East Bengal likely to take a decision on Trevor Morgan’s future after I-League

What’s the story?

I-League side East Bengal will take a call on the future of their coach after the last three rounds of the current season get over. The club’s Football secretary Mr Santosh Bhattacharya, who spoke to leading Bengali daily Anandabazar Patrika, said, “We have spoken to the coach and asked him to focus on the remaining games. We know we have no chance of winning the league but we must keep trying and see where that takes us.”

Morgan’s assistant, Warren Hackett, will, however, be sacked due to reports of irregularity in his duties.

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The British coach has been in the eye of the storm ever since his side faced a shameful defeat to eternal rivals Mohun Bagan in the Kolkata derby last Sunday. Reports of dressing room clashes between the players and himself as well as disagreements with the club officials with respect to team selection have come to the forefront.

Perhaps the single most damaging aspect of the defeat was not the fact that it meant a loss of face for the fans, but that it completely derailed the title challenge of the Red and Gold brigade.

The heart of the matter

The supporters are apparently wary of their manager too and have reportedly shown their displeasure by chanting “Go Back Morgan” when the team went in for their morning practice session in the East Bengal stadium on Wednesday. The management, however, is engrossed with the fact that the gaffer’s contract runs until the 31^st of May, and that they will have to pay a heavy compensation if they are to sack him before that.

As such, they are trying to get him to quit the job himself so that they can save some of the money which needs to be paid. The former Hull City assistant coach is least worried about the controversies, and is determined to carry on with his job and has already started preparing for the next game against DSK Shivajians.He is adamant that the coaches are not the only ones to be blamed, and that the players need to take responsibility for yet another disappointing season as well.

What’s next?

The Federation Cup starts immediately after the I-League, and it will be interesting to see if Morgan is retained for it. Interestingly, goalkeeping coach Abhijit Mondal may be axed as well, following some shocking performances from first-team goalie TP Rehenesh.

The Kolkata giants next face DSK Shivajians at the Barasat Stadium and are mathematically still in for the title, but that will depend on whether the other teams, namely Aizawl FC and Mohun Bagan, will slip up or not.

Author’s take

While it is undeniable that some of Morgan’s decisions and tactics during the season have been puzzling, to say the least, it is also a fact that the players and the officials have let him down on numerous occasions.

This has been accepted by the secretary as well, who has admitted that he could not sign all the players which the coach had requested at the start of the campaign. Controversies have been synonymous with the century-old club this season, and this one might take an ugly turn any moment. Keep watching this space for more.