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Doing the dishy – End-of-season report card 2009
Tam Cheong Yan
info@sleague.com
In some ways, good football is like good food. There are many ways of getting there, the end product looks, smells and tastes different, but the customer who is sharp enough can tell the distinctive elements that make a fine piece of work that seduces, surprises and eventually satisfies the most demanding of palates.
And just as it is incredibly easy to find all varieties of food in Singapore, it also takes incredibly little effort for Singaporeans to check out the stuff our footballers can whip up when they put on their boots and jerseys and get onto the field. Yet not everybody is the same; some are apprentices at best, while others have made their work a fine art waiting to be appreciated.
Appreciating the work of some 200 footballers over the course of a whole season of football is not the easiest thing to do. For one thing, it almost certainly requires a strong stomach to dare to take in stuff that can at times be unusual, different, or even work in progress. And work in progress in gastronomic terms can sometimes be tough to digest.
But digest it all this writer has gladly done, and with Christmas soon to descend upon us in a few weeks – a great excuse to go out and feast if ever we needed one – the time is just about right to make one final rumination over how everyone in the league has fared. It should be stressed that they’ve all made manful attempts, and while not everything can go down well with everyone, their effort deserves commendation across the board.
Still, there has got to be a distinction of grades in the final analysis, and sometimes making those distinctions can be a matter of subjective preferences. It is thus hoped that, even if there may be points of contention, the following report cards will all be taken in the right spirit.
In the meantime, here’s wishing all the readers a great December.
Albirex Niigata FC (Singapore) (7th place)
While the Japanese boys have maintained their past league form by staying in mid-table, a good run in the RHB Singapore Cup saw them overcome Gombak United and Tampines Rovers to make the final four, the best they have ever fared in six years. Several players have also shone throughout the season to earn deals with other clubs in Singapore and Indonesia, maintaining the club’s reputation of being good exporters.
Blue ribbon: Akira Takase
Kenji Adachihara might have claimed most of the headlines after a goal-laden season with the White Swans, but many of those goals would not have come without the No.9 pulling the strings. Moving out wide for most of the season might have meant fewer goals, but the 21-year-old remains one of the most dangerous forwards in the league, and after spending three years here, he looks all set to take a stab at breaking into the home circuit.
Sunny side up: Ken Matsumoto
Despite being nominally fielded as a leftback most of the time, the former JEF United Ichihara Chiba man has never made an attempt to hide his true ability as a well-balanced midfielder, pushing up the field in support of his attack-minded teammates. The Pablo Aimar fan was particularly outstanding in the team’s 3-3 draw with derby rivals Gombak United in May, marking the occasion with his first senior goal ever.
Fly in the soup: Tetsuya Kishida
Hired to play as second striker alongside Adachihara, more was expected of him than the six goals he eventually produced. Indeed, had the 22-year-old been around for the second leg of the RHB Singapore Cup semifinals the White Swans might have found a way to sink Geylang United. But it was not to be, after he had collected two yellow cards in the first leg – one of two times he had been sent off all year.
Overall grade (from A+ to D-): B+. The players might all be pretty raw, but like all the other youngsters before them, those who formed the Class of 2009 have applied themselves well. Coach Naoki Naruo, having completed his two-year tenure with the club as assistant and later head coach, can return to Japan satisfied with how he has guided the boys through this learning experience.
Balestier Khalsa (11th place)
Year Two of the Tigers’ en bloc youth exposure project was supposed to see them fare better in the league, but scoring just one more point than they did in 2008 cannot be called a noticeable improvement. Willing as the players were, they were often undone rather too easily as coach Nasaruddin Jalil found it impossible to improve both the attack and the defence at the same time. They tried, but as this year showed, trying isn’t enough.
Blue ribbon: Syaqir Sulaiman
One of the better performers in the team alongside fellow midfielder Anantha Rajan, the former Home United trainee showed the strength and hunger to do his job well as the team’s primary ball-winner. He conjured up a few useful goals too, netting three in fact to become the team’s highest-scoring local. A useful addition to any mid-table side, he would surely be handed major tasks if he opts to stay in Toa Payoh next season.
Sunny side up: K. Vikraman
Making his return to professional football after spending several years down in the lower divisions, the wide man acquitted himself fairly well, clocking 20 starts for the team. He even had a goal in April to show for his efforts, a header at Hougang Stadium that contributed to a 2-2 draw with hosts Sengkang Punggol.
Fly in the soup: Julio Eduardo
The Chilean might not necessarily have been the worst of the five foreigners who had started the season at the club, but as the only one present from start to finish, he was a poor replacement for Mba Vitus Onyekachi. Indirectly, though, Nasaruddin’s decision to drop him for much of the latter half of the season freed up an additional spot for his many young midfielders to contest on a regular basis.
Overall grade: C. Honestly, these boys like to play, but they generally do not seem to have learnt particularly well despite the wealth of exposure they have been given in the last two years. Vulnerabilities that have been exposed too often definitely need to be addressed by both Nasaruddin and his charges, for whom internalizing the desire to improve themselves through extra hard work will be a crucial test of character.
Geylang United (6th place)
They surprised everybody by winning the RHB Singapore Cup, the first time they had enjoyed success since becoming league champions in 2001. Club chairman Patrick Ang’s challenge to bring back the glory days has thus been answered, sort of, although the league was a different matter altogether as an up-and-down season marked by poor home form towards the end saw them finish smack in the middle for the third consecutive year.
Blue ribbon: Adrian Dhanaraj
Giving up a lucrative career in the aviation industry, the former SAFFC trainee was successfully recast into a tough-tackling defender, catching the eye with his committed performances. So outstanding was he that his arrival indirectly cleared the way for Baihakki Khaizan’s departure for Indonesian side Persija Jakarta. A living example of where sheer determination to succeed can get you.
Sunny side up: Yasir Hanapi
23 starts, 11 substitute appearances, 6 goals in all competitions – for a player not on the club’s senior roster, those are pretty impressive statistics. Used principally on the right as captain Mohd Noor Ali was allowed to run free further forward, the 20-year-old has done well enough to earn a late call-up into the SEA Games squad. Certainly it’s a matter of time before other clubs woo his signature, but his best days must surely belong at Bedok.
Fly in the soup: Kamarulariffin Karim
The early-season injury curse never seems to go away from this centreback, who has managed just nine starts in the last three years. Half of those might have come this season, but the former Balestier Khalsa and Home United man is probably asking himself what he needs to do to last beyond May for a change. Falling behind Jonathan Xu, Rastislav Belicak and Walid Lounis in the pecking order, turning his career around will be tough.
Overall grade: B. Coach Mike Wong’s first season in the top flight has been promising, and given how often he has criticized his charges even after claiming victories, he will certainly be demanding more. The problem is that they have not been responding on a consistent basis, something which clearly has to change if the club is to convince everyone this was not a lucky one-off.
Gombak United (3rd place)
They might have had their fourth coach in three years, but it was another season of improvement for the Jurong West-based club, and they came close to upsetting the established order when they led the table in mid-season. Six draws in a row from July to September meant that Darren Stewart’s boys could not keep up the momentum, however, although they recovered to post their best ever finish – a fine achievement, to be sure.
Blue ribbon: Bah Mamadou
Ojimi Gabriel Obatola and the other attackers may have grabbed most of the attention, but it was the backline which provided the foundation for the Bulls’ strong season. For that, the powerfully-built man of Malian birth deserves most of the credit, as he dominated much of the proceedings at his end of the field. Five clean sheets in the team’s first ten games – a record bettered only by Tampines Rovers – gives a perfect illustration.
Sunny side up: Jeremy Chiang
Promoted into the senior team after turning 23 last year, this versatile lad has definitely come of age. Originally trained as a wide midfielder in his youth, he has fitted comfortably into his overlapping fullback role, forming part of the team’s stable rearguard. He may have set his sights far – representing the country sits high on his list of goals – but his industry means he is worthy of his ambitions.
Fly in the soup: Fadhil Salim
He has had his good days, but inexplicable goalkeeping howlers against Albirex Niigata FC (Singapore) and Home United saw him concede three goals on each occasion, knocking the team out of the RHB Singapore Cup and the League Cup respectively. Dropped from the team after a string of awkward performances in July, the former Singapore international has never got a look-in since.
Overall grade: A-. They have been great to watch all season, playing their style of power-packed football based on a raw blend of speed and strength. All that is missing is a dominant figure in central midfield, but chairman John Yap has indicated a keenness to shop for upgrades to his squad. This is definitely a team on the rise, and it might not be long before they become serious title contenders.
Home United (4th place)
They were tipped as one of the title favourites in pre-season, but a stuttering start marked by tepid performances on the road meant they fell off the pace too quickly and too heavily to truly assert themselves. Eight wins in their last ten league games meant they were able to climb up the table late on, but there are many who believe things should have ended very differently for PN Sivaji’s boys.
Blue ribbon: Valery Hiek
With experienced captain S. Subramani absent for much of the season through injury, the Cameroonian was faced with the tough task of playing a bigger role at the back. Fortunately for the Protectors faithful, he has delivered with a number of solid performances, winning him the Great Eastern Player of the Year accolade. A red card in the RHB Singapore Cup quarterfinals was arguably his only real blemish.
Sunny side up: Ridzuan Fatah Hassan
He has been praised for being an able deputy goalkeeper before, but the 28-year-old can hardly have expected to make 20 starts in all competitions this season. But the competence he has shown has perhaps helped to improve his standing in the game, which means Lionel Lewis, once thought to be the undisputed king of the goalposts, will have to sweat doubly hard to stay on top.
Fly in the soup: Shi Jiayi
Injuries might have done their part to limit the midfielder’s participation in this campaign, but even when he did play, he often appeared off his best. Hasty, perhaps even aimless in both his long-range shooting and distribution play, he was much less influential than he had been in previous campaigns for the club. A return of just three goals in all competitions – two of them penalties – underlines his lack of output.
Overall grade: B-. It’s not so much the fact that they finished where they did; rather, the way this star-studded squad ended up here despite their foreign legion’s laboured efforts was the main reason for this below-par assessment. Sivaji has been made to take the fall as his two-year contract was left to expire, but the players are not entirely blameless, and they will have to get their act together no matter who the new coach is going to be.
Sengkang Punggol (10th place)
In the end, that big-spending start proved to be a false dawn, and dreams of a gradual rise to mid-table respectability turned into a nervous if familiar nightmare. A wretched second half to the campaign was saved by some battling displays from the club’s youth brigade, but the real – and surprisingly unexplored – story was how everything was ultimately allowed to go so dramatically wrong.
Blue ribbon: Noh Rahman
While Indra Sahdan’s time at Hougang Stadium fizzled out after a bright start, his understated international colleague had a much more consistent season, serving conscientiously as a rock in midfield. The 29-year-old has even found time to explore his more creative side, making many useful attacking passes, and while he did not score all season, a couple of close calls leave much to the imagination.
Sunny side up: Azhar Baksin
The 33-year-old’s return to competitive football after a two-year absence was one of the bigger transfer surprises of the season, yet despite a clear dip in stamina, his skills remained remarkably adequate. Gradually eased back under Jorg Steinebrunner, he worked his way into the starting eleven once Aide Iskandar took over the coaching reins, giving the Dolphins the balance they so badly needed.
Fly in the soup: Razali Johari
Often touted as one of the better dribblers of the ball in Singapore, the diminutive winger struggled to make use of that asset as the team often looked short on real attacking ideas. Spending much more time on the bench than on the field – he was an unused substitute in no fewer than 19 matches – things just never got going for him as he fell behind Murphy Wiredu and Sazali Salleh in the club’s pecking order.
Overall grade: C+. To be fair to them, they often tried to play some constructive football despite their inadequacies, and their immense reliance on Indra to carry the team at least reflected their faith in the national captain. In that sense, they have stayed true to their principles, although it is hard not to wonder just what it will take to get them out of their seemingly inescapable rut. At least they can say they lived the dream once.
Singapore Armed Forces FC (Champions)
By the club officials’ own discreet admission this league title triumph was more about being lucky than simply being good, but there is no denying the Warriors’ solid reputation for consistency and efficiency. There were positives to be taken out of their maiden AFC Champions League campaign as well, while for coach Richard Bok, winning back the MIKASA Coach of the Year trophy was surely a case of fair justice.
Blue ribbon: Shahril Jantan
If anyone needs evidence as to how much he had done for the team this year, just check out the endless clamours for his recall into the national team. Stellar performances at home and abroad have done much to enhance the reputation of this 29-year-old, and while Hassan Sunny will be hard to dislodge as the country’s first-choice custodian, he will do well to watch his back if this No.14 keeps up his good work.
Sunny side up: Zulfadli Zainal Abidin
The 21-year-old may not have a cultured left foot or a pair of winged boots, but the Warriors sure knew what they wanted him for when they astutely plucked him away from the Young Lions. Promoted into the senior setup after just half a season in the Prime League, he was appropriately crowned Young Player of the Year at the club’s annual dinner. Only the unfortunate timing of his enlistment prevented him from being considered for the SEA Games.
Fly in the soup: Guntur Djafril
Signed from Geylang United after topping the Prime League goalscoring charts last season, the 24-year-old forward was expected to become part of the next generation as the club prepared for the eventual exit of Aleksandar Duric. But with just one start to his name all year, to say he has not done enough to convince would be a profound understatement, and he will now have to establish himself again at the lower rungs.
Overall grade: A-. Memories of the Warriors’ sensational 1-1 draw with Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua will be etched into the minds of all who were there to see it, but keeping up those standards has proven a wee bit too much for this year’s cohort. Already, though, they are looking towards improving themselves, and if they can shake off the air of weariness that has pervaded much of their domestic season, there’s no reason a better score won’t happen next term.
Super Reds (5th place)
Matching last year’s expensive charge into second spot was always going to be an unlikely prospect given the club’s weakened finances this time around, but while things did not pan out so well for coach Jeon Kyeong Joon’s side, the players still showed some good quality with their clever football. Sadly, the confident swagger that was present for most of the 2008 campaign could not be replicated this time around.
Blue ribbon: Yu Hyun Koo
Do not be fooled by the 26-year-old’s coarse appearance that makes him look several years older; throughout the season, the former Gwangju Sangmu midfielder showed himself to be a curious blend of strength, guile and technique as he bossed the turf for the Bears. A tricky practitioner when it comes to direct free kicks, his most profitable spell came in an eight-match run from July to October that saw him hit the target five times.
Sunny side up: Seo Su Jong
Recalled from Korean National League side Ansan Hallelujah in mid-season as Jeon sought to augment his attacking options, the winger did not let his coach down, scoring twice in his first five games back in Singapore. The 22-year-old eventually finished the season with eight strikes to his name, and his zipping runs on both flanks earned him a nomination for Young Player of the Year.
Fly in the soup: Yun Bo Young
The knee injury that cut the 31-year-old’s season in half in 2008 continued to trouble him one year on, and repeated attempts to rush himself back into action were thwarted as he never gave himself the rest he really needed to thoroughly recover. While it allowed Yu the chance to step up and shine from a more withdrawn position, the team’s game would have risen to another level had both men been fielded together more often.
Overall grade: B-. Constantly bugged by money issues which kept the dressing room unsettled, it was remarkable enough that the Yishun-based outfit managed to drag themselves across the finish line at all. The sad news is that the Korean show, so wonderful to watch and yet so shockingly underappreciated, seems likely to end as chairman Charlie Yoon looks to tame the budget beast by switching to a local approach.
Tampines Rovers (2nd place)
Even though they managed their best placing in three years, this was probably the season where the proverbial camel’s back finally broke. Claims of refereeing injustices aside, an alarming tendency to draw rather than win games early on gave the Stags an awkward handicap, and when they seemed close to overcoming that towards the end of July, they promptly lost three matches on the trot. Truly a classic case of “what could have been”.
Blue ribbon: Seiji Kaneko
Just how the former Kashima Antlers man missed out on a nomination for Player of the Year was a mystery, for he often showed tenacity and professionalism in the way he held his post in the backline. Many a dangerous attacker has shrivelled at the thought of trying to get past him, and while he does not share the casual ease of former Stags legend Sead Muratovic, he is no less adept at getting goals himself, having bagged an impressive six.
Sunny side up: Aliff Shafaein
A return of just three goals this season represents a sharp dip from a bumper haul of 14 last year, but the 27-year-old has still done quite well this term as the team’s creative bridge. Often he suffered when playing alongside bigger personalities; the exits of Noh Alam Shah, Fahrudin Mustafic and Ridhuan Muhammad ironically benefitted him as he was given more room to assert himself.
Fly in the soup: Shariff Abdul Samat
If there was a weak spot in this season’s most miserly backline, the former Young Player of the Year winner was it. Rash challenges and hasty clearances betrayed a surprising lack of composure throughout the year, and the occasional frazzled looks suggested he was distracted by issues off the pitch. He did have one high point though – his goal against Albirex Niigata FC (Singapore) was his first ever senior strike for the club.
Overall grade: B. At times they have been caught in a bind over their dependence on certain key players, and it was only when they were forced to reshuffle their team that there appeared hopes of finding another way. The basic elements are still there though, and as long as coach Vorawan Chitavanich can find the right men to fill out the squad, the fans should be able to look forward to a better time next year.
Woodlands Wellington (9th place)
Operating with a more modest budget as familiar names like Yazid Yasin, Sazali Salleh and Park Tae Won all made their exits, they were written off as likely candidates to prop up the league table. But while finishing third from bottom might not look too good, a closer look at the table shows they are closer to sixth-placed Geylang United than they are to Sengkang Punggol, just one place below them. Not such a bad year, then.
Blue ribbon: Nenad Bacina
More than any single player, it is this rookie coach who has done the business for the Rams. Handed a bunch of journeymen and a few young players who had grown up with the club, he has done excellently to put together a whole far greater than the sum of the parts. Ultimately the Croat was reluctantly released due to ever-tightening financial limitations, but he will be fondly remembered for his tenacity and good sense of humour.
Sunny side up: Jamil Ali
By far the most dangerous man in the Woodlands setup, guesses on how the 26-year-old would be deployed often dominated the pre-match chatter regardless of whom they were due to face. He was particularly instrumental in the felling of his former employers SAFFC in March, and a return of eight goals in all competitions was most remarkable as he led the club’s overall scoring charts.
Fly in the soup: Hasrin Jailani
2009 was not the happiest of years for this former Tiger Cup winner, as injuries conspired to limit him to just two starts and eight substitute appearances, all of them coming before August. Having recently turned 34, there may not be much time left in this midfielder’s career, and the occasional motivational speaker will have to make the most of whatever there is to give one last rousing hurrah on the field.
Overall grade: B. Punching well above their perceived weight and thus defying their critics, they have given a creditable account of themselves despite all the difficulties they had faced. But with the club’s financial situation not looking too good in the short term, it appears they will once again be stripped of their most valuable assets. For all those who were here this season, though, it was good while it lasted.
Young Lions (8th place)
With a squad brimming with teenagers, they did not enjoy the best of starts, and even had to deal with the ignominy of losing to Cambodian side Phnom Penh Crown in the RHB Singapore Cup preliminary stage following a performance that riled coach Terry Pathmanathan. Yet somehow things finished positively in a late upswing, as they won their last four games on the trot to end up well clear of the cellar. Not exactly a Houdini act, but worthy of some applause nonetheless.
Blue ribbon: Obadin Aikhena
He ended the season as the team’s unlikely joint top goalscorer, but as always his contributions were more significant at the back as he garnered a Young Player of the Year nomination. Often asked to carry his colleagues almost singlehandedly, the Nigerian was an exemplar of professionalism as he went about his tasks without so much as a word of complaint. It has come at a cost, but he will go back to Gombak United comforted by the knowledge that having better teammates will help sharpen him up again.
Sunny side up: Khairul Nizam
Give the 18-year-old credit where it is due – after spending most of the year firing blanks, his rich vein in goalscoring form late on coincided with the team’s gravity-defying run. Maybe calling him “the new Fandi Ahmad” would be inappropriate, given that he is more of a wide forward than an out-and-out goal machine, but if he keeps improving himself, it will be a matter of months rather than years before he gets a senior call-up.
Fly in the soup: Afiq Yunos
He was picked for the senior squad that played in the World Cup Qualifiers last year, but it would be hard to picture that looking at how he has fared at club level since. Shaky performances in his regular centreback role made for some hard times for defensive partner Aikhena, and with Madhu Mohana and Safuwan Baharudin emerging as potential alternates, the lanky boy will have to raise his game quickly to stay in the starting eleven.
Overall grade: C+. No doubt that late surge did much to move the boys a couple of notches up the grading scale, but they remain significantly weighed down by what had transpired for most of the campaign. The good news, according to Pathmanathan, was that everything eventually came together; whether these boys are the real deal we shall know in the coming season.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and are not intended to represent the views of FAS and the S.League. Your mileage may vary. |
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