Can't Do No Wong
For all of Stanca's soft-spoken pleading that good goalkeepers were hard to find, the cunning coach waited no more than a day to unveil a name that was bound to please the masses. For S$9.7 million to Division Seven side Kampfansage CF, the Birds got 25 year-old former Phantasm Hotspurs man
Wong Tian Han back from Germany.
The fifth most-expensive transfer ever in Grilled history is, in Stanca's own words, meant to settle the club's goalkeeping situation for the next ten seasons, and the coach freely admitted that he had staked his reputation on the move working out. "I wasn't lying about them being rare, but we have been tracking Wong for a long time. Therefore, once we scrounged up the funds, we made the offer, and it went through."
"Now I can reveal that our other main target was Brunei Hornets' former Singapore U-20 goalie Idris Zain, but while he has youth on his side, his skills are not as mature as Wong's just yet. Either of them would have been excellent buys, but with Wong we'll be getting someone who's entering his peak."
While Wong might not quite measure up to the Birds' former cast of custodians in terms of international caps, what he does have to make up for it is his in-depth awareness of all the nuances of defensive play, gained from seasons of cross-training as a defender. Further distinguishing him from the rest, Wong has even scored, from open play in the league against Fc Vogelweide three seasons ago.
Wong had three month-long stints at other sides before becoming a Kampfansage regular, beginning with a much-covered transfer from Italy's us gardolo to current American Division Three side Miowara's Revenge. Georgia didn't suit him, however, and it was back to Italy with Firenze a.c. before crossing the border.
The club's faithful were certainly ecstatic at the development. "Finally! Now I feel excited all over again!" contractor Paul Mike Chan whooped.
