The former Burnley and Bolton manager on coaching in
India at Jamshedpur, getting Covid-19 and Fowler’s task at East Bengal
Owen Coyle has managed some of the oldest clubs in the world in Bolton Wanderers, Burnley and Blackburn Rovers and some of the newest. There was an MLS stint with Houston Dynamo and a first season in the Indian Super League with Chennaiyin that ended with defeat in the final of the championship play-offs in March. After shaking off
Coronavirus last month, the Scot, still in India, hopes to go one better with Jamshedpur in the 2020-21 campaign that kicks off on Friday and win the three-year-old club a first national title.
It won’t be easy in a tournament that started as a glamorous sideshow in 2014 but has become the main event in Indian
Football. Six years ago, eight franchises owned by a mixture of Bollywood actors,
Cricket legends, big businesses and European clubs imported ageing stars such as Robert Pires, Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet amid plenty of fanfare. It has calmed down since and in 2019 replaced the I-League, not without considerable controversy, to become India’s top tier. What used to be a 10-week season will last more than four months and offers a pathway into Asian tournaments. It is a league that looks to be going places.