Constantly calm. Perpetually poised. To some, perhaps even seemingly soft-spoken.
Singapore interim coach Gavin Lee may appear to be someone who rarely lets his emotions get the better of him.
But as his team somehow entered halftime of Tuesday's crucial AFC Asian Cup qualifier against India level on the scoreboard -- despite being dominated for most of the opening 45 -- that was apparently not the case, at least behind closed doors.
In a display of sheer spirit, and buoyed by dealing a sucker-punch equaliser to India just before the break, the Lions would go on to claim a vital 2-1 win -- courtesy of a Song Ui-Young double -- to get back on track in their quest to qualify for the Asian Cup for the first time ever on merit, having only previously featured by virtue of being the hosts back in 1984.
Inevitably, after the final whistle, came the questions regarding what rallying cry he delivered to his charges at halftime that helped them bounce back from a disappointing draw against the same opponents at home just five days earlier, where they threw away the win after gifting India a 90th-minute equaliser.
And while he was again his usual stoic, matter-of-fact self, Lee humorously hinted that he might have resorted to the proverbial hairdryer treatment to get his players going.
"I don't think I can say what I told the players at halftime -- because I would be kicked out of this room," said Lee with a bashful tone in his voice, drawing chuckles from those gathered at the post-game news conference.
"We spoke about our 'non-negotiables'. Unfortunately, we broke that rule in the first half where - I'm not saying effort - but the lack of winning duels allowed India to dominate the game a little bit.
"We let ourselves down a little bit with the individual stuff. We got into our own heads a little bit and [it's a] good thing we found ourselves in the second half.
"Because, in the first half, it wasn't all bad. There were quite a few good bits [so] we reinforced that we could play through, we could create chances, and it was just about taking that belief going into the second half."
The scenes of jubilation in the Lions camp after Tuesday's win could not have been more different to the despair from five days earlier, when a costly mistake by Jordan Emaviwe handed ten-man India an unlikely draw.
Unsurprisingly, as mentioned even before the return encounter, there was steely determination to make amends -- which they duly achieved.
"I'm just very, very pleased with the boys because I knew how much we hurt, or they hurt, after the first game," Lee added. "Especially being at home and not bringing home that three points.
"For us to go out there [on Tuesday] and come back after one goal down to get a win, I'm just very, very happy for them and the staff.
"Something we spoke about before coming [to India] is that we wanted to leave the stadium with a different feeling that we left National Stadium in Singapore. And I'm just glad we did it."
Having been part of his predecessor Tsutomu Ogura's backroom staff, Lee was thrusted into the interim role back in June following the Japanese's abrupt resignation due to personal issues.
The Football Association of Singapore have been openly interviewing for Ogura's fulltime successor -- with several big names mentioned throughout the course of the process -- and it has even been suggested that this opportunity may have come too early for Lee, who is only 35 but has made quite a name for himself since taking charge of Singapore Premier League giants BG Tampines Rovers back in 2020.
Still, the fact of the matter is that -- in his first competitive matches at the helm -- Lee has guided Singapore to a creditable four-point haul against India, who it must be noted featured at the past two Asian Cups.
Tied with Hong Kong at the top of Group C on eight points, with India and Bangladesh already eliminated, Singapore now know that victory over their fellow co-leaders in Kowloon next month will guarantee their place in the continent's premier international tournament -- with only the top team progressing and given they would then boast a better head-to-head record even if both sides ultimately finish level.
The prospect of making history is not lost on Lee, even if he understandably - given his interim status -- is not looking too far ahead.
"After the first game, we knew we wanted to close the [two-point] gap because we weren't in control of what Hong Kong did," Lee explained.
"We knew the score [Hong Kong's surprise 1-1 draw with Bangladesh] before the game and there was some chance, so I think it was very important for us to do what we did.
"It has put us back in contention. Now we've got one month to the next game. We'll just enjoy the win for a little bit, stay calm and prepare for the next [game].
"Now it's again just about: regroup, review, and then go again. Every game we've had in this group, everyone has told me it's a 'do-or-die' game -- so nothing has changed.
"In the next game, there are three points that we want to play for and nothing really changes in terms of our approach.
"I think we're all very aware of it [the chance to make history] as a squad and we want to write 'our own chapter', as we say.
"But we don't dream a lot. We just focus on the work really and, hopefully, our work will take us there."