Maybe someone walked under the ladder, maybe its because the lady used a tripod instead of the ladder, maybe the timing of Mr Dino's arrival was different then usual, maybe someone was wearing the wrong pair of boots, socks, shin-pads or undies, maybe Mr Arul was standing on the wrong side or maybe the day was already reserved for the special one and there was nothing left to give...
It was clearly a day when lady luck became very exhausted with Al-Caliph. When the ball wouldnt go in with four hitting the bar and three glaring misses, you will start to wonder. Or was it five and four? I just couldnt remember.
"If this one doesnt even go in, then really no luck." Mr Dino muttered as Khai stood to take the penalty.
What if the two balls in the first 10 minutes had gone in? May have been a different story. The biggest IF comes from me.
Firstly, I had a tactical rethink and it was a day when implementing the appropriate knowledge would have been better left unapplied. Secondly, I honestly thought that the second-half team talk was mild as I was actually happy with the first half an hour contribution although we were down. However, as the team feels it was harsh, then it must have let to the lost in the second half. I apologise.
There are no IFs in the game. Whether or not the score truly reflect that nature of the game is immaterial. The fact remains that at the end of the game, the score stands. I fully accept responsibility for the defeat.
Worthy of Mention The first 20 minutes it was very clear that we were pulling the strings. Khai slot in nicely into Zamri's position and did what was expected of him. Bob and Leonard did extremely well and especially Bob who was a constant menace. He provided excellent crosses.
Shy did well outfield considering that he was more "laid back" in the last two games. If only the ball had gone in for him, he would have had a hat-trick.
Captain and Zhaf was constantly motivating the team.
Zj did not lose heart. He fought to the very end. If he leads us into a battle, I will follow behind him.
The team worked very hard even after conceding goals. They pushed on and never gave up even when luck clearly deserted them.
Sponsor & Spectators As usual we had a handful of spectators. The team apologises to the sponsor and spectators for the loss. We vow to bounce back from this.
Mr Dino was visibly unhappy at the result. Who wouldnt. Its very rare to find someone like Mr Dino as it is very rare for him to find a team like ours. Mr Dino is very engross with the team. He is so excited that he has difficulty sleeping nights before games. The night before the game against Rascals, he slept at 9pm only to have awoken at 1am! "Eh belum pagi?" ("Its not morning yet?") So he had to watch DVDs to go back to sleep.
The team is also excited by this marriage. They are dedicated to the team and the core players are being duly rewarded after years of playing. It is sufficient to say that both parties deserve one another. There is honesty and integrity in their attitude to one another.
Administrative Issues Management lodged an inquest into the defeat. I have accepted responsibility for it. There was nothing to defend my actions as result proved otherwise.
I have informed the organiser that we will not be playing next week due to the long weekend.
Shy, I need to know if we can play the following weekend, 6th June. Thanks.
Bob is fined $5. Anuar's fine is waived.