Ex-Malaysia defender Shebby Singh appointed as Blackburn Rovers director of football
Former Malaysian footballer and homegrown football pundit Serbgeth Singh has been made the director of football for English Championship team Blackburn Rovers FC.
According to the UK's Daily Mail, Singh, popularly known as Shebby, will act as go-between for the Venky's, club’s Indian owners, and manager Steve Kean.
It is said that Kean’s future remains uncertain after Blackburn’s relegation from the Barclay’s Premier League.
The appointment was revealed on Monday, drawing criticism and jeers from the online community. Most people questioned the reason behind Venky’s decision.
Some comments alluded to Shebby’s inadequacy to take on the role, while others accuse the owners of appointing a “puppet” due to distrust of strangers or anyone outside their ‘own entrusted circle’.
The typical “Malaysia Boleh” reaction was also recorded in the online forum, while others expressed gratitude that Shebby would not be giving his opinion on TV anymore.
Shebby is a familiar face for Malaysians as the local Premier League commentator on ESPNStar network.
The former defender played for the Kuala Lumpur FA team, which won the Malaysia Cup three times in the late 80s.
Shebby also played international football for close to a decade and is a 1989 Southeast Asia (SEA) Games gold medallist. His playing career also saw him turn out against Aston Villa, Newcastle and Bayern Munich. He was rated Man of the Match when facing Shrewsbury Town.
