Darby unveiled as Bagan coach

Noted television pundit Steve Darby was unveiled as the new coach of Mohun Bagan for the upcoming season on Monday. Apart from presenting Darby to the media, the squad for the season was also declared.

Noted television pundit Steve Darby was unveiled as the new coach of Mohun Bagan for the upcoming season here on Monday. Apart from presenting Darby to the media, the squad for the season was also declared. Brazilian Jose Barreto was named captain. The club will also hire a professional physiotherapist from England.

After having exhausted almost all the domestic names as coach in the past 18 months, Mohun Bagan looked for an unfamiliar face to usher in a desperate change of fortunes after they finished the last season without any title.

As much as Darby has been on the TV as a commentator of Premier League matches or attended seminars and courses on Fifa technical study and conditioning, his coaching experience is also extensive. He is an English FA license holder.

The 55-year-old started as assistant coach of Bahrain, moving on to complete successful stints with Malaysia's Johor FA and Perak FA, Singapore's Home United and finally for the Thailand U-23 team. He was also the goalkeeping coach of the Australian senior team.

But it is India's 'potential' that attracted Darby to Kolkata. "The world wants India to succeed. It’s intelligent to be associated with it," said Darby.