Al Wasl keen to revive past glory in league

Al Wasl are attempting to revive memories of past glory now that the league is about to start up again.

They plan to recapture the kind of consistent confidence they showed in the 15 years between 1982 and 1997 starting when they first won the league title and ending when they clinched the biggest prize in UAE football.

Nostalgia aside, club staff including head coach Vinko Begovic, are determined to bring in some silverware now that the club is heading in a healthy new direction with its dynamic approach.

After clinching the league title for the last time in 1997, the stars of the golden era began to retire and the team needed an injection of new blood.

Two years ago, a major rejuvenation effort began and young players were drafted in to replace retiring stars.

Al Wasl signed young goalkeeper Majid Nasser from Ahli Fujairah, along with other young players Tarek Hasan, Tarek Darwish, Ahmad Fairuz, Eisa Ali, Khalid Darwish, Ali Mahmoud, Juma Darwish, Mohammad Hussain, Hasan Ali Eisa, Ali Hasan Maloh.

Al Wasl can reflect on plenty of achievements when they go in search of inspiration for the months ahead. During the period from 1982 to 1997, Al Wasl clinched the league title no less than six times and the President's Cup once. They were also the league runners-up five times and President's Cup finalists on six occasions.

At that time, Al Wasl were the best team in the UAE. The UAE national team included most of their players UAE top strikers Zuhair Bakhit and Fahd Khamis along with Nasser Khamis, Hasan Polo, Fahd Abdul Rahman, Farouq Abdul Rahman, Saeed Abdullah and many others.

Nowadays, the club is carefully nurturing its young guns, but the coaches need time to renew the team and the new players need time to gain experience. Al Wasl did well last season when they reached both the League Cup and President's Cup semifinals.

Some of the experienced players still remain: skipper Esmail Rashid, Abdullah Eisa, Munzir Ali, Jasem Bilal, Eisa Murad along with professional strikers Iranian Farhad Majidi and Moroccan Bo Shoaib Mubarky. The latter did not produce they kind of form Al Wasl expected and technical staff are currently looking for another striker to boost the attack.

"Bo Shoaib didn't meet our expectations. His performance was poor," said Begovic, Al Wasl's Croatian coach, in an interview with Gulf News.

Al Wasl began powerfully in the current season. In five league matches they won two and drew three. They are now in the fourth place with nine points. Apart from toppers Al Jazira, they are the only unbeaten side in the league.