"Ambushed" scouting by Fandi, Nazri and Aide

To the players of both Orange County (pictured above, in orange jersey) and Team Beyond Imagination (lime jersey), it was something rather unusual for them when they saw a sudden surge of "intruders" turning out for their Sunday League fixture at the Bedok North Secondary School.

(Pictured above) Rare mainstream media coverage on a Sunday League game.

Beside those from the media and their D2DLeague coordinators, making their appearance at the school compound nested inside the Bedok Reservoir Road estate were three former national skippers - Fandi Ahmad, Nazri Nasir and Aide Iskandar.

(L-R) Aide Iskandar, Fandi Ahmad and Nazri Nasir watching the game from sidelines.

Under the hot scorching heat, the two teams slogged out against each other and with Team Beyond Imagination claiming a 2-1 victory over their opponents on a bumpy playing surface.

Following the end of the match, it was then made known to the players that the three former Lions skippers were actually on a scouting mission launched worldwide by Nike.

Both teams fought hard under the hot sun.

Called "The Chance", the talent scouting exercise will see a panel of coaches shortlisting a group of amateur players from the age of 18 to 25 years old from various amateur league matches being played around the island during the selection period from now until 15th September.

The three former Lions skippers shortlisting their selected players.

Following that, shortlisted players will be invited for a four-day trial from 15th to 19th of September.

The top 30 selected players will take part in a Final Trial on 2 – 3 October, which will see the top 18 players playing a friendly game on the second day of the final.

The winner of the Singapore competition (out of the final 18 players) represent the Republic to complete for the exclusive eight slots being offered by the Nike Academy in London with other 99 candidates from other countries, following a trial with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

This group of eight players will eventually embark a year long, full-expenses paid training in this high performance training program, supported by the English Premier League, starting from July 2011.

Muhd Helmi (pictured above, being interviewed by Mediacorp) was one of the selected players during this unique kind of scouting process and promised to give him best during the upcoming trial.

"I will definitely give my best during the trial, as this is a great opportunity for me to develop as a better player." said the 22 year-old civil servant who started playing the game at the age of five and singled out his idol Fandi as his source of inspiration.

Fandi addresses the group of players after the announcement of the shortlisted players.

"I believe this campaign will definitely help to unearth some raw talents out there and hopefully they will get a chance to play in Europe." said Fandi following the match.

Fandi talks to the media after the scouting session.

When asked what are qualities they are looking for during the selection period, the former SAFFC coach said:"Just play your normal game and for your team, you need not have to perform any "bicycle-kicks" to gain attention, but they must learn to express themselves during the match."

(P.S: Unfortunately, Fandi did not divulge more details on his linkup to the assistant coaching post in FC Groningen and his two sons' training stint in England which he felt would be more appropriate when the time is right, when sidetracked by the media.)

For more information or to register for ‘The Chance", visit www.nikefootball.com.sg

FOR MORE PICTURES OF THE LAUNCH OF "THE CHANCE", PLEASE CLICK HERE...

Keep Up the Good Work, Guys!!

The Youtube Clip of the highlights of the match...

It was indeed a roller-coaster ride for the group of 15 year-old boys that formed the National U15 football team that took part in the Youth Olympic Games.

After two emphatic victories in the group stages over Zimbabwe and Montenegro, the expectation was at an all-time high on the "Little Cubs" to aim a shot at the elusive gold medal of the football competition.

No one can blame the kind of expectation and hope, after all these boys did just enough to captivate the nation that is starved of footballing success in the recent years (yes, we were that close to knock the doors to Doha and only after a successful appeal that the Cubs are granted the ticket to Asian Games in November).

So how could we expect that every hope was crashed to the earth when the boys lost to the unheralded Haitian in the semi-final.

As always, fingers went pointing around with players, coaches, media and fans putting the blame on each other.

But at the end of the day, like a phoenix raised from the ashes, the Little Cubs redeemed themselves and beat the Montenegrin in the third fourth placing match to clinch the bronze medal of this inaugural competition.

(Pictured above) The "Little Cubs" in jubilation (photo credit: Mr Yazeen Buhari)

Generally speaking the second win over the Balkans earned some praises from some thoughts I gathered from this blog Facebook Group (as detailed below).

We have good boys. But we have to credit the coach as it has been a major transformation from the AYG team to the YOG team. They excelled this time round with grit , determination and fantastic positional and possessional play. Thumbs up to (coach) Kadir (Yahaya). - K Asyraf

Confidence has grown enormously since then and skill has been going ahead by leaps and bounds and of course Kadir must take the, errr, Lions' share of the credit.....no tears tonight, ...except tears of joy... - P Goodwin

Although, there's one reader who remained cautious and hope the team "don't get carry away" following the bronze winning showing.

Don't get too carried away by the result taking into account the standard of football in YOG and the fact that we lost to Haiti, a team who get to train only last two weeks and beating Montenegro is no big deal (as) they are not the world cup nation unless it's the used to be Serbia Montenegro.

I was hoping that we meet Bolivia in the final but losing to Haiti and the way they played under par I rather not they meet Bolivia.

Lastly this YOG did managed to bring the nation together and that is the ultimate motive of having YOG here in our land. Hopefully the support The Cubs had won't stop there. - Y Ibrahim

Indeed, "Y Ibrahim" had mentioned this YOG had brought the nation together and I agree with him that let's hope the support don't end there with the concluding of this Games.

I would sincerely urge all necessary efforts to keep this team intact for the years to come.

Let's not forget with the Strategic Plan that was launched months ago and the good showing from the "Little Cubs", we are actually heading on the right note (hope I'm not "carry away" for saying that).

Keep Up the Good Work, Guys!!

WILL U STILL THERE FOR THEM? - picking up the pieces...

BEFORE
So far the response have been positive on the Little Cubs' epic performance over Montenegro. It was such a long time I last heard of something said in unison about the performance of any of the national teams.

Kudos again for the Little Cubs and credit to the coaching staff headed by Kadir Yahaya for the wonderful execution of the tactics on Thursday night.

Of course, amid all the euphoria over these boys, it also important to like what coach Kadir said the essential "to keep the feet on the ground."

(Pictured above)Headlines like this above epitomized the "feel good" feeling towards the "Little Cubs"

Yet, so much hype on the YOG football team, hope the little cubs can cope with the expectation and media should balance their writeup on the little cubs without over hype the things.

Hope the little cubs can play their normal game amid all hype around them, as unlike the last game they are now the favorite against Haiti.

AFTER

Our Little Cubs (pictured above - screengrab from TV) given everything they had in the game against Haiti.

A slip at the crucial moment saw the Caribbean scored the only goal of the night to jolt the hope of the nation, while we had several chances throughout the game, but the clinical touch in front of goal eluded us.

Kudos to the Haitian for the victory, but in a rather less-than-desired manner.

BUT the most important thing is for the fans out there - WILL YOU BE THERE FOR THE TEAM AFTER TONIGHT?

Here are some of the responds I gathered after I posted the question on my Facebook account with the screengrab.

they need our support more than ever now. it's easy to support winners but these young boys have shown enough spirit to earn my respect and support despite the loss today. they have given singapore something precious and rare - an untainted display of passion for the country on the field. this is the moment for singaporeans to show they are not just fairweather fans. let's continue building on the revival of football passion that the cubs have ignited. boys, keep your head high, for you have done your country proud! - C Ng

They played well against Montenegro and already have an eye on the final when they thought that Haiti is just a stroll in the park. Well back to ground zero dear Cubs, the ball is round and don't under estimate your opponent. Take this as an experience and learn from it. - Y Ibrahim

I just think that in our thirst for singapore football glory, we blindly placed our hopes on a group of schoolboys. i'm not belittling them but it is essentially kids football. it just got blown way out of proportion after the last match against montenegro. it is what it is and we should have let it be, but it evolved into a monster especially in the media...

But as consolation we can take heart that support for local football isn't dead. which country in the world will interrupt regular programming at prime-time to show their schoolboys team play live or have public screenings! - B Kunju

They, more than the rest of us.What they need right now is our support and get that medal which has our name on it.

We are all disappointed with their performance tonight but this team more than any other this YOG captured our imagination.

This team showed us why the Youth Olympics matters.Its bigger than winning.

It's getting a country together and showing us why sports is the greatest teacher of them all. They owe it to us getting that medal and we owe it to them being there this Wednesday. - V Subramaniam

The boys have worked really hard and we should not be faulting anyone.
They are after all 15 years old and time will progressed them. To... all fans out there, if you happens to bump into this kids, show them your support. They will always have mine no matter what. Cheers! - H Razzak

[Event] Do You all think I deserve a chance??

(P.S: I was recently put to a task by Tiger Beer, the sponsor of the Singapore National Team, to see if I deserved a chance to win the grand prize of the "Tiger Beer Regional Online Influencer Challenge"... read on for more details...)

For one, I'm always try to make myself heard...

And that's the reason why I started this blog to share whatever my opinions and thoughts on the local game (even if sometimes it did gave me some frightening moments)..


Thanks to blogging, I got the chance to visit the Shah Alam Stadium, where one of the greatest moments of Singapore football history was written when the Lions clinched the Malaysia Cup in 1994 before breaking away to form the S.League in 1996.

Thanks to blogging, I got a chance to pass a BOCAP to my boyhood idol - former Singapore captain Fandi Ahmad (pictured above) and met one of the greatest strikers that graced the football field - Robbie Fowler, when he was here with the North Queensland Fury (pictured below).

Along the journey, I was fortunate enough to meet another legendary figure of the game - former England captain and currently the head coach of the Thailand national team - Bryan Robson (pictured below with me last year when he was here with the Thai national team for the Asian Cup Qualifiers).

Having already met one of the Red Devils greats in person... Here comes the question - SHOULD THIS WORLD RENOWNED PLAYER BELOW BE THE NEXT ON THE LIST FOR MY ALBUM? (see below)

Yes, that's him - Wayne Rooney, the Manchester United and England star striker and the Tiger Beer ambassador.

For past few days, I have been pondering if there's any similarity between Wazza and me (as it's one of the key criteria for judging), well here's what I thought...

Sourced from "Youtube"

How about that?? Same like this blog that both of us are being vocal, at times, to voice our thoughts on issues dear to us (for him, was after the booing of his own fans and for me - the issues pertaining local football).

If you guys felt I deserved a chance to go to Manchester and meet up with the man himself, please kindly drop a comment using your REAL NAME with URLs to your social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. (as required by the contest organizers).

OR alternatively, you may simply just move your mouse over the image below and click it (which will accumulate the number of "buzz" generate from this entry).


WISH ME LUCK and THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT...

(copyrights of the picture of Wayne Rooney belongs to Tiger Beer.)

They just wanna PLAY football, They just wanna SEE football...

I think the title of this post should be suffice to describe the mood at the Jalan Besar Stadium just now when a near-capacity crowd of 5,850 (based on what the stadium announcer said over the PA system).

(Pictured above) A shot of the crowds at the Gallery of the stadium before the kick-off

Anyone who were at the ground just now, would tell you it was either their first time witnessed this kind of fiery atmosphere (some would say still existed in school games' finals) OR they would tell you it was such a long time they LAST had this kind of atmosphere in any Singapore game featuring any of the national teams, be it the senior or their juniors - the national U15 who triumphed over their much bigger-built opponents from the Balkan state of Montenegro in the YOG's Group D fixture and saw them clinched the top of their group.

Twitvid of the celebrations after the victory over the Balkans
(sorry for the quality as compression was necessary to load the video fast in the first place)

(Pictured above) The "Little Cubs"acknowledged the supporters after the game...

Perhaps, one fan who shared his thoughts on this blog's Facebook group would probably explained why could such a passion ignite in this match.

S.League does have good matches. its just that people cannot find an identity with the clubs. when it comes to Singapore matches its different, because its country. so its easier for people to come and support. has been like that since Malaysia Cup days. - Gale Gan

While a S.League club official whom I met at the end of the match more or less echoed Gale's thought by added

This is real passion which presently the S.League don't have!

It simple as the boys just wanna play football and the fans just wanna see football.. Purely and simple as that.

Well, isn't that case?

What the Heck is going on???? [edited]

"Sorry Sir, the tickets are SOLD OUT." said the sales personnel over the counter as I was trying to buy the ticket for the Youth Olympic Games' football match on the 19th August.

It came at a time amid reports of poor ticketing sales that forced the games' organizers to close the gallery section of the Jalan Besar Stadium (pictured below), where all the football matches of the inaugural event were hosted.

Prt-Scr of the news that the Gallery Section was shut down due to poor responce

The decision to “shut down” the gallery section proved to be an unpopular decision that it meant fans would have to fork out a higher price price to be seated at the covered “grandstand”of the 6,500-capacity stadium.

However, a sudden twist of event saw the surge of interest on the football tickets that it was announced that the tickets to matches involved the Singapore team in the preliminary round were “not longer available”.

Prt-Scr of the news that MOE bought 80k of YOG tickets

I later then realized that there was this report that the Ministry of Education had buying “80,000 tickets for students from primary schools to junior colleges to watch the game” (pictured above) so as to “ensure that students here have the opportunity to support local and foreign athletes while enjoying the spirit of sports competition”.

And based on the account from the eye-witnesses at the opening game between Singapore and Zimbabwe that the large part of the 4,800 crowds at the arena were actually students.

Stringent, yet necessary, check at entrance saw many fans missed this goal...

“(The) mystery of sold out tickets (was) solved when whole grandstand was filled with 3/4 students, if nobody wanna buy ticks, at least the schools are doing a good thing to buy them and let their students go unless otherwise.” said one fan who was at the match, but missed the first goal scored by Ammirul Mazlan in the very first minute due to the “stringent security check” at the gates.

But he added, “The support was deafening, (and such a)long long (time, we have) no such (an) atmo(sphere) at jbs (Jalan Besar Stadium), just look at our Friday night games (that is telecast live) for eg of quiet matches”

Just as I thought I resigned to fate for not able to be part of the crowds on the 19th August, things took a sudden twist (again!) when I read this tweet post (pictured below).

Wasting no little way, I logged on to the website via my iPhone to get the transaction done in the shortest space of time.

So I took the opportunity and asked the sales personnel what had actually happened.

"It's up to the ticketing system that they decided to release some for the public sales." replied the sales personnel regarding my query.

"As you can see for yourself (on the website), they (organizers) only stated 'AVAILABLE' without giving the actual figure they put up for sale." she added.

In the end, the whole saga is still so murky and mystical, perhaps, there are some things that should leave the way it's but the whole thing does left a bitter taste on what a mess they had created, yet managed to resolve it, well, more or less, whatever...

But I think I'm not the only one unhappy over about the handling of the ticketing sales, as you can see from the screengrab (pictured above) that a member of public wrote in the mainstream press to voice her concern on this issue.

[Instant Reaction]Thailand 1-0 Singapore [edited]

I think it's not fair for me to pass any judgment when I could only managed to see the game for the last 20-odd minutes, after a frantic search around for the elusive livestreaming (pictured above).

This defeat should not be seen as a calamity, although that's always seem to be the case that fans asking the heads of the coach and players who don't perform when things don't go their way.

1-0 to the Thais from Sarayoot Chaikamdee in the first half, which I couldn't see in the first instance.

While I thought the last 20-odd minutes, we looked tight at the back amid some pacey raid from the Thais (as always), good display by Hassan Sunny who made some good saves towards the end of the game.

MEDIA RELEASE FROM FAS ON THE MATCH

Lions fall to solitary Thai strike

SINGAPORE, 11 August 2010: A first half strike Thailand striker, Sarayoot Chaikamdee was enough to see off a determined Singapore team 1-0 in an international friendly match played at the Yamaha Stadium in Bangkok.

On 29 minutes, a neat passing move by the Thai midfield eventually sent the ball to the way of Sarayoot, who still had plenty to do.

The Thai Port striker managed to shake off the attentions of defender Safuwan Baharudin to unleash a fierce strike from the edge of the penalty area, leaving goal keeper Hassan Sunny with no chance.

The Lions started of the stronger of the two teams with Khairul Amri in particular outstanding with his penetrative runs.

As early as the 5th minute, Amri burst into the penalty area and was brought down illegally but the referee failed to point to the spot.

He had another chance to draw first blood for the Lions but instead of pulling the trigger, he decided to pass and the opportunity was lost.

The Lions dominated the rest of the half but were unable to draw level. The second half was a more even affair as the Thais defended in numbers and relied on their dangerous counter attacks but neither team were able to add to the scoresheet .

“This was a game of two different halves. In the first half we played very well, creating numerous chances, dominating the game and passing the ball well," coach Radojko Avramovic said after the game.

“In the second half, Thailand sat back and defended, trying to score through their counter attacks. Instead of passing the ball, we kept running with the ball and never were able create chances.

“But generally we played well and I am looking forward to bringing the players to Serbia. This will be a good opportunity to see all the players together as they try to build an understanding and shape together,” said Avramovic.

Avramovic was pleased with contributions from his team, especially central defender Safuwan Baharudin.

“He played well today. It was not easy playing against a team like Thailand but I am happy with his performance, especially as it rained before the game and pitch was slippery.”

Singapore: Hassan Sunny (GK), Shi Jiayi, Safuwan Baharudin, Baihakki Khaizan (Afiq Yunos), Irwan Shah (Daniel Bennett), Khairul Amri (Masrezwan Masturi), Hariss Harun, Fahrudin Mustafic, Fazrul Nawaz (John Wilkinson), Aleksandar Duric (Agu Casmir), Shahril Ishak (C)

Note: Home United’s Shahdan Sulaiman made his international debut tonight when he came on for Fahrudin Mustafic in the 80th minute.

[Event] Show your support to the Singapore Team in the YOG football competition

Whilst the S.League heads for its recess period, local football supporters will still get the opportunity to catch some live competitive football actions during the inaugural Youth Olympics Games football competition.

The national U-15 team, coached by former national defender Kadir Yahaya, will kick off their quest for glory when they take on Zimbabwe on 13th August (Friday) at the Jalan Besar Stadium before facing Montenegro on the 19th on the same venue.

(Picture above) The schedule of the preliminaries matches of the YOG football competition (click here for a larger view) - courtesy of the YOG official site.

Tickets are now on sale at authorized ticketing outlets (click here for the list of these outlets) OR you may log on to the following website to purchase the tickets online at "http://www.singapore2010.sg/public/sg2010/en/en_tickets.html"

To enhance your match day experience while watching the boys in action, what could not be the better way but to wave and swing the "Singapore Scarf"!!

Picture courtesy of the "Young Lions" Facebook Group

The "Singapore Scarf" is currently on sale and available at the FAS office at the Jalan Besar Stadium (as detailed in the picture above).

C'MON, SINGAPORE and LET'S PAINT THE TOWN RED!!!

A late tribute to Milous Kvacek (1933-2010)

Coach Kvacek with the Malaysia Cup which he won with Kedah in 1990

I am not sure how many of you know who he was, but the fact is Milous Kvacek was once, erstwhile national coach of Singapore back in 1992.

Despite his short and tumultuous tenure as the Lions coach, the Czech coach left behind a legacy by introduced the formation of “3-2-3-2”, which was a weird tactic unheard of among the local football fans in those day who were more accustomed to “4-3-3” or “4-4-2”.

Not only that, the Czech coach was also credited to unearth players such as Zakaria Awang, Steven Tan, Toh Choon Ming to the national team during his two-month stint.

It was a time when Singapore football was facing one of its darkest periods after a disappointing campaign in the 1991 Malaysia Cup season, when the Lions failed to follow up from its successful run a year before in 1990.

So when the news of the appointment of the Czech tactician came about in early 1992, it simply got the local fraternity exciting with his tough and no-nonsense approach that he once famously said to those selected few (aka the Lions),

You don't consider yourself a star player, unless you are someone like Maradona or Gary Lineker.

Such a high esteem the Czech coach commanded then that it was said whenever the Lions were having their training sessions at Jalan Besar, it attracted quite a number of local coaches who hope to pick up a thing or two from those sessions.

However, the FAS had a different approach on Kvacek's role then with the game's local governing body wanted him as a “Super Coach”.

Beside being the coach of the Lions, the FAS also hoped to tap on the vast experience of the Czech coach to “coach” the local coaches as well, which was something Kvacek, in my opinion, found it “too much to handle”.

Coupled with several other issues, such as the “boot” issues, etc., the stormy affairs reached its boiling point when Kvacek resigned and left the $7,000-a-month job at the end of April.

For a brief period in 1996 S.League season, the Czech did returned to local football as the Technical Director of SAFFC in the Pioneer Series.

Since then, nothing was heard about him until this SMS (pictured above) that came about this noon.

(Credit: Many Thanks to Mr Cheng Tim Nee who alerted me of this information and some relevant details provided in this entry.)

(Disclaimer: Whatever written in this entry is based on my recollection and to my truth knowledge. Should there be any mistake, discrepancy related to whatever is written, please feel free to point out, thanks)

No rest for the Lions....

While the rest of the league adjourned for the YOG break, the national team players are not, as they are gearing up for the two main tournaments scheduled at the end of the year - The Asian Games in November and the AFF Suzuki Cup.

Just before they embark for their trip to Bangkok for the upcoming friendly against Thailand on the 11th of August, coach Raddy and the Lions undergo another session at their Geylang Field training base.

PICTURES FROM THE TRAINING SESSION

(Pictured above) Tampines Rovers' custodian Hassan Sunny preparing himself before the start of the day.

(Picture above) Coach Raddy having some deep thoughts, as the team were warming up.

Persija's Fahrudin Mustafic (pictured above in foreground) returns from Indonesia to be part of the set-up, so is his team-mate Baihakki Khaizan following the concluding of the Indonesian League.

(Pictured above, from L-R) Having played the night before this session, the SAFFC's trio of Shahril Jantan, John Wilkinson and Daniel Bennett did not join in the match practice but some running exercise on the sidelines.

Interesting fact is that Bennett is just EIGHT caps away from joining the exclusive club of Lions' centenarians and the first foreign-born player to achieve that honour.

While the rest of the team went through some match practice (as pictured above)

(Pictured above) What would you call this? "Stags' Power"?? as Khairul Amri (left) and Alek Duric (right) combine in this offense with Izwan Mahbud in goal facing the music!!

Home United's skipper Shahril Ishak (pictured above) beaming with confidence, as let's hope the newly-appointed Lions' captain will rally and inspire his fellow team-mates to greater heights with his brilliant form of late.

Before the end of the session, team manager Eugene Loo (pictured above and second from right, in white top) brief the team on some matters before calling it a day.

FOR MORE PICTURES ON THE ENTRY, PLEASE CLICK HERE

Worth a thought

Some of you have already known that Sriwijaya had won the Copa Indonesia last night by beating ISL champions Arema Malang.

Interesting fact is that three Singaporeans were featured in that match with Precious Emuejaraye for the victorious Palembang club, while Noh Alam Shah and Ridhuan Mahamud for the East Javanese side.

As rumors have been flying around and it's confirmed (according to sources) that both Ah Long (Noh Alam Shah - pictured above) and Ridhuan had played their last game for the "Crazy Lions" after talks apparently broke down over their messy contractual issues.

All these came at a time when speculations are rife that there might be another raiding exercise carried by the Indonesian clubs on notable Singapore players by dangling fat cheques and the prospect of playing in front of the big, passionate crowds (as depicted below).

Persija's supporters at Solo (courtesy of Jakarta Casual TV)

Ironically, when Sriwijaya were in town months ago for the ACL play-off match against SAFFC I was told their expenditure from flights and accommodation were fully bored by the Warriors because of financial difficulties (must be one of the reasons why Duric did not end up in Palembang after all).

Sriwijaya's team shoot before their ACL play-off match against SAFFC.

On a separate story, it was revealed that Dutchman Roberts Alberts (former Tanjong Pagar Utd and ex-Home Utd coach) and several players threatened to quit Arema over unpaid wages months back.

Once, a friend asked me what's my take of the "second raid" that's going to be taken place.

"For experience sake, yes, why not as you are talking about playing in front a big, passionate crowds."

"However, with the financial instability that some Indonesian football clubs are known for, our guys must think really hard before moving down south." I replied.

Last thing I heard according to this link here, which gives a good break-down account of the financial losses "Ah Long" had made since leaving Tampines Rovers for "Singo Edan" (the nickname of Arema in native language), that he might be heading to Thailand.

While it was reported that "Ah Long" had tempted his fellow Lions with the clips of the passionate "Aremania", I'm dead sure he will also tell them the downside of it and warn them to avoid the same mistake he made.