Football: LionsXII bore instead of roar

By Amir Yusof/Red Sports

Predictable. That one adjective succinctly describes the LionsXII style of play this season. Twice in the last two home fixtures, opposition coaches Razip Ismail of Kuala Lumpur and Terengganu’s Mat Zan Mat Aris have labelled the Singapore LionsXII a “long ball” side.

Terengganu coach Mat Zan, who led his team to a one-nil victory over the LionsXII yesterday evening, said: “We all know the way they play. It’s not difficult to figure out. They simply punt the ball long upfield and hope their striker gets to it.”

The common consensus among the local football fraternity is that such tactics are unacceptable and rubs against the spirit of football. Deft flicks, quick, one-touch passing and fancy footwork all epitomize the grace and beauty of the game we all love. Sacrificing the very core of what makes this sport fascinating is simply put, unacceptable.

In the last three games before the deserved loss to Terengganu, a Red Sports poll in each fixture has clearly indicated the feelings of the fans towards the LionsXII’s overall displays.

Against Kuala Lumpur, where the Lions recorded their first victory of the season, only 28% of voters polled described the game as “exciting”. Meanwhile, in the 0-0 draw against Kedah and the 1-0 victory over Sabah, 82% and 59% of the voters polled respectively found the performances “boring”.

Ironically, the LionsXII’s head coach V. Sundramoorthy, nicknamed the “Dazzler”, personified attacking creativity during his playing days. His mazy runs and superb trickery has not rubbed off yet on the players he now coaches. Surely Sundram wants more zest and fluidity from his charges.

“You have to realise that previously we had the entire national team squad to pick from. Fandi Ahmad, Abbas Saad and Malek Awab were all great footballers and thus, our play was mostly upfield. This time round, our players are young and inexperienced. You cannot compare the two,” explained Sundram.

To be fair to Sundram’s side, they did attempt to display some panache and style moving forward. In one instance in the Terengganu game, excellent one touch interplay down the right hand side between Juma’at Jantan and Yasir Hanapi led to a precise ball into the box. Shahril Ishak then dummied his marker, fully aware that Firdaus Kasman stood unmarked behind him. However, the tireless midfielder pulled his shot just over. Despite that, the move drew massive applause across the stands.

It was a glimpse of class and fluidity that gave a boost of adrenaline for thousands watching in the stands and at home. For just that few seconds, the Lions had successfully entertained the crowd even though they failed to score. It was magical.

For the Lions to sustain the attention of the local supporters, they need to produce more of such moments. After all, the main reason for the re-entry of a Singapore-based team into the Malaysian league is to bring back the support to the stadiums. Hence, entertainment in the form of slick and creative play, is pivotal to the success of attracting the local fans.

It’s time to ditch long ball tactics for something much easier on the eye. It’s time for the LionsXII to become unpredictable and thus, more dangerous. Only then can we truly bring back the nostalgia of the old Malaysia Cup days.

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