AFF Suzuki Cup

[Ictruall]

major contributor of yesterday's result was to go in the game playing to the Thai's strength, .....others for lacking speed, ball skill, discipline and mental strength.

 

my 2-cents.

 

[Karoon]

I feel there has been improvement in this team just that they are still not at the level of the top ASEAN nations.

 

Change at the top? Perhaps, but if there is not enough talent coming thru, donât think even the Worldâs best administrators nor coaches can do anything if there is insufficient talent available. Of course, revamping the youth set up can help to address this lack of talent n to be fair to the FAS, they have changed the SPL to encompass more local players coming thru so what else needs to be done Iâm not sure.

I dont really see improvement. Indo, timor leste, fiji, mauritius, mongolia.... put up a strong team and you should win, whether you play negative or attacking football. Thats par for the course. But move up the ranks a bit... Philippines, Thailand... and it becomes a primary school game... long punt to the tall kid.

 

I was stuck in an airport lounge watching malaysia vs myanmar and malaysia has really improved.. accurate passing, running,neat triangualar passes, composed under pressure. Our Sg boys simply can't play like that under any sort of pressure.

[Spring]

I dont really see improvement. Indo, timor leste, fiji, mauritius, mongolia.... put up a strong team and you should win, whether you play negative or attacking football. Thats par for the course. But move up the ranks a bit... Philippines, Thailand... and it becomes a primary school game... long punt to the tall kid.

 

I was stuck in an airport lounge watching malaysia vs myanmar and malaysia has really improved.. accurate passing, running,neat triangualar passes, composed under pressure. Our Sg boys simply can't play like that under any sort of pressure.

True, Malaysia are better than Singapore and deservedly the last 4 in this AFF Cup are the 4 best in ASEAN. That’s why I said Singapore not up to the level of the top ASEAN nations yet but my take on improvement is that this team is better than the previous batch which went on a 1-2year no win streak. Granted some of the players r the same but there were changes and a different style of play have seen some improvement. Also, they worked their socks off which cant be said of some of the previous teams who let their heads drop when the going got tough, my 2 cents.....

[RogerNg_185295]

But fans will expect more from the LIONS.

True, Malaysia are better than Singapore and deservedly the last 4 in this AFF Cup are the 4 best in ASEAN. That’s why I said Singapore not up to the level of the top ASEAN nations yet but my take on improvement is that this team is better than the previous batch which went on a 1-2year no win streak. Granted some of the players r the same but there were changes and a different style of play have seen some improvement. Also, they worked their socks off which cant be said of some of the previous teams who let their heads drop when the going got tough, my 2 cents.....

 

[Ronkovic]

Well, when you dont change from the top, nothing gets changed. The same old faces and the same old story, nobody interested to pisten anymore.

 

Just look at other sports and their improvements, surely FAS could recruit them to run FAS.

 

It's been long established that the top management of the FAS has always been rather disconnected from the actual running of football matters. In some aspects, securing the top management position is more of a career milestone checkbox and securing a nice pay package rather than having a true passion of the sport. So if there is no big drive to really improve and push the sports to greater heights, what you'll get is mediocrity.

 

Funding is the next issue - Compared to all our neighbours and rest of Asia, despite doing well economically, we're still very far off in terms of funding for the sport - Funding from the state's sports body is minimal while corporate sponsorship is also dismal because our league has lost its lusture a long time ago. Rebranding is just a formality and doesn't mitigate the quality one bit. This is unlike our neighbours who have strong support from their big local corporations and conglomerates. If I remember correctly, someone once told me its like Japan will set aside $60m for football development but we will only spend $600,000.

 

Despite funding our limited budget on supposedly esteemed foreign expertise, the youth system here is not improving. Sure, we have the talents here, but there are so many limitations, just to be fair to the technical directors - For example - a TD proposed that our youth players need to train daily 5 to 6 days a week; this was rejected because of many reasons ranging from concerns from ministry, schools, parents, and also the lack of available facilities and fields.

So in the end, its a compromised solution and outcome. In Thailand, boys are committed to football because its a privilege just to be able to get into a big team due to the stiff competition for places. And the big clubs are very strict - It's essentially, every day, report at 4.30pm after school - If you cannot commit, don't even bother showing up, and if you slack, someone else is always ready to take your place. 

[Spurman]

Like most of us said. Football in singapore wont help to feed your family.

 

All of us wan2 glory but none of us wan2 earn a living as a singapore footballer liao.

 

Even if we r damn good. 1. Hampered by ns.

2. Making it into other top asian league or europe. Can i really make it. This one is psychologiy liao. Mentally we might fail already as honestly most of us are not risk takers.

[Victor68]

I fully agree with you on your 1st point. If these people aren't doing a good job, the people appointing them are equally to be blamed. Why are the government so insufficient?

 

Funding part i am not too sure. If they dont have pride to represent their country, please step aside. I am not talking about wining or losing. It is the lack of passion and attitude toward to game.i am not expecting Sg to win against asian gaint but they must have pride playing for the country.

[Beregond]

But fans will expect more from the LIONS.

singapore soccer develop much earier then most of our sea neighbours.

 

that why we have good result during the 18s-90s.

 

( it soft of give us false expectation now).

 

but as other country start taking a more serious stand on soccer like MY, they overtake us easily esp with their much larger talent pool.

 

while we not only fail to maintain the past standard, we go backward instead.

[RogerNg_185295]

singapore soccer develop much earier then most of our sea neighbours.

 

that why we have good result during the 18s-90s.

 

( it soft of give us false expectation now).

 

but as other country start taking a more serious stand on soccer like MY, they overtake us easily esp with their much larger talent pool.

 

while we not only fail to maintain the past standard, we go backward instead.

With these results, hard to fathom them going forward

[Spurman]

I also watch during the Kim Song, Dollah Kassim era n later on Fandi, Sundram but if I may say, no point harping on the old days as football n life was much different then.

 

The era of different distractions, lack of support, pursuit for higher education, better jobs mean players have other things to worry about. I dare say Kim Song n gang wonât be able to give the same level of commitment if they were to play today. How to improve? Some suggestions already mentioned on grassroots etc so I wonât repeat them n anyway if I knew how, I wouldnât be behind this keyboard.

 

Even Michael Sablon the Belgian who is the architect behind Belgiumâs rise to be world no. 1 struggled to give us a platform to build on so what hope is there I wonder n fear.

Its also now uncool to be a singaporean footballer.

1. Cant make a decent living.

2. Fans not supportive. I mean even myself gave up s league so many yrs back. Was supportimg the old saf fc. Jurong fc and gombak united. Somehow it became uncool unglam just to support s league.

3. Media coverage alsos machiam half past 6 now on singapore football.

4. Total lack of support n respect frm govt bodies on soccer in singapore.

5. U dun see much football fields. Not much grassroots on soccer.

6. Piority on academic over soccer. No choice. Really becoz theres a lack of trust on any govt bodies who will provide u a decent living by playing soccer.

[Beregond]

Its also now uncool to be a singaporean footballer.

1. Cant make a decent living.

2. Fans not supportive. I mean even myself gave up s league so many yrs back. Was supportimg the old saf fc. Jurong fc and gombak united. Somehow it became uncool unglam just to support s league.

3. Media coverage alsos machiam half past 6 now on singapore football.

4. Total lack of support n respect frm govt bodies on soccer in singapore.

5. U dun see much football fields. Not much grassroots on soccer.

6. Piority on academic over soccer. No choice. Really becoz theres a lack of trust on any govt bodies who will provide u a decent living by playing soccer.

other thing i dun know, but facilities like soccer field improve alot compare to my sec days,

 

those days the field is botak throughout the years, 

 

we also kick like nobody business, 

under the voiddeck  and basketball court also, ( until police come)

 

now alot of school field upgrade to artificial turf, open for bking for weekend soccer uncles like us

[Ronkovic]

I think Fandi got his tactics wrong for this match. We should be shoring up our defence and not try to attack the Thais. Instead, he went out attacking and the defence suffered.

 

I think the current team is good. Not the best but it is a mix of experience and youth. Keep it this way.

 

Compared to the last few years under Stange and Sundram, Fandi certainly brought a fresh breath of air to the national team with his inspiration and back-to-basics approach. You can tell that at least the players were more driven, played more positively and we gave opportunities to some youth.

 

I agree with you that the Philippines game was the most crucial point - If they had won/drew, I'm sure they would have made it easier for themselves. But that late lapse in concentration underlined that the squad had not reached a sufficient level of fitness and concentration for an extended tournament with short breaks in between.

 

For the match against Thailand, in my opinion, it was not wrong for Fandi to adopt an attacking and physical approach - To a certain extent, he had no choice as he had to go for the win. For the first 10 minutes it did unsettle the Thais, but what I felt Fandi could have considered was to play Baihakki in defence first as the latter's experience would've made a difference when the Thais broke on the counter. While Zulkarnaen and Irfan are really fast gaining experience and have done decently well for their first major tournament, I think a more experienced head behind would have helped stem the Thai tide at the onset. But I guess on the other hand, perhaps Fandi also felt he needed younger players with more pace to counter Thailand's fast wingers and forwards. 

 

Personally, I feel that Vietnam is the strongest team in the tournament, while Malaysia is the dark horse if they decide to show up and can get over their inconsistencies. The Philippines have a side with good physique and technical skills, but the downside is that they lack the pace of the rest. Regardless, Thailand won't have any easy time battling any of the other teams at this stage.

[Kopites]

other thing i dun know, but facilities like soccer field improve alot compare to my sec days,

 

those days the field is botak throughout the years,

 

we also kick like nobody business,

under the voiddeck and basketball court also, ( until police come)

 

now alot of school field upgrade to artificial turf, open for bking for weekend soccer uncles like us

Uncle should go format a national team.

[Ronkovic]

other thing i dun know, but facilities like soccer field improve alot compare to my sec days,

 

those days the field is botak throughout the years, 

 

we also kick like nobody business, 

under the voiddeck  and basketball court also, ( until police come)

 

now alot of school field upgrade to artificial turf, open for bking for weekend soccer uncles like us

 

I remember one of the highlights of void deck football was to train our accuracy by hitting the 'No Playing Football' sign! 

[Kopites]

The only solution for local football to progress is when the government walk the talk.

 

Ensure every national footballer taken care even after their retirement. Pension/education/housing..

 

Make football as a career and not some past times hobby.

[Beregond]

The only solution for local football to progress is when the government walk the talk.

 

Ensure every national footballer taken care even after their retirement. Pension/education/housing..

 

Make football as a career and not some past times hobby.

but they cannot be too bias on 1 sport also.

 

if like wat u say , then wat about those sports that bring in trophys? like bowling.

[Beanoyip]

Still got ppl watch local football? I'm going to be very blunt here, i rather watch the pro gamers play fifa than this rubbish football they play in SG..

[RogerNg_185295]

Cannot lah.... Govt will say Singapore is not a welfare state.

The only solution for local football to progress is when the government walk the talk.

Ensure every national footballer taken care even after their retirement. Pension/education/housing..

Make football as a career and not some past times hobby.