Kolkata: It was in 2016 that Biswajit Bhattacharya, the then East Bengal coach resigned from his position after the Red and Gold brigade squandered their I-League winning chances after a 3-1 thrashing at the hands of Bengaluru FC.
However, he is back to work in 2017 as he has been roped in as the chief coach of Mohammedan Sporting Club ahead of the Calcutta Football League, scheduled to be begin in a couple of days. The club which was once a heavyweight in Kolkata football has slowly lost it’s direction and currently they play in the second division of the I-League.
“I’m back as the coach of Mohammedan Sporting Club. Earlier also I had led them to qualify for the I-League and this year also, I’m looking forward to doing the same,” said Bhattacharya in an interaction with SportsCrunch.
The, “Black Panthers” had last played the I-League in the 2013-2014 season after a good season in the second division but could not keep the tempo for long as they were again relegated in the next season for their poor show.
Sultan Ahmed at the club tent on Thursday. Picture: Sounak Choudhury
At a press conference in the club tent, president Sultan Ahmed announced the new squad for the upcoming CFL. The team is a completely new one and has eight first team players from Bengal’s successful Santosh Trophy triumph, and under coach Biswajit Bhattacharya, they would hope to put on a commanding performance which would help them regain their lost glory and pride.
On his appointment as the head coach, Bhattacharya said, “I have nothing to say. I’m thankful to be appointed as the chief coach of Mohammedan Sporting Club. I made my coaching debut here and whatever I am today as a coach is because of this club. I will try to give my best this season.”
He also was happy with the fact that they had a relatively young team with them likes of Gagan Kalyan, Jiten Murmu, Pranit Lama Tamang and Manvir Singh to name a few. “We have a young squad. Gagan, Lama, Murmu, Manvir all are doing well. I hope we do well this season,” he said.
Well, Bhattacharya doesn’t only hope that his team would put a strong performance in the CFL but he said that he already has ensured that the team has completed a month and three days of hard work and practice. He also spoke highly of the local players who he monitored closely during the practice sessions and felt that the lads are in a good shape and are looking good to challenge the other teams in the competition.
Bhattacharya also added that the foreigners, who have arrived just yesterday would take some time to get into the groove and once they’re in, the team would look formidable.
He said, ” We have already practised for one month a three days. The youngsters in the team are doing well and yes, the players are very much prepared. The foreigners have arrived just yesterday and they will take some time to get on with the practice due to jet lag.”