Malaysia Lost (The Thomas Cup).. So, What's Next?

Ouch. That's how to sum up our lost in our nation's Thomas Cup outing 2010. And I guess many are with me on this.

As much as we wanted to win badly, but Lee Chong Wei & gang failed to win over China, what more impress the supporters.. with all our charges losing in straight sets!

Now nobody likes to lose, but the fact is, Malaysia lost - badly. Some of us would be brooding over the lost. Others may say, let's look forward to 2012.

But I say.. well, lets see where we stand, Malaysia. And solve the issues we face & find new solutions:

1. Create Great players.. who are not just Good
So what if Lee Chong Wei is no 1 in the world. The fact is, he has to overcome Lin Dan once and for all. Now, to our national hero, it's not that I'm condemning u in anyway.. but I think the focus is to really push yourself more & to focus on being a true world class hero.. ie. the focus is to keep beating Lin Dan for all the other games you are going to play.

And it's not just Chong Wei alone. Instead, even our first doubles & also world ranking no 1 pair of Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong needs to buck up. Losing & inconsistencies really is not an option anymore.

2. Have a New set of World Class players
Many say Malaysia keeps banking on the first singles & doubles.. and that is really true. Our 2nd & 3rd singles, and even our 2nd doubles are not in the same league as their counterparts.

It is sad to see us having to bank on Wong Choon Hann again - despite him being at the age of 33.. to don national colours. We all know that despite he being a champion last time, but gone are his glory days.

So why do we keep hanging on to him & even our other players - whose responsibilities should be shouldered by a much younger set of players?

3. Have a Continuous set of World Class Players
This point is similar to the above.. but the differecnece is, we need more than just 1 set of fresh players.. we need a continuous flow of them.

Take a look at our badminton history the past 2 decades. We only had a few good fighting chances every few years.. In fact, most countries do too, including superpowers Indonesia & China (though for now, they are changing).

Imagine if we win this cup after 18 years.. Even then, it takes us - what, a good 18 years? If we win it the next time round, that's what - 20 years?

If we can have a continuous supply of good players, we need not worry about our chances each time. For we know, that every time we go down in the biannual games, we are ready to take on anybody.


Now, these are clear simple things which we should be able to see. Yes, of course, the same old saying of it's easier said than done applies..

But then again, I put back the question - do we really want to be a world class team, winning as many more Thaoms Cups to come? If yes, bite that bullet & walk the talk. Malaysia, it's time to bounce back & shine once more!


*I believe that Malaysia's lost is not all bitter & bad. But we need to work on our weakness and not just push it aside. I still believe, Malaysia, we can.