HAL’s last season was full of highs, lows and controversies; they recorded incredible victories against Mohun Bagan and Dempo, escaped relegation on the last day of the season and dominated columns in the newspapers for the AIFF licensing issue and the death of their keeper rather than for their on-field exploits.
Manager K. Muralidharan will certainly be hoping for a steadier ride in the coming season. With the artificial pitch and revamped stadium in place, the club will be looking forward to playing some quality football on one of the best turfs in the country.
There is little doubt as to what target the manager will lay down for the club. With the departure of club captain Murali Joseph and midfield maestro Xavier Vijaykumar, the club’s primary objective will be to retain their place in the I-League. After shortlisting and conducting trials for around 60 players, the manager has decided to place his trust in young, local players. Deepak Prakash who signed from Mumbai FC has been singled out as the man to replace Vijaykumar. They have also signed a number of players from disbanded clubs like JCT and others who did well in the BDFA Super league.
There seems to be a lack of balance at the club in terms of the age of the players with most of them being youngsters in their early 20s while the others are well over the age of 30. Scoring was the team’s biggest problem last season and with the failure of the manager to add a proven goal scorer to their ranks, it looks like the problem will only be compounded. The manger may also have bestowed too much faith in youth and his failure to replace star players like Joseph and Vijaykumar with established names may come back to haunt him.
| Arrivals | ||
| Player | Position | From |
| Amar Deb | Goalkeeper | Mohun Bagan |
| Ramesh | Defender | BEML |
| Sarabjeet Singh | Defender | JCT |
| Deepak Prakash | Midfielder | Mumbai FC |
| Bijoy Das | Midfielder | United Sikkim |
| Kaushik Bose | Midfielder | ONGC |
| Sudheesh Muttath | Midfielder | Vasco |
| Bhola Prasad | Midfielder | ONGC |
| Ehtesham Baksh | Midfielder | Mohammedan Sporting |
| Biju Kumar | Midfielder | Vasco |
| Praveen Kumar | Midfielder | Josco FC |
| Karthigayan | Midfielder | BEML |
| Vinoth Kumar | Striker | Railway Wheel Factory |
| Departures | ||
| Player | Position | To |
| Dipak K | Defender | Southern Samity |
| P. Karthik | Defender | Indian Bank |
| Murali Joseph | Midfielder | Mohun Bagan |
| Xavier Vijaykumar | Midfielder | Churchill Brothers |
| R. Srikanth | Midfielder | Pune FC |
| Y. Jaikumar | Midfielder | Churchill Brothers |
There have been other departures too; however the club has not announced their official squad for the season yet. Muralidharan, in a recent interview, said that the club will retain only around 10 players from last season.
Squad Analysis
Goalkeepers : Pramod P, Amar Deb
Veteran keeper Pramod is expected to retain his status as the club’s No. 1 keeper. The reliable goalkeeper produced some heroic performances last season and his presence at the back will provide some calmness and organization to the defense. Amar Deb has been brought back to the club from Mohun Bagan and will be the back-up keeper after the unfortunate death of Arun Kumar last season. The club is also expected to announce the signing of Sunder Rajan and another goalkeeper.
THT Verdict : In Pramod, HAL have a reliable goalkeeper between the posts. Also the return of custodian Amar Deb will provide the coach with more options. The coach would ideally like to add a couple of names and have around 4 goalkeepers at the club.
Defenders : Joseph Femi Adeola, Bijoy Das, Kaushik Bose, Lilian Kenneth, Ramesh, Rohit Chand, Gautam Debnath, Shekhar Muralidharan, Sarabjeet Singh
HAL’s defense was overly reliant on Joseph Adeola last season and looked shaky whenever he was not present. Vitally, the Bangalore club has managed to keep hold of the Nigerian defender despite rumors of his departure doing the rounds. He has also been named the new club captain. Lilian Kenneth and Gautam Debnath have been retained after their consistent performances last season. Rohit Chand, who was conspicuous by his absence at the BDFA Super Division League, is not expected to remain at the club for much longer. Bijoy Das and Kaushik Bose who moved to HAL from the disbanded JCT will be expected to provide backup when needed along with 24 year old Muralidharan. However, the I-League may be too big a step-up for Ramesh was signed from BEML.
THT Verdict : Areola will be entering his 6th season with the club and the new captain will look to lead from the front. How the defense cope without him will be interesting to see. HAL let in a total of 40 goals last season and will hope for an improvement.
Midfielders : Malemnganba Meitei, Deepak Prakash , Rajendra Prasad, Satish Kumar, Ankit Sharma, James Singh, Sanath Kumar,Prakas Koley, Samuel Dhinakaran, Karthigayan, Bhola Prasad, Sudheesh Muttath, Biju Kumar
The loss of Xavier Vijaykumar who was the sole reason for HAL’s survival last season will be the biggest blow to the team’s hopes of survival in the top division. 19 year old Deepak Prakash, a product of the prestigious Tata Football Academy has been signed from Mumbai FC to replace the veteran midfielder. Meitei can play on either wing or behind the striker and the Manipuri is one of the brightest prospects in the I-League. Rajendra Prasad, Satish Kumar and Sanath Kumar all made important contributions during the BDFA Super Division. James Singh too impressed with his performances in the same competition last month. He is a free-kick specialist and is also capable of scoring from long range efforts. Karthigayan, who helped the club to gain promotion from the 2nd Division, has been resigned after spending a season with BEML. Delhi lad Ankit Sharma, a former India U-19 player will be looking to feature more regularly.
THT Verdict : It will be impossible to replace the likes of Vijaykumar and Murali. The goals that Vijaykumar provided from midfield were the difference between relegation and survival last season. In Deepak and Meitei, however they have talented youngsters who may be able to fill the void.
Forwards : Meikinlung, Abdulla Hamza, Vinoth Kumar V, R. C Prakash
Scoring goals was the biggest problem for the team last season as they managed only 18 goals last season, 5 of which came in the last two games. With the goals from midfield expected to dry up, Meikinlung and Abdulla Hamza will have to improve significantly for the club to stand any chance of survival. Vinoth Kumar is a 20 year old striker who has been brought to the club after impressing in the BDFA Super League.
THT Verdict : HAL will struggle to score goals this season, as they did last season. Abdulla Hamza is the only one who provides them any physical presence up front. Vinoth Kumar may not be ready to deliver in the top tier of Indian football yet.
Four Key Targets
A controversy-free season
Last season saw HAL constantly in the news first for the stadium allocation problems, then for the death of reserve goalkeeper Arun Kumar in an accident and their biggest problem was regarding the AFC club licensing criteria. They will hope for a less turbulent season so that the players can focus on their on-field performance.
Staying in the I-league
The club’s primary objective will undoubtedly be survival in the I-League. The club will hope that there are at least 3 clubs which perform worse than them in the league. Their season opener will be against Chirag Viva Kerala.
Local Youngsters Coming Good
The manager has decided to place his trust in young, local players along with some new signings from Bengal and Kerala regions. Their ability to fill the void left by Xavier Vijaykumar and Murali Joseph will determine where HAL stand at the end of the season.
Fans
While the IPL matches witness crowds of 60,000 for every single game, the turn out for I-League matches was shocking last season. With the new astro turf expected to improve the quality of football and a renovated stadium the club will hope that more fans turn up to cheer the only team from Bangalore in the league.