Aidy Boothroyd reveals the only negative thing Owen Coyle said about Jamshedpur FC

The tactician also shared the reason behind coming to India.

Aidy Boothroyd is a new face in the Indian football circuit, having joined last season’s ISL shield winner Jamshedpur FC as their head coach. 

Recently, the tactician joined Khel Now’s ‘Beyond The Scores’ podcast. He sat down with host Ashish Negi and had a candid chat, talking about his new role as the head coach of Jamshedpur FC.

The Englishman spoke about his first move outside UK, Indian football, Jamshedpur FC, and much more. This article follows Part 1 of the interview, which covers his move to Jamshedpur FC and who helped him in the same.

On his first move outside the UK

Aidy Boothroyd made his first move outside the United Kingdom when he signed a contract with Indian Super League outfit Jamshedpur FC.

When asked about the same, he said, “I was working at Sheffield United at the time when I saw Owen (Coyle) winning the Shield. I always wanted to try my skills in another country, having played and worked in all four leagues. I wanted to come and work in another country. It has always been an ambition of mine to work abroad. Having said that, this opportunity came along.”

Boothroyd also mentioned that he attended a couple of interviews and also had a chat with former Jamshedpur FC coaches Steve Coppell and Owen Coyle to get an idea of their experiences working in the ISL. 

“I went for it, had a couple of interviews. I spoke to Steve Coppell, I spoke to Owen Coyle just to find out their experiences of Indian football and India in general. After I spoke to those two guys, I was adamant, I was coming.”

He did all that was possible and got the job at Jamshedpur FC as their head coach.

On why he chose India

Aidy mentioned that his son and daughter have grown up and are making their own way in life. 

He was finally ready to travel to different parts of the world and take up roles in different countries. Aidy shared the same with his wife and she said, “Let’s go for it!”

Aidy, when asked about why he chose to join a club in India, said, “Why India because Jamshedpur FC showed some real interest.” 

The Jamshedpur FC mastermind also stated that he is enjoying his time in India and has got along well with the people and culture of the country. 

Also Read: Aidy Boothroyd's exclusive interview with Khel Now: Part 1

What impressed Aidy to join JFC?

Aidy Boothroyd highlighted that coaches look at the club’s position before joining them. They usually see if the club has been relegated, has been underperforming, etc. However, this was not the case with the Red Miners.

“The team has been over-performing,” said Aidy Boothroyd when asked what impressed him to join Jamshedpur FC.

“For me, it’s going to be winning after winning as we’ve already proved that we can do it once. We have lost a key player in Greg Stewart but hopefully, we can find some new top-scorers and we can find new assisters and maybe share the goals around a little bit,” Aidy added.

Impression of Indian Football

The 51-year-old coach had his say on Indian football. He said, “My impression of Indian football is that it is a brilliant project.” 

Aidy was all praise for Jamshedpur FC and their training ground. He also heaped praise on TATA steel who back the club and have provided the players with wonderful facilities. The Englishman spoke on the club’s pre-season games.

“As far as pre-season is gone, that’s been a real mismatch and a mixture of players as I want to look at everybody and it’s gone really well. We played the three I-League teams so I’ve got a fair understanding of what their level is,” Boothroyd said.

On his conversation with Owen Coyle 

Aidy Boothroyd had a conversation with former Jamshedpur FC head coach Owen Coyle. The latter praised the people whom he worked with during his time at the club. 

“He said it’s a long road from Ranchi. That’s the only negative thing he said. Particularly, the people. He was very big on emphasizing the quality of the people that they are working with."

In the end, Aidy mentioned that there was a lot of competition for the role of head coach at Jamshedpur FC. However, he was fortunate of getting the job and is hopeful of putting up an excellent show this season. 

The Men of Steel have already played two games in the ISL, having drawn one and lost the other.