ISL 2017-18: We played a good second half against the best team in the league, says KBFC coach James

KERALA BLASTERS drew 1-1 against FC Pune City at home and it was also their first match under new coach David James.

At the post match press conference, talking about all that happened in the time that he was here, he said,

"It’s been a very turbulent 48 hours. Obviously with the departure of Rene, me coming in, the timing of all and contractual discussions, and then having to put a team together. I’ve got to thank all the coaches involved. I had to trust their judgement on picking the team."

Talking about the match, he said,

"The first half was very difficult. Pune showed their quality. It was obvious to see that we needed a bit more pace. I think we’ll be happy with the point but on another day, we’d win the game. Pune are top of the league now. We played a good second half against the best team in the league."

Taking about the role of a coach and the fans, he said,

"There are lots and lots of positives for me as a manager. I’m back in the position with some happy team players. It’s been a long while since I’ve been able to connect with the crowd. When we did something positive the crowd responded. I could see them singing on the way out, so they were happy with what they saw and that makes me happy as a manager. I joined the club on the basis that we have a good squad and that second half showed me that the talent is in there."

"The first half for me was a learning experience because I have not trained them. I think for all the coaches involved, it’s been a very difficult situation. At half time, the conversation was good, the lads responded and I’m happy."

Talking about the remainder of the season for KBFC, he said,

"The difficulty for me watching from afar is I can’t see what is happening on the pitch. We’ll look at the players in training. We had opportunities in the second half, there was so much positivity, it’s a just the case of tweaking it. We’ve got a big squad. In the way I look at it now, it’s just about the players and not about myself. I think one concern is a few opportunities we conceded in the first half. The whole emphasis is to make the players better."

He also had words of praise for captain Sandesh Jhingan,

"Sandesh is the team captain. In the three years, India have gone from 170th to 104th in the FIFA rankings and he’s part of that. He’s a captain so he has to lead by example. As I said, we go to the training ground and improve all the small things."

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