Serbegeth "Shebby" Singh is a Malaysian former footballer. Since retiring, he has worked as a coach as well as a sports broadcaster in Asia. He was Blackburn Rovers' Global Adviser during the 2012/2013 season – he was accused of 'presiding over the farcical decline of the club'.
Playing career
Singh started his football career as a defender for Johor FA, before moving to Federal Territory in 1983, for which he was suspended from playing for a year by Johor FA for allegedly moving without permission. He was chiefly associated with Kuala Lumpur FA, and was part of the team which won the Malaysia Cup three years in a row from 1987–89. He also played with Negeri Sembilan FA and Pahang FA before ending his career with Perak FA in 1996. He played nine years of international football for Malaysia, including playing in three Asian Games in 1982, 1986 and 1990, and was a South East Asian Games gold medallist in 1989. His career in domestic football lasted eighteen years from 1978–96. He won every domestic honour, including the Malaysia Cup, Malaysian FA Cup and League Championship.
Coaching and media career
In 2006, Singh coached a fictional football team named 'MyTeam' for a Malaysian reality television show. The squad was mainly composed of amateur Malaysian footballers. During the series, the team visited the training grounds of Manchester United, where they faced a selection of United players. The game ended in a goalless draw. 'MyTeam2' was broadcast in 2007. They lost 2–0 to the Indonesia football team. In 2007, Singh was appointed as technical advisor to Malaysia Super League club Melaka TMFC. He also had a brief stint as caretaker head coach of the club after previous coach Irfan Bakti Abu Salim was sacked. He only lasted one year at the club. Singh appears as a football analyst on South East Asian television.
On 28 June 2012, Venky's, the owners of Blackburn Rovers F.C., appointed Singh as global adviser at the club. On 29 December 2012, he appeared on sports programme 6–0–6 on BBC Radio 5 Live. He confirmed to presenters Robbie Savage and Darren Fletcher that the club's former manager, Steve Kean, had in fact resigned from the club as opposed to reports in the press claiming he was sacked. Singh also described his appointment of Henning Berg as a "mistake that he regretted". Berg's managerial reign lasted just 10 games and 57 days. Singh denied reports that he had taken over training sessions and stated the club's next manager would be a man with experience, ruling out Scottish coach Kevin MacDonald. In spite of this, the inexperienced manager of Blackpool F.C., Michael Appleton, was appointed as the club's new manager, prompting strong criticism from Blackburn fans. Singh was instrumental in the dismissal of Michael Appleton, who lasted 67 days in his job, 10 days longer than his predecessor, Henning Berg. This managerial unrest has seen his popularity among Blackburn supporters drop further. Singh is yet to return to the club after three months on leave, his only presence being his short visit to sack Appleton, whom he had never met.
