Source
SINGAPORE -Malaysia Cup veteran Jita Singh has no doubts that Singapore's return to competitions across the Causeway will yield at least a trophy even though it will be a challenging new experience for the LionsXII 28-strong squad who will face partisan crowds all season long.
The team open their Malaysian Super League campaign next month, and although they will be competing in two other tournaments there, including the FA Cup, the Malaysia Cup remains the top prize.
Singapore stopped fielding sides for Malaysia's domestic football tournaments after a Fandi Ahmad-led team captured the League and Cup double in 1994, when the current team were barely in primary school.
But the LionsXII will not be totally out of the woods with coach V Sundramoorthy and his assistant, Kadir Yahaya, old hands and winners of the Malaysia Cup as well, guiding them in the campaign.
There will be challenges the Lions XII will be up against, though.
For one, in the 18 years that the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) sat out, the football powers up north have spread and grown.
Sides such as Perlis, Terengganu and Negri Sembilan are no longer necessary the weaker sides they once were and have at one time or another lifted the two prestigious silverwares, the Malaysian Super League and Malaysia Cup trophies.
The absence of stellar personalities in the likes Selangor's Soh Chin Aun and Mokhtar Dahari and Penang's Bakar brothers, Isa and Ali that Malaysian football threw up when individual flair was allowed to thrive has also spurred teams on to work into more cohesive units.
"It used to be that Selangor, Johor and at one time Penang whom we had to contend with all the time. This is no longer the case because there are no longer amateur footballers among the teams," said Jita.
"There are several good sides now and the LionsXII will be exposed to tougher teams all season long this time, which will be good for the team's development," said Jita.
"But we have a side that is capable of matching the best Malaysia has to offer and it is my belief they are good for at least one trophy.
"I am also aware that Sundram has done his homework getting the run down of the teams his side will be up against."
But if the reception Singapore faced in their 6-4 aggregate win over Malaysia in the World Cup qualifiers at the Bukit Jalil in July is any indication, not everything has changed over the years and the LionsXII can expect hostility, sometimes red hot, when they travel north for their fixtures.
Jita, a former national player in the 1960s and 70s and who coached Singapore to Malaysia Cup victory in 1980, said the LionsXIi should not cower in fear because of this.
Said the 62-year-old: "The rivalry among teams, not only with Singapore, is pretty high there. There is always that extra incentive to beat us, and it is not only the fans who are going to intimidate our players, they will face it even harder on the pitch.
"But this should serve as an opportunity for our boys to toughen up themselves mentally and physically and if they motivate themselves that they are Singaporeans playing for their country, they will be able to take the knocks and give as good as they get.".
Is he filled with nostalgia and does he wished to be the one coaching the LionsXII in the country's return to the Malaysia Cup?
"Not at all. I've had my time and enjoyed both as a player and coach, but it is time for guys like Sundram and Kadir. I am still involved in a way. I am overseeing youth development and I will get involved with guys like Pravin Gunasagaran who get pick for the team," he said.
We have move to here!
WE HAVE MOVE TO HERE! CLICK ON THE LINK. :D
No comments:
Post a Comment