Subhas Bhowmick at the East Bengal club on Saturday. A Telegraph picture

Calcutta: East Bengal’s new coach Subhas Bhowmick was spot on when he told reporters on Saturday that “the patient is in coma and my priority is to save his life,” referring to the condition of the club.

“Supporters have blessed me during my playing days and when I was the coach earlier. I request them to support me this time also. I want to tell them that they need to be patient. Our good days shall return,” he said.

East Bengal have not beaten archrivals Mohun Bagan since last year and are currently placed seventh in the I-League. Time will tell if he is right, but with those words, he perhaps has been successful in restoring the faith of the supporters in the club.

Talking about the team, Bhowmick said: “This team has enough talent in it. It’s surprising that these boys haven’t done well. Of course there’s something wrong. I’ve finished my discussions with the officials. I’ll sit with the footballers on 29th. After that I’ll know what’s wrong.

“Once I know the disease, believe me, it’ll be cured,” he added.

Bhowmick insisted that this East Bengal side has the ability to do much better than seventh in the I-League. “I’m looking at garnering 27-28 points in the last 11 matches. Nothing is impossible.”

“My decision to take up the job in this difficult time is not just a professional decision. Jyotish Guha brought me here in 1969, when I was not even an adult. I left the club three years later. When I was going through a very bad phase, this club took me back and helped me out as a father helps his son. This is my chance to give something back to this club,” an emotional Bhowmick said.

Speaking on the contentious issue of the IFA Shield, the new coach said: “I won’t ask the club to withdraw from the Shield. If it’s not held, our players will of course get some more recovery time and we’ll have more time to get ready for the I-League. On the other hand, we need to win a trophy badly. IFA Shield would give us a chance to do so.”

Like a true-blue East Bengal man, Bhowmick said beating Bagan was high on his agenda. In fact, he said it’s different from winning the I-League.

“It’s one of the biggest rivalries in world football. It’s like the Real Madrid-Barcelona rivalry. Even if you don’t win the title, you have to win the derby. So winning on February 22 (when East Bengal play Bagan in the I-League) is one of my priorities.”