Hi everyone,
To comment on the Singapore-Thailand game later on, go to the post right below.
The Postman will announce a brand new sponsor too, for this month, when we publish the Letter of the Week on Tuesday.
Since this series started in August last year, most of the Questions of the Week have focused on English Premiership football talking points.
Sometimes, there are the odd questions about world football in general, too.
As for local football talking points, it's been restricted to midweek topics, for which there are no prizes.
But everyone will agree that this time round, Singapore football has been the hottest buzz around town for the past week, since the Lions beat traditional rivals Malaysia to meet Thailand in the final of the Asean Football Championship.
After Wednesday's first-leg final, Singapore now carry a 2-1 lead to Bangkok for the second leg this Sunday.
We can go on and on about the fiasco of the Malaysian referee's decisions for that game, or the shameful behaviour of the Thai team, who wanted to walk out of the match after a controversial penalty was awarded against them.
But we will not.
Indeed, there's no denying the strong national sentiment that pulled Singaporean fans - even those who once were Malaysia Cup fans and have since lost faith after the pullout in 1994 - back to Kallang.
This is the difference between a full-house crowd of 55,000 and a 8,000 plus group, whom you'd find still watching the S-League.
There's also no denying that the Thai football team of today is no match for the classy teams of yesteryear.
Malaysia lack the quality they once boasted.
But Singapore - even with some newbies this time round - have shown all-round improvement and ability to clearly be at the top of the Asean ladder for the next five years, at least.
The Postman's Question: Will you turn up in full force to support the Lions the next time, from as early as the group stages, instead, or even for a friendly international?
To keep in touch with the Lions, would you even want to see a return of an invitational tournament, like the Merlion Cup or something like Thailand's King's Cup?
Reply by 3pm on Monday, in not more than 200 words, please (click link right for auto word counter).
Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman".
At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
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60 comments:
It's easy to say right now that I would turn up to support the Lions on a regular basis in the future, but I shan’t lie. Yes, right now, right at this moment, my passion and excitement over the Singapore team probably exceeds that for Liverpool, and I'm looking forward more to the 2nd leg match on Sunday than the Merseyside derby tomorrow, but I'm fully aware these emotions are very fleeting and temporary.
Frankly speaking, I think most of us only turned up at the previous two games because of all the hype about them being the last matches at the National Stadium, and the typical Singaporean hobby of joining queues. (i.e. "If everyone else is going, it means I should go too.")
Of course, I believe the unexpected drama and the unbelievable sell-out crowd atmosphere at the previous two games at the National Stadium would certainly help to improve the state of local football, but I doubt the fundamental perceptions have changed much.
--
However, all the events in the past week led me to reflecting on this bit. You know how some people are still saying the Singapore team isn't very "Singapore" because of all the foreign players? Well, I now believe the likes of Mustafic, Daniel, Precious and Jiayi are perhaps more "Singaporean" than us, because while they’re putting in their best in every match, the rest of us were often more concerned about the Three Lions than our very own Singa Lion.
After what the Lions had showed us over the course in the ASEAN Cup,surely they have brought back the support level they ought to have for a national team.So I will say yes,give these guys a pat on the back for their effort and committment.
However like what lala mentioned,this Lions-craze could be in existance just for the time being,after the tournament ended it will be back to square one but who cares right.Everyone saw what went on in the National Stadium on wed,cheering for their country and jeering the opposition.Everyone was enjoying themselves.Thats what the beautiful game is supposed to bring to people,whats moreover its for Singapore.It was almost back to the old days scene when its Singapore against the Malaysia states teams,being that long since I last witnessed it.
Tournaments like ASEAN Cup is always welcome as competition is always good for the teams to gauge where they stand in the level of football.If there is chance of organising friendly with a higher quality team will be better as it could provide a stepping stone for the young Lions to learn something from the experience even though they could be beaten.
No doubt the Lions have improved but they sure can do a much better job as I noticed during the game vs Thai,they were punting long ball or passing aimlessly and in midfield they hog onto the ball a bit too long.A long way before the talk of going to World Cup resurface again I supposed.
Cheers
It is best to have more invitational tournaments like Merlion Cup, King's Cup or return to Malaysian Cup fold and so forth, not only to keep in touch with Lions, for nation bonding.
It is "They Against Us" mentality, that unifies Singapore.Every Singaporean, regardless of race, language or religion, will turn up in full force to back home team, due to visiting team invasion.
Whether Lions are in group stages or knock out rounds, it brings families and friends together with stronger relationships bondage, as fans turn up full force to stand by Lions.
Strangers sitting beside you, can become friends for life or turn into your hubby or missus, due to your love as Kallang Roar Crowd.
Be it invitational, friendly or FIFA sanctioned tournaments.It brings all communities, regardless young or old, together united as one nation in times of adversity.
Prsently, personal reasons and inconveniences deter me to support Lions in person.In distant future, one day I may be seen standing or sitting at the Grandstands or Gallery shouting 'Referee Kayu' or 'Kelong.'
From: Chester Low
The euphoria over the past 2 matches has been fantastic but as Aide Iskandar commented, in 2 months time, all this adulation will subside when the hype disappears.
Simply put, Singaporeans lack a sporting culture which is prevalent in countries such as Australia and England. The fact that Singaporeans came in full force after the group stages when the Lions have a chance of winning reflects the sad state of support for local athletes in general.
If anything, the Lions are the only football side we can relate to. Most of the players are born and bred Singaporeans and if we can passionately support clubs half way around the world with no ties a binding, we should have no qualms getting behind our national team.
The media must also play their part in making sure the team gets enough publicity. While we do want to see good football and be entertained, we should also play our part and get behind the boys under any circumstance. Through thick and thin, the Lions deserve our support.
It remains to be seen whether a 3rd cup triumph would bring back the fans but certainly, as Singaporeans, it’s our duty to support our boys.
Haha, I've never been to a match involving Singapore before due to school work, so I don't really dare to say much...
But if I had the chance to go, I would still try to support our Lions, no matter what match, as long as its in Singapore.
Some might argue that the football that the Lions play are not as superior as those of the EPL players. But I mean, Singapore is our country after all, so its definitely more worth it to watch the Lions live at our own stadiums than be a potato couch and watch EPL week in week out.
Besides how often does an international match comes? Not very often.
Take for an exmaple the semi final match between Singapore and Malaysia at the National Stadium. How often would we see such exciting matches?
So ultimately, even if I can't be at the stadium, I would still try to watch it on TV live.
The only way Singapore will improve is by playing more international matches. We have a team full of potential and with the right balance, good management and plenty of exposure, the Lions can be a better team than they are now.
The ASEAN cup comes by bi-annually and with Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers, that is not enough football for our footballers to gain the necessary experience.
Playing friendlies and organizing tournaments such as the Merlion Cup is the way to go. The boys should also pit their wits against more formidable opponents,not merely annual Causeway friendlies each time.
Fans want to see entertaining football.When the standard of play improves, the fans will definitely come in full force like they did for the past 2 weeks.
However, as Singaporeans, we should always try to get behind our national side under any circumstance. As seen from previous matches, the Kallang Roar is a formidable weapon and a great pick me up for our boys when the going gets tough.
Hence, in future, let's don our reds and support the Lions whenever they play.
I beg to differ when people says the reason they stop supporting the Lions is that the Singapore team isn't very "Singapore" because of all the foreign players? Lets go back to the Malaysia Cup. Back then, we do have foreign players too. Abbas Saad, Jang Jung and Alaistar are just some of them. Do we have people whining about them? Just like a modified car with aftermarket parts, foreign players add that extra 'umhp' to the team. What so bad about it? I certaintly will turn up for Singapore match regardless of what people say. They have my back.
yan_spitfire@hotmail.com
i have been to most of the singapore senior team match since their 2004 tiger cup win... onli afew i cant make it... i m proud to cheer for the lion and even after so many live match at stadium.. my hair still stand when the national song is being play... i tink the main problem now for the lack of fans in singapore game is tat there is little or none coverage on singapore game... they onli publish detail on the match on the matchday it self which make it hard for some the fan to make it becos it wun be too late to take leave or off for the match... i really hope tat the newspaper in singapore wun cover more on the national team movement so tat the fans wun be like waiting to go to national stadium every 2 year for the asean football championship
Instead of asking fans to turn up at the stadium in full force to support the Lions,the fans should see the Lions who played their hearts out turn up first.Just like this time.We know the turn-out rate soared after the Lions managed to reach the semis.As fans are very result oriented bunch of people,the numbers of fans appearing in stadiums are directly connected to the performances too.This might sounds superficial to many but thats a fact too.Who will want to pay and watch a team to lose or playing sloppy football isn't it.
It has indeed been a long time since long queues were seen for a match involving Singapore against ASEAN opposition. From the low crowd attendance during the group stages, I guess the fever caught on in the last 2 matches. It has turned into one of the talking points of the local fraternity lately in fact. Many Singaporeans, being the true BLUE ones they are (pun not intended just because they wear blue now) will say they will definitely support them as long as there's a match involving them.
However, by the time the next competitive international game comes, these emotions would have evaporated into thin air. Many would have forgotten how the Lions fought during these 2 matches. Many would have forgotten how invaluable their support lent to the Lions were. Having played sports myself, i know the importance of what cheering can do as seen for the difference in intensity they played when there were more spectators watching. It is important not to let the interest dwindle. It has taken a long time since those Malaysia Cup days to generate such fanfare. Hence I am not going to stick my head out to say I will turn up the next time round.
I would urge the authorities to organise more of matches against top-class opposition.
1. It will serve as good practice for the Lions
2. It will prevent the attention to the Lions from waning.
Cheers,
kel
In my honest opinion, the Lions have improved a lot.
But not yet enough to provide us with the sort of entertainment that will drive crowds to watch the Lions in the group stages.
Lets face it, most of the people who turned up for past few matches were there for the sake of national pride and patriotism. It isn't about the entertainment and the quality of football. Yet. So I don't see many will turn up for an unimportant friendly match.
You have to look at it this way. We have not beaten a decent opponent in the tournament, except Thailand by a hotly-disputed penalty. (We should have had one anyway, but let's not go there.)
The point is, we're still not good enough to draw crowds to watch Singapore playing football unless its just for patriotism sake. But of course, if we can improve as rapidly as we are doing right now, I have no doubts that in five years' time, we can compete in the Asian level competitively and regularly. But there is still a lot of work to be done.
In addition to the earlier, I would agree with Eric that many Singaporeans being the results oriented people that we are will only support the Lions if they are worth supporting. We do not want to support a team playing lacklustre football. Losing is fine but to not try, that would indeed be criminal.
Cheers,
kel
The ASEAN cup, Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers are about the only games that feature around this region. There is no equivalent of UEFA Champion leagues in Asia where you can see the latest talents. At one time, there is no live telecast of soccer matches due to lack of sponsorship.
Soccer fans need a daily, weekly dose of soccer like to EPL to keep their interest alive. I bet many of us don't even know some of the players in our national team except those we appeared in the last Tiger Cup. We know the EPL players better!
Lack of support? Just look a few games the past 3 weeks have kicked up such long queues and passion.dhpiakov
You know, I agree with Eric that most Singaporeans are result-oriented and very superficial, but isn't that a problem we should try to rectify instead?
I myself only turned up at the previous Tiger Cup from the semi-final stage onwards, and this time it was from the Indonesia match onwards (bearing in mind we thrashed Laos in the previous game). I know I'm not classified under the category of the real diehard Lions fans (who have my fullest respect and admiration), but I also think I'm probably already better than most.
It's a bit ironic as to how some local fans often give the excuse of things not being "as good" as "back in those Malaysia Cup days..." for their lack of support for the Lions these days, when on the other hand, you've local Liverpool fans who're still so fervent in their support for the team despite things not being "as good" as "back in the 80s..."!
(note that I'm not just preaching hypocritically, because I do include myself in every criticism of local fans. Still with every negative point I make, it's something I know, but find hard to change.)
Being among 55,000 people in Kallang for the Finals (in 2005 as well as 2007), cheering and rooting for Singapore, I will go and definately will many others.
What we have see in each Tiger Cup / Asean Championship was how our dear Lions fought profusely to bring back the glory days of Singapore's Football. Glory Days - years years ago where in Kallang, there were just sea of Reds, where 'Ole Ole" was like a prayer to the fans and where Kallang wave has no ending.
And how when the squad was in the Land's of the opponents, they were booed and jeered but still their fighting spirit was there - to play and win for the fans.
I shall say, it is time where, we as fans, should Stand Up and support. Not just being there for the Lions' at their last stretch. We should BE THERE for them right from the start. We would not want to hear Kallang not roaring.
So long we can be the 12th player to the squad, they will continue to outbid, outplay, outshine and outclass their opponents.
Thus, we can all again, "Hear the Kallang Roar from Shore to Shore".
Results can change overnight but definately not human behaviour.
Its seriously hard to find a lot of die-hard fans of Lions now.I myself am not one if you ask me.If theres anyone who suddenly become a die-hard fan of Singapore after one night of passion filling outing in Kallang Stadium,lets say the semis against Msians or the final against Thais.Trust me,that kind of die-hard feeling inside will die out fast enough before you even realised its existance.
The drop in support has much to do with withdrawal from M-League in my point of view because back then even when we are spoon fed with EPL news,Singaporeans have one eye cast on Singapore team news as well but since the withdrawal,it has not been the same anymore.Support of Lions have just zoom downward.
However we can see FAS and the media giving rallying calls out to the fans to attend the last few matches and the attendences didn't disappoint their effort.Even though this is an one-off attempt to gain the attention and the support of the public,it is effective enough as a result.A fitting massive sending off for Kallang Stadium bar the walk-out from the Thai of course.
Cheers
Though we cherish the good old times during the Malaysia Cup heydays, we simply cannot live in the past forever. The problems involving lack of support stems deeper than just non-passionate fans. Apart from the lack of sporting culture, there must be a full adoption of professionalism at every aspect of the hierarchy.
From grassroots to youth groups to the national team, players need to be groomed to play good football at the highest level and adopt professional attitudes. This involves playing more competitions against good teams at all levels to get the right temperament and getting proper guidance and coaching from an early age.
Fans want to be associated with a team that plays good football. Why people still clamor for the good old days is because the old teams were much more exciting than recent outfits.
Having fancy boots and branded jerseys is all hogwash if players cannot even do the simple basics right. While football is a results-based industry, Singapore fans wouldn't mind losing playing good football.
While fans need to do their part in full-support, the associations and government bodies need to do theirs as well in ensuring Singapore football improves to the next level.
mI've been to Singapore Vs Vietnam, Singapore Vs Laos, Singapore Vs Malaysia and Singapore Vs Thailand at the National Stadium. I will continue to send weekly e mail to you and your bias Sports Desk, Ernest, even when you refuse to print any of my letters after I won a Letter Of The Week. As I said in a post 2 months ago, 'My comments here will never end, Ernest'
q-s, your behaviour is quite embarrassing, you're behaving like a spoilt child.
Surely you should have realised that Ernest selects the winners, so he basically its his choice of which of the posts he see fit to go to the New Paper. It doesn't have to be the best, because the best is after all, subjective.
Samuel Ng said: 'No equivalent of UEFA Champions league in Asia...'
There is Asia's version of Champions league.Unfortunately, our local league champions deem to be lousy, that they are involved in competition liken like England's League 2.
Champions from Middle East, Japan, South Korea, China and Asian countries from former USSR, are allowed to participate Asia's Champions League.
'...where you can see latest talents.'
You won't get to see Asia latest talents.
Sponsors want profits return more than given out as sponsorship.How much $$$ can be earned back from UEFA Champions League televised live matches. How much can spornsors earn back their $$$ from Asia's latest talent compare to Europe's latest talent.
Watching S-League games is liken to local school soccer competitions.
'...Soccer fans need daily, weekly dose of soccer like EPL to keep their interst alive..'
S-League teams should play, like their counterparts from English Coca Cola Championship or Italian Serie B, in a manner that is worthy for the locals, wasting their time to see their performances.
From: Chester low
Only the last two games caught the attention of the fans (whether the soccer fanatic or just the typical Singaporean). This is just like the world cup fever. Many who are usually not interested in club football suddenly became night-owls during the June period.
Yes, having an invitational tournament seems ideal. However, what needs to be done is to whet the appetite for S-league matches. When fans watch these local players ply their trade week in week out faithfully, any international matches that comes along would be an automatic game for them to go support. If not, these tournaments will just be another AFC.
It was shown in the army for the NS-men to watch. Perhaps it was to instill patriotism in them. That should be a start. Gear Singaporeans to be loyal no matter what the quality of soccer is. Of course, saying it is easy. I would still turn to EPL for my weekly dose of soccer.
Also, I would suggest that FAS allow online buying of tickets & to open up more counters around Singapore to enable easy access to tickets.
I can be whoever you view me as. You can ignore me, if you don't like it, Mr. Pick Out Other People's Words And Make Them Go Against Them (cfcfan)
>>I can be whoever you view me as. You can ignore me, if you don't like it, Mr. Pick Out Other People's Words And Make Them Go Against Them (cfcfan)
LOL. Okay if you say so.
I agree with Vette with regards to improving the state of the S-League. The only way the national side will improve is by having a strong domestic league capable of supplying good players.
Currently, the standard of play in the S-League leaves much to be desired. Why fans are not turning up is simply because the football being played is not entertaining enough. The lack of media coverage is also telling.
With a stronger domestic league,inevitably the standard of play of the national team will improve. Ultimately, if we wish to compete with the likes of Japan and South Korean, Singapore needs to consistently play against tougher oppositions, be it the national team or youth outfits.
If a 3rd ASEAN cup reaches our shores, it is hope it would be a sign of better things to come from the Lions. Whatever happens, no matter how critical the Singapore fan can be, deep in our hearts, we will still root for the Lions.
Go and get the cup back boys!
But I think it's hard to really improve the state of the S-League. Sometimes I think we might not be big enough a country to have a professional league with enough support.
Put it this way, most people support their own local team, their own hometown club, but what's my hometown club when I live in Ang Mo Kio? I've always felt that if a stadium was built next to me and there was an Ang Mo Kio FC, I might turn up every week to watch the matches since I've nothing to do, but obviously there isn't. And even if there was an Ang Mo Kio FC, can there really be an intense rivalry between us and Bishan FC like Liverpool and Manchester?
Okok, I know I'm digressing from the main point, but I just wanted to bring up another one of the many factors why the S-League finds it so hard to thrive. Of course there are also other factors that have been mentioned, like lack of media coverage, lack of entertaining football etc.
I've to admit that I wasn't so entusiatic on supporting the Lions at the group stage, but during the semi-final and the final, it certainly caught many and that's when start supporting the Lions.
Most of us would rather watch the EPL or other leagues than the ASEAN Championship or even the S-League.
But when the Lions proved themselves by beating Malaysia and getting pass the group stage, it makes us feel proud of them and start supporting them more!
If Singapore can improve it's standard of soccer, it will attract more people to watch the matches and support the Singapore team.
When you play good football, people will tend to support and watch your matches.
Although Singapore is small, it is well-known in many other areas like our trading ports, buisness. This proves if you achive something big, and maintain and improve it, you'll be known.
If the standard of the S-League could be almost the same as EPL, I would rather support home teams than foriegn teams, like Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona...
First, Singapore is known for its ports because of its geographical location. This could go on but i am not going to bore u with those facts. For the Singapore standard of soccer to be almost same as the EPL? There is hardly any linkage between these 2 subject matters. Its farfetched because
1. We do not have the resources (we do have the money. But i think we are too small to create rivalry like what ladylala say between Man U and Liverpool)
2. We do not have the history of competing well internationally. Thus we will never attract the foreign talents like the EPL
3. Face it, we are a "Certificates first, talk later" country.
4.We adopt a different culture in which sports to us is not as important as in UK.
Thus, this will never materialise even in the long run. We can only hope for us to compete first in SE Asia (which we are right on par) before taking on the big Asian guns like Japan and China etc. Hopefully, more fans will see that their very own national team is worth supporting and hop on the bandwagon in time to come.
Cheers,
kel
I agree it's going to take more than enthusiasm and money to improve the state of our domestic league. In terms of infrastructure, support and population, much needs to be improved but it's not impossible. We are heading towards the right direction.
I think the government has realized (albeit 10-15 years too late) that sports can be a respected profession and that a thriving sports industry will be good for the economy. It has taken measures after the unveiling of the COSS report about improving the state of sports in Singapore and that includes football.
Already,MOE has announced artificial pitches will be laid out at all schools in 2 years time which can only be good for budding footballers and the youth-teams are being groomed in a professional way, even using sports science techniques to improve performances.
To cultivate a football culture,it will take time and a lot of patience for everybody involved, including fans. Hopefully we will get there eventually. But for now, let's all pray the Lions will do well tonight and shut out the Thais.
Suzie:'Will you, Su Ying, back your Lions whether they play badly or well, lose every game and win game by controversy, from now till you depart this world.'
Su Ying:'I do.'
I:'Even the 2nd leg Final held in Bangkok, when Thais are winning 2-0 and all decisions went against Lions at the start of the game.Suddenly, a dubious penalty given against Lions when Thai Striker clash on to Lion defender in latter's penalty box.'
Suzie:'Lions stomp out of the field with protest, only return back to play 14 minutes later through persuasion.'
I:'Eventually lost to Thai by 0-3 scoreline.Thai bloggers rave and rant in their local sports blog saying Lions are cowards, unsporting and shouldn't walk out of field to protest.'
Su Ying:'Xiao Yu Er and I will be in Bangkok to support Lions in 2nd Leg Finals.Whatever the result, whether Lions lost through controversy, in Thailand or successfully defended it's AFC Cup.I still continue to support Lions from now till my departure.Are you satisfied with my answer?'
Suzie:'Acceptable.What about you?'
I:'I'm fine with her decision.As long I can get to know Thai Beauties, Svelte Babes, Curvy Cuties...'
Suzie:'You better turn around and take a look now.'
Animated angry Su Ying, pulling my ears,'As long you can get to know what?'
I:'As long I can get to know you.Get to know about you...'
Suzie:'Stop singing the song from the movie, King And I.'
From: Chester Low
Liverpool 0 Everton 0
Liverpool lost earlier fixture 0-3 away to Everton.
Liverpool continue to lose and draw till the end of the season.
Middlesbrough 1 Arsenal 1.
Earlier fixture at Emirates, Arsenal also drew 1-1 with Middlesbrough.
Arsenal, continue to draw every game till season ends.
From : Chester Low
Nothing beats watching soccer live in a full capacity of 55,000. The lack of fanfare is due to the quality of oppositions. I prefer to watch matches where Singapore is the underdog. The Lions do not have to emulate EPL quality to get my attention (What do you expect to get from $7, we are not paying like ₤70 here). All they need to take pride in representing Singapore and give a good account against quality oppositions. It could end in defeats but as long as they have tried their best, that would be good enough for me.
The media has providing ample coverage for the Lions in the Asean Football Championship. However more international friendly matches involving Asia’s best, rather than just friendly matches involving clubs helps to garner greater support. The Roman Empire was not built overnight; likewise the experience of playing quality teams will benefit the standard of Singapore’s soccer in the long run.
Rather than Goal 2010 (which has been ditched), the Lions can aspire to conquer Asia first or be one of the powerhouses in Asia and not to be satisfied with winning the ‘Mickey Mouse Cup’. With that, fans will come automatically.
Boon Hock, sadly, I think what's good enough for you isn't quite good enough for most.
For example, against Thailand, it's pretty obvious that our players are technically way behind the Thais, but despite that the Lions were trying their best. Still it wasn't enough. At 1-1, there was a sense of overwhelming frustration within the crowd, and of course, that moron behind me was going over the top with his verbal abuse at the team. Then you'd only get the small section of diehard supporters cheering then and trying to start a kallang wave, but the rest of us were simply "not in the mood" for that. And it wasn't as if we were getting thrashed, it was just 1-1! And I also can't help but think that if we didn't get that equaliser against Malaysia in the 1st leg, there wouldn't have been as large a turnout at the National Stadium in the 2nd leg.
Ultimately, I do concede that as much as I hope it does change, it’s impossible for people's mentality to change overnight. It isn't a case of we'll back the Lions so that they can become successful, but more of the other way round.
Agree with Chester that some equivalent of English Coca Cola Championship or Italian Serie B in Asia so that 2nd or even 3rd rung countries can improve through more international tournaments. Merlion Cup or King's cup are examples of tournaments that can be promoted.
In Europe, besides the various levels of leagues there all manners of domestic cups like Carling Cup, League Cup, FA cup , some of less prestigious and some more are recognised premier Cup competitions all the way to Champions league.
Sad to say that the AFC has too few tournaments on their plate probably due to diverse selfish national interests. This also reflects the poor standards of Asian football that Australia's has become the Asian representative of note in the World cup.
We expect fans to support the national team when there are so few tournaments?
In terms of technical skills, we still have a long way to go. The The Thais is still the benchmark. A good coach knows the strength of his team. Avramovic played his cards well by adopting physical long ball gameplay and you can see the Thais clearly being frustrated and was unable to play usual passing game. As you can see, in the 1st leg, Singapore was clearly the better team and it's pity they had only a goal advantage (gift) to bring to Thailand. The Thais were dangerous in going forward, but they were restricted to a few half chances only.
Of course, fans must know how to manage their expectations. Thailand is no Laos. If we are too quick to pass the judgment, Singapore football will never progress forward. That's why I mentioned that the Lions must strive to climb up the Asia ladder and not to be satisfied being regional champions in Asean.
Yes, Ladylala. Isn't that happening right now? The more successful the Lions are, the better the support? The result of equalizer in M'sia resulted in fans filling up the stadium for the 2nd leg. The semi-final win over M'sia resulted in a full-capactity crowd again last Wed. It's a progression and if the Lions can keep up with the consistency, number of fans will multiply!
Generally, Singaporeans back winning teams. Unlike English fans who support clubs in their hometown, Singaporeans support the powerhouses and the popular clubs. There are hardly any S-league faithfuls and majority of the crowds at S-league matches are mostly uncles who have had a flutter at the Singapore Pools. While we know the squads of the English Big Four inside out, I reckon that not many of us actually know more than half of our national team prior to this year's competition. We turn up at the National Stadium to support our Lions because of 2 reasons.
1. They play for Singapore.
2. We see a realistic chance of winning again.
I would like to see more tournaments as they offer the chance for the national squad to bond, not within themselves but with the fans as well. If we know our national players as much as we do about the Rooneys and Henrys, then I don't see why we won't be as passionate for our national team as much as we do for our English clubs. When i do gain that level of understanding of our team, I definitely will turn up for any matches the Lions play, friendlies included.
-Raymond Ng ;p
Improving the standard of play is hardly going to be immediate. In fact, i guess most of us could be sporting white hair by the time the infrastructure of the sports hub or sports school bears fruits. Yes, i do agree that fans multiply if the Lions can keep up with this consistency and show that they can fight.
But I guess, come the next tournament, the hooha and the excitement would be well-forgotten and they would be playing to half empty stadiums again. Well, Singaporeans are like machines- they need to be warmed up first. If they like it, they turn up, if not, too bad. Thus, a more immediate solution could more marketing needs to be done on the Lions. For instance,
1. More promotional items such as the free posters or T-shirts by nike could be given out before the start of such tournaments. Many Singaporeans did not know the Asean Cup was on till the M'sia 2nd leg game. If more publicity could be given, may be this will encourage a better turn-out.
2. A more prominent coverage in the Straits Times (TNP is doing fine with respect to this) would benefit. I am not asking for a full page report. I guess a small photo that captures the attention of readers would suffice, causing them to flip to the Sports pages behind.
3. If the fans do turn up, I guess the experience must be one they will not be in a hurry to forget. Thus, if the atmosphere that is generated could be electric, i guess there would be many fans returning.
Cheers,
kel
Yes, Boon Hock, that (people supporting the Lions because of positive results) is happening right now. But this sort of superficial support can't last long if the team doesn't improve on a continual basis, and at a dramatic rate. With fair-weathered fans, the crowd will go as easily as it came once results go wrong.
Moreover, how often can you create big occasion matches which will enable everyone else to rise up to it? The ASEAN Football Championship isn't very prestigious, but at least it's more so than meaningless friendlies, invitational tournaments etc (plus the semis and finals matches would also draw more hype than the group stages).
In the long run, if you expect people to continue to turn up, either you've to create a miracle in terms of improvement in performances or somehow change the majority's mindset. What I feel we really need is a larger core of diehard supporters, and I don't think even with the recent results that core has seen a large increase in numbers.
Ok Im on this live match now. ANd that goal being offside? a joke to me. it was a thai who scuffed his clearance backwards. ok maybe the injustice is paying back from the first leg.
-Raymond Ng ;p
After the disallowed goal (no thanks to the linesman) & that harsh yellow card, I couldn’t help but to pose this tongue-in-cheek question: “Daddy, Thailand has better diplomatic ties with Indonesia?”
Talking about being patriotic Singapore soccer fans, I think we are still a far cry from the Thais (one of them brought a picture of King Bhumibol & his wife along to the stadium). Can you imagine anyone bringing a portrait of SM Lee to Kallang while supporting the Lions?
Retaining as A CHAMPION..
All for the FANS =)
Thank You LIONS...
We did it. We grind it out when it matters. Come on! Great defending to keep out some certain goals. Great saves from Lionel Lewis. NOt exactly like it, but reminds me of ytd's Everton defending against Liverpool.
-Raymond Ng ;p
YAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!
Lol, actually I almost didn't see that equaliser. I was doing a Maths question (ok, I know I should have been concentrating on the match...) and when I looked up, the ball was already on its way into the net! :D :D
It felt strange being at home all by myself watching the match on TV (the family's off at a wedding dinner which I passed up on) because when I wanted to scream, there was no one to scream to...
I really have to praise the Lions, even though there were individual mistakes here and there, but as a unit, as a team, they displayed lots of grit, commitment, determination and self-belief. Playing for your country should be just like that. :)
(Btw, I can't stand the Thai players. Even though they're technically better, so what? If you noticed, they seemed so lazy in comparison and appeared to have given up after our equaliser. Especially that no. 7, arrogant ass, seems to think he's so great but did nothing except to watch Khairul Amri score. And he should have been carded for the other incident later too.)
If you watched the Vietnam-Thailand semis and how passionate these people are about their football and their national teams, it really does put us to shame.
We may be the most knowledgeable fans, who has opinions on everything about football in general or our favorite EPL teams but in terms of passion? Aren't we suppose to back our teams through thick and thin?
Like what Lala says, Singaporeans need to take a good look of themselves too rather than always demanding so much from the Lions.If the team is out there giving 100%, then fans should do the same as well.
We expect alot from our team, we want them to play entertaining football and we want better plays but now that Singapore has retained the cup and won their 3rd ASEAN championship.Like what Eric said, it's the results that matter so who do we shift the blame to now?
The team has won it back-to-back so they must be doing something good behind the scenes. We hope with this title fans will back up our boys. It is our national team after all.
Well done to the Lions!
Haha, sorry for spamming here, but I'm feeling just too 'high'.
I just want to say I love the Lions lahhh... MUACKSSS~~ hahahaha :D :D
Love Indra for laughing even after getting booked while on the bench.
Love Khairul Amri for looking so crazy after scoring.
Love Mohd Noh Rahman for throwing himself at the goalbound shot.
Love Lionel Lewis for making crucial saves.
Love Shi Jiayi because even though he doesn't look that tough, he goes about doing his job quietly.
Love Alam Shah for scoring all the goals in this tournament for fun.
And Mustafic, Daniel, Aide, Ridhuan, and the list goes on and on....
Most of all I love the team called Singapore. Individually we may not be much, but we always fought hard and never gave up. This is a team that displays lots of grit and self-belief, and I think we have all the crucial elements needed to go far, and I honestly hope this is one prediction I don't get wrong! Rock on Lions! Lala loves you!!!! :D
Yeah!The Lions retained their title and Amri's goal is worthy to win any game.This ASEAN Cup fever has definately reached its heights,even my gf who don't watch that much soccer was sitting beside me and cheering and oh-ahing during the match.Just when I was mentioning that the Lions love to score late goal in past tournaments,Amri fired that rocket winner.
Give Thais the credits as they really pegged the Lions on their backtrack for most of the time but Amri who has a quiet night has the final say.That Thai no.7 Thonglao should be red carded for his headbutt and it still puzzled me til now.No doubt hes Thai best technical player on the pitch but he is also the most unsporting one.Guess thats the only bad point I can find in this match.
Well done to the Lions.Kudos to them.Thanks to the saves from the Brave Lewis who played on after injured his groin,Alam Shah for his goals earlier on,Amri for that winner,Mani for his past contributions and of course the man who masterminded this win,Raddy!
We might not win World Cup at least we saw our national team won something special with our support.Public holiday anyone?haha
We could have won in Thailand had the linesman been much more clever in offside rules. The goal by Shahril Ishak was a clear one, cannot believe that they chalked it off. Well, at least Thailand can't complain we got a goal advantage for nothing. They got it too.
Several poor decisions against Singapore, but overall we did well to draw, Noh Rahman made the best save of the tournament when he shielded the goal-bound shot with his body. Amri with an excellent winner, we win all the individual awards and the trophy, can't ask for more, really.
Let's not get carried away, we can improve much better the defence was atrocious at times, Aide being the culprit. But I won't spoil the party, great job LIONS!!!
We won. But I we won it due to that underserved penalty. Would have love to have won it in a better way. But still, we remain unbeaten, and always able to come back from the dead.
Now to the Man U match :)
-Raymond Ng ;p
Just felt the need to post up some congratulatory messages here...
Singapore did extremely well under the pressure of the Thais, to clinch the Asean Cup for the third time.
Overall, it was a very tense game, with chances falling to both sides. Both Singapore and Thailand seemed pretty hyped up and desperate to win the trophy.
Singapore showed resilience and character to score the winning goal, after the Thais drew level. This, despite the Thais creating several good chances, enough to win the game. There was one chance in the 2nd half, when the Thai player kicked the ball over the crossbar. That had “goal” written all over it. If it had gone into the net, the Thais would have a very high chance of winning.
I guess Lady Luck was on Singapore’s side throughout the game. The Singapore goal that prevented the game from going into extra time was an excellent strike, but I can’t help thinking that it had luck written all over it. First of all, it took a deflection to confuse the Thai goalkeeper. Then secondly, the Thai defenders could be accused of not marking the Singapore player properly.
Congratulations, Singapore!
There was no deflection.
I will turn up in full force to support Singapore as I did for Vs Vietnam, Vs Laos, Vs Malaysia and Vs Thailand. I support Singapore too when they had friendlies against Denmark and Malaysia. I saw Singapore won the Asean Football Championship on TV after drawing Thailand. Given a choice whether I will follow the group stages again in Singapore...I will! The return of the Merlion Cup will be nice and of course I will come to support my country.
When I was supporting Singapore in the Asean Football Championship,I had some unforgettable moments. I was jumping off my seat giving instructions to the Singapore team to 'block' or 'shoot' or 'tackle' as if they can hear me. Against Thailand, I had chilli sauce thrown at me by the Thai fans for protesting too much of the Thai's apparent 'time-wasting'.
Ah, all this moments can be cherished and when I'm a grandfather, I'm going to tell my grandsons, 'I was there when Singapore beat Thailand for the first time since the 1970s,'
Old Lions may have won AFC Cup and congratulations to them.But defence could have lost trophy to the Thais.
Aide and Precious were acting as clowns resulted in Thailand scoring the opener.
After the goal, both Joker Precious and Penguin Aide continue to perform as clowns that expose, Lionel Lewis who made do-or-die saves, prevent Thailand from scoring, need to receive treatment on the field during one of Thailand raids.
Coming Soon - Winning World Cup.
Next Change - Winning Asia Cup
Midnight Show - Winning Olympic Gold Medal.
Now Showing - Winning SEA Games Gold Medal for soccer.
From : Chester Low
Although I don't really like Amri, I give him the credit for scoring the winner.
I think Singaporeans should learn from fans of teams like Sunderland, West Brom and so on.
Their fans are 100% with them even if they don't win all the time. In fact, they lose most of the times.
Promoting competitions like Merlion Cup or whatever Cup, it helps in promoting the name of the Lions.
We're having too little competitions. Look at Europe, they have the UEFA Cup, Champions League, FA Cup, Carling Cup and so on.
We know we are playing quite well, so put up more competitions, and when we win, people will notice us.
Most Singaporeans just support the winning team. Have a little faith in the Lions!
The successful defense of the AFC has indeed raised the nation’s expectations. Under Avramovic, the Lions’ mental resolve cannot be faulted. They might not be the most attractive team in the tournament but they have proven to be the most effective and worthy winners. With many of the players in their early twenties, Singapore’s football future looks bright. Rather than just basking in the glory of being Asean Champions, the Lions should work even harder and aspire to qualify for the next benchmark, the Asian Cup. Results wise, the Lions have achieved it.
The fans of the Lions are always here. Majority of lukewarm fans just need to be more passionate and supportive and back the Lions through thick and thin. We cannot complain for lack of media coverage, lack of effort or commitment from the players, for they have been brilliant for the past three weeks. We owe them one. Bring back the Merlion Cup, Singapore Cup, Lions Cup or whatever Cups available, bring in quality oppositions and you can be sure that the level of support will be far greater than the one you guys experience in the 2007 AFC. Keep up the good work!
With regards to the Merlion Cup, I have a suggestion. We can have a mid-season tournament between the 1st and 2nd round of the S-League and start a voting competition of for the S-League All-Star Team where the fans can vote for the 1st eleven of the team to play in by voting for their favourite players in a 4-4-2 formation. Should the national team also be in the competition, we can let Raddy pick his guy 1st and the remaining players with highest vote for each position can be selected for the All Star team. This will allow the fans to know the various players better.
In addition, since the tournament is held in June/July, with can invite the Australian A-League side to the competition as they will be having their pre-season. This way the competition will be good enough to test the best player Singapore can offer, local or foreign.
As for the Lions, I will support them through thick and through thin. After all, there's only one, one Singapore.
By the these are my personal info:
Email: kaseygoh@yahoo.com.sg
age: 22
occupation: undergrad
favourite team: Liverpool
I think the only way our local players will gain valuable experience is by plying their trade abroad. The reason why Fandi remains the most successful player and perhaps, the greatest of them all is because he dared to venture out of our shores and gained so much from his experiences.
No doubt Fandi had such immense talent but he coupled that with a fierce determination to succeed and had the professional discipline to take care of himself. His experiences playing at a high level in Europe served him well and made him a better player than he already was.
Maybe FAS needs to send the likes of Shahril Ishak, Alam Shah, Khairul Amri and Baihakki for more overseas stints and at longer periods. Already there is talk of Lionel Lewis going to the MLS for trials which can only be good for his development. I do feel our players can cut it out at Europe's lower leagues and the experience of playing and being in a professional environment would do them a world of good.
The Japanese, Koreans and Chinese players are reaping the benefits of having their players plying their trade abroad so this is something I feel FAS needs to look into if they want to bring the Lions at another level.
I agree with hadi. We should send our players to gain experience, against other better countries.
Definitely easier said than done. At times, its not a matter of whether the FAS wants to send but whether there are any takers. It is extremely hard because going to a new place will mean having to acclimatise to the climate, culture and even food. For every fandi success story, we have many many failures. With all due respect to Noh Alam Shah, even he failed with Notts County. It may not necessary be due to the skills but perhaps the cultural barriers will always be there. Look abroad and the Asian stars plying their trade are from the traditional Asian powerhouses. Even that is a minority. Thus, for Lions to be sent abroad is all right but i will suspect its feasibility of success happening.
Cheers,
kel
But I guess it happens everywhere.. Regardless of who you are.. When you are at someone else's Land, there are just many difference..
Its up to you how you wanna learn and overcome that..
Experience does make people wiser and I believe our Lions has got what it takes..
Just got to learn how to adapt..
Well, if going over means, they will face differences and have lots of problem, just bear in mind, that at the end of a storm, there is a golden sky =)
*winks*
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