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Indian Super League: Peter Taylor enjoyed Kerala Blasters stint

Image: Peter Taylor believes football in India will take off

Peter Taylor has spoken publicly for the first time about his stint in the Indian Super League (ISL) with Kerala Blasters, which was cut short by mutual consent a month ago.

Under the guidance of player-boss David James, Kerala were runners-up in last year's inaugural ISL, with Taylor succeeding the former England goalkeeper at the beginning of this season.

But after beating NorthEast United 3-1 in his first game in charge, a run of four defeats in five matches saw Taylor become the first Indian Super League manager to leave his post mid-season.

"It was a good experience and I came back a little bit earlier because of a few little things that went wrong behind the scenes but it was a terrific experience," Taylor told Sky Sports.

"It was a little bit difficult because there was always talk of a takeover and new owners. In the end that took a little bit of time to get sorted out and the general manager did an incredible job in keeping everything together.

"I've got a lot of respect for the people out there. They are tremendous and the Kerala supporters are absolutely incredible, some of the best fans I've ever seen.

"I definitely think the league will take off. I think it will go really well and it will be a good place for people to go and work in the future."

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Atletico de Kolkata with Indian Super League trophy
Image: Atletico Kolkata won inaugural Indian Super League last year

While big-name players like Chennai's Elano and NorthEast United's Simao have lit up this year's ISL, Kerala were deprived of the services of marquee signing Carlos Marchena, who ended his spell in India mid-season due to personal reasons.

"That was unlucky for us," Taylor admitted.

"We go out there and we're hoping the marquee player is going to be the best player because he is the most expensive but in Carlos' case he had a bad back so he certainly wasn't fit enough to play for 90 minutes.

"In the end he worked to try and get out there and I think he only just about had 45 minutes in him. So, in that respect it was frustrating because you see the other teams with their marquee players, who were their best players, and that is what you want."

Image: Carlos Marchena was largely a bystander at Kerala

Former Leicester and Crystal Palace boss Taylor is the man who famously made David Beckham England captain when he took charge of the national side in a caretaker capacity 15 years ago.

And the 62-year-old, who has had two spells as England U21 manager, insists his coaching career is far from over.

"I hope to return to management," he said

"I spent two months working with the team every day on the training field in Kerala and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I do miss the training side of things the most because I enjoy that part of it but hopefully the phone will ring and there will be something out there."

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