Kerala football news

Best Viva Kerala XI ever: Who all are in your’s?

Chirag United Kerala or Viva Kerala, the name their fans love them to be better known for, has been the only club from Kerala to have played in the I-League, India’s premier domestic football competition. As the club crumbled to relegation this season, it marked the end of an era for Kerala football, pushing the club’s existence itself to an uncertain ordeal.

Several players have rose through the club going on to find success elsewhere in the country. From the inception of the club, Viva Kerala has been a pathway for several young and talented Kerala footballers to find better clubs to take their game to the next level, and it has remained to be exactly that over the last five years; nothing more or nothing less!

So, FootballKerala.com asked some people who have been closely associated with the club for years, to make a dream eleven consisting of the best players to have played for the club in all those years. And here is what we came up with!

Patrick Sisupalan
Viva Kerala Player 2009-10

I have always followed the progress of Viva Kerala and was proud to play for them in the 2009-10 season. It is sad to see the relegation of Viva’s current incarnation, Chirag United Kerala, to the second division but I am sure that they will return to the I-league.

If I could put together a Viva Kerala / CUK team comprised of the best players over the years here is who I would choose to play alongside me. I admit I am heavily biased towards the Viva Kerala side that I played with but that team was the first to stay up in the I-League and got the highest ever points tally.

Goalkeeper: Shahinlal Meloly
The most talented keeper Viva ever had, Shahin Lal, proved his class against Premier League side Blackburn while playing for Pune FC.

Defenders: Nosuhad K – Ebin Rose – Bello Rasaq – Surjith VV
I would pick most of the solid back four from 2009-10 with Bello Rasaq at the heart of the defence but joined by Ebin Rose from the 2007-08 team. The wing backs in my side are Noushad and the flexible Surjith VV who can play on either side.

Midfielders: Patrick Sisupalan – Sirajudeen C – Karma T – MP Sakeer
I used to talk about us being the best midfield in India in 2010 and the balance of me as a holding player giving MP Sakeer greater freedom and the threat of Karma and Sirajudeen down the the wings.

Strikers: CS Sabeeth – Vineeth CK
With a succession of foreign flops I have to choose 2 of 3 quality Malayalees, Sabeeth, Vineeth and Anil Kumar. Sabeeth had a great scoring record for Viva but missed a lot of games through injury. After a disappointing season from Anil Kumar I select Sabeeth to partner rising star Vineeth.

There are some high profile players that did not make my team but I am aiming for a balanced effective team rather than star names. Many of these players have gone on to earn salaries 5-10 times larger than they earned at Viva Kerala but I believe that if someone could afford to reassemble this side, we could finish in the top 4 of the I-League. This team contains 2 non Malayalees in Karma and Bello and only 1.5 foreigners.

Prashanthan K
Team Manager, Viva Kerala & Chirag United Kerala FC

Prashanthan K has been the team manager of Viva Kerala and later Chirag United Kerala. He has been closely working with the players over the years and has observed their growth over the years at the club and at other outstation clubs.

Let’s have a look at his eleven players for the Best Viva Kerala team ever:

Goalkeeper: Shahinlal Meloly
Shahinlal is one of the best goalkeepers in India right now and he has all the potential to become India’s number 1 keeper in the coming years. The boy’s performance against Blackburn Rovers for Pune FC left me with goose bumps!

Defenders: Noushad K-  Bello Rasaq – Charles Dzisah – Sherin Sam
Noushad and Sherin Sam will play as my right and left backs. Sherin is young and is still in the developing phase. Our success in the I-League in the first two seasons were because of the strong central defence partnership of Bello Rasaq and Charles Dzisah. Bello, for me, is the most powerful foreign defender India has ever seen!

Midfielders: Sirajudeen C – MP Sakeer – NP Pradeep – Karma T
In midfield Siraj is joined by NP Pradeep. The Indian international was key for our success in the 2010-11 season. With all that experience behind him, he played out the role of midfield general pretty well.  Karma and Sakeer were upcoming stars in our team and they are on their way for stardom now!

Forwards: PK Anil Kumar, Vineeth CK
Anil is a seasoned campaigner in our team and has been the spine of the team down the years. Vineeth is a star in the making; watch his bicycle kick goal against Dempo SC at Goa this season!

PS Parameswaran
Former Editor at Indianfootball.com

I started following Viva Kerala when they played in the second division in the 2006/07 season. A new club with starlets were looking to put Kerala’s map in the domestic league of the country. So my choice will be influenced by those players who represented the club in the past. Here it goes:

Goal Keeper – Shahinlal Meloly
Shahinlal is a young keeper and had a difficult time at the club. But there is quality in the lad which was evident in his performance against Blackburn Rovers in the friendly when he guarded the post for Pune FC.

Defenders: R Dhanarajan – Bello Rasaq - Justin Stephen – Shahabas Saleel
The back four led by Bello Rasaq is pretty much solid. R Dhanarajan and Justin Stephen played a key role when they were playing in the second division in 2006/07 season (just before the inaugural edition of I-League). While Saleel was with the club for two seasons and is a versatile player.

Midfielders: Sirajudeen C – MP Sakeer – Denson Devadas – Karma T
Midfield too is rich in terms of experience and in the attacking front. Sirajudeen and Karma were influential in the 2009/10 season which saw club avoid the drop from I-League. Meanwhile Sakeer can create mayhem in the opposition’s box with his killer through balls and occasional strikes from distance. And Denson Devadas provides defensive back up in the midfield and Viva Kerala management will be still ruing the fact that they let him leave after the 2006/07 season.

Forwards: CS Sabeeth – PK Anil Kumar
In the striking department PK Anil Kumar was one of the findings in the 2006/07 second division. Alongside Nigerian Baba Thunde scored plenty of goals for the Kerala club. Though he left the club next season came back three years later and helped the club to stay afloat in the 2010/11 season. The Indian Under-23 striker Sabeeth is one unfortunate player as his time with the club was mounted by injuries. But in the later stages of 2008/09 season he came back to score vital goals that helped them to stay in the league.

Adwaidh Rajan
Editor-in-Chief, FootballKerala.com

I have been following Viva Kerala from the 2009-10 season and has been a regular at every single home match of the Kerala side during their three I-Leagues. The team had been playing some entertaining football in their first two seasons, we were a formidable opposition anyday at home. But this year has been different; with all the antics happening backstage, players seemed to have given up their hope halfway through the season which resulted in our demotion.

So, here is my choice of the best eleven from what I have seen of Viva Kerala:

Goalkeeper: Shahinlal Meloly
It’s been Sharath K (at times captain of the team in the later half of 2011-12 season) or Shahinlal Meloly under the bars for the club in the last three years. Both of them brilliant goalkeepers, but I would prefer Shahinlal over Sharath not because of Shahin’s superiority, but because of the inability of Sharath to keep hold of the ball while saving shots, costing the team some sloppy goals over the years.

Defenders: Noushad K – Sherin Sam – Bello Rasaq – Surjith VV
Sherin Sam in the centre of the defence partering Bello Rasaq. Surjith and Noushad would be my wing backs giving more attacking options for the team down the sides. I would even state that Surjith was the best Indian defender Viva Kerala have had. He now plays for KSEB and Kerala Santosh Trophy Team. Lack of discipline cost Viva’s Ghanaian defender Charles Dzisah a place in my squad. He is the most capped foreigner for the Kerala club and could well also be the player to have missed most number of matches through suspension!

Midfielders: Patrick Sisupalan – Sirajudeen C – Karma T – MP Sakeer
Going with the same as Patrick Sisupalan with the PIO playing as a holding midfielder. Patrick provided much needed cover for the club’s inexperienced defenders during his single season with the club. A player like him could have been the difference between relegation and survival in the team of 2011-12. Karma’s run on defenders were a delight to watch as he ghosted past them on to goal. MP Sakeer, captain in my side is brilliant while setting up teammates on goal and also has an eye for goal from long distances making him the best midfielder Viva has ever produced. Special mentions to Jimshad U and Asif K who were brilliant from midfield in the  2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons respectively.

Forwards: PK Anil Kumar – Vineeth CK
Anilkumar PK and Vineeth CK (jointly with CS Sabeeth – another Viva Kerala product) are two strikers who have topped the charts of Indian goal scorers of the I-League in 2010-11 and 2011-12 respectively. Anil Kumar has a way of getting into goal scoring positions for the team while Vineeth is a player who is technically brilliant. Even though Anil was a shadow of himself in the last season, his contributions for the club over the years (in the second division included) has been tremendous.

So, that’s our Viva Kerala XI. Now, tell us who all are in your best Viva Kerala XI and whom do you think is the best player to have played for the team?