Chennaiyin FC (CFC) have appointed former Bolton Wanderers and Burnley manager, Owen Coyle as their new head coach for the rest of the season. The 53-year-old Scotsman replaces John Gregory, who departed the club last month after a poor run of form.
Having played as a striker for the likes of Bolton, Dundee United and Motherwell as a player, Coyle started his managerial career with St Johnstone in 2005. His biggest breakthrough, however, came in 2009 when he took Burnely to the Premier League from English Championship. He also guided them to their first-ever victory over Manchester United at home for 33 years.
A string of positive results saw Bolton making a move for Coyle and in January 2010, the move materialized. He worked through his philosophy and took Bolton to the FA Cup semi-final before moving to Wigan Athletic in 2013. A journeyman even as a manager, Coyle’s last assignment came with Ross County of the Scottish Premiership in 2018.
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"I am incredibly proud to join Chennaiyin FC as Head Coach. It will be my immense privilege to join a club with so much success already in its early history with two ISL titles. I believe we possess a squad with great potential and the hunger to do well, complemented by an ardent fanbase always backing us. I can't wait to get started," said an elated Coyle on the phone to the CFC media team.
"Owen (Coyle) is a renowned name in British football, with a fantastic career as both player and coach. We are really happy and excited to have him onboard. Our conversations with Owen have been really promising and we are certain he will steer us back to glory. I wish him the very best as he begins his tenure with us," Chennaiyin FC's co-owners said in a joint statement.
Chennaiyin FC, having played a 2-2 draw against Odisha FC last month, sit ninth in the Indian Super League table. The club have recorded just one win from their last six encounters while scoring a mere four goals; all of which came in their last two games.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Graham Stuart
