Author name: Eddy Hirono

2-0 up and cruising – what happened after that? It was an uncharacteristically sloppy performance from our Sailors as we threw away 3 points to make the title race unnecessarily tense. In any other season, this wouldn’t seem like so much of a waste, as I think we should be able to win 2 out of our last 3 games (even if BG Tampines wins every remaining one of their matches). However, in a season where we have our sights set on securing the biggest trophy in our history (the ACL2), this slip has meant that we cannot now turn 100% of our focus to that competition. We must still bounce back and get the wins against Tanjong Pagar United, and Balestier Khalsa. We’ve made it unnecessarily difficult for ourselves. Let’s dive into some quick post-match thoughts. Tired Bodies, Tired Minds Sunday’s game was the 51st match of our campaign. Geylang International unsurprisingly looked a lot fresher, given the far fewer games because of a lack of continental competition for them, and the one extra day of rest. Coach Ranko mentioned in the post-match interview that the players seemed to lack intensity, and that’s where I felt we should have switched things up a little. I remember thinking in the second half, when both Hami and Rui were on yellow cards – could Anu not have come on and added some fresh legs in midfield? Or Lionel Tan in defence, so that Hariss could push up into midfield? In the build-up to Geylang’s winning goal, Rui Pires was clearly running on fumes – he couldn’t sprint anymore to try to put pressure on Vincent Bezecourt. I feel like had Anu been there, he would have been able and willing to chop Bezecourt down at the expense of a yellow card. Rui and Hami couldn’t do that. They weren’t just tired with a lot of minutes on them, they were also walking a disciplinary tightrope. One stray tackle would have seen them miss out on the next game, and that wouldn’t be great considering we are already thin on central midfield options after Song’s injury and Adam Swandi’s retirement. Chris van Huizen is also one who has played quite a bit of football recently, and I wonder why Akram Azman is seeing so little game time, especially when he looked promising in his first few games. We even have Mamat back from injury, so the options are there at rightback, without needing to run the same players into the ground all the time. I spoke with Bailey after the game, and he mentioned that players will always want to play, every single game, every single minute. And I guess that’s why I think Coach Ranko has to be the one to shuffle his pack. We’re also reaching the business end of the season so I think there is some benefit to keeping our fringe players match-fit and sharp as well – you never know when they might have to come in and fill a spot in very important games. The Positives Maxime with 2 glorious assists. A disguised reverse pass into the feet of Lennart Thy, and a trademark left-footed cross onto the head of Shawal Anuar, led to our first 2 goals. After a run of games where he didn’t register goal contributions, he got one last game, and now two. Logic dictates that he will get three goal contributions next game eh? Diogo Costa had yet another game where he really put on a show. He dazzled the crowd with his skill and footwork, and always looked dangerous down the left. The team kept trying, even when it looked like we were running out of ideas. That’s about it. Touchline Shenanigans If you watched the Bailey interview, you will also see that I asked him about Hasrin Jailani putting a second ball on the pitch when we were trying our best to take a quick free-kick. Bailey was philosophical about it – graciously stating that we would have done the same, and have done the same in the past. Erm, no we haven’t. And while I think players have definitely wasted time before, faking injury and all that, I don’t remember many coaches interfering with the game like that. And when they do, they get called out for it. So I’mma say what Bailey can’t say on camera. Hasrin, that was disgraceful and pretty unbecoming of a coach. Go see it for yourself. Hasrin rolled back the years to his playing days and backheeled the ball back onto the pitch to delay the restart. While that probably didn’t have any effect on the game, it is not the first time that Hasrin has been involved in some touchline trouble. You’ll remember his middle finger aimed at the Sailors bench the last time we played Geylang. He was also involved in some touchline drama, along with Coach Noh Alam Shah in a match against BG Tampines a couple of years ago when he was at Tanjong Pagar United. While I think Bailey was right to say that Geylang was just doing their job, I wonder if the officials should have taken a dimmer view of such conduct. Delaying the start of play by a team official is not only a bookable offence – you can actually be sent off for that. In this game, Geylang had already received 4 yellow cards, so if Hasrin had received a yellow too, Geylang would actually have been on the end of a monetary fine. Teams are always gonna wanna gain an advantage here and there. That’s to be expected – however our officials should also be able to deter such conduct by meting out the right punishments. Conclusion I know Bailey didn’t blame the lack of rotation, but I stand by my view. Coach Ranko himself admitted it when he said there was a lack of intensity. We have a deep squad and we should trust the quality of our reserves a

In the 49th minute of the game, Ryu Hardy put in a late challenge on Song after he passed the ball. It went unpunished as the referee played advantage. That was part 1. Part 2 then saw Ryu Hardy once again go in from behind to challenge Song, who was caught on his blind side. This time, Song unfortunately was injured by the challenge, and he spent a long time on the floor with the physios and the doctor on standby. It looked a concerning injury, and he was stretchered off with his neck in a supportive brace. Fingers crossed for him. Let’s dive into some thoughts on the incident, and also the rest of the match. The Song Injury It is debatable whether it was a foul or not, and I think the referee cannot be faulted on both occasions Ryu Hardy challenged Song. My opinion was that it was a fair, but hard challenge. Ryu came in to win the ball and had his eyes fixed on the ball, and inadvertently left his shoulder and arm in during the challenge. I did want to mention one thing that viewers from home might not have seen. I have since tried to watch the replays on Youtube and unfortunately those replays only support part of what I am gonna say next about Ryu Hardy. But here goes anyway. I don’t know Ryu Hardy personally and I don’t know what he is like in person, but I found some of his conduct on the pitch after injuring Song to be very troubling. First, he would know that he had a physical aerial challenge with Song, and Song came off worse. His immediate reaction was to shrug his shoulders – as if he felt that Song had exaggerated his injury. You can see his immediate reaction for yourself. This part wasn’t the worst. I guess he might not have immediately realised the severity of the injury. However, in the minutes after when first the physios, and then the doctor came onto the pitch, I think it became clear to everyone that this was a serious head injury. To my surprise, I saw Ryu Hardy laughing and smiling throughout this time that Song was receiving treatment. Now, I don’t know for sure what his mindset was then, but you compare that with Amir Syafiz, who immediately looked concerned, and stayed around to check on Song’s progress, and you perhaps get a peek into the respective characters of the people involved. I am not usually one to wish injury on players, but I must admit that at one point, seeing Ryu laughing at Song lying prone on the floor like that, made me hope that Ryu Hardy gets his own injury one day so that his opponent can walk away calmly and laugh at him too. However, I accept that is a horrible thought and I take it back. All I hope for is a bit of compassion from players. Both sides give their best and fight hard for their team – but when accidents happen, just be a decent human being la. It’s not hard. As for Song’s injury, let’s hope it’s not too serious and he comes back to the team asap. Return to the Scoresheet for Maxime Lestienne After discussing this very topic in the preview article, it is perhaps timely that Maxime finally got back on the scoresheet. His accurate freekick in the 2nd half made the scoreline safe, and ensured that we pick up a second routine win in a week. He was also dangerous throughout, and aside from his goal, he tested the keeper, hit the post, and created chances for Shawal. It was not quite Maxime back to his best, but he’s getting there. Someone who is very much at his best though, is Bart Ramselaar. Super Bart Ramselaar I don’t quite know what is more impressive, Bart Ramselaar’s goal or his assist. The goal was brilliantly constructed and as much as Bart’s technique was brilliant, Diogo Costa’s part in the goal was important as well. First, he flicked it round the corner first time for Bart and the quick interplay set Bart on the path to goal. However, what Diogo did next was crucial. He burst forward past Bart and into the box, and for just one split-second, on-loan defender Bill Mamadou took a step to the right to track Diogo Costa’s run. That little bit of space was all Bart needed, and he let fly, hitting the ball into the top corner. It was reminiscent of his goal against Sydney FC, and in the second half of the season, Bart Ramselaar has really come to life. In the league, he is now on 10 goals and 9 assists, registering 1.26 goal contributions per 90 minutes. This compares favourably to Maxime’s 1.46, and Shawal’s 1.39. Lennart leads the way with 1.65. Considering his slow-ish start to the season, Bart seems to have sparked into life at the best time. Let’s hope this form continues untl the end of the season as we continue our quest for league and cup(s) glory. Conclusion Yet another three points, and we move yet closer to the title. It was as routine as a win gets, and despite Young Lions’ equaliser, the win never felt in doubt. An 11-point gap could be closed back to 8 again if BG Tampines beats Hougang tonight. So… come on Hougang, we’ll all be behind you. Till this Sunday’s game against Geylang! Written by Eddy Hirono 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!

This match was a tough watch sometimes, although that makes for a very easy post-match thoughts article to write. There really wasn’t much to write about this game as our Sailors never even had to get out of first gear, and were untroubled for the entirety of the 90 minutes. It’s a transition year for Albirex, and they did have a couple of suspensions, but their approach to the game was entirely unrecognisable, even if it was understandable. I’ll elaborate. Damage Limitation Considering that Albirex have a chance to make the top 4, it wasn’t surprising to see them start by being compact in defence, and unwilling to break their shape. I wrote down in my notes, with the match clock showing 5:55 minutes, that Albirex had in that time tried 3 aimless long balls hoping to find Shingo Nakano in behind our defence. What was notable is that no one else made any attempt to chase the long ball down as well – only Shingo. In the 15th minute, Hassan Sunny also received a warning from the referee for time-wasting from a goal kick. In the 15th minute. Again, understandable against quality opposition, but not something I am used to seeing, given that Albirex are the reigning champions. What was not so understandable, and alot more baffling, was Albirex continuing to sit back and waste time when the Sailors were 1-0 up, and 2-0 up. This was a Sailors team that clearly looked like they couldn’t wait for 18 May to come soon, and were potentially there for the taking if Albirex had pushed a bit harder. The gold patch on the Albirex players’ sleeves could not have looked more out of place. Albirex were content to be in damage limitation mode right from the get-go, and I am not sure how I feel about that. Might sound crazy, but there is a hint of sadness that one of the most-anticipated matches in the fixtures list of seasons past, is now just another game. The Run-In With 5 games each for the top 3 to play, Geylang International are officially out of the running after our victory over Albirex. We have a healthy 8-point lead over BG Tampines, and a vastly superior goal difference. These are the remaining fixtures for both teams – We need 7 points from the remaining 5 games, and I think only the most pessimistic Sailors fan would think that’s a problem. And that 7-point tally assumes that BG Tampines win all the remaining 5 games. I think we are definitely hot favourites to win the title, but we will want to rack up the points in the next 3 games so that we can fully rest everyone for the Balestier Khalsa game, which is a mere 4 days before the ACL2 final. Conclusion Short post-match thoughts for a pretty uneventful match. Had Shawal and Lennart been a little more clinical, we could have racked up a big scoreline that would have reflected the reality of this game. However, a win’s a win. The players’ muted celebrations at the final whistle told its own story. It was a clean sheet and another win that brings us closer to the title, but this is not the same fixture it once was, and what a shame that is. Written by Eddy Hirono 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!

A 0-0 draw against DPMM is obviously 2 dropped points, but here’s 2 quick thoughts. 1) DPMM defended really well and fully deserved their point, and 2) no Sailors fan truly cares because of our comfortable lead in the league table, and also we have much bigger fish to fry on Wednesday. (What are the origins of “bigger fish to fry”? It’s such an odd phrase. So the person who came up with it was … a chef? Presumably someone who works in a seafood restaurant? It’s an odd one – why would that be the go-to phrase for suggesting that you have more important obligations?) But here’s some quick thoughts. DPMM Defended Superbly As expected, without Hakeme Yazid and Miguel Oliveira, DPMM brought almost no attacking threat. It didn’t matter though, as they clearly came for a draw, and the time-wasting started as early as the first half. No blame attached to them at all. It’s what I would want my team to do too, if we were shorn of our biggest attacking talents. It’s just being realistic and pragmatic. Naumovski is the master of time-wasting in the league, and he showed that again last night. However, what we didn’t do enough is to test him more. This was a result of a lack of creativity in the Sailors’ performance last night, but also because the DPMM defence and midfield kept their shape well and made it very hard for us to create clear-cut chances. Muminovic in particular, was a rock at the back, using his size and presence well to repel attack after attack. Maxime Shaking Off the Rust I think it was good that Maxime played the full 90min. We don’t know if he’s going to start on Wednesday, because he’s been out for quite a while and only just got his first minutes in the last game against Sydney FC. Hopefully these 90 minutes in his tank will help him shake off some rust. His crosses in this game were sometimes slightly over-hit or slightly under-hit. He also had a great chance in the second half when a sublime Rui Pires through pass found him behind the defence and with only Naumovski to beat. He had time to take the ball down, but he chose to go for a sidefoot volley. Even then, I think he will be disappointed that he made the shot so comfortable for the keeper. Let’s hope we’ll see a better performance from him on Wednesday! Bart the Conductor of Late In recent games, when Maxime has been out, there may have been some who held a bit of fear, that we might struggle to create. However, in his absence from the starting lineup, we have scored 17 goals in 4 games, and Bart has helped himself to 5 goals and an assist. Through this run of games, he has been the primary instigator in offence, and every attack seems to flow through him. It is thus no surprise that last night, without him on the pitch, the team struggled a little to find their flow. Another aspect of Bart’s recent run of form is that he seems to be running a lot more to cover spaces in midfield and defence as well. You’ll remember even in the 6-1 defeat to Sanfrecce Hiroshima that one of the goals we conceded actually saw him giving away the ball in our penalty area. He’s put in a lot of effort in the last few games – so perhaps it was wise to leave him out of the squad entirely. Conclusion Even with these dropped points, we stay 5 clear of BG Tampines, with a game in hand. With 5 games left for BG Tampines, the maximum number of points they can reach is 72. With our healthy goal difference, realistically we only need 10 points from 6 games.You have to think that we will be able to get that over the line. It is all-or-nothing on Wednesday, so I can understand why our team looked a little reluctant to go all-in last night. Hopefully we see a much better performance in 4 days’ time. COME ON YOU BOYS IN BLUE! Written by Eddy Hirono Picture credit – Lion City Sailors 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!

Coach Ranko would have been forgiven for wanting to rest all his stars for this game against the Young Lions, but the Young Lions had no such luck, as he fielded a strong team that really put them to the sword after an early red card at 3-0. Some quick thoughts on the game. Lennart Thy Finally Settling In After my strong words last year when we signed Lennart Thy, I am glad that he has come good. In the article highlighting his signing, I called him a quali-thy addition, and said that anyone who thinks he is gonna be a Jermaine Pennant type of signing should seriously consider donating organs. Here it is – And this – I don’t have to repeat myself too much here, but his goal tally so far has really shown off his array of finishes. In the league, he has 27 goals, and this is how they’ve come so far. We asked him about this post-match, and his reply was a typically understated efficient German reply. He said rather matter-of-factly that as a striker, the ball can come to you in the box from any angle, any position, off deflections etc, so you just have to use any part of your body to score. He was being modest of course. Take his finish for his third goal of the night – That’s not an easy finish at all on your weaker foot. It may look easy, but I suspect in this league it’s only an easy finish for Tomoyuki Doi and Lennart Thy. The touch to set himself up, and then the calmness to drive it low into the bottom corner. Strikers sometimes are rated on their ability to create chances by themselves, while sometimes they are rated on their ability to make something of half-chances. Lennart Thy is very much in the category of the latter. Interestingly, in our post-match interview with him, he said that part of the reason for his improved form in the second half of the season is also because in the first half of the season, he tried to be very involved in build-up play, but he has now realised that the team needs him more to remain as the focal point of the attack. He now has an amazing 22 goals from 16 games in all competitions in 2025, and if we are to have a successful end to this season, we will hope that this form continues, especially on the continental stage where chances are harder to come by. Diogo Costa – Running Down the Wing You know how the Crew’s chant for Hafiz Nor goes. “Viva Hafiz Nor x2, Running down the wing, Hear the Sailors Sing, Viva Hafiz Nor”. With Hafiz Nor getting less and less gametime as the season progresses, we might have to find some way to lyrically fit Diogo Costa into this chant, despite the different number of syllables. He was relentless on the left wing, running down time and again to terrorise the Young Lions defence. Lennart Thy may have ended the game with 5 goals, but Diogo Costa ended the game with a very impressive 3 assists. This takes his season’s tally to 4 assists from 10 games, and interestingly, his only assist prior to this game was for Lennart Thy as well. When we signed him, little was known about him, but he’s really making people sit up and take notice. And all this within just 10 appearances! He has really strengthened the Sailors and credit has to go the backroom staff for unearthing this hidden gem. On Wednesday, he’ll probably not have as many opportunities to bomb forward, but let’s hope when he gets the chance to do so, he can continue putting in dangerous crosses like he always does. Song Available Again This part is only slightly related to the Young Lions game, but I thought I’d use this article to address the situation surrounding Song’s sending-off against BG Pathum in the Singapore Cup. We know what Song is capable of, we know what he adds to the team. He tends to be a scorer of great goals, rather than a great goalscorer, and his goal against Young Lions was a stupendous one. It was bent perfectly into the top corner from outside the box, and Aizil Yazid had no chance. I don’t think any keeper saves that shot by the way – it was that good. So it’s a relief that in such a packed fixture schedule, we have Song back because of this announcement from the FA. I am glad that in the end, common sense prevailed, and the right decision was taken. I think we can count our lucky stars that the result last game didn’t affect us too badly, as a draw would still have qualified us top of the group, but I really hope that the referees department does the right reviews of their training processes to ensure such a horrible error doesn’t happen again. Some fans wanted to see more action taken on the officials involved, but I think I am glad that at least, we got an acknowledgment and an explanation of the error, so teams know what is considered acceptable and unacceptable tackling in future. Also, I choose to focus on the fact that we have Song back – that might end up being crucial for us. Conclusion Overall, a fuss-free win. No shots from Young Lions at all underlines the dominance we had. When Maxime got injured, there may have been some worries that the team might suffer a little from a lack of creativity. I think those fears have since been proven to be completely unfounded, as our team has managed to continue scoring goals. Bart Ramselaar, in particular, has really turned it on in Maxime’s absence. Not much else to say about this game, so I’ll see you in the preview of the Sydney game! Oh and do check out a Spotify playlist I