Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Snaps

If you're interested in pictures taken during the game, check out the following sites;

Hairol - http://www.withaku.com/

Dedy - http://www.drmphotography.blogspot.com


Photo above courtesy of Hairol

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

What a Game!

The battle of the generations began not on the pitch but in the hallways of Head Office, the smoking corners, the canteen and on the golf course. This was always going to be about men who had been there before, won the wars, and have taken their rightful place in the football club and the pretenders, the new kids on the block, who feel that it is time now for their place in history and for them to be writing the chapters and calling the shots.

This was always going to be not just about a football match, and goals scored, there was more to it than just that. If only life were that simple! This was about bragging rights and the privilege of walking the halls with your head up high and a smirk on your face. And what a game it turned out to be!

The Gen X-er's signalled their intent, by not only turning up en-masse before kick-off, they had specifically chosen their battle-colours and were driven to prove that it was going to be a red massacre. The Gen Y-er's took abit more of a laid back approach, turning up in trickles and even then not looking like they were in any rush to get anywhere, typical of the traits you would come to associate with the Digital Generation.

All the friendly banter and jokes were dropped though, the moment the referee signalled for the kick-off. As in all great football matches, it was blue versus red, men verus boys, kings versus the pretenders. And you could sense the heightened tension building up around the BSRC grounds. This was not going to be friendly at all.

The X-er's kicked us off, and the action immediately got underway. They had a strong midfield presence with anchorman Samsul pulling the strings in the middle of the park ably assisted by some more creative players around him, and they held on to the ball for what seemed like hours. They made the boys run for their lives and didn't give away anything. Upfront Pachie & Rahim seemed hungry for space and really exploited the Y's defensive naivety with quick passing, and that understanding you can only develop after playing with each other for awhile. Infact, it had always looked like X would draw first blood.

They had several missed opportunities in the early minutes, though none really troubling the Y keeper who was a stand in last minute replacement. This was perhaps a quick sneak peek at what was to come. Complete domination of possession but an inability to finish off the goods when it mattered.

The Y's however looked dangerous on the counter attack and were ready at an instant to pounce on any loose balls with vigour and pace that only come with youth. We had speedy boys upfront, and they were keen to run the X defense ragged. This really added to the pace at which the game was played in the first half. Very quick passing and movement, and really no chance for both sides to stop and take a breather.

An so the first goal of the game came, after some good hustling from Khairulizan and Jame in the middle of the park, which led to a quick one-two passing counter attack. Zai who had so far been industrious with his running, put in the perfect weighted pass from centre for lanky striker Mizi to run on to, and he wasn't going to miss from another one-two with keeper Fakhrul, after having several chances previously to put the boys in the lead. His carefully slotted shot went under the keeper and into the back of the net! It was a dream start for the young pretenders, and who better to open the scoring than one of the youngest on the pitch.

So it went till the end of the first half. Tackles flew in from all over the place, and the referee was definitely kept busy throughout the opening 45 minutes.

The second half looked more promising for the X-er's as they were now attacking the better half of the pitch, after the torrent downpour from the night's previously. The team's line-up had changed considerably over the period of the game, and it was an opportunity not to be missed to throw on all the new legs who had been patiently waiting on the benches for a piece of the action.

There was more defensive stability in the X defense this time round, with the introduction of Hailmey Alonso, Saiful Bulan and Hammry - big guys who would be able to boss the smaller boys with their body size and weight.

Hazman and Aizul were a combination from days past upfront for X, and they were looking like they had not stopped playing together at all. If it weren't for some good defending from Y captain of the day, Azlan, there definitely would've been some goals added to the scoreline.

So it stayed at one nil, until Danan popped up out of nowhere and his quick one two with Hammry broke the offside trap and caught both Azlan and Renny flat footed, and his was a simple toe poke home, and suddenly X felt that this was theirs for the taking.

Aizul in particular had a chance to latch on to a cross, after Renny had missed the defensive clearance altogether, but could only watch his glancing header go just wide off the upright frustratingly.

Khairulizan however put in an outstanding performance in midfield, orchestrating Y's plays with quick turns and fancy footwork and he was able to hold together the guys for huge periods where there was some unrelentless pressure on goal from the old boys. The last ten minutes where it went right down to the wire was as tense as any finals could be. The guys on the bench cheering their guys on the pitch on, and it really looked like it could be anybody's game as the minutes wore out. Both sides had plenty of controversy, first Azlan's supposed hand ball in the area was waved off by the referee despite protests from the X front line.

This was followed by Fakhrul's yellow for dissent as he was protesting the ref's call after not calling the offside trap and allowing Azhar to slip past and on to a one to one which fortunately for the X's didn't result in the ball in the back of the net.

Most DRM games have moments that are worth recalling and this game had it's fair share too. Saiful Goku who made his first DRM appearance in decades turned up and will instantly be remembered for that air-kick in the middle of the park, though much credit to him for being able to recover from that by not losing possession of the ball. Saiful Bulan lived up to his bruiser reputation and he was brushing off the boys all evening from his stride like as if they were flies. And there were several comical errors from both sides that should be best left unmentioned!

The controversy didn't end there, as it turned out that at the final whistle, there were actually 12 X players on the pitch, and apparently for the whole 2nd half which would explain alot! But the final score line was a just outcome for a game where everyone gave it their all and played with the most sportsman like of conduct. A rematch awaits!

DRM Gen X v DRM Gen Y Match Report

Team Line Up

Generation X

First 11 : Fakhrul, G Khai, Haidi, Julberg, Zul, Samsul, Pg Shamhary (c), Arch, Romeo, Pachie, Rahim

Subs : Yusriman, Hammry, Hailmey, Saiful Bulan, Vince, Hazman, Aizul, Saiful Goku, Saiful R, Ivan, Ahadnan, Dedy

Generation Y

First 11: Keeper 1, Renny, Aris, Javier, Wen Ren, Jami, Khai TSW, Amir S, Zai, Mizi, Zaiem

Subs : Ching, Aidil, Izzul, Hafiz, Rizal, Azlan (c), Arie, Azhar, Ady Fadli

Did Not Play : Fadle, Hairol, Amir Z, Pg Zul, Alex

Match Statistics

HT Score : 0 - 1
FT Score : 1 - 1

Yellow Card : Fakhrul

Scorers : Mizi (Y), Ahadnan (X)
Assists : Zai (Y), Hammry (X)

MOTM : Khai TSW (Y), Samsul (X)
Cuci Baju : Pg Shamhary, Renny

Thursday, June 14, 2007

DRM Gen X - DRM Gen Y Showdown

Lets end this trash talk once and for all gents!

Our next scheduled game will be a war of the generations. I'm proposing for Tuesday's friendly to be played between the generation divide. Here's how this will work;

If you were born before 1st January 1980, then you will be on the Generation X team.

If you were born on or after 1st January 1980, then you're with me on the Generation Y team.

It's as simple as that, its a showdown between Generation MTV against the Digital Generation.

Venue : BSRC
Date : Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Kick Off : 5pm

Leave your walking sticks and reading glasses at home :p

DRM Charts - June 2007



Here's the latest DRM Goals & Assists charts just to spice things up a little bit before our big showdown.

Note : I have deliberately taken out 2 DRM v Menang FC games from the statistics as the last two really didn't count as proper friendly matches!

Our Biggest Turn Up Ever!

We had 29 players turn up for yesterday's match, which most will agree is a new DRM record and what a game it turned out to be! We definitely had a headache trying to figure out how to make sure everyone had a fair chance of running out for the team, and there was definitely alot of sweaty jersey's being passed around, but it's a problem i'd love to have every game, thank you very much. Alot has been said about the team spirit in DRM FC, and i'd like to think yesterday proved just that. I always find DRM games a good place to catch up with people you might not necessarily have time to meet during the day, and to also meet new friends, and we had that in abundance yesterday.

I'd also like to welcome those new to the DRM family, and what a selection of internationals we now have.

Pedro & Javier from Venezuela : Hope yesterday's crash course in Malay will help you go along way with settling down in Brunei.

Pak Ari from Indonesia : He very nearly made a scoring debut on several occassions, and he looks like he will be a useful addition to the squad.

Ady Fadhli : Played well in midfield despite being in unfamiliar surroundings. Keep turning up for games mate.

We started the game fielding some very experienced DRM old-boys courtesy of Agent 81 and the first half line up defintely had a good mix of creativity, flair as well as composure. The midfield trio of Romeo, Dilah and Samsul dominated the centre of the park with their good link up play and support that it provided plenty of space upfront for our attack minded players to exploit. And exploit we did, Pachie who is consistently showing what a threat he is upfront with his tireless running and turns, provided a good foil for the more direct and powerful Haidi and they had several chances early on in the game to take first honours. Infact, a through ball from the left flanks supported by Dilah put Pachie through on goal and his goal bound shot would've found the back of the net had it not been for an unfortunate deflection from of all people, Haidi himself!

The goal eventually came when Pachie's determination to get on the scoresheet paid off, as he calmly jinked past three defenders and slotted in from the left flank in an Henry-esque move.
1-0 to DRM and we were flying high. ITB did look like they were capable of levelling the scores however, and had it not been for the astute defending from regular centre back Fakhrul and new boy Javier, we would definitely have had our goal breached. Meanwhile we continued to plug away at the ITB defense and eventually the second goal did come, this time after Pg Zul who was in marauding form, put through Zul on goal, and he did not dissapoint from inside the penalty area. 2-0 to DRM and we looked unstoppable. We had several more chances to put the game away before the end of the half, with Amir S who had come on for the hard working Romeo giving the Bandar guys a hard time, but he still has not been able to put his Liverpool CL Final hoodoo behind him.

The second half started with DRM leading by just the one goal as ITB were eventually able to open their scoring account late in the first. It was an entirely new team that kicked off in the second half, but an equally experienced line up. We were particularly strong on the flanks as Arch and Amir D on either side looked to build on the 1st half showing with quick mazy runs and pint point crossing. Hammry dominated the back line with his powerful presence and it was only when he left the field that ITB managed to put several more goals on the score-sheet. A quick flurry of substitutions from the DRM bench put new faces on the field and we were impressed with the detemination showed by the new boys. Perhaps our only undoing was just that, a little bit of disorganised chaos towards the end, and we were left pretty much exposed at the back during the counter-attacks. I have to mention the performances of the keeper in goal though, as he performed some near impossible acrobatic saves to thwart the ITB melees, headed by the B-League striker from Kasuka FC. The final scoreline didn't do justice to the way the second half was played though i have to say. We had several chances at 3 - 2 down to equalise, a few falling to new boy Pak Ari and mostly coming from the nasty pin point Amir D crosses, who playedhis first game since becoming a father.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

DRM v ITB Match Report

Team Line Up

First 11 : Keeper, Pg Zul, Fakhrul, Javier, Dilah, Romeo, Samsul, G Khai, Zul, Pachie, Haidi

Subs Used : Renny, Hammry, Amir S, Ahadnan, Pedro, Pak Ari, Rizal, Zai, Wen Ren, Aidil, Julberg, Amir D, Arch, Rahim, Adi Tabang, Aizul, Ady BLNG, Saiful R

Did Not Play : Fadle, Norshah

Match Statistics

HT Score : 2 - 1
FT Score : 2 - 4

Scorers : Pachie, Zul
Assists : Pg Zul

MOTM : Agent 81
Cuci Baju : Norshah

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

ITB Friendly Confirmed!

Gents,

Our match tommorow (wednesday) against the boys from ITB is definitely on! Kick-off is 5.00pm!

Thursday, June 07, 2007

DRM Sydney wins MSO Futsal Tourney


This report was taken off the DRM Sydney page... sorry for the delay but better late than never. Well done boys ... you did the DRM flag proud! :)

"Assalamualaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh. Saya Dk Waznah Pg Hj Ali. Berita-berita utama... Pasukan Negara Brunei Darussalam, DRM Sydney yang diwakili oleh Fadhli Saedon, Majdi Jasni, Asqa Abdullah, Sulhi Yahya, Faiq Zaini, Ak Yazid Pg Yasmin, Hafiz Talip dan Yamin Hashim malam ini telah berjaya memboloskan diri ke tempat teratas. Bagai Man U meraikan kemenangan mereka dalam EPL...begitu juga dengan pasukan kitani DRM Sydney yang tak kurang kehebatannya."

This is how events unfolded earlier this evening...

DRM Syd supporters literally held their breath when Yazid successfully dodged and saved the ball by opponent, Black Balls in the 2nd minute after a 5.12pm kick-off. The game just came to life...

This was apparent when Black Ball's goalie had no chance against Fadhli's opening goal (sound familiar?) in the 4th minute. Twenty seconds later, the opposition broke through our defence and scored. In the 3rd and a half minute, Asqa would have scored the perfect header but he was not going to give up because he slipped the ball past the goalkeeper a minute and a half later.

Chances scoring a goal twice from corner kicks slipped through but a sweet goal by Hafiz in the 11th minute brought the score to 3-2. With a minute and a half left before the half-time whistle, the opponents stepped up their game and scored their second goal the beginning of the 15th minute.

At half-time, the score was 3-2 to DRMSyd.

Whatever Sulhi said to his fellow teammates during half-time certainly worked because Sulhi scored a 4th one for DRM, aided by Fadhli just minutes into the second half. The opposition kicked back by scoring 2 minutes later. In the 22nd minute, Faiq made a comeback to try and improve DRM Syd's game. The crowd went wild when our super-goalie,Yazid made a great reaction save - anything to not bring the game to a tie.

It was too good to be true. Black Balls brought the game to a tie when they scored a goal in the 24th minute. The score became 4-all.

With six minutes left in the game, it was hell hath no fury. Tempers of players heightened regarding some of the referee's decisions; so were the levels of testosterone. The cheers of supporters increased in volume. Huff and puff, DRM Syd would fight.

Our man of the match, our very own, wearing Alain Delon shorts today, Fadhli brought the house down when he broke the tie seconds before the end of the game. We won! We won!

It could be said that victory was written in the lines of destiny for DRM Sydney this evening. Veni, Vidi, Vici - We came, we sought, we conquered. In memory of their 5-win streak and sweet victory tonight, each were awarded a medal by MSO's Sports Representative.

DRM v Vissel Kobe FC Match Summary

It was a tough match, Vissel Kobe had 11 subs, we didn't have enough to make up a team in the 1st half. We had most of the possession, they did most of the scoring :S

We played better in the 2nd half with a full DRM team, though we had more chances to score we just weren't able to put the ball in the back of the net, until Aidil popped up with a solo run and went past the keeper. The guys who turned up still had fun nonetheless and that's the most important thing!

The team showed alot of fight and we didn't let our heads drop despite the big half time deficit and that's alot more character than any other team can say for themselves.

Highlight of the game : All the hot ladies running around the Mumong track. Reason why we let through so many goals? ;[

We also now know why Saiful Goku likes running there too!

DRM v Vissel Kobe FC Match Report

Team Line Up

Starting Line Up : Renny, Vince, Aidil, Import 1, Wen Ren, Import 2, Ahadnan, Pg Shamhary, Julberg, Haidi, Arch

Subs Used : Rahimin, Aizul, Hammry, Amir S

Did not Play : Saiful Goku

Match Statistics

HT Score : 0 - 7
FT Score : 1 - 9

Scorers : Aidil
Assists : Amir S

MOTM : Rahimin
Cuci Baju : Julberg

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

DRM Squad 2007-2008


DRM v CP-7, 30 May 2007
Standing (L-R) : Pg Zul, Pg Shamhary, Mike, Zul, Pachie, Fadle, Saiful Bulan, Kamal, Romeo, Daus, Rahimin, Julberg, Hammry, Renny
Front Row (L-R) : Fadil TSW, Limin, Pg Ahmad, Saiful R, Aidil, Aizul, Amir S, Rahim, Samsul, Yusra

Shadow : Pg Azmi (The photographer!)

Thank You Pg Azmi for agreeing to drop by to take the squad photo! Hope to see you on the pitch real soon dude! :)

DRM v CP-7 Match Report

Team Line Up

Starting Line Up : Yusra, Zul, Pg Zul, Daus (First start & appearance for the year!!!), Pg Ahmad, Romeo, Pachie, Samsul, Pg Shahmhary, Fadle, Julberg

Subs Used : Pg Ahmad, Renny, Amir S, Aidil, Rahimin, Aizul, Kamal, Saiful Bulan, Limin, Hammry, Fadil TSW, Saiful R

Played for CP-7 : Mike, Ahadnan, Rahim

Match Statistics

HT Score : 2 - 2
FT Score : 2 - 4

Scorers : Own Goal, Pachie
Assists : Romeo, Samsul

MOTM : Pachie
Cuci Baju : Renny