Paul McNamara

1 day ago | scmp.com | Paul McNamara

A furious Ashley Westwood said supporters who called for his head after Hong Kong drew 0-0 with Nepal on Thursday “know nothing about football”. Head coach Westwood was jeered before kick-off by a section of the 6,092 crowd unhappy with his decision to exclude striker Lau Chi-lok from the squad. The mood turned uglier at full-time, as fans chanted ‘Westwood out’ after Hong Kong drew a blank for only the third time in the Englishman’s 10 matches in charge.

1 day ago | scmp.com | Paul McNamara

Hong Kong drew a heated friendly 0-0 with 10-man Nepal on Thursday, extending their record unbeaten run to nine matches – although the best that could be said for the home side’s performance was that they did not lose. While the hosts were largely dominant, head coach Ashley Westwood was booed by the home supporters before and after the game, and the Englishman will be left to ponder his team’s inability to break down the world’s No 175-ranked team.

2 days ago | scmp.com | Paul McNamara

Sun Ming-him said the Chinese Super League (CSL) had taught him “how to deal with the psychological side of football”, as he looked forward to a crucial week for the Hong Kong team. Left-back Sun quickly became a regular starter for Cangzhou Mighty Lions after his transfer from Eastern in February 2024. The 24-year-old’s career was temporarily thrown up in the air, however, when Cangzhou’s financial issues saw them slung out of the Chinese leagues for 2025.

2 days ago | scmp.com | Paul McNamara

Matt Ross turned his life upside down to move across the world for football and found himself driving a bus. After sticking to his guns to forge an upwardly-mobile career, however, the Nepal head coach said his own mental toughness “pales into insignificance” with that of the players in his world No 175-ranked squad.

2 days ago | scmp.com | Paul McNamara

Hong Kong head coach Ashley Westwood has hit back at supporters who have questioned his decision to leave in-form striker Lau Chi-lok out of his latest squad. The Englishman launched a staunch defence on Wednesday of his decision to leave the 31-year-old uncapped, and pointed out that none of his predecessors had opted to pick the BC Rangers player either.