Mumbai City FC today revealed that former Manchester City and Sunderland manager Peter Reid will be the team’s manager for the upcoming Hero Indian Super League (ISL) campaign. Reid, who also had a glittering playing career as a defensive midfielder, will be joined in Mumbai by Steve Darby, who has a vast amount of experience coaching in Asia. The duo are also respected TV pundits. Reid initially made his name as a combative midfielder, most prominently with Everton, where he won two league titles along with an FA Cup and a European Cup Winners’ Cup. His managerial career began with a three-year spell as player-manager with Manchester City, and he started managing full-time two years later when he was appointed manager of Sunderland. He led the Wearside club to the Football League title and promotion to the Premier League in his first season. The veteran Englishman has also had spells managing Leeds United, Coventry City, Plymouth Argyle, and the Thailand national team, as well as one game with the England under-21 side. Reid is excited at the prospect of managing Mumbai City FC, calling it a “great opportunity”. He went onto add, “I enjoyed working overseas with Thailand and am very much looking forward to this new challenge.” Speaking about his new team, Reid said, “We have a very competitive side. (Manuel) Friedrich is a great signing. You don't win Germany caps by luck or play over 300 Bundesliga games!” As for the ISL and the impact it will have on Indian football, Reid was optimistic, saying, “I've watched a few Indian national team games and was very impressed with some of the players. I am convinced the ISL will eventually help the national team rise up the FIFA rankings.” When Reid was managing the Thai national team, he recruited Steve Darby as his assistant coach. By that time, Darby had already gained nearly 30 years of managerial experience, with stints in Bahrain, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia. Darby also had a short spell in India as manager of Mohun Bagan, and his familiarity with Asian football as a whole will be a valuable asset to Mumbai City FC.Darby echoed Reid’s comments about the ISL’s potential effects on Indian football. “I have seen the effect the IPL has had on cricket and hopefully this will happen with football in India. India has great players; I hope this leads to further opportunities for them,” Darby enthused. He was also similarly hopeful about the Mumbai City FC squad, citing the team’s combination of youth and experience as something “every team aims for”.Darby was particularly excited about working with the team’s Indian players, saying, “I have worked with (Syed Rahim) Nabi before at Mohun Bagan, and believe he is one of the best all-round footballers I have ever worked with. I have no doubt he could play English championship-level football. Subrata (Paul) is a top keeper and he was outstanding in the AFC Asian Cup. Bobby Houghton thought he was one of the best keepers he had worked with. I commentated on the India games at the Asian Cup and I kept saying, “great save by Subrata!”
