This year's review will be on the blog itself.
If we are going to talk about the state of the local game for the past twelve months, it would be another session of flogging the dead horse.
EVOLUTION - NECESSARY PROCESS
Evolution is a necessary process for most of us and this platform is no different in order to stay relevant.
Although I would say I took a route that evolved this platform into something not conventional and some may not even find it relevant at all.
Since last year, this platform decided to place more focus on something it had never done before when compilation of historical accounts of local football is being prioritized.
The process of combing through the online newspapers archives has been a rewarding experience that it is an eye opener to realize how active the scene was in the long gone era.
Media coverage by the press were abundant with newspapers like The Straits Times, Malayan Tribune, Singapore Free Press, New Nation, Singapore Monitor, etc. frequently assigned their reporters to cover the bits and pieces of the thriving football scene back then.
APPRECIATING THE PAST
The uncovering of the long forgotten Business Houses League and the confirmation of the identities of the seven players who played for Hong Kong's Kitchee SC in the 1950s is nothing more than satisfying and to receive a compliment from a next of kin of one of those seven players is a morale boaster that made the whole effort worthwhile.
Ironically, despite the advancement of the information technology these days, the coverage of local football scene nowadays is a pale shadow as compared to the past that it could be something explained in one of the past entries of this blog.
WORRYING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
Given the present scarcity of coverage, so where and how would future generations depend on if they intend to learn what happened nowadays?
One of the worrying signs is that those match reports and relevant news articles on the former official league website are not readily available.
To make things worse the former site that used to host the official league website (www.sleague.com) seems to be taken over by some unknown party following the rebranding of the league to Singapore Premier League last year and attempts to track down those old articles seems like a futile task.
POINTLESS TO CONTINUE IF ...
While a sizable time has been committed on those archival researching for the past one year, I still think it is pointless for me to compile past local football history when you still having people come up to say "how good were those days" and belittling the efforts of the present ones.
The achievements of the past generations shall be served to inspire the future ones.
I thought the later generations done just that when we won a few Asean titles when the past generations, while galvanized the whole nation, did not win a SEAP or SEA Games gold medal in spite of the enormous talents we used to have when the Malaya (later Malaysia) Cup was deemed the benchmark of local football pinnacle.
Without any doubt, due recognition and acknowledgement should be given to those who deserved them
Unlike their British peers whose footages can be occasionally found on those old British Pathé newsreels, the present generation do not have a chance to witness how great players like Dolfatah, Lim Yong Liang, Chua Boon Lay, Mat Noor, Rahim Omar, etc. were, as described by those who were memerized by their wizardry at the either demolised Anson Road Stadium or the old Jalan Besar Stadium.
Perhaps, the only way to end the "greatness" debate is to have a match between teams of different generations which, of course, is impossible and coming to this juncture - shall we put to an end of the debate that will lead to no conclusion?
(P.S 1: Some images in this entry were reproduced from sources, as credited, should anyone feel it's inappropriate to have any of the media shown, please kindly email me as soon as possible and I will remove them upon request.)
(P.S 2: I stand to be corrected should there be any mistake in this entry, please feel free to email me should there be any mistake, thanks)
If we are going to talk about the state of the local game for the past twelve months, it would be another session of flogging the dead horse.
EVOLUTION - NECESSARY PROCESS
Evolution is a necessary process for most of us and this platform is no different in order to stay relevant.
Although I would say I took a route that evolved this platform into something not conventional and some may not even find it relevant at all.
Since last year, this platform decided to place more focus on something it had never done before when compilation of historical accounts of local football is being prioritized.
 |
| Sunday Nation headlines on 13th March 1977 (NLB archive) |
Media coverage by the press were abundant with newspapers like The Straits Times, Malayan Tribune, Singapore Free Press, New Nation, Singapore Monitor, etc. frequently assigned their reporters to cover the bits and pieces of the thriving football scene back then.
APPRECIATING THE PAST
The uncovering of the long forgotten Business Houses League and the confirmation of the identities of the seven players who played for Hong Kong's Kitchee SC in the 1950s is nothing more than satisfying and to receive a compliment from a next of kin of one of those seven players is a morale boaster that made the whole effort worthwhile.
 |
| This compliment is a great encouragement, thanks |
WORRYING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
Given the present scarcity of coverage, so where and how would future generations depend on if they intend to learn what happened nowadays?
One of the worrying signs is that those match reports and relevant news articles on the former official league website are not readily available.
To make things worse the former site that used to host the official league website (www.sleague.com) seems to be taken over by some unknown party following the rebranding of the league to Singapore Premier League last year and attempts to track down those old articles seems like a futile task.
POINTLESS TO CONTINUE IF ...
While a sizable time has been committed on those archival researching for the past one year, I still think it is pointless for me to compile past local football history when you still having people come up to say "how good were those days" and belittling the efforts of the present ones.
The achievements of the past generations shall be served to inspire the future ones.
I thought the later generations done just that when we won a few Asean titles when the past generations, while galvanized the whole nation, did not win a SEAP or SEA Games gold medal in spite of the enormous talents we used to have when the Malaya (later Malaysia) Cup was deemed the benchmark of local football pinnacle.
 |
| We won a few Asean titles in the recent generations but not the SEA Games Gold in past |
Unlike their British peers whose footages can be occasionally found on those old British Pathé newsreels, the present generation do not have a chance to witness how great players like Dolfatah, Lim Yong Liang, Chua Boon Lay, Mat Noor, Rahim Omar, etc. were, as described by those who were memerized by their wizardry at the either demolised Anson Road Stadium or the old Jalan Besar Stadium.
Perhaps, the only way to end the "greatness" debate is to have a match between teams of different generations which, of course, is impossible and coming to this juncture - shall we put to an end of the debate that will lead to no conclusion?
(P.S 1: Some images in this entry were reproduced from sources, as credited, should anyone feel it's inappropriate to have any of the media shown, please kindly email me as soon as possible and I will remove them upon request.)
(P.S 2: I stand to be corrected should there be any mistake in this entry, please feel free to email me should there be any mistake, thanks)