The Elusive Goal

Silently, he trotted onto the pitch. Lost in his own world, perhaps wondering if his scoring drought would end, some ninety minutes later. Yet, his expressions did not betray his thoughts, as he joined his teammates in the warmup. As he went through the motion, he analysed his comrades who have just arrived. Allowing his mind to once again drift away, he thought, “Would anyone of them feed me a through ball to end my scoring drought?” With a shake of his head, he dismissed the thought. “Stay focus” he told himself.

Snapped out of his own world with a shout from the manager, it was time for the prep talk before the kick-off. He was not featured in previous match where they lost 5-3. Was his manager expecting him to deliver the goods? No one knows. But there was no time left to check. The time has come.

Assertively, he assumed his position on the right. More often than not, latching onto through balls that came his way. It wasn’t long before a corner was conceded. Floating the ball across, his team went one goal up. “If I can create, my scoring touch will returns,” he thought to himself. Confidence returned with each stride he took, as he continued to perform to his best.

Yet with each passing minute, his patience wore thin. And despite the bravery of his goalkeeper, the score was 2-1 during the break. The opposition changed their lineup, fielding those who were younger and fitter. Among them was Ivan Kuah, nephew of the legendary Kuah Kim Song, who played in the national team together with his brothers. “It’s in their blood,” said his teammates.

Reshuffling the entire formation, his manager placed him in the striker’s position. The clocked ticked away. The opposition was soon levelled. With that, the pressure on him to deliver piled on. Dissatisfaction showed as his facial expressions betrayed him. Still, he pressed on, searching for the elusive goal. But with two defenders marking Ivan, the distribution of the ball was severely disrupted. And the opponents took the lead, for the first time in the game.

Soon, all that were left were long balls that were pumped forward. “They are not feeding me the right way!” he thought in frustration. He was substituted with about ten minutes remaining. Quietly disappointed with his own game, he sportingly applauded at the final whistle. The score read 4-2.

Silently, he trotted off the pitch. Perhaps the next game, he thought to himself, as he continued his search for the elusive goal.

Worm Song

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me
Think gonna eat some worms
Fat ones, slimy ones, long ones , juicy ones
Eat some worms today
Bite their heads off, suck their guts out
Watch them squiggle and squirm
Nobody likes me, everybody hates me
Eat some worms today!!

The unsung hero

Close your eyes, and paint this picture in your head. Without “him”, there would be no World Cups, no European Championships, no Champions League, no UEFA Cup, no English Premier League, no Beckhams, no Owens, no Rivaldos, no Ronaldos…

The Brazilians caress “him” while the English wallop “him. “He” would not utter a word of complain when kicked. “He” often became the target of complains from goalkeepers, should he lose weight, though strikers would prefer “him” to be light. One would find “him” anywhere, though he might look different, depending on “his” geographical location. Evolution saw “him” changed his dressing from leather to rubber and now synthetic polymer, and thus from brown, tanned, orange, white, silver and yellow. Despite the changes, his role remains unchanged. So important is “he”, that he indirectly caused the death of Andre Escobar in the 1994 World Cup.

You should have guessed it. No? It’s the ball! More specific, the FOOTBALL!

Yet, one seldom heard people talking about it! One the other hand, once they start, they cannot stop. A very good incident would be the infamous “goal” in Old Trafford when Spurs visited recently. “Did it cross the line?” “Why didn’t the linesman see it?”

Ball pickers can get too excited when duty calls. During one of the weekday matches this week, one of them actually went onto the pitch to pick up the ball before it goes out of touch. And the referee had to restart from there!

Among the few who have appreciated its existence, is Brian Clough. “This is what you play with. Go and get it!” would be his prep talk, ten minutes before the kick-off.

So perhaps next time, before your start kicking THE ball, think of all the joy “he” had brought to you, bring to you and will be bringing to you.