Leaving On A High
Romanian coach
Niculae Stanca was as eccentric as always, as he kickstarted the club's end-of-season gathering with the announcement many had been awaiting with bated breath. "After long consideration, I have chosen to step down." Stanca informed the crowd, as if in passing. "
Djan Bacelar has been cleared by the board to take over. I trust that all of you know him well, so there's no need for me to elaborate on the appointment."
The bombshell had hardly sunk in, when Stanca continued what would be his farewell address. "It has been a great adventure, which has concluded with some major silverware at last. It was a very hard choice to make, and family commitments won out at the end. Best of luck to all of you."
As speeches go, it was short and not particularly eloquent, but the standing ovation that followed indicated just how much Stanca will be missed.
As prearranged between the two, Bacelar took over from here, and after crediting his mentor, began with the Player of the Year presentation.
Wong Ping Shun claimed the honours with his energetic wing actions, and of course his Cup final brace, while academy favourites
Tian Yonghang and
Zhao Jing Wei could not be separated, officially winding up in a dead heat for second.
The Young Player award was taken by goalkeeper Rupesh Sharma, who had just officially graduated from the Chicken Wings. The gangly teenager was clearly unaccustomed to wearing a suit, but as opposing forwards have found, he is much more at home defending a goal. Xavier Kee and Yuta Nakakita rounded out the nominees, and one of these two sixteen year-olds should be selected next time round, if they develop as anticipated.
Both winners made perfunctory statements, after which it fell on Bacelar to go deeper into his plans for Grilled. The Brazilian could not be accused of lacking boldness, as he informed the players that there would be a huge top-to-bottom shakeup.
"Niculae's done a superb job, but we're not
exactly the same." Bacelar reminded his audience, as Stanca nodded. "Some of the backroom staff will be leaving too, so expect to see new faces around. Of course, Grilled will keep our signature attacking style, but with added emphasis on movement, which we have actually already been going towards with all that endurance training."
Ignoring the few groans that ensued, Bacelar then made it clear that he expected the Birds to make waves. "One other thing I have to thank Niculae for, is passing me this squad." he claimed. "As a coach, I can only imagine how painful it was to walk away now. I hope no-one here thinks that I am joking, when I say that this collection of talent is second to none in the country!"
"We have excellent, proven players at all positions, and as we have shown with our Cup journey, we can beat any given team, on our day. With most of our key men peaking over the next few seasons, the club can aim for no less than
the S-League return, or defending the Cup - and why not both?"
Bacelar concluded by declaring that he felt the squad was largely complete, but that he would not count out additions - only that they had to be truly unique options. "Some top midfielders have recently come available at very tempting prices, but they're not quite what we are missing right now. If I had to pick, wingback may be where we're thinnest, but then it's not a position that we tend to use."
