Datuk Ong Kim Swee – Bernama photo

KOTA KINABALU (March 10): Criticising players excessively after one or two matches is an unfair act and does not help in developing the Sabah FC team, said its head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee.

Instead, he said, every player of The Rhinos, especially imported players, should be given enough time to adjust and improve their performance to ensure the team is able to maintain its performance until the end of the season.

Citing  import striker Neto Pessoa as an example, he said the player was heavily criticised when he missed the opportunity to score a goal through a penalty kick in the first match of the Super League, but was able to improve his performance and score in the (second) match last night.

“But in the next match, if Neto (Pessoa) does not score a goal, l will he be criticised again? For me, every player should be given time, even if they are quality players, time should be given to the team.

“I believe this team will improve from time to time, only time will tell, but to criticise players only after one or two games I think is unfair, I think players should be given a chance,” he told a press conference here last night.

He was met after the Super League match at the Likas Stadium last night, which saw Sabah beat PJ City FC 3-1, with Pessoa scoring the second goal in the 35th minute through a header with a corner kick from Baddrol Bakhtiar.

Meanwhile, PJ City head coach P. Maniam said the failure of his men to restrain Sabah players in a dead ball situation was one of the reasons for the team’s defeat last night and that they would improve the game, especially in terms of ‘player marking’.

“Import players, in particular, they are capable of playing well in that situation and our players have been reminded, but the marking is not there, anyway we cannot blame anybody. This is a marathon, only two matches and we will improve the weaknesses for the next match, ” he said.

Sabah will face Respect FC this Saturday (March 12), while PJ City will face Kelantan FC this Sunday (March 13) for the FA Cup. – Bernama