PETALING JAYA: The chemistry within the Negri Sembilan squad is making coach Nidzam Jamil’s (pic) job a little easier.
After the Deer’s stellar 2-1 comeback win over Selangor at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi on Sunday, Nizam praised his men for turning things around in the final minutes of the match.
After Selangor took the lead in the 12th minute through Richmond Ankrah, hosts Negri bounced back for their first win of the season when substitute Japanese winger Mio Tsuneyasu equalised in the 82nd minute and scored the winner 10 minutes later.
But it wasn’t just the coach who did the motivational talks at half-time – instead, the players themselves banded together and spurred themselves up to keep going.
“The motivation of this team usually comes from themselves,” said Nidzam.
“The players will lift each other up. And after about 10 minutes of them talking among themselves, my job is just to point out some things on the whiteboard.
“It makes my job a little easier as the players have each other to look up to.”
Having left the helm at Selangor last October, Nidzam said having knowledge of the Red Giants squad did not guarantee Negri would walk away with three points.
“The coaching side can analyse everything, have game plans ready for what the defence and attack do.
“But in the end, it’s the players that carry out that task on the pitch, and they make it interesting out there,” he said.
Winning at home in front of more than 25,000 fans, Nidzam said his main goal has always been to give fans something they can get behind, and the turnout at the stadium shows hope for the club.
“The club have set a target for where to finish in the table, but I don’t like talking about those targets – we keep that to ourselves.
“But I am here to bring this team to a level that the fans can be proud of.
“I want them to feel that the players are giving everything on the pitch each time they watch a match.
“Only after that come the results and performance, and that won’t change,” he said.
Negri will be hoping for another roaring atmosphere at home when they host Kuching next on Friday.
