A crucial win for us in the title race, that puts us in a very commanding position in the table. 9 points ahead, with a game in hand and a very healthy goal difference advantage too. With only 8 games left to play for BG Tampines Rovers, the title race isn’t over, but it would take a monumental collapse from our Sailors to lose from here on out. Let’s dive right into some of the post-match thoughts, including some thoughts about the fan rivalry.
Thank you Diogo and Izwan
In the aftermath of the game, we were all swept up in Lionel-mania. Much-maligned Lionel finally deservedly got his flowers, but only really because of his goalscoring contribution in such a pivotal moment – in such a big game. Because of his seemingly awkward running style and occasional defensive errors, Lionel has consistently come in for unfair criticism from local football fans – sometimes even from Sailors fans.
However, contributions from two other members of the backline ensured that the Lionel moment could even happen.
The first half was largely a cagey affair, with both teams reluctant to over-commit. However, BG Tampines was first to create a clear goalscoring opportunity in the 36th minute.
Glenn Kweh beat Hami down the left with good dribbling work and laid it on a platter for Joel Chew (I think), but once Diogo sees that Joel is about to strike, he makes himself big and manages to block the shot. Great block, but we got away with it – on any other day this is a goal for BG Tampines.
Then, they create their second goalscoring opportunity a minute after.
Again, we got away with this thanks to a stunning save from Izwan. Made me think of his save in Saitama.
If you’re a younger reader and are not familiar with what Izwan did 10 years ago against Japan in the Saitama Stadium, please go and watch the highlights. It was truly magical. But yes, a save from a header from point-blank range. BG Tampines will be kicking themselves that they hadn’t scored a goal despite creating these two brilliant chances. Sometimes in football, I think there is a tendency to fixate too much on the result. I know also that we tend to joke about coaches like Gavin Lee or Mikel Arteta who repeatedly say “trust the process” – but you look at how games sometimes turn on fine margins like that, and you wonder – this could easily have been a win for BG Tampines, and then the title picture looks a bit different, perception of Gavin Lee looks a bit different. It’s also why I encourage myself and other supporters to not over-react sometimes, whether it be a positive or a negative result. It may sound a bit stupid to say this, but the first time we played BG Tampines at Bishan Stadium this year, they didn’t really create a chance till just before half-time too, and then they scored every shot on target they had. Who knows what might have happened had they scored first here?
Unsurprisingly, it is BG Tampines that created more xG in a match that didn’t see too many chances given up by either team. It could have been a very different game had BG Tampines taken either one of their two chances, so we have Diogo and Izwan to thank for getting here. Here’s hoping Izwan’s save is some sort of positive omen ahead of Wednesday night’s game against Sanfrecce Hiroshima. We’ll definitely need him to turn in a goalkeeping masterclass on Japanese soil again.
Lionel Messi or Lionel Tan
The goal was wonderful. Composure, skill, the finish – every bit of it was wonderful. Never mind Lionel, if any striker in the world scored that goal, we’d still call it a great goal.
At this point, with the ball in the air, and with Fox about to get rid, Lionel brings the ball down from mid-air with his left foot, and without having to readjust himself, sets it up perfectly for him to hit the ball in with his right foot.
Just brilliant, and the celebrations after really showed that he is a popular member of the team.
Sometimes there are things you don’t see if you don’t come to the stadium for games, and there’s something that the team has done the past few games. Against Muangthong, when Shawal put in a great performance, at the post-match celebrations the players insisted that he get his deserved plaudits from the crowd, by pushing him in front of everyone, closer to the fans. They did this again, this time for Lionel.
I think the team spirit right now is very healthy, and long may it continue. Sometimes in the past, it may have felt that the post-match celebrations with the fans was a bit of a formality, but I think the players really do appreciate the fans abit more now. Something about experiencing the euphoria and adversity together both in foreign lands and at home has tightened the bond, and I think it shows.
Fan Rivalry
Pre-game, a post from the Yellow Knights sparked a bit of debate amongst Sailors fans.
At first glance, it’s just banter. “Shopee FC”, for example, makes fun of our Sailors in a light-hearted way, indicating that we’re a money-backed team that has more resources than the rest of the league. “The Franchise” – another example of painting this image of our Sailors being a team that is swimming in cash.
I remember looking at this post, and immediately thinking it wasn’t very nice. It went beyond the usual banter. Now, before I carry on, I want to stress that I respect what The Yellow Knights have done for BG Tampines Rovers, and in the wider sense, Singapore football.
However, I think we should be careful about the things we say and the things we write, and what kind of emotions they might stir up. Here’s a few thoughts I had.
- Let’s start with the funny – it’s funny that LCS fans are referred to as “glory hunters” when even if you take in Home Utd’s history, Tampines Rovers have won more league titles. “Corporate-backed” is also funny – perhaps Tampines fans are forgetting that they are the ones who made all sorts of waves with the Jermaine Pennant signing in 2016, and that’s not to mention their previous reputation as being a financial powerhouse when Teo Hock Seng used to bankroll the team both personally and through Komoco Motors.
- I think the words “frauds” is not a word to be thrown lightly around. Fraud implies a moral defect at best, a crime at worst. No matter how you spin it, you’re describing a bad person. Then you add on the juxtaposition of “glory hunters” and “mercenaries” against “merry band of local supporters” – and the message is clear. You are saying that Tampines fans are the good guys and Sailors fans are the bad guys. This gets tricky later once I establish a few more points.
- Sailors fans are fans of the local league, just as fans of BG Tampines, Balestier Khalsa, or any other club. I’ve seen the Crew put in tons of time, money, and effort to support the team both locally and overseas. There’s multiple drumming training sessions, there’s been times when we see the fans come together to hand-make gifts for players and staff, there’s also people who take the effort to get to know newcomers at the stadiums to help them have a better time at games. These do not correspond with TYK’s insinuation that Sailors fans are frauds and of “lesser” status. We all do what we can.
- This is not a random fan account – these are not the thoughts of an individual fan. These represent the thoughts of the TYK leadership. You can’t control the thoughts of an individual fan, but the head of the fan group sets the tone and sets the direction. Try thinking of it this way – a fan club leader cannot really stop any single person from directing a middle finger across the stands to rival fans, but it takes on a whole other significance if the fan club leadership posts a picture of said fan putting up a middle finger on their socials. A post on the official IG account indicates a stand that the fan club leadership is taking.
- Banter is all fine and good – like when TYK says that Bishan is yellow and black after the 5-0 win earlier this season, or when the Crew jokingly makes a sign that says OTH is blue. It’s when it gets personal that we should then step back and think about the potential consequences. When you drive home the message that Sailors fans are of lesser authenticity, or of lesser importance to the league, then that’s where you run into a bit of trouble, especially when emotions run high.
- I won’t delve into the specifics of the incident, but after the game, 3 BG Tampines fans called one of the Crew members a “fake fucking casual”, to which he graciously replied “Have a good night, guys” – he didn’t want any trouble. But they didn’t leave it there, they continued to call him “fake fucking casual”, and when he showed a “thumbs up” to them, they then challenged him to a fight. This only happens because there is a lack of respect for Sailors fans, and I can’t say I am surprised. When the narrative out there is that Sailors fans are of “lesser” status, and their support is less real than yours, you are bound to feel that they deserve to be looked down on, they deserve being talked down to, or worse, they deserve a beating. And when you lose 1-0, you know you can’t touch the players, you know you can’t touch the ref, so what’s next? Yes, go for a fan. Now, this is an isolated incident, and one that was swiftly dealt with by the TYK leadership (huge kudos to them as always), but this is exactly why we must be careful about not perpetuating misinformation / myths. EVERY FAN GROUP DESERVES RESPECT.
I had a long chat with Jia Tai and Hakim after the match, and I must say my respect for them grew. While they didn’t exactly agree with my points, and I don’t really expect everyone to agree, I really respected that they allowed me to state my case, and calmly stated their views as well. Also, when this incident was reported to them, they dealt with it swiftly and firmly as leaders should, and they assured us that it wouldn’t happen again.
As some of the more experienced fans in our respective camps, people look to us for guidance, and for advice. The direction and tone we set is ever-so-important, especially considering that at the end of the day, we all need to come together for the betterment of local football. I am not just talking about us having to literally come together in the stands to chant for our national team, I am talking about how we are already a small disrespected bunch in the local scene. People already shit on our local football so much – why the fuck are we shitting on each other? Whether it be players, referees, or fellow fans, when we criticise, let’s try our best to be kinder and more rational. Don’t shit on people for the sake of shitting on people.
And this applies within the LCS fanbase as well – I can sometimes be very critical of fans who express their feelings differently in their love of the club. They sometimes feel that the club can go to another level if X player is replaced, or if Y Coach does this instead of that. I tend to dismiss them as fair-weather fans, and see myself as the more reasonable, rational fan. It’s not always the case. They are entitled to their views as well, and if I just want them to express those views in a kinder way, then I should be kinder in the way I approach them too.
Conclusion
This post took a longer time to write because I really wanted to take stock of what had happened post-game and present a fair, balanced view of the incidents of the day. Thank you for reading this and I know it’s not a very usual post, but regular programming will return when we bring you the preview for the Sanfrecce Hiroshima game.
Written by Eddy Hirono
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