FOOTBALL | Westwood faces tough task trying to reverse Blasters’ fortunes

Ashley Westwood faces a challenging task to revive Kerala Blasters' fortunes in the struggling ISL season.

Kerala Blasters is going through a nightmare. It is lying 13th among the 14 teams of the ISL, with five losses and a draw.

So Ashley Westwood has a task on his hands. The Englishman with a lot of experience in Indian football has taken over as the new coach, in place of the Spaniard David Catala.

He admits it is a big challenge. “I have to get some morale back, some confidence, some team spirit and to obviously try and improve performances,” Westwood, who had guided Bengaluru FC to the I-League title in the club’s first season, told The Hindu. “I have had a few chats with the players and the support staff.”

Westwood, a former England youth international who played for Bradford City in the English Premier League, said he accepted the job from the Blasters management because he wanted to help the team. “I know Indian football quite well,” he said. “I just wanted to come here and help. They reached out to me after the match against Punjab FC.”

Embedded in the work 💪🏻#KeralaBlasters#KBFC#YennumYellowpic.twitter.com/7bqV5wb1rp

The offer came to Westwood, who has also worked with ATK and RoundGlass Punjab, at the right time: he had left his coaching job with the Hong Kong national team. “Seven weeks, roughly, and seven games, so it fitted well for me at the minute,” he reasoned. “And I am happy to be with Blasters at Kochi, which is a fantastic city.”