“Remarrying the person you divorced once is quite normal in Europe. My return to Kerala Blasters is a kind of remarriage,” David James, who took over the reins of Kerala Blasters following Rene Meulensteen's exit, said.
“I’m here again because I love this club. It was a quick decision by the management to bring me here,” the former England and Liverpool FC goalkeeper, who guided Blasters to the final of the inaugural Indian Super League (ISL), said.
James was celebrating New Year in Macau and he had to rush to Kochi after his appointment was cleared just a day after the ouster of Dutchman Meulensteen.
“Blasters CEO Varun Tripuraneni had discussed the plans to bring me back with franchise’s co-owner Nimmagadda Prasad late on December 31. Later I learnt that Prasad gave the nod to the proposal immediately,” revealed the 47-year-old, who has played for England in 53 matches between 1997 and 2010.
“I was on a tour of Asia during the past six months. I was taking part in masters’ tournaments and hosting TV shows in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Hong Kong. I celebrated Christmas in Hong Kong and New Year in Macau. I received a phone call from Varun on January 1. The first question was whether I was interested to coach Kerala Blasters. When I answered in the affirmative, the next question was whether I would be able to reach Kochi the next day. Though I said yes, I had to discuss it with my people. However, I talked only to my mother about the offer and she was very positive because she knows I love this place.
Thereafter everything went according to plans. I reached Kochi on Tuesday night via Kuala Lumpur. Some people at the airport identified me and asked whether I was here to watch the ISL. I told them that I might be in the stadium soon! The suspense was broken when someone clicked my photo when I went to a local shop to buy a mobile sim card and shared it on social media. On January 3, my appointment was made official.
When I landed in Kochi, I did not think that I would be asked to take charge immediately. I was planning to watch the game against Pune City FC and return to England because I had to complete some pending works back home. However, I changed my mind after having a huddle with the team. Seeing the excitement of the players, I dropped my plan to return home. I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of Blasters in the second half of the match against Pune City. Now I’m fully immersed in the preparation for the upcoming away matches,” he added.
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