Churchill Brothers shrugging off "Chokers" tag

Churchill Brothers is leading the 6^th I-League table with 38 points from 16 matches. They have scored 40 goals, the maximum amongst the 14 teams in the I-league so far. Their defence, ably marshaled by Bilal Sheikh El Najjarin, a foreign recruit from Lebanon, international Denzil Franco and Dhanraj Ravanan, has also conceded just 14 goals. Only East Bengal, coming second at present, have conceded less goals, nine in the league.

Unfortunately, Bilal Najjarin has got a lucrative offer from the Gulf and departed after 15 rounds. Churchill Brothers will have to recruit quickly to strengthen the defence to ensure their winning streak continues. They have three tough matches left, against Prayag United on 10 February and Round 23 and Round 24 matches in April against Pune FC and their nemesis Dempo. The outcome of these matches could decide the fate of the current I-League. They also need a quality defender soon, as they are playing in the AFC Cup this year and their group matches start in February 2012. The travelling and mid-week matches will put a burden on this relatively inexperienced squad. During the closing stages of the I-League, the experience and calm of senior and established players is vital.

For years, Churchill Brothers were known as chokers and faltered at the final hurdle. They could have won the 1^st National Football League in 1997. Coached by the Scotsman, the late Danny McLennan, they needed a win against lowly placed Indian Bank in their last league match in Chennai. However, they drew 1-1 against Indian Bank, whereas JCT beat Dempo in Margao to emerge champions. Similarly, in the 6^th NFL, they needed just a draw against Mohun Bagan in their final league match at Margao, but lost 0-1. The Jose Ramirez Baretto inspired Bagan became champions for the third time.

So, Churchill Brothers have to overcome the burden of history and the loss of a key defender to win the coveted I-League for a second time. Their progress so far has belied expectations but can they go the full distance.

Coached by Mariano Dias and the wily Technical Director Subash Bhowmick, Churchill Brothers have been a revelation this season. At the start of the season, two of their internationals, long serving defender Gourmangi Singh and midfielder Lalrindika Ralte were poached by Prayag United and East Bengal respectively. It was felt they lacked the squad to emerge as I-League contenders.

However, Subash Bhowmick, always renowned for his astute judgment of a player’s latent talent, chose wisely. During his successful stint with East Bengal from 2002-2005, he had opted for tenacious midfielder Douglas D’Silva, speedy Mike Okoro and the late Cristiano Junior, all of whom were match winners. This time, with support from the brothers Joaquim and Churchill Alemao, he ventured into a new territory, Lebanon, and procured the services of defender Bilal and lethal striker Akram Moghrabi.

As always, the Bhowmick magic worked. The choice of players and proper training helped make Bilal, along with East Bengal’s Uga Okpara, the best central defender in the 6^th I-League. Moghrabi has scored nine goals so far and is the third highest goal-scorer in the I-League. Churchill Brothers, venturing into an unknown territory like Lebanon to choose players, is not surprising as this family owned club have always been iconoclasts in Goan football.

Set up in 1991, Churchill Brothers is India’s only family club, with the brothers investing money from their family businesses, shipping and restaurants, for the football club. Its headquarters is the ancestral bungalow in Novangully, a small ward of the village Varca. Churchill Brothers ushered in liberalization in Goan football. They were the first to get players from the North-East to Goa, pay big money to star players and acquire foreign coaches.

Till Churchill Brothers came on the scene, the leading clubs of Goa like Dempo, Salgaocar and Vasco, owned by industrial houses, had set up a type of cartel and did not pay big money to players. Churchill Brothers changed the scenario in Goan football in the mid-nineties by improving the payments and luring players from outside Goa, particularly the North-East. Left back Rattan Singh and midfielder Somitai Saiza from Manipur were in the Churchill Brothers squad for the first NFL as was lethal striker Percy Mwase from distant Zimbabwe. Percy was also the first from his country to ply his trade in India.

The family’s passion for football has made them venture into distant countries/states to procure talent. When Churchill Brothers won the I-League for the first time in 2008-09, their victory heralded the dawn of a new era. Six to seven players from the North-East were invariably in their starting line up. Some of these players were Thokchom Naoba Singh, Reisangmi Vashum, Robert Lalthlamuana, Khentang Paite, Gourmangi, Govin Singh and Chitrasen Chandan Singh. It was for the first time that a team won the national league, with so many players from Manipur and Mizoram in their starting line up, a trend seen in all their 22 matches. No wonder international stopper back, Gourmangi, who hails from Manipur, had said that “our time has come.”

But there is a flip side to this passion also. Many coaches and players have complained that the family interferes with team selection and puts pressure on players before crucial matches. For years, Churchill Brothers had stumbled at the final hurdle. Thrice they were runners up in the NFL in 1997, 2000 and 2002, thrice in the Rovers Cup in 1997, 1999 and 2000, the 2001 Durand tournament, the 2002 IFA Shield and 1997 Dubai International tournament.

They finally broke that jinx in November 2007, winning their first major trophy, the 120^th Osian’s Durand tournament, beating Mahindra United 1-0 in the final. Since then, they have won the Durand tournament, twice in 2009 and 2011, and the IFA Shield also in 2009 and 2011. However, at the start of this season, their young team was succumbing to pressure. They lost their Round 1 match 1-2 to arch rivals Dempo on 6^th October 2012. Then, in a round 6 match at home on 17 November, they were trounced 0-3 by title aspirants East Bengal. The ghosts of the past were returning to haunt them.

It was at this stage that Bhowmick’s Midas touch got to work. Realising that the problem was psychological, he rallied his squad in a clever but unconventional manner. He never talked about title aspirations to the team before or after any match. He just got them to enjoy each match and play to the best of their abilities. The transformation in attitude worked wonders. The team played pacy, attacking football and won some matches by thumping margins. They overcame Sporting Clube de Goa 8-4 in a thrilling Round 11 match on 16 December and early in the New Year, trounced Shillong Lajong 6-0. Bineesh Balan, thrustful on the right, has been a revelation this season and scored a hat-trick against Sporting Clube de Goa.

Demolishing East Bengal 3-0 in an away match at Kolkata on 19 January was a major psychological boost for Churchill Brothers. Oozing with confidence, they played skillful, attacking football to score twice by half time and Lebanese Akram Moghrabi scored the third in the 83^rd minute.

Winning in Kolkata against their main rivals, Bhowmick feels will help his team exorcise the demons of the past, when they often choked in big matches. The momentum is with Churchill Brothers and if they maintain attacking football, they can emerge as the surprise winners of I-League 6.