Monday, July 13, 2009

SLIP SLIDING AWAY


Slip sliding away, slip sliding away You know the nearer your destination, the more you slip sliding away…….

Upon returning from supper last night, my friend asked me if there was a third division in world hockey.

This came about when I told him that Malaysia did the unthinkable, which is losing to France 3-4 in the 3/4th placing match of the Champions Challenge II in Dublin.

When I told him that the Champions Challenge II was akin to the third division he almost had a heart attack.

That is the stark reality of Malaysian hockey, coming a year after the clamor for change by some quarters that led to a somewhat new MHF being voted in last October.

Effectively we are now 18th in the world, put aside the points gained or lost in the world hockey rankings.

There is the Champions Trophy for the top six nations, followed by the Champions Challenge I for the next eight teams and we finished 4th in the Champions Challenge II, thus I place Malaysia in the 18th spot, on merit.

Losing to France is not something new, something I am certain MHF Deputy President Nur Azmi Ahmad will concur as we had lost 4-2 (or was it 4-1) to France in the qualifiers in China in 2006.

But the whole point is we are in a sorry state of affairs, our juniors finished in the 12th spot a month ago and now we are losing to the likes of Ireland and France.

Whoah God only knows, God makes his plan The informations unavailable to the mortal man Were workin our jobs, collect our pay Believe were gliding down the highway, when in fact were slip sliding away

Irish brew of French toast anyone?