Former Kerala Blasters FC head coach David James opened up on his first experiences in India and recalled how the Kerala Blasters FC fans evolved during the inaugural Indian Super League (ISL) campaign.

The former England goalkeeper joined the Blasters as player-manager in 2014 and guided the club to the final where they lost 0-1 to ATK FC. But it was a season that set the tone for Kerala Blasters FC fans as they grew into one of the biggest fanbases in the country.

James recalled his feeling when the fans defined expectations by turning up in large numbers in their very first home game in ISL

“We were a new team and didn’t have good results in pre-season, so I wasn’t expecting a lot of crowd (for the first game in Kochi),” James was quoted as saying on The Yellow Wave Podcast.

“I think it was 30-34,000 for the first game. And the thing that got me and this lives with me forever, was walking out on the pitch and having these different drum corps around the stadium, independently playing their rhythm. It was just magical, absolutely magical,” he added.

The initial days of ISL saw the local fans slowly warm up their respective teams and the story was no different in Kerala. Fans who were drawn to the stadium by some of the biggest names in European football got gripped by the yellow fever.

“I think the first game, there were a couple of banners of me as Liverpool representative. The second game, there were like half a dozen Liverpool ones, maybe a Manchester United one for the United supporters. And then as the first few games went on, there were more and more Premier League banners,” James said.

“I heard the story that the Blasters supporters turned around and said, we are not Premier League supporters. We are Blasters fans. And they banned foreign flags,” he added.

“So, from then on in, all you ever saw was Blasters flags, banners. They were Blasters fans. It was beautiful because it was true. Sandesh was the key man with a massive banner,” he continued.

Settling scores with Marco Materazzi

The 2014 season was a successful one for the team as they qualified for the playoffs and reached the final. The highlight of their campaign and probably the entire ISL 2014 season was the semi-final tie between Kerala Blasters FC and Chennaiyin FC.

James’ side raced to a 3-0 lead in the first leg in Kochi before Chennaiyin FC clawed their way back in the second leg against ten-man Kerala Blasters to make it 3-3 on aggregate and force extra time. Eventually the Blasters edged the tie with a goal deep in extra-time from Stephen Pearson.

The tie was memorable for more than one reason and that was no different for James who too won a personal battle with it.

"When we played Chennaiyin FC in the league phase at home, we lost 1-0. We had a corner in the last minute at 0-0. We were pushing for the goal and they broke away from the corner and scored. After the game Marco Materazzi, the Chennaiyin FC head coach told me that you're better off being born lucky than rich. I wasn't very happy about it anyway,” James said.

“Fast forward to the second leg and we had a player sent off. Chennaiyin FC managed to take a 3-0 lead in regulation time and take it to extra-time.

“We're playing with 10 men. So we're pretty much out on our feet. And then Steve Pearson, he rocks up with three minutes to go and scores. That was absolute elation. I saw Materazzi after the game and I told him that you are better off being lucky than being rich. So, I got my back on him,” he remembered.

The England goalkeeper returned to the Blasters for a second spell in 2017-18 and saw an upturn in form and results that saw them get close to qualifying for the playoffs. His time in the Kerala Blasters FC dugout is thus fondly remembered by the fans even seven years after his stint with the club ended.