Heading into a third of the 2024/25 Singapore Premier League (SPL) season, a consensus has yet to be reached among the Geylang International faithful on whether Rudy Khairullah has staked his claim as the club's first-choice keeper.
Since replacing Hairul Syirhan in the match against Tampines Rovers last month, the former Lion City Sailors (LCS) player - who made his loan move to Geylang permanent at the start of this campaign - had conceded 11 goals in five games, keeping one clean sheet during this sequence.
Hardcore Eagles fan Ato, better known by his moniker 'Staircase88', feels that the jury is still out on whether head coach Noor Ali will hand Rudy the number 1 spot in the long term.
"Frankly, he hasn't cemented the #1 jersey for this season yet. I think the gaffer must trust that he is able to play week in, week out. This will give him a confidence boost!"
For fellow supporter Nas Marjuki, he believes Rudy has earned his place as the top goalkeeping choice and urges fans to not judge his performance solely on statistics.
"One should remember that in almost every game he made some acrobatic saves, at times saving the team from losing a bigger margin, or keeping the scoreline to our advantage."
According to Martini Abdul Talib, a well-intentioned critic of Hairul, it is not for the fans to determine on who should be the starting goalkeeper for the Eagles.
Showing no favouritism in her remarks, she says, "Whoever Coach Noor Ali decides to play on matchday, we have to respect his decision. After all, he sees the players behind the scenes, during trainings, and therefore is in a more capable position to judge. As our saying goes, 'In Noor Ali we trust!'"
Regardless of Rudy's future with the storied eastern Singapore club, the 30-year-old is at an age where goalkeepers are at or approaching their peak.
Sensing that he still has room to fulfil his full potential, Nas highlights areas where he can improve: better distribution and decision-making when defending set pieces.
Rudy - who found himself hopping between SPL clubs throughout an unsettled football career due to a lack of consistent first-team opportunities - is blessed to have a coaching setup that can support his development.
As elaborated by Ato, "He must take the chance to gain every experience and advice from our ex-national goalkeeper Rezal Hassan while in every training session and match."
Should Noor like what he sees from Rudy on the training ground and keep faith with his current goalkeeping choice, the latter faces the prospect of going against his ex-employers LCS at Bishan Stadium this Friday (August 30).
Clocking a mere five appearances for LCS between 2020 and 2023, not helped by the disruption of two loan stints at Balestier and Geylang, the journeyman is out to prove what his former club is missing out on.
Rudy's task in preventing the Sailors from putting the ball into the net would be a big ask. It is already hard to play behind a leaky defence that has kept only two clean sheets all season. The difficulty bar is further raised when facing a wounded title heavyweights who are on a mission to bounce back from their shock consecutive losses to Borneo and Albirex Niigata.
Yet, some diehard Eagles supporters believe that there is hope for Rudy to take the game to LCS so long as he focuses on a few aspects of his play.
"Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate," stresses Nas. "With Geylang often playing possession-based football, he may not see any action in between attacking plays. He needs to be aware of his surroundings throughout the 90 minutes."
For Ato, it is key for Rudy to communicate well with his backline. "Be more vocal towards your defenders. Shout at them to alert for potential dangers coming towards your goal."
While few in the local football fratenity will give the 1.81m custodian a chance to prevail in his battle against the star-studded LCS, Martini advises him to not overthink and in fact, to enter into a zen state of mind as soon as the first whistle is blown.
"Every game starts on a clean slate. Forget what blunders or shortcomings you encountered in the previous games. Remember the lessons, not the mistakes, as the match progresses," the vocal supporter offers her warm encouragement.
Team news: Huzaifah Aziz (anterior cruciate ligament) and Naufal Azman (ankle) are the only two players to be ruled out for the much-anticipated clash with the Sailors.
Comments