"Clubs have a real structure for which the ISL deserves massive credit" - Chennaiyin FC head coach Owen Coyle

Chennaiyin FC head coach Owen Coyle recently heaped praise on the Indian Super League (ISL) and the impact it has had on Indian football.

Speaking to the ISL's official website (via FSDL), the 57-year-old talked about the evolution of Indian football by using the example of Mumbai City winger Lallianzuala Chhangte. He said:

"There are many such stories in Indian football that the ISL has helped because of the elevation that it has given, and with the clubs becoming far more professional, organised, and having a real structure, which is going to drive Indian football ahead and the ISL deserves a massive credit for that."

About his eye for talent, the vastly experienced manager talked about the cases of Boris Singh Thangjam and Ritwik Das. Coyle added:

"I am a coach that even during my time at Jamshedpur FC, took boys that couldn’t get a game, clubs deemed that they aren’t good enough – Boris Singh, who is a young player, went to a huge club (erstwhile ATK Mohun Bagan), but couldn’t get a game because they had good players. But these players need an opportunity."

Ritwik Das, who joined Jamshedpur FC in October 2021 during Owen Coyle's tenure, has scored 10 goals and provided four assists for the club in 40 appearances. He even made his Team India debut in March 2023 against Myanmar in the Tri Nation Tournament.

"Even Ritwik Das is a national team player now and someone who is going to get better, going to excel. He couldn’t get a game at Kerala Blasters FC. I saw him do well for Real Kashmir FC and he was my type of player, I brought him there," he said.

In Owen Coyle's first-ever ISL season, Chennaiyin FC reached the final of the tournament but the final 3-1 against ATK in Fatorda. After his one-year tenure with the Marina Machans, he took over the reins at Jamshedpur FC, whom he guided to their first-ever silverware as the Red Miners clinched the 2021-22 ISL League Winners' Shield.

"In the early years, Chennaiyin FC was really successful, with the trophies and everything else" - Owen Coyle

Coyle re-joined Chennaiyin FC ahead of the ongoing season after a number of disappointing seasons for the club. Admitting that the club has failed to deliver in recent years, he said:

"In the early years, Chennaiyin FC was really successful, with the trophies and everything else. Obviously, in the last five seasons the only time we reached the playoffs was when I and my assistants came in and took them from the bottom to the grand finale. That tells me that there’s a lot of work ahead, and we need to try to take Chennaiyin FC back to the glory days of competing for trophies."

Drawing on his successful experience with Jamshedpur FC despite their lack of star-power, he stated:

"What we have shown with Jamshedpur FC, without bigger star players, you can still be champions. That should give everyone in the league real belief and hope that you can do that."

Chennaiyin FC's colourful and passionate fans have immense faith in their manager, who they believe can take them back to their glory days. About the importance of strong crowd support, Owen Coyle said:

"There has been a development in the fan bases. We know how passionate, colourful, and vocal they are. Of course, with each club, there is a hard core set of fans who are going to be there supporting the team whether they win, lose or draw. What we need to do is to encourage a lot more to be like that, and not to be like in a lot of countries, where they only support the winning teams. What we have to do is to have that consistent number supporting a team through thick and thin."

The two-time ISL winners are currently at the ninth spot in the ongoing 2023-24 ISL points table with 15 points from 14 matches. Having finished eighth in the last three seasons, Chennaiyin FC will be aiming for a turnaround this time by bagging as many points as possible from the remaining eight fixtures and qualifying for the playoffs.