Learning under Bob best in my career: Bhaichung
July 1st, 2008 | by admin |Rating: 0
Tuesday , July 01, 2008 at 1923 hrs
National football captain Bhaichung Bhutia on Tuesday spoke highly of coach Bob Houghton, saying that the Englishman’s understanding of the game was such that what he learnt under him in two years was much more than what he learnt in his 15-year professional career.
“What I learnt in two years under Bob must be more than what I learnt in the whole of my professional career,” said Bhaichung, who began his professional career in East Bengal of Kolkata in 1993 before debuting for India two years later.
Baichung, who pitched in for a second term for Houghton, said the Indian team’s Portugal tour from July 4 will keep the team in the match mode which he said was important for the July 30-August 10 AFC Challenge Cup in Hyderabad.
“After the Nehru Cup victory (in August last year), India did not play a tournament for nine months before the SAFF Championship. We need to continue to play to maintain the momentum and coordination among us in the build up to AFC Challenge Cup,” he said after the final session of the national camp before the Portugal tour.
Meanwhile, injured N.S. Manju and Sandip Nandi, Sampat Kumar Kuttimani and Rakesh Masih have been left out of 27-member Indian squad for the 11-day training-cum-exposure tour to Portugal.
The team will leave for Portugal in the wee hours of Thursday and will play three matches against club sides of the Iberian country before returning home on July 16.
The national camp will continue after that and India will play a friendly against Malaysia on July 22 before the AFC Challenge Cup, the winner of which will directly qualify for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Doha.
“Manju (hamstring) and Sandip (knee) are injured, Kuttimani’s passport had expired and Rakesh is the youngest and he will have his chances later. So they will not go to Portugal, all others will go,” Houghton told reporters.
Houghton said the tour would help to test the bench strength of the team as the AFC Challenge Cup schedule 慽s very hectic?
“During the 11-day tournament (AFC Challenge Cup) we will not be able to field the best team in all the matches. So we have to keep the reserve bench ready. Against club sides we can make as many substitutes as we like. In international friendlies we can make only five changes in match. So we are playing…
