Kerala Blasters FC, perennially languishing in the void created by the lack of trophies in their dusty cabinet, seem to have turned a new leaf in their chapter with the appointment of Mikael Stahre as head coach ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Ivan Vukomanovic, the man from whom Stahre took over earlier this year, will be remembered for bringing about a sense of dignity to the style with which the Blasters approached their football, as well as almost taking them to victory in the ISL Cup in 2021-22, only to be beaten by eventual winners Hyderabad via penalties.
The Serbian was also at the forefront for the Tuskers choosing to walk out of the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on 3 March 2023, asking his troops to stand up for themselves against what he saw as injustice meted out by referee Crystal John.
The latter allegedly allowed Bengaluru FC captain Sunil Chhetri to score a goal from a quick free kick that caught the visitors unawares in a crucial quarterfinal encounter of the ISL Cup; the game was, of course, awarded to the Blues, who went on to become the runners-up that season. In turn, the Tuskers were asked to pay a hefty fine of INR 4 crore and Vukomanovic was suspended for ten matches for showing dissent.
There was no evidence of the club’s supporters having turned against him or his philosophy even when the 2023-24 season got underway and the Blasters failed to continue in the rich vein of form they had displayed the previous year.
Having been first appointed as their head coach ahead of the 2021-22 season, Vukomanovic had a challenging task on his hands: to bring tangible results from a team that was perennially being outperformed by those with fewer resources on deck.
The ISL Championship appeared to be out of his grasp that season, with the club finishing in the fourth position with 34 points, but it was in the knockout phase – where his side took everyone by surprise.
The Blasters set in stone their plans of aiming for the title when they beat Jamshedpur FC – the ISL champions – in the semifinal of the Cup. In the final, however, Rahul KP’s goal was nullified by Sahil Tavora’s scintillating strike for Hyderabad FC in the 88th minute.
This took the game into extra time and later penalties in which Hyderabad held their nerve better than the Blasters, and the rest, as we know is history.
The aftermath of the 2021-22 ISL Cup final
Picking a distraught group of players up from the disappointment of losing a high-intensity final would have been challenging, but Vukomanovic did that with ease, sending warning signs across the country about his hunger to push for silverware.
The Blasters were no strangers to being in the final of the ISL, having already played in two in 2014 and 2016 respectively – losing on both occasions to ATK – but the third loss, naturally, was extremely hard for them to swallow.
Yet, the way the Serbian maneuvered his side from the pitfalls of almost-fame is commendable and the way he established his way of working as distinctive from most other head coaches in the country deserves to be lauded.
The results were not immediately visible in the 2022-23 season, his second in charge. However, a change in the rules of the competition allowed the Tuskers to qualify for the playoffs despite being ranked in the fifth position in the league phase. And then the controversial incident at the Kanteerava happened.
The lows of the 2023-24 season that brought about the end
Vukomanovic’s contract had been renewed till 2025 by the club earlier that season, but he entered the 2023-24 campaign with the suspension awarded to him by the AIFF.
A string of injuries – 20 in total – bound his hands as the Blasters’ performances steadily declined towards the turn of the year despite starting well. The playoff tie with Odisha FC away from home – which they lost 1-2 over 120 minutes – was the last that the Serbian was in charge of for the Blasters.
It is not that difficult to rate Vukomanovic’s time at the club: he has been a resounding success with a winning percentage of 44.8%. He is also the only head coach of the Blasters to have led them into the playoffs of the ISL Cup for three consecutive seasons with a runners-up medal to boot.
Other stats such as him being the first head coach of the club to have won five consecutive matches in the ISL also do him justice but what speaks more about the 47-year-old is the way he led and created a culture of resilience inside the club.
The ISL Cup may have evaded him by just a whisker, but the philosophy of never backing down in the face of pressure as well as embracing an environment of growth that was not solely based on star power will be the remnants of his time at the club.
The Blasters will also remember him for the faith he showed in their youngsters and the way he groomed them to become stars in their own right when pushed into the deep end of the ISL against more experienced players.
Mohammed Aimen, Nihal Sudheesh, Vibin Mohanan and Saurav Mandal are but a few players to have benefited from Vukomanovic’s expertise.
Not everything in life can be judged with black-and-white metrics, and Ivan Vukomanovic’s reign at Kerala Blasters – despite not having anything tangible to show for it – was one of great success.
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