SAFF CUP 2018 -Semi final defeat 3-1 to India

On Wednesday our SAFF Cup 2018 journey came to an end after a 3-1 defeat to India, we performed very well in the game and unfortunately got punished with two very good counter attacks by India. Overall the players overachieved from the initial pre tournament expectations. Everyone of the players, coaches and PFF official should be proud of themselves for bringing competitive football back to the Nation. I was very pleased with the attitude and willingness to learn of the young players, this is a very positive sign for the future progress of the game in Pakistan. Thank you to hosts Bangladesh and good luck to India and Maldives in the final.

Into the Semi Final of the SAFF Cup

After 13 long years of waiting the Pakistan National Team has reached the semi final of the SAFF Cup, considering there has been no competitive football for 3 years this is an outstanding achievement. The game today against Bhutan was a very convincing 3-0 victory which cemented our place into the Semi Final. We potentially will face India in the semi final which will no doubt be an excellent encounter. 

Bangladesh 1 v 0 Pakistan - 2nd game of the SAFF Cup

last night we faced hosts Bangladesh in the second group stage game of the SAFF Cup in front of an excellent crowd of 25,000 fans. The game was very equal with both teams cancelling each other out, Bangladesh clinched victory in the last five minutes of the game with an own goal from our side. We now face Bhutan in the final game of the group with our fate still very much in our own hands. If we get the victory then we are going to progress to the semi final. 

SAFF CUO 2018 - First game Pakistan 2 v Nepal 1

Yesterday it was great to be back in action for the Pakistan National Team in the 2018 SAFF Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Pakistan National Team has not had any competitive games for 3 years due to a FIFA ban so the morale boosting victory against Nepal was a great way to resume competitive football. We now have a day rest before the next game against the hosts Bangladesh tomorrow in the evening kick off.

NEW SEASON - NEW LOGO - NEW PLAYERS!

I have reported back for pre season training in Hong Kong for my second season with KC Southern District Football Club. During the off season the staff at the club did a wonderful job of creating a fantastic new logo and recruiting excellent new foreign players, who all have experience of playing in Hong Kong which will be a major boost. The first game of the season is in early September so we now have just under two months to prepare and make sure we are in good shape for that first game of the season. 

UEFA PRO LICENCE COMPLETE!

After a gruelling four years of long haul flights, commitment and sacrifice its a wonderful feeling to have finally completed the UEFA Pro Licence with the IFA. I have learned many things from a people with a wealth of knowledge in the game operating around the globe. I would like to thank my club KC Southern District Fc for allowing me to fly back to the UK on several occasions to finish the course. 

LAST GAME OF THE SEASON 3-2 WIN...5TH PLACE FINISH

At the weekend we ended the season with a morale boosting win over Eastern, winning the game 3-2 in the latter stages, we finished the season in 5th place. We reached two semi finals but all felt we could have done better. On a personal note it was good to be back in Hong Kong and I am looking forward to helping us improve in all departments next season. At the end of every season it is important to rest, relax and recharge the batteries. 

KC Southern V Kitchee SC 4-1 defeat

After a run of excellent results we lost 4-1 at home to Kitchee in a game which could have been very different has we converted some chances at crucial moments in the game. Kitchee punished us in the second half and showed why they have the best squad in the league. We will need to take the positives from it and move on ahead of a crucial game next week against Tai Po in the FA Cup semi final at the Mong Kok stadium. 

SUPPORTING CHELSEA ASIAN STAR ON ITS 10TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY

I am pleased to be supporting Chelsea FC Search for an Asian star campaign for the a 9th consecutive year in a row, this year marks the 10th anniversary of the popular national competition and have also taken a groundbreaking step by allowing female participation. To read more visit the following link:

http://www.chelseafc.com/news/latest-news/2018/04/asian-star-to-benefit-boys-and-girls.html

KC Southern 1:0 Yuen Long FC - 1/4 FA Cup victory

This afternoon we overcame local rival Yuen Long FC 1-0 in the FA Cup 1/4 final at The Tsuen Kwan O Stadium to progress through to the semi final next month. It was a tough game as it always is against Yuen Long but we showed excellent team spirit and togetherness to get through to the semi final. We have three more league games to go so we will look to finish as strong as possible to make sure we finish as high as possible in the league table. 

RANGERS AWAY 3-0 VICTORY

Yesterday afternoon we put in a very solid display to beat Rangers 3-0, we showed excellent professionalism to make sure we came away with all three points, that was our 4th victory in the last 5 games.  

4-2 Sapling Cup Victory

Despite being out of the Sapling Cup at the group stage we put in an excellent performance in the last group stage game beating RnF 4-2 at the Yuen Long stadium. The result is a good confidence booster ahead of the upcoming away league games we have. 

YUEN LONG LOCAL DERBY NARROW 2-1 DEFEAT

Yesterday we narrowly lost the local derby against Yuen Long FC which was a bitter blow after the victory last week. We have one week to dust ourselves down and prepare for the home game next weekend against lee Man Rangers Fc. 

1-0 WIN - LONG AWAITED VICTORY!

After a series of frustrating draws and narrow defeats we returned to winning ways this weekend with a very solid 1-0 victory against Dreams Sports Club, it was our first home for several months after six consecutive away games so it was pleasing to be able to put a smile on the faces of the fans again. We now have a local derby to look forward to next weekend when we travel to rivals Yuen Long  FC for what promises to be an entertaining clash. 

INTERVIEW WITH LEADING HK FOOTBALL WEBSITE - OFFSIDE HK

I recently did an interview with one of the leading football websites in Hong Kong reflecting on the first half of the season as well as the work of the Zesh Rehman Foundation in the UK and Hong Kong. To read the article visit the following link:

http://www.offside.hk/league/rehman-southern-can-learn-from-the-first-half-of-the-season/

NARROW LATE DEFEAT AGAINST TAI PO FC 1-0

Yesterday afternoon we narrowly lost away to Tai Po FC 1-0 in a very closely fought game, we created several clear cut chances but unfortunately could not finish off the game and ultimately got punished in the 88th minute, its a frustrating period for all associated with the club at the moment but we are confident we can turn it around and finish the season on a positive note. 
We now switch attention to the Sapling Cup and the game against Pegasus next weekend. 

2-2 DRAW WITH PEGAGUS

Yesterday we drew 2-2 with Pegasus at the Hong Kong Stadium, after a dominant first half display leading 1-0 we came out the second half in good spirit only to lose a soft equaliser. We showed good character to immediately get the lead but unfortunately deep into stoppage time we let the lead slip to draw the game 2-2. We are unbeaten in two games but looking back should have two wins from these games, we must remain positive and believe in ourselves that the wins will come and we will start to creep up the table. 

2-2 DRAW WITH KITCHEE

Last night we drew 2-2 with my former club Kitchee at the Mong Kok stadium. The performance was excellent from everyone and we really appreciate the support from our travelling fans. The game marked the debut of Diego Forlan for Kitchee, its a great signing for the profile of the league here in Hong Kong. We take plenty of positives from the game ahead of another tough game next weekend at the Hong Kong Stadium against high flying Pegasus Fc. 

IINTERVIEW - FOOTBALL WEEKLY HONG KONG

Last week I spoke to the leading football magazine in Hong Kong,  Football Weekly about my time with KC Southern District FC and about the work of my Foundation in the UK and Asia. Its always good to give some insights on the work of the Foundation and hopefully the work in Asia can continue to expand. 

SEMI FINAL LOSS 0-1 V EASTERN

On Christmas day we played our eagerly awaited cup semi final against Eastern Long Lions Fc at the Mong Kok Stadium in front of a festive crowd. We dominated the chances in the game but unfortunately we could not convert the several clear cut chances we created, eventually narrowly losing 1-0. We now have a mini break to dust ourselves down, regroup and make sure we improve our performances in the second half of the season. 

SKY SPORTS NEW INTERVIEW

Yesterday I had a chat with Sky Sports News regarding the Christmas day fixture here in Hong Kong. 
http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11996/11177620/ex-fulham-qpr-and-bradford-defender-zesh-rehman-ready-for-christmas-day-semi-final-date

3-1 AWAY DEFEAT

Last night we lost 3-1 away to Lee Man Rangers in the League, it was a hugely frustrating game in which took an early lead but unfortunately let ourselves down with a poor first half display. We dominated the second half proceedings but it was too little too late. We now have two weeks to prepare for a huge semi final game against Eastern in the Community Shield. We will stick together as a group of players and staff in order to be ready for the next game and give our fans something to cheer about. 

1-1 WITH MY FORMER CLUB KITCHEE

This afternoon we drew 1-1 with my former club Kitchee in the Sapling Cup in an end to end game either team could of won, we created some clear cut chances with the game at 1-0 but unfortunately could not see out the game and allowed Kitchee an equaliser in the second half. We showed excellent character today to put in a very good team performance full of spirit and desire. We now have a week to prepare for a very important league game next weekend. The young players who played today were excellent and showed real promise and potential. 

EASTERN FC AWAY.. 1-0 LOSS

Last night we played an excellent game but unfortunately lost 1-0 to Eastern Fc in the latter stages of a hotly contested game, their was a heated atmosphere during the game with tempers running high on both sides, we must dust ourselves down, regroup and find some momentum in the league. There is still three quarters of the season to go so we have time to go on a good run of form. 

0-1 NARROW DEFEAT TO TAI PO

We lost 0-1 at the weekend to a very good Tai Po side, it was a very frustrating afternoon for us at both ends of the field. We need to now brush our selves down, rectify some mistakes and work even harder ahead of the next league game again Eastern in two weeks time. There was some very good individual performances from the players, however we could not break down a well drilled Tai Po team. I would like to wish them all the best for the rest of the season. 

400 CAREER GAME MILESTONE

It was pleasing to reach the 400 career game milestone today, it was disappointing to lose the game against Rangers in the group stage of the Sapling Cup but we still have a long way to go in the group and still have a good chance of getting through to the next stage. We must now regroup and focus on the next League game against Tai Po next weekend which will be a difficult game. 

SENIOR SHIELD 1/4 FINAL. 2-0 WIN

Yesterday we booked our place in the Senior Shield Semi Final by dispatching Lee Man Rangers 2-0 in the 1/4 final, it was a very well drilled performance from the payers. We now look forward to the start of the Sapling Cup next week before the league schedule begins. 

3-0 Derby victory against Yuen long

 We showed good spirit to bounce back from the last defeat with a very hard fought 3-0 win over Yuen Long in a local derby game. It was very important for us to correct the mistakes from the previous game and put up a decent performance in order to regain the confidence form the previous two wins, it was pleasing to get our first clean sheet of the season. We now have one week to prepare for the next game. On a personal note I was delighted to see over 30 participants from the ZRF and KC Southern community pilot programme at the game. 

AWAY DEFEAT- LESSONS LEARNED

Yesterday we lost away to home in a very disappointing performance, after two back to back wins we must now go back to the training ground and rectify the mistakes and try to bounce back in the next game in a few weeks time. There were lots of lessons learned for certain players so hopefully they can take on board those lessons and put them right in the next game.  

3-1 HOME WIN AGAINST R & F

Today we had an excellent victory against R & F at home 3-1, it was a very good team display with good tactical discipline and team spirit.  Hopefully we can continue the momentum in the next game. 

IMPORTANT FIRST 3 POINTS OF THE SEASON

On Saturday we registered our first league win of the season at home to HK Rangers FC, it proved to be a difficult game due to the testing weather conditions. We now look forward to the next game in a weeks time which is also at our home stadium. I would like to thank the fans who sat in the rain to support the team today, it was hugely appreciated by all of us.  On a personal note I was pleased to get an assist.

FOLLOW KC SOUTHERN FC INSTAGRAM AND TWITTER PAGES!!!

KC Southern FC recently started a twitter account and reactivated the Instagram account. To follow visit the links below.
Instagram: 
@kc_southern_fc
https://www.instagram.com/kc_southern_fc/

Twitter:
 @KCSouthernFC
https://twitter.com/KCSouthernFC