February 2002

NO MORE BURY FC???
February 23, 2002: Bury’s players and supporters have been rocked by last Friday’s announcement that the club may have to close in a couple of weeks’ time. Bhutia: "I can’t really comment on why the club is in this situation, but it’s very sad for everyone and I hope something can be done. The manager and players have had a meeting to discuss the situation and we were given the opportunity to raise any questions we had. Morale in the dressing room is OK and the players know that all we can do is try our best to play well and win games for the club. Naturally the players are concerned about what may be around the corner, but we’re all agreed that the best thing we can do for the club is focus on each game and try to win every time we play because that’s our job. I went to our last home game against Cambridge, which was played the day after the announcement was made concerning the club’s position, and it was great to see the fans getting behind us. They turned up in their numbers and that’s just what the club needs now. We aren’t looking too far into the future. All I can say is that everyone is trying their best to keep the club alive – management, players, staff and supporters alike."

BHUTIA WANT TO STAY AT BURY
February 20, 2002: Indian star striker Baichung Bhutia wants to stay at Bury. He hopes, that his contract will be extended as soon as possible. Bhutia: "I’ve had a discussion with the manager and I have told him I would definitely like to stay. No decision has been made yet. I need games and Andy Preece wants to see how I have recovered from my injury before offering me a new contract. The club haven’t approached me about a new contract, but if they do I will definitely sit down with my agent and consider it. Whether I would sign depends on what the club put on the table, but I would like to stay at Gigg Lane and I need to get fit to prove I should be offered another contract. I haven’t had any contact with any other clubs. There was interest from some teams in Singapore last year but I never really spoke about the possibility of joining them.

BHUTIA HOPING FOR QUICK COMEBACK
February 13, 2002: Baichung Bhutia started rehabilitation and hopes to be training again in five or six weeks’ time. "I am able to walk without crutches and I am doing a lot of strengthening exercises for my knee. I am also doing a lot of work in the water that will hopefully help the recovery process. Obviously I want to play before the end of the season and I think I can. But I haven’t seen the doctor who operated on me yet so it’s hard to say for sure."

BHUTIA BACK IN ENGLAND
February 7, 2002: Baichung Bhutia returned to Bury after his visit to India. He hopes to make his comeback as soon as possible.

BAICHUNG: "INDIAN TEAM THE BEST ONE IN LAST 15 YEARS"
February 6, 2002: Baichung Bhutia is still recovering from his knee operation. Harsha Bhogle (one of India's most popular sports commentators and the anchorman of many sports programs on ESPN STAR Sports) used this chance and interviewd Bhutia for his popular program Harsha Online on STAR TV. They spoke about Bhutia and the current situation of Indian football.
When asked by Harsha Bhogle whether there is a lack of commitment of Indian soccer players when they represent India, Baichung replied in affirmative and said it is unfortunate. He felt that players should give off their best while donning the Indian jersey. Bhutia attributed the poor facilities and infrastructure provided to the players during the various camps for Indian soccer team, as the main reasom for the lack of motivation in most Indian players. Bhutia said, “the aggression and competitiveness showed by players during an East Bengal - Mohun Bagan match is missing, when the same players represent India”. He said that the facilities given to the clubs during NFL, like travel by flights, staying in good hotels are missing when it comes to the national team. "Unless the infrastructure and facilities of the game is improved, the huge pool of soccer talent available in India will remain untapped", he added.
Later Bhutia regretted the current lack of proper TV coverage of Indian football and attributed it as one of the reasons, acting as a hindrance for the growth and development of soccer in India. He said that during first NFL people would wait keenly to watch big stars live on the screen, with the feeling and expression: “Today we will see IM Vijayan, Carlton Chapman, Joe Paul Ancheri in action. Unless this sort of ambience is created through TV, Indian soccer will suffer. One needs stars for younger kids to emulate”.
The further conversation brought up some funny and interesting details about the current nationalteam coach Sukhwinder Singh. Bhutia appreciated Sukhi’s sense of humour and his ability to crack jokes all the time. In a lighter vein, Bhaichung did some leg pulling, over JCT coach’s obsession with milk. Baichung said, “ Wherever you go to play, on reaching the hotel, the first thing Sukhi will enquire is about the availability of good quality milk”.
Harsha Bhogle and Baichung Bhutia also reviewed the World Cup Qualifiers. Baichung expressed his displeasure on being shown red card against UAE in India’s away Pre World Cup match and said the reason for the red card was ridiculous, as video footage of that match was shown in the show. He also was unhappy that no one in AIFF took up the matter to AFC, who could have negated his one match ban after confirming from the video footage that the red card was unjustified, to allow him to play in the crucial next match. He was extremely sad that India had to miss out a place in the next round of the World Cup qualifiers due to one point.
He however expressed good hope for the current Indian team and optimistically stated, "the current Indian team is perhaps the best one in last 15 years. It is a very young team and the future of India soccer is bright".
Asked on his future Bhutia said, that he may come back to India when the contract with Bury FC is over.