Player of The Month - January

He has just 1 goal and 2 assists to his name. But Stats don't always tell the true story. When you look closer, his 3 Man of the Match awards bear testament to how vital a player he has been for the team. As one of the true versatile players, he is able to defend as a wingback, terrorise defences as a winger, create attacks as a Number 10 and show his workrate as a box-to-box midfielder. It is no wonder then, that he has been one of the favourites of the First-Team Manager. For all of his efforts, it is just rewards, that Pratheep, fondly know as Muse is awarded Player of the Month - January.

PratheepMuse joined Kamikaze in mid 2010 making his appearance for the then-Juniors team. His raving performances and dazzling shimmies, which left the opponents for dead, soon earned him a call-up to the Seniors and he has never looked back since then. Constantly playing for both the teams, made him one of the clear backroom leaders after the merger of both teams. He lived up to that role, putting in several dazzling performances as well as commanding the respect of his teammates. A man of a few words, Muse leads by example on the pitch. The management and the fans of Kamikaze are hoping for this Silent Assassin to continue striking on the pitch for them. 

KAMIKAZE!!!

Player of The Month - November

Having missed a large part of the season due to sailing commitments, it was a big question mark on whether Full-time Republic of Singapore Navy Specialist Prabhu Pixel would be able to fit into the squad straight away. But he could not have answered his critics better, by notching 7 goals and 2 assists in just 4 matches since his return. For his outstanding efforts and resilient displays in the pitch. Prabhu is awarded to be the Player of The Month - November

Prabhu is that kind of effort whom you can count on to make a difference even in the dying seconds. Blessed with impressive technique and good shot power, his energy and determination makes him a handful to deal with. With Prabhu quickly coming into form, the depth of the KKZ attack is instantly shored up and the manager is presented with more options to explore greater attacking tactics.

KAMIKAZE!!!

Player of The Month - October

It has been a month where only 2 games have been played. Both resulted in comfortable wins and several players shone through. However, one player has consistently bossed the midfield and provided genuine creativity and spark in the midfield. The Player of the Month for October - Sasi

Sasi has been a pivotal player for Kamikaze ever since his return. He first debuted for the team when he was just 14. He has since then, established a name for himself in both the 5-a-side and 11-a-side scene and made his return to Kamikaze 2 seasons ago. In the month of October, he has scored 1 and assisted 2, but the 2 consecutive Man of the Match awards lay testament to his overall influence on the game. The management of Kamikaze would wish Sasi all the best and continue his potential to become one of the finest players in the game.

KAMIKAZE!!!

Kamikaze Version 3.0

After a long time, this blog is back in running and things have changed at the very core of the structure of the team. Here are the updates.

Composition of Team

After nearly 7 years, the main Kamikaze team is back to playing on Saturdays. With the bulk of the Kamikaze Juniors having come through the ranks over 5 years of playing in the active 11-a-side scene, the new-look Kamikaze team features a unique blend of youth and experience in its ranks.

Here is the squad-list for the Kamikaze team taking part in MOF's Saturday League Season 5

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Name	Jersey Number
Akbar	1
Vishnu (GK)	1
Prahlad	12
Pratip	45
Ashraf	4
Nesh	5
Alvin	13
Prem	24
Saai	27
Rishi	96
Ryan	2
Haravin	14
Nick	17
Manjan	20
Dinzo	88
Ryzal	99
Jo	11
Hasiim	15
Doctor	16
Arjun	21
Riswan	22
Heskey	28
Jeffrey	69
Navin	77
Pratheep	3
V2	8
Mohan	19
Pira	26
Vinnie	29
Sasi	18
Yeli	23
Pixel	7
Vishnu	9
Safar	10
Victor	86

In addition, after weeks of planning, the Sunday team has been saved from closing down. After losing nearly 3/4 of its squad to work commitments and the new Kamikaze team on Saturdays, the new look Sunday team has managed to resurrect itself by drawing on players from the almost-defunct Rangers team and a youth team named Fushan Rangers who have joined the Kamikaze family.

 The new-look Sunday team, will hereforth be christened Kamikaze-Fushan Rangers and will be playing in Division 6 of the new season of MOF Sunday League.

 The Kamikaze Story has been going on for 11 years now. On the eve of its 11th anniversary, the team management reaffirms its commitment to constant change and leadership renewal. We take our decision-making process very seriously and there is a huge importance placed on making decisions on behalf of the team. Here is the management team for the next 2 seasons.

KAMIKAZE EX-CO

CHAIRMAN: JAYASEELAN (Seelan)

1st VICE-CHAIRMAN: VICKNESH (Victor)

2nd VICE-CHAIRMAN: DINESH KUMAR (Nesh)

TEAM MANAGER: DINESH THEVAR (Manjan)

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

PREMNATHAN (Prem)

HARAVIN (Hara)
HASIIM HARUN (Hasiim)

JOSEPH RAJ (Jo)

NICK ANBOO (Nick)

VINOD ANANDHAN (Vinnie)

MOHANARAJ (Heskey)

SYAHRIL (Syah)

PRITHIBEN (Ben)

To keep up with the changing nature, the blog will not feature written match reports. That will be shifted to our FB site. However, the Blog will retain a wrap-up of the completed scores, our current table standings as well as the Honours' List for both the teams.

11 years in the amateur scene is a long time for any team. But this is just the beginning.

Viva La Kamikaze; The Divine Wind Roars Again!

KAMIKAZE!!!

Kamikaze drop their first points

MOF SEASON 6 DIVISION 2
ROUND 4
Y Homeless FC vs KAMIKAZE FC
12th Oct 2014
5pm Anderson Secondary

This was a rivalry that went a long way back. Kamikaze had met Y Homeless during their Goal Arena days for altogether, a total of 4 times and had the upperhand having won their opponents 3 of those times. But those were not easy victories, with 2 of them coming in the dying minutes. What was most fresh in their memory, however, was the 5-1 drubbing that the team received in their last meeting during the Goal Arena Sunday Cup semifinal. With that in the background, it must be said that the team entered the match rather cautiously.

Their worst fears came true when two defensive lapses, saw the team down 2-0 within the first 6 minutes. But this was a reinvented KKZ team. A team that put away the mistakes of last season and refused to give up. They kept plugging away at their opponents and the attacking brilliance of their forwards, saw the team overhaul the deficit and lead 3-2 with only 15 minutes to go. New-signing Naga, who put in a Man of the Match performance grabbed a brace, while Safar continued his scoring streak to put KKZ in pole position.

That was when disaster struck once again as another 2 back-to-back defensive mistakes, this time involving the normally reliable goalkeeper too, saw the team pegged back down 4-3 against a much fitter Y Homeless team with only 5 minutes remaining on the clock. But as always, when KKZ are involved, the soccer gods have different ideas. The team refused to give up and their resilience paid off through a quick break that saw Jeffrey play Sasi in. There was still work to be done, and Sasi did it with pomp as his quick feet saw him get past his marker and play Vijay in. The star striker who had only recently recovered from a nasty ankle injury, made no mistake as he tucked the ball home and gained the Samurais a vital point, that must have surely dampened their opponents morale.

Kamikaze came away from the match, with quite a few questions being asked of their midfield and defensive solidity. But there were no question marks regarding the team's attack and resilience. With a potent combination like that, Kamikaze are beginning to dream yet again.

Manager Seelan however, downplayed the team's unbeaten form in his postmatch conference. "No doubt that we lost 2 points today. Not very happy with the mistakes and with such lapses, we surely cannot be favourites. As of now, TGXI with their 100% record are the favourites, they are definitely the leaders and we will respect that. I'll be happy with a podium finish. But my team has to begin working harder to cut out the mistakes. Credits to their attitude but i'll be much happier with getting the job done in a simpler effective manner."

Squad: Vishnu (GK), Jeffrey, Prem, Hara, Sara, Riswan, Viki, Mohan, Sasi, Safar, Naga, Nelson, Pira

Manager Of The Day: Jayaseelan

Goals: Safar, Naga (2), Vijay
Assists: Naga, Safar, Sasi

Final Score: Y Homeless FC 4 - 4 Kamikaze FC
Man Of The Match: Sasi

Kamikaze Play the Biggest Match of their History

Kamikaze take on their biggest opposition to date in their 10-year history when they play Defending Division 1 Champions Happy Feet in the second league match on Sunday. This definitely would rank up there as the biggest match in the team's history and it is precisely because they wanted days like these that the management made the tough decision of leaving ESPZEN prematurely to join MOF's Division 1.

Happy Feet are easily one of the top-3 teams in amateur football in Singapore and they play a brand of football that is very easily associated with teams like Bayern and Barca. Kamikaze on the other hand have been steadily building up for a day like this and the team is quietly confident.

We are definitely the underdogs and more important than anything is the football that we deliver on the day. However, there is optimism within the team camp that the team will give a good account of itself. For those who have to catch the excitement in person, head on down to Marsiling Secondary on 6th Apr at 11 am to catch Kamikaze taking on Happy Feet. Will the Divine wind soar with Honour or will they be gunned down by their premier opponents? Watch this space!!!

KAMIKAZE!!!

Major Changes Headed Kamikaze's Way

Kamikaze looks set to enter yet another new phase of rejuvenation. The amateur outfit which is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this September has always been open to embrace change and has constantly reinvented itself and its methods to stay afresh and relevant in the amateur football scene. The openness amongst its teammates to change has to be the most important reason why it has 3 teams under the KKZ family, all playing enjoyable attacking football and helping to make Kamikaze a household name in the amateur football scene.

Seniors

One of the biggest changes to the Seniors set-up is the retirement of long-serving forward Victor. The player who holds the most number of appearances and possibly the most number of goals in the history of Kamikaze, leaves the Seniors set-up with 4 Championship titles, 1 2nd place medal and 1 3rd place medal. In his retirement speech, he mentioned 3 areas where the team will have to play special focus on.

1) To always remain a Team of Brothers
2) Brothers who remember that the needs of the team outweighs any personal or individual aspirations
3) Proper structures and processes are vital to ensure our long-term success

The team is also set to lose Shivaanan, as he returns back to Australia after a very successful 2-year stint where he picked up 2 title-winners' medals. In response to this departures, Kamikaze went on yet another successful transfer window, as they managed to sign Oswind Suriya Rosayro on a long-term partnership deal. The former S-league player is the most high-profile signing the team has signed, and the fans are all excited to see how he links up with his close friend and former teammate Mohaan. The team has also made the signing of Sasi a permanent deal. The young starlet who was acquired last season, had his contract made permanent, and this exciting winger looks set to win over hoards of fans with his direct attacking play. Another important addition to the team would be Pirakash, another pacy winger whose biggest strength is his ability to keep things simple and effective. The team also signalled its intent to renew the squad by signing 3 top-keepers in its roster.

Akbar is a name synonymous with Kamikaze as his arrival signalled the first title for KKZ. He was re-signed after a 2-year absence and will be rotated alongside, Karim who is a highly-rated goalkeeper known for his calm and collected style. The team also signed Tamilarasan from NUS who will deputise for Akbar and Karim. In the last season, the keeping area was the only achilles heel for Kamikaze, and by strengthening it, the management has shown its intent in aiming for higher goals.

Juniors

The Juniors are reeling from the expected departure of Shivaanan who is returning back to Australia, as well as the Enlistment of several key players. But the Management of Kamikaze is well-experienced in knowing how to manage NS transitions and with the guiding hands of Nesh and Victor, the Juniors look set to ride through this phase with minimal disruption. The form of new-signing Visnu V2 and Prabhu who has found a new lease of life, has given the managers some form of joy as they are currently 3rd in the table in their AISPORTS league. The juniors do have a keeping conundrum as Apek, their first-choice keeper is currently sidelined with work. However, in his absence, whether the second-choice keeper Pratip can make a claim to be a regular keeper or not will answer the question on whether they will maintain their form in the league.

At the end of the season, the management looks set to redraft the team and stream several players. This news has set hearts reeling in the Juniors' camp as all look set to maintain their form and fight for their place.

Veterans

This area has been of the biggest concern to the Kamikaze Management. Originally formed in 2010, the team was conceptualised with objective of bringing together past KKZ players back into the family fold and create an active recreational team, that would also serve the needs of the organisation as a whole. This team could be used to give some of the Juniors more game time and could also facilitate the rehabilitation process of injured players looking to return to first-team action.

However, it must be said that the idea looks set to have failed in its present form. It is a tough chore just to call up enough players to play a match, and often the team is being supplemented by several first-team regulars who help out by playing two matches in one week. Hence, this is the area, which the management is looking set to focus most of its efforts to rebrand.

With immediate effect, this team will be renamed Kamikaze Rangers 04. The short-term plans would be to gather a team of 11 regulars who will make it for the game week-in week-out. This regulars do not have to be veteran players, and need not have played for Kamikaze previously, although we strongly welcome all former KKZ players to support this initiative. The team will look to have players who are looking to play regular football, but without the pressure of being in a competitive league. Haresh, the manager of the Kamikaze Rangers 04 will also be given full freedom in shaping the make-up of his squad. There is no doubt that he will be up for this challenge and successfully revive this brilliant initiative.

One of the greatest hallmarks of Kamikaze is our ability to keep things exciting. We have always embraced changes and new innovations around us. We will continue in this vein of reinvention and will always be at the forefront of Amateur football. We are not Just a Soccer Team. We are a Way of Life!!!


KAMIKAZE!!!

Flurry of Transfer Activities Hint to Big Announcement

A flurry of Transfer activities are taking place behind the scenes in the Kamikaze Seniors' camp. As news broke out that the Youths have finalised their squad in preparation for their league campaign beginning next week, all attention has been trained towards the Seniors' camp.

Observers have been watching with anticipation on Kamikaze's next move and as at the current moment, the likely destination looks to be either one of MOF or ESPZEN. However, things have looked to have gained momentum as news broke out that Mohaan has signed a 2-season deal that will see him don the Kamikaze colours on a permanent contract. Negotiations, for another backup keeper as well as a fullback and a striker are also in an advanced stage with deals looking to be sealed and announced within the next 48-hours.

All these point to an imminent announcement on Kamikaze's next plan of action. The management has thus far declined any comment, keeping their plans under close wraps, but an inside source says that the plans are almost finalised. "They have begun approaching First-Team regulars to talk about advanced payment for matches. They have also approached a number of players and assured them that they are very much in Kamikaze's plans. All these are signs, that something big is on the way. I wouldn't be surprised if the manager announces his plans at this Sunday's friendly match."

Kamikaze has always created excitement wherever they have gone and it is not a stretch to say that many enthusiastic watchers will be hovering around the Marsiling Sec pitch when KKZ plays their friendly this Sunday. A big story is about to break. Watch this space!!!

KAMIKAZE!!!

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!!!

The Flame Lives On

A goal is often like a fire. It starts off with a spark of inspiration, but it also needs the right set of circumstances to enable it to succeed. When Team Kamikaze was founded in 2004, if you told any pioneers that they would win 2 Championships and 1 Cup in 9 years, you would have gotten derided. For those were days where the team's self-confidence was sky-high and there was a belief that Kamikaze would win every single match they played. But, reality soon set in, and when the dark days came in, it was thought that KKZ would disband without ever winning a Championship title. But just like a withering flame's desire to keep on burning, Kamikaze stood true to their motto and never gave up.

This blog's fortunes are very much similar to the history of Kamikaze, understandably so. Whenever, the blog looks to be finally dead and over, it is resurrected with pomp. The same can be said about the team; Just when we were written off by all quarters we came back with a bang to bag our latest title.

And now the journey continues once again, with the team making its foray into the X-league. The systems in Kamikaze are also very much in place, with a Veterans team being set-up for recreational play catered for those looking to build fitness, maintain friendship and play pressure-free football. Our Youth wing have come through a baptism of fire in their tough inaugural season of Goal Arena, as a much harder and stronger team. Such experiences will only serve to ensure that the spirit of Kamikaze will live on for many more years.

While the blog remained dead for more than a year, it was heartening to see many requesting its update. There were many readers who felt that the blog served as an inspiration for them. At this point, I must reiterate that the times then were different. We were forging an identity and it was important to have a connection to foster team unity. That was the purpose behind the hyperbole spewed in the writings then. As times went, work schedules increased and the team also found itself bonded. As such, the need to have constant updates for the blog was understated. However, the time is right now for the blog to once again make a comeback to continue tales of our various exploits.

On his part, the Editor leaves you with these parting words. A fire provides light. A fire provides warmth. If handled improperly, a fire can destroy all around itself, but never will a fire die down without a fight. Even in its last few gasps for oxygen, the fire seeks to give its very best to do what it sought to do. As Albert Schwitzer once said, "In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit."

The flame of Kamikaze was lit up by many. The onus now is to keep it burning for many more generations to come.

KAMIKAZE!!