Singapore National Football Team Saga: Straits Times article VS Avramovic’s subsequent clarification
Over the years, the Straits Times is not known to cover the S-League and the Lions extensively. Since the Malaysia Cup days, it is fair to say that our national paper had taken a scant interest at trying to sell local football to the public.
Some will argue that ST does provide match reports on selected S-League matches. When our national team plays away games, they do send journalists miles away to provide stories from the ground. However, on any given day, news articles on foreign football leagues outnumber those on local football by ten to one (at least).
Thus, it is with some interest when ST ran a report with the headline “No Wonder Lions Lost” on 10 Mar.[1]
In the report, journalist Wang Meng Meng lists ill-discipline and poor attitude of the players among the reasons why we lost 2-1 to Jordan in the final Asian Cup qualification group. Wang’s article contained several quotes from team coach Raddy Avramovic.
A day later, Avramovic found it necessary to call for a press conference to clarify comments and misconceptions in media report.[2] Clearly, Wang’s article on ST is the “media report” in question, as no other source contained original research on this allegation.
Avramovic’s statement to the media is firm, succinct and concise. The Sports editorial team had taken the liberty to summarise the stark differences between Wang’s news report and Avramovic’s rebuttal (they are quoted directly off both reports as referenced above):
| As reported by Wang Meng Meng on ST [1] | Avramovic’s clarification [2] |
| … two players oversleep and were late boarding the team bus | Avramovic confirmed that two players were seven minutes late boarding the team bus on match day. |
| … a couple of players were smoking in the dressing room (at half-time) | Avramovic commented, “In all my time as a coach, I have never seen any player openly smoke in front of me, especially inside the dressing room. On that day, none of us saw any player smoke at any time in the dressing room.” |
| Said Avramovic: “Certain players have become too big for their boots. They come with an attitude that their place in the national team is reserved for them. During the match, some players gave just 50 per cent effort.” | (quoted from Avramovic) “I was disappointed with our performance and the result on the day itself but I cannot fault the players’ attitude and commitment in training.” |
| Avramovic yesterday also lashed out at the poor attitude of some players during training sessions | (quoted from Avramovic) “The team conducted themselves well in difficult conditions with the weather and unprofessional treatment from the hosts and I was generally very happy. Nobody was late for any of the training sessions or team meetings.” |
| Said Avramovic:” Some players complained the training sessions were too tough. They forgot that it was hard work that got them into the national team in the first place.” |
The only thing the article got right was the fact there there were two players who were late for the team bus. However, they were just seven minutes late, according to Avramovic.
It does not take any more analysis to see how different Avramovic’s words to the media are to what ST had reported. It has to make you wonder if the words quoted by Wang Meng Meng are accurate in the first place.
This leads to several more questions:
- What is ST’s source of information? From what Avramovic told the media, it does not appear that ST’s information was reliable at all to start with
- If ST’s source of information has not been verified, what is the purpose of Wang’s article? It appears to be a blow to the morale of our national team at a time where they are still reeling from a disappointing defeat.
Even without Avramovic’s clarification, it is already clear that Wang had attributed the loss in Jordan (by a ONE-goal margin) entirely to unprofessional behaviour by our Lions. He had clearly ignored that fact that Jordan is a reputed Middle Eastern football side and the weather conditions in Amman were entirely different from that in Singapore. Oh, the Jordanians had a partisan 27,000 crowd behind them as well.
This editorial team will take this opportunity to reiterate our support for the Lions in this article and encourage the fans to get behind our national team by ignoring news reports which try to sway the crowd otherwise.
[1] http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Sport/Story/STIStory_500226.html
[2] http://www.fas.org.sg/default.asp?V_DOC_ID=3494
Top 8 – Jack Neo, Tiger Woods and John Terry: Personal accolades which probably shouldn’t have been awarded
In light of the Jack Neo scandal, the Sports editorial team decided to veer slightly away from sports and come up with a chart of top 8 personal accolades which probably should not have been awarded in the first place.
Granted, no one has the power of foresight and time is the best judge of character. However, that will not stop the editorial team from coming up with this list, with hindsight on our side, just for a bit of laughs and knowledge sharing.
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100% Opinion – The ranking is based on how grand the award is and how ludicrous it looks to award that award in retrospect.
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8 ) Jack Neo (PBM or Public Service Medal, 2004) Granted, Jack Neo was awarded for his contributions to the local film industry and his personal life should have little to do with this. However, in light of things, should this prestigious local award go to someone who is clearly adulterous? At time of press, the Jack Neo saga is still unravelling and we could be only seeing the tip of the iceberg – hence the relatively low ranking on this chart.
7) Steven Gerrard (Member of the British Empire, 2007) Current Liverpool club captain Steven Gerrard was awarded with the MBE in 2007 for his services to football in the UK. It is a prestigious award, considering that he was only 27 when he won it. One of the reasons for him winning the award was that he was deemed a perfect role model both on and off the pitch. The latter certainly wasn’t true as he was involved in a court case in 2008 for allegedly assaulting a DJ at a local bar. He was eventually cleared by a jury, but CCTV footage clearly showed Gerrard landing a punch on the poor DJ.
6) John Terry (Dad of the year, 2009) Just last year, the UK public found it appropriate to vote Terry as the Dad of the Year days before Fathers’ Day. This now looks shameful, considering that millions of fathers who worked various shifts to send their kids through college had been overlooked, while a multi-millionaire footballer was selected instead. The aftermath is almost inevitable, as his affair with a certain ex-teammate’s ex-girlfriend is now out in the public.
5) Tiger Woods (California Hall of Fame, 2007) To be very fair, the Tiger Woods we know before his scandal came to light and after was a very different one. Before December 2009, he was a clear role model for all, a successful story of how one can overcome racism in sports. Afterwards, he is just another millionaire (billionaire?) playboy. He is only still just 34 and has years of golf-playing years left in him, so perhaps he can turn his legacy around with further sporting achievements. However, his “exploits” will never be forgotten by the media.
4) Victor Tan (Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year, 2004) The name Victor Tan may have faded out of news in Singapore, but no one should forget what he has done. Tan was the ex-CEO and Managing Director of Accord Customer Care Solutions (ACCS), an ex-listed company in Singapore. Earlier last decade, Tan was the darling of local media and a classic rags-to-riches story. Having graduated with a diploma, he worked for years before starting ACCS and eventually getting it listed in the local exchange. However, he turned out to be a fraud, as he was convicted for his lead role in an elaborate scam to manipulate financial statements at ACCS in 2006. Extremely ironic, given that audit firm Ernst and Young was the one to award him with his award back in 2004.
3) Fred Goodwin (Knighthood, 2004) Ex-RBS Fred Goodwin was knighted by the Queen in 2004 for his outstanding services to the financial industry. In retrospect, it is fair to say that as the CEO of RBS, he had almost single-handedly shifted history of the industry, but perhaps not in a way the Queen would have agreed to. His ever-aggressive and high risk appetite had caused the near-collapse of RBS, which is now in the hands of the UK government. Goodwin’s pension plan have ensured that he can see out the rest of his life in relative comfort as shareholders of the bank took the full brunt of his reckless policies between 2000 and 2008.
2) Yasser Arafat (Nobel Peace Prize, 1994) To many critics, it is difficult for them to understand how Arafat could ever win the “Peace” Prize, given that he was a founder of one of the most active terrorist organisations over the last century. Middle East politics is a delicate subject which the editorial team does not wish to discuss here, but will like to conclude Arafat’s second place ranking by saying that … peace in Middle is still ever elusive 16 years after Arafat’s Nobel Peace Prize.
1) Myron Scholes/Robert Merton (Nobel Laureates for Economics, 1997) Scholes and Merton won the Nobel in 1997 for coming up with the Black-Scholes model (every finance student will know this), a mathematical model to calculate the value of derivative in the fuzzy world of financial. The pair became famous almost overnight and were also the co-founders of the hedge fund Long Term Capital Management (LTCM). Their meteoric rise to the top is almost as spectacular as their collapse as LTCM racked up losses of US$4.6 billions in four months in 1998 after the Russian Financial Crisis. The hedge fund was entirely liquidated in 2000. This clearly goes to show that the financial markets are unpredictable and even the smartest people on the planet cannot beat it.
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The editorial team will like to seek the opinion from all readers on what you think. Do you agree with the Top 8? Is there anyone that you feel is more worthy to be on the list? Leave a comment!
If there is something that you will like us to feature as part of this top 8 series please leave a comment and our team will try to accomodate!
If you want to speak to us, do drop us an email - sports@temasekreview.com
AFC Champions League MD2: SAFFC 0 Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2
By MJ
After the commendable result against Chinese Super League side Henan Jianye away from home on Match Day 1, SAFFC approached tonight’s AFC Champions League Group G clash against South Korean giants Suwon Samsung Bluewings at the Jalan Besar Stadium with guarded confidence.
The Suwon squad was superior on paper in every department, featuring a host of current South Korean international players in their line-up. In the corresponding match last season, Suwon won the match 2-0 despite resting several of their regular first team players.
SAFFC started the match brightly, pressurizing their opponents and chased for every ball, keeping them pretty much at bay. As the match wore on, the quality of the Korean side showed as they settled into a possession game and began to test SAFFC’s defence with crosses in the box and neat one-twos through the middle.
From then on, it was always going to be a long night for SAFFC and it was evident that there will only be one winner in this contest.
To SAFFC’s credit, they managed to hold off with a combination of some outstanding saves from keeper Sharil Jantan and some poor finishing from Suwon. The tide only turned tremendously in Suwon’s favour in the last min of the first half when Brazilian import Vendrechovski Junior Anselmo struck an unstoppable free kick into the top corner of SAFFC’s goal.
The second half was very much the same story as Suwon looked to increase their lead to kill off the tie. SAFFC were left with a huge mountain to climb when Ivan Lovric was sent off for a second bookable offence. In the 73rd min, Suwon’s Brazilian forward Rodrigues Mota Junior Jose Roberto scored Suwon’s second of the night with a superb effort that gave Sharil no chance.
SAFFC did manage to break away occasionally throughout but were always out numbered by the solid Korean defence. Suwon did not look anywhere near their best, probably affected by the humid Singapore weather and the punishing artificial turf at the Jalan Besar Stadium. In the end, Suwon deserved to win perhaps by a larger score line with an accomplished and professional display.
Analysis from the sideline
This game provides a useful insight into SAFFC’s overall progress as a team, as they also played Suwon last season. A year ago, they were totally outplayed and couldn’t even get out of their own half to create chances.
Suwon also played much better than they did last year and their class was evident in the middle of park, where their players exchanged neat passes and kept possession well.
Despite an overhaul in personnel, SAFFC looked better prepared this season. They were certainly not overawed by the occasion and the players kept to their task and were more than a match for the Koreans. They were not content to just sit back and defend, creating a few good scoring chances of their own.
The final result may have been identical to last year’s, but SAFFC can take pride in this performance and understand that they should only get better from here. J-League giants Gamba Osaka are the next to visit Singapore and they will no doubt provide a stiffer challenge to SAFFC.
It will be easy to reiterate that the gulf between SAFFC and the rest of the East Asian club sides is still wide, but it can be said that this gap is closing slowly but surely. Yesterday, Indonesian club side Persipura Jayapura were hammered 9-0 in China. With this in mind, SAFFC’s performance here looks a whole lot more respectable.
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About the author – MJ has watched more S-League games than anyone he knows and hopes to see it blossom into one of the strongest leagues in the region. He is however annoyed by the lack coverage in the mainstream media and hopes to be the alternative voice.
Also by MJ
Lions on the verge of making history
FAS fails to learn from past mistakes
Should Bridge have built the bridge?
By Ray Ang
What a busy few weeks it has been for English paparazzi!
Firsly, news of John Terry “doing a number on” lingerie model Vanessa Perroncel (ex-girlfriend of Wayne Bridge) splashed all over major the newspapers. Days later, Ashley Cole’s infidelity resulting in his split from pop singer Cheryl Cole from Girls Aloud swiftly followed.
The former led to Wayne Bridge’s decision to withdraw from the England squad selection and also brought much more hype to Manchester City’s visit to Stamford Bridge over the weekend. The match, which saw Man City thrashed Chelsea 4-2, also witnessed the much talked-about handshake snub by Bridge.
Subsequently, all eyes fell on England’s midweek friendly against Egypt and whether the absence of Bridge will be missed. England won that game 3-1 and Bridge’s replacement Leighton Baines put in a commendable performance in his place and quelled pleas from fans to get Bridge to return to the England line up.
However, the big question remains on everyone’s mind. Should Bridge have behaved the way he did? Should he have “built the bridge”?
Fans Reaction
The response from the public to Bridge’s decision to pull out of the England squad has been mixed at best.
There were many who were generally sympathetic of Bridge and argued that people should respect his decision and be supportive of him through such tough times. Bridge’s teammate Carlos Tevez was more vocal with his support of Bridge and said that such behaviour from John Terry would not have been accepted in Argentina and he could have even been killed for his actions.
Others critical of Bridge however pointed to the fact that Bridge was letting his emotions get the better of him. Being a professional footballer, he should behave professionally about the whole matter and be able to separate football (which is his career) and his personal life. Some even commented that he overreacted since Terry was only sleeping with his EX-girlfriend.
Professionalism
Bridge - Preplexed
So how exactly should a professional footballer behave then?
One can argue that Bridge is an employee of Man City and gets his wages paid by the club. Hence, to be professional, Bridge will just have to give his all every time he dons the club jersey. In that aspect, his decision to pull out of the national team has no relation to his professionalism for the club.
However, one can also argue that if Mancini decides to purchase Terry to shore up his backline, will Bridge have behaved in the same manner? In that instance, will he be acting as a professional then? Bridge’s decision has effectively pulled the plug on any potential moves that Mancini can make for Terry (remember that Terry was top of Man City’s shopping list last summer) without him letting Bridge go.
Country over Club
Even though one can argue that Bridge might not have acted unprofessionally, the bigger question might have been whether he could have put his personal differences aside and answer the call to play for his country.
To be called up to play for one’s country is a matter of immense pride and this is especially so in football-mad England.
Bridge might feel let down by Terry but he is letting the whole nation down by not playing and giving England a better chance of winning the much coveted World Cup trophy. It’s akin to turning down the call for national service because he couldn’t stand being with one of his section mate?
This is likely to be Bridge’s last World Cup and the Three Lions’ best shot at winning the World Cup in decades, yet he is not committed to help the highly talented but grossly underachieving squad consisting of Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard and Ferdinand achieve their first win in a major competition.
Acting in Self Interest
Others looking at the matter in a totally different angle say that Bridge made a shrewd move by putting himself out of the running for the squad and sparing himself the embarrassment of being dropped subsequently from the final squad by Fabio Capello.
Capello, being the strict disciplinarian that he is, will not tolerate any dressing room unrest and will likely drop Bridge over Terry to achieve this. Hence, Bridge is essentially acting in his self interest and not really thinking of the bigger picture for his other national team mates or the country for that matter.
Given that the World Cup is still over two months away, there is still every chance that Bridge might overturn his decision and return to the England fold.
However, one might say that if Ashley Cole returns fit from his injury, then Bridge’s eventual decision will only create a ripple and not a wave since he will probably end up playing second fiddle again. In all, it is hard not to give some sympathy to poor Wayne since he is also not even first choice with his wife!
As for John Terry, we all know that he likes scoring at the Bridge but he has clearly taken the matter out of hands with his travesty!
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Ray is a proud product of a local university (the one furthest westwards) and is based in London after having completed his Masters there. He currently plies his trade in a research based function for a financial institution and lists sports and current affairs amongst his many interests.
Top 8 – Football Clubs with the largest debts
With Portsmouth entering administration and facing imminent relegation, the editors have decided to compile a top 8 list of football clubs with the highest amount of debt. The level of debt is by no means a good measure of the club’s sustainability, as shown by Pompey, which went under with about US$100 million worth of debts (much less than any of the clubs listed on this list).
The information collated is from Forbes and correct as of April 2009. For comparative purposes all figures are represented in US dollars, at exchange rates correct as of comparative period. We know the data is almost a year old and things might have significantly changed over time, but given the difficulty of data gathering on financial information, we have considered that this data as current. Bear in mind that most of these football clubs are not listed on exchange, thus gathering of information by Forbes would have been tedious.
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Ranking Methodology: 100% Statistics
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8 ) Schalke 04 (Debts of US$194 million) The first club on this list is Schalke 04, which is somewhat surprising. This German club is neither the biggest club in Germany nor have they competed in the Champions League regularly. However, this club boosts of the most fervent support in football-crazy Germany and the Board had been way too hungry for success over the years. Over the past few seasons, the club had spent heavily on players like Jefferson Farfan (€10m) andRafinha (€5m), but that has not been translated into success on the pitch as they finished 8th last season (and missed out on European club competition entirely).
7) Newcastle United (US$274m) Much like Schalke, Newcastle is a massive club in England which had not been successful on the pitch recently. Their last major honour was the FA Cup in 1955 and they had not won the league title since 1927. An extended stay in the top flight over the previous decade pushed wages over the top for the club and much of this debt is likely to be a result of that. Since Mike Ashley took over the club in 2007, he is known to have invested heavily to help the club clear its debt, thus a potion of the amount here is likely to be owe to Ashley. Newcastle is now of course a Championship side, but is expected to make a swift return to the top flight.
6) Internazionale (US$285m) Inter may be owned by Massimo Moratti, the Italian oil tycoon, but they have amassed nearly US$300m of debt nonetheless. However, it is worthy to note that the significant portion of this debt is not owed to external banks, but rather to Moratti and his various companies. As mentioned above, this fact puts Inter much less at risk than others. The club has also won the last four Serie A titles and is favourites to win the current campaign as well.
5) Real Madrid (US$311m) In terms of valuation and revenue, Real Madrid is the number one club in 2009 but they have considerable debt as well. This debt is likely to have been accumulated by the club’s lavish expenditure in the transfer market. In the past ten years alone, Real Madrid broke the transfer record four times, as they bought Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo on world record fees – this probably explained where the money had been spent on. Interestingly, Real Madrid’s debt-over-value ratio is 23%, the lowest amongst the eight clubs on this list – meaning that the Spanish giant would probably have little problems trying to clear their debt, should their creditors come knocking on the door tomorrow.
Liverpool fans protest
4) Liverpool FC (US$596m) Liverpool’s debt is mainly due to external banks. When co-owners George Gillet and Tom Hicks bought the club in February 2007, they took up a massive loan from various banks and secured it against the assets of the football club. This arrangement was never popular with the fans, as interest payments over time continued to hamper the club’s ambitions in the transfer markets. Last summer, it was widely reported that the club had negotiated with their major creditors to defer some principal repayments, suggesting that the burden of debt is weighing down the club already.
3) Chelsea (US$736m) Much like Inter, most of Chelsea’s debt is owed to their owner Roman Abramovich. Late last year (after this data was compiled), the Russian announced his decision to convert the amounts due to him by the club into equity, leaving Chelsea relatively debt-free. According to most reports, Abramovich is worth about US$13billion, thus Chelsea FC is about 8% of the man’s entire wealth.
2) Manchester United (US$1,010m) Like Liverpool, much of United’s debts had been amassed by their current owners (the Glazer family) who had borrowed heavily when they took over the club back in 2005. Just like the Hicks / Gillet saga at Anfield, United fans had staunchly opposed the Glazer buyout since Day One but all could be done was the staging of protests and chants. United is estimated to pay about S$100m a year to finance the loans, a situation which had almost necessitate the winning of trophies year in year out.
1) Arsenal (US$1,284m) When this set of data is compiled, it appears that Arsenal had the largest debt outstanding of any football club in the world. Also, their debt represented over 100% of the club value, a ratio considered risky by any measure. Arsenal is owned by several different parties and no one party has a simple majority on the ownership. The debt was accumulated over the years, as the club used leverage to finance the entire construction of their Emirates Stadium. However, in a latest financial statement released by the club, it appears that it had managed reduced this debt significantly, showing that the club has healthy cash flow. With that, it is likely to mean that Arsenal is actually in a much better financial position compared to Manchester United and Liverpool on this list.
Editors’ Note: It is by no coincidence that the top four clubs here are the “top four” in English football. It sums up the precarious financial situation English clubs are in and Portsmouth’s demise may be the tip of the iceberg.
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The editorial team will like to seek the opinion from all readers on what you think. Do you agree with the Top 8? Is there anyone that you feel is more worthy to be on the list? Leave a comment!
If there is something that you will like us to feature as part of this top 8 series please leave a comment and our team will try to accomodate!
If you want to speak to us, do drop us an email - sports@temasekreview.com
Heartbreak for Lions
By Brandon Lee
Jordan 2 Singapore 1
Lions outplayed as Jordan takes final qualification spot
A 27,000 packed stadium with Jordanian fans in Amman and harsh windy conditions were prelude to a technically challenging game for Singapore. Besides the unfamiliar weather conditions and a hostile crowd, the Lions came into this game less prepared than they would have liked to as the hosts had provided sub-standard training facilities.
The Jordanians always looked hungrier as they took first initiative in attack. They showed confidence in attack with delightful flick-ons in midfield to unlock a disciplined Singapore team that defended in numbers.
It took just eight minutes for their attack to pay dividends as striker Odai Yousef Ismail brought the home side ahead with a well placed header. Rising above Precious, he headed in from a cross on the right from winger Amer Deeb.
Singapore was quick to pile on the attacking pressure after conceding the goal. Two quick corners were won, but neither posed much danger to Jordan. The wave of attack fizzled out quickly, as the Lions were held captive in their own half by Jordan.
Another fast paced attack found Odai through on goal for a shot and it took by an excellent save by Lionel Lewis and an eventual clearance by Daniel Bennett to nullify the attack. Moments later, Deeb found Odai again with a pin-point cross from the right. Odai turned easily to beat Precious and unleashed a fearsome strike only for Lewis’ to brilliant reaction save to bail the Lions out once more.
It took 41 minutes, but Singapore finally had its first shot on target as Noh Alam Shah headed straight at the keeper from Qiu Li’s cross on the left. By that point, the match was fast turning into a target practice session for the Jordanians.
The Lions went into the break only a goal down and were perhaps a tad lucky.
Before the fans got back to their seats after half-time, Noh Alam Shah equalized with a very deft strike to the left corner of the Jordan goal. The goal breathed life into the Lions as they rediscovered confidence and piled on the attacking pressure.
Good times did not last long for Singapore as the Lions’ defence caved once more from a corner on the 57th minute. Anas Bani Yassein was completely unmarked at the far post as he headed home easily to bring the home side back on the lead. Jordan had a couple of chances before the end of the game but failed to capitalize on any of them.
Unmatched in every department, the Lions could only put in toothless spurts of attacks in the dying moments of the match. It did not matter in the end, but with Thailand losing in Tehran, any equalising goal from Singapore would have been enough for the team to qualify for the 2011 Asian Cup.
Campaign Analysis
Despite finishing bottom of Group E, there are a lot of positives to take away for the Lions in this qualifying campaign. The fact that the team was still in the qualification race before the final game of the Group bears testament to the resolve the team had shown throughout.
The gulf between ourselves and Asian powerhouse Iran was evident over the two legs (we lost 6-0 and 3-1), but we have proven to be a fair match against both Thailand and eventual qualifier Jordan.
Our match up against Thailand over two legs was interesting because of our regional rivalry and we proved that we can beat them, when Aleksander Duric’s goal sealed a famous victory in Bangkok in November last year.
In Hariss Harun, we have one of the most promising central midfielders of our time. He is only just 19 and is already a key player in the team. He was easily our best player against Jordan and he never looked overawed by the atmosphere. If FAS can provide support and opportunity for him for an overseas stint in the near future, it can only be a good thing for him and the national team.
Noh Alam Shah, who scored the goal, has three goals to his name for this campaign – an impressive return considering the quality on the display. At 29, he may not get any quicker, but by playing league football in Indonesia, he can only get more experienced in the next few years.
The overall performance, together with our respectable showing during the 2010 World Cup qualification, showed that all in all, as a proper national team, we had improved much over the years. Bear in mind that our other regional rivals (besides Thailand) had done a lot poorer at this stage, yet we have one of the smallest pool of professional players to choose from.
These two campaigns, albeit unsuccessful, can form the bedrock of our development. The next major pan-Asian campaign for the national team would be qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. That will probably kick off a couple of years from now, but this period of time is crucial in terms of personnel matters. Some senior players will opt for retirement, to allow young blood come through the ranks in the coming months.
Optimism (or blind faith, as some might say) aside, part of the success of the team depends on the support from local media and fans. Rather than lamenting the failure of the team, this editorial team had decided to stand behind the team and hope that our next qualifying campaign will eventually turn out to be successful.
About the Author – Brandon is a freelance writer who strives to be a model citizen. He likes Green Tea without the tinge of Jasmine.
Lions on the verge of making history
Jordan is up next for the Lions
Jordan VS Singapore: Match Preview
By MJ
It will not be exaggerating to say that the Lions face the biggest tie in recent history as they resume their AFC Asian Cup 2011 qualifying campaign with Wednesday’s final Group E clash against Jordan in Amman.
History beckons the Lions as they bid to become the first Singapore side to qualify for the Asian Cup Finals (we qualified as hosts in 1984).
Thailand play group leaders Iran in Tehran on the same day simultaneously and the Lions have to get a better result than Thailand to ensure that they will be in the hat for the main draw.
Singapore will be without dead ball specialist Shaiful Esah, midfielder John Wilkinson, forward Khairul Amri, all struck down by injuries. Midfield lynchpin Mustafic Fahrudin will also miss the tie due to a suspension and the Lions skipper Indra Shadan has pulled out of the game citing personal issues.
Veteran striker Aleksandar Duric and Indonesia-based Noh Alam Shah will almost certainly be given the task of getting the goals while the midfield will likely be patrolled by young Hariss Harun.
The central defence pairing of Precious Emuejeraye and Baihakki Khaizan together with keeper Hassan Sunny will have to be at their best to keep out the Jordan team who must win to stand any chance of qualifying at all.
Jordan presents somewhat of an unknown quality. They have a couple of Europe-based players, but none of them are well-known outside of their own clubs and country.
Judging by the team’s record in the group thus far, it is probably fair to say that they are a defensive-minded side that is tactically solid at the back. They had only scored twice in five games, but had only conceded three times (two of them against Singapore in the previous meeting). In their last competitive game in Amman, they did beat a strong Iranian side with a late goal, so their quality should not be doubted.
The positive thing for the Lions is that Jordan cannot afford to sit back for this game. They have to beat Singapore to have any chance at all of qualification, thus are likely to open up and try to get a goal at every opportunity. For Singapore, this is where we can break and hit them on the counter. Even without Shaiful, our set-pieces will remain a threat with the likes of Duric and Precious in the box.
The climate is another factor for the Lions to overcome. Temperature is expected to hover just above 10 degrees Celsius for the game and the air will be dry, presenting very different conditions for our players, all of which are based in the South-east Asian region.
However, let us not forget that SAFFC played under very similar weather conditions in China a week ago (in the AFC Champions League) and still managed to play out to a credible goalless draw. Perhaps Raddy Avramovic can take a few pointers from SAFFC coach Richard Bok on how he managed to get his team acclimatised to the conditions in such a short period of time.
In the corresponding fixture a little more than a year ago, the Lions won an ill-tempered contest 2-1 at the Singapore National Stadium.
Both sides accused the other with rough play and dirty tactics culminating in the Jordanians issuing a warning ‘You come to Jordan, you die!’ to the Singapore side. Raddy and his charges can expect hostilies on the pitch and on the stands.
Given this history and the importance of the match, we can be expected to be treated to a cracker of a game. 25,000 Jordanians may fill the Amman International Stadium to back their team, but thanks to support from MediaCorp, millions (hopefully) of Singapore fans can support the team in the front of their television sets.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Iran | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 10 |
| Thailand | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Singapore | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 13 | −8 | 6 |
| Jordan | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 5 |
Singapore will qualify if:
Singapore beats Jordan AND Thailand draws or loses in Iran / Singapore draws Jordan AND Thailand loses in Iran (Head-to-head counts first before Goal Difference, hence Thailand will qualify as long as they match Singapore’s result)
This match will be telecast live on Channel 5 at 2355hrs on Wednesday 3 March, 2010.
About the author – MJ has watched more S-League games than anyone he knows and hopes to see it blossom into one of the strongest leagues in the region. He is however annoyed by the lack coverage in the mainstream media and hopes to be the alternative voice
Top 8 – Most successful clubs in the English League Cup
As a prelude to the weekend’s League Cup Final at Wembley, the editors have decided to review the top 8 most successful clubs in this competition, which many had often considered secondary.
The English League Cup was first competed in 1960, as grounds around the country erected floodlights, allowing games to be played on mid-week evenings. To earn more gate receipts, the FA organised this competition to fill up the gaps now available. Various sponsors had their name attached to the competition since 1982 and the current edition is called the Carling Cup.
The winners of the League Cup are guaranteed a spot in the Europa League, but the runners-up are not guaranteed the spot if the winners have already qualified for Europe through their league position.
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Ranking Methodology: 100% Statistics (ranked by outright wins, runners-up finish taken into consideration if tied)_________________________________________________________________________________________
8 ) Arsenal (2 times winner; 4 times runners-up) Just sneaking into this chart is Arsenal, with two wins and four runners-up finishes in the competition. Their 2007 Final against Chelsea will be remembered for the wrong reasons, as three players were sent off in injury time. The Gunners last victory in the competition was back in 1993, when an all-British/Irish Arsenal side beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1. How times have changed – current manager Arsene Wenger prefers to use reserves and youth players in this competition nowadays.
7) Leicester City (3;2) The League Cup is the only major competition the Foxes have ever won and they have done so on three different occasion. In the late 1990s, they were a dominant force in this competition, reaching the Final three times in four years and winning two of them under Martin O’Neill. However, since that 2000 victory, the furthest the club had gone was the Fourth Round.
6) Manchester United (3;4) This year’s Finalist Manchester United ranks sixth on this list. The Red Devils are also the defending champions in the competition, having won it last year to add to the two which they had previously won. Interestingly, Alex Ferguson had adopted a mix and match policy in terms of selection in this competition over the years – opting of youth in the earlier rounds and slowly introducing senior players towards the tail-end of the competition. A victory this year will help them move to third on this chart.
5) Chelsea (4;2) The West-London side first won the competition back in 1965 but have since added to that tally with two victories in 2005 and 2007. Over the last five years, Chelsea and United at the most successful sides in the competition, with two wins and one runner-up finish each.
5) Nottingham Forest (4;2) Forest chalked up four League Cup wins in the space of 13 years, between 1978 and 1990, all of which had been won with the legendary manager Brian Clough at the helm. Since then the club has gone through tough times, having spent a couple of seasons in League One. This season looks bright for Forest though, with promotion back to the Premier League a likely target.
3) Tottenham Hotspurs (4;3) Spurs won the League Cup two years ago, after Jonathan Woodgate found the net in extra time to secure a 2-1 win over London rivals Chelsea. They reached the Final again last year and were thoroughly unlucky to lose to United on penalties. This year, they were knocked out of the competition by United, who will overtake them on this chart should they win the Final on Sunday.
2) Aston Villa (5;2) This year’s Finalists Aston Villa was the most successful club in this competition between 1996 and 2001. They were also the first ever winners of the League Cup, when they defeated Rotterdam United over two legs way back in 1961. Martin O’Neill will be gunning for his tenth major honour as a manager – an impressive statistic by any measure.
1) Liverpool (7;3) The Reds are the most successful club in this competition, having reached a total of 10 Finals and winning on seven occasions. Over four seasons between 1981 and 1984, Liverpool won the trophy consecutively, a record which is very difficult to break. Not surprisingly, Liverpool legend Ian Rush is the joint League Cup goal scorer with 49 goals. However, the Reds have had very little success in this competition under Rafael Benitez, finishing runners-up in 2005 and not progressing beyond the quarter-finals since. Liverpool are guaranteed top on this chart, until at least the 2012 League Cup competition.
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The editorial team will like to seek the opinion from all readers on what you think. Do you agree with the Top 8? Is there anyone that you feel is more worthy to be on the list? Leave a comment!
If there is something that you will like us to feature as part of this top 8 series please leave a comment and our team will try to accomodate!
S-League Insight: FAS fails to learn from past mistakes
By MJ (S-League correspondent)
The 2010 S-League season has kicked off with two new foreign clubs in the fold, Etoile FC and Beijing Guoan (the latter styled as Beijing Guoan Talent FC).
The inclusion of the new clubs, especially Beijing Guoan Talent, has been hotly debated in the local football fraternity, as the FAS has omitted Yishun Reds in the process (a local club converted from Super Reds).
Many supporters of the local league have bemoaned the admission of yet another Chinese club as more local footballers are deprived of the opportunity to play in the S-League and hence the chance to play professional football.
To date, the track records of Chinese clubs in the S-League have been unimpressive, to say the least. Beijing Guoan’s predecessors – Sinchi FC, Dalian Shide Siwu FC and Liaoning Guangyuan FC – have all failed to provide a respectable challenge to the local sides and all of them had finished in the bottom half of the league.
China’s own domestic league (Chinese Super League) has been plagued with match-fixing scandals which they had struggled to eradicate over time. Recently, two Chinese clubs were relegated by the FA after investigations revealed that they had bribed oppositions.[1] Observers noted that this incident is by no means isolated and may be just the tip of the iceberg of a massive problem in Chinese domestic football.
This attitude of tolerance to match-fixing had spilled over to the S-League as several players and officials of Liaoning Guangyuan FC were charged and jailed after allegations of match-fixing surfaced in 2008.
There is no suggestion here that Beijing Guoan Talent FC’s parent club is corrupted, but the link is undeniable.
Beijing Guoan Talent are three matches into their maiden campaign and over 300 minutes of football, they had shown nothing on the pitch to suggest that they can live up to their management’s promise of good football before the campaign had started[2].
They only have earned a point from a goalless draw with Woodlands Wellington FC and lost their season opener with fellow debutant Etoile FC to a single late goal. They have also been knocked out of the Singapore League Cup by perennial underdogs Sengkang Punggol.
The bulk of their squad consists of players below the age of 21. To the parent club, this is just a reserve league to help their young players obtain some playing time. How can these young and inexperienced players be expected to provide a strong challenge to the local sides? When fatigue and homesickness kicks in as the season progresses, expect poorer performances from this side.
On the other hand, FAS may have a wider political agenda to include a Chinese team in the league to attract the large number of PRC immigrants here. What they had failed to realise is that football is never that popular a sport in China and domestic football hardly gets a mention in the Chinese media. As the first few Beijing Guoan Talent games had proven, large crowd of Chinese fans waving the PRC flag did not turn up at the stadia to back “their” team.
The FAS has made another poor decision in choosing Beijing Guoan Talent FC. The S-League is a local league and it should be provide local football players with the platform to play at the highest level possible. There is a danger here of the S-League becoming a feeder league to another domestic league.
There are a lot of reasons not to include this Chinese side and FAS seemed to have missed them all. Let us not forget that there are still several defunct ex-S-League sides (including Sembawang Rangers and Tanjong Pagar United) still waiting for financial support to make a return but they had been widely ignored by FAS.
About the author – MJ has watched more S-League games than anyone he knows and hopes to see it blossom into one of the strongest leagues in the region. He is however annoyed by the lack coverage in the mainstream media and hopes to be the alternative voice
[1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8527889.stm
[2] http://www.todayonline.com/Sports/EDC100119-0000084/Beijing-Guoan-start-with-a-clean-slate,-say-FAS
Top 8 – Sports Films of Our Time
Top 8 will be a new regular Sports feature (published every Friday), where the editors will choose eight top persons/incidents and rank them in descending order, either by pure opinion, hard data or a mixture of both. Why eight? It is not because the editors are lazy but because top ten is getting boring and eight is a lucky number in Singapore!
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Ranking Methodology: 100% opinion
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Some have argued that sports films can hardly ever be considered classics, simply because the endings are usually within expectations. They say that watching a sports film can never be compared to watching a game ‘live’. However, like films of other genres, sports films cut away the boring bits and build up as much action into a limited time frame as possible.
The list below aims to rank the top 8 sports film of our time – purely based on the opinion of the editor.
8 ) Dodgeball To be fair, Dodgeball has a somewhat predictable Hollywood plot – poor boy in a bad situation, stood up against tyranny, eventually turned the tide and leaves with the girl of his dream. However, the onscreen ensemble of comic maestros Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughan and Christine Taylor managed to bring the film to the next level. A one-minute cameo by cycling legend Lance Armstrong was one of the most memorable cameos in cinematic history. This 100% feel-good film deserves a watch.
7) Mean Machine Ex-footballer Vinnie Jones starred in this 2001 adaption of the 1974 American film, The Longest Yard. As Danny Meehan, Jones is an ex-England captain who was sacked because of match-fixing. Behind bars, he is to lead a team of convicts against a team of prison wardens. Not surprisingly, the wardens pressured Meehan into throwing the game. In the final scene, Meehan was caught in a moral dilemma and expectedly, he chose to be on the side of his new-found teammates. Compared to other soccer films like Goal! and Escape to Victory, this is much more bearable.
6) Invictus The film had all ingredients of becoming a classic. Hollywood mega-stars Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon stars as Nelson Mandela and Springboks skipper Francois Pienaar. Set during post-Apartheid South Africa just prior to the 1995 Rugby Union World Cup, this film portrays how a sport had galvanised a country in times of diversity. At time of writing, the film had already garnered two Oscar nominations but to gauge the long-term success, perhaps more time is needed – hence the rather low rating on this particular chart.
5) Field of Dreams “If you build it, he will come”, the famous line from the film is still being quoted every now and then. This 1989 classic stars Kevin Costner as a rural farmer who hears voices asking him to construct a baseball ground on his farmland. He obliges despite his financial problems and spirits of famous baseball legends begin to appear and play on his ground. A somewhat confusing storyline, but this film is considered a cult classic in the baseball-loving America.
'That Jerry Maguire Kid'
4) Jerry Maguire “Show me the money” and “You had me at hello” are two famous quotes from which will ensure that this film will have a special place in a lot of our hearts. Onscreen chemistry between Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger was electrifying to say the least and a special performance by a six-year-old Jonathan Lipnicki also touched many hearts. This is an enjoyable feel-good film from start to end, but inevitably predictable storyline for a film starring Cruise.
3) Chariots of Fire This 1981 film tells the true stories of two 1924 Olympic athletes. One is an English Jew, who had to overcome institutional racism to participate in the games. The other is a devout Christian, who refuses to take part in his pet 100m event because it fell on a Sunday, despite political pressure. The film won four Oscars in the Academy Awards that year, including the coveted Best Picture. It also has a fantastic soundtrack to go along with the film.
2) Cinderella Man Boxing is perhaps one sport which had been dramatised more so than others. Cinderella Man tells the true story of heavyweight boxing champion James Braddock. Set during the Great Depression, the film accurately illustrates how Braddock had to struggle to feed his family. He eventually overcame massive odds (and a serious hand injury) to become a world champion. Russell Crowe was nominated in the Golden Globe for his performance and this is a great film for anyone who likes to support the underdog (like myself).
Robert De Niro is Jake LaMotta
1) Raging Bull
It is not easy to choose the best of the best, but Raging Bull is definitely an eye-catching film. Directed by Martin Scorseese, Robert De Niro won an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Jake LaMotta. The film’s plot is slow moving, but nonetheless tells a touching story between LaMotta, his brother and his wife. De Niro himself put on considerable weight to play the role and the film also shot actor Joe Pesci to fame. In 1998, this film was named number 24 in the American Film Institute’s (AFI) top 100 films of all them and is also the top-ranked sports-related film. Go grab this DVD if you haven’t seen it before.
The editorial team will like to seek the opinion from all readers on what you think. Do you agree with the Top 8? Is there anyone that you feel is more worthy to be on the list? Leave a comment!
If there is something that you will like us to feature as part of this top 8 series please leave a comment and our team will try to accomodate!
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