Am not in the mental state to continue: Sanjay Sen

Calcutta: Sanjay Sen tendered his resignation as coach, owning "moral responsibility" after Mohun Bagan's loss to Chennai City FC at their home ground on Tuesday.

"This is the end of the road for me... It's my personal decision... I had made up my mind not to continue if we lost a match at our home ground," Sen announced at a media conference.

The club is currently fifth on the I-League table with just two wins from seven matches. More importantly, their last four matches have produced three draws and a loss.

After defeating Churchill Brothers 5-0 at Barasat, Mohun Bagan drew with Lajong (1-1), Neroca (1-1) and Indian Arrows (1-1) before crashing to Tuesday's 1-2 defeat.

His last day in office was certainly not one to be remembered. Besides being constantly pestered with chants of "Go back Sanjay Sen", Mohun Bagan's I-League winning coach was repeatedly humiliated by the supporters.

Stones were thrown at Sen as he was about to start his media conference beneath the concrete galleries and some supporters even spit at him while he was returning to the dressing room from the ground once the match ended.

"Yes, some fans did spit on me while I was going through the tunnel," confirmed Sen.

"I had hoped we would come back after three draws, but it didn't happen today. So, I am taking responsibility for this loss. I've got no readymade answer as to the reason behind this debacle.

"I am not in the mental state to continue... It's the right time to take responsibility on my shoulders and move away," said Sen. "I'm announcing my decision to the media and haven't shared it with the players yet."

Sen seemed to be perfectly at ease with the circumstances. "I don't have any regrets. There is no sense of sorrow, too. This is the way of the world... Even people like Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti had to suffer the same fate...

"It's also the same on the Maidan. It's happened with previous coaches like PK Banerjee, Syed Nayeemuddin, Subrata Bhattacharya, Subhas Bhowmick and Biswajit Bhattacharjee...

"It's a result-driven world. I don't think I will fit into the scheme of things anymore," he remarked. "Gerard Houllier once remarked you are not a coach if not sacked."

Sen hoped this team still had it in them to bounce back. "I sincerely hope that whoever takes charge will be able to make up for the things this team lacks... Mohun Bagan can still be the champions."

Sen said he would not miss attending morning practice from Wednesday. "From tomorrow, I will lead a normal life. I will go to my office and even spend time with my family and friends."

Mohun Bagan officials were tight-lipped on Sen's replacement, though the names of Arthur Papas, who has previously worked with Dempo and Pailan Arrows, and Ashley Westwood have been doing the rounds. Assistant coach Shankarlal Chakraborty could also be promoted and asked to run the team.

A senior club official said that the new coach will be announced hopefully by Wednesday. "Sen came to me after the game and shared his decision. We will decide tonight and by tomorrow, we shall share the name of the new coach.

"The new coach will definitely be present when the team trains on Thursday."