(P.S: If you access this site via "come.to/matchpix", please click the "Facebook" icon after you click "HERE" when you want to view the album as that will redirect you to the album, thank you)

• SGFootball Friendly @ Padang - SCC 0-4 Hougang Utd (8/1/12))

The Cheetahs played their first match since resumed training three weeks ago and on the most expensive green on the island - The Padang against NFL side SCC.

(This entry is formulated based on the transcript of the media release issued by the Football Association of Singapore)
"I'm stepping down" said Johan Gouttefangeas(facing front)
SINGAPORE, 30 JANUARY 2012 – The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced today that Mr Johan Gouttefangeas will step down as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the S.

Etoile have never been everyone's favorite cup of tea. A bunch of French journeymen pros parachuted into the tropics in the hope of kick starting their stagnant careers?
Since they arrived in 2010 the club have been involved in controversy after controversy, much of it of their own making.

(This entry is formulated with the transcript of the media release by the Football Association of Singapore - FAS)
(L-R) FAS President Mr Zainudin Nordin. S.League CEO Mr Lim Chin, Great Eastern Singapore GM Dr Khoo Kah Siang, Great Eastern Singapore Chief Marketing Officer Mr Colin ChanReaffirm its commitment towards Singapore football since 2009, insurance giants Great Eastern (GE) has agreed to continue its sponsorship of the country sole sporting professional league - the S.

It's probably the worst kept secret in Singapore football beyond the would DPMM rejoin in 2012 but Darren Stewart has moved to take charge of Balestier Khalsa after several years with Gombak United.
Stewart had built an exciting team at the Bulls a couple of years back and looked set to break the Uniforms monopoly on the SLeague when it was decided by the powers that be that Gabrial Obatala and Kingsley Njoku could no longer stay in the country therefore depriving the team of their first choice strikers with the seasons just 180 minutes old.

(P.S: If you access this site via "come.to/matchpix", please click the "Facebook" icon after you click "HERE" when you want to view the album as that will redirect you to the album, thank you)

• 2012 Pre Season starts... Geylang United(26/12/11)

2012 Pre-season Training starts with Geylang on Boxing Day 2012.

Picture Credit: 123RF.comIt has come to this part of the year when I would always pen my annual review to summarize my thoughts on what happened in the past twelve months in Singapore Football.
Having said that, I must admit that it's been quite a difficult year for the local football that has been struggling with myriad of procrastinating problems that remain lingering.

(This feature is formulated from the media release issued by the Football Association of Singapore from which picture and quotes were extracted, unless credited)
Adam (no 10) in action against Juventus in Canon LCCHis glittering performance in the 23rd Canon Lion City Cup is the testament why he is rated as one of the country's brightest footballing prospect.

Just a random thought here as this only came to my mind while I was working just now.
As you guys may have noticed of late there's not update on this blog.
One reason is that now it's "off-season" and I thought it's a time to recharge, while also reflect and re-evaluate the direction this blog is heading to.

Daft name for a football team? I dunno, when we get to this part of the world, where we have MBA speak fill the pages of newspapers and the words of TV hosts all the time, you would think people would understand the meaning and importance of branding.
LionsXII? For a football team? Sounds as daft as TTM, PEA, SAFC, MyTeam, or Sime Darby.

It's been another exciting season in the SLeague with the title race not being decided until the last game of the season. The penultimate game between Home United and Tampines Rovers saw the Stags win 1-0; they went into their last game knowing three points would be enough. They won 5-0 to secure their first title in six years.

If fans of Indonesian football have any awareness at all of Singapore football it is probably limited to Tampines Rovers. The team from the east coast of the city state have provided several internationals to clubs in Indonesia with varying degrees of success.

Khairul Amri is widely recognized as one of the most talented players of his generation and when he made the move to Persiba Balikpapan many hoped he would bring his prodigious talent to one Oil City.

It was only from my Facebook feed that I came to know today's significance.
Twelve years ago today, Singapore football mourned the loss of one of its best players - Borhan Abu Samah aka "Russian Tank".
Known for his tough and uncompromising tackles during his days, the former Lion, who once ply his professional trade with the great Pahang side in the Malaysian League that featured the likes of Fandi Ahmad, V Sundramoorthy, Dollah Salleh and Zainal Abidin Hassan, succumbed to liver cancer that ended his life at the age of 34.

Saw this tweet message (pictured above) awhile ago and would like to reiterate an earlier blog post that emphasized that months ago.
Honestly speaking, how many people (except for those in the scene) are aware about the excitement?
I think this is something my fellow blogger, Antony Sutton of "Jakarta Casual" has been pondering over several times on his blog why most Singaporeans football fans are inclined to English and European football and despise what they have at their own backyard.

Many were saying last December that Singapore football was in terminal decline. The perceived wisdom among the wizened old hacks and the keyboard warriors who impotently vomit their self loathing on anonymous message boards was that following the failure to win the ASEAN Football Federation Cup, as if the Lions have the right to win it every time, and following a humiliating domestic season that saw all three trophies won by foreign teams, the game was dead, better everyone just spend their money buying replica shirts of EPL teams.

I think it would be interesting to use the following as an example since we are presently on the look out for a new "S.League CEO".
I'm not sure if recent announcement by the league authority that they are on a look out for a new man in charge of the league did actually set a buzz in the local football community, which is of late swayed with number of things that taken place of late such as the joint FAS-FAM MOU and the Lions' making it to group stages qualifiers of the World Cup.

Wasn't able to attend any of the Singapore Cup matches over the few days until today due to work commitments and ultimately saw the lack of update of the blog until this.
As the result of the concluding matches played over the past few days saw the emerging of the "FINAL FOUR" for one of the holy grails in Singapore football.

It's been a while since I've had a good wholesome rant about football in Singapore. I find it very therapeutic to lash out once in a while from the anonymity of a keyboard and decry the faults so evident in others while I am never called to task on my opines!

Personally speaking I find Singapore football to be exciting.

Who wouldn't want to see Singapore football prosper unless he/she doesn't give a damn.
Whilst we are experiencing that bit of little "renaissance" taking place since 28th July, let just not get too carry away and it's time to get real.
I am kind of agree with what former Straits Times' Sports Editor Godfrey Robert said in his column in his recent column published in The New Paper.

Rennard Ho, a 14 year-old Courts Young Lions supporter, who penned a letter to one of the papers regarding his thoughts on the recent announcement of the joint FAS-FAM MOU that would see a Singapore team playing in the Malaysian League for the first time since 1994.
Below is the unedited version of the letter Rennard emailed and many thanks to him for allowing me to republish it.

Rennard Ho, a 14 year-old Courts Young Lions supporter, who penned a letter to one of the papers regarding his thoughts on the recent announcement of the joint FAS-FAM MOU that would see a Singapore team playing in the Malaysian League for the first time since 1994.
Below is the unedited version of the letter Rennard emailed and many thanks to him for allowing me to republish it.

Picture courtesy of FAS If you guys want to know what are my thoughts over the announcement made this afternoon at Kuala Lumpur (pictured above), I would say I'm still struggling to formulate my thoughts.
As everything to me still looked so vague, nonetheless, I allowed a journalist friend to quote me as follow when he called earlier.

How many of you actually bother about this picture? For those who know the game well it's a keenly contested S.League title race that is well underway.
And yet, how many of you bother?
It's the most unfortunate to have the scene being associated with much negativity that the unfair comments, suggestions, perception have been unwilling tag along with Singapore football.

In the sanitized atmosphere of Singapore football not many of the teams there 'feel' like a football club in the sense of a team identifiable with their local community. You don't walk round Woodlands or Tampines and see people wearing club colours unless it's a Liverpool or Manchester United shirt.
The only times I've seen people wearing club colours in Singapore, I mean local club, it has been the green of Geylang United.

Coincidently, my fellow blogger Andy Brouwer blogged on the dismay pitch surface that staged a Cambodian league clash featuring Phnom Penh Crown, one of the guest teams invited for the Singapore Cup.

To expect professional players to play on this surface and to perform at a sufficiently high level is simply not on.

(Media Information from the Football Association of Singapore)
Johan Gouttefangeas - the founding chairman of Etoile steps down (file picture)
SINGAPORE, 24 June 2011: Mr Zainudin Nordin, President of Football Association of Singapore said: "We would like to express our appreciation to Mr Johan Gouttefangeas for his contributions to Singapore football.

Over 1,700, officially (!) turned up last night to see Gombak United take on Young Lions and went home muttering and mumbling after seeing the visitors earn a surprise 2-1 win.
Fans were heard complaining that they had come to see the players fighting but they got a football match instead.
It is expected that Straits Times will launch an investigation to find out why there was no fight feeling that yet again Singapore football has besmirched the nation's honour.

... after I posted the entry of the draw of the RHB Singapore Cup.
It's not quiet actually for the past few days, rather I think everyone, just like me, is concern about the yet-to-be-released "list of 30 or 32" national provisional squad by coach Raddy (pictured below).
I'm not sure where the sources were gathered from, but here was where I got my (pictured below from "Team Singapore" FB page) which supposed to be made known by yesterday, while other claim the papers were talking about it.

(This entry is formulated with extracts from the press release issued by the Football Association of Singapore)
(Pictured above) The result of the draw
Defending champions Bangkok Glass confirmed the earlier quibbles of not coming back to defend the RHB Singapore Cup they won last year, while last season's runners-up Tampines Rovers will face Geylang United in a "eastern derby" showdown.

Liga Primer Indonesia
Solo v Persebaya 0-2 (played in Surabaya)
SLeague
Young Lions v Geyang United 3-3 (Fazli Ayob, Nazrul Nazari, Haris Harun; Hafiz Rahim, Vasile, Kim Jae Hong) 523
Well, how about that?! Six goals, six yellows, one red, two penalties, two goals on half time, a penalty in the last minute.

Prelude...
I'm not being unprofessional for placing this uncompleted team shot of the visiting Hanoi T & T (pictured above) before the start of their AFC Cup match against Tampines Rovers, as their star striker Le Cong Vinh abruptly left the field to have his boots changed before the shot was taken (much to our "disappointment").

Singapore, 4 April 2011: The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is pleased to announce that the 12 S.League clubs participating in the 2011 Great Eastern-YEO's S.League will be receiving additional funding support over the next five seasons.

Each local S.League club received cash and KPI-based subsidies of up to $549,000 last year.

(Media Information from the Football Association of Singapore)
Singapore, 4 April 2011: The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is pleased to announce that the 12 S.League clubs participating in the 2011 Great Eastern-YEO's S.League will be receiving additional funding support over the next five seasons.

The SLeague are at it again. So often they make decisions to appease the court of public opinion rather than for the good of the game.
Last year, after a brawl between players from Young Lions and Beijing Guoan, the FAS slapped heavy fines and lengthy bans on players from both sides in response to a media outcry.

SINGAPORE, 30 March 2011: The S.League All Stars side to face the TAKE ACTION With Albirex Niigata Selection in the S.League Cares, TAKE ACTION With Albirex Niigata Singapore Charity Match at Jalan Besar Stadium this Saturday, 02 April has been officially announced.

The S.League All Stars are coached by three-time S.

(Media Information from the Football Association of Singapore)

SINGAPORE, 30 March 2011: The S.League All Stars side to face the TAKE ACTION With Albirex Niigata Selection in the S.League Cares, TAKE ACTION With Albirex Niigata Singapore Charity Match at Jalan Besar Stadium this Saturday, 02 April has been officially announced.

(Media Information from the Football Association of Singapore)
(Pictured above left-right) Singapore Red Cross Director of Operations Mr Lim Theam Poh, Co-Chairman of S.League Cares Fundraising Committee Mr Zulkifli Baharuddin, FAS President Zainudin Nordin, Hidetoshi Nakata, Co-Chairman of S.

SINGAPORE, 27 March 2011: Great Eastern-YEO's S.League, Albirex Niigata Singapore and Hidetoshi Nakata's TAKE ACTION Foundation have today launched S.LEAGUE CARES, TAKE ACTION WITH ALBIREX NIIGATA SINGAPORE, a series of fund-raising events for the Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief efforts.

Mr Terence Ong, who is now pursing a degree in communications wrote to me last November for some help in a school assignment he was doing.
Months later, I met him at a game at Jalan Besar and suggested to him that if would it be OK for me to reproduce that assignment for this blog and credit him as a "guest columnist" and he's fine with it, so here it goes.

Last week everyone in Singapore was queuing to have their picture taken with Pele and Eric Cantona. Legends, they were calling them.
Singapore of course has its very own home grown legend. Fandi Ahmad is his name and even football haters on the island recognise he was a very special talent back in the day.