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Rene Meulensteen has stepped down as the head coach of Kerala Blasters Football Club on Tuesday, after a string of poor performances from the ISL Season 2 finalists.
Kerala Blasters suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of their Southern India rival and ISL newcomers Bengaluru FC. Rene Meulensteen's deputy and former Shillong Lajong FC manager, Kerala Blasters assistant coach Thangboi Singto is now expected to be the interim head coach of the Kochi side.
The Kerala Blasters management will be weighing their options for Rene Meulensteen's successor with eleven rounds of matches to go in the Indian Super League. We take a look at five possible candidates who could be in line to take over the helms at the Sachin Tendulkar co-owned side.
Ashley Westwood
Ashley Westwood is a former English football player who had a long 18-year playing career in England after graduating from the Manchester United Academy. Westwood did not make a senior appearance for the Red Devils but played for a number of English clubs in the Premier League and the Championship.
Westwood began his managerial career as a player-caretaking manager at Kettering Town in 2012. He also worked as the first-team coach at Blackpool FC and Blackburn Rovers in the Championship. In July 2013, Westwood was signed on as the first head coach of newly founded team Bengaluru FC in the Hero I-League.
He went on to create history, leading the newcomers Bengaluru FC to the 2013-14 I-League trophy in their debut season, also becoming the youngest coach to win the I-League. Westwood stayed on for two more seasons and won the Federation Cup in 2014-15 and the I-League again in the 2015-16 season. He joined Malaysian Super League side Penang FA afterward but had a short stint and left them after a poor start to the season.
Currently, Westwood has been appointed as the Director of Football at ISL franchise ATK, who are managed by fellow Englishman Teddy Sheringham. Westwood has good experience of managing in Indian football with Bengaluru FC and was consistent with them, winning a trophy every season. He certainly can be considered for the main job at Kerala Blasters as his talent as manager could be of more importance than his role as the director of football.
Nelo Vingada
Nelo Vingada is a Portuguese coach who has had a vast managerial career spanning over three decades. Vingada began his professional managerial career at Portuguese side Belenenses where he ended his playing career.
During the course of his long career, Vingada has had several major jobs like coaching the national teams of Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Malaysia. His career has seen him manage teams across countries like Portugal, Egypt, South Korea and Iran.
Nelo Vingada was signed by ISL franchise Northeast United last season and led the Highlanders to the fifth position in the final standings, missing out on a playoff spot by just two points.Vingada moved on to take over as the Malaysian national team coach after the ISL job. He had a poor start with seven losses including friendlies and stepped down recently.
Vingada has experience in the Indian Super League and currently, is free to take over immediately. His vast experience over the years can help the Kerala side mitigate their poor form and rescue their faltering season.
Thangboi Singto
Thangboi Singto is the current assistant manager of the Kerala Blasters and reportedly the temporary head coach after Meulensteen's departure. Singto can be considered as a full-time replacement for Meulensteen as he has the relevant Indian football experience behind him.
He began his coaching career as part of staff at Shillong Lajong FC in 2009 and was promoted to the interim head coach position in 2013 and soon took over the job full-time. Singto's stint as Shillong Lajong manager saw the North East Indian side achieve their best position in the Hero I-League last season.
Thangboi Singto is one of the few coaches in India who has completed the AFC Pro License and is considered one of the best in India. His familiarity with the setup at Kerala Blasters having been with the side throughout the season puts him in a good position to be considered for the job.
David Platt
David Platt played for the English national team and won 62 caps for the Three Lions scoring 27 goals. His playing career included stints at Aston Villa, Juventus, Bari, Sampdoria, Arsenal before finishing at Nottingham Forest.
Platt began his professional managerial career with the England U-21 squad and was at the helm from 2001 to 2004. He was hired as first team coach at Manchester City under Roberto Mancini, his former teammate at Sampdoria, but left the job after Mancini's departure from City.
The 51-year-old joined ISL franchise FC Pune City in the second season of the Indian Super League. He has had an experience in the ISL and another stint could surely be on the cards for the Englishman knowing Kerala Blasters' affinity for English managers.
Alex McCleish
Alexander McCleish is a Scottish former player and manager who played for the Scotland national side earning a total of 77 caps. He played as a central defender for Aberdeen FC in the Scottish Premier League earning 493 caps and finished his career at Motherwell FC.
His long stint at Aberdeen FC included three Scottish Premier League titles and five Scottish Cups. After his successful playing career, he began his management career as player-manager at Motherwell and then moved on to another Scottish side Hibernian FC. He had a good spell there which led him being appointed as manager of Scottish giants Rangers FC.
McCleish won both the Scottish Cup and Scottish League cup in his first season in charge. His second season proved to be better with Rangers winning the Scottish domestic treble. He stayed on for three more seasons and then moved on to take over the Scotland national team.
In 2011, he moved to the English Premier League with Birmingham City and had a decent run before resigning in 2011 when they were relegated to the Championship. He joined their rivals Aston Villa next but was let go after a poor season. He went on to manage Nottingham Forest in the Championship for a season and then took a brief break before signing for Belgian side Genk.
His last assignment was with Egyptian Premier League side Zamalek but after a series of poor performances, he was sacked in May 2016. He has been without a club ever since is free to take up the top job at Kerala Blasters for the rest of the season. He has vast experience of coaching over many years and can certainly do justice to the responsibility in Kochi.
