ISL 2020-21 | Youngsters need to turn 'sob stories' into 'happy stories', claims Stuart Baxter
Stuart Baxter is yet to win a game as the head coach of Odisha FC
|ISL
Odisha FC head coach Stuart Baxter is of the thought that the young players in the squad need to turn ‘sob stories’ into ‘happy stories’ after their loss to Bengaluru FC. The manager also showed disappointment with the quality of the referees, with him not convinced with Bora’s booking last evening.
So close yet so far - it has been the story of Odisha FC so far, with their young Indian contingent yet to formulate a blueprint to register the first win of the season. It should be mentioned that they staged a rather surprising comeback against Bengaluru FC by scoring the equaliser in the 71st minute after trailing for more than half-an-hour.
But the lapse of concentration from Stuart Baxter’s men allowed ‘The Blues’ to net the winner and snatch away all the three points on offer. The British manager feels that the young Indian players need to step up and turn ‘sob stories’ into ‘happy stories’ to re-ignite any chances of putting their campaign on the right track this season.
"You have got a young group who are almost playing very well but luck is not on their side and they are losing confidence and concentration every game. To keep them believing in what they are doing is very difficult. To give them the tactical edge they need to turn these sob stories into happy stories, you don't have a lot of time because of the situation we are in. So it is difficult and that is a job we have in front of us," said Stuart Baxter, after the loss to Bengaluru FC.
Refereeing has been sub-standard in the ongoing season, with yet another mishap witnessed when Odisha FC’s Gaurav Bora was shown a yellow card for a shirt pull during Thursday’s game. Stuart Baxter has shown disappointment with the quality of the referees, with him not at all convinced with Bora’s booking last evening, with other players walking away with more serious offences.
"He (Gaurav Bora) is being very competitive and he should make decisions when to stand up and when to go to ground. I've given up on trying to read what the referees deem a yellow card. I see some of their experienced India internationals doing a multitude of sins and not getting a yellow card and then I see (Bora) pull a shirt and get a yellow card. So I've given up, you have to ask the referees' committee," complained Baxter.
