S-League 2010: Report Card

The 2010 S-league season has given us one of the closest title races in the history of the league which saw French side Etoile FC become the first ever foreign team to win the Singaporean domestic league. They were pushed hard by the highly experienced Tampines Rovers and a brilliant run of form by Home United in the second half of the season but the Stars still managed to beat Albirex Niigata for the first time this season to clinch the title.

But the season was not just about team. All 12 teams played a part in the highlights and disappointments experienced this season. Some have performed beyond expectation and some have fallen short of the mark and some have been simply disgraceful.

Here's my pick on who has impressed and who has not.

The Bright Lights:

Etoile FC:

In their debut season, the French had to deal with abusive fans, off the field and financial problems as well as a bogey team they just couldn’t seem to score against. Despite that, the Stars were by far the most entertaining team this season and managed to secure a good following after their first few games. And they got the results. Winning the Championship and League Cup double and reaching the semi-finals of the RHB Singapore Cup in their first season in Singapore is truly an achievement to be proud off and local teams will do well to adopt their professionalism and free flowing style of football if they want to be competing for honours next season. Pity the financial problems are forcing the team to sell of their best players but don’t be surprised if Etoile are amongst the title chasers in the 2011 season.

Tampines Rovers:

Every year Dad’s Army are criticised for their lack of youth and pace and written off before the first ball is even kicked. And every year they prove us wrong by showing the value of experience and how it goes a long way to ensure consistent performances. Pairing veterans like Aleksander Duric with the youth of Khairul Amri, Qiu Li and Jamal Ali proved to be a masterstroke by coach Vorawan Chitavanich as the Stags were in contention from round one all the way to round thirty three. They may have missed out on the league title by a heart-breaking one-point margin but they are due to play Thai side Bangkok Glass in the final of the RHB Singapore Cup so they may still earn some respect for local teams by being the only one to win any silverware this season

Home United:

The performance of Home United in the first half of the season would have definitely gotten them a rating no higher than a C but their second half performance was so impressive that they managed to get an A from me. The Protectors were languishing in the lower half of the table before the signing of Chun Jae Woon and the regain of form by Shahril Ishak, who won three player-of -the-month awards in a row, provided the team with the much needed creativity and midfield steel to mount a title challenge.

Disappointments:

SAF FC:

As the defending champions and the Singapore’s sole representative at the Asian Champions League, you would really expect the Warriors to finish closer to the top. Instead, they ended the season a whopping 17 points of the summit. They did help make the title race a little more exciting with a 3-0 win over champions Etoile FC in the third last game of the season but other than that did little else of note. With a budget and infrastructure superior that of any other team, they really should be competing title every single year and reduce their reliance on foreign players and focus on grooming local talent to replace the big boots Therdsak Chaiman has left behind.

Woodlands:

After 33 games, the Rams accumulated a mere 19 points, winning just four games and scored just 18 goals along the way. Perennial cellar dwellers Sengkang Punggol managed to finish the season 6 points ahead of Woodlands and even Beijing Guoan and the Young Lions, who both had five points deducted for their on-field fracas, were hardly threatened by the team from the north. For a team with such a rich cup tradition, it was a truly disappointing season and coupled with the loss of key sponsor SembCorp, the 2011 season could prove to be another long and hard one for Woodlands Wellington FC.

Beijing Guoan and The Young Lions:

In one match against each other, Beijing Guoan and The Young Lions lost their goodwill, placed the reputation of the game into question and showed to the world the ugly side of the beautiful game. The lengthy bans for the players were justified given the severity of their offence even though the points deduction was somewhat insignificant in my opinion. The actions of both teams were condemned throughout the world of football and posed an important question to the football world. Are teams based solely on youth mature and composed enough to mount a serious title challenge regardless of which league they belong to? Hopefully the 2011 season has some answers for us then.