December 2, 2023

Having crashed out of the AFC Champions League in midweek, tonight’s clash against old foes Tampines Rovers allows our Sailors a quick chance at redemption. Will fatigue play a part in this game? Will the absence of Yasir Hanapi be a key one? Let’s dive into some of my thoughts about the game. Quick Thoughts on Bangkok Loss Sorry for not getting a proper post-match thoughts article out for our loss against Bangkok Utd. I am still on holiday with the wife, and if I spend too much time doing SailorFanTalk stuff, I suspect she won’t be best pleased haha. Sorry also that this extended trip means that I will not be able to do a post-match interview at the stadium. It sucks to break the streak – we’ve done one for every game this season, but I guess it ends tonight. (Joseph is also busy with a wedding – not too late for some last minute cold feet from the bride or groom eh? Jk jk) The team came in for some criticism midweek. Generally, there was a feeling that our boys should have set out to attack a little bit more, especially as a win was realistically the only way we could qualify for the group stage (finishing 2nd is not a guarantee that we would be one of the best 2nd-placed teams). There was also plenty of criticism for Anu – for not jumping in the wall. My feelings on this are a little mixed. When goals get conceded, people often tend to get a little black-and-white or a little simplistic in their analysis of the goal. In this case, perhaps it really is black-and-white, so let me say it loud and clear – Anu should have jumped. On this point, I agree with the many people online who said that he should have jumped. If he had a time machine, he’d get back in time and he’d jump. Was there a miscommunication with the keeper? Was it fear that the ball would hit him? Misjudgment of the ball? I guess we will never know. What I do know is that regardless of who made the error and the magnitude of the error, I do not believe it warrants online harrassment or over-reaction. I saw shameful behaviour from so-called “fans”, who tagged Anu in Instagram, and told him he should retire, or that the goal was his fault. Hey, if you were a true fan, maybe don’t rub it in? And certainly don’t make it personal. You can point out the error, but also show some compassion, love, and some support for the players you are supposed to support. Even if you think there are better players than him that the club should sign, that can’t change till next season – so get behind our boys please. Also, and this is the more important point. We lost by a goal to Bangkok Utd, and we all know that margins at the top level are fine. But if you want to go down the route of assigning blame, how about we blame Zharfan also for not at least diving to get the ball? How about we blame Shawal Anuar for not just not jumping, but ducking as well? The ball could well have gone right above Shawal’s head – but it went over Anu’s. This is an outcome-based criticism of Anu when Shawal did the same or even worse. How about we blame Maxime for wasting 1 or 2 chances to put better balls into the box when we got the rare counter-attack? How about we blame Shawal for missing the 1v1? How about we blame Rui Pires for a few misplaced passes in midfield? Does he get insulated from criticism more because mistakes in his role seldom directly lead to conceded goals? Where I am going with this is simply that in supporting a team, you should not be singling out players for abuse. It’s a team game after all. You can criticise them, but let’s be fair and balanced in our criticism, and even then, let’s be a little kinder with the actual words we use. Back to analysis of the game – our Sailors will be raring to go to show that despite the loss, they are still the top local side, and what better way to do that than to do it against our old rivals on their home patch? Speaking of home patch… Pitch Imperfect The first leg of the semi-final will be held at Our Tampines Hub, which was used by SAF for a passing-out parade just yesterday. Hundreds of people marched around the hallowed grounds of Tampines Rovers, potentially causing damage to it. This is not without precedent – earlier on in the year, a Tampines game was postponed due to poor pitch conditions after a football tournament was held there. Could there possibly be a postponement? While I hope not, I think the condition of the pitch could still adversely affect Tampines. As we’ve seen this season, Tampines likes playing a controlled game revolving around numerous short passes in the backline. With a pitch that might have some slight tears lying around, it may be good for the Sailors because they are capable of playing some much more direct football than Tampines, who rely on their quantity of passes. In fact, this was their downfall against us because some sloppy passing led to Maxime capitalising to score a wonderful chip. Oh, and that reminds me – who gave the ball away? Yasir Hanapi He is suspended after his reckless foul led to a red card against Geylang in a group stage match. That is definitely good news cos he’s the captain. His industry in the middle of the pitch is an example for all, and sets the tone sometimes for some very ferocious intense Tampines pressing. Besides that, let me hit you with a quick stat attack on why he is so influential for the team – However, it