BoLASEPaKO.com - A Blog on Singapore Football

(P.S: I wonder if some of the some young players out there agree with me the importance of staying put together, if possible.) After his team defeated Balestier Khalsa , Young Lions' coach Terry Pathmanathan (pictured above during the " Sultan of Selangor Cup 09 ") was not a happy man as you thought he would be. In the post-match media conference, the former national skipper remarked "some of the boys are getting big on their heads that they need a knock on it." In short, the ex-Tampines Rovers stalwart blasted his boys for not playing according to plan and making many unnecessary moves in the game. Young Lions' striker Khairul Nizam's (hidden by the fourth official) "over-the-top" goal celebration warranted an unnecessary yellow card in their recent match against Balestier. "During my time after I scored a goal, I get back to my position and game carry on." said coach Terry when asked if the "over-the-top" goal celebration

It's not easy to take action photos, and I just realized that a few hours ago. Armed with my newly-purchased "Fuji S2000" , I decided to try it out (not without having some "interactions" with one of the "jagas", again!) While I was snapping this shot of Geylang's players warming up from this position, I was advised by one of the "jagas", "Sir, you are not allowed to take pictures from here as you can only do so from behind the goal-line."   Frankly and to be honest, my mood dampen a bit when told of this "restriction" when just a moment before that I did ask about the "Dos and Don'ts" when roaming about the field area.   Luckily, the air was clear and I went on taking a few more shots (like the above pictured the match officials doing their own warming-up). Not before long, I was suggested by Aundry Gan , the local renowned photo sports photojournalist, to position myself behind the goal (depicted abo

Coach Terry Pathmanathan (first from left) demands improvement from his Young Lions. While much of the focus has been centered on their seniors - the Lions, the current form of this team that are going to be the core of this year's SEA Games football squad is also a major cause of concern. Until this day, the performance of the Young Lions is far from satisfactory. Been gathering negative feedback on this team since I last saw them play in their loss against Albirex Niigata weeks ago. "They can't keep the possession after three passes!" said one. "These boys are being complacent, just because they think they're the YOUNG LIONS," said another, implying that being part of this team guarantees a spot in coach Raddy's squad for the year end's sporting fiesta. "We can't expect much from these boys as they're still not up to the mark yet." said coach Terry Pathmanathan after their goal-less draw against Woodlands Wellington. "The

Young Lions fans at the stands Sometimes, you really need a kick at your butts to get things going. After their coach Terry Pathmanathan's outburst on Monday , the Young Lions restored some pride after they came from a goal behind to draw level with Woodlands Wellington at the Jalan Besar Stadium. "It was a good game as compared to the last two." said the former national team skipper (above). "I think one point (from this game) is a consolation for us, though it should have been three points. "We fought and worked hard but have to make some tactical moves to attack as that's the only way (to play) when we are one goal down." added coach Pathmanathan. "My players were under pressure after we lost our last three games." commented Woodlands' coach Nenad Bacina (above) when he addressed the press. "We were slow to open up the game but we scored at the right time and from set-pieces. "We were confident of getting all three points but

(Picture on the left: with the league trophy, it's very pretty heavy, precaution required if you ever got a chance to lift it!! Many thanks to Mr Samuel Panthradil for making this picture possible in Oct 2005) Although the ultimate target is the league championship, it's equally important as well to be the early pace-setters too. Being the team that set the momentum right from the start is so important that it could decide whether the big guns would eventually catch up and grab the prize OR the team itself able to last the whole campaign and create a surprise of its own (which is or was never the case anyway). Young Lions did it in 2006, Super Reds were the stars of last season and on both occasions SAFFC, with all its might and discipline, were crowned the champions in the end. It's fair to say that the fact pace setters WILL NEVER be crowned as the champions, still its role is significant in creating the buzz that is necessary to keep everyone at the edge of their seats.

This being the third time I been to Geylang Field. The first time, I was there to catch the national team training only to have the rain disrupted the whole session, while the second time was there only to have the groundsman told me that the Lions didn't turned up for the training (as they flew off to Vietnam already then). So third time lucky and I managed to catch a friendly between Young Lions and Gombak United. MORE PICTURES FROM THE MATCH The rustic-looking dressing room of the field. As there's no stand erected on the ground, these guys just flanked along the side to watch the action. Or you want the best view of the house, join this guy at the top of the roof. Or from the so-called "comfort-zone" (balcony of these quarters). The playing surface at the Geylang Field certainly look well-maintained or isn't because of a short downpour before that helped to moist the surface? The final score is Young Lions 0-1 Gombak United, with another defensive lapse that s

Was at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium to watch the match between SAFFC and Young Lions. The Young Lions, being the core of this year's SEA Games squad, had shown that the lack of experience and skill maturity can make up by the sheer display of hard work and strong desire to do well, as suggested by coach Terry Pathmanathan. While for SAFFC, despite the absence of most of their Lions, they still managed to chalk up the 3-0 win, only got their act together in the second half after found it tough to crack the Young Lions' defence in the first. PICTURES FROM THE MATCH Frankly speaking, the backdrop of the private housing estate does make Choa Chu Kang is picturesque place to watch the game, although I was told the residents aren't too please whenever there's any training too near their place. Probably, these residents still perceived the game is less in-term of " social dignity " eh?