March 15, 2004

The Eagles runner-up in both the League & Cup last season are in trouble having only collected 1 point from 2 games but worse is that they have yet to finish an S-League match with all their 11 players on the pitch.

It has cost the Eagles dearly as before Nahar Daud (vs Tampines Rovers) & Noh Rahman (vs Albirex Niigata) were send off in their respective matches, the Eagles were leading their opponent & with a full team the Eagles may have hold on. The Eagles have also collected 12 yellow cards in their 2 games.

Eagles coach Scott O'Donell, a no-nonsense defender himself when he played for Tampines Rovers, is at a loss to explain the disconcerting trend.

He stated he did not know why they are getting booked so often & he thought last week's red card against Noh Rahman was a bit harsh as there was no malicious intent on his part. It was a clumsy tackle, but it did not deserve a sending off but the referee has made his decision.

Scott O'Donell admits his players must now be careful & not collect unnecessary cautions but he is adamant that they must not hold back their tackles.

He demands total commitment to the Eagles cause.

The Eagles faced a potential banana skin in their next match as they visit an emotionally charged Sinchi TV who are still mourning the loss of Jiang Tao. Nahar Daud & Noh Rahman are missing the match but Scott O'Donell believes he has enough depth in his squad to cope with the suspensions