PETALING JAYA: Armed Forces coach B. Sathianathan blasted his players after the 2-1 loss to fellow relegation battlers Perak in their Super League match.
The defeat at the Perak Stadium on Friday was the Gladiator’s ninth loss of the season and it sent them to the bottom of the 12-team league with 12 points from 15 matches.
Sathianathan was furious the players lacked the stomach to fight during the match.
“Several players were not performing to expectations. The club pay everyone on time and the players’ welfare are well taken care of, but unfortunately some of the players have not been professional enough.
“We have lost key players through injury and the players who came in have performed below par. There is this fear of losing among the players and it affects their confidence in matches,” said the former national coach.
For Forces, they now need to win five out of their seven remaining matches to avoid the drop.
“We are in big trouble and the players need to step up from now onwards. I feel bad to be in this position in the league and I take full responsibility for the team’s predicament,” said the 56-year-old Sathianathan.
Forces, who finished sixth last season, have been plagued by injuries this season, losing prolific striker Marlon James and Australian defender Spase Divelski. First choice rightback K. Reuben and centreback Amiridzwan Taj have also yet to recover following anterior cruciate ligament surgeries.
On the defeat to Perak, Sathianathan said he was angry with his defenders as “they didn’t stick to the game plan after conceding the first goal”.
“Perak fielded inexperienced players and their defenders were all locals but still managed to stop us. It’s just ridiculous and I’m angry with our players’ performance,” added Sathianathan.
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