Sanjoy Sen - No extraordinary teams in the I-League

Sanjoy Sen resigned from his position as a head coach of Mohun Bagan after the club suffered a 2-1 loss to Chennai City FC on home soil. In seven matches this season in the I-League, Sen’s side could only pick two wins as they were held on four occasions while suffering a solitary defeat.

Since then, the Green and Maroon outfit have downed last season’s champions Aizawl FC 2-0 under the guidance of Shankarlal Chakraborty.

Sen was asked if Mohun Bagan could still pose a title challenge as they are five points adrift of league leaders East Bengal but do have a game in hand.

“In 2016, Mohun Bagan were ahead by seven-to-eight points at one stage of the league. But we lost the league by a single point. Now, Bagan is trailing by five-to-six points. If they have mental toughness, they can be the champions,” Sen told Goal.

Injuries have proved to be a major stumbling block this season as Sony Norde and Yuta Kinowaki missed crucial games. Sen also pointed that given that there are no extraordinary teams in the I-League meaning there isn’t much to differentiate between the participants.

“Unfortunately, some key players got injured at a critical moment in the league. There are no extraordinary teams in the league and just because they have failed to utilize the scoring opportunities, Bagan is behind on the league table. I think it is just a bad phase from which the team will recover.

“Yes, Sony and Yuta’s injuries were a key issue. But that does not mean I will use that as an excuse. I have taken all responsibility on my shoulders before I resigned,” he mentioned.

One of the major signings this summer, Diogo Ferreira struggled to adapt to the Indian conditions and hence, had to be released.

“Diogo turned out to be a disappointment. We brought him because he has represented Australia in the Olympics, had played for Perth Glory and for some of the top clubs in the A-League. It is unfortunate for me that he could not adapt to Kolkata,” said Sen.

Chakraborty spoke of mentally preparing himself to be a head coach for quite some time. He led Mohun Bagan in Sen’s absence during the Calcutta Football League (CFL) earlier this season.

“I have been pushing Shankarlal for the past two years, and have given him the responsibility during the Calcutta Football League. My well-wishers had warned that what I was doing was foolish. But I have never thought anything like this,” he said.

Mohun Bagan lost most of their star players who opted to play for Indian Super League (ISL) clubs this season. One look at the Bagan squad and it isn’t hard to decipher that some of the players who wouldn’t have broken into the club’s ‘B’ team are now playing for the Kolkata giants in the I-League, thanks to the two leagues running simultaneously.

“After we could not hold onto a set team, we had to manage with whatever team we could build. Previously I have worked with all kinds of players during my stint at Mohammedan Sporting and United Sports and have performed well. I have never demanded any particular player. Most of the stories are made up by the media. When we won the derby and put five past Churchill, nobody batted an eyelid about the team. Now the team is going through a rough phase and all the talks have emerged,” he reasoned.

After the defeat to Chennai City, Bagan fans spat on Sen and some even went on to throw bricks during the press conference held at the ground. Although he earlier spoke of acknowledging the fans’ disappointment, he expressed his annoyance at the manner in which he was treated.

“I could not have worked anymore with Mohun Bagan. I am in no state of mind to work there. Even before the defeat to Chennai City, the fans had been chanting 'Go Back'. A person like me cannot work at such a place. Three years is enough for me. I think I am the longest-serving coach in Mohun Bagan, which is phenomenal. 

“I work and concentrate hard on the field with my boys. But circumstances have changed since last year. We had drawn home matches last season as well but our supporters did not react this way. I have failed to adapt to these conditions and so I decided to quit. The club officials have not misbehaved with me and I have left on my own accord. If I feel that the conditions in the club are suitable for me to work, I can always go back,” he shared his thoughts on whether he is open to taking up a job back at Bagan in the near future.

“East Bengal has been offering me to join them for the past two years but I stayed with Mohun Bagan. Now I am a professional coach. I am not a one-club man. Coaching is my passion and if I get any good offer, I am ready to join,” he added.