While some question the passion of the national players donning the Football jersey, they also ought to question the passion of those preventing players from representing the country.
The bare facts of Malaysia's 3-0 defeat at the hands of Indonesia is for there to see, unless some who criticise just to score points with fans or readers, however one looks at it.
Compare the list of the starting XI from the matches against Timor Leste in June and the match last night in Solo.
Only 3, yes only 3 players are in the starting line up, and no we have not been suspended by FIFA.
In four months we have lost any semblance of a national team to a bunch of player who dare take on the challenge of 25,000 fans that paid scant respect to the national flag.
No one wants to lose a match, or make school boy errors in a match, but the stark reality is we are just not good enough.
And the sooner the critics accept the fact the better it will be.
Back to the match, coach Dato Ong Kim Swee managed to answer a few questions during the teams transit in Jakarta.
1) With this kind of makeshift team, how would u rate our chances at AFF?
DOKS : It was never going to be easy in the first place. I inherited a team that I need to make into a winning team and time is, and has never been on my side. No excuses but we do not have the best of players representing the country so we need to make do with what we have.
2) Do you think it was a good idea playing indonesia instead of another team?
DOKS: We have limited choices In arranging matches as we cannot be playing teams that are in our group at the AFF Cup. The fact that we will play Myanmar at their home pitch in AFF Cup means we need to expose our team to pressure cooker situations. Some could handle it, others cracked but this is a learning curve.
3) Are there players in the M league that you can consider to add on to the team?
DOKS : We are always in search of players and their performances are monitored weekly. But there is only a handful of players that have the Pedigree to perform at international level.
4) Who do you miss the most, those who are not available for selection?
DOKS : It is obvious that players like Aidil, Kunalan will greatly be an asset to the team. But things are not within my control so a coach has to live with this.
5) It is a bitter defeat and the critics will be gunning for you. What have you to say to defend yourself
DOKS : The expectations are always high, and when I took on the job I knew that every slip will be met be harsh criticism. Those who saw the game will understand that we lost due to errors, not fitness or tactics and this can only be rectified over time as the players gain experience.
