Opinion | Thangboi Singto: The messiah whom Hyderabad failed

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Thangboi Singto, the man whom many consider to be the father of post-modern Hyderabad FC – if one were to be so generous while using a term fashioned after the neo-liberals of yore – finds himself without a club as 2024 draws to a close. Having arrived at the Maidaan in Gachibowli in 2020-21 as the Technical Director (Youth) of the Nawabs, Singto departed recently (18 December) after having mutually parted ways with the club as its head coach.

Singto took over as the head coach after the iconic Manolo Marquez bid adieu to the Yellow and Black after a particularly eventful 2022-23 season and found himself availing the services of longstanding friend Shameel Chembakath and newly-signed Conor Nestor as his assistants. Things seemed to be looking bright for the Nawabs that season, as they had done from the time Singto helmed the role of the TD, but a financial crisis hit them soon to force a mass exodus in the winter.

Where Singto’s greatness lies is in the fact that despite not being paid for months (perhaps even a year), he remained steadfast to his ideals, stayed true to his morals, and did not leave the club – and its then-owner Varun Tripuraneni – without a leader in charge. While his friendship with Tripuraneni was well known, it was also a testament to the sheer grit and character that Singto had, which allowed him to face the crisis with a smile. A weaker man would have withered and looked for greener pastures, but not Singto.

Leading Hyderabad through the financial crisis

Newly signed Mexican center-back Oswaldo Alanis was the first casualty, and by the time the January transfer window came to a close, Singto had lost almost his entire first-team squad, including Indian national players Nikhil Poojary, Chinglensana Singh, and Mohammad Yasir to other, perhaps more financially compliant clubs. Assistant coach Nestor left soon enough, as did most of his backroom staff, with many even leading a muffled protest at a home game against FC Goa in February earlier this year.

Singto was left with a skeleton crew to manage and an almost all-Indian squad, with the only exception being club captain Joao Victor, who stood tall amidst the ruins and put his hands up to take responsibility without buckling down. The second half of the ’23-24 season was an anomaly for Hyderabad and disturbing to watch, given their usually high standards. Most players in the squad had been uprooted from the Reserves only moments ago, and several found themselves making their ISL debuts in a jiffy after seeing their seniors leave the club over unpaid dues.

It speaks largely of the perseverance Singto displayed that he led this motley crew to a 1-0 win over Chennaiyin FC away from home in March this year, becoming the first-ever Indian coach to win an ISL game with an all-Indian playing and coaching unit. Such a man, whom posterity ought to revere, was left disgraced after being piled with the miseries of their ongoing season. Having been repeatedly failed by his players – ostensibly for no fault of his own – it was not unusual to see Singto, the hero, bear the brunt of the public and management’s anger and walk away into the sunset, deflecting praise but taking on every bit of criticism upon himself.

Singto’s players failed him

Singto
Thangboi Singto chalking up a training session. [Hyd FC media]

It was not Singto’s fault that the players at his disposal seemed to have become shadows of their former selves this season; the wings, which Hyderabad had so prided themselves upon, seemed non-existent, with the players operating there seeking solace from the comfort that their more defensive-minded teammates generated without the ball. On the other hand, their foreigners appeared no better experienced at taking matters into their own hands. Hyderabad conceded 20 goals under Singto this season and scored just seven.

While it is easy to worship those who bring victories of a rarer kind, it is also important to remember Michael Ondaatje’s famous words from The English Patient: ‘In the desert, you celebrate nothing but water.’ Parched as Hyderabad were from the lack of success in the ’23-24 season, Singto led them to two famous victories this year, both away to difficult opponents (Mohammedan SC and Kerala Blasters), and it is surprising that these were forgotten as quickly as the nature of the sun’s tawdry rays in this unusually bare-boned winter.

Tough times lie ahead for Hyderabad

Such a bare-boned winter may be upon Hyderabad soon if they do not buckle up and start playing for the ‘crest’, a phrase that Singto was known to have repeated more than once in his interactions with this correspondent. Wearing the yellow and black with pride meant a lot for this tactician who has an AFC Pro License to boot and sharpened his skills working with NorthEast United, Kerala Blasters and Odisha FC in the past. Singto was most renowned in the I-League for winning the Shillong Premier League (thrice), Meghalaya Invitational Cup, and Bodousa Cup with Shillong Lajong.

The Indian players in the squad have clearly failed to live up to expectations this season, and it is plainly unfair to pin the blame on Singto, the man under whom many blossomed in the Reserves and who gave them their first start in the ISL. While it is easy to get swayed by emotions when dealing with a man who has only given and never taken from this city, it is important to remember the practicalities of such knowledge, half of which can often be construed as being dangerous. Singto’s tactics were, quite frankly, ahead of his time, and he was, in a pithy and importune manner, the victim of himself. The players who let him down, and due to whom he had to leave his office eventually, maybe shedding silent tears, but the only way they can pay tribute to their Guru is by repaying the faith he had shown in them.

Singto’s tactics were ahead of his time

Opinion | Thangboi Singto: The messiah whom Hyderabad failed image 13
Thangboi Singto during an ISL game. [Hyd FC Media]

What, then, can be made about the tactics that Singto used? Among his many quirks was the need for his players to keep the ball more and pass it using short and less-traveled routes. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Singto did not abhor the theatrical but insisted that his players organize themselves well in defense before expressing themselves further up the pitch.

In 2023-24, his fullbacks Mark Zothanpuia and Sajad Parray were among the best in the league, as were Muhammad Rafi and Parag Shrivas in the ongoing season. One place where he failed to hit the mark was amongst his wingers this campaign – Ramhlunchhunga and Abdul Rabeeh – who had showcased such awe-inspiring potential in ’23-24.

Singto’s midfield often used an amiable ‘triangle’ in which the central attacking midfielder would pair up with his fellows in central defense and use that as a pivot to bring their more attack-minded colleagues into play. He was not averse to using Zothanpuia in midfield last season when it appeared as if there was no one to break the opposition’s transitions down, nor was he reluctant to overload one side of his attack in favor of his fullbacks running free and, in turn, creating spaces and dangerous crosses inside the box. For a man termed as being risk-averse, Singto played with fire often enough to warrant the curiosity of Hyderabad’s opponents, who could hardly understand what he was thinking.

The legacy that Singto leaves behind at Hyderabad

Not many coaches have the ability to bring the best out of players who seemed as if they had been weeded directly out of school to play top-flight professional football. Still, Singto gained the immediate respect of everyone who came in touch with him, and it would not have been without a touch of sadness that the current management parted ways with him. Always smiling and cracking jokes at his own expense, Singto was the man who heralded Hyderabad out of the storm that they found themselves engulfed in under their previous management. In times of crisis, it pays to turn to a good man, and Hyderabad were fortunate to have Singto leading their ranks.

That he should find himself expendable in an environment that has since stabilized stronger than the way Chile did its peso is metaphorical of the way commercial interests are run in the modern economy. However, the everlasting mark that Singto left upon everyone who had Hyderabad’s best interests at heart will not be forgotten, for here, at last, was a man who stood taller than his detractors forced him to, swimming past the echoes of self-congratulation and holding aloft the badge of the Nawabs, to whom he had pledged his life.

History, and the city of Hyderabad will never forget Thangboi Singto.


Follow IFTWC for more updates on Indian Football.

Mohul Bhowmick
Mohul Bhowmickhttp://www.mohulbhowmick.com
Mohul Bhowmick is a professional cricketer, sports journalist, poet, essayist and travel writer from Hyderabad, India. He is aslo a senior reporter at IFTWC. Having covered Indian football at the grassroots over several years, Bhowmick has in-depth knowledge of the sport in India. He has also broken over a hundred exclusive pieces of news in the sport. Bhowmick's elaborate, matter-of-fact writing combines with his sharp wit to add depth to his pieces.

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