The Nigerian likened his current coach to Dempo's Armando Colaco whom he played under for eight years until last season...
Having spent a couple of months with the Kolkata-based outfit, Prayag United SC striker Ranti Martins drew a comparison between his new club's coach Sanjoy Sen to Dempo SC's Armando Colaco.Ranti believes that Sen takes good care of the players which reminds him of his time ar Dempo SC where Armando would do the same.
"He (Sanjoy Sen) is more of a coach like Armando [Colaco]. He makes sure his players are happy," the 26-year-old told Goal.com.
Martins further stated that the club also deals with it's affairs in a similar way as it used to happen back at his former club Dempo SC.
"There were talks on Sanjoy Sen's position at the club, but I'm sure that the officials understand that changing the coach at this stage can affect the entire team, and not that he's a bad coach. He's a good coach who has been with the side for a long time.
"Bringing in a new coach will be difficult for the team especially. Getting a lot of new players from outside also could change the composition of the side," he went on to explain.
Ranti however admitted that, given the number of big money signings that the club has made this season, expectations will undoubtedly be high.
"The scary thing at Prayag is that we have assembled a lot of star players, which is going to be difficult on the expectations part. At times ego comes in, but that is not happening here. So that is going to help in the long run," he quipped.
| Last season's top scorer has scored three goals in two matches so far... |
The former Dempo player also revealed that his decision to move to the Kolkata-based outfit was not for the money.
"I'm not worried about the price tag. I play with the team I'm comfortable. In the last couple of years, I can see that they (United SC) are on the right track to win trophies in the coming years."
"When I stayed with them for the past two months, I can see the difference. There is not much pressure put on the players. They (United SC) are like Dempo. They make sure their players are happy."
Asked whether his current side can beat Dempo to the I-League title, his reply was diplomatic. "We're playing in the I-League against Dempo and all other teams. I still have a lot of respect for Dempo. They have got a lot of good players. I'll just keep my fingers crossed and be respectful."
Last season's goldenboot winner stressed that his personal targets do not come before the team and sets a top three finish in the I-League this season as his priority.
"Personal targets should not be the first priority because the team has to do well to make the people (fans) happy. We finished fifth in the table last season, so if we can finish in the top three this season, it's good.
"In my view, I think the top three should be good. It's an open league for now and it's good to start well. It motivates the team to move in the right direction," he signed off.
Prayag United SC travel to New Delhi to face ONGC FC in round three of the I-League on Friday, 26 October 2012, which will be played at the Ambedkar Stadium with a kick-off time of 15:00 IST.
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