Zooming Zywczyn
Faced with their first ever Singapore Cup final, Grilled's administration got caught up in the fever and approved the release of S$11 million from the club's coffers for an immediate beef-up of the squad. "It was earmarked for next season, but when you've got to spend, you got to spend." club director Wee Han Chung shrugged.
"It would indeed be painful if we didn't win it, and knew that there were all those fat stacks of cash in some vault somewhere that could have changed the game," supporter Caleb Hon concurred. "Dollar bills can't grow legs and play for you, Grilled have always been a football club first and a business entity second."
Unsurprisingly, the money was spent on a department where observers often pick out as Grilled's Achilles heel - the defence. "They've got plenty of talent in midfield, Wai-Kin, van Liere and of course Martinsson up there, and Sulaiman in goal. But what do they have in defence? Bona's ok and Falkbo's experienced but old." Hon explained.
So it happens that Polish 24 year-old
Sylweriusz Zywczyn came to Grilled, to shoulder a fullback spot in a cup final debut. "I'm on two yellows already, so a caution or an injury in the league would put me out," Zywczyn explained through a translator. "and the coach explicitly said he didn't get me so I could watch the finals on the bench."
Certainly a stressful entrance to the Singaporean game, but Zywczyn had another issue to address before that. Painfully aware of reporters gloriously mangling his name, Zywczyn requested with a sigh that they refer to him as "Sid". "No different from Sweden," he said. "I think part of the reason why Canadian side CanuckleHeads sold me on after two weeks was because their supporters couldn't pronounce my name."
Luis Alcántara announced that Zywczyn would almost certainly be his last major buy as Grilled's coach, but he is confident that this final legacy will be long-lasting. "Having played in defence for years, it's not hard to ignore the average guys. I've had my eye on Zywczyn and Tommy Mellholt for months, and when Regional FC snapped up Mellholt earlier today I knew it was now or never.'
Now that Zywczyn has swopped the all-red of Sagbab (Swedish Division Three) for the green and black of Grilled, the curtain has probably closed forever on one of Grilled's most loyal servants. "It's been a wonderful career," 33 year-old defender
Lan Tuan-Mu said wistfully. "So many seasons, so many titles. Couldn't have chosen better."
Tuan-Mu laughed off rumours that he was angry at being left out of the Cup final, however. "Look, I'm already an unofficial assistant coach here. I'm also a father already, and that's taught me a lot about situations like this. Strictly speaking I belong in the third division, I have no illusions about that. They tell me that I have the most starts of any Grilled player, and that's enough for me."
