SINGAPORE -- It has happened again.
For the fourth time in six years, Singapore are searching for a new coach after the abrupt departure of Tsutomu Ogura on Tuesday.
The Football Association of Singapore confirmed that the Japanese would be stepping down due to "the need to return to his home country to attend to pressing personal matters" despite "collective efforts and a mutual desire to sustain the working relationship".
It is a similar situation after the popular Tatsuma Yoshida, the first of three consecutive Japanese hires by the FAS, cited a desire to be closer to his family as a reason to leave the Lions at the end of 2021 following a stirring run to the semifinals of the ASEAN Championship.
So Singapore are now searching for yet another person at the helm.
But how will the relatively short reign of Ogura be viewed following its premature end?
Where it all began
Ogura was only appointed last February and was not only tasked with the senior national team, but also given oversight of the Under-23/22 team as part of a strategic move to ensure "seamless coordination and synergy between the men's senior and U-23/22 squads" -- as stated by the FAS in a statement announcing his appointment back then.
The 61-year-old notably only had one previous head coaching job -- a brief spell in charge of Omiya Ardija.
Instead, his credentials were better illustrated in the form of an assistant role with the Japan national team, as well as a four-year stint as sporting director of J1 League powerhouses Yokohama F. Marinos.
While his relative lack of stature might have made him a slightly underwhelming appointment, his arrival still did provide Singaporean football with some form of optimism given it was expected that he could not do any worse than predecessor Takayuki Nishigaya.
Nishigaya himself was not helped by the fact he was following in the footsteps of another compatriot in Yoshida, who actually had the worst win record of the Japanese trio but memorably led the Lions with plenty of gusto -- which helped get fans on his side.
On the contrary, Nishigaya was a far more reserved figure both on the sidelines and while in front of cameras.
Unlike Yoshida and Ogura, Nishigaya also failed to reach the semifinals of the ASEAN Championship in 2022 after Singapore were eliminated by a humbling 4-1 loss to bitter rivals Malaysia -- a result which understandably did not go down well with supporters.
While Nishigaya still stayed in charge for another year, a poor run of results that were deemed by the FAS to be "below expectation" ultimately led to his sacking in January 2024.
The very next month, Ogura was handed the reins.
Will Ogura be looked back on as a success?
Considering he departed after just 16 months at the helm and did not even see out the original contract he signed, it will be difficult to suggest that Ogura was a successful appointment.
His first match in charge promises plenty as Singapore came from two goals down to claim a stirring 2-2 draw against superior opposition in the form of China, in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup no less.
Nonetheless, it was soon followed by a humbling 7-0 home loss to South Korea. Losing by such a big margin to a team of South Korea's quality is hardly an embarrassment but the way they were completely outplayed did suggest there was plenty of work to be done.
At the end of last year, Singapore did just enough to qualify for the semifinals of the ASEAN Championship.
They defeated Cambodia and Timor-Leste, which they would have been expected to on paper, but by margins that were arguably slimmer than supporters might have hoped for.
A loss to Thailand was always on the cards but Singapore then toiled to a 0-0 draw against Malaysia to advance at the expense of the old enemy.
The next assignment proved a bridge too far as they lost 5-1 on aggregate to eventual champions Vietnam.
Curiously, it is perhaps results in friendly matches that ignited the most dissatisfaction among the Lions faithful.
Losses to Chinese Taipei and Nepal, both below Singapore in the FIFA world rankings, rankled fans given they had seemed ideal opportunities to show the progress being made under Ogura.
Even in the ongoing qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, results have failed to match expectations despite Singapore being unbeaten in their opening two Group C games.
Where does this leave Singapore?
It is indeed in the midst of an Asian Cup qualifiying campaign that Ogura leaves Singapore.
On paper, the Lions look to be in a decent position sitting joint-top of their group with four points from two matches.
It is, however, important to delve deeper.
Only the group winners advance to the Asian Cup.
Singapore could have been handed a far more difficult draw with the formidable likes of Syria and Lebanon, along with regional powerhouses Vietnam and Thailand, in the mix.
It must be noted that fellow Group C contenders Hong Kong and India were both good enough to feature at the last Asian Cup but they are not at the level of Syria or Lebanon. Singapore should be believing that, on their day, they are a realistic chance of getting a result against those two.
So, especially in those meetings, it is imperative to make the most of home advantage. Singapore were only able to get a 0-0 draw in their campaign opener against Hong Kong. When both sides meet again in Kowloon at the end of the year, Hong Kong will be the favourites to pick up three points.
Similarly, with Bangladesh widely regarded as the weakest in Group C, it is equally important to notch as convincing a victory as possible against them. In their last outing, Singapore stuttered to a 2-1 away win -- although it has to be acknowledged that Bangladesh did hold India to a 0-0 draw back in March.
Frankly, the situation is straightforward enough for the Lions. They must now aim for four points against India in a double header in October, crucially avoiding defeat when they play away first.
They must then hope for at least another stalemate with Hong Kong in November, this time as the away side, and then look to make the most of home advantage by delivering a big win over Bangladesh next March.
If they can do that, a return to the Asian Cup 43 years on from when they hosted the tournament -- and qualification on merit for the first time -- would be accomplished.
Who could be the next person for the job?
For now, the man plotting just that is Gavin Lee.
And it now seemingly makes sense why, in similarly abrupt fashion, the 34-year-old left his job as coach of BG Tampines Rovers last week despite having consistently gained plaudits for the work he has done with them.
It is hardly surprising that Lee has immediately been named as the Lions' interim coach while the FAS searches for a permanent hire.
Lee is one of the most highly-rated coaching prospects in Singaporean football and was already part of Ogura's backroom staff.
He is part of the growing trend of coaches making waves despite never playing professional football previously and it is remarkable that this journey began when he was just 23 -- starting off as an analyst and working his way up to an assistant coach before finally earning the top job at Tampines.
Even before Ogura's departure, Lee's name has long been mentioned as a future coach of Singapore.
Whether or not this window has come just too early for him remains to be seen, although there is no doubt he will believe he is ready for the challenge.
Depending on how long the FAS take in their search for Ogura's successor, it remains to be seen if Lee will even get a proper chance to audition for the role -- given their next competitive fixtures will indeed be those Asian Cup qualifiers against India in October.
The seemingly likeliest approach the FAS will plump for would be to hunt for a foreign coach.
It is what all their regional peers are doing.
They will have seen how South Korean coaches such as Park Hang-Seo and Shin Tae-Yong have enjoyed great success in Southeast Asian football.
They will also have seen the sheer hype generated by a big-name arrival such as Indonesia's appointment of Barcelona and Netherlands legend Patrick Kluivert.
Yet, past foreign appointments, whether they openly admitted it or not, did not often fully grasp or cope with the complexities of Singaporean football -- primarily the inescapable reality that a small country automatically leads to a reduced pool of talent, which is further complicated by the nation's mandatory national service requirements at a crucial developmental age between 18 to 21.
It is an issue that even local coaches have struggled with but, at least, they fully knew what was in store for them.
If the FAS do decide to go local, Lee will be the frontrunner but they are no shortage of options.
Kadir Yahaya is a name already being mentioned in social media circles. He is widely respected in -- despite having never been afraid of being critical of -- the Singaporean football fraternity.
Only in March, he returned to Singapore following a stint as head of youth at Thai League 1 giants BG Pathum United to accept a role as director of football at 'Unleash The Roar!' -- a national project led by the nation's sporting organisational body Sport Singapore and FAS with the "aspirational target" of reaching the 2034 World Cup.
Another ex-former Singapore international Noor Ali is another who has been consistenly recognised for his work in reviving the fortunes of one-time powerhouses Geylang International -- most recently leading them to a third-place finish in the SPL while playing an attractive brand of football which saw them score a staggering competition-high 97 goals from just 32 matches.
It is an appointment that could potentially define the reign of the new FAS council, who were only confirmed for the next four years back in April with Lion City Sailors chairman Forrest Li installed as president.
Whoever the FAS plumps for, be it foreign or local, the next person in the hot seat will have a big task at hand -- especially considering right now, even with the sudden departure of their coach -- Singapore have a realistic chance of qualifying for the Asian Cup.
An achievement which would show that Singaporean football is on the right track under its new stewardship.
And the first step towards the ultimate goal of the entire nation of one day playing at the World Cup.