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  • Stange Calls For 12th Man To Call On The Lions

    Stange Calls For 12th Man To Call On The Lions

     

    SINGAPORE v AFGHANISTAN

    (Thursday, 8pm, National Stadium)

    The national football team’s last match at the National Stadium drew over 45,000 fans, most of whom suffered as they watched the Lions dumped out of the AFF Suzuki Cup by arch-rivals Malaysia last November.

    A little over 10 months on, Bernd Stange’s men have a vital clash against Afghanistan in their World Cup/Asian Cup Group E qualifier at the same venue on Thursday.

    Whether the team will be backed by a similar crowd remains to be seen.

    Aside from the fact the match is on a weekday night and will be telecast “live” on the Eleven Sports Network (Singtel TV Channel 109) and Mediacorp’s okto, Singapore will also be missing their two biggest stars, midfield duo Hariss Harun and Safuwan Baharudin.

    And the haze is another factor.

    Stange made a plea yesterday when he called on Singaporeans to turn out in force at the National Stadium and back the Lions.

    “Together with our fans, there should be only one winner and that’s us,” said the German, just before the team’s training at the Geylang Field.

    “We need your support and your help because we haven’t sold many tickets at this stage.

    “Our fans can push us and we definitely need our fans.

    “If something goes wrong, they should be the 12th man and we will do everything we can to beat Afghanistan.”

    The haze seems to be the biggest concern.

    The Football Association of Singapore said in a recent statement that the Asian Football Confederation will have the final say on whether the Afghanistan game, and the qualifier against Cambodia next Tuesday, also at the National Stadium, will proceed as scheduled.

    Singapore fans are well-known for purchasing tickets late, meaning the uncertainty that hangs over the match will likely affect turnout.

    Exact figures of ticket sales so far were not available last night.

    ADAPT

    Stange said the haze meant “we cannot do what we want” in certain training sessions, but he does not want to make a big deal out of it.

    “We had to slow down, we will follow the rules we have here in Singapore… because the health of our players is important,” he said.

    “We will adapt. Afghanistan have the same problems, and they will also have jetlag.

    “So we won’t make a big issue out of the haze.”

    Some fans are more concerned.

    Kenneth Seet, a 37-year-old account executive, said: “I still can’t decide to go or not because of the haze.

    “My friends and I don’t want to make a wasted trip and the safer option is to watch it ‘live’ on TV.

    “It’s unfortunate, but if the haze is really bad, we have to be wise and stay at home.”

    Others, like Faizal Kamal, disagree though.

    “I will not let the haze get between me and my love for the Lions,” said the 27-year-old civil servant.

    “Anyway, there’s always the N95 mask.”

    TICKET INFO

    Tickets, priced at $38 for Cat 1 ($50 for both matches) and $28 for Cat 2 ($36 for both matches) are available through:

    • www.sportshubtix.sg
    • hotlines 6333-5000 and 3158-7888
    • Singapore Indoor Stadium box office and all SingPost outlets islandwide Concession prices of $15 for a Cat 1 ticket and $10 for a Cat 2 one, are applicable for students aged 16 and below, and senior citizens aged 60 and above.

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • Fandi Ahmad And Sundram As Co-Coaches Of National Team?

    Fandi Ahmad And Sundram As Co-Coaches Of National Team?

    They set pulses racing among football-crazy Singaporeans when they played together for the country, a dream attacking combination capable of unsettling many defences on the continent.

    Now, there is a possibility Fandi Ahmad and V Sundramoorthy, two of Singapore’s all-time greats, could lead the national team as co-coaches.

    Current Singapore coach Bernd Stange’s contract is understood to be up at the end of September and the two local coaches are among the front-runners to take over, should the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) choose not to extend the German’s tenure.

    Sundram and Fandi both have expressed their desire to take on the national job, but the prospect of the duo handling the role together is an intriguing one.

    Most football brains The New Paper spoke to, however, don’t seem convinced a co-coaching system will work.

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • Wanted: Thinking Footballers For The Lions

    Wanted: Thinking Footballers For The Lions

    An important piece in the plan to fix Singapore football was put in place on Tuesday (Jul 21) with the appointment of Richard Tardy as head coach of all the national youth teams from under-18 and below.

    The 65-year-old Frenchman, who has extensive experience coaching youth sides and worked with former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier in France’s triumph at the 1996 European Under-20 championships, has been contracted by The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) for two years.

    But the most impressive item on his resume is talent-spotting and helping to groom French footballer Zinedine Zidane, who went on to inspire the national team to World Cup victory in 1998.

    Tardy’s job in Singapore is to work with the respective age-group coaches to implement technical director Michel Sablon’s blueprint to reverse the poor state of youth development, cited as a major cause of Singapore’s current football ills.

    Making the point that he shares the football philosophy of Sablon, the Frenchman served notice that the axe will fall on youth coaches who resist the new master plan.

    “I am the boss of the youth national coaches,” said Tardy. “So they must think and do what I want. I must adapt the quality of the players and team, but I want to give them my philosophy of training and playing the game, and to talk to the players. If they are not okay with it, I will stay, not them.”

    In an interview with TODAY earlier this month, Sablon, who was appointed to the FAS post in April, pointed out that young children playing football are under too much pressure to win. They are also playing too many matches and have no time to learn the basics of football.

    Agreeing with Sablon, Tardy said the focus should be in building the mental toughness of the young players. The goal, he added, is to help them take the initiative to think and adapt to different situations that develop on the run of play rather than just following their coaches’ instructions.

    “My job is not only to helping a team to win but to push players to take more responsibility and have their own answers to what happens on the field,” he said. “This way may take more time but it yields better results in the long run.”

    Ultimately, players who make the national team must have three key qualities: Talent, intelligence, and motivation.

    He added: “We need to build the mental ability of our players when they are young, so that when they reach 18 or 20 it will be easier for them to think on what needs to be done to succeed on the pitch.”

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • N Ganesan, The Man Behind The Kallang Roar, Dies Aged 82

    N Ganesan, The Man Behind The Kallang Roar, Dies Aged 82

    N Ganesan, the man widely credited as the driving force behind Singapore football’s golden years of the 1970s, died yesterday morning.

    He was 82.

    He suffered a stroke in March 2011, which left him bedridden and confined to the Good Shepherd Loft nursing home in Bukit Timah.

    He collapsed yesterday while having breakfast around 7.45am. Paramedics later failed to resuscitate him.

    Ganesan, who was divorced and has no children, worked as a successful lawyer but is best known for his time as chairman of the Football Association of Singapore’s (FAS) from 1974 to 1981.

    He made a bold decision to switch Singapore’s “home” games in the Malaysia Cup from the 10,000-capacity Jalan Besar Stadium to the 55,000-seater National Stadium in Kallang, despite naysayers predicting the crowds would not turn up.

    But they did, and Singapore, backed by the Kallang Roar, reached seven Malaysia Cup finals in the eight years he was in charge, winning two, in 1977 and 1980.

    The national team also did well on the international stage, reaching the play-off final of the 1980 pre-Olympic qualifying tournament, beating the likes of China and North Korea before losing to giants Iran.

    Local footballers like Samad Allapitchay, 
R Suria Murthi, Quah Kim Song, Dollah Kassim and Fandi Ahmad, to name just a few, became household names.

    Midfielder Suria, 57, said: “Even though he was busy as a lawyer, he would come down to Jalan Besar to watch the national team train every evening.

    “He was very, very passionate, and he was one of the best officials we ever had.

    “He’d go out of his way for the players. He would do anything for football. He was a great man.”

    Striker Quah, 63, added: “He was charismatic, and walked the talk.

    “He was not the type to just sit in the office all day, he often personally made sure every small detail was right.

    “He even helped some players who had financial difficulty, out of his own pocket.”

    Defender Samad, who captained both Malaysia Cup-winning teams, praised Ganesan’s personable character. The 66-year-old said: “Over the years, many officials have come and gone, but Mr Gani was the most passionate. And he just had a way with people.

    “Once, Uncle Choo (Seng Quee, legendary national team coach) walked out of a training session and said he would not coach us again, after a misunderstanding with some players.

    “Mr Gani was the one that drove to his place, chatted with him for four or five hours, and talked him into returning.

    “That was how he was. You find it easier to talk to Mr Gani than anyone else. He really listens to you.”

    A former goalkeeper for the Singapore Indians team, Ganesan also made a difference at local club level, revamping the National Football League from a bloated 118 clubs to a strong 30.

    He helped create the Lion City Cup, an Under-16 tournament that unearthed talent like Fandi, and subsequently became the model for Fifa’s U-16 World Cup.

    Ganesan was awarded the Public Service Medal (Pingat Bakti Masyarakat) during the 1978 National Day Awards, and he also served as legal adviser to the Asian Football Confenderation (AFC) for almost a decade.

    Former AFC general secretary Dato Peter Vellapan, who led Asia’s football body for three decades, hailed Ganesan’s reforms.

    “He rewrote the history of Singapore football with his leadership,” Vellapan, 79, told TNP.

    “He was very honest, transparent, and goal-oriented. He wanted to raise Singapore football to be one of the best in Asia.

    “His commitment to improving Singapore football was very sincere. These days, many go into football for selfish reasons. But he was committed, dedicated.

    “His passing is a great loss to me, as he was a dear friend, and to Singapore football.”

     

    Source: www.tnp.sg

  • J-League Club Keen On Izwan Mahbud

    J-League Club Keen On Izwan Mahbud

    MATSUMOTO – It is just one week after his stunning performance against Japan, and Singapore goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud already has an invite to train with a J-League team.

    Newly-promoted Matsumoto Yamaga, who are 14th in the 18-team J-League after 16 games, are keen on seeing the shot-stopper up close.

    Yamaga’s vice-president Yoshiyuki Kato said: “It’s hard to judge from one game, but he had a dominating performance. The way he threw himself about and kept his concentration throughout was very impressive.

    “We would like to see him in practice.”

    Asked if that was invite for the custodian, Kato said: “Yes.”

    Kato was speaking at a press conference to unveil the three Singapore Under-14 players who are joining the Japanese outfit for a week-long training stint.

    The trio of Elijah Lim, Nur Adam Abdullah, and Hamizan Hashim will train with the club’s youth team over three sessions. This is a result of Epson Singapore’s sponsorship of the Football Association of Singapore. Epson have been sponsors of Yamaga since 2008.

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com