Chennaiyin FC's Ryan Edwards talks about position change, dressing room mindset in derby, ISL & more

The Chennaiyin FC captain talked about why he came to ISL and his aspirations with the club.

Chennaiyin FC captain Ryan Edwards has established himself as a fan favourite since joining the club in 2023. The Englishman was one of the finest defenders in Indian football last season and is continuing to do so under Owen Coyle.

Khel Now had a chance to interview Ryan Edwards before Chennaiyin FC’s Indian Super League fixture against Bengaluru FC. The excerpts from the interaction are shared below.

How Ryan Edwards became a centre-back?

When asked about how Ryan Edwards became a centreback, the Chennaiyin FC captain said, “As a kid, when I was growing up around 8, 9, 10 years old, I was always a lot bigger than everybody else in my age group. So, I used to play for my Saturday and Sunday team in midfield because I was physically a lot more ahead of others as I was naturally bigger and stronger and stuff.”

“So, I always used to just rely on stuff like that. I could always like on the pitch I could make people feel like I was there and intimidate them. As I got picked up into the academies, and as I was getting a little bit older, 14, 15, the players started naturally growing as well where I’d already done it at a young age. So, we became sort of equal then.”

“As I got older again at 16, that’s when Blackburn Rovers saw me move, they saw me, my future as a centre-half, as a centre-defender, being so tall and stuff and an aerial presence on the pitch. So, ever since then, when my manager, my under-16 coach put me at the back, I’ve never played anywhere else really.”

On playing outside of England for the first time

Having played most of his career in England, Edwards made a move to Scotland with Dundee United in 2020. When asked about his experience outside of England, the centreback said, “So, I was always in England and I just wanted to get as high as I could in England.”

“When COVID came and a lot of things changed and a lot of clubs were losing a lot of money. A lot of futures of clubs then changed and the way they saw things changed as well. They had to save as much money as possible. Of course, because there were no fans allowed in stadiums for over a year.”

“So, they had to find ways of making money quickly. At the time, the Scottish top flight, the Premiership, sort of, were one step ahead of the English leagues because they organised a situation where they could quickly get a small amount of funding so they could get some money through the gate and keep running.”

“So, when they did that, they obviously, with that COVID testing, they had to make sure players were tested so many times a week and they got that done pretty quickly. So, that league got up and running a lot more quicker than the English leagues. When I did move to Scotland in the COVID season, I think my first season was behind closed doors and then the second season, they started letting a certain percentage in.”

“I think halfway through my second season there, it was full gates again and then I loved the place. I signed a new contract there and became captain up in Scotland. I think I was 26, which is probably still a bit young to be coming captain at a big club like Dundee United and that’s why I loved it there.”

Talking about his ambitions, the CFC captain concluded by saying, “I signed a new contract with Dundee United and qualified for European football, which is where I had ambitions of playing in Europe. So, that was why I went to Scotland.”

Why did Ryan Edwards come to the Indian Super League (ISL)?

Following his stint with Scottish club Dundee United, Ryan Edwards moved to India with Chennaiyin FC in 2023. The centre-back was instantly made the captain of the club.

Talking about how he joined the Marina Machans, the Englishman said, “In terms of coming to India, after I finished my last contract in Scotland, the plan was to move back home to England and one or two things fell through close by.”

“Once I got a sniff of an opportunity of going and playing abroad, it’s something that I made my mind up on doing rather than going back to what I had known and what I’ve done all my life in playing in England.”

“So, you know, one or two things came up abroad, which fell through. So, I think I came in at the end of September 2023 and when Owen Coyle got the job, that made things go a little bit quicker. Because, I knew him from playing in England.”

“The gaffer has managed in Scotland and he’s managed over in America as well and been successful. So, there were a couple of phone calls with him and then I was over here to sign and get playing as quick as possible.”

Ryan Edwards on his first season with CFC

Talking about his journey so far and his aspirations with Chennaiyin FC, Ryan Edwards said, “I think when I first came, I think I came just before the first ISL game of the 2023-2024 season, which was Odisha FC. We obviously had a bad start. I came, but wasn’t up to match spirit, so I had to wait a couple of games to play.”

“We were playing catch-up straight away, losing the first three games. The squad was already put together, I think, even before Owen Coyle came in. So, we were not fighting against the odds, but we were certainly up against it and it was made clear that Owen still wanted to make it into the playoffs.”

“We were going into the March period around Easter and I think we were near the bottom of the league. In the last four games or three games, we went to win and qualified with a game to spare in the end. So, I think that was a big, huge success for CFC because they hadn’t been in the playoff finals for four or five years or longer, I’m not too sure.”

“I think that was good to be part of, to get the club back into there. Now, we want to try and make it the norm, to try and keep qualifying, to make sure everyone says, if you finish above CFC, then you’ll be in a good position.”

Is it more challenging playing as a captain?

Asked if playing as a captain means more pressure, Ryan Edwards said, “I mean, it might be for younger players. You see a lot of young captains now over in England, even in the Premier League. You see some young captains, 25, 24, which is probably young to say the captain in a big club. But once you’ve got three or four years’ experience of doing it like yourself, and it’s into my early thirties now, so it’s something I’d love to do.”

“When I came here and got the captaincy, I was delighted. It’s a privilege and an honour. I think to play such a vital role in centre-half, I think it’s even more of a responsibility, which you want as a player, as an experienced player.”

Regarding Chennaiyin FC’s bad form

“Yeah, we said at the start of the season, everything is going to have good and bad moments. But when we lost that third game, against East Bengal, we said, look what we did. This happened to us last season. Look how we bounced back.”

“Last season we lost our first three games and we had zero points after three games, which wasn’t ideal and then it has happened again. Obviously more into the season this time. But we were still not in a worse position because I think we were still 7th or 8th at the time.”

“And how tight the league is this year, it was something else. We knew what was going to happen because everyone was strengthening, including ourselves. We feel every other club is also strengthening, which is going to naturally make the league better.”

“So when the moments do come, it’s just trying to get out of them as quickly as possible and get back to the light days. But we know we’ve got a lot of home games to come. Early on, I think we’ve played six out of nine games away from home, which is unheard of in any country.”

“So where there’s a given time schedule, we need to look at that because that’s just wrong. But we’ve got to put it into our advantage like we did last season, which is to make the best of the home games, which is what we’ve done to get us into the playoffs by making them count.”

Ryan’s thoughts on the upcoming game against Bengaluru FC

Chennaiyin FC share a heated rivalry against Bengaluru FC. The two Southern giants have picked up big wins against each other in recent seasons. When asked about the upcoming game, Ryan Edwards said, “Yeah, it’ll be a good game.”

“Bengaluru FC have had a good season. So far, they’ve been at the top of the league. They’re the opposite to us as they’ve had a lot of home games. They’ve had the majority of theirs at home, whereas we’ve been away and have had to make it count.”

“So, that’s not their fault. They’ve been able to walk the park and have made it count. So, we’ve got a lot of points on the board at the minute. They’re competing for the top spot. I think we’re naturally better against teams like that, who are near the top of the league.”

“I don’t know what it is, we just seem to be at it more. And I think it’s a game where we will be up for it.”

Does the dressing room’s mindset change in derby games?

When asked if the mindset of football teams change in rivalry games or local derbies, Ryan Edwards said, “No, I don’t think so. When it comes to derby games, a team’s form usually doesn’t really count. The games take care of themselves.”

“When you’re expecting it, against your local rivals, That sort of thing takes care of itself mentally. As I say, Nothing much previously counts in derby games because form goes out the window and it’s about the rivalry and trying to find a way to win. You want to beat your local rivals, of course. But you don’t want to push this much at the back of the mind.”

How can Chennaiyin FC improve defensively?

Chennaiyin FC have conceded 19 goals in 13 ISL games this season. The Marina Machans have managed to keep just three clean sheets in the ISL overall in 2024.

When asked about CFC’s defensive struggles, the captain said, “I think not making many mistakes is the main thing. When it comes down to it, our games need to be pretty close and for when we do make mistakes, it’s usually down to individual mistakes.”

“If we do fix that, we know we should be scoring more as well as we do create chances. If we do keep it at zero, we obviously can’t lose and it gives you a better chance as far as not chasing games.”

“Would you agree with that as well? Ideally, we’d like to not do that and make less mistakes, which will give us a better chance at winning games and climbing the table, which is what we want to do.”

Ryan Edwards on Chennaiyin FC’s trophyless Run since 2018

Asked about the pressure to break Chennaiyin FC’s trophy jinx, the 31-year-old said, “Yeah, I think qualifying for the playoffs last season was a start because we haven’t been in it for so long and we are starting to build on it.”

Of course, at the start of the season, you can get re-trapped and all. We all want to win the trophies and I’m no different. There are a lot of giants in the league with a lot of money, so it’s obviously going to be difficult to compete.”

“But we certainly believe on our day we can beat them all. Where it’s this year or in the future, I’d love to be here and experience that and help do that for the club.”

On falling home attendance & Ryan’s message to the fans

Chennaiyin FC have picked up just one win in five home games this season. The fans are unhappy and have expressed their disappointment on social media. The stadium attendance for the Marina Machans also fell in their game against Hyderabad FC.

When asked about this, the CFC skipper said, “Once we start winning like we did against Hyderabad FC, then we know the fans will come back. So, it really lies in our hands. If we get results, then naturally, it happens all over the world. More people are going to come through the gate and watch the game.”

“So, that’s just up to us, just for them to know that we’re trying to do that. We want to put a good one together to take us into the new year strong and make these home games count coming into 2025, finish the season like we did last year and then see where it can take us.”

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