The first round of the Malaysian Super League has ended and the Crocs were humbled to a 3-1 defeat at their own den, Stadium Negeri.
With only four wins out of eleven games to show off so far, the Crocs are now starting to play with relegation, which is a zone familiar in 2012, which also saw the Crocs drop eventually to the less illustrious Premier League.
The promotion to the Super League this year was greeted with a lot of promises by those in charge that 2014 would be different from 2012. Many reasons were given in Sarawak FA official magazine and among them were the fact that the players brought in were of more quality then those in 2012, and this season we have learned our mistake.
But have we?
The huge number of local imports (non-Sarawakians) brought in the squad for 2014 had alarmed many state-loving fans, but their worries were put to silent when the people in charge said “We have brought in quality players because the Super League is competitive, and we need the local (Sarawakians) to work harder to earn their place in the team“.
Bobby Gonzales, a Sabah born player which helped Sarawak gain promotion in 2011, and later 2013, was dropped from Sarawak despite his goal scoring habit, and hard working Guy Bwele which was known to be key to winning the ball was also dropped to make way for ‘better options’.
The duo’s absence was quickly filled with non-local Sarawakian players with the signing of Akmal Rizal, which was seen as a replacement for the younger Bobby proving to be the most ‘difficult to accepted’ by fans.
Head coach Robert Alberts however stressed that Akmal ‘will surprise many people’, and that statement calmed the fans down.
Indeed, Akmal did surprise the fans and his ability to strike fear in the defenses of the opponent made Akmal a quick favourite among local fans with many loving how he opens up play and shots with accuracy.
But there was a problem. Akmal was seldom played, as he struggled to make an impression on Robert’s tactical book. The former national striker heated the reserve bench for long hours, and hardly came off to play. If he did, it was not long enough to influence the game.
Replacements for Guy Bwele came in numbers. Roberts opted to sign more attacking options than midfielders, and in came Alireza Abbasfard and Milorad Janjus. Gabor Gyepes was signed to beef up the defenses.
Unlike Gabor who is well established having played in the English League, Alireza and Milorad is largely unknown. Nonetheless, the duo, together with Gabor made the cut with Milorad’s signing suspiciously abrupt.
With the Football Association of Sarawak (FAS) being very secretive about players they bring in until every documentation was confirmed, fans were left to ‘just accept’ the fact that their beloved team was signings top players from both the Czech Republic and Iran.
But reality soon bit the fans hard as both Milorad and Alireza failed to impress, and was accused of lacking the quality needed to play for Sarawak. Robert himself was critical over the duo, and they were released promptly when the transfer window opened.
Two replacements were signed with Ryan Griffith said to be a top striker in the Vietnam League, and Hassan Mohammad able to impress during the trials with his dribbling skills.
The media had a field day saying the duo would answer Sarawak’s poor form, and that Ryan in particular would cash in the goals for the Crocs. FAS even had a special jersey presentation event to welcome Ryan to the club, making it the first time any player was welcomed to the club in such a grand manner.
But after three games, that hasn’t happened. Ryan has struggled to create accurate shots on goal, with Hassan wasting golden goal scoring opportunities. Ryan however was key in assisting some goal scoring opportunities, but he has not scored himself.
It was soon revealed by a source close to SarawakCrocs.com who met Ryan in Selangor, that Ryan isn’t a complete forward, but rather a back-up striker, with someone needed to finish the room he has opened. This revelation meant that Sarawak now needs a good and cool finisher, and Akmal looks like the perfect fit.
But interestingly, Akmal yet again stays on the bench.
The new additions into Sarawak which were suppose to be better than the local Sarawakian players meant that most of the local Sarawakian players now needed to join Akmal on the bench.
Previously, Joseph Kalang was a regular in the starting line up, but his dip in form has cause him to be relegated to the bench as well.
The rest of the Sarawakians remain loyal to being ‘bench warmers’, despite the fact that players such as Hairol Mokhtar and Ashri Chuchu are players whom just recently made the national team. Other players whom previously impressed such as Dzulazlan Ibrahim, Zamri Morshidi and Sharol Saperi continue to keep the bench warm despite regaining full fitness.
It makes one wonder how such players, especially those able to make the national team, are being benched. To make it more interesting, most of these players are Sarawakians.
It is our ‘not-expert’ belief that players need to have some sort of ‘relationship’ to play for a team like Sarawak especially when the team is doing badly. This could be reasoned by looking at 2011 and 2013 which saw the Crocs rise to be promoted with 70% of the starting line up Sarawakians.
But that is just us. We believe that a professional and experienced coach like Robert knows best, and he knows what should be done to avoid Sarawak from falling yet again.
However, it is alarming that Sarawak is not performing lately, and things look alarming with the team known as the Crocs also conceding to defeats at their own home ground. The stadium used to be ‘invincible’, but not anymore.
It maybe too early to push the panic button, but it’s never too late to start avoiding yourself from pushing it.
That said, if Sarawak do fall to the Premier League yet again next season, who’s fault will it be?
You tell me.
