Singapore Soccer Legends
Legends
What are legends? A legend is a traditional story or myth, traditional literature or inscription. Lee Kuan Yew is a legend. So was Bruce Lee. You can find legends in business, politics, leaders, music, movies and sports.
Legends are heroes of the time, at that time, a moment in history and usually you will find it hard to replicate or reproduce like Jack Nicklaus in golf, England's 1966 World Cup soccer winning team, Brazil's World Cup team of 1970 and 1982. Maradona and Messi are soccer legends of Argentina, Platini and Zidane are legends of France, Beckanbauer and Muller from Germany and Cruyff, Neeskens, Marco van Basten of Holland. Eventhough Holland did not win the World Cup, the whole team in 1974 were legends. So was Denmark when they won the European Nations Championship.
Legends defy logic. They inspire. They make you want to be like them. They start a revolution. They can transform a nation. They can bring joy and give a common platform for all to come together. Why didn't we do more for our soccer legends in Singapore? Should we have gotten them more involved with the sports? They all played for passion and love for the game. They were only paid a pittance for training or winning and sometimes they used up their vacation leave to represent the country. Yet all of them were so skilful, resolute in their play, committed and proud to play for the nation.
They were so distinctive in their style and movement that we know who each player was without even looking at their numbers. Let's take a look at this picture and I can name you all of them: (Standing L-R) : Hasli Ibrahim, S. Rajagopal, Eric Paine, Quah Kim Song, Mohamed Noh, Syed Mutalib, Samad Allapitchay, Edmund Wee, Robert Sim, Nasir Jalil, (Squatting L-R) : M. Kumar, Gulam Mohamed, Zainal Abideen, Dollah Kassim, Lim Teng Sai, Lim Tang Boon. I have written about some of these players in a previous article:
It takes passion and belief to stir hearts and you need a birth place like Farrer Park as the bed rock and it was here that the legendary late Uncle Choo Seng Quee who moulded so many top class footballers. Many were groomed single-handedly by "Uncle" from a very young age in the 60s and most were probably just around 10-12 years old and in primary school.
Players like Mat Noh and Lim Teng Sai would walk all the way from their homes in Jalan Tenteram to Uncle's training every Saturday and Sunday mornings joined by other luminaries like Kim Song, Zainal Abideen and Dollah Kassim. Uncle also started Burnley Unted where the cream of the crop of the 70s stars came from and formed our National Team. You can say that he was like Matt Busby and his famous Busby Babes. That is why he is held in awe by all the players. They will fight for him till the end.
Here you can see former FAS Chairman N. Ganesan holding the Malaysia Cup for Uncle to the sweet taste of success after 12 long years!
Samad Allapitchay holding aloft the Malaysia Cup in 1977. With him in the picture were Edmund Wee, Nasir Jalil and Hasli Ibrahim.
I was extremely fortunate to meet some of these legends in person recently. It was a twinkling of an eye and seems like yesterday and we talked non-stop sharing all the nitty gritty details with our memories flooding back. A real walk down Memory Lane.
Quah Kim Lye
Singapore's most famous soccer family supplied an amazing and endless chain of players from Kim Beng, Kim Swee, Kim Siak, Kim Lye and Kim Song. Even the sisters Theresa, Doreen and Rosa wore national colours. This is unlikely to happen again.
I remembered Quah Kim Lye because my interest in soccer was just gaining momentum from 1974 when I was in secondary school. It was in 1973 when Singapore hosted the then 7th SEAP games for the very first time when our National Stadium at Kallang was opened and Toa Payoh where I had lived had four new point block of flats made as the games village. Kim Lye remembered scoring in the 61st minute against then South Vietnam in the semi-finals and was thinking about the headlines and the final when S. Vietnam equalised and went on to win on penalty kicks after extra-time.
Moreover, Kim Lye was still playing for Tampines Rovers and starring for Singapore Chinese playing against Malaysian state teams and also in the Ho Ho Cup. It brought back two games to mind and Kim Lye fondly recalled against Perak when he scored an incrdeible 5 goals in a 8-0 win and the Ho Ho Cup versus Hong Kong which was an even greater classic. Kim Lye took the ball from the start at the centre of the field and dribbled all the way to the other end and scored after weaving through the entire Hong Kong team. Audacious! Kim Lye was a great dribbler and prolific scorer. Now a happily retired grandfather, I told him that he looks even younger than before, at least 10 years younger than his 70! What was his secret?
Robert Sim
Robert is Mr. Reliable and was a consistent and hardworking left full back, a pure gentleman and as honest as any bloke can be. An uncompromising and tough tackler, Robert can make his opponents cry but he was never dirty. In fact, he has suffered the brunt of many mistimed kicks and was always courageous putting his head in where angels fear to tread. With a tough exterior, he has a soft centre for emotions. He was one of the reasons for the then very successful Geylang International FC.
I read about him weeping on Kim Song's shoulders after Singapore lost to Vietnam on penalty kicks in the 1973 SEAP Games semi-final at Kallang. It was a heart-breaking moment for this then 21 year old who was to feature regularly in the Singapore team. Robert is a guy who wears his heart on his sleeves. I got the opportunity to see Robert weeping with Nasir Jalil and hugging Kim Song (above) when Singapore won the Malaysia Cup in 1977. This were tears of joy and victory! Certainly the greatest highlight of his soccer career together with the 1977 World Cup qualifers held in Singapore under the coaching of Uncle Choo. Robert is now a happily retired family man.
While Robert was like a tank, Lim Teng Sai was like a bull. If Robert's tackles were scything, then Teng Sai's were crunching! In golf parlance, Teng Sai is like the golf club, the golf ball is the soccer ball and the opponent is the divot. Teng Sai goes through, the ball flies and the divot goes up in the air and then down back on the turf. Like Robert, Teng Sai played in the 1977 Malaysia Cup winning team. He came in to replace skipper Samad Allapitchay in the Final and he was actually caught by surprise. The skipper has never been substituted before. Uncle Choo was a superstitious man and Teng Sai told me that Uncle would not bring on a reserve if he has not been issued a bracelet-like talisman earlier. He was not wearing one that night so he was surprised when summoned to come on.
Uncle knew what he was doing as always and Teng Sai has been under his tutelage since he was a 10 year-old boy playing at Farrer Park. 1977 was also the highlight for him just like Robert. He also hailed the 2-1 victory over Negri Sembilan in 1974 as a highlight as it was the first time they played at Kallang and soon it became the Lions' Den. Not many may remember that he was Singapore's penalty taker during the period. He started at 18 in 1971 and had the fondest memories of playing with more senior players like Kim Lye, Dollah and Rajagopal.
When Edson Arantes Do Nascimento visited Singapore in 1974, okay if you do not know this name, he is none other than Brazilian great legend Pele, among many other big names, he named Lim Teng Sai as the unpolished gem of Singapore soccer. Teng Sai once lived a street from where I lived as a youth and so did Kim Lye though Kim Lye was a Sembawang boy.
I reminded Teng Sai and Robert of one very memorable incident for me in a Ho Ho Cup game for Singapore Chinese against Hong Kong at Kallang. Robert Sim was unfairly challenged when a Hong Kong player raised his foot very high and smacked into Robert's head. Teng Sai who was closed by let go a flying kick and chased the Hong Kong player right up to his own half where a fracas nearly ensued. He was protective of his brothers. He ain't heavy, he's my brother.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1KtScrqtbc (Hollies)
Teng Sai would occasionally showboat by playing to the gallery when he blocked an opponent on the byeline and with his back to the opponent he would turn full circle around to trick and fool him. Teng Sai in his younger days have many female admirers just like me. He is happy family man and is still working.
When Edson Arantes Do Nascimento visited Singapore in 1974, okay if you do not know this name, he is none other than Brazilian great legend Pele, among many other big names, he named Lim Teng Sai as the unpolished gem of Singapore soccer. Teng Sai once lived a street from where I lived as a youth and so did Kim Lye though Kim Lye was a Sembawang boy.
I reminded Teng Sai and Robert of one very memorable incident for me in a Ho Ho Cup game for Singapore Chinese against Hong Kong at Kallang. Robert Sim was unfairly challenged when a Hong Kong player raised his foot very high and smacked into Robert's head. Teng Sai who was closed by let go a flying kick and chased the Hong Kong player right up to his own half where a fracas nearly ensued. He was protective of his brothers. He ain't heavy, he's my brother.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1KtScrqtbc (Hollies)
Teng Sai would occasionally showboat by playing to the gallery when he blocked an opponent on the byeline and with his back to the opponent he would turn full circle around to trick and fool him. Teng Sai in his younger days have many female admirers just like me. He is happy family man and is still working.
This is my salute to the heroes of the 60s to 70s!
(L-R): Quah Kim Lye, Robert Sim, The Guru, Lim Teng Sai and Adrian Chia. Adrian and I have retired from soccer and now only doing the smaller ball. He gives me a hard run for the money every time. Once he thrash me consistently, he shall be a legend and I will become an ex legend.
It is so good meeting and talking that you have to do it twice!
Pre-World Cup
In 1977, Singapore did what was never done before. We were group with other kingpins of soccer in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong. In the opener Singapore started nervously but went on to win 2-0 against Thailand. Next came perennial arch rivals Malaysia at the time an Asian giant.
I learned that Uncle told the boys that Malaysia is the stronger team but if quick silver Quah Kim Song could get a penalty and Singapore could hold on then we will win. Mat Noh was training hard from the spot. True enough, it happened. Song got it and Noh converted sending Arumugam the wrong way.
Hong Kong came with a big reputation as they were professionals. If Kim Song was quick, in Lau Wing Yip they had Speedy Gonzalez and their captain Kwok Ka Ming was a big name. Singapore trailed twice but came back with guns blazing to end at 2-2. It was one of the best internationals I have seen. Having already qualified for the final which was a rematch versus Hong Kong, Singapore let their foot off the pedal and lost to Indonesia which had some famous players too in striker Risdianto and winger Waskito. Hong Kong prevailed in the final with a narrow win.
I asked Teng Sai and Robert who their most difficult opponent were? Mokhtar Dahari. When Mokhtar got the ball, he ran, harassed, barged, banged and shot like a man possessed. It was not easy for Singapore playing Malaysia and Selangor because Malaysia once came in third in the Olympics and could beat South Korea in the Merdeka Cup and the nucleus of the team formed Selangor - R. Arumugam, Santokh Singh, Soh Chin Aun, Wong Choon Wah and Mokhtar. It was only natural to accord them too much respect. That was why Chin Aun stroll around like the "Towkay" but credit to Chin Aun whom all said he was a great footballer. Those were the Malaysian legends.
We spoke about Dollah Kassim, S. Rajagopal, Mohamed Noh and Zainal Abideen and they agreed with me they were fabulous. Raja (The Camel) was of course our banana kick specialist, Noh our most stylish and graceful (Allan Clarke) winger with his dummies and body feints and Zainal - midfielder supreme who controlled the pace of the game, conducted our direction of play and could drop a ball from 50-60m right at the foot of a running Mat Noh. I brought up Dollah's incredible goal versus Pahang and we all had an enjoyable evening.
Finally, these legends are role models too. They kept us interested in soccer and off the streets maybe for some away from drugs and they pulled a nation together. We must learn to appreciate them. I have just missed Quah Kim Song this time. I wanted them to know that: "You'll Never Walk Alone". Here's Gerry and The Pacemakers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?=ma3Nax8yyOE&feature=related (Liverpool Anthem/Lyrics)
I hope that my readers will bring back many fond memories of their own in relation to their experience and that Singapore soccer may flourish again. Let a thousand flowers bloom!
For these soccer legends, I award them the "Purple Hearts":
Watch this space...
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