New kids on the block

When Bengaluru Football Club were launched in July last year, not many would have fancied their chances. With a team filled with players who were considered surplus to requirement elsewhere, the owners asked for exemption from relegation to make sure that their efforts did not go waste. But nine months on, the team were crowned champions of the I-League. Here is the lowdown on BFC’s success.

Westwood and BFC hit it off from the outset. Having worked at the Championship level in England, he offered what JSW had been looking for: professionalism and hard work. From waking up at four in the morning to watch match tapes to his training drills and attention to details, the youthful manager gave the team his best.

They may have the best players and coach, but for a club to succeed, they need the backing of their owners something BFC have in abundance. JSW went out of their way to make sure the team had everything they needed, from heart rate monitors to comfortable travel arrangements to expert coaches and nutritionist.

With four slots for foreigners in the team, the signings catered well to the needs of the club. Westwood brought in Curtis Osano and John Johnson to form the bedrock of defence and Sean Rooney to play as a striker who could run the channels and stretch the defence in addition to his goal scoring skills.

John Menyongar, signed by assistant coach Pradhyum Reddy, came on board for his experience and passing ability.

The BFC assistant coach deserves a lot of credit for the team’s success. A former I-league coach with Shillong Lajong, Reddy brought with him a wealth of knowledge about Indian players and no contract was signed without Reddy’s approval.

From their debut match until their title triumph, Westwood’s boys in blue have had a loyal fan following which has packed the stadiums for home matches. As they say in football, fans are the 12th man and BFC have the strongest 12th man in India. From keeping the noise level forever on the higher side to coming up with individual ditties for their heroes, the fans have embraced ‘their’ team with open arms

Off the pitch, BFC is a well-marketed team. They have been seen and heard at all the right places in Bengaluru and have joined hands with a café giant and a local pub that screened their matches. At their home ground, the Bangalore Football Stadium, half-time fan competitions were a huge hit.

The JSW management rented an apartment block to ensure the team stayed together in a homely environment. They had breakfast and lunch together at the practice grounds. Going out together for movies was a common practice throughout the season.

One thing clearly visible throughout their season’s performance is the willingness of the players to work for each other. BFC’s playing style reflected it.

Injuries were the only reason for the back four to be changed throughout the season. While Vishal Kumar and Rino Anto swapped places between the bench and the starting line-up, defenders enjoyed great chemistry in general.

Every critic who called them a team filled with rejects will now be searching for cover with BFC’s victory. Negative comments always drove the teamto do the best. As key man Robin Singh put it, “We always wanted to win the league because we wanted to prove a point. How can you call us rejects?”