Author name: Calum Lim

Oh dear… Oh dear… Oh dear… With the main man off exploring Jordan as the Women’s Team embark on their AFC Women’s Champions League debut, I’ve taken on the unfortunate task of reliving this match over and over again to bring you some post-match thoughts. If you read Eddy’s preview, you’d know we weren’t expecting another 7-1 hammering in our favour. But surely, most of us still thought we’d come away with a hard-fought win, or at most a draw. After all, Albirex have not been firing on all cylinders this season. Well, Eddy was right about it being anything but straightforward, and his 3-1 score prediction was spot on—just for the wrong team. Ouch. Squad Depth? We knew there’d be some rotation, and sure enough, Bailey Wright and Rui Pires made way for Hariss Harun and the returning Obren Kjlajic. Shawal also came in for Song, meaning we had a few changes from the side that started against Borneo FC Samarinda on Thursday night. But from the off, it didn’t look promising. The Sailors seemed all at sea in transition, giving Albirex far too much room and causing a few heart-in-mouth moments in our box. The team looked disjointed, with players having some rather animated discussions about who should be doing what defensively. Attacking-wise, no movement, no creativity—just flat. The team looked knackered, while Albirex came close to scoring several times. Obren, who was clearly struggling with fitness, had to be subbed off after just 30 minutes. He didn’t look his usual lively self as he headed back to the bench. Was this sub purely because of fitness? Tactical? We’ll never know. The fans were getting a bit antsy, and I can’t say I blame them. It’s been a tough week, and this performance felt like the result of weeks of minimal rotation and our first taste of fixture congestion in what’s turning into a marathon season. Some fans I spoke to reckon our squad depth might not be as deep as we thought. Chances Go Begging – A Familiar Tale The second half started more brightly. The movement was better, but we were still missing that creative spark. We came close to taking the lead—an Albirex goal-line clearance and a brilliant save from Hassan Sunny kept us out. But, as they say, football’s a game of fine margins—right before Albirex’s opener, it could have easily been 2-0 to us. In the post-match interview, Coach Ranko said it plainly: when you get those chances, you HAVE to put them away. We didn’t, and Albirex punished us, catching us on the break to go 1-0 up. The match stats surprised me, to be honest—despite the result, both sides were pretty evenly matched in possession, attempts, and shots on target. According to Sofascore, we posted an impressive 3.42 xG, a full point higher than Albirex’s. While that may make it sound like we did quite alright, obviously it’s the result that matters most – we just couldn’t finish our dinner on a night where we had the chance to go top of the table. Insult to Injury – Or Injury to Insult? As if the night couldn’t get any worse, Toni Datkovic took a nasty knock to the ribs after colliding with Hassan. Losing a key player like Sicario with important fixtures ahead is far from ideal. Here’s hoping Toni bounces back soon—we’re all rooting for you, Sicario! What Next? I’ve seen some fans and the usual suspects on social media throwing around some rather outlandish comments. There’s the usual, sack this coach, sack X player, etc. But surely it’s onwards and upwards from here, right? As fans, our job is to rally behind the team and give them the support they need to get back on track. The title race is far from over, so it’s definitely not all doom and gloom. (Shoutout to Eddy for that one!) This is the first time the lads have lost two games on the trot in over a year (back-to-back 3-1 defeats to DPMM and Albirex last season). But they’ve shown time and again that when they’re down, they’re never out. The team’s got work to do, and we fans can do better too. If we want to bring the domestic treble back to Bishan, we’ve got to do it together. Conclusion This wasn’t the easiest piece to write, but if there’s one positive to take from that disappointing night in Jurong, it’s the fans. What a turnout from The Crew for an away trip to the West—singing their hearts out right to the bitter end! So, 3-1 to Albirex—a familiar disappointment at Jurong East Stadium and probably a fair result. Credit to Albirex, who’ve found new life under their new management. But we’ll bounce back. Next up, it’s Geylang at home as we return to Bishan—and, hopefully, to winning ways. Friday can’t come soon enough! I’ve got faith in the players and the coaching staff to iron out the creases and bring this club back to where it belongs. With a string of continental fixtures on the horizon, it’s now or never to turn this season around. COME ON YOU SAILORS! Written by Calum Lim If you’d like to support the work we do here at SailorFanTalk, you may want to visit https://ko-fi.com/sailorfantalk and leave us a tip!

To add more variety to the SailorFanTalk website, there will be more and more articles written by guest writers. Please give a big online welcome to Calum, who writes his first piece for SailorFanTalk! (You may applaud by your PC or phone if you want) It was a humid Friday evening at a packed Jalan Besar Stadium, setting the stage for a clash between the two highest-scoring sides in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) this season (so far). Expectations were high for an exciting encounter, but the match unfolded in an unexpected manner. Let’s be frank: this was perhaps the most lacklustre display by our Sailors so far, resulting in their first dropped points of the season and ending a record-breaking run of nine straight SPL victories since July 2023. On the other hand, despite playing fantastic football, Geylang secured their fourth draw in just the first round of the 2024/25 season (hence the picture for this Post-Match Review… teehee). The competitiveness of the league certainly deserves credit, even if it leaves us scratching our heads a little. Despite Geylang’s recent form, many fans still expected the Sailors to claim all three points. Out of 47 predictions in the SailorFanTalk Telegram chat, 46 predicted a Sailors victory, with several expecting a substantial margin. Given past performances, who could blame us for anticipating a goalfest, especially considering Geylang’s defensive record? It didn’t take long for the Eagles’ game plan to become apparent from the stands. Now, let’s delve into my post-match thoughts. Eagles’ Tactical Masterclass I have to admit, Geylang outplayed us in the first half. Credit to Noor Ali for doing his homework. Out of possession, our midfield trio of Hariss, Hami, and Ramselaar were completely negated, with Geylang’s high press applying relentless pressure every time they tried to receive the ball. The Geylang front line sat deeper when we played out from the back, making it difficult for Bart to find space and offer a passing option. Noor Ali confirmed this strategy in his post-match interview. The lead-up to the goal we conceded actually looked promising for us. Obren Kljajic’s strength in winning possession from Tomoyuki Doi at the edge of our area almost initiated a promising counter-attack with some intelligent link-up play with Shawal. However, when the pass was played into the middle, Vincent Bezecourt read Hariss Harun like a book, intercepting deep in our half and finding plenty of space to fire a stinging shot into the bottom corner. It’s a “what if” moment – with so many Geylang players committed to the press, had we been able to play out from that position, we would likely be able to find free players elsewhere on the pitch for a numerical overload. If you thought conceding to Geylang early in the game like that looked familiar, I instantly got flashbacks to Sime Zuzul’s low drive that earned the Eagles a 1-0 victory against us a couple seasons back. Geylang were proving to be a very tough opponent in possession as well. On the ball, the composure and movement on display was exceptional and it certainly gave the Sailors a hard time. To be fair, we were able to string some nice passes around the pitch and had the ball in their box on some occasions, but overall in the first half, they were the more patient and organized team I felt. Adjusting the Sails Just as a sailor weathers a storm at sea, it was time for Coach Ranko to make his move against Geylang’s high press. After a series of promising buildups by the Sailors, it seemed we were keeping the pressure on, and the equalizer was getting closer. However, it also felt like one of those days when El Sicario sent a flicked header just wide. Coach Ranko made a double substitution, bringing on Anu and Adam Swandi for Hariss, who had a bad day at the office, and Hami, who picked up an early yellow card. Additionally, moving Ramselaar up to the left injected a different dynamic into the game. As noted in the commentary, these changes had an immediate impact. Kljajic found Ramselaar on the left wing, who cut it back for our Belgian magician, Maxime Lestienne, to take it first time and beat Hairul Syirhan with a tidy finish in the bottom corner. Game on! Game of 2 Halves The Sailors were looking increasingly threatening as the 2nd half went on. The Crew were treated to some wonderful bits of play up close, and Adam Swandi had a couple of decent chances to make something happen for us. The game was definitely opening up now. But of course, it wasn’t smooth sailing (no pun intended), as Ramselaar—who, as I’m writing this, has just celebrated his 28th birthday. Fijne verjaardag, Bart!—unfortunately appeared to pick up what seems to be a hamstring injury and indicated that he had to come off. We managed to have a brief chat with him after the game and are hopeful it’s nothing serious! Thankfully, we’ve got the squad depth of a clown car. Every time you think we’re done, another player pops out ready to perform. Christopher van Huizen came on against his former club to support the backline as Kljajic moved up to the wings. Obren, Obren. How on Earth have we scored ourselves such a versatile tank of a player? The story of the 2nd half was largely the same: good defending by our colossal central defenders, important saves by Zharfan, and the Sailors frontline always looking dangerous in the final third. But it really is the hope that kills. Hairul Syirhan delivered a point-winning save, denying Bailey Wright’s header from a delectable ball into the box by Hafiz Nor in stoppage time. Lennart Thy followed up with an effort on goal which deflected off the defender, and in heartbreaking fashion, the ball was just missed by Lestienne, who could not read its direction. That would have gotten us all three points. Geylang weren’t quite as