Hougang United fans pride themselves on their ability to bring English style chanting to the Singapore game. Well, last night at Toa Payoh Stadium they missed out on a goody. Days after the Football Association had slapped a number of fines and suspensions on the club for their role in the recent brawl with players from Etoile the small band pf away fans should have been raising the roof with vitriol aimed at the FA for the perceived injustice meted out the other day.
If humanity has achieved anything after our 2,000 years on this poncey rock it's how to play the victim card. And, thanks to an omnipresent media, it's a card we deal time and time again.
Football clubs do it all the time. George Graham in his Arsenal days played it all the time. And with good reason considering the bias towards certain teams in them days. It continues now. Jose Mourinho loves playing the victime. Even Sir Alex Ferguson has been known to bleat about how things are so unfair on the odd, very odd, occasion a ref gives a decision the grate one desires.
But this is Singapore and people here are so polite.
Maybe the Hougang players, unfortunately nicknamed The Cheetahs, had been stoked up with injustice. Certainly they went for the Balestier jugular from the get go and ended up with a stunning 4-2 victory, their crucial game winning goals coming right at the death of a vaguely entertaining game.
Jordan Webb gave the visitors the lead in the first half. Two goals in three second half minutes by Mark McGeogh gave the home team the advantage, an advantage they enjoyed for fully four minutes before Carlos Delgado equalised on 69 minutes.
The veteran Noor Ali and Jordan Webb with his second in injury time made sure the points headed north east.
When known as Sengkang Punggol Hougang rarely troubled anyone. Goals were like a whale's pregnancy and defeats were like grass. Everywhere. Not now. They sit 7th, even after losing five points. Jordan Webb has scored nine of their 29, yes 29, goals. Only Home United, Tampines Rovers, Albirex Niigata and SAFFC have scored more halfway through the season.
The problem for The Cheetahs, apart from their ridiculous nickname, is at the other end. They have shipped 29 goals, only Balestier Khalsa, Tanjong Pagar and Woodlands Wellington have conceded more.
But 58 goals in 16 games!
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