Former England captain Tony Adams in line for Lions job
Tony Adams is interested in coaching Singapore.
SINGAPORE – Former England and Arsenal football captain Tony Adams has thrown his hat into the ring for the vacant Singapore national head coach post.
People who are familiar with the matter also revealed that former Manchester United assistant manager Rene Meulensteen and ex-Bradford City defender Ashley Westwood are also eyeing the job vacated by V Sundramoorthy earlier this month.
When contacted by TODAY on Wednesday (April 25) night, Adams kept his cards close to his chest.
“I have a couple of opportunities a bit closer to home but I know the Football Association of Singapore is looking for a new coach,” the 51-year-old said. “Will let you know when I’m ready to say more.”
Once billed as a future Arsenal manager, Adams enjoyed a distinguished 22-year playing career with club and country, with 669 matches in all competitions for the Gunners and 66 caps for England.
The Englishman, though, had a patchy coaching career since his retirement in 2002, where he tried to establish himself as a coach in the English lower leagues, the Netherlands, Azerbaijan, China and Spain.
His latest coaching job ended in Spain as the caretaker manager of Granada in May 2017 for the final seven games of the La Liga season.
Former Arsenal midfielder Adrian Clarke believes Adams will “give it everything he has to make it a success” in Singapore.
“Tony has outstanding knowledge of the game and was an inspirational captain to play for,” said Clarke, who is now a sports journalist in England.
“Whatever job he has in football I know he’d give it everything he has to make it a success. His passion for the game is unbelievable.
“When it comes to teaching the art of defending, I can’t think of many better people out there.”
Sundram stepped down from his post earlier this month by mutual consent, drawing the curtains on a disappointing 23-month stint that saw the national team win just three games out of 23 "A" international matches played, with 15 defeats and five draws. The Lions were winless for the entire 2017.
Some local football fans, though, are not convinced that hiring a big-name foreign coach would make a big difference in improving the fortunes of Singapore football.
“I think any coach, whether he comes with an impressive CV or not, will have to juggle the same difficulties and constraints faced by both Bernd Stange and V Sundramoorthy in recent years,” said local football blogger Ko Po Hui.
“Stange came with decent credentials but failed to deliver. Even Sundram, who knows local football through-and-through, also did not deliver during his tenure.
“The fault is in the current football eco-system: the lack of a competitive league, the dearth of quality players coming up the ranks, and not enough youngsters embracing the sport.
“These are things that a national coach can’t solve."
