ISL 2017: Chennaiyin FC coach pokes fun at Jamshedpur FC boss Steve Coppell ahead of crunch game
What's the Story?
Chennaiyin FC coach John Gregory has a familiar foe to face in his side's next match against Jamshedpur FC. JFC coach Steve Coppell and Gregory had shared the pitch together back in the day, when the former was a Manchester United player, while the latter used to ply his trade at Aston Villa.
While the two coaches seem to have a lot of respect for each other, Gregory, with his tongue firmly between his cheek, managed to pull Coppell's leg, when asked about his couterpart on the eve of the match.
In case you didn't know...
The high flying Chennaiyin FC will be looking forward to extending their lead at the top as they travel to Jamshedpur FC for their 8th game of the season. Chennaiyin FC sit at the top of the table with 13 points from 7 games. Jamshedpur FC, on the other hand, have had a lacklustre start to the ISL, collecting just 9 points from 6 games and are 6th on the table.
Heart of the Matter
John Gregory was all praises for Steve Coppell about his tenure at Kerala Blasters FC last season, when he had guided the Kochi-based side to the final of the tournament.
"Steve was an outstanding footballer and is a very humble human being. He did a great job last year at Kerala and is doing a great job here too," said Gregory.
However, when asked about their playing days, when the two fought as rivals on the pitch, Gregory had a rather quirky answer.
"Steve Coppell and I played against each other in the late 1970s. I had black hair and Steve had hair," Gregory said about Coppell, who is bald.
What's Next?
All the clubs in the league have played 6 to 7 games each and we are entering the crucial middle phase of the league which is gonna shape the top 4 of the league. This fixture is a lot more important to both Jamshedpur and Chennaiyin.
Author's Opinion
Light-hearted banter like this often helps ease tensions before a big clash. It also shows how two people, who were rivals during their playing days, and are rivals as coaches as well, can share a little light banter, when possible.