How would you rate the Lions at the 2010 ASEAN Football Championship?

Collectively, the Singapore national football team played badly at the ASEAN Football Championship (AFF Suzuki Cup).

Only three goals in three games, only one win in three, and the Lions are on their way home from the championship they have won three times (1998, 2004, 2007) without even making the semi-final stage this time around.

The only thing sparkling about the Singapore team in Hanoi was their fancy new Nike kit as they struggled to draw 1-1 with the Philippines, were lucky to beat Myanmar 2-1 and lost 0-1 to 10-man Vietnam.

Whatever pass-and-move system they were working on did not pan out. Instead, it is countries like the Philippines that have passed them and moved on in South East Asia by qualifying for the semi-finals for the first time in the tournament’s history.

Individuals did not perform well, according to head coach Raddy Avramovic.

“We were unlucky. We made a mistake in our concentration and that cost us a lot. But we didn’t deserve to lose this game. It was our mistake when we had the corner and we worked on that, that we didn’t give Vietnam a chance to counterattack,” said Raddy.

“The player was in place but the player we needed to press the ball didn’t and that cost us a lot. I think we had enough chances during the game and I’m disappointed that we didn’t score a goal. We expected the possibility of receiving one but I’m disappointed that from these chances that we didn’t score one,” added Avramovic, who did not want to name the player. Television replays showed that right back Rosman Sulaiman was responsible, a fact that match commentator Abbas Saad highlighted as well.

So how do you think they performed individually?

What say you all?

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3 Comments

Damon yeo December 16, 2010 at 5:13 pm - Reply

Hi Mike,

What have you read to conclude about their “off pitch arrogance”?

And also, which other national associations out there have ever punished the players with pay cuts etc after a poor tournament? (not including N Korea)
Robert Louis December 12, 2010 at 2:46 pm - Reply

Such a long poll!
Mike December 9, 2010 at 11:19 am - Reply

I strongly feel that the singapore soccer team should be disbanded or at least face a severe pay cut for being not only terrible but pathetically arrogant. Especially so-called foreign talents.
This is just my opinion but I’m sure others feel the same way.
Incredibly frustrating to watch. Their off pitch arrogance only compounds the whole issue.