Monday, April 29, 2013

Kamikaze gets into the mood

X-League Sunday Prime League Season 1 Division 2

Budget XFC vs Team Kamikaze @ St Gabriel's Secondary

It was a cold, dark, gloomy morning and the mood was no different as Kamikaze missed several first-teamers and faced the prospect of rain washing out the match. But there is a silver lining in every dark cloud and the return of several stars helped brighten up the day for the KKZ faithful.

Safar, Fazail, Hevy and Neshsta had yet to start a game together this season, but the absence of Haravin, Uspon, Yeli and Siva gave them an opportunity to shine. And shine with pomp they did, as Kamikaze romped to a 9-0 victory, keeping their first clean sheet of the season.

Rain threatened to wash out this game with the referee eager to call off the game. But as soon as the organiser gave the green light for the game to proceed, the mood changed in an instant. Excellent team movement and clinical finishing saw Kamikaze race through to 3-0 within the first 15 minutes with Hevy notching a brace and Haresh notching his first goal of the season. It then became a showcase of shooting as Anand Spaceship and Safar hit thunderous half-volleys in between a Hevy penalty which allowed him to notch his first hat-trick of the season. 6-0 at half-time.

For a team with such attacking prowess, emphasis on defence might be underrated. But the converse was true at the half-time team-talk, with the importance of grabbing a cleansheet being noted as the utmost priority. However, as Acting Player-Manager of the day Prem noted, the only we are going to come out with the clean sheet yet look classy is to maintain possession, recycle play and pass with pomp.

Despite the many misgivings, the players listened to the intructions with the discipline and respect expected of a Kamikaze player and it paid off as they grabbed a further 3 goals courtesy of Safar, Doctor and Ashraf.

Ashraf who grabbed his first league goal for the Seniors could not hide his excitement,

"This is my first ever goal for the Seniors and better since it is a league goal, it is very memorable. My confidence has definitely been boosted. But to be honest, defending for Kamikaze is a pleasure. The midfield provides us with so much of cover and support. I thought that we played extremely well as a team yesterday and the clean sheet is a testament to all of our hard work following the rally call from USPO last week."

Kamikaze now lead the table by 3 points with a better goal difference. It would take extreme discipline not to think of the title, but this is Kamikaze and as always the team is only focused on the next game.

KAMIKAZE!!!

Squad: Pratip, Ashraf, Neshsta, Anand Spaceship, Dinzo, Doctor Karthik, Premnathan, Fazail, Haresh, Victor, Vicky Hevy, Safar, Gerard

Goals: Vicky Hevy (3), Haresh, Safar (2), Anand Spaceship, Doctor Karthik, Ashraf
Assists: Haresh (2), Spaceship (2), Safar (2), Doctor, Hevy, Fazail

Final Score: Budget XFC 0 - 9 Kamikaze Seniors

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Kamikaze go Top of the Table with a game in hand

X-League Sunday Prime League Season 1 Division 2

La Forza vs Team Kamikaze @ Anderson Secondary

The Kamikaze Seniors faced their toughest test to date when they took on League Leaders La Forza in their 3rd league match of the 8-match campaign. To say that they passed the test exceptionally would be an understatement but they did have a few nervy moments towards the end before emerging 2-1 winners against a spirited La Forza team.

Kamikaze came to this match boasting an impressive attacking record but they were not to take anything for granted as they knew little about their trailblazing opponents. Kamikaze, however, almost had the perfect start as their dominance in set-pieces very nearly put them 2 goals ahead, but for poor finishing. Nonetheless, they were not to be denied as the deadlock was broken on 20 minutes, after an excellent free-kick from USPO put Spaceship through who duly obliged with an outrageous flick to put the team up 1-0.

From that point on, it was all KKZ and they made their dominance count as Safar playing his first match of the campaign put Siva through, who showed excellent control before unleashing a shot that gave the keeper no chance. 2-0 at halftime.

The second half started robustly as 7 yellow cards and 1 red card were dished out in total. Although KKZ had the numerical advantage due to the La Forza sending off, their inability to finish off their chances almost came back to bite them. Victor who had a game to forget had 2 minutes of madness, as he first fouled the Forza striker outside the box and then handled the ball off the resulting freekick to concede a penalty. Although the Nitroz striker duly converted the spotkick, KKZ managed to hold off their nerves and see out the victory quite comfortably.

While the boys were pleased with the result as well as the performance, the failure to finish off their numerous chances seemed troubling with the squad. Veteran forward Victor summed up the team's mood,

"We beat our closest title rivals 2-1, yet our captain blasts a couple of players for bad showings. The clean sheet meant alot to him. This only happens in Kamikaze, but that is exactly the reason for our success. We never take things for granted. I personally accept that it was a bad game for myself, but the determination to do better next time out, runs throughout the squad. We are confident, but we will take each game at a time."

KAMIKAZE!!!


Squad: Pratip, Ashraf, USPO Suresh, Barathi, Haravin, Doctor Karthik, Premnathan,
Safar, Anand Spaceship, Victor, Siva, Gerard, Haresh, DBoys Viki, Aravin Yeli

Goals: Anand Spaceship, Siva
Assists: USPO Suresh, Safar

Final Score: La Forza 1 - 2 Kamikaze Seniors

Kamikaze Youths Gunned Down by Nitroz

(Match Report originally submitted by Mohana Raj aka Heskey

League Match @ St Patrick's School
Kamikaze Youths vs Nitroz FC

After trashing their previous opponents 8-0 in a friendly, there was an air of expectation in the Kamikaze Youths' camp. The plans and instructions set out by manager Nesh were simple, Nitroz are chasing the league title. Let's spoil their party.

However, as soon as the ref blew his whistle, it was anything but that. Silly defensive errors by the KKZ Youths caused unnecessary confusion and panic in their own penalty box causing them to go down 2-0 within the first 5 minutes of the game. Nevertheless, the team tried its best to steady the ship. Shameem began causing havoc in the opponents' penalty box and his efforts paid off as he beat a couple of defenders and squared the ball across the goal only for the unlucky Nitro’s defender to put it into his own net. Just as a flicker of hope appeared more catastrophic defending saw the Youths conceding a further 2 goals. 4-1 at half time.

A pep talk by Prem and Nesh at the break saw a rejuvenated KKZ going back onto the pitch wanting to prove a point. The start of the second half saw the appearance of the renowned Kamikaze spirit and sleek football they are associated with. With, Shivanan and Prem winning the midfield battle, the goal was soon to come, and it did come in style with Shivanan finishing off a goal, even Arsene Wenger will be proud of. Such was the football on display, with the midfield winning the battle and Vinnie and Prabhu dancing on the wings, it was indeed the beautiful game.

Then came the moment of truth, when a defensive header away found a unmarked Nitroz player who hoofed the ball aimlessly from the halfway line, yet managing to find the back of the net. The spirits were killed. Then a red card followed, for the ever troubled Hari who in conceding two bookable offences didn’t help the cause at all.

Even when trailing by 3 goals and a man down, the boys fought till the final whistle, but they couldn’t contain the title chasing Nitro, and eventually succumbed to a 7-2 defeat. The score-line might be an injustice to the spirits and determination shown by the Youths, but it will be a good learning experience for this young squad.

A source within the club mentioned,

"We sure will prove that the future of this great club is in good hands. The evidence lies in the second half performance where we believed that we could get something out of a game against the Champions’-elect even when we were 3 goals down. We just need to maintain our composure and consistency throughout the 90 minutes."

That would be the challenge facing the Youths.


KAMIKAZE!!!


Squad: Pratip, Ashraf, Premnathan, Neshsta, Nick, Dinzo, Haji, Hasiim, Shivanan, Hari, Arjun, Vinnie, Shameem, Prabhu, Vishnu

Goals: Shivanan 
Assists: Shameem, Hasiim

Final Score: Kamikaze Youths 2 - 7 Nitroz FC

Friday, April 19, 2013

Captain of The Ship

As I was looking for ideas to come up with a relevant blogpost, I came up across this article at ESPN Soccernet,

England enamoured with manager role

The article discussed on how English football transformed the role of the manager and created the persona of an all-powerful manager who pervades every inch of the club he manages.

And I knew I could not find another more apt topic to discuss this week. Simply because of the glaring contrast in the situation of our local Amateur football.

The differences between the EPL managers and our local Amateur football managers are as distinct as night and day. The former are paid top dollars on lucrative contracts to ply their trade, whilst the latter often have to bear an enormous personal cost to pursue a passion. EPL managers guide top-notch professionals who themselves earn top bucks and as a result can demand professionalism from their charges. For our local Amateur managers, getting some of their charges to spell the word professionalism itself can sometimes be a tall order. For EPL managers, the glitz and the glamour of their jobs can sometimes be one of the main driving factors to take up such a tough and demanding job. In the case of our local Amateur managers, there is nothing glamourous about doing the dirty work of spending your entire week trying to frantically call up enough players to have a friendly kickabout.

So the question, is what is the thread that ties them both together. The answer can be summed up in 2 words, Passion and Leadership. Not every passionate individual can be an effective leader and not every Leader is necessarily passionate. However, when Passion meets Leadership in the arena of football, you are destined to meet an exceptional manager.

Our local Amateur managers are often blinded by what they read in the media and what they see on their Saturday night Big match. A hairdryer during half-time or a touchline outburst might work for Ferguson. Substitutions made out of gut-feelings might work for Mourinho. But, if you think that taking a similar approach can earn you power and respect amongst your charges, then, waking up to reality could be a hard fall to take.

In terms of winning respect amongst his players, Jayaseelan, the Manager of Kamikaze has surely done the right moves. His simple approach of being transparent with his players as well being sincere in his task has allowed him to make many radical changes with minimum fuss. He also maintains constant interaction with a core group of senior players, who then aid him to disseminate information and rationale, that help with the understanding amongst those on the playing level. And most importantly, he accepts responsibility when the buck has to stop with him. Humility is an omnipotent trait to have if you are an Amateur manager having to deal with several young egos and attitudes.

The life of an Amateur manager is by no means an easy one. One has to make numerous calls and messages, just to arrange one match. One also has to deal with blood-pressure raising, last-minute cancellations by talented yet irresponsible players, whom you can neither punish nor ignore. And the rewards aren't many. When a team wins in Amateur football, credit is rarely given to the manager, it is usually seen as a testimony to the strength of a team. But when a team loses, fingers are ever too quick to point at the manager who must have surely played the wrong tactics or made the wrong substitutions.

For the level of Amateur football to improve, you need more talented Managers to step forth and lead their teams. Managing a team is not merely selecting the right formation,  that would be Football Manager. Managing a team is something more intrisic. It is about charting the course of the team in a long and unrelenting journey and selecting the right crewmen to bring the ship across. It is about constantly reinventing your approaches for the sole purpose of benefitting the team. Anyone can criticise a manager, but not everyone can become one. If you have a good man running your team, now would be the best time to go and give him a shoutout!


KAMIKAZE!!!

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Kamikaze Continues to Top the Table

X-League Sunday Prime League Season 1 Division 2

Team Kamikaze vs HomeWest United @ Anderson Secondary

Kamikaze Seniors looked forward to their second league match as they were taking on a Homewest United team that had just been trounced 12-3 by La Forza. However, any suggestions that they were in for an easy ride were played down quickly as the Seniors found themselves trailing 1-0 inside the first 10 mins.

Kamikaze were missing first-choice goalkeeper Theiva and this allowed Pratip to earn his first league appearance for the Seniors. However, he was not to blame for the first goal, as the team's failure to cut out the early cross and the centrebacks' failure to mark the Homewest striker allowed him to nod the ball in for an easy goal.

The goal seemed harsh, as KKZ had the superior possession and the better chances, and it eventually showed as Victor and Vishnu revelled in their first start together as a striking pair to put the team 3-1 ahead at half-time.

The half-time only seemed to have spurred the Homewest side as they came back storming to draw level with 2 soft goals that Pratip had to take a share of blame for. Although the young keeper did manage to find his composure thereafter, it looked to be too late as KKZ stared at what would have been a loss of 2 points rather than a gain of 1.

But as always, when the performance does not click, the team has its spirit to count on. The relentless peppering of the Homewest goalmouth paid off as Vishnu was in the right place at the right time to poke the ball in after a goalmouth scramble. Victor then put the result beyond doubt with 3 minutes left, after a glorious floated cross saw the striker nod his 5th goal of the campaign and wrap up his hat-trick for the match.

Post-match,  there were sombre faces in the dressing room as Seelan issued a rare warning to his team.

"This kind of performances could easily be a season-ruining one. In a league that is as close as this is, goal difference could be very important. We should have killed off the game and atrocious defending saw us very nearly losing it. Full credits to Homewest United who were the more hungrier side in the second half. My team will shake this off and prepare well for the top-of-the-table clash next week. You can expect a much more focused team."


Squad: Pratip, Ashraf, Suresh USPO, Anand Spaceship, Jayraj, Premnathan, Gerard, Vinnie, PratheepMuse, Vishnu, Victor, Dinzo


Goals: Victor (3), Vishnu (2) 
Assists: Pratheep (2), Victor, Gerard, Anand Spaceship

Final Score: Kamikaze Seniors 5 - 3 HomeWest United

Veterans Slump to their first defeat

Friendly @ Canberra Secondary

Kamikaze Veterans vs Unknowns


The Veterans had been going into this match high on confidence carrying a proud unbeaten record since their resurrection. They left the game with their heads held even higher as they knew they had put in a performance that rolled back the years.

One had to go back several years to remember a Kamikaze match that was comprised of Sivabalan, Arafath, Shanmugam, Haresh, Jraj and Seelan all in the same team. Nostalgia ruled the day but the Veterans team put the criticism, that they were not fielding a true Veterans side, to bed by fielding a side that tugged at the heartstrings of Kamikaze faithful.

However, it was not to be a fairytale start as the Goalkeeping woes continued and Jraj's inexperience saw him concede two very early goals. That setback seemed to only spur the team ahead as they made a storming comeback to equalise through Arafath and Vinnie.

The highlight of the day definitely had to be the penalty incident that earned Kamikaze their 3rd goal. In what was already a controversial moment, Haresh had seemingly simulated a foul that convinced the referee to award the penalty. But the drama was happening outside the pitch, as Seelan who had just substituted in to replace Shanmugam, immediately substituted out to allow Shanmugam to take the penalty. Shanmugam showed extraordinary composure to drill the penalty straight down the centre before substituting himself out for Seelan. Once again, the fans were delighted at the rolling back of good old days, Veterans style, as opposed to the very rigid and structured organisation that the current KKZ teams show.

Although Spaceship popped in to score a superb individual goal, he could not prevent the team from going down 5-4. Nevertheless, the spirits were high, and Jayaseelan had this to say,

"After so long you had a team where the pioneers played. Not only did you have Arafath, Shan and Vinnie on the same pitch, you had them all on the scoresheet well. And the best thing about this team is that win, lose or draw, we celebrate the same!"

Haresh was quick to add,

"But some things never change and we sure are gonna give Jraj a thrash or two for his wonderful keeping. But kudos to him and the boys for their effort and spirit."

In a week that saw KKZ make headlines for all the good reason, there could never have been a better form of publicity for the team's longevity and endurance than this friendly match.


KAMIKAZE!!!

Squad: Jraj, Sivabalan, Premnathan, Anand Spaceship, Ghazali, Arafath, Seelan, Vinnie, Sangaran, Shanmugam, Jaya, Haresh, Vishnu

Goals: Arafath, Vinnie, Shanmugam, Anand Spaceship
Assists: Haresh (3)

Final Score: Kamikaze Veterans 4 - 5 Unknowns United

Kamikaze Youths ease to 8-0 victory in Friendly


Friendly @ Springfield Secondary

Kamikaze Youths vs Senja United

As the league draws to a close Kamikaze Youths were given a rare off day in their league fixtures. However the team was in no mood to relax as they took on Senja United in a friendly match at Springfield Secondary.

The attacking intent of the Youths could not be more clearer as Victor scored what was the team's fastest ever goal in 4 seconds. He took a shot from just inside the halfway line after Vishnu laid the ball off from the kickoff. The keeper made a fumble out of what looked like a comfortable safe, but Victor celebrated it all the same.

That set the tone for KKZ to swarm their opponents' goalmouth but it had to take a well-executed freekick from Vishnu to double the lead. As Senja looked forward anxiously forward for the half-time whistle, there was still time for Victor to grab his second and the team's third.

The halftime talk was all about spreading the play around both flanks and being more clinical in front of goal. It sure paid dividends as, Kamikaze went 4-0 immediately through a wonderful solo-goal from Pratheep. Victor soon after wrapped up his hat-trick before Nick who was making his comeback match stole the show. The young superstar who has had a torrid time with his personal commitments once again showed why he was so valuable for the Youth set-up as he scored a brace and setup amidst setting up one for Vinnie. It was a convincing victory for the Youths as they also managed a clean sheet without having a natural keeper with Hari Atom and Dinzo stepping into the role magnificently.


Squad: Hari Atom, Ashraf, Heskey, Haji, Ryan, Premnathan, Hasiim, Shameem, Prabhu, Vishnu, Victor, Vinnie, PratheepMuse, Dinzo, Taufeek, Nick

Goals: Victor (3), Vishnu, PratheepMuse, Nick (2), Vinnie
Assists: Vishnu, Pratheep (2), Vinnie, Shameem, Hasiim, Nick

Final Score: Kamikaze Youths 8 - 0 Senja United

Friday, April 12, 2013

Kamikaze makes Headlines on Televised Forum

Team Mentor Victor did Kamikaze proud as he appeared on a live discussion forum on TodayOnline's VoicesToday interactive programme that was simultaneously webcast online as well as telecast live on Channel 5. In what comprised of a star-studded panel comprising of stalwarts of their respective areas of expertise to give their views on how to shape a Singapore culture through the pillars of Arts, Sports and Heritage, Victor found himself on the show to give his views as result of his recent email to Mr Chan Chun Sing which was subsequently picked by TodayOnline. A copy of the email can be found here,

http://kamikaze-kkz.blogspot.sg/2013/03/ignite-flame-of-sports.html

The panel Comprised of,

 
Mr. C. Kunalan, former Olympian and former 100m National Record Holder.



Dr. Ma Swan Hoo, wife of the late Dr Balaji Sadasivam and President of the Museum Volunteers of Singapore.

Roland Lim

Mr. Roland Lim, Events Manager at Big Ear Musica, Music Producer and Marketing Consultant at Roland Lim Productions

and of course, our very own



Vicknesh Rajamohan @ Victor,  Mentor - Team Kamikaze.

In an exclusive statement he made later to our blog, he mentioned, "Being in the forum with so many high-ranking important people, I was definitely nervous, and it was a truly humbling experience. However, I only have Kamikaze to thank for as it is through Kamikaze that I'm living my passion for sports on a daily basis."


A link of the entire forum can be found here, Video


Kamikaze Youths Held Despite Dominance

(Match Report originally submitted by G.Pratip Kumar)

League Match @ St Wilfrid's Sports Complex

Kamikaze Youths vs Temasek Royals



In a game that was entirely one-sided the juniors had the lion's share of possession. However their failure to convert the chances proved costly as they were held 1-1 in a league match encounter against Temasek Royals.

Kamikaze started the first half brightly and their attacking intentions showed through the shots that were pouring down on Temasek Royal's keeper. The introduction of Haresh proved to be the key difference for the Youths. His tireless running and effervescent presence around the box, made sure that the defenders had a tough time containing him. And all it needed for the little magician was a small amount space, and when it was presented he wasted no time to strike a sweet left footed shot towards the top left hand corner of the goal. 1-0 to KKZ.

From then on, KKZ went onto an attack mode that left the fans wondering, where was this aspect of their game for much of the season. The second half's script followed very much the first, including the many missed chance and it soon came to haunt them as the Temasek Royal striker capitalised on a defensive slip up late on in the game to score a much-needed equaliser for the team. and the striker caught the keeper off his line and chipped him. 1-1. KKZ kept on attacking till the final whistle, but there was not enough time for a winning goal to come through. Final score, 1-1.


Squad: Pratip, Ashraf, Heskey, Premnathan, Neshsta, Dinzo, Taufeek, Hasiim, Vinnie, Shameem, Prabhu, Vishnu, Haresh

Goals: Haresh

Final Score: Kamikaze Youths 1 - 1 Temasek Royals