Fans speak up! Here we are reposting a posting shared to us by Mohamed Nazri Yusop. We hope more fans will share their views with us on the state of affair of the league. We did some slight edit, but pretty much kept the look and feel of the article. Additional comments from the editors will be like this.
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OK, so I spent about 2 hours and 10 cigarettes listening to the Battalion Routine Order read out by Lim Chin and Edward whatshisname to the Jaguars.
RO can smoke one meh? Anyway his name is Liu.
1. Lim Chin simply doesn't know the history of the League... there were 2 mergers prior, Marine Castle combined with Paya Lebar Punggol to form Sengkang Punggol... it was not a "name change."
2. What is stopping the League from introducing a promotion/relegation system when clubs are sitting out? You don't have a match, a stadium, and you go around kicking a football with some kids on Sunday and you try to promote your club and you go " bro, come and support us lah, we are sitting out from the league this year, but maybe next year ah." Come on please. How exactly are you going to gain supporters when existing fans have nothing to promote?
Fans are just not going to sit around to watch a game of league musical chair.
3. No one works LESS hard when they are on a 1-year contract lah dey... They work harder. Ask any contract workers at any MNC.
4. Lim Chin's game plan of making super clubs is really flimsy... LionsXII is a big club wor...and do they have a full stadium now?
No, the answer is no.
5. The intention of the League (at least it should be) is to increase the pool of eligible players... having 22 boys in CYL doesn't do jack when like Ahmad Latiff correctly points out only 11 players are allowed on the field anytime. Disband the developmental squads and spread the young talent among the league. McManaman, Owen and Giggs would not have appeared if the EPL had development squads. Do the math lah.
FYI, CYL actually has a 30 players main squad.
6. Lim Chin, please dont try to be like Japan and Korea with the fancy Suwon and Yokohama references... Be like Scotland, Denmark and Costa Rica! They have SIMILAR demographics (one of his favourite words in the clip) to us!
Scotland: Pop 5.32m 30 Teams across 3 divisions
Costa Rica: Pop 4.58m 90 Teams across 3 divisions
Denmark: Pop 5.64m 98 Teams across 4 divisions
Let's defend Lim Chin a little here. While those countries have similar population size, this population is spread out over a larger land area, which allows regional loyalty to develop.
Also, dont get Baihakki or anyone back if they cannot make it overseas... we need more National Players overseas!!!
Yes we do!
7. Ok, we get some clubs are untouchables and you need foreign clubs... but how much levy are you getting from the foreign clubs. I remember FAS paying 25% to FAM back then...are we getting even 2.5% levy from Albirex, DPMM, Harimau Muda? Dude, the Sultan of Brunei is rich lah....he can pay levy. God forbid we are actually PAYING them to play....
Good question that demands an answer. Are we still paying a levy now? Are the foreign teams paying to play here?
8. How much are we paying Sport Singapore for the grounds? Can we groundshare? If costs are really an issue.
In an ideal scenerio, clubs should own their grounds. This is something we would explore in future post.
9. If the clubs are run like charities and have to beg for donations from Big Daddy FAS... can we un-charity them? You know what, I will pay $100 each month for GIFC shares (La Liga shareowners format... go and ask Peter Lim lah how to do... or Bayern Munich.)
One of our editor own a share from SD Eibar. Their story intrigued him and he bought one. We believe that stakeholders in clubs should have ownership of clubs. Instead of FAS dividing a pie to share among the clubs, each club should be looking for their own pies.
10. Edward (sorry dont know your full name bro), no need to fly to Turkey all that lah. You go to CAAS and connect with those fellas in Airlines in Singapore.
Bro, you still call him bro ah? Not bad la sia! But wouldn't knocking on the door of a full service airline be asking for rejection in the first place? Look at the demographic of the existing fans, would sponsors be interested in them? Or else, it just seem like begging for money.
11. Let me summarize lah, since I want to catch a movie on HBO soon..on what you need for a successful league.
a. Merchandising... my pal Edroos Alsagoff came up with some cool tees for TRFC, engage him to run your tee shirt division. He is a handsome lanky chap who can model them as well.
b. Online presence... Meng Yeow can handle that in his toilet break what your Uni grads in FAS can do... Combined.
c. Real grassroots presence (we used to watch D Tokijan, Malek Awab and gang at Bedok Stadium cos we want to, not because we can free Coffee Bean vouchers).
An expert fisherman knows that different fish would be attracted to different baits. When all you do is throw out free stuff to attract support, all you will get is cheapskate.
d. No more merging, divorcing, combining, transforming, interlocking, interstellar clubs whatever. If you guys had run the EPL, Liverpool had probably combined with Tranmere Rovers by now (God forbid).
e. No more clubs under the armpits of S League Pte Ltd... 20 years still need to breastfeed? 20 years old ORD liao.
12. Also, the Chairman is not above the club. I have googled a link for your reference
13. Do not touch Geylang International ever please...
For that, we pray too!
Adios.
