Remember the Irish striker Robbie Keane, who is known for celebrating with machine gun fire? The benevolent brother currently lives in India and plays for Kolkata in the Premier League. Considering that he will be 38 years old this summer, Keane will certainly have to find a way back and prepare for life after hanging up his boots. Keane, who does not want to stay away from the football world, has previously received a UEFA A-level coaching certificate and becomes a manager just around the corner. I never thought that this day would come so quickly.
As the defending champions of the Indian Premier League, Kolkata is a strong team. In the 3 seasons that have been played so far, the team has won the championship twice, standing tall in the country. However, as the favourite to win the title this season, Kolkata has shown a desperate performance. After leading the club to just three wins in the first 10 rounds, how can the manager not take the pot off the lesson? This man is also not a nameless man, but a former sharpshooter in England, Sheringham. But the dude's coaching level is indeed much worse than the ability to play, leading the team to a 3-0 away defeat to Pune City in the league, ending his second club managerial career. Like when he coached England's lower club Stevenic, he also failed to survive a year.
To whom did Sheringham leave the mess? Ashley Westwood, a retired defender who played some fame in the English League as a player. Although Westwood is not the first time to coach an Indian club and is a familiar figure in the league, sheringham has dug too big a hole, what can he do? After missing the top league playoffs for the first time in Calcutta's history, Westwood also slipped away.
In this situation, the leadership of Kolkata was determined to innovate and choose a new manager to lead the team. As a result, the last 6 league starts have scored 5 goals, and Keane, who is still in good shape, was pushed to the forefront. The player also served as manager, and Keane turned a new page in his career.
In the first game of his managerial career, Keane will lead Kolkata against Northeast United. If nothing else, he will definitely choose to start on the front. And most likely to play with Keane is former Burnley striker Martin Patterson. When choosing a defensive start, I believe Keane will not forget Ryan Taylor - another athlete who has made a name for himself in England.
Once he leads the team well this Sunday, Keane is expected to persuade the leadership to offer him a longer-term managerial contract and get rid of his current temporary status. If the script continues to develop in this way, Keane hangs up his boots and the day of radical transformation will soon come.
【This article was first published on March 3, 2018 in Sports+】