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After attaining another victory in the season against the defending champions, the Jamshedpur FC side will now move ahead to face Chennaiyin FC tomorrow. Head coach Owen Coyle talks about the team’s plan for the crucial games up ahead, thoughts on facing his former team and Greg’s stunning form.
On the team’s approach for the decisive 5 games in the season up ahead…
Our approach is going to be the same as we have in all other games i.e. with a view to try and win them but our biggest game of the season is the upcoming game against Chennaiyin FC. You know, in football, if you try to look too far ahead, you’ll end up getting punched in the nose. We have to focus and concentrate on each and every game. We have to be ready for the challenge against Chennaiyin FC who have some wonderful players whom I know very well; players that went from the bottom of the league when I came into the club, to nearly becoming champions. On any other day Chennai would have won that final so, I know the quality they have and we’ll be very respectful of that. But equally, I know what we have in this group of Jamshedpur and when we are at our very best, then we can win games and that’s what we need to do, but on an individual basis. We will be looking to win the three games ahead of us and try to attain as many points as we can, as early as we can. So the sooner we pick up points, the better for everyone. For now, we just have to focus on the next game, which is a quick turnaround. We’re scheduled to play six games in 18 days so that’s a big challenge in itself. So we have to make sure that we recover well and then prepare and get into the next game.
On the importance of having a winning momentum…
Well, it’s nice to win games and that’s what we have to keep doing. That being said, what’s behind us cannot affect us anymore but what can affect us is what’s to come and that’s why we need to continue winning games. It’s all good and well with people saying, you’ve done this, you’ve done that but truth be told, we’ve achieved nothing. This is a club which has never been in the playoffs or in the top four, and that was our target to start the season with – to try and get in those playoffs and give our fans something to shout and be excited about, but we’re still not there yet. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us and I would suggest we have to work even harder now than what we’ve put into getting to where we are. So we must stay focused, concentrated and keep driving each player to keep going to get those valuable points which will take us into those top spots.
On playing Chennaiyin FC in the upcoming game…
I think this game will be the toughest game of the season because we’re coming towards the business end of the season and looking to collect all the points that we can. Chennaiyin FC probably feel that their chance to qualify has passed by them but I know they have got quality players and there are a lot of players that we know well after playing against. So there’s no doubt this is going to be a tough challenge as the league has also shown that even SC East Bengal, who are placed at the bottom of the table, can still pick up points against tough opponents by winning and drawing games. So each and every game in this league is such a tough game. Chennaiyin are dangerous opponents in my opinion and they’ll get the utmost respect but we have to concentrate on what we do in Jamshedpur. If we are at our very best then of course, we believe it’s a game that we can win.
On the current injuries in the squad…
Komal is going to miss a period of time in the season and we’ve missed Farukh throughout the whole season as well. Jordan came into the game in the previous game and did very well for us but again, he was involved for only 20 minutes as we have to be very careful with Jordan, who is such a wonderful player, and we want him back to full health. So I’ll give him some time but there were bumps and bruises because we played only two days ago and were asked to come in for a really high octane competitive event against Chennaiyin FC. So we’ll look to see who’s available and what level of fitness everyone is at and then pick the team accordingly. I’ve got lads who have been difficult to leave out. Alex Lima had to be left out for the last couple of games even though he was arguably our best player against Bengaluru. But we needed some changes and needed to solidify our defence a little bit and unfortunately, Alex was the foreigner who had to be sacrificed for that. But we do have an opportunity to bring Alex back in so we have various options and it’s great to see the young wingers, Boris and Ritwik, doing well. Len is there as well, jumping back in the team with Mobashir looking to get back in the midfield as well. So it’s good that we have competition for places and long may that continue.
On your milestone of managing 50 games in the ISL…
I think it’s nice that Carlos Caudrat put a lovely message on Twitter. My son informed me about it and it was very kind of him to do that. He’s a man whom I know really well who is obviously a fantastic coach and has been a champion. So to Carlos I would like to say, thank you very much, you’re very kind. I wasn’t aware of the milestone myself and it was Carlos who made me aware of it. It’s always nice to achieve such milestones and I’ll take the 50 games in the ISL considering the way the clubs switch coaches in this league which is quite remarkable. The thing about the league is that people look at the league and think that it’s only about the top 4 spots and the clubs in the top four, had a good season and others haven’t, which is sometimes not the case. It’s definitely not, given the different circumstances and working as a head coach, I can tell you how difficult it is. So I’ve utmost respect for all of my colleagues and I think on a bigger note, some clubs should show faith that if they bring some in who have been brought for a reason, give them the opportunity to try and build something for the club. But, it was a nice thing for Carlos to do. So thank you, Carlos!
On Greg’s exceptional performance in the season so far…
Well, I don’t want to seem like the clever one after the event, but I did tell everybody in pre-season about the quality he has. It was a position that I’d been looking for since the previous season which will help improve the team of Jamshedpur FC and I felt that was the missing link in how we wanted to go about the league. We wanted to have that natural number 10 like I had at Chennaiyin FC as Rafa Crivellaro, who is a wonderful player and Greg is the perfect one for that position because he’s showing unbelievable quality. The other thing that is really something people should understand is that Greg Stewart also comes with a winning mentality. He was a champion with Glasgow Rangers, Daniel Cima was also a 3 time Champion at Molde. So with the players I bring, I want to make sure they’re good players but also make sure they have that winning mentality. So that’s what we’re trying to build here in Jamshedpur FC and Greg is a huge part of that. I’m a football lover and I love watching good players even if they are from the opposition team because people bring talent and quality which is something Greg has in abundance. He’s very much a team player and he has worked so hard for the team but when he gets the ball, of course we get excited because he can take on a player, create good passes and can even score goals. He has so much creativity, drive, passion, desire and all the qualities that I look for in a player. He’s been a tremendous credit to himself so far with Jamshedpur and I would suggest to the ISL that he’s been a tremendous addition to the league. But the important thing that I tell the players before every game is that these performances have to keep continuing. Greg has been great in the season so far but it’ll count for nothing if he doesn’t keep doing the same now in the business end. This thought drives him on because I know he wants to show people how good of a player he is. It’s great to have somebody of his quality at our disposal. The great thing is football’s not an individual sport, it’s a team sport and Greg’s only as good as the man playing next to him and everyone in the team is playing their part to help.
