November 30,
2004
The second
Series with the first being what National coach Raddy
has to say & now it is the turn of FAS President Ho Peng
Kee.
It is FAS president Assoc Prof Ho Eng Kee first
major tournament since Mah Bow Tan stepped down. Having taken over at the helm & the Senior Minister of State
for Law & Home Affairs spoke to the media on the Lions Tiger Cup chance.
Below are
some of the questions asked & his reply to them.
Asked if the Lions are peaking for the Tiger
Cup
Replied –
Assuming if we have no recurrence of injuries to key players like Indra Sahdan. I think the team are sufficiently prepared for the tournament.
Asked the chances of making it into the
semi-final for only the second time
Replied –
The team will have a few tough games to get through, if we are to reach the
semi-finals, which is our target. It is achievable, provided we stay focused,
united & gel as a team out there. The key for me id our strikers must take
their chances & we must rely on our defenders not to give away soft goals.
Asked what is his views
on the pressure being placed on the team as if they do well at the Tiger Cup,
the coach & players will be lauded but if they perform badly, the criticism
will be tough especially for youngsters to handle.
Replied –The
team are a blend of younger players ready to be thrown in & more experienced
ones who have seen previous campaigns. The older players can provide stability
to the team & if the younger ones rise to the occasion, anything can
happen.
Asked if the national coach will be retained
for the chance to continue his work until the next SEA Games even if
Replied –
Yes, we are in the process of rebuilding the team & this is the first major
test. The second one is next year’s SEA Games. I see these 2 major tournaments
as part of the rebuilding process which actually started thus year when the
Young Lions played as a team in the S-league. The Young Lions are showing
promise they can do well in the SEA Games. We should allow Raddy
to continue with that. Then we can train our sight on the Asian Cup qualifiers,
where many of the current crop of players should form the backbone of the team.