Subhas Bhowmick Death: Subhas Bhowmick’s sudden demise on Saturday early morning shook the Indian football fraternity. He was a pioneer in Indian football as a player and also as a coach. he represented India numerous times and was a part of the legendary Asian Cup bronze medal-winning team. He later turned in a very successful coach and guided his teams to several titles. Follow all the Indian Football updates only on InsideSport.IN
Overall his entire career had many highs and lows but despite all the challenges the Bulldozer as he was called in the Indian football circuit always found ways to crush his adversities and emerged every time. He had an illustrious career achieving several firsts in Indian and was a true revolutionary.
You will be etched in our memory forever, 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝. pic.twitter.com/FtZHgePQ2F
— East Bengal FC (@eastbengal_fc) January 22, 2022
Therefore we at InsideSport articulate his top five achievements in his overall career.
Asian Cup Bronze medallist
Subhas Bhowmick was always a renowned name at club level for both the Kolkata Giants but he also proved his mettle in India colours. He made his debut for the Indian national team in 1970 at the Merdeka Cup and later went on to feature in the Asian Cup. Despite his young age, he was a very instrumental player for the Indian team as he scored a brace in India’s opening group game against Thailand. His brace helped India secure a draw after coming back from behind twice.
Bhowmick along with the likes of Mohammed Habib, Shyam Thapa and others guided India to clinch the bronze medal at the Asian Cup after beating Japan in the decisive game. This was the Indian football team’s only major feat in continental tournaments.
Instrumental in 5-0 Derby win
Subhas Bhowmick’s football career started at Rajasthan FC in 1668. He did not take much time to catch the eyes of East Bengal. But the burly forward swapped sides to join rivals, Mohun Bagan, in 1970. He went on to score 27 goals that season for the Green and Maroons, a record that he could never break again in his career. However, after spending three seasons with the Mariners, he shifted loyalties to East Bengal in 1973. He became a part of a star-studded Red and Gold team that was dominating Indian football during that era.
Bhowmick was part of East Bengal’s biggest moment in the history of the Kolkata Derby. He was a part of the East Bengal side that marauded Mohun Bagan 5-0 in 1975 and till date that remains the biggest victory in the Kolkata Derby history. It was a red-letter day for East Bengal and Bhowmick was a part of it.
A pivotal figure in Mohun Bagan’s 1977 three-peat
Bhowmick after spending three seasons with the Red and Golds returned to Mohun Bagan in 1976. It was a sensational team filled with superstars starting from Subrata Bhattacharya, Shyam Thapa amongst many others. Despite losing the Calcutta Football League and the Federation Cup that season, they did not allow negativity to enter the dressing room.
They went up against rivals East Bengal in the IFA Shield finals and bagged a great win. The Mariners then continued their sensational form at the Rovers Cup as Mohun Bagan’s Bhowmick-Thapa duo worked like a charm. The Mariners defeated East Bengal in the semifinals before clinching the Rovers Cup trophy with a 2-1 win against Tata Sports Club in the finals. After two trophies they turned their attention to the all-important Durand Cup, a trophy that had eluded them for the last three editions.
Mohun Bagan faced Ludhiana based outfit JCT in the finals. But the match ended in a 1-1 stalemate as both teams showed great resolve to hold out their opponents and force a replay. JCT struck first blood in the replay but Bhowmick scored the important equaliser. Mohammed Akbar scored the winner as Mohun Bagan created history by completing the legendary three-peat.
Three Domestic League titles
Bhowmick’s second stint at East Bengal was much different from his first as he built a strong team and guided the Red and Golds to successive National league titles 2002-03 and 2003-04. It was probably the strongest East Bengal side in recent times and that was the last time East Bengal won any National level league title proving his legendary status as a shrewd tactician.
His legacy runs from the early 2000s to the 2012-13 season. He was appointed as the technical director of the Churchill Brothers side where he moulded a bunch of youngsters into I-League winners. While Mariano Dias was the head coach, it was Bhowmick who was taking all the decisions that season. He guided the Red Machines to the I-League title. It was a sensational season for Beto and company as they only lost three games throughout the entirety of the league campaign.
ASEAN Cup glory with East Bengal
People often debate that Subhas Bhowmick was an even better coach than a footballer. It is a tough debate as his accolades as a coach are equally historic as his achievements as a footballer. After an underwhelming first stint as East Bengal coach Bhowmick return to the club in 2002 and formed a star-studded team that went on to win the National League that season. The Red and golds were invited to participate in the ASEAN Cup next season.
The Red and Golds had a poor start to the tournament as they lost to BEC Tero Sasana in their opening fixture. But they bounced back with a 6-0 humbling of the Phillippine Army to enter the knockout round. The big win boosted the morale of the East Bengal players as they won back to back matches against Persita Tangerang and Petrokimia Putra to set up a finale with Thai outfit BEC Tero Sasana. Bhowmick was aware that this was the team to beat as he tried a different approach in the game. East Bengal dominated the Thai outfit and won the game 3-1. Mike Okor opened the scoring for the Red and Golds followed by Bhaichung Bhutia and later Alvita D’Cunha also added another in the second half. The ASEAN Cup win is still considered as one of the landmarks in Indian club football and was definitely a massive achievement for Subhas Bhowmick the tactician.
Editors pick
