Friday, August 28, 2009

Down with Pride

With a season total of 24 points, Walcott United is definitely relegated.

This season is periled due to my temporary loss of interest in Soccerproject.

However, ever since my return to the game on 3rd August, in the 14 league matches remaining out of 30, I recorded 5 wins, most notably my first after my return, a 2-1 away win against FC Prozna, and ending the season with a 7-0 thrashing of managerless Dinamo Murata and probably the best result in the final match of the season against SK Babi, a rather strong team.

The result is another 2-1 away win. This was very satisfying because my match ratings of:
Defence 38%
Midfield 37%
Attack 44%
with a 3-4-3 Kick and Rush formation is the best I have seen. This is the strongest group of attackers I have assembled, with RF Robby Doll being 2nd top scorer with 27 league goals (the best any of my strikers have ever done in any division), LF Shameer As'at adding 11, and CF Ratna Rahim adding 10.

Robby Doll however is 28, Ratna 27, thus within 3 seasons I would need to get replacements ready. Thus finance is important. I have really limited finance at the moment. Amazngly, RF Sevki scored 5 league goals, and 10 total goals in just 13 matches, many which should be friendlies since he is my 2nd choice RF.

SK Babi finished the season in 9th spot with 35 points despite the loss to Walcott United, with the 11th spot team with 34 points with a 9-1 thumping of last-placed Dinamo. The result did not change matters, but it was a significant achievement for Walcott United.

The win propelled Walcott United to a respectable 12th position, goal difference of -17. By number of wins, our team edged out SKP Strelci, who also posted a final day win and is on 24 points, and The Vastators which lost to division champions FC Grimaud 1-2 on the final day.

A season where the team's existence was threatened is revived but finances are still very vulnerable.

However, as I am writing this, there is good news filtering in. CF Brahim Munoz has finally been offloaded at a price of 280K. This money at least brings the budget to a safer level, though incoming transfers remain unlikely.

Thankfully, the squad is still sustainable.

Saturday, August 08, 2009

Soccerproject

I flirted with quitting the game, but the presence of friends playing is what drew me back.

Come on, I am now rebuilding my team. I don't possess great hope of doing the great escape. Though I feel as though I am a new manager thrown with the task of steering the team away from relegation.

But with my current players, and a weak finance, there is little I can do at the moment.

I bought a CF and an LB immediate on my return. From 2 million my finances dropped below 1 million. The CF is very so-so, a bench-warmer I would say. But I need him, although he is rated a meagre 76%. His strike rate is pretty decent; that's the reason I recruited him.

The LB is important because I had lost both of my LBs. Due to my inactivity. Apologies to Walcott United fans. And I got myself a so-so LB as well. But this is okay since my previous 2 LBs were only marginally better than this one.

I have since bought another player - a CM. This CM still has a couple of un-maxed skills. Meanwhile I am also selling 3 of my players.

One of them, my current first-choice RB, is confirmed leaving as someone had already made a bid of 50K. My instant-selling-fee is 170K if I am not wrong. A 20-year-old CF has not received any bids. I hope that someone will bid for 700K for this striker. I need the money. The last player is a weak CB I bought as temporary reinforcement the last time round.

I am selling the RB because I think the 2 developing RBs I have (promoted from youth team) will be as good if not better than my current first-choice. And another reason is because I want to start selling some of the older players.

I aim to finish respectably - perhaps at least 12th.

Sunday, August 02, 2009

Singapore vs Liverpool

Finally a strong EPL side has come to Singapore to play a match against us.

I generally think, based on the match, Lionel Lewis is still a better keeper than Hassan Sunny.

Although Lionel conceded 2 goals in just around 15-20 minutes, he was faced with a barrage of attacks, albeit definitely not the best of Liverpool. This is an exhibition match after all.

With the crowd roaring behind Liverpool, it is easy to forget Singapore is actually our nation.


But no shame to lose to a top EPL side. Singapore, despite all its improvement under Raddy Avramovic, remains limited in talents, very good talents, and would probably find it tough to muster a 2-match winning streak if placed in the English League Two.

Not that I know the qualities there.


Our focus remains in Asia. Who knows in the near future, Fandi may send his 2 talented sons to Singapore team and boost us? And how will Hariss Harun actually develop to? He has great potential.

At this moment I see the best players in the present national team to be Lionel Lewis, Mustafic Fahrudin and Daniel Bennett.

Only Lionel is not a foreign talent. We need more local talents.


We are essentially a nation and not a football club. We must make sure in the short future, our own homegrown talents can come up and oust some of the foreign talents in our national squad. Only then can we justify the foreign talent scheme.


Table Tennis may be showing signs of such a benefit. Isabelle Li and Clarence Chew were both pretty solid at the Asian Youth Games. Swimming has done so much with just foreign coaches, and local swimmers. Tao Li and Quah Ting Wen looks to blaze the Guangzhou Asian Games 2010 alight.

Football is our pet sport. Can we make this crucial conversion soon?