The first person anyone would point the finger at when a team sucks is of course the coach. However, I think Norizan bin Bakar has done a relatively good job with the team in the beginning. Surely he couldn't have just woken up one day and lost all his senses that caused the slump?
What about the imports? We had Viatcheslav Melnikov(striker), Jose Barreto, Ito Dan(both midfielders) and Mario de Silva(defender). I've seen Jose Barreto in action and I think he's probably the most skillful player in the team now while the Russian torpedo was good because of his physique(reminds me of John Hunter). Unfortunately I didn't get to see much of Ito Dan and Mario de Silva but in the initial stage of the league, Ito Dan was playing well by creating scoring chances and contributing a few goals himself. Now Ito Dan has been sacrificed to bring in a young Nigerian striker Omagbemi Dudu. If the strike force is being ineffective, then surely you should take out Melnikov. But if you look at the team's performance lately, it's the defence which is leaking the goals. Logic says then there must be something wrong with the defenders and NOT the midfielders. I wonder which jackass in the management made the call to terminate Ito's contract.
Sayonara Ito san...
I think the main problem with the team is the local boys- we do not have anyone that stands out among them. The defence is a disgrace. Far too many good players have either retired or left for other teams. We have a bunch of boys who do not believe in themselves. Whenever an import is injured, I can imagine Norizan scratching his head to find someone as a replacement- Norizan probably prays every time the team plays that the imports don't get injured. Where are the likes Moay Kok Hong and Aziz Azizan(Ok, the fellow got involved in the football bribery but no doubt he was a good Penang bred player)? Now we have a group of players with inferior complex. The toothless panthers should be relegated to the Premier League... maybe playing with the c(l)ubs will help them find their claws again...
So why this problem? Wake up, management!! The management needs to find ways to groom new blood and also retain the good players. You cannot make magic just with a good coach and a couple of imports! Every year I look at the team with much optimism and every year I have been disappointed. This year we started so well compare with the past few years and I thought this year could be the year of the Panthers.
People may ask, "Why bother following the local football league when they are so poorly run? So many are just following the EPL now..." My answer? "Coz my favourite team Tottenham have not being doing well either..."
It's official- I support losers:/
