BEFORE I proceed with this sports column, allow me to extend my deepest sympathies to those affected by yesterday’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan. We can only hope for the least number of casualties and damage, for the safety of hundreds of thousands of Filipinos working there, and for the nation’s quick recovery.
On a positive note, it was a relief to learn that the Azkals players training in the Japanese City of Gotemba right now are in no danger, as what team manager Dan Palami relayed online.
“Azkals are safe... felt the tremors but otherwise okay. Airports have been closed, hopefully it won’t affect flight to Mongolia tomorrow,” Palami said in his message posted on filipinofootball.blogspot.com yesterday.
Palami’s message was enough to reassure Azkals fans who were deeply worried for the team’s well-being.
Before that, however, the fans were already concerned with far less consequential events, especially at how the team was doing in the subzero conditions at the foot of snow-covered Mt. Fuji where they trained. The news reports weren’t good.
Last Wednesday, the team lost 4-0 to Kanto University, then yesterday 8-1, both warm-up matches for the second leg of their AFC Challenge Cup qualifying match against Mongolia on March 15 in expectedly worse weather.
The two successive drubbings from a college team sent many fans panicking on Facebook and Twitter, some with remarks that were not only uncalled for but foolish.
Of course, these comments were knee-jerk, as these didn’t take into consideration the fact that the players were still acclimatizing to the weather that ranged from 0 to -5 degrees.
“The cold really took a toll on the player’s bodies,” Palami said in a report by Cedelf Tupas of the Inquirer, adding that it would take a day or two for them to get used to the weather.
Just imagine the toll that the freezing conditions take on players who have spent most of their footballing lives in sunny weather, such as Emilio Caligdong and Ian Araneta, whose mobility suffered terribly from the biting cold, as what Palami revealed in the news report.
With that, football fans must realize that the performance of the players against the college team was far from a hundred percent.
On the other hand, it would be reasonable for the coaching and training staff to advise its players to “take it easy” against their opponents because their main goal in Japan is to acclimatize anyway.
Wouldn’t it be foolish to instruct players, quivering from the cold, to play with the same intensity as they would in a tropical country without having adapted to the weather?
Besides, there’s also reason to believe that in both warm-up matches, unnecessary injuries needed to be avoided, and so therefore, it wouldn’t make sense to stretch the players’ physical limits in a friendly match.
So the Azkals lost to a college team. Big deal.
Remember, the team is preparing for another team whose capabilities and limitations were exposed in the match in Bacolod City a month ago, a revelation certainly not lost on the coaching staff.
The only other issue of real concern is how well the Azkals’ acclimatization process is proceeding and whether they’d be in good form by March 15.
For peace of mind, it would do well for fans in doubt to just forget the 4-0 and 8-1 losses to a college team.
If that wont’ do, then I’ll just have to remind them that last Nov. 27, the same Azkals team lost 8-0 to Nakhon Pathom FC, a level two club in Thailand, during a warm -up match for the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010.
With such a beating, some pundits just gave up on the Philippine team and their chances in Southeast Asia’s biggest football tournament.
But barely a week after, the Azkals silenced the pundits with a shock 1-1 draw against Singapore, before staging the biggest upset in the tournament’s history by humbling defending champions Vietnam 2-0 days later.
What does this prove? Among others, losing in warm-up matches does not equate to a disaster. So to all jittery Azkals fans, do yourselves a favor—relax in time for the big game. It’s just three days away, in case you’ve forgotten.
(nsvillaflor@gmail.com)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on March 12, 2011.
Sun Star Cebu
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Thank you very much. Very well thought of, very well said.
ReplyDeleteMore BS from Villaflor... as usual!
ReplyDeleteThey lost 4-0 in the first game then lost 8-1 to the same team a couple days later. Not a big a deal?? BS!!
Sure they're still acclimatizing, but you (Villaflor in particular) need to remember that it's going to be even colder in Mongolia. If they couldn't adjust for their second game against the same team then there definitely is something to worry about especially since they their second loss was twice as bad as the first!
Yes, Mongolia is a far less technically capable team than any Japanese team, even a University team, but that doesn't mean it's going to be walkover come the 15th. They still need to show up and put up a good showing just to hold them off.
Using that loss against that lower league Thai division club in November and then saying how successful they were in the Suzuki Cup to compare it with what's going now isn't really the same thing. Two different scenarios with different factors. Like I said, it's more BS from Villaflor as usual!
I dont really care that they lost. I kinda saw it coming. When they lost in Thailand they didnt have the best squad, and this is the same issue, not that its an excuse. They are still "supposedly" the best the country can offer.
ReplyDeleteAnd Palamis comment about adjusting to the cold weather. No one gets used to the cold after 2 days. -4 degrees celsius might sound very cold, but its alot worse in Mongolia if they will play when its -15 degrees. It may not sound like a huge difference from -4 to -15, but it really is. As they are not used to any cold weather like they will face in Mongolia, they will have a hard time to push their bodies to the limit.
To the 2nd Anonymous poster your the one who is bullshit. Why do you even follow the team if dont belive in them you cunt.Stay away, we dont need you. Cheer for Mexico if you want,we dont care.
ReplyDeleteOh please come with something better than that, Ben. Give me a reason for why its bullshit. I dont care that the team lost two tune up games that means basically nothings. Its a chance for the coach to test formations and players in different positions. I dont care they lost in two unimportant games as long as they will win the games that really matters, like the upcoming game in Mongolia.
ReplyDeleteAnd who is WE? Do you speak for all of the Azkals fans? Read the article again dumbo, alot of "fans" are going nuts of these results, im not.
Mexico? No thanks. Ill stick with the Azkals even when i can have a clear mind and see their limits. Maybe you, Ben, should go back to your original sport. Just because the Azkals did well in the Suzuki Cup, i still keep my feet well planted on the ground. Azkals can still loose games, and it can happen in Mongolia even if you, Ben, think they can be world champions in 2014.
Ben, and youre officially the spokesman of the azkal fans? Maybe you should go back to your original sport. I bet youre one of those new fans who dont know what offside is. Ive followed the azkals for many years, and they have limitations in their play and the squad. And dumbo, please read the article again. I think the author did mention something about fans not liking the losses in Japan. Why dont bash on them, or are you talking on their behalf?
ReplyDeleteWe arent that good that we can expect a walkover against the Mongolians, specially not on their hometurf and in that weather. So go back to your fish`n chips and stufu, ok? You cant even say why its bullshit. Its people like you who drag down the sport, and drag down discussions because you dont have anything smart to say. Youre probably one of those who think the azkals can qualify and win the 2014 WC. And before you talk more, try playing in -15 degrees.
I've played in -15 C. I agree that it is not fun. However it is not an excuse for an 8-1 loss. College teams in Japan are better than our MNT. It's not the weather. The good news is that the Japanese are also better than Mongolia. Manager Dan is making excuses. I'll bet the coach is not using the weather as an excuse. This was a lesson that if the Azkals want to run with the big dogs in the AFC they need to play at a higher level. It takes time.
ReplyDeleteI think I the cold weather is really a great factor why the Azkals lost that high. But then again we should not forget that we are still on the stage of building up and developing to have a super team who can compete on the higher level teams. Anonymous is right, we have to be realistic. Of course it doesn't look good if we lose, but then, all other top teams in the Bundesliga 1 (Germany) also had have their wins ad loses and up and downs and even some have to go back to Bundesliga 2. But in losing a game, this will give the trainer the chance to analyse where the weakness of his team lies. And then he can only go forward. And I am pretty sure Mr. Weiss knows that their are still a lot be done and a long way to go before we can say that our Azkals is a super team. And we need time and patience for that. Losing games and frustrations is one stage of development.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand in cases like these (-15°), this should be the time where Fil-foreigner (specially Europens) soccer player should come in. These boys grow up and played the whole time soccer in such kind of weather. Unluckily at the moment, some of the european filipino soccer national player don't have their passports yet. And in some cases players who are under contract with a Club are not allowed to go. In such cases something should be done. In sport, specially soccer, there should be an agreement between countries that national players should be release when their country needs them to play on international games. I even know of a case where the player really wanted to travel to the Philippines to help and play in Mongolia, but his Club will not allow him and not even reacted to the formal request of the Philippine Football Federation. In such cases, the FIFA should look into this and should try to help.
Guys, we still have a long way to go and it will not be that easy. We should be united and try to help in small little ways so our Football will go forward. I know our players are not use to the cold weather in Mongolia, still as someone who has spent half of my life accompanying and having football as a main topic in my own household among my footballers, I am wishing the Azkals and Mr Weiss the best of luck and miracles to win the game in Mongolia.
Why does this guy 'Ben' go bananas when someone dares to suggest the Azkals are less than perfect? Patriotism doesn't score or stop goals. Football is a game of talent and intelligence; both of which he and the team seem to be sadly lacking at the moment.
ReplyDeleteWe have out work cut out for us. Its a setback and it kinda puts us in our place that we're not exactly top dog, even in asia. We're very far from it if we can't even win against college teams, in cold weather or what have you.
ReplyDeleteHopefully going forward we'll know that we can't rely solely on Etheridge to save the day. We need to develop a decent backup given that he plays pro football half way across the globe. And we need a deeper team to ensure that we can win games when some of the core players are out.
Also, just because fans are critical, doesn't mean you have to banish them. Football fans have always been critical of their teams, but in the end they will still cheer and support. Its not that we hate the team, we just hate to see them lose. And thats what fuels our panic and rage when our NT loses to a bunch of univ kids. We want the Azkals to win, believe us. You can't baby them with all praise. They need a shot of good criticism from time to time and losing to the univ team, surely warrants a brow beater from fans.
We are so small and I get it. That it's the faraway distance we have yet to travel, I dig that one too. God I hate for my Azkals to lose in any game but I know some of these battles will be lost along the way. The tune up loss to Japanese universities, I can take that for now. Maybe after all is said and done taking a hit is also good, if only to hit another one in another battle with say Mongolia perhaps. No bad blood with a college team for now anyway. But we shall put that in our black bag somewhere and file it away for when the time comes, as the old warriors always say, "there is always time for reckoning". And so the Azkals shall one day that path that leads to these two university's doorstep one day. And payback's gonna be a bitch.
ReplyDeleteWith the many yahoos in the web that want to jaw and talk shit about how this is wrong and how this is right and all that good stuff, hey it's a democracy, so say it loud, say it clear. Many can take it, many can dish out. It's all good. At the end of the day, we all want that dream realized.
well this just proves that our National Team is $hit without the Fil-Fors.
ReplyDeleteour local players are crappy as hell until we can have a decent local league.
The answer is blowing in the wind. "A decent local league"....
ReplyDeleteOh hell yeah!
Hey guys,
ReplyDeleteIt is just a warm up game. It doesn't mean a thing. Take it easy.
8-1 defeat to a student team. Well, even the team hasn't ajusted to the weather for 100%, haven't reach it's top form and avoid injuries - it's annoying and embarassing to lose against a student team that high. It might be that the Japanese team is technically skilled but there will be 90 infernal minutes in Mongolia and we just can hope that they will show the same poor finishing qualities than the Azkals in the 1st match and won't score a early lead. In case the Azkals lose and will be kicked out by the Blue Wolves then it is because our team didn't convert it's predominance into goals at hometurf. I guess a 4-0 or 5-0 in the 1st match had been possible without the missing 110% scoring chances...........
ReplyDeleteAnak ng Baka......
ReplyDeleteAzkals!!!
the 2nd poster obviously doesn't get the whole point of the article. the azkals can afford to lose those games but not the mongolia match. i think the article suggested that quite well. besides, the AZKALS must only be judged in matches that have bearing (like the Mongolia match and the matches in Myanmar).
ReplyDeletealso, if the Azkals and those college teams played in average conditions, there's reason to believe the results would be different.
too bad the 2nd poster is hating on the writer in a lame attempt to drive his own slanted message across.
At anonymous March 12, 2011 5:45 PM -
ReplyDeleteYou don't think these tune up games count for anything? You're blind then!
They lost 4-0 in their first game and then lost 8-1 in the second. You don't think that doesn't count for anything? Even of the slightest?
Yes they're still acclimatizing but that's part of the point. Like I said, they shouldn't of lost the second game 8-1 after already losing the first game 4-0. It's obvious the cold conditions are affecting them, but it's only gonna be colder when they play Mongolia. As Palami said, the likes of Caligdong and Araneta (bother starters) lost quite a bit of their mobility due to the cold. If that's the case how bad will the likes of them be affected in Mongolia?
Look, what Villaflor is basically saying is that you can't take anything from tune up games, lose or win and that is BS! For the most part you shouldn't read too much into practice matches but that doesn't mean you completely rubbish them in the manner that he is suggesting.
This also isn't the first time that Villaflor has published BS articles. So there....
To anonymous on top of this here, what did Villaflor do to you, gone to your house and mess up your room? Get your shit together already, this aint the bloody tupperware convention, ya turd! You done mixed up your medication, ya dumbass! The guy tries to break it down to us back here and you give em crap and give us a goatfuck runaround of YOUR own bullshit. Do me a favor, pound some sand, somewhere, loser!
ReplyDeleteIt's just a warm up game. It doesn't mean anything. Besides a lot of the players in this univ. team were prospects of the Yokohoma Marinos, a pro team in Japan. This is what Coach Weiss has to say:
ReplyDeleteNo worries for all Azkals fans,” the German mentor, who turned 46 Friday,
“(Yes) we had big problems adapting to the weather and had a match versus a good university side… but the result really doesn’t matter too much and it shows you that we still have to learn a lot.”
Weiss acknowledged that the college team they faced was superior in both technique and teammanship than the Azkals side, saying: “The team (Japanese) trains under professional conditions since young age, (and) they are affiliated to Yokohama Marinos, a big club in Japan. Some of these players might be pros in the future.”
What do you think Weiss was going to say anyway? Directly tell the media that he's concerned and that his players suck? That's part and parcel of being a head coach. When it's time to face the media, you should/need to mask or sugar coat certain things, for the good yourself (the coach) and more so fort he good of the team. You can bet your house though that deep down, Weiss is concerned, to whatever it may be.
ReplyDeleteSo what coach Weiss was saying was: don't worry, I knew my boys were going to be whupped by a far superior team which I chose to play against, but it's a great experience for them with a crucial game coming up in a few days time.
ReplyDeleteWork that one out....I can't.
Weiss man is thinking, let the Mongols eat this information up. Let them think we aint got nothing on them in this shitty temperature. Let them work up a strategy around this weather.
ReplyDeleteWeiss man will zzurprise and zzemolish zze enemy mongols!
Weiss could have kept the score close by adopting a defensive counterattacking style against the Japanese but that would have defeated the purpose of preparing for the Mongolians as they planned to attack the Mongols. So instead they suffered a rout. It is still a good experience for the team and hopefully gave the staff ideas on which areas of the team need improvement.
ReplyDeleteIt's all good, baby. Just watch what happens. Watch out, mongolia, The AZKALS is in town! Be scared, be very scared!
ReplyDeletesounds crazy but if this is a psyop that weiss and his staff is utilizing, an intentional "overkill" status is a tactical design that mongolia might bite. i have a good feeling mongolia already did.
ReplyDeleteThat's stupid. Why would Weiss do something like that? He's a UEFA pro license holder and managing a national team, not some random U8's or whatever. Therefore it's very amateur and childish if he intentionally did that.
ReplyDeleteIt's simple, they aren't technically and tactically up to par with those university players. And the weather affected them even more. The weather will continue to affect them in Mongolia and it will be of concern. The match against Mongolia won't be any means be a walkover. End of.
ok ok. let's see what happens then. you may be right. just get some apples during the match and see what I mean after you ate them, ok?
ReplyDeleteNobody likes to lose and these losses are alarming considering the conditions will be colder and that we were totally massacred. No matter how strong the opposition. Its hard to imagine how badly they must have played. With all the attention on the Azkals, it just sounds that like the article was downplaying the defeats too much. You are inevitably gonna get violent reactions to that approach as there were too many presumptions made by the author. Considering he hasnt proven himself as a credible tactician, he should have kept that to himself as it sounds like he wants us to accept those reasons behind the defeats as if they are based on his tactical experience in football. Your a journalist for heavens sake. What will your next article be about? Billiards? Volleyball? Were you there? Your speculating, just as well as any of us here. What I find funny is this statement: "What does this prove? Among others, losing in warm-up matches does not equate to a disaster. So to all jittery Azkals fans, do yourselves a favor—relax in time for the big game."
ReplyDeleteAside from its wit, why else should we relax, because you say so and that your an expert? 4-0 and 8-1. Big deal you say? Listen to yourself I say. Not exactly the ideal preparations even if we are use to getting massacred in warm ups.
As much as you would like to remain positive the margin of loss was too big. Hard to get any positives from those results even on a coaching standpoint. Maybe it would be better to say the games were an eye opener to how serious weather conditions can affect our game and how we got beaten by a stronger,more organized opposition who clinically dealt with our weaknesses. However, since the coach was satisfied with the acclimatization so far from Baguio to Japan, we can only hope that this experience will help us deal with conditions in Mongolia. Thats would have been more sober. But please dont tell us to swallow your reasoning and your feelings about those matches. I am not worried about Mongolia, I just dont like my team losing by that margin whether its a tune up game or a cup final.
God knows what goes on inside Weiss' mind, Jay. He's probably flappin like a man possessed because of those scores and just trying to get a hold of himself for the dog-and-pony show purposes. It's his paycheck that gets threatened so, I think poor dude wants to let people like the "journalist" know that things are under control and no reason to freak out. Hey, there's people like you and maybe me and some other cats out there that know better, that know how to filter through the bullshit, and see the bottom, and so we don't really need to get riled up with a little bit of sugar coating journalism. There's plenty of them out there that need these doses of "assurances" once in a while. Frankly, even if I sort of totally understand the score 8-1 which is cold as me being amber doused in water, I'd rather be on that author or journalist side than anywhere else, just because, man. At this point in the Azkals journey where there's so much uncertainty, I'll cover this dude's back. If it's a "prop" to make it look okay, hell, get my ass on board, why not?
ReplyDeleteI'm not swallowing his reasoning either, no. You know that article from top to bottom is written for a target audience. It's all good.
At saNDugo...
ReplyDeleteThis isn't an ordinary everyday type sugar coated journalism. It's plain all out BS, that's what it is. More so since this isn't the first time this author (Villaflor) has published BS articles. It's also not just what he writes, but how it's written. He makes it look like certain things are so simple and that you can just brush it aside and forget about as if it's not too significant or it never happened at all. In this case he's brushing aside a 4-0 and then an 8-1 defeat to a university team where they were also affected by the weather. He brushes it aside as if it's nothing and they'll go to Mongolia and beat them as if it was a walk in the park and the weather won't be a problem. Again, that's total BS!
Also, have a look at one of his previous articles, the one where he wrote about hype, title, "Too much hype can't kill you". There's so much hype surrounding the national team that even journalists like him are so caught up in it.
He says that "there is no such thing as too much hype, unless you believe there’s such a thing as “too much excessive publicity.”" BS once again. He talks about hype as if hype it's only about publicity which is wrong. Hype especially in sport is about expectations and perceptions of a team and/or players. Like I said, he's so caught up in the hype that he continues to write BS. The hype has led him to think and even publish an article which tries to tell us that losing 4-0 and then 8-1 to a university is nothing. And it'll be easier when they they play Mongolia in Mongolia. Fucking BS!
Loud and clear, Jay. I get your point. Don't know nothing about this cat's works except this last one here....And I did just now finished reading some of his shit. Right. So you and I and some other corners know he's Mr sunshine up in the ass, I get it. I'm not trying to patronize you here, ok? You are totally spot on, and you know, if you've read some of my comments here somewhere, you'd know that I totally speak my mind. You're cool.
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to agree with me on this next thoughts here, but just check it out, Jay...
Football literacy in our country is not where it's supposed to be, yet. Fuck, it's the "crawl" phase at this point. At least you and I and everybody else who's ever passionate about the game know deep inside that the game popularity must go and grow. Dude, look at Basketball. I mean I don't have anything against ball players but, mhan, our game's gotten total backseat, way backseat, like 50 rows behind, by basketball. Look, a lot of kids are beginning to pick up a football these days, many in the poor areas in the provinces now have "other" options, not just basketball. Shit, in my province, kids have fought for, invaded, and are sustaining their spot in the basketball courts....playing football! What made this so is nothing of phenomenal occurence. Something to do with "hype". Some big shot bullshitter like that guy journalist somehow helped turned the table for us.
I know,most of these knuckleheads, these football genius wannabes journalists, don't know a lot about the beautiful game. They ride it because there's money in it, you know, yadi-yadi-yada...blah-blah-blah, you know what I mean. But man, what do we, as a "ressurging"(sp?) football nation really need right now? If you ask me, I say fuck em, let's get 20 more of these Villaflors or whatever his fucking name is out there and make our cause look good. Not that we want to cheat and betray the fans, but for the purpose of "maintaining" our GAINS.
And I totally understand your sentiments 100%. The difference maybe between you and me is that I can afford to look the other way. I think of the many young kids out there that now all of a sudden have an equal shot with that other tall basketball kid next to him. The hype he saw on TV and read somewhere lets him become alive with hopes and aspirations of maybe making it to the Azkals level or beyond, of food on the table, roof, etc. And there are many dreams out there still waiting to be born.
Here's my issue with the likes of these journalists though: they can always turn around and make our cause look bad just as easily. We don't need that right now.
Jay, that wasn't you, eh? Me and my dumbass, I thought we were hanging out just you and me, didn't read that last one was from an "anonymous". I hope anonymous wold say something though, would be nice. I think it's an interesting conversation. H-hour minus 9 here, got the beer ready, peeps are gonna be here with their full azkals regala. It's gonna be a great game.
ReplyDelete3-0 azkals win vs mongolia. 1 fm araneta, 1 fm younghubby, 1 fm sacapano who got too cold and decides to rush the mongolia back court, tackled the keeper and scored a hat trick, heh-heh-heh....
ReplyDeletelooks like villaflor has struck several raw nerves here. either its all BS or some posters just don't get the writers sense of irony. i read the "hype" article and was rotfl from one of the comments here.
ReplyDeletethe first line of the article reads: THERE is no such thing as too much hype, unless you believe there's such a thing as “too much excessive publicity.”
i looked up what hype means and it's this "excessive publicity." too much hype, therefore, would be redundant. he was just pointing that out mayb as bait to see if someone bites and someone did.
well, the author is playing with some of you who are quick to react, and he succeeded in getting that reaction, particularly from the "pundits." i bet hell be laughting his ass off if he reads some of the comments here. the joke is on you guys
but i agree the above article is for a target audience
the author doesn't dip his hands into matters he's not familiar with, and he acknoledges that in this article, although looks like he knows more than this jay guy or the 2nd poster. but this doesn't sound like BS to me, especially the part where the azkals should convert their chances into goals.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/sports/villaflor-frozen-azkals-anyone
I didnt know I struck some raw nerves. As a journalist maybe you should NOT play around with readers reaction considering you are only as good (or bad) as your last article. Some writers with impeccable credentials can get away with that, but Villaflor? I dont think so. Not yet.
ReplyDeleteI will respect his comments about all the other things about weather and his reasoning (although Ive written why I disagree on some of them) but this one takes the cake: "For peace of mind, it would do well for fans in doubt to just forget the 4-0 and 8-1 losses to a college team." Maybe in his wisdom, he sees the future and how inconsequential these results are but dont tell the fans that. It sounds like bull to me. I dont like to see my team lose that way. And I will say this, I will pitch what I know about football against Villaflor anytime.
One more thing:
ReplyDelete"he author doesn't dip his hands into matters he's not familiar with, and he acknoledges that in this article,"
Can you point out which part of the article does that? Because if he did try to take a more sober approach I wouldnt be feeling he was trying to convince me that 8-1 is an acceptable score line taking into consideration our circumstances. Maybe we are not reading the same article because ive read it three times and still feel the same.
Three times? The writer merely advises fans to just drop it so they can have some peace of mind:
ReplyDelete"For peace of mind, it would do well for fans in doubt to just forget the 4-0 and 8-1 losses to a college team."
But I think the writer meant something when he gave the article this title: Losing in friendlies: A minor apocalypse. It's minor all right but it's still an apocalypse. Pretty clever, don't you think? I think it was a stab at irony. Some got it, other's didn't, not surprisingly.
He's downplaying it, alright, for the very same reason, for the fans' behalf. But the following article got me curious, especially how he "sees the future," as what you've pointed out. It's like a toned-down analyses of the pre-Suzuki cup Azkals:
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/sports/villaflor-azkals-20
This article (Azkals 2.0) reveals something about the writer in question, and what I've noticed is he's not the delusional journalist some of guys here portray him to be. I personally like what he says there:
"Still delirious from the results of the first two games, the fans wanted that, too, and then some. But what we saw during the last game against Cambodia forced us to come to terms with the truth: the Philippine team is far from becoming the dominant force we imagined it to be."
And here's how he ends:
"Among fans and pundits, this is no time for foolish optimism, as the team’s real chances of making an impact are slim. Then again, stranger things have happened in football. Let’s just hope the Philippine team that would show up this December tournament is not the version that plodded against Cambodia but the one that mesmerizes, the one that hungers for goals, the one that claws its way against the toughest of odds, the one we love to imagine."
And this was in October yet. I think you should read it five times. Also I disagree that writers are only as good as the last article. That would be pretty narrow-minded. I prefer to read a body of work than nitpick on one particular piece to drive my agenda. Let's be fair.
Also this writer has a keen eye. I find this paragraph impressive:
ReplyDelete"he result of the first match was expected, since the Azkals were facing a team ranked nearly 50 places lower. The game produced a thing of beauty: the lone second half goal triggered by 20 uninterrupted two-touch passes, save for the final run that unleashed the decisive cross for Araneta’s hat trick off James’ headed pass."
He really counted that?
Dammit. Sorry guys, there's a previous post to the one above. I thought I entered it properly. It was a link to this article by the same writer published last October. Very interesting:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/sports/villaflor-azkals-20
Middle paragraph:
"Still delirious from the results of the first two games, the fans wanted that, too, and then some. But what we saw during the last game against Cambodia forced us to come to terms with the truth: the Philippine team is far from becoming the dominant force we imagined it to be."
Last paragraph:
"Among fans and pundits, this is no time for foolish optimism, as the team’s real chances of making an impact are slim. Then again, stranger things have happened in football. Let’s just hope the Philippine team that would show up this December tournament is not the version that plodded against Cambodia but the one that mesmerizes, the one that hungers for goals, the one that claws its way against the toughest of odds, the one we love to imagine."
I think everyone should read this and judge for themselves how the writer sees things. I find his "perspectives" interesting. I can only agree that the above article (apocalypse) is for a "target audience." The one with the link is for a particular set of readers (and he wrote this at a time when nobody read about football yet. Date is Oct. 28, 2010). Jay should read this five times. I'd like to know what he thinks, but I hope he's fair.
My opinion is that people should read the writer's body of work to become familiar with his style or different styles, if that's the case.
I dont know where to start. For one, it is a stretch for us to try to know the writer's style to understand what he is trying to write here. You want me to read this previous article about a game played against Cambodia so I cant understand his style? If he cant get a message across properly on an article that should stand alone that is not our problem but his. As a journalist you pay your bills based on this ability so figure it out. Again, you say he implies "not dipping his hands into matters he doesnt understand." Well, Iam sorry but I still cant see what your talking about because he seems to understand everything and wants us to believe the results are inconsequential. I know he wants the fans to drop it, its as plain as day. Are you (or the author) implying the audience is feeling this way because they are the ones dipping their hands into things they dont understand? That is most likely the theme of this article and that is why most people commented that way.
ReplyDeleteHe does this on the fans behalf? You cant do that, fans will think what they want and only a reliable source with a voice of reason can tell them those score lines are no reason to panic. Villaflor hasnt done anything to deserve that kind of respect. Look at the words he uses. " Big Deal". If i felt badly about losing just as many fans did, how would you like to hear that? Big Deal? Like you are over reacting? He is looking at everyone like they dont understand whats going on and he does. Besides, If you look at the comments here, they have read his previous articles and still have the same feeling towards him.
Your only as good as your previous article. If you read my next line, i say some writers can get away with that. But not Villaflor. I resent you think thats narrow minded. An example is Recah Trnidad when he wrote that article about "Were the Azkals truly triumphant?" The guy is an icon of sports journalism for the past 30 years if not longer. You can forgive him for that article as football is maybe not the best subject for him but he tries to make a compelling argument here. Villaflor aint no Recah Trinidad.
You seem so taken away by this line: "The game produced a thing of beauty: the lone second half goal triggered by 20 uninterrupted two-touch passes" Tell me what this means please? Its not 20 uninterrupted one touch passes which would have been a thing of beauty indeed. but two touch? So meaning you took the ball controlled it with one touch and then passed it, repeating this 20 times? I been reading football articles for the best part of 30 years, Ive never heard anyone talk about uninterrupted 2 touch passes. Why? because it doesnt make any sense. I would have appreciated it better if he said it the goal was climaxed by a run of 20 passes (or touches) which i think is what he meant. But against a team 50 places below us? Your either referring to Macau or Timor Leste here where Araneta famously scored his hat tricks against. We beat both those teams by 5-0 so you can imagine what kind of possession we had.
As respect to you, I read the article you suggested again. Again, Iam unmoved neither by this guys writing style and what he knows about football. I say again, I will pit what I know about football with him anytime.
ReplyDeleteHe says this which you have pointed out like its something so ahead of its time:
"Still delirious from the results of the first two games, the fans wanted that, too, and then some. But what we saw during the last game against Cambodia forced us to come to terms with the truth: the Philippine team is far from becoming the dominant force we imagined it to be".
Were talking about wins against Macau and Timor Leste. In his own word teams ranked 50 places lower than us. It was actually difficult looking for them in the ranking. I was following this qualifying tournament too. But I was not delirious with those wins (although even now with all this hysteria, Ive always been grounded in my expectations). I dunno how many football pitches there are in Macau. I am sure they have a lot more casinos. Timor Leste has a population half the size of Iloilo and I am pretty sure a team from Barotac will destroy them. Who were these fans that were delirious? Were talking about a qualifying tournament for the Suzuki Cup (a competition in South East Asia only) in Oct 2010 when only a handful of fans knew we were even playing in. No hysteria yet, no people demanding for games to be played in the Philippines, no courtesy calls to Malacanang. How can Villaflor even mention the idea of perceived dominance of the Azkals based on wins against these teams? If ever, i would say thats an exaggeration. Let me ask him this, if his bubble was burst after a single draw against Cambodia (a team ranked just 3 places below us), how much more should we worry when a college team that thrashes us 8-0 and 4-1? there he is bringing us down to earth for a draw against a team ranked almost at our level? But downplaying a thrashing from a college team.
I think your mention of that article is something that works against Villaflor rather than for him. Because he is taking a stab at sensationalism when he talks about our perceived dominance. And then big deal if we lose to a college team. Well they were Japanese. If any, my respect for him has even gone down a notch lower after reading that in relation to the above article.
At the end of the day it is a game of football. A game of skill, tactics, stamina, endurance and team work. I am not saying weather will never be a factor especially in conditions like Japan. But if we conceded two more goals in Mongolia we would have been eliminated. What then would have happened to his closing line: "What does this prove? Among others, losing in warm-up matches does not equate to a disaster."
He was right, we didnt meet a disaster in Mongolia, just a minor one because we did lose.
which bring me to this, Minor Apocalypse? How can the end of the world be minor? Ironic you say. A clever play on words? Theres a difference between irony and impossibility. If you and him thinks its clever then you guys are definitely on the same level here. But I respect that, you have your choice and I have mine.
I dont want to get too deep about irony here but let me say this. Irvine Welsh is one of my favorite authors. He wrote a book called Trainspotting. It was subsequently made into a movie. Both the novel and the movie enjoyed a tremendous following. A cult following really because of its rawness and cutting edge description of drug addiction and redemption. He has been hailed as one of the best British writers of his time. He said this, “I don't give a toss about writing really. It's a bit ironic that the things I'm really into are music and football, and I have never really been good at either.”
Thats something ironic to me. To be lousy at some stuff that you love doing but to be great at something you dont really care about.