IF YA SMELL WHAT THE HOCK IS COOKING??!!

Memories...

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

I dun really like it when people throw me last min work to do, and like give me a deadline of 12 midnight when i only receive the msg or instructions at 3 pm. I mean, i can still get the work done, but i feel thats not the way things shud be done. And i feel its basic courtesy to at least ask nicely, or a simple word of thanks wud be be well appreciated.

Today Wang Meng Meng from the New Paper asked "Where Were You Fans?" with regards to the near empty Kallang stadium where the Lions triumped 11-0 against Laos. I ll like to give my 2 pounds (not cents) worth answering his question.

1st of all, maybe the New Paper and the local media shud ask themselves back "Where Were You Media?" before the Asean Cup began? Where was the publicity for the competition? The urging of fans to go to the stadium to support the national team? I have been watching football since the Malaysia Cup days, and year after year, it is obvious to me that publicity from the local media has been dwindling towards getting fans to the stadium to support the Lions.

It just happens over and over again. Every 2 years during the group stages of the Tiger Cup, fans support and turnout for the Lions wud be extremely poor. And then when the lions do badly or get eliminated, they get whacked left right centre by the media. And if they do well, progress to the semis, and have a genuine chance of winning, the media goes on a field day and asks once again "Where Were You Fans?". And then Singaporeans, being Singaporeans (who only like to see winning teams), wud arrive by the truckloads to Kallang, and then watch the Lions lift the trophy. Only to forget that they were Asean champions 2 short years later. My point is that what's the use of criticizing fans who dun turn up to support? It is obvious that there are deeper flaws underneath. Why doesnt the local media rally around the national team and launch massive publicity campaigns or massive calls for Singaporeans to go to the stadium right from the 1st match?? After all, this was what they had done during the heady Malaysia Cup days. Nowadays, the coverage for EPL gets at least 10 pages, while local football news get 2, 3 pages. It doesnt take a fool to figure out that publicity to drive up local support is sorely lacking.

2nd reason. While it is undeniable that the Lions are a much improved team these days, they lack charismatic and flamboyant personalities, or players with plenty of flair. People, fans love to watch heroes, or players that can fire up the imagination of the crowd. You dun have to look at people like Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo or David Ginola. Our own Singapore used to have heroes such as Fandi Ahmad, Malek Awab, David Lee, Nazri Nasir, Lee Man Hon, and super-sub Steven Tan! Familiar faces and names to the average household, while the closest the current national team possess of such cult personalities are prob Indra Shadan and Lionel Lewis. Too many names in the national team continue to be unknown to the majority of fans who dun follow the S-League (again underpublicized). Case of lack of publicity for national team players again? Probably.

3rd reason. A highly speculative one. Maybe Singaporeans deep down dun really feel much of a nation at all, and the sense of patrotism and nationalism is still highly lacking. I could be wrong though, esp when i myself was among the 50,000 fans doin the Kallang Roar and Wave during the Malaysia Cup days, and how all the entire neighbourhoods screamed with delight when Fandi and Abaas Saad scored in that famous 4-0 win over Pahang.

Perhaps it is really more of a case of lack of publicity and marketing for the national team.

The Incredible Hock