Exclusive: We are coming with the belief to make playoffs- Owen Coyle

The newly-appointed Scotsman had an interesting conversation with Khel Now as he addressed several issues with his new club.

The long-serving John Gregory, who led Chennaiyin FC to the title back in 2018, received the sack following a series of disappointing results. Owen Coyle, former Premier League manager with Burnley and Bolton Wanderers, has been appointed the new head coach of the club. The beginning of the 2019-20 season in the Indian Super League has been disastrous so far for the Marina Machans. The two-time champions are currently languishing in ninth position. [KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] Ahead of the Scotsman's first game as at the helm of the club against red-hot Jamshedpur FC, he exclusively interacted with Khel Now reflecting on his previous experiences, expectations for the season and more. 1. What have you been up to since leaving your last role at Ross County? A- Obviously, I’ve been out of management for just over a year. I’ve visited a lot of friends at different clubs and looked over a few things. I’ve spent time on improving and learning more of the changes coming in our game. You’re always learning, developing and evolving. I obviously also received a number of offers from clubs during this period, but never really felt a connection till the opportunity at Chennaiyin came along. 2. What was the motivation to come to India at this stage of your career, after having spent almost all of your managerial career in the United Kingdom? A- I’ve followed the Indian Super League over the years, since its inception, truth be told. As there have always been many friends and colleagues involved in it. I absolutely love football and football truly is my life. I am always up for new challenges.The prospect of Chennaiyin in a league like the ISL, was really exciting and one I just could not pass up. 3. You are taking over a team in the middle of the season. What are some of the challenges that come with it, as compared to joining a side in the summer? A- One of the challenges I believe would be the travel and size of the country, for the away games. It is completely different from what we have in England. That’s a challenge in terms of planning and logistics. But, essentially, football is the same game worldwide. I’m just looking forward to it. Any other challenges, we’ll face them head on and overcome them. We’ll find solutions to all the problems that might arise. 4. You have signed a contract until the end of the season? What is your brief? A- The brief is very much to take as many points as possible from the 36 up for grabs and qualify for one of the elusive playoffs spots. Despite what people might think, I am very much certain we stand a healthy chance of making it. We need to work harder than ever and put on a run; use the momentum and give ourselves the best chance to qualify. 5. Are you open to staying in India for the long term? A- I’ve signed till the end of the season, because the focus is on doing well until then and then taking it from there. It is an opportunity for me to come in and impress everybody. I’m certainly very open-minded to continuing beyond this season. It is important that I come in and show a good body of work in terms of how we go about it and what we bring to the football club. I think it serves well for all the parties at the moment. 6. With a third of the season gone, is it still a realistic target to make the playoffs? A- At the moment, we obviously find ourselves with a lot of work to do, but that won’t faze us. We have a good group of players who have the ability to win games. Now, we have to find ways of ensuring we do that. I think the ISL has shown that if you get that momentum and win games back-to-back, it can obviously elevate you up the table straightaway and that’s what we have to aim for. We know it’s a difficult start with two away games at Jamshedpur and NorthEast United, but we are coming in with the belief to make the playoffs and hopefully win the title. Chennaiyin have done it before. Obviously, there’s a lot of work to do, but it’s an exciting challenge. We believe we can get a team on the field that can win games. 7. What has been your assessment of the general strengths and weaknesses of the squad? A- Looking at the squad, I think there are some very good players here. Our job is to try and get them to the maximum level. They have showed potential, but now we have to get the level of their performance up, to turn those draws into three points. When you can win games, it's obviously shown that you can catapult up the league. The other thing that is very important in football is momentum. If you can get on that run it would be great. The club has shown that in previous seasons, they have found the momentum and gone on a winning run. 8. Have you been following the league from afar? What are your impressions? A- Absolutely. Like any league, there’s been a lot of good work done from the beginning, there’s a solid base. I think foreigners coming in now need to recognize that there is huge talent there with young Indian players. I’ve always loved developing young players. Part of my objective is looking to develop the infrastructure, while developing our own young players. As that also helps build the identity with the fans. They see a boy who grew up locally and now is everything the club stands for. I think there’s a lot of good work going on. 9. The ISL is now in its sixth season? Can you tell us how the league is perceived in Europe, especially where you are from? A- The ISL is surely perceived as a league with great potential, even in Europe, especially given the involvement of so many European players and coaches, of different nationalities. Like I've mentioned, there's a solid base in place from the previous seasons to build on. One can see the quality of football has already improved greatly from the matches this campaign. 10. Goalscoring has been a major issue for the team. How do you plan to address this? A- We have to get that balance right. We’ve been strong defensively, but we have to be a real attacking threat too. Draws aren’t going to help us move up the table, three points in games will. We have to find a way to get the balance right. Whether it is home or away, we’ve got to treat every game as a winnable game and find a solution to do that. We need to play a more attractive and expansive style of football. [KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News | Article Continues Below"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS] 11. What are some of the things you’ll be looking to implement in the short term? A- My teams have always played an attractive brand of football and it will be my endeavour to see that continue at CFC. I think we have talented individuals, but our strength will be as a group always. It’s a team sport, it’s about everyone pulling together in the same direction and giving their absolute everything, on a daily basis on the training ground and in the matches. They are backed by fantastic owners and more importantly, a fanatic fanbase who absolutely loves the club. We have to make sure that as a group we are representative of that fanbase on the pitch. So, that means hard work, dedication, professionalism, a fantastic attitude and a real desire to win games. We want to win, but we also want to be entertaining while we’re doing it. 12. You succeed another British manager John Gregory at the club. Have you had the chance to speak to him about the club and the group of players you’ll be working with? A. No, I haven't had a word with John yet. I do know John in passing. We’ve been a part of English football during different periods of time. John has seen fantastic success. He was an ISL champion here in his first year, that was outstanding. Everyone back home is also aware of his success in India, he’s got a very good reputation.