Dutch Ball Breakers

Rather than having to pull shit outta my ass for a game I don't fondly remember, I'm gonna just blurt out a few things about yesterday.

-I played very shit
-There was no movement up front for passes.
-We focused more on dishing out payback than playing the game (except Sanji and Simon)
-Our fitness sucks balls.
-Teamwork sucks balls.
-Our shooting sucks balls.
-Freekicks suck balls.

You'd think that our name was Dutch ball suckers. We sucked. In general, I think yesterday was a good test of how we'd fail under finals pressure. As Simon said, we were on tilt after some dodgy tackles and diving were happening before us, but that's soccer. Win first, dish out shit second.

I know it sounds like a stupid idea but considering our worrying slump in form, may I suggest some training sessions in the lead up to finals? Just an idea to keep your minds occupied...

Match Review 9 , Winter Season, vs Hippos

Sanji opting to play through a hamstring strain and Chops' unexpected return against the Hippos meant the DBB had its full squad in force. The collective aura of the team gave off a prematch buzz and everybody was surprisingly early, including Heng who was permitted leave from the Khmer Rouge army.

The opening minutes typified the season at large. Posession was largely in our control with the other team being totally defensive. This combined with poor finishing contributing to our poultry scorelines against lower class opposition. It took around 5 minutes before Simon opened the scoring with an emphatic low drive. Heng scored the next from a free kick and thanks to some off the field wagering between the gambling sanctum off field, Quoc and Simon continued to drive forward and put plenty of pressure on the Hippos goalie.

Reluctantly, the injury prone Chops and Sanji subbed on with Dave for the first interchange with the prematch "I bet I concede us a goal" predictions coming true. Chops' poor defending and lack of tracking back allowed a relatively cheap shot from the side that Derek had no chance of saving. Dave got into space courtesy of a nicely weighted pass from Chops and he made no mistake with his trusty left boot, rifling home the goal. DBB went into the halftime interval with a buffer, but not a comfortable one.

The deal for $1 for every 2 goals scored reaped rewards for the team as Quoc and Simon started the second half in a flurry. Simon was maurading in midfield and upfront, tackling hard and shooting from just about anywhere and nearly scoring with his hard, punchy shots. Holding off his defenders in customary style, Quoc consistently held off two opponents and turned and also hit the woodwork on numerous occasions. The monetary incentive paid dividends as eventually, Quoc scored and Simon scored two rippers, much to the demise of Henry's hip pocket. The best of Simon's scorchers being a trademark 360 spin to turn the defender inside-out and smack a low hard left shot into the bottom corner. (See post goal celebration in Dave's pics.)

With the game sewn up, it was time for the cripples to reenter and again, some sloppy half assed running allowed their best player, Sam, to smack one and controversially scoring after hitting the crossbar. With Chops and Sanji unable to match Heng's commando stamina in midfield, it didn't take long for Henry and Heng to come on and return some much needed drive back on field. By this time it was playing for safety and only poetic justice rewarded us another goal as the failed appeal's for "inside the circle" were remarkably unheeded by the Hippos goalie. He managed to wind up to throw and ended up hitting Quoc in the back and owning himself for a most bizarre own goal.

The performance was mixed. Heng and Henry did well in midfield whilst Dave didn't get much game time for his role swap as a photographer. Without doubt Chops and Sanji played poorly and Simon and Quoc taking the lead roles for the win. A very black and white performance.

Scoreline: 8-2
Goals: Simon 3, Quoc 2, Dave 2, Heng
Man of the match: Simon (Quoc a very close second)
Dumbass award: The Hippos goalie

Anyone still have time (and ability) to have a kick at uni? We (which is Frank, myself and some of the mecha guys) try - i emphasise try - to have a kick at uni at least on Fridays. 1ish pm onwards, come down ppl. We also play on Mondays (uni comp), so come down and have a kick afterwards.
Actually, just head to the hockey field and lets have a kick, like the days of old...!

Hmm.... just wanna test if it works... Chill.

Man, sif this is the score sheet for this season.
We so beat +3 greeks or whoever they are, and the proof is here.

Also, here's the ladder, maybe we should put it as a link on the side ey?

Ok. Y'all know I've been not playing for the last 11-12 weeks now. And rather than have to answer everbody's different questions about it, I'm going to make this short and sweet. I'm about 95% certain I've torn fibres in my ACL and so, upon confirmation from my surgeon, will most likely be out for another year and a bit.

How do you know you've torn your ACL again?
It wasn't loose post surgery but after that last injury, the physio said it was a little loose. At uni we did knee examinations and other students and my tutor said it was a little loose as well.

Torn as opposed to completely ruptured?
On the physical tests they do, there's an end point, meaning there's still some ligament intact. The only problem is the ACL doesn't have a blood supply and doesn't heal very well. Hence they reconstruct it by replacing it with another tendon in the body.

If it isn't torn completely, its still there thereotically and hence, you can play right?
Thereotically I could. I played last week and it was ok. But think of a tug-of-war with a big fat rope. The ligament is the rope. If McGyver pulled out his swiss army knife and started cutting maybe 10% of the rope in the middle whilst the pulling was going on, eventually the rope will snap. I could play, but sooner or later, I'd hear a pop and be rolling on the ground in agony.

Why is the ACL so important? Can't you just pump heaps of weights and play?
The ACL limits hyperextension and excessive rotation at the knee joint. This is critical for changes in pace and turning; my main tools in my soccer arsenal. Bulking up my legs would help but I'd be limited to just passing and running in straight lines, which is not the way I play.

What's the deal then?
Orthopedic surgeon consultation. MRI scan or athroscope to confirm. Probable surgery at the end of the year again. Another year out doing rehab.

How do you feel?
How the fuck do you think I feel? Pissed off, angry, helpless, sad... fucken hell! If there's any positive is that I've gone through it before and I know what's required now. All I can say to you guys is make the most of your opportunities while you still have them. If you're slacking off in the game, remember that I'd kill to take your position on field if I could. Put 100% into a game and walk away after the buzzer knowing you gave it your all. You just don't know when your last game will be. Play hard and win some trophies. Hopefully I'll rejoin at the end of 2006. I just wanted to let all of you know what's going on as it has been dragging on and I had made a promise it wasn't too serious to begin with. Sorry fellas but the news ain't pretty.

PS: I'm not coming down tomorrow because I've got a midsem on Monday.

Well put derek for this review. I especially liked the description of the other team haha. Anyway, trying to fill in the gaps, all I can remember was that Simon scored a dazzler of a goal. He pulls 3 defenders to him just off centre in the attacking quarter, then does a zidane-eat-your-heart-out spin right through them and into open space, followed by the trademark simon power shot which slotted in nicely. What a freakin' awesome goal. I can't remember who scored the others, might have been Quoc, Heng, Henry, but *goggle eyes*.

The work rate was methinks impressive (well, maybe because I was actually running). We were running and creating options (not always, because when you get f@&%#!, it's a matter of willpower to urge you on, and that ain't always there - more on this soon, just popped into my head). So yeah, we closed down attackers and ran back to defence to double team them (the double teaming was clearly frustrating the oppostion, as one of the big asian dudes backed up and pushed me into the net with this rather wide load ass after a successful double team tackle saw me take the ball off him). Anyway, I was fully f#@*#! when I subbed off, and sweating like a pig. Felt satisfied.

A big props to derek, who redeemed himself by saving a penalty, after he gave it away for kicking the ball when it was outside of the circle. Don't hit the panic button too soon mon. Also, some good tap outs in close situations to clear the ball, good one d.
That's my 2 cents worth. Some other random awards...

Best shoes on field: Henry
Darkest on field: Sanji (honorary in the absence of Chops)
Most time spent in goal circle: Derek

Ok, since nobody has started posting other stuff besides the match review, I think I'll get the ball rolling a bit. I'm not one to sit high and mighty regarding the attendance of matches. I missed the last one. But I didn't have a ride, and that's a fact. I was ready and waiting at home for my old man to rock up and give me the car but he didn't. But excluding the last game, it was brought to my attention that a certain member was missing games for no excusable reason. I found this quite hard to stomach given I was injured and all things being good, had I not been injured, I'd have been the first person on the field wanting the ref to blow the whistle.

So you can imagine my vitriol at people who don't put their 100% into the team. By that, I mean saying you'll come and doing something totally different, or rocking up as if you were a certain minority group in the US gorging on fried chicken before the game. Nigger please, when you have an injured team member who is itching to come back, don't insult him by taking shit for granted. Don't say you're going to rock up and then click your fingers and sleep in. Don't tell me you didn't have a clock and fell asleep because you were camping on some surveillance mission in Cambodia. Don't tell me you're stuffed because you had to have dinner before the game. The whole thing to me is a little degrading.

I know, its petty. I know you think what a hard ass. I know you think I'm drawing a very hard line here. But if you had to wait a year on the sidelines and then a few more weeks contenting yourself with writing match reviews to keep yourself sane, maybe you'd think twice about your nonchalant attitude towards the whole thing. I dunno why I'm really writing this. Maybe you'll see where my beef with certain things is coming from. Just keep it real. Some more professionalism please. Like the tricky feet bastard from Scotch Titans owning Palm Sugar. 18 goals from one guy and a scoreline of 28-0. Now that, is what I wanna see.