September 2024 – SailorFanTalk

[Post-Match Thoughts] No Maxime, No Problem (Tanjong Pagar 0 Sailors 6)

Leave a Comment / Post-Match Thoughts / Eddy Hirono

Being sick like a dog is no fun, and it would have 100% sucked more if our Sailors didn’t win. Was there a little trepidation when I saw that this was a lineup devoid of our big foreign stars? Yes. But then be careful what you wished for, right? A few weeks back in the lead-up to the Geylang game, I had this to say. Well, it turned out fine in the end, let’s dive into some post-match thoughts yesterday from me watching under my blanket. The Need for Rotation + Rasaq is Back! The lineup was inevitable given that we have 6 games in 22 days coming up. The break was nice but those games will really catch up on our players’ legs. You look at our opponents coming up every 3 or 4 days, and who else would you leave Maxime Lestienne and Lennart Thy out against? Zhejiang, Balestier Khalsa, Cong An Ha Noi, BG Tampines Rovers, and Port FC. That is some insane schedule of quality opponents. But I guess that’s what you become a professional footballer for – to play in the best tournaments, and against the best teams. Domestically, Tampines Rovers are unbeaten, while Balestier Khalsa is probably the team in the league that plays the most attractive brand of football. Regionally, all three foreign teams come from leagues stronger than ours, and we will need to be at our absolute best to get anything out of those games. Yesterday was thus the right match to rotate. And while we looked a bit tentative at the start, and I did wonder where the inspiration would come from, TPU did us a huge favour by conceding a bone-headed penalty, which allowed Abdul Rasaq to step up and score a goal on his comeback start. It has been a long time out for him, so I totally understand the emotion. Some people don’t though. I’ll be charitable. Maybe this is a fan who doesn’t remember the full context of Rasaq’s circumstances – his injury stopping him from building on a very promising first season . His comeback being filled with little setbacks and eventually coming back to the pitch, slowly in the U21 league, and then finally, in the SPL. Or maybe I won’t be charitable. This person probably has the intellectual capacity of a stool (furniture or fecal matter, both work). If he is a Sailors fan, we are better off without him. If he is a fan of an opposing team, then bro, get a life. Lcarteblanche? More like Lcutyour fingersoffyoushittyasskeyboardwarrior. Carmona – Maxime Lestienne in Disguise So Carmona went and casually dropped 3 assists this game. On a day where we wondered where the service was gonna come from, he answered it quite emphatically. 3 brilliant left-footed crosses from him led to goals from Adam Swandi, Lennart Thy, and Shawal Anuar. The crucial first goal also came about because of his incisive through pass behind the defensive line – Obren took it on, got fouled, and then Rasaq put the penalty away. After that, some idiot took to Instagram to comment “its just a penalty smh“. First, it’s “it’s”, not “its”. “It’s” is short for “it is”, whereas “its” is used to signify ownership. Second, the person didn’t even have the guts to use his real account to comment, had to use some burner account. What a coward. Third, I realise I have an issue and I really can’t let go of grudges. Ok enough with this digression. Carmona provided inspiration on a day where we badly needed it, and I hope this does wonders for his confidence. I am sure he will have been a little shaken by the 5-0 defeat to Tampines, so this is perhaps the best cure for that. Ok I really can’t let it go. I need help. Anu, why, why, Anu, why? That has to be what was going through everyone’s mind yesterday. It was a rare start for him, and he was playing oh-so-well. Snapping into challenges like there was no tomorrow, keeping the momentum up for us in midfield, and it was a really tidy performance – UNTIL THE RED CARD. I can’t quite understand why he did it, and if I were to create an excuse for him, it would be because he was enjoying himself too much. On a few occasions I felt, wow, this is the old Anu. We’ve missed this! And I think the over-exuberance got to him too. It was a terrible decision though, that has wider repercussions. We’ve spoken about the fixture congestion, and we’ll need everyone we have in the squad. For one of our most experienced players to do this, it’s just sad, but it is what it is. I am sure the coach will have some harsh words for Anu. The fact that we were already 3-0 up and up a man will not be lost on the coach – there was absolutely no need to do that. Lennart Thy He started on the bench, but yet was able to come up with 2 very well-taken goals. That takes him up to 9 goals and 3 assists in 12 appearances in the league for us. Pretty good for someone described in some quarters as a flop. Hoping to see him lead us to some silverware this season! And then there was this. Watching it at home I could hear the Crew singing this at the top of their lungs, and it really made me smile. Nice that the commentators picked up on it too! A touch of humour is sometimes necessary because football gets a bit emotional and aggressive at times. This reminds us that at the end of the day, we are just fans and we are all here to have a good time. Adam Swandi Last but not least. Thoughts and prayers for Adam Swandi. It’s always scary when a player goes down without anyone touching him. Thankfully we have this update from him.

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[Specials] What’s in a Song? Champions in Blue – From my POV

If you haven’t watched the video for Champions in Blue yet, here you go! Clubs working with artists to come up with songs is not a new phenomenon. When you think of club, and you think of song, your mind immediately goes to “You’ll Never Walk Alone“. It is perhaps the most famous example of an anthem being sung aloud by fans before games. That song is tied to Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, and Celtic, among others, and I don’t know about you, even though I don’t support any of those clubs, hearing it sung out loud does send chills down my spine. In fact, that song is so tied to Liverpool’s identity that those very words of the title are written in wrought iron on the gates of Anfield Stadium. A Song Written Specifically For a Club However, of course, that song was written as a tune from a musical on Broadway, and so it wasn’t birthed as a football song. It wasn’t until Gerry and the Pacemakers (a Merseyside band) did a cover version in the 1960s that it became adopted by Liverpool as their anthem. So are there examples of songs written specifically for a club? Sure, there are. Let’s start right at home (and with a dash of Japan). Hougang Hools recorded “Hougang Sampai Mati“ (Malay for “Hougang Til’ I Die“) and the song has a lot of edge, with a super catchy chorus. Composed and performed by the fans, it combines rock, emotion, and a dash of humour. It is played during Hougang home games at the final whistle. Geylang International FC have “We Are the Mighty Eagles“. This was also performed by a fan called Remy, who describes himself as a new fan of the club. It is catchy in parts and just like Hougang Sampai Mati, you will hear it over the speakers at GIFC games. And then now on to Japan – Albirex Niigata have my personal favourite, “Believe”. I like the song so much I even left this comment there sometime back – Oops, please don’t lynch me, but it’s a proper rock track with anime vibes, mixed in with crowd chants to really give it that stadium feel. Albirex in Singapore of course use this song as well, playing it at their home games to get the atmosphere going. It’s fair to say that music has long had that power to get the crowd excited and hyped up for a game. It can also be a tremendous bonding tool, uniting a bunch of strangers in song. The Crew had thus long thought about writing a song, but we were short on inspiration. If you ever meet me in person, I’d be happy to show you some early drafts we came up with, which pale in comparison to “Champions in Blue“. So how did this song come about? Let me tell the story from my POV. A Long Long Time Ago – There Was Brandon Khoo The title is not a dig at Brandon Khoo’s age. Though facts are facts, he is old. But this is an important section of the article. You’ll see. Before I talk about how the club approached me to discuss possibly getting a song done, I have to introduce yall to Brandon Khoo. Who is Brandon Khoo, you ask? Well click the link and find out! He’s basically Singapore’s best drummer la huh. When I first saw Brandon Khoo in the stands of a Sailors game sometime back, I remember thinking to myself that he looked really familiar. But I just couldn’t place his face. This would happen a few times. One day, I was scrolling through my tiktok feed when I came across a drumming livestream. This big ol’ dude was taking requests from people and providing drumming accompaniment to those requests. I would have scrolled past, but he hung a Lion City Sailors scarf on the wall, so I stayed. He would then also talk a bit about the song, chat a bit with his followers, etc. I found it very fascinating. It was like listening to a radio show, except the DJ not only put in the tunes, he would also drum along. Amazing. I spoke to him in the stands a few more times when I saw him at games. And all this time, I didn’t figure out the mystery of why he looked so familiar. Then one day it clicked – he used to be the drummer for Shirlyn + The UnXpected, a famous local band that did a lot of gigs around the pubs of Singapore. As a teenager that enjoyed listening to live music, I saw him around several times. It was so obvious yet it escaped me for so long. Brandon also was the drummer for many of the Mandopop tunes I grew up with. Brandon and I would get to know each other a lot better, and would bond over shared music taste. He called me an “old soul”, I didn’t reply because I felt it would be rude to point out it wasn’t just his soul that was old. We got along musically, and footballingly, and that’s all that matters. The stage was set for the next development. The Approach from the Club So after the abortive attempts at writing a song for the Crew, the club approached me 2 months ago (yes, all this was done in 2months). “Champions in Blue” did not exist 2 months ago. Let that sink in. A certain Brandon Khoo was in attendance as well. The club wanted a song that all Sailors fans could be proud of, something to rally us all. I’m not a songwriter and had previously only written one song before, so Brandon’s presence was obviously crucial. The club wanted Brandon to lead the project because not only is he a good musician, he is also a true fan, which makes it more meaningful. That, and also because of his extensive contacts from all across the