Voices From The Ground: A Chat With Fazrul Nawaz

Tampines fans would be relieved to see their big target man back in action for the Stags.

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Chris Peng
Writer
The Unofficial S.League Podcast
sleaguepodcast@gmail.com

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Voices From The Ground: Our writer caught up with Fazrul Nawaz and the Tampines Rovers and Singapore international striker was not afraid to speak his mind when asked about the current state of football in Singapore.

Chris (C):You've played for 14 years with a majority of your career spent in the S.League. Compared with the earlier days, how do you feel about the current state of the league?

Fazrul (F):I was lucky enough to have played in an earlier era. I played with the likes of Rudy Khairon, Nahar Daud, Hasrin Jailani, Noor Ali, Nazri Nasir and Steven Tan. They were some of the best in the Malaysian League and brilliant Singapore internationals.

Aleksandar Đurić was also my mentor before he became naturalized. The league was a fitting arena for their skills. Back then, the crowd was huge and life as a footballer was way more intense. Not to say that things aren’t intense now but things were at a higher level back then. Young players such as Baihakki Khaizan, Hassan Sunny, Hafiz Rahim, Shahril Ishak, Khairul Amri and myself had to prove ourselves. We would get scolded from time to time but that’s how we built our mental strength and it was good for our development. Even when iI was playing for the Young Lions, the level was high.

Sadly, there’s a big gap right now if we were to compare. We have to take a long hard look at ourselves. The current young players must look at themselves and decide what kind of a career are they aiming for. They must learn how to play at the current level and stay grounded at the same time.

After the nineties batch involving players such as Hariss Harun, Shahfiq Ghani, Mahdu Mohana, Faris Ramli, Sahil Suhaimi, Safirul Sulaiman and Al-Qaasimy Rahman, the subsequent standard of the national team players became lower. I don’t see players coming up and emerging. There’s a lot of work to be done with regard to the youth players.

C: Geylang, Warriors, Home United, Warriors and finally Tampines. With each of those being a big club in the league, how do you feel about the fact that all of them rated you at one point or another?

F: Of course there’s pride and honour! The likes of Geylang was huge back then. I am proud and honoured to be a part of those clubs. I was a part of Sembawang Rangers as well. I wanted to stay at Rangers, but alas, they closed down. Thankfully, a good friend of mine asked me to join Geylang United. The coaches back then, Darren Stewart and Scott O’ Donell saw my talent. I kept myself grounded and took pride in what I did. Looking back, I am privileged to have played for them.

C: I was a Sembawang Rangers fan! (At this point, I started naming the great names who played for the Stallions) Niweat Siriwong, Rudy Khairon, Nazri Nasir, Tawan Sripan, Noh Alam Shah…

F: (Excitedly): Noh Alam Shah! I grew up watching the Malaysia Cup, watching the likes of Fandi Ahmad. However, as a player, Alam Shah was my idol, especially when I was at Sembawang Rangers.I was really sad that they closed down because they produced great up and coming youngsters.

C: Coach Vorowan (Chitavanich) too!

F: Great coach! As a 16, 17 year old, I was privileged to have trained with Tawan and Noh Alam Shah. It was a great honour to have trained with Niweat Siriwong and Akihiro Nakamura as well. The calibre of foreign players was really high back then and it proved to be a great learning experience for the young players. We are lacking that right now.

C: Like star power? The likes of the (Jermaine) Pennant effect?

F: (Nods) Correct.

C: Your stint with the LionsXII was short lived due to injuries. 2 years later, the team was broken up in 2015 and the players returned to the S.League. Was it a strange feeling for you?

F: I found it strange as I expected them to stay (on in the Malaysia Super League). However, I guess Malaysia had their own set of ideas where possibly they wanted to focus on their local teams.

I would guess that the LionsXII players miss the away games and the huge crowds. For me, I don’t find it different. After all, i started in the S.League.

For some of the LionsXII players, when they returned, their level dropped a little. I found this to be disappointing. They also started in the S.League. Without our domestic league, they wouldn’t have been groomed to be able to play for the LionsXII. They need to regain that pride.

C: You were the top local scorer at least twice. What makes you excel as a forward?

F: It’s a combination of skills, fighting spirit and hard work. Do you remember some of the players I mentioned earlier? They tend to come early and stay late during training. Fortunately for me, they often invited me to join them. Hard work is critical, it serves as a bridge to use your technical skills.

C: After Fandi Ahmad and Noh Alam Shah. Singapore hasn’t had that many good out and out strikers. Despite being over 30, Khairul Amri and yourself are still seen as the main men. How do you feel about the current Under-22 batch of players like Taufik Suparno, Amiruldin Asraf and Ikhsan Fandi? Do you see them catching up with the likes of Fandi, Amri and yourself?

F: To be honest, not yet. Times have changed. If they keep themselves grounded and work hard, Singapore will definitely have a good up and coming striker. I’ve seen Taufik and Ikhsan in action. Irfan as well, he’s can play the role of a big striker. These guys can potentially be the main men for club and country. Right now all we have are Khairul Nizam, Sahil Suhaimi and Shahfiq Ghani. These guys must serve as an example and guide the three 3 young players I mentioned earlier.

C: I guess you are saying this because Amri and yourself are on the wrong side of 30? Strikers do need strength and pace. It gets a bit more difficult as you age?

F: Personally, age is a number and I don’t find it difficult. I think that these players must believe in themselves, work hard, be confident and realise that it won’t come easy.

C: I associate you with mental strength. 10 years ago, in the SEA games, you experienced ups and downs when you failed to score against Malaysia, resulting in our defeat against Thailand. Yor redeemed yourself versus Vietnam, scoring a hattrick. That says a lot about your mental strength. What went through your mind during that period?

F: I told myself that even the best players miss crucial penalties and chances. I took it as a learning opportunity and I gained strength from within.

C: On the topic of strength and recovery, you had more than your fair share of serious injuries. Time and time again, you fight back and recover. You just don’t give up.

F: (Determined): Yes. we do need a strong mentality, if not, we can’t survive in any sport, not just football.

C: Passion is important. My team and I are covering local football voluntarily. We love local football. I am a Sembawang Rangers fan while my editor is a Woodlands Wellington fan. Love for the local sport keeps us going.

F: (Excited): Wah! Northies just like me. In 1996, I spent a lot of time in Woodlands Stadium, then I started playing for Sembawang. More folks like you who have seen it all need to come up and be counted. You guys were there for the earlier glorious days. That’s how things can possibly be revived.

C: We all have a role to play. Let’s move on, shal we? V. Sundramoorthy, Akbar Nawas and now Jürgen Raab, how do you feel about their respective coaching styles?

F: They have their respective strengths and weaknesses. I am thankful to have learnt lessons from each of them.

For Sundram, I knew him since my Young Lions days. Sundram needs you to work hard and play to his instructions. He did plan around us as well. He knew our capabilities.

As for Akbar, he had his own strengths.

For Coach Jürgen Raab, he reminded me of Lee Lim-Saeng ( Former Home United Coach ) They both demand a high level of fitness and commitment. It’s good for me. We need such intensive training. To be honest, I find it weird that younger players are struggling to pass their 2.4km run. Jürgen is an ideal coach to train young players. Unlike the 90s or early 00s, it’s the modern game now. We need to adept and change our styles accordingly.

C: Sometimes, players have cramps as early as the 60th minute.

F: When i was a young player, I tried my best not to go down with cramps early on. I would be scolded by senior players. As young players, we were expected to be fitter than them. I think that we are missing some of this right now.

The young players need to work on their fitness if they want to make a step up. Coach Jürgen stresses on how we should prepare, eat and behave. I find this to be ideal. We have to manage our time and all of the mentioned elements properly. This is a basic fundamental in any sport.

C: Did your father play a role towards inspiring your career? Did he teach you how to box? (Editor's Note: Fazrul's father, Shahul Hameed, was a bronze medal winner in the welterweight division in the 1973 Southeast Asian Games.)

F: Perhaps it runs in the blood! Both my uncle and father are sportsmen. I look up to them and they have been supportive. That being said, what they went through to take care of themselves was quite scary. It’s a higher level than what I could manage. Sometimes I wish that I could be at their level. Fandi was really disciplined as well. I am thankful to have them around me. As the years went by, I realised that discipline is critical, not only in sports but in life.

C: (Interest piqued): What’s so scary? Do share an example.

F: For example, they can’t even be late for 1 minute, if not they will be severely penalised!

C: Do you think that the league is indeed a three horse race between Albirex Niigata (S), Home United and Tampines now?

F: I think so but don’t forget the Warriors. Honestly, I would have preferred to do well in the League Cup as well. It’s a trophy afterall. I am disappointed that we are out but I am glad that it gave me match fitness, which in turn prepares me well for my return to the league.That said, I need to work on what I am missing and curb my weaknesses. I am still rusty.

Last year was a disappointment for me. We could have beaten Albirex to the title. When I scored against Albirex, we were just 1 point behind. Unfortunately, we lost against Hougang United and I got injured. Subsequently, things went downhill. Hopefully we will take one game at a time , avoid old mistakes and have a good season. There’s still the Singapore Cup and we are competing for the league as well. There’s everything to play for!

C: Coach Jürgen is strict when it comes to food, that being said, everyone needs their cheat days and comfort food. Care to share some with our readers?

F: (Thoughtfully): There are tons! "I Am" Cafe at Tampines Hub is one of them. They make good steaks, burgers and fish and chips. Their desserts are quite spectacular as well. I'm hoping that the new branch’s standards will match up to the one at Arab Street.

C: Yum. Stipe Plazibat or Tsubasa Sano have scored more goals than Ivan Dzoni / Khairul Amri / Ryutaro Megumi / Hafiz Sujad combined. Is goal scoring a problem for the Stags? They must have been missing you.

F: Khairul Amri was out for many games as well! Compared to last season, our team is more focused on teamwork now. The identity of the scorer is secondary, all that matters is that we must put the ball at the back of the net, get the points and climb the table. It’s our challenge. It’s good for us to have different scorers. Can you imagine Home United or Albirex operating without their main man? I don’t think that they are over reliant on them but a main man is a main man. If they were not playing, the impact will be tremendous.

C: It’s been a great interview and chat. Thanks, Fazrul!

F: Thanks bro!