Moore Like a Father Than a Coach
| Moore - A fatherly figure to the 1994 Lions (as credited) |
When he assumed the role of Technical Director of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) in January 1994, little did Douglas Moore know things would take a different turn in weeks to come.
Arrived in the island republic on the recommendation of the late Peter Velappan, the then secretary of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the former New Zealand FA's Director of Coaching was told he would assist Ken Worden, the then newly-appointed Singapore national team coach, when necessary, on top of his scope which included overseeing various national age-group squads, conducting coaching clinics, etc.
However, merely days before Singapore were set to start their Malaysian Premier League (Liga Perdana) campaign against Kelantan, Worden dropped a bombshell by tendering his resignation, citing 'personal reasons'. Shortly after, the Preston-born Australian was named head coach of the 'auld enemy,' Selangor, a role he left in 1992 to become Malaysia's national team coach.
The saga was compelling enough for The New Paper (TNP) to print its front page on 31st March 1994 with these bold text 'GO TO HELL' alongside an image of Worden with one hand cupping his face - a headline spread that was probably the most controversial one ever seen on any Singapore newspaper.
Given such short notice, Moore was immediately named as the new Lions tamer under such abrupt circumstances.
TAKING OVER AS LIONS TAMER
Speaking from Pennsylvania, where he has been based since leaving Singapore, the Englishman shared that he "never hesitated" when offered the post during a 2020 Zoom interview with former radio presenter Raj Kumar for SG Sports TV. The interview also featured a gathering of key members from the 1994 Malaysia Cup-winning squad."I watched you train, I watched you practise, and I thought 'relegate'? You got to be kidding me!" said Moore, who disputed his predecessor's prediction that the Lions would be relegated to the 'Second Division' ¹ due to the absence of a few key players² who he did not mention during the online meeting.
| Douglas Moore was confident with what he saw in early 1994 (as credited) |
"I looked around and I thought we had the best goalkeeper in Southeast Asia; we had two of the best strikers in Southeast Asia, and we had eight, nine very good players in Kadir Yahaya and Lee Man Hon, etc. This team is going to win something," he added.
Which they did when they clinched the double by not only topping the Liga Perdana but also reclaiming the coveted Malaysia Cup for the first (and last) time since 1980.
THE "THUNDERBOLT" THAT ROCKED THE SHIP - PULL OUT OF M-LEAGUE
Things were looking up for the team following those achievements that gelled the nation behind the team, but soon came the thunderbolt that rocked the ship.That thunderbolt delivered the news that Singapore would no longer be playing in the Malaysian League - a footballing staple for the local football fans since the colonial days of the 1920s.
The news broke out by the team manager, Omar Ibrahim, while the team were in New Zealand on a pre-season tour.
The mood was sombre, based on Moore's description of that unexpected development.
"The team and I were actually in New Zealand on a pre-season preparing for the 95 season when Omar, the team manager, called us together and said he just received the news we were no longer in the Malaysian League."
"It was a political decision, nothing to do with us and the players... a falling out at the highest level, so we were devastated."
APPOINTMENT AS S.LEAGUE CEO
The appointment of the man who graduated with a degree in geography from the University of Sheffield as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Singapore Professional Football League Pte Ltd, the company that was formed to run the S.League, caught many by surprise when the announcement was made in May 1995, alongside businessman Kwek Leng Joo, who was named the chairman of the new setup.A spread on TNP in early June 1995 uncovered how the transition from the dugout to the boardroom took place when it all started with a call from Mr Mah Bow Tan who was the then Minister for Communication and FAS adviser by asking Moore: "Would you direct the new S-League?"
"It wasn't Singapore versus Selangor; you know it wasn't the same atmosphere," as he cited one of the challenges facing the S.League when he put on the business suit.
| The S.League Board of Directors ("S.League The Kick-Off" Commemorative Book) |
Moore also shed some light on the issues he had during his tenure as the league's CEO, one of which was having the games televised.
"We did argue at the board level about television. I wanted the games to be televised, (but) the majority of the board didn't; I said sponsors aren't going to be interested unless you are on television; they (the board) were concerned about the crowds; I was concerned about the income." shared Moore in the later part of the above-mentioned Zoom interview which took place during the Covid pandemic.
DUAL ROLE AT GEYLANG
After stepped down as the league CEO, it didn’t take long to see Moore return to the dugout when Geylang United appointed him as the league’s first "manager-coach" - a role similar to that of a "football gaffer" in English football - in October 1997. This appointment fended off interest from both Redhill Rangers³ and Marine Castle⁴, who had just joined the fledgling league and were keen to lure the Newcastle born to lead their squads.
"The offer from Geylang was something like coming home because when I left the S-League chief executive officer's job, I left with the hope that I would return to Singapore in a job I liked - coaching," said Moore in The Straits Times (ST) article that reported the appointment.
FAREWELL ...
Unfortunately, the union did not last due to external factors beyond control when the league authority implemented a 20% pay cut across the board amid the Asian Financial Crisis and had Moore decide to pack his bags and head back to New Zealand."Moore, who had a contract with Geylang until next year (1999), was one of the first coaches to react, saying that his financial situation did not allow him to accept such a drastic cut." wrote the ST on Moore's decision to part with the Eagles prematurely upon the implementation of the wages cut by his successor Chris Chan in August 1998.
The same article in the broadsheet also added "part of the reason for his leaving Singapore was to allow (his wife) Leslie a chance to join the New Zealand softball team, which is training for the 2000 Sydney Olympics."
LINK UP WITH WOODLANDS
The following year, Woodlands Wellington tried to bring Moore back to Singapore football when the northern club was hunting for a replacement for V Sivalingam but ended up settling for ex-SAFFC coach Ivan Raznevich instead.Following that, Moore has since relocated to Pennsylvania, where he took up various coaching jobs, with the one at Lock Haven University (LHV) being the longest serving as the school's men's soccer team head coach for 14 years before relinquishing that role in 2015, according to this update found on the Lock Haven Bald Eagles site.
A FATHERLY FIGURE
The hastily arranged Zoom session also featured the likes of the 1994 team captain Fandi Ahmad, vice-captain Malek Awab, Abbas Saad, Nazri Nasir, Lim Tong Hai, Steven Tan, and Rafi Ali, these ex-players were taken by surprise when their former mentor also joined in.All of them took the opportunity to show their appreciation to the man who instilled that sense of belief and confidence in a time when they were needed most and lauded Moore as a "father figure" to the team.
| Lim Tong Hai's tribute to Moore (as credited) |
"What (Jurgen) Klopp has been doing right now (for Liverpool), you had already done for us in 1994," said Tong Hai when asked for his rounding up in the session that took place when the National Day of that year was just around the corner.
"You empathised with us and understand us that because of this relationship (you had with us), there was this desire to actually fight for you; it's something you can't force on people." added the former national defender, who is currently one of the Council Members of the FAS.
(Note¹: The 'Second Division' refers to the Liga Semi-Pro 'Divisyen 2', in which Singapore competed during the 1993 season after being relegated from Liga Semi-Pro 'Divisyen 1' in 1992. Although both 'Divisyen 1' and 'Divisyen 2' merged in 1994 to form the 'Liga Perdana', this eliminated the possibility of relegation.)
(Note²: It was believed that one of the absent players Worden referred to was striker V. Sundram Moorthy who was released by FAS after the 1993 campaign, based on news reports during that period)
(Note³: Redhill Rangers was later renamed Gombak United when they began their S.League season in 1998 but retained the name to field a separate squad to take part in the lower-tier NFL competition, both Gombak United and Redhill Rangers went separate ways in 1999)
(Note⁴: Marine Castle was renamed as Sengkang Marine in 2002 and merged with Paya Lebar Punggol to become Sengkang Punggol which was rebranded as Hougang United in 2011)
(Note⁴: Marine Castle was renamed as Sengkang Marine in 2002 and merged with Paya Lebar Punggol to become Sengkang Punggol which was rebranded as Hougang United in 2011)
(P.S 2: I stand to be corrected should there be any mistake in this entry, please feel free to email me if there is, thanks
(P.S 3: The blog post is based on publicly available online sources, primarily from Newspaper SG and the mentioned Zoom Interview available on Youtube. There is no attempt to speculate on or interpret the actions of any individuals or organisations involved in whatsoever mentioned in this post. The aim is to present the findings matter-of-factly.)