It is no secret that the Crocs have ended their Super League season at a disappointing tenth place. Many, fans included, were at disbelief when the then Sarawak coach Robert Alberts said that the Crocs are relegation battlers. Following Robert’s statement, including outrage from fanatic fans, the management of Sarawak FA quickly issued a statement that they are targeting for for a top five finish.
The season started off promising for the Crocs with a 3-3 draw agains Felda United and a 3-1 win against Terengganu.
The Crocs even held Pahang, but the next game against Johor Darul Ta’zim turned to be the turning point.
Playing at Larkin, the Crocs went down 2-1, and they started to be inconsistent, losing to Selangor and PDRM, while winning against win-less Sime Darby.
The rest of the season went by with the Crocs finally parting ways with Robert Alberts, and Fuad Grbersic taking over as an interim coach.
Fuad didn’t enjoy instant success as he saw his team fizzle out tired in the first two games. However, most fans noted the change of tactics and Sarawak improved as the league progressed to the final game.
Last Saturday, a do-or-die mission was handed to Fuad when his side had to win against Lions XII to stay in the Super League. The Crocs won, and Fuad earned the bragging rights as ‘the man who saved Sarawak from relegation’.
The next game against Kelantan was nothing more than a scheduled match for the Crocs, as their fate in the Super League has been sealed at tenth with the win over Lions XII.
Fuad is expected to continue as the head coach for Piala Malaysia, but his fate for next season is still a mystery.
Irregardless however, Fuad has managed to retain the Crocs in the Super League, and he might just retain his current role as head coach on a more formal basis if he can produce some impressive results in the Malaysia Cup.
