Monday, December 22, 2014
Singapore Legends Weigh In On SLeague Future
A couple of great pieces recently coming out of Singapore from a couple of legends there. First up, Aleksander Duric says LionsXII should withdraw from the Malaysia Super League and the players signed by other SLeague clubs.
Great idea. I have been a fan of having a Singapore side playing in Malaysia and in recent years they haven't done too badly out of it, winning the league once and then lifting the AFF Cup with many of the team playing north of the Causeway.
But amid all the soul searching and whining that followed the failure to progress from their group at the AFF Cup was the belief that with the best players playing 'overseas' the domestic league was suffering. That is not an argument I buy into. When there was no LionsXII where were the crowds then when the supposed best players were playing domestically? The league was still exciting but still people didn't want to go.
Surely it is up to the players and the coaches who remain to step up to the plate? And, dare I say it the administrators to provide the environment for that to happen.
Unfortunately it is a fact of football like that good players go where their talents are in demand. There aren't that many Croatian internationals playing domestically are there?
If LionsXII were to be disbanded there is no guarantee the best players would stick around and wait for an SLeague team to sign them. This pre season has seen Fazrul Nawaz join Sabah, Hariss Harun is sticking around with Johor Darul Tazim as is Shahril Ishak and Baihakki Khaizan. Others could join them.
Nope, disband LionsXII and send Young Lions north of the Causeway. Give them the experience of playing in hostile atmospheres and long coach journeys. They need that experience. Then let the likes of Safuwan Baharudin and Shafiq Ghani be snapped up by local teams if they are interested.
And Indra's idea that the SLeague should fold and a new privatised league be set up with major investors from the local business community? Great idea but turkey's rarely vote for Christmas.
Great idea. I have been a fan of having a Singapore side playing in Malaysia and in recent years they haven't done too badly out of it, winning the league once and then lifting the AFF Cup with many of the team playing north of the Causeway.
But amid all the soul searching and whining that followed the failure to progress from their group at the AFF Cup was the belief that with the best players playing 'overseas' the domestic league was suffering. That is not an argument I buy into. When there was no LionsXII where were the crowds then when the supposed best players were playing domestically? The league was still exciting but still people didn't want to go.
Surely it is up to the players and the coaches who remain to step up to the plate? And, dare I say it the administrators to provide the environment for that to happen.
Unfortunately it is a fact of football like that good players go where their talents are in demand. There aren't that many Croatian internationals playing domestically are there?
If LionsXII were to be disbanded there is no guarantee the best players would stick around and wait for an SLeague team to sign them. This pre season has seen Fazrul Nawaz join Sabah, Hariss Harun is sticking around with Johor Darul Tazim as is Shahril Ishak and Baihakki Khaizan. Others could join them.
Nope, disband LionsXII and send Young Lions north of the Causeway. Give them the experience of playing in hostile atmospheres and long coach journeys. They need that experience. Then let the likes of Safuwan Baharudin and Shafiq Ghani be snapped up by local teams if they are interested.
And Indra's idea that the SLeague should fold and a new privatised league be set up with major investors from the local business community? Great idea but turkey's rarely vote for Christmas.
# posted by Me @ 5:40 PM 
