Seasoned Indian centre-back Gouramangi Singh comes off as quite modest and soft-spoken when you start recounting his laurels. With over 80 international appearances for the country, the experienced campaigner holds the record for the most caps by an Indian footballer. When the www.indiansuperleague.com team got in touch with the Manipuri defender for an exclusive interview, he was at his usual best.“I think I did all right with Chennaiyin FC,” he said as he reflected on his stint with the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) club. “But at the end of each season, you feel you can do better. I’m looking forward to the upcoming season with FC Pune City.”Gouramangi seemed very positive about playing for the Maharashtra based side this October. “When I first spoke with the management, the first thing that I noticed is that they’re very ambitious and quite clear with their thought process. Since they lost out on the top 4 last year, they just want to assemble the best team and win as many games as possible.”When quizzed about his new boss, David Platt, he mentioned, “I haven’t spoken with him, but I’ve heard a lot about him. He’s a great man. I’m trying to get to know him better.“I can’t comment on what they need to improve on or not.” Gouramangi comes forth with his signature attitude, “For me, as a player, my duty is to train hard and follow my coach’s instructions.” Encouraging words for head coach David Platt who has a thorough professional within his ranks.His list of top performers in ISL last season is spearheaded by Elano. “Without doubt! Luis Garcia is a worthy mention as well, despite having missed a few games.” While he was also struck by some of the Indian players and did have words of praise for them, “Our boys, too, shone bright. Sandesh [Jhingan] was competitive and consistent as was Jeje [Lalpekhlua]. Arindam [Bhattacharya], too, put in good performances.”However, he did seem a bit sad about not being able to play alongside Chennaiyin FC’s star defender Bernard Mendy, “Yes, but as a professional you have to move on. I’ll miss him as a partner and player on the field.”Gouramangi Singh’s FC Pune City have a huge game to inaugurate their 2015 ISL campaign. They play hosts to Mumbai City FC in the Maharashtra derby on October 5th, a match that promises to be an enticing affair.
