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FC SUNRISE v FC SWISS 1:2 (1:1)?

Goals –

Hakim – 1

Assists –

Peter  – 1   (this year we are keeping track of assists as well in an effort to get people to pass the ball)

Thank you, boys, this game gave me exactly what I needed.  On the downside, prepare to work hard starting tonight.

So, it’s worth mentioning that this was probably the best team we’ve ever seen from these guys and their keeper is ex junior Grasshoppers and he really showed his talent with some fantastic saves.  Against an average keeper the chances we had would probably have resulted in two more goals for us but great saves to watch :)

I will absolutely take the blame for any lack of flow as there were many changes and each time they came just as you were getting your feet under you, so that part is not on you. 

It did become clear, though, that there are some things we need to work on that have very little to do with raw footballing skill or how we interact as a unit.  These are 1.) how we challenge when we want to collect the ball 2.) how we run with the ball when we have it.  We will work on both of these at training tonight.  Both of these will need some explanation so please hold your horses for the first 10 minutes of training – it will make trainings from this point on make more sense.

ARTEM!!!! You.  Were.  Super!!!  Those of you who didn’t see that we suffered when Artem wasn’t on the field might want to use their internal video-replay system and have another look at that.  Fantastic pressure and great decision making.  I am totally pleased with you!

The rest of you were very helpful in letting me make the changes I needed to see what I wanted – I now have a grand plan for this half, which only came together after Saturday’s game.  So, while it may have felt disjointed it absolutely served its purpose.  Thanks again.

Man of the match: Artem.  For doing what he’s best at, being in everyone’s face (not ours) and being selfless enough to come off at half even though that’s best I’ve ever seen him.  Artem, I respect you and I will reward you for putting the team first as soon as I can.

So, let’s get this party started…

See you soon (and if you work really hard and don’t grumble at me when I push and/or correct you, there just might be a yummy reward for you after training – NO!!! No sexual favours.  Please stop asking… ;))

Coach

FC Tecan-Siemens v FC Sunrise 2:3 (2:2)

Goals –

Ameen – 1

Hakim – 2

From Saturday;

FC VBZ v FC Sunrise 0:3 (0:1)

Ameen – 1

Tobi – 1

Ryan – 1

Weird. That’s all I can say.  Definitely not the relaxed, end-of-season, chill-out we are used to playing in Maennedorf.  But, many of their players of days gone by have since left the team.  The ‘new and improved’ Tecan-Siemens is full of young and ‘energetic’ players. 

38 minute halves.  This is a new one on me but when you’re the guest you don’t ask questions.

Save made with the use of bounces, deflections, crossbar, more bouncing – dodgy, I might add – and finally arms.  Good thing you are ‘clean-cut’, Adam.  Anyone with thick, floppy hair would never have tracked that ball!  Yes, you can hit me for that :)

Their keeper denying Boban’s penalty shot. (What a TOTAL show-off.)

Wrestling the defense.  A scuffle along our defensive line turned into a full-on wank attack; hence the email from Dominique.  Imagine salmon with arms.  Now picture one salmon wrapping said arms, from behind, around the second salmon and then, with second salmon in full hug, jumping and flailing around like it is actually spawning season.  (I nearly sent a sub to deliver condoms…) Combine that with a side-dish of ‘I’m a Muslim and I’m going to f’n kill you’ and a helping of Weiss Spargel and you’ve got yourself a three course meal. Ah, lake ambience…. Hope your back-side recovers soon, Dom.

Behind the play, from behind slough-foots (trips), just out of view of the ref.

Kroeker going off on the ref.  Okay, so maybe that can’t be considered weird anymore.

The ref called the game early because people weren’t settling down. 

BUT, some lovely one-touch passing throughout the game. We kept our head and came back from 2 goals down to tie it by half time – with 4 core players on the bench.  Well done, Artem, Falk, and Vishal!  Ryan can apparently play anywhere.  Tragic mistake, Ryan, like the wife who cooks well the first weeks of marriage – she gets stuck with the cooking forever.  Means that now you will be the one to fill in wherever. But know that Coach loves you for it! :)

The ref and the beer cost less than playing in the city so that was nice but overall I don’t know as it’s worth the drive just to be hacked and bum-jabbed.  I will say, though, that the team photo is a keeper…

Man of the match: Adrian’s mom.  For calling a mean line on the far side – you go girl! And cheering us on like we were at the Olympics.

Honourable mention: Adam and Humberto.  For stepping in and keeping goal for us.  Thanks dudes!

You supported each other to become a winning team.  I couldn’t have asked for more.  Thank you for letting me tag along ;)  I find you fascinating.

Talk to you soon,

One very proud coach. 

FC Swiss v FC Sunrise 0:3 (0:1)

We’ve got 14 bodies for Saturday and I would feel better if we had at least one more.  If you are available and want to play please contact me or sign up through bola.

Goals –

Hakim – 3

Goals from Saturday –

Adrian – 1

Ryan – 1

Oh, Hakim… You make so much work for me… I had no intention of writing a match report for this game and then you go and score a hat-trick and I have no choice but to announce it to the world. ;)

Good work yesterday, guys.  Nice to see everyone so relaxed on the field, and everyone was impressed with our ‘subs’.  Great job guys and thanks to those of you who coached them on the field.

Peeetttteeerrrr Dickson.  Great game.  Take a picture of the ball imprint on your chest as soon as it turns purple.  No shortage of courage in this guy with a couple of point-blank stops - TOTALLY frustrated their strikers.

Man of the match: Hakim, naturally.  (That’s all I’m saying for now…. If you score 3 more on Saturday I’ll turn on the praise taps… :)) Peter. Best I’ve seen you.

Honourable mention: All of you who helped teach our developing players.

Line-up for Saturday will go out at 12:00ish…

Michelle

FC SUNRISE v FC HLT 2:1 (0:0)

Boban -1

Ryan -1

FC SUNRISE v UNILEVER 2:0 (1:0)

Boban -1

Ryan -1

Well…the atmosphere in the change room after winning the cup has been described as ‘homo-erotic’.  I think that pretty much sums it up.  Ask Ryan and Lewis to see their photos of them doing all kinds of things with the trophy…  Ryan took it home but will bring it to training on Monday.  Don’t put any dents in it with those abs of yours ;)

John and Peter played excellent games with game-saving stops at very key times.  Great stuff guys! Peter, you deserved the shut-out and especially against Unilever.

Midfield got better and better as the day went on and there was some gorgeous 1-touch passing in their half between midfielders and strikers.  Really the stuff highlight reels are made of – ohne Scheiss.

Defense: fantastic.   Best in the league and yet another clean sheet.  When you guys look good it usually has something to do with a super-strong midfield and that was part of it but you had some exceptional head-on-straight clears, chases, cut-offs and shoulder to shoulder play with refs who thought their job was to make the game exciting and give the trailing team a chance.  Such crap when you can’t get a fair game but we battled through it all the same. Again a sign of a mature team – you’ve come a long way darlings :)

Boban, I’ll let you tell everyone about your goal in the Unilever game… We will talk about that for years.

We needed everyone to play well and everyone did.  The results would not have been possible otherwise.  And in the end, playing on Kunstrasen half our lives worked in our favour as Unilever couldn’t control the ball with it constantly skipping away on them.  The artificial turf at Heerenschuerli is just slower enough than at Eichrain that we didn’t struggle at all.  See, eventually the disadvantage can lend enough experience that it becomes a benefit.  This is why even difficult, unfair or disadvantaged situations are still worthwhile because of the learning they bring.  I will say though that the learning process isn’t always easy or comfortable and I’m proud of all of you for sticking with it.

I’ve asked for more from you as individuals and as a team this half and you have stepped up to meet the challenge at every opportunity.  I am truly blown away by the men that you are – you have my heart for all eternity.

Well done, guys.  There’s really nothing more I can say.  You have arrived.

Man of the Match v HLT: Alessandro, Boban. 
Honourable mention: Ryan and Tobi.

Man of the Match v Unilever: Defense.  All of you.

Honourable mention: Boban, Ryan.

Hugs and kisses,

Michelle

 FC Sunrise v FC Credit Suisse 5:2 (2:1)

Goals – Raphi, Tobi, Adam, Ryan (2)

So darlings….

We were the better team.  We deserved the win.  That’s why we did. Many good things I could say but let’s just enjoy the moment :)

Man of the Match: Adam.  Reading the game well and seeing the possibilities offensively combined with lovely execution.  Ryan. On target, under pressure.  That’s exactly what we need, honey ;)

Honorable mention: Dani, of course!  Thanks for stepping in on short notice and making key saves at important times. Raphi.  News flash! Raphi doesn’t really like taking penalty kicks – just found out… Raphi, I had a feeling and went with it.  Thanks for following instructions and taking it anyway  – I have complete faith in you!!!

Hugs!

Michelle

Globus v FC Sunrise 0:3 (0:1)

Goal scorers –

Ryan??? Or was it Adrian… hhmmm…

Ameen

Kujtim

Thanks Falk and Artem for being there and looking intimidating.  Sucks to sit for 90 minutes, though, I realise.

Everyone did a really good job of bouncing back from last week and, from what I saw from the sidelines, it looked like all of you were enjoying your time on the field.  As usual everyone did their jobs and we absolutely deserve the result we got.  Super job, everyone!!!

Not too much else to say about today except that we were the team that adjusted better to a very tight referee.    I would say that in general a skilled team does better with a strict ref because it benefits that team to be held to a high standard.  It would have been easy to gripe but we did a very good job of keeping our mouths shut and in this case it was to our advantage to do so.

Men of the match: The two Johnny Boys… Excellent and timely saves, J.T.  Kroeker, decisive challenges combined with solid leadership of the back 4 earns you this honour.  Best games I’ve seen both of you play in quite a while.  Good stuff!

Honourable mention: Adam and Lewis.  Fantastic speed you bring to the game, boyzzzz.  Love it. :)

See you all tomorrow!

Michelle

FC SUNRISE v UNILEVER 0:1 (0:1)

First of all, congrats to Adrian and Miriam, on the safe arrival of their son, Finley. :)  Well done, dude and dudette!

This is a particularly disappointing loss, both because it was a key game and it’s the first time since I’ve been here that we’ve played well and still lost.  This is, of course, the difficult side of sport.

However, we had a plan that everyone executed beautifully and overall we played well.  We just couldn’t put the ball in the net.  This happens sometimes. Nonetheless, I am pleased with you and you never have to feel that you need to win for me.  For me it’s enough to know such exceptional men.  If there are better men on the planet, I wouldn’t know where to look for them.

Humberto, you are exceptionally reliable. Adrian, you are exceptionally positive. Artem, you are exceptionally dedicated.  Falk, you are exceptionally teachable.  Lewis, you are exceptionally flexible.  Boban, you are exceptionally resilient.  Kroeker, you are exceptionally good at being needed. If I haven’t mentioned you here but you would like to know in what way I find you exceptional, please ask me. I have an answer for you!

Now we’ll see what we are made of as we regroup and get back on the horse.  But, as we do that, perhaps ponder this phrase, ‘you will never have more until you are happy where you are right now.’ Are we maybe chasing promotion too hard?  It seems we lock up at the same point each season; the first 3 games we do well because we are just happy to be back on the field and then all of a sudden it becomes clear that we need to win and we just can’t seem to make it happen.

http://ww-success.com/blog/index.php/2007/01/17/the-seven-traits-of-highly-effective-teams/

I came across this article two weeks ago and was pleased to find that we are all these things. So what is missing, then, that we are not highly effective in situations where it seems we should be? I would suggest that the only thing not in place is contentment.  I really can’t see anything else that could cause us to come up short.  If you disagree and see other things (foundational team things – not tactical issues, although there is a place for that as well) that need addressing feel free to send me an email – it is always possible there is something I am not seeing.

Man of the match: Lewis.  Very pleased!

Honourable mention: Alessandro.  Nice work, man!

See you Monday,

Michelle

FC Sunrise v HLT 2:2 (1:1) Correct me if the half-time score is not correct.

Goal scorers – Kujtim (Twinkle Toes Timmy) and Tobi (Teletobi or Toblerone)

Oh baby, give me some sugar!  I am awesome and I’m not even kidding… I just cheered Globus to a 3:3 tie, after being down 3:1, with 10 minutes left.  (We’ll have to watch that when we play them…) It does mean that Unilever will want to absolutely slaughter us, but first things first. ;)

In other news… the VBZ president offered me 500 CHF to come over and coach them.  I’ll give you some time to ‘up your game’ before I make a decision.  JUST KIDDING!!!  I am completely attached to all of you; even if it is a bit creepy that you are your coach’s favourite people.  It’s possible I need a life…

But enough about me, let’s talk about us.

1.) Nothing is written in stone.  Everyone can beat everyone in this league and we will need to show up and do our jobs every time.  It turned out to be a hugely important point we earned yesterday when it would have been easy to give up.  That’s why we never quit, ever.  And you didn’t!  Kuma/Generali just upset Cablecom.  (Thanks, Kuma.)

2.) We can’t expect everything to click all the time.  When this happens it will be hard work and determination that get us through.  All of you are brilliant at that and it’s what got us the point. Thank you for striving tirelessly!!

3.) Midfield, we will need more and tighter marking from you against Unilever.  We will need to think ball-collection first, offensive attack second.

4.) Defense, we will need you to hold your zone better (particularly the fullbacks) as they are extremely good at making noise and pulling apart the defense.  This will mean that the midfield will need to come back to mark loose men.

 5.) Please sign up for the Unilever game as soon as possible.  We would like to know exactly who will be there before the April 22nd training.  If you are available for the Unilever game please also make yourself available for the training prior.  This game will need some special preparation and everyone will need to know their tasks as individuals and as lines.

6.)  Thank you Artem and Sami for being there without getting any/many minutes.  I know it’s not how you envisioned contributing but give yourself the credit you deserve for always standing by this team.  I will do what I can to get you some minutes as soon as it is possible.

7.) I’M PROUD OF YOU!!!

Man of the match: (as chosen by Dominique) Tobi. Blitz-shot.  Love it.  Good decision, dude.

Honorable mention: Kujtim for controlling/holding up the ball so well… and scoring.  We like the scoring… ;)

Hugs and kisses,

Coach

FC Kuma/Generali v FC Sunrise 1:4 (0:2)

Goal scorers – Ryan, Ameen, Rick, Hakim

Goals scorers from last game – Humberto, Tobi, Raphi (I’ll log these in bola today, with the goals from Friday’s game)

Please take a minute to register for the VBZ reschedule options posted on bola.  Deadline is Monday, 14:00.  Thanks to those of you who already have.

Well darlings,

Another game where our fitness, determination and ability to adjust made all the difference. :) And when they got frustrated and started to implode we encouraged each other more, communicated more, passed the ball sooner and showed them why we are spectacular.  I’m very pleased!

Thanks subs for being there – we really needed you as that pitch sucks the legs out from under people. Again, our subs came in seamlessly and executed their tasks beautifully. You ROCK! and knowing that you are so reliable means our starters can give it all they’ve got, and when needed can take a break. Please don’t ever underestimate your usefulness!

After the game there was some discussion about ‘the wall’ and whether or not we should be jumping.  The answer is ‘no’.  Better to make them make the perfect shot than to have us fool our keeper. The goal they scored was a super strike – all we can do is to insist that they execute perfectly.  But… if you know for sure that jumping will allow you to clear the ball, do it. (If it’s coming straight for your head feel free to get in the way of it.)  If you are jumping in case you might clear the ball, rather stay on the ground to allow some predictability for the keeper. Use you football experience to make the decision and if it gets too messy we can make an ‘always and forever’ decision later.

I’ll be sending out the low resolution team photos from camp today as well.  If you need the high res versions or you would prefer to trim my finger from the photo yourself, please let me know and I’ll send them to you.

Man of the match: Alex.  Super solid and for dropping everything, ditching your usual Friday night crowd and making yourself available to us at such short notice. Greatly appreciated!

Honorable mention: All of you were good but, Ryan, Lewis and Artem deserve special notice because they’ve been asked to adjust themselves to meet what we want them to do and are doing so beautifully.  (Everyone else can be happy they haven’t received ‘homework assignments’ :))

As always, it’s my pleasure to coach you and I’m looking forward to Monday.

Michelle

P.S. Adam, very speedy! Willima, well into the passing lanes and Hakim, it’s great to have your ‘stallion meets work-horse’ presence back on the field…

no

no

FC Swisscom United v FC Sunrise 0:4 (0:3) Lewis – 1 Hakim – 1 Adrian – 1 Ryan – 1

A relatively uneventful game but well played nonetheless. We brought a good game to a team where it would have been easy to play down. All the subs played – except Colin, who is a ‘break glass in case of emergency’ only player – and did a great job of working into a team that has seen some solidification this half.

So, because I have nothing I need to teach you this week, I’ll offer a few limericks… Feel free to create your own and share them with the team. :)

There once was a chic with a plan Who was also the team’s biggest fan With a new ass. coach on board The players’ effort sure poured And a fantastic club they then ran

When Alan got that look in his eye Rick said, “Put me in I’m your guy I’ll ‘settle’ things down” Threw his man to the ground And questioned, ‘A yellow card! Why?’

Upon the coach’s return It seems she had something to learn If you don’t follow the plan And please the ref man A yellow card you will earn (didn’t tell the ref about the substitutions at half… got off with a warning)

There once was a team from Eichrain Whose players were nothing but fine In spite of their yapping And Lewis’ crapping Still powered 4 balls past the line

It’s been a good half, boys! And although I was happy doing the fitness and physio, it is nice to be back. The Kloten Flyers didn’t really need cheerleaders anyway, right?

Cheers! Michelle

FC Sunrise v UPC Cablecom 2:1 (0:0) Ryan – 1 Tobi – 1

Oh baby! Put it ON me! Well done boys!

FYI – that is my lucky outfit; expect to see more of it.

Everyone played well. I have no complaints. :) Midfield was excellent, defense was strong and the strikers were opportunistic. We knew what we needed to change and we did it – and with a good result. We earned our goals and we earned our luck. Fortunately they came together in the same game…

It’s time to talk about team. There are several elements to the concept of team, as follows;

1.) Attitude and support – this was excellent, keep it up!

2.) Taking one for the team. This means sacrificing something because it will (probably) get a better result for the team. Falk, Artem and Dani Arnold completely understand this and are always the first players to say, ‘hey, whatever is best for the team’, even if that means no minutes for them that week.

3.) Having each other’s backs. Essentially this means knowing you are never alone on the field. We’ll talk more about this another time.

4.) Being willing to be used for a purpose. This is the one I want to talk about today.

Think of a team as being like an orchestra; each has a part to play and it sounds best when everyone knows and does his job(s). But please notice that how many notes you play and how much air time you would get would depend on the piece of music being played at the time. The magic of an orchestra is that it is more beautiful together than hearing the instruments one at a time.

It is therefore the job of the coaching staff to use these instruments in different ways at different times to achieve different objectives. Just because someone might come out at the half does not mean there was anything wrong with his play but what we are trying to do might have changed. There is a time to defend and a time to press. There are times we need flashy, dynamic players and a time when we need to lock it down. Each of you has skills and strengths and it’s my job to know what they are and which person is the best for each task that needs doing.

Adrian is like our bass cello – always a steady beat in the background. Vishal is our ‘in your face’ trumpet causing them to crack under pressure and twice now Falk has been the clash of symbols in the last sequence. One time he made a great play and one time he allowed me to run down the clock. Both were important manoeuvers, but very different. In each case I knew I could count on him to be used as needed. Thanks for that.

When a person’s task is done it is either time for a new task or time for someone else to come in. If you are replaced and not hearing from me it means you’ve done what we needed – take heart in that. When everyone does his job(s) the results are fantastic.

Having said all this, if you feel that I don’t know you well enough as a player or as an individual let’s meet; I have time for you and am very interested in knowing how you feel you can benefit the team. Until then, trust that my goal is to use all of you in your best roles, at the best times.

You are all wanted, you are all important and you are all necessary. All of you make my job easier and I love you for it. Unfortunately not everyone can sit in the front row for every performance.

This does not mean you need to constantly put your teammates before yourself – there is also a time to be selfish and if you have the shot, take it! What it does mean is that you accept the direction of the conductors as in the end we are responsible for the performance and of course, you can talk to us any time. :)

Man of the match: Alessandro. Everywhere, closing everything down. Excellent on both first and second balls.

Honorable mention: Lewis, Ryan, Tobi. Lewis and Ryan the tasks you were given were executed very well. Tobi – can’t leave out the other goal scorer!

I am insanely pleased with all of you. See you Monday!

Michelle

FC Sunrise v UPC Cablecom 1-1 (0-1) Hakim – 1

Hey boys! First to the thanks and news!

Thank you Humberto and Sami, for taking Raphi to the hospitals – yes, two hospitals.

Thanks to the subs, most of whom got only a few minutes and some who had no minutes (I’ll do my best to make it up to you, Sami!) but came on and did an excellent job. :)

Thanks to those who came out of the game and continued to have a good attitude.

Thank you, Peter, for saving our butts with several huge saves!

Raphi has a broken nose. Darn! I’ll bring you a hockey helmet for next game and you’ll be good to go…

Adrian and Miriam are expecting a baby! Congrats!

Falk is engaged! We are planning the wedding for Eichrain, with much protesting from Falk. We’ll turn the water fountain into a chocolate fountain – total class. (Don’t worry, we won’t.)

Hakim is secretly a ninja – explanation to follow.

So, to the game… We started out looking very rusty against a team that had it together but still managed to hold our own. A perfect shot from 35+ yards gave them a 1-0 lead. I dare him to make that shot again…

But, by the second half things were improving, as we adjusted to the speed of the game and the fact that they were taking away time and space, and beating us to the ball. We started to find our rhythm and things looked much better. With time running out a fantastic sequence of throw-ins from the side (Falk) got us deep into their end and with a good toss (again Falk) and a little luck the ball came bouncing straight to Hakim, who cracked it into the net with a round-house, bicycle-style, flying-squirrel-meets-pouncing-ninja strike. Apparently all he needs is the ball above his head and it’s a sure goal. :))

Things we did well: We battled well and didn’t give up. Attitudes and behavior were super and we supported each other at every opportunity.

We got better as the game went on. Had we had another 15 minutes we probably could have gotten another goal or two.

Conditioning was not a factor. :)

Things we need to work on: Challenging for the ball, especially in the air.

Being first to the ball on the ground.

Including the midfield more – don’t worry, we’ll train this in the next weeks.

Overall though, a tie is a fair result and we are very happy for the point. But more than that, I am so pleased that we kept our heads up, kept working hard, and stuck together as a team. It paid off!

Man of the match: Peter – no question. Excellent performance!

Honorary mention: Falk and Johannes. Each came in and used their best skills extremely well and managed the tasks they’d been given with hustle and decisiveness. Okay, okay, and Hakim for his once in a lifetime, moment of glory, point-securing goal. :) (Thanks for that!)

Back to work Monday. See you soon! Michelle

One last point.

MOM – Raph Bottarella.

Again was tough decision as I thought you all played well.

Well done lads

---

Afternoon All.

First of all. Well battled, we kept going to the end and that never say die attitude led to us getting a point. I am not sure if we deserved it but, by battling like we did, we sure earned it.

FC Sunrise - 4

Adam Barrington-Spencer Sami Keka. Ameen Ahmed Hakim Dell`O

FC VBZ - 4

The 4 goals we scored today, were again products of us keeping the ball and making telling passes. VBZ were by far the strongest team we have played so far. It was a physical encounter that I think we were up for. When we keep the ball and pass to feet we really do look good and teams do not have an answer to us. VBZ play an odd but, affective way. They seem to hit long balls to almost 6 forwards, which is hard to defend against. We can swap ideas on Monday as to how we can counter that. We play VBZ next week in the cup. I do not want to worry too much about them as I believe if we keep our shape and pass the ball we will beat them. Once again, our midfield dominated the game, with Raph, Adam, Ameen, Will and Humberto never stopping, showing great energy and really getting into the opposition. Sami and Hakim also gave us plenty of options up front.

I do not want to dwell on where their 4 goals came from as I think we all know. You will get sick of me saying this but, if we CUT OUT THE MISTAKES we will win this league. Lets learn from this.

The one disappointing aspect to today was our attitude towards each other, we are a team, we stick together win, lose or draw. We offer constructive criticism, we listen to our team mates and we help each other out. I do not want us getting on each others cases when we are on the pitch. Let me do the moaning. I want to win, as I am sure all of you guys do but, similarly we want to play football with our mates. Lets not forget that.

There seemed to be a few unhappy faces after the game, which I hope is because we lost 2 points. If they are for other reasons let me know, do not bottle it up.

Hope to see you all on Monday.

M

Morning Chaps.

FC Sunrise – 3 Ameen Ahmed Sami Keka Andy Hancock

Kuma/Genarali – 0

REPORT.

Great result on Saturday. The more I reflect on it the more I realise that it was a really good team performance. The AstroTurf pitch is incredibly difficult to pass on due to it being so narrow/tight but, we showed composure and scored 3 well worked goals. Everyone played their part, was good to see all the substitutes come into the game and had a really positive impact, Artem set up the 2nd goal, Johannes looked solid and Falk settled the midfield down when we could have got over run.

As a team we listened to the half time talk, and second half looked a very solid unit. A clean sheet against any side is impressive and the effort the defence put in was top draw. We made correct decision at the back that led to the opposition not really having a sniff. Peter looked confident in goal and made 3 good saves when we were only 1-0 up. Second half was definitely better in defence but, lets not forget why it was better. We marked our men, and did not rely on others to do our jobs. We communicated.

In the midfield we really did control the game. We passed it nicely, gave support to the defence and got the ball into dangerous areas, this ultimately led to 3 goals that all came from passing moves. On a wider pitch we would have had a lot more possession and caused them a lot more problems.

Up front we once again controlled the ball well, we need to do this more though. The more we hold on to the ball the more opportunities we have to create chances. If we all stick to our jobs we are going to be a really tough team to beat.

Lets remember to keep our cool out on the pitch, we should not be push overs but, at times on Saturday I thought we over stepped the mark a little and reacted badly when people tackled/fouled us. Lets remember, we like to dish it out, we must then, be able to take it.

MOM – This week it is really hard. Raph never stopped running and covered every inch of grass/plastic. Allan had his man in his pocket, not once did he get past him. Ameen as always kept the ball well and posed many problems. I will though give it to Peter the Goal Keeper. He came in last minute to help us out. Looked very calm and confident and made 3 saves at 1-0, that had they gone in I am not sure we would have won.

WELL DONE LADS, STILL UNBEATEN.

I am unable to make training tonight, so Adam has kindly agreed to help out and manage this.

Those that are not signed up for the next game please do so today, I will send out the team line-up tomorrow.

Take care and have a great week.

M

Dear All.

Great effort on Saturday, and considering the far from ideal playing surface, I felt we passed the ball well.

So……………………

FC IBM 2 FC Sunrise 4

Goalscorers.

Sami Keka 3 Hakim Dell`O

Passing, movement and shape for 60 minutes was great, Sami up front holding the ball up worked very well and the midfield controlled the game. Back 4 was solid, their first goal was a bit of a freak, their second could have been prevented. Again, we need to learn when to clear and when to pass, we are getting better though.

Lets not take away the fact that we had to reshuffle the pack after 35 mins when Jon Kroekers knee got over acquainted with Alex’s (New Goalkeeper) nose. It was not a pretty sight, and a big thank you to Michelle for taking Alex to hospital. We wish Alex a speedy recovery as next game is Saturday.

The 2nd goal was class, Andy drilled a hard cross to the back post where Sami rose like a salmon and powered a header into the near top corner. Take my word, this goal would grace any top league.

This is a good start boys, we battled hard and should really have had the game dead and buried, felt we lost shape in last 20 which let them push on. We will look now to kick on and improve as I am not sure IBM will be the hardest challenge we face.

Lets make sure that all those able to make the game on Saturday are signed up, mail will go out after tonights friendly.

MOM – Got to be Sami for 3 goals but, honorable mentions for Dom, Jon and Tobi, you all put in great performances.

Onwards and Upwards, was a good result, and this kicks off the season nicely.

Take care and have a great week.

Mark

yes I will

FC Alstom v FC Sunrise 0:1 (0:1) Philippe-1

FC Sunrise v FC Fibada 0:1 (0:0)

Hey boys! Well… that was FC Sunrise’s first ever cup final game. Too bad we couldn’t win but the effort was great none the less.

Thanks to everyone who came out and especially to those who brought wives/girlfriends and kids. It makes for a great atmosphere! (Nice to see you, Pascal!) Also helps that we had the best weather so far this year…

Since nearly everyone was there I won’t get into the details of the games or of our play. Suffice it to say that we played as a team and gave ourselves a chance to win. :) The coach of Fibada came up to me afterwards and told me we lost because I cut in front of them in the hamburger line… He might be right… ;)

Lost: two pairs of white shorts and a few pairs of white socks. (4 pairs, I think) Found: one very thin, black jacket with electric blue zipper and squiggles down one arm. One team water bottle (it’s with me).

Quote of the day: This was a tag-team effort… Alan and I had a verbal ‘go’ at Alstom’s number 11 after the game. Because he’s such a whiny, over-grown, diving child on the field I let him know that, ‘I wouldn’t let you play for me and if you can’t be a man on the field you should stay home.’ Alan promptly had my back with, ‘That’s embarrassing coming from a woman!’ Burn.

June 9th will be my last day as your coach at which time Mark Hover will take over. He has my absolute support so please be as wonderful to him as you’ve been to me. (Large, cheesy smile here.)

See you on Monday

Michelle

FC Sunrise v FC IBM 0:1 (0:1)

The bet’s off. (Second half was good enough. First half, not so much.)

Man of the match: William. Great first game Will… way to man-mark and move to the ball!

Honorable mention: Ameen. Glad your legs are still attached.

FC Credit Suisse v FC Sunrise 0:5 (0:2)

Adam-1, Philippe-2, Andy-1, Vishal-1

I believe that’s what British football announcers would call ‘inspired football’. Absolutely brilliant.

When we focus on playing good football the best result possible in any game will find us. The ref was as good as we were and mentioned afterwards how we are a ‘nice club’, and that most clubs don’t understand the difference between hard and dirty. He felt we played hard but were interested in a fair match. I still appreciate your manliness… :)

Everyone had a really fantastic game. Everyone hustled. Everyone deserves to be man of the match. But… I am choosing the players for man of the match by looking at ‘if we hadn’t had person x, how would the effect be different?’. So…

Man of the match: Ameen and Alessandro. Stuck in, persistent, a nightmare to play against. Perfect.

Honorable mention: Falk. That’s the best game I’ve ever seen you play. Well done! And good on the body. Andy. That’s exactly what we need from you. Keep it up. :)

Hugs and kisses, Coach

P.S. There is at least one vote for a ‘Catwoman’ suit. Meow. You’re half way there. ;)

FC Sunrise v FC Alstom 0:2 (0:1)

Did we have HATS? Let’s see… Hussle – not enough Attitude – a few moments of unhelpful comments and destructive body-language but overall not too bad Team – this part was okay and we did hang together until the end Smile – epic fail. Some of you looked more miserable than I’ve ever seen you We had ‘AT’. We’re half way there.

There is no reason why we should be playing worse and worse when we are actually getting better and better. It would seem that we are not yet at the point where we can set such lofty goals and be okay with not achieving them. Next season will be the right time to try again…

It is always noticeable when we don’t have Raphi, Ameen or Humberto in the midfield. And that’s not to take anything away from the rest of you; it just doesn’t click when these guys are missing. Sort of like a clock that’s missing a gear. It’s not the other gears’ fault, but they don’t function the same without it.

So… Fact 1.) 4 key players were injured either before the game started or within 10 minutes. Fact 2.) If losing one game means we don’t reach our goal it was a very ambitious goal. Good that we went for it but it’s time to change what we are after. Fact 3.) It’s time to get back to enjoying being on the field. Fact 4.) We will focus on the cup games. Fact 5.) Monday we will regroup. Prepare to work. Fact 6.) There is a huge difference between leading and carrying.

You are not responsible for each other or each other’s performance. Don’t feel that you need to carry your teammates. However, each one of you can lead the team by making sure you are responsible for your own effort and supporting each other in their attempts to be the best they can be.

A little perspective… If you include league games and friendlies, we have 8 wins, 2 ties and 1 loss over the last 11 games. One loss!!! I will admit it is a goal-crushing loss, but really, there are many teams who would give a kidney for a record like this. We are getting better and it is completely normal to have (what feels like) the occasional step backwards. We’ll get through it. We always do…

You guys focus on enjoying football and I’ll focus on getting us back to potential.

Man of the match: Alessandro. Well played and I believe it was you who cleared the ball off the goal line. It would have been a certain goal otherwise. Sami. First, for stepping up as the replacement keeper and making some great saves. And secondly, for enjoying your time on the field. You are one of the few who looked happy to be there yesterday. :) I appreciate your attitude and perspective.

Honorable mention: Anyone who played without fear. Adrian, Mark, Jon, Alan and Sami come to mind. Interesting how age brings a more rounded out perspective to winning…

As proud of you as I’ve ever been…

Coach

FC Unilever v FC Sunrise 4:4 (3:2) ‘Hat-trick Harry’ aka -> Hakim-3, Philippe-1

Strange game, this one. They had a 6’2’’ ‘Hannu’, who was a nightmare to contain and the rest of them did a good job of taking our midfield out of the game. This left us down 3 goals in the first 30 minutes. Serious adjustment was needed from us.

To counter their clogging up of the midfield we went with long balls. This was tiring but more effective and by half time we had closed the gap to one goal.

It looked like curtains for us when they went up 4-2, but the injection of Vishal into the game was just what we needed. He did exactly what I asked him to do and was extremely effective in his decision-making and threading great passes through the defense.

Two late goals, with one in the last minute, pulled out the tie. WELL FOUGHT, BOYS!!! It’s so crucial to get that point and stay ahead of Unilever.

A very weird feeling game, both on the field and from the sidelines. An extremely biased ref didn’t help us at all, although we got a few calls late in the second half. The conversation around the table after the game was about why we get so few calls for us and seem to battle the ref more often than other teams. It’s not just this year; this team has a history of games that are called against us – very clearly so. If you have any ideas on this please let me know. We can make adjustments if necessary.

I feel a bit bi-polar about this game… Quite disappointed that we went down three goals, but ever so proud that we didn’t turn on ourselves – it would have been easy to do – and never gave up. :)

I know some of you played through injury and will have a very difficult week because of it. I respect your dedication and your masculinity. Every other part of the game doesn’t really warrant any emotion at all, which might be why it has me on both ends of the spectrum.

Not sure what else to say…. Although I am very pleased with how you dug deep for each other in this game. That is the truest sign that you are a team.

Man of the match: Hakim. Hats off to you, my Italian friend! You know I’ll be expecting a hat-trick every game… ;) Vishal. Total game changer. Your energy and scrappy style lit us up and got us going. You’ve earned yourself a start.

Coach ;)

FC Sunrise v SC Globus 5:2 (4:1) Ameen-2, Adam-1, Tobias-1, Adrian-1

THANK YOU STRIKERS!!! Total magic. Not 1000’s of opportunities but when you got them you sure did well with them.

Thanks Dom, for being there, even though you knew we were saving you for Friday. :)

And thanks Lewis, for staying up all night, taking care of people and still coming to the field. Fair play to you.

Midfield. Next game you are going to have to be better. Man-marking was not up to snuff. Offensively you played quite well but anytime you see your defense getting overrun, blame yourselves. Just too loose. Against Unilever we will have to be tighter. It’s priority.

Otherwise, though, we did what we needed to do to get the win. And we are looking more convincing all the time. I think, in our attempt to focus on Unilever, we played like this game was simply ‘in the way’ and were looking to get it over with.

Bring your A-game on Friday. We’re going to need it.

Man of the match: Adrian. Nice goal – right place, right time! Ameen. 2 goals and again just banged around in the midfield with no justice anywhere to be found. Way to hang in there – I respect you for it!!! (A lot, actually…) XOXO

Honorable mention: Adam. John Taylor. ‘Nough said.

Cheers, Coach

FC Swiss v FC Sunrise 3:4 (2:0) – friendly Lewis - 1, Vishal - 1, Hakim - 1, Sami - 1

Thanks for reffing Mark!!!! – (the ref I booked canceled short notice.)

Okay boys… See what happens when we focus on our tasks and simply playing sharp football!?!?! Down 3:0, won 3:4. Only 3 words we need to say. 1.) Adjustment 2.) Shape (technically/emotionally - as a team) 3.) Conditioning

Hey, look! That spells ASC. If you just plain pronounce it it’s like ASK. Perfect, because this is really all I’m ASC(k)ing you to do… (Okay, that’s quite lame…) Really I could have put those in another order to spell SAC. (Ask Lewis how he’s feeling… he took a knee in the nacho(s).)

A much improved second half and conditioning that allowed us to press until the very end were what made all the difference. Well fought boys! And I’m ever so proud of how you weren’t bothered by the score. Thank you for remembering what the game was supposed to accomplish. And nice to get the win anyhow. :0)

Man of the match: Lewis, Lewis ueber alles… Like Superman, this one. Played an all-around fullback/striker role… and did it brilliantly! This guy’s got wheels…

Looking forward to Saturday!

Michelle

FC Swisscom United v FC Sunrise 2:4 (1:1) Hakim – 2, Tobias – 1, Philippe – 1

Hot diggity dog! Good push boys, and excellent adjusting. I think Adam’s water bottle switcheroo was a trick to get us used to adjusting before we got on the field. For those who weren’t there…. Adam thought the ‘W’ on the water bottles was put there by Elmer Fudd – fwavour cwystals – and put water into the bottles for the powerade and powerade into the water bottles. So close, Adam, so close – I do appreciate your knowledge of cartoon characters. :)

Now, don’t get too comfortable when I say this but…. This was the first game where, from the sidelines, it looked like everything was working. I didn’t stand there and go, ‘geez, we really need to work on ‘x’. There is still work to do, and if you get lazy you can be sure I’m gonna kick you where it hurts, but for the moment enjoy the progress we’ve made and a well-deserved win.

Subs – excellent job! We’d have been sunk without you!!!! It looked seamless, meaning, you came in and held the level of play ever so well.

Defense – well sorted out, well organised and well executed! You figured out their strengths and shut them down. They had almost no chances in the second half. Well done. :)

Man of the match: John Taylor. Key saves at the right time! You just keep getting more and more confident. Love it! I’m glad you’re here!

Honorable mention: Hakim – of course… :) Andy – nice set-ups!

Love you all!!

Coach

FC SUNRISE v FC VBZ 1:1 (0:1)

Thank you to the subs who came, supported and stood; Tomasz, Artem, Falk. I am keeping track of these things and will make it up to you if at all possible.

Well sorted out in the second half! We analysed the problems, decided on action and did it! Communication and decision-making were much improved after half-time.

Midfield. Thank you. :) Without the constant back-tracking we would have been sunk.

And thanks to those of you who played and were given specific tasks that were different from what you thought you would be doing. Specifically, Lewis and Tobias.

Look, we knew it would be tough to lose Raphi, and it wasn’t the easiest opponent to have to make that adjustment against. We’ll get there.

In the meantime give yourselves some credit for coming back in the second half! And again, I must stress that this wouldn’t have been possible had you not hung together as a team.

As always, I’m proud of you guys.

Coach

Man of the match: John Taylor. Well played, mate.

Honorable mention: Hakim and Mark. Hakim for the set-play-top-corner rocket and Mark for his decisiveness and organisation. (Nice to have you back!)

FC Sunrise v FC Kuma/Generali 7:2 (2:0)

Hey guys!

Many thanks to Dani for keeping for us! Always nice to know you’re willing to step in and help out – and do a good job of it too!

Good fight boys… We had a few minutes there where I wasn’t sure how it would go, but… good adjusting by everyone; well sorted out. Communication – great. Adjusting – great. Attitude – great. Working as a team – great. Don’t let it go to your heads…

Men of the match: Hakim. (Okay, from now on Hakim goes without saying and we’ll still name two more… :)

Ameen. In spite of being carded for, um let’s see now… yapping!!! But, very proud of you for taking your hardest knocks after you went back in and staying ever so quiet ;)

Tobias. Beautifully quiet, but reading the play so well. Honorable mention: Splitter…. I mean Raphi. Do we really need to say this out loud? Again, you seem to get ‘awards’ every game... Have a good trip. We’ll miss you!

The work you’ve done is paying off. The ref was very impressed with you! Okay… me too :)

Later, Michelle

FC Sunrise v FC Hard – friendly 2:1 (0:0)

There’s much less to say today so you get the short version…

-attitude was excellent!

- second half was much better – very well corrected!

- very few outright mistakes and very few mental errors (certainly there needs to be grace for getting used to playing on grass again)

- some great passes!

- starting to have good vision on the field – looking for passes that are most effective

- adjusting was very, very good!

- midfield needs to mark tighter, especially near the end of the game. (For the new guys, we use a ‘touch a number’ system whereby you should be close enough that you can reach out and touch the man you are marking.) We got a bit too sure of our two goal lead.

- conditioning needs get to where we are the ones with energy left in the last 15 minutes.

- you hung together as a team and that’s what got you the win. If you had started turning on each other they would have destroyed us.

You will be rewarded with some time for free shooting at practise on Monday… providing you push yourselves during the conditioning.

Men of the match: Humberto. Super-keeper! Hakim. Super-striker!

Honorable mention: Andy. Bend it baby. Ameen. Hold it (the ball) honey.

Kisses!!! Coach

FC Sunrise RED v FC Sunrise WHITE 0:5 (0:1) - Friendly

So… first things first. Thank you for improving your attitude for the second half. For those who weren’t there, there was just a bit of emotional ranting by the coach (that’s me) at the half-time break. Why? Good question. Here’s why…. There’s never any excuse for snipping/bitching at your own players. And if we’ve already had enough of each other after 20 minutes of a stress-free, pre-season friendly, there’s no hope for us lasting the season. Certainly I won’t last the season if my highest priority is making sure boys act like men.

Secondly, from now on we will arrange more bodies for friendlies than we think necessary and no one will complain if there are not enough minutes for everyone. In the span of 2 days we lost 4 players. Most of these were legitimate and if you are sick or injured there is not much that can be done. However, when everything needs to change last minute and the guests we bring in are playing defense when they’ve agreed to be strikers it’s rude and it makes it very difficult to get out of the game what I’d hoped to.

From now on the left winger will be responsible for the water bottles. You can fill them yourself or ask someone.

Thank you to our guests. Andreas – really solid. Luis – same as ever. Tyrgg – thank you for being flexible and using your talents well in an ever-changing line-up. Som – very speedy.

But… on the bright side. • Everyone adjusted extremely well! This kind of mental and physical flexibility is what this team needs because the line-up changes every week. • Lots of one- and two-touch football. • Both sides made some excellent passes. • Red made special effort to look to the wings. • White made excellent use of their players, particularly in the middle of the field, scoring 5 goals despite being 10 men for most of the match. • Well tracked, Artem. (Ameen had two shadows… his own and a Ukrainian one)

Did we get our legs under us? Did we see where conditioning is really at? Did we use players effectively? Did we look to the wings? Did we see how difficult it is to be organised when things change last minute? Did I get a look at our new players? Yes.

Remember that winning isn’t always the ultimate goal. We are still developing as a team which is why it’s important to remember the goals of the game. Some days we will focus on things that make perfect sense to you and sometimes you won’t see the value. You are always free to talk to me about anything you like, but trust that there is always a plan; now, 5 games from now and end of season. And keep in mind that at the end of this season I will be handing the reins back over to you guys so I will test where you are with certain responsibilities.

Certainly this wasn’t a disaster, however, there is more ‘shaping up’ to be done. Way to stick in there for 90 minutes and we’ll get back to work on Monday.

Men of the match – RED: Andy. Artem. Honorable mention to Lewis and Alan.

Men of the match – WHITE: Ameen. Trygg. Hakim. Honorable mention to Adam.

Cheers, Coach

FC Fibada vs FC Sunrise 3:1 (1:0)

I love my ball!!!! And I love orange! My toaster is orange, my ottoman (hocker) is orange, my favourite coffee cup is orange…. And Patrick Kluivert is one of the cutest players of all time… Must be the orange uniform. :)

See your email attachment for photos. I’m snuggling my ball right now… Hey, I said ball, not balls. Focus boys, focus. If you haven’t signed it, please do so! I love the comments, especially the honest ones. Thanks Taylor! (Something about being sexy…)

Well, it bites that we lost that one but really, I don’t know who could have done more to make it happen. You played well, we just didn’t get lucky enough.

I feel bad that we didn’t meet our goal of top three but we gave it our best shot, and as a person who teaches and is responsible for personal and team development, to be above .500 is a very good result. I don’t mind that we set such a high goal as it meant that we were making the mental shift from ‘farting around on the field’ to serious football, but honestly it was ambitious. To completely destruct and rebuild a team usually takes a year or more.

I couldn’t be prouder of each one of you. Some of you I’ve let settle and some of you I’ve pushed. In every case the result has been better than I’d ever hoped. When I talk about you to other people they see the pride in my eyes – I couldn’t hide it, even if I wanted to.

It has been my absolute pleasure to get to know and work with each one of you. I couldn’t have had more fun.

There are some public acknowledgements that I would like to mention. Humberto – Couldn’t have done any of this without you. You’ve been my ‘personal assistant’ and more. I’d have been lost without your knowledge and administrative insight.

Dominique – No one’s had my back like you have. I don’t mind when we disagree because I know that if you’ll fight with me you’ll fight for me – and you have.

Tobias – Our technical specialist. Without you we wouldn’t be where we are now. Solid, dependable, reliable. Sounds like a tire commercial… :)

Jon – Thanks for letting me get close to these guys and pour myself into this team. I think you always got fed, so really you didn’t suffer too much. Still, I appreciate the faith you have in me.

I had officially resigned as coach but the board threw a fit (thanks for that) and we’ve all been working at finding a way for me to stay on, and do my stuff for the school. Likely this will mean a few changes but if we can all pull together and make this work I would be very happy to stay.

Next is to organize a night out for all of us. I’ve seen you at your best… and if you want to see me at my best come dancing with me. I’m looking at the 1st week in December, and we’ll either post it on bola or send out a doodle. Wives/girlfriends are always welcome to join in.

See you on the dance floor… XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO! Michelle

FC IBM vs FC Sunrise 4:1 (3:1)

Hey all!

Good win today! Okay, so maybe they didn’t push us as hard as some teams but in the end all we have to be is better than the other team, and we were. Lots of things went right and the things that didn’t were adjusted very well.

My cousin thought it was great that you could have a sense of humour on the field even while being competitive.

Okay, so defense made the necessary adjustments, midfield did well and our strikers were very opportunistic. We had a very good chance-to-goal ratio today.

John’s well-timed, well-played save helped everyone keep their chins up and keep momentum on our side.

Well done boys. Too bad this half is nearly over; feels like we are starting to hit our stride.

See you on Monday,

Michelle

Man of the match: Adam. This is becoming routine!!! Looks like you’ve found your groove, your mojo and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Glad you’re here. Raphael. Playing with a fully charged battery – as always.

Honourable mention: The other goal scorers. Sami and Tomasz. And on your birthday too, Tomasz! Nice one, Sami. (I’m sure the hat had nothing to do with it!)

P.S. Adrian, you had a good game as well but wearing your shorts backwards for half the game took you out of the running. :)

Okay, so seeing as I only remember parts of the game (no, I wasn’t drinking – but fair question. I was sick) I will only comment on the parts I am sure of.

I am sure that the defense did not play as a unit. Not sure why, but we’ll work that out at practise on Monday. Strange, after being so solid for so many games in a row.

I am sure that we didn’t use the wings enough. There were some good switches, so take pride in that.

Also sure that in general the mid-field wasn’t too bad. We did get the ball forward and did get chances to score.

Definitely it was cold outside.

And sure as the sky is blue, you never need to win ‘for me’. After the game, one of our players said, ’sorry for not getting you the win.’ While I appreciate the sentiment, this is absolutely not necessary. Don’t win for me. Don’t try to impress me. Don’t worry about what I’ll think of you. I am a better person for having you in my life. That is all I want. You owe me nothing.

Enjoy being a team and enjoy your time on the field. The only time I care about winning is when I think I might not be doing a good job for you, but with a 9 and 3 record over the last 12 games (or approximately – I am on serious medication as I write this, have almost no memory of anything and really can do math right now) I am just fine with where we are. And if you consider where we started it is too much to hope for to be playing optimally all the time, especially when we have different bodies and different line-ups game to game. These kinds of things are always 2 steps forward, one step back, and really our steps back have been more like a pauses. This is normal and expected.

Back on the horse boys. Giddy up.

See you soon. :)

Coach

Man of the match: Adam. I’m guessing that’s your best header ever. :) Hakim. Nailed it.

Honorable mention: Raphael. Energizer bunny. Tomasz. Played about 8 minutes – I owe you, and thanks. That is what we call ‘taking one for the team’.

FC SUNRISE VS FC ALSTOM 3:2 (1:1)

That was brilliant! You rock.

Monty Python asked, “What is the meaning of life?” The answer is… the mid-field. In the second half you guys were on fire and it totally changed the game. Love it!

Thanks, Humberto, for playing in net!

Everyone played really well and this 'man of the match' gets harder every week. We couldn't have done it without all of you. :)

Man of the match: Amine (sr.). Great decisions and such a cool head. Defensive line. You guys can split this 5 ways; Alan, Adrian, Dom, Jon and Johannes. Great work shutting their forward(s) down and protecting Humberto. Wouldn't have happened without the super organisation and communication.

Honourable mention: Adam. Great finish! Way to stick with that play until the ball was in.

See you Monday, Michelle

FC SUNRISE vs FC UNILEVER 0:2 (0:1)

Well guys, some days things just won’t go no matter what you do. Never mind it. Get back on the horse and giddy-up. We are delusional if we think we will win every game. Take from it what you can and let’s focus completely on the upcoming game.

And just in case you don’t already know, I am never upset when we lose. The only time I get my underwear in a knot is when you are jerks to each other. That didn’t happen on Saturday, which pleases me. Win or lose I am always your biggest fan.

For those of you who are used to serious injustice, please let us know how to ignore these things. For the rest of you, who couldn’t get past it, I don’t blame you. The job of an official is to make the game safer and fairer than without any ref at all. When this isn’t the case it makes focussing on football very difficult. A letter has been written and will be sent to the league after Thursday’s game. I know that when I reffed volleyball, if a team complained about the ref the next game they got what we called ‘an enforcer’ - someone who called so tightly you couldn’t breathe. I think we have the woman for the next game and she didn’t seem to fall for whining so I would like to keep her, which is why the letter will go out on Friday.

Other than that, things looked much better in the second half. Before that we looked tight and like we wanted to win too badly. If we focus on our tasks winning will be the result. Take a deep breath and take things one step at a time. Sharp, quick passes have always been effective for us so let’s get back to that for next game. If this is the top team, then all the teams in this league are beatable. We just have to relax and play our game.

I know that our 1-18-1 (W-L-Tie) record from last season still haunts us and we feel that if we lose a game we might slip back into the same pattern as last season. But let me tell you for sure that you are a completely different team and you have earned respect and confidence. Remind yourselves of how far we’ve come and take that with you into every game.

Practically, we didn’t move well, we didn’t decide well and we made the mistake of underestimating their keeper. He’s 52 years old but in the right place at the right time. You don’t have to be young to be smart. Chins up, lads. Tomorrow we get back to work.

Michelle XOXO (those are hugs and kisses…not to be confused with .xxx)

Men of the match: Adam. Worked hard, never gave up and read the field very well. Excellent job. John Taylor. You moved and anticipated well and kept us in the game. Thanks for that.

Wanker of the week: No one!!! Okay, okay, we can give the ref this ‘honour’. ;)

FC SUNRISE vs FC SWISS 4:3 (2:1) - Friendly

Hello my lovely players…

Thanks Andy, Milan and Staffan for helping us out! It was great to have you! Andy and Staffan, I should have bought your beer. What was I thinking??? Sorry about that! Remind me next time!

Thanks Humberto, for playing in net. It must be difficult to sleep at night knowing you can play any position and do a fantastic job of it - that was sarcasm :) Not the fantastic playing part. The not sleeping part.

Thanks Hakim, for being our flexible player; going where ever was needed and fitting right in where ever you went.

We are starting to mature as a team; -adjusting on the field to play systems and new bodies -communicating during the half-time break -making correct/effective decisions about strategy and positioning -not letting their million-and-one-substitutions bother you -and coming back from a goal down to pull out a win

Although there were new bodies on the field and some regular bodies in different positions it didn’t take too much time to figure yourselves out.

Nearly all of the default behaviours we’ve worked on are running smoothly; communication, shape/structure, supportive attitude, conditioning and adjusting on the field. Midfield is still having some trouble with second pressure on the ball, and by that I mean that the first person to challenge for the ball forces the pass or causes the turnover but there is no one there to collect it. We do the hard work but don’t collect the reward for it. It’s a bit like finding all the Easter eggs but losing the basket you’ve put them in…

Well done adjusting to their mob-attack break-out rushes. It was what we couldn’t seem to do against ZKB(?).

Chins stayed up, body language said you believed you could win, and you did. Amazing what team-spirit and confidence can do!! Give yourselves some much deserved credit for that. We met our goals, managed to win and broke our ‘can’t win in red’ curse. Super job!

Men of the match: Absolutely must go with three this time. Staffan. 3 goals. Thanks bud! Humberto. Great game in net. So decisive and aggressive – two of my favourite things… Falk. That was the best game I’ve seen from you – great job!

Honourable mention: Jon. Nice assist.

Ever so proud of you,

Michelle

FC SUNRISE vs FC SWISSCOM UNITED 2 (1:2) 4:3 (includes one own goal)

Well fought, boys. Well fought. Please email me if you scored – I’m one goal short of a full game. (Hee, hee. For you German speakers this means that I’m crazy.)

Lots of thanks to get to! 1.) Thanks, Mark and Raphael, for bringing the cheering section. Always nice to have fans.

2.) Thanks, Sami, for picking up water bottles and electrolyte powder. Hope that washes out of Hakim’s hair. In a moment of shirt-off-hot-and-sweaty macho-ness, Hakim poured ‘Fresh’-flavoured rehydration all over himself…

3.) Mattias. Nice to see you again! (Former player – half of the ‘Scandanavian Connexion’ and responsible for setting up most of the goals when he and Hannu played.)

4.) Thanks, Rick, for playing ¾ of a game with ¾ of your arms and legs working. Now that’s gritty. Hat’s off to you.

So, to the game. Although there was some organising to do, you managed it very well and even when we had some bad luck you managed to bounce back. You are starting to play with confidence and it shows.

Communication, covering, getting back were all excellent but what impressed me most was that every time one of our guys was getting picked on or hassled there were a handful of our guys right there to back him up. That tells the other team we are one unit and if you mess with one of us you better be ready to take on all of us. The body checks didn’t hurt either.

At the same time though, I felt you absolutely got it right in regard to how aggressive to be and when to fight and when to let it go. You really kept your heads. (With one exception. Ahem, you know who you are; initials J.K. But if it was necessary, so be it.) I was extremely impressed.

As soon as Tobias is back we will get to the technical aspect and sort out anything that needs adjusting, although this is happening naturally on its own already, we just need a grand plan. You’ve done some incredible work and as long as everything that is working well now continues to work, we are ahead of schedule. Yes, ahead.

You guys are awesome.

Men of the match: I just couldn’t decide myself so at the recommendation of our keeper the men of the match are Hakim and Dominique. I know, I know, Dominique two times in a row… (Don’t get any ideas of grandeur, mister… :)) Hakim. Super, as always.

youtu.be/2eMkth8FWno Our very own Black Knight. But much less delusional… ;)

Have a good week and remember there is no practise this Monday because of Knabenschiessen.

Michelle

FC SUNRISE vs FC VBZ 2:3 (2:2)

Hi handsomes, Well, I’ve been thinking about the game since Saturday and I still don’t know what to say. Perhaps it was just one of those strange games and I should reserve comment until after the next game. Deductive reasoning would tell me that if I still can’t figure it out it must be something small – that’s good news. If you think you can identify one main thing regarding positioning or dynamics feel free to let me know. I just can’t put my finger on it…

But, on the bright side…Artem was awesome! And thanks to the rest of you for feeding him balls so he could prove his competence. Next time you score two goals in a half, Artem, you are not allowed to leave. I’ll raise you salary if I have to. :)

Let’s remember that other teams like losing about as much as we do and we can expect them to fight as hard as we will. As soon as we get arrogant it will be our biggest weakness and it will cost us.

Hey boys, keep in mind where we were several months ago… Chins up, and get ready for some boring stuff that will bridge the gap between where we are and where we want to be.

See you at practise tonight!!!

Michelle

Men of the match: Artem. Go baby, go. Dominique. You’re looking like yourself again. Nice to see.

FC SUNRISE vs FC TECAN SIEMENS – Maennedorf 5:1 (2:1)

Hi all,

This will be an abbreviated report as I have both kids home sick today and had an abbreviated night.

There were lots of good things happening; playing to the whistle, lots of one-touch passing, great supportive attitude (a good part of that thanks to Adrian!) and covering for each other. I felt this Maennedorf team was better than the one we saw in May, but we also had a better game.

Many thanks to Humberto and Mark for playing in net; the rest of you did a good job of protecting them.

Overall we are looking better and better. Keep up the good work!

Men of the match: Raphael - for constant pressure. Humberto - same for you.

Honourable mention: Our goal scorers, Adam and Hakim. Honestly though Hakim, if you keep scoring 'only' 2 goals a game we'll start to consider this 'normal' and then you'll have to score more to be the man of the match... :) Like I'm going to mention you every game... :) Geez, what am I? Some kind of compliment factory???

Well done boys. See you soon.

Announcements: Luis has joined a club in Buelach but sends his regards and wishes us well.

Our funding has come through from Sunrise, so we have ordered some new training balls!!

Adam had the other 2 goals, though I can't enter them here as he is not listed below.

FC SUNRISE vs FC KUMA/GENERALI – league game 4:2 (3:0)

Aug. 26th, 2011

Well done! So many good things to say, hmm, where to start. Feed Raphael after midnight (Gremlins movie) and he turns into a ‘monster’ – love it. See word attachment in email for photos - it will make sense...(Raphael, I mean this in the BEST way!) Hakim timed all his runs perfectly, Mark anchored the defense, Adam just kept hoofing balls past center, even into the wind, and the rest of you had a really solid game too.

An aggressive start meant a quality scoring chance in the first two minutes and we just kept pressing from there, leaving us up 3 goals at the half. The second half required some adjustment as gale-force winds coming at us made judging air-balls difficult.

Mid-field did a much better job of marking up, giving themselves equal opportunity to win the sprint to every ball and because of that our opponent had fewer opportunities to get shots on our net and we generated more chances – it makes all the difference.

A couple of soft calls lead to their two goals, but hey, we have to accept those as well and the reality is that we will get scored on – we just have to score more than they do. These two goals against us meant we had to find our composure and get back to what gave us the lead and we did just that. More pressure meant a fourth goal to put the nail in the coffin.

We will have to watch though, that we don’t get caught ‘playing down’ in this league. It is so easy to get off your game and play how the other team plays and we will have to keep in mind that what got us the lead will keep the lead.

And…play to the whistle. There is one whistle on the field and it’s not in any of our mouths. Until the ref decides the play is over, it isn’t over. Justice will be different on different days and we will never get to decide how the game is called. All we can do is play until it is called.

But really that is all I can complain about. All the things we’ve been working on so hard to be default parts of our game came together; communication, taking instruction on the field, supporting one another, getting off lots of shots and playing as a team. This was such a different game from the Swiss Re friendly and the willingness to work as a team shone through.

I’m really proud of you guys.

Man of the match: Mark, just plain solid. Booyah!

Honourable mentions: Raphael, Hakim, Adam – nice assist. (But the rest of you impressed as well!)

Michelle

P.S. I’m happy for feedback about the warm-up. You looked much better out there, but I am a touch biased because it was my idea… :)

Be at practise on Monday.

Hakim, thank you for playing a position you don’t normally play, after being at the dentist all afternoon.

Coach

FC SUNRISE vs FC CABLECOM 1:3 (1:0)

Hey fellas, While it is difficult to lose it was a solid effort. The team we played today is used to steam-rolling teams and they weren’t impressed that we didn’t back down. You’ll notice they get whiney when they’re losing. I appreciate that you guys didn’t get whiney when we were losing.

So let’s look at our goals. Get your mojo back. If you feel that you got your legs under you or your lungs engaged then you met this goal.

More talk. Thanks in large part to a few of the 6 new bodies on the field there was more talk than usual. Mark and Adam I was particularly happy with your ability to give instruction and sort things out. As a guest that takes balls.

Taking instruction. Really good.

Helpful and supportive attitude. Again, very happy with this. The one time that things needed to be sorted out it was done quickly and with a good result.

Thanks to our guests. Without you we wouldn’t have been able to field a team and I felt you were solid and supportive.

I am pleased to say we haven’t regressed since last season which means we need less time for review and can focus on solidifying as a team.

Man of the match: Mr. Bo Jangles. I mean Mr. John Taylor. Some fantastic saves and I know you are just getting warmed up. Honourable mention to Adam. Welcome back.

Michelle

FC SUNRISE vs FC TECAN SIEMENS 6:0 (3:0) (At least one person said the score was 7:0. I stopped counting after number 5.) May 30th, 2011 20:00 – Maennadorf

Hey guys! Not much to say. I hope you had as much fun on the field as we did on the sidelines! You are a very focussed team.

Man of the match: Hakim. 4 goals in one night; not bad. I think you are just getting started.

Thanks to everyone for a great finish to the year. An email about next season will be sent out shortly.

Bye for now,

Michelle

Information is neither good nor bad, it simply is. We now know what a top Serie B team looks like and what we can aim for. There is a lot we can learn from this game, but let’s save that for another time. I’d rather summarize what I feel you’ve accomplished this half of the season. - communication, - organisation, - supportive behaviour on and off the field - quick passing - more shots - better control in the mid-field - more quality goals - fewer goals against - fewer easy goals against - fewer goals against in the first 15 minutes and the last 15 minutes - full turnout for games and practises - people taking instruction from each other on the field - adjusting to the opposition during the game - conditioning is much better - sign-up system (bola) working brilliantly - team spirit is up (as judging by mood and people staying for drinks) This is exactly what I’d hoped for. Makes me want to dance.

Men of the match: Johannes – right place, right time, supporting, looking, covering. Alan – for getting physical. So happy when the other team whines. If you give up football you could probably become a wrestler. In this corner…Alan “Sunshine” Richardson…

Later gators, Michelle

I DID NOT ASK YOU TO WIN. I asked you to follow instructions. When you jump ahead to winning instead of doing the work that is needed, this is what happens. In the first half the marking was better but still not as good as last game. There can be no offense without mid-field and as soon as we give the other team space in the middle our defense is overwhelmed. The ‘touch a number’ idea, (which worked well last game) was non-existent in the second half. It has to be mentioned as well that defense made its share of mistakes, which could be worked out with some more communication (and some grace needs to be given for the players filling in – thank you for being flexible.) Attitude in the first half was good. More on field talk was needed but in spite of this the result was decent. The two goals we scored were two of the nicest I’ve seen and an absolute pleasure to watch. To be leading at half is an improvement and should be recognized. For each of the two goals the play was quick and decisive, (ball down, one touch, two touches and away) which was very effective. Attitude in the second half was terrible; people standing around waiting for the perfect ball to land at their feet. Why is the idea different if we have a lead? It shouldn’t be. Remember that what got you the lead is what will keep the lead. Now, I realize it is a stretch for some of you to take instruction from a female coach, but let me tell you, I’ve sorted out sorrier lots than you but you have to trust there is a plan to work on certain parts of the game at certain times in order to bring it all together in the end. When only part of the team accepts the instructions the progress of the team as a whole is set back. Winning would be nice but it is not a reality at this point. If we can get a win that would be great but I can assure you that as soon as the goal is winning it will elude you. Bottom line: We are only as good as our mid-field and the mid-field is only as good as the marking. And thank your keeper for dealing with balls that should never have been his to deal with. Man of the match: Paul, for getting better every game and following instructions. I asked him to be 20% more aggressive than last game and I feel that he was. Well done.

Well, I’m happy. Although it would have been nice to pull out a tie or a win, there were lots of great things happening out there! Everyone was marking up, listening to instructions and communicating really well. We had more offence this game than I’ve seen so far this season, which was fantastic. These were the goals for the game and you guys delivered. I have to say, luck wasn’t on our side but we were completely in the game until the last few minutes. In spite of trailing good parts of the game, the team was upbeat and supportive and the attitude on the pitch couldn’t have been better. Won or lost, it was fun to watch. I would like it if we could keep the same goals for the next game and solidify the ‘line manager’ system. Goals for myself include streamlining substitutions by making them clearer and more consistent and getting to know each of you better as far as which position you prefer to play. With several people injured it was difficult to get everyone into positions they prefer – thank you for being willing to help out and make do in an imperfect situation. A shout out to the two players who were the men of the match; Raphael and Amine. They were chosen for putting consistent pressure on the ball, and jumping into offensive plays at just the right time. But really, I can’t complain about any of you. Well played. I am looking forward to next game and remember, if you achieve the goals for the game, the coach buys the beer. 

Michelle

FC Manfrotto Team vs FC Sunrise 1:0 (0:0)

We had a great team performance in the first half! All parts of the team worked nicely together and moved as a unit, both when in posession and when defending. At least 5 very good chances resulted from the constructive team play. Unfortunately the last touch or final shot on goal let us down or was saved by the opponent throwing themselves in the path of the ball. Man marking was good and we were clearly the better team in the first half.

In the second half we ran out of steam and as a result the discipline standard dropped to our usual level: less tight marking, less moving together as a unit, midfield being bypassed and a big gap developing in the centre circle for our opponents to use.

We held on until 10 minutes before time where the opponent scored off a great long range shot. Until then Gareth and our defence line did their very best to keep us in the game. They had a lot of work to do, with the opponent having at least 10 shots on goal in the second half. Their 1:0 win was deserved in the end but the game could have been very different if we had capitalized on our opportunities and first-half form.

Positives: - almost everyone showed up on time - team spirit and attitude improved greatly compared to the last weeks - the whole team stayed to help finish a case of beer in the sunshine after the game - we had fun on and off the pitch - we came very close to keeping a clean sheet (I cannot remember the last time we managed that) - we used all 16 shirts (unfortunately 4 players were not 100% fit game but we used 15 players in the end)

Looking forward to our next games!

FC Sunrise vs FC HLT 1:3 (0:1)

HLT were better than us in the first 15 minutes but we managed to settle into the game without conceding an early goal (one of our targets) after that the game was balanced and we had a few shots on goal but not enough we conceded a goal late in the first half due to not tracking their strikers and clearing the ball after a long range shot after a great through ball (i cannot remember from who) paul had a run at goal but was taken down by their keeper, i was very surprised that a penalty was not given the level of the game (by both teams) was not good at all (confirmed by those watching), it could only get better

during half time (0:1) our frustration was evident and some strong words were exchanged this was not a constructive highlight in our team's history but it did spark off some energy which we were able to feed off in the second half isaias scored directly off a corner kick from the left side to put us back in the game! in the last 30 minutes we were the dominating team and everyone put in a great effort despite being tired and not having any subs...i think we were actually starting to have some fun!

however, we simply did not generate enough scoring chances and, more importantly, did not convert on any of them in the meantime they hit us with another goal but instead of giving up we were even more determined to score after that, throwing everything forward we came frustratingly close to scoring after a free kick and resulting scramble in their box, the shot going only centimetres wide of the left post shortly after that we were exposed on the counterattack for a 1:3 final score

it was disappointing but we were able to get over it in the third half with some beers on the club terrace :-) time to look forward to the next game!

note: HLT are on a good roll, having won their last 2 games and gone from 9th to 7th in the table so: do not think that this was one of the weaker opponents in our group, there are still plenty of games for us to win!

Zürich-Gruppe 1 vs FC Sunrise 4:1 (3:1)

We allowed a very early goal and then fought back to equalize within 20 minutes. Some sloppy clearances and insufficiently tight marking allowed the opponent some "free" scoring chances which they gladly accepted, leaving us trailing 1:3 at half time.

It was clear to us at half time that the opponent was not better than us technically but they were better organized and playing as a team. This game could still be won! The key was in doing more running off the ball to ensure that when our players had the ball they would also have passing options in order to get some flow going.

This did not happen and we ended up struggling with the same issues in the second half. Final score was 1:4.

Conclusion: at training we will focus on running off the ball (offense) and tight marking (defence). It goes without saying that we will continue to struggle on matchday if we do not have at least 10 squad players at every training. IF WE WANT TO START WINNING WE NEED TO TRAIN TOGETHER.

FC Meilen (5. Liga) vs FC Sunrise 2:3 (0:3)

Despite having potentially 16 players (including 2 tentatives) we ended up having only 12 (sickness related). Let's hope all the lads are healthy for action again in 2 weeks.

This was our first time outdoors this year and you could tell. The first half hour we were struggling with the outdoor game and our opponent was all over us. They scored twice in the first 5 minutes (!) and added a third later on in the first half. Gareth pulled off some great saves to stop a flood of goals. Once acclimatised to the outdoor conditions we slowly got into our game, our passing and running off the ball improving towards the end of the half. It was definitely not great but we were getting somewhere.

In the second half it was quite a different game. We showed more commitment in tackles and worked harder for each other. This gave us the opportunity to play our game. Our opponent was then no longer able to put as much pressure on us (they were also getting tired, despite having 3 subs and being a lot younger). Salih scored one-on-one against the keeper at the end of a counter attack and Luis converted a penalty to put us back in the game. Amine caused all sorts of problems for the opponent in midfield by fighting for every ball and guest Marco had a strong showing as striker.

There were no more goals but this was a good first showing outdoors against a young and motivated team. They are training 2 times a week and are well organized. We have good players and a lot of potential in our squad. If we have at least 10 of us at training every Monday it will make a big difference. We can then iron out some of the insecurities and get better flow in our play.

9-3