Closure

Regrettably, this post will signify the closure of activities on this blog.

Just to recap on some of the highlights of the blog:

1) Hattrick: Analysis of my team's performances
2) Soccerproject: Analysis and Planning for my team's activities
3) Singapore Football National Team commentary
4) S-League updates and views
5) Euro 2008
6) EWal Prediction Series
7) World Cup 2010

I am really glad to have seen this blog through so many exciting events, including a friend-based soccer prediction series I initiated. To those who have read some of the stuff on this blog since its inception at the end of 2006, I hope I have offered some form of reading pleasure.

Thank You, and on a final note, I wish the best for Singapore sports.

3 horse race

It's incredibly close now, with Etoile, Tampines and Home locked in a really close battle for the S-League title. It's now official that SAFFC has been dethroned, having won the past 3 or 4 S-League titles!

The sale of Duric and release of Therdsak Chaiman probably proved a crucial blow to SAFFC as they underwent a makeover for this season. They had to part with their ageing stars and give new players chances at some point in time, and this is just the price they have to pay. They are, however, in good position to finish 4th. But Richard Bok will have to do better to make a charge for the title next season.

Four games left, who's going to win it? A potential title decider is Tuesday's clash between Tampines and Home. The losers will probably lose the chance for the title. As it stands, Etoile has the best chance, and they control their destiny.

Even on the scoring table, Etoile's Frederic Mendy and Tampines' Duric are close. Duric is just a goal shy of being the first ever to reach 300 goals in all Singapore competitions. But Mendy's wastefulness in front of goal last night may prove disastrous if it continues into his last 4 matches, against stronger opposition and defences.

I am a fan of evergreen Duric, and seeing that Sharil Ishak, also high on the topscorers list this season for Home, is leaving after the crunch match against Rovers for Indonesia, I think it's Tampines' chance to nail the title.

Closing Ceremony

I had been busy, so I haven't been able to deliver any concrete posts regarding events of the YOG... so I hope to round up with something more.

Sure, we couldn't win a gold medal. But some of our athletes have won us Singaporeans over with their spirit.

Sure, the Singapore Cubs should have defeated Haiti to reach the final. A below-par game killed that hope. But winning the bronze, which meant bouncing back from the setback, shows the spirit and resilience of the young players, which I think must really be applauded.

And there's Isabelle Li, who delivered a surprise silver medal in the girls' singles. With my best friend Kenneth, I watched Isabelle and Clarence Chew in the deciding match of the mixed team quarter-finals, with scores tied at one apiece. From 2 sets down, the pair fought back to win the next 2, though ultimately falling short. Though left slightly disappointed, I believe the paddlers did enough to win our hearts and faith.

Local born heroes. Who says the Foreign Talent Scheme had no use? Without the table tennis upheaval in Singapore, there wouldn't have been increased investment to facilitate the training programmes for these future stars. And let's not forget the role of role models the senior players occupy, giving advice and guidance to these up and coming players eager to make their mark in the future.

Tonight, the inaugural Youth Olympic Games closes. It has been a great, new experience for the nation, from the torch relay across the nation, to the lighting of the cauldron, and to today's shutting of the Olympic flame... let us always have this YOG etched in our memories. Catch the closing ceremony tonight.

It's been a great deal of a moment for all of us Singaporeans.

Cheers for Singapore athletes

To all athletes, well done!

Special mention to table tennis player Isabelle Li, who surprised herself to make it to the final and secure a silver medal in the girls' singles event!

And the taekwando team which has brought us medals!

And the soccer team which has brought many of us Singaporeans together to display the kind of spirited unity at Jalan Besar we seldom ever see, except for some important Singapore National Team matches.

Can we win a gold medal?

YOG Opens!

Beautiful ending to the Opening Ceremony of the 1st ever YOG!

The Olympic anthem was very nicely done by the choristers (includes HCJC's choir!!). Then the torch is great. Of the Youth Olympians, Darren Choy probably deserved most to carry the torch to light the flame, as he is our biggest medal hope, as a 2-time world champion and gold medallist at last year's precursor Asian Youth Games.

The cauldron is special with the lighthouse design and the tornado effect of the flame. Cool stuff :D

And I would like to applaud one person in particular: IOC president Jacques Rogge. He is the brainchild of this extension to the Olympics, and one part of his speech genuinely struck me.

He talked about the vast difference between being a WINNER and a CHAMPION.

Very on the spot. (Y)(Y)

JYOF

I will be witnessing part of the Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame tomorrow! So excited :D

After National Day, it's the YOG and let us rally together for Singapore to host a successful inaugural Games!

At least the theme song Everyone sounds good and uplifting :D

YOG

I haven't been updating as much as I would like to.

But well, I am back to just give an overview of things to come.

Firstly, the YOG is looming! It starts in the middle of next month, and it's the first of its kind in the world, in SINGAPORE!

I won't be involved competitively nor as a volunteer, but I will immerse myself in the spirit and would aim to spread this spirit to the people around me.

This is arguably our biggest sporting moment to date and probably for a long time to come, and we must make full use of it to make it a huge spectacle.

It's a good sign that many are contending over the YOG cheer, and a contest is even started to challenge Singaporeans to come up with a better cheer than JJ Lin's energetic but probably rather superficial and uninspiring cheer. A Facebook group expressing dislike for the official YOG cheer got thousands of Likes. Even Ris got into the act. Even former NMP Eunice Olsen got involved.

This just shows that passion runs high, though whether this can translate to very enthusiastic sentiments, it rests on us Singaporeans.

Make us so proud! Haha.

Delight

I didn't want to make any voiced prediction over the result of the World Cup final, because it really seems like whoever I back will crash out of the competition.

It's probably more down to my inadequate prediction skills (unlike Paul the Octopus) than any relation to bringing bad luck. I am not that 'influential'.

France crashed out. Cameroon, which I backed as most likely the best performing African side, was the first to be eliminated. Then England was defeated after I backed it to overcome Germany (and Argentina). Then backing Argentina and Brazil for q-finals, both crashed out. Germany, who defied my expectations, won me over after the Argentina spectacle. I took it as my choice for the title. They crashed to Spain.

My choice was Spain. I'm glad they won. They peaked at the right moment. Though they were never clinical in finishing, they were consistent in their game.

The Spain now brings back memories of the France a decade ago. France emerged in 1998, winning the WC title on home soil before claiming the Euro 00 after it. Spain won Euro 08, then followed with WC 10. Both countries in both periods were in some sort of a golden era. Think the likes of Barthez (yes), Zidane, Thuram, Petit, Henry... Then Casillas, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Villa.


The difference that can possibly prevent Spain from slipping off the radar like France did in 2002 is the immense strength in depth (allowing for bench players to rotate with the first-team players without decreasing quality) and good managers. Vicente del Bosque is a great manager which Real Madrid didn't appreciate and his Spanish team has just delivered the first ever title (also their first semi-final or better appearance with the exception of the 1950 low turnout edition).

The rough antics of the Dutch failed, and beautiful football (albeit not clinical throughout the competition) won. All neutrals, you may cheer. For the team that produced the best quality of football (Germany pale only in style though) deservingly won.

Buildup to finale

Netherlands have made the World Cup final! Third time in their history; they only managed a best showing of 3rd in the heights of the Total Football era.

Spain has made the semi-finals for the first time with a creditable competition (they managed to be in the Top 4 in 1950 where only 13 teams participated). Incidentally, Uruguay won that edition, but this time round they are stopped at the semi-finals after a comparatively easy run of matches including South Korea and Ghana.

Compare this to Germany, who faced England and Argentina, winning both games by scoring 4 goals. Now they have Spain to contend with.

This year's World Cup seems to have proceeded extremely fast, without much positive drama. The only major positive note this time round is Germany's efficient performances coupled with some degree of flair and youthful exuberance.

Pre-tournament favourites Spain and Brazil have been far short of living up to expectations, with Brazil ousted by a Dutch comeback and Spain just sneaking past with Villa's goals and the midfield playmakers' reliability. Even Netherlands, with a scintillating lineup of attackers, have not translated their potential to convincing results.

Although the octopus predicts a Spain win (it got its 5 previous predictions for Germany all right), it should be an error like the only one it has made to date: Germany to defeat Spain in Euro 08. This time, the tables should be turned.

Quick predictions

With the top 16 settled, here are my predictions for the teams making the final four.

Ghana to beat South Korea to reach top 4.
England defeats Germany and Argentina to reach s-finals.
Brazil edges Netherlands in q-finals.
Spain smoothly through to s-finals.

The 2nd prediction is very close, and I am choosing England like in a 51-49 tilt over Argentina. And 55-45 over Germany.

Spain and Brazil are both starting not very strong, but this could be favourable for them to peak at the right time. But in fact, none of the teams except Argentina can be said to be peaking. But the arduous path means that England, Germany and Argentina will have to fight hard to get to the s-finals.

And as much as I like the Netherlands team lineup, I have more confidence and faith in Brazil to pull it off, with their newly developed defensive strength useful against the hot Dutch attack.

England will need to improve tremendously, and the only way they can match my prediction is to possess a very strong defence and be clinical in finishing. The defence is especially needed against quality opposition from the industrious and united Germans to the Messi-led Argentine scintillating attack. Argentina have the odds in their favour, and I won't be surprised if they are the ones into the s-finals.

Let's see how it goes. Argentina seems very strong, and if they are clinical and didn't pick too early (we shall observe), then they should get to the final.

Shocks galore

Brazil struggled to a 2-1 win over North Korea (credit to latter).
Netherlands were unconvincing against defensive Denmark.
Spain crashed to an opening defeat to the Swiss.
France crashed to Mexico and no longer have their fate in their hands.
Germany, after a 4-0 win, lost their next match.
England held to a 2nd consecutive draw, against Algeria this time.

To now, only Argentina has truly made a good impression. Which means there might still be a chance we can see a World Cup 2010 final between North Korea and Algeria.

Woah.

France can only blame themselves. Most of the players didn't play with their hearts united. Under an eccentric coach will inexplicable tactics, most notably leaving Thierry Henry on the bench and Govou and Anelka on the field. The only way to salvage some pride is for them to set the foundations for Blanc's incoming reign, by performing convincingly against the hosts, regardless of whether they can proceed to the next round.

Pride can be better salvaged with a great performance but elimination, rather than an unconvincing performance but luck to proceed. Of course I do hope a miracle can happen, but the foundations can only be laid if Domenech starts listening to the whole world, and bring Henry into the team. That's a first step. There are many things to correct Some, like the team spirit, can only be rebuilt under Laurent Blanc, but for now, focus all efforts on the final group game. Don' crash out humiliatingly without scoring a single goal and with a single point like in 2002, when they were defending champions.


Greece surprised me with their win over Nigeria, though Nigeria was a man down for long periods of the game. It would take a lot for Nigeria to proceed, like France. But Argentina is doing well despite a seemingly inadequate coach in Maradona, unlike France. Unlike Domenech, Maradona remains sort of a hero thanks to his achievements as a player himself.

England is astounding. In one of the easiest groups, they are struggling for goals and could not beat arguably the weakest team in the competition. It's unbelievable to see Slovenia top of the group with 4 points, but England of course can still right the wrongs by winning against the group leaders to progress. Unlike France, they still have their fate in their own hands.

Let's wait to see how pre-tournament joint favourites Spain and Brazil, as well as dark horses Netherlands, fare in their upcoming matches.

Asian hopes

It seems to be coming.

South Korea won against Greece 2-0.
Even Japan defeated Cameroon, my tip for best African performance, 1-0.

Can North Korea do it against Brazil? Highly unlikely though. Brazil is several notches higher than Greece and Cameroon, and North Korea doesn't seem to be as good as South Korea.

The biggest hope is without doubt South Korea, but following Japan's surprise win, there is now a good chance for them to progress to the next round.

Australia crashed to the biggest defeat of the tournament thus far, to Germany 0-4, but there are some who says Germany is benefiting because they are accustomed to playing with the ball in the Bundesliga having been introduced by sponsors, so on... we will see if the supposed advantage can lead them far, and there's a good chance we might even see Germany vs England right in the next round.

For now, the African teams are not really doing well despite huge fan support. They have to buck up in the next 2 group matches.

And what's an exciting match today?
GMT+8 Singapore 10pm Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) vs Portugal

After 2 days

5 matches played. Goals scored in each match: 2,0,2,1,2.

More goals are needed! Come On!

I have watched 3 of the 5 matches to date, and my favourite is actually the Uruguay vs France goalless draw. Many commentators have derided the match and the French team; no flair, no finishing, no creativity, no entertainment, etc.

But I actually felt France did pretty well. They pass the ball around fluently, they are faster than in the past attacking. They are lacking the creativity to create clear chances and they are lacking the finishing. A true playmaker that can deliver pinpoint balls and through balls or produce intelligent play, coupled with a clinical finisher will do the job for France, provided they can stabilise the defence.

Many times against Uruguay they have danger faced... but the pace of Evra and Sagna, and Gallas even, are encouraging. Gourcuff was however showing his lack of experience, and the team is probably right for lambasting Domenech. Diaby is a really strong option, I think he did best in the midfield. Toulalan doesn't bring anything to the attack, so I would expect him to shield the defence better.

As for the starting attacking trio, I am very disappointed. Ribery, for the whole match, was misfiring and terribly off-form it could have been awkward for him. Govou probably didn't contribute anything, while Anelka was only slightly better, but he can't just wait for the ball so much, especially when the killer supplies do not come.

Henry should start ahead of Anelka... although he hasn't been starting much for Barca and is not on top form, he is still the best attacking option nonetheless. In the 20 minutes he was on, he did more than Anelka or Govou or Ribery did. He, however, needs to go for the ball more because of, as I said, the midfield's inadequate supply.

From the next match onwards, I do hope Domenech listen to the players' words. Start with a midfield of Malouda-Toulalan-Diaby and an attack of Ribery-Henry-Gignac. If Ribery is still so off-form, move Malouda into his position and Gourcuff can fill the midfield gap, on the right, with Diaby shifting to the left.


I am finding African keepers rather good... first it was South Africa's, then Nigeria's Enyeama. Good performances from both. Messi is performing like on a Barca side, dominating the opportunities, being a little selfish. A bit wasteful sometimes, and well-saved sometimes.

I am now switching support from Nigeria to South Korea. South Korea has caught my attention of late with their good warm up performances, and they look a better bet to progress now. But it's still 50-50 in my opinion. Greece can say goodbye soon.

I didn't catch England's match, and have yet to see the highlights, but I think the draw justifies the inadequacies of the squad. They need Barry to hold the defensive midfield role, not Gerrard. Gerrard's more defensive role results in less attacking prowess. There isn't a very strong attacking threat apart from Rooney, unlike many other teams. Argentina has many to choose from. Netherlands has many too. Even Uruguay has Forlan and Suarez. And attack is made more important following the loss of Rio Ferdinand.

I can take a break for today's matches, because they aren't really exciting matches.

Update next time (:

Brief Overview of WC chances

This World Cup is being talked up as one that could potentially be the most competitive one, and could also spring some surprises.

Spain and Brazil and clearly joint favourites of the tournament, while England is always talked up by the media. A very talented Argentina attack places them in the front as well, while it's never wise to rule out Germany, who, for the record, finished 2nd at the 2002 World Cup to Brazil, 3rd at the 2006 World Cup (Extra time loss to Italy) and 2nd at the Euro 2008 to Spain.

On the other hand, it's not very possible to find out who will be surprises; you won't call it a surprise if you expected it all along. But let me try to identify the potential surprises and shocks, and the potential winners.

This is the first time the World Cup lands on African soil, and it's good to start by looking at the African chances. But if you have noticed, I have already done that in my previous post. And my tip is Cameroon to go furthest, at the expense of Italy probably.

Though Italy can probably be regarded in a similar breath to Germany, it's hard to back them this time round despite their surprising run to the title last time round. Their buildup has been really unconvincing, and more importantly, despite their coach Marcello Lippi, the team is way too old. They cannot last through the whole length of the tournament, and their defence, as strong as a giant rock the last time, can be really rocky with the lack of pace.

Another country with a really poor buildup is, ironically, fellow 2006 World Cup finalists France. Unlike Italy, they are clearly not blessed with a really good coach. Domenech's decisions have been astounding to pros and public alike. He left Samir Nasri and Karim Benzema off the squad, and despite the clear scoring troubles in all 3 warmup matches, stuck with the same attack, without Thierry Henry.

However, passing the captaincy to Patrice Evra from Henry is a good decision. Henry doesn't thrive on the captaincy, as shown in his final season with Arsenal before moving to the Nou Camp. And the decision to shift to a more attacking 4-3-3 formation can be duly rewarded, provided Les Bleus can take control of it. They have the talents for it.

The frontline of Ribery-Henry-Gignac can prove to be exciting. Anelka and Cisse should be backup to Henry and Gignac. In midfield, Malouda-Toulalan-Gourcuff, with Alou Diarra backup to Toulalan and Diaby an alternate choice to Malouda or Gourcuff, France do have sufficient choices. And with the squad, it's not easy for 4 midfielders to play, as backup will be thin.

But then again, if France indeed proceeds to the semi-finals and beyond, it will be a huge surprise. But not impossible, provided the defence holds strong (Lloris is pretty reliable to date), and the attack gets clinical. There is still time, but I don't fancy Les Bleus' chances without Henry spearheading the attack. Domenech needs to make it right, real soon.

France is in a very group with no clear favourites. South Africa are on a hot run and have a much better chance of progressing than at 6 months ago. Thanks to Carlos Alberto Parreira, the former Brazil coach at the last World Cup. I have a feeling, given France's current woes, that South Africa will get the top spot in the group, while France finishes second. That is a possibility especially if France does not win their first game. I expect South Africa to win the opening game against Mexico in front of home support. But never discount Mexico or Uruguay. Nevertheless, I hope France makes it past the group stage and pick up their form.

England's chances may be badly hampered by Rio's loss to injury. Without Rio, there isn't an established 1st team central defender for the national team. Testing around needs to be done fast, within the group stage, which should be fairly easy. I have a feeling that the recalled Dawson, if given the chance, may perform well. But it will be a risk in big matches due to his inexperience. In those cases, Carragher should stand a better chance. And Rooney needs to stay fit throughout the tournament.

Germany, without Ballack, is similarly hampered like England. But the German team is traditionally a cohesive unit, a team with strong mental strength, and they will need strong opposition to be denied a long run again this time. But the title? Unlikely.

Spain is actually having an unconvincing buildup again, and despite their Euro 08 success, I am beginning to have doubts over whether they can build a brand like Brazil's. Could Euro 08 just be a one-off? It's likely that they are not going to win, for me, despite having one of the most talented lineups from defence to attack. They should proceed to the quarter-finals at least, but from there, depending on the opposition, I am not backing Spain to reach the final.

Brazil, however, is a really hot favourite this time because of Dunga. He has brought to the Brazilians the importance of defence, and with a fit Julio Cesar, and new faces in attack, though not so attention grabbing like Ronaldinho or Ronaldo or Robinho or Adriano, such as Luis Fabiano. And Kaka could be pivotal to their chances. I tip them to make it to the final.

And Netherlands. They are having a very hot buildup, and they have scintillating attacking talents on their team. But they could face one big problem. Teams which do extremely well in the warmup matches may have peaked too early. Just look at Argentina in the last World Cup. Their group matches were so brilliant, they were delivering fancy dream goals like the 24-pass one scored by Cambiasso, or Maxi's brilliant curling goal. But? They got stopped at the quarter finals.

Portugal are in the Group of Death, but in a change of mind, I think they will make it past the group stage nonetheless. They have been unconvincing through qualifying and warmup, but Ivory Coast are known as chokers despite having arguably the strongest African team. With Drogba doubtful, they might not progress.

There are some easy groups out there, and I can actually see New Zealand springing a surprise. There is even a small chance that 2 from NZ, Slovakia and Paraguay can progress, given Italy's woes. I just have no belief in this Italian team. They will have to stop Netherlands, though.


I know this is a very sketchy post, but I hope the summary will be better.

Brazil to make final
France to make at least semi-final
England/Germany to make semi-final
Spain to make quarter-final
Netherlands no further than quarter-final
Italy no further than Top 16
Portgual no further than Top 16
South Africa to make Top 16

WC2010

World Cup 2010 is in fact shaping up similarly to WC 2006. Then, Italy was ridden by a matchfixing scandal and against all odds, they went on to lift the trophy. France was total outsiders at the start of the tournament following a poor qualifying campaign, but overcoming the slow start, they defeated Spain, Brazil and Portugal to the final, before losing a final they probably deserved to win. Both teams were hugely unfancied.

This time round, Italy are termed as 'too old'. France is suffering the same problem, with an even less convincing qualifying campaign that ended with a controversial goal, which I would choose not to mention. But more interestingly, Raymond Domenech, that eccentric astrologer-coach for France, is still in charge. And Marcello Lippi, who lifted the trophy 4 years ago, is back in the reins after a poor reign by Roberto Donadoni.

So it's hugely resemblant. But there are many things that have changed for the other nations.

Brazil has developed a defensive dimension under Dunga, and they have very good goalkeepers at their disposal (Julio Cesar of Inter, Heurelho Gomes of Tottenham). Compare that with Dida last time. Spain broke their underachievers tag to win the Euro 2008 and are rather irresistible at the moment. England hired a tactician in Fabio Capello and they looked to be more disciplined and cohesive and youthful already.

On the other hand, Argentina, who was a big favourite at the last World Cup due to their stirring group performances, are unfancied because of Diego Maradona. Ironic, but he has been unimpressive as coach, only managing to squeeze in to the WC by the narrowest of margins.

There is little attention on the Asian teams to surprise, as South Korea did as hosts in 2002. The attention shifts for Africa to replicate that success, with this edition in South Africa, in Africa for the first time ever.

African hopes lie with Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, the hosts and Algeria. After a 0-3 thumping by Ireland, Algeria looks increasing likely to be there to make the numbers having ousted bitter neighbours Egypt in the last stage of qualifying. My tip will not rest with South Africa, though they have a chance of making it past the group stage (Group A). Their group includes France, Uruguay and Mexico. Nigeria, if they make it past the group stage, will face a team from Group A. Their group includes Argentina, South Korea and Greece.

So in fact, if I am right, France may face Nigeria and South Africa face Argentina. Hardly easy to back the Africans. But it may well happen that the Africans match up and the giants too. But that's if we assume all 4 make it past the group stage...

Cote d'Ivoire are in a Group of Death with Portugal, Brazil and North Korea, and even if they make it past in 2nd, they most likely face Spain. Incredulously tough path to maneuver.

Ghana is also in a tough group, having to contend with the likes of Germany, Australia and Serbia. They have an outside chance of progressing, but they may face England next, and it's tough to see them moving to the quarters. And I doubt Algeria will edge out USA for 2nd, just like how I doubt Slovenia will do just that, behind clear favourites England.

Which leaves us with Cameroon. Cameroon is in Group E with Netherlands, Denmark and Japan. It's a very even group, with all 4 teams having the potential to progress. But if Cameroon does enough, they will face off against a team from Group F. That's Italy, Paraguay, Slovakia and New Zealand, probably the easiest group of all. Italy is not a totally impossible task to overcome despite Lippi's presence. But more than that, it is possible to avoid Italy and it will be actually a very easy match compared to what the other African teams have.

So I would probably stick with Cameroon to proceed furthest.


As for the contenders, it will be impossible to rule out either Brazil or Spain. England and Germany both have good chances, while I think France and Argentina, despite questionable coaches, can spring surprises given the vast qualities in both squads.

As a fan of France, I will be keeping my fingers crossed that France will avoid England, by finishing in a different position (ie 1 of them 1st and the other 2nd in their groups). That will mean France probably can face Germany instead in the q-finals. That's a preference, because I am interested to see how France and Germany fare against each other. It hasn't happened for a long while as I remember.

And I think England deserves at the least the semi-finals.

Okay that's all. To avoid the scenario where you blog readers want to read my posts other than the World Cup but cannot find it because of the World Cup cluttering, I will be thinking of a solution. A very likely one will be shifting all the WC posts to my other blog, while putting the main points on this blog still. Yup XD

Flat

S-League has been a little flat of late.

SAFFC no longer seem capable of replicating their successes in the past few years, though they achieved history on the Asian level, defeating Henan Jianye for the first AFC Champions League win for any Singaporean team... which is of course the case since SAFFC has been the only Singaporean team in the competition (2nd time).

As for Singaporean national football, failure to qualify for the Asian Cup simply means there will be no excitement, no new excitement in the national football team. The only competition they will be looking forward to will be the ASEAN Football Championships, in whatever name that it is under this time round.

One opinion of concern is the lack of coverage given to Singapore sports. Even Singapore soccer, the most publicised sport in newspapers, can only be found on a regular basis on Today newspaper. The other sports are unlikely to be found most of the time. Except, of course, the constant off-field debate on athletics' problems.

Publicity needs to be given. Positive publicity, that is. And the performances need to match up.

The YOG publicity hasn't been raging that much (even more so for the World Cup, of course). More participation is required from Singaporeans in one way or another. It's the inaugural edition, and we need to grab the opportunity to make it a successful one, as a nation.

That's all, simply, for now.

Quietly Climbing

It's been a long time, and a few gameweeks have been played in the S-League.

A lot of attention is on Etoile FC, the newly-arrived French-based club that has taken Singapore football by storm, playing pretty attractive football and winning the League Cup convincingly. They currently have 8 points from 4 league games and are sitting prettily near the top of the table in 2nd place. They next play Tampines Rovers, who have a 5 point lead at the top over Etoile having played an extra game.

SAFFC hasn't been performing very well, and it can possibly be attributed to the shakeup of the team, with Duric moving to Tampines and Therdsak Chaiman leaving the club, and the arrival of 4 new and tall foreigners, as well as some other local players like Indra Sahdan. They currently have 8 points from 5 games and sit 3rd in the table.

This season indeed promises more excitement, as clubs, local and foreign alike, look to break the recent monopoly by Richard Bok's men (who won the last 4 league titles with a largely unchanged team).

Based on the performances so far, a couple of teams are in with a shout. SAFFC cannot be written off (especially since they have a bad record against Gombak and losing against them this season does not say much, though their performances to date are rather unconvincing).

Etoile, with their good start to life in the S-League, quite easily possibly the most exciting foreign side to date, is definitely in with a shout.

Tampines Rovers looked reinvigorated this season, with evergreen striker Duric joining their ranks, and Qiu Li topping the scoring charts with 5 goals in 5 games.

So will it be like the table at the moment, SAF, Etoile and Tampines competing for the title?

What about Home United, traditionally a strong side? For me, I will boldly predict them to be out of the title race running. Not just because they sit 3rd from bottom at the moment (the table says little because so many teams all have 5-8 points now), but they do not look to have any players capable of leading their charge, as evident in their match yesterday against Beijing Guoan.

In fact, Beijing Guoan showed huge potential in that very same match, and this is what I want to talk about at the start. Beijing, especially in the second half, came out stronger than Home United, and displayed some good teamwork and good shooting ability, and their clinical finishes and good positioning, in attack especially, will put them in good stead. I won't be too bold with this one, but I think they will have a good debut season, a significant change from the other forays by Chinese teams in the S-League.

I wanted to wait a couple of matches before coming up with this season's predictions, and here they are:

Tampines Rovers FC
Singapore Armed Forces FC
Etoile FC
Gombak United FC
Beijing Guoan Talent FC
Geylang United FC
Home United FC
Sengkang Punggol FC
Young Lions
Woodlands Wellington FC
Balestier Khalsa FC
Albirex Niigata FC (S)

I haven't decided my choice for the league champions, so the top 3 is essentially a toss-up. I believe SAFFC will be distracted by the AFC Champions League commitments and will have a slower start, while Tampines have an exciting strikeforce of Duric, Qiu Li and Khairul Amri and a reliable goalkeeper in Hassan Sunny. Their problems will come if the strikers sustain long-term injuries. Etoile look to be a good bet for the title, but I think more time has to be given before we make our conclusions. They are exciting to watch in the S-League, but their finishing is far from clinical and they can be too aggressive at times, and their defence cannot afford to be lazy against quick counter attacks.

It promises to be a very open title race and SAFFC will have their work cut out to win this season's league title. Good thing is, even if a foreign team wins the league title, the AFC Champions League qualifying spot will still go to the best-placed local team.

So don't worry about not having a Singaporean team in the AFC Champions League :)

Gameweek 4

This will be the last gameweek of this prediction series, with a twist. There will be no scoreline predictions, just outcome predictions. Meaning, the team to progress. The scope will be the UEFA Europa League. Each correct outcome warrants 2 points, each wrong outcome deducts 1 point. From Round of 32, to 16, to the quarter-finals. All predictions must be made before the start of the Round of 32 matches. So the carry-over effect takes place.

This is the draw:
Hamburg/PSV v Bilbao/Anderlecht
Rubin/Hapoel v Villarreal/Wolfsburg
Atletico/Galatasaray v Everton/Sporting
Hertha/Benfica v Copenhagen/Marseille
Panathinaikos/Roma v Liege/Salzburg
Lille/Fenerbahce v Liverpool/Unirea
Ajax/Juventus v Fulham/Shakhtar
Brugge/Valencia v FC Twente/Werder Bremen

Here is the accumulated point totals for this Gameround:
Szeyuan: 9.75
Zebra: 5.5
EWal: 5.0
Shiping: 4.5
Chunqi: 3.5
Cyr: 1.75
Soo Wee: 0.0

The predictions will be made in this manner: Remove the predicted loser from each Round of 32 match, shown by ___/___. 16 teams will be left, and then in each Round of 16 draw, bold the winner that will progress into the quarter-finals.

EWal:
Hamburg v Bilbao
Rubin v Wolfsburg
Galatasaray v Sporting
Benfica v Marseille
Roma v Salzburg
Fenerbahce v Liverpool
Juventus v Fulham
Valencia v Werder Bremen

Cyr:
Hamburger SV v Aletico Bilbao
Rubin Kazan v Villareal
Atletico Madrid v Everton
Benfica v Copenhagen
AS Roma v Red Bull Salzburg
Fenerbahce v Liverpool
??? v Fulham
Valencia v Werder Bremen

Szeyuan:
PSV v Anderlecht
Rubin v Villarreal
Atletico v Sporting
Benfica v Marseille
Roma v Liege
Lille v Liverpool
Juventus v Shakhtar
Valencia v Werder Bremen

Future of S-League

It's coming. Oh wait... it has already started? Amazing... more publicity has to be done.

This season should be an improvement from the last at the very least. As for title contenders, don't expect much changes at all. SAFFC is of course favourite, but this is the season Richard Bok will be judged on more than any other following the release of veteran Warriors Aleksander Duric (now at Tampines) and Therdsak Chaiman. Most newspaper writers say Home United and Tampines follow behind, and then Gombak and Geylang. And Young Lions is in as a dark dark horse.

Well, anyone can say that. And they aren't wrong. The S-League cannot get more predictable than the past few seasons. Thus, I will back a plan for a promotion-relegation system in Singapore, a system which I had thought about since about 7 years ago. The problems would be infrastructural and financial. How do we ensure each team is sufficiently sponsored and can draw fans? After all, fan turnout is the biggest problem the previous season. The promotion/relegation system cannot materialise until there are solid match attendances and a solid level of interest in the S-League. Only then will the sponsors become more willing to invest in soccer clubs. And then can we be more assured that the lower division clubs can still survive.

With Singapore, despite soccer being our number 1 sport, it's glaring how our match turnouts fare against our regional rivals. Indonesia is famous for its atmosphere, but it isn't a good comparison because theirs is a very big country whose clubs represent big regions and is a symbol of loyalty. Ours is a small land, and allegiances can be easily switched. It isn't anywhere as easy to support our 'hometown' club. But nonetheless, we can do way better. Our stadiums can fit thousands. The comparatively bigger ones like Bishan Stadium can fit around 7000 spectators. But our average turnout last year was only slightly in excess of 2000. There is much space to be filled, clearly.

The fundamental problem here is the pace of life. Ours is a fast-moving society where every minute, if not second, counts. Many of us are simply unconvinced of travelling to the stadiums, even if its within walking distance, just to spend up to 2 hours watching a match with barely any atmosphere except for the beating of the drums. The quality of the football is also in question.

Steps have been done for this season, and hopefully, our footballers can deliver better soccer for us. There, however, remains no strong initiative to attract the fans. Currently, our league boasts 12 teams which compete 3 times with each other each season. The 12-team system is similar to that of the Scottish league. And the Scottish league has at least 3 divisions. So a promotion/relegation system isn't that difficult.

If each team has 30 players in the first team, there are 360 footballers required. It's not like there are only so few footballers out there. Other than quality of football, we Singaporeans are also concerned about our local footballers. With more foreign footballers, we really do expect more of our local-born footballers. And the standard must improve. Both local and foreign.

What I suggest is to use the Prime League and convert it into Division 2. It needs lots of work, of course, but in a way, it's like raising the profile of Prime League. No potential footballer's eyes will light at the thought of playing in the Prime League. Barely anyone knows about the existence of the Prime League or any of the Prime League players. So why not convert it into a Division 2?

But the problem is, the Prime League consists of the very same teams playing in the S-League. The Prime League is essentially a reserve league for the local teams at the moment. So if it is just converted to Division Two, it will not work out at all. The current match attendances for Prime League matches are 2-digits. So why don't we open up more slots?

Currently, all existing local clubs are hogging the local players. Apart from their first team, they possess 15-20 players, their reserves, to play in the Prime League. England has this system of a Reserve League as well. But playing in the Prime League doesn't provide much experience. Matches are played between reserve players in front of barely any spectators. So these players can be released and taken up by new clubs. There must be more people standing up willing to form professional management teams. And this could even be part of a government initiative by the MCYS, to promote soccer and soccer management as a career, and setting up these management courses in the universities and polytechnics. We must be able to convince people that soccer is in fact, really a feasible career path that provides solid income. And then parents will be more willing to let their children play soccer, more talents will be spotted and developed and in turn the fans will come and income will rise from match tickets and sponsorship, leading to greater wages and thus fuel the feasibility of soccer as a career. It works in a loop, and it has to start somewhere.

If our top footballers cannot warrant a monthly pay of $10000, with the S-League average wage at around $3000, then Prime League players who play in front of crowds of perhaps 50 probably get wages in just hundreds. Compared to all other sectors, soccer is currently not a choice at all for many people. It's education or nothing. Non-education sectors like soccer is severely underdeveloped to attract people as players, managers, coaches as well as spectators.

Thus, I will suggest only allowing some of the clubs to keep their reserve team. These clubs should be the one with no financial problems. These teams could start by playing in Division 2. For example SAFFC B. Clubs like the Yishun Super Reds should not just vapourise just because they missed out. They should retain their rights to exist. With the Division 2 in place, these clubs get to work out and potentially work their way up to the top of Singapore football. A Division 1 of 12 teams and a Division 2 of 12 teams.

Our current S-League lineup is made of 9 local and 3 foreign teams. If foreign teams finish in the bottom 2 or 3 of the league, they either get relegated or they can remove their team from our league, freeing up space for new teams. It could work on a 2 promoted/2 relegated system like the Scottish Premier League.

Foreign clubs must meet certain expectations because they are here to boost our standards and not make up the numbers. When they fail to meet expectations they will have to give way naturally. Help must be given to the clubs in terms of the scouting network and trials, etc. to allow sufficient players to fill the clubs.

When there are more clubs there can be room for more competition and with the pressure of an up/down sustem will allow for clubs to take things more seriously and for non-title contenders to feel more enthusiasm and excitement for the seasons. It's a thought too complex for me but I believe it can be worked out by FAS in the near future.

The foreign clubs in the league must always be limited to 25%, meaning 3 clubs out of 12, as it has been these few seasons. The persisting problem remains to be match attendance, and it must be improved to an average of 3000+ before any such plans can be considered. This is a pre-requisite, a condition for the expansion of the S-League into a more exciting and more competitive brand. Even then, management must be properly done.

If such a plan materialises and proves to be a hit, I will look back with a smile and really be happy that S-League has really bounced back from poor football with a bang. And we could really be sending our best players to Europe. That will make us proud.

To change public opinion, we must start now and develop a long-term plan and concrete goals to iron out all problems and counter them. There are plenty of possible solutions to every problem.

Excitement

The new S-League season will begin next month if I am not wrong, and I sense that things are going to be better.

For one, SAFFC had made a couple of tall signings. This is a huge step forward.

For another, French-based club Etoile FC is given the nod. I have always craved for a European-based club to feature in the S-League, and I hope the team will give a tremendous fight for honours here rather than languish in mid-table.

With thanks to Today newspaper, there has been quite some information about the lineup of S-League clubs with the new signings. Having read articles about Home United and Geylang United, I believe there is hope that the scouting network is expanding into high quality grounds. This can only be beneficial for Singapore football.

Can't wait to catch some of these new players in action.

And where is Duric heading now? Who has any idea?

Singapore 1-3 Iran

This performance is not a bad one from our Lions. However, it was a lesson, that at the Asian level, unlike the Southeast Asian level, it is pertinent to keep mistakes to a minimum. And to be honest, we could have lost by a bigger margin, as Iran broke through on counter-attack on quite a number of occasions. Their 3rd goal was a top-class goal. A great goal to score, on the counter-attack, through ball, cut in, and backheel for a lob.

It was not meant to be a historic performance for us, though we had a sniff of it. We were utterly unlucky to concede a penalty early in the match, as Precious' interception was not really a foul, and even if it is, it should be on the edge of the penalty area. The troubles doubled after a slack pass from Mustafic, and Iran pounced on it easily.

The Lions have to be credited for showing heart continually. Shaiful Esah's corner, missed by a seemingly random leg from someone which if made contact, would have been a wasted opportunity, was well put into goal by Alam Shah. Brilliant.

Had Amri, who came on for the hardworking Fazrul, scored that diving header, it could well have been a different story. Singapore would not have been eagerly attacking and exposed in counter-attack. The 3rd goal they conceded was right after a blocked shot from distance after the corner was headed out of the penalty area. Their defence was sorely lacking at the moment.

Following Thailand's stalemate with Jordan, Thailand is now placed 2nd ahead of Singapore on head-to-head and goal difference. Singapore must muster a better result than Thailand to progress in 2nd place. Iran had already secured top spot, while Jordan is one point behind the Southeast Asian rivals.

If Singapore can muster a win against Jordan once more, I do think their qualification should be justified. The team is much improved now.