Commentary: Let's not get caught up in the moment when choosing Singapore's next football head coach

SINGAPORE: Football fans are a fickle lot. A hero today can be a villain tomorrow: A striker worshipped for a stunning goal could be just as quickly vilified for missing a match-winning penalty. As my favourite football adage goes: You’re only as good as your last game.

Fans live in the moment – and right now, Singapore fans are feeling on top of the world. The men’s national team have made history by qualifying for the prestigious Asian Cup on merit.

Let’s put that accomplishment into perspective: Singapore is the smallest country by land area to qualify for the Asian Cup. Singapore is also the lowest-ranked football nation (151 as of November) to make the 24-team tournament. 

The Lions are set to rub shoulders with the likes of Australia, Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea – all continental football powerhouses who have graced the World Cup stage at some point in recent history.

By all metrics, Singapore qualifying for the Asian Cup is not merely historic. It’s a miracle. 

The team benefited from a rather favourable Group C and enjoyed some luck along the way. But let’s not take anything away from the players who showed new-found character and grit to earn their ticket to Saudi Arabia.

However, as the confetti settles, now comes the harsh reality of the mammoth challenge that awaits the Lions in 2027. 

CLAMOUR FOR THE LOCAL BOY

The chasm between Singapore and future opponents is wide enough to silence even the most biased and optimistic football observer. Just an example: Over a pair of World Cup qualifying matches against South Korea in November 2023 and June 2024, Singapore conceded 12 and scored none. 

To survive in this continental football arena, Singapore need to punch way above their weight. To do that – and avoid a massacre – the Lions need a coach who can, well, unleash the roar.

Who will be that coach? Fans and pundits alike are clamouring for caretaker coach Gavin Lee to be given the top job full-time. 

There has been a bit of post-victory chest-thumping in their arguments: He got us there, so he deserves the chance. Local boy knows our football culture better than foreign hired guns. If we don’t trust one of our own, who will?

Now, let’s be clear, Lee has done a brilliant job so far. The 35-year-old stepped in as interim head coach in June when Tsutomu Ogura quit suddenly for personal reasons.

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) went on a global search for a new big-name coach that its president Forrest Li promised would excite local fans. Amid several closed-door interviews and contract negotiations with candidates from faraway lands, the quiet and studious Lee from Tampines went about his work quietly and let his team’s success speak for itself. 

Delivering Asian Cup qualification is probably the best thing that a supposed seat-warmer could add to his CV to be considered a top candidate for the job. 

FAS chief Li admitted as much: “Definitely, based on what Gavin has achieved, he will be a very, very strong candidate for us to consider. But we also have other very strong candidates in the pipeline. I think we're in a good position. So, we have good choices.”

COMPETING AT ASIAN LEVEL IS A MASSIVE STEP UP

Indeed, the FAS has a decision to make.

Let’s say FAS rewards Lee with the promotion he deserves. The Lions get a familiar face at the helm – someone who speaks the language, knows the culture and understands the psyche of local footballers. 

Okay. Then what? Right now, is Lee ready to take that massive step up to Asian level? 

Let’s not forget that he has limited experience coaching a title-winning local team, let alone in elite Asian competitions. His only trophy in his top-flight coaching career is the Singapore Cup in 2019.

While the same question can be asked of the players, the squad can be strengthened somewhat through overseas training camps, sparring matches against stronger opponents, and – whisper this – smart recruitment of naturalised citizens who are adept at kicking a football. 

But a team that has never competed at an elite international level will need a coach who had and can show them how. Of course, Lee could well prove everyone wrong and blow the competition away, but that’s asking too much from someone who earned his professional coaching diploma just two years ago. 

Major international tournaments are relentless and have a short runway of a maximum of six matches if you get to the final. Coaches face fast and furious battles of wits and tactical acumen against diverse opponents. That is why most national teams in major tournaments have experienced coaches at the helm, master tacticians who can turn things around quickly in the harshest of environments. 

There are rare instances where a relative rookie went through a major international tournament unscathed. Julian Nagelsmann is one that comes to mind. He was appointed Germany’s head coach at the age of 36 and was successful enough to earn himself a contract extension. But even he had the experience of coaching Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title and leading them in the Champions League.

Can Lee be given a quick and effective upgrade to be Asian Cup-ready by 2027? That is something FAS has to consider. Will hothousing him now with courses and attachments in Europe with major clubs elevate his capabilities? With less than two years to Saudi Arabia, is the runway long enough? 

Players can improve through playing every week and at higher levels with their clubs. In contrast, a national coach only has a handful of international windows per year to test his ideas. 

Another long-term consideration is the development path of a talented young coach like Lee, who still has years to give to Singapore football. Crossing swords with some of the brightest football schemers on the continent could be as much a masterclass to learn from as an utter humiliation that bruises him for life. 

That’s not to say Lee should be frozen out of the team he led to Asian Cup qualification. On the contrary, he should stay with the Lions as an assistant coach and continue to be that bridge between the players and a new head coach, while still contributing to the team’s success through his meticulous data-driven preparations, influence and man-management.

WILL FANS KEEP FAITH?

Consider this too: If the FAS give the fans what they want, will these same fans keep faith with Lee at the first sign of trouble from now till the end of the Lions’ involvement in Saudi Arabia?

Or will they bay for his blood in stadiums and social media platforms alike when things go wrong? Will they call for him to be sacked as quickly as they called for his promotion?

And more importantly, will FAS hear all this and, once again, play to the gallery? This could possibly come at the expense of the career of a young, promising, talented, local football coach.

It’s a decision that FAS must make. And one can only hope they make it for the right reasons.

Stanley Ho is a senior editor at CNA. He has been covering Singapore sports for more than 20 years.