East Bengal and Jackichand Singh: The ordeal that was not supposed to be
“In hindsight, you can just say that I got caught in between the vision of the boardroom and the manager, which unfortunately for me were different,” quips the ever exuberant Jackichand Singh. The smile on his face is still there, but the playing time is missing.
And the frustration of not playing despite being one of India’s premier wingers? At least he didn’t let me see it. A thorough professional.
The name of Jackichand Singh was like a breath of fresh air in Indian football a couple of years back. The nimble-footed winger was the talk of the football fraternity in the country as he whizzed past defenders at will and put in inch-perfect crosses helped put the name of Royal Wahindoh firmly on the map of Indian football.
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In fact, his impact on the scene was so brilliant that he was named the player of the league in 2014/15 – his debut season in the top division. That year was followed by ISL side FC Pune City picking him up in the 2015 auction for Rs. 45 lakhs and soon enough he became a permanent fixture in the Indian national team under Stephen Constantine.
It’s in the colours of the national team that Jackichand has really turned heads since then and his impact in recent games against Puerto Rico and Cambodia were telling.
Thus when East Bengal got a hold of the winger before the I-League, it was considered a major coup for the Kolkata giants. However, the story in the months to come would be one to forget not only for him but also the East Bengal fans.
Not the right choice
This season, Jackichand has again made the headlines in the I-League but this time for his conspicuous absence.
After thrilling the nation with his play for Royal Wahingdoh and Salgaocar, he was ready to take the big dip this season. This was at least supposed to be his first one at a “big club” and his own aspirations were pretty high. But then he met Trevor Morgan. And the rest, as they say, is history. Everything around him began to fall apart in the three months he was at Kolkata. And whilst the pain of not playing remains, he hasn’t been a disgruntled figure.
Jackichand Singh has always been known for his grit as much as his skills on the ball and his ‘never say die’ attitude is exuded in his face. A season in his life is lost but he still has a wide beaming smile on his face.
“They (East Bengal) were after me for a couple of years now. They were always like ‘when will you sign for us’ whenever I met their officials. And it was after the ISL that I sat down and decided it was time that I give this a go.
“But the thing was Trevor Morgan was not in the picture. And soon I realised that the coach was not going to use wingers much. So I can’t really blame him. He had his ideas and that didn’t involve me.
“So, somewhere in hindsight, you can say it was a mistake (chuckles).”
The Kolkata experience
The winger, however, has no regret about coming to Kolkata. As sportingly as any professional can, Jacki, (as he is fondly called) - is a permanent fixture in the national side and has taken things in his stride.
“In the beginning, the pressure was real. I really wanted to impress the manager. And I had heard all about the fans’ expectations when you come to East Bengal.
“So when I was getting overlooked time and again, I began to feel the pressure. But I have never let my shoulders down. I practice as hard as I can every time and I kept myself fit for whenever the coach would call upon me. But my chances were growing slimmer with each growing game. But I was happy at the beginning for the team. They were doing well even without me.
“In the end, they are paying me. So I have to be a full professional. And sometimes when the depression hit me, I would tell myself that the situation is bound to change. Even if it’s not going to happen this season.”
Jackichand, however, was put into the hotbed of the Kolkata Derby in the second half and in those final minutes, nobody can deny that he surely did give his all albeit the final result was not the desired one. That, of course, was only his fifth appearance of the season.
And soon after, the East Bengal players felt the wrath of the Red and Gold fanatic. There were protests and jeering and even though the Indian international had heard all about this, a first-hand experience of the situation had the Manipuri lad truly shaken.
“I had heard about all this before. But to see this first hand. It takes you by surprise a bit. This happens only in Kolkata.
“But we can’t really complain. We didn’t get the job the done. Somewhere in our psyche we had relaxed a bit and let this slip away. Especially after the away win over Bengaluru.
“And it’s these same fans who have come to every game and they have a right to be cross with the team. We let them down.”
The way forward
Morgan is now gone and we finally saw the impact the 25-year-old could really have in the game against Minerva. The Red and Gold players went to him time and again as his fleet-footed play caused the team from Punjab problems galore on the right flank.
There is still the business of the last game to take care of before the Red and Gold embark on their final quest for silverware this season at the Federation Cup. And the East Bengal number 11 seems totally up for it.
“Whatever happened is now history. We can’t keep brooding over it,” quips the former Royal Wahingdoh man.
“East Bengal is a team that demands success and every game we go out on the field, we go out to win. And the Federation Cup is no different.
“The feeling inside the camp is positive again. And we will give our best,” assured East Bengal’s misused gem.
A retrospective
Whilst Morgan might have his own philosophies, his insistence on sticking to “his way” come what may, eventually cost him his job, and East Bengal a chance to truly challenge for the title.
Morgan stuck to playing his “big men” time and again and even when things were not looking rosy, the Englishman decided against utilising the full strength of his squad. Whilst Romeo Fernandes appeared sporadically, Jackichand was nothing but an afterthought. And that is criminal considering the dynamism he brings to the team.
East Bengal’s tactic of bullying through the middle was negated as the season wore on. However, the Red and Gold remained bullish and that resulted in them not only losing four games on the trot but being comfortably the second best team in those games.
Signing and then failing to utilise a talent like Jackichand Singh. That’s derisory. But at the end. Whose loss was it?