Following a series of disappointing results, a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Mumbai City FC proved to be the last straw for Simon Grayson.
Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: Bengaluru FC have sacked head coach Simon Grayson and assistant coach Neil McDonald following a 4-0 mauling of the club against Mumbai City at the ‘Fortress’ Kanteerava here on Friday night. The defeat extended the Blues’ winless streak to seven matches, a run that has yielded just four points.
Renedy Singh will take charge on an interim basis, while a statement from BFC added that “The club looks to appoint a new head coach shortly.”
In a strongly worded post on ‘X’ Bengaluru FC owner Parth Jindal, just before full-time, wrote, “This isn’t @bengalurufc - changes are coming - we need to get back to where we belong - this is embarrassing. I’m sorry - this is beyond me - with this squad to play like this is not BFC."
Englishman Grayson, who dug his team out of a similar rut last season with 10 straight wins that culminated in a heart-breaking loss to Mohun Bagan Super Giant on penalties, had maintained that he had no fears about losing his job in the post-match press conference.
So why was Grayson not given a longer rope? There has been no conviction in BFC’s gameplay, and the tactical identity maintained throughout last season – a compact hard to break down 3-5-2 formation, lethal counterattacks and crisp build-up moves – has not been replicated at all this season.
Grayson had his pick of signings join the club over the summer. Wingers Halicharan Narzary and Rohit Danu, centre-back Slavko Damjanovic, midfielder Keziah Veendorp and forward Curtis Main.
But the departures were not adequately filled, both in the positions and roles they essayed. Seasoned defenders Sandesh Jhingan and Prabir Das left after a solitary season, with no Indian players signed as their replacements.
The centre midfield partnership of Suresh Wangjam and Rohit Kumar, who were at the heart of things in the second half of last season, played just one match together as a double-pivot this season.
Halicharan Narzary, a like-for-like replacement for Udanta Singh, has had nowhere near the impact ‘The Flash’ provided.
And the burly Curtis Main, a striker that feeds off quality service into the box, is very different to Roy Krishna, who prioritised build-up play.
Changing from a set system has meant that players like Sivasakthi Narayanan and Javi Hernandez were deployed out of position.
While the decisions over the pre-season transfer dealings cannot be attributed solely to Grayson, you need to do the best with what you have got, and Grayson simply failed to deliver on the style of football the fans and players were slowly warming up to.
On occasion, Grayson’s team selection has also raised several eyebrows, and is another reason that curtailed his stint.
So, what next for Bengaluru FC? While the fans belted out ‘We shall overcome some day’ in solidarity as the dejected players watched on, a section of them broke into an ‘Albert Roca’ chant.
Could the Spaniard, currently on BFC’s books as a technical consultant, return to the sidelines in the long-term?
In the short-term, however, the players will look to regroup under Renedy and attempt to sneak into the top six.