Subhash Bhowmick resigns as East Bengal coach

East Bengal coach Subhash Bhowmick on Monday resigned owing up the moral responsibilty for his side's 3-5 loss to arch-rival Mohun Bagan in a round four I-League match.

Having earlier crashed out of IFA Shield and Durand Cup in the league stages, East Bengal yesterday slipped to a record low as Mohun Bagan exorcised the ghost of 1975 IFA Shield final when East Bengal blanked them 5-0.

East Bengal president Pranab Dasgupta said he had got a letter in the afternoon from Bhowmick saying, "I take the moral responsibility of the failure. I am grateful that the club had given me an opportunity to coach the side."

The club president said Bhowmick's resignation was accepted and a few names have been shortlisted but a core committee meeting will be held on Tuesday to look out for his replacement.

"He is a respected figure having given us so many trophies including Asean Cup and national league titles. As a player, he had scored a goal in our 5-0 victory in 1975. If he does not want to continue, we cannot force him," Dasgupta said.

The names doing rounds include Serbian coach Zoran Djordjevic who had guided Churchill Brothers to their maiden I-League title last season and Belgium's Philippe De Ridder who had joined East Bengal in 2005-06.