September 15, 2024

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.