Would be happy to talk to an interested IPL-styled franchise – Trevor Morgan Exclusive Part Two

East Bengal players and team manager Trevor Morgan (C) pose with their trophy after winning the 34th Federation Cup final football match against Dempo SC

You can read the first part of the interview here.

During his three-year spell at East Bengal, Trevor Morgan faced many challenges and was always under pressure to deliver trophies. But being the East Bengal coach, the one fixture that stood out more than any other was the big Kolkata derby against arch-rivals Mohun Bagan.

Morgan seemed to enjoy the pressure and tension surrounding the intense rivalry as he had an excellent record against Mohun Bagan (seven wins, three draws, two defeats).

As a player he has experienced many local derbies, in particular the rivalry between Bristol City and Bristol Rovers, having played for both clubs. So, according to him, where does the rivalry between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan rank?

“The biggest shame of the East Bengal – Mohun Bagan derby is that no one outside of India is aware of it. People are amazed when I tell them of the crowds that attend and of the passion involved. The build up to the game is something I know I will miss. For the Bengali supporters it’s the be all and end all, I have spoken to many supporters who would rather see us lose all the other games as long as we beat Mohun Bagan and that probably works both ways. That shows the importance of what it means. It is a great occasion,” he told Sportskeeda.

In part one, Morgan had revealed that going through the AFC Cup group stage unbeaten was his best achievement at East Bengal and the Englishman also guided the Kolkata club to the quarter-finals following a 5-1 hammering of Myanmar champions Yangon United in the round of 16.

The former Hull City development coach won’t be in charge of course for East Bengal’s quarter-final two-legged tie against Indonesian champions Semen Padang. Morgan believes the red-and-gold brigade are capable of reaching the semis but may find it extra difficult against West Asian opponents later on.

“Semen Padang will be a very difficult opposition, especially at home. If East Bengal can get a get a result away from home a semi final place will be within their grasp. The big test will come later on as the West Asian teams are very strong. If the other team has better players than you then it becomes very difficult to get a result,” Morgan stated.

Having spent three years in Indian football, Morgan got a fair idea about the state of the beautiful game in the country and reckons a lot of improvements were made at East Bengal both on and off the pitch.

“From East Bengal’s point of view I saw huge improvements in the players’ attitude and understanding of the job they do for the team. We just strayed a bit from the traditional 4-4-2 in Indian football and gave the players freedom to express themselves attacking but also to work hard out of possession.

“East Bengal have made a big effort to improve the facilities for the players with a new changing room and gym but the biggest problem for nearly all clubs is not having good playing surfaces to train or play on,” Morgan stated.

The Englishman believes East Bengal has improved both on and off the field