The Malaysia Super League is back! After what appeared to be a monumental hiatus, all the excitement and drama that we usually get from the country’s top league is already underway with Johor DT defeating Pahang to lift the Charity Shield last weekend. And if you thought last year was brilliant, be prepared to watch things escalate to a whole new level this year. With Johor DT pushing forward in their expansion plans, other teams trying to keep up and match the Southern Tigers, and the fiasco involving television rights for the league; there’s so much more to expect this year. That being said, FourthOfficial.com will be unleashing a series of club previews over the next five days and we’ll take a look at all the teams that will be strutting their stuff in the Super League this year. Next on the list is Perak FA!
PERAK FA
Manager & Head Coach: Datuk M. Karathu
SQUAD LIST
GOALKEEPERS: Azizon Abdul Kadir, Zamir Selamat, Hairol Fazreen
DEFENDERS: Syazwan Roslan, Azmizi Azmi, Arif Ismail, Idris Ahmad, Hisyamudin Sha’ari, Thiago Junior, Sumardi Hajalan, Tuah Iskandar, Rafiq Faeez
MIDFIELDERS: Nasir Basharuddin, Marco Tulio, Namkung Woong, Nurridzuan Abu Hassan, Sukri Hamid, Norhakim Isa, Ridzuan Azly, Hafiz Ramdan, Faizal Mansor, Khairil Anuar, Vikneswaran
FORWARDS: Bobby Gonzales, Haris Safwan, Chad Souza, Hamizul Izaidi
2014 STATS
Malaysia Super League League: 9th
Malaysia FA Cup: 1st Round
Malaysia Cup: Group Stages
ANALYSIS
Perak famously went into the 2014 season with a team that was largely made up of youngsters and many individuals tipped them for relegation. But over the first few weeks, it almost seemed like Coach Burn and his troops were ready to prove people wrong. With time though, their issues eventually popped out one by one, as they started faltering. Ultimately they ended up finishing 9th in the Super League and failed to make it past the first round of the FA Cup. They also faltered in the Malaysia Cup despite starting well, and failed to progress beyond the group stages.
But there was optimism for 2014. Vjeran Simunic was initially appointed to be at helm and it appeared that the management was ready to back him in the transfer market. But time passed, and the other teams started announcing their foreign signings while Perak stuttered before finally announcing the capture of Chad Souza, Namkung Woong, Thiago Junior and the decision the retain Marco Tulio. A few weeks later, Datuk M. Karathu was announced as their new head coach.
As far as Coach Karathu could reveal, he claimed that the management and players were unhappy with Simunic, thus leading to his exit. But even at that point, you could see frustration in him. Because this wasn’t a squad he picked or formulated. This was the squad that he was given and asked to work with, and as predicted, he was not happy with several names and vowed to make a foray into the transfer market in April should it be necessary.
Once again, this is a squad made up of youth players, and with the exception of Chad Souza, none of the forwards have impressed Datuk M. Karathu thus far. And if they don’t hit the ground running on the opening day of the MSL, things could get pretty delicate for them.
VERDICT: Strugglers
List of Club Previews:
1. Kelantan FA
2. Sarawak FA
3. PDRM FA
4. Terengganu FA
5. ATM FA
6. Selangor FA
7. LionsXII
8. Felda United
9. Sime Darby
PREDICT MSL GAMES AND WIN PUMA MERCHANDISE WITH FOURTHOFFICIAL.COM
FourthOfficial.com and PUMA will be running a prediction contest on the Malaysia Super League match between Terengganu and Selangor!
Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Like our Official Page on Facebook
Step 2: Scroll down and see the pinned post
Step 3: Drop your full name and predictions in the comment section
Step 4: Enjoy the rest of the game!
The first five individuals to get the correct score line will win exclusive PUMA merchandises! Remember, the contest is only valid until the 80th minute of the game! What are you waiting for then? Fire away!
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