Saturday, November 17, 2012
DPMM FC have taken a huge gamble by deciding to field a changed line-up for next season's Singapore League (S-League).
Training resumes on Tuesday, but unlike last season, there will be a few familiar faces missing at the Jerudong Mini Stadium Croatian Ivan Jerkovic (pic) the most notable.
The highly-experienced central midfielder who was surprisingly released with two other imports was considered one of the team's elder statesmen alongside captain Rosmin Hj Mohd Kamis and vice-captain Pg Sallehuddin Pg Hj Damit.
Highly respected by players and fans alike, the club's decision to release the calm and composed Jerkovic who netted six goals and laid on 15 - is dumbfounding, especially since it does not look like they have a replacement lined up.
Strikers Osman Basiru and Patrick Roberto Daniel Da Silva could perhaps be faulted for not contributing enough to the team, and hence their return to Ghana and Brazil respectively.
But Jerkovic's symbiotic partnership in the middle of the field with Rosmin has been the foundation the team's two S-League seasons were built on seasons in which they won the Singapore League Cup twice and finished runners-up last term.
There has been talk of former English Premier League players Luis Boa Morte and Pascal Chimbonda joining the club, but the club have not gone on record to confirm their arrival yet.
DPMM FC coach Vjeran Simunic, who called the S-League Coach of the Year award he won last Sunday as the "crown" of his time at DPMM FC, knows just how important continuity is for success.
Despite not having played competitively for two years, the club have enhanced their reputation by finishing second last campaign and winning the Singapore League Cup for the second time and the pressure is definitely on the team to produce next season.
For that to happen though, they need experienced heads the like of Jerkovic, 33, and Pg Sallehuddin, 39, to lead by example.
Training resumes on Tuesday, but unlike last season, there will be a few familiar faces missing at the Jerudong Mini Stadium Croatian Ivan Jerkovic (pic) the most notable.
The highly-experienced central midfielder who was surprisingly released with two other imports was considered one of the team's elder statesmen alongside captain Rosmin Hj Mohd Kamis and vice-captain Pg Sallehuddin Pg Hj Damit.
Highly respected by players and fans alike, the club's decision to release the calm and composed Jerkovic who netted six goals and laid on 15 - is dumbfounding, especially since it does not look like they have a replacement lined up.
Strikers Osman Basiru and Patrick Roberto Daniel Da Silva could perhaps be faulted for not contributing enough to the team, and hence their return to Ghana and Brazil respectively.
But Jerkovic's symbiotic partnership in the middle of the field with Rosmin has been the foundation the team's two S-League seasons were built on seasons in which they won the Singapore League Cup twice and finished runners-up last term.
There has been talk of former English Premier League players Luis Boa Morte and Pascal Chimbonda joining the club, but the club have not gone on record to confirm their arrival yet.
DPMM FC coach Vjeran Simunic, who called the S-League Coach of the Year award he won last Sunday as the "crown" of his time at DPMM FC, knows just how important continuity is for success.
Despite not having played competitively for two years, the club have enhanced their reputation by finishing second last campaign and winning the Singapore League Cup for the second time and the pressure is definitely on the team to produce next season.
For that to happen though, they need experienced heads the like of Jerkovic, 33, and Pg Sallehuddin, 39, to lead by example.
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