1 more leaving

well, dis news kicked off my thursday. and it is a sad news. but actually I was already informed on dis matter from de man's good fren as well as his club mate earlier. but since de sleague.com published de news, let me quote de article and paste it here.

another 1 of my TRIPLE-M is leaving. and I'm left with 1 only, and that is Farra. Mookie was already gone for long and soon, bro.Mirko will follow. I gonna miss u, bro. all de sweet memories are hard 2 forget. there r just lots to forget. i still remember all those jokes which made my days and of course de pieces of advices that u gave.
and I'm sure that Lil Prof will miss u too coz no 1 will play 'touch-and-go' with him anymore. ur kids & wife will be missed too by us. it is really great to know u & family and I realised that de bond is tighten between all of us as days passed. I hope even if u r no longer here, we'll still be in ur mind. and no 1 will disturb Mama again during dolphins' matches.
I feel blessed to get to know u & family, such a wonderful people. all de best bro in ur future endeavour. my best wish is with u, always.

from 3, down to 2, and now left with de only 1 .....
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All good things come to an end for Grabovac
Gary Koh info@sleague.com

All good things can never go on forever and will have to come to an end eventually, as Mirko Grabovac realized and gracefully accepted. The former SAFFC and Tampines Rovers goalscorer supreme announced his retirement from competitive professional football with immediate effect. The 36-year-old’s latest Beep Test result of 11-7 fell short of the required 12-12 to play for Sengkang Punggol, whom he joined at the start of the year, for the rest of the season. The outcome cruelly denied the father-of-two one last hurrah in front of local terraces around the island. Grabovac revealed in the exclusive post-test interview to sleague.com that pass or fail, he would have hung the boots at the end of the season after some hard thinking at the first half of the year. “During the time I sat out, I kept thinking and asking myself whether I would have the legs to continue playing football given my age and present physical condition. “With these in mind, I decided way before the test that 2008 would be my final year as a player.” The sad conclusion was a far cry from 1999 where he made his mark in Singapore in style, smashing four goals on his debut game against Marine Castle at Jurong. In a decade, his immaculate ball-control, visionary running and predatory finishing have delighted crowds while striking fear and confusion in the tightest of defences. His golden feet were instrumental in the Warriors winning the league championship in 2000 and 2002 and the Singapore Cup in 1999. On a personal front, he often reigned supreme as the overall top scorer, save for his last season with SAFFC in 2003. In 2002, he became the first player, local and foreign, to reach 100 S-League goals milestone. His goalscoring touch caught the attention of then-national coach Jan Poulsen who drafted him into the Lions camp for the Tiger Cup that year. It never departed when he moved east to Tampines in 2004 after five years with the Warriors. Over there, his experience and expertise contributed to the Stags’ best season in their history when they clinched the league and cup double. 2005 was a year to remember as he clinched the last of his five Golden Boots and reached the 200-goal benchmark. He also helped his side retain the title and add a historic first international trophy for Singapore clubs in the form of the Asean Club Championship. Striker par excellence, he was deservingly crowned the Player of the Decade at the season-end annual awards night that year. The 2006 Singapore Cup was the final trophy Grabovac would lift in a glittering club career before the inevitable decline set on the aging striker. Last year, fitness problems took centre-stage when he struggled to overcome the Beep test. Persistent injury concerns did not help his cause either as they restricted his appearances in his concluding season at Tampines. Moving north-east looking for a fresh start, Grabovac was not that fortunate this time. Age and injury finally caught up with him as he struggled to meet the requirements in the test. Wednesday’s final failed attempt brought curtains to his accomplished career that spanned across Croatia, Austria and Singapore, playing at the highest level in all three lands. Upon his decision to retire, his final S-League career goal tally stood 244 while his record of 39 league goals in a single season remained intact. Conceding that his spirit was willing but his flesh weak, he believed he could set a further benchmark at 250 and beyond had he not been undone by injuries while translating his Midas touch to the goal-shy Dolphins. “Forwards like myself tend to rely on quick bursts of speed over various distances to get past the defenders rather than continuous athletic running over the duration of the game,” he explained. “As always I have been confident on the pitch and feel I can deliver when called upon by the club. “This season, had I passed, I could have fulfilled my target of 12 goals in their remaining league games!” Despite the sad end at the multi-purpose hall at Yio Chu Kang where the test was held, Grabovac reflected his 18-year-long career with satisfaction and pride. “Sure I was sad I am not able to pass this time, but I am happy that it is all over,” he said. He confessed on his doubts in confidence and physical state: “I was a bag of nerves before the test because, as much as I had practiced, I was unsure when the aches and niggles would turn up and affect my run. “Each time I did not succeed, it became harder to train well and improve as I had to rest two to three days to allow the affected muscles to recover before resuming training.” “I have been suffering from my right ligament and right shin splints injuries for a while. It has been difficult as I put myself on painkillers and had to do more stretches to get myself ready for the test. “Now no more painkillers, no more stress, I feel happy and relieved.” Playing days over, he is now looking forward to focus on gaining further coaching qualification and experience, and train young players on the fundamentals of the game the way he was taught and had applied to the delight of many in Singapore. Whatever his decisions on his post-playing days might be, sleague.com thank him for the wonderful memories and standards he has set for local football and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.