‘Out to fight big boys for trophy’

Chennai: Four years ago, six games into the 2019-20 ISL season, Chennaiyin FC were languishing in ninth place. The club had endured another poor start after finishing a lowly 10th the previous season, and the players were in dire need of some inspiration. In came Owen Coyle and transformed the team’s fortunes, taking them to the final and notching up eight wins along the way.
A similar challenge awaits the Scotsman as he again takes the reins of the side, which has stood eighth in the league for the last three seasons in a row. Two days after being named the Marina Machans’ head coach, the former Premier League manager — who will join Chennaiyin for the Durand Cup which starts from August 3 —spoke with TOI at length about how he plans to compete with the big teams, deal with the absence of a pivotal player like Anirudh Thapa and gun for the big prize. Excerpts from the interview…
You’ve signed a multi-year deal, unlike what has been the case for CFC in the last four seasons. What does this mean for you? Will you focus on building the team in the first season and then go for the kill in the second season?
We’re not here to be admirers of everybody else in the first season. You’re right, we want to build the team because it's going to take hard work. Chennaiyin have only made the playoffs in one season in the last five, and that was the season that I came halfway through when they were at the bottom. So there’s a lot of work to be done. We'll try to be competitive this year and make the playoffs. The prize is the same as everybody else, but it’s going to take time. We don't sprinkle fairy dust and everything happens. It takes hard work and repetition. It takes getting good players and developing young Indian players.
Anirudh Thapa grew into a leadership role for CFC, and his absence will create a big void. Are you looking at grooming a young leader again like Thapa?
It’s a huge loss for any team not to have Thapa. That being said, even with players like Thapa, Vishal (Kaith) and (Lallianzuala) Chhangte, they never made the playoffs. So I have to find a way of making our strength as a group and making sure that we can fight it out with the big boys for the trophy. I’ll look to add and tweak things in the squad as I do, and have done in each transfer window. The important thing is that I'm able to put a team in the field that I really like and that the fans can enjoy, after the despondency of the last few years.
The club has signed
Jordan Murray and Farukh Choudhary, both of whom you have managed before. Are you trying to build a core of players with whom you have prior experience?
It all depends on players that become available. We would certainly look to bring in players in whose qualities we know, and know how they are as people. Jordan and Farukh were both outstanding for me. But equally, when I was at Jamshedpur FC, I didn’t know the boys I had brought in. I will give young talents the opportunity to step up. If they're good enough and continue to develop, brilliant.
How do you plan to replicate your success for the club?
A. The only way we can do that is by our hard work in the training ground and looking to nurture a team. Clubs that have a huge budget can sign proven performers. Because we don't have that big spending power, we can’t always do that. But it doesn’t really matter. We have to be the best version of what we are. We love nothing better than developing and growing our own young players into household names.