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Northeast United FC have been the only team that has failed to reach the playoffs in the last four editions of the Indian Super League. Strange, given the fact that football is an obsession in these eight states and arguably Indian football's talent factory.
Despite the wealth of talent in the Northeast, the club had failed miserably to recruit and retain the best talent from the Northeast region. Initially, NEUFC wanted to sign players only from the Northeast region but later changed their policy and started signing players from other parts of the country. It hasn't really helped.
While the likes of Chennaiyin FC and few other clubs have put in a lot of thought and investment into getting good Indian players, supplementing them with quality foreign recruits to cover all departments in the squad, it is safe to say that NEUFC haven't been ambitious enough in transfer market.
Is it just lack of ambition or lack of common sense in the sporting structure of the club? Bit of both actually.
A look at last year's finalists would reveal that both Bengaluru FC and Chennaiyin FC have a Chief Technical Officer (CTO) in place. Chennaiyin FC's (CTO) Amoy Ghoshal and Bengaluru FC's (CTO) Mandar Tamhane has been associated with their teams ever since its inception.
Head Coach John Gregory was full of praise for his young CTO, who was instrumental in the team's success,
"We had put together a great squad in the summer and huge credit goes to Amoy (Ghoshal). I knew very little about the domestic players, Amoy knew everything about the domestic players. He was instrumental in helping us recruit the right players. Not just good footballers, but good people as well,"
He further added, "The scouting and recruitment team has been very important. We debate on the players that we need and there is a lot of back and forth that is going on. We have discussions. We have a great team headed by Amoy. We all sit together and spend a lot of time, putting a team together."
What NEUFC lacks is a good Chief Technical Officer, who can scout, identify targets and assemble a competent Indian contingent.
To have a good scouting network costs money. And that's where the problem lies. Inadequate investment from the owners is hurting the club'. In fact, the Highlanders have been one of the lowest spenders in the league.
Low budget, low-quality signings and poor performances have led to dwindling numbers, with the lowest point being when just 1102 attended a game last season.
Fans are the heart and soul of any club's success and clubs make an all-out effort to engage with their fans, yet that not been the case with NEUFC.
The Highlander Brigade, the club's official fan club is reportedly annoyed with the NEUFC management, issued a letter offering to manage the clubs social media accounts.
"We have heard the club is under economic restrictions on their spending and therefore can't even afford a social media manager. If so, then we have capable members in our fold who can manage the social media handles for free. The importance of social media in today's time should not be neglected. Therefore our offers stand."
Nothing really has changed since the end of last season. While other clubs were well into their stride for the upcoming season, NEUFC was the last side to announce their foreign contingent signing and even cancelled their pre-season tour to Sweden.
The Head coach Eelco Schattorie does not sound too pleased with the squad at his disposal. In a recent interview, the coach took a dig at the management,
"I like to attack and dominate. But to dominate, you must have quality. You cannot convert a Mini Cooper into a Ferrari.
"You have to look at the quality and then fit it into a system. My intention is always to win. But you have to keep in mind the quality as well." - Eelco Schattorie
The above statements do not radiate confidence on his team's chances and it is evident that the club will be struggling again.
A few years back in an interview, Club owner John Abraham when questioned about NEUFC being the only club without corporate backing, he had said,
"Tomorrow if I get a partner who wants to come on board and shares my vision, would I look at him? Of course, I would. If I can do this alone, I would love to that too. I'm keeping all my options open,"
He further added, “I may be spending an X amount on the team at this point of time. I know when the popularity of the Indian Super League increases, there is going to be a certain value asset creation.
"I will then decide whether to hive off some stake to take care of the working capital losses I've incurred over the first 2-3 years. But that is a decision I will take at that point of time.”
With the Indian Super League entering its fifth season, maybe its time for the owners bring in fresh corporate investment into the club. Running a football club is not cheap and without financial muscle it is difficult to compete at a good level.
A call owners have to take sooner or later.
