PUNE: With 69 international caps for India and over a decade's experience playing at the highest level in the country, you expect Gouramangi Singh to know the ropes of the game. But not the physical and mental demands that the ISL has thrown at him.
"It is a very demanding five months. There is hardly any time to think -- even about your family. You have to play on November 3, 6 and 10 and in between, you recover, train and travel," the FC Pune City player told Express here on Tuesday.
"As soon as a game finishes, you are in recovery. You come back to the hotel and you are in the ice bath already preparing for the next game on Thursday. This is how you look after yourself in this league and if you don't, you are done," said Gouramangi.
"It isn't just about the team now. We have physios, doctors, trainers, and masseurs who we don't get to see on television but are taking care of all the small details," said the 30-year-old who is in his second season with the Pune outfit.
The defender said even the big names struggle with the exertions of the league in which games come thick and fast. "Nobody comes to India now thinking of holidays and money. When you come here, you know you have to come prepared because this league is tough," said Mangi.
However, the Manipur-born footballer is adamant he would exchange his job for nothing and he brings up an anecdote from his time with the national team to explain it.
"During those long national team camps when we sometimes took training a little lightly, coach Bob Houghton would tell us "Dude, when you hang your boots, you will realise how much you miss getting up at six and smelling the green grass,"" Gourmangi said.
"Bob would say being a footballer is the best job in the world and you will only realise it when you stop. So this is my job and I love doing it," said Gourmangi, who scored for India in the AFC Asian Cup 2011, their first appearance in the continental championship for 27 years.
Gouramangi and Pune haven't had the best of starts to this season's ISL and st sixth with nine points from eight games. "We might not be the best team or players in the league, but at least we know we can do a lot better. But with six games to play, we know everything is still in our hands," he said.
Mangi also reserved special praise for Pune coach Antonio Habas. "When you work really hard but don't get the results, it gets very tough. And the only thing that keeps us going is the belief that we can do better and that comes from the coach," he said.
"He has so much belief in us. He tells us "My players are the best player. For me, you guys are the best." This way, he makes sure that we all go out there and do our best. We will keep trying," Gouramangi said.