Watched the Jordan versus Singapore Asian Cup qualifier game last night.
The way I danced when Noh Alam Shah scored the equalizer, my girlfriend probably thought we won the World Cup or something. Then we lost. Due to a goal from a set piece.
So so close, considering that Thailand lost to Iran. I don’t think I will ever get a chance to travel to a major football event to support my country.
Damn it.
I knew that sacrificing 1 virgin was not enough. Either that, or the virgin lied in the job application. “Oh, I thought you meant vaginal virginity….”
Our keeper Lionel Lewis did justice to his name. He was majesty in goal and the difference between a Singapore being trashed by Jordan and a Singapore with a chance to go to the Asian Cup.
Now that the chance has come and gone, it is time to talk about Singapore as a footballing nation, or rather how Singapore is not a footballing nation and how the failure to meet our World Cup 2010 and Asian Cup 2011 goals is symptomatic of our recent tendency to look for quick fix solutions.
The reason why we failed in our goals is because we wanted to be successful fast. So we started importing talent instead of working on the infrastructure needed to build a solid footballing nation.
We started importing talent without addressing one of the real questions – why aren’t our footballing talents becoming professional football players. And trust me, there are real footballing talents in Singapore.
I know my football | 04-Mar-10 at 3:44 pm | Permalink
Lion’s lost is due to favouritism. I don’t know what Raddy sees in Precious. To me Precious is all physique. He is big but with a small heart. He is tall but look at how he couldn’t win the aerial duels. Despite all these weaknesses, Raddy still prefers playing him. Because of that he had to play Baihakki on the right. As you’re already aware, Baihakki is not a natural right sided kind of fullback. He is too slow to play in that position. Many times he was struggling to keep up with the pace of opponents attacking down the right. Another point to note is young player in Harris who kept the ball too long with his feet. He is a defensive midfielder. He is good with tackles and winning the ball back. But once he has possession of the ball, he had one too many touches. Good defensive midfielders keep ball possession minimal. 2 or 3 touches and the ball should go to another teammate. Raddy should addressed that to him. he is young and he will be an even better player.
iantimothy | 05-Mar-10 at 10:53 am | Permalink
I agree. Precious was terrible. Our team like to just pump the ball…or hold onto the ball too long.. Always remember – triangle. Pass and pass….
The Singapore Daily » Blog Archive » Daily SG: 5 Mar 2010 | 05-Mar-10 at 12:01 pm | Permalink
[...] in a Strange Land – Ian On The Red Dot: Jordan Beats Singapore 2-1 – Singaporean Skeptic: Comparing Singapore to the [...]
Jeff | 05-Mar-10 at 2:19 pm | Permalink
Singapore isn’t a football power because society here is structured to deliberately suppress the character traits that make a great dootballer.
A great dootballer thinks as much as he reacts. He doesn’t wait for someone else to make an opportunity; he makes it happen. He also knows that teamwork and respect for others, including his opponents, helps him be better at what he does. He is less concerned with what other players look like than with how they perform.
We live in a city which, for reasons of political expediency, pounds those attributes out of people, from primary school onward. Is it any surprise that so much of the sporting talent on offer is less than first-rate?
iantimothy | 05-Mar-10 at 2:56 pm | Permalink
A footballer needs to obey structure. If they don’t they will find themselves out of position. For example, I want to know my right back is, well, at his right back position and not off roaming the final third on the left side of the pitch.
But I do agree with you that the education system probably plays some part in removing attributes that could make us better footballers.
The Singapore Daily » Blog Archive » Weekly Roundup: Week 10 | 06-Mar-10 at 11:12 am | Permalink
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