Voices From The Ground: Tampines Rovers vs Warriors FC | Tenacious Wai Loon Denies Tired Stags

Tampines Head Coach Jurgen Rabb speaking to the press after the match against Warriors.
Video Screengrab from The Unofficial S.League Podcast TV 

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

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Voices From The Ground: Coming into this match, Tampines Rovers were on an upswing while Warriors FC were on an average run of form. It was a big game between two of the biggest local club sides. On the basis of form and home advantage alone, Tampines Rovers were well poised to seize another vital three points to make it four wins out of four but due to their fatigue, they were not able to overcome the tenacity and resilience of the Warriors.

Things looked really good for the Stags when Hafiz Sujad, who rejoined the team after a stint in Thailand with the now defunct Big Bang Chula United, gave the team the lead after good work from Singapore forward Fazrul Nawaz, the former LionsXII man freshly back in the team himself after a long-term injury.

Tampines, led by the speedy Ryutaro Megumi, were the better side initially. Following the restart, Warriors found a second wind as Singapore and club captain Sharil Ishak drew level, following up to slot home a penalty after he was unceremoniously tugged down in the box during a tussle with Jufri Taha.

Both sides continued to create chances after the equalizer but Izwan wasn’t severely tested, having to contend with just a few meek shots which made mockeries of good runs. In contrast, Warriors custodian Hyrulnizam Juma’at was the busier of the two, at least in terms of the qualities he needed to exude to keep the score level. His fellow Warrior, Ho Wai Loon, was a tenacious terrier in the middle of the park, sniping and shadowing the Stags, giving them minimal space to manoeuvre themselves. However, the Singapore international’s compatriots, Andrei-Cosmin Ciolacu and Jordan Webb, found it a case of too little too late as they were given just 33 and 19 minutes off the bench respectively, failing to make a dent in the scoreline. The match petered out and ended all square between the two giants.

Tampines Rovers Head Coach Jürgen Raab was happy with his team’s performance in consideration of their fatigue but he felt that his team’s finishing wasn’t up to scratch. Respectfully noting that the Warriors had their fair share of chances, he felt that his team could have won by a margin of 3-1 or 4-2. He cited the fact that they played 4 games in 12 days and felt that it wasn’t fair. Looking at the chase to be the best local team, he felt that Home United will be under pressure as they are chasing the Stags and have to keep winning.

He also expressed great satisfaction with the performance of returning Singapore internationals, Hafiz Sujad and Fazrul Nawaz. He felt that they did well for the last four games while Yasir Hanapi, a former Stag who is currently playing in the Malaysian League with PDRM, was mentioned to be fondly missed by his coach but coach Jürgen emphasized that his move across the Causeway was history and the Stags have to soldier on.

The German coach was also perplexed as the funding situation wasn’t resolved, therefore affecting his plans for the new year. He felt that such an action will reduce football to the status of an amateur sport. In contrary, he felt that more money is necessary for a better league. Rather astoundingly, he felt that there should only be 8 local clubs, noting that DPMM, Albirex Niigata (S) and the Young Lions shouldn’t be in existence within the league.

He also felt that as a country, Singapore is popular and modern and he didn’t understand why more money isn’t being pumped into the Sport to raise the country’s reputation even further. Pointing to the fact that other countries are recognising the value of increasing football funding to reinforce his notion, he felt that the failings of the National team was due to the weak state of the S.League. To emphasize that fact, he felt that most of the stadiums are not meant for football but merely public stadiums that are forced into such a role.

On a brighter note, he was very happy with the performance of his young starlet Shannon Stephen, which was in stark contrast to the anger he displayed towards his younger players during his club’s defeat to Balestier Khalsa in their doomed League Cup campaign. He also mentioned that he was prepared to be patient, to give younger players time to emerge as they gain experience playing in the Prime League and the League Cup. To him, playing at increasingly higher levels is the way to push them forward and to show them the heights that they are potentially capable of reaching.

Lastly, he repeatedly urged for financial improvements to push Singaporean football to greater heights for both club and country. He painted a picture where Singaporean clubs can compete in the AFC and where Singapore could win the SEA games. To him, it would be a matter of great pride and reputation. He’s emotionally invested in this country as he’s been here for a while and it was clear to him that the country’s small size is not a deterrence, citing the likes of Croatia and Costa Rica, similarly small countries making big waves in world football.

Warriors FC Head Coach Razif Onn was visibly pleased with his side’s performance and felt that a draw was a fair result, reserving praise for his keeper, Hyrulnizam Juma’at. When he was probed regarding his decision to leave star attackers Andrei Ciolacu and Jordan Webb on the bench, he mentioned that he was looking ahead, and he also felt that his team was capable of winning without them and wanted to give the fringe players a chance.

Pre-Match interview with Tampines Rovers Fan Mohamed Ridhwan

Chris (C): Since our last chat, The Stags lost two more times against the White Swans. At that point, how did you feel?

Ridhwan (R): I'm disappointed with the results, I felt that we could have done better against Albirex.

C: Subsequently, your team bounced back in style, winning back to back S.League matches against Hougang and the Young Lions. Is this encouraging coming into this clash with the Warriors?

R: Definitely, by winning 3 matches in a row, we are building a great momentum for the team before the big clash with the Warriors.

C: The Warriors need to win to get close to the top 3. Tampines need to win to finish at least second. Do you think that Tampines will be cautious or play offensively?

R: Tampines will play offensively as usual as they need to collect 3 points from each game to solidify their place as the best local team in the table.

C: Suddenly your team has found their scoring boots. Any idea why?

R: Credit to the team as they managed to come back from injuries and gelled together. That allowed them to perform well in the 2nd half of the season.

C: On the topic of scoring boots, none of your players made it to the SEA Games squad but Shannon Stephen had quite the debut to remember. Are there other young and promising Prime League players waiting to be appreciated?

R: Definitely! There will be 2 or 3 Prime league players who are given the chance to step up to the S.League. That will give them the experience of playing and training with the senior players.

C: Khairul Amri hasn’t been missed. Hence, he may not slot back instantly back in the first 11 after his recovery. Is that a good or bad thing?

R:I think it's a good thing for Amri to start from the bench as he needs to start slowly due to the fact that his fitness is not 100 percent yet. We don't want to rush him and let him play when he is not fully fit.

C: There are rumours that Izwan Mahmud is bound for the Thai League, how concerned are you?

R: It is good for Izwan Mahbud to venture overseas as it will be a good playing experience for him and he will come back as a better player in few years time.

C: What do you think the score would be?

R: Tampines will win 2-0.

Post-match interview with Tampines Rovers Fan Mohamed Ridhwan

C: So was it a point gained or two points lost?

R: It's two points lost, we should have won the game to put pressure on Albirex but that's football, we are satisfied with just one point gained as it was a big match.

C: Coach Jürgen cited that fatigue caused your team dearly, as it’s the fourth game in twelve days, how do you feel about that?

R: I feel satisfied as our team’s spirit is very strong, even though we had to play 4 games in just 12 days, we manage to win 3 games and drew just once.

C: How did it feel, seeing Fazrul Nawaz and Hafiz Sujad, two returning star players combine to score?

R: The feeling was great, seeing both of them work together on the pitch and combining to score an important goal for the team. I hope to see more of their teamwork in the upcoming league games.

C: Shannon Stephen played again, how did you feel about his performance?

R: For me, Shannon’s performance was good but he still needs to improve a bit more as he is still young and he is still learning from the senior players. I believe that he will be more mature once he gets more playing experience in few years time.

C: With both Home United and your team drawing, the situation hasn’t changed much, any thoughts?

R: My thoughts are that Home United still have the advantage as they have 3 games in hand and surely that will mean that they have an advantage when it comes to overtaking us to the 2nd spot in the S.League.

C: The drumming was audible for the whole match, how’s the atmosphere for you?

R: The drumming was definitely great as it went from the start till the final whistle. When the team scored the first goal, the whole stadium’s home stands erupted!

C: Hyrulnizam, a former Stag, made a good number of good saves. While I'm sure you're disappointed that Tampines were not to be able to put more goals past him, are you happy for him - especially after he had been criticised for some of his mistakes this season?

R: I'm happy for him that he finally shone during a big match. He does have what it takes to be the top goalkeeper in Singapore. I hope to see him back in the Singapore national team setup very soon if he continues to perform well for the club.

C: Who is your man of the match?

R: My man of the match will be Hafiz Abu Sujad.

C: Any thoughts regarding the possibility of funding being cut next year?

R: I hope that S.League will still be around next year even though funding will be reduced for every S.League club. Without the S.League our footballers will be jobless and the standard of Singaporean football will be going down.

Pre-Match interview with Warriors Fan / Matchday SG Founder Dilshan Amarasekara

Chris (C): Due to your side’s elimination in the Singapore Cup and the international break, your side hasn’t played a ton of games. Is rustiness a concern?

Dilshan (D): For sure. We saw a bit of the rustiness against Geylang. But we do have an older squad. So some rest might help them too!

C: The Warriors' scoreline margins have been slim for the past 3 games, losing narrowly to Albirex, beating Hougang by 1 goal and drawing against Balestier. That means they have scored 4 goals and conceded 4. Any thoughts on that?

D: We have definitely become much tighter over the past few matches. I guess we have to sacrifice some attacking verve in order to tighten up the defence. I am sure that the coach has a plan. I am not overly worried about it.

C: Your team needs to win to close in on the top 3 while Tampines need to win to pull away. Do you think that will affect how the coaches line up their teams?

D: Warriors versus Tampines is always a treat! No one takes it lightly. This is a game between two of the biggest clubs in the league. It would be a travesty if both coaches don't field their best 11.

C: Albirex’s Shuto Inaba scored a heartbreaking last minute goal. The Warriors also couldn’t hold onto their lead against the Tigers. If your side held on for those 2 games, you would have been just 1 point behind the Protectors. Do you see it as a case of what could have been or are you happy with the progress thus far? 4th in 2017 is a lot better than 7th in 2016.

D: We could all speculate about what could have been. But what is done is done. But yes, I am still positive about our season. We may end up losing out on an AFC Cup spot but we are moving in the right direction.

C: Ciolacu and Ishak have carried on their scoring form. Do you think that Sharil Ishak has another year or two in him? It’s not easy to play as a striker at his age.

D: Of course he does! He should start for the national team if you ask me. Also, Ciolacu is brilliant isn't he? I will never forget that hattrick against Home!

C: On the topic of a Singapore national player, Ho Wai Loon is still in the Singapore squad and Emmeric Ong did well against Hong Kong, other than the red card which is arguably a necessary evil. These two players are only in their mid 20s, does this bode well for your team?

D: Indeed! Great to see the younger Warriors players making their mark! This shows what can happen when you gel experience alongside youth.

C: What do you think the score would be?

D: If we manage to cope with the boggy pitch at the new stadium, 2-1 to the Warriors!

Post-Match Interview with Warriors Fan/Matchday SG Founder Dilshan Amarasekara

C: So was it a point gained or two lost?

D: It felt like a point gained for sure, especially given that the pitch was atrocious.

C: We spoke about the possibility of rustiness, did you see it this game?

D: Maybe, maybe not. There were some passes that didn't reach their destination. It might have been rustiness or it might be the bad pitch.

C: How did you feel when Ciolacu and  (Jordan) Webb both started on the bench?

D: Devastated. Why would we rest two of our best players when we are facing one of the toughest teams in the league? What do we need to rest them for? I would like some answers for that.

(Writer's Note: In an earlier part of this article, the Coach responded to a very similar query)

C: When Hafiz Sujad scored the opener on the 15th minute, were you fearing the worst?

D: It certainly looked that way. We have a slow back line filled with older defenders. Tampines had a fast and strong attack. During that part of the match, I feared for the worst.

C: Subsequently, when Tampines grew tired, your side came into the game in a big way. It must have been a relief when Sharil Ishak stroked the penalty away?

A: Oh yes! A big sigh of relief ! I thought that the experience of the players played a part in getting us the point. They knew the game wasn't over even when they went down. A good trait to pass down to younger players like Wai Loon and Emmeric.

C: In my opinion, Ho Wai Loon and Hyrulnizam had a great game. Wai Loon was tenacious and a battler while Hyrulnizam recovered well (from conceding) and was a safe pair of hands throughout. Your thoughts?

A: Wai Loon was at his Wai Loon best. He worked his socks off. But I think he wasn't fully comfortable with the pitch. A couple of his passes didn't come off. But if the other players matched that intensity, the result would have been very different. Hyrulnizam had a jittery start but recovered well with some amazing saves! A good sign that his confidence is returning.

C: Who is your man of the match?

A: For those saves that kept us in the game, I can't believe I am saying this, Hyrulnizam!

C: Any thoughts regarding the possibility of funding being cut next year?

A: I feel that it's too early to speculate on that. But if that is the case, I fear for the league. Having worked with Sports SG in recent times, I can say that they do not have the interest of Singapore football in their hearts. I have some sympathy for FAS who has to deal with them. If Sports SG cuts the funding, let's hope that Singaporeans and companies can gather and add funds to our league. Let's cut out the red-tape that is holding the league hostage.