37. Rome Wasn't Built In a Day

 

It's March 2023 and the beginning of my third full season with Electricite' du Cambodge and not only has our reputation within Cambodia increased, but so have energy prices, which makes us well not everyone's flavour of the month right now..

The new C-League season is about to begin.. What's in store for our friends Electric this year? 

The Class of '23

Amidst the hurly burly of the transfer window I almost forgot about the new youth recruits in my Under 21 team. They are as follows. Look out for them, I may need some of them for first team duties as the season goes on.

Sob Vatannak  (GK)

Touch Vannak (MR)

Um Makara (DL/WBL)

Soun Sambath (ST)

Va Vannak (DMC)

Va Hai (DMC)

Nhem Samnang (ST)

Soeung Rithy (DR)

Pre Season Thoughts

I enter this season with great trepidation. We are a team in transition after the mass exodus which has left us shorn of our best players and a team who could realistically mount a serious title challenge. While we are not short of talent in our ranks, we do lack experience and there are some players who are unproven at this level. Having said that, we have (for now) managed to keep hold of Ratana, Taboula, Daravon, Khemarin and Chanraksmey, while also signing the highly promising creative midfielder, Min Rattanak. We also have some good youngsters at the club, Um Makara, Hem Sokha, Mat Dara and Soun Bath to name but a few.

The board want us to finish in the top half, which is doable, if we play to our potential, beat the weaker teams in the division and compete against the stronger ones. I don’t see us mounting a title challenge this campaign, but you just never know.. We may do something in the cup and get to see the long serving Prime Minister again..

Nicknames

I have had to set nicknames on some of the players with repeated surnames in the squad to avoid confusion. These are mainly youth players as the more senior players have kept their original names. Therefore the following players will be known as the below:

Teat Chandara Sokha > Teat Chandara

Soun Sambath > Soun Bath

Chea Sambath > Chea Sam

Touch Vannak > Touch Van

Va Vannak > Vavanak

Sok Makara > Sok Mak

New Signings

In the last throes of the transfer window I managed to snap up a couple of freebies to add depth to the squad.

EDC Sign Pom Vannak

Another young player enters the EDC Youth club, this time DMC, Pom Vannak, who impressed on a trial and in the friendly matches he played in.

EDC Sign Pidor

Young winger, Sok Ouen Pidor joins the ranks at EDC. He can play on either flank or in the middle as a number 10, so is an interesting addition to the squad and at just 19 has plenty of room for improvement. He will join us in May at the start of the mid-season transfer window.

Match 1: EDC v Mekong Kampuchea University – Hun Sen Cup 1^st Qualifying Round  26/03/23

This really is a potential banana skin for EDC, but will provide an indication as to where this young transitional squad is at. We are at home, but they play a 3-5-2 formation which is something we have not come up against much. During my regime I may have chosen to put a few kids out for this one, but I want to put out my strongest side available in order to regain some confidence around the club, which are partly made up of just that – kids, especially in light of the exodus and international call-ups. I go in with a trusted 4-4-2 and fingers crossed we will come out on top.

Team: Kong Rafat, Sokha, Daravon, Khemarin, Ratana, Leap Bo, Samnang, Oudom, Dara, Taboula, Noron

Match Action

We start brightly and Taboula has a stinging shot tipped over the bar. At the other end, Leap Bo is booked for a professional foul. Then a Tuy Oudom run and cross sees the Nigerian have his header well saved. Taboula then set up Noron whose fizzing shot was saved. Taboula then played a cute reverse ball for the overlapping Dara who scuffed his shot wide.. Chainuth nearly gave the visitors a shock lead after a dangerous run and shot. Samnang did the same for us and had his shot well saved. How it is still 0-0 nobody knows. Ratana is sick of this, he goes on a mazy run from left back before unleashing a fearsome strike which is beaten away by the keeper. Half time 0-0, 12 shots of which 7 have been on target.

Start of second half.. Taboula shoots wide, Oudom has a shot well saved, Noron shoots wide… all in the first 5 minutes.. Oudom in again at the far post, shot saved falls to Noron.. deflects wide aargggh!!

We hit about 50 more shots, they are all saved, over the bar wide.. Then at last, sub Sos Suhana flights a lovely ball to the onrushing Tuy Oudom who scores with a lovely finish into the corner.. relief at last.. ooohtuhgfunhgiodxjhgfuodhjdshfudfjdfdifjdjfidjifjdijfid DISALLOWED FOR OFFSIDE…Aaaarrrghhh!!

Oudom gets down the right squares it for Samnang in space in the six yard box……he screws it wide.. my mum could have scored that., this is getting embarassing.. The students hold on for 0-0 after ninety minutes.. 29 shots, 13 on target.. to us. No goals…

First period of extra time passes same nonsense, no goals, they have a few shots themselves, we used to have teams like this for breakfast. Second period of extra time and I am working out my 5 penalty takers in my head. Then.. Sos Suhana found Chanraksmey in the left channel. His low cross just evaded Taboula who had the composure to recover and lay it back to Tuy Oudom who struck the ball sweetly into the top corner..Yeeess get in we’ve finally scored.. amazing yeesss!

Hem Sokha the right back moves forward with the ball. He finds the impressive Oudom who flights a lovely cross onto the head of Chanraksmey. 2-0.. thank the flipping lord (or Buddha) 40 shots we had.. about as many as our opponents had during Freshers Week and like drunk and hungover students we stagger into Round 2 of the cup…

Final Score EDC 2-0 Mekong Kampuchea University (AET)

Oudom 115

Chanraksmey 116

Hun Sen Cup 2nd Qualifying Round Draw

The draw has been relatively kind to us (famous last words) as we potentially face more student opposition in the shape of the ‘Life University’ or I suppose as it should be known as The University of Life.. or fellow Second Division outfit, Pailin. We end up with Pailin after they sneaked past the students 2-1 after extra time.

Match 2- EDC v Chhlam Samuth 01/04/23

There’s something missing on the opening day of the season and that is we are at home, not away to Vishaka for a change.. Buoyed by our unconvincing win in the cup I make one change with Sos Suhana replacing Mat Dara on the left wing. I really want to win this because our run of fixtures are tough as we play Nagaworld,  Boeung Ket and the champions, Angkor Tiger in the next five games.

Team: Kong Rafat, Sokha, Daravon, Khemarin, Ratana, Leap Bo, Samnang, Oudom, Suhana, Taboula, Noron

Match Action

We have hit the ground running here! A slick move between Samnang and Taboula sends Sos Suhana clear in the penalty area, but he shoots wide. We keep the pressure on though. Midfielder, Chea Samnang sends a searching ball to the left flank where Suhana flights in a cross which evades Noron but is picked up by Tuy Udom. His cross is volleyed home by Mat Noron for a deserved lead.  Suhana has a fee kick which stings the palms of the keeper, while a sweeping move from them forces a good save from Kong Rafat. Chea Samnang who is everywhere disposesses their midfielder,Yaty and finds Mat Noron who unleashes a screamer into the top bins for 2-0. Fantastic! Khemarin wins a header from their goal kick to the impressive Noron who plays a lovely through ball to the onrushing Taboula who finishes sweetly into the bottom corner. 3-0. Sidet pulls one back for Samuth with a near post header from a corner.

Into the second half and we carry on where we left off. A sweeping move from left to right engineered by the brilliant Samnang who sprayed a ball out to Oudom on the right. His low cross was smacked home first time by Noron to complete a brilliant opening day hat-trick. 

Final Score – EDC 4- 1 Chllam Samuth

Noron 4, 32, 53                 Sidet 40

Taboula 34

Math Fasal ‘excited’ ahead of Rudd reunion

“There is known to be mutual respect between the winger and manager Rudd after their 12 months working together after the EDC manager brought him to the club.”

Shows how little the Phnom Penh Gazette know….

Tweet from Sos Charady

Would be great if Jonathan Rudd came out and double-crossed Math Fasal like a good old wrestling turn.”

Now that’s more like it!

Match 3 Nagaworld v EDC 07/03/23

We come across our nemesis early in the season this time around, but having done the double over them last term I go into it with a bit more confidence. Having said that it is a different team and they now play with wing-backs, so I have gone to a 4-3-3. Young Soun Bath makes his full debut up front, along with young Pom Vannak in defensive midfield. We have made a decent start to the season and hopefully this form can continue and we can put a run of consistant results together.

Team: Kong Rafat, Sokha, Ratana, Daravon, Khemarin, Leap Bo, Vannak, Samnang, Taboula, Bath, Noron

Match Action

It was tit-for-tat in the opening exchanges. They have a goal disallowed for offside, young Soun Bath shot straight at the keeper after being sent clean through by Kong Rafat in a Miroslav Klose bug that we couldn’t capitalse on. Then they take the lead. Wing back Cheng Meng throws the ball in to the impressive Pisa who floats the ball into the area, where it is met by the head of Long Pheng. 1-0.

Then Chea Sambath does his best Eric Cantona impressions and kung fu kicks his opponent to the ground. A straight red card is shown and my new signing trudges off the field in disgrace. Then Leap Bo signals to the bench - he’s got a gammy knee. Things are all going a bit Pete Tong.. While I’m sorting all this out we miraculously equalise… Pom Vannak scores on his debut but unfortunately I didn’t see it..

Then.. just what we needed… A Miroslav Klose bug goall.. This time Long Pheng profits again, sliding the ball past Kong Rafat with no EDC defender in the same postcode… FFS!!

In the second half, the impressive Cheng Meng sprinted past Ratana before delivering the perfect ball for Man Ratana. His shot was parried by Kong Rafat, but only into the path of Touch Dara who whacked home the rebound. 3-1.

Dara and Long Pheng combined once more for the latter to complete his hat-trick.. We cannot get near this lot I’m afraid. I’m praying for the full time whistle now.

It’s too easy for Nagaworld now. Young Vannak dallies on the ball in midfield and Pisa leans into him to disposses the teenager before sprinting into the penalty area for 5-1.. F***adoodledoo

Not long after.. 6-1 I really hate this game……

Final Score: Nagaworld 6-1 EDC

Pheng 30, 30, 64, 84                  Vannak 39

Dara 57, Pisa 78

This was a dreadful result, not helped by the stupid sending off of Samnang, which killed a game in which we had started quite well in. They were too good for us on the day and as I drove home back to my apartment I wondered whether it was time to move on and find another club possibly in Thailand, Bangladesh or Malaysia. I had a distinct feeling that I had taken this team as far as I could....

After a decent start to the season, EDC were given a shock by rivals, Nagaworld, outlining the gulf in class which has now opened up between the two sides. With the manager contemplating his future, can The Cambodian Electricity Company find their spark for the rest of the campaign, or does a season of struggle await? As the saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day..

Read Part 38 - Doing The Hard Yards Here!