5 Things We Learn from Pahang vs Johor Darul Takzim

1)      Football’s Golden Rule: Money Does Not Guarantee Success

It so happens that Johor Darul Takzim’s excessive spending in bringing in players with star quality attracts a new wave of football fan across the nation. The same scenario that happens with Chelsea when Abramovich took over, at Manchester City when Sheikh Mansour Zayed Al Nahyan became the owner & at Paris Saint-Germain when the Qatari Investment Authority bought the controlling shares at the club. Suddenly fans all over the world declared their love & support to these teams. Go back in time 20 years, you won’t even find anyone in Malaysia that support these clubs, let alone donning their colours.

But like all clubs that were highly invested, not all of them paid their dividends handsomely. Chelsea became the Champions of Europe last season before crashing out awkwardly from the Champions League this season, Manchester City created history by becoming the first English Champions not to win any of their Champions League group games & it took Carlo Ancelotti at least one full season to harmonize his mega-stars and turn them as table toppers this season.

The Golden Rule applies in any league in the world. Doesn’t matter how much money you invested, it cannot guarantee you a quick result.

Unless if you can buy Messi, then fuck the Golden Rule!

2)      Daniel Guiza had a great debut….for the first half at least.

Gerek Guiza Gerek

He is the most expensive player in MSL for a reason. And he showed glimpses of what he can do to the opposing defence in his debut game. Two sublime assist that could earn him the man of the match, with a debut goal the cherry on top of a perfect cake.

Some of his touches we’re poor & missed a couple of clear-cut chances on goal, especially the header in the final minutes from Addy’s cross. But I admire his work rate. Even the announcers acknowledged how hard working he was, trying to chase the ball & create something.

      This is only his FIRST FULL-TIME game. He was a Spain’s striker for a reason. Lets hope he still has those touches that won him the EURO 2008, at least.

3)      Soon-To-Be Harimau Malaya player : Fauzi Roslan

Bright Future ahead. Fauzi Roslan. No relation to Faisal Rasyid Roslan.

Single handedly led the Tok Gajah squad’s revival (read :Amok Tok Gajah!) in the second half. Scored the first two goals, and delivered a perfect cross to R.Surendren to silence the travelling fans with the winning goal.

Made Tuah Iskandar look like shit in the process.

Dato’ Rajagopal, what the hell are you waiting for?

4)      First Class Strikers, Third Class Defenders.

Pemain di bangku simpanan harap tidak kaki bangku. 

The problem with playing with a newly assembled team, mind you the first time they have been assembled to play a competitive football match, is the understanding between the players. There we’re none.

Despite the oohs & aahs that Daniel Guiza, Mat Yo & Safiq Rahim conjure upfront, it’s a whole different story at the back.

Tuah Iskandar - Muslim Ahmad – Tharmini – Azmi Muslim does not look comfortable at all dealing with Pahang flankers of Fauzi Roslan, Amirulhadi Zainal & Gopinathan. Hopefully a change in the back is needed, with Aidil Zafuan in bringing more experience & stability.

5)     Johor Darul Takzim against the World!....well, I mean, other fans from other   MSL teams.

Ultras...emm..Pahang?

The crowd in the Darul Makmur stadium was phenomenal. The home crowd really gathered around to watch their team in action against the flamboyant-royally-backed Darul Takzim.

If this is how it’s gonna be in every Away games in the MSL for Johor Darul Takzim, it is really going to change how we football lovers spend our Tuesday & Friday nights. Look forward to every game in MSL now! =)

PS : No live telecast of Johor DT v Perak. I iz sad!

DISCLAIMER : I do not own any of these pictures above. 

Gameweek#1

By the time you've read this, Harimau Malaya is already out of the AFF Suzuki Cup Tournament. Or more precisely, "robbed" of their crown by questionable match officials, whose leaders spend time lauching self-destruct rockets in mid-air. Pfft!

Singapore (or England or China or Bosnia) is the newly crowned champions of South East Asia, all thanks to the Malaysian Super League since majority of the players that formed the Singapore’s AFF Suzuki Cup are from Lions 12 that ply their trade in the league last season.

Nevertheless, we should be proud of Harimau Malaya’s quick comeback from the humiliating 3-0 defeat to Singapore (or England or China or Bosnia), beating minnows Laos 4-1 & traditional rival Indonesia 2-0 in the process.

Not forgetting their dominating performance in the 1st leg against Thailand in Bukit Jalil, which I went by the way. =p

Kudos to Dato' Raja & his boys on another great run, marred by the surge in power of the loud & notorious Harimau Malaya fanatics, Ultras Malaya.  I believe the boys showed great character to progress to the semis when all pressure we're put on them, the media, Najib Razak & also the so -called Harimau Malaya fanatics themselves. "Rajagopal Apa Kau dah Buat" & "Singapura Itu Anjing" was a GREAT hit btw. Top the charts for a few weeks didn't it?

All my life, stadiums or sport arenas are not my favourite places. It’s full of people; smelly, sweaty & bavaric people. But when we were the host for the group games of AFF Suzuki Cup & also some of my friends are enthusiastic about going to the stadium to catch the games, I can't help but tag along for the experience. And boy were they sweet!

                                                       * * *

4.00PM -

Hujan melimpah tidak membantu niat kami untuk sampai Bukit Jalil sedikit awal. Sudah sebati jika di Kuala Lumpur kalau hujan alamatnya jalanraya bakal bertambah sesak. Tambah lagi dikala waktu-waktu puncak bilamana warga kota sedang berpusu hendak ke stadium. Megat pulak elok dah nak sampai rumah baru sedar tiket tertinggal dekat Gombak. Bad Luck Brian sangat. Tak larat nak menunggu, perjalanan epik ke Bukit Jalil dimulakan tanpa Megat. Better safe than sorry, Megat. Better safe than sorry.

5.00PM -

Prediksi aku tepat. Dari Angkasapuri sampai ke Plaza Tol Pantai NPE, kenderaan berjalan lancar ditemani hujan segan-segan lebat. Berbaloi jugaklah RM 1.60 nilai tol yang harus dibayar. Nasib baik bukan kad Touch & Go aku. =P

Perjalanan dari Plaza Tol Pantai NPE diteruskan ke Bukit Jalil. Dari NPE masuk ke MEX, aku carik exit ke Kompleks Sukan Negara. Sekali sampai ke Interchange Salak Selatan nak masuk Kompleks Sukan Negara, PPEEEEEHHH! Mobil warga kota berduyun-duyun menyelit nak keluar di exit yang sama. Pasrah.

Masuk stadium nak parkir pun kena bayar jugak. Amboih bukan main RM3. Parkir dalam Tropicana City Mall yang siap ber-PakGuard bagai pon RM1 jek sepanjang hari. Ape kes?

Selesai carik parkir spot yang sesuai, kami melilau di perkarangan stadium sambil melihat peniaga-peniaga kecil mengambil peluang mencanang puluhan ribu manusia yang hadir dengan lambakan jersey replika murah, mafla pelbagai size & design, juga pelbagai barangan yang bertemakan Harimau Malaya. Niat memang nak beli mafla pon. So RM15 terpaksa aku pisahkan, belitan mafla Harimau Malaya di leher jadi penganti. Eceh macam dekat UK je nak belit2 mafla kat leher bagai. Ingat tengok dekat old Trafford?

Hujan di Bukit Jalil masih tegar.Tapi demi kepuasan maksima, seat depan jugak yang kami carik. 5.30 PM kami dah berada di dalam Stadium Bukit Jalil, seated, ready to set the stadium on fire. Budak-budak Ultras tak payah cakaplah. Masuk-masuk je dah nampak bendera depa terpampang besar belah kiri kami. Datang pukul berapa tu entahlah. Lagi maha awal agaknya.

Geng-geng datang awal.

7.00 PM –

Sedih. Yang datang stadium hampir 60,000 orang. Tapi tempat/ruang solat yang disediakan hanyalah sebuah khemah kira-kira 3mx3m jek. First time aku sembahyang dalam hujan. Atas batu mar-mar pulak tuh. Moga-moga solat aku diterima.

Anyway, agak frustrating jugaklah kelengkapan solat di dalam perkarangan stadium sekadar khemah segan-segan hidup jek. I mean kamonlah SBNJ, you do the math. Its 60,000 people whom I can see are majority Malay Muslims, and the game starts at 8PM while Maghrib is around 7.06PM. And all you’ve prepared for us is a small tent?

Ini saf lelaki. Saf perempuan aku tak nampak pulak kelibat. Sudahlah kena pakai telekung semua bagai, tambah hujan pulak tuh. Kalau diorang sediakan khemah terbuka cam saf lelaki jugak camne lah diorang nak solat dengan selesa.

Yang tak sembahyang tu, itu urusan hang dengan tuhan lah yek.

7.30 PM –

Stadium dah mula dibanjiri dengan warna hitam kuning. Suasana hingar meliputi seluruh stadium. Penyokong fanatik Ultras Malaya & Team Malaysia ibarat konduktor orkestra agung, segala paluan & sorak-sorai di ‘echo’ seluruh stadium. Suasana yang cukup gepitang. Aku punya jantung berkocak-kocak mengikut rentak isi stadium. PERGH! Aku dah tak senang duduk.

Megat sampai.

Isik Rumah + Megat

Time nih tengah sesi panas badan. Nampak lah kelibat player Malaysia tengah lari sepoi-sepoi  bahasa dekat hujung belah kanan. Farizal & Khairul Fahmi tengah training dengan coach goalkeeper tengah-tengah padang.  Kelicinan bola akibat dibasahi hujan membuatkan Khairul Fahmi terlepas beberapa percubaan pra-matang coach ke arahnya.

Sejurus mereka kembali semula ke dalam bilik persalinan. Mungkin bersiap untuk perlawanan & solat Maghrib. Husnozan.

7.45 PM –

Kelibat skuad Harimau Malaya & Gajah Perang sudah kelihatan di gerbang masuk stadium bersama-sama dengan pengadil & penjaga garisan. Barisan pemain diiringi masuk dengan sorak gepitang seluruh isi stadium. Sejemput penyokong Gajah Perang keliahatan bersebelahan Grand Stand. Sedih.

Aura yang dibawa Ultras Malaya dengan mengangkat mafla sambil mengulang sorakan “Oooo…Ooooo..Ooooo…MALAYSIA!” sangat meremangkan bulu roma & bulu ketiak aku.

Sebaik putaran muzik Lagu Negaraku dimainkan, aku tidak semena-mena dirasuk seekor jin yang terlebih hisap ganja jenis “Patriotisme”. First time aku rasa aku nyanyi Lagu Negaraku dengan mendabik dada, tangan kanan firmly menekan dada kiri, tidak ubah seperti atlet-atlet sokan yang lain ketika menyanyikan lagu kebangsaan masing-masing.

Hanya beberapa kaki sahaja dari padang

Entah bilamasa referee tiup wisel permulaan, sedar-sedar game dah start. Mungkin tiupan wisel beliau ditenggelami pekik penyokong Harimau Malaya, ataupun paluan-paluan gendang yang seolah-olah tiada henti.

Sorakan fanatik Ultras Malaya tiada henti dari permulaan game sampailah tamat separuh masa pertama. Stamina kuda agaknya. Mesti girlfren-girlfren diorang gembira. Eh? Tapi seriously aku respect betul dengan Ultras Malaya. Harapan agar sokongan & ahli Ultras Malaya kekal sentiasa. Harimau Malaya needs their 12^th man, especially in the home games where they should dominate!

Emosi menjadi bahan ujikaji malam nih. Sekejap aku boleh jadik macam orang sakai berdiri sambil hayun-hayun mafla, sekejap aku boleh jadik Brock Lesnar mengamuk menjerit dekat referee kalau tackle-tackle kasar tidak diendah & dibiarkan begitu sahaja. Rasanya banyak kali jugak aku terjerit-jerit dekat ref malam tuh. Hopefully ref tak kecik hati dengan aku. =P

9.00 PM –

Belum sempat kami habiskan lagu “Inilah Barisan Kita” mula separuh masa kedua, kelihatan Mahali Jasuli sedang melakukan over-lapping run di bahagian kanan, membawa bola seorang diri dari bahagian midfield tanpa di celen. Angkuh betul Gajah Perang meninggalkan Mahali Jasuli seorang diri tanpa dijaga.

Ramai penyokong mula bangun dari tempat duduk mereka. Aku pun seraya mengikut rentak mereka. Ada yang dibelakang menjerit “Hoi Duduklah!”. Maaf bang, excited nih! Takde maknanya aku nak duduk.

Satu hantaran horizontal dilakukan oleh Mahali mencari Norshahrul Idlan Talaha. Diapit oleh dua orang Centerback Gajah Perang, Norshahrul tetap berjaya menemukan kepalanya dengan bola hantaran Mahali. Gol. Chantek!

Seraya satu gelombang ekstasi memukau Stadium Nasional Bukt Jalil. It was a joyful unbelievable extravagant feeling! It was there & then that changes my perception of watching football in a stadium, a place where it was meant to be watched! The sudden rush of serotonin, the urge to suddenly high five all of the people around you not knowing who they were exactly, and of course the orgasm that you get when your team scored a goal ; all of these emotions bundled in one extraordinary moment. 

From that moment on, the supporters have a new found belief, that Harimau Malaya could do it all the way. But it was not meant to be that night.

With similar fashion, Gajah Perang raise to the occasion and up jumps Theerasil to head the solidarity goal for Gajah Perang. But we stayed true to Harimau Malaya, voicing out our support even when they conceded, at least I did. 

                                                             *  *  *

My trip to Stadium Nasional Bukit Jalil changes my perception of watching football in a pack stadium with thousand of strangers, having a common cause, supporting the same team.

Now all I need to do is to get tickets to the Selangor v Johor Darul Takzim game on the 22^nd of January 2013. Anyone wanna join me? =)

PS : Jangan bawak payung masuk stadium. Gerenti hilang lepaih tuh.