Subrata Paul: Give the Indian coaches a chance in ISL

The Jamshedpur FC custodian expressed his opinion on the quality of Indian coaches.

India international Subrata Paul feels that it is high time for a change in the Indian Super League, as domestic coaches should be given opportunities before we can judge them against their foreign counterparts. The experienced custodian feels that the Indian coaches are very much capable of managing teams domestically and also at the international level.

Since the start of the ISL, it has been a revolution for Indian football over the years. However, one area in which it has not delivered yet is the transition from foreign to Indian coaches.

The ISL teams have been heavily dependent on foreign coaches and the rule to assign Indian coaches has also been altered recently. Yet, not a lot of teams are excited about appointing an Indian coach.

"Till the time we don't give opportunities to Indian coaches, how can we differentiate? Give the Indian coaches the chance. Let them work for some time, say 2-3 years. Then only something can be said. We are still not in a position to compare. No Indian coach has so far coached any Indian Super League team," Subrata Paul told IANS.

The 33-year-old custodian who has represented India 67 times feels the competition between Indian and foreign coaches even in the I-League is very limited.

"When the National Football League (NFL) started in India, there was no criteria for the coaches to have a degree. From the day this degree thing started, the clubs have recruited foreign coaches, as there has been a dearth of degree-holding Indian coaches. Even then, we have seen only a few big clubs were able to afford foreign coaches."

"In the last three or four years, a lot of work has been done on Indian coaches. Number of licenced Indian coaches has increased by many folds. There are several Pro-licence coaches and A-licence coaches. I don't have the exact figure with me. So, it is difficult to judge unless you give them an opportunity, whether it is ISL or the national team. If the Indian coaches fail to perform then we can say that yes, they are not up to the mark," opined Subrata Paul.

The national team goalkeeper chooses not to get into questions of professionalism among the Indian coaches, as he added, "I can't say whether the word professionalism is appropriate or not, but then in short I will say that the foreign coaches treat Indian players on the basis of their overall perspective, whereas Indian coaches treat players on the basis of the player's own culture," he observed.

"However, what can be learnt from the foreign coaches is the way they organize and plan the whole process of coaching, especially time management."

Moreover, the Jamshedpur FC custodian does not buy the reports of players not respecting their Indian coaches as much as they do with the foreign ones. He feels the debate is unnecessary and believes that the coach is like a teacher and must be respected.

"I can't say about others, but as far as I am concerned, every coach -- whether Indian or foreigner -- is my teacher and I respect them. I have always tried to learn from my coaches. However, like coaches, players too have different philosophies, different mentalities.Then again, I will say a coach's decision is the best decision for the team and no coach wants his team to lose," he concluded.