Saturday, November 29, 2014

We Saw it Coming...

1. Toothless Lions

Much to our surprise, Shahfiq Ghani was named in the starting line-up. We quickly termed him 'Zero Fighter,' after a disappointing season in which he made 9 appearances (MSL only; 4 subs)) and scored 0 goal. He was joined by Faris Ramli, who made 17 appearances (5 subs) in the MSL with 4 goal to his name. Coming on half-way was Gabriel Quak, who too made 12 appearances (2 subs) and scored wow! JUST ONE! And on the bench there's Khairul Nizam. Guess how many goals he scored throughout the season. And Stange dare called his strikeforce 'potent'?

Of the 5 goals scored by Singapore prior to this match, 4 was scored by defensive players, Shaiful Esah and Hariss Harun. Khairul Amri lived up to form and expectations, scoring against Thailand, and placing one more in against Malaysia.

But the rest of the strikers? Toothless, and not in a cute dragon-y way too.

2. The System

In the 2012 team which beat Malaysia 3-0, there were 3 players who had never left the system. The system being what the FAS termed their development squads. Players who made their professional debut in the Courts Young Lions, progressed to LionsXII, and never quite left the comfort of their mother's breast. In the 2014 team, this increased to 4.

In addition, there are 4 players who came up through the system and made their debut in FAS's development squad, who then go on to play for other clubs. There was only 3 in 2012.

Only 3 players in the 2014 team made their debut outside of the FAS developmental squad system, in contrast to the 5 from the 2012 squad.

Lets remember that LionsXII finished 8th in the MSL this year. And then lets gasp in horror as a majority of these players are selected for the national team! Besides the toothless ones mentioned above, there are other players who played minute role in the 3 matches. Superior players existed in the S.League, players who may well have been overlooked because they are not part of the system. 

3. Smaller Squad

We are talking about physical size here. Raddy had always selected physically superior players for his team. In 2004, we had Goh Tat Chuan and Hasrin Jailani keeping the opponents in check. In 2007, Noh Alam Shah terrorised opponents in their own half. In 2012, Mustafic Fahrudin and Isa Halim heckled opponents left, right and centre. And let's not forget Aide Iskandar and Subramani, who provided much muscles in defence in 2004 and 2007.

In 2014 Faris Ramli was pushed around like a little boy in a packed MRT train. And with Baihakki suspended, and Shahdan injured, the team was lacking both height and aggression. Something a single Hariss Harun cannot provide. Without muscles in the team to protect the smaller speedier players, they simply were unable to shine.

4. Why are we even in the MSL?

Yes! Why do we have a team there? Week-in, week-out. Playing against Malaysian teams. After 3 years, they would have figured us all out by now. And it showed, with LionsXII finishing 8th this year. Does Stange expect the carbon molecules in the graphite to miraculously turn into diamonds for the Suzuki Cup?

Never forget that Singapore won 4 AFF championship since the S.League was established, and never won any senior Asean tournament in the 'good old' Malaysia Cup days. Focus on the domestic league, and the national team will flourish.

5. The mind game

Just why do you need to post up that photo Jose Raymond? As if our players are any more innocent than them. And bad news travel fast, they were soon making the rounds in Malaysia's social media too! Surely now Safee Sali have something to prove. And he did. As Mark Richmond said, 'he smoked it in!'

And guess who is the first guy to start the S.League blaming?




Saturday, November 22, 2014

Suzuki Cup 2014: Win or Lose, the League Suffers

Let's put it down on record first. We expect nothing less than at least a semi-final spot from our Lions. No matter what Mr Zainudin Nordin or Bernd Stange said about rebuilding a young team, the least we expect from the 4 times AFF Cup champion is a semi-final spot.

But the bigger issue is, how will this result affect the S.League? No matter how we look at it, the forecast is gloomy.

If the team wins the Suzuki cup, this would prove to be the perfect opportunity for Stange to denote the S.League. The President of the FAS would also take the chance to reinforce that the path taken thus far is correct, and that the 'developmental' squads are bearing fruits for Singapore football. The final straw on the camel's back for the S.League? 

If the team gets knocked out at the group stage, the biggest victim would also be the S.League. Following the 1812 incident (how many of you remember that?), in which Singapore was whacked 4-0 by Malaysia, the S.League was blamed. And yet again in 2010, after exiting the group stage of the AFF Cup with only 3 goals scored. The S.League was blamed. Players were 'fired' (and rehired for the WCQs in 2011). And in 2012, Singapore rejoined Malaysia league football with the LionsXII. 

The S.League has never been given its due credits. Singapore has never won a SEA games gold medal prior to 2001 when it is an open age event. The closest Fandi and Co. managed was silver. Since the formation of the S.League and the start of the AFF Cup (SEA games football is now an under-23 tournament), we have won it 4 times. And yet when the opportunity arises, the league is blamed. 

Well we wish the best for the Lions as they embark on a journey to what they are hoping to be a 5th championship at the ASEAN level. We are wondering if our short-sighted football development will come back and haunt us years later. The S.League is between a rock and a hard place, and only the fans can save it. 

Friday, November 14, 2014

I learnt alot from my senior players - Anonymous Letter

This letter was sent to us by an anonymous S.League player who wishes to share with us his own personal experience learning from senior players. Once again, because we hate to edit things (dilutes the writer's intended message), we present to you this letter, unedited in its original form. Thank you Anonymous Player for sharing this inside perspective with us!
Almost a decade ago, I was given the opportunity to work with the most prestigious club in Singapore. Working with alot of senior players who are way older than me, really fazed me.

Working with Noor Ali, Shahril Jantan, Alexandra Duric, Razif Mahmud, Therdsak Chaiman, Ahmad Latiff, Aidil Shahrin are just some of the very senior players that was in that team. There was also uprising players in the national that was in the current squad - Hafiz Osman, Razaleigh Khalik, Mustaqim Manzur...

On the pitch, I received many pointers from all the players because of their vast experience in this field. They will shout at me but I know their intention, to groom me and make me a better player.

Off the field, I was also never told off but I have seen boys of my age getting the stick from the senior players. Things like not carrying the cooler, ball bag and the physio bag when we go for away game. We were also learnt how to respect our senior players. The team is like a family and they are like our elder brothers, guiding us along the way.

The reason they do all this is because they faced the exact same thing when they were growing up in this industry. It is like a tradition to make the younger players respect the senior players. The respect that they earn throughout the years for giving back to local football scene.

Nowadays, it is very different. Senior players are not respected enough. When we go for away games, younger players don't carry out duties and they complain at the slightest reprimandation they receive. During games, when the senior players tell them off, they would argue back with something to say.

Senior players plays a really huge part in Singapore. It is like they are the head of the family just after the coach. They ensure that the team is in harmony and try solve it within the changing room. How can a family without a tradition do well?

This ruling will not only make alot of people out job. It also make Singapore football lose its tradition. A tradition that has groomed players like Noh Alam Shah, Shahdan Sulaiman, Indra Shahdan Daud, Noh Rahman to name a few. A dying art that will soon be extinct.

Till today, I have always remembered what my seniors taught me. The values I learnt is also useful in outside life. I am thankful for what my seniors have taught me throughout my football career.

Anonymous Player

Thursday, November 13, 2014

The S.League was Special to Me - Anonymous Letter

This letter was sent to us by a long-time S.League supporter who agreed to send this in to us on the condition of anonymity. We present to you this letter, unedited in its original form (We hate to edit things). Thank you for your thoughts, Anonymous.
First and foremost, I’d like to set the record straight. If you clicked on this post and hoping or anticipating that it will be another rant or criticism of the football authorities, then I apologize beforehand because you will be disappointed. In fact, scroll no further and do not waste your time.
After reading all those criticism and jibes at the football authorities, I can’t help but feel even more helpless and quite frankly, I have very little energy left to think of the “what could have been” or “what should have been done”. Instead, this post is simply a tribute to the S.League and how it has been so meaningful to me.
Football is my life.
As a Singaporean male adult in his mid-twenties, I am not able to describe to you the feeling of being in the “good old days of the Malaysia Cup”. Yes, I belong to that unfortunate generation who do not understand what it feels like to be in the Kallang Stadium, watching the likes of Dollah Kassim, Samad Allapitchay, The Quah Brothers or even Fandi Ahmad regularly. And so, I can’t exactly tell you which era is better or which generation of footballers is better.
But what I can tell you is that I grew up watching the likes of Zahid Ahmad, Azhar Baksin, Azhar Salleh, Tan Kim Leng, Goh Tat Chuan, S.Subramani, and Lionel Lewis grace the humble pitches of Bedok Stadium, Tampines Stadium or Woodlands Stadium. I was mesmerized by the skills of Egmar Goncalves, Billy Bone, Thersak Chaiman, Sutee Suksomkit, Mustafic Fahrudin and Aleksandar Duric working their magic at Bishan Stadium, Hougang Stadium and Queenstown Stadium. And honestly, comparing videos and pictures of the past and present, I’d have to say, I would have liked to experience what it feels like to watch a game at the old Kallang Stadium.
Nonetheless, those humble names of the S.League era are still special in my eyes. Up till today, I can still feel the magic when I turn up at those stadiums in the heartlands, whether the crowd is 50, 500 or 5000. I can still remember the excitement each time I queue up to buy those affordable paper tickets. I can still recall the times I bump into those players at shopping malls and the surreal feeling when players throw me their jerseys at the end of the season. Yes, those were not household names but then again, those guys were my heroes. I may have pledged my allegiance to one club but because the S.League community is so small, I can’t help but feel that the other clubs in the league are still so very important.
I remembered as a Primary 1 kid, I would save 20 cents each day so that I can buy a packet of S.League stickers to add to my collection of sticker book, which is sadly now missing. And when I started working, I remembered those times I would rush to the stadium after work just to catch a mid-week S.League game. Some of my colleagues laughed at me but it didn't bother me. I thought the S.League was something magic.
And so, for 19 years, the S.League has always had a special place in my heart. Honestly, on some bad days, I would reflect and think whether the time I spent supporting my club in the S.League was worth my money, effort and energy. But in each of those times, I would be reminded of the many good times I had. Moreover, I have made many friends because I support my club and because I watch the S.League. Some of those friends have become so close to me even. And for that, I am really thankful.
But surely, what I am grateful for is how my club and the league as a whole shaped me to be the man I am today. In many ways, football has showed me what life is all about. And the S.League in particular, has been my greatest teacher. This may sound ridiculous but we all see the world in different ways. For me, through watching the S.League and supporting my club, I understood what it means to be loyal and to betray. Through the players, I learnt that hard work is key to success. Through the players as well, I also learnt what can destroy your career in whatever your field of work is. Through the underdogs such as Balestier Khalsa, I learnt that you can tackle the impossible through smart strategic play. And through stories like Adrian Dhanaraj’s fight against cancer or even Asraf Rashid’s rise to prominence, I understood what the human spirit is all about. And all that would not have been possible if there was no S.League.
At this juncture, even at the current state of the S.League, it continues to be my teacher in life. Yes, at this moment, the S.League has taught me that if you do not treat yourself seriously, nobody will. And sadly, if your employers do not want you, then the only thing you can do is move on. And that is exactly what I will be doing. I will move on with my life.
Perhaps, this is the time in my life that I should look at other things that is more meaningful and more worthwhile. Maybe this is the time in my life that I should look at other places and things that can bring me joy and fill my heart with happiness. And being in my mid-twenties, perhaps, this is the point in time when I can start to spend my weeknights and weekends at home with my family and friends.
It is sad that it has come to this but I guess all good things have to come to an end. And just like all good memories, although it is a pity that it has ended or seems to be going to an abrupt end, I am just grateful and thankful that the S.League was present in my life.
Yours sincerely,                                                                                       
Anonymous.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Raising Attendance? Really?

Lim Chin claimed in the Straits Times that average attendance for the S.League increased by 45% in 2013, and 40% this year. If the average attendance is 932 in 2012, that would meant an average attendance of 1351 in 2013, and 1892 in 2014. Do you as fans see that? The league has long stopped submitting attendance figures to the media on match-day, a bid to stop the media from scrutinizing them, as they did in 2010?

In 2010, the FAS told Today that "attendance figures provided by clubs include complimentary tickets regardless of the ticket holders at the stadium." Is that still the same case now? Are we fluffing up attendance figures? There exists a attendance key performance indicator criterion for funding bonuses to the clubs. In other words, in order to secure additional bonuses for the club, the club may be inclined to inflate attendance figures. After all, handing out complimentary ticket is easier than attracting real fans to the matches! And let's not forget the practice employed by 2 unnamed clubs, bringing National Service recruits to matches.

And how many percentage of the attendance increase is paid for? In the same 2010 article, 6 of the 12 clubs admitted that "gate receipts are paltry and form an insignificant part of their budget." Unless mindsets have changed since then, there is no motivation for the clubs to pursue quality attendance! Pursuing funding bonuses from "reaching" KPI would thus be more important than actually increasing attendance.

The Food Initiative Programme has created an interesting situation for the league. In a bid to attract support, the league started giving out, not just food, but also Cathay movie tickets and Coffee and Bean gift cards to paid ticket holders. Note that the value of the gifts being given out often exceed that of match tickets. What are the motivation of these fans? The matches or the free gifts? Are paid ticket holders being paid? At this point, allow me to relate an incident I personally witnessed. A man approached the security staff at the entrance to the stadium and asked what free gifts are they giving out today. Upon being informed that they are giving out burgers, the fan remarked "not movie tickets ah?' and walked away.

All in, attendance may have gone up. But at what cost? The current demographic of attendance at S.League matches are not exactly prime meat for sponsors! The disposable income, and motivation of match viewers are brought into question. It is certain that the majority of match viewers are complimentary ticket holders (or non-existent ones). If the average match viewers are unwilling to spend, or unable to spend, how many of them would eventually spend on brands sponsoring clubs? Attracting cheapskates to the stadium, would increase attendance for the short term, but in the long term, the financial black-hole would be detrimental for the league. Is the merger of Hougang United and Woodlands Wellington, and the sitting out of Tanjong Pagar United, partially related to this black-hole?

Let me remind everyone that football is a business, and sponsors will not be interested in helping the league fill up their financial black-hole, especially if there is no potential return on their investment.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Bury the Negative, Lose the Positives

We wondered what happened at the brainstorming session leading up to the disastrous S.League Awards Night of 2014. We allow our imagination to wander a little.

Unnamed Boss: Ok guys! What do you guys think of having pole dancing at the awards night?

Everyone else: Great idea boss! Surely this time the audience will be entertained! Nobody will be leaving for the toilets this time!

Unnamed Boss: Great! If it works in the army, it will work here!

Everyone else: Of course boss! You are right!

Of course the above conversation did not took place (We hope!). But you do wonder what the thought process leading up to the inclusion of pole-dancing for entertainment was like.

So here's the question of the day! What if bad ideas had been allowed to run rampage, because there are no opposing voice(s) in the team? What if everyone behave like one big happy and delusional family. What if nobody dares to speak up against the elders (In this case, the upper management)? What if external criticism are dismissed as 'noise' and ignored?

Let's take a peek into the mind of someone who works closely with the FAS and S.League. We are once again replacing the profile photos and blurring out the names.




Without evidences from within the FAS and the S.League think tanks themselves, we are only able to make a brief analysis. Judging from these social media rantings, we ask, is the practice of burying the negative widespread within league management? Is the FAS above criticism? And why is the FAS so afraid of opposing forces?

But opposing forces are natural and an important part of the World. In motion, opposing forces in the form of friction helps control motion. In space, where there is no opposing force, spacecrafts have to create their own 'friction' to stop, change course, and move on.

Newton's first law dictates that "an object continues in a state of rest, or in a state of motion at a constant speed along a straight line, unless compelled to change that state by a net force." How long has the S.League been moving without control. And as an object which has for so long focused on what they perceived as positive and buried the negative, how long have they been going off course?

The purpose of critical media coverage and negative voices is simple. To question ideas (good or bad), and to keep the organisation on track. Blanket ignorance of opposing voices will only result in pole-dancing at awards night.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Biased Squad Selection... Yet again...

So, they released the provisional squad for the 2014 Suzuki Cup. First let's look at the list.


Goalkeepers:

1. Izwan Mahbud - LionsXII
18. Hassan Sunny - Warriors FC
30. Syazwan Buhari - Courts Young Lions
35. Rudy Khairullah - Courts Young Lions

Defenders:
2. Shakir Hamzah - LionsXII/Courts Young Lions
3. Shaiful Esah - Tampines Rovers
4. Afiq Yunos - LionsXII
5. Baihakki Khaizan - LionsXII
6. Madhu Mohana - LionsXII
9. Faritz Hameed - LionsXII
11. Faris Ramli - LionsXII/Courts Young Lions
12. Amirul Adli - Courts Young Lions
13. Ismadi Mukhtar - Tampines Rovers
16. Al-Qaasimy Rahman - Courts Young Lions
21. Safuwan Baharudin - LionsXII
22. Ismail Yunos - Warriors FC
34. Daniel Bennett - Warriors FC

Midfielders:
7. Gabriel Quak - LionsXII
8. Shahdan Sulaiman - Tampines Rovers
11. Faris Ramli - LionsXII/Courts Young Lions
14. Hariss Harun - Johor Darul Takzim
15. Fahrudin Mustafic - Tampines Rovers
23. Zulfahmi Arifin - LionsXII
24. Nazrul Nazari - LionsXII
25. Anumanthan Kumar - Courts Young Lions
27. Yasir Hanapi - Home United
28. Hafiz Sujad - LionsXII
31. Adam Swandi - Unattached

Forwards:
10. Fazrul Nawaz - Home United
17. Shahril Ishak - Johor Darul Takzim 2
19. Khairul Amri - LionsXII
20. Khairul Nizam - LionsXII
26. Shahfiq Ghani - LionsXII
29. Hafiz Rahim - Warriors FC
32. Sahil Suhaimi - Courts Young Lions
33. Iqbal Hussain - Courts Young Lions

23 of the 35 players selected came from FAS's two favorite clubs! LionsXII and Courts Young Lions. The 2 clubs which finished 8th and 10th in their respective league! 

The eventual winner of the S.League sees only 4 of their players selected. Tampinese Rovers and Home United which finished 3rd and 4th in the S.League, had only 2 of their players selected each. 

The most glaring exclusion is of course the inspirational Zaiful Nizam, who lead his team to their historical first Singapore Cup victory, and won the man of the match award in the finals. Instead, Rudy Khairullah, who made less than 10 appearance for the Young Lions was selected.

Iqbal Hussain, who scored a mere 4 goals in the S.League was also selected over a trio of local strikers who had scored more than him, Zulkiffli Hassim, Noh Alam Shah and Qiu Li. Even worse was the selection of Shahfiq Ghani, who made only 4 appearances and scored a grand total of 0 goals! Khairul Nizam was another surprise inclusion, with 2 goals in the MSL this season.

What is the point of the S.League if the national coach simply ignore the talents plying their trade in it? The selection of this squad stinks of the nepotism that has been in the air since the establishment of the Young Lions. Why do the players from these 2 clubs keep on getting selected, if they are not producing results? Is the FAS attempting to justify the existence of the system?

It's time to form a Players' Union

With the recent changes implemented by the Football Association of Singapore on the 2015 S.League, the need for more protection for professional football players and their livelihood have come into the spotlight over the past few days.

The 'Professional Footballers' Association' is a common practice in many countries around the world. Some of the more notable ones are: the Professional Footballers' Association (UK), the Associazione Italiana Calciatori (Italy), the Major League Soccer Players Union (USA) and the international organisation FIFPro, which represents over 65,000 players around the world (At time of writing, not a single Singaporean footballer is under their purview).

All of them have similar aims and objectives, most relating to protection of players' contract and conditions, rights and statuses by way of a collective bargaining process. The Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels (UNFP, France), also organises training sessions for players who are nearing the end of their contract, or out of contract, to help players maintain their playing fitness.

There is no better time to be seriously looking at setting up a PFA in Singapore. Over 40 players are expected to be clubless next season and another 20-30 more unlikely to qualify to play due to the limit on players aged 30 and above.

It is honestly going to be very difficult to help these players as there are no existing safety nets in place, but we can surely learn from this incident and do something to ensure that this does not happen again.

It is farcical how, despite the league being sponsored by Great Eastern, the largest life insurance provider in Singapore and Malaysia, players do not actually benefit from the sponsorship. Any policy to safeguard their health and careers are usually handled by the players themselves.

Warriors FC goalkeeper Hassan Sunny picked up the S.League Player of the Year Award for 2014, but he was classy enough to put aside the celebratory words to show some concern for his fellow players.

“Players and coaches who lose their jobs as a result cannot be left alone just like that. Something must be done for them, as they have served the league well. The FAS can provide them with some subsidies to prepare for life after football, such as provide them some compensation to equip themselves with relevant skills to find jobs in the footballing industry and even outside of it." (TODAY, 10 Nov 2014)

In the same article, another player highlighted the need for more transparency in the decision-making process and hoped for more welfare for football players.

“There are many other sports associations smaller than us and their athletes have a voice,” he said. “I wish these decisions were discussed with a players’ union and other stakeholders before they are passed down. It is too abrupt.” - Faizal Amir, Hougang United defender

Talk of setting up a Players' Union is not new. Writer Siva Govindasamy wrote on 1 Mar 2005 after the Lions' 2004 Tiger Cup triumph over Indonesia:

The Jeykanth Jeyapal - Geylang United incident brought about a variety of emotions – shock when it emerged that the club sacked him after he was injured playing for them, and incredulity when the club sacked him a second time – after the Football Association of Singapore’s players status committee ruled that the first dismissal was illegal. 
The most important emotion, however, was sadness at the fact that there is little protection for players. This was not the only example. Also in the pre-season, the FAS had to mediate in a wage dispute between Balestier Khalsa and eight of their former players, while Sinchi’s past problems with their players are well known.

(Between 2005 and present day, it is also important to remember that in 2012, Etoile FC was forced to pull out of the league after it was publicly made known that the club management had owed salaries to staff and players.)

Siva also mentioned in his article then that past attempts had been restricted to 'mere words', and even nine years later, there has been nothing but words. It is time to stop talking and take action.

Just over a month ago, Home United were ordered by the FAS' Player Status Committee to pay Sevki Sha'ban full compensation inclusive of CPF, until the end of his original contract. In July, Home had terminated Sevki's contract without a valid reason.

These incidents bring to mind the usefulness of having a PFA. While the Player Status Committee had indeed helped Sevki with his problems, it is still a sub-division of the FAS, as such there may be conflict of interest in certain matters.

However, I wish to stress that a PFA is not going to work against the FAS. Instead, the FAS should welcome the establishment of a PFA and work together with it to help protect players' interests, improve career stability and establish professional employment practices within the professional football industry. After all, without players, there will be no football to watch.

Having said all that, setting up a PFA will not be easy. It will require the support of influential players past and present, and dedicated legal advisors who have interest in the sport and valuable experience in manpower law. Preferably, an ex-player who is not employed by the FAS should serve as its Chief Executive.

Siva put it best when he suggested that:
Membership must be made compulsory of everyone who plays in the S.League. They should be expected to make a monthly monetary contribution to the PFAS – those earning up to $2000 should give up 3% of their monthly salary, 4% for those earning up to $3000, 5% for those earning up to $5000, 6% for those earning more than $5000. 
The FAS and S.League, on their part, could match this dollar for dollar as a signal that it too is interested in the welfare of the players. How this money is invested, either in insurance or in any other form of investment, can be discussed with league sponsors NTUC Income and its slew of financial investors.  
Yet, this PFAS cannot be a lame duck. It should get lawyers who are interested in football to help them with legal matters, and consult coaches who are familiar with how players’ unions work in other countries. It should be firm when the time comes and, as the cliché goes, prove to the players that membership does have its privileges.
Lastly, the PFA should not only serve the interests of players during their playing careers, but also be able to provide them with opportunities to upgrade themselves in terms of education and professional learning, to prepare them for their post-playing career.

These are indeed baby steps, but they will prove to be a crucial element in changing the mindsets that professional football is not a viable career in Singapore. There are 64 employee trade unions in Singapore registered with the Ministry of Manpower. Are any players willing to step up to make it 65?


Written by our contributor Basil Yeo

Card Happy?

While some of you guys were enjoying the pole dancers at ITE Simei last night, our resident number-monkey was hard at work!

First the table!

Referees with less than 3 matches have been excluded

But a list of cards given by S.League referees is nothing if we do not have something to compare it to! And the number-monkey delivers!


An amazing 53% of the red cards awarded was given out by 4 of the 11 referees across only 23% of the matches played! The worst offender being Sukhbir Singh, who gave out 12 cards in 15 matches. In almost (Remember! 6,000 odds fans in the 8,000 capacity Jalan Besar Stadium is almost a full house!) every match Sukhbir officiated, a player would be sent off.

Then there is G. Letchman, who officiated 3 matches and had a perfect record of sending a man off in every match.

The winner of the S.League 2014 referee of the year, Muhd Taqi too is a card happy referee, being one of the trio who flashed their yellow cards at least 5 times per match. The other two being G. Letchman and Sukhbir Singh, who together averaged 1.9 more yellow cards per match, when compared to referees from the top leagues, and 1.6 cards more than the league average. Here at the Ass League, we wonder how Sukhbir Singh and Muhd Taqi got nominated for the award in the first place!

With a red card ratio of 0.314, 1 player would be sent off in every 3 games! As compared to the 0.178 ratio of top European leagues, which indicates 1 player being sent off every 5 games. Even the English Premier League, which is known Worldwide as one of the most physical football league, has less cards being awarded by the referees. So is the S.League more fitting of being labelled the most physical league in the World? Or are our referees just card happy?

With the ridiculous sanction being imposed on the clubs to age restrict their players, maybe the league should impose a similar and equally ridiculous restriction on the numbers of cards our referees can give. After all, the amount of cards given by our referees are lopsided!

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Asses Debut on S.League Awards Night!

It's Monday! Let's help rid you of your Monday's blue with some laughs! So the S.League Awards Night took place last night. We heard it was a disaster! We wasn't there ourselves, but here's the scoop from the web! We have lazily acquired and photoshopped the following selected comments and tweets from the social media. But no matter how lazy we did it, it is still not as lazy as the videos shown during the award show itself. 






















But wait! There's more! An anonymous source sent us a video of the pole dance! So check it out! The moment the S.League literally turned into the Ass League!



Saturday, November 8, 2014

Speak Up! A Note from a GIFC Fan

Fans speak up! Here we are reposting a posting shared to us by Mohamed Nazri Yusop. We hope more fans will share their views with us on the state of affair of the league. We did some slight edit, but pretty much kept the look and feel of the article. Additional comments from the editors will be like this.

________________________________________________________________

OK, so I spent about 2 hours and 10 cigarettes listening to the Battalion Routine Order read out by Lim Chin and Edward whatshisname to the Jaguars.

RO can smoke one meh? Anyway his name is Liu.


1. Lim Chin simply doesn't know the history of the League... there were 2 mergers prior, Marine Castle combined with Paya Lebar Punggol to form Sengkang Punggol... it was not a "name change."

2. What is stopping the League from introducing a promotion/relegation system when clubs are sitting out? You don't have a match, a stadium, and you go around kicking a football with some kids on Sunday and you try to promote your club and you go " bro, come and support us lah, we are sitting out from the league this year, but maybe next year ah." Come on please. How exactly are you going to gain supporters when existing fans have nothing to promote?

Fans are just not going to sit around to watch a game of league musical chair.

3. No one works LESS hard when they are on a 1-year contract lah dey... They work harder. Ask any contract workers at any MNC.

4. Lim Chin's game plan of making super clubs is really flimsy... LionsXII is a big club wor...and do they have a full stadium now?

No, the answer is no.

5. The intention of the League (at least it should be) is to increase the pool of eligible players... having 22 boys in CYL doesn't do jack when like Ahmad Latiff correctly points out only 11 players are allowed on the field anytime. Disband the developmental squads and spread the young talent among the league. McManaman, Owen and Giggs would not have appeared if the EPL had development squads. Do the math lah.

FYI, CYL actually has a 30 players main squad.

6. Lim Chin, please dont try to be like Japan and Korea with the fancy Suwon and Yokohama references... Be like Scotland, Denmark and Costa Rica! They have SIMILAR demographics (one of his favourite words in the clip) to us!

Scotland: Pop 5.32m 30 Teams across 3 divisions
Costa Rica: Pop 4.58m 90 Teams across 3 divisions
Denmark: Pop 5.64m 98 Teams across 4 divisions

Let's defend Lim Chin a little here. While those countries have similar population size, this population is spread out over a larger land area, which allows regional loyalty to develop.

Also, dont get Baihakki or anyone back if they cannot make it overseas... we need more National Players overseas!!!

Yes we do!

7. Ok, we get some clubs are untouchables and you need foreign clubs... but how much levy are you getting from the foreign clubs. I remember FAS paying 25% to FAM back then...are we getting even 2.5% levy from Albirex, DPMM, Harimau Muda? Dude, the Sultan of Brunei is rich lah....he can pay levy. God forbid we are actually PAYING them to play....

Good question that demands an answer. Are we still paying a levy now? Are the foreign teams paying to play here?

8. How much are we paying Sport Singapore for the grounds? Can we groundshare? If costs are really an issue.

In an ideal scenerio, clubs should own their grounds. This is something we would explore in future post.

9. If the clubs are run like charities and have to beg for donations from Big Daddy FAS... can we un-charity them? You know what, I will pay $100 each month for GIFC shares (La Liga shareowners format... go and ask Peter Lim lah how to do... or Bayern Munich.)

One of our editor own a share from SD Eibar. Their story intrigued him and he bought one. We believe that stakeholders in clubs should have ownership of clubs. Instead of FAS dividing a pie to share among the clubs, each club should be looking for their own pies.

10. Edward (sorry dont know your full name bro), no need to fly to Turkey all that lah. You go to CAAS and connect with those fellas in Airlines in Singapore.

Bro, you still call him bro ah? Not bad la sia! But wouldn't knocking on the door of a full service airline be asking for rejection in the first place? Look at the demographic of the existing fans, would sponsors be interested in them? Or else, it just seem like begging for money.

11. Let me summarize lah, since I want to catch a movie on HBO soon..on what you need for a successful league.

a. Merchandising... my pal Edroos Alsagoff came up with some cool tees for TRFC, engage him to run your tee shirt division. He is a handsome lanky chap who can model them as well.

b. Online presence... Meng Yeow can handle that in his toilet break what your Uni grads in FAS can do... Combined.

c. Real grassroots presence (we used to watch D Tokijan, Malek Awab and gang at Bedok Stadium cos we want to, not because we can free Coffee Bean vouchers).

An expert fisherman knows that different fish would be attracted to different baits. When all you do is throw out free stuff to attract support, all you will get is cheapskate.

d. No more merging, divorcing, combining, transforming, interlocking, interstellar clubs whatever. If you guys had run the EPL, Liverpool had probably combined with Tranmere Rovers by now (God forbid).

e. No more clubs under the armpits of S League Pte Ltd... 20 years still need to breastfeed? 20 years old ORD liao.

12. Also, the Chairman is not above the club. I have googled a link for your reference


13. Do not touch Geylang International ever please...

For that, we pray too!

Adios.

Friday, November 7, 2014

Nobody is Bigger than the Club. The Chairman is the Club.



This is a story common among fans of Singapore football. Tell your friends you support local football and watches the S.League, and more often than not, you will be ridiculed.

Now imagine you are a supporter of Tanjong Pagar. From the height of a 6th place finish in 2013, you find your team lingering near the bottom, and yet your support did not wavered. You continued to tell people with pride, "yes! I support the Jaguars, and I love local football!" You tried ways and means to influence your friends to join you. You know there is gold among the glitter, and you wish more people will see what you saw. Sure, this is the 40th anniversary of Tanjong Pagar United, and a trophy would be nice. But fought the team did, and for that you are grateful. You made plans for next season. The 20th season of the S.League. next year will be the year of the Jaguars, you told yourself.

And then someone pulled the carpet from underneath your feet. Without a hint, without any warning. "Sit out!" proclaimed the chairman of the club. Your plans are shattered. Jobs been lost. You felt betrayed. You felt anger. And the least the chairman could do is apologise. But not a word. Not a single sorry, to the staff, to the players, to the fans. After all, as Lim Chin said, "Nobody is bigger than the Club. The chairman is the club."

Colonel Sanders would have done a better job.

Do Singaporeans Still Care About Singapore Football?

A Vietnamese tourist was recently the subject of a massive Singaporean-initiated crowdfunding campaign to help him recover money that he was cheated of at a shop in Sim Lim Square, the latest of many scams and humiliating customer service involving shops at the popular (why?!) IT and electronics mall.

While the online witchhunt for the shop owner might have a little gone overboard (it's admittedly entertaining though), it is still heartening to see Singaporeans banding together to combat injustice, especially for a foreigner, in today's landscape where we are usually labelled as xenophobic by our own leaders.

In the midst of the Sim Lim Square uproar, the announcement of the changes being implemented for the 2015 S.League season swept the attention of the local football community. However, despite the news that at least 80+ football players and coaching staff would be jobless overnight making it to the papers, outside the football community, nobody cared.

It is great to see Singaporeans coming forward and coming together to make a difference when it matters, but we are still light years away from something like that happening for the football fraternity, even when we really need it most right now. The average Singaporean would more likely than not, show apathy instead of empathy when you mention the phrase 'Singapore football'. This just shows how little the people in Singapore care for the S.League, or Singapore football for that matter.

Having said all that, I do not blame these people for the way they view Singapore football. The effort made by the FAS to promote the S.League is mediocre at best, and they have shown time and time again that they do not know their own product, much less how to market it effectively. Thanks to the FAS, the S.League is an inconsistent, gimmicky and lazy product. Potato chips, anyone?

Written by our contributor Basil Yeo

Where is the Money?

As noted in our previous post, the financal situation of the S.League is greatly linked to the FAS. We raised questions about the financial health and sustainability of the league. And here's some additional insights from a little-known commentator of Singapore football.

If fundings had been diverted to the three remaining COEs, perhaps the league could clear up the doubts. And if there are plans to increase the funding for individual clubs, perhaps its time to clear that up too. Or had the money been used to fund FAS's pet projects? After all, trips to Turkey and Austria do not come cheap!

We however, stand by our opinion that clubs must stop operating as societies for the nonexistent community, and start operating as businesses. If the league cannot survive under such an environment, maybe we should question if Singapore really need a league of its own. Watching the league being "revamped" year after year is simply painful.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

A Letter to FAS Prior to 2014 S.League Season

In the months leading up to the season 2014 of the S.League. A member of the FAS corporate communication threatened not to issue media passes to the production team of JaguarsTV. Citing that "negative" comments had been made towards the league without basis. A response was written specifically to address all the issues raised by the staff of the FAS corporate communication. The FAS never replied.

With what has unfolded in the past few days. It seems that some of the points raised in the letter have indeed came true.

The letter is republished here, unedited and in its original form. There is a section heading mistake within the letter, which we have left unedited.

Response to E-mail Dated 4th March 2014

Lin Yimian


Table of Content
1.      Introduction
2.      Letter of Undertaking
2.1 Mr. Alvin Tham’s Handling of Initial Letter
3.2  Inequality of Treatment
3.      Comments
3.1  Origin of Screenshots
3.2  Basil Yeo Operated Within the Boundaries of the Letter of Undertaking
3.3  Basis of Comment “Sponsorship must add value to sponsors”
3.4  Basis of Comment “The S.League itself is not a sustainable model”
3.5  Basis of Comment “I’m not sure why they don’t take the route of…”
3.6  Basis of Comment “peter lim will lose all his fortune owning…”
4.      Conclusion





1.      Introduction

I have been involved in Singapore football since 2002. My first involvement was as a fan, then a fitness trainer and at present time, a service provider to Tanjong Pagar United Football Club. My business partner and colleague, Basil Yeo, was introduced to football via the inaugural season of the S.League in 1996, then worked as a journalist in Kallangroar.com and sleague.com from 2007 to 2011 and is currently involved in the capacity of service provider to Tanjong Pagar United. Together, we developed JaguarsTV for Tanjong Pagar United in 2013. We are extremely proud of the fact that JaguarsTV has been a hit with most supporters and officials since its creation and the host for the highlight show, Jaguar Girl, has become a minor celebrity within the Singapore football circle.

Since the beginning of 2014, we have been harassed by Mr. Alvin Tham for our comments regarding the S.League and the Football Association of Singapore. As long-term fans of the League, we felt a responsibility to ensure that the League, and Singapore football as a whole, be kept in good stead. It is with this sole purpose in mind, that we have continued to critique and make suggestions for the betterment of the League.

Admittedly, some of our previous comments may have crossed the line. However, since Mr Richard Woon and Mr Gale Gan signed the Letter of Undertaking, we have reduced our activities significantly and kept our noses within the guideline stated in the Letter of Undertaking.

However, on 4th March 2014, Mr. Alvin Tham again accused us of further wrongdoing, citing with screenshots of comments appearing on the private Facebook status of Mr. Kristian Thorbjornsen, a personal friend of both Basil and myself. Therefore, we are writing this Letter of Explanation to clarify the situation.

As people who are passionate about the growth of Singapore football, we sincerely hope to continue working with Tanjong Pagar United in the S.League and help Singapore football prosper.

2.      Letter of Undertaking

2.1  Alvin Tham’s Handling of Initial Letter
Based on the original complaint regarding comments we made previously, we were notified by Gale that we would have to sign a Letter of Undertaking as provided by Mr. Alvin Tham on behalf of the FAS, to not make further alleged defamatory statements without any basis, in order to receive our media passes. We then verbally agreed with Gale that he was to acquire the letter, allow us to review it and sign it if we were agreeable with its terms and conditions.

I would like to put on record now that we did not see the letter nor agree to sign it. Mr Alvin Tham had Mr. Richard Woon, General Manager of Tanjong Pagar United, and Mr. Gale Gan, sign it on our behalf, without our knowledge. It is only until the letter was signed, that we knew the letter had already been prepared.

As we are not salaried employees of Tanjong Pagar United Football Club, is it fair if Mr. Woon, or Gale, are made to answer to the personal issues that Mr. Alvin Tham has with our statements and us?

2.2 Inequality of Treatment
I would also like to raise this last and final point; a perceived inequality of treatment.

I wonder if the recent New Paper article about Geylang International being in crisis has landed its journalist, Mr. Shamir Osman, in hot soup with the FAS as Basil’s comments has had him. The club has since publicly questioned the ethics and factual accuracy of the said journalist who wrote the article.

It must be noted that in line with Mr. Alvin Tham’s definition of responsible reporting, such an article printed on the mainstream media will do considerably more damage to the S.League brand than a bit of unnerving noise on social media platforms.

Has Mr. Shamir Osman been approached by Mr. Alvin Tham and made to submit to a similar Letter of Undertaking? Will the FASbe taking action against him? If responsible reporting is the idea Mr. Alvin Tham is advocating, why then the unequal and special treatment forced upon us?

3.      The Comments

3.1  Origin of Screenshots

As stated in Section 1 of this letter, these screenshots were of a status in a private Facebook profile. This particular status was set to “Friends-Only” and thus can only be viewed by Mr. Kristian Thorbjornsen and his Facebook friends. As Mr. Alvin Tham is neither a friend of Basil or Mr. Kristian Thorbjornsen on Facebook, we would thus request that Mr. Alvin Tham to reveal the source of the screenshots, and clear up the doubts being raised by us on the legibility of the screenshots.

Either way, the status update and the comments by Mr. Kristian Thorbjornsen and Basil were made in a private setting, and thus have not violated the terms set in the original Letter of Undertaking.
As Mr. Alvin Tham has demanded an explanation for our comments, we shall duly oblige in the following sub-sections.

3.2  Basil Yeo Operated Within the Boundaries of the Letter of Undertaking

In the Letter of Undertaking signed by Mr. Richard Woon, General Manager of Tanjong Pagar United Football Club, it is specifically stated that:

‘Should there be a recurrence of posts that are unjustified, personal attacks without any basis on any public platform onFAS/S.League officials, S.League Club players and official, we will revoke the media pass hereby granted to your crew.’

Firstly, Basil Yeo’s comment was not made available on a public Facebook page or on a private Facebook profile made public. All of his comments were written on the Facebook profile of Mr. Kristian Thorbjornsen Weng Keong, whom many may be familiar with as the owner and Managing Director of THORB, formerly the main apparel sponsor of the Jaguars.

It should be noted that the privacy setting of Mr. Kristian Thorbjornsen’s profile is Private (Friends Only), as evidenced by the privacy icon of the specified Facebook status. Thus, the privilege of view is limited to only friends of Mr. Kristian Thorbjornsen. This was obviously a private discussion among friends on the sustainability of the S.League, and whether sponsors saw any value added to their product/service by sponsoring the S.League.

Since we have established the privacy settings of Mr. Kristian Thorbjornsen’s profile and the specified status. Mr. Alvin Tham is neither a Facebook friend of Basil nor of Mr. Kristian Thorbjornsen therefore how the comments were made available to Mr. Alvin Tham is a subject of controversy and will be addressed in section 2.6.

Secondly, in none of Basil Yeo’s comments, were specific individuals named and attacked, with or without justification. Basil Yeo addressed the S.League as a whole and simply responded in agreement with Mr. Kristian Thorbjornsen’s initial comment on the marketing methods employed and sustainability of the S.League.

Lastly, each and every comment made by Basil Yeo was a personal opinion based on his observation and experience within the system, as a fan, a journalist, and in his current capacity as a service provider. The basis of each comment will be addressed in section 2.2 through 2.5.

3.3  Basis of Comment “Sponsorship must add value to sponsors”

Sponsorship methods employed in the S.League are mostly traditional, namely shirt logos and advertisement boards. In his comment that sponsorship must add value to the sponsor, he is asking firstly, whether sponsors have received added value that matches or exceeds the amount invested in sponsorship. Additionally, he is also questioning the lack of use of alternative methods and new media exposure for the club’s sponsors.

Of the 12 S.League clubs, three of them currently do not have any official websites. A notable example would be the Courts Young Lions, whose previous URL address has since been purchased and made unavailable to their initial owner (a lapse in registration and reservation of the URL address?). It should also be noted that this URL continues to appear on the official S.League website and thus could be misleading visitors to the website as we speak.

It is great to know that all 12 S.League clubs currently possess official Facebook pages. However, it should be noted that only three of the 12 clubs have sponsor logos prominently displayed on their cover photo (the first image to greet visitors to a Facebook page).

In the season ending 2013, only three clubs have taken the initiative to set up their own YouTube channel. The rest of the clubs preferred to leave it to the League itself to provide match highlights through S.LeagueTV, which has since ceased to exist (though the circumstances of which, we are unsure why).

Of the three clubs’ channels, only JaguarsTV, which is produced by Basil and myself, features the sponsors of the club prominently, with logos displayed at the end of each video, acknowledged by a spoken announcement.

The other two channels, belonging to Geylang International Football Club and Warriors Football Club, merely transplanted videos from another media provider, Voxsports, onto their YouTube page. In those videos, not only were the sponsors of the respective clubs not mentioned, Voxsports’ logo was featured throughout the videos. In addition, Voxsports’ own sponsor, Panasonic, was featured at the start of those videos. With regards to the video highlights for both clubs, there is little value added to their sponsors.

Unfortunately, the acquisition of sponsors and value addition to sponsorship are two different things altogether. Basil questioned if sponsoring the S.League is worth it from a value-based point of view but never questioned the quantity or quality of work and effort put in by the respective clubs in the search for sponsorship.

It is here that I wish to thank Mr. Lim Chin for daring to be different. It is a fact that Basil and myself may not necessarily agree with every methods and ideas used by Mr. Lim but we sincerely do applaud his intentions and courage to push boundaries for the good of the League and that has earned our admiration.

Mr. Alvin Tham quoted two brand audits that have proven that the S.League is a viable brand. If there were audits conducted, should not these audits be made available to the public so that potential sponsors can see for themselves the viability of the League?

Currently, two clubs within the League have yet to secure main sponsors for the 2014 season. If the S.League brand is as viable as you said, why are the sponsors not rushing in then? Is it due to a case of clubs being lazy in securing sponsors? Is it that the League, as a whole, fails to add enough value to attract sponsors? Who are we to blame?

On the subject of sponsorship, I wish to use the National Day Parade as an example. Despite the widespread criticism of the NDP’s purpose and expenditure by netizens, year after year it does not have problems securing sponsors, some of whom are willing to throw in more than S$300,000 in cash annually just to run the event and its year-long preparation.

We ourselves have previously sponsored our services to the NDP and it is our testimony that the sponsorship has indeed added value to our business. Aside from the standard mileage and benefits accorded as part of the deal, we felt well taken care of by our sponsorship managers and also gained new personal and professional connections that helped our business to grow.

I shall end this section with a testimonial from THORB’s Facebook page.

‘We were sponsors to TPUFC for 3 years. Coming in at a time when they just made their re-entry into the League with a makeshift team.

Not much value other then the fact that the S. League is SG's only professional League and it gets a bit of coverage in the papers. I have definitely not made any money selling jerseys, merchandise. Neither has THORB been more recognised by social soccer teams.

Our sponsorship with the Singapore Hockey Federation in 1 year has yielded more returns than the S.League has done for us in 3 years!’

3.4  Basis of Comment “The S.League itself is not a sustainable model”

Firstly, Basil was merely indicating his agreement with Mr Kristian Thorbjornsen.

Currently, the League is employing the usage of freebies to attract fans to the stadium. Do enlighten us on this if it is not true. However, are the items given out sponsored by the respective merchants, or are they purchased by the clubs? If the items are sponsored by the merchants, what would happen to the fans when the freebies dry out? Would they really stay on or will they dry out too? If the League purchased the items to reward spectators for attending matches, are we then looking at a deficit of value? Does the value of the freebies exceed the value of a match ticket? Can it be said that the League is paying fans to watch matches then? Both marketing scenarios would thus prove to be non-sustainable in the long run and thus to bring into question the sustainability of the League, is not without basis at all.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. As far as the S.League is concerned, numerous links within it have broken. Three local clubs have opted out of competing in the League, due to financial difficulties. They are namely Sembawang Rangers and Jurong FC in 2003, and Gombak United (twice!) in both 2002 and 2012. Even Tanjong Pagar United itself has sat out of the League for a period of time, also due to financial difficulties. Various other clubs have gone through transformation and have survived. These statistics are hardly a beacon of light shining in the direction of sustainability.

Sustainability is not only limited to a financial perspective. The League itself has not been able to maintain a consistent format or participating club structure, despite not having a promotion/relegation system in place. Since its inaugural season in 1996, the S.League has not had more than two consecutive seasons without a change in competition format or club structure. In terms of competition sustainability, the S.League has yet to prove itself.

Quoting from the FAS’s financial reports as available on its website, from 2008 to 2010, the operating reserve ratio for the FASwas actually negative 0.04. It has improved significantly since then, rising to a positive value of 0.16 for 2013. This however represents a total reserve available to operate the whole FAS for less than two months.

Most guidelines on operating reserve ratio for non-profit organisations would recommend at least 0.25, or three months of operating reserves. In the situation that the Singapore Sports Council decides to reduce funding made available to the FAS, or if donations dry up suddenly, the League would definitely face the effect, almost immediately. In this scenario, the League would, firstly, not be able to sustain the previous operating freedom and secondly, would thus not be able to sustain any growth. I have once again highlighted a valid concern for the sustainability of the S.League.

Another cause for financial concern would be the recent reduction of co-title sponsorship length by Great Eastern Life. Based on the original sponsorship length of three seasons from 2009 to 2011, and extended by two years from 2012 to 2014, the one-year extension is indeed harrowing. What would the League do, if it were unable to secure a new co-title sponsor for the 2015 season? That is something the League management should be pondering about by now.

3.5  Basis of Comment “I’m not sure why they don’t take the route of…”

The fact is the FAS is a charity, as registered with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth’s (MCCY) Charities Unit from 29th March 2011. The FAS and sponsors currently provide all funding for the S.League. The individual clubs are given grants from the S.League to operate. This comes down to almost S$1-million for each club. Each individual club DEPENDS on the generosity of the League to operate. Of all income for the FAS in the year 2012, S$20-million is labelled as coming from donations. A massive 71% of all funding granted to the FAS come from donations.

Let’s look abroad and use the English Football Association (The FA) as an example. Of their total revenue for 2012, £185-million came from sponsorships, licensing and television broadcast rights, while £22-million came from events ran by the FA, amounting to a total of 64.9% of their total income. Compare this figure to the 71% of the FAS’s funding which come from donations!

Also, most clubs in England are financially independent from the FA, and do not operate on grants given out by the FA, in contrast to the system being employed in Singapore.
This is the basis of the above statement.

3.6  Basis of Comment “peter lim will lose all his fortune owning…”

The individual clubs are registered as societies. They are thus non-profit organisations. Mr. Peter Lim, in the capacity of a businessman, would be unable to make a profit if he should so be allowed to bankroll in an S.League club. In turn, he would thus not be making an investment but instead, a donation to the club. Saying that Mr. Peter Lim would lose all his fortune may be an exaggeration but due to the current state of affairs, he would definitely not be able to get back a single cent, once he donates his money to the club.

4.      Conclusion

In the email dated 4th March 2014 sent by Mr. Alvin Tham, we were accused of defamation and painted as troublemakers, out to destroy the image of the League. Au contraire, we are only interested in the improvement of the S.League, and its image. We have invested a significant amount of time and talent into Tanjong Pagar United, and what for?

We want to see a bright future for the S.League, and Singapore football. When the S.League prospers, and Tanjong Pagar United prospers, we too, as service providers, will see a brighter future for our business and ourselves.

Our discussion of Singapore football online is a reflection of our passion for it. A relationship counselor once said that, a marriage could be saved even if the couple shows hatred for each other; however, it is no longer salvable when there is contempt. The day we stop talking and creating discussion about Singapore football, is the day our passion has died.

For THORB, with Tanjong Pagar United in the 2013 season, we have failed to add additional value to the brand. It is taking this lesson in mind, that we have planned a series of videos, together with Gale of Tanjong Pagar United, to enhance the brand image for Mitre (Tanjong Pagar United’s apparel sponsor for 2014). Instead of being blind to our own shortcomings, we should instead embrace our mistakes, learn from them, and strive to improve for the future.

We have placed forth in this document, the very basis that we have based our online comments on. We have also raised, within this document, areas of concern we have regarding the state of the League. We hope that any information we have placed in this document will help enhance the League. The monetary reimbursement provided by the club for our services is honestly, not the most attractive. Our continued participation as a service provider is driven strongly by our passion for the local game. If Mr. Alvin Tham, on behalf of the FAS, insists on revoking our media passes, we will surrender it, but why risk undoing our contributions to the marketing efforts of Tanjong Pagar United to enact positive change in the image of and add value to the S.League and its sponsors?

Whichever the case, we only have one simple request; That Mr. Alvin Tham reveals the source of the screenshot, if only to validate its use as evidence against us.

Thank you for reading. We hope only for the best for Singapore football and together with the FAS and the S.League, we hope we can work together to achieve it. 


Regards,
Yimian