Sir Graeme Mackinnon

While planning to end my Sunday with a witty tweet, I suddenly saw Mike Limpag’s tweet about Coach Graeme. I didn’t like what I saw. I wanted to forget what I saw. It was an article entitled “Mackinnon to leave Global FC,” which pretty much says everything you need to know: Coach Graeme has resigned and has decided to leave Global FC.

In four words: It broke my heart. How could it possibly not? I think I’m still at the first stage of grief. I see and talk to him almost every day. He’s been a part of my daily life for a good few months, and I’ve grown to see him as my oldest best friend and mentor. I never met my grandfathers and he was the closest I had to a grandfather-type figure. I understand his reasons for leaving—I’m not angry or anything, by the way—but I cried over it because I didn’t see this coming. I knew he would leave one day but didn’t think that day would come so soon. I will miss him!

Like the players, I found my second home in football. I found myself again in the world of football and Coach Graeme helped me grow into someone who has found his place. He would question my commitment incessantly until I fully understood that football is more than a game. The sport can teach you a lot of things beyond skill and strategy on the pitch and he wanted me to learn that under his wing.

Only Coach Graeme could deal with my nonsense and childish behavior. He didn’t mind if I asked tons of questions: “What went wrong during the game?” “Was the referee biased?” “Do you have Jamba Juice in Australia?” “Can I ride the pelican in Australia and keep it as my pet?” Surprisingly, some of my questions brought out the wise man in him, and his quotable quotes came naturally. One of my favorites is on making mistakes. He said, “When we make mistakes, that’s the only time we realize that we have so much room.” 

Growing up, I had never been cool with my coaches. There was always this huge space between us and I don’t blame them. I played those sports for the sake of playing them, unaware of the beauty in sport (except for football, of course!). Then I met Coach Graeme and he made me rethink things: A coach can be your friend, your family. He doesn’t look at people and see them as too young or too old for what life has to offer. He listens to all opinions, even mine. He embraces diversity and understands how football can bring people together. He encourages us to speak our minds and that’s what I’m doing right now.

I still remember the first day we met. I said to him, “Were you named after the crackers? Because I love graham crackers!” As my favorite cliché goes, the rest is history.

(A Teaser) Azkals U-21’s Angel

The other night, I got the chance to meet Loyola Meralco Sparks FC and Azkals U-21 midfielder Gabriel “Gaby” Borja and Agila FC team manager Troy Borja, who is Gaby’s father. I know you might think it was awkward, but believe it or not, it was the exact opposite. As it turns out, the Borjas are really good people who share my values and principles, not only when it comes to football, but life in general. I felt very at home with them, which says a lot about how football can give us a sense of community.

While covering several topics over dinner, Gaby, a Pisay student, reminded of my May 2011 article, “All’s well that ends well,” where I said that a midfielder should be one of the most intelligent players on a team. I kept quoting Nick Hornby, an Arsenal supporter, in his autobiography Fever Pitch. It’s funny because Gaby is an Arsenal fan. I don’t know if he’s heard of the book, but somehow he embodies Hornby’s description.

Unfortunately, I haven’t seen Gaby play, but perhaps on the pitch, his intelligence manifests itself in the moves that he makes as he thinks ahead. In Soccernomics, they mentioned that “there is growing evidence that sporting talent and academic talent are linked.” I couldn’t agree more! That part of the book ended with this: “The best athletes have fast mental reactions, and those reactions, if properly trained, would make for high-caliber intellects.”

Did I mention that he has played for the U-14, U-16, U-18, and U-19 teams? Yes, they all exist! So don’t go saying that the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) has never had a grassroots program.

Could Gaby Borja be the Jeremy Lin of Philippine football? Watch out for our feature article on him on the official Azkals website soon. Only at azkalsfootballteam.com!

UPDATE: Honor Roll: Gaby Borja is on a Roll is out!

Follow Gaby Borja on Twitter now: @GabyBorja24

Check out our previous feature articles:

• Catching up with Misagh Bahadoran
• Carlie’s Way: Break Time with Carlie Martínez de Murga
• Double Take: Marvin and Marwin Angeles

The Global View

Whenever I hear or read condescending comments about how some of our footballers are not full-blooded Filipinos, I simply ignore them. I don’t let the comments get to me. Why make a religion out of discrimination? Then I read “We All Breed Red: Time to Get Rid of the Fil-What Nonsense” by Moira Gallaga and I loved the way she tackled the topic and how she found the time to enlighten those people constantly bothered by this endless issue about the players’ ethnicities. Thank you very much, Moira! If you haven’t read it yet, be sure to take it all in when you do.

A day or two after that, I saw the same kinds of comments again, seemingly unending in their bitterness. Some people find delight in making an issue out of this, no matter how trivial.

I even got an email from a foreigner who’s planning to move here, probably as a reaction to my recent articles. While he found the articles quite entertaining, he assumed that what I was doing was a smart and strategic way of marketing the foreign-born players. He even asked me if there will be articles featuring full-blooded Filipino Azkals in the future. He explained that the “key factor concerning the football craze in the Philippines is if a full-blooded Filipino can make it abroad so Filipinos have someone they can relate to.” He didn’t expound on this, but he was probably implying that Philippine football needs its own Manny Pacquiao. Maybe—but!

If he was somehow under the impression that our foreign-based players are not exactly Filipino and entirely different from the likes of Chieffy Caligdong, then imagine the others. Is it really difficult to grasp the fact that they are all one hundred percent Filipino in our eyes? I thought of ignoring his sentiments, but because it was coming from a foreigner, I felt compelled to share my thoughts to him and I might as well put them here on my blog.

Yes, of course, there will be articles featuring our full-blooded Filipino footballers soon. I actually interview the players who are available and ready to collaborate with me. And just to avoid any misunderstanding down the road, ethnicity is not and will never be a criterion in the selection process. FYI, the players are my colleagues, so I work hand-in-hand with the featured player when I write the article. Moreover, I may call them Filipino–Spanish, Filipino–Italian, Filipino–Iranian, etc. but that’s because I’m discussing their background and not for any other reason.

To be honest, I don’t believe in the “half-Filipino or full-blooded Filipino” concept; it is, indeed, something perpetuated by the media and haters. Just because one of their parents is not a Filipino doesn’t make them less Filipino. Some of them even act and think like a true Filipino compared to some of us because they chose to be here and join us. We don’t discriminate and that’s what we are trying to teach everyone. We don’t label the players based on their ethnicity. This sounds arbitrary, but I don’t think there’s room for ideologies in football.

We refuse to comment on these things because, in reality, there’s nothing to discuss. Some players may speak a different language or come from a different culture but football gives them a sense of community. Forget culture shock; playing for the Philippines has helped them make a place for themselves here. Whenever they come here, they leave all their family and friends behind, but they also need somewhere to belong to right here in their second home and they choose football. Shouldn’t we be admiring them instead of judging them?

They’re entering an entirely new world, a world whose rules aren’t clear to them (yet), but they courageously accept the risks and challenges involved. I guess the same insight applies to some of the Azkals joining the UFL: Somehow they feel the need to belong here and so they attach themselves to one of our clubs.

In my humble opinion, we even owe these foreign-based players because if it weren’t for them, football wouldn’t have regained its rightful place in Philippine sports. I’m sure our young players will make it abroad in the future. Baby steps in the right direction, with the right people, will do it.

 The foreigner’s reply:

Ok no problem thanks for clarifying the foreign born players issue. I always wanted to know what people involved with the azkals thought about bringing in foreign born players. It’s interesting to me because I’ve never seen a national team with so many foreign born players. Like how I say, ‘it’s not about where you were born but what’s in your heart’ and the fact that these players live and play in the Philippines now shows they’re true Filipinos at heart. Yes imagine what state the azkals would be in if these players weren’t there? Football would be virtually nonexistent and not have the buzz it has today, not to mention the team would be substantially worse! But yeah these players look committed to the Philippines and azkals and even Germany and most national teams have ‘half breed’ players, like German Turks such as ozil and khedira. But those guys were born in/ moved at a young age to Germany so they are immersed and fully apart of German culture compare to these azkal players who come from completely different cultures growing up, which I found interesting.

He’s right: “It’s not about where you were born but what’s in your heart.” In the end, we can only try to shape others’ opinions. I don’t mind for as long as you remain open-minded. If you ask me again about my thoughts, don’t be offended if I don’t respond. I just think the whole Fil–what nonsense is kind of getting old.

Three (Matches) is Better than One

On January 29, 2012, GFC crushed Nomads Auction Manila, 5–1, at the Nomads Sports Club. I don’t know how often the concept of having the home advantage applies, but after slaying Nomads, maybe it will take some time for the home team to gain back their advantage over the visitors.

 

I expected another tough match, considering that we lost to Army on the same grounds on January 15, but hey, we killed it!  In the opening minutes, William brilliantly scored a goal, dispelling any traces of bad luck from the last game at Nomads Sports Club. GFC so thoroughly dominated that the penalty was like “a reward for deep territorial penetration.” Four goals in the first half, not to mention Carlie’s winning stance à la green archer, should’ve been recorded. Nomads weren’t all bad; in Coach Graeme’s words, “Nomads played up high and offside trap didn’t work.”

The second half was not as clinical as the first half and as Coach Graeme said, “Nomads lifted a little bit.” Either Nomads changed tactics or GFC became a bit lax. In the end, it’s not about the number of goals scored but winning the game. I also enjoyed the game because I was able to monitor some of the players’ progress. Nineteen-year-old Ahmed has been improving every week. Angel’s injury was not as bad as it was. He even showed confidence in his talents. Contrary to popular opinion, it wasn’t showboating but being able to extricate himself in a tight situation. What’s important is that he needs to stay in shape and injury-free. As for Misagh, he showed versatility.

 

On February 1, 2012, just a few days after beating Nomads, GFC lost, 3–4, to Loyola Meralco Sparks FC at Rizal Memorial Stadium. Even with Phil Younghusband out of the game—he got a red card in the game against Stallion FC—Loyola Meralco had a backup plan and his brother James took a stronger role and even scored a brace.

Loyola might have won and our defense probably weren’t that organized and cohesive, but the match was noteworthy. In the first half, we gave away two goals by making silly mistakes. I wouldn’t point the gun at Paolo, who didn’t have his best night, because the players in front of him weren’t aware either. There were situations in the goal that should’ve been snuffed out by the defender. Fortunately, we were exemplary in the second half. We could’ve pulled another victory but maybe luck wasn’t on our side that night. Even Izo’s brilliant bicycle kick didn’t count.

 

After three days of rest—mourning, on my part!—GFC was back at Nomads Sports Club, but this time to face Green Archers United. Drawing inspiration from the previous loss, GFC managed to score an 85^th goal from a penalty from Carlie. Yes, you read it right, from Carlie. Carlie confidently took the penalty to redeem himself from the ignominy of missing the penalty in the Kia Rio Cup and smashed it. We can now put our fears to rest.

The Archers were defensive but aggressive. Nobody should ever think that thrashing the likes of them would be easy. Coach Graeme was explaining that, in the UFL, they’re the bottom of the top five and top of the bottom five; hence, they are quite capable of causing problems for any team in the league. Other highlights in the game include Jerome getting sent off once again and Juan Luis Guirado’s debut for GFC. Jerome made great saves; the talent is there, but he needs to contain himself. He may be trying too hard, but according to Coach Graeme, “Better to try too hard than not to try harder at all.” As for Juani, well, he flaunted his strong left foot, made an impressive heading and showed excellent distribution. A win is a win and I’m glad we were able to shoot the Archers down.

Global FC Kicked the Ballistics

With all six of our superstars missing the game against Pasargad FC last January 21, 2012, I had mixed feelings about the game’s outcome. But I was definitely excited to see our newly recruited players dominate the starting lineup. I guess I was the only one excited because there were more trash and plastic wrappers at University of Makati than actual spectators. Well, the fans were probably busy preparing for the Azkals vs Incheon FC charity game. It wasn’t a bad thing after all because the football match turned out to be entertaining.

GFC stunned the audience when former Pachanga FC player Alex Obiang scored a goal in the 26^th minute. For a moment I thought it was one of the Elhabbib brothers! Then in the 59^th minute, it was Ahmed Hwedi’s turn to impress when he scored the second goal for GFC. Ahmed made a spectacular debut in the game against Army on January 15 and his performance confirmed that he’s going to be up there with GFC’s superstars soon. He even scored one of the goals in the January 25 training match at Rizal Memorial Stadium, where GFC won 3–2 over the Azkals.

Unfortunately, Etounai Jerome Sylvain got a red card and turned domination into elimination in the second half. To be clear, Jerome getting sent off was not good news, but it proved that Valentine Kama, who was once a goalkeeper, hasn’t lost his goalkeeping prowess. I wish Paolo Pascual was there to witness it! Valentine took on the goalkeeper’s role with pride and enthusiasm and made sure that he wouldn’t concede a goal.  As the minutes ticked down, Valentine was one of the players who kept the team calm and collected. Even though we were down to ten men, resilience became our strength.

Joseph San Martin and Bruno Mars lookalike Kennedy Venida made their debut for GFC as well. What seemed to be a nail-biting occasion became a revelation! Now our superstars have nothing to worry about since the game ended in a 2–0, giving us our first win in this UFL season.

*Just to avoid any misunderstanding down the road, I’m not, in any way, taking part in the ongoing football club versus country debate. I respect all clubs and their decisions and I don’t take it personally.

Eleven Nation Army

Sometimes you think you’re off to a good start and then you fall flat on your face. That happens to me a lot. I’m not awfully optimistic—in fact, I can be a pessimist and a worrywart—but before the Global FC game against Army, I thought we would dominate the pitch with our new lineup.

The game started off promising. I was right behind the bench radiating with confidence in the dimly lit Nomads Sports Club. I felt so cool and relaxed, even shrugged off a loudmouthed group of guys as I talked to Misagh, who later scored a goal in the second half. I knew Rob Gier wouldn’t play, but I expected that with Carlie’s debut, him and Ángel together would be unstoppable, sort of like the Younghusband brothers when they play. They were great, but the goals didn’t come as I had hoped they would. A few days ago, Ángel was playing Michel Teló’s “Ai Se Eu Te Pego” on YouTube; the video was of Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo dancing to the song after Ronaldo’s goal. I think we would have witnessed a similar sight on the pitch if either of them had been able to score.

As the game progressed, instead of escalating into excitement, things took a turn for the worse when the match between them became inflammatory. The referee bore witness to the madness, and at worst, fanned the flames.

GFC knew who they were facing and a physical match was nothing new. Only the new guys should have been adjusting to it (Carlie included), but even they were warned beforehand. Frustration can make you do silly things and poor decision-making was most probably the reason for GFC’s defeat and not a lack of cohesion. In the wise words of Coach Graeme, “Cohesion is brought by right decision-making.”

Clearly, last Sunday wasn’t Global’s day. The team lost and every player experienced some kind of misfortune along the way. As they say, troubles come not alone but in concert. Anyway, while I’m not here to rationalize the events that took place, always remember that it is through losing where we rediscover ourselves and recognize what we’re capable of. Coach Graeme said that you don’t learn when you’re winning, but when you’re losing. Sure, the pressure is on, but GFC is ready to bounce back. How could I have forgotten that in football, not everything works out the way it should?

Any team in a league can be top of the table after 3 weeks.

–Arsène Wenger

Globalization

There are some things in life that can’t be fixed, but a logo isn’t one of them. And if there’s one club that needs to redesign the logo, I think that would be Global FC. It is, after all, one of the clubs that has grown by leaps and bounds over the past year and a new logo seems imperative. I bet the fans have been dreaming of a new one as well.

It only seems fitting that those behind the original logo would make the new one. Given the history between the designer and the logo, perhaps the essential changes are best done by the same guy. A new logo always represents change. On the new logo, you will see that the original shield is retained—the blue fringes have been dropped to signify cohesion and solidarity—but the focus is shifted to the word global. Keeping a large part of the original logo was important because it implies that the club’s success began in the past and that its roots serve as a guiding light that takes Global FC into the present. Moreover, the club (or the shield) has been royally reinforced.

The shield is very symbolic: moral courage, bravery and a fighting spirit are just a few of the things that a shield represents. When faced with fears and filled with doubt, the official crest serves as a reminder that they are a well-equipped, formidable force on the field.

The emphasis on the circle, soccer ball and positioning of the words stand out as a major change as well. GFC wants to emphasize the word global for several reasons. First, the club isn’t rudderless, and GFC has a new sense of direction and coherence. Second, a border has been added to the soccer ball in the middle (notice the yellow around it). It serves a reminder to keep their eye on the ball and their mind on the goal. GFC wants to win every game. Third, the circle  symbolizes equality, interconnectedness, and continuity, which are best represented by that shape. Finally, the ball, like the original logo, is a soccer ball and globe rolled into one. One of the club’s long-term goals is to put GFC on the map.

Fans have expectations from the club, and sometimes they can’t help but compare it to others, but I think that’s a good thing. Fans who have a certain standard, a benchmark, take football seriously. Nevertheless, like any product or brand, every club has a different positioning, appeal, strategy, packaging and so on. In other words, all clubs are unique. You can’t simply judge a club based on what it is doing or not doing. One of the things they all have in common, however, would be the fans. They say that clubs create fans, not customers. GFC has fans and I hope just like the new logo, which resonates with conviction and splendor, their commitment stays strong.

There was no need to overhaul the entire logo, just a need to magnify the club to instantly evoke that global and regal feeling. This is the first step in the new direction that GFC has chosen to take. Join the team in their journey to be above all!

Neil It Down!

Ever since Neil Etheridge and the Azkals became household names, fans have eagerly anticipated Etheridge’s debut for Fulham FC. Despite his recently renewed contract with the club, people were left wondering when the broad-shouldered Folded & Hung model would finally show off his goalkeeping prowess, as a Fulham keeper, to the rest of the world on live television. There were instances when the fans thought he would get to play, but they all turned out to be premature expectations. All in good time, I suppose. Then the game against Odense Boldklub in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League came—with prior notice, of course (one day before the match in my case)—and Etheridge’s fans were once again reenergized. People had to find a live, streaming link somewhere, somehow, because they could not afford to miss his much-awaited first team debut. Were you able to watch live?

Waves of excitement later, the game ended in a 2–2 draw and Fulham got knocked out of the Europa League. Was it a good game? Did Etheridge perform well? Were the fans pleased by his performance? Are we proud of him again? Jamie Jackson of The Guardian said, “Etheridge’s opening touch was a confident dribble, although he nearly lost possession near his goal. He and Fulham escaped. That was as scary as proceedings got for Jol’s side as they dominated the first 45 minutes and should have scored more than the two goals with which they ended the half.”

There are too many questions we can raise from that one game, so maybe, instead of answering them, we can leave it all at that. IMHO, it was about time for Etheridge’s debut and it was a satisfying performance. It had been a long time coming, and I can’t believe we had to wait for Mark Schwarzer to get injured (do we have to thank Swansea?) before we got to see him play.

It’s nice to see that even if people have their own favorite Premier League teams, they’re more than willing to support Etheridge, as a Fulham player, without reservation. Crashing out of the Europa League is definitely not good news, but seeing Etheridge’s name in The Guardian, on Fox Sports, BCC, and Goal.com (voted as “Fans’ Man of the Match“) makes me proud of him in the same way that I would be proud if he were my own brother.

As in any match, there are lessons to be learned from his debut, so I hope he took them down. Yes, he has earned 28 caps so far, which is already commendable considering his age and many commitments, but a goalkeeper constantly needs exposure to various offensive strategies to achieve world-class caliber. What he needs at this point in time is a game. “Inexperienced” goalkeeping can only be remedied if he gets more opportunities to play. It’s all well and good to be on loan to another football club, but what really makes it worthwhile is if he gets to play and experience what it’s like to make brilliant saves and even errors. Etheridge is cut out for the job; we’ve seen him play for the Philippines, and the game against Odense showed that he truly has what it takes to be part of Fulham or to be any team’s starting XI. Well, whatever happens, he knows that we’ve got his back.

The Evolution of Paolo Pascual

Looking to prove himself as a formidable goalkeeper, Paolo Pascual actually started out as a striker—a young Cebuano player who managed to make it on the rosters of both the national team and Global FC. To be honest, I was a little skeptical and even mildly worried when I saw him play for the first time. Part of me felt like he was too young and inexperienced to represent the country or play for a club like GFC. But then again, Sir Alex Ferguson once described David de Gea as “a young goalkeeper, very quick, with good composure and presence. He’s an outstanding replacement for Edwin van der Sar.” Who am I to say what the guy is capable of?

A goalkeeper has a very special role—much different from the other positions on the field—yet this role is usually the most poorly understood and unappreciated. More often than not, goalkeepers take much of the blame for a loss and are quickly despised, especially when they make a howler. I think that one of the worst (albeit interesting) things that comes with being a GK is when your blunders become the stuff of legend in the football world, played over and over again on television.

During the ICanServe invitational, Pascual got a red card. As one of the youngest on the team, he was given a pass by most of the fans. After all, as in life in general, all of us simply learn from the mistakes we make. Still, kind comments were followed closely by scrutiny from those who felt like he was getting by unchallenged. Let’s not forget the early stages of the UFL Cup, in which GFC’s stuttering performance wasn’t exactly what the defending champions were known for. Was your finger pointed at Pascual? Then again, GFC was part of the infamous “group of death.” 

When we made it to the knockout stage, I wished we could give Pascual a shot of experience, not only to keep our record untarnished but also to prove that we didn’t make it to the knockout stage on luck alone. Opportunely, with Coach Graeme’s arrival and Coach Oni’s supervision, Pascual received the much-needed boost that I first thought was just a figment of my imagination. If the UFL had a “Biggest Improvement” award, he surely would’ve bagged it. It’s as if he had instantaneously gone from being a boy to a man. The backbone of GFC’s defense was buttressed and the team was able to hush the hecklers before they could even open their mouths.

In retrospect, I don’t think his progress should have surprised me. He always had what it takes to be a goalkeeper in that he was persevering, courageous and driven. Perhaps he just had to find them in himself.

All serious goalkeepers continuously learn from mistakes made and accept criticism with an open mind. He is the last samurai on the pitch. True, there is such a thing as bad and incompetent goalkeeping, but before you chastise goalkeepers, think about how the ball got past the other players first. Surely they can’t be the only ones at fault. Maybe there was an absence of a resolute and organized defense to begin with. Moreover, we must never discount the string of saves from the match’s final results, because the goalkeeper might be the man of the match for all we know.

With Coach Oni on our side for one-on-one sessions, I am expecting Pascual to master the three fundamentals that an aspiring goalkeeper needs to understand, according to my football book: stance, body positioning, and shot-stopping. Sooner or later, Pascual will make more outstanding saves, read the game more instinctively (improved decision-making abilities!), and become more flexible. And because Coach Oni recently completed a goalkeeping course, the team now has someone in the right position to professionally oversee Pascual’s training when it comes to the usual footwork, handling, diving, hand-and-eye coordination, reaction saves, crossing, distribution, and marshalling.

Paolo Pascual is no Lev “The Black Spider” Yashin, but that’s only because he has the potential to make his own name for himself. Every goalkeeper is unique. Other players or positions may get most of the attention and praise, but we must never forget to thank the goalkeeper, for they are truly the last line of defense.

“The goalkeeper is the jewel in the crown and getting at him should be almost impossible. It’s the biggest sin in football to make him do any work.”

—George Graham

GFC till The End

Losing always hurts, and since writing has always been my vehicle for contained emotions, I figured I would share my thoughts about the last game between Global FC and Philippine Air Force Phoenix FC and not about Manchester United’s humiliating Champions League exit.

From my point of view, it really felt like the world was against my team. That’s just me, of course. There were moments when an awareness of the ball was lacking. I wouldn’t just point the gun at the referee, either. Poor officiating wasn’t the problem. While we can’t disregard human error, it’s part of any game; there will be errors, but we at least try to minimize them. Players tend to make poor decisions, too, especially when they’re tired. GFC had many opportunities to turn things around, but the team had trouble grabbing them. We still had enough gas in the tank to manage a win in the second half. It was like finding goals only to lose them again. That said, both teams kept their winning spirit alive throughout the match. And each player was a threat. Just because a team has players like Chieffy or Ian doesn’t mean that the rest of their teammates matter less. The match between the two was a testament that a team can’t win without an individual, and an individual can’t win without the team.

These sentiments aside, I was impressed with the GFC fans. The fighting spirit never died at their side of the stadium. When Air Force scored, they drowned the sound of their band with an even louder and uplifting cheer to show their unrelenting support for GFC. The famous Fonz, known for her loud remarks in Waray during games, was there standing and screaming her lungs out to bolster the team’s morale. The UFL has real football fans that build the atmosphere and spectacle these matches need. The teams will assuredly get the respect and applause they deserve. Win or lose, you have supporters who are ready to fight for the team.