শুক্রবার, ২৯শে মার্চ, ২০২৪ খ্রিস্টাব্দ ১৫ই চৈত্র, ১৪৩০ বঙ্গাব্দ

Sk Russel to bounce back soon: Mintu

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The newly-appointed interim head coach of Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra Ltd Zulfiker Mahmud Mintu said on Monday that his side will try to regroup and return to the winning way in their next match of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League football to avoid further embarrassment.

“Definitely, this is a big challenge, but it is also the reality. I talked to our chairman (Bashundhara Group Managing Director and Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra Ltd Chairman Sayem Sobhan Anvir) last night. He assured me that he will do everything to boost up players,” Mintu told The Daily Sun on Monday.

“Today, he invited us — all players and coaching staff — to his home for lunch. He motivated all the players and announced to provide all support if we improve their performance and win every match,” he said.
“The way our chairman inspired us today … I have never seen anyone give such inspiration to the players! He is ready to give everything to the club; we just have to give our best. Chairman Sir gave me some instructions for the development of the club. It is a long procedure; but now within a short time, we have three crucial matches. We have to turn back within these three matches. We have to earn a full 9 points from these three games,” the newly appointed coach added.

Sheikh Russel KC appointed Mintu as the interim head coach after sacking their coach Saiful Bari Titu on Monday with an aim to improve their performance and position in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League football.

Sheikh Russel are currently at the 11th position in the 12-team BPL points table with 5 points from one win, two draws and five defeats. The former BPL champions lost their last five matches against – Dhaka Abahani by 1-3 goals, Sheikh Jamal by 0-1 goal, defending champions Bashundhara Kings by 0-1 goal and two lowly teams Uttar Baridhara by 2-3 goals and Muktijoddha Sangsad Krira Chakra by 0-3 goals.

Their lone victory so far in the ongoing league came against Saif Sporting Club by 1-0 goals while two draws against Mohammedan Sporting Club and Chattogram Abahoni Ltd by the same margin of 1-1 goal. The club scored only 6 goals and conceded 13 goals, so their goal difference is (-7), which helped them to stay up the bottom-placed Swadhinata Krira Sangha, who have the same 5 points but goal difference is (-8) in the points table.

The club also showed poor performances in the two previous competitions of the ongoing season– Independence Cup and Federation Cup. They were eliminated from Independence Cup after conceding a 0-1 goal defeat to Bangladesh Police Football Club in quarterfinals while eliminated from Federation Cup after conceding a 3-4 goals defeat to Rahmatganj MFS in quarterfinals.

The club authority finally on Sunday night sacked head coach Titu and team manager Khandoker Wasim Iqbal and handed over the charges to the assistant coach Mintu with a mission to improve their position in the league. Also, the club authority is also planning to bring some changes to their squad.
The former national footballer Mintu joined Sheikh Russel from Saif Sporting Club (2020-21) as an assistant coach in the ongoing season. In his 10-year long coaching career, he worked as an assistant coach for Dhaka Abahani (2012-13), Sheikh Russel (2013-14), Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club (2014-15), Sheikh Russel (2015-16) and Chattogram Abahoni (2016–19). He also worked as an assistant coach of Bangladesh U-19s in 2014 and the national team in 2015-16.

“We have to move forward match by match. The situation is very tough for me because I’ve to work with the resources that we have. We have many limitations at this moment. I’ll make a plan but footballers have to execute it on the field. I believe they have now understood what they should do to win the match. All of them have to think about the club from now on, especially after getting motivation from our chairman, they will be able to change their outlook,” he concluded.