Armando Colaco returns to East Bengal, Trevor Morgan resigns

Trevor Morgan has resigned as the coach of Kolkata giant, East Bengal with two matches left in its I-League campaign. East Bengal is currently third in the league table after suffering four losses on the trot.

Armando Colaco has an enviable record as a manger in the I-League, winning five titles with Dempo.

Trevor Morgan, the English coach who just a month ago looked to be helming East Bengal on the way to the I-League title, sent his resignation on Monday. On Friday the coach was barricaded and abused by hundreds of club supporters, who blamed him for the team’s three successive defeats, including the loss against arch rival Mohun Bagan early in the month.

Morgan’s departure became imminent when the team suffered its fourth consecutive defeat on Sunday going down against the DSK Shivajians (0-1) at home.

“He has sent us his resignation letter and the club will accept that,” Santosh Bhattacharya, East Bengal’s football secretary said. The sequence of defeats started midway in March with East Bengal losing successive ‘away’ matches against Churchill Brothers and newcomer Chennai City FC by the same 1-2 margin. As the tournament resumed after a break of two weeks, East Bengal’s poor form continued and it went down against Mohun Bagan (April 9) by the 1-2 margin once again while drifting away from the title race. Finally, the loss against Shivajians virtually extinguished all its hopes forcing the coach to consider resignation.

Morgan began his second tenure as head coach of East Bengal exactly a year ago when the club sought to bring back the Perth-based Englishman as the team faltered under the charge of former international Biswajit Bhattacharya.

Morgan, who in his first stint of three seasons (between 2010 and 2013) had helped the club to the Federation Cup title before guiding it to the AFC Cup semifinals, was the most popular choice for the job.

Interestingly, Armando Colaco, the former India and Dempo SC coach who had succeeded Morgan after his departure in 2013, is likely to be reinstated. Colaco has apparently responded positively to the fellers sent by the club and will be reaching the city shortly for talks.

“East Bengal had approached me a couple of days back. I told them I am available, but first they need to sort out their issues with Trevor. I will like to take charge of the team for the last two I-League games as well. It will help me to take stock of the situation and the ability of the players,” Colalco told Sporstar .

 

The team had started brilliantly. I don’t know what happened to them over the last few games. Maybe there was some problem with attitude and I will look into it.”