Terry Phelan, who was head coach of Kerala Blasters in the 2nd edition of Indian Super League, talked about his time in Indian football in a recent interview.
"When I was back home, I got a call from Trevor Morgan in India. He said: 'I’ve got a job as assistant coach at the Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League – they’re looking for a technical director, what do you think?' That was November 2014. I came to visit in March 2015, moved over in May, and have been here ever since. I run the academies, run the football schools. And when Peter Taylor left as head coach in November, I took over for three or four weeks, which was a good experience," he revealed in an interview with TheSetPieces.com.
Phelan was impressed with the fans who turned out in massive numbers to support the Sachin Tendulkar's co-owned kerala blasters.
"Things are starting to happen in India. Liverpool have an academy, Bayern Munich might be opening an academy, Hoffenheim are taking players to Germany. At Kerala we’re getting 60,000 or 70,000 fans, which is in the top ten in the world in some weeks. The passion is unbelievable."
However, he sounded critical of the Indian players even though he conceded that they are attentive and eager to learn.
"Young Indian players are different to English lads. The Indians are very down to earth, very polite, well-mannered. They want to get better. Technically, some are very gifted – you could drop them into an English academy, no bother. What they lack is game intelligence."
"One problem with Indian football is players don’t test themselves. They should be going to other parts of Asia, to learn and get tougher. But if you’re in Goa, or other nicer parts of India, you can stay put and earn good money. They can play in the I-League, play in the ISL for three months, and be comfortable. The think to themselves: 'Why do I need to leave?' But you have to test yourself," he remarked.
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