Rarely is a coach in the news for the right reason. Like referees they get more headlines when they err or are removed. But unlike the men in black, their fate often also hinges on the whims of officials that appoint them. From Real Madrid to Mohun Bagan, it is the same story. By nature, football coaches are not known to be malleable. They are usually unshakeable in their belief and tact is certainly not one of their strong points. In a world where only results matter, everything is hunky dory when the going is good. When it is not, a scapegoat is sought and often it is the coach. ?Administrative reasons? then becomes the buzzword and another coach bites the dust. When a team falters, questions get to be raised about its administration. Getting a new man in charge is often a way of diverting criticism from areas where some is due. Thus, a club steeped in history but one which has abandoned democratic norms in recent time, cites ?administrative reasons? and, without elaborating on them, gives its coach the boot. The club?s officials send the sack letter home, reportedly hours after assuring the man an extended tenure. I am sure there are more diplomatic ways of telling someone he is not wanted but this club cannot seem to change coaches without a fair amount of drama. Indian football?s present quasi-professional status gives a further twist to a job that is insecure at the best of times. Most coaches, like footballers, work elsewhere. Terms and conditions, therefore, are never as clearly spelt out as it should be. Though contracts are drawn out these days, a large part of the agreement is still verbal. This is a residue of the amateur era, when the game was said to be run and played by gentlemen. It is now an euphemism for not keeping one?s word. So even as we champion Indian football?s march towards professionalism, its key components continue to be short-changed. The recent instances of Jamshed Nassiri extending his leave from Bengal Mumbai Football Club and Mohammedan Sporting goalkeeper Shanti Majumdar staying away from a crucial IFA Shield tie corroborates this point. Both reportedly cited unfulfilled promises as reason. And they aren?t the only one who?ve cried foul. Also, unlike places where football is more organised, coaches in Calcutta don?t have a say in recruitment because they are usually appointed after the roster is finalised. Officials buy players more on reputation than on current form and condition. When they fail to deliver ? as is often the case ? the coach gets the rap. This is what makes managing Mohun Bagan different from say, Real Madrid. Both have a heavy turnover of coaches but while the man in charge of the Calcutta glamour club is just as accountable, he has little of the power of his more glamorous counterpart. Coaching, the way it is now in Calcutta is around 40 years old. Earlier, there used to be father-figures like Dukhiram Majumdar, B.D. Chatterjee, and Bagha Shome. Like the priests in England who used to promote sport, theirs was a story of selfless service towards the game. They weren?t coaches or trainers but year after year they would scout talent, put them through the paces and form teams. Even Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting weren?t exempt from this rule. In keeping with the amateur tradition, club officials then invariably came from the upper echelons of society. People who lent glamour to the clubs they ran. With time, this breed of officials came to be replaced by those jockeying for powerful positions in society through their association with famous sport institutions. Gone also were former players who groomed future generations gratis. Attitudes changed with their departure. Succeeding generations brought with them a greater craving for silverware. Like it is in the rest of the world. Making the coach?s job more difficult than ever before. Ideally a coach should be firm but fair, open to ideas, have sound technical knowledge, be an astute tactician and possess man-management skills. Usually, they are as I have described them at the start of this column. And that is why a functioning coaches association is virtually impossible. For they are far too egoistic to be operating together. It was sad to see the Tata Football Academy boys fail to distinguish themselves in the IFA Shield. With a lot of training centres coming up in Kerala and Goa, the academy is being hit by a player-crunch. More vigorous recruitment and better incentives for joining are the only way out of this. If required, they will have to be caught even younger and the number of age-groups expanded. More stress on education too is required to help them cope with the big, bad world of club football after graduating from the academy. Coach Mohammed Habib has quit after 13 years but I am sure the present team led by director Aroon Ghosh can put TFA back on track.