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[Asian Cup Group E Qualifier] SINGAPORE 1-3 IRAN

PREVIEW
I came to realize the recent comment by the MM does actually makes sense.

Don't draw your guns at me because I'm not referring to those content of those comments, but I drawn this conclusion after a brief chat with a co-worker of my over the discussion of the upcoming Lions' Asian Cup Qualifier fixture against Iran.

These guys need your support not sticks from some irresponsible layabouts.

"I don't think Singapore have a chance..."said this middle-aged colleague of my, simply because the opponents are the mighty Iranians he concluded.

Well, that's enough said I think people who made these irresponsible comments shouldn't be welcomed at Kallang on Wednesday, and we will never appreciate their presence either... so please stay away and remain inferior for the rest of their life.

As the MM says Singaporeans have become "less hard-driving and hard-striving." and I'm not sure if my co-worker actually fallen into the mentioned category?

The lack of confidence and the absence of self-belief to better things before the ball is kick irked me most.

AFTERMATH
The fans failed to respond to Hariss Harun's plead to turn out in full force for this do-and-die battle.

7,656 was the official attendance for this crucial game, as one of my co-workers declared that, "I will watch the game from the comfort of my living room!" since there was a live telecast of the match on TV.

Which sometimes I wonder why would the fans be bother turn up at the stadium when the match was televised live in a land area of 710.2 km2 (unless there's a need for it- like the match being sold-out in the first place)?

While at the ground, I urged some of those I know to do something they did in the past and it was turned down flatly.

"How to cheer them (the Lions) when they are playing badly?" said one of those I met at the ground.

Whether did we played badly, opinions vary as I personally felt we gave a decent performance to the widely-perceived mighty Iranians, but what irked me most again is yet another disappointing "cold-shoulder" treatment given by the majority of the spectators to the Singapore National Team (noted the word I used "spectators" instead of fans).

Yet again I had a feeling that I was at Tehran, not at Kallang just now... thanks to these Iranians fans

Merely because the spectators had forgotten what were they there for at the ground, just as a paying customer to expect a decent display of football?

If that is the case most of time, I'm sad to say the whole approach of the game by these spectators is wrong.

As what the earlier quoted, only when the Lions perform well - they will cheer, then if they fail to lift up the performance, they don't deserve a hoot lah!

I think these spectators have a tendency of blaming everyone but themselves.
It just like watching your kids playing, if the parents merely stand by the side without any word of encouragement or cheering during the game, so where is the motivation to spur one on?
I'm not saying the Lions are like young kids, but that's the simple logic which these spectators failed to realize it.
You want the team to perform but you can't provide that intimidating atmosphere Kallang was renowned for, so how can you expect the team to perform? However, fair to say that if you did that and the team failed to perform than they deserved to be criticized.
Maybe for the time being, I should call them SPECTATORS, not FANS simply because they don't deserved it.

THE SHORT SCRIBE OF THE MATCH
The bone of contention was the awarding of the penalty kick to the Iranians in the 10th minute, which from where I saw was legally won by defender Precious Emuejeraye but referee thought the otherwise and saw Hadi Aghily blasted the visitors to the front in the 11th minute.

Skipper Noh Alam Shah (left) scored the only Lions' goal of the night (Picture Credit: Gan Meng Yeow)

That goal must had shaken the confidence of the Lions, whom till that stage were holding themselves well against the visitors, that Raddy's boys saw themselves conceded the second a minute later, after a wayward pass by Fahrudin Mustafic allowed M Madanchi to fit into the grove to slot home following the failure of Emuejeraye to contain the nippy midfielder.

Skipper Noh Alam Shah reduced the deficit in the 32nd minute with a header off Shaiful Esah's corner, but the failure to recover fast enough from a botched corner allowed Iran to counter and restored the two-goal advantage with a G Rezaei's strike in the 63rd minute.

THE PICTURES FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE

Iran's coach Ghotbi did media a favour for translating of Farsi to English during the press conference

Iran's coach Seyed Afshin Ghotbi (pictured above) felt that from his position where he was, it was a 100% penalty (occurred in the 10th minute), although he was diplomatic enough to add that "perhaps video replay may tell a different story".

"What I saw was two hungry Lions (as both teams are nicknamed the Lions) fighting in the match, I'm proud with the fact that my team had scored some wonderful goals and tactical we executed very well in the game." said coach Ghotbi.

"Although, I felt that we lost concentration after scoring two goals and we dropped back to allow Singapore to fight back." he added while acknowledged the Lions are dangerous in "dead-ball" situation.

Coach Raddy (above) labelled the 10th minute penalty decision by the referee as "disastrous" , and felt "we were too much hurry and made too many mis-passing in the game" that allowed the Iranians to punish us.

Whilst he felt all players must be on their best in every game he playing, and it doesn't matter the size of the attendance, when asked if he's disappointed with the low turn-out for this mid-week fixture.

Looking ahead the Jordan game, Coach Raddy felt "we are ourselves' biggest enemy" and the lack of a playmaker to spread out the passes is one of the problems he's facing.

NEW VIEWERSHIP RECORD SET

Many thanks to the 2,351 visitors who surfed to this blog, thanks but hopefully the next record will be broken when we win a game...

Comments

  1. i actually agree with the entire interview of MM; i totally agree with all he said although i'm no PAP-activist.

    Singaporeans being the "indigenous" are the ppl that stays in the comfort zone in our own home; comparing to those that travel across the ocean to our land to work, how could the foreigners be laid back when many a time, they pay a sum of money to come over.

    Singaporeans also tend to become over-confident and at times, losing the sense of reality - which exactly whats affecting the kindda support the Lions is getting; they dun go to every match like me and look at how far we have come in term of teamwork and performance.

    But at the same time, the Lions must get results to convince the country that they are worth supporting (irony)

    ReplyDelete
  2. ppl want to watch first, and will naturally be spontaenous when we have a chance to score or do something. So what's the point of trying to incite a normally reserved crowd when the timing is all way off?

    ReplyDelete
  3. haha pohui, the problem is that the fas dun even noe what the fans want.
    =)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Same old story again, can't pass the ball properly always pumpin high ball to no man's land for what???????? under no pressure from opponent also don't know what to do with the ball and give possession back to opponent. What's the use??? wear fanciful football boots and stylo hairdo and because u earn in indonesia does mean u are good lah!!!!
    When u cannot perform, please don't blame it on the fans for not coming.
    I think better scrap and ban football in singapore altogether.

    ReplyDelete
  5. i can only say there are only 2 players that is worthy national players Hassan Sunny and Haris Harun. The rest all sucks big time... are there no better players in Singapore???????

    U want to know the answer??? R u telling me there are no good Chinese Singaporean players that make up 70% of the entire population??? I can't see a single chinese face in the national team except for some rojak foreign talent..

    ReplyDelete
  6. Singapore played like the face of the jaded national stadium. Cheated on everyone of us when the final curtain was supposed to be the match against Australia. Now even Laos national stadium make us look like 3rd world instead lol..

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  7. Wah! coach Raddy.. its never too late to leave this team no point wasting ur time with this team when they can't play football. U know its no good for ur health when u got a bunch of players like that?? Now i know why no coaches want to take up the offer to coach Singapore when they viewed the players on video.. One word cannot make lah..

    ReplyDelete
  8. To Anonymous, it is a fact that Chinese are less interested, hence poorer in soccer in Singapore. How man Chinese SGporean plays in the S-League? I am Chinese, I love football, I go to every match of the National games and SAFFC, but I think that we're improving bit by bit. If the Chinese can play, Raddy would definitely put him in. I hope you're not racist to that point of view.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Agares,first i have to reinterate that i'm not puttin a racist statement. If i am,would i have said Hassan Sunny and Haris Harun are worthy materials? Are they Chinese? no, right??

    U are wrong to say there are no good chinese player.Look into the 70s,80s and 90s singapore national team with chinese players and they are not even pro. FAS has not done anything to unearth talents from the chinese population.Its unlikely that there are no gems in that 70% of the population. Why waste time in sourcing for foreign talent as a short cut to success. Have our foreign talent in the national team raise the standard of football in singapore? I think singapore is the only desperate team in world to deploy a 40 year old striker in the national team Lol.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm proud of the lions even though they lost dis game!!
    We are playin against a team dat is up-to-standard wit european nations. With our small population & rare talents, we still cud giv a fierce fight dat nite. Alam shah, ridhuan & amri effort shows me dat they hav the potential like the iranians, but wad 2 do.. football needs luck.
    We have gone far from those BIG ASEAN countries with our small population, facilities.. shame on them..

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh yeah Hariss was a world-class midfielder dat nite. This teenager is realli2 a rare-rare talent in Singapore.
    I hope FAS will treat him like a baby & invest a lot on him. He showed some great ball control possesion & physical challenge till caused an iranian player flying. Shaiful Esah is our beckham, KUdos to both of them!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Pohui,

    I cannot help but disagree with your notion of our fans being fair weather fans and such. I would like to bring you to the example of the only professional basketball side in Singapore Slingers.

    On 6th Jan 2010, 2 games were played side by side in Kallang - one being the Slingers - Patriots game and the other being Singapore - Iran. The fans turned up for the former, no matter the time and day, while in the latter, we have people adopting a 'go no go' attitude and the reason is because of commitment and the attitude shown by the players.

    Singapore Slingers: The players are always giving their all and we have a coach in Frank Arsego who wants to use the locals as much as possible. Also, at the end of the game, fans get to interact with the players for autographs and throughout the whole game, fans interaction is at a maximum.

    Singapore Lions and S-League Teams: The players are arrogant and most of the time, we are dependant on foreign talents who cannot make it. Look at Precious and Duric and one would wonder: Are our local boys really lousier than them? Precious even went as far on record as to say that he would prove his critics wrong in the game against Iran - and what a perfomance he have.

    Guess the FAS should stop trying to cover their a$s but instead take in criticism in an open manner and try to correct the wrongs in the system. In fact, I was pleased with the Y Lions (or Cubs) Bronze medal in the recently concluded SEA Games as they are all Local Born and bred (Singapore Singaporeans).

    We do not need a guy turning 40 to lead our frontline, scolding his team mates even when he is not performing or a defender who is so slow that a turtle is fast when place in comparison to him.

    The crowd came in drove against Thailand, and we were disappointed. Against Iran, after having the first shot under 30 seconds, we walter. No doubt Hariss was playing well, but football is teamwork. In the other stadium, the Slingers were showing that teamwork prevails and that was how they overcame a 12 point loss in the 1st Quarter to win the game by 9 points.

    As what the Slingers always say: The basketball experience cannot be complete without the fans; and Frank always say: Whenever the fans speak, you must listen.

    Until then, it's Slingers first!

    ReplyDelete
  13. was wondering if the author would still go to the stadium if he did not have the following:
    1) Pass to enter the stadium (free entry)
    2) free meal at the stadium (so-called VIPs having FAS-sponosered buffet)

    If you have to pay $6 for a lousy S-League game or $8 for a Singapore team game everytime, would you?

    Fact is... you are just another sob who is criticizing people not because you want to, but you have to. And I see you as a SPECTATOR more than the other Singaporeans simply because they pay to enter the stadium - not through some 'complimentary' means.

    In addition, how do you explain you non-posting of Dollah's situation at the touchline on the day of the SOS Cup? Worried you get sanctioned?

    Then do not talk so big about wanting Singapore to explain and also, please remove the wordings "bringing you the simplest and purest view on Singapore Soccer since Dec 1996
    " from your blog. It is an irony!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Taufiq u really talk like the FAS(which is also the gar-men leh).

    Singapore is small we can do this do that we can achievvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvve singapooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooore

    ReplyDelete
  15. hi , i was one of the iranian who came to Singapore on that match , we came all the way from malaysia , 1000 of us ... wish u had more picture from us ...

    ReplyDelete
  16. this game is not the one that I was expecting, you know the game was lack of emmotion, love for game from the players.

    ReplyDelete

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Ko Po Hui

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