Trevor Morgan, hailed as one of the best coaches to helm East Bengal, is back with the club for a second stint. Only time will tell if the Englishman will meets the same fate as Jose Mourinho during his second stint at Premier League side Chelsea — welcomed with pomp and sacked unceremoniously.
After Biswajit Bhattacharya put in his papers following the Kolkata side's loss against Bengaluru FC in a crucial I-League game last Sunday, the Red and Golds' officials asked Morgan if he was ready to take up the job once again. The 59-year-old, who is also the assistant coach of ISL side Kerala Blasters, reportedly agreed.
East Bengal made the big announcement on Wendesday evening in Kolkata.
Morgan changed the fortunes of the Kolkata heavyweights in three seasons — between 2010 and 2013. He helped the Indian club in winning the Federation Cup in his first season with a win in the final against East Bengal's arch-rivals Mohun Bagan. The former Hull City development coach later also helped his side win the Calcutta Football League (CFL) as well and guided his team to the second place in the I-League that season.
In the following seasons, Morgan achieved similar success with the club, one of his most noteworthy achievements being guiding East Bengal to an unbeaten run of a record 30 matches in a calendar year. East Bengal also became the first Indian football club in history to reach the quarterfinals of the AFC Cup in 2013 with an unbeaten record under him.
East Bengal have never won the I-League, and this season, too, their hopes have been dashed.
Morgan has been appointed with immediate effect and is expected to arrive in Kolkata on Friday. It is not sure whether he will arrive in time for East Bengal's match against Sporting Clube de Goa at Barasat on Friday, but he will be expected to be on the sidelines during his team's final I-League game of the season against Shillong Lajong on April 24.
While fans feel Morgan will get sufficient time to prepare the team for the next season of the I-League, the English coach's first and foremost assignment is Federation Cup 2016, scheduled to start on April 30.
