Taylor breaks silence on KBFC departure, praises ISL, fans; hints at new owners in club

PETER TAYLOR, who left his coaching post at Kerala Blasters in the middle of the ISL campaign this year, has spoken out about his time in India for the first time. In an interview with Sky Sports, he said the experience was great for him, but it was hard to work with the new Kerala Blasters management.

Peter Taylor said about his early departure from the Blasters camp,

"It was a little bit difficult because there was always talk of a takeover and new owners. In the end that took a little bit of time to get sorted out and the general manager did an incredible job in keeping everything together... I came back a little bit earlier because of a few little things that went wrong behind the scenes but it was a terrific experience."

But Taylor was full of praise for the people of Kerala and their enthusiasm about football,

"I've got a lot of respect for the people out there. They are tremendous and the Kerala supporters are absolutely incredible, some of the best fans I've ever seen."

During Taylor's short tenure, Kerala Blasters struggled to keep up with their opponents and his defence-heavy 5-3-2 strategy was criticized by many. The team also had some trouble with injury and fitness, most notably with their marquee player Carlos Marchena who, like Taylor, left the franchise early. Taylor talked about how it was a big disappointment to miss out on the services of their most expensive player,

"In the end he worked to try and get out there and I think he only just about had 45 minutes in him. So, in that respect it was frustrating because you see the other teams with their marquee players, who were their best players, and that is what you want."

About ISL, Taylor is optimistic. He praised the possibilities and opportunities it presents for the players and coaches and called it a highly recommendable destination for them,

"I definitely think the league will take off. I think it will go really well and it will be a good place for people to go and work in the future."

You can read the entire interview here.