National players back Avramovic for Suzuki Cup mission

Source

SINGAPORE - The national team players in the LionsXII squad yesterday insisted that coach Radojko Avramovic is still the right man to lead the Lions.

Singapore's football team came in for huge criticism from local fans after their 7-1 drubbing by Iraq in last week's World Cup qualifier in Doha.

Many felt that the Serb, who has been at the helm of the Lions since 2003, had run out of ideas.

Others wondered if Avramovic, 62, still had the respect of the dressing room.

Singapore and LionsXII midfielder Isa Halim, who scored the solitary goal against Iraq, was quick to rubbish talk about Avramovic's ability or the notion that he had lost the dressing room.

Summing up the Iraq performance, the 25-year-old said: "It was one of those days when everything did not work out for us.

"We had a good build up to the game and played well in the 2-2 draw in the friendly match with Azerbaijan (before Iraq).

"Losing 7-1 is unacceptable, but that is football and we have to learn from it.

"Raddy has been introducing young players to inject new blood into the team and the attacks against him are unfair.

"Everyone in the team must share the blame because whatever happens in the field is also up to the players. Raddy is a good coach, has done well in the past years, and hopefully in the Suzuki Cup, he can show us the way again."

Avramovic has guided the Lions to two South-east Asian titles but the Lions failed to even get out of the first round in their last campaign in 2010.

He said recently that this year's Suzuki Cup, scheduled in December, remains the big target for the team, as they bid to at least make the final.

Singapore captain Shahril Ishak, who also wears the armband for the LionsXII, said: "You can talk all day about the national team, but in the end we are out of the World Cup.

"We were playing against a top Asian team and without many important players it was difficult for us.

"The players are 110 per cent behind Raddy but whatever happens now it is up to the Football Association of Singapore because as players we don't have control over this.

"I think Raddy should continue as coach and is still the one to take us to the Suzuki Cup," Shahril added.