BoLASEPaKO.com - A Blog on Singapore Football

Michel Sablon (picture credit/ source : FAS FB) On the surface, it appeared that the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) had scored a major coup when they recruited Belgian Michel Sablon as their new Technical Director. After all, the former Belgium national assistant coach came with a huge reputation for single-handedly revitalizing the game in his native land with his blueprint that elevated them back to be among the top footballing nations that now boasted the likes of Vincent Kompany, Eden Hazard, etc. after the vacuum left behind since the days of Enzo Scifo. DON"T PIN ALL HOPES ON A "BROCHURE" Perhaps, getting Sablon based on his track record is one thing, another reason the folks at Jalan Besar are hoping is to tap on his experience like how he tackled the backwater situation in Belgian football after Euro 2000. However, it would be naive in one opinion to replicate verbatim the "Belgian model" in Singapore, given the differences, as sugg

Shaky Moments in Guam's six-yard box With last evening's result, I could not help but recall this article written years ago that suggested Singapore should group themselves with Oceania nations in any bid to lift themselves from the doldrums we are facing. However, with the outcome against a side, who were once thrashed 21-0 by North Korea in 2005, the suggestion made in that article is now seen as a tall order for Singapore football to get back on their feet anytime soon. Despite facing a barrage of criticism after strings of poor results, national coach Bernd Stange is still able to put something out of his book of excuses to brace the music after salvaging a 2-2 draw against Guam at the Jalan Besar Stadium. Shane Malcolm's (23) deeds led to the  first goal   Whether those words were convincing, the German coach pressed ahead with them during the assessment after the match. Said the 67-year-old: "After the two-nil loss to Thailand , we find it hard t

Lions' coach Bernd Stange has been keeping low of late It was not surprising to see the usual reaction from some supporters following the announcement of the national team for the recent friendly matches against both Thailand and Guam. The usual grouses centered around those players who are constantly ignored by the establishment despite churning consistent performance in the S.League day in and out. And not without questioning those selections they deemed dubious (based on my interpretation of some postings online). In certain cases when preparing for any major overseas tournaments, it would see the inclusion of players having the "necessary experience" to cope with the higher intensity and competitiveness that are usually demanded by the international level which is something not the local league can provide (as compared to Thailand's TPL). Coach Raddy had his frustrations during his time here Therefore, it is not uncommon to see those they claime

Jonathan Xu (13) opened the account of the evening By all standards, it wasn't the best display of football in the evening that saw the match delayed by half an hour due to the activation of the Lightning Warning System (LWS), still gloss shall not be taken away that saw a more significant occurrence that took place on the field. When referee Kao Jung-fang blown to signal the end of the AFC Cup Group F match between Balestier Khalsa and Kingfisher East Bengal, history was made with the hosting Tigers registered their first points in their maiden continental tournament after upset the Kolkata-based club 2-1 at the Jalan Besar Stadium. After the heartbreaking defeat to Johor Darul Takzim last week , Balestier seems to have put things behind them and took their chances well as early as in the sixth minute when defender Jonathan Xu triggered scoreboard with a screamer from outside. It was the Toa Payoh-based club that dominated the game for the next half an hour and saw them

Disbelief for Balestier for the late goal conceded  Even after they were gutted by a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat against defending MSL champions Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) in last evening's AFC Cup Group F encounter, Balestier Khalsa coach Marko Kraljevic is pleased with the performance put up by his team. After all, the Johoreans were a much superior side that boast the likes of Malaysian internationals Safee Sali, Amri Yahyah and etc. on their payroll, but it was the show of sheer character with fighting spirit of the unheralded Singaporean side that won the hearts of those who watched them lost the game in dying moments in the encounter. Jonathan Xu (13) is playing his second AFC Cup tournament Poh Yifeng ( center ) ready to strike an attempt With the clock ticking away in seconds after the fourth official indicated four minutes of injury time, a lapse in concentration in the back of Balestier wall allowed a slip in that was latched on perfectly by Asraruddin Putra