HERO I-LEAGUE - INDIA

Lucio joins FC Goa as marquee

The former Brazilian defender will ply his trade with the Goan club in the next edition of the Indian Super League...

Brazilian defender Lucio has joined FC Goa as a marquee player for the second edition of the Indian Super League (ISL).

“Lucio has been signed as the marquee player for FC Goa as he was strongly recommended by Zico,” said FC Goa co-owner Shrinivas Dempo to The Nevhind Times.

“We have also signed another Brazilian Andreas and are looking forward for more signings that will boost the squad,” Dempo added.

The centre-back has won many major honours in his career including the World Cup with Brazil in 2002, the Bundesliga, the Champions League as well as the Serie A. The 37-year old was last seen playing for Brazilian side Palmerias.

The second season of the ISL shall kick-off on October 3, 2015.

I-League winning coach Sanjoy Sen renews his contract 

with Mohun Bagan

The Mariners have decided to retain their championship winning coach for another season...

Sanjoy Sen has decided to confirm his stay at Mohun Bagan as their Head Coach for another season after leading Mohun Bagan to their maiden I-League crown. 

The former United SC and Mohammedan Sporting coach arrived at the decision of renewing his contract after a meeting with football director, Debashis Dutta. 

After tying down their gaffer for another year, the discussion centred on their strategy and player acquisitions for the next season, especially after star defender Bello Rasaq had agreed to join bitter rivals East Bengal. 

While Sen was said to have given a list of '30 probable players' to the director for the new season, Mohun Bagan are not expected to immediately complete all four of their foreign signings. 

The news will come as a sigh of relief to the Mariners' faithful who were lamenting the loss of Rasaq and concentration will now focus on tying Sony Norde to a long term deal. 

East Bengal meanwhile are close to announcing their next coach for the season, with Trevor Morgan the clear frontrunner. 

Dempo: Fans felt Papas did too much too soon

The Dempo patron promised fans the team would be back to the I-League soon, applauds foreign players for staying and believes change of coaches 'took its toll'

Dempo SC’s chairman and owner Shrinivas Dempo, in the weeks succeeding the Golden Eagles’ relegation to India’s second tier of domestic football, has come out blazing with rebuttals regarding plausible club disbandment, whilst also accentuating the belief that the three-time title champions will be back to where they belong in the shortest period of time possible.

Now, the 45 year-old has again stressed the importance of hauling his team back to the “big time” i.e the I-League, whilst also extolling the work of coach Arthur Papas, believing the fans didn’t share the same creative space as the Australian.  He also spoke at length on how grassroots programmes would form a core of his club’s development strategy now, whilst also delving that the foreign players of Dempo’s current set-up have taken a payment cut to get the team back to where it belongs.

Quizzed on how big a blow Dempo’s relegation will be to its fans, the Dempo chief replied, “The club’s loyal fans and supporters are bound to be dejected as you say, just as we at the club, myself downwards, see this as a definite disappointment. Each of us bound up with the club, from president to the squad, assumes responsibility for this unfortunate turn of events. That said, Dempo SC has been known for its demonstration of commitment to the sport through much of its glorious history this far. We commit to put our best foot forward to bounce back into the I – League by getting on top of the game during our season in the second civision,” in an interview to the Navhind Times.

Asked if he had the nous to point out exactly what and where the I-League proceedings became sour, Shrinivas elucidated, “The gift of hindsight is an easy one with which to reflect on what might have gone wrong. Injuries to our key players, who had been part of FC Goa where a number of these were first sustained is a factor that comes to mind. In fact, the length of the playing season itself was to our detriment. The mid-season change of coach from Arthur Papas to Trevor Morgan also played a part, with such switches, regardless of the obvious merits of the coaches involved, always taking a toll on the team. Arthur’s bid to change the team profile in favour of a lower average playing age, which was aimed at strengthening the team in the medium term, meant that we were without a few of our earlier regulars.”

Dempo dismissed suggestions the  Indian Super League (ISL) took a  toll on the Golden Eagles’ player development with regards to fitness, as it was the clubs’ players who largely plied their trade with the Goan club.

“Looking back, I do not see this as a bad decision at all. It was a natural fit for me, as an I-League team owner with a stake in an ISL franchise, to loan players to FC Goa. The team made more than a respectable showing in the inaugural outing, too. Of course, a number of I-League teams last season refused to loan their boys to the ISL. But seeing the runaway success of its first edition, a number of them this season have changed their minds. There’s been a growing chorus from players, too, to play in the franchises having seen for themselves the visibility and the marketability that the ISL provides,” he stressed.

Questioned in the All India Football Federation’s attempts to boost the I-League, Dempo enunciated, “All said and done, it is absolutely the case that the I-League is the flagship event of the AIFF. It is the official sanctioned event in India  in terms of how football is played in countries across the world. All FIFA-related events make the I-League their pivot, their source, their key. While the AIFF agreed to the ISL as a measure to popularise Indian football and demonstrate a revenue earning model for its future in the country, it is important to remember that the promotion of the ISL inaugural edition was the responsibility of IMG- Reliance, not the AIFF. Coming back to the two leagues, the endeavour of our regulators is for greater eventual integration in Indian football, across and between its events.”

The Carnegie Mellon University post-graduate also explained he hadn’t the necessary wherewithal to get into a local versus foreign coach debate, but guaranteed long term loyalist Mauricio Afonso getting a crack at first team matters soon.

“While I believe in examining all factors to a decision before taking it and while I wouldn’t know how much credence to give to the foreign-versus-local debate when it comes to coaches, my first thoughts for the coming season and our stint in the second division would be to reward long-term loyalty to the club by handing over its reins to our very own Mauricio Afonso,” Dempo addressed.

Calling the shots on why Arthur Papas was dismissed, the patron revealed, “Like I said, Arthur changed the profile of our team, turning it into a younger, leaner outfit. His choices have demonstrably been among India’s best, highly-rated players with years of football ahead of them. I am mindful of the criticism of many of our fans and loyal supporters, though, that this change of profile ought to have been more gradual, more measured, than what it was. He saw the team in the long term, they felt he did too much too soon.”

Questioned on the extent of  the budget cuts that would affect the club, now that it’s been stripped of it’s I-League status, the businessman alluded, “Team budget reductions in such circumstances are not just axiomatic but automatic. For one thing, with the foreign player component no longer relevant, salary spends are bound to come down. I am deeply gratified though with players with whom we have long-term playing contracts  – they have chosen to stay with Dempo SC through our second division stint, a reaction that justifies the club ethos they identify with regardless of its fortunes. The savings that shall accrue from such salary reductions shall be ploughed back into youth development as also into infrastructure development, meaning football wins, making this truly a silver lining to the cloud of relegation.”

Finally, the man at the helm of the Golden Eagles’ affairs concluded by promising to focus on grassroots development, for the greater good.

“A youth development academy has been on our agenda, and with governmental approvals to the proposal beginning to fall into place it should not be long before our ‘player nursery’ sets up with the proper know-how. The products of our academy could then well be outsourced to Dempo SC and other Goan clubs or those upcountry. That would put a seal on our commitment to youth and player development," he said.

I-League Report Card: Shillong Lajong FC

Goal takes a look at the performance of Shillong Lajong FC who have been in the shadow of their neighbours, Royal Wahingdoh this term..

Shillong Lajong FC

Expectation :

Shillong Lajong had finished sixth in the 2013-14 edition of the I-League with coachThangboi Singto promising that a top five finish was their primary goal which they would fight hard to achieve next season. Boasting an impressive front duo of Cornell Glen and Uilliams Silva whom they retained along with the solid Minchol Son, things were expected to get only better when they added the experienced Penn Orji to their midfield before the season began.

Result :

Relegation loomed around the Lajong outfit even on the final day when a loss would've seen them depending on other results to secure their stay in the top division for another season. Thankfully, the Redscame good at the last moment and recorded a resounding 5-1 victory over East Bengal, which secured their survival. Yet they could only finish ninth, three spots off their previous season's position and on a measly 23 points out of 60. 

STAT OF THE SEASON Shillong Lajong conceded the most goals in the I-League (29) yet scored 34 goals, only a goal less than highest scoring Bengaluru FC.

Where it went wrong : 

The North Easterners were always a side that looked to out-score their opponents rather than concentrate on the nuances of defending. However, this season they failed to come up with the goods when it mattered. They often struggled to score even with their star-studded attacking line-up but instead piled on their goal count by recording some emphatic victories such as the 6-0 demolition of Mumbai FC at Cooperage.

Following that rout, one expected them to shake off their lacklustre season thus far, where they only managed two wins in their previous nine games, but it was the same old story as they lurched into three draws before finally being defeated at home by Salgaocar. While their opening day defeat at the hands of Royal Wahingdoh certainly dented the start of their season, the club can be pretty livid with the scheduling by the Indian FA and understandably so.

In their first 13 matches of the season, Shillong had only three games at home with all their remaining home fixtures coming in a row at the end. Lopsided scheduling aside, Lajong really could not pick up any momentum as they failed to string two wins together. The home advantage towards the end was ultimately too late as they could never really recover from their early set-backs. 

When it came to personnel, Minchol Son's injury early on left the side in dire need of some leadership with youngsters Samuel Shadap and Nim Dorjee Tamang struggling to cope. While things did indeed become better with Tamang's game improving by leaps and bounds when he played alongside Son, defence was never Lajong's strong point anyway. While statistics do show that they have scored the second highest goals in the league after Bengaluru, it does not tell the whole truth.

They were too reliant on Cornell delivering the goods and he often did but the lack of support hampered their efforts. Uilliams Silva and Penn Orji, both enterprising players needed to get on the scoresheet more often from open play. While Penn only scored a solitary goal, his predecessor Taisuke Matsugae had scored five last season. The youngsters Seminlen Doungel and Durga Boro too failed to make any noticeable impact when they came on.

For the neutrals though, there could not have been a better team to watch than Shillong Lajong and they proved it yet again, right from their 6-0 thumping of Mumbai and 5-1 drowning of East Bengal to their last gasp 3-4 defeat against Mohun Bagan. 

 

Best Performance Mumbai FC 0-6 Shillong Lajong

Although their final day heroics against East Bengal where they crushed the Red and Gold brigade 5-1 was a brilliant effort all around, it did not come close to the sheer dominance on display on the 3rd of April, 2015. The refurbished Cooperage Stadium had become a fortress for Mumbai FC where they were undefeated for five games, well at least the moniker stood before Lajong had come to town. The Lajong attack finally lived up to its name of being dangerous after some limp showings and bludgeoned the Yellow and Blues into submission. The scoreline read 6-0 but it could have been even worse for the hapless hosts who had no idea what hit them. Unfortunately, Shillong failed to live up to that level probably until the last day when it was only for safety and nothing more.

Player of the Season Cornell Glen

Cornell Glen is probably the best poacher in the country at present. That is keeping in mind that the likes of Ranti Martins and Odafa Okolie are also in the mix. Having scored 16 goals in 19 appearances for the season, the striker has often had to make do with substandard service especially with his team often under pressure. If you take out Cornell's match winning goals from Lajong, the North Eastern side would have most certainly been relegated this term especially with their leaky defense. With news of him joining a 'bigger' club next season, one would shudder to think the damage he could do, with a genuine playmaker behind him.

 

“Apart from the players, I would like to thank the staff - everyone, coaching, non-coaching, operations, marketing - and definitely the management who have always been supportive. Otherwise it is difficult. Last, but not the least, the Lajong faithfuls - we paid them in return. So I'm happy for everyone. - Thangboi Singto  (Shillong Lajong FC manager)