I want to give Calcutta’s crazy fans enough enthusiasm and excitement, says new ATK coach Teddy Sheringham in maiden ISL interaction
When former Manchester United star, Teddy Sheringham, now 51, brought his 6'1" frame into his first ISL press conference, most people widened their lips in amazement. In an announcement made a few weeks back, he was appointed as the replacement for ATK’s existing coach, Antonio López Habas. Habas has now moved to Pune FC, following ATK’s fallout with Atlético Madrid. The Atlético Madrid partnership had been extremely fruitful, bringing in two championships in the three editions so far. Naturally, a change in the order of things has caused some apprehension.
But the moment Sheringham walked in...in rushed a flood of memories. Those who remembered Euro ’96 might have recalled a sprightly 30-year-old netting two goals and assisting one to defeat Netherlands 4-1 in a group match. But mostly the memory would have lingered on Sheringham’s clenched-teeth and determined face in the 1999 UEFA Champions League finals against the always ferocious Bayern Munich side. His opportune strike helped Manchester United level the game in the 91st minute. The Red Devils would eventually go on to claim the Cup when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer struck within two minutes of that equalizer.
So when Sheringham was of the opinion that his 1996 experience triumphed over the 1999 success, it caught everyone in the room unawares. “It was the most beautiful moment in my life,” reminisced Sheringham, who had played alongside Paul Gascoigne, Alan Shearer, Jürgen Klinsmann and David Beckham at one point in his career. "It was in the ’96 Euros that I played in Wembley Stadium wearing the prestigious England jersey. It was an unbelievable feeling for me. I recall a boy who wants to play and contribute positively and make a name for himself. I scored twice in the Netherlands game and helped to score another. Although we had to lose to Germany in the semi-finals in a tie-breaker, I consider that Euro to be the best moment in my life.”
This surprising admission came about when the former England striker addressed the media in his capacity as Head Coach of what formerly was known as Atlético de Kolkata.
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In keeping with dry British humour, Sheringham joked, “I landed here with rain, [the sky had opened up on the day of his press conference and continued right up to an hour before the interactions] and maybe Calcutta welcomes me with rain!”
He may not have much idea about the Indian football scene, something he confessed to quickly while mentioning that he would have to depend principally on his Technical Director, Ashley Westwood. But he had gathered enough knowledge to fully comprehend that the Indians and specifically the Calcuttans are absolute fanatics of the game, not ready to settle for anything but the very best from their clubs. Earlier, one of the owners of the club had emphasized, “Those who are used to success, I like being with them.”
The pressure of expectations on him was obvious when he said, “It brings on added pressure that you are playing for the championship, you wanna win the league again. Other teams know that and they want to beat you, you always have to be ready for that as players”. Westwood, who was also present at the conference, said, "I will advise and help the best I can with my knowledge of Indian football. We will talk about that later, to be honest."
That said, is Sheringham well-equipped to function as a coach? A tenacious player he may be, but he hardly has any coaching pedigree. He was appointed as an attacking coach at West Ham United and did bring about a change in their style of play, ushering in a good 2014–15 season for the club. Yet, at League Two side, Stevenage, where he held his first managerial position, things didn’t work out favorably for him. His side struggled at the bottom throughout the campaign, occupying the 19th position in the standings at the end. His side had mustered a measly three points in their last eight matches and he ended up being sacked.
Moreover, most of his homework on Indian football has so far been carried out remotely. He has gathered his information either from the videos available on the web or fished out information from secondary sources like English players. In fact, he admitted to having gotten most of his inputs so far from David James, the former player–manager of Kerala Blasters.
Though he may not have any big names on his coaching resume, Sheringham, once a champion with a big-ticket club, surely must know what being a champion entails. “I had experienced this similar pressure of expectations quite a few times when I was playing for Manchester United. The team, being champions twice, there was always pressure to replicate that. It is not easy to get over it but I am used to it. And I am excited about this challenge,” he clarified, adding, “I just want to give Calcutta’s crazy fans enough enthusiasm and excitement.”
"My philosophy is to form a winning team. We have to stay positive and create a winning formula.” It also seems he is an advocate of clean play. “I don’t like scuffles between players and referees.”
One aspect in this edition of the ISL is going to favor Sheringham and company for sure. You may call it a Brit invasion of sorts. With many coaches and players of British origin, some who have plied their trade in the EPL, Sheringham and Westwood would be expected to have a better grip on proceedings. But rather than being happy to be on familiar ground, Sheringham sounded cautious when he said, ”That’s a challenge for us already. Steve Coppell, now head coach of the Jamshedpur ISL team, knows about ISL already. John Gregory joins in for Chennaiyin FC as well. It brings in a British feel for us. But all I am concentrating is on ATK. That makes it very interesting. They can concentrate on their football clubs. We got a big job to do here and one that is exciting and which I am looking forward to.”
All said, the Spanish flavor that had underlined ATK's play for the last three years is set to change. With two British imports, perhaps a more EPL-like style of play can be expected. The team owners, on their part, have given their head coach a free hand. Sheringham is under no compulsion to continue with the previous manager's style of play.
Playing styles might change, but fans wouldn’t mind as long as they bring in the championship for the third time. Sheringham certainly has his work cut out for him.