ISL 2018-19: 4 Coaches who can Replace David James at Kerala Blasters
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Kerala Blasters recently sacked coach David James after a disastrous start to their Indian Super League (ISL) 2018-19 season.
The Blasters fired the Englishman after the 6-1 humiliation at the hands of Mumbai City FC, their heaviest defeat ever.
Blasters have had a torrid season so far and have slim hopes of qualifying for the ISL playoffs. After starting the season confidently with a 2-0 win over ATK, Blasters lost the plot and have not recorded a victory in the remaining 11 games.
They have collected nine points and are placed eighth on the table, 18 behind leaders Bengaluru FC with only six more games to go in the season. In the 12 games that they have played, Kerala Blasters have secured six draws and lost five matches.
ALSO READ: 4 Reasons Why David James Deserved To Be Sacked
Manjappada, the Blasters' fan group, lost patience with James and demanded that the management sack him immediately. The fan group even organised a boycott, where only about 8000-odd fans turned up for the game between Blasters and Jamshedpur FC.
ALSO READ: Manjappada Boycott Kerala Blasters' Match
The team's performance did not improve despite the protests by the fans and Blasters ended up on the losing side against the struggling Pune City 1-0. And when Modou Sougou struck four goals in the 6-1 mauling, the Kerala Blasters' management had to act.
They shut the door on James, who had earlier signed a three-year contract with the Kochi-based club. His assistant Hermann Hreidarsson followed and Thangboi Singto has been named the interim manager.
But Blasters need to zero in on a permanent coach before the next season. We present some options:
#4 Trevor Morgan
Trevor Morgan is currently the head coach of the Bhutan national team. With nearly a decade of experience here in India, he is one of the hot favourites for this job.
Morgan's first assignment in India was to manage East Bengal in the I-League back in 2010. He remained in this position until 2013. He had a second stint with the club in the 2016-17 season when they finished third on the league table.
Morgan joined Kerala Blasters in 2014, the inaugural season of Hero ISL. There, he was the assistant to David James and played a pivotal role in the team as they reached the final before being handed a defeat by Atletico de Kolkata.
Morgan remained with the Blasters for the 2015 season. This time, he was the assistant to Peter Taylor. Taylor was sacked midway through the season and Morgan was called to replace him as the interim coach then as well. He eventually handed the reins to grassroots manager Terry Phelan.
Morgan also had a short reign at Goa-based FC Dempo before leaving for East Bengal and then eventually to Bhutan.
As such Morgan, though committed to Bhutan now, will be a good choice. He is also a fan favourite at Kochi for his pivotal role in the first two seasons!