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Post by Rajiv on Feb 9, 2012 10:45:17 GMT 8
How about swapping Keng Loon with Clement? .... Ok, sure, you know your friends better than I do. Whites: Azfar, Keng Loon, Babs, David N, Angelo, John J, David T Reds: Lester, Clement, Rajiv, Stan D Man, Brendan, Billy F, David M Clement arrived about 10 minutes late. Angelo had the ball in Reds net before then. As he scored from outside the D, the goal was initially disallowed, but when Reds scored soon after, and Clement joined the game, it was decided to call it 1-1. It was close until 3-3. In fact, Whites were creating the better chances, but they started to neglect defence, which allowed Reds to pull ahead 6-3. Whites pulled one back and continued to push forward and create chances. Reds too started to leave a lot of space in defence, but with David and Stan covering the back well, Whites were usually limited to longer range efforts. At the other end, Reds grabbed 3 more to go 9-4 ahead. Whites finally got round to a better shape, and pulled two back, the last one being the final action of the game. Final score: Reds 9 Whites 6 Good game overall. A bit disjointed at times, but the newer players are still getting used to playing together. With regular goalscorers like John J, Babs and David T in the side, it was surprisingly Angelo, who usually plays deeper, playing in a forward role, who grabbed most of Whites goals - a hattrick. Add any comments about the game below. |
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Post by Babs on Feb 9, 2012 12:24:14 GMT 8
It was a good competitive match to begin with, whites had a few early chances, with Reds doing well to stay level and indeed take the lead with a man less. Once the teams were evened up, it always felt as if the Reds had enough about them to win the match. The whites had little to no shape, and were punished for it as reds took advantage of gaping holes in the midfield. One thing Whites did show was battling spirit & twice they used this to comeback & make the scoreline look more respectable.
Reds seemed solid throughout their line up, whereas Whites had a few individuals who performed, namely Angelo who completed his hat-trick with a bicycle kick (very un-italian like lol). John also put in a good shift. Shame as this was the first time I have been on a losing side at Khalsa since I started playing, very frustrating!
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Post by Lester on Feb 9, 2012 14:09:27 GMT 8
It was definitely a very enjoyable game and although the Reds pulled ahead after going a goal down earlier on, I never felt that we were made to sit back and be comfortable in the game, especially since the Reds lost a 5-0 lead last week. When the Reds pulled ahead by 3 goals, the Whites picked up their speed considerably and spread the play really fast to the wings. The Reds were cajoled to maintain their midfield shape by Stan who was running a one man defence for most of the game. I felt that even with the Whites technically better, the Reds was able to stay ahead in the game because they maintained their midfield shape very well and kept discipline in the game. Babs, who had a nasty clash with Stan earlier on that resulted in Stan almost cracking his jaw, was kept out of the game by the Reds who marked him tightly and never allowed him to shoot with his left foot. Angelo was cut an increasingly frustrated player as the game wore on when his passes failed to connect. Azfar was asked to leave his position as a goalie by Babs as the Whites tried to inject a little more energy in the later half of the game. Overall it was very fun as both sides were kept on their toes throughout the match, and when the time was called both teams surely felt that they run for at least half an hour more. Man of the match for me was either Billy or Brendan for combining very well up front in the last third of the field.
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Post by Rajiv on Feb 9, 2012 14:54:16 GMT 8
Thanks Lester, but I don't think it was "a nasty clash ... that resulted in Stan almost cracking his jaw ...." I was in goal, so the incident happened right in front of me. Stan was the last man doing his keep ball with Babs chasing him every which way he turned. Instead of laying the ball off (including to me, in goal), he did his pull back and turn 3 or 4 times. Babs finally got the ball off him near the right corner, and as he took the ball towards the D (he was already goalside of Stan), he had his arms out for balance and to shield himself from Stan coming back for the ball. His hand or forearm caught Stan in the mouth. I think Stan's lips got cut by his teeth in the process, so there was a bit of blood. Two points come out of this: * Holding the ball too long risks harder tackles. Our games should be about passing and moving - teamwork and fitness - not showboating. * There are several players who tend to run with their arms out. It tends to be used more to shield themselves from tackles than for balance, and it increases the risk of catching opponents with their arms of elbows. I think we need to start cutting down on this. The good thing about the incident is that Stan stopped showboating, and had a very solid game. The third (or is that fourth?) point is literary licence may be fun, but we needn't make every incident into a drama.  By the way, I felt Keng Loon had a better game for Whites than Clement had for Reds. .... Keng Loon is pretty defensive minded, .... By defensive minded, I mean to say, his skills are good enough to only play as goalie. lol, kidding. .... Yes, definitely kidding. Perhaps in reality you thought Reds were too strong.  By the way, after his first game, in which he was fairly decent, Clement has been fairly mediocre at best in his subsequent games. The main difference seems to be his girlfriend wasn't there for the first game. Perhaps he shouldn't bring his girlfriend anymore. He might perform better. And perhaps he won't be late again.  |
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Post by Lester on Feb 9, 2012 15:53:59 GMT 8
I totally agree with what you said about Clement, what an astute observation, Rajiv! Now I know where your eyes were when we let in a few goals yesterday.. I agree that Keng Loon had a better game than Clement yesterday. I don't remember Keng Loon losing any of the ball when he was the last man, and he really did make a few good passes from the back and spread the game quite a bit. I didn't see much of the clash between Babs and Stan but from my vantage point in midfield, it looked quite bad and I thought it was his jaw that got injured because of an elbow or a knock to his face. p.s. whenever Stan says he'll pass to the left, we all know he will inevitably pass to the right. It was quite funny seeing him shouting and facing a player to the left, and then making a pass to the right with his body facing the other way. The Whites were really dangerous when Angelo and Babs stepped up their game yesterday. And that bicycle kick goal by Angelo was the end of a series of one touch passes a la Barcelona. Priceless! |
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Post by Babs on Feb 10, 2012 14:26:34 GMT 8
Lester your a good dramatic writer mate, maybe you could help Peter Jackson with the script writing for the new Lord of the Rings movie!
Cheers Rajiv for putting perspective on the incident, if someone has nearly had their jaw cracked I can assure you they would not continue to scream and organise the team as well as Stan continued to do!!!
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Post by Rajiv on Feb 10, 2012 15:26:33 GMT 8
I try to keep a balanced view on everything.  Safety is a priority though. |
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Post by Clement W on Feb 14, 2012 11:22:22 GMT 8
Pretty sharp observation Rajiv! Only correction is that she's my wife haha! Apologies for me being late last week, was held up at work. Also, I was lucky during my first match with you guys which explains the fairly decent performance that week. I would like to apologise for my rubbish playing, unfortunately my passion for the game and my ability are miles apart . Kudos to my teammates last week who still won despite having me running around like a headless chicken! |
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Post by Rajiv on Feb 14, 2012 14:52:42 GMT 8
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Post by clement on Feb 14, 2012 17:34:43 GMT 8
ok, just registered.
No worries Rajiv, I'll settle with Lester personally! ;D
Yea hope to improve, and have a good workout while doing so as well!
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Post by Rajiv on Feb 14, 2012 17:55:36 GMT 8
Sent you an e-mail Clement.
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