For what it's worth...

Caught Buletin Utama's sports segment last night.. it seems that most of our soccer fans are furious at the National Squad's defeat to China.. to me, it was no suprise actually (unlike Japan's draw - they played bad!)..

5-1 at home ground is no joke, I know that but come on la guys, you really thought we had a chance ke? China actually qualifed for the World Cup in 2002, we couldn't even win a SEA Games gold medal!

Anyway, what lies beneath all this is more than the squad, the coach, FAM, or even the government for that matter.. it all has to do with the Malaysian attitude in general.. read this article and you'll understand where I'm coming from..

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Don’t mock ‘process’, follow it
By N R Narayana Murthy

One of India’s best-known business leaders argues that the Indian cricket team failed because Chappell’s process was not implemented correctly
The tragedy of India is that instead of seeing what’s wrong with us and taking steps to correct it, we indulge in hysterics and look for scapegoats. Right now, everyone’s busy blaming the coach and the captain. But India has a long record of playing badly away from home, which precedes both Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell. So why single them out?
The real problem, I believe, lies with the system. Not just in cricket, but in virtually any walk of life, we are unwilling to put in hard work and live with discipline. Other countries are so neat, clean and well-organised but Indian cities are a mess, because we’re simply not willing to respect the rules. We can succeed, not just in cricket, but in everything else if we only follow four basic principles: strictly adhere to meritocracy, be willing to work hard, adopt global best practices in training and follow absolute discipline.
We need to pick the best guys available, based purely on merit and no other considerations. And the same applies to the coach. People keep asking whether we need a foreign coach. I don’t think that’s an issue at all. We should ask, who’s the best guy for the job? Whoever it is should get it.
Next, once you’ve given someone a mandate, let him implement it without interference. At Infosys, we have all our debates, arguments and discussions before it’s decided who’ll be responsible for something. Once it’s decided that X is the boss, all arguments stop and everyone rallies behind him. We shouldn’t be constantly undermining the coach by trying to second-guess him.
I know ‘process’ has become a much-mocked term, but at Infosys we firmly believe in following processes and it’s always worked for us. If Chappell’s process didn’t work, maybe it was because it wasn’t followed properly or he wasn’t allowed to implement it in full. I’ve read that some senior players were allowed to get away with indiscipline and that’s totally unacceptable. No matter how big a star you are, if you’re disruptive to the team, you need to be shown the exit. Never mind if we lose a few matches. If you follow the correct process, positive results are bound to eventually follow.
Frankly, I don’t think having a coaching camp for a few days helps. I’d suggest that we pick the 30 guys who we believe are the best in the country. They should all be given good salaries by BCCI and closeted in a hitech training centre round the year. Rotate them so that even if 15 are playing a series, the other 15 are training.
Ensure that everyone gets to train intensively during the year. Follow best practices from around the world, give the players the best facilities and make them work really hard—eight hours a day. If anyone refuses to practice or follow the rules, axe him immediately. Follow these principles and you’re bound to have a worldbeating team.
(As told to Vikas Singh)

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A businessman's take on sports.. now you know why most international football clubs generate better players..