Roundglass Punjab FC ready for I-League challenge

Deepankar Sharda

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 29

There’s nothing big than winning, but for the newly formed Roundglass Punjab FC, the upcoming I-League season, starting on January 9 at Kolkata, is just about making an impact.

Having three decades of experience in international coaching, Punjab FC’s coach Curtis Fleming, a former Middlesbrough and Ireland defender, has no short-term plans. He rather aims to have a stable outcome before talking about winning titles.

Staying in a bio-bubble at Kolkata, the Mohali-based outfit revealed their tournament’s kit, squad and club’s logo for the upcoming I-League season on Sunday evening.

“Learn to walk before you run... this is what I believe. There are no specific mantras for winning. It comes with the time one spends on the field and the interest he takes in improving,” said Fleming.

“This is our first season, no history and to be very frank a tough time in this Covid-19 times. However, the squad is holding out well. We are under no pressure of winning big matches or anything, but we want to leave a strong impact to our competitors. Winning such championships is a long-term process and we are working under same direction. We are here to stay. So, we are not letting mistakes to hamper our aim,” Fleming added.

Talking about team’s preparation under Covid-19 threat, Fleming said “It’s a new kind of experience, which I never thought of facing in my career. It’s really tough! None of us was prepared to face such situation. Besides physical fitness, players really need to work on maintaining mental strength.”

“Staying in a bio-bubble is not easy, but we are trying to cope with the situation. This is the reason we opted to come here early. Our daily sessions include a lot of discussions so that players can speak their mind and heart out,” Fleming added.

Club scouting talent

Fleming, who is in India for long now, maintained the club staff was trying to scout the talent in a proper way especially at the junior level. “When I talk about long term programme it is specifically to target scout talent at the junior level. This region (north) has a rich history of having talented players. We have seen many players from Punjab playing at the highest level and even in the ongoing ISL. I hope we are going to take the best out of this opportunity,” said Fleming.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.