Shillong Lajong part ways with Bulpin
Des Bulpin has been relieved of his duties as coach of Shillong Lajong after just seven months in charge of the I-League outfit.
By ESPNSTAR.com staff
Bulpin was handed the reins at the Nehru Stadium last June and was tasked to help the club improve on last season's 10th-placed finish in the 14-team league.
However, the Scot has struggled to revive the club's fortunes so far in the 2012/13 season, with the Reds picking up just 12 points from their opening 16 games.
And it appears last Sunday's 1-0 loss to Pailan Arrows, which left Shillong languishing in 12th place, was enough to convince the club hierarchy to dispose of Bulpin, a move which was confirmed on their official website on Tuesday.
"Shillong Lajong has relieved Chief Coach Desmond Bulpin of his duties," read the statement.
"Assistant Coach Thangboi Singto will take charge as Interim coach with immediate effect."
Larsing M. Sawyan, the club's general secretary, was quick to praise Bulpin's work during his time with the Reds, but also expressed his belief that the club were headed in the right direction under Singto.
"The club would like to place in record the valuable contributions of Desmond Bulpin in the Youth Development system of the club, which we believe will pay dividends in the near future," he said.
"We thank him for his services and the commitment showed to the club. We wish him all the best for the future.
"Thangboi has been with the team since 2009 and has two-and-a-half seasons of I-League experience, besides a stint in the second division in [the] 2010/11 season, when Shillong Lajong qualified again [for] the I-League.
"We have faith in his abilities."
Shillong are next in action on Monday when they entertain Air India.