World Cup draw (Singapore group)

Group A
Singapore
Iraq
Jordan
China

Group B
Lebanon
United Arab Emirates
Kuwait
Korea Republic

Group C
Korea DPR
Syria
Uzbekistan
Japan

Group D
Thailand
Oman
Saudi Arabia
Australia

Group E
Indonesia
Bahrain
Qatar
Iran

Schedule

2 September 2011
China vs Singapore 

6 September 2011
Singapore vs Iraq

11 October 2011
Singapore vs Jordan

11 November 2011
Jordan vs Singapore

15 November 2011

Singapore vs China 

29 February 2012
Iraq vs Singapore

Singapore reach group stage

Singapore reach the group of the 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL ASIAN QUALIFIERS after a 1-1 draw with Malaysia in their Round Two (2nd Leg) match at the Bukit Jalil Stadium on Thursday evening.

With first leg result seeing Singapore secure a 5-3 win over Malaysia, that draw in the return leg was enough to give Singapore 6-4 aggregate win.

The match got off to a good start for Singapore as they got the first shot on goal and looked to hang on to their two goal advantage. Shi Jiayi then came close to scoring but saw his effort sail over the crossbar.

Not wanting to be outdone, Malaysia got into attack mode and almost broke the deadlock through S.Kunalan. But Singapore’s No.1, Izwan Mahbud was on hand to block his shot and his defenders cleared the shot followed through from the rebound.

The Lions kept pressure on the Tigers’ defence by creating chances from both flanks but were unable to make them count. Malaysia’s goalkeeper, Khairul Fahmi who proved impossible to beat on home turf, kept his team in the game almost single-handedly. In the 26th minute, Referee Takayama Hiroyoshi had to stop play for a few minutes after lasers were used to distract the Lions’ custodian, Izwan just before a Malaysian free kick.

The first half then came to an end with the score board unchanged but with a whole lot of action on the pitch for the fans.  

Coming back on for the second-half, the Tigers knew they had to get back into he game and did just that in the 57th minute through their striker, Safee Sali. The Lions worked doubly hard to hang on to their reduced one-goal advantage and it showed through the chances they created upfront.

Their efforts paid off when Izwan struck his one of his trademark kicks from just outside the penalty box in the 72nd minute which found Duric who then laid off a brilliant headed pass to Shi Jiayi to net Singapore’s equalizer.

With the two goal advantage back in place, the Lions stuck their game plan and shut Malaysia out. The Tigers however, surged forward to get back into the lead but on each occasion, they had their chances thwarted by the Lions’ strong defensive wall.  In the dying minutes of the match, Malaysia’s Ahmad Fakri was sent off after receiving his second yellow card.

The match came to an end with the score, Malaysia 1-1 Singapore (Aggregate: 4-6).

Singapore Coach Raddy said “The game was a good one and that too in front of a big crowd. We got the result we wanted. I have been teaching my players that this is the kind of games you live to play for as a player in front of a full capacity stadium.”

“The crowd was simply fantastic and it was a great experience for me. I will continue to grow and improve as a player after this game.” Said Singapore No.1,Izwan Mahbud.  

World Cup Qualifier (Asia Zone) Round 2, second leg
Malaysia 1-1 Singapore

Goalscorers: Shi Jiayi (72') 

Singapore: Izwan Mahbud, Safuwan Baharudin, Shi Jia Yi, Aleksandar Duric, Qiu Li, Hariss Harun, Mustafic Fahrudin, Daniel Bennett, Shahril Ishak(C) (Fazrul Nawaz 79), Shaiful Eash, Juma'at Jantan.

League Cup 2011 Final & Third/Fourth matchup

Final
Albirex Niigata (S) 0 (5) - (4) 0 Hougang United 

Hougang United

Fadhil Salim (GK), Lau Meng Meng, Shariff Samat (C), Shahril Alias, Fathi Yunus, Ratna Suffian, Azhar Sairudin (Sobrie Mazelan ), Jordan Webb, Noor Ali, Carlos Delgado, Vitor Borges
----------

Third/Fourth Placing

Tampines Rovers 0 (3) - (1) 0 Home United 

Tampines Rovers
Alimin Mohamed (GK), Jufri Taha, Zahid Ahmad, Seiji Kaneko, Firdaus Kasman, Ahmad Latiff, Akihiro Nakamura, Imran Sahib, Shukor Zailan, Aliff Shafaein (C) (Fazil Zailani), Ahmed Fahmie (Ali Hudzaifi) 

Home United 
Fajar Sarib (GK), Valery Hiek (C), Rosman Sulaiman, Farizal Basri (Firdaus Idros), Nor Azli Yusoff, Isa Halim, Asraf Rashid (Frederic Mendy), Faizal Samad (Khairul Anwar), Masrezwan Masturi, Lee Sang Ha, Sherif El-Masri

League Cup Quarter-Final & Semi-Final

League Cup 2011

Quarter-Final

Etoile FC (5) 1-1 (6) Home United

Scorer: Maxime Belouet / Zulfadli Zainal Abidin 

Home United

Fajar Sarib (GK), Kenji Arai, Valery Hiek (C), Rosman Sulaiman, Zulfadli Zainal Abidin, Abdil Qaiyyim (Faizal Samad), Farizal Basri (Frederic Mendy), Nor Azli Yusoff, Firdaus Idros, Masrezwan Masturi (Sufian Anuar), Lee Sang Ha  

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League Cup 2011

Quarter-Final

SAFFC 1-2 Hougang United

Scorer: Indra Sahdan / Jordan Webb, Basit Hamid

 

SAFFC
Hyrulnizam Juma'at (GK) (C), Razaleigh Khalik, Hafiz Osman (C), Bah Mamadou, Noh Rahman, Rhysh Roshan Rai (Ivan Jerkovic), Goran Subara, Taisuke Akiyoshi (Hafsyar Farkhan), Mustaqim Manzur (Riswan Ebnu), Mislav Karoglan, Indra Sahdan 

Hougang United

Fadhil Salim (GK), Lau Meng Meng, Shariff Samat (C), Shahril Alias, Fathi Yunus (Sobrie Mazelan), Azhar Sairudin (Ratna Suffian), Jordan Webb, Fazli Jaffar, Faizal Amir, Carlos Delgado, Noor Ali (Basit Hamid)

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League Cup 2011

Quarter-Final

Tampines Rovers 2-1 Gombak United

Scorer: Jamil Ali, Ahmed Fahmie / OG 

Tampines Rovers

Hafez Mawasi (GK), Jufri Taha, Benoit Croissant, Seiji Kaneko, Firdaus Kasman (Zahid Ahmad), Akihiro Nakamura, Imran Sahib, Ismadi Mukhtar, Aliff Shafaein (C) (Fazil Zailani), Jamil Ali, Ahmed Fahmie (Ali Hudzaifi) 

Gombak United

Zaiful Nizam (GK), Jeremy Chiang, Ismail Yunos, Obadin Aikhena (C) (Shafuan Sutohmoh), Walid Lounis, Tengku Mushadad, Ruhaizad Ismail (Farouq Farkhan), Park Kang Jin, Ridwan Jamil, Jung Hee Bong, Chang Jo Yoon (Zulkiffli Hassim)

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League Cup 2011

Quarter-Final

Albirex Niigata (S) 3-1 Geylang United

Scorer: Shuhei Hotta, Bruno Castanheira (2) / Yuta Nakano 

Geylang United

Yazid Yasin (GK) (C), Sofiyan Abdul Hamid (Mubarak Ahamad), Adrian Dhanaraj, Daniel Hammond, Syed Fadhil, Jeon Byung Euk, Kim Jae Hong, Syed Thaha, Nakano Yuta, Rizawan Abdullah (Shah Hirul (Jonathan Xu)), Hafiz Rahim

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League Cup 2011

Semi-Final 

Home United 0-1 Hougang United

Scorer: Noor Ali 

Home United

Fajar Sarib (GK), Kenji Arai, Valery Hiek (C), Rosman Sulaiman, Zulfadli Zainal Abidin, Nor Azli Yusoff, Firdaus Idros, Masrezwan Masturi (Asraf Rashid (Faizal Samad)), Lee Sang Ha, Frederic Mendy, Sufian Anuar (Farizal Basri) 

Hougang United
Fadhil Salim (GK), Lau Meng Meng, Shariff Samat (C), Shahril Alias (Ratna Suffian), Azhar Sairudin (Fathi Yunus), Jordan Webb, Fazli Jaffar, Faizal Amir, Noor Ali (Sobrie Mazelan), Carlos Delgado, Vitor Borges

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League Cup 2011

Semi-Final

Albirex Niigata (S) (6) 1-1 (5) Tampines Rovers

Scorer: Norihiro Kawakami / Ahmed Fahmie 

Tampines Rovers
Hafez Mawasi (GK), Jufri Taha, Benoit Croissant, Seiji Kaneko, Firdaus Kasman, Akihiro Nakamura, Imran Sahib, Ismadi Mukhtar, Aliff Shafaein (C), Jamil Ali (Fazil Zailani), Ahmed Fahmie (Ahmad Latiff)

League Cup Round 1 Results

League Cup 2011
Round 1

Woodlands Wellington 0-2 Hougang United

Scorer: Fazli Jaffar, Vitor Borges

Woodlands Wellington 

Ang Bang Heng (GK) (C), Fumiya Kobayashi, Duncan Elias, Munier Raychouni (Madhu Mohana), Jalal, Guntur Djafril, Sazali Salleh, Han Yiguang (Darrel Tan), Hyun Jong Woon, Shazlee Hamzah (Sahairi Ramri), Moon Soon Ho

Hougang United

Fadhil Salim (GK), Lau Meng Meng (Eddie Chang), Shariff Samat (C), Shahril Alias, Fathi Yunus, Jordan Webb, Fazli Jaffar, Faizal Amir, Carlos Delgado (Aqhari Abdullah), Noor Ali (Sobrie Mazelan), Vitor Borges
-----

League Cup 2011

Round 1

TPUFC 1-3 Albirex Niigata (S) 

 

Scorer: Takaya Kawanabe / Shimpei Sakurada, Kazuki Kobayashi, Bruno Castanheira 

 

TPUFC 

Ng Jia Fa (GK), Kim Seong Kyu (C), Ganesan s/o Devadas (Taufiq Rahmat), Sudhershen Hariram, Justin Khiang, Kim Jong Oh, Cyril Bagnost, Takaya Kawanabe, Azlan Alipah (Benedict Low), Nurizam Azman, Gary Loo

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League Cup 2011

Round 1

Gombak United (S) 2-0 Balestier Khalsa 

Scorer: Jung Hee Bong, Chang Jo Yoon

Gombak United

Zaiful Nizam (GK), Jeremy Chiang, Obadin Aikhena (C), Walid Lounis, Tengku Mushadad (Ridhwan Jamaludin), Aloysius Yap (Zulkiffli Hassim), Shafuan Sutohmoh, Park Kang Jin, Ridwan Jamil, Jung Hee Bong, Chang Jo Yoon (Farouq Farkhan)

Balestier Khalsa

Joey Sim (GK), Anaz Hadee, Lim Young Woo, Paul Cunningham (C), Ishak Zainol, Ridhwan Osman (K Sathiaraj), K Vikraman, Poh Yi Feng, Nurhilmi Jasni (Shamsurin Abd Rahman), Kim Young Kwang (Armanizam Dolah), Mark Kevin McGough

Transfer - June/July (Mid-season window)

Window is closed

• Stags sign French keeper Yohann Lacroix
• Young Lions get their men including Shahdan
•  Home sign up new Korean
• Asian imports for Eagles 
• Gombak get Eagles reject
• Geylang get Hammond
• Rams signed up two Koreans to compete their foreign revamp
• Vitor sign for Hougang
• Rams released two more foreigners 
• Hammond is the Warriors out 
• Tampines unwilling to lose Shahdan Sulaiman 
• Rams get Kobayashi and Elias
• Cubs looking at new players
• Masrezwan Masturi join Protectors
• Woodlands looking at Fumiya Kobayashi 
• Warriors sign Goran Subara 
• Hougang link with Vitor 
• Balestier sign Aussie 
• Annyeonghi Gaseyo, K2 Crouch
• Etoile get new forward as Robert deal stalled 
• Jaguars get their Frenchman 
• Rams look to boast firepower with 3 new foreigners 
• Jaguars looking at former Etoile midfielder 
• Mustafic Fahrudin is a Stags again 
• Rams release their Brazilian forward 
• Shevki Sha'ban is finally back 
• Robert set to sign for Etoile 
• Stags talking with Fahrudin 
• Hassan and Park are out
• Mislav Karoglan extend stay with Warriors
• Luka Savic depart Warriors

Pre-season transfers

Stags sign French keeper Yohann Lacroix

Tampines Rovers have finally move to strengthen up their weakness as they looked to maintain their title charge.

With first choice custodian, Hassan Sunny, out until next season, the Stags are in need of an experienced hand at the back and Yohann Lacroix looked to be the one.

The 26-year-old Frenchman played for champions Etoile FC last season and he kept an amazing 21 clean sheet in 36 appearances for them.

If Lacroix managed even half of that for Tampines, it could still make the difference between securing a top 3 position or a championship crown.

Singapore edge Malaysia in WCQ first leg

Singapore beat Malaysia 5-3 in the 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL ™ ASIAN QUALIFIERS ROUND TWO, (1st Leg) match at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday evening in what was a pulsating game of football.

A match between Singapore and Malaysia has always been passionate but this was a whole different match altogether. A flurry of eight goals with five coming in the first-half brought the 6,000 capacity crowd to a frenzy of cheers.

The match got off to a roaring start with Malaysia’s No.10, Safee Sali giving his side the lead within the opening minute of the game. The Lions refused to let their heads drop after the bad start and they came roaring back through Aleksandar Duric seven minutes later.

The Lions pushed on further to secure a comfortable lead in the first half and Qiu Li got the crowd standing in the 21st minute when he wonderfully floated a freekick that beat Malaysia’s custodian, Mohd. Sharbinee Allawee Bin Ramli.

Having a one-goal lead in the first-half was clearly not the Lions’ idea as they tore the Malaysian defence apart, scoring two goals in quick succession. Mustafic Fahrudin latched onto a cushioned header from Hariss Harun before letting loose a screamer of a shot in the 44th minute and Shi Jiayi ended the first-half for Singapore with the fourth goal in the 45th minute.

Coming back on for the second-half, the visitors strived to get back into the game but were reduced to ten-men in the 49th minute after their captain, Safiq bin Rahim was sent off for a hard challenge on Hariss Harun.

Looking to extend their three-goal lead, the Lions attacked in numbers, taking advantage of the extra man on the field. However, they too lost a player after referee Nawaf Shukralla dismissed Ismail Yunos for a second bookable offence.

With both teams having lost a player to red cards, the visitors got themselves into the game by scoring two goals within a minute. The goals were scored by Abdul Hadi bin Yahaya and Safee Sali in the 68th and 69th minute respectively.

With the scoreboard reading, Singapore 4-3 Malaysia and the home fans cheering the lions on to go for the kill, they got what they wanted when the impressive Duric finished off the night with his second goal of the match after a brilliant move between him and Qiu Li.

The match came to an end with Singapore walking away with a crucial two-goal lead over Malaysia in the 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL ™ ASIAN QUALIFIERS ROUND TWO, (1st Leg). The return leg will be played on 28 July at the Bukit Jalil Stadium.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Malaysia Coach K.Rajagobal praised his side for their effort in the second-half but he was also hard on them for their first half performance. “We got off to the best start, the best ever start. And then the whole defence collapsed when Singapore was putting pressure on the flanks. The second half we came back into the match, I have to pay credit to the players.”

He went on to add, “It would have been 4-4 or 5-5 but they were too eager especially my defence to push up and then left in a lot of space and time for Singapore to harass us. Nevertheless, we have to be optimistic, be positive and it was important for us to get three goals in the first leg.”

Singapore Coach Raddy, “It was a really exciting match to watch for the supporters from both sides. What happened was that we really wanted to win the game. The first-half in some ways, we used our heads more than our emotions. In the 2nd half, one moment of concentration cost us. All players gave their 100 percent and you can see that they are all very tired when the match ended.”

He also singled out a few players for praise, “I was very pleased with Qiu Li as I did not expect him to last so long, he did really well. Izwan also played well as he made critical saves in the first-half and I think he’s good for a boy who played for the first time in the National team. “ 

World Cup Qualifier (Asia Zone) Round 2, first leg

Singapore 5-3 Malaysia

Scorers: Aleksandar Duric (8', 80'), Qiu Li (21'), Mustafic Fahrudin (44'), Shi Jiayi (45')

Singapore: Izwan Mahbud, Safuwan Baharudin, Shi Jia Yi, Aleksandar Duric, Qiu Li (Fazrul Nawaz 89), Hariss Harun, Mustafic Fahrudin, Daniel Bennett, Shahril Ishak(c) (Shahdan Sulaiman 68), Ismail Yunos, Juma'at Jantan (Shaiful 91)

AFF U16 & U19 Championship Results

ASEAN Under-16 championship
Group B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Myanmar	4	3	1	0	8	4	+4	10
Singapore	4	3	0	1	15	2	+13	9
Vietnam	4	2	0	2	15	9	+6	6
Cambodia	4	1	1	2	4	10	−6	4
Philippines	4	0	0	4	2	19	−17	0

Results

• Singapore U16 5-0 Vietnam U16
• Singapore U16 5-0 Philippines U16
• Myanmar U16 2-1 Singapore U16
• Singapore U16 4-0 Cambodia U16

Semi-Final

• Thailand U16 2-0 Singapore U16

Third/Fourth placing

• Myanmar U16 2-1 Singapore U16

ASEAN Under-19 championship
Group A

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Thailand	4	4	0	0	14	0	+14	12
Malaysia	4	2	1	1	12	1	+11	7
Cambodia	4	1	2	1	6	9	−3	5
Singapore	4	0	2	2	2	11	−9	2
Philippines	4	0	1	3	4	17	−13	1

Results

• Singapore U19 1-1 Philippines U19
• Malaysia U19 6-0 Singapore U19
• Singapore U19 1-1 Cambodia U19
• Thailand U19 3-0 Singapore U19

Singapore beat Chinese Taipei 3-2

Singapore defeated Chinese-Taipei 3-2 at the Jalan Besar Stadium just days before they march back onto the very same pitch for the 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS against Malaysia.

Singapore got thing going through Aleksandar Duric in the 17th minute. Left with just a simple tap in after receiving a low cross from Hariss Harun, he made no mistake to give his side an early lead.

Chinese-Taipei tried to get the game back on level terms but were unable to break down the Singapore defensive wall. The first-half came to an end with the score, Singapore 1-0 Chinese-Taipei.

Coming back on for the second half, Chinese-Taipei made their presence felt with a quick goal to bring the game back on level terms through No.9, Lo Chih An.

The Lions responded with a Duric goal in the 54th minute which got the fans fired up and their cheers grew louder.

Both sides pushed ahead for the next goal and substitute Hiang Shih Lu put his team back into contention in the 62nd minute. Sensing the need for more attacking options upfront, Coach Raddy brought on Fazrul Nawaz and Qiu Li in the 65th minute.

The tactical switch proved to be effective as the Lions wrestled back the lead with forward Fazrul Nawaz breaking away from his defenders to slot the ball home for Singapore’s 3rd and final goal of the match.

The game ended with the score board reading Singapore 3-2 Chinese-Taipei.

Singapore Coach Raddy, was satisfied with the result as he spoke about his team’s performance at the post-match press conference when he said: “There are some points we need to improve on and also some positive points to take note of. We created a lot of chances, passing most of the time.”

He went on to say “I am however happy with the performance of the team and this game allowed the players to learn from their mistakes as it is better to make mistakes now than in the match against Malaysia.”

“We kept passing the ball and had more possession. We did make mistakes today and we will learn from it and make changes to our game.” said Captain Shahril Ishak.

Goal scorer Aleksandar Duric was spot on when he said “We started with a new system of play from the match against Maldives and we are creating more chances. It was a good game and my team mates did well.”

Having taken charge of the team only three days ago, Coach Tee Tae Ho said “It was tough but I think we did ok. Singapore forwards have more experience and are organized.”

When asked about the difference between Singapore’s style of play and the Malaysians, “Singapore has more stability and matured while Malaysia is abit unstable and not matured.” 

International Friendly
Singapore 3-2 Chinese Taipei

Scorer - Aleksandar Duric (2), Fazrul Nawaz 

Singapore: Izwan Mahbud, Safuwan Bhahrudin, Shi Jiayi, Shahdan Sulaiman, Aleksandar Duric (Fazrul Nawaz 65), Hariss Harun, Mustafic Faharudin (Qiu Li 65), Daniel Bennett, Shahril Ishak (C), Ismail Yunos (Shaiful Esah 69), Juma'at Jantan

Kuwait Olympic 2-1 Spore Selection

Kuwait Olympic defeated Singapore Selection 2-1 in a friendly game at Jurong West Stadium.

Erwan Gunawan got the goal for the Singapore Selection

Young Lions get their men including Shahdan

Courts Young Lions have got their men thanks once again to their 'national interest' card.

Courts Young Lions have Navin Nigel Vanu from Woodlands Wellington, Ruzaini Zainal from SAFFC, Shahir Hamzah from Home United, Emmeric Ong from Hougang United and Sheikh Abdul Hadi from Gombak United.

Even Shahdan Sulaiman, whom the Stags have been unwilling to release, is joining the Jalan Besar side.

Tampines Rovers had wanted to release the 22-year-old midfielder only in October as they needed him for the championship race for he is playing a pivot part at the Eastern giant.

One wonder if clubs will be playing U23 players in pivot roles if the Cubs come calling everything when they are considered great players of the future thanks to a national interest card.

Home sign up new Korean

It looked like his time is really up as former Korean international & K-league 2002 MVP Kim Dae-Eui has been unable to impress in his time at Home United.

The 36-year-old had come to S-league hoping to extend his playing career but he has been unable to command a regular place at Home United due to injury and poor from.

Therefore he has decided to call time on his career in the S-league.

His replacement is another Korean Lee Sang Ha.

Vitor sign for Hougang

Vitor Borges is a Cheetah as the Hougang club have signed the Brazilian in the transfer window.

He will be expected to be the main man upfront even as he may not bring in the goals with a poor record of only 7 goals in 50 games in his time at Balestier Khalsa.

This is less of a problem at Hougang, who need a frontman as their own Brazilain Diego Gama de Oliveira is out for longer than expected, for the club have goal source like Noor Ali, Delgado and Webb.

Gombak get Eagles reject

Gombak united have moved to sign Geylang reject Jung Hee-bong.

It is puzzling at best as I cannot see what the so called K2 Crouch can bring to the Jurong West side.

However the 25-year-old is an improvement on their import at least as they have released their own Korean flop,  Kwon Jin Sung.

Kwon Jin Sung has make little impact at Gombak where he has been forced to come off the bench as he has been unable to command a regular spot.

As a foreigner, that is an unforgivable 'crime' as a foreigner must be able to command a starting spot.   

Asian imports for Eagles

Geylang United have signed two Asian for their foreigner slot.

They are Korean midfielder Jeon Byung Euk and Japanese forward Yuta Nakano.

It is a combination of experience and youth.

Jeon Byung Euk is 34-year-old and have played in the S-league before with Super Reds where he make 67 appearances; scoring 7 goals.

As for Yuta Nakano, he is only 21-year-old although he has already in J2 with Fagiano Okayama and Yokohama FC but in the three years he spend with them, he has make only 21 appearances and it is clear he is coming to Geylang to prove himself.

Making space for them is Jung Hee Bon, who has already departed, and now Romanian Vasile Ghindaru who has not impressed much in his 18 months in the S-league.

Geylang get Hammond

Geylang United have signed Daniel Hammond from SAFFC as the Englishman is released by the eight-time champions.

The 28-year-old defender is considered surplus to requirement as he has been unable to break the Bennett-Mamadou partnership.

However it will not be the case at Geylang as the Bedok club have been leaking goals all season and his arrival will be welcomed.

The Eagles are his sixth club in the last five years in the S-league.

Rams signed up two Koreans to compete their foreign revamp

Woodlands Wellington have signed Korean Moon Soon Ho and Hyun Jong Woon.

Hyun Jong Woon has been signed from Courts Young Lions while Moon Soon Ho is coming from the N-league (Korean Div 1).

However Moon Soon Ho has experience in the S-league as he has played for the Super Reds before in the 2008 season where he scored 7 goals in 39 games.

The Rams will hope he can repeat that as they have lost Navin Nigel Vanu to Courts Young Lions thanks to 'national interest'.

Without their young forward, the Rams have no strikeforce at the moment and they must hoped the two Korean will be that solution.   

Tampines unwilling to lose Shahdan Sulaiman

With the revelation, the Courts Young Lions want Tampines Rovers to give up midfielder Shahdan Sulaiman due to 'national interest', Stags head coach Steven Tan was none too pleased.  

Shahdan Sulaiman have been played a pivotal role in the centre of the Stags midfield and have given them the creative juice they desire.

Therefore Tampines Rovers is unwilling to lose the 22-year-old as they are still in the hunt for the championship.

Steven Tan have wondered why Courts Young Lions cannot wait for he has given a deadline of October to release Shahdan Sulaiman to the Jalan Besar team.

However his pleas is unlikely to work on a FAS bent on getting players in the name of 'national interest'.

Hammond is the Warriors out

After days of guessing who will be the Warriors released to accommodate Goran Surbara, and with rumors flying around it was Taisuke Akiyoshi who had suffered a long-term injury, there was surprise at the end when it was reveal it was UK defender Daniel Hammond.

It seem Taisuke Akiyoshi injury was not as serious as previously believed and he can played a part in the second half of the season thus the Warriors are keeping him.

With that option out, the Warriors believed Daniel Hammond is surplus to requirement as Daniel Bennett and Bah Mamadou have formed a partnership in the centre of defence and the UK defender chances have been rare in recent months.

Thus it may not come as a surprise in the end that it was the 28-year-old defender.

Rams released two more foreigners

UK defenders Adrian Butters and Graham Tatters have followed Brazilian forward Leonardo Alexio da Costa out the window.

With the signature of Japanese Fumiya Kobayashi and local lad Duncan Elias, Woodlands Wellington have the defenders they need to rebuild their defence thus the two UK defenders are no longer needed.

Especially as the Rams defence have not been leak-tight as well with only two clean sheet all season and much of the blame is focus on the foreigners who are expected to rally the local lads.

Therefore it spell the end of their footballing career at Woodlands Wellington as the Rams looked to clear up foreigner slots for new arrivals.

Rams get Kobayashi and Elias

Even as the Rams faced the possibility they will lose their pivotal forward Navin Nigel Vanu, they are strengthening their team and it is starting from the back.

Japanese defender Fumiya Kobayashi and local lad Duncan Elias, both from Hougang United, have been signed.

They are expected to help stop the leakage at the back as the Rams have been conceding goals too easily thus once the club go behind, the whole team lose heart.

Cubs looking at new players

According to MediaCorp Today, Courts Young Lions could have 7 new players by the end of the transfer window on July 9.

The players included even pivot players at clubs like Shahdan Sulaiman from Tampines Rovers and Navin Nigel Vanu from Woodlands Wellington.

Others who have been targeted for possible transfers are Ruzaini Zainal from SAFFC, Emmeric Ong from Hougang United, Firdaus Kasman from Tampines Rovers, Sheikh Abdul Hadi from Gombak United and Shahir Hamzah from Home United.

If all these players are called up, the Courts Young Lions could have a whole new starting 11 in the second half of the season.

ASEAN U23 championship is over

The ASEAN U23 championship is over as the AFF website confirmed it postponement.

The reason is PSSI have admitted they cannot host the meet in Palembang because the Jaka Baring Stadium which is under renovation, could not be made ready in time for the meet.

The meet was initially slated for 16-26 July 2011.

It seem Courts Young Lions (Or should one say it is FAS) decision not to participate in the Singapore Cup and the League Cup was all in vain.

XXIII Canon Lion City Cup Results

Group A 
Spore U15
Newcastle United
Juventus

Results
Spore U15 4-3 Newcastle United
Juventus 1-0 Newcastle United
Spore U15 1-2 Juventus

Group B
Spore U16
Everton
CR Flamengo

Results
CR Flamengo 1-0 Everton
Spore U16  1-1 CR Flamengo
Spore U16 1-1 Everton

Semi-final
Spore U16 (4) 2-2 (3) Juventus
Spore U15  0-3 CR Flamengo

Third/Fourth
Spore U15  4-0 Juventus 

Final
Spore U16 (4) 0-0 (5) CR Flamengo

SAFFC and Etoile FC keep up title charge (Edited)

Both SAFFC and Etoile FC kept up the title charge as they defeated their respective foes with the Warriors defeating Albirex Niigata (S) 2-1 while Etoile FC crushed Balestier Khalsa 3-0.

These results allowed the Warriors to close the gap at the top to four points while Etoile FC are a further eight points behind they have two games in hand.

Croatian forward Mislav Karoglan was the main reason the Warriors walk away with all three points as he notched a brace to kill of the White Swans who had taken the lead through Shotaro Ihata.

As for the French, they had to thanks debutant Aly Doumbouya as he got a brace with Hicham Bouchemlal getting the other goal.

In another match, Woodlands Wellington notch their second win in a row to climb off bottom spot.

They defeated Hougang United 3-2 with a hat-trick from Korean Moon Soon Ho as he exploited the slow Hougang backline time and time again.

Sobrie Mazelan and Jordan Webb had scored for the Hougang side.

As for the final match before S-league take a break for international games and League Cup action, Etoile FC defeated Geylang United 3-2 at Bedok to end the Eagles 5-games winning streak.

Wilson Grosse, Jonathan Toto and Nordine Talhi scored for the French side with Kim Jae Hong and Nakano Yuta replying for the Eagles.

SAFFC
Shahril Jantan (GK) (C), Shaiful Esah, Razaleigh Khalik (Noh Rahman), Hafiz Osman (Fazrul Nawaz), Bah Mamadou, Daniel Bennett, Ivan Jerkovic, Rhysh Roshan Rai (Syaiful Iskandar), Goran Subara, Taisuke Akiyoshi, Mislav Karoglan

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Balestier Khalsa

Joey Sim (GK), Anaz Hadee, Paul Cunningham (C), Ishak Zainol, Shamsurin Abd Rahman (Ridhwan Osman), Armanizam Dolah, K Vikraman (Andrew Tan), Poh Yi Feng, Nurhilmi Jasni (Hilmi Azman), Kim Young Kwang, Mark Kevin McGough 

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Hougang United

Fadhil Salim (GK), Shariff Samat (C), Shahril Alias, Ratna Suffian, Azhar Sairudin (Aqhari Abdullah), Jordan Webb, Fazli Jaffar, Sobrie Mazelan (Noor Ali), Carlos Delgado, Vitor Borges, Mamadou Diallo (Basit Hamid)

Woodlands Wellington 

Ang Bang Heng (GK), Fumiya Kobayashi, Duncan Elias, Munier Raychouni (C), Nawfal Shahib (Sazali Salleh), Jalal, Guntur Djafril (Goh Swee Swee), Han Yiguang, Hyun Jong Woon, Shazlee Hamzah (Madhu Mohana), Moon Soon Ho  
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Geylang United
Yazid Yasin (GK) (C), Sofiyan Abdul Hamid, Mubarak Ahamad (Jonathan Xu), Adrian Dhanaraj, Daniel Hammond, Syed Fadhil, Jeon Byung Euk (Shah Hirul), Kim Jae Hong, Syed Thaha, Nakano Yuta, Hafiz Rahim

Etoile win over Home open title race

Etoile FC have open up the title race after they defeated Home United 2-0 at Queenstown as Andrea Damiani and Theo Raymond got the goals for the French side.

With this results, five teams - Home United, Tampines Rovers, SAFFC, Albirex Niigata (S), Etoile FC - are in with a shot of the championship.

Etoile FC, before this win, had only a slim chance as they had been docked 5 points for the Hougang incident but now as long as they win their matches in hand they can closed the gap to 6 points and that will be boast to their morale considering their problem.

Tampines Rovers, whose chance took a dip a few week ago, took full advantage as they defeated Courts Young Lions 1-0 at Jalan Besar to go top of the table.

Aliff Shafaein got the winner.

But it was not the same story for SAFFC as they falter against Hougang United as the Cheetahs shock them by walking away from Choa Chu Kang with all three points.

Carlos Delgado had given the Cheetah an early lead and the Hougang side managed to starve off the 8-time champions to give them their first ever win against the Warriors.

In another match, Woodlands Wellington defeated Balestier Khalsa 1-0.

Guntur Djafril got the winner for the Rams 

Woodlands Wellington 

Ang Bang Heng (GK) (C), Fumiya Kobayashi, Duncan Elias, Munier Raychouni, Nawfal Shahib (Goh Swee Swee), Jalal, Guntur Djafril, Han Yiguang, Hyun Jong Woon, Shazlee Hamzah (Darrel Tan), Moon Soon Ho

Balestier Khalsa

Joey Sim (GK), Anaz Hadee, Lim Young Woo, Paul Cunningham (C), Ishak Zainol, Shamsurin Abd Rahman, Armanizam Dolah, K Vikraman (Ridhwan Osman), Nurhilmi Jasni (Andrew Tan), Kim Young Kwang (Hilmi Azman), Mark Kevin McGough

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SAFFC 

Shahril Jantan (GK) (C), Razaleigh Khalik, Hafiz Osman, Bah Mamadou, Daniel Bennett, Syaiful Iskandar (Mustaqim Manzur), Ivan Jerkovic (Erwan Gunawan), Goran Subara, Taisuke Akiyoshi, Mislav Karoglan, Fazrul Nawaz (Indra Sahdan)

Hougang United

Fadhil Salim (GK), Lau Meng Meng, Shariff Samat (C), Ratna Suffian, Azhar Sairudin (Fathi Yunus), Jordan Webb, Faizal Amir (Eddie Chang), Carlos Delgado, Noor Ali, Vitor Borges, Mamadou Diallo (Sobrie Mazelan)

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Home United

Fajar Sarib (GK), Kenji Arai, Juma'at Jantan, Valery Hiek, Zulfadli Zainal Abidin (Sufian Anuar), Shi Jiayi (C), Isa Halim (Firdaus Idros (Asraf Rashid)), Masrezwan Masturi, Lee Sang Ha, Frederic Mendy, Qiu Li

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Courts Young Lions

Izwan Mahbud (GK), Afiq Yunos, Irwan Shah, Fazli Ayob (Nigel Vanu), Hafiz Abu Sujad, Zulfahmi Arifin, Hariss Harun (C), Faris Ramli, Nazrul Ahmad Nazari (Ruzaini Zainal), Safirul Sulaiman, Khairul Nizam 

Tampines Rovers

Hafez Mawasi (GK), Benoit Croissant, Seiji Kaneko, Fahrudin Mustafic, Ahmad Latiff (Ahmed Fahmie), Akihiro Nakamura, Imran Sahib, Ismadi Mukhtar, Aliff Shafaein (Jamil Ali), Shukor Zailan (Firdaus Kasman), Aleksandar Duric (C)

Stags revival title hopes with win over champions

Tampines Rovers kept alive their hope for the championship as they defeated Etoile FC 1-0 at Jalan Besar.

Shahdan Sulaiman, playing in his last match for the Stags before joining Courts Young Lions due to 'national interest', notch the winner.

This victory allowed the Stags to close the gap on Home United to two points at the top.

In other matches, Albirex Niigata (S) crushed Hougang United 5-1 while TPUFC drew 0-0 with Gombak United.

Shotaro Ihata, with a hat-trick, Atsushi Shimono and Yosuke Saito got the goals for the White Swans while Vitor Borges notch the sole goal for Hougang. 

Hougang United

Fadhil Salim (GK), Lau Meng Meng, Shahril Alias (Fathi Yunus), Ratna Suffian (C), Azhar Sairudin (Mamadou Diallo), Jordan Webb, Fazli Jaffar, Faizal Amir (Noor Ali), Carlos Delgado, Aqhari Abdullah, Vitor Borges 

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Tampines Rovers

Hafez Mawasi (GK), Benoit Croissant, Seiji Kaneko, Fahrudin Mustafic, Ahmad Latiff, Akihiro Nakamura, Shahdan Sulaiman (Firdaus Kasman), Ismadi Mukhtar, Aliff Shafaein (Jufri Taha), Shukor Zailan (Jamil Ali), Aleksandar Duric (C)

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TPUFC 

Ridhuan Barudin (GK), Kim Seong Kyu (C), Arisman Arman (Nurizam Azman), Delwinder Singh, Kim Jong Oh, Cyril Bagnost, Takaya Kawanabe, Israel Tan (Taufiq Rahmat), Azlan Alipah, Gary Loo, Hafiz Nor (Ganesan s/o Devadas) 

Gombak United

Zaiful Nizam (GK), Hamqaamal Shah, Jeremy Chiang, Ismail Yunos, Obadin Aikhena (C), Walid Lounis, Tengku Mushadad, Park Kang Jin, Ridwan Jamil, Fareez Farhan (Farouq Farkhan), Chang Jo Yoon (Ruhaizad Ismail) 

Home take big step toward title after victory in Uniform Derby

Home United have taken a big step toward winning the 2011 S-league title by beating SAFFC 3-2 in the uniform Derby at Bishan.

Frederic Mendy, Qiu Li and Firdaus Idros scored for the Protectors with Mislav Karoglan and Fazrul Nawaz replying for the Warriors.

This victory has enable the Protectors to open up a 5-point gap at the top between them and their rivals.

In other matches, Albirex Niigata (S) crushed Gombak United 5-1, Balestier Khalsa defeated TPUFC 2-0 and Courts Young Lions crushed Woodlands Wellington 4-0.

Shotaro Ihata and Bruno Castanheira each scored a brace for the White Swans with Tatsuro Inui notching the fifth goal while Obadin Aikhena scored the sole goal for the Bulls.

Kim Young Kwang and Mark Kevin McGough scored for the Tigers in their win.

Khairul Nizam, Safuwan Baharudin, Faris Ramli and Ruzaini Zainal scored in the Courts Young Lions victory.

Home United

Lionel Lewis (GK) (Fajar Sarib), Kenji Arai, Juma'at Jantan, Valery Hiek, Rosman Sulaiman, Zulfadli Zainal Abidin, Shi Jiayi (C), Isa Halim, Masrezwan Masturi (Firdaus Idros), Frederic Mendy (Abdil Qaiyyim), Qiu Li 

SAFFC

Shahril Jantan (GK) (C), Shaiful Esah (Indra Sahdan), Hafiz Osman (Razaleigh Khalik), Bah Mamadou, Daniel Bennett, Ivan Jerkovic, Goran Subara, Taisuke Akiyoshi, Mustaqim Manzur, Mislav Karoglan, Erwan Gunawan (Fazrul Nawaz)

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Gombak United

Zaiful Nizam (GK), Hamqaamal Shah, Jeremy Chiang, Ismail Yunos, Obadin Aikhena (C) (Abdul Hadi), Tengku Mushadad, Ruhaizad Ismail (Kwon Jin Sung), Park Kang Jin, Ridwan Jamil, Fareez Farhan (Zulkiffli Hassim), Chang Jo Yoon 

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Balestier Khalsa

Joey Sim (GK), Anaz Hadee, Lim Young Woo, Paul Cunningham (C), Ishak Zainol, Armanizam Dolah (Ridhwan Osman), K Vikraman, Poh Yi Feng (Shamsurin Abd Rahman), Andrew Tan, Kim Young Kwang, Mark Kevin McGough 

TPUFC 

Ridhuan Barudin (GK), Khairul Solyhin, Kim Seong Kyu (C), Delwinder Singh, Taufiq Rahmat (Ganesan s/o Devadas), Kim Jong Oh, Cyril Bagnost, Takaya Kawanabe, Nurizam Azman (Arisman Arman), Gary Loo (Israel Tan), Hafiz Nor

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Woodlands Wellington 

Ang Bang Heng (GK), Fumiya Kobayashi, Duncan Elias, Munier Raychouni (C), Madhu Mohana, Jalal, Guntur Djafril (Darrel Tan), Han Yiguang (Sahairi Ramri), Hyun Jong Woon, Goh Swee Swee, Moon Soon Ho

Courts Young Lions

Izwan Mahbud (GK), Afiq Yunos, Irwan Shah, Safuwan Baharudin (Safirul Sulaiman), Fazli Ayob (Hafiz Abu Sujad), Eugene Luo, Zulfahmi Arifin, Hariss Harun (C), Faris Ramli, Nazrul Ahmad Nazari (Ruzaini Zainal), Khairul Nizam

Etoile FC restart their title charge

Etolie FC have restarted their title charge after they defeated TPUFC 2-0 at Queenstown.

The champions have suffered a setback in their last encounter, against Courts Young Lions, as they went down 1-2 but with this win they are surely looking to regain that drive for the title.

Theo Raymond and Jonathan Toto scored for the French side.

In other matches, Geylang United defeated Woodlands Wellington 1-0, Albirex Niigata (S) defeated Balestier Khalsa 1-0, Hougang United defeated Gombak United 3-2 , Geylang United won their fifth match in a row as they defeated TPUFC 1-0 in the LIVE match and finally Etoile FC won again, against Woodlands Wellington, 3-0 to continue their title charge  .

In the Eagles-Rams encounter, Korean forward Jung Hee Bong scored the winner while Tatsuro Inui scored the winner in the White Swans-Tigers encounter.
 
In the Hougang-Gombak match, Jordan Webb scored a brace  for the Cheetah with Sobrie Mazelan also contributing while Ruhaizad Ismail and Park Kang Jin reply for the Bulls.

Mubarak Ahamad scored the winner for the Eagles in the LIVE match.

Kamel Chaaouane and Jonathan Toto (a double) scored for the French side in their win against Woodlands Wellington. 

TPUFC 

Ridhuan Barudin (GK), Benedict Low (Ganesan s/o Devadas), Delwinder Singh (C), Taufiq Rahmat, Kim Jong Oh, Cyril Bagnost, Takaya Kawanabe, Azlan Alipahn (Sudhershen Hariram), Nurizam Azman (Arisman Arman), Gary Loo, Abdul Rahman

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Geylang United

Yazid Yasin (GK) (C), Sofiyan Abdul Hamid, Adrian Dhanaraj, Hassan Aziz (Sevki Sha'ban), Syed Fadhil, Vasile Ghindaru (Mubarak Ahamad), Kim Jae Hong, Syed Thaha, Jung Hee Bong, Rizawan Abdullah (Amy Recha), Hafiz Rahim 

Woodlands Wellington 

Amos Boon (GK), Sahairi Ramri, Munier Raychouni, Darrel Tan, Madhu Mohana, Jalal, Sazali Salleh (C), Hyun Jong Woon, Goh Swee Swee (Han Yiguang), Moon Soon Ho, Nigel Vanu

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Balestier Khalsa

Joey Sim (GK), Lim Young Woo, Paul Cunningham (C), K Sathiaraj, Ishak Zainol, Shamsurin Abd Rahman, Ridhwan Osman (Armanizam Dolah), Nurhilmi Jasni (K Vikraman), Andrew Tan, Kim Young Kwang, Mark Kevin McGough 

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Hougang United

Ameerul Shafiq (GK), Lau Meng Meng, Shahril Alias, Ratna Suffian (C), Azhar Sairudin (Basit Hamid), Jordan Webb, Fazli Jaffar (Sobrie Mazelan), Faizal Amir, Carlos Delgado, Noor Ali, Vitor Borges 

Gombak United

Lee Heng Huat (GK), Hamqaamal Shah, Jeremy Chiang, Ismail Yunos, Walid Lounis, Tengku Mushadad (C), Ruhaizad Ismail (Zulkiffli Hassim), Park Kang Jin, Ridwan Jamil (Shafuan Sutohmoh), Fareez Farhan, Chang Jo Yoon (Aloysius Yap )

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TPUFC 

Ng Jia Fa (GK), Kim Seong Kyu (C), Arisman Arman (Nurizam Azman), Delwinder Singh (C), Taufiq Rahmat, Kim Jong Oh, Cyril Bagnost, Takaya Kawanabe, Gary Loo, Abdul Rahman (Israel Tan), Hafiz Nor (Ganesan s/o Devadas) 

Geylang United

Yazid Yasin (GK) (C), Sofiyan Abdul Hamid, Sevki Sha'ban, Jonathan Xu (Fadli Kamis), Syed Fadhil, Vasile Ghindaru, Kim Jae Hong, Syed Thaha, Jung Hee Bong, Rizawan Abdullah (Mubarak Ahamad (Kamsani Buang)), Hafiz Rahim

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Woodlands Wellington 

Amos Boon (GK) (C), Sahairi Ramri, Munier Raychouni, Darrel Tan (Duncan Elias), Madhu Mohana, Jalal, Guntur Djafril, Hyun Jong Woon, Goh Swee Swee (Han Yiguang), Moon Soon Ho, Nigel Vanu (Sazali Salleh)

That man is hookwinking us again

That man at FAS cannot be trusted and I will stay by that even more now.

He can tell us we have no money yet he has no problem giving money to another FA who has a budget that is nearly 3 times bigger than us.

What does it tell me about his ideas.

It just tell me we are set to enter an age where money will be flowing out again as long as he get what he want.

Which is of course glory or else why  will we see a deal that allowed a 'youth' team to be staffed with up to as many as 8 players (5 overage players & 3 possible foreigners) who one cannot classified as youth.

So all pretence that it is an U23 project is thrown out the window. (As it was likely never an U23 project in the first place)

Like what I noted before, glory is more important and FAS under that man has bowed to it.

Also it make a mockery of the talk in Jakarta Casual about the benefits to us as in the end, it resemble a senior team more than a youth team and we are paying a sum of money to FAM.

Who is the fool?

Not FAM for sure.

Trust, something that I do not have of FAS or that man

As we know,  TNP have broken a story about Courts Young Lions playing in the M-league (One can see original story from Malaysia) and in return, the Young Tigers will play in S-league

Until this infos is 100% confirm by both FAM or FAS, I do not want to say more than the position on Courts Young Lions for it is not right to comment on what kind of team I believe the Young Tigers will send.

Let say my position on FAS, on what they will do with Courts Young Lions, is I do not trust them - especially under that man.

I just cannot foresee how they will be willing to stay U23 for the long term.

People can give a variety of reasons why we should play in M-league and I am not going to debate that - Jakarta Casual: Young Lions In Malaysia?

As noted in the past, the U23 logo have been removed from the Courts Young Lions since 2004 so it does not have to stay U23 and it has not as it has hired players beyond that age limit - Fadzu, Shi Jia Yi and Qiu Li etc - a number of time based on a number of reasons.

Also, was it not just a few months ago when Courts sponsored, the then still called, Young Lions that FAS emphasized to us all that Courts Young Lions is a club, not U23, but now when they need players they tell us it is U23 project for SEA Games and when they want to return to M-league, it is also another U23 project.

I  only see FAS flipping position as when they need it and that is the worrying part as the next point is the most important one.

It is the spending as why can't Robin keep coaching the team and we must spend big money to get Fandi as coach for Fandi wages will burst whoever we have coaching the team.

See the difference. For M-league, money is no problem. For Spore football, money is always a problem.

With that kind of position, I see a dark future for Singapore again as it will be the 90s again.

They will surely, sooner or later, buck under the pressure to 'improve' the team (Which mean bringing in more experienced players) which will increase the cost to run the team and ultimately that inject of money will come from Spore grassroots football again.

For do anybody honestly believed Sporeans will be happy to see Courts Young Lions as development and be willing to turn out in droves to support even if they are in the same position as they are now in the S-league which mean no trophy every year.

It will not happen as it never happen in the old days when we played in the Malaysia Cup for I have shown others that fans did not turn up until the quarter-final stage of the Malaysia Cup in the 90s and until then, one can get seat even if one turn up late.

That is why a mix of such positions just tell me not to trust FAS and that man for as long as all sides get what they want and ultimately fans (or if one like glory hunters) will want trophies, not development, (even Arsenal fans is the same) it is a step towards the problems of 90s again.

It is matter of trust and I do not have it for FAS have not shown why they should be trusted as money should now be conserved for their NTC project. (For was it not they who tell us they need money and lots of it)

S-league Preview IXX & XX

Mon 4-Jul Gombak United - Albirex Niigata (S) (JWS)
Tue 5-Jul Balestier Khalsa - TPUFC (TPY)
Wed 6-Jul Home United - SAFFC (BSN)
Thu 7-Jul Woodlands Wellington - Courts Young Lions (WLD)
Thu 7-Jul Albirex Niigata (S) - Hougang United (JES)
Fri 8-Jul Tampines Rovers - Etoile FC (JBS)
Sat 9-Jul TPUFC - Gombak United (CMT)
Sun 10-Jul Woodlands Wellington - Balestier Khalsa (WLD)
Sun 10-Jul SAFFC - Hougang United (CCK)

Mon 11-Jul Etoile FC - Home United (QTN))
Tue 12-Jul Courts Young Lions - Tampines Rovers (JBS)
Wed 13-Jul SAFFC - Albirex Niigata (S) (CCK)
Thu 14-Jul Etoile FC - Balestier Khalsa (QTN)
Fri 15-Jul Hougang United - Woodlands Wellington (JBS)
Sun 17-Jul Geylang United - Etoile FC (BDK)

S-league Preview XVII & XVIII - 9 right with 2 perfect score and 6 wrong 

Gombak United - Albirex Niigata (S) 
I do not trust the Bulls and whatever Darren Stweart say to defend his charges, it is clear his men has a mental block. They just do not have the killer instinct to win matches and against the White Swans they may pay the price once again. 2-1 to White Swans

Balestier Khalsa - TPUFC 
Both teams are in bad shape thus it is a match that could be determine by those minor details so the safe route is a draw. Of course we know once one side side score the other one may face a 'determined' backline as it could be a one-goal game. 0-0 draw 

Home United - SAFFC
The tie of the week as the season near it 2/3 mark for we know the uniform sides are hitting form while their rivals - Tampines Rovers and Etoile FC - get hit by injuries, poor form or a point penalty. This meeting should not yet decide the title but it will still be crucial. So whose defence, midfield and attack will prevail?  Tough to break them apart. The Warriors defence are in no way inferior to Home combo partnership of Hiek and Kenjia. At the same time, Qiu Li and Mendy are racking as many goals as Karoglan. So it is midfield that will proved the difference as Home engine room have more creative juice than the Warriors who have clearly struggled to replace the spark Therdask once provided. But the Warriors have more steel now with the inclusion of Subara but Home can boast workmen like Nor Azli Yusoff and Isa Halim. Until now, it is clear, whatever the Warriors can boast of, Home can boast of another as well. Two formidable foes and a meeting which will be decided by little details on the day. 2-2 draw

Woodlands Wellington - Courts Young Lions
Who do one trust? It is question best answered by how well they did in the transfer market. If the Cubs had they players they want they will be the team to win this match but if they have not then it is all square. As for the Rams, it is no less different as the foreigners they want will improved their team but it is a matter of whether the Northern side will get them. Until then, let play safe as always. 1-1 draw 

Albirex Niigata (S) - Hougang United
2 tough matches in just 4 days. Even the White Swans will feel the effect. The Cheetah should take advantage as they have the means to do that and frankly they cannot sit back now as they have weaken their defence to go on the prowl. They can only attack now. So let watch if the Cheetah have the claws to do that or whether they will be caught cold at the back even more frequent now (They have the worst defensive record of the top 8 teams). 3-2 to Hougang  


Tampines Rovers - Etoile FC
The Stags are no longer the unbreakable force it was in the first round. But they are still formidable foes and the Champions have to be aware of the damages the Stags could inflict on their already slim title hopes. This is also the case for the Stags. In other words, whoever loses this match will find their 2011 season at it end. Finishing second or third mean nothing to both clubs as their target is the championship. It is a genuine case of win or bust now as the damages could well be irreversible. And I believe the French side will come out this encounter stronger as the Stags are fumbling. 3-1 to Etoile FC     

TPUFC - Gombak United
If the Bulls do not win this one, I do not know what else t to say about their mental state. Win or bust. This is the time for the Bulls to show what kind team they are. 2-0 to the Bulls 

Woodlands Wellington vs Balestier Khalsa
The Rams are 'giving' points to whoever is meeting them but so are the Balestier themselves. This is a meeting between 2 sides who are  and what will decide the match iswho will make less mistakes. At this moment in time, I see the Tigers as the team that will make the less error. 2-1 to Balestier 

SAFFC - Hougang United 
The Warriors are in form and they should have no problem netting all 3 points in this encounter. The Cheetahs have shown good form this season but their biggest weakness have been a poor backline so the Warriors should have no poking holes in that. As for the Cheetah own attacks, I am not should they will be able to that to a Warriors that could afford to offload Hammond - who have been an impressive defender in his years in the S-league. 3-1 to SAFFC

Etoile FC - Home United
The Protectors can end the title hopes of the French side but will the 2010 champions go quietly. Unlikely as they still want to prove their detractors wrong and show they are a side worthy of playing in the S-league when their deal end next year. And they could well do that as they will need no motivation to play against Home - a foe who is as good as them in every department. 3-3 draw 

Courts Young Lions - Tampines Rovers
The Stags must win encounter as they cannot afford to drop points now to sides like the Cubs. The Cubs are beatable and Tampines Rovers should get all 3 points. They have no excuse (other than the fact they only Duric to score goals for them) 2-1 to Tampines Rovers 

SAFFC - Albirex Niigata (S)
A Chance for the Warriors to take their revenge on the White Swans. Earlier in the season, we all know what happen as the Japanese side thrashed SAFFC 6-3 at Jurong East. Now it is not just about revenge but whether the Warriors are championship material. The Warriors should know the importance of such encounters as points dropped along the way against like Albirex may proved crucial come the final day. 2-1 to SAFFC  

Etoile FC - Balestier Khalsa
We all know who should and must this encounter so I will keep it short. It is not Balestier Khalsa. 2-0 to Etoile FC

Hougang United - Woodlands Wellington
It is not a case of whether the Cheetahs should get the win. It is a case of they must as the Rams are giving points to many of their rivals. And with the point penalty, dropping such 'easy points' will be a killer blow to their chance of finishing in the top half with Gombak and Geylang still in with a chance to overtake the Hougang club. 3-1 to Hougang 

Geylang United - Etoile FC
The Eagles have been on an impressive run collecting full points from their last 5 games. But I am not certain they are that good. The Champions should get full points if they play to their potential as they can breach the Eagles backline while for the Eagles, let say their attack is nothing special. For the Champions, picking these points will be important as they still retain a small chance if they pick up all the points they have on their title rivals and it is possible. 2-1 to Etoile FC