Career Dynamics:Shaping futures(IITJEE AIEEE)

Asian Cup 2011: Player Profile - Gouramangi Moirangthem

The Manipuri is India's Mr.Dependable at the back...

By Amoy Ghoshal

03-Jan-2011 1:56:00 AM

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Gouramangi Singh

Teams

• Churchill
• India

Players

• Gouramangi Moirangthem

Date Of Birth:25.01.1985Position: Central DefenderClub: Churchill BrothersStrengths: Strong in the air, Good sense of positioningWeaknesses: Distribution from the backTrivia: The Chelsea fan has the won Indian League with three different clubs

The Manipuri is a product of the Tata Football Academy and also had a very successful youth career for India. He was the captain when India Under-18’s won the prestigious Ian Rush Trophy in 2003 by beating Brazilian club Botafago. Gouramangi also represented the India Under-23 during the 2008 Olympic qualifiers. His club career started at Dempo, with whom he won the National League and Federation Cup, but Gouramangi wasn’t a regular in that Dempo side.

He then moved to Mahindra and won the double with them as well. Even though he wasn’t a starter at the Mumbai based club also, having already won so many major trophies before even turning 22, helped in his overall development as a player. Gouramangi’s debut for the senior national team came in the 2007 Nehru Cup. Going into the tournament he was a backup to regular first choice centerbacks- Deepak Mandal & Mahesh Gawli. But an injury to Mandal in the 1-0 win over Bangladesh forced him out of the next round robin game against Syria and thus presented Gouramangi his first international cap.

Gouramangi formed a very good partnership with Gawli and his performances at the heart of the defence were instrumental in India winning the tournament. If the 2007 Nehru Cup was Gouramangi’s breakthrough tournament, the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup proved to be the competition where he would establish himself as a regular in the senior national team. He is now considered to be an important member of the Indian team and is also known to score crucial international goals including the winner in the 2008 SAFF Cup semi-final against Bhutan.

His best spell at club level has been with his current club Churchill Brothers, with whom he has won nearly every trophy in Indian football including the I-League in 2008-09 season, the campaign where he was also adjudged as the Best Defender. In 2010 he had a trial with Australia's A-League outfit Melbourne Heart, but the move didn’t materialize as the Australian club didn’t want him to stay away from regular first team football in a year leading up to the Asian Cup. Gouramangi will certainly be a very important player for India in Qatar 2011.
Source:Goal.com

India Hires New National Football Team Manager

28 December 2010

India's soccer coach Robert Douglas Houghton, (File)

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has appointed a new national team manager ahead of next month's Asian Cup football tournament after Pradip Choudhury walked out, following reported differences with coach Bob Houghton.

Raul Carmo Fernandes was named as the replacement after Choudhury left the Indian training camp in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.  The loss of Choudhury, who was popular with players, has apparently negatively impacted the team.  AIFF officials have announced they will travel to Dubai Wednesday in an attempt to boost morale. 

The team put out a statement saying it believed that Choudhury should have set aside his personal differences with the coach for the good of the team.

India has been drawn into Group C at the Asian Cup -- where it will face Australia, South Korea and Bahrain.  The tournament will be held in Doha from January 7 to 29.

Source:VoA

Honour sought for Malaysian Indian football coach

Kuala Lumpur, Jan 1 (IANS) Malaysia's national football coach, K. Rajagopal, under whom the country won the AFF Suzuki Cup, should be honoured with Datukship, the traditional knighthood, the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) has urged.
Under Rajagopal, the country won the recent SEA Games in Laos and on Wednesday clinched the AFF Suzuki Cup for the first time by beating Indonesia, MIC president G. Palanivel told Tamil Nesan, the Tamil language daily.

Palanivel said Malaysian football has been on the rise since Rajagopal took charge of the national under-23 side.

'Football in the country had been in the doldrums for so long and we have been waiting many years for ASEAN glory,' Palanivel said.

'The coach has beaten all the odds. He was focused and had belief in himself and his team.'

Such dedication must be rewarded, said Palanivel, who heads the coutry's largest Indian-based party that speaks for the 2.1 million community.

Editorial: Top 10 Moments in Indian Football For 2010

Moments to remember .........

By Rahul Sengupta & Anselm Noronha

03-Jan-2011 10:01:00 AM

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It is time for Indian Football fans to look forward for another eventful year in 2011 where Indian National team starts off with their Asian Cup 2011 campaign. But before we completely shift our focus on the new sojourn, we have listed the top 10 moments in the world of Indian football.

Note: The list is in no particular ascending or descending order of importance.

Reincarnated By Themselves - The Indian Women's Football Team

After being stripped off from the FIFA rankings for not playing an international match for almost two years, they forced their presence back into the ranking system in March 2010.

Making India Proud!

In February, the Indian women won the gold medal in the South Asian Games in Dhaka; and recently in December, to add to their tally, they created history by clinching the first ever SAFF Women’s Championship title in Bangladesh.


The Woman Who Became 'Man' Of The Match - Referee Maria Rebello

Referee Maria Rebello became the first female with a FIFA referee's batch to officiate in the 64th Santosh Trophy, in the match between Delhi and Madhya Pradesh played at Kolkata, on July 25 of the year 2010!

Congratulations!

The Goan based officiator defied the odds of beating the rough with the smooth for the Indian female with her command over the game. She is also part of the AFC elite panel of referees and became the first in her gender to do so in India.


Third Indian To Live A Foreign Dream - Sunil Chhetri

Sunil Chhetri became the third Indian player to play on foreign shores after Mohamed Salim (Celtic) and Bhaichung Bhutia (Bury FC) and would only be the eighth Asian to ply his trade in the MLS.

The Third Indian To Do So

But life wasn’t easy for the Delhi boy after his move to Kansas City Wizards. The adjustment to the new conditions, people, climate and football took time and eventually made him more mature. Chhetri also got the opportunity to play against Manchester United while he represented the Wizards.

In two other attempts, Gouramangi Moirangthem failed to secure a contract with Australian A-League club Melbourne Heart FC and MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps turned down the option to sign Subrata Paul however insisting that they will keep track of the goalkeeper's progress in the future.


Men In Blues Going Global – The Indian National Team

International exposure has been one of the major drawbacks for Indian football for many years together. But ever since British coach Bob Houghton took over, the team has been getting the much needed foreign tours to add to their experience.

Foreign Exposure

Starting off with a short camp in Dubai, followed by a 2 months long training camp in Portugal the team finally ended their Asian Cup preparation by having similar camps in Dubai and Doha. Since September the Men in Blues have faced a series of international opponents. Starting with Thailand in Bangkok to a return leg in New Delhi, the Indian team played four more home matches including the likes of Namibia, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Yemen.

Bob Houghton’s boys further went to Dubai where they faced heavy weight teams like Iraq, Kuwait and UAE. Despite the fact that the India lost most of the matches by a huge margin, the fans will be glad that at least their team played internationals as that isn't always the case.


30th Title For The Formidable – Bengal Santosh Trophy Team

Santosh Trophy has always been a special tournament in Indian football given that teams from every nook and corner of the country participate in this competition. The 62nd edition of the tournament contested amongst the various states and public sector units saw hosts Bengal clinch the title.

After A Wait Of 11 Long Years

The Mecca of Indian Football had to wait 11 long years to achieve the amazing feat of winning the tournament for the record number of times - 30.


Boys Doing What Men Failed – India U-23 In Asian Games

The Indian U-23 team led by Sukhwinder Singh achieved a rare feat by storming into the knock out stages of the prestigious Asian Games in Guangzhou, China despite missing out on key players who were part of the senior national camp.

They Are The Future

Despite having star players like Bhaichung Bhutia and Subrata Paul in the 2006 edition of Asian Games, the team was knocked out in the first round on goal difference. But it was the turn for the likes of Jewel Raja, Joaquim Abranches and Jeje Lalpekhlua to show their class.

It was only after 1982 that India entered the knock out stages of the Asian Games thanks to their splendid win over Singapore in the last league match. Sukhwinder Singh’s team however lost 5-0 to eventual champions Japan in the round of 16.


Defending The Title – East Bengal Club

East Bengal will be remembered for their feat of successfully retaining the Federation Cup. Having won the tournament in 2009 under Belgian coach Philipe De Ridder, they went on to beat arch rivals Mohun Bagan in Cuttack to keep the silverware under their custody.

Two In A Row

British coach Trevor James Morgan led the team with Tolgay Ozbey and Robin Singh playing an influential role in the Red and Gold’s road to play the AFC Cup.


Podium Finish – Pune FC

Newly promoted professional football team from the state of Maharasthra, Pune FC has certainly been the surprise package in Indian football for the year 2010. The team from Maharashtra did not have a good start to their season as they were in the bottom half of the table at the end of the first eight matches.

Surprising

But Derrick Parreira’s side showed their class mainly in the second phase of the league finally going on to clinch the third spot in the league leaving behind formidable teams like Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Salgaocar.


Reality Check – AFC Inspection

A five member special mission team from AFC came on an almost two week long tour to India where they spent time inspecting whether the Indian clubs are at all ready for the Professional League. Starting off their journey from Kolkata they went on to travel to Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Bangalore, Kerala, Punjab before finally ending their trip in Delhi where they met all the I-League clubs and presented their outcome of the inspection.

Were They Impressed?

The results from the inspection were not surprising as none of the I-League clubs were able to make their mark in the Professional Club licensing criteria. Majority of the clubs even failed to get a green signal for the I-League leave alone AFC Champions League. The clubs were given a deadline to rectify their shortcomings by the 31st of December. The same AFC team is expected to visit India again in February.


Multi Crore Signing – Reliance IMG Deal
In one of the major news hitting Indian football was the successful signing of a deal with IMG-Reliance as it promises a whopping Rs.700 crores to the AIFF for the next 15 years.

The Big Announcement

AIFF had to pay off Rs70 crores compensation to Zee Telefilms as a part of their termination agreement to allow IMG-Reliance to become the new broadcast and marketing rights holder.
Source:Goal.com

AIFF president Patel meets Indian football team

DUBAI: All India Football Federation chief Praful Patel on Tuesday met the national team and told the players to go all out and without pressure at the prestigious AFC Asian Cup, starting in Doha from Friday.

AIFF President Patel asked the players to put the best foot forward and enjoy the game.

"We have nothing to lose in this tournament. The team has been together for eight months and has had good experience," Patel said while interacting with the players.

India will leave for Doha on Thursday and will take on Australia in their opening match on January 10.

The Indian team is a bit jittery before the tough competition because of the uncertainty over captain Bhaichung Bhutia's availability for the opener.

Bhutia is recuperating from a calf muscle injury.

Source: Times of India