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Jamshedpur FC’s Owen Coyle: Want to make our fans proud by qualifying for the semi-finals
Jamshedpur FC head coach Owen Coyle is determined to ride the momentum and help the team in making its best-ever finish in the competition as they prepare themselves for another test when they face Chennaiyin FC in Match 96 of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 season at the Tilak Maidan Stadium, in Vasco, Goa on Sunday evening. The team is looking confident to make it to the semi-finals this year as well.
The Men of Steel are currently at the third spot in the league table with 28 points from 15 matches which includes eight wins and four draws.
Coyle addressed the media during the pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s match.
Here are the excerpts from the press conference:
Jamshedpur FC has five decisive matches ahead. What will the approach be?
We have to focus and concentrate on each and every game. That’s what we have to do. We have to be ready for the challenge against Chennaiyin FC. They have some wonderful players. I know they have very good players, that went from the bottom of the league when I came in to be near champions.
So I know the qualities they have and we’re very respectful of that. But equally, I know what we have in Jamshedpur FC which, if we play best, we can win games, and that’s what we need to do on an individual basis, not working two and three games ahead, and try to obtain as many points as we can. And as early as we can.
So the sooner we pick up points, the better for everyone. And that’s what we have to do, just walk to the next game. It’s a quick turnaround, we’re scheduled, you know, to play six games in 18 days. So that’s a big challenge in itself, we should recover (after every game), and then get prepared and get into the next game and that’s all work to do.
Jamshedpur FC have won five out of their last six matches, how important is it to have such momentum?
Well, it’s nice to win games. That’s what we have to do. But that being said, what’s behind us cannot affect (us now), what we can affect is what’s to come. And that’s where we need to continue winning games. So it’s all good. And well, people saying, you know, you’ve done this, you’ve done that, (but) we’ve achieved nothing.
This is a club that’s never been in the semi-finals and the top four. And that was our target at the start of the season, to try and get in those semi-final spots and give our fans something to show about, something to get excited about. We’re still not there. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us. I would suggest even harder now, than what we have done to get where we are (now).
The Hero ISL 2021-22 have had some unexpected results this season, with NorthEast United FC defeating Bengaluru FC last night. How do you look into this game?
Yeah, I would suggest the game will be the toughest given the season because coming to the business end of the season, we were looking for points. Chennaiyin FC would probably feel that their chances pass them by. But I know them, the pro players, they have quality players.
And a lot of players that I know myself and you know, the other players we are playing against, aren’t an alien and competing against them, there’s no doubt, this is going to be a tough, tough challenge. And they showed that you know, whether you’re SC East Bengal, or at the foot of the table, they can pick up points, tough opponents that can win games of the showing. They can draw games.
So each and every game in this league is a tough game, and Chennaiyin FC are dangerous opponents, they’ll get the utmost respect when we have to concentrate on what we do at Jamshedpur FC. And if we are at our very best, of course, we believe that it’s a game that we can win.
Greg Stewart recently became the highest goal scorer for Jamshedpur FC in a single season. What are your thoughts on him?
It was a position that I’d been looking for since last season to improve ourselves at Jamshedpur. I felt that was certainly a missing link and how we want to think about it, to have that natural number 10. Wonderful player, which I had in Rafael Crivellaro in Chennaiyin FC.
And Greg has shown unbelievable qualities. Here’s another thing as well, for people to understand, players like Greg come with a winning mentality, he was a champion with Glasgow Rangers. Daniel Chima – three time champion with Molde FK [Chima’s former club]. So the players I try to bring in, I want to make sure they are good players, but they also should have that winning mentality.
So that’s what we are trying to build at Jamshedpur FC, Greg is a huge part of that. I’m a football lover. I love watching good players, even everything, the opposition, you know, when people bring talent, they bring quality. And Greg Stewart has got that very much in abundance, but he’s very much a team player.