Tag: Ashley Westwood

Bengaluru FC’s Ashley Westwood rebuffs offers from England

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Ashley Westwood

Ashley Westwood

According to Teamtalk.com Bengaluru FC’s  Ashley Westwood has been linked with coaching positions at Crawley FC and Bury FC. However Ashley Westwood has gone on record saying that he is concentrating on Bengaluru FC as of now.

The I-league table topper’s manager said to teamtalk.com –

“Of course in the future I will return to Europe and its nice to be recognised for your work. However I’m just focusing on the next game for Bangaluru,” he said.

“The last three months have involved early starts and long days but when you see the lads react to the information you give them then it’s very rewarding. We’ve got a long way to go yet.”

Quality foreigners dot I-league this season

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Image Courtesy : http://i-league.org

Image Courtesy : http://i-league.org

Many say I-league has lost its sheen, it is not a viable package and so on. While all the criticism lingers on and some of them being true,  it has to be said that this season’s I-league has attracted a formidable array of foreign imports.

Some years ago, foreign players mostly came from Africa and then on, some from Brazil. But were they good enough for the salary they were being paid here?  I am unsure about that aspect. However, clubs have moved on from their traditional hunting grounds in Africa and Brazil and is recruiting decent players from Australia, Europe, Middle East and Asia now.

This season’s I-league has a former world cup player,  some players who plied their trade in EPL and lower division English leagues and some from Spain and Portugal.  Quality attracts eye-balls too.  For instance, Bengaluru FC has recruited Ashley Westwood as their coach. He started his career as a Manchester United academy player and went on to don coaching roles at Portsmouth, Blackpool and Blackburn. His pedigree certainly helped in getting  sky-sports interested about his Indian assignment at Bengaluru FC.  Skysports reporting about an I-league coach would  have been unthinkable a few years ago.

While there has been passing remarks in the media about the foreigners in I-league this season, there has been no comprehensive report about them anywhere.  Withstanding the question on how they will help Indian Football develop, as a package I-league does need good foreign imports to raise the quality of football.

Today TOI has taken some time out and has written a decent article about the foreign imports in I-league this season – Influx of quality foreign players on the upswing

Bengaluru FC coach Ashley Westwood featured in skysports.com

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Image Courtesy : http://i-league.org

Image Courtesy : http://i-league.org

Indian football aficionados are in a delirium after news broke out that Airtel is sponsoring I-League. Before the euphoria settles, we at Football News India wants to share yet another incredible piece of news – Bengaluru FC coach Asley Westwood is featured in skysports.com

There has been quite a buzz about Bengaluru FC, the new entrant to I-league. We have heard our national team captain Sunil Chhetri saying that European standards are set at the club but we never got to know the finer details. Well, this interview brings out the kind of initiatives that Bengaluru FC is bringing to the table.

Sample this :  “We had to get over to them really that this isn’t Indian football as it was in the past where they are used to bringing in their bag, dropping it by the side of the field, doing your two hours, then picking your bag up to go home and that’s it – you’re a footballer for two hours a day. We’ve had to get them to understand they are a footballer 24 hours a day. We supply the top heart-rate monitors, we’ve got recovery monitors and sleep monitors. We give them protein shakes and electrolyte drinks. We have breakfast together an hour before training. We have lunch together and supply four chefs at the lads’ apartment where they all live together.

Read the excellent piece put together by skysports scribe Adam Bate :  Indian adventure

Bengaluru FC’s Sean Rooney hails coach Ashley Westwood

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Image courtesy : https://www.facebook.com/bengalurufootballclub

Image courtesy : https://www.facebook.com/bengalurufootballclub

Bengaluru FC striker Sean Rooney has hailed their coach Ashley Westwood. He also spoke about being compared Wayne Rooney and how he idolizes him as a player.

Read more on Sean Rooney’s experience with Bengaluru FC and his former stint with Salgaocar FC in 2012 : Exclusive: Sean Rooney Hails Westwood’s Influence as Coach of Bengaluru FC