After preaching about his high pressing approach, and trying to instil some level of confidence in his newly adopted Lions, the time has come for newly appointed national head coach Tsutomu Ogura to get into the cauldron.
Unfortunately, the former Japanese assistant national coach will not have the luxury to rack up a win against the likes of Guam or Timor Leste.
His first piece of action will be in the form of a World Cup qualifier against China, a team which Singapore has not beaten in more than 40 years.
The Lions also beat China in March 1980, a goal by Wong Kwok Choy in a Pre-Olympic qualifier.
The best results have been draws achieved under Radojko Avramovic in 2006 and 2009.
The last time Singapore faced China, the Lions were smashed in a 6-1 hammering.
THE GOAL IS WINNING
But Ogura comes with some level of international pedigree, having been the number two for Japan, and his first match in charge, could not be any tougher.
“The goal is winning,” he told CNA.
“Everybody wants to win.
“Not just the players, the supporters (and) the coaching staff.
“Everyone wants to win. It’s a goal. The only target is winning.”
Fans, however, will not be filling their hearts with hope.
Afterall, China is ranked 88th in the world while the Lions are way down the pecking order in 156.
But football has a funny way of turning up surprises.
“We can show to our supporters that ‘this is our football,” added the Japanese, who replaced Takayuki Nishigaya, whose spell with the Lions was forgettable.
“We want to win of course, but how to win? We can show that to our supporters,” said Ogura.
“I have very good confidence, on the players fighting spirit, to show on the pitch, and also to never give up, fighting against China.”
MAIN PHOTO: FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE