Newcastle Flop Michael Chopra Wants To Be A Manager

He might never have pulled up too many trees at Newcastle in his years on Tyneside - and is mostly remembered for scoring after just 15 seconds of coming on against Sunderland, and also for the most horrific (and apparently intentional) miss for Sunderland against the Magpies - but Michael Chopra has his eyes on a big prize in the new Indian Super League. The former Newcastle striker is currently playing for Kerala Blasters, and believes his experience of working under Roy Keane and Sir Bobby Robson means he would be a perfect candidate to follow in the footsteps of David James and Marco Materazzi, who are both currently player-managing clubs in the competition:

€œLook at some of the managers I have worked under - the likes of Sir Bobby Robson and Roy Keane. Sir Bobby was one of the best managers in history. I learnt so much from him. He used to talk about lots of players but I always remember him telling me about taking Ronaldo to Barcelona when he was just a kid, taking him under his wing and mentoring him... So I€™ve got lots of experience and knowledge about the game even at this moment in time that€™s why I€™m starting to think about when I go the other way.€

Unfortunately for the player affectionately known as Rocky by everyone who discovered his real name, Fumaca also played under Bobby Robson, and there's no claims that he is all of a sudden massively skilled and experienced. Far from it in fact. Perhaps Chopra learned more from the experience than the wayward Brazilian though? Chopra says he is keen to speak to I-League clubs as he seeks to establish himself as a key figure in Indian football, having been the first player of Indian heritage to play in the Premier League:

€œI-League clubs can only have four foreigners and I know a lot of the clubs have recruited their quota so it€™s a case of trying to pick the right club. I think there might be a new club formed in Pune who will be looking for new players and a new manager. €œI€™d like to get in touch with the guys because it could be a great opportunity to become a player-manager. It was a few years ago when I said I would never do it but the older I have gotten the greater desire I have to help young kids and give something back.€

Can Rocky channel the eye of the tiger in India? Who knows - if David James can be a manager, then anything is possible.