Videographer : Siva Nessan
Edited by: Siva Nessan
Interview by: Siva Nessan

All videos presented in HD with the Panasonic HDC-HS700

Videographer : Siva Nessan
Edited by: Siva Nessan
Interview by: Siva Nessan
All videos presented in HD with the Panasonic HDC-HS700

Most teams have recruited well during the off season and after witnessing some exciting friendly matches, I have to say this 2012 season is geared to be an exciting one. I’ve narrowed my criteria of the title contenders down to four angles and I believe that the top three teams in the S-League this year will still be the usual suspects; Home United, Singapore Armed Forces and Tampines Rovers.

• Shrewd tactician

The trio identified as my pre tournament favorites have strength in every department on the pitch. Experience wise, the three teams consists of both current and former Internationals who are potential game changers. It is difficult to differentiate the standards of play among the three teams and I believe the turning point in the title race, which I foresee to be between these three teams, lies in the hands of the tactician behind the team. This is a tough call as all three coaches are very familiar with each other’s team play on the pitch. With the league being played in a two round format, the head to head record between these three teams should be the turning point in my opinion

• Consistency

When a team yearns to be a title winning outfit, the need to be consistent should be your utmost priority throughout the season. One can do a check with Richard Bok on what eventually cost his team the title and I am sure he would love to do one better than last year and pick up more points against lowly opponents. Home United were consistent, but the fact that they have a tendency to drop points in big matches could be a worry for Lee Lim Saeng’s Protectors. Steven Tan barely made it on the final day and it was due to some magnificent results in the third round of the league that turned fortunes his way. This aspect of the game is something that cannot be judged at this juncture, but looking at the way things are forming up, Singapore Armed Forces seems to be a good pick for a consistent outfit this year.

• Big match squad players

The three teams are the most experienced in the S-League and it has been the case for the best decade. With some naturalized Singaporeans playing in the team, we could see up to six “foreigners” turning out for the team during the games. The equation will be solved by the rest of the local lads that makes up the team and I would have to say the battle will be between Singapore Armed Forces and Tampines Rovers, by looking at the rest of the squad players in their respective teams. Home United will need to start functioning without the influential Valery Hiek, following his departure and this is one man, who I will seriously consider to be included in the all time “Hall of Fame” in the S-League. I would love to see how Home United manage after releasing an indispensable squad player of your team for the last couple of years and to be more precise, the player has been the rock of the team during his stint at Bishan.

• Depth in Squad

All three contenders have good squads, but the real depth in the team will be put to test from as early as the first game. I personally feel that Tampines Rovers have a slight edge in squad depth as they have signed quality local players (Sazali Salleh, Anaz Hadee and Syaiful Iskandar) who had been household names in the league previously. Singapore Armed Forces have a relatively thin squad this term as they have only 16 outfield players to choose from, including two from the Prime League squad. Home United has a strong first eleven but quality seems to be lacking within their reserves.

Verdict
I feel that the battle would eventually be between Singapore Armed Forces and Tampines Rovers.

Tampines Rovers retained its main core of local players and the foreign imports have since gelled well with the team from what I’ve observed. They may have lost three matches out of four in their recent Thailand tour but it is too early for fans to judge based on these results. I witnessed how the Stags demolished Balestier Khalsa last month and the performance was as good as what was on show last season.

The Warriors seemed to have filled up the final piece of jigsaw in the puzzle by bringing on Shimpei Sakurada, who was my player of the year in 2011 (although he wasn’t nominated). Tatsuro Inui also joined the Warriors to add fire power. Fazrul Nawaz seems to have regained his form after having notched more than 10 goals from pre season friendly matches. He is expected to cause plenty of problems for opponents alongside 2011 S-League Player of the Year Mislav Karoglan.

Bottom Clubs
As usual, when we have the favorites of the league, we will definitely have the strugglers as well. On top of my list to struggle this season will be Woodlands Wellington, Geylang United and Courts Young Lions.

The trio have something positive for me to speak about but the negatives in the team overshadows the positives that I see in them. Courts Young Lions may seem to be impressive with the aid of their four foreign imports (Benjamin Lee, Sherif El Masri, Jonathan Toto and Sirina Camara) but the fact is that the squad will still be depleted by players who are enlisting for National Service and those currently serving their National Service.

Geylang United hasn’t really been able to replace the players who have left the club and honestly, the the current foreign imports are nowhere near their class of Yuta Nakano and Kim Jae Hong. The Eagles are yet to register their first win of the preseason campaign and this could be a worrying sign for Mike Wong.

When it comes to the bottom, Woodlands Wellington has to be associated with the tag of “wooden spoonists”. Salim Moin is the man in charge after taking over from R Balasubramaniam and despite having signed a couple of potential crowd pullers, the Rams are expected to struggle this season.

It may be a bit early to talk about their play-off chances, but a four-game win streak at this early stage of the season certainly does their hopes no disfavors.Chang Thailand Slammers, Saigon Heat, and Bangkok Cobras all fell to the Slingers with the pre-season favourites, San Migel Beermen, joining that list after they went down 63-71 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. A massive first quarter from point guard Donald Dulay, where he got 13 of his game-high 23 points, and a clutch performance from Wong Wei Long was enough to give Slingers the advantage they needed to hang on despite an aggressive second half from the Filipinos.

Dulay, who has not really made the headlines in the opening four games, was four-for-four from three-point land in the first quarter and scored the Slingers’ first eight points. He played brilliantly throughout the match and was the epitome of calm as the Beerman tried to wrest the lead from the home team in the closing seconds. He also sank a pair of free throws in the dying seconds to put the game beyond doubt.

Another point guard, Wong Wei Long also did wonderfully as he nailed crucial treys in the third and fourth quarter, including one with 53 seconds left in the match which probably won the game for the home team. The former Nanyang Polytechnic student finished with 11 points off 80% field goal shooting, not quite the 16-point game-high performance that he managed against the Saigon Heat last week, but a consistent one anyway.

“I just had the feel when I made that three,” said the 25-year-old who made that shot with a hand in his face, silencing the partisan Filipino crowd that had flocked to support their team.

“Someone needed to step up and I managed to!”

His first three was equally as good. The play was set up nicely and he made the shot right over former Slinger Leonidez Avenido, who had a disappointing return to the Indoor Stadium. The shooting guard only managed four points and made just one of his nine shots, including five missed three-point attempts. This is a stark contrast from the Leo that played for the Slingers as he is still the record holder for the total number of threes made in an ABL match.

The Beermen had to play catch-up throughout the match after the slow start, but backed by the strong support from the Filipino presence in the Indoor Stadium, they were able to tie the game at 59-59 in the fourth quarter. That did threaten the Slingers’ lead, but the home team held their nerves and refused to let the lead slip from their grasp.

The great thing about this Slingers team is the desire and will each player has to step up in every game. Every player is a secret weapon that has the potential to be a game-changing element.

Indeed, the point guards really stepped up in this match as they took turns to make plays and lead the team, even when key members of the team are not playing well. Top scorer Louis Graham had a poor shooting night, managing just 26% from the field. Even though he got a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, that kind of shooting numbers just would not do. Hopefully, this performance is a one-off thing and would not repeat itself.

Good news is that Donald Little has consistently been improving and has showed signs of the dominance he is capable of. He finally got his first official double-double of the season with 17 rebounds and 10 points and together with his four blocks, was also crucial in helping the Slingers get their fourth win in a row.

This win streak has placed the Slingers at the top of the league table and it is evident that the team has progressed from game to game since the loss to the Indonesian Warriors during the first game of the season. Their next test would be on Sunday against the defending champions Chang Thailand Slammers in Thailand where they hope to extend their streak to five.

Videographer : Baranikumar
Edited by: Baranikumar

Interview by: Siva Nessan

All videos presented in HD with the Panasonic HDC-HS700

Sock Hwee competed over two days against a field of 9 other golfers and emerged victorious by 2 strokes amidst stiff competition.

Sock Hwee will now have the opportunity to play against some of the best female golfers in the world at the HSBC Women’s Champions 2012, taking place from the 23rd to 26th of February at the Tanah Merah Country Club.

The NUS undergraduate who was trailing for much of the 2-day event said that enjoying herself through the event and not putting additional pressure on herself were key to her victory.

In fact, she did not ask about her score till she reached the 16th hole. “If I had asked from the start, I may not have played as well” explained the 22-year old.

Despite being happy about her win, Sock Hwee remains realistic about her chances at the HSBC Women Champions 2012. “It doesn’t mean that if we qualify, we need to prove ourselves and be top ten. For me, it is more about the experience,” said Sock Hwee.

Event Coordinator of HSBC Women’s Champions 2012, Mr Hia Hui Kim congratulated Sock Hwee on her win and extended an invitation to use the Tanah Merah Country Club for her training before the competition in late February.

He also mentioned that the field of golfers at the Host Country Qualifiers is getting younger and more competitive year after year. “This should be encouraged”, said Mr Hia who also commended the youngest golfer in the field, Amanda Tan on the maturity of her play.

12-year old Amanda, who led the field for most of the two day event, is the youngest golfer the Host Country Qualifiers has seen to date.

The Singapore Sports School student aims to be a professional golfer and one day represent Singapore at the Olympic games. To fellow young golfers she simply said, “practice hard and work hard.”

And with more golfers like Amanda coming into the sport, the future for women’s golf in Singapore seems bright indeed.

Written by: Siva Nessan

Videographer : Baranikumar
Edited by: Baranikumar

Interviews by: Siva Nessan

All videos presented in HD with the Panasonic HDC-HS700

Videographer : Aloysius Emmanuel Vetha
Edited by: Aloysius Emmanuel Vetha

All videos presented in HD with the Panasonic HDC-HS700

The appointment of Fandi Ahmad totally coincides with the change in the club’s President. The rumor in Malaysia is that Fandi’s role in the team is believed to be paved by Johor’s Tunku Mahkota, Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim who took over the post from Md Jais Sarda as the club’s President.

My personal understanding of Fandi Ahmad as a coach is that he is one who loves working with youths. In a live televised match (S-League) last year, I remember how he shared his experience with the boys from the H-Two-O dream team. His assessment of the boys was simple – the boys are technically good individuals, without the proper channels to grow their talents.

There were many comments on cyberspace recently after Fandi Ahmad led the H-Two-O Ultimate dream team to a 2-2 draw against the Courts Young Lions, only for his team to lose the tie by penalty kicks. The players Fandi had in his team were virtually unknowns and they were up against the country’s elite in the Under-23 age group. To achieve a draw at the end of the full 90 minutes can only show that Fandi’s role as a coach has reached a totally new level.

I find it appalling that Fandi was not offered any contracts with any S-League teams or National age group teams since his return from his stint with Indonesia’s Pelita Jaya. Fandi was also absent in the most recent Sultan of Selangor’s Challenge Cup in 2011 and there have been talks about a rift between the former Singapore striker and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS). The latest event that Fandi missed was the opening game at the Jalan Besar Stadium when the legend was conspicuously absent when former Singapore Captains were paraded right before kick off.

When we have talent in Singapore, we should fully use them and bring Singapore football to the next level altogether. Snubbing Fandi for such a long period and without addressing the entire issue is not what many Singapore football fans can accept. To me on a personal note, I am glad that Fandi accepted the offer from Johor.

It brings me to the question of why wasn’t the man offered in any coaching jobs in Singapore other than running his own academy (Fandi Ahmad Academy) and holding on to the role he has with the Dream Team.

It must not be easy for the Malaysian team to appoint someone from Singapore to head their technical committee considering the football rivalry between the two countries. For this, the decision makers from Johor FA have already showed how much respect the have on our favorite footballing son.

What Fandi needs to do now is to live up to Johor’s faith in him, to prove his doubters in FAS wrong. When your own homeland ignores you, what you should do is to go to somewhere comfortable, a place where you feel appreciated, and feel at home.

Fandi was quoted as saying that he will juggle three assignments on hand by moving to and from the causeway. Apart from the technical advisor position, he will have to take care of his own academy as well as the coaching of the Dream Team which is in cooperation with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).

Johor FA is made up of many inexperienced youth players and this is an area where Fandi’s expertise can come in handy for the new President’s objective of bringing back the glory days for Johor football.

I wonder how would the top brass within FAS react to this piece of news, and I wouldn’t be too surprised if they are feeling the pain of something like a slap in the face.

Article written by: Neo Chee Seong