Schooldays, for me, were all about somehow getting through the study hours and then dashing off to the playground for a game of cricket or football. College days were much the same; with the difference being that the absence of a playground in college meant that Poojappura ground served as our home ground, for all practical purposes. Little did I imagine then that, my days in Infosys Trivandrum would be the same.
10 years ago, I found GOFC (God’s Own Football Club) and
this wonderful club remains the reason for me coming to office every day, with
a smile on my face. The highpoint of my day in office continues to be the evening
visit to the football ground, kicking a leather ball with my brothers in GOFC
and engaging in some contraak (banter) before and after the game.
GOFC is now firmly established as the best football club in Trivandrum Corporate sector, with tournament wins and trophies coming in with regularity. However, this was not the case during my initial years here, with failure being the recurring theme. Those were tough times and there are a few of my brothers in GOFC who shared shadows with me, before there came a time when we constantly danced under the sun - Aswin (AJ4), Mikri, Hardi, RGR, Thankam, KK, Prenith, JJ, Shinto, Jayaram, Rameez, Gogo, Thaadi, PRK. Some of them are still with Trinfy while others have moved on. It broke my heart when some of them left Trinfy and I couldn’t bring myself to even write a proper farewell message. What these guys meant to me couldn’t be covered in a few sentences and I didn’t even know where to start. I’m dedicating this blog to these guys and hopefully thank them in this way. I’ll also finish this blog by answering a few questions that these guys have for me.
On the pitch, there were many highlights – going 6 years
unbeaten in Corporate 7s, winning six 7s trophies, will always be close to my heart
and might be a record that will stand for a long time. Winning the Goal
tournament in Greenfield stadium and landing the Infosys Inter DC trophy after
many years of trying are also special memories that I cherish. Off the field, on
a personal level, there is something that I’m awfully proud of and that’s "saying No to the Naysayers!!". A lot of people have told me that I should be
doing better in life – why are you not going onsite?, no promotion?, look at
what your peers are earning at other companies! – so on and so forth. The
day you start listening to others is the day your happiness ends. I know this
might seem stupid to a lot of people and that's fair enough : To each, his own!. While many of my friends are busy
investing for their future, I’ve invested in moments & memories. A decade down the line,
when my peers are happily retired and I’m still slogging away at a desk, with
my dodgy knees creaking under the weight of monthly EMIs, hopefully some of
these memories will bring a smile to my face and give me the strength to keep
going.
It’d be amiss of me not to remind some of the newbies about the hardwork that has gone in to help GOFC reach its current heights. Sajith n others laying the groundwork for GOFC, AJ4 with Wednesday evening Loyola football mailers (Jayaram, Thaadi taking this up later) when the attendance was drying up, Hardi with his fitness trainings and providing quality equipment to the team, core team members ensuring the day to day running of the club, all the treasurers who do a thankless job (Mikri, Jmar, Aggie, Joseph etc.), Tom Dada with his mailers, the people who help with running the internal tournaments (special mention – Rakesh bhai, the IFL chairman, Anish Joseph the auction master, the guys who help with the portal) and many many others. Many of these guys do not have a trophy to show for their efforts. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you and to let you guys know, that whenever I held aloft a trophy, I was standing on your shoulders. Whenever I have pulled on a GOFC jersey, I have felt the responsibility towards the guys who ensure that best conditions are made available to GOFC teams to put up a strong show in every tournament. I’ve never taken this for granted and this has certainly pushed me to give my all in practice, every single day.
Lifelong friendships, bonding, banter – these are my biggest takeaways from the last 10 years. Thank you GOFCians for 10 years of ‘footgasm’ - a decade of 7e(a)ven !!
The beginning: April 2010
In ‘Great Expectations’, there is a line which says if you
strike a selected day out of your life, imagine how different it’s course would
have been. For me, that day was the one in which I got a phone call saying my
mom had been diagnosed with brain tumor. I was riding a wave @ 100 miles per
hour in Bangalore and had worked my way up to being captain of Bangalore DC
after initially struggling to even make the team. When the wave collapsed and
my world turned upside down, I realized that I had ventured too far from the
shore and the lighthouse had become a tiny speck in the distance. The moment I got that phone call, I knew I
was coming back. If there’s one person who loves you unconditionally, it’s
your mom. For me, as for everyone, my mom was the epitome of true love. I had
naively assumed that she’d always be there. I was wrong!! The least I could do
was to be there for her, when she was battling this illness. I got a DC
transfer and came home to Trivandrum.
Sadly, my mom passed away a few months later and a part of
me died with her. It was a stressful time and football was one of the few
things that offered solace. There were times when after spending a night at
RCC, I’d go and play at the medical college ground, right opposite to it, in
the morning. It helped take my mind off all the sadness, at least for an hour
or so.
I was introduced to GOFC at this time and my first memory is
the farewell mail from Kiran Rajan, which said “my Wednesdays will never be the
same again”, calling out some of his special GOFC memories, and explaining why GOFC was the one thing he was going to miss the most as he left the company . I never thought much of GOFC at that point, but now, this club has become an inseparable part of my life. Two guys helped me a lot during my
initial days at GOFC – Sajith and Sandeep (Ravanji) and I will always remember,
with fondness, the numerous discussions that we had on GOFC, the players and
how we can improve, etc. I met Aswin and Thankam, and they became my brothers
for life. I made great friends and it makes me very happy to see some of the
players from then, still being actively involved in GOFC – the likes of Viswa, Rakesh
bhai, Anish, Jewel bhai, Poocha and many others.
We didn’t have a football ground in those days and the only
time GOFCians played together was the weekly Wednesday evening match at Loyola.
Some of us used to play in Medical College ground on Saturday mornings, as
well. For me, the transition from playing daily and having regular
matches/tourneys at Bangalore to playing once a week and having just one
tournament in a year (Goal) was really disheartening. It’s fair to say that I
lost interest in football, for a while.
Then came my first tournament with GOFC - Spirit 2010. That year’s Spirit was unique, since it was held at Loyola ground and it
being a smaller ground, the format was changed to 9s. I scored 2 goals and 2
assists in the semi and finals. I must have made an impression, because when Goal’10
came around, I was asked to captain the team. I still find it strange that a
person who hardly knew anyone in the team was asked to lead the team. I
politely declined and suggested Jewel bhai to be the captain. As it happened,
Jewel bhai got injured and I ended up captaining the team in the latter stages of that tourney.
An eventful tournament followed and thus, began my tryst with GOFC. A lot of lows, a lot of
highs, it’s been one heck of a ride these last 10 years. Here’s to another 10…
Cheers GOFC!!
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On to the questions then:
When the going gets tough in a game, what has got you through. ~ Hardi
You
have played in a lot of high-pressure crucial matches. How do you mentally
prepare yourself just before those matches? ~ Aswin
Tournament football is all about big matches. Anybody can score in the smaller games but it’s the performance in the big games that takes you through to title wins. Thankfully, I have a good record in big matches and if it helps anyone, I’d like to jot down the probable reasons why this is so.
To answer you first, AJ, the week leading up to the big game
has always been the toughest for me – tossing and turning at night, having
nightmares of our team winning a penalty and me stepping up, only to miss it 😊.
So, the simple answer is: No, the
preparation doesn’t begin just before the big matches.
For me, every game is a big game. Even if I’m playing cut
posts with a few friends, I’m desperate to win the game. When I go down a goal
in any game, I’m absolutely seething inside and I’m able to relax only when my
team is back on level terms or leading the game. So, for me, the pressure is
always there and a big game is just another game that I’m desperately trying to
win. So, in a way, I’m used to that pressure.
When I’m stepping up to take an in-game penalty, I’m fully aware that people are going to remember this only if I missed. And yet, anytime the referee blows for a penalty, I’m the first one to pick up the ball and place it on the spot. Pressure can be a privilege at times, especially if you have earned the right to be there, through hard yards in practice.
Cometh the big game, the big players say “Come, look at
me!”. When Abi scored in the Prathidhwani finals, it wasn’t the goal that I
loved. It was his willingness to take it on, when others wouldn’t. As they say,
to be a goalscorer, you need to look like one and there are times when
everything’s going against you, you must literally WILL the ball over the goal
line.
All the talent in the world doesn’t make you a big game
player; it’s the attitude, belief and courage in the face of fire, that
matters.
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Restricting it to a single n non-technical question 🙂.
I have played for GOFC for close to 5 years and in those
5 years have made it to most of the practice sessions. One thing amazes me, no
matter how long the distance is, no matter how bad the weather is, you were
always there on time rather before time. Probably among the first ones to reach
for practice.
How do you do that. Or what motivates you to reach the
practice sessions on time? Probably a never ending desire to improve yourself,
or setting an example for others or just sheer love for the game, be any
reason, but this characteristic of yours really stands out or perhaps that's
the reason you are one of the most decorated players of gofc.?? 🙂
~ Prenith
Have you ever got comments from your wife on your
punctuality in Football, had she ever compared this with anything, where you
are always LATE, is there any? :D ~ KK
They say, “A man is as good as his word”. Punctuality is
about keeping your word and it’s one of the virtues that I value most in any
individual. If you are late, it means that you are breaking your word to your
captain/your team and it also means that you have scant regard for other
people’s time. I’d rather be on time and wait for 30 mins for my teammates,
rather than keep anyone waiting for me. For the said reasons, I look down on
people who are constantly late. I have absolutely no time for such people.
When I was captain, I used to insist that people be on time
(unsuccessfully of course) and it would be hypocritical of me, if I didn’t
follow this, once I was no longer the captain.
@ KK, I’m never ever late for anything, if I can help it.
I’m sure the only gripe that my wife Lekshmi has against me is that I’m dressed
up too early whenever we are going out somewhere.
To your second point, I had very little to no grounding in
football. In school, it was cricket everyday unless there was some major
tournament like the football world cup on at the time and in college, we used
to play 3s on most days as very few people were interested in football. So, my technique is not as good as most of
the others, and I need all the time that I can get in practice to improve
myself.
One of my fav questions, this!!
Captaincy in GOFC is a poisoned chalice. Especially when I joined, there was no structure in place – no GOFC Core, no selection committee, no nothing. Everything from selection to practice to matchday was on the captain and people always took their anger out on the captain when they felt any of these was not done right. I even had to double up as the treasurer.
As a captain, the toughest challenge that I faced was selection:
- Players who were left out of both the first and second teams were not happy, obviously.
- Players who were in the second team were not happy as they wanted to be in the first team.
- Players who were in the first team wanted to start every game
- Players who started wanted to play in their preferred position.
Hand on heart, I can say that I have always picked the best team for the first team, without any prejudice or bias. Even before the core was formed, the senior GOFC members discussed and decided the team and it was never a unilateral decision. For me, the first team needs to have the pick of the best players in GOFC and the second team is mainly a pathway to the first team. That’s not gonna change in a few years’ time when I become part of the second team. When a GOFC team wins, all of us win together – that’s how I have always looked at it.
There are people who were good friends with me but have stopped talking to me after I became captain. I have no time for such people. If you are good enough, you are an automatic pick in the 11. If you are outside the top 18 and you are cribbing about being in the first team, I say you look at yourself first. Break the door down with your performances in practice sessions and ensure that you are one of the first names on the team sheet; that’s how I have always played my football!
End of the day, I did my best when I was captain and I have no regrets. Standing up for your team (when others wouldn't) is not going to win you any popularity contests. I know that & I don't care.
People are going to have an opinion. They always do. A quote from ‘Game of Thrones’ to finish:
"Do you know what leadership
means, Lord Snow? It means that the person in charge gets second guessed by
every clever little twat with a mouth. But if he starts second guessing
himself, that’s the end. For him, for the clever little twats, for everyone.”
―Ser Alliser Thorne to Jon Snow
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Kindly share some insights on your own performances as captain and after stepping down as captain. Was there any difference? ~Aswin
On-field captaincy in football, is a bit over-rated in my opinion. Especially in corporate football where you have very short matches, there’s very little role for the on-field captain. Most of the work, from practice to selection, is done outside the field.
Captaincy
is something that I have never coveted, but most of the times I have ended up
captaining the teams that I was part of, for whatever reasons. After a couple
of seasons as captain of GOFC, I didn’t have anything to show for my efforts
except for a couple of runner-up medals. With only one or two tournaments in a
calendar year, it was always an agonizing wait for the next tourney. Being
some-one who was already eat-drink-sleep obsessed with the game, I found the
lack of success overwhelming at times.
And
yes, this was affecting my personal game also. @Aswin, I remember you bringing
up this point more than once, with farfetched comparisons to Sachin :D. When I was captain, I put myself in positions
that I really didn’t want to play in (for e.g. Left wing in the inter dc
tourney), so that others can play in their natural positions. Also, during the
game, I was always conscious of giving enough game time to everyone and hence,
ended up subbing myself out for someone else. When I look back, I think it’s
fair to say my best personal performances have not come during the time that I
was captain.
I
gave up captaincy knowing that I didn’t need an armband to be one of the
leaders off the pitch. I can contribute the same way when it came to off field
stuff such as practice, tactics, selection etc. without worrying about the not
so important stuff such as the team talk before the game or collecting the
trophies. And so, I decided to give it up. I had chosen RGR, who was the
vice-captain at the time, to be my successor but he didn’t accept and hence, the
armband went to JJ. In the end, it was all for the good, as we had a great run
of success after that.
End of the day, I didn’t have a successful time as the
captain of GOFC – let’s be honest about it. But still, I have wonderful memories
of my time as captain (especially off the field) and my captaincy is remembered
fondly by some of my teammates. I believe this is because of two reasons:
One, it was a democratic captaincy – RGR, Mikri, Aswin etc.
helped with the tactics, Hardi with the fitness sessions, and Thankam, Thaadi,
Gogo, KK etc helped with arranging the practice sessions and bringing in the
youthful vibes. Everyone contributed in their own way and any good words that
are spoken about my time as captain, I owe it to these guys.
Secondly, I had a strong belief that if a team had to be
more than the sum of its parts, there needed to be a strong bond between the
players. During my time as captain, I remember opening a chat session in the
morning once I reached office. People would join, leave, rejoin – chats would
go on till the time I logged off in the evening. Remembering some of those
conversations still leaves in me in splits :D and the deep friendship and
bonding that was forged then, still lasts to this day and the same spirit has
been passed on to the next-gen teams as well.
Best team you played in? ~ Mikri
Most
cherished moment till date in GOFC? ~ RGR
Pick the XI you would take for a fight from the group of
players you have played with in GOFC. ~Hardi
Despite all the trophies that I have won, my most cherished moment till date is becoming runners up at Infosys Inter DC 2013.
It was a typical David vs Goliath story, even though ultimate victory eluded us. Trinfy was just 1500 people at the time and we were taking on opponents 10 to 20 times our size. We didn’t even have a football ground to practice on while the other teams practiced daily on their own grounds. We practiced 4 mornings a week at St Xaviers ground, with some of us having to travel 25 Kms just to get there. With Hardi leading the fitness sessions, we absolutely slaughtered ourselves to become the fittest team in the tourney. Sometimes, we travelled all the way just to have physical training for an hour. After this gruelling session, Hardi would allow us to play for 10 mins, but no-one had anything left in the tank to even run properly.
As a team, we didn’t have the attacking riches then that we have
now but our defence was rock-solid. We worked out a system which meant we were
watertight at the back but more importantly, helped us counterattack with
venom. It was Aswin (who sadly missed the tourney because of onsite travel) who
suggested 4-3-3 formation to me with Mikri as Goalie, impenetrable defence of
Gogo, KK, Jewel bhai, Hardi at the back, iron like midfield with Thaadi, RGR,
JJ and a front three that could sting in Ratheesh bhai, Sasi annan and myself.
One of our greatest strengths was the cavalry of the bench with Thankam,
Shinto, Jabir, Poocha, Sreerag adding great depth and second half impact.
In the tournament, we defeated everyone. A couple of 2-0 s
in the league stage, followed by 2-1 victory against a very strong Mysore in
the semis. We were to play the mighty Pune in the finals, who are still
heralded as the finest team ever to take part in an inter DC tourney with a
brilliant team that featured 2 club players, Pankaj and Anup. Unfortunately,
just before the final, Jewel bhai had to return to his native for a family
function. This meant we had to rejig the team, with RGR going back to defence and
Shinto replacing him in midfield and to this day, I feel that had Jewel bhai
been there, we would have carried the trophy home. Anyways, we were not going
to yield an inch to the Pune team and the team put up a resolute display.
There’s something from that final that I clearly remember to this day. Pune
team are having a sustained spell off attacks and our defence is fending them
off, over and over again. And then Hardi screams out: “You will only score over
our dead bodies”. I remember this as clear as the day, and this seemed to
revitalize our team, and we were never going to concede on that day. We had a
great chance which we should have scored but it wasn’t to be.
The match ended 0-0. Unfortunately, Hardi got injured during
the match and we were left without two of our best penalty takers in Jewel bhai and Hardi. The
penalties from Pune were perfect and professional and we ended up losing the final and picking up the runner-up trophy.
Yes, it was disappointing but when I look back, I’m filled with pride at the way that this team played. The togetherness, spirit and never say die attitude that this team showed, I have not seen anything like it in any other teams that I have been part of. I would never trade this team for any other one.
@Hardi, never mind fighting! If I ever go to war, I will not want anyone else to be in the trenches alongside me!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------The trophy you won which you wanted badly for a long time. ~Mikri
Haha, Mikri… You probably want me to say IFL, but NO!!. You are well aware of my feelings towards IFL. It is a wonderful spectacle and well organized but in the initial editions, it’s design meant that it clipped the wings of the best players leaving them in teams which had no chance of winning. This has changed now, since we have a far greater pool of players to choose from and the recent IFLs have been much the better for this.
So,
the trophy that I always wanted was the Infosys Inter DC title. Immediately
after the runner up finish in 2013, the team suddenly disintegrated as most of
the players left the company or went onsite. The succeeding inter DCs were a struggle.
I was getting older and 11 a side games against guys 10 years younger was
becoming a struggle.
And
then:
2017
inter DC (Semi-finalists)
I
had opted out of the tourney. By all reports, our team had a spectacular
tournament and was hailed as one of the best teams. Sadly, it came down to a
penalty shootout in the semifinal against Hyderabad. Our team had 4 chances to
win the game in the sudden death but missed all 4 penalties and we crashed out.
Given that I was the regular penalty kick taker in the team, there were people
saying we could’ve won had I been there and this caused me a lot of distress
and pain.
2018
inter DC (Runner up)
I
began the year slogging it out to ensure I help the team in whatever way I
could to clinch the elusive title. I remember telling Mikri that I didn’t want
to be just an also-ran and wanted to be one of the best players this year. A
month before inter DC, we had to play Prathidhwani 7s tourney. I began the
tourney on fire, with 3 man of the match awards in the first 4 games, scoring 7
goals. And then..in the quarters, while scoring the winning goal against EY, my
ankle gets wedged between the EY goalkeeper Sonu’s legs leading to a severe
ligament sprain and leaving me in a cast for more than a month. As I was writhing
in pain, I realized that I was going to miss the inter DC and that was more
excruciating than the physical pain. The team reached the final, with another
superb showing, and was again unlucky, losing by a single goal in the finals.
2019
inter DC (The Holy grail is ours)
Come
2019, we lost the core of the 2018 team; especially the forward line who had
terrified the opponents in Abi, Albi, Mufi, Safi and other key players such as
Shahin, Thankam etc.
But
we were not going to give up. New blood in the shape of Abhiram, Hari, Sharon,
Livin, Jiljo, Arun gave us the much-needed fillip to mount another assault on the
title. The team put up a great show and we were finally crowned inter dc champions
with notable performances from Jabesh, Jude, Jose etc. I was lucky enough to
score both the penalties in the semi and final (along with my bandhu Hari),
just to prove that all the effort had not gone to waste.
The
GOFC trophy cabinet is finally complete!!
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Favourite player you wanted to share the field with you(Other than Govind :)) ~Mikri
I have been lucky enough to share the field with some amazing attacking players in GOFC like Aswin, Abi, Gautam, Albi in 11s etc.
But for me, the one player that I combined best would have
to be JJ (Jithin Jose). People used to say that we only passed to each other on
the field and while that’s a bit harsh, whenever I got the ball, I always had
eyes for where JJ was on the pitch and vice versa. I believe the best thing
about our partnership is our record in the big games. We have managed to
combine for some of GOFC’s most important goals in the early years of our
success, before JJ left for pastures new.
They say simplicity is genius. JJ certainly embodied that – he kept the game simple. There wasn’t a lot of fanciful tricks and flicks in his game. He covered the field like no-other, his weight of pass was brilliant meaning he created the best assists for me and when he finished, he usually found the corners. His game is also a lesson to some for the youngers guys in the team, who seem to be always practicing the fancy stuff rather than the meat and potatoes of the game, which is passing, crossing, finishing, playing with your head-up, using your body etc.
Even in the last Prathidhwani tourney, the referees were
telling me that JJ and I were a brilliant combination. The fact that they are
remembering this, even after so many years, is a big thing for me. GOFC has
been blessed with a lot of attacking combinations over the years. But, at least
for me, JJ and I: we were different gravy!!
There was a revolution of sorts in the GOFC in 2010-11 that set the tone for the way GOFC has become without doubt the best run club in Trinfy in the past 8 years. What was the instigator for it and were you happy with the outcome. ~ Hardi
Around 2011-12, there was a guy who had issues with his
non-selection in the A-team and blamed it on the captain (me). In my opinion, it’d
have been better for him to look at himself, first. The team selection in those
days was done by the captain plus some of the respected seniors in GOFC and the
key players (sure starters in first team).
Anyways, post this incident, I told the seniors that I
didn’t want to deal with such idiocy, anymore. So, a GOFC general body meeting was
held and a GOFC core team elected, which in turn elected a selection
committee. This has been followed till now and has been a resounding
success. When I was captain, there was also a lot of other responsibilities
that fell on me (plus a few others) including treasurer, IFL organizer, jersey
designer etc. With the advent of core team, the responsibilities were shared
around and were executed professionally.
A huge shout out to everyone who has been part of the core
team over the years – your commitment and hardwork has been the cornerstone of
GOFC’s successes over the years!!
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We had super teams which were not successful in terms of trophies and we had other teams which were not that good on paper but still won trophies. What do you see as the difference? ~ RGR
GOFC were the perennial bridesmaids. Now the trophy
cabinet creaks under the weight of the trophies. What do you think led to that
change. ~ Hardi
There are
many factors I feel but let me restrict to the three main ones:
Less
Tournaments: When I joined in 2010, there was only one tournament in a year: “Goal”
and less said about the fairness of this tournament in those days, the better.
If you lost that one tournament, you were left sulking for the rest of the
year. Now, even if you lose a couple of tournaments in the calendar year, you
can still end the year with a few trophies.
Lack of a
ground: In the early part of this decade, we didn’t have a ground to practice
on and the practice was restricted to 6.30-8 AM on 4 weekdays for a couple of
months leading up to the Goal tournament. This meant that our 11-a-side game
was not as well drilled as now. We also lost a lot of tournaments on penalties.
We hardly got any time to practice set pieces and penalties as usually people
reached the practice ground around 7 only and the practice started only at 7.20
or so after warmup and we got only 40 mins to play a 11-a-side game and to give
opportunities to everyone who turned up at a distant ground for practice,
leaving no room for practicing set-pieces. A ground of our own, has made a
world of difference to both our game play as well as our set-pieces, fitness
etc.
Talent: In
2010, we were 1000-odd people. Now we are 7 times that number, meaning we have
a lot of additional options and extra quality, especially in attacking areas.
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Aswin (AJ4) – My brother, simple as. Somebody who’s backed me through all the troubled times and given me more love than I deserved. Undoubtedly, one of the most talented players that I have seen in GOFC. We had a telepathic understanding on the pitch and I was lucky to get him as my top bid, the only time I was one of the icons in IFL. I wouldn’t say that GOFC saw the best of him, as his talent was on a higher plane to most of us. But, some of his performances, notably the hattrick in Goal, the golden boot winning performance in IFL etc, were the best that I have seen on a football field. He left Trinfy too early in my opinion. We could have won so much together. But our bonding and friendship has endured. He has rejuvenated himself and is back to his best now. As always, I will be looking out for him.
Mikri – For me, the best goalkeeper that has played for GOFC!!
When Mikri was in goal, it gave us all
huge confidence that our defence would not be breached. Whenever the game went
to penalties, Mikri would always say that he will save one of the penalties for
sure and if we scored all our penalties, we would win. And, he delivered on his
word, most times. He was also one of the leaders on the pitch, shouting
instructions and egging the team on, during tough times. He was also one of the
guys, along with RGR, that I regularly
discussed tactics with. The energy that he brought with him, the fun, the
laughter, the banter – I do miss that a lot!!
RGR - One of GOFC’s
generals. When I was the captain, I put RGR in Center Mid and I had no second thoughts on who my vice-captain would be. That’s how much I trusted
him and he always delivered. He is somebody that you always wanted to be on
your side rather than the opposite. He is always the loudest voice on the
pitch; making sure all of us gave our best. We have won a lot together and
hopefully this will continue. Again, somebody who’s always wanted the best for
GOFC and our regular conversations on how to improve the team, is something
that I will always treasure.
Vishnu (Thankappan) – My med bro. One of the nicest guys I
know. The improvement in his game from the time I first saw him to becoming the
Trinfy captain, is admirable. I’m probably his harshest critic, as I know he
can still do better. Maybe the lack of a nasty streak is one thing that is
holding him back, being the nice guy he is. Anyways, I’ll keep pushing him,
because I want the best for him.
KK – For me, the best center back that has played for GOFC,
after Jewel bhai and that’s no small statement considering the embarrassment of
riches that GOFC has had in that position. He was incredible in the 2013 Inter
DC, forming an unbeatable partnership with Jewel bhai. With his small-town
innocence coupled with an ever-present smile, he is somebody who you always
wanted to be on the team. Our friendship continues to grow, even after all
these years and I always look forward to meeting up with him, whenever he is in
town.
Prenith (Legend) – Multi-talented. Sometimes, it’s better to be good at just one sport but since Prenith is into so many sports (with basketball being his no.1 Sport), maybe he didn’t devote his full attention to football. But the improvement in his game, from the time I saw him to becoming an A-team member is amazing and it’s all down to his attitude of wanting to get better, every day. I remember him coming up to me and Govind always , after a game and asking us what he could’ve done better and this insatiable desire to improve was wonderful to see. A legendary figure, due to his off-field exploits, he is always a bundle of laughter and some of his antics/anecdotes still leaves me in splits.
Hardi – I’m always indebted to Hardi for making my captaincy
look better than what it actually was. The impact of his training sessions on
the fitness of the 2013 team was something beyond words. And the thing is, I
never asked him for it!! He voluntarily
woke up in the wee hours of the morning to conduct numerous fitness sessions
for the team. I’m always amazed with his relentless desire to improve and his
transformation from the below-average player that I first saw to being a vital
cog in the 2013 inter DC team was unbelievable. Also, his selfless nature came
through when he provided first rate kits to not only me, but also to almost
every GOFC player, by spending his own hard-earned money. I’m always pulling
his leg or mocking him, but he is an absolute gem. I could go on but if I do,
he’ll make sure that we will never hear the end of it and so, I’ll leave it at
this.
Jmar – The improvement in his game from the first time I saw
him to now, is remarkable and that’s down to the hardwork that he’s put in,
regularly turning up for our sessions at medical college etc. He was a key
member of GOFC core and managed the tedious job of being a treasurer without
any complaints. When we travelled to Cochin for a 5s tourney, Jmar travelled
with us and even let us use one of his relatives’ house to stay over the
weekend. This is a testament to his commitment to GOFC and although the
tournament didn’t go well for us, that was one great trip, with memories for a
lifetime!
Rameez – Not the best player in our group, he himself will
admit, but surely the best writer. The pioneer of IFL diaries, his match
reports set the tone for future IFL match reporting. A true football lover with
a great sense of humour.
JJ – Already mentioned him as the best player I played with
in GOFC, period!
Shinto – The Angry boy of the group. A late bloomer – it’s
incredible to think that he really only started playing serious footer once he
joined Infy. And we have to thank the scouting skills of AJ4 to spot Shintali’s
talent and pick him for his IFL team. After that it was onwards and upwards for
Shinto, and he became a key member of 2013 Inter DC team, stepping in to fill
the midfield void in the final when Jewel bhai was not there and RGR had to
move to CB. It’s sad that he left Infy when he did, as he had so much more to
give.
PRK – Another guy with a quirky sense of humour. A talented
defender, who didn’t give justice to the abilities he had, maybe because of his
lazy, laidback attitude. A football man, who is always up for discussion on the
tactical aspects of the game.
Thaadi (Athul) – one of the most versatile players in GOFC.
Technically sound, you could put him in any position from striker to defence
and he would deliver. He formed a formidable partnership with RGR and JJ in the
2013 inter-dc, ensuring an impenetrable shield in front of our defence. Now
leading a busy life in Canada :D
Gogo (Godwin) – Paavangalude Nivimboli :D.. Arguably the best Right back
that has ever played for GOFC. A tough-nut defender, who wouldn’t let you past,
even if it meant dragging you down with his arms. One of the nicest guys in the
group and a great guy to have as part of your team. We've had some great times together, starting with the K-Oz IFL team :).
