Beberapa hari lalu, gua ada attend satu interview kat satu kompeni yang power di KL Sentral. Cuak memang cuak beb. Sehari sebelum interview gua dah tak berapa tenang sebenarnya. Dalam invitation for interview email, yang tukang interview gua tu Vice President beb. Bukan bilis-bilis punya orang.
Maka, hari yang dijanjikan telah tiba. Gua sampai di lokasi 30 minit lebih awal. Hati gua setting setenang yang mungkin. Harap-harap tak ‘fakap’ time temuduga. This is it! Another attempt of upgrading my personal ‘rice-pot’. Gua dapat bayangkan this is going to be a helluva interview. Tapak tangan gua dari tadi asek berpeluh saja. Entah apa yang sejuk sangat bilik temuduga ni gua pun tak tau. Padahal aircond pun tak bukak!
Sejurus beberapa minit selepas gua melabuhkan punggung di kerusi bilik mesyuarat, masuk 2 orang lelaki berbangsa Cina yang bersut siap pakai vest lagi. Hullamak, kagum-kagum. Dia punya vice president tu kalau sekali gua perati macam Roberto Mancini la pulak. Seorang lagi agak friendly, memperkenalkan dirinya sebagai Chen. Yang Roberto Mancini tu nama dia Douglas.
Setelah keduanya melabuhkan dubur mereka diatas kerusi, tiba-tiba Douglas terpandang gua punya lanyard opis. Mata galak memerhatikan lanyard gua yang tertulis ‘Arsenal Malaysia’.
“So, you are a supporter of Arsenal?” tanya beliau tersenyum.
Gua tersentak. Alamak, cemana gua boleh lupa tanggal lanyard pass kerja nie pulak dah!
“Err..yeah.” jawab gua serta merta sambil cepat-cepat menanggalkan lanyard straight simpan dalam beg.
“So, I heard that you guys got beaten by the EPL new comer, eh?”
“Yeah…that’s what the newspaper said.” Senyum ja gua. Padahal dalam hati dah start membara.
“OK. Your first questions, what do you think of the match? I want your honest feedback. Go!”
Gua terkedu. Dahi gua berkerut sekali sekala. Chen dari tadi tersenyum melihat gelagat gua yang agak loss dari konsep interview ni sebenarnya. Power sungguh interview nie. Tak la secemas yang gua sangkakan. Siap interview pasal EPL lagi. Dia ingat gua apply untuk jadi Sports Section Journalist ka apa?
Tapi bila pikir-pikit balik, maybe jugak tu salah satu interviewer’s method untuk menenangkan candidate mereka. Ya la, mana ada makhluk yang tak cuak bila datang interview. Pat Rice dulu datang Highbury nak interview dulu pun dia terkincit. Apa, tak tahu sapa Pat Rice? Sila pergi jahanam.
Namun, sebagai hero, malu la gua pakai lanyard merah nie kalau gua tak boleh membalas pertanyaan Douglas tadi. Orang dah menjual, kita kena la beli. Mana gua nak letak muka ni kalo Thierry Henry tahu gua tak boleh nak kasik feedback, ye dop?
“Well, basically I think Swansea deserve the win. They claimed that they played a total football, and they did! Arsenal got beaten (at their turf) fair and square. And I respect that.”
“To be honest, there were so many problems on Wenger tactical list and his starting first-eleven. I watched the entire game until the final whistle. Per Mertesacker still not the right answer to solve our defense system. If only we had Thomas Vermaelen that night to enhance the leaky defense, I guess we still got the chance to bring at least 1 point to Emirates. Both left & right defenders were miserable. Djourou was not talented enough to replace the injured Bacary Sagna. And Miquel, ohh…you don’t want me to start describing this kid. He was a total loop-hole.”
“We know Swansea is a Wales professional football club….and Ramsey is from Wales alongside Gareth Bale & Ryan Giggs. Somehow I questioned Ramsey’s credibility playing against his country men. Whether he felt awkward, or demoralized from the ‘boos’ or somebody offered enough ‘paper’ in his pocket. Sheesh! Most of his passes were utterly ridiculous, and our midfielders were a total joke without Arteta and Gervinho. Lack of creativity has cost us the match”
“Well, what about Van Persie? Did he play?” tanya Douglas lagi.
“Yeah, along side Thierry Henry. Even with that strong combination of forwards, but without a creative midfielder, the match was not fun at all.” gua kasik satu ending yang paling power dalam sejarah interview yang penah gua pegi.
Douglas & Chen mengangguk-angguk tanda faham. Samada diorang faham atau diorang satu haram apa tak paham apa yang gua describe tadi, gua tak pasti. Tapi, gua jawab memang konpident habih. Kalau la ada scout Kafe Sukan, mungkin gua masuk TV minggu depan.
***
Tiba turn gua pula nak beramah mesra. Seraya gua bertanya:
“What about you sir? Big fan on EPL?”
“I am. In fact, I’m a fan of Everton.”
Everton? Gua gelak tutup mulut.
Kehkehkeh!
