Titans ready to rock

sumber: NST Online

ALL POWERED UP: Butler's T-Team aim to win first major trophy

 

FEEL the wrath of the Titans! That is the warning from T-Team chief executive officer Abdul Rasid Jusoh ahead of the new football season.

 

At least, Abdul Rasid expects T-Team, who are now known as the Titans, will win one major trophy and attain a top-five finish in the Super League.

 

"Since winning promotion to the Super League three years ago, we have been on the radar of bigger teams but that is about to change.

 

"We are no longer an obscure club who were expected to just get by in the league as we are now the Titans, under new management, new coach and mostly new players," he said.

 

Abdul Rasid said head coach Peter Butler, who is also the team manager, has made almost a wholesale change to the team, keeping only five players from the previous squad.

 

They are goalkeeper Iqbal Suhimi, defenders Hasbullah Awang and Hassan Basri, and midfielders Badrul Hisham Morris and Azrul Hazran Amiluddin Baki.

 

"Most of our new signings such as Syamim (Yahya) from Johor and Fauzan (Abdullah) from Kuala Lumpur are young, eager but able players who are willing to go all out to help the team achieve success.

 

"But we do have experienced players too as former Terengganu defenders Marzuki Yusof and Mazlizam Mohamad are now with us together with new foreign signings (George) Boateng and (Caleb) Folan," he said.

 

Boateng, 37, was a former Dutch international and the Ghana-born midfielder used to ply his trade in the English Premier League with Coventry City, Aston Villa and Middlesborough while former Irish international Folan, 30, used to play for Leeds United, Wigan Athletic and Hull City as a striker.

 

"Both Boateng and Folan had played together for three seasons at Hull City between 2008 and 2011.

 

"Both players have adapted well to the Malaysian style of football and we are happy to see that the players are beginning to gel well as a team," he said.

 

On Saturday, T-Team who are now in Myanmar, playing their pre-season friendly matches, beat Yangon United FC 3-1 after Fauzan managed to score his first hattrick for the Titans.

 

"Folan had three assists in all the three goals and coach Butler seemed happy enough with the progress shown the boys after losing to another Yangon side, Magwe FC, by a solitary goal two days earlier.

 

"We played two friendlies in Kuala Lumpur prior to leaving for Myanmar, winning 1-0 over Armed Forces before losing 2-1 to SPA (Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam) but what is good is that our players seem to be getting better by the day," he said.

 

Abdul Rasid said T-Team will take on Sabah in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 26 and perhaps, one or two more friendly games will be played at home in Kuala Terengganu.

 

"We will do whatever necessary to be ready for our opening match against Perak in Ipoh on Jan 8," he said.

 

T-Team squad: Suhardy Alby, Ismal Halil, Saiful Mohamad, Mohd Shazlan Alias, Mohammad Hasbullah Awang, Mohd Muinuddin Mokhtar, Goerge Boateng, Md Hassan Basri, Aizululrizwan Mustafa, Caleb Colman Folan, Mohd Nuraliff Zainal Abidin, Badrul Hisyam Morris, Abdul Latif Suhaimi, G. Mahatheven, Azrul Hazran Amiluddin Baki, Yusri Abas, Marzuki Yusof, Mazlizam Mohamad, Shafuan Adli Shaari, Pritam Singh,Mohd Iqbal Suhimi, Muhamad Naim Zakari, Mohd Syuhiran Zainal, Muhammad Hafizan Talib, Ahmad Takhiyuddin Roslan and Humaidi Azmi.