Match 106

Match 106 (supposed) – Lessons Learnt

Ill-discipline and disappointment.

These two words summed up the both camps after this week’s supposed match.

A bunch of ill-disciplined and immature kids were the opponents lined up for our match this week. Young, fast and skilful, this team will go a long way if they are able to get their act right. Unfortunately, they showed their worst side to us and they may require more than a whacking or two before they can learn their lesson. Almost 1 hour late and only a total of 9 players turned up for their team. Total disaster and a total waste of time for us.

On our side, disappointed is an understatement for Songbo. Reeling from a competitive and mauling, though marred by some violence, match last weekend, Songbo has hoped for another competitive match this week to erase the painful memories. However, God was not so kind to us this time around as the opponent did not give a glimmer of hope for Songbo to redeem themselves. In fact, this match brought about more disappointment and demoralized the team more than it should.

With only 9 players available for the opponents, Sparrow decided once again to field 9 players to start the match much to the dismay and disapproval of most of the team. The availability of almost the full squad enabled Songbo to engage in rolling substitutions and ensure all of the guys have a leisure Sunday kickaround.

The morning got worse when the match started and the Young Punks scored with a long range shot in their first meaningful attack. Tiger Yan, goalkeeper for the day, was to blame for the goal as he did not put in any effort to tip the ball over the bar. Songbo woke up from their slumber and came back strongly after the first goal. They finished the half 2-3 goals up, however, the first half was marked by the consistent efforts by the Young Punks to shoot from all angles and distances, seemingly identifying Tiger Yan as the weakest link. The second half was a forgettable and uneventful affair as Songbo continued its dominance and ended the match with at least a 5-goal win.

Although this match was almost a pointless one, it was important to point out a few important lessons learnt and positive events:

1. The mental strength and maturity of Tiger Yan – He was lambasted and criticized straight in the face during the half-time team talk for his no-effort in saving the first goal and being seemingly mocked by the Young Punks who identified him as the weakest link and bombarded shots from all angles and distances. However, being the Tiger we all know he is, Yan came back strongly from the criticism and finger-pointing during half-time and played his heart out in the second half. In the end, he made a couple of important one-on-one saves and kept a clean sheet for the remaining of the match. I think the important lesson to be garnered from here is that respect can be won or lost during the short span of a match and it is really up to the individual to decide if he wants to earn the respect or allow himself to be engulfed by external factors such as the unprofessional opponents in this case.

2. The self-respect displayed by the team – Although it took Songbo a while to adjust to the unprofessional match and immature opponents, the team ended the match in a professional and self-respecting manner. There was almost no instance where the team showed a lack of professionalism and respect for both themselves and the opponents given the situation. I guess we can lift our heads high and give ourselves a pat on the shoulder for the maturity shown. The giggles and lack of seriousness displayed by the Young Punks throughout the course of the match only points to a lack of self-respect and total immaturity. This truly disgusted and irked Songbo who was actually looking forward to a competitive match.

3. Commitment – Players such as Hweequan and Ah Lam actually played their hearts out and were rewarded with early showers. In matches such as this one, it was easy to lose focus and not give out our best. However, some of the players did show total commitment and went about their normal routine even though the conditions were unfavourable. Experience and sense of responsibility do play a part in this circumstances and I hope we can all learn from this.

From this match, we can at least see and feel first-hand about how and what kind of attitude and actions we DEFINITELY do not want to be associated with.

Respect has to be earned and it is imperative to have self-respect first. Respect, coupled with a sense of responsibility, differentiates the boys and the men, the failures and the successes.

Capt Sparrow