Men in the hot seat

Subrata Bhattacharya

Carlos Robeto Pereira

Shabbir Ali

Calcutta: The preparations are almost done, it’s time to deliver. The Premier Division of the Calcutta League kicks off with a couple of matches on Thursday, involving the four ‘lightweights’ — Calcutta Port Trust (CPT), George Telegraph, Eastern Railway and Peerless. The big boys of East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting — along with Chirag United SC — will join the action from Monday.

Unlike the previous season, however, Mohammedan Sporting didn’t set the Maidan afire by ‘snatching’ players from the Big Two. This time, the drama revolved round the unlikely role reversal of two men in the hot seat. East Bengal named Mohun Bagan loyalist Subrata Bhattacharya as Carlos Roberto Pereira’s replacement, and the green-and-maroons responded by hiring the Brazilian coach.

Mohammedan Sporting, who got relegated from the NFL premier division last season, have brought in Shabbir Ali to change fortunes. On paper, though, it once again looks to be a two-horse race involving holders East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.

Here is a look at how the Big Three are looking ahead to the Premier Division:

EAST BENGAL: Over two months have elapsed since Bhattacharya’s dramatic entry into the East Bengal fold. His wards have already completed a residential camp in Kalyani and played a few exhibition matches. There has been tremendous enthusiasm among fans and every move by Bhattacharya has been keenly followed and appreciated. The ground realities will sink in on Monday when East Bengal take on CPT.

“Challenge is not a new word in my dictionary and I’m for it,” said Bhattacharya. “I want to start on a winning note… Retaining the league is my priority.”

With Alvito D’Cunha being in good nick, Brazilian striker Edmilson on target and Dipendu Biswas promising to make critics eat humble pie, the stage looks set for Bhattacharya. Local success apart, fans and officials will also be looking for NFL triumph. But years of experience, both as a player and coach, have taught Subrata to be cautious. “Thinking too much about the future is not my way of approaching a job. I want to live in the present.”

MOHUN BAGAN: The day Pereira landed in the city to take charge of Mohun Bagan, newspapers carried a picture of the Brazilian inspecting the ground with assistant Satyajit Chatterjee holding an umbrella over both of them. The image reflects the position the Brazilian is in. Mohun Bagan failed to make a significant mark in the previous season, so the burden of expectations will be huge. The heat is already on Pereira.

Coaching East Bengal was a learning curve for Pereira. “I know the culture here is result-oriented. I am pretty sure about delivering the goods this time,” he said on Wednesday.

Captain Bhaichung Bhutia — set to lead a club for the first time in his career spanning over a decade — has also promised a better performance than last season. “We didn’t live up to expectations last season. I hope it will be a different story this year,” was how Bhaichung — currently in Portugal with the national team — put it.

The captain won’t be available for the first quarter of the season and Pereira admitted that “the rest of the seniors have to take extra responsibility.” A lot, then, will depend on Jose Ramirez Barreto. The Brazilian playmaker had given the league a miss last year, citing lack of fitness. He is still not fully fit, but keen to play a part this time.

Mohun Bagan were the last of the Big Three to start pre-season training. In fact, they are still in Durgapur, having started the camp only after Pereira arrived late. Can the late-starters emerge as the front-runners? Only time will tell.

MOHAMMEDAN SPORTING: The black-and-whites, unfortunately, have been the whipping boys in recent times. The nine-goal humiliation in their last NFL match (against Mahindra United) — when their relegation was already sealed — added a sordid chapter in their chequered history.

A senior club official had promptly blamed coach Biswajit Bhattacharya and his predecessor Subhas Bhowmick for the team’s poor performance in the NFL and also brought out a ‘sabotage’ theory. That was nothing but an act of escapism from reality. New coach Shabbir’s job is cut out.

Shabbir, who took his boys to Janai for the residential camp, sounded optimistic. “The players must realise that they have to accept responsibility. After all, it’s the players who perform in the middle and need to seize the opportunity whenever it comes.

According to medio Basudeb Mondal, the veteran of many a battle, the team has “strength and character” to beat the odds.

Will Mohammedan Sporting be able to restore the faith of their fans? Mondal thinks they will.

“What we need is a little bit of luck. Even last season, we didn’t get the rub of the green despite dominating some matches. I hope we’ll be in better shape and things will fall in place this time round,” the former India captain said.

Millions of fans across the country can take heart from Mondal’s optimism.