The other day I was fortunate to be present at the Mohun Bagan Lane where statues of the great Mohun Bagan players who won the IFA Shield in 1911 were unveiled.

While returning home that evening, I was suddenly filled with thoughts about the changing scenario of Indian football.

Till a few years ago, the Calcutta teams used to be the best in the country. They were always the overwhelming favourites in all tournaments and a defeat was always met with shock and disbelief by their fans.

Today things have changed. For the past few years, the three Calcutta majors have been reduced to a bunch of also-playing teams who are struggling to cope with the clubs from Goa and Mumbai.

Now with the second edition of the I-League beginning on Friday, I am sure that not many fans of the three teams have high hopes about their clubs chances.

After all, no Calcutta team has managed to win the National Football League (NFL) or the I-League in the past three years.

However, I am an eternal optimist. I feel that the three teams have good, balanced sides and all they need to do is tighten their organisational qualities to attain success.

In professional football, what matters most these days is the ability to organise things in the back room. I am sorry to say that this is one aspect where the Calcutta teams are lagging.

I have been regularly hearing about the strengths of Dempo, Churchill Brothers, Mahindra United and JCT since they have good foreign players like Ranty Martins, Beto, Odafe Onyeka, Edeh Chidi and Eduardo Escobar.

But I strongly believe that the present Mohun Bagan team have the ability to match any other side in the country. With Bhaichung Bhutia and Jose Barreto in upfront, all Mohun Bagan need now is an old fashioned central midfielder, who would concentrate more on providing passes than scoring goals. Believe me, it can do wonders.

East Bengal, I know, did not raise much hope in the local league. Yet, it would be wrong to dismiss them entirely as they would do their best to regroup under their new coach Stanley Rozario. After the AFC Cup, I was eagerly looking forward to watching Sunil Chhetri in action. Frankly, he has disappointed me so far. But he still has 22 matches in hand and I am sure he will not let this opportunity go.

I have an uneasy feeling about Mohammedan Sporting. They seem to be depending too much on their two foreign recruits. Both Theodore Sunday and Mike Okoro are crack strikers but I cannot see them carrying on with the same form for 22 matches. I am sure, Shabbir Ali, too, knows about it and he has his alternate plans ready.

Like the three major teams from Calcutta, I will also be watching Chirag United with keen interest though I don’t expect them to set the stands on fire in the very first season.

In club football, I have played for a relatively small team like Eastern Railways all through my career and I know how it feels to be away from the spotlight.

My sympathies and best wishes will be with the United players as they have really worked hard to come up to this level.

In the end, I am ready to stick my neck out and say that the I-League does not rightly reflect the standard of Indian football. Year after year, the success story of the clubs revolves around a handful of foreign footballers with most of the Indians playing second fiddle.

I believe the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is planning to reduce the number of foreign players in the next few years. It will be a wise move.

the ones to watch out for the most...

Bhaichung Bhutia (Mohun Bagan): I expect Bhaichung to play with a lot of force and energy this season. He was intelligent enough not to exert himself in the Calcutta league and now should be ready to fire. I won’t be surprised if he proves to be Mohun Bagan’s trump card in the long run

Anthony Pereira (Dempo): I consider this Goan footballer the most underrated player in the country. He should be a permanent fixture in the national team. Dempo have many stars but Pereira, I am sure, will stand out again among all of them. What I like most about this boy is his ability to play both as a striker and a midfielder with equal efficiency

Karanjit Singh (JCT): He is an outstanding goalkeeper with sound technique. His greatest ability, however, is to rise to the occasion in big matches. I was quite surprised when he failed to make the cut for the national team last season. This time I hope to see him as a more mature goalkeeper under Sukhwinder Singh