By Les Tan/Red Sports

Singapore football finished 2011 on a losing note, winning only 24%, or seven of 29 matches, across all age groups (see tables below).

National Open Squad
The full national squad won only one of seven games played this year, not counting the friendlies. They had a tough World Cup qualifying campaign, scoring an average of one goal per game while leaking 2.4 per game at the back. They had a 1-win, 1-draw and 5-loss (1-1-5) record for 2011.

Their best game in 2011 was their 5-3 win over Malaysia in their first-leg second round World Cup qualifier.

The most disappointing loss was their 1-2 reverse to China in Kunming where the referee gave two dubious penalties to China and denied us one legitimate claim.

The national squad have a losing record over the last five years. From 2007 to 2011, they have won only 35% of their 37 matches. They drew 24% and lost 41% of those matches.

Under-23 Squad
The U-23 squad did not make it into the semi-finals of the 2011 South-east Asian (SEA) Games even though they had an initial target of the final. They defended well in Indonesia, allowing only 0.8 goals per game but their inability to score let them down as they averaged only one goal per game.

They drew 0-0 with Malaysia in their opening game and struggled to beat Cambodia 2-1 in their next. Then they lost 0-2 to Indonesia, letting in the first goal within 45 seconds of the start. They finished off with a 2-0 win over Thailand but their 2-1-1 record was only good enough for third place in the group.

Malaysia and Indonesia grabbed first and second in their group of death to qualify for the semi-finals with Malaysia eventually retaining their SEA Games crown.

Under-19 Squad
The U-19 squad suffered a 0-6 loss to Malaysia in the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U-19 Championship where they finished with a 0-2-2 record, scoring two goals while conceding 11.

The U-19 squad then had a rough time at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-19 Championship qualifiers, shipping a total of 15 goals, 11 of them coming in a 0-11 loss to China. The squad scored no goals, finished with a 0-1-3 record, and did not qualify for the championship in 2012. Vietnam and Thailand were the only SEA countries to qualify for the 2012 tournament.

Under-17 Squad
The U-17s had their scoring boots on in the AFC U-17 Championship qualifiers. They put eight goals past East Timor and averaged 2.5 goals per game. However, their 1-1-2 record was not good enough to qualify for the main championship in 2012. Thailand and Laos are the only SEA countries to make it to the 2012 tournament.

Under-16 Squad
The U-16s also had plenty of goals to show for from their AFF U-16 Championship outing where they finished fourth. They averaged 2.7 goals per game as they notched big victories over Philippines (5-0), Vietnam (5-0) and Cambodia (4-0) to qualify for the semi-finals with a 3-0-1 preliminary round record.

In the semi-finals, the U-16s lost 0-2 to Thailand and then lost 1-2 to Myanmar in the 3rd/4th playoff. Thailand won the tournament.

Singapore Football 2011 Statistics

GFA = Goals For Average or average number of goals scored per game; GAA = Goals Against Average or average number of goals conceded per game

Singapore Football 2011 Summary

Singapore Football Statistics (National Open Squad)

GFA = Goals For Average or average number of goals scored per game; GAA = Goals Against Average or average number of goals conceded per game

Singapore Football Results (National Open Squad)

World Cup Qualifiers = Asian qualifying rounds. Prelim = preliminary round group. ASEAN C’ship = ASEAN Football Championship (aka Suzuki Cup from 2008 onwards, Tiger Cup before that); ATTN = Attendance; Nat Stad = old National Stadium at Kallang that has been torn down; Singapore’s 1-0 victory over Thailand on Nov 18, 2009 in the Asian Cup qualifiers was the first time in 48 years that we had won in Bangkok. SEA Games became an U-23 tournament from 2001 onwards.

Singapore Football Results (Age Group Squads)

AFF = ASEAN Football Federation. AFC = Asian Football Confederation. Group = group stage. SEA Games became an U-23 tournament from 2001 onwards.

We have not included the 2010 Youth Olympic Games and the 2011 Lion City Cup in the record. The 2010 YOG had six teams and there was no qualifying tournament to choose them. The five — Vanuatu, Bolivia, Haiti, Montenegro, Zimbabwe — were invited to play on the basis of geography. Singapore were in as hosts. The foreign teams that played in the Lion City Cup — Flamengo, Juventus, Everton, Newcastle — were also invited as well, but on the basis of commercial appeal.