The Malaysian Hockey League gets underway on September 1 and will conclude by October 10, making it the shortest competition in its history since the MHL was inaugurated in 1987.
Several factors contribute towards this phenomenon but ultimately it all boils down to planning, both by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation and the various national teams.
And it is the teams that participate in the MHL that ultimately have to pay the price as not only they are left wondering if they can source players from overseas, but some are faced with the gruesome task of justifying their participation as a shorter league means they fail to meet the "return of investment" as required by their top management or sponsors.
But we could spend the whole day discussing this issue and cannot resolve it as there are just too many people in MHC that know the sport then me.
With six teams in the Premier Division, namely KL Hockey Club, Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Sapura, Maybank, UniKL and the combined team of Nur Insafi-MBI, the matches are expected to be close.
Missing from the equation this time around is former champions Yayasan Negri Sembilan who made a return after a 15 year hiatus last season only to realize that long term development was better off then buying success via signing up 11 foreigners.
Now interestingly the focus has shifted on coaches this season rather then the players as there seems to be a lot happening behind the scenes as teams scramble for coaches.
The million dollar question is will the coaches with the national teams be allowed to coach clubs?
There are two different thoughts to this as some feel that these coaches should concentrate on the national duty. And there is also the argument of conflict of interest while the most glaring is why should NSC/MHC pay their salaries while coaching clubs.
Coaches in the likes of K.Dharmaraj, Nor Azlan Bakar, K. Gobinathan, Arul Selvaraj, Lim Chiow Chuan, M.Nadarajah, Lailin Abu Hassan and other support staff are in this peculiar position as they await the MHC Coaching Committee to come out with a ruling.
Really with the exception of Paul Revington, these coaches should be allowed to impart their knowledge with the various clubs. The issue of conflict of interest can be easily overcome by not allowing them to sit on the bench.
With regards to the payment issue, perhaps there could be a win win situation with the coaches going on half pay leave or fully paid given them they do not earn as much as the foreign legion of coaches we employ.
As for the First Division, the teams that are expected to participate are Bandar Penawar Sports School, Bukit Jalil Sports School, Armed Forces, Johor HA and new entry Perak Malays who used to play in the MHL in the 1990's.
The position of the other teams that played last season, Uniten and Uitm is yet to be ascertained.
Perhaps the position will be much clearer when MHC sorts out the sponsors, the prize money structure for Division One and sends out the entry forms to teams and states.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
SAME OLD SAME OLD
Most people sell their souls, and live with a good conscience on the proceeds.
That is perhaps the best way to describe those who earn a living from hockey and take others as fools who serve hockey.
The Malaysian Games just ended in Kuantan last weekend and it was deplorable to see that many of MHC top officials conspicuously missing in the VIP stands.
And ironically those paid to do work for MHC were seen celebrating with their state teams, rather than remaining neutral as what they ought to be doing.
So who are they serving, Malaysian Hockey or purely themselves? These are people who manipulate regulations to ensure that their needs and ambitions are intact. Hockey? They do not give a damn what happens to it.
Moving on there are personalities that think they own hockey just because they hold positions!
Many manipulate positions and bring in their friends when appointed to handle certain tournaments, fighting it as if it's their divine right to dictate terms.
These are personalities that lack scrotal gumption to fight their battles openly and resort to bitching ( now if only they were women they could lay claim to the defence of being a divine right).
Misusing positions to build their empire is not something new in MHC ad this is the only way many of these who greed for power look at things.
And for those who may not be aware of have been misled, no decision to shift the Razak Cup has been finalised as it was merely a proposal, as what the badly hatched plan of scrapping the MHL due to the fact that sponsors have pulled out.
Anyway there is just so much to write about as these hangers on have apparently taken sides and MHC is split down the middle.
The grand plan is to ensure that some vice presidents have to be removed and those not on the bandwagon will have to go.
Abd one last thing, please do not try to equate your ability to the late S.Satgunam. You cannot even hold a candle to him let alone be mentioned in the same breath.
That is perhaps the best way to describe those who earn a living from hockey and take others as fools who serve hockey.
The Malaysian Games just ended in Kuantan last weekend and it was deplorable to see that many of MHC top officials conspicuously missing in the VIP stands.
And ironically those paid to do work for MHC were seen celebrating with their state teams, rather than remaining neutral as what they ought to be doing.
So who are they serving, Malaysian Hockey or purely themselves? These are people who manipulate regulations to ensure that their needs and ambitions are intact. Hockey? They do not give a damn what happens to it.
Moving on there are personalities that think they own hockey just because they hold positions!
Many manipulate positions and bring in their friends when appointed to handle certain tournaments, fighting it as if it's their divine right to dictate terms.
These are personalities that lack scrotal gumption to fight their battles openly and resort to bitching ( now if only they were women they could lay claim to the defence of being a divine right).
Misusing positions to build their empire is not something new in MHC ad this is the only way many of these who greed for power look at things.
And for those who may not be aware of have been misled, no decision to shift the Razak Cup has been finalised as it was merely a proposal, as what the badly hatched plan of scrapping the MHL due to the fact that sponsors have pulled out.
Anyway there is just so much to write about as these hangers on have apparently taken sides and MHC is split down the middle.
The grand plan is to ensure that some vice presidents have to be removed and those not on the bandwagon will have to go.
Abd one last thing, please do not try to equate your ability to the late S.Satgunam. You cannot even hold a candle to him let alone be mentioned in the same breath.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
TERENGGANU CHAMPS
Terengganu emerged as champions of the women's hockey tournament when they edged Wilayah Persekutuan in a rain affected match at the Wisma Belia Hockey Stadium.
The match started under dark clouds, but that did not prevent Terengganu from taking the lead early in the match through Rashidah Mahmad in the 18th minute.
The heavens opened up just before halftime and when the teams trooped off towards the changing rooms, it was virtually pouring cats and dogs.
But that failed to prevent Terengganu Menteri Besar Dato Ahmad Said from leaving the comfort of his VIP chair and head towards the changing room, using only an umbrella that Izuwan from NSC held, who shielded the MB from rain.
It was then that the MB threw the gauntlet, the difference between gold and silver is a cool RM2,000 as being champs mean they get rewarded RM5,000 each.
That motivated the Terengganu players who held on to their slim margin and emerged champions, but credit to the Wilayah girls who threw everything they had but could not take the match into extra time.
In the match to determine the bronze, Selangor edged Johor 3-2.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
TERENGGANU PIP PENANG FOR PLACE IN FINAL
Penang showed plenty of character and fighting spirit in their mens semifinal match against Terengganu at the Wisma Belia Stadium in Kuantan.
They fought gallantly, from three goals down to take a 4-3 lead with only two minutes on the clock.
But in the end they had to concede a golden goal defeat to Terengganu whose national players Faisal Saari and Mohd Firhan Ashaari who saved the blushes for the overwhelming favourites.
Faisal put Terengganu 3-0 up, scoring goals in the 6th, 10th and 28th minutes. Any other team would have thrown in the towel. But perhaps the pep talk by Penang HA president Dato Ow Soon Kooi at halftime did the trick.
Khairul Naim Johari scored the opener for Penang in the 39th minute. And in the 42nd minute it was Mohd Rahimi Iskandar that reduced the deficit to just one goal.
Mohd Azwan Abd Rahim levelled it for Penang by converting a penalty corner. And Penang sensed victory when they took the lead in the 64th minute through Ahmad Termizi Ismail.
But Faisal scored his 19th goal of the tournament, and it cold not have been more crucial then this as his low penalty corner flick sounded the board with just 120 seconds remaining.
Firhan Ashaari scored in the 10th minute of extra time to send Terengganu into the final where they will meet Wilayah Persekutuan who trashed Johor 5-0.
Two goals each by Mohd Noor Faeez Ibrahim ( 32nd and 39th minutes) and Amir Farid ( 40th and 51st minutes) with the fifth by Mohd Syamim in the 60th minute gave the city side yet another final appearance.
Results:
Wilayah Persekutuan 5 Johor 0
Terengganu 5 Penang 4
(Golden Goal)
Fixtures: Sunday
3/4 Placing
1830H - Penang v Johor - Wisma Belia 2
Final
2035H - Wilayah Persekutuan v Terengganu
WILAYAH - TERENGGANU FINAL
Wilayah Persekutuan held their nerves to edge Selangor in a penalty shoot out in the semis of the women's hockey competition at the Wisma Belia Hockey Stadium in Kuantan.
The two teams failed to score at the end of regulation and extra time and the match had to be decided via a shoot out.Fatin Shafika Mohd Shukri scored for Selangor and Wilayah's Sinar Hayati did the same.
While Areena Abdullah made it count for Selangor, Surizan Awang Noh sent her attempt wide, giving an advantage to Selangor.
Raja Nursharina Raja Shahbuddin and Nur Syafiqah Mohd Zain both scored for Selangor and Wilayah respectively, and Selangor still held the edge.
But Fatiha Farahanis Mahmuddin missed her attempt while Norazlin Sumantri made hers count, thus levelling the score to 3-3.
Nurul Safiqah Mat Isa missed Selangor's fifth attempt and that handed the advantage to Wilayah. Though Fathih Hasni Che Hussain failed to score, umpire Nor Azmi Safar awarded Wilayah a penalty stroke for an infringement by the keeper. Fathih picked herself up to score and send her team into the final.
Meanwhile on the adjacent pitch Terengganu defeat defending champions Johor 4-1.
Aishah Zulkifli gave Terengganu the lead in the 6th minute but Johor were on level terms in the 23rd minute via Hanis Nadia Onn.
But Terengganu were the far superior side and went on to score another three goals through Nor Aini Mohd Tajuddin ( 35th minute), Aishah (48th minute) and Nor Hasida Hassan ( 69th minute).
Semi Final Results :
Terengganu 4 Johor 1
Wilayah Persekutuan 0 Selangor 0
(Wilayah won 4-3 in penalty shoot out)
Fixtures Sunday
3/4 Placing
1600 - Johor v Selangor - Wisma Belia 2
Final
1805- Terengganu v Wilayah Persekutuan - Wisma Belia 1
Thursday, July 12, 2012
PENANG THE SURPRISE PACKAGE
Penang emerged as the surprise package in the mens competition of the Malaysian Games when they emerged as table toppers of Group B with a convincing 4-1 won over hosts Pahang at the Wisma Belia Stadium in Kuantan.
And they will take on Terengganu in the semis on Saturday while the other semi final will see a match up between Johor and Wilayah Persekutuan after the southerners edged Malacca 2-1 at the Sukpa Stadium to book their semis spot.
Terengganu were held to a 3-3 draw by Perak and emerged as Group A runners up behind Wilayah Persekutuan.
It was the brother act of Fitri Saari and Faisal Saari that saw Terengganu through to the semis as Fitri scored the opening goal in the 11th minute while Faisal scored a brace, in the 18th and 62nd minutes.
For Perak the goal getters were Muhammad Fitri Ismail ( 24th and 70th minutes) and Mohd Haris Fadillah Zulkifli (60th minute).
But they sorely missed the presence of skipper Mohd Izad Hakimi Jamaluddin who was suspended by the Technical Committee for abusing the umpire after Perak lost 3-0 to Wilayah the previous day.
In the women's competition Terengganu finished on the top of their Group with a 4-0 win over Pahang while Wilayah Persekutuan joined them, having dealt Negri sembilan a 7-1 bashing.
Terengganu will take on Johor while Selangor will lock horms with Wilayah Persekutuan, a Klang Valley derby, in the semis scheduled for Saturday.
Penang opened scoring in the 6th minute through Mohammad Azwar Abdul Rahman and went 2-0 up when Jamil Johari Ghazali converted a penalty corner in the 27th minute.
Pahang reduced the deficit in the 44th minute through N. Ugentharan but Penang restored their two goal advantage three minutes later via Mohd Redzwan Jaafar. A goal by Mohd Rashidi Baharom in the 59th minute for a comprehensive 4-1 win.
At the Sukpa Stadium, Malacca took the lead in the 18th minute through Mohd Khuzairy Mohd Zain and held on until the 52nd minute for Johor scored twice to deny Malacca a place in the last four.
Mohd Nor Aqmal Abdul Ghaffar converted a penalty corner in the 52nd minute and hardly had the cheers died down when Mohd Fariq Saadon kiiled on Malacca hopes with Johor's second to book their place in Saturday's semis.
FIXTURES
Women Semis
1705 - Selangor v Wilayah Persekutuan
1705 - Terengganu v Johor
Men Semis
1935 - Wilayah Persekutuan v Johor
1935 - Penang v Terengganu
RESULTS : THURSDAY
MEN
Wilayah Persekutuan 8 Kelantan 1
Selangor 4 N. Sembilan 3
Perlis 0 Sarawak 1
Malacca 1 Johor 2
Penang 4 Pahang 1
Perak 3 Terengganu 3
WOMEN
Malacca 0 Penang 1
Johor 4 Sarawak 0
Selangor 4 Perak 0
Kedah 2 Kelantan 1
N. Sembilan 1 W. Persekutuan 7
Pahang 0 Terengganu 4
MEN GROUP A
P W D L F A PTS
Wilayah Persekutuan 6 5 1 0 21 8 16
Terengganu 6 4 1 1 29 12 13
Perak 6 3 2 1 15 10 11
Selangor 6 3 1 2 14 14 10
Negri Sembilan 6 2 1 3 15 21 7
Kedah 6 0 1 5 8 21 1
Kelantan 6 0 1 5 4 31 1
MEN GROUP B
P W D L F A PTS
Penang 5 4 1 0 20 9 13
Johor 5 3 1 1 14 7 10
Malacca 5 2 2 1 13 6 8
Pahang 5 1 1 3 12 14 4
Sarawak 5 1 1 3 6 20 4
Perlis 5 0 2 3 7 16 2
WOMEN GROUP A
P W D L F A PTS
Selangor 5 3 1 1 12 5 10
Johor 5 3 1 1 10 5 10
Penang 5 3 1 1 8 8 10
Malacca 5 2 1 2 11 4 7
Perak 5 0 3 2 3 8 3
Sarawak 5 0 1 4 4 18 1
WOMEN GROUP B
P W D L F A PTS
Terengganu 5 4 0 1 22 4 15
Wilayah Persekutuan 5 3 1 1 21 4 10
Kedah 5 2 2 1 4 5 8
Negri Sembilan 5 2 1 2 6 11 7
Pahang 5 1 2 2 7 11 5
Kelantan 5 0 0 5 4 29 0
SELANGOR, JOHOR BOOK SEMIS SPOT
Selangor and Johor booked their spots in the semi finals of the womens competition by registring comfortable wins over their opponents in the Malaysian Games held in Kuantan.
Johor defeated Sarawak 4-0 at the Wisma Belia Stadium while Selangor got the better of Perak 4-0 at the Sukpa Stadium.
The two teams, together with Penang- thanks to their 1-0 win over Malacca, were tied with 10 points, but Johor and Selangor moved to the semis due to better goal difference.
In another match played earlier, it was heartbreak for early favourites Malacca who fell to their second consecutive defeat, this time losing by a solitary goal to Penang.
Though Penang won, they lost out on a place in the semis as Johor and Selangor had better goal difference.
Meanwhile in the mens competition, Wilayah Persekutuan eased past Kelantan with a 8-1 scoreline is a match played at the Wisma Belia Stadium.
And in another match of academic interest, Selangor edged Negri Sembilan 4-3.
RESULTS : THURSDAY
MEN
Wilayah Persekutuan 8 Kelantan 1
Selangor 4 N. Sembilan 3
1600H - Perlis v Sarawak
1700H - Malacca v Johor
1800H - Penang v Pahang
2000H - Perak v Terengganu
WOMEN
Malacca 0 Penang 1
Johor 4 Sarawak 0
Selangor v Perak
1600H - Kedah v Kelantan
1800H - N. Sembilan v W. Persekutuan
2000H - Pahang v Terengganu
MEN GROUP A
P W D L F A PTS
Wilayah Persekutuan 6 5 1 0 21 8 16
Terengganu 5 4 0 1 26 9 12
Perak 5 3 1 1 12 7 10
Selangor 6 3 1 2 14 14 10
Negri Sembilan 6 2 1 3 15 21 7
Kedah 6 0 1 5 8 21 1
Kelantan 6 0 1 5 4 31 1
MEN GROUP B
P W D L F A PTS
Penang 4 3 1 0 16 8 10
Malacca 4 2 2 0 12 4 8
Johor 4 2 1 1 12 6 7
Pahang 4 1 1 2 11 10 4
Perlis 4 0 2 2 7 15 2
Sarawak 4 0 1 3 5 20 1
WOMEN GROUP A
P W D L F A PTS
Selangor 5 3 1 1 12 5 10
Johor 5 3 1 1 10 5 10
Penang 5 3 1 1 8 8 10
Malacca 5 2 1 2 11 4 7
Perak 5 0 3 2 3 8 3
Sarawak 5 0 1 4 4 18 1
WOMEN GROUP B
P W D L F A PTS
Terengganu 4 3 0 1 18 4 9
Wilayah Persekutuan 4 2 1 1 14 3 7
Negri Sembilan 4 2 1 1 5 4 7
Pahang 4 1 2 1 7 7 5
Kedah 4 1 2 1 2 4 5
Kelantan 4 0 0 4 3 27 0
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