When it comes to appointing the next Lions coach, history is a great teacher

Straits Times

6 hours ago

With the departure of Tsutomu Ogura, the FAS is on the hunt for its fourth national head coach in six years. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
When it comes to appointing the next Lions coach, history is a great teacher
Here we go again.
The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is searching for its fourth national head coach in six years after Tsutomu Ogura's resignation was made public on June 24.
The next step will be the most critical yet for the FAS and comes as the first major test for its new president, billionaire Forrest Li and his leadership team.
Sure, there can never be a guarantee of success when hiring a new head coach (just ask the Manchester United hierarchy), but the FAS must do all they can to appoint someone who can give the Lions the best chance of flourishing.
Before Ogura's appointment, sources indicated that Park Hang-seo, who had led Vietnam to the Under-23 Asian Cup final in 2018 and the Asian Cup quarter-finals in 2019, had been available, but FAS was ultimately unable to meet his salary demands.
But word coming out of its Jalan Besar headquarters is that the best man for the job will be hired. ST understands that Li's priority is to ensure that the Lions are best-equipped, something that he had intimated strongly during an internal townhall.
So we can assume that no stone will be left unturned and no expense is spared in this search.
Even with increased resources, I hope the selectors remain level-headed. The temptation to opt for a headline-grabbing name – someone who dazzles because of his playing career – is strong.
But that path is a slippery slope.
Former United captain Bryan Robson had a spell to forget as Thailand coach from 2009 to 2011 and ex-England manager, the late Sven-Goran Eriksson, had a brief stint in charge of the Philippines, where they finished with three losses in as many matches in the 2019 Asian Cup. He left the post soon after.
So the FAS does not need to pursue a marquee name, but the choice must convey a serious intent.
Although Ogura came with plenty of experience in Japan, his two predecessors and compatriots – Takayuki Nishigaya and Tatsuma Yoshida – had also never managed a national team or a side in this region.
They underwhelmed even before they started their tenures.
On June 24, the FAS said in its media statement that it is looking for a candidate who 'possesses the vision, expertise, and leadership qualities to elevate Singapore football to the next level'.
Internally, I hope they have a clearer and more specific criteria.
The next coach must have the experience and knowledge of the region and Asian football, the personality to get the best out of our players, the ability to convince with his ideas and communicate that effectively enough for the Lions to hit the ground running.
Former Johor Darul Takzim head coach Bojan Hodak, currently excelling at Indonesia Liga 1 side Persib Bandung and former Thailand tactician Mano Polking, who is with Viet side Cong An Ha Noi, have the credentials and the regional know-how to thrive as Lions coach.
There are also other coaches who have excelled with national teams in this region. The hiring of South Korean tacticians Park or Shin Tae-yong, who led Vietnam and Indonesia respectively in recent years, would also represent a clear ambition.
Besides getting this appointment right, the FAS must also do it quickly. The selectors must learn from the mistakes of their predecessors.
When Yoshida stepped down in December 2021, it took the FAS four months to appoint a replacement in Nishigaya, which left him with having to fight a losing battle from day one.
The Lions were presented with a kind draw in a single round-robin tournament for the Asian Cup qualifiers in June 2022. It was not until May 26 that year that Nishigaya held his first training session and the team had just one friendly against Kuwait six days later 1 before the Asian Cup qualifiers in Kyrgyzstan a week later.
They lost 2-1 to the hosts, were defeated 1-0 by Tajikistan and beat Myanmar 6-2. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan both made the Asian Cup. The Lions and Nishigaya went home.
The Lions circa 2025 are top of Group C in their Asian Cup qualifying campaign on goals scored, ahead of Hong Kong (four points), Bangladesh and India, who have a point apiece. Only the group winners will advance to the Asian Cup in 2027.
They have four matches left, starting with back-to-back matches against India in October.
There may not be a better time to make history with a maiden qualification to the Asian Cup for Singapore, whose only appearance came as hosts in 1984.
When he was confirmed as the new FAS president in April, Li outlined his mission to 'bring joy and pride back to Singapore football'.
FAS and Li, your next step could go a long way in reaching that objective.
Over to you.
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