Jamshedpur FC have appointed Chennaiyin FC’s manager from last season Owen Coyle as their new head coach. The former Burnley and Bolton Wanderers manager led Chennaiyin on a remarkable run to the final of the 2019-20 ISL after taking over midway into the season.
Of Irish descent, but born in Scotland, Owen as a player represented a number of Scottish clubs like Motherwell, Falkirk, St Johnstone and also the English club Bolton Wanderers.
As a manager, Coyle’s most prominent achievement was helping Burnley win promotion to the Premier League from the Championship in 2009. He went onto manage Bolton Wanderers, Wigan Athletic and Blackburn Rovers among others.
In the 2019-20 ISL season, Chennaiyin FC appointed Owen Coyle as a replacement for John Gregory after the Marina Machans endured a poor start to the season. A turnaround in fortunes followed with Chennaiyin FC stringing together an eight match unbeaten run to qualify for the semi-finals (ISL Playoffs) where they defeated league winners FC Goa. In the final, they lost against ATK to finish up as runners up. An astonishing end to their campaign after finishing bottom of the table the season prior.
Jamshedpur FC under Antonio Iriondo finished a disastrous eighth in the league last season – their third year in the ISL. In their first two seasons in the ISL, they finished just outside the playoff positions. Coyle’s appointment marks a departure from their reliance on Spanish managers over the last two seasons.
Chennaiyin FC’s Golden Boot winner from last season Nerijus Valskis will follow Owen Coyle to the Red Miners and the announcement is expected shortly. With regards to the assistant manager role, Scottish coach Sandy Stewart, who has been deputy to Owen Coyle since 2007 will take over the position at Jamshedpur FC.
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