By Les Tan

We have been running a poll on who should be in the starting XI for the national football team (see below). Since the poll hit 300 voters recently, we thought it worthwhile to see what the collective wisdom of 300 people came up with in terms of a starting XI for the ongoing ASEAN Football Championship (AFF Suzuki Cup).

Here is the favoured starting lineup according to Red Sports readers:

Lionel Lewis (GK)

Daniel Bennett (DF)
Baihakki Khaizan (DF)
Precious Emuejeraye (DF)
Noh Rahman (DF)

Mustafic Fahrudin (MF)
Shi Jiayi (MF)
John Wilkinson (MF)
Shahril Ishak (MF)

Noh Alam Shah (FW)
Aleksandar Duric (FW)

How does this differ from the starting XI chosen by coach Raddy Avramovic so far in the ASEAN Football Championship (AFF Suzuki Cup)?

Muhd Ridhuan has been in the starting XI since the first game against Cambodia instead of readers’ preferred choice of Shahril Ishak. Shahril has come on only once as a substitute.

Aleskandar Duric started the game against Cambodia but a fractured fibula sustained in that game ruled him out of the championship for good. His place has been taken either by Indra or Noh Alam Shah.

Alam Shah has been sitting on the bench and started only the game against Myanmar. If not for his hamstring injury and lack of match fitness, he would be a starter.

Agu Casmir has started every game for Singapore but is not in the first XI chosen by readers.

The rest in the starting XI chosen by readers mirror the selection of coach Raddy Avramovic.

Wrote Red Sports reader, alpha, after the game against Vietnam: “It’s time to build a team surrounding (sic) Mustafic. Please partner Daniel with Bai and take Precious out of the equation. We need a new left back (to replace Daniel). Ridhuan need more playing time. Time to take Noh (Rahman) out too.”

Another reader, Seetow, had this take on the lineup after the Vietnam game as well.

“Isa with Mustafic in the middle is just way too defensive, and Shi Jiayi can't operate out wide. I thought that putting Shahril Ishak on the left would be a better idea actually. He has proven in past tiger cups that he can do a job there.”

REDpoll

You have 11 votes and you have to use them all at one go.

Who should be in the first XI for the national football team?

  • Daniel Bennett (DF, SAFFC) (9%, 241 Votes)
  • Shi Jiayi (MF, Home United) (8%, 225 Votes)
  • John Wilkinson (MF, SAFFC) (8%, 218 Votes)
  • Lionel Lewis (GK, Home United) (7%, 207 Votes)
  • Mustafic Fahrudin (MF, Tampines Rovers) (7%, 206 Votes)
  • Noh Alam Shah (FW, Tampines Rovers) (7%, 200 Votes)
  • Baihakki Khaizan (DF, Geylang United) (7%, 194 Votes)
  • Aleksandar Duric (FW, SAFFC) (6%, 180 Votes)
  • Indra Sahdan Daud (FW, Home United) (6%, 165 Votes)
  • Precious Emuejeraye (DF, Gombak United) (6%, 156 Votes)
  • Noh Rahman (DF, Geylang United) (5%, 146 Votes)
  • Shahril Ishak (MF, Home United) (5%, 138 Votes)
  • Agu Casmir (FW, Gombak United) (5%, 128 Votes)
  • Muhammad Ridhuan (MF, Tampines Rovers) (4%, 107 Votes)
  • Shaiful Esah (DF, SAFFC) (3%, 70 Votes)
  • Hassan Sunny (GK, Tampines Rovers) (2%, 67 Votes)
  • Isa Halim (MF, Young Lions) (2%, 56 Votes)
  • Juma'at Jantan (DF, Home United) (1%, 33 Votes)
  • Ismail Yunos (DF, Young Lions) (1%, 29 Votes)
  • Mustaqim Manzur (FW, SAFFC) (1%, 18 Votes)
  • Rosman Sulaiman (DF, Home United) (0%, 11 Votes)
  • Hyrulnizam Juma'at (GK, Young Lions) (0%, 3 Votes)

Total Voters: 327

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REDpoll

Who was the man of the match for Singapore against Vietnam?

  • Lionel Lewis (57%, 81 Votes)
  • Noh Alam Shah (15%, 21 Votes)
  • Shi Jiayi (6%, 9 Votes)
  • Baihakki Khaizan (6%, 8 Votes)
  • Agu Casmir (6%, 8 Votes)
  • Daniel Bennett (5%, 7 Votes)
  • Noh Rahman (2%, 3 Votes)
  • Mustafic Fahrudin (1%, 2 Votes)
  • Indra Sahdan (1%, 2 Votes)
  • Muhd Ridhuan (1%, 1 Votes)
  • Precious Emuejeraye (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Isa Halim (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 142

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REDpoll

Who should captain Singapore in the 2008 AFF Suzuki Cup?

  • Indra Sahdan Daud (26%, 102 Votes)
  • Lionel Lewis (20%, 78 Votes)
  • Mustafic Fahrudin (19%, 73 Votes)
  • Daniel Bennett (8%, 33 Votes)
  • Aleksandar Duric (8%, 32 Votes)
  • Baihakki Khaizan (4%, 16 Votes)
  • Shi Jiayi (4%, 16 Votes)
  • Agu Casmir (4%, 14 Votes)
  • Noh Rahman (3%, 10 Votes)
  • John Wilkinson (2%, 9 Votes)
  • Precious Emuejeraye (1%, 5 Votes)
  • Muhd Ridhuan (1%, 3 Votes)

Total Voters: 391

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