Bengaluru: Whether it was the Bangalore Football Stadium or Sree Kanteerava, Bengaluru FC fans always made their voices heard loud and clear. They set up perhaps the most consistently intimidating atmosphere for the away sides. BFC at home was a nightmare game for everyone.
Sure, the relentless chants will continue, but the stands will no longer echo with the chants of ‘Westwood’s blue army!’ On Tuesday twitter-sphere almost spiralled out of control as news spread like wildfire after club released a statement saying they had parted ways with their manager Ashley Westwood by mutual consent.
Shocking, but the decision was long time coming and when it arrived, it did so with finality. On the last day when the existing contract expired. There was no wiggle room, no time for second guesses and no opportunity for change of minds on either side.
The first chapter, successful as it has been, has come to a close. #thankyouashley. “I am extremely proud of my time and achievements during my tenure at BFC. I feel with 3 major trophies, multiple ‘Coach of the Year’ awards and developing as many as 10 players to go on to represent India across different ages, I have achieved all of my objectives,” Westwood said in a statement released by the club.
“I would like to thank the players, staff and management team for their efforts and support and I also want to thank the fans who will always have a very special place in my and my family’s heart. I’m saddened to leave. I wish the club all the best for the future,”
Three years ago when it was announced that a young Englishman would take over the Bengaluru side, which had just entered the fray in the I-League as one of the corporate clubs, there was no fanfare or giant expectations from a man who, even in his first ever press conference, exuded calmness.
He agreed it was a tough task and a massive responsibility. He admitted that finding players were less than ideal for a new team. He expressed his desire to develop football in India. He dismissed relegation exemption for the first three years as an insurance stating that they were not even looking in that direction.
In many ways he is Atlas, the mighty titan in Greek mythology, who carries the world, (read BFC), on his shoulders. Right from hiring the coaches, to the players, to even the cooks, he was hands-on, fierce in his belief to run the club at the highest standards. He achieved that and then proceeded to train the players in the same vein, ushering in the English culture to the club.
The Garden City side’s triumph in the first season was a feat purely fuelled by hard work and determination as the former Blackburn Rovers assistant manager took a squad, which had couple of big names but was made up of largely players ready to work for the opportunity to play at the top level in India. Westwood moulded them into a team who backed themselves and each other to get the job done, armed with the knowledge that they were the fittest and the most well-drilled side in the league, capable of going the distance. And they did.
History made, target achieved in the very first try, it would have been so easy to coast in the next season.
“We haven’t accomplished anything yet. We’ve won the league but if we don’t build on it then it’s all for nothing,” he famously said after winning the title.
Once again he put his money where his mouth is, cutting the flak and streamlining the squad to a younger and more tactically flexible side who balanced the pressures of Asian expeditions and the league credibly, reaching last-16 round in the former and losing their grip on the league title in the last five minutes of the campaign to Mohan Bagan in what was probably the most thrilling end to a league across the world that season.
The Federation Cup triumph ensured a steady flow of silverware to the club.
Garnering attention from other clubs and even the Indian national team, Westwood continued the club’s progress by winning the league once again this season and taking them to the quarterfinals of the AFC Cup tournament, all the while continuing the club’s evolution with more young blood and sticking to their plan for the betterment of Indian football, with seven players currently with the national team. His mark on Indian football is huge for someone who spent just three years in the country. A professionally run club helmed by a professional-par excellence. And he ticked most of the boxes.
Royal Enfield. Check. Fan following and a cult status. Check. Titles. Check. Enhanced reputation. Check. He came into a concept and now leaves with, apart from the adoration of the Bengaluru faithful and many neutrals, a legacy. Westwood will remain entrenched in the history books of the game in the country.
