By MOHD FARIQ
Everyone is familiar with the phrase “Rome wasn’t built in a day” but the complete sentence is often overlooked by most.
…but they were laying bricks every hour is the most important message behind the quote.
The phrase “Rome wasn’t built in a day” reminds people of the time, patience and perseverance needed to build something great, whether in business, family, sports or even a habit.
Everyone is fully aware that results will only come in time.
And “…, but they were laying bricks every hour” is the core principle in creating a system.
Laying brick is not simple as spelling out A, B, C.
After measuring the lengths, the bricklayer must lay just enough mortar to even them out smoothly before piecing them together with precision.
In the same way, we would need a system in building our Rome.
A system is already in place in the empire called Johor Darul Ta’azim, or known as JDT in footballing parlance.
Due to the hard work, investment and system laid down by the Crown Prince-cum-boss-cum-owner, winning has become a routine for JDT.
As winning has become second nature, JDT again succeed last night with Malaysia Cup win over Terengganu FC in the final.
For the second season running, JDT has swept all the Cups before them.
Next week they will be celebrating their 10th Super League title officially at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium or SSI, a proud landmark that illustrates TMJ’s desire to put JDT on the world map.
For laying bricks every hour since late 2012, TMJ and JDT are reaping the fruits of their labour.
They have become the undisputed kingpins of Malaysian football.
It has taken Tunku Ismail, affectionately known as TMJ, less than a decade to put everything in place.
When TMJ entered the scene at the end of 2012 at the young age of 28, he had an idea to put one brand at the forefront.
A State football team respected for its development program, the Johor FA was struggling to reach the rarefied heights of the 1991 double season under Michael Urukalo.
Johor football was fractured and fragmented.
The 2012 Premier League was a case in point.
There were three teams from Johor alone in the competition – Johor FA, MP Muar or the Muar Municipal Council and the Johor Bahru City Council or MBJB.
Johor’s footballing resources were spread all over.
Enter TMJ in 2012, with a proud proclamation on September 4, 2012, 10 minutes to 11pm, after the old Johor FA team beat Johor FC 3-1, with Hadin Azman netting two goals.
Before a sparse crowd at Tan Sri Hassan Yunos Stadium in Larkin, TMJ announced his desire to transform Johor’s fortunes.
TMJ uprooted some of the problems besetting Johor football and replanting them with the right seeds.
Out went the Scorpions, in came the Southern Tigers.
If Baby boomers and Gen X vividly recall Datuk Suleiman Mohd Noor’s contribution in setting the wheels in motion by winning the Malaysia Cup in 1985, a year after TMJ was born, winning the league and Malaysia Cup double in 1991 set a higher benchmark for the State.
With Abbas Saad, Alistair Edwards dan Erwin Boban forming a much-vaunted triumvirate when imports were limited to three per team, the creative spark was provided by Khalid Shahdan and Nasir Yusof, while Roslan Hamid a bulwark in defence.
Emulating Kelantan’s formula of assembling the best local talent allied with credible foreigners, JDT lured Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, Safee Sali, Safiq Rahim, twins Aidil Zafuan and Zaquan Adha Abdul Radzak to join forces with Daniel Guiza who was on loan from Getafe.
The arrival of Argentinian star Pablo Aimar captured global attention.
A team that had never gone beyond regional level was suddenly in the news.
In the maiden season, JDT finished third in the Super League, runners-up in the FA Cup final, losing to Kelantan and advanced to the Malaysia Cup quarterfinals.
Midway through the season, legendary Singaporean, Fandi Ahmad, enlisted to create the foundation, made way for coach Cesar Ferrando Jimenez.
By 2014, Bojan Hodak had led JDT to the league title, before Mario Gomez guided the team to the AFC Cup a year later. A mental barrier was overcome.
TMJ never rests on his laurels. The number of coaches who had gone through the JDT revolving door reflects his desire for perfection.
Having bagged the Super League title for 10 consecutive seasons and sweeping all major titles available in Malaysia, TMJ’s grandiose and ultimate end game is to conquer Asia.
Losing to Kawasaki Frontale 5-0 in the AFC Asian Champions League is nothing to be ashamed about. But winning 2-1 over Ulsan Hyundai is a reason to celebrate.
En route to the top, losing and bouncing back is part of the process.
Johoreans or Bangsa J do not fret.
Unlike the previous Godfathers of Malaysian football such as Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj, Datuk Harun Idris, Tan Sri Elyas Omar, Datuk Taha Ariffin and Datuk Paduka Ahmad Basri Akil who came from political and civil service background, TMJ’s leadership style is based on his military background, with exposure to real operations at the Pakistan-India border.
TMJ is also adept at guerilla, urban and conventional warfare, which allows him to have an advantage in psychological warfare by using the reach and might of social media to curate narratives to his favour.
And when he enters the dressing room, TMJ knows how to ignite the fire in the belly of his players.
Managing a group of millionaires, young and veteran, requires such expertise.
From Safiq’s superstar behaviour to Arif Aiman Hanapi’s precocious talent that has helped Harimau Malaya’s Kim Pan Gon to source for goalscoring opportunities from the right flank, we owe TMJ and what more on the heritage players “introduction’ by him over the years.
Through his drive, bravado and investments that has propelled JDT to success with a positive knock-on effect on the Malaysian football scene, TMJ has been instrumental in putting Malaysia on the Asian map.
No one can doubt TMJ’s role as the Godfather of Southern Tigers.
With a tigerish leader like TMJ showing the way, JDT’s roar will not be ignored by their enemies.
