Biswajit Bhattacharya

Calcutta: Mohun Bagan sprang a surprise on Wednesday when they named Biswajit Bhattacharya as their coach for the rest of the season. Bhattacharya replaces Satyajit Chatterjee who walked out on Monday citing inability to handle the pressure.

Till Monday, Bhattacharya was with the Calcutta Port Trust team, who conceded six goals against Bagan in a local league match last month.

It might be recalled that Bhattacharya was Bagan coach in 2005-06 when the green and maroon brigade was hit by a similar crisis under Jahar Das.

Bhattacharya struck a chord with the players immediately and Bagan finished a respectable third in the National League that year.

But in the middle of season 2006-07, Bhattacharya fell out with some of the seniors and put in his papers after the Durand Cup semi-final loss to Dempo.

“Those things are history. I don’t want to think much about them. I have a new challenge and will try my best to live up to the expectations,” he said.Bagan will also have a new physical trainer in Dipesh Bhattacharjee, while Hemanta Dora will continue as goalkeeping coach.

Bhattacharya said he would like to keep it simple and not try different things. “When you take charge of a team in the middle of the season, you don’t get much time. I will not tinker much with the set-up.” Bagan next face Chirag United in a Calcutta Football League match on Sunday and then host Karim Bencharifa-coached Salgaocar on April 10.

Bhattacharya said he had no idea what ailed Bagan. “I have seen the team from outside… I was on the expert’s panel for a television channel, analysing Bagan’s performance. But unless and until you deal with a team on a day-to-day basis you can’t reach a conclusion.”

Bagan players will be introduced to the new coach on Thursday morning.