LOCAL Footballers and Nasi Lemak!

Well, to be honest, there was a reason for the nick exiledbrother. It's because among all my school friends(primary and secondary school), it seems that I'm the only one in kdu while the rest were in Taylors, Inti,HELP, etc. etc. So, I suppose the nick fits me quite nicely not perfectly...but nicely..with the exception of yingKs of course! He's from the same school too 'cept he's one year my senior.
LOLz! There you go! The mystery is solved!

Honestly, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. Thinking about our recent success in SEA Games and our new World Squash Champion, Ms. Nicol David! It has come to my attention(and to others as well) that why is it we still put more priority on football when we all damn well know that our country isn't doing well and will probably not do well TILL we can change our player's mentality? Is it because of the "we were once feared by the whole of ASIA" thinking? That was SO long ago in the 60's to the 70's! But ever since then, why have we fallen and not been able to pick ourselves up anymore? Is it because of the match-fixing scandal that took place - if I recall correctly - not too long ago in our shores? I suppose what Dr. M said was true. "Malaysia has first-class facilities but third-world mentality". Why can we be beaten by the little teams like Myanmar or Vietnam or for the record, SINGAPORE?

I recall a match that took place in our own Bukit Jalil Stadium in the Tigers' Cup I think. It was Malaysia vs. Indonesia. We were 1-0 up until half-time. When the game restarted, it seems Malaysia was taking the back seat and literally just slept there! For not TOO long later, the Indons levelled! And from that moment on, our oh-so-loved players were shaking and you can see that their passes were rubbish and they were panicking! The defence were virtually non-existent! They even allowed the Indon strikers to run around them a couple of times before scoring the winner! That's what I was talking about! They don't have the mental strength to cope with the pressure! It seems as though once they let in a goal, their confidence goes in with that goal and they lose the game automatically! I suppose it's quite evident as I don't recall Malaysia winning a footie match when the opposition equalize or score against them! They no longer have what it takes to cope up with the pressure!

Oh yeah, I even recall a friend or a teacher of mine telling me that after a gruelling day of training, the players will go to a mamak stall and have their favourite... guess what... NASI LEMAK! Oh not only that, even having cold drinks! To the ordinary you and me, of course, Teh Ais is nothing, but to an athlete, it matters a lot! It affects their stamina! Why oh why don't our players take care of their own health. Personally, it would be an honour to represent the country, but it seems to them, it's a trivial matter and couldn't care less.

I am extremely saddened at the state of our players. If it continues like this, I suppose we'll only be looked upon as fodder or warm-up training to stronger teams. Stronger teams who need to raise their confidence before going to a tournament i.e World Cup and the only way to do it is by putting in a minimun of 4 goals past our fellow footballers. It really is a smack in the face, to tell you the truth. Sure, it is fun having MU coming and Brazil coming to play against our national team but the whole world is laughing at us. How can we be respected if we are a successful country but can't stop the big names of football from thrashing our national team? That is why I've said at the beginning, it's about time the spotlight is shone to where it should be shone. We only excel in 2 sports currently and that is badminton and squash I suppose? It is only right that our national athletes from these sports be given the right recognition rather than pouring all our energy on our footballers.

BUT, and that is a very big but, I pray that one day, our footballers shall rise from the ashes like a phoenix and take over the reins as one of Asia's most feared football teams again. THEN, we can give the Brazilians a run for their money and maybe even challenge for the World Cup. :P
I hope I'll not be too old to watch Malaysia lift the World Cup should the current situation improve somewhere in the near future!