animesh bhattacharyya
animesh@thestatesman.net
Kolkata, 23 July
One look at Moshood Bola Abdul Aziz, Mohammedan Sporting Club&’s new coach, and you realise that here is a man who means business. He talks business too, as he made it quite clear early on that he would be talking to the Press only after completing the training.
“As much as I would like to interact with the Press, I have to focus on the task at hand,” he said. The ‘task’, getting Mohammedan Sporting geared up for top-flight football after a four-year hiatus, he acknowledged is not an easy one. But going by the way he has taken the challenge by the scruff of its neck, one would not be too far off to expect great things from him.
Be it instructing the players or prepping the support staff or getting involved in the action, Aziz does not look like someone who has taken over the coaching mantle of Mohammedan Sporting only recently. It&’s not surprising given the fact he feels that the transition from a player to a coach is a ‘natural one’.
“You can only teach what you have learned. I have played football for a long time and whatever I have learned then, I will try to teach my boys now,” he added.
Having coached Atlantis FC, a Pro-Second Division club in Finland, where he was known for his tough training and strict discipline, Aziz would be looking to bring the same ethos to Mohammedan Sporting. “Discipline and training are two very important components in the making of a complete footballer. Discipline comes in handy both on the pitch and off it. As for training, light running, stretching are vital for warming up but the most important thing is what one does with the ball,” Aziz said.
He also believes that a coach cannot earn respect by only instructing players to do things.
“One has to do those things oneself. Only then can he set a benchmark, an example for his players to follow,” he said.
Aziz is also someone who does not mince words when it comes to tackling shambolic performances on the field.
 At one point during the day&’s training, visibly unimpressed with the passing on display, he told his players in no uncertain terms to up the ante. “He is getting too agitated. I don’t know how the players will respond to it,” a bystander quipped but ‘agitated’ or not, Aziz knows the importance of keeping the players on their toes. “As a coach it&’s my duty to push them to their limits so that they give their best,” he said. However, for someone who prides himself for being a builder, he also realises the importance of giving time for a system to flourish. “One must always give time to a new setup to find its rhythm. Rush things too much and it may crumble but with time all the pieces will fit perfectly. It’s only pre-season and with not much football going on, it is very important for the players to get match ready and stay fit. Hopefully, in a few days time the boys will be back to their best,” he added.
And what do the players think of the new coach? “We like him and respect him. We have a good squad and with his backing we will be trying to give our best,” said Tolgey Ozbey, one of the black and white brigade&’s new recruits. With Joshimar, Luciano Sabrosa and Penn Orji in their ranks, Mohammedan Sporting certainly have the players to impress at the top level. As for actually doing it, one would have to wait and watch.