It hasn’t been a good day for managers, with David James and Jose Mourinho being sacked by their respective clubs Kerala Blasters and Manchester United respectively.
David James took over the Blasters for the second time in their history after Rene Meulensteen was fired by the club after a poor start to season four. The Englishman, a popular man in Kerala who had led the club to a runners-up spot in his last spell in charge of the club, was welcomed with open arms by the club faithful.
The relationship soon went south, with attendances plummeting after an indifferent start to the season. The 6-1 shellacking by Mumbai City was possibly the last straw with Modou Sougou bagging a hat-trick within the first 30 minutes for the Islanders.
-8
Kerala’s goal difference this season. Only Pune City and Chennaiyin are worse off.
-6
Kerala’s goal difference in the entirety of James’ second stint at the Blasters.
1
Number of wins that Blasters have this season. Joint lowest along with Delhi Dynamos and Chennaiyin FC, the only two clubs below them in the table.
1
Number of home wins that David James managed in his entire second stint. James was in charge of 10 home games in Kochi but managed a solitary win in front of the Manjapadda.
1.17
Points per game that Blasters picked up while James returned to the helm of the Kerala-based ISL side. They picked up a total of 27 points from 23 games.
6
David James oversaw 23 matches in his second reign at the Blasters. He managed six wins in total, five of those coming in the fourth season.
6
Number of goals scored by Mumbai City in their 6-1 thrashing of Kerala Blasters. This is the Blasters’ heaviest defeat in five ISL seasons, the previous record also being held by Mumbai City who smashed em’ 5-0 in 2016.
6
Number of draws managed by Blasters this season with six league games to go. Their highest for a season is 7, achieved last time around.
6.48
Conversion rate achieved by the Blasters this season. Goals were hard to come by for the Kerala side.
9
The number of points that Kerala Blasters have picked up this season. This is their worst start to an ISL season after their opening 12 games.
9
The number of draws after James took over Rene Meulensteen last season. The draw has been the most common result in the ex-Portsmouth keeper’s second managerial stint at Blasters, with six wins and eight losses.
11
The longest winless streak in Kerala Blasters’ history and the second longest in ISL history after Delhi Dynamos snapped theirs at 12. A 2-0 win over ATK at the start of the season was as good as it got.
11
Difference in points between them and fourth-placed side NorthEast United. With only 18 points to play for, the Blasters have an uphill task ahead of them to make the play-offs.
14
Number of goals conceded by the Blasters in five games against the top four sides this season, Bengaluru, Mumbai City, Goa and NorthEast United.
26
Win percentage for the Blasters under David James in his second stint in charge. Six wins out of 23 for the Englishman.
26
Also the number of goals scored since James last assumed charge of the Blasters. 14 in 11 games last season, but only 12 in 12 this time around.
32
The number of goals that the Blasters have conceded in 23 games of David James’ second innings’ in charge of the Blasters.
8451 and 8659
The two lowest home attendances recorded by the Blasters ever in their five-year history in their 1-1 draw to Jamshedpur FC and a 1-0 loss to Pune City.