New Sabah Times
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Rhinos new acquisition Eamon Zayed has vowed to do his utmost best and help his new side do well in the M-League next season.
The Libyan international striker believes they have a decent squad to mount a strong challenge against the rest in the Premier League 2015 campaign, where Sabah Rhinos ultimate goal will be to gain Super League promotion.
But for now, Eamon, who is born to a Libyan father and Irish mother on October 4, 1983, is yet to really adapt to his new life here in the Land Below the Wind, so as with his new team-mates.
“So far so good, but I haven’t been here long … maybe four weeks now. So I hope to settle in a little bit more. There are about six weeks before the season starts and I think that’s a long time to settle in, and be 100 per cent before the season starts,” he said when met by reporters yesterday.
On the team, he said: “I think this is a good team. Slowly we will get stronger this year. I think we have a strong first eleven … maybe as good as any other team in the League. But now, I’m still getting to know the other players of the team and they are still getting to know me.”
Eamon, 31, added that he was also impressed with the friendliness of the people here.
“The people here are friendly and that is really good. I also saw a big crowd (friendly against Sarawak) and I see that they love football. So I hope every game here will be the same. I also hope more will be coming to support the team and if there are more fans and the stadium is full, that will be the best thing for me.
“Since I came here, the players have been very good to me. Before I went to Iran and it was difficult being a foreign player coming in.
The Iranian players … they are not so friendly and it is difficult to talk … it takes one to two months maybe three months to get along with the rest of the players. But the very first time I came to Sabah, the local players have been very friendly and very nice guys. So I hope I can help them and the team,” Eamon added.
To the fans, Eamon hopes that they will also be singing his name whenever Sabah Rhinos play at their home den – the Likas Stadium.
“During our first game (friendly) against Sarawak, I saw that the fans were calling Diouf and Santos’ name because they didn’t know me. So I hope after one or two games, which I hope to score goals, then they will not only know Diouf, but Eamon as well.”
Eamon is one of the four foreign signings that Sabah Rhinos have made with the other three being two-time African Footballer of the Year El Hadji Diouf, his countryman and former Hull City defender Abdoulaye Faye and Singaporean Fazrul Nawaz.
