When contacted, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said earlier this week that an official page was in the works and would be announced at a later date, and directed me to the official FAS website, where there are news postings on the LionsXII.

Yet, even on the official FAS site, the LionsXII do not have their own section, which may be confusing to someone searching for more information on the team.

It said in a reply to The Straits Times Online: 'We are in the midst of working on a new website for the LionsXII and an official announcement will be made when the website goes 'live'. However, we have been updating LionsXII content on the FAS website since the team was unveiled on the 5th of December 2011.'

Surely, an online presence would've been somewhere high up the list of promotional efforts right from the start? After all, the agreement for a Singapore team to re-enter the Malaysian Super League was signed on July 12, 2011. The official team name - LionsXII - was then announced on Dec 5. There was more than enough time to set up a website after July 2011, and then finetune the domain name from December.

When setting up The Straits Times Online's Big Story section on Singapore's return to Malaysian football last week, I turned to Google to gather more information. My first query was for 'LionsXII official page', and the anticipation filled me as I wondered what to expect, especially after all the hype that had been built up.

The results came in: the FAS website, Wikipedia, the official webpage of the Asean Football Federation, Hardwarezone forums...you get the idea. Thinking that the FAS website made the most logical choice to source for information, I clicked the first link and waited for the page to load. And there they were, posts on the LionsXII under the FAS headlines.

Even if the FAS website is now the temporary 'home' of the LionsXII, what stands out is that there isn't even a dedicated section named after the LionsXII. I checked the National Teams sections, thinking perhaps that they might have slotted it near the Under 23 team, but there was no sight of a LionsXII category (see the screenshot below).

Screenshot of the FAS' national teams page

Eventually, though, I found a Facebook page for the LionsXII, which as of now, has about 5,200 fans.

Not a bad start for a young team, but it didn't seem to give the LionsXII the wider online presence they deserve, given that Singapore was returning after a 17-year hiatus from this tournament.

Screenshot of the LionsXII Facebook page

Having a Facebook page is a good option, but it leaves out those who don't use the social network on a regular basis. The Facebook fan page has reach, but not like that of a website with statistics and player profiles.

I fondly remember many nights I spent as a kid, listening to live radio commentaries on the Malaysia Cup matches. It was something I picked up from my mother, who hasn't as yet been convinced that she should set up a Facebook account (indeed, convincing her to let me keep a dog in the house was much easier).

I'm sure there are 'Malaysia Cup fans' like her, who, while knowing how to use the Internet, have not taken residence in Mark Zuckerberg's land.

On Twitter, the FAS said it has been monitoring activity regarding the LionsXII, and will assess the situation before making a decision regarding an official account.

It added: 'But fans are more than encouraged to do all they can for the team on all social media platforms available as the LionsXII team is about the fans and for the fans.'

Personally, I feel that a delayed LionsXII website was a missed opportunity to attract more fans before the start of the Malaysian Super League season. This is actually a wide group - fans from a generation which has grown up without the Malaysia Cup fever, and fans from an older generation that grew up without Facebook.

Hopefully, the extra time the FAS has before launching the official LionsXII website, means that the fans will get an official site that reflects their contributions, and allows them to share in the team's campaign from across the globe.

Suggestions for a Lions XII website

Fans of the LionsXII, what features would you hope to see in a website for the LionsXII? Do you know of any fan sites for the LionsXII that you feel the official site should match up to? Share your thoughts with us at stonline@sph.com.sg under the heading 'LionsXII Website Suggestions' or at our Facebook page.

Visit the Big Story on Singapore's return to Malaysian football

Everywhere in the world’s fourth most populous country, its people mourned on Monday night as their football team fell at the final hurdle.

They had won more gold medals than anyone else but lost the only one that mattered to this football-mad nation.

Yet defeat has not diminished the role of Papua pair Patrich Wanggai and Titus Bonai. They scored goals but more importantly, became symbols of a brighter future for their country, which has had to deal with violence and unrest between ethnic Papuans and other groups.

The Thais meanwhile, have had their own distractions as athletes and officials agonise over their families battling the floods back home.

Incredibly, the tragedy has not stopped them from winning. Instead, it has become their motivation, spurring the likes of 16-year-old Chawannooch Salubluek to swim faster as she sought to inspire her fellow Thais rebuilding her broken country and home.

This Games has also unveiled the different faces of courage. It shone determinedly on Fu Mingtian’s sweaty features inside a claustrophobic hall as she discovered within herself an inner strength she had never acknowledged before.

It reverberated too, all over the waters of Lake Cipule, in a single scream by Stephenie Chen as she and kayak partner Suzanne Seah found redemption.

And again it was there, buried in a plucky grandmother’s tears as Tan Yoke Lan refused to allow Stage Two breast cancer to control of her life.

As always, with athletes in the pursuit of greatness, they fought not just their opponents, but themselves and history as well.

An eight-year-old girl showed age was just a number as she twisted and spun her way to a gold medal. But for mixed kempo pair Julianto Perreira and Dorceyana Borges and their country of Timor Leste, numbers were all that mattered as they were starting from zero.

Since 2003, the country has not had a gold at the Games. That changed on Sunday, prompting one official to say: "It is like a dream to see our athletes winning a gold medal. But this is not a dream, it is real."

The 26th Games has ended, and many athletes will return home to a hero's welcome while more will disappear silently into the faceless airport crowd.

Their stories however, will remain with us.

At the Istora Senayan that afternoon, 8,000 patriotic Indonesians gathered to watch their country finish a sweep of all medals on the final day of the badminton competition. Make no mistake, badminton is larger than life in Indonesia, second only to soccer. Young and old, boys and girls play the sport across the archipelago and worship their badminton champions - many of whom have gone on to claim world titles. Indonesians expect to dominate this sport in South-east Asia.

After two gold medals in the first two all-Indonesian final fixtures, the crowd waited expectantly for the Women's Singles Final. In Indonesia, no one keeps silent during a badminton match. It is more like a boxing match, where the crowd cheers the favourite with each swish of the racket and boos the opponent when she does likewise. There are horns, whistles and clappers - the noise is exacerbated by the compact nature of the Istora arena. When Fu Mingtian from Singapore walked in, the image I had was of a gladiator entering a lion's den.

Fu faced Adriyanti Firdasari, a taller and physically larger opponent from Indonesia. To the delight of the crowd, Firdasari dominated and claimed the first set easily at 14-21. Somehow, Ming Tian found strength to return the favour, dominate and win the second set 21-12.

The third set was pure drama. In an incredible and at times unbelievable sequence of play, both players exchanged blows with the point difference never more than two. They were 2-2, 7-7, 11-11, 15-15 and incredibly 19-19. Some of the rallies were breathtaking, involving more than 10 exchanges. When one made a mistake, the other would incredibly let the other back in with one of her own. Firdasari's name and cries of 'In-do-ne-sia' rang around the stadium during rallies and between points, with the crowd trying to lift her to victory and to remind Fu how alone she was. Fu's response was to slow down the game. Between serves, she was slightly more deliberate in everything she did. And still, she kept Firdasari close. When Firdasari moved to 20-19 and match point, the arena waited in expectation to cheer another Indonesian win. In disbelief, they saw this little girl bring the set back yet again to level at 20-20.

Shock was on the faces of all when Fu brought the set to 21-20. In a series of net exchanges, Fu's return bounced on the net cord awkwardly and tumbled on Firdasari's side. A stunned Firdasari looked at the umpire, hoping that such a shot surely would not count. Firdasari was saving a match point for the first time. While Firdasari felt the weight of expectation on her shoulders, Fu looked ever more determined, feeding on the hostility of the crowd. I looked at Firdasari and knew then, that the impossible was about to happen. The poor Indonesian cracked. Firdasari returned the shuttlecock to the net and fell to her knees. The few Singaporeans in the crowd jumped up, punching the air in unison to celebrate a most improbable win. In the stands, the head of the Indonesian badminton association graciously applauded and reached out to congratulate us. On the court, Fu just stood there and beamed. She could not believe what she had done.

Fu, 21, became the first ever Singaporean to win a women's single SEA Games Gold medal in badminton ever - a sport Singapore has never excelled in. The last time Singapore celebrated a badminton champion was 27 years ago, when Wong Shoon Keat was in his prime, a time when Fu was not even born. Fu achieved this in an arena where almost all wanted her to lose. She had the mental strength to block the crowd out. In keeping toe-to-toe with her opponent, she demonstrated the strongest display of grit I have seen. And in winning the gold by the narrowest of margins, she has delivered more than just glory to her country. She has written a story to inspire future generations of Singapore sportsmen and women for years to come.

Bernard Tan is a Singaporean working in Jakarta, Indonesia. He loves sports and appreciates the values it develops in the young - determination, discipline, and grit - and how it brings Singaporeans together.

The voice of my coach bellowing from the top of the stadium still rings quite clearly in my mind.

“Hurry up, you still have 17 more to go, young man. The skies are turning dark,” he would shout in Mandarin, even though it was early in the morning.

This was off-season training, back in the days when I was an aspiring young sprinter trying to make the national 4 x 100m relay team for the 1993 South-east Asia (SEA) Games, which Singapore was hosting.

The workout: Sprint up the stadium steps, jog back down. Do 20 times.

I hated it but my mainland Chinese coach, Mr Qi Zutan, seemed to love it. A lot.

What made it bearable was the view from the top of the terraces just above the old Gate 1 entrance.

The stadium, though empty at the time, was a canvas on which I painted  what I hoped would be my glorious future as a track star.

I would visualise myself crossing the finish line in record time - in front of a packed stadium no less.

It was the same dream that carried my tired legs up those steps again and again, week in and week out.

I never made the SEA Games squad.

Fate, I guess, had other plans for me but I will never forget the days I stood atop those steps.

When I worked at Raffles Place, I used to drive by the stadium on my way to the office - and I would glance at the Old Lady of Kallang, and reminiscing about the days I spent in her belly, racing down the track, and running up and down those dreadful steps.

If I was stuck in a traffic jam, I would peer directly at a particular spot - just left of the old west entrance where I used to stand after I conquered those steps.

Those were the good old days, I would think to myself.

I've not been by Kallang as often since I joined The Straits Times but I was in the area last Sunday for the Singapore Grand Prix held at the nearby Marina Bay.

Seeing an unsightly construction site where the glorious old stadium used to stand brought on a sense of sadness.

I also could not find my spot up over Gate 1 anymore.

Oddly, news broke on Monday about how Singaporeans will get to see the steel structure that would eventually form the dome roof of the new National Stadium.

Funding issues as a result of the global downturn in 2008 had led to several delays to the project.

The 55,000-seat arena – poised to be the crown jewel of the upcoming Sports Hub in Kallang - should be completed by 2014 and in time for the 2015 SEA Games, which Singapore is bidding to host.

The old venue has hosted no less than three SEA Games, 18 National Day Parades, countless football matches, concerts and other major events.

What we know now is that the new $1.3 billion Sports Hub will also comprise a multi-purpose indoor arena, a water sports centre and an indoor aquatic centre.

The main stadium, which will stand some 80m above ground, and the other facilities at the Sports Hub, will undoubtedly play host to many high-profile events as Singapore pushes toward becoming a world class sporting and entertainment venue.

Personally, I can't wait for the entire development to be up and running as well as for Singapore to be hosting the SEA Games once again.

But what the Sports Hub must also be is a place where young Singaporeans can look to for inspiration and perhaps make it their stage to showcase their talents.

When my editor mentioned the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) press conference (which was held on Wednesday) earlier in the week, we both figured it'd be a straight-forward affair with perhaps one or two hints towards the future of the national squad and some clarification on whether the axed Lions would get a second chance to redeem themselves.

RADDY'S PHONE ANALOGY

But I surely wouldn't have guessed that we'd all be given a lesson in mobile phone shopping.

National coach Raddy Avramovic gave the attending media a piece of his mind on buying phones, with his little analogy when asked about rumours that local football hero Fandi Ahmad might become his assistant coach.

"I think this reminds me of something," Avramovic said. "If you go to a Sony shop and you ask...agent of Sony which mobile phone he will recommend you, I don't think he will recommend you Samsung or Motorola."

His quote, reported in The New Paper on Thursday, left many people wondering what he was implying.

I think Avramovic was using that analogy to describe his lack of options in football. Either that, or he really dislikes Sony Ericsson phones.

Come on, Sony Ericssons are perfectly fine. I quite like my old, trusty K800i. The Samsung I carried proved to be a bit too delicate for a car door, and my current Motorola Milestone seems to annoy me a lot more than the brochure said it would.

Mobile phones should be communication devices first, and lifestyle devices second.

Ask anyone who has had his or her phone die on her in a critical moment without another phone in sight, whether he or she, with hindsight, would've given up all the apps and other fluffy stuff just for a few extra bars of battery life.

Chances are, they would. If not, it wasn't critical enough a moment.

Avramovic, what's wrong with a "Sony Ericsson" (local option) that works? (Of course, having a Samsung phone that can fake an incoming call may be somewhat interesting.

There's also the little problem of conflicting statements from the FAS.

Earlier in the week, The New Paper carried an article that quoted a source saying Avramovic had offered to quit after December's Suzuki Cup debacle.

At Wednesday's press conference, the Lion's coach, however, said he did not. At the same time, he also accused the media of telling lies.

A short distance away, after the same conference, FAS general secretary Winston Lee was saying that Avramovic had, indeed, offered to quit after the Suzuki Cup.

I'm trying to imagine a split screen of both making their statements being played side-by-side, one after the other.

At least Arsenal's Denilson had the option to defend himself by saying that his critical comments about teammate Cesc Fabregas were 'misquoted' by Brazilian television. I don't think that's much of an option here in FAS' case.

THE QUESTIONS REMAIN...

Did Avramovic offer to quit, or did he not? And if he did, why did he say he did not and that the media had reported lies? Or was it subject to the interpretation of what he had told FAS himself after the Suzuki Cup?

More details will no doubt surface in coming days regarding this divisive affair.

If Avramovic did not offer his head, why did the FAS general secretary say he did? Was it just to placate the public after the uproar over what had happened?

And as for the phones...is Avramovic really implying that our local football talent pool has too little options for his liking?

Or does he really not want to buy a Sony Ericsson phone?

I've watched several North London derbies in the company of fellow Gooners at various locations, celebrated the joy of vanquishing Manchester United and suffered the agony of defeat to those Tottenham Spuds over at White Hart Lane.

But I'll never have the opportunity to sit in at an actual Arsenal match in my childhood and experience the roar of an entire stadium as the Highbury crowd screams its collective lungs out, mainly because I didn't know of Arsenal in my childhood and Highbury is about to become...flats. That, and London isn't exactly the cheapest of places for a holiday.

WHEN I WAS A WEE LITTLE LAD...

No, the team of my childhood wasn't the Arsenal. It was the Lions, the Singapore national team and in particular, the team of old that I'm sure many of us fondly remember. Because live matches were a novelty, even on television, I used to listen to the live commentary on the radio.

On some occasions, I'd even hide myself under the blanket and imagine that I was at the National Stadium (which, like Highbury, is no longer around).

It may not seem like much now, but to a 10-year-old kid with an active imagination and lots of love for his national football team, it was pretty epic. Games against teams from Kedah, Selangor and Pahang were often the topic of choice on the school bus.
 
Watching the Lions at Kallang and experiencing our very own Kallang Wave was the reward for doing well in school. Any kid who kicked a football around during Physical Education classes talked about wanting to grow up to become like Fandi Ahmad or Nazri Nasir (and not Wayne Rooney or Leo Messi).

GOODBYE OLD HEROES, HELLO NEW ONES

That love affair ended when Singapore left the Malaysian League after Singapore's 1994 Malaysia Cup win. Two years earlier, the English Premier League as we know it now, had just taken off in England, and its influence slowly but surely, spread around the globe.

No longer were my classmates talking about Fandi and the Lions. They had new heroes  - Alan Shearer, Teddy Sheringham and Eric Cantona, to name a few. And it was no longer Singapore versus Malaysia. It was Liverpool versus Manchester United. Blackburn versus Leeds. Arsenal versus Tottenham.

Today, ask any teenager on the streets, and most likely he or she will be able to name at least several of the clubs in the EPL. If asked about Etoile FC, there's a pretty good chance that it'd be identified as the French word for 'star' before being associated with the latest S-League champions.

Many will know of the Lions, but not because of their successes on the pitch a few years back. Rather, they'll be known because of the reports of smoking, partying, getting kicked out of the December Suzuki Cup and their reported $400,000-a-year coach.

Support for the S-League would be even harder to find, with many Singaporeans not even sure which club represents their home district. And while it is the 'top tier' of Singapore football, the fact that the teams have changed numerous times over the seasons and the lack of a promotion/relegation system make the S-League something only punters ever seem to get excited about.

REINVENTING THE LOST PLOT?

In discussion with my colleagues and friends, several suggestions about how to improve Singapore football came up.

Some feel that Singapore, as a smaller country, cannot sustain the 12 teams of the S-League. We simply don't have the fan base to support them.

London, with its estimated population of 7.7 million, has 14 professional teams (remember that this is the birthplace of the Beautiful Game), and only 10 see an average attendance of 10,000 or more. And these are teams like Arsenal, Chelsea, West Ham and Tottenham, with histories dating back a hundred years or more.

A regional super league, an idea that has been floated around before, might be the solution. The best Asean teams competing against each other might bring out national pride usually seen only in international competitions, as well as attract some bigger names (you know...old EPL stars past their prime).

Another suggestion would be to have a promotion/relegation system for the top tier of Singapore football. Promoted teams from a lower division could be given cash bonuses to help them secure some better players, and relegation would offer teams something to fear should they not perform.

While we're at it, isn't it counter-productive to have the Young Lions competing at the league level? I know the idea is to showcase the 'best' young talents, but wouldn't it be better to keep them as an Under-23 team that competes in international competitions, while letting the players develop their individual club careers?

At the end of the day, changes are required from not only the clubs, but the Football Association of Singapore. Advertisers and sponsors, too, need to look at long-term benefits instead of short-term gains.

Communities will need to feel that there is something to look forward to when their district club faces a rival, and the result will have to matter enough to warrant more than a passing glance in the newspaper.

With the establishment of foreign football on our local channels, it may be wise not to seek to fight against the EPL, Serie A and La Liga.

Instead, build up local football as just part of the culture - watch a local match on Friday (instead of so many weekday matches throughout), and then cheer your favourite EPL team over the weekend.

Should a local club get an affiliation with a bigger, well-known European giant, even better.

When the magic of the old Malaysia Cup/League days can be rediscovered, and local football once again captures the minds of imaginative little children, perhaps we can then dare to dream about another goal.

Goal 2022 perhaps?

Update (Jan 18, 2011):

There have been some really good responses from the social media universe regarding what some readers thought were the best days of Singapore football and the current situation with the national squad.

From The Straits Times' Facebook page:

"Late 80s early 90s... those days were the best...!! hear the kallang roar...!! the atmosphere at kallang whereby all of us stomp our foot and doing the wave was beyond words..." - Siti Nor'aini Abdul Samat

"Malaysia Cup is the best time,where you see all S'pore united together and cheering for Singapore!" - Melvin Phua

"The good old days of Singapore football. The days when as a teenager my friends and I would emulate the goals scored by Fandi and Abbas during recess. Then after school still in our stinking uniforms we would all head down to the National stadium to catch our local heroes." - Farhan Rasheed

From The Straits Times' Twitter page:

"Seriously? Sack the entire team? So where do we get the young players to replace the team? Who is going to be the leader of the team? You need some older guys to lead the youngsters, take Manchester United and Arsenal for example, mix of young and old. So if the Lions want to roar again, include some old guys like Duric to lead the team" - @elendparade

Manchester United sit pretty atop the table. Their next door neighbours City find themselves in unfamiliar territory at second. Arsenal will probably feel they deserved to be at No. 2, but their blank against the rich brats of Manchester mean they stay third.

Losses for both the Tottenham Spuds and the old folks at Chelsea mean that they're stuck at fourth and fifth, while Liverpool celebrate the end of the 12 days of Christmas at 12th position.

Both Carlo Ancelotti and Roy Hodgson must privately fear the axe any moment now, regardless of what they say to the press, and Aston Villa's Gerrard Houllier and West Ham's Avram Grant will do well to work on their resumes for their next job application.

AND THEN WE HAVE THE LIONS...

For under-performing teams, Chelsea and Liverpool players should be thankful they haven't gone the way of the Singapore Lions. Thrown out of the national team after their AFF Suzuki Cup fracas, the (ex-)Lions are probably anxiously waiting to hear if there is any salvation for their international careers.

You don't hear anyone replacing the entire Liverpool squad. Of course, it's slightly different given that Liverpool would have to dish out a flurry of (very expensive) compensation payments, but at the end of the day, Hodgson will have to take responsibility for the team's performance. Ancelotti may have won the Premier League last season, but he too, will know his head is on the chopping block.

It takes two hands to clap, and the fact that only the players of the Singapore team have suffered the consequences - not the coach or management team - has shocked fans and ex-footballers alike. On The Straits Times' Facebook page and on Twitter, readers have been calling for the management to face similar punishments.

Imagine waking up tomorrow and finding out that Roman Abramovich has fired the entire Chelsea squad but kept the manager and the coaching team. How ridiculous would that be?

It's something only the guys at the Onion News Network could come up with. (On a personal note, I'd find that hilarious because it'd have the same effect on me as Tottenham getting relegated.)

A LITTLE SUGGESTION

The Football Association of Singapore should take a look at how most European clubs and nations handle crises of this magnitude - a new manager who will take a long, hard look at the team, axe those who don't meet his standards and find new ones to complement his style.

It may not be a perfect solution, but I think it's better than dropping all the players. How would new players perform on the pitch, with the fear hanging over their heads that a string of poor performances could see them ditched and cast aside?

I'm not an athlete, but I imagine the feeling would be similar to trying play hopscotch over a pit of lava filled with lava-immune tiger sharks.

As for Chelsea, Liverpool, Villa and West Ham, the players themselves will also have to bear responsibility for the clubs' current forms. With transfer season upon us, it is inevitable that any change in manager will also come with the movement of players. Those who have failed to meet expectations may find themselves further down the pecking order, and in need of a new club in due time.

And while the FA Cup weekend may offer some reprieve for the under-fire managers, a poor performance against the teams from the lower leagues might just be the nudge some club owners need, to finally pull the trigger.

Like I said earlier, what a dramatic start to 2011 it has been for those under fire.

On Wednesday night, even as the fans cheered for their teams, many others could also be heard chanting for this man to "turun" or step down.

They blame him for a number of things, from mishandling the ticket distribution in the lead-up to the AFF finals in Jakarta, to mismanaging the team and riding on their glory.

Indonesia won 2-1 against Malaysia in the second bout of the finals at Bung Karno stadium in Senayan but failed to lift the trophy as it needed a 4-0 win after losing 3-0 in the first match.

The overwhelming passion shown by the Indonesians for their team also translated into hatred for Nurdin when many began singing "Turun, turun, Nurdin turun! Step down, Step down, Nurdin, Step down!".

Anger at the president of the Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) had been building since he joined the PSSI in 2003. Soon after, he was convicted in two corruption scandals - one for misuse of palm oil distribution funds at the State Logistics Agency in 1998 and the other in 2005, when he was forced to run PSSI from behind bars. He has also been linked to at least two other corruption cases.

Mr Nurdin’s credibility was further eroded when international football body FIFA said that no one convicted of a crime and serving prison time can lead a recognised national soccer organisation.

Frustration spilled over to social media where his name became a trending topic on Thursday morning and on Facebook, where more than 56,600 members have signed a petition demanding his resignation frrom PSSI, tempointeraktif.com reported.

Said Mr Agus Rahmat, 28, a clothes supplier: "Nurdin has never really brought our football team to any big achievement and he involves politics in sports. He has been using the fame he gets from TimNas (Tim Nasional, or national team) to gain prestige and make him look good."

Sports commentators had also referred to how Mr Nurdin, who is also a former House of Representative member in Golkar party, allowed the football team to go for social functions such as breakfast at the house of Golkar party chairman, Aburizal Bakrie, just a week before the first leg of AFF finals. Local media reports quoted Mr Bakrie announcing bonuses for each of the players and a promise to provide 25 hectares of land for training use by the PSSI.

Sports analyst M Kusnaeni told detikcom: "As soon as the team appeared to be qualifying for the finals, it was asked to do unnecessary things. The footballers were lined up for the politicians to meet and greet them, and this was blatant exploitation (on the politicians' part)."

Many criticised outings such as this as unprofessional for mixing politics and sports. The blame for all these activities fell on Mr Nurdin for allowing the players to be used as political commodities.

Mr Bakrie's spokesman defended the offer of bonus and land, saying that the Bakrie family has always been a big supporter of football and have showed this support via donations to associations like PSSI, reported detik.com.

Aburizal’s brother, football fan Nirwan Dermawan Bakrie, is currently the deputy chairman of the association.
In the meantime, the man in the centre of the storm is aware of his unpopularity and said he will not cave in to demands.

Mr Nurdin told reporters: "I will never resign....asking me to step down has nothing to do with the loss."

In defiance, he said he is eyeing another five-year term as PSSI chairman.

However, others see 2011 as the year that things can change and Mr Nurdin will be removed – the PSSI congress is slated to be held by the end of this month.

Arsenal, who had a glorious chance to sandwich themselves between the two Manchester rivals, decided that they didn't want to get involved and graciously had one of their defenders score an own goal so they'd be stuck at third. Obviously, eight changes to a team that beat Chelsea was a little overboard. Arsene Wenger may have defended his tinkering, but well, three's a crowd right?

Chelsea have managed to finally, finally stop losing and Carlo Ancelotti can look forward to building on it after an earlier loss to Arsenal. At the same time, Ancelotti can hope that he will not be replaced by his long-lost brother and good friend of the big boss, Guus Hiddink.

Roy Hodgson, on the other hand, looks increasingly likely to join Sam Allardyce in the unemployed section. Another home loss, this time to a team that hasn't won away since late March, left poor Woy feeling the wrath of the Kop, and while he says he's 'getting used to it', the feeling is that another poor result against Bolton would spell the end of a pretty short reign in Liverpool's history.

LOOKING BACK

I wonder if fans could have imagined this situation a decade ago.

Arsenal and Manchester United have been at this for a while, with Wenger and Alex Ferguson battling for top honours every season. While both teams seem to have cemented their Big Four status throughout the decade, Ferguson's trophy cabinet is considerably larger than Wenger's.

Sir Alex has weathered the coming of the new rich kids on the block fairly well, and along the way he's even seen the largest transfer ever made when Cristiano Ronaldo decided to jump ship to Spain.

That being said, Arsenal's football is usually a joy to behold (usually) and Wenger's tight handling of finances has left the Gunners one of the few remaining teams (and the only team in the Big Four) without foreign owners.

The Gunners can also boast having some of the most exciting players of the decade - the ever crafty Thierry Henry, his sidekick Robert Pires, the Dutch diva Robin Van Persie, the Spanish marvel Cesc Fabregas and that Russian munchkin Andrei Arshavin. But there was that Orlando Bloom impersonator Pascal Cygan...

Chelsea started the decade around the Europa League spots, but then found themselves a new sugar daddy in Roman Ambramovich. After that, they were blessed with The Special One, Jose Mourinho, who made Chelsea into the force they are today.

Unfortunately, the Chelsea squad isn't wine, and it does not get better with age. Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and John Terry aren't getting any younger. It'll take a pretty spectacular turnaround for Chelsea to retain the title this season, but they're still in a better place than the last of the Big Four.

Liverpool's decade has seen them at great highs (winning the Champions League against AC Milan) and great lows (losing the Champions League to AC Milan). They've nurtured some really impressive players, including Steven Gerrard, though one gets the feeling that they've never actually filled the void left by Xavi Alonso's departure to Real Madrid.

Having started the decade as regular title challengers, they twice finished fifth before last season's dismal showing meant that they would not see Champions League football. The club has also changed hands twice, and were on the brink of bankruptcy before their purchase by New England Sports Ventures.

BIG 4 CHALLENGERS

The decade has also seen the emergence of challengers to the Big Four, the most obvious being the rich kids on the other side of Manchester. City started the decade playing in what is now the Championship, the second-tier in English football.

They'll end the decade sharing the summit of the EPL with the Red Devils, which is a fantastic achievement, though granted, it is one bought with enough money to lift most countries in Africa out of poverty.

Tottenham spent the early part of the decade in mid-table wilderness, having suffered the humility of their captain Sol Campbell crossing over to their much-hated rivals at Arsenal. But their fortunes have seen a revival of sorts, starting with the season they almost knocked Arsenal out of the top four. They suffered a blip towards the end of the decade, with their worst start to a season in 2008/09, but with Harry 'Houdini' Redknapp at the helm, Spurs have ended the decade strongly.

They achieved their first ever victory against Arsenal at White Hart Lane in 11 years in April this year, followed by forcing humility down Arsenal's throat when the Gunners' ex-captain William Gallas signed for Tottenham on a free transfer. They capped the year with another victory against the Gunners, this time at the Emirates, with Gallas as their skipper.

WORLD AND LOCAL REWIND

The rest of the football world has had an equally interesting last decade. France managed to move from being World Champions to 'the guys with the chicken mascot who lost to South Africa'.

Greece proved to be the Rialto of the footballing world, with their one hit-wonder at Euro 2004.

Germany saw the rise of a mystic mollusc with unrivalled powers.

Italy finally added that fourth star to their jersey. England managed to avoid adding any stars to their jerseys.

Spain fulfilled their potential by doing the Euro/World Cup double. Africa introduced the world to vuvuzelas.

There have also been some tragic moments in football, like the terrorist attack on the Togo national team at the beginning of this year, which left three people dead and seven wounded.

Then there was the Serie A scandal in 2006, which saw Juventus fall from champions to demotion. The scandal also implicated many of the Italian giants, including AC Milan, Inter Milan and Lazio, and saw the departure of many big names from The Old Lady. The fact that the Italian national squad won the World Cup that year still amuses me even now, especially coupled with the infamous Zinedine Zidane headbutt.

Football fans here have also seen an increase in the cost of watching the beautiful game, the most recent example being the pocket-burning cost of subscribing to the 2010 World Cup, compared with 2006. On a side note, the world's first official Fifa merchandise store at Changi's Terminal 3 had to close. I guess we spent our football budget paying to watch the World Cup, so we didn't have any leftover to buy Fifa merchandise.

On the local scene...no one ever mentions Goal 2010 anymore. With the recent fracas involving the Lions staying up and that Tampines Rovers guy Aliff Shafaein, who asked fans to pay his fines, it'll take a fair bit to get Singapore fans back to the days of the Malaysia Cup. Having some foreign teams taking part in the S-League might raise the awareness of local football, but a regional league could be the nudge that Singapore needs to bring its football to the next level.

LOOKING AHEAD

The next decade will bring with it its share of uncertainty:

Will Man City actually win something? Can Liverpool salvage their reputation?  Will Barcelona and Real Madrid let someone else into their two-horse race? When will Ferguson retire? Will Leeds United ever make it back to the top flight of English football? Only time will tell.

There's also the question of video technology's role in football, whether Fandi Ahmad's kids will play for Singapore or South Africa, and if Singapore will ever qualify for the World Cup (Goal 2022 maybe? We're used to the heat, we can manage in Qatar and we love air-con too!).

One thing is certain, though. Football's dominance as a sport, and a football fan's love for it, won't change. Barring a zombie apocalypse, or some other end-of-world event, of course.

Also, congratulations, Malaysia, on winning the AFF Suzuki Cup. Congratulations, too, on your extra public holiday today on New Year's Eve. I recall Singapore winning the same Cup (then called the Tiger Cup) a few years ago.

Don't remember the holiday, though.

So instead, let's have a look at some of the big names in the football scene, and possible items on their wishlist this Christmas.

Arsenal:

The Gunners will face off against Chelsea after Christmas, but surely the prolonged absence of Thomas Vermaelen was news Arsene Wenger wished he didn't have to hear. How he would wish for Arsenal-type injury woes to plague his rivals instead, keeping in mind that little matter of a Champions League match-up with Barcelona. I'm sure he'd also like a certain French keeper and a real-life player editor to solve those injury problems that pop up ever so often.

Chelsea:

If Chelsea needed something right now, it'd be a glass of courage from the wizard of Oz. They need a win against the Gunners to get back on track, and with Manchester United looking to extend their lead at the top, nothing fewer than three points will suffice for the men in blue. Some would also be hoping for their wizard, Jose Mourinho, to return.

Man United:

United's stunning success in recent years (I'd like to call it something else, but it is what it is) and Alex Ferguson go hand-in-hand. Some might wonder what the club will be like once the good Sir steps down, but others would probably want to give him the gift of immortality. Sir Alex himself would probably wish for a swift end to South Korea's Asian Cup, so that he can keep Park Ji Sung around for what is increasingly looking like a critical and tight race to the finish.

Liverpool:

For Liverpool, a 'Big Four' squad that hasn't actually won the EPL title, there could be no better wish for this year than actually staying in the top four and retasting Champions League football. They have a realistic chance of winning the Europa League trophy, but I'm sure some fans have already seen their Christmas wish partially fulfilled - Rafa Benitez's sacking at Inter Milan means that the extremely unlikely scenario that the Spaniard will return to the Reds is still within the realm of possibility. Roy Hodgson won't too happy to hear that, though.

Man City:

For a team that has spent that much, Manchester City have fallen short of expectations, especially when compared with their slightly more illustrious neighbours. Surely, most of us remember the promise of a new superpower when City stunned the footballing world by capturing Robinho's signature. Then that troll-worthy declaration of intent to sign Kaka. And securing both Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure from Arsenal. But for all the millions City's cash-rich owners have spent, they've failed to win a single piece of silverware. Their recent 2-1 defeat by Everton further ruined their dreams of topping the table, even if it were to be only for a brief moment.

Tottenham:

For the Spurs, there probably is no better gift than doing the double over their North London rivals. Well, they'll probably be dreaming of winning the Champions League, but that might prove a little trickier. Spurs will also want to keep their star players, including the impressive Gareth Bale, from the claws of the more prestigious clubs.

Newcastle:

Newcastle fans I've talked to, want one thing from Christmas, apart from not getting relegated. They want owner Mike Ashley out. The sacking of Chris Hughton, who brought them out of the Championship and into a mid-table position, was the latest in a long list of decisions that have left Newcastle supporters and players scratching their heads. Alan Pardew's first game in charge might have been a morale-boosting 3-1 win, but only a change in overall management can give the club the stability it needs.

West Ham:

Let's face it. They need a miracle. Hammers fans are probably preparing themselves for the worst. Having escaped relegation several times in seasons past, it looks like their luck has run out.

The rest:

Clubs in England are begging for a winter break. While everyone else in Europe is enjoying the Christmas holidays with their families, the English Premier League (EPL) clubs are preparing themselves for a gruelling four games in 10-days, a vital stage of the season which usually determines who plays Champions League football and who plays Championship football next season. Chelsea, for example, play Arsenal on Monday followed by a home match against Bolton two days later, something which no title challenger would feel is fair.

Perhaps the snow will intervene.

AND OUTSIDE THE EPL...

Inter Milan:

Yes, Rafa Benitez is no Jose Mourinho, but be realistic Inter, you're not getting the Special One back for Christmas. You had your treble. It's someone else's turn. The Italian Super Cup and the Club World Cup may not be the most fantastic of trophies, but they're still silverware you can put into your pretty little trophy cabinet, yes? Not to mention the rumoured $4 million Benitez is getting paid for the termination...

Barcelona:

The Catalan giants have pretty much everything a football club would want. A good coach, a fantastic batch of players, competing well in competitions. At this point in time, the only thing on their wishlist would probably be...more money. As their acceptance of shirt sponsorship for the first time ever showed, Barca's fantastic football has come at a pretty hefty cost, and at the end of the day, they have to balance the books. If they don't have more money, how are they supposed to buy the other thing on their wishlist - Cesc Fabregas?

Real Madrid:

They have the Special One. They have lots of money. They have a whole list of star players. What more could they want? Well, for a start, money can't buy everything, as we've seen with Manchester City. What Real can probably hope for, is an Arsenal-esque injury crisis to hit their Catalan rivals Barcelona. That, and Cesc Fabregas.

Do you have something to add to your club's wishlist this festive season?