The list of 25 players for the Test Matches against Australia will be revealed today and I expect to be proven right as Azlan Misron will be in the squad and the likes of Chua Boon Huat and Mohd Sallehin Ghani will be shown the exit. The fourth player I had predicted that will not be in the squad, Ismail Abu has quit the team due to the Gestapo.
Now you may be wondering why that title and what has the name of a stick got to do with this posting. Suffice to say a stick war looms after the battle for the turf and we have more businessmen then true hockey lovers in our midst.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
POST QUALIFIER?
The MHF Management Committee that met on Friday had only made statements with regards to the fate of Ismail Abu, Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin and Azlan Misron. But the meeting lasted some 3 hours and it comes as a surprise that MHF has not looked at the situation for Malaysian hockey as a whole, but rather limited their revelations to a matter that was discussed a couple of hours before at the National Sports Council Complex in Bukit Jalil.
MHF merely endorsed the decision taken by the NSC/MHF Joint Committee with regards to Ismail Abu as the decision in the morning meeting, which saw representation from MHF as well as the team coaches and management, was to accept the withdrawal and Ismail would no longer be punished.
I have one question though, should Ismail decide never to don the natiional jersey again, will he be entitled to the retirement benefit from Yayasan Hoki Malaysia? And if yes then why is Suhaimi Ibrahim, who did a Ismail Abu just before the 2002 World Cup is being deprived of his money?
But the million dollar question is what are the targets set by MHF given the fact that the team will somewhat be weakened and there is so much disunity in the team as well as between officials within MHF.
Deny all you want but there are factions within MHF, trying to "kill" each other of and one player was even told by a top MHF official not to retire should he be dropped from the final squad as he is certain that Tai Beng Hai will walk the plank after the qualifiers. And there are efforts to out the blame on the team manager, and some have even tried to take over the role of the team manager.
Well, let them carry on with their grand designs as the MHF/NSC Joint Meeting had made one pertinent decision though, that the team will be disbanded after the qualifiers, immaterial if Malaysia qualifies or not for the World Cup.
The scenario is such, if Malaysia does make it, then Beng Hai and company will retain their positions until the New Delhi World Cup. And this time Beng Hai will get his wish to select players and can no longer claim to inherit a squad.
However if Malaysia fails to qualify, then Beng Hai has to look for another job, the team disbanded and the quest to look for a foreign coach will begin. But they will not have much time as the MHL goes on till February and the foreign coach needs to get down to select a team for the Commonwealth Games as well as Asian Games next year, not forgetting the Azlan Shah Cup in June and the AHF Champions Trophy in April.
The fact of the matter is NSC has set the plans in motion to prepare a team for the Asian Games so that we can make the 2012 London Olympics on merit, but MHF is still in a denial mode, with one section praying Beng Hai will fail, the other for qualification, and the third force (to borrow a term from MCA) has no inkling how hockey should be run in this country.
MHF merely endorsed the decision taken by the NSC/MHF Joint Committee with regards to Ismail Abu as the decision in the morning meeting, which saw representation from MHF as well as the team coaches and management, was to accept the withdrawal and Ismail would no longer be punished.
I have one question though, should Ismail decide never to don the natiional jersey again, will he be entitled to the retirement benefit from Yayasan Hoki Malaysia? And if yes then why is Suhaimi Ibrahim, who did a Ismail Abu just before the 2002 World Cup is being deprived of his money?
But the million dollar question is what are the targets set by MHF given the fact that the team will somewhat be weakened and there is so much disunity in the team as well as between officials within MHF.
Deny all you want but there are factions within MHF, trying to "kill" each other of and one player was even told by a top MHF official not to retire should he be dropped from the final squad as he is certain that Tai Beng Hai will walk the plank after the qualifiers. And there are efforts to out the blame on the team manager, and some have even tried to take over the role of the team manager.
Well, let them carry on with their grand designs as the MHF/NSC Joint Meeting had made one pertinent decision though, that the team will be disbanded after the qualifiers, immaterial if Malaysia qualifies or not for the World Cup.
The scenario is such, if Malaysia does make it, then Beng Hai and company will retain their positions until the New Delhi World Cup. And this time Beng Hai will get his wish to select players and can no longer claim to inherit a squad.
However if Malaysia fails to qualify, then Beng Hai has to look for another job, the team disbanded and the quest to look for a foreign coach will begin. But they will not have much time as the MHL goes on till February and the foreign coach needs to get down to select a team for the Commonwealth Games as well as Asian Games next year, not forgetting the Azlan Shah Cup in June and the AHF Champions Trophy in April.
The fact of the matter is NSC has set the plans in motion to prepare a team for the Asian Games so that we can make the 2012 London Olympics on merit, but MHF is still in a denial mode, with one section praying Beng Hai will fail, the other for qualification, and the third force (to borrow a term from MCA) has no inkling how hockey should be run in this country.
Friday, October 9, 2009
COMPROMISE?
The MHF Management Committee has decided to accept the withdrawal of striker Ismail Abu, and in the process endorsed the decision made by the MHF-NSC Joint Committee that deliberated the same issue some 15km away this morning.
The decision not to punish Ismail further must surely be a blow for some personalities within MHF who had been pushing for a Disciplinary Board apperance.
An in another rebuke, the same MHF Committee decided that the punishment meted to Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin and Azlan Misron by the Team Management was sufficient and decided that the matter was closed.
More on this later.
The decision not to punish Ismail further must surely be a blow for some personalities within MHF who had been pushing for a Disciplinary Board apperance.
An in another rebuke, the same MHF Committee decided that the punishment meted to Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin and Azlan Misron by the Team Management was sufficient and decided that the matter was closed.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
SUCCESS ISN'T PERMANENT, FAILURE INS'T FATAL
Experience in handling pressure is a lesson some of learn from years of experimenting. But it is a difficult situation for the MHF President Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah as the time has come for him to set his priorities, at the eve of his first year as the top gun of Malaysian Hockey Federation.
His options at the Management Committee meeting tomorrow (Friday) are limited to say the least. Drop the likes of Ismail Abu, take punitive action against Azlan Misron and Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin and it will see Malaysia send chickens to be slaughtered in New Zealand. Compromise and critics will come after you. So what will he do?
Before he listens to some of the so call “wise” officials who sit around him at the table, it will be good if he takes time to ask for a copy of the Manager’s and Coaches report from the 2004 Madrid Qualifiers for the Athens Olympics.
That Your Royal Highness was the time the decline of Malaysian Hockey began and it was because we sent an inexperienced team to Madrid, because two senior players refused the impassioned plea to help Malaysia qualify, and all you have to do is speak to the NSC big wigs, former DG Datuk Wira Mazlan Ahmad and current DG Dato Zolkples Embong, both who were present in Madrid.
There is no doubt that from the beginning of his term as MHF President, Tengku Abdullah has his mind set on taking Malaysia to the World Cup in New Delhi, and the latest happenings in the national camp maybe putting him though putting a psychological damper, but it should have a major effect on his resolve, if he cared to read this piece.
For this is when his true potential as leader comes under the microscope as high achievers tend to perform well in high-pressure situations. Conversely, this describes what the national team need to do to get out of the position they are in.
We all knew from the beginning that it was not going to be a walk in the park situation for them and the decisions made by the coaches over the months have not helped matters. For starters, name me one player that has been dropped from the national team training squad due to poor performance since January this year?
So the million-dollar question that everyone is asking is, are the coaches feeling the pressure to live up to their potential? Most of us do not relate well with pressure though and, when we sense its presence, hate it and hate the things it makes us do.
Our natural loathing for pressure goes so deep that it compels many players to perfect the art of avoiding it inside of a disguised courtship.
I look at the whole situation from a business point of view as the time has come for the President to make the crucial decision – what are his priorities?
From the onset, he made it clear that qualifying for the World Cup and moving up the world rankings was something that was on top of his agenda
This reminds me of a saying – when you are not the lead dog in the pack, the scene never changes”.
A popular approach to handling pressure teaches that one can learn to ignore it until the day comes when it disappears. We know the players who preach that wisdom and sometimes they look pretty good going through a match with no apparent care.
No doubt it looks cool to play without care but how often do we see those champions of apathy in the winner’s circle?
Those are the players that pressure catches by surprise and destroys because of their profound lack of experience with it. Still they manage to look pretty cool watching the end of the match from the sidelines, making me wonder how much time they have to wait for the pressure to go away.
Mediocrity and failure flourish in the realm of casual concern whereas champions take a different approach however. Some get their seasoning on the road playing for high stakes, risking everything and taking on all comers, behavior that reflects devotion similar to that of the starving artist who ignores material comfort to follow his passion.
And some let us down, even when they realize the nation is counting on them. In 2004 we had no choice as some opted out, today we are with a choice, send chickens to be slaughtered or come out and revise our target.
Be bold enough to admit that we do not have a team to make it to Delhi next year will not make anyone a lesser man. Stop making excuses, stop hiding facts and above all stop trying to fool the nation. We are not good enough and dropping seniors to cover up our follies will not help Malaysian hockey.
Suffice to say, let’s try be sending our best to qualify, the difference is we could be in the World’s top 12 by end of March next year.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
GESTAPO IN MHF?
Firstly I must congratulate fellow blogger and NST Sports journalist Jugjet Singh (www.jugjet.blogspot.com), for his scoop with regards to the withdrawal of Ismail Abu from the national team. We will not touch on the details or reasons of the players withdrawal as I have written before that Ismail is one of the players that would have been dropped from the team, and his exit now merely an early omission from the final squad.
The fact that the player comes hails from Kuantan, and is a subject of HRH Tengku Mahkota Pahang, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, and that this piece of news has a devastating effect on Ismail as a player and his family, does not give him the right to skip training. Infact I can reveal that Ismail has been absent several times, and after the Hari Raya holidays, he did not attend training for a couple of days.
Enough about Ismail and his indiscretion, for what I want to share with readers of this blog is the conduct of two MHF officials who caught Ismail at the gaming centre, as revealed by NST.
The duo, MHF officials I mean, are the unlikely couple who would hang out together and therefore they were tipped off on Ismail's presence at the centre, hence after having apprehended the poor chap, or rather caught the poor boy with his hand in the cookie jar, one of the officials had the cheek of asking Ismail to apologise.
Now, the correct thing to do would have been to put up a written report, discuss the matter at the MHF Management Committee Meeting (which will be held this Friday at the Olympic Sports Hotel Jalan Hang Jebat) and refer the player to the MHF Disciplinary Board.
And that too if the MHF can get the necessary quorum for the Disciplinary Board as there have been so many cases of players who have been referred after tournaments held this year that have got away scott free due to lack of prosecution.
And while we are at it, what has happened to the cases of Azlan Misron and Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin for their all too famous antics of returning late, though some say it was a case of 15 minutes too early as nothing would have happened as the gates open after that and no one would have known about it.
So back to the case of the two policemen, oops MHF officials who caught Ismail at the "gaming" centre? Why did they not follow procedures and since the duo have always been trying to find out the source of my stories, care they come clean and reveal who amongst the two actually leaked the story out? Or was it someone the duo had confided in and wanting to take the heat off himself for some turf issue, the individual tried to play god?
The bottomline is that the MHF President has been taken for a ride by this particular official. And as for the two officials, you will end up being blamed and that will be the begining of the end for you, do not say I did not warn you of this charade.
So the next time you want to play hooky, place a guard outside the MHF office in Bukit Jalil for we have a Gestapo in our midst.
The fact that the player comes hails from Kuantan, and is a subject of HRH Tengku Mahkota Pahang, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, and that this piece of news has a devastating effect on Ismail as a player and his family, does not give him the right to skip training. Infact I can reveal that Ismail has been absent several times, and after the Hari Raya holidays, he did not attend training for a couple of days.
Enough about Ismail and his indiscretion, for what I want to share with readers of this blog is the conduct of two MHF officials who caught Ismail at the gaming centre, as revealed by NST.
The duo, MHF officials I mean, are the unlikely couple who would hang out together and therefore they were tipped off on Ismail's presence at the centre, hence after having apprehended the poor chap, or rather caught the poor boy with his hand in the cookie jar, one of the officials had the cheek of asking Ismail to apologise.
Now, the correct thing to do would have been to put up a written report, discuss the matter at the MHF Management Committee Meeting (which will be held this Friday at the Olympic Sports Hotel Jalan Hang Jebat) and refer the player to the MHF Disciplinary Board.
And that too if the MHF can get the necessary quorum for the Disciplinary Board as there have been so many cases of players who have been referred after tournaments held this year that have got away scott free due to lack of prosecution.
And while we are at it, what has happened to the cases of Azlan Misron and Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin for their all too famous antics of returning late, though some say it was a case of 15 minutes too early as nothing would have happened as the gates open after that and no one would have known about it.
So back to the case of the two policemen, oops MHF officials who caught Ismail at the "gaming" centre? Why did they not follow procedures and since the duo have always been trying to find out the source of my stories, care they come clean and reveal who amongst the two actually leaked the story out? Or was it someone the duo had confided in and wanting to take the heat off himself for some turf issue, the individual tried to play god?
The bottomline is that the MHF President has been taken for a ride by this particular official. And as for the two officials, you will end up being blamed and that will be the begining of the end for you, do not say I did not warn you of this charade.
So the next time you want to play hooky, place a guard outside the MHF office in Bukit Jalil for we have a Gestapo in our midst.
OVERAGED PLAYERS, NOTHING NEW
Grappling with age-old problems, Indian hockey is now coming to grips with the embarrassment of overage players. Not that this, too, hasn’t existed before.
It’s just that this time, at the junior under-18 camp in Bhopal, the problem has been highlighted in its alarming excess.
Out of 55 athletes, tests announced 50 overage, which led to a loss of face for the game’s keepers as 90 per cent of the players were from the Sports Authority of India, which is the saddest part of it.
Needless to say, a new camp has had to be convened after this tragedy. It is the coaches and officials mainly, who are to blame for this. And they engage in such practices for the sake of fame and cash rewards.
I remember, once in Subrata Cup, many participants were disqualified for the same reason.
Table tennis, cricket, almost every sport in this country is plagued by this malpractice.
The country suffers when the age groups are not respected. Every older player pushes out some junior who deserves that place, and for whom that category was expressly intended.
People might recall Mumtaz Malik of Bhopal, who represented India at the junior World Cup, where the age limit is 21 years, when he was something like 27 years old.
What is more, I also know of instances when we’ve gone on to win the junior World Cup with a few overage players in the side.
It is myopic really to field overage players because when compared to the long run, immediate, and ill-gotten, success is a harmful impetus that points you in the wrong direction.
We must adhere to age limits and classifications. That way the game will benefit.
Elsewhere, something of great significance occurred when England beat Germany 5-3 to take the European Championships gold.
On the road to the final, England also defeated the Netherlands 2-1.
It is a surprise result because England are not exactly an European powerhouse.
That tag goes to Germany and the Netherlands who have, for four decades, ruled the roost, in Europe and the world at large.
England’s victory, unless it is just a flash in the pan, signals the rise of a new power.
Locally, September 12 saw the Bengal Hockey Association (BHA) distributing equipment and cash awards among all its sixty units at a function where Olympians and players, including those from other disciplines, were honoured.
As part of the same programme, hosted in honour of Pranab Mukherjee, BHA’s chief patron, the union finance minister asked for a detailed project report and promised full backing for the association.
A long wait is coming to an end on October 8, when union sports minister M.S. Gill officially inaugurates the astroturf at Sports Authority of India (SAI), Salt Lake.
The Beighton Cup, in December, can finally be played, for the first time on astroturf, in its 114th year.
Top
It’s just that this time, at the junior under-18 camp in Bhopal, the problem has been highlighted in its alarming excess.
Out of 55 athletes, tests announced 50 overage, which led to a loss of face for the game’s keepers as 90 per cent of the players were from the Sports Authority of India, which is the saddest part of it.
Needless to say, a new camp has had to be convened after this tragedy. It is the coaches and officials mainly, who are to blame for this. And they engage in such practices for the sake of fame and cash rewards.
I remember, once in Subrata Cup, many participants were disqualified for the same reason.
Table tennis, cricket, almost every sport in this country is plagued by this malpractice.
The country suffers when the age groups are not respected. Every older player pushes out some junior who deserves that place, and for whom that category was expressly intended.
People might recall Mumtaz Malik of Bhopal, who represented India at the junior World Cup, where the age limit is 21 years, when he was something like 27 years old.
What is more, I also know of instances when we’ve gone on to win the junior World Cup with a few overage players in the side.
It is myopic really to field overage players because when compared to the long run, immediate, and ill-gotten, success is a harmful impetus that points you in the wrong direction.
We must adhere to age limits and classifications. That way the game will benefit.
Elsewhere, something of great significance occurred when England beat Germany 5-3 to take the European Championships gold.
On the road to the final, England also defeated the Netherlands 2-1.
It is a surprise result because England are not exactly an European powerhouse.
That tag goes to Germany and the Netherlands who have, for four decades, ruled the roost, in Europe and the world at large.
England’s victory, unless it is just a flash in the pan, signals the rise of a new power.
Locally, September 12 saw the Bengal Hockey Association (BHA) distributing equipment and cash awards among all its sixty units at a function where Olympians and players, including those from other disciplines, were honoured.
As part of the same programme, hosted in honour of Pranab Mukherjee, BHA’s chief patron, the union finance minister asked for a detailed project report and promised full backing for the association.
A long wait is coming to an end on October 8, when union sports minister M.S. Gill officially inaugurates the astroturf at Sports Authority of India (SAI), Salt Lake.
The Beighton Cup, in December, can finally be played, for the first time on astroturf, in its 114th year.
Top
GHODES HAS LAST LAUGH
IT was only a small gamble when talented hockey player Matt Gohdes decided to further his sporting career outside Rockhampton but it is one that paid off quickly for him.
It has not been straightforward for the rising star who was named in the Kookaburras development squad and invited to the lengthy training camp in Western Australia.
Now Gohdes is one of a party of players selected to make the trip to Malaysia next week for a series of international matches.
Yesterday, in between training sessions, Gohdes told The Morning Bulletin from Perth that the news of his selection to tour with the senior squad had finally sunk in.
“I found out about two weeks ago,” he reported.
While gaining international recognition was always his goal, the teenager admits his selection has come more quickly than even he had hoped.
“We fly to Kuala Lumpur and play five matches in seven days,” he said.
Another reason for Gohdes' surprise is he has only recently returned to active training after injury.
“I'm only just back training as I had an operation on my foot,” he said.
The Kookaburras went into camp at Perth about three months ago and for a large percentage of that time the teenage star had been a spectator as he was still on crutches following an operation on a tendon.
“I'm fully recovered now,” he confirmed.
Gohdes admitted he loved being a part of the Kookaburras squad.
“It's good, they treat you as a professional,” he said.
The inclusion of Gohdes as one of three players set to make their senior international debut means coach Ric Charlesworth is leaving the door open to promising players to stake their claim.
Gohdes is aware that selection for the tour is just another stepping stone along the journey to becoming a regular choice in the Kookaburras line-up.
One of his dreams is to team up with illustrious cousin Jamie Dwyer and fellow Rockhampton product Mark Knowles but that won't happen on this tour and so he'll have to wait a little longer to fulfill that dream.
At this stage the young striker is happy to take what comes his way without pressurising himself with specific goals, although he does admit selection for the 2012 London Olympics would be nice.
“Yes, I probably would be a good age for the Olympics,” he admitted.
The Kookaburras fly to Kuala Lumpur on October 16 where they will train for two days before entering into their five game international series with the tour ending on October 26.
Charlesworth will name a squad later in the year for the Hockey Champions Trophy which is to be played at Melbourne from November 28.
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