Season 2008-2009 so far

by Jonathan Spiteri - 5th January 2009

'Unpredictable' would be too much of a big word to use in order to describe the Maltese Premier League, since in the end one always finds the usual suspects challenging for honours at stake while at least one of the two promoted teams end up back where they came from. This season though can be described as balanced and, why not, at times enjoyable. This contrasts with the pasts few seasons where we rarely had some sort of competition for the championship, with the battle for the remaining spots for European qualification being the last issue to be sealed. One therefore questions whether the 'trial run' for this unorthodox championship format must come to an end. Hopefully it will remain interesting until the very last day, and also free of any suspicions which might arise following the recent case of corruption.

Taking a general overview, most of the matches have remained uncertain till the very last minute of injury time, and some results have caught many by surprise. Pre-season predictions were also inaccurate in certain cases, where teams with high expectations found themselves at the wrong end of the table while more cautious teams have, quietly but quickly, earned a comfortable position and are well poised to reach their objective, a place in the championship pool and peace of mind. Those of us who follow the majority of the matches at the stadium have also been pleasantly surprised by the fact that most of the teams try to play good football while being tactically well organised and not just defending and try the one-off counter attack. Great credit goes to the present crop of coaches who seem well prepared and know their job & players inside out. One should admire the likes of Tarxien Rainbows who, although this is not their first experience in the top flight, the majority of their players are the same as those who brilliantly earned promotion last season. We are used to see newly promoted teams revert to a sort of 'catenaccio' and try to at least concede a narrow defeat. But this season the so called smaller outfits really do try to take something out of the matches against the big guns, thus making a contest out of each match. One will have to see whether such enthusiasm will persist even when results seem just not to reward the efforts on the pitch.

Looking at the table at present, things look tight at both ends of the table (without points being halved yet). The race for the sixth place is still wide open, with Msida St. Joseph in pole position and have their own faith in their hands, but Hamrun Spartans & Qormi are gaining momentum while Marsaxlokk definitely have what it takes to turn the tables and secure a Championship Pool spot at the last breath. The rest of the teams have more ambitious targets than to just avoid the Relegation Pool, and none of them have ever been in an uncomfortable situation. Floriana have proved many critics wrong and are sitting comfortable just adrift of the top teams. The policy of relying on homegrown players is finally delivering for the Greens, and a bright future lies ahead of them. This policy seems to achieve popularity amongst clubs. Sliema, have also offloaded some of their main assets and are giving the green light to some interesting youngsters. They had an excellent start, but now maybe due to some lack of experience in certain players, things have not been as plain sailing recently. Don't write them off though, as they still might have an outside chance to challenge for the title. While its to no one's surprise that Valletta have climbed up the table after a stuttering start to the league campaign, Hibernians have proved that they are a very hard nut to crack and are willing to give the citizens a rough ride. Their sound defensive record and their free scoring forwards have enabled them to cling onto the top of the table right from the early stages of the season. While Valletta have assembled a strong squad through a variety of signings, the team from Paola has once again opted for young talents coming up from their own nursery. While last season they ended up playing in the Relegation Pool, this time round they mean business and have sent a clear message to everyone else. One must see whether they are able to keep the pace as the season enters its crucial stages. As regards to Valletta, one can only say that they are the team to beat in order to win the championship.

Have I forgot something? No don't worry…it's time to speak about our beloved Birkirkara. From where shall I start? Let's go in a chronological order. Following last season's triumph in the FA Trophy and a creditable third place finish in the league, spirits were high during pre-season. Following the success in the Euro Challenge Cup and a very tough Uefa Cup tie with a strong side such as Hajduk Split, the Stripes' eyes were set on a positive start to the championship. The clan from Valley Road was cautiously optimistic, baring in mind that other teams might be better equipped for a title challenge, and that a top three position would be a very good achievement. Our fixtures schedule required a strong start since the latter stage of each of the two rounds seemed potentially the hardest, as it later on confirmed to be. After an unconvincing win over newcomers Tarxien Rainbows (3-1), our boys succumbed to the first defeat (0-1) of the season in a dull match against Floriana which, most probably, deserved to end in a 0-0 draw. Then two hard fought victories against Msida St. Joseph (2-0) and Qormi (1-0), where again Birkirkara were still looking for the form which enabled them to lift the Trophy last season. The positive note apart from the results in these matches was that, unlike the previous season where these sort of matches were drawn or lost (one could easily remember the 2-1 loss with Pieta' Hotspurs), this time round the Yellows emerged with the three points. Second in the table just one point behind leaders Hibernians and three points over Valletta, Birkirkara went into the match against our major rivals in a good frame of mind. The match was very exciting with both teams betting their noses in front just to be foiled by quick equalizers. The end result of 2-2 clearly reflects the way the game was played, with both teams canceling out each other. Clearly, both the result and the performance went down well with the Birkirkara faithful. Next was the win against Hamrun Spartans (1-0). Again the performance was not as good as the one against Valletta, but the three points were in the bag.

Now the trilogy Sliema Wanderers-Marsaxlok-Hibernians was awaiting our boys. Against Sliema all seemed to go wrong as the first thirty minutes were a complete nightmare. But the Stripes showed determination in not only rescuing a draw, but ending victorious by 4 goals to 2, where surely the second half of this match was the best we have seen from our team this season. This is maybe what irritates the supporters most. Why does our team play great matches against teams like Sliema and then fail to impose themselves on less quoted teams? Surely this is an area where our team still needs to improve. League championships are won through consistency, not like knock out competitions where the team who scores most on the day wins. Marsaxlokk were next in line. Their form was precarious and were looking at this match as a chance to kick start their campaign. An early gift enabled the Southerners to take the lead, but our team fought back to ear a point. Would it have been a different story hadn't we had a player sent off? Who knows! It is useless to cry over spilt milk. The final match of the round looked strange much before it was actually played. Hibernians asked for this match to be postponed due to them having players involved in the Under 19 tournament. This game should have been played at the National Stadium but, unlike the match involving Valletta and Qormi, it was rescheduled to the Centenary Stadium, a venue that, in my opinion, is not suitable for top flight clashes of this sort. Rather than for the limited capacity and shelter this venue offers, one has to consider the size of the pitch, which is smaller when compared to the pitch at the National Stadium. While for teams in the Second and Third Division this size might suit, the level of a Premier League match is undoubtedly hindered, and I am sure that the end result of 0-6 was in part due to this fact. This score line might indicate a one way traffic match, but this was not the case especially in the first half. While Birkirkara where missing clear chances, Hibernians scored two out of three goal scoring opportunities. When at the beginning of the second half Hibernians scored the third goal, the match was all but over. Defensive errors gifted further goals, while Birkirkara were also reduced (unfairly) to ten men. The round ended on a sour note, but the Yellows started the second round with two deserved victories, 1-0 against the Rainbows and 2-1 against the Greens. Things seemed to get back on track, but the last two matches ended in two disappointing draws, 2-2 in the controversial match against Msida St. Joseph and 1-1 in the last match against Qormi. While against Msida the team might have done better to try to kill the match and not allow our neighbours to get back into the match twice, the game against Qormi was almost a perfect one. The only defect was the number of chances not taken by our forwards. I am sure the result could and should have been different had we put away the opportunities created in the first half, but credit to Qormi who carved out an unlikely point from this match.

These last two results leave us in an awkward position, level on points with Hibernians and two points of Valletta, with both rivals having played two games less, one of which is a direct encounter. Our next encounter is the big match against Valletta. I feel that although this match is not decisive, it can give a clear indication whether Birkirkara will be challenging for the title or just for a top three position. I am sure that our team has enough potential to beat anyone, and I am also sure that our boys are doing their utmost to win as many points as possible in order to be in a good position come the start of the Championship Pool. We are all hoping that the two new foreign acquisitions can give that something extra, that little flair that can make us win more points more regularly. Come to think of this stage last season, we were still afraid of not making it with the top six. This means our team has improved, young players are gaining experience and our coach is finding the right strategies. I urge all supporters to be loyal to this group of players since they are trying hard to honour the shirt they proudly wear. Let us all give our best support in the coming matches and, why not, hopefully end up celebrating yet another piece of silverware in a carnival atmosphere at 'Wied it-Tigri'!!

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