BoLASEPaKO.COM - A Blog on Singapore Football

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The anniversary logo With nothing to grip on, Barefooted, with one leg bending struggling to stand firm on the ground, While another foot, trying to balance the ball The green patch beneath symbolized the lack of space we facing now. - This is the 10th anniversary of BoLASEPaKO After 10 years This blog entry is significant in the sense that it marks the 10th anniversary of BoLASEPaKO. From a monthly updated site to opting for a more flexible approach offered by a blogging format, is the major transformation of the humble little site. The decade-long existence of BoLASEPaKO witnessed the "come-and-go" of many promising local football websites that closed down fast before it was able to stand on their own. It is all boiled down to passion, focus, and keeping within the means, that see this platform last to this day (which is something I am proud to say). Taking a break when any sign of fatigue occurred, helps to rejuvenate the spirit, doesn't matter if the crowds decided no...

Nay.. I'm not going to brief you guys how did the game went on, as you can source for it on the web. The Thai media were here to cover the game and they made the smart choice to snap some photos before the "grand old lady" is going to tear down in months to come. It must be my lucky day, after allowed a member from the Thai media to access the net through my lappy, as a token of appreciation, I was given this Thai Olympics collar pin!! (Wow.. 好心有好吧？hehehe) The crowds at the ground, frankly speaking, the crowds were slightly higher than last year, though I'm sad that it would take many years to realize the dream of having 65,000 for this premier cup tournament. Tampines Rovers' Aliff Shafaein rescued the day for the Stags, after his last ditch attempt ensured the new trohpy stayed in Singapore. Stag's coach Vorawan Chitavanich shared his thoughts of the game... .. So did Chonburi's coach Withaya Laohakul (who can't hide his disappointment after surren...

Went to the awards nite presentation held at the Mediacorp TV threater, located at the Caldecott Broadcast Centre (which in years to come is going to shift to the western part of the island but that's not the issue rather strange enough, got at least three acquaintances reminded me about that!! ). Invited guests (from match officials to the players, VIPs to the fans) making their way to the theater. The setting inside the theater (actually more or less the same like last year's) 987's "Muttons" - Justin Ang and Vernon A were the hosts of the night. Mr Zainuddin Nordin, the Mayor of Central Singapore District, the Vice-President of FAS (and most importantly, he is my MP) gave the opening speech. It seems that some of the award presenters looked nervous and unprepared for the event. (like here we have the lovely Jade Seah being one of them, kept staring at the "cards") This "Botak" here (Gurmit Singh) gave a rather unimpressive performance (shoul...

Someone like Agu Casmir don't deserved to wear the red jersey of the Lions and even any of the S.League's colours. I agreed with what his (now former)coach Jorg Steinnebrunner said, "If he had any gratitude for what we (Woodlands) did for him, he would have agreed to the new offer without any hesitation." I think no local clubs would even want to risk their monies on this naturalized citizen, after all the "hoo-ha" he created last December. Thanks to the irresponsible act of this controversial striker, the FAS eventually had to review its FTS scheme that was heavily-criticized for its extravagancy over the grants allocated for naturalized players under the scheme. So please Agu, wise up or ship out!

Saw something that is not really right in a sense that it seems to be out of place. Saw this "Woodlands Wellington FC" clubhouse right in the middle of Chinatown. While this "Tampines Rovers FC" clibhouse is located at Toa Payoh Central!! I know the importance of reaching out to a wider fanbase but by having clubhouses like these out of their bases, seems well.. out of place..

We tried but just not good enough. Let's move on and stop all the finger pointing. See you guys on the 15th Nov to complete the fixture .

I'm being serious here. With the PSI reading sky rocketing every minute, coupled the fact that Ramandan is on-going. Don't be suprise we going to have another round of rescheduling. The on-gooing haze problem is something beyond our control (unless the wind direction change now to divert the haze away) Anyway, don't be suprise if you see empty terrances when the fixture resume on the 14th Oct. After all, who would bother to stay outdoor now to endure the choking climate?? (picture took this morning, outside Braddell MRT stn)

got this short clip after the TV game just now at the Jalan Besar Stadium OK, the whole idea is to get ladies to join the kick-about but why have it after the game is over, when people were trooping out of the group? But it was a great effort by these girls..Kudos :)

Well, as far as we are concerned not official statement was made but since the news was broke by BBC, we shouldn't doubt it at all. Yes, Robbie Williams's scheduled concert is called off due to the exhaustion, thus National Stadium is once again available BUT the question is "WILL THE LIONS STILL BOTHER TO PLAY (the Palestinians) AT KALLANG AFTER THE SNUB EARLIER??" However, for SSC .. you are being "sabo" for BIG TIME!! with thousands of questions to answer..

I know I should not complaint about it but after sampled the first game at Jalan Besar, the following two games at Bishan were absolutely HORRIBLE .. Syria vs Vietnam The Syrians started off brightly. Crisp passing and nice possession football were the marks of the Middle-Eastern at the start, before they faded and slacked Two "god-sent" goals were enough to carry the Syrians to quarter-finals, over the below-par Vietnamese. China vs N Korea (Q-Final) Woeful passing and clearly the lack of direction, as we witness a group of 22 boys running around aimlessly. Left the ground after full time whistle blown.…. YAWN!!!

This is the first picture I took, at the arrival at the ground. Luckily, being one of the previledged few, I was able to access to the ground with ease. A snapshot of the crowds seated at the grandstand area, sizable number of Chinese expat (comprised mainly students) turned out in full force to urge their country men on. Yours truly at the press area. My Mum always comment that I CAN"T SMILE, when posing for picture and I can see why, (with the both the upper and lower lip forming a straight line, it does lifted up the cheekbones and made me looked chubby) -Many thanks to Ms Hong Weixi of Lianhe Zaobao for this (above) snap This is my work area during any match day, thank goodness, it was inside the air-conditioned room, if not , you should a USB powered fan spinning. Some snapshots of the post-match conference.:- (Picture above) Coach Raddy met the local media after the official post-match press conference was over.

I must thank my pal Hairul for convinced me to see the on-going AFC U17 Championship. Was expecting avalanche of goals from this David versus Goliath encounter. (Forgive me, my impression of Nepalese football was stuck in 80's, when I remembered some of their players collapsed onto the ground due to fatigue after conceded loads of goals during a match.) Thanks to the passionate Nepalese supporters (at one point, thought I was at Kathmandu ) who urged the minnows on, the Himalayans restricted the Koreans to a single goal (due to a poorly executed offside trap) just before half time, what a pity! But the Nepalese were equally at fault too, should they not "applied brake" to halt their attacks, they could be as lethal as their illustrious opponents. Not only it broke the fluency of their plays but allowed the Koreans to beef up their back line to deter the Himalayans from advancing. Nonetheless, brave performance by the Nepalese should put some of the S.League teams in shame...

Under a pretty odd circumstance, Home United decided to replace its rookie Hungarian coach Zsolt Bucs with tough task master Vincent Subramaniam, known for his non-nonsense training approach. Odd in a sense that, l thought the Protectors have managed to string a few decent results, especially we finally get to see the real abilities of Jeong Kyeong Joon and the evergreen Egmar Goncalves’s back to form displays in recent weeks. The mini-revival lately could signal better things to come, I not sure if it’s a wise move to replace Bucs with a much-experienced Vincent Subramaniam, who has not been involved regular coaching assignment since he was relieved as national coach years back. Anyway, it’s not the first time we seen mid-season coaching changes in the Bishan stadium, back in year 2000, Dutchman Roberts Alberts was lured from Tanjong Pagar United to take over Ibrahim Awang (if I remember correctly), thus lifted the under-achieving Protectors to their first title soon aft...

Sourced from youtube Sourced this clip from an unlikely lead. Anyway, the main thing of the clip is to show the Lions and Kallang Roar in the 70's. Despite the Cantonese commentary, you still can Brian Richmond's voice at the background. The pitch surface certainly looked nice and that's what I called "carpet grass"...

No shame boys.. no shame at all.. You guys stood up well against the highly-fancied Chinese for the full 90 minutes, just a cruel bad luck that allowed the Chinese coach to save his face, keep his job. Though l did not see you guys played but I'm sure you guys had done your best. Now for the revenge on the 6th Sept!! Go LIONS Go!!

This picture really pissed me off, as "mypaper" joined the fun in covering EPL news ..and in fact I'm pretty sick of it!! What is so great about EPL? That almost all sports media in Singapore can't survive without it? Yet again, Liverpool's Community Shield win appeared on the frontpage of the "Grand Old Lady" (The Straits TIme) - What's the BIG DEAL man? Hey.. every idiots seems eagerly anticipate to see themselves "suck back to the "made-believe" fairytale of the EPL! While no one seems to pay attention to the Lions' crucial fixture against China days tomorrow! It's certainly is a JOKE!! Just days ago, aren't you guys sang the national anthem and pledged yourself as "ONE UNITED PEOPLE"? Yet there's not concern about the Lions' Asian Cup qualifier? SHAME ON YOU LOT.. FAKE IDIOTS!!!

- Videoclip of the match between Young Lions and Sengkang Punggol Sounds a bit funny by saying that in the case of the Young Lions, who had just lost to the cellar-dwellers Sengkang Punngol at the Jalan Besar stadium. Since the news of the national under-23 football team (to be made up of mainly Young Lions squad) are going to the Asian Games end of this year, the form of the team has been appalling, much to the dismay of those who are concerned about if the same outcome like the last SEA Games would resurfaced again to haunt the team. Anyway, I would rather see that as a blessing in disguise. Yes, they may be hitting the bad patches lately (having played so many games this season) but would you rather see that happened now or later in Doha? Take a leaf from the recent World Cup finalists, the Italians and the French. Were they, the fans' choice for being the finalists? Did the media gave them a damn at the start of the tournament? Nope, they did not but both the French and the I...

This is probably the most handsome-looking trophy to date in the Singapore sports scene, agreed? Aware that the trophy is still available for public viewing at its Cecil Street branch, I decided to head down to the RHB Bank (Cecil Street branch) office to snap a picture of it. Here was the first attempt, outside the branch office. The Singapore Cup Trophy in display  Unfortunately, the reflection ruined the quality of the picture. So left with no alternative, I decided to seek permission from the bank to snap the new trophy from a much clearer angle. Luckily, the bank had no objection to my request.   Last but not least, many thanks to the staff at RHB Bank Berhad (Cecil Street Branch) for making this photo session possible.

Finally, the local football fans can breathe a sign of relief as their effort had paid off with the announcement made this afternoon that SNOC decided to revert their earlier decision to include the football team to the upcoming Asian Games in Doha. Hurray!!, as it's not about winning medals but the rare chance to pip against the best of the lot of Asian football. Go Lions Go, believe in yourself and can make us proud!!!

Was at Toa Payoh stadium just now for the Central derby match between Balestier Khalsa and Home Utd, which the former won three goals to one. But what really made the whole night so interesting was the "live commentary" by this "uncle" here, whom I dubbed the "Angry football uncle of Singapre" , who single-handledly spiced up his audience with his fiery commentary and animated body gesture (below). Also included a short clip of the match here (below).. enjoy :) Both clips shot using my newly bought "Ranger" DV cam

Looks like the league authority has not give up hope in planting a bastion in the "wild, wild west" of Jurong West. The failure of Sinchi FC in Jurong to gain a foothold in this area, despite those "wonderful" promises by the Chillins, would have made one sceptic if S.League football would ever established itself here. Was at the new Jurong West stadium for some sort of sight-seeing, further have me pondering if the whole idea going to work? Known for it's low population (heresay) and with limited bus services to this area, the key question is: How is Gombak United, the future tenants going to draw the support from this area? From the students reside at NTU? We certainly hope extra effort will be there and hope the same thing don't happen again.

It seems that most of the times, we are left with very limited choice but endured ourselves to the sometimes tasteless, bland food available at the grounds. Just to name a few of these "staples" · Mee Goreng · Mee Siam (dry version) · Hotdog rolls · Spring Rolls (popiah) · Gigantic samosa with potato fillings · and etc. Nothing wrong with these foods sold at the ground, the only complaint was that, most of the times, they were made ready available in those microwave oven box or served inside those disposable plastic bags. (Like this box of mee goreng, you see on the left) Which is why sometimes l do admire those fans at the sporting arena in the States, where the hotdogs rolls and other snacks are cooked right on the spot and serve once ready unlike the bland and often tasteless "makan" we have over here. We can't blame these vendors for not able to cook and serve right on the spot, probably because of the stringent hyg...

Just because of the lousy outcome of the Manila SEA Games, does that mean we are once again being denied a chance to involve in the Asian Games?? C'mon, drop this kind of mindset, with due respect to other sports, does they qualified to go Doha?? It's time to drop some of those under-performing sports to give it to those who truly deserved it.. When can we really complete against the best of the continent when such an golden opportunity is not given?? SNOC, we would like to know why? Thank you very much...

Think back, l should not have pay that $15 to the provider. (would it be a better choice to squeeze at Braddell Mac to catch it for free??) After all, it was something not worth the money paid. Like al lot of people, I still believe that no extra cent should be incurred to see the game we love. To make thing worse, the "side dishes" that were to compliment the "main dish" were plain and dull (where are the pre-match analysis and those post-match reviews by any panel of experts, the last time we seen that done was by Les Murray and the late Johnny Warren). No doubt about it, a lot of fans had criticized the "not-up-to-grade" coverage by the provider. Just take an example, on a few occasions a non-English speaking coach was being interviewed after the macth, hell would we know what is he talking about when there's not translation or whatsoever. Given this half-hearted coverage l guess, once again we are being called the laughing stock of the region for ...

Let's just face the stark fact and that is "We are not attracting the right crowd".. Sad isn't it.. 10 years into the league establishment, the S.Leage has yet to penetrate into the hearts of the common folks other than the punters. Before the legalized betting, gambling of the matches were always done at the terrance, on ad-hoc basis, where a spur of moment , kakis and strangers alike would place their bets and collected and distrbuted the earnings after the game. So much so that, ask any of these "fans" to name a few players on the field, you are likely given this answer "err, dunno, that small/tall/short guy wearing red/blue/green or whatsoever colour" Was at the game between Balestier and Sengkang just now, after Sengkang had let in their sixth goal of the night, a guy behind me commented, "That tall guy (Steven Macdonald) cannot make it lah!!" Thought he is one of those "rare breed", until he mentioned the odds given by th...