After looking at the first six teams in the Malaysia Super League, we now bring you the rest of the teams competing in the 2014 Super League.
7) PERAK FA
REVIEW: 2013 wasn’t a good season for the Seladangs, and we predict that it will continue to be an uneventful season for them yet again. The team brought in a lot of new faces for 2014, but most of the players were plucked from the Premier League sides which we think would not bring much benefit to the team. That said, Perak would find 2014 a disturbingly difficult season, and probably would need to fight for their lives to remain in the Super League.
COACH: Abu Bakar Fadzim
NICKNAME: The Seladang
NEW FOREIGN SIGNINGS*: Martin Kafando (ex-USFA Ouagadougou), Kyaw Zayar Win (ex-Kanbawza F.C.), Zelimir Terkeš (ex-NK Zadar)
KEY PLAYERS: Mohammad Hardi Jaafar, Shahrizal Saad
PREDICTED FINAL RANK: Relegation battlers
GROUND: stadium Ipoh (42,500)
8) SARAWAK FA
REVIEW: Sarawak didn’t fare that well in ther pre-season preparations, but that is in no way any reason to rule them out of anything just yet. The Crocs are known as true fighters in the field, and they seem to be well prepared this time for the Super League. We don’t see the Crocs winning the league, but we do however anticipate surprises from this gusty Borneo side.
COACH: Robert Alberts
NICKNAME: The Crocs
NEW FOREIGN SIGNINGS*: Gabor Gypes (Ex-Cardiff City), Milorad Janjus (Vietnam league top scorer), Alireza Abbasfart (Prolific Iranian striker),
KEY PLAYERS: Muamer Salibasic, Joseph Kallang Tie, Ronny Harun, Ashri Chuchu, Ramesh Lai
PREDICTED FINAL RANK: Mid table
GROUND: Stadium Negeri (26,000)
9) SELANGOR FA
REVIEW: Selangor failed miserably in their ‘Misi-33’ last season, and they look to bounce back with more fire power by including top strikers in Paolo Rangel, Andik V, and Thamil Arasu. The Red Giants however are nothing close to the legendary days they had, and are set to be mere spectators as the likes of ATM, Kelantan, and JDT fight for the championship.
COACH: Mehmet Durakovic
NICKNAME: The Red Giants
NEW FOREIGN SIGNINGS*: Paulo Rangel(ex-Perak), Junior Aparecido Guimaro de Souza(ex-São Paulo), Andik Vermansyah(ex-Persebaya 1927), Steve Pantelidis(ex-Perth Glory)
KEY PLAYERS: Abdul Hadi Yahya, Thamil Arasu Ambumamee, Mohd Farizal Marlias
PREDICTED FINAL RANK: Mid table
GROUND: Shah Alam Stadium (80,000)
10) SIME DARBY FC
REVIEW: Sime Darby FC was a feared side when they had Karlo Primorac as their target man. The striker was difficult to control, and was a constant threat for defenders. This season, Sime Darby had to employ new strikers after Primorac decided to leave the team. The new signings have yet to prove themselves, and the local players are hugely unknown.
COACH: Ismail Zakaria
NICKNAME: Giant Killers
NEW FOREIGN SIGNINGS*: William Mensah(ex-Wadi Degla), Wisdom Agblexo(ex-Ansar), Mahmoud Amnah(ex-Al-Ittihad), Dilshod Sharofetdinov)ex-FK Samarqand-Dinamo)
KEY PLAYERS: Mohd Fadzli Saari, Mohd Farid Ramli
PREDICTED FINAL RANK: Relegation battlers
GROUND: Stadium Selayang (17,000)
11) LIONS XII
REVIEW: Lions lost quite a number of influential players this season, and this includes their head coach V. Sundramoorthy. While the team won the Super League last season, it is widely expected that the team would not be able to repeat such glory without the likes of Shahril Ishak, despite the fact they would probably still remain invincible at home on their artificial pitch.
COACH: Fandi Ahmad
NICKNAME: The Lions
NEW FOREIGN SIGNINGS*: None
KEY PLAYERS: Sufian Anuar, Khairul Amri, Hafiz Sujad, Gabriel Quak and Nazrul Nazari
PREDICTED FINAL RANK: Bottom half
GROUND: Padang Besar Stadium (8,000)
12) TERENGGANU FA
REVIEW: Terengganu has yet to win the Super League, and we don’t see this changing anytime soon. Despite bringing in four new imports, Terengganu doesn’t have enough depth to mount a proper challenge in the league, hence why we think they would remain where the were last season; not on top, but not in danger of being relegated.
COACH: Abdul Rahman Ibrahim
NICKNAME: The Turtles
NEW FOREIGN SIGNINGS*: Vincent Bikana(ex-Perseman Manokwari), Mamadou Barry(ex-Sun Hei), Mario Karlović(ex-Persebaya Surabaya), Vincent Bikana(ex-Corinthians B)
KEY PLAYERS: Zairo Anuar Zalani, Ashaari Shamsuddin
PREDICTED FINAL RANK: Bottom half
GROUND: Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium (15,000)
NOTE:
*Only indicates teams which are well known, or the teams they excelled best in their careers.
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