Hitting the road seeking six points from two matches, Mohun Bagan will return from Goa Wednesday evening with an empty bag.
A 1-2 loss to Salgaocar on Thursday followed by a 1-3 loss to Dempo on Tuesday in the I-League have rocked the Bagan boat so badly that even the most ardent fan is doubting whether the green and maroon brigade can go the distance. They now finish the first leg with 20 points from 13 matches and are now fourth in the standings behind Dempo, Churchill Brothers and Mahindra United.
Suddenly, there is a clamour to give Karim Bencharifa the boot who till the other day was seen as the man who can bring back the I-League.
The official version though is there won’t be a change of guard but the club will take stock of the situation. “We have to do some introspection and will ask for the coach and players’ views once we come back,” senior club official Debasish Datta said from Margao.
So, what happened in Goa that things have come to such a pass? Sources in the Bagan camp said that a row between Bencharifa and team manager Dr Arun Chakraborty did play a big role in these two back-to-back reverses.
“Just imagine a team coming from a win at Mumbai against Mahindra losing to Salgaocar. How is it possible? This row upset the rhythm so much that suddenly we all started having second thoughts about our abilities,” a senior player told The Telegraph from Margao.
This is true since beating Mahindra in their own den is no mean task. And Bagan, for the record, came back from a goal down to record a memorable 2-1 win.
The senior player also said that Chakraborty’s role during the Goa leg left a lot to be desired. “He remained so aloof that sometimes the coach had to do managerial duties,” he said. In fact, the scene was so bad that Datta had to rush from Calcutta before the Dempo match to soothe the frayed tempers. A team source revealed that club officials have told the coach and some of the senior players that Chakraborty won’t be travelling with the team in future.
Source : http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100203/jsp/sports/story_12060819.jsp
A 1-2 loss to Salgaocar on Thursday followed by a 1-3 loss to Dempo on Tuesday in the I-League have rocked the Bagan boat so badly that even the most ardent fan is doubting whether the green and maroon brigade can go the distance. They now finish the first leg with 20 points from 13 matches and are now fourth in the standings behind Dempo, Churchill Brothers and Mahindra United.
Suddenly, there is a clamour to give Karim Bencharifa the boot who till the other day was seen as the man who can bring back the I-League.
The official version though is there won’t be a change of guard but the club will take stock of the situation. “We have to do some introspection and will ask for the coach and players’ views once we come back,” senior club official Debasish Datta said from Margao.
So, what happened in Goa that things have come to such a pass? Sources in the Bagan camp said that a row between Bencharifa and team manager Dr Arun Chakraborty did play a big role in these two back-to-back reverses.
“Just imagine a team coming from a win at Mumbai against Mahindra losing to Salgaocar. How is it possible? This row upset the rhythm so much that suddenly we all started having second thoughts about our abilities,” a senior player told The Telegraph from Margao.
This is true since beating Mahindra in their own den is no mean task. And Bagan, for the record, came back from a goal down to record a memorable 2-1 win.
The senior player also said that Chakraborty’s role during the Goa leg left a lot to be desired. “He remained so aloof that sometimes the coach had to do managerial duties,” he said. In fact, the scene was so bad that Datta had to rush from Calcutta before the Dempo match to soothe the frayed tempers. A team source revealed that club officials have told the coach and some of the senior players that Chakraborty won’t be travelling with the team in future.
Source : http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100203/jsp/sports/story_12060819.jsp
No comments:
Post a Comment