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Following a humbling defeat at the hands of Mumbai City FC on Friday, Bengaluru FC have announced the departure of their Durand Cup-winning head coach Simon Grayson. The Blues confirmed their decision on Saturday morning via a statement on their official website.
After their miraculous recovery run last season, where they went unbeaten for 10 matches to break into the knockout spots, and ultimately finish as the runners-up in the ISL 2022-23 season, none would've expected the English tactician to face the axe this early.
But Bengaluru FC have had another disastrous start to the league campaign this time out.
Parth Jindal, the CEO of Bengaluru, was visibly distraught after the shambolic result against Mumbai City last night and promised immediate changes. The decision to sack the gaffer came soon after.
Bengaluru FC are currently in the bottom half of the points table after their defeat against the Islanders, groveling at the ninth spot with seven points from nine matches.
The Blues have only secured one win during this period. More than the lack of results, what has left the club humbled is the shoddy performances. Grayson too highlighted the lack of character from his players during the post-match press conference on Friday.
A look at Simon Grayson's record at Bengaluru FC
After the departure of Marco Pezzauoli, the Englishman joined the Blues at the start of the 2022-23 season, winning the Durand Cup early on while finishing runners-up in the Super Cup and the Indian Super League.
Bengaluru went down on penalties to Mohun Bagan SG in the ISL final last season and later suffered a 2-1 defeat to Odisha FC in the final of the Super Cup.
During Grayson's stint at the ISL club, the Blues played 33 matches in the competition, winning 15, drawing five, and losing 11. Meanwhile, in the Durand Cup, Grayson has a near-perfect record of five victories and two draws in seven matches.
The English gaffer bids farewell to the ISL and India, with an underwhelming win tally of 49 percent despite scripting some incredible moments.
