Beating MB in first Fed Cup final gave me breathing space – Trevor Morgan Exclusive Part One

Image Credit: AIFF Media

You can read part two of the interview here.

Three years usually shouldn’t be enough for a player or coach to get legendary status at a club like East Bengal but Englishman Trevor Morgan is an exception. Morgan took charge of the Kolkata giants in the summer of 2010 and at that point East Bengal were going through one of the worst phases of their long illustrious history as they were mediocre in the I-League and were consistently getting undone by arch-rivals Mohun Bagan.

Although East Bengal were the Federation Cup holders, the dismal showing in the 2010 AFC Cup and 2009-10 I-League showed that the club were in crisis. Morgan turned out to be their saviour as he won three trophies in the first three months of tenure and eventually transformed East Bengal into one of the most consistent teams of the country.

That consistency was achieved in over three seasons and East Bengal’s name is also back on the Asian map as he guided them to the AFC Cup quarter-finals.

Sportskeeda caught up with the 56-year-old for an exclusive chat and we kicked off the interview by asking him to sum up his three-year spell at the red-and-gold brigade.

“Very enjoyable, we played some great football, won eight trophies in that time and have brought the name of East Bengal club back into Indian football as one of the most consistent teams. East Bengal are also back in the AFC scene after a long absence and I would like to think we entertained our supporters in doing that and played the game in the right manner,” Morgan told Sportskeeda.

Morgan won eight trophies at East Begal including two Federation Cups

The former Hull City development coach’s popularity among East Bengal fans was clearly visible and audible in his final game, which was against Mohun Bagan, as 50,000 fans were chanting his name in full voice.

Much before that final fixture, Morgan had already stated that he is leaving the club despite having a year left on his contract. All throughout he had maintained that the reasons for his departure were personal and Morgan reiterated that in this interview so even though he was emotionally touched by the reaction of the fans in his final game, there were no second thoughts about his decision.

“It was an unforgettable moment and something I will never ever forget, for me personally it was a very humbling experience and I will forever remember the East Bengal supporters’ reaction towards me. It was a very difficult decision to leave East Bengal but one I had come to a couple of months earlier so that moment really had no bearing on me having second thoughts,” he stated.