Former Lion Noh Alam Shah wants to prove Singapore ‘doesn’t need foreign coaches’
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Former AFF Championship winning Lions Isa Halim (left) and Noh Alam Shah are currently on a coaching attachment with J.League side Tokyo Verdy.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF TOKYO VERDY
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SINGAPORE – Former Singapore international Noh Alam Shah led the attack for the Lions from 2001 to 2010, scoring 34 goals in 80 games and helping them lift the Asean Football Federation Championship trophy in 2004 and 2007.
Now 43, the former Tampines Rovers striker wants to lead the national team to more glory as a coach.
The journey to improve his coaching knowledge has taken him and former Lions midfield linchpin Isa Halim to Japan on a coaching attachment with Tokyo Verdy, where they have been immersed in the day-to-day running of a top-tier J.League club.
The pair, who both hold Asian Football Confederation A licences, started their stint on May 24 and will remain in Japan until the end of 2024.
They are the inaugural batch of participants for the Coaches Overseas Attachment programme, a new initiative which is part of the Unleash The Roar! (UTR) national football project.
Tokyo Verdy are currently 11th in the 20-team J1 League. Their former assistant coach Tsutomu Ogura is now the Lions’ coach after taking the job in February.
Singapore have had a number of foreign coaches through the years. Their last permanent local coach was V. Sundramoorthy, whose stint was from May 2016 to April 2018.
Speaking to The Straits Times from Tokyo, Alam Shah said: “My goal is to prove to Singapore that actually we don’t need foreign coaches to do the job.
“When I was a player, I felt that I’m a striker and that I can score goals for Singapore, so why do we need foreigners? It is the same thing. My passion never died down. A local coach will be the one to carry Singapore forward.
“I hope to do this with a group of good coaches, including Isa and anyone who has the same passion for Singapore.”
Isa, 38, who was previously coach for the Woodlands branch of the ActiveSG Football Academy and the Singapore Sports School’s football team, agreed.
He said: “I had the honour and opportunity to represent my country, and I know what it feels like to win as a player for Singapore. I want to be able to represent Singapore as a coach and win something. I think we have the capabilities, but not the trust yet.”
The duo were selected by a technical committee to be the inaugural batch of the UTR programme, which will see promising Singapore coaches given the opportunities to upskill through attachments with overseas football clubs.
While the pair admitted that they miss their families and friends back home, their coaching stint has been rewarding and “eye-opening”.
They are assisting Tokyo Verdy coach Hiroshi Jofuku’s backroom staff and help with the planning and execution of training sessions for the first team, as well as the youth teams.
Isa Halim in training as a Tokyo Verdy player looks on.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF TOKYO VERDY
While observers here often point to the need to raise the intensity of matches and for players to up the ante in training, Alam Shah said he has learnt that the intensity of coaching is important too, “because the players’ attitude is dictated by the coaches’ output”.
He added: “The coaches must be active and doing something at all times and not be comfortable and relaxing.
“When the players look at it, they react to it. This is something that is lacking in Singapore. In the Singapore Premier League, the head coach does everything. No one monitors him.
“Here everyone is observed right up to the kit man. Everyone is on their toes. In the professional setting, everyone pushes one another.”
Isa, who was part of the Lions squad who clinched the 2007 and 2012 AFF Championship titles, said: “I always believe that a team are always a reflection of the coach. If the coaches show the intensity... this will rub off on the players. The small details really matter.
“The sessions here are shorter but they are sharp. Players report as early as 8.30am for their own stretches. Training starts at 11am and it usually lasts about an hour, then they head for lunch and then go for massage and gym. The last player leaves the club at about 4pm.”
Noh Alam Shah speaking to Tokyo Verdy player Soma Meshino in training.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF TOKYO VERDY
However, Alam Shah pointed out that Singapore clubs may not have the same resources as their Japanese counterparts, noting that it is something to look into.
He hopes to share the lessons with local coaches and the football fraternity to help raise standards here. He added: “The environment matters a lot. Isa and I will come back as better coaches because the environment in Japan dictates us to be better.”
