Monday Apr 6

Updated: Harpreet's words to the team at the end of the post

Match Day 6 - Finals
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Venue: Republic Poly
Kick-off: 515pm*
Match Attire: Bring both orange and blue
Travelling Attire: Orange nus polo tee - bottoms anything is ok - shoes a must**

*Note: Bus leaves NUS at 230pm, so be at SRC carpark by 215pm. Those not taking the bus, please post in the comments section below. Anything pls msg Chris.

**Note: more details here!

Guys, THE day is finally coming. Many of us have been dreaming about this day for ages. We have been talking about this countless times, about how much we want it. For the past 2 months, we have worked so hard – sacrificing time to go down for training, sweating it out every single session. For what? Its all for tmr, the finals. How many finals will one get to play in his entire playing career? Personally (and sadly), this is my first and foreseeable, my last. Even for those who have been fortunate enough to experience finals b4, how about at this level? Im sure there isn’t much chances like this.

But talk is cheap. Tmr, is the day when we have to translate thought and talk into action. If we want to be remembered, we must do our best, and fight to our very last ounce of energy, for only winners are remembered. Don’t mention 10years. Even 5yrs down the road, no one will remember who was runners-up for the 08/09 season. So, if we want to write our names in the record books, tmr is the time to do so.

It’s gonna be tough, definitely. NYP are the favourites, everyone will be expecting them to win. Even so, I don’t think NYP will be complacent, they are too experienced for that. So, to beat them, we cannot count on them playing badly. Instead, we must be at our very best to win the day. If they are favourites, how about us? I see ourselves as the bad guys, standing in their way. Let’s gate-crash their party and spoil the show!

Some words from harpreet~
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Hey guys,
I’ve been meaning to say this to you all much earlier but for 1 reason or another, I was never able to. I hope you can bear to hear this old man out one last time, just one more game to go.=)

In a matter of hours, we will compete in the IVP Soccer Finals. It feels so surreal and almost like a dream to say that. So many wonderful players have come before us to represent NUS, but none of them have had the opportunity we are about to get at RP in front of SR Nathan and some of our “adoring” fans. Trust me the moments will pass by really fast so as you’re reading this, take a second to pause and reflect on our journey in the tournament so far, from as way back as to Malacca and Emperor Hotel, playing all those games on the pitch and scaring people off it, to our wonderful victories over NTU, who had beaten us at SUNIG, TP who many people considered to be a dark horse for this tournament, SP at SP which is never easy and then of course who can forget, the amazing victory over a combined ITE team on the 23rd of January 2009. I guess it is a sign of old age when you look back so often and treasure the memories that live forever in your mind.

Tomorrow, we will play NYP in front of 300 odd people. Now it will be nothing like playing at Old Trafford or Anfield or even Kallang Stadium, but compared to what we have experienced before, it will be different because for once there will be people cheering, jeering and even making fun of you. But I want to remind you of one very important thing, and that is fans don’t win games for you, it’s the players who wear the orange NUS jersey proudly tomorrow that will. Finals are never pretty affairs. If you think the pressure is on us, well think again. NYP is going for their 3rd straight trophy and are expected to walk all over us. They will also be feeling pressure. And in a final, there are no track records or how many S-league games I have played before, it’s just 11 v 11, the team that performs on the day, blocks out all the shenanigans off the field, does what you have to, defend when you need to defend, and attack when you have to attack, that will win the game. For the past couple of years, whenever NYP has won the final, it is not because they blew their opponents away, it was because for spells of 15-20 minutes in the game, they played simple football and lured their opponents into mistakes. So remember this guys, focus, soak it all up but remember it is the football we need to play that will win us the trophy.

As much as I tell you to not think about your screaming friends/gfs/families, I know it is going to be impossible to ignore them too. We are human beings after all. Playing in front of so many people brings added pressure, and it is this pressure that will make or break us tomorrow. I know some of us have played in A Div finals or IHG finals and perhaps there have been bigger crowds. But in terms of motivation and the stage on which we will play in, nothing beats the IVP final for amateur footballers like us, who sacrifice our time amidst our busy NUS academic and hall life to come down rain or shine, hop around for Uncle Sam and do “suicides” from penalty box to the goal line. It is going to be a big game tomorrow boys let’s not kid ourselves. But big players, great players, are remembered not for the silky touches they show against a team made out of pest-busters, but for what they do in the biggest of stages. Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres, John Terry; they will always be known as the guys who stood up when it mattered, made that little bit of difference in a tight match, and showed to the world the God-given talent they possessed in a single flash of brilliance.

So what exactly am I trying to say? In 4 words, and like the MSN nick I have: Pressure is a Privilege. If you feel uneasy or stressed by what you come to see tomorrow, take a step back and think of all the past NUS players who would kill to be in your position. Past captains who wished it happened in their year, teams that underperformed or were not dealt with the fate we have, they will all look at you and live a part of their lives through you. We are blessed to be playing in the final, the pressure is something you must have, but soak it in, and channel it into expressing yourself on the pitch. Let’s not even go so far, think of all our NTU and SMU buddies who will be looking at you, wondering why they did not try that little bit harder, why they did not opt for NUS instead. Would you rather be them? Or would you rather be the one playing in the final, living out their dreams and your own? I know what my answer would be.

No one remembers individuals. If we win, it will be the NUS team of 2008/2009 that will be etched in history forever. No one will be able to take that away from you, ever. And why it is important for each and every one of the 22 of us to realize this is because in a final, anything can happen. Who scored the Manchester United goals in 1999 in the Champions League Final? Who scored the goals for Liverpool and then the crucial penalties in Istanbul in 2005? What do Solksjaer, Sheringham, Smicer and Cisse have in common? They all never started the match. Due to circumstances where their team needed them, they came off the bench, displayed the right attitudes and played their parts in winning the trophy for their teams. Will you be prepared to come off the bench like that tomorrow, if you were not in the starting 11? We need all 22 of us to win this guys, not 1 more, not 1 less. It might be your freshness, your enthusiasm, your desire, that could make the difference and win this trophy for NUS after more than 20agonising years.

So this is it boys. No turning back. It is the biggest game of my life so far, and will probably be the biggest too. I don’t know how I managed to carry on playing with one knee and I know my life and my footballing career will never be the same after my surgery. I could never have done it without Coach and Uncle Sam, but I could never have done it without each and every one of you encouraging me, motivating me, inspiring me. Last year last chance as they say boys. It is now or never. You are all legends in my book and I will never forget this team for what we have accomplished. Go out there tomorrow and play the game of your lives and show the world we Uni boys can play some football.

See you at 215pm.
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