Vjeran Simunic was absolutely euphoric after his side’s 2-1 win over champions SAFFC at the Bandar Seri Begawan Stadium on Sunday.
As he basked in the standing ovation 10 000 Bruneians were giving him, he paid tribute to his team, club officials, the fans, and quite possibly his gardener as well.
You can more or less imagine him sniffling, red-eyed and on the brink of tears (of joy) as he spouted out incendiary comments which would probably see him pelted with coins in England.
Comments like “Now you see what is football” and “Tell your people (Singaporeans) DPMM is a family.”
With the scenes of grandeur skillfully scripted by the scribes of Straits Times and TODAY, you would be forgiven for thinking the Wasps had just won the S-League title.
Perhaps someone should have reminded Simunic that he’s going to play Home United in a league game in 14 days’ time without his defence.
Four-fifths of his defensive unit will be missing when he sets his team out to take on The Protectors.
The Croat’s first choice centre-half trio of Yusof Salleh, Rene Komar and Pengiran Salehuddin Damit – all of whom have started all 10 games this season – are suspended for the Home game.
Yusof and Komar picked up their fourth yellow cards of the season in Sunday’s clash, while Salehuddin was sent off with 15 minutes to go.
Simunic’s left wingback Sairol Sahari – also an everpresent and with three goals to his name – also picked up his fourth yellow against SAFFC.
The only other centre half on DPMM’s roster who has made an appearance this season is Safari Wahit, with three substitute appearances to his name.
While Safari and whoever Simunic decides to partner him might be quaking at the thought of coming up against Kengne Ludovick and Peres De Oliveira, perhaps they should be more afraid of the mystique The Protectors’ temporary home seems to have over them.
With their long-time home in Bishan under renovation for the upcoming Youth Olympic Games, the Protectors have been setting up shop in Clementi Stadium, a ramshackle old rundown place truthfully not fit to be the home of two-time former league champions.
But the boys from Home seem to be reveling there. Three wins and a draw, with eleven goals scored and only one conceded, in four games.
They’ve played like little sissy girls away from it, losing five times in six games, and only finding the net once, but their home form suggests a demolition job is due against DPMM.
Simunic has nothing to lose really.
If his team loses the Home game, he can point to his four missing men, and how any team would struggle in a similar scenario.
If they win though, they have to be taken seriously as S-League title contenders.
Before the Home experience though, they have the small matter of negotiating a tie with Fandi Ahmad’s Pelita Jaya side in the Singapore Cup.
Singapore’s favourite footballing son will be looking to mark his return to Singapore with a win, and will his side will be geared up gun DPMM down.
Simunic might not want to even contemplate it, but a loss against Pelita, and another capitulation against Home, and his season could be derailed.
The losses could knock his team out of their stride and take away all the momentum they’ve been nicely building since February.
As much as he might not want to accept it, the next 10 days could make or break, DPMM’s, and Simunic’s season.
And after shooting his mouth almost non-stop since the league began, some much-appreciated silence could finally be on the cards.
As he basked in the standing ovation 10 000 Bruneians were giving him, he paid tribute to his team, club officials, the fans, and quite possibly his gardener as well.
You can more or less imagine him sniffling, red-eyed and on the brink of tears (of joy) as he spouted out incendiary comments which would probably see him pelted with coins in England.
Comments like “Now you see what is football” and “Tell your people (Singaporeans) DPMM is a family.”
With the scenes of grandeur skillfully scripted by the scribes of Straits Times and TODAY, you would be forgiven for thinking the Wasps had just won the S-League title.
Perhaps someone should have reminded Simunic that he’s going to play Home United in a league game in 14 days’ time without his defence.
Four-fifths of his defensive unit will be missing when he sets his team out to take on The Protectors.
The Croat’s first choice centre-half trio of Yusof Salleh, Rene Komar and Pengiran Salehuddin Damit – all of whom have started all 10 games this season – are suspended for the Home game.
Yusof and Komar picked up their fourth yellow cards of the season in Sunday’s clash, while Salehuddin was sent off with 15 minutes to go.
Simunic’s left wingback Sairol Sahari – also an everpresent and with three goals to his name – also picked up his fourth yellow against SAFFC.
The only other centre half on DPMM’s roster who has made an appearance this season is Safari Wahit, with three substitute appearances to his name.
While Safari and whoever Simunic decides to partner him might be quaking at the thought of coming up against Kengne Ludovick and Peres De Oliveira, perhaps they should be more afraid of the mystique The Protectors’ temporary home seems to have over them.
With their long-time home in Bishan under renovation for the upcoming Youth Olympic Games, the Protectors have been setting up shop in Clementi Stadium, a ramshackle old rundown place truthfully not fit to be the home of two-time former league champions.
But the boys from Home seem to be reveling there. Three wins and a draw, with eleven goals scored and only one conceded, in four games.
They’ve played like little sissy girls away from it, losing five times in six games, and only finding the net once, but their home form suggests a demolition job is due against DPMM.
Simunic has nothing to lose really.
If his team loses the Home game, he can point to his four missing men, and how any team would struggle in a similar scenario.
If they win though, they have to be taken seriously as S-League title contenders.
Before the Home experience though, they have the small matter of negotiating a tie with Fandi Ahmad’s Pelita Jaya side in the Singapore Cup.
Singapore’s favourite footballing son will be looking to mark his return to Singapore with a win, and will his side will be geared up gun DPMM down.
Simunic might not want to even contemplate it, but a loss against Pelita, and another capitulation against Home, and his season could be derailed.
The losses could knock his team out of their stride and take away all the momentum they’ve been nicely building since February.
As much as he might not want to accept it, the next 10 days could make or break, DPMM’s, and Simunic’s season.
And after shooting his mouth almost non-stop since the league began, some much-appreciated silence could finally be on the cards.
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