Indian Super League

[prasen9]

Who wants the ATK name? Is there a party who is funding or who is creating these foreign alliances who want the ATK in the name?

People like name branding. Changing names are hard. ATK has not got as much brand recognition because it is new and Mohun Bagan has been there for 100 years or whatever. People think emotionally and not always rationally.

[PKBasu]

I presume the new owners (Sourav Ganguly, Sanjeev Goenka, etc.) have brought in the ATK aspect, which has transformed Mohun Bagan's fortunes, making it a viable ISL side. Mohun Bagan and East Bengal were in the relative backwater of the I-League until the extra sponsorships enabled them to join the much higher-quality ISL. Nostalgia for mediocrity is almost an oxymoron.

[PKBasu]

The basic reason why Indian football (especially Calcutta football) went down the tubes over the years was because all the talent was concentrated in Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, and the league matches that these two teams played against others (apart from Mohammedan SC in the 1970s) were a waste of time. It was extremely rare for MB or EB to lose to anyone other than Mohammedan SC. Scotland has Celtics and Rangers, but they do occasionally lose to the other clubs. A league in which two clubs are so dominant doesn't make for meaningful matches and competition during the season, apart from the "derby" fixture. Over time it was the structure of the Calcutta league (and the IFA Shield, where at least a few extra teams from outside and overseas made it spicier) that led to the demise of Bengal and Indian football since the mid-1970s. (In earlier times, there were other competitive clubs like Eastern Railway -- with PK Banerjee as its star player -- and Aryans, with the likes of George Telegraph, BNR, etc. putting up a fight against the Big Three clubs; once it was reduced to total dominance by the Big Two, the Calcutta League became something of a travesty). In those days, we still had the IFA Shield, Durand Cup and Rovers Cup -- with teams like JCT Mills Phagwara, Mafatlal, Dempo, etc. making those competitive events. But the main League had become a travesty.

[prasen9]

Actually since '42, Mohameddan was the only team that won perhaps three times and the rest were divided up between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. But we did get a few good players from abroad too such as Cheema and Jamshed Nasiri.

But the point is whether ATK is any better? I think it is also mediocre. I was making a different point. Does anyone really care about ATK? Meaning that they will take their money/influence etc. away if the name ATK is dropped? I do not see who that would be. The whole thing: whether to keep ATK or not is meaningless to me either way. And, the quality of football is mediocre or bad anyway. Seems to be a much ado about nothing either way to me.

Has our clubs' performance in Asian Cups, etc. been any better after the ISL? I checked the Asian championships, etc. Asian competitions What I see is that we were crap and continue to be crap. Which performance shows that we are any better now than before?

[usaindia]

FC Goa hold Al Rayyan to goalless draw
https://indianexpress.com/article/sport ... s-7273540/

[prasen9]

Al Rayyan is a good club. I used to live in Qatar for two years. Anyway, the results are good as a one-off. But, they key was that it was the home leg for us at Nehru Stadium. Usually, we are competitive at home and then get blown away abroad. The key is to see how we do in the return match. All the best.

[usaindia]

All matches will be held at
Fatorda Stadium, Margao
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_AFC_ ... ge#E1_v_E3

[prasen9]

Oh, cool. So, this is not a home and away type of series. Good luck to Goa then!

[usaindia]

Al Wahda 0-0 FC Goa: Gaurs register second consecutive goalless draw in AFC Champions League
https://www.goal.com/en-in/news/live/al ... frc71heopc

[arjun2761]

Good performance here by FC Goa to tie 2 middle east teams. Normally, our teams struggle against teams from worse football countries (like Bangladesh), so this reflects an improved performance.

[usaindia]

Group E: Persepolis see off FC Goa to stay perfect in AFC Champions League
still good game
https://www.the-afc.com/competitions/af ... ons-league

[usaindia]

looks like coaches quality improving
https://www.goal.com/en-in/news/isl-ker ... xn74fet97z

[usaindia]

Getting good players
https://www.news18.com/news/football/fr ... 87339.html

[Colee5]

who is the best youth player in India? U17?

[phoebe2021]

I also love the Indian Premier League. What's sad is that many games have been cancelled due to the epidemic.