The Silverfox Hustle Podcast
The hustle beats talent when talent doesn't hustle. The Silverfox Hustle is all about showcasing positive attitudes, great work ethics and consistent quality work. The Silverfox Hustle will be the vehicle that will inspire, motivate and share positive stories through its extraordinary guests. Host and creator, Shasi, is a former professional football player and now a coach developer as well as a commentator and pundit. He shares all the values and beliefs of the Silverfox Hustle. Enjoy the journey and stories! Cheers!
The Silverfox Hustle Podcast
Silverfox Hustle SPL Preview - Tanjong Pagar Utd FC
Coach Noh Alam Shah transforms adversity into opportunity as he rebuilds Tanjong Pagar United following a challenging season. Fresh from his Pro Diploma coaching course in Laos, Alam Shah brings renewed wisdom and determination to a club that finished ninth last season with just three wins while conceding a staggering 103 goals.
Rather than running from this difficult past, Alam Shah embraces it: "It's not a season to forget but to be remembered." This refreshing perspective reveals his growth mindset and commitment to learning from mistakes. He candidly identifies previous recruitment errors, explaining how emotional decisions undermined team quality and performance.
The coach's rebuild begins with a foundation of hard work and discipline. Players unwilling to push beyond their comfort zones have been released, while those demonstrating the right attitude were retained. New signings reflect this philosophy, particularly in defence where Australian Aaron Evans and Korean Rie Kwan Kim arrive to shore up a previously vulnerable backline. The goalkeeping department receives special attention with Zaiful joining Matt to provide stability and leadership from the back.
In attack, Alam Shah has cleverly assembled what he calls "the cartel" – a Portuguese and Spanish-speaking attacking unit designed to improve communication and creativity. This strategic recruitment demonstrates his attention to both technical ability and team chemistry. When discussing playing style, he emphasizes finding balance between direct attacking football and possession-based play, addressing last season's predictability while maintaining an aggressive pressing system.
Despite management setting a mid-table target, Alam Shah boldly aims for a top-two finish. This ambitious goal speaks volumes about his confidence in the rebuilt squad and his refusal to accept mediocrity. His message to fans acknowledges their loyalty through difficult times while promising better days ahead: "Being up there in the top 3 will be the best consolation gift of going forward to a bright future for Tanjong Pagar United Football Club."
This is the Silver Fox Hustle Podcast. Hello, we are back on another episode of the SPL Preview, the official SPL Preview with me, your host Shassi, on the Silver Fox Hustle podcast. Now, before we go on, click on the follow button. We are out everywhere on Spotify, apple Podcasts, youtube and TikTok as well. Now in the house today we've got a legend in the house, but he's also the head coach of Tanjong Pagar United FC, noh Alam Shah. Noh Alam Shah, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 2:Hi, nice to be here again, Shashi.
Speaker 1:Yeah, again. I think we've met on the podcast for a couple of times already, speaking about coaching, speaking about yourself as well, but today it's the SPL preview for your club. But before that, you just came back from Laos on your pro diploma core stint, your second block, I understand. Yeah, part two. How was?
Speaker 2:that it has been a terrific journey. The part one was an introduction to my mentor and then I really kind of not knowing what to expect in the part two, but it has been really a fruitful journey. There's a lot of takeaways and knowledge learned and come back here heading to the office just now in the morning implementing it, so it's taking off in the right note.
Speaker 1:Beautiful. We wish you all the best for the rest of the journey. In terms of the pro diploma, and you know we want to talk about the season, this season, the preview, obviously, but we can't talk about it without talking about last season. All right, and these are some of the stats. Right, you guys finished ninth, scored 35, conceded a whopping 103 goals and three goals. So all in all, you won three games, drew seven and lost 22 games. Right, and it is a season to forget. You know, for you, for the previous coach, coaches, the staff, the players and, of course, the fans as well. What did you make of last season? I mean, obviously you came halfway, I think, or slightly more the last part of the season. What was your take of last season? I mean, obviously you came halfway, I think, or slightly more the last part of the season. What was your take on the season?
Speaker 2:I think first of all I have to correct you there, because it's not a season to forget but to be remembered. So again, that was like I spoke to my staff and colleagues, that this has to be hold on towards your Keqing journey, towards the whole of your life, because this is the best time to reflect on every mistake and faults that we have already done. This is the best thing to learn. So again, it was not a very good place to come. I would consider myself stupid to be in that shoes, but again I know that this is a place where I have the trust of my chairman, my committee, mr Raymond, and the committee board, and also I have the perfect person to assist me in decimals my GM and, of course, my well always trying to grow with a lot of growth mindset, my staff as well. So again I made the decision to come back and to them implementing what I've gone through with Tokyo Verde and of course, I don't think I've done really good enough in the third round.
Speaker 1:103 goals is not something that I'm proud about, but at least it's something that I have brought to myself to correct in this season you know, this has definitely started on a wonderful note because you you know when they said it is a season to remember, I think that is a wonderful way to actually look at it right, to learn from mistakes and to see where it went wrong. And it's a very good sec because actually look at it right, to learn from mistakes and to see where it went wrong. And it's a very good set because just in your head, off your head right now, what do you think went wrong last season?
Speaker 2:I think, first of all, I think we are still learning about the recruitment part of the players.
Speaker 2:I think we are dwelling a little bit too much on emotional state, where we sign players based on emotion rather than the quality.
Speaker 2:And then, of course, the mentality of players. With the change of coaches over time, and I think the biggest problem is for me it's always not the player, the coaches' contribution on how they demand from themselves so that it can it can touch on the players to to follow right. So again, when I come back, it was very, very difficult because I have to uh, correct the state of mentality rather than the playing style and everything. It took me like two months, three months and forcing myself to do things that I'm very uncomfortable the fitness part I have to run to make them believe I have to do fitness training for them to see and even force my coaches to do the things that they're uncomfortable with running, and but at the end it works in a way, yeah, and when we show them a clear indication of how to play the game according to our way, and then it helps a little bit and we can see potential in the next season.
Speaker 1:You said two things that was very interesting to me, right? Number one was the emotion signing players based on emotion. And the second part was you didn't like the mentality in general, right what? And the second part was you didn't like the mentality in general, right what? Was the emotion part. Is that an example that you can give that signing a player because of emotions like?
Speaker 2:because I always would think about the, the part where, what they're gonna do, when, when they, when we offload them, and then this kind of things always creep into my mind. Right, you know. But at the end, you know, relationship like this doesn't doesn't comes into a positive thing, you know, because at the end we are not making them work hard, we are just making them comfortable. So I just give you one example when Faisal have been with me, faisal Roussard have been with me, faizal Ruzlan have been with me for four years.
Speaker 2:He was the last signing, the last player to be signed, because I felt that when the discussion with him was Faizal, I think you are comfortable in this area, I feel that another environment will push you further.
Speaker 2:So I told him to look elsewhere first before making a decision to sign him Until we have a conversation after that. And then he I trust his words that he's gonna post so and I say, okay, fine, I'm not going to be the Alamshar that you know before, so I'm gonna be another different person posting you to another level, if hopefully higher, because that is supposed to be the, the goal that should be set for myself and the player. So we said and yeah, from there I learned and I learned this in Verdi during the summer transfer. So the head coach, jose Ran there, was very, very kind enough to always remind me not to sign players on emotion right. So again, that is what I hold on to, and then, hopefully, in my future years I will do this more it's very interesting, right, because you spoke about and this is nothing against Faisal or whatever.
Speaker 1:You know you can speak about any other players as well but I thought Faisal did pretty well last season. Yeah, he did pretty well last season he did pretty well.
Speaker 2:But again, when we zoom into the mistakes that he made and I always believe he is a quality of the national team player status, but again there's a little bit of edge that never push him. So I think he has been in his comfort zone. If he have done better, best for us in your eyes, I think. If he has pushed in his comfort zone, if he has done better, best for us in your eyes, I think if he has pushed a little bit more, then he will be done better.
Speaker 1:You know absolutely now there was this. You know, when I'm speaking to you, it just just dawned on me. I remembered an interview that you did, a post-match interview, you did last season, right after a game. And then I could see I, you did a post-match interview, you did last season, right After a game, and then you, I could see the pain, the frustration, right After the game and I can't remember which game, but I think you will know and then you said my team was rubbish. Remember, remember that one. And then the follow-up question was what positives could you take out from this? Right, and you said it's rubbish. What positives can come out from this? And I remember that. Now, just moving forward, right, what did you, you know, think about, especially trying to get a new team together, or trying to get a team together for the coming season? What was in your head? Just everything that's going through your head. What were you trying to solve? You know, basically it's a lot of things, I know, but just off your head, just a few things again.
Speaker 2:You know this, we have a session on dealing with media during our pro-diploma just recently and they aired it. Okay, so they aired it. And they asked me what was going through your mind? Oh, they, they aired that one yeah, wow, okay. So, basically okay. So, and they asked me what was going through your mind? Oh, they had that one yeah, wow, okay. So, basically okay. So, like I said, it is, yeah, I don't even care about what people say, they can be just mental to us, but I was on. That is the first game of 11 days, four days, four games in 11 days. Yeah, so people don't understand it If I never do that.
Speaker 1:That was the first game Of the 4?.
Speaker 2:That was the first game we drew with Young Lions 1-1, and I know my players really well how they will behave. And the next one was Against Lion City Sailors and another few ones Is against Haogang. And then I'll be next. If I never portray myself, then I will go into the training ground With comfort In my players' mindset and we will be screwed against LCS, we will be screwed against Haogang. So we lost 1-0 to LCS on maximum penalty against Marcus, and then after that we played 75 minutes, 10 men, with Haogang and we drew 1-1, and I think I did the right thing because of this 11 days we are the only team who played 4 games in 11 days.
Speaker 2:So Again, I have to say that both teams were ravished at that game, but I see it as a chance to spur my players' emotion, to make them focus, and again, when this happened, and then coming to this recruitment phase, then I feel that I didn't do much preparation in preparing them for the game. I need strong mentality players to execute the game on a constant match-to-match basis. So when I evaluate all this, the first thing first is I need to construct a system where these players are always ready and always working hard towards this goal. So this is the first thing that I put in paper that okay, when I'm signing players, the hard work values must be embedded as a first priority.
Speaker 1:Right, interesting, right, it's so, so good. And again, there's so many things to take away from that part because, like you said, nobody knew what was going on and then you only knew. You knew your players and if you didn't have like gone into your players, I think the next game against LCS would have been gone we lost 4-1 twice before that game right.
Speaker 2:We lost 6-0 before that game right. And then and I think we did really, really well and when they go into the training session after after that game and immediately they know they have to be switched on brilliant, brilliant let's talk about this season.
Speaker 1:Nur Amsha, we talk about the players that were kind of retained, right? I just read off some names Sahil Faizal. Raihan Fatula is back. Shahdad Said Akmal Azim, who had, you know, who played most of the games last season as well. Zenevio Mota and Matt, the goalkeeper right, yep. So what was behind the thinking of keeping this group of players and obviously letting some others go? Yeah?
Speaker 2:So I think a few players like Riza Omar Suhairi was let off. I just see them as somebody who's not willing to improve themselves. And these players who I retain, have done what I expect them to do under a certain direction. I want players. I'm technically I think it's okay not to have but the discipline towards executing the play, understanding what is supposed to be done. I think with that you can improve them time to time and, of course, having better players coming to the team will only improve the training intensity, so they will be elevated in a way also. So I believe in them.
Speaker 1:I hope they understand this and try to push themselves higher this season sometimes I wonder for players it's kind of like a prerequisite to have that first the hard work, the one thing to do, and sometimes, if youquisite to have that first, right, yeah, the hard work, the one thing to do. And sometimes if you have to say that to them almost every single time, then it's like it's, it's, it's, you know.
Speaker 2:It shouldn't be done that way. You know Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Your new signings. I mean, just talk about a little bit of the local players as well. Sharul Sazali right, they're more or less defensive players, right. Zaiful obviously is a goalkeeper. Nakudin can play right back, right wing. Sharul, obviously right, You're trying to solidify in that department as well, in terms of local players.
Speaker 2:If you see, then I have met Silva and then I, that I even signed Kenji, yes, and also signed Nitya, who's a very good prospect. So having Zaiful and Matt will only push them, yeah, a healthy competition in the training ground. And also Matt is good on his reflexes and I can have Zaiful as an option or playmaker, goalkeeping right. So again, it's all up to them to fight for the spot, yeah. And then, of course, I want to improve my defending structure rather than focusing on attack. So I have I think I signed Aaron and Kim as well to solidify that. So it has been always improving the 103 goals first rather than improving the 35 goal squad, absolutely.
Speaker 1:And then we talked about the two centre-backs. You spoke about Australian Aaron Aaron Evans and Korean, yeah, yeah, rie Kwan Kim. Right, yeah, how are they? They're a centre-back pairing, so to speak.
Speaker 2:Yeah so these two are the two dependable centre-backs that I'm going to put up. Both are fantastic in character. The desire to learn is huge. They've been coming to the staff and causing problems with us to give analysis on them all the time, and this is what I want from players, to demand from the coaches, so we have to work extra for them. Right, right, and it has not been. It has not been right, but of course, processes take time, right, yep, yep. And we still have a few more pre-season games coming up, so we're going to work on that so hopefully they can connect really, really well in a few weeks time.
Speaker 1:Emilio Estevez, 26 years old, from Chinese Taipei. His name is Emilio Estevez, but he's from Chinese Taipei. How is he? Is he an attacking mid? What can we?
Speaker 2:expect from him. He's a very good technical player, close control player and always loves the 1v1, similar to Mota, and he has good shots in him. But again, he's finding it difficult to place his feet right now because we are trying to add in some new elements into the game that he's gonna play, because he seems to be predictable in a way. And I think the front four, apart from yourself I know I have Mota, I know I have Sordai, I know I have Emilio, I know I have Guilherme. So these are the pairings that I will have to share during matches for the front four.
Speaker 1:You just spoke about Brazilian winger Guilherme and Rodriguez. Right, he's 30 years old and he's much more of a wide player.
Speaker 2:He's similar to Mota and Sodai. So they come in not with a high reputation but in similarity of characteristic of a player. So again I have to factor in about the changes, the five changes that I want to use during the match. So I have to. They're going to be working hard, so I can't expect them to be working hard on their own, so I always try to sign two players to cover them during the matches is that also one of your tactics?
Speaker 1:to have, like, maybe, two Brazilians in a team so that they can get along with each other, that kind of thing? Because we've got another one right, bruno Bruno, he's 31, how is he?
Speaker 2:so Bruno is a fantastic player. Yeah, he can control the tempo and it's so good to see Brazilian player at times. Yeah, and of course I not only him. They speak Portuguese and Spanish. Yeah, joseph, bruno, emilio who is this? Guy, guilherme, and then Muta, so I call them the cartel. So these guys, the group of cartel, have always been together. Of course, I'm relying on their comfortability between one another and try to communicate more on the attacking options. They want to drive A little bit of team on their collective expressions up front. So this is what we want to see.
Speaker 1:What can we expect from Ezzat Jari Yusuf? He's a striker.
Speaker 2:He's a striker. You can expect him more of a mobile player. I think he has gone a deep uh in the past few years. Before he was with uh Persik Kadiri, he was scoring goals and playing goals and I think I bring him over with a challenge of improving him as well. Right, right, right, trying to build the team, the attacking up front around him. And yeah, we really, really, we're working really hard on this and I always have belief in myself on the up front, so hopefully he can be met the expectation.
Speaker 1:I think a lot of fans, or probably myself as well, fans, or probably myself as well, I know I had the opinion that last season. I think you guys we talk about recruitment as well right, I think the foreigners let you down in that sense, you know, having that player who could play 15, 16, 17 games in a row like the striker right and, to be fair to him, actually whenever he played he caused problems for opponents, but too bad, he couldn't stay on the pitch, right. So I think this season, am I right to say that your challenge as well is to make them play every single time, because it's no use having your foreigners and not having them to play?
Speaker 2:This is the tough thing that we have to go through, even we have to go through even before I come back from Japan and everything. Having the foreign players in the pitch will really help boost morale and everything right. So basically, this is the first thing. I already lost Raihan to a wrist injury and then Sadat also to an injury also, so they will be out for a few months and I cannot afford to have my foreign players out, and now we are trying to make them fit and trying to push them to another level, so hopefully they can sustain, which I believe they can, because I signed a balance of mid-age players and the Aaron, bruno and Joseph being in the 30s to compose the game. So I think we have the balance, but it must be work on a collective effort rather than individual effort, right, right.
Speaker 1:Then. How has pre-season been so far in terms of preparation, training, games, and, in fact, the season is starting soon. The end of the week is the community shield, and then you got one more week. Your first game is against we are gonna be.
Speaker 2:It's not too soon for us. We still have four weeks before we gonna play against Tampines. That is going to be on the 13th of September. Unfortunately, the precision has been unkind to us. I think we have lost players through injuries and such. But again, this time around, there has been a registration of 36 players and I always believe that if you want it, come and get it. If somebody left it, then you better pick it up and keep hold on to it. So this has been my motive for for the place always. So again, um, I'm not too worried about, uh, who's out or who's in. I'm more concerned about who's coming in to pick it up. Yeah, so I just want to be in control of what I can control, right. So again, hopefully for the second team, I think we are also going into the right direction.
Speaker 1:Also, it has not been nice, but having another four more weeks is good for us right extra, at least for some players to recover from the niggling injuries and those kind of things. I think that's important, that's good. I just want to ask you this, and I know it's pretty uncomfortable, especially for other coaches you know they want to sit on the fence right Any player to look out for in your side.
Speaker 2:No, I wouldn't say anyone, right, I wouldn't say anyone because I always place an interest in the collective effort. But if I have to name one, I will feel that either Zaiful or Matt will be the change, because I think they will bring more stability in our play, more control, because it has been seen during the preseason, okay, and of course, matt is not going to feature because he just had he's still coming back from his….
Speaker 1:The finger right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he still has to take out his metal plate Right, but he's training well as well. Okay, yeah, and I think this is the one area where which was a letdown last season After a goal, I think the defence line we have to look over our shoulders all the time, and I think this season is not going to be that situation now. So I think the goalkeeping department is a department that I think we can solidify to be a department to be watching out for.
Speaker 1:Nice and I think just now you spoke about the second team as well Obviously the SPL too, and you've got some players coming up through the ranks as well, and I think that's very important as well those who go in. You got to prove yourself, you got to swim, you know, if not you will drown, and I think that's a very good point you made as well. I want to ask you this, tanjung Pagar what can we expect in terms of football this season and obviously we've seen you play with three at the back and then, when switch to a four sometimes what can we expect generally, not in terms of formation, but in terms of the football that's being played?
Speaker 2:I think we have to. Like I said, I've introduced to them that the playing philosophy of hard work and then the togetherness, and always about going forward. So again it's I want to say that we want to go on a direct approach, but last season, when we do that, it becomes too predictable and everybody force us to an area that we are so uncomfortable with, which is keeping possession. So we are trying to improve that and try to keep a balance of knowing when to do it and how to do it as well, and I want to have a balance of these two playing styles. But again, you will expect us in the defensive is all about the hard way in pressing, the hard way in being compact and the resilience in protecting our penalty, kickball, penalty ball. So this is something that I'm trying to implement this season.
Speaker 1:Well, another question that usually coaches sit on the fence, but I hope you don't, because I don't think you will as well. Targets for the year.
Speaker 2:Of course, the easiest way is to say that, okay, we're going to improve the season by improving what has been done last season, but I think that is for Cowboys to see, and again, my management has given me a target of like a mid-table finish, but I want to be bullish, as I always be. I wanted to finish the top two. I don't think competing with LCS is a reality that I can face. I have to win, but I think every team are equal in terms of the second place to the eighth place and, of course, being second and able to spring a few surprises with LCS would be the best target that I want to have now.
Speaker 1:I think you're right as well. You know, let's take LCS out of the picture, and then obviously there are other teams. I think if you take one game at a time and you start winning games and things like that and obviously you need luck, injuries, luck in I don't know, can be decisions. Anything like that. Anything is possible, so I think that's brilliant from you as well. Now, before we go, any message for the Tanjong Baga fans. I think they've been with you guys for quite some time, even after last season and what went wrong, and they're still stuck by you.
Speaker 2:Any message for them Again we've met them, we have a friendliness to them. Okay, and then the first message that.
Speaker 1:Did you trash?
Speaker 2:them. Yeah, no, no, no, no, no, we, I don't know, I forgot the scoreline. Seriously.
Speaker 1:Oh, you must have trashed them, but again we.
Speaker 2:The message to them is always to be resilient. We will try to repay you in a way of what we have gone through the last season, and thanks for sticking with us throughout the whole season.
Speaker 2:But, yeah, now it's a new season, it's a step forward ahead and, of course, at the end, we will always offer us our pride in play and hopefully, like you said, luck is a big thing in football Hopefully things will go out the way that we want to be. So the first three games is very, very important. We will be playing for them as well for the club, Carlos, and hopefully we will be I will achieve the target that I set up to be, which is, I think, will be the best consolation gift to give them. I say consolation, not the main gift, because over the last few, since we are 2020, we have not achieved anything. So being up there in the top 3 will be the best consolation gift of going forward to a bright future for Tanjong Padang United Football Club. Well, done.
Speaker 1:And, let's not forget, you got a cup as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You know, anything can happen there, yeah, and I think that's another target to go for as well. Thank you so much for being on the podcast and I wish you all the best as well. Thanks, you know, going forward with all the games and obviously try to not get any more injuries even before the season starts right. So again, good luck, noor Alamshah. Thanks, jesse. This has been the latest episode, the SPL preview of Tanjung Pagar United Football Club with their head coach, noor Alamshah, and we wish them all the best as well. Now, before we go, click on the follow button. We are out everywhere, so cheers till you next time.