He speaks halting English, but Tatsuma Yoshida's ambition is clear.
The new national coach wants to restore Singapore's position as South-east Asia's top side with an attacking brand of football.
The Lions failed to reach the semi-finals of the last three AFF Suzuki Cups and trail Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar and Indonesia in the world rankings.
Despite having a translator in the form of Albirex Niigata Under-15s coach Ryo Ishibashi, Yoshida made a conscious effort to field questions on his own in English during his unveiling at the Jalan Besar Stadium yesterday.
He told The Straits Times: "The shorter-term target is the World Cup qualifiers, which I hope we can surprise (a few teams).
"The longer-term target, we want to be top of Asean. Currently, we are in the middle. Step by step, we will get there."
The 44-year-old is the first Japanese, and the youngest coach in this millennium, to lead Singapore.
Yoshida factfile
• Born in Chiba prefecture on June 9, 1974.
• A central midfielder, he began his playing career with hometown club Kashiwa Reysol before turning out for Kyoto Sanga and Montedio Yamagata.
• In 2002, he signed for Jurong FC and played under V. Sundram Moorthy, then player-coach for the Cobras.
• Retired in 2002 and returned to Reysol, where he rose through the ranks from youth-team coach to technical director and then the head coach. While at Reysol, he helped to produce national players like Marseille right-back Hiroki Sakai. When he was Reysol's sports director, they won the J1 League (2011), Emperor's Cup (2012) and J-League Cup (2013).
• He spent one season each as head coach of Reysol (2015) and Albirex Niigata (2016).
• His last head coach assignment was at Ventforet Kofu from 2017 to last year.
RECENT SINGAPORE COACHES' RECORDS
RADDY AVRAMOVIC (2003-12) P130 W45 D31 L54 GD-14
BERND STANGE (2013-16) P35 W15 D4 L16 GD-8
V. SUNDRAM MOORTHY (2016-18, includes interim stint) P23 W3 D6 L14 GD-25
FANDI AHMAD (2018, interim) P8 W5 D1 L2 GD+7
NAZRI NASIR (2019, caretaker) P2 W1 D1 L0 GD+1
P: Played, W: Win, D: Draw, L: Lose, GD: Goal difference
He has been appointed on a two-year deal and replaces V. Sundram Moorthy, who was the last permanent Singapore coach before he vacated the post in April last year.
Since then, former national captains Fandi Ahmad and Nazri Nasir have both served on an interim and caretaker basis.
Yoshida's first assignments will be the upcoming international home friendlies against Solomon Islands (June 8) and Myanmar (June 11). The Lions will then await the World Cup qualifiers draw in July, with the games to commence from September.
He said: "I am honoured to be appointed Singapore's national team coach and thankful for the trust that FAS has placed in me. This position bears heavy responsibilities which I will undertake with commitment and pride.
"While I am aware that this is no easy task, I believe in the potential that Singapore football has to reach greater heights and success on the international stage and look forward to embarking on this journey with the players and fans.
"Teamwork is crucial in order for us to succeed, which is why I am pleased to have local legends like (national Under-22 coach) Fandi and Nazri (assistant national coach) on board this journey.
"The synergy in my partnership with Fandi will be of utmost importance as the Under-22 team are critical to the long-term objectives of the national team."
The former Kashiwa Reysol, Albirex Niigata and Ventforet Kofu coach told ST that he had watched Singapore play in last year's AFF Suzuki Cup and liked the team's organisation and defence.
The former Jurong FC midfielder said: "The pressing was good, but we want to go to the next step.
"It is important to make good use of possession and I want to improve the team's attack, build-up play, and penetration into the box to get the goals. I believe in the Lions, myself, my staff, and FAS... We are one. I believe in my abilities and knowledge."
The FAS earlier this month appointed 53-year-old Australian Joseph Palatsides as its new technical director after Belgian Michel Sablon stepped down last December.
FAS president Lim Kia Tong explained Yoshida was recommended by Japan FA's technical department and his youth development expertise - he had produced national players like Marseille defender Hiroki Sakai - matched what the FAS was looking for.
Stressing the FAS' expectations of improving on their current world No. 160 ranking, Lim added: "He brings with him the exemplary attitude, strict discipline and hard work that the Japanese are known for.
"We are convinced he will be able to bring about the high-intensity, fast-moving football style that we and the fans are looking for."
Lions skipper Hariss Harun is looking forward to working with the new coach, and urged all stakeholders to get on the same page.
The 28-year-old midfielder said: "It is normal for people to question his credentials, but it is also possible we can achieve success with him. It is not just up to him, but down to the whole system to help Singapore football achieve what we want.
"We can see his excitement and energy. His English may be limited but, so far, we have no problem understanding him. Ultimately, the players need to work hard to get the job done."
'Once levels fall below 500 pg/ml (picograms per millilitre — the normal range being 500 to 1,000), the brain starts to deteriorate at twice the usual rate, making memory loss six times more
SINGAPORE - Maurizio Sarri should be given more time as Chelsea manager, but the club's success next season will also depend greatly on whether it succeeds in getting a transfer ban lifted.. Read
Football: Chelsea's success next season hinges on transfer
City and Liverpool leave chasing pack facing tough summer. Martyn Herman. Tottenham's late-season Premier League collapse saw them go from outside title contenders to scrambling into fourth
City and Liverpool leave chasing pack facing tough summer
Aguero inches City closer to title Agencies Updated Sergio Aguero's 20th Premier League goal of the season left Manchester City just two wins from the title after a hard-fought 1-0 victory
Aguero inches Man City closer to title - sports.yahoo.com
Football: Spain in charge of Group F after beating Sweden | The Star Online 5 hours ago MADRID (Reuters) - Spain made it four wins out of 4 and took control of their Euro 2020 qualifying neighborhood via beating closest rivals Sweden 3-0 on Monday after overpowering the visitors within the second part with two consequences and a overdue strike
Flipboard: Spain in charge in qualifying quest after beating
(1977) Among whispers of Pittsburgh Police corruption, George Lee, who's "massage parlors" are under investigation, is found shot dead in a 7 th street parking lot in downtown. (2002) The Panthers reach the AP top ten for the first time in 14 seasons, part of 32 consecutive weeks nationally ranked.
Guyana Chronicle E-paper 09-21-2018 - issuu.com
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho says he has forgiven Chelsea coach Marco Ianni for his celebration of Ross Barkley's late equaliser.As Chelsea scored
Man Utd news: Jose Mourinho has his say on Red Devils
Football: Liverpool 'did all we could' in Premier League race, says Klopp Liverpool's German manager Jurgen Klopp applauds at the end of the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Klopp : Liverpool 'did all we could' in Premier League race
Aston Villa's Jack Grealish was punched by a pitch-invading Birmingham fan in a shocking incident during Sunday's Championship clash, but the midfielder had the last laugh as he scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over their bitter rivals. Grealish was in the Birmingham penalty area in the 10th
Jack Grealish latest: Man charged with assault gets death
Silverware matters most to Emery as Arsenal aim to win for missing Mkhitaryan. The build-up to this London derby European final has been marred by Henrikh Mkhitaryan's decision not to travel for
Silverware matters most to Emery as Arsenal aim to win for
Double PAP(Pack--A-Punch) will cause an attachment to be changed. Only the weapons that are in Black Ops 2 Multiplayer can be Pack-A-Punched more than one time. So, for instance,
Claw Hammers available from Bunnings Warehouse
Barcelona boss gives Antoine Griezmann transfer update as summer move looms. Griezmann is expected to join Barcelona after being La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid's top scorer for the last five seasons
News24 - Barcelona boss gives Antoine Griezmann transfer
Football: Tampines Rovers thrash Home United 5-1 to top
Dutch not favourites against struggling Germany - Van Dijk. The Dutch beat the Germans 3-0 at home last October and came from behind with two late goals to force a 2-2 draw away in Gelsenkirchen
Van Dijk: Dutch not favourites against struggling Germany | IOL
