Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
FLYBOYS vs BERNAZ
Lost 4-1. Sabirin scored our solitary goal. His second goal in two games. We played to the best of our abilities but we were outplayed, outpassed and outran.
Still a good work-out for Brunei's creme de la creme. No pictures this time because our official photographer Sofian was away in Jeddah eating lamb and Al-Baik chicken.
Still a good work-out for Brunei's creme de la creme. No pictures this time because our official photographer Sofian was away in Jeddah eating lamb and Al-Baik chicken.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
FLYBOYS classic match against RBA Engineering
Our 1st match against RBA Engineering for the year. Below are the individual reports for the players:Goalkeeper:
SFO Yanni
- Crucial saves produced throughout the match by Yanni. Especially liked the one where he threw his body to the ground ala Schmeichel, Van Der Sar, Wardun etc.
Yanni back in action
a.) SFO NasrulDefence:
- Our defensive rock played another superb game intercepting passes and runs from Engineering's dangerous attackers. Was extremely busy in the 1st half when swarmed by the strong Engineering team.
b.) SFO Malek
- The former Air Force maverick again showing fine form eventhough he's just recovered from injury. Played only the first half due to personal commitment.
Malek clear the ball away
c.) FO Hendra- Was solid as left-back and ever since his unlucky own goal against ex-SPA, he's redeemed himself to the team by being extremely reliable and played well with Hafidz and Nasrul in defence. But you still owe us all a teh tarek.
d.) FO Riduan
- Was uncomfortable at right-back but showed good spirit and stamina. Played central midfield in the 2nd half and showed why his natural position is in midfield with his incisive passing and dangerous dribbling.
e.) Cadet Julian
- Nearly scored an own-goal with his nose when Nasrul cleared the ball off the penalty box. Thankfully the clearance deflected towards Yanni. Made a fine solo run from defence but was intercepted American Football style by 3 defenders.
f.) FO Hafidz
- Showed that he can play in almost all positions from keeper on the last match to midfielder and defender in this game. Not bad from the current highest-paid office boy in Borneo.
Midfield:
a.) FO Azman
- Recently recovered from his hand injury. His Lampard-like movement and Beckham-like passing produced some attacking movement in the 1st half. Shame he's an Arsenal fan.
b.) SFO Irwanizam
- Our midfield general. His lack of running doesn't mean he's not effective. Played the Makelele role well against Engineering's army of midfield runners. What baffles me is how high this man can jump.
c.) Capt Clement
- Goldenball only played in the 1st half but used the 45 minutes well with his typical British-like runs. Released the pass on the left wing for Suhaini to score the first goal.
d.) Capt Khalidkhan
- Our SVP showed that he doesn't just attack but also helped with the defence. Good inter-play passing with Dzul in the 2nd half. I think he even managed a shot at goal.
Khalid about to deliver his cross
e.) Capt Amir- Came on as a substitute in the 2nd half and scored the equaliser with his first kick. A side-foot volley in the box after Engineering's defence failed to clear the ball. Leather Nike boots rock.
Amir celebrates his goalf.) Ismail
g.) Capt Sofian
- Our FlyBoys vice-captain and blog administrator inititated a lot of the attack playing behind the 2 strikers in the 2nd half. If you're reading this in Jeddah, upload the pictures please and bring me home some dates.
Forwards:
a) FO Syazwi
- Gave 100% and defended from the front line. Good passing inter-change with Suhaini in the 1st half.
b) FO Wazien
- Brief cameo from his secondment at Logan Air in Scotland.
c) SFO Kenny
- King Kenny's huge presence had the opposing defenders working hard. Was a whisker away from scoring the equalizer in the 2nd half.
d) SFO Dzulfadli
- Played upfront with Kenny in the 2nd half and had a few shots on goal. Excellent passing movement with Simon on the right side and looked sharp.
e) Capt Simon Newn
- Our full-time Shaolin Soccer specialist and part-time Boeing FM played well in the 2nd half. No Kung-fu kicks today but proper passing and running by Simon stretched the Engineering's rightback.
Simon and Dzul split the engineering defenders- Boeing's DFM was given the freedom of the left side of the field in the 1st half. This deservedly gave him the chance to draw first blood as he ran, dribbled past a defender and finally toe-poked with his right foot into the net. Awesome!
Hj Daud scored the opening goal- In only his first game of the year, he was able to injure himself after only 7 minutes in the 1st half, come in as a sub in the 2nd half, only to be substituted again because his car was blocking Kenny's car.
Came on his 3rd substitution and in dramatic fashion, a corner kick went over the crowd in the penalty box, controlled with his left foot, shifted the ball to his right and in an acute angle and with no visible shot at goal, he was able to unleash the winner to the top right hand corner of the goal.
1st Half Formation
1st Half Formation
2nd Half FormationWell done boys and thank you to all our colleagues and supporters who participated. See you again this Saturday 30th May at 4pm.
Majulah Sukan, Brunei Yakin and Mission Possible !!! Apakan.
- Amir, a happy Flyboy but also a very unhappy United supporter.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
FLYBOYS GRAB A POINT
This is Sunday's full-time match report against Ahmad FC held at RBA field at 1700hrs.
1st HALF:
1st min:
Kick-off. Flyboys in red and Ahmad FC in white ala Real Madrid. It's 33 degrees and and i've just come back from Perth with Nasrul. All the way from Mount Mulu down to the coast of Brunei, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Haze everywhere. And that's what the Flyboys seem to be experiencing because they weren't sharp at all from kick-off.
3rd min:
Ahmad FC are keeping possession and are passing around like they're on home ground. We should've chosen the other side of the pitch for the 1st half because the sun is in our eyes.
5th min:
This is looking dangerous. One of their players is taking a pot shot on goal. It's not a screamer but with the sun in Hafidz eyes(our goalie), it might as well have been one. GOAL!
FLYBOYS 0 - 1 Ahmad FC
15th min:
Kenny is asking for the ball but we can't seem to pass it to him. Their midfield is overpowering us. Their midfield player looks familiar. He's actually our own team captain Hj Effendy who's on loan for Real Madrid ie Ahmad FC. The pressure is non-stop and this is getting ridiculous. At the heart of defence, Nasrul and Malek are doing their best to hold off the dam from breaking. Zul-Amali and Julian are also working overtime with them on the right and left back position.
23rdmin:
A run by Kenny has their defence fooled. Their last man is blocking their keeper's view and Ismael takes a tame right-footed shot to fool the goalie.
GOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!
Well done Miller. Takes after his uncle, Kenny. Not Lim but Kenny Miller of Glasgow Rangers.
FLYBOYS 1 - 1 Ahmad FC
Ismael Celebrates His Goal
25th min:
Flyboys right midfielder, Nathaniel Panter aka Kitten is injured. He's pulled a muscle and can no longer play. In comes that handsome dashing striker, Amir. Phewittt. You beauty.
28th min:
Allan Bradley is running up the left wing and has found some space. He crosses the ball and it floats to the penalty box. Kenny leaps high but is a yard ahead and misplaces the header.
The ball goes out to Allan again and with that sweet left foot he crosses, Kenny controls the ball but the defender has him covered and kicks it for a corner. Kenny is taken out with him and lays flat on his arse. Oh Kenny Kenny Kenny.
Kenny brought down
37th min:
Their midfield and forwards have us on the backfoot as they attack in waves. Aziim and Aziri are doing their best but to no avail. One of their forwards take anothe long-range shot and it floats over our goalie and into the net. GOAL!
FLYBOYS 1 - 2 Ahmad FC.
It's HALF-TIME and Flyboys have been outpassed and outplayed. The players look tired and slow as they head back to the dressing-room(which is really a worn-out bench a few yards from the touch-line).
It's going to be a big ask to get back into the game but we'll see what the coach and manager has to say to them and see if their spirits can be lifted.
45th min:
Real Madrid, no sorry, Ahmad FC are kicking off and they pass towards their keeper. But it's a poor backpass as Flyboy's dashing striker/writer/treasurer (not to mention foul-mouthed and overly passionate) Amir has latched onto the ball. He's one on one with the goalie who takes the form of Hj Effendy(he's everywhere, maybe there are 11 of him on that team) but a defender closes him down and it's enough to put off Amir from hitting a solid shot. A good save by Ahmad FC's keeper. The crowd of 9 including the neighbourhood cat applaud Amir's efforts.
51st min:
Julian, who's now in the right wingback position is flying down the wings ala Ashley Cole. Sofian passes the ball through and young Juju unleashes a screamer of a shot towards goal. Saved by the keeper and is out for a corner.
57th min:
Flyboys are looking sharper and hungrier. Ahmad FC are looking tired and weary as Riduan runs towards goal and unleashes a shot from the left wing. It goes wide but things are looking encouraging for the team.
62nd min:
Hafidz and Aziri are really controlling the middle of the park and looking the real deal. In fact, the whole team looks invigorated. It must've been the half-time drinks. Red Bull kali.
Sofian on the right wing alongside Julian are stretching Ahmad FC's tired defenders whilst Riduan, who came on the 2nd half, is combining well with Ismael.
65th min:
Omagad Who Killed Kenny has come on for Ismael. And what a substitution. He's tearing down the defense with his persistent running. It helps that he's twice the size of the defenders.
Sofian releases Kenny down the right wing and he runs with the ball. He looks up and sees Amir running in the middle of the park and crosses. Amir shoots first-time and the ball curls powerfully towards the top left-hand corner of the goal.
Ooooooh, that's just yards wide. Handsome is that Amir! Must be his new authentic leather boots.
71st min:
One of the few attacks from Ahmad FC in the 2nd half is easily contained by the defence. and Nasrul and Azmi are minding the defence with ex-DPMM FC(College) goalie Irwanizam aka Chomel. But he doesn't look cute today because he's taken up the form of a brick wall in goal. Flyboys don't look like they'll concede any goals in the 2nd half with Irwanizam as goalie.
73rd min:
Sofian makes a solo run towards goal but 3 defenders are closing him down. 5 years ago he would've beaten all 3. Ok lah, maybe 10 years ago but now with 2 kids and another on the way, he's lost a few yards and gained a few pounds.
75th min:
Great pass down the middle from Hafidz to Kenny and at first he looks like he wont be able to control the ball. But no wait, this is King Kenny and he goes past the defender and shoots a low shot to the bottom corner. GOOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The players can't believe it. They all run to Kenny. Ok not all of them but Amir, Sofian and Hafidz are and they celebrate like girls. That is really a bad celebration because the high-fives aren't really connecting but who bloody cares because that is a great effing come-back.
FLYBOYS 2 - 2 Ahmad FC
78th min:
Amir is substituted as Ismael re-enters the field. Flyboys can smell blood and are looking for the winner. Even Hendra, the left-back is drifting up as an auxiliary striker.
82nd min:
Aziri has the ball in the midfield and releases a sublime trick pass used commonly by that Red Devil Ronaldo. Pass of the season i tell you. It's so good even the opposition are applauding it. Ok that's an exaggeration but it was an exquisite pass. We will now call that the Jiri pass. Tommorow we go to court and have it patented and trademarked.
Riduan receives the pass but is unable to go towards goal.
85nd min:
Kenny the King runs with the ball into the penalty box. The defender tackles him but gets his feet instead and chops him down like a tree. PENALTY!!!!!!!!! No, says the ref.
Referee are you blind?!? The defender never touched the ball. Flyboys are fuming. The match must be fixed.
Sofian resisting the ref decision
88th min:
Ahmad FC's striker is running towards goal and is brought down just outside the penalty box by Sofian. A very dangerous free-kick here from Ahmad FC. But thank goodness, Becks has left Real for Milan because that wasn't going anywhere near goal.
ALLAHU AKBAR ALLAHU AKBAR !!!
That means it's sunset which means the match is over. It's a draw.
A game of 2 halves. Flyboys could've snatched a win if it wasn't for Ahmad FC's keeper.
Next match, Capt Effendy will be playing in goal cos he's sooooo good !!! ;p
Well done to all who participated and see you on Wednesday 27th against our RBA Engineering. We've proved that we can stare adversity in the face and say up yours buddy. What an awesome 2nd half. Now all we have to do is play awesome in both halves.
Majulah Sukan, Go Flyboys, If you're not first, you're last! Apakan.
- Amir, unbiased writer/striker/treasurer/father/golfer/United supporter.
ps. See you in Rome!
1st HALF:
1st min:
Kick-off. Flyboys in red and Ahmad FC in white ala Real Madrid. It's 33 degrees and and i've just come back from Perth with Nasrul. All the way from Mount Mulu down to the coast of Brunei, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Haze everywhere. And that's what the Flyboys seem to be experiencing because they weren't sharp at all from kick-off.
3rd min:
Ahmad FC are keeping possession and are passing around like they're on home ground. We should've chosen the other side of the pitch for the 1st half because the sun is in our eyes.
5th min:
This is looking dangerous. One of their players is taking a pot shot on goal. It's not a screamer but with the sun in Hafidz eyes(our goalie), it might as well have been one. GOAL!
FLYBOYS 0 - 1 Ahmad FC
15th min:
Kenny is asking for the ball but we can't seem to pass it to him. Their midfield is overpowering us. Their midfield player looks familiar. He's actually our own team captain Hj Effendy who's on loan for Real Madrid ie Ahmad FC. The pressure is non-stop and this is getting ridiculous. At the heart of defence, Nasrul and Malek are doing their best to hold off the dam from breaking. Zul-Amali and Julian are also working overtime with them on the right and left back position.
23rdmin:
A run by Kenny has their defence fooled. Their last man is blocking their keeper's view and Ismael takes a tame right-footed shot to fool the goalie.
GOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!
Well done Miller. Takes after his uncle, Kenny. Not Lim but Kenny Miller of Glasgow Rangers.
FLYBOYS 1 - 1 Ahmad FC
Ismael Celebrates His Goal25th min:
Flyboys right midfielder, Nathaniel Panter aka Kitten is injured. He's pulled a muscle and can no longer play. In comes that handsome dashing striker, Amir. Phewittt. You beauty.
28th min:
Allan Bradley is running up the left wing and has found some space. He crosses the ball and it floats to the penalty box. Kenny leaps high but is a yard ahead and misplaces the header.
The ball goes out to Allan again and with that sweet left foot he crosses, Kenny controls the ball but the defender has him covered and kicks it for a corner. Kenny is taken out with him and lays flat on his arse. Oh Kenny Kenny Kenny.
Kenny brought down33rd min:
Julian hooves the ball to the centre of the pitch and Aziri maks a fantastic run from midfield beating the defence. But the defender is on to him and he tries a cute side foot volley to goal but is well-handled by their keeper.37th min:
Their midfield and forwards have us on the backfoot as they attack in waves. Aziim and Aziri are doing their best but to no avail. One of their forwards take anothe long-range shot and it floats over our goalie and into the net. GOAL!
FLYBOYS 1 - 2 Ahmad FC.
It's HALF-TIME and Flyboys have been outpassed and outplayed. The players look tired and slow as they head back to the dressing-room(which is really a worn-out bench a few yards from the touch-line).It's going to be a big ask to get back into the game but we'll see what the coach and manager has to say to them and see if their spirits can be lifted.
45th min:
Real Madrid, no sorry, Ahmad FC are kicking off and they pass towards their keeper. But it's a poor backpass as Flyboy's dashing striker/writer/treasurer (not to mention foul-mouthed and overly passionate) Amir has latched onto the ball. He's one on one with the goalie who takes the form of Hj Effendy(he's everywhere, maybe there are 11 of him on that team) but a defender closes him down and it's enough to put off Amir from hitting a solid shot. A good save by Ahmad FC's keeper. The crowd of 9 including the neighbourhood cat applaud Amir's efforts.
51st min:
Julian, who's now in the right wingback position is flying down the wings ala Ashley Cole. Sofian passes the ball through and young Juju unleashes a screamer of a shot towards goal. Saved by the keeper and is out for a corner.
57th min:
Flyboys are looking sharper and hungrier. Ahmad FC are looking tired and weary as Riduan runs towards goal and unleashes a shot from the left wing. It goes wide but things are looking encouraging for the team.
62nd min:
Hafidz and Aziri are really controlling the middle of the park and looking the real deal. In fact, the whole team looks invigorated. It must've been the half-time drinks. Red Bull kali.
Sofian on the right wing alongside Julian are stretching Ahmad FC's tired defenders whilst Riduan, who came on the 2nd half, is combining well with Ismael.
65th min:
Omagad Who Killed Kenny has come on for Ismael. And what a substitution. He's tearing down the defense with his persistent running. It helps that he's twice the size of the defenders.
Sofian releases Kenny down the right wing and he runs with the ball. He looks up and sees Amir running in the middle of the park and crosses. Amir shoots first-time and the ball curls powerfully towards the top left-hand corner of the goal.
Ooooooh, that's just yards wide. Handsome is that Amir! Must be his new authentic leather boots.
71st min:
One of the few attacks from Ahmad FC in the 2nd half is easily contained by the defence. and Nasrul and Azmi are minding the defence with ex-DPMM FC(College) goalie Irwanizam aka Chomel. But he doesn't look cute today because he's taken up the form of a brick wall in goal. Flyboys don't look like they'll concede any goals in the 2nd half with Irwanizam as goalie.
73rd min:
Sofian makes a solo run towards goal but 3 defenders are closing him down. 5 years ago he would've beaten all 3. Ok lah, maybe 10 years ago but now with 2 kids and another on the way, he's lost a few yards and gained a few pounds.
75th min:
Great pass down the middle from Hafidz to Kenny and at first he looks like he wont be able to control the ball. But no wait, this is King Kenny and he goes past the defender and shoots a low shot to the bottom corner. GOOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The players can't believe it. They all run to Kenny. Ok not all of them but Amir, Sofian and Hafidz are and they celebrate like girls. That is really a bad celebration because the high-fives aren't really connecting but who bloody cares because that is a great effing come-back.
FLYBOYS 2 - 2 Ahmad FC
78th min:
Amir is substituted as Ismael re-enters the field. Flyboys can smell blood and are looking for the winner. Even Hendra, the left-back is drifting up as an auxiliary striker.
82nd min:
Aziri has the ball in the midfield and releases a sublime trick pass used commonly by that Red Devil Ronaldo. Pass of the season i tell you. It's so good even the opposition are applauding it. Ok that's an exaggeration but it was an exquisite pass. We will now call that the Jiri pass. Tommorow we go to court and have it patented and trademarked.
Riduan receives the pass but is unable to go towards goal.
85nd min:
Kenny the King runs with the ball into the penalty box. The defender tackles him but gets his feet instead and chops him down like a tree. PENALTY!!!!!!!!! No, says the ref.
Referee are you blind?!? The defender never touched the ball. Flyboys are fuming. The match must be fixed.
Sofian resisting the ref decision88th min:
Ahmad FC's striker is running towards goal and is brought down just outside the penalty box by Sofian. A very dangerous free-kick here from Ahmad FC. But thank goodness, Becks has left Real for Milan because that wasn't going anywhere near goal.
ALLAHU AKBAR ALLAHU AKBAR !!! That means it's sunset which means the match is over. It's a draw.
A game of 2 halves. Flyboys could've snatched a win if it wasn't for Ahmad FC's keeper.
Next match, Capt Effendy will be playing in goal cos he's sooooo good !!! ;p
Well done to all who participated and see you on Wednesday 27th against our RBA Engineering. We've proved that we can stare adversity in the face and say up yours buddy. What an awesome 2nd half. Now all we have to do is play awesome in both halves.
Majulah Sukan, Go Flyboys, If you're not first, you're last! Apakan.
- Amir, unbiased writer/striker/treasurer/father/golfer/United supporter.
ps. See you in Rome!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
FLYBOYS 1st WIN IN RED ( vs EX S.P.A )
Right sunshine, let's get this straight.
You say your name is Dave 'Ismael' Miller and you have a tattoo on your right arm to prove it. You were born on April 12 in Greenock, Scotland. It's your 3rd game in May, you're wearing the red Adidas strip that your team Flyboys haven't won with in 4 consecutive games.
In the 8th minute of the game, you were running in the penalty box when the opposition defender tripped you and you fell down with a groan that convinced the referee that it was a penalty. You step up to the penalty spot and cool as you like, blasted the ball to the top right hand corner of the goal.
FlyBoys 1 - EX-S.P.A. 0
And you, your name is Hendra. You're a first officer plying his trade on the Boeing fleet and you drive an RX-8. Nice.
You're a left-back for Team Flyboys and undoubtedly the fittest looking guy on the team. On the 12th minute of the game, you were seen closing down an attack from the opposition and decided to produce a stunning back-pass to your goalie, Zul-Afiq. It was so stunning that it left your goalie breathless. It would've been a heck of a goal had it not been an own-goal. You owe us all a teh-tarik.
FlyBoys 1 - EX-S.P.A. 1
What about you? Isn't your name Nasrul? Weren't you a midfielder in another life? You've been playing well in the heart of defence that it seems you were born there. Your no-nonsense clearance of any balls into the final third of the pitch is Vidic-like. With you in the back-four today is Azmi, Hendra and Nathaniel Panter. They've defended well intercepting passes and runs from the opposing forwards.
Who are those three in front of you? Hafidz, Riduan and Clem Clement aka Goldenballs. They've been running in the hot sun controlling the midfield and stroking the passes with ease and without care. You 3 have also done this first half what we could't do in the last 4 matches. And that's keep possession. You guys looked the real deal today.
You must be the man with the new adidas boots. Jimmy. No, that's the other Lim. You're Kenny. You seem to be born off-side. At least that's what the referee seems to think, everytime he blows his whistle. I call it parallax error. Yes, you should have scored when you were through on goal. But you didn't.
Your friend in the front line Shukrimin has been orchestrating the attacks all throughout the first half. His flicks and passes have cut through the opposition defence that i think he plays like a Bruneian version of Zidane but with hair and a baby-faced smile. He is deadly.
And you, Amir. Aren't you supposed to have a fever? Weren't you breaking out in cold sweats only 3 hours ago in your bed? So how can a feverish man in his 30's break through the last man, have the ball bounce off his right hand(without the ref noticing) and then blast the ball into the bottom of the net.
FlyBoys 2 - EX-S.P.A. 1
So here we are in the 2nd half.
The opposition look like they've brought in fresh legs. But so have you guys.
Azmi, Clem, Hafidz, Riduan, Kenny and Ismael have been replaced by Khalidkhan, Sofian, Aziri, Julian, Amir, Dzulfadli and Syazwi S.
Your formation is still the same 4-3-3 you used in the first half. Who's idea was this you say? Sofian? Pffft. What does he know? Tell him to stick to taking pictures and flying Boeing 767's.
It's a very attacking minded formation. One that promotes goals but has little room for defensive errors. But by golly its working. You've scored 2 goals in the game for crying out loud. That's more than what you guys have scored in the last 3 matches. Maybe Sofian knows what he's talking about. Maybe.
It's the 72nd minute and you guys have a free-kick. Aziri is taking it. Your forwards Dzul, Amir and Syazwi are all waiting in the middle amongst the defenders. Instead of hooving it towards them, he passes it to Julian (who is my uncle) but for a split-second, i refuse to acknowledge any relation with him. Why you ask?
Because he's misplaced a pass and it is gobbled up by the opposing midfielders and they pass it to their striker. He sprints and runs and scores against our very very impressive stand-in goalie Zul-Afiq. But you can't blame my uncle. He has a hamstring injury and is nervous with his cadet interview tommorow.
FlyBoys 2 - Ex-S.P.A. 2
This isn't looking well for Flyboys. The opposing team are starting to pass the ball around. They can smell the fear in our hearts. The thought of another loss on home ground is nerve-wrecking. We can't be that bad. We can pass, we can shoot, heck we can play football.
Attitude Equals Altitude. Who Dares Wins. Never Say Die. Today is Our Day. You can take our soul but you can never take our freedom. Said William Wallace.
A throw-in from Julian, 21 to his nephew Amir, 30 caused a stir in the Ex-SPA's defence. He dribbled past 2 players and with only the keeper to beat, he used his weaker left foot to shoot. It flashed past the goal and Syazwi had a chance for the winner but he timed his run a second early as the ball missed behind him.
In the 78th minute, you Amir the sick guy with the fever ran onto a pass in the penalty box from Ismael and you tried to lob it over the keeper. He saved it but the ball bounced back to your feet and this time you didn't make the same mistake twice as you rounded the ball around the goalie and celebrated with a knee-slide, raising your arms like you just scored the winning goal on the final of the Champions League. Against Barcelona. It wasn't the actual final but it sure felt like it was one.
Flyboys 3 - Ex-S.P.A. 2
In the 90th minute, sick guy again ran half the field from the touchline, beat 2 defenders but failed to pass the ball to Kenny who was wide open. You shoot and the keeper saves.
You greedy greedy little man. Seconds later, the whistle blew and FlyBoys finally won in the month of May.
This was Flyboys 1st win of the month and let's hope we can continue to play better football from this win. A round of thanks to Zul-Afiq and Aainaa for bringing the drinks and cupcakes. I don't know how those cupcakes will make us fit but if i wasn't feeling so ill, i would've certainly devoured some. Also thanks to Yuri, Abdul Aziim and Yanni for coming to watch the game.
For your information, after the match i vomited at home and my body temperature shot up to 39 degrees. Let's hope the next time we play, i'll feel less ill but score more goals because i really am a very greedy little man.
Who Dares Wins!
- Amir, Borneo Bulletin Sports Columnist Wannabe.
You say your name is Dave 'Ismael' Miller and you have a tattoo on your right arm to prove it. You were born on April 12 in Greenock, Scotland. It's your 3rd game in May, you're wearing the red Adidas strip that your team Flyboys haven't won with in 4 consecutive games.
In the 8th minute of the game, you were running in the penalty box when the opposition defender tripped you and you fell down with a groan that convinced the referee that it was a penalty. You step up to the penalty spot and cool as you like, blasted the ball to the top right hand corner of the goal.
FlyBoys 1 - EX-S.P.A. 0
And you, your name is Hendra. You're a first officer plying his trade on the Boeing fleet and you drive an RX-8. Nice.
You're a left-back for Team Flyboys and undoubtedly the fittest looking guy on the team. On the 12th minute of the game, you were seen closing down an attack from the opposition and decided to produce a stunning back-pass to your goalie, Zul-Afiq. It was so stunning that it left your goalie breathless. It would've been a heck of a goal had it not been an own-goal. You owe us all a teh-tarik.
FlyBoys 1 - EX-S.P.A. 1
What about you? Isn't your name Nasrul? Weren't you a midfielder in another life? You've been playing well in the heart of defence that it seems you were born there. Your no-nonsense clearance of any balls into the final third of the pitch is Vidic-like. With you in the back-four today is Azmi, Hendra and Nathaniel Panter. They've defended well intercepting passes and runs from the opposing forwards.
Who are those three in front of you? Hafidz, Riduan and Clem Clement aka Goldenballs. They've been running in the hot sun controlling the midfield and stroking the passes with ease and without care. You 3 have also done this first half what we could't do in the last 4 matches. And that's keep possession. You guys looked the real deal today.
You must be the man with the new adidas boots. Jimmy. No, that's the other Lim. You're Kenny. You seem to be born off-side. At least that's what the referee seems to think, everytime he blows his whistle. I call it parallax error. Yes, you should have scored when you were through on goal. But you didn't.
Your friend in the front line Shukrimin has been orchestrating the attacks all throughout the first half. His flicks and passes have cut through the opposition defence that i think he plays like a Bruneian version of Zidane but with hair and a baby-faced smile. He is deadly.
And you, Amir. Aren't you supposed to have a fever? Weren't you breaking out in cold sweats only 3 hours ago in your bed? So how can a feverish man in his 30's break through the last man, have the ball bounce off his right hand(without the ref noticing) and then blast the ball into the bottom of the net.
FlyBoys 2 - EX-S.P.A. 1
So here we are in the 2nd half.
The opposition look like they've brought in fresh legs. But so have you guys.
Azmi, Clem, Hafidz, Riduan, Kenny and Ismael have been replaced by Khalidkhan, Sofian, Aziri, Julian, Amir, Dzulfadli and Syazwi S.
Your formation is still the same 4-3-3 you used in the first half. Who's idea was this you say? Sofian? Pffft. What does he know? Tell him to stick to taking pictures and flying Boeing 767's.
It's a very attacking minded formation. One that promotes goals but has little room for defensive errors. But by golly its working. You've scored 2 goals in the game for crying out loud. That's more than what you guys have scored in the last 3 matches. Maybe Sofian knows what he's talking about. Maybe.
It's the 72nd minute and you guys have a free-kick. Aziri is taking it. Your forwards Dzul, Amir and Syazwi are all waiting in the middle amongst the defenders. Instead of hooving it towards them, he passes it to Julian (who is my uncle) but for a split-second, i refuse to acknowledge any relation with him. Why you ask?
Because he's misplaced a pass and it is gobbled up by the opposing midfielders and they pass it to their striker. He sprints and runs and scores against our very very impressive stand-in goalie Zul-Afiq. But you can't blame my uncle. He has a hamstring injury and is nervous with his cadet interview tommorow.
FlyBoys 2 - Ex-S.P.A. 2
This isn't looking well for Flyboys. The opposing team are starting to pass the ball around. They can smell the fear in our hearts. The thought of another loss on home ground is nerve-wrecking. We can't be that bad. We can pass, we can shoot, heck we can play football.
Attitude Equals Altitude. Who Dares Wins. Never Say Die. Today is Our Day. You can take our soul but you can never take our freedom. Said William Wallace.
A throw-in from Julian, 21 to his nephew Amir, 30 caused a stir in the Ex-SPA's defence. He dribbled past 2 players and with only the keeper to beat, he used his weaker left foot to shoot. It flashed past the goal and Syazwi had a chance for the winner but he timed his run a second early as the ball missed behind him.
In the 78th minute, you Amir the sick guy with the fever ran onto a pass in the penalty box from Ismael and you tried to lob it over the keeper. He saved it but the ball bounced back to your feet and this time you didn't make the same mistake twice as you rounded the ball around the goalie and celebrated with a knee-slide, raising your arms like you just scored the winning goal on the final of the Champions League. Against Barcelona. It wasn't the actual final but it sure felt like it was one.
Flyboys 3 - Ex-S.P.A. 2
In the 90th minute, sick guy again ran half the field from the touchline, beat 2 defenders but failed to pass the ball to Kenny who was wide open. You shoot and the keeper saves.
You greedy greedy little man. Seconds later, the whistle blew and FlyBoys finally won in the month of May.
This was Flyboys 1st win of the month and let's hope we can continue to play better football from this win. A round of thanks to Zul-Afiq and Aainaa for bringing the drinks and cupcakes. I don't know how those cupcakes will make us fit but if i wasn't feeling so ill, i would've certainly devoured some. Also thanks to Yuri, Abdul Aziim and Yanni for coming to watch the game.
For your information, after the match i vomited at home and my body temperature shot up to 39 degrees. Let's hope the next time we play, i'll feel less ill but score more goals because i really am a very greedy little man.
Who Dares Wins!
- Amir, Borneo Bulletin Sports Columnist Wannabe.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
FLYBOYS vs PERTAHANAN
FLYBOYS 0 : 1 Pertahanan
The recent floods in the early months of 2009 has gone by and the dry season has arrived in Brunei. And it's been a dry spell too for Team Flyboys as we've lost the last 4 games.
Four games wearing the new red kit and it seems that maybe it's time to put the yellow strip back on and change our luck. I'm not superstitious but maybe going from Master Warning to Master Caution is a good thing. For those of you who've no idea what i mean, it's pilot talk.
Indeed our luck has changed ever since the 5 goal per game blitz which we enjoyed in March and April but like Hull City who started the season in such strong fashion, we seem to emulate them in the latter half of the season. Not that there's a season to play for as we're not in any league, we're amateurs and we don't get paid to play football.
Despite our poor form, we've shown good spirit and hunger in today's match at Old Trafford (Anfield if you're a Liverfool fan & Stamford Bridge if you support Chelski).
Before the match, it was encouraging to see everyone involved in the warm-up sessions and the shooting practice. Thank you to Julian who conducted the sessions(his experienced training and playing for AM Gunners FC in his pimply teenage years was put to good use today as we stretched ourselves silly).
Also a Big Big Thank You to FO Zul-Afiq for bringing the ice cool drinks and FO Aainaa for making the excellent punch in what's been an extremely hot day.
The match started with Flyboys keeping posession for a solid 2 minutes which is a lifetime in football. Imagine taking a pee for 2 minutes and tell me if that isn't long enough.
With our team captain, Effendy flying off on a longhaul and doing some real work for a change, we had to install a new formation of 4-5-1.
SFO Nasrul, FO Zul-Afiq, FO Zul-Amali & cadet in waiting Julian in defence, Capt Sofian & FO Syazwi S as wing backs and FO Azman & FO Shukrimin as central midfielders. Playing the Makelele role was FO Hafiz and leading the lone striker role was SFO Kenny.
There were plenty of chances in the first half from Flyboys. Kenny had a golden opportunity to score in his brand new adidas boots when faced one-on-one with the goalie but his shot was saved. Later his excuse for not scoring was that he forgot to take off the price tag on the laces.
The opposition who are from the other side of the runway ie civilian technicians from the Air Force hangar created only one chance and they took it. A misplaced pass from both midfield and defense allowed their pacy striker to capitalise on the mistake and shoot past our goalie, Capt Suhaini. Flyboys 0 - Pertahanan 1.
Our players were adapting well to the new Chelsea formation. We were crowding the midfield and intercepting a lot of passes but as always the formation is only as good as the personnel.
With Kenny alone up front it was difficult to break on the counter and after 30 minutes, there was a massive roster change. In came Capt Khalid, SFO Dzulfadli, Capt Sofian, Capt Clements, Dave Miller(Ismail) & FO Azmi to freshen up some legs. And all this still in the first half. How fit are we? No more kebabs in Perth and Nandos in Brissy for you fat buggers.
Immediately, the team started to create more chances. Dzul pulled his shot wide. There were a lot of good runs made by Sofian, Kenny, Dzul & Ismail but the experienced technicians held firm until half-time.
The downside to the first-half was the sight of a crazy DPMM fan shouting Soccer 101 instructions to anyone who could hear him from the touchline. On top of that, he was holding on to dear life a very dodgy-looking formations booklet which he must've bought in an also dodgy Indian sport shop somewhere. He finally stopped screaming his verbal abuse when his wife asked him to leave his screaming and whining in the privacy of their bedroom.
When interviewed by the media, the DPMM fan apologised to the team for his overly-enthusiastic demeanour and described himself as a passionate and caring die-hard FlyBoys fan.
The 2nd half saw Flyboys change to their familiar 4-4-2 formation with FO Hendra as left-back, Nasrul and Azmi as centre-backs, Clem Clements as left-back, FO Riduan as a self-proclaimed defensive midfielder, Ismail & Dzul as strikers and the crazy die-hard DPMM fan was let loose in central midfield with his minder, Sofian in tow.
The Flyboys fan in me would like to record a historic comeback win of 5-1 in this game but that would prove me to be temporarily insane.
Instead we pretty much played the same as we did in the first half. We harried and hassled them when they were in possession but their midfielders outpassed us. They had 70% of the possession and if my maths is right that would mean we had 30% of possession.
What was encouraging for us was Pertahanan had few shots at our goal in the 2nd half and those were all from long-range and usually landed in the RBA Golf Club parking area. This meant we weren't giving them space to play the ball into our penalty box.
What was disappointing was the shooting practice before the match was not put to good use. Our finishing has let us down these last few games. We get into good positions in the box but we don't convert our chances.
Hafiz had intercepted a misplaced pass and from 35 yards out, he curled a Rooney-like shot wide and missed by 2 yards and 17 inches.
Ismail pulled a shot wide in front of goal after a Torres-like run on the right side of the field where he beat a defender, the keeper but not the goal.
Riduan did his usual Ronaldo-like run from midfield and after amazing us with his dribbling plus holding off the defender and with only 6 yards left from goal, he shot straight at the goalie and the keeper parried it for a corner. Probably our best chance of the match.
Crazy DPMM fan also unleashed a screaming beast of a shot at goal with his brand-new authentic unpersonalised Nike Total90 Laser II Comet Black/Red UK size 7 boots. Unfortunately the writer was temporarily delusional.
The shot was actually as tame as Garfield. So tame, the goalie had time to tie his boots, text his wife he'd be home late for dinner and smoke a fag before the shot arrived at his gloves. Journalists reckoned that he must surely be a part-time auditor for the company.
More changes were made in the last 25 minutes of the match that i actually thought we were playing basketball. Kenny, Hafiz, Shuks, Jules & Zul-Amali were brought in to freshen up the team.
In the 69th minute, Flyboys unleashed their talisman. A subsitute who is widely known to be a student of Shaolin soccer, the one and only Capt Simon Newn. Despite his presence and their number of attempts on goal, Flyboys were unable to equalise and when the full-time whistle blew, it would be another gracious defeat at home.
Despite the defeat, i must say there is genuine camaraderie(look up the dictionary) in this team. Team Captain Effendy would be proud to see the formation was solid and everyone played to their best and gave 110%. We defended, we passed, we had shots on goal and most of all, we had fun.
Thanks to all who participated actively and passively. We were graced today with the presence of SFO Nurfaisal aka Bob who became acting treasurer and took our hard-earned $2 from us.
Next Match:
FLYBOYS vs Ex-S.P.A.
Wed, 20th May 2009
0430pm
RBA Football field.
Till then, Majulah Sukan, Go Flyboys and Brunei Yakin!!! Apakan.
- The Boston Globe Wannabe columnist, Amir aka Crazy Die-hard DPMM Fan.
ps. Apologies if i offended anyone today with my shouting and screaming. I am a totally different person in the flight deck. Honest!
To all those new FO's who've never flown with me, i don't bite. Much.
The recent floods in the early months of 2009 has gone by and the dry season has arrived in Brunei. And it's been a dry spell too for Team Flyboys as we've lost the last 4 games.
Four games wearing the new red kit and it seems that maybe it's time to put the yellow strip back on and change our luck. I'm not superstitious but maybe going from Master Warning to Master Caution is a good thing. For those of you who've no idea what i mean, it's pilot talk.
Indeed our luck has changed ever since the 5 goal per game blitz which we enjoyed in March and April but like Hull City who started the season in such strong fashion, we seem to emulate them in the latter half of the season. Not that there's a season to play for as we're not in any league, we're amateurs and we don't get paid to play football.
Despite our poor form, we've shown good spirit and hunger in today's match at Old Trafford (Anfield if you're a Liverfool fan & Stamford Bridge if you support Chelski).
Before the match, it was encouraging to see everyone involved in the warm-up sessions and the shooting practice. Thank you to Julian who conducted the sessions(his experienced training and playing for AM Gunners FC in his pimply teenage years was put to good use today as we stretched ourselves silly).
Also a Big Big Thank You to FO Zul-Afiq for bringing the ice cool drinks and FO Aainaa for making the excellent punch in what's been an extremely hot day.
The match started with Flyboys keeping posession for a solid 2 minutes which is a lifetime in football. Imagine taking a pee for 2 minutes and tell me if that isn't long enough.
With our team captain, Effendy flying off on a longhaul and doing some real work for a change, we had to install a new formation of 4-5-1.
SFO Nasrul, FO Zul-Afiq, FO Zul-Amali & cadet in waiting Julian in defence, Capt Sofian & FO Syazwi S as wing backs and FO Azman & FO Shukrimin as central midfielders. Playing the Makelele role was FO Hafiz and leading the lone striker role was SFO Kenny.
There were plenty of chances in the first half from Flyboys. Kenny had a golden opportunity to score in his brand new adidas boots when faced one-on-one with the goalie but his shot was saved. Later his excuse for not scoring was that he forgot to take off the price tag on the laces.
The opposition who are from the other side of the runway ie civilian technicians from the Air Force hangar created only one chance and they took it. A misplaced pass from both midfield and defense allowed their pacy striker to capitalise on the mistake and shoot past our goalie, Capt Suhaini. Flyboys 0 - Pertahanan 1.
Our players were adapting well to the new Chelsea formation. We were crowding the midfield and intercepting a lot of passes but as always the formation is only as good as the personnel.
With Kenny alone up front it was difficult to break on the counter and after 30 minutes, there was a massive roster change. In came Capt Khalid, SFO Dzulfadli, Capt Sofian, Capt Clements, Dave Miller(Ismail) & FO Azmi to freshen up some legs. And all this still in the first half. How fit are we? No more kebabs in Perth and Nandos in Brissy for you fat buggers.
Immediately, the team started to create more chances. Dzul pulled his shot wide. There were a lot of good runs made by Sofian, Kenny, Dzul & Ismail but the experienced technicians held firm until half-time.
The downside to the first-half was the sight of a crazy DPMM fan shouting Soccer 101 instructions to anyone who could hear him from the touchline. On top of that, he was holding on to dear life a very dodgy-looking formations booklet which he must've bought in an also dodgy Indian sport shop somewhere. He finally stopped screaming his verbal abuse when his wife asked him to leave his screaming and whining in the privacy of their bedroom.
When interviewed by the media, the DPMM fan apologised to the team for his overly-enthusiastic demeanour and described himself as a passionate and caring die-hard FlyBoys fan.
The 2nd half saw Flyboys change to their familiar 4-4-2 formation with FO Hendra as left-back, Nasrul and Azmi as centre-backs, Clem Clements as left-back, FO Riduan as a self-proclaimed defensive midfielder, Ismail & Dzul as strikers and the crazy die-hard DPMM fan was let loose in central midfield with his minder, Sofian in tow.
The Flyboys fan in me would like to record a historic comeback win of 5-1 in this game but that would prove me to be temporarily insane.
Instead we pretty much played the same as we did in the first half. We harried and hassled them when they were in possession but their midfielders outpassed us. They had 70% of the possession and if my maths is right that would mean we had 30% of possession.
What was encouraging for us was Pertahanan had few shots at our goal in the 2nd half and those were all from long-range and usually landed in the RBA Golf Club parking area. This meant we weren't giving them space to play the ball into our penalty box.
What was disappointing was the shooting practice before the match was not put to good use. Our finishing has let us down these last few games. We get into good positions in the box but we don't convert our chances.
Hafiz had intercepted a misplaced pass and from 35 yards out, he curled a Rooney-like shot wide and missed by 2 yards and 17 inches.
Ismail pulled a shot wide in front of goal after a Torres-like run on the right side of the field where he beat a defender, the keeper but not the goal.
Riduan did his usual Ronaldo-like run from midfield and after amazing us with his dribbling plus holding off the defender and with only 6 yards left from goal, he shot straight at the goalie and the keeper parried it for a corner. Probably our best chance of the match.
Crazy DPMM fan also unleashed a screaming beast of a shot at goal with his brand-new authentic unpersonalised Nike Total90 Laser II Comet Black/Red UK size 7 boots. Unfortunately the writer was temporarily delusional.
The shot was actually as tame as Garfield. So tame, the goalie had time to tie his boots, text his wife he'd be home late for dinner and smoke a fag before the shot arrived at his gloves. Journalists reckoned that he must surely be a part-time auditor for the company.
More changes were made in the last 25 minutes of the match that i actually thought we were playing basketball. Kenny, Hafiz, Shuks, Jules & Zul-Amali were brought in to freshen up the team.
In the 69th minute, Flyboys unleashed their talisman. A subsitute who is widely known to be a student of Shaolin soccer, the one and only Capt Simon Newn. Despite his presence and their number of attempts on goal, Flyboys were unable to equalise and when the full-time whistle blew, it would be another gracious defeat at home.
Despite the defeat, i must say there is genuine camaraderie(look up the dictionary) in this team. Team Captain Effendy would be proud to see the formation was solid and everyone played to their best and gave 110%. We defended, we passed, we had shots on goal and most of all, we had fun.
Thanks to all who participated actively and passively. We were graced today with the presence of SFO Nurfaisal aka Bob who became acting treasurer and took our hard-earned $2 from us.
Next Match:
FLYBOYS vs Ex-S.P.A.
Wed, 20th May 2009
0430pm
RBA Football field.
Till then, Majulah Sukan, Go Flyboys and Brunei Yakin!!! Apakan.
- The Boston Globe Wannabe columnist, Amir aka Crazy Die-hard DPMM Fan.
ps. Apologies if i offended anyone today with my shouting and screaming. I am a totally different person in the flight deck. Honest!
To all those new FO's who've never flown with me, i don't bite. Much.
FLYBOYS vs HSBC
Assalamualaikum FlyBoys,
Apologies again for the late Full-Time report.
The match started with a group photo with the HSBC players that included their CEO Tareq Mahmud. Representing our top management was No 13, Capt Khalidkhan, SVP Flight Operations.
Date: 9th May 2009
Venue: RBA Football Field
Time: 0500pm
FlyBoys 1 , Dzulfadli 69th min
HSBC 3
- Goalkeeper:
SFO Yanni (B)
- Defenders:
SFO Nasrul (A)
FO Riduan (B)
FO Hendra (B)
FO Hock (B)
FO Hafiz (?)
FO Azmi (A)
FO Zul-Amali (A)
Julian (PC)
- Midfielders:
Capt Hj Effendy (B)
Capt Amir (A)
Capt Khalidkhan (B)
SFO Irwanizam (B)
SFO Azrol (B)
FO Aziri (A)
FO Azman (B)
FO Abdul Aziim (A)
FO Azim (?)
- Forwards:
SFO Kenny (A)
SFO Dzulfadli (B)
FO Syazwi (A)
FO Nazri (?)
The match kicked off in the afternoon heat with temperatures of 32 degrees and within minutes the players were already sweating out half of their water content. The HSBC team were looking sharp with their forwards, Ben Leong and Tareq Mahmud making some fine passes and trying to cut deep into the Flyboys defence.
Marshalling the defence was Nasrul and Effendy who've been highly dependable in the last few matches. Both of them are midfielders at heart, they took the unenviable task of leading the back line. The only criticism by the pundits has been the defence's inability to push the backline forward close to the midfielders. With the space more open in the middle, the HSBC midfield were starting to find more space and made penetrating passes to their forwards.
But stifling their play was Aziri and Irwanizam who has been our midfield general when he's not away on longhaul. With him was Azman who played a lot of forward long passes to the right winger Azrol and left midfield Khalidkhan.
The game was evenly matched in the first half as no goals were scored nor conceded.
The 2nd half was similar to the 1st as both teams slugged out with misplaced passes but HSBC had brought in new midfield players who seemed to take control of the game. They had more possession and started to make better runs and it wasn't long before they drew first blood and scored their first goal.
Flyboys had introduced Dzulfadli in the 2nd half and was initially operating as a central midfield player. But with the Flyboys defence carved open and a 2nd goal scored by HSBC, Dzul was changed to a forward with Amir brought back to help back in the midfield.
With 22 minutes to go, a Kieran Gibbs-like mistake was made by their central defender and he slipped when he had the ball on his possession. Like a predator, he pounced on the ball and ran towards the goal. The keeper thought he was going to make a cross-shot with his left foot but instead, Dzul used his outside right foot and blasted into the near-post side of the goal.
FlyBoys 1 HSBC 2 !!! Game on!!!
A glimmer of hope but with little time left, Flyboys did their best to find an equaliser but a corner kick from HSBC in the 84th minute fooled the entire FlyBoys defence as the ball hovered over the keeper and onto the head of their shortest midfielder and he easily nodded it into the net. FlyBoys 1, HSBC 3.
Game Over. But well done to Flyboys who are hitting a bad patch at the moment. They are still looking for the form that had them scoring 5 goals a game for 4 consecutive matches in March and April.
Summary:
We play as a team, we win as a team and we lose as a team. So the lesson here is when we are defending ie we dont have possession of the ball, all FlyBoys are to defend from the front line: We must defend as a team. This means putting pressure on the opponents and closing them down.
Putting pressure on the ball does not imply trying to regain its possession. Simply having a defender in front of the ball carrier limits his options in many significant ways. When you are in your own defensive third, make sure to always stay between the enemy and your own goal.
Next match is on today at 4pm against Pertahanan. All the best and Majulah Sukan. Apakan.
- New York Times wannabe writer, Amir.
Apologies again for the late Full-Time report.
The match started with a group photo with the HSBC players that included their CEO Tareq Mahmud. Representing our top management was No 13, Capt Khalidkhan, SVP Flight Operations.
Date: 9th May 2009
Venue: RBA Football Field
Time: 0500pm
FlyBoys 1 , Dzulfadli 69th min
HSBC 3
- Goalkeeper:
SFO Yanni (B)
- Defenders:
SFO Nasrul (A)
FO Riduan (B)
FO Hendra (B)
FO Hock (B)
FO Hafiz (?)
FO Azmi (A)
FO Zul-Amali (A)
Julian (PC)
- Midfielders:
Capt Hj Effendy (B)
Capt Amir (A)
Capt Khalidkhan (B)
SFO Irwanizam (B)
SFO Azrol (B)
FO Aziri (A)
FO Azman (B)
FO Abdul Aziim (A)
FO Azim (?)
- Forwards:
SFO Kenny (A)
SFO Dzulfadli (B)
FO Syazwi (A)
FO Nazri (?)
The match kicked off in the afternoon heat with temperatures of 32 degrees and within minutes the players were already sweating out half of their water content. The HSBC team were looking sharp with their forwards, Ben Leong and Tareq Mahmud making some fine passes and trying to cut deep into the Flyboys defence.
Marshalling the defence was Nasrul and Effendy who've been highly dependable in the last few matches. Both of them are midfielders at heart, they took the unenviable task of leading the back line. The only criticism by the pundits has been the defence's inability to push the backline forward close to the midfielders. With the space more open in the middle, the HSBC midfield were starting to find more space and made penetrating passes to their forwards.
But stifling their play was Aziri and Irwanizam who has been our midfield general when he's not away on longhaul. With him was Azman who played a lot of forward long passes to the right winger Azrol and left midfield Khalidkhan.
The game was evenly matched in the first half as no goals were scored nor conceded.
The 2nd half was similar to the 1st as both teams slugged out with misplaced passes but HSBC had brought in new midfield players who seemed to take control of the game. They had more possession and started to make better runs and it wasn't long before they drew first blood and scored their first goal.
Flyboys had introduced Dzulfadli in the 2nd half and was initially operating as a central midfield player. But with the Flyboys defence carved open and a 2nd goal scored by HSBC, Dzul was changed to a forward with Amir brought back to help back in the midfield.
With 22 minutes to go, a Kieran Gibbs-like mistake was made by their central defender and he slipped when he had the ball on his possession. Like a predator, he pounced on the ball and ran towards the goal. The keeper thought he was going to make a cross-shot with his left foot but instead, Dzul used his outside right foot and blasted into the near-post side of the goal.
FlyBoys 1 HSBC 2 !!! Game on!!!
A glimmer of hope but with little time left, Flyboys did their best to find an equaliser but a corner kick from HSBC in the 84th minute fooled the entire FlyBoys defence as the ball hovered over the keeper and onto the head of their shortest midfielder and he easily nodded it into the net. FlyBoys 1, HSBC 3.
Game Over. But well done to Flyboys who are hitting a bad patch at the moment. They are still looking for the form that had them scoring 5 goals a game for 4 consecutive matches in March and April.
Summary:
We play as a team, we win as a team and we lose as a team. So the lesson here is when we are defending ie we dont have possession of the ball, all FlyBoys are to defend from the front line: We must defend as a team. This means putting pressure on the opponents and closing them down.
Putting pressure on the ball does not imply trying to regain its possession. Simply having a defender in front of the ball carrier limits his options in many significant ways. When you are in your own defensive third, make sure to always stay between the enemy and your own goal.
Next match is on today at 4pm against Pertahanan. All the best and Majulah Sukan. Apakan.
- New York Times wannabe writer, Amir.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Match Report: FLYBOYS 0 - 2 KRONIZ FC
Result: FLYBOYS 0 - 2 KRONIZ FC
Scorer/s: N/A
Venue: RBRC
Date: April 29th, 09
Assalamualaikum guys,
Sorry for the late Match Report on our recent match. After all, there's more to playing football, like flying, raising my 3 kids, playing golf and watching Man Utd march on to the Champions League Final.
Anyhoo, it was a 2nd straight defeat for Team FlyBoys as we failed to capitalize on our chances and there were plenty from our side. Kenny and Azrol managed to hit the post and crossbar respectively so that's half a point for each strike hence i think we actually lost 2-1.
The Players:
Goalkeeper:
- Capt Suhaini (B)
Defenders:
- SFO Malek (B)
- SFO Nasrul (A)
- SFO Azrol (B)
- SFO Jimmy (A)
- FO Zul-Afiq (A)
- Julian (PC)
Midfielders:
- Capt Hj Effendy (B)
- Capt Amir (A)
- Capt Sofian (B)
- SFO Dzulfadli (B)
- FO Riduan (B)
- FO Aziri (A)
- FO Hock (A/B)
- FO Azman (A/B)
- FO Khalil
Forwards:
- SFO Kenny (A)
- FO Syazwi (A)
- Capt Simon Newn (B)
- SFO Rosli (A)
- Ismail (MCC)
Eventhough we lost this match in terms of goals, we didn't lose in terms of effort. If this was a check flight, we'd get a B average.
Despite conceding the 2 goals, Suhaini played extremely well with the brand new Gloves sponsored by SFO Malek & Capt Khalidkhan. He showed authority, awareness and good communications and proved why he is the man to seek when asking for leave in the Boeing Fleet office.
Our defence played well with Nasrul and Malek marshalling the line well and putting the offside trap to good use. Also improvements were seen across the park with Syazwi keen to get on the scoresheet, Azman passing ala Beckham and Hock actually lasting more than 20 minutes.
The midfield as usual was working hard although the Kroniz players, despite their age, used their experience to pass their way across the pitch. All that was lacking for us were goals as Kenny hit the right post a few minutes before the full-time whistle.
What summed up our day was when Dzulfadli from the centre of the park played a pass to the left side releasing our top scorer, Ismail and as he ran down the left wing, he crossed a magnificent ball to the penalty box where our right back, Azrol who must've ran the full length of the pitch, rose up in between two defenders and headed the ball towards the goal.
Unfortunately the crossbar prevented him from scoring what would've been a goal worthy of screening on RTB's Arena Sukan.
Of course, we need to improve our performance with better defending, more possession and take our scoring chances. But all in all, it was a good day out with friends and family.
Thanks again to all who participated and the supporters who watched us. Also special thanks to Aainaa and Zul-Afiq(nice boots!), our very own Posh & Becks who sponsored the ice cool drinks.
The next match will be against HSBC on the 9th May so please come early at 4pm and have your credit card and loan applications filled out with the necessary paperwork.
Till then Majulah Sukan!!! Apakan.
- Guardian Football Correspondent Wannabe, Amir.
Scorer/s: N/A
Venue: RBRC
Date: April 29th, 09
Assalamualaikum guys,
Sorry for the late Match Report on our recent match. After all, there's more to playing football, like flying, raising my 3 kids, playing golf and watching Man Utd march on to the Champions League Final.
Anyhoo, it was a 2nd straight defeat for Team FlyBoys as we failed to capitalize on our chances and there were plenty from our side. Kenny and Azrol managed to hit the post and crossbar respectively so that's half a point for each strike hence i think we actually lost 2-1.
The Players:
Goalkeeper:
- Capt Suhaini (B)
Defenders:
- SFO Malek (B)
- SFO Nasrul (A)
- SFO Azrol (B)
- SFO Jimmy (A)
- FO Zul-Afiq (A)
- Julian (PC)
Midfielders:
- Capt Hj Effendy (B)
- Capt Amir (A)
- Capt Sofian (B)
- SFO Dzulfadli (B)
- FO Riduan (B)
- FO Aziri (A)
- FO Hock (A/B)
- FO Azman (A/B)
- FO Khalil
Forwards:
- SFO Kenny (A)
- FO Syazwi (A)
- Capt Simon Newn (B)
- SFO Rosli (A)
- Ismail (MCC)
Eventhough we lost this match in terms of goals, we didn't lose in terms of effort. If this was a check flight, we'd get a B average.
Despite conceding the 2 goals, Suhaini played extremely well with the brand new Gloves sponsored by SFO Malek & Capt Khalidkhan. He showed authority, awareness and good communications and proved why he is the man to seek when asking for leave in the Boeing Fleet office.
Our defence played well with Nasrul and Malek marshalling the line well and putting the offside trap to good use. Also improvements were seen across the park with Syazwi keen to get on the scoresheet, Azman passing ala Beckham and Hock actually lasting more than 20 minutes.
The midfield as usual was working hard although the Kroniz players, despite their age, used their experience to pass their way across the pitch. All that was lacking for us were goals as Kenny hit the right post a few minutes before the full-time whistle.
What summed up our day was when Dzulfadli from the centre of the park played a pass to the left side releasing our top scorer, Ismail and as he ran down the left wing, he crossed a magnificent ball to the penalty box where our right back, Azrol who must've ran the full length of the pitch, rose up in between two defenders and headed the ball towards the goal.
Unfortunately the crossbar prevented him from scoring what would've been a goal worthy of screening on RTB's Arena Sukan.
Of course, we need to improve our performance with better defending, more possession and take our scoring chances. But all in all, it was a good day out with friends and family.
Thanks again to all who participated and the supporters who watched us. Also special thanks to Aainaa and Zul-Afiq(nice boots!), our very own Posh & Becks who sponsored the ice cool drinks.
The next match will be against HSBC on the 9th May so please come early at 4pm and have your credit card and loan applications filled out with the necessary paperwork.
Till then Majulah Sukan!!! Apakan.
- Guardian Football Correspondent Wannabe, Amir.
