'The foreign clubs are well equipped'

RITESH GUPTA

ONE could sense it coming. Even though his movements were hampered by an operation in the right knee, Bhaichung Bhutia found it irresistible to view the action from a distance. Walking with the help of crutches, the genial Bhutia moved towards the centre.

And as soon as his 'first love' - football - touched him, the indulgence was inevitable. He struggled to control it for long but at least managed to feel it for a few seconds. The grin was back. And so was his chirpy demeanour. The happy moments lasted only for a while, as Bhutia knows he still has to recover from his second operation. And for that he has to sit out till April 2002.

The occasion was a five-a-side football tournament but Bhutia was present in a different role. The charity matches were meant to raise funds for needy children and India's star striker was the guest of honour.

The genial Bhutia, who started playing for the second division team in England, Bury FC in 1999, spoke to The Sportstar about his experiences and on the aspects of the professional approach. Here are the excerpts:

Question: When did you get injured?

Answer: I got injured in the second match of the season and got operated for the first time after that. It came at a time just when I was looking to perform. I had a fine pre-season, which included a good outing against Manchester United. It is more disappointing because I played a reserve game and then again twisted my knee, so I had to go for another operation in November.

You had problems in adjusting to the Bury line-up. Was there any pressure to perform this season?

It is true I took time to adjust, as their style of play is different. After I joined the Club, the manager, who selected me, left soon. So a new manager came and that's where it took time to develop a relationship and understanding.

To be honest, there was no pressure for me. But I knew this season is going to be good because the way it (pre-season) went, I was mentally prepared as well. I was really looking forward to it. It does take time to settle down and when you feel the time has come to prove and at that time if you are out, it's very disappointing.

How much did your agent help you out all these years?

The agent plays a very important role. In my case, the agent was not knowledgeable enough. He hardly turned up for my matches and did not have enough courage to ask the management why I was not being used. In this way, I lacked my agent's support.

How do you think you have improved as a player?

It's just that one becomes more mature. You learn a lot and you become more experienced. You become aggressive as well and learn to adjust to the situations.

You have said our (Indian) approach is not good enough when we play abroad. Why do you think so?

I think it's more to do with competition there (abroad). I am not saying that the players here are not aggressive. The problem here is when we are playing domestic tournaments, we are very aggressive and I have seen in the Derby matches involving East Bengal and Mohun Bagan - how different they are. They want to win and this feeling is there. And it should be carried on when we are playing abroad. Hopefully, we will learn from our recent exposure and pick on these crucial points to perform better.

The most important thing, which I have felt, is players abroad are very confident and positive. Importantly, they don't really see who their opponents are and whom they are playing. They just think of doing well and fight it out to the best of their abilities.

You mean we are psychologically not up there?

It's psychological as well. Before the match, you find that the body language is not right enough and not ready. It's a 90-minute game and we need to work harder. The score is goalless before the kick-off so it's up to you to change the score and give your best. You may win, you may lose, the important thing is that you have to fight it out. That's more important.

Strategy is very important as well. Because you need to know what kind of system you are playing and you need to know your job. How to attack and how to defend, it is more about each player knowing his job, and what is expected of him.

Apart from the standards, how do the foreign clubs differ from the Indian domestic structure?

Technologywise, they (foreign clubs) are well-equipped and updated. They know how many shots you have taken. In India, we lack these initiatives. I think we lack that (professionalism) and it doesn't come easily by saying we are professionals. It is all got to do with the environment and the people concerned...the officials and the players as well. But I think we need to take one step at a time and start by involving the youngsters. We can achieve that by marketing and managing the main tournaments such as the National league in a proper way. The sport has to been shown on TV and then only the youngsters will show more interest.

What about the Federation's role? Despite the opening up of the economy in the early 90s, most of the multinational companies, which support football globally, are not associating themselves here.

The Federation has to take it well (the sponsors interest). Lot of corporates are still willing to get along but the important thing is to co-operate with them. They obviously want some return and you need to live up to their expectations.

How did you spend your time in England?

We train from Monday to Friday. On Saturday we usually have matches and Sunday we get off. When I am off, it's more of spending time with friends, going out and listening to music.

How would you compare the second division teams with the top ones in England?

There is surely a difference when you compare with teams such as Manchester United and Arsenal. But in competitions, there are teams which have moved from the bottom to higher level in one season. So in reality the difference is not much. Even second division teams are reaching the semifinals in tournaments, so it's really tough.

Did you interact with the top players?

To be honest, I was not able to get in touch. But I did play against players like Andy Cole, West Brown ...all international players and playing against them helped in terms of experience. Yeah, it was great for me. Playing against Manchester United and performing well, really pleased me.

What about your plans?

I can't really say. I have not planned but obviously as a player I would like to go higher. The options are still there. First I have to get my fitness back. There are lots of agents, who I am in touch with and have shown interest. But I need to sort out things with the management at Bury and for this I have sought help from the Professional Footballers Association.