No broken wings

Police: Eagles will be hard to arrest despite wage issue

PETALING JAYA: Police coach Mohd Ishak Kunju Mohamed reckons that Kedah’s off-field problems will not weigh them down in their Super League clash at the Cheras Football Stadium on Saturday.

Kedah, who are embroiled in an unpaid wages issue, looked like a different team when they could only chalk up a win from three friendly matches.

They beat UKM 3-1 but suffered losses to Penang (2-3) and Perak II (1-2).

Ishak pointed out that Kedah’s players are professionals and will not let their problems affect them when the season resumes.

“They are a very experienced side and their players should have no problem raising their game when needed, so I won’t accept that they a weakened side due to their problems,” said Ishak.

“For me it’s simple. To beat any team, we need to raise our game. Only a good performance on the field will decide the outcome of a match.

“Kedah are a good team with a good track record.

“They can easily turn their season around after a few bad results due to the quality of their players.”

Ishak also added that his men’s 3-1 win over Premier League side Negri Sembilan in a friendly on Aug 20 was a strong indicator that his players have rediscovered their footing.

Their first three friendlies ended with defeats to Melaka (0-3), Johor Darul Ta’zim II (0-2) and JDT (0-3).

“The players were a bit disjointed when we returned to training but after a slow progress, we can now see the results.

“We are a small team and we need to rely on a high work-rate to overcome other teams. After four friendlies, the players are beginning to click as a unit and this will be key to avoid relegation.”

They are currently bottom of the 12-team standings with a deficit of two points after four games.

They were docked three points by the Football Association of Malaysia for failing to settle their players’ salaries.