Match Previews – Page 7

[PREVIEW] LCS v Geylang International – Bouncing Back is Crucial

Leave a Comment / Match Previews / Eddy Hirono

Before every game, we will do a short preview and share some of our thoughts, and also predictions. Starting this season, all 3 of us at SailorFanTalk will give you our predictions, and we will track these over the course of the year. 3 points for exact scoreline predicted correctly, 2 points for predicting the winner and margin of victory correctly (but not the exact scoreline), and 1 point for predicting the outcome correctly (win, lose or draw). Both teams come into this game on the back of a damaging loss. The Eagles went down meekly to Tanjong Pagar United after claiming in this Instagram post that they were “mentality monsters”, while our very own Sailors suffered a harsh red card, but even so, put in a performance that couldn’t really give the fans something to be energised about. I think we all felt that being down to 10 men, we wish the Sailors would show a bit more fight – but we went down and looked very tame. For more on this, check out Zach’s piece yesterday, where he particularly examined the lead-up to the 2-0 goal which put the game beyond our reach, even before the half-time whistle sounded. I don’t think there’s very much left for me to say in this piece, but here are a few talking points – How Will We Line Up in Attack? Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you will have heard by now that Kodai Tanaka has been ruled out for the season. Who starts in attack then? Will it be Shawal as a false 9? Maxime as a false 9? Haiqal Pashia brought into the side to accommodate this? Noone knows for sure how we’ll line up. There’s even the off-chance that Adam Swandi comes in to play a floating left-winger, so that Maxime can take the position up top. Whatever combination we settle on, what is clear is that the Sailors are still supposed to be favourites against a Geylang side with a much smaller budget. Just take a look at the potential line-up we can field: Zharfan Hafiz Nor, Bill, Lionel, CVH Hami, Hariss Haiqal Pashia, Diego, Maxime Shawal The above is a very strong line-up still, and certainly has a good mix of ability and experience that will start as favourites against the Eagles. As such, I hope that we get a positive result tonight, and if we don’t, please let’s not use Kodai’s absence as an excuse. Is Anu suspended? Who replaces him? There are a few ways to replace Anu, who is suspended for 2 matches as a result of his straight red card. One way is as shown in the line-up above, where Bill tucks into the middle, and Hafiz Nor or Arshad comes in at rightback. Super, our new signing, may also come in, though that’d be surprising unless he was already training with us prior to his unveiling. Hariss may also drop back into defence, and that would then see either Rusyaidi Salime or Adam Swandi coming on. I would worry that the midfield may lack some bite if it is Adam Swandi + Hami Syahin, two creative types. I guess we’ll see what Coach Risto comes up with. Geylang has not looked impressive so far These may very well be famous last words, but Geylang have not looked impressive thus far. Their two wins came against Young Lions and Hougang United. Young Lions are Young Lions – you are expected to beat them. Hougang United led when Kiki Krajcek was on the field. Once Kiki went off, the initiative swung to Geylang, but even then, they did not create a consistent threat in front of goal. They had to rely on some uncharacteristically poor goalkeeping from Zaiful Nizam to parry the ball into his own net after a shot from range from Vincent Bezecourt. That being said – we are coming off a 4-0 defeat, and Geylang had our number last season, performing well in every game they played against us. Conclusion Sailors should win this and I think if we are serious about our title ambitions, we have to win our games on our own patch, especially against Geylang. Score Prediction As mentioned above, this will be a continuing feature as the season goes on. Joseph, Ethan, and myself will predict the scores, and track our success in a table. Stay tuned to find out who is the prediction king! 3 points for exact scoreline predicted correctly, 2 points for predicting the winner and margin of victory correctly (but not the exact scoreline), and 1 point for predicting the outcome correctly (win, lose or draw). Eddy’s prediction: Sailors 2 Geylang 1 Ethan’s prediction: Sailors 2 Geylang 1 Joseph’s prediction: Sailors 2 Geylang 0 We are a little pressed for time, so we will do the leaderboard sometime later! Written by Eddy Hirono [UPDATE]: Get your new jerseys on Shopee!!!! If you click on the links below and make a purchase, SFT gets commission of like a dollar plus, and you don’t pay more. Show your support for the work we do! And don’t forget to use your vouchers if you are a member. Check out Lion City Sailors Football Club 2023 SPL Home Jersey for $65.00. Get it on Shopee now! https://shope.ee/5panI7G7On?share_channel_code=2 Check out Lion City Sailors Football Club 2023 SPL Away Jersey for $65.00. Get it on Shopee now! https://shope.ee/5AL6Uq6bH0?share_channel_code=2 Check out Lion City Sailors Football Club 2023 SPL Purple GK Jersey for $65.00. Get it on Shopee now! (this one is our favourite!) https://shope.ee/d0Nxqsd7?share_channel_code=2 Check out Lion City Sailors Football Club 2023 SPL Green GK Jersey for $65.00. Get it on Shopee now! https://shope.ee/5fHWk5vXwf?share_channel_code=2

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[PREVIEW] Albirex Niigata (S) vs LCS – Time to End The Streak

1 Comment / Match Previews / Eddy Hirono

Before every game, we will do a short preview and share some of our thoughts, and also predictions. Starting this season, all 3 of us at SailorFanTalk will give you our predictions, and we will track these over the course of the year. 3 points for exact scoreline predicted correctly, 2 points for predicting the winner and margin of victory correctly (but not the exact scoreline), and 1 point for predicting the outcome correctly (win, lose or draw). You’ve heard it time and again from local football podcasters, rival clubs’ fans, press, etc. They say it in a variety of ways – some with a smirk, some matter-of-factly, some even with a sense of condescension, as if they had anything to do with the mighty Albirex team keeping up this impressive record. I am, of course, referring to the fact that LCS has still not beaten Albirex in competitive action (except in the Community Shield). It’s getting annoying to keep hearing this and while there is never a good time to play 5-time SPL champions Albirex, tonight’s game does fill me with some hope. Maybe it is because I am an optimist, maybe it is because I am an LCS fan. Or maybe I am just deluded – but if you’re still reading this, maybe you can see if you agree with me or you think I am grasping at straws. Albirex is a new team This is not a new problem, of course. I liken Albirex to a fearsome snake. Every year they shed 95% of their team, but somehow they still possess the ability to be so deadly, so dominant. Like a snake. Except snakes aren’t polite and do a cringeworthy dance with their supporters after every game. Ok ignore me – I am trying to generate some rivalry here. It is so difficult to hate Albirex. Their community outreach efforts are amazing, they have a fun academy dedicated to cheerleading, they play some lovely football, and most of all, they are always humble. Ok so maybe they are not like snakes at all. I digress. Back to the point about them being a new team, Albirex won the title last season but you may remember that they struggled at first. Out of the first 6 games, they dropped points in 4 (!) games, losing to Tanjong Pagar, and drawing with LCS, Hougang, and 10-man Geylang. This is unsurprising as unlike the other clubs who usually at least retain at least half a team, Albirex almost always have to start from scratch. In fact, it is amazing that they can always put up a strong showing, but that is probably testament to how strong the football scene is in Japan, such that even talent from their tertiary institutions and lower league clubs can thrive here. Like us, Albirex have already played two games this season, and recorded positive results in both. 3-0 vs Hougang in the Community Shield was followed by another 3-0 vs Young Lions in the League. However, that was about 2 weeks ago, and of course, the hope is that their team have not had a run of games to gel with each other yet. The form of Maxime Lestienne Maxime has started the season like a house on fire. 3 assists in the first game against Tanjong Pagar was followed by a good team goal against DPMM Brunei. Against DPMM, Maxime was unlucky not to add to his goal tally. A fizzing cross by Hafiz Nor was turned onto the post by him when it looked easier to score, while later in the game, he skipped through the whole DPMM midfield to fire a shot headed for the bottom corner, only for the keeper to deny him by pushing it against the post. He also came close to adding to his assists tally, while it was his searching cross that found Diego Lopes to head across goal for Kodai to find the crucial 2nd goal. He was a menace all night, and there is no reason that he can’t repeat the trick tonight. Crosses from Christopher van Huizen In Christopher van Huizen, Maxime has a very able ally down the left side of defence. We assume that Chris will start because Nur Adam’s injury means that the most likely U21 player to start will be Bill Mahmadou at rightback. While Chris is not the most robust of defenders, his ability to cross with both feet accurately and with pace make him a very valuable weapon down the left. As you can see from the Ball Touches Map from the last game against DPMM, Chris is not shy to get deep into enemy territory to support and/or offering a crossing option. This may mean that opponents will find it harder to double up on Maxime, because he will then be able to lay the ball back for Chris to put a dangerous cross into the box. With Kodai in the box, it has the potential to be a deadly combi as well, given Kodai’s aerial prowess. He has not had an assist yet, but mark my words, it will come. Who to look out for – Riku Fukashiro Of course, this preview would be too one-sided if I didn’t also highlight what we should fear from Albirex. Diminutive forward Riku has caught the eye despite not starting either of Albirex’s games. He has been a 2nd half substitute both against Hougang and against Young Lions. In that time, he has dazzled supporters with his nifty footwork, and sharp dribbling skills. He was a thorn in the side for both opponents and even managed a goal against Hougang. Even though he is a new player, there was already such an air of expectancy everytime he picked up the ball in or around the left touchline. He did not score against the Young Lions, but he was close – hitting the post barely 4 minutes after he came on. Watch him do his thing tomorrow –

[PREVIEW] Albirex Niigata (S) vs LCS – Time to End The Streak Read More »

[Preview] LCS v Brunei DPMM – Unknown Quantity

1 Comment / Match Previews / Eddy Hirono

Before every game, we will do a short preview and share some of our thoughts, and also predictions. Starting this season, all 3 of us at SailorFanTalk will give you our predictions, and we will track these over the course of the year. 3 points for exact scoreline predicted correctly, 2 points for predicting the winner and margin of victory correctly (but not the exact scoreline), and 1 point for predicting the outcome correctly (win, lose or draw). If you have been following SPL preview shows, or talking to any ardent SPL fans, you would be sick of hearing this by now – “Brunei DPMM is an unknown quantity”. Heck, even Hafiz Nor said so in his pre-match preview, when he stated that the team “don’t really know what to expect from [DPMM]“. Sick of it or not, it’s because it’s true. We simply do not know what we should expect from them because they have not been in proper competitive action for a very long time. DPMM Brunei’s Absence from “Proper” Competition While Covid-19 ravaged the world, Brunei adopted a very strict stance on international travel, and thus the Singapore Premier League has not seen them since 2020. They played one game then, before the league was suspended. Even when the league resumed, they were unable to travel to Singapore to fulfil their fixtures, so they continued to sit out the remainder of the 2020 season. 2021 saw the same happen – they could not travel here, and thus could not take part in the SPL. However, they did play a handful of games in their Bruneian domestic league before it was suspended again due to Covid-19. 2022 saw them take part in Bruneian domestic competition. Once again, due to Covid-19, the league was abandoned, and thus they only played in the Brunei FA Cup. In this tournament, they recorded crazy scorelines such as 18-0, 8-0, 15-0, and won every game, sweeping all before them on their way to winning the Cup. It is not an understatement to say that this presented little to no challenge for them. It is certainly no replacement for proper competitive football, whatever your thoughts are on the quality of our SPL. It is perhaps also futile if we try to analyse their results from 2019 or 2020 (before Covid-19) to see if we can predict how they will fare later on against us, because it is too long ago. Maybe pre-season would be a better place to look? DPMM Brunei’s Pre-Season From their Instagram page, it seems that Brunei DPMM went to Thailand for pre-season and suffered a couple of defeats. Nothing too surprising or concerning given the quality of the Thai teams. They lost 2-0 to Chonburi FC (Thai T1 team), and 3-0 to Nakhonpathum United (Thai T2 team). They then went back to Brunei and beat a local team 3-0. There is perhaps not a lot you can glean from these results given that we have no idea who played for Chonburi or Nakhonpathum United. If those Thai teams played their full teams with their first-teamers (unlikely), then DPMM is probably going to ruffle a few feathers in the SPL this season. The SPL teams did not have a good time when they went abroad, so if you do some back-of-the-napkin calculations and deductions, DPMM not getting thrashed means they are better than our teams. (Yes, we are desperate to try to get some conclusions out of the little nuggets of information we have). Andrey Varankow How can we do a DPMM preview piece without talking about Andrey Varankow? In the picture you see Varankow (or Voronkov, there are so many spellings it’s insane), with the other 3 foreigners who are part of DPMM’s squad this season. Varankow scored 23 goals in 24 appearances the last time he played a full season in Singapore. Yes, those are stats you see in FIFA or Football Manager. Unsurprisingly, he finished as top-scorer by some margin, and DPMM won the league. Whenever he played, he was a constant threat, and Singaporean defences just did not manage to get a handle on him. However, and this is the big “however” – that was 4 years ago, when Varankow was 30. He is now 34. And it’s not just the age. He was out of contract in 2022, which means he did not even play in DPMM Brunei’s successful FA Cup campaign. His last football action was in the shortened Brunei Super League campaign in 2021, where he scored 23 goals in 6 games – once again highlighting the point that playing domestically in Brunei really isn’t competitive at all. He may struggle to find his feet in the league, and that’s certainly what we LCS fans will be hoping for later today. A quick side-note on the other foreigners – they all come with pretty good pedigree, having played in leagues such as the Greek Superleague and the Uzbek league. However, I will not pretend to know more about these players. We will just have to see how good they are for ourselves. Conclusion Given that DPMM are a bit of an unknown quantity and the bulk of their team is made up of the Brunei national team, who did not look great at the AFF ME Cup a few months back, and then factoring in their lack of practice in a competitive sense, we see the Sailors edging this one. Score Prediction As mentioned above, this will be a continuing feature as the season goes on. Joseph, Ethan, and myself will predict the scores, and track our success in a table. Stay tuned to find out who is the prediction king! 3 points for exact scoreline predicted correctly, 2 points for predicting the winner and margin of victory correctly (but not the exact scoreline), and 1 point for predicting the outcome correctly (win, lose or draw). Eddy’s prediction: 3-1 Sailors Ethan’s prediction: 2-1 Sailors Joseph’s prediction: 2-2 Draw Written by Eddy Hirono [UPDATE]:

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Fun Day Out at LCS Training Centre + Dortmund Preview

Leave a Comment / Daily Musings, Match Previews / Eddy Hirono

It was a fun day out for the boys of SailorFanTalk today, as all three of us headed down bright and early to LCS Training Centre to play in the BVB Fan Club v The Crew friendly game. Fun fact, Ethan (one of SailorFanTalk’s own) is also a huge BVB supporter and so he played for BVB Fan Club. The Crew 2 – 1 BVB Fan Club Despite being outnumbered by the BVB fans, after some negotiation, it was agreed that 4 of the newer BVB fans would don Sailors shirts and play for us. This of course caused quite a bit of unfamiliarity for us and we started the match tentatively. However, we managed to slowly gain a foothold in the game, and went into half-time with a 2-1 lead. BVB fans clearly took the game very seriously, judging by the number of sliding tackles I saw from their players. It was a friendly, but it was clear that BVB were trying their best to win it. After half-time, BVB sent out their “death squad”, putting together their best team in a bid to come back into the game, but by then we had gelled with our new friends and gradually grew into the game. In the end, we managed to see the game out courtesy of some good defending and good goalkeeping, and there were handshakes and smiles all around. We made some new friends, and I made it a point to take a picture with 10 year old Thabo, who is definitely one to watch. He’s a young Ousmane Dembele, and I had to concentrate really hard to make sure he didn’t get the better of me. And he’s 10! Apparently he’s one of the top-scorers in the Puma Youth Champions League, so yeah Thabo if you ever become famous please remember that I played against you one rainy morning in 2022! It was all fun and games, but the morning ended on a sour note as our very own Joseph twisted his knee chasing an opponent, and had to receive treatment from the ambulance crew. We wish Joseph a speedy recovery! Meet-and-Greet with Sailors and Dortmund Players After the friendly game, we washed up and went on to the meet-and-greet. Sailors’ representatives were captain Hariss Harun, and Gabriel Quak. For BVB, they sent Julian Rijkhoff and Antonios Papadopoulos – I must be very honest and say I had never in my life heard of them. I have since done some checking and it seems Rijkhoff has not made a senior appearance yet, while Papadopoulos has had a few cameos. Through the interviews, they did seem like pretty approachable and humble people – people committed to making it in the Bundesliga. I wish them the best in their careers. However, the highlight of the meet-and-greet for me at least was the chance to see Hariss and Gab, especially Hariss before he flies off soon to national team training ahead of the AFF ME Cup. When asked about the team’s chances, he let on that the team was looking to at least repeat what was achieved last edition – a semi-final position, or even better. He also agreed with the comment made by the moderator that Jalan Besar Stadium is a unique venue because of how intimate it is with the supporters being so close to the action, especially when both sides are sold out. After a few more questions that were unremarkable, it was time for photo-taking and autograph-signing. Once again, smiles all around. Preview to Dortmund game Obviously, given that this is a friendly game, the result isn’t really gonna matter. However, I feel that with the gloomy end to the season and all the uncertainty surrounding whether our players will be extended, I really hope that we put up a respectable showing. I am confident we will get this. I think it’s also good that our Sailors get to say a proper goodbye to us. So far, we know that Faris Ramli is gone, because of his Instastory that announced it was his last day at the LCS Training Centre a few days back. The official website has also confirmed that Shahdan Sulaiman is gone (https://www.lioncitysailorsfc.sg/friendly-only-in-name-sailors-vow-to-be-competitive-against-bvb/), and he isn’t the only one. Here’s the relevant quote – With this being the final match for some in the Sailors class of 2022, Hafiz expressed a tinge of sadness. “We know that there will be departures within the ranks, including experienced players like Shahdan (Sulaiman) whom I’ve played with since I was 12,” he said. “We have many memories together and unfortunately, some of them won’t be with us for the new season. It’s going to be emotional for sure, but it is a day that we will remember and hopefully we can end it off with a bang.” Rumours have been floating around of us losing players like Gabriel Quak, Hassan Sunny, Izwan Mahbud, Amirul Adli, etc, and I guess my hope is that it’s not a complete clear-out because it will certainly take a while before we can get used to supporting new players, chanting new names etc. We will also miss the memories we shared with these players, many of whom were part of the title-winning squad last season. It will perhaps be interesting to see which players say prolonged goodbyes to the fans, which are usually indicative of them having played their last game for the club. I’ll try to enjoy the game tomorrow, and then deal with the sadness later. For those of you heading down tomorrow, see you for the final Post-Match Interview of the season! Come up and say hi please, don’t be a stranger!

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Albirex Match Preview – Play for the Badge

2 Comments / Daily Musings, Match Previews / Eddy Hirono

Let’s face it, our Sailors have not played well in the last 2 months. Whatever the reason for that downfall is, we now find ourselves in a position where we only have 2 points from our opening games in the Singapore Cup, when they were games against the bottom 2 in the league. The one that hurt most will be the game against Young Lions – we play in the Mitsubishi Electric AFF Cup in December, and a team boasting so many Singapore internationals cannot beat a team with one Singapore international, and no foreigners. It was dreadful. Pre-match comments from the players (see A fight for the badge, our fans – and pride – Lion City Sailors FC) indicate that they are eager to make amends, with Hariss Harun saying this – “We have to do it for them, for ourselves, and for the club. When we step onto the pitch, we represent the club and we have to play for the badge on our chest with pride and fire. “Play for the badge” is an oft-quoted phrase. It usually means to push yourself to your limit and to do your absolute best, to live up to the history of the badge, the club, and everything it represents. However, of course, the Lion City Sailors are a very new club. I am not so sure the history of the club is foremost on the players’ minds when they step out onto the pitch. And so perhaps a little bit of reframing would be good. Our players should think of these games as a tune-up for the AFF Cup. How’s their confidence gonna be if they’re struggling to win games against the likes of Balestier Khalsa and Young Lions? I don’t think football form is just a switch that they can turn on or off – play like crap when donning the Sailors uniform, and then come 24 December, just shake it off and do well in a Lions shirt. But if they are to play themselves into form, they are running out of opportunities to do so. This could very well be their last match tomorrow. If we fail to win, we are then left at the mercy of Young Lions and Balestier Khalsa. Any of those 2 teams win, and it’s curtains for us. Even as an ardent fan of the Sailors, I am not so sure I can say I feel confident heading into tomorrow’s game. We have failed to beat them in a league match since we rebranded as LCS, and our recent form has been very poor. I picked the Braveheart image because it’s blue and white, and also because I really hope our boys show some fight tomorrow. That’s all we ask for – give us a performance that we can be proud of, so that whatever the result, we can feel that they’ve done their best. Come on you Sailors.

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Young Lions Match Preview – Must-Win Game

Leave a Comment / Daily Musings, Match Previews / Eddy Hirono

As the title suggests, this is a must-win game, especially after we dropped points in our opener against Balestier Khalsa. A draw here would leave us needing to win against Albirex Niigata, and we don’t want to be in that situation. In all our league fixtures against the Young Lions, we’ve won every single one, and that should be the expectation. Here’s where we address the question that might be in your head – “Hey Eddy why’d you pick a picture of Patrice Evra to headline this post?” The older fans among us may remember in 2009, after Manchester United defeated Arsenal to qualify for the UEFA Champions League final, Patrice Evra boasted to the press that it was 11 men v 11 babies. Even as an Arsenal fan, I can admit how clearly they dominated the two legs of that semi-final and eventually won 4-1 on aggregate. How is this linked to the Sailors? Well, if you monitor the online chat before every game against the Young Lions, or if you’re a betting man, you monitor the bookmakers’ odds, you’ll realise that everyone thinks the Sailors are going to win big everytime. “Men v babies” – except this time it’s quite literal because the Young Lions are a young developmental side and we’ve literally got the National Team playing for us, with a sprinkling of foreign professionals who’ve played at the highest levels of this game. It may then surprise you to note that while we have thumped the Young Lions 10-1 and 5-1 this season, the other 2 outings against them have been pretty tense and settled by 1-goal margins. Even last season, we needed a red card and a Jorge Fellipe masterclass to finally break them down on our way to the title. Soooooo all that’s to say it’s not a foregone conclusion and our Sailors should not turn up expecting a walk in the park. At the same time, if we cannot win the Young Lions, then our problems are deeper than they already seem to be. Raoul Suhaimi has had a very promising season with the Young Lions (future Sailor, anyone?) but he sits out this one because of suspension. Hopefully Song Ui-Yong come back from Covid-19 and is able to play some role in this game as well. It would be very useful for him to get some minutes under his belt because if we go deep in this competition we will need his goals and drive from midfield. Arrogance? There has been a lot of talk about whether Luka Lalic is arrogant. From his comments after the first game he took charge where he not very subtly hinted that the players were not having fun under Coach Kim, to his sarcastic comments last week about Balestier Khalsa’s players feigning cramps to see out the time, he has not been a popular guy with neutral fans. I wasn’t a fan of the shade thrown at Coach Kim, but I was a lot more OK with my coach being sarcastic about the opponents’ time-wasting tactics. Look, I get it – the smaller team is always going to want to cling on to a result against a side like the Sailors. In my books, a little gamesmanship is totally fine. If the Sailors were playing in the AFC Champions League and were leading say, Urawa Red Diamonds 2-1 – I’d totally want us to be time-wasting at every opportunity to bring home the win. But I’d also accept it if the opponents were slightly annoyed. I don’t think you should engage in gamesmanship and then expect that nobody is going to say anything about it. It’s all part of the game – both ways. You get to do what you want, we get to say what we want (within reason). But to end off this post, let me go back to Patrice Evra. When he boasted that United playing Arsenal was like men v babies, many neutrals turned on him because they felt it was too arrogant and disrespectful. I remember thinking to myself – I hope they get humiliated in the final. And they did. They were thoroughly outplayed in the final by a great Barcelona side, and Messi even managed to score a header (he only has 24 headed goals in his long career). Pride comes before a fall – I certainly hope Lalic and the players remember this, and take the Young Lions seriously if we are to avoid another early cup upset (a Cupset, if you will). Come on you boys in blue.

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Balestier Khalsa Match Preview – Four Thrashings and a Funeral

Leave a Comment / Daily Musings, Match Previews / Eddy Hirono

It’s matchday later today, and our boys are gonna be up for revenge against Balestier Khalsa (or at least I hope so). The older readers may recognise the reference made in the title of this post, and may be wondering what exactly I am referring to. Well, if you look at our last 5 games against Balestier Khalsa, you will see four easy wins – 4-1, 4-0, 6-1, and 4-0. Then came the “funeral”. On 2 October, a rainy night when the Singapore Grand Prix also took place, Sailors title hopes were effectively extinguished as we needed at least a draw to keep pace with fellow title challengers Albirex Niigata (S), but we managed to throw away a 2-0 lead to end up losing 5-3. So what happened? The Sailors were dominating play and were very comfortable. Song Ui Yong had a couple of brilliant goals, and even though at half-time the score was 2-1, I don’t think too many people would have bet on Balestier ending the night as winners. But then, the rain came. And just as it had a huge impact on proceedings in Marina Bay in the Grand Prix, the rain had a similarly big impact on the game in Toa Payoh Stadium. Suddenly, visibility became poor, the ball got stuck in the mud, and play was becoming increasingly difficult. More difficult for the Sailors, who rely on nice crisp passing football to break down our opponents, than for the Tigers, who routinely go Route 1. Of course, the Tigers are also more adept at playing on this potato patch of a field. Could we just blame the rain though? I don’t think so. I felt the Sailors were way too sloppy that night, and in fact, two of the goals were scored when our players cleared the ball straight to opponents on the edge of the box. At professional level, to do it once in a game is bad enough, twice, simply remarkable regardless of conditions. I remember feeling kinda low, because I felt we were the architects of our own downfall. No matter how treacherous the conditions were, I felt our players definitely could have found more within themselves to deal with it. We just seemed to panic all the time – PTSD from our loss to Daegu in similar circumstances in Buriram? Perhaps. No More Potato Patch Tonight But hey, tonight’s game will be at Jalan Besar Stadium, so the pitch won’t be a factor anymore. Our boys will have to perform. Same long-term injuries remain out I suppose, so we still won’t have Mamat, Pedro Henrique, Amiruldin Asraf. Maxime Lestienne returns from suspension, while hopefully Kim Shin-Wook finds his scoring boots again so we can put Balestier to the sword and get our campaign off to a flying start. We were unconvincing against Young Lions, but perhaps it was hard to get everyone up for a dead rubber. This is when it matters – so come on you boys in blue!

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