SPARTANS!!! WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSION???And all of Sparta says FLOORBALLERS!!!
It was a roller-coaster experience for the Spartans. But indeed it is one that all of us will carry throughout our lives. Critics that began with writing us off were suddenly surprised by the radical and diehard attitude of the Spartans. The energy... the power... the pace and most of all... THE HUNGER!!!
Spartans are probably, if not the most... HUNGRY team in the league... We've been waiting for this day. However... as heroic as we can be, we're still nowhere near the top. A few fumbles at the end of the league proved to be fatal.
The Spartans started their Penang League campaign a year ago when I was first sworn in to take over the leadership of Frontliners Floorball Club. We came out with a plan which we called PROJECT 2007 (look back at our first ever blog entry). It was a 2 year plan to rebuild the club and most of all the team as a whole from scratch. In search of the finest gems in Penang, we went scouting everywhere as much as possible, looking for the best prospects to fire up the team. After months of effort, there were at least 7 teams and lines that failed the test of time. Only the strong were left behind, thus resulting in the creation of the Spartan team.
The Spartan team should have been stronger if not for the dropouts that didn't last. Those who were following the program well have captured the attention of many. Most of these players have no or little exposure at state level training. (These fellows have parents that don't like them to play floorball, so they can't go to state training. Those who have the opportunity, please appreciate it.) I once said to all my players that if they can't go for state training, then let's bring the same level of training to our club.
The price is... only 1 word... COMMITMENT. 
We had a target, and that was to be the 1st Runner-up in Penang League 2008. We had that goal even before we started the campaign. Goals were set, at a Club level, Team level, Line level and even Individual level. Rewards and bonus schemes were launched.
What went wrong?
The first game boosted the team's confidence a lot, when the Spartans beat the defending champions 5 - 3. It was an entertaining and thrilling game to watch. Who would have thought the Spartans could have defeated the mighty champions powered by the invincible Deswyn Wan? Even the Spartans were shocked.
However, the second game sealed the confidence among the fans that we could repeat the same performance if we were focused enough. Somehow we were no longer the underdogs in the game.
Contact was always the team that we took extra caution with. We are not surprised that Contact is where it is today. We lost to them both times, and we have to admit that we are still very far behind them in many areas.
If there was any team that killed us of our goal, it has to be the Unihawks. They were great. From the beginning we took them seriously, in fact, we took every team seriously. Spartans are an unpredictable team. On a good day, we can beat the champions. On a bad day, we commit silly mistakes that prevent us from achieving our goal. But the Unihawks improved a lot as the league progressed. Have you noticed that their goal difference gets less and less along the way till they finally beaten us? Bravo to the Unihawks.
Individually, I am very proud of my players. They have risen to the occasion. Mental strength was the biggest improvement in the team. 
The pillar of the team is and has to be Sharron Tan aka Kungfu Spartan Keeper. She overcame herself throughout the whole league and performed so well that National Keeper Lin Ken was so impressed. Well... I wasn't surprised at all that she was mentally prepared, cause we as a team, we've always had faith in her.
The catalyst of the team would have to be Kuan Yang. The stats have proven everything. Technically strong, this is the most versatile player in the team that can play in any position except goalkeeping (who knows eh..). I took the risk and shifted him behind to make him play at his best. Even he was surprised by the impact created from this decision. Kuan Yang's stature made the mindgames playable for the coach because of the many options he creates for the team. If chess is floorball, this guy is the queen.
The most promising Frontliner in Penang League 2008 was Mekananth Selvaraj aka ADEBAYOR. His stunning performance captured the fans attention and earned him the nickname of the Arsenal and Togo Poacher. Having Mekananth in the team brought up the average speed by 20 percent. Speed is his main asset, and I've been working on changing him from an typical old fashioned winger into a stinging striker with a killer instinct for goals. The game against the Unihawks helped unleash the in-born poaching abilities in him. Definitely a player to watch in the future, if he can get rid of his opportunity-wasting blind passes which frustrate the coach so much.
Players that have matured a lot are Mr Shyguy, San Jeevan and Iron Lady, Kew Pei Li. Both were the back two that provided a strong platform to organize attacks. Though silly mistakes were committed, we have to admit that anyone would love to have them in their team. And we at Frontliners view these two as our priceless assets. No bargain available to buy them out. Keke... these two have also shown good commitment in training, thus, they are our long term plans for our future.
San Jeevan has excellent ball control. Always the most obedient one in training, his hard work paid off, with a goal scored as he obeyed the call to take more shots. Some sad moments when he made some silly mistakes that cost the team, but whatever they say... you gotta love this guy. How often do you bump into a shy guy who plays good floorball nowadays?
Iron Lady, Pei Li has been tougher and nastier this time round. Her controls have improved. We managed to catch her shooting a few times on target and exchanging some nice passes with the forwards. Always the one asking the coach... "What should I improve?" Well, I usually poke her with saying "EVERYTHING". Keke... Take it easy girl, Rome was not built in one day. Let's start first with the way you smile:)
One guy that shocked me and the whole team was Goekula Kannan. He is the joker in the team and reminds me a lot of Emile Heskey. He's one big bull. This boy scored two goals against Innebandy. I had to keep my promise of kissing him for every goal he scored (that was two). Discipline wise, Kannan has improved in controlling his temperament. We give him credit for the effort taken to control his own impulse. Hmm... I still wished I could work on his floorball sense first, though.
As a coach, my best buy of the season was Joshua Lam aka Lam Tai Hap (Pendekar Lam). Many do not realize that he is my most-underrated player in the team. To sum it up... he is like a Ferrari, without alignments. Horsepower without cornering abilities. We've gotta work on his alignments, he appears to be very clumsy. But Japanese-style-Banzai ethics and energy has placed him in the heart of the team. Taking over as the one shouting our war cry while I was not around, his energetic presence is an asset to the team. We love his Semangat and GUNGHO attitude. Although opponents are irritated with his brainless tackles and pushes, I can't blame him... under the coach's strict orders he had to play overly aggressive. He took it willingly without resistance... must be something natural to him. One of the long awaited energy givers.
Have you ever seen the LORD OF THE RINGS movie? There was this scene where the hobbits were asking for help and the ent answered, "We... have... come... to... a... decision..." The whole of middle kingdom is in war against Sauron, and here you are, a group of people who are saying, "Errr... I think first lah... See first lah... Dunno ah..."
POR KAI YANN. Deja Vu. The whole of Spartans are fighting with their lives, and then suddenly this joker starts asking, "Er.. coach... I play where ah?" (What are you gonna do if you are the coach?) But I must admit, Kai Yann has matured a lot this league. He has gotten rid of his Nervous Breakdown Syndrome that appeared in every past tournament. This boy is one that I personally discovered and recruited him from our youth group. As the tournament progressed, Kai Yann got better and better. He seems to have found a micro-fraction of his ego once again (if you can make this boy angry please teach me, he's a cool cucumber). I think he's got lots of potential (maybe many will disagree with me, but that's my opinion as a coach). This tournament made me realize he's got another feature I didn't notice all this while... a natural rebounder, dangerous in front of the crease, although before he can ever fulfill his call... he's gotta solve his 'stim stim' problem first.
Koay Yi Lin is the most cheerful person in the team, who never fails to put a smile on everyone's face. This girl is another energy giver in the team. Being the most cheerful, she ended up as the cheerleader for the team. Wasn't being played much due to the intensity of the game, yet we at Frontliners recognize her availability as an asset to the team. She cheered and encouraged the team when it mattered most. That's a big contribution.
WISEMAN: Steven Tay, being the most senior player in the team is another valuable piece in the puzzle. This wiseman is the other most versatile player in the team besides Kuan Yang. However, being long gone from the floorball scene for some time has mellowed down his aggression. But I still love the way he slowed down the pace of the game once again. He's the calmest player in Frontliners so far with excellent ball control. Only problem, him being a little TOO calm and holding the ball too long. But I reckon that he has got very good floorball IQ, very good game intelligence. That's why I call him the Wiseman.
As for me... well... I dunno how to comment on myself... you guys are free to comment on the chatbox... keke. I'm doing my soul-searching right now as a player. I have to change the way I play to go further. Taking both coaching and playing seriously and at the same time is no easy task. But Penang League 2008 has been a wonderful memory for me. It has deepened my passion for the club, its players and the future young guns that will rise up.
While the campaign was not successful, it was not a failure as well. We have defined our own style of play: the Fast Pace style. We actually got to be at the top of the league for a short while, which was only a dream in the past.
My only regret is to have missed the chance to clinch a medal. The biggest letdown is that we were the only team that did not have its own supporters. We were always playing an away game. It is something we will work on in the future. But I believe being in such a position has made us mentally stronger to stay focused on the game.
The proudest moment that I have as a coach till today... well, to be honest, is to see my players grow. Some have even outgrown me. Some show much promise.
When my players become good players and they start coaching others one day, I will have won the biggest medal of all time. That is my vision. I'm in the people business. Not winning titles. That is the greatest satisfaction I will ever receive as a coach. It motivates me to press on and continue what that was started in 2007. We still have one more year to go to complete Project 2007. This is so far the peak of Frontliners Floorball Club, and we definitely will see more interesting stuff coming in the future. 
OOOOOOO FRONTLINERS !!!!
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