Sporting Clube de Goa, go and get it. www.OHerald.com reporter Marcus Mergulhao, an unabashed admirer of Sporting Clube de Goa�s Total Football, marvels at the prospect of the �rank outsiders� walking away with top honours in the National Football League. Below is what he wrote to Sporting coach Clifford Chukwama after their 1-0 win over Mohun Bagan.
April 15: Dear Clifford, Apologies for the delay in penning this letter; but there is always a first! First things first. I have to thank you for transforming a bunch of talented individuals into a winning outfit, and for the first time ever making the National Football League exciting to follow. The NFL has a chequered nine-year history, but it has never been so exciting, and entertaining, like the current edition. And to say that your team has made it possible, would simply be an understatement. The 35 goals that Sporting Clube has scored � 15 more than Dempo Sports Club � is proof enough of your team�s �entertaining value.� It is no surprise that your team enjoys the best goal difference of 19. I must tell you this. A large number of people who I have spoken to � and they are all neutrals, with no club affiliations � want you to go all the way, and not play second-fiddle to the Big Two of Indian football. And the way I see it, you have the wherewithal to pip both East Bengal and Dempo to the post. I know you are currently placed second and a wafer-thin margin separates the three title-contenders. A win here, and a draw there � losing seems improbable, at this juncture � could turn the tide, but you have form and fixtures on your side. When you told me prior to the start of the NFL that Sporting Clube was aiming for a top-three finish, many experts � and that includes a few coaches � dismissed the talk as pompous and fool-hardy. �Other� experts anointed Mohun Bagan, Dempo, East Bengal, Mahindra United, Salgaocar, and even Churchill Bros as the �next in line.� Three months and 17 matches later, how I wish I could see the �experts� turn in their seats, and squirm, literally. No one really gave your team a semblance of a chance. To my colleagues you were simply �rank outsiders� but my friend Jaydeep Basu, who is the sports editor of the Delhi-based Hindustan Times, was perhaps the only one who told me your team could have a top-finish. And he said it when the NFL was not Sporting Clube de Goa, go and get it even at a half-way stage; you had played just nine matches then. It�s true, Dudu Omagbhemi�s exploits in front of the goal; Edeh Chidi�s marked transformation; Joseph Pereira�s brilliance in the midfield and Luis Barretto�s dare-devil saves have stood out. But I am also impressed with your tactical acumen (the way you switched from 4-4-2 to 3-5-2 in the second session, today, was striking), supporters� vociferous cries and your boss Peter Vaz�s prompting from the stands! In the meanwhile, have you realized that Sporting Clube has garnered full 15 points from the last five matches, something that only champion material can achieve, at this juncture? Your next encounter against Salgaocar Sports Club (Wednesday, April 20) could be tricky. Home matches for Goan teams are always like that, and you need to remain guarded. I am also worried about your players� mental strength. None of them have won honours before � not even a local tournament � and, I am afraid, this position could go to their head. The manner in which rival clubs have started poaching your players is also a disturbing factor. Dudu, Chidi, Joe, Luis, Wilton, Rajesh, Nicholas, Bibiano should all remain vigilant. And yes, you should continue talking loudly about how you will not hesitate in punching down whoever comes within sniffing distance of your players. If form is anything to go by, Tollygunge Agragami, Vasco Sports Club, SBT and even Mahindra United in the ultimate match � at home � should not make you lose any sleep. East Bengal is one team that could pose a serious challenge, but without players like Mike Okoro, late Cristiano Junior and Douglas � who played a big inspired role last year � East Bengal could miss the bus. You can take heart from the fact that East Bengal could drop some points from potentially-explosive matches against Mahindra United (in Mumbai), Dempo, Mohun Bagan and Salgaocar (in Goa). Dempo, I must confess, have looked too inconsistent and vulnerable in their approach. The way they allowed Mahindra United to dictate terms, yesterday, was painful to watch. I must admit, they have champions luck though. Last-minute wins against Churchill Bros and SBT point towards an emerging sign. The late Danny Maclennan who guided Churchill Bros to a second-placed finish in the inaugural NFL is the only foreign coach who has come within sniffing distance of the NFL title. What more can I possibly say. Go get it. Yours Sporting(ly) MARCUS MERGULHAO WWW.OHERALD.COM __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
