No match this saturday (2 Oct) *EDITED*

Hi guys,

due to poor response (again), there won't be any match this coming saturday.

But i will organise one the following saturday on 9 oct. Pls start to indicate your attendance for the match asap.

and also do the survey that was sent to your email. Remember to check and reply to it or you will be subjected to disciplinary action in the form of sadomasochistic punishment (although some of you may actually enjoy it).

clement

New note: I just received news that our league will be starting next saturday on the 9 oct! Fixture list will be up by midweek. Do check it and keep informed.

Availability for 1st 2 weeks of October

Please indicate your availability for us to predict squad strength for 1st 2 weeks of October. An email is already sent to everyone's account. Thanks.


Click here! to take the survey if you haven't received the email, and please update the central database accordingly if your email is not correct.

No match

No match this week due to poor response. Please stay tuned for further updates.

Back to Action?

Dear team,

The 1 week break has passed. Is the team ready to return to action this weekend? I will need at least 14 positive responses by Tuesday morning 9.30am before Clement gets the go-ahead to get an opponent and then the match invites should come to you by Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning, so please spread the message around your teammates. As you see, the decision will be a collective one, not by me or Clement alone.

Regarding attendance, I also understand some players prefer to communicate on a week-by-week basis due to your unconfirmed schedule, so I suggest it's time to do scheduling on a weekly if not monthly basis for your affairs. Proper time management is a very useful lifeskill that makes your work/play life more organised and it seems to always give you "25 hours" in a day instead of the usual 24.

Also if you consider from the organisers' perspective, they have to ensure that they have enough players before going ahead or else there's no point arranging a match as previously mentioned. It's not possible to take for granted that the every player show up in every match but if you are one of the few with an average turnup rate of 95%, . If not, I hope players will communicate their commitment for the month if not at least 2 weeks to allow us time and space to predict squad strength and plan for contingencies.

I wanted to inform everyone that this is how serious the organisers take their job, and I appreciate Clement's mature handling of the team affairs for the past few years. So to show continued support for him, I seek everyone's cooperation in future attendance issues. For the time being, please communicate your preference for this weekend.

Thanks.

1 Week Break.

As promised, the team will go for a break next week. Clement or myself will not organise any match next weekend so that we have to find and persuade guest players to come in. The main purpose is to organise pre-season training matches for only Mavericks, to re-gel the team and work on our weaknesses.

Many have said their piece over the last few days. It's good to hear players speaking up rather than keep all of their unhappiness to themselves. I believe in a team's collective effort. Those who turned up definitely were affected by the absence of more than half the whole squad. (at least 15 players were out this weekend) So it's not really any individual's responsibility for our failure or whatsoever. The soccer ball is round. Anyone can win the game. Do not expect us to come back in division 2 so easily by using words only.

If you want to win, prove it by your legs but you can't do it alone. You will need the help of your teammates. All of us has a part to play. But how badly do you want to win? And how much do you want to be involved in our team's next campaign? Those of you who still think you share the same thoughts as myself and the rest of the team, I'll see you guys on the pitch.


p.s. No player is expected to turn up for matches carrying an injury. But today, Jiun Wei played the whole match with a bad corn. Part of his decision to play is due to our lack of players. Really appreciate his self-sacrifice and commitment but I don't want to risk any player again if possible. For all players, just come regularly for all of our matches and take good care of your body (especially on Fridays), that is all I ask for.

Pre-season Match

Kit: White
Time: 3pm


Pls check your email for more details and to RSVP.


View attendance

How to get there?

Proposed Match @ Marsiling Secondary

Venue: Marsiling Secondary (Astro Turf)
Cost: $100
DATE: 18 Sept 2010
Time: 5pm
Opponents: Reza (the referee)'s team
Kit: TBC

Just a quick check to see if you will show up for a 5pm friendly 2 weeks from now before we decide to accept the invite. This is to save the organisers the trouble of finding replacement players to make up the numbers, which basically defeats the purpose of arranging friendlies during pre-season as part of our preparations for the next campaign.




Click here to vote!

Pre-season Objectives

First of all, thanks a lot to all players who showed dedication to the team by turning up today for the first pre-season game.



Pre-season friendlies should not be taken lightly if we want to come back from an otherwise unsuccessful campaign last season.



Despite the end of the last season, we will not be taking any break unless attendance tells us otherwise. There is no point getting friends and friends to fill up the vacated positions, as it is only a stopgap measure. It happened for a good number of games last season, and look how we struggled to get back our form even after everyone's back. The team should play regularly together since we do not have regular training sessions to begin with.



Even if we are weak in the area, it doesn't give us excuse not to practice more on areas including short passing (possesion style of play) and dead ball situations. It is agreed among the team that we will adopt a possession style with a hard-rock defence to wear opponents down before we do a counter. We have several talented attacking players, but it doesn't mean we don't make use of others who are less spectacular. Dribbling is acceptable but taking on more than 3 is generally not reccomended.



To summarise, I would like everyone to take note of the following areas to work on for the next few weeks.



1. Fitness

2. Passing

3. Set-piece

4. Individual discipline (including RSVP and coming on time)

5. Holding possession (we give away possession too cheaply)

6. Marking (simple 1 man to 1 man rule, e.g. RM to opponent's LB)

7. Match discipline (including and not limited to positional and style of play if designated by tactician)

Pre-Season Prep Game 1: Hooyah FC

Needless to say more on our pre-season requirements. We play hard and work on our fitness and teamwork, including passing.

If you need to change your attendance status after clicking on the wrong button, please sms Chao Xing directly. Details and how to get there are inside the email. If there's anyone who cannot find the email, it's most likely inside your junk folder. Do remember to add notifications@footballopod.com to your safe list. I'll see you on the pitch on Saturday. Please also bring cash for your jerseys as we will be collecting them.


View Attendance


(!) Yet to respond

Chuan Ji (has not confirmed availability for Sat due to FYP)
Leon
Jerome
Wei Leng
Desmond
Randy
Clarence
Aurelius

Jerseys Costs

Every season, we subsidise a part of the jersey cost with the team funds. This year is no exception. Everyone will have their jersey + printing costs subsidised so we will be collecting only $32 per head for a cool nike jersey customised solely for the Outsiders.

We also wish to acknowledge a select group of players for their long time service and contribution to the team. Not only have they have been actively involved in team affairs on and off the pitch, a good number has also shown much leadership qualities in helping to lead the team.

Alex has come up with a much better package for this select group of players as a token of our appreciation. After much discussion, they will get a further $10 subsidy from the funds (Thanks to our "prize money" from last season). These players will therefore only pay $22.

• Alex
• Seng Yew
• Chuan Ji
• Jake
• Jerome
• Clement
• Jiun Wei
• Amir
• Chris
• Chao Xing
• Wei Jie
• Darran
• Faizy
• Khai

Other than attendance, we also considered years of service, initiatives undertaken by the player, leadership positions, whether they are passive or active during team talks, etc.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for a wonderful fightback this season. And let's continue to work hard. I continue to look forward to more people volunteering for leadership roles in time to come. Thanks!