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Jamshedpur FC Head Coach Scott Cooper spoke to the media ahead of the all-important clash against Odisha FC.
On tomorrow’s game…
If tomorrow’s game turns out anything like the game in Jamshedpur, it would be a good football game. These are two teams that play the ball on the ground instead of in the clouds. I like the way Odisha FC and we play, so I think the fans who like football should watch the game, it should be a good game. Of course, we need the points, we feel we should have more points. Even the coach of Odisha FC said in the last game that we are a team that should have more points but the reality is we don’t.
On any injury concerns…
We were always capable of what happened in the Hyderabad game. Everybody knows how two of our strongest Indian players Ritwik Das and Pronay Halder are out for the season but you never hear me complain, moan, or make excuses. Some love to do that but for me, that’s why you have a football squad. I could say Ritwik Das is our most exciting Indian player, and Pronay is our most experienced Indian player. They’re both critical players and are out but I certainly won’t stand behind that as an excuse. So they’re not injury concerns, they’re injury facts and the facts that every football club deals with. There’s zero excuse used from me or the staff or anybody else that’s associated with football. We play the game right way and carry on. Could Pranay and Ritwik help us? Yes, they could help us a lot but it’s not an excuse. I’ve never hidden behind the players’ injuries to protect my reputation. We coach, we play my way, and look to win. We look to play good football.
Views on Odisha FC…
I mean, it’s never personal. I’m not talking about revenge. Do we want to win? Yeah, we want to win because the defeat in Jamshedpur doesn’t mean that they will win this game too. It doesn’t mean we want revenge. It means both teams want three points. There’s a very good coach here. I don’t know him personally, but I’ve seen his body of work. His body of work speaks for itself wherever he’s been here in this country. He’s doing a similar good job here for Odisha. What I like most about his team is they play football where it’s supposed to be, on the green surface, not in the clouds. They’re good to watch because they possess the ball well. They’ve got a nice balance of play. It’s clear what the coach’s philosophy is. You can see it. I have to respect that.
On the team performance…
We had good performances and below expectations on the results. If we were to win the game tomorrow, we’d be up to six. I think we were able to take that because we’re still a developing team. There’s a lot of young players and players learning new positions. Media, fans, people inside our club, you have to be realistic. You have to look at what you’ve got. You just have to be honest and be realistic about not having the best team, young developing players. People get carried away because they don’t know about football. We’re realistic. We know tomorrow, a win puts us to six, that’s a good spot. If we won tomorrow, we’d still be frustrated because we’d look back on many games where we’ve outshot opponents and out-statted opponents. A reflection of tomorrow’s game, no matter what happens, we’ll still be the same. We’re showing some very good signs and good football. The points should have been a little bit more, but that’s sometimes football. You’ll come back. Hopefully, we can end on a good note.
On his view on Kalinga Super Cup 2024…
I don’t know much about the Super Cup because I’ve not experienced it. I’ve only read about it and watched it on tape. So I don’t have much thought about it. There’s an AFC place attached so we don’t have that problem. I didn’t even know that the Super Cup was going to be here until mid to late November, which to me is astonishing that it can be thrown together. Bengaluru, Mohun Bagan, and Mumbai have got players that won’t be there. They’ll all be in the Asian Cup. So, it’s a slight disadvantage on that basis, but that said, I don’t think anybody can grow.
On fan’s support…
Hopefully, the fans enjoyed the last game and we can build on that. I appreciate the support of Jamshedpur fans because they understand what good football looks like and stick with it. So, they understand how we’ve been playing. They share the frustration a little bit, but the support and standing behind me, particularly is very positive. It’s nice when those fans understand they’re in touch with reality a little. At the same time, it would be nice to reward them. So, let’s hope for a good one.
