Post-Match Thoughts

On a night when the goals didn’t flow as expected, our Sailors did just enough to secure our 2nd-ever league title. A stone-wall penalty earned by Maxime was converted with ease, and that brought to an end 4 years of waiting for the league title. There are some people who felt it was soft, and to them, I say, maybe go and watch more football and brush up on the rules of the game. Or maybe get an eye/brain transplant – easier. Let’s dive into some post-match thoughts. Credit to Tanjong Pagar For a team derided as “rubbish” a mere few days ago, the players responded in the right way, fighting hard to prove their coach wrong. While the score of 1-0 was slightly flattering for them given the number of chances the Sailors squandered, the Tanjong Pagar players must be given immense credit. The way they kept their shape, the way they got after the Sailors players in advanced positions, and yet ran back when their press was broken – amazing. Even when the goalie was finally beaten in the 2nd half, they got back on the line to clear Maxime’s effort. For a team that was already guaranteed to finish bottom of the table, that kind of intensity and determination was very good to watch. The gulf in quality is huge, and it is some feat to keep the Sailors to 1 goal. Worry about Bart As expected, Coach Ranko started a strong lineup from the beginning, as the intention was to not prolong the title race. Win at Jurong East Stadium, seal the title, and then plan accordingly for the big final on 18 May. However, a glaring absentee from the lineup was Bart Ramselaar. I know there’s the foreigners quota, but a 1-game absence I could put it down to rotation. When it’s 2 games in a row, and it’s 2 games with a strong lineup, then there is some worry that there may be an injury. He was present at Jurong East Stadium, watching the game, and he was walking without issue. However, he did have a little guard around his calf, so I do worry. Bart has been a key player for the Sailors since the turn of the year, and that was brought to the fore more after Maxime’s absence from the team. It’s as if he realised the playmaking burden fell on him now, and he took it upon himself to drive the team towards victory. I think a fit-and-firing Bart Ramselaar will be crucial to the way our Sailors line up against Sh**jah. Not only does Bart add the threat of goals and assists, his defensive industry will also be much needed against these very tough opponents. Let’s hope Coach Ranko is just being cautious, rather than it being a bad injury! Bond with the Fans There were some nice scenes at the end of the game, with the players cheering on with the fans, and Toni Datkovic even led the fans with a “COME ON YOU BOYS IN BLUE” chant. Some really nice scenes, which makes me very happy both for the team and the fans. It has been a marathon season, and it was kinda poetic that we won the league exactly 1 year after we kicked off the league season. Amazingly, we still have two more games to play in the league, on top of the Singapore Cup games, and of course, the 18 May date with Sh**jah FC. I think the numerous occasions where the players have seen the passion of the fans up close has strengthened the bond and it is nice to see the fans being appreciated for their tireless effort week in week out. I’ve seen up close and personal how certain members of the Crew meet up regularly to work on their drumming. I’ve seen how much effort and money the Crew puts in to remember players’ birthdays, buy cakes, write cards, buy gifts, etc. I’ve seen how much time and effort the logistics team puts in to ensure that on matchday, the flags are there, the drums are where they need to be, etc. I could go on and on, and I could also highlight how much effort the staff puts in to assist the Crew as well. It’s just amazing, and in a season where it looks like everything could be aligning for a dream end, I think it’s important to remember the process as well. Not just for the fans – but also for the players. Let’s remember the journey that everyone has come on thus far. Conclusion A low-key win to secure a very important title. With the resources at our disposal, the Sailors are always expected to win the title. However, with the multiple continental distractions (not just ACL2, but Shopee Cup as well), and progress in the Singapore Cup, our Sailors must be given immense credit for not taking our eye off the ball. Post-match, I spoke with Coach Ranko about the impact of the 5-0 loss to BG Tampines – I asked him if that defeat came at the right time. He agreed – saying that for a while this season it looked pretty comfortable for our Sailors, and we didn’t up our performances accordingly, but perhaps the 5-0 defeat shocked us into action, and we have since played far better. Now that the title has been secured, I really hope that Coach Ranko departs from his usual ways, and really rests everyone for the Balestier Khalsa game. I really don’t give a shit if we lose 8-0 or whatever – let’s see some of our U21 talent, let’s let some of our fringe players get a runout. The futures of some of our players don’t look promising, but we fans would still want to cheer them a final time. Could we see the likes of Anu and Mamat start, so that the fans can give them the applause they deserve for being great servants

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

You can’t write anything about this game without discussing the hugely controversial decision in the first few minutes of the game. Song Ui-Young goes in to close down Kodai Tanaka at the touchline and puts in a late tackle that grazes the knee of the BG Pathum player. Kodai goes down, and bounces up almost immediately, and the foul is given. Jansen Foo brandishes the yellow card. They give each other a pat, and then go back to take up their respective positions for a freekick. It is important to note that at this point, no one on Earth, Jansen Foo included, felt that it was worthy of a red card. While Jansen Foo took most of the heat, it was actually Andrea Verolino who made the bizarre call to send him to the screen. We don’t know what was said, but the fact that this was even considered a red card-worthy incident is baffling — something only a non-footballing mind would entertain. I will elaborate on why I feel so in this piece, so let’s dive right in. Singapore’s Very Own Myles Lewis-Skelley Incident Fans of Arsenal or the English Premier League will likely remember this one. Earlier this season, Arsenal made the trip to Wolves, and Michael Oliver gave a red card to Arsenal player Myles Lewis-Skelly (MLS). It was a similarly baffling incident, where everyone in the world except the referee felt it was a red card. Michael Oliver gave the red card for serious foul play, which is presumably what Jansen and the VAR team thought of Song’s tackle as well. The similarity lies in that both tackles contacted areas of the leg which are usually considered bad tackles. In MLS’s case, it was above the ankle, while for Song’s case, it was on the knee. Also in both cases, the contact was minimal and definitely unintentional. It was part of a natural motion to make an admittedly illegal challenge. For MLS, he went in to trip the advancing Wolves player, so the intended action was a tripping action by just sticking out the foot to let the player fall. In Song’s case, he’s gone in to try to intercept the pass but was late. His momentum takes his whole body into Kodai, but the majority of the contact is an excessive body impact on the upper body of Kodai, not the incidental studs near the knee. You have to really slow the replay down to even see any contact with the knee. In the aftermath of the MLS incident against Wolves, there was widespread condemnation of the horrendous decision from pundits and experts all over the world. In the end, Howard Webb, the referees’ chief, was forced to come out and admit that it was an error, and Michael Oliver should have given a yellow card instead. What is important to note is the reason for it. In Webb’s own words – “The referee sees a raised foot make high contact and the opponent went down … But we know that for serious foul play, we need excessive force or brutality and what we see here is that high contact [just] glancing and coming off the leg quite quickly … So for that reason, everybody pretty much in the game has formed the same conclusion that this is falling short of serious foul play – because of that glancing contact … because the studs don’t really go right into the leg, they glance in…” Man – that word for word describes what Song did. And the worst part about this is, you don’t even need a referees’ chief to tell you this. That’s why there was so much anger against Michael Oliver, and so much anger against Jansen Foo at the weekend. Anyone who’s played football knows that minimal contact outside the foot doesn’t automatically warrant a red. If it did, we’d see sendings-off every week. Context and intent matter, and neither suggested a red here. For a referee and a VAR team not to apply common sense and view the tackle in its proper context, is very disappointing. Kodai’s reaction to the tackle is very telling, by the way. He goes down, but immediately shrugs it off and exchanges pats with Song. No one on the BG team is baying for a red card. Everyone knows – this isn’t a red card. Well, everyone except Jansen, and the VAR. Accountability When players make mistakes, they get dropped from the team. When coaches make mistakes, they get sacked. When SPL referees make mistakes, there is seldom an explanation given, and the referee continues refereeing instead of being demoted to SFL or a lower level. There is a sense that the referees are untouchable. The abuse Jansen received from the stands, and online, wasn’t the result of one bad performance, however bad it was. It was the accumulation of frustration from years of bad performances. See my article on this from 2023. Even if the referees department feels that they didn’t make a mistake in this situation, there needs to be an explanation so that all parties can learn from it. Players and coaches need to know what is acceptable and unacceptable conduct so that they can play or plan accordingly. However, there is unlikely to be one. The PGMOL in England has their flaws as well, but what I like about them is that the audio between the VAR and the referee is released. I think it helps to build trust in our referees, and has the added benefit of allowing the fans to learn more about what is currently a very opaque process. At the end of the day, this mistake by Jansen and the VAR team didn’t affect our Sailors because we still qualified top of the group, and I suspect because of that, the refereeing department won’t see a need to address this, but they really, really should, for the good of our game. Does Song Need to Tone it Down?

So, none of the crazy scenarios panned out. By winning, we ensured safe passage into the final 4 and the only thing that remains up for grabs is top spot when we play BG Pathum. It was a pretty low-key fixture both on and off the pitch. The Ultras Eagles are usually one of the loudest fan groups in the league especially in their home games, but for this game, they were strangely muted, possibly due to it being the month of Ramadan, and also because their side had already been knocked out. Let’s dive quickly now into some post-match thoughts. Perfect Hat-Trick from Lennart Thy First goal left foot, second goal header, third goal right foot. A perfect hat-trick. It’s Lenny’s 3rd hat-trick of the season, and that brings his goal tally up to 27 goals in 37 appearances across all competitions. A great tally by all accounts but we’ve addressed this before – while I’m convinced, some supporters are still not convinced. And perhaps the next stat will shed some light on that. 25 goals in 23 appearances in domestic competitions (SPL and SG Cup). There is a perception that he still can’t do it against higher-level opposition. I have some sympathy for him in that regard. I don’t think it’s as much him not being able to do it, it’s more that Shawal Anuar is having the season of his life, and fully deserves to start ahead of him for continental games when we usually only line up with one striker. Also, in the league he is already the 2nd top-scorer, but of course, nobody’s numbers look good compared to the top-scorer, Tomoyuki Doi, who has 43 goals in 28 games. Just ridiculous. Watching the full game though – I wonder if fans would really opt for Doi over Thy. Tomoyuki Doi may have an unreal shot on him, but he can be a very frustrating player to watch, and I suspect, a frustrating player to play with as well. He’s constantly looking to shoot rather than play in his teammates, and he demands the ball all the time, sulking when he doesn’t receive it. Also, he doesn’t really look that interested in doing his bit for the press as well. Just my opinion, but give me Lenny any day. Rasaq Looked Lively Abdul Rasaq has not had a good time of late. He’s found playing time hard to come by, and even when he sees some minutes, there isn’t the sharpness we saw in 2023 when he played. Here’s his stats for this season. And then you compare that to his form back then. It was a real waste and pity that he got a bad injury in that season, because he looked confident, strong, and he was banging in the goals. This season has been stop-start for him. While he didn’t score, he looked lively when he came on as a sub against Geylang. He could have done better with 2 shots, but when he broke down the left twice, he managed to find meaningful passes to register an assist, and also a pre-assist of sorts. In particular, his weak foot cross for Lennart Thy to head home from close range was a thing of beauty. Hopefully, he can build on this performance and do well against BG Pathum tomorrow as well. Zharfan Assured Last but not least, our keeper. Zharfan, like Rasaq, has found playing time hard to come by. However, when called upon on Thursday night, he did not put a foot wrong. He was assured when dealing with shots and caught them with ease. He was coming out to claim crosses. And he almost got to the penalty as well. Just a pity that he wasn’t able to keep a clean sheet as he deserved one. We spoke to Zharfan after the game, and he felt good about how he had played. He’s another one likely to play against BG Pathum tomorrow, so let’s hope he can keep it up and give Coach Ranko a selection dilemma. Conclusion Given that winning the SG Cup is definitely one of the objectives set before the season started, it is good that we have confirmed our entry into the knockout stages. Let’s see who claims top spot tomorrow in the group! 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 named a surprisingly strong lineup, considering the midweek exertions against Sanfrecce Hiroshima a few days prior to our matchup against Balestier Khalsa. Even Akram Azman, who has impressed recently, couldn’t get into the starting lineup. In the end, it was a 4-1 win without Maxime Lestienne on the pitch — a result that has virtually sealed our passage into the semi-finals. Maybe that was the plan all along: win this game, so we can afford to rotate against Geylang and BG Pathum after the international break? Let’s dive right into this, and some other post-match thoughts. Virtually Through to the Next Stage We have not played Geylang International, and also BG Pathum United. Now here’s the thing, Geylang is already out of contention, and may not want to field a full-strength team against us, while BG Pathum has already qualified for the next stage, and more crucially, let’s take a look at their fixture list. Yup, they play us 1 day after a domestic league match against Uthai Thani, and three days before a huge Shopee Cup match against Buriram United. They’re gonna be sending their fringe and youth players for this one I’m sure. I also have it on good authority that the stadium caretaker and janitor are gonna be given some significant minutes as well to avoid any sort of injuries or fatigue for their key players. Then you take into account that the differentiator should teams finish level on points is goal difference, and that makes it even more unlikely for Balestier or Tanjong Pagar to catch us. We would have to lose both against BG Pathum and Geylang, and then when it comes to the TPUFC v Balestier game, there has to be a winner, and the winner of that game has to thrash the other team. So, to cut a long story short, we’re in a fantastic position. One point from our next two games will seal progress to the next round. Maybe this is why Coach Ranko decided to put out such a strong lineup. Was chatting with some fans in the stands though, and there was some talk about how they would like to see our fringe players get more opportunities. On one hand, some fans see it as preparing for matches where certain players get injured – something that may be of relevance considering Maxime’s injury. On the other hand, I think they also have the future of the national team at the back of their minds. They want to see our local boys like Rasaq and Nathan get gametime, especially in a game where they feel is of less importance or difficulty. Perhaps we will see them in the next couple of games? Profligacy in Front of Goal It seems strange to talk about profligacy when we won the game 4-1, but it could really have been a different story. Hafiz Ahmad did well in goal, but if you watched the full game, you’d feel the same nerves that the Sailors supporters did in the stands. Time after time, we made hard work of finishing the game off, with some bad decisions in front of goal, along with some inexplicably bad finishing. Nathan Mao and Abdul Rasaq were the fresh legs, but even they couldn’t put away the chances. And it almost cost us. Bart said so himself when we spoke to him post-match. With the score at 2-1, the game hung in the balance, and having already scored once, Kodai found himself on the end of two more good chances. Fortunately for us, he was unable to make the most of them, and we stayed in the lead long enough for Bart to score his 2nd goal in the 88th minute. That goal came from Bart surging through a vacant midfield to score from range. The nature of the goal was very alike to how we scored our first through Song Ui-Young. Balestier attack with a series of patient passes, but then loses the ball in our final third. We then break ruthlessly with pace, and score. In that sense, it brought back traumatic flashbacks of late-stage Wenger’s Arsenal, in how Arsenal would dominate possession, but then all that good work would be undone by a direct counter-attack from Man Utd/Chelsea/Man City. Good thing that we’re not the Arsenal in this case! And then of course, how ironic is it that having struggled to put the ball in from close range inside the box from far easier chances, that our 4th goal would come from long distance. Bart Ramselaar made all our previous misses look a little ridiculous by scoring with ease. Bart Ramselaar Hat-Trick Where else to end this, but on a very positive note. Bart Ramselaar has gone through this season being compared with Diego Lopes, and that’s natural, if not entirely fair. He is a direct replacement for Diego’s foreign slot in attacking midfield, even though stylistically he is very different. In the opening half of the season, my opinion is that he struggled to live up to expectation. However, now that he has adapted to local football, he seems to be really flourishing. He has 5 goals in the Singapore Cup alone, while in the league he has 8 goals. He also has 2 in the ACL2, taking his total to 15 goals. Double digits in goals in his first season? We’ll take that. It seems he’s living up to his nickname while he was at FC Utrecht – Boem-Boem Bartje. Each of his goals showcased a different part of his skillset. His first was a solo goal, where he basically weaved his way into the box and then curled the ball into the far corner beyond the keeper’s reach. His second showcased his pace while gliding through midfield, before unleashing a rocket of a shot. His third goal saw his set piece prowess on display. Especially in Maxime’s absence, it was important that Bart produced such a performance, and if we are

You’ve read the preview – I thought our Sailors would hang on and survive and just about squeak through to the semi-finals. But we did much more than that. Coach Ranko delivered on his promise, and the tactics were spot on. We didn’t just sit back and weather the storm, we forged forwards at times against the wind, with our sails proudly hoisted. Can we, without batting an eyelid say we definitely deserved progress? No, I think that would be a stretch. We were soundly beaten 6-1 in the first leg in Hiroshima. Valere Germain or not, I don’t think the result would have been much different, even if he did get one of the six goals. However, I think the circumstances being what they were, we did our best to prove to Singapore and the rest of Asia that we are at the same time not an imposter team that doesn’t belong in the final four. And that’s important – I discuss why, and more, in the post-match thoughts. Don’t Name Your Son or Daughter Germain First, let’s not escape the elephant in the room. We didn’t qualify for the semi-finals purely based on on-field merit – we progressed because the name of the elephant was Germain. Ryo or Valere? Both, I say. Valere Germain’s contribution was obvious: his introduction meant his club’s 6-1 win was transformed by AFC into a 0-3 loss, handing us a vital advantage ahead of the second leg. However, even then, you will see how apprehensive I was in the preview article. I wasn’t alone, some other fans also were very nervous, given the footballing lesson Sanfrecce Hiroshima delivered last week to us. And then Ryo Germain happened. Rendered ineffective in the first half, he must have been frustrated at the start of the second when he inexplicably swiped at Bailey twice, connecting with his face in the second swipe. Red card. He tried explaining to the ref that it was accidental, that the swipe wasn’t deliberate – like a man mass-swiping on Tinder without really looking closely at the pictures. But that excuse was never gonna fly. Off he went. With the score locked at 1-1, there may have been hope of Sanfrecce scoring 3 goals in the second half to take the tie to extra time. However, without their main striker, and playing with 10 men, it was gonna be impossible. Moral of the story? Germain is an unlucky name. But one thing that had nothing to do with luck? Coach Ranko’s decision to start with Lennart upfront. Excellent Tactics + Starring Performance Upfront from Lennart 5 at the back is something we’ve come to expect from our Sailors team, but there was one notable omission from the lineup which must have surprised even our opponents. Goalscoring hero from the first-leg 3-0 win (heh), Shawal Anuar, was not in the starting eleven. In his place, Lennart Thy. This proved to be a tactical masterstroke, not only because he scored, but because of his physical presence and hold-up play. Being 3-0 up, we didn’t really need a goal, but we knew that we couldn’t just defend the whole 90min – if you do that, Sanfrecce are bound to score. And so Lennart Thy was unleashed on our opponents as a defensive forward, a physical wrecking ball up front designed to disrupt and disturb. He set the tone right from the start – in the 2nd minute he chased down a long ball from Izwan and shoved a Sanfrecce defender to the floor. Lennart’s physical strength and aerial prowess came to the fore many times during the game, and one of those occasions led to our goal. From a goal kick, Izwan launched it onto the head of Lennart. Lennart got up into an aerial duel with his marker, and not only won the ball, but continued his run, seeing that his header had gone to Shawal. If you look closely, you can see that his defender is still smarting from the duel, and is clutching his face a little. Shawal chests the ball up to himself, and then pulls off a sepak takraw-style flick to Lennart. There’s still a lot to do at this point because Shawal’s pass is slightly behind Lennart given the pace he is running at. However, Lennart’s first touch from almost behind his body is a perfect one, flicking it into his stride where his next touch is a well-placed shot into the back of the net. Coach Ranko promised that we wouldn’t just park the bus, that we would defend well, but also pick the right moments to attack. His plan worked perfectly. Mentally, this moment must have really discouraged Sanfrecce. They were 4 goals down away from home. Lennart continued to impose his physicality on the Sanfrecce defence, and was almost rewarded further in the second half when he exerted just enough pressure on a Sanfrecce defender, forcing him to play a terrible back-pass to his keeper. Though he really should have scored. He tried to go around the keeper here, but he really should’ve gone keeper’s right if he really wanted to, given that there was a defender breathing down his neck. Or he should really just have shot from here. The keeper was coming out, and had hidden his arms behind his back for fear of giving away a handball foul. Any placed shot or chip would have been very hard to defend. But that’s not what I will remember from this game. When I think back to this game, I will remember his perfect first touch and how important the goal was. And I will also remember how a big-name foreign signing of a striker ran around like a man possessed to fight for every loose ball, and put his opponents under pressure. So often you will get a foreign player who is a bit of a primadonna – I am so glad that Lennart isn’t one. Hariss Harun Rolling Back the Years