal to subdue India in the fight for the 3rd and 4th spot in the Sultan of Johor Cup at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium. Though Korea were 2-0 up, India fought back gallantly to draw level on two occasions, only to lose out in extra time.

 

Read more...www.sultanjohorcup.com.my

PAKISTAN FINISH FIFTH

Pakistan finished fifth in the Sultan Johor Cup when they defeated New Zealand 2-0 at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Bahru. It was Pakistan's second win in the tournament having beaten Australia 3-2 the previous day.

 

Read more..www.sultanjohorcup.com.my

MALAYSIA MAKE THE FINAL IN STYLE

Malaysia qualified for the final of the inaugural Sultan Johor Cup when they hammered India into submission by winning 5-1 at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Baru.

A final appearance, coming almost a year after their seniors had made it into the final of the Asian Games in China last year augurs well for hockey in the country but credit must be given to the team that were not given a ghost of a chance given the fact that they were without two key players for this tournament.

 

Read more..www.sultanjohorcup.com.my

KOREA AWAIT THEIR FATE

Korea defeated New Zealand 2-1 and will now await the outcome of the Malaysia v India match to determine if they make it to the final against Australia. A win for either India or Malaysia will see them through while a draw will mean Korea will play in the final.

Read more..www.sultanjohorcup.com.my

FINALLY A WIN FOR PAKISTAN

Pakistan finally won a match in the Sultan Johor Cup when they defeated a lacklustre Australian side 3-2 at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Baru. While it was a first win for Pakistan, it was a first defeat for Australia who had already booked a place in the final on Wednesday.

For Pakistan, it was a welcome relief especially after they lost their previous four matches, a record of sorts for a Pakistani hockey team at international level. But the win did nothing to change their position as they will play the 5/6 placing matches on Saturday.

 

Read more...www.sultanjohorcup.com.my

AUSTRALIA BOOK A PLACE IN THE FINAL

The Australia, Korea match had everything, a fightback, plenty of goals and even a walkout, perhaps the effects of playing under the blazing heat at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium.

And when the dust settled, Australia defeated Korea 6-3 to book their place in Saturday's final. But the win was not easy as they were 0-2 and 1-3 down at one stage and staged a remarkable comeback win.

 

Read more...www.sultanjohorcup.com.my

MALAYSIA,INDIA REGISTER CRUCIAL WINS

MALAYSIA GET THE BETTER OF KOREA AS INDIA TRASH PAKISTAN

Malaysia defeated Korea 4-2 to keep their hopes alive for a place in the top two at the Sultan Johor Cup. It was a gallant performance against a team that had remained unbeaten after the two opening matches.

And the absence of regular keeper Mohd Hafizuddin Othman who was hospitalised for a kidney ailment failed to stop a rampant Malaysian side.

In the late match, India bounced back from two defeats to inflict a 5-1 humiliating defeat to arch rivals Pakistan.

Read more..www.sultanjohorcup.com.my

TEN TO BE PICKED

FIH-MHC COURSE - TEN TO BE PICKED

The FIH-MHC High Performance Coaching Course will see the FIH recommend some 10 names to the MHC for consideration to attend higher level of courses offered by the international body.

And hopefully, the identifying of these coaches through a stringent evaluation process will offer the MHC an opportunity to widen their base of quality coaches for consideration for the various national teams in their stable.

 

Read more..www.sultanjohorcup.com.my

INDIA V PAKISTAN: AN EXCITING SPECTACLE ANTICIPATED

The most expected match of the Sultan of Johor Cup – India-Pakistan -- will be played tomorrow. The Asian giants haven’t been successful here in the last two games, and are without a point in their kitty. This setting adds further fire to the habitually brimstone battles that these teams are used to churn out.

The spectators at Taman Daya  Stadium are therefore guaranteed to witness a grim battle of honour on Tuesday. The turf at  Taman Daya Stadium in all likelihood will be on fire.

Read more..www.sultanjohorcup.com.my

AUSSIES GET THE BETTER OF INDIA

 

Though India played their hearts out, it was still not good enough for them to earn a win in the Sultan of Johor Cup as they succumbed to a second consecutive defeat, this time 3-2  to Australia.

It was indeed a better display from the Indians compared to their first match where they lost 6-4 to Korea despite a 4-0 lead after 35 minutes. But they have to improve on their finishing.

 

Read more..www.sultanjohorcup.com.my

KOREA REGISTER THEIR SECOND WIN

Korea laboured to a 2-1 win over Pakistan at the Sultan of Johor Cup at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Bahru. It was their second consecutive win after they had beaten India 6-4 the previous day.

And for Pakistan, who lost to New Zealand the previous day, it was a bitter pill to swallow given that they played very well after being 2-0 down but paid the price for sloppy finishing.

 

Read more...www.sultanjohorcup.com.my

POOR FINISHING LETS MALAYSIA DOWN

Malaysia were beaten 2-1 by Australia in their opening match of the Sultan of Johor Cup at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Bahru tonight.

And in reality if they had the services of Faisal Saari and Firhan Ashaari, the outcome would surely had been different as Malaysia lacked a striker that could create half chances into goals. And it most likely that this scenario will continue in the coming matches.

Despite the defeat, it was a spirited display from the players who played their hearts out and were dominating in the second half in particular.

 

Read more..www.sultanjohorcup.com.my

KOREA STUN INDIA

India squandered a 4-0 halftime lead to go down 6-4 to Korea in the opening match of the Sultan of Johor Cup at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Bahru this evening.

It was a remarkable comeback by the Koreans who are generally known for their strong mental strength, while India were left wondering what went wrong in the second half where they failed to find a single goal despite creating chances.

It may well have been over confidence by the Indian youngsters, but still to concede six goals after such a healthy lead goes on to show that the India players can play like champions in one minute and mediocre the very next.

Read: www.sultanjohorcup.com.my

NZ EDGE PAKISTAN

New Zealand defeated Pakistan 1-0 in their opening match at the Sultan of Johor Cup at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium. And the Kiwis showed tremendous composure and tactical awareness despite being under constant pressure in the second half, having taken an early lead in the match.

 

Read more...www.sultanjohorcup.com.my

SOJC CUP PREVIEW

ONTO THE BATTLEFRONT

The Malaysian Juniors will not be under pressure despite being set a top two target by the Malaysian Hockey Federation for the inaugural Sultan of Johor Cup that commences this Saturday at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Bahru.

The six nation tournament will see Australia, Pakistan, India, South Korea, New Zealand and hosts Malaysia battling it out for the coveted title. And Malaysia who open their campaign against
Australia are well aware of the mammoth task they face to upstage teams that are higher ranked then them based on the last Junior World that that was ironically held at the same venue in 2009.

 

Read more...www.sultanjohorcup.com.my

AUSSIES WARY OF MALAYSIA

Australia maybe early favourites for the inaugural Sultan of Johor Cup, but coach Paul Gaudoin feels that there is no such thing as favourites especially at the junior level. And as an example Gaudoin llisted the fortunes of former junior world cup winners India and Argentina as perfect examples.

For both India and Argentina are struggling to be amongst the top six at junior level despite winning the world title at Hobart in 2001 and Rotterdam in 2005 respectively.

 

Read more..www.sultanjohorcup.com.my

GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT TBH

Much has been said with regards to the release of the two national players, namely Faisal Saari and Firhan Ashaari for the inaugural Sultan Johor Cup. But the national coach Tai Beng Hai is adamant in not releasing the duo for he requires the players for the Champions challenge 1 that will be held in South Africa late November.

The argument, from what was learnt from insiders, is that Beng Hai wants his best players in South Africa so that the team will meet the target set by MHF, and in the process according to Beng Hai will get a favourable draw for the Olympic Qualifiers. That Mr. Tai Beng Hai is you being way off the mark.

For starters, if one was to look at the image above, the FIH rankings will only be changed after the Champions Trophy and Champions Challenge 1.

And the draw or decision as to which team plays where with regards to the Olympic Qualifiers is set to be made either on November 8 or 12 at the FIH Meeting.

So unless Beng Hai knows something that even FIH does not know, how on earth has he based the importance of the Champions Challenge 1, which I must admit is not solely his doing but also some administrators within MHF.

Looking at the current ranking points, Malaysia is in the 14th position, with a total of 1139 points.

And in order to be fair to TBH and others who might not understand the FIH ranking system that obviously favours the whites, lets list down the ranking points for all the 8 teams at the Champions Challenge in the respective order:

Argentina: 1470
India: 1380
Canada: 1221
Belgium: 1198
South Africa: 1180
Malaysia: 1139
Japan: 928
Poland: 765

And the points at stake at the Champions Challenge 1 are as follows:

Champion: 190
Runner Up: 170
Third: 160
Fourth: 150
Fifth: 140
Sixth: 130
Seventh: 120
Eight: 110

Now assuming we emerge champions in South Africa, the current total of 1139 plus champion points of 190 will make it a total of 1,329, still not enough to overtake Argentina and India for starters. And if either Canada, Belgium or South Africa finish amongst the top 4, our total points will not be enough to dislodge them.

But one thing is certain though, we will not go lower then 14 as we are for Japan and Poland cannot overtake us even if they become champs and we finish last.

So what is the significance of the rankings at Champions Challenge then and who came up with the brilliant idea that we will be in the top 10 circle as advocated by the MHF/MHC President when talking about World Rankings?

The bottomline is stop using silly excuses that do not hold water to justify the blatant disregard and in other words an attempt to discredit the ability of those within your coaching fraternity to say that my tournament is more important then yours.

The fact is both Firhan and Faisal will boost the National Juniors with their presence and lend credibility to the event which is for HRH Sultan of Johor. Let us not make Malaysian Hockey a laughing stock as other sports are when we are often praised as good hosts but never good enough to win.

Its time for you to stop in Tuanku President and make that call for the registration of players is this Friday.

And while at the issue of ranking, lets take a look at the women. For so generous were the men to give them 50% of positions and take a look at the graph and where does that place the so called visionary plan mooted by some?

INDIA SUFFER EARLY BLOW

GURJINDER BLOW FOR INDIA

India suffered a massive blow to their hopes of becoming the first holders of the Sultan of Johor Cup invitational Under-21 hockey when their ace in the pack, skipper Gurjinder Singh was ruled of the tournament. 

Read more...www.sultanjohorcup.com.my

OPTIMISTIC MALAYSIANS

MALAYSIA QUIETLY CONFIDENT

Despite being pitted against some of the best countries at the Sultan Johor Cup, the Malaysian squad is confident that they have the ability to match their opponents in the tournament that gets underway at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium this Saturday.

Read more...www.sultanjohorcup.com.my