In one of his monthly article that he wrote for SabahRhinos.com, former Sabah striker, Scott Ollerenshaw reminded the Rhinos fans that "patience is a virtue" written in capital letters no less as if to highlight his point further. In all fairness, Sabah fans have been made to suffer for almost 5 years languishing in the lower echeleons of Malaysian football and to have been told by a former player they regard as a living legend that this team can go far, they would definitely take that without a moment of hesitation.
The dwindling numbers of spectators coming to Stadium Likas was indicative of the immediate downfall of a team that they know can achieve something worthy to tell the grand children again, they know that the squad still has its pride intact what with the majority of them are Sabah-born players, they obviously know all that but the question seems to be not what they know but when is this dream will be achieved.
A keen observer of the team that he played for with unprecedented verve and scoring ability that was feared during the mid to late 90s, Scott was pointing out the positives that he saw in the Liga Premier match between Sabah and Felda United in March, 2009 before boldly proclaiming that Sabah was "on the right track" to become a success story in "less than 1 year".
Wathiq Najim - then the head coach, and his assistants Burhan and Mohd Asyraff were credited with slowly but surely turning things around with improved fitness levels of the players and a tighter, more disciplined defensive backline. Scott's belief was proof enough that Sabah was a work in progress that needs that one last piece of the puzzle to complete the whole picture.
Well, fast forward a year later, Scott's prediction wasn't too far off the mark - by 4 months as a matter of fact -when Sabah finally confirmed their promotion to the Malaysian Super League in July 2010 after beating off a spirited POS Malaysia side at the MPS Stadium in Selayang with a remarkable solo strike from hotshot Mohd Farid Ideris and of course, a little help from another former Sabah player, Ong Kim Swee who managed to rally his charges, the Harimau Muda team to a victory over much fancied Selangor PKNS side.
The former Sabah midfielder even conceded his delight when told in a post match interview that he had done Sabah a very big favour. "The good times are near" indeed, but what Scott and the fans didn't know at that time was that it needed another Australian to "make the difference between winning and losing".
Gary Michael PhillipsI don't want to sound overly excited but please bear with me if my objectivity abandons me somewhere in this entry. I have never heard of Gary Michael Phillips when he was announced as the new Technical Director of Football cum Head Coach of the Sabah senior team back in December 2009, in all honesty I only got to know that Sabah FA has appointed a new coach when the Liga Premier started proper when Sabah laboured to 0-0 draw against Felda United at Stadium Likas.
It was abundantly clear that Gary has effectively instilled a sense of consistency into the team's performances and it was starting to translate on the league table. Grinding out 12 undefeated matches to prop up just behind the Liga Premier leader. This Sabah team has 'something' that I can't put my finger on quite rightly but as far as football cliches goes, I came to the conclusion that this time around the Sabah players 'wore their heart on their sleeves', that 'something' I can't be sure of watching them in previous seasons.
I did some reading and ended up with an overwhelming desire to embrace a sense of clear optimism for Sabah. I found out that Gary signed on the dotted line on the 14th of December 2009 in a brief ceremony at the Sabah FA headquarters, and straight away shared his excitement in getting started as well as bringing out the best in the 25 players that he inherited. His immediate goals and objectives are clear as he said " I hope to find the best from all the players and maximise their potential, it would very good to achieve that".
This marks another Aussie affair for Sabah FA because Gary can count his compatriots, Ronald Smith, Ken Worden and David Woodfield as his predecessors in the hot seat. The famous Sabah tiger prawns made Ken Worden fell in love with the 'Land Below The Wind', well at least gastronomically, but I'm sure Sabah pristine beaches, perfectly ruffled waves and heavenly islands will be perfect for Gary, who loves surfing.
What impressed me most is without a shadow of a doubt, his CV. He played almost 400 games for Brisbane Strikers and Sydney Olympic before calling time on his playing days and embarking on a journey as a coach that would see him get hold of his coaching credentials as an AFC A license holder. Gary's knowledge on Asian football is something that he acquires after spells at V-League side, Da Nang and also his impeccable work as manager of Project Future with the AFC which gave him the opportunity to help and nurture young emerging coaches across 47 countries in Asia.
He has tasted championship success before with his former team Sydney Olympics and the chance to work with players on a daily basis again represented itself when Scott Ollerenshaw reccomended him for the vacant post as Sabah head coach. Personally, I think Gary is the right man for the job and definitely wish him all the success that he could ever hoped for, if he's in this for the long run, it will only serve the current and ultimately the future of football in Sabah a great deal of hope and positive developments. As Stuart Pearce puts it : "with better coaches, you get better players".
As for the time being, would Sabah go on to enjoy the on-field success that the fans have been craving for ? How would Sabah fare against the other Super League teams next season ? Admittedly the jury is still out on him but on hindsight, patience is indeed a virtue, a moral trait that requires time to be of crucial essence and right now only time will tell when, - not if - Gary Phillips is going to be our best chance to help us get there.
