Even though I stick to that belief, it's no difference again when we are drawing close to another year with things ended sour again and no improvement to the scene when we thought it would at the start.
Some painted a picture of optimism that our own S.League would gain from Lions XII's acrimonious exit from the Malaysian league with a large part of their playing staff, long perceived to be the best in the country, were being snapped by various clubs in the beleaguered setup.
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Jermaine Pennant graced the league not long ago |
Things got off to a roaring start when I was actually queueing up for ticket when Hougang United took on Home United at the Hougang Stadium with the latter facing Tampines at Bishan weeks later to record the biggest turnout of the year when 3,500 packed the main stand on a weekday.
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When was the last time you queued for S.League tickets? |
Unfortunately, the rosy start to its 21st season did not sustain and the only professional sporting league in this tiny island republic slipped back to oblivion which it has been long associated with.
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Zainudin Nordin - The ASL salesman |
On the higher level saw the local game governing body, themselves, embroiled in a controversy of their own doing when the "Big Brother" - FIFA came knocking the FAS's doors and resulted the oldest football association in Asia to have their first elections in more than thirty years by next May after being given a new constitution, following media reports (source:1, 2) seeking clarification from Zurich if FAS was doing the right things, all these while, by having government appointed personnel to hold key appointments (which is something strictly against the FIFA's policy of non-interference by third parties in affairs of local FA).
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May 2017 is the deadline for the FAS elections |
Things soon turned bitter when undesirable results occurred one after another with fans started questioning if it was a right decision to get the 51-year-old former idol to take the hot seat on "caretaker" basis following training trip to Japan that was concluded with a stunning away defeat to Cambodia at Phnom Penh.
Much had been said after the Lions' disastrous AFF Suzuki Cup campaign that I shall not dwell much on it when those issues aren't new at all.
Whether was it right of Coach Sundram to deploy the "bus" or selected largely of those who used to play for him during the Lions XII era for the biennial event is not something worth debating now.
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National Caretaker Coach V Sundram moorthy |
So when the conveyor belt is not working properly, how would we expect the national team to do well when choices are limited to exercise flexibility in those tactical deployment?
However, it is also fair to say the pragmatic former Jurong FC head coach should exercise flexibility and courage in his planning and not causing unnecessary anxiety when only revealed his final list of 23 prior to the opener against the Philippines when mood in the camp should be kept things in focus by then.
Since the exit from the regional showdown, various post-mortem pieces had surfaced to give their earnest thoughts on the undesired outcome.
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Ken Ilso (left) is one of those left Singapore recently |
But easy to say than to be done, when we being told changes and reviews were in place in the past to correct those shortcomings which never seems to arrest those perennial problems bugging the scene.
It will be a thankless job whosoever is going to take over upon the concluding of the landmark elections but since keen parties had declared their desire to turn things around, they must be prepared to subject to all kinds of scrutinization.
Unkind words and vent of frustrations will be a norm when things failed to deliver, as what we seen all along when patient are already worn thin that any sugar-coated and chest-thumping rhetoric will be taken lightly after years of deception.
CHANGE is a word ALL can SAY but NOT EASILY FULFILL after seen it for twenty years in the circus.
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