Do you know the name of your favourite football team's assistant coach? For most people, the answer is "no".

And when was the last time you heard of the assistant coach, instead of the head coach, receiving essentially all the credit for a team's outstanding performance? For most people, the answer is very likely "never".

But there's one country in the football world in which "never" is no longer the correct answer. Singapore has apparently achieved another first.

If you've read this report in The Straits Times yesterday, you might have noticed something very unusual.

Doesn't it seem like national coach Bernd Stange only had a minor supporting role in the Lions' improbable 0-0 draw with Japan in Tuesday's (June 16) World Cup qualifier?

What's equally improbable is that we have now seen a media report in which a team's assistant coaches are hogging the limelight instead of the head coach.

Singapore's superb showing in Japan was preceded by recent victories against footballing minnows Bangladesh, Brunei and Cambodia.

Explaining their four-match unbeaten streak, the players pointed to "the addition of local legends Fandi Ahmad and V. Sundramoorthy to the coaching set-up as a key reason" and said that "the pair add confidence and an assuring presence in the dressing room".

Captain Hariss Harun said that "The presence of both Sundram and Fandi has been crucial..." and “Having two big legends like them around is a big motivation for us. When they pass on instructions and explain things to us, you can see how much everyone listens and wants to work their socks off for them".

How about Stange? The report made no mention of the players talking about the German sexagenarian. Did the Lions not give any credit to their head coach? Don't the players also listen to Stange's instructions intently and want to work their socks off for him? If not, why not?

If the players prefer either Sundram or Fandi to be their head coach, then Stange's days in Singapore could be numbered.

But If the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) puts a premium on European coaching experience, then Sundram and Fandi may have to play second fiddle to Stange for some time yet.

The next level

The FAS has been talking about taking Singapore football to the next level for many years. A good measure of progress to the next level is whether the Lions can beat, or at least avoid losing to, higher-ranked teams from outside the lowly ASEAN region in competitive matches.

On this count, Stange appears to have done better than his predecessor, Serbian Raddy Avramović.

Within two years of coaching the national team, Stange twice helped the Lions reach 'the next level'. Besides shutting out the Japanese on Tuesday, Singapore had beaten Syria 2-1 in an October 2013 Asian Cup qualifier. During the Serbian's last three years in charge, the Lions played against similar opposition eight times and lost every time.

However, Stange's October 2013 success appeared to be a flash in the pan. Only a month after beating Syria, the Lions lost 0-4 to the same team. That was followed by two 1-3 losses to Middle Eastern teams in early 2014.

Whether the Lions' performance in Japan was merely a one-off remains to be seen.

Some former national players have said it's "nothing to get too excited about".

Let's see how the Lions handle the heat in their next World Cup qualifier in September against... Syria.

Michael Y.P. Ang is a Singaporean freelance journalist. In 1999, he was among the core group of journalists who helped launch Channel NewsAsia, where he covered sport for several years. He had also worked at the former Singapore Sports Council. Follow his Facebook page Michael Ang Sports for his commentaries on sport in Singapore.