While the critics have had their say or are sharpening the knives in anticipation of a failure against Timor Leste in the two leg play-off for the Asia Cup, coach Dato Ong Kim Swee is going about what he thinks is best for the national squad.
Having cone under fire after a drab and listless performance against Myanmar which ended scoreless, their third consecutive match under Kim Swee where the national team had failed to score, Kim Swee was philosophical when confronted with several thought provoking questions and had this to say..
"I have the line up at the back of my mind, not many changes, but a couple here and there.
" Obviously Shafiq is one player that I would love to have in the starting XI but will have to asses his injury.
"The strikers need time to gel and I am optimistic they can get the job done at Larkin.
" I have faith and confidence in the ability of Hazwan, Kumarahan and Zaquan so let's be a bit patient.
"Give us time to find the right blend.
"KJ ( Khairi Jones) had a good debut but there is still a long way before he can cement his place in the squad.
"We need to be more clinical not only infront of goal but also within shooting range, and this comes with confidence as well as technical ability.
"We are not there yet but getting there and that's what matters when we play Timor Leste in a week"
Kim Swee said while he understood the frustrations of the fans, he hopes that they will back the team at Larkin and offer the team the support.
" We look forward to a better performance in the two leg matches against Timor Leste," said Kim Swee who will join the team in JB on May 30.
" There is no doubt that we need to be better but that takes a bit of time and I hope all will understand that a team cannot be built overnight."
Malaysia take on Timor Lesre at Larkin Stadium on June 2 and 6 with the kick off tines at 8.45pm and 10.00pm respectively.
