Another wonderful season engulfed with Joy and Sorrow

Another season gone. Another year of joy and sorrow, hopes and despair, highs and lows passed. Before we embark on the journey in the new season, in the hunt of new achievements and glory it is time to look back on the season bygone and evaluate it on the scales of positives and negatives.

The positives:-

Just like the previous season this year we also got a fare share of silverware including the Kolkata league, the Super cup and the IFA Shield along with achieving the second best spots in the Fed Cup and the I-league. IFA shield that was once called the pet tournament of the Red & Golds kept eluding us for 10 long years and at last we bagged the coveted title once again .Though considered not so hot in current times this blue ribbon trophy must have appeased the thirst of the East Bengal die hards. Kolkata league was heading for an exciting finish but the thumping victory against Mohammedan Sporting managed to put all doubts in rest and we bagged the title for the second time in a row. Super Cup, though called the battle of supremacy between two best teams of the country it can never give the satisfaction of winning the Fed Cup or the league and we had to contain ourselves with this consolation prize failing to achieve either of the two.
                       
Though for the teams like East Bengal the second best spot does not speak much yet it was no mean feat to hold on to the second spot in the I-league for two years running. This shows the consistency of the performance and proves that the team is moving in the right direction and the success is just around the corner. Frankly speaking due to some slip-ups of our own and due to some factors beyond our control we let the coveted title slip way through our fingers for the second time and with some luck on our side the story could have been quite different.

In most of the matches we played an exciting and entertaining brand of football and our midfield movements, counter attacks and free flowing game have given the audience a value for their money. The boys have shown grit and determination under pressure and that speaks volumes about their character. Last season our key players missed some vital matches due to some unnecessary cards but this season they were much cautious and if we compare the number of cards seen by our vital players like Tolgay, Penn and Okpara we can easily see the difference.

The biggest prize that we got this season is the performance of some youngsters who fought hard and showed tremendous courage and ability to make their mark. Players like Subodh Kumar, Lenn, Raju and Gurpreet merit special mention. Subodh had to fill the gap left by injured Mehtab and did a fantastic job. Gurpreet was instrumental in the IFA shield victory. Lenn showed all the marks of a good marksman and we can hope great things from him in future.

The Negatives:-

The season was not without some darker sides and we should also look at them. The Red & Golds from the beginning of the season hogged the limelight for the wrong reasons many a times. From the signing and departure of Alan Gow, supporters venting their frustration after the Aryan match to the latest saga of Tolgay Ozbey this season were riddled with controversies .The icing on the cake was done by the resignation of Mr. Morgan just after winning the Kolkata league. Though the matter is getting settle but certainly all these left a bad taste in the mouth.

We failed to win any big trophy this season and managed only to finish second in the I-league and Fed Cup and that is not the performance befitting to a club like East Bengal. Our performance in the AFC Cup had been disastrous to say the least and we have failed to bag even a single point from six matches. Though in some of the matches our performance won the acclaim of the critics but unfortunately there in no point for playing well. Our biggest worry was the injuries to some of the key players throughout the season and we must take drastic measures to address this issue next season.
 
In a nutshell this season was a mixed one but the failure to win the i-league will be looked down as our biggest failure. Unless we bag that unicorn nothing will satisfy our hunger. Hope for a better new season.