Nidzam fits in well with The Fighters

AT 39 years old, Nidzam Jamil is considered a young coach. He could still take to the field if he wants to.

But the Felda United head coach feels that “being young” has its advantages.

It has made him closer to the team as there is not much of an age gap between Nidzam and the players.

On Tuesday, his team earned their spot in the FA Cup quarterfinal against Kuala Lumpur by upstaging Selangor 2-1.

As a “young” coach, Nidzam said this made it easier for him to interact with the players and he can empathise with them better.

“I can speak their lingo better and I still wear what they wear, so from the presentation standpoint, I have that advantage because it makes it easier for me,” he said.

However, the former international admitted that there are drawbacks too but he did not want to elaborate.

“There are certain things that don’t come as an advantage but we need to manage them and meet the objective of getting the team to where they need to be.”

Coaching with the philosophy of “good things take time” and “play hard, work hard”, Nidzam seems to have figured out what motivates his players.

“I think in football, if we prepare a new team like this, it’s a process and we can’t see immediate results but in between the process, anything can happen – suspension, injuries and those who underperform,” he said.

“But we have to try to get the best out of them and lately, everyone is happy and everyone wants to contribute so, that’s the most important thing.”

The Fighters’ top goalscorer Hadin Azman is down with a knee injury but Nidzam could afford to joke about it.

“After that game (against Selangor in the FA Cup), he had a knee problem and I think maybe it’s because he scored,” he quipped.

And the coach said being in the FA Cup quarter-finals could be motivation enough for Hadin, 24, to heal.