Tag: Lions

Singapore Football Tackles Defence In Hunt For Gold

Football coaches are wont to state the obvious that to win a match, their players must score goals. What they do not say often is that to avoid defeat, the team cannot afford to concede them.

This has been the niggling problem for Singapore’s SEA Games under-23 football squad during their preparations in the past six months.

Their losing streak includes a 5-0 drubbing by the Hamburger SV’s under-23 team, 3-0 to Yemen, as well as 8-1 and 3-1 defeats by the respective Japan and Cambodia under-22 teams.

Three key weaknesses surfaced from those matches: The haphazard organisation of the backline, a lack of effective communication and players being intimidated by rivals who were faster and bigger.

A tight defence inspires confidence in a team attempting to move forward in search of goals, and as the players prepare for their opening Group A match against the Philippines at Jalan Besar Stadium today, midfielder Anumanthan Kumar is confident that the defensive problems have been fixed.

The 20-year-old has been fielded in central defence along with Amirul Adli by coach Aide Iskandar in recent matches, and he said assistant coaches S Subramani and Kadir Yahaya have helped them learn to cover each other more effectively.

“After the string of losses, the defenders came together and worked with the coaches on ways to improve the defence and what we needed to do,” said Anumanthan.

“We worked in the training sessions and found a lot of new ways to defend. Previously, our backline tended to get bullied by bigger and taller strikers, but we have come up with new strategies to handle them, and these seem to be working in our past few games.”

During the team’s training tour in Japan last month, they lost 2-1 loss to fourth-division side Azul Claro Numazu, but bounced back to notch a 3-0 victory over Shinzuoka Sangyo University.

They also beat Laos 5-1 and Timor Leste 3-0 in warm-up matches in the past week.

Said Amirul: “The coaches have worked on the defensive organisation and how we move and gel as a unit. During the past few weeks, we worked on this area, and I think we are much better than we were previously.

“We are also more compact, better organised and comfortable with one another in defence. There is confidence now that we have one another’s back and the belief that we can help the team get results.”

Communication among players is key, and keeper Syazwan Buhari will play a crucial role in organising his backline to check looming dangers.

“The coaches spotted areas on which I had to improve, and one of these is to talk more to the defenders to stop the shots at goal,” said the team’s No 1.

“We worked on this in training, and in Japan, we performed better when we came under attack.”

Singapore’s under-23 side are itching to get their first group fixture out of the way as they kick off their gold-medal campaign against the Philippines today.

The Filipinos did not compete in the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar, and they return to the biennial event this time with a squad comprising a mix of players who either turn out for university or the country’s United Football League teams.

They have three foreign-born players, including Enzo Cheng and Dominic del Rosario, who were raised in Australia, Kennedy Uzoka from Nigeria and Filipino-British Connor Tacagni.

Thirteen players also featured in the AFC U23 Championship two months ago in Bangkok, where they lost all their matches against Cambodia (3-1), Thailand (5-1) and North Korea (4-0).

In their final tune-up for the Games, the under-23 Azkals last week trained in Blacktown, Australia, notching two wins and three losses in their friendly matches.

The Filipinos, led by head coach Marlon Maro, are an unknown quality, but Aide cautioned against underestimating them.

“In any tournament, opening matches are never easy, because everybody starts on the same level,” said the coach.

“We are trying to settle down as quickly as possible to get our rhythm, and for the Philippines, they have nothing to lose playing against the home team.

“We have a game plan and we just have to focus on what we need to do.”

With the defensive leaks having been sorted out, Aide said everyone on the team could rely on one another to get the results, and he was going into the SEA Games more confident of their abilities.

“We have been working hard in every department and it is paying off. Everybody now knows their role and I believe we won’t be conceding silly goals anymore,” he said.

Football at the SEA Games

When: June 1 to 15

Where: Group A (Jalan Besar Stadium), Group B (Bishan Stadium), semi-finals and final (National Stadium)

Number of medals: One (men’s football)

Ticket prices: S$10, S$20

*Tickets to the Singapore v the Philippines match are sold out.

SINGAPORE’S SQUAD:

S/N NAME POSITION CLUB

1 Syazwan Buhari GK Courts Young Lions

2 Rudy Khairullah GK Courts Young Lions

3 Shakir Hamzah DF Courts Young Lions

4 Al-Qaasimy Rahman DF Courts Young Lions

5 Sheikh Abdul Hadi DF Courts Young Lions

6 Fadli Kamis DF Courts Young Lions

7 Amirul Adli DF Courts Young Lions

8 Ho Wai Loon DF Balestier Khalsa

9 Faris Ramli MF LionsXII

10 Safirul Sulaiman MF Courts Young Lions

11 Stanely Ng MF Home United

12 Anumanthan Mohan Kumar MF Courts Young Lions

13 Adam Swandi MF Courts Young Lions

14 Suria Prakash MF Courts Young Lions

15 Pravin Guanasagaran MF Courts Young Lions

16 Shahfiq Ghani FW Courts Young Lions

17 Sahil Suhaimi FW LionsXII

18 Shamil Sharif FW Courts Young Lions

19 Irfan Fandi FW Courts Young Lions

20 Amy Recha Pristifana FW Courts Young Lions

THE PHILIPPINES’ SQUAD:

1 Florencio Badelic Jr GK Global FC

2 Jaime Cheng GK Global FC

3 Ace Villanueva GK UP and Pachanga Diliman FC

4 Nathaniel Alquiros DF DLSU and Stallion FC

5 Mark Besana DF UP

6 Ian Clarino DF UP and Global FC

7 Neil Dorimon DF SBC and Mendiola FC 1991

8 Shirmar Felongco DF Stallion FC

9 Francisco Santos DF UP and Pachanga Diliman FC

10 Ronnie Aguisanda MF Green Archers United FC

11 Arnel Amita MF FEU and Manila Jeepney FC

12 Fitch Arboleda MF Stallion FC

13 Paolo Bugas MF FEU and Global FC

14 Dominic Del Rosario MF JP Voltes FC

15 Daniel Gadia MF UP and Pachanga Diliman FC

16 Paolo Salenga MF NU and Global FC

17 Richard Talaroc Jr MF Global FC

18 Connor Tacagni FW SBC and Mendiola FC 1991

19 Kennedy Uzoka FW Green Archers United FC

20 Jinggoy Valmayor FW UP and Pachanga Diliman FC

Source: www.todayonline.com

June 1, 2015
Fandi, The Singapore Boy Made Good

They wrote him off. He went away to fulfill the prophecy that a prophet has no place in his home town. He became a foreign talent away from home where he was appreciated. They did not give him much of a chance either. He is from a city without talent. And many still appreciate and think that foreign talents from Europe and the Americas are better.

Fortunately someone was stricken by guilt or felt that Fandi is the best we have and deserved a second chance. There were lots of critics and disbelievers in Fandi. Should have another foreign coach if we are going to do well. Should have more foreign players if we are going to do well. And you can imagine the moral of this Singapore Boy and his charge..

He soldiers on quietly in his Fandi style. He let his legs do the talking. Fandi is back in the headlines. He has brought back the Malaysian FA Cup with his charge, the LionsXII. We are champions again and Fandi has done it again. Who says we need to do a global search for another foreign talent?

If we don’t believe in our own talents, if we keep throwing away good money to foreigners, when will our locals be given a chance to grow and make a name for themselves? We will be forever looking up to foreigners, for foreigners, even to be conned by fakes.

It is so pathetic. First World daft that don’t believe in themselves but in trash? Would this mindset be changed and we start to grow our own timber? Well done Fandi. You have proven yourself and proven them wrong.

Chua Chin Leng aka Redbean

Source: http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.sg

May 28, 2015
New Stadium Pitch Unveiled By Singapore Sports Hub

The Singapore Sports Hub on Tuesday (May 19) unveiled part of its brand new pitch at the National Stadium, just in time for the 28^th SEA Games, which kicks off on Jun 5.

The Sports Hub said it has named Australia-based company HG Sports Turf as the official supplier of the Eclipse Stabilised Turf for the National Stadium for three years.

The technology combines natural grass with artificial grass – but is recognised by FIFA as a 100 per cent natural turf, Sports Hub said. “The reinforcement of the artificial grass combined with the open-weave backing guarantees stability and an even playing surface” when installed, it added.

How does the new National Stadium turf technology work? Find out: bit.ly/1dh0Aon

Posted by Channel NewsAsia Singapore on Tuesday, 19 May 2015

The pitch installation comprises 8,000 square metres or 800 rolls of Eclipse Stabilised Turf, each weighing 750kg. These will be transported from the nursery to the stadium with 40 flat-bed trucks within 48 hours and can be used immediately after installation. The turf has an expected lifespan of 15 years in Singapore.

How can we have an Opening Ceremony for the SEA GAMES 2015 at the National Stadium, and still maintain a quality pitch for the subsequent competitive events? In most countries, they solve this problem with two different stadiums. We don’t have such a luxury of space in Singapore. So the Singapore Sports Hub has introduced a “lay and play” solution, where the grass is grown elsewhere, and then transported and laid onto the Stadium right after the Opening Ceremony. They tested this out today to make sure everything will go well for the Games. Here’s a video of how it works!

Posted by Lawrence Wong on Tuesday, 19 May 2015

Singapore Sports Hub chief executive Philippe Collin-Delavaud noted that “HG Sports Turf have had success in stadia and events under challenging conditions and bring with them a highly trained and experienced team of professionals to install and maintain the turf at the nursery and at the National Stadium.”

To date, HG Sports Turf has supplied turf solutions to world-class sporting venues such as Etihad Stadium and Melbourne Cricket Ground, as well as at events like last year’s AFC Football Cup and ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia.

“We will continue to closely monitor and test the quality of the pitch before, during and after each event to ensure it is performing to our expectations of delivering a world-class facility,” Mr Collin-Delavaud added.

To maximise the potential of the Eclipse Stabilised Turf, Sports Hub said it has put in place growth lights, additional fans for air movement and made improvements to the pitch irrigation system. It has also installed moisture and temperature probes to manage the climate in the stadium. If there is a non-sporting event in the stadium, protective covering will be laid over the pitch as well.

Sports Hub has yet to cover the entire stadium with the new turf, but enlisted the help of a few of Singapore’s Under-23 footballers, including Irfan Fandi, to test out the grass.

The previous hybrid turf at the National Stadium was subject to scrutiny because of its poor condition, drawing criticism and concern from international sporting heavyweights Juventus and the Maori All Blacks, among others.

Last October, Sport Singapore took issue with the “sub-standard readiness” of the pitch which appeared sandy and patchy during a Brazil-Japan friendly, and urged the Sports Hub management to “do everything necessary” to ensure the pitch meets ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) requirements.

To preserve the pitch for the AFF Suzuki Cup, Sports Hub took a number of drastic measures, including cancellation of an international rugby match between the Maori All Blacks and the Asia Pacific Dragons, postponed a Jay Chou concert, and moved the stage for Friday’s Mariah Carey concert away from the pitch.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

May 20, 2015
FAS Set Football Final Target, Coach Aide Out With Dengue
The goal was to end all confusion over player movement between the Singapore Under-23 team and the LionsXII, as the country enters the final straight of its preparations for the 28th South-east Asia (SEA) Games, which it will host from June 5 to 16.

In a shock development, however, it was announced at a media briefing by the technical team of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) yesterday that Under-23 head coach Aide Iskandar had been warded for dengue fever.

It is not known how long Aide (below), 39, will be out, but the FAS stated that assistant coaches Kadir Yahaya and S Subramani will lead the team while he recovers.

Despite the setback, national teams head coach Bernd Stange said in no uncertain terms that the SEA Games target was a place in the final, which will be played at the National Stadium on June 15.

Speaking to The New Paper, the German said all parties – the players, coaches and the FAS – are convinced it is an achievable target.

“We cannot say we don’t have a high objective; we want to deliver at the SEA Games, and that is to play in the final,” he said.

“That target is important for the fans, the players, the whole country.

“This Under-23 team are the base of our future, and so we need a top performance from them.”

Stange, along with Aide and LionsXII coach Fandi Ahmad, have agreed on a strategy involving four players that are wanted by both teams.

A 30-man Singapore Under-23 squad will enter centralised training on Friday and the SEA Games team will then head to Japan on May 10 for a week-long tour which includes two friendly matches.

LionsXII players Faris Ramli, Sahil Suhaimi, Christopher van Huizen and Zakir Samsudin will be made available, though, for the Malaysian Super League’s side FA Cup semi-final first leg against Terengganu on May 9 at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

They will leave the Under-23s camp on May 7 and return to the fold before flying off for Japan three days later.

The quartet will not be available for the second leg of the Malaysian FA Cup semi-final on May 16 in Kuala Terengganu, but will be released again should Fandi’s side qualify for the final on May 23.

Subramani said it was important to have all 30 players together for Japan – the squad will be reduced to 20 upon the team’s return – but the coaches recognised the psychological boost the four players would gain playing in the first leg of the semi-final, and possibly the final.

Fleet-footed attacker Faris, 22, had been prepared to miss the cup-ties, and is over the moon over the decision.

“As players, we always give our best to whichever team we are playing for, so I was prepared to miss out on the FA Cup.

“But now, I hope to do all I can to ensure the team carry a good result into the second leg.”

Similar to the 2013 campaign, Stange will play an active role in the make-up of the final 20-man squad.

The football tournament will begin almost a week before the opening ceremony on June 5, with the hosts kicking off Group A action against the Philippines on June 1 at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

The Young Lions will also play Indonesia, Myanmar and Cambodia in the group stage, and Stange warned that they could not afford to underestimate any opponent.

“Other than playing on home ground, it is a small advantage to be in a group which has one less team (from Group B),” he added.

Group B features reigning champions Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei and Timor Leste.
Sea games team will be ready

Results in the S.League have been poor, with Aide Iskandar’s Courts Young Lions showing just one point – a 1-1 draw with Hougang United – from six games.

The majority of the team are in the Singapore Under-23 squad that Aide will lead into battle in June’s South-east Asia (SEA) Games on home soil, and the performances in the domestic competition raised concerns over the side’s chances of doing well.

After an 8-1 trouncing by the Japan Olympic team in February, the Singapore Under-23s also crashed 3-1 to unsung Cambodia at home last month.

At present, most fans do not believe Aide’s team will achieve the target of reaching the SEA Games final on June 15.

But Young Lions assistant coach S Subramani is confident the team will be ready, as they enter the final stages of preparations ahead of their opening Group A game against the Philippines on June 1 at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

“The results have definitely not been good, but we are quietly confident we will do well at the SEA Games,” the former international defender told The New Paper, on the sidelines of a training session at the Singapore Sports School yesterday.

Mani pointed to newly installed assistant coach Kadir Yahaya as a key move, as the appointment has injected some much-needed team spirit within the ranks.

“The boys have been working hard as we focus on their physical and mental preparation,” the 42-year-old added.

“By June 1 we will be ready, but, as in any competition, winning the first game is crucial.

“A win against the Philippines will boost the team’s confidence even further.”

Crucial right now is for Aide to get back with the squad, after it was revealed yesterday that he was in hospital being treated for dengue fever.

The Under-23s’ 30-man training squad will come together for centralised training on May 1, with a tour of Japan scheduled from May 10 to 17.

The final squad of 20 will be announced after the tour.

TOP PRIORITY

Top priority for the team is to form a solid back four – something Mani said is still a work in progress.

Of late, the Young Lions have tinkered with five different players in central defence, including 17-year-old striker Irfan Fandi, whose aerial prowess is critical at set-pieces at both ends of the pitch.

Right-back and team captain Al-Qaasimy Rahman believes the team have started to gel.

“It has been said that our team do not have the same quality as the 2013 SEA Games team (which bagged the bronze), but we are determined to make up for it with great team spirit,” said the 23-year-old.

“The centralised training sessions will help bond us even further. We will be at our peak by the time the SEA Games is here.

“That is my team’s promise to all our fans.”

30-MAN SINGAPORE UNDER-23 TRAINING SQUAD 

Goalkeepers:

Syazwan Buhari

Fashah Iskandar

Rudy Khairullah

Defenders:

Shakir Hamzah

Al-Qaasimy Rahman

Sheikh Abdul Hadi

Fadli Kamis

Amirul Adli

Irfan Fandi

Taufiq Muqminin

Zakir Samsudin

Nurullah Hussein

Ho Wai Loon

Midfielders: 

Faris Ramli

Safirul Sulaiman

Stanely Ng

Anumanthan

Mohan Kumar

Shamil Sharif

Adam Swandi

Muhaimin Suhaimi

Shameer Aziq

Afiq Mat Noor

Christopher van Huizen

R Suria Prakash

Pravin Guanasagaran

Shahfiq Ghani

Strikers:

Sahil Suhaimi

Iqbal Hussain

Amy Recha Pristifana

Taufik Suparno

Source: www.tnp.sg
April 28, 2015
Lim Teck Yin’s Fan Criticism Unfair

Football fans, former internationals, as well as the community, were divided yesterday as they responded to criticism that Singaporeans are fair-weather supporters of the national team.

This came in the wake of comment on Wednesday by Sport Singapore’s chief executive, Lim Teck Yin, who said that the time had come for fans here to show their mettle and come out in force to support them during the SEA Games.

Some felt the comment was too harsh and that they had the right to expect commitment from players, whether they were the Lions or the under-23 side, to win matches.

Both the Lions and the under-23 side have lost a string of matches in the run-up to the World Cup qualifiers and the Games in June.

“I feel that, though he meant well, (Lim) was a little harsh with his words. It is almost as though he feels nobody really supports local football,” said Ian Ding, 24-year-old Lions fan.

Deepanraj Valluvan, 19, said fans had a right to feel disappointed when their sides do not perform to expectations.

“Fans do go through highs and lows in supporting the team, but this doesn’t mean we can’t expect a win,” he said. “As fans, we want our team to go as far as they can succeed.

“The SEA Games are no different and we want to make sure our country performs and we will be cheering for them whether they win or lose. But we do have a certain level of expectations from our national teams and are be disappointed if they don’t meet them.”

Win or lose, Kumaravel Selvom will be behind the team when they kick off their SEA Games campaign. He told TODAY: “Any sport, and especially football, thrives with supporting fans. Whether it’s a team at its best or worst, it will always be good to know that there are people watching and hoping the best for you.”

Former national and S-League footballers whom TODAY spoke to were also divided.

Aleksandar Duric remembered only too well the fickle support from fans. They were solidly behind the Lions in their triumphant years in the Suzuki Cup in 1998, 2004, 2007 and 2012, but he felt the desertion when they were knocked out of the group stages of the 2010 tournament.

This, he said, can have an adverse effect on young athletes, especially the under-23 side heading for the coming SEA Games.

“I agree with Teck Yin totally. I only retired recently from football, and I know our fans very well, and they like it when we are winning. But this is not good, and the mentality of Singapore fans is something we wish we can change.

“If you are a fan, you should follow your team all the way, win or lose, and you share their happiness and sorrows. These are young boys and they need our support. Singaporeans should back our young athletes, because they need it. There is no better chance to do that than at the SEA Games, right here in front of the home crowd.”

However, former S-League player and coach Shasi Kumar said the players needed to improve to get fans back in the stadium. “You cannot blame the fans as well, because we had a really poor run of results,” he said. “How can a fan stand by their team without feeling disappointment or even angry when we cannot even beat a team like Guam, and (we) lose to Syria? It is a chicken and egg situation, because at the moment, the team is not performing, and fans are understandably disillusioned.”

Source: www.todayonline.com

April 17, 2015