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1 Jul 2012
JC: Today we have with us the manager of Indonesian First Division side Kendari Utama, Abraham Tan. Abraham, what is it like being a Singaporean managing in Indonesia?
AT: To be honest with you, it's not easy. For the first couple of seasons I hated life here. I'm sure you guys still remember the Geylang Utd job application leak, hahaha! But I've settled well and I'm completely focused on the football.
JC: Good to hear that you're finally starting to enjoy it here. You were pretty active this summer, and your new signings should be coming in today. How do you feel?
AT: I am confident that there is already a lot of potential at Kendari, and by making investments in good players, I think we can really push for a promotion spot this coming season. It took me a good couple of seasons to get a feel for a realistic timeline in terms of achievements, but I'm now ready to spend. So I'm thrilled to be able to finally make a push for a promotion spot, and I think that these signings will help us progress.
JC: Care to introduce your new signings to us?
AT: Sure; first off we have Hendro Siswanto and M. Husein. These two attacking midfielders should pose a definite threat to our opponents back 4. We saw last year that we have a star in Solekan, who came runner up for the Top Goalscorer award. These two players will complement him very well.
Secondly we have Nugrahanto, to replace our goalkeeper Setiawan. Setiawan performed far too poorly last season, and he's left us a couple of weeks ago. Nugrahanto is a talented goalkeeper and I have no doubts that he can fill Setiawan's shoes and then some.
Astawa and Mustakim are both quality fullbacks and they will add excellent depth to our current backline. Astawa is only 19 and he's showing a lot of promise. I think we'll be seeing a lot of him in future.
Lastly, As'ari and Fandhi, we had the two of them on loan last season and they gave some good performances for us.
JC: That's a lot of them! You've been very strict with your finances during your term at Kendari, with the club reporting close to 25% profits consistently for three seasons. But with the new stadium being built this year, are the wage demands going be a problem for you?
AT: Marati and the board know my stance on finances, and I feel that now is the time to spend. The new stadium will stretch us, but we have been doing well and there is no reason to worry that this spending will hurt us.
JC: I appreciate your confidence Abraham. Who do you think will be your rivals for the qualification spots this year?
AT: Blora is definitely going to be one of them. They've been pushing us hard in the league for the past three seasons, and I don't see why they won't give us a run for our money this year. The other team would have to be Mauro Jambi, they topped our group in 2009, and they've had two years in the Premier Division in 2010 and 2011. That kind of experience is hard to compete with.
JC: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, and good luck with the season!
1 Jul 2012
JC: Today we have with us the manager of Indonesian First Division side Kendari Utama, Abraham Tan. Abraham, what is it like being a Singaporean managing in Indonesia?
AT: To be honest with you, it's not easy. For the first couple of seasons I hated life here. I'm sure you guys still remember the Geylang Utd job application leak, hahaha! But I've settled well and I'm completely focused on the football.
JC: Good to hear that you're finally starting to enjoy it here. You were pretty active this summer, and your new signings should be coming in today. How do you feel?
AT: I am confident that there is already a lot of potential at Kendari, and by making investments in good players, I think we can really push for a promotion spot this coming season. It took me a good couple of seasons to get a feel for a realistic timeline in terms of achievements, but I'm now ready to spend. So I'm thrilled to be able to finally make a push for a promotion spot, and I think that these signings will help us progress.
JC: Care to introduce your new signings to us?
AT: Sure; first off we have Hendro Siswanto and M. Husein. These two attacking midfielders should pose a definite threat to our opponents back 4. We saw last year that we have a star in Solekan, who came runner up for the Top Goalscorer award. These two players will complement him very well.
Secondly we have Nugrahanto, to replace our goalkeeper Setiawan. Setiawan performed far too poorly last season, and he's left us a couple of weeks ago. Nugrahanto is a talented goalkeeper and I have no doubts that he can fill Setiawan's shoes and then some.
Astawa and Mustakim are both quality fullbacks and they will add excellent depth to our current backline. Astawa is only 19 and he's showing a lot of promise. I think we'll be seeing a lot of him in future.
Lastly, As'ari and Fandhi, we had the two of them on loan last season and they gave some good performances for us.
JC: That's a lot of them! You've been very strict with your finances during your term at Kendari, with the club reporting close to 25% profits consistently for three seasons. But with the new stadium being built this year, are the wage demands going be a problem for you?
AT: Marati and the board know my stance on finances, and I feel that now is the time to spend. The new stadium will stretch us, but we have been doing well and there is no reason to worry that this spending will hurt us.
JC: I appreciate your confidence Abraham. Who do you think will be your rivals for the qualification spots this year?
AT: Blora is definitely going to be one of them. They've been pushing us hard in the league for the past three seasons, and I don't see why they won't give us a run for our money this year. The other team would have to be Mauro Jambi, they topped our group in 2009, and they've had two years in the Premier Division in 2010 and 2011. That kind of experience is hard to compete with.
JC: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, and good luck with the season!
