The Last Laugh

The mind games were played early. By not registering his players (the reason given was "no internet connection"), Heroes coach Roy Anil had kept Street 51’s players guessing who his star players were. There wasn’t much of a clue but judging by the only two names on their website (Gumutha Peruval and Roy Anil), word around the Street 51 camp had it that they were up against a skilful, aggressive and perhaps vulgar “MAMA” team.

With this in mind, Street 51 had mentally prepared for a physical and abusive challenge throughout the week and just before the game, they were extremely confident of the upcoming challenge. To their horror, instead of the supposed “MAMA” team, Street 51’s players saw before their eyes, an opposing team brimming with young international talent. There were Canadian players, one player who looked to be of Swedish descent, and a few Malays. Street51 had already lost the mind games...

Players looking confident, discussing team tactics.

Even their injured players were laughing the opponents off.


Match Day - Street 51 Manager was shocked to see his opponents. . . Totally not what he had expected. . . YOUNG SKILFUL OPPOSITION

Din, the central defender, was distraught. All the hard training had gone to waste...

No one could focus during the warm up...

All eyes on the young blood of the opposition...

Hisyam had already imagined the worst. . .

With worried faces, no one was looking forward to the challenge ahead. . .

But wait! The manager had other plans. . .

... with the help of his coaching staff, he devised plan B.

The original starting lineup.

Making a tactical masterstoke, he brought on. . .

. . . Shahir! With the manager's faith, he was overjoyed to be involved in the new plans. . .

An angry Hisyam couldn't believe the change. . .

. . . and even threatened to leave the pitch. . .

. . .while others had their doubts over the manager's new tactics. . .

Like it or not, the team had to go ahead with the game. . .

The game went on, and after a shaky start, Street 51 FC got the victory they needed. Picking the ball up from center midfield, Sofian Roslan threaded a beautifully weighted pass to Cassim Munshi on the left. . . Holding the ball up in space, Cassim waited for the arrival of Shaik Hisyam before delicately relaying a pass to him which eluded Heroes FC's offside trap. Hisyam then crossed to Aiman Majid to finish cooly from inside the area. Despite several scares towards the end of the game, Street 51 FC held on for a well deserved three points.

[We apologise for not displaying images of the players in action here so as not to reveal our playing styles to future opponents.]

Street 51 FC had lost the mind games but goalscorer Aiman Majid had the last laugh.

A Game of Two Halves

Despite the odds stacked against their opponents, Street 51 FC slumped to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Hairul's Team (let's call them the "Hairs" for short). Despite the importance of the game, Street 51 manager Cassim Munshi fielded an under-strength side, lacking the services of Dins, Nir and Petak. Understandably, the team went 3-0 down at half time.

Despite the setback, a rejuvenating half time team talk resulted in a brave fightback in the early second half which saw Amir score the first goal in the history of Street 51 FC in a move started by Sofian deep inside his own half. The Street51 captain exchanged passes with Petak and Nir, before unleashing a 30 yard pass to the mysteriously unmarked Dins on the left flank. With three Hairs defenders arriving upon him, Dins cooly fed Amir on the edge of the penalty box and after causing at least one Hairs defender to slip, Amir lifted the ball with the outside of his right boot over the head of Hairs goalkeeper Rahmat Suparman. The crowd went wild.

Sensing an upset on the cards, Street 51 FC pushed on and came close on a number of occasions thereafter. However, resolute defending by the Hairs backline meant that the scoreline stayed at 3-1.

Despite the defeat, Cassim remained upbeat about the team's performance. "We all saw today that the better team won, the better team during the first half that is!"

Meanwhile, Hairs manager Amat Busong Rodriguez was quick to thank his stars. "We rode our luck in the second half. I must say that they (Street51 FC) gave us a run for the money. They'll definitely be one team to watch!"

Highlights from the game:

The Plot Thickens

Street 51 Manager Cassim Munshi is deeply distraught by news that first choice left wing-back Shafiq is doubtful for Sunday's clash. Shafiq suffered severe bruising on his left ankle during training this morning and is presently embedding the entire foot in ice.

Shafiq's injury is the latest to hit an already depleted squad, already missing the services of midfield workhorse Hendra Del Rosa, defensive boulders Endy Shah, Nadhar and Syahril Sahid as well as speedy forward Sham Kudoot.

Shafiq looking dejected in the team bus on the way

back from training drowning his sorrows in music.

Cassim Munshi remains calm despite the adverse situation. "Of course I'm disappointed with the injury. Even more so after I specifically told them this (morning) is only a light training session and they don't have to break their bodies trying to impress me. Anyway, there is enough depth in the team to see it through."

Shafiq, meanwhile, remains optimistic of his chances of making the game. "There's not a lot of time left," he remarked. "I can see some detumescence here. Hopefully this (the ice) will help and I will be fit for tomorrow."

Meanwhile, Dins has looked sharp lately and is likely to partner Sofian Roslan in attack with any of Nir, Petak, Helmi or Ali providing the supplies. Hidz and Zahid are almost certain to make the defensive backline.

"We have plenty of options," said the manager. "I can start with a 4-4-2 and then inject some pace by letting Shahir or Fel come on, converting to 4-2-3-1, giving the team more balance. In Street 51 FC,anything is possible."

The Beginning is a Good Place to Start

Four days from now, a new chapter will be written in the history books of Street 51 FC as they kick-off their very first game ever at Safra Tampines 7pm (GMT+0800) on 26th October 2008. Fully aware of the stakes involved, a total of 13 opposing teams have contacted Street 51's management (some unwillingly) to present themselves as worthy opponents. After carefully weighing the merits, demerits and more demerits of each team, manager Cassim Munshi has chosen the team led by a certain Mr Khairul to play his team. BlogSports caught up with the manager during a routine training session for his thoughts on the big game.

BlogSports: Hey, Mr Cassim, this game must really must mean a lot to you and your team.

Cassim: Well, yeah. The boys are all geared up and it's good to see how our fitness levels have improved over the last couple of weeks. You can see (pointing to his players) Endy and Del Rosa doing their sprints, Hidz, Azmi and Zahid practicing their offside traps while Amir, Yan and Dins practising how to beat their traps. The rest are working on their ball control. We've really trained hard for this game but I will still have to sit down tonight to discuss our tactics.

BlogSports: So, have you decided the tactics which will see you beat your opponents?

Cassim: I said I will think about it tonight.

BlogSports: Well, what about your opponents, have you seen them play?

Cassim: Well, some managers like to look at the opposing side, look for their weaknesses and try to exploit them, but for my team, we just play our usual game without creating any fuss about what our opponents can or cannot do. They don't pay me well enough to be a spy anyway.

BlogSports: I've heard that your opponent's fullbacks aren't the fastest in the country. Any plans to deploy speedy wingers down the flanks so that you can easily beat them?

Cassim: Our wingers are all speedy. The whole team is. And I don't like to talk about my opponents.

BlogSports: I heard that there is some discontentment within your team, about players not being happy with being left on the bench although they feel good enough to make the cut. Is this true Mr Cassim?

Cassim: It's true for my team and if you were to ask all football clubs within the 208 member countries of FIFA, they will probably say it's true for their teams as well.

BlogSports: Well said, manager.

Cassim: Thanks. And I believe you have no more questions. You can come and talk to me again after the game, and if you want, you can congratulate me as well. Bye.

BlogSports: Sure thing manager! I'll catch up with you!

Well, it all augurs well for a mouth watering clash in front of a sell out crowd this Sunday. As a mark of gratitude to the supporters of Street 51 FC, tickets for the game are being given away for free but mind you they are going fast. We'll see you there - BlogSports

Opening Speech By Team Manager

"It is with great honour and pleasure that I assume the position of the founding Team Manager of Street 51 Football Club. The establishment of this footballing body finds its roots in the forging of the bonds of friendship over the years in which members of the team have known one another. At this opportune time, we seek to lift our footballing skills to a higher level, one that may one day match the best in the country. In doing so, we encourage others to follow our footsteps, for the sake of not only the development of football in our country, but more importantly for the untainted love of the beautiful game itself.
To my players, as we begin our journey into the unknown, be aware that criticisms are bound to arise, be it on our footballing skills, or our off-the-field lifestyles. Yes, I agree that not all of us are as skilful as Cristiano Ronaldo, but I nevertheless urge you to be resolute in the face of adversity. It is very likely that Matreps and Ahbengs will snap at any chance to ridicule us, for perhaps some misplaced back-pass to an opponent or tap-in which goes over the bar, but it is important to ignore such criticisms. Remember that the better we play, the more jealous they get and the more they would want to break our legs, but think again - will they ever get close enough? In Street 51 Football Club, we let our feet do the talking.
My prior managerial experiences, virtual or real, allow me to foresee that this team will indeed go far. We have both individual skill and cohesiveness as a unit, so there is simply no reason to flounder. But also remember that no matter where our skill takes us, it is important to keep our feet on the ground, and not let the success get the better of our thinking minds. I have seen a multitude of exceptionally good football players being ruined by the lure of booze, babes and the high life and it would make me thoroughly disappointed for any of you to lose your God-given soccer talent to these vices."
With that, let me once again congratulate every one of you for being the selected players of Street 51 Football Club and may all our aims and ambitions be realized in time to come."

Opening Ceremony Of Street 51 Football Club!

History was written on 30th September 2008 as it marked the official opening of Street 51 Football Club. The event was held at the undisclosed conference hall at the heart of Street 51 itself to commemorate our establishment and not forgetting a mini celebration since it was Hari Raya Eve. Some of the highlights of the night include the handing over of jerseys and cake cutting ceremony. We would like to thank all those present who graced the event and making it a meaningful and joyous one. More importantly, special thanks to the people who made it possible with the planning and execution of this memorable night.

Till The End Of The Road....