Daily Express
Kota Kinabalu: A little bit of persuasion and the thought of revitalising Sabah's football has prompted former State coach, Stanley Chew, to come out of 'retirement'.
As a veteran in the game, he has all the qualities and attributes that are not only crucial but also necessary as he imparts his knowledge and skills to budding and aspiring players.
And to accomplish that, he is going back to where it all started – his humble birthplace in Kuala Penyu.
'A group of boys with a passion in the game', he says, is all he needs to kickstart this ambitious plan.
While acknowledging that the 'project' cannot be accomplished overnight, he has agreed to undertake 26 pupils from SRK Kg Kerukan under his wings for training.
Asked why he chose the inconspicuous primary school as a launch pad to groom players for the State's 'soccer future', the Master in Sports and Exercise Science degree holder gave a simple answer.
"I believe in starting from basics. And since I started my life journey in soccer from this small town, I think its only proper to begin from where I started," he said.
And so he began in earnest in coaching the slightly more than two dozen boys since last month on the 17.
The Malay proverb, Melentur buluh biar dari rebung, holds a deep meaning to Chew, who said it is relatively easier to train youngsters because they absorb like sponge what they were taught.
While other coaches have different approaches to training, he firmly believes in six fundamental principles.
"The most important is passing and in this aspect, the player must know speed, angle, time, precision, dribbling and his immediate area," he said.
And there is also technique, individual skills, ball control, tactics and physical energy, he added.
If all these are mastered, the youngsters have a bright future in the game, he said.
In retrospect, Chew said he is not out to prove that he is better than any coaches.
"I simply want to accept the requests from the parents of the youngsters to train their children and I manage to accomplish the task that have been entrusted to me, I would be very happy," he said.
In 1977 he steered the State team to win the Borneo Cup and in the same year, he brought the East Malaysia team to the semi-finals of the Malaysia Cup.
The following year Sabah again lifted the Borneo Cup under Chew.
Sabah, he said, was simply invincible when it won for the third consecutive time the Borneo Cup in 1979.
"Any football teams at that time was wary playing against Sabah, especially at the Likas Stadium, because we were on top of the game," he said.
In 1979 also, Sabah as a State team, earned a place in the semi-final of the Malaysia Cup.
Under him, many players such as James Wong, Hassan Sani, the late Peter Rajah, Awang Sabtu and Azarin Ezerin, went on to etch their names in Sabah and Malaysia football chronicles.
The 68-year old said he coached Sabah's women team from 1984 until 1986 and helped the team to qualify for the finals three years in a row.
Throughout his illustrious and colourful football career, Chew has completed numerous coaching courses, making him among highly qualified coaches in the country.
But, being a modest man that he is, he declines to rest on the accolades and laurels, claiming instead that he did it all for the love of the game.
"I just hope that what I am trying to do here will bear the fruits that we all hope for," he said.
