I almost returned home: Noel

KOLKATA: A couple of months ago Mohun Bagan midfielder Noel Wilson thought his 2005-06 season was over. The stifling regime of Jahar Das pushed him back to the wall and such was the despair of this Bangalore lad.
"I want to come back home. It's no point staying in Kolkata," he said. But his strength, mom Mary Wilson, told him not to lose heart.
He listened and is having one of his best phases in his playing career.Wearing the captain's band Noel is on the road to redemption under new coach Biswajit Bhattacharya.
"Unlike Jahar sir, he is not a physical trainer. He understands us very well. And the results are proving that," Noel told TOI on Sunday.
Bagan's hat-trick of wins since Bhattacharya took over the reins, have given the beleaguered Noel something to cheer about. He is taking more responsibility and has been looking sharp like never before. "I am enjoying the practice sessions. When you have a friendly coach like him everything falls into place," the TFA product said.
So what went wrong after Das took over? "He is a weak personality and tried to ruin my career. I was genuinely injured before the East Bengal match (on January 22) but he said I was feigning. I am not the type to run away. And then in Goa he played politics. I didn't like it and gave it back on his face. The result was I lost my first team place."
Calling spade a spade is probably in Noel's genes. His cousin and one of is childhood idols, former international Carlton Chapman, never minced words. And paid dearly for it. Noel, like Chapman, says he will never shy away from speaking the truth. "I am what I am. There are people who don't like truth and for them I may be useless."