Fan Profiles 2016/2017

As well as bringing you the latest Kitchee related news and gossip, we'd also like to introduce you to some of the people that make supporting Kitchee such good fun.

Building up to the new season, every day this week we will bring you some quick introductions to the Angry Boundary Street faithful, the loyal faces in the crowd who can't get enough of the Boys in Blue, and ask them about their hopes for the upcoming season.

Nash Tang - Drummer Extraordinaire

1. Why do you support Kitchee?
It was 2012 when I choose to support Kitchee, and it was an easy decision to make. I have seen a few of the other local club games before, and their play can hardly impress any audience. Lack of team work, skills, stamina, and the defenders are all doing clearance without aiming to their teammates. I mean they have no concept of possession, just kick the ball to the front and hope their front men can pick it up. So you can imagine how surprise it was to me when I saw a local team that are good at keeping possession with excellent team work

2. When was your first Kitchee game?

2012 when they play against Arsenal. A 2-2 draw with Yago and Cancela scoring for Kitchee. Arsenal needed a late equaliser to save themselves from defeat.

3. Who is your favourite Kitchee player (ever)?

Belencoso, his never give up attitude is extraordinary.

4. What is your most memorable moment/day as a Kitchee fan?

Last league game of last season, when we beat the Eastern side convincingly, win the league trophy, and secure our ACL spot in one match! It was a special day to Kitchee!

5. What was your worst day as a Kitchee fan?
The day when a foolish coach fired Belencoso our AFC top scorer and hero.

6. Who do you hate more - SCAA or Eastern? Why?
This is a hard one, I guess its Eastern. At least SCAA know how to arrange home and away games properly in Asian level games.

7. What is your favourite Kitchee song?
Come on Kitchee, oh we love you, come on kitchee, the boys in blue.
8. Prediction for this season?
It will be even more challenging then last season, as R&F is spending big money and they have real home advantage now. Eastern will try everything to revenge on the other hand. In addition, we will have to fight at ACL so distraction to the league is unavoidable.

Yuen Wing Yan (Bay)

1. Why do you support Kitchee?
2. When was your first Kitchee game?
I think it was 2013-2014 season, I used to work in Mong Kok and there was one time my colleague asked me if I fancied to watch some local football and have few beers and that sounds like the perfect thing to do after work. It was AFC game vs Tampines Rovers and I was immediately attracted my the atmosphere and to be honest I was surprised by the quality of the local football. Therefore I decided to come back to watch the games regularly, and since it was a Kitchee game to get me into local football, that's how I became a Kitchee fan.
3. Who is your favourite Kitchee player (ever)?
I guess if I have to pick one it has to be Lo Kwan Yee. I like his passion and always shows a strong leadership at the team.

4. What is your most memorable moment/day as a Kitchee fan?
There're too many memorable moments it's hard to pick, but I guess I'll pick the recent Lam Ka Wai header vs Hanoi (to seal a 3-2 victory in extra time) - there was tears in my eyes!!!

5. What was your worst day as a Kitchee fan?
Not just a day but in general, the period when Abraham Garcia was the manager. He was so bad at the job and the the fans were very disappointed and angry every game - no matter whether we won, lost or drew. I don't think any of us had fun watching football around those time.

6. Who do you hate more - SCAA or Eastern? Why?
Eastern, two words: Peter Leung

7. What is your favourite Kitchee song?
Sha la la la la la la we are the Kitchee boys


8. Prediction for this season?
Hopefully we can win the title again but I'm afraid I think it's gonna be a lot more challenging this season with teams stepping up with their new signings. I hope we'll sign someone else classy like Vadocz in January for ACL.

Richard Bokhorst

1. Why do you support Kitchee?
The first time I watched football in HK was a Kitchee match. From that match, I felt that I had a connection with team and the fans. Just a feeling but the club felt right for me!

2. When was your first Kitchee game?
My first match was the Hong Kong derby! The home match versus South China at Mong Kok stadium in December 2015 - a 4-2 win for Kitchee! The passion from both the fans and the players was fantastic!

3. Who is your favourite Kitchee player (ever)?
My favourite player is Sandro. He is highly passionate and always puts his heart and soul in to playing for Kitchee - he fights for the team!

4. What is your most memorable moment/day as a Kitchee fan?
There have been many fantastic memorable moments since I've followed Kitchee. However, the most memorable is the final day against Eastern - everything was perfect that day; the fans, the players, the result!

5. What was your worst day as a Kitchee fan?
The 3-2 home loss against Bengaluru stands outs. We needed to win that match to progress in the AFC Cup. We did everything we needed to to win and lost. But, that is football.

6. Who do you hate more - SCAA or Eastern? Why?
Its a good comparison with the Dutch League, SCAA = FEY and Eastern = PSV. So, easy question: SCAA

7. What is your favourite Kitchee song?
Sha La La la la la laaaa, We are the Kitchee Boys!

8. Prediction for this season?
We've managed to retain most of our championship winning squad of last season, so I think we we can retain the championship this year. I also hope that we can be relatively successful in the ACL. We've shown in our pre-season games and in the game v Ulsan last year that we are up to the standard. So, i would hope that we could qualify from the group stages.

Haily Mu

1. Why do you support Kitchee?
Honestly, no real reason. I went to my first game to support them in the ACL and decided to continue to watch them.

2. When was your first Kitchee game?
My first game was the ACL qualifying match between Kitchee and Hanoi, played at the Hong Kong Stadium in January 2017. It was an amazing game, with Kitchee winning 3-2 in extra time!

3. Who is your favourite Kitchee player (ever)?
Lam Ka Wai!

4. What is your most memorable moment/day as a Kitchee fan?
Obviously, 6/5/2017. A special day for any Kitchee Fan!

5. What was your worst day as a Kitchee fan?
So far, there have been no worst days!!!

6. Who do you hate more - SCAA or Eastern? Why?
SCAA! Their fans do not make any sense!

7. What is your favourite Kitchee song?
Sha La La la la la laaaa, We are the Kitchee Boys!

8. Prediction for this season?
I think Kitchee will win the league again!!!

Michael Wong

1. Why do you support Kitchee?

Actually, I don't know why, out of all the Hong Kong teams, I chose to support Kitchee - I just knew that I wanted to support a local team. However, as time passed by, I realised I had developed a serious crush on Kitchee!!

2. When was your first Kitchee game?
The first Kitchee match I saw was actually on television, the friendly match against AC Milan - which Kitchee won! However, my first live match was the Hong Kong derby versus South China. The game ended as a draw but the stadium was sold out. Even though I was only 7 years old, I remember that I thought the atmosphere was excellent!

3. Who is your favourite Kitchee player (ever)?
Li Ngai Hoi. I noticed him as even though he is quite a junior player, he still has a professional and serious attitude on the pitch. I think he will be a great asset to Kitchee in the future. He is also a nice guy off the pitch!

4. What is your most memorable moment/day as a Kitchee fan?
It has to 6/5/17! A beautiful 4-1 win against Eastern to seal the title on the last day and the first field attack in Hong Kong!

5. What Was your worst day as a Kitchee fan?
Definitely the 2009-2010 senior shield final against South China. Kitchee were winning 2-0 after 60mins, but somehow we managed to lose 4-2. Heart Breaking!

6. Who do you hate more - SCAA or Eastern? Why?
SCAA. Even though Eastern are perhaps bigger rivals now. The history behind SCAA and Kitchee means I definitely hate them more.

7. What I your favourite Kitchee song?
Sha la la la la la la We are the Kitchee boys

8. Prediction for this season?
I'd like to think that we can win the Hong Kong Premier League again and hopefully win 3-4 points in the ACL group stage. That would be a successful season.

Charlie Markillie

1. Why do you support Kitchee?

I moved to Hong Kong from England in November 2015. In England I was an avid supporter of Blackpool Football Club and attended almost everyone of their matches home and away, so there was a large football sized void to be filled when I arrived. I did some research into the Hong Kong leagues and joined a few groups on facebook but didn't actually attend a game until I was invited to do so by a friend, Liu Kam To.

2. When was your first Kitchee game?

My first game was in January 2016. I met Liu Kam To and his girlfriend, Blenda, and we headed to the stadium together. I said to myself that I would try to remain neutral and would support whoever won the match that day. Initially I was actually more drawn to South China - I love Adidas and their shirts are so beautifully designed - but I remember being impressed by the passion of the Kitchee fans. The match itself was fantastic and had everything - an away win, a saved penalty, a sending off (Bojan - who then started arguing with the Kitchee fans) - and from there I was hooked!

3. Who is your favourite Kitchee player (ever)?

I've only been supporting Kitchee for a relatively small amount of time but the players that stand out for me are Lam Ka Wai, Lo Kwan Yee and Fernando. Ka Wai and Kwan Yee are HK Legends. For Kwan Yee to rack up over 250 appearances for the same club in Hong Kong is fantastic.

4. What is your most memorable moment/day as a Kitchee fan?

It will take something special to beat the last match of last season. However, the whole of the run in was phenomenal. After losing to Southern (we ALWAYS do badly there) I thought that was our opportunity gone, but the run we put together over the next 8 league games was breathtaking. Even though we were always playing catch up, myself and all of my friends knew that we could do the necessary. The day of the game, whilst I was nervous, the atmosphere was so buoyant before kick-off, everyone knew we would run out winners. We knew Eastern would bottle it. The joy when we eventually ran away with it and at the final whistle was amazing.

5. What was your worst day as a Kitchee fan?

I was there in Ulsan for the ACL Qualification Match vs Ulsan Hyundai. No one really gave Kitchee any chance in the match - the odds for Kitchee to win were something like 10-1 - but the boys did themselves proud. If it wasn't for a badly deflected goal for the home team and Sandro hitting the post late on, we would have won the game. Unfortunately, we didn't and it went to penalties and the rest is history. The 10 or so of us who were in attendance were all in tears.

6. Who do you hate more - SCAA or Eastern? Why?

SCAA will always be our main rivals and SCAA v Kitchee will always be considered to be the Hong Kong Derby. However, I do have a begrudging respect for their history and (as mentioned above) I love their kit. I don't have much time for Eastern at all. They got so big headed after winning the league the season before last. So, I think I would have to say Eastern.

7. What is your favourite Kitchee song?

"We are the Kitchee boys"

8. Prediction for this season?

I think it will be difficult. We've only really added Lucas (who I think will be a great player for us) in the off season, whilst Eastern, R&F and Yuen Long have all invested heavily in their teams - I also think the new boys will be better than the bottom of the table teams last year, so there won''t be any easy games. However, keeping our winning team together is an excellent achievement. There appears to be a fantastic team spirit and I think this will pull us through. I'd like to think we can win the league again and win one or two matches in the ACL. Anything else would be a huge bonus.

Liu Kam To

1. Why do you support Kitchee? I was first started to support Kitchee when I was around 14 years old. My school soccer team teammates played at kitchee at that time so and I started to notice them and that got me interested in watching them more.
2. When was your first Kitchee game? This was around 2003/04. It was the senior shield semi final and Kitchee beat Happy Valley 2:1 with the winning goal coming in extra time!

3. Who is your favourite Kitchee player (ever)?
Definitely, Lam Ka Wai - he is a player that can create something out of nothing and do something completely unexpected to change a game.

4. What is your most memorable moment/day as a Kitchee fan?
During one match in the 2003/2004 season, former Wilfred Bamnjo threw his jersey into the crowd after a remarkable game. An old man in front of me caught it and gave it to me (probably because i was so young at the time). This was the first ever professional jersey I got and it still stands out in my memories.

5. What was your worst day as a Kitchee fan?
Every moment is happy!!! I feel lucky to support the team!

6. Who do you hate more - SCAA or Eastern? Why?
I am a lover not a hater,so can't pick either one. However, I prefer SCAA to Eastern.


7. What I your favourite Kitchee song?
Kitchee all the way! All time classic!!

8. Prediction for this season?
I think we can win all the local trophies again (League, Cup and Shield) and also get around 5 points in the Asia tournament! We are going to have a great year!

Tong Ho Ming

1. Why do you support Kitchee?
I watched Kitchee play against Manchester United in 2013. Despite the fact that Kitchee lost (2-5), I was really impressed with their performance so after that I started to follow them and watch local football. 2. When was your first Kitchee game?
My first game was Citizen vs Kitchee at Tsing Yi sports ground in March 2014. I was in Primary 4 at the time. Kitchee won the game 2-0.

3. Who is your favourite Kitchee player (ever)?
Belencoso,he had good skill and a great attitude, and he showed that he had better ability than the other players by finishing our top scorer! 4. What is your most memorable moment/day as a Kitchee fan?
Absolutely Eastern vs Kitchee(2017-05-06),the team played really excellently and the atmosphere are fantastic. 5. What was your worst day as a Kitchee fan?
Not a day but the I think the worst period for all Kitchee fans was the time when the team was coached by Garcia. I think everyone will agree with this!!
6. Who do you hate more - SCAA or Eastern? Why?
Eastern,cause SCAA fans at least can behave themselves but some of the Eastern fans are always doing some mental deficiency things,like a primary chicken!! 7. What I your favourite Kitchee song?
Come on Kitchee, Oh we love you! 8. Prediction for this season?
Honestly,this year will be more challenging than in the past because teams like,R&F and Tai Po have spent lots of money so the competition will be stronger. Therefore,we won't be able to take anything for granted. Its really important that we the fans come to watch every game, mass together in Zone 28 and support our players. At last, I hope we can have a good result in ACL.

Tony 

1. Why do you support Kitchee? I started to get interested in local football in about 2009. At that point in time, Kitchee was the first team in Hong Kong playing possession football - rather than just hoofing and hoping. So I was attracted to watching them more than any other team. 2. When was your first Kitchee game? My first game was the Hong Kong Community Shield Match between Kitchee and South China. South China had won the league the season before and so were favourites but Kitchee scored two early goals and went on to win 2-0! Foreign players Albert Virgil and Baruc Nsue scored for Kitchee. Lam Ka Wai and Lo Kwan Yee both played that day! 3. Who is your favourite Kitchee player (ever)? I love every player! All of them are very nice! However, it is great to see loyal local players like Ka Wai, Kwan Yee, Wang etc. They have been playing for Kitchee for so many years! 4. What is your most memorable moment/day as a Kitchee fan? - Losing 0–2 to Arema Indonesia in the AFC Cup 2012 was painful - especially as they were managed by former head coach Dejean Antonic.

- Beating Eastern 6-1 in the League Cup last season was so unexpected - Rufino scored 4 goals! - Being part of the first ever pitch invasion in Hong Kong last season was amazing! Was so good to be part of it. 5. What Was your worst day as a Kitchee fan? Worst day? Southern away always seems to be awful - we never do well there. However, I remember in the 2012-2013 season we played Pegasus away on a Friday night at the Yuen Long stadium. I travelled there on my own.  Kitchee needed to win to keep their title challenge alive but, despite going ahead, we just couldn't do it and the match ended in a draw. Meaning that South China were champions.  6. Who do you hate more - SCAA or Eastern? Why? SCAA ! Because of the history between the two teams! They will always be our biggest rival. It is a pity that they will play in first division in the coming season, will miss them. 7. What Is your favourite Kitchee song? Oh le oh le oh le, le o le o le o la….every day I love you more 

8. Prediction for this season? Due to the extra pressure of competing in the Asian Champions League, we may not be as dominant domestically as we have been in previous seasons. But let’s keep our faith and I believe the boys will do well. The priority has to be for the boys will perform well in ACL and put Kitchee on the map!

Edmund Fung

1. Why do you support Kitchee? Serendipity. 2. When was your first Kitchee game? 2004-05-31 Kitchee vs AC Milan at the Hong Kong Stadium. AC had Paolo Maldini and a number of other stars playing but Kitchee won 2-1! We went one down but then Rochi Putiray scored twice to give us the win!  3. Who is your favourite Kitchee player (ever)? Its really difficult to pick a favourite player. I would have to say the whole team of the current team - the team spirit between those guys is tremendous! 4. What is your most memorable moment/day as a Kitchee fan? It has to be the 2010-01-30 Senior Shield final against SCAA. Kitchee had a new head coach, Josep Gombau, and were using a lot of new young players, whereas SCAA were the dominant force in Hong Kong football back then. Kitchee were winning 2-0 with only 30 minutes left to go and we all thought that the long wait for a trophy would be over [Kitchee hand't won a trophy since 2006] but then SCAA came back and won 4-2. Heart breaking. However, it made winning the title in 2010/2011 even better!! (Particularly as they had Micky Butt and Mateja Kezman at the time). [Highlights of the South China game can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlzK2LQwGKg]
5. What Was your worst day as a Kitchee fan? See above. Losing that day was both most memorable and most painful!! 6. Who do you hate more - SCAA or Eastern? Why? South China - they are our traditional rivals and that is the proper Hong Kong Derby. 7. What is your favourite Kitchee song? salalalalalalala We are the Kitchee boys 8. Prediction for this season?
I think the most important thing this year is learning something from our first ever appearance in the ACL. It will be good to see how we perform against some of Asia's big clubs. But, of course, I would also like to see us win another league title!