Terry Terry quite contrary

Taken from kallangroar

by Sleezevil
With every defeat, Terry Pathmanathan’s words for his Young Lions keep on getting harsher.

After his boys crashed out of the Singapore cup yesterday, Terry questioned whether they could even make a living out of football.

It was the latest of a series of scathing remarks he has made over the past month.

When they were beaten by Tampines Rovers three weeks ago, he said he was “extremely disappointed with the lads” and that they made “unacceptable mistakes.”

Last week, when they were downed by Sengkang Punggol, he lambasted their “basic mistakes” and inability to “be sure in their passes."

If his words were meant to be a psychological kick up the backside for his boys, then it sure as hell isn’t working.

So why does he keep on bringing down his charges?

Maybe it is the pressure of trying to form the core of the SEA Games team for the end of the year that has got Terry jittery.

This year’s batch have got a tough act to follow, after the 2007 team became the first Singapore side ever to bag a Games medal.

Perhaps Terry should take a leaf out of the book of another former National star, V Sundramoorthy.

Sundram was in charge of the Young Lions heading into the 2007 SEA Games, and was in practically the same position as Terry.

In fact, he could even have been worse off, as he was often robbed of at least half-a-dozen of his best players, who either had to link up with the senior National team at training camps or for friendly matches and tournaments like the Merdeka Cup.

Forced to turn to his fringe players, Sundram often saw his team outrun and outplayed (including a six-goal hammering to SAFFC at CCK), and although he was visibly disappointed at the results, he hardly ever tore into his players.

Not least in the media.

Several months later and this approach was rewarded with a bronze medal at the Games.

Sundram’s approach to his team was also intrinsically different from Terry in the sense that, while he welcomed the opportunity to use his squad when his National players were away, he knew his best 11 when he had a full squad.

After 10 games so far, Terry has already used 24 players, more than any other team in the S-League.

And while he might say he is experimenting with his players or trying to give as many boys some valuable match experience, both arguments do not hold up.

He should already be familiar with a number of players in his squad from his previous appointment at the FAS as Singapore Under-21 coach.

In addition, curiously, out of the 24 he has used, only 6 have started more than five league games so far. So he cannot say that he is trying to blood his boys in the league.

Terry has also been quick to lambast his attackers for not producing enough goals, which, with a return of 9 goals from 11 games, seems justifiable.

Problem is, he does not seem to know who his front men should even be.

China import Yang Mu is currently his first choice, having started the last five league games, but his spot in the First XI seems to be because of his reported $45 000 price-tag rather than his form or ability.

After that, it is a free for all.

Khiarul Nizam, Fadhil Noh, Goh Swee Swee, Eugene Luo, Gabriel Quak and K Sivashesan have all been rotated among the other forward spot and the two wing positions in the team.

What Terry needs to do now is decide who deserves to be in his First XI based on form, and stick to these lads for four, five or even six games to prove their worth and ability.

The front pairing will also have ample time to gel and form an understanding.

If players do not perform, it is easier and more justifiable to drop them and try another player in that position.

It does nothing for a player’s confidence when he finds himself in the team one week and totally ignored the next.

It is easy to hide behind the curtains and point to inexperience as the main reason for his team’s defeat – as Terry has done - but the task of taking those losses and converting them into lessons for the boys lies with none other than the Young Lions coach himself.

And at this point, perhaps he might just want to consider a different approach.

After all, he can’t be much worse off than how his team is doing now.