BOK'S CONTINENTAL AMBTION

While most Singaporean professional clubs are accustomed to pre-season tours in Malaysia and Thailand, domestic kings Singapore Armed Forces (SAFFC) have brought a new dimension to the norm.

They became the first S-League team to tour Vietnam when they took on V-League opponents Dong Tam Long An and Navibank Saigon during their six-day stay in Ho Chi Minh City in mid-January.

Although the Warriors lost to both teams with identical 2-0 scorelines, head coach Richard Bok drew the positives from playing games in a new territory.

"We had a very good training tour in Vietnam," said Bok, the three-time winner of the Coach of the Year award.

"The V-League actually is very strong (in Southeast Asia), so we got a feel of different styles of play. It was a good idea to see where my team stands against theirs and the areas I need to fine tune.

"The first team we played against was just like a typical J-League team, using passing and movement, while the second team played a direct style with big strikers."

In the team’s final warm-up before the AFC Champions League (ACL) East Zone playoff against Sriwijaya of Indonesia, their new style of football allowed them to remain on even terms against visiting Swedish champions AIK, as the two teams played out a 1-1 draw to share the S.League Charity Shield.

Bok was pleased his revolution is beginning to bear fruit on the pitch, after working them out in several local and overseas friendly matches.

“It was not a bad game and it was a bit different from what we had been doing in the last few years,” he remarked on the AIK encounter.

"Even against an experienced opponent, we still tried to keep the ball - not hurry things and play the ball on the ground."

He will need to draw on all the lessons from the high-quality warm-up games and experience from last year'™s group stage games if SAFFC are to repeat their run into the tournament proper.

As was the case in 2009, the eight-time S.League champions are facing Southeast Asian opposition in the East Zone playoff stage.

Aiming to bump the Warriors down into the second-tier AFC Cup are Sriwijaya, V-League champions Da Nang and Thai Premier League winners Muang Thong United.

Bok acknowledged it will be a sterner test at this stage this time than last season, but still relishes the challenge of getting into the group round again.

“We will do our best,” he promised.

“I believe this team, if they really play to their true potential, are capable of breaking through into the group stage.

“This year the four East playoff teams are really well-prepared, unlike last year. The Thai team, for example, have eight national players in their books, and recently signed a player from Europe (Turkish striker Berkant Gotkan).

“All these teams here are ready as we all want to reach the ACL, the highest level in Asian club football. It is going to be even harder, but we are preparing as hard as we can to be competitive and go through.”

Should they overcome the Indonesian FA Cup winners on Saturday, they will host the winner of the other playoff semifinal for the right to enter the tournament proper.

The winners of the East Zone playoff series will take their place in Group G, alongside 2008 winners Gamba Osaka of Japan, K-League giants Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Chinese Super League outfit Henan Jianye.

Bok wants the Warriors to mean business in every game, as he aims to get more points than the solitary one the team had earned in 2009.

He will be especially looking to the artificially-turfed Jalan Bear Stadium to provide an edge in the home games.

“We want to get as many points as possible,” he declared. “We will give all the teams a run for their money. We are looking to cause an upset or two on home turf where conditions are to our advantage.”

The 40-year-old is also looking forward to expanding his network with the best club coaches in Asia with another appearance in the tournament.“I am looking forward to bringing the team into ACL again,” he added.

“I am good friends with the new Home United coach and former Suwon assistant Lee (Lim Saeng), and we had a good chat when he came here to take up his appointment.

“I am also in contact with Kashima coach Oswaldo (Oliveira), and hopefully I can know some more high-level coaches this time.”

The responsibility of bringing in the goals to achieve the club’s biggest objective of the season falls on the small-tall strike partnership of local striker Indra Sahdan Daud and Uruguayan forward Federico Martinez.

Bok believes Indra in particular is coming back to his best, after suffering from mediocre performances in recent seasons.

"I want Indra to be happy playing football and to be in scoring form," he said. "He has been very happy training and playing.

"His movement is good and he gets into good positions now. If he combines well with Federico, he will not only make an impact here, but also in regional competitions."

In the event they fail to reach the ACL, his continental ambitions remain undiminished as he believes SAFFC will be among the genuine contenders for the second-tier AFC Cup.

"If we end up in the AFC Cup, reaching the semifinals is realistic. Thus I am setting the bar higher and want the team to reach the final.

"The other top AFC Cup teams, who previously featured in the ACL but were relegated due to certain stringent criteria, are always a threat. However, their strengths are relatively weakened after losing their good players to rival ACL teams."

Bok hopes that doing well in the continent can open more eyes to the wider world of Asian football, and thus bring about more professionalism on and off the pitch.

"At the highest level in football, the club head coach is the mastermind while the other coaches do the work with the players," he said.

"The goalkeeper coaches will take care of the goalkeepers, the defence coaches with the defenders, midfield coaches with the midfielders and striker coaches with the forwards.

"These clubs will have at least three physiotherapists and three masseurs to take care of the players" physical conditioning and injuries.

"At S.League level we are not really there yet, and it is not going to be easy for the clubs as well."

Despite the limitations, it was clear Bok holds bold ambitions for himself, his club and the sport as a whole.

Thus he is calling on the football authorities to continue working together with the clubs, especially those taking part in regional and continental competitions, to provide the support needed so that they can do well abroad.

"I hope the FAS Competitions Division can work to adjust the fixtures when the clubs are involved in the latter stages of the ACL and AFC Cup, because we are representing the country, so that they can get a few more days" rest after their continental exertions,� he said.

"We need the league to continue to support us in many ways, such as the subsidy for bringing in new foreign players, so that we can bring in more quality imports as we have done for this year. Good money is needed to pay them to come here to play."

Whether all these hopes can be realized quickly or otherwise, there is no doubting that Richard Bok Kok Chuan will be a name many will remember for long for his efforts to push Singapore's club football scene to a higher level.

SOURCE: www.sleague.com