Ashley Westwood prides himself in turning Kerala Blasters from a ‘ship into a train’

All credit for an incredible turnaround in Kerala Blasters’ Indian Super League (ISL) campaign goes to their interim head coach, Ashley Westwood. In less than a month, the Englishman has turned a winless Blasters into an unbeaten side.

On Thursday, even as he was suspended, Westwood's imprint was evident in a 2-1 win over Odisha FC in Kochi. With that win, the Blasters have three wins and a draw in their last four matches, lifting them out of the relegation zone.

Westwood shared the joy of this transformation in a LinkedIn post. “An incredible experience once again in India,” posted the two-time I-League winner with Bengaluru FC. “3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss, which came in our first game. With the team 2nd bottom of the league with 4 loses, 1 draw and 3 goals scored, none in open play, I was asked to come and steady the ship.”

In Westwood’s opinion, the sinking ship is now cruising, but without the turbulence of a rough sea, more like a locomotive. “Credit to all staff and players connected, it’s not often you turn a ship into a train. Hopefully, more fans will jump on board for the last 2 games. Let’s go Kerala, we want more.”

Incredibly, the Blasters have achieved this on-field stability without the backing of the majority of their fans. The popular fan groups, including Manjappada and Blasters Army, have been boycotting home matches, protesting alleged mismanagement by the club's management.

Recently, former player C K Vineeth made a social media appeal to bring together fans. He was in attendance at the venue for the Odisha match, joined by more than 11,000 fans, presumably not from the fan groups.

Westwood video-called Vineeth after the win, and the player shared it with the fans. Vineeth played for Westwood at Bengaluru.