Jamshedpur FC appoints Owen Coyle as head coach

The 54-year-old Coyle, a Scot by birth and an Irishman by descent, had propelled Chennaiyin FC to a runner-up finish last season after taking charge mid-season.

Owen Coyle will be Jamshedpur FC’s fourth manager in the three years of its existence in the ISL.

Jamshedpur FC has chosen Owen Coyle for its Indian Super League journey in the upcoming season. The Scottish coach rose to fame last season after taking over as the coach of a faltering Chennaiyin FC in the middle of the tournament and helping the side reach the final(where it lost to ATK). On his new responsibility as the Jamshedpur FC manager, Coyle said that he was conscious of the passionate fans and will try put “a smile on everybody’s face.”

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Coyle has a rich experience of coaching clubs in England, Scotland and the U.S.A prior to his Indian assignment.  “As you are seeing now, football is playing a huge part in bringing smiles in lots of places in the world. I want to make JFC a winning team on the field. And a team that is a representative of the passion of the fans,” Coyle said during an online news conference organised by JFC.

When asked about his plans, Coyle said: “It is going to be a huge challenge. Young India players are hugely important and we will have to stand together. I will try to make sure that when they speak about ISL, they speak about Jamshedour FC,” Coyle said.

Coyle  picked defender Narender Gehlot and midfielder Amarjit Singh as the youngsters to look out for this season. “There are a lot of young talents in the squad. But those who have caught my eye are Narender and Amarjit,” he said.

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Jamshedpur FC CEO Mukul Choudhari said that the team cannot have a pres-season at its own facility owing to the strict COVID-19 guidelines. “Because of the strict quarantine regulations we cannot train at one venue and play somewhere else. We are waiting for the ISL to announce the competition venue and we will decide our pre-season accordingly,” he said.