Inside Football with Ashley Westwood: Life In India

Ashley Westwood played for Manchester United, Crewe Alexandra, Bradford City, Sheffield Wednesday, Northampton Town and Chester City during a long career and now finds himself as a manager in India.

I’m about to start my third season as a manager in India. I grew up in Salford and had a good career at Manchester United, where I won the FA Youth Cup in 1995. Then I played 500 games in England’s top five leagues with Crewe Alexandra, Bradford City, Sheffield Wednesday, Northampton Town and Chester City. Some of those latter games were alongside my namesake, now at Aston Villa, leading to chants of “two Ashley Westwoods”. Then I became assistant manager to my friend Michael Appleton at Portsmouth, Blackpool and Blackburn Rovers, where, among other duties, I’d watch 400 matches per year on a screen as part of my video analysis preparation. I’ve never been afraid of hard work.

After leaving Blackburn in 2013, an agent asked me if I was interested in management. In India. It was a shock at first but then I studied the offer. It was to manage Bengaluru FC, a new team in India’s top I-League division from the city formerly known as Bangalore, a teaming metropolis of 10 million. The club is owned by Mumbai-based JSW, one of India’s biggest steel, cement and energy companies. Bengaluru were drafted into India’s top division to give the league a more pan-Indian geographic spread. They were also given an exemption from relegation from the 13-team division and I had mid-table budget.

India was seen as a last resort for the failed foreign manager. I came to see that if I could do things how I wanted, with the support I needed, then it could be a good first step in my management career, a new experience after only ever working in England.

And that’s exactly how it has been. There was never any talk about us winning the league, not even about us finishing mid-table, but I wanted to win the league in my first season. I respect my players, but I work them hard to get them as fit as possible. Discipline is tight. Urinating in public will see a player hit with a Rs.100 (£1 fine), speaking to the press without permission £5.

Discipline is important. With hard work, determination, professionalism and an excellent team spirit, we did better than anyone expected and won the title in our first season. Our stadium held 8,000 and our average crowd was 7,000. The fans are great, they sing in English.

Working in India was an eye-opener. I heard a commotion one day and looked up to see two cows, considered sacred in India, in the club offices. They had been chased by a dog and were slipping all over the tiled floors.

I see cows when I drive my Royal Enfield motorbike around streets where drivers ignore traffic lights, where rickshaws and Porsches compete for space down streets where glass fronted designer restaurants face scruffy shops with boxes of live chickens for sale. I was advised not to ride a motorbike and I’d never ridden one in my life, but when in Bangalore. I want to integrate with locals and not live in an ex-pat bubble.

Another time, two street kids kept coming to training and offering to help out. I got them helping out regularly, buying coconuts so the lads can have a healthy drink after training. They became part of the team and I decided they needed kitting out properly. I took them to a sports store and spent £60 each on trainers for them. When we walked in the shop, they looked guilty, like they shouldn’t be there.

Winning the league in 2014 was a massive buzz. The second season was held back for the Indian Super League and I had a job commentating on Indian television for that and I’m doing that again this year.

Then our second season started. I wanted to win the league again and we moved to a bigger stadium because of an increased demand for tickets. Our average crowd rose to 13,000, but the stadium was full with 22,000 in for our last home game – a title decider. We needed to win to retain the league; our rivals Mohun Bagan from Calcutta needed a draw. We took the lead amid thunder and lightning. I was standing by the side of the pitch, absolutely soaked. We’d gone 13 games undefeated and lost only three all season. We’d played in the Asian Federation Cup and reached the last 16, an achievement for an Indian side. Then they equalised in the 87th minute from a corner. I was floored; the team and fans were too. Football can be cruel, but first and second in two seasons is success and I’m keen for more.

Next season doesn’t start until January so I’ve got my players in now for four weeks pre-conditioning. Then I’m off to South Korea to complete my pro-licence. I’m an ambitious young coach who wants to work at the highest level possible, but it would have to be a great offer for me to leave Bangalore.