Jakarta Casual

Good news! The new season starts in February 2007. by then the English Prostitute League will be devoid of interest and I can start planning which fixtures I’ll be going to locally. Especially with Jakarta North moving to a new ground, Bogor Town in the league as well as Pelita Jaya playing not far away in Purwokarta. Of course planning is one thing. Last season I went to a grand total of 3 games following the goal crazy Jakarta seeing a grand total of 4 goals. There may be no Henry or Fabregas to display their talents but it’s honest football with some passion on the terraces and some toilet roll on the pitch.

This Saturday sees Jakarta host Selangor.

DPMM are visiting for a series of friendlies. First up was Jakarta North. Wednesday sees them play Bogor Town and Friday has them playing Depok.

So they'll be spending plenty of time in traffic jams...welcome to Jakarta

No shit eh?

Bayern Munchen are upset and think the G 14 is full of selfish clubs and they are thinking of withdrawing.

Well that's football for you today and it's getting worse. Abramovich just showcases the worst of the greed and arrogance that pervades the game, my feelings about Arsenal are made frequently enough on here.

Even Blatter is putting his oar in bemoaning the fact that big clubs monopolise the trophies and players who spend most of their time on the bench.

'Big time' football sucks these days...

Same old same old. A spinelss, gutless performance at Bolton who every year look forward to bullying the Arsenal into submission and collecting 3 points just by acting tough.

We have to get tough. It doesn’t matter Bolton aren’t a good football team, we struggle every year and every year we chug out the same excuses and it’s embarrassing. Stop whining to the ref or the media, mix it with them. We may be the best team to see in England but you need to earn the right to play. Walcott was a surprise starter, surely we’d be better off with Baptisita out there unsettling the Bolton defence.

Sorry, I don’t accept the argument we missed Henry. All too often he goes missing in these games and we lose when he plays. Henry is not the issue. The issue is getting stuck in. the issue is mixing fire with fire. Arsene Wenger is undoubtedly a shrew manager but there are times he seems blind to obvious truths.

And as for Adebayor…saying he works hard is a metaphor for saying he ain’t good enough

I'm English. For us it's as normal as pigeons shitting on a new shirt. we put aside, temporarily, our narrow club loyalties and join everyone backing the national team. In our min and media and based upon nothing but blinkered bloodymindedness, we try to convince ourselves we're better than we really are. We're shit of courseour displays when it counts show what we really knew, deep, deep, down. We come to our senses and blame the manager.

Things aren't much different here. After a creditable runners up spot in the Meredeka Cup hopes were high Indonesia would put up a good show in Vietnam in the BV Cup. Three games later and everyone is firmly back on earth. No goals scored, 8 against, it's time to blame the manager, Peter Withe. But while the forign coach is roundly blamed and jeered it is to the foreign players that Indonesian football fans look for help. Recently amended citizenship laws make it easier for imported players to wear the red and white and everyone is hoping Kediri's prolific striker Christian Gonzales is one of the first.

I found on the web that Manly United were talking about coming over but I've had no news of that locally so assuming they're gonna spend the time necking cold beers in the Steyne this is the line up:

6 December Jakarta vs Bulleen 16.00
7 December Kediri vs Sydney United 15.30
9 December Bulleen Zebras vs Semarang 15.30
Medan vs Kediri 18.00
11 December Sydney United vs Medan 15.30
Semarang vs Jakarta 18.00
13 December Semifinal I 15.30
Semifinal II 18.00
15 December Final 16.30

eh???

Manly spread wings into Asia, but feet stay on ground
14Nov06
THERE has been a fair bit of hype and excitement surrounding Manly United's invitation to take part in the prestigious Bang Yos Gold Cup in Jakarta next month.
It's a fantastic opportunity for the peninsula club to spread its wings into Asia and for the players to further their experience - and careers.
But with the start of pre-season this week, I have stressed the importance of not losing sight of what is most important - the 2007 NSW Premier League.
That is our bread and butter and without wanting to be a party-pooper, the trip to Indonesia will be used as part of our preparation - rather than the reason for our preparation.
Of course we will be going there to do well and we'll be working hard on our fitness levels over the next few weeks. We want to be as professional as possible.
We'll be up against full-time professional players the calibre of former Argentine World Cup start Oriel Ortega, who plays for host club Persija Jakarta.
They made the finals of the S-League last season and the semi-final of the League Cup - no mugs I'm sure you'll agree!
The four Asian teams have been locked in live-in training camps for the past 10 days in preparation for the Bang Yos Gold Cup so I'm expecting their fitness levels to be more advanced than ours.
Our physical presence, organisation and ability at set-pieces will be crucial if we are to advance past the group stage.
The good news is we'll be heading to Jakarta with only the pressure we put on ourselves hanging over us.
The 12,000-seat Lebak Bulus Stadium apparently holds between 15,000 and 25,000 at this tournament and a couple of photos on various websites seems to verify this.
I'm no mathematician but those figures seem to suggest a very crowded football venue - the trees must have strong branches!
That ensures we are in for a hostile atmosphere on game day but it will prove an invaluable building block towards next season.
Nothing galvanises footballers like a tour of this magnitude and this tournament is perfectly placed in our pre-season program.
Together with our head of strength and conditioning Aron Murphy we have devised a program which will ensure we are competitive in Jakarta while also allowing the players to freshen up ahead of the season kick-off on February 25.
The good news is that the players all came back in good shape last Sunday after an extended 20-week off-season so ball-work can start sooner rather than later.
We are also exploring several methods of acclimatising the players to what they can expect in hot and humid Jakarta.
It's a fantastic opportunity and we intend taking it with both hands.

First it was Roy Keane and his famous quote about the prawn sandwich brigade at Old Trafford impacting the atmosphere. More recently Jose Mourinho has had a whinge about the vocal support down the King’s Road and now Thierry Henry has added his twopennyworth.

Anyone who knows anything about football, sorry I’m not talking about the TV pundits here, will agree with Keano, the Special One and TH14. The atmosphere that once made our football so special is being watered down as those who run the game seek to forever sanitize our game and repackage it to a new breed of fan attracted by fine dining and comfy seats. Last Saturday against Liverpool there were many empty seats in the closing minutes as the new breed fan, gorged on bagels, headed for home before the rabble so much so any latecomers flicking through the channels would never believe some 60,000 fans had moments earlier been watching the game.

Football sold its soul years back. It eagerly accepted all seater stadia, SKY TV and ‘alternative revenue streams’ as it saw an opportunity to replace the working class, loyal but prone to misbehave working class support with a more discerning type who wanted more comfort, warmer pies and theatre type seating.

Perhaps instead of complaining to the fans about the atmosphere in the stadium Henry should have a word with the board, the people who proudly boast that the cheapest seat at Highbury is 35 bloody quid. Proposals have been put to the club by fans about how to improve the atmosphere but the club don’t give a monkeys scrotum. They have binned all sensible suggestions including eminently sensible suggestions like having open seating behind the goals or special enclosures where like minded souls can try and get behind the team without some Tarquin telling them to sit down and shut up.

But the club aren’t serious. They don’t want open areas behind the goals because they are premium sites highly sought after by season ticket holders who pay huge sums up front. They won’t allow flags in the stadium citing safety regulations but just watch a German match on TV. They have terracing, they have flags. They don’t even muck the fixture list round too much. They recognize the importance of football being at its heart a simple game that grew popular on the back of a working class support.

No, Mr Henry, don’t blame the fans. The new breed want this. Blame the club. This is what they want. They have priced most of the very fans who make an atmosphere out of the game. Those left are being stifled by regulations, stewards and apathy around them. Thierry, your love for Arsenal seems apparent to all and it’s shared by many who no longer go to the ground. But if you loved the Highbury of recent years then you would go ape over the Highbury me and many others grew up with. Talk to Charlie George and Liam Brady. Ask them what the North bank was like when it was all terracing. Ask Bob Wilson about the night we won the Fairs Cup in 1970. Ask Peter Shilton about the good natured abuse he got about Tina. Ask Jimmy Rimmer about the reception he got from the North Bank whenever he returned to Highbury. And ask the board why they don’t want anything like that again…

One of the few players we have looked at on this site, the Liberian seems to have been traumatized by his stint at Jakarta that after moving to Sriwijaya Palembang he is now rumoured to be on his way to Medan. Possibly to team up with Christopher Wreh?

In this close season the West Java based club are taking on the mantle of the Tottenham of Indonesian football. Just look at some of the players they ‘wanna’ sign:

Bambang Pamungkas
Akmed Amiruddin
Elie Aiboy
Samsidar
Syamsul Chaeruddin

I’ve just uploaded me having a kick around in the local park and will send the link to the Pelita coaching staff.

Wish me luck eh?

Arsenal may have signed Emmanuel Adebayor but now another couple of Togo’s party have signed for a big overseas club. Ali Kaddafi and Tomo Teh Marco have signed for Makassar for heaps of cash. Don’t fet too excited thoiugh. Rumours of Togo’s arrival as a major force in world football maybe a little premature following their 0-0 draw with Luxemburg.

Arsenal may have signed Emmanuel Adebayor but now another couple of Togo’s party have signed for a big overseas club. Ali Kaddafi and Tomo Teh Marco have signed for Makassar for heaps of cash. Don’t fet too excited thoiugh. Rumours of Togo’s arrival as a major force in world football maybe a little premature following their 0-0 draw with Luxemburg.

The Indonesians started their quest for glory in Ho Chi Minh with a 2-0 reverse against a young Cameroon side. So young in fact Roger Milla wasn't in there squad...next up, Vietnam on Friday

Goalkeeper:
Hendro Kartiko (Persija), Jendri Pitoy (Persipura), Samsidar (PSM)
Defender:
M.Ridwan and Maman Abdurrahman (PSIS), Supardi (PSMS), Firmansyah (Persikota), Ledi Utomo (Persita), Ricardo Salampessy (Persipura), Bayu Suta (Persema), Erol Iba (Arema)
Midfield :
Harianto, Jefri Dwi Hadi, and Budi Sudarsono (Persik), Ellie Aiboy (former Selangor FC), Ponaryo Astaman (Arema Malang) , Syamsul Chaeruddin (PSM), Eka Ramdani (Persib), Atep (Persija), Mahyadi Panggabean (PSMS)
Forward:
Saktiawan Sinaga dan Boy Jati Asmara (PSMS), Zaenal Arief (Persib), Ahmad Amiruddin (PSM)

Syamsir is a young Indonesian lad trying his luck in Holland.

He recently trialled with Vitesse Arnhem and while unsuccessful there he is now having a go at Heerenveen, a lub with an inordinate number of 'e's in its name.

We wish him luck in his efforts. Of course it goes without saying the knock effect a successful Indonesian talent in Europe would have on the local scene.

After beating the Singapore team the other day 2-1 at the Jalan Besar Stadium, Indonesia are now in Vietnam for the oddly named B.V Cup. Tomorrow they play Cameroon and it's live in Indonesia at 2.30

England are also playing Holland. Guess which game I'll be watching...

Typical eh? There I go waffling on about Adebayor, saying he’s pony with his head, he’s not a 20 goal a season player, we need to look elsewhere for our goals and what does he do but jump up and get the winner, with his head, last night at Goodison and propel us into the next round of the Carling Cup.

Coming next…Henry is shit and should be banished to the reserves for a couple of months…

6 teams in 2 groups will compete for this pre season tournament and like last year there is an international flavour to the tournament.

Alongside hosts Jakarta are Semarang, current League Champions Kediri and Medan. The international touch comes from a couple of Australian second tier clubs. As mentioned Sydney United will be in town as will Bulleen Zebras who I guess come from Melbourne and wear black and white stripes a la Notts County! (Thought so, I’ve just been on the web and in a former existence they were known as Brunswick Juventus who I saw play in the old NSL.)

It’s about time we had some local football back on the agenda. Last night’s shock victory by Southend United over Manchester United aside, the English stuff is terribly same old, same old…

The spotlight has certainly been on Arsenal’s potency or otherwise in front of goal over the last few days so maybe it’s worth looking at what we have and what we can reasonably expect from them.

Forget Henry, he’s a shoe in. I just wish he wasn’t captain. But what about his partners? It seems Arsene’s first choice is Emmanuel Adabayor. Like many other Gooners I’m not completely sold on him yet. Ungainly on the ground, unimpressive in the air for a big man it’s difficult to see just what he brings to the team other than ‘someone who can hold the ball up.’ The bottom line is he’s a forward and till now I’m not convinced he’s going to deliver 20 + goals a season. Of course he did only arrive in January and has had injury issues but Wenger rated him enough to pretty much put him straight in the first team.

Robin van Persie is undoubtedly an exciting talent but for me likes to drop deep too much which puts him in Henry territory. He has a refreshing directness about him which has fans on the edge of their seats and is unafraid to have a pop from 30 yards. Can he play with Henry?

Theo Walcott is still in nappies and I think he will be given little more than cameos for a few more months as he gets used to being at Arsenal and being able to drive by himself.

Jeremie Aliadiere is a French midget with more hospital appearances than first team appearances. He looks like he could be more of a poacher than the other names we have mentioned and could possibly dovetail better with any of them but will he ever be given a lengthy run out?

Lupoli and Bendtner are out on loan and get good reviews in the old First Division while Anthony Stokes up at Falkirk is the top scorer in the Scottish Premier League with 9 goals including 2 hat tricks in 2 games but lacking a foreign name is probably his biggest hindrance.

Ok, we’re still rebuilding but this is what we have lost in the last couple of years. Wiltord, Kanu, Pires, Bergkamp and Reyes (!). That’s a good 40 goals a season we’ve lost and if you throw in the off colour Ljungberg then we need to find 50 goals a season from someplace and to be honest I don’t see them coming from Adebayor & Co.

Crap doesn’t even begin to describe yesterdays lackluster performance against West Ham at Upton Park. It was the polar opposite of the CSKA and to harp on about the ref missing a deadsure penalty is just to gloss over the inadequacies in our play overall. West Ham’s goal came from football we are unwilling to replicate without Eboue. A strong run to the byeline, pull back and someone attacking the ball at speed. This movement is difficult to defend against because the defenders’ momentum is in the opposite direction always giving the attackers the advantage. Instead we play pretty passing trying to thread the ball through a miniscule gap that gets ever smaller as teams realize all they have to do is pack the area in front of the penalty box and we’re stuffed.

Adebayor, despite his goal at Old Trafford is never going to be a 20 goals a season player for us or indeed anyone. Wenger has gone on record as saying he liked Darren Bent and Andy Johnson but while they continue to score goals for fun we struggle. Henry has 6 goals this season, including 2 penalties and 2 headers, a most unHenry-esque return.

Wenger acted like a spoilt brat in his bust up with Pardew. For God’s sake football is about emotion, something the powers that be at the Arsenal are doing their damnedest to price out of the new stadium, and Pardew has had a tough old time recently. To play well against one of the supposed Big 4 and knick 3 points at the death; well I think he’s entitled to celebrate. AW represents the Arsenal and not Chelsea, he should be man enough to rise above the bait.

It was interesting to see Fabregas start bullying Sheringham at the end of the game and have Harewood pull him this way and that. Interesting because the young Spaniard had been invisible all game, finally he lets himself gets goaded by the oldest geezer in the League, someone whose hatred of the Arsenal is well known.

I said after the Reading game that cruising against teams like Sheffield United, Watford and Reading aren’t the challenge and the last two games have seen us conjure up one goal, a free kick, and one point. I can’t see us going to Bolton and winning 4-0 like the Mancs, can you?

If I was a manager, and I had an array of forwards including Henry, van Persie, Walcott, Aliadiere with players like Rosicky and Fabregas pushing on then I wouldn’t worry about the blank against CSKA last night. On another night and the 20 year old Russian keeper would have had serious back ache.

The problem is when you’re not creating chances. No team in Europe would have fancied playing Arsenal last night, they could not rely on so many glaring chances passing the wrong side of the post. It’s something you can’t legislate for. The first 45 minutes for example was as good a piece of attacking football you’re ever gonna see and we can throw 1970 Brazil and 1973 Ajax into the mix.

The time to worry is when you’re not creating chances every 5 minutes. When you ponse about with the ball playing neat triangles inside your own half for most of the game and unsurprisingly get beat 1-0. It’s when the opposition keeper orders a Bovril from a bellboy. No, it’s when he nips out for his own, that’s when you worry.

I’d love to have been a fly in the wall of the CSKA dressing room after the match last night. They’d been well and truly battered yet nicked a point. They’d been torn this way and that by the liquid movement of the exciting young Arsenal team yet the record books will show honours were shared. What’s Russian for relieved? Flabbergasted?

I remember back in the early 80’s we were torn apart by Spartak Moscow at Highbury after getting a credible 2-3 reverse over there. I had gone to Highbury reasonably confident we’d do enough to get a result but I, like the rest of the 28,000 there that night was gobsmacked as our Russkie visitors danced rings round us and despite us losing 5-2 no one there begrudged them the standing ovation after the game.

Of course though it’s not the first time we’ve done all the fancy stuff but failed to finish teams off but what could you do different. Shoot more from outside the box? Use the wings more? Without Eboue we seem reluctant to go that way. Perhaps Walcott could be encouraged to get to the bye line more but it’s not something AW seems over keen on.

One thing we have not seen so much of is Henry being released by an incisive through ball splitting the defence, Henry racing down on goal, one touch, two and it’s in the net, Henry almost casually lifting the ball over the keeper as he goes down. Before he’s had Pires and Bergkamp doing that with their eyes closed, now we have Rosicky and Fabregas doing the threading and it’s taking a bit of time but I’m sure it will come.

The only thing I would like to see added to the Arsenal arsenal is a more potent threat at corners. Stick someone on the near post for the flick on, with Gallas and Toure lurking in the box it would give us another outlet but Arsene doesn’t seem interested. Our corners are about as dangerous as a fangless pit viper; how often do you see us challenging for a second ball? All too often the ball sails out of play and Toure and co jog back to their own half in time for the restart.

Someone is due a hiding soon…