August Westwoods

The years, they tell their own story of learning. And when it’s on the football field, there is a tangible progression that one has seen in Bengaluru Football Clubs coach Ashley Westwood. Saying farewell to a club that has been beaten into gold in the league, Ashley is already watching the English football team in the Toulon Tournament to finish his Pro coaching licence. Speaking his mind, he might not have made many friends, but this Englishman is responsible for giving India a team of great skill and talent and it all comes down to the immense training and foresight he has had and demanded — a rigorous fitness regime that takes lessons from the EPL, he focused on statistical data to help his players use their potential to the fullest. As he leaves BFC, he recently wrote in a column for a sports website, “The league has been won, but my life doesn’t slow down just because the domestic season is over. I’m here for another stage of my FA pro licence. We’re based here close to the Toulon Tournament, which is the best under 20 tournament in football for the last 40 years. Look at the players who’ve been player of the tournament: Ginola, Shearer, Rui Costa, Henry, Riquelme, Mascherano, James Rodriguez. I’m on the presentation and analysis part of the course. Other people on my course include Robbie Fowler, the Birmingham City manager, Gary Rowett, Millwall manager Neil Harris, Chelsea’s technical director Michael Emenalo, former Blackburn boss Gary Bowyer and 91 time England ladies international Marieanne Spacey. There are 25 on the course. It costs around £10,000 and is invitation only to people who’ve spent the vast majority of their life working in football,” says Ashley, who lives the way he plays his game — Looking forward.

For the first time in history, an Indian club will be in the last eight of the AFC Cup, so he leaves behind a unit that has grown vastly thanks to his penchant for perfection.

To say that Westwood’s skill, training and dedication was the reason that the club came back with silverware three years consecutively is probably evidence of his kind of zeal and spirit. This Englishman in Bengaluru heads back for a Brit summer. It is sad to see a winning equation vanish into thin air. Ashley himself is happy about the three years he has spent in India with Bengaluru Football Club and while he is saddened that things could not be worked out, he hopes that the work he has done will be embellished further on.

For this Northampton lad, who was a trainee at Manchester United, assistant coach at Blackburn Rover, football it appears is what he lives and breathes. Westwood is probably a sum of EPL’s indelible influence, learning at UEFA as a pro license coach, and he has married it beautifully with training and belief. The talented and attacking team led by Westwood staked their claim as the champions in the I-League in 2013-14 and 2015-2016, apart from being winners of the Federation Cup 2014-15. For Ashley, the first to create change, lead from the front, this glory is of a historical kind for a club that was non-existent a few years ago. “You only get one chance in football — such is the nature of the game, and you have to grab it with both hands. We started with small steps, where I had just one member as football staff, and we built a team and we had a really good thing going,” says Westwood, who is also not one to rest on past laurels even though he can be quite animated and agitated on the touchline, and is kno wn for his straight-talking where political correctness goes out the window.

Evolving as a coach, he realises the futility of reveling in highs in a game as competitive and demanding as football, “I don’t look back, I look forward. In football you are only as good as your next game,” he says.

Representing England in football and coaching Blackburn Rovers are some cherished memories, but he is again quick to declare, “The team had belief and we worked extremely hard. I am glad I was able to give the club a platform. We are all enjoying the win and the high from it as such seasons are few and far between,” says the guy who is at heart an Englishman who loves a wholesome fish and chips with mushy peas or a nice gravy to hit the spot.

He has also been in the eye of the storm with many reports of his not-so-great equation with the powers that be. His final season ends on a high, and a more mature and mindful Westwood has emerged, “We were trying to find solutions (which did not work) and are very confident in the honours bestowed. I know I have done my job,” he adds.

Being in India for most of the year has been hard as he hardly got time to meet family In fact, Ashley missed the birth of his newborn and was only able to go back to the UK for a day to see the baby. He has two children from a previous marriage, a son who plays football too. The strapping defender of hey-day, Westwood started his career as a trainee at Manchester United. He was part of the FA Youth Cup winning side of 1995. But that is history, and Ashley has no time for it, as the future is what holds promise for this man who chose players discarded by other clubs, and has since taken the boys to glory. It has taken precision, sincere effort and sheer grit, “I never went home except for three weeks a year football is a 24-hour job, so there were videos to watch, skills to improve, strategies, we started practice at 6.30 am and worked till bed time, it’s a dedicated life, and that is what triumphs over all else,” says Ashley, who is tightlipped about where he goes from here.

He loves hanging out at UB City in Bengaluru, “Bangaluru has gotten a bit too hot ever since I came here. I’d like to have a word with the weather man,” says he, who regards Alex Ferguson as someone who has guided him, “He is someone who I respect and admire. I do call him up for advice. but don’t use that honour lightly. I speak to him twice a year. He has got time for all former players and coaches. I don’t want to abuse it or take it lightly.”

The Man City fan, who is looking forward to the EPL season with the whole slew of greats coming in — Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho says, Man City is getting stronger and he can’t wait for the talent and theatrics to unfold. The Westwoodness lies in the game of football and Ashley is adept at finding it, like he has proven with his prowess at BFC.

The game changer A man of small details, Westwood’s fingerprints lie heavily on the entire set up of the club. From finding the team chef to tweaking the finer details in their match tactics, the Englishman has donned many hats. As a coach he demanded maximum effort from his players and coaxed out every ounce of talent and commitment with his own work ethic shining as a beacon.

What adds more to the Westwoodness of the club was his steadfast belief in his own ability to produce. If there were ever any moments of self doubt, it never made it to the surface. One might even say his vice lay in the other direction as he acted and spoke like a champion and more importantly played like one, aided by his tactical adaptability and belief in the youngsters’ ability to deliver when called upon. — Sandeep Menon