THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Any team would welcome a penalty when the match is in the balance at 1-1, especially in the second session. But what if the players of that particular team start quarrelling for the right to take that all important kick from 12 yards out?
That is precisely what happened before Kerala Blasters FC squandered a penalty against Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi in their most recent home match.
After the referee had pointed to the spot, English forward Sanchez Watt grabbed the ball, signalling his intent to take the penalty.
But then Spanish midfielder Josue Prieto had other ideas, and he pursued Watt who was not quite willing to hand the ball over to anyone else. It took some cajoling on the part of skipper Peter Ramage for Watt to let Prieto take the penalty.
It was anybody’s guess if the player would have the concentration required to place the penalty into the back of the net. Lo and behold, ‘Josu’ took a weak penalty that was comfortably saved by rival keeper Karanjit Singh. After the match, caretaker coach Trevor Morgan’s candid response was that the Blasters “didn’t have an assigned spot-kick taker for the match”. If anything, the incident captures in a nutshell how disoriented the Kochi side’s preparations have been in the lead up to the second edition of the Indian Super League.
And a below par pre-season, coupled with the confusion regarding the ownership of the franchise that forced the management to tighten the purse strings while picking players, has led to a situation where - right in the middle of the competition - the ‘Elephants’ have a new coach in Terry Phelan who will be taking charge of a senior level game for the first time.
“We have seen many times that sacking a coach can turn a team’s season around. But with the crop of players Blasters have at their disposal, I am not sure whether the decision will be for the better or worse,” said former India captain I M Vijayan.
“The management should have looked to build a good team rather than blaming the coach for the bad results,” he added. None could be faulted for having thought that something was not right with the team. For starters, the Blasters came into this ISL without having had a true test of their preparedness. While it may not have been the absolute pre-requisite to organise the team’s pre-season training camp overseas like other franchises, it was essential that the squad got to play decent opposition in practice matches refine their own style of play.
The Blasters were winning practice matches by huge margins, whereas other ISL teams were tasting defeats against tougher opponents in Europe. The experience, which enabled the coaches to identify their strengths and weaknesses and to settle on the best possible combination, has stood teams like Delhi Dynamos F C and F C Pune City in good stead, as evidenced by their top-placed standings in the points table.
Assistant coach Trevor Morgan conceded, “More difficult opposition? I would probably say yes. We were in Trivandrum which is a very difficult place to attract difficult opposition to. So we had to play local teams.”
Asked if the franchise management could have provided greater backing during pre-season, Morgan turned diplomatic.
“We realised that there was nearly no club (to play practice matches against). We were happy that the team were together, we were happy in Trivandrum,” Morgan had stated.
The fact that head coach Peter Taylor quit after having failed to zero in on a consistent line-up even after six matches tells a different story.
But then indications are that the Kochi franchise owners are getting more hands own with the functioning of the Blasters than it had been before the start of the season when the Hyderabad-based PVP Group, who had originally bid for the franchise, withdraw from the management part of the team. Better late than never.
The New Gaffer on the Block
Terrence ‘Terry’ Phelan
Date of Birth: March 16, 1967
Place of Birth: Manchester, England
Clubs played for: Leeds United (1984-86), Swansea City (1986-87), Wimbledon (1987-92), Manchester City (1992-95), Chelsea FC (1995-97), Everton (1997-2000), Crystal Palace (1999), Fulham (2000-01), Sheffield United (2001), Charleston Battery (2001-05),
Otago United (2005-09)
International appearances: 42
Many Manchester City fans would consider Sergio Aguero’s 95th-minute winner against Queens Park Rangers that handed them the first Premier League win in 44 years in 2012 as the greatest goal in the club’s recent history. However, another goal they cherish as much is that of their left-back Terry Phelan in the 1993 FA Cup quarter-final.
Left back Phelan started a mazy run from his own half that ended in the opposition’s box where he slotted the ball past the keeper sparking a riot and abandoning of the match. Phelan represented Manchester City in 104 matches between 1992 and 1995 before moving on to Chelsea where he found his options limited.
Before that, Phelan was a solid full back for Wimbledon for over five years and won the 1988 FA Cup with them. Phelan would move to the United States and New Zealand where he would also try his hand at coaching. He also represented the Republic of Ireland on 42 occasions including in the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals.
Phelan’s stint in India began in 2011 after assuming the role of chief mentor at the SESA Football Academy in Goa before joining Blasters as the technical director for their grassroots development initiatives in 2014.
Can Carlos Marshal the Troops?
Carlos Marchena
Date of Birth: July 31, 1979
Place of Birth: Seville, Spain
Position: Defender
Clubs played for: Sevilla (1997-2000), Benfica (2000-01), Valencia (2001-10), Villareal (2010-12), Deportivo La Coruna (2012-14), Kerala Blasters (2015)
International appearances: 69
How frustrating it is to have a World Cup winner for Spain, with the experience of representing his country 69 times and playing in the Spanish La Liga for over a decade, on your team roster and not being able to make use of his talent? Kerala Blasters fans and management might know a thing or two about it.
Blasters’ marquee signing Carlos Marchena was supposed to lead the team from the front.However, his contribution has been limited to a grand total of 50 minutes of football at the halfway point of the season. A back injury suffered during the club’s preseason at Thiruvananthapuram forced the Spaniard to fly back to Europe to consult his doctor and only rejoined the squad close to the start of the season.
With Peter Taylor and then Trevor Morgan suggesting that the player is yet to reach full physical fitness weeks into the season, there is a big question mark over what the Spanish defender can contribute to the Blasters. This at a time when marquee players like Elano Blumer and Lucio have been inspiring their teams’ runs in the ISL. With the team in dire need of leadership on the field to get them out of this situation, Marchena has to step up. However, it looks like he does not have time on his side and the Blasters management would have to take some decision regarding the future of their most celebrated team member.
Standing Tall Amidst the Ruins
Mohammed Rafi
➤ Date of Birth: May 24, 1982
➤ Place of Birth:
Trikaripur, Kasargod
➤ Position: Forward
➤ Clubs played for: Mahindra United (2006-10), Churchill Brothers (2010-12), Mumbai Tigers (2013), Mumbai FC (2013-15), Atletico de Kolkata (2014), Kerala Blasters FC (2015)
➤ International
appearances: 7
The only bright spot in Kerala Blasters’ disastrous season so far has been Kerala forward Mohammed Rafi’s goals. The footballer from Trikaripur village in Kasargod had not scored a single goal for champions Atletico de Kolkata in ISL last season, but already has four goals in the present campaign placing him behind Sunil Chhetri and Stiven Mendoza in top goal scorers chart.
The 33-year-old who shares the record of most goals by an Indian in an I-League season (14) with Indian football legends Bhaichung Bhutia and Sunil Chhetri has represented India on seven occasions finding the back of the net once. Interestingly, all four goals from the striker this season have been from headers.
What’s in Store?
Home:
(Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kochi)
➤ FC Pune City - November 4
➤ Atletico de Kolkata - November 10
➤ FC Goa - November 29
Away:
➤ NorthEast United FC, Indira Gandhi Stadium, Guwahati - November 15
➤ Chennaiyin FC, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai - November 21
➤ Mumbai City FC, D Y Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai - November 26
➤ Delhi Dynamos FC, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi - December 3