Don’t blame Vanli

Clueless: where has it gone wrong

The man from Turkey has been the most successful coach in the last three seasons. Under his stewardship VB Addu FC has won three leagues titles back to back. But today his team is fighting for a place in the top half of the table and his job as a VB coach is at stake. 

That is how quickly fortunes in football changes. One day you may be at the top, like the invincible creature teasingly looking down at your rivals who had breathlessly waged a war to topple you from the high and mighty pedestal, but next day losing not the grip on the title but also the very power to cling on to the division. Let alone your reputation as an inspirational coach.

Right now for Vanli each defeat taste like a fresh injury to a healing wound. He is running out of words to say and fans are running out of patience. Finger of blame is closing on from all direction. Media is grilling him with a volley of uneasy questions.

His team is in the fifth place having won only twice in eight matches. However after the win against AYL, Vanli says they are on right track. But for how long?  6-1 win against AYL may hide more than it reveal, masks the real problem.  We will have to see…

The real problem many people agree is they don’t have the three key players they had last season. And they are not properly replaced. The best player they have, Adey, is out of form. It can be attributed to VB Addu FC’s dismal performance so far. 

There are two sides to VB Sports

A rampaging VB is taking local tournament Dhiraagu Dhivehi league by storm but their continental journey in AFC cup is horribly in disarray. Though difficult to believe they are exhibiting both the extremes – so colossal in domestic, yet whimpering in the international tourney.  That is how you can sum up the fortune of present VB Sports. 

They saw off Eagles last week by 9 goals to nil and this week it was yet another clean sweep.  They thrashed AYL by 6 – 1. However they are ‘embarrassingly’ bad in the AFC Cup. On last Wednesday they came up against Hong Kong side they could have easily beaten. Yet the final score was VB-3, Pegasus 5. Before that they had lost against Song Lam Nghe An of Vietnam 1-3. Let alone home advantage they couldn’t hold on to one goal lead and defense made mess of everything. It is depressingly sort of understanding and weak, worse than last year. 

The question is whether they can defend the local league title and the answer for many would be yes. But anything about AFC cup you will have to wait and see. Because to have any chance to qualify for the next round they have to win the next three matches and that would be no easy mountain to scale.

VB has done it again

As many would have expected VB defended their title for the second time in as many years. In a season purported to be one-sided VB reached finish line well ahead of final two games of the league.

Ashfag came off the bench to provide the much-needed breakthrough for the 1-1 stalemate in the 74th minute. His cleverly-disguised pass, rather than a shot, found the back of net to the confusion of Maziya defenders who failed to clear it.

He put the tie beyond doubt with his second of the day from a right flank free kick before Ali Umar capped off the vital clash with a brilliant individual goal.

The final whistle saw Vanli lifted aloft by the ecstatic players for the memorable success the Turkish helped to bring to the youngest club in the Maldivian football fraternity. For to win a silverware without a single defeat is no mean achievement. Well done VB!

Dhivehi League preponed

The latest move by FAM to pre-pone Dhivehi League will be some consolation as far as time is concerned. As time (rather the lack of it) more often than not has been blamed for Maldives’ preparation at overseas tournament.

As of now day and night matches will be played from the 16th of this month till 25th. Bereft of any real excitement over the long-drawn tournament this will in part further stretch interest of limited supporters.

But then it is U23 which takes precedence and all the help that is needed is a prerogative of parent body, FAM. Thus to pre-pone the remaining three matches for each team runs in good stead.

Is VB Sports the deserving king

Galolhu Stadium: The good old days are over

Is this the least competitive and most boring Dhivehi League in a long time? Indeed yes, if you go by the league table. 

While VB Sports sit on the pole position with a comfortable tally of 43 points, 8 points ahead of their nearest rivals Victory, the team at the bottom of the table is having a terrible. AYL has not won a single match so far, only 2 points from two draws . Second from bottom Thoddu is with 9 points, third with 15 points.

Now where does that leave the competitiveness of this league? With only four matches to go before the wrap up of league you feel like to ask:  is this the kind of football you wanted to watch and follow as an avid fan? Where is the flair and excitement? In 8-team league should the lowest be as mediocre as not win a single match? Whatever happened to supporters who once filled this stadium to the brim?

At a time when there is real concern over the standard of football, which in the eye of many is on descent, the question is should there be such mismatch among the teams? Should it be allowed a particular team with its financial power to tip the scale of balance and lose the leverage on competitiveness forever?

Dhiraagu as the main sponsor may be doing its part to revive the sport but with the sort of disparity quite visible among teams, for AYL and Thoddu especially in their buying power and lack of genuine footballers coming through, is the scale tipped too far, beyond no return? 

VB Sports with a huge lead

For VB fans it was yet another day when the status quo remained the way they wanted. They won a routine game against a weak Vyansa with a comfortable win. 

Since he came into the fold three matches back Abu seems to break the deadlock for VB. He was no different here.

As usual substitute Ashfag who came off the bench, rounded up the keeper in the stoppage time to score his 15th of the season.

Ali Umar, Ibrahim Abdulla and Fazeeh, the-smallest-kid-on-the-block ( 1 kilo if you by the nick given by former coach Kiss) were on target. Fazeeh with a rare brace.

VB Sports too hot for Thoddu

Coach Nizam’s ambition of becoming the first team who upset VB Sports may have to wait for another day. Coming to the second half with four goals down it would have been almost impossible to send shock waves through VB. But two quick goals did provide them with a certain redemption they could have capitalized. 

But then Thoddu is no Liverpool to come from behind and store parity in a game they have no stars to call upon to spearhead a miracle.

Abu and Fazeeh to paid to any lingering hopes of shock comeback by Thoddu with practice match goals. Final score read 6-2.