Writing of Match Reports

Dear Songbo Brothers,

This is one of the matters in our EGM Agenda that we had some time ago. To refresh everyone's memory (and for those who wasn't there), we had unanimously agreed that the match report writing for each match should not be used as a tool for punishment. Rather, it should be a form of responsibility that each member of our Songbo team should bear.

As a team, we have progressed considerably over the years. We have just secured our 3rd team jersey and, if things go smoothly, we will have our very first sponsorship logo on our jersey. We play almost week in, week out and we sometimes actually forget that one of our members is an entrepreneur who has started his own cake shop business. We, as brothers, should help as much as we can to spread the word. All of you can see the skill and effort he puts in each of his cake creations by the pictures he posts on Facebook.

I will make use of the 2 online channels we have, blog and Facebook, to include some form of advert or links to Metrocakes.

As for now, let me elaborate on some of the points of the match writing system. It will be modeled after a rotational system, with each member writing the report once. Below is the list:

Match	Person	Points
139	Mervin	1
140	Kenny	1
141	Swee Chao	1
142	Alvin Cai	1
143	Rujia	1
144	Binghong	1
145	Junbing	1
146	Kaiseng	1
147	Hweequan	1
148	Jeremy	1
149	Alvin Toh	1
150	Jiaxiang	1
151	Huang Weijie	1
152	Tan Weijie	1
153	Jackie	1
154	Kelvin	1
155	Yanshou	1
156	Sybian	1
157	Mervin	2
158	Kenny	2
159	Swee Chao	2
160	Alvin Cai	2

We have scheduled till Match 160 for now. Since you now know when you should write the report well in advanced, it is your own responsibility to swap your slot with someone else if you cannot make it. I will be keeping track of the reports written and updating the list as necessary.

In the event that you are facing technical difficulties in logging on to the blog to publish your report, please contact our IT team, Kenny, Swee Chao or myself, for us to publish your report instead.

Therefore, there should and would be no excuses for a match report not to be written. I want to reiterate again that match report writing is not a form of punishment but a responsibility that we all should bear.

Please leave any comments or suggestions if you have. Thanks.

-Mervin

Match 141 - Win

Songbo FC 2:1 Opponents

Date: 25th Jul 2010
Venue: Bukit Merah Sec School
Jersey: Black

Starting Line-Up

Junbing(GK), Kelvin(LB), Swee Chao(CB), Kenny(CB), Kaiseng(RB), T.Weijie(LM), Hwee Quan(DM), Binghong(RM), Rujia(CM), Alvin Toh(AM), Jeremy(CF)

Subtitutes:
Mervin, H.Weijie

Scores:
HT: 0-1
FT: 2-1

What is Mervin doing?

Our 'Model' outfit for Songbo FC

(Su lang mai su say)

After 2 consecutive charity matches, Songbo FC is all geared up for this official game. The outcome of this match will indirectly affect the next one as rumors having been going around saying that the highly-acclaimed soon-to-be-initiated Songbo FC’s first manager will arrived to take his first game in charged. A win here will no doubt put him under some pressure of maintaining the superb 6 games winning streak run (8 if the 2 charity matches are counted). A lost here will enable him to start things ‘afresh’.


At a first glance, it may seem that getting a win here would be a tough one as the opponents are made up by a mixture of our Indians and Malay friends, a very lethal combination. But a well drilled pre-match briefing by Capt. Sparrow (which could be his last as a player cum manger), managed to instilled some confidence back to the team.


This venue is a first for Songbo. Though it’s bigger than the previous one, it’s still quite small in size. A small field would mean that there won’t be much chance for the players to ‘slack-off’. They must be on the alert constantly.


As expected, the first few minutes of the 1^st half are packed with a lot of actions. Short and quick passes are made frequently and plenty of good chances are created on both ends. The best dressed of the day, Robinbo, playing on the right flanked, doesn’t seem to be able to get into the game. He drifts too wide off his position, which causes a lot of holes in between him and Lusty. The opponents took advantage of this and focus more of their attack on the right. Though the highly-reputable Songbo’s defense managed to repelled most of the attack, cracks eventually appear. A quick one-two between the opponent’s CM and RM saw them broke through the defense line. With just the keeper to beat, the RM coolly toe poked the ball into the bottom left hand corner. Songbo down 0-1.


Rather than pondering on how to rectify his playing styles, Robinbo feels that it’s his new Addidas Predator soccer boots that is hindering his game. He runs off to change to a new pair. Clearly one can see that his boots wasn’t the problem when his performance with the new pair of boots hasn’t improved abit at all.


Songbo dig hard trying to find an equalizer. And they did come very close with Jeremy, who have a thought too much, choose to take on the defender rather than having a shot at goal. The attempt ended in a failure as the defender has the upper hand most of the time. The referee blew for the half time whistle and a dejected Songbo head off to the ‘dressing room’.


After a earful from Capt. Sparrow, the rejuvenated Songbo heads off to the pitch, thinking of how to get back into the game. The 2^nd half started almost in a similar fashion to the first. But the difference is that instead of a draw, Songbo is now down by a goal. Lady luck seems to be smiling at Songbo when a very poorly taken goal kick fell to Alvin Toh. There’s still much to be done before he can get the ball into control and shift himself into a good position to shoot. A neat touch enables him to dribble past the approaching DC. With his sight clear on goal, he unleashes a curling shot which spins away from the GK’s hands at the last moment. Goal! Songbo is back into the game!


The unexpected goal seems to have dealt a heavy blow to the opponents. They’re now committing more players to defense then attack. The few attacking chances that they have are quickly broken down with either poor passes or well zonal marking of the superb and in-form Songbo defense. With not much attacking threat, Songbo focus all their energy into adding another goal and turning the tide around completely.


Robinho, whose performance in the 2^nd half is much better than first, swings a cross in from the left. Mervin was at the receiving end of the ball. But his poor first touch could only result in another missed chance. With the game heading for what seem like a draw, a break from the left sees Jeremy cutting back a ball back to Capt. Sparrow in the penalty box. Almost losing his balance, he manages to catch a glimpse of the on rushing Commando Tan, who is having an outstanding game, and lays a pass to him. For a moment, time seem to freeze. As the ball roll slowly into Commando Tan’s path, he lifts his right foot and moves himself into a shooting position. A well executed and connected half volley puts the ball into the bottom left hand corner. GOAL !!!! A rare comeback from Songbo !! A good break down the right by Jeremy, a good awareness from Capt. Sparrow to spot Commando Tan, a well executed strike by Commando Tan to put the ball into the net, and mostly importantly, a strong belief by the team is what made this a comeback possible.


However, the win is still not guaranteed as there’s still time left for the opponents to draw the game or worse, make a comeback of their own. In the dying minutes of the game, a cross from the left saw the ball connected with the opponent striker. Fortunately, the execution wasn’t good and the ball flew agonizingly close to the right hand pole.


After what seem like eternity, the desperately-awaited full time whistle was blown. And the comeback win is now 100% confirmed! A very good play by Songbo made this a much deserved victory. Just how far can they continue with this winning streak? The question doesn’t lies with how good the next opponent will be… But rather, can Songbo continue to carry on this belief that, they have the ability to win every match as long as they play a mentally-tough, hard-working and well-disciplined game.



Summary by,
Bullocks13

Match 140 - Win (Not Official)

Songbo FC 4:2 Opponents


Date: 18th Jul 2010
Venue: Nan Hua High Sch
Jersey: Black

Starting Line-Up
Junbing(GK), Huang Weijie(LB), Kenny(CB), Binghong(RB), Jiaxiang(LM), Hwee Quan(DM), Mervin(RM), Jackie(AM), Jeremy(CF)

Subtitutes:
Rujia, Swee Chao, Kaiseng, Kelvin, William


Scores:
HT: 2-0
FT: 4-2

It is another warm up match after the testimonial match last week and a month of rest before that. Songbo was denied a chance to have an actual match after the field was found to be not fit to field 2 full teams. It was so small to the point that a goal kick could easily reach the other goal post. After some agreement, both teams decided to field 9 players aside so that it would not be over cramp.

Songbo's new manager have not reported for duty since being appointed. The captain, in the absence of the manager, gave some instructions to the team before the match. 1st was not to shoot before the half way line, and 2nd was to attack more from the flanks.


1st half started and action was seen almost at every part of the field. The field was not a good condition due to previous days' rain. Bounces were difficult to predict and touches were poor. Jackie was spreading passes to the flanks as instructed but with the small field, opponents closes down quickly, denying the chance for the wings to cross easily.

The 1st goal came from Jeremy, who manage to get lose of his marker, headed a ball from a corner by Jackie. The ball bounce onto the floor and into the roof of the net. 1-0.

The 2nd goal came soon after and Jackie who was in midfield, flick the ball towards Jeremy who was on the right. Jeremy, upon receiving, ran past his opponent and slot the ball past the goalkeeper into the bottom right of the goal. 2-0.

A 3rd almost came when a shot from Mervin was cleared off the line by the opponent. It came from a chance where a shot from Jiaxiang hit the top of the goal post and into the path of Mervin. With the keeper out of position, Mervin tries a shot but it was weak enough for the defender to have time to clear it off.

Jackie, Kenny and Jeremy was later substituted out for their good performance, according to the captain, and Kelvin, Chao and Seng took their positions. With some changes made, the 1st half soon ended.


Substitutes were made during the half with William for Quan, and Jeremy for Junbing. It was a rare sight for our top striker to be seen at Songbo's own goal post, except when playing fico.

The 2nd half started and changes was seen at the opponent side, especially their left back, where a familiar figure, Commando Tan was seen warming up. Songbo was seen getting attack since the start of the half. Shots were made by the opponents which saw Jeremy made a few good saves.

The hard work of the opponents paid off when 1 striker rushed for a ball which had just cross the line. The striker took a shot and Jeremy, who thought it had went out, looked at the ball flew into the goal. The referee, who didn't saw the out, allow the goal to be counted. 2-1.

Some good run from Kelvin saw Commando Tan conceded a penalty. Kelvin had ran into Commando Tan's leg and the referee and decide to give a penalty. Jeremy, took up the responsibility, coolly placed the ball into the bottom left of the goal post, giving the keeper no chance. 3-1.

Quan was later substituted Jeremy, who had a great performance out there. The opponents continues their attack and chaos was seen in the defense of Songbo, slowly breaking up by the no.16.

The defense soon break down and a pass from no.16 was met with 4 of the opponents inside the penalty box. Seng tries to clear the ball away, but was unable to do so, and Quan was beaten by a shot from the opponent. 3-2.

Jackie and Kenny was sub out again, replacing Kelvin and Chao. The match carried on with goal mouth to goal mouth action, all from goal kicks. The defense begin to stabilize but the attacks are still from the opponents.

After like over 20 tries, Rujia managed to somehow connect a goal kick from Quan, catching the keeper off guarded. The keeper tries to catch up but can only helplessly watch the ball bounce into the net. 4-2.

The referee soon blew the final whistle. Songbo still have problems to solve if they are going to win their next match.

Summary by:

Kenny

Balance of our SB Funds!!

Dear SB members,

Appreciated your effort and time for to transfer the money to me promptly..

With all funds collected, our brand new jersey set will be on the way!!! ;)

On top of that, I shall use this chance to break down our current leftover funds:

Total fund collected: $162 (18 members x $9)

Extra 2 sets of jersey: -$82 ($41 one set)

EGM Prize money: -$58.95 (Receipts collected from Sparrow)

Outstanding Match money: -$2 ($80 - 13x$6 )

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fund Balance: $19.05

Quan, kindly help to check how much fund is left over at your side. Next Soccer session will collect from you!!

Thanks!!

Cheers!!

Name list for those who still have not pay

Dear Songbo,

Currently, there are still 5 members still have not transfer the money..

Pls do so by today..

Thanks..

SB treasurer

Match 139 (Robinho's Testimonial) - Win

Songbo FC 6:2 Opponents


Date: 11th Jul 2010
Venue: Fuhua Sec Sch
Jersey: Red

Starting Line-Up
Hweequan(GK), Huang Weijie(LB), Kelvin(CB), Kaiseng(CB), Mervin(RB), Kenny(LM), Tan Weijie(CM), Swee Chao(RM), Jeremy(LCF), Junbing(CF), Binghong(RCF)

Subtitutes:
Rujia, Jackie, Jiaxiang


Scores:
HT: 3-2
FT: 6-2

After a month of rest, Songbo FC came back onto the pitch on the back of 5 wins on the trot. Pundits predicted that surely their winning streak will come to an end as Songbo FC is an aging machine whose cranks and gears require oiling and warming up before they run in full steam. Therefore, Songbo FC came up with a brilliant idea; to declare this match as a Testimonial Match for Binghong, which would render the result insignificant, get some much needed match fitness under their belts and give their new player manager a stress-free match to try out his tactics. A 1-stone-kill-3-birds solution it seemed.

Upon arrival on the pitch, all preparations seemed to have been wasted. The player manager could not make it for the match, the Captain of Songbo FC is still in bed (after uttering at least 3 different formations the night before on an alcohol-induced high) and the opponents could only muster 8 of their teammates for this match. Our disciplinary master, Tiger Yan, made the wake-up call to the Captain, who trudged into the pitch 15 minutes later with alcohol still fresh in his breath.

In his drunken stupor, he fielded 2 sidebacks as centre defenders and deployed 3 midfielders without telling them what to do. The lack of organization showed immediately in the opening minutes of the game; the 2 centre defenders had a hard time trying to get balls out of the area, the 3 midfielders played so wide that our sole man in the midfield, Commando Tan, was left like a naked prostitute with legs spread wide open facing an army of men who has been locked up for months without seeing a woman. In other words, raped relentlessly.

For the good part of the half, Songbo FC played like they had 8 men on the pitch, losing possession needlessly, playing overcomplicated passes and failing to make their numbers count. The gulf of a 3 player difference is still evident; Songbo FC broke through several times that presented 1-on-1 opportunities. However, Songbo FC’s players, notably Jeremy and Junbing, were kind enough not to take advantage of the opponents and shot straight at the keeper. Songbo FC needed 20 mins for their first goal to come, with Junbing finally finishing off a move which saw the ball bouncing around the penalty area begging for a finish. However, the opponents got a shock lead later on in the half.

Playing as a sideback for the whole of his career, Lusty Seng was taught to keep players off the sides and forcing them to the center of the park where more players can sniff out the threat. However, this knowledge went against his this time. After the opponents got the ball into the penalty area, left 1-on-1 with the striker, Kaiseng played like his usual role and left the striker with a good view of the goal. The ball ended up at the back of the net. A similar situation occurred minutes later. A simple fake from the striker left Kaiseng off balance and placing the ball into the back of the net was a formality. The opponents, with a 3-men disadvantage, went 2-1 ahead while Songbo FC hung their heads.

Songbo FC managed to claw back their lead before the half ended though. A good finish from Jeremy after a hardworking display of ball winning on the left saw Songbo FC level. Another bout of good work and perseverance by Jeremy saw him slid the ball beneath the keeper past the empty goal, giving Mervin the simplest chance to score in the history of Songbo FC. Advantage Songbo FC.

Going into the break with a slender lead and 2 goals conceded already, Songbo FC was forced to make changes by reverting to a more usual formation. Junbing got back to defending the goal, Jackie, who was introduced late in the 1^st half, was to continue his good work in centre defense, Hweequan was pushed to a forward role and the formation was reverted to a 4-4-2. Binghong, who had missed a glorious opportunity to score late in the 1^st half, has to leave and was replaced by Jiaxiang. Jeremy was given a rest as our still-high Captain felt it was time for him to play.

With the formation back to normal, it was almost a cakewalk for Songbo FC as the game wore on. The opponents, visibly tired from trying to do an 11-men job with 8, conceded 3 more goals. Tan Weijie, invigorated by the change in formation after being slaughtered in the 1^st half, saw his shot cannon off the top of the bar, on the pitch past the goal line and out of the goal. As we have seen in the World Cup, even professional referees aided by 2 linemen miss such goals, therefore, we did not expect this Sunday amateur referee to make any sort of decision. The ball, however, went back to Swee Chao, who mustered all his strength to ram the ball goalwards. It paid off as the keeper did not manage to keep the shot out.

Jiaxiang finally opened a 3 goal lead for Songbo when he finished off a chance in the area after wasting a few golden opportunities. If the match was played on FICO, he would have had a hat trick at least.

Kenny got his name on the scoresheet as the last scorer for Songbo FC as he placed the ball in the low corner after some good passing work gave him a clear goalscoring opportunity. He had just missed a glorious chance where he dribbled past the last man and was left 1-on-1 with the keeper but he slipped and spilled his shot. Perhaps the F.I.R concert was still fresh in his mind.

6-2 the final score. It would have been an emphatic scoreline on any other normal match day but against an opponent with only 8-men for the whole of the match, expectations of a 7-0 or 8-0 scoreline were not heavy at all. Songbo FC needs to improve on this performance, especially the sharpness in front of the goal, if they are to keep their 5 match winning streak running. Perhaps the inevitable 1^st match for their player manager would bring that.

Summary,
Mervin

Money for Our New Jersey!!

Hey guys..

Kindly bring another $41 for our new jersey!

So in total will be $51!!

Pls make effort to do so because next week, bing will proceed with the purchase for the jersey.

You may either pass the money to me on Sun or bank transfer to me by this Sun!!

Thanks!!

A reminder from our Treasurer!

Dear SongBo Members..

Its Jul!!

So kindly bring additional $10 for the SongBo Fund on this Sun football match.

For those who are not coming, pls send the money via i-Banking to 189-22281-5 POSB Savings.

**Impt: Do rem to quote your name when sending the money to my acc. Or else I do not not who is the one sent the money!!

Thanks for your co-operation!!

Seng