FM10 S-League Thread

Hello everyone. I'm back again, with an (overdue) thread to the S-League for FM10.

I'll dispense with the background info, of which you can refer to the FM09 thread here.

There has been a few changes in the teams for 2010, which started IRL on 1 February 2010 (two months ago), chief among which was the replacement of the Super Reds (due to financial reasons) and Brunei DPMM (political reasons between the Brunei FA and Fifa), with Beijing Guo'an (Singapore), and Etoile FC, a club consisting of Frenchmen.

Now, the teams. Most of these are also lifted from the FM09 thread.

The teams of the S-League

These are brief descriptions of the teams of the S-League, with not too much detail. Anyone is free to add on any additional information.

Albirex Niigata (Singapore) - Due to licensing issues, this team, a feeder of Albirex Niigata in Japan's J-League, are called Niigata Unicorn (Singapore) in the game. Usually a team of younger, promising Japanese players, Niigata have had decent, if unspectacular, showings in the league ever since their entrance in 2004, with mostly mid-table finishes to their credit.

Balestier Khalsa - One of the weaker teams in the league, it has occasionally surprised a few teams with their efforts. Has promise, but not much is expected of them in 2009. Expected to prop up the table again by the media. However, with the arrival of New Zealander Paul Cunningham, English defender Daniel Hammond, as well as Brazilians Rivaldo Costa and Vitor Borges, improvement is expected at the Toa Payoh Stadium

Beijing Guoan (Singapore) - They are the satellite feeder team of Beijing Guoan in the Chinese Super League, much like Albirex Niigata from Japan. Their squad consists mostly of youth team and reserve players from the main Beijing Guoan club.

Etoile FC - A team set up by the French, run by the French, with players and staff that are French. They claim to have David Ginola as a club ambassador, and their arrival with much fanfare means that expectations are high. Notable players include former Lille goalkeeper Yohann Lacroix and Algerian midfielder Khaled Karrroubi. More info on their website.

Geylang United - Former greats, with two S-League titles to their name, they have flattered to deceive in recent seasons, with bottom half finishes ever since coming in 2nd back in 2003. Will they ever return to their glory days? They won the Singapore Cup in 2009 though, so that means AFC Cup football for 2010.

Gombak United - An gritty, hardworking team, their last place finish in 2002 forced them to withdraw from the league for a couple of seasons. Since their return in 2006 however, they have had some strong showings, finishing in the top half consistently. They certainly play with a vigour not seen in their early days. A third placed finish in 2009 was their best ever performance, and they will look to build on that.

Home United - The football team of the Singapore Police Force, they are one of the two 'giants' in the league. Regular title challengers, but have only won the league twice. Expected to challenge for the title again though. They have a new coach for 2010 in the form of former South Korean international defender Lee Lim Saeng, so defence is definitely an area to look out for for The Protectors.

Sengkang Punggol - Often the laughing stock of the league, they have never finished in the top half despite their gutsy efforts, with regular last place finishes. The big money of 2009 has disappeared too, along with their stars, Singapore internationals Indra Sahdan and Noh Rahman. Will they slide back to the bottom of the table?

Singapore Armed Forces FC (SAFFC) - The dominant force of the league, with seven titles in thirteen seasons, the army team are definitely the team to beat. Can anyone stop their Man U-esque domination? Title favourites definitely. They also have the challenge of competing in the Asian Champions League now, so there's an added dimension when managing The Warriors.

Tampines Rovers - Often dubbed 'Dad's Army' for their penchant for fielding ageing players, they however, have defied their critics, winning back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005 during what was arguably their golden age. Have yet to make their way back to the top, but still often there or thereabouts despite their ageing squad. They did their reputation no favours by signing 39 year old striker Aleksander Duric for 2010, who despite his age, can still deliver the goods up front.

Woodlands Wellington - A sleeping giant, they are the only remaining founders of the league in their current form (the others being Tampines, Geylang and SAFFC) not to have won the league, their best performance in recent seasons being 3rd in 2005. They have, however, had some good cup runs over the past few years, making the final twice. The loss of experienced internationals Precious and Rezal Hassan has made their task in the league a lot harder for 2010.

Young Lions - Essentially the Singapore Under-23 team, league placings are of secondary importance compared to good performances, as the ultimate aim of the team is to churn out young talents that will eventually go on to star for the national team. Have had a mixed time so far, with finishes as high as third (twice) and as low as bottom.

Players to look out for

As again, will cover the local clubs only.

Balestier - Lanky and burly defenders Paul Cunningham and Daniel Hammond will keep things tight at the back, while Brazilian duo Rivaldo Costa and Vitor Borges will attempt to bring some Samba flair to the attack. Of the local players, young midfielder/striker Goh Swee Swee should have the potential to be a future Singapore international, having already amassed caps at several junior levels.

Geylang - Singapore internationals Itimi Dickson and Syed Fadhil have been acquired from Home United, while foreign imports include the addition of a third Slovakian to join the other two already at the club, as striker Peter Tomko links up with compatriots Ratislav Belicak and Miroslav Latiak. The final foreign signing is Romanian midfielder Vasile Ghindaru.

Gombak - Very few changes, the biggest of which is the departure of Nigerian striker Gabriel Obatola to Portland Timbers in the USA, due to being denied a work permit. Compatriot Obadin Aikhena returns to Gombak to take his place in defence, while other changes include Australian defender/midfielder Goran Subara, as well as promising local players such as goalkeeper Zaiful Nizam and striker Fazrul Nawaz.

Home United - Several major changes at Home, with top Cameroonian striker Kengne Ludovick having now left the club, as well as the abovementioned Itimi Dickson and Syed Fadhil. Defensive stalwart S.Subramani has now retired to become Home's assistant manager. They still retain some quality through the team though, with several Singapore internationals such as Lionel Lewis, Shi Jiayi, Isa Halim, Juma'at Jantan, Shahril Alias, Tengku Mushadad, Shahril Ishak and Rosman Sulaiman. Foreign players include former South Korean international forward Choi Chul Woo, Chilean midfielder Nelson San Martin, and Cameroonian powerhouse defender Valery Hiek.

Sengkang - Despite losing much quality, a few players still stand out. Former Singaporean captain Aide Iskandar is now player/manager, while Canadian duo Murphy Wiredu and Anthony Christopher Bahadur hold much promise.

SAFFC - The Warriors have boosted their squad for their Champions League campaign with a few top quality signings. Former Swedish international Niklas Sandberg is the biggest name, having won championships in Romania with CFR Cluj and Norway with Stabaek, as well as boasting European Champions League experience. Uruguayan striker Federico Martinez is also one to watch out for, along with Croatian defender Ivan Lovric. Singapore internationals Indra Sahdan, Rezal Hassan and Noh Rahman joins a squad already packed to the brim with quality. A formidable team surely.

Tampines - The Stags will look to veteran striker Aleksandar Duric for goals, of which he still has plenty. Otherwise very little else of note. Ever-presents Noh Alam Shah, Mustafic Fahrudin and Ridhuan Muhammad have all upped sticks and moved to Indonesia, while the only notable foreign player is French defender Benoit Crossaint, who counts Sheffield United as one of his former clubs.

Woodlands - The departure of defender Precious and keeper Rezal Hassan means that the Woodlands squad is now severely lacking quality. Chilean defender Luis Hicks will try to hold a young and weak team together for the season.

Young Lions - Promising talents Haris Harun and Jasper Chan are still around, and new names to look out for in the Young Lions team include winger Gabriel Quak, defender Afiq Yunos, and striker Khairul Nizam. Also, the Young Lions welcomes the very exciting Serbian 18-year-old midfielder Luka Savic, who had stints with Barcelona's and Villarreal's youth teams.

Phew. A rough guide to the S-League for 2010. Have fun!

Federico Martinez is a beast for SAFFC (unlike in real life, though too early to tell).

Sold to Helsingborg in third season by Ai manager Fandi Ahmad.

Sadly the brand new update could not come out in time for the latest patch.

Federico Martinez is a beast for SAFFC (unlike in real life, though too early to tell).

Sold to Helsingborg in third season by Ai manager Fandi Ahmad.

Sadly the brand new update could not come out in time for the latest patch.

Well, it was a bit last minute. Etoile was only confirmed entry into the S-League a week before it had started. Quite shambolic.

Nice to see you again.

Someone in Kallang Roar is making an update for all the transfers, should be out soon.

Playing S-League in every FM edition. Very interesting league with many players form ex-Yugoslavia are playing in S-League. Unfortunately SAFC legend Mirko Grabovac retired.

am playing Geylang on 10.3....but i don't have Itimi & Fadhil....I would have thought 10.3 is updated with player rosters. These 2 chaps are still at Home United....duh...

am playing Geylang on 10.3....but i don't have Itimi & Fadhil....I would have thought 10.3 is updated with player rosters. These 2 chaps are still at Home United....duh...

I noticed that too. It appears that the 10.3 patch is a bit, erm, not updated.

Unfortunately, unless someone comes up with an update patch for the S-League, we'll have to wait for FM11 for the latest updates (by which then we have more changes for next season).

That's pretty dim-witted really.

Who's the S'pore researcher?

literally all S-league clubs are not making $$ - which means playing it quite a challenge.

I am managing Geylang - only 7K transfer budget which limits me to signing free transfers.

But I am doing okay just won the league, but i wonder which the talent pool and limited funds, how will I win the Asian CL? Anybody won that with a S-league team?

I am currently into my 10th season managing newcastle united fc and have loaded the s-league in my game. One strange thing that caught my attention was that champions Etoile FC is able to participate in the Asian Champions League when they are not allowed to do so in real life because they are a foreign team. Perhaps, SI games should look into this issue. In addition, I have also observed in my game that Singapore doesn't produce good regens and its nat. team ranking has fallen to 150 during 2019.

that is not the only irregularities - they even have foreign players (??) I would have thought their team shld only have French players? I stand to be corrected.

As well, teams like Young Lions have players 30+? These are not young aren't they?

literally all S-league clubs are not making $$ - which means playing it quite a challenge.

I am managing Geylang - only 7K transfer budget which limits me to signing free transfers.

But I am doing okay just won the league, but i wonder which the talent pool and limited funds, how will I win the Asian CL? Anybody won that with a S-league team?

I guess that's a reflection of reality somehow. Singapore is a small country, and IRL most clubs buy players on free transfers. Paying a fee is pretty rare.

Winning the Asian CL with an S-League is a tough task indeed.

I am currently into my 10th season managing newcastle united fc and have loaded the s-league in my game. One strange thing that caught my attention was that champions Etoile FC is able to participate in the Asian Champions League when they are not allowed to do so in real life because they are a foreign team. Perhaps, SI games should look into this issue. In addition, I have also observed in my game that Singapore doesn't produce good regens and its nat. team ranking has fallen to 150 during 2019.

that is not the only irregularities - they even have foreign players (??) I would have thought their team shld only have French players? I stand to be corrected.

As well, teams like Young Lions have players 30+? These are not young aren't they?

Those are indeed oddities. Etoile should not be able to take part in the continental competition. And they should indeed have only French players, although I think those with French origin (meaning perhaps those with Algerian, for example, and French dual-nationality) should be OK.

The Young Lions thing is something that I've been bringing up constantly. It REALLY needs to be fixed.

woots ~ an S League thread .

gonna be trying out Gombak .

i love their strikers .