I once overheard in metro some MSC players, returning from practice, discussing that they will happily stick to playing football if they are given a monthly stipend of Rs 5000/-. It is becoming very tough for them in the prevailing uncertainties that a footballer's life throws in. If I am not mistaken, the group contained Hira Mandal (though I admit I am not very familiar with his appearance. So I may may be wrong as well).
Tells a lot about expectations of average Kolkata footballers and the reality.
Remember the case of Lalawmpuia (mentioned by @ashindia) ; very well.
He was a precocious talent, considered to be the best Mizo footballer after Baichung. He signed for MB in 2006, scored a derby goal and scaled the dizzy heights of success. But his drinking problems and his indiscipline took a heavy toll on him. He had to go on rehabilitation, joined Mumbai FC later and the last that was heard of him was when he joined United SC, or rather their B team Pathachakra, in 2018, in order to revive his career.
Came across this video on YouTube recently (2020). In an interview to Aarohi News, Puia says that he has returned to Kolkata, "his second home" and lives in a flat in Hiland Park. Nowadays, he mostly plays exhibition matches. His current friend and mentor, ex-footballer Habibur Rehman Mondal, said that he is trying to get into coaching, having completed a D-license course.
What is especially heart-warming is when he says that "past is past, and every day is a new day," and he is consciously striving to become a good man and get back to football. His advice to budding footballers--discipline is extremely necessary for success--must have struck a chord with many people, not the least Puia himself.
Best of luck, Lalawmpuia! Stay blessed, and wish you success in your future endeavours.
It mentions a number of Indian Arrows--then Pailan Arrows--players fined by the AIFF in 2012 for various reasons like "turning up late for practice repeatedly and staying out late during night" and in one case, for reportedly being " in company of a woman during an I-League match". The article urges then Pailan coach Arthur Papas to rein in the players so that they do not "go the Lalam Puia way".
Curiously, the report mentions three names-Shilton D’Silva, Prathamesh Maulingker (who has now become a model as mentioned by @ashindia) ;and Alwyn George who are mentioned in this thread as players with potential but whose careers got derailed one way or other. Shilton played for MB last season, while Alwyn was in the Punjab FC team last year, with neither quite living up to their initial promise. The article rightly points out that "young footballers have wasted away their potential due to off field issues. Footballers often come up from poor backgrounds and the quick money they make after getting into an I-League club can turn their heads".
One solution to handle such issues is to take recourse to sports psychology. As the author says, "Sports Psychology is an almost unheard of concept in Indian football so footballers who are ill disciplined are rarely counseled properly. Two or three decades back authoritative club officials like Dhiren Dey, JC Guha would have acted as a father figure for young players but such great men are not found these days. So it is up to the coaches to ensure players stay on correct course." I remember the late P.K. Banerjee mentoring such temperamental and mercurial talents like Subhash Bhowmick and Chima Okorie with his customary tactfulness. Some clubs like EB and BFC have indeed opted for sports psychologists in recent times but I am really not certain how effective they can be.
So, we can say that apart from some of the factors discussed above--financial instability, lack of medical insurance coverage--this too could be cited as one of the causes bringing about the downfall of a footballer: lack of discipline, unable to cope with the strains/pressures that comes in the wake of making a fast buck in double-quick time, particularly with the advent of the ISL. The case of Abinash Rudas (currently with Punjab FC) immediately comes to the mind.
Many things can't be said in open forum. The reason behind Lalampuia's down gradation can't be disclosed, you can guess. May be the same reason behind Majid Baskhar's (Biskar as per many) downfall. Jewel Raja and his elder brother Tarif Ahmed both played for India. Tarif once paired Bhaichung before Sunil. Tarif took ONGC job and settled, occasionally plays in office leagues etc. Jewel Raja was a real talent. In 1st ISL he played for Goa and paired with Robert Pires. Before that he was instrumental behind India's SAFF win in 2009. (Remember Arindam saving penalties against Maldives ?) Jewel and Shilton Da Shilva paired in CM. Jewel was knocked out and was having concussion in the final. Prashant Jaggi and Deipak Devrani (most probably if not NS Manju) was Stopper backs. Jeje, Dika, Shouvhik Chakraborty and may be Raju, Nirmal Chettri, Sanju Pradhan (?) I remember. It was an important event IMO. Bob shown the audacity to send an U-20 team to play SAFF and they won the tournament. It was just after 1st Nehru Cup victory over Syria. There was huge debate about who was a better penalty saver, Arindam or Subrata? [Later Pintu (Pradip) Chowdhury and Shanto Mitra reveled Bob was planning to field Arindam in AFC 2011 but he got injured]. Sad to see both Jewel and Shilton who could easily step into Climax Lawrence's / Mehtab / Venkatesh shoes did not keep the promise. Shilton's shinbone was broken just like Shankarlal and we knew he would never be the same. Jewel has an interesting story behind his name. His actual name was Tariq Ahmed after his elder brother Tarif. However just after his birth, his father saw Jewel Rana of Bangladesh playing and dominating Krishanu, Bikash, Sirshir Ghosh, Sudip Chatterjee in CFL (Jewel, Munna, Aslam, 3 bangladeshi player caught eye of everyone and even beaten India in SAFF couple of times) so decided to change his younger sons name to his favorite player.
While I respect Somnath Sengupta for his immense knowledge in football (he is a fellow grad from same university in same year too, though we interacted in IFN and social media only), I disagree with his Utopian thinking of everything was good in past. JC Guha, Dhiren Dey was no doubt a father figure but wasted many talent who did not listen to them or did not agree to play "khep" according to their wish. No every thing in the past was not so good brother. As a devoted fan / writer who has voice needs to be out of cognitive and hindsight bias and show all sides equally. There is no point of being "Dpublic TV" or "Bhago Bangla" if you have no liability to be loyal to a bias. Thats why Moti Nandy's "Dalbadaler Age" is still so significant and tells us about exact behind the door incidents about Kolkata football. As per me, the foreign coach is no one than Milovan. Yatri and Sarathi are big twos. Eagerly waiting to read balance part in English @thebeautifulgame
Comments
https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/blue-tigers-subrata-paul-pritam-kotal-amphan-west-bengal-6431524/
https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/players-for-humanity-pritam-kotal-coronavirus-howrah-red/psby0osykycl10ef57803qx3j
Doing charity work these days, helping people affected by Amphan and COVID-19!!
Then went away
He was a precocious talent, considered to be the best Mizo footballer after Baichung. He signed for MB in 2006, scored a derby goal and scaled the dizzy heights of success. But his drinking problems and his indiscipline took a heavy toll on him. He had to go on rehabilitation, joined Mumbai FC later and the last that was heard of him was when he joined United SC, or rather their B team Pathachakra, in 2018, in order to revive his career.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/lalawmpuia-looks-to-revive-career-as-he-returns-to-kolkata/articleshow/64742706.cms
Came across this video on YouTube recently (2020). In an interview to Aarohi News, Puia says that he has returned to Kolkata, "his second home" and lives in a flat in Hiland Park. Nowadays, he mostly plays exhibition matches. His current friend and mentor, ex-footballer Habibur Rehman Mondal, said that he is trying to get into coaching, having completed a D-license course.
What is especially heart-warming is when he says that "past is past, and every day is a new day," and he is consciously striving to become a good man and get back to football. His advice to budding footballers--discipline is extremely necessary for success--must have struck a chord with many people, not the least Puia himself.
Best of luck, Lalawmpuia! Stay blessed, and wish you success in your future endeavours.
http://www.thehardtackle.com/2012/indian-football-papas-must-ensure-pailan-arrows-players-dont-go-lalam-puia-way/
It mentions a number of Indian Arrows--then Pailan Arrows--players fined by the AIFF in 2012 for various reasons like "turning up late for practice repeatedly and staying out late during night" and in one case, for reportedly being " in company of a woman during an I-League match". The article urges then Pailan coach Arthur Papas to rein in the players so that they do not "go the Lalam Puia way".
Curiously, the report mentions three names-Shilton D’Silva, Prathamesh Maulingker (who has now become a model as mentioned by @ashindia) ;and Alwyn George who are mentioned in this thread as players with potential but whose careers got derailed one way or other. Shilton played for MB last season, while Alwyn was in the Punjab FC team last year, with neither quite living up to their initial promise. The article rightly points out that "young footballers have wasted away their potential due to off field issues. Footballers often come up from poor backgrounds and the quick money they make after getting into an I-League club can turn their heads".
One solution to handle such issues is to take recourse to sports psychology. As the author says, "Sports Psychology is an almost unheard of concept in Indian football so footballers who are ill disciplined are rarely counseled properly. Two or three decades back authoritative club officials like Dhiren Dey, JC Guha would have acted as a father figure for young players but such great men are not found these days. So it is up to the coaches to ensure players stay on correct course." I remember the late P.K. Banerjee mentoring such temperamental and mercurial talents like Subhash Bhowmick and Chima Okorie with his customary tactfulness. Some clubs like EB and BFC have indeed opted for sports psychologists in recent times but I am really not certain how effective they can be.
So, we can say that apart from some of the factors discussed above--financial instability, lack of medical insurance coverage--this too could be cited as one of the causes bringing about the downfall of a footballer: lack of discipline, unable to cope with the strains/pressures that comes in the wake of making a fast buck in double-quick time, particularly with the advent of the ISL. The case of Abinash Rudas (currently with Punjab FC) immediately comes to the mind.
Jewel Raja and his elder brother Tarif Ahmed both played for India. Tarif once paired Bhaichung before Sunil. Tarif took ONGC job and settled, occasionally plays in office leagues etc.
Jewel Raja was a real talent. In 1st ISL he played for Goa and paired with Robert Pires. Before that he was instrumental behind India's SAFF win in 2009. (Remember Arindam saving penalties against Maldives ?) Jewel and Shilton Da Shilva paired in CM. Jewel was knocked out and was having concussion in the final. Prashant Jaggi and Deipak Devrani (most probably if not NS Manju) was Stopper backs. Jeje, Dika, Shouvhik Chakraborty and may be Raju, Nirmal Chettri, Sanju Pradhan (?) I remember.
It was an important event IMO. Bob shown the audacity to send an U-20 team to play SAFF and they won the tournament. It was just after 1st Nehru Cup victory over Syria. There was huge debate about who was a better penalty saver, Arindam or Subrata? [Later Pintu (Pradip) Chowdhury and Shanto Mitra reveled Bob was planning to field Arindam in AFC 2011 but he got injured].
Sad to see both Jewel and Shilton who could easily step into Climax Lawrence's / Mehtab / Venkatesh shoes did not keep the promise. Shilton's shinbone was broken just like Shankarlal and we knew he would never be the same.
Jewel has an interesting story behind his name. His actual name was Tariq Ahmed after his elder brother Tarif. However just after his birth, his father saw Jewel Rana of Bangladesh playing and dominating Krishanu, Bikash, Sirshir Ghosh, Sudip Chatterjee in CFL (Jewel, Munna, Aslam, 3 bangladeshi player caught eye of everyone and even beaten India in SAFF couple of times) so decided to change his younger sons name to his favorite player.
No every thing in the past was not so good brother. As a devoted fan / writer who has voice needs to be out of cognitive and hindsight bias and show all sides equally.
There is no point of being "Dpublic TV" or "Bhago Bangla" if you have no liability to be loyal to a bias.
Thats why Moti Nandy's "Dalbadaler Age" is still so significant and tells us about exact behind the door incidents about Kolkata football.
As per me, the foreign coach is no one than Milovan. Yatri and Sarathi are big twos. Eagerly waiting to read balance part in English @thebeautifulgame