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gaz12321
ATM
Managed to talk myself straight into a job in Malaysia, ATM are currently in the Malaysian Super League and although they are tipped to finish bottom of the league it's a higher standard than I expected to start with, a decent opportunity.
The Club - ATM
The Squad
I Wanted to bring in 2 central midfielders and a left winger but didn't manage to push them through before the window slammed shut, so the squad will be a bit thin until April when the next window opens! Got a couple of youngsters available in these positions but they are nowhere near ready!
gaz12321
Experienced Nigerian center back and by far our most talented player, this guy spent the last 3 seasons at one of Malaysia's top sides Kelantan and picked up 4 trophies in his spell there making 81 appearances before his release which saw him snapped up by ATM, a big signing. He has 33 caps for Nigeria and also had a spell in Switzerland with FC Sion, his advancing years mean his speed is on the decline but his defensive ability and experience will be invaluable i'm sure. I have high hopes for him in my first few seasons.
This Australian central midfielder looks like the next best thing in our squad, capped 6 times at youth level and with a variety of experience to call upon having played for a number of clubs from Australia, Italy, Switzerland, Indonesia and most recently Malaysia, he spent last season at fellow Super League side Terrangannu making 20 appearances but his contract was allowed to expire and he moved on to ATM. He will take up the role of playmaker in my midfield and by the look of his stats he is very capable at this level, at the age of 30 he still has a few years left in him.
Another well traveled foreign import, Honduran striker Jerry Palacios joined ATM on a free transfer in the summer after his contract with Costa Rican giants Alajualense having scored 15 times in 29 games for them, possesses decent physical and mental attributes at this level but his technical ability could be better, he will be deployed as a target man alongside a poacher in a 4-4-2 system or at least that's my plan. He spent much of his early career in Honduras mainly for Olimpia and with a stint at both Montagua & Vida before moving to China to play for Super League outfit Hangzhou, an unsuccessful spell there saw him head back to Honduras before his move to Alajualense then on to ATM in Malaysia. Never been exactly prolific but certainly looks like he will be a physical presence up top.
As mentioned in my previous post I failed to bring any players in before the window shut but have agreed the transfer of 4 youngsters when the next window opens, the most hopeful of the lot for me is this lad:
An 18 year old creative midfielder from Bolivia, will be a few season before he is going to be ready but looks like he could be an ideal replacement for Karlovic as he advances in years. Very little info is available on this player however it seems he actually plays for La Paz in the Bolivia, he made a handful of appearances a few years back in their relegation season from the top flight, also played in all 4 of Bolivia U17's games in the U17 Sudamericano as they were eliminated in the group stage. Not sure why he was available on a free but could develop into a real talent for us.
gaz12321
Friendlies
7 friendlies played and nothing to really shout about, the squad look in good condition ahead of the season opener against Lions xi. 2 games played against teams in our league with a 3-1 loss to Selangor in our first real friendly and towards the end a solid 1-0 win over Pahang despite making a number of changes to my expected xi.
Also got this news after the Pahang friendly, star striker Jerry Palacios is being sent for specialist treatment on a hip injury, will keep him out for at least 3 months!
Predicted Opening Day XI
gaz12321
Results
Only 3 games in January as the Super League campaign got underway, and we got off to a good start with a free kick from stand in striker Omar enough to claim 3 points against Lions, a solid performance all round and a more comfortable win than the result suggests. Game 2 got off to a bad start with Charles Chad putting hosts Perak ahead after 20 minutes but another goal from Omar burying a finish from a right wing cross earned us a deserved point, and only a top save denied Omar from handing us all 3 points. My first defeat was to follow as one of the leagues big guns batted us back down to earth, Selangor saw us off 2-0 although in all honesty we matched them throughout, just they were clinical and we weren't, which was reassuring but at the same time disappointing.
League Table
Far too early to take any real notice but we sit 8th with 4 points, interestingly Pahang are the early pace setters and we beat them pre season.
Star Performer
Hairuddin Omar, the veteran striker has stepped up to the plate with Jerry Palacios missing through injury and has scored both our goals, his all round play has also been very encouraging, great month from him!
Cup Draw
FA Cup Second Round draw has pitted us at home to one of our rivals, Polis DRM. Minimum expectation from the board is that we reach the third round so we will need to overcome our rivals to achieve that.
Other Observations
Crazy amount of injuries!! 4 players currently on the treatment table, 2 have just returned for lengthy spells out and have had 3 key players each miss 1 of the opening 3 games due to a virus!! Hope this calms down!!
4 points form 3 games isn't dreadful and performances have been good, especially when taking our injury problems into account, not sure how many points are realistically required to stay up i'm guessing around the 20, i've set myself a minimum target of 25.
gaz12321
Results
A blistering start to the month comfortably beating a side who I fully expect to be near the top come the end of the season, a first half brace from the on fire Omar and a strike from our 4th choice striker Saad putting the game beyond doubt in the first half, and it remained 3-0. We then traveled to Terangganu who were struggling and picked up another 3 points with Saad this time netting a first half brace and winger Danny Kayya grabbing a late goal to prevent a nervy ending. We made it 3 straight wins when Omar continued his good form netting a last minute winner against Felda Utd, another side tipped to struggle this season, the result should have been more comfortable but thankfully we made the break through eventually. An epic battle that swung back and forth completed the months league fixtures as we were pegged back to a 2-2 draw against league leaders Pahang, Karlovic bagged a brace to continue his impressive form this month to give us the lead twice but both times we let it slip and had to settle for a point, Karlovic also picked up an injury in the game. We ended a great month for us in bitter fashion as our rivals Polis DRM eliminated us from the FA Cup on our own turf via a penalty shoot out, Kayya had us off to a flyer netting after just 14 seconds, a club and competition record! However, we were finally pegged back mid way through the second half and went all the way to penalties where Kadri missed our 4th spot kick, with Polis netting all of their 5, gutted!
League Table
It makes good reading early on but i'm not getting carried away, we end the month a point behind the leaders with a game in hand but i'm solely concentrating on hitting our points target of 25 as staying up is the priority this season. 3 wins and 2 draws from our last 15 games is all we need, a cracking start.
Star Performer
Mario Karlovic - The central midfielder edged out our free scoring striker Omar after putting in some quality performances this month, good on the ball and a driving force in our midfield and even managed a couple of rare goals! His form this month also landed a place in the leagues team of the month.
Upcoming Fixtures
A tough but short month approaches as we make the trip to title favourites Johor DT and then travel to Sarawak before ending the month at home to rivals Polis DRM looking to get revenge for the FA Cup defeat, I wouldn't expect more than 4 points from this month.
Player Stats So Far
Halruddin Omar leads the way as top scorer with 5 but the return of Abdulsalam & Palacios will certainly put pressure on his place in the side, Karlovic has been the stand out performer which is hardly a surprise with an average rating of 7.42 but in a slight surprise our ball winning midfielder Mamat has been the best passer in the side with 84% completion. Another nice stat for our side is that we lead the way in the division for average possession per game with just under 60% so we are doing something right.
In Other News
As mentioned earlier Danny Kayya's goal after 14 seconds against Polis DRM has set the record in the FA Cup and also in ATM club history!
The Malaysian FA has handed me the privilege of managing the U23 side for the upcoming qualifiers, although this isn't going to do anything special for my reputation it's an opportunity to see a number of players in actio which could benefit my club in the way of potential new signings, it also gives me access to the National Pool. We have been handed a tough group in the fact that only one team qualifies and we have Japan in our group, if we can get a draw against them we may have a chance!
gaz12321
Results
The month got off to a worse start than I could have ever imagined, I would expect to get beat at title favourites Johor but the manner of it was embarrassing, we were 3-0 down inside 20 mins and fearing the worst, it took us until the 50th minute to register our first shot on goal!! A switch of tactic when we went 4 behind seemed to steady the ship and we actually matched them for the last 30 minutes or so having a few good chances ourselves, one to forget then!! We bounced back in our other 2 league games in March with another one of those crazy FM games handing us a 4-3 win at Sarawak, 4 different scorers with Omar putting us 4-2 up late on before another Sarawak goal made things tense at the death, nice to see the returning Palacios on the score sheet too. Our final game of the month saw us comfortably beat our rivals Polis DRM with early goals from Karlovic and Kadri who scored for the 2nd game running despite being played on his weaker left side. All in all a good month taking 6 points, can't complain.
League Table
Top of the league! Not that i'm reading anything into it i'm simply aiming to get to my 25 point target as soon as I can, all i'm bothered about is staying up! But it's a nice sight
Star Performer
Abdulafees Abdulsalam - Probably the only player to come out of the Johor game with any credit, went on to provide 3 assists in the next 2 games and his general play has been very good this month, especially in terms of chance creation.
Upcoming Fixtures
3 away games next month starting with relegation threatened Sime Darby, we then travel to struggling Lions XII before a home tie against Perak and finish the month away to Kelantan. On paper it's got potential to be a decent month but having 3 of them away could make things tougher, if I can take 5 or 6 points i'll be happy.
Player Stats So Far
Omar has moved on to 6 goals and remains our top scorer despite Palacios' return threatening his game time, Karlovic continues to be our star player in the side maintaining a decent average rating and has been vital in our good form so far, as has the return of Abdulsalam who has added a lot of creativity to the side and provided 4 assists so far, more than any other player. Our 4th choice striker Saad is surprisingly our most competent passer this season at the moment with an 84% completion rate.
In Other News...
Karlovic & Abdulsalam earn deserved places in the Super League Team of the Month,
Malaysia U23
This is as much as you need to see, it started ok beating Hong Kong but we got destroyed by Japan and then the loss to Mongolia was just ridiculous! Needless to say we failed to qualify. A waste of time really but the continued access to the national pool could be really useful at the end of the season to find potential signings, so hopefully will still be worthwhile.
gaz12321
Results
We were held to a goalless draw by bottom club Sime Darby at the start of the month despite shading the game, probably having the best of the chances but just unable to convert any of them, our second game saw us come out on top in another crazy game with a 4-2 win over Lions XII, an early goal from Palacios and a brace from Karlovic had us in control going in to half time at 3-1, Lions pulled it back to 3-2 but winger Kadri continued his goal scoring form grabbing us a 4th to secure all 3 points. Another shut out followed as we were disappointingly held to a goalless draw at home to Perak, again we were the better side but failed to convert our chances! Our final game of the month ending in a disappointing defeat, we fell behind to Kelantan early on but Abdulsalam leveled and we looked the more likely to go on and win it before Kadri got himself sent off through a second yellow card, Kelantan finally grabbed an inevitable winner with 10 minutes left to play.
League Table
We reached our 25 point target after 13 games giving us 9 games to enjoy with no real pressure having already achieved our objective, we still sit top of the league but a few teams have games in hand, i'm trying to keep my feet on the ground and refrain from any thoughts of continental football for ATM next season, if we are still up there with 3 games to go I might start dreaming.
Star Performer
Mario Karlovic - Again this goes to our Aussie sensation in the midfield, solid throughout but spectacular in the Lions game and unfortunate not to have helped us to victory against Perak having unlocked their defence time after time. 2 goals, a number of key passes and showing great ball retention as always, another deserved acknowledgement for our stand out player.
Upcoming Fixtures
We begin May by traveling to mid table Felda Utd and then we play host to struggling Terangganu, the month gets tricky at the end as we face 5th place Selangor and then 4th placed Sarawak but with 3 home games this month it's a good opportunity for us, would be nice to take at least 6 points from this month but ideally 9.
Player Stats So Far
Similar to last month, Omar remains top scorer but still on 6, Karlovic has improved his average rating and remains our best player and Abdulsalam remains our best provider having created another goal now to take his tally to 5. Pass completion stays at the same rate of 84% but it is now ball winning midfielder Mamat who leads the way again, Karlovic has taken control of the most player of the match awards by moving on to 4.
Transfers
April means a brief transfer window opens up and an opportunity to strengthen the squad, as I mentioned earlier 4 youngsters had already agreed moves and their transfers were finalised, two of the better ones are below. With very little budget available I was limited to one signing and chose to bring in a new left back with the added bonus that he can play anywhere across the back line.
This experienced defender adds a bit of extra pace to our defence and looks generally very solid at this level, he comes in for £3k from Felda Utd having failed to break into their side since his summer transfer from Kelantan, despite the fact he has performed well in his handful of games for them. He adds to the quality of the side while boosting the extent of positional cover we have, no brainer really.
An 18 year old Singaporean right back with the potential to be one of the leagues best, his foreign status is a set back but i'll keep a close eye on his development.
This exciting Bolivian prospect was posted earlier in the thread when I agreed to sign him following a successful trial, a very raw talent at present but has the potential to be our new Abdulsalam and possibly even exceed that, with the contracts of Karlovic and Abdulsalam expiring and them currently unwilling to talk, this lad could be in the first team next year, providing he is willing to stick around. Has very solid stats all round for an 18 year old at this level, hopefully with some first team football next year he can really kick on.
apass93
apass93
Ipswich Knights
gaz12321
gaz12321
Results
A perfect month! 3 wins from 3 games as the train just keeps on rolling, Omar came off the bench to grab the only goal of a tight game game away to Felda Utd, a few days later we comfortably beat Terangganu 3-1 with a brace from Jerry Palacios added to by a second half strike from Saad who had come on as a sub, we then moved on to our toughest fixture of the month as we welcomed Sarawak to our stadium. We went in at half time 1-0 behind which led to a few tweaks in the tactics looking to move the ball quicker, get it out wide and put crosses in which seemed to do the job as we turned the game on it's head with goals Dany Kayya & Omar who had come on as a sub, we were pegged back to 2-2 towards the end of the 90 but then super sub Omar popped up with his second of the game in injury time, it was a deserved win to be fair as we dominated especially in the second half.
League Table
So we remain top, with 4 games to go and a 4 point lead, although the point gap between us and Johor remains the same you may notice that the 3 games in hand that Johor had are now gone which puts the title race firmly in our hands! I don't want to think about it really but I can't help it, the team just keeps getting results and Johor just aren't putting a run together.
Star Performer
Abdul Shakar Jusoh - Our right winger has been in great form this month creating a goal in each of the three games and continuing his solid form for the season, I have to give a customary mention to Karlovic who has been good (no change there) and also made it into the Super League team of the month, but he didn't reach the standards he has set himself in my opinion and Jusoh deserves the recognition, he also made the team of the month!
Upcoming Fixtures
So this is it, 5 games to go and it certainly won't be easy for us! We start the month with a trip to Pahang who are currently 4th, we then host Selangor who have slipped to 6th in recent weeks before the bigget game of the season as Johor visit us, with the potential to decide where the title goes! We end the season with slightly easier games as we travel to 1tth placed Polis DRM before hosting Sime Darby who are likely to be down well before the last day.
Player Stats So Far...
Hairuddin Omar remains the top scorer and has moved on to 9 goals, Jusoh's good form has seen him pull level with Abdulsalah on 5 assists, the rest has remained pretty much the same as before.
Ipswich Knights
gaz12321
Results
A tough trip to start the month and a fantastic result, Abdulsalam made his return from injury from the bench and smashed in a winner as time ticked on to grab us another 3 points, a draw would have been a fair result but I won't complain! This gave me hope as we welcomed Selangor in our next match but we weren't able to secure a win, we went behind fairly early but Jerry Palacios converted a second half cross to rescue a point, we were beginning to show signs of nerves and a daunting clash against Johor on the horizon, with them now just 2 points behind us with a better goal difference we simply couldn't afford to lose! Things started brightly and we could have been 3 up inside 5 minutes but failed to put any chances away, we were then dealt a sucker punch as Johor countered and Figueroa nodded in the opener sending us in to half time trailing! Things went from bad to worse when our ball winner Mamad earned himself a 2nd yellow card for a rash challenge early on in the second half which put Johor in control, against all odds though Abdulsalam raced through only to be denied by their keeper but Jusoh had kept pace with the attack and slotted home the rebound! We managed to close out the rest of the game despite a couple of scares and keep the title dream alive, suddenly it felt like it might just be our year!
Our final 2 games were easier on paper as faced the bottom 2 sides, our trip to rivals Polis was settled by a 70th minute strike from Palacios but the nerves were there for all to see, Johor managed to sneak a 2-1 win at home to Selangor, the final day was going to be tense!!
The Finale
The league table shows our 2 point advantage for us but with goal difference tied a draw would not be enough if Johor managed a win.
We both faced 'easy' games on the final day with us at home to already relegated Sime Darby, while Johor would host Polis DRM who needed a win to stand a chance of staying up! Nerves had massively set in to my squad before this game though and they responded as such during a team meeting prior to the final game! We also had to cope without the suspended Nwaneri who had been key to our impressive defence this season as he reached the yellow card limit!
Bottled it!! I couldn't believe what I was watching, Reinaldo was on fire and I had no answer to it with Nwaneri missing, he had the visitors in a 2 goals lead early in the second half, I responded by slowly going more direct and got a goal back with 15 to play through Palacios, we threw everything at them but the woodwork denied us as did a number of blocks in the 6 yard box, there was just no way through! Meanwhile in the other game Polis were my only hope, they had been in front since the 6th minute but Johor pulled level early in the second half, it was inevitable ...
Somehow Polis managed to keep them at bay and the game ended 1-1!! ATM had won the Super League!!
Star Performer
Obinna Nwaneri - Despite missing the final game the center back was our key player this month, the attackers nerves got the better of them and the goals dried up a bit but the defence done their bit to make sure we still picked up results! Incredible performances especially against Polis.
Karlovic got his customary place in the team of the month.
Player Stats
Mario Karlovic the stand out performer of course, disappointingly his standards started to slip towards the end of the season and his average dropped from around the 7.45 mark to 7.28, Jerry Palacios impressed despite missing a lot through injury, scoring 7 goals in 12 games with an average rating of 7.15. Abdulsalam impressed creating plenty of chances in his 15 games in attacking midfield, Jusoh deserves a mention for his creativity and trickery this season and he was probably the outstanding Malaysian in the side along with Omar who ends as our top scorer in the league on 9. Of course Obinna (The Rock) Nwaneri has to get a mention too, absolutely fantastic!
Awards
Well this was never in doubt was it? I was handed the manager of the year award having led a side that were tipped to finish rock bottom to clinch the title.
Mario Karlovic deservedly grabbed a spot in the Super League Team of the Year. Somehow this was it, none of my other players got a mention in any of the awards which was a shame.
What Next?
Well, the Malaysian Cup starts after the Leagues finish so we have a 5 week break before that gets underway. The scouting process really needs to kick on now as well, it's looking likely that our 4 foreign representatives are on their way as they won't enter contract talks and there are a number of areas I need to strengthen as we will be heading into the Asian Champions League next season. The board have given me an additional £750 p/w on the wage budget! Looks like we're going to struggle next season, to be fair though the finances are bleak, just over £100k in the red.
We have received our intake of youth candidates too and have kept them all on, there's possibly one central midfielder who could develop into a squad player but the others all look poor. Will just use them to replace the players in the current U21 squad who aren't going to make the grade and will be let go at the end of the season.
The next update will be dedicated to the Malaysian Cup.
gaz12321
Group Stage
We were handed a tough group featuring Pahang & Sarawak who both had top half finishes in the Super League along with our relegated rivals Polis DRM. I wanted to use the cup as an opportunity to give a bit of football to young Bolivian Chajtur and also give a couple of trialists some games as we look for replacements for our departing foreign imports.
We opened our group emphatically by destroying Pahang 4-1, Yusof converted an early corner, we were pegged back before the break but second half goals from Omar & young winger Aziz were added to by an own goal to hand us a comfortable win. A disappointing trip to our rivals followed as we were beaten 2-1, a late consolation from Omar made the scoreline look slightly better, the 3rd game was more like it thumping Sarawak 5-0, Yusof again scored early on and Abdulsalam shortly doubled the lead, second half saw a Palacios brace and Aziz grabbed another goal as he continues to impress since moving up from the Under 21's. Game 4 and again we failed to beat Polis, Nwaneri rescued a point with a second half header but it didn't lift the mood much, game 5 secured our progress as Palacios netted a screamer in the second half to give us an undeserved win. We made 6 changes for the final game with a number of our younger players featuring and still almost beat Sarawak, young right winger Baliya stuck early on but we were pegged back, Palacios had us back in front in the second half but we were denied by a 90th minute goal.
We went through as group winners surprisingly with Polis following us into the quarter finals, and what was our reward for winning the group? Johor ... it was fun while it lasted!
I've lost the screenshots and can't access my laptop right now but this is what happened, at home in the first leg we were battered completely, Johor grabbed an early goal but failed to take their chances allowing us to snatch a draw late on against the run of play, not an ideal result but keeps us in the tie. Second leg was much the same as the first but one major difference, Johor took their chances this time and hammered us 4-1!! They are just a different kettle of fish in Malaysia and boast the majority of the national side.
In Other News...
Things look bleak for next season, armed with the knowledge that my four key players had no interest in discussing a contract I wanted to get my transfers sorted early but couldn't, with no scope in the budget to arrange pre contracts I had to wait until December by which time all my targets had been signed by other clubs!! I tried to release the 4 players from their contracts to free up wage budget but the board blocked it which made no sense at all! I managed to secure one signing and then once the contracts expired I tried desperately to bring in players but only had 4 days to do so, although I had players agree contracts with 2 days to go the paperwork still didn't get done!! So frustrating, April transfer window is going to be huge for me now because the squad i'm left with is likely to get relegated, but I want to battle through so I can get some ACL experience, probably jumping ship at the end of the season.
Ipswich Knights
gaz12321
I know mate! I've set the players for release so surely from that point on their wages should be discounted from our budget spend when i'm trying to sign their replacements! I'm now going to have to play two thirds of the league campaign with a completely sub standard team, so frustrating as I was making good progress.
Ipswich Knights
Dan
gaz12321
Annoyingly, I uploaded images to imgur last night ready to upload my 2015 review and 2016 preview this morning at work, log on to imgur this morning and they are nowhere to be seen so that'll have to wait.
Ipswich Knights
gaz12321
Annoyingly, I uploaded images to imgur last night ready to upload my 2015 review and 2016 preview this morning at work, log on to imgur this morning and they are nowhere to be seen so that'll have to wait.
apass93
gaz12321
A fantastic season for minnows ATM as we are crowned Super League champions! The FA Cup was a let down as we fell at the first hurdle on penalties to Polis DRM who later were relegated from the Super League. The Malaysian Cup wasn't kind to us as we progressed through a tough group only to meet and get destroyed by Johor.
Player Stats
Here are some of the player stats for the season, although the squad shown is what i'm expecting to begin next season with barring any new signings. The outstanding player from this bunch has to be Jusoh who created 7 goals and averaged a 7.05 rating, a mention as well for Reuben at right back who was solid and dependable throughout the season. The obvious catalysts to the success of this season were the 4 foreign imports who all refuse to discuss new contracts, so have been boycotted from this squad screen!
2015 End of Season Awards
Clearly i'm not the only one disappointed with the foreign players deciding to leave as the fans omitted them all from the player of the season voting! Jusoh took the crown with 51% of the votes, Omar & Kadri took 2nd & 3rd respectively. Kadri also grabbed goal of the season, signing of the season Munawir didn't actually play a game for the first team so that's a strange one, surely Ismail should have got that?? Finally, young player of the season was our backup left winger Aziz who made a good impression in his handful of appearances.
Super League Summary
We were acknowledged as the leagues over achievers after completely reversing the media expectations by winning the league, no other mentions for us apart from being champiosn!
Preparation begins now for our title defence and first ever involvement in continental football!
gaz12321
Transfers
A lot of players head out and only 2 come in, this mean we have slashed out wage bill by around 50% this summer, a few younger players will get there chances this season as our financial situation dictates our squad size, the restrictions on wages that we can offer has seen us miss out on a number of key targets that I had in sight meaning all my hard work scouting and trialing players in preparation has been wasted, this is going to be a long hard season! Here are the 2 that have come in...
Abdullah comes in on a free transfer and will likely not even feature this season, at 19 years of age I have the future in mind here and he needs to improve before he can compete for a place ahead of Suhit & Hussein, with the right commitment he could be a quality addition in a year or 2 though.
The one signing I had arranged in advance is Zamri, a ball winning midfielder who has impressed at Pahang this season, will come in to replace the void left by Karlovic so has big boots to fill. Will add a good amount of battling quality to our midfield and allow Jusoh or Mamat a bit more freedom.
The Squad
In goal we continue with Hussein and Suhit battling things out, both done well last season so no real need for change yet. Probably our strongest area is right back where Reuben and Munawir will be the main contenders but Hashim also has potential, in the middle Yusof will most likely line up alongside Ismail, who is naturally a left back, with youngster Norman our only other option, Alias is the most likely contender for left back if Ismail is needed centrally. In to the midfield and with Jusoh likely to play more centrally this year Kadri & young Baliya are the options on the right, along with Jusoh in the center Mamat who was solid last year and new signing Zamri, also Zulkafali can also do a job there despite being a right back, the left wing remains Dany Kayya with competition from young Aziz. Up top we are likely to play with Chajtur in behind either Omar or Saad which should be a good battle, both impressed during their limited appearances last season and have big shoes to fill in the season ahead. The squad is far weaker than last year and has more to contend with, could be a long season!
Expectations
The agreed expectations for this season are a top half finish and making the FA Cup third round, we will also be competing in the ACL but I wouldn't expect anything on that front, just to enjoy the experience and do our best. Chances are we won't qualify for the groups and will enter the Confed Cup Group Stage, but we'll see.
Out title winning campaign has done little to impress the bookies, with only the 2 promoted sides being offered at longer odds, I imagine they will be closer to the mark with us this year.
gaz12321
Thanks man, i've just posted the preview for next year and the squad is so much weaker now, only hope is my younger players step up to the plate!
gaz12321
Results
Pre season was very short, I accidentally arranged for the players to return like 2 weeks before the season started as we start early with the Charity Shield counting as a league match! Things didn't go well in the 2 games we had but Saad made his mark with 2 goals to grab a place in our starting xi for the opener, where he again netted as we were held to a 1-1 draw with Selangro, i'm not sure if they means we won or lost the charity shield, one thing said we lost and the board said we won, so confused!! Our central midfield pairing eased us past Perak with 2 goals from Mamat and one from Jusoh handed us a narrow 3-2 win, we then drew 2-2 at home to Felda despite leading twice through Chajtur & Kadri. We suffered our first loss going down 1-0 at home to Sarawak on match day 4 then warmes up for our ACL debut with a 2-0 win over newcomers Negeri Sembilan, goals from Omar & Ishmail. We were forced to defend for much of the ACL Preliminary game against Indian Champions Mohan Bagan and defended very well, Saad came off the bench in the second half and scored with his first touch to give us a fortunate victory and take us to the 2nd Preliminary Round. We ended the month in disappointing fashion going down 2-0 at Pahang.
Our reward for our ACL heroics...
Thailand's best side Buriram Utd, not an easy draw, but we will do our best.
League Table
A very hit and miss start and we are hovering in the wrong end of the table, 8 points from 6 games isn't terrible but could be better, one positive is we're the only side to take points off Selangor so far. Poor little PBDKT played 6 lost 6, not a good start for them!
Injuries
Left back Alias went down just before the season opener with a slipped disc then new signing Zamri followed early in January with a hip injury that will keep him out 3 months minimum! Great news!!
Star Performer
Abdul Shukur Jusoh - Last seasons fans player of the year is at it again! Not exactly spectacular by any stretch but the best that the squad has to offer at the moment.
Upcoming Fixtures
First up is our ACL Qualifier against Buriram, our 3 league fixtures see us travel to Singapore to face Lions XII before hosting Terangganu and finishing with a trip to struggling PBDKT. The final game of the month is the FA Cup second round where we have been drawn away to Premier League outfit PBAPP. So 4 away games and just 1 at home!
Dan
gaz12321
Results
We begun the month with our ACL Qualifier against Buriram, and despite a brave performance we ended up going out on penalties! This would see us head into the Confed Cup Group Stage where we were handed this group:
Tampines will be tough opposition but I would expect to qualify ahead of Naypyitaw & Kaya, although with the state of the squad this year it would be no surprise if we didn't make it through.
An under strength side was dismantled by Lions XII falling to a 3-0 loss, not a huge surprise given that a number of changes were made following the trip to Thailand but still a shocking performance, we steadied the ship at home to Terengganu with a 0-0 draw but our lack of finishing ability has began to show. Kadri's first half strike ensured we continued a tradition for PBDKT consigning them to defeat in our final league game of the month. We opened our group stage in the ACL with a 1-0 win away at Kaya thanks to a penalty from Jusoh but we are really struggling to score goals this season. Our month ended with us reaching the FA Cup 3rd round as expected with a 2-0 win at PBAPP from the division below, both our strikers on target today to hand us a victory and a trip to fellow Super League side Felda Utd.
League Table
A very mixed start with 3 wins, 3 draws & 3 defeats sees us sitting in 8th and among a tight knit group in the middle of the league.
Star Performer
Muhd Fazrul Hazli Mohd Kadri - Our fleet footed winger scoops the star performer this month despite being very average, which shows the lack of quality in the side at hte moment, sorry about the picture quality I was rushing haha
Upcoming Fixtures
A busy month by Malaysian standards, we face league games at home to Kelantan & Perak and also travel to Johor so it will be a tricky month in the league. There are 2 Confed Cup group games both at home to Naypyitaw & Tampines, if we can get a win in one of them we will be in a good position to progress. We round up the month with our trip to Felda Utd in the FA Cup.
In Other News...
We have had a link setup with Australian side Melbourne Victory, so i've immediately added the A League in the hope of future loan deals, which could be huge for us.
Mamat's overdone it in the gym!! Another injury and this one will keep our central midfielder sidelined for 6 to 7 weeks alongside Zamri, leaving us quite light in the midfield. I've moved a 17 year old prospect up to the senior squad to provide some cover.
Ipswich Knights