Steve Weaver is currently an under-21 coach in the Swiss league, but prior to that, he served a few tenures with a number of S.League clubs, namely Hougang, and the Warriors.

In an interview with Football Tribe, Weaver explained what he thought was the problem with Singapore football as a whole.

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Hierarchy issues

His first concern is rather similar to problems that plague most civil servants here.

Namely, issues of hierarchy.

"I was undermined by the staff, but this wasn’t a deliberate attempt to be negative. It was the culture for them.

Everyone would report back to the Chairman -- people in the board, the office staff, and even the Prime League coach.

I felt like an island at Hougang, very isolated with not much control. It was impossible for me to adapt but I had to accept it."

Please revert.

It got so bad that he was allegedly told over email that he was to watch the matches from the stands instead.

I was then told by email to sit in the stands and watch the team play. I feel this was the cheaper option for them because if they had sacked me, they would have to pay me compensation.

Inconsistent schedules

Another gripe raised by Weaver was how much tangential events could throw off the schedule for the S.League.

For example, the Southeast Asian games led to a one month delay in the S.League, which threw off the momentum of clubs.

"However, the one-month break did us no favors as things started going wrong fast. Along with a couple of injuries, I also lost Nicolas Velez to Indian Super League side NorthEast United."

Which led to a retread to the first point.

"So instead of recognising that the coaching staff had won the league and done well with a limited squad and then pull together and rebuild the core of the team, the management took the easy decision and changed the coach."

So, what can be done?

Some of his recommendations include revamping the youth set-up, from taking a stricter view on diet and training, to improving the general standard of youth training in Singapore.

But Weaver was quick to emphasise that whatever changes are carried out, it cannot be purely cosmetic.

"If you were to ask me if V. Sundramoorthy is the right man for the National Team, look at it this way. You could have Antonio Conte or Jose Mourinho as the head coach and nothing would change."

Hard truths

He also provided this anecdote which served to highlight the chicken-and-egg situation Singapore football is currently struggling with.

Take Daniel Bennett for example. 136 caps for Singapore, he’s been so successful here but he could walk around Orchard Road and no one will approach him to say hello and ask for an autograph. It’s bizarre!

Do people have to care for the S.League to improve, or does the S.League have to improve for the people to care?

*Gigantic Shrug*

H/T: Football Tribe