gaz12321 - Comments

March 2016


Results



A return to Super League action saw us fall to a 1-0 defeat to Kelantan before match day 2 in the ACL group where we were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Naypyitaw which was very disappointing as it was a game I felt we needed to win really but our impotence shone through again! A huge surprise followed as we headed to Super League title favourites Johor and snatched a 1-0 win, Kadri calmly finished off a lovely counter attack early on which allowed us to camp in our own half and somehow shut Johor out, a fantastic result. Another tricky tie followed as we hosted the Singaporean Champions, Tampines, Saad was on target for us early on but unlike the Johor game we were unable to keep them out and were pegged back to 1-1, still a very positive result though. Our return to league action saw us race into a 3-0 thanks an own goal and strikes from Saad and the returning Zamri, in a frantic first half we then conceded 2 in a minute before the break to head in at 3-2!! The second half never got going and ended 3-2, have to say I feared the worst at half time though. We rounded off the month by progressing in the FA Cup with a 2-1 win at Felda Utd, Chajtur had us in front after 5 minutes but we were pegged back, Yusof headed the winner 2 minutes from time.


League Table



2 wins from 3 games has seen us up in to the top half of the table, our win at Johor has also opened the door for Selangor in the title race.


Star Performer



Muhd Fazrul Hazli Mohd Kadri - The right winger impressed again this month, scoring 1 and getting 2 assists in his 6 appearances and putting in consistent performances he was the stand out player once again.



Upcoming Fixtures



A busy schedule this month with 7 games, 3 league fixtures as we host leaders Selangor and travel to Felda Utd & Sarawak. 2 more ACL group games which sees us host Kaya who have lost their opening 3 ties before a trip to Myanmar to face Naypyitaw, we also face a 2 legged quarter final against Perak who we recently beat 3-2.

February 2016


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.

Pre Season & January 2016


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!

2016 Season Preview


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.

2015 Season Review




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!

Malaysian Cup


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.

June 2015 - Super League Finale


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.

May 2015

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.