November 1, 2023

At the end of the day, the K-League is the K-League. The Singapore Premier League is the Singapore Premier League. I dared to dream the impossible dream and that dream did not materialise. But was flying all the way to Seoul, and then taking a 4h ride to Jeonju to lose 3-0 a waste of time? Not at all. Here are some of my thoughts. A “Weakened” Jeonbuk Lineup When the Jeonbuk lineup was released – a flicker of hope lit up in my heart. No Paik Seung-ho, no Boateng, no Gustavo. Park Jae-Yong leading the line. He had just come a few months ago from K League 2. Were our opponents underestimating us? Maybe we had a shot? Let me bring you back to what I said in the preview. Wish I could’ve spoken to a Korean expert before the trip so that my preview can focus on a few key individuals. I will give you a few to look out for anyway. Paik Seung Ho, Han Kyo Won, Gustavo and Boateng. – Eddy in the preview article published 1 day before the game. What a genius. I am like a reverse fortune-teller. I named 4 players to look out for and none of the 4 players started. Wow. Of all the players that could be rested because Dan Petrescu had an eye on the weekend’s clash against Pohang Steelers, he rested the 4 that I told you guys to look out for. Or if you don’t believe in fortune tellers because they are usually a crock of shit, then maybe I am a fortune teller. I can’t tell you the future but I’ll tell you what I felt when I saw the lineup though. There was a flicker of hope. I feel like such a fool right now, but I can’t lie. I remember thinking to myself – “don’t jinx the team, Eddy, don’t tell the rest of the Crew that this is a weakened Jeonbuk lineup and that we have a huge chance. They are underestimating us, and they will regret this. “ Well – that’s what being a die-hard fan does to you I think. You see the positives in any situation and you fail to see the bigger picture. Had I taken a step back and looked at the whole team, there’s still the likes of Kim Jin Su – 68 caps for the South Korea national team, at left-back. Next to him, at centreback, Hong Jeong Ho, with 42 caps. Moon at left-wing, Ahn at right-back, Jun Amano in midfield – also senior internationals (Korea, Korea, Japan). That’s a whole lot of caps, possibly even more than you can find on the shopping streets in Dongdaemun. (OK that might be an exaggeration – there’s like tons of quality caps going for S$6-S$10?!!? That street is magic – but I digress.) Then there’s the ones who came back from Hangzhou with a gold medal around their necks. Of the 5 from Jeonbuk, 3 were in the starting 11. The other 2 were on the bench. So it was still a quality lineup – and the difference in class was clear. When you go away from home, and you are playing against a stronger team, you need a lot of things to go your way – you need to get your tactics spot on, you need to be resolute in defence, you need to take your few chances if and when they come, and you absolutely cannot concede an early goal. We Conceded an Early Goal The atmosphere was rocking before kick-off. The Crew was small in numbers but we tried our best to make ourselves heard. The Mad Green Boys (Jeonbuk’s biggest fan group) were far, far louder, and it was truly impressive to watch and hear. In an away game, you need to shut them up. You need the players to do something on the field to test their resolve. Keep it goalless for 20min, 30min, 40min, half-time. Famously, Real Madrid fans sometimes boo their players if they are losing at half-time. The Mad Green Boys themselves, have also stayed silent at times to show their displeasure with the former coach Kim Sang Sik for the club’s patchy form early this season. But the last thing we wanted, was one of the first things that happened. Jun Amano cut inside from the right, and he zipped a low shot into the back of the net from outside the box. I’ve seen some blame Zharfan for the goal, but I am not sure he is to blame. It was a shot taken first-time, with minimal backlift, and it was slotted into the far corner, nestling in the side-netting. Sometimes you just have to applaud a quality strike and I think this was one of those occasions. Early goal achieved, Jeonbuk did not have to commit too many men forward, the fans had the impetus to keep going, and our difficult task got 100x harder. I am pretty sure this was not how the coaching staff and players envisioned the first half when they were in the dressing room. Anu and Lionel Slander Anu Reading Telegram chats in the past week, you’d think that Anu was one or more of the following, 35 years old, one of the worst players in the Sailors team, one of the worst midfielders in Singapore, and ultimately just a crap player. Am I defending the moment in the game where his reaction to a light push by a Jeonbuk player indirectly led to a goal? No I am not at all defending it. I think he should have played on and not asked for a freekick (more on this later). I think the contact appeared to me to be very soft, and he should perhaps have played on. But does that mean he is complete crap? Of course not. Let’s not forget that in the ACL, we get 5+1 foreign players quota, so Anu really has to fight for