The season that was...

So let me review the season that was.   And for my review I'm not going to talk about the football this year (seriously, what do I know about football?) but instead our players - the people of Asterix Reds Football Club - and in particular I would like to honour those that have left us this season and - more importantly -  those that have joined us. 

Our squad was big this year (we signed a total of 33 players) and to be frank we've had more people come and go than a whore house during Ramadan.  

So let me first honour those that left us this season.  

First out the door this season was Tony Prove.  Tony was an absolute legend having won Player of the Year two years running.  He was a rock at the back and a true gentleman and mate to boot.  A fairer or more dinkum Aussie would be hard to find.  But despite a great start to the season, Tony was silently suffering from acute withdrawal symptoms due to the unavailability of Bundaberg Rum in the Klang Valley.  And it was out of medical necessity that Tony Prove repatriated to Queensland to secure his supply of the rusty nectare.  Sales of Bundaberg Rum have reported increased significantly since his return.  His liver has perhaps not fared quite so well.  Let's all raise a glass for Tony Prove.  

And in January, the Godfather of the Asterix Reds Football Club - Alan Boden - moved on.  Without Alan's efforts over the years, Asterix Reds would have likely perished.  Alan left us for China after a 10-years+ career and a incalculable contribution to the Asterix Reds.  The word is that he's back in the summer and the Asterix Reds board has been secretly tapping him up for the manager's role  This may be my last piece of work as manager of the Asterix Reds so I'll make the most of it.  

Then it was Stef Lammert who decided to march his family up to Beijing.   He did so without the usual German efficiency.  His departure date changed weekly and and his move was "on and off" more than a sex-tourist in Bangkok.  Nonetheless, after more false starts than an steroid infused sprinter he eventually made it to Beijng in February.  His belongings are due to arrive there in November.  

Next to leave us was Tom Howell.  Enough said.  

And just last month, our infamous and interminable sufferer of CLT, althzemiers and other myriad physical and mental diseases, Roy Schofield left us for The Maldives.  He's apparently there to catch fish - but we expect he will likely catch just as many new diseases.  We look forward to the stories as the latest chapter of 'Confessions of a Fish Farmer' unfolds.  

All of these players will be sorely missed. In Roy's case, literally.   

So, who would fill the sizable shoes of these fine souls?  Coming in, we were blessed with a plethora of sad bastards - sorry, I mean, fast athletes - who signed up for the cause with the Asterix Reds.

Andy Johnston rejoined us.  Despite possessing the facial hair of man twice his age - or should I say a man living in the decade before Andy was born - Andy was sadly ruled "too young to play" in our league.   But to his credit he agreed to ply his trade on the touchlines as coach of Asterix Reds.  And a fine job he did too.  However, we shouldn't forget that despite his ineligibility Andy did make make one notable appearance on the pitch in a league game.  Sadly this was the game versus Sang Chuan where Andy's contribution was to put a couple of straight rights into their players faces after a mass brawl had broken out.  Andy goes down in history as the first person to receive a touchline ban from Asterix Reds games.

Another returnee was David Jones. Dave came back to us after a five year absence losing none of his youthful zeal and desire to play.   (Dave used to be professional footballer you know; it's a fact that often seems to be forgotten by some people. Yawn....)  Actually, Dave is so old that we petitioned the league to offset some of Dave's years and use them as credit so that Andy could play.  Sadly, our request was refused.  Apparently the league chairman's calculator didn't have enough zeros to properly calculate how old Dave actually is.  Dave put in a fine season in midfield scoring a candidate for goal of the season in the process.  Dave also brought a flashy new camera with him and thanks to his handy work, we have a fine set of photos on display on our blog.

Aidil Sulaiman joined as a close season signing but after a promising start Aidil's season was interrupted by injury.  Aidil tore his ankle ligaments in a friendly - that should teach him to get stuck into a tackle - and this led to a 4 month absence.  But most disappointing for Aidil was that the mass brawl with Sang Chuan occurred whilst he was out with injury and he missed all the action.  He did try his best to start a fight two weeks ago by kicking one of the BM players in the back (thoroughly deserved of course) but nonetheless rues the missed opportunity to take part in the brawl.  Don't worry Aidil, we'll arrange a friendly with Sang Chuan in the summer, just for you.

Tom Sarginson ditched his rugby career for the beautiful game of Association Football.  And when Tom's not charging people RM200 an hour to hit a golf ball repeatedly at a wall he turns out for the reds with much pride.  A fine first season, Tom.

Kisho Jayalingam also joined us.  Kisho's most notable contribution has been the addition of the Alice Band to the Asterix Reds match day apparel.  He also made a mark - quite literally - for colliding with Roy at full pelt during a cup game.  I'll never forget the sound of the body slam, the prolonged scream and the sight of Roy and Kisho writhing in agony on the floor while the match continued.  

So, with 'The Cat' in Beijing and the 'keeper's gloves up for grabs (no pun intended) we threw them to Sugu.  And he dropped them.  But, in the absence of any other contenders, Sugu got the nod anyway and put in some fine performances between the sticks.  There were several games where his interventions at key moments kept us in matches that we'd eventually go on to win.  The seven stitches he received in the cup semi are testament to his commitment in goal and only slightly mar his Bollywood movie star good looks.  

Bunmi Sodiya, made the long trip from Africa to sign up for Asterix Reds.  Despite Nigeria's lax laws on polygamy, Bunmi brought just one wife with him but has already reportedly amassed several more.  At this rate, Bunmi's genes may be responsible for permanent darkening of the Malaysian complexion in future generations.  We look forward to more goals and excitement from the leggy Nigerian next season.  

Danny Bukhard and Paul Williams provided us with the athleticism, strength and steel of the All Blacks from New Zealand.  And like the Kiwi's, despite showing much promise, they failed to win anything this season.  

Ghani Malik joined us after a professional career and quickly established himself as a rock at the back.  He was compared to a lion for his big hearted performance in the cup semi-final.  He certainly came in and took over where Tony Prove left off.  Despite playing only the second half of the season, I believe, Ghani put in a strong shout for player of the season.  We'll here more about that later and look forward for to more from Ghani The Lionheart next season.  

Marcelo Paniago joined us and promised to deliver samba but only delivered sick notes.   We hope that Marcelo can join us in more games next year.

It's been my first year running a football team (not that you would have noticed of course!) but I must say that I've thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  We didn't meet the goals we set ourselves and as manager I take full and complete responsibility for that (I believe that's what Steve McClaren said when England failed to quality for the Euros, and we all know what happened to him) .  Nonetheless, we were in with a genuine chance of winning both the league and the cup until only a few games from the end of the season.  Had a few results gone our way, who knows what might have happened.  There is no doubt that Asterix Reds have progressed as a team this year: belief, confidence, footballing ability, desire to win and team spirit are all as high as I've seen in my three seasons with the Asterix Reds.  I'd like to thank you all for the effort you've put in this  year.  We've taken a step forward together as a team and should enter next season with a firm aim - and more importantly, a genuine belief - that we can win the league and cup.  Bring it on.  

Astaka 0 - 1 Asterix Reds (SSLKL Premier Division)

This was a game for which we were given an extra incentive to win.
Only a few weeks back, Astaka demanded that the league deduct 3 points
from our total because we showed up to the wrong pitch for the fixture
with them. Not very nice behaviour, some might say. And before the
match, we weren't looking favourites to reclaim our 3 points. We only
had ten for the warm-up and it wasn't until Shashi showed up (having
declared himself unavailable through injury only one hour earlier)
that we were able to get a bare XI to start the match. It was match
in which we were on top for most of the time, although Astaka did have
a good 20 minute spell before half time. We created a lot of chances
second half and it was fitting that Adam Scott was to get the winner.
This was Adam's 11th goal of the season making him top scorer in the
Premier division. But credit goes to the eleven lads that put a hard
afternoon's graft in today. Many of those on the field haven't been
regular starters for the Asterix Reds this season but nonetheless
everyone came through with aplomb demonstrating the depth we have in
our squad. A fitting end to the season.

With both teams having nothing but pride to play for, the game started
in a relaxed manner. In the first 20 minutes our movement and passing
was good and enabled us to create some decent chances. To his credit,
the Astaka keeper dealt with them all very comfortably. As the half
wore on, Astaka began to get the upper hand in the middle of the park
and secured the lion's share of possession. Whilst they never created
a clear cut chance they were asking questions of our defence which
dealt well with the pressure. In turn, we had very few chances in the
20 minutes prior to half time. The half ended scoreless, but we knew
we needed to up our game in the second half to secure the 3 points.

With no subs to call on, we relieved Bala of the 'keeper's gloves and
put him to work on the right flank. He made an immediate impact
providing us with a much needed outlet from defence and a cutting edge
up front. This extra attacking dimension helped us get behind the
defence more often and balls from the right helped us to create some
of our best openings. And it was a ball from the right - after about
20 minutes - which provided the decisive goal. A ball from the
'keeper found Mages at right back. He released Bala down the line who
in turn found Bumni. Some neat interchange between Terry and Bunmi
resulted in a ball into the 'corridor of uncertainty' with which Adam
made no mistake burying the ball into the corner. 1-0 it was.

We continued to create chances and held firm at the back. Astaka
didn't force a save in second half which is a credit to our back four
who were duly supported by the midfield who retained the shape very
well. Our strikers and midfielders will perhaps be a tad disappointed
not to have grabbed a few more goals for themselves, but the fact is
that one goal was enough to get us the 3 points. And at the end of
the day, that's what matters.

It's worth mentioning a few people who put in some very creditable
performances today. At the back, Mark Jones put in a very solid
performance, winning everything that came his way and showing a
willingness to get forward at every opportunity. Ragu was resolute in
defence and frequently a catalyst for turning defence into attack.
Mages was rock solid a right back, winning all his tackles and picking
the percentage ball to feet every time. Dave Jones was very
comfortable in the centre of midfield, distributing the ball
flawlessly throughout the game and going close with a long range
effort in the first half. Bunmi was his usual energetic self, always
a problem for the opponent and with a little luck could have had a
goal or two to his name. Shashi deserves special mention. Despite
being injured, he strapped the boots on and put in a very valuable
performance at right midfield. Clearly, he was struggling and could
have opted not to play. But the fact he did play - and play well at
that - gave us eleven men and might have been the decisive reason we
got a win. On the other flank, Bala did a sterling job, always
wanting the ball and using well every time. Again, his second half
performance on the right was a key reason we were able to win. Up
front Terry Harris won everything came his way, played others into the
game and unlucky not to get a goal or two for himslef. And Adam was
always a problem for the defenders, burying the one chance that
matters to give us the 3 points and getting himself the accolade of
Premier Division top scorer for the 2007 / 2008 season.

And that's it for the 2007 / 2008 season. We finished in third
position with 26 points, 4 points behind the winners. The six points
we had deducted puts back down into fourth. I'll write a longer
message with some concluding thoughts for the season, but for now,
suffice to say, we've done well this year and grown as a squad. We
all know that a couple of below par performances in a few key games
cost us a chance of glory. But let's put that behind us, consolidate
what we've learnt this season and push for a league and cup double in
2008 / 2009. Asterix Reds boleh!

Asterix Reds 3 - 1 BM (SSLKL Premier Division)

Another comfortable win sealed a season 'double' over BM.  Despite us missing a few more players than last week, the lads that came in did the job and played some good football.  This week's scorers were Ghani Malik, Aidil Sulaiman and Bunmi Sodiya.  

We started out this game looking very unsettled and not really up for it. In the first 5 minutes we were really under pressure and could have gone a goal down. However, when Aidil reacted to a bad challenge on him after about 10 minutes we kicked into life. Ghani took the resulting free kick from just inside their half and placed one into the roof of the net, via a hole in the keepers hands. 

At 1-0 we settled into our game and started knocking the ball around really well. BMFC started complaining to the referee but we stayed well out of any such arguments and concentrated on our football. I have to say I think we have got a lot better at doing this as the season has gone on. Right on the stroke of half-time Bunmi climbed well at the back post to direct his header into the back of the net. The celebration that followed was the only thing there was time for, 2-0 at the break.

We spoke a bit at half-time about tightening up our back four as their only threat was their pace up front. We controlled this much better in the second half and reduced them to speculative long shots, all of which were blazed high and wide with a ball that was clearly too hard.

Mid-way through the half a good ball was knocked into Terry who did well to hold off his man and lay the ball back to Aidil. Aidil calmly slotted the ball through the same hole in the keepers hands that Ghani had found earlier. 3-0. After this unselfish act Terry turned to more important things – scoring for himself. 

We pushed on feeling there was more goals in it, and there probably would have been if Terry had passed the ball! Instead he was determined to score, but all attempts were greeted with shouts of 'time wasting' from the opposition as the ball flew past the goal.

We got a bit sloppy towards the end and conceded a needless goal. All in all though a very satisfying win and a solid performance.  

We have one game left in our season next Saturday Vs Astaka. Lets get a good squad available and finish on a high note. Do your best to get down to training on Thursday!!