Test of character for T-Team

Kuala Terengganu: The past week has been a severe test for T-Team. They have to put up with intense stress and strain, sustained media spotlight and often no-holds barred football conversations and remarks in the social media following the controversial Larkin Stadium incident. A disheartening 0-3 award from FAM to JDT for the abandoned match was also a killer-blow.

But their greater test will be at Stadium Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah here tonight.

Due to meet favourite and experienced ATM in this Super League game, they need to pull themselves together and focus on the game's objective and mission.

The Titans' CEO-cum-manager Abdul Rasid Jusoh shares with Bola Pantai Timur,"We have limited preparation since the players have been mentally disturbed. They have to make time and attention for police reports and investigations, families and friends as well as all sorts of diversions."   

Abdul Rasid: centre

However amid a groundswell of support and sympathy for the team, tonight is the perfect opportunity for them to stem the tide and say the buck stops here!

According to the Oxford Dictionary of Sports Studies (2010), in psychology, "character is defined as the aggregation of traits (relatively consistent and distinguishing patterns of behaviour), that constitutes the individual and separates one person from another". To put it crudely character separates the men from the boys.

Bola Pantai Timur notes despite his new team's current overall performance in this new season so far, respectable former player and Lions XII head coach, Fandi Ahmad, is one of the few who keeps on stressing and demanding a show of character from his players.

ATM head coach, B Sathiananthan sees a tough encounter tonight.

Coach Sathia: Titans have everything to play for

He explains to Bola Pantai Timur, " It is going to be tough because T-Team players will try and show that they are a capable team. Giving a win to JDT is through a default and they are able to overcome the one-goal deficit if they happened to continue in the second half." Although ATM used to trash T-Team 4-1 in a pre-season game, Sathianathan sees T-Team differently, " They are different because they have everything to play for in front of their fans."

He adds that ATM will be without injured Marlon Alex James. 

T-Team assistant coach Azlan Johar says," We have undertaken all preparations that we could possibly do within our constraints.Our players have to maximize their efforts. The rest belong to Allah."    

Rightfully T-Team should leave the unhappy Larkin episode behind them and capitalize on tonight's opportunity to determine their own fate.