TeamGeist

Contributed by the big boss

4)_* Tactical discussions:*_
   a) *High defence line*: Personally I’m not used to the high line of
defence employed by Jialong and Wenjie. But I thought the line was quite
good, and the only mistakes in the second half were due to my tracking
of the striker, playing the opponents onside. If there aren’t linesmen
for the AFL games, I think we can still continue to push the defence up
and pack the midfield, but we need to be wary of getting caught out.
Maybe the faster full defenders(Sijie / Jialong) will have to keep an
eye on such enemy attackers? Also we assume that goalkicks are short. We
have to be wary of long goal kicks when oppositions have such a capability.

   b) *Force passes*: Cheney brought this up and I thought it was a
very important point. When our players are under pressure and forced to
pass, we usually pass to the nearest player who themselves are under
pressure, leading to turnovers. He mentioned that we need to train or
make our players aware of such situations. Perhaps Cheney will provide
an in-depth article on this topic…

   c) *Moving into spaces and communicating*: After playing for a half
on Sunday, I still feel a lack of moving into space by players. Don’t
stay static…Move around so there is space to pass to you! And shout to
the player holding the ball saying where you are. Keep shouting and
moving into spaces. Don’t need to run just move your butt. Attacking
players should try to exploit forward position and when the the team is
under pressure, defenders pull wide or move back to provide a safety
area for the ball holding player to pass to and clear the danger.

   d) *Throw ins and set-plays*: Firstly we must throw right, secondly,
the players around the thrower must do work also! Not just stand and
wait. Move into position! I think we can train our set-plays because
it’s an area where we are lacking severely I feel. Meanwhile, just move
into position during throw ins, and when defending corners, the keeper
must be commanding. Our main source of goals conceded are from corners
if i’m not wrong.

5) Hopefully all DHSFC Stars will try to make Sunday morning a
commitment for soccer. Don’t just make it an occasional event, commit
your Sunday mornings to this lovely bunch of boys, come to
training/matches and keep fit together! Of course there may be certain
important occasions which override this priority, but other than these
occasional events, dedicate your Sunday morning to soccer!! Easier said
than done, but I will try my best from now on!!!
Ten years down the road I still want to see you guys …and in good
shape! Not a whole squad of Ang Kim Hwas pls… bahaha

cheers
Kahyongo(17)
Midfielder
Dunman All Stars FC

Despite starring for DHSFC in a 7-2 win over GAFFC (Guifa
and Friends FC), hat-trick hero Adriano has been sensationally dropped for the
1^st AFL league game against the Hornets. Accused by team-mate Cheney
of being wasteful in front of goal, Adriano admits that he scuffed a few shots and
promises to improve his technique. He will now be sent to Macau for intensive training on balls control, shooting and lobbing. Likely to be
recalled for the club’s 2^nd game against the garangly-named Destaportivo
Warrior Football Club.

Regular DHSFC sweeper, Loh Kee Huat was surprisingly absent from the
team’s last friendly against GAFFC. Stand-in captain, Ang Kim Hwa was informed
at 2am by Loh that he would be unable to make it for the game. When asked for
the reason for absence, Loh replied with a feeble sms “I’ m dru n k. Sry…” Disciplinary
action will be taken against him and is likely to include a punishing
combination of fried eggs and no shitting before matches. Loh will also be
forced to attend extra drinking sessions with Manager Kahfer and his right-wing
man Cheney. 

details of the latest friendly:

Opponents: Guifa and friends FC

Venue: Tanjong Katong Sec (aka Old Deming, entrance to field is at the old main entrance)
Date: 28th May 2006
Time: 830am
Shirt: Green

Fixtures for AFL are finally in! Table on the right makes for exciting reading in future. DHSFC are currently in 2nd place (ok, cheap thrill) but let’s aim for the top!   

http://www.afl.sg/

GOALLESS STALEMATE IN CLASH OF AFL ADVERSARIES

After 2 cancellations, I finally got the chance to catch the boys in action! The 1st time round there was flooding at Bedok Green Sec, the next time there was another waterlogged pitch at Bukit Timah. This Sunday finally lived up to its name as the “sun” was finally shining high and bright at Hua Yi Sec. A pity though that a few of the regulars weren’t around. Here’s how the team lined up:

              QIHUI IDBG

JEREMY/XIAN ROMEGLS ANGKIMHWA BANHOCK

    LABANG WENJIE ERNIESTA SIJIE/EDDIE

                     ZIQUAN

Because the game was all the way in the west (Jurong West!), there wasn’t much chance for warm-ups. It was already quite impressive that the game kicked off on time! The game started fairly evenly, with both teams having chances on goal. On the occasions that Ziquan was tested, he remained calm and inspired confidence in the defence. It was a makeshift backline but Ernest and Wenjie marshaled them really well. Ernest was seen giving advice to the young rightback Sijie and he learnt fast. Sijie did better by tracking the winger instead of throwing himself into the tackle which the opponent managed to evade rather easily sometimes. Leftback labang had one of his better games and distributed the ball decently, at least for this half. The centre-backs really were colossal in defence. Wenjie picked up loose balls and won many headers. Erniesta seemed to be everywhere. He covered much ground and killed the area behind the midfield to nip the opponents’ foray into our half.

The midfield was less impressive. Despite their best efforts, the need for a “water-carrier” a la makalele type player was obvious. Kim Hwa ran his hearts out, but as Adrian commented, “like a headless chicken”. He had a few good shots on target though. Jerome showed good touches and displayed leadership but should have done more to support the leftback when he was playing leftmid. Xian was composed on the ball but given his potential, more was expected of him. Improvements should come as he gains greater experience playing in that position. On the right, Banhock tried hard but could have done more defensively by helping out the right back Sijie who was occasionally overrun by the left mid and leftback of the opposing team. His attitude was first-class though as he responded positively to advice from his team-mates. As usual, Qihui was unbelieveably hardworking. He hassled and pressured and was the team’s biggest attacking threat. He may have lost a bit of pace with age but his fitness has definitely improved as he lasted the game without cramps. New Zealand is definitely going to be right up the list in our selection of the overseas training camp in 2009. IDBG took on the responsibilities of leading the frontline well. He was also often seen helping out the midfield when he saw them struggling. A constant thorn to the opponents backline with his strong physical presence. He didn’t do as well running at the opponents and was robbed a couple of times. Just before half-time, Eddie came on for Sijie and took the game to the leftback. He proved more than a handful for them and showed great promise with his enterprising forays. With a bit more match fitness and fitness, this natural winger will definitely provide width to the team with his offensive runs. All in, it was a decent first half for the team and the green boys trooped into the dressing room at half-time with their heads held high and a wee bit disappointed that they weren’t taking a lead.

The 2nd half was a different affair. Tusser changed nearly the entire team (they had like 10 subs!), with the only change for DHSFC being Jeremy coming in for Xian. Jeremy was as composed on the ball and worked hard for the team. He was often seen back in defence and made it in time to help out the attack too. Unfortunately, the team was pretty much under siege the entire 2nd half. The best chance for the team landed to BanHock on the right but the keeper stayed calm to parry the ball to safety. The opponents clearly had more chances but a combination of luck (3 times post, 1 time Ernest goalline clearance) and good goalkeeping by Ziquan kept DHSFC in the game. Eddie’s advice to play down the flanks fell on deaf ears and despite the midfield’s best efforts, they couldn’t provide much service for the enthusiastic strikers.

In all honesty, this wasn’t the most impressive performance, but given that this was the 1st time the guys have played together in a while, it’s pretty commendable. Let’s look forward to a more offensive performance starting from next week’s game (last friendly before league kicks off) at Tanjong Katong Sec (old Dunman High)!

Teamgeist’s Men of the match:

Ernest, Qihui, Wenjie

Lessons:

1) Look at the ball at all times! This provides more options for the goalkeeper!

2) Challenge the opponent and make your presence felt! Be a bit more physical. Not rough, but tough!

3) Pass the ball earlier and with more confidence

4) More service for the strikers

5) Clear the ball out when under pressure from many strikers

6) Need to build fitness so work-rate can improve.

7) More clinical finishing

More tactical work by the coach is required

9) Improve on and off-ball positioning

10) Come early for warm ups

Any comments?