Profile: Who should be the next head coach of Jamshedpur FC?

Owen Coyle announced his departure from the club a few months earlier.

First four seasons, four different coaches and then the winners of Hero ISL 2021-22 Shield when the coach continued in the fifth season. Changing coaches frequently rarely helps any team and Jamshedpur FC knows this very well. But owing to Owen Coyle’s personal reasons the managerial post is vacant at the club.

The current champions of India missed play-offs agonisingly thrice in the first four seasons. And one can’t say changing the man at the helm has helped them much until Owen Coyle came. Any manager needs time to implement his playing style and get the best out of every player. The club knows this very well and will look to give the boss an ample amount of time.

But the question remains, who needs to be trusted to lead the project? Who can build up on the good work done by Owen Coyle? Who can make the most out of the Tata Football Academy (TFA) graduates? We shall find out these answers in this piece.

Build up to 2022-23 season

Jamshedpur FC enjoyed their best campaign last season and seems to be in hibernation after it. The young centre-back Narender Gehlot is expected to sign a multi-year deal with Odisha FC. Their local lad Mobashir Rahman has joined East Bengal. And adding to the misery, talisman Greg Stewart is rumoured to not renew at the Steel City. 

Amid all these departures, the renewal of captain Peter Hartley and towering Eli Sabia is a positive step toward next season. The club from Jharkhand needs to hire a good coach as soon as possible before their core group of players jump clubs.

Team Troubles

The biggest setback for Indian players is their lack of consistency at the top level. For a team like Jamshedpur FC which is known for showing faith in youngsters, it’s big trouble to shoot down in the upcoming season. Owen Coyle did bring out the best from the young guns, but in patches not throughout the season. Like the drop in form of Ishan Pandita and Ritwik Das in the semi-finals against Kerala Blasters.

With Farukh coming back next season Jamshedpur FC has got some real firepower in the forward department and the coach will have to get the best out of them consistently to ease the burden of foreign players. 

The homecoming of Owen Coyle has put the club in an undesirable situation where they need someone who can continue with the same philosophy for a smoother transition.

Continue the good work

For the first time in their brief history, Jamshedpur FC had a definite playing style. Unlike before the players knew their roles and responsibilities. Owen Coyle was once termed a “very demanding coach” by Ritwik Das in an interview. The boss made every player understand his importance in the team. So what can be better than someone using this team as a foundation and building something even bigger?

Like, in the recently concluded season Antonio Habas stepped down as ATK Mohun Bagan's coach in between the season, the things would have become worse. But, Juan Ferrando smartly managed the team and built upon the foundation laid by the former Bolivia manager. What would have been a nightmare for the Mariners turned out to be a blessing in disguise as they were the best team in the second half of the tournament. 

Similarly, the think tank of Jamshedpur FC must work cohesively with the team and get the right man on board to lead the prestigious project.

Focus on the project building

Jamshedpur FC has the backing of the very renowned Tata Football Academy (TFA) for young talents. Mohammad Mobashir has served well for Jamshedpur FC and Sandip Mandi is expected to join the list. 

Promising names like Gouramangi Singh, Udanta (Singh) and Subrata Pal are TFA graduates. The new coach must make full out of this academy and build a sustainable project. Considering the current run of form of cadets in the RF Development League, an efficient roadmap for the Colts is inevitable now.

Type of coach Jamshedpur FC needs

Jamshedpur FC was playing fearless attacking football with the defence pushing up on time. They were not known for keeping possession rather they kept the defensive line tight and let the opponents have the ball more. The wingers played the most crucial parts in this playing style. And a physical striker like Chima and classic number 10 Greg Stewart made it work smoothly.

Under Spanish coaches, Jamshedpur FC struggled upfront. The potential reason can be the lack of Indian players who possessed the required abilities. Consequently, the coaches had to play against foreigners in the middle of the park leaving the attacking third weaker. 

The club should go for a coach who favours the English style of play. If he is of British origin, then icing on the cake. A good tactician who can continue the Owen Coyle philosophy or smoothly mould the players to his style, based on fast-paced football, would do the work for Jamshedpur FC.

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